The Iola Register, Aug. 31, 2023

Courtroom remodel plan goes to voters

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

Allen County voters will decide in November whether to approve bonds up to $9.95 million for a courthouse remodel.

Public transportation changes proposed

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

A new public transportation program could take over the county’s senior bus service.

Jeff Keithly, director of ART, and Lisse Regehr, CEO of Thrive, asked county commissioners to consider a consolidation between their general public trans-

portation service and the county’s, which is reserved for those age 55 and older. Allen Regional Transportation (ART) is a non-profit service started by Thrive Allen County that provides public transportation to all Allen County residents. It takes those of all ages wherever they need such

The project is led by a committee including 31st Judicial District Chief Judge Daniel Creitz, who calls the matter “a need, not a want” because of safety concerns. If the county doesn’t address the issue now, he fears an incident could happen in the future that will force their hand.

The existing courtroom and associated offices are congested, and prisoners must be led through the office space from the jail to the courtroom for hearings. Deputies must wait with inmates in the hallway or courtroom, and multiple inmates may be shackled together.

The safety issues became even more apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, Creitz said, as social distancing requirements exposed more of the security concerns and lack of space.

The project would add a second courtroom identical

Allen County voters will decide in November whether to approve bonds up to $9.95 million to remodel the courtrooms in the Allen County Courthouse. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

to the existing one, with additional or reconfigured space for offices and holding rooms; a jury room and conference rooms; and improved security and handicapped accessibility.

Initial plans also included an underground tunnel and elevators to transport prisoners from jail to the courtroom, but those things were removed to save more than $1 million.

Though the project would build onto the courthouse, it is not expected to take much of the “green space” on the

lawn, committee members said. The exterior design is planned to blend with the existing structure.

The county hired Crossland Construction of Columbus in January to lead the project. The company also will help the county promote the bond issue. If the bond doesn’t pass, Crossland will not charge a fee to the county. If it does, Crossland’s fee will be included in the bond.

County commissioners on Tuesday approved a resolution for the bond election on Nov. 7.

Rookies rises from the ashes

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

Rookies Sports Bar & Grill is pulling itself out of the ashes after a fire on Aug. 11.

Owners Carri and Mike Sailor had already been planning to open a second facility at 2402 N. State St. when a kitchen fire forced them to close the location on the downtown square.

“I was really emotional for a few weeks,” Carri Sailor said. “We finally got to the point where instead of focusing on what we lost, we decided to focus on this other

project.”

That meant all-hands-ondeck to finish construction of the new facility. Contractors, family members and employees banded together to help.

“All the little things are starting to get done,” Sailor said. She hopes the new location will be open in three to four weeks.

As for the downtown location, crews are splitting their time between to clean up from the fire.

The fire was contained to the rear of the building, with

257 test scores below state average

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

Test scores for nearly all grade levels in the Iola school district lag behind the state, but the district’s curriculum director says those numbers don’t tell the full story.

If you dig into individual student scores, you’ll see year-to-year improvement, Jenna Higginbotham, the curriculum director, told USD 257 board members this week. Last year’s third grade class appeared to struggle the most according to test results, but those students were piloting a new English language arts program and had a new team of teachers, she said. The dis-

trict has since adopted the curriculum and Higginbotham wants to see how scores will change in the next couple of years.

“There’s a learning curve,” she said. “They say it takes about three years to see a true impact, so we may not see it next year but I’m hoping we will after that.”

The scores show all grade levels in English, math and science were below the average state scores with a few exceptions. USD 257’s fourth-graders were equal to the state in math. Eighth-graders were equal in science, and high school juniors exceeded

See 257 | Page A3

USD 257 curriculum director Jenna Higginbotham speaks Monday to school board members. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

Jeff Keithly of Allen Regional Transportation, left, and Lisse Regehr of Thrive Allen County speak Tuesday to Allen County commissioners. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

See COUNTY | Page A4

Carri Sailor hopes to open the new Rookie’s restaurant on North State Street in September. The old location in downtown Iola is undergoing repairs following an Aug. 11 fire, and may reopen as a tavern as early as mid-October. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS See ROOKIES | Page A4

Obituary Locals to note National Recovery Month

Kathryn Barnes

Kathryn Mae Barnes, age 83, of Savonburg, passed away Monday, Aug. 28, 2023, at her home. Kathryn was born Sept. 8, 1939, in Savonburg to Hans Peterson and Faye (Hufferd) Peterson.

Kathryn and William Perry “Babe” Barnes were married March 16, 1961, in Iola. Kathryn was preceded in death by her husband and infant son, William Barnes, Jr.

Kathryn is survived by her children, Debra (Scott Pollock) Johnston, Savonburg, Diana (Samuel) Reyes, Iola, Jimmy Barnes; nine grandchildren; nineteen great-grandchildren; brother, Hans (Judy) Peterson, Wichita; and sister, Ann Cox, Conway Springs, Kansas.

A visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 ,in the chapel at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, 1883 U.S. 54, Iola.

Condolences may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.

Local advocates will gather Friday at the Recovery House at 16 N. Buckeye to recognize September as National Recovery Month from substance abuse disorders.

Since 1989, Recovery Month has been held every September to promote and support new treatment and recovery practices, the nation’s strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery in all its forms possible.

This year’s motto is, “Every person, every

family, every community,” in recognition of the support necessary to help people overcome drug and alcohol addiction.

At 11:30 a.m. Friday, organizers will hold a community meditation where about 20 minutes will be devoted to breathing exercise and quietly thinking about how as a community we can help address the misuse of drugs and alcohol. A community prayer will also be delivered.

For those wanting to participate via Zoom, contact April Jackson at 620-380-6008.

A community lunch featuring spaghetti follows at 12:30.

Then at 1 p.m. a video about the Recovery House program will be shown.

Tours of the facility’s community rooms will be given throughout the afternoon, ending at 5.

ON SATURDAY at noon, participants may join in a nationwide Serenity Prayer sponsored by Narcotics Anonymous also via Zoom.

At 6 p.m., movies from the 1980s and karaoke will be on tap at the Recovery House. Local advocates are

also eager to share their message of fighting drug and alcohol misuses with local businesses.

They’ll visit with employees about how to combat substance misuse as well as bring goodie bags that include Naloxone, a medicine that reverses opioid overdose.

For more information, contact Jackson at april@thrive.allencounty.org.

Coalitions include Thrive Allen County, the Southeast Kansas Substance Misuse Prevention Coalition and SEK Recovery Resources.

Highland Community College cited for discrimination

By RACHEL MIPRO Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — The U.S. Justice Department has ordered a rural northeast Kansas community college to end discriminatory practices and treat Black students fairly.

The investigation into Highland Community College, about 80 miles north of Kansas City, followed allegations that Black students, primarily student-athletes living on campus, were subjected to discrimination.

“No college student should have their educational experience marred or disrupted by discrimination based on their race,” said assistant attorney general Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s

Civil Rights Division. “Community colleges are an important pathway to four-year institutions and the workforce, and federal law requires that their campuses, programs and activities be equally available to all without regard to

race.”

Black students complained that they were targeted for searches and surveillance and disciplined more severely than white students, resulting in higher rates of expulsion and removal from cam-

pus housing. While the federal investigation began in January of 2022, the majority-white college has been accused of racial discrimination for years.

In 2020, the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas filed a lawsuit against the school on behalf of four Black students. The 2020 lawsuit estimated that Black students made up less than 6% of the community college’s 3,200 students, though they formed the majority of the school’s student-athletes. According to the lawsuit, 104 out of 111 members of the football team during the 2019 football season were Black.

The lawsuit also claimed then-athletic director Bryan Dorrell

Marion Co. must destroy newspaper’s files

By JOSH FUNK The Associated Press

Kansas authorities must destroy all electronic copies they made of a small newspaper’s files when police raided its office this month, a judge ordered Tuesday, nearly two weeks after computers and cellphones seized in the search were returned.

The Aug. 11 searches of the Marion County Record’s office and the homes of its publisher and a City Council member have been sharply criticized, putting Marion, a central Kansas town of about 1,900 people, at the center of a debate over the press protections offered by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Attorney Bernie Rhodes, who represents

the newspaper, said a judge ordered authorities to hand over those electronic records and destroy any copies they have of them along with all photographs that officers took during the raids.

The local prosecutor and sheriff agreed investigators shouldn’t keep that evidence, but Rhodes insisted on a court order to document it. It won’t be clear what files were on the drive until Rhodes gets a copy.

Authorities returned the computers and cellphones they took during the raids after the prosecutor decided there was insufficient evidence to justify their seizure. A few days later the newspaper learned from court documents about the thumb drive

with an electronic copy of thousands of files taken from its computers. It wasn’t disclosed in the initial search warrant inventory.

It’s not clear what additional steps authorities might take.

Neither city officials nor the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, which is looking into reporters’ actions, are saying much.

Insurance companies for the city and the county have hired lawyers to prepare for possible lawsuits, including one promised by the newspaper’s publisher.

