The Iola Register, Sept. 28, 2023

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

The updated COVID-19 vaccine is now available at the Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Departments. The vaccine is now in stock at offices in each of the four counties – Allen, Anderson, Bourbon and Woodson. The vaccine is available to those aged 12 and older.

Happy campers hit Humboldt

Above, Jared Sigler of Humboldt, left, talks with Airstream owner Ed O’Connor of Overland Park. O’Connor and his wife, Jill, are part of the Missouri-Kansas Airstream Club, which set up around the Humboldt square this week for a “boondocking” urban camping experience. The club offered an open house Tuesday evening, offering tours of their Airstreams and visiting with community members. O’Connor said the city has been very welcoming. The campers leave this morning. At top right, Jaci Daniels and mom Randi, of Humboldt, check out the interior of a renovated 1976 Airstream Argosy. At right, Joyce and Lee Cantrell of Olsburg show off their 1976 Airstream Argosy 24, a vintage camper they renovated from the wheels up. “We made it just the way we wanted it,” Joyce said as they sat outside the camper with their dog, Keela.

SEKMCHD director Rebecca Johnson said all offices have received numerous calls and requests for the vaccine, which has been updated to better protect against currently circulating COVID variants. The new vaccine is a single dose that targets the dominant COVID variant Omicron XBB.1.5.

The previous bivalent vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the U.S., and

the vaccine is no longer federally funded. That means uninsured adults will be responsible for the cost of the vaccine. Insurance, Medicare and Medicaid are accepted.

The health departments also have the new RSV vaccine for pregnant women (3236 weeks gestation) to prevent RSV in their babies for the first six months of life. It’s

COVID vaccine available here Squirrel blamed in outage

By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register

A curious squirrel found out the hard way that some objects should never be climbed.

The furry-tailed rodent made its way last Wednesday atop a breaker within the Oak Street substation, which powers much of the central part of Iola.

The squirrel proved to be a suitable conductor for 69,000 volts of electricity to arc through its body with a mighty jolt and fireball.

The breaker sustained ex-

See OUTAGE | Page A3

County may buy used ambulance

Airstreams line up along the Humboldt square for a “boondocking” camping experience. Boondocking typically means camping for free on public land, often without the use of utilities such as electricity and water, but these campers were able to access the city’s electric system.

REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

Council OKs clean energy rules

By TIM STAUFFER The Iola Register

The Iola City Council approved changes Monday to its municipal code for electric customers who take advantage of parallel generation, like solar or wind power. Moving forward, utility customers will be limited to installing systems that generate no more than 4%

over their peak monthly consumption. For energy delivered to the City of Iola’s grid, customers will be credited on a yearly basis. The ordinance falls in line with Kansas statutes.

The restrictions apply to all electric customers, not just residences. Those interested in install-

See ENERGY | Page A6

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola

Register

It may take a couple of years, but county commissioners took the first steps to buy a rebuilt ambulance.

Michael Burnett, Iola’s EMS director, offered a proposal that would rebuild one of the county’s older ambulance units with a new chassis for $212,000. That’s about $150,000 less than the cost of a new unit.

Burnett brought a representative of American Re-

See COUNTY | Page A4

Steve Strickler, owner of Strickler’s Dairy since 1978, called his decision to invest in solar panels, featured at left, a “no brainer” for his dairy operation. “They require almost no maintenance; we wash them off about once a year, and that’s it.” Strickler took advantage of federal funding to install the panels, which meant he paid a third, the government paid a third, and the remaining third was a tax credit. Solar doesn’t come close to covering the dairy farm’s energy consumption, he said, “but it makes a huge difference on our peak usage days.”

REGISTER/TIM STAUFFER

Obituary

Myrtle Caudell

Myrtle Violet Caudell, age 90, of Iola, passed away Sept. 25, at Moran Manor, Moran. Myrtle was born March 9, 1933, in Yates Center, to Aaron E. Hamilton and Rebecca Myrtle (Park) Hamilton.

Myrtle attended school in Yates Center. She and Billy B. Caudell, Sr. were married Dec. 23, 1951, in Buffalo, Kansas. Myrtle was a homemaker.

Tiny countries take world stage

UNITED NATIONS

Myrtle Caudell

Myrtle’s faith and beliefs were very important to her. She lived what she believed and believed what she lived with all her heart.

Myrtle was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; six sisters; and two brothers.

Myrtle is survived by her children, Brenda (Bob) Collis, Kingsland, Texas; Glenda Bolt, Bentonville, Ark., Billy B. Caudell, Jr., Chanute, Vada Gillespie, League City, Texas, and Ila Caudell (Deryl Sarver), Moran; 15 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; and several nieces and nephews.

A visitation will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 2, in the chapel at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, 1883 U.S. 54, Iola. A graveside service will follow at 11:45 a.m. at Highland Cemetery, Iola.

A very special thank you to all the nurses at Moran Manor, who gave care, love, and hugs to our mother.

Memorials are suggested to Gentiva Hospice, and may be left with the funeral home

Condolences may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.

Thousands mistakenly kicked off Medicaid

By TIM CARPENTER Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — Kansas administrators of the Medicaid program estimate 12,000 adults or children eligible for the health coverage program were stripped of benefits due to problems with processing renewals.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said more than two-dozen states, including Kansas, failed to conduct renewal assessments properly and consequently disenrolled too many people. About 500,000 in the United States should have been allowed to maintain coverage, but were excluded by states and territories as a result of the eligibility review shortcomings.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sounded an alarm Aug. 30 that some state computer systems were inappropriately disenrolling people, even when the state had information indicating the person remained eligible.

Christine Osterlund, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s deputy secretary for agency integration and Medicaid, said the issue involved up to 12,000 lower-income or disabled individuals among 81,000 removed from Medicaid this year in Kansas. During the COVID-19 pandemic, states were authorized to suspend eligibility assessments. The process of recalibrating who could stay in state-federal health coverage program has been referred to as unwinding.

KDHE paused discon-

(AP) — Togo’s foreign minister wasn’t having any of it. He talked of an accelerating “African awakening,” of a resolve to “fight our own battles,” of a refusal to be banished to the children’s table while the musclebound great powers of the 20th century moved chess pieces around the board.

“Nobody is at the center of the world,” Robert Dussey said in French, his voice emphatic. “We don’t want to be relegated to the background as the world develops.”

Africa was Dussey’s subject. But he might have been one of any number of leaders speaking at the United Nations this past week — the voices of smaller nations that typically command less attention. They come, they air grievances and concerns, and then the oxygen is gobbled up by others — often the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.

ter Penny Wong. “Our appetite for transformative change has never been higher,” said Xavier Espot, prime minister of the small European country of Andorra.

tinuances in August and September to make certain corrective actions were effective, Osterlund said.

Problems in Kansas and other states arose because auto-renewals were performed across entire households, instead of addressing individual eligibility of each person in a household. One consequence was children were disenrolled because a parent no longer qualified.

“The state of Kansas is working on a remedy to meet the newly stated requirements,” Osterlund said. “System and manual workarounds have been implemented to address CMS’ concerns until a permanent solution can be implemented.”

HHS released a 50-state report last week showing Kansas’ disenrollment problem involved 10,000 to 49,000 adults or children. KDHE officials said the report was “misleading” because it applied a numerical range to those mistakenly disenrolled when the number was approximately 12,000.

Medicaid enrollment losses have been significant in 10 states, including Kansas, that declined to expand eligibility for the program. Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, has sought to broaden access to Medicaid, but Republican leaders in the Kansas Legislature have undermined expansion efforts for a decade.

Each of Kansas’ neighboring states — Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma — have taken the step to expand Medicaid.

This year, though, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s high-profile presence notwithstanding, things felt different. Top leaders of four of the five permanent member nations didn’t attend. Climate change helped amplify the concerns of smaller nations — not coincidentally, those most affected by it. And speech by speech, speaker by speaker, it became clear: On the international stage, other voices are beginning to rise — and to be heard.

“The voice of the Global South is growing louder,” said Terrance Michael Drew, prime minister of the Caribbean island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. “The voices and experiences of the Pacific matter,” said Australian Foreign Minis-

“The General Assembly is always the biggest platform for countries that don’t get a spotlight,” says Anjali Dayal, an associate professor of international politics at Fordham University and an expert on the United Nations and other international organizations.

