Master gardener shares winter tips

Now is the latest one should plant bulbs for winter, said Master Gardener Tracy Keagle. Keagle, who ran a yard care business in Iola from 1985-2000, became familiar with common mistakes people made preparing their gardens for winter, she said.  Common bulb mistakes, she said, included planting bulbs too shallow and tying back their foliage once they are past bloom. Bulbs should always be planted at a depth that is 2 1/2 times the width of the bulb. “If a bulb is 1 inch across, plant it 2 1/2 inches deep,” she said. Tulip bulbs, which are usually wider, are typically planted at about 6 inches deep. Yet this late in the season, she said, it’s OK to plant 1 inch closer to the surface than one normally would.  Plant bulbs in clumps, Keagle advised. “You can mix them up. Plant tulip bulbs at 6 inches deep, then cover them with an inch of soil and plant smaller bulbs on top of that.” Such groupings look more natural, she noted. Keagle suggested preparing a hole “about the size of a dinner plate” in the flower bed for such groupings. Bulbs planted together will all come up at the same time, she said, with similar bloom times.  After they are done blooming, Keagle said, do not tie back or cut down foliage. “You want the air to circualte around them” and foliage to remain until it yellows and dies back on its own to ensure the bulbs store enough energy to rebloom the following year.  Instead of single rows of bulbs, Keagle suggested planting bulbs amidst beds of later-blooming perennials to obscure foliage during late spring . But, she noted, “Always snap the old head — the flower, stem and all — when the flower starts to fade.” This, too, she said, will push energy from the leaves back into the bulb for the coming year. Bulbs can be planted as long as the ground can be worked and has not frozen, Keagle said. Those planted later may bloom later the first year, “but they’ll catch up” and bloom on a normal schedule in subsequent years, provided foliage is allowed to grow so the bulb can store energy, she said. KEAGLE BECAME involved in landscaping by happenstance, she said. “When I was in my 20s, a neighbor of mine, an older gentleman, was telling me about a book he was reading about leading a successful life.” When she asked him what money-making schemes the book espoused, he told her “It’s not about money. A susccessful life is one in which you are happy.”  A friend told Keagle if that’s the case, she should find a job planting flowers. The chance came. On one of her regualr walks, Keagle said she saw an elderly woman with an unkempt yard — one that had obviously been cared for in the past. The woman said the lawn care man she hired had never shown up, and her health prevented her doing the job herself. Keagle volunteered, spending the day mowing, trimming and putting things in order. When she went to leave, the woman paid her.  A business was born. “At one time, I probably had 70 lawns to mow,” Keagel said. “I never used a riding mower.” And, she said, “I’ve probably planted 10,000 bulbs in my life.” The work kept Keagle fit and trim, as well as busy, but a fall from a roof five years ago curtailed her ability to do yard work. “I’m not supposed to lift anything over two pounds,” she said. Still, she readily shares her knowledge.  Another trick to perfect bulbs, Keagle said, is to feed them — not at planting, as many suspect, but when they first blooom. Keagle suggests using “Miracle Grow or other common liquid fertilizer.” And, she said, "don't use bone meal -- it will attract animals" that will dig up the bulbs. "Do add phospohorous," she said. Phosphorous is essential for blooming. Ozmacoat or another slow-release granular fertilizer can alos be put on bulbs once they begin to bloom, Keagle said. "That's not going to activate until it gets warmer out," but it will help feed the leaves to ensure future blooming, she noted. Additional tips shared by Keagle include preparing yards for upcoming freezing temperatures. "There's really not much to do," she said. "Don't cut grass before winter. And I wouldn't clean any leaves off, but I'd mow them up and scatter them on the garden and lawn. A couple good mowings will chop them up and they act as a natural mulch." In addition, she said, "leave crepe myrtle and mum tops on the plants to self mulch." Other lawn tips Keagle shared were letting grass get taller than most people allow. This protects it from sunburn and lets it green up easier, she noted. Mainly, she said, pay attention to soil. "If you fix that soil the way soil is supposed to be" -- full of organic matter and not compacted -- "you really don't have to do a lot to it."

Change for the better at Colony Christian

By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK

anne@iolaregister.com

two pics

COLONY — “I feel like a used pew salesman,” said the self-effacing pastor of Colony Christian Church. 

Indeed, in a way, he is.

Pastor Mark McCoy said the church is offering its collection of pews — all 20-some  — to any and all takers who pony up 50 bucks apiece for the hard, wooden 10-foot-long benches. About 10 have been spoken for so far, McCoy said.

Although the pews’ seats appear padded, they don’t feel it. The harvest-gold upholstery hides nary an ounce of softness. One sits down with a thud.

“They’d be great as a hall bench,” McCoy suggests. 

Colony Christian is replacing the pews with more “functional” seating: interlocking — and padded — chairs.

“There are several people with back problems” who will benefit from the change, McCoy said. In addition, “we’re trying to accommodate young families in the back.”

Seven pews converge at an acute angle in the back of the church, where families with small children like to sit, he said. 

“It’s near the restrooms; it’s near the doors if they have to get up.” 

Also, the space is set aside from the rest of the sanctuary, making a perfect room-within-a-room where kids could run and babies crawl — providing there was floor space to do so. 

Only about a foot separates row ends. Set aslant, even that feels cramped.

Once all the pews are sold, McCoy said, the money will go toward purchasing the supportive chairs that can stand in rows, clusters, circles or “whatever configuration is needed at the time,” McCoy said.

That will also allow a center aisle in the church “should we ever want to have a wedding or funeral,” McCoy noted.

At present, three banks of pews mean walkways are right and left of the altar.

The change is part of an ongoing effort to bring the church into the present, McCoy said.

Also planned is updating the 70s-style wood paneling to “something more modern,” he said, unsure of what that would be.

McCoy isn’t being intentionally vague — the church really doesn’t have a grand master plan, but instead has been making improvements as finances allow.

“We just got central heat and air,” he said of the most recent change to the 116-year-old building. That was but a few months ago. 

“We had resonant heaters before that,” he said, akin to gas space heaters in the wall. The new system “is nice,” and should evenly heat the sanctuary.

Additional changes made over the almost six years McCoy has been on board include an updated sound system with computer to present sermons and Scripture on a drop down screen.

“The screen was here when I came,” he said, but wasn’t very usable without support equipment.

Improvements in the church basement, used as nursery and kitchen, include freshly painted cabinets — “even though they look old,” he said. Upstairs, “We used to have ugly old yellow curtains,” where now are cream-colored venetian blinds. 

