Softball: Humboldt takes third at state See B1
The Weekender Saturday, May 31, 2014
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Day of Giving
By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
By KAREN INGRAM The Iola Register
Susan Michael, Allen County Community Foundation director, and Don Copley, board president, look over plans for the Day of Giving June 7. REGISTER/BOB JOHNSON aged by the foundation for a 1 percent management fee. In the case of endowments, the foundation also provides a means for those funds to attract additional revenue from the Kansas Health Founda-
www.iolaregister.com
Farm-to-Fork event yields fruitful ideas
Nonprofits to state local needs and goals A raft of nonprofits and charitable groups will come together for next Saturday’s Day of Giving on the Iola square. The event will give local folks opportunity to learn about the various groups in Iola and surrounding communities that help make our corner of the world better. Activities will unfold on the south lawn of the ourthouse square from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The nonprofits will outline goals, answer questions and be available to accept donations. Umbrella for the event is the Allen County Community Foundation, of which many are associated. The foundation provides a ready opportunity for nonprofits and charitable groups to have their funds safely man-
tion, Wichita. “We’re here to help in any way we can,” said Susan Michael, director of the community foundation. Having donations filtered See GIVING | Page A6
Some say an idea is like being struck by lightning, or a light bulb switching on above someone’s head. But what if an idea was like a farm? It would take many hands to work the rich soil, plant the seed of the idea, nurture it and watch it grow. It would take a community to bear the fruit of their idea, and in return it would feed them all. More than two dozen people attended the southeast Kansas Farm-to-Fork Summit. The summit was the result of many organizations working together, including Kansas Rural Center (KRC) and GROW Allen County. Their goals were to understand the farm and food challenges of southeast Kansas and understand the policies needed to help more farmers grow fruit
and vegetables for local citizens. “The truth is, our current food system is failing Kansans,” said Cole Cottin, program coordinator of KRC. A shortage of diversity in what farmers grow and a shift of agricultural economics to global markets has left local markets neglected, she said. Rural grocery stores are closing across the state, making it more difficult for people to shop for fresh produce. These zones where people have to travel far to find fresh and healthful food are called food deserts. “The food desert issue is not just an urban issue. We have lots of rural food deserts across Kansas,” said Eileen Horn, Douglas County sustainability coordinator. See SUMMIT | Page A3
Race develops in District 9 By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
Cole Herder, left, is congratulated by Councilman Jerry Stephens after being selected Humboldt’s new administrator Thursday evening. REGISTER/BOB JOHNSON
Late this week a race developed for the Republican nomination for the 9th District seat in the Kansas House. Chad VanHouden, Chanute, filed Thursday morning. Kent Thompson, incumbent by appointment last fall, filed Friday. The filing deadline is noon Monday. VanHouden, 31, has worked for MRH Insurance, Chanute, since 2009. This is his first foray into elective politics. “When I was 13, I had a four-wheeler accident,”
VanHouden recalled. “When I was recovering the community showered me with love and prayers. I’ve always wanted to give something back and I thought this VanHouden would be a good way.” He is the son of Charles VanHouden, Chanute surgeon. Thompson, 49, won appointment to replace Ed Bideau, a Chanute attorney who was elected to the House in 2012 and then died last September.
He previously served three four-year terms as an Allen County commissioner, completing his last term in January 2009. Thompson has a real estate business in Iola, has farming and ranching interests and with wife Susan owns an Iola liquor store. No Democrat has filed in the race, and if none does the Aug. 5 GOP primary election most likely will decide who will serve the 9th District the next two years. An independent candidate could slip in just ahead of the primary, but would have to do so by petition. Paperwork must be filed with the Secretary of State’s office in Topeka.
Cole Herder is new Shinseki Humboldt administrator resigns
By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
HUMBOLDT — Cole Herder was appointed city administrator Thursday evening. Herder replaces Larry Tucker, who resigned to accept an administrative position in Butler, Mo. Herder, 52, was one of six applicants, vetted by a committee of council members and Mayor Nobby Davis. “We reduced that to two, interviewed each applicant and decided on Cole,” said Sunny Shreeve, a committee member. She made the motion to hire Herder on a two-year contract, which drew a 6-0 vote. Council members Wayne Smith and JoAnn Evans were absent. Herder will be paid $55,000 a year. “We’re on the road to better days,” Davis said after the appointment.
“I’m excited and eager to get started,” Herder chimed in. “I’ll do all I can to do you right.” Herder has no previous public administration experience, but he has been involved in several community betterment groups. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, he has lived in Humboldt since 1966, except for three years while he was earning a degree in electrical engineering at Wichita State University. For the past four years Herder has worked for Microtronics, near Gas, in engineering and before that he was with Everbright in Chanute for 19 years in quality assurance, sales “and anything else needed.” “I know I have a lot to learn, but I’m ready to jump in and work with the rest of the team,” Herder said. “More than anything else, I want to do what’s best for Humboldt.
Quote of the day Vol. 116, No. 151
WASHINGTON (AP) — Beset by growing evidence of patient delays and coverups, embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned from President Barack Obama’s Cabinet Friday, taking the blame for what he decried as a “lack of integrity” in the sprawling health care system for the nation’s military veterans. Obama, under mounting pressure to act from fellow Democrats who are worried about political fallout in the fall elections, praised the retired four-star general and said he accepted his resignation with “considerable regret.” But the president, too, focused on increasingly troubling allegations of treatment delays and preventable deaths at
Davis tours county hospital Rep. Paul Davis, right, House Minority Leader (D), visits with Ron Baker, chief executive officer of Allen County Regional Hospital, on Thursday afternoon. Baker gave Davis a tour of the facility and spoke about healthcare in rural areas. Davis filed for the Kansas governor’s race Thursday morning with running mate Jill Docking, a Wichita businesswoman. REGIS-
TER/KAYLA BANZET
See SHINSEKI | Page A3
“Never find fault with the absent.”
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— Alexander Pope, poet
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