Area news

Labette County gets $5.2M for rural internet service

PARSONS — A company that provides wireless internet service in Labette County will expand its network and bring fiber optic broadband internet service with speeds up to a gigabit  to 1,390 more rural homes, according to The Parsons Sun. Wave Wireless received $5.2 million from USDA’s ReConnect pilot program. Communities impacted will include Dennis, Labette City and Mound Valley. Parsons and Altamont already have sufficient internet service.

 

Chanute school deals with threat

CHANUTE — A threat was reported at a Chanute school for the fourth time this year, according to The Chanute Tribune. A credible threat was made to Royster Middle School Nov. 25, as a single student threatened violence against specific students. An investigation determined the perpetrator could have access to means of carrying it out. Three other threats made earlier in the year involved students who did not have the means to take any sort of action made in the alleged threats.

 

Fredonia to improve wastewater plant

FREDONIA — The City of Fredonia is among three cities awarded loans for wastewater plant improvements, The Wilson County Citizen reported. Fredonia will receive a $13.4 million loan to improve nearly 17 miles of the city’s wastewater collection system. The improvements will relieve pressure on the city’s treatment plant and bring it back into compliance with its discharge permit.

 

Anderson County is spot for ‘quickie’ divorces

GARNETT — Anderson County’s divorce caseload has swelled because of a 2011 Kansas law that allows for “quickie divorces” and a judge who regularly approves them, The Anderson County Review reported. The law allows couples to skip the mandatory 60-day waiting period if a judge enters an order declaring the existence of an emergency, particularly if there are no children involved or if the parents agree to a parenting plan and a division of assets. Sometimes, the parties don’t even have to appear in court. The state leaves the granting of an emergency divorce up to the district judge. Some judges do and some don’t, the report said.

 

Parsons debates open carry of alcohol at events

PARSONS — Residents will be asked to comment on a proposal that would allow people to carry alcoholic beverages from business to business during special events downtown, according to The Parsons Sun. The common consumption ordinance was added to the city’s agenda late, and city leaders say they wanted to hear from the public before they decide. Events would need a permit to allow common consumption, which means alcohol could be sold or given away at a store, restaurant or bar and taken outside and into other businesses within a downtown boundary.

 

Building’s fate a worry for Chanute

CHANUTE — A large, historic building on downtown Main Street is blocking the way for city leaders to deal with dilapidated properties, The Chanute Tribune reported. Commissioners voted to find the 1899 Masonic Temple building at 112 W. Main in violation of city code. Violations include dangerous windows, unsafe bricks at the parapet and trash. Commissioners worried if the city demolishes the structure, it would face large costs and uncover issues with common walls with adjacent buildings. The city is near the budgeted amount for removal of dilapidated buildings, and violations have been found at several other downtown commercial structures.

 

Coffey County prepares for delinquent tax sale

BURLINGTON — Coffey County has narrowed the list of delinquent tax properties from 71 to 23 before a pending tax sale, The Coffey County Republican reported. Since sending a letter to affected property owners, the county has collected more than $200,000 in delinquent tax and interest.

Prisoner rights group: Kansas prisons unfairly block books

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Department of Corrections unfairly censors publications even with the adoption of a new policy and the elimination of a banned book list, a prisoner rights groups said.

The Human Rights Defense Center has cited more than 200 books and magazines that administrators have recently blocked, including Richard Powers’ Pulitzer Prize winner “The Overstory,” The Topeka Capital-Journal reported. Other popular books by authors such as Toni Morrison and Nora Roberts have also been intercepted.

“It turns out, not much has substantively changed,” said Michelle Dillon, a public record manager with HRDC.

In May, the center revealed that the prison system maintained a list of 7,000 banned books. Corrections Secretary Jeff Zmuda abolished the list after his arrival in July. He adopted a policy that allows for the review and appeal of confiscated publications earlier this year.

Randy Bowman, a department spokesman, said the policy is based on the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on obscenity.

Bowman said the policy “allows broader application of the regulation in applying contemporary community standards.”

“The Overstory” is a novel about nine Americans from different times and places who address the destruction of forests. It was banned for references to police violence. It includes a scene where authorities remove environmental activists from a logging camp.

