The Iola Register, Sept. 27, 2023

Enrollment down for Iola schools

IHS moves to Class 3A for all sports

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

The opening of a new Iola Elementary School last year brought a surprising bump in enrollment numbers, so administrators were curious to see if that trend might continue. It turned out to be a onetime boost.

This year, enrollment returned to a more traditional trend: For the past 35 years, the Iola district lost an average of about 25 students each year. That’s likely true this

City, dealership

By TIM STAUFFER The Iola Register

City council members agreed Monday to split the costs of extending a sewer line to PrairieLand Partners’ site on the northeast edge of town. The John Deere dealership plans to build a new 64,000-square-foot facility on 25 acres along the west side of U.S. 169.

By a 7-1 vote, the council voted to spend up to $108,000 — half the projected costs — with PrairieLand picking up the rest of the tab.

Council member Carl Slaugh was the lone dissenting vote; Nickolas Kinder was absent.

Engineers believe they can extend a gravity main north from Allen County Regional Hospital for about 875 feet, leaving about 2,400 feet of force main left to install. A gravity main is a sanitary sewer that uses gravity; force main systems use pressurized sewer pipe to transport

year as well, with preliminary estimates indicating the district could lose anywhere from 15 to 26 students.

The decrease also bumps

Iola High School down to the 3A level in all sports. Football has been at the 3A level for the past few years, but this is the first year all sports will com-

to split sewer line costs

wastewater by pumps in lift stations. The total cost for the expansion is estimated to cost $216,000.

The decision to assist PrairieLand comes after an August vote to help the company extend water service. The City agreed to provide the equipment and labor necessary for the expansion. PrairieLand estimates the new store will cost about $14 million to build.

SLAUGH began discussion of PrairieLand’s request by wondering if a mill levy hike or rate increase would be necessary to fund it. “If you take that money from a reserve,” said Slaugh, “you need to somehow replace it.”

But City Administrator Matt Rehder begged to differ, and when asked by council member Kim Peterson if he believed the city could absorb the cost, Rehder said he

See

pete at that level. Most of the schools in the Pioneer League are also 3A; Iola will remain

See IOLA | Page A4

Labette Co. murder investigated

LABETTE COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Labette County Sheriff’s Office, and the Parsons Police Department are investigating a homicide that occurred over the weekend.

The KBI announced in a press release Monday that the body of Kylie Caldwell, 28, Parsons, was discovered in a field in rural Labette County.

The body was located about half-mile west of the intersection of Ness Road and 20000 Road, at the south edge of Parsons.

Investigators found evidence the woman was murdered, the press release said.

Caldwell had last been seen early Sunday morning,

See MURDER | Page A4

Chanute library, museum take center stage as tax vote nears

By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register

CHANUTE — Funding for upgrades to Chanute’s historic train depot will hinge on an upcoming sales tax referendum.

Local voters will decide in the November general election whether to extend a quarter-cent sales tax to fund upgrades for a number of city facilities, including the old Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Train Depot, which houses the Chanute Public Library and the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum.

The building, which was last remodeled in the early 1990s, faces a laundry list of needs, most prominently a new HVAC system priced at $1 million or more.

agreement between the three entities did not give the city explicit authority for repairs. A new agreement — approved separately this month by city commissioners and the library and museum’s boards of directors — does, while directing the library and museum to pay rent.

The rent payments will go in an escrow account to help pay for maintenance needs.

REACHING the new deal wasn’t an easy task.

Both the library and museum boards hesitated to sign the pact earlier this month, citing ambiguity in the lease regarding the city’s responsibility for such things as the HVAC system.

That, in turn, prompted commissioners at their Sept.

several repairs, particularly a new HVAC system.

Problem was, the old lease

The Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum and Chanute Public Library have called Chanute’s old Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Depot home since 1991. The building is in need of

REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

Iola USD 257 Board of Education member Dan Willis, left, and Superintendent of Schools Stacey Fager listen to reports at Monday’s school board meeting. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

Dale Lalman of PrarieLand Partners speaks Monday with Iola City Council members about the John Deere dealership’s plans to build a new facility at the edge of Iola. In the background is Sally Huskey, who owns the land for the new site. REGISTER/TIM STAUFFER

Obituary

Mary Schornick

Mary Margaret Branson Schornick, 79, Yates Center, died Thursday, Sept. 21, at Yates Center Health & Rehab.

Mary was born Jan. 14, 1944, to John and Margaret (Allan) Branson in Eureka.

Mary and Robert Schornick were married Jan. 27, 1979, in Yates Center.

Mary was preceded in death by an infant daughter, Teresa Ann Schornick.

Her husband survives, as do daughter Sara (Darren) Davis, and grandson, Alex Davis.

A rosary will be recited at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 28, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Yates Center, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10. A private family inurnment will be at a later date in the Yates Center Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial to Friends For Life or St. Joseph Catholic Church (Yates Center) or to a Mass for the repose of the soul of Mary, which may be left with Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, 1883 U.S. 54, Iola.

Condolences may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.

Library to hear about LGBTQ history

The Iola Public Library will look at how Kansans contributed to a civil rights movement for the LGBTQ community Saturday.

The library will host speaker Brandon West to discuss “Pride: From Stonewall to Small Town Kansas,” at 2 p.m. Saturday at the library.

The event, made possible by Humanities Kansas, is open to the public.

The social revolution commonly known as Pride has deep connections to Kansas.

The events at Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village in 1969 galva-

“Pride: From Stonewall to Small Town Kansas”

2 p.m. Saturday Iola Public Library

gain equality in rights for LGBTQ individuals.

Brandon West

nized a generation to stand up for their civil rights. Kansans contributed to this early history, including the design of the iconic rainbow flag. West’s presentation will trace the early struggles to

Nursing homes still struggle after pandemic

By RACHEL MIPRO Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — Battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, staffing shortages and the strain of a population skewing older, the Kansas nursing home industry needs to be carefully monitored, advocates say.

“When you walk into an area after a tornado, where do you begin?” questioned Linda MowBray, president and CEO of the Kansas Health Care Association and Kansas Center for Assisted Living during a Sept. 21 legislative conference on nursing home oversight. “Where do you even start to pick up the pieces?”

MowBray said 26 nursing homes had closed across the state in the past three years, an estimated seven counties have no nursing homes at all, and several other counties just have a long-term care unit in a hospital — an issue that could balloon as the average Kansas age shifts upward. Demographic reports estimate that by 2036, the number of Kansans 65 or older will grow by more than 40%.

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, aging service providers warned lawmakers of temporary staffing agencies “price gouging” Medicaid providers, with some alleging that companies were charging more than triple the typical rate for essential workers.

MowBray said the industry had seen some improvement following increased reimbursement for aging service providers. During the 2022 legislative session, lawmakers voted to adjust the Medicaid reimbursement rates for aging services providers,

covering cost discrepancies through a Medicaid add-on.

“Without the add-on, we just wouldn’t have been able to keep pace,” MowBray said.

Rachel Monger, president and CEO of LeadingAge Kansas, said her organization was seeing some new nursing home applicants for the first time in a while because of the increased funding.

“We are still a long way from good on the staffing shortage problem,” Monger said. “But based on the chasm we were stuck in these last few years, even just getting these job applications for nursing positions just feels miraculous. And so that money has been immediately put to good use.”

While the add-on has helped, the two warned reimbursement rates for other nursing home needs should also be adjusted to keep up with demand. Monger said dementia care was especially expensive to provide.

“The biggest losses

that our members show are in that staffing category,” Monger said. “The amount of money and the amount of staff they hire to provide the quality of care that they believe is necessary does not match up with the reimbursement that the state gives them to actually provide that care to most of their residents.”

Dawn Veh, a board member with Kansas Adult Care Executives, said inflation has also significantly increased costs. Staffing costs increased between 25% to 50% for various staff positions in the past few years, Veh estimated, and supplies have also gone up. Veh said one box of gloves has increased in price by 50%. A box of bacon the organization orders has gone from $50 to $75.

“We’re actually losing $12 a day, based on this cost report sheet,” Veh said. “We have 45 Medicaid residents in our building. So if you take that times 365, it’s $197,000 that we are spending that we’re not getting reimbursed, just

because of the formula that’s being used.”

“With this add-on, it really is just helping facilities to stay open while we continue to make adjustments to what’s been happening,” Veh added.

Others at the meeting took a different approach. David Kingsley, executive director of the Center for Healthcare Information and Policy, said the entire system needs to be more transparent and the state needs to make sure nursing homes aren’t being overpaid.

He said private equity and big corporations have taken over the Kansas nursing home industry.

“I would be hardpressed to find any facility today in Kansas that is a mom and pop operation, No. 1. No. 2, I would be very hardpressed today to find a chain that is owned by a Kansas corporation,” said Kingsley, a retired statistics professor from the University of Kansas Department of Health Policy.

West is the executive director of the national nonprofit organization Project Q&A, Inc., and the development coordinator for the Independence Public Library.

The discussion is part of Humanities Kansas’s Speakers Bureau and

“21st Century Civics,” a collection of resources that invite Kansans to participate in community discussions and learn more about the history of American democracy and the shared responsibilities of citizenship.

For more information, visit iolapubliclibrary.org.

Amazon sued by FTC, 17 states

By the Associated Press

Amazon is being sued by U.S. regulators and 17 states over allegations that the company abuses its position in the marketplace to inflate prices on other platforms, overcharge sellers and stifle competition.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, is the result of a years-long investigation into Amazon’s businesses and one of the most significant legal challenges brought against the company in its nearly 30-year history.

According to a news release sent by the agency, the Federal Trade Commission and states that joined the lawsuit are asking the court to issue a permanent injunction court that they say would prohibit Amazon from engaging in its unlawful conduct and loosen its “monopolistic control to restore competition.”

They allege the company engages in anti-competitive practices through anti-discounting measures that deter sellers from offering lower prices for products on non-Amazon sites, mirroring allegations made in a separate lawsuit last year by the state of California. The complaint says Amazon can bury listings that are offered at lower prices on other sites.

The complaint also says the company degrades the customer experience by replacing relevant search results with paid adver-

tisements, biasing its own brands over other products it knows to be of a better quality and charging heavy fees that forces sellers to pay nearly half of their total revenues to Amazon.

“The complaint sets forth detailed allegations noting how Amazon is now exploiting its monopoly power to enrich itself while raising prices and degrading service for the tens of millions of American families who shop on its platform and the hundreds of thousands of businesses that rely on Amazon to reach them,” FTC Chairman Lina Khan said in a prepared statement.

Many had wondered whether the agency would seek to a forced break-up of the retail giant, which is also dominant in cloud computing and has a growing presence in other sectors like groceries and health care. In a briefing with reporters, Khan dodged questions of whether that will happen.

“At this stage, the focus is more on liability,” she said.

Some estimates show Amazon controls about 40% of the e-commerce market. A majority of the sales on its platform are facilitated by independent sellers consisting of small and medium-sized businesses and individuals. In return for the access it provides to its platform, Amazon rakes in billions through referral fees and other services like advertising, which makes products sold by sellers more visible on the platform.

Linda MowBray, seen here during a January 2022 hearing, says the state’s nursing homes have been hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. (NOAH TABORDA/ KANSAS REFLECTOR)

Lawmakers brace for government shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) —

With a government shutdown five days away, Congress is moving into crisis mode as Speaker Kevin McCarthy faces an insurgency from hard-right Republicans eager to slash spending even if it means curtailing federal services for millions of Americans.

There’s no clear path ahead as lawmakers return with tensions high and options limited. The House is expected to vote Tuesday evening on a package of bills to fund parts of the government, but it’s not at all clear that McCarthy has the support needed to move ahead.

Meanwhile, the Senate, trying to stave off a federal closure, is preparing its own bipartisan plan for a stopgap measure to buy some time and keep offices funded past Saturday’s deadline as work in Congress continues. But plans to tack on additional Ukraine aid have run into

trouble as a number of Republicans in both the House and Senate oppose spending more money on the war effort.

Against the mounting chaos, President Joe Biden warned the Republican conservatives off their hardline tactics, saying funding the

federal government is “one of the most basic fundamental responsibilities of Congress.”

Biden implored the House Republicans not to renege on the debt deal he struck earlier this year with McCarthy, which set the federal government funding levels and was signed into law after approval by both the House and Senate.

“We made a deal, we shook hands, and said this is what we’re going to do. Now, they’re reneging on the deal,” Biden said late Monday.

“If Republicans in the House don’t start doing their jobs, we should stop electing them.”

A government shutdown would disrupt the U.S. economy and the lives of millions of Americans who work for the government or rely on federal services — from air traffic controllers who would be asked to work without pay to some 7 million people

in the Women, Infants and Children program, including half the babies born in the U.S., who could lose access to nutritional benefits, according to the White House.

It comes against the backdrop of the 2024 elections as Donald Trump, the leading Republican to challenge Biden, is egging on the Republicans in Congress to “shut it down” and undo the deal McCarthy made with Biden.

Republicans are also being encouraged by former Trump officials, including those who are preparing to slash government and the federal workforce if the former president retakes the White House in the 2024 election. With five days to go before Saturday’s deadline, the turmoil is unfolding as House Republicans hold their first Biden impeachment inquiry hearing this week probing the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden.

Depot: Chanute landmark in need of major repairs

Continued from A1

11 meeting to give both the library and museum two weeks to ratify the agreement or be considered in breach of the old lease. That decision triggered a fierce outcry in the days that followed.

Cooler heads prevailed Monday.

Library director Jeana Lawrence noted Monday the library board signed the lease last week, but still had questions on such items as the process to follow regarding emergency repairs, who would be responsible for keeping the parking lot cleared in snowy weather, who mows the property, “and the biggest question of all: where do we go forward on replacing HVAC?”

Representatives from all three entities expressed optimism at Monday’s Chanute City Commission meeting.

“I’m hopeful the library and museum will be able to come together and find answers to these questions and we can still move forward as partners and maintain our historic depot,” Lawrence said.

Garrett Sharp, who serves as vice president on the museum’s board of directors, echoed Lawrence’s desire for a strong working relationship with the city.

“As we’ve signed the lease along with the library, we’re asking the city to move forward with a plan for the HVAC,” Sharp said. “And we’re asking citizens of Chanute to get out and vote ‘yes’ on the quarter-cent sales tax in November to help pay for these costs.”

“What I feel is most people feel a great satisfaction for the existence of that depot, not because of bricks, but because of hearts that refurbished it,” City Commissioner Tim Fairchild said.

The depot, which faced a wrecking ball in the late 1980s before townsfolk raised funds to refurbish it once they realized the library and museum could use the structure, is illustrative of

civic support for a historic institution, Fairchild said.

The movement 33 years ago was evident, Fairchild said, “that they wanted something transcendental.”

120 years strong

The train depot was built in 1903, and expanded in size in 1917 and became the Southern Division Headquarters for the Santa Fe Railroad.

It featured a large Harvey House restaurant, Wells Fargo Express office and reading room and handled 10 passenger trains daily.

But as cars became more prevalent and roads widened, the number of rail passengers dwindled.

Rail service experienced a renaissance of sorts in World War II as soldiers were shipped to army posts and naval bases nationwide, but

after the war, it became evident that travel by rail was a thing of the past. The final ATSF train service south of Kansas City ceased operations in 1968.

Several towns, including Iola, demolished their depots years later.

Chanute, however, took the opposite approach, instead developing a grassroots effort to save the depot.

In 1987, it was placed on the list of Kansas Historic Places. By 1990, an agreement was in place to house the library, whose old building also had begun to crumble, and the Johnson Safari Museum, which up to then was essentially a warehouse.

More than $2 million private donations was raised for the renovation.

Because of the building’s designation on the state’s registry, it may

qualify for state credits, perhaps paying as much as 40% of a new HVAC system’s cost, commissioners learned.

AS FOR Lawrence’s questions, commissioners said they fa-

vored resurrection of a depot management committee, which would serve as an advisory board and consist of representatives from all three entities.

Fairchild noted the old lease spelled out the committee’s responsibilities, while the new one does not.

However, that does not prevent the city from making sure the committee exists, he added.

In fact, Commissioner Phil Chaney said such a committee’s functions are vital for a strong relationship between the three sides. More importantly, the group will help address planning for maintenance projects, both minor and major. The smaller projects will come out of the escrow fund. Major items will be handled by city commissioners.

“I don’t want this to slow down,” Chaney said. “We’ve gotta get going. I want to build on this positive energy, and get it fixed.”

Commissioners noted that, even if the sales tax vote fails, the city is the hook for the building’s repairs, as spelled out in the lease agreement.

Fairchild, reflecting on the community’s support in the early 1990s for the building’s restoration, wondered if that groundswell could repeat itself.

He noted Chanute has 4,200 residences. If each resident was willing to pay $12.50 a month, that would generate more than $600,000 in a year, the expected cost to the city if additional assistance for the HVAC upgrades is approved.

Fairchild was uncertain if such a mechanism could be put in place, “but it would be a substantial achievement and statement about who we are, in our 150th year (as a city) that we refurbished that system in that building. For all of us who live here, I can’t describe why, but I love this place.”

for a community forum on the proposed renovations to the Allen County Courthouse

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. • Allen County Courthouse

6:30-7:30 p.m. - Tours and presentations by panelists 7:30-8:30 p.m. - Q&A with audience

Panelists:

Allen County Sheriff Bryan Murphy

Dina Morrison, Chief Clerk Administrator

Kevin McGuffin, Chief Court Services Officer/Executive Director of Community Corrections and Juvenile Services

Vince Haines, Architect, Gravity Works Architecture

Tad Johnson, Construction Manager, Crossland Construction Company, Inc

Gregory Vahrenberg, Managing Director, Raymond James Bob Johnson, Johnson Schowengerdt, PA

Dan Creitz, Chief Judge of the 31st Judicial District

Sponsored by:

Please call 620-365-2111 for more information. This event is free and open to the public.

