The Iola Register, Aug. 25, 2023

Apartment project gets into gear

By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register

Work has begun to convert the old Arkhaven Nursing Home complex into a series of apartments in north Iola.

Developer Shane Lamb, who owns the property at 1336 N. Walnut St., expects the first apartments to be ready for occupancy by the end of the year.

“We get probably four phone calls a day from people wanting to rent,” Lamb said Wednesday. “I got tired of letting it sit here and wait.”

Lamb was unsuccessful in applying for a state grant that would have funded a portion of the renovation project.

It was at that time, Lamb decided to eschew further delays by vying for government grants, and bite the bullet and pay cash for the entire renovation project.

“It’s very expensive, but it’s time to stop talking about it, and just do it,” he said. “If we’re gonna wait for somebody to do it, we’re gonna be waiting forever.”

The remodel will be extensive.

“We’ll keep the brick (walls) and that’s about it, for the small buildings,” Lamb said. “Everything will be stripped down to studs. Some of the electric will remain, but everything will

essentially be new construction.”

THE COMPLEX consists of a

H-shaped building, in addition to a pair of separate apartment buildings.

The smaller buildings are the first on Lamb’s to-do list, and will lead to a dozen one-bedroom apartments.

All will be handicap-accessible, with new climate-control systems, LED lighting, insulation and walk-in showers.

“They’re gonna be as energy efficient as you can possibly get them,” Lamb said. “We won’t have the cheapest apartments in town, but the plan is we will have the nicest.”

He expects to begin accepting rental applications as the first phase nears its completion later this year.

The second phase covers

the larger building and is expected to begin after Jan. 1.

“We’re still in the planning stages with our architect on the design,” he said, although he expects that portion to create another 40 or so units.

Those will be one- and two-bedroom apartments, “although we may end up getting a three-bedroom apartment as well,” he said.

All will be styled as townhouse apartments, with exterior entrances.

TURNING the old nursing home into an apartment complex has been a long time coming since Iola Nursing Center closed its doors in late 2015.

In 2019, Iola City Council members rejected a devel-

oper’s rezoning request to convert the building into an apartment complex targeted for elderly residents. That request was rejected, in part because of ambiguity surrounding the project, Iola Planning Commission members noted. Lamb then acquired the building, and like the previous owners, received a frosty greeting when he hosted neighboring landowners for a gathering to discuss plans for the building.

With several other projects ongoing — he’s in the midst of 13 such renovation projects across Southeast Kansas — Lamb put the Iola site on the backburner until early in

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Allen Co. fire threat still low

Woodson County issues burn ban

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

Allen County Landfill officials are working to set up a special e-waste collection point. E-waste represents 2% of trash in U.S. landfills, but constitutes 70% of all toxic waste. Only 12.5% is currently being recycled.PIXABAY.COM

Landfill seeks answers for e-waste dangers

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

Batteries continue to be a problem at the Allen County Landfill, even as officials work toward a solution.

Landfill crews stopped two potential fires in the past week, Public Works Director Mitch Garner told county commissioners on Tuesday.

Workers saw areas of the landfill smoking and were able to use a metal bucket to extract the garbage. When they examined the trash, they found lithium batteries to be the culprit, Garner said.

Battery disposal has become a serious problem in recent years. Batteries were

suspected as a potential cause for three fires at the landfill in the past year.

Over the past few months, Garner, his landfill crews and commissioners have focused their attention on resolving the problem. Their approach is two-fold: A public education campaign to prevent lithium batteries from being dumped with regular trash, and a special collection point for electronic waste. Those efforts are still in the early stages. Garner said he plans to run ads in local newspapers and on the radio.

The county needs a permit

See E-WASTE | Page A4

Allen County isn’t currently at risk of fire danger, but an extended stretch of hot, dry weather has prompted Woodson County officials to enact a burn ban, effective immediately.

Jason Trego, Allen County Emergency Management director, said he is more concerned about the safety of firefighters who might be called to fight a variety of fires, including grass fires, while temperatures are near or above 100 degrees.

Many residents continue to clean up after a July 14 storm by burning piles of downed tree limbs and brush. Farmers who conduct controlled burning have not had problems with fires spreading outside the designated area, Trego said. Most call the county dispatch center to report their plans.

“We’re not seeing any issues and I want to chalk that up to our citizens being vigilant and knowing what to do and when to do it,” Trego said.

Spring is more dangerous for out-of-control fires, he said, although this summer

REGISTER FILE PHOTO has been notable for hot, dry conditions.

All of Allen County is in moderate to extreme drought, though the majority falls into the “severe drought” category. The county remains 5.49 inches short of a typical amount of precipitation at this point of the year.

Trego said he doesn’t plan to ask county commissioners for a burn ban. Requests for a ban typically come to Trego from local fire chiefs. County officials usually try not to restrict open burning unless conditions are dangerous, Trego said.

Trego also consults the Grassland Fire Danger Index and other sources. Currently, the index does not report any fire danger for Allen

County.

WOODSON County has ranked among the driest counties in the state, according to weather reports from Kansas State University.

The county has received 1.5 inches of rain over the past month, less than half of what’s averaged. Over the past year, the county is more than 16 inches below normal.

And there is little relief in sight.

Forecasts call for a slight chance of rain Sunday, but otherwise dry conditions through next week, with highs ranging from the upper 80s to the mid 90s. The burn ban will remain

See FIRES | Page A3

José Romero of J&M Flipping applies a sheet of underlay Wednesday atop what will be new apartments in the old Arkhaven Nursing Home facility at 1336 N. Walnut St. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

larger

Shane Lamb

Obituary Area news

Betty Stoll

Betty Belle (Berry) Stoll, 94, of Humboldt, passed away on Aug. 22, 2023 at Medicalodges Iola.

She was born Feb. 13, 1929, on the banks of the Marais Des Cygne River in Bates County, Missouri. She was the first of four children born to Beuford Lewis and Mary Opal (Boling) Berry.

Betty Stoll

Betty Belle attended grade school at Nyhart School all of her eight years of formal education, walking to school each day — rain, shine or snow. She had only three teachers in these eight years.

From 1950 to 1955, she was a surgery aide at the old Bates County Memorial Hospital in Butler, Missouri. While living in Butler, she met Marion Lee Stoll. They were married in Butler on March 10, 1956. Marion was a Lutheran and Betty a member of the Christian Church; however, they were married by a Methodist minister.

The first of their three daughters, Norma Jean, was born at Bates County Memorial Hospital on March 14, 1957. Betty and Marion remained in Missouri only a short time after her birth and then moved to Allen County, Kansas, in the summer of 1957, where they spent the remainder of their lives.

After moving to Kansas, two more daughters were born at Allen County Hospital in Iola. Paula Sue was born on March 11, 1959, and Carol Lee was born on March 8, 1961. The girls all attended school in Humboldt.

Betty was a member of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church of Humboldt, a charter member of the church’s Mission of Love, and active in the Lutheran Guild and Lutheran Women’s Missionary League. She was also a member of the Cottage Grove Ladies Aid, Groves Extension Unit, Democratic Ladies Club, and the Cofachique Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was a charter member and past president of the Sunflower Quilt Guild, and a committeewoman for Salem Township.