MCCOY DOESN’T mind that the transformation is coming about slowly. That it is happening at all is positive, he said.

Colony Christian Church, with a weekly attendance that ranges from 40 to 90, has been flourishing since McCoy arrived.

The young pastor — he’s 29 — was fresh out of Ozark Christian College when he accepted the job pastoring a church that was down to 12 members. 

“In another week it would have been down to seven,” he added. Previous differences between church leadership and body led to the decline, he said.

McCoy has worked hard at bringing the congregation together.

The church has instituted small group meetings each Sunday night reviewing material presented on Sunday morning.

“A lot of people forget what was preached on Sunday morning by Sunday afternoon,” he said. He admits he has been one of them — even when he did the preaching.

So he started “Infusion,” a study group for leaders who then share the materials with congregants throughout the week.

“We believe leadership is shepherding. We really steer away from leaders being decision makers,” he said, instead allowing decisions to be weighed by the whole congregation.

“In so many churches,” McCoy said, “the leaders will make a decision, but they’re not connected to the people.” Those outcomes, he said, cause division. But, McCoy said, “Church isn’t a business, it’s a family.”

And so, “I try not to micromanage,” he said, but instead encourage involvement of all church members.

“We’re trying to get back to the New Testament,” he said. “We try to focus on the people. We start out by listening. We focus on truth in a relational context.” 

Church, he said, is not about a building, but developing relationships and changing one’s own heart. 

Still, he noted, “We live in a culture where impressions matter.” Thus the physical improvements.

The idea to modernize the church actually came from the congregation, he said. 

“I had a lady say, ‘We update our houses, but we never update our church.’” So through savings and donations, the process began.

“We’ve got some really generous people,” McCoy said of the congregation, which draws people from all ages and directions.

“If you look in any direction for 15 to 16 miles, we have people coming from there,” he said. 

Members come from “Humboldt, Garnett, Moran, Kincaid, Iola, Westphalia and” — even — “Colony. We want to be as far-reaching as we can be,” McCoy said.

To that end, the Infusion group is working. “We have some people who are not members here who come to the small groups, so we’re having an impact on their churches, too.”

Overall, McCoy said, “It’s a community effort, it’s not just a Colony church.”

THOSE interested in securing a pew can call McCoy at 620-852-3200.

11/24/10

Nurse prefers geriatrics

By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK

anne@iolaregister.com

Becky French, a registered nurse practitioner, has been working in the nursing field “for almost 30 years now,” she said. This summer, she completed schooling to specialize in geriatric care.

“I took a year of time” to complete the program, French said. “It’s 100 hours of class time — I took a lot of it online. Then I read books — over and over again,” she said.

The alternative, she said, was leaving Iola for schooling, which could take two years.

French accelerated her efforts, passing the certification exam after 12 months of study.

French, who has two children at home, said her family was very supportive of her efforts. She and her husband Steven have six additional children in their combined family. 

“Most of them live close,” she said. “They’re in and out. It’s Grand Central,” she said of her home.

FRENCH’S interest in elderly patients is not new. Early into her three and a half years at Iola’s The Family Physicians, “I asked to do the nursing home rounds,” she said.

“I’ve always enjoyed working with the elderly,” French added. “I just feel a lot of life experience can be learned from them; there’s a lot of wisdom they can share if we just stop and listen.”

Her own grandfather was close to 100 when he died, she said.

“Geriatric nursing focuses on keeping the aging patient well,” French explained, “and handling not only chronic diseases but acute diseases and prevention,” she said. “It’s about improving overall quality of life.”

Geriatrics is also a growing field, acknowledged French. 

There are predicted to be 80 million seniors over the age of 65 by 2050, she said. Nationally, seniors make up 12 percent of the population. That percentage is also expected to grow.

In Allen County, 18 percent of the 13,000 residents are over 65.

“We have a very steadily growing population of geriatrics,” French said. “Keeping them well is a challenge.”

It was that challenge that lured French to specialize in geriatric care.

“I do a lot of nursing home rounds and it was a big challenge, all the medications,” that seniors tend to take, she said. That “polypharmacy” aspect of so many seniors’ lives was one reason French “decided I wanted to learn more” about their care, she said.

“Maybe we can look at what’s really necessary” and cut down on the number of pills the aged have to take each day, she said

At The Family Physicians, French said, all “mid level and above” staff consult together as needed about patients. That approach allows for the kind of care she learned seniors, especially, need.

Because physicians pool their talents, French said, her new certification “expands our knowledge and adds to our knowledge as a practice.”

“I’m very  blessed to be working in this environment,” she said. “We all work as a team.”

In her job, French sees older patients every day, sometimes all day.

“I saw the challenges” associated with their care “and I wanted to meet those challenges,” she said. With her combination of nurse practitioner and geriatric training, “I’m dual prepared,” she said.

“I decided I was going to be a nurse when I was 18,” French said. “It was a calling. I love it. It is definitely a passion.” 

That passion now extends to geriatric care.

nov. 2010

Books are back at Iola Public Library

Books are being restored to refaced shelves. New chairs, tables and lighting awaits. In another week or so, Iolans and Allen Countians will be able to take in the changes at the renovated Iola Public Library, 218 E. Madison Ave.

The main library has been closed for seven months while interior and roofing work was completed.

While the stacks will look familiar to patrons, other changes will be apparent from the moment one steps through the doors.

Instead of a solitary entryway, passages now divide adult and child users. Handicapped-accessible doors allow push-button entry.

The doors, library Director Roger Carswell noted, are slightly harder to pull open initially, but then “magic assist” kicks in, opening the doors with a gentle sweep to all.

For those unable to pull the doors at all, a shiny steel push button is at arm level, which will open the doors without further effort.

One inside, a newly configured checkout area awaits all patrons. 

Librarians now face away from the main doors in a semi-circular desk area that also has been made ADA compliant.

Also suiting Americans with Disabilities Act regulations are renovated restrooms with newly added toddler restraints and baby changing stations — for patrons of both genders.

A coffee nook is nestled beside the periodical racks. Self-serve coffee will be brewing throughout the day, with a couple cafe tables where patrons can sit and sip and read.

In the southwest corner of the adult section will be a couple lounge chairs and small couch, Carswell said, a perfect hideaway for relaxing in the warm sunlight streaming through nearby windows.

Computers stations will be scattered throughout the library, Carswell said, while the youth section has been slightly enlarged and given new furniture to make it a more distinct space.

On the main stacks, the new face panels will boast removable display racks. 

Eye catching signs will direct users throughout the building, to their favorite reading materials o other amenities.

Next up for renovation will be the west end of the library, which has been serving as the main user room while remodeling was going on. 

