The Iola Register, Sept. 29, 2023

Recycling effort put on hold

Local group suspends operations

By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register

Allen County Recycling is hitting the pause button.

Group members agreed Monday with Allen County Recycling Board President Dan Davis’s decision over the weekend to close up the group’s collections depot.

“It’s just become harder and harder for a few people to handle all of this,” Davis

told the Register.

That means unless either Allen County or Iola take over the operation — the group’s preference — or they receive an influx of dedicated, consistent volunteers, the recycling effort that began nearly 30 years

ago by Iola Rotary will be no more.

“It’s really frustrating,” Davis said. “It’s been proven a good number of people will support recycling here, but it’s just gotten no traction with the city or the county.”

Davis closed up the depot with a sign over the weekend after he arrived to see little work had been done to clean up strewn cardboard, “and it

What a shutdown brings

By STEPHEN GROVES The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government is just days away from a shutdown that will disrupt many services, squeeze workers and roil politics as Republicans in the House, fueled by hard-right demands, force a confrontation over federal spending.

While some government entities will be exempt — Social Security checks, for example, will still go out — other functions will be severely curtailed. Federal agencies will stop all actions deemed non-essential, and millions of federal employees, including members of the military, won’t receive paychecks. A look at what’s ahead if the government shuts down on Sunday.

WHAT IS A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN?

had been a while since anybody had baled anything,” he said.

Davis requested a meeting with other board members for Monday, at which point those in attendance agreed it was time to take a breather.

SINCE THE mid 1990s, Iola Rotarians spearheaded

A shutdown happens when Congress fails to pass some type of funding legislation that is signed into law by the president. Lawmakers are supposed to pass 12 different spending bills to fund agencies across the government, but the process is time-consuming. They often resort to passing a temporary extension, called a continuing resolu-

Downtown mural project gets T-Mobile boost

By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register

Since becoming director of the Iola Area Chamber of Commerce three years ago, Robin Schallie has made a mission to see a spiffier downtown. She spearheaded two mural projects, with local artists Max and Candice Grundy putting the finishing touches on the second earlier this month, a masterpiece titled “You Belong Here” on the south wall of Audacious Boutique.

Jason Kegler

FORT SCOTT — Fort Scott Community College is suspending its upcoming women’s basketball season. College President Jason Kegler announced the suspension to college trustees this week, and subsequently notified the Jayhawk Conference.

A number of factors led to the school fielding only four scholarship players on the roster, Kegler noted.

Two coaches left the college over the summer for a program that had only one returning player, anyway, Kegler noted.

“Let me be clear,” Kegler said. “The current staff had nothing to do with the situation. They were brought into an impossible situation.”

New coach Jolee Carswell

See

Now, armed with a $30,000 grant from T-Mobile, the work will continue.

In announcing the grant in front of a gaggle of supporters Thursday, Schallie said two more murals are in the works, one on the Ele Nails building at 1 E. Madison, and the second at Fillmore Coffeehouse and Plant Cafe. Those will be done within the next year, Schallie said.

“I don’t want to stop there,” Schallie said. “I want to keep these murals going around the square.”

Iola Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Robin Schallie announces Thursday a $30,000 community grant from T-Mobile, which will be used to fund downtown murals in Iola. Also taking part in the ceremony are, from right, T-Mobile rural marketing director, and Michelle Pina, manager of the Iola T-Mobile outlet. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

Schallie has fielded calls from other downtown merchants about being included in the murals projects.

The problem is, “$30,000 only goes so far,” she noted, in an appeal for customers to support Chamber businesses, and in turn, the Chamber itself. “As you may or may not know, murals are expensive.”

Matt Lane, a marketing manager for T-Mobile, noted Iola was one of 25 Community Grant recipients across the country, picked from more than 500 applicants. The grants are awarded on a quarterly basis.

Launched in 2021, Lane said T-Mobile is committed to offering grants totaling $25

million over a five-year period.

“It’s great to get to be a part of this celebration,” Lane said. The cell phone provider’s goal “is not just to have a store here or to build new towers,” he continued. “It’s really to be able to give back to communities just like Iola.”

Bales of cardboard and plastic stand outside the Allen County Recycling depot at the old Thompson Poultry building north of Pump N Pete’s, 1700 East St. in Iola. The all-volunteer group announced this week it is suspending its operations. REGISTER/

RICHARD LUKEN

Steve Strickler

Elderly couple die in house fire

EMPORIA — An elderly couple killed in a Sept. 22 house fire has been identified.

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office identified Lee Roy Phillips, 88, and Mary Ann Phillips, 85, as the victims when their home burned.

The house about two miles northwest of Emporia, was fully engulfed in flames and had collapsed by the time firefighters arrived in the pre-dawn hours of Sept. 22, the Emporia Gazette reported.

Firefighting efforts also were hampered by a severe storm that hit the area that morning as well. Crews had to seek shelter briefly during the call, the newspaper reported.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Republicans battle as Trump skips 2nd debate

criticize him.

By the Associated Press

CHC transportation program takes off in Bourbon

County

FORT SCOTT — The Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas is offering a transportation program in Bourbon County.

Since August, CHC has offered CareVan, with funding from the Kansas Department of Transportationn’s Public Transit Program and the Federal Transit Administration, fortscott. biz reported.

The service is available free of charge to anyone in Bourbon County on a first-come, first-serve basis. Transportation hours are 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“Riders can go anywhere in the county. This is not a CHC-only service,” program director Dee Yount said.

Same-day appointments are accepted as well. For more informatio, call (833) 228-7433.

Tech lab teaches skills to kids

HUTCHINSON — The Boys & Girls Clubs of Hutchinson launched its new Cox Innovation Lab Tuesday, providing children with access to technology with a focus on robotics and digital media.

The lab includes computers, furniture, robotics learning, media-making equipment, Wi-Fi and internet services provided by Cox, The Hutchinson news reported.

The STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) lab was made possible by a $20,000 grant from the James M. Cox Foundation.

The donation is part of a greater $150,000 gift from the foundation to create five new Cox Innovation Labs across the nation, develop STEM programming and provide training for the Boys & Girls Clubs staff, the newspaper reported.

Seven Republican presidential hopefuls gathered at the Reagan Library in California on Wednesday for the second of the party’s primary debates. The contest’s dominant front-runner — former President Donald Trump — skipped the event again. With less than four months until the Iowa caucuses officially jumpstart the GOP nomination process, the pressure is building on Trump’s rivals to show they can emerge as a genuine alternative.

Here are some takeaways from the debate: DeSantis hits Trump Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had an aggressive start, using his first answer to criticize Trump for skipping the debate and for adding to the national debt while serving as president.

“Donald Trump is missing in action,” DeSantis said. “He should be here on this stage tonight. He owes it to you to defend his record.”

The Florida governor has been slow to attack Trump for most of the campaign. But as he’s struggled to make inroads against the former president, he’s started slowly sharpening his critiques of the man whose endorsement he once embraced.

With his position in the race at risk of stalling, DeSantis faced pressure to have a standout and aggressive performance Wednesday.

DeSantis seemed eager to jump in on a question after Trump was criticized by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has made hammering Trump a focus of his campaign.

