The Iola Register, Aug. 10, 2023

Iola

County: Make space for tires, electronics

By VICKIE MOSS The

Some changes could be coming to the Allen County Landfill concerning the disposal of tires and electronics.

County leaders will pursue plans to create new, separate spaces to collect both items after consulting with an engineer.

Jared Brooks, with Schwab Eaton of Manhattan, met with commissioners and Public Works Director Mitch Garner on Tuesday morning to address ongoing issues concerning the landfill.

First, tires. The current cell at the landfill has just about reached its limit for tire collection, Brooks said. There’s probably less than 10 feet left before it reaches its maximum permit level.

Last week, commissioners met with Shane Lamb, owner of a tire recycling business. Lamb’s business, FMS/United Tire, has dumped nearly 2,000 tons of shredded tires at the landfill in the past six

IHS seniors personalize parking spots

Iola High School seniors paint their parking spaces in the senior lot on Tuesday evening in preparation for the start of the school year next week. Each chose their own design to match their interests or personalities. Above, Kary Bruner uses templates to create artwork that will look like a Spotify page. Top right, Jeremy Adair, left, and Will Talkington paint the base for a scene with Doodlebob, a character in the Spongebob universe.

Bottom right, Anna Beckwith plans to recreate the “Burn Book” from the movie “Mean Girls.”

REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

months.

Commissioners were concerned because of the space issue, and also because Lamb’s business was being charged a lower rate for county-based businesses even though much of his product comes from outside the county. They did not address the rate issue at Tuesday’s meeting.

Brooks suggested they create a different dumping site for tires. It’s generally not

wise to dump tires alongside other garbage, he said.

“They can cause issues because they don’t compact well with other waste and have a tendency to float up, which can cause problems when you install your final cover,” he said. “And they’re harder to extinguish when you have a fire.”

Waste tires and industrial rubber can be stored differently than other types of material, he said. While the

primary collection site must meet stringent regulations, particularly regarding the lining at the base, that’s not true for tires.

They must be cut with the sidewall removed, but they could be stored in what’s called a monofill site where they could be removed later.

Brooks suggested the county use a location south of a leachate pond near the quarry. It could take about six months to go through a permit process through the state.

Commissioners asked Brooks and Garner to start that process. They also were intrigued by the potential that the tire material could be dug up in the future and sold for recycling.

Batteries and fires

Landfills across the country are experiencing more fires, with lithium ion batteries usually suspected as the cause, Brooks said.

Allen County’s landfill had a fire on July 28, the third in

See COUNTY | Page A3

Ohio voters reject plan

to

make it tougher

to

protect abortion rights

By the Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)

— Ohio voters on Tuesday resoundingly rejected a Republican-backed measure that would have made it more difficult to change the state’s constitution, setting up a fall campaign that will become the nation’s latest referendum on abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned nationwide protections last year.

The defeat of Issue 1 keeps in place a simple majority threshold for passing future constitutional amendments, rather than the 60% supermajority that was proposed. Its supporters said the higher bar would protect the state’s foundational

document from outside interest groups.

Voter opposition to the proposal was widespread, even spreading into traditionally Republican territory. In fact, in early returns, support for the measure fell far short of former President Donald Trump’s performance during the 2020 election in nearly every county.

Dennis Willard, a spokesperson for the opposition campaign One Person One Vote, called Issue 1 a “deceptive power grab” that was intended to diminish the influence of the state’s voters. “Tonight is a major victory for democracy in Ohio,”

See OHIO | Page A3

Program trains women in prison so they can get jobs

By BLAISE MESA Kansas News Service

TOPEKA, Kansas — When Shawnttis Hernandez first went to prison, Gmail didn’t even exist. Neither did the Apple iPhone or the job searching website Indeed. She had a Nokia flip phone and the USB flash drive was just a few years old.

Hernandez was sent to the Topeka Correctional Facility in August 2003, and she has been out for about nine months. Technology and the internet came a long way during the two decades she was incarcer-

ated. Many internet terms became ubiquitous, but she missed all of the innovation.

“I didn't even know what a link was,” Hernandez said in an interview.

The world around her changed so much it was harder for her to get a job. In the early 2000s, you could walk into a business with a resume in hand and ask for an interview. In 2023, that process has generally moved entirely online.

“When I first got out and I had my first break down, I said, ‘Why can't I just go into this place and fill out

See PRISON | Page A4

FILE PHOTO

Richard Linton, president of Kansas State University, said he had been diagnosed with cancer and would begin daily treatments at the University of Kansas Cancer Center in Kansas City, Kansas. (TIM CARPENTER/KANSAS REFLECTOR)

Kansas State president shares cancer diagnosis

By TIM CARPENTER Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — Kansas State University president Richard Linton said Tuesday a diagnosis of throat and tongue cancer would require daily treatment for several months at the University of Kansas Cancer Center in Kansas City, Kansas.

Linton was named 15th president of Kansas State in December 2021 and began work on the Manhattan campus in February 2022.

“This is obviously not how I envisioned starting the fall semester,” Linton said in a statement, “but it is necessary that I take these steps at this time, as this cancer is treatable and curable.”

Linton, who said the cancer was diagnosed last week, said it wouldn’t be possible to remain as engaged in university activities for the next several months. The Kansas Board of Regents, which has oversight authority of the land-grant university, endorsed the idea of having Marshall Stewart, a Kansas State senior vice president, collaborate with Linton on decision making and to represent the president at events and meetings.

“Dr. Stewart and I are completely aligned

KS judge hears abortion case

By RACHEL MIPRO Kansas Reflector

OLATHE — The state has put a “thumb on the scale against abortion,” attorney Alice Wang said Tuesday in arguments for a temporary injunction to block long-standing abortion restrictions in Kansas.

Over the span of 90 minutes in Johnson County District Court, Wang, an attorney from the Center for Reproductive Rights, and her opponent, Denise Harle of Alliance Defending Freedom, argued the constitutionality of the “Women’s Right to Know Act,” legislation that uses medically inaccurate information to dictate abortion restrictions.

a violation of the state constitution and patients’ right to reproductive health care.

Among others, plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Herbert Hodes and Traci Lynn Nauser. The board-certified obstetrician-gynecologists’ challenge of a different state law led to the Kansas Supreme Court’s landmark 2019 ruling that the right to bodily autonomy in the Kansas Constitution includes the right to terminate a pregnancy.

“External factors suddenly make this law, which they’ve never had an issue with, unconstitutional just because other people in other states are making decisions?”

Harle questioned.

“That’s not how constitutionality works.”

McAnulty receives award

in how we lead this university and we will continue to ensure we’re aligned through regular communication. Place your trust in him as you have with me. He will ensure we continue our planned path forward together,” Linton said.

Stewart was hired in January to serve as Linton’s liaison with university, government and community leaders. He was assigned to lead strategic initiatives and partnerships at the university, community, state, national and international impact. He also was tasked with a role in the university’s campaign to increase its economic footprint and create a next-generation land-grant university.

Stewart previously was chief engagement officer for the University of Missouri System and vice chancellor for extension and engagement for the University of Missouri-Columbia.

“As I look to the future, I want you to know that I look to it with optimism,” Linton said.

“That is the K-State way, and this community has instilled that in me. K-Staters don’t shy away from difficult situations or moments of uncertainty. We face them head on and fight for the greatest outcome.”

Today in history

In 1821, Missouri became the 24th state. *****

In 1885, Leo Daft opened America’s first commercially operated electric streetcar, in Baltimore. *****

In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed a measure providing

$20,000 payments to still-living Japanese-Americans who were interned by their government during World War II. *****

In 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as the second female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

“No one has been OK with these laws,” Wang said. “The fact that plaintiff providers have been bending over backwards and engaging in Herculean efforts to try and comply with the laws so that they can still provide quality reproductive health care to their patients doesn’t make the laws any more constitutional.”

The lawsuit, filed by abortion providers June 6, challenges requirements in the law, such as a mandatory ultrasound, a 30-minute wait period before the abortion procedure, a requirement that a physician has to listen to the fetus’ heartbeat and offer the patient the chance to do so as well, and a mandate that certain paperwork has to be given to patients in printed form, in specific typeface, font size and color, at least 24 hours in advance of an abortion.

Another challenged section of the law requires providers to post inaccurate information on their websites and in clinics that abortions could increase risk of breast cancer and premature birth in the future — a claim not supported by scientific research.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach said the law was a “common sense measure.”

“The Women’s Right to Know Act has been in place for more than 20 years and has been an important part of ensuring informed consent before any abortions are performed,” Kobach said in a news release after the day’s arguments. “We’re confident that the court will uphold this common sense statute.”

Plaintiffs in the case say the restrictions are

Defendants in the new case include Kobach, Johnson County District Attorney Stephen Howe, Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett, and Susan Gile and Ronald Varner, officials from the Kansas Board of Healing Arts.

Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, one of the plaintiffs in the case, said the landscape following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade, as well as a new state law requiring doctors to tell patients about a medically unsound “abortion reversal,” made the lawsuit necessary.

