ELSMORE — The Lone Tree Gun Club will host its sixth annual trap shoot Oct. 27. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and is open to youths 16 and under.
Boys and girls are both invited; parental supervision is required.
The trap shoot will be divided into two age groups: 13 to 16 years and 12 and under. The highest shooter in each age group will win a shotgun.
Fifty shells and clay targets will be provided to the youngsters — 25 for practice and 25 for competition.
A drawing also is planned for a Model 391 Beretta shotgun.
An open shoot begins at 3 p.m.
The Lone Tree Gun Club is at the corner of Delaware Road and 3000 Street.
For more information, call Richard Diehl, 365-9808, or Ron Wrestler, (620) 754-3548.
Junior varsity, freshmen seasons end
GARNETT — Iola High’s junior varsity volleyball squad was on the short end of a pair of tough losses Tuesday, falling in both matches to host Anderson County High’s JV.
The Fillies tumbled in straight sets in both matches, 25-18, 25-20 in the first contest and 25-14, 25-16 in the second.
The matches wrapped up the 2012 campaign for the junior varsity.
The freshmen were more successful in their finale, winning the first match against Anderson County 26-24, 20-25, 15-5, before losing the second match in three sets, 16-25, 25-13, 15-10.
“Of course we wanted to finish our season with wins, but it seemed like we played a step behind most of the game,” said Iola JV head coach Steven Stockebrand. “When we made a good play on defense or offense and had the ball on our side we struggled to keep our serves in play. It was tough all the way.”
Torrie Lewis led the Iola JV in the first match with six kills, while Shelby Smith added three kills and a block. Paige Miller came up with a kill and two good serves. Katie Shields served three aces. Cassie Delich notched 12 assists, while Karlie Lower had eight assists, a good serve and an ace. Allie Cleaver had a kill and an ace.
In the second match, Lewis had six kills and a good serve. Delich had five assists, while Lower provided three assists, three good serves and an ace. Miller and Cleaver each knocked down a kill. Shields had one good serve.
“I think we had a good season playing good together as a team most games,” Stockebrand said. “Throughout the season most of the matches we lost went to three games and most were close. I hope the girls continue to work hard and get better for next year.”
In the freshmen split, McKayli Cleaver, Taylor Sell and Taylor Heslop led the Fillies in serving. Valaree Burtnett, Ashlie Shields and Mikaela Platt led the team in kills. Heslop and McKarnin were tops in assists.
“Overall, our season was a great team effort,” freshman head coach Jeff Fehr said. “The girls learned and improved their skills; we became a much better fundamentals team. This group has a lot of talent and I expect great things from them in the upcoming years at IHS.”
The freshman squad ended its season with an 18-16 record.
Junior varsity, freshmen seasons end
GARNETT — Iola High’s junior varsity volleyball squad was on the short end of a pair of tough losses Tuesday, falling in both matches to host Anderson County High’s JV.
The Fillies tumbled in straight sets in both matches, 25-18, 25-20 in the first contest and 25-14, 25-16 in the second.
The matches wrapped up the 2012 campaign for the junior varsity.
The freshmen were more successful in their finale, winning the first match against Anderson County 26-24, 20-25, 15-5, before losing the second match in three sets, 16-25, 25-13, 15-10.
“Of course we wanted to finish our season with wins, but it seemed like we played a step behind most of the game,” said Iola JV head coach Steven Stockebrand. “When we made a good play on defense or offense and had the ball on our side we struggled to keep our serves in play. It was tough all the way.”
Torrie Lewis led the Iola JV in the first match with six kills, while Shelby Smith added three kills and a block. Paige Miller came up with a kill and two good serves. Katie Shields served three aces. Cassie Delich notched 12 assists, while Karlie Lower had eight assists, a good serve and an ace. Allie Cleaver had a kill and an ace.
In the second match, Lewis had six kills and a good serve. Delich had five assists, while Lower provided three assists, three good serves and an ace. Miller and Cleaver each knocked down a kill. Shields had one good serve.
“I think we had a good season playing good together as a team most games,” Stockebrand said. “Throughout the season most of the matches we lost went to three games and most were close. I hope the girls continue to work hard and get better for next year.”
In the freshmen split, McKayli Cleaver, Taylor Sell and Taylor Heslop led the Fillies in serving. Valaree Burtnett, Ashlie Shields and Mikaela Platt led the team in kills. Heslop and McKarnin were tops in assists.
“Overall, our season was a great team effort,” freshman head coach Jeff Fehr said. “The girls learned and improved their skills; we became a much better fundamentals team. This group has a lot of talent and I expect great things from them in the upcoming years at IHS.”
The freshman squad ended its season with an 18-16 record.
Red Devils falter late on road
OVERLAND PARK — Allen Community College’s volleyball team started off on a high note Wednesday.
The rest of the evening didn’t go as well.
The Red Devils fell to host Johnson County Community College 21-25, 25-11, 25-15, 25-16 on the road.
Allen (13-16) wraps up its home schedule at 6:30 p.m. Monday against Cowley College.
The Red Devils minimized their errors early, which paved the way to the first-set win, assistant coach Whitney Falkenstien said.
Allen led 10-3 in the first set and held on from there in the 25-21 win.
The momentum switch was immediate. Johnson County raced to a 9-0 lead in the second set.
“Johnson started running a faster offense, and the blocks that were consistent in set one for Allen were nonexistent most of the next three,” Falkenstien said.
“It is disappointing for us to swallow losses like tonight,” she added. “We are at a point in our season that we have to perform. There are no excuses to show and work for one win and not want two more.”
Obama is given a clear victory
Last night’s debate was a dogfight.
Mitt Romney snarled at President Obama’s record and bit at his ankles over the economy over and over again. One almost expected the audience to supply his punch lines for him before the 90 minutes was up, they were so predictable.
Obama barked right back, taking the governor to task for his flip-flopping actions and statements on health care, abortion rights, gun control, and tax policies.
When both were pulled from the pit, President Obama’s handlers gave him the victor’s bone.
Washington hands will agree.
The president handled himself with confidence and clarity. Romney repeated his claim that he “knew how to create jobs; how to fix the economy” so many times that the statement lost whatever appeal it may first have had.
The president made several strong points. He pointed out that a great many women depend on the health care services provided through Planned Parenthood and that Romney is opposed to the program and would end it if elected. While governor of Massachusetts, Romney was a strong advocate of Planned Parenthood, including its provision of abortions, but now is just as strong in his opposition.
Obama also took credit for federal legislation requiring equal pay for equal work that was passed early in his administration with the signing of the Lily Ledbetter Act, the first law the president signed when he took office in 2009.
Romney said that as governor he had sent state workers out to recruit women for his cabinet when the first slate proposed was all male. This incidence of affirmative action on his part stands in contrast to his current opposition to affirmative action in universities and other government-supported agencies and institutions.
Romney attacked the president for a “weak” response to the attacks on the U.S. embassy in Libya; Obama fiercely defended his administration’s actions and swore that he would find the terrorists responsible for the four deaths and “bring them to justice.”
WHILE NEITHER WERE all that specific about the agenda they would follow if elected, a clear difference emerged. Mitt Romney would follow the conservative Republican philosophy. He insisted he could reduce income tax rates across the board by 20 percent, eliminate the estate tax, keep low tax rates on interest, capital gains and dividends and still reduce the deficit and balance the budget.
He repeated his belief that lowering taxes and reducing government regulation would provide the stimulation the economy needed to create jobs and fill government coffers.
President Obama would stay in the tradition of Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton and use the power of government to seek the common good — or as Obama likes to put it, everyone should get a fair shot.
With those values in mind, President Obama repeated that he wants the income tax deduction for the wealthy to expire at the end of the year but would keep taxes the same on the middle class — which he defines as families with incomes of less than $250,000 a year.
