Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Locally owned since 1867
Iola’s Fleming to step down By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Iola City Administrator Sid Fleming will leave his post in March. F l e m i n g ’s resignation announcement was given last week Sid Fleming in a private meeting with Iola City Council members. Fleming, who has been in Iola for the past 3½ years, has been hired as city manager in Paola. “I’ve certainly enjoyed my See FLEMING | Page A3
iolaregister.com
Lawmakers touch on 2020 issues By TREVOR HOAG The Iola Register
Area legislators gave local citizens a preview of this year’s state Legislative session at a meeting Monday night sponsored by Allen County Farm Bureau. Representatives Kent Thompson, rural LaHarpe, and Ken Collins, Frontenac, were there in person while Sen. Caryn Tyson addressed the audience via speakerphone. Thompson is serving on the Local Government Committee as chair, the House Transportation Committee, and the House Agriculture Committee. He expressed concern over the labeling of food products, specifically meat and milk. Collins is serving on the Rural Revitalization and Health and Human Services Committees. He likewise expressed concern over food labeling, and pointed out what he considered misleading images on food packaging. Tyson also expressed con-
Kansas Reps. Kent Thompson and Kenneth Collins, at left, field questions at a legislative forum in Iola Monday. REGISTER/TREVOR HOAG cern over the labeling of meat and milk products. Examples of the kinds of products the legislators were concerned with, more specifically, are items like vegetarian/vegan protein sources being labeled as meat and products like almond, soy, or coconut drinks being labeled as milk. Thompson then discussed how soils are currently appraised in Kansas, mention-
ing that many different types of soils can be present in the same field, all with different values and tax rates. He then raised the question as to whether there should be new standards. But Tyson said it “doesn’t make sense that [the standards] are changing so rapidly.” At this point a question from the audience — from a parent whose child had died
by accidental gunshot in the home — sparked discussion on how to reduce gun-related deaths across the state. Thompson said he was unsure of what to do beyond stressing “personal, individual responsibility.” Collins suggested changing insurance laws to help increase access to in-patient psychological health so as to See LAWMAKERS | Page A6
Buckle up: What to watch as impeachment trial takes off WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators like to float above messy politics in what’s known by some as the dignified “upper chamber,” home of Congress’ cooler heads and lofty rhetoric. But as a court of President Donald Trump’s impeachment, the Senate beginning this morning might seem more like the economy cabin
of an oversold flight on an especially tense, mandatory work trip. Rock star legal teams will cram the airy well of the McConnell chamber just a few feet from each other and Chief Justice John Roberts.
Four television screens take up rarified space. Staff will snap up seats near the wall. A podium stands at the center aisle. As for phones, it’s worse than airplane mode: They are banned from the chamber. That maroons 100 chatty senators — including four Democrats in the heat of a nomination fight — for the serious
constitutional business of the impeachment trial, for hours at a time. “I’m going to be stuck in Washington for God knows how long,” Sen. Bernie Sanders told supporters in Des Moines Monday night. What — and whom — to watch when the trial gets underway around 1 p.m. EST Tuesday:
GROUND RULES
But first, naturally, some talk from senators. The Senate opens with debate on the structure and rules of the proceedings. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is proposing a condensed, two-day calendar for opening arguments on the See TRIAL | Page A3
Feds target cocaine, meth addiction
A team of volunteers, working on behalf of the Farm-City Days Committee, poses for a photo prior to Sunday’s Kansas City Chiefs game. COURTESY PHOTO
Football puts the ‘fun’ in fundraising By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Nestled among 80,000 of their closest friends Sunday at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium stood a small contingent of Farm-City Days Com-
Vol. 121, No. 314 Iola, KS 75 Cents
mittee volunteers. The FCD members were there for their final concession booth project of the 201920 season of the Kansas City Chiefs. As a token of its appreciation for the committee’s work
this season, Aramark — the company that oversees nonprofit group fundraisers by manning the stadium’s concession areas — allowed the local contingent to close up See FCD | Page A3
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alarmed by a deadly new twist in the nation’s drug addiction crisis, the government will allow states to use federal money earmarked for the opioid epidemic to help growing numbers of people struggling with meth and cocaine. The little-noticed change is buried in a massive spending bill passed by Congress late last year. Pressed by constituents and state officials, lawmakers of both parties and the Trump administration agreed to broaden the scope of a $1.5 billion grant program previously restricted to the opioid crisis. Starting this year states can also use those federal dollars to counter addiction to “stimulants,” a term the governSee OPIOIDS | Page A6
Iola squads open with tourney wins
PAGE B1
Anger rises over corruption in Puerto Rico
PAGE A2
China battling coronavirus PAGE A6 A rocky start for area hemp farmers
PAGE B3