The Iola Register, Sept. 21, 2023

Crest talks $6 million bond issue

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

COLONY — Lunch begins at 10:50 a.m. at Crest schools, with the youngest students filing into the small cafeteria to find a seat and enjoy their meal.

Lunchtime is divided into four sessions. The second group of students are just a little older and, therefore, larger in size. The third group, middle school students, fill the room.

The final lunch session serves high schoolers. The cafeteria isn’t big enough for all of them, so seniors gather in a separate classroom.

Leaders of Crest USD 479 hope a school bond project will help them solve problems like these.

They’ve proposed a plan that would build and renovate the Colony schools for $5.95 million. For the owner of a $100,000 home in the district, it would cost another $184 per year or 50

cents per day in property taxes. The bond would be paid over 20 years. The first of three commu-

nity information meetings is scheduled from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday at the Kincaid gymnasium.

THE CREST school board sent out a community survey last year and developed a plan they feel would best serve stu-

USD 479 community meetings

8-10 a.m. Sat., Sept. 23

Kincaid Gymnasium

5-7 p.m. Wed., Sept. 27

Lone Elm Community Bldg.

8-10 a.m. Sat., Oct. 14 Crest Gymnasium

dents for decades to come, Superintendent Shane Walter said.

Enrollment this year is about 265, around the highest it has been since 2001. Much of the increase is because of families moving into the district, although some students who live outside the boundary have asked for permission to attend Crest schools. Administrators in the past have limit-

See CREST | Page A6

High school crowd watches Appeals Court in action

By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola

A crowd of nearly 600 students saw the inner workings of the Kansas legal system Tuesday. Students from Iola, Humboldt, Moran, Yates Center, Chanute and Fort Scott nearly filled the Bowlus Fine Arts Center to capacity to watch a special session of the Kansas of Appeals.

“If this isn’t the largest crowd we’ve ever had for oral arguments, I can’t think of where we could have had a larger one,” Judge Angela Coble said at the outset.

She and fellow judges Tom Malone and Sarah Warner

See COURT | Page A4

Luminaries at Allen County Regional Hospital remember those lost to suicide. At right, thosegathered walk the trail around the hospital campus Tuesday. REGISTER/TIM STAUFFER

Hospital targets suicide awareness

Community members gathered Tuesday evening at Allen County Regional Hospital for a luminary walk for suicide awareness. About 20 participants decorated luminaries, featured above, to remember those lost to suicide and help spread awareness

about mental health. Toward the end of the event, attendees walked the trail around the hospital campus.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and Senior Life Solutions Program Therapist Mary Sumner, LMSW, shared statistics and

McCarthy: There’s still time to avert shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) —

With no clear strategy, no sure support and not much time left to prevent a government shutdown, Speaker Kevin McCarthy nevertheless vowed on Wednesday he would not give up trying to convince his colleagues to pass a temporary funding bill through the House.

But lawmakers watching and waiting for the beleaguered leader to deliver are looking at other options.

month.

“It’s not September 30 — the game is not over,” McCarthy told reporters.

early warning signs with the group.

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 anytime to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Visit SpeakingOfSuicide. com/resources for a list of additional resources.

The Republican speaker insisted as he arrived at the Capitol for another grueling day of negotiations that he still had time to win over hard-line conservatives and keep the government funded before money runs out before the end of the

But even if McCarthy is able to accomplish the seemingly impossible and unite his all-but-ungovernable House Republican majority around a conservative spending plan, the victory would be short-lived. The hard-right bill, with steep 8% cuts to many services, would be rejected by the Senate, where Democrats are in control but even Republicans reject the House GOP’s severe reductions.

Across the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., opened the chamber trying to push

See SHUTDOWN | Page A3

Crest High School student Kinley Edgerton watches as cafeteria staff Cindy Rhodes, at left, and Connie Johnston, load food onto her tray during lunchtime Monday afternoon. A school bond proposal would renovate and expand the cafeteria; high school students are split between the lunchroom and a classroom during mealtimes because of the tight space. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

Kansas appellate judges Thomas Malone, from left, Sarah Warner and Angle Coble speak to a group of about 600 high-schoolers Tuesday at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center in Iola. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

Obituaries

Gene Anderson

of Colony, passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023, at Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park, Kansas.

Cloyce Eugene Anderson was born on Aug. 5, 1932, in Belton, Mo., the son of Cloyce Landon and Clara Edith (Averill) Anderson.

Flu shots available in LaHarpe

Gene Anderson

The family moved to Colony when Gene was 11 years old. Gene graduated Colony High School in 1951, where he met Claudette Fivecoat. Gene and Claudette were united in marriage on July 26, 1953, in Garnett, Kansas and were blessed with two daughters, Nancy Gampper and Leanne Trabuc.

Gene is survived by his daughter, Leanne Trabuc of Colony; grandson, Derek (Salena) Trabuc of Wakita, Okla.; granddaughters, Laura (Josh) Mathis of Iola, Krista (Scott) Starrett of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Nicole (Kyle) Wainwright of Wamego; great-grandsons, Kaster Trabuc of Alva, Okla., Royce Mathis of Iola, Austin and Adam Wainwright of Wamego; and great-granddaughters, Mariah Mathis of Iola, and Adley Wainwright of Wamego.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Claudette Anderson; his daughter, Nancy Gampper; and his son-in-law Butch Trabuc.

Gene served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Upon his return from the service, Gene and Claudette lived in Iola where Gene worked at the Pet Milk Company for seven years. Gene started farming and raising cattle after the Pet Milk Plant closed in Iola. He enjoyed being a farmer and rancher for 35 years before he and Claudette both retired.

Gene enjoyed traveling with Claudette and his daughters all over the United States on annual family vacations. Later, Gene and Claudette traveled to Europe and visited the Army base in Regensburg, Germany, where Gene was stationed during his military service. After retirement, Gene and Claudette enjoyed setting up their antique glass at shows across the United States.

They also were proud supporters of their daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in their piano and sports activities. Gene was a member of the Colony United Methodist Church, a member of the Colony Lions Club for almost 60 years, and served on the Anderson County Hospital Board, the Rural Water District #5 Board and the Public Wholesale Water Board for many years.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Colony United Methodist Church in Colony. Burial will follow in the Colony Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Colony United Methodist Church or Colony Lions Club and left in care of Feuerborn Family Funeral Service.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www. feuerbornfuneral.com.

Doris Rogers

Doris Lee Rogers, age 87, of Iola, died Monday, Sept. 18, at Moran Manor.

She was born Aug. 12, 1936, in Richmond, to Robert Crick and Gladys (West) Crick.

She married Dale Weien in 1951. They later divorced. She married Elvin Holtz. They divorced. She married Edward L. Rogers in July 1989; he died on Feb. 9, 1991.

Survivors include children, Ronnie Weien, James Weien, Louis Holtz and Leona Holtz.

A graveside service will be at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023, in Richmond Cemetery, Richmond. Doris will be interred next to her parents.

Two arrested after search

Two people were arrested Wednesday morning at the Regency Inn.

The Iola Police Department and Allen County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at 6 a.m. Wednesday. The initial search was for stolen property,

including checks taken from mail around Allen and surrounding counties, Sheriff Bryan Murphy said.

Iola Police obtained a second warrant after illegal substances were found.

"Only by our departments working togeth-

er did this happen,” Murphy said.

“An Iola officer stopped the suspected vehicle and driver and quickly contacted the investigating deputy."

The two suspects are being held without bond. The investigation continues.

Garland testifies before House panel

By SARAH D. WIRE Los Angeles

(TNS)

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland stressed his independence from the White House and Congress during a contentious hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

“Our job is not to take orders from the president, from Congress, or from anyone else, about who or what to criminally investigate,” Garland said. “As the president himself has said, and I reaffirm here today: I am not the president’s lawyer. I will add that I am not Congress’ prosecutor. The Justice Department works for the American people.”

Garland appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday for what would normally be a routine oversight hearing, but is instead expected to serve as a forum for Republicans to attempt to bolster their new impeachment inquiry against President

Joe Biden. Republican lawmakers are set to air grievances about the charges brought against former President Donald Trump and the ongoing special counsel investigation of the president’s son, Hunter Biden.

The committee, led by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said the hearing would “examine how the Justice Department has become politicized and weaponized under the leadership of Attorney General Merrick Garland.”

Jordan started the hearing, which is expected to last several hours, by comparing the investigation of Hunter Biden by special counsel David Weiss to the two cases brought against Trump by special counsel Jack Smith.

