Sports: Iola summer league results See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
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Monday, June 16, 2014
Workshop exhibits community pride By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
HUMBOLDT — Never was a workshop more aptly named. Saturday’s Day of PRIDE — where representatives from small communities across the state gathered to discuss how they work to improve their hometowns — also allowed Humboldt’s citizens to show how much can be accomplished with good old-fashioned teamwork. Saturday’s daylong workshop, themed “Dollars For Dreams,” allowed PRIDE representatives from several southeast Kansas communities to exchange ideas on everything from seeking grants and fundraising to improving local volunteerism and developing popular festivals or other events. Day of PRIDE was administered by the Kansas PRIDE Program, the Kansas De-
partment of Commerce and K-State Research and Extension, with the assistance of several corporate sponsors. Humboldt was one of three sites across the state to host Day of PRIDE activities. There was plenty to boast about locally. A bus tour of the Humboldt area showed how effective the power of cooperation between city government, the business community and local volunteers can be. Tour stops included the new USD 258 Sports Complex, the Humboldt Community Fieldhouse, Neosho River Park, the Southwind Rail Trail and local industrial leaders, B&W Trailer Hitches and Monarch Cement. The Neosho River Park, developed using a combination of grant funds, tax dollars and plenty of volunteer work, was the centerpiece of the tour. Saturday’s bus tour
In step with style Youngsters of all ages graced the Bowlus Fine Arts Center stage with an evening of dance routines as part of The Studio’s summer recital. Above, Jasmine Schlotterbeck, left, and Josie Weers dance in step. At left, Binni Means dances with Sarah Barry to a number. More photos of the event are available via the photos link at www.iolaregister. com. REGISTER/KAREN INGRAM
See PRIDE | Page A4
State Dept. ramps up embassy security in Iraq WASHINGTON (AP) — With Baghdad threatened by the advance of an al-Qaida-inspired insurgency, the State Department is reinforcing security at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq’s capital — and sending some personnel out of town. Much of the embassy staff will stay in place, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement released Sunday. The statement
did not say the number of personnel affected. The embassy, along the Tigris River in Baghdad’s Green Zone, has about 5,000 personnel and is the largest U.S. diplomatic post in the world. Some embassy staff members were being temporarily moved elsewhere to more stable places at consulates in Basra, in the Shiite-dominated south of Iraq, and Irbil, in the Kurdish semi-autono-
mous region in northeastern Iraq, and to Jordan, she said. “Overall, a substantial majority of the U.S. Embassy presence in Iraq will remain in place and the embassy will be fully equipped to carry out its national security mission,” she said. U.S. travelers in the country were encouraged to exercise caution and limit travel to certain parts of Iraq. “Due to the relocation of
Amateur radio gives blind woman avenue
By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
Sarah Fizwater talks to a friend on her radio. REGISTER/BOB JOHNSON
side of her home as well as a better radio. That’s when Sarah made her first contact with the woman in Emporia. “I was a little nervous about what to say at first,” Sarah said. “Having the antenna and new radio has opened up a whole new world for her,”
Quote of the day Vol. 116, No. 162
partment facilities in Baghdad safe. He said embassy personnel are being moved by commercial, charter and State Department aircraft, adding that the U.S. military has “airlift assets at the ready” should the State Department request them. A U.S. military official said about 100 Marines and Army soldiers have been sent to Baghdad to help with embasSee IRAQ | Page A4
Radio field day time to work out kinks
World of darkness ALICEVILLE — Sarah Fitzwater sat down at her ham radio table on a recent evening to visit with a woman in Emporia. The contact was made special because the two women are blind. Sarah, 37, has been blind since birth. Ham radio is her newest adventure. A gift of three years ago of a ham radio sparked her interest. “I’ve always been interested in other people and their hobbies,” which prompted her to learn all she could about ham radios, including involvement with the Iola Amateur Radio Club. In December she took the test for a technician license, which opened a new world. “She passed with flying colors,” said Ralph Romig of the IARC. Other members also have helped Fitzwater pursue the new passion, including installing an antenna on the
personnel from Baghdad, the embassy will only be restricted in its ability to offer all consular services; but emergency services are always available to U.S. citizens in need at any embassy or consulate anywhere in the world,” Psaki said. Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said in a statement that a “small number” of military personnel are helping to keep State De-
said Sarah’s mother, Bridgett Fitzwater. SARAH grew up in Linn County and attended public schools, with the help of a paraprofessional. She attended summer sessions at a school for the blind a couple of years, learning to type and See WOMAN | Page A4
For about 24 hours June 28 and 29 members of Iola’s Amateur Radio Club will test their skills at responding to an emergency whenever ham radio operators might provide the only link with the outside world. The annual national field day will have operators from through the nation setting up shop with radios. Their only power will be batteries and generators, no commercial connections. “It’s a chance for us to make sure we’re prepared to deal with any emergency,” said Ralph Romig, a founders of the club in 2007. The Iola club will be at Fees Park on the west side of Gas. “You can’t throw your equipment into a corner and then expect it to work on a moment’s notice,” Romig said. “The field day gives us a chance to work out the kinks and see how
“Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.” — Blaise Pascal, French mathematician 75 Cents
many other hams we can contact. “We’d love to have people come to see what we do and give us a chance to talk about amateur radio,” Romig said. A feature of the day will be a dipole antenna Romig built. “I’m more of a tinkerer than an operator,” he mused, while explaining how the dipole device will permit him to rotate it to better communicate. How extensive communications will be always depends on such things as the weather, sun spots and flares, and frankly the skill of the operator, Romig said. ROMIG HAS been involved in radio communications since his days as an oil field dispatcher in the Permian Basin of west Texas in the 1950s. After moving to Iola permanently about 10 years ago he was operating his amateur radio when he ran See RADIO | Page A4
Hi: 90 Lo: 72 Iola, KS