DeSantis began speaking at the same time as another candidate and when finally given the floor, he used his answer to hit President Joe Biden and Trump in the same swipe, accusing them of lacking leadership.

DeSantis found an opportunity later in the debate to hit Trump on abortion, an area where he’s recently stepped up his attacks from the right.

DeSantis said Trump was wrong to blame the Republican Party’s lackluster per-

formance in the 2022 midterm elections on the overturning of national abortion rights.

“He should be here explaining his comments,” DeSantis said. “I want him to look into the eyes and tell people who’ve been fighting this fight for a long time.”

Instead of facing his rivals on the debate stage, Trump was in Michigan working to win over blue-collar voters in the midst of an autoworkers’ strike.

GOP’s shift from Reagan

The debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library highlighted the way the GOP has drifted from some of the former president’s core values. One of them was highlighted right away — immigration.

A clip of the 40th president calling for “amnesty” for people in the country illegally preceded a question about immigration policy. Christie, who once represented a Democratic state and backed a similar proposal a decade ago, distanced himself from that, saying it was effectively ancient history.

“We’re no longer in a position to do that anymore,” Christie said, calling for “enforcing the law.”

Nikki Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants and a former South Carolina governor, went a step further, calling for an end to foreign aid to Latin America until the border is secured.

“Only when we fix the immigration system, only when we make the border secure should we ever put more money into this,” the former United Nations representative said.

The rightward shift on migration was percolating even before

Trump’s presidential run began in 2015, but his victory the following year accelerated it. Even entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, also the son of Indian immigrants, jumped in to highlight his proposal to revoke U.S. citizenship for children born in the country to parents who are here illegally.

That’d require a constitutional amendment and has also been embraced by Trump, and it shows how far the modern GOP has drifted from Reagan.

A new tone from Ramaswamy?

Ramaswamy seemed to take pride in antagonizing his rivals during the first debate, declaring that “everyone on this stage is corrupt” except him because he was a political outsider, a biotech entrepreneur who wrote a book entitled “Woke, Inc.” and decided to run for president.

It got him attention, but also seemed to have gotten under the skins of not only his rivals, but GOP primary voters. Ramaswamy tried a kinder, gentler approach this time.

“These are good people on this stage,” he declared at the start of the debate. Later Ramaswamy repeatedly cited Reagan’s so-called “11th commandment” to never criticize another Republican.

He even tried a little humble pie. “I’m the new guy here so I know I have to earn your trust,” he told the crowd, saying he may seem “a bit of a knowit-all” but he’d be eager to listen to more experienced hands in the Oval Office.

He certainly didn’t defuse the tension onstage — Ramaswamy ended up at the bottom of a political dogpile again as candidates lined up to

A more assertive Scott

After delivering a somewhat underwhelming performance during the first debate, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott sought to more forcefully assert himself on Wednesday.

The only Black person on stage, Scott jumped on a question to DeSantis about revisions to Florida’s school curriculum that required teachers to instruct middle-school students that enslaved people “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”

After DeSantis defended the standards, Scott responded that “there is not a redeeming quality in slavery.”

The senator then tried to criticize both DeSantis and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is Black and of South Asian descent. Scott then gave a long answer defending America’s evolution and raised his voice in

a crescendo, declaring, “America is not a racist country,” which drew applause.

Running to win?

The seven candidates onstage kept talking about what they would do when they become president. But there was little evidence any of them was trying to win that office.

The participants spent the two hours largely agreeing with each other on substance, but bickering over baroque bits of policy or history. Unless prompted, they didn’t bring up the man who is absolutely dominating the field, Trump.

The only exception was Christie, whose entire campaign is predicated on slamming the man whose two prior candidacies he supported. But even most of Christie’s barbs were about Trump’s debate dodging rather than trying to persuade Republican voters to end their love affair with the ex-president.

GOP presidential candidates, from left, Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott and Mike Pence meet the crowd before the start of the second GOP debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. (MYUNG J. CHUN/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS)

Shutdown: Deal unlikely before weekend deadline

Continued from A1

agencies have to stop all nonessential work and will not send paychecks as long as the shutdown lasts.

Although employees deemed essential to public safety such as air traffic controllers and law enforcement officers still have to report to work, other federal employees are furloughed. Under a 2019 law, those same workers are slated to receive backpay once the funding impasse is resolved.

WHEN WOULD A SHUTDOWN BEGIN AND HOW LONG WILL IT LAST?

Government funding expires Oct. 1, the start of the federal budget year. A shutdown will effectively begin at 12:01 a.m. Sunday if Congress is unable to pass a funding plan that the president signs into law.

It is impossible to predict how long a shutdown would last. The Democratic-held Senate and Republican-controlled House are working on vastly different plans to avert a shutdown, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is struggling to win any support from hardright conservatives to keep the government open.

Many are bracing for a stoppage that could last weeks.

WHO DOES A SHUTDOWN AFFECT?

Millions of federal workers face delayed paychecks when the government shuts down, including many of the roughly 2 million military personnel and more than 2 million civilian workers across the nation.

Nearly 60% of federal workers are stationed in the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.

While all of the military’s active-duty troops and reservists would continue to work, more than half of the Department of Defense’s civilian workforce, which is roughly 440,000 people, would be furloughed.

Across federal agencies, workers are stationed in all 50 states and have direct interaction with taxpayers — from Transportation Security Administration agents who operate security at airports to Postal Service workers who deliver mail.

U.S. Transportation

Secretary Pete Buttigieg has said new training for air traffic controllers will be halted and another 1,000 controllers in the midst of training will be furloughed. Even a shutdown that lasts a few days will mean the department won’t hit its hiring and staffing targets for next year, he said.

“Imagine the pressure that a controller is already under every time they take their position at work, and then imagine the added stress of coming to that job from a household with a family that can no longer count on that paycheck,” Buttigieg said.

Beyond federal work-

ers, a shutdown could have far-reaching effects on government services.

People applying for government services like clinical trials, firearm permits and passports could see delays. Some federal offices will also have to close or face shortened hours during a shutdown.

Businesses closely connected to the federal government, such as federal contractors or tourist services around national parks, could see disruptions and downturns. The travel sector could lose $140 million daily in a shutdown, according to the U.S. Travel Industry Association.

Lawmakers also warn that a shutdown could rattle financial markets.

Goldman Sachs has esti-

mated that a shutdown would reduce economic growth by 0.2% every week it lasted, but growth would then bounce back after the government reopens.

Others say the disruption in government services has far-reaching impacts because it shakes confidence in the government to fulfill its basic duties. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce warned, “A well-functioning economy requires a functioning government.”

WHAT ABOUT COURT CASES, THE WORK OF CONGRESS AND PRESIDENTIAL PAY?

The president and members of Congress will continue to work and get paid. However, any members of their staff who are not deemed essential will be furloughed.

The Supreme Court, which begins its new term Monday, would be unaffected by a short shutdown because it can draw on a pot of money provided by court fees, including charges for filing lawsuits and other documents, court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe said.

The rest of the federal judiciary also would operate normally for at least the first two weeks

of October, said Peter Kaplan, a spokesman for the judiciary.

Even in a longer shutdown, the entire judiciary would not shut down, and decisions about what activities would continue would be made by each court around the country. The justices and all federal judges would continue to be paid because of the constitutional prohibition on reducing judges’ pay during their tenure, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Notably, funding for the three special counsels appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland would not be affected by a government shutdown because they are paid for through a permanent, indefinite appropriation, an area that’s been exempted from shutdowns in the past. That means the two federal cases against Donald Trump, the former president, as well as the case against Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, would not be interrupted. Trump has demanded that Republicans defund the prosecutions against him as a condition of funding the government, declaring it their “last chance” to act.

HAS THIS HAPPENED BEFORE?

Prior to the 1980s, lapses in government funding did not result in government operations significantly shuttering. But thenU.S. Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti, in a series of legal opinions in 1980 and 1981, argued that government agencies cannot legally operate during a funding gap.

Federal officials have since operated under an understanding they can make exemptions for functions that are “essential” for public safety and constitutional duties.

Since 1976, there have been 22 funding gaps, with 10 of them leading to workers being furloughed. But most of the significant shutdowns have taken place since Bill Clinton’s presidency, when then-Speaker Newt Gingrich and his conservative House majority demanded budget cuts.

The longest government shutdown happened between 2018 and 2019 when then-President Trump and congressional Democrats entered a standoff over

his demand for funding for a border wall. The disruption lasted 35 days, through the holiday season, but was also only a partial government shutdown because Congress had passed some appropriations bills to fund parts of the government.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO END A SHUTDOWN?

It’s the responsibility of Congress to fund the government. The House and Senate have to agree to fund the government in some way, and the president has to sign the legislation into law.

The two sides are deeply entrenched and nowhere near reaching a deal to avert a shutdown.

But if the shutdown lasts for weeks, pressure will build to end the impasse, particularly if active-duty military members miss pay dates on Oct. 13 or Nov. 1. If the wider public starts seeing disruptions in air travel or border security as workers go unpaid, it will further goad Congress to act.

Congress often relies on a so-called continuing resolution, or CR, to provide stopgap money to open government offices at current levels as budget talks are underway. Money for pressing national priorities, such as emergency assistance for victims of natural disasters, is often attached to a shortterm bill.

But hardline Republicans say any temporary bill is a non-starter for them. They are pushing to keep the government shut down until Congress negotiates all 12 bills that fund the government, which is historically a laborious undertaking that isn’t resolved until December, at the earliest.

Trump, who is Biden’s top rival heading into the 2024 election, is urging on the Republican hardliners. If they are successful, the shutdown could last weeks, perhaps even longer.

A 2019 shutdown forced places such as the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., to close until Congress was able to reach a budget deal. ABACA PRESS/OLIVIER DOULIERY/TNS

Former President Donald Trump is urging congressional Republicans to hold a hard line in budget negotiations as a means to defund investigations against him. Funding for those investigations are guaranteed, even if there is a shutdown

FSCC: No women’s basketball for upcoming season

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was able to get commitments from a dozen student-athletes for the upcoming year, “but due to untruths (the players) were told by one of the previous coaches, the students got here and determined they were sold

a bill of goods,” Kegler said. “They left pretty much as soon as they’d gotten here.”

Left in a lurch, Carswell sent out appeals to area high school graduates and other student-athletes on campus “to see if we could fill out the ros-

ter,” Kegler said. The effort almost paid off, but when one of the players left the school earlier this month, it left only four scholarship players on the roster, one of whom is coming off a serious knee injury.

“It was decided that

in the best interest of the program, we should suspend the season,” Kegler said.

Kegler said administrators briefly explored playing a truncated season, but that led to concerns among players that they would lose a year of eligibility.

“The student-athletes I spoke with were very supportive and very much cared about how this impacted Jolee,” Kegler said.

The coaching staff will get a full year to recruit players, Kegler noted, while the school will utilize them in

other situations, such as helping with admissions work and campus tours.

“We’ve got a plan in place,” Kegler said. “This gives them an opportunity to go out and do some recruiting, and we start over again for the 2024-25 season.”

Pause: Allen County Recycling suspends operations

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recycling efforts through paper drives, an effort that eventually expanded to include collecting cardboard, plastic, glass and metal.

But the effort eventually became a victim of its own success, said Davis, a fellow Rotarian, as the responsibilities for the operation steadily grew beyond the group’s capabilities.

Then, when Peerless Products notified the Rotary club that it would need to reclaim its loading dock — the site used by Rotarians to drop off recyclables — Rotary ceased its recycling program at the end of 2021.

Allen County Recycling launched a few months later.

The group set up shop in the old Thompson Poultry building just north of Pump N Pete’s on East Street.

Over the ensuing 18 months, the all-volunteer effort has been a struggle, as fewer and fewer helpers have stepped forward to collect totes filled with cardboard boxes or sort through the various types of plastic, glass and other materials left at the site.

“FRUSTRATED is probably the right word,” board member Steve Strickler agreed.

Strickler has been one of the group’s driving forces, often driving around by himself or with his dairy employees to ferry cardboard from local businesses to the recycling center.

Strickler also purchased the cardboard baler, and like the other board members, would lobby for support from local governments.

But workload between his responsibilities at the dairy and the effort needed to keep the recycling program afloat has become too much to continue, he said.

“Sometimes the only thing keeping me going was hearing from people who said, ‘Boy, we

sure appreciate what you’re doing,’” Strickler told the Register. “But there comes a time when a person has to sleep, too.”

ALLEN COUNTY Recycling board member Janie Works approached both Allen County commissioners and Iola city council members over the summer, asking if they’d be willing to dedicate employees to a recycling effort.

While both the county and city have supported other measures, such as county crews helping haul plastic and glass to Coffey County, or the city reimbursing the group to extend utilities to the old Thompson site.

But both the city and county were tepid to Allen County Recycling’s request for manpower.

County commissioners indicated they’d be willing to hire one employee on a temporary basis if the city did the same.

Iola Council members instead offered alternative suggestions, such as seeing if Allen County Jail inmates could be utilized.

Davis said the Board would return to both the city and county with updates.

“We’ve been grateful for the help the county and city have offered,” Davis said, noting the ball is in their courts if any concerted effort is to continue.

In a perfect world, Davis said Allen County could develop a program similar to what is in place in Coffey County, where the landfill has a recycling center on site, and residents are assessed a higher trash collection fee if they don’t take part in recycling than those who do.

The obvious benefit, Davis said, is the thousands of pounds of materials that would be kept out of the Allen County Landfill.

He noted residents would likely be receptive to an organized re-

cycling effort. Davis remains convinced Iola could alter its twice-a-week trash pickup to focus on recyclables one day and pick up other refuse the next.

THERE IS still work to be done within the recycling center. The bales will need to be hauled off at some point, “and we need to pick up bins from local businesses and let them know we won’t be leaving empty ones for their cardboard any more,” Davis said.

In the meantime, he will continue to encourage community members to reach out to their elected officials.

“I think what the Rotary started 30 years ago has demonstrated that Allen Countians will support recycling,” Davis said.

Strickler, too, said it’s not too late for local leaders to act.

“I still think there’s support” from both the city and county, he said. “Other communities have made this happen. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel.”

