There’s an inherent lesson in sports that Elza Clift learned at a young age.
You can practice for hours on end, have a good game plan in place and enter a game with the right frame of mind — and still come up short on the scoreboard.
“It’s very tough,” Clift said. “Part of the reason I play sports is to get those experiences. It’s special to face adversity and push through it, and come out stronger. It prepares you for life.”
Clift’s commitment extends well beyond the athletic field.
The Iola High School senior carried the same dedication to her studies, putting her in line to graduate this week with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. She and her Class of 2025 classmates will be honored at a commencement ceremony at 2 p.m. Saturday in the IHS gymnasium.
“High school went by so fast,” Clift said. “But at the same time, I look back and think, I’ve been here a long time.”
Clift’s inspiration to suc-
ceed in the classroom came in part as a challenge to meet the standard set by her mother, Sara, who graduated with a 4.0 GPA from IHS in 1997.
“It wasn’t necessarily to live up to her,” Clift explained. “But I wanted to ac-
Area Governor’s Scholars honored
TOPEKA — Iola High School’s Kaysin Crusinbery, Humboldt’s Cassidy Friend, Marmaton Valley’s Ava Newman and Crest’s Denton Ramsey were among the honorees Sunday at a banquet to honor Governor’s Scholars from the Class of 2025.
complish what she accomplished. I was determined to get all A’s in high school, and she knows whenever I set my mind on a goal, I try my absolute hardest to accomplish it.”
Doing so meant finding a balance between the class-
room and her multiple other pursuits, especially athletics.
“I always tried to put homework first,” she said. “If we had to leave for a game at 1:45, and I had an
CLIFT | Page A3
India fires at Pakistan
ISLAMABAD (AP) — India fired missiles at Pakistan early Wednesday, in what it said was retaliation for last month’s massacre of Indian tourists. Pakistan called the strikes an act of war and claimed it downed several Indian fighter jets.
The missiles killed more than two dozen people, including women and children, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the country’s Punjab province, Pakistan’s military said. The strikes targeted at least nine sites “where terrorist attacks against India have been planned,” India’s Defense Ministry said.
Pakistan said it reserved the right to respond, raising the specter that the backand-forth could spiral into all-out conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals. Already, it’s their worst confrontation since 2019, when
County talks ambulance, sidewalks
By SARAH HANEY The Iola Register
A tour of the newest ambulance for the county’s Emergency Medical Services (EMS) was a highlight of Tuesday’s Allen County Commission meeting. The commissioners had previously approved the $228,465 purchase at their March 4 meeting.
EMS Director Michael Burnett noted that the ambulance is a Ford with a van-style chassis and a square box. He added the vehicle could be used for some transfers and help keep some wear and tear off of the other ambulances they currently have. The money for the purchase comes from the ambulance fund, which now sits at $514,473.
Burnett noted that the ambulance was substantially smaller than he anticipated.
“It’s not bad, though,” he said. “I think it’ll do great for transfers.”
and constructing the new.
IN OTHER NEWS, commissioners approved the low bid from Lickteig Construction for the sidewalk replacement in front of the courthouse. The $10,090 cost includes tearing out the old sidewalk
“The divots and damage in the sidewalk are pretty significant,” said Ron Holman, county maintenance direc-
House GOP wants to sell public lands
Among the speakers at Sunday’s program were Gov. Laura Kelly, Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson and Elizabeth Anstine of Leavenworth High School, the 2025 Kansas Teacher of the Year.
The recognition goes to the seniors who rank in the top 1% of their respective graduating classes.
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans have added a provision to their sweeping tax cut package that would authorize the sale of thousands of acres of public lands in Nevada and Utah, prompting outrage from Democrats and environmental groups who called the plan a betrayal that could lead to increased drilling, mining and logging in the West.
Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee adopted the land sales proposal early Wednesday morning. The initial draft had not included it amid bipartisan opposition.
Colorado Republican Rep. Jeff Hurd voted against the provision and Rep. Joe Neguse , D-Colo., called it “deeply irresponsible.”
“Public lands shouldn’t have a price tag on them. But (President) Donald Trump
The land sale provision put forward by Republican Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada and Celeste Maloy of Utah would sell thousands of acres of public lands in the two states, and calls for some of the parcels to be considered for affordable housing projects.