The raids came after a local restaurant owner accused the newspaper of illegally accessing information about her. A spokesman for the agency that main-

tains those records has said the newspaper’s online search that a reporter did was likely legal even though the reporter needed personal information about the restaurant owner that a tipster provided to look up her driving record.

The newspaper’s publisher Eric Meyer has said the identity theft allegations simply provided a convenient excuse for the search after his reporters had been digging for background on Cody, who was appointed this summer.

Legal experts believe the raid on the newspaper violated a federal privacy law or a state law shielding journalists from having to identify sources or turn over unpublished material to law enforcement.

was strategizing to reduce the number of Black student-athletes through expulsion, excessive scrutiny, and having coaches recruit white student-athletes over Black potential students.

The lawsuit alleged Dorrell had told coaches to recruit “less Southern kids,” and told the college football coaches to stop recruiting players who had “dreadlocks and wicks,” among other allegations. The college settled the lawsuit by paying $15,000 per student and agreeing to conduct anti-discrimination training.

A different lawsuit filed by three former coaches of the women’s basketball team also alleged college officials, especially Dorrell, wanted to rid the school of Black student-athletes.

The Justice Department announced Monday that its investigation had ended with a settlement agreement, with the college agreeing to improve fairness for all students and do

away with discriminatory treatment.

“When educational institutions are making decisions about student discipline, race and ethnicity are never relevant factors,” said Kate E. Brubacher, U.S. attorney for Kansas. “Colleges and universities play a powerful role in shaping the development of young people, so it’s imperative that they help set the standard for creating environments where all students are treated with the same level of respect and fairness.”

The school will follow six steps outlined by the settlement agreement to respond to student complaints. Among other reforms, the school must have security staff go through new training, change housing and disciplinary policies, and make safe and welcoming spaces for Black students, as well as improve procedures for responding to student complaints of racial discrimination.

The U.S. Justice Department reached a Monday agreement with Highland Community college. The college will work to implement six reform measures. GETTY IMAGES

Artist to discuss Lehigh Trails mural

Local artist Stephen Gilpin will speak Friday morning about his progress on designing a mural for the Lehigh Portland Trail complex.

Gilpin was chosen from nine finalists who had submitted designs for murals to be painted along a privacy fence erected between the Madison Avenue pedestrian bridge and State Street.

Those wishing to attend are encouraged to park along the trail’s west trailhead, immediately south of the pedestrian bridge, and trek the quarter-mile or so west to the fence line.

Crest alumni reunion in the works

The Annual Colony Crest Alumni Banquet will be Saturday, Sept. 30. Registration begins at 4 p.m. at the old Kincaid School. Dinner will begin at 5, followed by the meeting at 5:30. Advanced tickets are $20 per person; tickets at the door are $25. You must register in advance to have a meal.

Giuliani found liable

WASHINGTON (AP)

Drones strike Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine sent waves of drones deep into western Russia in nighttime attacks that lasted more than four hours and struck military assets, Russian officials and media reports said Wednesday.

The drones hit an airport near Russia’s border with Estonia and Latvia, causing a huge blaze and damaging four Il-76 military transport planes, which can carry heavy machinery and troops, the Russian state news agency Tass reported, citing emergency officials.

Advanced registration may be sent to Arvin Clemmons, 705 N. Kentucky St., Iola, KS 66749

Checks may be made out to the Colony Crest Alumni Association and must be received by Sept. 25.

For more information contact Clemmons at 620-365-4836, email

carvin@hotmail.com or Angela Black at 620-7576782, email angiebsocialworker@yahoo.com

Cricket’s Bar & Grill also will be hosting a street dance starting at 7 p.m.; Trevor Holman & The Haymakers will play from 8 to midnight.

Crest Alumni T-shirts will be available at both events.

257: Test scores discussed

Continued from A1

science, and high school juniors exceeded the state science scores by 2 points. Only grades 5, 8 and 11 take the science tests.

When comparing last year’s scores to this year, though, Higginbotham found the results were the same.

As a whole, Kansas students’ average scores in math were down compared to last year.

“It seems like we’re all just kind of teetering and wondering what we can do to tip the scales,” Higginbotham said.

Middle school math teachers are taking part in a program through Greenbush that meets each month for training. Higginbotham hopes that will show improvements in test scores.

Encouraging signs

Soon after students take state assessment tests, they take another series of tests through Fastbridge, another assessment program that also measures social-emotional and behavioral benchmarks.

Fastbridge tests students in the fall and spring to track progress. Even preschoolers are tested through that program.

Fastbridge allows Higginbotham to drill down into more specific areas to see which students need more help and in what areas.

She sees encouraging signs, particularly in younger grades that provide a foundation for later learning.

Kindergarten students showed huge improvement, she said, with 82% meeting their reading targets by the end of the year. The goal is for 80% of students to meet grade-level targets. When it came to be-

havior and social-emotional regulation, 91% of kindergarteners met the target.

In math, 72% were at the kindergarten grade-level at the end of the year.

First grade scores were low, although students showed significant improvement. In reading, they started at 32% at the beginning of the last school year and improved to 45%. In math, they were at 60%.

“Even though reading was just 45%, it was a success. This particular group of kids needed a lot of interventions,” she said.

Second-graders reported improvements, from 54% to 64% in reading and from 57% to 66% in math.

“We talk about second grade every year. They rock it,” Higginbotham said, crediting a veteran group of teachers for repeated success at that grade level.

From fourth to 10th grade, scores appeared to be consistent with previous years, Higginbotham said.

HIGGINBOTHAM also gave the board an update on a district needs assessment, something that is required by the state. She also reviewed progress on the district’s goals.

The district adopted a new curriculum in both reading and math last year after piloting different programs. Any new curriculum must be evidence-based and approved by the state.

The district was able to buy more than $200,000 in new curriculum material thanks to financial assistance provided to combat learning loss from the COVID-19 pandemic, Superintendent Stacey Fager reported.

“Are you getting ev-

erything you need from us?” board member Dan Willis asked Higginbotham.

She responded positively and said all administrators feel comfortable coming to the board with their needs.

Summer projects

Maintenance director Aaron Cole gave the board an update on summer projects.

During the 2022 summer, maintenance crews were focused on moving from three elementary schools into the new Iola Elementary School building. This past summer was more of a return to normal, with numerous projects throughout the district.

The high school got new temperature controls in all rooms for its HVAC system. Some continue to be installed in the north part of the building. The high school also got new wash stations in some restrooms.

The high school gym’s mezzanine is getting new LED lights. Some parts of the wall were repainted.

Iola Middle School will get new windows. A plan will be developed for how to install those windows during school.

The middle school gym floor was refinished and walls were painted.

Light poles have been installed at the high school tennis court, and a company is expected to finish wiring the lights and putting in switches in mid-September.

Decals were replaced on the scoreboard at the football stadium.

Padding was installed in seven rooms for “calm-down areas.”

New turf was installed at the playground at IES and concrete was poured in some areas.

— A federal judge on Wednesday held Rudy Giuliani liable in a defamation lawsuit brought by two Georgia election workers who say they were falsely accused of fraud, entering a default judgment against the former New York City mayor and ordering him to pay tens of thousands of dollars in lawyers’ fees.

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said the punishment was necessary because Giuliani had ignored his duty as a defendant to turn over information requested by election workers Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea’ ArShaye Moss, as part of their lawsuit.

Their complaint from December 2021 accused Giuliani, one of Donald Trump’s lawyers and a confidant of the former president, of defaming them by falsely

stating that they had engaged in fraud while counting ballots at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.

The ruling enables the case to move forward to a trial in federal court in Washington to determine any damages that Giuliani must pay. He will have a “final opportunity” to produce the requested information or face additional sanctions if he fails to do so.

Giuliani and his business entities must pay more than $130,000 in attorneys’ fees and other costs.

“Donning a cloak of victimization may play well on a public stage to certain audiences, but in a court of law this performance has served only to subvert the normal process of discovery in a straight-forward defamation case, with the concomitant necessity of repeated court intervention,” Howell wrote.

With at least six regions of Russia targeted, the barrage appeared to be the most extensive Ukrainian drone attack on Russian soil since the war began 18 months ago, although no injuries were reported. The Kremlin has repeatedly accused the Ukrainian military of cross-border incursions on the Belgorod region of Russia and of launching drones toward Moscow.

There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials, who usually don’t take responsibility for attacks inside Russia. The Kremlin’s forces, meanwhile, hit Kyiv with drones and missiles during the night in what Ukrainian officials called a “massive, combined attack” that killed two people.

Aerial attacks on Russia have escalated recently as Ukraine pursues a counteroffensive to drive out Moscow’s forces. Kyiv increasingly targets Russia’s military assets behind the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine.

Ted Goodman, ical adviser said in a the judge’s prime example weaponization justice system, the process ishment. should be Mayor Giuliani ly accused ing electronic that was seized by the FBI.” Last month, conceded public comments ly claiming workers committed lot fraud during election, but ed that the were protected First Amendment.