Dillon said the decision to ban “The Overstory” makes her wonder if staff members are reading books closely or relying on a Wikipedia summary.

The “Collins World Atlas” and a Wiccan bible were banned for posing a security threat.

“So many titles on this list feel like an unfair and overly broad application of (censorship) standards,” Dillon noted, “and with so little data to back up what the perceived threat might be.”

In an open records request, HDRC found that books have been blocked for racism, drugs and manipulation.

Dillon also expressed concerns with Kansas’ appeals process. Dillon noted that inmates are required to ship books to central office staff for a secondary review, which most prisoners can’t afford to do. Of the 242 books on the HRDC list, 27 were appealed. Nine decisions were overturned, and 18 were upheld.

The HRDC’s censored materials raises questions about the balance between literary value and concerns about references to sex and violence.

“It all really begs the question of how much has actually been revised in Kansas,” Dillon said.

FCE learns how to manage retirement

Hostess Terri Kretzmeir discussed “Managing Life After Retirement” during Monday’s Happy Hearts FCE meeting.

While retirement is something we’ve all been waiting for, or are looking forward to, for many it can mean lost wages, isolation, loneliness and worry, Kretzmeier said.

She offered up four tips for a successful retirement: focus on fundamental relationships; focus on a healthy lifestyle; achieve balance; and continue planning for the future.

Retirement is a big life change, she noted. Communication is important. Let others know what retirement means to you, your spouse and your family.

Focus on a healthy lifestyle, Kretzmeier said. Break a sweat; make getting 150 minutes or more of exercise a week a priority. Hit the books; perhaps an online class will do the trick.

Follow your heart. High blood pressure and obesity increase your risk for both heart disease and cognitive decline. What’s good for your heart is also good for your brain.

Buddy up; stay social throughout your life. Get together with friends, volunteers and and contribute to your community.

Fuel up right; eat a balanced diet that emphasizes fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Most of all, enjoy your retirement, she concluded.

Members agreed to furnish a Christmas dinner for a local family in need.

Aileen Wilson will host the Dec. 16 meeting at her home.

4 kids killed in crash

BELLEVILLE, Kan. (AP) — Four children killed in a Thanksgiving Day crash in Kansas had been headed with their mother and her boyfriend to a relative’s house when their sport utility vehicle overturned in wintry weather and landed on its top in a pond, authorities said.

A Kansas Highway Patrol trooper identified the children in a crash report released Tuesday night as 12-year-old Ronald Hyde, 9-year-old Travis Hyde, 4-year-old Aidan Lovelace and 9-month-old Axton Beck. The patrol said the baby was in a car seat.

The children’s mother, Jennifer Lovelace, 38, who was behind the wheel, was released from a hospital Tuesday.

“I know she is struggling very, very hard with it,” said her step-brother, Casey Salars. “But Jennifer has always been a very, very strong person, very loving. She loved her little boys.’’

Her boyfriend, Paul Bannister, also 38, was not seriously injured.

Trooper Ben Gardner said the roadway had icy spots and that a layer of snow was on the ground at the time of the crash in Republic County, near the state’s border with Nebraska. The wintry weather was part of a storm system that snarled traffic and canceled flights across a large swath of the country over the holiday weekend.

Gardner says the children and their mother were from Tularosa, New Mexico, and had recently moved to Scandia, Kansas.

Strings concert inspirational

  • Iola students Kalibre Smith, Payton Houk and Ursula Billings perform a piece Tuesday evening during their strings concert at the Creitz Recital Hall in the Bowlus Fine Arts Center.

Iola students Kalibre Smith, Payton Houk and Ursula Billings perform a piece Tuesday evening during their strings concert at the Creitz Recital Hall in the Bowlus Fine Arts Center.

Elizabeth Cunningham directed the program, accompanied by Glen Cunningham. Paula Sutherland also played oboe as accompaniment to a number. 

Click here for additional photos.

 

Elizabeth Cunningham directed the program, accompanied by Glen Cunningham. Paula Sutherland also played oboe as an accompaniment to a number. REGISTER/SUSAN LYNN

 

Caroline Toland plays the double base.

