Locally owned since 1867
Monday, February 24, 2020
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Pinewood Power Dozens of area Cub Scouts made their way Sunday to Allen Community College for Iola Cub Scout Troop 55’s annual Pinewood Derby. At top, Scout leader Andy Dunlap positions the race cars at the starting line of the aluminum track. At lower left, Max Ebberts surveys the colorful entries, all shaped from blocks of pinewood. At lower right, the Scouts were joined by several adults at the finish line, awaiting the next race. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Iola’s Logan Brown wins regional title
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Virus pushes beyond Asia SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The new virus took aim at a broadening swath of the globe today, with officials in Europe and the Middle East scrambling to limit the spread of an outbreak that showed signs of stabilizing at its Chinese epicenter but posed new threats far beyond. In Italy, authorities set up roadblocks, called off soccer matches and shuttered sites including the famed La Scala opera house. In Iran, a report of dozens of deaths in a single city emerged as infections were reported to have spread for the first time to Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain and Afghanistan. Across the world, stock markets and futures dipped, with the Dow down more than 800 points in the opening minSee VIRUS | Page A4
Only 60 county websites in Kansas use SSL, a basic security protocol. NOMIN UJIYEDIIN / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
County website security scrutinized TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Many Kansas counties’websites may be at risk as they lack basic protocols that make it easier for hackers to impersonate websites in order to install malware or trick individuals into giving out their personal information. Out of 105 counties, only eight of them have websites ending in .gov, a domain extension only government officials can control, and 60 counties’ URLs start with “http” rather than the more secure “https.” Experts say it could be a serious concern
The majesty of Owl Creek M oments after arriving at one of Owl Creek’s southerly bridges, I heard them: HOO-HOO, HOO-WHAAA! WHAA! For once I’d arrived in time to witness the sunset, though obscured behind drooping trees along the riverbank, leaves brightened with yellow in the evening light. I saw the sky reflected in dark pools below, more “green-gray bark waters” like those of the Verdigris River on Woodson County’s western edge. A murder of crows adorned the scene, chiming in with the low roar of the baler and other haying equipment I passed down the road. If you follow the creek southeast, you'll eventually arrive near Humboldt, a trajectory roughly followed by many early residents who had "in-town" business. And if you follow the creek northwest you can find the ruins of Durand and its depot, as well as South Owl Lake, better known as Yates Center’s "old" reservoir.
See SECURITY | Page A4
Vol. 122, No. 83 Iola, KS 75 Cents
Trevor Hoag Just Prairie
WHEN I SET OUT for somewhere to write in this area, what first came to mind were cemeteries: Pioneer graves like that of Emily Condict, who died in a carriage runaway accident, Owl Creek Lutheran and Catholic, or Linder-Orth, resting places of German immigrants and their descendants. But then it dawned on me: Owl Creek is named for something very much alive, and its ghosts could wait. Though one senses them everywhere. I tried to imagine indigenous people especially, enter the dreamtime with eyes open, and saw them gathering water, fishing, and camping on the open prairie long before it was farmland. I heard their songs commingling with those of the cicadas, the smoke from
Above, the verdant banks of Owl Creek bask in the yellow light of an evening sun. Below, Dark blue storm clouds roll across fields near Owl Creek in southeast Woodson County. REGISTER/ TREVOR HOAG
See OWL CREEK | Page A4
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