Thursday, July 16, 2020
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Governor orders schools closed until Labor Day By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
Gov. Laura Kelly’s order to delay the opening of schools until after Labor Day surprised USD 257 Superintendent Stacey Fager. “We’ve been gearing up, getting ready to start the school year,” he said. “The
positives are it will put all school districts on the same page as far as start time, and it will give us more time to plan and get safety procedures in place to protect our students and staff.” The governor on Wednesday announced she would issue an executive order to delay the start of the school
year because of a resurgence in coronavirus cases. The Kansas Board of Education approved roughly 1,100 pages of reopening guidelines for local boards of education, which included such things as wearing masks, temperature checks and hourly handwashing. The guidelines weren’t mandatory, but Kelly said she
would require some of those safety measures once schools did open. KELLY’S announcement came as the state reported its worst weeklong spike in confirmed coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. See SCHOOLS | Page A3
Food for thought
Election worker Joyce Foster visits with John O’Mara at the Allen County Courthouse Wednesday, the first day of advance voting in Kansas. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Advance voting begins By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Several accommodations are in place for Allen Countians seeking to vote in the Aug. 4 primary election — or sooner, if they so choose. Advance voting began Wednesday at the courthouse, while Allen County Clerk Sherrie Riebel said her office was in the process of mailing out 447 ballots for voters who requested the vote-by-mail option. “That’s probably high for us right now,” Riebel said. “Statewide, the demand (for mail-in ballots) is very high this year.” The courthouse basement assembly room has been set up as an advance voting station up until election day. The basement will be open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through July 24, then from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 2731 and from 7 a.m. to noon Aug. 3. Riebel noted the spacious environs allow voters to easily social distance while they wait to cast their ballots. Those wishing to vote by mail must submit an application to the county clerk’s office “ASAP,” Riebel said. Ballots can be mailed out to voters no later than 3:30 p.m. July 28. Mailed ballots must either be returned to the county clerk’s office or dropped in the mail by Aug. 4, or they can be left at any of the four listed polling places in Allen County on election day: Iola’s John Silas Bass North Community Center, 505 N. Buckeye St.; Humboldt Methodist Church, 806 N. Ninth St.; the Gas Community Center, 624 W. Pine St.; and Moran SeSee VOTING | Page A3
Vol. 122, No. 182 Iola, KS 75 Cents
Marsha Frederick, food service director for Humboldt schools, sees food insecurity every day on the job. REGISTER/SUSAN LYNN
KANSAS NEWS SERVICE/CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN/KCUR.ORG
ACC braces for returning students — and COVID By TREVOR HOAG The Iola Register
With the fall semester looming, Allen Community College is bracing for the return of students amid the threat of COVID-19. As of now, the plan is to reopen both the Iola and Burlingame campuses, and to restart online courses, while taking an extensive series of precautions. The fall semester begins Aug. 17. With the campus crowded, and the county’s mandate in force, masks will be required for students and instructors while in class. According to vice president Jon Marshall, this will become part of “a new practice [or] culture” at ACC, while giving students “as much time with instructors as possible.” The college also is looking for ways to provide free cloth masks to each student. Students traveling to the campus from out of state and out of the country, especially athletes, will be tested for COVID-19, but they will not be responsible for paying for their own tests. “This gives us a sense of See ACC | Page A5
Local programs see high demand
Fall sports in limbo
By SUSAN LYNN The Iola Register
W
hen Judy Baker first lear ned she’d received a grant for $8,609 to expand the school district’s free summer food program, she wondered how she could spend it all. “I figured I had six weeks’ time,” said Baker, food service coordinator for USD 257. It took less than three weeks to plow through those funds, geared to provide free meals for adults. “I had no idea there would be such a demand,” Baker said. “It’s sad that there’s that big of a need here.” Baker said that from her
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A team of volunteers, including several Logan Pals 4-H members, hand out boxes of produce in Humboldt. observations, many of the takers were parents of the school children as well as area senior citizens. “Talk to Sherrie Riebel about the challenges with Meals on Wheels,” she said. Sure enough, they’re overwhelming. “I want to sit down and
cry every day, the need is so great,” said Riebel, who as Allen County Clerk helps oversee the food delivery program. Securing enough volunteers to deliver the meals to the homes of the elderly is a perennial problem. Riebel said members of See DEMAND | Page A5
Kansan executed despite mental illness claims
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Russia accused of hacking scheme PAGE A3