The Iola Register, Oct. 28, 2022

Sanctuary renewed

By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register

Two weeks of teamwork will culminate Sunday with the grand reveal of the First Baptist Church sanctuary, which is one of several im provements underway at the church this month.

Pastor Travis Boyt and a team of church members and volunteers have worked 10- to 12-hour days since the Oct. 9 church service to get the work done on time.

“Our trustees thought we were crazy when we told them the plan,” Boyt laughed. “We’re super excited with the thought of seeing the finished product.”

The church’s 100-year-old pews have been pulled from the sanctuary, and will be re furbished and used for special occasions, such as outdoor weddings.

Replacing the pews with chairs in the sanctuary offers two benefits, Boyt said.

First, it will allow for a larger capacity.

“Before, we could seat 180 in here,” Boyt said. “Now, we’ll be able to seat 237.”

Being able to clear the room of any seating will pro vide more flexibility for spe cial programs, such as the

church’s annual sports camp, Boyt said.

Removing the pews, which were anchored to the concrete flooring, was quite a chore.

Once those were gone,

workers discovered thick lay ers of glue were added both beneath the carpet and the padding beneath, making it nearly impossible to remove

Republicans seize on false report about Wichita drag show

By SHERMAN SMITH Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — Kansas Re publicans were so excited by a drag performance, they didn’t bother to question false reporting that said the state provided funding for the event.

Instead, they seized an opportunity provided by the Daily Mail, a British tabloid, to bash Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly during the final stretch of a tightly con tested race for governor.

The Daily Mail — a pub lication deemed too unre liable to be used as a Wiki pedia source — delivered an “exclusive” report Mon day that falsely claimed the Kansas Department of Commerce provided fund ing to an arts commission that gave a grant to the or

Derek Schmidt, GOP nom inee for governor. KANSAS REFLECTOR

ganizer of the Oct. 22 DADA Ball in Wichita to help fund the drag show.

The article featured pho tos of a performer wearing a rhinestone leotard, with thighs showing through stockings and legs spread, during a dance routine. A crowd of onlookers includes

Putin: West seeks global domination, using Ukraine

MOSCOW (AP) — Rus

sian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday sought to cast the conflict in Ukraine as part of what he described as efforts by the West to secure its global dom ination that are doomed to fail.

In a long speech at a con ference of international pol icy experts, Putin accused the U.S. and its allies of try ing to dictate their terms to other nations in a “danger ous, bloody and dirty” dom ination game.

Putin, who sent his troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, has cast Western support for Ukraine as part of broad efforts by Washington and its allies to enforce its will

upon others through what they call a rules-based world order. The Russian leader claimed that the Western policies will foment more chaos, adding that “he who sows the wind will reap the whirlwind.”

Putin claimed that “hu mankind now faces a choice: accumulate a load of prob lems that will inevitably crush us all or try to find solutions that may not be ideal but working and could make the world more stable and secure.”

He argued that the world has reached a turning point, when “the West is no longer able to dictate its will to the humankind but still tries to do it, and the majority of na tions no longer want to tol erate it.”

The Russian leader said Russia isn’t the enemy of

City debates use of storage containers

By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register

and why shipping containers will likely never be used as a home.

Code Enforcement Officer Gregg Hutton told Council members the use of the con tainers for commercial or in dustrial use — but not for resi dents — has been endorsed by Iola’s Planning Commission.

Within the past year, Hutton said he’d been approached by more than one business own er about changing the restric tions.

day, including why they still favored seeing permanent structures used for storage,

“Part of the reason why I support this, is when I drive

A team of volunteers at First Baptist Church, 801 N. Cottonwood, have been renovating the church santuary, removing the pews and using a mini-excavator to pull up carpet and glue. The new improvements will be unveiled Sunday. COURTESY PHOTO

Pastor Travis Boyt, center, and his children, Hailee, foreground, and Holden prepare a wood panel with nails before it is hung in the sanctuary. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

Vladimir Putin

Humboldt students honored

HUMBOLDT —

Humboldt Elementary School has announced its first-quarter honor rolls for 2022-23.

All A’s Third grade — Bodee M. Allen, Jayden H. Brady, Rollyn M. Burgett, Lance “Tripp” E. Carlson, Genesee M. Carter, Gracie L. Chap man, Natalie L. Covey, Lydia L. Culver, Rowdy L. Early wine, Novella F. Johnson, Natalie L. Kaufman, An nabelle A. Koch, Laynee F. Megenity, Maxton T. Muel ler, Jax A. Thomas, Taylor B. Weilert and Hezekiah S. Zellner.

Fourth grade — Ava M. Booth, Quayd Clay, Ryan D. Cress, Bethany F. Crois ant, Grace M. Cunningham, Lincoln G. Foster-Gwillim, Brinley F. Gean, Morgan K. Hencey, Zoey S. Hess, Hunt er P. Hurt, Kenady S. Lucke, Quinn N. Miller, Mason B. Mueller, Taitum L. Ryan, Brock J. Schomaker, Case L. Schomaker, Eli J. Seibert, Brooklyn J. Watson, Sutton D. Wehlage, Azahlynn G. Wilkerson and Taylin L. Yelm.

Fifth grade — Hadlee M. Allen, Kale Arnold, Kim berlyn I. Foster, Jaxson L. Gillespie, Jaxon M. Gun derman, Lois G. Hender son, Eliot J. Hurt, Kinsley L. Isbell, Waylon D. Johnson, Addison L. Koch, Deegan R. Megenity, Aiden C. Mor gan, Mylan B. Sterling, Tate Thomas, Payton L. Weilert, Marcus A. Whitcomb and Ezekiel A. Zellner.

A-B Honor Roll

Third grade — Ryverli N. Alle, Jordan R. Ballard, Tylan L. Baylor, Brody C. Booth, Kalvin D. Cox, Kimber N. Culbertson, Jaci K. Daniels, Raylan J. Fink, Christopher J.W. Foster, Kobyn D. Goff, Kaziel L. Gregory, Emmett L. Hibbs, Wyatt M. Hutton, Trevington L. Johnston, Austin M. Kindelsperger, Slide M. Marvin, Chloe L. Schwegman-Perry, Owen R. Vink, Riggs W. Whitworth and Sutton G. Wimsett.

Fourth grade — Kahleeya D. Blackwell, Izaac J. Cruse, Paightyn Cullison, Cline C. Downey, Alayna M.L. Ellis, James J. Freder ick, Lucy G. Galloway, Da kota L. Haigler, Jaylie M. Herrmann, Eldon L. Johns, Sophia A. Lee, Zaden J. Mel len, Lane R. Newman, Zoey B. Sanchez, Jaiden S. Shimp, Asher W.L. Turner, Hunter K. Umbarger, Kale A. Weber, Aaron T.J. Wille, Logan A. Williams and Hudson D. Wrestler.

Fifth grade — Kynli R. Baughn, Brilee L. Bruce, Jazzmyn R. Bumstead, Lacey M. Cox, Sydney D. Daniels, Joshua D. Deal, Ashlynn G. Foster, Amy D. Franco, Jar ed N. Froggatte, Elijah M. Glaze, Mason L. Gunderson, Jayden L. Hegwald, Kynlee R. Hennig, Tanner R. Hurst, Caleb J. Kindelsperger, Abel H. Lamons, Orval S. LeClair, Azmeriah V. Miller, Camryn C. Miller, Kaylynn M. Olson, Ryker Platt, Sawyer A. Robin son, Jase E. Russell, Michael R. Shields, Trever M. Whittley, Samantha K.L. Wright.

Kiwanis Club learns about bison

The Iola Kiwanis Club welcomed Noah Gordon to its Tuesday meeting, who shared about his bison opera tion north of Kincaid.

Gordon and his fam ily have a small herd on the Broken Arrow Bison ranch and plan to grow it as a cowcalf operation. He chronicles his venture and shares education through a YouTube channel, Broken Ar row Bison. The bison

raising community, Gordon said, is very helpful and always willing to share expe riences with each oth er to raise awareness and help independent operations grow.

