Sports: Red Devils fall short of Region VI playoffs See B1
The Weekender Saturday, April 25, 2015
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Making medical history
Budget proposal targets hospitals By JOHN HANNA The Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Hospitals in Kansas would pay higher fees and the state would capture projected savings from three companies managing its Medicaid proposals under new budget-balancing proposals that Republican Gov. Sam Brownback outlined Thursday. Budget Director Shawn Sullivan has said legislators must close a shortfall of about $400 million in the budget for the next fiscal year, and Brownback’s latest proposals would trim spending by nearly $64 million between now and the end of June 2016. The governor made them public ahead of a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee. About half of the expected budget savings — nearly $33 million — would come from reducing the state’s projected spending for Medicaid, which provides health coverage to 368,000 needy and disabled Kansas
residents. The state contracted with three health insurance companies to manage the program. Legislative researchers said that when previous cost estimates were made in November, the state was negotiating what it would pay the companies for each Medicaid participant. Forecasters predicted a 3.5 percent increase in those payments; the actual rate was 3 percent. “That was the good news that we heard of the day,” said Appropriations Committee Chairman Ron Ryckman Jr., an Olathe Republican. The full Legislature returns April 29 from its annual spring break to wrap up its business for the year, and it must balance the budget for the next fiscal year. The shortfall arose after lawmakers aggressively cut personal income taxes in 2012 and 2013 at Brownback’s urging to help stimulate the economy. The proposed fee inSee BUDGET | Page A3
Ray Shannon underwent a unique spinal fusion surgery Monday, the first in the U.S. to do so.
Iolan first in U.S. to undergo procedure
R
ay Shannon has experienced a lot in his 83-plus years. He can add “medical pioneer” to his resume, courtesy of a unique spinal fusion surgery he underwent Monday in a Kansas City hospital. Shannon became the first person in the United States to receive the Minuteman G3, a device inserted into his vertebrae in order to relieve chron-
ic pain that had developed over the past several months. His recovery has gone as expected — considerable soreness remains, primarily from the surgical procedure — and Shannon is hopeful he can soon walk without the aid of a cane or
walker. Shannon was dismissed from Blue Valley Hospital in Overland Park Tuesday, and spoke from his home Thursday about his experiences. Acute back pain over the past several months had begun to spread, Shannon said, to the point it was sending sharp pains into his leg. His physician, Dr. Wesley See HISTORY | Page A6
Cutbacks will put SAFE BASE on summer hiatus By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
For the last 15 years Angela Henry has helped parent what she jokingly calls her additional child. The director of USD 257’s after-school program SAFE BASE said due to a 50-percent cut in its budget, SAFE BASE will not host a summer program this year. As the program is about to
At left, Laura Newkirk, from left, instructor Jud Hawley, Olivia Tremain and Courtney Smutz practice strumming chords during acoustic guitar class at SAFE BASE Thursday. REGISTER/KAYLA BANZET
RYLA inspires students By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
Yohon Sinclair, a junior at Iola High School, conquered his fear of heights in late March at a camp near Tahlequah, Okla. That occurred when he and five classmates attended Rotary Youth Leadership Awards leadership camp. They told Iola Rotarians, their sponsors, about their experiences Thursday. Sinclair said a course emphasizing climbing to what until then would have been a dizzying height for him became attainable with encouragement from a new-
Quote of the day Vol. 117, No. 122
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Couple opens event center in iconic building
found friend. At the top they had the option of climbing down, but, with his confidence peaking, he opted to take a zip line — and enjoyed every second of it. Arriving at the camp was a bit terrifying, Sinclair declared. Newcomers were greeted with yells and chants, so rambunctious that it was unnerving, but after that and some other ice-breakers, “I got comfortable,” Sinclair said. Taelyn Sutterby also had a period of adjustment. “I’m a follower, a quieter one,” she said, and RYLA taught her how not only to See RYLA | Page A4
turn a sweet 16, Henry is looking for ways to keep it going. Henry was notified last year of a looming reduction in the 21st Century Community Center grant, which funds SAFE BASE. Cutting the grant in half forced organizers to cut 12 days off the schedule in order to stay afloat. “We had to cut the number of classes we offer, how many teachers we have, counseling classes for families at night and our blue plate dinner nights,” Henry said. SAFE BASE was born in 2000 with the help of grant money. At the time a threeyear program was anticipated, but Henry continued to
By RICK DANLEY The Iola Register
In January 1910 this paper sent a reporter to the corner of Madison Avenue and State Street, where finishing touches were being put on the town’s newest factory. The building’s inspector had just completed his rounds. Quizzed on his impressions of the soon-to-open facility, he told the reporter: “Fine! Fine! It is a magnificent building!” He then went on to describe how perfectly the building’s ranks of vertical windows gathered the outdoor light. See MILLER | Page A3
Daniel and Cara Thomas
“We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.” — Maya Angelou, American poet 75 Cents
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