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THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
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Thursday, November 6, 2014
Teen offers acoustic showcase Brownback to
protect tax cuts
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Fresh from her school’s first trip to the state volleyball tournament in 14 years, Iola High School’s Emma Piazza is taking an opportunity to catch a quick breath. Or maybe not. In between the conclusion of volleyball — Iola took fourth at the state tournament in Salina, the Fillies’ first-ever state medal — and the start of basketball practice Nov. 17, Piazza has a role in the upcoming IHS drama production, “Almost, Maine,” next weekend at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. And prior to that, Piazza will entertain an Iola Community Theatre crowd Saturday as part of its “One Night Stand” series. The curtain rises at 7 p.m. Free-will donations will be collected for admission. Piazza, daughter of Iolans Tony and Terri Piazza, will present acoustic covers of contemporary pop songs from such artists as Ed Sheeran, Amy Winehouse and Maroon
Emma Piazza will perform at 7 p.m. on Saturday at the Iola Community Theatre. COURTESY PHOTO 5 on her guitar and ukulele. Such a hectic schedule is old hat for the 17-year-old honor student, who is a leader in the classroom, on the volley-
Iola receives $15,000 Safe Routes to School grant The City of Iola has received a $15,000 Safe Routes to School Phase I grant this week. Code Enforcement Officer Shonda Jefferis teamed up with USD 257 and Thrive Allen County to apply for the grant. The Safe Routes grant is for planning purposes and helps students arrive to school by walking and bicycling safely. Created in 2005, the federal program aims to: Enable and encourage children, including those who are disabled, to walk or bicycle to school, make walking or biking to school safe and appealing and facilitate projects that will im-
prove safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution in the vicinity of schools. Jefferis said the grant will help the city conduct surveys to see who is walking and riding their bikes to school. It will also help pay for a consultant to see which sidewalks are the best route to schools. Jefferis said they would like to focus on the lack of handicap accessible ramps on the city’s sidewalks. “After the plan goes through this phase we can apply for See GRANT | Page A5
ball and basketball court and in the swimming pool. “It’s been a whirlwind,” See PIAZZA | Page A5
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Even without an election mandate favoring his income tax cuts, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback and his legislative allies signaled Wednesday that they’ll protect his signature policy while addressing state budget problems. The conservative Republican governor won a narrow re-election victory over Democrat Paul Davis, who argued that the tax cuts wrecked the state’s finances because it faces a predicted budget shortfall of at least $260 million by July 2016. Republicans swept all statewide and congressional races on the ballot, as they did in the 2010 presidential midterm elections, and padded their supermajorities in the Legislature. But Brownback’s victory didn’t signal overall voter approval for the tax cuts enacted by legislators at his urging, according to exit polling
data released Wednesday. A survey of 2,027 voters for The Associated Press and television networks said that 53 percent of those surveyed felt the tax cuts had mostly hurt the state, while 41 percent thought they’d mostly helped. The polling by Edison Research had a margin of error of 4 percent. Republicans took Brownback’s victory as a validation of the governor’s policies, and he declared in his Tuesday night victory speech that “ideas and direction matter.” House Speaker Ray Merrick, a Stilwell Republican and Brownback ally, said the budget is the Legislature’s top issue next year and promised to protect core services. But Merrick added, “We don’t have a revenue problem; we have a spending problem.” The state has dropped its top personal income tax rate See TAX | Page A5
Court puts off gay marriage hearing TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court on Wednesday indefinitely postponed a hearing in a gay marriage case because of a federal judge’s order in a separate lawsuit barring the state from enforcing its constitutional same-sex marriage ban. Nevertheless, the ban remains in effect because the judge stayed his decision to allow the state to appeal, which it did. The Kansas court was to hear arguments in its case today but will now consider whether to defer to the federal courts. Both cases arose from the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal last month to hear appeals from five other states seek-
ing to preserve gay-marriage bans following adverse lower court rulings. Kansas voters overwhelmingly approved an anti-gay marriage amendment to the state constitution in 2005. The Kansas Supreme Court case involves an order by Chief Judge Kevin Moriarty of Johnson County District Court, directing marriage licenses to be issued to samesex couples. A lesbian couple received a license and wed, but Attorney General Derek Schmidt filed a petition to prevent any more licenses from being issued. The Kansas court blocked further licenses and set its hearing. The American Civil Liber-
ties Union filed a federal lawsuit for two lesbian couples denied licenses in other counties. U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree ruled Tuesday that the state could not enforce its gay-marriage ban under rulings from the federal appeals court for Kansas and five other states. Kansas has asked the same appeals court to review Crabtree’s ruling. The Kansas Supreme Court followed up Wednesday by directing parties in Schmidt’s case to submit written arguments by Nov. 15 on whether it should continue blocking same-sex marriage licenses and whether it should wait to consider Schmidt’s petition until the federal courts resolve the ACLU lawsuit.
Baker to perform Bowlus organ recital Sunday By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
Recognition of the gifts of Iola benefactor Tom Bowlus will continue this weekend. Ron Baker will perform an organ recital at 2 p.m. Sunday at Wesley United Methodist Church on an organ donated by Bowlus. Baker, chief executive officer at Allen County Regional Hospital, studied as a youth under Marjorie Gard, a former longtime area piano teacher. Baker, 58, began taking lessons in 1970 on the organ at Wesley United. Bowlus also provided an organ for First Presbyterian Church, across the street. Baker said his parents al-
ways made sure to have money for his music lessons. “I really enjoyed it and it let me dream about the possibilities,” Baker said. Although he has been playing for years he is quick to claim he is nowhere near the level of a professional. “I do this as a hobby and it’s a challenge for me,” he said. Baker said he takes special delight in noting the difference between organs. No two pipe organs are the same, he said. “You can play the same piece of music on two different organs and it will sound different,” he said. In the first portion of the performance he will play Bach. The second portion will See ORGAN | Page A5
Quote of the day Vol. 117, No. 9
Ron Baker will perform an organ recital at 2 p.m. Sunday at Wesley United Methodist Church. The concert is to recognize Tom Bowlus’ gifts of two pipe organs to the community. COURTESY PHOTO
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