The Iola Register, March 25, 2022

Growing a climate for tomorrow

2022

Friday, March 25, 2022

Locally owned since 1867

iolaregister.com

Fertilizer cost, war shift focus to wheat

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

High commodity prices and especially the high cost of fertilizer prompted local farmers to shift their focus to wheat this year.

That’s a trend likely to continue, with the war in Ukraine expected to deplete worldwide wheat supplies, said Chad Guthrie, crop production and forage management agent for the Southwind Extension District.

“Most of the wheat planted around here is planted in the fall, before the war in Ukraine,” Guthrie said. “But that is definitely affecting the price, which is making people keep their wheat.”

Most area farmers plant wheat in the fall, and harvest it between late May and June.

That allows them to double-crop, and plant soybeans in those fields after wheat is harvested.

This year, that appears to be a more profitable option than planting corn in those same fields, Guthrie said.

That’s mostly because of high fertilizer prices, and corn requires more fertilizer,

Iola’s Willis signs with Emporia State

PAGE B1

Zelenskyy pleads with world leaders Allen County farmers are planting more wheat than they have in recent years, as fertilizer costs skyrocketed over the past year or so. PIXABAY.COM he said.

Fertilizer costs skyrocketed last year, an increase attributed to supply chain issues and natural disasters that shut down some plants, according to reports from Harvest Public Media and other news sources.

And that was before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Russia is the world’s largest exporter of nitrogen, the U.S. Farm Bureau reports.

Economic sanctions are limiting Russia’s ability to export fertilizer and its raw ingredients.

World markets dictate much of the availability and cost of commodities, including fertilizer. The U.S. doesn’t buy much of its fertilizer from Russia, but other countries do, and that impacts the See WHEAT | Page A3

BRUSSELS (AP) — World leaders heard impassioned pleas Thursday from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for more military aid to defend his country and the United States announced new sanctions and humanitarian aid as officials gathered for a trio of summits to discuss next steps in countering Russia’s month-old invasion of its See UKRAINE | Page A3

Gov. Kelly talks of need for food sales tax relief

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

The average family of four in Kansas could save at least $500 a year if the state ended its sales tax on groceries, according to Kansas Appleseed.

Gov. Laura Kelly addressed a group of more than 70 Gov. Laura Kelly members of Kansas AppleShe also was concerned that seed’s Hunger Action Team, anti-hunger advocates and politics could derail the biparothers from across the state tisan efforts, as the GOP may in a virtual discussion on the be reluctant to approve a measure that has her food sales tax support. on Wednesday “Battle me on morning.

Battle me on every- everything else With inflation bumping thing else, but not on but not on this one. It is abso8%, it’s import- this. lutely crucial ant to end the — Gov. Laura Kelly for so many of food sales tax our Kansas famas soon as posilies,” Kelly said. sible, Kelly told “Let’s not make the people of the attendees.

“The families that you are Kansas the victims of our poadvocating for are really suf- litical battles.” fering more now than ever, so SEVERAL of those who it’s imperative that we get this done and get it done now,” Kel- attended the virtual meeting were from Allen County, inly said.

Eliminating the food sales cluding Paige Olson with Kantax would reduce the state’s sas Appleseed, Marilyn Logan total sales tax collections by with the Marmaton Market, 0.2%, or roughly $165 million Greta Ingle with Thrive Allen County, Dorothy Sparks with each year.

“We know we can afford Hope Unlimited and Georgia that now and we know we can Masterson with Humanity afford it in years to come,” Kel- House.

Kansas Appleseed members ly said.

The measure has broad bi- also talked about legislation partisan support, but exactly they were watching during how to make that happen has the session. Two bills they supported to increase access not yet been determined.

Some would rather elimi- to SNAP benefits — ending a nate the food sales tax gradu- lifetime drug felony ban and ally, Kelly said, but she cited eliminating a child support inflation as proof of an urgent enforcement requirement — did not pass. need.

Vol. 124, No. 122 Iola, KS $1.00

Dino-mighty Iola Public Library Director Sharon Moreland recruited a little help to attract attention to the Library Littles Storytime session on Thursday afternoon. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

GOP fails to pass anti-tax amendment

By TIM CARPENTER Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — The Kansas Senate voted early Thursday to defeat a proposed constitutional amendment requiring bills raising taxes to earn support of two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate, and the chamber derailed a sales tax exemption for disabled veterans to

thwart potential debate on a statewide reduction in the state sales tax on groceries.

The Senate struggled through dozens of bills during a marathon session, including hefty measures on the COVID-19 pandemic and taxation policy, before adjourning for a long weekend.

Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, said he was disappointed Democrats

ORDER Iola & Humboldt TODAY... are on in-stock DELIVERED items only TOMORROW!

and a sprinkling of Republicans denied Kansas voters an opportunity to decide on an amendment to the Kansas Constitution restraining tax hikes and an unrelated constitutional amendment mandating nominees to the Kansas Supreme Court undergo Senate confirmation.

Both resolutions failed to attract the minimum 27 votes See SENATE | Page A2

Delivery to

2103 S. Sante Fe • Chanute, KS 620-431-6070

A2

Friday, March 25, 2022

The Iola Register

iolaregister.com

Madeleine Albright, first female US secretary of state, dies WASHINGTON (AP) — Madeleine Albright, a child refugee from Nazi- and then Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe who rose to become the first female secretary of state and a mentor to many current and former American statesmen and women, died Wednesday of cancer, her family said. She was 84.

A lifelong Democrat who nonetheless worked to bring Republicans into her orbit, Albright was chosen in 1996

by President Bill Clinton to be America’s top diplomat, elevating her from U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, where she had been only the second woman to hold that job.

As secretary of state, Al-

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. TNS bright was the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government. She was not in the line of succession to the presidency, however, because she was born in what was then Czechoslovakia. Still, she was universally admired for breaking a glass

ceiling, even by her political detractors.

“We have lost a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and friend,” her family said in a statement.

President Joe Biden ordered flags at the White House and other federal buildings and grounds to be flown at half-staff until March 27.

Outpourings of condolences came quickly.

Biden said, “America had no more committed champion of democracy and human rights than Secretary Albright, who knew personally and wrote powerfully of the perils of autocracy.”

“When I think of Madeleine,” Biden added, “I will always remember her fervent

faith that ‘America is the indispensable nation.’”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Albright was “a brilliant diplomat, a visionary leader, a courageous trailblazer, a dedicated mentor, and a great and good person who loved the U.S. deeply and devoted her life to serving it.”

Clinton called her “one of the finest Secretaries of State, an outstanding U.N. Ambassador, a brilliant professor, and an extraordinary human being.”

“And through it all,” Clinton added, “even until our last conversation just two weeks ago, she never lost her great sense of humor or her determination to go out with her boots on, supporting Ukraine

in its fight to preserve freedom and democracy.”

Former President George W. Bush said Albright “lived out the American dream and helped others realize it. ... She served with distinction as a foreign-born foreign minister who understood firsthand the importance of free societies for peace in our world.”

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. envoy to the United Nations, honored Albright as a “trailblazer and a luminary” in remarks on the General Assembly floor.

In 2012, President Barack Obama awarded Albright the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, saying her life was an inspiration to all Americans.

Tax: Senate votes 25-14 against proposal Continued from A1

Rep. Bill Rhiley got a few laughs and some shocked expressions when he proposed raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products in Kansas to 70 instead of 21. He said strong action is needed to curb people’s habits but his amendment failed.

(SHERMAN SMITH/KANSAS REFLECTOR)

Kansas House approves more than two dozen bills

By NOAH TABORDA Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — The Kansas House concluded business before a short break in the session Wednesday by passing more than two dozen bills, including proposals to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, final approval of an education mega bill and passage of both legislative maps.

Representatives will break until Monday but made sure to first clean up and send bills to the Senate left over from a lengthy debate Tuesday that included a conversation on Kansas policy toward undocumented immigrants. When it returns, the House will reconcile differences with the Senate on key policies and bills.

But before the break, representatives shared a rare moment of shock from both sides of the aisle over an amendment proposed by Rep. Bill Rhiley that would raise the minimum age to purchase cigarettes and other tobacco products to the age of 70.

The Wellington Republican said raising the age from 18 to 21 would not do enough to curb people’s smoking habits, from which the state collects millions in tax revenue.

Asked why he chose 70, Rhiley said there was not a specific reason he

Friday

had in mind when he wrote the amendment.

“I’m just a little over 70,” he joked. “So, it would give me a choice.”

Representatives ultimately rejected the amendment 20 to 89 but approved the underlying bill 79 to 43. The bill applies to electronic cigarettes and vaping products, and it would create a misdemeanor penalty with a potential fine of $200 for violating the law.

The measure brings Kansas in line with a 2019 federal law change to prohibit those under 21 from legally purchasing tobacco products. About one-third of states already had laws enforcing tobacco sales to people 21 or older, and at least 11 states have followed the federal government’s lead.

Rep. John Eplee, an Atchison Republican and a physician, touted the measure’s potential to ensure Kansans are healthy while balancing individual freedoms.

“This is when it starts. The brain of the young person from age 18 to 25 is not fully developed and we make really bad decisions,” Eplee said. “Unfortunately, these decisions become a tobacco addiction, which leads to incredible health events later, which physicians and health care providers throughout the state get to inherit.”

Saturday

Sunday

to advance to the House.

The tax amendment vote was 25-14, while the judicial amendment was closer at 26-13.

“With prices continually rising and inflation projected to continue for the remainder of the Biden administration, families are feeling the squeeze,” Masterson said. “They deserve to vote on whether it should be harder for the Legislature to take more of the peoples’ money.”