“But I think this year, we saw that more leaders were paying attention to the biggest constituency of U.N. countries — countries that are not big powers but that suffer the biggest consequences and very seldom get to cast the decisive vote,” she said.

Where is the momentum coming from? As with so many matters of import these days, there’s no single answer.

This year, one development helped clear space for some of the voices: the shallow attendance of major na-

Teens arrested after mobs swarm stores

PHILADELPHIA (AP)

— Groups of teenagers swarmed into stores in several areas of Philadelphia in an apparently coordinated effort, stuffing plastic bags with merchandise and fleeing, authorities said. Police arrested 15 to 20 people.

The flash mob-style ransacking Tuesday night at stores including Foot Locker, Lululemon and Apple came after a peaceful protest over a judge’s decision to dismiss murder and other charges against a Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a driver, Eddie Irizarry, through a rolled-up window.

Those doing the ransacking were not affiliated with the protest, Interim Police Commissioner John Stanford said at a news conference, calling the

group “a bunch of criminal opportunists.”

Video on social media showed masked people in hoodies running out of Lululemon with merchandise and police officers grabbing several and tackling them to the sidewalk. Photos of a sporting goods store at a mall showed mannequins and sneakers scattered on the sidewalk.

The thefts and unrest stretched from downtown to Northeast and West Philadelphia, leaving smashed display windows and broken storefront coverings.

“This destructive and illegal behavior cannot and will not be tolerated in our city,” Mayor Jim Kenney, a Democrat, said on social media, calling it a “sickening display of opportunistic criminal activity.”

tions’ leaders. Of the U.N. Security Council’s five permanent members, only the United States, in the personage of President Joe Biden, spoke. The others — Russia, China, France and Britain — chose to send underlings, as did India and Canada.

U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed called that “disappointing.” But it did mean that smaller nations and coalitions had more oxygen. They used some of it to advocate for a broader-based permanent membership of Security Council, the only U.N. body with the power to take military action and impose sanctions. Only its permanent members can veto resolutions, and frustration about that runs long and deep.

“The global governance architecture has not delivered the equity and inclusion that is required,” said Tandi Dorji, foreign minister of the Asian nation of Bhutan. He insisted representation on the council — which lacks a permanent member from Africa or Latin America — be broad-

ened. “The increasing fragmentation, polarization, and growing inequity we witness in the world today only serve as an urgent cry for strengthening multilateralism.”

The structure of the United Nations, most countries agree, doesn’t fit the current global configuration. An organization built in the postwar mid-20th century to, in essence, prevent the nations who could destroy the world from doing so is not equipped to tackle the fragmentation afoot as the mid-21st century steams toward us with a rapidly evolving global power structure, speaker after speaker said.

Other factors, too, are helping softer voices grow louder. Exhibit A: climate change, which has hit the world’s poorest countries hardest — in particular, island nations whose very existence is threatened by rising waters. When the president of the island nation of Kirabati, Taneti Maamau, says his country is “experiencing intensifying severe drought and coastal inundation,” it’s not a secondhand account — and people are starting to listen.

Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto speaks during the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in New York City. (KENA BETANCUR/GETTY IMAGES/TNS)

Nobody is at the center of the world. We don’t want to be relegated to the background as the world develops.

— Robert Dussey of Togo

With strike settled, late-night shows return to TV

NEW YORK (AP) —

TV’s late-high hosts planned to return to their evening sketches and monologues by next week, reinstating the flow of topical humor silenced for five months by the newly-ended Hollywood’s writers strike.

Bill Maher led the charge back to work by announcing early Wednesday that his HBO show “Real Time with Bill Maher” would be back on the air Friday. By mid-morning, the hosts of NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” on CBS had announced they’d also return, all by Monday.

“Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver was

Vaccine

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also available for those aged 60 and older.

The health department has pneumonia, flu and shingles vaccines available as well.

ANYONE, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, may receive the updated monovalent vaccine as long as it has been at least two months since the last dose of any COVID-19 vaccine. There are a few exceptions; call the health department at 620365-2191 for details.

More information can be found at cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index. html

Outage

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tensive damage from the subsequent explosion, causing a power outage for several minutes.

Electric Plant Superintendent Mike Phillips said crews were able to “backfeed” the impacted circuits in town, allowing the electricity to be restored within a halfhour.

The charred remnants of Bullwinkle’s pal were found lying atop the breaker.

“It wasn’t hard to find,” Phillips said.

It remains to be seen whether the city will be able to repair the bushings and other components of the damaged breaker, which Phillips estimated to be about seven years old.

Phillips said he sent out requests to three vendors, but has not received a response from any of them.

If no parts can be found, the city will need to replace the breaker altogether, at a cost of $30,000 to $35,000, Phillips said — and there may be quite a wait involved.

Because of supply chain issues, some breakers may take up to three months or longer to arrive.

“We could be looking at getting a new one in January,” he said.

slated to return to the air Sunday. Fallon, Meyers, Kimmel, Colbert and Oliver had spent the latter part of the strike teaming up for a popular podcast called “Strike Force Five” — named after their personal text chain and with all proceeds benefiting their out-of-work writers. On Instagram on Wednesday, they

announced “their mission complete.”

The plans for some late-night shows were not immediately clear, like “Saturday Night Live” and Comedy Central’s “Daily Show,” which had been using guest hosts when the strike hit.

Scripted shows will take longer to return, with actors still on strike and no negotia-

tions yet on the horizon.

On Tuesday night, board members from the writers union approved a contract agreement with studios, bringing the industry at least partly back from a historic halt in production that stretched nearly five months.

Maher had delayed returning to his talk show during the on-

going strike by writers and actors, a decision that followed similar pauses by “The Drew Barrymore Show,” “The Talk” and “The Jennifer Hudson Show.”

The three-year agreement with studios, producers and streaming services includes significant wins in the main areas writers had fought for – compensation, length of employment, size of staffs and control of artificial intelligence – matching or nearly equaling what they had sought at the outset of the strike.

The union had sought minimum increases in pay and future residual earnings from shows and will get a raise of between 3.5% and 5% in those areas — more than the studios had offered.

The guild also negotiated new residual payments based on the popularity of streaming shows, where writers will get bonuses for being a part of the most popular shows on Netflix, Max and other services, a proposal stu-

dios initially rejected. Many writers on picket lines had complained that they weren’t properly paid for helping create heavily watched properties.

On artificial intelligence, the writers got the regulation and control of the emerging technology they had sought. Under the contract, raw, AI-generated storylines will not be regarded as “literary material” — a term in their contracts for scripts and other story forms a screenwriter produces. This means they won’t be competing with computers for screen credits. Nor will AI-generated stories be considered “source” material, their contractual language for the novels, video games or other works that writers may adapt into scripts.

Writers have the right under the deal to use AI in their process if the company they are working for agrees and other conditions are met. But companies cannot require a writer to use AI.

Menendez pleads not guilty to bribery scandal

NEW YORK (AP) —

U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to federal charges accusing him of pocketing bribes of cash and gold bars in exchange for wielding his political influence to secretly advance Egyptian interests and do favors for local businessmen.

Menendez led his wife, who also pleaded not guilty in the case, by the hand out of the courtroom after the brief hearing in the lower Manhattan federal courthouse days after prosecutors unsealed an indictment alleging vast corruption by the Democrat.

The couple left the

courthouse clutching hands, and Menendez ignored shouted questions from reporters before giving a tightlipped smile as he stepped into a car.

Menendez spoke in court only when each defendant stood to acknowledge that they understood the charges against them. A lawyer entered the not guilty plea for Menendez, who was forced to step down as chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee after being indicted.

The senator was ordered released on a $100,000 bond, and he must surrender any personal passports but

will be allowed to keep an official passport that would allow him to travel outside the U.S. for government business. The judge ordered him not to have contact outside of the presence of lawyers with his co-defendants except for his wife.

He also can’t have contact outside of the presence of lawyers with members of his Senate staff, Foreign Relations Committee staff or political advisers who have personal knowledge about the facts of the case, though it’s unclear how those restrictions would impact his work.

A defiant Menendez has said allegations

that he abused his power to line his pockets are baseless. He has said he is confident he will be exonerated and has no intention of leaving the Senate.

