The
IOLA REGISTER Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Locally owned since 1867
RACING
Wilson sees success at Humboldt Speedway See B1
www.iolaregister.com
Quite a pickle...
Unusual cucumbers grow together
Register/ Bob Johnson
NATIONAL
Jury was split on Martin trial MIAMI (AP) — As they began deliberating in George Zimmerman’s murder trial, three of the six jurors wanted to acquit him while the other three wanted to convict him of either murder or manslaughter, one of the jurors said. The six-woman jury ultimately voted to acquit Zimmerman in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder in last year’s shooting but the jury also was allowed to consider manslaughter. The woman, known as Juror B37, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday that when the jury began deliberations Friday, they took an initial vote. Three jurors— including B37 — were in favor of acquittal, two supported manslaughter and one backed seconddegree murder. She said the jury started going through all the evidence, listening to tapes multiple times. “That’s why it took us so long,” said B37, who said See MARTIN | Page A2
Vera Hunt and Ivan Elliott have a knack for gardening, particularly when it comes to raising cucumbers. The two friends, each 88, have gardened together for nine years and keep coming up with unusual cukes. A couple of years ago they had one that was just shy of 22 inches and weighed 9 pounds. This week they plucked another anomaly from their garden, a pair of cucumbers that grew piggy-backed on each other. They are unsure what they will do with the strange-looking vegetable, but
if it keeps, Vera said she’d like to enter it in the Allen County Fair, which starts a week from Saturday. An alternative is the frying pan. “That’s how I like them best — fried,” Vera said of cucumbers. The two gardeners said they don’t do anything special. “We get our seed at TLC in LaHarpe, and Ivan waters whenever the garden needs it,” Vera said. They also keep their garden spruced up and free of weeds. “I hoed some out there this morning,” Vera said Monday afternoon.
UP IN THE AIR
Crossroads vacating Gas site By STEVEN SCHWARTZ steven@iolaregister.com
Crossroads Director Tim Seibel stands next to the entrance sign of the school in Gas, which was built by the students.
The Crossroads Learning Center has been an under-the-radar success story for USD 257 over the past 11 years, but its aging facilities have left its future uncertain. The school, which provides a different educational path for students, is situated in the old Gas Elementary School building. Director Tim Seibel, also a teacher, said about 30 students are enrolled with four teachers and a secretary. The building was built in the late 1940s, and has seen better days. He said electrical issues, heating and cooling, and security concerns are
among reasons the school is closing its doors Monday. The next step is up in the air, but plans are to move facilities to the current USD 257 Board of Education office, just north of Iola High School. Superintendent Jack Koehn is bringing plans before the Iola Planning Commission, and then to the Iola City Council to garner a special use permit. A new BOE office will be on 305 N. Washington, just north of the Townhouse Apartments. “If we could bring Crossroads into Iola, we would have better See CROSSROADS | Page A6
USD 258 adds technology fee By BOB JOHNSON bob@iolaregister.com
Register/Bob Johnson
If this alley is vacated, Cottonwood Gardens park in the 200 block of South Cottonwood will be expanded.
Planners have issues to decide By BOB JOHNSON bob@iolaregister.com
Iola Planning Commission members will hear requests for two zoning changes and vacation of an alley when they meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the New Community Building in Riverside Park. The meeting will be open to the public. A change of zoning from R1 (single family) to R3 (multiple family) is being sought to accommodate a senior housing
complex on 3.8 acres in the 1000 block of North Kentucky. Neighborhood Senior Living, Inc., Dallas, has proposed two complexes, one containing 26 residential suites and a second with eight suites for people with dementia-type concerns. Care would be available 24 hours a day, meals would be served and all living expenses except telephone would be included in rent averaging $3,000 a month. Concerns were heard at an invitation-only meeting for neighbors in mid-June about the development, said Carl Vol. 115, No.184
Slaugh, Iola administrator, a few days afterward. Jack West, owner of the development group, told the Register he thought concerns — noise, lights and traffic among them — were defused when neighbors were given full information about what was planned. West said the complex was designed with neighboring residential areas in mind, that tenants, being elderly, would be quiet by nature, and that the complex would be expected to generate little additional See PLANNERS | Page A2
HUMBOLDT — Students who enroll in USD 258 classes, fourth grade through senior, will pay a $50 technology fee with the advent of the district’s new computerbased instruction. The district will issue laptop computers to each student fourth grade and above in place of textbooks this year. They also will be issued backpacks to tote their laptops about. Board members Monday night settled on the fee, which will replace a $25 enrollment fee. In the past, students who qualified for reduced-price lunches paid half the enrollment fee and those who qualified for free meals paid no fee. Supt. of Schools K.B. Criss will flesh out a similar schedule for the technology fee for board members to review at their Aug. 12 meeting. Money accumulated from the fee will pay for computer maintenance, and philosophically give students ownership in the hardware. Criss also suggested board members take a look at how 75 Cents
special education is delivered for local students. He noted the district’s share of financing the ANW Special Education Cooperative had increased $51,000 for the upcoming school year, pushing the total, much of which is state money, to just over $1 million. He said the district might be as well off financially to have classes for special needs students within the district, rather than through the cooperative. “That’s the way Eureka does it,” he said. The cooperative embraces districts from Allen, Anderson, Neosho and Woodson counties. Criss had no definite proposal, though, rather gave board members a thought to consider. Continuing with financials, board members approved the 2013-14 budget, which Criss said would be tweaked a tad before a public hearing at the Aug. 12 meeting. Total expenditures will be $11.5 million, up $36,000 from the previous year. The ad vaSee FEE | Page A6
Iola, KS