“The plan is to try to get the outside work done before the weather changes” too dramatically, Carswell said,.

“During this next portion, all out public library portions (of the building) will be in their usual places,” Carswell said. 

In the last phase, customers will see refreshing of the genealogical collection room and children’s department.

Until books are reshelved, patrons may access new additions and periodicals at the Flewharty-Powell annex across the alley form the library. Other materials may be placed on hold through the library’s website, http://iola.mykansaslibrary.org, and will be retrieved for pick up at the annex by library staff.

Hours at the Flewharty-Powell annex are weekdays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 5-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

The annex will also be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday.

Carswell expects the main library to reopen by Thursday of next week.

FUNDS for the $839,000 renovation came from a Communtiy Development Block Grant, library savings and the City of Iola. The library had saved $93,000 towards the project; $400,000 came from the CDBG and the city provided $346,000.

11/16/10

Picnic proves popular at McKinley

By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK

anne@iolaregister.com

Eight students at McKinley Elementary got to skip the hullabaloo of the lunchroom Wednesday and ate instead in the company of their principal at a table covered in checkered cloth, bedecked with vases of daisies and a plate of colorful cookies.

Had it not been raining, students said, the festive picnic would have been outdoors.

Each month, Principal Lori Maxwell hosts a “picnic with the principal” for students selected from their peers as exemplars of good behavior.

Classroom teachers make the selections, one student from each class per month, Maxwell said.

Students are not chosen twice, so the honor can be passed around, but three of the eight at Wednesday’s luncheon had enjoyed the privilege last year, they said. 

“It’s because we’re good students,” volunteered Danae Cartright.

The picnics have been taking place each month for the past eight to 10 years, Maxwell said, before she joined the school. McKinley is the only USD 257 school to host the special gatherings.

On Wednesday, students shared corn dogs, tri-taters, coleslaw and applesauce — the standard cafeteria lunch tray. Extra was a plate of bright orange cookies provided by Maxwell as a treat.

“It’s very nice to take some of the students to have lunch with the principal,” Danae said. With the smaller, intimate atmosphere of a shared table, “you get to know other people better,” she said. 

Some of the students had never met, Maxwell pointed out, because different class levels dine at different times.

Like any proper luncheon, the students shared quiet conversation — at this meal about holiday plans and their favorite Thanksgiving foods. Talk of their favorite activities led Breanna Northcutt to explain, “After a weekend of playing sports, it gets exhausting.”

The students also received a certificate indicating their participation in the meal. Tyler Boeken said that attending one of the meals is   something students strive for. “It’s special,” he noted.

After lunch, students played a game similar to duck, duck, goose that Maxwell taught them. 

Enjoying their picnic with the principal were: Kindergartners Austin Hatton and Emma McCormack; first grader Braxton Curry; second graders Tyler Boeken, Danae Cartright and Logan Preston; and third graders Breanna Northcutt and Elizabeth Scott.

11/26/10

Meat market opens

By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK

Register Reporter

We’ve all heard that the family that plays together, stays together. The Bolling family, who own and operate Moran Locker, know the same is true of work.

The family recently unlocked the doors of their newest venture, Bolling’s Meat Market, at 201 S. State St. in Iola.

Family members Sharon, Seth, Cara and Mitch Bolling, plus Lucciano Cardona, will run the retail market.

Business hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours may expand as business dictates. 

The store opened quietly Saturday, but plans are for a grand opening sometime soon, Sharon said.

Available are retail packages of beef, pork and chicken, along with specialty meats such as tongue, liver, heart and fresh side, Sharon said. “We had a lot of people ask about those,” she noted. 

Unlike a grocery meat counter, everything will be packaged fresh in-store, Sharon said.

“We will cut to order,” Cara said. Pork chops, for example, can be purchased as 1 inch, 1 1/2 inch, or any other preferred thickness, she said.

Ground beef, chops, steaks, chicken and various cuts of beef will be daily staples.

“It’s just like an old-fashioned meat market where you go to the local butcher every day and choose what you are going to fix,” Sharon said.  

For those who don’t feel like cooking, cold cuts, deli meats and cheeses will also be available for purchase by the pound.

The selection of meats will vary somewhat day to day, but always be fresh, Cara said. In addition, people can order the popular Moran Locker meat bundles. 

“It’s the exact same bundle for the exact same price,” Cara noted.

Meats in the bundles are double-wrapped and quick frozen for freezer longevity, Sharon explained. “A year from now, you go to open that package and it’s just as red and fresh as it is today,” she said.

Meats are packaged in usable portions, she added. “You don’t get one 12 pound chub of ground beef, you get six two-pound packages of ground beef. It’s designed for one meal for two, four or six people,” she said of the portion sizes.

As much as possible, meats will be raised locally.

“We really believe in buying local, eating local and getting the freshest product you can,” Cara said. Plus, she added of buying locally, “It’s good for everybody. It keeps your neighbors employed.”

THE IOLA store marks the fourth generation of meat cutters and processors in the Bolling family. 

“Our grandparents,” Chub and Helen Bolling, “own Bronson Locker,” Cara said. Before that, Chub’s father Ted was a traveling butcher and butchered for Bronson locker as well, Sharon said.

Meat will not be butchered at the Bolling’s Meat Market. That will still be done in Moran, and in Bronson for fowl, Cara said.

Seasonally available meats will include smoked turkey and pit hams, also called holiday hams, Sharon said. Regular smoked hams will be available year-round, she added. 

Other offerings include beef bones for pets or soup stock, Cara said. “They’re cut straight from the animal and put in the bag,” she said. 

“We’ll also be selling Cheesecake Factory cheesecakes,” Cara said. The cheesecakes, which weigh 10 pounds, are available whole and are sold frozen. Flavors will vary on a daily basis, Seth noted, and will be offered at half the price they would be at the Cheesecake Factory itself, thanks to the fact that Cara and Cardona, both former Cheesecake factory employees, were able to secure bulk pricing on the treats. 

And, “After the first of the year, we’ll get a food service license which will allow us to serve deli sandwiches and cheesecake by the slice,” Cara said.

THE BOLLINGS spent about three months remodeling the location, which had been vacant since 2008. 

“Everything’s brand new,” Cara said. “The only thing we kept was the floor tile and we had to replace some of them. We’ve done work with the refrigeration and put in blinds to keep the building cool.” A ventilation system was added to siphon heat produced by the many freezers in the store. A tin style ceiling was added as well.

“Every inspection is done, everything passed,” Cara said. 