 

Mylie Hageman and Peyton Houk hold up their bows at the conclusion of a number. 

 

 

Time Out Tavern closes

The Time Out Tavern, 118 E. Jackson Ave., is closing for the time being, upon the death of owner Darrell Chester.

Chester, 56, died over the weekend in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The closing, effective immediately, was announced via the tavern’s Facebook page. No information was given on when it might reopen.

Additional information about Chester is here.

Heat seal Raptors in OT; Spurs top Rockets

TORONTO (AP) — Jimmy Butler had 22 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, Duncan Robinson scored 22 points and the Miami Heat spoiled Kyle Lowry’s return to Toronto’s lineup by beating the Raptors 121-110 in overtime Tuesday.

Butler scored eight consecutive points in 55 seconds to begin the extra session as the Heat recovered after blowing a seven-point lead in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.

Bam Adebayo scored 18 points, Justise Winslow had 17 and Kelly Olynyk 16 as the Heat snapped the Raptors’ season-high winning streak at seven games, and became the first visitor to win north of the border this season.

Pascal Siakam had 15 points and 12 rebounds, Norman Powell scored 23 points and Fred VanVleet had 19 for Toronto, which had won a franchise-record nine straight home games to begin the season.

The Raptors missed all nine of their field goal attempts in overtime.

 

SPURS 135, 

ROCKETS 133, 2 OT

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Lonnie Walker IV had a career-high 28 points and San Antonio overcame James Harden’s 50 points by rallying from a late 10-point deficit to beat Houston.

DeMar DeRozan added 23 points, nine assists and five rebounds as the Spurs won their second straight at home and snapped the Rockets’ two-game winning streak.

Harden played a season-high 49 minutes coming off a 60-point outing Saturday over three quarters against Atlanta. He was whistled for two charges in the second overtime. The second came against DeRozan with 0.8 seconds remaining, sealing San Antonio’s victory.

 

LAKERS 105, NUGGETS 96

DENVER (AP) — LeBron James had 25 points, nine assists and a crucial dunk off a miss late in the fourth quarter to lead Los Angeles over Denver.

Anthony Davis shook off flu-like symptoms to score 25 points and add 10 rebounds for the Lakers.

Both teams were coming off losses that ended long winning streaks, but it was Los Angeles that bounced back behind James and Davis.

Davis missed the morning film session and his status for the game was questionable until before tip. He showed no effects of illness, scoring 13 points in the third while shooting 5 of 7 in the period.

Jamal Murray scored 22 points and Paul Millsap had 21 points and eight rebounds. Nikola Jokic was held to 13 points but added eight assists.

 

CLIPPERS 117, 

TRAIL BLAZERS 97

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Montrezl Harrell scored 26 points, Paul George added 25 and Los Angeles pulled away in the second half to beat Portland.

Kawhi Leonard added 11 points in helping extend the Clippers’ franchise-best start at home to 13-1.

The game was tied 10 times in the first half before the Clippers eked out a 62-59 lead at halftime.

George and Leonard took over to start the third. They each hit 3-pointers and George had a steal and a dunk to go with a free throw from Leonard as part of a 14-3 run that gave the Clippers a 76-62 lead.

CJ McCollum scored 20 points, Hassan Whiteside had 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Damian Lillard added 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting for the Blazers, whose three-game winning streak ended. Carmelo Anthony had nine points and six rebounds.

 

MAVERICKS 118,

 PELICANS 97

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 15 of his 33 points in the third quarter and grabbed 18 rebounds in just 28 minutes to power Dallas over New Orleans.

Doncic shot 9 of 18 from the field, making five 3-pointers, and hit 10 of 13 free throws to lead the Mavericks to their eighth victory in the last nine games.

Doncic had 12 points the first quarter and then broke open a three-point game by scoring 15 of the Mavericks’ 25 points in the final 9:18 of the third, when Dallas built a 84-75 lead. Two of Doncic’s jumpers came from at least 25 feet with no defender in his face.

Dallas led by as many as 18 points in the fourth quarter and coasted home.

