Hardwood heartbreak: Mustangs come up short against Burlington.
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THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
www.iolaregister.com
County asked to consider incentives
Perry tapped to lead energy department
By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
Darrell Monfort asked Allen County commissioners Tuesday morning to consider initiating an effort to help Iola and other towns in the Darrell county coun- Monfort teract the loss of commercial business. “Iola isn’t unique,” Monfort, who owns and operates Red Barn Veterinary Clinic, said. “I’ve traveled quite a bit in Kansas and Oklahoma recently” and found many towns, small and large, had suffered abandonments of downtown businesses. His suggestion is that the county consider tax incentives to help new owners of established businesses as they attempt to keep their concerns alive and well. “Maybe a five-year tax abatement would help,” Monfort said. “The first few years are the toughest for a new owner.” Monfort’s plan would not ignore fledgling business, which already qualify for tax considerations, but also would help those that are in place when their owners find it time to retire. Commissioners were receptive. “I think it’s a good idea,” said Tom Williams, for Moran, Humboldt and others as well as Iola. A committee approach would include representatives from towns and groups intent on expanding local economies. “Everyone should be a player,” Monfort said. He also brought up wind farms, with a pending blueprint before the countywide planning commission to accommodate renewable power companies. “I’m not anti-wind farm, See COUNTY | Page A4
An overturned semitractor-trailer rig lies in the ditch north of Iola Tuesday following a wreck that claimed the life of a 21-year-old Wichita woman. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Driver killed in accident A 21-year-old Wichita woman was killed Tuesday when the vehicle she was driving collided head-on with a semitractor-trailer rig north of Iola. The Kansas Highway Patrol reported Jahneesa C. Trowers, Wichita, was northbound on U.S. 169, about five miles north of Iola, when her 2006 Kia Sorento crossed the center line and collided with the southbound truck
driven by Karwan S. Shuker, 32, Lincoln, Neb. Trowers’ sport utility vehicle wound up in the west ditch. Shuker’s truck careened into the east ditch and turned onto its side, flipping the trailer as well. The trailer came to rest on the side of the highway. Trowers was declared dead at the scene, troopers said. Shuker was transported to Allen County Region-
al Hospital for what were described by deputies as injuries not considered lifethreatening. Crews closed a portion of the highway for several hours while the wreckage was cleared and KHP investigators studied the accident. The truck was hauling containers of hydraulic fluid, which also needed to be cleaned up before the toppled trailer could be removed.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rick Perry, Presidentelect Donald Trump’s choice for Energy secretary, has close ties to the Texas oil Rick Perry industry and has corporate roles in two petroleum companies pushing to get government approval for the proposed 1,200mile crude oil pipeline that has stoked mass protests in North Dakota. Perry’s current roles as board director at Energy Transfer Partners LP and also at Sunoco Logistics Partners LP, which jointly developed the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline project, is a strong indicator of the prooil industry sentiment that will likely take root at the Energy Department under his oversight. Perry is close See PERRY | Page A4
From left, Kendall Glaze, Brooklyn Ellis, Hailey Stogsdill, Kinsey Schinstock and Emilia Wilkerson handle percussion.
‘Holiday Style’ Lincoln Elementary School brought a wide variety of musical genres to its Christmas program Tuesday at the Bowlus Fine Arts çenter. Among the performers were, above, Kaysin Crusinbery, from left, Alexia Trickey and Kelson DePaola on drums; and back from left, vocalists Chris Holloway, Ben Kerr and Shelby Peter. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Caroline Toland, from left, Makayla Dunne and Madeleine Wanker play the xylophone.
257 school board briefed on tech center’s progress By RICK DANLEY The Iola Register
IMS artists on display Iola Middle School students, from left, Greg Geiler, Ivory Morrison, Paige Kress, Olivia Tremain and Rachel Cochran hold several pieces of art that will be on display 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday as part of the IMS Art Show in the middle school commons area. Visitors are encouraged to vote for their three favorite pieces. The students are taught by Joyce Atkinson. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Quote of the day Vol. 119, No. 29
The Rural Regional Tech Center, in LaHarpe, is the newest feature in the ecology of learning in southeast Kansas, and its advent hasn’t gone unnoticed. In November, Thrive Allen County handed its top honor to the tech center at the group’s annual community awards banquet. Thrive praised the tech center — and its many backers — for marshaling the support and resources required to transform the dream of a vocational school from an idle want into a solid reality. With the first semester coming to a close, USD 257
“A riot is the language of the unheard.” — Martin Luther King Jr. 75 Cents
Superintendent of Schools Jack Koehn provided board members with a “big picture” snapshot of the tech center at Monday’s Board of Education meeting. “While it hasn’t been without its costs,” Koehn reflected, “we really do have a vital program on our hands.” Of the 20 students enrolled last semester, explained the superintendent, 15 are from Iola. The others are from Marmaton Valley and Crest. Students were provided three constructionskills courses during the program’s inaugural semester. Koehn flashed slides of some of the student projects See TECH ED | Page A4
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