Sun-sational The rising sun this morning gave a spectacular view of the fallen snow that blanketed much of the area Wednesday. REGISTER/WHITNEY IKEHORN
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
Thursday, December 8, 2016
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Rise Up group seeks revenue fix, tax hike By JOHN HANNA The Associated Press
Vespers members, from left, Deb Greenwall, Lori Finch, Donna Houser and Lori Maxell (foreground) rehearse a number for Sunday’s 3 p.m. concert at Iola’s First Presbyterian Church. Below is director Terry Meadows. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Vespers tradition returns Sunday Iola’s Vespers Choir will celebrate its 60 years of performing Christmas songs for the surrounding community with its annual concert at 3 p.m. Sunday at Iola’s First Presbyterian Church. The club’s genesis dates back to the former Iola Music Club, which viewed the Christmas Vespers as a musical gift to the community. The tradition took root, and the free concert is offered the second Sunday afternoon of each December. Organist Kathleen McCol-
lam will get things started with a recital starting at 2:45. From there, the 36-member choir, directed by Terry Meadows and accompanied by pianist Jan Knewtson, take center stage. Fifteen songs are on the program, featuring a number of soloists, and even a number with violin. During intermission, the Presbyterian church’s bell choir will perform three songs under the direction of Betty Cunningham.
Kelli Sigg, Audacious Boutique
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Teachers, a state workers’ union and other Kansas groups long critical of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback have pro- Duane posed undoing Goosseen the income tax reductions he’s championed and boosting the state’s gasoline tax to fix persistent budget problems. The Rise Up Kansas Coalition’s plan, unveiled Wednesday, is the first detailed package for the GOP-controlled Legislature to consider after convening its annual session in January. Whether it will be is yet to be seen, as it’s not a bill championed by a specific lawmaker. The debate in Kansas could occur as Congress mulls proposals from President-elect Donald Trump to cut the federal government’s top tax rate and reduce the number of tax brackets — both of which Kansas did in 2012 and 2013. Since then, the state has struggled to balance its budget and faces projected gaps totaling $1.1 billion in spending for exSee COALITION | Page A5
Duane McGraw, Duane’s Flowers
Audacious deals for Christmas
Floral traditions for holiday
By SUSAN LYNN The Iola Register
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
“Not everyone wants to buy clothes,” admitted Kelly Sigg, owner of Audacious Boutique, downtown’s shopping mecca for women, no matter their age, who trend toward young contemporary fashion wear. Even so, Sigg has expanded her store’s merchandise to include household items such as picture frames, tea towels, gift sets, mugs and decorative pillows. The housewares help fill a gap
now that McGinty-Whitworth has closed, Sigg said. That’s not to say Sigg has neglected her fashion wear. From head to toe, Audacious Boutique is a fashionista’s delight. Laces — as in shoe strings — are a trendy addition to just about everything this year: Sweaters, tunics, shoes and hand bags. “Last year, everything had fringe,” Sigg said. “This year, it’s laces or a laced tassel.” Another thing that sets this year
Quote of the day Vol. 119, No. 31
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Christmas traditions are plentiful for florists, too, Duane McGraw notes with a smile. Not only are poinsettias popular this time of year, but Duane’s Flowers, which has been a part of the Iola retail community since 1976, offers up a wide variety of holiday service this year. McGraw spoke on a wide variety of topics related to the holidays, including how he almost wasn’t a part of this year’s Christmas shopping scene.
“It ain’t the heat, it’s the humility.”
— Yogi Berra 75 Cents
Two priorities have taken center stage this month. First, McGraw and his crew will decorate more than 40 grave sites with floral arrangements for Christmas. “That’s just something we’ve been doing all along,” McGraw explained,. Many customers from across the country have standing orders with the flower shop to decorate loved ones’ graves at certain times of the year. “Of course, Memorial Day is the See DUANE’S | Page A5
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