John Wilson, president and chief executive officer of Kansas Action for Children, said the Senate’s rejection of the tax resolution recognized state government ought to be nimble enough to respond to financial challenges threatening core state services.

“This outcome means our state can continue properly funding our public schools, fixing our roads and investing in our state’s future,” Wilson said. “This resolution would have been harmful to Kansas in the long term by locking us into our current unfair tax system by requiring two-thirds of both chambers to vote in favor of any tax increases or new taxes, but not for tax cuts.”

Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, tried to amend a GOP-sponsored tax bill with a sales tax exemption on grocery and household items purchases by honorably discharged, 100% disabled veterans.

He wanted to add it to a bill containing sales and income tax policy, but Senate Republicans decided inclusion of sales tax policy wasn’t germane to the base bill.

“These are our veterans who are 100% disabled. They have broken their bodies in

Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, said he was disappointed with the bipartisan opposition leading to rejection of proposed constitutional amendments limiting state tax increases and altering selection of justices to the Kansas Supreme Court. (SHERMAN SMITH/KANSAS REFLECTOR) their duty to America,” Holland said. “If this body can be so cold and calculating and heartless as to not give our veterans a sales tax exemption … I would say our values in this chamber are not germane.”

Masterson, the Senate’s president, said rejection of Holland’s amendment wasn’t about validity of the policy or emotional appeal of the idea.

“We’re a body of order and a body of rules.

Otherwise, you have chaos,” he said. “It’s a game of bridges. That’s what the play is.”

In other words, if the Senate leadership allowed a sales tax for veterans on House Bill 2239 then it would be primed for an amendment sought by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly to eliminate the state’s 6.5% sales tax on groceries. The potential for such a stunning tax shift was elevated by a projected $3 billion surplus in the state government’s budget.

Holland, irritated with lack of action on the unpopular food sales tax, indicated adoption of the tax break for veterans would have been followed by a motion to repeal the state’s sales tax on food. He said he

iolaregister.com

302 S. Washington, PO Box 767, Iola, KS 66749 (620) 365-2111

Published Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, except New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Subscription Rates One Year

6 Months

3 Months

1 Month

$162.74

$92.76

$53.51

$21.75

Mail out of State $174.75

$94.05

$55.60

$22.20

Internet Only

$76.07

$43.23

$14.90

Mail in Kansas

60

33

61

34

63

36

$141.43

All prices include 8.75% sales taxes.

Postal regulations require subscriptions to be paid in advance.

was tired of waiting for the GOP to move a sales tax bill.

“When you don’t allow things to come across the Senate floor in orderly fashion as they ripen and mature from the committees,” he said, “the will, the voices of the people are ignored.”

Sen. Caryn Tyson, the Parker Republican and chairwoman of the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee, pushed through 36-2 a bill that bundled a property tax freeze on seniors and on disabled veterans. House Bill 2239 also included a 10% increase in the standard deduction on Kansas income tax returns and a tax refund for a former hotel owner that was so narrowly written it applied to only one person.

During Senate debate, Tyson convinced her colleagues to include an amendment preventing the Kansas Department of Revenue from applying state tax to federal economic aid that flowed into Kansas to help businesses in

the pandemic.

Sen. Molly Baumgardner, R-Louisburg, inserted into the same bill a potential five-year, $35 million tax credit for donors to community colleges and technical colleges for deferred building maintenance, capital improvements or equipment purchases.

She said the measure would prohibit a single person from donating more than $500,000 annually to a college for this initiative. The maximum a college could accept from all donors through the program would be $1 million per year. Only $7 million annually from 2022 to 2026 could be invested at all of these colleges for a maximum tax incentive of $35 million.

Tyson and Baumgardner also loaded up House Bill 2416, which passed on a vote of 26-11. Tyson gained approval of a potential $7,500 property tax rebate for businesses closed by government mandate at outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Running out of

GRAIN STORAGE?

Your local dealer

Let Yoder’s Construction build your

grain storage solutions!

Specializing In:

• Steel Buildings • Grain Bins • Grain Handling Equipment yodersconstruction85@gmail.com

Postmaster: Send address changes to The Iola Register, P.O. Box 767, Iola, KS 66749.

Temperature High Wednesday Low Wednesday night High a year ago Low a year ago Sunrise 7:17 a.m.

38 34 47 43

Precipitation 24 hours ending 8 a.m.

This month to date Total year to date Deficiency since Jan. 1

Trace 2.94 3.77 1.03

Sunset 7:37 p.m.

Member Associated Press. The Associated Press is entitled exclusively to use for publication all the local news printed in this newspaper as well as all AP news dispatches.

Susan Lynn, editor/publisher Tim Stauffer, managing editor Periodicals postage paid at Iola, Kansas.

USPS 268-460

Henry Yoder 660-973-1611

iolaregister.com

The Iola Register

Friday, March 25, 2022

A3

Ukraine: President Biden attends three summits on Thursday Continued from A1

much smaller neighbor.

The extraordinary series of summits — hosted by NATO, the Group of Seven industrialized nations and the European Union — reflected alarm that the conflict shows no sign of ending soon and could even spread beyond Ukraine’s borders. As Europe faces its greatest crisis in generations, Western leaders continue the search for ways to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin while avoiding steps that could lead to a wider war on the continent.

Zelenskky, addressing the NATO gathering by video from Kyiv, called for “military assistance without limitations” as Russia is “without limits using its entire arsenal.” He specifically asked for anti-air and anti-ship weapons. And although Zelenskyy thanked Western nations for support they already have provided, his frustration was clear.

He urged NATO to provide Ukraine with “1% of all your planes, 1% of all your tanks.”

“We can’t just buy those,” Zelenskyy said.

“When we will have all this, it will give us, just like you, 100% security.”

U.S President Joe Biden, who is attending all three summits, said more aid was on its way.

“We are committed to identifying additional equipment, including air defense systems, to help Ukraine,” Biden said in a written statement after the NATO meeting.

Billions of dollars of military hardware has already been provided.

A U.S. official, who requested anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, said Western nations were discussing the possibility of providing anti-ship weapons amid concerns that Russia will launch amphibious assaults along the Black Sea coast.

The White House an-

President Joe Biden, left, listens as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, center/right, addresses a North Atlantic Council meeting during an extraordinary summit at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Thursday. (EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/ POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES/TNS)

nounced that the U.S. will welcome 100,000 Ukrainian refugees and provide an additional $1 billion in food, medicine, water and other supplies.

At the same time, Washington will expand its sanctions on Russia, targeting members of the country’s parliament along with defense contractors. The U.S. will also work with other Western nations to ensure gold reserves held by Russia’s central bank are subjected to existing sanctions.

With Russia facing increasing international isolation, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned China against coming to its rescue.

“They should join the rest of the world and clearly condemn the brutal war against Ukraine and not support Russia,” either with economic or military support, he said after the closed-door meeting.

The possibility that Russia will use chemical or even nuclear weapons has been a grim topic of conversation in Brussels, but a possibility leaders were preparing for.

Biden has said that possibility is a “real threat.” In addition, Kremlin spokesman

Dmitry Peskov told CNN this week that Russia could consider using its nuclear weapons if it felt there was “an existential threat for our country.”

A senior European diplomat said Western leaders would continue having quiet discussions on how to respond if Russia resorts to what would be the world’s first use of a tactical nuclear weapon.

The Russian invasion has spurred European nations to reconsider their military spending, and Stoltenberg opened the NATO summit by saying the alliance must “respond to a new security reality in Europe.”

“We gather at a critical time for our security,” he said, addressing the leaders seated at a large round table.

“We are united in condemning the Kremlin’s unprovoked aggression and in our support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

While the West has been largely unified in confronting Russia after it invaded Ukraine, there’s wide acknowledgement that unity will be tested as the costs of war chip at the global economy.

The bolstering of forces along NATO’s eastern flank, almost

certainly for at least the next five to 10 years if Russia is to be effectively dissuaded, will also put pressure on national budgets.

“We need to do more, and therefore we need to invest more. There is a new sense of urgency and I expect that the leaders will agree to accelerate the investments in defense,” Stoltenberg said before the summit.

The energy crisis exacerbated by the war will be a particularly hot topic at the European Council summit, where leaders from Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece are hoping for an urgent, coordinated bloc-wide response.

EU officials have said they will seek U.S. help on a plan to top up natural gas storage facilities for next winter, and they also want the bloc to jointly purchase gas.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has dis-

missed calls to boycott Russian energy supplies, saying it would cause significant damage to his country’s economy. Scholz is facing pressure from environmental activists to quickly wean Germany off Russian energy, but he said the process will have to be gradual.

“To do so from one day to the next would mean plunging our country and all of Europe into recession,” Scholz said Wednesday.

Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Union’s executive arm, said before Biden’s visit that she wants to discuss the possibility of securing extra deliveries of liquefied natural gas from the United States for the 27-nation bloc “for the next two winters.”

The EU imports 90% of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40% of EU gas and a quarter of its oil. The bloc is looking at ways to reduce its dependence on Russian gas by diversifying suppliers.

The U.S. is looking for ways to “surge” LNG supplies to Europe to help, said Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser.

Poland and other eastern flank NATO countries will also be seeking clarity on how the U.S. and fellow European nations can assist in dealing with their growing concerns about Russian aggression as well as a spiraling refugee crisis. More than 3.5 million refu-

gees have fled Ukraine in recent weeks, including more than 2 million to Poland.

Biden is scheduled to visit Poland on Friday, where the energy and refugee issues are expected to be at the center of talks with President Andrzej Duda.

