Rockets GM under fire for tweets on Hong Kong

BEIJING (AP) — The NBA statement originally made in English had a different twist when it came out in Chinese.

The NBA said today on its official Chinese social media account that it was “extremely disappointed” by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s “inappropriate” tweet about Hong Kong, which “severely hurt the feelings of Chinese fans.”

The Chinese-language post on the Twitter-like Weibo microblogging platform differed from the original statement in English by Chief Communications Officer Mike Bass.

Bass’ original statement does not call Morey’s remarks “inappropriate” nor mention “hurt feelings” — a phrase commonly used by Chinese authorities to describe perceived gaffes by foreign parties. In English, Bass only said it was “regrettable” that Morey’s views “deeply offended” many in China.

Morey tweeted a now-deleted image that read “Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong,” in reference to four months of pro-democracy demonstrations in the semiautonomous Chinese territory, which has been mired in escalating violence between protesters and law enforcement. As a result of the tweet, the Chinese Basketball Association — whose president is Yao Ming, the former Rockets center — said Sunday it was suspending its relationship with the team, and Chinese media giant Tencent and Chinese state television said they would no longer be broadcasting Rockets games.

Both Morey and the NBA then said his tweets do not represent the Rockets or the league.

The divergent language in the NBA’s Chinese Weibo statement appears to be an effort to assuage people in China who have expressed outrage over Morey’s initial tweet, though Monday’s post appeared to be insufficient for many on Weibo. Commenters accused Morey of supporting Hong Kong independence and called on Chinese basketball fans to boycott the NBA.

Calls to the NBA’s offices in Beijing and Shanghai rang unanswered Monday, a national holiday.

Morey’s tweet prompted a wave of censure from Chinese companies.

A search Monday for Houston Rockets merchandise on Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao turned up zero results. Li-Ning, a major Chinese sporting goods brand, said in a statement Sunday that it was suspending cooperation with the Rockets because of Morey’s “mistaken remarks.” Hupu, a sports news website, has likewise suspended all coverage of the Rockets and locked the section of its website previously dedicated to the team.

Meanwhile, some U.S. lawmakers have condemned the NBA for succumbing to Chinese censorship.

The NBA has allowed its players and coaches to be outspoken on social and political issues in the United States, which makes this move stand out.

A former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 under the framework of “one country, two systems,” which promises the territory certain democratic freedoms not afforded to the mainland. Some anti-government protesters in recent months have violently expressed their opposition to the ruling Communist Party.

Retired school personnel hear program about ACC

Allen County Area Retired School Personnel met Wednesday at Allen Community College.

John Masterson, President of ACC gave a very informative presentation on the enrollment, demographics, financial, expenses, mill levy and assessed valuations and current students costs of Allen.

Allen was featured in a Project of Distinction article in the June, 2019, edition of the College Planning and Management magazine.

The next meeting will be on Dec. 4 at ACC. After going through the cafeteria line at 12:15 p.m., members are to meet in the Mary Ellen Stadler Room. Members are to bring food items for the food pantry. A collection will be taken up for donation to local charities.

Pressure builds for new vaping and tobacco laws

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A national outbreak of a vaping-related lung illness is increasing pressure in Kansas to consider new regulations for vaping and tobacco products.

One of the suggestions getting attention is raising the age for purchasing nicotine products from 18 to 21, in part because federal officials say 40 percent of vaping illnesses across the country have been reported in people under 21, The Kansas City Star reported.

The push to reconsider nicotine regulations is fueled by an increase in vaping-related illnesses reported nationwide. On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control reported 1,080 confirmed and probable cases have been reported in 48 states and one U.S. territory. Eighteen deaths have been recorded in 15 states.

No single device, ingredient or additive has been identified. Most of the patients say they vaped products containing THC, the high-producing ingredient in marijuana. Others say they vaped both THC and nicotine. A smaller group report they vaped only products containing nicotine.

More than 25 Kansas cities and counties have already passed ordinances raising the age to buy nicotine products from 18 to 21, and lawmakers and advocates say a statewide law could pass next year.

