More nasty weather could complicate power return

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Utility officials say it may take until Thursday to finish restoring power in the Kansas City area after last week’s winter blast and forecasts for more bad weather won’t help.

The Kansas City Star reports that about 175,000 Kansas City Power & Light customers were without electricity at some point after a storm that started Friday dumped up to 10 inches of heavy, wet snow in the area. By Tuesday morning, about 20,000 remained in the dark.

KCP&L spokeswoman Katie McDonald says it’s the “worst storm” the utility has seen in decades. McDonald says more than 1,500 line workers, engineers, tree-trimmers and other staff members are working to restore electrical power.

But she warned that forecasts calling for freezing rain, black ice and sleet this week could slow the effort.

Letter to the editor — January 15, 2019

Dear editor,

What a mess. Our country is getting more divided all the time. If President Trump wants that wall so bad why doesn’t he pay his taxes instead of using the excuse that he is under audit.

If he would sit down with Congress and try to work out a cheaper and more sensible way to handle the immigration problem that would be better for all.

He has never had to worry about money so he doesn’t know what it’s like to get behind on your payments or not having enough money to feed your family. And I don’t think he really cares.

Our ship is adrift in a stormy sea and our captain refuses to read the directions on how to right it.

Maude Burns,

Iola, Kan.

Trump: I never worked for Russia

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is denying he ever worked for Russia, answering a question he declined to directly address over the weekend.

Speaking from the South Lawn today before departing the White House for New Orleans, Trump calls former FBI and Justice Department officials “known scoundrels” and “dirty cops.” He was reacting to a New York Times report that law enforcement officials began investigating, in 2017, whether Trump had been working on behalf of Russia against U.S. interests.

Trump told reporters: “I never worked for Russia.” Trump didn’t directly answer the question in a Saturday Fox News interview.

Trump is defending his decision to fire FBI Director James Comey, a move that has drawn the scrutiny of special counsel Robert Mueller.

Judge blocks birth control ruling

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A U.S. judge in California on Sunday blocked Trump administration rules, which would allow more employers to opt out of providing women with no-cost birth control, from taking effect in 13 states and Washington, D.C.

Judge Haywood Gilliam granted a request for a preliminary injunction by California, 12 other states and Washington, D.C.

The plaintiffs sought to prevent the rules from taking effect as scheduled today while a lawsuit against them moved forward.

But Gilliam limited the scope of the ruling to the plaintiffs, rejecting their request that he block the rules nationwide.

The changes would allow more employers, including publicly traded companies, to opt out of providing no-cost contraceptive coverage to women by claiming religious objections. Some private employers could also object on moral grounds.

California and the other states argue that women would be forced to turn to state-funded programs for birth control and experience unintended pregnancies.

“The law couldn’t be more clear — employers have no business interfering in women’s healthcare decisions,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement Sunday. “Today’s court ruling stops another attempt by the Trump Administration to trample on women’s access to basic reproductive care. It’s 2019, yet the Trump Administration is still trying to roll back women’s rights. Our coalition will continue to fight to ensure women have access to the reproductive healthcare they are guaranteed under the law.”

The U.S. Department of Justice said in court documents the rules “protect a narrow class of sincere religious and moral objectors from being forced to facilitate practices that conflict with their beliefs.”

At issue is a requirement under President Barack Obama’s health care law that birth control services be covered at no additional cost.

Obama officials included exemptions for religious organizations.

The Trump administration expanded those exemptions and added “moral convictions” as a basis to opt out of providing birth control services.

At a hearing on Friday, Gilliam said the changes would result in a “substantial number” of women losing birth control coverage, which would be a “massive policy shift.”

The judge previously blocked an interim version of the rules — a decision that was upheld in December by an appeals court.

The ruling affects California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia.

Iola JV and freshmen top Wellsville

The Iola junior varsity and C-Team boys each grabbed unique wins at home versus Wellsville on Friday. 

The JV boys went down to the wire versus the Eagles and came away with a 57-53 overtime win. The C Team, meanwhile, walloped Wellsville 62-12.

With the win, the junior varsity continued its sterling campaign this season, moving to 7-0. 

Sophomore Landon Carson led the junior varsity with 18 points. Sophomores Bradyn Cole contributed 13 and Dillon Bycroft, 10. Bycroft also had 11 rebounds for a double-double. 

Juniors Noah Ashmore and Elijah Fawson each had four, sophomore Nathan Louk and senior Blake Haar had three and sophomore Jack Adams had two. 

For the C Team, sophomore Jack Adams led things for the Mustangs with 14 points followed by freshman Tyler Boeken who put up a big double-double with 13 points and 23 rebounds.

Freshman Karson Sigg had 10, freshman Sam Fager had eight, sophomore Drake Sellman had seven, freshman Cooper Riley had four and sophomore Dillon Slaven, freshman Brett Morrison and freshman Ryker Curry each had two. 

Iola heads into tournament week starting today when the varsity travels to Neodesha for the Wilson County Classic. Both varsity teams open things up versus Cherryvale. 

Clarence Garber

Clarence Lee Garber, age 60, Iola, died Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019, at the Robert J. Dole Veterans Administration Medical Center, Wichita. He was born Feb. 3, 1958, in Iola, to Clarence Jr. Garber and Erma (Wagner) Garber.

He served in the Kansas Army National Guard.

He married Martha Ross were married on Aug. 25, 1980, in Iola. She preceded him in death.

He also was preceded in death by a stepson, Frederick Marsh.

The family will greet family and friends at 10:30 a.m., just prior to the funeral service at 11 a.m., Thursday at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service Chapel, Iola. Burial will follow in the Welda Cemetery, Welda.

SCC boys and girls fall at Lebo

Southern Coffey County boys and girls each came away with losses Friday night at Lebo. 

The boys fell 46-37 and the girls 46-31.

The SCC boys shot 15 of 49. To compound their problems they had 21 turnovers. 

They boys trailed 11-2 after the first quarter and 21-4 by halftime. Things picked up with 33 points scored in the final two quarters but by that point, the deficit was too great to overcome. 

Senior Kolgan Ohl scored 11, senior Dawson Leimkuhler had nine, junior Jonathan Borntreger had six, senior Jett Harvey had four, freshman Wade Collins had three and sophomore Nathan Borntreger and junior Cooper Harred each had two. 

Individual stats  for the SCC girls were unavailable. 

The Titan boys and girls will host Marais des Cygnes Valley on Tuesday. 

Iola Kids Club wrestles at Burlington

The Iola Kids Wrestling Club competed in Burlington on Saturday and came away with more than a handful of top-four finishes. 

In the open division, Evan Boeken, Danny Boeken, Daegan Rodriguez and Brayden Griffeth finished first overall. 

Second place fell to Milo Franklin, Lukey Boeken, Austin Crooks, Isaiah Trester, Curt Shannon and Kale Pratt and Kamdon Barnett (after a three-way tie for first), Tripp Mathes, Cole Mathes and Titus Jones all finished third.

Braylon Keithly, Evan Lacrone and Bryce Walden finished fourth. 

In the novice division, Broc Ivy, Grady Dougherty and Gavin Jones finished second and Corbin Coffield, Kooper Welch, Corbin Bowers, Jase Herrmann, Xander Sellman and Isaac Hopkins finished third. Carter Browning and Zander Dickerson finished fourth. 

In the girls’ division, Zoie Hesse finished first, Emily Atwell finished second and Olivia Mathews placed third. 

Kids club wrestlers will compete in Fort Scott and Ottawa this weekend. 

Saints topple Eagles 20-14; Pats rout Chargers 41-28

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Saints got two touchdown passes from Drew Brees, two interceptions by Marcus Lattimore, and rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 20-14 Sunday to advance to the NFC championship game.

Using a dominant ball-control offense after a horrendous start, Brees took the Saints (14-3) on scoring drives of 92, 79 and 67 yards. And a few gambles paid off to assure New Orleans will host the Rams (13-4) next Sunday for a spot in the Super Bowl.

Los Angeles, which fell 45-35 at the Superdome in November, will try again next week, with the winner taking on either Kansas City or New England in the Super Bowl in Atlanta. The Saints’ win finished off a sweep of the divisional round by teams coming off byes.

Wil Lutz added two field goals for the Saints, who last got this far in 2009, when they won the Super Bowl.

Philadelphia (10-8) will not repeat as NFL champion; no team has done so since the 2004 Patriots.

This was really two games in one. Philly scored on its first two drives as the Saints could do virtually nothing right.

After that opening period, it was all New Orleans, yet the resilient Eagles kept it close enough that when Lutz missed a 52-yard field goal with 2:58 remaining, they were only one-score behind.

Nick Foles, the hero of last year’s Super Bowl run, got them in position for yet another late winning score — just like last week at Chicago and last February against New England for the championship.

Then Alshon Jeffery couldn’t handle a second-down pass from the Saints 27 and Lattimore grabbed his second interception to clinch the win.

PATRIOTS 41, CHARGERS 28

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Sony Michel ran for 129 yards and had three touchdowns and New England beat Los Angeles in the divisional playoffs to earn its eighth straight trip to the AFC championship game.

New England (12-5) will play at Kansas City in next week’s AFC title game. The Patriots beat the Chiefs 43-40 in Foxborough in Week 6. The Patriots finished 9-0 at home this season.

It is the 13th conference championship game appearance by the Patriots during the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era.

The Chargers (13-5) haven’t reached the AFC title game since the 2007 season.

Philip Rivers finished 25 of 51 for 331 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He is 0-5 in games played in Foxborough, including 0-3 in the postseason.

Brady finished 34 of 44 for 343 yards and a touchdown. He improves to 8-0 as a starter against Rivers, who drops to 1-8 against New England all-time.

James White tied Darren Sproles’ NFL postseason record with 15 catches, totaling 97 yards.

New England scored on its first four possessions of the game to build a 35-7 halftime lead.

Julian Edelman had nine catches for 151 yards.