Tuesday, October 13, 2020
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Tiny home ready for big move
Buffaloes take out Iola in football
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
LAHARPE — David Froemming has acquired a bit of history. Froemming, of Humboldt, has purchased the first — and perhaps only — “tiny” home built by the construction trades class at LaHarpe’s Regional Rural Technical Center. The 540-square-foot home wasn’t complete last spring, when classes ended abruptly at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, enough work was done — it was to the point that all of the electrical and much of the plumbing infrastructure was installed — to entice Froemming to buy it. The structure will be moved See HOME | Page A6
Humboldt joins Thrive economic group By SUSAN LYNN The Iola Register
HUMBOLDT — Humboldt joined the economic development group spearheaded by Thrive Allen County at its meeting Monday evening. “There’s power in numbers,” said Mayor Nobby Davis. Humboldt agreed to pay $10,000 a year for the services of Jonathan Goering, Thrive’s economic development director. Also on board since 2013 are Iola, Allen County and Iola Industries. Those three groups chip in $20,0000 apiece. It’s not necessarily a new relationship, said Cole Herder, Humboldt city administrator. “For the past several years we’ve been taking advantage of Thrive’s economic development arm,” he said. “I feel like this is a good time for Humboldt to get on See HUMBOLDT | Page A3
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Hospital ends baby delivery By the Register Staff
This tiny home, built at LaHarpe’s Regional Rural Technical Center, was sold and will be moved to Hidden Valley Lake in Bourbon County. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Stadium upgrades earn accolades for volunteer By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
A volunteer who spearheaded a multi-year improvement project at the Iola Stadium is expected to earn a special honor at Saturday’s home football game. Donna Houser will be recognized at the game for her efforts to renovate the stadium and bleachers. She gave school board members an update on the project at their meeting Monday night. In 2017, Houser asked the district if she could make improvements to the stadium. She was particularly interested in renovating the women’s locker rooms and restroom area and making it handicapped accessible. That was completed last year. But like any remodel project, once you get started you soon realize how many other upgrades are needed. Her efforts eventually led to a complete revamp of the stadium, including a renovated men’s restroom this year. It also meant new bleach-
Volunteer Donna Houser will be recognized for efforts to improve the football stadium at Saturday’s game. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS
ers. Most of the building, inside and out, was power washed and painted. New cement boards replaced rotted wood shingles on the press box, which also got a new roof. Concrete blocks were replaced or repaired. Two large windows were re-
placed. Lettering facing the football field was replaced with metal, including Mustang cutouts. That gave Houser an opportunity to fix a typo that had been around for decades: The letter “A” in the word “Iola” had been inSee HOUSER | Page A6
Allen County Regional Hospital will cease delivering babies in November, according to a press release this morning. The closest hospital that provides such services is Chanute’s Neosho Memorial Regional Hospital. Saint Luke’s Health System, which manages the local hospital, said the change will become effective Nov. 14. Women who plan to deliver after Nov. 11 will need to find other arrangements. The decision was made because of the low number of deliveries at ACRH and the lack of a sufficient number of qualified physicians to provide adequate on-call and backup coverage. “Maternity programs face unique challenges because regulations require providers to live near the hospital so they can provide consistent 24/7 on-call services and back-up support,” said Steve Schieber, CEO of Saint Luke’s Critical Access Region. “This can be especially challenging for rural hospitals who need to recruit and retain multiple highly skilled physicians and nurses to meet this requirement. These challenges, coupled with the very low number of deliveries each year, made it clear we can better serve the community by adding and expanding other women’s services not readily available in the market.” The hospital will offer 3D mammography and expand the number of specialists available to Iola patients.
USD 257: COVID-19 is causing serious challenges By TREVOR HOAG The Iola Register
HUMBOLDT — “Our commissioners, our health department; they’re not in our schools,” said board chair Kevin Heisler. It was a statement of frustration that encapsulated much of the evening’s brief discussion during the USD 257 board meeting. Indeed, the night began with a rare “outside comment” from a concerned parent-teacher, who articulated numerous worries about how
Vol. 122, No. 244 Iola, KS 75 Cents
she thought COVID-19 precautions were negatively affecting students. “Personally, I don’t know why we’re requiring masks,” she said, and went on to argue that masks and social distancing were creating social-emotional problems, and would ultimately lead to decreased teacher retention. To conclude her statement, the parent-teacher also suggested that the board reject the mask mandate adopted by Allen County commissioners. She was not alone in her See COVID | Page A3
The USD 257 Humboldt school board discusses the many challenges brought about by COVID-19. REGISTER/TREVOR HOAG