Basketball: Mixed results for area squads See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Wednesday, January 29, 2014
NATIONAL
A BIG BORE
Highlights of the State of the Union
John Gill, left, and R.J. Wilson discuss work being done to bore a 48-inch hole under the Neosho River north of Chanute to accommodate the Enbridge Flanagan South Pipeline. Below, a worker maneuvers a pipe. REGISTER/BOB JOHNSON
Pipeline’s route under Neosho River nearing completion By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
Crews from Laney Directional Drilling, Humble, Texas, are completing a bore under the Neosho River to accommodate the Enbridge Flanagan South Pipeline, which at 36 inches in diameter will carry 600,000 barrels of crude oil a day through Allen County. The statistics are a little staggering: The bore, with completion expected early next week, will leave a hole 48 inches in diameter and 1,652 feet long. The pipeline, with its 30.7foot joints already welded together, then will be pulled under the Neosho, with the tunnel’s lowest point 40 feet under the river’s bed. The crossing is just north of U.S. 169 south of Humboldt. “This isn’t the longest bore we’ve had,” said R.J. Wilson, an information officer with Enbridge. The pipeline also was taken under the Missouri and Mississippi rivers in its 600-mile journey from Flanagan, Ill., to Cushing, Okla. But, that doesn’t disparage the under-river project here, which is in its fourth week. Initially, a 32-inch pilot hole was bored under the river, with drill pipe See BORE | Page A4
Texas company a major drilling operation Laney Directional Drilling Co. is a major player in horizontal directional drilling. The company, based in Humble, Texas, has 12 hydraulic powered drilling rigs, capable of making bores from 4 to 60 inches and crossings of as much as 7,600 feet. In 2003 Laney introduced the largest directional drilling rig ever manufactured with pull-back capabilities in excess of 1.7 million pounds. Laney approaches projects on a turn-key basis, with all support equipment and mud recovery systems along with transport trucks and trailers. In addition to domestic work, Laney has completed projects in Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Africa, Spain and South America.
(AP) — President Barack Obama urged Congress to help restore opportunity for Americans but pledged to take action himself Tuesday in his fifth State of the Union address before Congress. Some highlights from Obama’s economic and other proposals: — Minimum Wage: An executive order to raise minimum wage paid by federal contractors to $10.10. He called on Congress to increase the federal minimum wage for all workers to $10.10. Last year, Obama asked Congress to raise the rate to $9 by the end of 2015, but Congress has not taken that step. —
Retirement
Security:
Create a new savings account program to help people start saving for retirement. Obama is asking the Treasury to create a bond called MyRA that can be offered through employers as a “starter” retirement account. Call for Congress to create automatic IRAs for all workers who don’t opt out. Obama has included this in previous budget requests but Congress hasn’t acted on it. — Immigration: Renew call for Congress to pass comprehensive immigration overhaul this year, including a path to citizenship for about 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally. Bipartisan legislation has passed the Senate, but the House prefers a piecemeal approach. House Republicans are meeting this week and are expected to outline their principles for an immigration overhaul. — Climate and Energy: Set new fuel efficiency standards for trucks. Introduce firstof-its-kind emissions limits on power plants. Work with states and communities on See ADDRESS | Page A4
New venture ACA NAVIGATORS opens in Iola Activity increases as Robertson joins Thrive downtown By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
Emily Sigg, owner of Fifty 50, works on an order at her new store located at 7 E. Madison Ave. REGISTER/ KAYLA BANZET
Quote of the day Vol. 116, No. 65
By STEVEN SCHWARTZ The Iola Register
A small home business has grown and now joined fellow store owners on the square. Fifty 50, an apparel store owned by Emily Sigg, made its store front debut on Jan. 15. The new business is in the old Party Girls building at 7 E. Madison Ave. Sigg said business has been good so far. “Now that a lot more people know I’m here it’s starting to pick up,” she said. Sigg grew up in Iola and
After a slow start for the Affordable Care Act in December, numbers have been rising nationally and locally, even enough to fund another full-time position through Thrive Allen County. Karen Robertson is the newest addition to Thrive, her office is set up in the back room of their office on the Iola square, with a thin divider separating her desk from the conference room. Her job is to assist people in the ACA marketplace, and to help answer questions whenever she can. “It’s about finding the resources to help people, and how it (ACA) can help help people,” Robertson said Monday afternoon. She and her husband, John, who also works for Thrive, See ROBERTSON | Page A3
See VENTURE | Page A4
“Furious activity is no substitute for understanding.”
— H.H. Williams
75 Cents
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