Dear editor,As the school issue takes center stage, I would like to propose a few things to ponder.Thomas Bowlus was a forward thinker over 50 years ago when he provided for funding our Fine Arts…

Dear editor,I know that our children and those who teach them need new schools. I also know that we “cannot afford” to turn our backs on $25,000,000 from the state fund we have contributed to…

With October as breast cancer awareness month it’s good to know heart disease kills more women than all forms of cancer.The fight against breast cancer, especially, has gained a national platform because of savvy promotion.The…

Dear editor, My name is Matt Kleopfer, and I have had the great privilege of teaching the students of Iola for the last three years in the high school and middle school bands. This town…

If I could go back in time, I’d choose 1910.Iola had swelled to a population of 11,000. Electric streetcars cling-clanged across town. We had seven hotels and an abundance of stores and restaurants.We even had…

Just like a mama who can’t believe her little boy is now a man, it’s hard to believe the Bowlus Fine Arts Center is 50 years old. Where did the years go? And my, look…

It’s almost becoming old hat; moderate Republicans endorsing Democrats for office.Current Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger last week threw her support behind the campaign of Dennis Anderson, a Democrat running for Praeger’s office.Praeger, a longtime Republican…

In a state as solidly Republican as Kansas, it’s not unusual to have no Democratic opposition.Once Rep. Kent Thompson secured the 9th District Republican primary nomination, it also garnered him a win in the general…

Dear editor,If you vote yes on Nov. 4, 2014, in favor of the new schools the following will happen — Your sales tax will increase one-half percent. This increase would apply, to name a few,…

Gov. Sam Brownback’s campaign sought to shore up rural support this past week with his usual tactic: fear.Brownback and several rural Republican lawmakers announced they were upset that former Sen. John Vratil from Johnson County…