He said the money the nation will save by ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan should be devoted to helping more young people win college degrees and rebuilding the nation’s highways, bridges and update other infrastructure that has been neglected in the recession. Those initiatives, he said, would create jobs and make the nation stronger. Modest goals; but achievable.
AS THE FACT-CHECKERS will show over the next few days, Gov. Romney’s more-from-less math is phony. Even if all of the current deductions were repealed — which is a political non-starter — the tax reductions he proposes would reduce federal income and increase the deficit. The deficit would be larger yet if Romney could persuade Congress to increase military spending by billions, as he says he would try to do.
It remains to be seen how the debate will affect the polls and the election. The guess from this keyboard is that the president will gain a bit now and that his lead will grow as voters grasp how fundamental the differences between the two men and their political parties truly are.
— Emerson Lynn,jr.
Local ANW bowlers compete
PITTSBURG — ANW Special Education Cooperative Special Olympics bowlers were in Pittsburg Thursday for their annual bowling meet.
Local participants, and their places in their respective age divisions were:
Kabel Beckham, Iola, first; Bo Bland, Iola, first; Judy Branstetter, Iola, second; Jonathan Cross, Iola, second; Katlin Cress, Iola, third; Gavin Doolittle, Yates Center, second; Manual Doolittle, Neosho Falls, first; Brandon Griggs, Moran, first; Chealsae Hanson, LaHarpe, third; Ty Johnson, Moran, fifth; Kandra Manbeck, LaHarpe, third; Leibranne Moore, Iola, third; Justin Narrolz, Iola, first; Kaylee Norton, Iola, second; Courtland Sager, Gas, second; Mariz Schotterbeck, Yates Center, second; Corine Simpson, Iola, fourth; Gracie Splechter, Yates Center, second; Ian Spoor, Iola, third; Wolfgang Webber, Colony, second; Christopher White, Iola, fourth; Derek White, Iola, first; Dalia Stoll, LaHarpe; first.
Allen County Special Olympics team members were Casey Riebel, LaHarpe, second; and Steven Riebel, LaHarpe, fourth.
Marmaton Valley JV squad season ends
MORAN — Marmaton Valley High’s junior varsity volleyball squad ended its season with a split Tuesday.
The Wildcats downed visiting Pleasanton in two sets, 25-9, 25-13, while falling to Uniontown’s JV 25-15, 25-22.
The split puts the Wildcat JV’s final record at 31-10.
“We finished up the season tonight with a hard-fought game against Uniontown,” Wildcat head coach Jamie Stodgell said. “Throughout our season, these girls played like winners and were winners. This team has been a pleasure to coach.”
Kenzie Harrison led the Wildcat girls on the night with 17 points and three kills. Shauna Knight added 10 points and three kills, Mackenzie Tynon had eight points and nine kills; Tessa Olson had six kills and five points.
Others scoring for Marmaton Valley were Ashlynn Pinkerton, six kills and three points; Ruby Mann, three kills and a point; Alex Thomas, two points; Molly Hamlin, three kills and a point; and Shauna Knight, three kills.
Lady Cubs come up short
HUMBOLDT — A back-and-forth volleyball match filled with a number of close calls fell in favor of the visitors Tuesday evening.
Humboldt High’s volleyball squad battled Fredonia High in three straight hotly contested sets, but wound up dropping two of the three in a 23-25, 25-23, 25-22 defeat.
The Lady Cubs also dropped two straight sets to highly regarded Burlington High, 25-19, 25-15.
“We played hard and made them work for the win,” Humboldt head coach Stephanie Splechter said.
Sherri Middleton pounded down 11 kills for Humboldt in the Fredonia match, to go along with 4 blocks and two points. Anna Setter and Rachel Taylor shared high-scoring honors with seven sets apiece. Setter also had three aces, 23 set assists and a dig. Taylor also had a kill and two digs.
Breanna Kline chipped in with six points, three aces and five kills to go with a set assist. Kayle Riebel had nine kills, two points and a dig on defense. Haley Riebel had two points and a dig. Delaney Umholtz chipped in with a point, while Kasey Beeman had a kill and a dig.
