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THE IOLA REGISTER Thursday, April 17, 2014
Easter observances a staple of weekend This weekend will be full of religious, secular and family Easter activities. Ecumenical Good Friday services will be at First Baptist Church at noon. On Saturday is the Iola Kiwanis annual Easter egg hunt — wrapped candy will substitute for the real thing — on the Allen County Courthouse lawn. The signal to hunt, in shifts according to age, will sound at noon. If foul weather intervenes, the event will be moved to the Red Barn activities building on the Allen Community College campus. Participants are warned to get to the hunt on time.
Families, above, gather in the Jefferson Elementary gymnasium Wednesday evening for SAFE BASE’s blue plate special dinner. The group teamed up with ACARF to bring awareness to the shelter. Janae and Jaron Griffin, left, watch carefully as Kelly Nordyke measures flour for a dog biscuit recipe. REGISTER/KAYLA
LOUISBURG, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas sixth-grader has died from complications of bacterial meningitis, but his school district and state health officials insist the disease is not contagious and does not pose a public health risk. The Kansas City Star reported the Louisburg Unified School District on Wednesday confirmed the death of Aaron T. Willard a day earlier. The district said in a statement it was providing counselors for students and staff members who need them. Kansas state epidemiologist Charlie Hunt said the Kansas Department of Health and Environment has not recommended
SAFE BASE aids local animal shelter SAFE BASE is going to the dogs, and the cats. The afterschool program honored the Allen County Animal Rescue Facility during its blue plate special dinner Wednesday night. During the week students
and their families collected donations for animals in red bins for the shelter. Items donations ranged from trash bags to dog treats. Dr. Darrell Monfort of Red Barn Veterinary Clinic gave a presentation during and answered questions. He let people know that they should be cautious when giving there pets “human” food.
See EASTER | Page A5
Louisburg 6th-grader dies from meningitis
BANZET
By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
In years past, the lawn is scoured of treats in a matter of minutes. Events at two care homes will be open to the public, Windsor Place, 600 E. Garfield in Iola, and Moran Manor, north edge of Moran along U.S. 54. Windsor residents will hand out treats as children parade past from 10 to 11 a.m. Moran Manor will have a family Easter egg hunt at 11 a.m. Sophisticated Rose, 19 S. Jefferson Ave., will add to the fun in downtown Iola with what’s billed as an Eggciting Easter Egg-Stravaganza.
“Don’t give your pet grapes or raisins,” he said. “They are very poisonous for the animal.” Red Barn and SAFE BASE donated two gift certificates for a free spay or neuter for either a dog or a cat. Attendees were able to win the gift certificate at a station. After the dinner people See SAFE BASE | Page A5
taking any preventative actions in regard to Aaron’s death. “None of these (bacterial meningitis) diseases are passed easily from person to person,” Hunt said. Hunt said bacterial infections causing meningitis typically occur in household or dormitory settings where there is close personal contact with someone carrying the bacteria, but not so much in general classroom settings. Most vaccinations that protect against bacterial meningitis are given in early childhood, but immunizations against meningococcal bacteria is not recommended until a child is 12 years old.
Roberts, Wolf report Governor urged to veto health bill fundraising totals By JIM MCLEAN KHI News Service
By JOHN MILBURN ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Incumbent U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts has maintained his fundraising advantage over fellow Republican Dr. Milton Wolf in their Kansas primary race according to the latest reports filed with federal election officials. Roberts, who is seeking his fourth term in the Senate, reported to the Federal Elec- Pat Roberts tions Commission that his campaign raised more than $534,000 from Jan. 1 through March 31, aided by nearly $260,000 from political action committees. Roberts, 77, said in a statement that he was pleased with the new numbers, including more than 3,700 individual contributions from Kansas and 7,100 nationwide. He raised $274,000 from individual donors, part of the nearly $4 million his campaign has
raised during the entire election cycle. The campaign had more than $2 million in cash on hand. “It shows Kansans recognize my efforts in behalf of our state and agree with Milton Wolf my conservative record of working to repeal and replace Obamacare and restore a constitutional government in Washington,” Roberts said. Wolf ’s campaign said Wednesday it raised more than $318,000 during the same period, and that all but $5,050 was contributed by individual donors. Ben Hartman, Wolf ’s campaign spokesman, said the challenger’s fundraising efforts indicated that the Leawood radiologist had the resources to run a competitive race. “If you take his PAC money out of this quarterly report we actually outraised him by a See REPORT | Page A5
Quote of the day Vol. 116, No. 121
TOPEKA — Gov. Sam Brownback would be taking a political risk by signing a bill that could eventually give state officials control of Medicare and other federal health care programs, Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger said Tuesday. Praeger, a Republican in the final year of her third and final term, said because the bill could “jeopardize” the benefits of the nearly 450,000 Kansans enrolled in Medicare, signing it could alienate senior voters. “If I was the governor, I would want to be cautious,” Praeger said at a Statehouse news conference at which she urged Brownback to veto House Bill 2553. The measure would authorize the state’s membership in a proposed compact that could be formed by states seeking to control how federal health care dollars are spent within their borders. The compact would require approval by Congress, which is considered unlikely as long as Democrats control the U.S. Senate.
Maren Turner, director of AARP Kansas, joined Praeger in calling for a veto of the bill. She said some legislators who supported the measure mistakenly viewed it as an-
would say they have a conflict of interest. If there are things we can do to protect the liberties of our Kansas citizens, then it’s incumbent that we do it.”
Some members of the Legislature seem determined to express their disdain for the ACA. Placing the health care of Kansans in jeopardy is not the way to do it. — Maren Turner, director of AARP
other symbolic opportunity to express their opposition to Obamacare. “Some members of the Legislature seem determined to express their disdain for the ACA,” Turner said. “Placing the health care of Kansans in jeopardy is not the way to do it.” But Sen. Mary PilcherCook, a Shawnee Republican who was one of the bill’s strongest supporters, criticized AARP for opposing the bill. “AARP endorsed Obamacare,” she said, “and they’re making money from it. I
“You cannot find peace by avoiding life.” — Virginia Woolf, writer 75 Cents
Kansas is the eighth state to endorse the compact, which if created as proposed would allow member states to receive federal Medicare and Medicaid dollars as block grants with no administrative strings attached, leaving them free to restructure the programs. Praeger said it would be a mistake to assume that Congress would not sanction the compact. If Republicans gain control of the U.S. Senate and retain control of the House in the upcoming mid-term See COMPACT | Page A5
Hi: 53 Lo: 35 Iola, KS