Local artist Stephen Gilpin will discuss the mural he designed for the Lehigh Portland Trails at an artist talk at 10:30 a.m. Friday. The mural adorns a fence along the trail between South Washington Avenue and State Street. COURTESY PHOTO

Improv show to benefit local eatery

Members of Iola Community Theatre’s Improv Comedy Team are rooting for Rookies Saturday.

The improv troupe will offer a show at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the ICT Warehouse, 203 S. Jefferson.

Proceeds will be handed over to Mike and Carri Sailor at Rookie’s, whose restaurant was damaged in a fire Aug. 11.

Halie Luken, one of the event’s organizers, noted Rookie’s has assisted with recent ICT fundraisers, “so we wanted to pay it back.”

Luken also noted Carri Sailor had been an improve performer previously.

“The majority of the members performing Saturday are original members, so we hope the show will have a decent crowd,” Luken said.

Tickets will be sold at the door for $10 apiece. Cookies and stickers made by members of the comedy team will be sold.

The show is tailored for those 18 and older. Audience members are invited to bring their own drinks.

Rookies: New location to open soon

Continued from A1

damage to the back of the kitchen and storage area. It will take time to repair the damage, Sailor said, but the main dining area just needs to be cleaned up.

She hopes to be able to reopen the bar, sans

food, in time for Farm City Days in October.

“We’re excited to get open again,” Sailor said. “We miss the people. We’re used to seeing people every day. Seeing nobody really takes a toll on you.”

AS FOR the new build-

ing, the Sailors have made many changes.

Sailor once worked in the building when it served as a different restaurant, so she came into the project with ideas about what worked and what didn’t.

Crews have removed walls to open the dining

area and built a massive bar that wraps around a corner. The restaurant will include two salad bars and a hot food bar.

Sailor said she hopes to offer quick dining options for workers at the many industries in the area.

County: Public transportation plan may see changes

Continued from A1

as medical appointments, work, the grocery and other stores.

It also takes riders outside the county for medical services such as dialysis treatments.

ART also is approved through the state to operate a senior citizen transportation service — the same program the county offers. Both are funded by a grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation. However, ART is not currently providing that service because it requires a separate vehicle. ART has been approved to receive a van but it is not expected to arrive until January or later.

Keithly said it makes sense to consolidate the two programs and avoid duplicating services.

“I believe combining our programs will leverage county dollars more effectively,” Keithly said.

Commissioners seemed to agree with the general premise but were concerned about financing.

The county collects a 1-mill tax levy each year for its senior citizen services. That includes wages for the transportation director, Meals on Wheels, senior centers and utilities for the Senior Citizens Thrift Store.

ART would ask the county to contribute its vehicle as well as dollars for salaries and maintenance, but commissioners said they’ll

need to determine just how much funding goes to the transportation service and how much is for other programs.

SINCE IT began in April, ART has given 2,201 round-trip rides.

Of those, 300 were to grocery stores, 172 were to places of work and 871 were to doctor visits.

Though the program serves all ages, Keithly said the majority of riders are 55 and older.

ART has four drivers who have taken driving training courses, and have CPR and wheelchair certifications.

ART also employs a dispatcher to organize rides.

If the county agrees to a consolidation, Regehr said the two entities would need to develop a memorandum of understanding to outline responsibilities. It would need to include a provision as to what happens if ART’s program is not successful and the county needs to take back the senior citizen transportation service.

Commissioners encouraged continued discussion on the matter.

Tire disposal

Those who dump more than 25 tons of shredded tire material at the landfill each month will need to pay a much higher rate, according to a new price sheet approved by commissioners on

Tuesday.

Public Works director Mitch Garner proposed setting a rate of $100 per ton for those who dump more than 25 tons.

Other rates would stay the same.

For Allen County residents who dump individual tires, the landfill charges between $1 per tire for passenger vehicles and up to $10 per tire for tractors and other larger tires.

For county businesses that dump cut tires, the first 25 tons would be charged $5.50 per ton.

For out-of-county residents and businesses, individual tire rates would double. The cost to dump cut tires is $130 per ton.

The higher rates are meant to discourage the dumping of excessive amounts of tires.

The issue came up when Garner report-

ed one Iola business, FMS/United Tire, had dumped nearly 2,000 tons in six months and the landfill had nearly reached its capacity for tires.

Garner is also pursuing plans to set up a new monofil tire dumping site but it could take about six months to get a permit from the state.

Commissioner Jerry Daniels said he would like to revisit the tire collection fees again after the monofil site is established.

Road repairs

Road and Bridge director Mark Griffith gave commissioners a list of road projects that need to be completed before the county can tackle a more extensive asphalt repaving on 1600 south of Humboldt.

The state agreed to help pay for the project because the road was

damaged while being used as a detour during construction on U.S. 169. However, the state requested other work to be done first.

Those 24 smaller projects were underway starting in 2019 until the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shutdown.

Griffith was hired in the spring of 2022 and only recently learned about those requirements. He gave commissioners a list of the projects that still need to be completed. Bids for the work had already been approved, but some may need to go out for bids again because prices have changed.

The Humboldt project will be delayed until those other repairs are done.

Communities talk

Thrive regularly holds “community conversations” in cities through-

out the county.

Regehr said she planned to have a Thrive representative give commissioners a report on those conversations.

Two weeks ago, Thrive had a conversation in Elsmore. The Register reported on that event in the Aug. 19 edition.

To recap, residents shared concerns that a lack of viable local businesses, affordable housing — even a good cell phone signal some days — are indicative that towns like Elsmore are being left behind.

“These conversations remind us how important community is, and how much people want to fight for the sustainability of their communities,” Regehr said. The next community conversation will be Sept. 19 in Savonburg, followed by Oct. 17 in Mildred.

~ Journalism that makes a difference

Elon Musk’s control over satellite internet demands a reckoning

When Elon Musk reportedly spoke of a “great conversation” with Russian President Vladimir Putin, minutes after declaring he could see “the entire war unfolding” through a map of activity on the small satellite constellation he owns, a senior defense official had the following reaction: “Oh dear, this is not good.”

The statement, featured in a recent New Yorker article, aptly captures the situation in which the United States government finds itself. A single man exerts considerable control over the satellite internet industry that operates in “low Earth orbit” — generally about 300 miles above Earth — even as that industry is crucial to the war effort in Ukraine. Worse still, that man is the erratic Mr. Musk. There are just shy of 8,000 satellites in the skies today; more than 4,500 of those are Starlink satellites, launched by SpaceX. The company hopes to multiply this number almost tenfold in the coming years. Starlink is far from the first constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit and far from the first to sell to militaries. But what distinguishes the network is the amount of data it can move, as well as how quickly it can increase that capacity: SpaceX can launch satellites unprecedentedly fast and at unprecedentedly low cost thanks to the reusable rockets it has pioneered. The bigger the satellite fleet, the more versatile and effective:

the CEO himself for permission. Ukraine’s request at one point to send a drone into ships docked in the Black Sea near Crimea was reportedly rebuffed.

MR. MUSK is the wrong person to be making these calls. The Defense Department announced a deal with SpaceX in June. (Ukraine had been getting Starlink capacity for free until the richest man in the world, not unreasonably, changed his mind.) The details aren’t public, but reporting suggests that the Pentagon will determine when and where the 400 to 500 new devices it is purchasing will work — within Ukraine’s territory, at least. The shortterm solution to the Starlink conundrum is for the United States to continue this kind of negotiation, allowing itself more autonomy to assist Ukraine in carrying out crucial missions.

There are just shy of 8,000 satellites in the skies today. Of those, more than 4,500 are owned by Elon Musk, with plans to multiply this number almost tenfold in the coming years.

Debate good for country, GOP

As a satellite flies above a terminal located on the ground, it transfers the signal to a satellite behind it, and so on, forming a chain that ensures users maintain constant access to the internet.

Working together, these satellites can provide this kind of service even in remote locations. And, of course, they can provide it in locations where traditional methods of connection, for whatever reason, are unavailable — such as war zones.

STARLINK HAS BEEN a boon to Ukraine’s efforts to repel the Russian invasion ever since Ukraine’s digital minister tweeted a plea for assistance at Mr. Musk in February 2022 and Mr. Musk answered. The trouble with relying on one key technology for battlefield communications, however, is that it also means relying on whoever controls that technology. And because Starlink is a commercial company rather than a traditional defense contractor, in this case Mr. Musk has largely been able to call the shots — literally.

Using a technique known as geofencing, Mr. Musk has restricted his satellites’ availability on the front lines. Purportedly, he’s wary of aiding an offensive rather than merely a defensive war, which isn’t surprising given his proposal for a “peace plan” whose defining feature was its generosity toward Russia. Sometimes, when Ukraine has wanted to retake Russian-occupied cities, its government has had to message SpaceX employees or

The longer term, however, looks complicated. Ukraine is unlikely to be the only country friendly to the United States that ends up in a conflict with a foe eager to sabotage its internet. The region attracting the most apprehension at the moment, unsurprisingly, is East Asia, where Taiwanese officials are mulling how to handle the possibility of a Chinese invasion in which the undersea cables that connect the island to the world’s communications infrastructure are cut off. Given that the success of Tesla, the electric-car company that Mr. Musk co-founded and leads, depends on its ability to produce cars in China, counting on Starlink seems a poor idea. It might be a poor idea for the U.S. government more generally, too, if the United States wants to be able to choose how it defends its own interests and its allies’.

