The Iola Register Locally owned since 1867
Weekender Saturday, July 20, 2013
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Register/Steven Schwartz
Lindsey Moore takes a leap of faith in what was her first dive into the Iola Municipal Pool during her swim lesson Friday morning.
Swimming a vital life skill By KAYLA BANZET kayla@iolaregister.com
Kristy Sutherland has a hard time going to Kansas lakes and ponds. The sight of unprotected swimmers makes Sutherland, a former swim instructor, so ill at ease it robs her of the chance to relax. “Every situtation is different,” Sutherland said. “Any time you’re in an area where you don’t know the depth of the water don’t dive in. And always, have your children wear a life jacket. A recent surge in deaths by drowning in both Kansas and Missouri has lifeguards on high alert. “Every child should learn how to swim,” said Sutherland, Iola Recreation Department receptionist and former swimming lesson coordinator. Iola offers swimming lessons for children from 3 to 13. This year Sutherland said there are 162 people enrolled in public lessons and 56 enrolled in private lessons. Muffy Fehr is the swimming lesson coordinator this summer. Swimming doesn’t come naturally. Beginner swimmers are typically hesitant when first starting out. “Younger ones are hesitant because they don’t understand the new experience or
Swim instructor Tyler Holloway they are afraid of the water,” she said. Tyler Holloway, 16, a secondyear swimming instructor said they teach younger kids the basics in the first lessons. “It’s very important to get the kid comfortable,” Holloway said. “Once they get their bearings they can get comfortable.” Holloway is one of nine instructors that taught swimming lessons this summer. Friday was the last day of lessons for the summer. Holloway said they teach beginners things like how to push off the wall and how to float. See SWIMMING | Page A5
Register/Steven Schwartz
Gary Kimball stands next to Iola Fire Department’s WaverRunner used for water rescues, loaded with a personal floatation device, ropes and throw bags as well.
SEK ready for water rescues By STEVEN SCHWARTZ steven@iolaregister.com
Lieutenant Gary Kimball has been involved with the Iola Fire Department for more than 25 years, and as a member of the water rescue team, he knows the importance of water awareness firsthand. Southeast Kansas Task Force 4 is the regional rescue organization, which has rescue professionals from across
Johnson enters 50th year at Register
By COREY WILLIAMS and ED WHITE Associated Press
Register/Steven Schwartz
Bob Johnson hard at work in The Register office. sity, where he was a math major. While a student, Johnson worked full time on the night desk at the Pittsburg Morning Sun. Working full time while carrying a full load at school took a toll. “I wasn’t the strongest of students and it took me that first semester to get my feet on the ground,” he recalled. That first semester, in fact, Vol. 115, No.187
Johnson earned all Cs, “the first time since third grade,” when he was pulled aside for being a slow reader, a humiliation that turned the young Johnson into an avid reader. “All through those years at PSU I earned mostly Bs and Cs. I no longer set the curve,” as he did at Humboldt High School. See JOHNSON | Page A5
said, adding they are the majority of rescues. The department is wellequipped to handle rescue situations, including those in water, confined spaces, lowand high-angle rescue and vehicle extraction. Kimball has been involved with the task force since 2003. Prior to the flood of 2007 in Iola, the department particiSee RESCUES | Page A5
‘Detroit is broke’ City files for municipal bankruptcy
By SUSAN LYNN susan@iolaregister.com
Earlier this month Bob Johnson began his 50th year reporting for the Iola Register. While most of his peers have retired, Johnson said, “It’s not that I don’t ever think about retiring, but I never think about quitting.” The very nature of the job is what keeps Johnson coming in at 6 o’clock most mornings. “There’s never been a single morning when I haven’t woke up and felt I didn’t want to come into work,” he said. “I like to know what’s going on in town, which means every day on the job is different,” he said. “There’s never a night or a weekend that I’m not thinking about whatever I’m working on. I love meeting new people and telling their story. I like the nature of the business where the minute after we go to press, we’re planning the next day’s edition.” In a week’s time Johnson will be 70. He came on board the Register when he was 20. A native of Humboldt, Johnson had just completed his junior year at Pittsburg State Univer-
the area including Fort Scott, Chanute, Pittsburg, Neodesha, Coffeyville, Parsons and Iola. Four task force members are from Iola — Kimball, Deputy Chief Ryan Sell, Lieutenant Jeremy Ellington and Kenneth Powell. While they haven’t had any water rescue calls this year, Kimball said water safety is a major concern in southeast Kansas. Many have not learned to swim, Kimball
DETROIT (AP) — At the height of its industrial power, Detroit was an irrepressible engine of the American economy, offering well-paying jobs, a gateway to the middle class for generations of autoworkers and affordable vehicles that put the world on wheels. But now the once-mighty symbol of the nation’s manufacturing strength had fallen into financial ruin, becoming the biggest U.S. city ever to file for bankruptcy — the result of a long, slow decline in population and auto manufacturing. Although the filing had been feared for months, the path that lay ahead was still uncertain. Bankruptcy could mean laying off employees, selling off assets, raising fees and scaling back basic services such as trash collection and snow plow75 Cents
ing, which have already been slashed. Gov. Rick Snyder said Friday that the bankruptcy process would allow for improvements to the city, with a greater emphasis on public safety and other city services, which he acknowledged have long been “unacceptable.” He said it also should offer — for better or worse — a more certain path for creditors, who don’t know how much or whether they will be paid. The process, he said, would clarify that “this is a debt that can be paid and will be paid,” he said. “Now is our opportunity to stop 60 years of decline,” he said. Still, Kevin Frederick, an admissions representative for a local career training school, called the step “an embarrassment.” “I guess we have to take a couple of steps backward to move forward,” Frederick said. Now city and state leaders must confront the challenge of rebuilding Detroit’s broken budget in as little as a year. See DETROIT | Page A5
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