By BECKY KISER Hays Post

Fort Hays State University has created a new position to engage business leaders in Kansas and build relationships that lead to professional opportunities for students.

Ben Schears, the former president of Fort Hays Tech | Northwest in Goodland, was selected to serve as the Vice President for Economic and Workforce Development at FHSU in Hays.

FHSU President Tisa Mason said the position aligns with the university's strategic affiliation initiative with Fort Hays Tech | Northwest and Fort Hays Tech | Northcentral to drive economic and workforce development across the state.&nbsp;

Funding from the Kansas Legislature made the position possible.

"Ben was the ideal candidate because of his high energy, strategic vision and proven ability to unite stakeholders, particularly those in the community, toward common goals," Mason said.

Schears has been traveling across western Kansas since he started the job in August, meeting with current and potential partners.

He's also worked closely with economic and workforce development partners, including FHSU's affiliated tech colleges, Grow Hays and the Kansas Department of Commerce to identify opportunities.

Grow Hays reached out to Schears when Agiliti, the medical equipment manufacturer, was deciding whether to expand its operations in Hays or go elsewhere.

"One of the concerns Agiliti had, which is a fair one because we all have it, is workforce. How do we access, secure and keep talent in the area?" Schears said.&nbsp;

"We bring to the table a kind of concierge support to try to figure out, within the tech colleges and the university, how do we make those connections and help the employer stay?

"We were super thrilled when they decided to stay here in Ellis County and are on the path to grow," Schears said.

The medical technology firm was courted by the Research Triangle Park in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina, to relocate.

Schears has also been working with an overseas manufacturing business considering bringing jobs to several U.S. locations.&nbsp;

He recently met with the Larned State Correctional Facility, which has a staffing shortage, particularly nurses.

A trip to southwest Kansas included visits with local economic development officers and the community colleges in Garden City and Dodge City.&nbsp;

"The folks in Dodge City do a very good job of working with our Professional and Continuing Education Department, our PCE program, in order to deliver some core training that they need in southwest Kansas," Schears said.

"One good example of that is Excel for their local businesses. We're looking to see what more we can do of that kind of thing," he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Schears said he's been figuring out where southwest Kansas needs Fort Hays State University and its tech schools to plug in and engage and what resources FHSU can bring to bear.

"We have really talented people who are working in our small businesses who, with a class or two, a training or two, can level up and move up. QuickBooks is another example of that," he said.

Schears said Fort Hays State has an expanding relationship with the Kansas Bankers Association with the Robbens Banking Institute.

"We have an entry-level, 12-credit-hour banking certificate," he said. "If you're an entry-level teller and thinking one day you'd like to be a loan officer or a bank vice-president, ... this is a leg up, an opportunity, for these really talented folks.

"They can make a bigger impact in their local businesses, and they stay, which is the most important piece."

"Some pretty exciting things down there with doors we can open on our front," Schears said.

He's also met with potential economic partners in Norton and Phillipsburg.&nbsp;

Schears has helped Fort Hays Tech | North Central in Hays and Beloit partner with High Plains Mental Health and expand its workforce in Hays.

He's working with the Center on Rural Innovation, which along with the Patterson Foundation, funded Heartland Rural Innovation. Center on Rural Innovation's work focuses on closing the gap in technology-focused jobs in urban and rural settings in America.

"I spend about 80% of my time just listening," Schears said, " ... and then you get into the diagnosing stage, and how do we take what we have and plug it into the narrative and the solution.

"We can't be the be-all, end-all, but where we can, we will be."

🎙 FHSU vice-president working to keep businesses, students in western Kansas

Reporter Cristina Janney speaks with Doug Williams of Grow Hays about the bid awards for the Tallgrass Addition phase 4 and community partnerships with manufacturer Agiliti on this episode of the Hays Post Podcast.

🎙 Post Podcast: Doug Williams on Tallgrass Addition, Agiliti partnerships

By STEVE GILLILAND Explore Kansas Outdoors

Welcome to Kansas, you’ll know when you’re here, Cause we hunt our pheasants, our quail and our deer.

But that wiley ole’ Grinch tried to spoil my deer season And he gave me no clue, not a why, not a reason.

