Look inside: The Bowlus tabloid is here.
Sports: Do you recognize this comedy star? See B1
Locally owned since 1867 www.iolaregister.com
THE IOLA REGISTER Tuesday, August 27, 2013
USD 257
Halfway there...
Math course a hit
Crews with A&B Dirt Works tear apart the old Ag Choice building on East Street, owned by MFA Enterprises, Columbia, Mo. Code Services Officer Shonda Jefferis said the demolition is privately funded and there are no current plans to develop on the lot. REGISTER/STEVEN SCHWARTZ
By KAYLA BANZET kayla@iolaregister.com
Elementary school teachers Audrey Gardner and Scott Riebel gave a demonstration of a new online math program to USD 257 Board of Education members Monday night. Called Triumph Online, the program gives students immediate feedback as to whether they understand a lesson, the teachers said.
KANSAS
Irrigation endangering state’s aquifer By ROXANA HEGEMAN Associated Press
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — If Kansas farmers keep irrigating crops at present levels, an estimated 69 percent of the water in the High Plains Aquifer will depleted within 50 years, according to a study released Monday. Although the High Plains Aquifer supplies 30 percent of the nation’s irrigated groundwater and extends beneath parts of eight states in the Great Plains, this latest study focused on the Ogallala aquifer that lies underneath Kan-
sas. The report by researchers at Kansas State University was published in the scientific journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,” or PNAS. The report noted that only 3 percent of its water had been tapped in 1960 — before farmers began putting in huge irrigation systems in western Kansas. An estimated 30 percent of the aquifer had been depleted by 2010, the study said, forecasting an additional 39 percent of the aquifer’s water will be gone by 2060. “Society has an opportunity now to make changes with
tremendous implications for future sustainability and livability,” the study concluded. “The time to act will soon be past.” Irrigators are pumping more water than is naturally recharging. The aquifer’s natural recharge accounts for just 15 percent of the amount of water now being pumped out of it. Once the water in the aquifer is gone, the study projects it will take between 500 and 1,300 years to refill. But it also outlined several scenarios whereby irrigators could cut back on pumping and possibly extend its usable life to 2110.
David R. Steward, a Kansas State University professor of civil engineering and co-author of the study, said researchers put forth those scenarios not to advocate any particular policy but to give people an understanding of what the implications could be for the present and the future of corn and cattle production in the region. “The motivation for the study — what we really wrote the paper for — was the family farmer who wants to be able to pass his or her land on to their grandchildren and have their
Gardner teaches third grade and Riebel teaches fourth grade at Jefferson Elementary School. “It measures data as soon as the student finishes the test,” Gardner said. Gardner said she also integrates SmartBoard lessons with the Triumph lessons. Triumph breaks down
See AQUIFER | Page A6
See USD 257 | Page A6
Audrey Gardner
Council: ‘We will make this work’ EMS proposal still in the works By STEVEN SCHWARTZ steven@iolaregister.com
As a show of due diligence, Iola City Council members put EMS merger negotiations with the county front and center Monday night. “The county wants us to give them some hardcore feedback on this,” Mayor Joel Wicoff said. “We’ve got to mark this document up and send it back to them. Then they’ll know that we are serious.” Council members examined the
merger proposal in detail, coming away from the exercise feeling successful and hopeful. The main sticking point for the city, Administrator Carl Slaugh said, was the overall finances. The county, under the current contract, will allocate $750,000 to the city’s EMS fund every year. The city would be responsible for all expenses, except for replacement of ambulances. Currently, the proposal says the funding amount will be “up to” See PROPOSAL | Page A6
At left, Iola City Council member Nancy Ford marks changes to Allen County Commissioners’ EMS proposal document Monday evening. At right, Deputy Fire Chief Ryan Sell, left, and EMS Director Ron Conaway speak with the city council about their thoughts on the merger. REGISTER/STEVEN SCHWARTZ
Quote of the day Vol. 115, No.214
“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.” — Eleanor Roosevelt
75 Cents
Hi: 94 Lo: 70 Iola, KS