Chanute City Commissioner Tim Fairchild speaks at Monday’s Commission meeting about improvements to the old Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Depot, which today houses the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum and Chanute Public Library. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack answers questions during the daily press briefing at the White House Monday in Washington, DC. Vilsack and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre answered a range of questions related primarily to a potential shutdown of the U.S. government. GETTY IMAGES/WIN MCNAMEE/TNS

City: Will split sewer line costs with John Deere dealer

Continued from A1

did. “We think this is a prudent financial move,” said Rehder. “If it wasn’t prudent, we wouldn’t have even brought it up. The sewer fund is in a much different shape than the water fund.”

After further discussion with Slaugh, Mayor Steve French strongly advocated the city approve PrairieLand’s request for assistance — and to consider the alternatives.

“The last time we did any economic development activity, I believe we gave about $125,000, and Carl, I’m not aware of us having to raise any mill levy to recuperate it,” said French.

“If we’re not going to offer anything to anyone, we’re going to continue to fall further and further behind,” French continued. “And I know you believe, Carl, that if they’re

If we’re not going to offer anything to anyone, we’re going to continue to fall further and further behind ... We’re seeing too many other companies getting drawn to other cities by what they do and can offer, whether it’s in-kind or monetary, or tax breaks. This is a new day of doing business. Cities are going to have to give something.

— Iola Mayor Steve French on using city funds as an incentive for economic development

going to come here, they’re going to come here, regardless. But I think we’re seeing that’s not true. We’re seeing too many other companies getting drawn to other cities by what they do and can offer, whether it’s in-kind or monetary, or tax breaks. This

is a new day of doing business. Cities are going to have to give something.

“So I agree that there needs to be a concern about the checkbook, but we’re assured today that we have a healthy fund, and I’d like to see us support them. We’ve

supported businesses in the past,” said French.

Council member Joelle Shallah agreed, observing that PrairieLand would also become a paying customer of the extended utilities, helping offset the costs.

Assistant City Administrator Corey Schinstock also saw advantages to the expanded sewer service. With the city assuming responsibility for the sewer line, said Schinstock, First Christian Church or future homes could potentially tie into the city’s service.

Prairieland’s Iola store manager Dale Lalman was pleased with the progress.

“We can’t say it enough: we’re thrilled that the city is partnering with us,” Lalman told the Register. “This is exactly the support we were looking for. We want to be in communities that want

us to be there. And I felt that strongly last night.

FURTHER boosting PrairieLand’s plans for the new location, the city council also unanimously approved the company’s request to initiate an Industrial Revenue Bond process. The bond financing involves a 10-year 100% tax abatement and a sales tax exemption on items for the construction of the facility. PrairieLand would pay all costs of the bond issue. Before any financing proceeds, the company must complete a cost-benefit analysis, conduct a public hearing, and file a resolution of intent. Industrial Revenue Bonds were also used to fund the Family Physicians building on North State and the Sonic/Kneisley facility on West Miller Road.

Iola: Smaller enrollment means new IHS classification

Continued from A1

one of the larger schools in the league.

All schools in Kansas conduct their official enrollment count on Sept. 20. Superintendent Stacey Fager said figures have not been finalized, but he discussed preliminary results with school board members on Monday evening.

Overall, the district reported 1,061 students from kindergarten through 12th grade, a loss of 26 compared to last year. However, some of the district’s 5-yearold preschool students are eligible to be included in the kindergarten count, which could reduce that number to a loss of around 15.

Last September, the district reported 1,087 students, an increase of 36 over 2021’s enrollment (1,051).

Fager and board member Dan Willis noted the district’s enrollment is still higher than it was two years ago thanks to last year’s boost.

The numbers do not include preschool. This year’s preschool class was so large, the district had to add a class and limited enrollment to students who live in the district.

Fager and Willis also discussed declining population in southeast Kansas; in recent years, Crawford County is the only regional county to gain residents.

“We’re the most stable we’ve been in three decades,” Willis said. “I’m still optimistic.”

A REVIEW of numbers by grade shows few patterns, with some showing more students

and others showing a decrease.

It can be helpful to compare the number of kindergarteners (new students) to the number of seniors (graduating students). That allows administrators to better predict the future by comparing incoming versus outgoing classes.

This year’s kindergarten class is 91, a decrease of 4 from last year and the second-largest class in the district, but it’s quite a bit higher than the Class of 2024, which has 76 students.

However, the Class of 2025 — this year’s junior class — is the largest in the district, with 96 students.

The smallest class is 8th grade, with just 66 students. Most classes have student numbers in the 80s.

Because the 8th grade class is small, Fager anticipates the district will remain in the 3A classification at least through next year when those students become high school freshmen.

The state bases much of its funding on enrollment. Fager said the enrollment numbers are about what he expected and that the district will need to make only minor budget adjustments, if any.

Facilities question

A last-minute change by Kansas legislators last spring is causing quite a bit of headaches for school districts when it comes to selling school property.

Lawmakers approved a plan that gives the state “the right of first refusal” when a district wants to sell facilities.

For example, if a district builds a new school and

Murder: Parsons

Continued from A1

the report said.

Labette County Sher-

iff, Darren Eichinger told KOAM News Monday that investigators were speaking with a preson of interest related to the case.

“Hopefully, we will make an arrest within the next day or so,” Eichinger told the TV station.

The Parsons Sun reported Caldwell’s body

had been found in a hedgerow by a hunter and his nephew. Anyone with information about this case, or who has knowledge of Caldwell’s whereabouts over the weekend, is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME or the Labette County Sheriff’s Office at 620-795-2565.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted online at https://www.kbi. ks.gov/sar.

wants to sell the old building, the district must first see if the state wants it.

That has created confusion as to what type of property falls within that provision.

For example, USD 257 recently agreed to sell about an acre of land to the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center. It includes a dilapidated metal shed, which the district never used in any capacity, but an attorney advised the district to first offer the property to the state.

Other districts question if the new law means the state gets “first refusal” on other types of structures, such as sheds or even homes built by construction trades classes.

Board President Jennifer Taylor recently attended a state conference and said districts across the state are struggling with those questions. The uncertainty is causing delays

on real estate transactions.

“They can’t sell the homes students built. They’re looking to the Legislature for guidance. It’s a big mess,” Taylor said. She and Fager encouraged residents to contact their local lawmakers to discuss the issue and consider changes to the new law.

Speaking of lawmakers, Rep. Fred Gardner, R-Garnett, will tour the Iola Elementary School and Regional Rural Technical Center at LaHarpe on Thursday.

Fager also discussed early rumblings from lawmakers who plan to suggest changes to school funding in the next session, such as reducing the local option budget from its current rate of 20 mills. He planned to discuss that with Gardner, as well.

Middle/high school

The district collected about $3,500 from a golf

tournament fundraiser earlier this month.

The tournament was rescheduled after a July 14 windstorm hit the area the day before its original date. That likely reduced participation; last year’s tournament collected about $5,000.

Proceeds are split between the middle and high school.

Scott Brady, Iola Middle School’s assistant principal who led the event, said money raised last year was used to purchase display boards to recognize students who break athletic records and achievements for sports teams and other extracurricular activities.

The high school uses the money to pay part of the costs for Hudl, an online video service that streams sports games.

IN OTHER news: Board member Robin

Griffin-Lohman recognized elementary music teacher Kate Vernon for her ability to connect with students. She also enjoyed seeing new marching band uniforms at Friday’s homecoming parade.

IHS principal Scott Carson reported about 220 students attended the homecoming dance. The district does not allow students to attend if they have two or more “F” grades. Carson said the rule is a good incentive for students to improve grades, as the dance is very popular.

IES principal Andy Gottlob thanked the board for the purchase and installation of artificial turf at the school’s playground. Students enjoy playing on the new surface, which allows them to spread out across the large playground. It also allows students to play outside after rainstorms.

Iola Middle School Assistant Principal Scott Brady speaks Monday with USD 257 school board members. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

At last, the beginning of the end of the Hollywood strikes

Whew. There’s an end in sight for one of the two historic Hollywood strikes.

Nearly five months after writers walked off the job, the Writers Guild of America announced over the weekend a tentative deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which includes Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and NBCUniversal. The hope now is that an agreement with the actors union isn’t far behind and Los Angeles’ entertainment industry — and the untold numbers of local businesses that rely on it — will get back to work soon.

The last few months have been extraordinarily difficult for the people who make Hollywood magic happen and those whose livelihoods depend on a thriving entertainment industry. The WGA strike began May 2, with

SAG-AFTRA members joining the picket lines on July 14. It was Hollywood’s first double strike in 63 years, but the effects were felt beyond those unions. Crew members have also been out of work with production largely shut down. Businesses that rely on industry spending, including restaurants, hotels and service providers, have been hurt as well.

BY ONE estimate, California’s economy has lost about $5 billion as a result of the strikes.

While there are few specifics on what’s included in the proposed three-year contract for film and television work, WGA leaders called the deal “exceptional,” with “meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”

The guild’s 11,500 members still have to vote on the agreement, which would increase pay and

residual payments for streaming shows and impose rules on the use of artificial intelligence, which emerged as a significant job protection issue for writers and actors.

The strikes put a spotlight on how the digital revolution is transforming Hollywood, for better or worse. Not too long ago, viewers were basking in a new Golden Age of Television as studios went on a spending spree to launch their streaming services with new programs. The strikes revealed, however, that the streaming model has real financial downsides for people in the business.

