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2017 1867
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THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
www.iolaregister.com
Monday, June 12, 2017
School work may not be complete
By JOHN HANNA The Associated Press
Music festival taking root By SHELLIE SMITLEY The Iola Register
Cool breezes carried the sound of bluegrass and honky-tonk music over the weekend during the Lehigh Roots Festival at Elks Lake. The bucolic setting was perfect for those with nothing more on their minds than relaxation. The family-oriented event offered camping, fishing, swimming, kayaking and a slew of entertainment. Guests made themselves at home in creative ways. See FESTIVAL | Page A4
A cool breeze blowing across the Iola Elks Lake kept the mosquitoes at bay for Saturday’s Lehigh Roots Festival. The event, open to the public, offered guests the opportunity to camp, swim, fish, kayak, and listen to a slew of musical groups. At lower left, Steven Stockebrand brought his custom-made recliner from Piqua, taken from a 1995 Camry. At lower right, Loaded Goat members, from left, Martin Krob, Matthew Hawkins and Eddie Crane, perform Saturday.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Many Kansas legislators see their work toward complying with a state Supreme Court mandate on public school funding as unfinished even though lawmakers passed an increase in spending. Some expect to be forced to return to the Statehouse this summer. Legislators approved a bill last week that phases in a $293 million increase in aid to the state’s 286 school districts over two years. Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has until June 19 to act on it and he and his aides haven’t hinted at his plans. If the plan becomes law, the Supreme Court still must review it. The justices ruled in March that the state’s current education funding of about $4 billion a year is inadequate. Even lawmakers who support the plan fear at least parts of it won’t satisfy the court, forcing them to do more work later. Here are key issues and potential consequences of the See SCHOOLS | Page A4
REGISTER/SHELLIE SMITLEY
Lawmakers wrap up budget; state workers get raises By JOHN HANNA The Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators on Saturday approved pay raises of up to 5 percent to state workers who haven’t had any in recent years as lawmakers wrapped up work on budget issues and adjourned their unusually long annual session.
Both chambers passed a single bill containing proposed state budgets for the fiscal year beginning July 1 and the one starting in July 2018. The votes of 88-27 in the House and 27-11 in the Senate sent the measure to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. Legislators already have passed a separate plan increasing spending on public
Anderson County man is killed in hit-and-run GARNETT — The Anderson County sheriff ’s office is seeking information regarding a fatal hit-and-run accident early Sunday west of Garnett. Killed in the incident was Clay Yoder a 22-year-old man, identified by the Anderson County Review as Clay Yoder, Mont Ida. Yoder was believed to have been walking along 1650 Road about 4½ miles west of Garnett — commonly referred
to by locals as an extension of Seventh Street — sometime between 2:15 and 4:15 a.m. when he apparently was struck by the vehicle, which fled the scene, according to ACSD reports. The incident was in the vicinity of Cedar Valley Reservoir. The department said the color of the vehicle was unknown, but it has damage to the front end and/or inner fender or undercarriage Anyone with information or who may have been involved is urged to contact the sheriff ’s department at (785) 448-6823.
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schools to meet a court mandate and earlier this week enacted an income tax increase over Brownback’s veto to balance the budget and provide the extra money for education. The tax increase also allows for pay raises for state workers, who haven’t seen across-the-board raises for all employees approved since
2008. Small groups of workers have received pay raises to make their salaries more competitive with other states or private employment, and the state provided a one-time, $250 bonus in 2013. The budget legislation provides a 5 percent raise to employees working five or more years for the state who haven’t had a raise within
the past five years. Others working for the state would receive a 2.5 percent raise if they haven’t had an increase in the past two years. All employees in the state’s court systems — including judges — will get a 2.5 percent raise because their salaries are often far below market rates. Legislators get no pay increase.
Melvin’s gone, but runners remain The Charley Melvin Run, a staple of Iola summers since 2009, is no more. But that’s not stopping a group of running enthusiasts from planning their own 5K the weekend of July 15. Since early May, an anonymous emailer has sent out a plea to others to come to Iola, anyway, for what is being called “The Backwards Bomber 5K.” The plan is to gather at the courthouse bandstand at 10 p.m. July 15, and then run the old Melvin Run route backward. “Again as a disclaimer, this is not an ‘organized’ run,” one email noted. “It will be every runner for themselves.
There will be no registration, no fees, no official timing, no water stations, no cool Thrive T-shirts, and no
“We aim above the mark to hit the mark.”
— Ralph Waldo Eerson
75 Cents
traffic control.” Aside from the route, the only “rule” is to encourage participants to wear bright clothing and carry flashlights for traffic safety. The group has an email list of about 400 people. A Facebook page, now the group’s primary mode of communication, has garnered 500 friends. “We, the Anonymous Runners, don’t have the manpower or the time to recreate the entire event,” the organizer told the Register in an email. “An official, organized run would have too much overhead. That’s why we’re keepSee RUNNERS | Page A4
Hi: 91 Lo: 72 Iola, KS