Sullivan said Biden and fellow leaders would aim to “set out a longer-term game plan” for what forces and capabilities are going to be required for the alliance’s eastern flank countries.

Four new NATO battlegroups, which usually number between 1,000-1,500 troops, are being set up in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria.

Biden arrived in Brussels with Americans increasingly accepting of the need for the U.S. to help stop Putin, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

But even as concern among Americans has swelled and support for a major U.S. role in the conflict strengthened in the last month, Biden’s negative approval rating has not budged, the APNORC poll found. Few are very confident that he can handle a crisis, and a majority thinks he lacks toughness in dealing with Russia.

Biden promised voters that he had the experience to navigate a complicated international emergency like the one unfolding in Europe and his trip will be the latest test of that proposition.

Wheat: War reduces supplies Continued from A1

availability worldwide.

Further, natural gas is needed to convert raw material into usable fertilizer. Winter storms in 2021 diverted supplies.

The COVID-19 pandemic also caused plants to cut back on production, leading to supply issues.

“There have been a ton of compounding factors, and now the war between Russia and Ukraine has amplified it even more,” Guthrie said.

WHEAT planting tends to vary quite a bit in Allen County, said Kyle Lucas, Allen and Neosho County executive director for the USDA Farm Service Agency.

For 2022, producers reported planting 12,935 acres. That figure doesn’t represent the total acres planted, only insured acres reported to the USDA. Allen County farmers planted even more last year, with 16,757.

The past two years saw significantly more wheat planted than in 2020, when just 6,033 acres were planted.

The recent increase

is still quite a bit lower than 10 years ago, when farmers reported planting more than 25,000 acres of wheat in 2012.

Corn and soybean numbers typically don’t vary much, Lucas said, but that might change because of the increased cost of fertilizer.

“I will be curious to see where the corn numbers come in this year,” Lucas said.

UKRAINE and Russia account for about a third of global wheat exports, primarily to the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The region is considered “the breadbasket of the world.”

A recent report from the Associated Press found most U.S. farmers aren’t making any radical shifts toward increased wheat production, in part because of drought concerns.

In fact, the report found, the U.S. produced less wheat last year, around 44 million tons between 2021 and 2022 compared to over 50 million tons a couple years ago.

If the war in Ukraine drags on or the situation continues to dampen wheat production in

that part of the world, American farmers could see the benefit of planting more wheat, Guthrie said.

“If this continues for the next few years, the demand is going to be super high so more farmers will stick with wheat,” he said.

4.9.22 PM 4 .9 9 .2 22 @ 2 P M BOWLUS FINE ARTS CENTER • IOLA, KS BOWLUSCENTER.ORG/TICKETS • 620.365.4765 • THANK YOU TO OUR PERFORMANCE SPONSORS •

A4

Friday, March 25, 2022

The Iola Register

iolaregister.com

Growing a climate for tomorrow 2022

COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING

LOCAL AGRICULTURE

“Agriculture is the most beautiful, most useful and most noble employment of man.” ~ George Washington

Mon.-Sat. 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Sunday 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

915 N. 9th St. Humboldt, KS

620-473-6425

1216 Hawaii Rd. | Humboldt, KS

620-473-3664

ourmarket.com

www.bwtrailerhitches.com

Bank of Gas Ga 301 W. 1st Gas, KS (620) 365-3195

We have all the quality materials you need

FOR THE PROJECTS YOU DO 620-365-2201

201 W. Madison, Iola

Piqua State Bank Piqua, KS (620) 468-2555 or (620) 365-6692

piquastatebank.com

Internet banking for your convenience.

HAPPY NATIONAL AG DAY!

203 N. Locust, Moran (620) 237-4668

Paul Acton-General Manager

Feed • Chemicals • Seed • Fertilizer • Custom Application 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday • Extended Hours & Saturdays during busy season

Proud to COMMERCIAL-RESIDENTIAL LICENSED-INSURED

support

DANNY WARE

American

OFFICE 620-365-6684 CELL 620-496-9156

agriculture

­

At Farm Bureau we believe strong working relationships should be rewarded. That’s why, when you switch to our coverage, you could be eligible for the Ag Advantage and Ag + Rewards discounts that can continue to grow over time.

Contact me today to get started on a customized plan for your ag operation.

Dena Daniels

Sharla Miller

Broker/Owner

208 S. Washington Ave. | Iola, KS 620.380.0009

ReeceNichols BajaRanch Team

Megan Specht • Angie Dye • Ross Daniels Jim Keath • Holly Burton • Jerry Daniels Jennifer Seibel • Sarah Hosfelt • Shaina LaCrone

109 N. State St. | Yates Center 620.625.2345 sharlakmiller.fbfsagents.com

905 Bridge St. • Humboldt • (620) 473-7005 1401 W. Main Ste. A • Chanute • (620) 432-SOLD

Now licensed in Oklahoma!

bajaranchteam

PSI PERSONAL SERVICE INSURANCE, INC.

would like to

thank our farmers for feeding america.

2022

Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Company,* Western Agricultural Insurance Company, * Farm\Bureau Life Insurance Company*/West Des Moines, IA. *Company providers of Farm Bureau Financial Services.

Proud to support our farmers.

Planning an Auction?

See us at AllenCountyAuction.com

ALLEN COUNTY AUCTION SERVICE & ALLEN COUNTY REALTY, INC.

620-365-3178 AUCTIONEER: GERALD GRAY • BROKER: JOHN F. BROCKER ALLENCOUNTYAUCTION.COM

Act Now &

SAVE

See Loren & Rosan for farm & farm vehicle insurance and Chris & Cristin for crop insurance.

Loren Korte & Rosan Williams Iola, KS (620) 365-6908

Chris Elemenhorst & Cristin Fuller Moran, KS (620) 237-4631

psi-insurance.com

Springs Sales Event

March Into Savings With Your Post-Frame Frame Building Purchase*

Get your FREE estimate at QualityStructures.com Or call 785-835-6100 Building the Rural American Dream™ *Offer good from March 1st – March 31st, 2022.

Some restrictions apply.

Richmond, Kansas

A5

Opinion The Iola Register

Friday, March 25, 2022

~ Journalism that makes a difference

Wichita council member shows asking questions is good stewardship

By DALE GODER Special to the Wichita Eagle

A curious thing happened at the Feb. 15 Wichita City Council meeting.

Somebody asked a question.

Not just any “somebody.”

It was an elected official, namely, newly elected council member Maggie Ballard.

And it wasn’t just any question. It was a question that no elected official had asked before, even though they all had the opportunity numerous times over the past decade.

The issue at hand was the council’s pending approval of a $6 million tax increment financing — or TIF — package for the ICT21 project, an ambitious effort to redevelop the old refinery site on North 21st Street just west of Interstate 35.

TIF is a fancy way of funneling tax dollars into the pocket of developers, arguably to help create a new economic development. Every TIF project, and there have been many over the past decade, must pass inspection by every local city council member, county commissioner and school board member, since the TIF impacts the tax burden for each of those entities.

The question Ballard asked was a simple one, addressed to developer Marty Cornejo, a well respected member of the Wichita economic scene. Simple, yet never before articulated by any elected official on any previous TIF application.

Did you exhaust every other financing option before you asked for TIF funding?

Ballard asked.

That written rule applies to every TIF proposal that comes before the council. It makes sense to ask, because tax dollars are sacred and can’t be handed out willy-nilly to any ambitious developer.

Cornejo gave a credible response. Pursuit of federal and state funding had been unsuccessful. Local lenders were reluctant because of the environment challenges left behind by the decades of refinery pollution.

Those challenges include a layer of gasoline resting just beneath the surface atop the groundwater below. It was so bad that local citizens would siphon out the gasoline to burn in their automobiles.

Cornejo plans to pave over

the area, preventing any further pollution and creating a much needed warehouse/ manufacturing park.

So why was Ballard’s question so significant?

Because it wasn’t asked last year when the Council awarded $1 million in TIF funds to developer David Burke to subsidize his luxury patio home development just north of Sim Golf Course in the Riverside District.

It would have been interesting to hear Burke defend the “environmental” challenges he faced in building homes on a largely vacant section of riverfront property abutting the established and iconic Riverside neighborhood.

Burke paid for a study from a Kansas City firm that declared the area “blighted” because it had stickers. Yes, that’s right, those little nasty stickers that can puncture your bike tire and inconvenience dog walkers. Not exactly the same magnitude as a plume of toxic petrochemicals, but, hey, if you pay somebody enough, they’ll tell you anything.

That “study” was more than enough for then-council member Cindy Claycomb, who had championed the Riverside project on behalf of Burke, her major campaign contributor. The smell of that relationship wafted over the last election as Ballard soundly ousted Claycomb from the District 6 seat.

Burke’s application said it would cost $8 million to construct the homes.

The first models reportedly are up for sale at $350,000 each. Take that times 40, and Burke will realize a $14 million return, a pretty good bet in this current housing market.

And, of course, he gets to keep the $700,000 in TIF funds.

The moral to the story? It is always good to ask questions when you are the last backstop protecting public tax dollars.

Maybe council member Ballard has set an example that will inspire her fellow elected officials on the City Council, County Commission and school board to be similarly diligent the next time a developer shows up for a handout.

Dale Goter is a media consultant, former journalist and former lobbyist for the city of Wichita.

A look back in t me.

