In a state so strapped for cash, Kansas officials are supposedly turning over every rock in the search for available funds. And yet right before them sits more than $1 billion in untapped funds. The…

How Gates Manufacturing decided on locating in Iola 40 years ago is à la Goldilocks and the Three Bears, according to Jerry Skidmore, who at the time was serving as an Iola Commissioner. According to…

Iola High’s commencement Sunday means carefree days of summer aren’t far off — provided you’re young or old enough to be retired. Summer was a time when my buddies and I were free to do…

If you turn off the water, does that end one’s thirst? Of course, not. But that’s the logic Gov. Sam Brownback is using to justify cutting welfare benefits — again. “The results have been very…

Advice for the cynics who portend the doom of Small Town America: Attend a high school graduation. Because there you will see hope and dreams incarnate. At Saturday night’s commencement ceremony at Moran’s Marmaton Valley…

Don’t always follow your dreams, was advice for those about to graduate in an article on Monday’s editorial page. The point was maturity and circumstances often intervene. Don’t let your babies grow up to be…

The biggest fear for fans of the Bowlus Fine Arts Center is that the school district will pull out of its role of managing the Center. That relationship has guaranteed the Bowlus is a routine…

Rep. Virgil Peck, R-Tyro, has filed to run for the Kansas Senate, replacing Sen. Jeff King, R-Independence, who announced last week that he will not run for re-election. Though both Republicans, it would be unfair…

It wasn’t until his hometown hospital was threatened with closure that state Sen. Jeff King, R-Independence, began to show some backbone against the policies of Gov. Sam Brownback. With the announcement that Mercy Hospital was…

Few things are more delightful when the time comes than being able to brag on your grandkids. I’ve done my share, and I’m always eager to give an ear to others. John Brocker stopped by…