Sports: Red Devils fall to Neosho See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
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Thursday, February 12, 2015
Conferences keep teachers, parents in touch By RICK DANLEY The Iola Register
At its worst, a parentteacher conference amounts to an awkward powwow between two strangers, a ritual event to be endured. Done right, though, it marks a meeting between two of the most important adults in a child’s life, concerning the most important subject. “I value the relationship of student, teacher and parent,” said Daryl Sigg, a third-grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary. “Par-
ents need to feel that their students’ needs are validated, that by working together, we work toward Karen Price the best interests of the student….” Recent technology has gone some way toward bridging the distance between teacher and parent. “I talk to parents through See VISITS | Page A5
Baxter Springs, April 27, 2014 NWS PHOTO
Local officials: Keep city elections in spring By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
Kansas voters could potentially see election and ballot changes from the outcome of this year’s Legislative session. Senate Bill 171 was introduced Monday by the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee to move city and
Business owner proposes annexation
school elections to the fall of even-numbered years. This change would require candidates to file with a political party. Currently, elections for city and school board positions are non-partisan. In testimony before the Senate on Wednesday,
‘Fury on the Plains’ Tuesday By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
While Kansas had a relatively calm tornado season for 2014 — only 40 were recorded — the folks of Baxter Springs beg to differ. On April 27, an EF2 tornado destroyed 90 homes and 11 businesses. Another 85 homes and seven busi-
nesses sustained damage. While there were no fatalities, 25 injuries were reported. Damage estimates were pegged at about $10 million. A tornado’s intensity is rated from EF1 to EF5, with the latter being the most damaging. Pam Beasley, Allen
County’s emergency management coordinator, spent three days in Baxter Springs in the immediate aftermath of the storm as part of the state’s Incident Command Team, to help oversee recovery efforts. “It only takes one tornaSee STORMS | Page A3
See ELECTIONS | Page A3
Colonial lifestyles explored By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
LAHARPE — With a notable dearth of available properties on which businesses could operate along U.S. 54 in LaHarpe, Ray Maloney has a possible solution. Maloney owns farmland along a half mile stretch of the highway just north and east of LaHarpe. He has spoken with “a couple or three” prospective businesses who might relocate to LaHarpe, but a few items would be needed first. First of all, the land would need utility extensions, particularly water and sewer service, Maloney said. That’s where the city comes in. Maloney asked the Council to look into annexing a strip of his land along the way so utilities could be extended for the businesses to open. Annexation can be cumbersome, City Attorney Chuck Apt noted, but this case would be different. “If the property owner
Above, Jefferson Elementary School fifth-graders Mars Westgate, foreground, and Kobe Lord use oldstyle pens and quills to write, while classmates (at left) Holly Doolittle, left, and Bobbilee Boley practice sewing during a “virtual field trip” of Colonial Williamsburg Wednesday. The field trip capped three weeks of study about life in Williamsburg. REGISTER/ RICHARD LUKEN
See LAHARPE | Page A3
Jefferson Elementary School fifth-graders learned firsthand the trials and tribulations of living in Colonial America. The students capped a three-week study of Colonial Williamsburg, Va., by participating in a virtual field trip around instructor Karen Price’s classroom. Students donned hats of that era — girls in bonnets; boys in tri-fold hats — as they visited several stations depicting life in Williamsburg in the 17th and 18th centuries. The goal, Price explained, was to illustrate the lifestyles and the caste system in place in the American Colonies. The stations: — William & Mary College, where boys only were allowed to practice their penmanship using old-style pens or a feather’s quill. Just as importantly, the boys were commanded to sit with proper posture while composing their sentences. — A dame school for the girls, who were instructed to practice sewing threads of yarn through pieces of paper with holes punched around the perimeter. Like the boys, the girls had to sit with perfect posture, or face the sudSee FIELD TRIP | Page A5
Quote of the day Vol. 117, No. 71
“Either you decide to stay in the shallow end of the pool or you go out in the ocean.” — Christopher Reeve 75 Cents
Hi: 33 Lo: 24 Iola, KS