The building — bigger inside than out — is conveniently located at the corner of Madison and State streets. The location should serve to bring in customers, Sharon said, noting some customers in Moran drive from as far away as Kansas City, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

To serve such distance customers better, Bolling’s Meat Market will begin offering Internet sales in the spring.

“We will be able to ship nationwide because all of our product is Kansas state inspected,” Cara said. “Our goal is for you to be able to order online and ship it to your home.” 

The overall goal of Bolling’s Meat Market, Seth added, is simple: “Quality products at quality prices.” 

Cardona offers bilingual service, Spanish and English, for clients as well, Sharon said.

The number for Bolling Meat Market, active after Oct. 23, will be 365-MEAT. The fax number, currently working as a phone line, is 380-6070. 

11-01-10

City commission to meet at night

Iola’s city commission will begin meeting at 6 p.m. starting Dec. 14, commissioners decided Tuesday.

Mayor Bill Maness and Commissioner Bill Shirley approved the new meeting time. Commissioner Craig Abbott was absent.

Maness has long proposed the evening meeting time, saying it would allow more public participation.

The change should allow prospective candidates for the council — eight seats plus a mayor will be up for grabs in April’s election — time to attend at least a couple of meetings before the end of the filing deadline, Maness said. 

Prospective candidates will have until noon Jan. 25 to file, whether by petition bearing an as-yet-undetermined number of voter signatures, or by paying a $10 filing fee. 

City Attorney Chuck Apt said new council members will serve without pay. A charter ordinance could proclaim otherwise.

Should the new council vote to pay themselves, such action would not take effect until after the next election, unless they passed an additional charter ordinances altering that, Apt said.

Commissioners discussed whether Iola should re-establish a dedicated animal control officer, and, if so, should that position be full or part-time and under the auspices of law enforcement or code enforcement departments.

Police Chief Jared Warner noted that, to date this year, the department responded to 702 calls for service regarding animal control issues. Those calls led to 50 actual cases being filed, mainly for animal cruelty and some for dog bites, he said. Warner said also that more dogs are being reclaimed by their owners than in years past.

Last year, a total of 873 calls were received, but only 45 cases were filed. 

“We are generating more cases,” Warner said, although action on calls regarding nuisance wildlife is harder without a dedicated officer.

Such calls, mainly for skunks, are referred to Heinrich Pest Control.

Shirley expressed concern that that puts the onus of paying for removal of a nuisance animal on a homeowner. 

Heinrich apparently doesn’t charge much for the service, Warner said. 

When the former animal control officer left in May of 2009, the position was left vacant because the city was seeking to save money, said Judy Brigham, city administrator. It costs between $65,000 and $68,000 per year to maintain an animal control officer, she said, factoring in salary, fuel and other expenses.

One possibility might be to contract out such services, Maness said. “We are responsible for having animal control, but we don’t have to do it directly,” he said.

Citizen Ray Shannon inquired about changing a proposed dog park site from south of Elm Creek, which he proclaimed “isolated.”

Brigham said the city was considering land it already owns, which is already fenced, at the base of an unused water tower in the center of town. 

The site met with approval.

Shannon also inquired about cars refusing to stop for pedestrians, especially those crossing Madison Avenue near the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. 

Warner said he will look into the expense of installing pedestrian crossing signs in the area to alert drivers that they must — by law — stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk. 

Apt remarked “It’s the law — they have to stop.” 

The fact is, Shannon remarked, they are not.

In other action, the commission accepted a bid from Heartland Midwest LLC of Olathe for installation of sanitary sewer in the Cedarbrook third addition which will allow for continued development of the area.

Commissioners also accepted a recommendation from Cory Schinstock,  to hire a survey of land in the 1700 block of East Street that has repeated drainage issues. Installing specially built rectangular concrete pipe to drain the area will run about $100,000 Schinstock said. “We don’t know completely what needs to be done,” Apt said, adding “we need to have a survey done.”

The drainage issues “has needed to be done or some time,” Schinstock said.

The city also approved purchase of new billing software for the Emergency Management Services  department in the amount of $2,995. The software is compatible with current city software and will allow for generation of more reports or greater complexity. Money for the purchase will come form the EMS fund, Brigham said.

“I searched other cities and this was the most popular software” for EMS billing City Clerk Roxanne Hutton said.

nov. 24 2010

Numbers tell the need: ACARF full after four months

Only two dogs have been euthanized at the Allen County Rescue Facility due to aggressive behavior, Director Andie DePriest wanted Allen Countians to know. Only 12 more have been put down, total, in the four months the shelter has been open. 

All were euthanized because they were too sick to be saved, DePriest noted. 

“I don’t euthanize for space,” she said of the difficult topic. 

But people, she said, “will bring a dog in that is so sick it can’t be treated, or it is injured so badly it cannot be helped,” she noted.

Sammy, who lies under DePriest’s office desk, is proof that any dog that can be saved, is.

Sammy was the first dog the shelter accepted, DePriest said. He was so timid he would not let anyone near him.

Now, she said, “he goes outside on walks — without a leash. He chases a ball, and comes back when I call.”

The dog, probably neglected for years, is “a keeper,” DePriest said.

And so it is that ACARF, so young, is already at full capacity. 

57 dogs are currently at the shelter; at least 10 more are on a waiting list to come, she said. Since opening July 7, 

164 dogs have been brought to the LaHarpe shelter. That’s 41 a month, more than one per day.

Some, like a batch of newborns in a back room, come together. 

“She was dumped pregnant,” DePriest said of the white Parson Russell terrier. A family noticed her roaming, and very swollen, and paid the $20 surrender fee to have the shelter take her in — even though she was not their dog, DePriest said.

The little white dog, looking aged and tired, gave birth her first night at the shelter. Her pups are just a day old. Yet if the right person or family came along, she could go home to someone who might treat her better than whoever it was who put her out.

Another dog, a large black and white hound cross, looks mournfully up from his cage. He had a family who cared for him, but their living situation changed, and they were forced to give him up. They cared enough to pay his adoption fee, DePriest said.

Chico is neutered and all his shots are current. “You could walk in the door and walk right out with him if your references checked out,” DePriest said. 

Instead, he, too, has been at the shelter since it opened. 

He is large, middle-aged and a black dog: the hardest to adopt out, DePriest said.

And he is another mouth to feed.

That feed does not come cheap, DePriest said, admitting she has not tabulated the daily cost of feeding all the dogs and cats at the shelter. 

“I don’t want to know,” she said, lest she get depressed at the cost of operating the state-of-the-art shelter.

“When we opened, we had budgeted enough to get us through six months of food,” she said.

