State hits 10-year high for deer crashes

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The state transportation agency says Kansas hit a 10-year high for deer-related crashes last year.

The agency says 10,734 deer-related wrecks were reported in 2018 in Kansas. The Department of Transportation says that accounted for 16.5% of total wrecks for the year.

The department’s big game coordinator, Levi Jaster, said the increase in crashes is partly because of an increase in the deer population. Disease reduced the population beginning in 2008 until 2013, which is when the agency recorded the lowest number of deer-related wrecks in the past 10 years.

The Wichita Eagle reports the deer population has been increasing since then.

Three people died in deer-related accidents last year.

The highest number of deer-related wrecks in 2018 was in Sedgwick County, which had 418.

KDWPT to consider turkey hunting restrictions

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission will vote this week on whether to restrict turkey hunting harvest in parts of Kansas for at least two years.

The commission will take up two measures Thursday in Scott City. A proposal from state biologists would reduce spring turkey tag limits to one per person and another would cancel the fall turkey season, beginning in 2020-21, for segments of the state.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the proposals would affect most of northeast Kansas; south-central Kansas and southeast Kansas.

Kent Fricke, small game coordinator for wildlife agency, said the proposals are part of the agency’s strategy to respond to a decade-long decline in the turkey population in Kansas.

Jean Ann Prothe

Jean Ann (See) Prothe, age 93, passed away Monday, Nov. 4, 2019, at Greystone Residential Care in Iola. 

She was born Oct. 20, 1926, in Osceola, Iowa, to Ross Emerson and Lena Flavilla (Warrington) See. Jean attended Osceola public schools graduating in 1945. She worked as a telephone operator for Bell Telephone. She married Willard (Bill) H. Prothe on Nov. 4, 1950, in Des Moines, Iowa. She died on what would have been their 69th wedding anniversary. 

Jean and Bill lived in Des Moines, Iowa, where their daughter Cydney was born; Hampton, Iowa, where their daughter Connie was born, and Latimer, Iowa. Then Bill was transferred to Emporia, Paola, and Iola. While in Iola, Jean had several different jobs from mom to homemaker to working at Lewis Paint, Montgomery Wards, and Eyler’s Drug. In 1973, they were sent to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Jean lived there until 1986. 

Jean and Bill enjoyed golfing with friends, Bob and Betty Sandre, while in South Dakota. In 1986, they traveled to Scotland and played St. Andrews. After Bill’s death in 1986, Jean returned to Iola and took on the full-time job spoiling her daughter and granddaughters. Jean’s way of spoiling her daughter was to make her lunch, which she did for 33 years. She enjoyed traveling. She went on many bus tours with her friends, traveling all over the country. She traveled extensively in Europe and made several family trips to Hawaii. She enjoyed going to Kansas City for dinner theater and shopping. A highlight of the year was the annual girls’ trip to Branson for shopping. Jean was an avid bridge player, playing in three bridge groups. In addition, she enjoyed knitting and reading. Jean was known for her fiery and independent spirit. If you needed to talk to her, you had to call her on Sunday morning before she went to church  because that was the only time you could guarantee she would be home. 

Jean volunteered for many organizations. You could find her most Friday afternoons as a Gray Lady at the Allen County Hospital. She volunteered there for 32 years, retiring in December 2018. She also volunteered at Hospice and delivered food from Grace Lutheran Church for the Iola Community Pantry. 

She was an active member of Grace Lutheran Church as well as their women’s group. She served as treasurer of Beta Sigma Phi sorority for many years before it became Harmony Society. Jean was also a member of the American Legion Auxiliary. 

Jean was preceded in death by her parents, Ross in 1965 and Lena in 1989. Jean was also preceded in death by her husband, Bill Prothe in 1986 and her sister, Betty (See) James in 2009. 

