US adding ‘fuel to the fire’
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Kremlin warned Monday that President Joe Biden’s decision to let Ukraine strike targets inside Russia with U.S.-supplied longer-range missiles adds “fuel to the fire” of the war and would escalate international tensions even higher.
Biden’s shift in policy added an uncertain, new factor to the conflict on the eve of the 1,000-day milestone since Russia began its fullscale invasion in 2022.
It also came as a Russian ballistic missile with cluster munitions struck a residential area of Sumy in northern Ukraine, killing 11 people, including two children, and injuring 84 others. Another missile barrage sparked apartment fires in the southern port of Odesa, killing at least 10 people and injuring 43, including a child, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said.
Washington is easing limits on what Ukraine can strike with its American-made Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMs, U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Sunday, after months of ruling out such a move over fears of escalating the conflict and bringing about a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.
The Kremlin was swift in its condemnation.
“It is obvious that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to take steps and they have been talking about this, to continue adding fuel to the fire and provoking further escalation of tensions around this conflict,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The scope of the new firing
See UKRAINE | Page A8
Full speed ahead
By SARAH HANEY The Iola Register
Is 95 the new 40? Glenda Creason could convince you it is. The nonagenarian has served as a volunteer with the Iola Senior Center for many years and is still bursting with energy.
“I wouldn’t be 95 if I wasn’t running this place,” she said.
“I love being busy.”
This is evident with her quick pace as she navigates through the center, showing off its various offerings and activities. Creason loves the people she gets to interact with at the center. And playing cards — she loves to play cards.
Gesturing to a bulletin board of photos, Creason noted, “All these people have eaten at the center throughout the years. I’m proud of all my pictures. I think that there are probably only a dozen people in these pictures that haven’t already passed away. We’ve had such good thoughts about all of them. I’ve still got a few around.”
Before COVID struck, the center would fill up to seven tables with people on card night.
“We’re down to three tables now,” bemoaned Creason.
By ANNA KAMINSKI Kansas Reflector
now with her son.”
Creason was born and raised in Iola. She met her husband, Jim, while working a soda fountain at a drugstore on the square.
“He came in to get a pop,” she said.
They started dating and eventually married on Oct. 27, 1946.
The pair moved to California in 1952 and adopted two sons.
“My sons are 65 and 63 now — I can’t believe they’re this old!” she exclaimed.
Not all of them have passed away, though. A former card player, Ruby Davis, is now 108 years old.
“I could play cards all night long,” she said with a grin.
House passes bill to move up annual FAFSA deadline
By SHAUNEEN MIRANDA Kansas Reflector
At 95 years young, Glenda Creason runs senior programs See CREASON | Page A8
“She lives over in Missouri
In 1963, the family moved to Kansas City, Kan., where Jim worked for Dover Elevator. Around the same time, they purchased a peach or-
TOPEKA — Kansas is expected to take in about $72 million less in tax revenue next year than initial estimates projected, officials said.
The revised state revenue estimate announced Friday is the first since Gov. Laura Kelly signed a major bipartisan tax cut bill in June, which is expected to slash state taxes by $1.2 billion in the next two and a half years.
The new estimate contained updated projections for state general fund revenue for fiscal year 2025, which ends in June.
Officials estimated the state government will take in about $9.73 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2025, which is a 4%, or $400 million, decrease from 2024 total receipts.
WASHINGTON — A measure to ensure the federal student aid form opens up annually by Oct. 1 passed the U.S. House Friday with overwhelming bipartisan support. The effort — which passed 381-1 — came after the U.S. Department of Education faced major backlash over the botched rollout of the 2024-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. California Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren was the only lawmaker to vote against the bill. Though the form got a makeover after Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act in late 2020, users faced multiple glitches and technical errors throughout the form’s soft launch in December and past its full debut in January, prompting processing delays and gaps in submissions. The department has worked to correct these glitches and close that gap while also fixing major issues that prevented parents without Social Security numbers from completing the form.
Adding another complication, the department said in August it would use a phased rollout of the 202526 form in an attempt to address any errors that might arise before it opens up to everyone — making the application fully available two months later than usual. Codified deadline Though the department
See FAFSA | Page A3
Pick up sticks (and other things)
Throngs of volunteers were in LaHarpe Saturday for the LaHarpe PRIDE Committee’s annual Cleanup Day, where they cleared lawns of brush, debris and even helped demolish a dilapidated house. Assisting were students from Kansas State University and helpers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Nelson Quarries and Thrive Allen County. More than a dozen yards were cleaned. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Glenda Creason, 95-year-old senior center volunteer, shows one of several bulletin boards that displays those who have visited the center over the years. REGISTER/SARAH HANEY
Colony Church news
Pastor Chase Riebel gave a thanksgiving sermon on being thankful for the Kingdom of God from Psalm 145. God wants every person to come to Him, but He also wants the nations to seek Him.
True thanksgiving is sitting at the Lord’s table and being in communion with our Savior. Thanksgiving is a lifestyle. Thanksgiving is every day.
Lexy Langworthy led
worship accompanied by Ben Prasko on the Peruvian Cajon. They played “Great Are You Lord,” “10,000 Reasons,” “The Old Rugged Cross” and “Great Are You Lord.” Brant McGhee gave the communion meditation.
On Monday evenings in December there will be a small group for the study of the book “Come Home For Christmas” by Matthew West.
Nov. 18-24 focuses on antibiotic use in Kansas
TOPEKA — According to a press release from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), Governor Laura Kelly has proclaimed Nov. 18–24 as Use Antibiotics Wisely Week in Kansas. KDHE is asking health care providers and Kansans to use antibiotics wisely to help protect from the threat of growing resistance.
This one-week observance is led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is joined each year by more than 300 organizations.
The week serves to promote awareness of antibiotic resistance (AR) and to share the importance of appropriate antibiotic prescribing and use across the United States.
“Working together, we must improve the prescribing and use of antibiotic and antifungal drugs and pursue infection prevention actions across the health of humans, animals, plants, and the environment,” KDHE
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dereck Totten said. “Each of us can help prevent the development of new antibiotic resistant bacteria by using antibiotics only when appropriate and as they are prescribed. This will go a long way in helping protect all Kansans.”
Antibiotic awareness does not mean stopping
the use of antibiotics. It means improving the way antibiotics are prescribed and used.
EACH YEAR, more than 2.8 million people in the United States contract AR infections, and more than 35,000 of those people die.
Kansas is the 10th highest antibiotic prescribing state with 803 antibiotic prescriptions per 1,000 population and is the 11th worst in the nation for implementing antibiotic stewardship programs in hospitals. Antibiotic stewardship is the effort to improve the prescription and use of antibiotics.
Here are ways Kansans can help
• Wash your hands. This is one of the best ways to prevent or stop the spread of infections.
• Do not request that your doctor prescribe antibiotics.
• Pet owners, try to keep your animals and pets healthy by keeping up with your pet’s vaccines, deworming and flea and tick control.
• Only take antibiotics that are prescribed for you and take the whole course as prescribed. Do not share or use leftover antibiotics. Antibiotics treat specific types of infections. Taking the wrong medicine may delay correct treatment and allow bacteria to multiply.
Grocery Grab winner plans to share bounty
By TIM STAUFFER The Iola Register
Ruth Womelsdorf was this year’s winner of Iola Rotary Club’s annual Grocery Grab. The event, held at Iola’s G&W, allows one lucky winner five minutes worth of virtually unlimited shopping in the store. Womelsdorf selected Iolan Brandon Hesse to run in her stead. Hesse certainly had a game plan, grabbing $1,250 worth of meat in a single minute.
