The Iola Register, Dec. 22, 2022

When holidays hurt there’s hope

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

Not all Christmas memories are merry.

Some families go through divorce. Some deal with death. Others face abuse.

Iola Mayor Steve French, age 62, experienced all of the above.

It would take Steve years of healing, faith and grace to learn how to process his grief and create new, and healthy, holiday traditions.

“My story is not unique. I’ve come to realize that if you think your cut is bad, somebody has a gash. And if you’ve got a gash, somebody is an amputee. Somebody’s always got it worse,” he said.

“You’ve got to have something to believe in. For me, it was my faith. I have been

Zelenskyy visits US

saved by grace so many times.”

STEVE’S earliest Christmas memory, though, is magical.

He remembers walking up the steps of Iola’s Memorial

Hall as a child to visit Santa. Its massive marble pillars loom large in his memory, before the iconic structure was torn down in 1970.

“You thought you were going up those steps to see a king, just like in the movies.

And I remember they gave me a net bag shaped like a stocking, filled with stuff.”

But soon, when he was just 6, his parents divorced “and we got shuffled around.”

He and his siblings lived with their mother, JoAnn.

She remarried and gave birth to her sixth child. Her new husband, James P. French Sr., adopted the children “and we had joy.”

But not for long. Steve’s new father died from heart complications at age 45. The family moved from Texas back to Moran.

In his short life, Steve had experienced the effects of di-

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was making his way to Washington on Wednesday for a summit with President Joe Biden and an address Congress in a bid to shore up support for his country and send a defiant message to its Russian invaders.

Zelenskyy said on his Twitter account that the visit, his first known trip outside Ukraine since the war began in February, was “to strengthen resilience and defense capabilities” of Ukraine and to discuss cooperation with the United States.

The highly sensitive trip was taking place after 10 months of a brutal war that has seen tens of thousands of casualties on both sides and devastation for Ukrainian civilians. The U.S. was set to announce its largest single delivery of arms to Ukraine, including Patriot surface-toair missiles, and Congress planned to vote on a spending package that includes about $45 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy headed abroad after making a daring and dangerous trip Tuesday to what he called the hottest spot on the 800-mile front line of the war, the city of Bakhmut in Ukraine’s contested Donetsk province. He praised Ukrainian troops for their “courage, resilience and strength” as artillery boomed

Bring it on: Road crews are ready for winter

By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register

Local, county and state officials are bracing for a predicted cold snap.

With Allen County on the southern edge of a winter storm expected to bring blizzard-like conditions elsewhere in the state, and sub-zero temperatures in the aftermath, preparations are far-reaching, Iola Assistant City Administrator Corey Schinstock said.

Iola’s street and alley crews have their salt trucks loaded and ready for action if snow and ice reach Iola — forecasts call for anything from a dusting to 3 inches — exacerbated by gusty north winds.

Schinstock said Iola crews will respond accordingly.

“It’ll be business as normal for us, if we don’t get a lot of ice or snow,” Schinstock said.

But cold weather affects more than traffic in Iola.

The last extended spell of brutally cold weather in February 2021 forced power companies to rely upon municipalities to generate a portion of their own electricity.

Iola’s generators are ready and able to be fired up at a moment’s notice, Schinstock said.

Likewise, the city has natural gas in storage to use if market prices spike from the cold.

“We’re hoping it doesn’t come to that,” Schinstock said.

ALLEN COUNTY road and bridge director Mark

Griffith also has his crews ready to roll out before dawn Thursday, when the expected wintry weather hits.

Salt trucks with plows will be responsible for clearing 120 miles of county blacktop roads, with graders responsible for clearing gravel routes — about 900 miles worth.

Again, the duration of the precipitation will dictate the course of action, Griffith said.

His primary concern is the wind.

If temps are well below freezing, a dry snow will be more likely to drift, Griffith explained.

And if it gets really windy, the snow “will just blow right back on the road after you’ve plowed it,” he added.

He expected the county trucks to be on the road as

early as 4 a.m. Thursday.

THE KANSAS Department of Transportation was set to send most of its drivers home at noon Wednesday so they can be fresh and ready for work overnight if needed, KDOT spokeswoman Priscilla Peterson said.

The Iola KDOT office has five snowplow operators on each shift, tasked with ensuring the U.S. highways are clear through Allen County and beyond.

The Iola trucks cover U.S. 169 from the K-39 intersection in Chanute to the U.S. 169-U.S. 159 intersection in Anderson County; U.S. 54 from Yates Center to Bronson; and U.S. 59 from the K-31 junction at Kincaid to the K-39 junction

USA-Canada may have best rivalry in all of sports

Gov. Kelly launches campaign for state tax reduction

Iola Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts sing Christmas carols

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES

Iola Mayor Steve French says working at a funeral home continues to help him heal from childhood trauma. The holidays tend to bring loss into focus for many. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

You’ve got to have something to believe in.

— Steve French

Allen County employees Brandon Vink, left, and Terry Johnson are among the road crews expected to respond if and when a winter storm arrives Thursday. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

Kelly launches legislative campaign for $500 million state tax reduction

By TIM CARPENTER Kansas Reflector

ROELAND PARK —

Gov. Laura Kelly initiated a campaign Monday to convince the Republican-led Legislature the revenue surplus was sufficient to end the state sales tax on groceries by April 1, create a three-day sales tax holiday on school supplies and increase the state income tax exemption on Social Security benefits.

Individual pieces of the Democratic governor’s proposal, including the additional idea of dropping the state sales tax on diapers and feminine hygiene products, have been discussed by the Legislature. The only element to be embraced by House and Senate members has been elimination of the sales tax on groceries, but the bill signed by Kelly earlier this year would accomplish that goal over a three-year period.

Obituary

Jimmy O’Brien

“By cutting taxes on groceries and diapers, school supplies and Social Security, this plan will put money back in Kansans’ pockets and create real savings for those who need it most,” Kelly said. “I am calling on legislators of both parties to support these bills and provide practical financial relief to families and retirees across our great state.”

During a news conference in the fresh fruit and vegetable section of a Price Chopper store, the governor said the “Axing Your Taxes” program would save Kansans more than $500 million during the next three years. More than three-fourths of that total would be derived by dropping the state’s 6.5% sales tax on groceries by April 1 or July 1,

she said.

Under existing law, the grocery sales tax imposed by the state would fall to 4% on Jan. 1, drop to 2% on Jan. 1, 2024, and be eliminated on Jan. 1, 2025. The governor had proposed the food tax be dropped in 2022, but the compromise was a three-step process.

Kelly said she was proud of that bipartisan bill, but remained con-

vinced it “didn’t go far enough fast enough.”

“Kansans still need more relief,” Kelly said. “The cost of groceries is way too high, plain and simple. Historically, the grocery tax in Kansas has been one of the highest in the country, which is somewhat ironic considering we grow the food that feeds America and the world.”

Republicans in the House and Senate with responsibility for shaping tax legislation haven’t expressed enthusiasm for speeding up the food sales tax reduction process because they prefer to devote state resources to income and property tax reductions.

Kelly also urged the Legislature to get behind a three-day state sales tax holiday every August on school supplies, personal computers, instructional materials and art supplies. It would benefit families and educators while providing an incentive

for people not to cross the border into Missouri to buy these items, she said.