Following last year’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, states with abortion access have dwindled, making Kansas an outlier in the region. Kansas law allows abortions up to 22 weeks after gestation, and in cases where the mother’s life is in danger.

Kansas voters in August 2022 defeated a constitutional amendment to take away the right to abortion.

Abortion numbers in the state have skyrocketed in the year since federal abortion protections were overturned, with record numbers of out-ofstate travelers coming to Kansas clinics.

Wales estimated providers in her organization have had to turn away 2-10 people every day because of bureaucratic form requirements, including patients who come in with the wrong font color on their forms.

Wales said the organization used to be able to reschedule patients, but with new volume and few providers, clinics are now forced to turn women away.

“Now what we say is, ‘Can you get to Colorado?’ ” Wales said. “How many hours on the road will it be for you to get from home to Chicago?”

Harle, of Alliance Defending Freedom, said those factors shouldn’t impact Kansas law.

Wales said the newly implemented “abortion reversal” law added a sense of urgency to the lawsuit. Republican lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto to fold the junk science requirement into the Women’s Right to Know Act during the recent legislative session. The law — which won’t be implemented till the settling of the lawsuit — requires abortion providers to tell patients they can reverse the effects of mifepristone, the first of two pills used in medication abortion.

Anti-abortion lobbyists point to a debunked study to claim pregnancy can be preserved by taking progesterone. The “abortion reversal” has significant health risks, including risk of hemorrhaging, and respected medical institutions have warned against the practice, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which called the process scientifically unsound, unproven and unethical.

Harle said providers should give women the abortion reversal information.

“They’re putting the profit over the women,” Harle said. “The women deserve this information and they deserve better.”

Harle said the “abortion reversal” was about providing women with information and that the reversal process was an area of “medical uncertainty,” a claim questioned by District Judge Krishnan Jayaram.

“Is it though?” Jayaram interjected, before adding he didn’t believe the reversal stood up to medical scrutiny.

Jayaram said he will decide whether to go through with the injunction in “short order,” with a decision likely to be released in the coming days.

Sivanah McAnulty of Bronson was recently awarded a scholarship from the Floyd Lietz Memorial Scholarship Fund sponsored by the Public Accountants Association of Kansas.

McAnulty is a senior at Pittsburg State University majoring in accounting.

She is a 2020 graduate of Uniontown High School, after which she attended Allen Community College.

She is the daughter of Randy and Serena McAnulty of Bronson.

Public notice

(Published in The Iola Register Aug. 10, 2023)

For military veteran caregivers, caregiving often starts earlier in life and lasts longer. To better care for your loved one, you must also care for yourself.

County: Engineer offers disposal options

Continued from A1

about a year.

Landfill fires are particularly dangerous because of methane and other gases created when garbage decomposes. Fires must be extinguished as quickly as possible and landfill staff must notify the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

“Unfortunately, they are common and problematic,” Brooks said.

Because lithium ion batteries are suspected as a primary cause, Brooks suggested the county find ways to reduce the likelihood of those items being dumped.

That’s going to take a public education campaign to encourage people not to include anything that might have a rechargeable battery with their garbage, he said.

Such batteries are found in numerous everyday items such as phones, computers, electric toothbrushes, vaping devices, tools and toys.

Another solution is to set aside a collection point for those types of items.

Commissioner Bruce Symes said he would like to set up a container for electronic items and start working on ways to educate the public on the issue. Garner

said he would begin by changing the county’s website about the type of material accepted at the landfill.

“It’s the honor system,” Symes said. “People are going to have to care about it to do it.”

COMMISSIONERS also considered a request from the Humboldt Chamber of Commerce to help fund the position of an economic development director.

Chamber President Matt Korte and Justin Tucker said the organization has hired a director to lead economic development efforts. The City of Humboldt provides $9,600 each year; they asked the county to

match it.

Commissioners said they would consider the request but were reluctant to set a precedent of supporting organizations such as Chambers of Commerce.

ROAD AND BRIDGE Director Mark Griffith said cleanup from the July 14 storm has delayed chip and seal work but he hopes crews will be able to refocus on those efforts next week.

COMMISSIONERS asked Terry Call to pursue efforts to claim an available Ford Transit that can be used as an ambulance transfer unit.

Call has continued to

Severe storms lead to $34 billion in US insured losses this year

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN The Associated Press

Waves of severe thunderstorms in the U.S. during the first half of this year led to $34 billion in insured losses, an unprecedented level of financial damage in such a short time, according to Swiss Re Group, as climate change contributes to the frequency and severity of violent meteorological events.

research options to replace ambulance units and found it could take a couple of years to receive one because of supply chain issues. He talked to towns that use smaller transfer units; some like them, some don’t, he found.

Call also has asked the Kansas Highway Patrol to put the county on a waiting list for used SUVs. KHP replaces its fleet after vehicles hit a certain mileage, and one of their units could be useful for the EMS department. Call said several counties are also on the waiting list and it could take six months before Allen County gets a shot at one of the vehicles.

Damages from convective storms in the U.S., those that can come with hail, lightning, heavy rain and high winds, accounted for nearly 70% of the $50 billion in global catastrophic damages so far this year, the reinsurer said Wednesday. Those global figure includes earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

The storms in the U.S. were so severe, there were 10 that resulted in damages of $1 billion or more, almost double the average recorded over the past decade, according to Swiss Re, and Texas was the state most severely effected.

“The effects of

climate change can already be seen in certain perils like heatwaves, droughts, floods and extreme precipitation,” Swiss Re Group Chief Economist Jérôme Jean Haegeli said in a prepared statement. “Besides the impact of climate change, land use planning in more exposed coastal and riverine areas, and urban sprawl into the wilderness, generate a hardto-revert combination of high value exposure in higher risk environments.”

There have been a multitude of high profile meteorological events to start the second half of the year including heatwaves in the U.S., northwestern China and southern Europe, and wildfires on Greek islands, Italy and in Algeria. Damages and insurance losses from those events are still being tallied, Swiss Re said. The increasing frequency of extreme weather have created disruptions within the insurance industry and some have retreated from states that are getting hit hard, such as Florida and California.

Ohio: Voters reject GOP-backed measure on constitution

Continued from A1

Willard told a jubilant crowd at the opposition campaign’s watch party. “The majority still rules in Ohio.”

President Joe Biden hailed Tuesday’s result, releasing a statement saying: “This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters’ voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won.”

A major national group that opposes abortion rights, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, called the result “a sad day for Ohio” while criticizing the outside money that helped the opposition — even though both sides relied on national groups and individuals in their campaigns.

Republican lawmakers who had pushed the measure — and put it before voters during the height of summer vacation season — explained away the defeat as a result of too little time to adequately explain its virtues to voters. A main backer, Republican Senate President Matt Huffman, predicted lawmakers would try again, though probably not as soon as next year.

“Obviously, there are a lot of folks that did not want this to happen — not just because of the November issues, but for all of the other ones that are coming,” he said, expressing disappointment that Republicans didn’t stick together.

In a statement, Republican House Speaker Jason Stephens advised supporters to move past Tuesday’s results

to focus on trying to defeat the abortion rights measure: “The people of Ohio have spoken.”

While abortion was not directly on the special election ballot, the result marks the latest setback for Republicans in a conservative-leaning state who favor imposing tough restrictions on the procedure. Ohio Republicans placed the question on the summer ballot in hopes of undercutting the citizen initiative that voters will decide in November that seeks to enshrine abortion rights in the state.

Other states where voters have considered abortion rights since last year’s Supreme Court ruling have protected them, including in red states such as Kansas and Kentucky.

Dr. Marcela Azevedo, one of the leaders of a coalition advancing the fall abortion question, said Tuesday that Issue 1’s defeat should allow the measure to pass in November.

Interest in Tuesday’s special election was intense, even after Republicans ignored their own law that took effect earlier this year to place the question before voters in August. Voters cast nearly

700,000 early in-person and mail ballots ahead of Tuesday’s final day of voting, more than double the number of advance votes

hurdle for Ohioans for Reproductive Rights, the group advancing November’s abortion rights amendment. It would establish “a

This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters’ voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health-care decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won.

— President Joe Biden

in a typical primary election. Early turnout was especially heavy in the Democratic-leaning counties surrounding Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati.

One Person One Vote represented a broad, bipartisan coalition of voting rights, labor, faith and community groups. The group also had as allies four living ex-governors of the state and five former state attorneys general of both parties, who called the proposed change bad public policy.

In place since 1912, the simple majority standard is a much more surmountable

from the bottom of our hearts, for all the love and kindness that has been showered upon us. This community’s support has moved us deeply and offered hope and strength for the road ahead.

Eternally grateful, Bob and Apr C born

fundamental right to reproductive freedom” with “reasonable limits.”

Voters in several states have approved ballot questions protecting access to abortion since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, but typically have done so with less than 60% of the vote. AP VoteCast polling last year found that 59% of Ohio voters say abortion should generally be legal.

Eric Chon, a Columbus resident who voted against the measure, said there was a clear anti-abortion agenda to the election. Noting that the GOP voted just last year to get rid of August elections entirely due to low turnout for hyperlocal issues, Chon said, “Every time something doesn’t go their way, they change the rules.”