Come January, she plans to apply for assistance from pet food companies Hills and Pedigree, which both assist shelters that have been operation at least six months with feed costs, she said. 

Until then, operating funds come from donations and fees paid to the shelter to take in strays and unwanted pets.

The fee, noted board member Art Chapman, would be considered low if people understood all it did.

ACARF charges municipalities $75 for each dog it takes in. Individuals pay $20.

“I hate for people in the country to get stuck with dogs that others dump,” Chapman said. “We wanted to keep the charge reasonable so people could afford to bring these animals in.”

Sadly, some merely dump their dogs anyway, Chapman said. “It is a problem.”

The surrender fee pays for medical care, shots and exams for the animals, Chapman said.

It also houses and feeds them.

“There’s other things,” DePriest noted, “that people don’t think about.”

Things like hand sanitizer, leashes, paper towels, electric bills and the like, she said. “Even if we have food covered, we don’t have kitty litter covered.”

“We’re running short $2,000 to $3,000 a month,” Chapman said.

But he isn’t complaining. 

“People have been so good on donating,” he said. 

“It’s like any other business when you first start up,” he added. “I think in three to four years we’ll have grants coming in and bequest made, but it’s going to take time.”

If support is shown through time, ACARF has supporters.

Full-time volunteer Janice Porter “keeps me in line,” DePriest said. School groups help, as well. 

Iola Middle School has two Service Learning classes that each come twice a week, and ANW Special Education Cooperative’s high school work program drops in daily to walk dogs, do laundry and the like. They are also training to take dogs and cats into nursing homes, to socialize the animals, DePriest said.

The middle schoolers walk and bathe young dogs, DePriest said, familiarizing puppies with the sort of handling they will receive when adopted.

And many dogs are adopted, DePriest noted.

Since opening, 60 dogs have been adopted, 18 returned to owners, and 12 were sent to breed rescue foundations.

Two cats were adopted out Wednesday, for a total of 24 since opening. In that time, 55 were taken in. Cats, too, are on a waiting list as all cages are full.

But, both Chapman and DePriest noted, people have been good about fostering animals until there is space available.

“If I could videotape what goes on in here for a week, both good and bad, people would be amazed,” by the stories of those surrendering pets, DePriest said.

Some animals are neglected, and some stories, she said, break your heart. 

One man came in just before closing Wednesday to surrender his family cat. His wife had just entered a nursing home, and he didn’t have the ability to care for he animal, he said. He did have her spayed to save the shelter and her future owner that cost.

 All ACARF animals are listed on two websites, DePriest said. Robyn Porter donates her services as photographer and posts animals at petfinder.com. Mary Ann Dvorachek handles the ACARF website, www.acarf.com.

Through the sites, adopters have come from as far away as Colorado and Arkansas to give homes to Allen County animals.

“They wouldn’t know about us if it weren’t for petfinder,” DePriest said of the website that allows potential owners to search for particular breeds anywhere in the U.S.

Add as insert box: Pet lovers can show their support for ACARF at a soup supper this evening from 4 to 7 at Trinity Untied Methodist Church, corner of Broadway and Kentucky in Iola. Dinners include soup or chili, cornbread, pie and beverage. Carry out is available.

11/05/10

Garden flourishing this fall

By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK

anne@iolaregister.com

Changes are afoot — again — at Elm Creek Community Garden.

These most recent improvements come courtesy of a University of Kansas grant, Call Construction, Diebolt Lumber and artists Tracy Kiegle and Jim Smith.

All told, grants from the University of Kansas added up to more than $8,000, garden founder Carolyn McLean said. 

Almost $1,300 came from KU’s Center for Research. The funds were a continuance of an Inclusive Gardening Project award ECCG had been given to enhance outreach to those with physical handicaps or living below poverty level. In addition to the funds, McLean said “KU also gave us handicap-adaptable tools. They filled our car front and back with them.”

Additional funds went to widen the main drive through the garden, from 12 to 16 feet, noted Garden Coordinator John Richards. Dog House Concrete, LaHarpe, is doing that work, along with installing a 20-foot long concrete box culvert at the north entrance to the road.

Once road construction is finished, two large wagon wheels will be placed on each side of the drive at both the north and south entrances to notify drivers of the drop offs there. The wheels are being refurbished by Twin Motors Ford. 

“They normally don’t” do that sort of work, McLean said, “but they did it as a donation for us.”

Dog House also installed a crushed gravel pad for a new storage shed, which is being provided by Diebolt Lumber, LaHarpe. The shed, designed to look like a farm house, will be surrounded by a white picket fence with an arbor entrance. “It will be the exact same fence and arbor as at the Wayne Garrett Memorial Children’s Garden,” McLean noted. The fence and arbor at the new SAFE BASE-coordinated children’s garden, at the corner of Sycamore and Lincoln streets, were also installed by Diebolt Lumber.

While the shed — which will also sport a four-foot porch where gardeners can rest in the shade — is being loaned to ECCG by Diebolt, the fence and arbor are being paid for with KU funds.

The look is part of a bucolic farm theme selected for the garden. To enhance that look, small concrete animals are being painted in realistic fashion and will be scattered amidst the benches and picnic shelters — also new additions to the garden.

In keeping with the farm theme, existing garden sheds were painted by Jim Smith to mimic barns.

The unified look will help Richards in efforts to educate children about growing food, McLean said. In addition, a cistern pump, a kitchen pump, a regular hand pump, push-type garden cultivator and vintage mail box — all old farm staples — were donated by Jay and Wilma Sloan of Garnett. 

McLean would still like to locate an old farm wagon as well, she said. 

ALONG WITH the beautification, work is being done to the plots themselves, Richards noted.

Leaves composted after last fall’s city leaf pick up are being added to rows A and B at the garden to build humus levels and enhance drainage by raising the beds and giving them a more mounded structure.

Additional leaves are needed, Richards said, and can be brought loose or bagged to the garden. “They’ll see where to dump them,” he said of the obvious piles of leaves and bags on the west side of the driveway.

One caveat: “We can only take leaves,” Richards noted. “We can’t use trash.”

Also to enhance soil quality, three loads of manure have been purchased and delivered from Strickler Dairy; a fourth will be delivered soon.

All the changes have led to increased interest in the gardens, McLean noted. “The number of applications coming in” from people interested in “plots for next year is amazing,” she said.

McLean emphasized that anyone can garden at Elm Creek. 

The annual plot fee of $20 provides gardeners with seeds, water, tool use, training and hands-on help, she said. For those unable to pay or living below poverty level, the garden fee is waived, she said. Applications can be picked up by calling McLean at 365-5577, or by stopping by the garden, at the corner of South First and Vine streets, where they are hanging at the back of the small garden shed.

