Wildcats rattle Rattlers

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — After two straight losses by Kansas State, Xavier Sneed said Monday night was a chance to get back on track.

Sneed and the Wildcats responded with a 76-58 win over Florida A&M.

He had 18 points, Mike McGuirl scored 16 and Cartier Diarra provided 11 as Kansas State ended their two-game skid.

“We were just real locked in tonight,” Sneed said. “We just took it as another game and didn’t look at their record.”

Evins Desir led the Rattlers with 18 points and eight rebounds and M.J. Randolph scored 10.

The Wildcats (5-2) forced 17 turnovers and scored 18 fast break points off those mistakes as Kansas State had 20 turnovers, tied for their most this season.

“They pressed us, but we got to be tighter with the basketball,” head coach Bruce Weber said. “Trying to look at the positives at least.”

The Wildcats scored a first half high 39 points and led by 14 after 20 minutes of play.

“It was good for our guys to get this one,” Weber said. “Everyone has adversity during the year and it’s about how you deal with it.”

Kansas State outrebounded Florida A&M 35-25 and scored 13 points on 12 offensive rebounds.

The Rattlers (0-6) couldn’t get the outside shot to fall going 1-of-11, while the Wildcats hit nine 3s. McGuirl had four 3s in the game and has scored 26 points the past two games.

“I hope he’s turning (the) corner,” Weber said. “I don’t want to get overboard and start writing feature articles, but I’m happy for him.”

Kansas State shot 54% and Florida A&M went 45% from the field.

The Wildcats scored the first nine points of the second half in which four of the five starters scored. Kansas State led by as many as 27 in the final 20 minutes.

Florida A&M is in the midst of a 13-game road trip to start the season. Their first home game comes on Jan. 11 against Morgan State.

The Rattlers have lost 19 straight non-conference games while Kansas State has won 33 consecutive non-conference games at home.

“We just did not do a good job on their big guy,” Weber said. “They kept playing and they didn’t quit down the wire.”

Kansas State will try and use this momentum as they gear up to take on Marquette and one of the best guards in the country in Markus Howard.

“We didn’t play well last yea,r and we have different people,” McGuirl said. “We just need to prepare for them the best we can.”

 

NEW UNIFORMS

After the game, Kansas State unveiled new white throwback uniforms featuring lavender strips down the side. They were first worn in the 1973-74 season.

 

BIG PICTURE

Florida A&M had to play a near perfect game to beat Kansas State and they were far from it.

Kansas State needed a win after two losses last week. It wasn’t the prettiest, but the Wildcats are back in the win column.

 

UP NEXT

Florida A&M travels to Tennessee to take on the Volunteers on Wednesday.

Kansas State takes on Marquette at home on Saturday.

Klieman finds bowl success in first season

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State was picked to finish second-to-last in the Big 12, the pundits not only unimpressed with what the Wildcats had returning but lukewarm on their decision to turn over the program to a coach with virtually no experience at the highest level of college football.

Chris Klieman knew it. So did quarterback Skylar Thompson, the bevy of transfers and freshmen that chose to call Manhattan home, and the thousands of fans who showed up all season.

“Our backs were against the wall before the season started,” Klieman said. “Not a lot of people thought an awful lot about this football team besides the people in that room. It was just us and our room — ‘Focus on the guys we’re with and your brothers on a daily basis.’ I had belief in these guys, they had belief in each other, they just had to believe in themselves.”

Their buy-in paid off with a memorable rollercoaster ride and a trip to a bowl game.

The Wildcats, who won just five games in Hall of Fame coach Bill Snyder’s final season, hit that total just in the Big 12 with their victory over Iowa State on Saturday. They wound up finishing 8-4 and tied for third in the conference, trailing only seventh-ranked Oklahoma and No. 9 Baylor.

Oh, and those Sooners? Their lone loss came against Kansas State.

Now the coach that few people seemed to think was a good hire, despite winning four national titles at North Dakota State, is earning coach of the year acclaim. Of the 27 coaches hired last offseason, Klieman is among eight who improved the record of their program; his three-win improvement was matched or surpassed by only two other coaches in a power conference.

The others who will lead their brand-name programs into bowl games after missing out last season are Mack Brown, who went 6-6 at North Carolina, and Scott Satterfield, who was 7-5 at Louisville.

“Oh, I know he’s proven some people wrong,” senior defensive end Reggie Walker said. “He’s a great coach no matter what level you are at. If you can win games, you can win games, and that’s what he did: He came here to win games. With this senior class, he couldn’t do anything better.”

Only two first-year coaches won more games than Klieman, and they had quite a head start. Ryan Day inherited a juggernaut from Urban Meyer and has Ohio State at 12-0 heading into the Big Ten title game against Wisconsin, while Eli Drinkwitz took over Satterfield’s program at Appalachian State and matched its win total from last year by going 11-1 with a win over North Carolina.

The eight wins for Klieman also set a school record for a first-year coach at Kansas State, passing the 7-2-1 mark that Hall of Fame coach Pappy Waldorf had in 1934. Ron Prince also went 7-6 in 2006.

So much for being picked ninth in the 10-team Big 12.

“It’s definitely a great feeling,” sophomore defensive end Wyatt Hubert said, “and we definitely bought into his program and his philosophy ever since he got here. And you just want to play so much harder for a guy who you care about and a guy who reciprocates that to his players as well.”

Of course, the season wasn’t all rosy for Kansas State.

The Wildcats raced to a 14-0 lead against Texas in Austin, surrendered the next 24 points, then pulled even with a late field goal only for the Longhorns to kick the game-winner. The letdown lingered into the following week, when the Wildcats lost 24-20 to West Virginia.

But the Wildcats managed to bounce back the following week at Texas Tech, then knocked off Iowa State in the annual “Farmageddon” game and the players pointed at Klieman for steadying the ship.

“It’s been an unbelievable ride,” he said, “and an unbelievable ride for all of us. You’re not going to hear me say, ‘Me’ — an unbelievable ride for our staff, and my hat goes off to the seniors. They are the ones that had to embrace us. They’re the ones that had the disruption four or five years into their time. We gave them everything we had. We poured our hearts and souls into them and they responded.

“That was just a cool experience,” he added, “and one I’ll reflect on in time.”

Country star to kick off racing

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Three-time Grammy Award winner Darius Rucker will perform a pre-race concert before the Daytona 500 in February.

It will be Rucker’s fourth appearance at Daytona International Speedway and first at the “Great American Race,” which will again serve as NASCAR’s Cup Series season opener. The 500-mile race is scheduled for Feb. 16.

Track president Chip Wile says Rucker’s appeal “is massive, encompassing fans of both rock and country music, making him a perfect fit for fans” at Daytona.

Rucker served as frontman for Hootie & the Blowfish until venturing into country music as a solo artist in 2008. He has since released five albums and notched nine No. 1 singles on country radio, earning him induction into the famed Grand Ole Opry in 2012.

Hootie & the Blowfish returned to the road in 2019 for their Group Therapy Tour and released “Imperfect Circle” last month, their first new album in nearly 15 years.

Rucker twice performed at Daytona before the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in July (2002, 2010). Hootie & The Blowfish took part in the Dale Earnhardt Tribute Concert in 2003.

Lilia Church

Lilia Sosa Church, age 94, of Colony, died on Saturday, Nov. 30,2019, at The Moran Manor, Moran.

She was born on Dec. 15, 1924, in Douglas, Ariz., the daughter of Alonzo and Matilde Campas Sosa. Upon graduating from Douglas High School, Lilia began working at J.C. Penney, where she met a U.S. Army soldier from Kansas, Dale Church.

Lilia married Dale A. Church on April 15, 1945 in Douglas, Ariz. This union was blessed with one daughter and five sons. Their marriage spanned 61 years.

In 1946, Lilia, Dale, and their 1-year-old daughter Mary moved to the community of Lone Elm. Lilia and Dale farmed north of Lone Elm for several years before moving to a farm east and north of Colony. In 1960, Lilia and Dale and their six children moved into the town of Lone Elm where they lived for 10 years.

In 1970, Lilia and Dale moved to Colony, where they would live together for the next 36 years. During that time, Lilia worked as a custodian for Crest USD 479 at the District Office in Lone Elm. Later, Lilia worked for Twila Luedeke at The Colony Diner, and then as a cook at the Arkhaven Nursing Home in Iola. Lilia’s cooking for family and friends, particularly Mexican food, established her reputation as one of the very best cooks in the community.

Lilia also enjoyed being a member of The Sunshine Club. She regularly attended events involving her children and grandchildren. Lilia especially enjoyed quilting, knitting and gardening. Lilia was uniquely skilled at handling a riding lawn mower, just like her good friend and neighbor Virginia Weatherman of Colony. Lilia loved gardening and crocheting.

When Dale retired, Lilia helped him to organize and type a book about his hunting dogs and about his life as an avid outdoorsman.

Lilia was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Dale; a son, Joseph Marshall Church; her parents, Alonzo Sosa and Matilde Campas Sosa; two brothers, Robert Sosa and Francisco Sosa; two sisters, Maria Jesus Ruiz and Herminia Sosa Ochoa; a grandson, Brandon M. Church; a great granddaughter, Santana Church and numerous uncles, and aunts.

Lilia is survived by five children, Mary Hunt and husband, Alan of Brevard, N.C., Robert Church and wife, Jeannette of Xenia, Charles Church of Leavenworth, Kenneth Church and wife, Sandra of Leavenworth and Mike Church and wife Jeanna of Carlyle; 12 grandchildren, Michelle, Rebecca, Vincent, Chad, Eric, Adam, Caleb, Seth, Sarah, Hannah, Clint, Amanda; seventeen great grandchildren; many nieces, nephews, and friends.

Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, 1883 US Hwy 54. Burial will follow in the Lone Elm Cemetery. The family will greet friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday in The Venue at the funeral home in Iola. Memorials are suggested to St. John’s Catholic Church or to the Kappa Alpha Chapter Cancer Fund and may be left with the funeral home. Condolences may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.

LeIla Robker

LeIla (Lee) Fern Robker, 74, of Neosho Falls, passed away Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019 at her home in Neosho Falls.

LeIla was born March 21, 1945, in Wichita to Virgil A. Green and Faye Benjamin.

She married Irwin W. Robker on March 10, 1967 in Platte City, Mo. They lived in Tracy, Mo., and later moved to Neosho Falls in 1995.

Survivors include her husband Irwin W. Robker Sr. of the home; two sons, Tom Willingham and Irwin Robker Jr. and wife; one daughter Tammy Peck all of Neosho Falls; a sister LoRetta Lear and husband Ted of Augusta; a brother Jesse Green Sr. and wife Kathy of Neosho Falls; seven grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Van Arsdale Funeral 433 C St. in Le Roy. Burial will be at a later date.

Church: Traveling through faith brings a little grumbling

Larry Wittmer gave the Communion Meditation, “Traveling with Gratitude.” When we travel, many children and even adults start bickering, get crabby and are impatient. An attitude of gratitude doesn’t come easy. The Israelites grumbled all the way to the Promised Land. The prodigal son was a selfish, greedy jerk. And the 10 lepers that Jesus healed? Well, only one of them thanked him. When we are at our worst, God is still there, raining blessings down on us.

Pastor Chase Riebel gave the sermon on “Jesus the King: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow.” There are many prophecies about the first and second coming of Jesus in the Bible. But no one knows when the end times will come, not the angels, and not even the Son. The disciples asked for a sign. Jesus told them that when it comes, you will know. We should have a “last days” mentality. To live as people that are confident their King is coming back. And we should work at building his kingdom. So be diligent and keep watch. Worship the Lord everywhere and teach God’s ways to others. Battle the sins that control you and get peace by turning them over to the Lord.

Men’s Bible study is at 7 every Tuesday morning. Wednesday night youth group at the church at 7, and adult Bible study is at the parsonage at 7. The parsonage will be open from 4 to 6 p.m., Saturday to serve hot cocoa and cookies before the city Christmas parade.

France warns of payback for tariffs

PARIS (AP) — France is threatening a “strong European riposte” if the Trump administration follows through on a proposal to hit French cheese, Champagne, handbags and other products with tariffs – of up to 100%.

The U.S. Trade Representative proposed the tariffs on $2.4 billion in goods Monday in retaliation for a French tax on global tech giants including Google, Amazon and Facebook.

“I’m not in love with those (tech) companies, but they’re our companies,” Trump said Tuesday ahead of a sure-to-be-tense meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in London.

The move is likely to increase trade tensions between the U.S. and Europe. Trump said the European Union should “shape up, otherwise things are going to get very tough.”

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the U.S. tariff threat is “simply unacceptable. … It’s not the behavior we expect from the United States toward one of its main allies.”

Le Maire said the French tech tax is aimed at “establishing tax justice.” France wants digital companies to pay their fair share of taxes in countries where they make money instead of using tax havens, and is pushing for an international agreement on the issue.

“If (the world) wants solid tax revenue in the 21st century, we have to be able to tax the digital economy,” he said. “This French taxation is not directed at any country, or against any company.”

He also noted that France will reimburse the tax if the U.S. agrees to the international tax plan.

Le Maire said France talked this week with the European Commission about EU-wide retaliatory measures if Washington follows through with the tariffs next month.

EU Commission spokesman Daniel Rosario said the EU will seek “immediate discussions with the U.S. on how to solve this issue amicably.”

The U.S tariffs could double the price American consumers pay for French imports and would come on top of a 25% tax on French wine imposed last month over a separate dispute over subsidies to Airbus and Boeing.

French cheese producers expressed concern that the threatened new tariffs would hit small businesses hardest. It would also further squeeze exporters hit by a Russian embargo on European foods.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative charges that France’s new digital services tax discriminates against U.S. companies.

Le Maire disputes that, saying it targets European and Chinese businesses, too. The tax imposes a 3% annual levy on French revenues of any digital company with yearly global sales worth more than 750 million euros ($830 million) and French revenue exceeding 25 million euros.

“What we want is a plan for international tax that is on the table” at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Le Maire said.

The U.S. investigated the French tax under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 — the same provision the Trump administration used last year to probe China’s technology policies, leading to tariffs on more than $360 billion worth of Chinese imports in the biggest trade war since the 1930s.