Gordon taught Ki wanians about no menclature — bison versus buffalo — as well as history of the species and subspecies in North America, the massacre of buffalo populations through

out history, efforts by state and national bi son organizations, su perior qualities of buf falo meat and physical characteristics of the animals.

For instance, bison trachea are quadruple normal size, allow ing for instant accel eration to top speeds of 40 miles per hour and great endurance in running; they can jump six and one-half feet from a standstill;

their thick coats pro tect them in extreme winter weather and are shed in hot weath er; calves are up and walking 30 minutes af ter birth.

The Iola Kiwanis Club meets weekly, noon Tuesdays, at the college and welcomes interest in member ship. Call President John Shields, (620) 3652700, or email kiwan isiola@gmail.com for more information.

Silver Dollar City train derails; 7 hurt

BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — Seven people suffered what were described as minor injuries after an amusement park train derailed in Branson, Missouri.

The derailment hap pened Wednesday eve ning at Silver Dollar City.

Six patrons and one employee were taken by ambulance to hospitals after the Frisco Silver Dollar Line Steam Train derailed, the amuse ment park said in a statement. Stone County Emer gency Management Director Tom Martin said three cars de

railed, falling onto their side. Martin said no one appeared to have any broken bones or other serious injuries.

The train takes passengers on a 20-minute ride through the country side.

The ride is then in terrupted by a pretend train robbery, accord ing to Silver Dollar City’s website.

The Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Of fice is investigating the cause of the ac cident.

HPD officer graduates

HUTCHINSON — Tyrone Grant-Wood en, an officer with the Humboldt Police De partment, was one of 20 new law enforcement officers to graduate from the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC) on Oct. 21 at a ceremony held in the KLETC In tegrity Auditorium. This graduation ceremony marked the 300th class to graduate from KLETC since it was created in 1968.

Graduates receive certificates of course completion from KLETC and Kansas law enforcement certifica tion from the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training, the state’s law enforcement li censing authority. The training course fulfills the state requirement for law enforcement training. Classroom lectures and hands-on applications help train officers to solve the increasingly complex problems they face in the line of duty.

US economy returns to growth, up 2.6% in last quarter

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a 2.6% annual rate from July through September, snapping two straight quar ters of contraction and overcoming high inflation and interest rates just as voting begins in midterm elections in which the economy’s health has emerged as a paramount is sue.

Thursday’s bet ter-than-expected es timate from the Com merce Department showed that the na tion’s gross domestic product — the broad est gauge of econom ic output — grew in the third quarter af ter having shrunk in the first half of 2022.

Stronger exports and consumer spending, backed by a healthy job market, helped restore growth to the world’s biggest econ omy at a time when worries about a pos sible recession are rising.

Consumer spend ing, which accounts for about 70% of U.S. economic ac tivity, expanded at a 1.4% annual pace in the July-September quarter, down from a 2% rate from April through June. Last quarter’s growth got a major boost from exports, which shot

up at an annual pace of 14.4%. Government spending also helped: It rose at a 2.4% annual pace, the first such in crease since early last year, with sharply high er defense spending leading the way.

Housing investment, though, plunged at a 26% annual pace, hammered by surging mortgage rates as the Federal Re serve aggressively raises borrowing costs to com bat chronic inflation. It was the sixth straight quarterly drop in resi dential investment.

Overall, the outlook for the overall economy has darkened. The Fed has raised interest rates five times this year and is set to do so again next week and in December.

Chair Jerome Powell has warned that the Fed’s hikes will bring “pain” in the form of higher unemployment and pos sibly a recession.

“Looking ahead, risks are to the downside, to consumption in partic ular, as households con tinue to face challenges from high prices and likely slower job growth going forward,’’ Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. econ omist at High Frequency Economics, wrote in a

research note.

With inflation still near a 40-year high, steady price spikes have been pressuring house holds across the coun try. At the same time, rising loan rates have derailed the housing market and are likely to inflict broader damage over time. The outlook for the world economy, too, grows bleaker the longer that Russia’s war against Ukraine drags on.

The latest GDP report comes as Americans, worried about inflation and the risk of a reces sion, have begun to vote in elections that will de termine whether Pres ident Joe Biden’s Dem ocratic Party retains control of Congress. Inflation has become a signature issue for Re publican attacks on the Democrats’ stewardship of the economy.

Economists noted that the third-quarter gain in GDP can be traced entirely to the surge in exports, which added 2.7 percentage points to the economy’s expansion. Export growth will be difficult to sustain as the global economy weakens and a strong U.S. dollar makes American prod

ucts pricier in foreign markets.

Thursday’s report offered some encour aging news on infla tion. A price index in the GDP data rose at a 4.1% annual rate from July through Septem ber, down from 9% in

the April-June period — less than economists had expected and the smallest increase since the final three months of 2020. That figure could raise hopes that the Fed might decide it can soon slow its rate hikes.

Public notice

(Published in The Iola Register Oct. 28, 2022)

IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF ALLEN COUNTY, KANSAS IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF EDWIN L. DANIELS, DE CEASED AL-2022-PR-000070

NOTICE OF HEARING ON PETITION TO PROBATE WILL AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

THE STATE OF KANSAS TO ALL PERSONS CONCERNED:

You are hereby notified a Pe tition was filed on October 26, 2022, Daniel Daniels, the named executor of the will and estate of Edwin L. Daniels, deceased, and as executor named in his will, praying for admission to probate of the Last Will Testament of Ed win L. Daniels, dated November 7, 2012 which will is filed with the petition, and for his appointment as executor of said will and estate, to serve without bond, and for the

issuance of letters testamentary to him as executor.

You are required to file your written defenses thereto on or be fore the 22nd day of November 2022, at 8:30 a.m. of said day, in the District Courtroom, at the Allen County Courthouse, in the City of Iola, Allen County, Kansas, at which time and place the cause will be heard. Should you fail therein, judgment and decree will be entered in due course upon the petition.

All creditors of the decedent notified to exhibit their demands against the estate within four (4) months from the date of the first publication of this notice as pro vided by law, and if their demands are not thus exhibited, they shall be forever barred.

/s/DANIEL DANIELS, Petitioner

JOHNSON SCHOWENGERDT, PA Robert E. Johnson, II #18223 P.O. Box 866 Iola, Kansas 66749 (620) 365-3778

Attorney for Petitioner (10) 28

The Frisco Train Line, one of the most popular rides at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo., derailed Wednesday, injuring several. WIKIPEDIA.ORG

by hand, Boyt said.

“We had to get a mini-excavator to scrape out all the old padding,” he noted.

Then, a cleaning com pany came in and used 30 gallons of cleaner to remove the rest of the glue from the concrete surface, necessary to get the new flooring to stick.

Boyt credited a bit of happenstance that a cou ple who owned a clean ing company stopped by the church to visit their son, who was busy with another task.

“They pointed out that we really needed a clean surface before we could lay new carpet, and what we were doing wasn’t working,” Boyt said. “They scraped so long, she had blisters on her hands. I felt bad, but she said she knew it was going to be hard work. It was a blessing to have them come in. The car pet guy would have had a heart attack if he’d seen it before.”

Rather than spread out the renovations — the church had planned to replace its sound sys tem next year, and video system not long after — members agreed to do as much as possible in the two-week period.

“Let’s just pull the Band-Aid off and get it done,” Boyt said.

In addition, crews went about doing other improvements to sever al classrooms and the youth room, to accom modate the church’s growing youth pro grams.

Boyt estimates the church draws 50 or more youngsters for midweek programs, “Some kids will be riding by on a bicycle, and if they don’t have anything else to do, they’ll stop by.”

Boyt and crew start ed work almost as soon as the worshipers went

home following the Oct. 9 service.

“I think I left here about 8 p.m. that night,” he said. “I’ve been here until 9 or 10 every night since then.”

It’s been a family af fair, with Boyt’s wife Amanda and his two old est children, Hailee and Holden, helping.

With the Boyt chil dren being homeschooled, the project has offered some unusual forms of education.

“This is like a wood shop class,” Boyt joked. “Today’s lesson: How to drive a nail semistraight.”

A painting compa ny out of Chanute was hired, as was Decorator Supply in Iola to lay the new carpet in the sanc tuary.

“The rest of the work is being done in-house,” Boyt said.

