Sports: Iola falls short in Ottawa See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
www.iolaregister.com
Monday, June 27, 2016
Happy trails
Scores of walkers and bikers make their way along the Lehigh Portland Trail during the grand opening celebration Saturday. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Lehigh Portland trail complex draws rave reviews By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
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aturday’s dedication of a new hiking and biking trail south of Iola included a lesson on the value of perseverance. John McRae, former Iola mayor and on the board of Iola Industries, told a gathering of about 125 that when the Lehigh Portland cement plant south of Iola closed almost 50 years ago, local officials struggled to find a suitable replacement not only in terms of jobs lost but also as a site.
Eventually, Gates Corporation was built on one portion of the land, with other smaller industries scattered about, including D of K Vaults and T&E Company. But a large swath of the land was considered pretty much inacessible because of its hilly terrain, and “we wondered what could possibly happen to it that would be good,” McRae said of Iola Industries, which owns the land. For more than 40 years, “there was nothing,” in terms See TRAIL | Page A4
Former mayor John McRae speaks Saturday at the Lehigh Portland Trail opening ceremony.
Bigger fight on schools yet ahead TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is bracing for more contentious legal and political fights over education funding even after legislators approved a narrow, short-term fix to satisfy a court mandate and avoid a threatened shutdown of the state’s public schools. Having directed lawmakers to make education funding fairer to poor areas, the Kansas Supreme Court will next consider the larger issue of whether the state spends enough overall on its schools. The justices could rule by early next year; a trial-court panel said the state must increase its annual aid by at least $548 million. Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and the GOPdominated Legislature’s leaders already have committed to rewriting school funding laws next year. Besides overhauling how money is distributed among the state’s 286 local districts, they also want to rethink academic standards and use state funds to improve students’ performance. Kansas is likely to remain See SCHOOLS | Page A2
City orders 5 percent spending cut By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Council set to decide Tobacco 21’s fate tonight Iola City Council members are expected to discuss further tonight whether to rescind the city’s Tobacco 21 ordinance, which prohibits the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to anybody under 21. The statewide age to purchase tobacco is 18, but the Council — at the behest of the Allen County Rural Health Initiative — raised the age to 21 in Iola’s city limits. Other communities, particularly Gas, have balked at the request, however. Allen County Commissioner Jim Talkington requested at the Council’s June 14 meeting that Iola rescind the ordinance, which took effect June 1. In a related matter, the Council also will discuss whether to designate smoking areas within Riverside Park, a compromise after the Rural Health Initiative requested the city institute a smoking
ban for the entire park. COUNCIL
MEMBERS
also will continue discussions on the city’s 2017 spending plan. City Administrator Carl Slaugh said at the June 14 meeting, the general fund budget must be cut about $800,000 to remain in balance before the 2017 budget is approved. Also on the agenda is a discussion about whether the city should add curb replacement to its sidewalk repair program. The city reimburses residents $1.25 per square foot on sidewalks they repair or replace. Slaugh noted the fund has had little usage, and is asking if adding curb replacement will invite more participation. The 6 o’clock meeting will be in the New Community Building at Riverside Park. The public is invited.
Quote of the day Vol. 118, No. 170
While Iola officials struggle with closing an $800,000 gap in the city’s 2017 budget, City Administrator Carl Slaugh notes the 2016 spending plan also must be addressed. Slaugh said at Friday’s See, Hear Iola session that he has ordered an across-the-board, 5-percent spending cut for the remainder of the calendar year. “It looks like our carryover funds will come up a little short” otherwise, Slaugh said. IN OTHER items Friday, Carol Sager, Iola Area Chamber of Commerce executive director, spoke about a “Junk Or Trunk” outdoor market Thursday. The event will coincide with the weekly Allen County Farmers Market on the courthouse square. While the Farmers Market will remain on South Jefferson Avenue, the Junk or Trunk market will be set up on Jackson See IOLA | Page A2
A worker clears out debris from a locker room at Iola’s Riverside Park football stadium. COURTESY OF DONNA HOUSER
Pictures of Iola requested As the 20th Century drew to a close, former Register owners Emerson Jr. and Mickey Lynn put the finishing touches on a two-volume, 1,000-page book dedicated to the early days of Iola and Allen County’s history. “The Annals of Iola and Allen County” volumes I and II covered daily goings-
“Either you run the day or the day runs you.” — Jim Rohn, American businessman 75 Cents
on from the Register’s infancy in 1867 through World War II. The books were popular among local historians, schools and others eager to read about days of yesteryear. After it was published, it See PICTURES | Page A2
Hi: 90 Lo: 72 Iola, KS