Inside: Former Iolan’s son stars on the gridiron See B1
The Weekender
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Saturday, November 22, 2014
Local cooks create cornucopia of tasty fare
Smoking vs. roasting
Houk thankful
Culinary therapy
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
By SUSAN LYNN The Iola Register
LAHARPE — Much like a curious scientist testing his latest experiment, Chris Becannon is fond of tinkering in the kitchen. He calls it refining. “It’s a matter of finding what works,” he said. “Once I find something that works, I’ll stick with it.” With Thanksgiving approaching, Becannon shared recipes for smoking ham and turkey — perfect for those eschewing the traditional roasted meats on Thanksgiving Day. For more than five years, Becannon has turned his science into an art, learning the ins and outs of smoked meats of all varieties, since he and his father, John, built a concession trailer from scratch. He operates Plan B BBQ in Gas each spring through fall. Becannon gathers most of his ideas by watching the Food Network, poring over the Internet or simply talking with other smokers.
There is a lot to be thankful for in the Houk household this Thanksgiving. On Thursday Laura Houk, Iola, found out from her doctor she is cancerfree. “I’m thankful that I’m still here this year,” Houk said. Houk has been battling ovarian cancer. The cancer was discovered last August when she experienced abdominal pain and was rushed to the emergency room. After tests she was diagnosed with stage III ovarian cancer. Thanksgiving last year she was in the middle of cancer treatments. This week scans done at University of Kansas Medical Center came back clear. Houk said she knows God is the reason the treatments worked. She and her family attend Harvest Baptist Church in Iola and faith is a big part of their lives. Before cancer took hold, Houk was in the process of opening her own restaurant on Humboldt’s square. The week she was diagnosed she was about
LAHARPE — Robin Manbeck was always the goto mom when it came to making baked goods for her children’s school activities. She thought nothing of whipping up batches of cookies and cinnamon rolls at a moment’s notice. Now that her children, Corbin, 24, and Kandra, 21, are grown, Manbeck remains an avid cook and frequently bestows gifts of baked goods. “I like to please people,” she said. Manbeck said she views cooking not as a chore, but as therapy. She makes it fun, cranking up the radio dialed to country music and singing along while she rolls out dough, browns meat, and stirs sauces. Manbeck, 49, typically cooks a week’s worth of meals every Sunday. She has worked as a para-professional at Lincoln Elementary for the past 17 years. Although she grew up an avid 4-H’er, Manbeck said she now rarely adheres to recipes. She has a
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See HOUK | Page A3
See MANBECK | Page A3
Hospital challenges lie ahead By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
Insurance available through the Affordable Care Act has made no appreciable difference in revenue flowing to Allen County Regional Hospital, Ron Baker, its chief executive officer, told Iola Rotarians Thursday. The hospital’s rate of charges billed that went unpaid was 14 percent before ACA was instituted; still is.
“ACA insurance has made a (positive) difference in urban hospitals but not in rural ones,” Baker said. The refusal of Kansas to accept increased Medicaid funding on Ron Baker the federal government’s nickel is another story, and in itself some validation of ACA’s value to poor Kansans.
“It’s like having your eye poked with a sharp stick,” Baker said of the state’s decision to refuse the additional Medicaid funding. Gov. Sam Brownback has refused to OK the expansion and legislators have followed his lead. Baker allowed there was no way of knowing how much of a difference the additional funding would have made to the hospital’s debt. By law it must accept patients whether See ACRH | Page A6
SEE, HEAR IOLA
Impressive growth for ACC endowment By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
The spirit of thankfulness and giving was extended to See, Hear Iola on Friday. Cindy Adams, director of development at Allen Community College, spoke about its endowment association.
The endowment association was created in 1971 to help fund scholarships for Allen students. When Adams began working at Allen in 2000, the endowment had a little over $1 million in invested funds. Two government grants in the last 14 See SEE| Page A2
Obama spurns GOP with expansive immigration orders WASHINGTON (AP) — Spurning furious Republicans, President Barack Obama unveiled expansive executive actions on immigration Thursday night to spare nearly 5 million people in the U.S. illegally from deportation and refocus enforcement efforts on “felons, not families.” The moves, affecting mostly parents and young people, marked the most sweeping changes to the nation’s fractured immigration laws in nearly three decades and set off a fierce fight with Republicans over the limits of presidential powers.
In a televised address to the nation, Obama defended the legality of his actions and challenged GOP lawmakers to focus their energy not on blocking his measures but on approving long-stalled legislation to take their place. “To those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill,” Obama said, flexing his presidential powers just two weeks after his political standing was challenged in
Quote of the day Vol. 117, No. 21
the midterm elections. As Obama spoke from the White House, immigration supporters with American flags draped over their shoulders marched on Pennsylvania Avenue outside carrying signs that read, “Gracias, Presidente Obama.” The address marked the first step in the White House effort to promote the executive actions to the public. On Friday, Obama will speak at a campaign-style rally in Las Vegas. Despite Obama’s challenge to Republicans to pass a See OBAMA | Page A2
Plaza Mexico vendors Maria Sanchez, 72, and son Luis Garcia, watch President Obama’s speech on his executive action on immigration, on Thursday. Ricardo DeAratanha/Los Angeles Times/TNS
“They invented hugs to let people know you love them without saying anything.” — Bil Keane 75 Cents
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