Above, Dan Davis, president of Allen County Recycling, leads a tour of schoolchildren of the group’s recycling center at the old Thompson Poultry facility in east Iola in 2022. Citing a lack of volunteers to help keep the operation going, the non-profit organization is suspending its operations. Below, this “closed” sign greets visitors to the Allen County Recycling dropoff center in Iola. REGISTER/ VICKIE MOSS (above) and TIM STAUFFER

Opinion

U.S. in a tough spot in India, Canada conflict

By DANIEL DePETRIS The Chicago Tribune

As perverse as it may sound, state-sponsored assassinations overseas are nothing new in the dirty world of international relations.

The parents who can’t log off

Constant online supervision might do more harm than good

By LISA JARVIS

Last spring, my tween was begging for more independence, starting with being allowed to walk home from school alone. The mile-plus walk involves crossing a few busy streets. I was hesitant; she doesn’t have a phone, so she had no way to contact me if something went wrong. But we practiced a few times (with me trailing her a block behind) to be sure she was confident of the route and talked about what she would do in various scenarios.

Then, we allowed her to do something that some parents in our uber-connected era might find truly wild: roam free.

The chance of something happening to her is vanishingly low, but it still took a few days to shed my anxiety. I reminded myself that building her independence requires mutual trust — and that comes with accepting some risk.

And failing to give kids sufficient independence carries risks, too. That’s a recurring theme of “Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World,” a new book by Devorah Heitner. There are downsides to constantly tracking our kids, whether that’s using Find My Phone to keep tabs on their locations or following their performance at school through apps like ClassDojo or PowerSchool. Even monitoring teens’ texts and perusing their social media accounts — as often suggested by parenting experts — can backfire.

“The culture of surveillance is shaping our children’s sense of identity and independence — and impacting our mental health, our family’s connectedness, and our ability to self-define in adulthood,” Heitner writes. “This impact starts as early as kindergarten.” This teaches our kids that it’s normal to be constantly surveilled, she argues. Living in this digital panopticon can increase their anxiety.

And hard though it may be to admit, parental vigilance can’t always keep kids safe. Constant supervision just gives us the illusion of control — it doesn’t prevent questionable decisions or bad grades. What’s needed is, as Heitner puts it, a shift from “monitoring” to “mentoring” so that teens learn to make their own wise choices. One of parenting’s challenges is walking that line.

Heitner’s perspective

adds dimension to the conversation about the current teen mental health crisis.

Whenever I’ve written about the alarming decline in the mental health of tweens and teens, I inevitably get a flurry of emails telling me that the source of the problem is clear: It’s all that TikTok and texting. The solution, therefore, is simple: Parents just need to be more on top of what’s going on in their teens’ digital lives — less social media, more boundaries, more monitoring.

But that instinct to keep kids safe through constant oversight might not always be the right one. At times, it could even do more harm than good. Let me be clear: I’m a proponent of putting off phones and social media for as long as possible — and of forcing social media companies to make their products safer for younger users. Kids should not have free rein with TikTok and Snapchat, nor should parents be unaware of their tweens’ and teens’ inner lives. Social media certainly plays a role in kids’ deteriorating emotional state.

But so, perhaps, do our well-meaning attempts to cocoon kids from harm. “When we say we’re keeping an eye on our kids because they ‘make bad choices,’ we are robbing them of opportunities to develop good judgment and boundaries — and to think for themselves,” Heitner writes.

As kids first dabble in social media, it makes sense to provide structure, rules and some

oversight, and Heitner and others certainly have advice on how to do that. But ideally, they earn independence over time through mutual trust. In the process, they will undoubtedly experience uncomfortable social situations and even make mistakes. But that, too, is part of growing up. As clinical psychologist Lisa Damour drives home in her recent book, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents, some struggle is normal, and learning to cope with adversity is critical to kids’ success later in life.

As Damour writes, “Mental health is not about feeling good. Distress comes with being human, and it certainly comes with a teenager dealing with the challenges and disappointments that are part of growing up.” Parents, with good intent, too often succumb to the urge to prevent or fix a problem rather than help kids learn how to manage their own emotions in a healthy way.

GIVING kids space often defies our parental instincts — particularly our sense that more information about our kids’ inner lives is always better. But as they grow up, constantly supervising them isn’t a solution, either.

My kid has now walked home from school dozens of times. This fall, she asked to roam even further … and got her first Apple Watch, so she can text us if she needs to. Even though I trust her, the urge to constantly check in is strong. But so is my hope that it will fade.

Israel has conducted targeted killings against terrorists in multiple countries; in 2010, a team of Mossad agents tracked a senior Hamas commander to his hotel room in Dubai and killed him, possibly by suffocation. Russian President Vladimir Putin has a long history of poisoning perceived opponents and traitors. And then there was the case of Saudi intelligence agents luring Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where he was killed and dismembered.

Now India has joined the club. According to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Canada’s intelligence services have information suggesting the Indian government was involved in the slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a high-profile Sikh leader in Canada who was shot to death by two masked gunmen in the Vancouver area in June.

As one might expect, the news has plunged India-Canada relations to new lows. The Canadian government expelled a top Indian diplomat from the country. India returned the favor by sending a Canadian diplomat packing and stop-

the Iranians and Russians were implicated in a killing on Canadian soil, you can bet that U.S. officials would be outraged (rightly so) about it and release a preliminary assessment about the matter even as the investigation was still progressing. Needless to say, this hasn’t occurred yet in the Nijjar investigation. We can chalk some of this up to prudence. But a larger part, no doubt, is because Biden doesn’t want to pick a fight with India at a time when the country is a major pillar of his Indo-Pacific strategy. In essence, geopolitical factors are outweighing the administration’s frequent boasts about defending the so-called rulesbased international order.

The U.S. has invested significant diplomatic capital over the years in elevating the U.S.-India relationship. The relationship, however, has really accelerated under the Biden administration. Modi has visited the White House twice over the last three years, the last time in June, when he was given the red-carpet treatment at an official state dinner.

The U.S. considers India a critical check on China’s ambitions in Asia — and it shows. The White House doesn’t want to do anything that could upset the relationship. Despite India purchasing the Russian S-400 missile defense system, the Biden administration granted the country an exemption to a law mandating U.S. sanctions on any country

ping the processing of visas for Canadians. New Delhi strongly denies the allegations.

While the U.S. hasn’t been totally oblivious about the case, the lack of a stern condemnation speaks volumes. Granted, there is a lot we don’t know about this specific incident. Was Nijjar killed on the orders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi? India’s intelligence services? Did an individual intelligence officer in the Indian bureaucracy take matters into their own hands without their superiors knowing anything about it? The fact that Canada intercepted communications between Indian diplomats, information that was then used to buttress its assessment, suggests Nijjar’s killing wasn’t some lone-wolf operation.

Yet it doesn’t take a genius to contrast Washington’s church-mouse-like silence in this case with other state-sponsored killings. If

purchasing Russian military equipment. India continues to buy Russian crude oil, with barely a peep coming out of Washington.

Modi’s record on human rights is subpar — he was once banned from entering the U.S. during his previous tenure as chief minister of Gujarat, a state in western India — but India’s importance to U.S. grand strategy in Asia is seen as simply too important to make human rights or religious freedom a big issue.

The Nijjar case throws a wrench into all of this. The U.S. is caught between a rock and a hard place. Condemn India for the killing and jeopardize a strategic partnership the U.S. has sought to build since the turn of the century, or stay quiet and be open to charges of hypocrisy.

