Milo “Drumsticks” Combs was a kid magnet Friday night at the fourth annual back-to-school Moonlight Splash at Iola’s municipal swimming pool, sponsored by Steve and Cecilia Orcutt, retired USD 257 art teachers. Milo — in real life John Hutton — led scores of youngsters in the “Chicken Dance,” after a parade around the pool.
[ANNIVERSARY] Paul and Saundra Upshaw
Paul and Saundra Upshaw will celebrate 50 years together on Aug. 19, 2012.
The couple was married in the First Presbyterian Church in Iola.
Rev. Thomas Nyquist and Rev. Lyle B. Roe officiated at the ceremony.
In lieu of a reception, the couple has planned a two-week road trip. Their trip will begin at Graceland, Memphis, and continue on to Nashville and Pigeon Forge, Tenn. They then will will go east to visit relatives in Virginia and the Washington D.C. area.
The couple has four children, Melanie Whitmore and husband Scott, Topeka, Lentz Upshaw and wife Amy, Madison, Wis., Dennis Upshaw and wife Tiffanie, St. Louis, Mo., and Mark Upshaw, Overland Park.
They have 11 grandchildren, Alicia, Erica, Stephanie, Hannah, Joshua, Josiah, Isaiah, Elijah, Mira, Anna and Henry.
Congratulatory notes may be sent to the couple at 220 West Garfield, Iola, KS 66749.
Letter to the editor — August 11, 2012
Dear editor,
I just returned from voting.
I did not like it much.
It reminded me of going to visit my Aunt Maggie when I was a young boy in the ’50s.
Aunt Maggie was a single lady, an older maid, a good Republican, a great Christian and a hard-working woman who was most certainly very, very, very well educated in every rule of grammar and etiquette that no boy in his right mind could imagine.
When you walked through her door you were scrutinized beyond imagination with every tool with which she had to test you to make sure that you “deserved” to have one of “her sugar cookies.”
I passed the test and got the cookie.
However, there were many deserving boys and girls who would have liked a cookie, too. They would have passed her tests well enough, but would be made to feel so uncomfortable “proving up” that they would not go to Aunt Maggie’s to get one.
She made it that way to keep away the kids she didn’t want tracking up her house!
Aunt Maggie is back. She is in charge of our voting process.
Shame on Aunt Maggie! I never liked her!
Uncle Sam needs to dump the grinch!
Steve Orcutt,
Iola, Kan.
Sprints to run at Humboldt track Tuesday
HUMBOLDT — The American Sprint Car Series makes its first appearance at Humboldt Speedway Tuesday.
In a special event at the Speedway, the sprint cars and the USRA modified drivers will race for national points.
Races get under way at 8 p.m. General admission for adults is $20 and $5 for children.
Pit passes are $35. Gates open at 6 p.m.
For two-time Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series champion Jason Johnson, it appears the 2012 season is going his way. The Eunice, La., driver leads by 21 markers.
“You know this year I feel that with the new partnership with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Roush/Yates Ford, we are showing more promising feature runs,” Johnson said, “but just need to put the whole night together.”
Johnson has eight feature race wins this season. He has never raced at Humboldt Speedway.
“You have to go in with an open mind. You need to keep in mind you are going into Kansas so it’s going to be hot and dry and be ready for that,” Johnson said. “I enjoy going to new places.”
More information on Tuesday’s races may be found at www.humboldtspeedway.com and www.ascsracing.com.
Darrell Howerton
Darrell Howerton was born on March 6, 1934, to Olaf (Bill) and Lillian Howerton in Kansas. He passed away peacefully Aug. 1, 2012, at home in El Cajon, Calif., with his loving wife, Melba, by his side.
He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, and a sister.
He is survived by his two brothers, Loren Howerton (Pat) of Colony and Roger Howerton of Alamogordo, N.M. Also left to cherish his memory are his wife Melba; sons Craig Howerton, Mike Paine and Kent Paine (Shannon); grandchildren Dustin Howerton, Kristina Paine and Joshua Paine; and great-grandchildren Trevor Paine, Kiara Warner and Logan Paine.
Letter to the editor — August 9, 2012
To the editor:
(Tuesday) I voted, as I have voted at every opportunity since I was 18 years old, and I am no kid. That’s a lot of votes.
But (Tuesday) was the first time I left the polling place feeling anything but pride in my country, my state and myself. I left offended and appalled, not just because I had to show my I.D. to someone who has known me for 20 years, but I had to recite my name and address to that person.
My driver’s license was scanned and verified in a database. At that point, I was nonplused. Is there now a test before we are allowed to vote? Apparently so, because that was followed by an instruction to read an oath aloud to the poll worker and then sign it.
At that point, I was hot; really hot. This felt like an exclusionary tactic. Voter turnout is already low and now we treat registered voters — citizens — like criminals.
I don’t mind showing a picture I.D. I do it to cash a check.
I could almost swallow the process, right to the point of reading an oath, at which point I felt violated.
Voting is important, but if I am who I say I am and I prove it with I.D., if my word is good, why is an oath necessary?
I cannot quite put my finger on it, but this doesn’t feel like America. Voter fraud in Kansas is not extreme. If it happens at all, it doesn’t affect the election outcomes. (Around here, even Democrats do not affect the outcome). I am certain this voter I.D. process did not originate from or with the involvement of the voting public.
As a state, are we so afraid of the possibility of voter fraud that we will risk increasing voter apathy and decreasing voter participation?
I would like to see this policy modified or terminated.
Thank you,
Kathy Monfort,
Iola, Kan.
P.S. I talked to my daughter in Manhattan who also voted. She was only required to show her I.D. Is the oath requirement something voters only have to do here?
Carole Roberts
Carole Roberts of rural Yates Center passed away Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012, in her home.
She was born Dec. 27, 1953, to Ruddy and Jerri Roberts, Belton Mo. She is survived by her companion of 13 years, Kendal Thompson of the home; her two sons James and Steve, both of Wichita; four grandchildren; and a brother, Joe Roberts, Florida.
She was employed at Coffey County Hospital in Burlington.
She enjoyed spending time with her family, friends, and dear dog, Kitty.
A celebration of her life will be at 6 p.m. Friday at the City Park in Neosho Falls.
Jeanette Weseloh
Jeanette Kathryn Penno Britt Weseloh, 76, passed away Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, at her home in Woodson County. She was born Nov. 25, 1935, in Trego County to Daniel and Kathryn (Klusener) Penno.
She graduated from Erie High School in 1953, then attended one year at NCCC in Chanute. She was united in marriage to Dale E. Britt on Nov. 5, 1954 and later divorced. In 1968 she moved to Iola with her four children. She was employed by H.L. Miller & Son, IMP Boats and retired in 1997 after 23 years of service as dispatcher for the Iola Police Department.
On Aug. 9, 1992, she was united in marriage to John S. Weseloh and later moved to the farm in Woodson County.
She was a member of Grace Lutheran Church and LWML, Iola. She loved family gatherings, playing cards, dominoes and working puzzles, as well as playing the piano and reading. She also enjoyed the company of her cat, Topper, and her three bichons.
She was preceded in death by her parents, brother, Everett Penno, and sisters Mayme Murphy and Mildred Sumner.
Survivors include her husband John Weseloh of the home; children, Daryl Sigg and husband Jerry, Iola, Diane Audiss and husband Mike, Benedict, Michael Britt and wife Vickie, Iola, Mark Britt and wife Gie, Chanute, Jay Weseloh and wife Connie, Yates Center, and Justin Weseloh, Le Roy; 11 grandchildren, Ryan and Danelle, Heather, Hailey and Alicia, Jennifer, Kendra and Michelle, Tai, Jaylee and Jordan; and 11 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Grace Lutheran Church, Iola. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the church. Burial will follow at Highland Cemetery, Iola.
Memorial gifts to Grace Lutheran Church, Friends For Life at Yates Center or Allen County Hospice may be left with Waugh-Yokum & Friskel Memorial Chapel, Iola.
Online condolences for the family may be left at www.iolafuneral.com.
Letters to the editor (8/9/12)
Letter to the editor,
I’m not too pleased with having to show my driver’s license in order to be allowed to vote.
I realize the people manning the voting places are doing what they are required to do, but I’ve lived in Iola all of the 75 years of my life and I’m pretty well-known. I believe if the fine people that man the voting place have known you for many years, they should not have to ask us for a picture ID.
I’m not the only voter that feels this way. I have always voted but this irritates me that my citizenship is questioned in a town that I have lived in for 75 years.
Everyone should vote or not gripe about how every thing is done. I’ve made the decision that this election will be the last time I vote after a lot of discussions with other voters. Some feel as I do. The amount of legal voters will drop more than it has, as to the low turnout that was stated in our local newspaper
I’m all for seeing that the votes are legal, but to ask a resident who is well-known is just ridiculous.
If you people agree, voice your opinions pro or con.
Respectfully,
Carl Letsinger,
Iola, Kan.
Letter to the editor,
We listen to politicians decry President Obama’s declining to support the Keystone Pipeline from Canada to the Gulf. It appears that our refineries are on the Gulf and subject to attack by land, air and sea.
Many of us have wondered, why not build the refineries in North Dakota and/or Canada? Therefore, doing so you would not have to pipe oil all the way to the Gulf. It would also create lots of jobs, which appears to be an issue versus jobs for pipeline.
Current predictions are that oceans will rise between 13 and 20 feet if the major ice shelves melt. However, most are predicting this would actually be a century away, but short-term rises will be in the 1- to 5-foot range. The other predictions from global warming is that storms will be more severe, especially hurricanes and typhoons. So, you get the double whammy having our refineries between 4 and 10 feet of sea level, plus coastal storms are asking for major disasters.
We also had another thought, why do we have all these refineries close to the shore? Shipping.
We don’t know if you’ve seen the recent news, but the United States has recently been a major gasoline exporter. When petroleum companies can sell refined gasoline overseas for twice what they can get for it here, THEY SHIP! While we are not major conspiracy theorists, we suspect the international oil companies want to maximize their profits, and they are rarely interested in the security or service to the American market. It seems a bit ironic to think that we are going to lower our gasoline prices here in the United States by shipping Canadian crude to the Gulf, where it actually will be sold on the world market.
One of our families has two pipelines running through our farm in southeast Kansas. We are not against the pipelines. We have not heard any discussion on this within the media. Are we missing something?
Respectfully,
Jim Shetlar,
Kansas farm owner and
resident of Kansas
and
David Shetlar,
Kansas farm owner and
professor at Ohio State
Brownback wins complete control of Legislature
Among the moderate Republicans defeated Tuesday in the successful campaign by the hard right to put the Kansas Senate in Gov. Sam Brownback’s hip pocket was Dwayne Umbarger of Thayer.
Sen. Umbarger was chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee and was one of those who fiercely resisted taking fuel tax dollars dedicated to highway maintenance and construction and moving them to the state general fund. His defeat by Sen. Jeff King is bad news for KDOT.
It would be a stretch to label Sen. Umbarger or the other seven moderates who were defeated in Tuesday’s purge as liberal. They are, rather, Republicans who, like Bob Dole, Nancy Kassebaum, Bill Graves and Jim Pearson before them, are public officials with a positive attitude toward state government. They believe that the purpose of government is to serve the people. As a consequence, they supported — and still support as citizens — good highways, an independent justice system and an education system dedicated to excellence.
In order for government to do those things for Kansans, the money must be raised to accomplish them. This year the Legislature approved massive reductions in taxes that Gov. Brownback signed into law, which will make it impossible to continue the present level of state services to the people from 2014 forward, unless the lawmakers reverse course — or Kansas experiences absolutely unprecedented economic growth.
As a consequence of Tuesday’s election, Gov. Brownback and his captive Legislature will speak as a single voice and be responsible alone for what happens next.
As the saying goes, things will have to get worse before they can get better.
Things are going to get worse very soon.
The 2013 Legislature will get a good look at the writing on the wall. The monstrous tax cuts that made conservatives puff up with pride will turn into equally monstrous revenue losses when they go into effect. When the revenue stream slows and shallows, state appropriations for the public schools, the community colleges and the rest of higher education will be cut back.
School districts will have a choice: reduce the quality of the education they provide to students or make up the difference by raising district property taxes. Colleges and universities can fire teachers, enlarge classes or raise tuition.
KDOT can stop construction and cut back on maintenance when the Legislature continues its past practice of siphoning off fuel tax revenues to the general fund to keep from raising revenues in traditional ways.
And there are other places to trim state spending when state revenues fall. All of them will result in fewer and less adequate services to the people of Kansas.
When the people realize that you get what you pay for in government just as you do at the department store, the voters will send a repair crew to Topeka to mend the mess today’s wrecking crew is so gleefully creating.
It’s a crying shame that so much damage must be done before the common good can once again become our state government’s guiding light. But perhaps these are the difficulties through which we must pass to reach the stars.
— Emerson Lynn, jr.