In 1974, she began working again as a nurse aide at Allen County Hospital in Iola and worked there for more than 30 years, ending her career there as a dietary aide. She enjoyed traveling, garage sales, photography, flowers, birds, country western music, quilting, and handiwork of many types.

Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Marion; her parents; two brothers, Edward Berry and Bob Berry; a son-in-law, David Middendorf; and a grandson, Israel Calvert.

She is survived by her three daughters, Norma Middendorf of Humboldt; Paula Calvert of Winchester, Kentucky; and Carol Stoll of Humboldt; one sister, Sally Olive of Butler, Missouri; one sister-in-law, Ione Berry of Butler; five grandchildren, Eric Middendorf, Adam Middendorf, Cari Cusick, Jesse Calvert and Hope Calvert; six great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service is planned for 3 p.m. Sunday at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Humboldt. Cremation will take place under the direction of Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, Iola. She will be laid to rest next to Marion at a later date in Taborville, Missouri.

Memorials may be made to Mission of Love at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and may be left in care of Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, 1883 U.S. 54, Iola.

Condolences may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.

FSCC squads offer tattoo fundraiser FORT SCOTT — Fort Scott Community College’s cheer and dance teams have found a novel approach to fundraising: by offering free tattoos.

The FSCC squads have partnered with two area tattoo artists for a raffle drawing.

Loran Must Tattoo and Kelsie Lindsey will each offer a free tattoo.

The first-place winner will get a free 6-by6 tattoo from Loran Must of Kansas City, Mo. The second-place winner will get a free 4-by-4 tattoo from Kalsie Lindsey of Pleasanton. Such body art can cost up to $600. The tattoos can be in color or black and white.

For more information, contact the cheer and dance adviser Chelsea Yount at (620) 215-3808.

Parsons seeks new site for development

PARSONS — Organizers will look elsewhere for a housing development project that could bring as many as eight new homes to Parsons.

The Parsons Sun reported Parsons economic development director Jim Zaleski pulled a platting application that would have put the homes near Winway Park on the south edge of town.

The application was pulled because of neighbors voicing concerns about potential flooding with the new development, the newspaper reported.

Zaleski described housing as the community’s top need.

“My job is to do that where it’s wanted,” he said, according to the newspaper. “We’ll find a place where the residents feel they fit. We’re not here to try and squeeze a square peg into a round hole. But that’s how the res-

idents feel. We respect their wishes and we’ll look to build brand new houses in another neighborhood.”

Driver found after fatal collision

GALENA — Authorities have located a driver involved in a hit and run fatal collision Saturday night.

Deputies were called to eastbound K-66 at the western edge of Galena, the Pittsburg Morning Sun reported.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, a 2017 Ford Raptor was eastbound on K-66 when it drove onto the eastbound shoulder, striking a pedestrian walking on the shoulder.

Police identified 60-year-old Gary Wayne LaTurner of Galena as the victim, the newspaper reported.

Close to 5 p.m. on Monday, the Kansas Highway Patrol posted on its Facebook page that the vehicle and the

driver had been located, the newspaper said. There was no indication whether the driver has been arrested.

Cherryvale voters support sales taxes

CHERRYVALE —

Cherryvale city voters gave overwhelming support for the renewal of two sales tax questions that were presented in a special election Tuesday

The taxes — totaling 1% — fund capital improvements and recreational amenities, the Montgomery County Chronicle reported.

The vote was split into two questions, with the first, the three-quarters of a cent rate question, was approved by a 93 to 22 vote; the second rate, for one-quarter of a cent, passed 90 to 25.

Approval means the overall tax rate will not change on Jan. 1, when the new rate goes into effect, the newspaper reported.

Advocates debate racism in foster care

By RACHEL MIPRO Kansas Reflector

LAWRENCE — State systems are like egg-breakers, Sharla Smith said, using the imagery to ask whether governmental and social systems help or harm families of color.

“When you think about what systems are doing, are they cracking the egg from the outside, which ends life and ability and resources and opportunities for Black people, or are they cracking it from the inside, which then begins life?” Smith asked.

Smith, director and founder of the Kansas Birth Equity Network, participated in a Wednesday meeting of the Kansas Racial

US: Explosion caused Wagner crash

WASHINGTON (AP) —

A preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment has found that the plane crash presumed to have killed Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was intentionally caused by an explosion, according to U.S. and Western officials.

One of the officials, who were not authorized to comment and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the explosion falls in line with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “long history of trying to silence his critics.”

The officials did not offer any details on what caused the explosion that was believed to have killed Prigozhin and several of his lieutenants to avenge a mutiny that challenged the Russian leader’s authority.

Details of the U.S. assessment surfaced as Putin on Thursday expressed his condolences to the families of those who were reported to be aboard the jet and referred to “serious mistakes” by Prigozhin. The White House declined to comment.

The founder of the Wagner military company and six other pas-

sengers were on a private jet that crashed Wednesday soon after taking off from Moscow with a crew of three, according to Russia’s civil aviation authority. Rescuers found 10 bodies, and Russian media cited anonymous sources in Wagner who said Prigozhin was dead. But there has been no official confirmation.

President Joe Biden, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, said that he believed Putin was behind the crash, though he acknowledged that he did not, at that time, have solid information verifying his belief.

“I don’t know for a fact what happened, but I’m not surprised,” Biden said. “There’s not much that happens in Russia that Putin’s not behind. But I don’t know enough to know the answer.”

If the deaths are confirmed, the crash would be the most serious blow the group has ever suffered to its leadership.

The passenger manifest included Prigozhin and his second-in-command who baptized the group with his nom de guerre, as well as Wagner’s logistics chief, a fighter wounded by U.S.

airstrikes in Syria and at least one possible bodyguard.

It was not clear why several high-ranking members of Wagner, including top leaders who are normally exceedingly careful about their security, were on the same flight. The purpose of their joint trip to St. Petersburg was unknown.

In all, the other passengers included six of Prigozhin’s lieutenants, along with the three-member flight crew.

Equity Collaborative. The collaborative is a statewide initiative geared toward spreading awareness of disparities in child welfare and advocating for equity.

In the state, disparities in treatment of Black children appear to start before birth. A state-by-state analysis of maternal deaths from 1999 to 2019 found consistently high risk in Kansas for Black mothers. Black Kansans had a 13.6% premature birth rate, 51% higher than rates for other demographics, and made up 14% of pregnancy-related deaths, but only 7.1% of birth rates, according to data from 2016 to 2018.

Black children are also consistently overrepresented in foster care. In 2021, Black children made up 14% of the total child population but 22% of all kids in foster care.

Cornerstones of Care president Meredith Rose said the organization would

commit to justice.

“We will not be contributors to harm, we will not be doers of what causes the proliferation of the problem, we will identify boldly and clearly what racial divides and inequities and disproportionality looks like,” Rose said. A 2022 report on the foster care system

found out of 6,663 children and youth in DCF custody, 20% or 1,314 youth and children, were Black. According to a DCF report, almost half of the youths placed in foster care in 2022 were there because they needed better resources, not because of abuse or neglect.

Rose said the state needs improved intervention methods.

“We know that trauma begets trauma,” Rose said. “It’s almost cliche to talk about breaking the cycles, but it really starts at what is disrupting that household?

