Ron Hargiss

Ronnie Lee Hargiss, age 66, of Moran, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019, at his home. Ron was born Nov. 29, 1953, in St. Louis, Mo., to Dortha Hargiss.

Ron graduated from Marmaton Valley High School. He worked as a machine operator at Klein Tools for 25 years. He then worked at B&W running the lasers and the press brake until his recent retirement on Dec. 2.

Ron was an avid lover of Harley Davidson motorcycles. He spent the month of August almost every year traveling to the Sturgis motorcycle rally. He had a gift for repurposing parts of motorcycles into new items such as flower pots, coffee tables, and clocks. Ron enjoyed listening to rock and roll and collected numerous albums. Ron was known by family and friends for being a stand-up, honest man.

Ron was proceeded in death by his mother in 2017.

Ron is survived by five stepchildren, Monica Ernest and husband, Randy, Veronica Worthington and husband, Shannon, Teresa Pendergast and husband, Aaron, Kim Burton, and Brandon Burton and wife, Darcy; numerous grandchildren; and numerous friends.

Family will greet friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020 at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service Chapel in Iola. Cremation has taken place. Per Ron’s request, he will take his final ride to Sturgis in South Dakota at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials in honor of Ron are suggested to Bikers Against Child Abuse and can be left with the funeral home. Online condolences can be left for the family at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.

YoYo Bratcher

Services for Yolanda Jo Bratcher “YoYo,” 69, of Grandview, Mo., formerly of Iola, will be at First Pentecostal Church of KC.

YoYo passed away on Monday, Dec. 23, 2019, at St. Luke’s East Hospital.

She was born in Columbus, Ohio, the daughter of John and Philimina Brown. She went to Ball High School in Galveston, Texas. YoYo moved to Thackerville, Okla., around 1975. She married Raymond Wayne Bratcher on Jan. 16, 1981. They moved to Iola in 2003. He proceeded her in death in April of 2015. She worked as a caregiver and later for CLO until she retired.

A son, James Sealy “Peek-a-boo,” passed away at the age of 9. She was also preceded in death by her parents, a sister, Barbra Wood, and a brother, James Brown.

Survivors include Shiela Kessler and spouse Ronnie of Iola, Bo Sealy and spouse Kathy of Grandview, Mo., Felicia Schubert and spouse John, a sister, Judith Frazier, Colorado; a sister, Joyce Baslee, Missouri, a brother, John Brown, Louisiana,  a sister, Virginia Roberts, Oregon; seven grandchildren, Ryan, Kimberly and Aaron Kessler; McKenzie, Colton and Abriana Schubert, and Caleb Sealy; as well as an army of nieces and nephews who all loved YoYo.

All who knew her walked away fed and loved. She had dozens of people that called her mom over the years, especially Golden Neese of Iola.

Friends and family are invited to celebrate YoYo’s life at 3 p.m. on Monday at  FPC of KC, 14800 NW Tiffany Park Road, Kansas City, Mo., 64153. A graveside service will be in Thackerville, Okla., at a later date.

The family suggests memorials to FPC of KC.

Online condolences made at rumsey-yost.com

Paul Bigham

Paul N. Bigham, age 91, Moran, died on Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2019.

Graveside funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Oak Lawn Cemetery, La Cygne. Visitation will be from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Monday at the Schneider Funeral Home and Crematory, La Cygne Chapel. Contributions can be given to a charity of choice.

Chiefs face Chargers; eye Pats outcome

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The thousands of fans who pack into Arrowhead Stadium to see the Kansas City Chiefs play the Los Angeles Chargers in their regular-season finale Sunday will likely have one eye on the game and one eye on their phones.

At the same time, the New England Patriots will be playing the Miami Dolphins.

The Chiefs (11-4), who long ago wrapped up their fourth straight AFC West title, need to beat the Chargers and hope the Dolphins can spring the upset at New England to jump the Patriots for the No. 2 seed in the AFC. That would give Kansas City a first-round bye, a divisional game at Arrowhead and an easier road back to the conference title game.