What’s to be done? While a president theoretically has the legal option of nationalizing Starlink in a worst-case scenario, as Woodrow Wilson did with the country’s railroads during World War I, that would be neither politically popular nor prudent. A better solution might be for the United States to try to build satellites of its own. The $1.5 billion contract the Pentagon awarded last week to Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to create a low-orbit satellite constellation is the start of such a strategy.

The plan aims for only 72 satellites, roughly 1 percent of the number SpaceX has put into the sky. All the United States has to do, however, is muster a fleet large enough to enable smaller-scale but essential operations, so Starlink is no longer the democratic world’s only good option. This might not happen quickly, given the slowness and scleroticism for which the giants of the realm of military contracting are known. Encouraging Silicon Valley hotshots and others in private industry to inject some competition might help. The upside could be less waste and more innovation — exactly as SpaceX and Starlink have demonstrated. The downside is just as obvious.

— The Washington Post

Republicans are divided over foreign policy. While it won’t decide the election, it’s a vital issue.

Last week, eight Republican presidential candidates did something unusual: They held a serious debate about foreign policy, focused mostly on their disagreements over U.S. aid to Ukraine.

Of those on the stage in Milwaukee, only two — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and upstart capitalist Vivek Ramaswamy — said they oppose additional help for Ukraine as it fights to repel the Russian invasion.

“Ukraine is not a priority for the United States,” Ramaswamy said. DeSantis hedged his answer, saying he would halt aid unless Europe sent more. Former President Trump, who skipped the debate, has sounded similar notes.

Three candidates pushed back loudly against the Trumpist tide. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie argued that helping Ukraine win is in the interest of the United States.

that alliances, trade agreements and overseas entanglements had drained America’s wealth. Instead of working with democratic allies in Europe and Japan, he sought partnerships with Putin and China’s Xi Jinping. He boasted again of his relationships with those strongmen last week in his interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Trump’s policy of “America First,” a semi-revival of the isolationism that reigned before World War II, is still popular among the GOP’s base of conservative voters. In presidential primary polls, the three candidates who oppose aid to Ukraine — Trump, Ramaswamy and DeSantis — appear to have the support of about three-quarters of Republican voters. Haley, Pence and Christie represent a rearguard minority.

You can’t be so narcissistic as to think America doesn’t need alliances. We do need allies. And when you have an ally, you take care of them.

“Ukraine is the first line of defense for us.... You are choosing a murderer over a pro-American country,” Haley said of Russian President Vladimir Putin as she lectured Ramaswamy. “You don’t do that to friends.” She elaborated on the last point later in a television interview after the debate.

“You can’t be so narcissistic [as] to think America doesn’t need alliances,” she said. “We do need allies. And when you have an ally, you take care of them.”

In three short sentences, that was a clear snapshot of the GOP divide over foreign policy.

For more than half a century, from President Dwight D. Eisenhower through George W. Bush, Republicans broadly agreed that the United States should seek global leadership based on a strong military and carefully nurtured alliances.

Trump turned that doctrine on its head, arguing

caused tens of thousands of deaths.

DeSantis won that competition, saying he would order U.S. troops to cross into Mexico “on day one” if necessary to stem the flow of illegal drugs across the border. He said he would authorize troops to shoot suspected smugglers “stone cold dead.” And in a later interview, he said he would order the Navy and Coast Guard to interdict ships carrying chemicals used to produce fentanyl from China to Mexico. If he carries out any of those threats, the first weeks of a DeSantis administration would be eventful — and perhaps harrowing.

Still, their outspoken dissents suggest that the battle over Republican foreign policy isn’t over. Plenty of other GOP figures, including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, agree with them.

Foreign policy won’t be the issue that decides who wins the GOP nomination — or the general election. Polls show that Republican voters consider inflation, immigration and social issues (including abortion and what some call the Democrats’ “woke” agenda) more important than national security.

But last week’s mini-debate over Ukraine was still significant. Our political system gives presidents vast power to act unilaterally in foreign affairs — more than on domestic policy, where Congress often gets in the way.

Another foreign policy issue in last week’s debate is also worth noting, only it produced less conflict. Several candidates jockeyed over who would be toughest in battling fentanyl, the synthetic opioid smuggled mostly from Mexico that has

Even Haley, a relative moderate in the primary race, has said she favors using military force against Mexican drug lords — a position that’s hugely popular among Republican voters.

“Just like we dealt with ISIS, you do the same thing with the cartels,” she said in March, apparently referring to the U.S. aerial bombing campaign that destroyed Islamic State in Syria.

Fentanyl is a genuine crisis, but it demands a response that is not only tough, but thoughtful.

Using U.S. troops to attack drug cartels makes a fine campaign soundbite. But if the next American president launches military adventures that alienate allies, neighbors and rivals like China, the costs could be very high.

It would be nice if those candidates explained how their military campaigns against the drug cartels will work, including whether and how they would first try to win Mexico’s cooperation.

Answering questions like that, after all, is what campaigns — and debates — are for.

Republican presidential candidates, Vivek Ramaswamy, left, and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley participate in the first debate of the GOP primary season on Aug. 23, in Milwaukee. (Win McNamee/Getty Images/TNS)

Doyle McManus Los Angeles Times/TNS

— Nikki Haley

Ron DeSantis said he would authorize US troops to shoot suspected drug smugglers at the US-Mexico border “stone cold dead.” (WIN MCNAMEE/ GETTY IMAGES/TNS)

Hurricane Idalia packs a wallop with 135 mph winds

CEDAR KEY, Fla. (AP)

— Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday in Florida as a Category 3 storm and unleashed devastation along a wide stretch of the Gulf Coast, submerging homes and vehicles, turning streets into rivers, unmooring small boats and downing power lines in an area that has never before received such a pummeling.

More than 330,000 customers in Florida and Georgia were without electricity while rushing water covered streets near the coast. As the eye moved inland, high winds shredded signs, sent sheet metal flying and snapped tall trees.

“We have multiple trees down, debris in the roads, do not come,” posted the fire and rescue department on the island of Cedar Key, where a tide gauge measured the storm surge at 6.8 feet — enough to submerge most of the downtown. “We have propane tanks blowing up all over the island.”

Idalia came ashore in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula. It made landfall near Keaton Beach at 7:45 a.m. as a high-end Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph.

RJ Wright stayed behind on Cedar Key so he could check on elderly neighbors. He hunkered down with friends in a motel and when it was safe, walked outside into chest-high water. It could have been a lot worse for the island, which juts into the Gulf, since it didn’t take a direct hit, he said.

“It got pretty gnarly for a while, but it was nothing compared to some of the other storms,” Wright said.

The system remained a hurricane as it crossed into Georgia with top winds of 90 mph (150 mph), after drenching Florida mostly to the east of Tallahassee. Forecasters said it would punish the Carolinas overnight as a tropical storm.

Some models had predicted that Idalia could circle southward toward land again after that, but the National Hurricane Center predicted it would move deeper into the Atlantic this weekend.

In the town of Perry, the wind blew out store windows, tore siding off buildings and overturned a gas station canopy. Interstate 275 in Tampa was partially flooded, and toppled power lines closed northbound Interstate 75 just south of Valdosta, Georgia.

About 200 miles to the south of where Idalia made landfall, the roads around the chic shops and restaurants of St. Armands Circle in the Sarasota area were underwater.

Astounded by the flooding that turned Tampa’s Bayshore Boulevard into a river, Bill Hall watched a paddleboarder ride along the major thoroughfare.

“This is actually unbelievable,” Hall said. “I haven’t seen anything like this in years.”

In Tallahassee, Florida’s capital city, the power went out well before the center of the storm arrived.

Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey urged everyone to shelter in place. Florida residents living in vulnerable coastal areas had been ordered to pack up and leave as Idalia gained strength in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

“Don’t put your life at risk by doing anything dumb at this point,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday at a news conference. “This thing’s powerful. If you’re inside, just hunker down until it gets past you.”

STORM SURGE could rise as high as 16 feet in some places. Some counties implemented curfews to keep residents off roads.

Diane Flowers was sound asleep at 1 a.m.

Wednesday in her

Wakulla County home, but her husband was up watching the weather on TV when he got a text from their son after the storm was upgraded to a Category 4. He’s a firefighter/EMT in Franklin County, which is also along the Gulf Coast.

“He said, ‘You guys need to leave,’” Flowers said. “And he’s not one for overreacting, so when he told us to leave, we just packed our stuff, got in our car and got going.”

They quickly packed a few clothes, medicine, food for their two border collies, a computer, important documents and a bag of Cheetos. Motels were packed all the way into Alabama, where they ended up finding a room in Dothan.

The National Weather

Service in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented event” since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend. The state, still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian, feared disastrous results.