What is the trauma that is leading to those issues of poverty, or homelessness or dysfunction within the house?”

Foster care providers and staff debate ways to reduce racism in the system, following reports of system inequalities. (SAM BAILEY/KANSAS REFLECTOR)

GOP hopefuls (sans Trump) hit debate stage

By SARA BURNETT, JILL COLVIN and JONATHAN J. COOPER The Associated Press

MILWAUKEE (AP) —

The Republican presidential candidates vying to be the leading alternative to front-runner Donald Trump fought — sometimes bitterly — over abortion rights, U.S. support for Ukraine and the type of experience needed to manage an expansive federal government during the first debate of the 2024 campaign.

But when it came to arguably the most consequential choice facing the party, virtually everyone on the debate stage in Milwaukee on Wednesday night lined up behind Trump, who declined to participate, citing his commanding lead. Most said they would support Trump as their nominee even if he is convicted in a series of cases that range from his handling of classified documents to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his role in making hush money payments to a porn actress and other women.

“Let’s just speak the truth,” said tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. “President Trump, I believe, was the best president of the 21st century. It’s a fact.”

In the face of such an unprecedented moment in American politics, that sentiment was a reminder of the power Trump continues to wield in the party and the reluctance of most GOP White House hopefuls to directly confront him or his norm-breaking activity. And it spoke to the struggle of any single candidate in the crowded field to

Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and North Dakota governor Doug Burgum participate in the first debate of the GOP primary season hosted by FOX News at the Fiserv Forum Wednesday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. GETTY IMAGES/WIN MCNAMEE/KANSAS REFLECTOR

Best recent presidents

emerge as a credible counter to Trump with less than five months until the Iowa caucuses formally jumpstart the GOP presidential nomination process.

That challenge was particularly acute for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who announced his campaign in May to great fanfare but has since struggled to

gain traction. He was sometimes eclipsed on Wednesday by lower-polling candidates, including former Vice President Mike Pence, a generally understated politician who demonstrated an aggressive side as he positioned himself as the most experienced candidate on stage.

Pence along with for-

mer New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie sparred frequently with Ramaswamy. The goal for almost every candidate was to use the event, hosted by Fox News, to displace DeSantis from his distant second-place standing and introduce themselves to viewers who are just tuning into the race.

WHILE THE candidates repeatedly tangled — often talking over moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum — most refused to oppose Trump as the nominee, even if he becomes a convicted felon. The question came nearly an hour into the debate and a day before Trump is set to surrender in Georgia on charges of trying to overturn the state’s 2020 election.

The moderators appeared apologetic about

Fires: No burn ban yet for Allen Co.

Continued from A1

in effect until it is called off by Woodson County commissioners.

FIRE DANGERS have come to the forefront after a massive wildfire, stoked by winds from a hurricane, destroyed the town of Lahaina in Maui, Hawaii. Hundreds are missing and feared dead.

Local officials there were criticized for not sounding outdoor alarm sirens as the fire spread.

Trego said in Allen County, sounding the storm sirens in Iola is under the authority of the city’s fire chief. In the county, the sheriff has that authority.

Trego also encouraged all residents to sign up for the Code Red warning system. It will

Jason Trego

send notifications to your cell phone in the event of an emergency or severe weather.

To sign up, go to allencounty.org and look for the “Code Red” button at the bottom of the home page. You can

also find “Allen County Emergency Management” on Facebook and click the “sign up” button.

Trego said if a major wildfire hit Allen County, officials would declare a disaster similar to what happened with the July 14 storm. Doing so would allow the state to provide resources, such as Black Hawk helicopters or a tanker plane that could fly over the

area and dump water. The county also could request mutual aid from surrounding counties, and get help from the Kansas Forestry Service.

Trego said he was deployed to Hutchinson in March 2017 as part of a telecommunicator emergency response task force when that community faced massive wildfire threats. It was a good learning experience, he said.

even raising the issue of a potentially incarcerated nominee, saying they would spend just a “brief moment” discussing the man they called “the elephant not in the room,” which drew boos from the audience.

“Someone’s got to stop normalizing misconduct. Whether or not you believe that the criminal charges are right or wrong, the conduct is beneath the office of president of the United States,” said Christie, a onetime Trump ally who has since become a fierce critic.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was the only person who clearly refused to raise his hand, indicating he would not support Trump as the nominee if he was convicted. DeSantis was among those who did raise his hand. He said Pence “did his duty” on Jan. 6, 2021, when

Most said they would support Trump as their nominee even if he is convicted in a series of cases that range from his handling of classified documents to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his role in making hush money payments to a porn actress and other women.

he refused to go along with Trump’s unconstitutional scheme to overturn the vote, but nonetheless pressed the hosts to move on.

“This election is not about Jan. 6, 2021. It’s about Jan. 20 of 2025 when the next president is going to take office,” he said.

For his part, Pence defended his decision not to overturn the election in Trump’s favor, a move that ended their strong partnership, saying he upheld his oath to defend the constitution.

Trump, who had long said he felt it would be foolish to participate in the debate given his dominant lead in the race, followed through with his threat to skip the Fox event in a blow to the network. Instead, Trump pre-recorded an interview with ex-Fox host Tucker Carlson that was posted to the platform formerly known as Twitter right before the debate kicked off.

Newspapers put truth ont and center

Design flaw may slow 737 deliveries

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN The Associated Press

Boeing and a key supplier say that a new manufacturing flaw could delay deliveries of the 737 Max, Boeing’s best-selling plane.

Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems said they discovered improperly drilled fastener holes in the aft pressure bulkhead — which maintains pressure when planes are at cruising altitude – on the fuselages of some models of the 737 Max.

Wichita, Kansas-based Spirit said late Wednesday because it uses multiple suppliers, only some units are impacted and it will continue to deliver fuselages to Boeing.

Boeing said the issue does not affect safety of flight, and 737 Max planes already in service can keep flying.

“This issue will impact near-term 737 deliveries as we conduct inspections to determine the number of airplanes affected, and complete required rework on those airplanes,” Boeing said in a statement. “We continue to deliver 737s that are not affected.”

Aircraft manufactur-

ers have wrestled with supply issues in recent years. Spirit AeroSystems builds the fuselage for Boeing’s 737 Max narrowbody jet and substantial sections of aircraft bodies in other Boeing models. The company builds components for Airbus aircraft as well.

The flaw, in which some fastener holes were found to be elongated, is a setback in Boeing’s plan to deliver 400 to 450 Max jets this year, and “some downward revision seems likely,” said Cowen

aerospace analyst Cai von Rumohr.

The analyst said that Boeing has delivered only 17 737s in August, compared with 32 in July. Boeing gets about 60% of the plane’s purchase price upon delivery, so every delay of 10 deliveries pushes back cash flow by about $300 million — plus the cost of inspections and remedial work — von Rumohr said.

In April, Boeing cautioned that production and delivery of a “significant number” of its 737 Max planes could

Crews survey Franklin’s aftermath

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic

(AP) — Authorities in the Dominican Republic fanned out across the Caribbean country on Thursday to evaluate the damage Tropical Storm Franklin inflicted on crops and homes after causing heavy flooding that killed at least two people and left one missing.