BECAUSE THE garden has always been a labor of love, a small memorial plot is also being established at Elm Creek.

Corian markers will be engraved by WIlliams Monument. So far, four have been spoken for. They will be placed in honor of Michael Diebolt, Connie McRae, Viki Lucas and Jeanie Larson. The latter two women created the first ECCG sign, McLean said, refurbished last year by Kiegle. Contact McLean for more information on the markers.

11/04/10

Meat market opens

By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK

Register Reporter

We’ve all heard that the family that plays together, stays together. The Bolling family, who own and operate Moran Locker, know the same is true of work.

The family recently unlocked the doors of their newest venture, Bolling’s Meat Market, at 201 S. State St. in Iola.

Family members Sharon, Seth, Cara and Mitch Bolling, plus Lucciano Cardona, will run the retail market.

Business hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hours may expand as business dictates. 

The store opened quietly Saturday, but plans are for a grand opening sometime soon, Sharon said.

Available are retail packages of beef, pork and chicken, along with specialty meats such as tongue, liver, heart and fresh side, Sharon said. “We had a lot of people ask about those,” she noted. 

Unlike a grocery meat counter, everything will be packaged fresh in-store, Sharon said.

“We will cut to order,” Cara said. Pork chops, for example, can be purchased as 1 inch, 1 1/2 inch, or any other preferred thickness, she said.

Ground beef, chops, steaks, chicken and various cuts of beef will be daily staples.

“It’s just like an old-fashioned meat market where you go to the local butcher every day and choose what you are going to fix,” Sharon said.  

For those who don’t feel like cooking, cold cuts, deli meats and cheeses will also be available for purchase by the pound.

The selection of meats will vary somewhat day to day, but always be fresh, Cara said. In addition, people can order the popular Moran Locker meat bundles. 

“It’s the exact same bundle for the exact same price,” Cara noted.

Meats in the bundles are double-wrapped and quick frozen for freezer longevity, Sharon explained. “A year from now, you go to open that package and it’s just as red and fresh as it is today,” she said.

Meats are packaged in usable portions, she added. “You don’t get one 12 pound chub of ground beef, you get six two-pound packages of ground beef. It’s designed for one meal for two, four or six people,” she said of the portion sizes.

As much as possible, meats will be raised locally.

“We really believe in buying local, eating local and getting the freshest product you can,” Cara said. Plus, she added of buying locally, “It’s good for everybody. It keeps your neighbors employed.”

THE IOLA store marks the fourth generation of meat cutters and processors in the Bolling family. 

“Our grandparents,” Chub and Helen Bolling, “own Bronson Locker,” Cara said. Before that, Chub’s father Ted was a traveling butcher and butchered for Bronson locker as well, Sharon said.

Meat will not be butchered at the Bolling’s Meat Market. That will still be done in Moran, and in Bronson for fowl, Cara said.

Seasonally available meats will include smoked turkey and pit hams, also called holiday hams, Sharon said. Regular smoked hams will be available year-round, she added. 

Other offerings include beef bones for pets or soup stock, Cara said. “They’re cut straight from the animal and put in the bag,” she said. 

“We’ll also be selling Cheesecake Factory cheesecakes,” Cara said. The cheesecakes, which weigh 10 pounds, are available whole and are sold frozen. Flavors will vary on a daily basis, Seth noted, and will be offered at half the price they would be at the Cheesecake Factory itself, thanks to the fact that Cara and Cardona, both former Cheesecake factory employees, were able to secure bulk pricing on the treats. 

And, “After the first of the year, we’ll get a food service license which will allow us to serve deli sandwiches and cheesecake by the slice,” Cara said.

THE BOLLINGS spent about three months remodeling the location, which had been vacant since 2008. 

“Everything’s brand new,” Cara said. “The only thing we kept was the floor tile and we had to replace some of them. We’ve done work with the refrigeration and put in blinds to keep the building cool.” A ventilation system was added to siphon heat produced by the many freezers in the store. A tin style ceiling was added as well.

“Every inspection is done, everything passed,” Cara said. 

The building — bigger inside than out — is conveniently located at the corner of Madison and State streets. The location should serve to bring in customers, Sharon said, noting some customers in Moran drive from as far away as Kansas City, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

To serve such distance customers better, Bolling’s Meat Market will begin offering Internet sales in the spring.

“We will be able to ship nationwide because all of our product is Kansas state inspected,” Cara said. “Our goal is for you to be able to order online and ship it to your home.” 

The overall goal of Bolling’s Meat Market, Seth added, is simple: “Quality products at quality prices.” 

Cardona offers bilingual service, Spanish and English, for clients as well, Sharon said.

The number for Bolling Meat Market, active after Oct. 23, will be 365-MEAT. The fax number, currently working as a phone line, is 380-6070. 

11/01/10

Cunningham cooks for a crowd

By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK

anne@iolaregister.com

Betty Cunningham has been cooking for a small crowd each night — and noon, and morning — for most of the last 30 years.

Cunningham, an Iola mother of 12, five of whom are still at home, learned by necessity how to stretch a budget and stretch a meal.

“I have to watch for sales and I buy in big quantities” when such sales are on, Cunningham said. She also noted that “I stay away from the expensive things like steak” and instead builds meals around more-affordable meats such as burger and chicken.

Mainly, she noted, “I do a lot of cooking from scratch to save money.”

Almost every day at the Cunningham house, something is baking in the oven, be it bread or rolls or homemade pizza.

“It’s tempting, when you walk through a grocery store, to buy cinnamon rolls and stuff, but then I think, I can make that for much cheaper,” Cunningham said.

A dedicated Iolan, Cunningham doesn’t drive up north to shop big box stores, but secures all her necessities locally. The furthest her family ventures is Chanute, where her husband works and will pick up groceries afterward. 

“He’s learned what to look for, what price range,” she said of her husband’s efforts.

“It’s funny, so many times I’ll think I need a certain item, but I didn’t tell him, and he’ll come home and say ‘Oh, I got eggs for you,’ or whatever, and it’s what I needed.” Cunningham chalks up the seemingly psychic connection to long years of marriage.

Despite daily having to fill so many mouths, Cunningham doesn’t plan out menus in advance — she is never quite sure how many she is cooking for anyway. Several of her children, now at college, may or may not come home on weekends. A couple married sons also occasionally pop in.

Her son, Micahel, jokes that his mother just starts cooking chicken or burger and thinks what to do with it afterward. That approach does lend itself to most of her recipes, though.

“What I learned growing up was how to make basic American food — potato soup, Spanish rice, chicken and noodles, meatloaf,” Cunningham said.

Most of her meals are based on complex recipes that were “simplified for kids,” she said. “Some of my favorite recipes came from church dinners. Every favorite recipe I have is from a different source.”

Meal preparation has also gotten trickier as her children have aged — the youngest is now 10 — and their tastes have evolved, she said. 

“The kids come in and say, “‘That’s what we had for lunch at school’ or ‘I don’t like that.’” 

Sometimes, she acquiesces to their tastes half way through meal preparation.

“The boys come in and one adds one spice, another adds another — by the time they are through, it’s spicy. We had some chili one time that was so spicy it made your eyes burn,” she said.

Not a fan of heavy flavors herself, Cunningham cooks even without onions, but has branched out of late to try new spices, she said, to keep the kids’ interest in home-cooked meals.

A new favorite spice mix has dehydrated vegetables, chili powder and tomatoes.

And, she said, she’s discovered the secret ingredient to make her homemade tacos taste more like Taco Bell’s: “It’s cumin,” she observed.

“What’s funny to me is my kids take my cooking for granted,” Cunningham said. Yet occasionally, when visiting sons that live out of town, they will go to a restaurant the boys have raved about. “It’s just home cooking,” she said, bemused.

AN EVEN bigger challenge than pleasing all right now is just keeping enough food ready to eat.

“With teenage boys, their stomachs are like bottomless pits,” she said. “They can eat a meal and they’re still hungry.”

So, typically, there is always something on the stove, on the counter, in the oven — it seems that Cunningham never stops cooking. 

“Last night I canned pears,” Cunningham said. “Today I was going to make jelly. 

“I have to multitask,” she noted. “If I start bread dough, I have to let it sit, so I start on laundry; then I add a few ingredients (to whatever is cooking), then come back and knead dough, then go work on something else.” 

It makes for an unending string of tasks, she said. “It just seems I’m never done.” 

And, she noted, “There’s always dishes, too. I’m probably the only person in town — besides a restaurant — who can run my dishwasher twice a day and still have a sinkful of dishes and pots and pans.” 

Yet for fun, Cunningham loves to bake. “I spend extra time doing that,” she said. 

She loves baking so much that her oven is on year round, even in the heat of summer. 

Known for tender, light rolls, moist apple cake and pizza crust so good it is used for both savory and dessert pies, Cunningham admits her baking wasn’t always perfect.

Yet in more than 31 years of marriage, her husband “Glen has never complained about my cooking. He likes everything.”

Except, she said, that first loaf of bread.

When newlywed, Cunningham tried baking bread as her mother did.

“My mom’s recipes were add a pinch of this and dump a handful of that,” she said. “She didn’t measure anything.” 

For bread, Cunningham was told “to put as much flour into the dough as you can until it’s not sticky any more.” 

Which she did. 

“Those first two loaves, well,” she said, “We ate the one, then Glen said we could varnish the second and use it as a doorstop.”

She was saved when a friend gave her a recipe for 60-minute rolls.

“It came out perfect. Her recipe taught me how much flour to use and proportions for baking,” Cunningham said. 

Though her sons tease her about her hesitance to spice up foods, her entire family loves anything she bakes, she said.

One family favorite is homemade hot pockets. 

“My kids started buying them at the store and they’re so expensive,” she said. “You can’t buy enough to them to feed a whole family. So I just made up my own recipe.” 

Cunningham initially thought she would bake and freeze the hand-held sandwiches, “but they all get eaten as soon as they come out of the oven. There’s never any left over to freeze.”

Cunningham uses a yeasted dough, cubed ham, sourcream and Velveeta cheese to create the tasty treats. Creating them takes about two hours, start to finish, she noted. Even so, the price per unit “is a lot less than what you’d pay in the store, I’m sure,” she said.

And despite the hours she spends each day on meal preparation, Cunningham’s kitchen in basic. There is no Kitchen Aid mixer. No Cuisninart food processor. No oven-safe silicon spatulas or pot holders.

She uses tried and true tools such as a wooden-handled pastry cutter. Battered baking pans that show the dents of time. 

Her one special tool is a measuring tube made just for shortening. It has a built-in plunger that allows just the right amount to be measured.

Though the task in her home is Sisyphean, Cunningham said, “I love to cook, and I love having a big family to cook for. I’d rather make big pots of things — it’s a lot more fun sharing when you eat.”

11/05/10

Iolans prefer eight

By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK

Register Reporter

If a decidedly unscientific survey of random Iolans in random settings is any indication, Iola may have an eight-person governing body next April. If people can figure out the ballot, that is.

Many of the Iolans surveyed by the Register were openly confused by the ballot language.

“Even if you could read it, you had to be a language expert to understand it,” noted Don Britt. “I’m thoroughly aggravated by it.” 

Britt believes the wording on the ballot is purposely meant to obfuscate the issue.

“I’d like to get rid of all of them,” he said of current commissioners.

William Nelson agreed. 

“On the ballot, you couldn’t make head nor tails of it. I think they wrote it that way to confuse people.” 

Nelson, who voted early, noted, “I asked for help and I didn’t get it.” 

Both he and his wife, Barbara, asked clerks at the courthouse to clarify the language, or asked if any written materials were available that explained it. None were, they said, and workers told the couple they could not explain the measure, which references Charter Ordinance 17 and asks only that voters either allow it to take effect or not, with no mention that it ties to governing body size.

Simply put, a yes vote puts into place a five person commission, including a mayor, while a no vote would provide an eight person council, plus a mayor, to govern the City of Iola.

Once he saw the ballot explained in the Iola Register, Nelson said he understood it. By then, though, it was too late. 

“I’d already voted,” Nelson said. “I left it blank.”

A NUMBER OF those who have followed the issue expressed frustration that they had to vote on the matter yet again. 

Iolans approved an eight person council in a vote in April, 2009. Commissioners requested another vote, with ballot wording for only a commission form of government presented, and subsequently put forth Charter Ordinance 17 to seat a five member commission.

While the delays have caused many to lose interest in the issue, others retained their original opinion.

“I’m leaning toward the eight-person council because I think that’s what we voted for the first time,” said Dale Donovan.

“We said we wanted the larger body the first time,” said another man, who preferred not to be identified. “They just didn’t listen,” he said of current commissioners.

Some voters tied the size of the next governing body to their hopes for Iola.

“I’m concerned about my home town,” Britt said. “I want Iola to grow.” 

