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THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
www.iolaregister.com
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
CITY COUNCIL
Iola moves ahead with EMS talks By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Iola inched closer Monday to a revamped contract to provide countywide ambulance service. Council members voted, 5-2, to have Mayor Joel Wicoff and City Attorney Robert Johnson continue negotiating with the county, with the understanding the county is offering to increase its contribution to $1 million annually from
$750,000, with another $189,000 to help make up a projected $377,000 shortfall for the end of 2014. Voting in favor were Donald Becker, Beverly Franklin, Bob Shaughnessy, Jon Wells and Sandy Zornes. Voting against were Nancy Ford and Steve French. Gene Myrick was absent. The vote followed a 10-minute executive session for contract negotiations. See EMS | Page A6
USD 258
The new city animal ordinance allows Iolans to tether dogs up to an hour at a time. REGISTER/
Union calls for recall of board members By KAREN INGRAM The Iola Register
Once again at the USD 258 Board of Education meeting, members of state teachers union were present to read a statement. “We believe a recall of school board members is warranted due to lack of oversight and failure to require accountability from administrators,”
the KNEA statement read. The statement also claimed “improper use of school funds” were used “to exact personal gain, namely utilizing school funds for personal trips which fell outside of board member duties.” The KNEA representatives declined to elaborate beyond the prepared statement. Curt Mueller, president of See UNION | Page A6
RICHARD LUKEN
Leash law goes to the dogs By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Iolans will be permitted to tether their dogs outdoors, but only for an hour at a time. City Council members adopted new animal control ordinances that greatly limit the amount of time pet owners can keep their dogs tethered outdoors to fixed objects. The new ordinance came about after former Mayor Bill Maness approached the
Banned Books
Steve French asked. Jefferis said city employees can drive by a residence and make note of the time they see an animal tethered, then return to see if the animal has been removed within the hour. The ordinance is similar to one adopted in other communities across the state, Jefferis said. The city had briefly considered an outright ban on See LEASH | Page A3
HUMBOLDT COUNCIL
Week encourages literary freedom By KAREN INGRAM The Iola Register
Iola Public Library invites readers to celebrate freedom of speech for Banned Books Week, Sept. 21-27. The library has a number of books prominently displayed by the main door of the adult books section. Debra Francis, library assistant, helped put the display together with Lesa Cole, librarian. Some of the books on display include “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker, “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood and Ray Bradbury’s novel “Fahrenheit 451.” A number of children’s books joined the list including, Dav Pilkey’s “Captain Underpants” series and J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” books. “The Giver” by Lois Lowry was not included because the recent film has made the book too popular to keep on display, Francis said. Some of the books that are commonly challenged or banned from schools and libraries are highly graphic or controversial, but Francis said there were a few books on the list that truly surprised
city about concerns he had for a neighbor’s dog that has been left outdoors on a chain for months at a time. The only time the animal was not tethered, he said, was when he broke the chain and roamed about briefly. Code enforcement officer Shonda Jefferis said Iolans can keep their animals tethered up to an hour at a time, every three hours. “How in the world can you monitor this?” Councilman
GALS to spearhead new sign on Humboldt square By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
HUMBOLDT — If GALS Family and Community Education members have their way, Humboldt residents will be better informed. Terry Butts, a GALS members, told city council members Monday night the group was looking for “another big
project,” and decided raising money for a LED (light-emitting diode) sign was worth while. Initial estimate of cost is about $30,000. Humboldt’s Chamber of Commerce offered support, Butts added, and she asked council members to give their blessings. No action was taken, but no one See SIGN | Page A3
Mark Twain’s classic novel “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” stands tall in a display as part of Iola Public Library’s effort to raise awareness of Banned Books Week. Debra Francis, library assistant, said the display has been up only since Thursday and library personnel have already had to fix it a number of times because it has proven popular with browsers — a problem she was pleased to have. REGISTER/KAREN INGRAM her, such as the Judy Blume series and Junie B. Jones. “I don’t understand what’s so controversial about them,” Francis said. Leah Oswald, youth services librarian, said that, to the best of her knowledge, Iola Public Library has never banned a book from its shelves. Francis said she occasion-
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ally finds a book offensive, but she could never bring herself to ban it or tell someone not to read it, because it went against her belief in freedom of speech. “Most of what I read interests me or touches me in some way,” she said. “Some stuff I don’t agree with, but people have a right to read it.”
Rattler A rattlesnake measuring 36 inches slithered its way into Neal and Charlotte Wallace’s yard in Colony. COURTESY PHOTO/PHYLLIS LUEDKE
“Respect yourself if you would have others respect you.” — Baltasar Gracian, Spanish Jesuit 75 Cents
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