She leaves behind her daughters, Cydney (Prothe) Willis and husband Brian of Manhattan, Connie (Prothe) Rutledge and husband Ron of Iola; granddaughters, Andrea (Rutledge) Works and husband James of Humboldt, Gretchen Rutledge of Overland Park; grandson, Matthew Willis and wife Jessica of Fayetteville, N.C.; great-granddaughters, Britnee, Ashlynn and Kendall Works, all of Humboldt; nephew, William (Bill) Kipper of Steamboat Springs, Colo., and niece, Theresa (Kipper) Hall of Gardner; and beloved cats, Lucky and Dallie. She loved spending time with her family and pets. 

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of Jean’s favorite charities: ACARF and the Iola Community Pantry. You know what she would have said about having flowers. 

A memorial service to honor Jean’s life will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at Grace Lutheran Church, Iola. The family will greet friends one hour prior to the service time at the church. 

You may send your condolences to the family at www.feuerbornfuneral.com. 

Thomas Herynk

Thomas R. Herynk, age 95, of Kincaid, passed away on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019, at Parkview Heights, Garnett. 

He was born Sept. 16, 1924, in Iola, the son of Francis Michael and Christina (Pacha) Herynk. Tom attended Lone Elm Grade School and graduated from Kincaid High School. He married Frances Mae Neil on Feb. 28, 1946, in Garnett. This union was blessed with three children. 

Tom won many prizes at the Kincaid Fair for his wood carvings and knives. He was a farmer/rancher in the Lone Elm and Kincaid area all of his life. He was very active civically, serving on school boards, Township Treasurer, Lions Club, Lone Elm Cemetery Board, and a 4-H Club Leader for many years. 

Tom is preceded in death by his parents, Francis and Christina Herynk; wife, Frances Herynk on Dec. 3, 2015; two brothers, Francis Herynk and Rollin Herynk; two sisters, Elnora Smethers and Madeline Kersley. 

He is survived by his children, Steve Herynk and wife Sandra of Adel, Iowa; Christy Lamb and husband Larry of Livermore, Calif.; Patti Scronce and husband Mike of Algonquin, Ill. He is grandpa to six, Bobbi Perkins, Jeri Gardner, Kati Scronce, Penny Brantner, Mandy Trevino, and Evan Scronce; and great-grandpa to eight and one on the way. 

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday at Holy Angels Catholic Church, Garnett. The family will greet friends from 6 to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday at the Feuerborn Family Funeral Service Chapel, Garnett. 

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Rose School or to the Kincaid Fair Association. 

You may send your condolences to the family at www.feuerbornfuneral.com. 

Keystone reopens

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Keystone pipeline has been restarted nearly two weeks after it leaked an estimated 383,000 gallons of oil in North Dakota. TC Energy says the pipeline “returned to service” Sunday after approval of a repair and restart plan by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

The agency ordered the company last week to keep the pipeline shut down until corrective action was taken, including sending an affected portion of the pipe to an independent laboratory for testing.

State regulators say the leak affected about 22,500 square feet of land near Edinburg.

The cause of the leak has not been disclosed.

The company says about 285,600 gallons of crude oil has been recovered.

Treacherous driving

A combination of plummeting temperatures with intermittent spells of freezing rain combined to make brutal driving conditions in Allen County this morning. Here, a tractor-trailer rig dangles over the railing of the Neosho River bridge on U.S. 169 south of Humboldt. The driver suffered possible minor injuries, deputies reported.  

A look back in time

70 Years Ago

November 1949

A large crowd, estimated by Iola police officers at 25,000-30,000, enjoyed the 1949 Armistice Day celebration in perfect weather. The Hon. Errett P. Scrivner, Congressman from this district, was the principal speaker at the bandstand at noon. The afternoon’s parade was two miles in length and included 27 bands, 29 elaborate floats and scores of other entries. Beginning at 9 p.m. the four dances were the center of attraction and all were jammed with dancers and spectators.