“Yeah, listen, if we get it, that’s great. If we don’t, we’ll be ready for that too,” said Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who is keenly aware that nothing the Patriots and Dolphins do matters unless Kansas City takes care of business on Sunday.

“It’s not in our hands necessarily,” he added, “so whatever we get. When you’re in the dance you got to be ready to dance.”

The Chiefs certainly have been waltzing toward the playoffs. They have won five straight since a midseason malaise, and it’s not just their potent offense and record-setting quarterback Patrick Mahomes that has been responsible for it.

Kansas City’s rebuilt defense, which was the biggest culprit in their playoff collapse against the Patriots last season, has held back-to-back opponents without a touchdown. In fact, the Chiefs are allowing fewer than 10 points a game since they returned from their late-season bye, taking some of the pressure off the offense to score in bunches.

“Coming toward the end of the year, our chemistry is coming back from last year, the bonding from all of us,” Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill said. “It’s all fun. It’s been like that, we just had to find it.”

The Chargers (5-10), who have yet to win a divisional game this season, could be reaching a significant crossroads as they prepare to head into a new stadium next season. Philip Rivers is in the final year of his contract and while the 38-year-old quarterback has said he wants to play next season, he may not have a choice in whether that happens in Los Angeles.

Rivers has struggled all season, particularly with turnovers, and the Chargers appear poised to move on from him.

“These are questions really for probably mid-January, you know? Let the dust settle a little bit,” Rivers said. “ I am beyond thankful for the 16 years we’ve had here and I’m thankful, hopefully again, to get one more shot in Kansas City. I think it’s year-to-year, and again I don’t know. I can’t answer that. Again, I’d rather just stay right here for now.”

As the Chiefs try to beat the Chargers for the 11th time in their past 12 meetings, and keep their hopes of a first-round bye alive by wrapping up a perfect record against the AFC West, here are some things to know:

 

CATCHING KELCE

Travis Kelce is already the first tight end in NFL history with four straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons and back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons. But if the Chiefs’ perennial Pro Bowl pass-catcher grabs six more against the Chargers, he would also become the first tight end with consecutive 100-catch seasons.

“We just have to take it game by game and we have one more game before the playoffs start,” Kelce said. “We know that we punched our ticket in, but we have to finish strong, and take care of Los Angeles next week.”

 

SUGGS-ESTION TIME

The Chiefs hope to work Terrell Suggs into the game plan more after the seven-time Pro Bowl defensive end spent last week getting acclimated to his new team. The Chiefs, who have lost Emmanuel Ogbah and Alex Okafor to season-ending injuries, claimed Suggs after he was waived by the Cardinals. The longtime Ravens pass rusher needs one sack to eclipse Demarcus Ware (138 1/2) for eighth on the career list.

 

DIVISION DISPARITY

While the Chargers have yet to win a divisional game this season, the Chiefs are poised to wrap up their second 6-0 run under Reid. In fact, they are 27-3 in their past 30 games against AFC West opponents.

“Our record is what it is,” said Chargers coach Anthony Lynn, who led the Chargers to a 12-4 mark last season. “We have another divisional rival in Kansas City, and we’ll get it ready to go and try to get a win in our division.”

 

GETTING DEFENSIVE

The Chiefs have never gone three straight games without allowing a touchdown, something they could accomplish by holding Rivers and Co. out of the end zone Sunday. The Broncos and Bears each managed a field goal the past two weeks.

 

HOME COOKING

After winning last week in Chicago, the Chiefs improved to 7-1 away from home to match a franchise record for road wins in a season. Things have been less rosy at Arrowhead Stadium, which is typically considered one of the toughest environments in the NFL. The Chiefs are 4-3 so far with consecutive losses to the Colts, Texans and Packers.

Prosecutor seeks justice for wrongfully imprisoned man

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas prosecutor who helped free a man who spent 23 years in prison for a double homicide he always said he didn’t commit is calling for justice as the state fights the man’s effort to get compensation.

Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree Sr. described the case of Lamonte McIntyre as a “glaring stain on the criminal justice system” in an open letter Tuesday.

“Criminal justice reform means progressing past politics and focusing on true justice,” Dupree wrote. He added that: “It is my hope the State will ignore the optics and adversaries and allow justice to fully manifest for Mr. McIntyre.”