“There’s a ton of momentum around it, not only because there have been a number of communities that have already passed local ordinances but because of everything that’s come out in the news recently about the epidemic problem of youth use,” said Jordan Feuerborn, the Kansas government relations director for the American Cancer Society Action Network.

He said the American Cancer Society and its partners, collectively known as the Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition, will offer a bill to raise the tobacco purchase age statewide this coming year.

Gov. Laura Kelly didn’t answer directly when asked if she supported raising the age to 21.

“The governor’s ability to take executive action on banning vaping or e-cigarette products is somewhat more limited in Kansas than other states,” Lauren Fitzgerald, a Kelly spokeswoman, said in an email. “We are currently looking into all options, but plan to work with the legislature toward policy that would combat this epidemic.”

Those who vape say the problem is misinformation and where people buy their vaping products.

At Puffs Wichita, Casey Neal said it is easier for him to breathe since he switched from cigarettes to vaping three years ago.

“The regular vape shops like this are not killing anyone. They’re vaping the black market on e-cartridges,” said Neal, 26, of those who have gotten sick. “Cigarettes have been killing people since they came out.”

Kansas lawmakers say they are open to several options to address the problem.

“There has been a fair amount of discussion. It’s kind of interesting as things seem to escalate on the national level as well as the local level, there becomes a bigger appetite to address the problem somehow, some way,” said Sen. Gene Suellentrop, a Wichita Republican who chairs the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee. But he said it was too early to choose one idea.

The state’s leading health official, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Secretary Dr. Lee Norman, is urging people to stop vaping until the cause of the illnesses is found. He testified before a congressional committee Wednesday in support of prohibiting the sale of nicotine products to people under 21. He also called for increased scrutiny of vaping marketing and said anti-smoking laws need to be broadened to include e-cigarettes.

“Given that we don’t fully know the health effects of vaping solutions, or oftentimes even the contents, we must apply consumer protection fundamentals to protect our citizens, much as we would tainted meats or malfunctioning automobile airbags,” Norman told members of Congress.

 

KC shooting suspect arrested

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — One of the two men accused of opening fire inside a Kansas bar early Sunday, killing four people and wounding five others, was arrested Sunday afternoon while the other remained at large, police said.

Javier Alatorre, 23, and Hugo Villanueva-Morales, 29, were each charged with four counts of first-degree murder, police in Kansas City, Kansas, said in an early morning release today. Alatorre was arrested late Sunday afternoon in Kansas City, Missouri, but police were still looking for Villanueva-Morales, considered “armed and dangerous.”

Bail for each was set at $1 million. The release says Alatorre was arrested with the help of the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and police in Kansas City, Missouri. A prosecutor’s office spokesman didn’t immediately respond to an email asking whether he has an attorney.

Villanueva-Morales and Alatorre each faced criminal charges in Missouri, and Alatorre’s criminal record also included previous convictions, according to online court records in Missouri and online Department of Corrections records in Kansas.

Villanueva-Morales had a pending third-degree assault charge in Missouri. Alatorre, meanwhile, had past convictions for fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement in Kansas and for driving while intoxicated in Missouri. He also had pending charges in Missouri for tampering with a motor vehicle, possession of a controlled substance and resisting or interfering with arrest, detention or stop. And in 2017, an order of protection had been ordered, barring him from abusing, stalking and possessing a firearm.

The two men apparently had a disagreement with people inside Tequila KC bar, left, and then returned with handguns, police spokesman Officer Thomas Tomasic had said.

“We think there was something that happened in the bar earlier probably,” Tomasic had said. “Unfortunately, they left and decided to take it to another level, came back and started shooting.”

Around 40 people were inside the small bar when gunfire erupted around 1:30 a.m., Tomasic had said. The gunfire sent people running for the exits, with the injured leaving trails of blood as they fled. One of the injured was trying to get a ride to the hospital when ambulances arrived.

