Saturday, August 28, 2021
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Allen County
Planting new roots at ACC
Current cases.................. 59 Total cases*.................... 1,536 Deaths............................ 21
By TREVOR HOAG The Iola Register
COVID-19 Case Count
*Since the start of the pandemic
Trying to make sense of life? Look no further than Sally Kittrell. That’s because the 36-yearold Independence native is the newest biology instructor at Allen Community College, bringing along a background in everything from physiology to prairie plants. She’s certainly not one to brag, though, preferring to keep things simple. “I’m rural by choice,” Kittrell said. “I don’t need much.” For instance, she and her husband Matt have recently been tending to the peppers they grew in the garden, and she’s in the process of converting her flowerbeds to native perennials. Sons Lawson, 6, and Archer,
Sources: Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Departments, Kansas Department of Health and Environment
257 to consider sharing COVID quarantine By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
Information about how many USD 257 students are quarantined because of COVID-19 may be available in the near future. Some school districts, including Chanute and Yates Center, post such information on their websites. USD 257 Superintendent Stacey Fager said he plans to ask board members at their next meeting on Sept. 13 to consider posting similar statistics. The district recently developed a database with that information, but intended to use it for internal decision making. The board will be updated twice a week. When asked if it could be shared publicly, Fager said he agreed it could be helpful. “How we share infor-
See ACC | Page A8
By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
Before they can remodel a medical arts building, a board in charge of hospital facilities will need to know how much mold and asbestos they might encounter during the process. The Allen County Regional Hospital Facilities Board heard an update on plans to remodel the medical arts building at 825 E. Madison St. The building currently houses three specialty clinics with groups outside the Saint Luke’s Health System. A preliminary investigation found areas of black mold and asbestos in one part of the building; further inspection is needed to determine how widespread the problem is and what it might take to remediate it. The board agreed to spend $3,880 for a more in-depth inspection. The plan is to remodel part of the building and move the health care clinic, currently at 401 S. Washington Ave., into that space.
Iola girls open tennis season
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ICU beds nearly full at KC hospitals PAGE A3 Judge blocks Florida ban on masks
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Vol. 123, No. 207 Iola, KS 75 Cents
OR HOAG
Building studied for mold, asbestos Ida aims for New Orleans on anniversary
See INFO | Page A7
Cropland prices continue to soar
Sally Kittrell removes an organ from an anatomical model in the biology lab at ACC. REGISTER/TREV-
nary inspection. The building had previously been flooded, so the discovery of mold wasn’t surprising, he said. The basement, which still contained old cardboard boxes, showed evidence of flooding. More concerning, though, were three spots of black mold found both at the top and bottom of a wall on the south side of the building, primarily off the rear entrance and near a restroom. There are many types of
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tropical Storm Ida swirled toward a strike on Cuba on Friday as a rapidly intensifying storm that could speed across warm Gulf waters and slam into Louisiana as a Category 3 hurricane on Sunday, the National Hurricane Center warned. “The forecast track has it headed straight towards New Orleans. Not good,” said Jim Kossin, a senior scientist with The Climate Service. Ida was expected to become a hurricane Friday before hitting tobacco-rich western Cuba, where the government issued a hurricane warning Friday for its westernmost provinces and the Isle of Youth. As much as 20 inches of rain could fall in places, making deadly flash floods and mudslides possible, forecasters said. An even greater danger
See BUILDING | Page A7
See STORM | Page A7
Allen County Regional Hosptial’s Medical Arts building will be inspected for mold and asbestos before a planned remodel project. FILE PHOTO The health clinic, like the hospital itself, is operated by Saint Luke’s as part of a lease agreement. The county still owns all of the facilities and is responsible for their upkeep. That includes remodel projects. A SAINT Luke’s official, Frank Hayden, critical access region facilities manager, is working with the county facilities board on the remodel project. Hayden talked about the findings from the prelimi-
Biden vows retribution against extremists in Kabul attack WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is vowing to avenge the deaths of 13 American troops and dozens of Afghans in attacks at the Kabul airport that thrust the White House deeper into crisis over a chaotic and deadly end to a 20-year war. Retribution, however, will be harder with fewer U.S. intelligence assets in Afghanistan. In an emotional address after the attacks, Biden declared to the extremists responsible: “We will hunt you down and make you pay.” The president, speaking
from the White House Thursday, said the U.S.-led evacuation of Americans and others from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan would proceed, and indeed more than 12,000 people were airlifted from Kabul in the last 24 hours, as of Friday morning. U.S. military officials have said they are braced for more attempted attacks by the group Biden said was responsible for Thursday’s attack — the Islamic State group’s Afghanistan affiliate. The Pentagon on Friday See BIDEN | Page A3
President Joe Biden speaks about the situation in Kabul, Afghanistan, from the White House on Thursday. (DREW ANGERER/ GETTY IMAGES/TNS)
COVID-19 Drive Thru Testing To schedule a COVID-19 test, call NMRMC Family Medicine at 620-432-5592. Our new drive thru hours are:
Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm Saturday – 8:30 am – 11:30 pm Sunday – 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm