Hospital bills paid

Allen County commissioners Tuesday morning approved architectural and construction payments for the new Allen County Hospital.

Payments are made when completion thresholds are reached.

They were $17,333.59 to Health Facilities Group, the hospital’s architect, and $255,513 to Murray Construction, for clearing the site on North Kentucky Street and removing and fashioning dirt preliminary to the start of construction.

Commissioners told Ron Holman, courthouse maintenance supervisor, to have a couple of trees on the courthouse lawn inspected, to see what could be done to ensure longer life.

A large limb fell from one along the east side of the lawn last week, revealing that it is hollow. Another shows signs of aging, Holman said.

Commissioners would prefer not to remove the trees, and wondered if topping them would ease strain.

Two benches in front of the Iola Senior Center are being repaired, commissioners were told. They were found to be rickety, which prompted replacement of wood planks that make up their seats and backs. Also, the metal frames are being sandblasted and powder-coated, courtesy of B&W Trailer Hitches, Humboldt.


Citywide sales Saturday

Bargain hunters will gather en masse in Iola Saturday morning for the annual citywide garage sale.

Those looking to list a sale on the official citywide garage sale map have until the close of business Thursday to contact the Iola Area Chamber of Commerce at 365-5252. A listing fee of $10 will be assessed.

Shelia Lampe, the chamber’s executive director, and staffer Eileen Wilson will spend most of Friday printing up lists and preparing maps.

Maps will be available at the annual Iola Rotary pancake feed from 6 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Iola Masonic Lodge, 213 W. Madison Ave.; at Casey’s General Store, 712 E. Madison Ave.; Jump Start Travel Center, 1700 East St.; Pump ’N Pete’s, 709 N. State St.; and at Iola Pharmacy, 109 E. Madison Ave.

“We want to get the maps spread out to several locations so they’re easy for people to find,” Lampe said.


Wading room

Monday’s spectacular — and warm — weather conditions brought a full house to the Iola Municipal Pool for Summer Splash 2012.


Lori Depaola

Lori Depaola passed from this world on Tuesday, May 22, 2012.

Lori was born Sept. 27, 1980, to Richard and Kathy Spencer in Iola. She had an older brother, Jeremy Spencer. 

Lori attended Iola High School and Allen Community College. She enjoyed working with Iola Community Theatre. Lori moved to Dallas, Texas, for a few years where she worked as an administrative assistant to two architectural firms. 

She fell in love with Kyle Depaola and they were married Sept. 1, 2001, in Kaufman, Texas. 

Her parents, her brother, her husband and her four wonderful children, Caleb Spencer, 12, Tyler Depaola, 9, Kelson Depaola, 6 and Keaton Depaola, 6, survive Lori. Many uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, and nephews, as well as a multitude of friends who will miss her dearly also survive her.

A memorial will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Iola Community Theatre Warehouse, 203 S. Jefferson. The family has requested donations to a scholarship fund for the four children in lieu of flowers. Donations may be made c/o Richard Spencer 915 N. Buckeye Iola, KS 66749, or at 620-363-2315.

Lyman Baldwin

Lyman D. Baldwin, 53, Iola, died Thursday, May 24, 2012, at Allen County Hospital after battling cancer several years.

Lyman was born May 26, 1958, in Iola, the son of William J. and Shirlee E. (Flickinger) Baldwin. He graduated from Iola High School and was involved with Tri-Valley Development Services for several years. After working different jobs he began his own window washing service.

He is survived by his close companion and caregiver of the home, Sandy Flynn.

Cremation has taken place. Memorial services will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at Highland Cemetery. Waugh-Yokum & Friskel Memorial Chapel, Iola, is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences for the family may be left at www.iolafuneral.com.


Wanda Ensminger

Wanda M. Ensminger, 97, Moran, passed away Friday, May 25, 2012, at Tara Gardens, Iola. 

Wanda was born Nov. 17, 1914 at Moran, the daughter of Ernest J. Baker and Clara (Manbeck) Baker. She was raised in rural Moran. 

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the Feuerborn Family Funeral Service Chapel in Moran. Burial will follow in the Moran Cemetery. The family will greet friends from 9 to 10 before the service. Memorial contributions may be left at the funeral home for Moran United Methodist Church. Condolences for the family may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com. 


Geraldine Lacy

Geraldine Setterstrom Lacy, 94, Iola, died Sunday, May 27, 2012, at Iola Nursing Center.

Geraldine was born July 26, 1917, at Elsmore, the daughter of Wilbert and Stella (Nelson) Setterstrom. She graduated from Elsmore High School in 1936. She worked several years as a telephone operator for Southwestern Bell and later in life in the cafeteria at Allen Community College.

On Feb. 21, 1943, Geraldine married Lockwood G. Lacy. They made their home in Iola. He died Sept. 30, 1988.

She was a member of Wesley United Methodist Church in Iola, the American Legion Auxiliary in Chanute, and After Five Kansas Association for Family and Community Education.

She is survived by two sons, William N. Lacy and wife Donna, Yates Center, and L.C. Lacy and wife Mary, Iola; one sister, Virginia Rose Baker, Bloomington, Ill.; grandchildren, Doug Lacy, Dallas, Justin Lacy, Atlanta, Lisa Smith and husband Troy and Rick Zajic and wife Suzanne, all of Iola, Windy Szalkowski and husband Bernie, Zionsville, Ind., Heidi Dubois and husband Brent, Wellsville, and Mandy Gerstner and husband Wade, Beloit; great-grandchildren, Chase and Austin Ellis, Parker and Elijah Smith, Carter Zajic, Willow and Olive Dubois, Noah and Lijah Gerstner and Carissa Szalkowski. She was preceded in death by a sister, Madalyn Golden.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Waugh-Yokum & Friskel Memorial Chapel, Iola. Burial will be in Highland Cemetery. Memorials for Wesley United Methodist Church or Allen County Hospice may be left with Waugh-Yokum & Friskel Memorial Chapel. Online condolences for the family may be left at www.iolafuneral.com.


Samuel Niemeyer

Samuel Niemeyer, 77, Iola, died Saturday, May 26, 2012, at Allen County Hospital.

Sam was born on a farm southeast of Gas Nov. 1, 1934. He attended Iola High School through his junior year and graduated from high school in Phoenix, Ariz.

He served in the U.S. Army and later worked 15 years for Ford Motor Co. in Claycomo, Mo. He operated a dairy farm northwest of Iola before he retired.

Sam married Peggy Sproul on March 1, 1991. They made their home in Iola.

Along with his wife Peggy, he is survived by two sons, William and Robert; two daughters, Melinda and Sandra; eight grandchildren, Tony Niemeyer, Ashley Niemeyer, Vance Johnson Jr., Cassie Johnson, Morgan Kriesel, Leanne Johnson, Kaylee Rickle and Shawnna Johnson; four great-granddaughters; a brother, Frank; and a sister, Ruby. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Ruby (Meadows) Niemeyer, a brother, Joseph, a sister, Audra, and a daughter, Sherry.

Family and friends met today at the Waugh-Yokum & Friskel Chapel in Iola for visitation before leaving for graveside services at the LaHarpe Cemetery at 2 p.m. Memorials for the American Cancer Society may be left with the Waugh-Yokum & Friskel Memorial Chapel. Online condolences for the family may be left at www.iolafuneral.com.


Modest numbers follow awesome growth rhetoric

When Gov. Sam Brownback signed his massive income tax reduction bill last week, a handout was distributed predicting that the tax cut would produce 23,000 new jobs in the state by 2020, over and above normal growth, and that 35,000 people will have moved into the state. This would be, he said, like a “shot of adrenaline into the heart of the economy.”

Once again the Kansas Economic Progress Council took a careful look at the governor’s numbers and discovered Kansas would outpace the governor’s predictions for job and population grown under normal circumstances. 

KEPC observed:

“Current Kansas employment in April was 1,357,100, according to the Kansas Department of Labor. An addition of 23,000 new jobs would be less than 1.7 percent. In fact, a May 18 news release from the department said job growth was more than half that number in just one month. 

“Private sector employment grew by 13,900 jobs since March 2012,” it reported. 

KEPC went on to look at past job creation numbers. The state created 66,800 jobs between 2003 and the beginning of the recession in 2008, or 5 percent annually. 

“An additional 23,000 jobs over the next seven years would certainly be welcome, but it’s hardly ‘a shot of adrenaline’ compared to what Kansas has been able to do in a normal recovery. 

“So, what about the projection that Kansas will add 35,740 new residents? Kansas’ current population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, is 2,871,238. The addition of 35,740 new residents by 2020 would be only a 1.24 percent increase annually. According to Census Bureau estimates, Kansas beat that percentage of population growth in eight of the 10 years between 2000 and 2010, when it added about 16,429 residents a year. That was a 6.1 percent average. An additional 1.24 percent increase in population growth would be welcome, but it’s hardly ‘a shot of adrenaline into the heart.’ Maybe more like a cup of regular coffee.” 

UPON THOUGHT, Gov. Brownback was smart to temper his extravagant rhetoric on the stimulative effect of his drastic tax cut with much more realistic hard numbers. Come 2020, Kansas will probably have met these very modest goals — unless beggaring state government sends people away rather than beckoning them to come live in a lean and mean utopia — and the governor can then claim that he told us so.

His “less equals more” experiment begins July 1. That’s when supply-side theory gets its Kansas reality check; that’s when to start keeping score.

— Emerson Lynn, jr.


[ENGAGEMENT] Robert Cook and Ashley Yeager

Ricky and Traci Yeager, Le Roy, announce the engagement and pending marriage of their daughter, Ashley Nichole Yeager, Le Roy, to Robert Lynn Cook, Moran.

The couple will be married Aug. 4, 2012, in Iola.

The bride-elect is a 2007 Southern Coffey County High School graduate. She works at Iola Walmart.

The groom-to-be is the son of Shelby Cook, Mayetta, and Terri Walker, Moran. He is a 2000 Marmaton Valley High School graduate and works for Quality Auto in LaHarpe and Iola Walmart.