“There’s one investigation protecting President Biden, there’s another one attacking President Trump,” Jordan said. “Justice Department’s got both

Bill aims to protect ‘magic mushrooms’ laws

By CONNOR SHEETS Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Rep. Robert Garcia plans to introduce legislation Wednesday aimed at discouraging federal law enforcement agencies from conducting raids or otherwise intervening in states and localities that have approved local measures to legalize or decriminalize the use and possession of psilocybin mushrooms.

The California Democrat said the federal bill is modeled after similar laws passed over the last decade that have led agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI to de-emphasize the investigation and prosecution of cannabis-related crimes, despite the fact that marijuana — like psilocybin — remains illegal at the federal level.

“We’re taking the exact same language that was used for cannabis and we’re applying it to psilocybin,” Garcia said in an interview Tuesday.

“This really empowers states and localities … so that they know the federal government is not going to get in the way with criminalization.”

Oregon and Colorado have already legalized use of psilocybin in some therapeutic settings. Both states, and a number of municipalities, including Oakland, Santa Cruz and Detroit, have decriminalized the so-called magic mushrooms, which have been shown in recent research studies to benefit people suffering from a wide range of mental health diagnoses, including depression and PTSD.

This month, the California Legislature sent a bill to Gov. Gavin Newsom that would legalize therapeutic access to a number of psychedelic substances, including psilocybin mushrooms, while also decriminalizing possession of the powerful drugs. It is unclear whether Newsom intends to sign the legislation, which was introduced this year by

state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). “Every drug has risks. Criminalization increases those risks. We want to bring them out of the shadows,” Wiener told The Times in May. “It would no longer be a criminal offense to possess a limited amount of psychedelics.”

The efforts in recent years to decriminalize some psychedelics and expand access to treatments using psilocybin come amid a rise in research showing that therapeutic use of psychedelics can be a highly effective treatment for various mental health conditions. Yet some critics worry that expanding access to the powerful substances could lead to higher incidence of potentially serious side effects and harm, such as confu-

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sion, anxiety and panic attacks.

But Garcia emphasized the potential for psilocybin to help people. He said his legislation is aimed at de-incentivizing federal agencies from enforcing restrictions on the use and possession of psilocybin mushrooms in places that have passed laws providing for some lawful local access to them.

Pro-psychedelic advocates worry that raids and other law enforcement actions could have a chilling effect on efforts to expand access to these powerful drugs for therapeutic purposes.

The congressman’s two-page bill states that it would “prohibit the use of Federal funds [to prevent] a State from implementing their own laws with respect to psilocybin.”

LAHARPE — The Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Department is offering flu shots from 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the LaHarpe Senior Center.

The health department accepts most health insurance forms, except for Railroad Medicare.

For those without insurance, the cost is $50 for a dose, or $95 for higher doses recommended for those 65 and older.

Fla. prisons use AI to surveil calls

By the Tampa Bay Times

TAMPA, Fla. —

Florida is now using artificial intelligence to monitor and transcribe the phone conversations of the state’s 80,000-plus inmates.

The Florida Department of Corrections paid $2.5 million to California-based Leo Technologies to begin using its surveillance program called Verus beginning in August.

sides of the equation covered. “

New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the highest-ranking Democrat on the committee, criticized Republicans for wasting time on fruitless investigations into Hunter Biden’s laptop rather than oversight of the Justice Department or passing spending bills.

“I implore the public to see through the sham. I have no doubt that you will hear a deluge of conspiracy theories and baseless accusations,” Nadler said.

The program scans incoming and outgoing calls, including to inmates’ friends and family, and does automatic searches for keywords selected by prison officials and the technology company’s employees. It uses speechto-text technology powered by Amazon to transcribe the content of conversations that include those keywords. The contract, which lasts until June 30 of next year, allows prisons to record and scan up to 50 million minutes of conversations.

The Iola Police and Allen County Sheriff’s departments arrested two people after serving a search warrant at Regency Inn early Wednesday morning.

COURTESY PHOTO

Times

US Attorney General Merrick Garland. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES/TNS)

Shutdown: There’s still time for deal, speaker says

Continued from A1

ahead with a bipartisan plan.

The Senate was preparing to hold a test vote on Wednesday to try to overcome its own hardright flank of GOP senators who are trying to prevent consideration of a popular bipartisan package of defense and military appropriations bills. The GOP senators are joining House Republicans in fighting for steeper reductions.

“It’s yet another reminder that in both houses, a small group of hard-right Republicans are dead set to grind the

gears of government to a halt,” Schumer said.

McCarthy has suffered a series of setbacks this week to his plan to advance Republicans’ spending plans, testing his grip on power amid calls for his ouster.

In defiance of the speaker, a group of five GOP lawmakers from the right-wing House Freedom Caucus joined with Democrats to prevent consideration Tuesday of a usually popular defense bill. The bill would provide pay raises for the troops and other measures, but Republicans want a broader discus-

sion on spending cuts in non-defense-related budgets.

The House floor is essentially at a standstill, with no business related to the looming government shutdown being conducted, as McCarthy, of California, tries to regroup.

The speaker had hoped to rally Republicans around a stopgap bill that would fund the government for the next month as talks continue. The temporary bill would accomplish some of the conservatives’ goals — by slashing many government services 8%, while

sparing defense and veterans accounts.

The package McCarthy is trying to push through the House also proposes a long list of conservative policies for immigration and border security that are widely embraced by Republicans.

But the conservative holdouts also want McCarthy to commit to keeping the funding cuts in place longer, for the full year.

“Members are taking this bull by the horns, doing what leadership failed to do to try and chart a best path forward on how we can get to 218 (votes),” said Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., who is a part of the House Freedom Caucus.

As a group of GOP lawmakers huddled for another day Wednesday in the Capitol trying to work out a plan that would gain the 218 Republican votes needed for passage, others

U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-California) addresses reporters after a House Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. GETTY IMAGES/DREW ANGERER/

are reaching across the aisle to Democrats to try come up with a bipartisan solution. Two centrist groups, the New Democratic Coalition and the Republican Governance Group, are having their own conversations on how to solve this impasse, according to a person familiar with the talks who insisted on anonymity to discuss them. Their groups together make

FRANCES IRENE SCEARCE

up 145 members. Rep. Annie Kuster, D-N.H., who chairs the New Democratic Coalition, said on Tuesday she was hoping that a coalition of “roughly an equal number” of Republicans and Democrats would emerge to support a continuing resolution.

“These are the people that are making public statements that a shutdown is not good for the country,” she said.

4-H’ers shine at State Fair

Southwind Extension District 4-H members from Woodson and Allen counties took third place at the Kansas State Fair Crops and Weed ID contest Satur-

day in Hutchinson. Individually, Carly Kramer placed eighth, Camyrn Wille placed 15th, Kason Botts placed 16th, and Henry Kramer placed 18th.

The contest consisted of identifying 50 samples of seeds and 50 samples of plant material. The team was accompanied by coach Casey Diver.

A celebration of her life will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, September 22 at the Masonic lodge in Iola, located next to the Sonic Drive-In. Come by and eat some cake, drink some coffee or punch, listen to Elvis and bring your happy memories and funny stories to help her family celebrate a life well lived!

“Remember me with smiles and laughter, for that is how I will remember you all. If you can only remember me with tears and sorrow, then don’t remember me at all.”

Self-care for farm workers

bor Statistics, the agriculture sector is the most dangerous industry in America, with the highest frequency of accidents and fatalities during the harvest. If you work in agriculture, a little self-care can go a long way toward keeping you safe and healthy, both on and off the job.

CARE FOR THE BODY

Self-care on the farm starts with protective clothing and hydration. If your work involves repetitive tasks like planting or harvesting, regular stretching exercises can help prevent injury and strain.

CARE FOR THE MIND

Farm work is fraught with stressors, from unpredictable growing seasons to the urgency of harvest time. Attending to your mental health can help you cope with the uncontrollable aspects of your work. Practices like mindfulness can help you maintain focus on the job, helping you avoid errors that lead to accidents.

In 2023, National Farm Safety and Health Week takes place from September 17 to 23. This year’s theme, No one can take your place, is an excellent motto to help you remember the importance of taking care of your body and mind.

Happy National Farm Safety &

Southwind Extension 4-H’ers, from left, Kason Botts, Carly Kramer, Camryn Wille, Henry Kramer and coach Casey Diver attended the Kansas State Fair Crops and Weed ID contest Saturday. COURTESY

Court: Students get to watch appellate case arguments

Continued

heard oral arguments on two appeals out of separate cases, one dealing with an attempted murder; the other on a breach of contract civil filing.

Following the hearings, the judges fielded a number of questions from the students. They aren’t expected to rule on either of the cases for several weeks.

WATERMAN

Attorney Ethan ZipfSigler, who represents Brian Michael Waterman, started the proceedings with his arguments that Waterman’s convictions of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated burglary were improper.

Waterman’s case stemmed from a January 2016 incident in Cherokee County, in which he stormed into the Baxter Springs home of Bob Hopkins and repeatedly stabbed him.

Waterman went to confront Hopkins because he believed the man had sexually abused his daughter.

Once inside the home, Waterman locked the door, stabbed Hopkins 17 times with a pocket knife, dumped bleach on his head and fled to Oklahoma.

Hopkins survived the attack, but later died before trial.

In January 2022, Waterman was sentenced to 36 years in prison. His earliest possible release date is in 2047.

Zipf-Sigler focused on two elements of the case: the aggravated kidnapping charge, and that prosecutors came across a collection of letters from Waterman to his attorneys and kept them before handing them over to the defense.

The aggravated kidnapping charge was improper, the attorney argued, because even though he locked the door, the locking mechanism was different than what witnesses described in the trial, and a relative of the victim’s was still able to easily enter the home.

“There’s just no confinement, even given the best reading of the evidence,” Zipf-Sigler said.

The attorney-client correspondence compiled by prosecutors also merits a retrial, the attorney argued, noting the defendant’s propensity to fire his public defenders — he’d gone through six before Zipfsigler — stemmed from an overriding mistrust

of the legal system.

“He is no longer going to be able to work with his attorneys if he believes anything he communicates to them is then going to be presented to the state,” the attorney said.

Attorney Natalie Chalmers, arguing for the state, noted prosecutors never read the correspondence; they simply set them aside to give to the defense attorneys.

The multiple defense attorneys argument, Chalmers noted, does not hold water either, because Waterman’s actions put the court in “an incredibly difficult position.”

“There were no attorneys left” for Waterman to hire, she noted. “And then the court did make specific findings. The court found, ‘You’re the problem, defendant. You’re refusing to work with counsel. You don’t get a new colleague just because you are going to be a problem and never work with any of them.’”

ASHLEY CLINIC V. COATES

Scott Coates was a long-time surgeon at Ashley Clinic in Neosho County, before leaving to work at Labette County Medical Center in 2019.

Ashley Clinic filed suit, alleging Coates violated a non-compete clause in his contract, and that Labette County Medical Center interfered with Coates’s contract with Ashley Clinic.

After a five-day trial in Neosho County District Court, a jury ruled in favor of Ashley Clinic, ordering Coates to pay nearly $474,000 in damages; and Labette County to pay an additional $739,000.

Attorney Mark Cole, speaking on behalf of Coates and Labette County, said the jury’s ruling was incorrect, noting that Coates was no longer an employee at Ashley Clinic, because he had been promoted to a partner of the health care provider.

Additionally, the jury awards were unfair because they did not adhere to the Kansas Tort Claims Act, calling judgments against both Coates and Labette County “duplicative.”

Conversely, attorney Frankie Forbes, representing Ashley Clinic, said the jury acted properly, noting the non-compete clause was appropriate. Separately, the penalty against Labette County also was appropriate,

One of the reasons why we come out and wear these black robes is that it’s a symbol that we are approaching every case that we hear neutrally ... We are approaching every case from a neutral standpoint and deciding it only according to what the law is.

Forbes said, because of the medical center’s malicious interference with Coates’s contract with Ashley Clinic.

THE JUDGES capped the hectic morning by inviting questions from the audience, first by introducing themselves and giving a bit of a background.

Coble, Malone and Warner are three of 14 appellate judges from across the state, and are assigned cases at random.

Coble noted it may be months or even years before she hears another case with Malone and Warner again.

They spoke about their educational experience, noting the importance of having a well-rounded education and taking part in such activities as debate or speech on top of having an interest in the law.

The questions ranged from the silly — no, you cannot practice law without first going to law school, such as one of the main characters in the popular television series “Suits” — to ones dealing with constitu-

tional rights.

When one student asked about their thoughts on the Second Amendment, Coble noted the importance of being acquainted with all of the amendments and provisions set forth in the U.S. Constitution.

“One of the reasons why we come out and wear these black robes is that it’s a symbol that we are approaching every case that we hear neutrally,” Coble said. “It doesn’t matter what I believe as an individual person about the Second Amendment or about contracts. We are approaching every case from a neutral standpoint and deciding it only according to what the law is.”

Kansas appellate judges, clockwise from above, Sarah Warner, Angie Coble and Thomas Malone speak following a Court of Appeals hearing held at Iola’s Bowlus Fine Arts Center. The judges discussed their backgrounds in law and various aspects of the Kansas legal system. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

— Kansas appellate judge Angie Coble

~ Journalism that makes a difference

The leaders of France, Great Britain and China couldn’t find their way to the United Nations General Assembly. That’s a shame.

Lovers of the musical “Hamilton” will remember lyrics from the song, “The Room Where It Happens.” In it, a young Aaron Burr declares his ambition to become a national leader. He wants to be a power broker, a deal maker, surrounded by the important figures of his day. Up until then, he’s been on the sidelines, outside looking in as treaties, laws and nations take shape. No more, he says. He wants to be “in the room where it happens.”

Today’s leaders, if they share similar aspirations, likely feel the same. Which would explain our frustration with France, China and Great Britain, whose leaders have skipped town and missed this week’s General Assembly of the United Nations in New York. If you want to lead, the first step is showing up.

The three countries join the United States and Russia to make up the five that hold veto power on the U.N. Security Council. We understand why Putin can’t make it to New York that pesky International Criminal Court arrest warrant but France’s President Macron, China’s Xi Jiping and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have no excuse.

Their absence weakens this week’s General Assembly, the first full assembly since the pandemic. There are serious issues on the table: a war rages in Ukraine, climate change is ravaging the planet, and global hunger is on the rise. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters he wasn’t particularly worried about any specific leader’s absence. “This

isn’t a vanity fair,” he said.

WE DISAGREE. Showing up matters. What in the world could Xi, Macron and Sunak be doing, anyways?

Well, Macron dined at the Palace of Versailles with King Charles Wednesday evening, enjoying a three-course meal of lobster, poached Bresse chicken, fine cheeses and a compote dessert. As diplomats huddle to tackle global poverty, Macron indulges in the work of France’s top chefs at the former home of Louis XIV. “Let them eat cake,” indeed.

British prime minister Sunak has even fewer pretexts to explain skip-

ping the summit. New to the position, this would be his first General Assembly since taking office and a welcome chance to meet global leaders. Instead, he becomes the first prime minister in over a decade to miss the event.

What has Sunak been up to? On Wednesday he gave a speech announcing his government will water down key green-energy commitments, further delaying Britain’s transition to net-zero emissions.

And Xi Jiping? At home preparing for buddy Putin’s visit next month. China’s top foreign policy official Wang Yi won’t go to New York ei-

ther. Instead, Xi sent Vice President Han Zheng, who holds little power in a largely ceremonial role. Imagine sending a child’s older sibling to a parent-teacher conference in your place.

The Powerful Five, as they’re called, are major players in world affairs. Where they show up, that’s the “room where it happens.” Macron, Sunak and Xi don’t find the United Nations’ General Assembly very important. Their decision shows a grave lack of leadership.

INSTEAD of sitting across from Putin at an absurdly long table, or inviting a king with a fairly open social calendar, Macron needs to talk with democratic leaders. He needs to be in the room. Instead of punting on climate change, Sunak needs to hear how severe weather devastates his neighbors. And if China’s leaders demand to be treated as a new global power, they, again, need to be in the room.

In the short term, their absence this week gives more attention to President Joe Biden, who spoke at the General Assembly on Tuesday, and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the short term, perhaps that’s good news; it allows the United States and our allies to focus on the issues they want.

But a weak United Nations benefits no one more than autocrats. Big international organizations are frustrating and messy, but they need to be “the room.” Otherwise, global affairs get decided in smoke-filled rooms and dark alleys. Or, as Hamilton lovers well know, by violence.

— Tim Stauffer

A paradox exists in American higher education

By SOL GITTLEMAN The Los Angeles Times

Once again this fall, about 1 million international students — and it would be more, if we let them in — have flocked to American colleges and universities. Indeed, it seems that what the world still wants most from us, besides our pop stars, fast food and weapons, is a place on a U.S. campus.

But back at home, Americans hold their higher education system in much lower regard. Though we have been the worldwide leader in teaching and research for decades — just look at who keeps winning Nobel prizes — many Americans blame our colleges and universities for the nation’s ills, including financial distress and cultural collapse.

In fairness to its homegrown detractors, the American system of higher education does have itself to blame for many of the brickbats coming its way.

