U.S. hikes troop levels in Mideast as tension rises

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is sending 1,000 more troops to the Middle East as tensions in the Persian Gulf mounted today over Iran’s announcement it will not comply with the international agreement that keeps it from making nuclear weapons. At the same time, Iran insisted it was not seeking war.

Iran’s announcement Monday that it could soon start enriching uranium to just a step away from weapons-grade levels challenged President Donald Trump’s assurances to allies that the U.S. withdrawal from the deal last year made the world a safer place.

The Pentagon responded by ordering 1,000 more troops to the Middle East, including security forces for additional surveillance and intelligence-gathering. The escalation of American military might was aimed at deterring Iran and calming allies worried about the safety of strategic shipping lanes.

Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, insisted today that while “we do not wage war with any nation,” Iranians will withstand mounting U.S. pressure and emerge victorious.

After Trump withdrew from the deal signed by President Barack Obama, he reinstated stiff economic sanctions, leaving the European and other partners in the accord struggling to keep Iran on board.

Iran’s announcement that it would not abide by a limit on uranium stockpiles established under the 2015 agreement puts the U.S. in the awkward position of demanding that Iran comply with a deal that Trump derides as the worst in history.

“We continue to call on the Iranian regime not to obtain a nuclear weapon, to abide by their commitments to the international community,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said Monday.

The U.S. accuses Iran of attacking two tankers near the Persian Gulf; the Iranians deny responsibility. With details murky and no one owning up to the attacks, the Pentagon released new photos intended to bolster its case.

In announcing the new deployment, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the forces are “for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats” in the Mideast.

“The United States does not seek conflict with Iran,” Shanahan said, describing the move as intended “to ensure the safety and welfare of our military personnel working throughout the region and to protect our national interests.”

He said the U.S. will continue to adjust troop levels as needed.

Russia urged restraint by all parties and worries that the additional American forces could “bring in extra tensions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Some supporters of the multinational nuclear deal blamed the Trump administration for Iran’s provocative announcements, saying they were predictable given the renewed U.S. pressure.

“While Iran’s frustration with Trump’s reckless and irresponsible pressure campaign is understandable, we strongly urge Iran to remain in compliance with the nuclear deal,” the Arms Control Association said in a statement. “It remains in Iran’s interests to abide by the limits of the agreement.”

Iran has shown no willingness to negotiate another deal and has pledged not enter into talks with the United States while the administration keeps up the pressure with sanctions.

Administration officials are struggling with whether to press the remaining parties to the deal, including Britain, France and Germany, to demand that Iran stay in compliance. They must also consider whether such a stance would essentially concede that the restrictions imposed during the Obama administration are better than none.

Under the deal, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 660 pounds (300 kilograms) of low-enriched uranium. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran’s atomic agency, said it would pass that limit June 27.

A senior U.S. official said the U.S. is most concerned about any violation of the deal that would reduce the time Iran would need to produce a nuclear weapon. The deal aimed to keep that “breakout time” at one year.

The official said certain violations would not necessarily reduce that time. But other violations, such as enriching uranium to 20%, should be addressed immediately if they occur, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to meet this week with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, a leading deal proponent.

Pompeo, a leading critic of the deal while he was in Congress, has said Iranian compliance is not really an issue because the administration sees the agreement as fundamentally flawed.

Fishing derby a success

The fish were biting early and often at Saturday’s Hooked On Fishing, Not On Drugs (HOFNOD) fishing derby, sponsored by the Iola Police Department.

The 75 registered youngsters, ages 2-17, landed 252 fish from Craig and Georgia Abbott’s pond in north Iola.

That equates to one of the youths pulling in a fish every 30 seconds or so during the two-hour event.

Evan Lacrone won first place in his age group, and overall, landing 26 fish, totaling 6.31 pounds.

Shawn Morris caught the largest fish of the day, at 2.23 pounds.

Jace Lacrone pulled in 15 fish, totaling 2.98 pounds.

Jimmie Maloney earned a special prize for the smallest fish, which weighed in at .02 pounds.

As has been the custom, the fish were re-deposited back into the pond.

The 252 fish weighed a collective 82 pounds.

Youngsters dined on hamburgers at the conclusion of the event.

Results follow:

2-8 year division

Kandili McCain, 5 fish, 4.27 pounds

Henry Kramer, 4 fish, 3.6 pounds

Evan Boclain, 3 fish, 3.49 pounds

9-12 year division

Evan Lacrone, 26 fish, 6.31 pounds

Katelyn Erbert, 4 fish, 3.71 pounds

Michael Manes, 3 fish, 2.43 pounds

13-17 year division

Danny Boeken, 2 fish, 2.29 pounds

Allen Turner, 4 fish, 1.85 pounds

Kristopher Trester, 1 fish, 1.25 pounds

Biggest fish: Shawn Morris, 2.23 pounds

Most fish: Jace Lacrone, 15 fish, 2.98 pounds (note: Evan Lacrone opted to take the first prize from his age division and not the most fish prize)

Smallest fish: Jimmie Maloney, .02 pounds

Court punts on cake dispute

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court decided Monday against a high-stakes, election-year case about the competing rights of gay and lesbian couples and merchants who refuse to provide services for same-sex weddings.

