The Iola Register, Aug. 26, 2023

Locally owned since 1867

Saturday, August 26, 2023

‘Getting myself back’

By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register

Their stories were markedly different in many aspects, but with similar themes.

The four most recent graduates of Allen County Drug Court — an intense, supervised recovery program drug offenders can complete as a means to escape a life of addiction — shared stories at a ceremony Thursday.

Graduates Ashten Wilson, Amanda Sharp, Jacob Bancroft and Tabitha Valentine each described, in varying tones, how tough circumstances in their younger years eventually led to drug addiction and eventually legal woes.

Each shared the hopelessness that followed before the life raft that is Drug Court — launched in 2011 at the suggestion of former Allen County Sheriff Tom Williams

— eventually gave each a new lease on life.

“I’ll sum this up for you,” said Valentine, who spoke to a crowded courtroom filled with supporters and personnel from within the 31st Judicial District. “Drug Court

um

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

COLONY — Voters in the Crest school district will decide whether to approve a $5.95 million school bond to improve facilities.

The question will be on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Community information meetings are scheduled for late September and October. The bond would provide numerous renovations, improvements and additions.

Among them:

• Classroom addition designed as a storm shelter

• New auxiliary gymnasi-

By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register

Iola City Council members will host a budget hearing Monday evening to discuss the city’s 2024 spending plan, which would utilize an increase in property tax levies.

The budget set for adoption utilizes an ad valorem tax levy of about 57 mills, up 2.5 mills from this year’s budget.

That means the owner of a $100,000 home would spend about $656 to support the city’s general fund budget next year, an increase of about $29. That figure does not account for taxes paid to

Vol. 125, No. 230 Iola, KS $1.00

• Main entry ADA accessible and secure entry addition, renovations and improvements

• Existing classrooms and locker rooms renovations and improvements

• Kitchen and cafeteria renovations and improvements

• Parking and entry drive improvements

It’s been nearly 20 years since the district attempted to pass a bond issue — and that effort failed by just five votes in 2004. The district at that time wanted $1.75

See CREST | Page A3

support USD 257, Allen County, Allen Community College and other taxing entities.

The tax hike has been discussed extensively by Council members, who by consensus favored this levy over a larger one endorsed by City Administrator Matt Rehder.

As part of a compromise, Council members previously approved a $3-per-month increase in trash collection fees, with a portion of that revenue allocated into a transfer into the general fund.

The 6 p.m. meeting at the New Community Building at Riverside Park is open to the public.

saved my life by not giving up on me.”

Sharp spoke about gaining strength after losing her family, her dignity and her faith.

“When I started drug court, I was lost and confused,” she admitted. “I could even say I

was terrified. To me, I felt like I had to go in front of everyone and own up to my mistakes over and over again, when no one understood what got me to this place in my life

“During the program, I

See GRADUATES | Page A2

Teamwork makes first grade work

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

The five first-grade teachers at Iola Elementary School felt an instant connection. And after the first full week of school, they’ve already bonded as a team.

On Wednesday afternoon, they gathered to talk about their backgrounds. They laughed frequently as they shared stories like old friends.

Two are new to IES. Another is a para-turned-teacher leading her first classroom.

“I don’t feel like anybody’s ‘new.’ We just built off each other,” Tanya Belinski said. This is her third year at Iola Elementary, though she has 10 years of experience teaching.

Katelyn Walker, one of the new teachers, told a story: “The other day I had a para ask me how long I’d been here. Three days. She’s like, ‘What? You seem very comfortable.’ I am. They’ve made me feel comfortable.”

“We instantly clicked. An instant family,” Andrea Weide, the former para, added. “We laugh a lot. It’s a nice stress reliever.”

“But we don’t want to share every story,” new teacher Dina Blevins cautioned, eliciting peals of laughter.

At the elementary, grade-level teachers work as a team. They meet regularly to plan, share and discuss their lessons and any issues they face.

Most years — and most

NMRMC Family Medicine

Gennie Mullen, APRN-C will join Suzie Peters, APRN-C at NMRMC Erie Family Care Clinic on Wednesdays & Thursdays. Gennie will see patients in Chanute on Mondays & Tuesdays.

grades — see many of those teachers return year after year. The first-grade teachers at IES this year are nearly all new, either to the district or to teaching first-graders.

Christy Thompson is the veteran of the group. In her 26 years as a teacher, she’s spent all but one in a first-grade classroom.

“When I first came to the district, I taught with the same group of teachers for many years: Pam Powers, Linda Brocker, Cindy Clark, Nancy Skahan,” Thompson recalled, rattling off names well-known to those who have been with USD 257 for a while.

“The last few years, I’ve had a new team every year. It’s

See TEACHERS | Page A4

Chanute-620-432-5588 Erie - 620-212-5105

Ashten Wilson, left, receives a hug from Troy Smith, director of the 31st Judicial District Community Corrections. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

The first-grade teaching team at Iola Elementary School may be new but they’ve already developed a strong bond. Front from left, Andrea Weide, Tanya Belinski; back, Christy Thompson, Katelyn Walker and Dina Blevins. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

Graduates: Drug Court offers life-changing opportunities

Continued from A1

gained strength,” she continued. “I got my faith back and the courage to keep moving forward. And I met some amazing people along the way.

“I fought my way back from things meant to destroy me.”

SHARP’S story is filled with proverbial gut-punches.

She was raised by a mother who also struggled with alcohol, and would occasionally disappear for days at a time.

“I was left to take care of my little sister and her friends’ kids, when I was only a child myself.”

She soon picked up her mother’s habits, turning to alcohol to escape the stresses of life.

She battled alcohol and depression for the next 23 years, Sharp was 7 ½ months pregnant with her first son when she was kicked out of her house. She was 18 years old when she lost an infant daughter.

She married an alcoholic at age 20. “We both liked to drink so we got along great — for a while.”

That marriage brought two more kids, but then divorce followed. “It turned out he really liked one of my friends, too,” Sharp said.

Another marriage followed, to a man physically and emotionally abusive.

It was about then she began turning to drugs as a means to escape.

“Somehow I managed to raise my children to be strong, independent, loving, smart, selfless, hard-working adults that I’m so proud of, but I lost myself along the way,” she said. “I knew my pain and struggles all too well and I didn’t want them to experience what I went through, but I never took the time to heal myself.”

She was arrested for drug crimes, which led to the offer of Drug Court.

For the first time, Sharp had come across

through all of this,” she concluded. “Even through all the days I wanted to give up, you never gave up on me.”

WILSON spoke about how childhood trauma from a family member took its toll on her.

She got high for the first time at 16 years old and by 18 had become an intravenous drug user.

She recalled a harrowing ordeal after taking Xanax, and awakening in a hospital, surrounded by crying family members uncertain if she was going to live.

Legal troubles soon

it.”

BANCROFT grew up figuring he’d eventually wind up in prison. His addiction, coupled with a diagnosis of obsessive and compulsive behavior, often led to bad choices.

Drug Court, he said, taught him a pivotal lesson.

“You guys see something in me I did not see in myself,” he said. “I didn’t believe this was capable of me being rehabilitated. I had to trust you and believe there was something more in life than I was living.

“I never believed there would be a day where I would not be using, or want to not use,” he continued. “But I have seen the error of my ways. I do not want to go back to the old lifestyle.”

Now sober for the past 11 months, Bancroft holds a job “and I hardly recognize the old me.”

He carried a message of appreciation for Troy Smith, who works as a supervising officer within the 31st Judicial District.

through rehab four different times.

Funny part was, she grew up hating methamphetamine.

“I hate it. I hated people who did dope,” she recalled.

But going in and out of foster care repeatedly, and then the pain of losing a cousin in a traffic accident pushed her over the edge. “I couldn't take the pain and feeling lost, and I started doing dope,” she said. “I started skipping school, and getting into trouble more. Meth took me away from my family and my friends. “I became what I hated the most.”

She was in and out of jail frequently, “and I was in prison in my own head,” she said. “I was really mad at God, the one thing I had that gave me hope and faith. I was mad at the world.”

Legal woes weren’t much of a deterrent, she admitted.

“It’s not that I didn’t care,” Valentine said. “I always cared, even after I started using drugs. But I wanted something to numb everything that

During the program, I gained strength. I got my faith back and the courage to keep moving forward. And I met some amazing people along the way. I fought my way back from things meant to destroy me.

— Tabitha Valentine

was going on in my life.”

Even after unsuccessfully going through Drug Court multiple times in the past — or perhaps because of it — Valentine reached a startling realization.

Her therapists, her mother, others involved in the recovery program, were rooting for her, and they weren’t giving up. “I learned that giving up was not an option,” Valentine said. “I stayed sober by being connected with people. They taught me a lot, and pushed me over the edge.”

She encouraged others in her situation to speak up and ask for help

“Drug Court is not easy,” Valentine said. “But I realized I love a challenge.”

JUDGE DANIEL Creitz, who worked with then-Sheriff Tom Williams to launch Drug Court more than a decade ago, listened intently as each of the graduates spoke. “I say this often, but we get more from you than we give you,” he told them. “Don’t be strangers. If there’s something we can do for you, don’t be afraid to reach out. If there’s something we can do, we will. You’re all amazing people.”

Since its inception, 168 graduates have successfully completed the Drug Court curriculum.

She remarried a third time, and thought things were looking up.

That changed about two years ago, when Sharp’s mother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer. Within a one-year period, she lost her mother-in-law, Sharp and her husband lost their cars after a tree fell on them in a severe storm, her new car was stolen, and she eventually lost her driver's license.

“I’d never been in trouble before, but boy did I get a crash course,” Sharp said.

a system in place to encourage her, rather than punish.

“They were more focused on the progress I was making than on my mistakes,” Sharp said.

