In response to a request made by the City of Hays, the Kansas 
Department of Agriculture’s Division of Water Resources has issued a 
control order restricting the watering of lawns and other vegetation 
from private wells between noon and 7 p.m. from June 1 through 
Sept. 30.

This measure is part of a greater interest to 
reduce water waste and to improve conservation practices in the 
Intensive Groundwater Use Control Area located in Hays.

The
 IGUCA in Hays was established in 1985 at the request of the city to 
help implement water conservation measures. It provides a mechanism to 
address preventable water waste by privately-owned wells.

Currently,
 the City of Hays prohibits the following year-round: the washing down 
of sidewalks, parking lots and driveways; the known loss of water 
through breaks or leaks in plumbing systems; and the escape of water 
from private property onto public property such as sidewalks or into the
 street guttering from landscape irrigation; in addition to outdoor 
water use between noon and 7 p.m. from June 1 through Sept.
 30.

By restricting daytime outdoor water use, including the
 watering of landscapes and gardens, unnecessary water loss due to wind 
and evaporation can be reduced, thus conserving the resource for more 
efficient use.

All citizens are encouraged to practice the 
conservation of natural resources, including water, and look for ways to
 improve conservation measures in our homes and businesses, both indoors
 and out.

Photo by Jordan Hopkins on Unsplash

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589921529658.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>City of HaysIn response to a request made by the City of Hays, the Kansas 
Department of Agriculture’s Division of Water Resources has issued a 
control order restricting the watering of lawns and other vegetation 
from private wells between noon and 7 p.m. from June 1 through 
Sept. 30.This measure is part of a greater interest to 
reduce water waste and to improve conservation practices in the 
Intensive Groundwater Use Control Area located in Hays.The
 IGUCA in Hays was established in 1985 at the request of the city to 
help implement water conservation measures. It provides a mechanism to 
address preventable water waste by privately-owned wells.Currently,
 the City of Hays prohibits the following year-round: the washing down 
of sidewalks, parking lots and driveways; the known loss of water 
through breaks or leaks in plumbing systems; and the escape of water 
from private property onto public property such as sidewalks or into the
 street guttering from landscape irrigation; in addition to outdoor 
water use between noon and 7 p.m. from June 1 through Sept.
 30.By restricting daytime outdoor water use, including the
 watering of landscapes and gardens, unnecessary water loss due to wind 
and evaporation can be reduced, thus conserving the resource for more 
efficient use.All citizens are encouraged to practice the 
conservation of natural resources, including water, and look for ways to
 improve conservation measures in our homes and businesses, both indoors
 and out.Photo by Jordan Hopkins on Unsplash

City of Hays water restrictions set to begin

Rylee Staab, Holcomb, Jordan Sparrow-Antonio, Brighton, Colo., and Jenny Niblock, Colby, have been named the outstanding undergraduate and graduate students in the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences at Fort Hays State University for 2020.&nbsp;

Staab, a senior, is a double major in psychology and criminal justice. Sparrow-Antonio is completing a Master of Science in psychology (experimental, and Niblock, chief clinical officer for Citizens Health, Colby, is completing a Doctor of Nursing Practice.&nbsp;

Dr. Qiang Li, assistant professor or communication sciences and disorders, Drew Gannon, instructor of health and human performance, and Rebecca Karlin, instructor of allied health, received the outstanding faculty awards.&nbsp;

The awards were announced in a ceremony via Zoom on May 15.&nbsp;

Staab, named the Outstanding Undergraduate student, “is an exemplar of student excellence,” said Dr. Jeff Briggs, dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, summarizing and quoting from letters of support for the honorees.&nbsp;

“For the past three years, Rylee has been a true force of research productivity within the realm of undergraduate research,” said Briggs. “She has conducted numerous studies, has presented at regional conferences at an impressive rate and is in the process of publishing a number of her studies.”&nbsp;

Sparrow-Antonio “is not only a strong student academically but is also one of the top-performing graduate students I have had the pleasure of supervising at FHSU,” said Briggs, quoting one letter of support.&nbsp;

“She has provided a great deal of leadership for fellow graduate and undergraduate students in research,” said Briggs. “She also was elected by the Southwestern Psychological Association to serve as graduate student representative.”&nbsp;

Niblock, “a role model in rural health care,” said Briggs, as chief clinical officer for Citizens Health, oversees all patient care areas for Citizens Medical Center in Colby. She also works as a nurse practitioner in hospice.&nbsp;

Briggs said hospice care is “truly her passion, as she feels strongly about end-of-life care.”&nbsp;

“This passion led to her DNP research project regarding advanced directives,” said Briggs. “In addition to multiple professional presentations, most recently, Jenny was selected to be one of the five Fort Hays State University graduate students to present at the Capitol Graduate Research Summit in Topeka.”&nbsp;

Briggs also cited Niblock for her service to the community, including service on the Kansas Hospital Association Policy Committee, the Kansas Palliative Care Advisory Council, and the Colby Community College Health Science Advisory Board.&nbsp;

Li received the Dr. Virgil and Virginia Howe Faculty Excellence Award for outstanding research and scholarship award.&nbsp;

Briggs said Li, only in his second year at FHSU, has developed an undergraduate research course, supervised undergraduate research experiences and has his own graduate research team.&nbsp;

“Through these activities, he has demonstrated his contribution to original research, and this is recognized at the national level through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association,” said Briggs.&nbsp;

Gannon, who is director of the university’s Tiger Wellness center as well as an instructor, received the Howe Award for outstanding service. Briggs said he is “an exemplar of service” who participates in and coordinates “numerous programs.”&nbsp;

A colleague who was quoted by Briggs said, “I have been thoroughly impressed with his professionalism and his work ethic. &nbsp;In all that he does, including his service, Drew is a role model for our students at FHSU, I believe that he makes a difference in our department, college, and community.”&nbsp;

Karlin, in the college’s sonography program, was given the Howe Teaching Grant Award for her work in winning a grant to obtain an ergonomic imaging table for general, vascular and cardiac imaging. The table will be used by all students in sonography programs at FHSU.&nbsp;

The table will accommodate individual students and patients with height adjustments and body dispositions.&nbsp;

“As the department strives to offer a laboratory experience to best simulate a true clinical environment, it is also important that we provide the opportunity for correct ergonomic practices to help these behaviors become a habit early in their career,” said Briggs.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589914743521.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FHSU University RelationsRylee Staab, Holcomb, Jordan Sparrow-Antonio, Brighton, Colo., and Jenny Niblock, Colby, have been named the outstanding undergraduate and graduate students in the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences at Fort Hays State University for 2020.&nbsp;Staab, a senior, is a double major in psychology and criminal justice. Sparrow-Antonio is completing a Master of Science in psychology (experimental, and Niblock, chief clinical officer for Citizens Health, Colby, is completing a Doctor of Nursing Practice.&nbsp;Dr. Qiang Li, assistant professor or communication sciences and disorders, Drew Gannon, instructor of health and human performance, and Rebecca Karlin, instructor of allied health, received the outstanding faculty awards.&nbsp;The awards were announced in a ceremony via Zoom on May 15.&nbsp;Staab, named the Outstanding Undergraduate student, “is an exemplar of student excellence,” said Dr. Jeff Briggs, dean of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, summarizing and quoting from letters of support for the honorees.&nbsp;“For the past three years, Rylee has been a true force of research productivity within the realm of undergraduate research,” said Briggs. “She has conducted numerous studies, has presented at regional conferences at an impressive rate and is in the process of publishing a number of her studies.”&nbsp;Sparrow-Antonio “is not only a strong student academically but is also one of the top-performing graduate students I have had the pleasure of supervising at FHSU,” said Briggs, quoting one letter of support.&nbsp;“She has provided a great deal of leadership for fellow graduate and undergraduate students in research,” said Briggs. “She also was elected by the Southwestern Psychological Association to serve as graduate student representative.”&nbsp;Niblock, “a role model in rural health care,” said Briggs, as chief clinical officer for Citizens Health, oversees all patient care areas for Citizens Medical Center in Colby. She also works as a nurse practitioner in hospice.&nbsp;Briggs said hospice care is “truly her passion, as she feels strongly about end-of-life care.”&nbsp;“This passion led to her DNP research project regarding advanced directives,” said Briggs. “In addition to multiple professional presentations, most recently, Jenny was selected to be one of the five Fort Hays State University graduate students to present at the Capitol Graduate Research Summit in Topeka.”&nbsp;Briggs also cited Niblock for her service to the community, including service on the Kansas Hospital Association Policy Committee, the Kansas Palliative Care Advisory Council, and the Colby Community College Health Science Advisory Board.&nbsp;Li received the Dr. Virgil and Virginia Howe Faculty Excellence Award for outstanding research and scholarship award.&nbsp;Briggs said Li, only in his second year at FHSU, has developed an undergraduate research course, supervised undergraduate research experiences and has his own graduate research team.&nbsp;“Through these activities, he has demonstrated his contribution to original research, and this is recognized at the national level through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association,” said Briggs.&nbsp;Gannon, who is director of the university’s Tiger Wellness center as well as an instructor, received the Howe Award for outstanding service. Briggs said he is “an exemplar of service” who participates in and coordinates “numerous programs.”&nbsp;A colleague who was quoted by Briggs said, “I have been thoroughly impressed with his professionalism and his work ethic. &nbsp;In all that he does, including his service, Drew is a role model for our students at FHSU, I believe that he makes a difference in our department, college, and community.”&nbsp;Karlin, in the college’s sonography program, was given the Howe Teaching Grant Award for her work in winning a grant to obtain an ergonomic imaging table for general, vascular and cardiac imaging. The table will be used by all students in sonography programs at FHSU.&nbsp;The table will accommodate individual students and patients with height adjustments and body dispositions.&nbsp;“As the department strives to offer a laboratory experience to best simulate a true clinical environment, it is also important that we provide the opportunity for correct ergonomic practices to help these behaviors become a habit early in their career,” said Briggs.&nbsp;

FHSU College of HBS announces outstanding 2020 students, faculty

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">To find out more about The Post Podcast, or subscribe to mobile notifications click here.</a>

<div><iframe title="Hays Chamber schedules business events" height="400" width="400" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/9w6fw-dcfb8e?from=yiiadmin&download=1&version=1&vjs=1&skin=3&auto=1&share=1&fonts=Helvetica&download=1&rtl=0&pbad=1"></iframe></div><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">To find out more about The Post Podcast, or subscribe to mobile notifications click here.</a>

🎙 Post Podcast: Hays Chamber schedules business events

Memorial Day services by the American Legion Post 173 have officially been canceled. 

 The Post will, weather permitting, put out the flags in Veteran’s Park (just north of 13th and Haney). 

"So if you feel inclined, you may come out, enjoy the park with flags and privately reflect on the solemnness which comes during Memorial Day," the Post said in a news release.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583775109822.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Memorial Day services by the American Legion Post 173 have officially been canceled. The Post will, weather permitting, put out the flags in Veteran’s Park (just north of 13th and Haney). "So if you feel inclined, you may come out, enjoy the park with flags and privately reflect on the solemnness which comes during Memorial Day," the Post said in a news release.

Hays Memorial Day services canceled

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

The Hays USD 489 school board approved the purchase of iPads for students in grades K-5 at its meeting Monday night.

The board meeting was held through Zoom and broadcast on Facebook.

Apple has offered a no-interest lease agreement for 1,50o iPads and cases. The lease would cost $360 per iPad and case for a total lease of $540,000 over four years.

The lease would allow the district to get ahead in its rotation for replacement of the kindergarten through second-grade devices, said Scott Summers, USD 489 technology director.

The district had planned to use the current K-2 devices a total of six years, and then rotate the next round of K-2 devices out after four years, he said. Adopting the proposed lease would mean two five-year rotations on the K-2 devices if the district opted for the $1 buy-back option at the end of the lease.

Summers estimated the district could reap about $50 per device if it bought and then sold the leased devices.

The district has budgeted funds in its capital outlay to pay for the lease.

A board member asked Summers if the iPads would be available considering COVID-19 supply issues.

Summers said Apple said the iPads could be available within three weeks of order and the cases could be available within six weeks of order.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1588107703606.jpeg" alt="The Hays USD 489 school board approved the purchase of new iPads for K-5 students at its meeting Monday night." />
 <figcaption>The Hays USD 489 school board approved the purchase of new iPads for K-5 students at its meeting Monday night.</figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostThe Hays USD 489 school board approved the purchase of iPads for students in grades K-5 at its meeting Monday night.The board meeting was held through Zoom and broadcast on Facebook.Apple has offered a no-interest lease agreement for 1,50o iPads and cases. The lease would cost $360 per iPad and case for a total lease of $540,000 over four years.The lease would allow the district to get ahead in its rotation for replacement of the kindergarten through second-grade devices, said Scott Summers, USD 489 technology director.The district had planned to use the current K-2 devices a total of six years, and then rotate the next round of K-2 devices out after four years, he said. Adopting the proposed lease would mean two five-year rotations on the K-2 devices if the district opted for the $1 buy-back option at the end of the lease.Summers estimated the district could reap about $50 per device if it bought and then sold the leased devices.The district has budgeted funds in its capital outlay to pay for the lease.A board member asked Summers if the iPads would be available considering COVID-19 supply issues.Summers said Apple said the iPads could be available within three weeks of order and the cases could be available within six weeks of order.

Hays USD 489 approves iPad purchase for elementary students

Being an Ellis County resident and taxpayer, I believe that making smart decisions with taxpayer dollars and investing wisely is important for the future of our County.&nbsp; Without a doubt, with hard work and desire to keep Ellis County flourishing, my plan is to always stay below budget without affecting service and looking for new ways for efficiency, speed, accuracy, and transparency in the office.

I currently supervise a division of Public Works for Ellis County for three years and have enjoyed working with all the staff and commissioners.&nbsp; I have had the opportunity to work with an approximate $1.2 million budget while keeping expenses below budget every year and finding new ways to maximize efficiency in the department. I am open to staff, citizens, and other elected officials who come to me with new ideas that may be implemented to save Ellis County and its taxpayers money. &nbsp;

I work for Ellis County because I love my community and would like to continue working for this great County as your Ellis County Treasurer.&nbsp; I would appreciate your vote at the primary on Tuesday, Aug. 4.

&nbsp;Feel free to contact me at 785-650-3292 or <a href="mailto:voteruderfortreasurer@gmail.com">voteruderfortreasurer@gmail.com</a>.&nbsp;

Vern Ruder, candidate for Ellis County treasurer

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589824071248.png" alt="Ruder" />
 <figcaption>Ruder</figcaption>
 </figure>Being an Ellis County resident and taxpayer, I believe that making smart decisions with taxpayer dollars and investing wisely is important for the future of our County.&nbsp; Without a doubt, with hard work and desire to keep Ellis County flourishing, my plan is to always stay below budget without affecting service and looking for new ways for efficiency, speed, accuracy, and transparency in the office.I currently supervise a division of Public Works for Ellis County for three years and have enjoyed working with all the staff and commissioners.&nbsp; I have had the opportunity to work with an approximate $1.2 million budget while keeping expenses below budget every year and finding new ways to maximize efficiency in the department. I am open to staff, citizens, and other elected officials who come to me with new ideas that may be implemented to save Ellis County and its taxpayers money. &nbsp;I work for Ellis County because I love my community and would like to continue working for this great County as your Ellis County Treasurer.&nbsp; I would appreciate your vote at the primary on Tuesday, Aug. 4.&nbsp;Feel free to contact me at 785-650-3292 or <a href="mailto:voteruderfortreasurer@gmail.com">voteruderfortreasurer@gmail.com</a>.&nbsp;Vern Ruder, candidate for Ellis County treasurer

LETTER: Ruder makes run for Ellis County treasurer position

Congrats to the Victoria High School Class of 2020!

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589817160722.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Congrats to the Victoria High School Class of 2020!<div>
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 </figure>

Victoria High School Class of 2020

By CORINNE BOYER <a href="https://www.hppr.org/post/kansas-news-deserts-leave-increasingly-fewer-reporters-cover-covid-19-outbreak">Kansas News Service</a>

GARDEN CITY — During a pandemic, local news 
coverage means more than keeping tabs on the city council or high school
 sports. The stories published in a newspaper, broadcast on a network TV
 affiliate or aired on the radio bring critical information about the 
public health crisis to communities.

People count on reporters in
 their town or region to let them know about the latest spread of 
disease, about what’s safe and what’s not — especially in small 
meatpacking towns that have become coronavirus hot spots.

“They’re
 doing the best they can,” said Angela Labrier, who turns to the Fox 
News Channel and The Garden City Telegram to stay on top of what’s 
happening with the coronavirus.

But it’s getting harder for local news outlets, just about everywhere.

In Kansas, <a href="https://www.usnewsdeserts.com/states/kansas/">58 of the state’s 105 counties</a>
 find themselves left with a single newspaper. Since 2004, Kansas has 
lost 18 daily newspapers. The surviving news outlets find themselves 
thinned out, with fewer reporters to track down and distill the news in 
the communities they struggle to cover.

The pandemic only made 
things worse. Stay-at-home orders, and the economic collapse that 
followed, put hundreds of thousands of Kansans out of work. That 
business free-fall cut deep into advertising revenue. For generations, 
news organizations have relied on ads as the foundation of their 
business models.

Now many news outfits that had to cut 
journalists off the payroll before a virus undid the economy face new 
economic pressure to slice even deeper.

Gatehouse, which owns the
 largest number of newspapers in Kansas, recently merged with Gannett. 
Editors and reporters at the chain making $38,000 or more will be <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/30/gannett-newspapers-furloughs/">furloughed</a>
 for one week without pay in May, June and July. McClatchy — it owns the
 two largest media outlets in Kansas, The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas 
City Star — finds itself in <a href="https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article240139933.html">bankruptcy</a>.

In
 central Kansas, the Hays Post — a digital outlet run by Eagle Radio — 
created a coronavirus section on its website early on, said Eagle Radio 
News Director Ron Fields. The Hutch Post, the Salina Post and the Great 
Bend Post, and all of Eagle Radio’s websites, did the same thing.

In a testament to the hunger for local news in a crisis, web traffic doubled in little more than three weeks.

“In that short time period, there were just over a million individual devices that hit those four sites,” Fields said.

But Eagle Radio is the exception to the rule.

Over
 the last 15 years, 2,100 American newspapers have shuttered, said Penny
 Muse Abernathy, a communications professor at the University of North 
Carolina. The coronavirus will likely accelerate the news desert issue 
that Abernathy has tracked for 15 years.

“We’re going to see 
hundreds of newspapers go under,” she said. “We’re going to see many 
more newspapers come back even more slimmed down.”

Abernathy 
studies news deserts — places she defines as having “limited access to 
the sort of credible and comprehensive news and information that feeds 
democracy at the grassroots level.”

She sees an emergence of “ghost newspapers,” the remnants left when large chains consolidate and strip down papers.

“So
 first, they stripped out printing and distribution,” Abernathy said. 
“Then they started stripping out sales functions, and ... then they 
started stripping out editing and reporting functions.”

Elisa
 Shearer is a research associate at the Pew Research Center, which has 
surveyed people about the new coronavirus since March.

“Most 
people say that they’re following (the news) at both the local and the 
national level and almost half say that local outlets are a major source
 of news for them,” Shearer said.

Yet more than a third say they look to state and local officials, 
meaning those public figures can drive public understanding of the 
outbreak without the context and fact-checking that people traditionally
 turned to journalists for.

The media still matter. Steven 
Smethers, director of the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass 
Communications at Kansas State University, said that when newspapers or 
other outlets cover less news, people notice.

“When you ask them 
then about what would be a good substitute if they didn’t have that 
local newspaper or that local radio station, it’s a sobering moment,” he
 said. “They can’t imagine life without the newspaper or the radio or 
television station either.”

Yet professional news organizations continue to shrink, even disappear. That’s created a growing thirst for coverage.

Since
 on-campus college classes have switched to online instruction, 
reporters at K-State’s student newspaper, The Collegian, continued 
covering COVID-19 remotely.

“The Collegian has been on top of 
this story from day one,” Smethers said. “We have about five students 
who have kept reporting on this beat.”

In areas with few or no 
media outlets, people often turn to social media for news. In the early 
days of the pandemic, bogus cures circulated widely.

“The good 
news is at least Facebook and Google are trying to take those down,” 
said Abernathy, the North Carolina researcher, “The bad news is they can
 still stay out there for long periods of time.”

In Dodge City, 
Pablo Candia started the bilingual Informative Hispanic American 
newspaper in 2012. But printing stopped once businesses that advertised 
started shutting down because of the coronavirus. If the newspaper 
doesn’t survive, he said the community will miss out on information. 
would leave a hole, a new news desert, in the community.

“If our publication (doesn’t) return, readers will lose an independent newspaper” Candia said.

Corinne
 Boyer covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas
 News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @corinne_boyer or email 
cboyer@hppr.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589824181508.png" alt=" A dump truck hauls printing presses from The Garden City Telegram. Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> A dump truck hauls printing presses from The Garden City Telegram. Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By CORINNE BOYER <a href="https://www.hppr.org/post/kansas-news-deserts-leave-increasingly-fewer-reporters-cover-covid-19-outbreak">Kansas News Service</a>GARDEN CITY — During a pandemic, local news 
coverage means more than keeping tabs on the city council or high school
 sports. The stories published in a newspaper, broadcast on a network TV
 affiliate or aired on the radio bring critical information about the 
public health crisis to communities.People count on reporters in
 their town or region to let them know about the latest spread of 
disease, about what’s safe and what’s not — especially in small 
meatpacking towns that have become coronavirus hot spots.“They’re
 doing the best they can,” said Angela Labrier, who turns to the Fox 
News Channel and The Garden City Telegram to stay on top of what’s 
happening with the coronavirus.But it’s getting harder for local news outlets, just about everywhere.In Kansas, <a href="https://www.usnewsdeserts.com/states/kansas/">58 of the state’s 105 counties</a>
 find themselves left with a single newspaper. Since 2004, Kansas has 
lost 18 daily newspapers. The surviving news outlets find themselves 
thinned out, with fewer reporters to track down and distill the news in 
the communities they struggle to cover.The pandemic only made 
things worse. Stay-at-home orders, and the economic collapse that 
followed, put hundreds of thousands of Kansans out of work. That 
business free-fall cut deep into advertising revenue. For generations, 
news organizations have relied on ads as the foundation of their 
business models.Now many news outfits that had to cut 
journalists off the payroll before a virus undid the economy face new 
economic pressure to slice even deeper.Gatehouse, which owns the
 largest number of newspapers in Kansas, recently merged with Gannett. 
Editors and reporters at the chain making $38,000 or more will be <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/03/30/gannett-newspapers-furloughs/">furloughed</a>
 for one week without pay in May, June and July. McClatchy — it owns the
 two largest media outlets in Kansas, The Wichita Eagle and The Kansas 
City Star — finds itself in <a href="https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article240139933.html">bankruptcy</a>.<h2>Local coronavirus news coverage</h2>In
 central Kansas, the Hays Post — a digital outlet run by Eagle Radio — 
created a coronavirus section on its website early on, said Eagle Radio 
News Director Ron Fields. The Hutch Post, the Salina Post and the Great 
Bend Post, and all of Eagle Radio’s websites, did the same thing.In a testament to the hunger for local news in a crisis, web traffic doubled in little more than three weeks.“In that short time period, there were just over a million individual devices that hit those four sites,” Fields said.But Eagle Radio is the exception to the rule.Over
 the last 15 years, 2,100 American newspapers have shuttered, said Penny
 Muse Abernathy, a communications professor at the University of North 
Carolina. The coronavirus will likely accelerate the news desert issue 
that Abernathy has tracked for 15 years.“We’re going to see 
hundreds of newspapers go under,” she said. “We’re going to see many 
more newspapers come back even more slimmed down.”Abernathy 
studies news deserts — places she defines as having “limited access to 
the sort of credible and comprehensive news and information that feeds 
democracy at the grassroots level.”She sees an emergence of “ghost newspapers,” the remnants left when large chains consolidate and strip down papers.“So
 first, they stripped out printing and distribution,” Abernathy said. 
“Then they started stripping out sales functions, and ... then they 
started stripping out editing and reporting functions.”<h2>Importance of local news</h2>Elisa
 Shearer is a research associate at the Pew Research Center, which has 
surveyed people about the new coronavirus since March.“Most 
people say that they’re following (the news) at both the local and the 
national level and almost half say that local outlets are a major source
 of news for them,” Shearer said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589824258540.jpeg" alt=" Printing presses from The Garden City Telegram. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Printing presses from The Garden City Telegram. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>Yet more than a third say they look to state and local officials, 
meaning those public figures can drive public understanding of the 
outbreak without the context and fact-checking that people traditionally
 turned to journalists for.The media still matter. Steven 
Smethers, director of the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass 
Communications at Kansas State University, said that when newspapers or 
other outlets cover less news, people notice.“When you ask them 
then about what would be a good substitute if they didn’t have that 
local newspaper or that local radio station, it’s a sobering moment,” he
 said. “They can’t imagine life without the newspaper or the radio or 
television station either.”Yet professional news organizations continue to shrink, even disappear. That’s created a growing thirst for coverage.Since
 on-campus college classes have switched to online instruction, 
reporters at K-State’s student newspaper, The Collegian, continued 
covering COVID-19 remotely.“The Collegian has been on top of 
this story from day one,” Smethers said. “We have about five students 
who have kept reporting on this beat.”In areas with few or no 
media outlets, people often turn to social media for news. In the early 
days of the pandemic, bogus cures circulated widely.“The good 
news is at least Facebook and Google are trying to take those down,” 
said Abernathy, the North Carolina researcher, “The bad news is they can
 still stay out there for long periods of time.”In Dodge City, 
Pablo Candia started the bilingual Informative Hispanic American 
newspaper in 2012. But printing stopped once businesses that advertised 
started shutting down because of the coronavirus. If the newspaper 
doesn’t survive, he said the community will miss out on information. 
would leave a hole, a new news desert, in the community.“If our publication (doesn’t) return, readers will lose an independent newspaper” Candia said.Corinne
 Boyer covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas
 News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @corinne_boyer or email 
cboyer@hppr.org.

Kan. news deserts: Fewer reporters to cover outbreak

Gov. Laura Kelly last week probably gave the Kansas Legislature -- which will meet for a one-day wrap-up session Thursday -- the best news it’s gotten so far this session.

She told them that she’s not going to push for changes in spending to speed through the Legislature in one day for the upcoming fiscal year which starts July 1.&nbsp;

Kelly says she’s confident that there’s going to be another recovery bill passed by Congress, though she and the rest of the nation’s governors aren’t certain just how it is going to impact their states and their budgets…and their citizens.

COVID-19 has already cost the state and cities and counties millions of dollars, and we’re still trying to figure how much of that lost revenue will be paid for or at least pared by federal assistance…or whether those costs wind up being paid for by Kansans’ tax dollars.

There’s overtime for first responders, there is testing and hospitalization of the poor who don’t have their own or their employers’ health insurance to cover them, plus a wide range of other costs. There’s also the effect on revenues. Less sales tax, less individual income tax and Kansans stretching to pay their property taxes.

Lots of costs: Just where they are going to fall isn’t clear yet. And six or seven months of monitoring of revenues and needs probably will give Kelly and the Legislature enough time to see just what needs to be fixed, what is essential spending, what is not so essential and what can be reassessed in January to reassemble the budget halfway through Fiscal Year 2021.

It’s a little like waiting to see whether the tornado veers away from your house. You don’t know until it happens. We’re all cowering in the basement, and by this fall leaders should have a better idea of just what’s it going to look like when they leave the basement to see what damage the tornado has caused…and start arranging for repairs.

Many lawmakers aren’t likely to ignore that it was Kelly who essentially sent Kansas to the basement with executive orders that closed thousands of nonessential businesses, restricted travel, caused layoffs, closed in-person attendance at schools…oh, and shut down bars and restaurants.

But then, most legislators who are talking about their concerns for the health and safety of Kansans -- that probably were enhanced by the governor’s shut-down and stay-home executive orders -- are ready for things to open up, for their neighbors to go back to work earning a living, eating in restaurants and paying taxes.

Oh, there’ll be bills this Thursday at the one-day session, and attempts to restrict, or at least let lawmakers regulate just what Kelly can do through executive orders through the remainder of the year, but at least those will come down to mostly fights in the basement about who gets the best spot to cower.

The best news is that besides some of those issues related to the pandemic are fairly technical, and not blazingly political. Look for a delay in when you have to pay your second-half property taxes if you haven’t already sent in the check. That’ll help some Kansans who have been put on furlough or who are living on unemployment benefits.

Oh, and there will be some consideration of the amazingly complicated determination of just what responsibility owners of stores and restaurants and such – and their insurance companies -- have for customers or employees who wind up with coronavirus that they may or may not have picked up at the business.

Best part of the session is that there’s no new budget activity when the state really doesn’t know what it needs to spend and on what as a result of the pandemic.

Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver's Capitol Report—to learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit the website at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hawvernews.com/">www.hawvernews.com</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573590596307.png" alt="Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver's Capitol Report." />
 <figcaption>Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver's Capitol Report.</figcaption>
 </figure>Gov. Laura Kelly last week probably gave the Kansas Legislature -- which will meet for a one-day wrap-up session Thursday -- the best news it’s gotten so far this session.She told them that she’s not going to push for changes in spending to speed through the Legislature in one day for the upcoming fiscal year which starts July 1.&nbsp;Kelly says she’s confident that there’s going to be another recovery bill passed by Congress, though she and the rest of the nation’s governors aren’t certain just how it is going to impact their states and their budgets…and their citizens.COVID-19 has already cost the state and cities and counties millions of dollars, and we’re still trying to figure how much of that lost revenue will be paid for or at least pared by federal assistance…or whether those costs wind up being paid for by Kansans’ tax dollars.There’s overtime for first responders, there is testing and hospitalization of the poor who don’t have their own or their employers’ health insurance to cover them, plus a wide range of other costs. There’s also the effect on revenues. Less sales tax, less individual income tax and Kansans stretching to pay their property taxes.Lots of costs: Just where they are going to fall isn’t clear yet. And six or seven months of monitoring of revenues and needs probably will give Kelly and the Legislature enough time to see just what needs to be fixed, what is essential spending, what is not so essential and what can be reassessed in January to reassemble the budget halfway through Fiscal Year 2021.It’s a little like waiting to see whether the tornado veers away from your house. You don’t know until it happens. We’re all cowering in the basement, and by this fall leaders should have a better idea of just what’s it going to look like when they leave the basement to see what damage the tornado has caused…and start arranging for repairs.Many lawmakers aren’t likely to ignore that it was Kelly who essentially sent Kansas to the basement with executive orders that closed thousands of nonessential businesses, restricted travel, caused layoffs, closed in-person attendance at schools…oh, and shut down bars and restaurants.But then, most legislators who are talking about their concerns for the health and safety of Kansans -- that probably were enhanced by the governor’s shut-down and stay-home executive orders -- are ready for things to open up, for their neighbors to go back to work earning a living, eating in restaurants and paying taxes.Oh, there’ll be bills this Thursday at the one-day session, and attempts to restrict, or at least let lawmakers regulate just what Kelly can do through executive orders through the remainder of the year, but at least those will come down to mostly fights in the basement about who gets the best spot to cower.The best news is that besides some of those issues related to the pandemic are fairly technical, and not blazingly political. Look for a delay in when you have to pay your second-half property taxes if you haven’t already sent in the check. That’ll help some Kansans who have been put on furlough or who are living on unemployment benefits.Oh, and there will be some consideration of the amazingly complicated determination of just what responsibility owners of stores and restaurants and such – and their insurance companies -- have for customers or employees who wind up with coronavirus that they may or may not have picked up at the business.Best part of the session is that there’s no new budget activity when the state really doesn’t know what it needs to spend and on what as a result of the pandemic.Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver's Capitol Report—to learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit the website at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hawvernews.com/">www.hawvernews.com</a>

HAWVER: Where will pandemic costs actually fall?

Three-day weather outlook

Note: This column contains&nbsp;language that may offend, quoted as part of musical lyrics.

As the COVID-19 crisis stretches on, we’re seeing more conflict, more
 protests and particularly more online rancor in the debate over how — 
and if — public officials should “open up” society or government 
restraints on gatherings, from bowling leagues and bars to religious 
services and retail stores.

The First Amendment’s protection for free speech covers most of what 
we may say, whether it’s impolite, insulting, biased or uplifting, even 
commentary or forcefully expressed opinions that most of us would find 
repulsive or repugnant.

But one area not protected as free speech is called a “true threat,” 
words that cause a person to fear for their safety or life. In a crisis,
 we may find things we say are taken in a different context by police, 
prosecutors and juries than at other, less stressful times.

Unfortunately for those trying to measure their own remarks, setting 
out a precise definition for what constitutes a true threat has 
flummoxed even the U.S. Supreme Court. The result is a division of 
opinion in federal and state courts across the country.

Toss in the new machinations of social media, which remove the 
element of face-to-face confrontation, but also provide a degree of 
anonymity — and lack of restraints — and the lines dividing protected 
and unprotected speech blur even more.

Speech threatening bodily harm made to a specific person standing in 
front of you while you have a weapon — for example, holding a knife and 
saying “I have a knife and I’m going to cut your throat” — leaves little
 doubt that it’s a true threat.

But what if the person at whom those same words are directed isn’t 
nearby when the remark is made, but sees it hours or days later on 
social media? What if the speaker sets the words to music, posts the 
statement as part of a YouTube video and later claims it was just a form
 of anger control therapy — even if the intended “target” (think you or 
me) took the threat seriously?

For many years, evidence that a statement could be judged as putting 
any “reasonable person” in fear was enough to support a conviction in 
many courts. But in 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Elonis v. United 
States, focused on the intent of the person making the 
statement, effectively saying that consideration was important — and 
perhaps essential — when deciding if the speaker was indeed issuing a 
“true threat.”

But the high court didn’t set out any means of measuring intent, leaving things hanging. Two years later, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, in Perez v. Florida,
 where the court refused to reconsider the conviction of a man who 
threatened to blow up a liquor store, that while “states must prove more
 than mere utterance of threatening words, some level of intent is 
required —(and) the Court should also decide precisely what level of 
intent suffices under the First Amendment,” noting that did not happen 
in Elonis.

All of that leaves many of us subject to state laws that don’t 
include a requirement to consider what we might mean when we say it, 
just how a “reasonable person” would feel about our words. Got enough 
money or time to get to the Supreme Court? Such a conviction would seem 
likely to be thrown out.

Not the “bright line” between right and wrong that we should expect to see when it comes to criminal prosecutions.

Case in point: According to Kentucky’s Lexington Herald Leader, Louisville lawyer James Gregory Troutman, 53, was charged April 22 with “terroristic threatening” for two Facebook posts directed at Gov. Andy Beshear.

“Maybe some should ask Beshear in a press conference about his thoughts on William Goebel,”
 Troutman was reported by police to have said in a post, “For those of 
you who don’t know the history … it’s a good read.” Goebel, shot to 
death in 1900, in is the only serving U.S. governor ever assassinated.

Police said Troutman also later posted, in a Facebook exchange about 
Beshear ordering photos to be taken of license plates of churchgoers 
flouting social distancing orders, “With any luck the gov will be the 
one at whom the shooting will be directed.”

Police said Troutman was “threatening to commit a crime likely to 
result in death or serious physical injury to the Kentucky governor.” 
But Troutman’s lawyer said the man “didn’t say he was going to kill 
him.”

If you were sitting on a jury considering the charges against 
Troutman, a 1969 Supreme Court decision in Watts v. United States might 
help you decide. In that Vietnam War-era case, a protester was charged 
with threatening President Lyndon Johnson for telling a rally that “if they ever make me carry a rifle, the first man I want to get in my sights is LBJ.”

The court later decided that Watts “had engaged in a crude form of 
political hyperbole rather than utter a true threat.” The justices 
identified what later came to be known as the Watts factors: The context
 in which the words were spoken, the reaction of those who heard the 
remarks and the certainty of the remarks.

They noted that Watts made his statements during a political rally, 
that those who overheard his remarks laughed and his statement was 
conditional rather than definitive.

Still today, some lower courts use the Watts factors to determine whether speech crosses the line into the realm of <a href="https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1025/true-threats" target="_blank">true threats</a>, Freedom Forum First Amendment Fellow David Hudson notes.

Another kind of hyperbole: Wishing that a meteor will fall from the 
sky and injure or kill a certain person may well be what most of us 
would find hateful and morally wrong, but it’s safely protected under 
the First Amendment.

On the other hand, the Supreme Court found in 2003, in Virginia v. 
Black — perhaps its most direct ruling about “true threat” —&nbsp; that the 
state of Virginia could prosecute people for cross burning intended to 
intimidate or instill fear in others. Dissenting voices said cross 
burning is always unprotected speech since it can have no effect other 
than intimidating others, but the court’s majority did not agree. Again,
 the intent of the speaker, as in Elonis, rather than the meaning to 
those receiving the message, was held most significant.

The justices did offer this definition: True threats are “those 
statements where the speaker means to communicate a serious expression 
of an intent to commit an act of unlawful violence to a particular 
individual or group.”

Adding to the conflicted legal views over true threats was the 2019 refusal by the justices to consider an appeal by Jamal Knox,
 a Pittsburgh rap music artist convicted over lyrics in a song “F*** the
 Police,” recorded in 2012 while facing weapon and drug charges. The 
song named arresting officers and included lyrics saying, “Let’s 
kill these cops cuz they don’t do us no good / pullin’ out your Glock 
out ’cause I live in the ‘hood” and “I’ma jam this rusty knife all in 
his guts and chop his feet … your shift over at 3 and I’m gonna f*** up 
where you sleep.”

Critics of Knox’s conviction note that other more widely recognized 
artists have used similar statements in their music without prosecution 
and that local courts generally don’t understand the role of rap music 
in urban culture.

Officials cited Knox’s specific identification of the officers and in
 2018 the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said his lyrics were threats, not 
“political, social or academic commentary, nor are they facially 
satirical or ironic.”

From armed protestors confronting state police officers in the 
Michigan capitol building to armed revelers at a Texas bar arrested in a
 SWAT raid, from angry crowds outside a number of gubernatorial 
residences to violent words on social media, the potential for threating
 actions and actual violence today is higher than ever.

So how to judge whether your words, expressive conduct (such as 
marching with signs or weapons) or violent social media posts are 
protected speech?

Colleagues at the Freedom Forum’s education unit provide a lesson 
plan — for free — to help you navigate those First Amendment “true 
threat” waters: In “You Can’t Say That?!” you will learn about 
restrictions to freedom of speech in public life and the court cases 
that determined when and why those limits&nbsp;apply.

Bottom line: In the U.S., the First Amendment certainly protects your
 right to speak. But there’s no absolute protection from the effects of 
what you say — particularly when those words may put a specific person 
in fear of injury or death.

Gene Policinski is a senior fellow for the First Amendment at the
 Freedom Forum, and president and chief operating officer of the Freedom
 Forum Institute. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:gpolicinski@freedomforum.org" target="_blank">gpolicinski@freedomforum.org</a>, or follow him on Twitter at&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/@genefac" target="_blank">@genefac</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573872297806.png" alt="Gene Policinski is a senior fellow for the First Amendment at the Freedom Forum, and president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute." />
 <figcaption>Gene Policinski is a senior fellow for the First Amendment at the Freedom Forum, and president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute.</figcaption>
 </figure>Note: This column contains&nbsp;language that may offend, quoted as part of musical lyrics.As the COVID-19 crisis stretches on, we’re seeing more conflict, more
 protests and particularly more online rancor in the debate over how — 
and if — public officials should “open up” society or government 
restraints on gatherings, from bowling leagues and bars to religious 
services and retail stores.The First Amendment’s protection for free speech covers most of what 
we may say, whether it’s impolite, insulting, biased or uplifting, even 
commentary or forcefully expressed opinions that most of us would find 
repulsive or repugnant.But one area not protected as free speech is called a “true threat,” 
words that cause a person to fear for their safety or life. In a crisis,
 we may find things we say are taken in a different context by police, 
prosecutors and juries than at other, less stressful times.Unfortunately for those trying to measure their own remarks, setting 
out a precise definition for what constitutes a true threat has 
flummoxed even the U.S. Supreme Court. The result is a division of 
opinion in federal and state courts across the country.Toss in the new machinations of social media, which remove the 
element of face-to-face confrontation, but also provide a degree of 
anonymity — and lack of restraints — and the lines dividing protected 
and unprotected speech blur even more.Speech threatening bodily harm made to a specific person standing in 
front of you while you have a weapon — for example, holding a knife and 
saying “I have a knife and I’m going to cut your throat” — leaves little
 doubt that it’s a true threat.But what if the person at whom those same words are directed isn’t 
nearby when the remark is made, but sees it hours or days later on 
social media? What if the speaker sets the words to music, posts the 
statement as part of a YouTube video and later claims it was just a form
 of anger control therapy — even if the intended “target” (think you or 
me) took the threat seriously?For many years, evidence that a statement could be judged as putting 
any “reasonable person” in fear was enough to support a conviction in 
many courts. But in 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Elonis v. United 
States, focused on the intent of the person making the 
statement, effectively saying that consideration was important — and 
perhaps essential — when deciding if the speaker was indeed issuing a 
“true threat.”But the high court didn’t set out any means of measuring intent, leaving things hanging. Two years later, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote, in Perez v. Florida,
 where the court refused to reconsider the conviction of a man who 
threatened to blow up a liquor store, that while “states must prove more
 than mere utterance of threatening words, some level of intent is 
required —(and) the Court should also decide precisely what level of 
intent suffices under the First Amendment,” noting that did not happen 
in Elonis.All of that leaves many of us subject to state laws that don’t 
include a requirement to consider what we might mean when we say it, 
just how a “reasonable person” would feel about our words. Got enough 
money or time to get to the Supreme Court? Such a conviction would seem 
likely to be thrown out.Not the “bright line” between right and wrong that we should expect to see when it comes to criminal prosecutions.Case in point: According to Kentucky’s Lexington Herald Leader, Louisville lawyer James Gregory Troutman, 53, was charged April 22 with “terroristic threatening” for two Facebook posts directed at Gov. Andy Beshear.“Maybe some should ask Beshear in a press conference about his thoughts on William Goebel,”
 Troutman was reported by police to have said in a post, “For those of 
you who don’t know the history … it’s a good read.” Goebel, shot to 
death in 1900, in is the only serving U.S. governor ever assassinated.Police said Troutman also later posted, in a Facebook exchange about 
Beshear ordering photos to be taken of license plates of churchgoers 
flouting social distancing orders, “With any luck the gov will be the 
one at whom the shooting will be directed.”Police said Troutman was “threatening to commit a crime likely to 
result in death or serious physical injury to the Kentucky governor.” 
But Troutman’s lawyer said the man “didn’t say he was going to kill 
him.”If you were sitting on a jury considering the charges against 
Troutman, a 1969 Supreme Court decision in Watts v. United States might 
help you decide. In that Vietnam War-era case, a protester was charged 
with threatening President Lyndon Johnson for telling a rally that “if they ever make me carry a rifle, the first man I want to get in my sights is LBJ.”The court later decided that Watts “had engaged in a crude form of 
political hyperbole rather than utter a true threat.” The justices 
identified what later came to be known as the Watts factors: The context
 in which the words were spoken, the reaction of those who heard the 
remarks and the certainty of the remarks.They noted that Watts made his statements during a political rally, 
that those who overheard his remarks laughed and his statement was 
conditional rather than definitive.Still today, some lower courts use the Watts factors to determine whether speech crosses the line into the realm of <a href="https://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1025/true-threats" target="_blank">true threats</a>, Freedom Forum First Amendment Fellow David Hudson notes.Another kind of hyperbole: Wishing that a meteor will fall from the 
sky and injure or kill a certain person may well be what most of us 
would find hateful and morally wrong, but it’s safely protected under 
the First Amendment.On the other hand, the Supreme Court found in 2003, in Virginia v. 
Black — perhaps its most direct ruling about “true threat” —&nbsp; that the 
state of Virginia could prosecute people for cross burning intended to 
intimidate or instill fear in others. Dissenting voices said cross 
burning is always unprotected speech since it can have no effect other 
than intimidating others, but the court’s majority did not agree. Again,
 the intent of the speaker, as in Elonis, rather than the meaning to 
those receiving the message, was held most significant.The justices did offer this definition: True threats are “those 
statements where the speaker means to communicate a serious expression 
of an intent to commit an act of unlawful violence to a particular 
individual or group.”Adding to the conflicted legal views over true threats was the 2019 refusal by the justices to consider an appeal by Jamal Knox,
 a Pittsburgh rap music artist convicted over lyrics in a song “F*** the
 Police,” recorded in 2012 while facing weapon and drug charges. The 
song named arresting officers and included lyrics saying, “Let’s 
kill these cops cuz they don’t do us no good / pullin’ out your Glock 
out ’cause I live in the ‘hood” and “I’ma jam this rusty knife all in 
his guts and chop his feet … your shift over at 3 and I’m gonna f*** up 
where you sleep.”Critics of Knox’s conviction note that other more widely recognized 
artists have used similar statements in their music without prosecution 
and that local courts generally don’t understand the role of rap music 
in urban culture.Officials cited Knox’s specific identification of the officers and in
 2018 the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said his lyrics were threats, not 
“political, social or academic commentary, nor are they facially 
satirical or ironic.”From armed protestors confronting state police officers in the 
Michigan capitol building to armed revelers at a Texas bar arrested in a
 SWAT raid, from angry crowds outside a number of gubernatorial 
residences to violent words on social media, the potential for threating
 actions and actual violence today is higher than ever.So how to judge whether your words, expressive conduct (such as 
marching with signs or weapons) or violent social media posts are 
protected speech?Colleagues at the Freedom Forum’s education unit provide a lesson 
plan — for free — to help you navigate those First Amendment “true 
threat” waters: In “You Can’t Say That?!” you will learn about 
restrictions to freedom of speech in public life and the court cases 
that determined when and why those limits&nbsp;apply.Bottom line: In the U.S., the First Amendment certainly protects your
 right to speak. But there’s no absolute protection from the effects of 
what you say — particularly when those words may put a specific person 
in fear of injury or death.Gene Policinski is a senior fellow for the First Amendment at the
 Freedom Forum, and president and chief operating officer of the Freedom
 Forum Institute. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:gpolicinski@freedomforum.org" target="_blank">gpolicinski@freedomforum.org</a>, or follow him on Twitter at&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/@genefac" target="_blank">@genefac</a>.

FIRST FIVE: What words make up a ‘true threat?’ Well, that depends

By BRIAN GRIMMETT <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/dentist-and-hygienest-describe-how-covid-19-disrupts-even-routine-teeth-cleanings">Kansas News Service</a>

Dental offices across Kansas closed for more than a month to make 
sure they weren’t using up critical personal protective equipment needed
 at hospitals.

Now many are beginning to clean molars and bicuspids again.

Brian
 Grimmett of the Kansas News Service spoke with David Lawlor, a dentist,
 and Julie Martin, the president of the Kansas Dental Hygienists’ 
Association, to find out what you can expect when you go and how they’re
 trying to keep patients and employees safe.

The interviews were performed separately. The questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Kansas News Service: What are the expectations for getting back up and running?

David
 Lawlor: We’ve been pushing patients back for six weeks. I think at 
first people originally we’re trying to do their best to deal with it. 
If it’s something I can put off for a while I will. But the last couple 
weeks it’s kind of been like we reached our limit and people got to get 
in.

We’re having people stay out in their car and we’re taking 
the temperature of staff and patients. We’re wearing masks, we have face
 shields, we have gowns, and for our cleanings we’re not using the 
Cavitron (a machine that uses ultrasonic sound waves to remove plaque 
from teeth) which is a thing that can aerosolize the virus. We’re doing 
mostly hand scaling.

KNS: You mentioned the precautions 
you’re taking, but is there some extra hesitancy from you or your staff,
 saying, you know I'm working with spit all day?

Lawlor:
 Yes and No. It’s what we do all the time. We’ve always been at higher 
risk for getting sicknesses because we’re working in people’s mouths. 
So, that’s been the main thing, trying to limit the amount of high air 
flow into the mouth that causes things to get into the air. And you know
 what? I think it’s all going to work out and be just fine.

KNS: Have you heard from any people that are afraid to go back to work?

Julie
 Martin: It wouldn’t be normal to not be afraid to go back to work. 
Because if our vigilance isn’t high, then complacency comes into play.

I
 mean our procedures, the nature of our job is removing the bacterial 
load that’s in our oral cavities. And a lot of our equipment does 
produce those aerosols. That includes your polishing. That involves 
splatter. Some of your ultrasonic equipment which has, like the water 
spray and the vibration. That also creates an aerosol. So I mean, pretty
 much everything that we do can exasperate that potential for spread.

KNS: Financially, what has it been like taking six weeks off?

Martin:
 This is a tough choice. If we don’t go back to work we can’t pay our 
bills. So, the economic issue of all of this is devastating. Having to 
go back to work is great, but is it worth risking your health and the 
rest of the public’s health that you care for, is it worth it? That’s (a
 decision) each individual, each oral health care provider needs to 
make.

KNS: Should you go to the dentist right now?

Martin:
 You know, if you have an infection and you are in pain, then absolutely
 go in and see the dentist. Get that taken care of. Because if you do 
have infection and do have pain it has a tendency to spread into the 
rest of the system.

Brian Grimmett reports on the 
environment, energy and natural resources for KMUW in Wichita and the 
Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/briangrimmett?lang=en">@briangrimmett</a>
 or email him at grimmett@kmuw.org. The Kansas News Service 
is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains 
Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and 
their connection to public policy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589809290522.png" alt=" A rinsing sink at the dentist office of David Lawlor in Wichita. Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> A rinsing sink at the dentist office of David Lawlor in Wichita. Brian Grimmett / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRIAN GRIMMETT <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/dentist-and-hygienest-describe-how-covid-19-disrupts-even-routine-teeth-cleanings">Kansas News Service</a>Dental offices across Kansas closed for more than a month to make 
sure they weren’t using up critical personal protective equipment needed
 at hospitals.Now many are beginning to clean molars and bicuspids again.Brian
 Grimmett of the Kansas News Service spoke with David Lawlor, a dentist,
 and Julie Martin, the president of the Kansas Dental Hygienists’ 
Association, to find out what you can expect when you go and how they’re
 trying to keep patients and employees safe.The interviews were performed separately. The questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.Kansas News Service: What are the expectations for getting back up and running?David
 Lawlor: We’ve been pushing patients back for six weeks. I think at 
first people originally we’re trying to do their best to deal with it. 
If it’s something I can put off for a while I will. But the last couple 
weeks it’s kind of been like we reached our limit and people got to get 
in.We’re having people stay out in their car and we’re taking 
the temperature of staff and patients. We’re wearing masks, we have face
 shields, we have gowns, and for our cleanings we’re not using the 
Cavitron (a machine that uses ultrasonic sound waves to remove plaque 
from teeth) which is a thing that can aerosolize the virus. We’re doing 
mostly hand scaling.KNS: You mentioned the precautions 
you’re taking, but is there some extra hesitancy from you or your staff,
 saying, you know I'm working with spit all day?Lawlor:
 Yes and No. It’s what we do all the time. We’ve always been at higher 
risk for getting sicknesses because we’re working in people’s mouths. 
So, that’s been the main thing, trying to limit the amount of high air 
flow into the mouth that causes things to get into the air. And you know
 what? I think it’s all going to work out and be just fine.KNS: Have you heard from any people that are afraid to go back to work?Julie
 Martin: It wouldn’t be normal to not be afraid to go back to work. 
Because if our vigilance isn’t high, then complacency comes into play.I
 mean our procedures, the nature of our job is removing the bacterial 
load that’s in our oral cavities. And a lot of our equipment does 
produce those aerosols. That includes your polishing. That involves 
splatter. Some of your ultrasonic equipment which has, like the water 
spray and the vibration. That also creates an aerosol. So I mean, pretty
 much everything that we do can exasperate that potential for spread.KNS: Financially, what has it been like taking six weeks off?Martin:
 This is a tough choice. If we don’t go back to work we can’t pay our 
bills. So, the economic issue of all of this is devastating. Having to 
go back to work is great, but is it worth risking your health and the 
rest of the public’s health that you care for, is it worth it? That’s (a
 decision) each individual, each oral health care provider needs to 
make.KNS: Should you go to the dentist right now?Martin:
 You know, if you have an infection and you are in pain, then absolutely
 go in and see the dentist. Get that taken care of. Because if you do 
have infection and do have pain it has a tendency to spread into the 
rest of the system.Brian Grimmett reports on the 
environment, energy and natural resources for KMUW in Wichita and the 
Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/briangrimmett?lang=en">@briangrimmett</a>
 or email him at grimmett@kmuw.org. The Kansas News Service 
is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains 
Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and 
their connection to public policy.

Dentist, hygienist: COVID-19 disrupts even routine cleanings 

On this episode of Forward Ever; Leading in Challenging Times, Gary Shorman&nbsp;speaks with Hays mayor and local business owner Shaun Musil.

<div><iframe title="Forward Ever: Hays Mayor Shaun Musil" height="400" width="400" style="border: none;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/media/player/vvxa2-dce538?from=yiiadmin&download=1&version=1&vjs=1&skin=3&auto=1&share=1&fonts=Helvetica&download=1&rtl=0&pbad=1"></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever; Leading in Challenging Times, Gary Shorman&nbsp;speaks with Hays mayor and local business owner Shaun Musil.

🎤Forward Ever: Hays Mayor Shaun Musil

ELLIS COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Monday in Ellis County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Lincoln Towncar driven by Shawn M. White, 45, Cuba, Mo., was westbound on interstate 70 nine miles west of Hays.

The driver made an aggressive avoidance maneuver to avoid hitting another vehicle. 

The driver then over corrected. The car entered the north ditch and rolled one time.

EMS transported a passenger Chayce R. Hammock, 3, Cuba,&nbsp; to Hays Medical Center. White was not injured. Both were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

ELLIS COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 7:30a.m. Monday in Ellis County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Lincoln Towncar driven by Shawn M. White, 45, Cuba, Mo., was westbound on interstate 70 nine miles west of Hays.The driver made an aggressive avoidance maneuver to avoid hitting another vehicle. The driver then over corrected. The car entered the north ditch and rolled one time.EMS transported a passenger Chayce R. Hammock, 3, Cuba,&nbsp; to Hays Medical Center. White was not injured. Both were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

3-year-old hospitalized after car rolls on I-70

The Hays school board is set to vote on the purchase of new iPads for elementary school students during its meeting tonight.

The board will begin with a short budget hearing at 6:30 p.m. The district needs to approve an increase in the budget of about $403,000 for at-risk funding and professional development.

This is a routine procedures many districts do at the end of the fiscal year and will not result in any tax increase.

The regular board meeting will take place immediately following the budget hearing and will be broadcast via Zoom.

The board is set to vote on purchase of iPads for students in grades K-5.

The board is also set to vote on an increase in the assessment for&nbsp;the West Central Kansas Special Education Cooperative 

The co-op will need an additional 10 percent in funding for operations next year.&nbsp;

The co-op is estimating a need for an additional $225,000 in assessments from the member districts.&nbsp;Hays has the majority of students served by the co-op and would pay the bulk of the increase — $171,000.&nbsp;

The board is also set to vote on renewal of software for the Learning Center at a cost of a total of $75,000 for a three-year contract.

The board will also hear reports on several capital improvement projects — the HVAC replacement at Roosevelt Elementary School, phone system replacement at Hays High School, replacement of staff computer at HHS and bids for door-lock replacements.

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostThe Hays school board is set to vote on the purchase of new iPads for elementary school students during its meeting tonight.The board will begin with a short budget hearing at 6:30 p.m. The district needs to approve an increase in the budget of about $403,000 for at-risk funding and professional development.This is a routine procedures many districts do at the end of the fiscal year and will not result in any tax increase.The regular board meeting will take place immediately following the budget hearing and will be broadcast via Zoom.The board is set to vote on purchase of iPads for students in grades K-5.Apple has offered a no-interest lease agreement for 1,50o iPads and cases. The lease would cost $360 per iPad and case for a total lease of $540,000 over four years.The board is also set to vote on an increase in the assessment for&nbsp;the West Central Kansas Special Education Cooperative The co-op will need an additional 10 percent in funding for operations next year.&nbsp;The co-op is estimating a need for an additional $225,000 in assessments from the member districts.&nbsp;Hays has the majority of students served by the co-op and would pay the bulk of the increase — $171,000.&nbsp;The board is also set to vote on renewal of software for the Learning Center at a cost of a total of $75,000 for a three-year contract.The board will also hear reports on several capital improvement projects — the HVAC replacement at Roosevelt Elementary School, phone system replacement at Hays High School, replacement of staff computer at HHS and bids for door-lock replacements.

Hays USD 489 school board to vote on purchase of K-5 iPads

The Hays Police Department Special Situation Response Team will conduct training between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Monday at 415 W. Third.

Police officers will be training with special tactical equipment. This training is being done with great care and safety.

As
 a home or business owner, you may see law enforcement officers move 
through your area. There is no need to be alarmed. The officers are 
merely conducting a realistic training exercise and there is no danger 
to the community.

If you have any questions or concerns, you may 
contact the on-site supervisor (Team Commander Tim Greenwood, or Chief Don Scheibler at 785-625-1030.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/4/1586969822175.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>City of HaysThe Hays Police Department Special Situation Response Team will conduct training between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. Monday at 415 W. Third.Police officers will be training with special tactical equipment. This training is being done with great care and safety.As
 a home or business owner, you may see law enforcement officers move 
through your area. There is no need to be alarmed. The officers are 
merely conducting a realistic training exercise and there is no danger 
to the community.If you have any questions or concerns, you may 
contact the on-site supervisor (Team Commander Tim Greenwood, or Chief Don Scheibler at 785-625-1030.

Hays PD will conduct Monday afternoon training

Pat Carver of Pat's Beef Jerky is looking at increasing the price of his products as the cost of beef soars amid packing plant shutdowns.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5eb299a2eb7f1705360448cd">Several U.S. production plants have been&nbsp;temporarily shuttered&nbsp;in recent weeks after hundreds of workers were sickened by COVID-19.</a>

Shortages have resulted, leaving local businesses and restaurants to make adjustments.

Carver said he was hoping to get his meat order in this week. He shut down his kitchen in Liebenthal this week for maintenance.&nbsp;

However, if he gets his shipment, he is facing a $2 per pound price increase. It takes three pounds of beef to make one pound of beef jerky once it's been dried.

Pat's Beef Jerky has not had a price increase in several years, so Carver planned to increase his price by a dollar per pound, but high beef prices still mean a significant hit to his business financially.

"I never thought I would see this day," he said.

Carver said he did not expect a significant decrease in prices once production resumes.

"I can see the price of the meat staying higher," he said. "Once everyone has the price where they want it, I think they are going to keep that. It is my feeling that is the way it works. If they are selling with bigger margins, why drop the price? I hope that I am wrong for my sake and everyone else’s sake — for consumers.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1581628026107.png" alt="Pat Carver of Pat's Beef Jerky is considering a price increase after facing a $2 per pound increase in the price of beef as a result of COVID-19 processing plant shutdowns." />
 <figcaption>Pat Carver of Pat's Beef Jerky is considering a price increase after facing a $2 per pound increase in the price of beef as a result of COVID-19 processing plant shutdowns.</figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostPat Carver of Pat's Beef Jerky is looking at increasing the price of his products as the cost of beef soars amid packing plant shutdowns.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5eb299a2eb7f1705360448cd">Several U.S. production plants have been&nbsp;temporarily shuttered&nbsp;in recent weeks after hundreds of workers were sickened by COVID-19.</a>Shortages have resulted, leaving local businesses and restaurants to make adjustments.Carver said he was hoping to get his meat order in this week. He shut down his kitchen in Liebenthal this week for maintenance.&nbsp;However, if he gets his shipment, he is facing a $2 per pound price increase. It takes three pounds of beef to make one pound of beef jerky once it's been dried.Pat's Beef Jerky has not had a price increase in several years, so Carver planned to increase his price by a dollar per pound, but high beef prices still mean a significant hit to his business financially."I never thought I would see this day," he said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1581631655398.jpeg" alt="Pat's Beef Jerky" />
 <figcaption>Pat's Beef Jerky</figcaption>
 </figure>Carver said he did not expect a significant decrease in prices once production resumes."I can see the price of the meat staying higher," he said. "Once everyone has the price where they want it, I think they are going to keep that. It is my feeling that is the way it works. If they are selling with bigger margins, why drop the price? I hope that I am wrong for my sake and everyone else’s sake — for consumers."If prices don't go down, wages will need to go up to pay for the food."T<a href="https://apnews.com/6a34d27d3d7f9fdcf837c272ba539972">he attorneys general for 11 Midwestern states</a>&nbsp;urged the Justice Department to pursue a federal investigation into market concentration and potential price fixing by meatpackers in the cattle industry, pointing out the disparity in the price of live cattle and the retail cost of boxed beef that is sold to consumers, according to the Associated Press.Gella's Diner reopened Wednesday after being shut down for weeks amid the pandemic.Stephanie Temple, general manager, said the restaurant modified its menu, taking in mind possible meat and poultry shortages."We knew we had to use common sense," she said. "We heard the processing plants were having problems. If we picked chicken as an entree, we did not add a chicken sandwich."She said sourcing pork was an issue, as was sourcing beef and even some fresh vegetables.Gella's is using single-use disposable menus, which is allowing it to change its menu as the availability of ingredients change, Temple said.Gella's also has adjusted its dining area for social distancing."We are taking steps to be safe and conscience financially," she said.Oscar Runyon, part owner and general manager of Hickok's Steakhouse, said he has been able to purchase all of the protein he has needed for his menu through the COVID-19 shutdown.Even through the shutdown, Hickok's was offering curbside service."I have been able to run everything," he said, "but it has been limited. I haven't been able to get big quantities."Although he is seeing higher prices, he said he has not made any adjustments to his menu prices thus far.&nbsp;"They said it's going to get better," he said. "Eventually, I think it all will. You adapt to it."The Associated Press contributed to this story.