I hunted deer high, and I hunted deer low But I left empty handed, not a buck nor a doe.

Now the Who’s down in Whoville continued to feast When that Grinch wrecked their Christmas and stole their roast beast.

But I needed a plan to show all was not lost Then I scratched on my noggin” and I thought and I thought.

So, I set out to prove I could spoil his Grinch notion, When out in the field there arose a commotion.

As I peered from my blind, what did appear, But a strange looking sleigh pulled by flying reindeer.

So, I’m thinking “Take that” Mr. Grinch you old geezer, Just one of those deer will fill my fridge and my freezer.

They landed their rig not far away, And a chubby old man tumbled out of the sleigh.

Now I’m thinkin’ it’s Grinch dressed like St Nick, Out here to fool me with some kind of trick.

To keep me from shootin’ one of these beasts, To keep me from havin’ a fine reindeer feast.

But instead of defending his steeds from my hunt, He gestured their way and said “Which one do you want?”

Now I thought this was odd for even the Grinch, That he’d let me shoot one and not even flinch.

But the deer in the front had a bright shiny nose, It’d be hard to miss that one the way that it glowed.

So, I lined up my shot, my freezer to fill When commotion again came from over the hill

It’s looked like ole’ Santa runnin’ our way, Seems the Grinch had tossed him out of his sleigh.

He tackled Ole’ Grinch and took back his red suit, Then he put on his hat, his coat and his boots.

He climbed into the sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And off they all flew like the down of a thistle.

And I heard him exclaim as they flew out of sight, “Thanks for not shootin’ Rudolph and ruining the night.”

But he also admonished to all who could hear “Keep Christ in Christmas and Happy New Year.”

Guess I’ll travel to Whoville and join in their feast, And hope that Ole’ Grinch gave them back their roast beast.

Merry Christmas from Steve and Joyce at Exploring Kansas Outdoors.

Explore Kansas Outdoors: You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch

Submitted Sana G. Cheema,&nbsp;MD, a native of Hays, recently received the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Workforce Expansion Award for presenting her research at the annual ACR meeting in Chicago.

She is currently completing her internal medicine residency at the&nbsp;Washington University in Saint Louis, School of Medicine and also is matched there into 2026 Rheumatology Fellowship.

Sana Cheema is always alert for those eureka moments, when a new passion emerges that demands attention.&nbsp; This open-minded can-do attitude means that when lightning strikes, Sana commits, determined to do the best she can in her studies, campus leadership and future career as a physician. 

When a high school science experiment won Sana top prize in the state of Kansas, she took this as a sign to keep asking questions about the world around us and enrolled as a biology major at KU. Running parallel to, and in conjunction with this interest in science, was a determination to help others and leave a lasting impact on the world.

 A pre-med student with ambitions to work in the medical field was a start, but Sana wanted to take her commitment to public service further. A "wonderful internship experience" working with Kansas Senator Jerry Moran in Washington D.C. deepened Sana's interest in public policy and how it impacts people. 

Back on campus, Sana got involved in a range of activities, contributing her energy as vice president of both the KU pre-medical society and Student Alumni Leadership Board, as well as founding and running KU's Friends of Pakistan organization, helping combat often negative portrayals of that country seen in the media. 

We are sure that this aspiring physician, public servant and advocate for all people will leave a lasting impact on the world, as she has already done here in the college, the heart of KU.&nbsp;

Although advanced studies has kept Sana Cheema mostly away from her hometown Hays, she frequently visits there to meet her loving parents Dr. and Mrs. Gulraiz Cheema who have been her mentors, motivators and role models.

Honors for medical higher education student from Hays

GRAHAM COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 10:30p.m. Saturday in Graham County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Ford Escape driven by Cody Harmon, 33, Phillipsburg, was westbound on J Road just east of 390th Avenue. The driver lost control of the SUV.&nbsp; The vehicle traveled into the south ditch, continued westbound in the&nbsp; ditch and struck a tree.

Harmon was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Stinemetz Funeral Home. He was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dies after SUV strikes a tree

Northwest Kansas Community Corrections strongly supports the need and implementation of the <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5e84760a-7c74-4287-a983-669114414f47">Crisis Intervention Center</a> in Hays. The CIC will directly address a critical need in our community by providing immediate treatment to those experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.

