WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced that 
interest rates will increase for the calendar quarter beginning January 
1, 2023.

For individuals, the rate for overpayments and underpayments will be 
7% per year, compounded daily, up from 6% for the quarter that began on 
October 1. Here is a complete list of the new rates:

Under the Internal Revenue Code, the rate of interest is 
determined on a quarterly basis. For taxpayers other than corporations, 
the overpayment and underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate 
plus 3 percentage points.

Generally, in the case of a corporation, the underpayment rate is the
 federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points and the overpayment 
rate is the federal short-term rate plus 2 percentage points. The rate 
for large corporate underpayments is the federal short-term rate plus 5 
percentage points. The rate on the portion of a corporate overpayment of
 tax exceeding $10,000 for a taxable period is the federal short-term 
rate plus one-half (0.5) of a percentage point.

The interest rates announced today are computed from the federal 
short-term rate determined during October 2022. See the revenue ruling 
for details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today announced that 
interest rates will increase for the calendar quarter beginning January 
1, 2023.For individuals, the rate for overpayments and underpayments will be 
7% per year, compounded daily, up from 6% for the quarter that began on 
October 1. Here is a complete list of the new rates:<ul>
 <li>7% for overpayments (payments made in excess of the amount owed), 6% for corporations.</li><li>4.5% for the portion of a corporate overpayment exceeding $10,000.</li><li>7% for underpayments. (taxes owed but not fully paid)</li><li>9% for large corporate underpayments.</li>
 </ul>Under the Internal Revenue Code, the rate of interest is 
determined on a quarterly basis. For taxpayers other than corporations, 
the overpayment and underpayment rate is the federal short-term rate 
plus 3 percentage points.Generally, in the case of a corporation, the underpayment rate is the
 federal short-term rate plus 3 percentage points and the overpayment 
rate is the federal short-term rate plus 2 percentage points. The rate 
for large corporate underpayments is the federal short-term rate plus 5 
percentage points. The rate on the portion of a corporate overpayment of
 tax exceeding $10,000 for a taxable period is the federal short-term 
rate plus one-half (0.5) of a percentage point.The interest rates announced today are computed from the federal 
short-term rate determined during October 2022. See the revenue ruling 
for details.

IRS: Interest rates increase for the first quarter of 2023

John D. Gregory, 70, of Wichita died on November 25, 2022, from 
injuries sustained in an automobile accident. John was born John DeRoam 
Gregory to Sylvia Patricia Wilhoit and Truman Gregory on October 28, 
1952, in Osborne, Kansas. As an only child, he grew up helping his 
father on the farm in Woodston, Kansas. John attended primary school in 
Woodston, Kansas, and later, John graduated from Stockton High School in 
1970 after Woodston closed due to low enrollment. John attended Fort 
Hays State University from 1970-1973 graduating with a Bachelor’s degree
 in Mass Communications. He was an active member of the Delta Sigma Phi 
Fraternity.

He married his college sweetheart, Kathyrn 
R. Rohrbough of Scott City, Kansas on March 2, 1974. John worked for the
 Great Bend Tribune, Osborne County Farmer Newspaper, Brush Art, and 
Arrow Printing Company.

He is survived by his 
daughters; Robin Gregory of Oklahoma, and Crystal and husband Nathan 
Elliott and two grandchildren William and Halle of Wichita, Kansas.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Kathy on June 9, 2022.

John
 was a member of the Andale Catholic Church. John is known in the Salina
 area community for his work at Arrow Printing Company as an Account 
Executive. He was an active 4-H leader in Saline County in Photography 
approximately from 1990-2010.

Family will receive 
friends from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Thursday, December 1st, at 
Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home and Crematory, 500 S. Ohio St., Salina, 
Kansas.

Funeral services will be at 10:00 am, Friday, December 2nd, at the funeral home.

Graveside services will be at 2:00 pm, Friday, December 2nd, at Woodston Cemetery, Woodston, Kansas.

Donations
 may be made to the Kathy Gregory Memorial for an art scholarship at 
Southeast of Saline, in care of Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669669780104.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>John D. Gregory, 70, of Wichita died on November 25, 2022, from 
injuries sustained in an automobile accident. John was born John DeRoam 
Gregory to Sylvia Patricia Wilhoit and Truman Gregory on October 28, 
1952, in Osborne, Kansas. As an only child, he grew up helping his 
father on the farm in Woodston, Kansas. John attended primary school in 
Woodston, Kansas, and later, John graduated from Stockton High School in 
1970 after Woodston closed due to low enrollment. John attended Fort 
Hays State University from 1970-1973 graduating with a Bachelor’s degree
 in Mass Communications. He was an active member of the Delta Sigma Phi 
Fraternity.He married his college sweetheart, Kathyrn 
R. Rohrbough of Scott City, Kansas on March 2, 1974. John worked for the
 Great Bend Tribune, Osborne County Farmer Newspaper, Brush Art, and 
Arrow Printing Company.He is survived by his 
daughters; Robin Gregory of Oklahoma, and Crystal and husband Nathan 
Elliott and two grandchildren William and Halle of Wichita, Kansas.He is preceded in death by his wife, Kathy on June 9, 2022.John
 was a member of the Andale Catholic Church. John is known in the Salina
 area community for his work at Arrow Printing Company as an Account 
Executive. He was an active 4-H leader in Saline County in Photography 
approximately from 1990-2010.Family will receive 
friends from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Thursday, December 1st, at 
Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home and Crematory, 500 S. Ohio St., Salina, 
Kansas.Funeral services will be at 10:00 am, Friday, December 2nd, at the funeral home.Graveside services will be at 2:00 pm, Friday, December 2nd, at Woodston Cemetery, Woodston, Kansas.Donations
 may be made to the Kathy Gregory Memorial for an art scholarship at 
Southeast of Saline, in care of Carlson-Geisendorf Funeral Home.

John D. Gregory

NEW YORK (AP) — “Gaslighting” — behavior that's mind manipulating, grossly misleading, downright deceitful — is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/word-of-the-year">Merriam-Webster's word of the year.</a>

Lookups for the word on merriam-webster.com increased 1,740% in 2022 over the year before. But something else happened. There wasn't a single event that drove significant spikes in curiosity, as it usually goes with the chosen word of the year.

“It’s a word that has risen so quickly in the English language, and especially in the last four years, that it actually came as a surprise to me and to many of us,” said Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster's editor at large, in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press ahead of Monday's unveiling.

“It was a word looked up frequently every single day of the year,” he said.

There were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-elections-artificial-intelligence-21fa207a1254401197fd1e0d7ecd14cb">deepfakes</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1ca51cba8bb14a289d678eaa746122d3">dark web.</a>&nbsp;There were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-north-korea-james-comey-8720fde079e84237b8e6cca4219aafb2">deep states</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/not-real-news">fake news.</a>&nbsp;And there was a whole lot of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-elections-social-media-technology-4086949d878336f8ea6daa4dee725d94">trolling.</a>

Merriam-Webster's top definition for gaslighting is the psychological manipulation of a person, usually over an extended period of time, that “causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one’s emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator.”

More broadly, the dictionary defines the word thusly: "The act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one’s own advantage."

Gaslighting is a heinous tool frequently used by abusers in relationships —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-coronavirus-pandemic-elections-9f781df5c184eaad8651659eb628857c">and by politicians and other newsmakers.</a>&nbsp;It can happen between romantic partners, within a broader family unit and among friends. It can be a corporate tactic, or a way to mislead the public. There's also “medical gaslighting,” when a health care professional dismisses a patient's symptoms or illness as “all in your head.”

Despite its relatively recent prominence — including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-ap-top-news-natalie-maines-ingrid-bergman-217b8d650500e4a4e332cc53158201fb">“Gaslighter,” The Chicks' 2020 album</a>&nbsp;featuring the rousingly angry titular single — the word was brought to life more than 80 years ago with “Gas Light,” a 1938 play by Patrick Hamilton.

It birthed two film adaptations in the 1940s. One, George Cukor's “Gaslight” in 1944, starred Ingrid Bergman as Paula Alquist and Charles Boyer as Gregory Anton. The two marry after a whirlwind romance and Gregory turns out to be a champion gaslighter. Among other instances, he insists her complaints over the constant dimming of their London townhouse's gaslights is a figment of her troubled mind. It wasn't.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/angela-lansbury-dies-0fd75fe45fe1501d02bd164ff1130d0f">death of Angela Lansbury</a>&nbsp;in October drove some interest in lookups of the word, Sokolowski said. She played Nancy Oliver, a young maid hired by Gregory and told not to bother his “high-strung” wife.

The term gaslighting was later used by mental health practitioners to clinically describe a form of prolonged coercive control in abusive relationships.

“There is this implication of an intentional deception,” Sokolowski said. “And once one is aware of that deception, it’s not just a straightforward lie, as in, you know, I didn’t eat the cookies in the cookie jar. It’s something that has a little bit more devious quality to it. It has possibly an idea of strategy or a long-term plan.”

Merriam-Webster, which logs 100 million pageviews a month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-media-social-media-health-7763d1837b4075d6e19dde947caa57bf">on its site,</a>&nbsp;chooses its word of the year based solely on data. Sokolowski and his team weed out evergreen words most commonly looked up to gauge which word received a significant bump over the year before.

They don't slice and dice why people look up words, which can be anything from quick spelling and definition checks to some sort of attempt at inspiration or motivation. Some of the droves who looked up “gaslighting” this year might have wanted to know, simply, if it's one or two words, or whether it's hyphenated.

