A look back in time

50 Years Ago
September 1968
The Elsmore community Ruritan’s second annual Rural-Town Day celebration will be Saturday from 1:30 p.m. to midnight. Events are scheduled from competitive games for young and old to an evening of dancing.
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A compromise response to a request to bus Bassett children to school was offered last night. A double route to permit picking up the children, some 27 in all, in the mornings can be fitted into the schedule. No feasible way to bus them the mile back in the afternoon could be worked out without buying another bus and hiring another driver. The trustees pointed out the district is not obligated to bus children who live less than 2.5 miles from an attendance center.
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Kansas State University student Jonet Atherton, Moran, has been elected as a member of K-State’s Home Economics Honors program. Honors students are chosen on the basis of their academic standing and recommendations by the faculty. She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Atherton, Moran. She is a K-State junior who is majoring in home economics education.

Nadal tops Thiem at US Open

NEW YORK (AP) — Rafael Nadal began his U.S. Open quarterfinal as poorly as possible, shut out in a set by a 6-0 score for only the fourth time in 282 career Grand Slam matches.
On the previous three such occasions, he’d lost. On this one, he managed to come back to win, although it took 4 hours, 49 minutes and never did get easy for him.
The defending champion and No. 1 seed at Flushing Meadows recovered from his disastrous start and other stumbles along the way to beat No. 9 Dominic Thiem 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5) for a semifinal berth at a third consecutive Grand Slam tournament, winning a physical, back-and-forth tussle that concluded after 2 a.m. on Wednesday.
“Very demanding, in all aspects,” said Nadal, who will face 2009 champion Juan Martin del Potro on Friday for a berth in the final. “A question of a little bit of luck at the end.”
How tense and tight was this one? Not only was Nadal two points from losing at 5-all in the closing tiebreaker, but he finished with fewer total points, 171-166.
“It’s cruel, sometimes, tennis,” Thiem said, calling the loss “the first really epic match I’ve played.”
When it ended, on an overhead by Thiem that sailed long, everyone in Nadal’s guest box — a group that included actor Ben Stiller — leaped to their feet to celebrate. Nadal climbed over the net to hug his opponent , then whisper an apology and words of encouragement.
“I’m very sorry for Dominic,” Nadal told a rowdy crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium. “He’s a close friend on tour. He’s a great guy. A great player.”
Asked about that at his news conference, Thiem said with a chuckle: “Well, I don’t think he’s really sorry.”
This rematch of the French Open final in June, won by Nadal, was his first match against a top-20 opponent at the U.S. Open since 2013, when he beat then-No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the final.
It sure seemed at the shocking outset as if Nadal was somehow unprepared for this step up in competition. Thiem collected 24 of the opening set’s 31 points, thanks in large part to a 13-3 edge in winners.
Hard to not think back to 24 hours earlier, when Nadal’s great rival, No. 2 seed Roger Federer, was upset in the fourth round during similarly muggy conditions. Nadal was sweating so much in the 90-degree heat and 50-percent humidity that a mountain of white towels formed next to his changeover bench.
Thiem made him work for this win. And how.
The depth and strength of Thiem’s groundstrokes were doing what Nadal’s shots usually do to opponents: robbing them of time and space. Plus, Thiem — an Austrian who turned 25 on Monday — was serving well, taking every point when he put a first serve in, and handling returns without a hitch.
“After that first set,” Nadal said, “the match became more normal.”
It took a while for Nadal to figure out what was wrong and become Thiem’s equal in entertaining, body-punishing baseline exchanges that inspired loud gasps from spectators. Still, this whole contest was filled with challenges for Nadal.
He fell behind by a break in the third set before rebounding. He was two points from victory at 6-5, deuce, in the fourth as Thiem served, but flubbed a forehand volley, leaping for a ball that appeared to be sailing out and dumping it into the net. That mistake might have stayed in Nadal’s head, because he played terribly in the ensuing tiebreaker.
In the fifth, Nadal held three break points at 5-all, love-40, but Thiem took the next five points told serve.
That, Nadal would say afterward, managed to “break my heart. But I just keep going.”
He usually does.
When Nadal makes it this far in New York, he usually doesn’t stumble. He has now won seven U.S. Open quarterfinals in a row when he’s made it that far; his only loss in that round came back in 2006.
He is bidding for a fourth title at Flushing Meadows and 18th Grand Slam trophy overall.
Del Potro, the No. 3 seed, got to the semifinals by defeating No. 11 John Isner 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2.
During that earlier quarterfinal, Isner doubled over and rested his elbows on his knees. He grimaced. He shook his head. He looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but where he was: falling further and further behind in energy-robbing heat.
“Whatever the humidity is on outer courts or in the city, I think it’s amplified on center court,” Isner said. “It’s just very difficult to deal with. I have never seen Roger sweat ever. If he’s sweating a lot and has to change clothes, then you know it’s pretty humid out there.”
Isner was bidding to become the first American man in a dozen years to get to the final four at Flushing Meadows.
But while Isner was playing before what could count as a home crowd, del Potro got all manner of support throughout, from the blue-and-white flags or soccer jerseys dotting the stands to the repeated singsong chants of his nickname, “Delpo,” punctuated by clapping.
Those choruses resonated in the arena after key points, such as each time del Potro erased one of Isner’s break chances, three in all. Still, it was Isner who struck first, closing the opening tiebreaker with a 132 mph (212 kph) ace down the middle. That was the first set dropped by del Potro in the tournament.
He managed to take the next three, though, and now meets Nadal for the 17th time on tour.
Nadal leads 11-5, including the past three, each at a Grand Slam tournament: in the semifinals of the U.S. Open last year, followed by the semifinals of the French Open and a five-set thriller in the Wimbledon quarterfinals this year.

 

Tiger Woods returns to Ryder Cup as wild card

WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. (AP) — Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, golf’s most prominent players for more than two decades, never realized the Ryder Cup would mean so much.
For Woods, it’s the culmination of a comeback that began in January after a fourth surgery on his lower back. For Mickelson, more than setting a record by playing his 12th Ryder Cup, the 48-year-old gets what he believes will be his last chance to capture that gold trophy away from home.
U.S. captain Jim Furyk added them to his team Monday evening as wild-card selections, along with Bryson DeChambeau.
Woods agreed to be a vice captain in late February, and he set a goal to be in Paris on Sept. 28-30 as a player.
“It’s incredible, it really is, to look back at the start of the year and now to have accomplished a goal like that,” Woods said. “To be a part of this team, and now to be a player is just … beyond special.”
Mickelson had qualified for every team since 1995, a streak that ended this year when he finished No. 10 in the standings. His 12th appearance breaks the Ryder Cup record held by Nick Faldo.
Mickelson has only been on three winning teams — at Brookline in 1999, Valhalla in 2008 and two years ago at Hazeltine. His last time overseas was at Gleneagles, where he infamously closed out a losing press conference by questioning captain Tom Watson and the direction the PGA of America was taking the U.S. team.
That led to sweeping changes in the U.S. structure, mainly by giving players a stronger voice.
“This is mostly likely my last chance to go over to Europe and to be a part of a winning U.S. team in Europe. We haven’t done that in 25 years,” Mickelson said. “I set out this year on really a strong commitment and journey to get on the team. I got off to a great start this year. It’s been a really good year, and although I fell just shy of making it on points, it feels great to be a part of this team and serve this team in any way I can.”
Furyk still has one more captain’s pick he will announce on Monday after the BMW Championship, and it might not be as easy as this one.
“Not that it was an easy decision,” Furyk said with a smile. “But it could have been a lot more difficult.”
Woods and Mickelson were logical choices. Woods briefly had the lead Sunday in the British Open until he tied for sixth, and he shot a career-best final round of 64 to finish second in the PGA Championship. Mickelson won another World Golf Championship in March, though he hasn’t seriously contended since then.
DeChambeau narrowly missed out on one of the eight automatic spots by missing the cut at the PGA Championship, and the 24-year-old Californian knew he had to show Furyk some form in the three weeks before the picks were announced.
He won the first FedEx Cup playoff event by four shots. He won the next FedEx Cup playoff event by two shots.
“I wanted to be a part of this experience so badly that I worked twice as hard,” DeChambeau said. “And it showed, and it paid off.”
Tony Finau is believed to be the leading candidate for 12th and final spot. Furyk invited him as part of a small group that played Le Golf National on the weekend before the British Open. Finau tied a PGA Championship record with 10 birdies in the second round while playing with Furyk.
During the FedEx Cup playoffs, he was runner-up at one event and tied for fourth at the other.
European captain Thomas Bjorn announces his wild-card selections on Wednesday, with Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey among the likely picks. Still to be determined was whether former Masters champion Sergio Garcia, who failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup playoffs, gets a nod.
The eight Americans who qualified on their own were Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson, Webb Simpson and Patrick Reed. Throw in Woods and Mickelson, and that gives the U.S. team a lineup that has combined for 31 majors.
That doesn’t mean as much in foursomes and fourballs, on a European course before the singing and chanting of Europeans fans.
“We’re heading over into foreign soil,” Furyk said. “It’s going to be an interesting crowd. They are boisterous, I have a lot of respect for them and we are looking for players that we thought would handle that situation well and would thrive, love the challenge. And naming these three players, that’s what we’ve done.”
Woods will no longer be a vice captain, though Furyk said he would continue to lean on his advice. Woods was an assistant at Hazeltine and at the Presidents Cup last fall at Liberty National in a U.S. route.
Furyk picked former world No. 1 David Duval to replace Woods. Furyk also said Zach Johnson and Matt Kuchar would fill out his lineup of vice captains, joining Davis Love III and Steve Stricker.