Still, calls for Menendez to resign continued to mount on Wednesday with Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the No. 2 Senate Democrat, say-

ing “he should step down.” More than half of Senate Democrats have now said that Menendez should resign, including fellow New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, who said the indictment includes “ shocking allegations of corruption and specific, disturbing details of wrongdoing.”

Stephen Colbert and other late-night talk show hosts will return to the airwaves in the coming days now that the Hollywood writers strike has ended.

Azerbaijan arrests former head of separatist government

YEREVAN, Armenia

(AP) — Azerbaijan said it arrested the former head of Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist government as he tried to cross into Armenia on Wednesday along with tens of thousands of others who fled the region following Azerbaijan’s 24-hour blitz last week to reclaim control of the enclave.

The arrest of Ruben Vardanyan was announced by Azerbaijan’s border guard service. It appears to reflect Azerbaijan’s intention to quickly and forcefully enforce its grip on the region after the military offensive that has prompted a rapid exo-

dus of tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians.

Vardanyan, a billionaire businessman who made his fortune in Russia where he

owned a major investment bank, moved to Nagorno-Karabakh in 2022 and served as the head the regional government for several

months before stepping down earlier this year.

Azerbaijan’s border guard service said Vardanyan was escorted to the country’s capital of Baku and handed over to “the relevant state bodies” that will decide his fate. It posted a picture of Vardanyan held by two border guards next to a helicopter.

Also Wednesday, Azerbaijan’s Health Ministry said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during the offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh. One Azeri civilian also died in the hostilities, the ministry said.

Nagorno-Karabakh

officials said earlier that at least 200 people on their side, including 10 civilians, were killed and over 400 were wounded in the fighting.

The 24-hour Azerbaijani blitz involving heavy artillery, rocket launchers and drones forced the separatist authorities to agree to lay down weapons and sit down for talks on Nagorno-Karabakh’s “reintegration” into Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan and separatist officials have since held two rounds of talks, but no details have been made available and prospects of “reintegration” of Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian population into the mostly Muslim country have remained unclear.

Despite Azerbaijan’s promises to respect the rights of the region’s residents, they have rushed to flee the region en masse fearing reprisals.

Over 47,000 people, or nearly 40% of Nagorno-Karabakh’s population of 120,000, have left the region for Armenia as of early afternoon Wednesday, according to the Armenian authorities.

Stepanakert looked deserted on Wednesday as re-

maining residents who don’t have their own vehicles to leave the city gathered in the center, waiting for buses promised by the authorities. A horse and a donkey, apparently left behind by former owners, could be seen slowly walking together along an empty street.

Hours-long traffic jams were reported on Tuesday on the road out of Nagorno-Karabakh as residents hurried to leave, fearing that Azerbaijan could shut the only road leading to Armenia.

An explosion Monday at a gas station near the region’s capital Stepanakert, where people were queuing to fuel up their cars before leaving for Armenia, killed at least 68 people, according to Nagorno-Karabakh’s human rights ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan. Another 290 were wounded, and a total of 105 were considered missing as of Tuesday evening, he said.

The massive blast exacerbated already dire fuel shortages.

Tatev Mirzoyan, a 27-year-old citizen of Nagorno-Karabakh’s regional capital of Stepanakert who arrived in the Armenian city of Goris with her family after a 28-hour drive, said they used fuel they had stashed for emergency purposes.

VICKIE MOSS

County: Nears deal for ambulance

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sponse Vehicles, Tim Leitnaker, to answer questions about the process. Each of the five units in the county’s current fleet was purchased from ARV.

The company would refurbish an older unit and remount it on a new chassis from Ford. There’s about a twoyear waiting list for the service. The remounting process itself takes about 90 days. ARV would not take possession of the vehicle until it was time for the remount, which means the county would only be without the unit for a short time.

The cost won’t change in the meantime.

Commissioners were ready to approve Burnett’s request but asked if it might be possible to work with a local Ford dealer to purchase the chassis. Leitnaker said they could, but he expected they’d find the cost would be about the same as if they went through ARV’s dealers.

Commissioners asked for another week to research that option.

Burnett also told commissioners he had been contacted by the Kansas Highway Patrol about a surplus used SUV available for $35,175. The vehicle would be used to assist ambulance crews and would replace an aging vehicle.

Commissioners weren’t sure where the money to buy the SUV would come from — perhaps from the wind farm’s annual $250,000 payment in lieu of tax-

es — but Commissioner Jerry Daniels said he would rather agree to the purchase now because of high demand for used vehicles, and figure out the funding later.

The county agreed to a new EMS contract with the City of Iola earlier this summer. Burnett soon approached commissioners about the need to upgrade its fleet of vehicles and equipment, which is part of the county’s responsibility.

Humboldt, streets and tax credits

Humboldt City Administrator Cole Herder thanked county road crews for help with recent chip-and-seal street repair projects, and for recent efforts for striping on the old highway south of the city.

He also spoke about entrepreneurship tax credits available to county residents through NetWork Kansas. The Kansas Center for Entrepreneurship Tax Credit was created to provide seed capital for entrepreneurs and small business owners in rural and distressed areas.

The program offers a 75% tax credit for donations between $250 and $133,333. For example, someone who donates $1,000 will receive a $750 credit toward their state income tax liability. Individuals, banks and some corporations can apply.

The program then

loans that money to entrepreneurs to use as “gap funding” for projects.

Since 2018, the program has made 20 loans in Allen County for a total of $654,100, Herder reported.

Herder also announced Allen County E-Community is working with the county’s three school districts to compete in a young entrepreneur contest at Kansas State University.

HUMBOLDT Historical Preservation Alliance’s Darrell Krone also attended Tuesday’s commission meeting to ask for an $800 donation for the group’s vintage baseball game. The county approved the request, which is the same amount given for the event last year.

Krone also thanked county road crews for their efforts.

Another pat on the commissioners’ backs came from the City of Moran, which thanked crews for improvements to roads in that area.

Meanwhile, road and bridge director Mark Griffith gave commissioners an update. It’s getting late in the season for road work, so some adjustments will need to be made for those roads the county won’t be able to fix.

Griffith apologized for the delay and vowed to tackle those projects as early as possible next spring. West Virginia Road is at the top of his list.

“I promise we will get you a good road next

year,” he said. He also asked commissioners for guidance on an insurance settlement for a dump truck involved in an accident at the rock quarry. Commissioners agreed to settle with the insurance company for $40,000, and the company would take possession of the damaged dump truck.

Iola EMS Director Michael Burnett, left, and Tim Leitnaker with American Response Vehicles visit Tuesday with county commissioners about a potential deal to purchase a refurbished ambulance. REGISTER/

Ruben Vardanyan WIKIPEDIA.ORG

EDITORIAL

With support of PrairieLand, City Council steers Iola in right direction

It’s challenging to recruit businesses to rural America. As much as we enjoy the open spaces, short commutes and friendly people, a declining population and a lack of infrastructure, among other things, make regions like southeast Kansas a tough sell.

Thus the golden rule of rural economic development: protect what you have. It’s easier to maintain the businesses in your community, and perhaps help them expand, than it is to bring in new ones. Every town wants a Panasonic factory. Those that bet their future on it often end up sorely disappointed.

Which is why we are so encouraged by the Iola City Council’s decision to split the bill with PrairieLand Partners for a sewer line expansion to where they plan to build a new facility. Here’s a business that, in the words of Dale Lalman, Iola store manager, wants “to be a good com-

munity member and bring more business and vitality to this community.” They plan to spend an estimated $14 million on a new store.

Supporting PrairieLand was the right thing to do. It helps a business that wants to be here, stay and grow here. And it sends a message that the City of Iola is willing to invest in its businesses.

MONDAY’S conversation wasn’t without friction. Council member Carl Slaugh, with an eye on the checkbook, knows cities like Iola don’t have unlimited funds. The money has to come from somewhere. And Slaugh is right; at the root, it all comes from taxpayers. So we are glad elected officials want to spend public funds carefully.

But as Mayor Steve French said, “If we’re not going to offer anything to anyone, we’re going to continue to fall further and further behind.” He

continued, “We’re seeing too many other companies getting drawn to other cities by what they do and can offer, whether it’s inkind or monetary, tax breaks. This is a new day of doing business. Cities are going to have to give something.”

Often, we tend to take for granted the businesses already here. One imagines the excitement if news broke that a brand-new implement dealer was interested in building a multi-million dollar facility in town. What city wouldn’t want to lure them in?

project, “I’d pay more personally for wastewater as an investment in my community.”

