The Iola Register, Nov. 18, 2022

ACC lists reasons to hope

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

The holiday season can be difficult for those with mental health issues.

For the Allen Community College Theatre Department, Thanksgiving is just the right time to talk about it. “Every Brilliant Thing,” is a poignant performance offered at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Satur day at the Allen Theatre.

The play is about looking for grateful moments. It’s also an interactive and immersive experience that asks the audi ence to be part of the show.

ACC student Marissa Friend does the heavy lifting as the narrator, who shares painful stories of growing up with a suicidal mother. As a child dealing with her moth er’s first suicide attempt, she decides to write a list of 100 brilliant things that make life worth living in order to raise her mother’s spirits.

As for the rest of the cast, well, that’s where the audi

Iola Public Library to host Game Day Wednesday

The Iola Public Library will bring in the Thanksgiv ing holiday with games aplen ty next week.

The library is hosting Game Day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, with patrons of all ages invited to par take in any of 100-plus board games.

The games range from the classics, such as chess or Mo nopoly, to newer varieties like

Land bank proposal takes shape

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

After more than a year of talks, Allen County is close to approving a land bank.

County commissioners met Tuesday with Jonathon Goering of Thrive Allen County as he puts the finish ing touches on a land bank proposal, seen as a tool for attracting developers.

Under a land bank, a city or county has the power to re move delinquent tax obliga tions on abandoned property so that it can be transferred to a new owner without that financial burden. It makes the property more appealing to developers, and in some cases the government may sell it for a minimal amount, such as $1.

Officials in Iola, Hum boldt, Gas, LaHarpe and Mil dred have expressed interest

Wings and Scythe. Free snacks and beverages will help make the day a par ty.

Players from ages 1 to adult are invited.

As an aside, the library checks out games and puz zles, including a growing collection of XBox One and PS4 video games for everyone ages 10 or older. Popular se lections as “Divinity Original

Sin 2” and “Bloodborne” are in the catalog. Donations of gently used games are welcome.

THE LIBRARY, which is closed Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving, will con tinue its parent/child work shop series at 6:30 p.m. Tues day. Lindsey Shaughnessy of the Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Depart

ment will discuss nutrition.

The program is part of the library’s free month-long se ries for parents and children ages 3 and under. The Nov. 29 session, on music and move ment, will be the wrap-up.

Participants may pre-regis ter by calling 620-365-3262.

Regular Monday night pro grams continue, with Chess Club at 6 o’clock and In Stitches crochet at 6:30.

GOP wins control of House

Feasting with family

Iola Elementary School parents were invited to join students at Wednes day’s school lunch, a turkey and potatoes meal, as part of the school’s annual Thanksgiving feast. Above, Heather Mentzer joins her sons Case, let, and Elijah.

At right, Gavin, right, and Charlee Granere are joined by their mother, Luanne.

REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

WASHINGTON (AP) — Re publicans won control of the U.S. House on Wednesday, re turning the party to power in Washington and giving con servatives leverage to blunt President Joe Biden’s agenda and spur a flurry of inves tigations. But a threadbare majority will pose immediate challenges for GOP leaders and complicate the party’s ability to govern.

More than a week after Election Day, Republicans se cured the 218th seat needed to flip the House from Demo cratic control. The full scope of the party’s majority may not be clear for several more days — or weeks — as votes in competitive races are still being counted.

But they are on track to cobble together what could

COURTESY PHOTO

Marissa Friend, left, is the central character of the Allen Community College production of “Every Brilliant Thing.” Here, she interacts with audience member Austin Morris for the play, which runs through Saturday at the ACC Theatre at 7:30 p.m. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

Kansans share insights into soul-breaking experiences of foster children

By TIM CARPENTER Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — Kansas

foster parents Meaghan and Blake Briscoe were asked to welcome into their home a newborn who ended up staying with them for three years.

They eagerly collabo rated with the biological mother in an attempt to stabilize her life, but her parental rights were severed after 20 months. The father, who had a history of violent crime, abandoned the child. Cornerstones of Care, a foster care agen cy under contract with the Kansas Department for Children and Fami lies, recommended the father’s rights be termi nated.

Blake Briscoe told an legislative committee working on child wel fare issues Wednesday that DCF inexplicably ordered during a closeddoor meeting that Cor nerstones of Care re verse its assessment so the child could be unit ed with the biological father. He said micro management verging on conflict of interest be tween DCF and Corner stones of Care should be remedied.

“They forced Corner stones of Care to change their recommendation. In a 35-day period, to see the soul of a three-yearold broken is something I don’t wish on anyone. They just want to force a square peg into a round hole,” Blake Briscoe said.

The child was trans ferred to care of the bio logical father 19 months ago, but the Briscoes have been able to meet with the child a few times.

Blake Briscoe urged the Legislature to amend state law to allow foster parents to partic

ipate in conversations with DCF or contractors about placement of the 7,000 Kansas children in foster care. Parents proven to have aban doned a child should forfeit the right to raise that kid, he said.

In addition, he rec ommended the Legisla ture impose greater ac countability on lawyers appointed by courts to serve as guardian ad li tem for children in need of care. The attorney as signed to the infant who shared the Briscoe’s home never met the child, he said.

Louisburg Sen. Molly Baumgardner, a Repub lican on the child wel fare committee, pivoted from Briscoe’s testimo ny to questioning Laura Howard, secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Fam ilies, as to how DCF, a foster care contractor or the state’s court system could rationally declare, “Yes, this is the best in terest for that 3-year-old child.”

Howard said she would look into details of issues raised by the Briscoe family.

“Relative connec tions are important, but they’re not the only thing,” the DCF secre tary said. “It’s really im portant to look at every

Burlington church plans nativities display

BURLINGTON — The public is invited to enjoy a Nativities and Noels event hosted by mem bers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Lat ter-day Saints in Burl ington.

The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 5

p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, at the chapel at 518 Jason St. (west of the golf course).

The display will fea ture 250 nativities from all over the world. Live performances will be presented throughout the day.

Foot found at Yellowstone ID’d

YELLOWSTONE NA

TIONAL PARK, Wyo.

(AP) — A foot found floating in a Yellowstone National Park hot pool last summer belonged to a 70-year-old man from Los Angeles, park offi cials said Thursday.

It still isn’t clear how the man, Il Hun Ro, end ed up in the spring, but that investigators don’t

suspect foul play, park officials said in a state ment.

Park staff found Ro’s partial foot inside of a shoe in Abyss Pool in the park’s West Thumb Geyser Basin in August.

Investigators conclud ed that whatever hap pened to Ro occurred on the morning of July 31, but that nobody saw it.

situation individually in terms of what that child’s best interests are.”

‘Difficult to hear’ Rep. Susan Concan non, a Beloit Republican who chairs the legisla tive committee, said she appreciated willingness of individuals to share firsthand insight into complex situations in volving children in fos ter care.

“I know some of it is very difficult to share and it’s also difficult to hear from out end of it,” Concannon said.

Two of her constit uents, Tom and Susie Tuggle, outlined their effort to assist two children in temporary placement after their mother died of cancer.

The Tuggles said DCF and foster care contrac tor Saint Francis Min istries were intent on placing the girls with a biological relative.

Susan Tuggle said the girls had different fathers and both men were interviewed about assuming parenting re sponsibilities. She said one of the men will be in prison until 2025 on con victions for engaging in pornography with the girls’ stepsisters. The other father had been jailed for making vio

lent threats at a hospital and at residents of Con cordia, she said.

Several weeks ago, Susan Tuggle said, the children were placed with a grandmother.

The better choice would have been the male friend of the de ceased mother who had provided a safe home for the girls until DCF stepped in, said Tom Tuggle, a retired district court judge.

“We know that keep ing family together is important, but we don’t think that should be the sole criteria and we’re concerned DCF relies unduly on keeping the family together or put ting them with a relative who may not be the best choice,” he said.

75 holes in the wall Deacon Godsey, pas tor of Vintage Church in Lawrence, said his family accepted a 7-yearold nonverbal autistic child into their home in March 2020. His wife, Jill, had some experi ence with autistic chil dren, but Godsey had no training on how to work with someone with ex ceptional behavioral challenges that included self-harm and physical harm to others.

He said the child he referred to as Jay

should have received intensive services years before landing at their Lawrence home. The child, he said, had yet to be formally diag nosed with autism and hadn’t been qualified for a broad palette of pro fessional intervention services. Some social workers involved with the child had little expe rience with this level of disability, he said.

“At one point,” God sey said, “it became clear that some of them, despite good hearts and right motives, weren’t familiar with the Amer icans With Disabilities Act or how it related to Jay’s rights or care.”

Providers of intellec tual and developmen tal disability services withdrew or declined to accept Jay as a client due to her physical ag gression, Godsey said. During time she spent in their home, Godsey said, the child used the back of her head to punch about 75 holes in wallboard, smash a hole in the wall of a tiled shower and shattered the window of a vehicle.

“Despite a variety of medical interventions, ongoing applied behav ioral analysis therapy, an incredibly support ive school environment and all the love we had, we simply weren’t equipped or trained to provide the kind of con stant care required for Jay’s level of unpredict able aggression,” God sey said.

After more than two years of fostering, he said Jay was assessed at Wichita and Paola facili ties to determine if she qualified for placement at Parsons State Hospi tal.

“The question is, was this result for Jay’s long term care inevitable?” Godsey said.

the com mittee that Kansas would be well-served by investing real author ity in an independent agency responsible for reviewing DCF cases to determine whether policies and procedures were followed by Saint Francis Ministries and other foster care con tractors.

Fowler said trouble for her began in 2016 when her 16-year-old son experienced behavior issues, but miscommu nication led law enforce ment to false allegations of parental negligence.

“Over the next two years, we were ignored as parents, challenged on all our suggestions to assist our child and waited months to finally receive unsubstantiat ed findings from DCF,” Fowler said.

Eleven different case workers were involved in her family’s case, Fowler said. She spoke only twice with a case worker seeking infor mation about her son. He eventually aged out of foster care, she said, but was sent to jail due to a methamphetamine addiction acquired while in foster care.

“It was daunting to try and find a way to save my children and file a complaint against DCF,” Fowler said. “The world wide pandemic sounds like a vacation in com parison to dealing with DCF and Saint Francis.”

Gov. Laura Kelly es tablished a Division of the Child Advocate to conduct inquiries into foster care cases. The ombudsman in that of fice is Kerrie Lonard, who is required to pub licly release findings in an annual report. The first report is expected to be released in January.

Lake refuses to concede in Arizona governor’s race

PHOENIX (AP) —

Refusing to concede, Kari Lake, the defeated Republican candidate for Arizona governor, said Thursday she is assembling lawyers and collecting evi dence of voters having trouble casting ballots on Election Day as she considers her next move.

Lake, in a 2½ minute video, made no men tion of giving up in her most extensive public comments since losing the election. Before the election, she had refused to say that she would concede if she

lost the race to Democrat Katie Hobbs.

“Rest assured I have assembled the best and brightest legal team, and we are exploring every avenue to correct the many wrongs that have been done this past week,” Lake said. “I’m doing everything in my power to right these wrongs.”

She pointed to long lines at some polling places that were exacer bated by problems with ballot printers at about a third of the vote cen ters in Maricopa County, the largest county in the state. She said the prob

lems disenfranchised voters who couldn’t wait at the polls.

“What happened to Arizonans on Election Day is unforgivable,” she said.

County election of ficials said that all bal lots were counted and that voters could go to any polling place in the county, many of which had little to no line, with wait times posted online.

Election officials traced the problems to a printer setting that

sometimes led to ballots printing too lightly for the on-site tabulators to read. They said they used the same settings in the August primary and for pre-election test ing and there were no widespread issues.

About 17,000 ballots were not scanned at pre cinct-based vote count ers and were instead placed in a collection box to be counted by more sophisticated machines at the county’s election headquarters.

Independent oversight Kristine Fowler of Smith County said in testimony to

Meaghan and Blake Briscoe shared with child welfare committee of the Kansas Legislature their experience of caring for a foster child from birth until forced to surrender the child at age 3 to the biological father by the state. (KANSAS REFLEC

TOR SCREEN CAPTURE FROM KANSAS LEGISLATURE YOUTUBE CHANNEL)

Same-sex marriage legislation clears key Senate hurdle

WASHINGTON (AP) — Legislation to protect same-sex and interracial marriages crossed a major Senate hurdle Wednesday, putting Congress on track to take the historic step of ensuring that such unions are enshrined in federal law.

Twelve Republicans voted with all Democrats to move forward on the legislation, meaning a final vote could come as soon as this week, or later this month. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the bill ensuring the unions are legally recognized under the law is chance for the Senate to “live up to its highest ideals” and protect marriage equality for all people.

“It will make our country a better, fairer place to live,” Schumer said, noting that his own daughter and her wife are expecting a baby next year.

Senate Democrats are quickly moving to pass the bill while the party still controls the House. Republicans won the House majority Wednesday and are unlikely to take up the issue next year.

In a statement after the vote, President Joe Biden said he will sign the bill once it is passed.

“Love is love, and Americans should have the right to marry the person they love,” Biden said.

The bill has gained steady momentum since the Supreme Court’s June decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and the federal right to an abortion. An opinion at that time from Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that an earlier high court decision protecting same-sex marriage could also come under threat.

The legislation would repeal the Clinton-era Defense of Marriage Act and require states to recognize all marriages that were legal where they were performed.

The new Respect for Marriage Act would also protect interracial marriages by requiring states to recognize legal marriages regardless of “sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin.”

Congress has been moving to protect samesex marriage as support from the general public — and from Republicans in particular — has sharply grown in recent years, as the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalized gay marriage nationwide. Recent polling has found more than two-thirds of the public supports same-sex unions.

Still, many Republicans in Congress have been reluctant to support the legislation, with many saying it was unnecessary while the marriages are still protected by the courts.

Democrats delayed consideration until after the midterm elections, hoping that would relieve political pressure on some GOP senators who might be wavering.

Starbucks employees strike at 100 U.S. stores

By DEE-ANN DURBIN The Associated Press

Starbucks workers at more than 100 U.S. stores are on strike Thursday in their largest labor action since a campaign to unionize the company’s stores began late last year.

The walkouts coincide with Starbucks’ annual Red Cup Day, when the company gives free reusable cups to customers who order a holiday drink. Workers say it’s often one of the busiest days of the year. Starbucks declined to say how many red cups it plans to distribute.

Workers say they’re seeking better pay, more consistent schedules and higher staffing levels in busy stores. Stores in 25 states planned to take part in the labor action, according to Starbucks Workers United, the group organizing the effort. Strikers are handing out their own red cups with union logos.

Starbucks, which opposes the unionization effort, said it is aware of the walkouts and respects its employees’ right to lawfully protest. The Seattle company noted that the protests are happening at a small number of its 9,000 company-run U.S. locations.

“We remain commit-

ted to all partners and will continue to work together, side-by-side, to make Starbucks a company that works for everyone,” the company said Thursday in a statement.

Some workers planned to picket all day while others will do shorter walkouts. The union said the goal is to shut stores down during the strikes, and noted that the company usually has difficulty staffing during Red Cup Day because it’s so busy.

Willow Montana, a shift manager at a Starbucks store in Brighton, Massachusetts, planned to strike because Starbucks hasn’t begun bargaining with the store despite a successful union vote in April.

“If the company won’t bargain in good faith, why should we come to work where we are understaffed, underpaid and overworked?” Montana said.

Others, including Michelle Eisen, a union organizer at one of the first stores to organize in Buffalo, New York, said workers are angry that Starbucks promised higher pay and benefits to non-union stores. Starbucks says it is following the law and can’t give union stores pay hikes without bargaining.

A proposed amendment to the bill, negotiated by supporters to bring more Republicans on board, would clarify that it does not affect rights of private individuals or businesses that are already enshrined in law. Another tweak would make clear that a marriage is between two people, an effort to ward off some far-right criticism that the legislation could endorse polygamy.

Three Republicans said early on that they would support the legislation and have lobbied their GOP colleagues to support it: Maine Sen. Susan Collins, North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman. They argued that there was still value in enshrining the rights for such marriages even if the courts don’t invalidate them.

“Current federal law doesn’t reflect the will or beliefs of the American people,” Portman said ahead of the vote. “It’s time for the Senate to settle the issue.”

In the end, nine of their GOP colleagues joined them in voting for it, bringing the total to twelve and providing enough votes needed to overcome a filibuster

in the 50-50 Senate. The other Republicans who voted for the legislation were Sens. Richard Burr of North Carolina, Todd Young of Indiana, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Mitt Romney of Utah, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska.

The growing GOP support for the issue is a sharp contrast from even a decade ago, when many Republicans vocally opposed same-sex marriages. The legislation passed the House in a July vote with the support of 47 Republicans — a larger-than-expected number that gave the measure a boost in the Senate.