“Getting myself back again has been one of the hardest trials in my life,” she added. “I’m sure there’s more struggles that lie ahead. But I’ll take them head-on and not give up on myself again. I know I still have a long way to go, but I’ll get there one day at a time.

“Thank you to everyone who helped me

followed. She disregarded “the same old speech” from her parents.

She denied using drugs, “but everyone knew I was using,” she said.

“I had a lot of goals before I started using,” Wilson said. “But I let myself down.”

The birth of her daughter was the first step toward recovery.

Two years later, the mother of three is grateful for a second chance.

“If I could do this,” she said, “anyone can do it. It really is worth

“It’s nice to have someone believe in you,” Bancroft told Smith. “I keep repeating that. I was afraid of change, but change is what makes life beautiful. It took a counselor to tell me, ‘You're 38. It’s about damned time (to change).’ I started to look in the mirror and loved who I saw.”

VALENTINE’S road to recovery was a turbulent one.

She’d been in and out of Drug Court since 2015, and had gone

31st Judicial District Chief Judge Daniel Creitz congratulates Jacob Bancroft after his graduation from Drug Court.

Amanda Sharp reacts to comments from Community Corrections officer Melissa Hunter during a Drug Court graduation ceremony on Thursday.

Tornado in Michigan kills 5

Brunner told WZZM-TV.

ATLANTA (AP) — Former President Donald Trump and the 18 people indicted along with him in Georgia on charges that they participated in a wide-ranging illegal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election have all turned themselves in to a jail in Atlanta before the deadline at noon Friday.

After Trump was booked Thursday evening — scowling at the camera for the first-ever mug shot of a former president — seven co-defendants who had not yet surrendered did so Friday morning. All but one of those charged had agreed to a bond amount and conditions with Fulton County District Fani Willis ahead of time, and they were free to go after booking.

Harrison William Prescott Floyd, who is accused of harassing a Fulton County election worker, did not negotiate a bond ahead of time and remained in the jail after turning himself in Thursday. Federal court records from Maryland show Floyd, identified as a former U.S. Marine who’s active with the group Black Voices for Trump, was also arrested three months ago on a federal warrant that accuses him of aggressively confronting two FBI agents sent to serve him with a grand jury subpoena.

Next, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee is expected to set arraignments for each of the defendants in the coming weeks. That’s when they would appear in court for the first time and enter a plea of guilty or not guilty, though it is not uncommon for defendants in Georgia to waive arraignment.

The case filed under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, is sprawling, and

Crest

Continued from A1

million to increase classroom space and make facility improvements similar to the current plan.

The current project, if approved, is expected to add 16 mills to the USD 479 tax levy. The school currently levies 53 mills.

Superintendent Shane Walter told an Anderson County newspaper the district sent a survey to 621 local addresses and received 137 responses, with 75% saying they were “somewhat” to “extremely” supportive of expanded classroom space and 73% in support of an additional gym and more secure/ ADA entrance.

Few supported a new hard surface track facility, and that was not included in the final bond project.

The community meetings are planned for 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Kincaid gymnasium; from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27, at the Lone Elm Community Building; and from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Crest gymnasium.

Coffee and doughnuts will be provided.

In a handout provided by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, former President Donald Trump poses for his booking photo at the Fulton County Jail on Thursday in Atlanta. Trump was booked on 13 charges related to an alleged plan to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. (FULTON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE VIA GETTY IMAGES/TNS)

the logistics of bringing it to trial are likely to be complicated. Legal maneuvering by several of those charged has already begun.

At least four of them — former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former U.S. Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark, former Georgia Republican Party chair David Shafer and Georgia state Sen. Shawn Still — are trying to move their cases to federal court.

A judge is to hear arguments on Meadows’ request Monday and on Clark’s on Sept. 18. There has been speculation that Trump will also try to move to federal court.

One defendant, lawyer Kenneth Chesebro, who prosecutors say worked on the coordination and execution of a plan to have 16 Georgia Republicans sign a certificate declaring false-

ly that Trump won and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors, has filed a demand for a speedy trial. That requires his trial start by the end of the next court term, in this case by early November. The day after he filed that request, Willis — who has said she wants to try all 19 defendants together — proposed starting the trial for everyone on Oct. 23. The judge issued an order Thursday setting an Oct. 23 trial for Chesebro alone.

Come!

CHURCH DIRECTORY

CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — At least one tornado touched down in Michigan as part of severe storms powered by winds of up to 75 mph that downed trees, tore roofs off buildings and killed five people while leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without power, officials said.

The National Weather Service on Friday confirmed that an EF-1 tornado with winds of 90 mph crossed from Ingham County into the western edge of adjacent Livingston County on Thursday night.

Preliminary information shows that after entering Livingston County, the tornado remained on the ground for a mile or less before “weakening and lifting,” said Dave Gurney, a meteorologist with the weather service’s office in Oakland County’s White Lake Township.

In western Michigan, the Kent County Sheriff’s Office said a 21-year-old woman and two girls, ages 1 and 3, died Thursday night after two vehicles collided head-on as it was raining.

“There was two vehicles traveling toward each other. One hydroplaned on water and it was occupied by four people,” Sgt. Eric

The sheriff’s office said a 22-year-old Gowen man who was driving the car carrying the Gowen woman and two girls was seriously injured in the crash, which occurred when his car struck an SUV. That vehicle’s driver suffered minor injuries.

In Lansing, the state capital, one person died Thursday night after a tree fell on a home. Lansing Police Department spokeswoman Jordan Gulkis told the Lansing State Journal that firefighters extricated one

person from the home but that person was pronounced dead at a hospital.

In Ingham County, where Lansing is located, the sheriff’s office said Friday that one person was confirmed dead and several people severely injured as more than 25 vehicles were severely damaged along Interstate 96. Trees were uprooted, and some roofs collapsed during Thursday’s storms, leaving many roads closed due to fallen trees and power lines.

Chicken A ie’s is coming back to Iola!

ACARF will be hosting another Chicken Annie’s

Take-out Dinner

Friday, Sept. 8, from 5-7 p.m. at the New Community Building in Riverside Park, Iola. We wi be taking pre-orders now un l September 1, so we wi be sure not to run out!

Please ca

620-496-2228 or 620-365-0600 with your name and if you want white or dark meat. We’ have it ready for you on the 8th!

Trump booked in Ga. jail

Sheriff’s office agrees to destroy evidence from newspaper raid

By SHERMAN SMITH Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — The Marion County Sheriff’s Office agreed Thursday to destroy digital files it copied from computers seized during the raid on the Marion County Record.

Bernie Rhodes, an attorney for the newspaper, raised concerns about whether law enforcement had altered a list of evidence from the raid and illegally held onto a previously undisclosed flash drive containing the copied files. He said he had prepared a formal court order to ensure the sheriff’s office followed through with its promise to destroy any evidence that hasn’t already been returned, including photos taken during the raids.

Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody led the Aug. 11 raid on the

newspaper office and the publisher’s home — under the pretense that reporter Phyllis Zorn had committed identity theft by looking up public information through the Kansas Department of Revenue website. The computers, cellphones, hard drives and other items seized during the

raid were held at a storage locker at the sheriff’s office.

Rhodes said the police department has “zero forensic capabilities.” Because the sheriff’s office has limited capabilities, it acts as IT support for the police department, Rhodes said.

The sheriff’s office used software called OS Triage to conduct searches of keywords on the computers that were taken from the newsroom.

“They describe it to be nobody looked with meaningful eyes at anything,” Rhodes said. “This is simply the

Teachers: First-grade team bonds quickly

Continued from A1

challenging, but every year it turns out great.”

Each of the teachers contributes a different skill set. With this group, Thompson said, their skills complement each other.

“We have so many different talents,” Thompson said. “I think all our students are going to benefit from our experiences and talents.

“From Day 1, this group has said, ‘Let’s have recess together. Let’s do this the same way. Can we plan together? It’s been a long time since I had a team that came together in that way and that fast. And besides that, we have a good time together.”

Belinski agreed. “I like having fun and being able to laugh. But also, they don’t hesitate to help. The other day I asked someone to move furniture for me. They dropped everything and came right over.”

“If we enjoy each other, it will carry over into the classroom,” Weide said.

Blevins added that having a strong team allows them to provide an equal education for all of their students. They’re all learning the same things at the same time. And if one class seems to be falling behind and another seems to struggle, the teachers can get together to discuss what they’re doing, what works and why.

“It’s so important for kids to have continuity,” Belinski said.

Weide said: “Our schedules are literally the same. When I’m teaching math, we’re all teaching math. Every student is getting the same thing.”

“Because we want every student to have the same opportunity,” Blevins said.

WALKER was a kindergarten and preschool teacher for six years at Altoona-Midway, a smaller district with just one teacher for each grade. This is the first time she’s been part of a grade-level team.

“I can go to any one of them and say, ‘This is my problem. Do you have a solution? What should I do?” Walker said.

We have so many different talents. I think all our students are going to benefit from our experiences and talents.

Christy Thompson

—

“The first time we met to collaborate about our guides for reading and math, Christy had already made copies for everyone. I thought it was so kind that she had thought about everyone and was willing to share.”

Blevins also came from a smaller school in Colorado, so she’s likewise enjoying the opportunity to collaborate with her peers.

Blevins has plenty of experience, having taught for 32 years. She taught for 15 years in Girard and 13 years in Fort Scott but has spent the past three years in Colorado. She’s mostly taught kindergarten and lower elementary grades, and this is her third year teaching first grade.

Blevins has a very unique connection to IES, though.

“The other day someone said, ‘We’ll have to ask Andy. And I go, who’s Andy?’ I forgot I’m at school with my brother. And he’s my boss.”

That’s right. She is the sister of IES Principal Andy Gottlob. This is the first time they’ve worked together, although both worked for the Girard district at different times.

WEIDE ALSO is a new first-grade teacher, but she’s far from new to USD 257.

