Wrestling: Misenhelter earns Eureka title See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Monday, January 27, 2014
MURPHY SETTLES IN
Postai, CHC on front lines of healthcare By STEVEN SCHWARTZ The Iola Register
Murphy said, with the thought that he may move a part-time deputy to full time if Smith’s dual duties result in him not being able to give enough attention to one or the other. Jason Kegler is working part time — he lives near Elsmore and is dean of student development at Neosho County Community College — and would be Murphy’s choice to move into a full-time position. “I also want to revive the DARE program in Moran, and I think Jason would be an ideal person for that,” he said. McVey’s exit opened the door for Murphy to hire Joe Robertson, who has been an Iola police officer and had extensive law enforcement experience in Chanute and Neosho County. “We have six full-time deputies”
PITTSBURG — Krista Postai is on the front lines of healthcare. It’s sometimes grim and never simple — but regardless, the tide is starting to turn, particularly in Allen County. Postai is the CEO of the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, that recently expanded its medical reach to Iola with Drs. Brian Wolfe and Glen Singer. The CHC opened a dental clinic in 2008 with Dr. Arthur Unruh. The center’s headquarters is in Pittsburg. Postai recently gave Krista Postai her thoughts on community healthcare: What it is, where it is going and what needs to change. “A county, a state, a nation are only as healthy as the people who live in it,” Postai said. “And southeast Kansas is not very healthy.” Numerous reasons account for SEK’s health rating, with poverty being a major contributor; hence the CHCSEK. Started in 1997, the non-profit organization’s goal is to provide healthcare to those who need it, and particularly those who can’t afford it. Through foundation funding, government reimbursements and grants, the CHC provides access to health, dental and mental services. “Community health in not only one place, it is a concept, it’s a philosophy,” she said. The CHCSEK began in a trailer in Pittsburg. Today, there are eight clinics across southeast Kansas, not including a school
See SHERIFF | Page A4
See CHC | Page A4
Bryan Murphy has started his second year as Allen County sheriff.
Sheriff enters second year full-steam ahead By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
“If you had told me when I started in law enforcement in Wyandotte County in 1992 that I’d be a sheriff of a Kansas county someday, I’d have said you were crazy,” said Bryan Murphy. A few days ago Murphy started his second year as Allen County sheriff. He was elected in November 2012. Terms are for four years. The comfort level of having the buck stop at his desk is getting better all the time, Murphy said, “although it’s a lot different being the one who has to make decisions. It’s been an adjustment. “For 21 years I always had someone to answer to, someone to look up to,” he said. “I have been fortunate to have worked under (former sher-
iffs) Ron Moore and Tom Williams.” Murphy also has quickly realized that plugging numbers into the budget is more that just making the ledger balance, but comes with the realization that funding in finite. PERSONNEL issues are a constant challenge, Murphy said. Undersheriff Jerry Daniels resigned last fall to take advantage of other opportunities and a deputy, Derek McVey, left the force about a month ago. Roy Smith moved from master deputy to undersheriff when Daniels left, which complicated manpower issues a tad and may require another adjustment. Smith’s primary duty was court security, a timeconsuming chore, which he is trying to mesh with his undersheriff responsibilities. “We’ll see how that works out,”
STATE NEWS
GOP upbeat about re-elections
Don’t strain your brain From left, Isaiah Wicoff, Barry Porter, Zury Burleson and Abigail Allen compete against Ottawa at the Scholar’s Bowl competition at Iola Middle School Saturday morning. The A and B (Erin Klubeck, Zach Cokely, Dallin Cox, Dustin Bonnett) divisions placed second. Chanute won the A division and Central Heights won the B division. REGISTER/STEVEN SCHWARTZ
Quote of the day Vol. 116, No. 63
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Sam Brownback and other Kansas Republicans sounded mostly upbeat notes Saturday about his re-election, confident that they’ll be able to tie his presumed Democratic challenger to President Barack Obama during the campaign in their GOP-leaning state. Hundreds of Republican activists, party leaders and elected officials gathered in Wichita for the state Republican Party’s annual convention, held each year close to the anniversary of the state’s Jan. 29, 1861, admission to the union. The crowd celebrated the GOP’s dominance in Kansas politics and heard exhortations to get
“If it weren’t for Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, we’d still be eating frozen radio dinners.” — Johnny Carson 75 Cents
involved in campaigns at all levels of politics. Brownback is facing a spirited challenge from Kansas House Minority Leader Paul Davis, of Lawrence. The Democrat raised $1 million in cash contributions in less than five months last year, while Brownback’s campaign raised $1.1 million the entire year, aside from a $500,000 loan from his running mate, Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, a reconstructive plastic surgeon. Colyer’s loan raised eyebrows in political circles and had Democrats and even a few Republicans questioning whether it signaled nervousSee GOP | Page A4
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