Not everyone heeded the warnings to leave, and Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said authorities couldn’t guarantee rescues for people who didn’t evacuate, since coastal roads would only get more flooded as high tide pushes more water inland.

“It’s going to do nothing but go up from here,” Nienhuis, whose county is north of the Tampa area, said Wednesday.

Idalia grew into a Category 2 system on Tuesday and then a Category 3 storm on Wednesday before peaking as a Category 4 hurricane. It then weakened slightly.

Tolls were waived on highways out of the danger area and shelters were opened. More than 30,000 utility workers were gather-

ing to make repairs as quickly as possible in the hurricane’s wake.

About 5,500 National Guard troops were activated.

Both Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced states of emergency, freeing up state resources and personnel, including hundreds of National Guard troops.

As he finished tying down about 20 sailboats and motor yachts docked on Wilmington Island east of Savannah, Georgia, Brandon Long said his biggest worry was that the storm surge was forecast to coincide with a higher-than-normal tide.

“If these docks float off their pylons or come apart because of the violent current and the choppy waters, then that’s what destroys a marina,” said Long, owner of the Bull River Marina.

Asked about the hurricane Tuesday, President Joe Biden said he had spoken to DeSantis and “provided him with everything that he possibly needs.”

A man and woman kayak past an abandoned vehicle in the intersection of Boca Ciega Drive and Pasadena Avenue in St. Pete Beach, Florida. (CHRIS URSO/TAMPA BAY TIMES VIA ZUMA PRESS WIRE/TNS)

Daniel Dickert, 54, manages flood waters after checking in on his home in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia which made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida’s Gulf Coast in Steinhatchee, Florida. (DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD/TAMPA BAY TIMES VIA ZUMA PRESS WIRE/TNS)

The high winds downed trees, shredded signs

Sports Daily B

Cross country hits high gear

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

The action for area cross country teams begins Thursday. Iola, Humboldt and Crest’s cross country teams begin their season at the Anderson County Invitational while Marmaton Valley competes at Burlington.

Iola

The Mustangs bring a young team into the season with only a single experienced upperclassmen in junior Cole Moyer. Sophomore Brennen Coffield should also make his name known after running well as a freshman at the regional meet.

Iola lost three senior runners to graduation, including state-qualifier Jesse Taylor, but is bolstered by a roster of 17 promising runners. The key will be sticking together and pushing each other through practices to improve times.

“Our team goals are to do our best and have fun while doing it,” said Britta-

ny Daugharthy, head coach.

“The athletes want to do well at meets and have the ability to do so.”

Humboldt

The Humboldt cross country team is coming off a season in which the girls were crowned Tri-Valley league champions and the boys were the Tri-Valley league runner-up. A lot of that success can be translated to this fall with a number of returners, including two seniors.

The Cubs have also had the boys’ league individual champion for the last four years. Senior Cubs Danica Modlin and Landon Bauer will lead the team along with junior runners McKenna Jones, Anna Heisler, Brigg Shannon and sophomore Layne Ellison.

“We always have a goal to compete for the league title on both sides,” Humboldt head coach Eric Carlson said.

“If we can stay injury-free, we should have a good shot to compete for the league championship on both sides. In addition we hope to make

a push for team qualifiers for the state meet.”

Crest

The Lancers are also coming off Three Rivers League championship, a regional championship, and placing third as a team at the state championship meet. They also have returning state-qualifiers Josie Walter, Peyton Schmidt and Aubrey Allen — all sophomores.

Crest head coach Kaitlyn Cummings has been able to form a strong core of runners she’s had since their middle school days.

“I think our team strengths are that we have a close knit group that works as a family and it’s a team setting,” said Cummings. “Placing third as a team at state showed me that my program at Crest is getting stronger. I have such talented young ladies on my team.”

Marmaton Valley

The Wildcats have only two runners returning, freshman Brandon Newman and soph-

See LOCAL | Page B3

Chiefs have been ruling AFC West

DENVER (AP) — Frank Clark brought his second Super Bowl ring and a little secret from Kansas City to Denver when he signed with the Broncos after his release from the Chiefs in a salary dump.

The Chiefs, he said, don’t view their AFC West foe as a rival.

“I wouldn’t call it a rivalry. A rivalry is competitive,” Clark said when asked about switching sides in the one-sided series.

“We didn’t call it a rivalry” in Kansas City, he added.

The only players on the Chiefs roster who were around in 2015 when they last lost to the Broncos are tight end Travis Kelce and long snapper James Winchester.

Not a single player on Denver’s roster has beaten the Chiefs while wearing a Broncos uniform.

Thursday, August 31, 2023

Lady Lancers sweep at Hartford Tuesday

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

Strong serving carried the Crest volleyball team to victory Tuesday night in Hartford.

The Lady Lancers (7-2) defeated Marmaton Valley, 25-11 and 25-16, before beating Hartford in three sets, 19-25, 25-16 and 2521. Crest then defeated Madison 25-23 and 25-19.

“We communicated very well and recovered quickly from mistakes,” Crest head coach Abigail Hermreck said. “There was a look of determination among the girls that they were willing to do whatever it took to win. Fearless play and constant talking were huge factors.”

Sophomore Kaelin Nilges went a perfect 100% from the serving line with three aces, 12 kills, 16 assists and a lone block. Nilges stepped in for senior Kayla Hermreck, who wasn’t feeling well.

Overall, the Lady Lancers had an 89% serving

rate on the night. Junior Karlee Boots had a team-high 22 kills and went 93% from the serving line while collecting two aces.

Sophomore Kinley Edgerton led the team with eight ace serves, 29 assists and 18 kills while going 89% from the serving line.

“I have no words for how proud I am of the Lady Lancers,” said Hermreck. “On the bench someone said, ‘Just wait until we add Kayla to this!’ I too am looking forward to that!”

Senior Brooklyn Jones had three aces after going 85% from the serving line and had one kill.

Sophomore Aylee Beckmon had five kills and went for an 85% serving rate with two aces.

Junior Cursten Allen went 81% from the serving line with a lone ace serve.

Freshman Hanna Schmidt collected two kills and a solo block.

The Lady Lancers travel to Burlingame Tuesday.

This series hasn’t been competitive since Peyton Manning was wrapping up his Hall of Fame career in 2015. The Broncos beat K.C. 31-24 in Week 2 of that season, and the Chiefs won the rematch in Denver on the day Manning broke Brett Favre’s NFL career record for passing yards and tore a ligament in his left foot.

Manning would return to guide the Broncos to a triumph in Super Bowl 50, but the torch had been passed in the AFC West.

The Chiefs have won all seven division titles since then and their 15-game winning streak against Denver is the fourth longest by one team over a single opponent in league history.

Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have guided the Chiefs to three AFC titles in the past four years and two Super Bowl wins, including

last year’s 38-35 thriller over Philadelphia.

The Broncos have churned through six head coaches and seven starting quarterbacks while missing the playoffs each of the past seven seasons. The other teams in the division haven’t fared much better than Denver: the Las Vegas Raiders are 1-9 against Kansas City over the past five seasons and the Los Angeles Chargers are 3-7, with two wins and overtime defeats coming with Justin Herbert under center.

Despite the lopsided nature of the division, many of the Chiefs’ wins have come in one-score games as they always seem to come up big in crunch time on offense, defense and special teams.

That’s because the Chiefs don’t allow complacency to set in, Mahomes said. See CHIEFS | Page B3

MV picks up a lone win

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

The Marmaton Valley High volleyball squad picked up a lone win in a quadrangular meet at Hartford Tuesday night.

The Wildcats opened up by edging out Hartford in three sets before falling to Madison in two sets and powerhouse Crest in two

sets.

Against Hartford, the Wildcats dropped the first set, 25-20, before grabbing a 25-13 victory in the second set. MV went on a stretch of scoring the final six straight points for the win. Janae Granere scored the final six of the points for the Wildcats.

In the first set, Payton

See WILDCATS | Page B3

Iola High cross country runners Kaster Trabuc, left, and Cole Moyer, at the regional meet in Chanute last fall. REGISTER FILE PHOTO

Crest’s Karlee Boots REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

Marmaton Valley’s Payton Scharff, middle, passes the ball against Madison. PHOTO BY HALIE LUKEN

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Consumer spending keeps economy abuzz

— The U.S. economy expanded at a 2.1% annual pace from April through June, showing continued resilience in the face of higher borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, the government said Wednesday in a downgrade from its initial estimate.

The government had previously estimated that the economy expanded at a 2.4% annual rate last quarter.

keep expanding, with employers still hiring and consumers still spending.

Wednesday’s report on the nation’s gross domestic product — the total output of goods and services — showed that growth last quarter was driven by upticks in consumer spending, business investment and outlays by state and local governments.

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tion has been filed in the District Court of Allen County, Kansas, praying to foreclose a real estate mortgage on the following described real estate: Lot Two (2), Block Seven (7), Moran City, Allen County, Kansas, according to the recorded plat thereof, commonly known as 316 W Church St, Moran, KS 66755 (the “Property”) and all those defendants who have not otherwise been served are required to plead to the Petition on or before the 4th day of October, 2023, in the District Court of Allen County,Kansas. If you fail to plead, judgment and decree will be entered in due course upon the Petition.

The Commerce Department’s second estimate of growth last quarter marked a slight acceleration from a 2% annual growth rate from January through March.

Though the economy has been slowed by the Federal Reserve’s strenuous drive to tame inflation with interest rate hikes, it has managed to

§1692c(b), no information concerning the collection of this debt may be given without the prior consent of the consumer given directly to the debt collector or the express permission of a court of competent jurisdiction. The debt collector is attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.

Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of the U.S. economy, rose at a 1.7% annual pace in the April-June quarter — a decent gain, though down from 4.2% in the first three months of 2023. Excluding housing, business investment rose at a strong 6.1% annual rate last quarter. Investment in housing, hurt by higher mortgage rates, fell in the second quarter.

The American economy — the world’s largest — has proved surprisingly durable in the midst of the Fed’s aggressive campaign to stamp out a resurgence of inflation, which last year hit a four-decade high.

Since March of last year, the Fed has raised its benchmark rate 11 times, making borrowing for everything from cars to homes to business expansions much more expensive and prompting widespread predictions of a coming recession.

31

24,

US Open: Williams, age 43, suffers lopsided loss

NEW YORK (AP) —

There was a Williams sister out there in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday night, much to the delight of spectators who offered a standing ovation at the end of the match. Except this time it was Venus, not Serena, and there was no ceremony, no formal farewell — and, unlike a year ago, no indication of what the future might hold.

Her younger sister’s playing days are done after one last hurrah at Flushing Meadows in 2022, but Venus Williams is still competing, still striving,

even if her age, 43, and a bum knee did her no favors on this muggy evening. Williams was eliminated 6-1, 6-1 by Belgian qualifier Greet Minnen in the first round of the U.S. Open, her most lopsided loss in 100 career matches at the Grand Slam tournament where she won the trophy in 2000 and 2001.

The crowd that seemed thrilled just to get a chance to see Williams play in person sent her toward the locker room with applause and yells. She gave a quick wave and a smile as she

Local: Cross country

Continued from B1

omore Sophia Heim.

The team lost a pair of seniors to graduation and will now be a much younger crew, including seven middle school runners. Marmaton Valley combined to bring home 41 medals last season between the middle and high school levels. With so many younger runners on the team, head coach Steve Smith is focused on making sure they inspire each other to do their best.

“We have good camaraderie with this year’s group,” said Smith. “They all are willing to provide support and help each other out to become better runners. They all have

positive attitudes as well.”

Yates Center

The Yates Center cross country team comes into the season with freshmen Jalynn Birk and Asher Arnold taking the lead.

Heach coach Kari King is also looking to the contributions of four middle-schoolers to boost the team’s chances for success.

“My goals for the team are to medal and be in the top 10 runners,” said King. “Towards the end of last season, most of my runners were so close to placing in the top 10. They had improved so much during the course of the season, but never got that medal.”

walked off, her red racket bag slung over her left shoulder.

“It was really great to hear the support.

I know the fans have been here for me forever, so that’s fantastic to still have that support even more than ever,” said Williams, the oldest player in the field. “So it’s a beautiful thing, and I love the Open.”

The first 21 times Williams entered the event, she went 21-0 in the first round. But this was her third consecutive opening-round loss since.

Afterward in Ashe, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the second round when his opponent, Dominik Koepfer, stopped playing while trailing 6-2, 3-2. Koepfer turned his ankle on the match’s eighth point and, while he initially continued after getting treated, eventually conceded.

The 26-year-old Minnen — who threw an uppercut and raised her arms after winning — was born in August 1997, the month before Williams reached the U.S. Open final for the first time.

“For me, it was incredible to play a legend like her. I have huge respect,” said Minnen, who is ranked 97th and entered the evening with a 4-12 career record in Grand Slam matches. “To

be there at 43 years old, it’s amazing really.”

Williams owns seven major championships, including five at Wimbledon. But she has lost in the first or second round in each of her past 12 Slam appearances, including bowing out at the All England Club in July after taking a tumble in her opening match.

Various injuries have limited her to 10 matches this season — she is 3-7 — after just four in all of 2022. The latest problem is with a knee that forced her to withdraw from a tune-up tournament in Cleveland a little more than a week ago and left her unsure of whether she would be able to play in New York.

But there she was.

“I have to really thank my doctors for helping me to get here. That in itself was a

blessing,” Williams said. “I love playing here. I really gave it my all today. I really played some great shots, but she had some incredible answers to that. I wish I could have been more prepared for that.”

The temperature was in the low 70s Fahrenheit, but the humidity was 90%, and Williams was not able to stay in the points with Minnen.

It was quickly 3-0, with Williams — owner of what used to be one of the most intimidating serves in the game — broken twice right away. She lost each of her first half-dozen second-serve points.

Minnen did what she could to keep Williams off-balance, particularly with drop shots, and it worked.

“Already when I was 5, 6 years old, she was on TV almost every

Slam. She was going so far in every tournament,” said Minnen, who acknowledged feeling jittery before the match because of the opponent and the size of the largest Grand Slam stadium.

“She’s always been an amazing player and she still is now. I knew I had to bring my ‘A’ game to beat her. Even though she’s a bit older, she keeps hitting the ball very good.”

For more than two decades, Venus and Serena traveled the world together, swapping the No. 1 ranking and the biggest trophies in their sport the way other siblings might share clothes or hobbies.

Now that Serena, who recently had her second baby, is done playing on tour, there are inevitable ques-

Wildcats: Win one at Hartford in tri-meet; Falls to Crest Lancers

Continued from B1

Scharff contributed six points and Granere, five. The Wildcats coasted in the third set, win-

ning 25-16. Piper Barney scored a team-high nine points while Granere went for six points.

Marmaton Valley

then lost to Madison in two sets, 25-15 and 2518. In the first set, Brooklyn Adams scored a team-high three points

Chiefs: Rulers of AFC West

Continued from B1

“There’s a lot of parity in this league. Anybody can beat anybody,” Mahomes insisted. “And so we have to have that mentality every single day or we will get beat. Especially in the division and the AFC in general. Every single week, every opponent we play is going to play us to the best of their ability, so we have to make sure we go out there with that mentality.” The Chiefs overcame the departure of speedster Tyreek Hill last year to win it all. This year they’ll have to deal with star defensive tackle Chris Jones’ protracted holdout and an exodus of talent in free agency, including both starting offensive tackles and two of Mahomes’ top targets.

And Clark, who always came up huge in the playoffs but was let go just a year after signing a two-year, $30 million extension. He signed a one-year, $5.5 million deal to bolster the Broncos’ pass rush. “What we did in Kansas City was special,” Clark said, “... but at the end of the day all good

things come to an end.”

The question again this year is: Will the Chiefs’ division dominance end any time soon?

RUSSELL’S REBOUND

Job No. 1 for Sean Payton in Denver is resuscitating Russell Wilson’s career after he nosedived under the tutelage of Nathaniel Hackett last season.

Clark said he has no doubt Wilson, whom he played with in Seattle from 2015-18, will bounce back in a big way in 2023.

“He’s still dangerous. Don’t get it twisted,” Clark said. “Don’t think a bad season’s going to shake a guy like Russ. Naw, bro, we start fresh every year. Every summer’s a fresh start.”

RECHARGED CHARGERS

Fresh off signing his five-year, $262.5 million contract extension, Justin Herbert is looking to lead the Chargers to consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 2009, and he has plenty of help.

New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore promises to dial up more deep throws with

Quentin Johnston joining Keenan Allen and Mike Williams to give these Chargers a modern-day “Air Coryell” vibe.

“To get them the ball,” Herbert said, “I think that’s my main priority.”

RUNNIN’ RAIDERS

Just like Saquon Barkley, Raiders running back Josh Jacobs signed a one-year deal worth a little bit more than the $10.1 million franchise tag tender. Unlike Barkley, Jacobs didn’t sign until training camp was over.

Jacobs, who led the league in rushing last season with 1,653 yards, “meant a lot to our team last year, is going to mean a lot to our team this year,” coach Josh McDaniels said.

McDaniels has said Jacobs likely would receive a similar workload as last season, when he had nearly 400 touches between rushing and receiving, but he might have to be eased into a heavy workload.

PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH Chiefs, Chargers, Broncos, Raiders.

while Madison Lawson and Roslyn Houk each scored a team-high eight points in the second set. For their final match,

the Wildcats fell to Crest, 25-11 and 25-16. Elizabeth Lewis led Marmaton Valley offensively, scoring 11 points in the first set.

Scharff scored a teamhigh five points in the second set.

Marmaton Valley faces Eureka Tuesday, Sept. 5 at 5 p.m.

Venus Williams waves to the crowd as she leaves the court after a loss against Belgiu’s Greet Minnen. AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES/TNS

NFL teams trim to 53 players

By ROB MAADDI

The Associated Press

A slew of trades highlighted roster cutdown day in the NFL on Tuesday.