“It’s a pretty small bar, so if you have two guys come in and start shooting, people are just running, running anywhere they can,” Tomasic had said.

All four men who were killed were Hispanic, but Tomasic had said authorities did not believe the shooting was racially motivated. The shooting happened in a neighborhood with a large Hispanic population.

Among the dead was a man in his late 50s, another in his mid-30s and two in their mid-20s, police said. Authorities did not immediately release their names.

However, Juan Ramirez, of Kansas City, Kansas, told The Kansas City Star that his 29-year-old nephew was among those killed. He said his nephew left behind a 6-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter.

“I don’t wish this upon anybody,” Ramirez said.

Bartender Jose Valdez told the newspaper that he had refused to serve one of the suspects on Saturday night because the man had previously caused problems at the bar. Valdez said the man threw a cup at him and left, but returned later with another man shortly before closing time.

The gunfire created smoke inside the business, Valdez said, and he thought the building was “going to cave in.”

Valdez said three of the people killed were regulars whose parents also frequented the neighborhood bar.

“I don’t know what to make of it. A sad day for everybody who lost their lives and their families,” he said, choking up. “How can you go into a place full of people and just start shooting?”

The state’s congregational delegation also weighed in, with Republican Sens. Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts and Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids describing the shooting as “senseless.”

Medallion located

The Farm-City Days Medallion Hunt came to an abrupt halt Saturday morning when Michael Burnett found the hidden medallion, concealed in a Lending Library box at the intersection of the Missouri Pacific biking and hiking trail and State Street.

Burnett earned $500 for the find.

This year’s Farm-City Days celebration kicks off Friday in downtown Iola, with a full slate of activities, from a parade to cornhole tournament on Saturday’s schedule.

Trump says he’ll pull back troops in Syria

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump today defended his decision to pull back U.S. troops from northern Syria, clearing the way for an expected Turkish assault and essentially abandoning Kurdish fighters who fought alongside American forces to defeat the Islamic State.

The move drew immediate outrage from some of the president’s closest allies in Congress, with Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham calling the decision “a disaster.” And Syria’s Kurds accused the U.S. of turning its back on its allies and risking gains made in the fight against the Islamic State group.

Trump, however, defended the move in a series of tweets today, acknowledging “The Kurds fought with us,” but claiming they “were paid massive amounts of money and equipment to do so.”

“I held off this fight for almost 3 years, but it is time for us to get out of these ridiculous Endless Wars, many of them tribal, and bring our soldiers home,” he wrote, adding that, “WE WILL FIGHT WHERE IT IS TO OUR BENEFIT, AND ONLY FIGHT TO WIN.” He said it will now be up to the region to decide what to do with captured IS fighters, and warned of retribution in response to any future attacks.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened for months to launch the military operation across the Syrian border. He views the Kurdish forces as a threat to his country. Republicans and Democrats have warned that allowing the Turkish attack could lead to a massacre of the Kurds and send a troubling message to American allies across the globe.

U.S. troops “will not support or be involved in the operation” and “will no longer be in the immediate area,” in northern Syria, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in an unusual late-Sunday statement that was silent on the fate of the Kurds.

There are about 1,000 U.S. troops in northern Syria, and a senior U.S. official said they will pull back from the area — and potentially depart the country entirely should widespread fighting break out between Turkish and Kurdish forces.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said today in an appearance on “Fox & Friends” that he had not spoken with Trump about the decision and had concerns.

“I want to make sure we keep our word for those who fight with us and help us,” he said, adding that, “If you make a commitment and somebody is fighting with you. America should keep their word.”

One of the show’s hosts, Brian Kilmeade, asked McCarthy to try to intervene and “call the president before it’s too late.”

Graham, R-S.C., one of Trump’s most vocal backers, also weighed in via tweet, saying that, “If press reports are accurate this is a disaster in the making.” He also called in to “Fox and Friends” to share his dismay, calling the decision “short-sighted and irresponsible.”

