Sports: Allen volleyball wins first game See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
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Tuesday, August 26, 2014
City backpedals: Decides to keep EMS service By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
The Iola City Council may have answered a variation of a famed philosophical thought: If a council passes a motion, but the mayor doesn’t sign it, does it actually count? Not in this case. The council reversed course Monday from a motion two weeks earlier to send a sixmonth notice to the county that Iola was terminating its emergency medical services contract.
Council members opposed to the earlier notice seized upon the fact that while the motion to terminate the contract passed, 3-2, there was no motion for Mayor Joel Wicoff to sign Sandy Zornes it. So it didn’t count. Councilwoman Sandy Zornes proposed Monday the city eschew the notice, which she said left her feeling “pret-
ty uneasy, mad and a little embarrassed.” “I felt we disrespected our county commissioners by giving them an ultimatum of either negotiating with us or getting the EMS back,” Zornes said. “Obviously, they felt the same way. I don’t blame them.” The city and county can continue negotiations, Zornes contended, without a sixmonth ultimatum on the table. “Throwing in the towel after only eight months gave us the appearance of having no vision and being quitters
Using termination as a leverage point is not in the best interest of the EMS service. — Jon Wells, councilman
when times got tough,” she continued. “We need to give it a fair chance. I’ve been selfemployed for most of my life.
There are definitely growing pains in the beginning. If you See EMS | Page A6
USD 257
Board picks IHS alum’s firm for construction By KAYLA BANZET The Iola Register
A construction manager at-risk company was selected at the USD 257 board meeting Monday night. This company will construct a new high school and elementary school complex if a bond issue and sales tax pass in the November election. Universal Construction Company, Inc., Lenexa, was chosen to complete the $50 million project. The company’s president is Steve Smith, an Iola High School graduate. In a construction manager at-risk plan the company is held responsible for all as-
pects of the buildings’ construction, including change orders if things go awry. The design and construction are separate contracts. Eleven companies applied for the project and three were interviewed, Nabholz Construction, Olathe, Hutton Construction, Wichita, and Universal. Jack Koehn, superintendent of schools, said Universal recently completed building schools in Joplin to replace those devastated by the 2011 tornado.
Meet and Greet Students, parents, teachers and Iola High School staff and administrators enjoy food and fellowship Monday night to kick off the new school year. Above, Emily Hampton, high school English teacher, explains the district’s new application for Smartphones to Patty McGuffin, mother of Karly McGuffin, right, a freshman at IHS. At left, Susan Owens, IHS guidance office secretary and registrar, and Roxanne Gregg, a special ed teacher, enjoy touching base at summer’s end. REGISTER/SUSAN
A COMMUNITY forum to discuss the new school project See CONSTRUCTION | Page A6
USD 258
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Teri Shaughnessy, vice president of HNEA, waits with other members of the organization to address the Humboldt school board on Monday. More than a dozen came wearing red T-shirts to show support for the teachers’ union and teachers’ rights. REGISTER/KAREN INGRAM
Union registers protest with BOE By KAREN INGRAM The Iola Register
HUMBOLDT — More than a dozen members of the Humboldt chapter of the National Education Association came to the USD 258 Board of Education meeting Monday night. Teri Shaughnessy, vice president of Humboldt teachers union, addressed the board and read a statement regarding their recent decision to fire Jeff Wilkerson, a
physical education teacher at Humboldt Middle School. Shaughnessy said the board’s recent decision impacted all teachers in the district. She cited Article IX, sections A, B and D of the master agreement, which covers teacher duties, evaluations and grievances, which she said they chose to ignore. “(This) is not only shocking, but also sends a very direct message to each of us,” See UNION | Page A6
Quote of the day Vol. 116, No. 212
Feathered fiends frustrate Iolan By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Mark Kauth is at his wit’s end. Kauth has thousands of unwanted guests — starlings — who have decided to settle in one of Kauth’s trees along Meadowbrook Road East. The small, nuisance birds bring with them plenty of droppings that have plastered Kauth’s lawn, vehicles and trees. “They put off quite a stench,” Kauth said, adding the birds have been known to carry myriad diseases, including West Nile, E. coli and salmonella. Kauth has unsuccessfully sought guidance by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and Kansas De-
partment of Health and Environment on ways to rid his neighborhood of the unwanted birds. “I found out they’re hard to get rid of,” Kauth said. He found one potential solution: bird bangers, or explosive cartridges (similar to a firecracker) that is shot from a launcher at the birds while they’re nesting. In most cases, only municipalities are permitted to purchase and use bird bangers, Kauth noted. “All I can say is help,” Kauth told the council. “I’ve talked to others. I don’t know what to do.” Slaugh said short of changing the city’s ban on discharging guns inside city limits, there may be few options. The city’s fireworks ban
“If music be the food of love play on.” — William Shakespeare 75 Cents
likely would prevent the use of the bird bangers, Slaugh said. Officials relax such ban during the July 4 holiday. “Before we do anything, I’d like to talk to Fish and Game,” Councilman Jon Wells said. “That way, by solving one problem, we aren’t creating two others by dispersing the birds throughout the city.” “In the county, you could solve the problem with a lawn chair, a 12-pack and a shotgun,” Councilman Bob Shaughnessy joked. Councilman Steve French suggested Kauth contact Allen Community College, which had a similar problem several years ago. “I don’t know what eventually worked, or if they just eventually migrated away,” See BIRDS | Page A6
Hi: 99 Lo: 72 Iola, KS