The state income tax on Social Security income kicks in when a person earns more than $75,000 annually, but Kelly’s proposed bill would raise that exemption to $100,000. She said it was bad policy for Kansas to tax the entirety of a person’s Social Security income if that individual earned $75,001 or more. The estimated cost of the the adjustment would be approximately $50 million, she said.

In June, Republican gubernatorial candidate Derek Schmidt proposed elimination of state tax on benefits and income from Social Security, IRAs, annuities and other retirement vehicles to curtail population outmigration from Kansas. Schmidt’s proposal would have cost the state treasury an estimated $230 million annually.

Visit: U.S. pledges new aid package

Continued from A1

Jimmy Dale O’Brien, Sr., 93, Iola, died Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, at Allen County Regional Hospital, Iola. Jimmy was born June 18, 1929, in Independence, to Paul O’Brien and Lois (Johnson) O’Brien.

Jimmy and Patricia Krueger were married Feb. 7, 1958, in McComb, Miss.

Jimmy was preceded in death by a son, Frederick Paul O’Brien.

His wife survives, as do a daughter, Kathy O’Brien, Columbus; son, Jimmy (Rhonda) O’Brien Jr., Iola; eight grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

A funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 23, in the chapel at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, 1883 U.S 54, Iola. Interment will follow in Maplewood Cemetery in Emporia.

Memorials are suggested to the American Heart Association, which may be left with the funeral home.

Condolences may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.

Consumer confidence bounces back

WASHINGTON (AP)

— The confidence of American consumers rebounded this month to end the year on a high note despite high inflation, rising interest rates that have made credit cards and mortgages more expensive, and growing anxiety about a possible recession.

The Conference Board reported Wednesday that its consumer confidence index rose to 108.3 in December, up from 101.4 in November. It’s a sharp rebound, pushing the index to its highest level since April. Last month’s figure was the lowest since July.

The business research group’s present situation index — which measures consumers’ assessment of current

business and labor market conditions — also rose, to 147.2 this month from 138.3 in November.

The board’s expectations index — a measure of consumers’ six-month outlook for income, business and labor conditions -- rose to 82.4 from 76.7. Readings near or below 80 are associated with recession.

Lynn Franco, senior director of economic indicators at the Conference Board, noted that inflation expectations retreated in December to their lowest level since September of last year, mostly due to recent declines in gas prices. The number of people saying they planned to go on vacations rose, but the number of those intending to purchase homes and big-ticket appliances declined.

boomed in the background.

Poland’s private broadcaster, TVN24, said Zelenskyy crossed into Poland early Wednesday on his way to Washington. The station showed footage of what appeared to be Zelenskyy arriving at a train station and being escorted to a motorcade.

TVN24 said the video, partially blurred for security reasons, was shot in Przemysl, a Polish border town that has been the arrival point for many refugees fleeing the war. U.S. officials, citing security concerns, were mum about Zelenskyy’s travel plans.

White House press secretary Karine JeanPierre said in a statement that the visit “will underscore the United States’ steadfast commitment to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes, including through the provision of economic, humanitarian, and military assistance.”

Zelenskyy was to meet with Biden at the White House in the afternoon and then join Biden for a news conference in the East Room. The address to Congress was expected in the evening.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in her invitation to Zelenskyy to speak to lawmakers, said “the fight for Ukraine is the fight for democracy it-

self” and that they were waiting to “hearing your inspiring message of unity, resilience and determination.”

U.S. and Ukrainian officials have made clear they do not envision an imminent resolution to the war and are preparing for fighting to continue for some time. The latest infusion of U.S. money would be the biggest yet — and exceed Biden’s $37 billion request.

Biden has repeated that while the U.S. will arm and train Ukraine, American forces will not be directly engaged in the war.

Biden and Zelenskyy first discussed the idea of a visit during a telephone call on Dec. 11, with a formal invitation following three days later, according to a senior U.S. administration official. Zelenskyy accepted the invitation on Friday and it was confirmed on Sunday, when the White House began coordinating with Pelosi, D-Calif., to arrange the congressional address.

The White House consulted with Zelenskyy on security, including the risk of Russian action while Zelenskyy was briefly out of the country, said the official, who declined to detail the measures taken to safeguard the Ukrainian leader. The official briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the visit.

The $1.8 billion U.S. military aid package would include, for the first time, a Patriot missile battery and precision guided bombs for its fighter jets, U.S. officials said. It represents an expansion in the kinds of advanced weaponry intended to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses against what has been an increasing barrage of Russian missiles.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry has said the delivery of the advanced surface-to-air missile system would be considered a provocative step and that the system and any crews accompanying it would be a legitimate target for Moscow’s military.

It was unclear when the Patriot battery would arrive on the front lines in Ukraine, given that U.S. troops will have to train Ukrainian forces. The training could take several weeks and is expected to be done in Germany.

The visit comes at an important moment, with the White House bracing for greater resistance when Republicans take control of the House in January and give more scrutiny to aid for Ukraine. GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of California has said his party will not write a “blank check” for Ukraine.

Biden and Zelenskyy frequently have talked by phone, with Biden praising Ukraine for remaining steadfast against the Russians and Zelenskyy thanking the U.S. president for support.

The one exception to those warm calls came in June, soon after Biden notified Zelenskyy that an additional $1 billion package was headed to Ukraine. Zelenskyy didn’t miss a beat in ticking off the additional assistance he said Ukraine needed.

That irked Biden, who underscored to Zelenskyy the American people’s generosity. But the brief moment of tension hasn’t caused any lasting difficulty, according to officials familiar with the episode who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversations.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer opened the chamber’s session by saying that passage of the aid package and confirmation of the new U.S. ambassador to Russia, Lynne M. Tracy, would send a strong signal that Americans stand “unequivocally” with Ukraine.

Schumer, D-N.Y., said Zelenskyy arrives not only as a president but an “ambassador to freedom itself.”

Gov. Laura Kelly proposes the Kansas Legislature end the state sales tax on groceries by April 1, adopt a 3-day sales tax holiday on back-to-school supplies and increase the state income tax exemption on Social Security benefits. (TIM CARPENTER/KANSAS REFLECTOR)

Holidays: Iola’s mayor can celebrate the season again

vorce, adoption, death, and displacement.

It was an era where adults who sought mental health treatment were stigmatized, Steve said. And mental health treatment for children was nearly unheard of.

These days, a child facing such trauma can receive counseling, for which Steve is grateful.

But for him, all Steve knew was that “those dreams, those happy times, those moments were gone.”

The one constant in his life “was our Mom.”

Despite the sadness, she held the family together. She encouraged the children to stick together.

During holidays, she always made chicken and noodles from scratch. By Steve’s account, she used 10, maybe 20 pounds of flour to make old-fashioned noodles. She rolled them and cut them by hand.

“She spent a lot of time on it.”

“SO HERE’S where it gets sticky,” Steve said. “The other trauma starts.”

His mother married again and had another child. Steve would be the middle child out of seven.

“It was a struggle,” Steve recalled of the marriage. “He was a very abusive, very controlling individual. As a child, there’s not a lot you can do about it.”

He and his siblings found refuge in each other. They stayed close, supporting each other through difficult times.

“Christmas for me became about family. It’s not about going to the store and getting stuff. I wanted my brothers and my sisters to be togeth-

er.”

Steve was especially close to his brother, Matt, who was just a year older.

“Matt escaped by leaving Moran,” Steve said.

Things were looking up for Christmas in 1977. Steve was 17. His mother was in the process of leaving his abusive stepfather.

Matt had married a local girl, Beth McDonald, and they moved to Emporia. Matt wanted Steve to move with them.

“We had a good Christmas. Lots of hugs and the siblings were all there.”

A few days later, on Dec. 30, 1977, Matt and Beth were killed in a car accident.

Two weeks after that, his beloved maternal grandmother died. His grandfather followed her a few months later. Then a cousin died in a car accident.

“It was really a strain on the family,” Steve said. “I wanted to avoid the holidays, disassociate from what hurt.”

STEVE FLED.

He left Moran — the word he used was “escaped” — and moved to Wichita. He didn’t come home for the holidays that year.

“I was angry. I didn’t want the holidays. I didn’t want to be around my family. I was hurting. I shut down. I didn’t know how to express myself,” he said.

“Probably my life-saving moment was getting a job at a funeral home.”

That’s where he learned about the stages of bereavement and

how to process grief.

“It’s OK to go through these different phases, but it’s not OK to get stuck. And I was stuck.”

As Steve learned how to help families work through those stages — denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance — he started to work through his own trauma.

the holidays. “We celebrate the birth of Jesus, so I take a Christian view of Christmas,” he said. “And I take the view that every day is Christmas. If you wake up and take a breath, it’s a blessing. If you get to hug your

love.”

His mother’s final years were difficult, too, but in a different way. JoAnn had a rare, incurable illness. She was diagnosed at age 55; at age 60, in 1998, she passed away.

“Those last five years,

It’s OK to go through these different phases, but it’s not OK to get stuck. And I was stuck.

He moved back home and worked in the oil business for a time before he found a job with the Allen County Sheriff’s Department. He worked there for six years before becoming an investigator for the Kansas Board of Emergency Medical Services, a job he held for 29 years until retirement.

Steve believes that as the middle child, it’s in his nature to give, which has manifested itself in various ways. He and his wife have gone on medical mission trips in places such as Haiti and El Salvador.

He wanted to give back to his community, so he sought a seat on the Iola City Council in 2011. He served for two terms before a successful run for mayor this past spring.

At Christmas, he and his wife, Becky, visit area nursing homes. She plays the piano and sings; he plays Santa.

“I’m kind of a naughty Santa. I tell a lot of jokes.”

He also gives credit to God and Jesus as an example of the importance of giving — especially during

grandbabies, if you get to see your siblings, it’s a gift.”

AT THE END of her life, his mom found peace, too.

“She had a good man in her life. He adored her and treated her right,” Steve recalled.

Those last five years of his mother’s life were filled with family. During the holidays, they might cram a total of 40 children and grandchildren into a single-wide mobile home. It was loud and wonderful.

And, oh, did his mother give the best hugs.

“When she hugged you, you thought the arms of God were around you. It was so genuine, so real and you just felt unconditional

there was a lot of hugging. A lot of tears. A lot of laughter. And that’s what you hang onto.”

STEVE has come full circle.

“How fitting that we’re having this conversation at a funeral home,” he said.

After retirement, Steve took a job with Feuerborn Family Funeral Home, transferring the deceased and operating the crematorium.

“When people walk in, I feel their pain. I tell them, ‘I care. I’m there for you. I lift you up in prayer.’ And when I walk past them at the grocery store, I nod and it reminds me to pray for them,” he said.

Even as an adult, Steve has continued to

face challenges. A sister died in a car accident. His youngest brother suffered a serious brain injury from an accident. Steve calls it a miracle he survived.

Six years ago, Steve nearly died from complications after a medical procedure. He was hospitalized for a month. He missed Thanksgiving and nearly missed Christmas. He doesn’t like to miss Christmas. As difficult as the holidays have been at times, it’s still an opportunity for families to gather and share their faith and their love for each other.

“Through the years I’ve tried to create my own traditions with my own family.

“I make my Momma’s chicken and noodles. I do it just the way she did, except I use a handcrank cutter so I might get done a little quicker.”

He offered a final piece of advice for those who are struggling during this holiday season:

“Don’t get stuck. Reach out for help. Reach out to others and hang on to what you have. Don’t be afraid to tell people you love them.”

US releases medicine from national stockpile

WASHINGTON (AP)

— The Biden administration said Wednesday it will release doses of prescription flu medicine from the Strategic National Stockpile to states as flu-sickened patients continue to flock to hospitals and doctors’ offices around the country.

This year’s flu season has hit hard and early. Some people are even noticing bare shelves at pharmacies and grocery stores when they make a run for over-the-counter medicines as cases have spiked. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the flu has resulted in 150,000 hospitalizations and 9,300 deaths so far this season.

“Jurisdictions will be able to get the support they need to keep Americans healthy as flu cases rise this winter,” Dawn O’Connell, an assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Health and Human Services Department, which oversees the CDC, said in a statement.

States will be able to request doses of the prescription flu medication Tamiflu kept in the Strategic National Stockpile from HHS. The administration is not releasing how many doses will be

made available. Antiviral medications were released from the stockpile more than a decade ago during the H1N1, also known as swine flu, pandemic.

Last week, the federal agency also announced it would allow states to dip into statewide stockpiles for Tamiflu, making millions of treatment courses available. Tamiflu can be prescribed to treat flu in people over the age of 2 weeks old.

This flu season is coming on the heels of a nasty spike of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, cases in children and just as COVID-19 cases are climbing — again.

Spot shortages of over-the-counter pain relievers and medicines have been reported at stores around the country, particularly for children. HHS said it is working with states to keep in-demand medicines stocked, and drug

makers like Johnson & Johnson report production lines are running around the clock.

CVS Health, for example, has placed a two-product limit on all children’s pain relief products bought through its pharmacies or online. Walgreens is limiting customers online to six purchases of children’s over-thecounter fever reducing products.

The Food and Drug Administration has not reported a shortage of Tamiflu. However, the federal agency says the prescription antibiotic amoxicillin is in short supply due to increased demand.

We dashed to the ph e and s n whom did we see? A j ly technician om en HVAC.

— Steve French

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Taliban fighters enforce university ban on women

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban security forces in the Afghan capital on Wednesday enforced a higher education ban for women by blocking their access to universities, with video obtained by The Associated Press showing women weeping and consoling each other outside one campus in Kabul.

The country’s Taliban rulers a day earlier ordered women nation-

wide to stop attending private and public universities effective immediately and until further notice. The Taliban-led administration has not given a reason for the ban or reacted to the fierce and swift global condemnation of it.

Taliban forces were seen outside four Kabul universities Wednesday. They stopped some women from entering, while allowing others to finish their work.

Cool crooners

Jan. 6 panel prepares to unveil final report

WASHINGTON (AP)

— An 800-page report set to be released by House investigators as soon as Wednesday will conclude that then-President Donald Trump criminally plotted to overturn his 2020 election defeat and “provoked his supporters to violence” at the Capitol with false claims of widespread voter fraud.

The resulting Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection

of Trump’s followers threatened democracy with “horrific” brutality toward law enforcement and “put the lives of American lawmakers at risk,” according to the report’s executive summary.

“The central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump, who many others followed,” reads the report from the House Jan. 6 com-

mittee. “None of the events of January 6th would have happened without him.”

The committee’s lengthy findings tell the story of Trump’s unprecedented campaign to overturn his defeat and his pressure campaign on state officials, the Department of Justice, members of Congress and his own vice president to change the vote.

Storm: Road workers prepare

Continued from A1

east of Chanute.

The predicted bitterly cold temperatures are taken into account as state trucks are dispatched, Peterson noted.

“With the extremely cold temperatures of this system, KDOT will not be able to pretreat” highways, she noted. “Also, straight road salt loses its melting capabilities at -6 degrees, so KDOT has to mix it with

sand to help improve traction. The lower the pavement temperatures are below 15 degrees, the longer it takes for salt to work.”

KDOT crews will also pay attention to troublesome slick spots, such as at stop signs or hills, she continued.

“The goal is to clear the roads as quickly as possible and help people travel,” Peterson said.

The storm’s arrival

brings to mind the infamous 2009 winter storm that dumped several inches of snow across eastern Kansas on Christmas Eve, paralyzing traffic for the better part of two days afterward.

Forecasts call for the storm to move out by Thursday night, but with sub-zero temps possible until Saturday, and wind chill indices as cold as 40-below.

Iola Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts from Troop 55 serenade passersby from the Allen County Courthouse bandstand with Christmas carols Tuesday evening, braving a cold north wind in the process. Taking part are, front row from left, Joseph Holding, Jaxon Berry, Xavier Holding, Jackson Bowen and Matthew Holding; second row, Gary Bowen, Reagan Berry, Derek Berry, Phoenix Berry (on shoulders) and Phillip Warren. Pack 55 will host a roundup for Cub Scouts at 6 p.m. Jan. 10 at the Calvary Life Center, 108 W. Jackson Ave. Parents and youth from kindergarten through sixth grade are invited. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

Visit: SEKHISTORY.COM SOUTHEAST KANSAS Taking His ryOnline

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Oil spill can’t be price of doing business

Keystone Pipeline leak the worst in its 12-year history

The recent Keystone pipeline leak near Washington, Kansas, is deeply disturbing.

Pictures of the calamity have circulated across the nation, showing nearby farmland slathered in a sludgy oil, with a smaller trail of inky petroleum running downhill into nearby Mill Creek. Crews have spent the week trying to contain the damage.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 13, more than 300 people were on the scene of the disaster, reinforcing dams to prevent more oil from oozing into the water, or the water draining away. The Environmental Protection Agency said workers had recovered roughly 2,100 barrels of oil and water from Mill Creek, and another 435 barrels from the broken pipe itself.

That leaves about 11,500 barrels — almost half a million gallons — to go.

THE LEAK appears to be the worst incident in the pipeline’s 12-year history. “This is going to be months, maybe even years before we get the full handle on this disaster and know the extent of the damage and get it all cleaned up,” Sierra Club lobbyist Zack Pistora told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Kansans should demand a full accounting of the rupture, including full reimbursement of all local and state expenses. The state’s residents must know why this happened, and if it could happen again.

(Missouri should pay attention, too: Part of the existing Keystone pipeline transmits oil through the state to Illinois.)

TC Energy, which operates the Canada-based pipeline, must fully cooperate with federal and state investigators as they examine the leak, and the response. The federal government may want to consider shutting the pipeline down permanently unless it gets answers.

Environmental officials say there is no evidence the pipeline’s tar sands oil ended up in drinking water after the leak. Yet the geography is clear: Mill Creek drains into

the Little Blue River, which drains into the Big Blue River, which drains into the Tuttle Creek reservoir — where water is stored before release into the Kansas River.

The Kansas River, sometimes known as the Kaw, provides drinking water for hundreds of thousands of Kansans. It drains into the Missouri River.

“Disasters like this one illustrate how connected the people and places in our watershed truly are,” the environmental nonprofit Friends of the Kaw said in a statement. “For the sake of the people and wildlife in Washington County and those living downstream who could be impacted, we urge TC Energy to clean up the entire spill.”

TC Energy has committed to a cleanup. “We recognize this is concerning to the community and commit that we will continue our response until we have fully remediated the site,” the company said in a statement.

Washington and Topeka, must hold the company to that promise.

There will be voices urging the company to re-open the pipeline quickly. Those voices will likely come from other states — states not facing the stench of the leak, or the potential threat. They’ll say cheap gasoline is more important than health and safety.

They are wrong. Lawmakers and state activists fought the Keystone XL pipeline, an extension of the existing facility, precisely because they feared the company (and legislators) would make convenience and cost more important than safe operation.

Oh, and gas is cheaper than it was at this time last year.

In 2021, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt joined a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Biden administration’s cancellation of the Keystone XL pipeline, the next phase of the project. Imagine if Schmidt had won his race for governor.

The oil spill is a major disaster. Local, state and federal officials — and the company — must stop the leak, fix the pipe, pay for the damage, and make sure it can’t happen again before turning the pumps back on.

— Kansas City Star

Large-animal veterinarians a rare breed

The United States is blessed with one of the safest, most abundant and most affordable food supplies in the world, but it’s not a blessing invulnerable to threats. The ongoing pandemic, extreme weather events around the world and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for instance, have contributed to supply chain disruptions and rapidly rising food costs.

And here’s another serious challenge that confronts the U.S. livestock and poultry industries: a severe shortage of food-animal veterinarians in rural areas.

This shortage threatens public health, food safety, food security and the economic growth of communities that depend on agriculture, and we should use the opportunity of the upcoming debate on the 2023 Farm Bill to tackle the problem before it worsens.

Veterinarians are a critical link in the food supply chain. They are on the front lines of treating and preventing the spread of animal diseases, keeping our food safe and helping ensure that diseases don’t jump from animals to humans.

shortage of food animal vets. In my home state of Mississippi, as in many other states, we now have counties without a single large animal veterinarian.

Veterinary students today see higher earning potential in working with companion animals, such as dogs, cats and other pets. Faced with paying off high levels of student debt and equipping a veterinary business, they opt for these better income prospects in urban and suburban areas over the lower incomes and more demanding workloads that come with rural veterinary work.

on programs that encourage vets to practice in rural and underserved areas, just as medical doctors are exempt from withholding on federal grants linked to their working in rural health-care shortage regions.

Congress should also adequately fund and administer programs that offer business support to veterinary practices in rural communities. We should look at how to improve the Veterinary Services Grant Program, which supports education, training and practice enhancements such as equipment purchases for veterinarians in shortage areas.

Finally, Congress needs to work with veterinary schools to enroll more students from rural backgrounds who have an interest in serving their own communities. Supporting training opportunities for rural and underserved students would help increase student retention and mirror successful medical school programs that benefit rural applicants.

A look back in t me.

look back in t me.