In order to get the work done in the twoweek window, Boyt held this week’s service in side First Baptist’s gym nasium.

Then afterward, 40 or so worshipers stuck around to help.

BOYT is nearing the end of his second full year as pastor at FBC.

He and his family moved to Iola in March

2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Richland, Mo., native — who had served as a youth pastor before coming to Iola — was starting his first post as a head pastor.

“With anything new, there’s a lot of growing, a lot of learning,” Boyt said. “The people here have been great. We’ve grown together.”

The pandemic took its toll on the church mem bership, especially its older worshipers, Boyt noted.

Before COVID, the church averaged crowds of about 150 each Sun day. That number has dropped to about 120 since then, although some members still watch live-streamed ser vices each week.

“Once a month, our deacons go out and check on them, to see if they need anything, or if they need rides to go to doctor visits, or get groceries,” Boyt said. “It helps them stay plugged in.

“There are some members who’ve not re turned,” he continued. “But we’ve seen new families. Some of them were looking for a new place to worship, look ing for a community.”

Boyt notes the sanc

tuary’s reopening this week coincides with his sermon on “spiritual warfare.”

“We’re battling some thing we don’t see,” he said. “There’s evil and darkness in the world. The church is the bat tleship. God’s calling us to do the work. This building is just the tool He’s given us for that purpose.

“This won’t be the cup of tea for everyone, but it will be instrumental in reaching young fami lies who have taken the gospel.”

US mortgage rates top 7% for the first time in 2 decades

WASHINGTON (AP) — The average long-term U.S. mort gage rate topped 7% for the first time in more than two decades this week, a result of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive rate hikes intended to tame infla tion not seen in some 40 years.

Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac report ed Thursday that the average on the key 30-year rate jumped to 7.08% from 6.94% last week. The last time the average rate was above 7% was April 2002, a time when the U.S. was still reeling from the Sept. 11 ter rorist attacks, but six years away from the 2008 housing market collapse that triggered the Great Recession.

Last year at this time, rates on a 30year mortgage aver aged 3.14%.

The Fed has raised its key benchmark lending rate five times this year, including three consecutive 0.75 percentage point increases that have brought its key shortterm borrowing rate to a range of 3% to 3.25%, the highest lev el since 2008. At their last meeting in late September, Fed offi cials projected that by early next year they would raise their key rate to roughly 4.5%.

Mortgage rates don’t necessarily mir ror the Fed’s rate in creases, but tend to track the yield on the

10-year Treasury note. That’s influenced by a variety of factors, in cluding investors’ ex pectations for future inflation and global demand for U.S. Trea surys.

Many potential homebuyers have moved to the sidelines as mortgage rates have more than dou bled this year. Sales of existing homes have declined for eight straight months as borrowing costs have become too high a hurdle for many Americans already paying more for food, gas and other necessi ties. Meanwhile, some homeowners have held off putting their homes on the market because they don’t want to jump into a higher rate on their next mortgage.

The Fed is expect ed to raise its bench mark rate another three-quarters of a point when it meets next week. Despite the rate increases, inflation has hardly budged from 40-year highs, above 8% at both the consumer and wholesale level.

The Fed rate in creases have shown some signs of cooling the economy. But the rate increases have seemed to have little effect on the job mar ket yet, which remains strong with the unem ployment rate match ing a 50-year low of 3.5% and layoffs still historically low.

Storage: City sets limit on tiny homes during storage debate

around Iola and see (prefabricated) sheds, which were OK to start with, but they aren’t the best-built buildings out there,” Hutton said. “Af ter 10 years, you can see which ones aren’t being taken care of.”

Similarly, an anchored shipping container is likely to be more dura ble, he said — perhaps sturdy enough to with stand a tornado.

“But I don’t want one in a yard next to my neighbor’s house,” he added.

If approved, Hutton said steps would be tak en to ensure business owners don’t take un fair advantage of a new ordinance, by cluttering their properties with multiple containers.

“They still have to get a permit, and if I think it’s getting out of hand, I won’t allow it,” Hut ton told the Council. “If they think I’m being un fair, they’d come to you.”

“I’d prefer a limit,” Mayor Steve French added.

Council members noted the difference

between using the con tainers as permanent storage facilities vs. tem porary, such as ones held at a construction site.

Joelle Shallah also pointed out she owns a beauty salon adjacent to a residential area, and wondered if such a con tainer should be allowed on her property.

The city could prohib it those businesses, Hut ton replied, but noted there are more business es in Iola immediately adjacent to residential properties than one might think, including those on the east side of

State Street.

Council members di rected Hutton to come back with an ordinance that restricts numbers and locations, if those containers are allowed.

As an aside, Hutton noted Iola is in violation of its own ordinance. The city uses metal stor age containers at the city warehouse and at Highland Cemetery.

THE TOPIC then shifted to housing, and the concept of living in side a metal box or other type of “tiny home.”

“A tiny house is noth

ing more than a house built on a flatbed trail er,” Hutton explained. “And that’s an RV, and that’s not allowed” aside from an RV park.

With that in mind, Hutton endorsed a new ordinance that prohibits housing of less than 600 square feet.

Peterson pointed to instances in which peo ple have turned tiny homes into attractive living spaces.

“There’s nothing wrong with an attrac tive, brand new tiny house with a founda tion,” Councilwoman

Kim Peterson said.

“If you lived in a $300,000 home, would you be OK with one of those next door?” Hut ton asked.

“If it was brand new, I don’t see the problem,” Peterson replied. “I don’t think brand new tiny homes look like junk.”

Councilman Carl Slaugh agreed with Hut ton that tiny homes, and “shipping crate hous ing,” should remain off-limits in Iola.

“There are certain ways you want a neigh borhood to look,” he said.

“At the end of the day, you have to consider the neighborhood,” Shallah agreed.

Councilman Nickolas Kinder remained uncon vinced, noting the city already has codes on the books stipulating mini mum square footage re quirements for specific rooms, such as kitchens, living spaces and bath rooms, and thus doesn’t need one for an entire structure.

Arguments about neighboring property

values, “are going to fall on deaf ears to me,” Kinder said, noting the Council approved a developer’s request to rezone an old nursing home into an apartment complex despite vocal opposition from resi dents living near the building.

The Council approved the measure because it was the right thing to do, Kinder continued.

“Now, we’re looking at shipping containers, small houses — actual affordable ideas — and we put our foot down, and say, no we want you to build a large structure that’s not affordable that nobody wants to build.”

Councilman Nich Lohman noted if any one wanted to put a tiny home in Iola, there would still be a process for them to get one, first by going to the Board of Zoning Appeals, then ap pealing that to District Court if a request was rejected.

Council members ap proved the minimum square footage ordi nance, 6-2, with Kinder and Peterson opposed.

Show: Schmidt campaign uses false report to attack Kelly

Continued from A1

crowd of onlookers in cludes a couple of chil dren.

The performer, who asked to be identified as FaeTality, said com plaints about her dance routine were “mindbog gling.”

“It was a very tame performance for me,” she said in an interview with Kansas Reflec tor. “I mean, the moves that I was doing, it was moves that I did in high school for dance team. We would go down into the splits, we would fold in our legs, and then we would do a sidekick. There was no provoca tive movement. There was nothing super crazy. It was just the fact that I looked the way I looked.”

FaeTality said she was assigned female gender at birth, identifies as a woman, and performs as a woman.

“They automatically associate the word ‘drag’ with gay and sexuality and all that kind of stuff, when it’s not,” she said. “It’s really just a perfor mance art.”

Derek Schmidt, the GOP nominee for gov ernor, led a chorus of Republican outrage over the story, saying govern ment funding of such an event was “extreme,” “wrong,” demeaning to

the “good name” of Kan sas, and “must stop.”

Government fund ing wasn’t used for the event. The Kelly admin istration moved quick ly to debunk the Daily Mail story, but Schmidt’s campaign continues to press the false narrative. Schmidt demanded an apology from the gover nor for promoting a drag show.

In a brief interview with reporters after vot ing Tuesday morning in Topeka, Kelly said “if anybody needs to apolo gize, it’s Derek Schmidt for deceiving the public.”

