Sports: Iola’s Allen, Key go 3-0 in tennis action See B1
The Weekender Saturday, March 28, 2015
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Lightning sparks damaging house fire By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
LAHARPE — Sharon Allen still isn’t sure if she’ll be able to salvage her home, badly damaged early Tuesday in a fire caused by a bolt of lightning. Allen’s home wasn’t insured, so she has begun the painstaking effort of cleaning out debris, then having construction experts look at the house to determine the extent of the fire and water damage. “I grew up here,” Allen said Thursday while clearing out water-logged items from her living room. Allen was awakened by the pounding thunderclaps prompted by nearby lightning strikes as a series of thunderstorms plowed through the area overnight Monday into Tuesday. One particularly loud clap of thunder jolted Allen awake.
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Always searching for the unusual ‘Diggers’ star shares nuggets about finding hidden treasures By BOB JOHNSON
G
eorge Wyant makes his living digging small holes, with the anticipation of finding a remarkable coin or artifact. Wyant told Iola Rotarians about his role on “Diggers,” a National Geographic reality show, Thursday. Traveling the country with a metal detector and spade, Wyant and his partner, Tim Saylor, search sites that have historic significance. What they find frequently ends up in a museum, though when they dig on private property the owner has first dibs. Wyant is an Iolan by virtue of his wife, nee Lori Rouse, who graduated from Iola High in 1988. Her mother and stepfather, Hazel and Don Jones, live east of town. They met and married when she
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The Iola Register
was visiting in Montana. Before circumstances and fascination with metal detecting changed his life, Wyant worked mining copper in Montana. After purchasing a metal detector, he quickly learned that fortune didn’t await at every site, but thrill of the chase did. So enamored, Wyant and Saylor began making DVDs of their searches which caught the attention of a television company in Bethesda, Md. “The videos were pitched to the networks and National Geographic liked what they saw,” he said. The digging team recently finished shooting their fourth season of 16 episodes, including one in Georgia See ‘DIGGERS’ | Page A6
George Wyant SUBMITTED PHOTO
See FIRE | Page A4
Scouts finish quilts, cleanup
School, teacher issues fill agenda for latest 258 candidate forum
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Junior Girl Scout Troop No. 70323 completed a pair of ambitious projects Thursday. The first was clearing out trash, debris and fallen leaves from the pocket park on the east side of the courthouse square. The Scouts have done spring cleaning in the pocket park the past two years, at the behest of Iola Community Involvement Task Force’s Donna Houser, said Traci Plumlee, Scout leader. They also planted grass and a few flowers, as well as spread mulch, to help beautify the area.
staff. “Are you willing to go and see how classrooms are running? Don’t you want to know [what’s going on in HUMBOLDT — Seven our schools]?” of the eight at-large candiThis touched on a recurdates for Humboldt school rent topic of the evening, board appeared before a which was the perceived crowd of about 50 Thursday tension that exists between night. The forum’s lone ab- the board, the administrasentee was incumbent San- tion and the teachers (the dra Whitaker. specifics of which were The event — which al- never spelled out on the lowed the audience two- night). And while all sevplus hours to ask Joyce en candidates agreed that Allen, Donald “communication Hauser, Craig is important,” Mintz, Scott when pressed to I do not like wring a clearer Murrow, Clayton Schoend- tenure. I think it meaning out of aller, Briana makes people that airy phrase, Wilkerson and their answers reJoe Works a lazy. I’m totally vealed divergent set of varied against it. views. questions in So, to the — Craig Mintz, advance of the teacher’s quescandidate for USD April 7 election 258 school board tion: Should an — was hosted individual board by the Hummember make boldt National visits to the classEducation Association. rooms in his or her district? While most of the reFor Joyce Allen, it’s a sponses Thursday evening no-brainer: They should. began with each candidate In her previous role on the joining his or her answer board at USD 506 in Alto the previous speaker’s, tamont, Allen “made an efthere were a handful of cor- fort to attend all of the disdial disagreements along trict’s schools at least once the way. For instance, late a month. in the session, a longtime “I attended classes — I USD 258 teacher implored would just pick one; they the prospective board mem- didn’t know I was combers, if elected, to actu- ing.... It should be about us ally visit her classroom, to all working as a team. We observe the progress her just want to see how good a students make, to do a bet- job you’re doing. We’re not ter job of communicating See FORUM | Page A6 with district teachers and
By RICK DANLEY The Iola Register
See SCOUTS | Page A8
At top, Iola Junior Girl Scouts, from left, Natalie Fees, Hannah Andersen, Vivian Noah and Skyler Walden help clean a pocket park in downtown Iola Thursday. Shortly therafter, they headed to the Iola Police Department to donate 10 hand-crafted quilts. The Scouts are, front from left, Emily Long and Emily Ator; and back from left, Sabrina Bishop, Walden, Noah, Dakotah Cox, Josie Plumlee, Aibree Christy, Laura Newkirk, Fees, Andersen and Myriah Walls. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Quote of the day Vol. 117, No. 102
“I used to be Snow White, but I drifted.” — Mae West 75 Cents
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