Dick Works said he intends to file for re-election as a county commissioner.
“I’ve had a lot of people encourage me to run,” said Works, a Republican, at Tuesday morning’s Allen County Commission meeting.
Works is completing his fifth four-year term as a commissioner, representing most of the southern tier of the county, including Humboldt.
The deadline to file for a commission seat is noon June 10; the seats will be decided at the Nov. 2 general election.
County commissioners are paid $17,169.12 a year, receive county health insurance and are part of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement system.
Robert Barnett Sr.
Robert L. Barnett Sr., 84, of Colony died on Sunday, May 23, 2010, at his home.
He was born March 12, 1926, in Richmond, to James Fredrick and Eva Lee (Culbertson) Barnett. He was the youngest of nine children.
On May 13, 1949, he married Vivian M. Fletcher of Ottawa. They made their home in Colony.
He was a farmer and stockman most of his life. He retired from farming in 2001 and sold the farm due to ill health and moved into town.
He went to work for the Department of Agriculture in 1955. He worked in that capacity for 40 years. For 20 of those years he was compliance supervisor for 11 counties. During that time he made several trips to Dodge City to train 15 counties in crop appraisal.
He was active in the community and had been a Cub Scout leader and 4-H beef leader. He was secretary of Rural Water District No. 5 from 1967 to 1972. In 1972 it incorporated and he held the secretary position until 2001.
He served on the Ozark Township Cemetery Board from 1974 until 2010. He was a member of Colony United Methodist Church where he served as chairman of the board of trustees for a number of years.
He was a 1954 charter member of Colony Lions Club, serving for 56 years. During that time he held several offices.
He is survived by his wife of the home; four children, Linda Ellis and her husband Guy, Waverly, Debbie Troxel, Iola, Laurie Hartley, Kearney, Mo., and Bob Jr. and his wife, Debbie, Coweta, Okla.; 10 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Four brothers, Kenneth, Richard, James and Wayne, and four sisters, Gertrude, Helen, Dorothy and Mildred, died earlier.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service Chapel in Colony. Burial will follow in Colony Cemetery.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home in Colony.
Memorial contributions to Colony Lions Club, Colony United Methodist Church or Colony First Responders may be left at the funeral home. Condolences may be sent to the family online at feuerbornfuneral.com.
‘Ed’ Jones
Edward Warren “Ed” Jones, 72, of Yates Center died Saturday, May 22, 2010, at his home.
He was born Aug. 10, 1937, in Emporia, to Earl and Helen S. (Arnold) Jones. He grew up in the Quincy area before moving to Yates Center at an early age with his family. He graduated from Yates Center High School with the class of 1955.
He joined the U.S. Air Force in January 1956 and was honorably discharged in January 1960.
On Jan. 12, 1963, he married Carolyn Sue Clugston at First Christian Church in Yates Center.
He worked for TWA for 33 years as a jet engine mechanic before his retirement. He also farmed in Woodson County for many years.
He was a member of American Legion Post No. 15 in Iola and Gilead Lodge No. 144, A.F. & A.M. in Yates Center.
In his younger years he enjoyed trap shooting.
He is survived by his wife of the home; three sons, Art, Kansas City, Mo., David and his wife, Melissa, Yates Center, and Carter and his wife, Julie, Kansas City; and three grandchildren, Nolan, Hannah and Jonathan.
An infant brother, Bobby, died earlier.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Campbell Funeral Home in Yates Center.
Visitation will be from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. today at the funeral home.
Memorials to Friends for Life may be sent in care of the funeral home, P.O. Box 188, Yates Center, KS 66783.
Reality check for Europe
In the summer of 1972 our family was an intermittent host in Rocky Mountain National Park to Ineke and Nikki, an energetic, attractive pair of teenage girls from Holland. They were there because they were good friends of Dies Lynn, daughter of my brother Scott. Scott married a professor’s daughter in Holland while he was doing post-graduate study there, which explains the Holland connection.
Those full-of-energy young women come to mind because they were being supported by their government, which at that time gave generous sabbaticals to high school graduates. I don’t remember the details 40 years later, but the fact that high school graduates and college students were given living and traveling allowances was so extraordinary to me that it stuck.
Ineke and Nikki come back to mind today because of the wrenching readjustments the nations of western Europe — sometimes called the “lifestyle superpower” — are being forced to make to deal with new fiscal and social realities.
Generous — no, lavish is more accurate — social benefits have been the hallmark of Western Europe for two postwar generations. Six-week vacations, retirement at 60 or younger, year-long sabbaticals, national health care systems, subsidized housing, child care, bonuses for having babies, child allotments from then on: cradle-to-grave comfort and leisure for all.
And, yes, high taxes and low military spending to make it all possible.
IT WASN’T really a house of cards. It worked well for Ineke, Nikki and their generation and the one that followed. But cracks began to show. The devil was in the demographics and in the violent swings of the world economy.
Most of the nations of Europe are aging even faster than the United States because, even with bonuses for babies, birth rates aren’t keeping up with death rates. As the number of retirees continues to grow and the number of workers shrinks, the pressure on national budgets increases. More and more European nations are living on borrowed money to pay those mounting social welfare bills.
Greece is an extreme example. Presidents and parliaments there yielded to the political temptation to win and hold power by pushing the retirement age lower and lower for a larger and larger percent of the population — and pay the pension cost by selling bonds. Then the worldwide recession hit, revenues fell and Greek credit went negative.
The picture isn’t that dire in all of Europe. Norway, for example, keeps its budget in the black with revenue from its oil and gas. Germany has become an economic powerhouse with its exports and good management. Switzerland’s banks, watchmakers and tourists keep it sound. Most Scandanavian countries have pulled back from their excesses and understand that more retrenchment must come. But France, Italy, Portugal and Spain are in budget trouble that can be resolved only by reducing the cost of their social welfare benefits.
The challenge will be to teach acceptance of today’s economic and social realities while maintaining political order. French youth, for example, have been taught that they can achieve political goals — such as free university educations — with street riots. The French have had successful democracies for centuries and will make the adjustment. So will the British, who are also facing huge budget deficits.
How the nations of the south will cope is more iffy. Political opportunists seeking power will make unkeepable promises and play to the restive mobs. Responsible leaders who preach economic and social reality and ask for the people to understand and show discipline will find audiences difficult to convert.
Lovers of peace and freedom who also can do math must hope good sense overrules demands for a never-ending free lunch.
— Emerson Lynn, jr.
Season ends for Lady Cubs
YATES CENTER — Humboldt High’s Lady Cubs jumped out to a 6-2 lead in their Kansas Class 2-1A Regional softball tournament semifinal last Saturday.
But West Elk’s Lady Patriots scored eight runs in the bottom of fourth then added two more in the fifth. The Lady Cubs battled back, scoring six runs in the sixth to tie the game at 12-12.
West Elk kept Humboldt scoreless in the top of the seventh. The Lady Patriots scored a run in the seventh to win 13-12 and move into the regional championship game.
West Elk lost to Yates Center 13-3 in the title contest Saturday.
“Our young team has learned a lot this year and we’ll be a lot better next year,” said Brad Piley, Humboldt head coach. “We don’t lose a single player from our team.”
Taylyn Wells took the pitching loss for Humboldt. She gave up 11 hits, walked nine and struck out four.
Taylor Fitzmaurice hit a home run and two singles. Kylee Carson and Hannah Fiene each had two signles and a double. Hannah McCall hit three singles. Wells, Amanda Maxton, Kindahl Young and Megan Herder each had a single.
The Lady Cubs finished at 7-12 overall and 3-7 in the Tri-Valley League.
Outlaw Sprint cars race at Humboldt
HUMBOLDT — Taking to the track at Humboldt Speedway for the first time in 20 years were winged Outlaw Sprint cars Friday night.
The OCRS sprint cars made the first of two scheuled appearances of the season at the Speedway.
Whit Gastineau found the high groove on the track and followed it to victory in the 20-car feature race. Gastineau is from Moore, Okla.
Jamire Passmore of Rose, Okla., ran second followed by Danny Smith of Sapulpa, Okla., Rafe Essary of Farmington, Okla., and Tim Kent of Bristow, Okla.
Justin Folk and John Allen gave the Speedway crowd what it wanted in the modified feature race. Allen used his pole position to get the early lead. Folk came out of the pack along with Brian Bolin to challenge Allen.
Justin Folk went low and passed Allen for the lead. But coming through lapped traffic, Allen made a spectacular pass for the lead only to watch Folk make an equally spectacular pass to regain the front spot.
Folk outran Allen to the checkered flag. Boolin finished third with Ryan Whitworth in fourth and Travis Smith in fifth.
Jay Lamons Jr. won his third B-mod feature race and was rewarded with a mandatory engine tear down. The engine passed inspection and Lamons got the win.
Levi McGowen took second in the B-mod race. Dalton Kirk, Scott Collins and Jimmie Davis rounded out the top five.
Mark Selsor of Nevada, Mo., claimed his first feature race win at Humboldt this season in the factory stock division. Doug Scism ran second, followed by Tyler James, Blake Davis and Brandon Weide.
Mike Aiello won the pure stock feature race. Jeremy Willard was second and Matt Habiger took third. Brandon Rowland placed fourth and Roger Oswald finished fifth.
Humboldt Speedway features two nights of racing over Memorial Day weekend.
Friday will feature a benefit auction of racing and other merchandise at half time for the Relay for Life. Sunday, it’s the third annual Dwaine Whitworth Memorial with added money in all classes, including $1000-to-win in modifieds. On Sunday, gates open at 5 p.m. and races begin at 7 o’clock.