*****

Mr. and Mrs. E.V. Wright announced they have sold the Radley Creamery to Donald F. Darling of Kansas City. Mr. and Mrs. Wright have been in the creamery business here for 16 years and have been proprietors of the property at 715 East St., since they bought out Mr. Radley 14 years ago. Darling said he intends to retain the name of the Radley Creamery at least for the immediate future.

The impeachment inquiry goes public

WASHINGTON (AP) — For only the fourth time in U.S. history, the House of Representatives has started a presidential impeachment inquiry. House committees are trying to determine whether President Donald Trump violated his oath of office by asking Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden’s family and the 2016 U.S. presidential election all while the White House was withholding military aid to the East European ally that borders Russia.

A quick forecast of what’s coming this week:

LIGHTS, CAMERAS, HEARINGS

Americans will have their first public view of the impeachment inquiry, as the proceedings emerge from the secure closed-door facility in the Capitol basement to live hearings.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., will gavel in the sessions Wednesday and Friday.

What’s unclear, though, is what people will see in two days of hearings. Will the proceedings serve as a clarifying moment for the country, when a common narrative emerges over the president’s actions and whether or not they are, in fact, impeachable? Or in this era of peak partisanship, will the days devolve into a reality-TV episode showcasing the divide?

Unlike Watergate in the 1970s or even Bill Clinton’s impeachment in the 1990s, Americans consume their news at different times and in different ways, making it hard to know if this week will produce a where-were-you-when moment.

SPOTLIGHT ON WITNESSES

Bill Taylor. George Kent. Marie “Masha” Yovanovitch.

Once little-known State Department officials are about to become household names as they testify publicly in the impeachment inquiry.

Taylor, a Vietnam War veteran who has spent 50 years in public service, will set the tone as the first witness. All three have testified in the closed setting, defying the White House’s instructions not to comply. But they are providing a remarkably consistent account of the Trump administration’s actions.

Republicans want to hear from others , including Biden’s son Hunter, as well as the anonymous government whistleblower who sparked the impeachment inquiry, but Democrats who have majority control are not likely to agree to those requests.

PERSUADING VOTERS

Republicans have struggled to articulate a unified defense of Trump. Democrats have had difficulty synthesizing their arguments into a simple narrative for the public.

Both will be sharpening efforts to persuade American voters.

Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” what the public will hear is “immensely patriotic, beautiful articulated — articulate people telling the story of a president who — let’s forget quid pro quo; quid pro quo is one of these things to muddy the works — who extorted a vulnerable country by holding up military aid.”

But Republicans have focused their attacks with a resolution criticizing the House process. Some in the party want to reveal the name of the government whistleblower.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on “Fox News Sunday, “I consider any impeachment in the House that doesn’t allow us to know who the whistleblower is to be invalid, because without the whistleblower complaint, we wouldn’t be talking about any of this.”

Graham added that there’s a “need for Hunter Biden to be called to adequately defend the president. And if you don’t do those two things, it’s a complete joke.”

WHAT WILL TRUMP DO?

For those watching television Wednesday afternoon, the president is offering some counterprogramming to the impeachment inquiry’s public hearing: a joint news conference with Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, amid strains in relations between the two nations.

On impeachment, the president tried to give his allies on Capitol Hill some talking points Sunday, tweeting out his advice for how they should defend him — namely by insisting, as he did, that his call with the Ukrainian president was “PERFECT.”

“Read the Transcript!” Trump intoned on Twitter. “There was NOTHING said that was in any way wrong. Republicans, don’t be led into the fools trap of saying it was not perfect, but is not impeachable. No, it is much stronger than that. NOTHING WAS DONE WRONG!”

The White House released a rough transcript of his July call and Trump also says he will release, probably on Tuesday, an account of an April phone call he had with Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, soon after Zelenskiy won election.

Testimony in the closed proceedings shows that the April congratulatory call did not raise concerns, but the tone shifted on the July call that caused alarms among U.S. officials.

MORE TRANSCRIPTS, MORE HEARINGS COMING

House investigators have been steadily releasing transcripts from hundreds of pages of testimony they received behind closed doors.

More transcripts are expected. Nearly a dozen people have testified in the inquiry and investigators are building the public record of their findings. But this week’s hearings will probably not be the last.

House investigators may still call others to testify, most likely Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, an Army officer assigned to the National Security Council, and Fiona Hill, a former White House adviser on Russia. Both testified behind closed doors of their concerns about the Trump administration’s effort to push Ukraine to investigate Democrats.

Eventually the Intelligence Committee will send a report of its findings to the Judiciary Committee, which would decide whether to pursue articles of impeachment against the president. A House vote on impeachment could come by Christmas.

 

Hamlin at Phoenix; keeps title hopes alive

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Denny Hamlin adamantly insisted ‘it’s not over” after a critical mistake last week put the Daytona 500 winner on the verge of elimination from NASCAR’s championship race.

He remained undeterred, confident in his chances to win Sunday at ISM Raceway and save his season with a victory that would give him an automatic berth into the final four.

He called his shot and delivered.

Hamlin snagged his first spot in the championship field since 2014 with his win, a victory that eliminated NASCAR champion Joey Logano from the playoffs and gave Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota three of the slots in next week’s decider at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“I try not to put too much into it,” Hamlin said. “There’s still work to be done. Doesn’t guarantee a championship. Gives us a chance. Live to fight another day. That’s all you can ask for.”

Hamlin, one of the favorites to win the title, faced elimination after spinning last week at Texas but took control and had the win essentially in the bag until a caution with nine laps remaining set up a final restart.

Hamlin, who had been terrible on restarts the entire race, punched his steering wheel in anger when the yellow flag waved. His Joe Gibbs Racing team made an unusual call to take just two tires — the same strategy as contender Ryan Blaney — and the two lined up next to each other for the restart with three laps to go.

Hamlin finally got a decent restart, pulled into the lead, and Gibbs teammate Kyle Busch passed Blaney to put a buffer between the two.

Hamlin then cruised to his sixth win of the season and punched the air with his fist in his car as he crossed the finish line. He jumped into the arms of his waiting crew, which he had promised earlier Sunday to give his all in an effort to make the championship field at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“This race team worked so hard this whole year. They deserve to be there,” Hamlin said of his No. 11 crew. “I put them in a bad hole last week. I told them today in the meeting, I said, ‘I’m going to give everything I’ve got to make up for the mistake I made last week.’ That’s all I got.”

Hamlin will race Gibbs teammates Busch and Martin Truex Jr., as well as Kevin Harvick of Stewart-Haas Racing, for the championship. Gibbs, winner of 18 races this season, and Toyota have three of the slots in the final four.

“I feel like we are all here because we worked together,” said Truex.

Chevrolet will not be represented for the third consecutive season and Harvick races a Ford. Hamlin’s win sealed the manufacturer championship for Toyota.

Truex won the 2018 title, Busch won in 2015 and Harvick in 2014. All three raced for the championship last season against Logano, who won the finale to snag the title away from the three drivers who dominated the season. This year the final four is equally deserving of their spots in the finale — the champion has had to win the race at Homestead to claim the title every year since the elimination format debuted in 2014.

Hamlin has never won a championship, but had chances in 2010 and 2014 but had disappointing races — a decision not to take tires after a late caution took Hamlin from the lead to out of contention in the 2014 race.

“Denny has not won a championship, so you can imagine how hard he’s going to go for it,” said Gibbs.

Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Blaney and Logano were eliminated. Logano was seeking a chance to make it back-to-back titles but had a mechanical problem early in the final stage that dropped him deep into the field.

“No clue. An air pressure adjustment made it go from a winning car to not able to stay on the lead lap. That sounds ridiculous,” said Logano. “We’ll live. Everything is going to be OK. We’re still fortunate to be here and grateful to do what we love.”