The White House thus far is trying to tread a middle ground. But how long can it last?

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) shakes hand with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi on Sept. 9, 2023. (Evan Vucci via Getty Images/TNS)

As shutdown nears, Republicans open impeachment hearings

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans launched a formal impeachment hearing Thursday against President Joe Biden, saying they intend to “provide accountability” as they make their case to the public, their colleagues and skeptics in the Senate.

The chairmen of the Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees used the opening hearing of their impeachment inquiry to review the constitutional and legal questions involved. They are trying to show what

they say are links to Biden’s son Hunter’s overseas businesses, though key witnesses said they do not yet see hard evidence of impeachable offenses.

Rep. James Comer, R-KY, the Oversight chairman, said the lawmakers have “a mountain of evidence” that will show that the elder Biden “abused his public office for his family’s financial gain.” Comer said the panel will continue to “follow the money and the evidence to provide accountability” to the

Netflix puts halt to DVD-by-mail service

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE The Associated Press

The curtain is finally coming down on Netflix’s once-iconic DVDby-mail service, a quarter century after two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs came up with a concept that obliterated Blockbuster video stores while providing a springboard into video streaming that has transformed entertainment.

The DVD service that has been steadily shrinking in the shadow of Netflix’s video streaming service will shut down after its five remaining distribution centers in California, Texas, Georgia and New Jersey mail out their final discs Friday.

The fewer than 1 million recipients who still subscribe to the DVD service will be able to keep the final discs that land in their mailboxes.

“It’s sad,” longtime Netflix DVD subscriber Amanda Konkle said Thursday as she waited the arrival for her final disc, “The Nightcomers,” a 1971 British horror film featuring Marlon Brando. “It’s makes me feel nostalgic. Getting these DVDs has been part of my routine for decades.”

Some of the remaining DVD diehards will get up to 10 discs as a going away present to loyal customers such as Konkle, 41, who has watched more than 900 titles since signing up for the service in 2006. In hopes of being picked for the 10 DVD giveaway, Konkle set up her queue to highlight for more movies starring Brando and older films that are difficult to find on streaming.

At its peak, the DVD boasted 16 million subscribers who could choose from more than 100,000 titles stocked in the Netflix library. But in 2011, Netflix made the pivotal decision to separate the DVD side business from a streaming business that now boasts 238 million worldwide subscribers and generated $31.5 billion in revenue year.

American people.

It’s a high-stakes opening act for Republicans, coming in the midst of a potential federal government shutdown, as they begin a process that can lead to the ultimate penalty for a president, punishment for what the Constitution describes as “high crimes and misdemeanors.”

The hearing comes as House Republicans face scattered reluctance from their own ranks to an impeachment inquiry and deep resistance in the Senate from Re-

publicans who worry about political ramifications and say Biden’s conviction and removal from office is a near impossibility.

As the hearing began, Democrats displayed a screen showing the days, hours and minutes left until the government shuts down as Congress struggles to fund the government before Saturday’s deadline.

“We’re 62 hours away from shutting down the government of the United States of America and Republicans are launching an impeachment

drive, based on a long debunked and discredited lie,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the Oversight panel. Raskin questioned the legitimacy of the hearing since the House has not voted to formally launch the impeachment inquiry. He said Republicans are rehashing five-year-old allegations raised by Donald Trump, who is Biden’s chief rival in 2024, during the former president’s 2019 impeachment over Ukraine.

Many questions, few answers in wildfires hearing

By REBECCA BOONE The Associated Press

Lawmakers probing the cause of last month’s deadly Maui wildfire did not get many answers during Thursday’s congressional hearing on the role the electrical grid played in the disaster.

The DVD service, in contrast, brought in just $146 million in revenue last year, making its eventual closure inevitable against a backdrop of stiffening competition in video streaming that has forced Netflix to whittle expenses to boost its profits.

“It is very bittersweet,” said Marc Randolph, Netflix’s CEO when the company shipped its first DVD, “”Beetlejuice,” in April 1998.

“We knew this day was coming, but the miraculous thing is that it didn’t come 15 years ago.”

Although he hasn’t been involved in Netflix’s day-to-day operations for 20 years, Randolph came up with the idea for a DVD-by-service in 1997 with his friend and fellow entrepreneur, Reed Hastings, who eventually succeeded him as CEO — a job Hastings held until stepping aside earlier this year.

Back when Randolph and Hastings were mulling the concept, the DVD format was such a nascent technology that there were only about 300 titles available at the time.

In 1997, DVDs were so hard to find that when they decided to test whether a disc could make it thorough the U.S. Postal Service that Randolph wound up slipping a CD containing Patsy Cline’s greatest hits into a pink envelope and dropping it in the mail to Hastings from the Santa Cruz, California post office.

Still, the president of Hawaiian Electric — Maui’s sole electricity provider — promised to gather and provide more details about exactly what happened on Aug. 8, including when the power stopped flowing through downed power lines in Lahaina and exactly when the decision was made to trigger a procedure designed to make sure that broken lines were not re-energized.

Shelee Kimura also said the utility doesn’t have the right or responsibility to clear dry brush or other vegetation on private property — even if it is in the right-of-way, directly underneath power lines — unless the plants or trees are tall enough to potentially contact the lines.

The fire in the historic town of Lahaina killed at least 97 people and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, mostly homes. It first erupted at 6:30 a.m. when strong winds appeared to cause a Hawaiian Electric power line to fall, igniting dry brush and grass near a large subdivision.

Aerial and satellite imagery reviewed by The Associated Press show the gully where the fire reignited later that afternoon has long been choked with plants and trash, which a severe summer drought turned into tinder-dry fuel for fires. Photos taken after the blaze show charred foliage in the utility’s right-of-way still more than 10 feet (three meters) high.

During the U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing, lawmakers questioned Kimura and other utility officials about how the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century began — and whether the electrical grid in

Lahaina was safe and properly maintained. There is still much to sort out about the fire, Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Virginia, said at the hearing’s start. Among questions that need to be answered are how the fires spread and what efforts to reduce fire risk have been

made in recent years.

“It is extremely important that we ... ask the hard questions,” he said.

Those testifying were Kimura, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission Chair Leodoloff Asuncion Jr. and Hawaii Chief Energy Officer Mark Glick.

Asked to address whether the electrical grid in Lahaina was safe and properly maintained, Kimura told the committee that 2,000 of the company’s wooden power poles had not been tested or treated for possible termites, rot or other problems since 2013. The other 29,000 poles on the island had been assessed under Hawaiian Electric’s “test and treat” program, she said, but the remaining 2,000 had not yet been done.

Kimura said she didn’t know exactly where those untested poles were located or if they were in the area of the Lahaina fire. But at least one pole near where the fire started was tested and treated in 2022, she said.

Many different factors like drought need to be taken into account when looking at the fire, she said, and a lot of people and organizations were involved.

Charred remains of a burned neighbourhood is seen in the aftermath of a wildfire, in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on Aug. 14. AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES/YUKI IWAMURA/TNS

Red Netflix envelopes sit in a bin of mail at the U.S. Post Office sort center in San Francisco. GETTY IMAGES/JUSTIN SULLIVAN/TNS

Friday, September 29, 2023

Sports Daily B

Crest’s Allen sisters keep on running

her sisters look to for advice on how to run longer distances consistently. After notching a 24th place finish at the state meet last year, she also came in fifth place at the Three Rivers League meet before finishing in seventh place at the 1A regional meet.

Aubrey had surgery on her elbow to repair the damage she sustained during P.E. class last year and is still currently recovering from the injury. “I like being that leader, showing them how to do it and I want to make sure the younger ones are running with their heart and don’t ever give up,” Aubrey said. “I want my younger siblings to know to never give up and if you fall down, just get up and go.”

“I’ve had to put in the work. The first two meets were a little bumpy and I didn’t do too well there, but I’ve been improving and I’m back to a few seconds off my personal-record,” said Aubrey. “I’m just trying to get back to where I was.”

YOUNGER twin siblings, Jorden and Lynnex, 11, are motivated by their sisters’ success and the medals and achievements they’ve seen them earn on the course. The quartet usually train together after school and on the weekends, pushing each other to be the best runner.

Lynnex recently finished third while Jorden came in seventh place in the seventh grade girls two-mile run at the Humboldt cross country meet on Sept. 20.

“I want to run with them, so it pushes me. I can help them do better,” said Jorden. “I want to do well in cross country like them and get medals.”

A funny moment even happened when Aubrey and Lynnex were training together and Lynnex had a mishap

See SISTERS | Page B6

Allen squeaks by at Hesston

HESSTON — The Allen men’s soccer team earned their fourth one-goal victory of the season when they defeated Hesston on the road Wednesday, 2-1.

The Red Devils (6-2-1; 3-2 KJCCC) got behind the sure foot of Patrick Alouidor yet again for both goals, even while eight other Allen players had shots on goal.

“It’s a game our guys go into with high confidence,” Allen head coach Doug Desmarteau said of Hesston. “They did a good job of taking what we did in practice and using it on the field. The guys really did adjust after halftime and played their style of soccer.”

Alouidor struck with his first goal 38 minutes into the game when he took a cross pass and hammered it in for the 1-0 lead.

“They play really direct and we noticed where we could have foot races, play it short and play it in their half,” Desmarteau said.

“The first goal we scored was because we made them play short, and then Patrick stepped in front for a goal.”

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

COLONY — The Allen family is making their mark on the Crest cross country team.

Sisters Kaylee, a senior, Aubrey, a sophomore, and twins Jordan and Lynnex, both sixth graders, are all running cross country at Crest this fall and all are focused on improving their own times and Crest’s team finishes.

“It’s really cool to have a group of sisters who all run together,” Crest head coach Kaitlyn Cummings said. “They may be different speeds, but even on easy days, they’re all making sure they’re running hard. They are really making an impact on the pro-

Allen sweeps Labette

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

The Allen volleyball team swept Labette Community College at home Wednesday in a three straight set victory.

Allen came out on top in all three sets by at least 10 points, winning 25-14, 2512 and 25-14.

“Momentum was high from the get-go,” Allen head coach Maria Aikins said. “The girls executed and limited unforced errors, so that helped with

See ACC | Page B6

gram. Each one has individual goals, but they’re all showing effort, heart and drive for our team.”

OLDEST sister Kaylee, 17, is the only dual-sport athlete of the quartet, also playing volleyball. This is her first year competing in cross country. She’s played volleyball all four years but decided this year would be good to join her sisters.

“It helps us grow together as a family and build stronger bonds as siblings,” said Kaylee. “We get to spend more time together, push each other and whenever somebody feels like giving up, we turn to each other and say ‘you’ve got this.’”

AUBREY, 15, is certainly the one

Hesston scored only a few seconds after Aloudidor’s goal off when Alejandro Lumbreras poked in a through ball after some Allen defensive miscommunication to knot the game at 1-1.

“I don’t like getting in situations where we have a one-goal lead,” said Desmarteau. “At the end of games, they want to get more chances and push people better. It will be big time for the postseason and everyone will be playing their best soccer. You may score early and have to hold them off for 70 minutes. That’s just how the game is.”

Allen went ahead with 16 minutes left in the sec-

See RED DEVILS | Page B6

Lady Red Devils breeze past Hesston late

HESSTON — The Allen women’s soccer team poured it on Hesston in the second half of a 4-0 road victory Wednesday afternoon.

After a first half in which Allen (6-2-1; 3-2 KJCCC) had countless shots on goal but couldn’t find the back of the net, the Lady Red Devils struck for four goals in the second half alone. Hesston nearly made it impossible for Allen to score, packing the box with nine players.

“I know it was frustrating, and as I told them, so much of life is how you react to it,” Allen head coach Jeremy McGinnis said. “We can’t control them packing it in, so we changed our reaction. We tried to find solutions and showed we were a better

team than the first half.”

The key to the game, according to McGinnis, was Allen’s ability to react to Hes-

ston’s crowded defensive scheme which didn’t allow the Lady Red Devils to move much around the goal.

Rebecca Lord scored the initial goal for Allen only 23 seconds after halftime for the 1-0 lead.

“Rebecca leads by example. She works hard, she’s very soft spoken, she’s an all-around great kid and I don’t have to worry about her,” said McGinnis. “She’s been loyal to the program and has been here for a long time. I can have soccer conversations with her, and she makes me better as a coach.”

Audrey Smith tacked on another goal a minute later when she took a ball from the left side of the 18’ box and laid it in for the 2-0 advantage.

Vivian Santos made it a three-goal lead before Pietra

See ALLEN | Page B6

Crest’s Allen sisters, from top left to bottom right, are Kaylee Allen, Aubrey Allen, Jorden Allen and Lynnex Allen. COURTESY PHOTO

Allen’s Audrey Smith against Johnson County in a game earlier this season. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

Aubrey, then a freshman, runs with a splint on her arm during the 2023 1A State meet in Wamego on Oct. 29. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

California raises minimum wage for fast food workers to $20/hour

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California fast food workers will be paid at least $20 per hour next year under a new law signed Thursday by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

When it takes effect on April 1, fast food workers in California will have among the highest minimum wages in the country, according to data compiled by the University of California-Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education. The state’s minimum wage for all other workers — $15.50 per hour — is already among the highest in the United States.

Cheering fast food workers and labor leaders gathered around Newsom as he signed the bill at an event in Los Angeles.

“This is a big deal,” Newsom said.

Newsom’s signature on Thursday reflects the power and influence of labor unions in the nation’s most populous state, which have worked to organize fast food workers in an attempt to improve their wages and working conditions.

It also settles — for now, at least — a fight between labor and business groups over how to regulate the industry. In exchange for higher pay, labor unions have dropped their attempt to make fast food corporations liable for the mis-

deeds of their independent franchise operators in California, an action that could have upended the business model on which the industry is based. The industry, meanwhile, has agreed to pull a referendum related to worker wages off the 2024 ballot.

“This is for my ancestors. This is for all the farm works, all the cotton-pickers. This is for them. We ride on their shoulders,” said Anneisha Williams, who works at a Jack in the Box restaurant in Southern California.

California’s fast food workers earn an average of $16.60 per hour, or just over $34,000 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the California Poverty Measure for a family of four, a statistic calculated by the Public Policy Institute of California and the Stanford Center on Poverty and Equality that accounts for housing costs and publiclyfunded benefits.