30 Years Ago March 1992

Five Iola High students have been designated State Scholars based on competitive ranking of weighted scores achieved on the ACT examination. The students are Dorothy Dvorachek, Lisa Nelson, Sarah Johnson, Brad Moore and Brian Morrell. ***** Iola High’s Fillies received a big send-off this morning as students, faculty, parents and fans gathered to wish them well as they left for the Class 4A girls basketball state tournament in Salina. (The Fillies were defeated in overtime, 5249, by Chapman in the opening round.) ***** Col. Harry Lee Jr., LaHarpe, was honored at a

Guard retirement dinner March 7 in Topeka. Lee retired as director of Plans, Operations, and Training, State Area Command, Kansas Army National Guard, Topeka. ***** Bertha Ronsick, who moved to this area when she was 21 years old, will celebrate her 103rd birthday Sunday at a reception at the First Presbyterian Church, where she has been a member since June 1930. ***** LaFern and Dennis McDonald have opened Mac’s Trophies at 112 S. Washington. The business will sell custom-made trophies and other things and offer personalized engraving on a variety of items.

Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, March 23. PHOTO BY KENT NISHIMURA/TNS

Brown Jackson weathers barrage The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment is clear about forbidding Congress from passing laws that mix the business of the state with matters of religion.

Yet Republican lawmakers, many of whom are lawyers and constitutional scholars, seem intent on delving into matters of religion anyway from their Capitol Hill and statehouse pulpits.

Jackson is solid on the law, so Republicans resort to religious litmus tests A major warning sign of Republicans’ refusal to honor the Establishment Clause was when Missouri Gov. Mike Parson listed sharing his own “Christian values” as a requirement for his nominee as state health director. Now comes Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina questioning Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson about her faith during this week’s Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings.

Graham launched into a series of rapid-fire questions that started with this one: “What faith are you?”

Jackson seemed, quite appropriately, taken aback. Aside from being none of Graham’s

business, it had nothing to do with decisions she would make on the Supreme Court.

She responded tersely that she is Protestant, adding: “non-denominational.”

“Could you fairly judge a Catholic?” he responded. Before she could answer, he interrupted with another question: “How important is your faith to you?”

Graham was trying as hard as he could to establish a litmus test of faith upon which to judge Jackson. It was inappropriate by any standard, including Graham’s own. But this was his payback moment for a quip that Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein made during the 2020 confirmation hearings of now-Justice Amy Coney Barrett about her wellknown conservative Catholic faith.

“The dogma lives loudly within you,” Feinstein said — also inappropriately.

It should have been irrelevant during Barrett’s confirmation hearing, and it should be irrelevant during Jackson’s beyond serving as a water cooler topic of discussion. So, what is the point?

The goal seems to be, some-

how, to entrap or embarrass Jackson, or find ways to trip her up, so Republicans can explain to their constituents that this isn’t a question about her race or gender but rather about her judicial philosophy. She’s not making it easy for them.

In response to Graham’s intrusive question about her faith, Jackson said simply, “Personally faith is very important. But as you know, there’s no religious test in the Constitution under Article Six …” to which Graham interjected, “And none with me.” Then he persisted with the religion questions, including asking her to rate on a scale of one to 10 how faithful she is.

“Senator,” she responded with a quiet sigh, “I am reluctant to talk about my faith in this way just because I want to be mindful of the need for the public to have confidence in my ability to separate out my personal views.”

In other words, judges are supposed to filter out personal biases — including their religious beliefs — when interpreting the law. If only members of Congress could do likewise.

— St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Celebrating Agriculture Week Where does your food come from?

If you are like many Americans, the answer is the grocery store. And frankly, that disturbs me. The grocery store is not where food comes from — it is just from where it is distributed. In reality, far too many people are unaware of the role of American agriculture in their daily lives… and what it takes to have food on their dinner table.

You, I, and 164 other people ate today because of one American farmer... a dramatic increase from 19 people in the 1940s. Quite simply, American agriculture is doing more — and doing it better. Agriculture is this nation’s Top 10 exports and is vitally important in sustaining a healthy economy.

A majority of us know our food and fiber do not just arrive at the grocery or clothing store… or magically appear on our dinner table or in our closet. There is an entire industry dedicated to providing consumers with the safest, most wholesome, and nutritious products possible… as well as a wide range of comfortable, fashionable clothing choices. We rely on agriculture for the very necessities of life. From beef and pork to cotton and wheat, agriculture is work-

ing harder than ever to meet the needs of Americans and others around the world.

The role of farmers will become even more critical with the exploding world population. Today, approximately 7.9 billion people call earth their home. By 2050, the population is projected to reach 9.7 billion and 11.2 billion by 2100. Growth in the human population is mainly a product of declining mortality from improvements in food production, medication, sanitation, and energy sources.

And it is not just the farmer who makes our food possible. The entire agriculture industry, all the way to the grocery store, are vital links in a chain that brings food to every consumer - and millions of people abroad.

Frankly, it is easy to take agriculture for granted in America. Our food is readily accessible and safe. For this, we are unbelievably fortunate but that does not mean we do not have an obligation to recognize how it is made possible.

Just a few generations ago, most people were a part of — and had friends or relatives involved with — agriculture.

Today, that is no longer the case. Agriculture is responsible for providing the neces-

sities of life like food, fiber, and fuel. And it is about time Americans recognize that contribution.

Americans continue to enjoy food, fiber, and fuel supply which is abundant, affordable overall and among the world’s safest, thanks in large part to the efficiency and productivity of America’s farm and ranch families.

We officially recognize our farmers and all they do to make our lives better during Agriculture Week, March 2026, 2022, hosted by The Agriculture Council of America.

Agriculture Week is a good time to reflect and be grateful for American Agriculture!

This marks a nationwide effort to tell the true story of American Agriculture and remind consumers, agriculture is a part of all of us.

Be part of America’s Agriculture, if even just for one day. Take a drive in the country with your family, as there is no prettier green than winter wheat fields waking from winter dormancy. And give a big wave if you see a farmer.

I guarantee they will wave back.

Happy Agriculture Week!

Kylee Geffert Iola farmer/rancher Commonground Kansas www.commongroundks. com

A6

Friday, March 25, 2022

The Iola Register

iolaregister.com

Growing a climate for tomorrow

2022

Diesel & Turbo of Iola SERVING THE IOLA AREA SINCE 1978

1 S. Walnut St., Iola • (620) 365-5232

(620) 365-6445

dlayman@dieselandturbo.com

824 N. Chestnut-Iola tholenheatingandcooling.com

allencc.edu | 620-365-5116

David Layman - Justin Wools - Jason Chandlee

HAPPY NATIONAL AG DAY!

Happy National Proud to Ag Day! support our

Proud to support the American farmer.

FARM & RANCH SUPPLY

2611 West Hwy 50 Emporia, KS 66801 620-342-5502 • 1-800-800-7505 Store Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-6p.m., Sat. 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. bluestemfarmandranch.com • Bluestem Farm & Ranch

area farmers!

GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1960.

(620)

leroycoop.coop

505 6th St., LeRoy, KS 66857

473-3919

620-964-2225

OIL

hha-ks.com Humboldt, KS

,

P.A.

503 West Street Iola, KS 66749 greg.schemper@hampeloil.com hampeloil.com

620-365-3621 877-718-3621 Cell 620-496-9526 Fax 620-365-3711

Proud to fuel American agriculture

Certified Public Accountants Accounting, Audit, Financial & Tax Preparation Services Offices in Iola, Chanute & Neodesha

(620) 365-3125 Fax (620) 365-7774

THE MILDRED STORE

AND COUNTRY MUSIC VENUE CELEBRATING 7 YEARS IN MILDRED! Monday - Saturday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. • Sunday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Selling crushed rock of all types and agricultural lime, washed and grading.

620-439-5424

HWY 54 LaHarpe, KS

After Hours Call: 620-215-2060 • 620-215-2614 86 3RD ST., MILDRED, KANSAS 66755 • THEMILDREDSTORE.COM

WE SUPPORT OUR LOCAL FARMERS!

Proud to support our local farmers and producers as we grow America’s future

SETTING THE STANDARD FOR FOUR GENERATIONS. 209 Cedar, Downtown Moran • 620-237-4331 | Mitch’s Cell: 620-719-0109

Open Mon. through Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sat. 8-11 a.m.

Fully Inspected.

SLAUGHTER DAYS ARE FRIDAYS. Please call for appointment.

Garnett

Mitch, Sharon & Seth Bolling

Walnut

(620) 354-6435

Colony

(620) 852-3512

Hepler

(620) 368-4311

Ottawa

(785) 242-6777

St. Paul

(620) 449-2800

Follow us:

I am proud to support our local farmers.

NO ORIGINATION FEES OR POINTS ON HOME LOANS, NO FEES ON AG LOANS (785) 448-3111

tlcgc.com

620-496-1234

Jan Kershner 807 N. State St. Iola, KS 620.365.2172 JanKershner.com

Pomona

(785) 566-3311

Girard

(620) 724-4774

Farm Bureau Property & Casualty Insurance Company,* Western Agricultural Insurance Company,* Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company*/West Des Moines, IA. *Company providers of Farm Bureau Financial Services. SR215 (3-22)

Proud to support American farmers

30211 S. East Outer Road Harrsion, MO 64701 Phone: (816) 884-2551

505 W. 12th Street Lamar, MO 64759 Phone: (417) 660-7000

809 W. Grand Ave. Cameron, MO 64429 Phone: (816) 632-7277

2900 N. Osage Blvd.

Nevada, MO 64772 Phone: (417) 667-9180

2795 N. State St. Iola, KS 66749 Phone: (620) 365-2341

heartlandtractor.com

Proud to support

NATIONAL AG DAY , MARCH 22.

2022

#AGDAY2022

800-320-8391 1808 Road G Emporia, KS 66801 frontierfarmcredit.com

Proud to partner with local farmers to help grow

a climate for tomorrow.

