The
IOLA REGISTER Tuesday, August 20, 2013
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A crop duster swoops over a field of soybeans during the afternoon on Monday.
Register/Steven Schwartz
STATE
Students at Jefferson greet Yuki Ito, left, and Kaori Suda, right, during their presentation Monday afternoon.
Kansas lawmakers slam healthcare law By ROXANA HEGEMAN Associated Press
Register/Steven Schwartz
Jefferson students greet Japanese visitors By STEVEN SCHWARTZ steven@iolaregister.com
Young students at Jefferson Elementary said “konichiwa” in greeting their visitors who had traveled from Japan to share their world with them on Monday afternoon. Yuki Ito and Kaori Suda spent time in the different classrooms during the morning, showing the students some of the differences between school in Japan and in Kansas. Both travelers teach junior high school in Japan — Ito teaches English and Suda teaches physical education. Ito has been corresponding with Jefferson Elementary librarian Deb Greenwall
for many years, which has given Greenwall the opportunity to use their relationship as a learning opportunity. “We have known each other for many years,” Ito said to a classroom full of fifth-graders. She explained the Japanese school year to the class, and also diagrammed what a student’s lunch would look like on a daily basis — complete with rice balls, pickled plums and various meats. Both the Japanese and English students filled out surveys, answering questions about their daily lives. Ito will compare See JAPAN | Page A6
At left, Laura Newkirk, a fourth-grader at Jefferson Elementary, writes “friend” in Japanese Calligraphy. At right, Danae Cartright gets a hands-on demonstration in Judo from Kaori Suda.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Members of Kansas’ all-Republican congressional delegation seem to agree the coming weeks are critical to the future of the federal health care law. They’re less certain about how to stop it. In a session titled “Over the Cliff — Digging in on Taxes,” U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins told the Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association on Monday that Republicans have two upcoming “pressure points” — whether to fund the government and whether to raise the debt ceiling. But the likelihood of the Congress agreeing on the priorities is next to none, she said. “So I think we are look-
ing at a continuing resolution which would fund the government,” she said. “And I don’t know if Republicans, any of us, are real thrilled about continuing the priorities of this administration in that continuing resolution.” She said Republicans agree the debt ceiling has got to be raised for a few more years to balance the budget, but ultimately, they want to fix the tax code and what they say are driving the country’s debt, Medicare and the health care law, she told the crowd at the group’s annual convention in Wichita. Enrollment for the health law’s new coverage options starts Oct. 1, and benefits kick in Jan. 1. See LAW | Page A6
Remains of Kan. war hero may be found Medal of honor recipient considered for sainthood WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — There’s a “better than even” chance that a Kansas native being considered for sainthood was buried in a national cemetery in Hawaii alongside hundreds of other Allied prisoners during the Korean War who were buried there in 1954, a senior Pentagon analyst said. Father Emil Kapaun, an Army chaplain from Pilsen, Kan., died of starvation and disease in a North Korean prison camp in May 1951, according to fellow prisoners of war, The Wichita Eagle reported. Chinese Army guards buried him in a shallow
unmarked grave, the POWs reported, and the Army always assumed his remains were there. Kapaun was awarded the Medal of Honor in April and the Catholic Church is considering him for sainthood. “It would be great (if his remains were in Hawaii), especially as the church is moving toward canonization,” said Maj. Gen. Donald Rutherford, a Catholic priest who is the chief of chaplains for the U.S. Army. Pentagon analyst Philip O’Brien, an authority on Korean War soldiers missSee HERO | Page A6
Past struggle drives passion for teaching By BOB JOHNSON bob@iolaregister.com
“What is this? What is it worth?” Jalna Hartsook asked her students, as she held a quarter between thumb and index finger. An attentive little girl thought just a second or two before blurting out, “A quarter,” and that it was worth 25 cents. Hartsook, in just her third day as a special education instructor at McKinley Elementary School, smiled approvingly. “You’re right,” she exclaimed. HARTSOOK, 25, has had a passion for teaching, particularly
those with special needs, since she dealt with a speech impairment of her own as a child growing up in Emporia. “I saw how it affected my life when I had to be pulled out of class” to do exercises to overcome her problems, Hartsook said. “Ever since, that’s been my goal, to help students who have special needs.” After graduating from Emporia High School, Hartsook majored in elementary education at Emporia State University, student teaching in Emporia and nearby Americus. She earned a bachelor’s degree in 2010. From there, her plan was to move to Manhattan to teach as See HARTSOOK | Page A6
Vol. 115, No.209
Register/Bob Johnson
Jalna Hartsook tutors a student in math by having her identify the worth of coins. Hartsook instructs McKinley Elementary students with special needs. 75 Cents
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