The golden rule of rural economic development: protect what you have.

And when cities use public funds to secure economic development activity, we understand the funds are an investment in the city’s future. As council member Joel Wicoff said, even if he faced the hypothetical of a rate increase to pay for the sewer

AS Kansas becomes more urbanized, small towns like Iola will continue to swim upstream. But the tools, and the solutions, are in our own hands. No one else is coming to save Iola. That means we need to invest more, not less, in our communities. And it will require tough, calculated decisions about what we can live without, and what we value. Based on Monday’s vote, at the top of the council’s list is a vibrant business community. That’s a great lodestar.

— Tim Stauffer

Zoning codes should allow native plants and pollinator gardens

A few years after relocating here from Pennsylvania, a friend of mine dove into home ownership. Being extremely knowledgeable and passionate about birding and gardening, she decided to convert part of her front yard into a native plant pollinator garden. She’s had no problem with the plants, but the city codes are giving her fits.

There are numerous advantages to cultivating pollinator gardens instead of non-native grass and other decorative plants. Plants like Black-Eyed Susans, Western Yarrow, Wild Bergamot (beebalm), Milkweed, and Kansas’ state flower – the sunflower – have deeper root networks, which help prevent soil erosion and reduce water runoff. They do not need to be mowed, saving energy and pollution. They are natural parts of Kansas’ ecosystem and do not spread invasively. Natives grow well without artificial fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides.

Many grow beautiful flowers. They also adapt better to our climate, requiring less watering.

Michael Smith Insight Kansas

alarmingly, which many experts attribute to agricultural pesticides and herbicides. All told, one third of our food requires pollination by insects.

Unfortunately, native pollinator gardens violate many communities’ local ordinances. These old laws reflect the 1950s ideal of a suburban lawn. They incentivize the planting of nonnative grass which is mowed short and often treated with fertilizers. They also encourage or condone ornamental shrubs, trees, and other plants which are an invasive threat to our native Kansas plants. Such scourges include the Bradford Pear, the Eastern Red Cedar, the Tree of Heaven, and wintercreeper.

All told, one third of our food requires pollination by insects.

I join legions of other homeowners spending countless weekends trying to remove these noxious pests. Farmers and ranchers do not like them, either.

Pollinator gardens supply food to native birds and insects including hummingbirds, monarch butterflies, and native bees. In recent years, the population of monarchs has declined

As for my friend, she won her dispute with the city, but only after cutting part of her beloved pocket prairie and compiling a thick packet of information for her hear-

ing. She is now working with Emporia officials to update the local ordinances. Fortunately, she has a template.

Active in Kansas and western Missouri, the Metro Area Regional Council (MARC) has prepared model legislation to encourage native plants and pollinator gardens while still allowing communities to clean up true noxious weeds, abandoned lots, and unkempt yards. Our sensibilities need to change, too. This past April, a Kansas family got caught between the city of Overland Park – which discourages such plantings, Johnson County – which encourages them, and their own neigh-

bors. Many neighborhoods in Overland Park feature neatly-manicured lawns in tidy housing subdivisions along cul-de-sac streets. Neighbors must adjust their expectations of what looks beautiful. Lawns should be property maintained, but they need not resemble golf courses.

These codes also reflect the needs of agriculture. For example, milkweed is a beneficial, beautiful, easy to grow native plant that pollinators love, but it is poisonous to cattle and horses. This is fine for farmers and ranchers, but the average suburban homeowner is not going to have cattle and horses in

their yard! Some local codes still classify milkweed as a “noxious weed” even when planted in town. Fortunately, some Kansas local governments have started targeting actual noxious weeds such as Bradford Pears, which are highly invasive. Wichita is one of many communities expanding native plantings on public land including parks. New codes will allow beautiful, native, pollinator-friendly yards while still requiring that yards and lots be properly maintained. MARC’s model legislation is just what you need to start working on this in your own community– and your yard.

How to contact Iola’s elected officials

Iola Mayor Steve French

Council members Joelle Shallah, foreground, and Kim Peterson.

Council member Nich Lohman Council member Carl Slaugh

Above, butterflies rest on gregg’s mistflower at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, in Austin, Texas. Visitors can stroll along paths featuring colorful blooms abuzz with butterflies, relax under towering oaks and let their children play in a new family garden. Above right, a bee rests on a sunflower in Violeta Rodriguez Stauffer’s garden in Iola. Photos by Eric Gay/AP and Tim Stauffer

US secures release of soldier from N. Korea

WASHINGTON (AP) —

The U.S. has secured the release of a U.S. soldier who sprinted across a heavily fortified border into North Korea more than two months ago, the White House announced Wednesday.

U.S. ally Sweden and rival China helped with the transfer. Left unanswered were questions of why Pyongyang—which has tense relations with Washington over the North’s nuclear program, support for Russia’s war in Ukraine and other issues—had agreed to turn him over and why the soldier had fled in the first place.

North Korea had abruptly announced earlier Wednesday that it would expel Pvt. Travis King — though some had expected the North to drag out his detention in hopes of squeezing concessions from Washington at a time of high tensions between the two countries.

“U.S. officials have secured the return of Private Travis King from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” White House national

security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement. “We appreciate the dedication of the interagency team that has worked tirelessly out of concern for Private King’s wellbeing.”

Officials said they did not know exactly why North Korea decided to expel King, but suspected Pyongyang determined that

Arrest made in Parsons killing

LABETTE COUN-

TY — A Parsons man has been arrested for the murder of a Parsons woman over the weekend.

Derrick W. Curry, 53, Parsons, was charged with second-degree murder in connection with the killing of Kylie Caldwell, 28.

The body of Caldwell, who was last seen early morning Sunday, was found by hunters in a field on the outskirts of Parsons later Sunday. Evidence at the scene suggested Caldwell was murdered, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation announced previously.

as a low-ranking serviceman he had no real value in terms of either leverage or information. One official, who was not authorized to comment and requested anonymity, said the North Koreans may have decided that King, 23, was more trouble to keep than to simply release him.

Swedish officials took

King to the Chinese border, where he was met by the U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns, the Swedish ambassador to China, and at least one U.S. Defense Department official. Biden administration officials insisted they provided no concessions to North Korea to secure the soldier’s release.

Judge blocks ban on gender-affirming care

HELENA, Mont. (AP)

— A Montana law banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors is temporarily blocked, a state judge ruled Wednesday, just four days before it was to take effect.

Legislative debate over Montana’s bill drew national attention this spring after Republicans punished Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr — the first transgender woman elected to the state’s Legislature — for admonishing lawmakers who supported the bill.

District Court Judge Jason Marks agreed with transgender youth, their families and health care providers that the law passed by the 2023 Montana Legislature is likely unconstitutional and would harm the mental and physical health of minors with gender dysphoria, rather than protect them from experimental treatments, as supporters said it would.

The judge noted the same Republican-controlled legislature passed a law saying patients, including minors, have a right to receive treatment with experimental drugs — as long as it’s recommended by a health care provider and they give consent.

Marks said he could only conclude the Legislature’s stated intent in passing the law was “disingenuous” and it seemed more likely its purpose is to “ban an outcome deemed undesirable by the Montana Legislature, veiled as

protection for minors.”

“Today’s ruling permits our clients to breathe a sigh of relief,” Akilah Deernose, executive director of the ACLU of Montana, said in a statement. “But this fight is far from over. We look forward to vindicating our clients’ constitutional rights and ensuring that this hateful law never takes effect.”

The preliminary injunction remains in effect until a full trial can be held on the issue, but the state Department of Justice said it will appeal the injunction.

“We look forward to presenting our complete factual and legal argument to protect Montana children from harmful, life-altering medications and surgeries. Because of the irreversible and immediate harms that the procedures have on children we will be filing a notice of appeal today,” spokeswoman Emilee Cantrell said in a statement.

Montana is one of at least 22 states that have enacted bans on gender-affirming medical care for minors and most face lawsuits.

Some bans have been temporarily blocked by courts, while others have been allowed to take effect. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to rule this week on the gender-affirming medical care bans that were allowed to take effect in Kentucky and Tennessee.

In Montana’s case, transgender youth argued the law would ban

them from continuing to receive gender-affirming medical care, violating their constitutional rights to equal protection, the right to seek health and the right to dignity.