For one thing, rather than a real system we have a profit-based anarchy, with about 5,000 colleges and universities following their own paths into or out of chaos. Exhibit A of this chaos is the student debt crisis. Despite recent efforts at governmental intervention, including a Biden administration initiative struck down by the Supreme Court, thousands of students today face more than $1.7 trillion in debt, much of it from gouging by for-profit institutions. Administrator positions and

salaries have exploded, teaching loads have shrunk and campuses increasingly look like resort hotels.

Prestige and a place in academic or athletic rankings have proved just too tempting for boards of trustees to pass up — aided and abetted, of course, by some parents’ willingness to pay the ever-rising price of admission.

WHY, then, have American universities and their faculties been the global gold standard since the end of World War II? Why, in spite of endless and often justified criticism from within this country, is the United States still the envy of the world in higher education?

We have higher education unlike any other in the world. It may seem — and often is the case — that the incompetent are leading the ungovernable. But that anarchy, that freedom, which exists nowhere else in the world, is the very thing that makes our universities so enviable.

Ironically, much of the answer is due to the same lack of structure that introduces chaos into the system. We have higher education unlike any other in the world. It may seem — and often is the case — that the incompetent are leading the ungovernable. But that anarchy, that freedom, which exists nowhere else in the world, is the very thing that makes our universities so enviable.

Consider the fact that most American college and university administrators have little or no managerial training in running a department, laboratory, school or university. While in many countries the faculty are civil servants who work for the state and have to ask permission to take a position at another university, ungovernable American faculty believe

they work for no one but themselves. They often will switch campuses at the drop of a new laboratory or a more attractive salary.

That free-wheeling independence is also the source of their dynamism. A big part of what draws international students to American college campuses is the ability to take risks. Our campus freedom is, in large part, the freedom to make mistakes.

THE difference between our and other systems extends to the students. In most other developed nations, a course of study is determined at the start of university. Your path is chosen and that, for the most part, is your life: no waste, no errors, no changing direction.

In the United States, meanwhile, many freshmen’s major is “undecided.” We take immature students and tell them to major in something they love — don’t worry about a job, because their first one may not even have been created at the beginning of their last year of study. We call the concluding ceremony after four years “commencement”

as if it’s the beginning of your education.

Within the great patchwork of American higher education, one state stands out. In no small part, the system that thrives today originated with Clark Kerr, the visionary of universal college education. The California Master Plan for Higher Education, which Kerr designed in 1960, permanently landed UCLA and UC Berkeley atop the nation’s — and world’s — research university pyramid. Kerr also boosted both the research capacity and graduate programs of other UC campuses, including Santa Barbara, Irvine, Davis and Riverside.

And to further advance his goal of universal higher education, Kerr proposed dozens of two-year community colleges and other four-year state universities. This system created a path for most every Californian to attain some form of college or university education, with a relatively seamless transition from community colleges through the state university system up to the great research universities.

Kerr and the system he helped create have certainly faced challenges. In 1967, as student unrest rocked the state’s campuses, he was removed from the presidency of the University of California system by a board of regents including appointees from the newly inaugurated governor, Ronald Reagan.

More recently, criticism has grown over the decline in California students who are admitted to UC schools. But overall, Kerr’s legacy holds strong today: Six of 10 University of California schools made the 2023 University of Shanghai’s rankings of the world’s top 100 universities, and more than 1.5 million Californians attend one of the state’s 116 community colleges.

YES, American higher education is messy, aggravating, wasteful and often prohibitively expensive. But the successor to our singular accomplishment is still not in sight. It may never be.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Sol Gittleman is professor emeritus at Tufts University.

“The room where it happens”

Last minute preparations are made before the start of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. Dignitaries and their delegations from across the globe have descended on New York for the annual event. This year marks the 78th session of the General Debate at the UN Headquarters. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images/TNS)

The University of Kansas campus in Lawrence is seen with a view to the northeast. JILL TOYOSHIBA/ TNS

Our university system is reviled at home but envied around the world. Why?

Twisters hit China

BEIJING (AP) — Two tornadoes within hours killed 10 people and seriously injured four others in eastern China, state media said Wednesday.

The first tornado hit parts of Suqian city in Jiangsu province on Tuesday afternoon, state broadcaster CCTV said. It destroyed 137 homes and damaged crop land and pig farms. Five people died and four were injured.

A second tornado in the evening killed five people in Yancheng city, which is in the same province about 120 miles southeast of Suqian.

Videos posted online of the first tornado showed cars that had been tossed about, including at least one flipped onto its side, and debris swirling in the air above a several story-high building.

CCTV said that power and road service had been restored in the Suqian area.

Tornadoes are rare in China but have caused deaths in Jiangsu in recent years. One person in the province was killed in a tornado last year and four died in 2021. Another tornado killed eight people in the city of Wuhan the same day.

Crest: Voters to decide $6 million bond project

Continued from A1

ed those requests in an attempt to keep class sizes low. Last year, state lawmakers approved open enrollment to make it easier for students to attend out-of-district schools.

However, Walter noted, the current proposal is not aimed at increasing enrollment.

“The goal is not to become a larger school,” he said. “ The goal is to do what we do, but in a better setting. It’s about efficiency. It’s about safety and security. It’s about improved instructional space.”

The proposal would:

• Build a larger cafeteria, with enough space for half the student body to eat together at one time and more room for the cooks to prepare and serve meals.

• Create a new, secure main entry addition that will lead directly to the office, control visitor access and ensure accessibility for those with disabilities.

• Build two classrooms inside a new storm shelter area. The storm shelter has a capacity of about 300, enough space for all students, staff and some community members. It would also be available as a community shelter after school hours.

• Add an auxiliary gymnasium. The second gym would be the same size as the main gym but with less seating. It would allow more space for physical education classes and give students a place to play when weather conditions aren’t conducive for going outdoors. The current gym is frequently busy with P.E. classes and sports practices.

• Improve infrastructure. The original Crest school building was built in 1959, with a second addition in 1962. Some updates are needed for electrical and plumbing systems.

• Improve classrooms and locker rooms.

• Improve parking and entry driveways.

SECURITY is a major concern, Walter noted.

The outdated entrance to the school features several problem areas, in terms of both safety and accessibility.

Currently, visitors who arrive at the locked front doors are “buzzed” into the building via a

Crest

Crest High School will celebrate its fall homecoming at 7 p.m. Friday with a football game against Hartford. The king and queen will be crowned after the game. Candidates are, front from left, Brooklyn Jones, Kayla Hermreck, Liliana Blaufuss; back, Rogan Weir, Ryan Golden and Jerry Rodriguez. REGISTER/ VICKIE MOSS

REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

camera and intercom system, but there is no visibility between the doors and office and no handicapped accessibility.

Visitors enter the building and can turn right to go into the gym, or left where they go down a set of stairs. The office is down the hall and to the left, with a hallway and classrooms to the right.

Walter said the proposed bond issue sticks with the basics.

“The board has been very mindful to pursue needs versus wants,” Walter said. “We’re very proud of our building and it’s well maintained, but this bond proposal is a one-time shot to prepare the district for the future. We need to renovate the space to be more efficient, and to update certain aspects of the building.”

THE BOARD has proposed a tax rate of 37.178 mills for the next school year. If the bond issue passes, it would add an estimated 16 mills to the budget for a total of 53.178 mills. The bond would be paid over 20 years. For the owner of a $100,000 home in USD 479, the bond would add about $184 more each year to the property tax bill. That translates to about $15.33 per month or 50 cents per day.

The average home value in Anderson County is $117,600.

Crest administrators also have estimated costs for agriculture land and commercial property tax increases if the bond were to pass.

More information about the school bond project will be available at the community information meetings. The format is “come and go,” with board mem-

bers, administrators and community volunteers available to meet with visitors about the proposal and election. Coffee and doughnuts will be provided.

The second meeting will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the Lone Elm Community Building and from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Crest gymnasium.

The election is Tuesday, Nov. 7, with polling locations in Colony, Kincaid, Welda and Iola.

THE CREST district attempted to pass a $2 million bond issue in 2004, which failed by just five votes.

That bond issue would have built nine classrooms and a gymnasium as the district closed the school building in Kincaid and consolidated classes at Colony. Regardless, the Crest district used its

TRUTH

Newspapers put truth ont and center

capital outlay fund to build several new classrooms at Colony.

If the current proposal were to fail, Walter said it’s likely the board would consider making upgrades to the building

over time using capital outlay.

The district does not qualify for state assistance with its bond and interest projects, under changes made by lawmakers in 2015.

At left, Crest Elementary School students, from left, Lorelai Bonnett, Jasmine Miller, MaKenna Sitler, Madelynn Beebe and Josie Ball take a break during physical education class. At right is the entrance to Crest High School, which would be remodeled if USD 479 voters approve a proposed $5.95 million bond project.

