Sports: State faced with looming high school referee shortage See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
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Thursday, February 19, 2015
Lawmakers move to strip KDHE authority By NICHOLAS CLAYTON The Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers debated Wednesday taking away from the state’s environmental department the final say over a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and giving it to the utility regulator, which they believe would be more likely
to consider the impact on business and electricity rates for consumers. The Kansas Department of
Health and Environment normally sets the state’s environmental regulations, but under a bill considered by the House Energy and Environment, final approval would have to come from the Kansas Corporation Commission, which would have 300 days to review and amend them. All three of its commissioners have been appointed by Republican Gov.
Sam Brownback and two are former Republican state senators. Brownback and most Kansas Republicans fiercely oppose new rules from the federal Environmental Protection Agency directing all states to come up with plans to comply with stricter emissions standards by June 2016. States without a suitable plan
Family ties gain new strands
Jo Cuppy
College loses a treasure By ANNA MAMMEDOVA Allen Community College Flame News Editor
On Jan. 10, Allen Community College lost one of its most dedicated and passionate workers, Jo Lannel Cuppy. She died at the age of 50 in her hometown of Bronson after a long struggle with cancer. Cuppy’s fight against cancer spanned 14 years. During this time she battled successfully against Stage 3 breast cancer and was in remission when new signs of the disease unexpectedly started showing up just a year ago. Her last bout was Stage 4 cancer, which ultimately took her life. Cuppy worked at Allen for 11 years as an instructor of mathematics, computer sciSee CUPPY | Page A5
Iolan Merryl McRae has met several long-lost relatives after seeing a news broadcast about a recently uncovered photo album, including pictures of McRae as a child. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Long-lost photo album features Iolan as a child By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
M
erryl McRae is a natural skeptic. A recent call from an anonymous source, for example, claiming to have seen a report of a long-lost photo album featuring several of McRae’s ancestors went unanswered.
“I just figured it was a scam,” she said Wednesday. But when the caller persisted, even contacting her husband, McRae quickly learned this instance was different. Since first receiving notice less than two weeks ago, McRae has met several distant and some not-so-distant relatives from the Mouse family tree.
“It’s been a bit overwhelming — psycho-crazy,” said McRae, who grew up Merryl Mouse in Emporia. “And we’re still trying to put the pieces together.” The connections stemmed from a recent Memphis, Tenn., television report about a photo album left inside a copy store back in 2008 See FAMILY | Page A5
Bronson mother, daughter face charges after wreck A Bronson woman and her daughter face several criminal charges after crashing their vehicle while fleeing officers. The Iola Police Department reported Tammy Heintzelman, 45, and Chelsea Brantley, 21, both of Bronson, were arrested after they crashed near the intersection of 1800 Street and North Dakota Road, about a mile northeast of Iola. The report stemmed from an alleged case of shoplifting from Iola Walmart, Police Chief Jared Warner said. Dispatchers summoned police to Walmart, at which time the two were spotted leaving the store in a vehicle
with two toddlers — one 3 years old, the other 9 months — in tow. “The dispatcher made the officers aware of the children,” Warner said. After positively identifying the vehicle, an Iola police officer deployed his emergency lights in an attempt to get the vehicle to stop. It did not. The officer followed the car, Warner said, until it became apparent the suspects had no intention of stopping. The suspects traveled along Rhode Island Road before turning south at 1800 Street, northeast of Iola. By then, the officer could no longer see the suspect ve-
Quote of the day Vol. 117, No. 76
hicle, and he called off the chase. Another officer on standby at U.S. 54 saw headlights coming from 1800 Street, and headed out when the lights suddenly disappeared. The officer arrived at the scene to see the vehicle had slid off the road. Neither Heintzelman nor Brantley were injured, nor were the two children. The youngsters were taken as a precaution to Allen County Regional Hospital for observation. They later were taken into protective custody. Heintzelman is being charged with aggravated endangerment of a child, fleeing and eluding law enforce-
ment, theft and criminal trespassing. Brantley is being charged with child endangerment, theft and criminal trespassing. Warner said officers take into account varying factors when deciding to call off a pursuit, including road conditions, the severity of the alleged crime, and in this case, having young children involved. “I thought the officer used good judgment in keeping his distance after they didn’t stop,” Warner said. “He followed with the hopes of resolving the incident, but he did it in as safe a manner as possible.”
“All my life, I always wanted to be somebody. Now I see I should have been more specific. — Jane Wagner, American comedian 75 Cents
will have federal regulations imposed upon them. The EPA has estimated that Kansas would have to cut emissions 23 percent from their 2012 levels by 2030. Kansas derives about 52 percent of electricity from coalfired plants, according to federal government figures. This
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See KDHE | Page A3
State AG appeals ed funding decision TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas filed a widely expected appeal Wednesday of a ruling that found the state isn’t spending enough money on its public schools to provide a suitable education. Attorney General Derek Schmidt called the ruling “legally flawed” in a statement announcing that his office had filed paperwork with the Kansas Supreme Court. Schmidt had vowed last month to challenge the Shawnee County District Court panel’s December ruling that the current funding is “inadequate from any rational perspective of the evidence.” The panel did not set a specific figure for what is adequate, but said the evidence suggests it should be at least $548 million more a year, or $4,654 per student in base state aid — and possibly much higher. Kansas is facing a shortfall of nearly $600 million in the budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. Schmidt has said it is hard to imagine a ruling coming during this year’s legislative session. Parents of more than 30 students and the Dodge City, Hutchinson, Wichita and Kansas City, Kansas, school districts sued the state in 2010 after recession-driven budget problems caused it to back away from promised increases in education funding. The state constitution says the Legislature must make “suitable provision” for financing public schools. The Kansas Supreme Court has declared in previous rulings that state spending must ensure all children get a suitable education.
CORRECTION
A fundraiser at Sam & Louie’s in Iola to benefit the Allen County Animal Rescue Facility will be Saturday, not Friday. An article in Wednesday’s Register incorrectly reported the day of the fundraiser. The restaurant will donate 15 percent of its proceeds from Saturday to ACARF. We regret the error.
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