PIQUA FARMERS CO-OP ASSOCIATION

201 S. Washington St. Piqua, KS

Open 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. M-F • Sat 7:30 a.m. - 12 Noon

Sports Daily

B

The Iola Register

Friday, March 25, 2022

MLB should eye ‘sudden death’ rule

By ALEX SIMON Mercury News

dash. He also placed second in the 200 meters and third in both the long jump and triple jump.

“I know I’ll do the long

PHOENIX — The ghost runner is back for 2022. And even if it accomplishes its goal, it stinks.

It’s clear that MLB and its players don’t want to have endless, marathon games anymore. That’s the main reason why the “ghost runner” — runner on second to start every extra inning — is sticking around, as Joel Sherman reported Tuesday for the New York Post.

But if we aren’t just going to keep playing baseball normally, there’s a better solution than the half-measure.

It’s the brainchild of the Giants’ Double-A affiliate in Richmond’s manager, Dennis Pelfrey.

It’s time for Sudden Death Baseball.

Here’s the premise, as designed by Pelfrey: When a game’s tied after nine, there’s one single half-inning of extras. A runner will be placed on first with nobody out. The home team then gets to choose to play offense or defense.

Pick offense, and it’s simple: You win if you bring the runner in. But if you can’t score the runner, then the team in the field wins the game, even without scoring a run or coming up to bat.

From a competitive standpoint, runners on first with no outs score around 42% of the time, which is far closer to 50-50 than the ghost runner’s current 62% from second. Pitchers should also love avoiding the current set-

See WILLIS | Page B3

See MLB | Page B4

Iola High’s Brett Willis wins the 100-meter dash at the 2021 Marv Smith Invite in Iola. Willis, now a senior, has signed to compete in track and field at Emporia State University. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

UNFINISHED BUSINESS Iola’s Willis signs to compete in track at Emporia

By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register

B

rett Willis soon will trade in his blue and gold for black and gold.

The Iola High senior signed a letter of intent Wednesday to compete in track and field collegiately at Emporia State University next year.

The ceremony was held in front of dozens of classmates in a packed IHS commons area.

But first things first. Willis, for now, has his sights set on a successful year and a potential trip to state in May. Despite being one of the top sprinters and jumpers in Kansas, Willis has seen potential state bids evapo-

Brett Willis is flanked by his parents, Angie and Dan Willis, as he signs a letter of intent Wednesday to compete in track and field next year Emporia State University. rate the past two years. The 2020 track season ended before it started because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and an injury right before the Class 4A regionals derailed his 2021 campaign without as

much as an attempt to qualify for state.

“I’m ready to get after it,” he said.

Willis will be seeking to repeat as Pioneer League champion in the 100-meter

Over the Hill we go: What’s next for KC team in transition?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Much as Patrick Mahomes has been a singularly stellar force in the emergence of the Chiefs as a perennial AFC Championship Game team and their first Super Bowl triumph in 50 years, his play has been augmented by being part of a phenomenal trifecta.

Tight end Travis Kelce and receiver Tyreek Hill are spectacular talents, year by year building Pro Football Hall of Fame cases, and Mahomes has enjoyed an uncanny sense of connection with each of his complementary targets.

That dynamic has been the ever-pulsing core of one of the most mesmerizing offenses in NFL history, a living, breathing synergistic marvel that has shown up in Mahomes anticipating where Kelce is going even when Kelce isn’t sure. And in Mahomes being able to find Hill open downfield in such a variety of ways (including “Jet Chip Wasp” in Super Bowl

Vahe Gregorian The Kansas City Star LIV) as to inspire a meme that suggests Mahomes just guesses and throws deep.

“All three of them trust each other, and that’s important,” coach Andy Reid said not long ago. “They have that innate ability to know where the guy is going to be against whatever leverage the defender has on them. I appreciate that. … And it sure helps to have that chemistry when teams are showing you a bunch of different looks.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, though, the Chiefs were going with a momentously different look of their own afSee HILL | Page B4

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is congratulated by wide receiver Tyreek Hill after Kelce made a reception for a touchdown in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020. KANSAS CITY STAR/TAMMY LJUNGBLAD/TNS

B2

Friday, March 25, 2022

All ads are 10-word minimum, must run consecutive days

The Iola Register

iolaregister.com

CLASSIFIEDS

DEADLINE: 10 a.m. day before publication.

CLASSIFIED RATES: 3 Days - $2/word | 6 Days - $2.75/word | 12 Days - $3.75/word | 18 Days - $4.75/word | 26 Days - $5/word 3-DAY GARAGE SALE SPECIAL: 20 words or fewer - $12 | 21-40 words - $15 | 41+ words - $18

ITEMS FOR SALE

SERVICES

PACKING PAPERS AVAILABLE at the Iola Register Office. $3 per bundle.

HOMES FOR RENT

Nice Homes For Rent! view pictures and other info at growiola.com WANTED WILLING TO BUY COPIES of The Annals of Iola and Allen County, 1868-1945, Vols. 1 and 2. Call the Iola Register, 620-365- 2111 or email susan@iolaregister. com.

PETS

PAYLESS CONCRETE

PRODUCTS, INC. 802 N. Industrial Rd., Iola

(620) 365-5588

HECK’S MOVING SERVICE •furniture •appliances •shop •etc.

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

G N I R I H NOW MMER! FOR SU CHILDREN’S AIDE NEW G TIN STAR GE! WA

$13 per hour Monday - Thursday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

GRE A OPPSUMM T ORT ER UNI TY!

Additional hours available

Starting Salary Range: $35,000 - 40,000 Start Date: July 1, 2022

Health Information Technology (HIT) Assistant Director Starting Salary $33,000-38,000

Must be 18 years+ and valid driver’s license

Bookstore Assistant - PT

Background check required

Starting Salary Range: $12.25 - 13.00

Chapman Learning Center Associate - PT

3 - 8 p.m. M-TH Starting Salary Range: $12.50 - 13.00

Iola Mini-Storage For more information, contact: Ashley Adamson or email: jobs@sekmhc.org.

Upward Bound Summer Program Seasonal Employment

Applications available at sekmhc.org or at any of our locations.

For a detailed description of all open positions and instructions for submitting your application, visit our website at

www.neosho.edu/Careers.aspx NCCC is an EOE/AA employer.

is now hiring:

CREATIVE CLIPS

RNs, LPNs, CMAs and CNAs

BOARDING FACILITY Clean & affordable. Spacious Runs, Separated cat room, Climate Controlled, Lovingly Treated. Shots required.

Call Jeanne

(620) 363-8272

SERVICES DOES your basement or crawl space need some attention?

Thrasher Foundation Repair! A permanent solution for waterproofing, failing foundations, sinking concrete and nasty crawl spaces.

FREE Inspection & same Day Estimate. $250 off ANY project with code GET250.

Call 1-855-278-6924.

NELSON EXCAVATING

Iola company needing CDL Driver that can load and unload truck using 2-wheel dolly.

Must be able to lift at least 50 - 75 lbs. frequently and be a self-starter. Will be working alone or on a team. Must be able to stay on schedule and work with a variety of customers.

Direct hire position starting at $18.00 Call today to schedule interview!

RICK NELSON 620-365-9520

Storage & RV of Iola 620-365-2200

Regular/Boat/RV/Storage LP Gas Sales, Fenced, Supervised iolarvparkandstorage.com

BOTTOMS UP TREE SERVICE

Licensed and Insured Free estimates

(620) 212-5682

General G e n e r a l Repair Repair and a n d SSupply, u p p l y , IInc. nc.

is now hiring a dietary manager.

620-330-2732 620-336-3054

sekgaragedoors.com

Insurance/Real Estate Loren Korte

MORAN MORAN 237-4631

Hometown people helping people.

NOW HIRING!

CDL required.

Full benefits package included.

Applications are available in the County Engineer Office, Room 106.

Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

If you have any questions, call 620-625-8630.

105 W. Rutledge, Yates Center

NOW HIRING:

Applications available at our office.

1-800-750-6533

(620) 365-7663 • 306 N. State, Iola

Make the switch today!

Enroll in...

AUTO

PAY

Automatically pay your subscription with your debit or credit card.

Call 620-365-2111 to sign up!

My business is growing and I'm adding a sales associate to my team.

I'm looking for someone who is: • A hard-worker • Good at building relationships • Detail-oriented Does this sound like you or someone you know? Contact me!

Sharla Miller 208 S. Washington Ave. | Iola, KS 620.380.0009 109 N. State St. | Yates Center 620.625.2345 Send inquiries and resume to lori.cooper@fbfs.com

Current openings in the Humboldt and SEK area:

LOCAL ROUTE CLASS A CDL TRUCK DRIVERS

Maclaskey Oilfield Services

full-time Laborer/Operator.

TEAM!

Employees are eligible for health and dental insurance, retirement contributions, and paid vacation and holidays.

Woodson County Solid Waste Department is now accepting applications for a

Adding to the

$20 PER HOUR STARTING WAGE

Call or text 620-496-6098 or 620-664-7449 and apply online at www.whitagg.com

620-365-3183

(620) ( 6 2 0 ) 365-5954 365-5954 1008 N. Industrial Industrial Road Road HH Iola

full service!

620-365-3183

600 E. Garfield, Iola

Must be courteous, professional, and organized.

This is a full-time entry level position, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday.

residential &commercial industrial repair and installs fully insured free estimates!

600 E. Garfield, Iola. EOE.

Whitaker Aggregates is looking for dependable, safety conscious employees and has immediate full-time openings to fill.