“Gaslighting,” Sokolowski said, spent all of 2022 in the top 50 words looked up on merriam-webster.com to earn top dog word of the year status. Last year's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/merriam-webster-word-of-year-vaccine-89de731624901bc53f4febdbc5925f80">pick was “vaccine.”</a>&nbsp;Rounding out this year's Top 10 are:

—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-new-york-manhattan-viktor-vekselberg-a3082f5072ad5a8ce5784038ccbfbfb1">“Oligarch,”</a>&nbsp;driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-united-states-d09b3c6cc8b047c41d6cbf74043d0713">“Omicron,”</a>&nbsp;the persistent COVID-19 variant and the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet.

—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-biden-voting-rights-filibusters-government-and-politics-a3b53867ffcbddcda13105891dbcdeec">“Codify,”</a>&nbsp;as in turning abortion rights into federal law.

—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/camilla-queen-consort-98f15d3c5482be8374e4ea85bc1eeda0">“Queen consort,”</a>&nbsp;what King Charles’ wife, Camilla is newly known as.

—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-government-and-politics-9e8d683afe87389407950af7ccfdbdd6">“Raid,”</a>&nbsp;as in the search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.

—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-artificial-intelligence-1a652de47c2d0e502c2896748d9d1d5f">“Sentient,”</a>&nbsp;with lookups brought on by Google canning the engineer who claimed an unreleased AI system had become sentient.

—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-george-packer-media-football-social-media-9090804abf933c422207660509aeef22">“Cancel culture,”</a>&nbsp;enough said.

—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/gay-rights">“LGBTQIA,”</a>&nbsp;for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual, aromantic or agender.

—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/Holiday-gift-guide-adults-games-toys-4e953410c306b2db2ca69149b1d7f9fa">“Loamy,”</a>&nbsp;which many Wordle users tried back in August, though the right word that day was “clown.”

NEW YORK (AP) — “Gaslighting” — behavior that's mind manipulating, grossly misleading, downright deceitful — is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/word-of-the-year">Merriam-Webster's word of the year.</a>Lookups for the word on merriam-webster.com increased 1,740% in 2022 over the year before. But something else happened. There wasn't a single event that drove significant spikes in curiosity, as it usually goes with the chosen word of the year.The gaslighting was pervasive.“It’s a word that has risen so quickly in the English language, and especially in the last four years, that it actually came as a surprise to me and to many of us,” said Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster's editor at large, in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press ahead of Monday's unveiling.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Some things you should know about &#39;gaslighting&#39;: - it had a 1740% increase in lookups for the past year. - it comes from the title of a 1938 play (and the movie based on that play). - it is totally a real word, and not something we made up just to mess with you.&mdash; Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) <a href="https://twitter.com/MerriamWebster/status/1597232594344501248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“It was a word looked up frequently every single day of the year,” he said.There were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-elections-artificial-intelligence-21fa207a1254401197fd1e0d7ecd14cb">deepfakes</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1ca51cba8bb14a289d678eaa746122d3">dark web.</a>&nbsp;There were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-north-korea-james-comey-8720fde079e84237b8e6cca4219aafb2">deep states</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/not-real-news">fake news.</a>&nbsp;And there was a whole lot of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-ap-top-news-elections-social-media-technology-4086949d878336f8ea6daa4dee725d94">trolling.</a>Merriam-Webster's top definition for gaslighting is the psychological manipulation of a person, usually over an extended period of time, that “causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one’s emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator.”More broadly, the dictionary defines the word thusly: "The act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one’s own advantage."Gaslighting is a heinous tool frequently used by abusers in relationships —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-coronavirus-pandemic-elections-9f781df5c184eaad8651659eb628857c">and by politicians and other newsmakers.</a>&nbsp;It can happen between romantic partners, within a broader family unit and among friends. It can be a corporate tactic, or a way to mislead the public. There's also “medical gaslighting,” when a health care professional dismisses a patient's symptoms or illness as “all in your head.”Despite its relatively recent prominence — including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-ap-top-news-natalie-maines-ingrid-bergman-217b8d650500e4a4e332cc53158201fb">“Gaslighter,” The Chicks' 2020 album</a>&nbsp;featuring the rousingly angry titular single — the word was brought to life more than 80 years ago with “Gas Light,” a 1938 play by Patrick Hamilton.It birthed two film adaptations in the 1940s. One, George Cukor's “Gaslight” in 1944, starred Ingrid Bergman as Paula Alquist and Charles Boyer as Gregory Anton. The two marry after a whirlwind romance and Gregory turns out to be a champion gaslighter. Among other instances, he insists her complaints over the constant dimming of their London townhouse's gaslights is a figment of her troubled mind. It wasn't.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/angela-lansbury-dies-0fd75fe45fe1501d02bd164ff1130d0f">death of Angela Lansbury</a>&nbsp;in October drove some interest in lookups of the word, Sokolowski said. She played Nancy Oliver, a young maid hired by Gregory and told not to bother his “high-strung” wife.The term gaslighting was later used by mental health practitioners to clinically describe a form of prolonged coercive control in abusive relationships.“There is this implication of an intentional deception,” Sokolowski said. “And once one is aware of that deception, it’s not just a straightforward lie, as in, you know, I didn’t eat the cookies in the cookie jar. It’s something that has a little bit more devious quality to it. It has possibly an idea of strategy or a long-term plan.”Merriam-Webster, which logs 100 million pageviews a month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-media-social-media-health-7763d1837b4075d6e19dde947caa57bf">on its site,</a>&nbsp;chooses its word of the year based solely on data. Sokolowski and his team weed out evergreen words most commonly looked up to gauge which word received a significant bump over the year before.They don't slice and dice why people look up words, which can be anything from quick spelling and definition checks to some sort of attempt at inspiration or motivation. Some of the droves who looked up “gaslighting” this year might have wanted to know, simply, if it's one or two words, or whether it's hyphenated.“Gaslighting,” Sokolowski said, spent all of 2022 in the top 50 words looked up on merriam-webster.com to earn top dog word of the year status. Last year's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/merriam-webster-word-of-year-vaccine-89de731624901bc53f4febdbc5925f80">pick was “vaccine.”</a>&nbsp;Rounding out this year's Top 10 are:—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-new-york-manhattan-viktor-vekselberg-a3082f5072ad5a8ce5784038ccbfbfb1">“Oligarch,”</a>&nbsp;driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-science-health-united-states-d09b3c6cc8b047c41d6cbf74043d0713">“Omicron,”</a>&nbsp;the persistent COVID-19 variant and the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet.—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-biden-voting-rights-filibusters-government-and-politics-a3b53867ffcbddcda13105891dbcdeec">“Codify,”</a>&nbsp;as in turning abortion rights into federal law.—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/camilla-queen-consort-98f15d3c5482be8374e4ea85bc1eeda0">“Queen consort,”</a>&nbsp;what King Charles’ wife, Camilla is newly known as.—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-mar-a-lago-government-and-politics-9e8d683afe87389407950af7ccfdbdd6">“Raid,”</a>&nbsp;as in the search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home.—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-artificial-intelligence-1a652de47c2d0e502c2896748d9d1d5f">“Sentient,”</a>&nbsp;with lookups brought on by Google canning the engineer who claimed an unreleased AI system had become sentient.—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nfl-george-packer-media-football-social-media-9090804abf933c422207660509aeef22">“Cancel culture,”</a>&nbsp;enough said.—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/gay-rights">“LGBTQIA,”</a>&nbsp;for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual, aromantic or agender.—&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/Holiday-gift-guide-adults-games-toys-4e953410c306b2db2ca69149b1d7f9fa">“Loamy,”</a>&nbsp;which many Wordle users tried back in August, though the right word that day was “clown.”