“This impulsive decision by the president has undone all the gains we’ve made, thrown the region into further chaos. Iran is licking their chops. And if I’m an ISIS fighter, I’ve got a second lease on life,” he said. “I like president Trump. I’ve tried to help him. This to me is just unnerving to its core.”

The announcement followed a call between Trump and Erdogan, the White House said Sunday.

The decision is a stark illustration of Trump’s focus on ending American overseas entanglements — one of his key campaign promises. But his goal of swift withdrawals in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan have been stymied by concerns from U.S. officials and American allies about the dangerous voids that would remain.

As he faces an impeachment inquiry at home, Trump has appeared more focused on making good on his political pledges, even at the risk of sending a troubling signal to American allies abroad.

In December, Trump announced he was withdrawing American troops from Syria but was met with widespread condemnation for abandoning Kurdish allies to the Turkish assault. The announcement prompted the resignation in protest of then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, and a coordinated effort by then-national security adviser John Bolton to try to protect the Kurds.

Since January, U.S. officials have tried to broker the creation of a “safe zone” in northern Syria to provide a security buffer between the Turkish military and Kurdish forces, but Turkey has repeatedly objected to its slow implementation.

Turkey considers the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged an insurgency against Turkey for 35 years. The White House announcement Sunday came a day after Erdogan offered the strongest warning yet of a unilateral military operation into northeastern Syria, as the Turkish military has been dispatching units and defense equipment to its border with the area.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces threatened to respond forcefully to any Turkish incursion.

“We will not hesitate to turn any unprovoked attack by Turkey into an all-out war on the entire border to DEFEND ourselves and our people,” SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali tweeted Saturday.

A Kurdish official speaking on condition of anonymity because he’s not authorized to brief reporters said today they expect a limited Turkish operation and are still working to ascertain what will happen with American forces in the region. The official said the view is that Kurdish-led forces have a legitimate right to self-defense.

A senior U.S. official said Sunday that American troops will pull back from the security zone in northeastern Syria, where they have been working with Turkish troops, to an unspecified out-of-the-way location. There have been U.S. troops around Manbij.

The official added that if Turkey goes ahead with the incursion into Syria, it is expected to trigger a large combat response from the SDF, and U.S. troops will almost certainly withdraw completely from Syria. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

U.S. defense leaders have long known that America would not get into an all-out war with Turkey, a NATO ally. But that has been stalled until now by aggressive negotiations by the U.S., urging Turkey against invading. The official said senior leaders never believed that the U.S. would go to war to save the Kurds, but just hoped to put off that scenario.

Mattis and other Pentagon leaders had worried that withdrawal would lead to a resurgence of IS in the country, particularly if the SDF abandon the prisons holding the fighters to battle Turkey.

The White House said Turkey will take custody of foreign fighters captured in the U.S.-led campaign against the Islamic State group who have been held by the Kurdish forces supported by the U.S.

Ambassador James Jeffrey, the State Department envoy to the international coalition fighting the Islamic State group, and Trump have said the Kurds have custody of thousands of captured Islamic State militants. They include about 2,500 highly dangerous foreign fighters from Europe and elsewhere whose native countries have been reluctant to take them back and another 10,000 or so captured fighters from Syria and Iraq.

Trump has repeatedly demanded that European countries, particularly France and Germany, take back their citizens who joined the militant organization.

Kurdish officials have expressed concerns of a possible breakout by IS prisoners in case of fighting in the area. In a recently released audio recording, IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi called on members of the extremist group to do all they can to free IS detainees and women held in jails and camps.

IS was defeated in Iraq in 2017. In Syria it lost its last territory in March, marking the end of the extremists’ self-declared caliphate. Despite these battlefield defeats, IS sleeper cells have continued to launch attacks in both Iraq and Syria.

A look back in time

65 Years Ago

October 1954

Next Sunday the 12 churches affiliated in the Ministerial Alliance will open the most intensive and extensive evangelism crusade that Iola has known for many years. The plan is unique in that each congregation will conduct its own campaign but the common goal will be to strengthen the churches of Iola and to increase the number who regularly attend worship services. Next week, under the leadership of their pastors, laymen will visit homes of Iolans who are not now affiliated with any church. They will be urged to attend services and invited to join one of the local churches. The groundwork by the laymen will be followed by a series of evangelistic services held in the various sanctuaries. 

*****

GARNETT (AP) — The operators of the Kincaid Nursing Home have been named in charges growing out of the Sept. 17 fire that snuffed out the lives of seven patients. Charged with unlawfully and willfully neglecting residents of the home were Illiff H. and Minnie A. Statham. 

*****

The United States Navy Band captured the hearts of the 3,000 men, women and children who heard the three concerts given in Memorial Hall yesterday afternoon and evening. Perhaps the individual who was most delighted by the Navy Band’s performance was Louis Kinman, local band leader, who is a graduate of the Navy’s Music School. Some 20 of the men who appeared here last night were his classmates.

Wildcats intend to get back to winning ways at home

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — It is inevitable in sports: Eventually, you will lose. That doesn’t make Kansas State’s first loss any easier for Chris Klieman to stomach.

The Wildcats’ new coach had won 25 consecutive games stretching nearly than two years _ back to his days at North Dakota State _ before a 26-13 defeat at Oklahoma State last weekend. It came in his first Big 12 matchup and ended a perfect start to his career in the Flint Hills.

“You take them harder. I’ll be honest,” said Klieman, whose team will try to rebound Saturday against unbeaten Baylor. “At North Dakota State, every win felt like a relief, and that’s terrible to say. It really is terrible to say that it was a relief because you were a target every week.

“So when you did lose,” Klieman continued, “it just tore your heart out, and it does. I’m a competitor by nature, and I was really frustrated in myself that we didn’t win. I was frustrated in general that we didn’t play our best football. But I think it’s going to reveal a lot of things from character, resolve, the leaders, and it starts with me.”

That’s a good sign for Kansas State, considering Klieman is pretty good coming off a loss.

After their 33-21 loss to South Dakota State on Nov. 4, 2017, the Bison blew through the rest of their schedule before winning a national title. In fact, the only time Klieman has lost back-to-back games as a head coach was in 2005 during his single season coaching Loras, a Division III school.

“Obviously it was a tough loss,” Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson said, “but the energy and spirit in our team is nothing is changed. Same with our coaches. We know we need to correct some things and get better at some things, so that’s what we’re going to focus on.”

It’s not as if the road for Kansas State (4-1, 0-1) gets any easier.

Baylor (4-0, 1-0) is coming off a heart-stopping 23-21 victory over Iowa State in which the Bears blew a 20-point lead, only to kick a winning 38-yard field goal in the final seconds.

The win left Baylor coach Matt Rhule with a unique problem.

“I have to make sure we are having enough fun,” he said, “because we are winning games and guys are going in and saying, ‘We have to get better.’ And that is a good thing. But you have to enjoy winning, too. It’s a balance. I like where our heads are, and we have to get a lot better this week because Kansas State does not give you a thing.”

Mahomes’ popularity soars

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The popularity of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has soared into the stratosphere in just over one season as the starter, each no-look or left-handed passes drawing a fresh chorus of acclaim.

It’s not just the fans that are the fans, either.

“It’s kind of cool to see some of the stuff he does,” said Colts counterpart Jacoby Brissett, who will get to see Mahomes first-hand when his team heads to Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night. “Hopefully he doesn’t do it this week, but the things he can do with the ball, it’s very impressive.”

So impressive that Brissett even said, rather sheepishly: “You just watch and you’re like, ‘Yeah, I can’t do that.’ But it’s fun to see somebody else.”

Brissett isn’t alone, either.

It seems just about every coach tasked with slowing down the league MVP, or defensive guy forced to make a play against him, is simultaneously challenged and in awe by what Mahomes can do.

That’s not exactly common in a league predicated on one-upsmanship, where players by their very competitive nature are often unwilling to admit that somebody else is better than them.