Kicker Wil Lutz is reuniting with coach Sean Payton in Denver. The Eagles got tight end Albert Okwuegbunam from the Broncos.

Veteran kicker Nick Folk went from New England to Tennessee.

Defensive end Boogie Bashum, defensive tackle Neil Farrell Jr., cornerbacks Noah Igbinoghene and Kelvin Joseph, offensive lineman Dan Feeney and Kendrick Green and wide receiver/returner Ihmir Smith-Marsette were among the players on the move in trades.

Jonathan Taylor isn’t going anywhere, however. The Indianapolis Colts didn’t trade the disgruntled star running back, but they’re keeping Taylor on the physically unable to perform list. That means he will miss the first four games, even if he’s traded.

The most surprising cut came from New England, which let second-year quarterback Bailey Zappe go. Zappe was 2-0 as a starter last year filling in for Mac Jones but struggled in the preseason. The Patriots currently don’t have a backup because they also released veteran QB Trace McSorley and rookie Malik Cunningham, a QB at Louisville who played various positions and took snaps in camp.

Other notable cuts around the league included the Bengals releasing QB Trevor Siemian in favor of

Venus

Continued from B3

tions about how much longer Venus will compete. She has grown used to those queries and grown adept at deflecting them and did so again Tuesday, unwilling to say for sure whether she will play again this season, let alone beyond. Was it hard to be at Flushing Meadows without her sister?

“I mean, I was very much aware that Serena wouldn’t be playing the tournament, so I think I was OK. I’ve had a chance to get used to that idea even before she retired,” the elder Williams said. “I kind of knew that was coming.”

USA rolls past Jordan, 110-62

Jake Browning. Siemian gave Cincinnati an experienced backup behind Joe Burrow, whose status for Week 1 isn’t clear because of a calf strain.

Browning was the practice squad QB last season.

Philadelphia released punter Arryn Siposs. Green Bay cut incumbent punter Pat O’Donnell. Cleveland parted with kicker Cade York, a day after acquiring kicker Dustin Hopkins in a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers. York was a fourth-round pick in 2022. The Browns also waived wide receiver Austin Watkins Jr., a former USFL standout who had a strong camp and exhibition season.

Punter Thomas Morstead was among the Jets’ cuts, but he’s a vested veteran who is likely to be re-signed after the team clears roster space. Same for fullback Nick Bawden. New York also waived running back Zonovan “Bam” Knight to make room in a crowded backfield that includes Dalvin Cook, Breece Hall and Michael Carter. “Hard Knocks” star wideout Jerome Kapp — whose performance of Eminem’s freestyle in “8 Mile” went viral — was also waived.

The 49ers kept Brandon Allen as their thirdstring QB after trading away former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance to Dallas last week. San Francisco, which ended the NFC championship game with no healthy quarterbacks, decided to keep Allen for insurance behind starter Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold.

The Falcons also kept a third quarterback, Logan Woodside, behind starter Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke. Atlanta chose tight end John FitzPatrick over Parker Hesse and released offensive lineman Tyler Vrabel, son of Titans coach Mike Vrabel.

Veteran wide receiver Chosen Anderson was released by Miami. The Cowboys cut veteran QB Will Grier, who became expendable after Lance was acquired last week. Dallas coach Mike Mc-

Carthy said he hopes to retain Grier on the practice squad.

New Orleans released veteran cornerback Bradley Roby, linebacker Jaylon Smith, safety Jonathan Abram and punter Blake Gillikin. Lou Hedley takes Gillikin’s spot and rookie kicker Blake Grupe replaces Lutz.

The New York Giants got Basham from the Buffalo Bills. He has 4 1/2 sacks in 23 games. The Giants released veteran receivers Cole Beasley and Jamison Crowder, who were signed in the offseason. Veteran tight end Tommy Sweeney, who had a medical episode on the field last week, was placed on the reserve non-football list. Wideout Sterling Shepard, a second-round pick in 2016 coming off his second major injury in two seasons (Achilles tendon and knee) is on the team and remains the longest-tenured player.

The Kansas City Chiefs got Farrell from the Raiders for a sixth-round pick and sent Smith-Marsette to the Panthers in a deal involving a swap of conditional 2025 seventh-round draft picks.

Igbinoghene, a 2020 first-round pick, went from Miami to Dallas for Joseph. The Dolphins sent Feeney to Chicago for a sixth-round pick. Green goes from Pittsburgh to Houston for a sixth-rounder.

The Los Angeles Rams made some surprising cuts, including guard Logan Bruss, the team’s top draft pick last year who missed last season with a knee injury. Cornerback Robert Rochell, a former fourth-round pick, and defensive lineman Marquise Copeland, who began camp expecting to replace A’Shawn Robinson as a starter, also were cut.

Cornerback Sam Webb, who started three games for the Raiders last season, was among the team’s cuts along with former starting guard Alex Bars.

The Ravens cut well-traveled veteran QB Josh Johnson and placed linebacker Tyus Bowser on reserve/NFI.

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Another game, another blowout for the U.S. at the Basketball World Cup. And now the competition figures to get considerably tougher.

Anthony Edwards scored 22 points and the Americans completed an easy march through the group stage Wednesday, beating Jordan 110-62 to improve to 3-0 and finish atop Group C. Second-round play for the U.S. starts Friday against Montenegro.

“Staying aggressive, staying confident, it’s just something that I do,” Edwards said. “It paid off today.”

Bobby Portis scored 13 for the U.S., which led by 19 after one quarter and 62-33 at the half. Jaren Jackson Jr. scored 12 and Jalen Brunson added 10.

“It’s always fun when everybody gets to play and contribute,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr said.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson — the only player with any NBA experience on Jordan’s roster — led his team with 20 points and seven rebounds. Jordan finished group play 0-3 and will play in the classification round for non-second-round teams starting Thursday.

“We tried our best,” Jordan’s Ahmad Hammouri said. “We fought. It was a really good experience for me and the guys. We just tried to have fun out there.” The U.S. improved to 8-0 overall this summer, counting five exhibitions played on the way to Manila. They’re one of three teams that won all three groupstage games by at least 20 points — joining Group H winner Canada and Group D winner Lithuania,

which will face the Americans in the second-round finale on Sunday.

This one was the easiest of the three for the U.S., which beat New Zealand by 27 in its opener and Greece by 28 on Monday. “We tried to slow them down as much as possible,” Jordan coach Wesam Al-Sous said. “We failed. They scored 110 points.”

Much of that was because of Edwards, who had 13 points in the first quarter when the seeds for the blowout were being planted. He was up to 18 by halftime, plus set a tone with his onball defense and the Americans were never even mildly threatened.

“Pressure? No, not at all,” Edwards said. “I love the game of basketball. It’s fun for me. I go out there and do what I love and I put in the work every day, so it’s no pressure — at all.”

Hollis-Jefferson has tried to fashion his game — not to mention his current haircut, it seems, since there is a striking similarity — after Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, even wearing No. 24 on his jersey for Jordan this summer.

If this was his audition to get back to the NBA, after not playing in the league since June 2021, it wasn’t bad. He had 66 points in Jordan’s first two games at the World Cup, then shot 6 for 16 on Wednesday — while again getting the occasional “Kobe! Kobe!” chants from some in the crowd in Manila.

Hollis-Jefferson spent a short stint with Edwards and Minnesota before the start of the 2020-21 season. Hollis-Jef-

ferson never played a real game with the Timberwolves, but Edwards remembered their time together.

“He was kind of like my vet when I was a rookie,” Edwards said. “We haven’t seen each other since then, so it was fun to catch up.”

TIP-INS

USA: The U.S. also won all its group games by at least 20 points at the 2014 tournament, when there were five games in that round and not three. … FanDuel Sportsbook listed the Americans as 41.5-point favorites.

Jordan: It was the first time Jordan played the U.S. in a senior men’s competition. U.S. teams beat Jordan in World University Games matchups in 1979 and 1985 (both times by exactly 110 points, not a typo), and by 10 at the U19 world championship in 1995. … After playing Egypt on Thursday, Jordan finishes its World Cup stay against Mexico on Saturday.

LINEUP CHANGE

For the first time this summer, the U.S. had a different starting five. Brandon Ingram was out and Josh Hart was in, joining Brunson, Edwards, Jackson Jr. and Mikal Bridges — who celebrated his 27th birthday.

EVERYBODY IN

All 12 U.S. players had scored by the end of the third quarter.

The Americans also got everybody into the scoring column in Monday’s win over Greece.

UP NEXT USA: Faces Montenegro in a second-round game Friday in Manila.

Jordan: Faces Egypt in in a classification game Thursday in Manila.

Wil Lutz (3) of the New Orleans Saints warms up before the preseason game against the Houston Texans. WESLEY HITT/GETTY IMAGES/TNS

Tyrese Haliburton (4) of USA drives to the basket during the FIBA Basketball World Cup Group C game between Greece and United States. EZRA ACAYAN/GETTY IMAGES/TNS

Daughter cries when going with Mom

Adapted from an online discussion.

