Iola High’s freshman volleyball team played at home Monday against the Burlington High’s C-team.
The freshman Fillies lost the best-three-out-of-five match to the Wildcats. Burlington won 28-26, 25-21, 25-21.
The Fillies were led in serving by Addie Haar, Kyra Moore and Emery Driskel. Driskel and Shelby Smith were the top hitters at the net.
Emma Piazza and Moore were credited with set assists.
Iola’s freshmen will host a tournament Saturday.
Jimmy Runer
Jimmy Tharp Runer, 76, Gas, died Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011, at his home.
He was born Nov. 20, 1934, in Iola, the son of Rufus Arley and Mosline E. (Tharp) Runer. He grew up in Iola and attended Iola schools.
He joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served 21 years before he retired from the military in 1971. He served in Korea and Vietnam and made his home in Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, Texas and California.
Runer made his home in Bruce, Miss., after he retired from the service. In 1980, he returned to the Iola area and married Nancy (Gumfory) McCulley. They made their home in Gas.
He worked as a security guard for the Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant in Burlington before he retired. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and attended First Presbyterian Church in Iola. He enjoyed woodworking and doing carpentry work.
His wife survives, as do two children, Steve and his wife, Cristina, Germantown, Tenn., and Debi Runer Box, Bruce, Miss.; eight grandchildren, Missy Ross and her husband, Jason, stationed with the U.S. Air Force in Aviano, Italy, Shawn McCully and his wife, Janette, Iola, Doug Lieurance Jr. and his wife, Jeri, Iola; Sophia and Olivia Runer, Germantown, Tenn., and Cassidy, Coady and Kelly Box, Bruce, Miss; seven great-grandchildren, Kylee and Zachary Ross, Jasmine, Clarissa, Savannah, Shawn Jr., and William McCulley; and three sisters, Cleo Powell and Fern Ball of Texas and Linda Runer, Wichita.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Harvie Runer, and a sister, Faun.
Cremation has taken place. Memorial services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Waugh-Yokum & Friskel Chapel in Iola. The Rev. Jim Rausch will officiate.
Inurnment will be at Fort Scott National Cemetery at a later date.
Memorial choices may be made to Disabled American Veterans or Fees Park in Gas and left with the funeral home, which is in charge of the arrangements.
Online condolences for the family may be left at www.iolafuneral.com.
[Birth] Piper Jordan
Rhi Hess and Jeff Jordan, Iola, announce the birth of a daughter, Piper Jo Ann Jordan, born Aug. 28, 2011, in Iola.
Piper weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces, and was 18 1/2 inches long.
She has one sibling, River, 9.
Her maternal grandparents are Natalie and Larry Douglas, Pittsburg, and Royce Sykes, St. Louis. Her paternal grandparents are Ray Jordan, Freeman, Mo., and Eric and Kathy Rosenblad, Pittsburg.
Letters to the editor
Dear Editor,
I’m writing in regards to the unjust termination of Mrs. Brigham (former Iola city administrator).
If the council members think they have just cause, the cause should have been told to Mrs. Brigham, and to the entire population of Iola and Allen County.
The council may just as well have said that she is a criminal. Letting her go just weeks before her retirement was a bad deal. Everyone is entitled to know the reason for her dismissal, including her.
The city better have positive proof that a large amount of money is missing. If she has been formally charged with any crime, or misuse of funds, we have the right to know.
I hope the city knows what kind of a can of worms they have opened up. If not, who will pay for a large lawsuit against the city, probably the taxpayers.
This termination just weeks from her retirement should send a strong message to all city employees that this could happen to them as well.
This may cost the city some good employees who may not look at longtime employment due to this situation.
Good luck Mrs. Brigham, if you were wrongfully accused.
Things just always seem to get worse. The old saying that things will get better has yet to come. Will it ever?
Respectfully,
Carl Letsinger,
Iola, Kan.
Dear Editor,
I came into Iola Sunday and was impressed with the display of American flags around the square and at the fire station.
It was truly awe-inspiring.
Delene Lindberg,
Colony, Kan.
Dear Editor,
I think the people of Iola deserve an explanation as to why an employee with almost 32 years of faithful service is terminated 12 days before retirement.
Were there funds missing from the coffers? Was theft or fraud intended? Harm to the city? Are we left in a financial crisis?
Please don’t leave us in the dark to find out our horrible fate. I would hope criminal charges are forthcoming to teach her a lesson for always doing what is best for the community. I hope this is a an eye opener to all city employees, don’t think by years of doing your job to the best of your ability, working countless unpaid hours, not using sick leave just because you have it, and working your way up the ranks is any way to keep your job.
What if the next council member with tenure of six months doesn’t like you or your spouse, kids, etc.? This is a wake-up call, your warning of things to come. Don’t think it won’t happen to you. Working for the city, county, or state is a low-paying, thankless job that did have some security, and a retirement. I guess you can’t count on that anymore.
I am proud to have Judy for my big sister. Congratulations on your retirement, Sis.
Sincerely,
Jerry Thompson
Iola, Kan.
Post office patrons forced to find other routes for products
Over the last several years The Register has lost subscribers in the hinterlands of southeast Kansas due to cost-cutting measures by the U.S. Postal Service.
Today’s Register will not reach Le Roy readers until Wednesday or Thursday. Time was, a drop-off at the Iola post office meant the Register was on a direct route to its destination.
Orders from higher-ups now dictate fewer handlers in smaller post offices, if not outright closures, and more in metropolitan Sectional Center Facilities where large volumes are handled. Today, the paper takes a circuitous route from the Iola post office to post offices in Fort Scott and then Kansas City before it heads this way again. The delay makes the term “news” an oxymoron by the time the Register reaches the several hundred subscribers we have across the region. Many have voiced their opposition to this “service” by the post office by ceasing their subscription to the paper.
Our recourse has been to offer readers an online subscription where readers can view an exact replica of the newspaper in a PDF format. The download takes only seconds and at $10 a month is a savings compared to delivery by mail.
But old habits die hard.
For many, that’s not how they want to read the Register. And for some, the Internet is not an option because of lack of access.
By the next generation, that problem may no longer exist. But it could be one of a different color. If today’s youth are growing up not reading a newspaper it’s unlikely they’ll adopt it as a habit when they are out on their own.
The news last week that Neosho Falls and perhaps Piqua will be losing their post offices affects the Register. Five days a week we make “drops” at those post offices so our readers can get next-day service. Now, those subscribers will be on the Fort Scott/Kansas City route and we pray will not blame the delay on us.
COMING DOWN the pike is the likely elimination of Saturday postal service, which also will affect delivery of the Register’s Weekender edition. If Congress approves the measure, our online edition will become even more critical for those wanting reports of Friday night sports and other weekend-related news.
Newspapers are one of the postal industry’s most loyal customers. Every day we direct hundreds if not thousands of dollars their way.
It’s ironic that their measures to save money will incur losses by forcing customers to redirect their business via other routes, including paperless.
This kind of progress is a mixed bag.
— Susan Lynn
Burglary ends in chase
A Kansas City, Kan., man faces a host of charges following a car chase and his apparent role in a local burglary Friday.
Richard Vandenberg Jr., 42, was arrested Friday after leading officers on a chase through the north part of Iola.
The incident began shortly after 1:30 p.m. when an officer spotted a white vehicle pulled into private property at 2201 N. State St.
The officer, Lt. Steve Womack, had good reason to know the vehicle did not belong. The property is owned by his brother, Doug.
Womack pulled into the driveway, at which point the suspect’s vehicle sped away, heading north on State Street, then east on Miller Road before entering the yard surrounding the city water tower. The car proceeded around the water tower before heading back west on Miller, then north on Cottonwood Street.
From there, the chase continued along McGuire Drive and Boyer Circle before the driver left the road again driving across a vacant lot, then stopping at a private residence on Boyer Circle.
Vandenberg exited the vehicle and fled into the house, at which point a female came racing out, asking officers to get him out of the house. It was later learned that the resident and Vandenberg were related, Police Chief Jared Warner said.
The ensuing investigation revealed that a Craftsman power washer, an airless paint sprayer, a refrigerator dolly, new tires and cabinets had been stolen from the Womack property. Officers executed a search warrant where Vandenberg was found, where the power washer was located. The other items have not yet been recovered.
Information surrounding the incident has been forwarded to County Attorney Wade Bowie. Officers are requesting charges of burglary of a non-dwelling, theft, fleeing and eluding law enforcement and driving while suspended.