“I really don’t know what his motives are,” Kelly said. “I can’t get into his head. I just know that it wasn’t true.”

On Monday, Schmidt falsely said governor had been “caught sanc tioning and condoning activities that may ex pose children to sexual ly suggestive or explicit programming.”

“My administration will put a stop to using your hard-earned mon ey and our state’s good name to sponsor or pro mote sexually suggestive or explicit programming — especially to chil dren,” Schmidt said. “It’s just common sense.”

It is the latest at tempt by the Schmidt campaign to appeal to

LGBTQ bigotry among Kansas voters as the gov ernor’s race nears the Nov. 8 finish line. Polling released Tuesday by Fort Hays State University showed 50.4% of Kansas voters approve of Kelly’s performance of gover nor — but two-thirds of voters support a ban on transgender athletes.

“I’m appalled that Der ek Schmidt would play to bigotry so openly just as a means to gain polit ical power, and that he would target vulnerable members of the LGBTQ community for his own political goals,” said Tom Witt, executive di rector of Equality Kan sas. “It’s disgusting and appalling, and he should be ashamed of himself.”

Witt said he didn’t see why people would be up set about the drag show anyway: “It’s Halloween. People are going to wear costumes. Drag perform ers are people in cos tumes.”

The Schmidt cam paign has refused to retreat from its attack, with a spokesman say ing the Kelly adminis tration’s explanation of funding “doesn’t pass the smell test.”

The Kansas Depart ment of Commerce pro vides grant funding for initiatives that use the arts to enhance commu

nity vitality, revitalize neighborhoods, gener ate local business, create and preserve job oppor tunities, and promote tourism. The agency, though the Kansas Cre ative Arts Industries, provided a grant to Har vester Arts to support a residency by artist Aar on Asis. Harvester Arts didn’t use state money on the drag show in question.

The event promoter mistakenly referenced the Kansas Creative Arts Industries in an adver tisement for the event.

FaeTality said the event was complete ly funded through do nations by the Knight Foundation, two Wich ita retailers — GROW Giesen Plant Shop and Lucinda’s — and Wich ita State University art advocates.

An event listing at KMUW.org encouraged participants to “break out your weirdest and most fabulous outfit” for the all-ages evening of music, fashion, drag and dancing. The promo tion said the event was inspired by avant-garde art movements.

“This is literally just because I love to dance,” FaeTality said. “I love to put on the costumes and the makeup and every thing, and go out there

and perform.”

She said she was a dance major and mem ber of a dance team in college.

Liz Hamor, chief em powerment officer of Center of Daring, an LGBTQ advocacy group, said the GOP response to the drag show is “a thin ly veiled attempt by sub scribers of conservative religion to hide their ho mophobia and transpho bia behind their equally problematic purity cul ture.”

“Exposing children to artistic self-expression and celebrations of di versity creates adults who show compassion and acceptance toward people with diverse iden tities and perspectives,” Hamor said. “If you don’t want your children to expand their under standing of the world and to grow their com passion for others, then don’t have them go.”

Schmidt’s campaign previously has focused on legislation that would ban transgender girls from participating in school sports. Former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines wouldn’t say who was paying her to appear alongside Schmidt as she recalled the pain of tying for fifth place with a transgender athlete.

Kelly has twice vetoed the transgender athlete bill, saying the Kansas State High Schools Ac tivities Association al ready provides oversight of competitive fairness. Debate in the Legisla ture earlier this year revealed there was only one transgender student in all of Kansas partic ipating in a KSHSAA activity, and the activity wasn’t a gender-specific sport.

Witt said LGBTQ teens are hurting them selves because they are under attack from adults who should be protect ing them. He has had to speak at their funerals.

Schmidt, who over sees a suicide prevention program as the attorney general, “should be help ing these kids, not shoot ing at them,” Witt said.

“The average, every day Kansan shouldn’t be an expert on transgen der issues,” Witt said. “This is a situation al most wholly created by the right wing to try to gain political advantage. There have been trans kids going to the bath room and playing kick ball with their friends for years and years in this state, and nobody gave a damn one way or another. And now sud denly, queer kids are the big evil.”

A metal

container sits next to a maintenance building at Highland Cem

Letter to the editor

Dear editor, Rural Kansas needs the kind of representation Alana Cloutier can give us. She and her husband Paul moved to Humboldt several years ago to help with A Bolder Hum boldt, a rural economic revi talization project.

She understands that there are unique challenges to eco nomic and community devel opment in rural Kansas; she has studied the issues, and is eager to do the work.

She is a listener and a learner. Alana will represent and listen to her constituents in Allen, Anderson, Linn, and Miami counties.

Alana understands the con cerns of small mom-and-pop businesses that can’t afford high-priced lobbyists. She un derstands that family farms are left behind as corporate agri-business dominates our legislature.

She believes in a fair tax structure that isn’t designed to favor the wealthy.

She will concentrate on real problems faced by ru ral Kansas including afford able childcare, housing, and healthcare, including mental health.

Alana understands that children are our future and has earned the endorsement of multiple organizations advocating for our public schools. She supports the ad equate and equitable funding of our public schools, opposes tax dollars to private schools, and will protect the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System (KPERS) including a cost of living adjustment.

Invest in Rural America, send Alana Cloutier to Tope ka as our District 9 Represen tative!

Mike Bruner, Humboldt, Kan.

Student test scores drop nationwide; here’s what we can do about it

Like a student who knows a bad grade is coming, the country should have been prepared to receive poor marks on the National As sessment of Educational Progress, better known as the nation’s report card. Indica tors leading up to the results suggested historic drops in student achievement. But seeing the grade on the page is nonetheless shocking.

The results, released Mon day, were based on student performance on exams test ing basic academic skills nationwide. Fourth- and eighth-graders recorded un precedented declines in math and significant declines in reading between 2019 and 2022. Likely the consequence of the coronavirus pandemic that upended lives and kept children out of classrooms for months, the declines were broad-based, with all states seeing some scores drop and none see ing gains. Al most all demo graphic groups were affected, but Black and Hispanic stu dents lost the most ground.

rate of spending was most pronounced in some of the school districts that have showed the steepest learning losses in English and math.

Officials offer a variety of reasons for why the money has gone unspent. Teacher shortages make it hard to hire extra staff. Some school officials want to draw out their spending so that the money lasts for a long time. Some complain that the fund ing was delayed. These are excuses.

Fake fights over drag queens muddy the real issues Kansans face

By JOEL MATHIS Special to McLatchy News

Do Kansans want to stay in Kansas? Can they?

Most of us probably will. The new “Kansas Speaks” survey from Fort Hays State University reveals that roughly two-thirds of Kan sans expect to be living in the same community five years from now — and that another 13% expect to be living someplace else with in the state. That’s the good news.

Less good: A whopping 18.7% of Kansans say they expect to be living in some other state five years from now.

us with an eye on the exit door has doubled in just the last four years.

What’s going on?

We’re lousy at providing opportunities for our college grads, for one thing. One re cent study ranked Kansas as the fifth-worst state in the nation for retaining degree holders — we lose nearly half of them. The biggest chunk of those folks move across the border to Missou ri, but a good number also flee to Texas, Colorado and California.

leaving, surely candidates Derek Schmidt and Laura Kelly are talking relent lessly about how to help them stay and thrive, right?

Right? Maybe not.

Key to helping chil dren learn is giving them more time to learn. .... That schools are still wedded to a calendar drawn in the 1800s is educational malpractice.

Even before the pandemic, student scores on the assess ment had stalled. But the de clines between 2019 and 2022 dropped scores to levels not seen in two decades. Pandem ic-era learning loss is a na tional emergency that could impoverish the country for decades. Catching up an en tire generation of students is among the most pressing tasks facing leaders at every level of government.