Receptionist

SEK Garage doors

Apply at:

FULL-time POSITIONS

MACHINE SHOP H REPAIR CUSTOM MANUFACTURING

Complete Stock of Steel, Bolts, Bearings & Related Items

We offer 4, 8 and 12-hour shifts, as well as bonus pay for extra shifts.

800-848-3571

Come join our team and be a part of worthwhile work!

HUMBOLDT HUMBOLDT 473-3831

Student Support Services (STARS) Director

Ashton Heck 785-204-0369

323 N. Jefferson Call 620-365-3178 or 365-6163

EMPLOYMENT

Now hiring for the positions below.

Visit our website to review our excellent benefits package!

E FULLEST! MER TO TH M SU Y O J N LET’S E

EMPLOYMENT

IIOLA OLA 365-6908

EMPLOYMENT

NOW HIRING CDL LICENSED DRIVERS CLASS A WITH TANKER & HAZMAT ENDORSEMENTS PREFERRED OILFIELD EXPERIENCE A PLUS

Apply at 105 N. Industrial Rd., El Dorado, KS or call 316-321-9011 for details.

HELP WANTED Ag Choice Moran/Blue Mound, Kansas is a retail fertilizer, feed, seed and custom application business located in Southeast Kansas.

We have an employment opportunity for a motivated individual. Duties include general labor, some custom application, and all activities associated with day-to-day operations. CDL or ability to get one a must. Seasonal long hours can be expected. Safety is a priority. Excellent benefit package including health insurance, 401K, retirement, safety bonuses, and profitability bonuses included.

Call 620-237-4668

NOW HIRING

Warehouse And Production Personnel Pay up to $12 hour

Apply at focusjobs.com or call 620-875-0104

Iola company needing CDL Driver that can load and unload truck using 2-wheel dolly.

Loads are very heavy and must be a self-starter. Will be working alone. Must be able to stay on schedule and work with a variety of customers.

Temp to Hire position starting at $18.00 + DOE Call today to schedule interview!

620-331-6200 www.expresspros.com

WE HELP YOU GET THE RIGHT CANDIDATES Advertise in the Classifieds.

PR-R-A (6-21)

North Korea fires long-range missile SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea test-fired possibly its biggest intercontinental ballistic missile toward the sea Thursday, according to its neighbors, raising the ante in a pressure campaign aimed at forcing the United States and other rivals to accept it as a nuclear power and remove crippling sanctions.

The launch, which extended North Korea’s barrage of weapons tests this year, came after the U.S. and South Korean militaries said the country was preparing a flight of a new large ICBM first unveiled in October 2020.

South Korea’s military responded with live-fire drills of its own missiles launched from land, a fighter jet and a ship, underscoring a revival of tensions as nuclear negotiations remain frozen. It said it confirmed readiness to execute precision strikes against North Korea’s missile launch points as well as command and support facilities.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. ambassador to the United

Nations, told reporters the United States requested an open Security Council meeting on the launch and looks forward to having it on Friday.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the North’s ICBM fired from the Sunan area near the capital Pyongyang traveled 670 miles and reached a maximum altitude of over 3,850 miles.

The missile was apparently fired on high angle to avoid reaching the territorial waters of Japan.

Japan’s Deputy Defense Minister Makoto Oniki said flight details suggested a new type of ICBM. “It’s an unforgivable recklessness. We resolutely condemn the act,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after arriving in Belgium for the Group of Seven meetings.

The missile flew 71 minutes before possibly landing near Japanese territorial waters off the island of Hokkaido, said Tokyo’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno. Japan may search for debris inside its exclusive economic zone to analyze the North’s technology, he said.

iolaregister.com

The Iola Register

Friday, March 25, 2022

B3

Browns anxious to meet Watson following stunning trade

By TOM WITHERS The Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson hasn’t met his new teammates, and once he arrives there will time for conversations, maybe even tough ones.

That’s for another day. Until then, the controversial quarterback isn’t being judged or questioned about his leadership.

“We’ve kind of just got to get a feel for him,” Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II said Wednesday night at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards. “We don’t know him as anything as of right now, so we’ve just got to get to know him.”

Watson’s on his way.

The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who is still facing 22 civil lawsuits from women accusing him of sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions, was acquired last week by Cleveland in a stunning trade from Texans.

The blockbuster deal, which included the Browns sending three first-round draft picks to the Texans, only happened after Watson initially turned the Browns down.

It caught Newsome off guard.

“It definitely came as a surprise as soon as you saw that he kind

After not playing a snap in the 2021-22 season while he was under investigation for multiple sexual assault investigations, Deshaun Watson has been traded from Houston to the Cleveland Browns. GETTY IMAGES/CARMEN MANDATO/TNS

of declined us at first,” Newsome said. “We kind of thought that it was over, so definitely it was a surprise.’’

While Watson’s acquisition — and his $230 million guaranteed contract — have been hotly discussed topics around town for several days, his name wasn’t mentioned once from the stage in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse during the two-hour ceremony hosted by NBC’s Maria Taylor.

Watson is expected to be in Cleveland this week for a physical and introductory news conference. As of Wednesday, plans were still being finalized by the Browns, who were as stunned as anyone when Watson changed his mind and picked them over the Panthers, Falcons and Saints.

Newsome doesn’t know Watson but said he’s “super excited” about meeting a player he’s watched from afar.

“I love his game,” said Newsome, who attended the event with Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.

“He’s a great quarterback, so I’m definitely looking forward to meeting him.”

Watson’s getting a fresh start in Cleveland, a sports crazed city where football comes first — and often second.

His legal issues are ample, complex and it could be some time before they are resolved.

Watson spent the past two days giving depositions in Houston on some of the civil lawsuits.

Newsome chose not to address whether he’ll need to discuss the situation or clear the air with Watson.

“I mean, that’s not a comment I should make at all,’’ Newsome said.

“I don’t know anything about it, so I’m just going to stay away from that.’’

Like Newsome, former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar is

eager to meet Watson and learn more about the 26-year-old. Kosar’s been a Watson fan while, and even wanted the Browns to draft him the former Clemson star in 2017.

Kosar remains beloved in Cleveland, where pro athletes, especially Browns players have always been treated well. He wasn’t sure how fans will receive Watson.

“I really have been doing more of my health wellness and haven’t thought about it,” he said. “So if you got a good answer, I really am thinking about this.”

The trade for Watson also ended Baker Mayfield’s four-year run as Cleveland’s starter.

The Browns are trying to trade Mayfield, but there’s not a strong market for the first overall pick in 2018 who had an injury-plagued 2021.

Kosar is confident Mayfield will have success again.

“Quarterbacks are beneficiaries of the players around us, so we do way better when we have good players around us and Baker showed he can take a team to the playoffs,” Kosar said. “We were 8-9 last year with him being hurt, playing at probably 60-65%.

“Baker Mayfield at 100% is absolutely going to be a winning quarterback again in this league.”

Act Now &

SAVE

Springs Sales Event

March Into Savings With Your Post-Frame Frame Building Purchase*

Get your FREE estimate at QualityStructures.com Or call 785-835-6100 Building the Rural American Dream™

Iola High’s Brett Willis, center, was a standout on the football field in 2021. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

Willis: Signs with Emporia State track Continued from B1

jump and 100 and 200, for sure,” Willis said.

“I’m not sure about my fourth event yet.”

Selecting Emporia State was an easy call after a recent campus visit, he said.

“I wasn’t thinking about (Emporia State) originally, but they invited me on a visit,” Willis said. “Right after the visit, I was sure. It just felt like home.”

Willis, who sports a grade-point average in the 3.1-3.2 range and is a regular on the IHS honor roll listings, plans to study financial services in college.

“I knew all along I wanted to do something in business,” he said. “Then, I started looking into finances, and said ‘OK, this is for me.’”

Willis, the son of Dan and Angie Willis, also was a standout receiver and kick returner for the Mustang football

team.

He earned second-team all-league honors as a senior. He had 18 receptions for 246 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 126 yards and four touchdowns, on a 7.6 yards-per-carry average.

“I enjoyed football,” he said. “I liked it, but track and field is really what’s for me.”

Iola head track coach Dana Daugharthy of-

fered high praise for Willis and what he has meant to the Mustang program.

“I haven’t had an athlete as committed to track since I’ve started coaching,” Daugharthy said. “To see him go on and compete at Emporia State is exciting.

“It’s amazing to see how hard work really pays off,” Daugharthy said. “He’s done everything we’ve asked of him. He’s worked hard.

He wants it.”

Daugharthy also addressed younger students in attendance at Wednesday’s signing ceremony.

“If this is something you want to be, then look at Brett right here,” Daugharthy said. “He’s a great role model to get where you want to be. If you ask him, ‘How did you do it? What did you do?’ He’ll tell you, a lot of hard work. Because he works hard.”

Life changed?

So should your health insurance!

A qualifying life change such as a new job, marriage, child, or other event changing your income or household means you are eligible for special enrollment on the health insurance Marketplace. Enroll today at Healthcare.gov—no need to wait for open enrollment!

FREE ENROLLMENT ASSISTANCE 620-365-8128

9 S Jefferson, Iola

*Offer good from March 1st – March 31st, 2022.

Some restrictions apply.

Richmond, Kansas

MARCH SPECIALS Reuben Sandwich

$8.99

Sliced corned beef covered in sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and topped with 1000 Island Dressing, placed between two slices of Marble Rye. Served with your choice of fries or Susie Q’s.

Reuben Fries

$8.99

A pound of freshly cut fries loaded with corned beef, sauerkraut, mozzarella and topped with 1000 Island Dressing.

Irish Burger

$9.99

Our house Angus beef, topped with Jameson Whiskey glazed onions, sprinkled with blue cheese crumbles on a pretzel bun.

Served with your choice of fries or Susie Q’s.

ORDER ONLINE!

rookiessportsbarandgrilliola.com

(620) 228-5322 Northeast Corner of the Iola Square

B4

Friday, March 25, 2022

The Iola Register

iolaregister.com

Hill: Kansas City prepares for life without all-pro receiver Continued from B1

ter contract-extension negotiations with Hill stalled out.

The six-time Pro Bowl receiver was traded to the Miami Dolphins for five draft picks: first-, second- and fourthround picks this year and fourth- and sixth-round picks in 2023.

That might make for a nice haul overall … in the long run.

But no matter how much this might have become a necessity because of financial loggerheads and the broader realities of the Chiefs’ finances, and no matter how much it amplifies an evident transition to a younger (and more cost-efficient) roster, it’s hard to embrace this deal in the moment without even one tangible face to put to it as the Chiefs bid farewell to one of the most exhilarating football forces any of us has ever seen.

In time we’ll know what the deal really stands for, and chances are the Chiefs ultimately will prosper by it and be better girded for a longer window of opportunity in the

Mahomes Era. But this represents the end of an era in itself.

Because it’s virtually impossible to replicate what Hill meant to the Chiefs’ offense, particularly in his symmetry with Kelce’s skillset. Between Kelce’s dazzling elusiveness and maneuverability for his size to Hill’s spellbinding speed and underappreciated pure-receiver skills, each made the other (and Mahomes) geometrically better than the sum of their own considerable parts.

So without knowing moves to come or any deeper strategy at play here, on the surface it’s impossible to see any way this deal makes the Chiefs better in 2022.

All that seems apparent in the moment is that an initial priority this offseason is some combination of reducing payroll and getting younger. Hence, gone is the 28-yearold Hill, who had 111 of his 479 career receptions last season, with the only known reinforcement now 25-year-old JuJu Smith-Schuster.

And that mentality also

seems reflected in such moves as adding 25-year-old safety Justin Reid to the apparent neglect of 29-year-old safety Tyrann Mathieu, who remains unsigned.

Assuming the Chiefs indeed don’t re-sign Mathieu, they’ll have lost two of their four or five most vital players, men who were pillars of this reboot of the franchise to a level of competitiveness it seldom, if ever, has known before.

With that, we can only wonder how much our anticipation of the next few years should be doused.

Yes, Reid is a Hall of Famebound coach, and general manager Brett Veach has been instrumental. They’ve earned the benefit of the doubt on where this is all going.

To be sure, it’s not the first time in their tenure together that bold and seemingly curious moves have been made: cutting linebacker Justin Houston and safety Eric Berry in 2019 are two that come to mind. But those maneuvers helped clear the way for the

signing of Mathieu and trade for defensive Frank Clark.

Until we know more about the Chiefs’ current cosmic strategy, and until we see who these draft picks they’re getting become, all we really know now is that the Chiefs have traded away one of the linchpins of Mahomes’ success and one of the most captivating players in the game today — including for his remarkable array of antics and celebrations on the field.

Off the field, Hill at times was as confounding to cover for the media as he was for opposing defenses.

At least I’ll speak for myself here: When the Chiefs drafted him in 2016 a year after he pleaded guilty to domestic assault and battery by strangulation of his pregnant girlfriend in 2014, I thought it was a disgrace.

Then I was persuaded by his redemptive arc, including calling the Payne County (Oklahoma) assistant DA for domestic violence when his three-year deferred sentence came to an end and the case was dismissed in 2018. Every-

thing suggested he had been on the right trail.

“I don’t have any reason to disagree with that,” Debra Vincent, the assistant DA said then, adding, “Who’s to say that this wasn’t life-changing in how he looked at that part of his life?”

Only months later, though, there was utter chaos in the wake of a child-abuse probe involving Hill and former fiancee Crystal Espinal that included surreptitiously made tapes. That spurred what effectively became a suspension by the Chiefs and a four-month NFL investigation before the league ruled it “cannot conclude” he violated its personal conduct policy, and he was reinstated.

The haze of 2019 left impressions of him off the field largely in the eye of the beholder.

But there was no room for interpretation when it came to Hill’s work on the field. He was part of a magical time, instrumental in it, even, and the Chiefs will be hardpressed to approximate the dimension he gave them.

MLB: A proposal for ‘sudden death’ rule for extra innings Continued from B1

up, where a pitcher can pitch a 1-2-3 inning but still give up a run.

And for all the talk about how the “ghost runner” cut down on the seemingly endless extra-inning games, they can still run deep into the night. Anyone remember that Dodgers-Padres game from last August? Sure, it “only” went 16 innings — and took five hours and 49 minutes to complete, so the game that started at 7:10 p.m. local time Aug. 25 ended at almost 1 a.m. on Aug. 26.

Sudden Death Baseball? The maximum number of hitters is FIVE. If two runners reach base and the defense gets two outs ... suddenly, it’s bases loaded, two outs and the guy at the plate is making the winning play or the final out. You think fans that otherwise would filter out in the 10th, 11th or 12th won’t get fired up, knowing the game is going to end that quickly — one way or the other?

It also brings all the attention directly to the home manager’s decision. Imagine Gabe Kapler having to make this choice on a given night where he has Jake McGee ready to pitch the 10th ... but he also has his 2-3-4 hitters due up. Whichever he picks

Chicago Cubs infielder Nico Hoerner rounds third base during a spring training game March 18 in Scottsdale, Ariz. TNS will look right or wrong rather quickly.

“There’s not a clock on it, but when fans know this is it — top of 10th, that’s going to be it,” Pelfrey said. “If I’m managing, they get to say, ‘Oh Pelfrey, he made the wrong decision last week, let’s see what he does here.’ You create some buzz that way and conversations.”

As a member of the media, let me speak for all of my fellow writers, radio hosts and television commentators to say we will absolutely sign up for the chance to second guess each

and every single one of these decisions, whenever they happen.

Pelfrey thought up the Sudden Death Baseball idea back in 2019 as a manager for the independent Florence (Ky.) Freedom of the Frontier League. As his team played an exhibition game, their opponent wanted to use a pitcher for an extra half-inning beyond the ninth, leading Pelfrey to think about how valuable a “shootout-style” extra-inning rule would be for an independent league team to help save arms.

“In indy ball, our rosters are very small. If we blow out a couple of guys in extra innings, we have to release them or ‘phantom IL,’ so to speak,” Pelfrey said. “[We] bring in a couple of arms that think they’re getting an opportunity, but they fill in a couple of innings and they’re gone because those guys come back.”

That’s also how roster management works in the big leagues, too. After that Dodgers-Padres game from last August, the Dodgers shuffled pitchers on and off of their roster for seven

You don’t know what you don’t know.

WITHOUT PUBLIC NOTICE YOU ARE LEFT

GUESSING. A HIDDEN NOTICE IS NO NOTICE AT ALL.

Public notices in our newspaper help you stay informed about government, corporate and private activities that touch your world. An informed citizenry is the core of our democracy.

Where can I find them?

KANSASPUBLICNOTICES.COM

straight days.

Pelfrey was hired by the Giants to manage their High-A affiliate, then in San Jose, in 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic killed the minor league season. But his former independent team in Florence got together with the ownership team in Lexington to create a pop-up independent league, the Battle of the Bourbon Trail, and the Giants gave Pelfrey permission to go back and manage one of the four teams in the league (two in each city).

It was the perfect testing ground to implement Sudden Death Baseball. I at Baseball Prospectus in 2020, after hearing about it from a family friend who played in the league.

It sparked my interest then, and Pelfrey had converted everyone involved back then — including myself.

Pelfrey went back to the Giants in 2021 and managed their High-A affiliate, now in Eugene as the San Jose Giants moved to Low-A. He had seven extra-inning games then, going as deep as the 13th inning even with the “ghost runner” rule. And every time it happened, he thought back to Sudden Death Baseball.

And those in the Frontier League

thought about it, too.

The league Pelfrey used to manage in is adopting the rule, albeit after one more traditional extra inning with the “ghost runner”. So after 10 innings, it’s on to Sudden Death Baseball.

In the press release announcing the rule, fellow Frontier League manager Andy McCauley said: “Short of playing traditional extra innings, the sudden death tiebreaker is the best option for determining the outcome of a game.

With regard to game time, injury prevention and a baseball strategic outcome, I feel the new sudden death rule could be an innovative solution.”

Pelfrey said it was “awesome” to see the Frontier League implement it. But he strongly believes that once the whole baseball world gets to see it used there, they’ll also be on board.

“They’re going to come to find out, once they see how it progresses throughout the season, how it’s a really good idea for the game itself,” Pelfrey said. “It will protect guys and make sure you’re getting the best product on the field, as a fan.

I’m excited to see how it goes and I’m sure, by the end of this year, I’ll have some more conversations about it.”

The Bath or Shower You’ve Always Wanted

IN AS LITTLE AS 1 DAY

• • • • • • •

Tub-to-Shower Conversions Replacement Tubs Replacement Showers Walk-in Tubs Low-Barrier Showers Soaker Tubs Accessories and more!

$500

OR

OFF*

No Payments & No Interest For 18 Months** OFFER EXPIRES 6.30.2022

Military & Senior Discounts Available

CALL NOW!

