High school hoops: Humboldt’s Hoepker paces Cubs to win.
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THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
www.iolaregister.com
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Remembering Pearl Harbor 75 years later By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
O
other equipment and munitions required to supply the two-theater effort. A multitude sat at home and worried about loved ones in harm’s way.
n Dec. 7, 1941 — 75 years ago today — Japanese torpedo planes and bombLITTLE MARJORIE Hisers attacked the er clutched U.S. Pacific fleet ration at Pearl Harstamps bor. The next as she day, President marched Franklin D. from her Roosevelt home on asked ConN o r t h gress to deF o u r t h clare war Street to against Jadowntown pan. “A day Iola, and which will the Safeway live in infastore on the my,” Rooseast side of evelt called courthouse it. square. On Dec. Her mission, 11 Germany every week or declared so during World war on the A lock b War II, was to get U n i t e d a c k at Decemb to the store early States, and er 7, 19 41 and stand in line, (See Pag the naes A3-A6 hoping the last bar ) tion was of P&G soap wasn’t propelled sold before she could into the midst make a purchase. If of World War II. During the more than 3½ she missed out at Safeway, years the U.S. was at war, “I’d go to the next store.” The 16 million men and women east side of the square was served in the military. At grocery row. Rationing of most staples home, millions of others built airplanes, tanks and all the was a fact of life during the
Marjorie and Bill Mentzer reflect on life after Pearl Harbor was attacked on Dec. 7, 1941, plunging the United States into World War II. REGISTER/BOB JOHNSON war. Later, she and Bill Mentzer married. They recalled, often in vivid detail, the shock of Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941, and what wartime was like. Willie and Barbara
Nelson also shared remembrances. Bill, 86, lived “up on the river,” northeast of Piqua, when the war started. He learned of it when he and his parents took sister Lila back to Iola, where she attended high
school. “Lots of farm kids lived in town then when they were in high school,” he recalled. “We didn’t have a radio at home, and heard about Pearl Harbor See REMEMBER | Page A3
Couple’s salon fits niche with Ele’ Nails By RICK DANLEY The Iola Register
At a time when the mutterings around town concern the hollowing out of Iola’s commercial square, the young couple behind Ele’ Nails — the square’s newest business — see in their brightly lit Madison Avenue storefront the tokens of a prosperous future. Tim Tran and Kathy Nguyen opened Ele’ Nails just over two months ago but are already seeing a reassuring uptick in return clientele. Despite their youth —
Tran is 33, Nguyen, 31 — the infectiously friendly husband and wife team have observed, whether mindfully or not, the three-legged formula that is the template for nearly every successful smalltown business: 1) They identified an opening in the market. Tran spent a handful of years managing his older sister’s nail salons in Pittsburg, where he would frequently encounter clients who had made the hour-plus drive from Allen County. “We saw there wasn’t a big nail See SALON | Page A8
Kathy Nguyen, left, and Tim Tran of Ele’ Nails
Sophisticated Rose adds Mariana Jewelry line By SUSAN LYNN The Iola Register
chance. For example, she’s fazed out Melissa & Doug toys, saying, “they didn’t change. Year after year, the toys were the same.” Also dance and gymnastic wear for young girls is gone. As for that, “every dance studio in the area had separate ideas on what was acceptable,” she said. Customer demand influences her decisions on what to stock. For instance, next spring she will start carrying petite sizes, and that’s in addition to a second store she owns, Sophisticated Rose Plus, for larger sized women. Also soon to open down the street is a store she’ll call Tuxedo Junction & Wedded Bliss that caters to formal occasions including formal wear for men and accessories to make every wedding complete including toasting
Jan Knewtson has had a retail presence on the Iola square since 1986 and for the last 16 with her Sophisticated Rose on the southeast corner of the square at Madison and Jefferson. Knewston credits her success to a time-worn formula: Carry high-quality, yet affordable, merchandise that makes a woman feel good about herself. To that end Knewston has added Mariana Jewelry, once stocked by Jerry Whitworth before his retirement earlier this year. “We’re really excited about this top-notch line,” Knewtson said. Also a secret to her success is Knewtson’s willingness to embrace change. If something doesn’t sell, she doesn’t give it a second
Jan Knewtson
Quote of the day Vol. 119, No. 29
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“Minds ripen at very different ages.” — Stevie Wonder 75 Cents
Santa returns There are still plenty of opportunities for youngsters to hand over their wish lists to Santa before his Christmas Eve trek. He will be at his temporary quarters on the southeast corner of the Courthouse Square from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday. Rumors abound he also will make an appearance at Friday evening’s Spirit of Christmas shopping event in downtown Iola.
Probe focuses on refrigerator OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Investigators zeroed in on a refrigerator and other electrical appliances as possible causes of the fire at a warehouse in Oakland that killed 36 people, as crews were set to finish their search for bodies. The death toll in the most lethal building fire in the U.S. in more than a decade was not expected to go higher. See FIRE | Page A8
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