McIntyre was 17 in 1994 when he was arrested in Kansas City for the killings of 21-year-old Doniel Quinn and 34-year-old Donald Ewing, who were shot in broad daylight. McIntyre was sentenced to two life sentences in their deaths, but he was freed in 2017 after Dupree asked the court to vacate his convictions and to drop all charges midway through an exoneration hearing, calling his case an example of “manifest injustice.” Prosecutors presented no physical evidence tying McIntyre to the killings and their case largely hinged on testimony that was allegedly coerced.

The case was one of three that helped lead the Legislature last year to allow the wrongfully convicted to seek compensation. The law provides for $65,000 for each year a person spent behind bars, along with health insurance benefits, financial assistance for higher education and various social services.

The state attorney general’s office supported the compensation claims of the other two men, allowing the court to quickly grant them money and officially declare them innocent. But it has objected to McIntyre’s claims.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s spokesman, C.J. Grover, acknowledged in a statement on Monday that in some instances, the attorney general’s office has asked the court to expedite approval. But he wrote that in McIntyre’s case, the prior court record was insufficient for Schmidt to determine that the requirements for a payout had been met, The Kansas City Star reported.

“There is widespread knowledge and understanding of Lamonte’s innocence and taking this position is just baffling to me,” said McIntyre’s attorney, Cheryl Pilate.

Earlier this month, Schmidt’s office filed notices of its intent to request subpoenas to Kansas City, Kansas, police, and others. The subpoenas also seek the medical records of a man whom the victims’ family has said is the real shooter.

Grover said that evaluating McIntyre’s case has been more time-consuming because the factual record in the last court that reviewed his criminal case wasn’t fully developed. Dupree dropped the case before testimony regarding possible law enforcement misconduct.

McIntyre’s case appears likely to continue well into next year. A hearing has been scheduled for September 2020 and a discovery deadline of Oct. 23, 2020, has been proposed.

State Rep. Cindy Holscher, an Olathe Democrat, said lawmakers will keep a focus on McIntyre.

“We don’t want Lamonte to be forgotten,” Holscher said.

Progress seen in JJA overhaul

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has been putting fewer juvenile offenders in its detention center and lessening their time on probation in the three years since it overhauled its juvenile justice system to handle offenders in their home communities, a new report said Thursday.

The oversight committee issuing the report recommended doubling the state’s annual spending on juvenile justice programs to nearly $22 million, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported.

State lawmakers overhauled juvenile justice in 2016 over criticism that youth were removed from their homes and sent to residential facilities or correctional institutions too often. Advocates pressed for programs to cut repeat offending and deal with troubled youth early.

The Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee reported progress in establishing statewide standards, prohibiting out-of-home placements for low-level youth offenders and directing resources to young people at the highest risk of committing new crimes.

The report said 24% fewer youth were placed in the state’s Juvenile Correctional Facility during the 2019 state budget year that ended June 30 than during fiscal 2015 — 179 instead of 237. It said no low-level offenders were housed there in fiscal 2019.

The report also said juveniles spent an average of 15.5 months under community corrections probation supervision in fiscal 2019, down from 20.2 months in fiscal 2015.

Education official, singer honored

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A group dedicated to preserving and promoting Kansas history has named a longtime state education official and a country music singer-songwriter as its 2019 Kansans of the Year.

The Native Sons and Daughters of Kansas plans to honor Deputy Education Commissioner Dale Dennis and Nicolle Galyon during a Jan. 24 banquet in Topeka.

Dennis is state government’s leading expert on public school funding and has worked as an administrator at the State Department of Education for 52 years,  after working as a high school teacher and principal in Linn County in eastern Kansas.

He grew up in northern Bourbon County, where his father owned a gas station.

Galyon is a native of Sterling in Rice County and has written songs for acts including Lady Antebellum, Florida Georgia Line, Miranda Lambert and Keith Urban. She’s won country music awards for a hit song for Lambert, “Automatic.”

Saudis: Five to die for killing journalist

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — A court in Saudi Arabia on Monday sentenced five people to death for the killing of Washington Post columnist and royal family critic Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last year by a team of Saudi agents.