Sports Daily B

Royals hold off Guardians

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)

— Royals reliever James McArthur earned his first big league win and first career save in a span of three days this week.

He didn’t get his first anything Tuesday night even though it may have been his best performance yet.

Inheriting a two-on, no-out mess in the eighth inning of a one-run game against Cleveland, the big right-hander proceeded to strike out the next three batters he faced, allowing Kansas City to eventually close out a 7-6 win over the Guardians.

“I can’t say enough about him,” said Royals manager Matt Quatraro, who watched McArthur allow seven runs in a single inning in his big league debut against the same bunch of Guardians in late June. “I mean, the way he’s developed here lately, the big outs he’s been getting, he’s been tremendous.”

MJ Melendez homered and drove in three runs to pace the Kansas City offense, while Makail Garcia had three hits and Nick Loftin added two RBIs. The Royals finished with 13 hits while winning for the fifth time in their last six games.

They also ended a five-series losing streak to the Guardians and will go for the sweep of their AL Central rivals Wednesday.

Alec Marsh (2-8) earned the win despite a shaky showing after opener Steven Cruz, but it was McArthur who stole the show. His three punch-outs left two in scoring position in the eighth, setting up Collin Snider to handle the ninth for his first career save.

“Just trying to keep my best stuff down in the zone,” said McArthur, who has retired 22 straight batters and 31 of the past 32, the only blemish a double by the White Sox’s Andrew Vaughn. “Pretty special moment.”

Logan Allen (7-8) allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks for Cleveland in just three innings.

Thursday, September 21, 2023

Humboldt hosts local runners

each other then you’ve got a better chance at placing higher as a team because your runners are so close together,” Carlson said. “McKenna’s been a good runner since she was in middle school and Anna’s been trying to reel her in and stay up there with her.”

Humboldt’s Tori Melendez took 16th place with a time of 25:09 and Mallory Sinclair took 17th with a time of 25:31.

Danica Modlin finished in 20th place with a time of 27:12 and Jo Ellison took 23rd place with a time of 29:41.

CREST’S Gunner Ellington notched a top-ten finish, coming in ninth place with a time of 18:52, while Elijah Taylor followed in 29th place with a time of 20:57 in the varsity boys 5K run. Crest’s Ryan West came in 39th place with a time of 22:20.

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

HUMBOLDT — Humboldt’s cross country team placed high on both the boys and girls sides when they welcomed local schools Crest, Marmaton Valley and Yates Center Tuesday for the annual Humboldt cross country Invitational.

The Lady Cubs finished third as a team while Humboldt’s boys finished fourth.

“Not only do you want to place high, but you also want all of your runners to be successful and run well,” Humboldt head coach Eric Carlson said. “I had a couple of kids surprise me with how well they ran, and it’s always great whenever you can place high as a team.”

In the varsity boys 5K run, Humboldt’s Humboldt’s Kreed Jones led the way, taking 12th place with a time of 19:15. Colden Cook took 20th

place with a time of 20:20. Cub Brigg Shannon came in 28th place with a time of 20:56. Maxtyn Mueller placed 32nd with a time of 21:12 for Humboldt, while Thatcher Mueller took 38th place with a time of 22:08. Humboldt’s Landon Bauer came in 42nd place with a time of 22:46 while Jack Works took 47th place with a time of 23:20.

Cubs Nathan Swogar took 51st with a time of 24:31 and

Layne Ellison took 58th with a time of 30:01.

On the varsity girls side, Humboldt’s McKenna Jones came in seventh place with a time of 23:48 and Anna Heisler took eighth with a time of 23:54.

Coach Carlson was pleased the two runners pushed each other throughout the race. “They can close that distance between the two of them and they can finish right behind

Crest’s Aubrey Allen took fifth place with a time of 22:50 in the varsity girls 5K run. Crest’s Kaylee Allen came in 19th place with a time of 26:22.

“It was a good experience. It’s a smaller meet, but there’s really good competition within the local areas,” Crest head coach Kaitlyn Cummings said. “The boys are working at earning their personal best and getting better each meet.”

“Having multiple kids hit their personal bests made for a great day of running,” said

Lady Lancers sweep their way to win at Oswego

OSWEGO — The Crest High volleyball team swept their competition at Oswego Tuesday night.

The Lady Lancers (18-6 overall; 4-1 in league play) took down Oswego in two sets, 25-18 and 25-14, before taking down Altoona-Mid-

way in two sets, 25-13 and 25-9. Crest combined to serve 93% as a team.

Kayla Hermreck took the helm for Crest with 10 kills, 15 assists and nine digs while going 13-of-16 from the serving line with two aces.

Brooklynn Jones of Crest

was perfect from the line, with a 100% serving rate and four aces. She also went for five kills, three assists and 11 digs.

Karlee Boots notched seven kills, seven digs and had an 88% serving rate with three aces.

Cursten Allen recorded four digs and one kill from the libero position.

Kaelin Nilges had four kills, two assists, 11 digs and went 10-for-10 from the serving line.

Kinley Edgerton registered

Iola, Yates Center and Southern Coffey meet Tuesday

By QUINN BURKITT

The

Iola

Register

The Iola, Yates Center and Southern Coffey County High volleyball teams were in action at different locations Tuesday.

The Mustangs (8-6) traveled to Wellsville for league play while the Wildcats (129-1) hit the road to play at Chetopa. Southern Coffey County (1-8) was at Burlin-

game. Iola opened up by taking down Osawatomie in three sets, 17-25, 25-13 and 25-18.

The Mustangs then defeated Wellsville in three sets, 2518, 22-25 and 25-22. Yates Center took down Chetopa in two sets, 25-16 and 25-6, before defeating Northeast Arma in two sets, 25-17 and 25-18.

The Wildcats’ JV squad lost to Northeast Arma, 25-16, 13-

25 and 12-15. Yates Center’s JV squad then defeated Chetopa in three sets, 19-25, 2512 and 15-5.

Southern Coffey County lost to Burlingame in two sets, 12-25 and 19-25, before falling to Waverly, 11-25 and 12-25. Iola hits the road to take on Burlington on Saturday at 9 a.m., while Yates Center travels to Erie next Monday at 5 p.m.

Iola’s Elza Clift in action Tuesday. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

Humboldt’s Colden Cook, left, and Brigg Shannon, right, run in the varsity boys 5000-meter run. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

Humboldt and Crest’s girls start strong at Humboldt. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

See LOCAL | Page B3

See CREST | Page B3

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Check expiration date on at-home COVID-19 tests

By DEB BALZER Mayo Clinic News Network (TNS)

At-home COVID-19 tests allow you to collect your sample and detect active COVID-19 infections.

But what if you have at-home COVID-19 tests nearing expiration or expired on your shelf?

Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D., director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, says companies set the original test dates arbitrarily due to these diagnostic at-home tests being developed rapidly. So, check your boxes before you toss them.

“Now that we are 3 1/2 years into the pandemic, those manufacturers have had the opportunity to go back and assess the test performance over prolonged periods of time. And they’ve updated the expiration dates in many cases,” says Dr. Binnicker.

His first recommendation if you have tests at home is to search the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website for information on updated expiration dates.

“If you take a test that is beyond the expiration date, and the test is positive, that’s likely a reliable result, especially if you have a respiratory illness. If you get a nega-

tive result from a test that is beyond the expiration date, I’d recommend making sure the test doesn’t have an extended expiration date. And if it’s beyond that, then definitely go out and get another test or go in and have a healthcare provider collect a swab for a lab-based test before you rule out COVID-19,” Dr. Binnicker says. Can at-home tests detect current strains of COVID-19?

“Yes, they should detect the currently circulating strains of COVID-19. The good news is that most of the changes in the virus with these new variants are in the spike protein, which is the part of the virus that binds to the cells. And the protein these antigen tests are looking for is a different protein where not as many mutations occur. So that allows us to confidently say that these tests should pick up the circulating strains,” says Dr. Binnicker.

Testing positive

Are you contagious if you test positive for COVID-19? Most likely, says Dr. Binnicker.

“When an at-home antigen test is positive, it means that that person is still shedding or excreting a high amount of viral protein. In most cases, that means that the person is shedding

a high amount of virus, and likely a high amount of virus that could be spread from one person to another,” he says.

He says if you get a positive at-home antigen test, consider yourself at risk of spreading the virus to others. Testing negative

Dr. Binnicker says testing at home is recommended if you experience COVID-19 symptoms. If it comes back positive, you likely have a COVID-19 infection. But what if you have symptoms and the test comes back negative?

“If your test comes back negative at home, and you still have those typical symptoms of COVID-19 — sore throat, cough, fever, body aches — that’s when I’m recommending that people go in to see their healthcare provider, get a swab collected that can be sent to a lab for a PCR-based test. That will give us the most reliable information on whether you truly have, or don’t have, COVID-19,” says Dr. Binnicker. When should you test for COVID-19?

Dr. Binnicker says there are few instances recommended for testing.

•If you develop symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose or body aches.

•If you’ve spent time

with someone with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19.

•If you plan on visiting a person at high risk of severe illness. That includes a person with cancer, an older adult or someone taking medications that suppress their immune system.

He says if you’ve been exposed to the virus, don’t test immediately.

“My recommendation is to wait a few days, don’t go right home and take a test because it won’t have been enough time for the virus to reach levels that will trigger antigen tests to be positive. Typically, wait three days after an exposure and then take a test. If it’s negative, consider taking another test the following day or 48 hours from then; typically, by day five after exposure, you’re likely in the clear if you test negative over that timeframe,” he says.

Temperatures and at-home COVID-19 tests

With the many fluctuating temperatures across geographic areas, can these tests be affected by high heat or cold temperatures? The information packets that come with at-home antigen tests should offer storage condition information as determined by the FDA. That’s where reading the fine print can help.

NFC off to record-setting start with teams at 2-0

By JOSH DUBOW The Associated

The AFC came into the season with the lion’s share of the top quarterbacks and Super Bowl contenders led by passers like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow. Two weeks into the 2023 NFL season, it’s the NFC that’s off to a record-setting start to the season. Led by the three undefeated teams in both the NFC East and NFC South, the NFC has seven teams off to a 2-0 start in the first time that has ever happened in a single conference. The AFC came into the season with the lion’s share of the top quarterbacks and Super Bowl contenders, led by passers such as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Joe Burrow.

Two weeks into the 2023 NFL season, it’s the NFC that’s off to a record-setting start to the season.

Led by three undefeated teams in both the NFC East and NFC South, the NFC has seven teams off to a 2-0 start, the first time that has ever happened in a single conference. With the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers fresh off two convincing wins, along with last season’s Super Bowl runner-up Philadelphia, the NFC currently has three of the four biggest favorites to win this season’s Super Bowl.

The other undefeated teams in the NFC are Washington in the East and New Orleans, Atlanta and Tampa Bay in the South, which was slated to be perhaps the worst division in the league.

The AFC has only two undefeated teams — Miami and Baltimore — tied for the fewest of any conference after two weeks since the start of the eight-division era in 2002.

The Cowboys are the

fifth team in the Super Bowl era to score at least 70 points and allow 10 or fewer in the first two games of the season, joining the 2019 Patriots, 1970 Lions, 1967 Raiders and 1966 Oilers. Dallas’ plus-60 point differential is 30 points better than the second-place 49ers — the biggest gap between the No. 1 and 2 teams after two weeks since 1989, when the Browns were plus-65 and the Bears plus-34.

COMEBACK KIDS

Sunday was a day for historic comebacks in the NFL.

The New York Giants came back from 21 points down to beat Arizona 31-28 for their biggest comeback win since 1949, while Washington overcame an 18-point deficit to win 35-33 at Denver. This was the 12th time that two teams overcame deficits that big to win in

the same week. It last happened in Week 2 last season.

The turnaround for the Giants was truly impressive. New York lost the opener 40-0 to Dallas and trailed 20-0 at the half in Arizona. It was the first time since 1934 that New York failed to score in the first six quarters. The Giants recovered that season to win the NFL title.

The 60 points allowed by the Giants before their first score were the second most since 1950, according to Sportradar, trailing only the 86 for the 1978 Colts and 99 for the 1961 Raiders.

Two other teams came back from at least 11 points down, with Atlanta rallying past Green Bay and Tennessee doing the same against the Chargers. That’s one shy of the record for one week.

The Chargers and Broncos were both on the wrong side of the

comebacks and have started 0-2 despite leading both games in the fourth quarter. They are the first teams to do that since 2015, when Seattle and the Giants did it.

One team that was predictably unable to mount a comeback was Carolina. The Panthers lost 20-17 to New Orleans on Monday night for their 52nd straight loss in a game they trailed in the fourth quarter. Their last fourth-quarter comeback came Oct. 21, 2018, against Philadelphia.

RARE ROOKIES

A couple of rookie playmakers are shouldering an unusually large load for their offenses.

No. 8 pick Bijan Robinson is living up to high expectations early in his career following his 124-yard rushing performance in Sunday’s win over Green Bay. Robinson is tied for

fourth in the NFL with 255 yards from scrimmage through two games. He has gained 36.8% of Atlanta’s yards from scrimmage — the second-highest mark for a rookie through two games in the last 14 seasons, behind only Kareem Hunt’s 38.8% in 2017.

Rams receiver Puka Nacua has been more of a surprise, going from fifth-round pick to a record-setting start to his career. Nakua’s 25 catches are the most for a player in his first two NFL games, shattering the mark of 19 Earl Cooper set in 1980.

Nakua has gained 270 yards — nearly onethird of the Rams’ total. He has 43.1% of the Rams’ catches so far this season, the highest for any player through two games since Vincent Jackson had 50% of Tampa Bay’s catches in the first two games of the 2013 season.

Cummings. “Nearly everyone hit their personal best times.”

YATES CENTER’S Asher Arnold placed 40th with a time of 22:32 for the boys, while Wildcat Jalynn Birk took a 14th place medal with a time of 24:49 in the girls race.

MARMATON Valley’s Sophia Heim placed second in the JV girls’ 5,000-meter run with a time of 25:26.

In the JV boys 5,000-meter run, Marmaton Valley’s Brendon Newman came in seventh place with a time of 22:35 while Humboldt’s Cooper Gillepsie placed 17th with a time of 27:29.

DOZENS of local athletes competed at Humboldt Tuesday in the 7th and 8th grade races.

In the seventh grade

girls two-mile run, Marmaton Valley’s Emma Louk came in first place in 13:47. Crest’s Lynnex Allen placed third with a time of 14:25 while Crest’s Jorden Allen came in seventh place with a time of 15:58.

Humboldt’s Aspen Wimsett placed 14th with a time of 18:36.

Marmaton Valley’s Haylie Aiello placed 17th with a time of 19:12.

Yates Center’s Decembyr Garrett placed 23rd with a time of 26:20.

In the boys’ seventh grade two-mile run, Marmaton Valley’s Curl came in second place with a time of 14:12 while Daniel Allee placed fourth with a time of 14:41. Humboldt’s Owen Works came in eighth place with a time of 15:01.

“He (Works) had a great finish, about a mile into the two-mile race he really took off,” said Carlson. “We’ve

Crest: Tops Oswego

a team-high 14 digs and 17 assists. She also recorded seven kills and went 21-for23 from the serving line with two aces.

Aylee Beckmon notched seven kills, 11

fect 10-for-10 from the serving line. The Lady Lancers host Uniontown and Chetopa for Senior Night next Tuesday, Sept. 26.

talked about being a bit more aggressive to start and if he fizzles out near the end, we’ve got something we can work on.”

In the eighth grade boys two-mile run, Crest’s Jimmy Ayers came in fourth place with a time of 13:26 while Marmaton Valley’s Thomas Allee came in sixth place with a time of 13:48.

Marmaton Valley’s Colin Ard came in seventh place with a time of 13:51.

Yates Center’s Isaac Stoll came in 12th place with a time of 14:54 while Humboldt’s Carter Collins took 13th place with a time of 14:56. Yates Center’s Maddox Bysfield came in 17th place with a time of 16:55.

Yates Center’s Laken Culver placed 12th with a time of 15:30 while

Crest’s Wyatt Francis placed 14th with a time of 15:53 and Lukas Taylor came in 15th place with a time of 15:54. Yates Center’s Connor Bysfield came in 18th place with a time of 17:15.

Yates Center’s Joseph

Bishop came in 19th place with a time of 17:36.

Marmaton Valley’s Logan Sneed placed 21st with a time of 17:44.

Humboldt runs at Columbus next Tues-

day at 4 p.m. Crest and Marmaton Valley are both at Central Heights next Thursday at 4 p.m. Yates Center will travel to Council Grove next Thursday at 4 p.m.

Crest’s Gunner Ellington trails a Frontenac runner. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

Crest’s Elijag Taylor, #31, leads the pack in the varsity boys 5,000-meter run. REGISTER/QUINN B.

Transfers are fueling some of college football’s best teams

By RALPH D. RUSSO The Associated Press

Clemson, the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference champion, has one player on its depth chart who arrived in Death Valley via the transfer portal: The backup quarterback.

No. 4 Florida State is trying to reclaim the ACC crown from the Tigers, and has used the portal to supercharge a rebuild under coach Mike Norvell. Most of the Seminoles’ best players used to play at other schools.

Seminoles vs. Tigers is one of several huge matchups this weekend in college football and one that feels like a referendum on roster management in the sport’s new era.

Clemson sits right outside the AP Top 25, having already taken a loss that again sparked questions about whether Coach Dabo Swinney’s program is working the transfer market aggressively enough since the rules changed in 2021.

“Do I prefer the portal? No, but am I opposed to it? No, absolutely not,” Swinney said the day after the Tigers were upset at Duke.

He better not be because through three weeks of this season the transfer portal appears to be one of the big winners.

Whether it’s Florida State re-emerging as a national power, Deion Sanders’ extreme makeover at Colorado, Texas State’s stunning upset of a Big 12 team or a Pac12 resurgence fueled by transfer quarterbacks, reasons to embrace college football free agency are everywhere.

“I do think there is a bit of a narrative out there, the portal is not sustainable,” Florida State general manager of personnel Darrick Yrary said. “Well, it’s only been around for a little bit. I don’t think anyone really knows what it is and what it isn’t. But we’re trying to field the best football team every single year. So whatever avenue that does come from we want to make sure our hat’s in the ring for that.”

According to SportSource Analytics, the percentage of production by transfers has increased across major college football compared with last season in every category, from games started to yards gained passing, rushing and receiving to tackles, sacks and interceptions.

Colorado is likely contributing to that trend as much as any school in the country.

Sanders made headlines by flipping Colorado’s roster with the most aggressive use of the portal since the NCAA changed its rules three years ago to allow all football players to transfer one time as an undergraduate without sitting out a season.

The Buffaloes have 87 new players, 58 of them transfers, including quarterback Shedeur Sanders, the coach’s son; two-way star Travis Hunter; and leading receivers Xavier Weaver and Jimmy Horn.

No. 19 Colorado (3-0) has already tripled its win total from last season and heads to No. 10

Oregon on Saturday as one of the biggest stories in sports.

Colorado is one of eight ranked teams in the Pac-12, which is having an ironic renaissance before 10 of its members depart for other conferences. Six of this weekend’s rankedvs.-ranked matchups are Pac-12 games.

Verse, who arrived from FCS school Albany.

Verse is among 12 players on Florida State’s roster who transferred in and stuck around for multiple years.

Ask coaches and staffers about transfers and will inevitably talk turns to fit and whether a player is a good match for the team’s culture. Sanders, again, pushes back against convention.

Heisman

Of the league’s eight ranked teams, six are starting transfers at quarterback.

Trophy winner Caleb Williams of No. 5 USC, No. 8 Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon’s Bo Nix all arrived via the portal last season and blossomed into stars.

Nationally, the top nine quarterbacks and 16 of the top 20 in yards passing per game transferred to their current schools.

Some coaches bristled about Sanders running players off at Colorado to clear roster spots for more transfers, even though it was within the rules for a new coach. No one can argue with the results.

“You take a team that’s won one game, and you fired a whole coaching staff. So who did the coaching staff recruit? The kids. So the kids are just as much to blame as the coaching staff,” Sanders said on CBS’s “60 Minutes.” “I came to the conclusion that a multitude of them couldn’t help us get to where we wanted to go.”

The second-largest transfer class (39) coming into this season belonged to Texas State.

New coach G.J. Kinne said one of the reasons he brought in so many transfers was because many of the better players from last year’s 4-8 team decided to ... transfer.

Kinne decided a slow rebuild through high school recruiting at a program with little history of success would be difficult.

“The best way to do it is to win. That helps recruiting, that helps your fanbase, that helps NIL,” Kinne said.

“So for me it was like, let’s get the best players that we possibly can and go try to make a statement Year 1.”

Texas State (2-1) opened the season by beating Baylor 42-31, the program’s first victory against a Power Five conference team.

Kinne’s comments echo that of Florida State coach Mike Norvell, who took over beleaguered blue blood in 2020.

After his team went 3-6 that first season, Norvell used the portal to accelerate a turnaround. Florida State jumped to 5-7 in 2021, and then won 10 games last season before starting this season by routing LSU on Labor Day weekend.

Star quarterback Jordan Travis transferred to FSU under the previous coaching staff, but the team’s best two wide receivers, top two tight ends, leading rusher and four of its best offensive linemen transferred in under Norvell.

The defense is loaded with transfers, too. None better than defensive end Jared

“I don’t care about culture,” Sanders said earlier this year. “I don’t even care if they like each other, I want to win.”

Most coaches prefer to have a previous connection between a transferring player and someone on their staff — but they can’t afford to limit themselves. The occasional leap of faith is required.

That’s how Kinne landed starting quarterback T.J. Finley, who was previously at LSU and Auburn.

“It’s scary,” Kinne said.

Money helps, too.

Kinne said a Texas State donor stepped up with a contribution to the collective that supports Bobcats athletes with name, image and likeness compensation, and he believes it helped the program land a couple of its best transfers.

The Battle’s End, the collective that supports Florida State football, is considered one of the best run in country.

“We’ve got a tremendous amount of support around our program,” Norvell told AP.

Florida State brought in 15 transfers in the 2023 recruiting cycle, not a particularly high number. The Seminoles were about on par with USC, LSU, Miami, UCLA and Texas A&M. The success rate is what stands out.

“It’s about about finding the best fit for Florida State,” Norvell said. “And to me, it doesn’t matter the path that somebody takes to get here.”

Caitlin Clark wins Sullivan Award

NEW YORK (AP) —

Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark won the 93rd AAU James E. Sullivan Award on Tuesday night as the nation’s top collegiate or Olympic athlete.

Clark was honored at the New York Athletic Club. Voting by the public as well as the AAU Sullivan Award committee, AAU board of directors, sports media and past winners determined the winner.

The award also recognizes leadership, citizenship, character and sportsmanship

on and off the playing field.

“I am incredibly humbled,” Clark said.

“It is an honor to be selected for this prestigious award that elects a student-athlete that excels on the court and off. All the finalists are equally as deserving. It is special to represent the University of Iowa on this stage.”

Clark was the consensus national player of the year in women’s basketball. She led the Hawkeyes to their first national title game appearance, where they lost to LSU. She was

the first player in Division I women’s history to record over 1,000 points and 300 assists in the same season.

The other finalists were former LSU baseball player Dylan Crews, who was drafted by the Washington Nationals, Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles, Tennessee swimmer Jordan Crooks, Olympic swimmer Kate Douglass and Purdue basketball player Zach Edey.

Clark is the eighth basketball player to win the award.

Iowa guard Caitlin Clark drives upcourt during the team’s first-round game against Southeastern Louisiana. AP PHOTO/CHARLIE NEIBERGALL

No, you can’t force sister to take care of Mom

Adapted from an online discussion.

Dear Carolyn: As the long-distance daughter to an elderly, widowed mother with health needs, I have to navigate a tricky relationship with my sister who lives locally. Sister beat breast cancer and looks at our mother’s every health issue through the lens of, “This is nothing compared with what I went through.” Plus, this sister has her hands full with special-needs kids. So the slightest suggestion I make that she help out our mother is met with a combo of spite and righteous indignation, because how dare I when I live far away and when her plate is overflowing. Our mother is fearful to burden my sister with anything, yet piles on the guilt to me that she has to go to medical procedures all alone. I get this is a sandwich generation issue, but it’s also a sibling issue that I can’t tackle. — Powerless Long-Distance Daughter

Powerless Long-Dis-

tance Daughter: “Powerless”? No. You can tackle it: Make not even the “slightest suggestion” that “she help out our mother.” Ever. When a cancer survivor with special-needs children at home is the only one local to a sick, elderly, widowed mom, nobody gets to step in to tell her she needs to do more. Especially not the person who lives out of reach of all the most soul-sucking work. If you have the means, then offer money toward your mother’s care — for a home health aide, a visiting nurse, a housekeeper, a meal delivery service. Or pick up the chores you can do remotely, such as ordering groceries for delivery or managing insurance and prescriptions. Even a nominal contribution is a show of good faith, much

more so than resigning yourself to helplessness beyond telling your sib what to do.