Ava Newman Denton Ramsey
Kaysin Crusinbery Cassidy Friend
Elza Clift
Director of Public Relations and Marketing Communications 3-5 years of experience required
Salary commensurate with education and experience
Online Learning Coordinator
$38-42,000 per year. Bachelor’s degree required
Business O ce Assistant
$17 per hour for 12-month position
Head Baseball Coach –coaching experience desired
Salary commensurate with education and experience
Head Shooting Sports Coach Full- or part-time position
Custodian
8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. M-Th in summer Fall 2025: Full-time from 2-10:30 p.m.
We
including opportunities for flex time and some remote work options. Allen is an EOE/AA employer. WE’RE
HELP WANTED
9/11 workers rehired after outcry over cuts
By DAVE GOLDINER NY Daily News/TNS
Bids are to be sent to: USD #257 Attn: Terry Taylor 305 North Washington Avenue,
including a detailed scope of work to: Aaron Cole, Director of Operations Voice: 620-365-4710 • Email: aaron.cole@usd257.org
PUBLIC NOTICE
Due to increasing costs, Allen Regional Transit will raise their rates for general public transportation and out of county rides on June 1 to the following: Iola City Limit: $3 Allen County: $5
miles: $20
NEW YORK — Federal workers who help run the health program for Sept. 11 first responders and survivors have been rehired after a bipartisan outcry forced the Trump administration to reverse deep cuts that threatened to hobble the program, lawmakers said Wednesday.
Almost all of the estimated 16 fired World Trade Center Health Program workers have been told this week they are being reinstated, following weeks of uncertainty over the draconian cuts by the White House and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.
The new price for ART Passes, which includes 10 rides, will be $25 for rides within city limits.
This is a vital service for many Allen County residents, which is why it is necessary to keep it going.
Questions?
Contact Je Keithly (620-228-0463)
“The flash firings at the World Trade Center Health Program should never happened in the first place,” Sen. Chuck Schumer told the News.
“Once we raised hell, the administration had no choice but to start fixing this mess.”
SCHUMER accused President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of putting “sick 9/11 survivors through a lot of pain with these gratuitous firings.”
“The Trump administration has much work to gain even a modicum of trust at the WTCHP,” Schumer added.
Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-New York, also hailed the rehirings, which he said came after both Democratic and Republican lawmakers
pushed the administration to take action.
“This is good news … but there are still major questions about the status of the program,” warned Ben Chevat of Citizens for the Extension of the James Zadroga Act, a 9/11 advocacy group that plans to protest in Washington D.C. next week to demand more answers.
THE REVERSAL of the cuts was confirmed by program director Dr. James Howard, who praised HHS in a statement for “swift action to address these notices and return critical program staff to work to help assist and provide ongoing services,”
The action appears for now to end the chaotic budget cuts imposed on the program by the Trump administration. Howard and several staffers were fired in March as part of a wide effort spearheaded by Musk’s DOGE to downsize the federal government.
After a flurry of bipartisan outcry, the White House said at the time that it was reversing the staffing cuts and reinstating Howard.
Now, the workers, amounting to nearly 20% of the program’s staff, have been told they will not be fired after all.
The program provides health services to about 137,000 first responders and survivors who suffered injuries and illnesses caused by the toxins at Ground Zero during 9/11.
Trump moves to end Energy Star program
By EVAN HALPER TNS
WASHINGTON — Commercial real estate giant CBRE is always on alert for shifts in federal government policy that might impact its vast property management and investment business.
But the Los Angelesbased Fortune 500 company never anticipated an effort to eliminate a voluntary, cost-effective initiative that has saved its customers millions of dollars and had almost no critics.
In a reflection of how much influence a handful of free-market think tanks wield over the White House, the Trump administration has decided the immensely popular Energy Star program must go.
The fight centers on the Environmental Protection Agency’s 25-year-old effort to boost efficiency in products and services by encouraging companies to compete for coveted, government-issued labels that certify a product or property meets high standards for saving energy and costs.
Functioning like a government seal of approval, the Energy Star program costs taxpayers a pittance and is widely beloved by the 16,000 companies and organizations that participate. Now it is fast becoming a test case of how committed the Trump administration is to pursuing the agenda of once-fringe groups seeking to slash government programs wherever they can.
“Never in my wildest thoughts have I considered something like this,” said Dave Pogue, who leads the sustainability efforts at CBRE. He said the program
CRYPTOQUOTES
helped the firm cut energy use at its properties by 16% over the last decade.
THE PROPOSAL has been met with shock across party lines. Christie Todd Whitman, who ran the EPA during the administration of George W. Bush said, “not in a million years” would she have targeted Energy Star. “There was no reason to,” she said. “It was a no-brainer. It worked, and it hardly cost any money.”
But in a Trump administration eager to roll back federal government action to confront climate change, Energy Star has come under scrutiny. The plan to jettison the program from the federal government, now embedded in the White House budget blueprint, emerged after Trump placed Myron Ebell, a prominent climate skeptic, in charge of his EPA transition team.
Yesterday’s Cryptoquote: In order to fly, you have to let go of everything that weighs you down.
-- Florence Griffith Joyner
climate change as well as the health impacts of tobacco. “The president made clear during the campaign he will get rid of as much of that as he possibly can.”
and least burdensome initiative the federal government runs to help Americans lower their energy consumption. States have latched onto the program, awarding their own rebates and other incentives to utility customers who use Energy Star products.
Until Trump took office, the voices that dismissed the program as unnecessary government meddling had barely registered in Washington. Now they have the ear of the White House.
It was a no-brainer. It worked, and it hardly cost any money.
— Christie Todd Whitman
Ebell’s team disbanded in January and did not write Trump’s budget plan, which envisions a privatization scheme where industry would set its own definitions for what products are efficient and police standards itself. But the team provided the administration with a confidential list of proposals aimed at helping the president fulfill his stated goal during the campaign of shrinking the agency as much as possible.
“The EPA is meant to improve environmental quality,” said Ebell, director of environmental initiatives at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a libertarian think tank in the forefront of disputing the scientific consensus on
THE VOLUNTARY program’s legions of loyalists say Energy Star has everything to with environmental quality. The nation’s biggest companies compete aggressively to win Energy Star labels for their products, which signal to consumers that everything from the air conditioners they purchase at Best Buy to the buildings where they lease office space engage advanced technologies to use the least possible amount of power. The eagerness to meet consumer demand for that seal of approval has driven firms to invest big in cutting energy use.
Energy Star has been a pillar of the federal government’s effort to fight climate change, with the EPA boasting that it has kept some 2.8 billion tons of greenhouse gas from escaping into the atmosphere — or roughly the equivalent produced from powering 36 million homes with electricity each year. It has enabled consumers and businesses to cut their energy bills more than $30 billion per year.
At an annual cost of $60 million to taxpayers, it is easily the cheapest
“I just think it is something government should not be doing,” Ebell said, “and therefore we should get rid of it. If it has value, private industry can pick it up.”
He blames the program for pushing companies to place too much focus on efficiency, saying it leaves consumers with inferior products to choose from. The climate benefits the EPA has boasted about don’t impress Ebell, who accuses scientists of exaggerating the threat of global warming.
ZITS by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
BEETLE BAILEY by Mort Walker
HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by Chris Browne
MARVIN by Tom Armstrong
HI AND LOIS by Chance Browne
BLONDIE by Young and Drake
MUTTS by Patrick McDonell
County: Talks concern dispatch computer costs
Continued from A1
tor. The cost will come out of the courthouse budget. Commissioners also approved a pair of bids for new equipment for county dispatch. Chelsie Decker, Allen County 911 director, explained the bids to the commission.
One bid was from TBS Electronics, Inc., of Topeka, for the purchase of three new Dell monitors and PCs, with accompanying equipment and labor. The total came to $6,510.
The second bid was from Advantage Computer, of Iola, for the purchase of seven new monitors at the cost of $8,211. The monitors all come equipped with Windows 11 and Microsoft Office 2024 installed, as well as a
three year warranty. Decker noted that the labor cost for installation was not figured into the Advantage bid. She explained Advantage had e-mailed the labor costs separately.
“They were thinking it would be about $150 per computer,” she said. “They’ll take out the old equipment and bring in the new, making sure everything is hooked up. They also have to re-install all of the programs that we use on a daily basis.”
COMMISSIONER John
Brocker pointed out that, after including the labor costs, the actual total would be closer to $9,275. “Let’s keep this in perspective,” noted Commissioner Jerry Daniels. “These ar-
en’t computers to calculate somebody’s savings account. This is equipment that gets our first responders where they need to go. This is a critical link. In total, we’re talking $14,000 or $15,000 for things we can’t do without.”
Commissioner David Lee voiced his frustrations with the bids. “I kind of feel like you’re pushing us up against a wall,” he said to Decker. “I understand these are critical resources. The $8,211 is not a correct number.”
Decker asked what she could have done differently so Lee wouldn’t feel this way. In his motion to accept the bids, Lee said, “In the future, we need to create a system where we’re not buying a big chunk of computers all at
Let’s keep this in perspective. These aren’t computers to calculate somebndy’s savings account. This is equipment that gets our first responders where they need to go. This is a critical link.
— Commissioner Jerry Daniels
once. We’re also having to do the math for you.”
Decker said she hopes to not run into this situation again, where so many are being replaced at once. “I want to get them staggered,” she said. “That way, it’s not as much of a hit all at once.”
County Clerk Shannon Patterson pointed out the Windows 11 upgrade has unexpectedly hit many county departments hard. Patterson added the Allen
County 911 budget includes $6,750 for computer equipment and another $5,000 for office equipment.
“Overall, your budget is running right on point,” she told Decker, adding that the installation portion wouldn’t come out of these funds.
“They’ll come out of the computer contracts budget, which was budgeted for $25,000,” she said. “Only $2,200 of that has been used.”
Sports Daily B
Title on the line Tuesday
By JIMMY POTTS
WELLSVILLE — The Iola Mustangs and Santa Fe Trail Chargers will play a winnertake-all doubleheader to determine the Pioneer League champion next week.
Tuesday’s 5-4, 12-9 sweep of the Wellsville Eagles put the Mustangs in the driver’s seat for the Pioneer League title as they host Santa Fe Tuesday following a Friday non-conference game at Coffeyville.
“If we sweep them, then we win it out right. If they sweep us, then they win it,” Iola coach Chris Weide said. “If we split, then we share it. I texted the girls and coaches today that if we take care of businesses in Wellsville, then Tuesday is going to be a lot of fun.”
In the opener, the Eagles’ aggressive offense could not overcome costly defensive errors as Iola pulled away in the fourth and fifth innings. While Wellsville struggled, Iola’s offense was nearly flawless and required sophomore pitcher Zoie Hesse to throw only one strikeout in the complete-game victory to pick up the win.
“These close games pay off in regionals. You would love to run-rule everybody, but it’s not going to happen,” Weide said. “Getting a good experience like this against a good team puts us in a good spot when we do get into close competitions during regionals.”
As Iola’s defense stiffened, its batters needed little time for acclimation. Iola jumped out to a 3-0 advantage in the opening frame on a threerun homer by senior catcher Reese Curry. Senior shortstop Elza Clift, senior third base-
man Harper Desmarteau, Hesse and Curry pushed their lead to 6-1 on, respectively, an RBI triple, double, an error on a pop fly and a double to build an insurmountable lead.
Wellsville chipped away at Iola’s lead with three runs in the sixth inning. It was not enough to overcome the seven runs in the fourth inning generated off RBIs from
senior outfielder Kyndall Bycroft and Hesse, as well as fifth-inning homers from Hesse and Clift. Curry ended the opener with a team-leading four RBIs, followed by Clift’s three and Hesse’s two. Clift and Hesse also tied for the team lead in hits with three each, which is one of the reasons
Allen upsets nationally ranked Neosho
By JIMMY POTTS
The Iola Register
The Allen Red Devils ended their arch-rivals’ hopes of a Region 6 Tournament championship run after defeating the Neosho Panthers in the opening round Tuesday in Overland Park.
Allen, seeded seventh at the tournament, knocked off second-seeded Neosho, 6-5.
The Red Devils were scheduled to face the nationally ranked Johnson County Community College Wednesday.
Sophomore pitcher Camrynn Yardley picked up the win while keeping Neosho scoreless through the first two frames. She put Allen on the scoreboard with a first-inning RBI double. Neosho rallied to a 3-1 lead but that did not last long. The Red Devils responded with a two-run fifth inning and a three-run sixth inning to walk away with the victory.
A Yardley two-run homer tied the game 3-3, then Allen
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Mustangs snap slide with Wellsville sweep
By JIMMY POTTS The Iola Register
The Iola Mustangs snapped a four-game losing streak with a sweep of Pioneer League rival Wellsville during Tuesday’s doubleheader, 13-1 and 10-0.
Despite having the Pioneer League title locked up, the Mustangs are not turning their attention to the postseason just yet as their next couple of games
against Bishop Ward could have implications on their regional tournament seeding. “They have a good team. They have a lot of good players up there,” Iola coach Levi Ashmore said. “We’re excited for that test Friday. We get to play a team in our classification and always up there towards the top. That will give us a good idea where we are at.”
Middle school athletes score big in Uniontown
By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
UNIONTOWN — Athletes from Marmaton Valley Junior High and Crest, Yates Center and Southern Coffey County middle schools wrapped up the 2025 track and field season in style Monday, with several top finishes. On top of multiple firstplace finishes from each of the schools, Crest’s sev-
enth-grade girls and boys teams were crowned league champions, while Yates Center’s eighth-grade girls also came out on top. Full results follow. Seventh-grade boys
Iola High School freshman second baseman Reed Clift stares at his bunt while attempting to advance a runner during a doubleheader at Wellsville REGISTER/JIMMY POTTS
Iola High School senior pitcher Elza Clift throws a strike while making a start in the second game of a doubleheader against Wellsville Tuesday. REGISTER/JIMMY POTTS
Allen Community College sophomore pitcher Camrynn Yardley throws a strike during a game in April. REGISTER/JIMMY POTTS
The Iola Register See SNAPPED|
Marmaton Valley Junior High’s Brayden Endicott competes in the 800-meter run in a track meet earlier this season. HALIE LUKEN/MARMATON VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
Title: Showdown for Pioneer League championship Tuesday
why Coach Weide believes he has one of the best 1-2 pitching combinations in 3A softball.
“I was really proud of Elza. Early, she struggled. She had three walks in the first inning,” Weide said. “Thinking back, she probably had a few in the second inning, but she battled all night. When she found her groove, she hit her spots well and used her defense.”
As Clift took the mound in the finale of Tuesday’s doubleheader, Hesse focused her efforts on batting, hitting a pair of home runs, including a goahead homer in the fifth inning.
When Wellsville jumped out to a 4-0 lead, Clift found her footing to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard the remaining five innings. Clift tallied six strikeouts in the complete-game effort, allowing three hits, four runs and six walks.
“I threw pitches they could put in play, but not hard, because I’m so confident in my defense,” Clift said. “I had good form and didn’t get in my head and try and rush my pitches. I really paid attention to every batter and what they swung at before.”
A two-run Hesse homer put Iola on the scoreboard, then an error forced on a Bycroft line drive plated a pair of runners to tie the game 4-4. Hesse struck again in the fifth with the goahead homer, leaving Clift and the defense responsible for hanging on to the 5-4 win. Hesse accounted for all three of Iola’s RBIs while hitting in 2 of 4 at-bats. Clift hit in 2 of 3 opportunities.
“I just wanted to put the ball in play and have other people hit me around,” said Hesse, who passed her aunt, Jenna (Sigg) Hesse, for the IHS record for most career home runs and home runs in a season
last Friday. With the win, the Mustangs improve to 14-4 and 9-1 in Pioneer League play. First pitches for Friday’s Coffeyville doubleheader are 4:30 and 6 p.m.
and even more to look forward to in the
At the heart of it all are our teachers. You are the steady guides who walk with our students through challenges and triumphs, helping them grow into confident, capable individuals ready to embrace a future full of opportunity. Even when the unexpected happens, you’re the ones who help our students find a way forward.
Teaching is no easy task, but the rewards are undeniable. You see each student for who they truly are beyond the numbers and test scores and help them recognize their unique strengths. It is a privilege to witness the difference you make, and we are deeply thankful for all that you do.
High School sophomore shortstop Zoie Hesse hits the