STUDIOS are now facing pressure from Wall Street to cut costs and deliver reliable profits. For writers and performers, the shift has upended traditional compensation, with streaming programs

offering fewer episodes or paychecks per series, “mini rooms” that employ fewer writers and pay less residuals (fees for reaired shows), making it harder to earn a middle-class living.

The WGA and SAG-AFTRA contract negotiations have been seen as a pivotal moment, setting the course for the industry for the foreseeable future. No wonder both sides dug in for so long. That the WGA and the studios were finally able to reach an agreement is a good sign that compromise is possible. The entertainment industry is an economic engine for Los Angeles and California; the region has a collective interest in the studios’ success and the continued livelihoods of the people who make Hollywood possible.

— The Los Angeles Times Editorial Board

The U.S. is pulling back from China. How far is too far?

Many Americans, even once-ardent proponents of globalization, have soured on trade with China. But there is a growing danger that as the United States tries to address its difficulties with China, it will pull back too far, severing economic ties that benefit American families and contribute to global peace and prosperity. The relationship problems are real, and cannot be minimized. Chinese industrial subsidies, often maintained despite promises to the contrary, stripped millions of jobs from America’s industrial heartland. Chinese companies flagrantly steal American innovations. China’s increasingly confrontational posture toward the United States and its allies — including the economic support it is providing for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — have underscored the need for the United States to align trade policy more closely with other aspects of America’s national interest. In an example of the prevailing mood in Washington, Representative Mike Gallagher, the Wisconsin Republican who serves as the chairman of the pointedly named “Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party,” recently called for broad prohibitions on U.S. investment in China, writing in an essay published in The Washington Post that “we are quite literally funding our own potential destruction.”

A new rule book is needed. Too few leaders, however, appear willing to note that Americans also benefit from trade with China, that the two nations are economical-

ly intertwined whether they like it or not, and that it is in America’s interest for the rest of the world to prosper. Americans bought almost $40 billion of Chinese toys, games and sports equipment last year. Soybean farmers in the Upper Midwest sold a record $16.4 billion of their beans to China, mostly for pig feed. Intel takes profits from low-end chips it makes and sells in China to fund the high-end chips it sells in America and to its allies. Hundreds of millions of Chinese have come out of poverty thanks to global trade, and have become consumers of U.S. goods and services.

AMID the harsh talk, the dollar value of American trade with China — Americans buying Chinese products and the Chinese buying American products — rose to a record in 2022. The goal of American policymakers ought to be safeguarding the vast majority of those trade flows while addressing the problems that have emerged.

The Biden administration’s top priority in its dealings with China is, as it should be, national security. The president has emphasized the need to limit

China’s access to advanced technologies with military applications. An executive order recently signed by Mr. Biden that restricts American investment in Chinese firms that work on artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum computing is a measured and necessary intervention. The government’s push to provide subsidies for the domestic production of semiconductors is also a sensible policy. The United States needs to secure reliable access to critical materials.

The Biden administration describes its approach to trade limitations as “small yard, high fence,” meaning that it is aiming to restrict China’s access to a small number of advanced technologies. But some strictures on trade, notably the broad tariffs on Chinese imports first introduced by Mr. Trump and maintained by President Biden, already go too far, imposing costs on American households without much benefit to them or national security.

Keeping the yard from getting bigger is also likely to prove difficult. During Commerce Secretary Gina

Raimondo’s recent visit to China, the country’s leading mobile phone manufacturer, Huawei, provocatively released a new smartphone powered by an advanced chip made in China most likely using American technology and machinery. A group of House Republicans sent a letter to the Biden administration citing the phone’s release as evidence of the need for tighter restrictions on China’s access to advanced chips. But China’s ability to make serviceable smartphones does not threaten America’s national security. Restraint is the best policy here.

AND while high walls are sometimes essential, so too are broad bridges. It is important to create real penalties for bad behavior by China, but it is also important to reward good behavior. Just as in the United States, there is a debate inside China between trade hard-liners and reformers. America has natural allies among those in China who understand that Beijing has to change and can succeed by playing by the rules.

Defending trade is politically fraught in part because so many American leaders underestimated the impact of China’s rise on American workers and failed to ensure that the benefits were broadly shared.

THE best reason for optimism is that the two nations still depend on each other. China’s recent struggles — slowing growth, an imploding housing sector, high youth unemployment and capital flight — appear to be motivating a more open

stance among Chinese policymakers. And after a period of escalating tensions, the Biden administration also has sought to calm the waters by sending a series of senior officials to the country.

In recent years, Chinese airlines have largely refrained from placing new orders for Boeing airplanes, making a political point of buying jets from Airbus, its European rival. But Guillaume Faury, the Airbus chief executive, predicted in a recent interview that the trend would not continue. “I don’t believe that China can rely on one aircraft manufacturer,” he said.

“They need competition.”

The first narrow-body jets produced by a Chinese company, Comac, entered commercial service earlier this year. The engines were manufactured in Durham, N.C.

The steadily rising trade between the United States and China from 1979 to the present has disrupted the lives of many Americans and caused real harm to some.

That said, in the sweep of history those four decades were an era of remarkable peace between, and prosperity for, the two countries.

Some U.S. politicians want to take advantage of China’s dependence to constrain its economic development by denying China the technologies that it needs. The better course is to focus on limiting the reach of China’s military, not its economy as a whole.

China sees that it cannot isolate itself from the world; this is not the time for the United States to do so, either.

— The New York Times Editorial Board

Chinese and American flags are displayed in a company in Beijing. (Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)

More students gain access to free lunches

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of additional students in schools serving low-income communities will be eligible to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost under a rule change announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

At schools where 25% of families participate in income-based public benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, the federal government now will cover the cost of free meals for all enrolled students. Previously, the qualifying threshold was 40%.

Roughly 3,000 additional school districts serving more than 5 million students will now be eligible, officials said.

“While there is still more work ahead to ensure every K-12 student in the nation can access healthy school meals at no cost, this is a significant step on the pathway toward that goal,” said Stacy Dean, USDA deputy under secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services.

During the pandemic, Congress temporarily made universal meals free to all students, but that ended last year. Other federal programs that provided direct food assistance to families also scaled down amid soaring food prices, putting strains on family budgets and leaving some kids hungry.

Meantime, eight states — California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico and Vermont — have made school meals free to all students regardless of income.

The new rule will expand access to universal meals through a program known as the Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP. Instead of re-

quiring families to fill out individual applications for free or reduced-price meals, schools participating in the program receive federal funding based on income data, with local or state money filling in any gaps in the cost of offering meals to all students. Advocates say reducing administrative burdens like applications helps ensure children don’t go hungry.

Some have criticized the costs of the program. The Republican Study Committee has called for eliminating the CEP altogether, arguing it ignores the individual income eligibility of each student.

Nationally, expanding a community-based model of universal meals would alleviate burdens on many families, said Anna Korsen, policy and program director at Full Plates Full Potential, a nonprofit organization in Maine that works on maximizing access to school meals.

“The federal poverty guidelines that dictate who gets a free meal and who doesn’t are really outdated,” Korsen said. “There are so many families that on paper don’t qualify for a free meal, and they can get lumped into this group of ... families that can afford to pay for lunch or breakfast at school.

But really, those families are living paycheck to paycheck.”

Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack said the rule change is a step toward fulfilling the promise of healthy school meals for all.

“Increasing access to free, healthy school breakfast and lunch will decrease childhood hunger, improve child health and student readiness, and put our nation on the path to better nutrition and wellness,” he said.

ADVERTISE YOUR IN THE CLASSIFIEDS

Health Systems visits with Iolan Barbara Sherwood. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

Biden visits striking auto workers

VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — President Joe Biden joined United Auto Workers strikers on their picket line Tuesday as their work stoppage against major carmakers hit day 12, a demonstration of support for organized labor apparently unparalleled in presidential history.

“You deserve the significant raise you need,” Biden said through a bullhorn while wearing a union baseball cap after arriving at a General Motors parts distribution warehouse located in a suburb west of Detroit.

He walked along the picket line, exchanging fist bumps with grinning workers.

He encouraged them to continue fighting for better wages despite concerns that a prolonged strike could damage the economy, saying “stick with it.”

He said “yes” when asked if UAW members deserved a 40% raise, one of the demands that the union has made.

“No deal, no wheels!” workers chanted as Biden arrived. “No pay, no parts!”

He was joined by UAW President Shawn Fain, who rode with him in the presidential limousine to the picket line.

“Thank you, Mr. President, for coming to stand up with us in our generation-defining moment,” said Fain, who described the union as engaged in a “kind of war” against “corporate greed.”

“We do the heavy lifting. We do the real work,” Fein said. “Not the CEOs.”

Labor historians say they cannot recall an instance when a sitting president has joined an ongoing strike, even during the tenures of the more ardent pro-union presidents such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman. Theodore Roosevelt invited labor leaders alongside mine operators to the White House amid a historic coal strike in 1902, a decision that was seen at

the time as a rare embrace of unions as Roosevelt tried to resolve the dispute.

Biden arrived one day before former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, goes to Detroit to hold his own event in an attempt to woo auto workers even though union leaders say he’s no ally.