I believe this project will significantly improve the lives of individuals suffering from a mental health crisis by providing crisis intervention care for those who are pending inpatient psychiatric treatment at the state hospitals. Too often, those who screen for inpatient services are placed on a wait list, and it can be days or even weeks before a bed becomes available. 

The CIC will provide a safe and therapeutic place for them to stay while they await that bed date. Additionally, receiving immediate treatment through the CIC may potentially eliminate a patient's need for a bed at a state hospital, returning them home to their family and friends sooner.

Those suffering from substance use disorders will also benefit from the CIC. Currently, the closest state-funded medical detox facility is over 90 miles away. Those beds are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and finding safe transportation to those facilities can be difficult. Having this service available right here in Hays will be a huge benefit and will help alleviate the transportation barrier, ensuring people receive the appropriate detox services they need promptly.

I am excited to see this project come to fruition and look forward to the positive impact it will have on our community and western Kansas.

— Erin Geist, director Northwest Kansas Community Corrections

LETTER: Support for the Crisis Intervention Center, community corrections director

By Russell Arben Fox Insight Kansas

As the year comes to its end, thoughts often take an introspective turn. For me, for reasons both personal and public, that turn has me reflecting on the matriarchal nature of our state.

Of course, given Kansas’s strong conservative streak and often rather traditional Christian culture, it’s easy for outsiders to assume that Kansas history reflects an antiquated “Father Knows Best” politics. And it’s true that men still dominate the Kansas Republican party, which has nearly twice the number of supporters across the state as the Democrats.

But last week, while attending the burial of a powerful and beloved local woman and friend in Sedgwick County, I couldn’t help thinking about the women who have built, and continue to shape, this state.

Some were crusaders with national reputations, whose time in Kansas was only part of their full story.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://civilwaronthewesternborder.org/encyclopedia/nichols-clarina-irene-howard">Clarina Howard Nichols</a>&nbsp;was an abolitionist who relocated to Kansas in the years before the Civil War, and spent her time in the state fighting not only the evil of slavery but for temperance and women’s rights as well.&nbsp;It is due to women like her that Kansas granted women the right to vote in school board elections as early as 1861.

&nbsp;The activist and lawyer&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/essays/mary-elizabeth-lease-populist-reformer">Mary Elizabeth Lease</a>&nbsp;is another example; an orator and organizer who helped shape the Kansas People’s Party, and thereby the national Populist movement, the arguments she developed in Kanas became foundational to American reform movements throughout the early 20th&nbsp;century.

But many of the women that came to my mind were people whose influence was inseparable from their deep roots in our state, and the families and communities they were entwined with.

<a target="_blank" href="https://digitalcommons.pittstate.edu/fa/428/">Mary Skubitz</a>&nbsp;was a Slovenian immigrant to Kansas as a child in 1890; as a wife and mother in Crawford County, she helped organize the “Amazon Army” in 1921, a mass protest of women demanding improvements of the terrible conditions their husbands and sons suffered in the coal mines.&nbsp;

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.explorelawrence.com/blog/post/womens-history-month-honoring-lawrences-trailblazers/">Minnie Wish-Ken-O</a>&nbsp;was a Potawatomie woman and farmer in Jackson County who took up leadership in her tribe during the 1930s, and led the fight against the national government’s efforts at tribal re-organization and termination over the subsequent two decades.

Even more humbly, a filmmaker colleague of mine&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://sodandstubble.com/">has resurrected the story of Rosa Ise</a>, a new bride who settled with her husband Henry and raised a family in Osborne County in the 1870s; the frontier challenges she overcame made her a determined believer in education, and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/news-and-publications/news/stories/2024/12/kansas-profile-deb-goodrich-sod-and-stubble.html">leading to her children graduating from some of the most prestigious schools in America</a>.

Education is a constant in so many of these stories, leading up to the present day.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li_2014/b2013_14/committees/misc/ctte_s_ed_1_20130307_03_other.pdf">Eldora Dugan Love</a>&nbsp;settled with her husband Charles in Butler County in the 1870s; from her homestead, she published a women’s journal which made educational and religious improvement its central message.

Three generations on her great-granddaughter,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.heartlandhero.org/post/they-didn-t-watch-us-weave-how-the-fringe-became-the-fabric-of-education-reform">Becky Love Elder</a>, became a devout believer in home schooling, and spent her life organizing and raising money for independent schools that defined not only the lives of her children and grandchildren, but of hundreds of others who were touched by her indefatigable commitment to learning, reading, and community.

Attending Becky’s graveside service, I was struck by the pastor’s invocation of “place,” and of Becky’s commitment to putting down roots, to growing and blessing others, from where she made her home. The same can be said, I think, of hundreds of matriarchs across Kansas history, whose strength was, and is, inseparable from the soil which all us Kansans—both native-born and new arrivals—share. Bless them, each and every one.

Dr. Russell Arben Fox teaches politics at Friends University in Wichita.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Kansas, a land made by matriarchs

<a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/state-farm-weather-window">For a full look at the weather forecast, click here.</a>

Three-day weather outlook

🏀📺 Hays girls go for 3rd; boys in title game

RUSSELL COUNTY —Multiple fire departments and first responder agencies responded to two large grass fires in southeast Russell County on Thursday, according to Russell County Emergency Management.

At noon, the first fire was located eight miles southwest of Bunker Hill in the area of 189th Street and Lincoln Road. Russell County Rural Fire District Five responded, but almost immediately requested more Russell County rural fire departments respond due to high winds with gusts in the 60 to 70 mph range. The cause of the first fire was electrical power lines.

The second fire to the north started approximately a mile south of US Highway 40 on 193rd Street south of Bunker Hill. It was caused by a responding fire truck losing a tire and crashing into the ditch.

All told, approximately 2,000 acres of grassland were burned in both fires. There were no injuries due to the fires and a handful of structures and residences were threatened, but none were damaged.

Russell County EMS responded to a crash involving a Russell County Sheriff’s Deputy vehicle and a Dorrance Fire Department fire truck. No one was transported to the hospital and the Kansas Highway Patrol investigated both vehicle crashes, the other being the fire truck that lost a tire.

Early in the process, a verbal disaster declaration for Russell County was requested and approved by the Russell County Commission, thereby allowing the request of mutual aid resources from the state.

All fire departments from Russell County were involved in the response, as well as fire departments and additional agencies from multiple surrounding counties.

Both fires were declared under control at around 5 PM Thursday evening with some firefighters remaining on scene to put out hot spots and monitor the area.

Russell County Emergency Management, the Russell County Sheriff’s Office and Russell County Rural Fire District Five thank all local and state agencies that responded to assist, as well as private citizens and businesses.

2,000 acres of grassland burned in Russell Co. wildfire

WAKEENEY — For some of us, 2025 has been filled with darkness. You may have lost a loved one and are still coping with that death. Maybe you are living with the diagnosis of cancer or some other medical condition that puts a question mark over the future. Others may be dealing with a divorce or a shattered relationship, living with a difficult work situation, struggling to conceive a baby, living with loneliness and isolation, or experiencing financial difficulties. Or perhaps this season is a time that is difficult for other reasons.

For many people, the approaching Christmas holiday does not bring with it the joy and happiness that is depicted in movies or in greeting cards. Typical holiday festivities—caroling, decorating, buying gifts, Christmas parties, family gatherings—leave little room for our feelings of pain or grief, and we experience feelings of isolation. Our spirits sink as the days grow shorter. We feel the darkness growing deeper around us.

In response, the Prairie Faith Parish Nurse Ministry holds The Longest Night Service, offering a somber, gentle space for the community to gather on the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. The service is simple: candles are lit, scripture is read, and the focus is on personal needs, in an atmosphere of quiet contemplation. 

This non-denominational worship experience is a way to acknowledge the reality of difficult or painful life circumstances, while still recognizing that part of the reason for Jesus’ coming was to bring hope and comfort, to heal the sick, to seek the lost, to restore the broken and the broken-hearted. This is a quiet meditative time for remembering, sharing our hurting places with God, and preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ.

Those who do experience this season as a happy time can also find meaning in The Longest Night Service, as it serves as a time of quiet retreat from the hectic nature of the commercial aspect of the season and guides worshippers back to the real meaning of Christmas.