She’s worked for the district for 17 years as a support professional, also known as a para, for kindergarten and second grade classrooms.

She recently graduated from the Teacher Apprentice Program, which allows para educators to continue to work while taking online courses. They can earn a bachelor’s degree and apply for a teaching license.

“I always wanted to have my own classroom,” Weide said.

“It’s been such a positive to have you in first grade,” Thompson added, pointing out that Weide had worked with IES kindergarten students last year. She already had a relationship with many of her first-graders.

“It’s been fun, growing up with them,” Weide said.

Thompson assured all the teachers that they will enjoy getting to watch their students grow up. She was with the district when McKinley, Lincoln and Jefferson served as neighborhood elementary schools before transitioning to grade-level

dump from the search generated by the use of the search terms.”

On Aug. 16, county attorney Joel Ensey declared there was insufficient evidence to justify the raids, and a judge ordered the materials to returned.

But the list of evidence that police provided to the newspaper when it handed items over to a forensic analyst conflicts with the list of evidence that police provided to the district court. One extra item, “OS Triage Digital DATA,” appears in the court filing.

Rhodes sent a letter Wednesday to attorney Bradley Jantz, who was hired to provide legal counsel for the county in the wake of the Aug. 11 raid. Jantz hadn’t responded to Rhodes’ inquiries about the evidence discrepancy.

law,” Rhodes wrote in his letter. “This access is illegal. It also clearly violates the District Court’s August 16, 2023, Order.”

Jantz on Thursday directed Rhodes to talk to Ensey.

Rhodes said Ensey and the sheriff’s office agreed to provide him with a copy of the files they obtained with the OS Triage software, and then physically destroy the flash drive and a backup of the drive.

“In order to make sure that they actually comply with this order, unlike the last order, we’re making them agree to a formal court order,” Rhodes said in an interview.

attendance centers. She missed getting to see her students move through the older grades.

Last year, when IES opened, she was most thrilled to have the opportunity to follow her students all the way through fifth grade.

“Through the month of June, I pray for the students I had the previous year,” Thompson said.

“Then starting July 1, I start praying for the students I will have in the coming year. My prayer is that I will build a strong relationship with every child and that they will feel safe and cared about with me.”

Weide nodded. “Once they are in your classroom, they’re your kids. You don’t ever let go.”

Walker remembers how much she loved her elementary teachers. She hopes to be that kind of teacher for her students.

“I want kids to fall in love with learning. I want them to be excited,” she said.

Belinski agreed. “I love reading, so I’m excited to teach kids how to love to read.”

“I love learning, obviously since it took me so long to finish. You’re never too old,” Weide said.

Blevins added: “I want kids to know learning can be fun.”

If these teachers are any indication, it should be a fun year indeed.

“Because that drive is still in the sheriff’s office’s custody, that means the sheriff still has access to the Marion County Record’s data — data that is both constitutionally protected and protected by federal and state

Correction

Randy Misenhelter was one of nine taxpayers who spoke to Allen County commissioners on Tuesday about the 2024 budget. He addressed the commission as a

Rhodes also said the sheriff’s office told him they didn’t share the copied files with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, which is independently investigating whether someone breached the Kansas Criminal Justice Information System. “We have not and will not examine anything from those warrants,” said Melissa Underwood, a spokeswoman for the KBI.

citizen. He no longer works for Precision International. An article in Thursday's edition incorrectly stated his employment. We sincerely regret the error.

Marion County Record reporter Phyllis Zorn and Sheriff Jeff Soyez stand outside the evidence room where an undersheriff signs over newspaper property to a forensic expert. (SHERMAN SMITH/KANSAS REFLECTOR)

Police news

HIt-and-run reported Dustin S. Hall was westbound on Madison Avenue near the Iola Public Library Aug. 2 when his car was sideswiped by a tractor-trailer rig, which also was westbound on the street and was merging into his lane.

The truck driver, who was in a rig marked “Champlin Trucking,” did not stop after the accident, officers said. Hall was uninjured.

Arrests reported

Iola police officers arrested Clyde Hoggatt of Iola Wednesday evening for suspicion of

Kellerman family gathers for 70th reunion

trespassing in the 100 block of East Jackson Avenue.

Officers were called Monday to the 400 block of North Kentucky Street Monday, where Derek Dix, 35, was arrested for suspected domestic battery.

Angela Lomon, Yates Center, was arrested shortly after midnight Monday morning for suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle and driving while intoxicated in the 300 block of South State Street. Lomon also faces a charge of driving while suspended, officers said.

The 70th annual Kellerman Family Reunion was held July at Kelley Park in Burlington, hosted by the daughter (Deborah Kelly) and great-grandchildren of the late Ina and Loren Railsback.

The late Ed and Belle Kellerman were parents of 14 children. Six are still living. This year, two of the six children were present, with an abundance of siblings, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren present — 55 in all.

Next year’s family

reunion will be hosted by the Jean Parker Family. Next year’s reunion will be July 14, 2024.

Attending were David and Edna Donovan, Brian and Tina Donovan; Iola; Mary Spruk and Linda Oneslager, Shawnee; David Lyman and Jean Parker, Lebo; Tabitha Smoot, Perry; Crissie Gilmore, Millie and Wyatt Cole, Kathy and Victor (Cal) Burr, Lynzie, Lincoln, Whitley and Monroe Stukey, Burlington; Sherry Donovan, Platte City, Mo.; Brandon, Amy, Kate and Taylor Hollingsworth, Merriam;

Maui releases names of 388 missing people

LAHAINA, Hawaii

(AP) — Maui County released the names of 388 people still missing Thursday more than two weeks after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century, and officials asked anyone who knows a person on the list to be safe to contact authorities.

The FBI compiled the list of names. The number of confirmed dead after fires on Maui that destroyed the historic seaside community of Lahaina stands at 115, a number the county said is expected to rise.

“We also know that once those names come out, it can and will cause pain for folks whose loved ones are listed,” Police Chief John Pelletier said in a statement. “This is not an easy thing to do, but we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to make this investigation as complete and thorough as possible.”

Names on the list were deemed validated if officials had a person’s first and last name and a verified contact for the person who reported them missing, officials said.

An additional 1,732 people who had been reported missing have been found safe as of Thursday afternoon, officials said.

On Wednesday, officials said 1,000 to 1,100 names remained on the FBI’s tentative, unconfirmed list of people unaccounted for, but DNA had been collected from only 104 families, a figure far lower than in previous major disasters around the country.

Pelletier said Tuesday that his team faced difficulties in compiling a solid list. In some cases, people provided only partial names, and in other cases names might be duplicated.

Hawaii officials had expressed concern that by releasing a list of the missing, they would also be identifying some people who have died.

As of Thursday, officials said they had notified the families of 35 people who had been identified, but the families of an additional 11 identified people had not been located or notified. The eight names released Thursday included a family of four whose remains were found in a burned car near their home: 7-yearold Tony Takafua; his mother, Salote Tone, 39; and his grandparents Faaoso Tone, 70, and Maluifonua Tone, 73.

Dozens of searchers have been combing a 4-mile stretch of water for signs of anyone who might have perished. Crews are also searching for remains among the ashes of destroyed businesses and multistory residential buildings.

The affected area is about 85 percent cleared, but the search will take weeks to complete, Army Col. David Fielder, deputy commander of the joint task force responding to the wildfires, said in a news conference Friday.

“But the last structures they have to clear are going to be extremely complicated,” Fielder said. “They already started mobilizing some equipment to go in there to remove some of the structures to get to the remains. The very earliest projection (is that) we’re talking weeks — it’s not going

to be days — to get through all that.”

Officials said Thursday that more than 725 Department of Defense personnel and 136 Coast Guardsmen were supporting the response.

Maui County sued Hawaiian Electric Co. on Thursday, saying the utility negligently failed to shut off power despite exceptionally high winds and dry conditions. Witness accounts and video indicated that sparks from power lines ignited fires as utility poles snapped in the winds, which were driven by a passing hurricane.

Hawaii Electric said in a statement it is “very disappointed that Maui County chose this litigious path while the investigation is still unfolding.”

Sally McDonald, Nathan, Misty, Ariella, Aleyah, Gunner and Max McDonald, Geri Minton and Michael MacCloud, Emporia; William A. Kellerman, Merriam; Mila and Malakai Holland and Deborah Kelly, College Station, Texas; Barbara, Keevan and Micah Dewald, Cami, Cory, Melea and Tobias Ryan and Liz Selvey, Lyons; Heather, Alex and Lillian Perkins, Valley Falls; Shelby and Wyatt

Wright, Meriden; and Ted, Miranda, Annalyse, Brody and Brennan Sutherland, Derby.

The family added several newborns this year, Harold Lampe, Monroe Stukey and Gretchen Hill.

Marrying into the family were Robert (Anna) Mullin, Zachery (Erica) Burriss, Jade (Joe) Metzger, Ryna (Chad) Kellerman, Amanda (Matthew) Bradley, Trinity (Brayden) Fox and Noah (Lillian) Sieben.

Public notices

2005 be admitted to probate and record, and that Cole Herder be appointed as Administrator cta, without bond, and be granted Letters of Administration.

