Sports: Three Lady Cubs sign with ACC See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
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Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Students head to nationals for Forensics KS Senate OKs school funding By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
Two Allen County schools will compete in the National Catholic Forensics League tournament in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Memorial Day weekend. Iola High School participated in the Catholic Forensics League tournament in El Dorado on March 7 for the first time in many years. This is the first time Forensics coach Regina Chriestenson has taken students to the tournament. Junior Catie Venter placed first
in oral interpretation literature and prose. Her prose piece is “Miss Alaineus,” which is about a little girl in the fourth grade who thinks miscellaneous is a person. Her poetry piece is a twist on the classic Snow White tale. Venter has attended state Forensics before but the national tournament is new to her. “I’m pretty excited about the location of the competition and I have never competed in anything this extensive,” she said. Senior Trilby Bannister placed first in dramatic performance. See FORENSICS | Page A6
Marmaton Valley High School students, left, pose after a Forensics tournament in El Dorado on March 7. Front row from left are Tanna Lutz, Wyatt Bolinger, Clara Boyd; back row, Emily Boyd, Payton Wilson, Mitch Covey and Shauna Knight. Above, IHS students Trilby Bannister, left, and Catie Venter placed first in their respective categories at the same tournament. COURTESY PHOTOS
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s $4.1 billion plan to overhaul public school funding passed through the Senate on Monday, but a court challenge may block the measure before it gets off the ground. A panel of three district judges had issued the order Friday shortly after the proposal was passed by the Kansas House, saying it may block changes to the current formula due to a pending case on whether the state is funding schools at constitutionally adequate levels. An earlier nonbinding ruling by the court said Kansas must spend at least $548 million more on schools. The school funding overhaul is central to Brownback’s policy plans because aid to public schools is the biggest item in the state budget and settling it lays the groundwork for resolving other tax and spending questions. See SCHOOL | Page A6
LaHarpe hopefuls sound off on issues By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
LAHARPE — Seven of the eight candidates for public office in LaHarpe sounded off Monday on a variety of issues, from local code enforcement issues to ways to attract new business. The candidates appeared as part of a public forum hosted by LaHarpe PRIDE. Appearing were mayoral candidates Cynthia Carr, the
incumbent, and challengers Mae Crowell and Lloyd Wayne Turner. Four of the five City Council candidates were incumbent Savannah Flory, and Don Knavel Sr., David Lee and Danny Ware. Candidate Don Gay was absent. Brief synopses of the candidates follow: MAYOR CYNTHIA CARR, incum-
bent, was elected to the City See LAHARPE | Page A3
USD 258 candidates field forum questions By RICK DANLEY The Iola Register
HUMBOLDT — Four of the eight at-large candidates for USD 258’s school board answered questions from an audience at a forum last Saturday, in advance of the April 7 election. The candidates in attendance were Joyce Allen, Scott Murrow, Clayton Schoendaller and Briana Wilkerson. For introductions to each candidate, please see Monday’s Register. Part two of the forum’s coverage begins below:
What are your feelings about the district’s popular building trades program?
Murrow praised the excellence of the program. “I’m currently working commercial construction and operate a cow-calf operation in Elsmore. Anything that is vocational, we need to have. There are kids out there that don’t want to go to college — kids out there that have a very high mechanical aptitude, and we need to provide opportunities for those See HUMBOLDT | Page B4
Quote of the day Vol. 117, No. 94
Staff at Preferred Family Healthcare work with community members to overcome substance abuse. From left are Kristi Picht, Tara Solomon, Stacy Haines, Sharon Aldrich and Debra Kraai. Not pictured is Christine Haskew. REGISTER/KAYLA BANZET
Helping overcome life’s hurdles By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
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itnessing clients overcome their struggles with addiction is what makes counselor Christine Haskew’s career and dedication worthwhile. “I’ve been doing this for awhile. The people who are thankful and glad they entered counseling makes this definitely rewarding,” Haskew said. Haskew is a counselor at Preferred Family Healthcare, 726 W. Patterson Ave., in Iola. She and staff help clients with their struggles with addiction, battery intervention cases and
mental illness. Preferred Family Healthcare has come a long way since its beginning in 1979 with a small halfway house. In its first year, the Missouribased non-profit provided services for approximately 70 consumers. In 2014, the Iola office served 269 clients. The organization has continued to expand across Missouri and into Kansas with 31 locations. Iola’s office opened in 2009. In 2014, the Iola and Chanute offices were combined. Haskew works with clients in group treatment and individual settings. “My primary job is to provide drug and alcohol services but I also do a batterer inter-
“Be true to your work, your word, and your friend.” — John Boyle O’Reilly 75 Cents
vention program,” Haskew said. Clients are typically referred from attorneys or correction facilities. Sometimes they are referred by a church. “We also have people who come in on their own,” she said. “They need help and don’t have a court obligation.” Evening hours figure into her schedule in order to accommodate clients’ needs. Haskew’s upbringing drew her to counseling. Her mother suffered from a mental illness when she was a child and Haskew was placed in foster care. That experience influenced Haskew’s decision to make a career of helping othSee PFH | Page A6
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