“We hope everything turns out well,” he said as he asked authorities to prevent water from the Yubaso River near his home from backing up.

The request was echoed by Santa Rosario Rodríguez, a homemaker who went to a shelter with her two daughters when the Nigua River by her house started to swell.

be delayed because of questions about Spirit AeroSystems’ work on the fuselages.

All Max planes were grounded worldwide for nearly two years after a pair of deadly crashes, and production flaws halted deliveries of the larger 787 jetliner several times in the past three years.

Shares of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. were down 14% in afternoon trading Thursday, while Arlington, Virginia-based Boeing Co.’s stock slipped more than 3%.

More than 670 homes were affected by the storm, according to preliminary government figures, and 24 communities were cut off by heavy rains.

Crews evacuated more than 3,300 people to higher ground ahead of the storm, and another 352 residents sought safety in government shelters.

Among them was Domingo Ogando Figuereo, who took shelter in a communal center in the city of San Cristobal with his wife and three children.

“When it fills up with water, it has nowhere to go,” she said.

The storm left hundreds of thousands of people without power and more than 1.6 million without water after knocking 120 aqueducts out of service.

By Thursday, schools, businesses and government agencies were reopened as the tropical storm spun northeast of the country.

Franklin is expected to strengthen into a hurricane over the next few days, but poses no threat to land.

E-waste: County addresses lithium battery dangers

Continued from A1

from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment before the landfill can establish a collection point for electronic waste such as batteries.

Garner said he is waiting for that to be approved but in the meantime, some area residents have already started to separate batteries from regular trash. He prefers to establish a dump site on the ground but is considering a container.

Garner also is reaching out to e-waste recycling companies. Some will provide a container and will pick it up when full.

E-waste generally includes such things as televisions, microwaves, computers, tablets, phones, vaping devices and even toys. Lithium ion batteries typically are found in items that can be recharged.

No large appliances will be allowed in the e-waste collection point, Garner said.

As soon as the state issues a permit and an official collection location is established, Garner plans to advertise

that as well. Paul Zirjacks, a citizen who regularly attends county meetings, suggested the county consider placing smaller battery collection points at various locations, similar to collection points for unused prescription drugs.

IN ADDITION to the battery disposal issue, commissioners also have been discussing tire disposal. That issue also came to the forefront recently after Garner and an engineer announced the landfill’s waste tire collection has nearly reached its limit. Most of that comes from FMS/United Tire, a tire recycling company that has dumped nearly 2,000 tons of shredded tires over the past six months.

Commissioners asked Garner to revise the policy. Currently, the landfill charges $5.50 per ton for tires that come from Allen County and $130 per ton for those from outside the county. The large price difference is intended to discourage excessive tire dumping.

On Tuesday, they

DDS Richard T. HALE

asked Garner to establish another price tier based on volume. They suggested companies that exceed either 20 or 25 tons per month should pay a higher rate, but did not recommend what that might be.

“I’m not so concerned about rates as I am quantities,” Commissioner Bruce Symes said.

“I talked to a couple of the tire shops here in town,” Chairman David Lee said. He noted that except for United Tire,

most average less than 12 tons per month.

“If you go to 20 or 25, it allows for some growth.”

Garner also emphasized that KDHE requires tires to be cut a specific way before they are dumped. Crews will enforce that more strictly and discuss the matter with customers.

IN OTHER county news:

Garner and Road and Bridge director Mark Griffith gave commis-

sioners an update on new equipment. A new bulldozer for the landfill should arrive next week; it wasn’t expected until later in the fall. Garner also reported a new hydroseeder machine used to cover trash is working well.

Griffith reported his department has received a new Mower Max, a specialized mowing machine manufactured by a Florida company. He and a crewman would be trained on the machine

this week. He also said new mowers are working well but a distributor truck is having mechanical issues.

Griffith also apologized for the need to delay a planned road repair project south of Humboldt. The state will reimburse the county for repair costs, but only if certain conditions are met first. Griffith said he was unaware of those stipulations so he is delaying the project until the requested repairs are made.

A Boeing 737 MAX cockpit in a hangar at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington. SEATTLE TIMES/DANIEL KIM/TNS

Opinion

Lahaina: Building back better, smarter

By KEN WILLIS Los Angeles Times/TNS

Even as rescue and recovery efforts proceed in Maui after the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history, it’s not too soon to start thinking about how to rebuild the lives and properties in the devastated town of Lahaina.

Officials say that more than 80% of the structures in Lahaina, once the capital of Hawaii’s royal court, were destroyed when the inferno swept through the community. Some of the buildings reduced to ashes or damaged reached back to Hawaii’s whaling days and later to a shipping industry fueled by the islands’ sugar industry.

In the past, tourists came, in part, to see the charming historic, wooden buildings that defined old Hawaii. That can never be restored. But future visitors might be attracted by a rebuilt Lahaina that showcases the latest advances in energy efficiency, blended and balanced mixes of commercial, residential, hotel, restaurant, shopping, pedestrian walkways and car-free zones.

Naturally, there will be pressure to rebuild as quickly as possible. And economic instincts will drive residents and officials to slap up new structures that perhaps mirror the old ones. But that will only result in re-creating a place that is a lesser shadow of its former self.

Maui County faces a huge challenge in the coming months and years in decid-

ing how to rebuild Lahaina. With federal and state aid that has already been pledged, insurance payments and collective thought and planning, the leaders of Lahaina can create a new vision for the town that takes into account a future altered by climate change, which was a factor in the drier conditions this year that fed the wildfires.

For instance, all new construction might be required to incorporate solar panels in this sun-blessed state. Town and county officials should consult urban planners who can offer cost-saving and design ideas that could create a

vibrant city center, protected by a new fire-stopping ring to prevent another wildfire catastrophe. Because the fire wiped out the town’s vegetation as well as buildings, new plantings should largely use native Hawaiian plants and species. Officials could create new entertainment venues highlighting Hawaii’s rich musical history and deep pool of talent. Open-air food markets and shops that don’t rely on access by cars would allow visitors and residents to share the rich offering of local foods. New attractions might provide centers that feature Hawaiian seafaring

and agricultural techniques, or others that educate visitors about the importance of oceans in Hawaiian history and the effects of global climate fluctuations.

Rebuilding housing for local workers will have to be a central mission since lack of housing has been a significant problem for Maui even before the fires. Other advancements in the infrastructure should also be explored, including vertical farming concepts, new methods of water preservation, and emergency communications networks that could operate throughout any future disruptions. (Res-

Working remote takes a toll on US business

By SHELDON H. JACOBSON Chicago Tribune/TNS

Remote work has become a de facto benefit to recruit, retain and, in some cases, appease workforces.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work was a luxury. During the pandemic, employers sold it as a necessity to keep their businesses functioning. Once the public health risk abated, it became a privilege. Now, some employees take it as a right.

What began as a means to mitigate public health risk to individuals and keep the economy functioning has persisted beyond what anyone could have envisioned.

During the peak risk period of the pandemic in 2020, more than 40% of the workforce was remote. This number dropped to a little more than 25% last year. Before the pandemic, around 6% of the workforce worked remotely.

