Sports: Iola JV pushes past Central Heights See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
www.iolaregister.com
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
What’s still owed?
Sonic Equipment wins award
Price tags on Allen Co. projects answered By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
As voters prepare to head to the polls Nov. 4 to determine whether to approve new elementary and high schools in Iola, some have asked how much remains to be paid on other high-profile construction projects in and around Iola. Here are a few answers:
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Iola Water Treatment Plant
Iola will continue to pay off bonds used to fund the $10 million facility until Aug. 1, 2025. The city pays about $600,000 annually to retire the bonds, with all of the revenues coming from water rates. No property or sales taxes are used to pay for the plant.
Not many businesses can boast of being honored by NATO at the Geneva Convention. Iola’s Sonic Equipment Company can. Some clarification may be in order. NATO, in this case, is the North American Theater Owners, the largest such trade organization in the world, representing roughly 32,000 movie screens in all 50 states and 81 countries worldwide. And the Geneva Convention — well, it’s a regional trade show for the motion picture industry held each September in Lake Geneva, Wis. Sonic Equipment earned the Vendor of the Year Award and was featured in BoxOffice Pro Magazine. It’s the first type of national award for the Iolabased Sonic, which builds, supplies and services cinemas and theaters across 36 states. “When I came here in 1995, there were four of
Allen County Jail
The new Allen County Jail See OWED | Page A3
See SONIC | Page A6
ACLU to challenge Harvey Girls’ history served up Kan. gay marriage ban By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A decision Monday by the U.S. Supreme Court denying appeals from five states seeking to prohibit same-sex marriages is expected to clear the way for the unions in Kansas — but it could take more legal wrangling before that happens in the conservative state. Without commenting, the nation’s highest court brought an end to delays in gay marriage in Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin, effectively making it legal in
30 states. Couples in six other states — Colorado, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming — should be able to get married soon, as those states would be bound by the appellate rulings that earlier had been put on hold. “Marriage equality is coming to Kansas,” said Thomas Witt, executive director of the gay rights group Equality Kansas. “It may not be this See BAN | Page A3
Moran will seek grant to help build a library By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
MORAN — Moran councilmen agreed to seek state funding assistance for construction of a new library through the Kansas Department of Commerce’s KAN STEP initiative. Ken McWhirter, Marmaton Valley Elementary School principal, told council members he had discussed a new library with representatives of Crossland Construction, Columbus. Crossland helped
Marmaton Valley start a construction class through which graduates can be offered jobs by the company. McWhirter said the class was looking for projects and that Crossland officials said they would consider helping with construction of a library. But, he added, any project that might include MVHS students and Crossland was in preliminary stages, which led him to ask council members to agree to seek the KAN STEP (an acronym for Kansas See MORAN | Page A3
Quote of the day Vol. 116, No. 240
Americans had a big appetite for the dining service the Harvey Girls provided in the late 1800s. Michaeline Chance-Reay, a professor of women’s studies at Kansas State University, spoke at the Iola Public Library Monday night about the Harvey Girls. Chance-Reay has studied Fred Harvey and his successful business for many years. Harvey’s passion for the restaurant business began as a dishwasher. Around the time of the Civil War, the Englishman opened a restaurant in St. Louis with a partner. The relationship turned
sour when the partner headed south with the money. After that Harvey took a job with a railroad and realized it was hard to find decent food on the trains. Chance-Reay said he approached Santa Fe with the idea to open a restaurant near the tracks. He opened his first restaurant in Topeka. His business had fine china, linen tablecloths and superior service. He did so well in Topeka that he began expanding the restaurants. Since quality was so important to Harvey he would periodically check in on his restaurants. At one restaurant in New Mexico the waitSee HARVEY | Page A3
Michaeline Chance-Reay speaks about the Harvey Girls Monday night at the Iola Public Library. REGISTER/KAYLA BANZET
Full moon The moon sets over the construction zone in between LaHarpe and Gas this morning. REGISTER/
RICHARD LUKEN
“The main dangers in this life are the people who want to change everything... or nothing.” — Nancy Astor, socialite 75 Cents
Hi: 83 Lo: 54 Iola, KS