“This is a wonderful early birthday present,” said Womelsdorf, who turns another year younger on Nov. 21. She plans to share the groceries with friends and family during the holidays. Iola Rotary
Club, which footed the grocery bill with ticket sales from the event, also uses the fundraiser to help purchase
Thanksgiving baskets that are distributed to area families. Five other Grocery Grab finalists won gift certifi-
cates ranging from $25 to $125. This is the seventh edition of the Rotary fundraiser.
Trump confirms deportation strategy
By ANDREA CASTILLO Los Angeles Times/TNS
WASHINGTON —
President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to execute mass deportations of immigrants in the U.S. illegally will involve the military and a national emergency declaration, he confirmed Monday.
In a Nov. 8 post on Trump’s social media platform Truth Social, Tom Fitton, who leads the conservative legal group Judicial Watch, wrote: “GOOD NEWS: Reports are the incoming @ RealDonaldTrump administration prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program.”
Trump responded early Monday: “TRUE!!!”
A spokesperson for the Trump transition team didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
DURING HIS first term, Trump bypassed Congress to divert Pentagon funds to expand the border wall
Humboldt man killed in wreck
HUMBOLDT — Eric L. Guenther, 57, Humboldt, was killed early Monday morning in a two-vehicle accident northwest of Humboldt in rural Allen County.
by declaring a national emergency. President Biden terminated the emergency order just after he took office in 2021. Mass deportations were one of Trump’s top campaign promises — he said he would go after at least 15 million people who are in the U.S. illegally, though it’s not known whether the total number of undocumented immigrants is that high. On the campaign trail, Trump said his
Subscribers have
strategy would rely on military troops, friendly state and local law enforcement and wartime powers.
Trump chose Tom Homan, previously the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to oversee deportations as his “border czar.” Homan promised to resume workplace immigration raids and prioritize immigrants who pose threats to public safety and national security for deportation.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that Guenther was northbound on 800 Street, about one mile north of Delaware Road, in his 1997 Dodge Dakota, when his vehicle went into a spin and struck a 2003 Ford Ranger driven by Steven Yost, 53, Humboldt.
KDOT recognizes employee
MORAN — Richard Ferguson, an equipment mechanic from Moran, is celebrating 10 years with the Kansas Department of Transportation. KDOT recognized service anniversaries for December, with employees marking milestones between 10 and 45 years of service.
Yost’s vehicle caught fire, troopers said.
Guenther, who was wearing a seat belt, was transported to Allen County Regional Hospital in Iola, where he was pronounced dead.
Yost, who also was wearing a seat belt, was transported to Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center in Chanute for what troopers said was a suspected serious injury.
Donald Trump visits the U.S.- Mexico border in 2019. JOHN GIBBINS/SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE/TNS
G&W Foods employee Kegan Wilson helps Ruth Womelsdorf of Welda load over $1,660 worth of groceries into her vehicle Saturday morning. REGISTER/ TIM STAUFFER
Report: About 20% of Americans regularly get their news from influencers on social media
By HALELUYA HADERO
The Associated Press
About one in five Americans — and a virtually identical share of Republicans and Democrats — regularly get their news from digital influencers who are more likely to be found on the social media platform X, according to a report released Monday by the Pew Research Center.
The findings, drawn from a survey of more than 10,000 U.S. adults and an analysis of social media posts posted this summer by influencers, provide an indication of how Americans consumed the news during the height of the U.S. presidential campaign that President-elect Donald Trump ultimately won.
The study examined accounts run by people who post and talk regularly about current events — including through podcasts and newsletters— and have more than 100,000 followers on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or TikTok. They include people across the political spectrum, such as the progressive podcast host Brian Tyler Cohen and conservative podcaster Ben Shapiro, as well as non-partisan personalities like Chris Cillizza, a former CNN analyst who now runs his own newsletter.
The report found that news influencers posted mostly about poli-
Supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris hold up their phones as she delivers a concession speech for the 2024 presidential election, Wednesday, Nov. 6, on the campus of Howard University in Washington. AP PHOTO/STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH
tics and the election, followed by social issues like race and abortion and international events, such as the Israel-Hamas war. Most of them — 63% — are men and the majority — 77% — have no affiliation, or background, with a media organization. Pew said about half of the influencers it sampled did not express a clear political orientation. From the ones that did, slightly more of them identified as conservative than as liberal.
During the campaign, both parties and presidential campaigns had courted influencers, including creators who weren’t very political, to compete for voters who are increasingly getting most of their news from non-traditional sources.
The Republican and Democratic national conventions had credentialed influencers to cover their events this
past summer. Vice President Kamala Harris sat down with Alex Cooper for her “Call Her Daddy” podcast and talked a little Bay Area basketball with the fellows on “All the Smoke.” Meanwhile, Trump hung out with the bros on the “Bussin’ With the Boys,” “Flagrant” and the popular podcaster Joe Rogan as part of a series of appearances targeting young male voters.
“These influencers have really reached new levels of attention and prominence this year amid the presidential election,” Galen Stocking, senior computational social scientist at Pew Research Center, said in a statement. “We thought it was really important to look at who is behind some of the most popular accounts — the ones that aren’t news organizations, but actual people.”
Even though 85% of
news influencers have a presence on X, many of them also have homes on other social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
Racial minorities, young adults and adults with a lower income were more likely to get their news from news influencers, according to the report. Most of the people surveyed by Pew said news influencers have helped them better understand current events, while roughly a quarter say what they hear has not made much of a difference. A small share — 9% — say influencers have confused them more.
Media analysts have long been concerned about how influencers — most of whom don’t have to abide by editorial standards — could fuel misinformation, or even be used by America’s adversaries to churn out content that fits their interests. On social media, though, some influencers have positioned themselves as figures presenting neglected points of view.
Pew, which is doing the study as part of an initiative funded by the Knight Foundation, said 70% of the survey respondents believe the news they get from influencers is somewhat different than what they hear elsewhere. Roughly a quarter said it was “extremely or very different.”
FAFSA: Botched rollout gets update
Continued from A1
legally has until Jan. 1 to roll out the form, it typically launches Oct. 1.
U.S. Rep. Erin Houchin, an Indiana Republican and member of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, in July introduced the bill to standardize that deadline.
“I’m especially frustrated considering the Department of Education has had three years to simplify the FAFSA as Congress has dictated,” Houchin said during floor debate Friday.
She also referenced recent findings from the Government Accountability Office, including that nearly three-quarters of all calls to the call center went unanswered in the first five months of the 2024-25 rollout.
“We want this pro-
gram to work — we want to make sure that children and families that want to send their kids to college have the availability to do that and that the FAFSA is available and workable,” she added.
U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, ranking member of the
House education panel, echoed his support during the floor debate, saying the measure will “help ensure that even more students have the information they need in a timelier manner to access Pell Grants and other vital student aid.”
Scott initially opposed the effort when the com-
mittee took it up in July out of concerns that the implementation deadline could force the department to roll out an incomplete form on Oct. 1 of this year.
“However, because we’re now considering the bill after Oct. 1, the deadline will apply next year, 2025, and that gives the department ample time to make improvements and fix any lingering issues,” the Virginia Democrat said.
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, introduced a companion bill in July.
The bill was referred to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, where Cassidy serves as ranking member. After Republicans won a Senate majority in the Nov. 5 elections, Cassidy is in line to chair the panel next year.
