Sports: Humboldt baseball sweeps past Eureka See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
www.iolaregister.com
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
City debates use of federal lobbying firm
Spelling bee fun lies ahead
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
A chance to apply for a federal grant for street and trail improvements sparked another discussion about whether Iola receives enough benefit from a Washington, D.C.-based lobbyist. The discussion stemmed from City Administrator Carl Slaugh’s presentation Monday to Iola City Council members about a potential TIGER grant. The U.S. Department of Transportation has provided the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant for the past seven years targeting projects across the country that otherwise would have no local dedicated funding sources. Slaugh surmised Iola could apply for such a grant to rebuild U.S. 54 through Iola and/ or extend a trail along the Missouri Pacific rail corridor through Iola. While TIGER funds have been used largely in metropolitan areas, an added emphasis on rural projects has been stressed this year, Slaugh said. The U.S. 54 project — rebuilding it would cost $3 million or more — would fit into
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Adding the trail extension might make Iola’s chances more appealing. The city and state are collaborating on construction of the Missouri Pacific Trail from the Iola High School ten-
Teams are still taking shape for the “Bee for the Arts” a night of entertainment capped by an adult spelling bee April 25. Iola High School students Clara Wicoff, Trilby Bannister and Catherine Venter attended Monday’s Iola City Council meeting to invite council members and others in the community to participate. Proceeds will help fund Bannister and Venter’s trip to a national Forensics competition in Florida in May, as well as the upcoming Little Oscars celebration at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. Spelling bee teams can consist of up to five members. There is a $50 entry fee. Eight teams have regis-
See TIGER | Page A6
See BEE | Page A6
Iola High School students Trilby Bannister, left, and Catherine Venter hold signs at Monday’s Iola City Council meeting to tout an upcoming spelling bee to help fund their trip to a national Forensics competition in Florida in May. Also in the picture are councilmen Gene Myrick and Jon Wells, from left, Mayor Joel Wicoff and Councilman Bob Shaughnessy. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN the profile of a potential TIGER grant, Slaugh said. That’s because if Iola does a simple mill-and-overlay project, the city can receive state funding sources because it’s considered a repair. Those state funds are not available for a full rebuild, meaning the
city would foot the entire bill. The key is to convince grant providers the work could tie into economic development, “that it does something exciting to build a community,” Slaugh said. That’s where the trail work comes in.
Private firm to manage Humboldt pool in 2015 By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
Springtime beauty Colony’s Phyllis Luedke captured this image of freshly sprouted blossoms on a crabapple tree.
Anthem faces suit over data breach By JOHN HANNA The Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former candidate for Kansas governor said Monday that he and other attorneys who are suing two subsidiaries of Anthem Inc. can show that individuals were harmed after hackers breached the health insurer’s computer networks. Paul Davis and other attorneys who filed the lawsuit earlier this month in Douglas County District Court on behalf of a Kansas City, Kansas, woman also are urg-
ing participants in the state’s Medicaid program to consider joining the case. A similar lawsuit was filed in February in St. Louis County, Missouri. Davis, from Lawrence, is a partner in one of three law firms involved in both lawsuits. He also was the Democratic nominee for Kansas governor last year, narrowly losing to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. Brownback’s major firstterm initiatives included turning over the management of the state’s Medicaid program, which provides
health coverage to the needy and disabled, to three private health insurers. One is Amerigroup Kansas Inc., affiliated with Amerigroup Corp., an Anthem subsidiary. Hackers in December or January broke into an Anthem database with information for about 80 million people, including names, employment details and Social Security numbers. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said nearly 165,000 past and current recipients of state health coverSee ANTHEM | Page A6
HUMBOLDT — Humboldt’s plans to manage its swimming pool this summer fell victim to fine print in a contract with USA Pools, a Georgia corporation. USA and Humboldt agreed to a three-year contract in 2013 for the national group to manage the pool, including chemicals, for about $50,000 a year. All went reasonably well the first year, but in 2014 management, in the opinion of many residents and council members, disintegrated to a woeful level. After Monday night’s meeting council member Sunny Shreeve said she spent much of last summer trying to keep the pool on even keel. “Guess I can do it again this year,” if needed, she allowed. To get out of the contract, council was to inform the Georgia firm by Sept. 15, which it did not do. “I have had multiple discussions with USA management and have been unable to be released from the contract,” said Cole Herder, city administrator. “At this point, they are generating a proposal to address the management and safety concerns that we have. “I’m very disappointed,” but “the bottom line is we signed a contract and there’s no way to get out of it,” he added. Mayor Nobby Davis was just as pragmatic: “We just have to make the best of it this year,” with the expectation of having control of the pool in 2016.
Quote of the day
“Secrecy is the freedom tyrants dream of.”
Vol. 117, No. 114
75 Cents
— Bill Moyers, American journalist
While Herder wasn’t specific about problems with the pool during the 2014 season, he did say management and its appeal were “terrible,” including safety issues. Meanwhile, Herder recommended putting off any plans to repaint the interior of the pool. Herder said experts have advised him that rubberbased paint applied by city crews could lead to problems and it would be better to hire a contractor with experience in the process. Cost estimates ranged from $40,000 to more than $100,000, with the upper end being for paint guaranteed to last 25 years. COUNCIL MEMBERS put off until their May 11 meeting a decision on whether to use some form of chemical fogging to control mosquitoes this summer. “There are constituent concerns,” Herder said, including those who maintain the spray is harmful to butterfly gardens. Others worry about the effects of the chemicals on humans, he said. The mosquito control costs about $3,500 to $4,000 a season. Herder said about 83 percent of American cities do some form of fogging to discourage mosquitoes. “Talk to the people you represent and see what they have to say,” Herder encouraged council members. Iola has fogged on Tuesday and Thursday evenings for many years without any reSee POOL | Page A6
Hi: 64 Lo: 47 Iola, KS