Wildcat XC opens season

Marmaton Valley cross country competed in Burlington on Aug. 30 and all four Wildcat runners finished in the top 15 in the girls junior varsity race.
Zoi Yoho received a seventh place medal with a time of 16:14 and Allison Heim received the eighth place medal with a time of 17:42 for the two-mile race.
Katelynn Morgan finished 11th with a time of 19:06 and McKenna Lord finished 14th with a time of 21:27.
On the junior high side, Zach Allee finished 13th in the eighth-grade two-mile with a time of 15:50.
The Wildcats will run at Parsons on Thursday.

 

Letter to the editor — September 11, 2018

Dear editor,
I am an 82-year-old woman who is disabled. I have spinal stenosis and had a total hip replacement about two years ago. I have had several back surgeries and I have a torn muscle in my hip from the surgery. There is nothing that can be done for my torn muscle in my hip and my leg is weak because of it. I am in pain when I have to walk because of it.
Two years ago I got a permit from the postmaster to have my mailbox placed by my door as I have a long driveway to my house and the mailbox was across the road. I gave the proper papers to my mailman to give to the postmaster and the mailman told me that I was approved to place my mailbox by my door, so I had someone do that for me.
The postmaster tells me now that it wasn’t approved for me to do that and wants me to move my mailbox northeast of my house where I have to go down steps and walk several steps to get my mail.
My local doctor has written a letter to the postmaster and so has my back doctor at KU Medical Center telling the postmaster that it was unsafe for me to do what the postmaster wants me to do because of my spinal stenosis and the torn muscle in my hip. I have been denied by the postmaster to leave my mailbox where it is and have had to go to the post office to pick up my mail and there isn’t any handicapped parking.
I thought there was a hardship clause for disabled persons to have their mailbox moved to where it would be more convenient for them to get their mail.
Yours truly,
Patricia McGhee,
Iola, Kan.

 

Gwynn Holman

Gwynn Mae Holman, age 57, of Welda, died Thursday, Sept. 6, 2018, at her home. She has relatives in Iola.
Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m., on Wednesday at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service Chapel at 1883 US Hwy 54, Iola, with burial to follow at Memorial Park Cemetery, Chanute. The family will greet friends at the funeral home in Iola from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Gwynn Holman Memorial Fund, to be established at a later date.
You may send your condolences to the family at www.feuerbornfuneral .com.

 

State Fair committee to award 10 scholarships

Hutchinson —The Kansas State Fair’s 4-H/FFA Grand Drive program is broadening beyond its annual livestock competition to reward not only top-notch animals, but the hard-working youth that raise them. At the 2019 Kansas State Fair, the Grand Drive Committee will begin awarding $1,000 each to 10 secondary and post-secondary students who have demonstrated excellence, commitment, and integrity as ambassadors of the Kansas State Fair junior livestock program.
“Since the Grand Drive began 19 years ago, our vision has been to reward youth livestock program participants who don’t necessarily make it to the show finals, yet work incredibly hard,” Virginia Crossland-Macha, Kansas State Fair Board President. “These are the youth who will come back to family farms and lead Kansas agribusinesses — as well as return to the fair with their children to continue the tradition — so it’s a win-win for our participants and our state.”
The Grand Drive currently holds about $350,000 in funds generated over the past 19 years. Recently the Grand Drive Scholarship Endowment was established at Hutchinson Community Foundation, with a principal of $150,000. Another $50,000 will be set aside to directly fund the first five years of scholarships, so that the endowment can build to self-fund subsequent scholarships. The Grand Drive committee will be spearheading future fundraising efforts, with assistance from the Fair Board. Scholarship application details and evaluation criteria will be determined in the coming months.

Kansas State Fair offers unusual food, new shows

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas State Fair is welcoming some unusual food vendors and new attractions this year, from deep fried Pina Coladas to an inaugural Bread Sculpture contest.
The fair in Hutchinson opened Friday, featuring a food lineup that attempts to outdo outrageous concoctions from the past, the Wichita Eagle reported. This year’s food vendors are serving deep fried deviled eggs, pickles stuffed with sour hard candy and burgers topped with a MoonPie.
Bernard’s Pit Stop Bar-B-Q will be offering Shuttle Fries to pair with the MoonPie Burger. The fries are loaded with a secret sauce made of mayonnaise, marshmallow fluff, cheese and spices.
Meanwhile, many new amusement rides, animal exhibits, competitions and other attractions have filled the State Fairgrounds.
The “Timberworks Lumberjack Show” will be a main attraction this year, the Hutchinson News reported.  The show coming from Wisconsin features lumberjacks competing in events such as log rolling, speed climbing and ax throwing.
The final day for visitors to take in the extraordinary food offerings and attractions is Sunday.
Kansas Wheat is also hosting a new contest at the fair this year for competitors to “look beyond the loaf.” The competition is to sculpt bread dough into creative pieces.
Thrill-seekers can attend Austin Anderson & the Texas Trick Riders show. Anderson worked as a movie stuntman, horseman and entertainer. The show features horses and skilled riders performing stunts in the Bison Arena.
Visitors looking for a peaceful experience can seek out an enclosed garden on the east side of Lake Talbott, filled with butterflies and other winged insects.

 

Dad who left gun out pleas in daughter’s death

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A 33-year-old man who left a loaded semi-automatic handgun within reach of toddlers pleaded no contest to charge resulting from his daughter’s death.
In exchange for the plea to two counts of aggravated child endangerment, prosecutors dropped an involuntary manslaughter charge Friday against Chance Smith, of Lawrence. He will be sentenced Nov. 7.
Smith’s 1-year-old daughter, Autumn Grace Smith, was hit by a bullet and died in September 2017 at the family’s home.
Smith told police that he was outside for five or 10 minutes and didn’t hear a gunshot. When he came back in he found a 2-year-old boy crying and Autumn upstairs, shot.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports Smith’s attorney said he’s expected to be placed on probation and ordered not to own any guns.

A look back in time

70 Years Ago
September 1948
Construction of the addition to M&M Packing company east of Iola has progressed rapidly over the past month. The Dalton Construction Co., Joplin, Mo., has the contract. This firm also built the Register building in the 1920s. The M&M is continuing its operations in spite of the building. Grover Menzie and W. P. McFadden, owners of the business, say their volume has been exceptionally good during the past 10 days.
*****
Hall Brothers, manufacturers of Hallmark greeting cards, will open a temporary branch plant in Iola within the next 10 days, Charles Stevenson, vice president of the corporation, announced this morning. It will provide employment for 35 to 50 women and three men. The firm has leased the building at 206 S. Jefferson, which is owned by the A.W. Beck estate and which was occupied for many years by the Curtis Furniture Store. Although the branch will be opened on a temporary basis, Stevenson said it may be a permanent Iola institution if sufficient employees can be secured and operations prove to be satisfactory.

Injection well permits won’t be revoked

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas utility regulators have rejected environmentalists’ request that more than 2,100 permits for injection wells be revoked because some of them did not follow regulations on the amount of time the public has to protest the projects.

The Kansas Corporation Commission on Thursday said in an order that such a small percentage of the permits had incorrect legal notices that it had an insignificant effect. The commission said less than 3 percent of the legal notices incorrectly showed 15-day public protest periods instead of the required 30-day notice, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported.

The commission’s assistant attorney, Michael Duenes, said the order noted it was the responsibility of the interested parties to know they had 30 days to comment.

Duenes said between 24 and 29 permits out of 1,007 at issue in the order were granted before the 30-day comment period expired. He said the record contains no evidence that any person with a substantial interest in specific permits was hurt by the permits being approved.