“He’s legit,” said Ravens defensive back Brandon Carr, who had just watched him slice up the Baltimore secondary. “He leads the team. He can make all the throws. He’s confident. He gets the ball up and down the field. And he can extend plays with his legs. He’s an elite quarterback.”

Raiders cornerback Lamarcus Joyner was just as blunt — and effusive — in his appraisal after watching Mahomes lead the Chiefs to a victory in Oakland.

“He’s a hell of a quarterback,” Joyner said. “He’s arguably the No. 1 quarterback in the league. He got a little Tom Brady to him, a little Drew Brees look, Philip Rivers. He’ll challenge you. He can make the throws, he can scramble around, so I mean, you have to cover guys a little bit longer.”

There have been guys like Mahomes over the years that have garnered such respect from their play on the field and persona off it that even their biggest rivals can’t help but applaud. They tend to go down in history as larger-than-life characters, a unique combination of talent and personality.

Joe Namath was that way back in the 1960s and 1970s, when Broadway Joe brashly predicted a Super Bowl triumph for the Jets, briefly owned a New York nightclub and made so many ladies swoon.

Steelers defensive star Joe Greene was that way in the late ‘70s, too. His nickname “Mean Joe” was contrasted by that broad smile in his famous Coca-Cola commercial, making him thousands of fans far beyond Pittsburgh. And with four Super Bowl rings, there was no disputing his success.

Then there was Walter Payton, who was so popular among fans and rivals alike that the Man of the Year award carries his name. Sure, he was the record-setting running back of the Chicago Bears, but he also exhibited such “sweetness” that even Packers and Vikings fans usually respected him.

Mahomes is following the same road toward popularity.

He’s doing it faster than usual, too.

The other thing that Namath and Co. had in their favor was longevity. They plied their trade at the highest levels for years on end, and Mahomes has only been in the NFL crosshairs for 18 months.

“He’s a unique talent,” Colts coach Frank Reich said. “He’s fun to watch, I’m not going to lie.”

 Last week when we were playing the Raiders, I was watching a lot of Kansas City’s offense against them and he made a couple throws that you just shake your head and you say, ‘How do you do that?’ So we respect that. And like I’ve said before, I also respect who he is off the field. I think it’s great for the league when you’ve got players that are that good but also are really pros on and off the field.”

Reich paused before adding: “But make no mistake, everybody can be beat in this league. Everybody can be beat _ I don’t care how good you are. He’s great, but this is a team game.”

Thiem beats Murray at China Open

BEIJING (AP) — Andy Murray’s run at the China Open is over.

The former No. 1, who had won consecutive singles matches for the first time since undergoing hip surgery in January, lost to top-seeded Dominic Thiem 6-2, 7-6 (3) Friday in the quarterfinals.

Thiem broke the 32-year-old Murray in the first game of the match, but the British player made things more difficult in the second set, testing his younger opponent’s nerve in finishing out the match.

Also, Karen Khachanov of Russia beat Italy’s Fabio Fognini 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, Alexander Zverev downed Sam Querrey, 7 (7)-6 (3), 6-2, and Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece beat American John Isner, 7 (7)-6 (3), 6-3.

Top-seeded Ash Barty reached the semifinals in the women’s draw by beating Petra Kvitova 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.

“From my opinion, that was one of the highest quality matches I played all year,” said Barty, the French Open champion. “Petra always has a way of bringing out the best in me, she really does.”

Barty converted three of her six break points while Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, was two for seven.

In today’s semifinals, Barty will face eighth-seeded Kiki Bertens, who defeated Elina Svitolina 7-6 (6), 6-2.

“I think this week I played some better tennis again,” said Bertens, who amassed 36 winners to Svitolina’s 16. 

“I think then with some pressure and playing better all the time, it’s good for me. It says for myself that I was growing a lot over the last few years.”

Also, defending champion Caroline Wozniacki beat Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 7-6 (5) and will next face Naomi Osaka, the two-time Grand Slam champion from Japan who served 10 aces to end Canadian U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu’s winning streak at 17 with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory.

___