Inside: Fundraiser for MV students Saturday
Sports: Iola’s Allen racks up tennis wins
2017 1867
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THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
www.iolaregister.com
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
Locals fight worldwide diseases By SHELLIE SMITLEY The Iola Register
World Immunization Week, April 24-30, targets awareness of the use of vaccinations to safeguard people of all ages against disease. Locally, the SEK MultiCounty Health Department aims to effectively vaccinate area school-aged children by working with school nurses to identify those who have a gap in their immunizations, and, after gaining parental consent, visiting the schools two to three times a year to administer the shots. Although the results of this assertive war on disease are positive, children in the area are not always staying up on their shots, said Deidre Wilson, a public health nurse with the SEKMCHD. Specifically, gaps exist with the human papillomavirus vaccinations. “A lot of them will get the first one but then since it is a series you don’t see them all the time come back to complete it,” she said. Children who start the vaccination series under the age of 14 should receive two doses, while children who start the series after 15 need three doses in
Thwarted attack rattles France
The SEK Multi-County Health Department works to effectively vaccinate area school-aged children by working with school nurses to identify students who have a gap in their administered immunizations. Pictured are SEKMCH Administrator Chardel Hastings and Public Health Nurse Deidre Wilson. REGISTER/SHELLIE SMITLEY order to help ensure efficacy, according to the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The vaccination process can begin with children as young as age 9, Administrator
Chardel Hastings said. The HPV virus can lead to 17 different kinds of cancer. Nearly 80 million — about one in four — are currently infected with the HPV virus
in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the National Cancer Institute, 27,000 men and See SHOTS | Page A3
PARIS (AP) — Security concerns shook France’s presidential campaign today as authorities announced arrests in a thwarted attack on the eve of the vote, and candidates urged tougher counterterrorism efforts for a country already under a state of emergency. Security has already been a strong campaign theme, and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen hardened her tone today on foreign extremists and border controls while centrist Emmanuel Macron called for national unity and stronger intelligence. Polls show Le Pen and Macron among four leading candidates with a chance of coming out on top of Sunday’s first round and reachSee FRANCE | Page A4
Iola City Council talks strategy By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Crop farmer Mike Petefish stands for a portrait alongside a planter in his barn on April 5 in Claremont, Minn. MINNEAPOLIS
STAR TRIBUNE/ANTHONY SOUFFLE/TNS
2017 may be tipping year for farm economy By TOM MEERSMAN Minneapolis Star Tribune
MINNEAPOLIS (TNS) — Mike Petefish already has the planter hooked up to his tractor in his farm yard, staged next to field cultivators and semis that can haul massive fertilizer tanks and large bins with conveyor belts called seed tenders. Crates of corn and soybean seeds are stacked floor to ceiling in the machine shed nearby. Petefish, who farms 5,000 acres near Claremont in south-central Minnesota, is ready to plant. But mixed with excitement as a new growing season approaches is anxiety about whether he will end up in the red at the end of the year. Soy-
bean prices have dropped by one-third since 2013 and corn prices are down by nearly half, well below the cost of production. “People can withstand a year or two of losses, but this could be the third year in a row for some farmers,” Petefish said. “I see this as the tipping year.” No one is saying that farmers are headed for a repeat of the 1980s, when high interest rates, inflation and huge debt forced thousands of producers out of business. But the tougher agriculture market and weakened farm economy of the past few years is steadily taking its toll, and cracks are beginning to show. University of Minnesota Extension researchers reSee FARMS | Page A3
Quote of the day Vol. 119, No. 121
While few if any specific details were covered, Iola City Council members anticipated discussing further the city’s financial stability, infrastructure and economic development as they kicked off a two-day planning session. The first session was Monday, but rather than diving straight into the topics at hand, Council members participated in a few exercises geared to helping them focus more closely on themes they considered most important. The exercises were led by Trudy Rice, a community development specialist with K-State Research and Extension, and Carla Nemecek, Southwind Extension agent. After a brief introduction about the process, Rice and Nemecek had Council members write down issues they considered most important for the city, such as housing, youth issues. From there, an informal vote — Council members placed dots on the issues they thought deserved the highest priority — showed most wanted to focus on the aforementioned financial stability, infrastructure and economic development. The issues will be covered at length at tonight’s planning session, which begins with a meal at 5:30 at the Allen Community College Con-
Iola City Council members Aaron Franklin, from left, and Nancy Ford speak with Assistant City Administrator Corey Schinstock during a strategic planning session Monday. REGIS-
TER/RICHARD LUKEN
ference Room. The public is invited. CITY ADMINISTRATOR
Sid Fleming explained his rationale for seeking the two-night planning session. As a relative newcomer to Iola — he was hired last summer — Fleming said his target was to ensure he remained on the same page with the Council. “I’m trying to figure out what you folks, myself and my staff do on a daily basis, and where we’re going,” Fleming said. “I’m not sure I have a clear, definitive idea of what that is. “I want to make sure that I have a clear picture of what the Council’s desire is on whatever issues are discussed. There may be issues the Council hasn’t addressed, but if I know the things around it, it will ensure we’re all working to-
“The basis of optimism is sheer terror.” — Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) 75 Cents
ward the common goal.” Fleming said his ultimate goal was to prevent duplication of services, or gaps where city tasks aren’t being accomplished to the Council’s standards. “Or maybe there are things we shouldn’t be doing,” he continued. “It’s important for the city to provide leadership to the community. We can say, ‘Here’s a vision; here’s what we want to do.’” He rattled off a list of potential topics, from whether the Council wants to expand or better market Iola’s newly developed trail system for enthusiasts; whether Iola’s city sales tax should be extended past 2019; whether the Council remains desirous to pursue annexation of neighboring subdivisions; or how to develop downtown. “”It’s good for the Council See PLANS | Page A3
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