With more people working remotely, office building use has been gutted. With these buildings in dense urban areas, businesses such as restaurants and cafes are finding it more difficult to remain afloat. Retail outlets that rely on walk-in traffic are also suffering. Though the overall amount of money being spent may remain the same across the economy, the shift in where it is being spent threatens downtown business life that may not be reestablished for many years.

THE BIGGEST LOSS associated with remote work is not directly economic but rather the random interactions that foster new ideas and innovation. This is why a growing number of companies are

Financial analyst Timothy Mancari sits in a cafe as he works remotely in Arlington, Virginia, on May 25, 2023. The pandemic forced Americans to work from home. Today, employers are struggling to bring them back to the office. A third of employees currently have complete freedom about where they work, compared with just 18 percent in France, according to a recent ADP study of 17 countries. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES/TNS)

scaling back remote work, with Google now on this list. Even Zoom, the facilitator of remote work, is asking its employees to spend more time in the office.

Interacting via video calls and other technologies does not yield spontaneous dialogue. Much as diversity is touted as a vehicle for innovation, the reverse can be said about remote work, in which people are brought together virtually, creating sterile, task-centric rather than human-centered interactions.

One of the challenges with remote work is that not all types of jobs can be performed remotely. This creates a potentially contentious and divisive environment for those who must be there in person and those who can work remotely.

However, some jobs that are viewed as remote-friendly may be focusing too heavily on the tasks, not the human interactions that fa-

cilitate better value for employers and create a healthy interactive work environment for all.

Remote work is viewed as family-friendly, making it possible to work while maintaining homes or managing family responsibilities more efficiently, which is positive. However, there is no free lunch. Any gains are being paid for by employers.

Those who support remote work laud the benefit of less time wasted with in-person work, including commuting time and the associated expenses.

They argue they can be more efficient with their time by remaining remote. However, this reasoning focuses too narrowly on jobs being solely about tasks completed. If jobs are only about tasks, then some such jobs may also be vulnerable to displacement by artificial intelligence systems in the future.

Those arguing for remote work as the ideal may also

cue efforts in Lahaina were severely constrained because internet and cellphone service was disrupted).

A town that creates opportunities for local residents in non-tourist sectors can survive shocks, as during the COVID-19 pandemic, which demonstrated how overly dependent the community was on one industry.

Lahaina officials also have a chance to address historic wrongs by listening to the voices of native Hawaiians, whose interests are often trampled by the more powerful interests of landowners and the hotel and tourism industry. Current property ownership and legitimate land deeds have legal standing and must be respected. But community spaces can incorporate more culturally diverse uses and opportunities for local residents than they have in the past.

All of Lahaina is now sacred ground, and a new version of the town should include respectful sites and tributes to the original Hawaiian people and the victims of this calamity.

Rebuilding Lahaina in ways that put Hawaiian values of ohana and aloha front and center could lay the groundwork for visitors who seek the beauty of the islands but also want to learn about Hawaii’s long history and witness the resiliency of a town that built back better and smarter.

About the author: Ken Wills is a writer based in Kapa’au on the island of Hawaii.

A look back in t me. A look back in t me.

be fighting for their own demise if their human contributions are minimized. There is also the direct costs of working from home. All child care costs must also be borne by remote workers. The costs of utilities and home goods being used are yet another expense. Though such costs are incremental, they accumulate over time and are a price that is being paid, with few people accounting for them.

If the benefits being touted in support of remote work are indeed real, then how can such benefits be realized with people back in person? Must employers provide better child care services, commuting reimbursements and/or meals at work?

To draw people back to work, employers may wish to offer a new type of remote flextime so that the reasons employees need to periodically work remotely can be honored.

We may learn that in 10 years, the companies and organizations that successfully drew their workforce back to the office will also be the most successful ones. In essence, remote work may end up being a tax on corporate earnings and innovation.

The takeaway from such a discussion is that dialogue is needed to explore the post-pandemic work environment. Simply continuing pandemic policies in the post-pandemic world is likely to yield suboptimal outcomes.

The time is ripe to explore what can make “work” work, so that coming back to the office is more attractive.

About the writer: Sheldon H. Jacobson, Ph.D., is a professor in computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

45 Years Ago

August 1978

J. D. “Dave” Conderman, Iola attorney and retired general in the Kansas National Guard, died at the Halstead hospital. He had been under treatment there following a heart attack from two weeks ago. He was 63. He joined the National Guard in 1933 and was a member of the 219th Field Artillery Battalion when it was called to active duty in 1940 on the eve of the entry of the U.S. in World War II. He took part in five campaigns in the European Theater, including the invasion of Normandy and the breakout at St. Lo under Gen. George Patton. He received his law degree at the University of Kansas in 1938. After World War II, he was a law partner with Robert V. Talkington until his death. He served as city attorney for Iola, Moran and LaHarpe and was Allen County attorney. He continued in the National Guard and rose to become commander of the 195th Field Artillery Battalion, the 195th Field Artillery Group and the 195th Engineer Group and then became judge advocate of the Kansas National Guard. *****

Gladys Garner, a member of one of Iola’s pioneer families, died following a heart attack. She was 68. Her husband, the late Vernon “Bus” Garner, died Jan. 10, 1977. She is survived by daughters, Mrs. Phyllis Bass and Mrs. Janice Ambler of Iola, and sons Vern and Ronald of Iola and Richard of St. Louis, and a brother, Elmer Williams of Kansas City.

President Joe Biden and Jill Biden and Hawaii Governor Josh Green and Jaime Green visit an area devastated by wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii on Monday. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES/TNS)

BTK killer as ‘prime suspect’ in unsolved cases in Oklahoma

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and SUMMER BALLENTINE The Associated Press

The BTK serial killer has been named the “prime suspect” in two unsolved killings — one in Oklahoma and another in Missouri — leading authorities to dig this week near his former Kansas property in Park City, authorities announced Wednesday.

Osage County, Oklahoma,

Undersheriff Gary Upton told The Associated Press that the investigation into whether Dennis Rader was responsible for additional

crimes started with the re-examination last year of the 1976 disappearance of Cynthia Kinney, a 16-year-old cheerleader in Pawhuska. The case, which was investigated on and off over the years, was reopened in December.

Sheriff Eddie Virden told KAKE-TV that a bank was having new alarms installed across the street from the laundromat where Kinney was

last seen. Rader was a regional installer for ADT at the time.

Virden said he decided to investigate when he learned that Rader had included the phrase “bad laundry day” in his writings.

Upton, the undersheriff, said the investigation “spiraled out from there” into other unsolved murders and missing persons cases.”

“We sit just on the other side of the state line from Kansas and Wichita, which is his stomping grounds. And so yeah, we were following leads based off of our investigations and just unpacked

other missing persons and murders,” he said.

Upton said Rader is also the prime suspect in the death of 22-year-old Shawna Beth Garber, whose body was discovered in December 1990 in McDonald County, Missouri. An autopsy revealed she had been raped, strangled and restrained with different bindings about two months before her body was found. Her remains weren’t identified until 2021.

Rader killed from 1974 to 1991, giving himself the nickname BTK — for “bind, torture and kill.”

A city code inspector in Kansas, he was arrested in February 2005 — a year after resuming communications with police and the media after going silent years earlier. He resurfaced with a letter to The Wichita Eagle that included photos of a 1986 strangling victim and a photocopy of her missing driver’s license. That letter was followed by several other cryptic messages and packages. The break in the case came after a computer diskette the killer had sent was traced to Rader’s church, where he once served as president.

