Saturday, January 8, 2022
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More kids in hospitals for COVID
Cases since 1/5........55 Total cases*............2,855 Deaths...................27
By LINDSEY TANNER and MIKE STOBBE The Associated Press
Hospitalizations of U.S. children under 5 with COVID-19 soared in recent weeks to their highest level since the pandemic began, according to government data released Friday on the only age group not yet eligible for the vaccine. The worrisome trend in children too young to be vaccinated underscores the need for older kids and adults to get their shots to protect those around them, said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since mid-December, as the highly contagious omicron variant has spread furiously around the country, the hospitalization rate in these youngest children has surged to more than 4 in 100,000 youngsters, up from 2.5 per 100,000. That compares with a current rate of about 1 per 100,000 for children ages 5 to 17, according to CDC data. In a statement, Walensky said that while children still have the lowest rate of hospitalization of any age group, “pediatric hospitalizations are at their highest rate compared to any prior point in the pandemic.” At a briefing, she said the numbers include children hospitalized because of COVID-19 and those admitted for other reasons but found to be infected. She noted that just over 50% of children ages 12 to 18 are fully vaccinated and only See HOSPITALS | Page A5
IMS boys struggle in opener Luiza Lounici, a native of Berlin, Germany, is studying at Marmaton Valley High School this year as an exchange student. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Good exchange rate German student finds Moran a different, but good, fit By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
MORAN — When Luiza Lounici returns home at the conclusion of the school year, she’ll do so with a fresh appreciation of rural Kansas living. Lounici, a foreign exchange student at Marmaton Valley High School, spoke about the differences between living in Moran and her native Berlin, Germany. And there are many. Berlin, Germany’s capital city, is home to 4 million, with an international flavor. In Moran, population 558, the closest thing to Deutschland are bratwursts and German shepherds. School in Berlin was urban as well, with roughly 1,000 students between grades 5-12. Truth be told, she likes the
Luiza Lounici played volleyball for Marmaton Valley. smaller setting. “I like the smaller school,” Lounici said. “Here, everyone knows each other. It’s easier to get along with teachers. They don’t have to
focus on too many students. Here, I know stuff about my teachers, and back in Germany, I don’t know most of their first names.” Lounici is spending her junior year in Kansas with her host family, Justin and Heather Wools and their daughter, Headlee. It’s been a match made in heaven, Louinic notes. She’s especially fond of her alone time with Headlee, a second-grader. “We’ll bake things and watch movies together,” Lounici said. “I’ve really liked getting to know Headlee. I’ve always wanted a sister. It didn’t matter if she was younger or older.” Back home, Louinici is the oldest of three siblings, with brothers ages 13 and 5. “They do annoy me from
Over the past 35 years, Larry and Janet Buck have brought chiropractic care to a lot of people, particularly in the field of sports injuries. They’ve also helped thousands of animals. They spent 11 years traveling the high school rodeo circuit, offering adjustments to contestants and their horses. Whether it’s human, horse or other, “there’s no greater joy than providing that relief,” Larry said. Their business, Midwest Chiropractic, celebrated its 35th anniversary on Friday. The couple took time to reflect on what they’ve learned and how their business has changed over the years. SOMETIME around 2005, the Bucks were watching a ro-
Midwest Chiropractic owners Larry and Janet Buck celebrated 35 years in business on Friday. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS deo in Eureka. They watched a teenager get bucked off a horse and land in the dirt, head first. “Every kid that came off landed like that. Just like a
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lawn dart,” Larry said. “God pricked our hearts. He said, ‘You need to be there to help those kids,’” Janet said. They had talked about go-
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ing to Oklahoma to work on horses and rodeo contestants. They could have made a lot of money, they thought. Instead, they turned it into a ministry of sorts. They bought a trailer and equipment to travel from rodeo to rodeo on weekends, offering free chiropractic care to high school rodeo contestants. They did charge parents and others, which provided just enough income to pay their expenses for those trips. They became affiliated with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and passed out religious pamphlets to those they helped. Larry also worked on horses and other farm animals, a practice he had started years earlier. Often, owners of working and show animals would ask for his help to pro-
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — People still can sue Kansas counties over mask mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions and obtain a quick trial-court decision because of a Kansas Supreme Court ruling Friday. The court declined to consider whether a law requiring trial-court judges to rule on such lawsuits within 10 days is constitutional. While the justices split over the reasons, they were unanimous in concluding that a Johnson County judge had no business striking down the law in a case that dealt with another legal question. Judge David Hauber ruled that the law denied counties their right to due legal process and interfered with the courts’ power to handle their own business. But he did so in a lawsuit against a mask mandate imposed by a school district — not the county. School districts aren’t covered by the law that applies to counties — and a separate law mandating the same expedited legal
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Caring for all creatures, great and small By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
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A variety of positions and opportunities are available at Neosho Memorial. You can love your job AND make an amazing difference. Call or visit, www.nmrmc.com for a list of current career openings.