So far, many of them are failing, too. Most of the $122 billion that Congress allocat ed last year to help schools recover from the pandemic has gone unspent. School systems across the country, The Post’s Lauren Lump kin and Sahana Jayaraman reported, spent less than 15 percent of the special federal funding during the 2021-2022 school year. The sluggish

It is no mystery what schools should be doing; several strategies to com bat learning loss have al ready proved effective. Key to helping children learn is giving them more time to learn. Schools should in vest in high-end tutoring, aimed particularly at strug gling students, as well as in after-school enrichment programs and expand ed summer school. Schools should add to the school day or year. That schools are still wedded to a cal endar drawn in the 1800s is educational malpractice. Schools should also hire and promote quality teachers, us ing some of those federal dol lars to reward teachers who show results lifting student achievement or who are will ing to teach in schools where vulnerable students are most in need. Teachers unions, which have traditionally fought such reforms, should get out of the way.

Even before the pandem ic, the country’s leaders shortchanged students. Pol iticians have been happy to use the classroom as a bat tleground for fighting about broader cultural divides or to cater to politically pow erful teachers unions, while neglecting questions about whether students are learn ing. The nation can no longer afford their indifference.

— The Washington Post

That’s just under a fifth of our friends and neighbors who would rather be some where else — or who maybe believe there simply won’t be much choice if they want to continue to work and sup port our families.

If you’ve been following the state’s population trends in recent years, this prob ably isn’t a surprise. The Sunflower State regularly pops high in lists of “outmi gration” states whose res idents are leaving, and ru ral areas have been hit the hardest: Eighty of Kansas’ 105 counties lost population in the 2020 census, and 16 of them lost more than 10% of their people. For many com munities here, the story of decline — of young people growing up here, leaving home and never coming back — is long and seeming ly inexorable.

But recently something has changed dramatically, and for the worse.

We know this because the 2018 edition of the same survey showed just 9% of Kansans expected to leave the state in the near future. That means the number of

But it’s not just college grads struggling for a rea son to stay. And last year, the Kansas Sampler Foun dation did its own survey of 460 Kan sans — all of them between the ages of 21 and 39 — and found wide spread con cerns about child care, housing and even broad band internet.

It is ugly to try to build a mandate for leadership by scape goating minorities, but it is also incredi bly beside the point. The issues that we’re talking about aren’t really what will deter mine whether it will be worth sticking around the state five years from now.

“The lack of quality child care is keep ing young peo ple in rural Kansas from taking jobs or even having kids — and may be pushing them away from rural Kan sas,” the report’s authors wrote. “This is not just an issue for parents, but for an entire community.”

The challenges are huge. The state’s future is at stake. Serious-minded leadership is required.

So clearly, you’re hearing all about solutions and ideas to the problem in the Kansas gubernatorial race, right? If so many of the state’s resi dents are thinking about

Thanks largely to Schmidt, the GOP chal lenger, the governor’s race — or the TV commercials and tweets about it, at any rate — has been dominated by debates about whether transgender kids should play high school sports and false stories about state-funded drag shows. It is ugly to try to build a man date for leadership by scape goating minorities, but it is also incred ibly beside the point. The issues that we’re talking about aren’t really what will deter mine wheth er it will be worth stick ing around the state five years from now.

This is just a guess, but college grads probably ar en’t leaving Kansas be cause some trans kid somewhere got to play on their school’s var sity sports teams. Those young adults who are wor ried about child care and housing likely aren’t look ing elsewhere because of who did or didn’t pay to sponsor a drag queen show once upon a time. They’ve got other problems — real problems — and other hopes.

And this race for gover nor isn’t giving them much reason to stay.

A look back in t me.A look back in t me.

75 Years Ago October 1947

A heavy vote is antici pated at tomorrow’s special election to determine if Al len County will build an ef ficient, modern county hos pital. The election will be the climax of a movement that began about a year ago with a series of meetings at which Dr. John Griffith and other doctors present ed the need for better hos pital facilities. In August the committee circulated petitions asking the county

commissioners to call a spe cial election at which voters could vote for or against a tax levy with which to fi nance the proposed hospi tal. More than half of the known property owners in the county signed the peti tion and so the election was called.

Allen County voted twoto-one in favor of building a new county hospital. Unof ficial returns were 1,794 for and 782 against the propos al. The Iola vote was 992 to

226, or a four-to-one favor able verdict. Every precinct in Humboldt supported the hospital. Only four pre cincts in the county voted no.

Final plans for the new sanctuary for First Chris tian Church have been ap proved. The building, to stand at the corner of East Street and Buckeye, will re place the church which was destroyed by fire soon after the Sunday night church service on Dec. 26, 1943.

~ Journalism that makes a difference

will con tinue to oppose the

diktat of Western neo-liberal elites, accusing them of trying to subdue Russia.

goal is to make Russia more vulnerable and turn it into an instrument for fulfilling their geopo litical tasks, they have failed to achieve it and they will never suc ceed,” Putin said.

The Russian pres ident reaffirmed his long-held claim that Russians and Ukraini ans are part of a sin gle people and again denigrated Ukraine as an “artificial state,” which received his toric Russian lands from Communist rul ers during the Soviet times.

Speaking about the Ukrainian conflict, Pu tin said he thinks “all the time” about the ca sualties Russia has suf fered in the conflict, but insisted that NATO’s re fusal to rule out prospec tive Ukraine’s member ship and Kyiv’s refusal to adhere to a peace deal for its separatist conflict in the country’s east has left Moscow no other choice.

He denied under estimating Ukraine’s ability to fight back and insisted that his “special military oper ation” has proceeded as planned.

Putin also acknow leged the challenges posed by Western sanc tions, but argued that Russia has proven re silient to foreign pres sure and become more united.

Pentagon: Despite Russia’s war, China still top threat

WASHINGTON (AP)

— China remains the greatest security chal lenge for the United States despite Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the threat from Beijing will determine how the U.S. military is equipped and shaped for the future, ac cording to a new Penta gon defense strategy.

While the document released Thursday says that conflict with China “is neither inevitable nor desirable,” it describes an effort to prevent Bei jing’s “dominance of key regions” — a clear ref erence to its aggressive military buildup in the South China Sea and in creased pressure on the self-governing island of Taiwan. It warns that China is working to un

dermine American alli ances in the Indo-Pacific and use its growing mili tary to coerce and threat en neighbors.

At the same time, the 80-page, unclassified re port notes Russia’s war in Ukraine and says Mos cow is a serious threat to the U.S. and its allies, with nuclear weapons, cyber operations and long-range missiles. And it warns that as China and Russia continue to grow as partners, they “now pose more danger ous challenges to safety and security at home, even as terrorist threats persist.”

A senior defense of ficial, who briefed Pen tagon reporters on the condition of anonymity before the report’s re

lease, said it reflects that the U.S. for the first time is facing two major nu clear-armed competitors in Russia and China.

The previous strategy, released in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, reflected the fun damental shift from a U.S. military focused on countering extremists to one that must prepare for war with a major power.

The 2022 defense strategy increases the focus on allies as a key element of U.S. defense, underscoring the broad er Biden administration effort to repair relations with partner nations that were splintered by Trump. At the center of the new document is the concept of “integrat ed deterrence,” which

means the U.S. will use a broad combination of military might, eco nomic and diplomatic pressures, and strong alliances — including America’s nuclear arse nal — to dissuade an en emy from attacking.

It concludes that Chi na remains “the most consequential strategic competitor for the com ing decades,” while Rus sia remains an “acute” threat.

Since the last report, both China and Rus sia have become more aggressive in using their militaries. Russia launched a full-scale in vasion of Ukraine in Feb ruary, and China has es calated its longstanding threat to retake Taiwan, by force if necessary.

TESTIMONIAL:

My doctor had suggested I go to the Iola

to try

for my

After the first week or so, I was able to go on walks again. It hasn’t completely cured

pain, but it does help relieve the pain. And, after being on it for a couple months now, I don’t want to

without!

Iola

renovated by Allen County for the

Hospital and the Saint Luke’s Health System. Top photo, officials mark the reopening of the Med ical Arts Building at 826 E. Madison Ave., which is used for a health clinic and visiting specialists. Bottom photo is the ribbon cutting for the new

clinic at ACRH, in space that previously was used as the labor and delivery unit.

REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

IMS hoops fall at Wellsville

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

The Iola Middle School girls eighth grade varsi ty, seventh grade varsity and junior varsity bas ketball teams were all outscored at Wellsville on Monday.