On Tuesday, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints became the most recent conservative-leaning group to back the legislation. In a statement, the Utah-based faith said church doctrine would continue to consider same-sex relationships to be against God’s commandments, but it would support rights for same-sex couples as long as they didn’t infringe upon religious groups’ right to believe as they choose.

Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat who is the first openly gay senator and has been working on gay rights issues for almost four decades, said the newfound openness from many Republicans on the subject reminds her “of the arc of the LBGTQ movement to begin with, in the early days when people weren’t out and people knew gay people by myths and stereotypes.”

Baldwin said that as more individuals and families have become

visible, hearts and minds have changed.

“And slowly laws have followed,” she said. “It is history.”

Schumer said the issue is personal to him, as well.

“Passing the Respect for Marriage Act is as

personal as it gets for many senators and their staffs, myself included,” Schumer said. “My daughter and her wife are actually expecting a little baby in February. So it matters a lot to so many of us to get this done.”

Holiday Horrors –The Dangers of Holiday Foods to Pets

By Nicole Haney, Registered Veterinary Technician

The holidays are quickly approaching, and with the holidays comes lots of delicious food. While many people are understandably excited to invite family for a special celebration and meal, pet owners need to consider the health and safety of their pets in the upcoming months. Holiday dinners traditionally consist of many foods that can be harmful when given to pets. Changes in diet, additional fats, and toxic foods or seasonings can put a damper on holiday festivities.

Most pets are on a consistent diet year-round. This helps them to stay in shape, keep predictable health, and keep their stomachs happy. Pets tend to have sensitive stomachs when it comes to new foods. Introducing any large volume of new food can cause digestive upset, vomiting, or diarrhea. Owners should consider limiting how much of the holiday meal they allow their pet to sample.

Traditional holiday foods are often fattier and richer than foods eaten throughout the year. Ham is a prime example of this; the meat is rich and delicious, and it may be tempting for owners to share this joy with their pets. Unfortunately, the additional fat that a pet is not used to can cause many health problems. Diarrhea, vomiting, digestive upset, and even conditions such as pancreatitis can result from allowing pets to overindulge in fatty holiday foods. It is also important to remember that butter, oil, cream, and more contain high concentrations of fat and can be hidden in foods that an owner may not immediately think of when considering fatty foods.

While most holiday foods can seem innocuous to owners and their families, some of these dishes may contain hidden risks. Onions and garlic are toxic to pets and are often used in dishes cooked around the holidays. Turkey seasoned with garlic or citrus can be a hidden toxin that many owners would think to be safe. Sodium in broth can be much too high of a concentration for animals and can make dishes like stuffing, gravy, and meats unsafe for pets. If an owner is going to give their pet a taste of the holidays, it is best to cook a small portion without seasonings, extra butter, broth, or anything that they are not certain is safe for their animal.

It is always recommended to keep your pet on a consistent diet that is right for them. Pets on prescription diets should not be given any table scraps unless approved by their regular veterinarian. Owners should always consult with their regular veterinarian if they have any questions or concerns related to feeding these foods. Red Barn Veterinary Service would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season!

Complete Medical Surgical, Dental and Radiology Services. Nutritional Counseling

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., in September. She is a chief negotiator on the same-sex marriage bill. GETTY IMAGES/ANNA MONEYMAKER/TNS

Buffalo could get hammered with 4 feet of snow

By THERESA BRAINE New York Daily News

NEW YORK — Buffalo and western New York are facing several feet of snow from a “crip pling” and “paralyzing” storm later this week, in the words of the National Weather Service.

Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Wednesday afternoon and announced that the New York State Thruway would be closed to commercial traffic starting Thursday at 4 p.m. from Rochester to the Pennsylvania border. The storm was expected to make travel hazardous and poten tially knock out power.

Starting as a mix of rain, snow, and possible hail, the precipita tion was predicted to morph into

an all-snow storm Wednesday night, the NWS said.

The intensity will be fueled by Lakes Ontario and Erie, with some parts of Erie County getting up to an inch of snow an hour as temperatures drop from the 30s to the 20s and other areas getting as many as three inches hourly. There might even be “thunder snow,” according to the NWS.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz recommended that schools and businesses close on Friday so plows and emergency vehicles can do their work.

“We need to take the upcoming snow storm seriously,” Poloncarz urged on Twitter. “It is VERY rare for the NWS Buffalo to declare a snow storm as ‘extreme’ on the severity index. Up to 3 feet of

snow is possible from tonight to Friday night, with almost all of it falling starting tomorrow night.”

From Thursday through Sun day nights, “crippling lake effect snow” was possible, the NWS said. A high-pressure ridge from Alaska and Northwest Canada “will dislodge a plume of Arc tic air southward, flowing down across the Great Lakes and lin gering” for the weekend.

Compounding the situation is warmer-than-ever water in Great Lakes Ontario and Erie. The warm water coupled with cold air generates even more snow, Weather.com said.

Northwest Indiana and south west Michigan were also un der winter storm warnings and watches, Weather.com reported.

Russia launches new Ukraine barrage as grain deal extended

By JOHN LEICESTER The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)

— Russian airstrikes targeted Ukraine’s en ergy facilities again Thursday as the first snow of the season fell in Kyiv, a harbinger of the hardship to come if Moscow’s missiles con tinue to take out power and gas plants as winter descends.

Separately, the United Nations announced the extension of a deal to ensure exports of grain and fertilizers from Ukraine that were dis rupted by the war. The deal was set to expire soon, renewing fears of

a global food crisis if ex ports were blocked from one of the world’s larg est grain producers.

Even as all sides agreed to extend the deal, air raid sirens sounded across Ukraine on Thurs day. At least four people were killed and more than two dozen others wounded in the drone and missile strikes, in cluding one that hit a res idential building, author ities said.

The Kremlin’s forces have suffered a series of setbacks on the ground, the latest being the loss of the southern city of Kherson. In the face of those defeats, Russia has increasingly resort

ed to aerial onslaughts aimed at energy infra structure and other ci vilian targets in parts of Ukraine it doesn’t hold.

Thursday’s salvo ap peared to be on a lesser scale than the nation wide barrage of more than 100 missiles and drones that knocked out power to 10 million people earlier this week.

Tuesday’s strikes were described by Ukraine’s energy minister as the biggest barrage yet of the nearly 9-month-old invasion against the bat tered power grid.

It also resulted in a missile landing in Po land, killing two people. Authorities are still try

ing to ascertain where that missile came from, with early indications pointing to a Ukrainian air defense system meant to counter the Russian bombardment.

Poland’s President Andrzej Duda on Thurs day visited the site where the missile land ed and expressed under standing for Ukraine’s plight. “It is a hugely difficult situation for them and there are great emotions, there is also great stress,” Duda said.

The renewed bomb ings come as many Ukrainians are coping with the discomforts of regular blackouts and heating outages, as win

ter approaches. A light snow dusted the capital Thursday, where the temperature fell below freezing.

The city’s military administration said air defenses shot down at least two cruise missiles and five Iranian-made exploding drones.

In eastern Ukraine, Russia “launched a mas sive attack on gas pro duction infrastructure,” state energy company Naftogaz head Oleksiy Chernishov said in a statement. He provided no details.

Russian strikes also hit the central city of Dnipro and Ukraine’s southern Odesa region

for the first time in weeks. And critical in frastructure was also hit in the northeastern region of Kharkiv, in the area of Izyum, wound ing three workers, the regional administration said.

The head of Ukraine’s presidential office, An driy Yermak, called the strikes on energy tar gets “naive tactics of cowardly losers” in a Telegram post on Thurs day.

“Ukraine has already withstood extremely dif ficult strikes by the ene my, which did not lead to results the Russian cow ards hoped for,” Yermak wrote.

‘Brilliant’: College play celebrates why life is worth living

Continued from A1

ence comes in.

Friend picks out mem bers of the audience for a bit of easy improvisa tional acting. She leads them to the stage and guides them through the scene in a way that feels natural and doesn’t ask too much of amateurs.

Each audience mem ber has a role. Upon entering the theater, you’ll receive a paper with a number and a corresponding word or phrase. Those are entries for the list of “brilliant things;” when Friend calls out a num ber, the audience mem ber will read their paper.

ACC Theatre Direc tor Tricia Stogsdill said she wanted a play that would connect with the audience in numerous ways.

“Interactive theater is really interesting to me,” she said, noting she’ll be teaching an improv class next se mester. “This is just the right amount to get the audience involved.”

She also chose the play to encourage a di alogue about mental health issues, including depression and suicide.

“It’s so important for people who are of

“brilliant things.”

college age to hear a story involving mental health, but also about joy,” she said.