The scoring wasn’t as prolific against Burlington. Kline had five kills, two aces, a dig and two points. Middleton had four kills and three points. Taylor had four points and a dig. Kline and Kayle Riebel delivered five and four kills, respectively. Setter had 11 assists, a dig and a point. Haley Reibel also had four kills, a service ace and a point. Kline served up two points, both on aces.
The Lady Cubs travel to Fredonia Saturday to begin play in the Kansas Class 3A substate playoffs. Seedings and matchups were to be announced today.
Red Devil women shut out NOC
TONKAWA, Okla. — Keelie Arbuckle’s spotless performance Tuesday as goalkeeper keyed a road victory for the Allen Community College women’s soccer team.
The Red Devils’ Maribelle Mbaire scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Northern Oklahoma College.
Arbuckle, a St. Joseph, Mo., freshman, made 13 saves in goal.
The men were not as fortunate, dropping a 5-2 decision. George Georgiev and Eric Tomlinson both scored for ACC, while goalkeeper Jordan Drake made eight saves. Oscar Maruffo had an assist on Georgiev’s goal.
The loss ends the regular season for the Red Devil men (5-10 overall). The women (2-14) will play their final regular season game Thursday at home against Garden City Community College.
Koch brothers make the case for new controls
Kansas’ own Koch Industries of Wichita is out to save America. Its crusade was page one in Sunday’s Kansas City Star and Wichita Eagle. Its object is to defeat Barack Obama and go on from there to remake the country. The vision it has in mind is an end to governmental regulations, still lower federal taxes, an end to all subsidies to agriculture and every other industry and much lower taxes — libertarianism on steroids.
The Koch brothers are not new to politics. With unlimited wealth, they have been supporting far right political candidates for decades. What is new is their decision to move out front in their assault. Sunday’s lengthy feature stories are one example. Another was their decision to send “information packets” to their 50,000 employees and contractors earlier this month warning them a vote for Obama and other Democrats would be a vote against the company.
Here’s a quote from the missive:
“ . . . If we elect candidates who want to spend hundreds of billions in borrowed money on costly new subsidies for a few favored cronies, put unprecedented regulatory burdens on businesses, prevent or delay important new construction projects, and excessively hinder free trade, then many of our more than 50,000 U.S. employees and contractors may suffer the consequences, including higher gasoline prices, runaway inflation and other ills. . . .”
Included was a list of candidates the company supports.
THE CITIZENS UNITED decision by the U.S. Supreme Court gave the Koch brothers and the rest of the 1 percent the right to spend their money without limit to support whatever candidate and whatever political philosophy they wish. The right to spend is guaranteed by the First Amendment, the court ruled. Speech and money are identical; corporations are people.
It will probably take a constitutional amendment to right that wrong.
Critics of the Kochs like to argue that what they really want is an unlimited right to make money; to increase their wealth and, by doing so, to increase their power.
Reading the motives of others is an inexact science. The Kochs, like the rest of us, deserve respect as individuals. They say they believe that re-electing President Obama would lead to utter disaster and a catalog of horrors too long to list. They are entitled to their dark fears.
But the rest of us need to revisit our nation’s political campaign rules and ask ourselves if the role that money plays shouldn’t be examined anew.
It is clear that money influences elections. A campaign with $1 million to spend can be defeated by a campaign with $100 million in its coffers. Likewise, an individual with $200 million to spend — that’s how much the Koch brothers said they would spend to defeat the president — speaks with a louder voice than can you or I.
This is a fact that truly tests the fundamentals of democracy, a system of government that rests on the equality of the citizenry.
Campaign spending should be limited. Congress tried to do that with the McCain-Feingold Act that the court overruled. The American people are more than ready to make another attempt at leveling the playing field on Election Day.
Depend on the Koch brothers to fight that desperately needed reform. The fortune they will spend in the effort will be a powerful argument in its favor.
— Emerson Lynn, jr.