HUMBOLDT — Harvey

Orcutt is fascinated by history. The small museum he is building behind his house reflects that interest. Set into a small building behind the Orcutt home at 1214 Bridge St.

are an old-fashioned saloon, a general store and a cobbler’s shop, with a Model-T workshop and blacksmith shop under way. Orcutt’s collection of artifacts includes more than 200 tools, coffee grinders, apple corers, corn shellers and grocery items.

Private-sector veterinarians work with individual farmers to protect the health of the farmers’ livestock, enabling them to maintain strong businesses. Public-sector veterinarians work across a number of government agencies where they inspect meat and poultry products, monitor for foreign animal diseases and enforce animal welfare laws.

A new report commissioned by the Farm Journal Foundation, however, found that only 3 to 4 percent of new veterinary graduates focus on food animal medicine, a significant decline from 40 years ago when about 40 percent pursued this area of study. As a result, more than 500 U.S. counties face a

To help protect our food supply, we must do more to support veterinarians, including strengthening incentives for work in rural areas. As part of its work on the Farm Bill, Congress should expand the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program, the flagship federal grant program to help pay off the educational loans of veterinarians who agree to serve in rural shortage areas. Today the VMLRP helps fill positions in only a fraction of the nation’s underserved areas. Its impact is diminished because awards are subject to a federal withholding tax, meaning that 37 percent of the dollars appropriated to this program go right back to the U.S. Treasury instead of toward relieving the student debt of rural vets.

The bipartisan Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act (S. 2215), which I co-sponsored, would eliminate taxes

As we’ve seen in the past year, every link in our food supply chain is important, and challenges that affect one part of the system can create negative consequences for everyone — farmers, producers, processors and consumers. We need to act now to maintain safe, affordable food supplies for all Americans by ensuring a healthy pipeline of rural food animal vets.

About the author: Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) is the former Mississippi commissioner of agriculture and commerce and serves on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on agriculture, rural development, Food and Drug Administration, and related agencies.

Veterinarians who take care of and routinely inspect large animals such as cows, horses and swine are in decline, especially in rural parts of the country. PHOTO BY ANNIE SPRATT/UNSPLASH

Cindy HydeSmith

Assembly Of God

1020 E. Carpenter, Iola

Pastor Paul Miller

Christmas Day - 10:30 a.m. special service

St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church

202 S. Walnut, Iola

Deacon Oliver Bunker

Christmas Eve - 6 p.m. - holy eucharist will be served Christmas Day - 10 a.m. service

First Presbyterian Church

302 E. Madison, Iola

Rev. Dan Davis

Christmas Eve - 7 p.m., with special music and children’s service

Christmas Day - 9:30 a.m. service Sunday Soups - noon, with special Christmas fare. All are invited.

Colony Christian Church

306 N. Maple St., Colony

Pastor Chase Riebel

Christmas Eve - 5 p.m. candlelight service Christmas Day - 10:45 a.m. service

Carlyle Presbyterian Church

29 Covert St., Carlyle

Pastor Steve Traw

Christmas Eve - 6 p.m. service with special music from Pastor Traw’s extended family Christmas Day - 9:30 a.m. service, “Re ections on Christmas”

Faith Assembly of God

1019 N. 9th St., Humboldt

Pastor Cameron Carter Christmas Eve – 6 p.m. service Christmas Day – 10:30 a.m. service

Midpoint Baptist Church

3965 US Highway 54, Moran

Pastor Mathew Kalmeta

Christmas Day - 10:30 a.m., special Christmas service

Grace Lutheran Church

117 E. Miller Rd., Iola

Pastor Bruce Kristalyn Christmas Eve - 7 p.m. special service Christmas Day - 10:30 a.m. service

Harvest Baptist Church

2001 N. State St., Iola

Pastor Tony Godfrey Christmas Day - A family-style Christmas - 10:30 a.m.

First Baptist Church

118 N. 7th St., Humboldt

Pastor Jerry Neely Dec. 23 - caroling at 3 p.m. to visit Arrowood Lane followed by visiting shut-ins

Christmas Eve - 6 p.m. candlelight communion service Christmas Day, 9:30 a.m. Sunday School, 10:45 a.m. church service

Humboldt United

Methodist Church 806 N. Ninth St., Humboldt Rev. Blake Stanwood Christmas Eve - 5 p.m. candlelight service at Big Creek Chapel, 22956 Lyon Rd., Chanute 7 p.m. candlelight service at Humboldt UMC

Christmas Day - 10 a.m. joint service of the two churches.

Rivertree Christian Church 301 W. Miller Rd., Iola

Pastor Luke Bycroft Christmas Day - 10:30 a.m. service

St. Martin’s Catholic Church

1368 Xylan Rd., Piqua

Father David Michael Christmas Day - 10:30 a.m. service

St. John’s Catholic Church

310 S. Je erson, Iola

Father David Michael Christmas Eve Service - 8 p.m.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church

105 E. Bell St., Yates Center

Father David Michael

Christmas Day - 8:30 a.m. service

St. Peter’s Lutheran Church

910 Amos St., Humboldt

Pastor Matthew Jennings

Christmas Eve - 6 p.m. children’s service Christmas Day - 9:30 a.m. service

Waypoint Church 329 S. 1st St., Iola

Pastor David Sturgeon Christmas Eve - 6 p.m. service Christmas Day - 11 a.m. service

Community Church of the Nazarene

1235 N. Walnut St., Iola

Pastor Kelly Klubek Christmas Eve - 6 p.m. service Christmas Day - 10:45 a.m. service

Wesley United Methodist Church

301 E. Madison Ave., Iola

Rev. Jocelyn Tupper

Christmas Eve - 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. services Christmas Day - 9:30 a.m. service

First Baptist Church

801 N. Cottonwood, Iola

Pastor Travis Hoyt Christmas Day - 10:30 a.m. service

U.S.-Canada series illustrates women’s hockey deserves more support to ourish

The greatest rivalry in sports?

By HELENE ELLIOTT Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — Hope sounded like high-pitched shrieks.

Dreams looked like the awestruck smiles of the kids wearing hockey jerseys and shirts and holding encouraging signs at Crypto.com Arena on Monday while the U.S. women’s hockey team faced

Canada in the latest edition of one of the fiercest rivalries in sports. Not in women’s sports — in all sports.

The Americans and Canadians are the class of women’s hockey, which pops into public consciousness only during the Winter Olympics. They never disappoint. Their great goaltending acrobatics and clutch scoring produce exhaustingly dramatic

matchups at the Olympics and world championships. They shine because of their talent and competitiveness and their persistence despite having been told as kids they shouldn’t play hockey, they were an annoyance, that coaching them would waste time better spent on guiding boys.

It’s during the four years between Olympics, when

female hockey players are scrambling for adequate resources and working to establish a stable professional league, that those who govern the game continue to drop the ball when they should be dropping the puck.

The U.S. women’s national team had to threaten to boycott the 2017 World Champi-

Balance boosts MVP bid

By DAVE SKRETTA The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes has always pushed the boundaries of what is possible on the field.

And plenty of times over five seasons as the starting quarterback in Kansas City, a line was crossed that led to some admonishment from Andy Reid.

Over the past two years, though, those mistakes have become increasingly rare.