Dear Carolyn: I have been divorced from my daughter’s mother since she was 4. She is now 8. We initially had joint custody with alternating weeks. But this changed when my ex moved away, started a new relationship and had new kids. I do not know the specifics of my ex’s situation, because she is very tight-lipped about it, but she recently asked for custody on the weekends only. I agreed and have no problem with that change. Our daughter was fine about it, too. Lately, though, our daughter has become increasingly reluctant to stay with her mother and says, “Mommy is never home.” Apparently, my ex is away when she has custody.

From what our daughter tells me, her maternal aunt and grandmother look after her during these times.

They are decent people, and I have no issues with them, but it has gotten to the point where my daughter is constantly asking, practically begging, to stay with me. And during custody exchanges, she cries and is inconsolable for a long time. Her mother almost never picks her up, and it is usually the aunt. It has gotten worse the past few months. No amount of discussion or assuaging seems to mitigate this unless/ until I relent and let her stay with me.

Sometimes I hold firm and say she must go. This ends in tears. My ex is ambivalent and does not seem to care whether our daughter stays over the weekends with me or not. She often does for several consecutive weeks, until my daughter starts to miss her mom and voluntarily goes, but this is increasingly rare. I want her to have a decent relationship with her mother, but I’m not sure whether this is a viable way to do things.

— Anonymous Anonymous: You suggest you have no reason to suspect abuse and “they are decent people,” which is a relief, but you are kept in the dark about what goes on in this home AND there is a new relationship and family AND your daughter is “practically begging” not to go AND she is too young to understand/articulate a lot of adult things? Serious alarms about what your child experiences there. At a minimum, there seems to be some emotional neglect.

Even if she is completely safe with her mom, a black-box attitude with a child is not okay. You have two independent reasons to pursue full custody. This is attorney/therapist stuff, but I am answering, because your daughter is in pain, and there is no apparent reason to force her to stay with her mom. If you can get full physical custody and send your daughter to her mom only when the mom and daughter both want it, then that would seem to make the most sense. But the fuzzy (and apparently so far unmeetable) goal of a “decent relationship with her mother” is not a persuasive reason to send an “inconsolable” child off to be babysat for days on end against her will. If she were close to the aunt or grandma, then different answer. Just being with family does not automatically create a bond.

Readers’ thoughts:

∙ My stepfather was a

monster. Took years to tell my dad, and when I did, his answer was my mom exaggerates. I will never forget it, and I took great pains never to ask for help again. Please listen to your child. Even if she is not telling you something, she is telling you something. ∙ Document what she has told you, and talk to your lawyer as soon as possible.

Yesterday’s Cryptoquote:

It is the unknown around the corner that turns my wheels. — Heinz Stucke

ZITS

by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

BEETLE BAILEY by Mort Walker

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by Chris Browne

BLONDIE by Young and Drake

MARVIN by Tom Armstrong

HI AND LOIS by Chance Browne

MUTTS by Patrick McDonell

Ballpark incidents raise questions about safety of players, fans

CHICAGO (AP) — Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier has played through the scenario in his head. There is a big cheer from the crowd, and he sees a fan running toward him.

“Every time I hear the fans go crazy out of nowhere I always turn around,” Kiermaier said. “One of these days I feel like someone is just going to come running at me.”

That’s what happened to Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. on Monday night in Colorado, sending the outfielder to the grass in Colorado. And the episode with one of the favorites for NL MVP occurred just a few days after a shooting police said likely happened inside Guaranteed Rate Field.

While Major League Baseball is on track for a marked attendance increase this year, the pair of high-profile incidents raised questions about safety of players and fans inside and outside big league ballparks.

“It’s always kind of scary when you have situations like we had in Chicago, especially watching the video and I’m sitting there in left field playing a baseball game and all those activities are going on,” Oakland’s Tony Kemp said. “That’s a little bit scary. That bullet could’ve hit me, and you know, I have a family and I have people that care for me and I care for them.”

The Major League Baseball Players Association said the union takes player safety “very seriously” and that it reviews club and stadium protocols throughout every season “to mitigate the possibility of similar future incidents.”

Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ, a member of the union’s eight-player executive subcommittee, called the situation with Acuña “a scary moment.” But he cautioned against connecting what happened with Acuña to the shooting at the ballpark.

“I think they’re very different,” he said. “I think each probably has to be evaluated on its own.”

Acuña was approached by two fans during the middle of the seventh inning in Atlanta’s 14-4 win over Colorado.

One fan got his arms around Acuña in right field before security personnel quickly grabbed the man. A second fan then sprinted toward the group, knocking down Acuña, and that fan was tackled as a member of the security staff chased him down.

“I was a little scared at first,” Acuña said through an interpreter.

“I think the fans were out there and asking for pictures. I really couldn’t say anything because at that point, security was already there and we were already kind of tangled up, but security was able to get there and everything’s OK.”

The two fans are facing charges of trespassing and disturbing the peace, according to the Denver Police Department.

“Thankfully, they weren’t trying to hurt Acuña in that situation,” Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe said. “Then again, if this happens again, you can’t be certain that a person is going to have some ill will towards that guy. It’s definitely concerning and hopefully there are steps taken to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Fans running on the field is nothing new for baseball. Players are instructed during spring training to do whatever they can to get out of the way whenever it happens.

“They tell you there could be an urge to tackle them or something like that,” Phillies outfielder Jake Cave said. “They’re like please do not do that. You never know what somebody has on them. Something sharp. You could get hurt.”

Field intruders generally are turned over to police before being ejected from the ballpark. Clubs may separately penalize field intruders by banning them from their ballparks.

The commissioner’s office reviews all incidents and may impose further penalties, up to and including a lifetime ban from all MLB ballparks and facilities.

But it was unusual to see two fans make contact with a player, knocking him down.

“I’m glad everything was OK but that’s not OK,” Kiermaier said. “It seems like security always takes a little bit longer than what’s needed at most places, or security guards aren’t fit for chasing certain people. I’ve seen it plenty over the years.

“I’ve seen some senior citizens who are security and other people just don’t seem like they’re physically fit for that to happen.”

The incident with Acuña occurred on the same day that Chicago’s interim police superintendent said a shooting that wounded two women at Friday night’s Athletics-White Sox game most likely involved a gun that went off inside Guaranteed Rate Field.

Both wounded women, ages 42 and 26, were expected to recover from the shooting that occurred during the fourth inning. Police said the 42-yearold sustained a gunshot wound to the leg and the 26-year-old had a graze wound to her abdomen. The 26-yearold refused medical attention, according to a police statement.

A spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department said Tuesday that the investigation remains active.

If the gun went off inside the home of the White Sox, the focus turns to how it was brought into the facility. MLB has had mandatory metal detection screening in place since opening day in

2015. “I think anytime you hear that it’s going to alarm not only you for your safety but your family as well,” Texas Rangers outfielder Travis Jankowski said.

“We have loved ones in the seats almost every home game we play and a lot of road games, too. So it’s one of those things that you hope that MLB and trust that MLB security is taking care of it.”

It also raises questions about the decision to continue playing the game. Fred Waller, interim superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, said police initially requested that the game be halted after the shooting was discovered. The White Sox said Saturday that they were not aware at first that a woman injured during the game was shot, and that police would have stopped play if officers thought it was unsafe to continue.

Damar Hamlin makes Bills 53man roster a year after incident

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin made the cut.

Some eight months after a near-death experience during a game at Cincinnati, Hamlin’s fearless bid to resume his football career approached completion on Tuesday when he made the team after the Bills pared their roster to 53 players.

Though general manager Brandon Beane has stressed changes could still be made to the roster before the Bills open their season at the New York Jets on Sept. 11, what’s undeniable is the courage Hamlin has shown in reaching this milestone of his comeback by reclaiming a backup role behind starters Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer.

In other notable Bills news, edge rusher Von Miller will miss at least the first four games continuing to

recover from a torn right knee ligament after being placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list.

What began as a national theme of “Prayers For Hamlin” has turned to praise for Hamlin, who put aside hints of trepidation in each step of his recovery.

It’s a journey that’s taken the 25-year-old from being placed in a medically induced coma after going into cardiac arrest and needing to be resuscitated on the field, to returning to the turf to take and deliver hits at full speed during practice and three preseason game appearances in one of North America’s most violent professional sport.

“I made the choice that I wanted to play, you know, it wasn’t nobody else’s choice but mine,” Hamlin said of his approach after a three-tackle outing in Buffalo’s preseason-opening win

against Indianapolis

three weeks ago. “So, when you see my cleats laced up and my helmet and shoulder pads on, there ain’t gonna be no hesitation.”

A week later in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Hamlin was selected to take the field as a captain for the coin flip before the Bills’ game against the Steelers.

“It was real special, like a moment of serendipity, just like life coming full circle for me,” he said following the game in which finished with three more tackles. “It’s just something indescribable.”

Overall, Hamlin finished the preseason with nine solo tackles and one assist while playing 80 defensive snaps and 19 more on special teams.

Coach Sean McDermott all but assured Hamlin’s place on the roster was secure two weeks ago by saying the player had little more to prove.

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