Crest, SCCH track athletes qualify for state
MADISON — Shayla Stephens of Crest High and Jenna Witteman and Shelby Birk of Southern Coffey County High have something in common. These three claimed 2010 Kansas Kansas Class 1A Regional Track event championships Friday.
The Class 1A track meet was hosted by Central Burden High School.
Witteman set a new SCCH girls’ record in winning the regional 200-meter crown. She ran the race in 26.94 seconds. Witteman nailed down a qualifying spot for the 100-meter dash, taking third in 13.15 seconds.
Shelby Birk is the 1A regional long jump champion with a winning leap of 15 feet 13⁄4 inches. Birk missed out going to state in the triple jump, finishing fifth at 32’1”.
Witteman and Birk combined with Ashton Gudenkauf and Kristin Stephens to qualify in the 4×100-meter relay race. They had a third-place time of 53.63 seconds. Birk, Gudenkauf and Witteman joined with Kandace Shields for a second-place finish in the 4×400-meter relay race in 4:32.64.
The top four places in each event at the regional advanced to the state meet.
Crest’s Shayla Stephens won the 1A regional javelin championship with a toss of 114’10”.
Crest’s Amanda Strickler took third, 11’5”, to qualify.
Kurston Gilliland of Crest is on to state in the girls’ shot put. Gilliland was second at the regional at 34’10”. Amanda Strickler was sixth in the discus at 93’10”. Italy Loving missed going to state by one spot, finishing fifth in the 3200-meter run in 13:29.06.
In the javelin, Southern Coffey County’s Katelyn Rogers and Keasha Parks were fifth and sixth, respectively, 103’2” and 100’4”.
Crest’s boys qualified their 4×800-meter relay team to state. Dustin Davis-Jones, Chris Brallier, Trevor Holman and David Womelsdorf combined for a fourth place finish in 9:09.62.
Holman placed sixth in the 800-meter run in 2:15.12. Dakota Ramsey took sixth in the javelin at 147’7”.
Southern Coffey County’s Trevor Smith claimed second, qualified for state and set a new school record in the 200 meters. He ran the race in 23.38 seconds. Smith was also second in the 100-meter dash in 11.20.
Aaron Ludolph took second in the high jump, clearing the bar at 6 feet, which was a SCCH record. Colin Kraft qualified with a third-place finish in the 110-meter high hurdles in 15.59 seconds and in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles, after taking fourth in 41.79 seconds.
Kraft will also compete in the 1A state triple jump. He was fourth at regional with a leap of 40’41⁄2”. He was fifth in the long jump at 19’23⁄4”.
Ryan True took third in the regional javelin throw with a distance of 161’8”. The Titan 4×100-meter relay team of R.J. Snovelle, A. Ludolph, Charlie Patterson and Smith posted a qualifying time, placing fourth, in 47.23 seconds.
Thompson takes eighth
Kyler Thompson, Iola High School senior, finished eighth in the discus last Friday at the 2010 Kansas Class 4A Regional Track meet. The meet was held in Iola.
Thompson threw the discus 126 feet, 1 inch.
Thompson was inadvertantly omitted from Monday’s Iola High regional track article. The Register regrets the error.
Houk, Query play in 2A state golf tournament
PITTSBURG — Marmaton Valley High’s Dalton Houk tied for 54th in Monday’s 2010 Kansas Class 2A State Golf Tournament.
Houk shot a 96 for the 18-hole tournament played at Crestwood Country Club in Pittsburg.
Kolter Krumsick and Kelley Thompson led Pittsburg St. Mary’s-Colgan High to a state title. Krumsick won the individual title with a 75 and Thompson was second with a 76.
“Dalton shot pretty well on the front nine, shot a 46, but did not play as well on the back nine,” said Mike McEwan, MVHS golf coach. “He had a great season and worked hard.
McEwan said the Crestwood course was in great condition on a great day to play golf.
Uniontown High’s Justin Query didn’t have as good of a day at state. The four-time state qualifier shot a 122.
Vision Iola to tour parks
Iolans have spent the past few weeks sounding off on how they use the city’s parks and trails and expressing ideas for improving the park system.
They’ll get a chance Thursday to see the current system as part of the Vision Iola meeting.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the stone shelter house in Riverside Park. The Iola Area Chamber of Commerce’s Molly Trolley will take participants around town to look at the city’s lesser-used parks as well as areas that could serve as sites for future city parks.
The meeting is open to the public.
The parks and trails component is the third leg of the Vision Iola process, which also looked at community signage and developing landscaping and other amenities in Iola’s downtown business district.
Vision Iola is a joint planning effort between the city and Thrive Allen County. Assisting is Landworks Studio of Olathe.