Their parents said the law would violate their constitutional right to make medical decisions for their children and two medical providers said it would prevent them from providing effective and necessary care to their patients.

Energy

Continued from A1

ing solar or wind energy will also now have to file an application with the City of Iola along with a base fee of $100. Applications will be reviewed and a decision issued within 30 days, and if a denial is issued applicants may appeal through the zoning appeals board.

Any wind energy system will now have to be located a minimum of 50 feet from any property line and a minimum of 100% of the tower height plus 100% of the tutor diameter from any overhead power lines. The city is exempt from the overhead power lines limit.

iolaregister.com/archives

Curry was taken into custody on Monday for suspected interference with the ju-

“Montana’s ban is a direct assault on the freedom and well-being of transgender youth, their families, and their medical providers,” Malita Picasso, staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a recent statement.

Derrick Curry

dicial process by either concealing or destroying evidence of a crime. He was in the Labette County Jail as KBI agents and investigators executed search warrants at his Parsons apartment and in his vehicle on Monday and Tuesday.

An arrest warrant for second-degree murder was issued Wednesday morning and served to Curry while he was in custody at the jail. Curry and Caldwell were acquaintances, according to a KBI press release.

In this photo taken in Seoul on Aug. 16, a man walks past a television showing a news broadcast featuring a photo of US soldier Travis King (center), who ran across the border into North Korea while part of a tour group visiting the Demilitarized Zone on South Korea’s border on July 18. AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES/ ANTHONY WALLACE/TNS

Sports Daily B

Crest honors seniors

COLONY — The Crest volleyball team held their only home matches of the season on Senior Night when they hosted Chetopa and Uniontown Tuesday night.

The Lady Lancers (20-6; 6-1 Three Rivers League) took down both Chetopa and Uniontown in two sets. Crest was dominant from the serving line, going 88% as a team with 32 aces. Seniors Kaylee Allen, Brooklynn Jones and Kayla Hermreck were recognized beforehand.

Crest defeated Chetopa in two sets, 25-11 and 2511. They then took down Uniontown in two sets, 25-7 and 25-20.

Kaelin Nilges and Kamryn Jones went a perfect 100% from the serving line.

Kayla Hermreck had a team-high 15 kills, while Kinley Edgerton had a team-high 17 assists.

Aylee Beckmon, Karlee Boots and Cursten Allen each led the team in serve receive passing.

Edgerton went 26-of28 from the serving line while Hermreck had nine aces and Brooklynn Jones had eight.

Crest travels to Moran to take on Marmaton Valley and St. Paul next Tuesday.

Thursday, September 28, 2023

Humboldt rolls to 18th straight win

like.”

Humboldt then defeated St. Paul in two sets, 25-21 and 25-15.

Kenisyn Hottenstien led the Lady Cubs serving with a team-high two aces. Ricklyn Hillmon led Humboldt offensively with a team-high five kills while Shaughnessy added four kills.

“Shelby is one of our best players at the net, she has power and speed and can really put the ball down,” said Meadows. “She has great awareness at the net and can usually find the open court.”

Skylar Hottenstein led with a team-high nine digs while Cassidy Friend had seven digs.

“Once we fought for the first set win against St. Paul, I think we settled in and played much better,” said Meadows. “I think our biggest take away is we need some rest. We had some big

as aggressive as we would

By QUINN BURKITT The

HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt volleyball team signed off a stretch of nine matches in three days with style when they took down Riverton and St. Paul at home Wednesday.

The Lady Cubs (21-5) have now won 18 matches in a row, dating back to a win over Oswego on Sept. 5. Humboldt dropped their first set with Rivertson, 1625, before defeating Riverton in the final two, 25-23 and 25-19.

Kinley Tucker led from the serving line with a team-high four aces. Shelby Shaughnessy led offensively with a team-high 14 kills while Laney Hull added four kills. Defensively, Skylar Hottenstein led with a team-high 28 digs.

“Once we started putting some good things together, we were able to pull out two wins,” Humboldt head coach Terry Meadows said. “The Riverton win was big for us. They’re a very good team, and we were able to get them out of their system, even with our serve not

Iola’s Crusinbery reaches milestone 1,000 career assists

Wildcats host Oswego and Northeast

MORAN — Marmaton

Valley’s volleyball teams welcomed Oswego and Northeast to their home gym on Tuesday night.

The varsity Wildcats (6-18) fell to both Oswego and Northeast. Marmaton Valley’s JV squad defeated Northeast but were unable to complete the sweep against Oswego.

Varsity

Marmaton Valley lost to Oswego by a pair of defeats, 25-21 and 25-21.

Janae Granere had a teamhigh six points in the first set while Payton Scharff had a team-high five points in the second set.

The Wildcats then fell to Northeast in three sets, 2520, 22-25 and 23-25.

Scharff led Marmaton Valley in the first set with a team-high 10 points before Granere recorded a teamhigh seven points in the second set.

JV

No. 24 KU travels to No. 3 Texas

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels already has delivered one program-shaking play in Austin. He would love to do it again.

Quinn Ewers guided Texas to a win over Alabama that changed the trajectory of the season for the Longhorns. His goal is to keep them barreling ahead on course to a Big 12 title.

The No. 24 Jayhawks and No. 3 Longhorns meet Saturday with both teams 4-0, and it will be Daniels’ game-winning, scrambling 2-point conversion pass to Jared Casey in overtime in 2021 that will get talked about all week.

The 57-56 victory snapped the Jayhawk’s 58game road losing streak in the Big 12 and ignited the program under first-year coach Lance Leipold. It also shook Texas in a 5-7 season in coach Steve Sarkisian’s first year.

Marmaton Valley’s JV squad defeated Northeast in two sets, 25-19 and 25-16.

Andersyn Carr and Elizabeth Lewis had a team-high

See MV | Page B3

“In a weird way, I’m kind of glad it happened,” Sarkisian said Monday. “It exposed some warts in our program that needed to get removed.”

Two seasons ago, Kansas

See JAYHAWKS | Page B3

Iola Register

Humboldt’s Shelby Shaughnessy goes for a hit at the net. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

Humboldt’s Lady Cubs huddle up during their matchup against Riverton. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

See LADY CUBS | Page B3

The Iola High volleyball team celebrated Kaysin Crusinbery, above, for earning 1,000 career assists on Saturday. Below, Iola also took second place as a team at the tournament in Burlington; Humboldt took first place. COURTESY PHOTO

Invitation to Bid

2023 CFP HVAC MODERNIZATIONS AT SCATTERED SITES FOR THE IOLA HOUSING AUTHORITY

The Iola Housing Authority will receive sealed bids until the date and time stated above for the HVAC modernization project referenced above. The work includes replacement of split system HVAC equipment (furnaces, condensing units, coils, etc.) at selected scattered site apartments, and other items as indicated in the project scope. Bids are to include all necessary labor, materials and equipment.

For all construction and equipment contracts over $25,000, the bidder shall be required to submit with the bid a negotiable bid guarantee not less than five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid.

Instructions to Bidders is contained in HUD-5369 “Instructions to Bidders for Contracts - Public and Indian Housing Programs”.

For information concerning the work, contact Zingre’ and Associates, P.A., @ (620) 223-6030. Bid packages may be purchased by contacting Zingre’ and Associates, for a non-refundable purchase of $50.00 (make checks out to Zingre & Associates, P.A.). The plans are also available by email for free.

The contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bid if reasonable, and if it is in the best interest of the Iola Housing Authority to accept it.

The Iola HA is an EOE. Bids shall be valid for 45 days.

Invitation to Bid

217 N. Washington Iola, Kansas 66749 (620) 365-5143

2023 CFP HVAC MODERNIZATIONS AT TOWNHOUSE WEST APARTMENTS FOR THE IOLA HOUSING AUTHORITY

The Iola Housing Authority will receive sealed bids until the date and time stated above for the HVAC modernization project referenced above. The work includes replacement of fan coil units, related piping, valves, replacement of the chillers, and other items as indicated on the drawings and specs. Bids are to include all necessary labor, materials and equipment.

For all construction and equipment contracts over $25,000, the bidder shall be required to submit with the bid a negotiable bid guarantee not less than five percent (5%) of the amount of the bid.

Instructions to Bidders is contained in HUD-5369 “Instructions to Bidders for Contracts - Public and Indian Housing Programs”.

