Saturday, July 25, 2020
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USD 257
Schools to start Aug. 24 By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
Cowboy, a one-eyed rodeo veteran, returned to the arena this summer with Ruthie Jones, age 9, Moran. Ruthie is new to riding, and her aunt, Nikki Sprague, said she trusts Cowboy to take care of his riders. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS
The old, one-eyed Cowboy By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
ted through the dirt toward the finish line. He’s a former racehorse, and even at the elderly age of 28, he can go fast. Ruthie, though, took it easy. She’s only competed in a couple of barrel races, and she’s still a little afraid. “I was nervous,” she said. “But I was happy. I felt good.”
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owboy put his trust into his rider as he turned left around the first barrel in the Allen County Arena Wednesday evening. The horse is missing his left eye and can’t see anything on that side. Years of muscle memory and the cues from his rider, 9-yearold Ruthie Jones, guided him around the barrel. He felt the pressure of her thighs, the heel of her boot in his side, the reins against his neck. They rounded the first
A young Juliana Sprague, now 18, competes in barrel racing with Cowboy not long after he returned to the rodeo circuit after losing his left eye. COURTESY PHOTO barrel and completed the cloverleaf pattern around two more. These were right
turns, and he saw them coming. Cowboy and Ruthie trot-
JULIANA SPRAGUE, age 18, watched the run from the sidelines. Ten years ago, she was in Ruthie’s seat. Cowboy was her competition horse, and she ran barrel races in this very arena as well as in rodeos across See COWBOY | Page A6
Students in USD 257 will start classes Aug. 24, district officials announced Friday. That’s a bit of a delay from the planned start date of Aug. 19, after the coronavirus pandemic and political infighting at the state level threw several Stacey Fager curveballs at schools as they try to figure out how to reopen. Students will enroll Aug. 4-6, and parents will be asked to say if they prefer in-person or online learning, to help the district better prepare for the coming year. Gov. Laura Kelly initially wanted to delay the start of the school year until after Labor Day, giving districts more time to plan. The state’s coronavirus cases have surged in recent weeks, with 25,109 positive cases reported as of Friday, an increase of 1,006 from Wednesday. Eleven cases have been reported in Allen County. The Kansas Board of Education overturned Kelly’s executive order earlier this week and will allow school districts to open whenever See SCHOOLS | Page A4
HHS alum eyes future 4-H’ers remain in hog heaven in rural healthcare By TREVOR HOAG The Iola Register
By TREVOR HOAG The Iola Register
Humboldt native Noah Johnson has just earned the honor of being accepted into the Scholars in Rural Health Program through the KU School of Medicine. “It’s kind of been a dream of mine, since I wanted to be in medicine, especially rural medicine,” he said. Through the program, Johnson will shadow physicians for 200 hours in the two years prior to medical school, as well as work with mentors in the community. The big payoff ? He gets automatic acceptance into medical school. The program also has the added benefit of making it so that all of Johnson’s medical school experience will basically be free. No wonder he called the
Vol. 122, No. 188 Iola, KS 75 Cents
Noah Johnson program “a win-win.” To qualify for the program, students had to be from a rural town, as well as complete “a pretty hefty application process,” that See JOHNSON | Page A4
Thursday night the 2020 4-H hog show drew a substantial crowd, and showcased some intense competition among the youth showing off their prized pigs. Carly Dreher led the way by winning grand champion in the first round of competition, wherein her intense focus was clear in the show ring. She’d brought along with her three pigs: Banana Peel, Auto and Bre. In terms of showing animals, “I kind of grew up around it, and I’ve been doing it my whole life,” she said. And with parents and a sister also encouraging her to get involved, she soon “developed a passion for it, and for the ag industry.” Dreher’s plans are to eventually attend a community college, hopefully on a livestock
4-H members show off their pigs during the opening round of competition at the Allen County Fair Thursday. REGISTER/TREVOR HOAG
judging scholarship, and then move on to K-State. “4-H teaches you a lot of life lessons,” she added. In particular, “responsibility and leadership skills.” “4-H has just been really good for growing up.”
Along with many of the other participants, Dreher also shared a few factoids about her charges. “Pigs are actually the third smartest animal in the See SWINE | Page A7
A successful START means we all have to do our part. It’s safest to stay home. BUT IF YOU HEAD OUT:
629 S. Plummer - Chanute 620-431-4000 www.neoshomemorial.com
You can help prevent the spread. Learn more at www.cdc.gov