Lawmakers often appear at strikes to show solidarity with unions, and Biden joined picket lines with casino workers in Las Vegas and auto workers in Kansas City while seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. But sitting presi-

dents, who have to balance the rights of workers with disruptions to the economy, supply chains and other facets of everyday life, have long wanted to stay out of the strike fray — until Biden.

“This is absolutely unprecedented. No president has ever walked a picket line before,” said Erik Loomis, a professor at the University of Rhode Island and an expert on U.S. labor history. Presidents historically “avoided direct participation in strikes. They saw themselves more as mediators. They did not see it as their place to directly intervene in a strike or in labor action.”

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

Sports Daily B

Local runners take to Rim Rock

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

LAWRENCE — The Iola, Humboldt and Crest High cross country teams competed at the annual Rim Rock Classic at the University of Kansas in Lawrence Monday.

Iola’s varsity boys team came in 36th place, while Humboldt’s boys team placed 43rd in the 5,000-meter run. Humboldt’s varsity girls came in 30th place in the girls 5,000-meter run. Both boys and girls races consisted of 60 total teams from 1-4A schools in Kansas.

Crest’s Josie Walter placed the highest out of all local runners, taking an astounding third place out of 258 runners in the girls 5,000-meter run in 20:05.

Iola

Cole Moyer led the pack of Mustangs with a 76th place finish in 18:50, Keegan Hill followed in 171st place with a time of 20:14, and Brennen Coffield came in 176th place

with a finish of 20:18. There were 327 runners in the boys’ race. “I was so proud of how hard they pushed themselves,” Iola head coach

Brittany Daugharthy said.

“Everyone had season-best times. Our returning athletes had improvements on their times from previous years. I was also proud of how they pushed their teammates in a positive way. Overall, there was a lot of excitement going into the meet.”

Kaiden Vega came in 298th place overall with a finish of 22:50.80. Joshua Wanker placed 301st with a time of 23:06.10. Caden Coltrane followed in 310th place with a finish of 23:49.70.

“The main focus is just doing their best,” said Daugharthy. “We are always looking to improve on times from meet to meet, or year to year

KSU agrees with Tang on new deal

By DAVE SKRETTA The Associated Press

Kansas State and Jerome Tang agreed to a new seven-year contract Monday after the men’s basketball coach took a program that had just two returning players and was picked last in the Big 12 to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament last season.

The contract replaces the six-year deal that Tang signed last year, when the longtime Baylor assistant was picked to replace the fired Bruce Weber in Manhattan. Tang will be paid $3 million for the upcoming season with $100,000 raises each year, finishing with $3.6 million for the 2029-30 season. He also will earn $200,000 retention bonuses after the next four seasons.

“What Coach Tang and his staff did in their first year here was phenomenal,” said Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor, who was responsible for hiring him. “The run to the Elite Eight was remarkable, but what separates Coach

See K-STATE | Page B3

MVJH splits at home

MORAN — The Marmaton Valley Junior High volleyball teams matched up with Northeast-Arma and Jayhawk-Linn at home Monday.

The A Wildcats took down Northeast-Arma in two sets, 25-13 and 26-24.

Grayce Dodson scored a team-high 11 points while Reagan Marshall had six points in the opening set. In the second set, Layla Cook had a team-high nine points while Kennlee Redburnhad six points and Evva Sander had four points.

if you’re a returning athlete. We were also focusing on hill training.”

On the girls side, Lynsie Fehr came in 156th place with a mark of 25:10. Mahailie Genoble finished in 190th place with a time of 26:10.

“This meet provides so many things. There’s great competition, a large field, and a course that challenges our athletes,” Daugharthy said.

Humboldt

Kreed Jones led Humboldt’s boys with a 183rd place finish in 20:23.

Thatcher Mueller placed

Lady Cubs pick up sweep at Erie

ERIE — The Humboldt High volleyball team swept a pair of matches at Erie Monday night.

The Lady Cubs (19-5) took down Yates Center in two sets, 25-17 and 25-11.

Kenisyn Hottenstein led from the serving line with a team-high two aces. Shelby Shaughnessy registered a team-high six kills while Ricklyn Hillmon had five kills. Defensively, Rylan Cov-

ey and Hillmon each had one block. Skylar Hottenstein had a team-high 17 digs.

“We came out a little slow against Yates Center, but by the second set, we were more

See HUMBOLDT | Page B3

Marmaton Valley’s A team then fell to Jayhawk-Linn in two sets, 25-18 and 25-9.

Kinsley Vance and Sander each had a teamhigh four points in the first set while Dodson and Cook each notched three points in the first set. In the second set, Redburn had a teamhigh three points.

The Marmaton Valley B team lost to Northeast-Arma in two sets, 25-15 and 26-24.

Kaylee Burris and Bryant-Boone each had a team-high eight points in the first set before Burris had a team-high six points in the second set.

The Wildcats then lost to Jayhawk-Linn in two sets, 25-18 and 2512.

In the first set, Burris and Bryant-Boone each had a team-high four points before Clara Ferguson had a team-high four points in the second set.

Marmaton Valley travels to Yates Center on Thursday at 5 p.m.

Humboldt JV can’t come back on Chanute

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt High JV football team’s comeback attempt against Chanute came up short in a 44-30 loss at home Monday night.

The Cubs (2-2) got on the board first, but Chanute responded with 38 points of their own before Humboldt could find the end zone again. Humboldt surged in the fourth quarter, outsourcing Chanute 22-6, but they fell shy of what would have been an incredible comeback.

On the opening of the game, Asher Hart bursted into the end zone for a two-yard rushing touchdown for the early 8-0 lead.

Chanute then responded by scoring two touchdowns in each quarter to put the Cubs in a 30-8 hole at halftime.

Hart ran in his second

Humboldt’s Layne Wagner runs by some Chanute defenders. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

touchdown of the game when he scurried in from one yard out to cut Humboldt’s deficit to 38-16 early in the fourth.

But Humboldt couldn’t catch a break as the Blue Comets found the end zone yet again to extend their lead

over the Cubs to 44-16. Brody Gunderman then ran in a six-yard touchdown before a

See CUBS | Page B4

Iola’s Cole Moyer, left, runs beside a Smoky Valley High runner. PHOTO BY MANDY MOYER

Crest’s Josie Walter, right, runs beside teammate Peyton Schmidt, #1582, at Fort Scott earlier this season. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

See RIM ROCK | Page B3

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Footer: (Published in The Iola Register July 12, 19 & 26, 2023.)

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(Published in The Iola Register September 20, 27 & October 4,

Poor math skills threaten economy’s future

BOSTON (AP) — Like a lot of high school students, Kevin Tran loves superheroes, though perhaps for different reasons than his classmates.

"They're all insanely smart. In their regular jobs they're engineers, they're scientists," said Tran, 17. "And you can't do any of those things without math."

Tran also loves math. This summer, he studied calculus five hours a day with other high schoolers in a program at Northeastern University.

But Tran and his friends are not the norm. Many Americans joke about how bad they are at math, and already abysmal scores on standardized math tests are falling even further.

The nation needs people who are good at math, employers say, in the same way motion picture mortals need superheroes. They say America's poor math performance isn't funny. It's a threat to the nation's global economic competitiveness and national security.

"The advances in technology that are going to drive where the world goes in the next 50 years are going to come from other countries, because they have the intellectual capital and we don't," said Jim Stigler, a psychology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who studies the process of teaching and learning subjects including math.

The Defense Department has called for a major initiative to support education in science, technology, education and math, or STEM. It says there are eight times as many college graduates in these disciplines in China and four times as many engineers in Russia as in the United States.

"This is not an educational question alone," said Josh Wyner, vice president of The Aspen Institute think tank.

In July, the think tank

warned that other nations are challenging America's technological dominance.

"We are no longer keeping pace with other countries, particularly China," the Aspen report says, calling this a "dangerous" failure and urging decisionmakers to make education a national security priority.

Meanwhile, the number of jobs in math occupations — positions that "use arithmetic and apply advanced techniques to make calculations, analyze data and solve problems" — will increase by more than 30,000 per year through the end of this decade, Bureau of Labor Statistics figures show. That's much faster than most other kinds of jobs.

"Mathematics is be-

I need to know that,'" Allen said. Computerrelated jobs — ranging from software development to semiconductor production — require math, too. Analysts say those fields have or will develop labor shortages.

But most American students aren't prepared for those jobs. In the most recent Program for International Student Assessment tests in math, or PISA, U.S. students scored lower than their counterparts in 36 other education systems worldwide. Students in China scored the highest. Only one in five college-bound American high school students is prepared for college-level courses in STEM, according to the National Science and Technology Council.

The Education Reporting Collaborative, a coalition of eight newsrooms, is documenting the math crisis facing schools and highlighting progress. Members of the Collaborative are AL.com, The Associated Press, The Christian Science Monitor, The Dallas Morning News, The Hechinger Report, Idaho Education News, The Post and Courier in South Carolina, and The Seattle Times.

coming more and more a part of almost every career," said Michael Allen, who chairs the math department at Tennessee Technological University. Tennessee Tech runs a summer camp teaching cybersecurity, which requires math, to high school students. "That lightbulb goes off and they say, 'That's why

One result: Students from other countries are preparing to lead these fields. Only one in five graduate students in math-intensive subjects including computer science and electrical engineering at U.S. universities are American, the National Foundation for American Policy reports. The rest come from abroad. Most will

leave the U.S. when they finish their programs.