Apartments: Old nursing home transformation begins

Continued from A1

2022. That’s when Rocky Meo, a father of one of Lamb’s friends from De Soto, filed an application from the city to have the property rezoned from a single-family property to a multi-family designation to allow the apartments.

Once again, Planning Commission members urged City Council members to deny the request, after hearing from several neighbors concerned that having apartments in the area would depress their property values.

But the Council subsequently eschewed that recommendation — noting the property met all of the city’s requirements to be classified as a multi-family unit — and unanimously voted in favor of the zoning change in Feb-

ruary 2022. Meo has since retired.

Lamb, who has owned the building all along, took the reins once again as the renovation began.

As an aside, Lamb has taken steps to resolve

another issue about the property — squatters.

As the complex sat in limbo after the nursing home closed, police responded to several calls of trespassing, from which intruders would

camp overnight in the building.

Lamb said the building is properly secured to prevent further intrusions.

LAMB is eager to get

local contractors involved in the project.

“Our goal is to source as much of this work from the community as we possibly can,” he said. “I’ve reached out to a couple of local con-

tractors, but they were so busy they couldn’t help,” Lamb said. “I’m hoping there are some who don’t advertise who might have some interest. And if we can’t use them here, we’ve got 13 other projects going right now.”

Lamb is overseeing renovations to facilities in Fort Scott, Chetopa, Gridley and elsewhere.

As an aside, once the Iola project is done, he has his sights set on another local renovation, the old Tara Gardens facility on Carpenter Street.

“That building is tied up in bankruptcy right now, but it will give us another 19 units when we’re done,” he said.

Those wishing to contact Lamb can do so via his leasing company, Rural Asset Management, at (620) 4189500.

Crews have begun renovating the old Arkhaven Nursing Home complex at 1336 N. Walnut St. to create townhouse-style apartments. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

Dennis Rader

Sports Daily B

Royals blank Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP)

— Cole Ragans matched a career high with 11 strikeouts in six scoreless innings, Bobby Witt Jr. hit his 26th home run and the Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics 4-0 on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep.

Ragans (5-4) limited the A’s to two singles, improving to 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in six starts since being traded from Texas on June 30. The left-hander has struck out 47 and walked 10 in 34 2/3 innings with the Royals.

“I just tried to attack today, go at the guys, No walks was, I think, the biggest thing for me. I didn’t give up any free baserunners. I made them earn their thing and trust my defense behind me and go from there,” Ragans said.

“That was probably one of the best performances we’ve seen all season on the mound,” Oakland manager Mark Kotsay added. “You face that type of stuff and it’s a tough day. We really didn’t get any good swings off today.”

Dairon Blanco hit his first career homer off A’s starter Adrián Martínez in the third inning to put Kansas City ahead.

“I’m really happy for him,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “He really got into that ball, a slider. That guy is tough on righties, too. For him to get that, I really feel good for him.”

Martínez (0-2) allowed one run on three hits and a walk, striking out three in 2 1/3 innings.

Drew Waters added to the lead with an RBI triple in the fourth. Maikel Garcia followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.

Witt homered in the fifth. He also singled and walked to help the Royals snap a four-game losing streak.

Oakland loaded the bases with one out in the eighth inning, but Carlos Hernández re-

See ROYALS | Page B6

Friday, August 25, 2023

Allen falls late to Neosho County

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

The Allen volleyball team got down early, fought back late and ultimately fell to Neosho in their home opener Wednesday night, 3-2.

Wednesday’s effort illustrated the message Allen’s new head coach Maria Aikins intends to deliver all season long.

“I was proud of them for fighting back,” said Aikins. “They could have really just given up, but they didn’t. We weren’t going to accept that. It takes consistency to play our roles well and we have to get back to work and not allow ourselves to make excuses.”

The Lady Red Devils (2-3) dropped the first two sets by 25-15 and 25-20.

“They were a solid blocking

team, they had some height out on the ends,” said Aikins. “They had to rely on their block but we will just need to do a better job of covering our hitters and blocking on our side.”

Allen fought back to win the third set 25-17, and fourth set, 25-12.

“We got our serves in, and that helped us play our tempo,” Aikins said. “We were

then able to generate our offense. We also were able to whittle down our unforced errors.”

Allen was ahead 14-10 before Neosho finished on a 6-0 run. Neosho then broke the hearts of Allen fans by beating the Lady Devils 16-14.

The Lady Red Devils travel to Fort Scott Community College Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

FIFA opens case against Spanish official

GENEVA (AP) — FIFA opened a disciplinary case Thursday against the Spanish soccer official who kissed a player on the lips while celebrating the team’s victory in the Women’s World Cup final.

The governing body’s disciplinary committee will weigh if Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales violated its code relating to “the basic rules of decent conduct” and “behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute.”

Rubiales kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the trophy and medal ceremony on Sunday after Spain’s 1-0 victory over England in Sydney, Australia.

Minutes earlier, Rubiales grabbed his crotch as a victory gesture in the exclusive section of seats with Queen Letizia of Spain and 16-yearold Princess Sofía standing nearby.

Hermoso has said she did not like the kiss and the national players’ union representing her — which the 46-year-old Rubiales once led — called Wednesday for his conduct to not go unpunished.

FIFA responded Thursday.

“FIFA reiterates its unwavering commitment to respecting the integrity of

See SPAIN | Page B6

Companies find digital loopholes in NIL rules

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Two years after the NCAA cleared the way for college athletes to earn money off their fame and celebrity, digital technology is allowing some of them to get paid by their fans without having to do very much in return.

Most deals struck by athletes under name, image

and likeness guidance from schools or states are in exchange for something — an athlete endorsement on social media, for example, or an appearance at an event.

It is now possible to pay athletes money while receiving something far less tangible: a digital non-fungible token, or NFT.

Brent Chapman runs a platform called myNILpay. The app allows fans to choose a college athlete and send them money; the app then sends a notification to the athlete’s school email. The athlete fills out a form and the money is then transferred via Venmo or a similar payment method.

In exchange, the fan receives a unique computer-generated piece of “art” with the athlete’s signature on it. Chapman said that serves as the quid pro quo.

“This just gives an opportunity for fans to directly support athletes for whatever the reason they want,” he said. “Now, if a kid kicks

the winning field goal, you know, a thousand people can go out and give them 50 bucks. That’s pretty cool, right? And those are the type of things that I think we’ll see happen as we get into the football season and stuff.”

RJ Cole, a former point guard at UConn and Howard

See NIL | Page B6

The Allen Red Devil volleyball team celebrates after scoring against Neosho Wednesday. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

Spain’s women’s team. SAEED KHAN/GETTY IMAGES/TNS

To apply please call

CALL OR TEXT 620-363-0687 AFTER 3:30 P.M. $15 - $20 PER SMALL YARD. INCLUDES WEED EATING AND EDGING. MONDAY - FRIDAY: 3:30 - 7:00 P.M. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY: 9 A.M. - 7 P.M. LAWN CARE JEREMY’S SMALL Real news is our business S ll ARCHIVES

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)

— Uber raised the minimum age requirement for most of its new drivers in California to 25 on Thursday under rules the company said are necessary because of the rising costs of commercial auto insurance in the state.