In California, most fast food workers are over 18 and the main providers for their family, according to Enrique Lopezlira, director of the University of California-Berkeley Labor Center’s Low Wage Work Program.

The $20 minimum wage is just a starting point. The law creates a fast food council that has the power to increase that wage each

year through 2029 by 3.5% or the change in averages for the U.S. Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers, whichever is lower. The raise takes effect on April 1 and applies to workers at restaurants that have at least 60 locations nationwide — with an exception for restaurants that make and sell their own bread, like Panera Bread.

Now, the focus will shift to another group of low-wage California workers waiting for their own minimum wage increase. Lawmakers passed a separate bill earlier this month that would gradually raise the minimum wage for health care workers to $25 per hour over the next decade. That raise wouldn’t apply to doctors and nurses, but to most everyone else who works at hospitals, dialysis clinics or other health care facilities.

But unlike the fast food wage increase — which Newsom helped negotiate — the governor has not said if he would sign the raise for health care workers. The issue is complicated by the state’s Medicaid program, which is the main source of revenue for many hospitals. The Newsom administration has estimated the wage increase would cost the state billions of dollars in increased payments to health care providers.

PHILADELPHIA

(AP) — A Phillies fan and his emotional support animal, an alligator named WallyGator, were denied entrance to watch Philadelphia host Pittsburgh.

Social media posts showed the gator on a leash with a harness with his name on it outside the stadium Wednesday.

WallyGator is a working emotional support alligator owned by Joie Henney, of Jonestown, Pennsylvania. The reptile has a big presence on Instagram and TikTok.

Citizens Bank Park’s policy on support animals is posted on the Phillies’ official website. It states, “Guide dogs, service animals, or service animals in training are welcome. All other animals are prohibited.”

Henney spoke to The Philadelphia Inquirer last year and said WallyGator helps him battle depression and that “he likes to give hugs.” Henney said then that the gator had never bitten anyone.

Phillies: ‘Later, gator’

Q: I’ve enjoyed Rachel Boston in many of her cable movies. Where did she get her star t?

A: Seen most recently in “The More Love Grows” on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, the actress has been star ting to play mothers more frequently … which is appropriate, since she became a first-time mom herself early in 2022. Her first big credit was the 2002-05 NBC series “American Dreams,” inspired by the legendar y music show “American Bandstand” and featuring Boston as Beth, who became the sister-in-law of “Bandstand” dancer Beth (Brittany Snow).

Boston went on to do guest shots on many series including “NCIS,” “Crossing Jordan,” “Las Vegas,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “ER” and “Castle.” She landed continuing roles on “In Plain Sight” and “Witches of East End,” and in 2014, she began what has become her long association with the Hallmark brand, which star ted with the movie “A Ring by Spring” (still repeated fairly often).

The Christmas season has yielded a par ticular amount of work for Boston, who has worked again for Hallmark in “Ice Sculpture Christmas,” “Christmas in Angel Falls,” “Check Inn to Christmas,” “The Christmas Carousel” and “A Christmas Cookie Catastrophe.” “Stop the Wedding,” “The Last Bridesmaid” and “Dating the Delaneys” have been among Boston’s other Hallmark projects; she also has made films for Lifetime occasionally

Additionally, Boston has had a recurring role on “SEAL Team” that enabled her to keep working while she was in later stages of her pregnancy, since her character on the series – Hannah Oliver – also was expecting, with high-school friend and Bravo Team member Sonny Quinn (A.J. Buckley) the father of her child.

Is it selflish to ask dying spouse to hold on longer?

Hi, Carolyn: My husband and partner of 37 years, age 65, has been courageously battling a neurological disease for the past 10 years. He is three years past the average life expectancy for this disease, and life is getting tough for him.

This week, he decided he no longer wants to live and asked me to set up an appointment with his doctor to talk about his death, which I did. The doctor is all for not prolonging suffering and will help him end his life.

Am I selfish to want him to, and ask him to, fight for more time together? More kisses, more sunsets, more waking up together? I think he could have another year or more, but it would be super difficult for both of us.

He wants to do what’s best for me and says he doesn’t want to be a burden. Should I respect his wishes and support his decision? Would I just be

Carolyn Hax

postponing the inevitable at his expense?

What is the right thing to do? — Wants More Time With Sweet Husband Wants More Time With Sweet Husband: If extending his life would not in fact be a burden for you — if instead you would welcome it — then it is important for him to hear that.

If extending his life would be a burden for him, then it is important for you to hear that.

I hope it’s not jarring to say, amid the terrible misfortune of his illness — what a lucky man he is, to be so loved.

And how lucky you are to have found him.

Dear Carolyn: What do you say to a person who says, “I don’t think

we’ve ever met”? And, in fact, you’ve met this person multiple times and this person says this each and every time?

This person lives in the same community and has children of similar ages. At this point, to me, it is a joke because I just count how many times she says it and I think it is her issue. However, my wife says it is rude and I need to stand up for myself. — You Know Me You Know Me: Some people are self-absorbed or don’t pay enough attention when they’re meeting someone who doesn’t register to them as useful or interesting. This, I agree, is so rude. Not to mention shortsighted.

Some people, though, have impaired facial recognition — prosopagnosia. It’s not uncommon. They can meet someone several times without even a sense of déjà vu, especially if the people they’re meeting

Dense breasts may need more screenings

By SONYA GOINS Mayo Clinic News

You might need supplemental screenings if you’ve been diagnosed with dense breast tissue. Women with dense breast tissue have less fat and more glandular and connective tissue. They are also at a higher risk of developing cancer.

Dense breast tissue refers to the way breast tissue appears on a mammogram.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 50% of women have this type of breast tissue.

Dr. Kristin Robinson, a Mayo Clinic breast radiologist, encourages women with dense breast tissue to have additional screenings. Supplemental

CRYPTOQUOTES

screenings are a good idea if your mammogram shows you have dense breast tissue.

“The dense tissue on a mammogram looks white, and cancer looks white,” says Dr. Robinson.

She says these exams can assist in identifying cancer. Diagnostic tools, like MRI, use powerful

magnets and radio waves to create cross-sectional images of the breasts.

“MRI looks at blood flow in the breast tissue and compares it to the blood flow throughout that breast and the opposite breast. And the idea is that cancer is going to have more blood flow,” explains Dr. Robinson.

Public notice

(Published in The Iola Register Sept. 29, 2023)

NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR ZONING CHANGE

NOTICE is hereby given that an application has been filed by Dan Stanley, requesting a zoning change for property located in Allen County, Kansas. The property is currently zoned Agricultural. The applicant requests that the change be granted in order to permit: The construction and installation of mini storage units Following is the description of the property for which the change is requested:

lack a distinctive feature. This is unfortunate, not rude — and in fact can be stressful for the people with this problem, because they walk into events knowing they’re likely to offend people they don’t mean to offend.

Either way, you’re right that it’s “her issue.” So either way, it’s perfectly appropriate for you to brush it off and not engage beyond “hello.” Or to bring the joke lightheartedly to the surface, especially if context says she isn’t a jerk. “Actually, we’ve met a few times. I’m working on being more memorable.”