Revenue: Taxes
Continued from A1
While tax revenues are expected to decrease in 2025, estimates for other revenue sources increased by more than $12 million.
The revised estimate is crafted through a consensus process with state officials and three consulting economists from state universities. Kelly and the Legislature will use the revised estimate to inform the annual budget process.
Officials also presented their first estimates for fiscal year 2026, which begins July 2025, and they predicted $9.85 billion in revenue, an increase from the revised fiscal year 2025 estimate.
In the spring, when officials last updated the state’s revenue estimates, the state’s revenue and economy were deemed “stable,” said Shirley Morrow, director of the Kansas Legislative Research
Department, at a Friday press conference.
“That is relatively the same,” Morrow said.
However, some risks still exist, she said. Among them are persistent inflation, high interest rates, potential global geopolitical impacts on commodities, and price declines in the agricultural sector that began in 2023.
Over the past year, overall “farm financial conditions have deteriorated,” she said.
“We still have worries over drought conditions, which seem to have gotten a little worse over most of the state,” she said.
Following officials’ spring estimate, the number of open jobs and the number of available employees have moved closer together, and Kansas jobs have grown by 20,500, Morrow said. But job openings continue to outpace the number of unemployed individuals.
KANSAS
INDUS-
BONDS, SERIES
(PRAIRIELAND PARTNERS
CONSTRUCTION AND EQUIPPING OF A COMMERCIAL FACILITY; AND AUTHORIZING OTHER RELATED DOCUMENTS AND ACTIONS. The Ordinance authorizes the Issuer to issue its Taxable Industrial Revenue Bonds, Series 2024 (PrairieLand Partners Project) in the aggregate principal amount not to exceed $14,000,000 (the “Series 2024 Bonds”), for the purpose of paying the costs of the acquisition, construction and equipping of a commercial facil-
ity (the “Project”), as more fully described in the Indenture, the Site Lease and the Project Lease authorized by the Ordinance. The Project will be leased by the Issuer to AVE-PLP Properties, LLC, a Kansas limited liability company. In connection with the issuance of the Series 2024 Bonds, the Issuer approves a 10-year exemption from ad valorem property taxes for the Project. A complete text of the Ordinance may be obtained or viewed free of charge at the office of the City Clerk, City Hall, 2 W. Jackson Avenue, Iola, Kansas. A reproduction of the Ordinance is available for not less than 7 days following the publication date of this Summary at www.cityofiola.com. This Summary is hereby certified to be legally accurate and sufficient pursuant to the laws of the State of Kansas.
DATED: November 12, 2024. /s/ Robert Johnson, II, Esq. City Attorney (11) 19
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Spirit declares bankruptcy
By DAVID KOENIG
The Associated Press
Spirit Airlines said Monday that it has filed for bankruptcy protection and will attempt to reboot as it struggles to recover from the pandemiccaused swoon in travel, stiffer competition from bigger carriers, and a failed attempt to sell the airline to JetBlue.
Spirit, the biggest U.S. budget airline, filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition after working out terms with bondholders. The airline has lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020 and faces looming debt payments totaling more than $1 billion in 2025 and 2026. The airline said it expects to continue operating normally during the bankruptcy process. Spirit told customers Monday that they can book flights and use frequent-flyer points as they ordinarily would, and it said it will continue to pay employees and vendors.
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Physical Therapist Assistant
Physical Therapist Assistants assess, plan and provide therapeutic intervention as it relates to physical deficits in individuals with traumatic brain injury.
ZITS by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
BEETLE BAILEY by Mort Walker
HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by Chris Browne
MARVIN
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
The Iola Register
~ Journalism that makes a difference
Keeping Senate’s independence should be Thune’s top priority
In choosing South Dakota’s John Thune as their new leader, Senate Republicans appear to have recognized a crucial truth: It is in their party’s interest to be led by a Donald Trump supporter but not a sycophant. The fate of Trump’s second term hinges in no small part on whether Thune proves to have at least as much fortitude as the man he’s succeeding.
In his years as majority leader, Mitch McConnell reliably supported Trump’s agenda, yet he wasn’t a lap dog. He understood that the U.S. system of checks and balances requires Congress to be independent of the executive branch. At important moments, McConnell led the Senate in breaking with Trump, including by sanctioning Russia for election interference over Trump’s objections, rebuking Trump’s “precipitous withdrawal” of troops from Syria and Afghanistan, refusing his entreaties to scrap the filibuster or “postpone” Election Day, condemning the Jan. 6 riot, and, during Trump’s last month in office, overriding his veto of a defense bill.
but he became adept at holding his ground without trading insults. That skill is one his successor will need to emulate.
Thune, like McConnell, is a proponent of free trade and a supporter of Ukraine’s effort to defend itself against Russia’s invasion. Like McConnell, Thune accepted the results of the 2020 election and didn’t join the many congressional Republicans who attempted to block the certification of electoral votes. He also shares McConnell’s commitment to the filibuster.
Thune’s first test will be considering Trump’s nominees. ... Whover they are, Thune should ignore Trump’s demand that the Senate bypass the usual nomination process.
As Trump reenters the White House, Thune’s job won’t be easy. His first test will be considering Trump’s nominees for the cabinet and other high-ranking positions. Some will be qualified and should be confirmed quickly. Others will require rather more scrutiny. And some, as is already clear, will be completely unfit and should be rejected.
For these and other displays of independence, McConnell was subject to withering attacks from Trump,
Whoever the nominees are, Thune should ignore Trump’s demand that the Senate bypass the usual nomination process. Under the Constitution, the president may appoint officials without confirmation while the Senate is in recess, and
those nominees can serve out the remainder of the congressional session. Thune shouldn’t let Trump abuse the power. As Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist No. 76, Senate confirmation is “an excellent check upon a spirit of favoritism in the President, and would tend greatly to prevent the appointment of unfit characters.” (See Trump’s plan to appoint now-former Representative Matt Gaetz as attorney general.) Trump aside, Thune has an opportunity to advance prudent legislation. With thin majorities in both the House and Senate, Republicans will need to have moderates (or Democrats) on board to enact much of an agenda. Any deals they make — including over government funding, a new farm bill or a debt-ceiling extension — should prioritize economic growth while recognizing that the days of limitless government spending need to come to an end.
Responding to Trump is a challenge for anyone in government, but the position of majority leader is especially influential. In defending the Senate’s independence and norms, McConnell has sometimes buckled, but he leaves office with the Constitution intact. For Thune to one day say the same, he’ll need to follow his predecessor’s lead. — Bloomberg Opinion
Public schools vital to communities’ health
By JOEL MATHIS Guest opinion for The Kansas City Star
Here’s a warning for Kansas Republicans: You may love private school vouchers. But there’s every reason to think that voters hate them.
And here’s a warning for Kansans: There’s also good reason to believe that yet another voucher push is coming.
Vouchers — which would divert tax dollars from community and neighborhood public schools to help parents send their kids to private schools — have long been a high priority for conservatives in Topeka.
So far, despite repeated attempts, Kansas Republicans have failed to get pro-voucher bills across the finish line.
But the GOP strengthened its supermajorities in the Legislature in the Nov. 5 election.
That means conservatives can lose a vote here and there and still push right-wing legislation past Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto pen.
Which worries Kansas public education advocates.
“We were hoping that we would get more moderate Republicans or Democrats elected who would be against vouchers,” said Scott Rothschild of Kansans for Excellence in Education, a group that promoted moderate candidates for the Kansas State Board of Education during the recent campaign.