Your mom, by the way, is the one stirring this pot, and it’s totally inappropriate. Your sister is. not. an option. Exactly as you are not an option. Treating your geography obstacle as, “Oops, gee, can’t,” then treating Sis’s responsibility-saturation obstacle as, “Oh, what’s one more little thing?” is why families implode over elder care. Treat the two obstacles the same. And respond to Mom’s complaints accordingly and plainly: that daughters driving her to appointments is. not. an option. Then say you and she (Mom) need to brainstorm a Plan B. Is it time for a home aide, a medical chaperone, an informal network of friends? If she resists, then kindly/firmly/noBSly remind her that the alternative is not the sister; the alternative is the status quo, where she manages these things by herself. Is she okay with that, then? If

Surprising sources of added sugar

By DEEDEE STIEPEN Mayo Clinic News Network (TNS)

Added sugar in foods not only adds extra calories; it also can have direct toxic effects, such as tooth decay and even a risk for heart disease. Minimizing the amount of added sugar in your diet is important. However, you may not even realize how much added sugar you consume. That’s because some unsuspecting foods you may think are healthy contain added sugar.

Dr. Donald Hensrud, a Mayo Clinic physician specializing in nutri-

tion and the editor of “The Mayo Clinic Diet,” explains what to look out for when trying to avoid added sugar.

“Anytime food is processed, there are certain things that are added. And it’s often sugar or salt,” says Dr. Hensrud. When trying to identify how much added sugar is in packaged food, look at the nutrition food label. You might be surprised by what you find.

“Many things you wouldn’t even suspect — some sauces, some dips, some spreads — there’s added sugars in almost every category of food products out there,” says Dr. Hen-

srud. Foods that can be surprising sources of added sugar:

• Salad dressing

• Condiments

• Canned soup

• Granola bars

• Protein bars

“It’s been shown that, in many people, the amount of calories they get from added sugars is quite significant,” says Dr. Hensrud.

Dr. Hensrud suggests paying close attention to food labels and trying to consume foods that contain natural sugars, like fruits, which are low in calories and contain vitamins and minerals.

not, then back to the options carousel. Disliking the options is not to be mistaken for actually having different ones.

Tell us: What's your favorite Carolyn Hax column about becoming an adult?

Readers’ thoughts:

• My siblings have Dad conference-call us into his doctors’ appointments — preferably by video. At least we can hear the docs and say things like, “Hey, Dad, remember last week you told us X?”

• Fully agree that it’s a terrible idea to make helpy suggestions that add to Sister’s list. One thing you can do from afar is reach out to the local council on aging and discover what services might be available for Mom. Then, with Mom’s buy-in, line them up and be the main contact.

• You can tackle it. You just don’t want to. There are plenty of things you can do that don’t involve your sister. For some reason, you and your mom want to stick your sister with these responsibilities.

Yesterday’s Cryptoquote:

When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. — Ansel Adams

ZITS

by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

BEETLE BAILEY by Mort Walker

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by Chris Browne

BLONDIE by Young and Drake

MARVIN by Tom Armstrong

HI AND LOIS by Chance Browne

MUTTS by Patrick McDonell

New Tropicana Field could be a boom, not bust

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.

— For the longest time, there was a stadium. And Ferg’s. And endless parking spaces.

In a nutshell, that was the original Tropicana Field experience. It was also a symbol of the shortcomings of Tampa Bay, and specifically St. Pete, as a baseball market. Instead of hotels, restaurants and bars shooting up around the Trop, there were questions about why so few fans were attending.

And now, in an odd sense of reverse logic, it’s why the Rays are so optimistic about a new stadium at the site.

The barrenness of the land has gone from being an impediment to a prized asset.

The idea of having 86 acres in the middle of a city that can be completely reimagined into a village of homes, corporate offices and entertainment options, with a new stadium as the centerpiece, could turn a woebegone site into Tampa Bay’s newest destination spot.

“Initially, and in every subsequent iteration, we wanted a ballpark within city limits. Something walkable with placemaking around it,” Rays owners Stuart Sternberg said.

“You look at the Fenway experience as opposed to going to a place surrounded by parking lots. People around here have talked about a lot of places — the fairgrounds, for instance — but they weren’t part of a walkable city. That’s why we tried for Ybor, which I thought could be that kind of spot.

“It’s about what is directly surrounding a stadium. Just because it’s near a city doesn’t mean that it absolutely works. We’ve always talked about a pinpoint perfect spot and we thought Ybor had everything covered as far as that is concerned. Fortunately, the (Tropicana site) has shown its mettle over the last seven or eight years. While it’s not ever going to be Chicago or Boston or New York — and that’s fine — but we do think with the growth ahead of us here, it has the ability to support baseball.”

The concept isn’t entirely new, but it has evolved over recent decades. Camden Yards added some vigor to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore in the early 1990s. Coors Field gave the LoDo section of Denver a shot in the arm a few years later. Other cities saw similar renaissances with the completion of new ballparks.

But that growth was often organic, which did not happen around Tropicana Field at the same pace. So now the Rays are turning to the example of the Battery, which opened in Atlanta in 2017 and was conceived as an entirely new community built around a ballpark. The Battery sits on a tract of land that is about 30% smaller than the Trop site, but includes corporate offices for Comcast, Papa John’s and other businesses, as well a hotel, condos, restaurants, bars and retail.

“That concept is tru-

Dallas, Florida and New York to host cricket World Cup matches

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dallas, Florida and New York will host matches at next year’s men’s T20 World Cup, the governing body of cricket announced Wednesday.

ly transformational.

When you go to the Battery now, it’s an event.

It’s beyond the ballpark, beyond the ballgame, it’s an event,” said Hines senior managing partner Michael Harrison.

“You’re going there ahead of time so you can have dinner with the family before the ballgame.

“The big difference here, and the great opportunity we have, is where those Battery-type projects have been built previously.

The Braves had to move out to the suburbs to do it because you can’t find land in urban environments. So you have acreage here that has been preserved for 30 years and it’s in the middle of a city.”

Figuring out a way to attract more fans was obviously at the forefront of the team’s thinking, but it was not the only factor.

The team’s current use agreement at Tropicana Field allows the Rays to share the proceeds of any land sales with the city. Sternberg had been hesitant in the past about being directly involved in development projects but is now in partnership with Hines and, presumably, in line to profit from some of the growth expected at the site.

“Stu certainly bought the Rays with the intention of running a baseball team,” said Rays president Brian Auld. “Somewhere along the line we got ourselves a soccer team (the Rowdies). Somewhere along the line we noticed that just about everyone else’s baseball team was using it with adjacent businesses and creating synergies and trying to control the land around their site. Not just necessarily to make money but to control the fan experience.

“One of the first things you’ll hear Stu say is markets change. You (can’t be) so stubborn to say, ‘All I want to do is run a baseball team forever.’ Some folks were saying, ‘Hey, we need to consider these other options.’ ”

So the stadium is the anchor for other businesses. And other businesses are the way to draw additional fans. And additional fans are the way to increase a team’s revenues and payroll. And a team’s success is a boon for the local economy. At least that’s how it’s supposed to work.

For a lot of years, that was not the case in St. Pete. Maybe that makes this a risky investment. Or maybe this is exactly what the Rays and St. Pete needed to finally realize the potential everyone saw here 30 years ago.

“I think professional sports realize it’s

not just about butts in the seats anymore. It’s about how do you create an entertainment experience that starts before and goes beyond the duration of a ballgame,” Harrison said.

“What I think is truly unique about this placemaking opportunity is that it’s the hole in the donut. You’ve got this urban environment and we’re able to just plop it down in the middle. You look at Baltimore or Chicago or anywhere else and they’re trying to do the same kind of thing, but they don’t have the land you have here.”

The United States will be staging a global cricket event for the first time as the sport looks to expand into new territory and get Olympic status for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The country will co-host the June 4-30 tournament with the West Indies.

The International Cricket Council said an agreement has been reached for the construction of a 34,000-seat stadium in Eisenhower Park, a purpose-built sports and events park in Nassau County, New York, pending the awarding of a required permit next month.

Venues in Grand

Prairie outside Dallas and Broward County in Florida will be increased in size to expand seating, media and premium hospitality areas to enable them to host matches in the 20-team tournament, which makes it the biggest T20 World Cup yet.

“The USA is a strategically important market,” ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice said, “and these venues give us an excellent opportunity to make a statement in the world’s biggest sport market.”

The inaugural Major League Cricket competition was held this year in the United States, with teams from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Dallas, New York and Washington — four of which are owned by franchises in the Indian Premier League — taking part. Grand

Prairie staged many of the games.

Florida also hosted recent T20s between India and the West Indies at Central Broward Stadium in Lauderhill.

The T20 cricket format is favored to be one of the sports added to the program for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, with decisions by the International Olympic Committee scheduled at meetings next month in Mumbai, India.

Problems in talks between the IOC and the Los Angeles organizing committee on commercial issues have stalled the process.

Cricket is seen as a key driver in India of commercial interest in the Olympics and also is expected to be requested by organizers in Australia for the 2032 Brisbane Games.

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An aerial drone view of Tropicana Field and the surrounding area. LUIS SANTANA/TAMPA BAY TIMES

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