I disagree with your wife that you “need” to stand up for yourself. If you want to, then do, but this community person holds no power over you. She’s not your boss, your elected representative, your kid’s teacher. From where I sit, you have nothing to lose by deciding it’s not personal and leaving this battle unfought. But if I’m wrong, that’s okay; each time you meet her, you have a clean slate to try something new.

ZITS

by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

BEETLE BAILEY by

Mort Walker

S2 NE4 & N2 SE4 EX RD, S14, T26, R18, in Allen County, Kansas. Also known as 368 1600 St. Humboldt, KS 66748.

A public hearing before the Allen County Planning and Zoning Board will be held on Thursday, November 9, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the Assembly Room at the Allen County Courthouse, 1 N. Washington, Iola, Kansas, at which time written and oral presentations and comments will be considered by the Board. For further information, contact the Allen County Zoning Administrator at 1 N. Washington, (620) 365-1432.

(9) 29 (10) 6

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by

Chris Browne

BLONDIE

Yesterday’s Cryptoquote:

“The library, and step on it.”

MUTTS

by Young and Drake

by Patrick McDonell

MARVIN by Tom

Armstrong

HI AND LOIS by Chance

Browne

Miguel Cabrera’s career coming to close with Tigers

DETROIT (AP) — Mi-

guel Cabrera sat in a gray chair beside his two stalls in the Detroit Tigers’ clubhouse early in the final week of his career, sorting through stuff to get shipped.

Major League Baseball’s only Triple Crown winner since 1967

stuffed dozens of barely used cleats and a bunch of batting gloves in a cardboard box at his feet. Cabrera then put a slew of balls he had signed, each in a zip lock bag, in a tote.

The bottle of wine, in bubble wrap, that the Oakland Athletics gave

him last week along with his personal belongings are being sent to his home in Miami.

Where’s he going to put it all?

“I don’t know,” the 40-year-old Cabrera said with a shrug and a grin.

For Cabrera — and baseball fans — there’s

ACC: Sweeps Labette at home

Continued from B1

our tempo. Any win in the league is great, and it will help us stay up in the rankings and help when we get to the postseason.”

Veronica Agostini led the Lady Red Devils offensively with a team-high 17 kills while Katy Harris added on 12 of her own. Isabelle Simione had a team-high 32 aces.

“Veronica has been such a role player for us,” Aikins said. “All season she’s brought her versatility, defensively picking up some great digs. She had a big block tonight. She’s also one of our most aggressive servers so that helps score some points.”

Jolianys Roman and Payton Zimmerman went for three and two aces, respectively.

Defensively, Roman notched a team-high 18 digs while Agostini and Zimmerman each went for 13 digs.

“Our defensive line is so vital, and it’s also one of the most overlooked,” Aikins said. “We had our girls step up big time and keep our ball control. Jo-

lianys Roman has stepped up huge for us as a libero and Payton Zimmerman was hustling everywhere.”

Agostini also collected a team-high 22 points while Harris

had 13. Simione and Gallegos each had 6.5 points.

Allen hosts Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College next Monday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m.

Red Devils: Score late goal, win

Continued from B1

ond half when Alouidor took another cross pass, this time from Wisdom Nkwamba, into the net for the 2-1 advantage.

Even though Allen

scored only two goals against Hesston, the team had 10 shots on goal as opposed to the Larks’ eight.

Calum Murphy, Diogo Cardeal, Diego Coro-

nado, Jeff Beljour and Ted Roberts each had one shot on goal. Allen hosts Pratt Community College on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Allen: Women pour it on Hesston

Continued from B1

Camboim finished it off for the 4-0 final.

“Vivian stepped up at the end of last year. She is a hard worker and stays busy,” McGinnis said. “She does a lot of the dirty work: attacking and defending. She’s found herself

unmarked inside the final third a lot. She sees space and reads the game really well.” Hesston held the ball for a minimal amount of time, not departing from their heavy defensive set which caused troubles in the second half.

a lot to unpack from the career of one of the best hitters ever.

Cabrera’s career will end Sunday afternoon against Cleveland at Comerica Park, where a sold-out crowd will include a few thousands fans paying for standing-room only tickets to cheer him on one more time.

The 12-time AllStar leaves the game with an impressive legacy. The popular player has also provided a desperately needed jolt of joy in his native Venezuela during a crisis that has pushed millions into poverty and compelled 7.3 million people to migrate.

Cabrera, who made his major league debut at 20 with the Florida Marlins, has put himself in the conversation with all-time greats at the plate.

“Hitting a baseball is one of the hardest things to do in sports, and he and Albert Pujols are the two best that I’ve seen do it my 60 years in baseball,” Jim Leyland, who managed Cabrera in Detroit, said in a telephone interview this week. “It’s on paper,

and in the books.”

When Cabrera led the majors with a .330 batting average, 44 homers and 139 RBIs in 2012, he was the first to win a Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski did it in 1967 with the Boston Red Sox.

Last year, he joined Hank Aaron and Albert Pujols as the three players in baseball history with 3,000 hits, 500 homers and 600 doubles.

“One of the things that made Miggy really special is the way he could drive the ball to all fields,” said Philadelphia Phillies team president Dave Dombrowski, who ran the Marlins when they signed Cabrera as a teenager and later acquired him in a blockbuster trade. “He could hit to right field as if he was a left-handed pull hitter.

“Miggy also had so much grit, playing at times when he was hurt badly, and always had a smile on his face because he loves the game so much.”

Cabrera is from the Venezuelan city of Maracay, which is known for producing bullfighters and ballplayers, including Houston Astros star Jose Altuve. He grew up following fellow

countrymen Davey Concepcion, Omar Vizquel and Andres Galarraga.

“I wanted to follow them to make it to the big leagues,” Cabrera said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I say to people from Venezuela, ‘I think our baseball is safe with Ronald Acuña.’”

The 25-year-old Acuña, an Atlanta Braves outfielder, became the first player in major league history on Wednesday night to have 40 homers and 70 stolen bases in the same season.

“There’s a lot of Venezuelan baseball players who are doing great things over here and playing well,” Acuña said through a translator. “I think we’re all doing a good job of just continuing that, but as far as Venezuelan players are concerned, Miguel Cabrera is like a Venezuelan baseball god.”

The Marlins gave Cabrera $1.8 million to sign when he was 16, and after three seasons in the minors, they called him up. He provided a glimpse of what was to come in his major league debut, hitting a walk-off, 11th-inning homer.

Sisters: Keep stride at Crest

Continued from B1

with some bubble gum.

“My favorite memory was when Lynnex and I were running with each other at the end of a hard workout. She chokes on her gum, spits it out and catches it. I look over and can’t believe what just happened,”

Aubrey laughed. The sisters continue to find ways to have fun and push each other as the season enters the home strech.

The younger Allen sisters prefer the Wellsville and Fort

Scott cross country courses while the older pair prefer Humboldt. Crest ran at the Central Heights cross country meet on Thursday, Sept. 29. Results were not available before presstime.

“That was a goal, to get a shutout, and we were disappointed we let them score the first time we played them,” McGinnis said. “We didn’t feel we should have let up a goal.”

Allen hosts Pratt Community College on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Allen’s Veronica Agostini against Johnson County earlier this season. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT