County roads damaged by detour traffic around a highway construction project at Moran will get a financial boost from the state. The Kansas Department of Transportation agreed to pay for road repairs to several rural roads in the vicinity, in particular Nebraska Road and 4200th Street.  Mitch Garner, the county’s Public Works director, updated commissioners on a recent meeting with representatives of KDOT. The state agreed to pay $3,401 for patching work on a section of Nebraska Road, and another $11,316 for repairs to 4200 Street from Nebraska to New Hampshire roads. Source: The Iola Register

A Kansas school district will pay a former middle school teacher $95,000 to settle a lawsuit she filed after she was disciplined for refusing to use a student’s preferred pronouns, her attorneys announced Wednesday. Pamela Ricard, a former math teacher at Fort Riley Middle School, sued the Geary County School District in March after she was reprimanded and suspended for three days in the spring of 2021. She said the district’s policies on preferred pronouns violated her religious beliefs. Source: The Iola Register

Tentacles of the irrigation-based agriculture economy of Kansas extend far from fields of lush, tall corn to the ethanol producers, dairy and beef facilities, meatpacking plants, and finally the homes of people living in the state’s rural areas. Earl Lewis, chief engineer of water resources with the Kansas Department of Agriculture, told state legislators Monday this chain could be broken in some areas of the state as consumption of groundwater from the Ogallala Aquifer continued to outstrip natural replenishment. “We’ve got a multibillion-dollar industry built on that economy,” said Lewis, pointing to maps showing swaths of western Kansas counties fed by [...]

Iola Speck, a teenager who lives in England, and her father are exploring the city of Iola this week. A few years ago, they Googled her name, discovered the town and decided it would be “quite cool” to visit.... Iola and her father, Ivan, spent two days in Iola as part of a driving tour around the Midwest. They live in Higham, a village near Rochester in Kent, which is in southeast England. They flew into Chicago last week, where they rented a camper van airbrushed in bright colors. It was sure to get attention, and it would be their home [...]

Representatives of USD 257, the Iola Area Chamber of Commerce and others involved in building a new Iola Elementary School gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house on Tuesday evening. Students and their parents were the first to get to tour the new attendance center, before the public was invited later in the evening. Wednesday is the first day of school for Iola schools. Source: The Iola Register

Iola city crews are well on the way to extending a walking trail to the new Iola Elementary School site. Iola Assistant City Administrator Corey Schinstock told City Council members Monday that limestone screenings have been placed along much of the 10-block stretch, from where the MoPac Trail ends near Iola High School to the elementary school site on North Kentucky Street. Next up is to cut out and replace curbs where the trail intersects with the various streets to make it more accessible for bicyclists. Source: The Iola Register

Allen County Clerk Sherrie Riebel is retiring after holding the office for 26 years. Riebel informed commissioners of her decision at Tuesday’s meeting. She said she was submitting a letter of resignation to Gov. Laura Kelly, effective Sept. 30. As county clerk, Riebel carries several responsibilities, perhaps most prominently as the county’s chief elections officer. The county clerk also handles the county’s financial reports; audits budgets and computes tax levies; and maintains records for the County Commission. She was first elected to the post in 1996. She was hired to work in the office as a clerk in 1993. Allen [...]

Iolans have another way to pay their utility bills, City Clerk Roxanne Hutton noted Monday. Customers can manage their utility account and pay through the city’s text messaging service. The service is set up by calling a toll-free number (866) 272-0281, Hutton noted. Customers will receive text reminders about due dates and given the option to pay their bills promptly or on a specific day. The city soon will have its own smart phone app for customers to manage their accounts online as well, Hutton said, much like online users can do at cityofiola.com. Source: The Iola Register [...]

The timing may be a coincidence, with several Iola businesses opening (or reopening) within weeks of each other. But that activity also brings a palpable sense of enthusiasm, notes Jonathan Goering of Thrive Allen County. Goering serves as Thrive’s economic development director for Iola, Allen County and Humboldt, and has watched — and occasionally assisted — as several businesses have opened this summer. The fun started when the owners of Yates Center’s Vaqueros Mexican Restaurant decided to open a second location, Vaqueros II, in the building formerly occupied by the Greenery and Inn Club. That was followed in late May with [...]

The one constant through all the years of Iola sports has been Riverside Park, from harness races in the early years of the 20th century, to track meets ball games and swimming competitions today. Riverside Park once looked nothing like it does today. Not even close. Longtime Iolan Donna Houser and Riverside Park aficionado gave this newcomer an overview of the park’s history and its significance. In fact, the stadium’s Mustang locker room is named after her late husband, Ray, a longtime football coach. The Iola High School class of 1987 was instrumental in its removation. “We moved to Iola 68 [...]