He noted that current commissioners seem more interested in retaining office than they do in taking steps that would “capitalize on Iola’s strong points.” Iola needs to sell itself, he said. 

Other communities with similar-sized populations across the country are marketing themselves, their environments and the quality of their workers, Britt noted. Iola should do the same.

Iola’s leaders must step up to encourage interest from business, he said. “We’ve got to be smart and take advantage of it when it comes our way.” 

To that end, he believes a larger governing body would benefit the town.

“I think when you’ve got people with different heads, it takes more time to make a decision. More thought goes into it. 

“When three people (the current number of commissioners) can sit down and in 10 minutes decide what to do with our money, it’s not right,” Britt said. “If three is good enough, Britt added, “why do we have so many congressmen and senators?”

Others felt the same.

“Five would be better than three, but eight would be better than five,” said Jim Smith.

“I’m all in favor of the eight member council,” Ralph Romig said. “The power needs to be divided.”

Romig was the only voter who had no problem with the ballot language. 

“I’ve spent my lifetime in law enforcement so I’m used to reading legal documents,” he said. But, he noted, “Lawyers write (ballot language); lawyers write lawyer talk.”

Romig will vote for the eight-person council, he said, because he believes more representatives will better reflect the wishes of Iolans. 

He has given the matter much thought, he added. Currently working as a municipal judge, Romig noted, “I’m conservative, but open-minded. I study both sides of every issue.”

Kim Romig also plans to vote “No” on the issue, a “No” vote reflecting preference for an eight-person council.

Like Britt, she felt that the present smaller body hasn’t worked out in Iola’s favor. 

A lifelong Iolan, Kim Romig recalled when “there were seven groceries and three mom and pops.” 

With an eight person council encouraging new businesses to come to Iola, she said, “Maybe we’ll get a grocery store. Maybe we’ll get something else back in here. I’m tired of going to Chanute to shop.”

ON THE OTHER side of the fence, Alfred Link proclaimed “I think five people is a world of plenty, and I’ve already voted.” 

His daughter, Maria Erb, disagreed. “I thought eight was a good idea. I really think we need more opinions. And,” she said, “they need some women in there, not just men.”

Linda McDermeit “Hadn’t thought too much about it. I wouldn’t mind either way,” she said.

Still, like others, she said Iola “really needs to get some stuff going.”

11/1/10

After 27 years, Aikins moving on

By ANNE KAZMIERCZAK

Register Reporter

“There wasn’t a computer in the place when I started here,” observed long-time Register employee and Humboldt correspondent Vada Aikins of the Register office, where every desk now sits topped with some sort of Macintosh computer.

“There were no digital cameras,” she said of the newsroom. Instead, “We used black and white 35 mm” film cameras, and Register staff developed the film in house, in a chemical-filled darkroom, she noted.

Aikins, who began as office manager with the Register in 1977, then became Humboldt correspondent in 1998, is retiring at the end of November.

It will mark the end of an almost five-decade association with the newspaper, she said.

“My relationship with the Register goes way, way back. My oldest son, Max Michael (now 58), had a paper route when he was in middle school,” Aikins noted. 

“We all helped out,” she said of the daily task of rolling, rubber-banding and tossing Registers along the route.

In 1977, Aikins joined the register staff as business manager “and worked in that capacity until August 1992,” when her daughter, Glenda Aikins-Hill, accepted the job.

“My husband (Roy Aikins) and I wanted to travel and I was old enough to retire,” Aikins said of leaving the Register the first time. 

“We got a mobile home and hit at least 37 states and Canada,” she said of their adventures. “It was awesome.”

Before that, though, Aikins watched — and helped — as the Register eased from the old ways of typewriters and calculators to computers and automatic billing.

As business manager, Aikins was in charge of bookkeeping and noted that “carriers collected (subscription fees) and they brought in their little bags of money every month.” That changed with the arrival of computers.

“We got Burroughs computers,” Aikins said. “They were bigger than PCs” 

Aikins work station was the first set up. 

“They brought it in, set it up and gave me a stack of books this tall,” she said, indicating a two-foot pile. The company that set up the computer “told me it’s self-explanatory” she laughed. 

The Register sent Aikins to Allen County Community College, where she took a class in BASIC computer language.

“The only thing I learned was not to be afraid of it,” she said of the skills needed to run programs on computers of that era.

“I got it up and running and we got programs for circulation,” she said. “Then they got computers for the news people,” she said. 

Until that time, reporters used “paper and pens and typewriters,” she said. “The accounts were kept in ledger books.”

“There was noise all the time,” Aikins said of the newsroom, including the constant tick of the AP wire. “People were still smoking at their desks. 

“When I left, the newsroom was switching to PCs,” she noted, the commonly-recognized desktop computers that require no special programming skills to run.

Aikins enjoyed her first retirement, she said, until her husband’s health failed and traveling was curtailed.

About that time, she received a call from the Register, asking if she would become Humboldt correspondent.

She equivocated, then agreed.

“One reason I said yes is I wanted to tell people about Humboldt,” she said. “It’s a wonderful little town.” 

People used to put Humboldt down, Aikins noted; expanding news coverage could only help allay that perception, she said.

“We had club news and that was about all” that was written in the paper about the town, she said. 

She parlayed her citizen involvement into fuller stories about her home town. “I go to the meetings,” she said.

A few months before Roy’s death eight years ago, Aikins took her seat on the Humboldt City Council.

The insider track allowed her to report even more fully on Humboldt happenings.

Humboldt has been exceptionally active the past two years, Aikins noted.

“We’re as close to a Norman Rockwell town as you can get, yet we’re moving forward. It’s just two years ago we were talking about wanting a little store and look, we’ve got it,” she said of the new Dollar General at the north edge of the community. “We’ve upgraded our parks; we have WiFi in all our parks and the library; we’ve done so many improvements,” Aikins said, “and there’s a lot more we want to do.” 

One such activity is the new Healthy Ecosystems, Healthy Communities project, which she is involved in, Aikins said.

“That’s going to take quite a bit of effort,” she noted. 

“I’m involved in everything now,” Aikins said, and she uses that involvement to create her extensive reports on Humboldt’s goings on.

But, the 79-year-old said, it’s time to slow down a bit. 

“This took a long time to decide to do,” she said of leaving the paper. 

“I’ve truly enjoyed sharing with the readers,” Aikins said. “I’m going to miss it, I really am.” 

But, she said, “It’’s time for new eyes and new ears” to take on the task.

Still, she said, “I’m not shutting down.” Aikins will remain an active citizen no matter what.

But “I’m approaching the big 8-0,” she said. “I thought it might be time to try something new.”