FRIEND hits just the right notes as she guides the audience through a story about lifelong struggles with mental health, both as a child of a suicidal parent and, later, as an adult facing her own bouts of de

pression.

“If you get to the end of a long life without feeling crushingly de pressed at least once, you haven’t been paying attention,” she tells the audience.

And though the topic is quite serious, Friend shares the narrator’s ex perience in a way that’s easy to relate to and of ten quite hilarious. You

feel her confusion and frustration as a child. You understand her need for distance as she gets a little older and more independent. You feel the flutter of but terflies when she falls in love for the first time, and the ache of sadness when it goes wrong.

Music helps.

Throughout the per formance, songs aid

Friend in telling the sto ry. Each song hits just the right note, evoking emotions that tie gen erations together. Any one who hears the slow, mournful notes of Patsy Cline’s “Blue” shares in feelings of loneliness and desperation.

Friend’s acting chops shine, but her improvi sational abilities elevate the performance. She’s an encouraging men tor when each reluc tant participant steps onto the stage. She even convinces someone to take off a shoe — and it doesn’t stop there. What follows is something you’ll just have to see.

AGAIN and again, Friend comes back to the list, calling out num bers and waiting for the audience to respond: No. 1 is ice cream.

Many items on the list are simple and generic: Clean sheets, freshly cut grass, the smell of bacon. Others are more specific: Track No. 7 on every great record, real ly good oranges, people who can’t sing but ei ther don’t know or don’t care.

In the weeks leading up to the play, ACC stu dents made their own

list.

They wrote their own “brilliant things” on pieces of paper and plastered them on the walls of the theater.

When the play ends, take some time to go on stage to read them.

Then, go home and start your own list.

“EVERY Brilliant Thing” is based on a true story and written by Duncan MacMil lan with Jonny Dona hoe. It’s designed to be adapted in whatever way best suits the audi ence.

Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students. Allen students and em ployees get in free.

A pedestrian crosses train tracks during a past snow storm in Buffalo, N.Y., which could see several feet of snow this week. GETTY IMAGES/JOHN NORMILE/TNS

Allen Community College Theatre students plastered the walls with their own

ACC THEATRE DEPARTMENT PHOTO

The Iola Register

~ Journalism that makes a difference

Michigan’s governor has the bona fides to go far

Of all the states to be af fected by last week’s election none was more dramatic than Michigan.

Not only was Democrat ic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer re-elected, but the House and Senate were flipped to Demo cratic majorities.

Four years ago, Republi cans held a trifecta of power there with majorities in both the Senate and House and a Republican governor.

Give Whitmer her due. And voters.

Running against Whitmer was Tudor Dixon. The Re publican had no political ex perience beyond comment ing for the right-wing news channel Real America’s Voice, known for promoting conspiracy theories about Covid-19 and the 2020 elec tion being rigged.

Whitmer, on the other hand, has earned her chops.

An attorney, Whitmer was first elected to the Michi gan House of Representa tives in 2000 and ever since worked her way up through the Michigan Legislature becoming its first female Senate president from 2011 to 2015.

Term limits blocked any further time as a legislator. In 2018, she was elected gov ernor, defeating the Republi can incumbent.

BESIDES Republicans fielding a weak opponent, three other things helped propel Whitmer and fel low Democrats to unparal leled success: The abortion amendment, the youth vote and Democrats’ platform of addressing public education and Michigan’s aging infra structure, particularly its roads and water systems.

Before the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, Whitmer could see the writing on the wall and in April asked the Michigan Supreme Court to resolve whether Michi gan’s constitution protected a woman’s right to abortion. Michigan’s law was written in 1931 and considered abor tion a felony.

After the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 24 decision, all state laws went into effect.

In Michigan, the especial ly punitive law was quickly stayed by a court of appeals. Republican legislators ob jected. In October, justices ruled to put the measure on Michigan’s Nov. 8 ballot.

As in Kansas’ Aug. 2 pri mary election, a woman’s right to reproductive free dom drew a lot of voters in

Michigan. Voter turnout was above 56 percent.

On university campuses, especially, the lines were long with some waiting up to six hours to cast their votes. Also spurring participation is the fact that Michigan allows same-day registra tion to vote, rather than our weeks-in-advance process that serves no purpose oth er than to punish would-be voters.

The reproductive rights proposal passed by a 57 per cent margin.

DIXON RAN against the abortion amendment. Her platform also included at tacking public schools by suggesting the public have a role in rewriting their cur ricula and weeding their li braries.

Long a champion of pub lic education, Whitmer cam paigned on her ability to in crease its funding.

BECAUSE SHE’S an ef fective leader who happens to be female, Whitmer has become a target of ultra-con servatives on par of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

During her first term as governor she has received hundreds of threats target ing her and her family.

In October 2020, an assas sination plot on her life by a far-right extremist group was thwarted by federal au thorities in the nick of time.

Whitmer’s proactive re sponse to the COVID-19 pandemic also ran afoul of Republican leaders in the House and Senate who sued her when she extended Mich

igan’s state of emergency in response to the pandemic.

Former President Donald Trump jumped into the fray when Gov. Whitmer request ed the federal government provide the promised PPEs, ventilators, N95 masks and test kits.

Mr. Trump called Gov. Whitmer “a dictator” who was “way in over her head,” and “doesn’t have a clue,” about how to deal with the pandemic.

All the while, she’s kept her chin up.

She didn’t cower in the face of threats, real or fake. She didn’t make excuses for trying to save lives during the height of the pandemic by temporarily closing pub lic schools and raising the alarm for more federal aid.

And when the U.S. Su preme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, she beat the drums for reproductive rights.

So how’d that work out for her?

Whitmer won with a com manding 54.5 percent of the vote and brought those down ticket along.

WHITMER’S two daugh ters, Sherry, age 20, and Syd ney, age 18, said they expect nothing less.

“She’s using all her tools,” daughter Sherry, age 20, said in an interview this summer with The Washington Post.

“If she wasn’t on every Sunday show, I would be mad. I would be like: ‘You have this power, and you need to use it. You need to get out there. You need to use your voice.’” And she does.

Gretchen Whitmer is the whole package.

— Susan Lynn

Why inflation rate is misleading

By JAMES K. BOYCE Progressive Perspectives/TNS

Inflation is a hot-button issue, and its political fallout can be huge. Some think that the hyperinflation during Germany’s Weimar Republic in the 1920s — when, at a trillion to the dol lar, the German mark literally was not worth the paper it was printed on — contributed to the rise of Adolf Hitler. Current U.S. inflation is not remotely comparable, but pollsters say it helped to sway voters in the midterm elections in favor of the Republicans.

We hear that inflation is “soaring” not only on Fox News but also in the pages of the New York Times. We are told that the inflation rate has re mained “stubbornly high” at 8.2% over the past 12 months.

Yet the inflation rate in recent months tells a very different story. From the beginning of July to the end of September, prices rose by only 0.5% — equivalent to an annual rate of about 2%.

Why the difference in numbers?

Imagine that you’ve been speeding down the highway at 75 miles per hour for 45 minutes, then you turn onto con gested city streets and have been aver aging 15 mph for the last 15 minutes. How fast are you driving now? The common-sense answer is that you’re doing 15 mph. But measured over the last hour, you’re doing 60.

The arithmetic of 12-month inflation rates is more stubborn than inflation has been. Even after slowing down, it takes time for your speed over the last hour to come down, too. But it makes no more sense to claim that inflation is “soaring” now than it would to say that you are accelerating through stop-andgo traffic.

The 12-month inflation rate is a use ful measure for some purposes, like comparing trends across countries or

over long time periods. What doesn’t make sense is to use the 12-month rate to claim that the current level of infla tion is either rising or falling.

The causes of this year’s inflation are a legitimate matter for debate. Supply-chain disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, have played a role worldwide. The power of mega-corpo rations to raise not only their prices but also their profit margins, now at their highest level in 70 years, added fuel to the fire.

Stimulus spending under the Biden administration has raised inflation, too, though an extra bump in prices may have been worthwhile to support hard-pressed families, rebuild our de crepit infrastructure, and possibly head off a depression.

THE REASONS that inflation has cooled off in recent months are also open to debate. The Biden administra tion’s decision to tap the Strategic Pe troleum Reserve had an impact: Gaso line prices fell more than 20% from the beginning of July to the end of Sep tember. Interest rate hikes by the Fed began to dampen demand — which, although not the ideal fix for supply shortages, is the main inflation-fight ing tool the Fed has at its disposal, re calling the old adage about every prob lem looking like a nail when the only tool you’ve got is a hammer.