For information concerning the work, contact Zingre’ and Associates, P.A., @ (620) 223-6030. Bid packages may be purchased by contacting Zingre’ and Associates, for a non-refundable purchase of $50.00 (make checks out to Zingre & Associates, P.A.). The plans are also available by email for free.

The contract will be awarded to the lowest responsive and responsible bid if reasonable, and if it is in the best interest of the Iola Housing Authority to accept it.

The Iola HA is an EOE. Bids shall be valid for 45 days.

Brooks Robinson, Orioles legend, dies at 86

By DAVID GINSBURG The Associated Press

BALTIMORE (AP) —

Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson, whose deft glovework and folksy manner made him one of the most beloved and accomplished athletes in Baltimore history, has died. He was 86.

The Orioles announced his death in a joint statement with Robinson’s family Tuesday. The statement did not say how Robinson died.

The Orioles held a moment of silence before their game against the Washington Nationals, and the teams lined up outside their dugouts to pay their respects. Also before the game, fans gathered around the 9-foot bronze statue of Robinson inside Camden Yards.

“Great player, great guy on the field, great guy off,” said fellow Orioles Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, who was overcome with emotion. “Respectful, kind. And you don’t meet too many guys like that. Brooks was a genuine person. There was no

acting. Brooks was just a genuine person.”

Coming of age before the free agent era, Robinson spent his entire 23-year career with the Orioles. He almost single-handedly helped Baltimore defeat Cincinnati in the 1970 World Series and homered in Game 1 of the Orioles’ 1966 sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers for their first crown.

Robinson participated in 18 All-Star Games, won 16 consecutive Gold Gloves and earned the 1964 AL Most Valuable Player award after batting .318 with 28 home runs and a league-leading 118 RBIs.

“An integral part of our Orioles Family since 1955, he will continue to leave a lasting impact on our club, our community, and the sport of baseball,” the team said.

He finished with 268 homers, drove in 1,357 runs and batted a respectable .267 in 2,896 career games. Not bad for ol’ No. 5, the boy from Arkansas.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred described Robinson as “one of the greats of our National Pastime,” calling him a “model of excellence,

durability, loyalty and winning baseball for the Orioles.”

MLB Player Association Executive Director Tony Clark cited Robinson’s role as an advocate for his fellow players.

“Tributes to Brooks Robinson will duly note his brilliance at third base ... . But his impact transcended the field -- as a prominent voice in the early days of the MLBPA and a relentless advocate for his fellow players through his work with the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association.”

The Hall of Fame applauded Robinson’s role as a member of its board.

Jayhawks: Primed for top Big 12 game

Continued from B1

caught Texas by surprise. Texas delivered some measure of payback with last season’s 55-14 win in Lawrence, but the desire to do it again at home will be great.

Offensive tackle

Christian Jones allowed a sack in the 2021 game that resulted in a fumble and started a short Kansas touchdown drive.

“It broke me to my core, man,” Jones said. “I just remember feeling so low and so sad during that moment, and dealing with consequences after that moment, you know, all the slander, the DMs, all that type of stuff, the crazy, wild messages.”

Daniels led Kansas to a 5-0 start last season before he was sidelined for four games with a shoulder injury. The impact was immediate: Kansas lost all four and finished 6-7.

So far this season, Daniels, the Big 12 preseason offensive player of the year, has thrown for 705 yards and five touchdowns, and Kansas has started consecutive seasons 4-0 for the first time in 108 years. The Jayhawks moved into the AP Top

25 this week.

“We’re a long way from a 0-9 program that we were my (COVID-19-shortened) freshman year,” Daniels said. “The fact that my class, the 2020 class that were freshmen that year, are finally able to see the changes we’ve made in the program, that means the world to us.”

Texas has improved considerably on defense since it last met Daniels in Austin. The Longhorns finished the 2021 season ranked No. 100 nationally in total defense and 99th in points allowed. This season Texas is 24th and 12th in those categories, allowing a stingy 12.5 points a game.

The Longhorns have 13 sacks and a secondary with a knack for creating game-breaking turnovers. Texas sacked Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson five times.

Robertson is a backup, though, as was the QB the Longhorns faced against Wyoming a week earlier. Even Alabama, ranked No. 3 when it lost to Texas, was unsettled under center, trying to determine a replacement for the departed all-Amer-

ican Bryce Young. Kansas has no such uncertainty. Daniels completed a tidy 14 of 19 passes, three for touchdowns, during a 38-27 win against BYU on Saturday. He ran for 54 yards. He directs an offense that leads the nation in third-down conversion percentage.

“He’s a real dual threat,” Sarkisian said. “I think the natural thing is we think about the runs that he has for explosive plays. But he throws the ball all over the place.”

Ewers was not at Texas for the 2021 loss. He was at Ohio State, where he spent his first year deep on the depth chart before transferring last season. But he noted how 2021 set the fire that forged this season’s team into one believing it can contend for Big 12 and national championships.

Ewers was inconsistent in home wins over Rice and Wyoming but terrific at Alabama and Baylor. He threw for 349 yards and three touchdowns in a 3424 win over the Crimson Tide, igniting talk about Texas possibly reaching the College Football Playoff for the first time.

love of the Hall of Fame brightened Cooperstown, as did his devotion to the Museum as a long-standing and valued member of our Board of Directors.”

“For generations of fans, Brooks Robinson’s talent on the field was surpassed only by his incredible character and integrity. His

Robinson will be forever remembered for his work ethic and the skill he displayed at the hot corner, where he established himself as one of the finest fielding third baseman in baseball history, whether charging slow rollers or snaring liners down the third-base line.

“Brooks was maybe the last guy to get into the clubhouse the day of the game, but he would be the first guy

on the field,” said former Orioles manager Earl Weaver, who died in 2013. “He’d be taking his groundballs, and we’d all go, ‘Why does Brooks have to take any groundballs?’

“I wouldn’t expect anything else from Brooks. Seeing him work like that meant a lot of any young person coming up. He was so steady, and he steadied everybody else.”

Robinson arrived in Baltimore in September 1955 as an 18-year-old after spending most of his first professional season in baseball with Class B York. He went 2 for 22 with the Orioles

Humboldt’s Kenisyn Hottenstein goes for a hit. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

Lady Cubs: Pick up two more wins

Continued from B1

emotional matches the last few days, and I could tell on the court

we were not as solid as we have been.”

The team will in fact get a breather. The Lady Cubs

will take to the court next Tuesday, hosting Caney Valley and Neodesha at 6 p.m.

MV: Hosts meet Tuesday

Continued from B1

abeth Lewis had a team-high six points in the opening set while Emma Michael had a team-high 10 points in the second set.

The Wildcats then

came up short to Oswego in three sets, 2510, 20-25 and 13-15.

Michael had a teamhigh eight points in the first set before Taylen Blevins, Lesleigh Cary and Michael each had a team-

high four points in the second set. In the third set, Cary recorded a team-high five points.

Marmaton Valley hosts Crest and St. Paul next Tuesday, October 3.

See ORIOLES | Page B4

Brooks Robinson waves to the crowd as the Baltimore Orioles welcome back former players for a 30th anniversary celebration. BARBARA HADDOCK TAYLOR/BALTIMORE SUN/TNS

McIlroy misses Ryder Cup more than Europe missing

GUIDONIA MONTE-

CELIO, Italy (AP) — LIV Golf defections have cut off European stalwarts from the Ryder Cup, some of them for the first time in three decades. Rory McIlroy said Wednesday they are missing the Ryder Cup more than Team Europe is missing them.

Nowhere to be found at Marco Simone are Lee Westwood, who has been part of every Ryder Cup since his debut in 1997. Sergio Garcia, who began his seamless Ryder Cup career in 1999, attempted a last-ditch attempt to make good with the European tour and get to Rome.

Ian Poulter and his passion. Graeme McDowell and his heroics. All are with Saudi-funded LIV Golf, all of them ineligible to take any role in this Ryder Cup. That includes Henrik Stenson, appointed European captain for this team until choosing to sign with LIV last summer.

“It’s certainly a little strange not having them around,” McIlroy said. “But I think this week of all weeks, it’s going to hit home with them that they are not here. I think they are going to miss being here more than we’re missing them.”

McIlroy caught himself briefly, aware his comments would be interpreted as anoth-

er dig at the defectors, especially given the combative tone he has taken against LIV Golf since the rival league started up a year ago in June.

