2022 SUMMER
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Iola barber taking his shears to Oklahoma By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Barber Greg Shields will close his business after 22 years. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Le Roy native finds success off field
Greg Shields, who has been cutting hair in Iola for half his life, is headed to Grove, Okla., at the end of the month. Shields, 44, will take over a shop there from a barber who is retiring. The desire to be closer to family played a large part in his decision. “It’s definitely a hard, hard decision,” Shields said this week. “I’ve gotten close to a lot of people. I’m gonna miss them.” Shields’ shop in Iola will close for good on Aug. 30. He’s cutting back to three days a week this month, Tuesdays through Thursdays, as he plans for the move. Shields packed a lot into his 22 years in Iola. On top of his barbering, Shields also served on school steering committees, the Al-
len Community College Endowment board and was one of the founders of the county’s youth wrestling program. On top of that, he coached youth football, wrestling and softball. “We came here, and our kids were little bitty,” he noted. “We raised them in the school district.” One of his shop walls is adorned with dozens of signatures of youngsters whose hair he cut through the years. “It’s been fun.” THE ALTAMONT native came upon a career in hair-cutting after a trip to the local barber. It was on Valentine’s Day, he recalled. The barber noted the benefits of cutting hair for a living. First of all, it’s a cash busiSee BARBER | Page A3
Construction work to close highway By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
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Two hurt in wreck near Humboldt PAGE A2
An added section of U.S. 169 between Humboldt and Chanute will be closed to all traffic starting Monday. The Kansas Department of Transportation announced Friday that work to rebuild the highway will start between Delaware Road south of Humboldt and the Plummer Road turnoff just north of Chanute. The highway has been closed to through traffic between Iola and Chanute as part of a larger rebuild project, although local motorists had been able to access
Construction cones divert U.S. 169 traffic onto Plummer Avenue near Chanute. Highway improvement work has closed various sections for the past few years, and work will now shift to a section between Chanute and south of Humboldt at Delaware Road. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
See HIGHWAY | Page A2
‘What recession?’: US employers add 528,000 jobs WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added an astonishing 528,000 jobs last month despite flashing warning signs of an economic downturn, easing fears of a recession and handing President Joe Biden some good news heading into the midterm elections. Unemployment dropped another notch, from 3.6% to 3.5%, matching the more than 50-year low reached just before the pandemic took hold. The economy has now recovered all 22 million jobs lost in March and April 2020 when COVID-19 slammed the U.S. The red-hot numbers reported Friday by the Labor Department are certain to intensify the debate over whether the U.S. is in a recession. “Recession — what recesSee JOBS | Page A7
Vol. 124, No. 216 Iola, KS $1.00
Celebrating safety The Allen County Multi-Agency Team (ACMAT) presented its annual Family Safety Night downtown Iola during the Farmers Market on Thursday. Various agencies and organizations such as law enforcement, health care, Hope Unlimited, the South-
east Kansas Mental Health Center and others offered fun activities along with information about health, safety and well-being.
Owen Roach plays Connect Four, at left, and Evan Aikins, assisted by Sidney Ebberts, wears goggles that simulate the dangerous effects of alcohol. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS
The Iola Fire Department cooled things off with a fire hose blast, as temperatures soared into the upper 90s. REGISTER/TIM STAUFFER