You are required to file your written defenses to the petition

(Published in The Iola

Register Aug. 12, 2023)

In the Matter of the Trust Estate of the MARJORIE L. NYQUIST LIVING TRUST, dated 07/30/2007. & amendments thereto.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

PURSUANT TO K.S.A. 58a-818

TO ALL PERSONS CONCERNED:

You are hereby notified that MARJORIE L. NYQUIST a/k/a MARJORIE L. MARRS died on 12/10/2022. The decedent was Settlor of the MARJORIE L. NYQUIST LIVING TRUST, dated 07/30/2007 & amendments thereto. The Co-Trustees of said trust are BARBARA J. MCINTOSH, JUDITH A. KETTLE and THOMAS M. NYQUIST. The Co-Trustees have the power and legal authority to pay the outstanding debts of the decedent from the trust property upon receipt of proper proof thereof. In accordance with K.S.A. 58a-818, creditors of the decedent must present claims for such debts to the Co-Trustee in writing at the address listed below within the later of four (4) months from the date of the first publication of this notice, or

on or before September 11, 2023 at the Allen County District Court, 1 North Washington, Iola, Kansas 66749, at which time and place the cause will be heard. Should you fail to file the written defenses, judgement and decree will be entered in due course upon the petition. All creditors of the Decedent are notified to exhibit their demands against the Estate within the latter of four months from the date of first publication of notice under K.S.A. 59-2236 and amendments thereto, or if the identity of the creditor is known or reasonably ascertainable, within 30 days after actual notice is given as provided by law, and if their demands are not thus exhibited, they shall be forever barred. Frederick J Works, Petitioner FREDERICK J. WORKS, PA 4 East Jackson Iola, Kansas 66749 (620) 363-0507 Attorney for Petitioner (8) 12, 19, 26

thirty (30) days after receipt of actual notice if the identity of the creditor is known or reasonably ascertainable by the Co-Trustees. If a creditor fails to present such claims to the Co-Trustees within such prescribed time, the creditor will be forever barred as against the Co-Trustees and the trust property.

BARBARA J. MCINTOSH, JUDITH A. KETTLE, & THOMAS M. NYQUIST, Co-Trustees of the MARJORIE L. NYQUIST LIVING TRUST, dated

A missing person flyer for Joseph “Lomsey” Lara is posted on the door of a business in a shopping mall in Lahaina, Hawaii, Monday, Aug. 21. Wildfires devastated parts of the Hawaiian island of Maui earlier this month. (AP PHOTO/JAE C. HONG)

Saturday, August 26, 2023

~ Journalism that makes a difference

The reality of small town journalism

Small-town journalism — and to a lesser degree smalltown politics — have gained national attention with the recent events in Marion.

As part of the broader picture, First Amendment protections cannot be overstated, whether it’s a newspaper serving a community in central Kansas or the Washington Post.

On another level, what’s unfolded in this community of less than 2,000 reflects a challenge facing small newspapers — striking that balance between fulfilling their journalistic obligation while knowing that it usually won’t win them popularity awards.

Haley rises above the fray

Of all the candidates in Wednesday night’s Republican debate, I appreciated Nikki Haley and her response about the role of the United States in Ukraine.

Should we lower the sails? Or is it in our best interest to aid democracies abroad?

Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy said yes to the first and basically no to the second.

Florida Gov. DeSantis, who previously labeled the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine as nothing more than a “territorial dispute,” on Wednesday posited the situation as a choice between continuing to aid Ukraine financially or sending troops to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Haley responded, “We can do both,” dismissing the idea this is an either/or decision.

Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur, wants the U.S. to wash its hands of Ukraine, saying if he were elected he would cease sending it any military or financial assistance.

China is the biggest threat to the United States, the political neophyte contends, and to that end is willing to “give” Ukraine to Russian President Vladimir Putin in exchange for him ending his alliance with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping.

Does he really believe Putin is so easily appeased?

As for the Taiwanese living under the continual threat of invasion by China, tough cookies. Ramaswamy said he would be more than willing to let China usurp its neighbor after 2028, when

Susan Lynn Register editor

he figures the U.S. will be able to stand on its own in the production of microchips crucial to making electronic devices. Taiwan currently produces 60% of global supply.

HALEY COULD barely contain herself.

Ukraine is the “front line of defense” of a possible world war, she reminded the candidates, noting that Putin has said once he takes Ukraine, Poland and the Baltics are next.

“That is a world war,” she said.

“A smart foreign policy is national security,” she added.

Exactly.

It’s by helping our European allies turn back Putin’s invasion of Ukraine that we prevent a wider escalation.

Mike Pence backed up Haley, telling Ramaswamy, “if we do the giveaway that you want to, it’s not going to be too long” before Putin rolls across the border into a NATO nation.

Haley also reminded her peers that negotiating with Putin is nigh on impossible because he has no morals.

“Putin is a murderer. When I was at the U.N. the Russian ambassador ‘suddenly’ died,” similarly to

this week’s takeout of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who earlier this summer publicly challenged Putin’s management of the assault on Ukraine.

As for Putin’s sympathizers standing with Haley on the debate stage, “You are choosing a murderer over a pro-American country. You don’t do that to friends. What you do instead is you have the backs of your friends.”

As a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Haley has the chops to talk with such authority.

TO SAY the threats posed by Russia and China as well as Iran and North Korea, should not be our concern is not only wishful thinking, but morally depraved.

China is threatening to swallow Taiwan. Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine.

Allowing Russia to overtake Ukraine is to repeat history when much of the world turned a blind eye to Hitler’s march on Poland.

We are in a unique time in history to bring together the democracies of the world to respond to these challenges. The result will determine the future of the international order.

That some are willing to risk that future by sitting on the sidelines is truly haunting.

A PERSON, a country, is only as strong as its willingness to live by its moral code.

We’ve got the right stuff. Let’s stand by it.

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

45 Years Ago

August 1978

Marvin Boyer and John Franklin have purchased Iola Ready Mix. Boyer is associated with oil production in this area and Franklin was associated with IMP Boats. The sale of Iola Ready Mix followed the death of its owner, Dean Tweedy.

***** Iola city commissioners inspected two new city buildings. They toured the new ambulance garage, which is connected to the south side of the fire department station and the new community building in Shepherd Park. The buildings were paid for from a $147,000 federal grant.

*****

Iola city commissioners

put off making a commitment on whether to help property owners have access to a federal subsidized flood insurance program. Federally subsidized flood insurance is more than a year old but a final commitment on the part of local governing bodies isn’t necessary until next month. More than $750,000 worth of flood insurance, with premiums at a fraction of the cost they would be in the commercial market, is in effect among homeowners here. If the city doesn’t join the program the policies will be canceled. With the federal plan, those who are in the flood zone would find it almost impossible to buy commercial coverage.

*****

After approximately 8,000 flying hours in various Air Force aircraft, Col. David L. Nichols, a native of Iola, will soon be flying the most advanced fighter, the F-15 Eagle. As the commander of the 22rd Tactical Fighter Wing at Elgin Air Force base in Florida, Col. Nichols is currently flying the F-4E Phantom II. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. David H. Nichols of Iola. *****

Terry Glenn, dean of instruction, and Omer Knoll, art instructor, have resigned from Allen County Community Junior College faculty to accept other positions. Glenn will go to the KU faculty and Knoll will return home to Hays with a position at Fort Hays State University.

Rod Haxton Scott County Record

In a New York Times story, one business owner’s critique of the Marion County Record is that it needs to be “positive about everything that is going on in Marion.” Another critic didn’t like how an opinion column in the newspaper took aim at the poor quality of Santa letters.

While letters to Santa are not the hill on which we are willing to die, maybe letters in Marion had reached the point where a free pass was no longer acceptable. That’s an editorial decision.

The notion that a newspaper should only print “good news” is just another way of saying “we don’t want to air our dirty laundry for others to see.” Mark Zuckerberg wouldn’t have become one of the world’s wealthiest individuals if Facebook was limited to news about the grandkids and cat videos.

The so-called “hometown news” that exists on Facebook in our community, with similar renditions in countless other towns, thrive on their toxic nature and unabated ability to spread discontent and misinformation. It’s not “good news” that attracts eyeballs and comments.

As an editor, we enjoy writing stories about the youngster who used the Heimlich maneuver to save a friend who was choking in a school lunch room, the Make-aWish recipient who finally got her own horse and the mother who overcame homelessness and addiction to find a caring community for herself and her son.

At the same time, we’ve also covered murder trials, incidents that have led to the tragic loss of lives and public officials who have resigned their positions because of inappropriate actions.

We don’t live in a fairy tale world where everyone is noble in thought and deed and where there’s always a happy ending.

While we’re sure that Marion is a fine community, let’s keep in mind — and you can’t make this stuff up — the district magistrate judge who issued search warrants on the newspaper has two prior DUI arrests; the police chief resigned his previous position while under investigation for sexist comments; a restaurant owner was seeking a liquor license while having a DUI conviction on her record; and the city council approved the license even though it had knowledge of the past conviction. These are facts that can’t be swept away.

What’s interesting, and puzzling at the same time, is that even though The Record publisher had knowledge of these convictions and investigations, none of it had yet to appear in print — at least not yet.

If, or when, that was to happen is again an editorial decision, but if all the individuals involved in this escapade were hoping that through intimidation, or the remote possibility of shutting down the newspaper, they could somehow avoid accountability for their past, well it’s obvious that none of their résumés include any reference to being Rhodes Scholars.

This also points to what makes small-town journalism unique.

First of all, in any community where the population is, at best, holding its own and Main Street businesses struggle to stay open, the last thing any newspaper owner wants to do is risk losing subscription or advertising support. Yet we know, from nearly 50 years of ownership, that we can write 99 stories or columns that readers will like — maybe even agree with — but they remember the one that struck a raw nerve.

Secondly, we are connected to our community — its economic hopes, the county fair, our schools and our local government. Sure, it’s great writing about a football championship or the local arts and crafts festival, but we also have an obligation to tell the story about the LGBTQ student who feels they are being victimized by school policy (which has happened) or hold local officials to account when unsafe jail conditions lead to an escape and an injured dispatcher (which has also happened).

That’s made even more difficult because these are people with whom we must still maintain a professional relationship and, with some, we also desire to maintain a friendship when we aren’t acting in our official capacity.

