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THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
www.iolaregister.com
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Winter comes early, road crews prepared By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Temperatures dipped to a record-tying 4 degrees in Iola today. Temperatures rose to 10 by sunrise, as evidence by the Landmark Bank clock at left, Above, Jerren Macormac is escorted by Mary Erbe on his way to Lincoln Elementary School. Warmer weather is in store the rest of the week. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Free potatoes on the menu By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
Enough potatoes to feed a small army will be given away Saturday. Through a project sponsored by United Methodist Men and the Iola Food Pantry, 1,500 pounds of spuds will be given away in 10-pound sacks — one sack to a family — at Calvary United Methodist Church’s parking lot, 118 W. Jackson Ave., starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. “We had a similar potato giveaway about a month ago and they were all gone in two hours,” said the Rev. Tom Waters, who looks after food distribution from the food pantry, at the corner of Broadway and Wash-
Winter doesn’t arrive officially for another five weeks, and meteorologists agree the recent arctic blast that brought more than 2 inches of snow and plummeting temperatures to the area was tied to a freak occurrence — Typhoon Nuri in the North Pacific. In any event, it gave local road crews an early start on wintry weather responses. City, county and state road crews were out in response to the Sunday snow storm that blanketed much of the state. Iola street and alley workers spread 11 truckloads of ice melt along various streets and intersections to help keep roadways cleared. County workers headed out at 4 a.m. Monday with plows and salt spreaders, particularly in the
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gay and lesbian couples wed Monday evening on the steps of a historic courthouse in Wichita, even as officials elsewhere in Kansas refused to issue marriage licenses to samesex partners because the state Supreme Court has not yet signed off. The Kansas court deliberated in private for hours Monday, but at least a few state district court judges and clerks took their cues from a U.S. Supreme Court decision last week allowing gay marriages to go forward despite the state’s ban, reinforced by a
By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
ington streets, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. As for the pantry, Waters said food stocks were “pretty good right now,” with some recent generous contributions, but “that can change quickly with Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up.” Waters said the pantry always was in need of nonperishable packaged food, as well as monetary contributions. The pantry purchases much of the food it distributes through the Kansas Food Bank, Wichita, at a fraction of what it costs in retail outlets. Donations of processed meat from a cow recently added to the pantry’s frozen protein stock, but that also will go quickly.
provision in the Kansas Constitution. The state’s highest court was reviewing a petition from Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt, seeking to block marriage licenses for samesex couples until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on whether state bans on gay marriage are constitutional. Spokeswoman Lisa Taylor couldn’t say when the Kansas court would rule. Federal courts already have stepped in because of a lawsuit filed last month by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of two lesbian couples denied licenses in Douglas and Sedgwick counties. The U.S. Supreme Court last week refused to allow
Quote of the day Vol. 117, No. 17
See WEATHER | Page A6
New store brings country to city A cozy, country store has sprouted up on the Iola town square. Wooden creations from Country Traditions have filled the storefront at 104 S. Washington Ave. Chad Turner is owner of the wooden handcraft store. When customers walk into Turner’s new store they are greeted with a toasty fire place, a free warm beverage and a smile. The idea for the business all started on a rainy spring break in 2012. Turner was looking for something to do and began working in his shop. He posted some of his woodwork projects on Facebook and by the end of the week he had more than 60 orders. “We’ve always advertised items per order,” Turner said. “We didn’t have items stockpiled somewhere.”
Chad Turner stands behind the counter at this new store, Country Traditions, located at 104 S. Washington Ave. REGISTER/KAYLA BANZET
He makes everything with wood, from signs to lawn furniture. His growing hobby became popular in the Facebook uni-
Gay couples wed in Kansas, but not in all counties By JOHN HANNA The Iola Register
northern and western parts of the county, where up to 3 inches of snow fell. Crews from the Kansas Department of Transportation, meanwhile, were out in force prior to Sunday’s storm, pretreating bridges with salt brine to prevent them from freezing over. The crews returned to the roads Sunday morning as the first flakes started to accumulate. It’s much too soon to tell if the weekend storm is a harbinger of rough winter weather, which could lead to ice melt supply problems. Bill King, Allen County public works director, and Dan Leslie, Iola street and alley superintendent, said they were alerted in recent months to potential shortages of salt used to treat icy roads. The shortages have yet to be real-
We wanted to be part of something historic .
See COUNTRY | Page A6
Fake cash passed around Iola
“We wanted to be part of something historic,” said Scott Tholl, a 34-year-old Wichita resident who married his partner of 12 years, Raymond, 57. Yet state district court clerks who issue marriage licenses were getting different orders in different areas. The chief judge for Butler,
Iola police are investigating a series of incidents in which somebody distributed fake $20 bills at local businesses. Employees at McDonald’s, Sonic Drive-In and Iola’s utility office all reported receiving the funny money, Iola Police Department spokesman Bob Droessler said. The McDonald’s report came in Sunday night; the Sonic on Monday. “We think they’re related, but I haven’t had an
See MARRIAGE | Page A6
See MONEY | Page A6
— Scott Tholl, Wichita, who married his partner of 12 years Monday
Kansas to enforce its gay-marriage ban while the federal case moves forward, and gay couples have obtained licenses in at least a handful of the state’s 105 counties. The First Metropolitan Community Church in Wichita had a wedding Monday for 14 gay and lesbian couples outside the old Sedgwick County courthouse. About 100 people attended.
verse. Someone suggested he turn his hobby into a storefront business. Turner joking-
“You know how advice is. You only want it if it agrees with what you wanted to do anyway.” — John Steinbeck 75 Cents
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