'Gaslighting' is Merriam-Webster's 2022 word of the year

Luella Theresa Herrman, age 89, of Hays, Kansas, passed away Wednesday, November 23, 2022, at HaysMed. Luella was born July 20, 1933, in Hays to Fidelis and Thecla (Ruder) Dinges. She graduated from Schoenchen High School. On October 15, 1951, she married Maynard Herrman in Hays. He preceded her in death on June 3, 2015. Luella was a homemaker and had worked at Travenol and Fort Hays State University. She was a woman of strong faith, and her family was truly important to her. She loved to keep a beautiful home, garden and maintained impeccable flower beds. She had participated in Daughters of Isabella and Christian Mothers and was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. &nbsp;Luella is survived by a son, Steven Herrman and wife Deborah of Rockport, TX; a daughter, Trudy Leikam and Husband Robert of Hays; a brother, Robert Dinges and wife Darlene of Dalton, Georgia; two sisters, Doris Lang of Overland Park, Kansas and Judith Withers of Hays; a sister-in-law, Mildred Dinges of Hays; seven grandchildren, Joshua Herrman and wife Jessica, Jacob Herrman and wife Carol, Lucas Herrman, Quinton Herrman, Sarah Fischer and husband Shawn, Annie Bollig and husband Preston and Chrissy Driscoll and husband Tony; ten great grandchildren with one on the way, and one great-great grandchild. &nbsp;She was preceded in death by her parents; a son, Ronald Herrman; a brother, Laverne Dinges and a sister, Verlee Schmidt. &nbsp;Funeral services will be 10:00 AM Tuesday, November 29, 2022, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 215 W. 13th in Hays. Burial will follow in the parish cemetery. &nbsp;Visitation will be Monday 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM and Tuesday 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM all at Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory, 2509 Vine, Hays, KS 67601. &nbsp;A combined parish vigil and rosary service will be 7:00 PM Monday at the funeral chapel. &nbsp;Memorial contributions are suggested to HaysMed Acute Care or Homestead of Hays. &nbsp;Condolences may be left by guest book at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com/">www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669665526086.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Luella Theresa Herrman, age 89, of Hays, Kansas, passed away Wednesday, November 23, 2022, at HaysMed. Luella was born July 20, 1933, in Hays to Fidelis and Thecla (Ruder) Dinges. She graduated from Schoenchen High School. On October 15, 1951, she married Maynard Herrman in Hays. He preceded her in death on June 3, 2015. Luella was a homemaker and had worked at Travenol and Fort Hays State University. She was a woman of strong faith, and her family was truly important to her. She loved to keep a beautiful home, garden and maintained impeccable flower beds. She had participated in Daughters of Isabella and Christian Mothers and was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. &nbsp;Luella is survived by a son, Steven Herrman and wife Deborah of Rockport, TX; a daughter, Trudy Leikam and Husband Robert of Hays; a brother, Robert Dinges and wife Darlene of Dalton, Georgia; two sisters, Doris Lang of Overland Park, Kansas and Judith Withers of Hays; a sister-in-law, Mildred Dinges of Hays; seven grandchildren, Joshua Herrman and wife Jessica, Jacob Herrman and wife Carol, Lucas Herrman, Quinton Herrman, Sarah Fischer and husband Shawn, Annie Bollig and husband Preston and Chrissy Driscoll and husband Tony; ten great grandchildren with one on the way, and one great-great grandchild. &nbsp;She was preceded in death by her parents; a son, Ronald Herrman; a brother, Laverne Dinges and a sister, Verlee Schmidt. &nbsp;Funeral services will be 10:00 AM Tuesday, November 29, 2022, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 215 W. 13th in Hays. Burial will follow in the parish cemetery. &nbsp;Visitation will be Monday 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM and Tuesday 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM all at Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory, 2509 Vine, Hays, KS 67601. &nbsp;A combined parish vigil and rosary service will be 7:00 PM Monday at the funeral chapel. &nbsp;Memorial contributions are suggested to HaysMed Acute Care or Homestead of Hays. &nbsp;Condolences may be left by guest book at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com/">www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com</a>

Luella Theresa Herrman

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22RALPH%20D.%20RUSSO%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest"></a>Michigan moved up to No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday, with TCU at No. 3 and Southern California at No. 4 behind top-ranked Georgia after four top-10 teams lost on the final day of regular-season games.

The Bulldogs (12-0) are No. 1 for the eighth straight week and 11th time this season in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank</a>. Georgia received 58 first-place votes and Michigan received the other five.

The Wolverines (12-0) reached a season-high No. 2 after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-michigan-ohio-state-buckeyes-wolverines-63c6b9763cbb39b88bbfeb22c458463f">beating Ohio State</a>, which dropped the Buckeyes three spots to No. 5.

TCU (12-0) has its highest ranking since reaching No. 2 in the 2015 season, and USC (11-1) has its best ranking this late in the season since finishing the 2016 season at No. 3.

Other top-10 teams to fall were LSU, Clemson and Oregon.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-texas-georgia-bulldogs-louisiana-state-tigers-54c4c3270dff24d3bf5a677c54797eda">LSU's loss to Texas A&amp;M</a>&nbsp;dropped those Tigers five spots to No. 11.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-tennessee-clemson-tigers-south-carolina-7da4e99af7e2207584b269700c2ff20b">Clemson's loss to South Carolina</a>&nbsp;sent it falling three spots to No. 10 The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-oregon-ducks-bo-nix-corvallis-304c87dece73651facc882fcd4cbd6a4">Ducks' fourth-quarter collapse against Oregon State</a>&nbsp;cost Oregon a spot in the Pac-12 title game and five spots in the poll, where it fell to No. 15.

Alabama was No. 6, just ahead of Tennessee, which beat the Crimson Tide on a last-second field goal at home earlier this season.

No. 8 Penn State and No. 9 Washington both have their best rankings of the season. The Huskies haven't been in the top 10 since the 2018 season, when they peaked at No. 6.

This was the eighth regular-season week since 2017 where four top-10 teams lost, including the second this season. Three of those weeks occurred in 2017.

The last time five or more top-10 teams lost in the same regular-season week was 2016. The week of Nov. 12, 2016, five top-10 teams lost, all to unranked opponents.

The results: Iowa 14, No. 2 Michigan 13; Pittsburgh 43, No. 3 Clemson 42; USC 26, No. 4 Washington 13; Georgia 13, No. 8 Auburn 7; and Mississippi 29, No. 10 Texas A&amp;M 28.

— No. 23 UTSA (10-2) made its season debut in the AP Top 25. The Roadrunners reached the rankings last year for the first time in the short history of the program.

Texas-San Antonio became an FBS school in 2012. The defending Conference USA champions peaked at No. 15 last season and will head into a second straight C-USA title game ranked.

— No. 20 South Carolina (8-4) is back in the rankings after its second straight upset of a top-10 team. The Gamecocks beat Clemson on Saturday after taking down Tennessee last week. South Carolina was ranked for one week in October, but then immediately lost to Missouri.

— No. 25 Mississippi State (8-4) returned to the rankings for the second time this season.

— Mississippi (8-4) fell out of the rankings for the first time this season. The Rebels reached No. 7 after starting 7-0 but finished the season losing four of five.

— Cincinnati (9-3) is out again. The Bearcats have bounced in and out for most of the season. Losing to Tulane on Friday dropped them out again.

— Coastal Carolina (9-2) dropped out after being routed by James Madison but still has a spot in the Sun Belt championship game next week.

Pac-12 — 6 (Nos. 4, 9, 12, 15, 16, 17).

Championship week features matchup of ranked teams in five conferences:

— No. 11 LSU vs. No. 1 Georgia, Southeastern Conference championship.

— No. 3 TCU vs. No. 13 Kansas State, Big 12 championship.

— No. 4 USC vs. No. 12 Utah, Pac-12 championship.

— No. 10 Clemson vs. No. 24 North Carolina, Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

— No. 18 Tulane vs. No. 22 UCF, American Athletic Conference championship.

By RALPH D. RUSSO AP College Football Writer<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22RALPH%20D.%20RUSSO%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest"></a>Michigan moved up to No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday, with TCU at No. 3 and Southern California at No. 4 behind top-ranked Georgia after four top-10 teams lost on the final day of regular-season games.The Bulldogs (12-0) are No. 1 for the eighth straight week and 11th time this season in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank</a>. Georgia received 58 first-place votes and Michigan received the other five.The Wolverines (12-0) reached a season-high No. 2 after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-michigan-ohio-state-buckeyes-wolverines-63c6b9763cbb39b88bbfeb22c458463f">beating Ohio State</a>, which dropped the Buckeyes three spots to No. 5.TCU (12-0) has its highest ranking since reaching No. 2 in the 2015 season, and USC (11-1) has its best ranking this late in the season since finishing the 2016 season at No. 3.Other top-10 teams to fall were LSU, Clemson and Oregon.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-texas-georgia-bulldogs-louisiana-state-tigers-54c4c3270dff24d3bf5a677c54797eda">LSU's loss to Texas A&amp;M</a>&nbsp;dropped those Tigers five spots to No. 11.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-tennessee-clemson-tigers-south-carolina-7da4e99af7e2207584b269700c2ff20b">Clemson's loss to South Carolina</a>&nbsp;sent it falling three spots to No. 10 The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/college-football-sports-oregon-ducks-bo-nix-corvallis-304c87dece73651facc882fcd4cbd6a4">Ducks' fourth-quarter collapse against Oregon State</a>&nbsp;cost Oregon a spot in the Pac-12 title game and five spots in the poll, where it fell to No. 15.Alabama was No. 6, just ahead of Tennessee, which beat the Crimson Tide on a last-second field goal at home earlier this season.No. 8 Penn State and No. 9 Washington both have their best rankings of the season. The Huskies haven't been in the top 10 since the 2018 season, when they peaked at No. 6.POLL POINTSThis was the eighth regular-season week since 2017 where four top-10 teams lost, including the second this season. Three of those weeks occurred in 2017.The last time five or more top-10 teams lost in the same regular-season week was 2016. The week of Nov. 12, 2016, five top-10 teams lost, all to unranked opponents.The results: Iowa 14, No. 2 Michigan 13; Pittsburgh 43, No. 3 Clemson 42; USC 26, No. 4 Washington 13; Georgia 13, No. 8 Auburn 7; and Mississippi 29, No. 10 Texas A&amp;M 28.IN— No. 23 UTSA (10-2) made its season debut in the AP Top 25. The Roadrunners reached the rankings last year for the first time in the short history of the program.Texas-San Antonio became an FBS school in 2012. The defending Conference USA champions peaked at No. 15 last season and will head into a second straight C-USA title game ranked.— No. 20 South Carolina (8-4) is back in the rankings after its second straight upset of a top-10 team. The Gamecocks beat Clemson on Saturday after taking down Tennessee last week. South Carolina was ranked for one week in October, but then immediately lost to Missouri.— No. 25 Mississippi State (8-4) returned to the rankings for the second time this season.OUT— Mississippi (8-4) fell out of the rankings for the first time this season. The Rebels reached No. 7 after starting 7-0 but finished the season losing four of five.— Cincinnati (9-3) is out again. The Bearcats have bounced in and out for most of the season. Losing to Tulane on Friday dropped them out again.— Coastal Carolina (9-2) dropped out after being routed by James Madison but still has a spot in the Sun Belt championship game next week.CONFERENCE CALLPac-12 — 6 (Nos. 4, 9, 12, 15, 16, 17).SEC — 6 (Nos. 1, 6, 7, 11, 20, 25).ACC — 3 (Nos. 10, 14, 24).Big Ten — 3 (Nos. 2, 5, 8).Big 12 — 3 (Nos. 3, 13, 21).American — 2 (Nos. 18, 22).Conference USA — 1 (No. 23).Independent — 1 (No. 19).RANKED vs. RANKEDChampionship week features matchup of ranked teams in five conferences:— No. 11 LSU vs. No. 1 Georgia, Southeastern Conference championship.— No. 3 TCU vs. No. 13 Kansas State, Big 12 championship.— No. 4 USC vs. No. 12 Utah, Pac-12 championship.— No. 10 Clemson vs. No. 24 North Carolina, Atlantic Coast Conference championship.— No. 18 Tulane vs. No. 22 UCF, American Athletic Conference championship.

🏈 K-State up to No. 13 in latest AP poll

By ZHONG-REN PENG <a href="https://theconversation.com/dreaming-of-beachfront-real-estate-much-of-floridas-coast-is-at-risk-of-storm-erosion-that-can-cause-homes-to-collapse-as-daytona-just-saw-194492">The Conversation</a>

Back-to-back hurricanes left an unnerving scene on the Florida coast 
in November 2022: Several houses, and even swimming pools, were left 
dangling over the ocean as waves eroded the land beneath them. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VolusiaCountyEmergencyManagement/posts/pfbid02EZ9SbTjdQhrkGtFm452UhzhzjprPu6h6WaQbPLuMLsRNpCLAuPoPKTZDUvjygUb7l">Dozens of homes and condo buildings</a> in the Daytona Beach area were deemed unsafe.

The destruction has raised a disturbing question: How much property 
along the rest of the Florida coast is at risk of collapse, and can it 
be saved?

As the director of <a href="https://dcp.ufl.edu/iadapt/">iAdapt</a>, the International Center for Adaptation Planning and Design at the University of Florida, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ngiXpvgAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">I have been</a> studying climate adaptation issues for the last two decades to help answer these questions.

Living by the sea has a strong appeal in Florida – beautiful beaches,
 ocean views, and often pleasant breezes. However, there are also risks,
 and they are exacerbated by climate change.

Sea level is forecast to rise on average <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/sealevelrise/sealevelrise-tech-report.html">10 to 14 inches</a> (25-35 cm) on the U.S. East Coast over the next 30 years, and 14 to 18 inches (35-45 cm) on the Gulf Coast, <a href="https://theconversation.com/ipcc-climate-report-profound-changes-are-underway-in-earths-oceans-and-ice-a-lead-author-explains-what-the-warnings-mean-165588">as the planet warms</a>. Rising temperatures are also <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/news/3184/a-force-of-nature-hurricanes-in-a-changing-climate/">increasing the intensity</a> of hurricanes.

With higher seas and larger storm surges, ocean waves more easily 
erode beaches, weaken sea walls, and submerge cement foundations in 
corrosive salt water. Together with <a href="https://geodata.dep.state.fl.us/datasets/194ac159bd1e4be294b14dd882d42dcf_0/about">subsidence</a>, or sinking land, they make coastal living riskier.

The risk of erosion varies depending on the soil, geology and natural
 shoreline changes. But it is widespread in U.S. coastal areas, <a href="https://geodata.dep.state.fl.us/datasets/FDEP::coastal-critical-erosion-areas/about">particularly Florida</a>. Maps produced by engineers at the <a href="https://geodata.dep.state.fl.us/datasets/FDEP::coastal-critical-erosion-areas/about">Florida Department of Environmental Protection</a> show most of Florida’s coast faces critical erosion risk.

Aging or poorly maintained buildings and sea walls, and older or poor construction methods and materials, can dramatically <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/sinking-land-rising-seas-dual-crises-facing-coastal-communities">aggravate the risk</a>.

So, what can be done to minimize the damage?

The first step is to build sturdier buildings and fortify existing ones according to advanced building codes.

Building codes change over time as risks rise and construction 
techniques and materials improve. For example, design criteria in the <a href="https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/FLBC2020P1">Florida Building Code</a>
 for South Florida changed from requiring some new buildings to be able 
to withstand 146 mph sustained winds in 2002 to 195 mph winds in 2021, 
meaning a powerful Category 5 hurricane.

The town of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2022/10/01/punta-gorda-hurricane-ian-damage/">Punta Gorda</a>,
 near where Hurricane Ian made landfall in October 2022, showed how 
homes constructed to the latest building codes have a much better chance
 of survival.

Many of Punta Gorda’s buildings had been rebuilt after Hurricane 
Charley in 2004, shortly after the state updated the Florida Building 
Code. When Ian hit, they survived with less damage than those in 
neighboring towns. The updated code required new construction to be able
 to withstand hurricane-force winds, including having shutters or 
impact-resistant window glass.

However, even homes built to the latest codes can be vulnerable, 
because the codes don’t adequately address the environment that 
buildings sit on. A modern building in a low-lying coastal area could 
face damage in the future as sea level rises and the shoreline erodes, 
even if it meets the current flood zone elevation standards.

This is the problem coastal residents faced during Hurricanes Nicole <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-10-06/apocalypse-in-paradise-after-hurricane-ian-a-low-lying-florida-city-contends-with-rising-water">and Ian</a>. Flooding and erosion, exacerbated by sea-level rise, caused the most damage – not wind.

The dozens of beach houses and condo buildings that <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-11-14/florida-county-puts-damage-from-nicole-at-481-million">became unstable or collapsed</a>
 in Volusia County during Hurricane Nicole might have seemed fine 
originally. But as the climate changes, the coastal environment changes,
 too, and one hurricane could render the building vulnerable. Hurricane 
Ian damaged sea walls in Volusia County, and some <a href="https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/2022/11/10/tropical-storm-nicoles-fury-washes-away-homes-wilbur-sea/8323351001/">couldn’t be repaired before Nicole</a> struck.

The damage in the Daytona area in 2022 and the <a href="https://miamisao.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GRAND-JURY_202112151434-1.pdf">deadly collapse</a> a year earlier of a condo tower in Surfside should be a wake-up call for all coastal communities.

<a href="https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/topics/vulnerability-assessments.html">Data and tools</a> can show where coastal areas are most vulnerable. What is lacking are policies and enforcement.

Florida recently began requiring that state-financed constructors conduct <a href="https://floridadep.gov/rcp/florida-resilient-coastlines-program/content/resilience-and-coastal-protection-rules-development">a sea-level impact study</a>
 before starting construction of a coastal structure. I believe it’s 
time to apply this new rule to any new construction, regardless of the 
funding source.

A comprehensive sea-level impact study requirement should also allow 
for risk-based enforcement, including barring construction in high-risk 
areas.

Similarly, vulnerability audits – particularly for multistory 
buildings built before 2002 – can check the integrity of an existing 
structure and help spot new environmental risks from sea-level rise and 
beach erosion. Before 2002, the building standard was low and 
enforcement was lacking, so many of the materials and the structures 
used in those buildings aren’t up to the standards of today. 

There is a range of <a href="https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_protect-your-home-from-flooding-brochure_2020.pdf">techniques</a> homeowners can use to fortify homes from flood risks.

In some places, that may mean <a href="https://cpo.noaa.gov/News/ArtMID/7875/ArticleID/2059/Elevating-Houses-Can-Protect-Against-Damaging-Floods-But-How-High-is-High-Enough">elevating the house</a>
 or improving the lot grading so surface water runs away from the 
building. Installing a sump pump and remodeling with storm-resistant 
building materials can help.

<a href="https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_protect-your-home-from-flooding-brochure_2020.pdf">FEMA</a>
 suggests other measures to protect against coastal erosion, such as 
replenishing beach sand, strengthening sea walls and anchoring the home.
 Engineering can help communities, temporarily at least, through sea 
walls, ponds and increased drainage. But in the long term, communities 
will have to assess the vulnerability of coastal areas. Sometimes the 
answer is <a href="https://theconversation.com/managed-retreat-done-right-can-reinvent-cities-so-theyre-better-for-everyone-and-avoid-harm-from-flooding-heat-and-fires-163052">to relocate</a>.

However, there’s a disturbing trend after hurricanes, and we’re 
seeing it with Ian: Many damaged areas see lots of money pouring in to 
rebuild in the same vulnerable locations. An important question 
communities should be asking is, if these are already in high-risk 
areas, why rebuild in the same place?

Zhong-Ren Peng is a Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the&nbsp; University of Florida.

<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h6Fvx6Cw4tE"></iframe>
 <figcaption>Drone footage shows homes close to collapsing into the ocean. WPLG/YouTube</figcaption>
 </figure>By ZHONG-REN PENG <a href="https://theconversation.com/dreaming-of-beachfront-real-estate-much-of-floridas-coast-is-at-risk-of-storm-erosion-that-can-cause-homes-to-collapse-as-daytona-just-saw-194492">The Conversation</a>Back-to-back hurricanes left an unnerving scene on the Florida coast 
in November 2022: Several houses, and even swimming pools, were left 
dangling over the ocean as waves eroded the land beneath them. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/VolusiaCountyEmergencyManagement/posts/pfbid02EZ9SbTjdQhrkGtFm452UhzhzjprPu6h6WaQbPLuMLsRNpCLAuPoPKTZDUvjygUb7l">Dozens of homes and condo buildings</a> in the Daytona Beach area were deemed unsafe. The destruction has raised a disturbing question: How much property 
along the rest of the Florida coast is at risk of collapse, and can it 
be saved?As the director of <a href="https://dcp.ufl.edu/iadapt/">iAdapt</a>, the International Center for Adaptation Planning and Design at the University of Florida, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ngiXpvgAAAAJ&amp;hl=en">I have been</a> studying climate adaptation issues for the last two decades to help answer these questions.<h2>Rising seas, aging buildings</h2>Living by the sea has a strong appeal in Florida – beautiful beaches,
 ocean views, and often pleasant breezes. However, there are also risks,
 and they are exacerbated by climate change.Sea level is forecast to rise on average <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/sealevelrise/sealevelrise-tech-report.html">10 to 14 inches</a> (25-35 cm) on the U.S. East Coast over the next 30 years, and 14 to 18 inches (35-45 cm) on the Gulf Coast, <a href="https://theconversation.com/ipcc-climate-report-profound-changes-are-underway-in-earths-oceans-and-ice-a-lead-author-explains-what-the-warnings-mean-165588">as the planet warms</a>. Rising temperatures are also <a href="https://climate.nasa.gov/news/3184/a-force-of-nature-hurricanes-in-a-changing-climate/">increasing the intensity</a> of hurricanes.With higher seas and larger storm surges, ocean waves more easily 
erode beaches, weaken sea walls, and submerge cement foundations in 
corrosive salt water. Together with <a href="https://geodata.dep.state.fl.us/datasets/194ac159bd1e4be294b14dd882d42dcf_0/about">subsidence</a>, or sinking land, they make coastal living riskier.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669240214504.png" alt=" Florida’s erosion risk map shows most of the state’s coastline at critical risk. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, CC BY-SA " />
 <figcaption> Florida’s erosion risk map shows most of the state’s coastline at critical risk. Florida Department of Environmental Protection, CC BY-SA </figcaption>
 </figure>The risk of erosion varies depending on the soil, geology and natural
 shoreline changes. But it is widespread in U.S. coastal areas, <a href="https://geodata.dep.state.fl.us/datasets/FDEP::coastal-critical-erosion-areas/about">particularly Florida</a>. Maps produced by engineers at the <a href="https://geodata.dep.state.fl.us/datasets/FDEP::coastal-critical-erosion-areas/about">Florida Department of Environmental Protection</a> show most of Florida’s coast faces critical erosion risk.Aging or poorly maintained buildings and sea walls, and older or poor construction methods and materials, can dramatically <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/sinking-land-rising-seas-dual-crises-facing-coastal-communities">aggravate the risk</a>.<h2>Designing better building codes</h2>So, what can be done to minimize the damage?The first step is to build sturdier buildings and fortify existing ones according to advanced building codes.Building codes change over time as risks rise and construction 
techniques and materials improve. For example, design criteria in the <a href="https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/FLBC2020P1">Florida Building Code</a>
 for South Florida changed from requiring some new buildings to be able 
to withstand 146 mph sustained winds in 2002 to 195 mph winds in 2021, 
meaning a powerful Category 5 hurricane.The town of <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2022/10/01/punta-gorda-hurricane-ian-damage/">Punta Gorda</a>,
 near where Hurricane Ian made landfall in October 2022, showed how 
homes constructed to the latest building codes have a much better chance
 of survival.Many of Punta Gorda’s buildings had been rebuilt after Hurricane 
Charley in 2004, shortly after the state updated the Florida Building 
Code. When Ian hit, they survived with less damage than those in 
neighboring towns. The updated code required new construction to be able
 to withstand hurricane-force winds, including having shutters or 
impact-resistant window glass.However, even homes built to the latest codes can be vulnerable, 
because the codes don’t adequately address the environment that 
buildings sit on. A modern building in a low-lying coastal area could 
face damage in the future as sea level rises and the shoreline erodes, 
even if it meets the current flood zone elevation standards.This is the problem coastal residents faced during Hurricanes Nicole <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-10-06/apocalypse-in-paradise-after-hurricane-ian-a-low-lying-florida-city-contends-with-rising-water">and Ian</a>. Flooding and erosion, exacerbated by sea-level rise, caused the most damage – not wind. The dozens of beach houses and condo buildings that <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-11-14/florida-county-puts-damage-from-nicole-at-481-million">became unstable or collapsed</a>
 in Volusia County during Hurricane Nicole might have seemed fine 
originally. But as the climate changes, the coastal environment changes,
 too, and one hurricane could render the building vulnerable. Hurricane 
Ian damaged sea walls in Volusia County, and some <a href="https://www.news-journalonline.com/story/news/2022/11/10/tropical-storm-nicoles-fury-washes-away-homes-wilbur-sea/8323351001/">couldn’t be repaired before Nicole</a> struck. <h2>How to minimize the risk</h2>The damage in the Daytona area in 2022 and the <a href="https://miamisao.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GRAND-JURY_202112151434-1.pdf">deadly collapse</a> a year earlier of a condo tower in Surfside should be a wake-up call for all coastal communities.<a href="https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/topics/vulnerability-assessments.html">Data and tools</a> can show where coastal areas are most vulnerable. What is lacking are policies and enforcement.Florida recently began requiring that state-financed constructors conduct <a href="https://floridadep.gov/rcp/florida-resilient-coastlines-program/content/resilience-and-coastal-protection-rules-development">a sea-level impact study</a>
 before starting construction of a coastal structure. I believe it’s 
time to apply this new rule to any new construction, regardless of the 
funding source.A comprehensive sea-level impact study requirement should also allow 
for risk-based enforcement, including barring construction in high-risk 
areas.Similarly, vulnerability audits – particularly for multistory 
buildings built before 2002 – can check the integrity of an existing 
structure and help spot new environmental risks from sea-level rise and 
beach erosion. Before 2002, the building standard was low and 
enforcement was lacking, so many of the materials and the structures 
used in those buildings aren’t up to the standards of today. <h2>What property owners can do</h2>There is a range of <a href="https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_protect-your-home-from-flooding-brochure_2020.pdf">techniques</a> homeowners can use to fortify homes from flood risks.In some places, that may mean <a href="https://cpo.noaa.gov/News/ArtMID/7875/ArticleID/2059/Elevating-Houses-Can-Protect-Against-Damaging-Floods-But-How-High-is-High-Enough">elevating the house</a>
 or improving the lot grading so surface water runs away from the 
building. Installing a sump pump and remodeling with storm-resistant 
building materials can help.<a href="https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/fema_protect-your-home-from-flooding-brochure_2020.pdf">FEMA</a>
 suggests other measures to protect against coastal erosion, such as 
replenishing beach sand, strengthening sea walls and anchoring the home.
 Engineering can help communities, temporarily at least, through sea 
walls, ponds and increased drainage. But in the long term, communities 
will have to assess the vulnerability of coastal areas. Sometimes the 
answer is <a href="https://theconversation.com/managed-retreat-done-right-can-reinvent-cities-so-theyre-better-for-everyone-and-avoid-harm-from-flooding-heat-and-fires-163052">to relocate</a>.However, there’s a disturbing trend after hurricanes, and we’re 
seeing it with Ian: Many damaged areas see lots of money pouring in to 
rebuild in the same vulnerable locations. An important question 
communities should be asking is, if these are already in high-risk 
areas, why rebuild in the same place?Zhong-Ren Peng is a Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the&nbsp; University of Florida.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194492/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>

🎥 Beachfront real estate? It just might crumble into the ocean

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. (AP) — Ads with the candidates’ ex-wives. Cries of
 “liar” flying in both directions. Stories of a squalid apartment 
building and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-2022-midterm-elections-herschel-walker-health-georgia-1a7c86004f571ea10e6f88ea375b439d">abortions under pressure</a>. Questioning an opponent’s independence. His intellect. His <a href="https://apnews.com/article/herschel-walker-nfl-georgia-senate-704738fdbed64383e25e3435684d7341">mental stability</a>. His <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-herschel-walker-georgia-race-and-ethnicity-475fea75ec3834a9b41e9a14e2a314bc">religious faith</a>.

The
 extended Senate campaign in Georgia between the Democratic incumbent, 
Raphael Warnock, and his Republican challenger, football legend Herschel
 Walker, has grown increasingly bitter as their <a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-senate-race-runoff-2022-midterms-b32e84784e9e644b3e3163b7ca9cc569">Dec. 6 runoff</a> nears. With Democrats already <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-democrats-senate-control-dbc67e0af0e126c948076ae580b3d5ec">assured a Senate majority</a>, it’s a striking contrast from two years ago, when the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/Georgia-election-results-4b82ba7ee3cc74d33e68daadaee2cbf3">state's twin runoffs</a> were mostly about which party would control the chamber in Washington.

“Herschel
 Walker ain’t serious,” Warnock told supporters recently in central 
Georgia, saying that Walker “majors in lying” and fumbles the basics of 
public policy. “But the election is very serious. Don’t get those two 
things confused.”

Walker casts Warnock, the senior pastor at 
Ebenezer Baptist Church, as a “hypocrite” and servile to President Joe 
Biden. Underscoring the insult, Walker calls the incumbent “Scooby-Doo,”
 complete with an impression of the cartoon hound’s gibberish.