It brings to mind the community in New Jersey that was losing baseball umpires because they were tired of being heckled by fans. In response, the youth league president established a new code of conduct: anyone who argues with umpires during a game must umpire three games themselves before being allowed back into the sports complex.

It certainly changes one’s perspective to be making decisions in real time, that have an actual impact, as opposed to being the who always gets it right while sitting in the bleachers.

If critics had to sit at the desk of any editor striving to do their job, they would realize how hard it is to tell a friend their DUI arrest will appear in the police report or interview players on the football team when their season has ended on a last minute score.

We make no excuses because this is the profession we’ve chosen. We are telling the story about our communities and our neighbors in ways that are straight-forward, honest and, hopefully more times than not, uplifting.

It’s called news.

About the author: Rod Haxton is publisher of The Scott County Record.

Former UN ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley places hand on heart during the national anthem ahead of the first debate of the GOP primary season on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee. (PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES/TNS)

Updated COVID-19 vaccines could be available in September

By JENNIFER SHUTT Kansas Reflector

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is gearing up for a fall vaccination campaign that not only includes updated COVID-19 boosters, but the annual flu shot and the newly approved RSV vaccine.

“We’re going to be encouraging Americans to get their COVID-19 vaccine in addition to their annual flu shot, as well as the immunizations for RSV for people who are over the age of 60 as well as for infants,” one official said. Respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV, usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms but can also be serious, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

During a roughly 24-minute call on Thursday, four officials from the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration spoke to reporters on background to discuss the plans for the fall’s vaccine campaign.

The officials declined to say how many Americans the Biden administration is targeting for updated COVID-19 shots heading into cold and flu season.

“We can’t speculate or predict where it will ultimately land. But our goal is for that number of uptake to be as high as possible,” the same official said. The Biden administration, the official said, hopes to provide access for uninsured and underinsured people to get the booster once the updated COVID-19 vaccine is approved.

A second official said an updated COVID-19 vaccine from one pharmaceutical company

shows some promise against the EG.5 variant that makes up an increasing number of new cases, though the official said there needs to be more data about the updated vaccines’ impact on the BA.2.86 variant.

“One of the manufacturers has already made it clear that when testing their vaccine against the EG.5 variant that it looks like the neutralization is robust,” the second official said. “So I think that’s a good harbinger.”

On the BA.2.86 variant, the second official said that “it’s too early to know for sure about BA.2.86 in terms of the exact data.”

“But I think we feel comfortable in saying that it’s likely that the vaccine will help protect against the severe outcomes that would occur,” the second offi-

cial said. “So we’ll obviously have more data that will come in in the next few weeks. But for right now, I think we believe that the booster will be helpful against the severe outcomes that might occur.”

Once the FDA approves one or several updated COVID-19 vaccines this fall, the first official said the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices plans to meet quickly to make its recommendations for clinicians.

“Our intention, certainly as we look into mid-September, is to have the ACIP meeting and as close as possible succession to FDA action,” the first official said, adding that CDC and FDA are “joined at the hip on this.”

The first official noted that ACIP recommendations help to “guide clinicians as to … who

would best benefit from COVID-19 vaccines.”

Getting the updated COVID-19 vaccine into nursing homes and long-term-care facilities will be a priority for the Biden administration, according to the first official.

“We are focused on getting older individuals their vaccines, partly because they have been a higher proportion of hospitalizations throughout the pandemic,” the first official said.

“CDC has been working very closely with the associations and the provider groups that provide vaccinations in facilities like longterm care and assisted living,” the first official said. “We’re also focusing a lot of our outreach on both the individuals who live there, the owners and operators, and the providers who

Garrett Barton, MD and Kinzie Barton, MD

Garrett Barton, MD, board-certified family medicine

Since 2016, Dr. Garrett Barton has cared for patients as a family medicine physician, a hospitalist, and an emergency room physician.

He earned his medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine, completed his residency at McLeod Family Medicine Residency Program in South Carolina, and received his undergraduate degree from Pittsburg State University. In addition, Dr. Barton holds a Master of Business Administration degree from -the University of South Carolina-Aikens.

Kinzie Barton, MD, board-certified family medicine

Dr. Kinzie Barton provides full-scope family medicine and is skilled in the caring for women and children. She had a traditional family practice for five years in South Carolina and served as a hospitalist, urgent care, and emergency room provider.

After attending the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Kinzie Barton entered medical school at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and completed the McLeod Family Medicine Residency Program in South Carolina.

Join us as we welcome the Bartons home to Kansas. To schedule an appointment, call NMRMC Family Medicine today at 620-432-5588.

the updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for people aged 12 and older will be fully licensed this fall, though the vaccines for people 11 and younger will still be under the emergency use authorization, according to the second official.

The protein-based COVID-19 vaccine from Novavax will also remain under the emergency use authorization framework, according to the second official. So some of the updated vaccines may come with a cost, unlike during the pandemic when all the COVID-19 vaccines were free.

work in those facilities to make sure they know when the vaccines are coming out, how to access them, how to administer them, etc.”

Once approved,

Moderna, for example, announced earlier this year that it would increase the price of its COVID-19 vaccine from $30 to $130, leading to a bipartisan condemnation of the decision at a U.S. Senate hearing. Testing and treatments will also remain available during the upcoming cold and flu season, the first official said.

The staff of Neosho Memorial welcomes Dr. Garrett Barton and Dr. Kinzie Barton to NMRMC Family Medicine Clinic in Chanute. The Bartons and their two children are returning home to Kansas.

Registered nurse Orlyn Grace administers a COVID-19 booster vaccination to Jeanie Merriman at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic on April 6, 2022 in San Rafael, California. (JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES)

Sports Daily B

Gridiron dreams continue

Locals suit up for semi-pro football team

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

Kanyon Beasley of Iola and Zach Buchanan of Chanute played a key role in The Joplin Crusaders’ victory July 9 for the Central Midwest Football League semi-pro championship title.

From here the Crusaders face the Omaha Stockmen for the national title on Sept. 30 at the Minnesota Vikings stadium.

Buchanan, 32, has been playing at the semi-pro level for about eight years with one year of arena football sprinkled in while Beasley, 23, began playing

semi-pro ball this year. Buchanan helped recruit Beasley after the pair met in the Iola area last year.

Beasley met Buchanan at a charity basketball event and found a common connection in football. That’s when Buchanan asked Beasley if he wanted to play football again and he brought him on.

“Football is one of those sports that the brotherhood thing always seems to stick around,” Buchanan said. “Especially in this league, a lot of guys will check up on you and make sure you’re good and try to find common

ground.”

The semi-pro experience has allowed Buchanan and Beasley to play alongside former Division I and even some NFL practice squad players.

“Semi-pro is another opportunity to play football at a different level,” Buchanan said. “Perhaps they played in college and it didn’t pan out for them. This gives them another opportunity for more exposure. I’ve seen a lot of guys from semi-pro ball go play arena football, Canadian League Football and even make some NFL practice squads.”

Buchanan plays as a slot receiver while Beasley lines up at

See GRIDIRON | Page B3

Big 12’s growth means more miles to travel

By STEPHEN HAWKINS The Associated Press

The Big 12 Conference is bigger than ever before with 14 schools spread across eight states, and those numbers will increase next year.

Newcomers UCF, Houston, Cincinnati and BYU bring huge student bodies into the Big 12. And more miles to travel.

A by-the-numbers look at the newfangled Big 12 going into the 2023 season, the last before Texas and Oklahoma leave for the Southeastern Conference, and at the same time four teams that are now in the Pac-12 come into the league:

Saturday, August 26, 2023

CALENDAR

ENROLLMENTS UCF has the largest enrollment among the Big 12 schools with 59,996 undergraduate stu-

dents, according to the most recent figures (fall 2021) available

See BIG 12 | Page B2

Today JV Volleyball Iola Invitational, 8:30 a.m.

Thursday Girls Tennis, Iola Invitational, 3 p.m.

Cross Country @ Anderson Co., 3:15 p.m.

Friday Football vs. Osawatomie, 7 p.m.

IOLA ACC HUMBOLDT

Today Volleyball @ Burlington, 8:30 a.m.

JV Volleyball @ Iola, 8:30 a.m.

Tuesday Volleyball @ Jayhawk-Linn, 5 p.m.

Thursday Cross Country @ Anderson Co., 3:15 p.m.

Friday Football, vs. Fredonia, 7 pm.

MARMATON VALLEY

Today Volleyball @ Jayhawk-Linn, 9 a.m.

Tuesday Volleyball @ Hartford, 4 p.m.

Thursday Cross Country @ Burlington, 4 p.m.

Friday Football vs. Oswego, 7 p.m.

ACC

CREST

Today Volleyball @ Jayhawk-Linn, 9 a.m.

Tuesday Volleyball @ Hartford, 4 p.m.

Thursday Cross Country @ Anderson Co., 3:15 p.m.

Friday Football vs. Yates Center, 7 p.m.

Monday Men’s Soccer @ Oklahoma Wesleyan JV, 4 p.m.

Wednesday Women’s Soccer @ Metropolitan CC, 3 p.m.

Saturday Women’s and Men’s Soccer vs. Hesston. 2 p.m.

this week’s sponsor

It’s been a blast, but Ohtani’s injury shows limits of 2-way stardom

By DAVID BRANDT The Associated

Press

The two-way baseball superstardom of Shohei Ohtani these past three seasons has been nothing short of absurd.

Tape-measure homers on the regular. Fastballs that hovered around 100 mph. Sometimes, just a few minutes apart.

In a sports world littered with questionable hyperbole, Ohtani’s on-field heroics lived up to every bit of the hype. It’s why there was a palpable sense of melancholy around the sport after the Los Angeles Angels announced that the 29-year-old Japanese sensation has a torn ligament in his elbow and won’t pitch again this season.

Ohtani planned to seek a second opinion before deciding if he’d have Tommy John surgery for the second time.

“A tough day for him,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian said when the news broke. “Tough day for all of us.”

In retrospect, the absurdity of Ohtani’s performances and ability was only

matched by the absurdity to think it could continue forever. There’s a reason the list of two-way baseball superstars is basically a twoman list: Babe Ruth and Ohtani.

Even Ruth didn’t do the two-way thing for long, and that was more than 100 years ago. The Babe was a legit pitcher and hitter in both

1918 and 1919 before becoming a full-time hitter, swatting 714 homers.

Still, with every highlight from the strapping 6-foot-4, 210-pound Ohtani, every effortless double off the wall, every overpowering strikeout, it felt like the limits of human performance didn’t

See OHTANI | Page B7

Zach Buchanan of Chanute, left, and Iolan Kanyon Beasley play semi-pro football for the Joplin Crusaders, who captured the Central Midwst Football League championship title. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

Logos for several Big 12 schools seen during the Big 12 Media Days at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS/ELIAS VALVERDE II/TNS

Messi shines once again for Miami in MLS play

CINCINNATI (AP) — Lionel Messi had two assists and converted in a shootout to lead Inter Miami over MLS-leading Cincinnati 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 3-3 draw on Wednesday night and into a U.S. Open Cup final against Houston.

Miami remained unbeaten in eight matches with Messi heading into his Major League Soccer debut on Saturday at the New York Red Bulls. The 36-year-old, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, joined the team last month and led it to the title of the Leagues Cup.

Cincinnati led 2-0 on goals

Lionel Messi TNS

by Luciano Acosta in the 18th and Brandon Vazquez in the 53rd before Messi set up goals by Leonardo Campana in the 68th minute and seventh minute of stoppage time.

Josef Martínez put Miami ahead 3-2 three minutes into extra time, but Yuya Kubo retied the score in the 114th minute. Messi made Miami’s first attempt in the shootout, and the teams were perfect through four rounds. Herons goalkeeper Drake Callender saved Nick Hagglund’s kick in the fifth round, and Ben Cremaschi made his PK to send Miami to another tournament final.

Houston won the other semifinal, beating visiting Salt Lake 3-1 in extra time. The Dynamo got goals from Héctor Herrera in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, Adalberto Carrasquilla in the 105th and Luis Caicedo five minutes into the second extra session. Anderson Julio scored an equalizer in the 64th.

Miami will host the final on Sept. 27.

Cremaschi quickly was met by his teammates after the ball hit the back of the net, and they danced around in a group circle on the field while Cincinnati players knelt in disappointment.

“I think we were lacking sharpness to navigate that first half,” Miami coach Tata Martino said through a translator. “We were a step off. I saw a team with one gear less than our rival. The good thing about all of this is that we didn’t drop our shoulders, we pressed on. It’s not easy in a semifinal to turn things around the way we did. We adapted a lot. I think we were controlling the game well in the second half. And the penalties, after that ... If I’d had this kind of luck in penalties for the rest of my career, things would have been a lot less stressful.”

Big 12: Conference growth means (much) more traveling

Continued from A1

on the data website for the U.S. Education Department. Texas’ enrollment of 40,916 ranked second.

All four newcomers were already among the six largest enrollments in the conference. Houston was third at 38,581, ahead of continuing member Texas Tech’s 33,132 undergrad students. BYU showed an enrollment of 31,642 and Cincinnati had 28,968 on its main campus to rank sixth among the 14 schools.

TCU, with the smallest enrollment at 10,222, made the College Football Playoff national championship game last season. The men’s basketball team then made the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and the baseball team went to the College World Series.

TRAVEL TIME

Newcomer BYU will have the farthest flight for a Big 12 conference game this year, more than 1,600 air miles to play Thanksgiving weekend at West Virginia, which before the new additions was the league’s geographic outcast. A drive between those two campuses would take about 28 hours, seven times longer than it takes to fly.

West Virginia and UCF both have to fly more than 1,000 miles for four of their five away games this season. But the Mountaineers only have to go about 680 air miles for its game at UCF on Oct. 28, which is shorter than how far the Knights have to go for their game at Cincinnati.

For the league’s other 12 teams, there are only a combined five trips with flights further than 1,000 miles. That includes BYU’s trip to West Virginia.

The league’s longest potential trip is about 1,900 air miles between BYU and UCF, though the newcomers don’t play each other this season.

OTHER NUMBERS

3: Time zones where the Big 12 has schools (Eastern, Central and Mountain).

5: Heisman Trophy winners in the Big 12 era for current league teams: Texas RB Ricky Williams (1998); Oklahoma QBs Jason White (2003), Sam Bradford (2008), Baker Mayfield

(2017) and Kyler Murray (2018); and Baylor QB Robert Griffin III (2011). Nebraska’s Eric Crouch won in 2001 when the Cornhuskers were still in the Big 12.

6: Different schools that have appeared in the Big 12 championship game the past

three years (Iowa State vs. Oklahoma; Baylor vs. Oklahoma State; and Kansas State vs. TCU).

9: Number of conference games each team plays, same as when it was a 10-team league with a round-robin schedule. There are four conference foes that

each team won’t play this season.

16(asterisk): Schools that will be in the league next summer when Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah are set to join as Oklahoma and Texas depart. That will have the league spread over 10 states.

(Of course, there is an asterisk, just in case there are any more unexpected realignment moves).

17: Big 12 championships Oklahoma has won or shared (out of the league’s 27 seasons so far).

19: Seasons that Mike

Gundy has been the head coach at Oklahoma State, his alma mater, making him the Big 12’s longest-tenured coach.

95: Career TD passes by Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel, who threw for 3,168 yards and 25 TDs last season after transferring from UCF. Gabriel had 8,037 yards and 70 TDs passing in his three seasons with the Knights, who play at Oklahoma on Oct. 21.

803: Number of pass blocking plays Kansas State left guard Cooper Beebe, a member of The Associated Press preseason All-America team, has played since 2020 without allowing a sack, according to Pro Football Focus.

1996: First Big 12 season, after the Big Eight Conference merged with four Texas teams from the old Southwest Conference.

2010: Final Big 12 season for Nebraska (to Big Ten) and Colorado (to Pac-12), dropping the league to 10 schools.

2011: Final Big 12 season for Texas A&M and Missouri before they went to the SEC.

2012: First Big 12 season for TCU and West Virginia.

Evan Prater (3) of the Cincinnati Bearcats runs with the ball against Southern Methodist in 2021. The Bearcats are joining the Big 12 Conference this season. GETTY IMAGES/DYLAN BUELL/TNS

Giannis talks possible extension

MILWAUKEE (AP) —

Giannis Antetokounmpo says he wants to see how committed the Milwaukee Bucks are to competing for another championship before deciding whether to sign a contract extension.

The two-time MVP will become eligible next month to extend the deal that currently runs through the 202425 season, with a player option for 2025-26. Antetokounmpo told The New York Times he wouldn’t sign an exten-

Gridiron: Dreams continue

Continued from B1

center, right guard, defensive tackle and defensive end as well as inside linebacker this season. The team emphasizes versatility. At Iola High School, Beasley participated in track and field, basketball and football.

“There’s one tackle I remember when I went straight through the line and swallowed up the running back and drove him back 10 yards,” Beasley recalled of a recent encounter.

Buchanan became aware of the semi-pro world in 2015 when he first played on a team out of Coffeyville. He still has friendships from that team. From there, he joined the Kansas City Ravens, which won a championship.

In 2019, Buchanan played for the Northern Oklahoma Redhawks

of the Arena Football League.

In 2020, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament.

This season was a big bounce back season for Buchanan, his second year playing for the Joplin Crusaders.

The local duo helped Joplin to a 6-2 record before running the table in the playoffs and defeating the Tulsa Gators for the league championship game.

“It’s always close games with Tulsa and they were actually our two regular season losses,” said Beasley. “The game that we won we came back from 26 point down. Intense is the only word I can use to describe that game.”

One of the best parts about playing for the Joplin Crusaders is the chance to practice on the Missouri Southern State University football field.

Ask about our Flexible hours

sion this year. He said it might make more sense next summer, “but even then, I don’t know.”

“I would not be the best version of myself if I don’t know that everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s going for a championship, everybody’s going to sacrifice time away from their family like I do,” Antetokounmpo said. “And if I don’t feel that, I’m not signing.”

Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to their first title in a half-century

in 2021, seven months after signing a supermax extension. But the Bucks haven’t gotten beyond the second round of the playoffs the last two seasons.

The Bucks posted the NBA’s best regular-season record in 2022-23 but lost 4-1 to the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs. They followed that up by firing coach Mike Budenholzer and replacing him with former Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin.

The local duo know not many people get the opportunity to keep playing football at their age and marvel at every chance they get on the field. Buchanan also enjoys that he was able to find a local friend to get into the semi-pro football world.

“I don’t want to do all this by myself. I want other athletes to push each other to get to another level of themselves,” said Buchanan. “I told Kanyon if we were going to work out and train together, we’re going to go 100% and we’re going to work for it. Football is a violent sport and your body has to be right.” Buchanan and Beasley both work at Gates Corporation in Iola. Buchanan also attends Neosho County Community College to become an occupational therapist.

Detailer/Lot Porter

Iolan Kanyon Beasley, left, and Zach Buchanan of Chanute suit up for the Joplin Crusaders, a semi-pro football team. COURTESY PHOTO

SOS Technician

Projects Technician

1304 South Main • Garnett (785) 448-2888

www.ekaellc.com

Sonic Equipment is currently taking applications for a SOS Technician in the Sonic Operational Support Center. This position includes multiple duties that range from communication with customers and remote technicians, troubleshooting issues remotely and by phone, upgrading equipment software/firmware, communicating with vendors and the customer service department, to incident ticket creation and monitoring.

Applications available at our office or email resume to info@sonicequipment.com.

(620) 365-7501 900 W. Miller Rd., Iola

NOW HIRING FOR MAINTENANCE TECHNICIANINSTRUMENTATION & ELECTRICAL

East Kansas Agri-Energy, LLC, a fuel ethanol manufacturer in Garnett,

Job requirements include a variety of tasks to be completed in new movie

as well as movie theatres undergoing renovations.

The scope of the position includes:

· Installation of audio, projection, concession, and auditoriumrelated materials.

· Ability to work from heights on ladders, scaffold, or scissor lifts.

· Work with hand tools and power tools.

· Some heaving lifting is required.

Experience in construction/ assembly is preferred but will train the right person.

Applications available at our office or email resume to info@sonicequipment.com.

India’s lunar rover still functioning

NEW DELHI (AP)

— India’s lunar rover continued its walk on the moon Friday after the historic touchdown of India’s spacecraft near the moon’s south pole earlier this week, the country’s space agency said. The rover’s data collection and experiments could help determine if there is oxygen and hydrogen on the moon.

The Chandrayan-3 Rover is expected to conduct experiments over 14 days, including an analysis of the mineral composition of the lunar surface, the Indian Space Research Organization has said.

“The rover has successfully traversed a distance of about 26.2 feet,” ISRO said Friday. “All payloads on the propulsion module, lander module, and rover are performing nominally.”

Technology Minister Jitendra Singh as saying.

Pallava Bagla, a science writer and coauthor of books on India’s space exploration, said the rover crawls, or moves at low speed, for safety reasons to minimizes shocks and damage to the vehicle on a rough surface and negotiating obstacles. It also has limited battery power.

On Thursday, Somnath said the lander had touched down close to the center of the 2.8-mile-wide area that had been targeted for the landing.

“It landed within 985 feet of that point.”

After a failed attempt to land on the moon in 2019, India on Wednesday joined the United States, the Soviet Union and China as only the fourth country to achieve this milestone.

The Associated Press Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, has rejected allegations the Kremlin was behind a plane crash that is presumed to have killed mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.

His brutal fighters were feared in Ukraine, Africa and Syria and conducted a brief but shocking mutiny in Rus-

sia two months ago.

Prigozhin, who was listed among those on board the private jet, was eulogized Thursday by Putin, even as suspicions grew he was behind a Wednesday crash that many saw as an assassination.

A preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment concluded that the plane was downed by an intentional explosion.

The rover will also study the atmosphere of the moon and seismic activities, ISRO Chairman S. Somnath said.

“These experiments would pave the way for new scientific research about the availability of oxygen and hydrogen on the surface of the moon and can give us a direct or indirect answer as to whether there was life on the moon,” the Press Trust of India news agency cited India’s Science and

The successful mission showcases India’s rising standing as a technology and space powerhouse and dovetails with the image that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to project: an ascendant country asserting its place among the global elite.

The mission began more than a month ago at an estimated cost of $75 million. Somnath said that India would next attempt a manned lunar mission.

Russia denies role in downed aircraft

Newspapers put truth ont and center

Jealous outburst mars 30-year friendship

Dear Carolyn: My best friend of 30 years and I had a falling out. We both have young adult daughters. Her daughter is creative and smart, and has chosen to work part time in retail instead of go to college. She has lots of friends, talents and interests, and lives at home. She has never had a significant other. I have always been supportive of my friend and her daughter’s choices.

My daughter is in college, gets good grades, played college sports, has had side jobs and has had several relationships.

I mentioned to my friend that my daughter could apply for a summer job at the chain where her daughter works. My friend got really upset and said my daughter has “everything going for her,” so why would she apply where her daughter works when it is “all she has”?

I told my friend I was sorry to have upset her. She basically admitted she resents my

Carolyn Hax

daughter because she has what she wishes her daughter had. She apologized for her outburst but said maybe she should have kept her feelings to herself.

I told her that she needed to find a way to make peace with her daughter’s choices and that she misdirected her feelings onto me and my daughter. She said I should forgive her and move on.

But I don’t know how to move forward with this friendship knowing how she feels. Her reaction felt hostile and disproportionate to the situation. How can we ever talk again about our daughters without my feeling she is comparing our girls?

I suggested we take a break until she can resolve her disappointment in her daughter. She feels I have aban-

doned her when she is struggling. What should I do next? I cherish this friendship, but it doesn’t feel healthy for me to be her punching bag, either.

— Heartbroken Heartbroken: One awful, anguished outburst does not make you her punching bag. Your friend apologized. She admitted fault. She told you an incredibly hard truth about why she lost her cool. Not only that, but the truth also wasn’t anything you had done wrong or anything she didn’t like about you. It was a truth about her own struggle with her own personal demon(s).

So why wasn’t that enough for you? Why are you more worried about yourself and your daughter — whose lives are going great, by your account — than you are about your friend, who is clearly in a dark place right now?

Where’s your worry for her daughter, who is apparently doing great, too, but who lives with a mother so stuck on one

Growth may mean more rate hikes

JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming (AP) — The continued strength of the U.S. economy could require further interest rate increases, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Friday in a closely watched speech that also highlighted the uncertain nature of the economic outlook.

Powell noted that the economy has been growing faster than expected and that consumers have kept spending briskly — trends that could keep inflation pressures high. He reiterated the Fed's determination to keep its benchmark rate elevated until inflation is reduced to its 2% tar-

get. "We are attentive to signs that the economy may not be cooling as expected," Powell said. "We are prepared to raise rates further if appropriate and intend to hold policy at a restrictive level until we are confident that inflation is moving sustainably down toward our objective."

"Although inflation has moved down from its peak — a welcome development — it remains too high."

Powell's speech, at an annual conference of central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, highlighted the uncertainties surrounding the economy and

the complexity of the Fed's response to it. It marked a contrast to his remarks here a year ago, when he bluntly warned that the Fed would continue its campaign of sharp rate hikes to rein in spiking prices.

"When it comes to another rate hike, the chair still very much has his finger on the trigger, even if it's a bit less itchy than it was last year," said Omair Sharif, chief economist at Inflation Insights.

Substantially higher loan rates, a direct result of the Fed's rate hikes, have made it harder for Americans to afford a home or a car or for businesses to finance expansions.

vision of a successful life that she can’t even recognize, much less celebrate, her daughter’s well-being?

You’re right that your friend has hard internal work to do. A lot. But the best answers to what you do next all start with trading your defensiveness for compassion. You’re feeling good about your life. Your friend isn’t. So be exactly the friend you hope she would be for you if you were the one in the dark. If you’d want her to take offense and a “break,” then you’re right on track. If not, though, then forgive her, the moment you see the logic of it: “The friend I’ve known, loved and trusted for 30 years would have to be hurting badly to think something like that, much less say it. I’m so sorry you’re struggling.”

Then, maybe, I hope: “I may not forgive you, though, if you keep thinking you have to struggle alone.” My two-word defense for this answer: Thirty. Years. That’s so rare. Now be a rare friend to her.

by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

BEETLE BAILEY

by Mort Walker

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by

Chris Browne

BLONDIE

by Young and Drake

by Patrick McDonell

by Tom Armstrong

Chance Browne

MUTTS

MARVIN

US Open to celebrate King’s push for equal pay

NEW YORK (AP) — When Billie Jean King won the U.S. Open in 1972, she didn’t make the usual remarks about hoping to win again. Instead, she threatened to not play at all the next year — and added that no other women would, either.

That’s because she earned $10,000 for her championship, $15,000 less than what Ilie Năstase won for his.

“I said: ‘This really stinks,’” King recalled Thursday. “And, of course, deep down in my heart of hearts, in my brain, I’m going, ‘I haven’t talked to

them yet. You sure you’re doing the right thing here?’ This is the other voice in my head: ‘What if they don’t agree with you on this? I think they do, because we talk about it all the time, but we didn’t talk about this move.’ And so I said, ‘The heck with it. I don’t think we’ll be back.’”

That led the U.S. Tennis Association to make the 1973 U.S. Open the first sporting event to offer equal prize money to female and male competitors. The 50th anniversary of that achievement will be celebrated this year

during the Grand Slam tournament staged at the facility that now bears King’s name.

“We might take that for granted now, but the USTA was so far ahead of the rest of the sports world and society in 1973,” said Stacey Allaster, who in 2020 became the first female U.S. Open tournament director. “Simply no question that Billie’s courage and her leadership ... opened the door for me.”

King was aware of a survey that had been conducted at the U.S. Open around that time showing that female

players enjoyed more popularity than even they suspected. However, she believed that didn’t matter unless they were given the same paychecks, so she took it upon herself to seek out sponsors she hoped would make up the $15,000 difference.

“If I can bring in the money, then how are they going to say no?” King thought.

Bristol Myers Squibb told her it wanted to pay the entire sum, and it was announced that summer that both the men’s and women’s U.S. Open champions would

receive $25,000.

This year, the U.S. Open winners will each receive $3 million, with total player compensation rising to $65 million. Tennis players accounted for seven of the 10 highest-paid women’s athletes in 2022, according to Forbes.

“I think the presentation of the sport and equal prize money being secured 50 years ago has come a long way as to why women in tennis have achieved what they’ve

See US OPEN | Page B8

Ohtani: Elbow injury may mean end to 2-way stardom

Continued from B1

apply. Last month, Ohtani left a game with body cramps and was right back in the lineup the next day, prompting one beat writer to write that “maybe they just updated his software overnight.”

But even machines break down eventually.

Ohtani will still be a coveted free agent this winter — maybe the most coveted in baseball history — but there’s little doubt the injury could cost him millions (and millions) of dollars. Some around the sport thought he might be baseball’s first $500 million man before the injury.

Now, something in the neighborhood of Aaron Judge’s $360 million, nine-year deal seems a better baseline, though Ohtani has the added benefit of being a truly international icon. There aren’t many people who can match Judge as a hitter, but Ohtani is in that discussion.

And there’s also the possibility that Ohtani returns to the mound. He’s certainly defied expectations before.

But here’s the truth: The list of successful pitchers following multiple Tommy John surgeries is pretty short.

Nathan Eovaldi, Jameson Tallion, Jason Isringhausen and Daniel Hudson are a handful who have had success.

Current Dodgers star Walker Buehler — who recently had his second TJ surgery — hopes to

join that group.

Anything Ohtani brings on the mound over the next several seasons has to be considered a bonus.

It still feels like there will be several teams willing to fork over an MLB-record deal to sign Ohtani. Even if he’s purely a hitter, there’s every reason to believe several more 40-homer seasons are on the horizon. It’s also fair to wonder if those hitting numbers could keep improving if he doesn’t have to pitch once a week. Plus, Ohtani is athletic enough to be a stellar defensive out-

fielder, if he ever decided to go that direction.

But for at least a few days, it’s understandable that baseball fans are mourning what was lost.

Ohtani is batting .304 with a league-high 44 homers, 91 RBIs, 97 runs, seven triples and 17 stolen bases. He has a 10-5 record on the mound with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings while giving up just 85 hits.

That might be the best five-month performance in baseball history. Hope you savored it — because it may never happen again.

A handful of two-way prospects have been drafted over the past several years, riding the Ohtani wave that a new type of player might be on a horizon. None of them have come close to matching Ohtani’s impact. Now his injury will probably have a chilling effect on other teams trying to copy that success.

The simple reasoning: If Ohtani can’t handle the workload, who really can?

Through it all, Ohtani has also been a stellar example of hard work and a team-first attitude. He left the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader with his arm injury — found out he had a torn ligament between games — and then insisted on playing as a hitter in the second game.

The Angels have whole-heartedly supported Ohtani’s two-

way endeavors since he arrived — it’s part of the why he picked Los Angeles in the first place. The results have been extraordinary. But no-

tably, they’ve led to two significant arm injuries and no postseason appearances.

Now it’s time for the next chapter — one that

might come with a new team and a new UCL. If this is the end of Ohtani’s two-way dominance, it was quite a show.

Shohei Ohtani (17) of the Los Angeles Angels looks on in the dugout before the start of game two of a doubleheader against Cincinnati Reds at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Wednesday, in Anaheim, California. GETTY IMAGES/KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/TNS

US Open: Tourney to honor King’s push for equal pay

Continued from B6

achieved,” said Lew Sherr, the executive director of the USTA.

The WTA Tour was also formed in 1973, the same year King went on to beat Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes,” which remains the most-watched tennis match in history.

Equal pay came much later in the other Grand Slam tournaments, but King sees things speeding up now in women’s sports. She just returned from the Women’s World Cup in Aus-

tralia, played to large crowds and huge local TV ratings, and is an investor in multiple professional women’s and men’s teams and events.

Earlier this year, the WTA announced plans to soon increase the pay at some high-profile tournaments to the same as the men.

“Women are just starting to get the investment,” she said. “I think we’re at the tipping point where people think there’s money in women now.”

The U.S. Open be-

lieves so, scheduling its matches on marquee courts and television windows equally to showcase both genders. The Australian Open didn’t permanently start equal pay until 2001, five years before the French Open winners were paid equally. Wimbledon was the last in 2007, with Venus Williams helping lead the push that convinced the All England Club.

“I don’t think any woman should have to worry about if they’re getting paid

equal,” Williams said last month. “I’m very happy that no woman again at a Grand Slam has to even concern herself with that. She can just play tennis.” King is on the court again, having resumed playing during the COVID-19 pandemic after breaks from the sport. She’ll take part in a ceremony Monday night for the 50th anniversary of the gains that came from her threat. “So taking the chance,” she said, “I’m glad I did.”

RACING THIS WEEK

GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN

Sunday’s win was William Byron’s career-best fifth victory of the season – tops in the Cup Series and most for him in a single season in a six-year career in NASCAR’s top series.

Impressive season win No. 5 for William Byron

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – William Byron added to his season highlight reel earning his first career Cup Series road course victory with a dominant win in Sunday’s Go Bowling at The Glen at historic Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

It marks a career best fifth victory of the season – tops in the Cup Series and most for him in a single season in a six-year career in NASCAR’s top series. And the 25-year-old Charlotte native had to earn this one – holding off another championship challenger, Denny Hamlin by a healthy 2.632-seconds for the win. Byron led an impressive 66 of the 90 laps – extending his advantage over the field each lap of the final 10 lap-run to the checkered flag.

“Yeah, I would have to think about that a little bit though,’’ Byron said when asked if he felt like it was his most dominant race win. “But it definitely feels really good, just a huge credit to the race team behind me. I want to thank Max Papis. My first road course win and we worked years and years for this.’’

Byron, who won Stage 2 on Sunday, noted the timing is important as the series heads into the Playoffs.

“We seem to go through that summer slump in July and August and for some reason we just can’t put the races together, I think it’s the race tracks themselves. But this weekend, we came with a good mindset and focused on getting ready for the postseason. We’ve had fast cars just haven’t executed races, but today was flawless.”

Hamlin’s runner-up finish keeps the NASCAR Cup Series regular season championship still up for grabs. He trails his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. – who finished sixth –by 39 points heading into next week’s Daytona regular-season finale.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell finished third with Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger and JGR’s Ty Gibbs rounding out the top five.

Truex, Chris Buescher, 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano rounded out the top 10. With finishes of 15th and 21st, respectively, Roush-FenwayKeselowski Racing owner/driver Brad Keselowski and StewartHaas Racing driver Kevin Harvick both locked themselves into the 2023 Playoffs based on points. That leaves only one position to be decided in next Saturday night’s regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway.

23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace solidified his hold on that all-important 16th place in the points standings that could automatically transfer him into his first Playoff berth. Although Wallace concedes road course racing is not his strongest suit, he did exactly what he needed to, turning in a non-dramatic, consistent day. Wallace, who said he had a valuable phone conversation with six-time IndyCar Series champion Scott

William Byron, driver of the #24 Valvoline Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag to win the Cup Series Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International Sunday. (Sean Gardner/Getty)

XFINITY BURNOUT

ALERT! Sam Mayer, driver of the #1 Accelerate Pros Talent Chevrolet, after winning the Shriners Children’s 200 at The Glen Saturday.

(Sean Gardner/Getty)

NEXT: COKE ZERO SUGAR 400

Dixon before the race, earned points in both stages. And his 12th place finish was his best road course finish of the five run so far this season.

He now holds a 32-point advantage on the Joe Gibbs Racing rookie Gibbs and a 43-point advantage on Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez.

It was a troublesome day for two of the other high-profile teams still needing to race their way into the upcoming Playoffs and needing a race win.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott ran out of fuel with 23 laps remaining, stopped on-course and brought out a caution flag to push him back to pit road for a fuel-up. Elliott returned to race a lap down and finished 32nd and is now 21st in the standings.

The three-time Daytona International Speedway polesitter will need to earn his first win at the superspeedway to advance to the Playoffs this season and keep his eight-year run of championship eligibility going.

Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suárez started the day only one position out of the top 16 – 28 points behind Wallace. But Suárez was the first of those on the Playoff bubble to encounter issues – going off-course at the famous “bus stop” portion of the Watkins Glen course and brushing the wall only five laps into the race. The off-course excursion dropped him from 10th place at the time to 24th in the field and he had to play catchup all day, ultimately finishing 22nd. He goes into the Daytona season-finale next week 43 points out of the top 16 and needing a win.

The rookie Gibbs ran among the top five all Sunday afternoon and goes to Daytona Beach 32-points behind Wallace and needing a win.

Daytona International Speedway 7 p.m. ET Saturday, NBC

ABOUT • Location: 1801 West International Speedway Blvd, Daytona Beach, Florida 32114

• Capacity: 101,500-167,785 (w/in eld, depending on con guration); 123,500 (grandstand capacity)

• The history of Daytona International Speedway began in 1953 when Bill France Sr. realized the days of racing on the beach were numbered due to spreading land usage of a rapidly growing population and huge race crowds. France put his plans for the future of racing in Daytona Beach in motion on April 4, 1953 with a proposal to construct a permanent speedway facility. On Aug.16, 1954, France signed a contract with City of Daytona Beach and Volusia County of cials to build what would become Daytona International Speedway, the “World Center of Racing.” In 1957, land clearing began for the Speedway. The famous 31-degree highbanks were included in the design of the track so higher speeds could be achieved and to make it easier for fans to see the cars race around the 2.5-mile tri-oval. The dirt for the banking was taken from the in eld and resulted in a 29-acre space that is known as Lake Lloyd.

• Racing moved from the beach-road course to Daytona International Speedway in 1959 and the rst DAYTONA 500 took place on Feb. 22 in front of a crowd of over 41,000. Car entries included both hard tops and convertibles (it was the only DAYTONA 500 that included convertibles). The nish of the inaugural DAYTONA 500 was too close to call. Johnny Beauchamp went to Victory Lane, but 61 hours later Lee Petty was declared the of cial winner after a clip of newsreel footage showed that Petty nipped Beauchamp at the line by approximately two feet.

• On July 5, 2013, ground broke on the $400 million DAYTONA Rising frontstretch renovation project that would transform the speedway into a state-of-the-art facility. The Speedway now has approximately 101,500 permanent, wider and more comfortable seats, 40 escalators, 17 elevators, twice as many restrooms, three times as many concession stands and three concourse levels.

Austin Dillon drank up in Victory Lane in last year's Coke Zero 400.

Billie Jean King leaves the stage after being inducted as one of the The Original 9 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame on July 17, 2021, in Newport, Rhode Island. TNS FILE PHOTO