Sports: Legion takes first loss See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
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Thursday, June 19, 2014
Two-wheeled patrols Iola officers earn bicycle certification By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
The Iola Police Department is dusting off some barely used equipment in order to better connect with the community. The equipment — a pair of 26-inch, 24-speed Trek road bicycles — has been a part of the department’s arsenal of patrol vehicles for several years, “before my time here,” noted Chief of Police Jared Warner. Spurred in part by the citywide effort to get more Iolans out and about on bikes, Warner found two officers — Mike Aronson and Brian Plumlee — willing to earn certification to partake in the occasional bike patrol. Both recently completed the 40hour course, which tested them on everything from physical fitness to the proper way to dismount a bike during a pursuit. “You think you know how to ride a bike until you take that course,” Aronson said. “There’s so much more to learn.” The bicycles should be an invaluable tool in terms of community out-
Iola Police officer Brian Plumlee demonstrates how to safely travel down stairs on a bicycle. REGISTER/ RICHARD LUKEN
reach, Warner said, with youngsters more apt to approach an officer if he’s on two wheels as opposed to riding in his patrol car. It’s enjoyable for the officers, too, Aronson said. “I’d rather be on this than in my car today.” The bikes will be used sparingly, Warner said, such as during community events or when activities are going on at Iola’s Riverside Park. He’ll also only dispatch the bikes when staffing permits. When fully staffed, each day’s shift has three officers on duty, Warner noted, to ensure a pair of patrol cars still can be summoned at a moment’s notice. THE PHYSICAL fitness aspect cannot be overstated, Plumlee and Aronson said. Part of the training dealt with officers maintaining proper pace when summoned to a call. If they exert all of their energy riding bikes, they’ll have none left over by the time they arrive at a call. “Try riding a bike as hard as you can for about five minutes, then jump off and start running,” Aronson said. “Your legs just lock up, and you can’t do anything.” These are more than just leisurely See BIKES | Page A5
Sanni militants fly over Iraq refinery BAGHDAD (AP) — Sunni militants hung their black banners on watchtowers at Iraq’s largest oil refinery, a witness said today, suggesting an ever-increasing stranglehold on the vital facility by insurgents who have seized vast territories across the country’s north. A top Iraqi security official and a militant fighting for control of the plant said the government still held it. The fighting at Beiji, some
155 miles north of Baghdad, comes as Iraq has asked the U.S. for airstrikes targeting the militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. While U.S. President Barack Obama has not fully ruled out the possibility of launching airstrikes, such action is not imminent in part because intelligence agencies have been unable to identify clear targets on the ground, officials said. See IRAQ | Page A5
Raines reflects on last year at theatre workshop By KAREN INGRAM The Iola Register
Onstage, four girls acted out a scene while their peers watched. They used no props except for chairs to sit on, so the audience had to imagine the items they used in their pantomime: a remote control, a time-travel box, a cat. The antics drew laughs and applause. Susan Raines, creative director of the Children’s Summer Theatre Workshop, looked on with pride. This is her last year in the program. She is passing the torch to her current co-director, John Higginbotham, to continue the program. Raines has earned the break; she’s been doing this for almost 20 years. “John’s going to be excellent,” Raines said. “He’s a product of the program.”
Although Raines created the workshop in 1995, she is a product of the Iola theater community, too. She 8 eight years old when the Bowlus Fine Arts Center was constructed, and she saw her first play there, “Winnie the Pooh.” Martha Crosson played Christopher Robin and Judy Baker played the part of Pooh Bear. Raines was captivated by the idea of the play as much as the play, itself; the idea of live actors in front of a live audience instead of on a TV screen. “It was just a whole different world and I fell in love with it,” she said. The summer workshop program is for children from third to eighth grade, but high school and college students can continue in the program as staff members. See WORKSHOP | Page A6
Quote of the day Vol. 116, No. 165
Shake with a Zombie Mongo, played by Roy Anderson, above, surfaces from the center of the earth during a rehearsal for the Allen Community College Summer Youth performance of “Shake With a Zombie,” which runs Friday and Saturday at the ACC Theatre. Admission is free. REGISTER/KAYLA BANZET
Youth put on summer production By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
Allen County youth shimmy and shake during this summer’s production of “Shake with a Zombie.” The musical is the 15th annual Allen Community College Summer Youth production. Performances start at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the ACC Theatre. Admission is free. Wet grounds at Riverside Park forced the location change. The story takes place in Pete’s Luncheonette in Desert County, Calif. Pete, played by Jud Wiltse, opened the res-
taurant against his mother’s wishes. His mother, played by Sarah Price, wants her son to be something extraordinary. Pete is well-liked by his staff and the high school kids who frequently stop by after school for his unique shakes. Then things around town start to become weird. Strange frequencies on his ham radio alert Pete. The restaurant experiences a large earthquake, after which a creature named Mongo, played by Roy Anderson, appears. At first, Mongo seems innocent enough. That is until he recruits the students for
“Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are.” — Soren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher 75 Cents
his special teenage army to overake the world. Mongo has the ability to steal their intelligence and make them into teenage zombies. The kids read stacks of books to learn information for Mongo. It’s up to Pete, with the help of his girlfriend Marlene, played by Alanna Knavel, to stop Mongo. The young actors do a great job of hitting their punch lines and keeping high energy. The audience can sit back and enjoy a variety of songs and dance numbers. The show is directed by Tony Piazza and is sponsored by the Sleeper Family Trust.
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