Sports: Horseshoe fanatics compete in Topeka See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
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Monday, July 20, 2015
A DYNAMITE NIGHT
2015 Charley Melvin Mad Bomber Run For Your Life
At top left, youngsters took advantage of water sprays provided by the Iola Fire Department to keep cool during Saturday’s Charley Melvin Mad Bomber Run For Your Life activities. At top right, “Delaney” won the drag race and beauty pageant. At middle left, Don Burns dances with a girl as part of the drag race pre-show. At center, Sabra Aguirre entertains the crowd from the free stage. At lower left Kristina Selters (top) and Brock Artis (bottom) were the fastest female and male, respectively, in the newly christened 10k run. At bottom right, scores of runners and walkers depart from the starting line to kick off the 5k run and 3k walk. Race results are available online at www.ozendurance.net/results. PHOTOS BY KAYLA BANZET AND RICK DANLEY
Pressure grows on mental health system By RICK DANLEY The Iola Register
“[T]he concern I have is what happens when we get to that point where [Osawatomie State Hospital] isn’t taking ‘involuntaries’…. It’s going to be 3 o’clock in the morning, and your deputy is going to be dealing with someone who has no place to go but can’t be left on the street.” — Sandy Horton, head of the Kansas Sheriffs’ Association
A week ago Friday, in the late afternoon, Allen County Sheriff Bryan Murphy was
called to the home of a middle-aged individual whose behavior and speech held the promise of some danger, either to themselves or to members of the community. Murphy recognized the individual, and had a passing knowledge of the person’s mental health picture. “We hadn’t dealt with them for probably two years — because they stayed on their meds. For whatever reason, this day, they were off them.” After some discussion, the person agreed to submit to a screening by one of the crisis specialists at Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center in
Quote of the day Vol. 117, No. 178
Iola. The screener returned a swift verdict: The individual required involuntary commitment to Osawatomie State Hospital, one of only two remaining inpatient psychiatric hospitals in the state. Unfortunately, late last month, in a move that has worried law enforcement and mental health professionals across the state since its prospect was rumored four months ago, the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services froze admissions to the hospital after the See SEKMHC | Page A4
Judges’ retirements could strain federal court system By ROXANA HEGEMAN The Associated Press
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The looming departures of two senior federal judges in Kansas in the next couple of months are expected to exacerbate a backlog of cases in U.S. District Court in Kansas, creating heavier caseloads for fewer judges at a time civil litigation oftentimes already languishes for years in the federal courts. U.S. District Judge Richard Rogers, 93, is due to fully retire from the federal court
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” — Mark Twain, American humorist 75 Cents
in Topeka in August, and U.S. District Judge Monti Belot, 72, is expected to fully retire from the Wichita federal court in September. Both judges have been on “senior status,” a form of semi-retirement that allows a judge to collect his salary but work at a reduced level if he chooses. Rogers, who was appointed by President Gerald Ford in 1975, took senior status in 1989 and has since then maintained a full caseload. So did Belot, who See JUDGES | Page A4
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