(877) 760-1743 *Includes product and labor; bathtub, shower or walk-in tub and wall surround. This promotion cannot be combined with any other offer. Other restrictions may apply. This offer expires 6/30/22. Each dealership is independently owned and operated. **Third party financing is available for those customers who qualify. See your dealer for details. ©2022 BCI Acrylic, Inc.

iolaregister.com

The Iola Register

Friday, March 25, 2022

B5

Buying home could curb adventures Dear Carolyn: My birthday is this weekend (35!), and my partner and I are celebrating by going to look at townhouses. We are planning to buy this year. Part of me is excited about this — it was my idea, and I’ve been doing most of the research — but the other part is rebelling against the whole thing.

My 10-year plan for my 30s included living abroad for at least a year, which I never got around to doing. Yes, I realize there are people older than 35 who do this, but I also know that investing in a home now probably means I won’t be one of them.

My partner is excited and optimistic about all of this, but I’m feeling more and more like a stick in the mud. How do I stop feeling like I’m heading toward the end of all adventure?

The End of Adventure: Adventurous peo-

ple find ways.

Your way? Up to you.

You can buy a townhouse and, when you’re ready to move overseas, rent it out or hold it for a few years and sell when you’re ready to move abroad.

Or you can set up a bank account separate

Carolyn Hax Tell Me About It from your regular ones as your dream fund and designate a monthly amount to feed it, thereby making sure you don’t overbuy real estate to the point it crowds out other dreams.

Or you can leave this to the future and apportion a little time now to researching overseas possibilities, just to reassure yourself that you’re not abandoning the idea, you’re just taking things in the order that they’re proving possible. Breaking big things into manageable pieces + starting now = getting it done.

Or you cannot bother with any of this and just spill your newly conflicted feelings to your partner. It doesn’t have to be a big deal — just a mind dump, so that it’s no longer preoccupying. Label it as such first, just to make sure your partner doesn’t run with it beyond your intentions, but also be open to where an honest discussion of it takes you.

Re:

Ten-Year

Plan:

If there’s anything that wasn’t in your plan that you’re happy about, then you know the “plan” isn’t the only path to satisfaction. If you want to live abroad, great, find a way to make it happen!

But if your sadness is more about failing to cross everything off an arbitrary list, let it go.— Anonymous Dear Carolyn: I was born and raised in a football city but have always been indifferent to the sport. I don’t schedule my life around games.

The problem is that everyone else I know does, even my mom. I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that no one will even consider doing anything else on a Sunday afternoon. Now my boyfriend won’t go biking with me on what may be the last nice Sunday before the weather changes. How do I get over this frustration? — Indifferent Indifferent: This will sound glib, but it’s just direct: You will get over it only if you want to.

That is, if you genuinely make such good use of the time that you’re grateful football makes it possible. Oth-

erwise whatever you tell yourself to make it okay will just be a Band-Aid, and we all know how those look after a few days.

Seriously. If this is a source of resentment now, then it’s not going to get any better with time. Either embrace your solo Sundays, embrace football, or embrace a more compatible partner.

ZITS

BEETLE BAILEY

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

by Mort Walker

by Chris Browne

CRYPTOQUOTES XY I R L EY I W K U M F R B M RY U M L U M X I

FUNKY WINKERBEAN

by Tom Batiuk

XY L J U G L R I N I XY L K R O Z M M I X ALLD UX NKIC XY L C R L J G L R .

— V.C. WZKKUL

BLONDIE

by Young and Drake

MARVIN

by Tom Armstrong

HI AND LOIS

by Chance Browne

Yesterday’s Cryptoquote: That is one good thing about this world - there are always sure to be more springs. — Lucy Maud Montgomery

B6

Friday, March 25, 2022

The Iola Register

iolaregister.com

Young entrepreneurs on display COLONY — Crest High School students learned a bit about kickstarting a business this week.

Several business graphics students took part Tuesday in the first ever Anderson County Entrepreneurship Challenge.

The students were tasked with creating their own makeshift businesses, then preparing a four-minute executive summary to present to a panel of judges.

The presentations were a part of Tuesday’s Crest High School Trade Show, and featured fellow students, parents and others in the community.

The top three business ideas in Anderson County will move on to the Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge in Manhattan April 28.

By TALI ARBEL The Associated Press

Crest business graphics class members taking part in the Anderson County Entrepreneurship Challenge are, front row from left, Ryan West, Neveah Meats, Kyree Puckett, Halle Klotz, Liliana Blaufuss and Mia Coleman; second row, Chris Braciszewski, Brayden Goodell, Gerardo Rodriguez, Brody Hobbs and Brenton Edgerton.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOLLY ELLINGTON

At right, Brenton Edgerton and Brody Hobbs explaining their business model to Piper Schmidt and Aidynn Edgerton. At far right, Mia Coleman shows Darnell Ellis her business model.

NYC loosens restrictions; unvaccinated pro athletes can play NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s mayor exempted athletes and performers — including Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving — from the city’s vaccine mandate Thursday, while keeping in place the rule for countless other workers who faced losing their jobs for refusing to get vaccinated.

The city’s sweeping vaccine mandate still applies to many, including private workers and government employees. Critics of Mayor Eric Adams’ decision, including several public employee unions whose members were fired for not getting vaccinated, blasted the mayor for seeming to lift the rule only for wealthy and famous athletes.

The city’s largest police union, which has sued the city over the mandate, said its officers “don’t deserve to be treated like second-class citizens.”

“We have been suing the city for months over its arbitrary and capricious vaccine mandate — this is exactly what we

GIF inventor, 74, dies

are talking about. If the mandate isn’t necessary for famous people, then it’s not necessary for the cops who are protecting our city in the middle of a crime crisis,” said said its president, Pat Lynch.

Adams officially announced the change for athletes and performers Thursday at Citi Field, where the Mets play. The exemption was effective immediately.

The Municipal Labor Committee, an umbrella group of unions that together represent about 350,000 city workers, said the city should offer a way for fired workers to get their jobs back.

“There can’t be one system for the elite and another for the essential workers of our city.

We stand ready to work out the details with the mayor, as we have been throughout this process,” the group’s chair Harry Nespolli said.

Adams contended that making the athletes and performers exempt was important for the city’s economic recovery, saying “players attract people to the stadium.”

“I’m going to make

some tough choices.

People are not going to agree with some of them.” Adams said. “I must move this city forward.”

The city last month fired more than 1,400 workers who failed to comply with the vaccine mandate. The uneven application could likely invite more legal challenges over the mandate.

Adams predecessor, Mayor Bill de Blasio, made vaccination mandatory as a workplace safety rule last year, before leaving office.

Jay Varma, a health advisor to de Blasio, said in a tweet that the mandate had legal standing because it applied to everyone. “#VaccinesWork … unless you’re rich and powerful, in which case, #LobbyingWorks,” Varma wrote. He added: “The #KyrieCarveOut opens City up to entire scheme being voided by courts as “’arbitrary and capricious.’”

Adams had said he felt the vaccine rule was unfair when it came to athletes and performers because a loophole in

the measure, imposed under his predecessor, allowed visiting players and performers who don’t work in New York to still play or perform even if they are unvaccinated.

Irving, a vaccine holdout, had been among the most high-profile people impacted. He was able to re-join the team in January but only when they played out of town games. When New York lifted rules several weeks ago requiring a vaccine to dine in a restaurant, work out at a gym or attend a performance, Iving was allowed to watch the Nets’ home games but not play or enter the locker room.

The Nets need him as they push for a playoff spot with nine games left in their regular season.

Concerns had been raised this that the rule would also impact Major League Baseball.

Yankees star Aaron Judge refused to directly answer a question about his vaccine status earlier this month, leading to speculation that another New York team would be hobbled by a player’s refusal to get inoculated.

When asked Wednesday about the rule being lifted, Judge said he was “happy Kyrie can play some home games.”

The Yankees, who open their season at home against the Boston Red Sox on April 7, said earlier this month that the team president was “working with city hall and all other appropriate officials on this matter.” The Yankees declined comment Wednesday.

Stephen Wilhite, the inventor of the inter net-popular short-video format, the GIF, has died. He was 74.

His wife, Kathaleen, said Thursday in a phone interview that he died of COVID on March 14.

Wilhite, who lived in Milford, Ohio, won a Webby lifetime achievement award in 2013 for inventing the GIF, which decades after its creation became omnipresent in memes and on social media, often used as a cheeky representation of a cultural moment.

Wilhite was working at CompuServe in 1987 when he invented the GIF. “I saw the format I wanted in my head and then I started programming,” he told The New York Times in 2013, saying the first image was an airplane and insisting that the file had only one pronunciation — a soft “G,” like Jif peanut butter.

Those using the hard “G,” as in “got” or “given,” “are wrong,” he said.

“End of story.”

In that interview, he said the ‘90s-era dancing baby GIF is a favorite of his.

“There’s way more to him than inventing GIF,” Kathaleen Wilhite said of her husband, who loved trains, with a room dedicated to them in the basement of their house with “enormous train tracks,” as well as taking camping trips. Still, even after he retired in 2001, “he never stopped programming,” she said.

YOU WILL BE FEELING LUCKY

with the Best Tire Savings & Service Specials in SEK!

free

coupon

front-end alignment special $59.95 with the purchase of 4 tires

expires 3/31/22

must present coupon for discount

Mount & Balance, flat repair, road hazard and lifetime rotate.

any tire! any size! any brand! expires 3/31/22

coupon

$10 off

good towards any service

expires 3/31/22

must present coupon for discount

must present coupon for discount

coupon

$75 off $150 off 2 tires

4 tires

any size! any brand! ask for roger!

expires 3/31/22

must present coupon for discount

814 W. Cherry, Chanute, KS (620) 431-0480 Toll free 1-877-431-0480 monday–friday 7:30 am until 5:30 pm Saturday 8:00 am until 2 pm

1229 Highway 54 Yates Center, KS 66783