The varsity eighth-graders took a 30-point lopsided blun der to the Eagles, 50-20. The Mustangs managed to net four first quarter points before picking up the pace in the second half.

Iola was led by Brook lyn Holloway’s 10 points and Zoie Hesse’s nine points. Dally Curry also bucketed one point. Hesse, Curry and Hol loway each rebounded well while Hesse, Curry and Holloway made two steals apiece.

“The girls struggled as this was a Monday game after a weekend,” said Iola head coach Sta cy Sprague. “We will get stronger and better. We are working on learn ing man-to-man defense which is a lot for girls who have never played basketball. I am proud of the girls for never giving up.”

The seventh grade varsity Mustangs lost to Wellsville, 24-10.

Iola’s Lillie Bingham, Olivia Taylor and Bella Wilson led in rebound ing while Shaylee Karns made one steal defensive ly.

The junior varsity Iola squad were crushed in their matchup, 39-8.

Warner led on offense while bucketing four points, followed by Spill man and Keisha Smith’s two points apiece. Smith also snagged two steals from the Eagles offense.

Iola will host Santa Fe Trail Monday at 4 p.m.

Big

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP)

— Kansas State hopes to know late in the week wheth er it will have Adrian Marti nez under center when the No. 22 Wildcats play ninthranked Oklahoma State in a game that could help decide who plays in the Big 12 cham pionship game.

Martinez barely played last week at TCU, when the Wild cats (5-2, 3-1) blew a 28-10 lead in a loss to the Horned Frogs that left them fighting for sec ond place in the conference race. They are tied with Okla homa State (6-1, 3-1), which also has lost to TCU, and that means the winner Saturday will have a big advantage in the race for a title-game re match.

“Injuries? It’s part of (the

Allen earns 6-2 playoff win

By QUINN BURKITT

The Iola Register

The Allen Community Col lege men’s soccer team took down Southeast in their open ing round of the Region VI playoff match Wednesday eve ning, 6-2.

After going down by one goal in the opening minutes of the match, Allen (12-3-1; 7-2) re sponded with three first half goals followed by three more in the second half.

The Allen win was the third of the year over the Southeast Storm, going 2-0 and 3-1 earlier in the season. Red Devil Thia go Fernandes also registered a pair of two-goal performances against Southeast this season.

“We’ve got a lot of confi dence against them,” said Allen head coach Doug Desmarteau. “It’s hard to beat somebody three times but if you put the deck of cards out, we’ve got way more cards in our deck than they do and as long as we play our game that team’s not going to beat us.”

Southeast’s Rafael Smaga Brandao scored the first goal four minutes into the match. The assist came from Tyler Ratnik.

The Red Devil Thiago Fer nandes then scored with his first of two goals off an assist

dogs

from Leonardo Andognini to knot the match at 1-1. Midway through the first half, Fer nandes scored again with an assist from Temesgn Tezera.

“Today we were nervous to start with and then we came back and put three away in like the next 10 minutes,” said Desmarteau. “They’re very re silient and there’s leadership and confidence in each other.”

Yuki Ikezaki delivered a goal between the pair of Fer nandes scores which he drib bled in unassisted. The goal sent Allen to halftime leading Southeast, 3-1.

Allen’s Tavar Lawrence came out firing in the second half, scoring two goals to give the Devils the 5-1 advantage. Both of Lawrence’s goals were assisted by Fernandes in front of the net.

Southeast got on the board once more with 18 minutes re maining in regulation when Mike Jetzlaff took a pass from Sander Korte and scored from the right side of the box. The goal cut the Storm deficit to three goals, 5-2.

Patrick Alouidor came off the bench for Allen in a brief stint and made an immediate impact, footing the final goal of the night to give Allen the 6-2 advantage.

“It’s easier to continue to

score goals than pack it in and not go at them because you could let a team back in it like that,” Desmarteau said. “We’ve been very successful at home. We’ll play at home on Sunday as well. Hopefully, we can take care of business.”

The Red Devils led the Storm in total shots, 15-8 and shots on goal through 90 min utes of regulation, 9-6.

Fernandes led the Allen of fensive attack with five shots and four shots on goal, fol lowed by Lawrence’s two shots on goal which he put in both as well as Ikezaki and Andog nini’s two shots.

“Thiago’s a guy who should have scored 20 goals this year,” said Desmarteau. “Early on he wasn’t finding the nets and creating chances but in the last three games he’s got six goals and four assists. He’s on fire at the right time of the year.”

It was a scrappy match on both sides of the ball with sev en yellow cards being thrown, four penalizing Southeast and three flagging Allen. Red Dev ils Olomidara Olukayode, Gus tavo Guarnieri and Ikezaki were each given yellow cards in the match.

Allen will host Pratt on Sunday at 4 p.m. in the second round of the regional tourna ment playoffs.

Allen downed at Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Kan.

— The Allen Community College volleyball team fell to Kansas City, Kan sas Community College on Wednesday night, three sets to one.

The Lady Red Devils (16-12; 3-6) opened the night by falling to the Blue Devils, 25-10. The Blue Devils then took the second set, 25-20.

Allen was able to se cure a victory in the third when they defeated KCK, 25-18.

The Blue Devils clinched the victory with a 25-20 win in the fourth set.

Allen will now wait to see who it will oppose in the opening round of the Region VI playoffs.

World Series umpires have youth

By BEN WALKER The Associated Press

Now retired, longtime Major League Base ball umpire Dale Scott scanned the playoff lineup and was startled to spot the names of so many young umps.

When he saw the list for the upcoming World Series, he had the same reaction. And then some.

“I saw hints in previ ous years. But this year, my God, it’s a changing of the guard,” he said.

“It’s been leading up to this, but now it’s official.”

In a nod to computer ized strike zones, plus other factors including injuries, retirements and postseason rotations, the seven-man World Series umpire crew announced Wednesday by MLB is

9 OSU to meet

up and play. We’ll be OK.”

“The thing about it is our kids knew that they had an opportunity to win the game no matter who was playing,” Klieman said of last week’s loss. “We just didn’t make plays. We’re not going to make excuses on who’s play ing injuries or not. We’re go ing to get them ready and we got a tough one against Okla homa State. We’ll be ready.”

Will Howard threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns in place of Martinez against the Horned Frogs, and the back up would be first up against the Cowboys if the Wildcats’ starter can’t play. Howard has been dealing with a sore shoulder, though, which briefly forced third-stringer

“That’s why you got 85. We got other guys who can come

Allen men’s soccer player Daniel Galindo (5) runs with the ball toward goal in front of a Southeast defender. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

game),” said Kansas State coach Chris Klieman, whose team has experienced more than its share this season.

Kansas State’s Adrian Martinez (9) drops back with the ball against Tulane on Saturday, Sept. 17.

BURKITT

Chiefs trade for WR

KANSAS CITY, Mo.

— The Kansas City Chiefs acquired New York Giants wide receiver Kadarius Toney on Thursday for a pair of picks in next year’s draft, a person familiar with the terms of the trade told The Associated Press.

The person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was pending a physical, said the Giants will get the third-round pick that the Chiefs got as compensation for Ryan Poles becoming the general manager of the Chicago Bears along with a sixth-round pick in the 2023 draft that will be hosted by Kansas City.

“We just thought it was for the best of the team,” Giants coach Brian Daboll told reporters Thursday.

Toney was drafted in the first round by the Giants last year and is under contract through the 2024 season with a fifth-year team option.

That makes the trade relatively low risk for the Chiefs, who still have eight selections in next year’s draft.

Toney only has two catches for no yards this season in part because of a right hamstring

injury he sustained in training camp. He tweaked the injury in Week 2 against Carolina, then hurt his left hamstring in practice earlier this month.

The Chiefs are off this week, which could give Toney time enough to recover — and learn their playbook — before they begin the second half of the season against the Tennessee Titans on Nov. 6 at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Giants were eager to gain draft capital for Toney, who had been bypassed on the depth chart in New York, while the Chiefs were eager to gain a high-upside wide receiver signed for the next two years. Their top two wide receivers, Mecole Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster, are scheduled to become free agents after this season.

Toney has only appeared in 12 of a possible 24 games because of injuries and a bout with COVID-19. He has 41 catches for 420 yards, including a game against Dallas last year in which he caught 10 passes for 189 yards.

He was ejected from that game for throwing a punch late in a blowout loss to the Cowboys.

BY JAY BOBBIN

do you think of “Big Sky” character, backcountry guide Sunny

interesting person. She’s protective and loving, she’s make a living with her this glamping thing, and working real hard to hold it together That’s something totally than anything I’ve ever before, and I love the depth like that she is more threedimensional. She’s ver y deep and friendly, and then she can get dark. It’s so much fun for me.

anticipate going into as much as you have?

When I sing a song, in my mind, the video’s running. When I got into doing videos, I loved it, so I wanted to do movies. And that’s when “Tremors” came along. And then, Kenny Rogers got me on “The Gambler” (franchise), then the television show (the sitcom “Reba”) happened after I got to play Annie Oakley on Broadway (in “Annie Get Your Gun”). I always thought I was acting, even when I was out riding horses, I thought, “Somebody’s filming me, I’m sure.”

I like being on stage. I’m one of four kids, so I was always vying for attention. I always wanted to be in the limelight, and it led to this. How does being a regular on “Big Sky” affect the rest of your schedule?

Rex Linn, my boyfriend, plays my husband on the show We’ve pretty much moved to Albuquerque, where we’re filming, and having a wonderful time loving it, and now we’re on tour also, so we’ll be combining the two jobs but loving it. We’re grateful to get to be working after we were off for two years because of COVID. It’s really gratifying.

Dear Carolyn: We just had a baby a month ago.

New parents miffed over texted well-wishes Carolyn Hax

My husband’s siblings congratulated us with a group text and that’s it. No cards, flowers or gifts for new baby. I am really disappointed. I would have sent them something, and I make quite a bit less money than they do.

I know I just need to get over it. We don’t need a card or flowers. It just makes me feel as if they don’t care. I am sure this is going to bother me at every celebration we have for their future kids. How do I get over this?

— Disappointed

Disappointed: They do things their way, you do things your way, and judging Column A from Column B is a path to misery. You all have lifetimes to grow into and adjust

Me About It

these roles — to learn from experience, to find your strengths, to hone your expectations.

Plus, if this is the first baby among the sib lings, they might just be clueless.

So, to “get over this”: Feel bad, shake it off, ad just your expectations, then be open to your inlaws as they are. If they rally, then be grateful to them for that. If they remain aloof, then write them off as a source of support and be grateful for the people who are supportive. If you notice the siblings are warm to each other but dismis

sive of in-laws or new babies, then be the offi cially unofficial in-lawand-baby welcomer.

Make mental notes of what lifts you up, and offer these things to oth ers when you’re in a po sition to do so. There’s just no reward in dwell ing on what you don’t have.

Hi Carolyn: My only sibling and I are both in our early 50s. We were very close into young adulthood, but our lives have diverged over the years, and we have less in common. As we’ve gotten older, I’ve tried to reach out and include my sibling in many things, but he is not ap preciative and is often quite rigid. (He has a form of obsessive-com pulsive disorder.) He can be difficult to be around.

I’m sad about all of

Vaccine benefit outweighs GBS risk

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 73-year-old female with atrial fibrillation (AFib) who recently had a pacemaker implant and has been doing well since. I also have a thy roid gland disorder, and I’m taking daily medica tion treatments for both my thyroid and heart.

Over 20 years ago, I was hospitalized and diag nosed with GuillainBarre syndrome (GBS), and have had no longlasting side effects from the illness. My primary doctor gave me the OK to get a seasonal flu shot three years ago. But, re cently, an urgent care doctor strongly recom mended that I should never get a flu shot.

I have received the two Moderna COVID-19 shots, as well as two Moderna booster shots, the last one dated July 18. My question to you is, do you recommend I receive the new COVID and flu shots that just came out recently? Should I avoid ever getting a flu shot in the future due to my past diagnosis of GBS? I’ll be traveling to Europe in

CRYPTOQUOTES

Dr. Keith Roach To Your Good Health

mid-October, and I’m not sure what to do. — A.G.

ANSWER: GBS is a disease of the nervous system where the body’s own immune system at tacks a key portion of the nerve cell — the my elin sheath that protects the cells and enhances the electrical nerve sig nal. GBS may be trig gered after vaccination, but it is much more likely to be triggered af ter infection, including both influenza and CO VID-19.

There remains con troversy, with some physicians (like your urgent care doctor) ad vising against vaccines, while most doctors and authorities recommend getting the routine vac cines, realizing that the risk of infection is far greater than the risk of immunization.

I know of two studies that looked at flu vac cines in people with a history of GBS. In one study of 107 people who chose to get the vaccine after having had GBS, none had a recurrence of GBS. Another study, with 279 subjects, also showed zero episodes of recurrent GBS. These studies do not show it is impossible to get GBS after a flu vaccine, but strongly suggest that the risk is very low. We do not have similar data for the COVID vaccine, but the risk of GBS af ter the COVID vaccine appears to be very low with both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Ultimately, the deci sion is up to you and your doctor, but for my patients with a history of GBS, I advise that the benefit of the vaccine outweighs the risk. Peo ple with more medical illnesses, especially of the heart and lungs, are at greater risk for com plications of the flu and COVID, and are more likely to benefit from vaccination.

this and at times have been frustrated by his lack of effort. It is al ways me making the first move to reach out, see how he’s doing, in clude him, keep the lines of communication open. Is there anything else I could be doing? — Sad

Sad: Just one more: Let go of the expectation that this will be a typical give-and-take.

Your experience is tell ing you that if you want your brother in your life, then it’s on you to make the effort. It’s tell ing you that if you want to feel good about this, then accept his inabil ity or unwillingness to do (what you see as) his part. “Inability” tends to be easier to accept than “unwillingness,” for what it’s worth.

And physics will tell you that, when dealing with the rigid, flex ibility is the way to go.

Obviously you’re not required to do anything here. But if you want this re lationship to work, then redefine “work” — and be patient with the result.

ZITS

BEETLE BAILEY

by Mort Walker

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

by Chris Browne FUNKY WINKERBEAN by Tom Batiuk

BLONDIE

Yesterday’s Cryptoquote: Goblins and ghoulies from last Halloween, awaken the spirits with your tambourine! — Madame Leota, Disney’s Haunted Mansion

by Young and Drake

by Tom Armstrong HI AND LOIS by Chance Browne

MARVIN

by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

O F K U K T N R

F T E M T

D K U Z H I K H

N B F H T

O T E E R O U T A L

U - O U K R O K

H H L T I V Q H

G U T V F O E Z

T O Q U H I O

H U A F .

U H G K U O

U R W E O

Herta signs 4-year IndyCar extension

By JENNA FRYER The Associated Press

Colton Herta so firm ly believes Andretti Au tosport can return to the top of IndyCar that he announced a fouryear extension Tuesday through 2027 before Rog er Penske or Chip Ga nassi even got a shot at signing the American.

Herta’s current con tract with Andretti runs through next season, and with his Formula One aspirations tem porarily on hold, Herta believes he can win in IndyCar with Michael Andretti.

Andretti Autosport last won the IndyCar championship in 2012 and last won the In dianapolis 500 in 2016 with Alexander Rossi. With Rossi now headed to McLaren next year, Herta entering his fifth IndyCar season will be Andretti’s most veteran series driver.

“I see what’s going on in the background, I see the drive and there’s a lot of investment com ing into the team,” Her ta said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “I be lieve in the future. It didn’t matter what any one else had to say. I be lieve in where Andretti is headed.”

The investment comes from a concur rent four-year extension announced with spon sor Gainbridge, a loyal Andretti partner. And the belief might come from hope that a path to F1 might still be in play for Herta with Andretti.

“Racing in F1 is still a goal of mine. I still think it’s a possibility. But it’s not going to happen next year, obviously,” Her ta told The AP. “But in the next few years? It can still be a possibility. There’s no clear path for me for next year. Does that mean that Michael could not get a team for ‘24? A lot of things can happen.”