Saudi Arabia’s state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV channel reported that three others were sentenced to prison. All can appeal the verdicts.

The Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, had drawn international condemnation for the killing because several Saudi agents involved worked directly for him. The kingdom denies that Prince Mohammed had any involvement or knowledge of the operation.

State TV also reported the Saudi attorney general’s investigation showed that the crown prince’s former top adviser, Saud al-Qahtani, had no proven involvement in the killing. Al-Qahtani, however, has been sanctioned by the United States for his alleged role in the operation.

The court also ruled that the Saudi consul-general in Istanbul at the time, Mohammed al-Otaibi, was not guilty. He was released from prison after the verdicts were announced, according to state TV.

After holding nine sessions, the trial concluded that there was no previous intent by those found guilty to murder, according to state TV.

The trials of the accused were carried out in near total secrecy, though a handful of diplomats, including from Turkey, as well as members of Khashoggi’s family were allowed to attend the sessions. In total, 11 people were on trial for Khashoggi’s death in the kingdom.

The verdicts were read by Shaalan al-Shaalan, a spokesperson from the attorney general’s office, and broadcast on state TV. No names were given for those found guilty. The attorney general’s office also said it is looking into the verdicts, which were issued by Riyadh’s criminal court, to see whether to move ahead in the appellate court.

The three suspects in eh case who face prison time were sentenced to a total of 24 years, but no individual breakdown for each person was given. Another three who were on trial were released after being found not guilty, and several others who were investigated were also released.

The killing had shocked the world and drawn condemnation from the international community, including the United Nations.

Khashoggi had walked into his country’s consulate in Istanbul on that morning in October 2018 to collect documents that would allow him to wed his Turkish fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, who waited for him outside.

He never walked out and his body was never found.

Agnes Callamard, a U.N. special rapporteur who authored an inquiry into Khashoggi’s killing, later said the search for justice must not be left to the Saudi judicial system, which is “so vulnerable to political interference.”

Callamard reacted to the verdicts announced from Riyadh by tweeting that “the travesty of investigation, prosecution and justice continues”in Saudi Arabia.

President Donald Trump condemned the killing, and his administration sanctioned 17 Saudis suspected of being involved, though not the crown prince. Trump, however, has steadfastly resisted calls by members of his own party for a tougher response and has defended maintaining good relations with Saudi Arabia, framing its importance as a major buyer of U.S. military equipment and weapons and saying this creates American jobs.

Meanwhile, numerous critics of the Saudi crown prince remain imprisoned and face trial for their acts of dissent.

Khashoggi’s killing has tarnished the Saudi crown prince’s reputation internationally though he is still hugely popular at home. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has over the past months launched efforts to open up the notoriously closed-off country to tourists and travelers from around the world as part of a push by the crown prince to change perceptions of the kingdom.

A look back in time

35 Years Ago

December 1989

TOPEKA (AP) — Sen. Robert Talkington became the first Senate president from southeast Kansas in more than 35 years as he edged out incumbent Ross Doyen in secret balloting at the Republican caucus. In an interview with the  Register, Sen. Talkington said he thought he offered all 40 senators and the state an attitude of cooperation that would result in progressive legislation. “I look forward to bringing all senators together to provide for the needs of the state,” he said.

*****

Paula Sutherland, oboe, Julie Tarum, flute, and Janet Hopkins, marimba, will be featured instrumentalists in Iola Music Club’s Christmas Vespers Sunday in Wesley United Methodist Church. Madge Strickler will direct the program. Vocal soloists for the 31st annual performance are Yvonne Dunlap, Mary Ann Dvorachek-Goering, Fern Marsh, Margaret Smoot, David Dutton, Jim Gilpin, and Steve Orcutt. The handbell choir from First Presbyterian Church, directed by Sally Huskey, will also perform. Carol Mix will accompany on the organ and Lucile Wagner on the piano.

*****

Connie Robertson is 101 years old today. She makes her home with her daughter, Mrs. Lewis W. Chilcote. Her son is Norval Robertson.

*****

Gale Beck is retiring after nearly 34 years in Allen County with the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service.