 

7 small earthquakes rattle Kansas over the weekend

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Seven small earthquakes have rattled Kansas since Saturday, with all but one of them clustered near Wichita.

The Kansas Geological Survey reports that six of the tremblers were centered in southwest Sedgwick County. They ranged in magnitude from 2 to 3.1.

A seventh earthquake with a magnitude of 2.9 was reported in Rooks County in the north-central part of the state. The threshold for damage usually starts at 4.0.

The Wichita Eagle reports that the earthquakes hit as the Kansas Corporation Commission is investigating the cause of a swarm of 17 earthquakes in five days in the same area of central Kansas in August. The regulatory agency’s investigation is focused on the underground disposal of oilfield waste that has been blamed for quakes elsewhere in southern Kansas.

Hunger crisis hits Zimbabwe

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — About half of Zimbabwe’s population faces severe hunger amid a devastating drought and economic collapse, the United Nations said Tuesday, noting a “vicious cycle of skyrocketing malnutrition that’s hitting women and children hardest.”

The World Food Program said it plans to more than double the number it helps to more than 4 million. More than 7 million are in need.

A U.N. expert on the right to food last week said Zimbabwe is on the brink of man-made starvation and the number of people needing help is “shocking” for a country not in conflict.

With poor rains expected before the harvest in April, the scale of hunger will worsen, the World Food Program’s executive director David Beasley said in a statement.

Zimbabwe’s crushing economic crisis, the worst in a decade, and a drought across southern Africa will complicate aid delivery as prices for basic items soar and food supplies are lower than normal, the U.N. said.

Inflation is “skyrocketing to over 490%,” according to the U.N. expert, Hilal Elver. That’s the second highest rate in the world after Venezuela.

Zimbabwe’s crisis includes high unemployment, cash and water shortages and electricity outages of up to 19 hours a day.

Elver said she found stunted and underweight children, mothers too hungry to breastfeed their babies and medicine shortages in hospitals during her 10-day visit to the once prosperous country.

She warned that the food crisis could spark conflict if not averted.

 

Typhoon hammers Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Typhoon Kammuri barreled across the Philippines with fierce winds and rain today, leaving at least four people dead, forcing hundreds of thousands of villagers to abandon high-risk communities and prompting officials to shut Manila’s international airport.

Kammuri toppled trees and electrical posts, ripped off tin roofs and battered a provincial airport as it blew across island provinces in the southern fringes of the main northern Luzon island before blowing into the South China Sea. It weakened but remained dangerous with maximum sustained winds of 81 miles per hour and gusts of up to 124 mph as it exited, forecasters said.

At least four people died and several others were reported injured, with officials attributing the low casualty figure to the early evacuation of hundreds of thousands of villagers from villages prone to high waves, flash floods and landslides.

A villager was electrocuted while fixing the battered roof of his house in Libmanan town in Camarines Sur province in the hard-hit Bicol region, regional disaster response officer Claudio Yucot said. In Oriental Mindoro, one of the last provinces to be lashed by the typhoon, a man died after being pinned by a fallen tree and another perished after being hit by a tin roof, Gov. Humerlito Dolor said.

A construction worker on his way home on a motorcycle was hit by a falling tree and died in the port city of Ormoc in Leyte province, police said.

The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year and has frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, making the archipelago of more than 100 million people one of the world’s most disaster-prone nations.

Evacuating entire villages and communities and providing supplies to huge numbers of residents camped in schools and government buildings used as emergency shelters is common during typhoons, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, largely because many mostly poor communities are in disaster-prone areas.

Kammuri’s pounding rain and wind damaged the airport in Legazpi city in Albay province, collapsing a portion of its ceiling, scattering chairs in the arrival and departure areas and shattering glass panes. A truck turned on its side after being buffeted by strong winds in the city, near Mount Mayon, one of the country’s most active volcanos.

Albay is one of several provinces in the Bicol region which lost post power due to toppled posts and downed transmission lines. Nearly 2 million people were affected by the power outages, officials said.

In Manila, officials shut the international airport for seven hours starting before noon today as the typhoon roared through provinces south of the capital. More than 400 domestic and international flights were canceled due to the airport closure, airport manager Ed Monreal said.

Authorities moved thousands of Boy Scouts attending a jamboree in the mountainous town of Botolan in the northwestern province of Zambales.

The Philippines postponed several competitions in the Southeast Asian Games, which it is hosting, because of the stormy weather, including wind surfing, polo and tennis matches in Manila and outlying provinces. Organizers said other events would be delayed if needed for safety but there was no plan to extend the 11-day games which opened Saturday.

The coast guard suspended sea travel in the northeast, stranding more than 7,000 travelers along with thousands of cargo ships and smaller watercraft in the archipelago nation.