The justices handed bakers in the Portland, Oregon, area a small victory by throwing out a state court ruling against them and ordering judges to take a new look at their refusal to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple.

The high court’s brief order directs appellate judges in Oregon to consider last term’s Supreme Court ruling in favor of a baker from Colorado who would not make a cake for a same-sex wedding. The court ruled that baker Jack Phillips was subjected to anti-religious bias in the Colorado Civil Rights Commission’s determination that he violated state anti-discrimination in refusing to bake the couple’s wedding cake. The Oregon appellate ruling came before the court’s decision in Phillips’ case.

But the import of the order is that it keeps the case off the docket for a term that will end in June 2020 amid the presidential election campaign. The justices already have agreed to decide in their election-year session whether federal civil rights law protects people from job discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The larger issue weighing the rights of LGBT people against the religious objections of merchants remains unresolved. Another dispute involving a florist from Washington state who would not create flower arrangements for a same-sex wedding is headed back to the Supreme Court.

The high court took the same tack last year in the florist’s case. Taking a second look at the case, the Washington Supreme Court concluded earlier in June that there was no animosity toward religion in court rulings that florist Barronelle Stutzman broke the state’s anti-discrimination laws by refusing on religious grounds to provide flowers for the wedding of a gay couple. Stutzman owns Arlene’s Flowers in Richland, Washington.

The justices could consider Stutzman’s appeal in the fall.

The Oregon case had been in Supreme Court limbo for months, sometimes signaling behind-the-scenes negotiation over what to do. There were no noted dissents or other explanation for the delay in Monday’s order.

The case involves bakers Melissa and Aaron Klein, who paid a $135,000 judgment to the couple for declining to create a cake for them in 2013. The Kleins’ bakery was Sweet Cakes by Melissa in Gresham, Oregon. It has since closed.

The dispute began when Rachel Bowman-Cryer went to the bakery with her mother in January 2013. They met with Aaron Klein, who asked for the date of the ceremony and the names of the bride and groom.

When told there was no groom, Klein said he was sorry but the bakery did not make cakes for same-sex weddings. According to documents from the case, Rachel and her mother left the shop, but returned a short time later. As Rachel remained in the car, in tears, her mother went in to speak with Klein.

The mother told Klein she had once thought like him, but her “truth had changed” when she had two gay children. Klein responded by quoting Leviticus: “You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.”

Justices keep rule allowing federal, state charges

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is upholding a constitutional rule that allows state and federal governments to prosecute someone for the same crime, a closely watched case because of its potential implications for people prosecuted in the Russia investigation.

The court’s 7-2 decision Monday preserves a long-standing rule that provides an exception to the Constitution’s ban on trying someone twice for the same offense. 

Ruling for the defendant in this case might have made it harder for states to pursue criminal charges against defendants in the Russia investigation in the event they are pardoned by President Donald Trump.

The court ruled against federal prison inmate Terance Gamble . He was prosecuted by Alabama and the federal government for having a gun after an earlier conviction for robbery.

Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his majority opinion that 170 years of precedent supports the idea that “a state may prosecute a defendant under state law even if the federal government has prosecuted him for the same conduct under a federal statute.”

New York authorities already have indicted Paul Manafort , Trump’s former campaign chairman.

Manafort has been sentenced to more than 7 years on federal conspiracy and fraud convictions. He also has been charged with mortgage fraud and other crimes in New York. Trump could pardon him for his federal convictions, but Manafort still would have to answer to the state charges by the Manhattan district attorney’s office. The president’s pardon power doesn’t extend to state charges.

Had the justices ruled the other way, it might have called into question the ability to prosecute Manafort on the state level.

The case decided Monday drew the court’s attention after Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Clarence Thomas wrote in 2016 that the exception to protection from double jeopardy should be reconsidered.

But during arguments in December, several justices worried about the practical effects of ruling for Gamble. Justice Stephen Breyer pointed to federal prosecutions for crimes of racial violence and domestic violence against Native American women that could be imperiled if Gamble prevailed.

Ginsburg dissented from Monday’s ruling, which she called “adherence to that misguided doctrine.” In a separate dissent, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote, “A free society does not allow its government to try the same individual for the same crime until it’s happy with the result.”

In the end, Thomas parted ways with Ginsburg. He noted in a 17-page opinion that “the historical record does not bear out my initial skepticism.” Thomas spent the bulk of his opinion making the case for less fidelity to Supreme Court precedents. 

“When faced with a demonstrably erroneous precedent, my rule is simple: We should not follow it,” wrote the justice who is the most likely to encourage his colleagues to overrule earlier high court decisions.

Suzi Robie

Susan “Suzi” Robie, age 74, of Garnett, passed away on Friday, June 14, 2019, at Anderson County Hospital, Garnett.