The election result came in the very type of August special election that Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a candidate for U.S. Senate, had previously testified against as undemocratic because of historically low turnout. Republican lawmakers just last year had voted to mostly eliminate such elections, a law they ignored for this year’s election.

Al Daum, of Hilliard, just west of Columbus, said he didn’t feel the rules were being changed to undermine the power of his vote and said he was in favor of the special election

measure. Along with increasing the threshold to 60%, it would mandate that any signatures for a constitutional amendment be gathered from all of Ohio’s 88 counties, not just 44.

It’s a change that Daum said would give more Ohio residents a chance to make their voices heard.

Voters’ rejection of the proposal marked a rare rebuke for Ohio Republicans, who have held power across every branch of state government for 12 years. GOP lawmakers had cited possible future amendments related to gun control, minimum wage increases and more as reasons a higher threshold should be required.

Protect Ohio Women, the campaign working to defeat the fall abortion rights amendment, vowed to continue fighting into the fall.

“Our pro-life, pro-parent coalition is more motivated than ever,” the group said in a statement.

Jared Brooks, an engineer with Schwab Eaton of Manhattan, talks to county commissioners about storage issues at the landfill. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

People in Hawaii flee into ocean to escape wildfires in Maui

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER The Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) —

Wildfires in Hawaii fanned by strong winds burned multiple structures in areas including historic Lahaina town, forcing evacuations and closing schools in several communities Wednesday, and rescuers pulled a dozen people escaping smoke and flames from the ocean.

The U.S. Coast Guard responded to areas where people went into the ocean to escape the fire and smoky conditions, the County of Maui said in a statement. The Coast Guard tweeted that a crew rescued 12 people from the water off Lahaina.

The county tweeted that multiple roads in Lahaina were closed with a warning: “Do NOT go to Lahaina town.”

Fire was widespread in Lahaina, including Front Street, an area of the town popular with tourists, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin said in a phone interview early Wednesday. Traffic has been very heavy as people try to evacuate and officials asked people who weren’t in an evacuation area to shelter in place to avoid adding to the traffic, she said.

The National Weather Service said Hurricane

Dora, which was passing to the south of the island chain at a safe distance of 500 miles, was partly to blame for gusts above 60 mph that knocked out power as night fell, rattled homes and grounded firefighting helicopters. Dangerous fire conditions created by strong winds and low humidity were expected to last through Wednesday afternoon, the weather service said.

Acting Gov. Sylvia Luke issued an emergency proclamation on behalf of Gov. Josh Green, who is traveling, and activated the Hawaii National Guard.

Officials were not aware of any deaths and knew of only one injury, a firefighter who was in stable condition at a hospital after experiencing smoke inhalation, Martin said There’s no count available for the number of

Prison: Inmates get tech training

Continued from A1

an application?’” she said. “They said, ‘Oh, things aren’t like that anymore.’ I was not told that.”

Researchers at the University of Kansas are trying to bridge that divide. The National Science Foundation gave KU a threeyear, $1.6 million grant to help women transitioning out of incarceration learn about technology.

The program aims to help former inmates by offering resume building, Google and Microsoft Office classes. But it also includes more advanced courses on coding and cybersecurity that could help women get stable jobs in tech.

Hyunjin Seo is helping lead the program. She’s an Oscar Stauffer professor and associate dean for research and faculty development in the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at KU. “We want them to be able to transition into society. The society that is increasingly dependent on digital technologies,” she said. “At the core of our project is supporting women’s employment.”

Stable employment makes someone less likely to commit new crimes and land back in jail or prison once released.

Seo said this isn’t the first time KU won grant money to run this project, but the new influx of cash will expand the program. The training

When I first got out and I had my first break down, I said, ‘Why can’t I just go into this place and fill out an application?’ They said, ‘Oh, things aren’t like that anymore.’ I was not told that.

structures affected by the fires or the number of people affected by evacuations, but Martin said there are four shelters open, with more than 1,000 people at the largest.

“This is so unprecedented,” Martin said, noting that multiple districts were affected. An emergency in the night is terrifying, she said, and the darkness makes it hard to gauge the extent of the damage.

“Right now it is allhands-on-deck and we are anxious for daybreak,” she said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a disaster declaration to provide assistance with a fire that threatened about 200 homes in and around Kohala Ranch, a rural community with a population of more than 500 on the Big Island, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. When the request was made, the fire had burned more than 600 acres and was uncontained. Much of Hawaii was under a red flag warning that continued Wednesday, and two other uncontrolled fires were burning on the Big Island and Maui, officials said.

Fire crews on Maui were battling multiple blazes concentrated in two areas: the popular tourist destination of

West Maui and an inland, mountainous region. In west Maui 911 service was not available and residents were directed to call the police department.

Because of the wind gusts, helicopters weren’t able to dump water on the fires from the sky — or gauge more precise fire sizes — and firefighters were encountering roads blocked by downed trees and power lines as they worked the inland fires, Martin said.

About 14,500 customers in Maui were without power early Wednesday, according to poweroutage.us.

“It’s definitely one of the more challenging days for our island given that it’s multiple fires, multiple evacuations in the different district areas,” Martin said.

Winds were recorded at 80 mph in inland Maui and one fire that was believed to be contained earlier Tuesday flared up hours later with the big winds, she added.

“The fire can be a mile or more from your house, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house,” Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said. In the Kula area of Maui, at least two homes were destroyed in a fire that engulfed about 1.7 square miles, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said. About 80

people were evacuated from 40 homes, he said.

“We’re trying to protect homes in the community,” Big Island Mayor Mitch Roth said of evacuating about 400 homes in four communities in the northern part of the island. As of Tuesday, the roof of one house caught on fire, he said.

Fires in Hawaii are unlike many of those burning in the U.S. West. They tend to break out in large grasslands on the dry sides of the islands and are generally much smaller than mainland fires.

Fires were rare in Hawaii and on other tropical islands before humans arrived, and native ecosystems evolved without them. This means great environmental damage can occur when fires erupt. For example, fires remove vegetation. When a fire is followed by heavy rainfall, the rain can carry loose soil into the ocean, where it can smother coral reefs.

A major fire on the Big Island in 2021 burned homes and forced thousands to evacuate.

The island of Oahu, where Honolulu is located, also was dealing with power outages, downed power lines and traffic problems, said Adam Weintraub, communication director for Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

Dam in Norway partially bursts

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A dam in southern Norway partially burst Wednesday following days of heavy rain that triggered landslides and flooding in the mountainous region and forced downstream communities to evacuate, officials said.

station was flooded, and soon water started pouring through a gap in the concrete. The water ripped apart a twolane road and fences that ran across the top of the dam.

behind the dam, but they failed to work as designed, according to Alexandra Bech Gjørv, board chair at Hafslund Eco. The reasons for the failure were unknown, she said.

will now reach women in the final months of their sentence and not just people who are already released. In the next three years, KU hopes to train around 600 women.

The program is offered in jails and prisons in both Kansas and Missouri. So far, correctional facilities in Shawnee, Wyandotte, Johnson and Douglas County have agreements for programing.

Participants go through a hybrid education model, with some courses offered online and in-person at public libraries. The courses are broken down into multiple phases and students get a certification of completion from the KU Center for Digital Inclusion once they complete a phase.

Seo said that’s beneficial because some participants have little to put on their resume. This program will do more than just teach former inmates how to use computers, she said, it gives them marketable job skills to put on a resume.

Hernandez, the former inmate in Kansas, said she was not able

to take many classes while in prison that would help her once released. Prisons might try to prioritize people closer to release for certain classes, which means inmates serving long sentences often wait for years.

Hernandez said in the decades she spent in prison, some reentry programs only came toward the end of her sentence. And they felt rushed.

“They kind of wait till your last 90 days to crunch and do all these things, and you’re overwhelmed,” she said. “I did everything I could to apply myself to get these types of necessities that people need when they get out.”

Authorities initially considered blowing up part of the dam at the Braskereidfoss hydroelectric power plant to prevent communities from being inundated. But the idea was scrapped after water later broke through the structure, police spokesman Fredrik Thomson told reporters.

“We hope that we will get a gradual leveling of the water and that we will get an even leveling.”

The power plant on the Glåma, Norway’s longest and most voluminous river, was under water and out of operation.

Huge volumes of water were pouring over the western parts of the concrete dam, Thomson said.

For hours, the water gathered behind the dam. Then a parking lot next to the power

“The water has gradually begun to seep through the side of the dam, and, as of now, it is not appropriate to take any measures at the power plant,” Thomson told reporters. He said the situation is being assessed continuously.

“The damage from a possible explosion of the concrete plant would be so great that it would serve no purpose,” Thomson said.

Per Storm-Mathisen, a spokesman for the power station operator Hafslund Eco, told the Norwegian news agency NTB that the water diversion seemed to be “going well.”

At least 1,000 people live in communities close to the river in the area, and authorities said that all had been evacuated before the dam began to fail.

Hatches in the hydroelectric power plant were supposed to open automatically if too much water collected

In other developments Wednesday, a Norwegian woman in her 70s died after falling into a stream the day before. She managed to crawl up onto the bank, but police said because of the floods, it took rescue teams several hours to bring her to a hospital.

More than 600 people were evacuated in a region north of Oslo, and police in southern Norway reported that the situation there was “unclear and chaotic.”

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration said Wednesday that all main roads between Oslo and Trondheim, Norway’s third-largest city, were closed.

“We are in a crisis situation of national dimensions,” Innlandet country Mayor Aud Hove said. “People are isolated in several local communities, and the emergency services risk not being able to reach people who need help.”

Tiki torch traditions light up Hawaii. The historic Lahaina town in Maui is being evacuated because of wildfires. (BENJAMIN MYERS/TNS)

— Shawnttis Hernandez, former prisoner at the Topeka Correctional Facility

Opinion

Letter to the editor

Dear editor: As we work this summer to finalize the budget for 2024, the Allen County Commission continues to be mindful of the property tax burden being placed on our fellow citizens. To help ease that burden we strive to make good decisions for our community, including passing a spending plan that meets our collective needs and values. Each year, the Commission must weigh competing costs against perceived benefits as it adopts a budget that we believe is in Allen County’s best interest.

One tool that could be used to help stabilize local property taxes, but county commissions have not been able to use for twenty years due to the Legislature’s snubbing of a state law, is the Local Ad Valorem Tax Reduction fund or LAVTR.

Under the 1965 LAVTR fund law (KSA 79-2959), 3.63% of sales tax and compensating use tax as well as the local share of cigarette stamp taxes and cereal malt beverage taxes collected by the State of Kansas are to be returned to city and county governments. These funds are then directly applied to lowering property tax levies dollar-for-dollar.

This time-tested partnership began in 1937 but was effectively canceled in 2003 when the Legislature made no fund allocation — something that the Legislature has continued to do each year since. This inaction means that from 2004 through 2022, local governments have not received more than $1.7 billion in legally owed revenues that have been collected by the state. Allen County, just for this past year, lost out on over $522,000 in LAVTR money that was not returned to us. Every dollar of that would have gone to lower property taxes. In essence, taxpayers are paying these taxes twice, once at the store when they purchase their goods and then a second time when they pay their property taxes to the local government.

Additionally, in 2006, the Kansas Legislature exempted new machinery and equipment (M&E) from property taxation. The final bill included partial reinstatement of the LAVTR fund because the M&E exemption would harm local budgets. Yet, cities and counties did not receive LAVTR payments.

Allen County Commission’s desire to not raise property taxes is becoming increasingly challenging. The loss of other funding streams (like M&E), exponentially increased costs of materials and labor, and the various other unfunded mandates being placed on the local level by the state have driven up the cost of maintaining our county.

However, I credit our ability to not raise property taxes even more to the diligence

of my fellow commissioners and staff, alternate funding sources such as grants, and quite frankly doing more with less. In fact, over the past 4½ years that I have been on the Commission, we have fought to keep our mill levy static, thanks in part to some increases in valuation.

But inflation continues to cause costs of doing business to increase and, as we battle population decreases in rural Kansas, we are at the limit of doing more with less. It is once again time for the Legislature to do what it is legally obligated to do and start funding LAVTR.

The May 2023 memo of the State’s Consensus Revenue Estimating Group predicts a $109.3 million, or 4.1%, increase, in FY2024 tax collections by the State over this year. And this year’s collections are predicted to be 24.2% higher than last year — FY2022. Likewise, the state budget recommends an ending balance in the state general fund of $1.98 billion, or 20.9 percent of expenditures in 2024. It also recommends a $500 million deposit into the budget stabilization fund that will bring the fund balance to $1.51 billion. These predictions put the Kansas Legislature in a position to help taxpayers and local governments.

Understandably, the governor and legislators have many priorities that require funding. However, in the upcoming legislative session, I ask that my fellow citizens advocate for funding LAVTR in consideration of the work of locally elected government leaders who have respected taxpayers’ plight and tried to hold property taxes steady while continuing to provide services for our community. Please contact our state officials before the next year’s legislative session begins in early 2024.

Our local state lawmakers’ contact information is: Sen. Caryn Tyson, Topeka Phone: 785-296-6838; email: Caryn.Tyson@senate.ks.gov; home address, P.O. Box 191, Parker, KS, 66072, home phone: 913-898-2366P; Rep. Dr. Fred Gardner, Topeka Phone: 785 296-7451; Email: Fred.Gardner@house. ks.gov and fred@gardnerforkansas.com; home address, PO Box 275, Garnett, KS 66032, home phone, 785-448-2773. Also, Gov. Laura Kelly, Capitol, 300 SW 10th Ave., Ste. 241S, Topeka, KS 66612-1590, phone: 877-579-6757

Working together at the state, county, and city level, I believe we can restructure Kansas’s tax base, fund the LAVTR, and reduce the property tax burden faced by Kansans.

Sincerely, Bruce Symes, Allen County commissioner, District 3 Iola, Kan.

A look back in t me. A look back in t me.

60 Years Ago

August 1963

The oldest church in Allen County has the newest communion service. It is a gift by Dr. and Mrs. Kent Dudley of Iola to the Carlyle Presbyterian Church which celebrated its 104th year of uninterrupted existence June 25. The gift, which includes a brass cross and candlesticks, communion and bread trays, cups, and an embroidered cloth, was in memory of Kent’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. F. J. Dudley,

Ohio vote sends big message

Abortion wasn’t directly on the ballot in Tuesday’s special election in Ohio, but it might as well have been. Voters resoundingly rejected a proposal that would have changed the requirements for amending the state constitution, raising the threshold from a simple majority to a 60% supermajority. If successful, the Issue 1 measure would have made it more difficult to protect abortion rights, since Ohio will vote on a constitutional amendment to protect abortion access in November.

Despite the fact that the vote occurred during an otherwise sleepy election in the middle of summer, twice as many people voted on Tuesday’s measure than cast ballots in primaries for governor, Senate and other major statewide races last year, The New York Times reported. The election results underscored a common theme: the desire to preserve bodily autonomy transcends partisanship. Several suburban and blue-collar counties that have become safe GOP territory opposed the measure by a wide margin.

Will Republicans finally get the hint?

Ohio showed, once again, that voters will not go quietly when it comes to fighting for their fundamental rights. Since the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade was handed down last year, Republicans have learned — or should have learned — that restricting access to abortion is not the winning issue they hoped it might be.

Just over a year ago, in conservative Kansas, voters shot down a constitutional amendment that would have allowed lawmakers to further restrict or ban abortion in the state. Fallout from the Supreme Court’s decision tempered expectations of a red wave in the 2022 midterms. Yet that still didn’t seem to get the message across.

Make no mistake, though — Tuesday’s vote was also about democracy. Many voters saw the proposed ballot measure as a power grab, as it would have made it more difficult for the people to make their voices heard through majority rule. Were

Republicans really expecting voters to voluntarily give up their own power?

It’s not that Republicans are ignoring the signals that voters have been sending on abortion. The fact that the measure made it onto the Ohio ballot at all suggests that Republicans are already afraid of how their anti-abortion policies are landing with voters. They know their policies are unpopular with a simple majority of voters, so they want to change the rules of the game. It’s the same reason why they tried to frame themselves as “moderate” on abortion during the midterms, and it’s why Republicans in North Carolina opted for a 12-week ban instead of something stricter.

Republicans across the country, and in North Carolina, should see Tuesday’s vote for what it is: a warning. They ballot-tested their message in a competitive swing state, and it failed. Voters aren’t willing to cede their power — and they aren’t willing to give up their rights.

— The Charlotte Observer

Kagan’s comments most welcome

Justice Elena Kagan provided a description of the Supreme Court this week that should go without saying but, judging by recent events, needs hammering home: “We’re not imperial.” Her comments about the importance of an ethical code of conduct governing her and her colleagues are welcome — not only for their content but also for the way in which they were conveyed.

of seats on its bench to outlining its appellate jurisdiction. And if Justice Alito’s comments are interpreted to refer only to ethics rules, the legislature arguably still has room to act. That’s where recusal and financial disclosure requirements for lower-court federal judges come from, though the justices say they follow such requirements voluntarily.

who were residents of Carlyle and members of the church.

***** First Church of the Nazarene of Iola organized locally in 1913 is observing its golden anniversary this weekend, the Rev. Wilson Baker, pastor, announced. When the church was organized there were 13 charter members. The congregation has grown to 161 since then. It has had 16 pastors over its history and many of them will attend the Sunday celebration.

Following a series of reports on some justices’ acceptance of potentially improper gifts and favors, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. sat for an interview with the Wall Street Journal’s opinion section last month. He dismissed the idea that lawmakers have the right to mandate that the Supreme Court devise ethical standards by which its members must abide. “Congress did not create the Supreme Court,” he declared. “No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Court — period.”

Taken literally, as a Supreme Court justice’s words should be taken, this is incorrect. Congress has some latitude to oversee the court, from determining its budget to setting the number

Part of what’s admirable and deft about Justice Kagan’s comments at a judicial conference in Portland, Ore., is that she chose the most charitable interpretation of Justice Alito’s remarks — saying that she wasn’t certain what he had been asked but that, in context, his response couldn’t have been as sweeping as his critics supposed. She referenced disagreements among the justices over the code-ofconduct issue, but in a collegial fashion (more collegial, indeed, than her own statements about the court a year or so ago): “It won’t be a surprise to know that the nine of us have a diversity about this and about most things. We’re nine freethinking individuals.”

This disagreement is warranted. There are real separation-of-powers questions that throw doubt on the

scope of the legislature’s prerogative to tell the Supreme Court how to police itself. More plausibly within Congress’s remit is telling the Supreme Court not how it must police itself but simply that it must police itself — and then leaving it up to the justices to figure out how. Justice Kagan refused to try to settle any of these debates definitively, which was the right response considering they might someday come before the court.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced a bill on the subject, though the outlook for its passage looks gloomy.

The bottom line is that the Supreme Court needs rules to guard against conflicts of interest. Where they come from does not, from a practical standpoint, matter much.

Justice Kagan’s preferred solution for the justices to adopt a code of conduct on their own, thereby avoiding any argument about what Congress can and can’t do, is sensible — but it will require her colleagues mustering the goodwill, self-awareness and initiative to get it done. The healthy conversation that comments such as hers promote is one step on the way there.

— The Washington Post

People celebrate the defeat of Issue 1 during a watch party Tuesday, Aug. 8, in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio voters have resoundingly rejected a Republican-backed measure that would have made it more difficult to pass abortion protections. (AP PHOTO/JAY LAPRETE)

Lack of transportation strands seniors in rural Kansas

By ANDREW LOPEZ KMUW

LIBERAL — A white Dodge Caravan pulls up in front of the Dillons grocery store in Liberal, Kansas, and Floyd Coleman steps out to help his next passenger into the minivan. Coleman, a 63-year-old retired truck driver, shuttles people around town for Liberal’s senior center. He has a few pickups and drop-offs throughout the day and can drive senior center patrons anywhere within the city limits for free.

City Bus, the public transit system in Liberal, runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. And although seniors qualify for reduced fares, the stops are sometimes few and far between.

On this hot July day, Coleman walks over to Mark Daldegan, 64, who is waiting on a bench outside Dillons. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Daldegan responds. Coleman walks Daldegan to the car and helps him get in. He then folds Daldegan’s walker and stows it in the trunk before driving him a few miles to his home in south Liberal.

Because of the distance between his home and the closest bus stop, Daldegan — and many other seniors with mobility issues — rely on Coleman and the services the center provides.

“The ones I pick up are generally just trying to get to doctor appointments, grocery stores and stuff like that that they're no longer able to get to,” Coleman said.

Liberal is in Seward County and more than 10% of its 20,000 residents are over the age of 65. Although some cities in southwest Kansas like Liberal have senior centers equipped to help clients get around, group transportation isn’t always available in smaller towns.

The problem of unreliable transportation for seniors occurs in town after town, not just in Kansas but across rural America.

More than 46 million Americans live in rural areas, and that population is older and sicker than urban populations.

According to a recent CDC report, people in rural communities are at higher risk of death from accidents and injuries because of the distance to emergency care and health specialists.

Considering that 1 in 5 Americans will be over the age of 65 by 2030, the transportation problems that older rural Kansans face portend a looming shortage of mobility options for seniors who want to age in place. That means a growing number of people who will have more trouble shopping for groceries, visiting family and getting to medical care.

No public transportation here

More than 140 miles northwest of Liberal, Tribune faces a more extreme challenge of mo-

bilizing seniors. Here in Greeley County, the state’s least populated, 1 in 5 people already are over 65 years old.

“Transportation around here is very hard because if you can't drive and you don't have a vehicle, you can't go nowhere,” said Dave Tarman, 73, a regular at the Melven O. Kuder Senior Center in Tribune, population around 800.

“There is no public transportation here.

“We have volunteers around the county that will drive somebody to Garden City if they have a doctor's appointment. But sometimes they can't find that.”

And if they can’t get to the closest biggest city? “They don't get to go to the doctor,” Tarman said.

Chelsey Cavenee, director of the senior center in Tribune, said she’s been trying to come up with a solution to this regional problem for years.

“We can't even call a neighboring town,” Cavenee said. “In fact, I've tried calling several neighboring towns to see if they have a route that they'd be willing to set up to come and pick up people who need rides to doctors. And most of them all tell me that they don't go outside of their county.”

Cavenee said that although the center has a small bus it shares with a nursing home,

it doesn’t have the resources to shuttle seniors around daily with it.

“It's the only form of ‘public transportation’ we have in the community,” she said. “However, we have no dispatching system. We have no on-call number. We have no scheduling to reserve a ride or anything like that.

“And quite honestly, it's not economical to use for a single person. We figure it gets about seven or eight miles to the gallon.”

The center has one employee, Cavenee, and doesn’t have the funds to hire someone to transport patrons regularly, let alone cover the cost of fuel and maintenance involved in running a shuttle daily.

“I'm usually on base here at the senior center to take care of the people that come here,” Cavenee said. “We use it (the bus) for our scheduled trips. But if it's a patient that the clinic has referred to a doctor, that doesn't quite fall under my umbrella, and I feel bad about that.”

Cavenee even tried signing up to be an Uber driver.

“This was a couple of years ago, but basically they said there was not enough need in your area, which I kind of laughed at because there is certainly a need in our area,” she said.

A representative of

Uber said that providing reliable service in rural counties is difficult given the small populations and large distances between towns.

Can’t get to treatment

Mary Kinlund is 94 and was driving until her doctor told her last year that, given her eyesight, she shouldn’t be on the road. She’s fortunate to have a daughter who can drive her to doctor appointments outside of Greeley County.

Moving closer to her doctor is something she hopes she never has to consider.

“This is where my friends are,” Kinlund said. “I wouldn't want to live any place else. Tribune’s home now.”

But not everyone has someone. About a dozen miles from Tribune’s city center, a forgotten clothesline creaks in the wind outside Waive Winter’s farmhouse.

Across his 76-acre property lies a broken-down sedan, a rusted tractor and other dilapidated pieces of farming equipment. An abundance of rainfall has caused weeds to overtake much of the space around his home. Flies buzz incessantly in the warm Kansas sun. Winter is 84 years old and doesn’t have any children, nor does he have any extended family in Greeley County.

He doesn’t have a valid driver’s license either, after failing to renew it on time.

And his Chevy pickup’s steering wheel has been taken apart, the components scattered across the driver's seat. Winter is stranded in the country until he can fix it.

Wyatt Dautel occasionally brings Winter his mail and groceries. This time, he brought a part for the pickup.

Despite the help he’s getting from Dautel, Winter’s situation is dire.

“I broke my leg. Got cancer. Let's see, what else? Oh, it's terrible,” Winter sighed. His intestinal cancer has spread to his lungs, and his cancer treatment in Garden City is supposed to start soon. Winter can’t get there without a car — the clinic, he said, won’t come and get him.

Although Dautel visits Winter a few times a week, he has his own family and job so he can’t always accommodate his friend.

Winter sees his hope in his ability to drive again.

“But I've got to try to save my license first, or I won't even have this pickup,” he said. “They'll take it away from me.”

A solution in Grant County

Establishing transportation networks for seniors isn’t easy or cheap, with government regulations to wade through and standards

to meet. But some communities have found the means.

One small community in Grant County receives enough county funding to provide rides for seniors to go up to 90 miles outside county lines.

Price Shipley, 85, can’t drive due to the gout in his feet but receives rides from his home in Ulysses to Garden City or Dodge City for medical appointments.

“I don't know if every town has this or not, but this is excellent,” Shipley said.

Ludivina Gonzales, director of the Grant County Senior Center in Ulysses, said that even if seniors aren’t interested in being at the center, they can still take advantage of its transportation options.

The center has two transit vans, a shuttle with a wheelchair lift and a silver Bluebird Bus that takes seniors on field trips around the region.

“People in leadership really need to take note that we need to take care of our elderly people,” Gonzales said. “And that is something that I feel that our county really does well. And I think that it comes down to the leaders, the people that are making choices and decisions for the community.”

Reliable transportation enables seniors to maintain their independence and to age comfortably around family, friends and all that’s familiar, even in the smallest towns in the middle of America.

Floyd Coleman, right, helping Mark Daldegan inside Liberal Senior Center’s minivan outside of Dillons. KMUW/ANDREW LOPEZ

Thursday, August 10, 2023

Leonard takes college baseball leap

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

Iola native Cal Leonard has lived and breathed baseball since he was a little kid.

An Iola High School baseball state champion from the 2018 season, Leonard has taken on an even bigger role as a relief pitcher on the Washburn University baseball team.

Leonard made an impact for the Ichabods this spring, putting Iola on the map as a sound baseball area. The right-handed pitcher finished the season making 12 appearances, striking out 15 and allowing a 5.84 ERA.