“I’m not saying that’s like ... it’s just more I think this week is a realization that the decision that they made has led to not being a part of this week,” he said.

“And that’s tough.”

Still to be determined is whether they are ever invited back.

The European tour and PGA Tour have entered a partnership with the Saudi Arabian national wealth fund that pays for LIV Golf. The proposed commercial entity still has to be finalized and approved.

Among the discussions is how to integrate LIV players with their tours.

“The landscape of golf is everchanging and more dynamic, and we’ll see what happens and whether they will be part of it in the future,” McIlroy said. “I always thought leading up to this week is when it’s going to hit home that they are not going to be here.”

The Americans have already gone through the LIV effect, having played the Presidents Cup last year without Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed being eligible to qualify or having Phil Mickelson available as a vice cap-

tain.

Brooks Koepka made it back to the Ryder Cup, though only through an extraordinary performance in the majors, his only access to Ryder Cup points. He was runner-up at the Masters and won the PGA Championship.

“I feel like I’m representing the USA. That’s what I’ve got on the front my hat this week,” Koepka said. “It’s not a group of individuals in that locker room. We’re just all one team, and that’s the way we think.”

Team Europe had eight players at Whistling Straits at the last Ryder Cup who since went over to LIV Golf.

Westwood, Garcia, Poulter, Paul Casey and Bernd Wiesberger played in the matches. McDowell, Stenson and Martin Kaymer were vice captains.

How many would have returned to compete is debatable because four of them were in their 40s and sliding toward the end of their careers.

When it comes to Europe and the winning culture it has created over the last four decades, the experience is equally valuable from leadership in the team room.

“We have some legends of the game that won’t be there that would have been a huge presence in the

See RYDER CUP | Page B6

Orioles: Robinson leaves legacy

Continued from B1

and struck out 10 times. He jockeyed between the majors and minors until July 1959, when he stuck around in Baltimore for good.

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker recalled Robinson’s friendship during the early years of his own career, when he broke in with Atlanta in the late 1960s.

“I’m just sad. Another great one is called to heaven,” Baker said. “They got some allstars up there.

“He was really nice to me when I was a rookie with the Braves. We used to barnstorm with him all the time and he was a real gentleman. ... I never heard anything negative about him, ever. And he was on a team that with the Orioles had a number of African-American players. I think they had 10 or 12. They all loved him. That’s saying a lot. Especially back in that day.”

Brooks Calbert Robinson Jr. was born in Little Rock on May 18, 1937. He eventually made Baltimore his home but never really lost his southern twang, which was just fine with fans in blue-collar Baltimore, who appreciated his homespun charm and unassuming demeanor.

Dubbed “Mr. Oriole,” he was a sports hero in Charm City, in the pantheon with former Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas and Orioles infielder

Magic Johnson has declined NBA ownership chances

NEW YORK (AP)

— Magic Johnson’s love for his Los Angeles Lakers has kept him from considering ownership of any other NBA team.

The New York Knicks would be the one franchise that could make him have second thoughts.

“I think it would be intriguing,” Johnson said Tuesday. “The only team I would actually probably think about is the New York Knicks.”

Johnson arrived in New York for a speaking engagement at a YMCA from Washington, where the member of the Commanders’ new ownership group watched his NFL team lose to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Once back in Los Angeles, he will gear up for his Dodgers to begin play in baseball’s postseason. But the basketball Hall of Famer repeatedly has passed on opportunities for ownership in the sport he knows best.

though, offer something different. “I think because of the way fans love basketball you might have to think about that one, because I love coming to New York and going to the Garden and watching the Knicks play,” Johnson said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I love being with fans who are so passionate about their team and the Knick fans are, and they’re smart. They’re smart basketball fans and so that one I would have to think about. I think that other than that, I would probably never think about ever being a part of another franchise.”

of that team,” he said. “But other than that, I would just stay with the Lakers and even with my role now, just being a fan, I’m happy just doing that with the Lakers because, again, I bleed purple and gold.”

Johnson, who was in charge when the Lakers signed LeBron James, believes they can play for a second NBA title in five years.

“I think they’re going to be the best team in the West this year,” Johnson said.

Cal Ripken, who performed for a different generation.

Many Orioles rooters who never got to see Robinson play still were able to enjoy his observations as he was part of team broadcasts.

Ripken was known as The Iron Man because he played in 2,632 consecutive games, but Robinson wasn’t fond of sitting on the bench, either. From 1960-1975, he played in at least 152 games in 14 seasons and in 144 games the other two years.

“I’m a guy who just wanted to see his name in the lineup everyday,” he said. “To me, baseball was a passion to the point of obsession.”

Robinson retired in

1977 after batting only .149 in 24 games. His jersey was retired that year.

Robinson’s most memorable performance came as MVP of the 1970 World Series, when the Orioles bounced back from their stunning defeat to the New York Mets the year before and Robinson redeemed himself after batting just 1 for 19 in that series. Because he was so sensational in the field during Baltimore’s five-game triumph over the Reds, few remember he hit .429 and homered twice and drove in six runs — or that he made an error on his first play in the field.

Johnson named the Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks as teams he turned down, rather than find himself in competition with the Lakers. The Knicks,

Johnson said he hasn’t spoken with Madison Square Garden Executive Chairman James Dolan about the idea and isn’t looking for an opportunity, content to watch the Lakers as a fan after serving as their president of basketball operations for two seasons before resigning in 2019.

But if the conversation did happen, Johnson would listen.

“That one you would really have to think about, in terms of being a minority owner

Johnson, 64, had to retire as a Lakers player in 1991 after contracting HIV. Former NBA Commissioner David Stern allowed him to return and play in the 1992 All-Star Game, a decision Johnson believes helped encourage and educate people in the fight against AIDS. He remains a passionate advocate for health education and on Tuesday led a discussion about the risks of RSV, a contagious virus affecting the lungs and breathing passages that causes an estimated 14,000 deaths annually in adults 65 and over.

“I’ve always talked about, whether it was

See MAGIC | Page B6

Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. attends ‘The 7th Annual Imagine Ball’ presented by Imagine LA at The Peppermint Club. PRESLEY ANN/IMAGINE LA/TNS

Grandma resents mom’s social life

Adapted from an online discussion.

Dear Carolyn: I raised two kids, and I stayed home full time when they were small. Once I went back to work — my youngest was 4 — my life basically revolved around my job and my kids. I made lunches and took them to school in the morning, worked, then came home and spent the rest of my day focused on them.

I’m not saying that’s the only way to do it, but I distinctly remember having almost no energy left over and having to drop some friendships, activities and social groups. Now my son and his wife, “Linda,” have two children under 6, and Linda has a dance card full of activities every single week. For a long time, it was her and my son’s business, but I am asked to babysit now at least twice a week, sometimes more often. I always say yes because I love my grandchildren,

Carolyn Hax

but I catch myself thinking it’s not fair — not to the kids, not to my son and not to me — that Linda seems not to have slowed down her social life whatsoever since having small children. Is there a gracious way to intervene, or do I just carry these feelings in silence? — Anonymous

Anonymous: Oh, hell no to intervening, oh my goodness. You had it right with, “I’m not saying that’s the only way to do it.” But you let the rest of your question undermine that valid and highly useful idea.

You and Linda are different people with different styles and energy levels. Your grandkids are different from your kids, with different needs and energy levels.

You raised your kids at a time very different from now — when it is finally sinking in that it’s not okay to blame the mom!!! but not the dad for the way your son and Linda choose to raise their children.

I am too slow a typist for all these huffy italics.

Let’s keep going with the things-havechanged idea: You say yourself you were whacked at the end of the day — because you loved your kids and wanted to be a good mom, yes, I’m sure. But wasn’t there some part of you also wondering why only moms were expected to erase themselves making sandwiches? Maybe your happiest move is to stand and applaud your generation for helping to reverse the trend of erasure.

I mean, some parents still want to be parents your way — and that’s great! That actually replaces erasure with agency. So what I’m say-

Scoliosis: Correcting the curve

By JASON HOWLAND Mayo Clinic News Network/TNS

Scoliosis is a condition that causes the spine to curve. It often is diagnosed in children — perhaps during a growth spurt or in and around the time of puberty. However, it can be associated with other conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, infection or injuries to the spine. There are also other conditions, including congenital or neuromuscular diseases, that con contribute to a curvature.