Clinic gets $125K in fight against behavioral, addiction issues

Iola’s clinic of The Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas was recently awarded $125,000 to help battle behavioral health and addiction problems.
The funds will be used to hire a full-time provider to address issues such as anxiety and depression as well as alcohol or drug addiction, said Jason Wesco, executive vice president of the CHCSEK, which is based in Pittsburg.
“Such issues are typically first diagnosed by a primary care physician when a patient complains of being excessively tired or anxious,” said Wesco. “But they don’t have the tools they need to adequately help these patients. That’s where this expert help will be crucial.”
Typically, behavioral health and addiction problems go hand-in-hand, Wesco said.

IN OTHER news, for the third year in a row the CHCSEK was recognized by the Health Resources and Services Administration for providing high-quality care. The good news came with a $105,444 stipend from the federal program.
Wesco said the funding will be used to improve the clinic’s delivery in health care, targeting chronic issues such as diabetes, heart disease, substance abuse and depression, “issues that continue to be a challenge for our patients.”
The CHCSEK was one of 18 health centers in the state to receive the funding.

 

Gordon strengthens, expected to hit Gulf Coast

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Coastal residents from Florida to Louisiana hustled to prepare for a deluge as Tropical Storm Gordon grew stronger on a path to hit the central U.S. Gulf Coast as a hurricane tonight.
Boaters evacuated to safe harbors, motorists left barrier islands and homeowners looked over yards that could soon be submerged in seawater. A number of schools called off classes, and red no-swimming flags flew along the shore as waves kicked up from the approaching storm.
Pensacola Water Safety Capt. Jake Wilson tells WEAR-TV that the strong wind is bringing a lateral current “where it’s just going to push you down the beach.”
A hurricane warning was put into effect for the mouth of the Pearl River in Mississippi to the Alabama-Florida border. The National Hurricane Center is predicting a “life-threatening” storm surge along parts of the central Gulf Coast, and as much as 8 inches of rain could fall in some parts of the Gulf states through late Thursday as the tropical weather moves over the lower Mississippi Valley.
By early this morning, the storm was centered 230 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, with top sustained winds of 65 mph, forecasters said. It was moving relatively quickly, at about 17 mph.
A storm surge warning has been issued for the area stretching from Shell Beach, Louisiana, to Dauphin Island, Alabama. The warning means there is danger of life-threatening inundation. The region could see rising waters of 3 to 5 feet (0.9 to 1.5 meters).
“The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large waves,” the center said.
In Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency Monday and said 200 National Guard troops will be deployed to southeastern Louisiana. In Mississippi, Gov. Phil Bryant declared a state of emergency as well, and said state resources are being mobilized.
Pat Landry, who owns the Landry House bed & breakfast on Louisiana’s Grand Isle, said late Monday night that he was trying to pick up everything low in the yard in preparation for the storm surge expected with Gordon’s arrival.
Grand Isle Mayor David Campardelle called for a voluntary evacuation of the barrier island. The mayor noted the ongoing construction on Highway 1, the lone road that connects Grand Isle to the rest of the state, and said it could cause “severe problems” for people evacuating.
“If you leave, you have to leave before the road floods,” Landry said.
At Jo Bobs Gas and Grill on Grand Isle, cashier Emily Dorathy said they made sure the generator was ready to provide power if the electricity goes out. She said many of the locals, herself included, were planning to stay through the storm but many visitors who’d come in for the Labor Day weekend were heading out of town.
“Everybody is just waiting it out to see what is going to happen,” she said.
Gordon formed into a tropical storm near the Florida Keys early Monday, lashing the southern part of the state with heavy rains and high winds before moving into the Gulf of Mexico.
The storm’s predicted track had shifted slightly east as of Monday evening, meaning Louisiana is currently just outside the area under the hurricane warning. Still, the southeastern part of the state remains under a tropical storm warning and residents need to be prepared for the storm to shift west, Edwards said.
“This storm has every possibility to track further in our direction,” Edwards said during a news conference Monday evening.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the city has “the pumps and the power” needed to protect residents. But authorities issued a voluntary evacuation order for areas outside the city’s levee protection system, including the Venetian Isles, Lake Saint Catherine and Irish Bayou areas.
Cantrell urged residents within the levee protection area to stock up on supplies and shelter in place.
Miami Beach Police said via Twitter that the Labor Day holiday was “NOT a beach day,” with rough surf and potential rip currents. Red flags flew over Pensacola-area beaches in Florida’s Panhandle, where swimming and wading in the Gulf of Mexico was prohibited. More than 4,000 Florida Power & Light customers lost power Monday due to weather conditions.
The National Weather Service said conditions were “possible” for tornadoes in the affected parts of South Florida on Monday night.
The storm left many businesses on Florida’s Gulf Coast feeling shortchanged by the holiday weekend. The area has already been heavily impacted by this summer’s so-called “red tide”— massive algae blooms that have caused waves of dead marine life to wash up along the coast.
Jenna Wright, owner of a coffee shop in Naples, Florida, told the Naples Daily News that she had expected higher numbers for the Labor Day weekend.
“This is normally a decent weekend, but the storm and red tide aren’t helping,” Wright said. “We’re a beach coffee shop, and if people can’t go to the beach, then we won’t get any customers.”
Separately, Tropical Storm Florence continues to hold steady over the eastern Atlantic. Forecasters say little change in strength is expected in coming days and no coastal watches or warnings are in effect.

Over 300 people evacuated from flooded Manhattan

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say heavy rain has forced more than 300 people to evacuate their homes in the Kansas college town of Manhattan.
The Kansas City Star reports that the flooding started after nearly 9 inches of rain fell from Sunday night into Monday. Riley County Emergency Management director Pat Collins says at least 20 people were rescued from their homes by boat. City officials say about 750 homes remain without power.
Manhattan’s Municipal Government Manager Mark Fehr described the flooding as a 500- to 800-year flood event during a news conference Monday.
Riley County Police posted aerial photographs showing building flooded nearly to their roofs. Two emergency shelters have been established to help those who were displaced.
Kansas State University’s campus wasn’t affected by the flooding.

Elsmore the place to be this weekend

ELSMORE — Elsmore Ruritan Club, a community service organization serving the Elsmore/Savonburg area, will sponsor the 49th annual Elsmore Rural-Town Days Saturday and Sunday.
The bulk of the activities run Saturday in downtown Elsmore, with a golf tournament Sunday at Cedarbrook Golf Course in Iola.
Saturday’s activities begin in the Elsmore Community Building with arts and crafts booths and personnel from the Iola office of Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Department offering flu shots from 8 to 11 a.m. A selection of used books is available in the southeast corner of the building, which are free to take or trade.
Across the street in the fire barn will be bake sale items and concessions. Baked items will include cakes, pies, cookies and cornbread. Concessions will include hot dogs, polish sausages, nachos, chili pies, iced tea, canned pop and homemade ice cream. John Barker with Uncle John’s Backyard Entertainment will entertain folks with musical selections and emcee the day’s events.
The Main Street parade, with a theme of “Passing on to the next generation” begins at 11. Parade grand marshals are Elsmore Ruritan Club youth members: Magie Stevenson, Todd Stevenson, Daniel Fewins, Kenleigh Westhoff and Marlee Westhoff.
At noon a barbecued pork dinner will be served in the community building. Prices are: adults $7, children 5-12 $5 and children 4 and under $3.
Children’s games, including turtle races, bike races, egg toss, ball throw and water balloon toss begin at 12:30 p.m. A Cornhole Tournament will also be held. At 2, a baby contest will be open to children 1 year and younger. Bingo games follow at 3, and at 4 a free bean feed will be served to the public. Participants must bring their own kettle or table service.
Merchant prize drawings will be held during the bean feed. Entry into the merchant drawing is free but winners must be present to collect prizes. The final drawing will be for $100, $50, $25, and a handmade quilt. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5 and winners need not be present.
Festival-goers are encouraged to stay and enjoy country music from 7 to 10 p.m. courtesy of Country Rebels. There is no charge to attend but a freewill donation will be accepted.
The scene shifts to Cedarbrook on Sunday morning for the Elsmore Ruritan Annual Golf Tournament. The four-person scramble begins at 9 a.m. Entry fee is $30 per person and the fee does not include a cart. A meal is available for golfers to purchase. To register for the tournament, call Loraine Price at 754-3487 or Cedarbrook Golf Course.
Elsmore Day and the golf tournament serve as Elsmore Ruritan Club’s biggest fundraiser. Proceeds go toward a number of projects including donations to Marmaton Valley High School activities, area church youth activities, college scholarships, Christmas gift bags to area senior citizens and school children, sponsoring Allen County Fair trophies, helping with cleanup around the Bourbon State Lake and hosting a dog and cat vaccination clinic.
The 48 Ruritan members helped in developing the city’s playground and in renovating the community building to house the fitness center.
The club adopts several area families around Thanksgiving and gives them a box of food. Club members also help the Humboldt Ministerial Alliance in a monthly distribution of food to area families and keep a food pantry to supplement the distributions when necessary. Items are also collected to replenish the Blessings Box near the community building. A collection box for non-perishable food items will be next to the concession stand for persons wishing to donate non-perishable food items or small household items such as dish or hand soap, toothpaste, bandaids, sanitizer, etc.

 

Charlene Tinsley

Charlene Rose Tinsley, 88, Colony, died Friday, Aug. 31, 2018, at her home.
Funeral services for Tinsley, who worked at Miller Dress Factory in Iola and later in Colony’s city hall and public library, will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Colony High Point Cowboy Church Burial will follow in the Colony Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Colony First Responders. Condolences may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.

 

Marion Diebolt

Marion A. Diebolt, 82, died Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, at Moran Manor, Moran.
A memorial visitation is 6-8 p.m. Thursday in The Venue at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, Iola.
Condolences for the family may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.

 

4 missing after boats crash on Colorado River

MOABI REGIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Four people are missing after two boats crashed and sunk on the Colorado River, ejecting more than a dozen people who were on board, authorities said Sunday.
A recreational boat carrying 10 people and another vessel with six on board collided head-on Saturday night on a well-traveled stretch of the river that marks the border between California and Arizona, Mohave County Sheriff Doug Schuster said.
Both boats sank, and passing boaters pulled crash victims from the water. Nine people were injured, with two in critical condition, authorities said.
The crash occurred between two popular marinas and near Moabi Regional Park, a well-traveled recreation area crowded with people enjoying the Labor Day weekend.
Three women and one man remained missing on Sunday.
Divers have searched the river’s waters, which can range from shallow to 30 feet deep.
“These efforts will continue until all of those who are missing and unaccounted for have been located,” Shuster told reporters on Sunday.
The cause of the crash is being investigated. None of the boaters were wearing life jackets, which aren’t required but are recommended by authorities, Shuster said.
On Saturday night, authorities had to temporarily halt the search because it was too dangerous to put divers into the dark waters. Efforts resumed after daybreak Sunday, and authorities closed off a stretch of the river where the search was taking place.
“We have four parties unaccounted for and presumed submerged,” said Eric Sherwin, spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire District in California, which is assisting in the search.