But whatever the causes, we ought to be able to get the facts straight. And the fact is that rather than soaring, in flation has actually eased — and eased a lot — in recent months. Fevered re ports of runaway inflation are mislead ing, with political repercussions that could go well beyond number games.

About the author: James K. Boyce is a senior fellow at the Political Econ omy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Return to moon could revive interest in science

NASA’s Artemis program is edging toward a return to the moon — this time to stay — with its successful launch this week of an uncrewed rocket. Some Amer icans looking at the Earth-bound problems all around us might rea sonably ask: Why? The answer is not just about the scientific dis covery that a permanent presence on the moon promises but also the much-needed sense of national purpose it could recapture.

Humanity’s first climb to the moon began, rhetorically at least, in September 1962, when Presi dent John F. Kennedy defined the purpose of the endeavor: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” Just seven years later, Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on an extra terrestrial surface.

The motivation for that as tounding feat was, first and fore most, geopolitical. Beating the Soviet Union to the moon was an other front in the Cold War, one that united Americans. The sig nificant scientific discovery and spinoff technology that the moon missions spurred — including computer-miniaturization capa bilities that ultimately made pos sible the laptop or cellphone on which you may be reading this editorial right now — were almost incidental.

There’s no Cold War driving things this time, which necessi tates a little more explanation as to why America is returning to what it is, after all, a large cold rock in space.

First, there is the science and

the basic human drive for explora tion — both worthy ends in them selves. The ultimate goal, with pri vate companies providing heavy input, is to establish a permanent moon base as a jumping-off point for exploration of Mars and be yond.

Moon rocks and soil samples collected during the Apollo mis sions added immensely to scien tists’ understanding of the origins of the moon, Earth and the rest of the solar system. Modern test ing methods, more advanced than what was available half a century ago, could add to that understand ing, especially if astronauts are able to conduct experiments on the moon itself while living there.

That possibility has grown with the discovery a few years ago that water is trapped within the moon’s seemingly barren surface. If it can be extracted and pro cessed, it could provide not only drinking water for astronauts, but breathable air and even hydrogen rocket fuel.

Although there is no more Sovi et Union to race with, geopolitical factors remain. China is planning to build and staff a lunar base in the coming decades. Allowing a global adversary that kind of sci entific and strategic foothold — in orbit right above us — would be not just disheartening but poten tially dangerous.

Finally, there is the unifying effect that a return to the moon could have on a deeply divided America. That cold rock in space brought Americans together once before. We need that kind of shared mission again.

—

St.

Louis Post-Dispatch

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks at MotorCity Casino in Detroit on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022. JACOB HAMILTON/TNS

Above, actor and

Jr.,

Mildred in spotlight

MILDRED — The Mildred Store was host Saturday to the crew of “The Last Butterflies,” an apocalyptic film fea turing actor Cooper An drews, best known for his role as Jerry in the TV series “The Walking Dead.”

Dozens of local res idents were extras for the movie, which docu

ments a family fighting for survival after a se ries of environmental catastrophes.

The independent film will be directed by Pat rick Rea and produced by Sue Vicory, a twotime Emmy nominee. Shooting began earlier this month in Mound City. No release date has been announced.

Land bank: Plans

in participating.

“The interest is there,” Goering told commissioners last week. He followed up Tuesday with a draft of the resolution, which will be reviewed by County Counselor Bob Johnson before commissioners consid er its approval.

Maintenance is a big issue, for the county as well as the cities. If a property is added to the land bank, it will need to be mowed or otherwise maintained. The cities understand they may need to take on that responsibil ity, Goering said. He suggested the county could develop interlo cal agreements that spell out such issues.

Commissioners have always been reluctant to add a property to a land bank until there is interest from a de veloper. That way, the county would become a sort of “pass-through” owner to help develop ers avoid lengthy legal entanglements with property taxes and the like.

That could become a bit more cumbersome when more entities are involved, such a property within city limits. Commissioners

don’t want to be solely responsible for a large number of properties, and want cities to help with theirs.

“I’m OK with ac quisition and main tenance discussed on a case-by-case basis before each property is acquired, as long as we’re involved in that discussion,” Chairman Jerry Daniels said.

“Well, the intent of a land bank is not to pre tend parcels are base ball cards and have as many as possible,” Go ering said. “We want to be smart, find the ones that make sense and get them a product they can use. It’s just one more tool in our toolbox.”

It’s important to have the land bank in place and available as an incentive for devel opers, Goering said.

When Goering pre sented the draft of the resolution to commis sioners on Tuesday, they were concerned that the language about adding proper ties and working with cities “on a case-bycase basis” was a little too vague and would allow too much leeway.

“The way it’s written is pretty ambiguous,” Johnson said. “We can put some teeth in it.”

GOP: Republicans in majority of deeply divided U.S. House

Continued from A1

be the party’s narrowest majority of the 21st cen tury, rivaling 2001, when Republicans had just a nine-seat majority, 221212 with two indepen dents. That’s far short of the sweeping victory the GOP predicted going into this year’s midterm elections, when the par ty hoped to reset the agenda on Capitol Hill by capitalizing on eco nomic challenges and Biden’s lagging popular ity.

Instead, Democrats showed surprising re silience, holding on to moderate, suburban dis tricts from Virginia to Minnesota and Kansas. The results could com plicate House GOP lead er Kevin McCarthy’s plans to become speaker as some conservative members have ques tioned whether to back him or have imposed conditions for their sup port.

McCarthy, R-Calif., celebrated his par ty having “officially flipped” the House on Twitter on Wednesday night, writing, “Ameri cans are ready for a new direction, and House Re publicans are ready to deliver.”

CURRENT HOUSE Speaker Nancy Pelo si, D-Calif., announced Thursday she will re main in Congress, but will not seek a leader ship role within the Democratic party.

“In the next Con gress, House Democrats will continue to play a leading role in support ing President Biden’s agenda — with strong leverage over a scant Re publican majority,” Pe losi said in a statement.

Biden congratulat ed McCarthy, saying he is “ready to work with House Republicans to deliver results for work ing families.”

“Last week’s elec tions demonstrated the strength and resilience of American democracy.

There was a strong rejec tion of election deniers, political violence, and intimidation,” Biden said in a statement. “There was an emphatic statement that, in Amer ica, the will of the peo ple prevails.”

He added, that “the future is too promising to be trapped in political warfare.”

The narrow margins have upended Republi can politics and prompt ed finger-pointing about what went wrong. Some in the GOP have blamed Donald Trump for the worse-than-expected outcome. The former president, who an nounced his third White House bid Tuesday, lift ed candidates during this year’s Republican

primaries who often questioned the results of the 2020 election or downplayed the mob at tack on the U.S. Capitol last year. Many of those struggled to win during the general election.

Despite the GOP’s un derwhelming showing, the party will still have notable power. Repub licans will take control of key committees, giv ing them the ability to shape legislation and launch probes of Biden, his family and his ad ministration. There’s particular interest in in

vestigating the overseas business dealings of the president’s son Hunter Biden. Some of the most conservative lawmakers have raised the prospect of impeaching Biden, though that will be much harder for the par ty to accomplish with a tight majority.

Any legislation that emerges from the House could face steep odds in the Senate, where Dem ocrats won the barest of majorities Saturday. Both parties are look ing to a Dec. 6 Senate runoff in Georgia as a last chance to pad their ranks.

With such a potential ly slim House majority, there’s also potential for legislative chaos. The dynamic essential ly gives an individual member enormous sway over shaping what hap pens in the chamber. That could lead to par ticularly tricky circum stances for GOP leaders as they try to win sup port for must-pass mea sures that keep the gov ernment funded or raise the debt ceiling.

The GOP’s failure to notch more wins — they needed a net gain of five seats to take the ma jority — was especial ly surprising because the party went into the election benefiting from congressional maps that were redrawn by Re publican legislatures. History was also on Re publicans’ side: The par ty that holds the White House had lost congres sional seats during vir tually every new presi dent’s first midterm of the modern era.

The new majority will usher in a new group of leaders in Washington. I McCarthy would lead what will likely be a row dy conference of House Republicans, most of whom are aligned with Trump’s bare-knuckle brand of politics. Many Republicans in the in coming Congress reject ed the results of the 2020 presidential election, even though claims of widespread fraud were refuted by courts, elections officials and Trump’s own attorney general.

Thanksgiving

In observance of Thanskgiving, we will close at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 23 and remain closed until 8 a.m. Friday, November 25. The Register will not be published on Thanskgiving Day.