“The order also finds that granting the less than 3 percent of the total applications at issue prior to the application of the 30-day protest period was harmless error based on Kansas case law,” Duenes said.

Environmentalists who attended the commission meeting said the decision shows the Kansas Legislature must get involved.

Cindy Hoedel, an activist who filed complaints about the incorrect legal notices oil and gas companies were publishing, said allowing the permits because only a small number were done incorrectly is “an odd standard.” She said concerns about whether injecting wastewater into the wells is causing an increase in earthquakes in Kansas are real.

“Are you going to let 3 percent of bank robbers not go to jail because it’s only 3 percent of the total?,” she said. “I think it’s a very odd argument. It’s clear there’s a culture of secrecy and pro-industry bias at the KCC, and it’s going to take the Legislature to get involved to protect Kansans.”

Mike Schmidt, an engineer, said during more than 40 years he has had to follow all legal technicalities and he was upset that oil and gas companies aren’t being held to the same standard.

“It’s just ludicrous that they would just wave their hand and allow these oil companies to continue to operate on permits that are bogus,” he said. “It’s just unbelievable.”

Humboldt harriers open season

GIRARD — Humboldt cross country opened its season in Girard on Thursday after rain canceled the squad’s season opener last weekend in Burlington.

The varsity boys finished third out of nine teams and the girls finished eighth out of eight teams.

Senior Seth Barlow led the Cubs finishing 19th with a time of 19 minutes, 49 seconds. Junior Luke Yokum (20:24) finished 27th, sophomore Thane Meadows (20:44) finished 30th, senior Caleb Coronado (20:48) finished 31st and freshman Drew Wilhite (20:54) finished 34th.

On the girls’ side, freshman Madi White led the way finishing 28th with a time of 25:26. Sophomore Zoey Wilson (28:40) finished 45th, senior Alex Melendez (28:45) finished 46th, freshman Peyten Galloway (29:15) finished 48th and freshman Katy Parker (31:41) finished 53rd.

“We competed about how I thought we would at this time of the year,” head coach Eric Carlson said. “Seth Barlow put in some work over the summer and it showed as he ran the strongest race he has ever run. My girls all did a good job for such a young squad and the boys all did a good job of keeping up with each other.”

For the junior varsity girls, junior Madi Wilson (35:11) finished 25th. For the junior varsity boys, freshman Cooper Woods (16:22) finished 34th and senior Noah Carson (28:48) finished 42nd.

Humboldt Middle School also competed in the meet. Eighth-grader Elizabeth Melendez finished first with a time of 15:42 with Leah Mueller following right behind in second with a time of 16:12.

Javyn Hess finished third for the eighth-grade boys with a time of 12:55 and Peyton Wallace finished seventh with a time of 16:14.

The Cubs will run again next Thursday in Wellsville.

K-State unveils $200M-plus plan for sports programs

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Soon after Gene Taylor arrived at Kansas State, the new athletic director began quietly speaking with coaches, staff and athletes to ascertain what they needed to remain competitive in the Big 12.

In terms of facilities, the result is a $200 million-plus master plan unveiled Friday.

The school partnered with architectural firm HOK to develop the plan, which is highlighted by a new football training complex and extensive renovations to Bramlage Coliseum. The plan will touch each of the school’s 16 sports programs, ranging from soccer and baseball to tennis and golf.

“Our goal is to provide our teams the best facilities they need to compete for championships while doing so in a manner that makes sense for K-State, both financially and practically,” Taylor said.

The renovations and new construction, which come on the heels of about $200 million already poured into Bill Snyder Family Stadium, will come from private donations. That means the timeline for completing them is somewhat fluid, because it will depend on how quickly the school can raise the money.

Taylor is hopeful all the projects will be complete within 15 years.

There is already $20 million in work being done to the baseball and soccer complex, which sits near the football stadium, and a $4 million project to enhance the RV Christian Track complex. Those projects will continue while fundraising begins on the work unveiled Friday.