She was born June 10, 1945, in Long Beach, Calif., the daughter of Arthur and Josephine (Crandall) Conley.  She graduated from Olathe High School, Olathe, with the Class of 1964. 

Suzi moved to Garnett in 1984, and she worked as a dispatcher at the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department for 35 years, until she retired. She was an incredibly crafty person, enjoying sewing, needlepoint, applique, cross-stitch, knitting, quilting and crocheting. Suzi never met a stranger and was a friend to everyone.

Suzi was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur and Josephine Conley; one brother, Timothy Conley; one sister, Sally Jo Sanford.

She is survived by her daughter, Amber Fast and husband Brian of Ottawa; four grandchildren; one brother, Jon Conley and wife Regina of Olathe; one sister, Elsie Dale Ackmann and husband Henry of  Scipio; several nieces, nephews and friends.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service Chapel, Garnett, with burial to follow at 2 p.m. in the Mount Hope Cemetery, Independence. The family will greet friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home in Garnett.

Memorial contributions may be made Suzi Robie Memorial Fund, to be established at a later date.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.feuerbornfuneral.com

Joan Dunlap

Barbara Joan Dunlap, 89, Great Bend, formerly of Kincaid, died Friday, June 14, 2019, at Woodhaven Care Center, Ellinwood.

She was born June 19, 1929, at Kincaid, to Vern and Helen (Main) Burris.  

She married Lawrence Dunlap on Dec. 2, 1948, at Kincaid. He preceded her in death.

She also was preceded in death by a son, Michael Dunlap.

Graveside services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 29, at the Kincaid Cemetery.

Police report

Driver injured

Lora B. Prock, 70, was treated for injuries following a one-vehicle accident in a parking lot in the 1700 block of East Street June 8. 

Iola police officers said Prock struck a case holding propane tanks with her vehicle while she was northbound in the parking lot.

She was transported via ambulance to Allen County Regional Hospital.

 

Vehicles collide

Connor G. Ellis, 16, was eastbound in the 1700 block of U.S. 54 June 8 and was changing lanes when he struck the rear of a car driven by Hilary S. Clark, 28. Neither driver was injured, nor were two passengers riding with Ellis.

 

Vehicle hit

Taylor N. Riches-Salzwedel, 17, told Iola police officers Wednesday her foot slipped off the brake pedal, causing her car to roll forward and strike the rear end of a vehicle driven by Cooper L. Riley, 16.

The vehicles were on State Street, at the Madison Avenue stop light, when the accident occurred.

Neither was injured, nor was a passenger riding with Riches-Salzwedel.

Iola, Colony youth among Boys State participants

Iola and Colony youths were among 405 young men from across the state who participated in the 2019 American Legion Boys State of Kansas Leadership Academy. 

Attending from Iola were Eason Cheung, who served as a Department of Economy official, and Shane Winner, who was a Kennedy County representative. Attending from Colony was Gregory Hardwick, who served as a councilman for the city of Spigarelli. All participants will enter their senior year of high school this fall. 

The event, which concluded its 82nd year, was June 3-8 at Kansas State University in Manhattan.

Boys State offers participants an opportunity to develop problem-solving skills through leadership and teamwork.

The weeklong project is a “learning by doing” political exercise that simulates elections, political parties and government at the state, county and local levels, providing opportunities to lead under pressure, showcasing character and working effectively within a team. 

Boy survives knife in face

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 15-year-old Kansas boy got a large knife to the face, and doctors say he’s extremely lucky.

Jimmy Russell said her son, Eli Gregg, was playing Thursday evening outside of their home in Redfield, about 90 miles south of Kansas City, when she heard him scream. She found him with a 10-inch knife jutting from just below his eye and called 911.

“It looked pretty grim, it was scary,” Russell said in a video released by the University of Kansas Health System, where he was treated.

The knife was embedded in his skull and extended to just under his brain. The blade’s tip, meanwhile, was pushing against his carotid artery, which supplies the brain with blood.

“It could not have had a pound more force on it and him survive that event,” said Dr. Koji Ebersole, who oversaw the extraction. “I don’t think he would have survived it.”

A team of surgeons put together an intricate plan to remove the blade Friday morning. They were prepared for possible bleeding into the brain, but the operation went without a hitch and the artery remained intact.

Within 24 hours of the surgery, Eli was able to talk and make light of the situation. He was due to be discharged on Monday.

“He says he is going to stay away from sharp objects,” Russell said. “That is very understandable.”

She said Eli is doing great and should make a full recovery.

“It is almost a miracle,” Russell said. “It is really, really amazing.”

The boy is fortunate he ended up in Ebersole’s hands, as it was Ebersole who removed a meat skewer from the skull of a 10-year-old Missouri boy last year in an accident that provided equally shocking X-rays. That boy was attacked by yellow jackets in a tree house in Harrisonville, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Kansas City, and fell onto the skewer.