QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — An Ecuadorian presidential candidate who recently pledged to root out corruption and lock up the country’s “thieves” was fatally shot at a political rally in the capital as the South American…

(Editor’s note: The following article has been edited to correct the spelling of Mike Soetaert’s last name. We regret the error.) Mike Soetaert’s path into the political realm has been anything but typical. Soetaert, part…

Kincaid farmer Arlyn Briggs, a candidate for governor, faces a sentence of 5 to 17 months in jail after he was arrested this week for suspicion of making a criminal threat against law enforcement. Briggs,…

​​Service has always been important to Sofie Alexander. She credits her parents for setting a good example growing up in Kansas City. Later, when she attended DePaul University in Chicago, service learning was emphasized.  She…

Mandey Coltrane believes her experiences in the military and in human resources make her a good fit for the school board. “Both of those roles are about representing and working for someone else, not just…

Robin Griffin-Lohman has always been fascinated by the power of words, and even more so when she read George Orwell’s “1984” in high school at Pomona. “I realized how language can be used to manipulate…

Gene Myrick understands he hasn’t made everyone happy in his four years on the Iola City Council. “If I was making everybody happy, I wasn’t doing my job,” Myrick said. He hopes he’s satisfied enough…

A few words of wisdom from former Iola Mayor John McRae struck a chord with Nich Lohman. McRae was speaking about the often thankless job of serving as an elected city official. “He figured 95%…

Mark Peters was born in Iola, worked in Iola all his life and chose to stick around after retiring in 2014. So he’s seen the city’s successes, setbacks, and challenges that lie ahead. Iola’s not…

Josh McArdle is in the mood for change. For example, when he moved to town in 2006, he noticed his sewer lines drained slowly, usually because of issues with the sewer main. “And it’s always…