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Monday, May 10, 2021
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Plan could give $500M to businesses
Iolan qualifies for state tennis tourney
By JOHN HANNA The Associated Press
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States stumble on internet privacy PAGE A8
Lawmakers wrap up 2021 session
The Humboldt Class of 2021 celebrates graduation by tossing their caps in the air at Saturday’s commencement ceremony. See more photos on Page A6. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS
Hats off to Humboldt grads
By NOAH TABORDA Kansas Reflector
By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
TOPEKA — After months filled with long days of prickly debate, Senate President Ty Masterson brought the legislative session to a close late Friday night by thanking his colleagues for working diligently and patiently through a jam-packed schedule of bills. In the final day, the House and Senate came together to tie up loose ends to school finance after negotiations with the governor’s office, and finalized the state budget by injecting cash into Kansas universities, increasing pay for judges and restricting the use of vaccine passports. Legislators also sent bills to Gov. Laura Kelly
Humboldt’s Class of 2021 gathered for a graduation ceremony Saturday at the Fieldhouse, a return to tradition more than a year after the start of a global pandemic. And even though the commencement activities signaled a return to normalcy, they still came with a bit of a twist. The school had planned to have an outdoor ceremony but moved it inside as forecasts called for a chance of rain. As luck would have it, the rain held off until late that evening and Saturday. Seniors Jaylin Goforth and Thane Meadows delivered the commencement address. Goforth spoke about shared experiences, particularly memorable sporting events like state wrestling and track, and basketball camps. “For 12 years we have fought, dreamed and laughed together,” she said. “From the first day we walked in,
See SESSION | Page A5
Gasoline ticks higher after cyberextortion By the Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Gasoline futures are ticking higher Monday following a cyberextortion attempt on a vital U.S. pipeline that carries fuel from the Gulf Coast to the Northeast. The Colonial Pipeline transports gasoline and other fuel through 10 states between Texas and New Jersey. It delivers roughly 45% of fuel consumed on the East Coast, according to the company. Colonial Pipeline said Saturday that it had been hit by a ransomware attack and had halted all pipeline operations to deal with the threat. Two people close to the investigation said that the shutdown had been carried out by a criminal gang known as DarkSide that cultiSee GASOLINE | Page A3
Kady Hart hugs Jada Dangerfield after the graduation ceremony. our class has been full of big dreams and bright ideas.” Meadows also spoke of the closeness of the class of 29 students. Whatever challenge his class may have faced, they were there for each other, he said. “I know a lot of you think our journey starts today as we walk across the stage, but I disagree,” Meadows said.
“Our journey began a long time ago. Today just happens to be where the path we have traveled splits into 29 new directions. “Up until now, we have been a team, walking as one. We have done it all and we have done it together. Now is the time to appreciate all the years that have passed and focus on the future.”
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans pushed a plan through the Kansas Legislature early Saturday that could provide roughly $500 million to small businesses to offset losses tied to state and local restrictions meant to check COVID-19’s spread last year. The measure would require the state, cities and counties to set aside part of their federal coronavirus relief funds to pay claims from small businesses. It was the last bill lawmakers considered before shutting down their annual session except for a formal adjournment May 26. The Republican-controlled Legislature approved a bipartisan public school funding bill and finished a $21 billion state budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The budget also included provisions to prevent the state from issuing COVID-19 vaccine passports and to restrict efforts to track down close contacts of people with the virus. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly signaled that she plans to sign the education bill, and she’s expected to approve most to all of the budget’s items. But she has not said what she’ll do with the business-compensation bill. Supporters said creating a system for considering and paying claims could avoid a larger total payout from potential lawsuits over COVID-19 restrictions, but doing so would help small businesses that cannot afford to hire attorneys to sue state or local officials. See BUSINESSES | Page A3
New website maps local historic sites By TREVOR HOAG The Iola Register
Like local history? Then you’ll love Southeast Kansas History Online. Simply navigate to the SEK History homepage at sekhistory.com, on either desktop, tablet or mobile, and you’re ready to start exploring. Did we mention that it’s absolutely free, thanks to a generous grant from the nonprofit organization Humanities Kansas? Humanities Kansas is a cultural organization that connects communities with history, traditions and ideas to strengthen civic life. YOUR FIRST option is to choose a quadrant on the splash page, out of Northern/ Southern Allen County or Northern/Southern Woodson County. On your phone, sim-
ply press “continue.” Once you’re inside the site, you’ll find a map of Allen and Woodson counties dotted with pins of different colors. The colors of pins correspond to whether the land is privately or publicly owned, as well as whether tours are possible with a guide. Purple is a warning not to trespass without permission, whereas green signals land that’s completely open to traverse. As the project continues to expand, there will also be sites marked on the map from other southeast Kansas counties as well, such as the Old Mill Dam in Fredonia or Dalton Defenders Museum in Coffeyville.
The desktop splash page for Southeast Kansas History Online. GO AHEAD. Zoom in and pick a pin. A new page then opens and features a full-length story on the historic site along with photos. The stories are the same content from Register reporter Trevor Hoag’s “Just Prairie” articles.
Let’s say we chose the pin for the historic Allen County Jail, northeast of the Iola square. You’ll notice it’s colored yellow, which means it’s possible to get a tour of the inside. Once the story tab is open, note the box that says “Let’s See HISTORY | Page A5
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