In the U.S., poor math skills could mean lower salaries for today's kids.

A Stanford economist has estimated that, if U.S. pandemic math declines are not reversed, students now in kindergarten through grade 12 will earn from 2% to 9% less over their careers, depending on what state they live in, than their predecessors educated just before the start of the pandemic.

But it also means the country's productivity and competitiveness could slide.

"Math just underpins everything," said Megan Schrauben, executive director of the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity's MiSTEM initiative, which tries to get more students into STEM. "It's extremely important for the future prosperity of our students and communities, but also our entire state."

In Massachusetts, employers are anticipating a shortage over the next five years of 11,000 workers in the life sciences alone.

"It's not a small problem," said Edward Lambert Jr., executive director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education. "We're just not starting students, particularly students of color and from lowerresourced families, on career paths related to math and computer science and those things in which we need to stay competitive, or starting them early enough."

Burrow throws for season-high 259 yards as Bengals beat Rams

CINCINNATI (AP) —

After missing most of training camp with a calf injury, Joe Burrow is still working his way back into form.

Monday night’s 19-16 win over the Rams, the first by the Cincinnati Bengals this season, went a long way.

The Pro Bowl quarterback shook off the lingering effects of the right calf strain that kept his status in doubt right up until game time. He wasn’t quite as mobile as usual and didn’t record a touchdown pass — but he managed to help the Bengals (1-2) get up off the canvas.

“I pride myself on my

availability,” Burrow said. “There is risk to go out there and potentially reinjure it. But there’s also risk to go out there and be 0-3.”

Burrow finished 26 for 49 for a season-high 259 yards and also threw his second interception this season. His favorite target, Ja’Marr Chase, broke out with 12 catches for 141 yards, although nine different Bengals were recipients of Burrow’s passes during the evening.

Chase’s longest catch was a 43-yarder that came during a third-quarter drive that led to the third of four field goals by Evan McPherson.

Burrow told Chase during pregame warmup that he was going

to play. “I didn’t want him to play,” Chase said. “It

Rim Rock: Local runners gain experience

Continued from B1

285th with a time of 22:15. Brigg Shannon came in 312th with a time of 23:56. Jack Works followed in 316th place with a time of 24:08, and Nathan Swogar placed 326th with a finish of 25:35.

“This is a pretty tough course, but almost all of our kids who have competed here before improved their time,” Humboldt head coach Eric Carlson said. “Thatcher ran a good race and almost equaled his time from our home meet, a much easier course.”

Maxtyn Mueller rounded out Humboldt’s boys in 339th place with a time of 31:46.

“I was proud of Maxtyn’s grit,” said Carlson. “He injured his foot but did not give up. He gutted through the rest of the race.”

McKenna Jones led the Lady Cub runners

when she came in 114th place with a time of 24:04. Anna Heisler placed 150th with a finish of 24:59. Tori Melendez finished strong, coming in 166th place with a time of 25:26.

Mallory Sinclair took 216th place in 27:05.

Sophia Barlow kept it

up for Humboldt with a 237th place finish in 29:18.60. Jo Ellison rounded out the bunch in 254th place with a finish of 31:06.

Crest Walter led the charge for Crest in the girls 5,000-meter run when

she earned her third place overall finish with a time of 20:05. Peyton Schmidt followed suit, finishing in 13th place with a time of 20:49.

Iola, Humboldt and Crest are all meeting at the Central Heights cross country meet Thursday at 4 p.m.

K-State: Tang agree on seven-year deal

Continued from B1

Tang is his pure love of his players and the relationships he builds with everyone that he encounters.”

Tang, who was the ceremonial drum leader for Sunday’s game between the Chiefs and Bears at Arrowhead Stadium, has quickly become one of the most popular basketball coaches in Kansas State history. He can often be found around campus, chatting up students going about their daily lives between classes, and is a frequent fan at other sports events.

Yet it was Tang’s immediate success on the hardwood that won over the Kansas State fanbase.

Tirelessly working the recruiting trail and transfer market, Tang pulled together a team that barely resonated nationally before last season. But the Wildcats wound up tying for third in the brutal Big 12, winning 26 games along the way, and advanced to the regional finals of the NCAA Tournament, where they lost a nip-and-tuck game against FAU for a spot in the Final Four.

The only other firsttime coaches to lead their programs that far in the NCAA Tournament were Bill Guth-

ridge at North Carolina in 1998, Stan Heath with Kent State in 2002 and Hubert Davis with the Tar Heels last year.

Tang was voted the AP Big 12 coach of the Year and finished second to Marquette’s Shaka Smart for national coach of the year.

“I say it all the time and I truly mean it, we’re fortunate every day to be at such a special place,” Tang said.

“I said before I didn’t come here to rebuild

but to elevate and the work has already begun. Last year’s success was just the start.”

It won’t be easy to replicate. The Wildcats lost their two biggest stars, Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson, to the NBA along with role players such as Desi Sills, Tykei Greene and Ismael Massoud to graduation or transfer.

They bring back returning starters Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Cam Carter and David

N’Guessan, though, and Tang has replenished with a pair of high-profile transfers in Tylor Perry from North Texas and Arthur Kaluma from Creighton. Fourstar recruits Dai Dai Ames, Macaleab Rich and R.J. Jones also could make an immediate impact this season.

Kansas State begins the upcoming season against USC in the Hall of Fame Series on Nov. 6 in Las Vegas.

just shows that Joe is hard-headed. But he’s a football player. It takes a lot to be a quarterback and also be injured.

“We needed to get this win,” Chase said. “I was just being there for Joe. All I could do is try to make Joe look good.”

Joe Mixon’s 14yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave the reigning AFC North champs their first lead of the season. Meanwhile, linebacker Logan Wilson picked off Los Angeles quarterback Matthew Stafford twice and the Bengals sacked him six times.

Stafford threw a 1-yard scoring pass to Tutu Atwell with just over a minute left in the game, and the PAT got the Rams within three points, but Mitchell Wilcox fell on the ensuing onside kick to seal the win for the Bengals.

It wasn’t clear un-

til just before the game whether Burrow would play. The injury occurred early in training camp, and he aggravated it late in the Bengals’ loss to Baltimore last week. Burrow returned to practice on Thursday on a limited basis, and on Saturday the team listed him as questionable. “In the workout today, (I) felt good enough to play,” Burrow said. “Don’t have any setbacks, was basically the criteria. It’s still day to day. It’s good to get through this one. It’s going to be better this week than it was last week.”

The Cincinnati defense was outstanding. Stafford was sacked twice by defensive end Trey Hendrickson, and Wilson intercepted him once in each half, the second two-interception game of the fourth-year linebacker’s career.

“Our defense kept us right in this thing,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said.

Stafford finished 18 for 39 for 269 yards as the Rams slipped to 1-2. Puka Nacua — whose 25 receptions for 266 yards in his first two games was a rookie record — led the Rams with five catches for 72 yards.

Mixon was a workhorse again, carrying 19 times for 65 yards. On Cincinnati’s first possession of the second half, he went over left tackle and found a seam to score from 14 yards out, his first TD of the season, to cap a 10-play, 75-yard drive.

“It did feel like we

See BENGALS | Page B4

Humboldt: Volleyball

Continued from B1

into the game,” Humboldt head coach Terry Meadows said. “Our serve started to pick up, and we were able to pass the ball better.”

Humboldt then defeated Erie in a couple sets, 25-11 and 25-23.

Shaughnessy led the Lady Cubs from the serving line with a team-high three aces, as well as from the offensive side, where she recorded a teamhigh eight kills. Wrestler and Hillmon each had four kills.

“Against Erie we

came out ready to play and really played well,” said Meadows. “In the second set, Erie came ready to play, and we relaxed a little too much. It was a much closer game.” Defensively, Shaughnessy had a team-high two blocks. Skylar Hottenstein notched a team-high 12 digs while Friend collected four digs. Humboldt hosted a home volleyball meet Tuesday at 5 p.m. Results were unavailable at the time of publication.

The finish line at Rim Rock Farm. PHOTO COURTESY OF MANDY MOYER

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (1) runs with the ball. AP PHOTO/DARON CUMMINGS

Ryder Cup is in America’s head, Europe’s blood

GUIDONIA MONTE-

CELIO, Italy (AP) — The Americans have won more majors. The Europeans have won more Ryder Cups. There’s really no connection, except that it might explain why the Americans always seem to be the favorite on paper, and Team Europe has more often left the Ryder Cup with possession of the 17-inch gold trophy since they were invited to this raucous party in 1979.

It doesn’t mean the Americans don’t care. That’s an insult to think otherwise. But an argument can be made the Ryder Cup means more to Europe as a whole.

“In America, it’s in our head. We desperately want to win,” Paul Azinger said. “But over there, it’s in their blood. It’s part of the fabric of their souls. It’s what they deem as the most relevant thing in their life.”

Consider the many Europeans whose ca-

reers were defined by the Ryder Cup:

— Ian Poulter, whose Ryder Cup legacy was cemented when he birdied his last five holes at Medinah in a fourballs match (Rory McIlroy was along for the ride) that sparked Europe to the greatest comeback by a visiting team. His career ended with a 158-2 record.

