The Iola Register, Jan. 4, 2023

LaHarpe sewer rates on the rise

By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register

LAHARPE — The finishing touches are being put on an ordinance that will hike sewer fees in LaHarpe starting in February.

The plan — which City Council members are expected to finalize at their Jan. 11 meeting — will increase meter fees to $40 a month, up from the current $32 charge, along with a .6-cent surcharge on every gallon of water over the first 1,000 gallons used each month.

The rate hikes are necessary because of several needed costly repairs to LaHarpe’s system.

The needs are so extensive, the city will target a phased improvement plan, first focusing on lift stations and inspecting sewer mains, to the tune of about $1.4 million.

“The major problem is the lift stations,” Councilman Danny Ware Jr. said. “A lift station’s life span is about 20 years, and ours are 26 years

old. They just need to be revamped.”

The city should have a better grasp on how much sewer main will need to be redone

“We found some paper-

See LAHARPE | Page A3

McCarthy faces battle to be speaker

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leader Kevin McCarthy failed in two rounds of voting to become House speaker Tuesday, a historic defeat with no clear way out as House Republicans dug in for a long, messy start for the new Congress.

Needing 218 votes in the full House, McCarthy got just 203 in both rounds — less even than Democrat Hakeem Jeffries in the GOP-controlled chamber.

McCarthy had pledged a “battle on the floor” for as long as it took to overcome right-flank fellow Republicans who were refusing to give him their votes. But it was not at all clear how the embattled GOP leader could

Before the second vote, rival-turned-McCarthy ally, conservative Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who got six votes in the first round, rose to urge

his colleagues, even those who backed him as an alternative, to drop their opposition.

“We have to rally around him, come together” Jordan said of McCarthy.

But Rep Matt Gaetz of Florida followed with a vigorous re-endorsement of Jordan. underscoring the chaos within the party.

“I rise to nominate the most talented, hardest working member of the Republican conference, who just gave a speech with more vision that we have ever heard from the alternative,” Gaetz said.

Jordan got 19 votes in the second round.

Smiling through it all, Mc-

New COVID strain ‘highly contagious’

By RICK SOBEY Boston Herald/TNS

BOSTON — A new “highly contagious” COVID variant is on the rise across the region, as the Boston-area virus wastewater levels continue to predict a jump in local cases.

The XBB omicron subvariant has now become the dominant strain in New England, according to this week’s variant update from the CDC.

XBB now accounts for more than 52% of new virus cases in the region, a significant increase from 34% of new cases during the previous week.

“XBB is on the rise in the U.S. and especially in New England and New York,”

See

COVID

| Page A4

Russia, shaken by Ukrainian strike, could step up drone use

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Emergency crews on Tuesday sifted through the rubble of a building struck by Ukrainian rockets, killing at least 63 Russian soldiers barracked there, in the latest blow to the Kremlin’s war strategy as Ukraine says Moscow’s tactics could be shifting.

An Associated Press video of the scene in Makiivka, a town in the partially Russian-occupied eastern Donetsk region, showed five cranes and emergency workers removing big chunks of concrete under a clear blue sky.

In the attack, which apparently happened last weekend, Ukrainian forces fired rockets from a U.S.-provided HIMARS multiple launch system, according to a Russian Defense Ministry statement. It was one of the deadliest

attacks on the Kremlin’s forces since the war began more than 10 months ago and an embarrassment that stirred renewed criticism inside Russia of the way the war is being conducted.

The Russian statement Monday about the attack provided few other details. Other, unconfirmed reports put the death toll much higher.

The Strategic Communications Directorate of Ukraine’s armed forces claimed Sunday that around 400 mobilized Russian soldiers were killed in a vocational school building in Makiivka and about 300 more were wounded. That claim couldn’t be independently verified. The Russian statement said the strike occurred “in the area of Makiivka” and didn’t mention the vocational school.

days

Vigils

two

Russian

In Samara, in southwestern Russia, locals gathered for an

after CCTV camera inspections and smoke testing indicate the extent of some line failures, Ware noted.

work on a smoke test done in 2010 that indicated numerous penetrations in the line,” Ware said.

Lift stations, such as this one on Monroe Street in LaHarpe, will eventually be refurbished after funding sources are determined. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

rebound after becoming the first House speaker nominee in 100 years to fail to win the gavel from his fellow party members on the initial vote.

Satellite photos analyzed

by The AP show the apparent aftermath of the strike. An image from Dec. 20 showed the building standing. An image from Jan. 2 showed it reduced to rubble. Other

had intense cloud cover, making it impossible to see the site by standard satellite imagery.

for soldiers killed in the strike took place in

cities Tuesday, the state RIA Novosti agency reported.

Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., walks to the House Chambers of the U.S. Capitol Building on Dec. 23, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (ANNA MONEYMAKER/GETTY IMAGES/TNS)

This photograph taken on Dec. 16, 2022, shows a damaged building in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (GENYA SAVILOV/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES/TNS)

Obituaries

Nancy Anderson

Nancy Claudette Anderson, age 87, of rural Colony, passed away Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, at Olathe Hospice House.

Claudette was born Oct. 5, 1935, in Colony, to James Claude Fivecoat and Florence (Couch) Fivecoat. Claudette graduated in 1953 as valedictorian from Colony High School. Claudette was united in marriage to Eugene Anderson on July 26, 1953, in Garnett. Claudette and Gene were blessed with two daughters, Nancy and Leanne. Claudette was a wonderful mother to her two daughters and sewed them beautiful clothes including their prom and wedding dresses.

Claudette worked for Allen County Bank in Iola while Gene served in the military when they were rst married. After her daughters became school age, she returned to work at the Bank of Kincaid and then spent over 25 years working at Iola Bank and Trust, retiring as vice president.

Claudette enjoyed traveling with Gene and her daughters all over the United States. Later, Claudette and Gene traveled to Europe and visited the base Gene was stationed during his military service. After retirement, Claudette and Gene enjoyed setting up their antique glass at shows across the United States. Claudette was a member of Colony United Methodist Church and a charter member of the Jolly Dozen Club.

She was preceded in death by her parents, daughter Nancy Gampper, son-in-law Butch Trabuc and sister Bonna Lea Luedke.

Claudette is survived by her husband of 69 years, Gene, of the home; daughter Leanne Trabuc, Colony; grandson Derek (Salena) Trabuc, Iola; granddaughters Laura (Josh) Mathis, Iola, Krista (Scott) Starrett, Brooklyn, N.Y., and Nicole (Kyle) Wainwright, Wamego; great-grandsons Kaster Trabuc and Royce Mathis of Iola and Austin and Adam Wainwright, Wamego; and great-granddaughters Mariah Mathis, Iola, and Adley Wainwright, Wamego.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m, Wednesday, Jan. 4, at Colony United Methodist Church. Burial will be in the Colony Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Colony United Methodist Church. Condolences to the family may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.

Brandon Buckman

Brandon Scott (Crawford) Buckman, Hickory, N.C., died Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. He was born on May 24, 1986, to David and Laura (Trowbridge) Crawford in Iola. For Brandon’s 10th birthday, Terry Buckman adopted him.

He married Lendsey Boan. He later met and married Rita Brittain.

Brandon is survived by his sons Kameryn, Ryan, Mason, Rowan and Camden Buckman; a daughter, Salem Buckman; his mother and stepfather, Mark and Laura Mathews; his biological father, David Crawford; his adopted father, Terry Buckman; his brothers, Andrew (Candice) Buckman and Dakota (Alanna) Buckman; sisters, Chanta (Crawford) Torres, Shalaya Crawford and Shakiah Crawford; many nephews and nieces, 10 aunts and six uncles and many cousins.

A celebration of life will be at 1 p.m., Jan. 29 at the John Silas Bass North Community Building, 505 N. Buckeye St., Iola.

Police reports

Weather wrecks

Jacob W. Keene was northbound in the 1900 block of North State Street when he stepped on the brake, lost control of his car on the snow-covered surface and left the roadway, striking a utility pole.

He was unhurt in the accident.

On Dec. 27, Bradlee D. Bennett was crossing Washington Avenue from Breckenridge Street, and told o cers he did not see a southbound vehicle driven by Chelsea M. Kinder Ives.

Bennett said the ice prevented him from stopping after he saw

the second vehicle, which struck his car.

Neither was injured.

Driver hurt in wreck after hitting deer Catherine R. Ingle was eastbound on Oregon Road the evening of Dec. 27 when she struck a deer about a quarter of a mile west of Kentucky Street.

Ingle was taken to the hospital due to her injuries. Two passengers in the sport utility vehicle were uninjured, o cers said.

Arrests reported Nicholas Stover was

Jack Scott

Jack S. Scott, age 87, of Humboldt, passed away on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, at Yates Center Health and Rehab.

Jack was born on Feb. 14, 1935, in Humboldt, to Harvey Scott and Esther (Dwinell) Scott. He was a lifelong resident of Humboldt, graduating with the class of 1952. Jack married Barbara Culbertson on Feb. 12, 1956, in Iola. In 1957 he entered the U.S. Army and served at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. Following his honorable discharge in 1959 they returned to Humboldt, where Jack worked in the oil elds for several years before going to work at Monarch Cement, retiring in 1997 after 23 years.

In his free time Jack enjoyed setting trot lines on the river. He also loved hunting quail with two of his favorite German Shorthaired Pointers, Billy Joe and Peggy Sue. In his retirement, Jack and Bobby enjoyed playing cards at the Iola Senior Center.

He was preceded in death by his parents; an infant son, Craig; his daughter, Cindy Miller on May 8, 2014; two brothers, William and Fred Scott; and two sisters, Norma Scott and Betty Repstine.

Jack is survived by his wife of 66 years, Barbara “Bobby” of the home; three grandsons, Nicholas Miller and wife, Elana of Fayetteville, Ark., and their two daughters Charlee and Presley “Scottie,” Nathan Miller and wife, Samantha, of Fayetteville, and their son, Nolynn Miller; Neal Miller of Chanute, and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service Chapel, 1883 U.S. 54, Iola, with Chaplain Lloyd Houk o ciating. Burial will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery, Humboldt. Memorial contributions may be made to Wings for Warriors and left in care of the funeral home.

Condolences may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.

Martin Henrichs

Martin William Henrichs, 85, Valparaiso, Ind., died on Friday, Dec. 30, 2022.

He was born Sept. 24, 1937, to Martin T.J. Henrichs and Edna (Wulf) Henrichs in Humboldt. He had three brothers, Robert (deceased), Thomas of Independence and Joseph (deceased).

Martin married Lis Thomsen from Denmark in 1960. This marriage was blessed with two daughters, Marlise and Starla, and ended in divorce in 1973. In 1981, he married Judy (McKean) Riggs and became the stepfather to Cheryl, Ray and Cindy.

He is survived by his wife, two daughters, three stepchildren, three grandchildren and ve stepgrandchildren.

He graduated from Humboldt High School in 1955, Valparaiso University in 1959 and went on to obtain a master’s degree from Indiana University. He became a social studies teacher at Calumet Jr. High School and Roosevelt High School in Indiana for 34 years.

He was active in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and served as church organist for 65 years.

Services were held at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Kouts, Ind., with burial at St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery in Kouts. Rev. Joseph Osta nski and Rev. Michael Henrichs o ciated.

Memorial donations may be made to the organ fund at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Kouts, Ind.

arrested by Iola police o cers Dec. 26 for suspected violation of a protection order in the 500 block of North Cottonwood Street.

Iola police o cers served an arrest warrant to Nicole Roberts the evening of Dec. 28 in the 300 block of Eisenhower Drive. Upon arrival, they also found and arrested Justin Roberts for suspicion of violating a protection order.

O cers arrested Sean

Cox, 38, Iola, for suspicion of domestic battery in the 200 block of North Second Street.

Theft alleged Shanna Stout, 26, Parsons, was cited for suspicion of theft Dec. 28 at Iola Walmart.

Drivers cited A tra c stop at the intersection of Walnut Street and Kansas Avenue Friday led to Keaton

Watch out for edibles, health o cials warn

By JONEL ALECCIA The Associated Press

The number of young kids, especially toddlers, who accidentally ate marijuana-laced treats rose sharply over ve years as pot became legal in more places in the U.S., according to a study published Tuesday.

More than 7,000 confirmed cases of kids younger than 6 eating marijuana edibles were reported to the nation’s poison control centers between 2017 and 2021, climbing from about 200 to more than 3,000 per year.

Nearly a quarter of the children wound up hospitalized, some seriously ill, according to a new analysis in the journal Pediatrics.

And those are just

the reported cases, said Dr. Marit Tweet, a medical toxicologist with the Southern Illinois School of Medicine, who led the study.

Cases of kids eating pot products such as candies, chocolate and cookies have coincided with more states allowing medical and recreational cannabis use. Currently 37 U.S. states permit use of marijuana for medical purposes and 21 states regulate adult recreational use.

Tweet called for greater vigilance by parents and for more laws like those adopted by several states to make pot products — often packaged to look like kids’ candies and snacks — less appealing and accessible to children.

New library hours

With the holiday season in the rear view mirror, the Iola Public Library has announced its new hours for 2023.

The Library is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Model T Club to meet in Burlington

BURLINGTON —

The Model T Ford Club will meet at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 12 in the conference room of the Burlington library. Potato and vegetable beef soup will be served. Attendees are asked to bring a dish to complement the meal.

Members will report on the special events they’ve recently attended. They’ll also discuss the Jan. 21 Winter

Clinic in McPherson and the MTFCA National Tour June 1823 in Manhattan.

The ECKMT’s is a family organization and a chapter of the non-pro t, National Model T Club of America.

Owning a Model T is not a requirement for membership. The meetings are open to the public.For more information call Bud Redding at 785-7332124.

Iolan cited

Logan, 19, Gas, being cited for possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while suspended, possessing alcohol as a minor, transporting an open container of alcohol and speeding.

Also Friday, Wyatt Smith, 19, Iola, was cited for operating a vehicle without a license in the 300 block of West Madison Avenue.

An incident in the 100 block of South Kentucky Street Saturday led to Allen Blackburn, 21, Iola, being cited for theft, o cers said.

Desk stolen

Arlyn Briggs, Kincaid, told Iola police o cers Saturday a desk was stolen from 12 N. Washington Ave.

Nancy Anderson

Jack Scott

Brandon Buckman

Kansas lottery sales rise in wake of legal sports wagering

By TIM CARPENTER Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — A lucky northeast Kansas lottery player nailed the Powerball jackpot on Nov. 19 to claim $92.9 million.

“The Kansas Lottery had the pleasure of making someone out there a little more thankful,” said Stephen Durrell, executive director of the Kansas Lottery. “Nothing makes us happier than giving away a big jackpot to our players.”

That followed by less than two weeks the giddy Powerball action leading to folks in California pocketing a $2.04 billion jackpot. Interest in Powerball, and the Mega Millions game, pushed Kansas lottery revenue to $35.5 million in November. That represented a 46% rise from $24.2 million in November 2021.

This transpired while Kansas sought to find its footing in the sports wagering world. Introduction

of legal sports betting in Kansas resulted in monthly wagering on athletic events of $160.5 million in September, $189.9 million in October and $186.3 million in November.

The three-month total: $536.7 million.

Those hefty numbers, fueled by promotional incentives lavished on sports bettors, were robust enough to raise questions about whether the advent of sports betting in Kansas would slice into consumer enthusiasm for the state’s routine casino gambling or lottery ticket sales.

Durrell said there would be a sorting out period in Kansas’ gambling and lottery sectors, but there was no evidence the traditional lottery or casino operations would collapse under the weight of sports books.

“They like to stay in their individual silos. They don’t typically cannibalize each other,” Durrell said.

LaHarpe: Sewer repairs on horizon

But with personnel changes within LaHarpe’s maintenance department since then, it’s unlikely any repairs have been done, he noted.

The sewer failures have come to light in recent months, with “manhole fountains” spotted during torrential rain storms along Monroe Street.

Manhole fountains are caused when rainwater breaches the sewer system at such a rate that it sends water up through manhole openings.

“It means your system has failed,” one engineer told the city in October.

LaHarpe is utilizing federal COVID relief funds and a $30,000 USDA grant for the inspections.

“With the inspections, we will know what everything looks like before we start,” Ware said. “We can focus on what areas will need to be addressed first, in the hopes that it will eliminate unforeseen problems down the road.”

HOW TO pay for the project remains a top-

ic of discussion at City Hall.

The city is anxious to learn whether the federal government will once again allow Community Development Block Grants for municipal infrastructure projects such as sewer repairs.

The problem is that the feds decided last year to target CDBG opportunities for such things as sidewalks and trails only, much to LaHarpe’s chagrin.

“We’ll have to see if they change it this year,” Ware said.

If no such grant materializes, LaHarpe will utilize a Kansas Department of Health and Environment loan. And

Crews to reroute Mill Creek after spill

By ALLISON KITE Kansas Reflector

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

Crews will reroute Mill Creek to avoid the site of the Keystone Pipeline’s largest-ever oil spill, the oil pipeline’s parent company announced Tuesday.

The Keystone pipeline, which runs from Canada to Texas and Illinois, spilled 14,000 barrels of oil near the Kansas-Nebraska border in early December. The spill — the latest in a number of spills and deficiencies along the pipeline — turned Mill Creek black and deposited oil on farmland near Washington, Kansas.

Within two weeks after the spill, more than 400 people were onsite cleaning up the oil, including personnel from the pipeline’s owner, TC Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and state and local officials. Crews built dams to contain the spill and began vacuuming oil from the creek and surrounding areas.

Now, those responders are working to “temporarily divert (Mill) Creek from a lo-

cation upstream of the pipeline spill to downstream of the containment dams,” TC Energy said in a statement.

“The diversion will assist in the cleanup and reclamation of the creek,” the statement said.

TC Energy did not say in its news release how diverting the creek would assist in cleanup.

The company also has not announced an update on how much oil it has removed from

the creek. As of Dec. 21, it had removed 7,599 barrels of oil from the creek, a little more than half of the estimated amount spilled.

TC Energy said it would give $7,500 to purchase new mobile and radio equipment for the Washington County Emergency Management Office. It also pledged to match donations to the Washington County Hospital.

The site of the spill

on Tuesday was still subject to a no-fly zone for drones requested by TC Energy.

Following the spill, the federal government ordered TC Energy to investigate the cause of the pipeline’s spill. It also required the company to submit a plan before resuming operations. The Cushing Extension — the part of the pipeline where the spill occurred — started operating again on Dec. 29.

the city also may be eligible for a Rural Development loan/grant match from the United States Department of Agriculture.

But in order to qualify for any kind of grant funding, the city must justify to the state and federal agencies it has measures in place to pay for an improved sewer system, Ware explained.

That’s where the fee increases come in.

At $32 a month, LaHarpe’s fees are substantially less than comparable cities across the state, Ware said. “Most are at the $50 range,” he said. “We didn’t want to jump that high just yet.”

LaHarpe’s current rates are so low that the Council has had to transfer money into the sewer fund at the end of the past three years to prevent it from ending those years with a negative balance, Ware said.

Adding the surcharge for customers who use larger quantities of water also should make the fees equitable, he continued.

“We have some older people in town who don’t use 1,000 gallons a month,” Ware noted. “Yet right now, they’re paying the same amount as a large family. We’re hoping this is a more fair average.”

First tanker carrying US gas arrives in Germany

BERLIN (AP) — The first regular shipment of liquefied natural gas from the United States arrived in Germany on Tuesday, part of a wide-reaching effort to help the country replace energy supplies it previously received from Russia.

The tanker vessel Maria Energy arrived at the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven, where its shipment of LNG will be converted back into gas at a special floating terminal that was inaugurated last month by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Germany has rushed to find a replacement for Russian gas supplies following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The facility in Wilhelmshaven is one of several such termi-

nals being put in place to help avert an energy supply shortage.

Germany has also temporarily reactivated old oil- and coalfired power stations and extended the life of its last three nuclear power plants until mid-April.

Environmental campaigners said they planned to protest the arrival of the Maria Energy, arguing Germany shouldn't be importing fossil fuels, particularly gas obtained through fracking.

Reserves in Germany's gas storage facilities rose above 90% at the start of the year as unseasonably warm temperatures across much of central Europe reduced heating demand.

Torrential downpours in LaHarpe occasionally result in “manhole fountains” because of rainwater breaching the city’s sewer system. FILE PHOTO

Efforts are underway to clean up the largest spill in the Keystone pipeline’s history, which happened near Washington, Kansas. The pipeline’s owner announced Mill Creek will be temporarily rerouted to help with cleanup. (TC ENERGY)

COVID: ‘Highly contagious’ XBB

said Davidson Hamer, a Boston University School of Public Health infectious diseases specialist.

“It is worrisome given the apparent capacity of this omicron subvariant to evade the immune response generated by past infection and/or vaccination,” he added.

Hamer called XBB a “unique subvariant” because it seems to have arisen through the recombination of two subvariants, rather than additional single point mutations.

“It is highly contagious but fortunately may be less likely to cause severe disease,” Hamer said.

As the variant spreads, the Boston-area COVID wastewater levels are surging. The virus wastewater data has helped predict COVID waves throughout the pandemic.

The seven-day average in the south-of-Boston region is up to 1,440 viral copies per milliliter, which is a jump from 1,331 viral copies in the previous report. The average on Thanksgiving was 721 viral copies.

The north-of-Boston region’s seven-day average is up to 1,254 viral copies per milliliter, an increase from 1,179 viral copies in the previous

report. The average on Thanksgiving was 483 viral copies.

“Bad timing for this surge of XBB given holiday gatherings of family and friends,” Hamer said. “Mask use in public places — public transportation, crowded stores, restaurants or bars when not eating — would be a wise idea for the next few weeks.”

Meanwhile, the Bay State’s positive test average is increasing each week. The seven-day positive test rate is now 11.17%, up from 9.58% last week.

The state’s daily average of 1,190 COVID cases from the last week is down from the daily rate of 1,317 virus infections during the previous week — but the number of tests was significantly down amid the holiday week.

The state on Thursday also reported that 1,149 total patients are hospitalized with COVID, which is a significant increase of 241 patients from this time last week.

The state reported 113 new COVID deaths over the past week, bringing the state’s total to 22,940 recorded deaths since the start of the pandemic. The daily average of deaths is now 11, which is lower than the daily death rate during the initial omicron surge.

More than 5.6 million people in the state have been fully vaccinated, and more than 3.4 million people have received at least one booster dose. Also, the state reported that more than 1.5 million additional booster doses have been administered.

Suspect in Idaho slayings not expected to fight extradition

STROUDSBURG, Pa.

(AP) — A man facing first-degree murder charges in the slayings of four University of Idaho students in November is not expected to fight extradition at a hearing Tuesday in Pennsylvania, where he was captured at his parents' home.

Bryan Kohberger, a 28-year-old doctoral student and teaching assistant in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at Washington State University, was taken into custody early Friday by state police in eastern Pennsylvania, authorities said.

Monroe County's chief public defender, Jason LaBar, said his client is eager to be exonerated and plans to tell a judge in Pennsylvania that he will waive his extradition hearing so he can be quickly taken to Idaho.

LaBar said his client should be presumed innocent and "not tried in the court of public opinion."

Capt. Anthony Dahlinger, of the Moscow Police Department in Idaho, told The Associated Press on Saturday that authorities believe Kohberger was respon-

Ukraine: Russia digs out strike victims

Continued from A1

Orthodox service in memory of the dead.

The service was followed by a minute’s silence, and flowers were laid at a Soviet-era war memorial, RIA reported.

Unconfirmed reports in Russian-language media said the victims were mobilized reservists from the region.

With the fighting raging much longer than anticipated by the Kremlin, and becoming bogged down in a war of attrition amid a Ukrainian counteroffensive backed by Western-supplied weapons, Russian President Vladimir Putin is mulling ways of regaining momentum.

His plan, according to Ukrainian officials, includes stepping up bombardments of Ukraine’s territory with Iranian-made exploding drones.

“We have information that Russia is planning a prolonged attack by Shaheds (exploding drones),” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address late Monday.

He said the goal is to break Ukraine’s resistance by “exhausting our people, (our) air defense, our energy,” more than 10 months after Russia invaded its neighbor.

For the Russian military, the exploding drones are a cheap weapon which also spreads fear among Ukrainian troops and civilians. The United States and its allies have sparred with Iran over Tehran’s role in allegedly supplying Moscow with the drones.

The Institute for the Study of War said that Putin is striving to strengthen support for his strategy among key

voices in Russia.

“Russia’s air and missile campaign against Ukraine is likely not generating the Kremlin’s desired information effects among Russia’s nationalists,” the think tank said late Monday.

“Such profound military failures will continue to complicate Putin’s efforts to appease the Russian pro-war community and retain the dominant narrative in the domestic information space,” it added.

Putin’s additional reliance on drones might not help him achieve his goals, however, as Ukraine claims a high success rate against the weapons. Even so, part of the intention using drones is to exhaust Ukrainian air defenses.

During the first two days of the new year, which were marked by relentless nighttime drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure, the country’s forces shot down more than 80 Iranian-made drones, Zelenskyy said.

Since September, Ukraine’s armed forces have shot down almost 500 drones, Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat claimed in a television interview Tuesday.

As well as seeking to wear down resistance to Russia’s invasion, the long-range bombardments have targeted the power grid to leave civilians at the mercy of biting winter weather as power outages ripple across the country.

In the latest fighting, a Russian missile strike overnight on the city of Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region wounded two people, the deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, reported Tuesday.

The Russian military on Tuesday acknowledged carrying out strikes on Druzhkivka and Kramatorsk, also in Donetsk. The Defense Ministry claimed it destroyed four HIMARS launchers in the area. This claim could not be independently verified.

A reporter with French broadcaster TF1 was live on television screens when a blast from one of the strikes erupted behind him in Druzhkivka. A German reporter with Bild newspaper suffered a minor injury from shrapnel in the same bombardment.

Officials said the attack ruined an ice hockey arena described as the largest hockey and figure skating school in Ukraine.

In the recently retaken areas of the southern Kherson region, Russian shelling on Monday killed two people and wounded nine, Kherson’s Ukrainian governor, Yaroslav Yanushevych, said Tuesday. He said Russian forces fired at the city of Kherson 32 times on Monday.

He also reported that two people were killed in the Kherson region Tuesday after driving over a mine left by withdrawing Russian troops.

Also, one civilian was killed and two others wounded on Tuesday morning as Russian forces shelled the city of Kurakhove in the eastern Donetsk region, hitting a residential area, local Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko reported.

In other developments Tuesday:

Ukraine’s main security service announced that it was bringing criminal charges against two high-ranking Russian commanders accused of overseeing strikes against

civilians.

The Security Service of Ukraine, known by its acronym SBU, said in a statement on its website that it had collected a “high-quality body of evidence” against Sergei Kobylash, commander of Russia’s long-range aviation force, and Igor Osipov, the former head of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The two are charged under Ukrainian law with violating the country’s territorial integrity and with “planning, preparing, initiating and conducting a war of aggression,” crimes which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Although it is unlikely that Kyiv will be able to bring Kobylash and Osipov to trial in the near future, the announcement marks the first time Ukrainian authorities brought charges linked directly to attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure.

Latah County prosecutors in Idaho have said they believe Kohberger broke into the students’ home near the university campus intending to commit murder. Their bodies were found Nov. 13, several hours after investigators believe they died.

sible for all four slayings.

"We believe we've got our man," he said, adding that investigators obtained samples of Kohberger's DNA directly from him after he was arrested.

Kohberger's relatives in Pennsylvania have expressed sympathy for the families of the victims but vowed to support him and promote "his presumption of innocence."

His parents, Michael and Maryann, and his two older sisters, Amanda and Melissa, said in a statement released Sunday by his attorney that they "care deeply for the four families who have lost their precious children. There are no words that can adequately express the sadness we feel, and we pray each day for them."

The family said that relatives will continue to let the legal process unfold, and that "as a family we will love and support our son and brother." They say they have fully cooperated with law enforcement to try to "seek the truth and promote his presumption of innocence rather than judge unknown facts and make erroneous

berger broke into the students' home near the university campus intending to commit murder. Their bodies were found Nov. 13, several hours after investigators believe they died.

The students — Kaylee Goncalves, 21, of Rathdrum, Idaho; Madison Mogen, 21, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; Xana Kernodle, 20, of Post Falls, Idaho; and Ethan Chapin, 20, of Conway, Washington — were members of the university's Greek system and close friends.

Mogen, Goncalves and Kernodle lived in the three-story rental home with two other roommates. Kernodle and Chapin were dating, and he had been visiting the house that night.

Latah County prosecutors have said the affidavit for four charges of first-degree murder will remain sealed until he is returned. He is also charged with felony burglary.

Investigators have asked for information about Kohberger from anyone who knows him, and Dahlinger said investigators got 400 calls to a tip line within the first hour of that request. He said they were "trying to build this picture now

The newest COVID-19 variant, XBB, is highly contagious. TNS

Journalism that makes a difference

There’s nothing fair about a flat tax rate

Because state coffers are currently flush, a flat tax rate is once again being proposed.

Kansas, don’t go there.

A system where all are taxed the same amount on their earnings will yield far less than our current tiered system.

Why?

Because the wealthy will pay far less.

Yes, we know, that’s the idea.

Shush.

But once we go down that path of decimating our tax structure, it will take years to correct just as it did after massive tax cuts were enacted during the 2012-2017 administration of Gov. Sam Brownback.

The idea then was that reducing taxes would increase output and be “a shot of adrenaline into the heart of the Kansas economy,” as Brownback promised.

It didn’t happen.

Instead, Kansas revenues plunged, taking the state’s bond rating with it.

Predictably, prospective businesses, teachers, doctors and other professionals were turned off.

Good schools, healthy communities, and an innovative business climate are what draw people our way, not a race to the bottom.

Kansas has a cushion of cash thanks in part to hundreds of millions in onetime federal COVID-19 relief funds that have yet to be spent.

Legislators should ask not only whether it’s prudent to use that cushion for tax cuts but also whether it moves the state forward.

THE MATH tells the story.

If a person who earns $1 million a year and an individual who earns $30,000 a year are both taxed at a 4-percent rate, the millionaire comes away with $960,000 while his friend is left with $28,800.

The tax rate hits the low wage-earner a lot harder than Daddy Warbucks because he has so little to start with.

This is why a flat tax —

disingenuously referred to as a “fair tax” — is a regressive tax policy. It falls harder on low-wage earners, setting them further behind in their ability to maintain a roof over their heads.

Kansas’s current tax plan is minimally tiered.

Individual incomes up to $15,000 are taxed at a 3.1 percent rate; up to $30,000 is taxed at 5.25 percent; and incomes above $30,000 are taxed at a 5.7 percent rate.

Many states have more detailed tiers that address incomes as high as $1 million.

THE BEST WAY to give Kansans immediate tax relief is to eliminate the sales tax on food.

Everybody needs to eat. And right now, food is expensive.

Last year, Gov. Laura Kelly urged lawmakers to eliminate the 6.5 percent sales food tax outright.

Republicans, however, are saying they prefer to stick to the plan that it be lowered incrementally by 2 percent over three years.

IF KANSAS were to implement a flat tax policy, it would not be able to keep the doors open with the 3.1 percent rate — that which the lowest incomes are charged.

So if a balance between the three rates were used — 4.68 percent — that means low-income earners would be walloped.

There’s nothing fair about that.

Lawmakers pontificate how being good stewards of our money is their primary goal and that tax cuts are the answer.

While laudable, the greater goal should be to make Kansas a state where everyone — no matter their income — has an opportunity to be their best. And that can only happen when Kansans have an equal opportunity to health care, clean water, good schools, mental health care and public safety.

The needs should determine the costs of running a government, not the other way around. — Susan Lynn

A look back in t me. A look back in t me.

70 Years Ago January 1953

Walter Fees, Iola oil man and former chairman of the Republican State Committee, was elected chairman of the State Board of Regents at its meeting Thursday. He succeeds Oscar Stauffer, publisher of the Topeka Capital-Journal. *****

On Jan. 5, Allen County Sheriff Robert M. Allman had an operation which may make medical history. At Baylor University Hospital in Houston a surgeon replaced about six inches of his aorta artery with an artery from a deceased person. Allman had an aneurysm on his artery which would have burst and led to his death. He is now at Ft. Smith recovering. *****

HUMBOLDT — Walter Wulf, president of the Monarch Cement Co., and his staff are now in the firm’s new ultra-modern office building. *****

Substantial progress was made in 1952 in increasing the perpetual maintenance fund for Iola’s two cemeteries, according to a summary by J.M. Powell, president of the cemetery board. The program was started several years ago and the fund now amounts to $25,000. The money is invested in government bonds. The annual interest finances the mowing and maintenance of the lots. At the end of the year about 40 percent of the graves in Highland Cemetery and 96 percent of those in Iola Cemetery were not covered.

Judge Gorsuch right to note Biden’s twisted logic on immigration

The emergence of immigration policy as a constant source of seeming contradiction under President Joe Biden was a development few expected. Improbably, this was underscored this week by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch — a conservative appointed by Donald Trump.

At Chief Justice John Roberts’ behest, the high court on short notice took up a request to block a lower court’s ruling terminating a March 2020 order by the Trump-run Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The directive said an obscure public health law known as Title 42 allowed U.S. border agents to immediately turn away migrants who have crossed the southern border to prevent

the spread of COVID-19. U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled in November that since public health circumstances were now much different, continued use of the rule was “arbitrary and capricious.”

Biden once would have seemed likely to agree. As a candidate, he ripped Title 42 as another Trump tactic to demonize immigrants. But since becoming president, Biden has warmed to Title 42 as a blunt tool to limit the huge surge of migrants attempting to enter the U.S. since he took office and dropped other Trump-era rules. Gorsuch acknowledged the concerns of Republican governors over this surge, but noted that “the current border crisis is not a COVID

crisis. And courts should not be in the business of perpetuating administrative edicts designed for one emergency only because elected officials have failed to address a different emergency. We are a court of law, not policymakers of last resort.” The five other high court conservatives did not agree, meaning that until fuller court proceedings next year, Biden gets to keep using Title 42 — but to control immigration, not on public health grounds. Biden will always be preferable to Trump on this issue because he appreciates how hugely important immigrants are to America. But he should be handling Title 42 much better than Trump ever did.

— San Diego Union-Tribune

In-state tuition keeps students here

By FRED LOGAN Special to the Kansas City Star

Kansas is getting it right by providing its undocumented students the opportunity to pay tuition at in-state rates and obtain a degree at one of its higher education institutions.

The Legislature enacted a law in 2004 that allows undocumented students who are Kansas high school graduates to pay in-state tuition at public postsecondary institutions. The state statute sets out the requirements for enrollment.

Those students must meet the institution’s admission standards. They must also have attended an accredited Kansas high school for at least three years, graduated from high school or earned a Kansas general education degree, and filed or agreed to file an application for legal immigration status or citizenship.

That’s sensible public policy.

It’s also public policy that’s working very well. In the 12year period of 2010 to 2021, 5,140 undocumented students relied on the 2004 law to enroll at Kansas higher education institutions.

Many of those students who made use of that law enrolled at Kansas community

Kansas’ policy that allows undocumented high school graduates on the path to U.S. citizenship to pay in-state tuition at its colleges is a win-win.

colleges. Statistics developed by the Kansas Board of Regents show that 68% of the 425 undocumented students who enrolled in fall 2021 did so at one of the state’s community colleges.

Those enrollment numbers were highest at Johnson County Community College, with 126 students, and at Kansas City Kansas Community College, with 60 students. In-state tuition is an important pathway to higher education for undocumented students in the Kansas City area.

In addition, in-state tuition rates have also spurred enrollments of undocumented students at higher education institutions that serve rural Kansas. In fall 2021, 148 undocumented students enrolled at Butler County Community College, Barton Community College, Fort Hays State University, Garden City Community College and Seward County Community College.

Other states may be noticing that the Kansas approach to providing in-state tuition rates to undocumented stu-

dents works.

On Nov. 8, voters in Arizona passed a ballot initiative that would allow that state’s public universities and community colleges to charge undocumented students in-state tuition rates. Supporters argued that granting those students in-state tuition rates would keep talent in the state.

But let’s not kid ourselves.

Anti-immigration rhetoric will continue to rule the day in many states.

Developing a sensible immigration policy is much harder work than staging phony media events that stoke fears of “illegals.”

By providing a statutory path to a higher education degree, Kansas has demonstrated to its undocumented students that they can build a future in the state.

That’s great public policy that will benefit the state for years to come.

About the author: Fred Logan is a lawyer in Prairie Village. He served on the Kansas Board of Regents from 2011 to 2015.

Migrants walk across the Rio Grande to surrender to U.S. Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua state, Mexico, on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. (HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP/GETTY IMAGES/TNS)

McConnell celebrates milestone as Senate Dems retain power

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are again claiming the Senate majority, but much of the chamber’s focus is on the top Republican as Mitch McConnell becomes the longest serving Senate leader in history.

McConnell, 80, surpassed Montana Sen. Mike Mansfield’s record of 16 years as party leader when the Senate convened midday Tuesday to begin the new Congress. While the Kentucky Republican has acknowledged he would prefer his own party to be taking charge — “the majority is better,” he says frequently — he’s celebrating his own personal milestone with a Senate floor speech looking back at party leaders and their different styles over the decades.

And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., ce-

ments a legacy of his own after winning a second term as leader and also being sworn in as the longest-serving senator from New York. Democrats will go into the new Congress with a 51-49 majority, with newly Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema receiving her committee assignments from Democrats.

The celebratory Senate proceedings were in marked contrast to the new Republican House majority across

the Capitol, where Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy is fighting to become speaker amid contentious internal strife in his own party. McConnell, his party’s leader since 2007, easily dismissed a similar challenge from within after the November midterms, and, like Schumer, begins the new year with strong support from his caucus.

Praising the tenure of Mansfield, a Democrat who led his party in the Senate after Democrat Lyndon Johnson resigned to become vice president in 1961 and served until 1977, the ever-restrained McConnell hinted in his speech at his own long-term strategy — a contrast to the bombast and chaos across the Capitol.

“There’ve been leaders who rose to the job through lower-key, behind-the-scenes

styles; who preferred to focus on serving their colleagues rather than dominating them,” McConnell said, and that “is how Senator Michael Joseph Mansfield of Montana became the longest-serving Senate leader in American history until this morning.”

Like President Joe Biden, both Schumer and McConnell are opening the year pledging to work across the aisle — and all three will have to find ways to work with the new GOP House majority to keep government running. McConnell will make a rare appearance with Biden in his home state of Kentucky this week to highlight nearly $1 trillion in infrastructure spending that lawmakers approved on a bipartisan basis in 2021.

Claiming his party’s majority after senators were sworn

in, Schumer said that party differences “do not absolve either either side of the need to work together when the good of the country is on the line.”

“If both sides are willing to give it a good faith effort, I’m optimistic we can be successful, far more successful than many might think,” Schumer said.

Also Tuesday, the Senate swore in seven new members, five Republicans and two Democrats. Unlike the House, where the swearing in was overshadowed by the antagonistic fight over the speaker’s chair, the mood was jovial in the Senate. Family, friends and predecessors looked on as those freshman, along with their new colleagues who won re-election, took an oath of office administered by Vice President Kamala Harris.

House: McCarthy fails to win enough votes in first rounds

Continued from A1

Carthy huddled briefly with aides then appeared intent on simply trying to wear down his colleagues. Earlier, he strode into the chamber, posed for photos, and received a standing ovation from many on his side of the aisle after being nominated by the third-ranking Republican, Rep. Elise Stefanik, who said the Californian from gritty Bakersfield “has what it takes” to lead House Republicans.

“No one has worked harder for this majority than Kevin McCarthy,” said Stefanik, R-N.Y.

But on that first vote a challenge was quickly raised by Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., a conservative former leader of the Freedom Caucus, who was nominated by a fellow conservative as speaker. In all, 19 Republicans peeled away, denying McCarthy the majority he needs as they cast votes for Biggs, Jordan or others in protest.

The mood was tense, at least on the Republican side, as lawmakers rose from their seats, in a lengthy first round of in-person voting. Democrats were joyous as they cast their own historic votes for their leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

In the final firstround tally, McCarthy won 203 votes, with 10 for Biggs and nine for other Republicans. Jeffries, the Democratic leader, won the most, 212 votes. But no nominee won a majority.

After a raucous private GOP meeting, a core group of conservatives led by the Freedom Caucus and aligned with Donald Trump’s MAGA agenda were furious, calling the meeting a “beat down” by McCarthy allies and remaining steadfast in their opposition to the GOP leader.

“There’s one person who could have changed all this,” said Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., the chairman of the Freedom Caucus and a leader of Trump’s effort to challenge the 2020 presidential election.

The group said McCarthy refused the group’s last-ditch offer for rules changes in a meeting late Monday at the Capitol.

“If you want to drain the swamp you can’t put the biggest alligator in control of the exercise,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.

“He eagerly dismissed us,” said Rep. Lauren

Boebert, R-Colo.

Lawmakers convened in a new era of divided government as Democrats relinquish control of the House after midterm election losses. While the Senate remains in Democratic hands, barely, House Republicans are eager to confront President Joe Biden’s agenda after two years of a Democratic Party control of both houses of Congress.

Outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi gaveled closed the last session, moving aside for new House leadership in her Democratic Party, to a standing ovation from colleagues on her side of the aisle.

The chaplain opened with a prayer seeking to bring the 118th Congress to life.

But first, House Republicans had to elect a speaker, second in succession to the presidency.

Even with an endorsement from former President Trump, McCarthy fell short.

Democrats enthusiastically nominated Jeffries, D-.N.Y., who is taking over as party leader, as their choice for speaker — a typically symbolic gesture in the minority but one that took on new importance

as Republicans were in disarray.

“A Latino is nominating in this chamber a Black man for our leader for the the first time in American history,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, the third-ranking Democrat, in nominating his colleague.

A new generation of Trump-aligned Republicans led the opposition to McCarthy. They don’t think he is conservative enough or tough enough to battle Democrats. It’s reminiscent of the last time Republicans took back the House majority, after the 2010 midterms, when the tea-party class ushered in a new era of hardball politics, eventually sending Speaker John Boehner to an early retirement.

“Nothing’s changed,” said Rep. Bob Good, R-Va. “The problem is Kevin McCarthy.”

With just 222 GOP seats, McCarthy could afford to lose only a handful of their votes. A speaker can win with fewer than 218 votes, as Pelosi and Boehner did, if some lawmakers are absent or simply vote present.

But McCarthy has failed to win over a core — and potentially growing — group of right-

flank Republicans led by the conservative Freedom Caucus, despite weeks of closed-door meetings and promised changes to the House rules.

Some of the staunch Republican conservatives challenged McCarthy in the private session. He pushed back, according to a Republican in the room and granted anonymity to discuss the closed-door session.

A sizable but less vocal group of McCarthy supporters started theirs own campaign, “Only Kevin,” as a way to shut down the opposition and pledge their support only to him.

Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., a leader of a more pragmatic conservative group, said “frustration was rising” with the minority faction.

A viable challenger to McCarthy had yet to emerge.

The second-ranking House Republican, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, could be a next choice, a conservative widely liked by his colleagues and seen by some as a hero after surviving a gunshot wound suffered during a congressional baseball game practice in 2017.

Samuel Wilcox, MD, Joins Allen County Regional Hospital–Iola Clinic

Primary and family care close to home

Once rivals, McCar-

thy and Scalise have become a team. Scalise’s office rejected as “false” a suggestion Monday by another Republican that Scalise was making calls about the speaker’s race.

A speaker’s contest last went multiple rounds in 1923.

“This is a lot more important than about one person,” said Doug Heye, a former Republican leadership senior aide. “It’s about whether Republicans will be able to govern.”

Without a speaker, the House cannot fully form — naming its committee chairmen, engaging in floor proceedings and launching investigations of the Biden administration.

It was all in stark contrast to the other side of the Capitol, where Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell will officially become the chamber’s longest-serving party leader in history.

Despite being in the minority in the Senate, where Democrats hold a slim 51-49 majority, McConnell could prove to be a viable partner as Biden seeks bipartisan victories in the new era of divided government. The two men were expected to appear together later in the week in

the GOP leader’s home state of Kentucky to celebrate federal infrastructure investment in a vital bridge that connects Kentucky and Ohio.

McCarthy’s candidacy for speaker should have been an almost sure thing. He led his party into the majority, raising millions of campaign dollars and traveling the country to recruit many of the newer lawmakers to run for office.

Yet McCarthy has been here before, abruptly dropping out of the speaker’s race in 2015 when it was clear he did not have support from conservatives to replace Boehner.

One core demand from the holdouts this time is that McCarthy reinstate a rule that allows any single lawmaker to make a “motion to vacate the chair” — in short, to call a vote to remove the speaker from office.

Pelosi eliminated the rule after conservatives used it to threaten Boehner’s ouster, but McCarthy agreed to add it back in — but at a higher threshold, requiring at least five lawmakers to sign on to the motion. Conservatives said it was insufficient.

We are pleased to introduce Dr. Wilcox, a family physician with special interests in treating obesity, sports injuries, and musculoskeletal injuries. He offers guidance, compassion, and care to help his patients feel better.

Dr. Wilcox is currently accepting new patients of all ages.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Local athletes shoot for New Year’s resolutions

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

New year, new teams.

That’s what some of the Allen County area coaches are hoping can motivate their teams to pick up the pace in the new year.

Of the six local high school basketball teams, the Humboldt boys and girls have gotten off to the best start. The boys sit comfortably at 6-0 and the Lady Cubs are 4-2.

Iola girls

The Mustangs have struggled to find consistent scoring from their girls and will look to score more baskets in 2023. The highest scoring game for Iola was a 43-31 victory against Central Heights on Dec. 5.

Keira Fawson was the leading scorer for the Mustangs in that game when she bucketed eight points. Getting more opportunities at the basket also goes hand in hand with turning the ball over less.

“I think they’re starting to understand we don’t want just one person who’s scoring and one person who’s being vocal,” said Iola interim

head coach Ali Peters. “We’re trying to make it so that everyone is getting to the basket, everyone’s getting a chance to lead the team and I think they’re doing a really good job of getting everyone involved.”

Iola boys

Iola High coach Luke Bycroft has stressed one thing most to his team this season: Defense.

The Mustangs currently sit at 3-3 (1-2 Pioneer) and have surrendered an average of 50.6 points through

Damar Hamlin shakes NFL

By ROB MAADDI The Associated Press

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during Monday night’s game, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game against the Cincinnati Bengals that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.

“Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment,” the Bills said in a statement released early Tuesday. “He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition.”

The 24-year-old Hamlin was administered CPR on the field, ESPN reported during the broadcast. Teammates surrounded Hamlin, shielding him from public view. Many were weeping and praying while Hamlin was treated on the field by team and independent medical personnel and local paramedics. He was taken by ambulance to University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Teammate Stefon Diggs later went to visit Hamlin at the hospital while fans of both teams gathered outside, holding lit candles and praying.

WHAT HAPPENED TO HAMLIN?

Hamlin was hurt while tackling Bengals receiver Tee Higgins on a seemingly

routine play that didn’t appear unusually violent.

Higgins was running with the ball on a 13-yard pass from Joe Burrow when he led with his right shoulder, hitting Hamlin in the chest. Hamlin then wrapped his arms around Higgins’ shoulders and helmet to drag him down. Hamlin quickly got to his feet, appeared to adjust his face mask with his right hand, and then fell backward about three seconds later and lay motionless.

Hamlin was down for 19 minutes while receiving medical attention. WXIX-TV in Cincinnati reported that Hamlin required an automated external defibrillator (AED) in addition to CPR on the field.

WHAT TOOK SO LONG TO POSTPONE THE GAME?

It took the NFL about one hour after Hamlin collapsed to officially suspend the game because league exec-

utives were gathering information and communicating with referee Shawn Smith, coaches from both teams and the NFL Players Association.

Troy Vincent, the league’s executive vice president of football operations, said that the NFL’s Emergency Action Plan was activated. Vincent communicated with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith. Dawn Aponte, the league’s chief football administrative officer, was at the game and communicated with Bills coach Sean McDermott and Bengals coach Zac Taylor and the referee.

“It was fluid and things were changing by the minute,” Vincent said. “It was obvious on the phone that the emotions were extremely high. It was a very volatile

those games. In Iola’s three victories, the team has only allowed 40 points per game, 10 points less than their average points allowed. When the Mustangs knocked off Santa Fe Trail at the Central Heights tournament, Bycroft was pleased with the de-

fense.

“We really worked our tails off defensively. That was the best we’ve played,” said Bycroft. “We rotated, talked, moved and helped early on dribble drives. These guys will get better as the year goes on.”

Yates Center boys

The Wildcat boys began the season by defeating Hartford and dropping three matchups to Madison, Sedan and Cherryvale. Yates Center’s biggest thorn in their side has been their inability to do the “little things” right like rebounding and on-ball defense.

In the team’s loss to Sedan on Dec. 8, Yates Center started out by keeping it a close game but fell by allowing Sedan a number of open shots and offensive rebounds.

“Slow rotation on the defensive side and failing to get rebounds on both ends is what kept us from getting back in the game,” said Yates Center head coach Lane Huffman following the Cherryvale loss. “We gave up too many second chances.”

Alabama’s Bryce Young too much for K-State

NEW ORLEANS (AP) —

Bryce Young’s decision to opt in to the Sugar Bowl only enhanced his chances of cashing in as a pro.

Young passed for 321 yards and five touchdowns in a game that other top NFL prospects might have skipped, and No. 5 Alabama responded to an early twoscore deficit with 35 straight points to defeat 11th-ranked Kansas State 45-20 on Saturday.

“For me it was just about doing everything I can to help the team,” Young said. “We had pride in how we played and how we prepared — us wanting to finish, us wanting to push ourselves and hold each other ac-

countable.”

While a number of probound college stars sat out bowl games that were not part of the College Football Playoff, the Crimson Tide and Wildcats had their best prospects on the field for the Sugar Bowl and they made a number of memorable plays — from Young’s pivotal passes to Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn’s 88-yard touchdown run to interceptions by Alabama’s Jordan Battle and Brian Branch.

“These guys sent a message to everybody that you create value for yourself by playing football,” Alabama coach Nick Saban said. “It speaks volumes of your

No. 4 Kansas rallies, beats OU

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) —

The last time Kansas needed to overcome a 15-point halftime deficit was on the biggest stage in college basketball.

The Jayhawks certainly weren’t going to be intimidated by one in Allen Fieldhouse.

With another raucous home crowd behind it, the nation’s No. 4 team quickly wiped out the big lead Oklahoma State had painstakingly built. And when KJ Adams scored the go-ahead basket with 4.8 seconds left, the Jayhawks twice stopped the Cowboys at the other end to squeak out a 69-67 victory

Saturday in the Big 12 opener for both teams.

“There aren’t any 15-point plays,” said Jalen Wilson, who was instrumental in helping the Jayhawks rally from the same hole to beat North Carolina for the national title, “so the main thing was to win every 4 minutes and that’s what we did.”

Wilson finished with 20 points and Adams had 14 to lead the Jayhawks (12-0), who trailed 45-30 at the break before a 22-5 run wiped out the deficit and propelled them to their 32nd consecutive con-

Iola High’s junior Landon Weide (1) drives into the lane at home against Prairie View on Thursday, Dec. 15. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

Buffalo Bills players react after teammate Damar Hamlin (3) was injured against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night in Cincinnati, Ohio. KIRK IRWIN/GETTY IMAGES/TNS

Place your 25-word classi ed in the Kansas Press Association and 135 more newspapers for only $300/ week. Find employees, sell your home or your car. Call the Kansas Press Association @ 785-2715304 today!

Looking for beautiful, energy e cient new windows for your home? Call now and set up your free, no-obligation estimate. Beautify your home today! 855-727-0043.

LONG DISTANCE MOVING: Call today for a FREE QUOTE from America’s Most Trusted Interstate Movers. Let us take the stress out of moving! Speak to a Relocation Specialist, call 888-788-0471 Never

BATHROOM

EASY, ONE DAY updates! We specialize in safe bathing. Grab bars, no slip ooring & seated showers. Call for a free in-home consultation: 855-382-1221

NEW AUTHORS WANTED! Page Publishing will help you self-publish your own book. FREE author submission kit! Limited o er! Why wait? Call now: 855-939-2090

DirecTV Satellite TV Service Starting at $74.99/ month! Free Installation! 160+ channels available. Call Now to Get the Most Sports & Entertainment on TV! 888-721-1550

Never clean your gutters again! A ordable, professionally installed gutter guards protect your gutters and home from debris and leaves forever! For a FREE Quote call: 844-607-1363

UPDATE YOUR HOME with Beautiful New Blinds & Shades. FREE in-home estimates make it convenient to shop from home. Professional installation. Top quality - Made in the USA. Call for free consultation: 844-740-0117. Ask about our specials!

Director of Talent Search Project Salary: $35,000 - $40,000

Director of Development Salary: $50,000 - $60,000

Assistant Director of Residence & Student Life Salary: $23,000 - $28,000

STARS Math Specialist Salary: $30,160 - $34,600

Safety Officer Part-time Minimum starting wage: $15.50

Assistant Spirit Coach Salary: $21,000

TOP CA$H PAID FOR OLD GUITARS! 1920-1980 Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D’Angelico, Stromberg. And Gibson Mandolins / Banjos. 855-454-6658

PAYING TOP CA$H FOR MEN’S SPORT WATCHES! Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe, Heuer, Daytona, GMT, Submariner and Speedmaster. Call 844-575-0691

DISCOUNT AIR TRAVEL. Call Flight Services for best pricing on domestic & international ights inside and from the US. Serving United, Delta, American & Southwest and many more airlines. Call for free quote now! Have travel dates ready! 833-381-1348

SAVE YOUR HOME! Are you behind paying your MORTGAGE? Denied a Loan Modi cation?

FTX founder pleads not guilty to fraud

NEW YORK (AP) — FTX founder Sam BankmanFried pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court Tuesday to charges that he cheated investors and looted customer deposits on his cryptocurrency trading platform as a judge set a tentative trial date for October.

Bankman-Fried, 30, is accused of illegally diverting massive sums of customer money from FTX to make lavish real estate purchases, donate money to politicians and make risky trades at Alameda Research, his cryptocurrency hedge fund trading rm.

Bankman-Fried’s attorney, Mark Cohen, announced his client’s plea, saying: “He pleads not guilty to all counts.”

Afterward, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan set a tentative trial date of Oct. 2, saying he might move it forward or backward a day or two.

Wearing a backpack, Bankman-Fried marched through a crush of cameras as he

entered the courthouse on a rainy day to make his rst appearance before Kaplan. After taking a plea during the arraignment, Kaplan discussed with lawyers a schedule for proceeding toward a trial.

Prior to his appearance, his lawyers sent a letter to the judge, saying Bankman-Fried’s parents in recent weeks have become the target of “intense media scrutiny, harassment, and threats, including communications expressing a desire that they su er physical harm.”

As a result, the lawyers requested that the names be redacted on court documents for the two individuals who were lined up to sign Bankman-Fried’s $250 million personal recognizance bond. Bankman-Fried was released with electronic monitoring about two weeks ago on the condition that he await trial at his parents’ house in Palo Alto, California.

Penn State uses big plays to top Utah in Rose Bowl

PASADENA, Calif.

(AP) — After Sean Clifford walked off the rainy field and into a warm standing ovation from Penn State’s fans in the waning minutes of a Rose Bowl victory, he couldn’t help thinking back 13 years to a camp that the 11-yearold quarterback attended in this venerable stadium.

“I just remember falling in love with football,” Clifford said of his first trip to Pasadena. “For it to come full circle, and then to be able to be a spoke in the wheel for this team in the Rose Bowl, is just such a blessing.”

Clifford and his teammates undoubtedly did their part to pass their love to a new generation of Nittany Lions with a monumental series of big plays in a 35-21 victory over No. 7 Utah on Monday in the 109th edition of the Granddaddy of Them All.

Early in the third quarter, freshman Nicholas Singleton made a tiebreaking 87yard touchdown run.

On the first snap of the fourth KeAndre Lambert-Smith made the longest touchdown re-

ception in Rose Bowl history on an 88-yard pass from Clifford.

Those two scores — and Utah quarterback Cameron Rising’s game-ending injury in the third quarter — decided it in favor of the ninth-ranked Nittany Lions (11-2), whose reward for a resilient season was the second Rose Bowl victory in school history.

They stood on stage together afterward amid floating confetti and falling rain, oblivious to both artificial and natural elements

after Penn State’s first Rose Bowl triumph since Jan. 2, 1995.

“Our guys just stuck together, made some big plays when we needed to, and we found a way to get a win against a really good Utah team,” Penn State coach James Franklin said.

Clifford passed for 279 yards and two touchdowns in an impressive farewell to Penn State, and Singleton rushed for 120 yards and two more scores.

The big plays stuck out: Penn State’s of-

fense racked up 448 yards with just 15 first downs, and the defense made two interceptions in Nittany Lions territory.

Singleton broke open a well-played game when he slashed through Utah’s defensive front and outran the secondary for his second touchdown early in the third quarter, surpassing 1,000 yards in his impressive freshman season along the way.

The 87-yard romp was the third-longest TD run in Rose Bowl

history and the second-longest in Penn State’s bowl history, with only Saquon Barkley’s 92-yard run in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl going longer.

Shortly after rain began to fall on the Rose Bowl Game for the first time since 1997, Lambert-Smith got open deep and eluded Utah’s defensive backs on the first snap of the fourth quarter for the longest pass completion in Penn State’s bowl history. Clifford’s pass also broke the Rose Bowl record of 76 yards by Michigan’s Rick Leach to Curt Stephenson in 1978 against Washington.

“Our defense got bigplayed,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.

Freshman Kaytron Allen added a 1-yard TD run with 10:36 to play, and Penn State’s defense got stops on the Utes’ first six drives of the second half.

Rising passed for 95 yards before apparently injuring his left knee in the third quarter, forcing the Utah quarterback out of his second straight Rose Bowl early due to injury. Rising, one of the most accomplished quarterbacks

in Utah history, got hurt while scrambling near midfield, eventually returning in street clothes.

“Seeing our captain go down is definitely something that you don’t take lightly,” Utah left tackle Braeden Daniels said. “It’s tough, but there’s adversity you’ve got to deal with. It can’t be a drop-off ... but Penn State is a good team, and they outplayed us today.”

Bryson Barnes replaced Rising for the second straight Rose Bowl after leading an improbable tying drive late in Utah’s 48-45 loss to Ohio State a year ago. The two-time Pac-12 champion Utes (10-4) couldn’t rally this time behind their backup, who passed for 112 yards with an interception.

“We just have to keep coming back to this game until we get it right,” Whittingham said. “Took us three times in the Pac-12 championship (game) before we got the win, so we’ve got to make sure that we try to continue to get better.”

Ja’Quinden Jackson rushed for 81 yards

Tulane gets by USC in final minute of Cotton Bowl

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Alex Bauman knew right away he had scored probably the biggest touchdown in Tulane history, even after the true freshman tight end’s contested 6-yard catch at the end of the Cotton Bowl was initially ruled incomplete.

“I kept my hands under the ball,” he said.

The long replay review proved Bauman made the catch with 9 seconds left, even with linebacker Eric Gentry draped over him as they rolled over in the end zone. That capped a frantic finish for the 14th-ranked Green Wave in a 46-45 win over Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams and No. 8 Southern California on Monday.

“I might have had a heart attack,” Tulane coach Willie Fritz said on the field moments after the game ended.

“If you told us before the game that we had one drive, one opportunity to go down there and win the game, then we’d take that 10 out of 10 times,” quarterback Michael Pratt said.

The Green Wave (122) scored 16 points in the final 4:07, the game-winning touchdown coming after they got the ball back following a safety, to complete an FBS-record 10win turnaround after going 2-10 last season.

“Huge win for the program, huge win for the university, huge win for the city,” Fritz said.

Williams was 37-for52 passing for 462 yards and a Cotton Bowl-record five touchdowns, exactly one month after suffering a hamstring injury in USC’s loss to Utah in the Pac-12 championship game that kept the Trojans

(11-3) from making the four-team College Football Playoff.

Tyjae Spears ran for 205 yards, his FBS-best eighth consecutive 100-yard game. His career-best fourth touchdown started the final scoring surge for American Athletic Conference champion Tulane, which was in the New Year’s Six game as the highest-ranked Group of Five team.

The Green Wave played in their most significant bowl since the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day in 1940, when they were still in the Southeastern Conference, and it was their biggest bowl win since the 1935 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, where their campus is located.

After Spears’ 4-yard TD run with 4:07 left, the Green Wave opted to kick deep instead of trying an onside kick.

Mario Williams signaled for a fair catch, but fumbled the ball out of bounds at the 1.

Two plays later, defensive tackle Patrick Jenkins met Austin Jones in the end zone and smothered him for a safety.

“We were debating whether or not to onside kick,” said Fritz, the seventh-year Tulane coach. “Obviously it was great that we got it on the 1 and got the safety.”

Pratt completed only 8 of 17 passes for 234 yards, but had two 24-yard completions on that final drive after the safety. He also scrambled 8 yards on a fourth-and-6 play.

The first 24-yard completion to Bauman converted a fourthand-10. Deuce Watts then held on despite a crushing hit from a defender that left both of

them on the ground after a 24-yard gain to the 6 with 18 seconds left.

After Williams followed coach Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma, the Trojans matched the biggest turnaround in school history despite the coach’s first loss in six games at AT&T Stadium. Their debut was a seven-win improvement over last season’s 4-8 record.

“I’ve rarely at the end of the year felt so conflicted,” Riley said. “On one hand, sick about the way we finished the season. ... We lost three games this year. We lost two of them on the last play of the game. And we lost one in the fourth quarter in the championship game when we had a chance to go to the College Football Playoff.”

The Trojans never trailed until that final touchdown. Williams threw TD passes on each of their first two possessions. A 9-yarder to Michael Jackson III capped the game-opening 9-minute drive, the longest by time for USC this season, and Terrell Bynum’s 3-yard catch capped a 95-yard drive early to make it 14-0 in the second quarter.

Tulane tied the game at 14 on Pratt’s touchdown pass to Jha’Quan Jackson, an 87-yard catch-and-run. But USC scored twice in the final 2:21 of the first half, on Raleek Brown’s 39yard run and Brenden Rice’s 4-yard catch with 12 seconds left.

Rice, the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice, had career bests with six catches for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Tahj Washington had five catches for 109 yards.

Williams got hurt on a 59-yard run early

in the Pac-12 championship game loss to Utah on Dec. 2, but still threw for 363 yards and three TDs while finishing that game. USC’s only other loss was also to the Utes, who had a game-winning 2-point conversion at home in mid-October.

The Cotton Bowl was Williams’ third game this season with five TD passes. His only interception set up Tulane’s long game-tying TD. On a scramble with open

field in front of him, Williams instead threw off his back foot and was picked off by Jarius Monroe.

“It’s going to linger. You lose the last game of the season, go into the offseason, burns,” Williams said. “Don’t have another game after. It’s going to burn.”

GOING LONG

There were 11 plays of at least 30 yards — six by Tulane (two passes and four runs) and five by USC (four pass-

es, one run). The 87yard catch-and-run by Jackson for the Green Wave matched the longest touchdown in the 87 Cotton Bowl games played.

UP NEXT Tulane opens next fall with back-to-back home games, Sept. 2 against South Alabama and Sept. 9 against SEC team Ole Miss. USC gets an early start to Riley’s second season, Aug. 26 at home against San Jose State.

Penn State running back Nick Singleton goes for an 87-yard touchdown run during the third quarter on Nov. 26, 2022. JOE HERMITT/GETTY IMAGES/TNS

Donovan Mitchell scores 71; Cavaliers beat Bulls in OT

CLEVELAND (AP) —

Donovan Mitchell set a Cleveland record with 71 points, most by an NBA player in 17 years, and the Cavaliers rallied from 21 down to beat the Chicago Bulls 145134 in overtime. Mitchell’s total matched the eighth-highest in league history and marked the most points by any player since Lakers great Kobe Bryant had 81 against Toronto on Jan. 22, 2006. Wilt Chamberlain owns the NBA record with 100 for Philadelphia against New York on March 2, 1962. Mitchell scored 13 points in the extra period after forcing OT by grabbing his own intentionally missed free throw and making a circus shot with three seconds left in regulation, tying the game at 130.

Already an All-Star, Mitchell added his name to one of the NBA’s most rarefied lists Monday night.

Mitchell set a Cleveland record with 71 points, most by any player in 17 years, and the Cavaliers rallied from 21 down to beat the Chicago Bulls 145134 in overtime.

Mitchell’s total matched the eighth-highest in league history and marked the most points by an NBA player since Lakers great Kobe Bryant scored 81 against Toronto on Jan. 22, 2006. Wilt Chamberlain owns the NBA record with 100 for Philadelphia against New York on March 2, 1962, at Hershey, Pennsylvania.

“To be there in the record book with guys like Wilt is truly hum-

bling,” said Mitchell, acquired from Utah in the offseason. “I always believed I could be one of the best players in the league. I’m speechless and blessed to be in the company of that greatness.”

As the final seconds of OT ticked off the clock, Mitchell waved his arm for the Cleveland crowd, which has embraced him in his short time with the Cavs, to make more noise and then soaked in their applause.

Seconds later, Mitchell was doused with water by his teammates and forward Cedi Osman grabbed a microphone on the floor to lead an “M-V-P, M-V-P,” chant.

Mitchell scored 13 points in the extra session after forcing OT by grabbing his own intentionally missed free throw and making a circus shot with three seconds left in regulation, tying the game at 130 and breaking the Cleveland record with 58 points.

In OT, Mitchell became the seventh player in the 70-point club.

Chamberlain did it six times, while Bryant, David Thompson, Elgin Baylor, David Robinson and Devin Booker reached the figure once apiece.

“We were treated tonight to one of the greatest performances in the history of the game,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Every single play that he made was a play that was necessary.

“Donovan has never put himself above the team, so how can you

Hamlin: shakes NFL

situation.”

Vincent refuted ESPN’s broadcast report that both teams were given a five-minute warmup period to resume playing.

“I’m not sure where that came from,” Vincent said. “It never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play. That’s ridiculous. That’s insensitive. That’s not a place we should ever be in.”

WHO IS HAMLIN?

Hamlin spent five years of college at Pittsburgh — his hometown — and appeared in 48 games for the Panthers over that span. He was a second-team All-ACC performer as a senior, was voted a team captain and was picked to play in the Senior Bowl.

Drafted in the sixth round by the Bills in 2021, Hamlin played in 14 games as a rookie and then became a starter this season after Micah Hyde was injured.

In 2020, Hamlin began organizing an annual Christmas toy drive in his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pa. By early Tuesday, a community toy drive organized by Hamlin had surged to more than $3.1 million in donations. His stated goal was $2,500.

Bills offensive lineman Rodger Saffold, in a post on Twitter,

described Hamlin as a “kind, caring, extremely hard worker.” Saffold wrote that Hamlin is “loyal, honest and can always put a smile on your face. He is more than an athlete, he is a son and brother.”

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE NFL?

The Bills-Bengals game has major playoff implications. Both teams are battling for the AFC’s No. 1 seed.

The Bills (12-3) entered the game in the top spot while the Bengals (11-4) had a chance to clinch the AFC North with a victory and also were in the mix for the No. 1 seed along with Kansas City (13-3).

The Bengals led 7-3 in the first quarter when the game was stopped.

Jeff Miller, the NFL’s executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy, said during a conference call shortly after midnight that a time frame for resuming the game was not being considered at the time.

“Our concern is for the player and his well-being. At the appropriate time, I’m sure that we’ll have a conversation around the next steps regarding the game,” Miller said.

The NFL is entering the final week of the regular season and the playoffs are scheduled to begin Jan. 14.

not root for a guy like that? I told everyone else to get out of the way.”

Mitchell also had a career high-tying 11 assists and eight rebounds in 50 minutes. He set career bests with 20 free throws made and 25 attempted. He scored five points in the first quarter, 11 in the second, 24 in the third and 18 in the fourth.

“I think I had a game like that once playing NBA2K, but I don’t think I shot that efficiently,” Mitchell joked of his video-game skills. “But that was in a loss, so this feels that much better.”

Mitchell went 22 of 34 from the field and made 7 of 15 3-pointers in carrying the Cavaliers, who were without All-Star guard Darius Garland (right thumb sprain) and forward Evan Mobley (right an-

K-State: falls in Sugar Bowl

Continued from B1

acter when you choose to be a part of your team and you can be counted on to be part of your team, regardless of the circumstances.”

With the game in hand in the fourth quarter, Young was ceremoniously substituted out, raising his right hand to Alabama fans who loudly rose to their feet as the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner trotted to the sideline.

Kansas State coach Chris Klieman asked a member of Alabama’s staff to thank Young for playing.

“That’s what college football is about. I was happy Bryce played,” Klieman said. “That was really good for college football and really good for kids to see.”

Jermaine Burton caught three passes for 87 yards and a touchdown for Alabama (112). Tide running back Jahmyr Gibbs had 142 yards from scrimmage — 76 rushing and 66 receiving. Young’s other touchdowns went to Isaiah Bond (6 yards),

Cameron Latu (1 yard), Ja’Corey Brooks (32 yards) and Kobe Prentice (47 yards). Jase McClelland added a 17yard scoring run.

“We had a little bit of a taste in our mouth that if we had a dominant performance, it would show people that we probably did deserve to do a little better than we did in terms of the playoff picture,” Saban said. “But I’m most proud that there was a team out there that cared.”

Kansas State (10-4) entered its first Sugar Bowl on a four-game winning streak and was riding high after knocking off No. 3 TCU — a CFP team — in the Big 12 title game.

Although Battle’s leaping interception of Will Howard ended K-State’s opening drive on the Alabama 21, the Wildcats scored the Sugar Bowl’s first 10 points, surging in front on Ty Zentner’s 41-yard field goal and Vaughn’s long run.

Alabama was on the brink of punt ing a third time when

Young, on third and 10, stepped up in a collapsing pocket and flicked a short pass to Gibbs, who was cutting across the middle and turned up field for 60 yards. Young stepped up similarly to avoid pressure on his touchdown pass to Bond soon after.

Young threw over the top to Burton for 47 yards to setup his scoring pass to Latu that put Alabama in front for good.

Kansas State drove to the Alabama 2 late in the first half — converting two fourth-downs along the way — only to fail on fourth-and-goal when Howard threw out of reach of tight end Ben Sinnott, who was breaking open after Will Anderson fell while trying to cover him.

“I would have done it again,” Klieman said. “I’m never going to second-guess myself.”

Young needed just 51 seconds to produce another touchdown, completing passes of

make it 21-10 at halftime.

“That was a huge swing in the game,” Saban said.

Kansas State paid for another risk when its onside kick to open the second half was recovered by Alabama, which scored shortly after on Young’s strike to Ja’Corey Brooks in the corner of the end zone.

“We came here to win, man,” Klieman said. “We didn’t come here to try to keep this thing close.”

THE TAKEAWAY Kansas State: Howard finished 18-of-35 passing for 210 yards. Vaughn rushed for 133 yards on 22 carries. Jordan Schippers had a late 1-yard TD run.

Alabama: The Tide upended the narrative that it doesn’t get up for low-stakes bowl games, having lost by two touchdowns in each of its previous two Sugar Bowls that were not part of the BCS or CFP. Alabama has now

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell drives to the basket for a score guarded by Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic on Monday. TNS

DONOVAN

Fiancée would rather have the bling

Carolyn Hax is away. The following first appeared Nov. 7, 2008.

Dear Carolyn: I know I’m a horrible person for admitting this, and feel free to throw flames at me, but I feel inade-

quate about my engagement ring. My mom never even had one, and I know huge blingy rings are just another product of the Wedding Industrial Complex that I so despise, but I just can’t help feeling bad when I see my friends’ giant rocks compared with my (very lovely, but smaller) ring. Part of it may be due to the fact that my friends already think my fiance is poor, because he has a bluecollar job, even though he makes a decent living. How do I stop feeling jealous of others and putting so much importance on material possessions? — D.C.

D.C.: “My friends already think my fiance is poor”! Wow. Smaller rock, meet the hard place: your conflicted feelings about status. Even if your friends are hateful snobs, this sounds like your insecurity talking; you gravitate to status-conscious friends, then profess or parade that you’ve chosen humble things. Yes? As in, the rock didn’t reject you; you rejected the rock?

It’s a theory. If it has no merit, then this is probably all just bling envy. Admit you’re impressed by opulence and leave it at that.

If the theory does have merit, then next question: Is bringing a “blue-collar” fiance into your (apparently) whitecollar world another os-

PIXABAY.COM

tentatious rejection of something you secretly value? If so, please make sure you’re smitten with the person, not the statement he makes.

Hi, Carolyn: My friend and I have been close for years. She was the first friend I made at college, and she and I have been through everything, such as bad relationships, my coming out of the closet, a bad roommate, family, sorority issues and graduation.

I have now realized I am in love with her. I do know she is straight and will never like me like that. But what do I do about it? I feel as if I’m in a no-win situation. I wear my heart on my sleeve, and we spend lots of time with each other, so my hiding things from her is

not an option. And because of my feelings for her, I find myself getting mad at her over stupid things, then crying about it. So do I tell her and risk losing her friendship, or not tell her and hide it by just avoiding her altogether — Losing a Friend Losing a Friend: You tell her — but you don’t present it in the form of an unspoken question, the “Do you love me back?” that lurks in so many declarations of love. Instead, you tell her as an explanation: “The reason I’ve been an erratic, weeping mess lately is that I’ve fallen for you, and I know it’s impossible. I hope you can be patient with me while I deal with this.”

There’s no way not to put her on the spot, but at least this way you’re

‘Funky’ strip retires

After a 50-plus year run, cartoonist Tom Batiuk retired his cartoon strip “Funky Winkerbean” effective Dec. 31, 2022, according to King Features Syndicate, from which the Register obtains its comics.

In its replacement, the Register will run “Mutts,” a daily comic

strip created by Patrick McDonnell and launched on Sept. 5, 1994.

The story line follows the adventures of Earl, a dog, and Mooch, a cat. Earl and Mooch interact with each other, their human owners, as well as the animals around their neighborhood.

asking for something she can give you: patience. Show yours by giving her room to process the news.

It’s possible that she won’t respond well, that you can’t win, that you lose your friend either way. But avoiding her altogether, while shielding you from rejection, guarantees you lose the friendship. Admitting your feelings at least gives your friendship a chance.

ZITS by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman BEETLE BAILEY by Mort Walker HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by Chris Browne

MUTTS

by Patrick McDonell

BLONDIE by Young and Drake

MARVIN by Tom Armstrong HI AND LOIS by Chance Browne

Y

F

Y S F M R T , F S O E Q J C L Y M E

F M R B S F M R E Z

Y C Q M F I , E M G

Carolyn Hax

No. 21 New Mexico lone undefeated team left

By JOHN MARSHALL The Associated Press

Purdue had cleared every hurdle in its way, holding the top spot in the AP Top 25 for four straight weeks

Rutgers changed that Monday night with a 6564 victory that will surely knock the Boilermakers from No. 1.

The loss leaves one undefeated team: No. 21 New Mexico.

The Lobos were picked to finish fifth in the Mountain West Conference, but have exceeded expectations in Richard Pitino’s second season as coach.

New Mexico (14-0, 2-0 MWC) is off to its best start since the 1967-68 team opened 17-0 and last week moved into the AP poll for the first time in eight years.

“We have a refuse to lose mentality,” junior guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. said after the Wyoming game.

New Mexico gets two more chances to prove that this week.

The Lobos first put their undefeated season on the line Wednesday at Fresno State, which is 5-8 and has lost three of its past five games.

Get through that and New Mexico hosts UNLV on Saturday in what should be a raucous atmosphere.

The Lobos played in

front of the largest crowd at The Pit in seven years while beating Colorado State last Wednesday and having the Runnin’ Rebels in town will likely draw another 15,000-orso fans out.

FROG HOOPS

TCU’s football team will play Georgia for a football national championship on Monday.

The hoopin’ Horned Frogs (12-1, 1-0 Big 12) have been on a bit of a run of their own, stretching their winning streak to 10 straight games by rallying from an 11-point halftime deficit to beat Texas Tech 67-61 last week.

TCU rose to No. 17 in this week’s AP Top 25, but has a difficult week ahead.

The Frogs kick off their week Wednesday at No. 19 Baylor, which dropped seven spots in this week’s poll after losing to No. 25 Iowa State. The Cyclones head to Fort Worth on Sunday after playing at Oklahoma on Wednesday.

ARKANSAS’ TESTS

TCU isn’t the only team with two games against ranked teams this week.

No. 13 Arkansas is looking to get back on track after struggling offensively in a 60-57 road loss to LSU last week. The Razorbacks scored 20 points below their season scoring average and shot 4 of 25 from 3 in the

loss.

Arkansas next will face surprising Missouri.

Picked to finish 11th in the Southeastern Conference, the No. 20 Tigers (12-1) are off to their best start since 2013-14 after blowing out Kentucky last week.

After that, the Razorbacks play at No. 22 Auburn on Saturday. The Tigers had a stretch of two losses in three games before knocking off Washington and Florida their past two games.

CONFERENCE WATCH

The ACC season has started and two teams picked to finish middle of the pack are near the top.

No. 12 Miami (13-1, 4-0 ACC) has been the class of the league so far, entering Wednesday’s game against Georgia Tech on a nine-game winning streak.

The Hurricanes have a half-game lead over Clemson (11-3, 3-0), which off to its best league start since 2017-18 heading into games against Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh this week.

The Panthers (10-4, 3-0) have won nine of 10 games since opening 1-3, including a 76-74 win over North Carolina last Friday. Pittsburgh gets another big test against No. 13 Virginia on Tuesday.

Donovan: Mitchell nets 71

Continued from B1

kle soreness) for the second straight game.

DeMar DeRozan scored 44 points, Zach LeVine had 26 points and Nikola Vucevic added 20 points and 13 rebounds for Chicago, which did not trail in regulation.

During his postgame news conference, Mitchell was almost in disbelief when it was mentioned he joined the list of NBA legends to surpass 70 points.

“It’s humbling,” he said. “I’m speechless. For me, not only did I do that, but I did it an effort when we came back and won and it’s how we won. It’s nuts.”

TIP-INS Bulls: G Javonte Green (right knee soreness) was unavailable after appearing in three games. Green has missed nine total games with the injury and will undergo a thorough examination Tuesday in Chi-

cago. “He was making some headway, then it flared up again,” coach Billy Donovan said. … G Lonzo Ball (left knee surgery), who last played on Jan. 14, is lightly jogging and doing limited on-court work.

Cavaliers: Cleveland posted winning records in each of the first three months of the season for the first time since 2016-2017. The latter wrapped up a run of 16 straight winning months.

Penn: State bests Utah for Rose Bowl

Continued from B1

and a touchdown for Utah. Thomas Yassmin caught an early TD pass from Rising, but Utah was shut out for 32 straight minutes before Jaylen Dixon’s TD catch with 25 seconds to play.

The victory was a fitting finale for Clifford, the sixth-year senior who finally added a memorable bowl performance to his slew of Penn State career passing records in his 51st game. Clifford also became the winningest quarterback in school history with his 32nd victory, passing Trace McSorley.

Franklin called a timeout with 2:30 left to allow a hero’s farewell for Clifford, who

waved at Penn State’s roaring, white-clad fans while his teammates applauded.

“I’m just so thankful for this place,” Clifford said. “I can’t put it into words. It’s so amazing. I just love Penn State so much.”

FINAL MATCHUP

The unusually gloomy afternoon in Arroyo Seco marked the end of an era for the sport’s oldest active bowl: It was the final edition of the Rose Bowl guaranteed to feature its traditional matchup between Pac12 and Big Ten teams.

The game will be a College Football Playoff semifinal next year, and the subsequent playoff expansion means the Rose

Bowl won’t usually control which teams make the trip.

RARE RAINFALL

The game began under cloudy skies after a week of uncharacteristically gray skies in Los Angeles, and in the third quarter, rain landed on the Rose Bowl Game for only the third time since 1955. The visiting fans from two hardy cities showed little concern about Southern California’s version of bad weather.

UP NEXT Penn State: Hosts West Virginia on Sept. 2. Utah: Begins its quest for a third straight Pac-12 title by hosting Florida on Sept. 2.

No. 4 KU: rallies to knock off Oklahoma at home

ference-opening win.

“It could have went to 20 real quick or we could get it down to 10,” Wilson said. “We all came together, shook off the first half, understood we’re at home. Fifteen points can seem like a lot but it’s not.”

The Cowboys (8-5) didn’t give up after the comeback, finding themselves with the lead again in the closing minutes.

Kansas took it back on Kevin McCullar Jr.’s 3-pointer with 45 seconds left, and Wilson added two free throws moments later to stretch the lead to 67-64. But the Cowboys’ Bryce Thompson, who began his career

at Kansas and matched a career high with 23 points, drilled his own 3-pointer with 14.8 seconds left to tie the game at 67.

The Jayhawks raced up court, got the ball to Adams and he made a nifty lay-in to regain the lead.

“We always run plays where I screen and roll out real fast,” Adams said. “It was just like that.”

Oklahoma State lost the ball at the other end trying to score in transition, and with 1.1 seconds on the clock, the Cowboys got the inbounds pass to Thompson, whose shot was swatted from behind. A final inbounds pass was batted away.

Thompson hit seven 3-pointers but dealt with second-half foul trouble for the Cowboys, who have lost four straight and nine of their last 10 to the Jayhawks. John-Michael Wright also had four 3s and finished with 19 points.

“We gave ourselves a chance right up there to the end,” Cowboys coach Mike Boynton said, “but there’s no moral victories.”

The last instruction Oklahoma State got before tipoff came on a whiteboard held by a staff member: “Alert The Lob Backdoor.”

The Cowboys shut that down and just about everything else. McCullar had three

turnovers in the first 5 minutes and four in the half. Adams also had four in the half. And one of the two 3-pointers that Gradey Dick hit was a desperation bank high off the glass.

Oklahoma State capitalized at the other end, taking advantage of wide open skip passes for their own easy 3s. Thompson hit four of them in the first 15 minutes, and two more attempts were halfway down before bouncing out. Wright’s fall-away 3 with 1:56 left forced Kansas to call timeout, and his buzzer-beater gave Oklahoma State a 45-30 halftime lead.

The Cowboys were 9 of 18 from the arc in the first half. Kansas had 11 turnovers.

Then came the comeback.

It began when DaJuan Harris Jr. drilled a 3 in front of the Kansas bench. It continued with 11 straight points after Thompson hit another 3 of his own. And by the time Wilson hit a 3-pointer with 10:54 to go, the Jayhawks had ridden a 22-5 surge to not only wipe out their halftime deficit but take their first lead since the opening minutes.

Kansas wasn’t able to draw away, though. And that set up a frantic final 10 minutes.

“It’s the exact same thing as the national championship,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said. “You turn it up, tie it earlier than you ever expect and then it becomes a basketball game.”

BIG PICTURE Oklahoma State. The

pressure of Allen Fieldhouse was evident in the second half. The Cowboys’ first three possessions ended with a missed shot, another miss as the shot clock sounded and a shotclock violation. By the time they finally got their legs under them, Kansas had wiped out their advantage and made for a tense finish.

Kansas: Even during the Jayhawks’ 22-5 second-half run, when they went scoreless on three straight possessions, their defense kept Oklahoma State from regaining momentum. It helped that they only turned it over once after the break.

UP NEXT

Oklahoma State: Plays No. 24 West Virginia on Monday night.

Kansas: Heads to Texas

Crest girls

Crest carries over almost an identical roster from its volleyball season in which they won a school-record 27 wins.

The Lady Lancer standouts on this year’s hoops team include seniors McKenna Hammond and Kamryn Luedke and junior Kayla Hermreck.

The Lady Lancers have also welcomed a new head coach, Steve Zimmerman, which has been a learning experience for everyone.

Crest’s lone win of the season so far was against Erie on Dec. 6, 49-45.

Southern Coffey boys

The Southern Coffey County High boys have mainly relied on their lone senior, AJ DeAnda, for much of their of-

fensive production this season. Thomas Nickel is the only other upperclassman.

The Titans, 1-5 through this point in the season, are still working on finding scoring opportunities and moving better on the floor as well as getting some of their other players like Trey Winn and Kaiden Boling involved more.

“Our lack of experience does hamper us in a lot of ways because we are so plain right now on defense and offense. We will keep working at adding things and improving throughout the year,” said SCC head coach Brian Rand.

Humboldt Cubs

The Cubs boys and girls basketball teams

have combined a 10-2 season so far. Much of the teams’ success can be attributed to the experience they have as well as the numerous scoring options across the hardwood.

Standouts for the boys include senior Trey Sommer, junior Sam Hull and sophomores Colden Cook and Jacob Harrington. The Lady Cubs have been paced by seniors Carsyn Haviland and Karley Wools and sophomore McKenna Jones.

The high school basketball season picks back up on Tuesday when Iola hits the road to play at Fort Scott and Crest, Marmaton Valley and Southern Coffey County all host games.