The Register will close at 2 p.m. on Friday, November 25 and remain closed until 8 a.m. Monday, November 28.

associate producer Herb Jackson,

discovers Cooper Andrews’ grisly death while filming a scene from “The Last Butterflies” Satur day in Mildred. At right, Regena Lance, owner of the Mildred Store, and her granddaughter River Gable, pose for a photo with Adam Boyer, left, who played Bobby Dean on the TV series “Ozark,” and Cooper Andrews. COURTESY OF REGENA LANCE

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., addresses a crowd during an election night watch party in Washington, D.C. LOS ANGELES TIMES/KENT NISHIMURA/TNS

Eight Iola wrestlers take first at Indy

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

INDEPENDENCE — The Iola Middle wrestling team finished with eight Mus tangs taking first place at the Independence Middle School Tournament on Tuesday afternoon.

Iola’s first place finishers included Ruger Boren, Noah Anderson, Keegan Hill, Brock Michael, Kevon Lov ing, Kaeden Vega and Ean DeLaTorre. Mustang Addi lyn Wacker was the lone girl wrestler to compete at Indy and finished in first place in the girls 120-125 pound weight class.

“We had a lot of boys that battled through their matches to take first,” said Iola head coach Jason Bates. “We do a lot of ability brack eting, meaning a beginning wrestler wrestles in a brack et with beginning wrestlers. That also means experi enced wrestlers wrestle ex perienced competition. This gives us the best matches which results in the best growth.”

Iola’s Boren came in first place in the boys 84-92 pound weight class with sev en team points. Boren won by a fall over against Chan ute’s Maddox Sayers before beating Cherryvale’s Lucas Ecret on a fall.

Mustang Braxtin Mar tin took third place with no team points in the boys 103-105 pound weight class. Martin lost on a fall to Cher

ryvale’s Zeke Stenbrook before losing to Chanute’s Kasen Audis on a fall.

Beau Erickson finished in third place with no team points in the boys 105-107 pound weight class. Erick son lost on a decision to Chanute’s Green Jakarre, 3-0, before losing on a deci sion to Caney Valley’s Hunt er Smith, 7-3.

Iola’s James Hunt took second place with four team points in the boys 108-113 pound weight class. Hunt won on a fall over Cof feyville’s Keegan Nash be

fore he lost by decision to Chanute’s Jorden Peterson, 6-0.

“Our main focus is to have fun and wrestle,” Bates said. “You have to love this sport to compete in it. If it was easy everyone would do it. It takes a strong, confident individual to walk out alone on a mat in front of a crowd and put everything on the line.”

Mustang Evan LaCrone took third place with no team points in the boys 111-113 pound weight class. LaCrone lost by a fall over

This week’s CFB Picks

By RALPH D. RUSSO The Associated Press

The Pac-12 heads into the weekend with some mar quee matchups. It has four top-16 teams that could de termine who plays in the league championship game. No. 7 USC is at No. 16 UCLA, which was upset by Arizona last week. No. 10 Utah is at No. 12 Oregon, which was upset at home by Washing ton. They are among the five most intriguing games this weekend.

The Pac-12’s big weekend turned out to be not quite as big as it could have been after some upsets last week.

Still, the conference’s marquee matchups are the highlights of this weekend’s schedule, with four top-16 teams that could determine who plays in the league championship game.

No. 7 USC is at No. 16 UCLA, which was upset by Arizona last week. No. 10 Utah is at No. 12 Oregon, which was upset at home by Washington.

Those loses left the Tro jans as the Pac-12’s last hope to get a team in the Col lege Football Playoff. The self-described Conference of Champions has not had a CFP team since 2016.

The five most intriguing games of Week 12:

No. 7 Southern California at No. 16 UCLA

The future Big Ten rivals haven’t played with both ranked since 2014. The last time they were both ranked anywhere near this high was 2005, when the topranked Trojans hammered the No. 11 Bruins, 66-19.

UCLA dropped 62 on USC last season and Bruins QB Dorian Thompson-Robin son was talking about get ting to 60 again this week. Considering the way these two teams play defense, it’s very possible. If USC wins, it’s in the Pac-12 title game. If UCLA wins, it would still have work to do.

LINE: USC by 1 1/2. PICK:

UCLA, 52-49. No. 4 TCU at Baylor

The Horned Frogs (10-0) keep rolling along, winning close games and staying un beaten. The Bears are com ing off their worst perfor mance of the season against Kansas State. Still, Baylor (64) has shown it can at times play at a high level and the rivalry between the Horned Frogs and Bears is sneaky intense.

LINE: TCU by 2 1/2. PICK: TCU, 31-24. No. 10 Utah at No. 12 Ore gon

The Ducks’ playoff hopes went out the window last week, but they still control

to Independence’s Kaeson Lewis before he fell to Cher ryvale’s Brogan Miller on a fall.

Anderson placed first with nine team points in the boys 113-116 pound weight class. The Mustang first won by a major decision to Cof feyville’s Kaiden Nash, 11-3, before toppling Nash again in a 10-0 major decision. An derson then beat Parsons Dakota Woodke in an 8-6 ma jor decision.

Iola’s Keegan Hill won first place with seven team points in the boys 116-119

pound weight class. Hill won on a fall over against Caney Valley’s Hunter Hilliard be fore taking down Parsons Woodke in an 8-6 decision.

Mustang Austin Crooks came in second place with four team points in the boys 116-123 pound weight class.

Crooks lost in a 7-1 decision to Independence’s Taj Davis. He then took down Parsons Blane Beery on a fall.

Michael won first place with nine team points in the boys 118-124 pound weight class. Michael won on a fall over to Fredonia’s Monroe Dicks before beating Cher ryvale’s Zaiden Rash on a fall.

Iola’s Jase Herrmann took third place with no team points in the boys 118127 pound weight class. Her rmann slipped to Parsons Colten Carson on a fall over before losing to Coffeyville’s Angel Aragon in a 7-0 deci sion.

“The team wrestled well at Indy,” said Bates. “We have a lot of young wres tlers that feel safe moving certain ways. Sometimes that’s not the right way to move and we have to break those habits because they cost us points. Once we cor rect those small mistakes our team will be winning a lot more matches.’

Mustang Kevon Loving took first place with sev en team points in the boys 125-128 pound weight class. Loving won on a decision to

Verlander, Alcantara are unanimous Cy Youngs

HOUSTON (AP) — Hous ton’s Justin Verlander in the American League and Miami’s Sandy Alcantara in the National League are both unanimous selections for the Cy Young Award. It’s the second time the winners in both leagues were unani mous since the award began in 1956. The 39-year-old Ver lander won the award for the first time, having previously won in 2011 with Detroit and 2019 with Houston. He’s the 11th player to win it three times. Verlander missed al most all of the previous two seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He led the AL in ERA. Alca ntara led the majors in com plete games with six.

It didn’t take Verlander long to realize he could have a special year after missing almost two full seasons re covering from Tommy John surgery.

Heading into his fifth start, Verlander knew he was back.

“In that moment, I felt nor mal and like myself, painfree, able to recover like I al ways have,” he said. “I think my mindset just completely shifted to like, ‘OK, I am the pitcher I’ve always been.’”

On Wednesday, the Hous ton ace capped his stellar sea son by winning the Ameri can League Cy Young Award,

joining Miami’s Sandy Alca ntara in the National League as unanimous selections.

It’s the second time the winners in both leagues were unanimous since the award began in 1956 and the first since Detroit’s Denny Mc Lain in the AL and St. Louis’ Bob Gibson in the NL swept the voting in 1968.

The 39-year-old Verlander, who also won the award in 2019 after winning both MVP and the Cy Young in 2011, be comes the 11th player to win it three times. He also won unanimously in 2011.

He said this one has a dif ferent meaning.

“It shows that I’m at a dif ferent point in my life,” Ver lander said. “I will always remember this Cy Young as looking back at the growth of me as a father and as a person, and just also the the rehab and all the hard work that went into the rehab and how I was just so committed to it was going to go well and I was going to come back and be me.”

Verlander led the majors with a 1.75 ERA, the lowest of his 17-year career. He be comes the fourth AL pitch er with two unanimous Cy Young Awards, joining Roger Clemens (1986, 1998), Pedro Martinez (1999, 2000) and Jo

Iola Middle School wrestler Noah Anderson, left, pins down a Coffeyville wrestler at the Inde pendence Middle School Tournament on Tuesday afternoon. Anderson placed in first in the boys 113-116 pound weight class. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

USC Trojans v. UCLA Bruins in the second half of a game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020. KEITH BIRMINGHAM/PASADENA STAR-NEWS/SCNG

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FTX controls called ‘complete failure’

NEW YORK (AP) —

The man who had to clean up the mess at Enron says the situation at FTX is even worse, describing what he calls a “complete failure” of

CAR T cell therapy promising

I have several family members with autoimmune diseases. I read about a study from Germany where people with lupus were treated with CAR T cells, which proved effective. Will this treatment be available for other autoimmune diseases? — R.C.

ANSWER: The immune system has two major components: antibody-producing cells (B cells) and T cells. Both of these are important in fighting off infections, but T cells are particularly important in fighting off cancers.

Scientists have used a person’s own, genetically modified T cells as treatment for certain types of cancers for more than 10 years. These T cells have been “programmed” outside the body with a chimeric antigen receptor to attack cells that have a protein called CD19, which include anti-

Dr. Keith Roach

To Your Good Health

body-producing cells. For cancer, this is useful for some types of leukemias and lymphomas.

CD19 positive cells are also critical in autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus, because they make antibodies against the body’s own tissues. In lupus, this includes the skin, kidneys, joints and other organs. The German scientists hypothesized that using CAR T cells would destroy the overactive B cells attacking the body.

A study published in September in Nature Medicine using five people whose lupus was unresponsive to traditional treatments showed spectacular re-

sults, with the lupus successfully placed in remission. Meanwhile, the immune system no longer made antibodies against the person’s own body, yet remained functional against infections.

There are two major concerns: the first is that this was a very small study, using people with severe lupus that was unresponsive to treatment, which limits the generalizability of the study.

The second is that CAR T cells sometimes have very significant toxicity, although in this small study there was very minimal toxicity.

If these results are able to be duplicated, and generalized to other types of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis, this could be a dramatic new type of therapy against a terrible set of diseases.

corporate control.

The filing by John Ray III, the new CEO of the bankrupt cryptocurrency firm, lays out a damning description of FTX’s operations under its founder Sam Bankman-Fried, from a lack of security controls to business funds being used to buy employees homes and luxuries.

“Never in my career have I seen such a complete failure of corporate controls and such a complete absence of trustworthy financial information as occurred here,” Ray said. “From compromised systems integrity and faulty regulatory oversight abroad, to the concentration of control in the hands of a very small group of inexperienced, unsophisticated and potentially compromised individuals, this situation is unprecedented.”

Ray was appointed CEO on November 11, after the company was near collapse and its previous management sought legal counsel on what to do next. Bankman-Fried was persuaded to give up control of the company by his lawyers as well as his father, Joseph Bankman, a professor at Stanford Law School, according to Thursday’s filing.

Since his resignation, Bankman-Fried has sought out news outlets for interviews and has been active on Twitter

trying to explain himself and the firm’s failure.

In an interview with the online news outlet Vox, Bankman-Fried admitted that his previous calls for regulation of cryptocurrencies were mostly for public relations.

“Regulators, they make everything worse,” Bankman-Fried said, using an expletive for emphasis.

In a terse statement, Ray said that BankmanFried’s statements have been “erratic and misleading” and “Bankman-Fried is not employed by the Debtors and does not speak for them.”

Ray noted that many of the companies in the FTX Group, particularly those in Antigua and the Bahamas, didn’t have appropriate corporate governance and many had never held a board meeting. Ray also addressed the use of corporate funds to pay for homes and other items for employees.

“In the Bahamas, I understand that corporate

funds of the FTX Group were used to purchase homes and other personal items for employees and advisors. I understand that there does not appear to be documentation for certain of these transactions as loans, and that certain real estate was recorded in the personal name of these employees and advisors on the records of the Bahamas,” he said.

So far, debtors have found and secured “only a fraction” of the group’s digital assets that they hope to recover, with about $740 million of cryptocurrency secured in new cold wallets, which is a way of holding cryptocurrency tokens offline, said Ray.

Ray was named CEO of FTX less than a week ago when the company filed for bankruptcy protection and its CEO and founder BankmanFried resigned. The embattled cryptocurrency exchange, short billions of dollars, sought bankruptcy protection after the exchange experienced the crypto equivalent of a bank run.

DEAR DR. ROACH:

BY GEORGE DICKIE

influenced by a lot of dif ferent of sounds. And being a vocalist, fun kind of playing and singing several dif ferent genres, which why I think it’s been a journey to tr y find sor t of my sound and how to incorporate all those dif ferent elements who I’m going to be as an ar tist.

you see a cross pollination between acting and music, where helps or augments the other?

in some ways, yes. Like obviously what you have to do, they’re ver y ferent worlds. You know, I’m coming acting and they give me a script they tell me what to wear and I’m on the role of something that’s in someone else’s imagination.

Whereas with music, it’s ver y therapeutic for me and I’m able to tell stories and my experiences through songwriting. And then getting to form that on stage, I think is where of pull a little bit of the sor t of acting background for me because I’m ver y emotive, I guess, where I really like to be able to emote on stage and I kind of feel like I tried to step into the mood of what the song is from a per formative standpoint. So I think that’s where a lot of it comes in. Or if I’m writing a song where it might not be fully my experience but let’s say some songs I’ve written about my friends’ experiences, I kind of use techniques that I would use within acting to sor t of eventually go to a place where I can write from what seems to be a personal perspective.

What musical ar tists have inspired you?

Oh man, growing up I listened to a lot of Brian McKnight, Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion. Very soulful singers, some big vocalists, some R&B. And then as I got into high school, it was more like singer/songwriters like Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson. And then at the same time, within all of that I also just grew up listening to the radio and what would come on KISS-FM and things like that. So I’ve

No desire to stay in touch with parents

Adapted from an online discussion.

Dear Carolyn: What is the bare minimum amount of time I need to spend with my parents to not be a horrible person? I did not have

Hax

a particularly happy childhood and do not think my parents are particularly good people now that I am an adult.

They want to see me and spend time with me but every time I do, I just feel exhausted afterward from having to put on a front like we have a loving relationship, when I just do not feel that. I try my best by sending emails or calling and giving them gifts at holidays, but they clearly want more. How much more do I need to do?

— Exhausted Exhausted: There is no “need” and there is no set “amount of time.” It all depends on so many things. How bad these not particularly good people are is one of them, a big one, though not the only one.

I am sure you can easily imagine a range of approaches: Some people live in the same building as the relatives they do not like very much and feel a duty to see them daily. Some move to the other side of the world just to answer once and for all the same question you are asking. Some sever ties completely and never look back.

Some sever ties and have second thoughts. Some calculate that it is easier to be in the same town and see them in relatively painless 15-minute increments. To others that would be the vision of hell. It is

CRYPTOQUOTES

like one of those sound boards in a recording studio, with all the various levels you can adjust. Here are your components.

1. How you define “horrible person” relative to relatives and “good person.”

2. How much exposure it takes to exhaust you.

3. What your exhaustion level with one type of exposure versus another is. Think call, text, email, you visit them, they visit you, or neutral site.

4. How you can arrange all these pieces to get the maximum “good person” points by your definition, see above, with minimal exhaustion.

Let these steps determine whether you set up bimonthly restaurant visits or move to a yurt 10 time zones away. Reader thoughts:

— Why do you need to pretend everything is okay? Maybe talk to a therapist about why you feel you need to maintain a facade instead of being more authentic. You may still decide the facade is easier than confronting a parent who is never going to change, but at least then

it is you choosing your path.

— Even people who have better childhood memories and better parents can struggle with this issue. How we spend our time, and with whom, can be tough with competing demands of work, family, friends, hobbies, significant others and more. You are not alone in trying to figure this out.

— Challenge the “not good people” issues when they appear. Answer a mean remark with “I am not sure I know why you would say that.” That might help clarify things.

— Exhaustion and stress due to family can be related not just to who these people are presently, but also to your history with them. My in-laws are, to my

eyes, slightly stressful but totally manageable and fundamentally nice. My spouse, who has a long and more complicated history with them, literally cannot function for a week after one short visit. It is worth considering what you get, if anything, from your current relationship with your family.

Yesterday’s Cryptoquote: Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little. — Edmund Burke

ZITS by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman BEETLE BAILEY by Mort Walker HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by Chris Browne FUNKY WINKERBEAN by Tom Batiuk

BLONDIE by Young and Drake

MARVIN by Tom Armstrong HI AND LOIS by Chance Browne

Z O L D W K E J F L D W Q P R Z B Y Q N J F D T N Z J F N B B Z M N J F , Q N E Y F R N V O E Z Q L F E B N I . Z O L D W K E J F F R N V F D T N V D Q N Z J F N B B Z M N J F , Q N E Y F R N V V D Q N O E Z Q L F E B N I . — E B T N Q F N Z J I F N Z J

PIXABAY.COM

Carolyn

Dollars for dodgeball

Eight: Mustangs first at Indy

to Cherryvale’s Wy att Duncan, 17-11. The Mustang then took down Independence’s Dev Patel on a fall.