The group’s hopes didn’t come to fruition.
Conservatives won, both in the Legislature and on the education board.
“I think we’ll see a (voucher) proposal come out of the legislature now,” Rothschild said.
Losses at polls in red states
If and when Kansas Republicans do push school vouchers, they’ll do so at an interesting moment.
Voters in three states — including two deep-red states — overwhelmingly rejected voucher programs on Nov. 5.
Colorado voters defeated legislation that would let parents use taxpayer dollars to send their kids to private schools.
No surprise there — it’s a solidly blue state.
But two-thirds of Kentucky voters also rejected a voucher proposal.
And GOP-loving Nebraska voters repealed an existing voucher program by astonishing margins. Not a single county voted to keep the status quo.
“Even (Nebraska’s) reddest county, where 95% of voters supported Trump, said no to vouchers,” said ProPublica.
Vouchers, the nonprofit news organization pointed out, “have never won when put to voters. Instead, they lose by margins not often seen in such a polarized country.”
That’s not actually a surprise. Voters may lend Republicans their support. They just don’t much like Republican policies.
Education is no different.
Center of the community I did much of my growing up in Hillsboro, a small town in central Kansas.
The public schools there weren’t just places to stash kids during the day: They were a center of community life.
Pretty much the whole town would turn out for football and basketball games, band and choir performances and school plays.
Along with our churches, county fair and the Pizza Hut, school events were where we met each other and built a life together.
That was a few decades ago, but I suspect the dynamic remains the same.
That’s a big reason why voucher efforts have fallen short in the Sunflower State and elsewhere.
When you hurt public schools, you hurt the communities around them. And vouchers hurt public schools by starving them of resources.
Voters hate that.
Which is something for Kansas Republicans to keep in mind when they make their next inevitable attempt to pass a voucher program.
“I think what you’re going to find is that people don’t want you messing with their school,” said Rothschild, who worked for the Kansas Association of School Boards before his retirement.
“You know, there may be this general unease of public education in the abstract,” he added, “but when it comes to my school — or where my grandkids go to school or where my kids go to school — I’m invested and I don’t want anyone messing with that.”
RFK Jr. would be a disastrous public health decision-maker
Get ready to welcome back polio, measles and other preventable viruses if Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the next secretary of Health and Human Services.
There are few government departments that have as direct a role in Americans’ daily lives, in ways they notice and in many ways they don’t. The food we eat, the medicines we take, the research that gets conducted to support the development of pretty much every pharmaceutical in the country, tracking emerging diseases, combating the opioid epidemic, resettling refugees, setting rules for and disbursing Medicare and Medicaid, establishing foster care standards and much, much more all run through HHS.
RFK is not a manager or a bureaucrat interested in steering the department towards its mission; he’s a committed ideologue who’s made his career out of very publicly wanting to torch just the sort of functions HHS does. He isn’t just anti-establishment, he’s an arsonist let loose on a dry forest. There’s a certain mistrust of Big Pharma and their regulatory agencies that RFK can easily exploit here — some of it justified due to a historically over-cozy relationship between the industry and the government. And while many lives have been saved, there have also been disasters. We don’t mean Kennedy’s wild contention that childhood vaccines cause autism, something for which there is
no zero credible evidence, but how pharmaceutical companies like Purdue got consumers hooked on opioids while knowing these were highly addictive.
Other companies have engaged in dangerous pharmaceutical and food production practices, often unimpeded by regulators that were too slow or too deferential. The solution to that problem, though, is certainly not to have the enormous government department that oversees it all headed by someone who wants to combat the power of the pharma industry by targeting not monopolization or unscrupulous business practices but science itself. Kennedy could very realistically help bring back
all-but-eradicated diseases. He could attempt to yank certification for approved pharmaceuticals ranging from abortion drugs to vaccines. He could try to use the vast reach of the department’s research funding and the buying power of Medicare and Medicaid to try to stop the development of certain pharmaceuticals altogether, effectively stopping them from existing at all. Think of another pandemic of anywhere near similar magnitude and severity to COVID. The impact of having RFK at the helm could potentially be measured in millions more dead, a statement that is impossible not to make sound like an exaggeration but which is perfectly plausible.
Here is a man whose most salient political position is that perhaps humanity’s greatest-ever and most-lifesaving public health invention — preemptive inoculation against pathogens — is dangerous. This is not damage that could be quickly reversed by a subsequent administration; we would be potentially setting public health back by years in ways that would be hard to address. If smallpox and polio come back and alternative scam remedies are allowed to further proliferate, this is going to be a hard genie to put back in the bottle. For the health and safety of their own constituents, senators must be a firm no on RFK.
— New York Daily News
As majority leader of the U.S. Senate, South Dakotan John Thune’s allegiance to President-elect Donald Trump will likely be tested on a regular basis. (KEVIN DIETSCH/GETTY IMAGES/ TNS)
Inherent dangers of pregnancy
Lately my teenager has been fascinated by medical dramas. Although my “doctor self” is usually rolling my eyes throughout the program, it’s often a good conversation starter.
One recent show featured a pregnant woman who experienced one medical crisis after another. Her kidneys, liver, and lungs failed in succession as the team raced to identify the underlying obstetrical problem and find a treatment.
At the climax of the episode, her heart stopped.
Of course, being television, the correct diagnosis was made, the experimental treatment worked, and the episode ended with a perfectly healthy mother at home, holding her perfectly healthy baby.
For all the erroneous and outrageous details that transform bad fictional medicine into good TV, they did get
Debra Johnston
The Prairie Doc
something right. Pregnancy is a dangerous condition.
In fact, in America, pregnancy complications account for approximately 2 percent of all deaths among women between the ages of 20 and 44.
To put the 2 percent into perspective, consider that pregnancy complications can only happen in the months during and immediately following pregnancy.
On average, a woman in the United States will birth between one and two children. This means that between the ages of 20 and 44, the risk of pregnancy-related death isn’t spread across those 25 years as are the risks of cancer or car accidents. It is concentrated into the
relatively few months during which she is pregnant.
And for women younger than 20 and older than 44 the risk of pregnancy complications is even greater but, statistically speaking, women in those age groups simply don’t have enough babies to categorize pregnancy complications as a major cause of death.
Consider also that death by violence is not counted as a pregnancy complication, even though pregnancy is a significant trigger for violence.
What’s more, consider that these risks are not distributed equally between women. Socioeconomic status, education, physical location, and race all impact the likelihood of pregnancy complications, and death from those complications.
Issues that affect pregnant people affect their whole family. In medical school, I
was taught “nothing is worse for a fetus than a dead mother.” It’s hard to disagree.
So, what can we do to make pregnancy safer?
The answer to that question is multi-faceted. Access to quality obstetric care is one factor.
However, we must also ensure women are as healthy as possible before they conceive. They need good nutrition and safe places to live and work.
They need education to know what is normal, and what is not. They and their families need access to psychiatric care to address mental illness and addiction.
It may not make for good TV, but in the real world, the starting place is as basic, and as difficult, as that.
Debra Johnston, MD. is part of The Prairie Doc team of physicians and currently practices as a family medicine doctor in Brookings, S.D.
Management program slated for Dec. 12
EUREKA — Greenwood County, in partnership with the Southwind Extension District, has announced an educational program focused on sheep and goat management, along with market and marketing strategies, to be held on Dec. 12, at the Eureka Public Library, 101 N. Main St.. This program is designed to help producers, new farmers, and anyone interested in small livestock learn essential skills for successful sheep and goat farming.
The event will feature a meal at 5:45 p.m., fol-
Hunter Nickell
Extension Agent for Livestock Production
lowed by the educational program at 6:15 p.m.
The program will cover topics such as animal health, breeding practices, feeding and nutrition, and effective management strategies for sheep and goat operations.
Experts also will discuss how to improve profitability through
smart marketing practices, including strategies for selling live animals, meat, wool, and fiber.
Our goal is to equip participants with the knowledge and tools they need to manage sheep and goat operations more efficiently while also exploring marketing opportunities that can increase profitability.
This program is a great opportunity for producers to network, learn from experts, and discuss best practices with fellow producers.
The program is particularly beneficial for
Tropical Storm Sara downgraded
By DEVOUN CETOUTE Miami Herald/TNS
Former Tropical Storm Sara continues to weaken as it moves through Central America after being downgraded to a tropical depression Sunday morning. In its wake, Honduras saw “tremendous” amounts of rain that is still causing life-threatening conditions.
As of the 4 p.m. advisory, Sara was a weakening tropical depression straddling the area between Mexico and Guatemala, according to the National Hurricane Center. The system is expected to move into the Gulf of Mexico in the next day but will dissipate at that point. Sara’s remnants will contain a moisture plume that is anticipated to increase rain amounts along the U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, forecasters said. Some areas are predicted to see a slight risk of excessive rainfall.
The tracking map for then-Tropical Storm Sara as of 3 p.m. CST Saturday. As of Sunday, the storm had been downgraded to a tropical depression as it continued its path through central America. NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER/TNS
Sara made landfallin Belize as a tropical storm earlier Sunday before it drenched Honduras and surrounding Central American countries.
DATA FROM Honduras’ government show more than 40 inches of rain fell in some parts of the country. While the heavy rains are winding down, the risk of catastrophic flood-
ing still continues. In addition, across Belize, El Salvador, eastern Guatemala, western Nicaragua and the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, rain will continue to cause significant and life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides. There are no active watches or warnings as Sara reaches its final days.
Holiday cacti add weeks of color
By MELINDA MYERS
Add weeks of colorful flowers and decades of enjoyment to your indoor plant collection with holiday cacti.
Keep your flowering holiday cactus in a cool bright location to extend its bloom time for as long as four to eight weeks.
marbles in the saucer or bottom of the foil wrap or basket. The pot will be elevated above any excess water collecting in the pebbles. As this water evaporates it increases the humidity around the plant.
small-scale producers or those interested in starting a sheep or goat operation. Attendees will have the chance to ask questions and discuss the current trends and challenges in the industry.
While the event is free, pre-registration is encouraged to help with meal planning and event logistics. To register, call the Southwind District Iola Office at 620-365-2242. For more information, contact Livestock Production Agent Hunter Nickell at 620365-2242 or by email at nickell99@ksu.edu.
Avoid hot and cold air drafts, moisture stress, and other environmental changes to reduce the risk of bud and flower drop. These holiday cacti are epiphytes that naturally grow on trees in the rainforests of Brazil. They all prefer bright indirect light, high humidity, and thorough watering when the top few inches of soil begin to dry.
Don’t overwater but don’t let the soil dry completely. Water a bit more often when the plant is in bloom.
Grow them in an organic well-drained potting mix for best results. Water thoroughly and pour off any excess water that collects in the saucer to avoid root rot.
Reduce maintenance and improve the growing conditions with the help of gravel trays. Place a layer of pebbles, decorative stones, or
Fertilize with a dilute solution of flowering houseplant fertilizer once it finishes blooming and throughout spring and summer as needed. Grow your cactus in a north-facing window or back from an east- or west-facing window where it receives bright indirect light throughout the year. Too much sun turns the leaf segments dark red.
Next fall, start the dark treatment in early October to get holiday flowers. Cover the plants or move them to a location free of artificial light, indoors or outside, each night for 14 hours and provide bright, indirect sunlight each day. Any interruption in the dark period from outdoor, street, or reading lights can delay or prevent flowering.
Make this the year you add holiday cacti to your indoor plant collection. These easy-care flowering beauties will brighten indoor holiday décor and everyone’s mood.
chard which they ran for 20 years.
“It was fabulous,” she added.
The Creasons returned home to Iola in 1995.
“Jim and I loved playing cards at the senior center,” she said. “We started eating here in 2000.” Her brother-inlaw, Clifford, and his wife Joanne encouraged her to get involved helping with the Meals on Wheels program. Around 2006, she began running the program.
CREASON works a full schedule.
“I come in every morning at 7:30 a.m. and stay until 4:30 or 5 p.m.,” she said. “That is Monday through Thursday.”
On Fridays, they close up a bit earlier and come back to the center at 5 p.m. to play cards until 9 p.m.
“Before COVID, we used to have a meal here
on Friday night,” she said. “We were off for about two years. When we came back, we just brought the cards back. I was lucky to get that back.”
Her work with the Meals on Wheels program is a group effort, she noted. County resident Gary Murphy helps deliver the meals.
“He comes in at about
6 a.m., gets himself a cup of coffee and waits for me to get him the meals for delivery,” said Creason. Murphy helps deliver about 85 meals in Iola and the sur-
rounding area.
“They go to Moran, Yates Center, and Humboldt,” she added. “It’s a pretty good-sized route.”
Creason delivers three of the meals and helps host about 10 others at the center.
Those interested in receiving meals through the program are encouraged to call the courthouse to get it set up.
“The courthouse then calls me and I put it on my calendar,” she said.
JIM PASSED away on Christmas morning in 2012. Following his passing, Creason tried running the family farm for about five years before ultimately moving into town in 2017.
“It’s joyous and sad, too, but I’ve gotten used to it,” she said. “I know he’s still around me. We were married for 63 years. You really have to work at it. There’s problems, but it’s a give-andtake. You get ahold of a
good one, you want to hold onto him.”
What is Creason’s secret to a long, happy life? Staying active.
“I’ve had 70-yearolds tell me to slow down,” she said. “I have one speed — full speed ahead.”
She enjoys walking and says she has been blessed with good health.
“I broke an ankle once from falling down the church steps,” she noted. “That’s the only bone I’ve ever broken. I also take all my pills. Some people don’t like taking pills, but I’ve always taken my pills and I’m this good at 95.”
Keeping busy and maintaining a social life is also important.
“Just be around people,” she added. “I just love people to death.”
It also seems that living a long life is hereditary. Creason had an aunt who lived to be 108. “I’m trying to beat her,” she laughed.
guidelines isn’t clear. But the change came after the U.S., South Korea and NATO said recently that North Korean troops are in Russia and apparently are being deployed to help Moscow drive Ukrainian troops out of Russia’s Kursk border region.
Biden’s decision was almost entirely triggered by the entry of North Korea into the fight, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, and was made just before he left for Peru to attend the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit at the end of last week.
Russia also is slowly pushing Ukraine’s outnumbered army backward in the eastern Donetsk region. It has also conducted a devastating aerial campaign against civilian areas in Ukraine.
Peskov referred journalists to a statement made by President Vladimir Putin in September in which he said allowing Ukraine to target Russia would significantly raise the stakes. It would change “the very nature of the conflict dramatically,” Putin said at the time.
“This will mean that NATO countries — the United States and European countries — are at war with Russia.” Peskov claimed that Western countries supplying longer-range weapons also provide
targeting services to Kyiv. “This fundamentally changes the modality of their involvement in the conflict,” he said.
Putin warned in June that Moscow could provide longer-range weapons to others to strike Western targets if NATO allowed Ukraine to use its allies’ arms to attack Russian territory. He also reaffirmed Moscow’s readiness to use nuclear weapons if it sees a threat to its sovereignty.
President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office in about two months, has raised uncertainty about whether his administration would continue vital military support to Ukraine. He has also vowed to quickly end the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a muted response to the approval that he and his government have been requesting of Biden for more than a year.
“Today, much is be ing said in the media about us receiving per mission for the relevant actions,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video ad dress Sunday.
“But strikes are not made with words. Such things are not an nounced. The missiles will speak for them selves,” he said.
The new policy’s con sequences on the bat tlefield are uncertain.
ATACMS, which have a range of about 190 miles, can reach targets far behind the about
600-mile front line in Ukraine, but they have relatively short range compared with other types of ballistic and cruise missiles.
The policy change came “too late to have a major strategic effect,” said Patrick Bury, a senior associate professor in security at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom.
“The ultimate kind of impact it will have is to probably slow down the tempo of the Russian offensives which are now happening,” he said.
Ukraine could target enemy troops concentrated in Kursk or logistics hubs or command headquarters, Bury added.
Sports Daily B
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Humboldt’s dream season ends
Cubs fall to Council Grove in 2A sectionals
By RICHARD LUKEN
The Iola Register
HUMBOLDT — Things were looking rosy early on for Humboldt High Friday.
The Cubs, hosting Council Grove in their Class 2A playoff game, had started like gangbusters.
Cub senior quarterback Blake Ellis gave the home crowd an early charge, bursting through on a 60-yard touchdown on a fourth-andtwo gamble barely two minutes into the game.
But things soured from there.
Council Grove knotted the score on an extended drive late in the first quarter, after which both teams struggled holding onto the ball.
Humbold’s next drive ended in a fumble recovery, as did Council Grove’s. And then so did Humboldt’s.
But the game truly turned just before halftime, when
Humboldt High’s Brody Gunderman (81) is guided by teammate and blocker Mason Sterling Friday against Council Grove. The Cubs lost, 31-8.
the Braves scored with no time left in the half. Council Grove’s defense was fully locked in by then, shutting out Humboldt after intermission in a 31-8 victory. The loss ends Humboldt’s
season at 10-1 in the sectional round of the Class 2A playoffs, the third straight year Humboldt has made it this far in the postseason.
“We believed we were good enough to win the
Hot shooting propels Allen
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
After a furious comeback against the defending national champs came up one point short Friday, Allen Community College’s men weren’t much interested in seeing any kind of drama develop a day later.
The Red Devils shot a blistering 11 of 14 from 3-point range Saturday evening to cruise past Metropolitan College, 92-75.
That came after Allen sliced a 13-point deficit to one on Friday evening against National Park in a 77-76 setback.
The games, constituting the Red Devil Classic, were another segment of Allen’s brutal early schedule, which includes multiple NJCAA-Division I schools, the defending NJCAA-II titlists in National Park, and other powerhouses, like Connors State College, which comes to town Tuesday evening.
The tough early stretch is part of head coach Patrick Nee’s strategy to have the Red Devils battle-tested by the time Jayhawk Conference play starts in January.
“We’re getting better,” Nee said, noting Allen remains without one of its primary weapons, sophomore guard Tyler Pinder due to injury. Pinder is due back around Thanksgiving.
“When Tyler gets back, we’ll be ready to roll,” he said.
And after a pair of tough losses to start the season, Allen’s marked improvement has borne out on the hardwood, even without Pinder.
The Red Devils gave Divi-
game, but we knew we had to keep from committing penalties and turnovers,” Humboldt head coach Logan Wyrick said. “We’ve
By JONAH BRONSTEIN The Associated Press
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs ran out of the lategame heroics that made them appear unbeatable.
Josh Allen and the Bills ended the two-time Super Bowl champions’ bid for an undefeated season with a 30-21 win on Sunday. Kansas City (9-1) now turns its focus to maintaining its position atop the AFC — it leads Buffalo (9-2) by a halfgame — and shoring up the flaws that finally contributed to a loss.
“The undefeated thing was cool,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “But that’s not our ultimate goal.” Mahomes, of course, was referring to Kansas City’s quest to become the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
To achieve that, the Chiefs have some things to work on after they lost for the first time in 16 games (including playoffs) dating
Red Devils roll past Indy, McPherson JV
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Her young team isn’t where Allen Community College head coach Leslie Crane wants it to be, at least not yet. That may mean bad news for the Red Devil women’s future opponents, because Allen keeps winning, anyways. Allen capped a lopsided weekend Friday and Saturday at the Red Devil Classic, first steamrolling visiting
McPherson’s junior varsity 66-36 on Friday. And then after travel issues prevented Oklahoma Wesleyan from getting to Iola for Saturday’s game, the Red Devils found another opponent in Independence Community College. That did nothing to slow down ACC’s offense, however. The Red Devils zipped out to a 12-0 lead to start the game and never looked
Allen Community College’s Malachi Schilreff (2) puts in a layup against Metropolitan Community College Saturday. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE MYER
Allen Community College’s Delta Shaw, right, puts up a shot Saturday against Independence. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Cubs: Season ends with 2A playoff loss to Council Grove
Continued from B1
been very sound for the most part throughout the year with not committing turnovers, but it reared its ugly head tonight.”
A critical sequence late in the second quarter put Humboldt behind the 8-ball for the balance of the night.
After successfully pulling off a fake punt and securing a first down, Humboldt saw its chances to break the 8-8 deadlock go awry with a holding penalty and quarterback sack with less than a minute on the clock.
Things went from bad to worse when the Braves’ Landon Dody broke off a long punt return to set Council Grove up at the Cub 32yard line, but with no timeouts remaining and 25 seconds on the clock.
Council Grove quarterback Luke Stewart found Levi Waring on a perfectly placed throw down the right side. Waring stumbled to the turf at the Cub 2, but was still in bounds.
The Braves raced to the line of scrimmage as Stewart spiked the ball with 6 seconds left, much to the chagrin of Humboldt’s coaching staff, who contended the spike should’ve been considered a backward lateral and fumble.
“You’ve gotta go straight down (with the throw). To us, it looked like he fumbled it to the left, which was a lateral,” Wyrick said.
The refs disagreed, giving Council Grove another shot at the end zone.
But even then, Humboldt nearly escaped unscathed when Jacob Harrington narrowly missed an interception on the next play.
Instead, the ball bounced harmlessly to the turf, with one precious second still showing on the clock.
It was all the Braves needed.
Council Grove’s Ace Monihen knifed his way into the end zone on the last play of the half, giving the Braves a 16-8 advantage.
STILL, Humboldt didn’t go down without a fight.
The Cubs’ Brody Gunderman recovered a
perfectly placed pooch kick down the sidelines, but was ruled out of bounds as he recovered the ball, giving Council Grove possession.
Humboldt promptly recovered a Monihen fumble on the next play, putting the team in scoring possession once again.
The Cubs promptly marched to the Council Grove 12, but lost yardage on two straight plays, eventually setting up a fourth-and-12 from the Braves’ 14. Ellis’s pass attempt down the left sideline bounced harmlessly to the turf, giving Council Grove possession.
The rejuvenated Braves marched 86 yards on 11 plays, capped by Monihen’s 2-yard run with 3:46 left in the third, to put the game away.
Humboldt came up empty twice on fourth and long down the stretch, and lost possession twice more on turnovers.
Stewart found Monihen on a 17-yard touchdown pass with 2 minutes left in the game to cap the scoring.
Unofficially, Ellis rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown and threw for 51 yards. Cole Mathes and Mason Sterling added 24 and 13 yards, respectively.
Sterling and Asher Hart each had 17 yards receiving. Harrington added a 13-yard reception.
for 60 yards to lead Council Grove. Stewart threw for 131 yards and rushed for 47. Waring had 58 yards receiving.
WITH THE loss, Humboldt loses the services of seniors Ellis, Mathes, Harrington, Hart, Gunderman, Logan Page, Kyler Isbell, Matthew McCullough and Keith Gomez. Their senior class will go into the annals as the winningest class (33 wins over four years) of Humboldt football, Wyrick noted.
“That’s special,” he said. “That’s not what they want to hear right now. They had some special years. They never had a losing season and won multiple regional titles. They’ve done some special things, and they’ve played a lot of football. Some of these guys have been playing since they were freshmen.
“It’s a tough class to lose,” Wyrick continued. “I was coaching these guys in middle school basketball. I’ve seen these guys grow up. It’s a special group. We’re gonna miss them, but they definitely built an amazing foundation.”
The Cubs’ success this year came even as Humboldt fielded one of its smallest rosters ever, with only two dozen players seeing the field. What’s more, Humboldt lost the services of Page — who ex-
Hutchinson.
Council Grove 8-8-8-7—31
Humboldt 8-0-0-0—8
Humboldt —
celled both as a blocker and as a receiver — due to injury in early October.
“Losing Logan hurt, but we had guys who stepped up in different roles,” Wyrick said. “I’m not gonna say we have the best coaches, but one thing we truly do the best is work as problem solvers, figuring out how the puzzle fits together.
“We’re bringing back Mason and a lot of our linemen, and we’ll definitely be a different team next season,” Wyrick said. “We hope to keep rolling the way they’ve been the last handful of years. Hopefully we can add numbers to what we’ve got. We only need 11. That’s what I tell them. I’ll go to battle with them any day.”
COUNCIL Grove, 8-3, travels to Seneca Friday to take on two-time defending state champion Nemaha Central
for a berth in the 2024 state title game. The state championship will be held Nov. 30 in
Monihen rushed
Humboldt High head coach Logan Wyrick addresses his players after their season-ending 31-8 loss to Council Grove Friday in the Class 2A state quarterfinals. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Red Devils: Hot shooting keys victory over Metropolitan
Continued from B1
sion I power Butler County all it wanted last weekend before nearly storming back to take down National Park’s Nighthawks Friday.
National Park had led from the outset, pushing open a 13-point margin early in the second half, before Allen’s Jevontae Costner and Henri Ray-Young both hit 3-pointers as part of a run to slice Allen’s deficit to 67-61. The margin yo-yoed between six and eight points over the next few minutes before Ray-Young nailed a long jumper before Schilreff drove in for a layup to pull to within 75-71 with 1:12 left.
But National Park milked the next 30 seconds off the clock be-
Allen: Rolls past Indy, McPherson JV
Continued from A1
back in a 78-49 victory.
The wins keep Allen perfect at 6-0 to start the season, but with Crane still not satisfied.
“We let them in the lane too much,” Crane said of Independence. “They did everything under the glass. We didn’t protect that. We’ve gotta do a better job in those situations.”
Sure enough, when Independence got the ball inside, the Pirates usually scored. Indy hit 9 of its 12 field goal attempts after intermission, thus keeping the game from becoming a total laugher.
But Allen’s ball pressure elsewhere often made it difficult for Independence to set up its offense to begin with.
Red Devil sophomore guard Mafalda Chambel was particularly effective at disrupting pretty much anything Independence tried to establish with her onball pressure.
“She’s a one-man press,” Crane laughed.
Chambel had four of Allen’s 16 steals as the Red Devils forced 31 turnovers against Independence.
“We did some good things,” Crane said. “We kept them under 50, and we could have kept them lower. But that’s me being greedy.”
Allen cooled after its
blistering start, as Independence rattled off seven straight points to pull to within 12-7.
But Allen re-established itself. Chambel’s 3 at the end of the first-quarter buzzer pushed the lead back to double digits at 17-7.
The lead grew to 37-22 by halftime.
Audry Peek’s 3-pointer stretched the lead to 20 points late in the third quarter.
Crane was able to get plenty of her reserves into the game. Of Allen’s 12 players on the roster, 11 of them played at least 11 minutes Saturday.
Chambel led the way with 17 points, followed by Nikki Gear’s 12 points and six rebounds. Aaliyah Brown scored nine points with five assists. Tawhirikura Doyle added eight points, Delta Shaw and Marta Cutazzo added seven points
apiece, and Juana Rojas and Doyle both had three steals. Yolaine Luthi and Ja’Mya Garland both had four assists.
ALLEN controlled McPherson on Friday from the get-go.
The Red Devils opened with an 18-6 blitz and stretched the lead to 37-16 at halftime. After a stagnant third quarter, the Red Devils ended with another push, outscoring McPherson 18-6 down the stretch.
Gear had her hands on pretty much everything defensive, pulling in 10 steals in the victory. Brown did the heavy lifting on offense with 19 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.
Chambel scored 11 points with three assists. Garland had nine points and 10 rebounds. Aiyanna Mason scored seven.
“We’re improving,” Crane said. “We learn something new every game. We’ve just got to get better defensively and not let the other guys get inside.”
Allen hosts Northern Oklahoma College-Enid on Tuesday.
Saturday
fore Addison Shelton scored on a putback with 44 seconds left to extend the margin back to 77-71.
Schilreff got two more points back on another driving layup with 29 seconds left. The Red Devils forced a turnover from there, with Schilreff’s 3-pointer in the waning seconds making it a onepoint game when the final buzzer sounded.
Schilreff scored 19 points to go with four assists and four steals, Costner had 14 points and Ray-Young scored 11. Tynell Stevenson came off the bench to score 16 and pull down a team-high seven rebounds. Costner added six assists.
SATURDAY had no such late drama.
Schilreff and Costner were hot early, with each hitting 3-pointers as Allen zipped out to a 21-6 lead. Metropolitan found its footing, paring the deficit to 11 midway through the first half before Allen found its shooting touch again. Mike Smith’s bucket preceded another Schilreff trey as Allen opened a 45-22 lead late in the half.
Metropolitan responded early in the second half, again cutting the margin to 12 before Schilreff corralled a missed Red Devil free throw and scored inside before Lewis Hill hit from downtown.
Schilreff scored on Allen’s next possession and suddenly Allen was ahead 7253. The margin grew to as much as 23 down the stretch.
Schilreff was 13
Friday
McPherson JV (6-10-14-6—36)
Allen (18-19-11-18—66)
Allen
of 18 from the field on his way to a game-high 30, while pulling down nine rebounds. RayYoung hit 5 of 7 treys as he poured in 22. Costner and Smith added 13 points each. Costner had four assists; Smith had eight rebounds, as did Stevenson. Dirk Johnson also had seven boards.
“We should have won both (Friday and Saturday) but I’ll take the W,” Nee said. “When we make threes we can beat anyone. We just have to rebound and get to more loose balls.”
Allen Community College’s Henri Ray-Young pulls in a rebound against Metropolitan Community College Saturday. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Allen Community College’s Mafalda Chambel, right, plays defense Saturday. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
onds left.