Seth Curry added 19 points off the bench for the Mavericks, and Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber each had 12.

Brandon Ingram scored 24 points and Jrue Holiday had 18 for New Orleans, which lost its sixth consecutive game.

 

MAGIC 127, 

WIZARDS 120

WASHINGTON (AP) — Evan Fournier scored 31 points, D.J. Augustin added 16 of his 24 in the fourth quarter and Orlando beat Washington.

Bradley Beal scored 42 points for the Wizards, who have lost five of six.

Markelle Fultz added a career-high 20 points for the Magic, who have won three of four after earning just their second road victory of the season.

Davis Bertans added 21 points and Isaiah Thomas scored 20 for Washington. The Wizards were without starting center Thomas Bryant, who was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his right foot Tuesday and will be re-evaluated in three weeks.

 

PISTONS 127, 

CAVALIERS 94

CLEVELAND (AP) — Blake Griffin scored 24 points, Andre Drummond had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Detroit routed Cleveland to win consecutive games for the first time this season.

Griffin played just 24 minutes and was 8 of 13 from the field, including 6 of 7 from deep. Drummond played 31 minutes as Detroit’s starters were on the bench for the fourth quarter.

Griffin scored 16 points in the first quarter with four 3-pointers. Detroit hit 10 3-pointers in the first half and built a 57-38 lead, a margin that steadily grew throughout the game and reached 35 in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland has lost 10 of 11. Collin Sexton scored 22 points, and Tristan Thompson had 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Prairie Dell talks Kansas products

Can you name a product produced in Kansas? 

Wheat, corn, cattle, stickers, storage tanks and Russell Stover’s candy were some of the answers at the Sunday meeting of the Prairie Dell 4-H Club at Heartland Meadows.

One guest, Bella Westgate, attended the meeting.

Annika Hobbs was recognized for receiving her year pin at 4-H Achievement Night and Prairie Dell received the Purple Seal. 

Luke Wicoff gave a talk on the history of Christmas trees. Following the meeting, club members decorated the Christmas tree at Heartland Meadows.

Prairie Dell members will ring the bell for the Salvation Army on Saturday. Food was collected at the meeting for the community pantry.

The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 6 at the Riverside Park Community Building. Ethan Weide will give a talk.

Mexican president mourns with slain victims’ families

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador prayed for the safety of the country with the relatives of nine U.S. dual citizens slaughtered in northern Mexico last month and assured them “at least four” suspects have been detained, a family member said.

Julian LeBaron said that during the family’s Monday meeting with López Obrador and his Cabinet at Mexico City’s National Palace, the president pledged to visit the region where the Nov. 4 massacre took place.

Mexican politicians traditionally avoid open displays of faith, and López Obrador has been unusual in recent comments referring to himself as a “follower of Jesus Christ.”

“We just bowed our heads” and “prayed for the president and the country, for peace and goodwill, and to protect our loved ones, and protect our country,” LeBaron said Tuesday.

The extended LeBaron family has lived in northern Mexico for decades and identify as part of the Mormon tradition though they are not affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints. Dual nationals, they were hotly criticized by some for asking U.S. President Donald Trump to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations, something Trump said he would do.

“We think we should all be humble enough, and that’s something we discussed with the president, to recognize that we have an immense problem on our hands and we need help,” LeBaron said. “Of course, we wouldn’t like to see a military invasion.”

Three young mothers and six children were killed in the attack near the border of the northern states of Sonora and Chihuahua. Officials have said a drug cartel is suspected in the attack, but they initially suggested that one of the mothers’ vehicles was set afire unintentionally, when a bullet hit the gas tank.

LeBaron said officials have confirmed to them that the killers filmed the attack themselves and set fire to the SUV in which one mother — LeBaron’s cousin — and her four children died. He said family members have seen the video.

LeBaron is now trying to press for the kind of local anti-crime organizing that his community in Chihuahua state put together in 2009 after a previous attack by drug cartel gunmen.

He envisions communities allowed to form a posse, deputize citizens and bear arms to fight cartel incursions.

“We’ve been invaded by criminal terrorist organizations within our own country, within our own communities, and our government has absolutely failed to stop the thugs,” said LeBaron. “At some point we have to assume responsibility as citizens to put a stop to it.”

“The whole western United States was basically built on a structure that worked for communities, what we call the Wild West was never the wild West,” he said. “Within the community they basically had all the powers to hold people accountable. The whole town could be deputized to bring criminals before justice.”

Congressman pleads guilty

SAN DIEGO (AP) — California Rep. Duncan Hunter pleaded guilty Tuesday to a single charge of conspiring with his wife to use at least $150,000 in campaign funds for personal expenses under a plea deal that a former federal prosecutor called “great” for the congressman who had faced 60 counts.

The six-term Republican showed no emotion in the courtroom when he changed his plea to guilty and admitted he and his wife Margaret misused at least $25,000 in campaign money every year from 2010 to 2016. The charge carries up to a five-year sentence, but the deal calls for prosecutors to recommend much less when a judge sentences him in March.

Former prosecutor Jason Forge said under the terms of the deal it’s likely Hunter will serve about a year in prison and perhaps less.

“I think if you decide to do a high-profile public corruption case, you have to set up an impervious example and they fell far short of this with this plea agreement,” said Forge, who in 2005 prosecuted another San Diego-area congressman, Randy “Duke” Cunningham, in one of the biggest bribery scandals in congressional history.

“I would rather go down fighting than agree to this,” he added. “He got a great deal.”

Prosecutor Phillip Halpern defended the agreement, saying it held Hunter accountable.

“Appropriately today’s plea is to the major count of the indictment and effectively puts an end to his political career”,” he said. “Mr. Hunter now faces resignation, disgrace and imprisonment.”

Hunter said he and his wife dipped into the election funds between 2010 and 2016 more than 30 times and falsely reported the expenses as campaign related from their daughter’s birthday party at the posh Hotel Del Coronado to an outing with friends at a french bistro.

“I failed to monitor and account for my campaign spending,” Hunter, 42, said outside the courthouse.

He promised to discuss his future later and refused to answer questions about when he would leave the congressional seat he has held for more than a decade.

An early supporter of President Donald Trump’s 2016 election bid, Hunter is the second Republican congressman to plead guilty to federal charges this year.

Accompanied by his father, the former combat Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan left the courthouse to jeers of “Lock him up!”

Hunter’s pending departure will mark the end of a political dynasty in Southern California’s most Republican district. His father represented the district for 28 years before Hunter’s 2008 election.

For more than a year, Hunter had insisted that criminal charges against him and his wife were the result of a conspiracy of the “deep state” meant to drive him from office in Democrat-dominated California.

Halpern noted Hunter’s honorable military service and his family’s place in the 50th congressional district. But he had a sharp rebuke for the congressman’s claim that he was targeted because of politics.

“No figure, regardless of what office they occupy, should be allowed in this country to cry witch hunt or fake news and attempt to deflect their criminal wrongdoings,” Halpern said.

Halpern said he would seek a minimum of one year in jail for Hunter.

Prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of eight to 14 months, taking off time because of his military service in war zones and unspecified medical conditions. A judge will ultimately determine his sentence and could impose the maximum of five years.

Hunter and his wife were initially charged with 60 criminal counts and prosecutors accused them of spending about $250,000 in campaign funds including for family vacations to Italy and Hawaii, private school tuition for their children, airline tickets for their family’s pet rabbit. 

They said the couple was broke and bankrolled their lives with the campaign money.

Prosecutors also revealed Hunter spent some of the money on romantic relationships with lobbyists and congressional aides.

His wife accepted a plea deal in June. In that deal, prosecutors indicated they would not seek a sentence longer than eight months, though Halpern said Tuesday her cooperation helped the prosecution and they had not determined if they will seek any jail time. She also faces a maximum of five years.

Hunter told San Diego TV station KUSI in an interview that aired Monday that a trial would be tough on his three children. He said he hopes his wife is spared jail time.

In October, former four-term Republican Rep. Chris Collins of New York pleaded guilty in an insider trading case, a day after he resigned from Congress.