Sports: Mustangs come up short in wacky finish See B1
The Weekender Saturday, January 24, 2015
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‘Barack-Chalk Jayhawk’ President Obama visits KU By SUSAN LYNN The Iola Register
President Obama speaks in the Anschutz Sports Pavilion at the University of Kansas on Thursday morning. REGISTER/SUSAN LYNN
LAWRENCE — With all the ease of a native son, President Barack Obama felt right at home Thursday morning on the University of Kansas campus. “I’m a Kansas guy,” Obama enthused, to which the crowd of more than 7,100 roared in return. Obama noted his “deep roots.” His mother hailed from Wichita, his maternal grandmother and grandfather from Augusta and El Dorado, respectively. The president, a Democrat, acknowledged those ties did little to help sway Kansans to endorse him in his two presidential races. “I’m 0-for-2 here,” he said, “far short of Coach Bill Self ’s 10-0 Big 12 conference record” with KU’s basketball team,
KU Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little welcomed the president as “Barack-Chalk Jayhawk.” with which he met briefly before his 11:30 a.m. speech on campus. It’s been more than 100 years, since 1911, that a sitting president has visited KU. Obama’s enthusiasm, candor and warmth flooded the stage as he talked about his initiative to help middle class
Americans, specifically with the costs of child care. “I don’t want anyone being day care poor,” he said, noting for many young couples day care costs take up a good chunk of their paychecks. The majority of U.S. families today do not have stay-athome parents to tend to their children. About 63 percent of families with children have either both parents working or are single-parent households. Obama has asked Congress to give tax relief for young families with children up to age 5 with a $3,000 per child credit — tripling the current rate — and expand day care programs. “Studies show the benefits of early childhood education last a lifetime,” Obama said. Those who get a head start in their education are more See OBAMA | Page A6
Church wheels out medical equipment lending program By RICK DANLEY The Iola Register
A person isn’t guaranteed a wheelchair just because he needs it. He must also be able to afford it. Even a low-end version of the crudest design will likely cost him hundreds of dollars. Given that not every hobbled body has this sort of cash in pocket, it is inevitable that some will lose out. Or perhaps your health insurance won’t cover the cost of a walker. Maybe you simply need a pair of crutches or a cane to see you through a short recovery, and you
don’t want to purchase an item that you will use only temporarily. Maybe your aged parent needs bed rails or a shower chair or some other necessary bit of medical hardware. Where do you turn? For nearly 30 years the First Presbyterian Church of Iola has been quietly attending to this facet of the population through its medical equipment loan program. It is as it sounds: If you or a friend or family member is in need of any piece of durable medical equipment, the See CHURCH | Page A6
French files to keep city council position Iola City Councilman Steve French filed Friday for re-election. French serves Iola’s Ward 4, in the southeast quadrant of town. He joins fellow councilmen Jon Wells (Ward 1) and Eugene Myrick (Ward 3) in filing to hold on to their seats. Councilman Bob Shaughnessy (Ward 2) has said he plans to file for re-election. Mayor Joel Wicoff also has filed for re-election. Candidates for all city and school board seats have until noon Tuesday to file. The City Council will meet
at 6 p.m. Monday for its regular bi-monthly meeting at the New Community Building at Riverside Park. T h e r e , they’ll continue discussions Steve French on whether to approve electric rate hikes in order to replenish electric reserve funds. Also on the agenda is a full review of the city-operated ambulance service. The meeting is open to the public.
Quote of the day Vol. 117, No. 61
Carl Lungren, Alex Dubro, Nick Laufer and Matt Jefferson play for Iola band students during a workshop Thursday morning. The group played at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center later that night for the public. REGISTER/KAYLA BANZET
Maniacal 4 teaches Iola students By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
Harold Hill might have needed 76 trombones in his marching band to create a magnificent sound but Maniacal 4 only needs four in its ensemble. Trombone players Matt Jefferson, Nick Laufer, Carl Lundgren and Alex Dubrov of Maniacal 4 worked with Iola band students in a music workshop Thursday morning before their show in the Bowlus Fine Arts auditorium that night. The quartet played a variety of songs for the Marching Mustangs and answered questions of the student musicians. Some wanted to know how the group arranges mu-
sic. Lundgren is the arranger of the music for the group but the other musicians share their input. “I ask myself ‘What can the instrument do?’,” Lundgren said. “I explore different types of sounds when creating songs.” Lundgren and Jefferson have known each other since 8th grade band camp. They met Laufer and Dubrov in college. “When Carl first started creating music when we were younger he’d create two notes for 80 bars,” Jefferson said. “It was kind of boring.” Lundgren told students there are a lot of rules in music and it is good to know music theory but encouraged them to take some latitude. “Don’t worry about the
“If you don’t know where you’re going, you will probably end up somewhere else.” — Laurence J. Peter 75 Cents
rules when creating music,” he said. “Start putting parts in a song and layering them on top of each other and you’ll have a cool ‘soundwich.’” The musicians admitted it’s hard to play by ear, even for them. Lundgren said to keep practicing. When Lundgren was younger he started out on the flute. “My dad would call out songs he wanted me to play in the car and I’d keep trying until I got the sound I wanted,” he said. After the workshop the quartet performed at 7 p.m. on the Bowlus stage with the help of the Iola students and Pittsburg State University musicians. The concert and the workshop were sponsored by the Sleeper Family Trust.
Hi: 61 Lo: 36 Iola, KS