Tripp Mathes took third place with no team points in the boys 128-137 pound weight class. Mathes lost on a fall over to Cherryvale’s Jayce Simmons before he lost to Coffeyville’s Paul Austin in a 9-3 decision.

Iola’s Kaeden Vega won first place with seven team points in the boys 130-132 pound weight class. Vega won on a fall over to Cof feyville’s Cade Keller before knocking off Chanute’s Thor Bogle in a 2-0 decision.

Mustang Kale Pratt took second place with four team points in the boys 131-137 pound weight class. Pratt won on a fall over against Coffeyville’s Hunter Bates before he lost to Caney Val ley’s Austin Freisberg in a 6-2 decision.

Rohan Springer fin ished in third place with no team points in the boys 138-152 pound weight class. Springer lost to Parsons Talan Robertson on a fall before he fell to Caney

Valley’s Jace Wren on a fall over.

Iola’s Isaiah Geisler took second place with four team points in the boys 140-141 pound weight class. Geisler lost to Chanute’s Jen try Costin on a fall before he knocked off Independence’s Isaiah Geisler on a fall.

Mustang Kollyn Wil son took third place with no team points in the boys 143-144 pound weight class.

Wilson fell to Fredo nia’s Bentley Ratzlaff on a fall before losing to Chanute’s Joshua Schoenhofer in a 2-0 decision.

“Right now we are making small mis takes that have big consequences in a match,” said Bates.

“For example, we may get taken down and instead of going to our belly we get tak en down to our back resulting in a five point move, which if we would have gone to our belly it would have just been two points. If we correct these small mistakes and capitalize on our opponents’ mistakes we’ll become very competitive.”

Joseph Holding placed in third with

no team points in the boys 147-152 pound weight class. Holding fell to Caney Valley’s Colton Dean with a 7-4 decision before he lost to Indy’s Terrance Ab ercrombie in a 9-3 de cision.

Iola’s Ean DeLa Torre placed first with nine team points in the boys 166 pound weight class. DeLa Torre defeated Indy’s Collin Wonser on a fall before he beat Chanute’s Clint Coo per on a fall over.

Mustang Broderick Peters came in third place with no team points in the boys 175-192 pound weight class. Peters lost to Caney Valley’s Keith Ellison in a 7-1 deci sion before falling to Caney Valley’s Radyn Martin on a fall.

Addilyn Wacker was the lone Iola girls wrestler. Wacker placed first with nine team points in the girls 120-125 pound weight class. Wacker won on a fall over Chanute’s Mylee Miller before she de feated Cherryvale’s Tairyn Blocker on a fall.

Iola wrestles at Santa Fe Trail on Thursday at 4:15 p.m.

Verlander: Alcantara Cy Youngs

Continued from B1

han Santana (2004, 2006).

Verlander led the As tros to the best record in the AL, and while the postseason doesn’t count for the award, he got his first career World Series win in Game 5 as Hous ton beat Philadelphia in six games.

Verlander, who will re ceive a $200,000 bonus, is a free agent and said he has communicated with Astros owner Jim Crane about a possible return, but noted that Houston is far from his only po tential suitor.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of people that are in terested and Jim under stands that based on our conversation,” he said. “He completely under stands that. ... So we’ll see what happens.”

Alcantara had a 2.28 ERA while pitching a major league-best 228 2/3 innings and six com pete games. It’s the first Cy Young Award for the 27-year-old from the Do minican Republic, who becomes the first Mar lins player to receive the honor.

“It makes me feel so special because I came here to the Marlins with

my positive mentality — just tried to win,” he said. “Tried to compete, tried to get better. This year I put everything in the same spot, working hard. I’ve had great suc cess. And now to win the National League Cy Young, I feel so happy and blessed.”

Alcantara received all 30 first-place votes, the 15th time the NL has had a unanimous winner. At lanta’s Max Fried was second with 72 points, in cluding 10 second-place votes, and Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Julio Urías was third 66 points and seven second-place votes.

Behind Verlander, who was the 11th AL pitcher to win unan imously, were Dylan Cease of the Chicago White Sox with 97 points and 14 second-place votes and Toronto’s Alek Ma noah with 87 points and seven second-place votes. The three pitchers were named on every ballot.

Verlander’s 18 wins led the AL, and he had 185 strikeouts to give him 3,198 in his career, the most among active players.

Alcantara’s six com plete games were the

most in the majors since Chris Sale had six in 2016. The two-time AllStar went 14-9 and threw seven or more innings in 13 straight starts from May 11-July 15, which was the longest such streak since 2014.

Alcantara’s innings pitched and wins were both career highs and his ERA was his best in six seasons and ranked second in the NL.

“The hard work, the positivity, every day, fighting for my team, competing against any team. That makes it special,” he said. “My mentality all the time is to be aggressive. Try to get better every day. And I’ll keep doing the same. And let’s see if I can win the Cy Young next year, too.”

He joins Martinez (1997) as the only player born in the Dominican Republic to win the NL award. Martinez also won twice in the AL (1999, 2000) and the oth er Dominican winner in the AL was Bartolo Co lon in 2005.

Urías was 17-7 and led the NL with a 2.16 ERA to help LA lead the ma jors with 111 wins.

their path to the Pac12 title game. The Utes would be in great shape to defend their Pac-12 title in Las Vegas with a victory. These two met twice last season, with Utah pounding the Ducks each time to the tune of 76-17.

LINE: Oregon by 3. PICK: Utah, 38-35. Iowa at Minnesota

The Hawkeyes’ of fense has come to life — relatively speaking — and just like that they are well-positioned to de fend their Big Ten West title and return to Indi anapolis for the confer ence title game. But who isn’t still alive in the Big Ten West race? Stylisti cally and aesthetically, this game should be the antithesis of USC-UC LA.

LINE: Minnesota by 2 1/2. PICK: Iowa, 20-17. No. 24 Oklahoma State at Oklahoma

Not much at stake for Bedlam this year with the Sooners (5-4) still working toward bowl eligibility. But in some ways that makes it even more intriguing. OU has dominated this rivalry (82-19-7). The Cowboys have a chance to win two straight for the first time since 2001-02.

LINE: Oklahoma by 7 1/2. PICK: Oklahoma, 27-24.

Here is the rest of the Top 25, with lines from FanDuel Sportsbook: THURSDAY SMU (plus 3 1/2) at No. 21 Tulane

Mustangs have won seven straight meetings since both joined the

AAC ... TULANE 31-28.

SATURDAY No. 1 Georgia (minus 22 1/2) at Kentucky

Over their last 25 games, the Bulldogs are 24-1 with 22 double-digit victories ... GEORGIA 38-13.

No. 2 Ohio State (minus 27 1/2) at Maryland

Aside from one OT game in 2018, the Buck eyes’ average margin of victory in six other games against the Terps is 44 points ... OHIO STATE 58-14.

Illinois at No. 3 Michi gan (minus 17 1/2)

Wolverines are 10-0 for the first time since 2006, the last time both them and Ohio State went into The Game unbeaten ... MICHIGAN 34-14.

No. 5 Tennessee (minus 21 1/2) at South Caro lina

Vols WR Jalin Hyatt has more 40-yard recep tions this season (10) than 12 SEC teams ... TENNESSEE 49-24.

UAB at No. 6 LSU (mi nus 14 1/2)

Blazers feature the nation’s leading rusher in DeWayne McBride, averaging 156 yards per game ... LSU 35-17.

Miami at No. 9 Clem son (minus 19 1/2)

Last three meetings: Tigers 138, Miami 20 ... CLEMSON 31-10.

No. 11 Penn State at Rutgers (plus 19 1/2)

In eight meetings since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten, Rut gers has failed to break 10 points and is 0-8 ...

PENN STATE 24-7.

Georgia Tech at No. 13 North Carolina (minus 21 1/2)

Modern Woodmen of America, a non-profit life insurance organization, hand ed over $500 to the Iola Recreation Department Wednesday in response to a recent dodgeball tournament. Modern Woodmen matched $500 in proceeds, which will go to support recreation activities in Iola. Taking part in the pre sentation are, from left, Modern Woodmen representative Josh Oberley and Isaac Vink and Jason Bauer of the Rec Department. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN