Saturday, September 26, 2020
Locally owned since 1867
iolaregister.com
Digging up history
Tennis match pits students vs. admin
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Taking President Trump at his word
Jim Bagdell of Miami, Okla., runs a sheep’s feet roller over a fresh layer of dirt at the site of the new Iola Elementary School at Kentucky and Monroe streets. RenTerra, owned by Stan Shultz, has removed contaminated soil from the property and is in the process of adding clean new dirt to build a solid foundation for the school. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS
Dirt work progresses at new elementary school site By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
An endless parade of dump trucks trundle onto the site of the new elementary school in a well-choreographed performance. Truck driver Karla Boots circles her vehicle around an assortment of bulldozers, then drops a load of dirt. The hinged metal rear door claps against the bed when it empties, echoing through the neighborhood like applause. Boots exits stage left. The scene shifts to a bulldozer as it pushes a roller over the fresh dirt. Flat metal prongs called “sheep’s feet” press square patterns into the ground. When the next load of dirt is dropped, it will settle into the space and provide just the right amount of compaction between dirt, water and air. Aside, foreman Dan Dunn meets with Drew Thomas, a field technician with Anderson Engineering. Thomas uses a probe to conduct a nuclear ground test to determine the level of compaction and moisture content, then discusses the results with Dunn.
Lawmakers want more oversight By JOHN HANNA The Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican legislators in Kansas have started pushing to give more of their colleagues a say in how the state manages protracted emergencies such as the coronavirus pandemic after months of conflict between them and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. A Republican-led legislative committee studying the state’s emergency management laws agreed ThursSee LAWMAKERS | Page A8
Vol. 122, No. 232 Iola, KS 75 Cents
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Ginsburg makes history in death, too PAGE B6
Too late: 1,500 mail ballots not counted By ROXANA HEGEMAN The Associated Press
BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — More than 1,500 Kansans did not have their votes counted in the August primary because their mail ballots arrived too late, but many of them were uncounted because voters didn’t mail them on time, election data shows. A 2017 state law that aims to mitigate the impact of mail delays allows ballots postmarked on Election Day to be counted as long as they are received in local election offices within three days. That means that ballots postmarked on or before Aug. 4 would have been counted had they arrived by Aug. 7. Uncounted ballots from
Stan Shultz of RenTerra, above, oversees the excavation and dirt work for a new elementary school. At right, Drew Thomas of Anderson Engineering places a nuclear probe to test the soil compaction at the site. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS So far, Thomas says, the results have been quite good at the site. Crews are in the process of building a dirt pad for a new elementary school that will be constructed in the next year or so. The process has gone very smoothly, according to Stan Shultz, owner of RenTerra, the company contracted for
the excavation and dirt work. TWO WEEKS ago, a giant hole — 6 feet, 8 inches deep across 100,000 square feet of ground — occupied the middle section of the property at Kentucky and Monroe streets. Two months ago, the land was overgrown with weeds, brush and trees that filled the See SITE | Page A3
See BALLOTS | Page A4
Lumber store owner reflects on 40 years By TREVOR HOAG The Iola Register
“There were times I thought my brain would explode,” said Sharri Fuller, reflecting on 40 years of business as owner of the Toronto Lumber Company. “When anybody looks back at their life … it’s probably a whirlwind.” The journey began in 1980, when Fuller and her first husband Tom Hoag bought the Toronto lumber yard from Andy and Mary Jirgens. “I always give credit to Tom,” she said. “I for sure wouldn’t have been in the lumber business if not for him.”
Amazingly, they purchased the facility at 19% interest, so as Fuller put it, “it wasn’t the best time to go into business.” “Things were a lot simpler then,” she remarked. “Lumber was bought [only] 10 sheets at a time, … delivered three times a week.” “We hardly had any power tools on the shelves,” she recalled. And they sold nails, whereas in contrast to today “nails are a thing of the past.” They also loaded lumber by hand. Fuller recalled staying late every night to compile purchase tickets as well, though thankfully, given her See STORE | Page A5
Toronto Lumber Company owner Sharri Fuller leans against a display on her 40th Christmas as proprietor. COURTESY PHOTO
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