— Colin Montgomerie, who played in eight Ryder Cups and never lost in singles.

— Lee Westwood, whose 47 matches are tied for most with Phil Mickelson in Ryder Cup history (Westwood had one fewer appearance).

The obvious ones are Seve Ballesteros, the very embodiment of European strength, and Sergio Garcia, who has scored more points than anyone in history. What sets them apart from the others is they also won majors. But their passion was the Ryder Cup.

Who has been that guy for the Americans?

The consensus from those who played with him was Lanny Wadkins.

“It was a big part of my life,” Wadkins said. He won his first seven Ryder Cup matches and ended his career with a 20-11-3 record. He famously hit wedge to a foot on the final hole in 1983 for a key half-point, later telling his captain, Jack Nicklaus, “It was only the most important shot of my life.”

Bengals: Take down Rams, 19-16

Continued from B3

were in striking distance,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “I thought the defense kept us in the game the whole night, and I thought it was really unfortunate, especially early on where we had to settle for field goals where we had some of the looks and some of the opportunities to be able to execute, and we just weren’t able to get it done.”

RING OF HONOR

Former quarterback

Boomer Esiason and receiver Chad Johnson were inducted into the Bengals Ring of Honor at halftime. Esiason played for the Bengals in 198492 and then again for a final season in 1997. He was elected to the Pro Bowl three times and was the NFL MVP in 1988.

Johnson, who was officially known as Chad Ochocinco from 2008-11, played in Cincinnati for 10 seasons and was elected to six Pro Bowls. He’s still the team’s all-time

leader in receptions (751), receiving yards (10,783) and receiving TDs (66).

INJURIES

Rams: OL Alaric Jackson left late in the first half with a thigh injury and didn’t return. ... OL Joe Noteboom (knee) went out in the third quarter and didn’t return.

UP NEXT Rams: At Indianapolis (2-1) on Sunday. Bengals: Plays Sunday at Tennessee (1-2).

Cubs: Not enough for Blue Comets

Continued from B1

two-point conversion attempt made it a 44-22 ballgame.

Hart found Kage Daniels open downfield for a 21-yard touchdown pass, but it was too late for Humboldt who managed to cut the deficit to 44-30 with 0.01 seconds left in the game.

The Cubs were led offensively by Hart’s lone

touchdown pass while throwing for 107 passing yards on eight-of-12 completions. Layne Wagner led the ground game with a team-high 68 rushing yards on 14 carries. Hart notched 44 rushing yards.

Daniels hauled in the lone touchdown reception while going for 88 receiving yards. Gavin Gunderman brought in

29 receiving yards. Defensively, Keith Gomez led Humboldt with a team-high nine tackles while Brody Gunderman, Hudson Rees and Daniels each had five tackles. Karson Kaufman had an interception for the Cubs and also one tackle. Humboldt hosts Eureka next week at 7 p.m.

This was six years after Wadkins won the PGA Championship at Pebble Beach in the first sudden-death playoff in a major. Wadkins lived for the Ryder Cup.

“Lanny was our last true Ryder Cup stud,” Azinger said. “There’s was nothing more in his blood than the Ryder Cup. Raymond Floyd was like that, too. But once it became less of an exhibition, it became Lanny’s thing. It went right into his blood.”

It’s not just passion. Azinger had passion. His four Ryder Cup appearances were marked by testy exchanges, one of which prompted Ballesteros to refer to the U.S. team as “11 nice guys and Paul Azinger.” Did he not live for the Ryder Cup?

“It was in my head,” Azinger said. “But it wasn’t in my blood.” That’s what Azinger saw in Wadkins. That’s what he sees in Europe.

“It’s in their blood. They’re bonded by that blood,” he said. “They’re bonded by

the very thing that causes wars.”

And part of him believes that’s what is missing with so many Americans over the years.

What struck Azinger about the last Ryder Cup was not the Americans’ largest margin of victory over Europe (19-9) at Whistling Straits, but McIlroy in tears on Sunday.

“The Americans beat Europe so bad it made Rory cry,” Azinger said.

“There’s no American ... I don’t see anyone breaking down and crying.”

Tiger Woods, the greatest of his generation, was never that guy. Woods also was under enormous scrutiny in all he did, the Ryder Cup included. He was defensive at times about his Ryder Cup performance, especially after starting out 5-8-2 while on two of three losing teams.

“I’m sure all of you guys probably know what Jack’s record is in the Ryder Cup, right?” Woods said in 2004, looking around a crowded room and not getting any takers. “Anybody? No? How many majors

did he win?”

Jack Nicklaus is defined by 18 majors. Woods knew that. Everybody does.

Phil Mickelson was never that guy. He played in more Ryder Cups (12) than anyone in history. He played on only three winning teams and had a losing record (18-22-7).

Justin Thomas is one player who has a chance to be the American face of the Ryder Cup. He was roasted at the start of 2018 when he said he’d rather win the Ryder Cup than win a major. He is the first name mentioned by Europeans as a player they want to beat. Thomas will be under more scrutiny this year as a captain’s pick in the midst of a slump.

“Jordan Spieth has got the intensity,” said Wadkins, whose son grew up playing with Spieth in Dallas. “Justin Thomas, I don’t know him as well. But I love the way he plays.”

For now, Wadkins and his Ryder Cup legacy is unmatched for the Americans.

“He was a tough competitor and he thrived in that atmosphere,” Curtis Strange said. “Lanny was physically and emotionally invested in the Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup means a great deal to him.”

That’s what Strange has seen from Europeans. They had a chip on their shoulder in the early days. They were playing for their tour, a chance to prove it was not to be overlooked by the might of the richer PGA Tour.

“When you have guys who do incredible things, guys who play their best golf in the Ryder Cup,” Strange said.

Brooks Koepka of team United States walks across the 9th hole prior to the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. MIKE EHRRMANN/GETTY IMAGES/TNS

‘Type A Zombie’ still trying to do it all

Adapted from an online discussion.

Dear Carolyn: I am so hard on myself. I am like, “I want to achieve all of my goals NOW.”

E.g., I got married at 23, have quickly climbed the ladder in a really intense career and bought an apartment at 25. My husband and I are now starting a family, and I am 28. So I am pregnant and emotional on top of the various usual demands of my life right now. It’s a lot.

Husband and I think it would be great to have a house before the baby comes and have started what feels like an all-consuming house search. Of course, the real estate market is off its rocker right now. I realized I am doing the thing I usually do: going into this intense, focused “must get house” mode. BLAH. Where is the fun in that? We can make our apartment work for a while.

I am looking for tips on how to let go, take it easier, have more fun and let this all work itself out instead of be-

Carolyn Hax

coming the Type A zombie I tend to become. Also, like, what am I so afraid of? Why must it all happen now? — Type A Zombie

Type A Zombie: Dig into this professionally, please. You don’t enjoy the pressure you put on yourself, you can’t ease it when you want to, you’ve got a child on the way who will be healthier if you learn to let go of some stress. Each alone is reason enough to seek counsel. That’s a trick comment; just thinking you’d benefit from counseling is reason enough.

Being “so hard on myself” can have deep emotional roots — often some version of a need to perform to feel worthy of love. Plus, the ability to settle ourselves amid intense

pressure is one of the most valuable self-protective skills we can develop. Please make that your top priority now.

Learning to open yourself to the joy of randomness, meanwhile, is a long-term project you can start without therapy. Just start looking at situations through multiple lenses, till it becomes a habit. Superficial example: The party plan that goes sideways can turn out to be much more fun.

Also look at your choices not as goals to meet, but as people, purposes, loves. A person cannot be a goal. Each is a fully realized, freestanding emotional entity you’ve welcomed into your life and committed to as is, with all the love and heartbreak and mess that entails.

As for the house: Rushed home purchases invite bigger problems than cramped living conditions do. Plus, newborns need very little equipment at first. Quit the search and immerse yourself in your

Health: What is pericarditis?

By DEEDEE STIEPEN Mayo Clinic News Network/TNS

Pericarditis is a challenging illness that’s often mistaken for a heart attack or other organ disease. Dr. Leslie Cooper Jr., a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, explains what pericarditis is and how it’s treated.

“Pericarditis is simply inflammation of the lining of the heart tissue, or the pericardium,” says Dr. Cooper.

When the irritated layers of the pericardium rub together, it can cause sharp chest pain, a symptom that can often be mistaken for a heart attack, which can make it difficult to diag-

nose.

“Pericarditis has a classic type of chest pain, better if you lean forward and worse if you lay on your back,” says Dr. Cooper.

“Most patients who develop pericarditis have had a recent viral infection, and those affect people of all ages, but especially young individuals, more commonly males than females in the general population,” he says.

Other less common causes include chronic health conditions, such as kidney failure, cancer, prior radiation and atypical infections.

“The good news is that the vast majority

of people with pericarditis recover and have normal lives with no further symptoms. A small percentage will go on to have a chronic or recurrent chest pain syndrome. Chronic pericarditis has specific therapies,” says Dr. Cooper.

moment.