The Longest Night Service will be held on Sunday, December 21, 2025 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 338 N. 7th St. in WaKeeney. The service will be followed by an opportunity to pray or meditate in the sanctuary for those who wish to do so. 

Please help spread the word in the community to family, friends and neighbors, and feel free to call Nancy or the church office at 785-743-2005 (please leave a message) with any questions or concerns or to request a ride to the service.

“I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched.&nbsp;My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.” Psalm 69:3

'Longest Night' worship service offered Sunday in WaKeeney

VINCENT — The “Little Town of Bethlehem” nativity at St. Boniface Catholic Church, Vincent, will be open for visitors on Sunday. Dec. 21 and also&nbsp;Christmas Day from 1-5 p.m. both days. &nbsp;Cookies and cider will be served.

Appointments can also be made at any other time by calling Carol at 785-<a target="_blank" href="tel:735-9282">735-9282</a>.

This is the 99th year of the nativity, begun by the parish priest Fr. Callistus Rectenwald in 1927. Over the years, the nativity has become a worldwide representation of Christmas.&nbsp; 

Rocks from all 50 states and 105 countries surround the scene, in particular rocks from the Cave of Lourdes and the Sea of Galilee. Infant Jesus is from Spain, and Mary, Joseph and the Three Kings are from Germany. A special section of the nativity is dedicated to our veterans who could not be home for Christmas over the years, featuring rocks from Germany, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Wake Island and Christmas Island, to name a few. The nativity has had special lighting effects added the last few years - a color changing rock show and a neon blue lit sky in the background. Four trickling waterfalls, animals and shepherds dot the scene surrounding the Bethlehem Inn, and the stable made from a nearby pear tree in 1927.

St. Boniface Catholic Church is located 5.5 miles south of Victoria and two miles east.

99th year of 'Little Town of Bethlehem' nativity at St. Boniface Catholic Church, Vincent

Hays Angel Tree gift pick up delayed

The Heartland Catholic Parishes have announced the following times for services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (services are listed in chronological order):

Dec. 24 (Wednesday) - Christmas Eve

Immaculate Heart of Mary - 1805 Vine, 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. (Bilingual).

St. Joseph, 215 W. 13th&nbsp;- 5 p.m., 11:30 p.m. choir music, Mass at midnight.

St. Nicholas of Myra, 2901 E. 13th&nbsp;- 5 p.m.

Comeau Catholic Campus Center, 506 W. Sixth – 9 a.m.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, 9 a.m., English; noon, Spanish. No 6 p.m. Mass or confessions.

Hays Medical Center Chapel, 2220 Canterbury Dr. - 11:15 a.m.

The following Protestant churches in Hays have announced their Christmas Eve services. (This is not a comprehensive list. It represents those churches who provided their service times. Services are listed in chronological order):

Celebration Community Church, 5790 230th&nbsp;Ave. - 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4 p.m.

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 2422 Hyacinth Ave. - 2 p.m.

North Oak Community Church, 3000 Oak St. - 5:30 p.m.

Trinity Lutheran Church, 2703 Fort St. - 5:30 p.m.

First Presbyterian Church, 2900 Hall St. - 6 p.m.

First Baptist Church, 1111 Fort St. - 6:30 p.m.

First United Methodist Church, 305 W. Seventh - 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. The 5:30 p.m. service will be in both Spanish and English.

St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 2900 Canal Blvd. - 11 p.m.

UPDATED: Hays churches announce Christmas Eve, Christmas Day service times

Community members typically provide desserts for the Hays Community Christmas and we are in need of more.&nbsp;

Anyone wanting to provide dessert can contact 785-675-1344 or email&nbsp;<a href="mailto:communitychristmasdinner@gmail.com">communitychristmasdinner@gmail.com</a>.

Desserts still needed for Hays Community Christmas 

City of Hays offices will be closed on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, in celebration of the Christmas Eve holiday and on Thursday, December 25, 2025, in celebration of the Christmas Day holiday.

Ciity of Hays offices closed for Christmas holiday

&nbsp;Submit events to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:admin@hayspost.com">admin@hayspost.com</a>. Cover photo courtesy Pixabay

Special thanks to <a href="https://www.visithays.com/183/Events">The Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau</a> and<a href="https://www.fhsu.edu/"> Fort Hays State University</a> for their contributions to the community calendar.