John Bass
John Elliott Bass of Iola died Monday, Sept. 5, 2011, peacefully at home.
John was born in Iola on Feb. 26, 1924, the oldest of two sons born to John Samuel and Edithe Elliott Bass. He attended Iola schools before joining the United States Army after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Following training at Fort Riley, Kan., and Camp Lockett in Campo, Calif., he was a radio operator in the famous 10th Calvary, also known as the Buffalo Soldiers, serving in North Africa, Italy and France.
After his discharge from the Army, he returned to Iola and worked for Lehigh Portland Cement until it closed in the early seventies. Later employment included Country Lanes Bowling and the Iola Housing Authority.
In 1947, John married Rosemary I. Whitfield of Newton, Kansas. To their union were born three children: Jennifer Diane, John Arthur, and Jay Andrew.
John loved sports. He played basketball for the Iola Green Dragons, coached junior bowling, and umpired youth softball and baseball games for several decades. He was an avid bowler and organized bowling teams for tournaments from Reno to Springfield. A favorite annual activity was attending the KU Relays. John and his brother Wendell also enjoyed trips to the NAIA basketball playoffs. In his later years, John proudly earned medals and tee-shirts in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life.
John was preceded in death by his brother, Wendell Maurice, his son John, and his son-in-law, Herman McKenzie.
Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Rosemary; children, Jennifer and Jay, daughters-in-laws, Dionne and Barbara; four absolutely perfect grandchildren, Keesha (Corey) Ball, John Silas, Emily Rose and Madeline Jaye; sisters-in-law, Phyliss Bass and Peggy (George) Day; and a host of nieces, nephews and cousins.
Service and memorial information was published in Thursday’s Register.
Janeen Wilson
Janeen Renee Wilson, 49, of Iola died Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011, at Allen County Hospital in Iola.
Janeen was born Dec. 12, 1961, in Iola, to John R. “Tom” and Jerrie Sue Folk.
On Sept. 22, 1979, she married Charles L. “Chuck” Wilson. They made their home in Iola. They were later divorced. She worked at several jobs through the years and was working for Dustrol when she became ill.
Janeen liked getting dressed up, traveling and shopping and garage sales, but her biggest joy was her family.
She was a member of First Baptist Church in Yates Center and Iola American Legion Auxiliary.
She is survived by two sons, Charles “Ray” and his former wife, Molly, Iola, and Jeffery and his fiancee, Cassie, Yates Center; a daughter, Alisha Melendez and her husband, Jesus, Yates Center; her mother, Jerrie Sue Folk, Iola; two sisters, Cindy VanHouden and her husband, Chris, Iola, and Teresa Henry and her husband, Tim, Iola; and eight grandchildren, Kalley, Kaisha, Jesse and Tyler Melendez, Raylea, Devon and Morgan Wilson and Prestyn Jenkins.
She was preceded in death by her father, Tom Folk, and a baby brother, John R. Folk Jr.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Waugh-Yokum & Friskel Memorial Chapel in Iola.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Yates Center First Baptist Church with Pastor David Cauley officiating. Burial will be in Yates Center Cemetery.
Memorials to a Janeen Wilson Memorial Fund may be left at the funeral home. Online condolences for the family may be left at www.iolafuneral.com.
Sarah Jane Rankin
Sarah Jane Rankin, 99, of Moran died Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011, at Moran Manor.
She will lie in state from noon to 8 p.m. on Sunday at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service Chapel in Moran.
Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday evening at the funeral home in Moran.
Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday at the funeral home in Moran. Burial will follow in Elsmore Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Savonburg Senior Center or to activities at Moran Manor. Online condolences to the family may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.
[Engagement] Bill Nicaise and Ean Loffswold
Linda Brunetti, Iola, and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Loffswold Jr., Girard, announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Ean Rachel Loffswold, to Bill Ellis Nicaise, son of Willard Nicaise, Frontenac, and Carrie Tustin, Pittsburg.
The bride-elect is a 2004 graduate of Iola High School and a 2009 graduate of Pittsburg State University with a degree in family and consumer sciences.
The groom-to-be is a 2002 graduate of Frontenac High School and a 2010 graduate of PSU with a degree in early education.
The couple is planning an afternoon ceremony on Nov. 5 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Pittsburg.