“Coming into this year I worked on my changeup with our new pitching coach so that was a big key,” Leonard said. “I was happy with my innings and strikeouts even though I made only 12 appearances, I felt like I was warming up almost every night.”

He won his first college game against Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., on Feb. 13, throwing two shutout innings and striking out three while allowing just one hit and one walk.

Another solid outing for Leonard came at Pittsburg State, where he struck out three and didn’t allow a hit in 1.1 frames. Leonard was also named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll in 2021, 2022 and 2023. He redshirted his

freshman season but is now a junior.

“I think what was so shocking about college baseball was finding out that all my teammates were standouts at their own high schools,” said Leonard. “It hit me pretty hard, and I ended up redshirting which has taught me a lot.”

The hurler helped Iola win the KSHSAA 4A state baseball championship his sophomore year in the spring of 2018. While he was at Iola, Leonard pitched and also played shortstop and third base.

Iola’s state championship team that year won 23 of their

final 24 games.

“We were on a winning train. Whenever we’d lose a game here or there, we knew we couldn’t win all of them,” Leonard said. “I think it was just important that all of us were good friends. At practice, we’d get our work in, but we were also there to have fun. If you’re not enjoying it and having fun with friends, it’s not going to be a good season.”

Leonard collected a 4-0 record and a 1.41 ERA on the mound and mashed a teamhigh two home runs at the plate for Iola that spring. He also had a .318 batting average, knocked 27 hits and

World Cup bonuses could change lives

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Players who reached the knockout round at the Women’s World Cup got larger individual bonuses that can be life-changing for many of them.

FIFA designated $30,000 for the 732 players among 32 teams in the tournament field. The payout rises to $60,000 for players on the 16 teams that advanced out of group play.

drove in 22 runs.

He graduated from Iola in 2020 after playing three years as a Mustang. His senior season of playing ball was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Head coach Mark Percy began the Iola High baseball program when Leonard was a kid.

“He (Percy) was one of those coaches that was always on the positive side of things,” said Leonard. “He was one of the best coaches for us and I think we all saw that. We were able to buy into what he wanted to do. I think that’s what led us to winning

See LEONARD | Page B4

Lokedi to defend crown at New York City Marathon

NEW YORK (AP) — Sharon

Lokedi is set to defend her New York City Marathon title in the race Nov. 5 as part of a loaded women’s professional field.

Joining Lokedi are Boston Marathon champion Hellen Obiri, Olympic gold medalist and 2021 New York champion Peres Jepchirchir, and marathon world-record holder Brigid Kosgei. When the four Kenyans line up in November, it will be the first time in the history of the event that the reigning Boston Marathon, Olympic champion, world-record holder and defending New York champion will race against each other in the Big Apple.

“I’m really excited as they are my friends,” Lokedi told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “It only makes the competition more

fun when it’s that stacked.

I’m excited to compare myself with all those women.”

Lokedi won her marathon debut last year, pulling away in the final two miles to finish in 2:23.23. She became the eighth athlete to win the race in their true 26.2-mile debut. She’s been dealing with an injury for most of the year that forced her to withdraw from the Boston Marathon in April.

“It’s been a rough year for me,” Lokedi said in a phone interview. “I’m excited to get back to racing and looking forward to going back to New York. I’m on my way back to training and looking forward to the next couple of months.”

Lokedi’s win last year came on one of the hottest days in New York City Marathon history, with temperatures ap-

proaching 80 degrees.

“You never know with the weather,” she said. “It’s New York in November, it might be cold or hot.”

Obiri is a two-time Olympic medalist and seven-time

world championship medalists. She holds the Kenyan record for the 3,000 and represented Kenya at the last two Olympics, earning the silver medal in the 5,000 at both

See LOKEDI | Page B4

The money grows to $90,000 for players in the quarterfinals and its a significant payday for many of the players, particularly those that have had financial disputes with their federations over pay and support.

Hildah Magaia, appropriately nicknamed the “Breadwinner” of South Africa’s squad, helped the Banyana Banyana advance out of group play, into the knockout stage, and double her bonus. She appropriately plans to use the money to care for her mother.

“I’ll be able to do everything for my mother because I’m the one who’s taking care of her,” she said. “I’m the breadwinner, so I’ll be doing everything for my mom.”

Deneisha Blackwood, part of the Jamaica squad eliminated by Colombia in the knockouts, described the minimum payouts as a good start for her team. Jamaica has had financial difficulties and relied on crowdfunding to raise money for its travel to the tournament.

“Obviously we as players have a life outside of football and I think prize money like that rewards us in ways we can’t imagine. A lot of us have bills to pay and family to take care of,” Blackwood said, “and I think for the younger generation, especially, football doesn’t make you a lot of money.

So for (girls) to see us doing what we love and realize that you can make a living off it — it’s motivational.”

No one can ensure all the players will receive their guaranteed bonus-

See BONUSES | Page B3

ESPN strikes $1.5B deal to get into sports betting

By DAVID HAMILTON The Associated Press

You know ESPN the sports media giant. Now brace yourself for ESPN Bet, a rebranding of an existing sports-betting app owned by Penn Entertainment, which is paying $1.5 billion plus other considerations for ex-

clusive rights to the ESPN name.

The deal, announced Tuesday, could take Walt Disney Co.-owned ESPN into uncharted waters. Disney is fiercely protective of its family-friendly image, not typically associated with the world of sports gambling.

Penn will operate ESPN

Bet, which ESPN has agreed to promote across its online and broadcast platforms in order to generate “maximum fan awareness” of the app. ESPN Bet will also have unspecified “access” to ESPN talent, the companies said.

Penn’s rights to the ESPN brand will initially run for a decade and can be extended

for another decade by mutual agreement. In addition to the $1.5 billion licensing deal, which will be paid out over a decade, Penn will also grant ESPN rights worth about $500 million to purchase shares in Penn.

“Penn Entertainment is the perfect partner to build an unmatched user experi-

ence for sports betting with ESPN Bet,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement.

Disney has wrestled with the issue of adult-oriented entertainment in the past.

Until about 15 years ago, its Walt Disney World park in Orlando, Florida, featured a

See ESPN | Page B4

Iola native Cal Leonard delivers a pitch for Topeka’s Washburn University baseball team this spring. COURTESY PHOTO

Sharon Lokedi, of Kenya, crosses the finish line first in the women’s division of the 2022 New York City Marathon. JASON DECROW/AP PHOTO

and monitoring.

Applications available at our office or email resume to info@sonicequipment.com.

Realnews is our business S ll

New EV trucks will be able to power homes

By KALEA HALL The Detroit News/TNS

General Motors Co. said Tuesday it’s expanding to more models its technology that allows electric vehicle owners to use them to power their homes.

The automaker said its vehicle-to-home (V2H) bidirectional charging technology will be available across all of its retail Ultiumbased electric vehicles by model year 2026.

The first vehicles to have the technology will include the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV RST, followed by the 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1, 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV, 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV, 2024 Cadillac Lyriq and the upcoming Cadillac Escalade IQ.

Before this announce-

ment, GM had only confirmed the 2024 Silverado EV RST, which is planned to launch later this year, would have bidirectional charging.

The V2H bidirectional charging allows users to transfer energy from their vehicles to a properly equipped home. This tech would allow consumers to store and transfer energy, offsetting electricity needs during peak demand days, GM said.

Customers can access the technology on compatible GM EVs through GM Energy’s available Ultium Home offerings, and the GM Energy Cloud, a software platform that allows users to manage the transfer of energy between GM Energy assets and the home.

“GM Energy’s growing ecosystem of energy management solutions will help accelerate GM’s vision of an all-electric

This groundbreaking technology extends well beyond the vehicle itself.

— Wade Sheffer, vice president of GM Energy

future, by further expanding access to even more benefits that EV’s can offer,” said Wade Sheffer, vice president, GM Energy, in a statement. “By integrating V2H across our entire Ultium-based portfolio, we are making this groundbreaking technology available to more consumers, with benefits that extend well beyond the vehicle itself, and at broader at scale than ever before.”

The 2024 Silverado EV RST. (CHEVROLET/TNS)

Bonuses: Will help motivate women’s soccer

Continued from B1

es. The global players union, FIFPRO, last year sent a letter to FIFA on behalf of players from 25 national teams asking for better conditions within the tournament.

FIFA announced the individual bonuses of the $110 million prize pool in June.

But FIFA President Gianni Infantino said before the start of the World Cup that the federations would be responsible

for distributing the payments. He was unable to make any guarantee that funds would reach the players.

FIFPRO said it was working to establish bank accounts for the players as well as an auditing process. But there have already been snags.

FIFPRO announced late Tuesday that it was assisting Nigeria’s players in a dispute with their federation concerning bonus payments, camp allowances and expens-

es, some dating back to 2021. Nigeria narrowly missed the quarterfinals after a penalty shootout loss to England.

“The team is extremely frustrated that they’ve had to pursue the Nigeria Football Federation for these payments before and during the tournament,” FIFPRO said. “It is regrettable that players needed to challenge their own federation at such an important time in their careers.”

In the run-up to the

World Cup, South Africa players boycotted a warm-up match against Botswana because the individual payments weren’t included in their contracts. The dispute ended when billionaire Patrice Motsepe, the president of the African Football Confederation, agreed to contribute $320,000 to be equally distributed among the players.

Some of the Jamaican players took to social media before the World

Cup to complain about a lack of support and funding for the team. That spurred two crowdfunding campaigns to raise money for the Reggae Girlz.

The Jamaican Football Federation released a statement saying reports about the team’s financial struggles had taken away from the team’s accomplishments. The Reggae Girlz reached the Round of 16 but fell 1-0 to Colombia on Tuesday night.

“We of course welcome anyone who wants to contribute to the development of our national football teams, which have done well and made Jamaica proud,” the Jamaican federation said in a statement.

Nigeria forward Uchenna Kanu said the money was not the team’s main motivation — playing well was. Nigeria reached the Round of 16, but fell to England on penalties after a scoreless draw on Monday.

‘Blind Side’ inspiration Michael Oher publishes book

By ABIGAIL GRUSKIN The Baltimore Sun

You might think you know Ravens alum Michael Oher from “The Blind Side,” the 2009 Oscar-nominated film inspired by Oher’s battle through poverty and homelessness in his youth, before being recruited to play football at the University of Mississippi. It ends with an update: Oher had made it into the NFL.

That movie, based on a book of the same name, “turned me into something so rare it almost doesn’t exist — a famous offensive lineman,” Oher remarks in his new book, “When Your Back’s Against the Wall,” written with author Don Yaeger and published Aug. 8 by Avery. But the cinematic tale didn’t get his story quite right. Oher, 37, “wasn’t a poor student”

despite being behind in school, he writes in his latest book, and persevered in large part on his own.

“Shedding light and giving hope to people who think that someone has to rescue them” is Oher’s goal, he told The Baltimore Sun in a recent phone interview. “You have every tool that you need to be successful.”

‘The title is me’

“When Your Back’s

Against the Wall” is Oher’s second book (his first being the 2012 bestselling memoir “I Beat the Odds”) and a fresh chance to write his own narrative. Broken into two parts — one examining his career and philanthropic aspirations, the other a “playbook” of principles for navigating life’s challenges — the book offers a peek behind the curtains, into the mindset that Oher credits for his triumphs.

Jokes from Oher’s public speaking gigs and anecdotes like one about the first time he met the woman (Tiffany) who would later become his wife, infuse the book with humor. Other passages are more serious, as Oher examines the bruises to his mental health set off by physical injury.

“Life has been a fight, but one thing that I can say: I’ve been relentless on overcoming the obstacles,” he said.

“The title is me.”

ing students via mentorship in schools.

Iola’s Cal Leonard delivers a pitch to home plate.

Leonard: Enjoying college baseball

Continued from B1

a state title.”

Cal’s younger brother, Mac, is heading into his senior year at Iola High as a part of the football, basketball and baseball teams. Cal said he’s his younger brother’s biggest fan.

“He’s (Mac) always going to be my little brother so I want the best for him,” said Leonard. “If there’s any tips or tricks I can give to help him be better I like to do that. He’ll usually ask me about something. There are

some siblings that don’t do that but I try to talk to him every day and go to his games.”

Leonard is heading into his senior year at Washburn University in Topeka. His major is sports management.

Lokedi: Set to defend marathon title

In part forward-looking, the book highlights Oher’s desire to nurture children with backgrounds similar to his own.

His goal of starting a school — detailed in the book — is still a dream, Oher said. But the Oher Foundation, started almost a decade ago, is a reality, one that now focuses on education and support-

“Eventually, we’d have a school and have homes for kids … have a village where it can be a one-stop shop” with everything children need to thrive, he said.

“What changed my life was having a consistent, positive presence in my life. You have to be there, because you can’t trust someone who’s here one day and gone the next.”

Some of the greatest lessons in Oher’s book come from reflection on his past, including his NFL football career.

In his five seasons with the Ravens, the team that first drafted Oher, he played both right and left tackle, winning a Super Bowl ring in 2013. He left the team after signing a contract with the Tennessee Titans in 2014. “I had red flags on me, coming out before the draft, about how I probably couldn’t read, or how I couldn’t learn a playbook. So many false narratives,” Oher said of his transition from college football to the NFL. “I came up to visit [the Ravens] and I

See OHER | Page B6

ESPN: And Penn Entertainment strike deal

Continued from B1

events. In her marathon debut last year in New York, she finished sixth.

“With a year of marathon experience now under my belt, a win in Boston, and my move to the U.S., I’m coming to New York this year with more confidence and in search of a title,” Obiri said. “I’m excited to show the people of New York what I’m capable of and that my win at the United Airlines NYC Half in March was just the beginning.”

Jepchirchir is the only athlete to have won the Olympic marathon, TCS New York City Marathon and Boston Marathon. She is also a two-time world

championships gold medalist in the half marathon. She won the Tokyo Olympics marathon in 2021 to claim Kenya’s second consecutive gold medal in the event.

Four months later, she won the New York City Marathon, finishing in 2:22:39, the third-fastest time in event history and eight seconds off the event record.

“I was so disappointed that I couldn’t defend my title in New York last year due to an injury, and winning again in Central Park has been my main motivation as I begin my preparations for the autumn,” Jepchirchir said.

“New York is an import-

ant step in defending my Olympic gold medal next summer in Paris, and I will do my best to make my family and my country proud.”

Continued from B1 gated late-night area known as Pleasure Island — actually a reference to the 1940 film “Pinocchio,” whose characters visited a den of iniquity by that name. Pleasure Island featured bars, music venues and nightclubs in addition to restaurants, shopping and a nightly countdown to “New Year’s Eve” complete with fireworks.

Kosgei is the world-record holder in the marathon, setting the mark in Chicago in 2019, and has won an Olympic silver medal. She will be making her New York City Marathon debut.

“I am not worried about the course, as I have had success in hilly marathons before, but New York has always been about headto-head competition,” Kosgei said. “I know I must be in the best possible shape to compete with the other women in the race.”

When attendance waned, Disney closed down the Pleasure Island nightclubs in 2008 and redeveloped the site as a restaurant and shopping district now known as The Landing at Disney Springs.

ESPN added that it will use its platforms “to educate sports fans on responsible gaming” — for instance by continuing to cover the sports betting industry with “journalistic integrity,” creating a “responsible gaming” committee within the company and developing marketing guidelines that “safeguard” fans.

Penn also announced that it sold Barstool Sports, an irreverent sports media site, back to its founder Dave Portnoy. Penn took a 36% stake of Barstool Sports in February 2020 for about $163 million and subsequently acquired the remainder of the

company for about $388 million in February 2023. Neither Penn nor Portnoy disclosed terms of the divestment deal.

In a video posted on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, Portnoy radiated excitement over the site’s regained independence. The regulated gambling industry, he said, “was probably not the best place for Barstool Sports and the kind of content we make.” Portnoy added that he will “never” sell the company. As part of the divestment deal, Penn would be owed 50% of the gross proceeds from any future sale or “monetization” of Barstool.

“When Your Back’s Against the Wall,” by Michael Oher and Don Yaeger. PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE/TNS

‘Mean’ sister gives unsolicited parenting advice

Carolyn Hax is away. The following first appeared June 17, 2009.

Dear Carolyn: I am the oldest of five siblings. My younger sister is 27. She is a new mother of a 9-month-old.

I have invested much love, time and energy into my sweet nephew.

I am married with two stepkids of my own, 8 and 9.

My sister has been keeping me up to speed with her struggles in adjusting to a baby. I admittedly have expressed such sentiments as, “Wait until he can walk, you will be even busier,” and, “Enjoy this sweet time with him, because things will change.”

Yesterday, she informs me that she is sick of my “wait until he gets older” comments, because she feels as if I am judging her as a parent. She says I have no idea what it means to be a “real parent,” because I have only had “stepkids” since they were 4

Don’t

Carolyn Hax

and 5 and only on a split-custody schedule.

This came out of left field. I asked her why she didn’t say something before, and she tells me that I am such a hard person to talk to.

She was crying and yelling, then hung up on me. I understand we all have bad days, and maybe I caught her on one. How am I supposed to communicate with her?

I want to know whether I am out of line in calling her on not speaking to me about this sooner.

I’m tired of all the drama, and of being labeled the “mean” older sister.

— Minnesota

Minnesota: I don’t know about the “mean,” but you will live up to the “hard to talk to” label if you throw up your

defenses and attack her back. That helps make her case that you’re not approachable.

Should she have spoken up sooner? Yes. There’s also no justification for her screaming, phone-slamming and emotional suckerpunching.

Still, none of these missteps erases the fact that she expressed a legitimate grievance. Any “just you wait” comment is heavy with condescension, because the whole premise of it is that the speaker knows something the listener doesn’t. Her coming back with the accusation that you’re the one who doesn’t know anything was childish, for sure, but please find some sympathy for the impulse: You are quite aware of your place as Big Sister, and Little Sister, apparently, has had enough.

Your best bet now — to be fair to your sister, to start breaking this nasty older/younger

run if you see a bear on hiking trail

By HANH TRUONG The Sacramento Bee/TNS

California is home to black bears, so it shouldn’t be a surprise if you run into one while you’re out hiking or camping — or if they show up rummaging around your lawn.

On Monday, a woman in Southern California found a bear that died in her front yard after being hit by a car.

If you see a bear while traversing a trail or if it’s near your home — and appears injured or alive — here’s what you should do:

The bear is injured

If you see any wild animal that looks sick, hurt, abandoned or in danger, call the California Wildlife Center’s emergency hotline at 310-458-WILD.

You can also report wildlife deaths to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to help the agency track disease, mortality and improve prevention and control.

The department advises that you do not touch the animal and fill out its online form. Reporting a sighting

You can also report bear sightings to the CDFW at 916-358-2917 or online.

The form can also be filled out if there was property damage or nuisance caused by the animal. Take steps to be safe

You can prevent bears from being near your home by cleaning out trash containers, using bear-resistant trash cans and storing grills indoors when not in use,

the department advises. It recommends that you bring in bird feeders at night and feed pets indoors. Do not leave food outside for pets or wildlife.

Bear attacks are rare. If one does come after you, according to the National Park Service, it’s likely defending its cub, food or territory. If you do see a live bear

A bear might not be aware of your presence, but if you encounter each other, the National Park Service advises that you stay calm and talk so that the bear knows you are human and not a prey animal. You should pick up small children and make yourself look big.

You should not give the bear food, drop your backpack, run or climb a tree. And don’t scream.

pattern, to stay close to your nephew — is to apologize for talking down to her. Admit that your focus on what lies ahead in child-rearing has been dismissive of her current circumstances. Admit that it might be an unconscious drift on your part to a phase of child-rearing you do understand, because you are, in fact, at a disadvantage when the conversation is about babies.

In other words, drop your dukes. Completely.

If your sister takes this opportunity to launch an uppercut to your jaw, then you’ll have lost nothing, because she’ll be alone on the low road, and you’ll have gained the knowledge that an adult relationship with her isn’t realistic, at least for now.

But if she’s open to meeting you halfway, then she will apologize for her withholdand-explode approach to conflict — ideally without your having to prompt it, but ungrudgingly either way.

Yesterday’s Cryptoquote: There is a powerful force unleashed when young people resolve to make a change. — Jane Goodall

ZITS by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

BEETLE BAILEY by Mort Walker

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by Chris Browne

BLONDIE by Young and Drake

MARVIN by Tom Armstrong

HI AND LOIS by Chance Browne

MUTTS by Patrick McDonell

Why Chiefs’ Trent McDuffie changed numbers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

Chiefs defensive back

Trent McDuffie was 13 when his second-oldest brother, Tyler, died from what he calls a heart complication.

“Out of nowhere,” he said in an interview with The Kansas City Star on Monday at the team’s Missouri Western State training camp. “He was sick for two weeks. And then I just woke up, and he was gone.”

The inconceivable loss of a dedicated brother, a brother who pointed the way and looked over him, left McDuffie in shock and feeling he had entered a “black hole.”

“I just really blacked out,” the California native said, “for a good two years.”

As he thinks about it now, McDuffie figures it wasn’t until he arrived at the University of Washington that he began to truly deal with it and learn to accept all the emotions. Having that distance enabled him, he said, to “separate things and kind of build upon what happened.”

Funny how fate wrapped all that back together.

Because when he arrived in Seattle and entered the locker room his first day on campus, he found he’d been randomly assigned jersey No. 22 — the number Tyler always wore.

You could call it coincidence.

Or say it’s just a number.

But if you’ve ever lost somebody you loved, it’s not hard to imagine the heart and comfort you can take in wrapping yourself in something of theirs or otherwise embracing something that makes you feel their presence.

“It felt like, ‘OK, this is what’s supposed to happen,’ ” he said. “I felt like I was on the right path.”

Sure was.

A stellar career at UW primed him to be selected by the Chiefs at No. 21 overall in the 2022 NFL draft.

After earning a starting job, he suffered a

Oher:

hamstring injury in the opener at Arizona and missed the next four weeks.

But he returned to become an integral part of the defense, including breaking up two passes in the AFC Championship Game victory over Cincinnati, and established himself as a core part of the team.

All while being stuck wearing No. 21 as a rookie since Juan Thornhill already was wearing No. 22 when McDuffie arrived.

When Thornhill signed with Cleveland in the offseason, though, McDuffie reclaimed the charm within days.

And he’s glad he did.

“Something about the 2-2 …” he said. “I feel like me again.”

Not that he didn’t feel himself last year.

In fact, he figures it was good to stretch himself with a new number. Plus, it was only right to wait.

The respectful McDuffie didn’t ask Thornhill to indulge him last year, he said, because it would have been presumptuous and inappropriate to bother a veteran about that. Besides, he still carried Tyler’s image in a tattoo on his arm and through his No. 22 chain and in his heart.

As it happens, McDuffie said, Thornhill later learned of the story and told him he’d have gladly given him the jersey.

“‘You know what, Juan, I appreciate that. That tells me a lot about you,’ ” McDuffie recalled telling him. “But I felt like there was something special about just being able to be (number) 21 last year for my rookie year. How it played out, how everything happened.”

Including, of course, the feeling of winning the Super Bowl with eight family members he’d flown in and paid the way for.

They’d become so close after the tragedy, he said, that it was already true “you can’t get one without the rest of the family coming.”

Publishes book

Continued from B4

sat down with everyone in that facility, every person there. …

They did all the work to find out who I was as a person, as a football player. Other teams didn’t do that.”

“If you’re a Raven, they believe in you,” he said, adding that Baltimore had “the best fans in the league.”

“We did do a lot of winning, so that makes it easy,” he said.

‘You can’t do anything alone’

But Oher doesn’t shy away in his book from acknowledging the tougher times, like the 2016 concussion he sustained while playing for the Carolina Panthers that marked the beginning of the end of his NFL career. At one point, Oher writes, he struggled to emerge from the dark cocoon of his room.

“You continue to fight, you don’t give up

Against this canvas in Arizona, that was all intensified. He was elated as his parents made their way down to the field to join the celebration, but he also was eager to be with his three remaining siblings.

“When you lose a brother, there’s something that happens with siblings that you kind of just all morph together,” he said. “I remember finally looking up and seeing them and it was just like, ‘Man, we did this.’

“It wasn’t, like, ‘I won the Super Bowl.’ It was

like we all finally got here, finally reached this goal. And it was special.

“It was so many emotions. It was so much happiness.”

As he thinks of it now, anyway, no one had to even directly mention Tyler.

In certain ways he’s ever-present.

“At this point, it’s kind of just known,” McDuffie said. “It’s more of a feeling versus words that you have to say. There’s not many words that you can kind of say to describe

it or help you out with things.

“It’s more just being in each other’s presence. Being there in the moment with each other. That makes all the difference.”

He figures that sensation will be with him all the more now back in No. 22, which he acquired within days after Thornhill left. He let the world know it with an Instagram post that photoshopped No. 22 over his No. 21 in a scene from last season.

The very first to reply, incidentally, was Thornhill, who wrote “Love it” with two hearts and the number 22. Among the first group were fellow 2022 draftees George Karlaftis, Skyy Moore and Nazeeh Johnson, part of an extraordinary 10-man class that each played in the Super Bowl and had quite a common thread of dealing with personal tragedies.

Among those: Karlaftis’ father died in 2014. Isiah Pacheco suffered the loss of two mur-

dered siblings. Joshua Williams’ mother died when he was six months old.

Only weeks after they’d all met, McDuffie referred to a sense of brotherhood among them.

And while he now says “you don’t go into extreme details” with each other about such losses, he added, “It’s cool when you’re able to talk to teammates and they truly get it.”

Nobody, of course, gets it like family.

Which is why No. 22 isn’t so much a mere number as it is a form of emotional armor.

“It allows me to play for something bigger than myself,” he said. “And knowing I’ve got the 22, my brother’s number, my family’s name on my back, being out there on the field, it’s like I’m not alone.

“I’ve got my whole family with me, the whole city with me, my brother with me.” In a way he never pictured before he went to Washington.

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on yourself,” he said. “I knew people were depending on me, I knew I had a bigger purpose.”

Now, he sees sharing his experiences as a way to help others battling mental illness, including in “poverty-stricken areas.”

“It starts building and building and building, and eventually you explode,” he said. “I can handle bringing it up and staring it right in the face.”

A tight-knit cadre of friends — what Oher describes in his book as a “small circle” — is critical to overcoming adversity, he said.

“Having that circle, someone that you can talk to who’s going to be honest and positive and steering you in the right direction, it’s something that we all need, especially in tough times,” he said.

“You can’t do anything alone.”

Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22), left, attempts to block a pass to wide receiver Richie James (17) during practice at Chiefs training camp. EMILY CURIEL/THE KANSAS CITY STAR/TNS