Community Calendar

Due to the observance of the Christmas holiday, the refuse/recycling collection schedules will be altered as follows: &nbsp;Monday and Tuesday routes will both be collected on Monday, December 22, Wednesday and Thursday routes will both be collected on Tuesday, December 23. 

There are no anticipated changes to Friday's route.

It is anticipated that heavy volumes of refuse/recyclables will be encountered around the holidays. Please be sure to set your bags out by 7:00 a.m. on the collection day and keep in mind that the trucks have no set time schedule.

City of Hays customers that may have any questions regarding this notice should contact the Solid Waste Division of the Public Works Department at 785-628-7350.

Refuse/recycling collections change in Hays for Christmas holiday

Westview Church, 3000 W. 41st, Hays, Christmas Eve Candlelight Service is Wed., December 24, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Candle light Christmas Eve service at Westview Church in Hays 

First United Methodist Church &nbsp;Wednesday, December 24 services on Christmas Eve will be at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. at&nbsp;First United Methodist Church, 305. W. 7th, Hays.

First service is more family oriented; second service is traditional.&nbsp; The 5:30 p.m. service is in English and Spanish.&nbsp;

Christmas Eve services at Hays First United Methodist Church announced

KINGMAN COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a fatal shooting in Kingman County.

On Sunday, Deputies of the Kingman County Sheriff’s Office were called to report of a shooting at 339 South Somerset Street in Norwich, according to a media release.. 

 Upon arrival emergency crews located a  37-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds. Norwich EMS transported him to a Wichita hospital for treatment of critical injuries.  A second subject, a 44-year-old man was found deceased at the scene. 

 The KBI is aiding in the investigation with the assistance of their crime scene unit.. The sheriff's office reported the shooting was an isolated incident and there is no ongoing danger to the community or public.

Sheriff: One dead, one critically injured in Kansas gunfight

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/josh-boak">JOSH BOAK</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/michelle-l-price">MICHELLE L. PRICE</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — The “Warrior Dividend” that President Donald Trump announced during his televised address to the nation Wednesday is not a Christmas bonus made possible by tariff revenues, as the president suggested.

Instead, the $1,776 payments to troops are coming from a congressionally-approved housing supplement — money they were already set to receive — that was a part of tax cut extensions and expansions bill signed into law in July. Trump’s administration identified the source of the “dividend” payments Thursday.

In his remarks, Trump alluded to his “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” playing a role, but suggested that tariffs were largely responsible for the payments already on the way to 1.45 million members of the military.

“We made a lot more money than anybody thought because of tariffs and the bill helped us along. Nobody deserves it more than our military,” he said in announcing what he described as a “dividend.”

Trump has teased the idea of using his sweeping tariffs on imports to give Americans dividends ever since he imposed them in April. But these new payments are being disbursed by the Pentagon from a $2.9 billion military housing supplement that was part of Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” to augment existing housing allowances, according to a senior administration official who requested anonymity to describe the payments.

The amount of the payments is a nod to next year’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. In total, the measure is expected to cost $2.6 billion.

Trump’s announcement comes as he’s faced pressure to show he’s working to address rising costs for Americans, with prices remaining stubbornly high as the president has imposed double-digit tariffs on imports from almost every country. Trump has promised to lower prices, but he has struggled to do so. Inflation hit a four-decade high in June 2022 during Joe Biden’s presidency and then began to fall. But inflation has stayed elevated under Trump in part because of his tariffs.

Separately, members of the U.S. Coast Guard will be getting a similar one-time payment, the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday. The “Devotion to Duty” payments, authorized by Secretary Kristi Noem a day earlier, will be $2,000 because, unlike the “Warrior Dividend,” they are subject to taxes. The amount Coast Guard members take home will be closer to $1,776.

The payments, according to the Coast Guard, will be classified as “special duty pay.” They will be paid for with money in a measure Trump signed in November, after a 43-day shutdown, that funds the government through January.

It’s not the first time Trump has brandished ‘dividends’

Sending money to voters is a timeworn tool for politicians and one that Trump has repeatedly tried to use, including this year.

