Sports: Runner reflects on 100-mile ultramarathon See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
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Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Humboldt to sign on for revitalization By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
HUMBOLDT — Humboldt council members will decide at their Nov. 9 meeting what parts of town will be in a new segment of the Neighborhood Revitalization Program. City Administrator Cole Herder said Monday night renewing the program — the second three-year run in Humboldt expired in May 2014 — slipped past him until a resident asked about signing on for an upgrade he had planned. Iola and several other area cities have taken advantage of the program, which gives property tax refunds. Rules are simple: If new construction or an upgrade amounts to $5,000 or more, and application is duly made, the owner qualifies for a refund of 95 percent for six years, with that reduced 20 percent each of the next four years with full taxing in the 11th year. Refund is 95 percent because Allen County retains 5 percent for administrative costs. While the program will affect Humboldt residents, they also will benefit by
refunds on behalf of USD 258, Allen County and Allen Community College, provided those taxing units sign on, which they have previously. Herder said all of Humboldt could not be included. A 1996 ruling prevents 100 percent of a city being involved. “How about 99 percent,” asked Mayor Nobby Davis. Herder thought that was workable, but wanted to review particulars of the program before making a recommendation. He pointed out in the first three years all of the downtown area and residential properties south of Bridge Street were in the program. The second three years included downtown and all of Humboldt west of Ninth Street (old U.S. 169). “We should have the northeast part of town in this time,” said Councilwoman Vada Aikins. A vote for Herder to prepare a recommendation passed unanimously. IN OTHER news, council members: — Heard but took no See HUMBOLDT | Page A6
Chris Butts, from left, Terry Butts and Linda Leonard look through a brochure of digital information signs. Money is being raised to put one in Humboldt’s downtown square. REGISTER/BOB JOHNSON
Drive begins for new sign By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
HUMBOLDT— Folks in Humboldt like to keep things up to date. Their latest project is to raise $30,000 to replace a 35-year-old sign at the southeast corner of the downtown square with a digital model that will stream information
in eye-catching fashion. The older one gives messages with hand-placed letters — many are warped — on a lighted Plexiglas background. “It’s just fallen into disrepair,” said Linda Leonard, a GALS member. Recognizing need, Humboldt’s Chamber of Commerce and GALS FCE joined together to get the ball rolling.
T.J.’s Towing adds salvage lot By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
GAS — Word travels quickly among auto parts hunters. Terry McDonald officially expanded his towing and used car business just Thursday afternoon to include a salvage lot. In the few short days afterward, T.J.’s Towing, PreOwned Auto and Salvage Lot has seen a plethora of people in need of specific auto parts. “The salvage lot is kicking off very well,” McDonald said Monday. “It’s already been pretty busy, and word is just now getting out that we’re open.” Thursday’s opening caps a months-long process of getting the 15-plus acres of land rezoned as industrial in order to open the salvage lot; erecting more than 900 feet of fencing to meet the county’s requirements and shield the lot from the view of passersby; building a new, 1,500-square-foot office building to accommodate his expanded business; and finally, buying scores of all makes and models of cars. “We’ve purchased probably 13 cars in the last three months to the point we have more than 300 cars on hand now,” McDonald said. His lot at the east edge of Gas, 1311 Campbell St., is
“We have about $3,000 and are starting to contact businesses and others,” said Terry Butts, a GALS member. “With all the other improvements in Humboldt, this is just one more thing that’s needed.” Fundraising has no timeline, “just whenever we get what we need,” said Butts. See SIGN | Page A2
Savonburg fall festival on tap SAVONBURG — Savonburg will ring in fall with a party Saturday. The inaugural Savonburg Fall Festival kicks off Saturday afternoon with a number of games, activities and a pulled pork dinner. The festivities kick off at 1 p.m. with activities for both adults and children, such as a water balloon toss, badminton games, face painting, cake walk and candy hunt. (The hunt is open to any child 10 or
younger.) In addition is a Lego contest in the Savonburg Community Building, tractortrailer hay rack rides, and bingo games that start at 2 o’clock. Savonburg Mayor Butch Cuppet will be on hand as the willing “victim” in a “Mummy wrap the mayor” game. The events wrap up at 4 o’clock with a pulled pork and hot dog dinner. Participants are encouraged to bring side dishes.
Program seeks to draw doctors to western Kansas Terry McDonald, who co-owns T.J.’s Towing with his wife, Shirley, has opened a new salvage lot on the outskirts of Gas. T.J.’s Towing, Pre-Owned Auto and Salvage Lot officially opened its doors Thursday. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN large enough to accommodate as many as 1,400 vehicles. “It’s going to take a few years to fill it,” he predicted. McDonald draws from a large swath across southeast Kansas, from Burlington and Westphalia, to Fort Scott, Chanute, Erie and parts in between. “That’s one of our benefits,” McDonald said. “Not only do we pay top dollar, we will go quite a ways to pick up
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the vehicles at no charge.” McDonald’s daughter, Jo Yarnell, has been hired on to run the salvage lot, while McDonald continues to focus primarily on the towing and used car sales. “When I started this, we wanted to make sure we had an office at the same property with the salvage cars,” McDonald said. (The lot is about See SALVAGE | Page A6
God’s colors all are fast.”
By JOHN GREEN The Hutchinson News
LAKIN, Kan. (AP) — Rural hospital director Benjamin Anderson has discovered a secret that’s enabled him to recruit several new doctors to sparsely populated and chronically underserved southwest Kansas, first in Ashland and then in Lakin. As a result, instead of continuing to turn people away, the 25-bed Kearney County Hospital where Anderson is CEO and an affiliated local medical clinic are
— John Greenleaf Whittier, American poet 75 Cents
both today accepting new patients from out-of-county. And more help is coming. “We’ve been turning away 50 patients a week for the last 18 months, conservatively,” Anderson said last month. “We were closed to out-of-county patients. As of Aug. 1, that changed. We now have the capacity to see people. The presence of these doctors is the reason we were able to deliver 210 babies in the last year.” Now, Anderson is looking to build on that success by See DOCTORS | Page A3
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