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THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
MARVELOUS JOB Koehn praised for revitalizing food service
date up to 32. “The goal is to increase sites and participation in this program,” Koehn said. “We won in providing great customer service for renovating this bus and we took it out to find people.” The M.A.R.V. bus made a total of eight stops per day, which included meals in Gas, LaHarpe, as well as multiple stops near Cedarbrook and Eisenhower Dr. With the new locations and extended months, there were 2,200 more meals served than last year. Two of the larger sponsors to help out with the program are Walmart and Thrive Allen County.
By CHRISTIAN GIN The Iola Register
Food service was expanded throughout the summer of 2017 across USD 257. Kathy Koehn, the district’s food coordinator, was the primary force behind the change. Koehn was recognized with the Child Nutrition & Wellness Kansans CAN Best Practice award on Aug. 8. Koehn said she was happy to receive this recognition from the state’s Department of Education. “It was a surprise and an honor,” Koehn said of her award. “It’s the first Kansans CAN Best Practice Award, so it’s kind of an honor to be one of those recipients.” Two of Koehn’s programs were M.A.R.V. — Meals and Reading Vehicle — and Fun Fridays. This past summer was the third installment of
Kathy Koehn M.A.R.V., which was funded by USDA, according to Koehn. M.A.R.V. students used a retired school bus renovated with dinette sets. This year,
the program expanded from only the month of June up through Aug. 10. Kids from ages 1-18 were able to eat for free. The bus can accommo-
Vandals target vehicles on U.S. 169 By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
To borrow a line from the movie “Mrs. Doubtfire,” two highway transports were the targets of drive-by “fruitings” Sunday night. The first occurred as a semi drove under the overpass of U.S. 169 that carries the Humboldt-to-Chanute road, once U.S. 169 itself. As the vehicle approached, a container of rotten tomatoes was hurled from the overpass and struck and broke the truck’s windshield severely enough to make it undriveable, said Allen County officers. A bit later and several miles north on the highway, near the Missouri Road overpass east of Iola, another transport driver was startled when “some rotten vegetation, smelling like tomatoes” struck his windshield. In that instance damage was
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THE ONLY sad note to the story is that Koehn will be leaving USD 257 on Sept. 1. Koehn’s husband, Jack, retired on June 30 as superintendent of USD 257 to take a position with OPAA! food service. “We’re just trying to get a feel for retirement and stuff,” Koehn said. “We’re hoping to travel more, do more, seeing our granddaughter and kids. We’ve lived here for four years and it was a good four years. We’re handing off our duties to someone else.” See KOEHN | Page A3
minimal and the driver continued on south, but did report the incident to Allen County 911. The two events are thought to be connected and reminded officers of a similar case from earlier in the summer. Then, a rural mailbox was thrown from the Missouri Road overpass and struck a pickup truck, causing considerable damage. Notable, officers said,
Iola sets budget for 2018 By SUSAN LYNN The Iola Register
Iola City Council members approved a 2018 budget that will increase property taxes by 8 percent at their meeting Tuesday night. The additional 3.581 mills will mean the owner of a $100,000 home would pay an additional $41.45 on their annual property taxes. The current levy is 44.898 mills. The additional funds will go into the general fund, which includes industrial funds and those that support the Bowlus Fine Arts Center and Iola Public Library. This year, the city expects to be about $100,000 in the hole, according to Sid Fleming, city administrator. For 2018, city officials have whittled expenditures in the general fund by $200,000, “but if we don’t do this increase we’ll still have a $68,000 shortfall,” Fleming said. “We either must cut serSee IOLA | Page A3
USD 257
Catron resigns 257 seat By RICK DANLEY The Iola Register
The USD 257 Board of Education voted on Monday to accept the resignation, effective immediately, of longtime board member Darrel Catron. Catron had been frequently absent from the district’s bi-monthly meetings during the months leading up to the announcement. Ac-
PHOTO COURTESY ALLEN COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
Iola Council
cording to Superintendent of Schools Stacey Fager, the Gas resident tendered his resignation by letter last month. The board has decided not to pursue a replacement during the interim, but will await the results of the Nov. 7 election, which pits LaHarpe resident Jennifer ColSee USD 257 | Page A3
was in that incident the pickup was following closely behind a semi, which may have been the target. No arrests have been made and no suspects have been identified in any of the cases. Officers said they would double-down on efforts to find and prosecute those responsible before such incidents lead to more serious results.
Humboldt Council
Humboldt budget level creeps up By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
HUMBOLDT — After a hearing measured in seconds during which no one commented or objected, Humboldt council members unanimously approved the town’s budget for 2018. Funding on the taxpayers’ nickel will come from a levy of 88.567 mills, slightly more
than 2 mills more than this year and almost exactly 3 mills more than in 2016. Budget authority, which limits expenditures, will be $3.6 million. Transfers, from that number, were pegged at $346,410. The budget doesn’t indicate an appreciable difference from this year’s expenditures of $3.374 million. The lion’s share of the levy is for the general fund, 86.996
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mills, with 1.571 for bond and interest payments. IN
OTHER
BUSINESS,
council members learned county improvements to Bridge and Ninth streets were progressing smoothly. Overlay of Bridge Street, from Ninth to the west city limit, began Monday and may be completed today. Ninth See HUMBOLDT | Page A3
A sunrise yoga program kicks off the grand opening celebration of the Minnesota State Capitol on Friday in St. Paul, Minn. Glen Stubbe/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS
Capitol a jewel in St. Paul MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesotans celebrated over the weekend the completion of a nearly four-year, $310 million restoration project to its state Capitol. And because the state never held an official grand opening when the Capitol made its debut in 1905, it also was an opportunity to celebrate Minnesota’s
““I bought some pork chops and told the butcher to make them lean. He said, ‘Which way?’” — Tommy Cooper, British comedian 75 Cents
past, present and future, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Speaking at the ribboncutting ceremony Friday morning, Gov. Mark Dayton applauded state lawmakers for working together “without rancor, without partisanship” to see the project See CAPITOL | Page A3
Hi: 89 Lo: 73 Iola, KS