Mahomes still takes it to the limit — trying to fit a throw into a tight window, or make the impossible play, or push the ball downfield when the check-down is wide open.

But he has a better grasp of how far to go without stepping over the line, and the result has been an MVP-caliber season that just might be the finest of his career.

After going 36 of 41 for 336

Brady’s 30-year hot streak may be nearing end

By JOHN ROMANO Tampa Bay Times

TAMPA, Fla. — He looked awkward, he looked indecisive, he looked slow.

It wasn’t just a game that slipped from his grasp on Sunday against the Bengals, it was the perception that Tom Brady always finishes near the top.

Source: KC to ink veteran righty

By DAVE SKRETTA The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)

— The Kansas City Royals and well-traveled righthander Jordan Lyles have agreed to a $17 million, twoyear contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity be-

He looked pained, he looked tired, he looked beaten.

It’s not that his career has been flawless or that his life was unblemished. Brady has had plenty of bad games, and he’s had more than one season end in disappointment.

But Tom Brady has never led a losing team.

Until now.

With the Bucs at 6-8, Brady is teetering on the edge of his first losing record as a starting quarterback. That includes 20-plus years in the NFL. That includes two seasons as a starter at Michigan.

That includes taking over a woebegone jayvee team at Junipero Serra High in Northern California and leading it

to the league championship game in 1992.

Unless Tampa Bay wins its final three games, the most remarkable streak of success in the NFL is about to come to a crashing end. Since tak-

ing over as a starter and leading New England to a Super Bowl title in his second season in 2001, Brady has never finished a season with more heartache than joy.

From 2001-21, Brady’s

teams won an average of 12.3 games a season. His 249 regular-season victories are, far and away, the most of any QB that’s ever run an NFL hud-

Patrick Mahomes TNS

Jordan Lyles TNS

Taylor Heise (27) of Team USA, right, celebrates her goal with Caroline Harvey (4) in front of Sarah Nurse (20) of Canada in the Canada USA Rivalry Series in Los Angeles Monday. Canada won, 3-2. GETTY IMAGES/HARRY HOW/TNS

He has seen more games than any quarterback in NFL history, but Tom Brady has never had a season like this. If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do not win their nal three games, it will be the rst time Brady has ever had a losing record as a starter. TAMPA BAY TIMES/LUIS SANTA/TNS

(First published in The Iola Register Dec. 15, 2022)

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF ALLEN COUNTY, KANSAS

In the Matter of the Estate Of Gertrude Meiwes, Deceased Case No. AL-2022-PR-80

NOTICE OF HEARING AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

THE STATE OF KANSAS TO ALL PERSONS CONCERNED:

You are hereby noti ed that on December 1, 2022, a Petition was led in this Court by Paul Meiwes and Gene Meiwes, heirs, devisees and legatees, and Co-Executors named in the Last Will and Testament of Gertrude Meiwes, Deceased, dated March 17, 2011, praying that the Will led with the Petition be admitted to probate and record, for appointment as Executor without bond, and that Letters Testamentary be granted. You are required to le your writ-

AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY INSTRUCTOR

Flint Hills Technical College is seeking a highly motivated and innovative instructor for their expanding Automotive Technology program in LaHarpe, KS. This is an additional full-time position starting August 3, 2023. The program offers technical skills training for automotive repair and maintenance careers, while giving the instructor the opportunity to work in an ever-changing and exciting field. This full-time, 9-month position offers a competitive salary, commensurate with experience and education level, KPERS retirement plan, paid health insurance, as well as options for dental, vision, life, accident, cancer, and disability insurance. Enjoy holidays and summers off with a flexible workweek schedule.

The ideal candidate will have, or be willing to obtain, ASE certifications including A1-A8, G1, and L1, as well as experience working in an automotive service and repair shop. A minimum of an Associate Degree (or willing to obtain) in Automotive Technology, or a related field, plus either 2 years of related work experience or teaching in the automotive field, is required. The successful candidate needs to have excellent verbal and written communication skills, as well as be able to successfully complete a criminal background check. Bilingual applicants encouraged to apply.

Applications will be taken until the position is filled.

To apply, please go to my.fhtc.edu and click on the Careers tab, or feel free to provide a cover letter and resume via email to Sandy Weeks, Director of Human Resources at saweeks@fhtc.edu . Call 620.341.1384 for job details.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Flint Hills Technical College is an EEO employer.

COMPTROLLER

Allen Community College is seeking a Comptroller to supervise all operations of our Business O ce functions, preparing various accounting and nancial reports, and preparation of payroll and related reports. Bachelor’s degree preferred with previous accounting and business o ce related experience desired. Salary based on education and experience.

Excellent bene ts including paid single medical/dental insurance, KPERS, and generous leave. To apply by email submit cover letter, resume and application (on website) to: Shellie Regehr, HR, Allen Community College, 1801 N. Cottonwood, Iola, KS 66749 hr@allencc.edu • EOE

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Allen Community College is seeking an individual to assist with performing college-wide technical leadership along with advanced system development and technical duties on multiple platforms, systems or technologies.

Bachelor’s degree and four years of experience or equivalent technical certi cates desired. This is a 12-month position on our Iola, Kansas campus. Competitive salary based on education and experience. Excellent bene ts package including paid single medical/dental insurance, KPERS, tuition bene ts and generous leave plans.

To

USD #256 ANNOUNCES BOARD VACANCY

USD #256 ANNOUNCES BOARD VACANCY

The Board of Education of USD 256, Marmaton Valley, announces a

the board for a resident living in the district. This position may be

by

The Board of Education of USD 256, Marmaton Valley, announces a vacancy on the board for a resident living in the district. This position may be lled by board appointment. Applicants should notify the district o ce by written letter of interest no later than January 20, 2023. This o ce will be placed on the ballot for election in November of 2025. The appointee will serve the remainder of the term until December 31, 2025.

appointment. Applicants should notify the district o ce by written letter of interest no later than January 20, 2023. This o ce will be placed on the ballot for election in November of 2025. The appointee will serve the remainder of the term until December 31, 2025.

at the Uniontown City Hall, 206 Sherman Street, Uniontown, KS for the purpose of the election of board members whose terms expire, report on the nancial condition and activities of the District, to review the District’s proposed ve-year construction plan, to review the District’s general plan, and any other business to be considered by the District.

ten defenses thereto on or before January 11, 2023 at 8:30 a.m. of such day in this Court, Allen County Courthouse, 1 N Washington Ave., Iola, Allen County, Kansas at which time and place the cause will be heard. Should you fail, judgment and decree will be entered in due course upon the Petition. All creditors are noti ed to exhibit their demands against the estate within four months from the date of rst publication of this Notice, as provided by law, and if their demands are not thus exhibited, they shall be forever barred.

Paul Meiwes and Gene Meiwes, Co-Petitioners

R. KENT PRINGLE, S.C. #10458 221 W. Main, P.O. Box 748 Chanute, KS 66720

Telephone (620) 431-2202

Fax (620) 431-1166

Email: rkpringle@hotmail.com

Attorney for Petitioners Paul Meiwes and Gene Meiwes (12) 15, 22, 29

The

the District (12) 22

(12) 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Streak: Brady may be in line for his rst ever losing season

dle. Peyton Manning and Brett Favre are a distant second at 186.

Even Brady’s idol, Joe Montana, won only 117 games.

So, yeah, it looked unnatural to see Brady sitting stone-faced on the Bucs bench in the second half on Sunday. It sounded uncomfortable to hear him taking the blame afterward for four turnovers.

And it was downright depressing to listen to Brady sounding like some kind of morbid life coach on his podcast Monday evening.

“There’s ways you can handle adversity,” Brady said to host Jim Gray. “One is, you point fingers at other people — which we don’t do.

Another thing you do is you quit — and that’s not what we do. Another

thing is — you point a finger at yourself. And that’s what we do. I have

to do a better job. “All it does is motivate me to work harder.

This is what resilience is all about.”

He sounded like a man trying to convince himself of something he no longer believes. That’s what happens when you suddenly reach the end of the world’s longest hot streak.

In the past, Brady was always able to outwork doubt. He did it at Michigan after sitting behind Brian Griese. He did it in New England after being snubbed 198 times in the 2000 draft.

In the past, Brady was always able to overcome adversity. He did after blowing out his knee in 2008. He did after his four-game suspension for Deflategate in 2016. He did when Bill Belichick assumed age had finally caught up to him in his final season in New England in 2019.

But this? This is something different, and Brady finally seemed to grasp that last weekend.

The combination of a weaker team, a new head coach and an older version of himself may have finally coalesced into a nightmare Brady is unable to survive.

He is on pace to throw an NFL record number of passes with about half as many touchdowns as he had in 2021. And while never a great scrambler, he is in danger of finishing with a negative rushing total for the first time in his career. Most remarkable of all, the Bucs could go from scoring 511 points in 2021 to less than 300 points in 2022.

All under the command of the greatest quarterback in history. And so it’s logical to

THE CITY OF IOLA

wonder: Does Brady regret coming back?

Is he second-guessing his decision to reverse his retirement and take one more shot at the Super Bowl? One more shot at glory? One more wager with his legacy as collateral?

The answer would seem obvious, but Brady is not going to acknowledge it while the season is still going. On his podcast, he made it sound as if he welcomed the opportunity to grow from a losing season.

“We’re not a victim of losing games,” he said. “The sun came up today, we’ve got something to do about it. We woke up, we’ve got a chance. This is not the time to feel sorry for yourself. So get up, go in to work and make it better and improve it and work harder and work more determined.”

That’s an admirable way of approaching a year of disappointment and woe.

I just never expected to hear Tom Brady say it.

RoyalsContinued from B1

cause the deal had not been announced.

Lyles, 32, has played for seven teams over 12 seasons, going 12-11 with a 4.42 ERA last season in his lone year at Baltimore. His best season came in 2018, when he had a 12-8 record and a 4.15 ERA during stints in Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. He also has pitched for Houston, Texas, Colorado and San Diego.

If nothing else, Lyles has proven to be durable. He made 32 starts for the Rangers in 2021, throwing 180 innings, and 32 more for Baltimore, tossing 179 innings with a complete game.

The Royals, who remain hopeful of resigning Zack Greinke for next season, appeared intent on adding a veteran arm to what figures to once again be among the youngest staffs in baseball. Twentysix-year-old Brady Singer is likely to start on Opening Day, while fellow 20-somethings Daniel Lynch and Kris Bubic could lock down spots in the rotation.

The Royals have almost completely revamped their coaching staff when it comes to pitchers.

The Royals hired Matt Quatraro to replace Mike Matheny as manager. Quatraro comes from Tampa Bay, which has a solid track record of maximizing their pitchers. His new pitching coach is Brian Sweeney, who had been the bullpen coach in Cleveland, which likewise has produced a stellar cast of pitchers over the years.

Daniel Mathew to Carl Slaugh Aaron Franklin to Steve French

Josiah D’ Albini Nickolas Kinder

Joel Wicoff

Steven French - Mayor Carl Slaugh Nicholas Lohman

Kim Peterson Joelle Shallah Mark Peters

Tom Brady has never had a losing record as a starting quarterback in the NFL. DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD/TNS

Mahomes: Balanced approach fuels potential MVP run

and two touchdowns Sunday in Houston, Mahomes is on pace to surpass Peyton Manning’s NFL record of 5,477 yards set during his 2013 MVP season with the Broncos, albeit during a 17game season.

“I want to always have that aggressiveness in me. That’s what got me here and who I am,” Mahomes explained Tuesday, as the newly crowned AFC West champions turned their attention to Saturday’s visit from the Seahawks.

“But you have to find that spot where you’re still aggressive but take what you can underneath,” Mahomes continued.

“I always want to be pushing it to where it’s right at the edge. That’s who I am. It gives guys a chance to make plays, and we are coached that way. Coach (Andy) Reid wants us to push it right to the limit and don’t go past it.”

Even if that means taking the easy throw to running back Jerick McKinnon in the flat. Or the short gain to tight end Travis

NFL standings

Kelce over the middle. Or the pedestrian throw to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster along the sideline.

The benefit of all those seemingly simple throws? Mahomes completed 87.8% of this throws against the Texans, breaking the franchise record of 86.36 percent set by Alex Smith against the Raiders on Oct. 16, 2016.

Mahomes also completed his final 20 passes against the Texans, which means he’ll carry one of the longest streaks in league history into the game against Seattle. Five more would tie the record held by three other players.

“He’s always striving to be better, no matter what type of game he has. He comes in Monday, right to the next script,” McKinnon said. “The thing about him, no matter what the score is, no matter how many points we are down, how many points we’re up, he wants to have his foot on the gas the whole time.”

Without going over the line, of course.

Mahomes might have

done that the previous week in Denver, when he threw an uncharacteristic three interceptions in another nip-and-tuck win.

And the fact that he was coming off that relatively poor performance — Mahomes still threw for 352 yards and three scores — makes his near-flawless afternoon in Houston all the more impressive.

“I thought he had a tremendous game, and I mentioned it after the game, in particular, coming off the prior one,” Reid said Tuesday. “It’s a great example for our football team how you go back and fix an issue, if he had an issue there, and do it the right way, and that’s what he did. He dug in and really came out and had a great game.”

Just as he’s been doing most of the season.

Mahomes leads the Chargers’ Justin Herbert for the league lead in yards passing by a wide margin. He has 35 touchdown throws, four more than Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. His passer rating is third among everyday quarterbacks. And he’s add-

ed 11 touchdown runs, breaking the Chiefs record for the most by a quarterback in a season.

He’s put up all those MVP-caliber numbers without Tyreek Hill, too, who was traded to the Dolphins in the offseason

and replaced by an almost entirely new cast of characters around him.

“Certainly, there were some question marks about the offense this year,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said, “given the changes that we had

at the receiver position. I think he’s showed that he is the best quarterback in the NFL, and he’s been able to adapt his game to be able to win and put up pretty impressive numbers on a weekly basis.”

Not all calcium supplements are equal

DEAR DR. ROACH: Which type of calcium supplement is best absorbed? How many milligrams do you suggest for a woman in her 60s? — D.R.

ANSWER: Most calcium supplements sold are either calcium carbonate or calcium citrate, and either one is reasonable in people who need calcium supplementation. I prefer dietary calcium when possible: Calcium supplements increase the risk of kidney stones, while calcium in food (dairy products and fish with tiny bones, such as sardines, are excellent sources) decreases

CRYPTOQUOTES

Dr. Keith Roach

kidney stone risk. Further, there is some suggestion that calcium supplementation may increase heart disease risk, and while the evidence is conflicting, calcium from food seems safer than calcium supplements to me.

The standard recommendation is 1,200 mg of elemental calcium a day from a combination of food and supplements for a woman over 50 or a

man over 70. (Read labels carefully: A 1,250 mg serving, which may be one or more tablets of calcium carbonate, contains 500 mg of elemental calcium.) Calcium carbonate is best absorbed with food, while calcium citrate is well absorbed with or without food. Calcium carbonate is not well-absorbed by people taking proton pump inhibitor medicines like omeprazole (Prilosec).

HOF Steeler dies at 72

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris has died. He was 72. Harris’ heads-up thinking authored “The Immaculate Reception.” It is considered the most iconic play in NFL history.

Harris ran for 12,120 yards and won four Super Bowl rings with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s. The team’s dynasty began in earnest when Harris decided to keep running during a last-second heave by Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw in a playoff game against Oakland in 1972.

His catch and run off a deflected pass gave the Steelers their first-ever playoff win and is forever immortalized as “The Immaculate Reception.”

Harris’ son, Dok, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that his father died overnight. No cause of death was given.

Yesterday’s Cryptoquote: There’s something about a holiday that isn’t all about how much money you spend. — Hilarie Burton

by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

BEETLE BAILEY by Mort Walker HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by Chris Browne FUNKY WINKERBEAN by Tom Batiuk

BLONDIE by Young and Drake MARVIN by Tom Armstrong HI AND LOIS by Chance Browne

To Your Good Health

Source: Mets swoop, snatch Correa for $315M, 12-year deal

By RONALD BLUM The Associated Press

In a wild twist overnight, Carlos Correa agreed to a $315 million, 12-year contract with the free-spending New York Mets after his pending deal with the San Francisco Giants came apart over an issue with his

physical.

The agreement with the Mets was confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was subject to a successful physical. Details were first reported by the New York Post.

“We need one more thing, and this is it,” Mets owner Steve Cohen told The Post from Hawaii. “This puts us over the top.”

Correa, an All-Star shortstop, would play third base for the Mets, with buddy Francisco Lindor remaining at shortstop.

Rivals: Women’s hockey

Continued from A1

onships until USA Hockey boosted its pay and promised to give the team much-needed youth development programs and more chances to showcase its extraordinary talent. From that came the U.S.-Canada Rivalry Series, extended this year to seven games but still not nearly long enough to promote awareness of who the players are and what they do — and that they constantly must work for a better hockey future between turns on the international stage.

“It’s every day. And I wish there were more opportunities for people to see what that every day looks like, for the game to be set up a little bit more sustainably for women to continue to play in this game,” said Kendall Coyne Schofield, captain of the U.S. team that lost to Canada in the Beijing Olympic gold medal game in February.

“It’s something that crosses my mind every day. Our game in Vegas [before their stop in Los Angeles] was great, but do you know how incredible it would be if our hands weren’t tied and our feet weren’t tied with the lack of resources that we often have in between events?”

Monday’s game, a 3-2 overtime win for Canada, was the fifth in the series, which will resume in Canada in February. The crowd at Crypto.com Arena was lively, initiating chants and singing and roaring with hometown pride when defenseman Cayla Barnes of Eastvale scored Team USA’s first goal.

“It was great. I thought the crowd was awesome. Had a lot of energy,” Barnes said. “It’s the first time I got to play at home, so super fun. I had family and friends in the stands. So, it was a great experience overall.”

During a busy holiday week, for an event scheduled about a month ago, the attendance of about 8,640 wasn’t bad. But it wasn’t as good as these women deserved.

They should have played in a fuller house. Players on both teams should have been seen and heard everywhere around L.A., via every means of promoting a singular sports event. How can you know if there’s an audience for a sport if people aren’t made aware it exists, and that it’s nearby?

How do you know you can be it if you can’t see it?

“However many young girls are there, you never know who the next Hilary Knight or Kendall Coyne is going to be, up in the

seats,” said U.S. coach John Wroblewski, who lives in the South Bay.

“Watching this tour, watching this series, it’s so much more than just filling an arena. It has so much to do with being able to inspire not only the next wave of women’s hockey players, but fans of the game and people who are going to love the game.”

College hockey has been a great feeder for the Canadian and American women’s teams, as well as for other nations that hope to break that north American stranglehold.

“Our college players, and that infrastructure, is pretty solid. But once you walk across that stage it’s a really bittersweet moment,” Coyne Schofield said. “Because the locker room, the ice daily, the weight room daily that you wake up and have alongside your education, it just vanishes.”

The landscape for women’s professional hockey is fractured into two camps. The Premier Hockey Federation, formerly the National Women’s Hockey League, has seven independently owned teams and has partnered with a handful of NHL clubs.

There’s also the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association, which includes most of the top Americans and Canadians. It stages the Dream Gap tour and events in the U.S. and Canada. Tennis legend and activist Billie Jean King and Dodgers chairman Mark Walter have had discussions with the PWHPA.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has said he’d let the women’s hockey leagues sort out their issues before he’d align with one.

“We actively support both North American women’s professional hockey organizations, and that support has increased over time,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly said via email. “Our position with respect to operational support remains the same.”

The popularity of women’s basketball and soccer has climbed, as measured by broadcast ratings and attendance.

Until women’s hockey gets enough marketing support to explore whether a pro league is viable, the players will have to be content with the Olympic spotlight and occasional big moments like they enjoyed on Monday.

“One of the things with women’s sports is you don’t have consistency,” Knight, the all-time scoring leader in world championship play, said last weekend.

“You know about a game maybe less than a month before — unfortunately that’s what

we have going into Monday. Sometimes you can’t help it. But once we establish that consistency, you know where to find your favorite club, your favorite players playing night in and night out and you know it’s easier to find them, I think that’s really going to break the mold for women’s sports across the board, and hockey is going to be one of those forward-facing sports as well.”

For now, hopes and dreams live in shrieks and claps and chants for women who have earned that, and much more.

“This really makes a big difference,” Cohen told The Post. “I felt like our pitching was in good shape. We needed one more hitter.”

Correa’s addition would increase the Mets’ luxury tax payroll next year to the $385 million range, putting them on track to pay a record tax of about $110 million — more than double the current high of $44 mil-

lion set by the 2015 Los Angeles Dodgers. The estimates would change if Correa’s deal contains deferred money or if New York trades players.

Correa would cost the Mets $49.88 million next year in salary and tax, if there is no deferred money in the deal.

The Giants postponed a news conference Tuesday to introduce Correa after a medical con-

cern arose during his physical, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation.

Correa and the Giants agreed on Dec. 13 to a $350 million, 13-year deal, subject to a successful physical, one of the people said. Correa has been placed on the injured list seven times during his eight-year career.