Hawks upset BYU; K-State rally falls short KC Current falls in NWSL semis
PROVO, Utah (AP) —
Jalon Daniels threw for 169 yards, Dylan Neal ran for two touchdowns and Kansas upset No. 7
BYU 17-13 on Saturday night to hand the Cougars their first loss of the season.
The Jayhawks (4-6, 3-4 Big 12) beat ranked opponents in back-toback weeks for the first time in school history. Neal surpassed 4,000 yards rushing in his career, finishing with 52 yards on the ground.
Jake Retzlaff threw for 192 yards for BYU (9-1, 6-1 Big 12, No. 6 College Football Playoffs). LJ Martin ran for 76 yards
for the Cougars , who were held to a field goal in the second half.
Trailing 13-10 entering the fourth quarter, Kansas went ahead on Neal’s 3-yard run.
Daniels quick-kicked on fourth-and-14 at the BYU 36 but, when Jakob Robinson dove to secure the ball, it squirted out of his arms. Quentin Skinner pounced on the loose ball at the 3 to set up the go-ahead score.
BYU drove to the Kansas 15 with two minutes left. The Cougars turned it over on downs when Chase Roberts was tackled 3 yards short of a first down with 46 sec-
Takeaways Kansas: The Jayhawks took care of the ball and made smart decisions against an opportunistic BYU defense that ultimately forced only one turnover.
BYU: A turnover prevented a potential goahead score before halftime. A second one led to a late Kansas lead.
Arizona State 24, Kansas State 14 MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Sam Leavitt threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns, Jordyn Tyson had 12 catches for 176 yards and two
Josh Allen (17) of
Chiefs: Overrun by Buffalo
Continued from B1
to last season.
Mahomes was unable to lead what would would have been his fifth fourth-quarter comeback of the season. The Chiefs provided no late-game dramatics, such as the blocked field goal as time expired to secure a 16-14 win over Denver a week earlier.
And Kansas City’s defense was unable to contain Allen when it mattered. The Bills quarterback sealed the victory with a 26-yard touchdown run on fourth down with 2:17 remaining.
Perhaps the Chiefs can win in the long run after losing.
“I’m hoping that it is a benefit,” Mahomes said. “I feel like we were just coming away with these wins at the end of games. And I think it’s going to spark us to have more urgency, especially in the start of football games, especially with the offense.”
Mahomes got off to a slow start by throwing an interception on the second play from scrimmage and did not complete a pass until Kansas City’s third possession. He finished 23 of 33 passing for 196 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions and oversaw an offense that crossed
midfield just three times, went three-andout three times, punted four times and finished with a season-low 259 yards.
In a showdown between two of the NFL’s top quarterbacks, Mahomes was outplayed by Allen, who finished 27 of 40 for 262 yards with a touchdown passing, the rushing TD and one interception.
“That was a guy making a play in the big moment,” Mahomes said, referring to Allen’s TD run. “Whenever the play is not there, he does a great job of making plays happen. And that’s what he did on that last play.”
It was the type of game-winning play the Chiefs are used to making.
But the Bills neutralized the Chiefs’ playmakers.
Tight end Travis Kelce had two receptions on four targets for eight yards after gaining 254 yards on 32 catches over in his past three games. Kansas City’s offense couldn’t find a spark from trade deadline addition DeAndre Hopkins, or the return of receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Backup tight end Noah Gray caught two touchdown passes, with Xavier Worthy scoring on a 10-yard catch.
Coach Andy Reid lamented the Chiefs allowing the Bills to convert 9 of 15 third downs, along with Allen’s decisive scoring run on fourth down. The Bills held the ball for 34:03 against a Chiefs team that came in leading the NFL in average time of possession.
“I think if we get off the field on third down, it’s a totally different landscape of the game,” Reid said.
Reid cited the Chiefs’ loss to the Raiders last December that sparked their run to a third Super Bowl title in four seasons.
“That’s absolutely what we need this to be,” Reid said. “It needs to be something that we build off of. That’s something that we need. A reality check for us.”
It’s possible the Chiefs and Bills will meet again in January. Though Mahomes dropped to 1-4 in regular-season starts against the Allen-led Bills, he’s 3-0 against them in the playoffs.
“It’s going to take your best football to beat great football teams. And we didn’t play our best football today,” Mahomes said. “All the respect to them. That’s going to be a good football team that we’ll probably see again.”
of the scores, and Arizona State held off No. 16 Kansas State 24-14 on Saturday night in the Sun Devils’ first trip to their new Big 12 rival. Cam Skattebo returned from an injury to run for 73 yards, and the Sun Devils (8-2, 5-2) built a 21-0 halftime lead, before Kenny Dillingham’s team held on for a third straight win to remain in contention for the Big 12 championship game. Avery Johnson threw for 258 yards with two interceptions and a touchdown run for Kansas State (7-3, 4-3, No. 16 CFP), which had been 4-0 at home this season and 15-3 over the past three. D.J. Giddens ran for 133 yards and Joe Jackson had a TD run. The bumbling Wildcats, who turned the ball over three times and failed to get the snap down on two field-goal tries, sure didn’t look like a conference title contender that had last week off to prepare for the Sun Devils.
Johnson was picked off on the second play of the game, and Arizona State marched 49 yards with Leavitt hitting Tyson for the touchdown. On the next series, Dylan Edwards and Giddens were stuffed on consecutive carries, giving the Sun Devils the ball back on downs. And on the Wildcats’ third series, Jayce Brown fumbled the ball away after a catch.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)
— Barbra Banda scored the go-ahead goal and the Orlando Pride defeated the Kansas City Current 3-2 on Sunday to advance to the National Women’s Soccer League championship game.
The Pride will face the Washington Spirit on Saturday for the league title at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City. The Spirit advanced to the final on a penalty shootout with a 1-1 draw against defending champions Gotham FC in the other semifinal, on Saturday.
Haley McCutcheon and the legendary Marta also scored for top-seeded Orlando, which lost just two games this season and won the NWSL Shield. The Pride didn’t lose at home all season.
The Pride advanced to the semifinals with a 4-1 win last weekend over the Chicago Red Stars, which was the Pride’s first playoff victory. Banda had two goals and Marta converted a penalty.
NWSL Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga scored the lone goal in the fourth-seeded Current’s 1-0 victory over the North Carolina Courage to advance to the semifinals.
Chawinga got through a full practice
for the Current on Friday, but coach Vlatko Andonovski was uncertain how much she could play on Sunday because of a lingering knee issue. Chawinga, who had 20 goals this season, started and played the entire game.
Brazilian Debinha scored for the Current in the 33rd minute on Michelle Cooper’s cross from a tight angle.
Ally Watt dribbled around a defender before bursting forward and sending the ball to a wide-open McCutcheon for the tying goal in the 41st minute. McCutcheon scored her first of the season last week in the quarterfinals.
Banda scored the go-ahead goal with a hard strike off a long pass from Kylie Strong in the 53rd. Banda, who played in the Olympics this summer for Zambia, had 13 regular-season goals.
Marta, a six-time FIFA World Player of the Year, maneuvered around a pair of defenders, then got past Kansas City goalkeeper Almuth Schult, before scoring into an empty net in the 82nd. In celebration, she gestured to her name on the back of her jersey for the crowd of 14,524 fans at Inter&Co Stadium.
the Buffalo Bills scores a rushing touchdown against Drue Tranquill (23) of the Kansas City Chiefs during the fourth quarter Sunday. GETTY IMAGES/BRYAN M. BENNETT/TNS