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Track: IMS Invitational brings in hundreds See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Iola native at shooting location
COUNTY
IMS band outgrows bandstand By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
Surging enthusiasm for instrumental music at Iola Middle School has caused the school’s band to outgrow the bandstand on the courthouse lawn. Jack Stanley, IMS principal, told county commissioners Tuesday the school would like to have its annual spring outdoor concert on the east side of the courthouse square, to accommodate 100 seventhand eighth-grade members. Commissioners gave their blessing. Next year’s band promises to be even larger, with 50 sixth graders involved this year. “We’ll probably have 115 in the band then,” he said. Those who attend the concert are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blanSee BAND | Page A6
By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
Davis: Kansas can do better By SUSAN LYNN The Iola Register
PITTSBURG — At some point Kansas legislators will need to reconcile the state budget. The state is on track to end the fiscal year with $250 million, down from $500 million forlas year. For 2016, the ending balance is projected to be zero. Five years from now, $490 million in cuts will be necessary to end the year with a zero balance. For State Rep. Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, and presumptive
gubernatorial candidate, the answer to saving a sinking budget is to stop the massive tax breaks and take advantage of existing federal programs, such as expanding Medicaid. Davis, 41, was in Pittsburg Tuesday to address its Rotary club and then meet with Randy Casen, chief executive officer of Mt. Carmel Regional Medical Center. Between meetings he met with this Register reporter. UNLESS the Kansas economy “takes off,” the state budget is on a trajectory to tank, Davis said.
“The income tax comprises 42 percent of the state general fund,” he said. In addition to cutting programs and services, the state has diverted $1 billion from the state’s transportation fund. In 2010, Davis was instrumental in passing the $8.28 billion 10-year transportation bill. “That alone was projected to create 175,000 new jobs,” he said. “Now, the program is getting deeper in debt and projects are being stalled.” Davis said Gov. Sam BrownSee DAVIS | Page A6
Sunday afternoon started out like any other day for Jeff Ashford and his wife and daughter. Ashford, who grew up in Iola and now lives in Shawnee, took his wife and daughter to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City for a talent show. Little did the family know a shooting would take place at the building. “We got there in the front and I dropped my wife and daughter off,” Ashford said. “I went to park the car and then we were ushered into a room.” Ashford said they were held in the room for about an hour and a half and the group was told that there had been a shooting but they didn’t know any details.
See SHOOTING | Page A6
COUNTY
Old bridge may be reclaimed By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
This sign of General Funston hangs right outside the Allen County Historical Society. The sign is one of 16 placed are around the Iola square. REGISTER/KAYLA BANZET
Group brings Iola memories to square By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
Taking a walk down memory lane has become much easier on the Iola square. Attached to each light post is a metal sign with photos and information about that particular spot in Iola. Members of the Community Involvement Task Force and Pride conducted the year-long project. “Our mission statement is to beautify the town and get
people interested in the community,” Donna Houser said. A grant helped fund the project. A group of seven — Kara Godfrey, Shelia Lampe, Jim Smith, Houser, Mike and Nancy Ford and Judy Brigham — selected photos and information for the signs. “As you walk down the street the photo matches that area,” Houser said. Nancy Ford frequently used See SIGNS | Page A6
Quote of the day Vol. 116, No. 120
An iron bridge over Owl Creek two miles west of Humboldt is 103 years old and may live on, even though it will be replaced this summer. Allen County commissioners gave salvage rights to Thrive Allen County, which wants to move it to become part of a proposed adjunct to the Southwind Trail. David Toland, Thrive executive director, said a moving company would be available the middle of June to move the 60,000-pound, 60-foot span. Maybe earlier if the moving company has a job canceled, he said. Time is of the essence. Bill King, director of Public Works, said bids would be opened on June 1 for the bridge’s replacement and then it would be up to the contractor how quickly the bridge would need to be moved. That prompted commissioners to have Toland deal directly with the contractor. “Fair enough,” said Toland. “We’re just asking for the opportunity but understand if the contractor has to go forward and move the bridge,” Thrive will be left out of the loop. Commissioner Dick Works, with knowledge of a good many previous such projects, said he thought “the odds are pretty good” that moving the bridge in mid-June would work. “We’re just asking for a
shot,” Toland added, noting that the trail adjunct would be announced in full detail in a week or two after easements are finalized. The bridge would be part of a project that “would be open to the public,” he said. “It would be a public asset.” As for the existing trail between Iola and Humboldt, Toland observed that 4,000 bi-
will have 35 employees at the start. It will be the last stop for packages before home delivery by UPS. Word on site selection should come in six to 12 months, with other communities in southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri also vying for the business. A third piece of news was that Thrive is developing a
We’re just asking for the opportunity but understand if the contractor has to go forward and move the bridge. — David Toland, Thrive executive director
cyclists used the trail in JulyDecember 2013 by a Kansas Department of Transportation counter along the trail. “We’re sure there have been more walkers and hikers during the same time,” he said. The trail, together with the Prairie Spirit Trail that extends from Iola to Ottawa, “is bringing a lot of people to the county,” Toland said. A recent 100-mile race on the longer trail had participants and supporters packing local restaurants, he noted. Turning to economic development, Toland said five sites in Allen County had been identified for a fulfillment center for UPS. The center, which will be housed in a 15,000-square-foot building,
“We may brave human laws, but we cannot resist natural ones.” — Jules Verne, French novelist 75 Cents
website to advertise Allen County sites for movie productions. Paul Porter, an Iolan whose initial movie, “Rabid Love,” recently was shown at Sterling Six Cinemas, told Toland movie locations are much in demand and that Midwest communities could offer lower costs and fresh places for filming. Toland said the old Allen County Hospital was just one of many local possible sites that filmmakers might find intriguing. An open house for potential developers will be at the old hospital in May. “It’s been shown five or six times in the last three or four months,” Toland added.
Hi: 66 Lo: 43 Iola, KS