Friday, November 24, 2023
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Iola squads scrimmage
PAGE B1 Note: Because of a production error, our ‘Home For the Holidays’ magazine was not in Wednesday’s edition but will be inserted in subscribers’ papers Saturday.
Judge grants injunction banning KHP ‘Two-Step’ By JIM SALTER The Associated Press
The Kansas Highway Patrol must stop using a tactic known as the “Kansas Two-Step” to detain out-of-state drivers long enough to find a reason to search their vehicles for illegal drugs, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Kathryn H. Vratil on Monday granted a permanent injunction. The injunction was not unexpected. It follows Vratil’s ruling in July that determined that the tactic violated drivers’ constitutional rights against unreasonable searches. KHP spokeswoman Candice Breshears said the order is being reviewed by the state attorney general’s office and declined further comment. A message left Tuesday with the See KHP | Page A6
Darrel Hawk, shown with friend Charyl Link, was one of 24 area veterans who took part in the most recent Honor Flight program sponsored by Southern Coffey County High School. REGISTER/TIM STAUFFER
Old friends, new travels Honor Flight trip the latest adventure for local veteran By TIM STAUFFER The Iola Register
At 77 years young, Darrel Hawk says he’s about “two days older than dirt.” But he felt much younger earlier this month in Washington, D.C. It was his first time in the nation’s capital. He traveled as one of 24 area veterans in the Honor Flight program, sponsored by Southern Coffey County High School. Brothers Ed and Larry Thompson, both of Iola, also went on the trip. The two-day tour, the 22nd the organization has taken, was a whirlwind of activity. Veterans and 24 accompanying high school students left Thursday, Nov. 9 at 2:30 in the morning. A fire truck, police car, ambulance, and a sheriff’s vehicle escorted them out of Le Roy – no sirens in the dead of night, of course – and the group boarded one of Kansas City’s first flights out of town. They returned early Saturday morning; the trip lasted just shy of 48 hours. Hawk saw the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, spent time at the Vietnam War Memorial, visited the MLK and FDR Me-
Arlington Cemetery. PHOTO COURTESY OF JEFF TRUE morials, and more. His favorite part? “All of it,” he said, grinning. HAWK SERVED just shy of four years in the Navy, stationed on the USS Frank Knox, USS Carronade, and the USS St. Francis River. He joined straight out of high school. Hawk grew up in Iola and remembers talking with his American Legion baseball coach about his plans after
high school. “Where are you going to go play ball?” Hawk says his coach asked him. “And I said, ‘Well, I didn’t get any scholarships, so I’m going into the Navy.’ And my coach just looked at me and said, ‘Oh no, you don’t want to do that. They’re fighting!” It was 1964. The Vietnam War was in full swing. But Hawk wanted to see the world. So he signed up. See TRIP | Page A4
Allen leaders debate need for housing versus programs By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
Costly repairs at Allen Community College’s oldest dorms have spurred debate about the need to replace them. REGISTER/TIM STAUFFER
Allen Community College is facing a sort of “chickenand-egg” question. Do you improve housing to entice students, or bring in more students to support the need for improved housing? The college’s dorms are aging and at least one may need to be replaced, but administrators also hope to build a new facility to expand Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. They likely will have to decide between the two. Allen’s maintenance director Ryan Sigg met with the board of trustees and ad-
ministrators last week to talk about projects at Horton and Winter halls, the college’s oldest dormitories built in the 1970s. Efforts to repair multiple areas have been stymied because the parts are often obsolete. For example, a recirculating pump for a potable hot water heater went bad. After an extensive search, Sigg found “probably the only pump in Kansas” at a cost of $2,500. Bruce Moses, Allen president, noted the recent repairs have been quite expensive. “When something goes wrong, we cross our fingers and hope we can get the part
or jerry-rig it to fix it,” Moses said. “We try to update these old buildings with new technology when the infrastructure isn’t designed to fit it.” The 50-year-old buildings aren’t energy efficient, which adds to costs. Tonya Johnson, vice president for finance and operations, said the buildings may have reached the point where it might cost less to replace them than it would to repair them to a level comparable to other colleges. Meanwhile, Allen needs to be proactive in repairs to its newer living facilities such as Masterson Hall, built in See ALLEN | Page A3
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