Surgery is usually a last resort to fix the problem. And as Dr. Jamal McClendon Jr., a Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon, explains, new technology and techniques have improved

the safety and recovery time for patients who have surgery to correct the curve.

Most people with scoliosis have a mild spinal curve that can be monitored by their healthcare team over time or treated with a back brace and physical therapy.

“Most individuals who we see, or I see, in the office, greater than 90% do not need any form of a procedure,” says Dr. McClendon.

But when surgery is necessary, it’s usually minimally invasive, improving safety and recovery time.

“The future is very bright as far as keeping things very safe for patients who need to undergo these operations. We try to keep things as small as possible, particularly if there’s quite

a bit of growth remaining in our young patients,” says Dr. McClendon. “There are some individuals who have very large curvatures or large progressions of curves in which we have to do some operations with limited mobility, but then we may just have to restrict to some activities. But they still can lead very, very active lifestyles.

“Scoliosis is a condition that is very treatable. Having a good relationship with the scoliosis doctor and scoliosis team overall helps with the long-term planning as it relates to making sure that curves don’t progress. And if they do progress, that you have a provider who is focused on you as the individual so they can tailor a treatment accordingly.”

ing is, do you really wish it upon every mom, but not dad, the drudgery you had — kids job kids sleep job kids sleep kids job kids? Or do you celebrate any progress toward fuller lives and balance — and happier, therefore better, parents? If you don’t want to babysit so much, then say no. Your prerogative. Agreeing to it when you resent how “unfair” it is is unfair. But if you enjoy it, or are happy with x days/week only, then agree to that freely. Your grandkids are getting a great deal: parents who are present but also model a life outside the home, and abundant grandparent time. I’d argue that’s a richer menu, especially if Linda would be resentful by now if she had chosen your “way to do it.”

I haven’t even gotten into the issue of butting in, either. Your good graces with this family are too precious to squander. The best way to maintain them is to adopt this mantra: “Their way is their way! Good for them.”

Yesterday’s

When

— Malala Yousafzai

ZITS

by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

BEETLE BAILEY by Mort Walker

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by Chris Browne

BLONDIE by Young and Drake

MARVIN by Tom Armstrong

HI AND LOIS by Chance Browne

MUTTS by Patrick McDonell

Breanna Stewart wins WNBA MVP award

NEW YORK (AP) —

Breanna Stewart was honored to win one of the closest MVP races in WNBA history.

The New York Liberty star took the WNBA’s Most Valuable Player award for the second time in her career Tuesday, edging Alyssa Thomas and A’ja Wilson. There were only 13 points separating Stewart from second-place finisher Thomas of Connecticut and last year’s MVP, Wilson of Las Vegas.

“It’s been an unbelievable season for the WNBA, AT and A’ja had amazing seasons, it just shows we’re reaching new heights,” Stewart said. “That greatness shines in many different ways. That this race was so tight is kind of crazy, but I’m happy to be standing up here today.”

Stewart received 446 points (20 first-place votes, 23 second-place votes and 17 third-place votes). Thomas had 439 points (23, 12 and 25). Wilson received 433 points (17, 25, 17 and 1).

A lot has changed since Stewart last won the award in 2018. She’s married, has a daughter, Ruby, recovered from a ruptured Achilles tendon injury. She also made the difficult choice to leave Seattle and come to New York as a free agent.

“It’s been a roller-coaster of a journey and I wouldn’t wish it any other way,” Stewart said. “To show that resiliency works. No matter the highs and lows, keep pushing forward.”

Stewart accepted the award an hour before the Liberty faced Connecticut in Game 2 of their WNBA semifinals

Magic: NBA ownership

Continued from B4

HIV, AIDS and now RSV, it’s really important that I come to the people,” he said of the “ Sideline RSV “ campaign from GSK, formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline. “It’s one thing to do a commercial, it’s another thing to be live and in person and shake people’s hands and really tell them: ‘Look, get your physicals. If you’re feeling something, go to the doctor,’ because a lot of times what happens, we

don’t go when we first feel something, right, and RSV, you can be a healthy person and don’t even know you have it.”

Johnson told the audience that early detection helped him when he was infected with HIV. He said he gets a physical every January and receives recommended vaccinations, with one for RSV now available.

“I’m trying to be here for a long time,” he said, “so sign a brother up.”

Ryder Cup: McIlroy

Continued from B4

room,” Tommy Fleetwood said before arriving at Marco Simone. “Being in the team room with Poulter, Sergio, Henrik, GMac ... until you’ve been with them at a Ryder Cup, you don’t know what they bring.

“It doesn’t mean we’re any less confident,” he said. “We do have plenty of experience. We have natural leaders. It means people are stepping into a role a lot sooner.”

McIlroy is ready to move on, openly supportive of captain’s picks used on newcomers like 22-yearold Nicolai Hojgaard and 23-year-old Ludvig Aberg, who only finished his college career at Texas Tech four months ago.

He felt it was best for them to start a Ryder Cup before a home crowd, especially since they are projected to play in the matches for years to come.

Donald, close friends with Garcia from the daunting partnership they formed in the Ryder Cup, has made a point of keeping the focus on his 12 players, his back room, this version of Team Europe instead of who isn’t at Marco Simone.

Jon Rahm has been outspoken about wanting Garcia to be part of the team, to make the Ryder Cup more about golf and less about politics. He keeps in touch with his fellow Spaniard, saying he

playoff series in front of her teammates, grandparents, dad, wife Marta and Ruby, who was wearing an MVP T-shirt with her mom on the front.

“To be a role model to you Ruby is what keeps me going,” said Stewart with her daughter in her arms. “Today you get to see your mommy win MVP.” With Stewart and Thomas separated by seven points, this marks the second-smallest margin between the first- and second-place finishers in the history of the

award. The closest finish was a two-point difference between Sheryl Swoopes and Lauren Jackson in 2005.

The 13 points separating Stewart and Wilson represent the smallest margin between first- and thirdplace vote-getters for MVP in WNBA history, surpassing the 45-point difference in 2013 between Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne.

“It hurt like hell, it really did,” Wilson said of not being named MVP. “But it’s all part of the game.”

All the WNBA awards

are voted on by a 60-person national media panel and had them vote for their top five choices for the MVP award. Players were awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place vote, five points for a third-place vote, three points for a fourth-place vote and one point for a fifthplace vote. The Liberty forward was impressed with the way the other two top candidates played this season.

“The competitive camaraderie that we have with one and another, but also the way we’re continuing to show excellence in different ways and be the conversation, that’s the way the league needs to go,” Stewart said. “Have people watching different players and making sure they see greatness on all different levels.”

The 29-year-old Stewart made the decision to move closer to home and come to New York as a free agent this past offseason.

Meet Tiberius!

spoke to him as recently as Monday, and with Poulter before that.

For now, it’s about moving forward. Europe has a template of success — they have captured the cup 12 of the last 18 times — that it is not short on leadership from the old guard — Thomas Bjorn, Paul McGinley, Jose Maria Olazabal, Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance as examples.

“People that are still connected to the European team, and I would say invested in the European team. There’s still a lot of winning culture around what we do,” Justin Rose said.

“In life and in business and everything, there’s obviously transition phases where you need to look to new leaders, and what would be great is if you can kind of slip through that period of transition unaffected,” he said.

Still, there was no denying the absence of so many who have been part of Team Europe for so long, whether that’s Westwood or Garcia, Poulter or McDowell, all of whom would have been in line to be captains. And maybe there’s still a chance.

“But the more we can blood the younger generation coming through, the quicker you’re going to kind of skip through that transition phase,” Rose said.

Tiberius is an a ectionate 5-and-a-half-year-old Rottweiler mix. He's great with other dogs and kids but not a fan of cats, he's not going to be good with dogs under 30 lbs. He walks well on a leash and is housebroken. Tiberius's adoption fee is $100 which includes his neuter, up-to-date shots, deworming, ea treatment, bath, nail trim and a microchip.

Meet Sergio!

Sergio is an a ectionate 2-month-old domestic short-hair. He is litterbox trained. Sergio's adoption fee is $75 which includes his neuter, up-to-date shots, deworming, ea treatment, nail trim and a microchip.

The New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart (30) hits two free throws during overtime against the Washington Mystics. BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES/TNS