 

ELLIOTT’S AWFUL ROUND

Elliott’s championship chances ended with a crash in the final stage. He had to win to earn a berth at Homestead after a disastrous third round of the playoffs.

NASCAR’s most popular driver had a mechanical problem at Martinsville, crashed last week at Texas and crashed Sunday when he appeared to have a tire issue that caused him to spin.

“Just a continuation of our first two weeks,” Elliott said. “I feel like we were in a good position to run solid. Not sure why we had a tire go down, I think that’s what happened. These last three weeks have been rough.”

 

UP NEXT

Sunday’s championship-deciding finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the last time the track will host the finale. Logano is the defending race winner.

Greek freak leads Bucks past Thunder in OKC

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn’t contain his frustration after a subpar first half.

Somewhere between the court and the locker room, the Milwaukee Bucks star kicked — and destroyed — a sign with a Thunder logo that is part of a temporary barrier.

The reigning league MVP regretted his actions.

“You know, there’s no excuse there, and obviously I’ll try to pay for the sign, or I can trade you guys for the Bucks sign when you guys come to Milwaukee,” he said. “But there’s no excuse for that. But obviously, playing basketball is a lot of frustration and a lot of emotion, and obviously, moments like that happen.”

He channeled his fire in the second half. He scored 24 of his 35 points after the break to help the Milwaukee Bucks rally and beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-119 on Sunday night.

His first half, by his standards, was forgettable. He scored 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting and had six rebounds. Most important, the Thunder led by six.

“I wasn’t playing good basketball,” he said. “I wasn’t being as aggressive as I wanted.”

In the second half, he made 9 of 11 shots and grabbed 10 rebounds.

Thunder guard Chris Paul said it’s a challenge to defend a 6-foot-11 player who can drive.

“You think ‘back up, back up,’ but by the time you keep backing up, he’s at the rim,” Paul said.

Eric Bledsoe added 25 points and nine assists for the Bucks, who have won five of six.

Dennis Schroder scored 25 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 22 for the Thunder, who had won three straight home games.

The Thunder led by nine points early in the third quarter before Milwaukee rallied and led 87-80 heading into the fourth.

Oklahoma City’s Danilo Gallinari hit a 3-pointer with 32.3 seconds left to tie the game at 114, but Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez made a 3-pointer at the other end with 25.4 seconds remaining.

Gallinari missed a clean look at a 3, then Milwaukee’s George Hill made two free throws with 10.5 seconds left to put the Bucks in control.

“We always fought back, and we didn’t shoot the ball the way we usually do, especially me,” Gallinari said. “It was a very good game. Unfortunately we couldn’t get it done.”

 

TIP-INS

Bucks: F Kyle Korver sat out with a head contusion. … G Khris Middleton left the game with a left thigh contusion and did not return. He finished with 10 points. … Lopez was called for a technical foul in the fourth quarter.

Thunder: C Steven Adams sat out with a left knee contusion. Coach Billy Donovan said he doesn’t consider the injury serious. … G Andre Roberson (recovery, left knee) still hasn’t played this season.

 

KEEP FIRING

Gallinari was 3 for 15 from the field before he made the game-tying 3-pointer in the final minute. He finished 4 for 17 overall and 2 for 10 from 3-point range. Oklahoma City’s No. 2 scorer for the season entered the night shooting 46.9% from the field overall and 47.5% from 3-point range.

 

SECOND HALF SWISHES

Milwaukee shot 60.5% in the second half. The Bucks made 21 of 30 shots inside the 3-point line after the break.

The Thunder shot 52.3% in the second half and made 9 of 21 3-pointers. Schroder scored 17 points in the second half on 6-for-7 shooting.

 

QUOTABLE

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer on holding on against the Thunder in the fourth quarter: “They had 39 points in the fourth quarter, so we are just lucky the clock ran out, but they hit tough shots.”

 

UP NEXT

The Bucks host the Chicago Bulls on Thursday.

The Thunder visit the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday.