Astros host Washington for Game 1

HOUSTON (AP) — Gerrit Cole rattles off the names of the pitching greats with ease, featuring the same command he shows with his vaunted four-seam fastball.

Bob Gibson. Tom Seaver. Don Drysdale.

Plus the guys he saw in person as a kid — Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling — when they dominated in October.

Now in the midst of perhaps the most remarkable run in baseball history, it’s his turn, starting Game 1 of the World Series.

“The people you keep referring to,” Cole said Monday, “got the job done. So I’m trying to deliver on that front.”

Because as we all know, heading into Tuesday night’s opener between his Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals, this is when reputations are built — or wrecked.

Madison Bumgarner, Orel Hershiser and Pedro Martinez excelled in their first Series starts. So did Clayton Kershaw, although his ledger is more checkered.

Cole enters this matchup against fellow ace Max Scherzer at 19-0 in his last 25 starts, including three wins in the playoffs. No pitcher has ever won 20 in a row in a single season.

“I mean, I’ve been in the situation, faced really good pitchers here in the National League over the years; Kershaw, (Jacob) deGrom, those guys. You just know you’ve got to come out there, you’re going to be throwing up zeros. And you’ve got to try to match the intensity from your opponent,” Scherzer said.

“And Cole’s had a terrific year. So obviously it’s going to one heck of a challenge.”

Cole led the majors in strikeouts, topped the AL in ERA and finished second in the big leagues to teammate Justin Verlander in wins.

“When you dream as a little kid, you dream about storybook endings and storybook players and scenarios like that,” Cole said.

In the old days of baseball — like, three or four years ago — this is about the time someone would step up and say, well, he’s due for a loss.

Got to be, right?

NLCS MVP Howie Kendrick chuckled at that notion.

“I faced him in the past, but what he’s been doing the past few years has been phenomenal since he came over to the Astros. It’s like he’s found his stride,” said Kendrick, who will be Washington’s designated hitter in Game 1.

“I’ve been watching him throughout the postseason. His stuff’s electric, everybody knows that,” he said.

Fusing his talent with the Astros’ fortified analytics approach, Cole has found what works best for him. Among the results with his four-seamer, curve and slider: Nearly 17 percent of his pitches result in a swing-and-miss, the highest rate of anyone since such data has been tracked in the last 18 years.

NL MVP candidate Anthony Rendon is among the few hitters who’ve managed some success against Cole, going 5 for 13 overall.

“It’s been truly amazing just to watch him do his thing and the amount of success that he’s had,” Rendon said. “Not that he didn’t have success in Pittsburgh prior.”

“But I think by him coming to a postseason team, being around guys or a team that has been in the postseason more times than not, I think that’s really going to elevate your game and I think that’s true for him,” he said.

Talking about the Washington lineup, Cole was equally effusive in his praise for Rendon.

“It starts with Anthony Rendon being the tone-setter, a really special talent, probably a generational talent. We’ll have to see how it all plays out,” Cole said.

“But if it goes as expected, he’ll probably end up in the Hall of Fame. He’s so cool and calm and collected. And I think a lot of his players feed off that,” he said.

Same way the Astros feel when Cole takes the mound.

Asked recently whether he’d ever seen someone on this kind of run, Verlander answered, “Never.”

All this for Cole, along with the prospect of earning well over a $200 million contract in free agency after the World Series ends.

Yet if any of this is going to his head, by the way, it hasn’t been apparent.

On Monday at Minute Maid Park, when the 29-year-old right-hander walked into a small interview room to do a news conference, Astros manager AJ Hinch was finishing up at the podium.

Without fanfare, Cole simply sat down by himself on the well-worn carpet and bided his time for a few minutes, silently picking at his fingernails.

Not a care in the world — or World Series.

Extension office offers ‘Dining With Diabetes’

K-State Research and Extension is offering “Dining with Diabetes,” a program designed to boost the health and wellness of Kansans with Type 2 diabetes and help educate their family members, caregivers and others who support them.

The series of two-hour classes will be held once a week for four weeks. Classes in Iola will start at 11 a.m. Nov. 5.

Lessons focus on the best ways to take care of yourself; healthful food choices; low-impact physical activity; cooking techniques using herbs, spices, reduced-fat foods and artificial sweeteners.

Class fee is $25.  For more information or to register, contact Kathy McEwan at 620-365-2242.

Area officers target drugs

A collaborative effort involving the Allen and Bourbon county sheriff’s departments and the Chanute Police Department brought about multiple arrests and citations.

The results were announced Sunday by Allen County Sheriff Bryan Murphy.

The operations were described by Murphy as “enhanced traffic enforcement.”

On two days in September, law enforcement officers from all three jurisdictions along with five K9 units made 51 traffic stops, issued nine citations and reported seven arrests in Allen County.

A similar endeavor in Bourbon County on Oct. 2 resulted in 65 traffic stops, with three arrests and 65 citations.

The final event occurred in Chanute on Thursday, leading to 39 traffic stops, with seven arrests and 34 citations.

The primary goal, Murphy said, was to target illegal narcotics, “and to demonstrate our streets and communities are not a safe haven for drug trafficking.”

Murphy elaborated on the effort in a subsequent social media post.

“Yes, people really did go to jail for drugs,” he wrote. “Yes, we seized their cars, too. No, we aren’t sorry. Yes, we will be doing it again. No, we won’t tell you when or where.”

IHS students make honor rolls

Students qualifying for first-quarter honor rolls at Iola High School are as follows:

 

All A’s (4.0 GPA)

Seniors: Rachel Bycroft, Haley Carlin, Dongming Eason Cheung, Calvin Delich, Jayce Doolittle, Isabella Duke, Cal Leonard, Lauren McDermeit, Diamend McFadden, Kelsey Morrison, Breanna Northcutt, Sadrie Overall, Carlie Payne, Sierra Petty, Gabriella Richards, Paige Riley, Courtland Sager, Jada Stogsdill, Ella Taylor, Alexandria Vega, Derek White

Juniors: Lori Carpenter, Audrey Coltrane, Thomas Fleming, William Francis, Julian Reyes, Dillon Slaven, Jessica Tidd

Sophomores: Hannah Andersen, Eve Ard, Tyler Boeken, Braxton Curry, Jenna Curry, Ryker Curry, Drake DeLaTorre, Heidi Hibbs, Nicholas Karns, Colin Long, Maci Miller, Reece Murry, Miranda Palmer, Cooper Riley, Karina Sanchez, Chloe Sell, Miah Shelby, Elanie Sturgeon

Freshmen: Thomas Chapman, Caiden Cloud, Elsie Fleming, Macie Hoag, Hallie McDermeit, Kyle Schmidt, Jesse Taylor, Travis Wanker, Luke Wicoff

 

Principal’s Honor Roll (3.76-3.99 GPA)

Seniors: Noah Ashmore, Mayte Breithaupt, Adryan Nading, Naomi Neal, Brody Nemecek, Keian Zimmerman

Juniors: Isaac Badders, Jada Cunningham, Alexi Fernandez, Hannah Gardner, Grace Garner, Tabitha Graham, Levi Meiwes, Callie Murcko, Sidney Shelby, Michael Stoll

Sophomores: Ashtyn Aikins-Ansley, Tyler Crane, Ally Ellis, Natalie Fees, Harper Gregg, Josie Plumlee, Dennis Smith, T.J. Taylor

Freshmen: Eli Adams, Carly Dreher, Abigail Hirt, Dallyn McGraw, Kaster Trabuc, Olivia Tremain, Genevive Ward, Hailey Wilson

 

Regular Honor Roll (3.00-3.75 GPA)

Seniors: Taelynn Bonnett, Lacey Brown, Mary Crites, Torrance DePriest, Zaviera Evans, Elijah Fawson, Kayton Godfrey, Mackenzi Hutton, Ty Johnson, Jillian Keller, Dakota Knowles, Elysia Kunkler, Gabriella Lampe, Mark McCullough, Karson McGraw, Trevelle Means, Theresia Middleton, Alex Morris, Chara Moss, MJ Neises, Michael Price, Andre Quinn, Devan Reiter, Alec Sager, Xadie Smith, Jordan Swart, Pieter Venter, Wolfgang Ian Webber, Braiden Wiggin, Raylea Wilson, Shane Winner, Bethannie Yarnell

Juniors: Jack Adams, Taylor Boren, Dillon Bycroft, Danae Cartright, Rachel Cochran, Bradyn Cole, Damiean Dryden-Barnes, Jocelyn Erbert, Kelsie Finley, Dakota Fry, Lauryn Holloway, Riley Jay, Aidan Jones, Joshua Kaufman, Bobby Lewis, Nathan Louk, Delmar McCullough, Jenna Miller, Allison Morris, Landen Nading, Ashton Olsten, McKenna Orear, Jonathon Poffenbarger, Kaden Priddy, Adrianne Reynolds, Brooklyn Sanchez, Toby Sander, Drake Sellman, Bryson Shaw, Fayth Simpson, Derek Smith, Elijah Smith, Jasmine Spiares, Rebecca Sprague, Elaina Stiffler, Kelli Stogsdill, Sharyia Trester, Dakota Weide, Rebecca Wood

Sophomores: Cael Adair, Madison Adair, Emily Ator, Adam Atwell, Brady Atwood, Samuel Fager, Rhegan Fischer, Trenton Jones, Phillip Khang, Asha Kilby, Austin Morris, Brett Morrison, Jorja Murcko, Logan Ulrich, Mariah VanNice, Brett Willis, Ember Wombelsdorf, Ryan Wools

Freshmen: Conor Andres, Joseph Barbarick, Holden Barker, Cody Chastain, Ethan Collins, Gavin Doolittle, Javin Franklin, Jarrett Herrmann, Aysha Houk, Carter Hutton, Jadyn Kaufman, Crystal Lindsey, Drake Mathew, Ta’Kaya Means, Isaiah Melugin, Benjamin Mikulski, Jhanvi Patel, Cali Riley, Sage Shaughnessy, Jake Skahan, Kadin Smith, Wyatt Westervelt, Cody Wille, Elexis Williams, Mercedes Wools and Alissa Yarnell

 

Humboldt to treat ghosts and goblins

HUMBOLDT — The annual Humboldt Halloween Spook Parade, sponsored by G.A.L.S. FCE and the Humboldt Chamber of Commerce, will be at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 31.

Children in Halloween costumes from preschool through fifth grade are invited to gather at Seventh and Bridge streets for the parade, which will be led by Humboldt’s police and fire departments. The parade will proceed to the south side of the city square, where goodie sacks will be handed out to the youngsters.

In case of inclement weather, treats will be handed out under the bandstand in the city square.

Police report

Arrests reported

Iola police officers arrested Ronald D. Smith, Iola, Sunday for suspicion of violating a protection order in the 1300 block of North State Street.

On Oct. 11, Matthew Potchen, 25, Chanute, was arrested by Iola officers in the 600 block of South Fourth Street for seven warrants out of Neosho County District Court.

 

Citation issued

Steven Sinclair, 37, Iola, was cited for suspicion of criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct, officers said, following an incident Oct. 12 in the 600 block of North Ohio Street.

 

Decoration stolen

Craig Payne told officers Saturday morning somebody removed a Halloween skeleton from his property in the 500 block of South Washington Avenue.

 

Railing struck

Loren Mitchell, 82, was backing a motorhome from a driveway in the 200 block of North Walnut Street Oct. 10 when he struck a railing protecting a water meter, Iola police officers reported.

On Oct. 11, Cindy Van Houden was driving in a parking lot at 706 N. State St. and told officers her vision was limited by the sun, which resulted in her striking a sign post.

 

Vehicles collide

Jason R. Newman, 38, was southbound on Walnut Street Oct. 15, and Thomas D. Ammons, 20, was eastbound on Spruce Street when their vehicles collided, officers said.

Neither was injured, nor was a passenger riding with Ammons.

