Basketball: Allen men down Johnson County
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THE IOLA REGISTER Tuesday, November 5, 2013
HOSPITAL HUNG UP Allen County Regional sits dormant due to malfunctioning phone system By STEVEN SCHWARTZ The Iola Register
When Ron Baker contacted AT&T months ago for updates regarding fiber-optic phone lines to the new hospital, the response was reassuring — “There is nothing to worry about to this point,” an AT&T representative told him. Now, nearly one week after Allen County Regional Hospital’s Oct. 29 planned opening, its doors remain closed. There are no functioning phone systems in the new building. “The question is, are we confident in the information we have to set a new opening date, or do we wait for an honest-to-goodness dial tone,” Baker, hospital CEO, said Monday
afternoon. “I don’t want to make the same mistake.” A series of events have left Allen County’s $30-million hospital paralyzed. ACRH signed a contract with AT&T in March to complete a “six-month” project, laying down fiber-optic cables for voice and data to the new hospital, located on North Kentucky Street. Baker said the administration was reassured several times the project’s work would be completed on time. Then, when late August rolled around, he began to ask questions. “It’s one thing to get the line installed,” he said. “It’s another thing to get it working.” By mid-August, Baker said he was “getting some rumblings” the fiber-
optic cables had yet to be laid. By the time the opening grew nearer, AT&T informed Baker the lines may not be ready for the opening on Oct. 29. Baker said he has not been given a specific reason as to why the fiber-optics are not functioning. Here’s where the story may get complicated. The hospital’s “plan B” was to install T-1 telephone lines (another highspeed data transfer system) to the new Ron Baker building — a temporary measure to have phones working by the opening. Once AT&T had the lines installed, they realized the cables could not support voice data. “That’s when we thought, ‘we’ve got a problem,’” Baker said. Their last resort, a “plan C” seemed
to be the m o s t disast r o u s . Through old connections and “copper already in place” at the old hospital building, Baker said AT&T worked to redirect the old lines to the new building. “We actually did get some connectivity,” Baker said. But... “That night, the phone switches at the old hospital went down,” he said. See PHONES | Page A3
MORAN COUNCIL
RVs given space in city limits By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
TAKING IT TO HEART Wicoff takes FFA Creed to national level By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
Clara Wicoff believes in the future of agriculture. She believes in it so much that she took the National FFA’s creed to heart. That study earned Wicoff fourth place at a national convention in Louisville, Ky., Friday. Wicoff, an Iola sophomore, joined the Iola FFA chapter as a freshman and became involved quickly. This year she is the chapter’s treasurer.
Within the organization there are multiple career development events that members can choose to compete in. Wicoff participates in speech, land judging and creed speaking. Learning the organization’s creed is mandatory. The creed was written by E.M. Tiffany, and adopted at its third national convention. It consists of five paragraphs all which start with “I believe.” Wicoff advanced to the 86th national convention after winning her
Clara Wicoff, pictured third from the right on the stage, is shown accepting her award for 4th place in the national FFA convention in Louisville, Ky. COUR-
TESY OF LISA WICOFF
district and state creed competitions. There was a lot of practice and preparation before Wicoff left for Louisville. “I kept practicing the creed with my mom and I would think of questions about the creed that judges might ask and how I’d answer them,” she said. “Clara worked very hard to prepare for this event,” said Charles Kerr, Iola FFA adviser. “She researched over 150 See CREED | Page A3
STATE
Taylor plans listening tour on Senate decision
By JOHN HANNA The Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas prosecutor said Monday he’ll conduct a series of listening tours across the state before formally deciding whether to run for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat. Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor disclosed those plans as he announced the formation of an exploratory committee on his 40th birthday. If Taylor runs next year, he’ll be seeking the seat held by veteran Republi-
can Sen. Pat Roberts. No other Democrat has publicly expressed an interest in the race. Roberts, a conservative who’s served in the Senate since 1997 and has been a fixture in Kansas politics for more than three decades, already faces a challenge in the Republican primary in August 2014 from Dr. Milton Wolf, a Leawood radiologist. Forming the exploratory committee allows Taylor to raise money and do polling, but he declined to discuss specific policy issues to avoid being considered a candidate for now. He said
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he’s been urged by people across the state to run because many voters are frustrated with gridlock in Washington, particularly after last month’s partial federal government shutdown. “It is what I would consider to be a high-water mark of frustration with the leadership we have in Washington right now,” Taylor said during an interview. Taylor was first elected district attorney in 2008 and was re-elected in 2012. Leroy Towns, Roberts’ executive campaign manager, said Taylor needs to con-
duct a listening tour “because absolutely nobody in the state knows who he is.” Towns acknowledged that Kansas voters are frustrated with Congress but added they see Roberts as a tested conservative. “They understand that Pat Roberts is the guy back there fighting for them,” Towns said. Wolf has criticized Roberts for not being conservative enough on tax, budget and health care issues, and said in a statement Monday that most Americans “want to clean house in next year’s elections.”
“Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong.”
— Winston Churchill
75 Cents
MORAN — Moran council members put together an enabling plan Monday night so residents may provide parking space for recreational vehicles brought to the area by highway and pipeline construction workers. Before a temporary vehicle may locate and hook into local utilities, the property owner must pay a $50 fee for the city to send certified letters to neighbors living with 100 feet of the property. Then, a hearing will be held at the council’s Dec. 2 meeting to give anyone opposed a chance to have their say. After the hearing, council members will decide whether RVs will be permitted. Next up, the property owner must pay a $30 fee for each RV, and make any physical arrangements such as access and utilities connections. Discussions about allowing the RVs to locate in Moran has been a council topic since late summer. Spokespersons for Enbridge, the company having a crude oil pipeline constructed from Flanagan, Ill., through the area en route to Cushing, Okla., have said the project likely would be completed by mid-summer of 2014. Work on U.S. 54, from Iola to LaHarpe, also will wind down sometime in mid to late 2014. Gas, Iola and LaHarpe are home to many of the construction workers’ RVs, and having workers live in or near towns has increased utility sales and tax collections through local businesses. Councilman Jerry Wallis argued that a full-blown ordinance initially handed out was “going to make it so restrictive no one will come here.” He wants to make space for three RVs on his property. See RVS | Page A3
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