Health care reform legislation won’t be enacted “anytime soon,” Sen. Nancy Kassebaum told Iola area residents Saturday night at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. Kassebaum spoke at the Allen County Farm Bureau meeting. “It’s such a huge task. Congress will be debating it most of next year and probably won’t vote on a bill until near the end of the 1994 session,” she predicted.
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Maxine Dreher was recognized as Woman Leader of the Year and Gale Ritter earned an award as Man Leader of the Year at Saturday’s Allen County Farm Bureau annual banquet. The awards were presented by Marjorie Ensminger, chairman of the women’s committee.
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Radon gas has been found in Allen County homes, but that shouldn’t be cause for alarm. Lynn Ranabarger, an air quality specialist with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, thinks concern about the gas might be over-blown. Testing by Allen Countians indicates no need to think radon is likely to be a problem in the area.
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Iola voters gave overwhelming approval Tuesday to an extension of a half- cent sales tax to pay for road and street improvements. The vote was 825 in favor and only 242 opposed, for an approval percentage of 77.2.
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Allen County commissioners this week struck a deal with Southeast Kansas Resource Conservation and Development to dispose of many of the 150,000 worn vehicle tires at the county landfill. At least some of the tires will be burned in Mon- arch Cement Co. kilns in Humboldt as supplemental fuel.
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Terry and Vera Smethers of rural Moran are having success with their emu breeding business, now in its third year.