Trump has for months suggested every American could receive a $2,000 dividend from the import taxes — an effort that seemed designed to try to shore up support for tariffs, which the president has said protect American industries and will lure manufacturing back from overseas.

But that particular pledge appeared to exceed the revenues being generated by his tariffs, according to a November analysis by the right-leaning Tax Foundation. The analysis estimated that the $2,000 payments being promised to taxpayers could add up to between $279.8 billion and $606.8 billion, depending on how they were structured.

The analysis estimated that Trump’s import taxes would produce $158.4 billion in total revenue during 2025 and another $207.5 billion in 2026. That’s not enough money to provide the payments as well as reduce the budget deficit, which Trump has also claimed his tariffs are doing.

Earlier this year, as his Department of Government Efficiency was slashing the U.S. government and its workforce, Trump had briefly proposed sending a DOGE “dividend” back to U.S. citizens.

Neither the tariff dividend or DOGE dividend has come to fruition, and members of Trump’s own party as well as officials in his administration have expressed some skepticism about the idea. There is also the risk that the payments being promised by Trump could push up inflation, as they would likely spur greater consumer spending. Republican lawmakers argued in 2021 that the pandemic relief package from then-President Biden — which included direct payments — helped trigger the run-up in inflation.

Associated Press writers Rebecca Santana, Konstantin Toropin and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

How Trump is paying for the $1,776 ‘Warrior Dividend’ to troops 

CRAWFORD COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 1:30a.m. Sunday in Crawford County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2020 Hyundai Elantra driven by Melinda Canet, 54, Pittsburg, was northbound on S 260th Street just north of E 510th Avenue.&nbsp; The car struck a pedestrian identified as Nicklas&nbsp;Thompson, 37, Pittsburg, who walking in the roadway.

Thompson was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Derfelt Funeral Home.&nbsp; EMS transported Cannet to Mercy Hospital. She was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dies after struck by a car 

The Powerball® holiday jackpot streak continues! No ticket matched all six numbers drawn last night, sending the jackpot soaring to an estimated $1.60 billion for Monday night’s drawing, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. The jackpot has an estimated cash value of $735.3 million.

Monday’s jackpot ranks as the fourth largest in Powerball history and the fifth largest among U.S. lottery jackpots.

“Powerball is giving players a chance to dream bigger than ever this holiday season,” said Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO. “Every ticket sold not only offers the chance at a life-changing prize but also supports important public programs and services in communities nationwide. We encourage everyone to enjoy the thrill responsibly.”

The jackpot rolled last night after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn – white balls 4, 5, 28, 52, 69 and red Powerball 20. The Power Play® multiplier was 3.

Although there was no jackpot winner, U.S. lotteries are reminding players to check their tickets carefully, as many tickets won cash prizes in last night’s drawing.

Nationwide, eight tickets matched all five white balls. The winning Match 5 tickets were sold in California, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan (2), New Hampshire and Ohio. The Match 5 prize is a set cash prize of $1 million in all jurisdictions except California, where prize payout amounts are pari-mutuel and determined by sales and the number of winners.

The drawing also produced 112 tickets that won $50,000 prizes and 22 tickets that won $150,000 prizes.

In the Double Play® drawing, a ticket in New Jersey won a $500,000 prize after matching all five black balls. Double Play is a $1 add-on feature that allows players to player their Powerball numbers, again, in a separate drawing for a chance to win up to $10 million. The Double Play drawing is live streamed on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.powerball.com/watch-drawing">Powerball.com</a>&nbsp;following the main Powerball drawing.

Monday’s Powerball drawing will be the 46th in the current jackpot run – a game record for the most drawings in a jackpot cycle. The Powerball jackpot was last won on Sept. 6 by two tickets in Missouri and Texas that split a $1.787 billion prize.

This marks only the second time in Powerball history that the game has produced back-to-back jackpots exceeding $1 billion. The only other occurrence was in 2023, when a $1.08 billion jackpot was won on July 19, followed by a $1.765 billion jackpot on Oct. 11. Both jackpots were won in California.

If a player wins Monday’s jackpot, they will have the choice between an annuitized prize estimated at $1.60 billion or a lump sum payment estimated at $735.3 million. Both prize options are before taxes. If the winner selects the annuity option, they will receive one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5-percent each year.

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