And so comes to a close the rollercoaster year for the 22-year-old Herta, who at times seemed poised to be come the first American

driver on the F1 grid since Rossi in 2015. His chance was scuttled by the FIA, the govern ing body for F1, which would not grant Herta the Super License re quired to compete in the global series.

So he signed an In dyCar renewal with Andretti Autosport, as Michael Andretti tries to get two-car Andretti Global onto the current 10-team F1 grid. Andret ti, with assistance in part from Gainbridge, had hoped to convince the FIA to expand the grid and planned to bring Herta with him.

But the existing F1 teams are unwelcoming to grid expansion and wealth redistribution, and although Herta was free to leave Andretti for an F1 opportunity under his existing contract, the lack of a Super Li cense has him currently relegated to IndyCar.

He said this extension can move him to F1 with Andretti should Andret ti land a team, but leav ing the Andretti Indy Car organization for an F1 opportunity will be more complicated in the future.

“I’m never going to be disappointed driving IndyCar. I am perfectly happy driving IndyCar,” Herta said. “This is not a fallback plan, and I was never going to be disappointed if I never got a shot at F1.”

From the IndyCar perspective the signing is huge: The No. 10 at Chip Ganassi Racing is expected to open when Alex Palou moves to Mc Laren in 2024, reigning series champion Will Power is entering a con tract year on the No. 12 with Team Penske, and six-time IndyCar cham pion Scott Dixon turns 43 next season — his 21st year with Ganassi.

“I have a lot of trust and integrity where I am,” Herta told The AP. “And a lot of money is nice, but you get a lot of money by winning a lot of races, too.”

There’s been a ton of F1 hype surrounding Herta, who this year signed a testing con

tract with McLaren. But Herta presently lacks the points required to obtain F1’s mandatory license, in large part be cause IndyCar is under valued in the ranking system. The FIA does not govern IndyCar, or NASCAR for that mat ter, and essentially rates both as mid-pack series.

Red Bull had asked that Herta, a seven-race winner who in 2019 be came IndyCar’s young est ever winner days before his 19th birthday, be granted a waiver for a Super License. Had the FIA not refused, Red Bull had hoped to put Herta at its AlphaTauri junior team next season.

The lack of a license essentially shut the door on F1 for Herta for now, and the Californian did not even attend last week’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

Herta was a popu lar figure at the Miami Grand Prix in May when he attended as a guest of McLaren, asked to sit in the F1 car and requested a diagram of the steer ing wheel. When Herta showed up two months later at a McLaren F1 test in complete prepa ration, he wowed on the track, word spread, and rival teams developed sudden interest in land ing the American.

“I think IndyCar should probably be re-evaluated in the Su per License system,” Herta told The AP. “I think IndyCar is under valued. I understand we’re not an FIA cham

KSU: OSU meet at top of Big 12

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Jake Rubley into last week’s game.

The Cowboys faced their share of adversity on the field last week, trailing Texas by 10 late in the third quarter. But they calmly rallied be hind quarterback Spen cer Sanders, whose two fourth-quarter TD pass es lifted them to a 41-34 victory and kept them in prime position to land a spot in the Big 12 title game with five left on the schedule.

“We ended the game with six freshmen play ing on defense there to wards the end. I know at kickoff we had nine guys running down the field that had never played college football, basically,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gun dy said. “We had a lot of guys that were banged up, nicked up, and we had to put some other guys into play. It is what it is.”

KICKER CONCERNS

Kansas State PK Chris Tennant has missed three of his past four field-goal at tempts, including two

at TCU that could have helped trim the deficit in the second half. P Ty Zentner and freshman PK Leyton Simmering could get a chance Sat urday.

“The thing with spe cialists is always stay ing ready to go,” Zent ner said. “Whoever he rolls out there will be confident.”

OTHER INJURY ISSUES

Wildcats DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah has been nursing injuries most of the season, while DBs Josh Hayes and Julius Brents were limited last week against the Horned Frogs. LB Daniel Green left the game with an injury and could be out this week.

DON’T BEAT YOURSELF

The Cowboys are No. 1 in the FBS in few est penalties with 27 through seven games, and they had no penal ties last week against Texas for the first time in program history.

Kansas State is No. 13 nationally in penalty yardage at 269.

STOUT ON D

The Cowboys defense is allowing 25.5% of third down conversions, the fourth-best mark in the FBS, and that proved crucial in last week’s game against Texas. They trailed 3124 at halftime but al lowed just a field goal in the second half.

“We don’t want to ar gue with each other,” Oklahoma State defen sive tackle Collin Clay said. “We just stayed calm and told each oth er the game wasn’t over, we still got another half to play. We made the cor rections that we needed to make.”

RUN TO DAYLIGHT

Texas ran for 204 yards and two touch downs, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. That should bode well for the Wildcats, who are aver aging 232.1 yards on the ground per game, the 11th-best total in major college football.

“The bad news is we didn’t get the commu nication right,” Gundy said. “The good news is we should be able to fix that.”

pionship, we don’t bring any money or anything like that to the FIA, so I guess it makes more sense that they draw at tention to their champi onships.

“But I think to be fair, if you are going to claim to be the top champion ship in the world with the best drivers, you should probably give ev eryone a fair shot.”

Herta said he fell out of McLaren’s rotation when he began speaking with AlphaTauri.

There’s also less ur gency surrounding Her ta now that Williams plans to promote F2 driver Logan Sargeant of Florida into F1 next year should the 21-yearold earn his Super Li cense by season’s end. That would give Wil liams the win in scoring the newest American driver from F1’s fast est-growing market.

Herta and Sargeant grew up karting against each other and both tried Europe as teenag ers, but Herta returned to America and Indy Lights when finances ran thin. The wealthi er Sargeant was able to stay the course in Eu rope.

WS: Umps young

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easily the youngest in recent memory.

At an average age of 45.7 years old, the crew calling the Phila delphia Phillies-Hous ton Astros matchup is more than five years younger than the av erage of World Series crews over the past de cade, The Associated Press tallied.

So young, in fact, there won’t be a fulltime regular-season crew chief on the field in Game 2 on Saturday night. Usually, two or sometimes three vet eran chiefs are on the Fall Classic crew.

“That would’ve been unimaginable not too long ago,” said Scott, who emphasized he gives high marks to this crew.

One of the reasons: In general, younger umpires tend to score more highly with ballstrike calling in MLB metrics. And with fans howling every time a pitch is missed on the TV box, and those shouts ramping up calls for robot umps already being used in the minor leagues, the sport would like to keep barking to a min imum.

Pat Hoberg joined the full-time umpiring staff in 2017 and, at 36, is set to work the plate in Game 2 on Saturday night in Houston. In the past, it would’ve taken much longer to draw a coveted World Series assignment.

But Hoberg rates among the best pitch callers in the majors. The web site ump scorecards.com — which tracks every pitch of the season and uses advanced methods to analyze them — ranks him No. 1 in accuracy among

all umpires at 95.4%.

The site doesn’t use the same box that MLB employs, and neither do the TV net works. But the ratings give a good indication of who scores best be hind the plate.

Tripp Gibson, at 41, and Jordan Baker, at 40, also rated highly in pitch accuracy and will work their first World Series.

Dan Iassogna (53) is the crew chief and working his third World Series, often praised within the sport for the way he calmly runs games.

Alan Porter (44), James Hoye (51) and Lance Barksdale (55) are calling the Fall Classic for the second time.

MLB considers many factors when picking the World Se ries crew — ball-strike grades, game manage ment, performance this year and over a career, and more.

Also, who’s avail able. Many umpires were hurt and missed long periods this season. Veteran Ted Barrett, meanwhile, called the 2021 World Series, and umps don’t work it in consecutive years.

Why do younger umps tend to score bet ter on pitches? Often because they’ve come up through the ranks training with a strike zone box, learning to call exactly what MLB wants.

Say Adam Wain wright threw a big-bending curveball that Yadier Molina caught with his glove open-faced, flat on the ground. A veteran um pire might call that a ball — the Cardinals battery doesn’t flinch, it’s been a ball forever.

IndyCar driver Colton Herta climbs out of his car after winning the pole position for the 47th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday, Apr. 9. WILL LESTER/INLAND VALLEY DAILY BULLETIN/SCNG