Readers’ thoughts:

• I spent my 20s and 30s checking boxes, but I never stopped to ask myself WHY I wanted those things. I am getting divorced because I completely lost myself in trying to find my value in external things and never really considered whether my ex-spouse was the right person or just happened to want the same basic check boxes I did. I wish I had started therapy sooner.

• I was the kid of that parent, and it’s so, so damaging. Without therapy, you’re likely to turn their lives into an endless rat race of empty benchmark achievements and pressure. If you won’t do it for you, do it for your kid.

• Zombie can stop being so hard on herself for her Type A tendencies. If she is unhappy, that’s one thing. But if she’s happier when she’s working toward a goal, then it’s okay to just accept those parts of herself.

ZITS

by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

BEETLE BAILEY by Mort Walker

by Chris Browne

BLONDIE

by Young and Drake

MARVIN by Tom Armstrong

AND LOIS by Chance Browne

MUTTS by Patrick McDonell

A look back at the power of radio calls in baseball

NEW YORK (AP)

— Growing up in the Boston suburbs, Suzyn Waldman fell madly in love with two things: baseball and Broadway shows.

During the 1950s and ‘60s, the long arm of AM radio brought both into her home.

“I can still hear Ned Martin of the Red Sox reciting poetry about the mountains in Anaheim,” said Waldman, the pioneer announcer and former star of musical stage who’s been calling New York Yankees games for decades. “I can still hear Curt Gowdy with that Wyoming twang.

“Not everyone can remember who their first television broadcasters were — but everyone knows who the radio team was. Everyone.”

Like many fans, especially older ones, Waldman originally got hooked by Ameri-

by pitch with mom or dad over the persistent static of crackling AM airwaves, is the kind of age-of-innocence nostalgia that evokes “Field of Dreams.”

“I still like baseball on the radio,” John Thorn, official historian for MLB, said in an email. “I suspect that is not only because it is my favorite game, but also because it is a stop-action sport whose rhythms are well-suited to pauses, visualization by the listener, and reflection about the wonder of being ‘there’ at a distant game.”

Even if the future of AM radio is uncertain, there’s no denying its impact on the growth and popularity of baseball.

baseball in 1935, radio had already brought major league games to the working class, and especially to women.”

Indeed, AM radio provided a gateway to the game for all sorts of folks at a time in America when ballpark stands were mostly filled with white men.

Before cable television took over, it was the long range of clear-channel AM stations that carried baseball all over the country and gave fans living far from big league cities the chance to follow a favorite team.

Messi’s status for U.S. Open unclear

By TIM REYNOLDS The Associated Press

field for the portion of training that could be viewed by reporters

ca’s pastime listening to ballgames on an AM signal. In fact, next month will mark the 100th anniversary of the first World Series broadcast to a national radio audience, when Graham McNamee and Ford Frick were among those who called the 1923 Fall Classic between the Giants and Yankees on NBC.

A century later, however, some consider AM stations a dying medium in the modern age of digital technology. Several major automakers are eliminating broadcast AM radio from newer models — prompting lawmakers on Capitol Hill to propose legislation that would prevent the practice for safety and other reasons.

A bill with bipartisan support, the “AM for Every Vehicle Act” is winding its way through Congress.

“Not all change is progress,” Waldman said.

To be sure, from satellite radio and streaming services to FM stations and cell phone apps, baseball fans nowadays have all sorts of options for tuning in their favorite team — even all 30 teams — whether their car features AM radio or not.

But those options aren’t necessarily free. And it’s not necessarily that simple.

Because for generations of fans, the warm memory of climbing into the family car on a hot summer night and finding the ballgame on that dashboard dial, leaning in to listen pitch

The marriage dates all the way back to Aug. 5, 1921, when Harold Arlin delivered the first play-byplay broadcast of a big league game between the Phillies and Pirates at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh on KDKA.

“Joined at the hip,” said longtime New York Mets announcer Howie Rose, who is 69. “What radio has meant to baseball and vice versa is probably the quintessential symbiotic relationship.”

It’s a romantic history, too, thick with unmistakable voices and signature calls forever immortalized as the familiar soundtracks to those grainy old highlight reels of Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays and Ted Williams.

And beloved broadcasters, community icons still inexorably linked to their teams even generations later: Mel Allen (Yankees), Red Barber (Brooklyn Dodgers), Ernie Harwell (Detroit Tigers), Russ Hodges (New York Giants), Bob Prince (Pittsburgh Pirates), Chuck Thompson (Baltimore Orioles), just to name a few.

And charming tales, including a young Ronald Reagan, long before becoming the 40th president of the United States, announcing Chicago Cubs games in Iowa during the 1930s by recreating play-byplay at Wrigley Field that was initially transmitted via Morse code.

“Some clubs resisted the advent of radio, as they later would the introduction of television, believing it would deter attendance at the game,” the 76-year-old Thorn said. “But like the introduction of night

“Milo Hamilton and Ernie Johnson, Atlanta Braves, under the covers. My dad would come in, get on me, and then go, `What’s the score?’ The Braves, that’s the one thing we could pick up,” said 67-year-old Mets manager Buck Showalter, raised on the Florida panhandle. “Listening to Hank Aaron, Rico Carty. I can tell you the whole Braves lineup.”

KMOX in St. Louis, with its powerful signal reaching all over the central and southern United States, spawned countless Cardinals fans from Minnesota to Mississippi and beyond, as Hall of Fame broadcasters Harry Caray and Jack Buck described the scintillating exploits of Stan Musial, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson and more.

“You think about the teams that first started broadcasting on the radio, whether it was the Pirates or the Cardinals or the Reds, on these enormous clear-channel stations, it definitely grew the game,” said 65-year-old Mets announcer Gary Cohen.

“It definitely brought the game home for fans who were too far away to attend in person. At a time when most baseball was during the day and a lot of working people couldn’t attend, they could listen on the radio. So yeah, I mean, the connection between AM radio and baseball is not only one in terms of just entertaining the fans, but also creating fans.”

One of them was Rick Rizzs, the longtime Seattle Mariners broadcaster who spent his childhood on the South Side of Chicago.

“With that little magical transistor radio, that AM radio, you could not only get your teams, but maybe four or five other teams, wherever you were located,” said Rizzs, who turns 70 in November.

“So your baseball horizon was expanded, not just the Cubs and the White Sox, but to the Milwaukee Braves, at the time, or maybe when the weather was just right you could get the St. Louis Cardinals or the Detroit Tigers, or whoever was playing somewhere nearby. But because of AM radio, it expanded your chance to hear about all the stars that you had in your mind.”

Lionel Messi’s status remains unclear for Inter Miami’s U.S. Open Cup final match against Houston on Wednesday night.

The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner was subbed out of a match against Toronto on Sept. 20 in the first half because of a leg issue, and did not play in the team’s 1-1 tie at Orlando on Sunday. That was the third match he missed in its entirety — two for club, one for country — in the last two weeks.

Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino said no decision on Messi’s status will be made before Wednesday.

“It’s a handicap when you don’t have the best player in the world,” Inter Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets said.

The nature of Messi’s leg problem remains unclear. Fatigue was originally cited for Messi’s absences, and Martino eventually said last week that the problem stems from scar tissue from a previous injury. Messi was seen stretching at times during the Sept. 20 match, as if to indicate he was having some sort of muscular issue.

Messi was not on the

Tuesday, but the team released photos on social media later indicating that Messi did eventually take the field during the training session. That post came after the team sent out a link to buy resale tickets that were priced between $170 to more than $5,000 apiece, even with Messi’s status uncertain, for Wednesday’s match.

“We’re not machines, we’re not robots,” Busquets said. “We’d love to play all the matches and not be tired and not have injuries. But it’s something we can’t control.”

Jordi Alba, another midseason acquisition by Inter Miami, is expected to miss the Cup final because of injury, Martino said. He left the Sept. 20 match against Toronto about three minutes before Messi was subbed out.

The 36-year-old Messi missed Argentina’s World Cup qualifying win at Bolivia on Sept. 12, and Inter Miami’s 5-2 loss at Atlanta United on Sept. 16. He returned for the Sept. 20 match, but didn’t even make it to halftime, then sat out Sunday.

Inter Miami is still very much alive in the

race to make Major League Soccer’s playoffs and has three matches looming in the coming days. The team plays host to New York City FC on Saturday, at Chicago on Oct. 4 and returns home to face Cincinnati on Oct. 7.

Martino indicated that any decision on Messi’s availability for those upcoming MLS matches will be made after Wednesday.

The team has lost only once in 15 matches since Messi first appeared for the club, winning nine and tying five. Three of those ties came in tournament play, with Inter Miami winning on penalty kicks all three times — two in the Leagues Cup, including the final against Nashville for the Miami club’s first-ever trophy, and another in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. Messi — who will make somewhere between $125 million and $150 million in salary for Inter Miami over the life of his 2-1/2 year contract — has appeared in 12 matches for Miami, most of them in Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup competition. He has 11 goals and eight assists, and one goal and two assists in four MLS matches.

Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi (10) tries to score a goal against Toronto FC. MATIAS J. OCNER/MIAMI HERALD/TNS

Chicago Cubs radio broadcaster Pat Hughes works a game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sept. 15, 2016, at Wrigley Field in Chicago. CHRIS SWEDA/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/TNS