Sports: Iola JV football downs Osawatomie See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
Council approves generator upgrades By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
The city’s ability to generate electricity took center stage Monday as Iola City Council members discussed short- and longterm projects with Iola’s electric plant. Council members voted to spend upwards of $840,000 over the next two years for new control systems to the city’s Wartsila natural gas-powered generators. The current control systems on the 16-year-old generators are at the end of their life cycles, explained Mike Phillips, power plant superintendent. Phillips noted he has had difficulty maintaining the old systems, expressing concerns they may not last through another season. Half of the $840,000 was included in Iola’s 2015 budget; the other half in 2016. The challenge is that Iola’s electric fund reserves remain low, at about $1.15 million, and represent See IOLA | Page A6
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Tuesday, September 29, 2015
‘First pitch’ Saturday for Smithsonian Baseball, sports exhibits open on Biblesta weekend
By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
HUMBOLDT — Anyone who can’t find something to enjoy in Humboldt Saturday will be much too hard to please. The much-awaited Smithsonian Institution’s “Hometown Teams: How Sports Shaped America” and the 58th annual Biblesta will have downtown humming from early to late. The sixweek visit by the Smithsonian Institution’s comprehensive six-week showcase ribbon-cutting is at 9:30 a.m. The Smithsonian traveling exhibit arrived Monday afternoon and its components were arranged in City Hall’s main lobby, together with displays featuring Walter Johnson and George Sweatt, Humboldt favorite sons who need no introduction. Johnson was among the best pitchers ever to play Major League baseball — for the Washington Senators — and Sweatt was a legend in his time, playing in the Negro League World Series and performing admirably at what today is Pittsburg State University. In addition, the lower lobby at the Humboldt High, out-
Humboldt Mayor Nobby Davis, left, sets up an exhibit with David Kreider who ferried the Smithsonian Institution Hometown Teams exhibit to Humboldt Monday afternoon. REGISTER/BOB JOHNSON
side the older gymnasium, is garnished with photos and other memorabilia to bring vividly to mind other local stars in a number of sports, with their venues mostly being HHS. Exhibits in City Hall and the high school will remain for six weeks. How the Smithsonian found its way to Humboldt is
a story in itself. Jan Coykendall and others received an email from Judy Middendorf, a local activist, about Smithsonian plans to have its sports-based traveling show in Kansas this year. “I didn’t think too much of it,” said Coykendall, a former Humboldt mayor, until two weeks later when the impetuous Middendorf sent another
email. That prompted Coykendall to think more about the opportunity. “The Smithsonian wanted three letters of support, from business and organizations,” she said. “We got 13,” apparently impressive in both number and content. Whoever makes such decision in See EXHIBIT | Page A3
Iola Reads launches
Copies of the book “Fearless,” by Elvira Woodworth are available at the Iola Public Library and other locations around town as part of the fall Iola Reads project. As always, those who read a copy of the book are encouraged to return it to one of the distribution locations or pass it on to someone else. Those wishing to keep the book are encouraged to make at least a $2 donation to Iola Reads. Among the upcoming activities include student dioramas, a showing of the documentary “Isaac’s Storm” Oct. 6 at the library, and a program on lighthouses and nautical lore Oct. 22. In addition, Woodworth will visit via Skype with stu-
dents Nov. 6. Iola Reads is a cooperative project of USD 257, Iola Public Library and the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. Major funding for the project is provided by the Helen Gates Whitehead Trust.
Dr. Brian Neely has joined the staff at Allen County Regional Clinic, 401 S. Washington Ave. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
New physician appreciates Iola’s charms By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
It didn’t take long for Dr. Brian Neely and his family to find themselves at home in Iola. “We came to Iola and just really like the town,” Neely said Monday. “We really like the people we’ve met.” Neely began work in July at Allen County Regional Clinic, 401 S. Washington Ave., with
Dr. Wesley Stone and Margaret Lesher, ARNP. Neely, 35, focuses on family practice: “Doing a little bit of everything,” he said. He comes to Iola fresh out of residency at the University of Kansas. Iola was a natural fit for Neely, his wife, Melanie, and their two children. “I grew up in Spring Hill, and my wife grew up around Pratt,” he said. “We both
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wanted to move back to a smaller town. And the location here is great. “It’s a straight shot to my wife’s family, if we go west on (U.S.) 54, and we can see my family on (U.S.) 169.” Iola’s appeal carries more than simple geography, he stressed. “Iola’s got good-sized schools, and it’s large enough See NEELY | Page A3
Meeting yields awkward moments, few breakthroughs NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first formal meeting in more than two years started with an awkward handshake and ended without a breakthrough on Syria, a crisis that has strained their already tense relationship. On the biggest issue that divides them in Syria — the status of embattled leader
“Learn to think continentally.” — Alexander Hamilton 75 Cents
Bashar Assad — Obama and Putin left their discussions Monday exactly where they started. The U.S. still insists Syria’s future cannot include Assad, while Putin appears to only want to bolster the standing of his longtime ally, casting him as the best defense against Islamic States militants. Even so, both leaders See U.N. | Page A6
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