Locally owned since 1867
West OKS sanctions on Russia BRUSSELS (AP) — With the smell of war in the air over Europe, world leaders got over the shock of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to deploy troops to separatist regions of eastern Ukraine and they are focused on producing as forceful a reaction as possible. Germany made the first big move, taking steps to halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia — a lucrative deal long sought by Moscow, but criticized by the U.S. for increasing Europe’s reliance on Russian energy supplies. The West insisted Putin’s bold moves in Ukraine violated countless international agreements and since the words of diplomacy had failed, it was See UKRAINE | Page A6
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
iolaregister.com
IHS graduation rate improves By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
Iola High School’s graduation rate reached its highest level in years, surpassing the state average for possibly the first time. Principal Scott Carson last week gave board members an update on graduation rates. In May 2021, 91.3% of IHS seniors graduated. That’s higher than the county average of 90.4%, and even higher than the state average of 88.1% Carson said he believes it’s the first time the school’s rate is higher than the state average, at least in recent history. Earlier this year, Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson said graduation rates are at an all-time high but still below the goal of 95% for all districts nationwide. The U.S. average is 88%. Carson said he thinks the graduation rate will continue to improve. “We’re looking to be a little higher this spring,” he said. In the spring of 2020, the graduation rate at IHS was
The Iola High School Class of 2021 celebrates in May. The class had a graduation rate of 91.4%, which is much higher than previous years. FILE PHOTO 85.3%. In 2019, it was 77.1%; in 2018, it was 81%. CARSON attributed the increase to moving the Crossroads alternative education
program into the IHS building, as well as increased outreach to freshmen to help them better transition to high school and the Rural Regional Technical Center at LaHarpe.
“With all of those things going on, it’s helped us keep kids in school and graduate,” Carson said. Starting in the fall of 2020, See GRADUATION | Page A3
Humboldt to showcase hunter’s animal mounts
Allen County
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Active cases ...........85 Total cases* ...........3,929 Deaths ..................46
HUMBOLDT — Bequeathed with a gift from an anonymous benefactor, the Humboldt Historical Society will soon expand. Plans are in the works to erect a new building at the corner of Eighth and New York streets — just south of Neosho Valley Woodworks shop. The facility will be filled with roughly 200 animal mounts, to represent the scores of animals the donor has killed during his hunting days. Humboldt City Council members approved last week the Historical Society’s request to waive various fees for demolition and building permits, saving the organization
COVID-19 Case Count
*Since the start of the pandemic Sources: Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Departments, Kansas Department of Health and Environment This building at Eighth and New York streets will be demolished and a new metal building erected as part of an expansion of the Humboldt Historical Society. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN about $260. An existing one-story building must first be removed to make space for the 6,000-square-foot facility. The new metal building will be covered in part with brick to match the aesthetic of Humboldt’s older downtown
buildings, noted HHS member Bob Johnson, who shared the group’s plans with the Council. The animals were felled from across the globe, with several native to the midwestern United States, Johnson noted, but also from far-away
places like New Zealand and Africa. None of the animals are or have been on any endangered species lists, Johnson added. The Historical Society has five other buildings in Humboldt at its complex in the 400 block of North Second Street.
Red Devils upset Top 5 team
PAGE B1
Childhood anti-vax bill slams into wall after hearing By SHERMAN SMITH Kansas Reflector
Heather Braum, health policy adviser at Kansas Action for Children, testifies before the House Health and Human Services Committee on Monday at the Statehouse in Topeka. (SHERMAN SMITH/KANSAS REFLECTOR)
Vol. 124 No. 100 Iola, KS $1.00
TOPEKA — As the daughter of a retired, small-town funeral director, Heather Braum says she has walked through the cemetery numerous times. And, she told lawmakers Monday, she noticed something about the older sections. “There are so many infant and child graves throughout, many without names or dates listed,” Braum said. “If there are dates listed, they are far too short.” Braum, the health policy adviser at Kansas Action for Children, says the newer sec-
tions of the cemetery don’t have these graves thanks to childhood vaccines. She asked members of the House Health and Human Services Committee to reject House Bill 2498, which would strip the Kansas health secretary’s authority to require children who attend school or day care to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Anti-vaxxers insisted the legislation merely provides a check on the powers of a single, non-elected official. Medical professionals sounded alarms about this being the first step toward making all vaccines optional. Rep. John Barker, R-Abilene, effectively blocked
an attempt by the committee chairwoman, Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita, to proceed with a vote immediately after hearing testimony on the bill for the first time. The procedural move puts the legislation in jeopardy because Landwehr’s committee isn’t scheduled to meet again this session. This is the third consecutive session in which similar legislation has received a committee hearing. Ashley Goss, deputy secretary for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, told the committee the secretary has no plans to add a COVID-19 See BILL | Page A3