 

Counterfeit bill found

Community National Bank and Trust officials reported Wednesday receiving a counterfeit $20 bill in a deposit from the day before. The bill was turned over to officers for further investigation.

 

Trucker gets time for meat theft

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a California trucker working for a Kansas freight brokerage has been sentenced to federal prison for stealing a load of meat valued at more than $160,000.

The U.S. attorney’s office said in a news release that 37-year-old Gegham Avetisyan of Valley Village, California, was sentenced Monday to 15 months in prison. He pleaded guilty in May to one count of wire fraud.

Prosecutors say Avetisyan contracted with a business in Olathe, Kansas, to deliver the meat to three places in California. He faxed documents to the company using the name Robert Ivanov.

Avetisyan picked up the meat at a packing plant in Omaha but didn’t deliver it.

Trudeau prevails

TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won a second term in Canada’s national elections, losing the majority but saying today he was given a clear mandate despite an increasingly divided Parliament and nation.

Trudeau’s Liberal Party took the most seats in Parliament. However Trudeau fell short of a majority, so the Liberals would have to rely on an opposition party to pass legislation

With results still trickling in early today, the Liberals had 157 seats, while the Conservatives had 121.

Still, Trudeau’s Liberal Party won fewer raw votes nationally than the Conservatives did, and his party failed to win a single seat in the western provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan where the Conservatives dominated.

The prime minister showed up at a Montreal subway station on Tuesday morning to greet Canadians and take selfies.

Trudeau said Canadians rejected division and negativity and elected a progressive agenda.

But in what was supposed to be a concession speech, the Conservative leader Scheer said the results showed Trudeau was much weakened since his 2015 election, when pundits had predicted the beginning of another Trudeau dynasty after a decade of Conservative government.

“Conservatives have put Justin Trudeau on notice,” Scheer said. “And Mr. Trudeau, when your government falls, Conservatives will be ready and we will win.”

Trudeau delivered an unexpectedly strong result despite a series of scandals that tarnished his image as a liberal icon.

“It’s not quite the same as 2015,” when Trudeau first took offce. “It’s not all owing to the leader,” said Robert Bothwell, a professor of Canadian history and international relations at the University of Toronto.

“Trudeau is prime minister because the rest of the party was able to pull itself together and prevail. While Trudeau certainly deserves credit for what has happened he’s really going to have to demonstrate qualities that he hasn’t yet shown.”

Trudeau’s clean-cut image had taken a hit after old photos of him in blackface and brownface surfaced last month.

“I’m surprised at how well Trudeau has done,” said Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto. “I don’t think anybody expected Trudeau to get a majority, but they are not that far off.”

Perhaps sensing Trudeau was in trouble, Barack Obama made an unprecedented endorsement by a former American president in urging Canadians to re-elect Trudeau. The son of liberal icon and late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is one of the few remaining progressive world leaders in the Trump era.

The unassuming Scheer, 40, is a career politician who was seen as a possible antidote to Trudeau’s flash. But Bothwell said late Monday that he expected Scheer to resign.

“He’s gone,” Bothwell said. “He ran a really dirty campaign. There is nothing to be proud of on his side. He had the opportunity and blew it.”

Among other things, Scheer called Trudeau a phony who couldn’t even remember how many times he had worn blackface.

Scheer suggested he would try to stay on as leader, saying that holding Trudeau to a minority was the first step toward restrong a Conservative government.

Trudeau also was hurt by a scandal this year when his former attorney general said he pressured her to halt the prosecution of a Quebec company. Trudeau has said he was standing up for jobs, but the damage gave a boost to the Conservative Party.

Trudeau’s Liberals will likely rely on the New Democrats to form a new government and pass legislation. Opposition New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh said early Tuesday he had congratulated Trudeau and vowed to play a constructive role in Parliament.

Trudeau embraced immigration at a time when the U.S. and other countries are closing their doors, and he legalized cannabis nationwide.

His efforts to strike a balance on the environment and the economy have been criticized by both the right and left. He brought in a carbon tax to fight climate change but rescued a stalled pipeline expansion project to get Alberta’s oil to international markets.

His also negotiated a new free trade deal for Canada with the U.S. and Mexico amid threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to scrap it.