The new rule applies only to drivers signing up to transport passengers with Uber’s ridehailing platform, and not for those delivering food with Uber Eats. Previously drivers as young as 19 could sign up.

Those under 25 who activated their accounts prior to Wednesday can continue to drive for Uber, the company said.

Insurance rates for

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Uber raises driving age limits in California

Uber’s California drivers are significantly higher than for personal vehicles or taxi drivers, according to a company statement announcing the change.

“As a result of these lopsided requirements, personal injury attorneys have created a cottage industry specializing in suing rideshare platforms like ours, pushing Uber’s California state-mandated commercial insurance costs to rise by more than 65% in just two years,” the company said. “By increasing the age requirement for new drivers to 25, we hope to mitigate the growth of those costs.”

Q: I know it didn’t last, but I loved the drama series “The Philanthropist.” What has its star been doing since then?

A: You’re right that it wasn’t a hit, and so “The Philanthropist” was really just a blip in star James Purefoy’s long and successful career

It was, however, a great showcase for his combination of grit and refinement — a combination he displayed again as a villainous cult leader in the Fox drama “The Following” from 2013 to 2015. More recently, he did lengthy arcs on TV dramas “Pennywor th” and “Malpractice” and appeared in the historical PBS miniseries “Marie Antoinette.”

But he’s not just a TV guy. Lately, he’s launched his own, unlikely film franchise: the “Fisherman’s Friends” movies.

It star ted as an independently made British comedy, “Fisherman’s Friends.” It was a runaway hit, based on a true stor y of a group of fishermen from the British region of Cornwall who sang sea shanties to pass the time but suddenly launched to fame after getting a global record deal.

The success of the first led soon to a sequel, “Fisherman’s Friends: One and All,” released last year. Purefoy stars in the films as one of the singers, and signed on as a producer of the sequel.

The series’ success must have been welcome for Purefoy, whose big-screen career was a bit tarnished by a pair of all-time flops. In the same year he did “The Philanthropist” (2009), he had the title role in the big-budget adventure film “Solomon Kane,” which didn’t even earn back half of its $45-million budget. He followed that up with a leading role in 2012’s “John Car ter,” one of the most notorious bombs of all time.

Son doesn’t like family’s ‘clutter’

Adapted from an online discussion.

Dear Carolyn: My 17-year-old son is uncomfortable bringing friends to our home. We live in a large old house that my husband and I see as quirky and interesting, and that he sees as drafty and cluttered. Both are true. A few years ago, my parents moved out of the threestory home where they had lived for more than 40 years and my dad closed his law office. We ended up absorbing a lot of books, furniture, records, office supplies, cookware — “nice” things that I don’t want to just take to Goodwill, and that we have been gradually paring down.

I think we have done a good job of getting rid of things while working full time and raising a family. Apparently, my son does not. He would like a modern, minimalistic home with purebred dogs who don’t shed, sparse furnish-

ings and good-quality electronics. We have a rambling Victorian home with large bookcases, a wood stove, dogs who drool and my parents’ old TV.

I can’t help but feel personally rejected when he says he does not want to bring his friends here. He says I shouldn’t take it that way, but he also admits there isn’t really any other way to take it. He also says he feels bad knowing how much this upsets me, but he can’t help the way he feels.

I probably put way more weight on this than he means. I see it as his not respecting the financial decisions we made to live here so we could pay for lessons, teams, etc. for him and

Public notice

his sister. His sister has friends over often, and I love that we have gotten to know them so well.

I want to respect that he has told us the truth, and generally we have a good relationship, but my truth is that I feel as if I’ve been punched in the emotional gut. Where do we go from here?

— Gut-Punched

Gut-Punched: Nowhere. He was honest about his feelings and preferences, and you were honest about yours. Now you close the matter and live your lives. You love each other and you respect each other and, well, he’s not going to hang out at your house with his friends. It’s a bummer, not a crisis.

If you want, though, you can let it be a motivating force to “pare down” less gradually, or to move the stuff to a storage unit to sort from there. Or just let

it go, because precious few unused “things” are “nice.”

Even then, it’s possible your son gave you the softer version of the truth. Some kids just don’t like to play out their social lives within earshot of family. It doesn’t have to be nefarious or sneaky, either; it can be a personality trait to prefer more privacy, or a developmental stage.

Regardless, I’ll amend my do-nothing answer slightly: Dial the catastrophizing back from 11 to about a six. He’s 17, differentiating himself and poised to launch, and he’s showing you (with apparent honesty and self-awareness) that he’s ready. Good job, parents and kid. Good for all of you, even though it feels sad to let go.

Yesterday’s Cryptoquote:

A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere. — Groucho Marx

ZITS

by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

BEETLE BAILEY by Mort Walker

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by Chris Browne

BLONDIE by Young and Drake

MUTTS by Patrick McDonell

MARVIN by Tom Armstrong

HI AND LOIS by Chance Browne

Winding road takes Nur from Somalia to world championship

BUDAPEST, Hungary

(AP) — The path for Abdihamid Nur to get to the starting line of the 5,000 meters has been both winding and filled with crossroads. Winding, because he and his family relocated several times, including fleeing Somalia when he was little. Crossroads, because his path didn’t even include running until it was recommended for recovery after he was involved in a serious car accident.

Sometimes, the 25-year-old American citizen takes a quick moment to reflect on the journey that brought him here, to Budapest, and another world championships.

“It’s like, ‘Wow, this is my life.’ It’s pretty crazy,” said Nur, who begins the 5,000 meters on Thursday. “I never thought

running would bring me all of this.”

Nur is the second-youngest in his family, with three older brothers and three older sisters, along with a younger sister. They’re all on their own unique and rewarding paths now — thanks to mom.

She wanted a safer life for her family so she made the decision to leave Mogadishu, Somalia, amid the country’s instability. Nur was young then and doesn’t recall that part of the trek or their brief stay in Kenya. But he does remember the family’s five or so years in Egypt and their coming to America. They spent a little bit of time in New Mexico before traveling to Apple Valley, Minnesota, where they had family.

His mom made ends meet by taking odd jobs

as a janitor, babysitter — anything that could help out her family.

It’s where his work ethic was instilled.

“I try to make her proud, because I know how hard she worked,” Nur explained.

But running didn’t enter the picture until the family moved to Phoenix just as he was entering high school. Back then, he was a soccer player.

Until the car accident.

He was a passenger in the backseat when the car he was riding in got hit by another driver. He tore ligaments in his knee and needed surgery to fix his collarbone.

“They told me I would play soccer again as long as I did the rehab,” Nur explained. “I just wanted to get back on the field as soon as possible and running was one of the things I picked up for en-

durance and conditioning.”

Running soon went from something he had to do to something he wanted to do.

It didn’t take him long to get up to speed, either, taking third in his first race. As a senior, he won a state cross country title, which paved the way to competing at Northern Arizona in Flagstaff. While there, he won the 2022 NCAA indoor championship in both the 3,000 and 5,000.

In May of that season, he ran 13 minutes, 6.32 seconds to break Henry Rono’s NCAA mark in the 5,000 — a record that was set in 1978.

That gave Nur confidence heading into U.S. championships last season, where he finished third to earn a spot at the worlds. And at the worlds last year in Eu-

Royals: Get behind Ragans in shut out

Continued from B1

tired Seth Brown and Zack Gelof to maintain the shutout.

“Bases loaded, there’s no room for error,” Quatraro said. “He continued to execute good pitches. His fastball was lively today, and he mixed his curveball and slider in, so they had to respect all three.”

Hernández also pitched the ninth inning to record his third

save in six opportunities.

Gelof went 0 for 4, ending a 19-game onbase streak. The A’s were seeking their third series sweep of the season.

“Any time you win a game, you feel good for the guys,” Quatraro said. “We were in all three of these games and we were able to come out with this one. It’s better to go into an off-day feeling that way than getting

swept, for sure.”

ROSTER MOVES

The Athletics selected LHP Sean Newcomb from Triple-A Las Vegas and optioned LHP Hogan Harris. Newcomb was acquired from the Giants on Tuesday for minor league OF Trenton Brooks and pitched a scoreless ninth inning with a strikeout and a walk. Oakland transferred LHP Richard Lovelady (strained left forearm) to the 60-day injured list to

gene, Oregon, he ended up 11th in a star-studded field.

The confidence soared even higher.

“If you were to tell me a year before that, ‘Hey, you’re going to break the collegiate record, get third at U.S. championships and be there at worlds,’ I probably would’ve looked at you crazy,” Nur said. “But I knew that I had a chance, so I just gave myself the confidence.” Nur has long looked up to Mo Farah, the Somali-born runner who represented Britain and won two Olympic gold medals each in

the 5,000 and 10,000. Now, Farah is someone he can chat with for guidance.

“Him being a mentor to me is pretty surreal and special,” Nur said. It was a piece of advice from Farah that Nur took to heart.

“He said, ‘Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Whatever you focus on is what grows, so choose wisely on what you focus on and what you take on,’” Nur recounted. “He was like, ‘You can be positive. You can be loose, and that transitions into your running and into your life.’”

Spain: Investigation

Continued from B1

make room on the 40man roster.

UP NEXT

Royals: Following an off-day, RHP Brady Singer (8-9, 5.04 ERA) opens a three-game series at Seattle on Friday opposite Mariners RHP Bryce Miller (8-4, 3.78).

Athletics: LHP Ken Waldichuk (2-7, 5.91) opens a four-game road series against the White Sox on Thursday. Chicago counters with RHP Jesse Scholtens (1-6, 3.79).

NIL: Age comes with digital loopholes

Continued from B1

University, is using the app to send money to about 50 current men’s and women’s basketball players at the two schools.

He said he is not really interested in the NFTs; he just wants to support the players on those teams without having to set up a basketball camp or buy something from each player.

“Now it’s easy,” he said. “A fan can just pay you right away and it’ll go right to you. I mean, I think it’s like a huge game changer.”

Pay for play remains off limits under NCAA rules and is a longstanding pillar of amateur sports. But with millions of dollars now available to college athletes under NIL and via booster-funded collectives, the rules are under instense scrutiny.

Joshua Frieser, a sports law attorney who specializes in NIL compensation, said the NCAA is unlikely to challenge the new app because it would have to prove the NFT the fan receives is not worth the money they paid for it.

“There’s plenty of things where you would maybe raise an eyebrow and say, well, I don’t know if that’s actually market value, but certainly the NCAA has not at any point gotten anywhere close to actually regulating that and saying, no, that’s too much,” he said. . “And from my perspective, I don’t think they’re going to.”

He also noted that there also is no current enforcement mechanism to ensure the payfor-an-NFT model isn’t misused.

What is to prevent booster groups from various schools from getting into bidding wars for recruits or players in the transfer portal? “Nothing,” Freiser said.

And what’s to prevent a gambling criminal from paying athletes to shave points or throw a game?

“I think it would be very hard for for anyone to really discover unless you have, you know, sort of an organized scheme where with real systematic cheating going on,” he said.

Blake Lawrence, CEO and co-founder of Opendorse, which helps colleges and athletes navigate the NIL landscape, said he doesn’t think the idea of trading cash for NFTs will catch

on. Most fans, he said, want something more tangible in exchange for sending money to athletes.

“That’s whether it’s a physical product like a jersey or a shirt or tchotchke featuring the athlete’s name, image or likeness or a service, like an appearance at a birthday or a video shout-out they can share with their friends,” he said. “The consumer in our experience desires either a physical product or some physical effort from the athlete to create value.”

Still, he said, that doesn’t mean that some digital assets won’t become an important part of the NIL landscape.

Another app, called Burrst, is being launched to link athletes and consumers via blockchain, creating digital contracts that allow automatic payments once the ath-

lete provides a good or service such as a video birthday greeting. Creator Grant Sapkin said digital trading cards are among the products the athletes can sell.

In addition to having pictures of the athletes and statistics, these cards can also include passcodes for unique experiences, such as meet and greets. Unlike NFTs, they can be bought, sold or traded among fans as a type of investment.

The idea is that like a physical trading card, as the athlete’s fame increases, so does the value of the card.

“You can be part of that athlete’s journey,” Sapkin said. “And there’s different types of consumers. There’s ones that just want to support the athletes — they generally like that person. There’s other ones that want to trade it to make money and profit themselves.”

individuals and strongly condemns any behavior to the contrary,” the soccer body said without specifying which acts by Rubiales are under investigation.

Víctor Francos, Spain’s secretary of state for sports, said Wednesday that “the gesture of grabbing his testicles in the tribune is a gesture that no one can defend.”

FIFA gave no timetable for a ruling. The body’s disciplinary judges can impose sanctions on individuals ranging from warnings and fines to suspensions from the sport.

The FIFA disciplinary panel is chaired by Colombian lawyer Jorge Palacio, a former labor court judge and member of the state constitutional court.

The case likely will be judged by three of the 16 panel members. Three of the 16 are women, from England, Mexico and Thailand.

Rubiales is a vice president of UEFA, a role which pays 250,000 euros ($270,000) each year plus expenses, and was the European soccer body’s most senior representative at the biggest game in women’s soccer.

UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin has yet to comment on the conduct of Rubiales, who is due to host the European soccer body’s next an-

nual congress in Madrid in February.

The Spanish soccer federation, which Rubiales has led for five years, has an emergency meeting Friday in Madrid where the agenda allows questions on the controversy.

It is unclear if the meeting will shore up support for Rubiales or respond to widespread pressure from Spanish government and soccer officials to remove him.

Rubiales, who led the Spanish players’ union for eight years before taking over as federation president in 2018, is currently heading the UEFA-backed bid to host the men’s World Cup in 2030. Spain is bidding with neighboring Portugal and Morocco, and also possibly Ukraine.

Francos said Rubiales has damaged the country’s image as it tries to win support for hosting the World Cup.

FIFA delayed launching the 2030 bid contest in June but has targeted late next year for a decision.

The Spain-led bid is currently favored over a four-nation South American plan teaming Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and inaugural 1930 World Cup host Uruguay. Despite speculation about a possible bid from Saudi Arabia, the 2034 edition is seen as a more likely goal for the oil-rich kingdom.