Trump, who has clashed with Trudeau over trade, tweeted his congratulations early Tuesday, saying, “Canada is well served.”

Tornado rips through Dallas; 1 dead in Arkansas

DALLAS (AP) — Crews searched today through the rubble of homes and businesses torn apart by a tornado that ripped through the Dallas area the night before, and one person was killed by a falling tree in Arkansas as the storms moved to the northeast.

Radar confirmed the tornado struck near Love Field Airport and moved northeast through the city around 9 p.m. Sunday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Godwin. There were no reports of fatalities or serious injuries in Texas early today, but Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans says three people were hospitalized for evaluation of non-life-threatening injuries. Tens of thousands of people were without electricity.

One person died in northwest Arkansas when a tree fell on a home in Rogers, about 150 miles northwest of Little Rock, according to the Benton County Department of Public Safety. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said “significant storm damage” occurred in northwest Arkansas.

Damage was also reported in the northeast corner of Arkansas in the town of Tyronza, where two people were reported injured, Jonesboro TV station KAIT reported.

Power was out at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Highfill, about 155 miles northwest of Little Rock. The airport says flights were still departing, though security screenings were being done manually.

The storms also caused damage in Oklahoma and Missouri.

Tornado warnings were in effect Monday morning in far eastern Arkansas near the Mississippi River as the storm system moved to the east. The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, says areas of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee could see severe thunderstorms later Monday.

In Texas, heavy damage was reported in northwest Dallas and Richardson. Nearly 140,000 electric customers were without power as of 4 a.m. Monday, according to Oncor’s online outage map. The electric utility said storms across East Texas had caused significant damage to power lines.

Around 65,000 of the affected electric customers were within Dallas, according to the city, which said it would open a shelter.

Crews searched through homes and businesses that were accessible for about six hours overnight, but were hampered by “limited access and lack of proper lighting,” Evans said. A second set of teams were to resume search efforts in daylight.

Seven people escaped a structure that collapsed in northwest Dallas, but Dallas Fire-Rescue were searching to see if anyone was left inside, Evans said. WFAA-TV reported that a convenience store collapsed in the storm, but the clerk told the station that everyone who was inside made it out safely.

Evans said that the department had also received multiple calls from people injured in their homes by broken glass.

On Twitter, Dallas Fire-Rescue said one of its own stations sustained significant damage during the storms overnight, and included photos that appeared to show a collapsed roof and debris. Evans said none of the firefighters at Station 41 were hurt, but said the roof was torn off by the high winds.

Dallas Stars player Tyler Seguin said a home he owns was heavily damaged. The hockey player said on Twitter that he had moved to another home and that the damaged property was listed for sale. He wrote it’s “an extremely sad sight to see.”

A radio station, KNON-FM, went off the air as the studio suffered major damage from the tornado. Lew Morris, one of the hosts of “Reckless Rock Radio” told The Associated Press in a Facebook message that the power at the station went out first, followed by the “distinctive whistle” of a tornado within three minutes.

“We then heard the building shaking and could hear the glass windows shattering everywhere along with debris banging around. We waited until all the noise died down,” Morris told the AP. “We walked out to see the studio he was just broadcasting from destroyed.”

Godwin, the meteorologist, said the size and severity of the tornado won’t be known until crews arrive to survey the damage. NWS warning coordination meteorologist Jennifer Dunn told the AP there may have been two or more tornadoes in north Texas, but reiterated that the extent wouldn’t be known until later Monday afternoon.

North of Dallas, the city of Richardson said in a release that many roads “used by thousands of morning commuters” will be closed while workers clear debris and repair downed traffic lights.

The city of Sachse, a northeast suburb of Dallas, said in a release that six houses were damaged from the storms, but no injuries were reported.

Citing extensive damage to campuses, the Dallas Independent School District canceled Monday classes at several schools.

In parts of southern Missouri, the severe weather toppled trees and power lines, damaging some homes and outbuildings. The weather service said crews were headed out Monday morning to determine whether straight line winds or small tornadoes caused the damage.