The broadsides reflect the candidates' <a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-senate-race-2022-midterm-nov-11-updates-da621d208ce7cc40389105ae437eb3e9">furious push in the four weeks</a>
 between the Nov. 8 general election and runoff to persuade their core 
supporters to cast another ballot. For Walker, it also means drawing 
more independents and moderates to his campaign after he underperformed a
 fellow Republican on the ticket, Gov. Brian Kemp, by 200,000 votes.

Warnock
 led Walker by 37,000 votes out of almost 4 million cast in the first 
round, but the senator fell short of the 50% threshold needed to avoid a
 runoff.

In many ways, the shift from his first runoff campaign is
 exactly what Warnock wanted: a straightforward choice between two 
candidates. Two years ago, then-President Donald Trump, fresh off his 
defeat, and Biden, then president-elect, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-politics-georgia-david-perdue-adf4fe5b05bbcd0bc92968665303ba4a">made multiple Georgia trips</a>
 to illuminate the national stakes of the races between Warnock and 
Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and between Democrat Jon Ossoff and 
Republican Sen. David Perdue as control of the Senate hung in the 
balance.

Trump ended up alienating his own supporters and many 
moderates with his false claims of a rigged 2020 presidential election. 
Victories by Warnock and Ossoff put the Senate at a 50-50 split, with 
Democrats gaining control by virtue of Vice President Kamala Harris' 
tiebreaking vote. Warnock also became Georgia's first Black senator.

This
 year, with Warnock vying for a full six-year term after winning the 
2021 special election, Democrats have already guaranteed control of the 
Senate by <a href="https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-senate-race-2022-midterm-elections-93709b5b7ab4cef658f45751cd76c090">flipping a seat in Pennsylvania</a>. A Warnock win <a href="https://apnews.com/article/herschel-walker-georgia-kamala-harris-congress-government-and-politics-0f6cc74d575921e13c19d7569e4e5382">would give Democrats an outright majority</a> at 51-49, meaning that the parties would not have to negotiate a power-sharing agreement.

Warnock’s
 preferred emphasis for most of his reelection bid has been his 
deal-making in Washington and the personal values he brings to the job. 
It took until the campaign’s final stages — only after two women accused
 Walker, an opponent of abortion rights, of encouraging and paying for 
their abortions — for the senator to ratchet up his attacks, arguing 
Walker is “unprepared” and “unfit” for the job.

“My opponent lies 
about everything,” Warnock said in a recent campaign stop, ticking off a
 litany of Walker’s repeated falsehoods and exaggerations. “He said he 
was a police officer. He’s not. He said he worked for the FBI. He did 
not. Said he graduated from the University of Georgia. He did not. Said 
he was valedictorian of his class. He was not. ... He said he had 
another business with 800 employees. It has eight.”

Walker, alternately, has relished the jousting since he won the GOP nomination in the spring.

“Herschel
 is a competitor. He’s very comfortable with the mano a mano,” said 
Scott Paradise, Walker’s campaign manager, noting the candidate’s 
athletic prowess as a football running back, kickboxer and Olympic 
bobsledder.

Indeed, Walker takes his attacks right to Warnock’s 
strengths as the pastor of the famous church where Martin Luther King 
Jr. once preached. Walker has criticized Warnock over an Atlanta 
apartment building, owned by a foundation of Warnock’s church, where 
residents have complained to The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative 
media outlet, of eviction notices and poor conditions.

“What he’s 
doing in this apartment building at Columbia Towers is not right,” 
Walker said recently at a suburban Atlanta campaign stop. “You shouldn’t
 put Jesus’ name on what you’re doing to people, and don’t put Martin 
Luther King name on it. ... You’re not Jesus, and you’re not Dr. King.”

Warnock,
 who says no residents of Columbia Tower have been evicted, incorporates
 Walker’s attacks into the list of the challenger’s documented <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-college-football-entertainment-sports-bb1ef7d866ab99302974cce1816efb65">exaggerations</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-sports-nfl-college-football-coronavirus-pandemic-5e2875eec11e93f9a3bf1fc859137ff8">falsehoods</a>.
 “What kind of a person lies on the church?” Warnock said in Macon. 
“This isn’t the first time people attacked Ebenezer Baptist Church. They
 attacked Martin Luther King Jr. I’m in good company.”

Still, 
asked whether he’s reconsidered his church’s stewardship of Columbia 
Towers, Warnock sidestepped: “I’ve already answered the question. I’m 
proud of what my church does to feed and house the hungry and the 
homeless every single week.”

Walker also accuses Warnock of 
“getting rich” as a senator, a nod to the pastor’s $7,500-a-month 
housing allowance from the church. The payments are not a violation of 
Senate ethics rules that limit senators’ outside income.

On at 
least one occasion during the runoff, Walker has suggested Warnock is a 
negligent father. Warnock told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the 
comment “crossed a line.” Earlier in the campaign, Walker <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-herschel-walker-nashville-government-and-politics-115fc9e55e007f9203f3a0592ac83452">publicly acknowledged three of his children</a>
 for the first time, doing so only after The Daily Beast reported on 
their existence. Warnock has not mentioned those children in any of his 
critiques of Walker.

Walker, meanwhile, has not taken reporters' 
questions at an open campaign event since late October, when a second 
accuser came forward to say he had pressured her to have an abortion — a
 contradiction of his advocacy as a candidate for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-warnock-walker-debate-georgia-d831b6cbfce77be05102a0c6f7a0d304">a national ban on all abortions</a>. Walker has <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-georgia-herschel-walker-congress-2f798504bc1c32d4450ded9a3e8909bf">denied the women's claims</a>.

Both
 candidates' former wives also loom in the campaign, though the two men 
avoid the topic themselves, leaving the discussion of their marriages 
mostly to paid advertising. In one ad, Warnock’s former wife tells 
Atlanta police that he ran over her foot. The Republican ad doesn’t note
 that a police report states that officers found no physical evidence 
supporting her claim. A Democratic ad features an interview with 
Walker’s first wife detailing that he threatened violence against her, 
circumstances Walker has confirmed in an autobiography.

Since the two men met for their lone debate Oct. 14, Warnock has hammered Walker for a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-inflation-congress-f8dcede99c2a528f6c88630f34144dcc">lack of policy details</a> and sometimes flubbing what policy he does discuss.

Warnock
 promotes his new federal legal provision capping insulin costs for 
Medicare recipients and notes Walker said diabetics could manage their 
health by “eating right,” a practice that isn’t enough for 
insulin-dependent diabetic patients.

“Maybe he ought to apply to be a dietician. I’m running for the United States Senate,” Warnock said in Macon.

He
 pounced when Walker declared the United States is “not ready” for 
climate action and should “keep having those gas-guzzling cars” that he 
said already have “good emissions” standards. Warnock added gleeful 
mockery when Walker recently introduced a tangent about vampires to a 
campaign speech.

“I mean, who says that kind of stuff?” Warnock asked supporters.

Warnock's
 aides say that the personalized arguments help convince core Democrats 
that they should not sit out the runoff, while also swaying the 
potentially decisive middle of the electorate in the senator's favor. 
“Herschel Walker continues to be bogged down by his pattern of lies and 
disturbing behavior, all of which led him to underperform” in the first 
round, said Quentin Fulks, Warnock's campaign manager, in a statement.

From
 Walker's camp, Paradise insisted that Republicans' best argument 
remains Warnock's alignment with Democrats on economic policy. Still, he
 acknowledges the campaign’s tone has darkened.

“We’re certainly 
going to continue to aggressively prosecute the case against Warnock,” 
he said, “and I suspect they’ll do the same.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669567002976.jpeg" alt="Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker. (AP Photo)" />
 <figcaption>Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., and Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker. (AP Photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>WARNER ROBINS, Ga. (AP) — Ads with the candidates’ ex-wives. Cries of
 “liar” flying in both directions. Stories of a squalid apartment 
building and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-2022-midterm-elections-herschel-walker-health-georgia-1a7c86004f571ea10e6f88ea375b439d">abortions under pressure</a>. Questioning an opponent’s independence. His intellect. His <a href="https://apnews.com/article/herschel-walker-nfl-georgia-senate-704738fdbed64383e25e3435684d7341">mental stability</a>. His <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-herschel-walker-georgia-race-and-ethnicity-475fea75ec3834a9b41e9a14e2a314bc">religious faith</a>.The
 extended Senate campaign in Georgia between the Democratic incumbent, 
Raphael Warnock, and his Republican challenger, football legend Herschel
 Walker, has grown increasingly bitter as their <a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-senate-race-runoff-2022-midterms-b32e84784e9e644b3e3163b7ca9cc569">Dec. 6 runoff</a> nears. With Democrats already <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-democrats-senate-control-dbc67e0af0e126c948076ae580b3d5ec">assured a Senate majority</a>, it’s a striking contrast from two years ago, when the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/Georgia-election-results-4b82ba7ee3cc74d33e68daadaee2cbf3">state's twin runoffs</a> were mostly about which party would control the chamber in Washington.“Herschel
 Walker ain’t serious,” Warnock told supporters recently in central 
Georgia, saying that Walker “majors in lying” and fumbles the basics of 
public policy. “But the election is very serious. Don’t get those two 
things confused.”Walker casts Warnock, the senior pastor at 
Ebenezer Baptist Church, as a “hypocrite” and servile to President Joe 
Biden. Underscoring the insult, Walker calls the incumbent “Scooby-Doo,”
 complete with an impression of the cartoon hound’s gibberish.The broadsides reflect the candidates' <a href="https://apnews.com/article/georgia-senate-race-2022-midterm-nov-11-updates-da621d208ce7cc40389105ae437eb3e9">furious push in the four weeks</a>
 between the Nov. 8 general election and runoff to persuade their core 
supporters to cast another ballot. For Walker, it also means drawing 
more independents and moderates to his campaign after he underperformed a
 fellow Republican on the ticket, Gov. Brian Kemp, by 200,000 votes.Warnock
 led Walker by 37,000 votes out of almost 4 million cast in the first 
round, but the senator fell short of the 50% threshold needed to avoid a
 runoff.In many ways, the shift from his first runoff campaign is
 exactly what Warnock wanted: a straightforward choice between two 
candidates. Two years ago, then-President Donald Trump, fresh off his 
defeat, and Biden, then president-elect, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-politics-georgia-david-perdue-adf4fe5b05bbcd0bc92968665303ba4a">made multiple Georgia trips</a>
 to illuminate the national stakes of the races between Warnock and 
Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler and between Democrat Jon Ossoff and 
Republican Sen. David Perdue as control of the Senate hung in the 
balance.Trump ended up alienating his own supporters and many 
moderates with his false claims of a rigged 2020 presidential election. 
Victories by Warnock and Ossoff put the Senate at a 50-50 split, with 
Democrats gaining control by virtue of Vice President Kamala Harris' 
tiebreaking vote. Warnock also became Georgia's first Black senator.This
 year, with Warnock vying for a full six-year term after winning the 
2021 special election, Democrats have already guaranteed control of the 
Senate by <a href="https://apnews.com/article/pennsylvania-senate-race-2022-midterm-elections-93709b5b7ab4cef658f45751cd76c090">flipping a seat in Pennsylvania</a>. A Warnock win <a href="https://apnews.com/article/herschel-walker-georgia-kamala-harris-congress-government-and-politics-0f6cc74d575921e13c19d7569e4e5382">would give Democrats an outright majority</a> at 51-49, meaning that the parties would not have to negotiate a power-sharing agreement.Warnock’s
 preferred emphasis for most of his reelection bid has been his 
deal-making in Washington and the personal values he brings to the job. 
It took until the campaign’s final stages — only after two women accused
 Walker, an opponent of abortion rights, of encouraging and paying for 
their abortions — for the senator to ratchet up his attacks, arguing 
Walker is “unprepared” and “unfit” for the job.“My opponent lies 
about everything,” Warnock said in a recent campaign stop, ticking off a
 litany of Walker’s repeated falsehoods and exaggerations. “He said he 
was a police officer. He’s not. He said he worked for the FBI. He did 
not. Said he graduated from the University of Georgia. He did not. Said 
he was valedictorian of his class. He was not. ... He said he had 
another business with 800 employees. It has eight.”Walker, alternately, has relished the jousting since he won the GOP nomination in the spring.“Herschel
 is a competitor. He’s very comfortable with the mano a mano,” said 
Scott Paradise, Walker’s campaign manager, noting the candidate’s 
athletic prowess as a football running back, kickboxer and Olympic 
bobsledder.Indeed, Walker takes his attacks right to Warnock’s 
strengths as the pastor of the famous church where Martin Luther King 
Jr. once preached. Walker has criticized Warnock over an Atlanta 
apartment building, owned by a foundation of Warnock’s church, where 
residents have complained to The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative 
media outlet, of eviction notices and poor conditions.“What he’s 
doing in this apartment building at Columbia Towers is not right,” 
Walker said recently at a suburban Atlanta campaign stop. “You shouldn’t
 put Jesus’ name on what you’re doing to people, and don’t put Martin 
Luther King name on it. ... You’re not Jesus, and you’re not Dr. King.”Warnock,
 who says no residents of Columbia Tower have been evicted, incorporates
 Walker’s attacks into the list of the challenger’s documented <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-college-football-entertainment-sports-bb1ef7d866ab99302974cce1816efb65">exaggerations</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-sports-nfl-college-football-coronavirus-pandemic-5e2875eec11e93f9a3bf1fc859137ff8">falsehoods</a>.
 “What kind of a person lies on the church?” Warnock said in Macon. 
“This isn’t the first time people attacked Ebenezer Baptist Church. They
 attacked Martin Luther King Jr. I’m in good company.”Still, 
asked whether he’s reconsidered his church’s stewardship of Columbia 
Towers, Warnock sidestepped: “I’ve already answered the question. I’m 
proud of what my church does to feed and house the hungry and the 
homeless every single week.”Walker also accuses Warnock of 
“getting rich” as a senator, a nod to the pastor’s $7,500-a-month 
housing allowance from the church. The payments are not a violation of 
Senate ethics rules that limit senators’ outside income.On at 
least one occasion during the runoff, Walker has suggested Warnock is a 
negligent father. Warnock told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the 
comment “crossed a line.” Earlier in the campaign, Walker <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-herschel-walker-nashville-government-and-politics-115fc9e55e007f9203f3a0592ac83452">publicly acknowledged three of his children</a>
 for the first time, doing so only after The Daily Beast reported on 
their existence. Warnock has not mentioned those children in any of his 
critiques of Walker.Walker, meanwhile, has not taken reporters' 
questions at an open campaign event since late October, when a second 
accuser came forward to say he had pressured her to have an abortion — a
 contradiction of his advocacy as a candidate for <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-warnock-walker-debate-georgia-d831b6cbfce77be05102a0c6f7a0d304">a national ban on all abortions</a>. Walker has <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-georgia-herschel-walker-congress-2f798504bc1c32d4450ded9a3e8909bf">denied the women's claims</a>.Both
 candidates' former wives also loom in the campaign, though the two men 
avoid the topic themselves, leaving the discussion of their marriages 
mostly to paid advertising. In one ad, Warnock’s former wife tells 
Atlanta police that he ran over her foot. The Republican ad doesn’t note
 that a police report states that officers found no physical evidence 
supporting her claim. A Democratic ad features an interview with 
Walker’s first wife detailing that he threatened violence against her, 
circumstances Walker has confirmed in an autobiography.Since the two men met for their lone debate Oct. 14, Warnock has hammered Walker for a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-inflation-congress-f8dcede99c2a528f6c88630f34144dcc">lack of policy details</a> and sometimes flubbing what policy he does discuss.Warnock
 promotes his new federal legal provision capping insulin costs for 
Medicare recipients and notes Walker said diabetics could manage their 
health by “eating right,” a practice that isn’t enough for 
insulin-dependent diabetic patients.“Maybe he ought to apply to be a dietician. I’m running for the United States Senate,” Warnock said in Macon.He
 pounced when Walker declared the United States is “not ready” for 
climate action and should “keep having those gas-guzzling cars” that he 
said already have “good emissions” standards. Warnock added gleeful 
mockery when Walker recently introduced a tangent about vampires to a 
campaign speech.“I mean, who says that kind of stuff?” Warnock asked supporters.Warnock's
 aides say that the personalized arguments help convince core Democrats 
that they should not sit out the runoff, while also swaying the 
potentially decisive middle of the electorate in the senator's favor. 
“Herschel Walker continues to be bogged down by his pattern of lies and 
disturbing behavior, all of which led him to underperform” in the first 
round, said Quentin Fulks, Warnock's campaign manager, in a statement.From
 Walker's camp, Paradise insisted that Republicans' best argument 
remains Warnock's alignment with Democrats on economic policy. Still, he
 acknowledges the campaign’s tone has darkened.“We’re certainly 
going to continue to aggressively prosecute the case against Warnock,” 
he said, “and I suspect they’ll do the same.”

Ga. Senate runoff between Warnock, Walker has bitter closing

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A federal judge has denied a new trial request by two men convicted of conspiring to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Lawyers for Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. alleged misconduct by a juror and unfairness by U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker following their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-presidential-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-grand-rapids-9ad8f100d32e7d5883b1be9d6c4cb8d5">conviction by a federal jury in August.</a>

Jonker in a written ruling Friday shot down claims of juror misconduct and said he found “no constitutional violation and no credible evidence” to convene a new hearing.

Fox and Croft face up to life in prison when they’re sentenced Dec. 28.

Whitmer, who was reelected Nov. 8 to a second term, was never physically harmed in the plot, which led to more than a dozen arrests in 2020.

Fox and Croft's first trial ended in a mistrial earlier this year when the jury was unable to come to a unanimous verdict.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-grand-rapids-adam-fox-whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-d49fb2fbc25cb150117f154fe42a72c5">A motion for a third trial</a>&nbsp;was filed in September.

Defense lawyers said a juror seated in the second trial was described by a co-worker as “far-left leaning,” was eager to get on the jury and poised to convict before hearing evidence.

The defense team’s investigator said he interviewed two co-workers who said they had heard about it but had no firsthand knowledge. A third person declined to speak to him in the parking lot.

The allegation first was raised early in the second trial. Jonker said he spoke privately to the juror, who denied saying that a vote to convict was already settled.

Separately, defense lawyers said the judge violated the rights of Fox and Croft by imposing a time limit on the cross-examination of a star government witness.

“Defendants have neither demonstrated that the jury verdict is ‘against the manifest weight of the evidence’ nor that a ‘substantial legal error has occurred’ such that the interests of justice demand a new trial,” Jonker wrote in Friday's ruling.

Croft is from Bear, Delaware. Fox lived in the Grand Rapids area in western Michigan.

Two other men have pleaded guilty in the federal case, while two more were acquitted.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-gretchen-whitmer-jackson-adam-fox-kidnap-plot-trial-0a5a930cf86e74f8a1365040b783de0d">Three other men accused of supporting terrorism in the kidnapping plot were convicted in October</a>&nbsp;in state court.

Joe Morrison; Morrison's father-in-law, Pete Musico; and Paul Bellar were found guilty of supplying “material support” for a terrorist act as members of a group known as the Wolverine Watchmen. They await sentencing on Dec. 15.

They held gun training in rural Jackson County with Fox who was disgusted with Whitmer and other officials and said he wanted to snatch her.

Associated PressGRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A federal judge has denied a new trial request by two men convicted of conspiring to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.Lawyers for Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. alleged misconduct by a juror and unfairness by U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker following their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-presidential-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-grand-rapids-9ad8f100d32e7d5883b1be9d6c4cb8d5">conviction by a federal jury in August.</a>Jonker in a written ruling Friday shot down claims of juror misconduct and said he found “no constitutional violation and no credible evidence” to convene a new hearing.Fox and Croft face up to life in prison when they’re sentenced Dec. 28.Whitmer, who was reelected Nov. 8 to a second term, was never physically harmed in the plot, which led to more than a dozen arrests in 2020.Fox and Croft's first trial ended in a mistrial earlier this year when the jury was unable to come to a unanimous verdict.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-grand-rapids-adam-fox-whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial-d49fb2fbc25cb150117f154fe42a72c5">A motion for a third trial</a>&nbsp;was filed in September.Defense lawyers said a juror seated in the second trial was described by a co-worker as “far-left leaning,” was eager to get on the jury and poised to convict before hearing evidence.The defense team’s investigator said he interviewed two co-workers who said they had heard about it but had no firsthand knowledge. A third person declined to speak to him in the parking lot.The allegation first was raised early in the second trial. Jonker said he spoke privately to the juror, who denied saying that a vote to convict was already settled.Separately, defense lawyers said the judge violated the rights of Fox and Croft by imposing a time limit on the cross-examination of a star government witness.“Defendants have neither demonstrated that the jury verdict is ‘against the manifest weight of the evidence’ nor that a ‘substantial legal error has occurred’ such that the interests of justice demand a new trial,” Jonker wrote in Friday's ruling.Croft is from Bear, Delaware. Fox lived in the Grand Rapids area in western Michigan.Two other men have pleaded guilty in the federal case, while two more were acquitted.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michigan-gretchen-whitmer-jackson-adam-fox-kidnap-plot-trial-0a5a930cf86e74f8a1365040b783de0d">Three other men accused of supporting terrorism in the kidnapping plot were convicted in October</a>&nbsp;in state court.Joe Morrison; Morrison's father-in-law, Pete Musico; and Paul Bellar were found guilty of supplying “material support” for a terrorist act as members of a group known as the Wolverine Watchmen. They await sentencing on Dec. 15.They held gun training in rural Jackson County with Fox who was disgusted with Whitmer and other officials and said he wanted to snatch her.

Judge denies bid for new trial in Whitmer kidnapping case

WASHINGTON (AP) — State-level law enforcement units created after the
 2020 presidential election to investigate voter fraud are looking into 
scattered complaints more than two weeks after the <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections">midterms</a> but have provided no indication of systemic problems.

That's
 just what election experts had expected and led critics to suggest that
 the new units were more about politics than rooting out widespread 
abuses. Most election-related fraud cases already are investigated and 
prosecuted at the local level.

Florida, Georgia and Virginia 
created special state-level units after the 2020 election, all pushed by
 Republican governors, attorneys general or legislatures.

“I am 
not aware of any significant detection of fraud on Election Day, but 
that’s not surprising,” said Paul Smith, senior vice president of the 
Campaign Legal Center. “The whole concept of voter impersonation fraud 
is such a horribly exaggerated problem. It doesn’t change the outcome of
 the election, it's a felony, you risk getting put in jail and you have a
 high possibility of getting caught. It's a rare phenomena.”

The absence of widespread fraud is important because <a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">the lies</a> surrounding the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-claims-biden-won-explained-bd53b14ce871412b462cb3fe2c563f18">2020 presidential election</a>
 spread by former President Donald Trump and his allies have penetrated 
deeply into the Republican Party and eroded trust in elections. In the 
run-up to this year's elections, 45% of Republicans had <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-presidential-election-2020-democracy-33823de7f22a601a192fc82eeb88e630">little to no confidence</a> that votes would be counted accurately.

An Associated Press investigation found there was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/voter-fraud-election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-7fcb6f134e528fee8237c7601db3328f">no widespread fraud</a> in Georgia or the five other <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-arizona-donald-trump-voter-registration-tucson-c64bba90b8c074bf8bdfd2c751b6b0f2">battleground states</a> where Trump disputed his 2020 loss, and so far there is no indication of that in this year's elections. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-nevada-michigan-election-recounts-a2df6e14df54c99d6398985ebf465692">Certification of the results</a> is going smoothly in most states, with few complaints.

In
 Georgia, where Trump tried to pressure state officials to “find” enough
 votes to overturn his loss, a new law gives the state’s top law 
enforcement agency, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, authority to 
initiate investigations of alleged election fraud without a request from
 election officials. The alleged violation would have to be significant 
enough to change or create doubt about the outcome of an election.

GBI
 spokesperson Nelly Miles said the agency has not initiated any 
investigations under the statute. The agency is assisting the secretary 
of state’s office in an investigation of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-technology-lawsuits-donald-trump-voting-6a1324cc6cf45c95ca086a5c81617b15">a breach of voting equipment in Coffee County</a> in 2021, but that is its only recent election fraud investigation, she said in an email.

That
 breach, which came to light earlier this year, involved local officials
 in a county that voted for Trump by nearly 40 percentage points in 2020
 and some high-profile supporters of the former president.

State 
Rep. Jasmine Clark, a Democrat who opposed the additional authority for 
the bureau, said the lack of investigations validates the criticism that
 the law was unnecessary. But she said just the prospect of a GBI 
investigation could intimidate people who want to serve as poll workers 
or take on some other role in the voting process.

“In this 
situation, there was no actual problem to be solved,” Clark said. “This 
was a solution looking for a problem, and that’s never the way that we 
should legislate.”

Florida has been the most visible state, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-health-crime-florida-5fad57fac85e0944b6e8eeb423b195b7">creating its Office of Election Crimes and Security</a> amid much fanfare this year and keeping <a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-crime-police-florida-voting-6faba6b361ef699eb3f90988a849d33c">a pledge that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis made</a> in 2021 to combat unspecified election fraud.

The
 office is under the Florida Department of State. It reviews allegations
 and then tasks state law enforcement with pursuing violations.

DeSantis this summer announced the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-rights-florida-presidential-bfbf3d7d4f5dea4fa2a11589e4235c71">election unit had arrested 20</a>
 people for illegally voting in the 2020 election, when the state had 
14.4 million registered voters. That was the first major election since a
 state constitutional amendment restored voting rights for felons, 
except for those convicted of murder or felony sex crimes or those who 
still owe fines, fees or restitution.

Court records show the 20 
people were able to register to vote despite prior felony convictions, 
apparently leading them to believe they could legally cast ballots. At 
least part of the confusion stems from language in the voter 
registration forms that requires applicants to swear they are not a 
felon — or if they are, that they have had their rights restored. The 
forms do not inquire specifically about past convictions for murder and 
felony sexual assault.

One of the people charged, 56-year-old 
Robert Lee Wood, had his home surrounded early one morning by law 
enforcement officers who banged on his door and arrested him. He spent 
two days in jail. Wood’s lawyer, Larry Davis, said his client did not 
think he was breaking the law because he was able to register to vote 
without issue. Davis called the law enforcement reaction “over the top” 
in this case.

Wood’s case was dismissed by a Miami judge in late 
October on jurisdictional grounds, because it was brought by the Office 
of the Statewide Prosecutor rather than local prosecutors in Miami. The 
state is appealing the ruling.

Andrea Mercado, executive director 
of Florida Rising, an independent political activist organization 
focused on economic and racial justice in the state, said the 
disproportionate targeting of such would-be voters was sending a 
“chilling message to all returning citizens who want to register to 
vote.” She said her group found that many of them were confused about 
the requirements.

“You have to go to 67 counties' websites and 
find their individual county processes to see if you have a fine or 
fee,” she said. “It’s a labyrinthian ordeal.”

Weeks before the 
Nov. 8 election, the Office of Election Crimes and Security began 
notifying Florida counties of hundreds of registered voters who 
potentially were ineligible to vote because of prior convictions. In 
letters to the counties, state officials asked that election officials 
verify the information and then take action to prevent ineligible voters
 from casting ballots.

“We’ve heard stories about voters who are 
eligible to vote but have a criminal conviction in their past, and they 
are now scared to register and vote," said Michael Pernick, a voting 
rights attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He called it “deeply 
concerning.”

A spokesman for the new office did not provide 
information related to any other actions it might have taken or 
investigations it might have underway related to this year’s primary and
 general elections.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares 
announced he was forming his own Election Integrity Unit in September, 
saying it would “work to help restore confidence in our democratic 
process in the Commonwealth.”

The formation of the unit came in a state where Republicans <a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-day-2021-virginia-2bbad4e99c1a9bd4b5b943551b0ba303">swept the three statewide offices</a> in 2021 elections, including Miyares' defeat of a Democratic incumbent.

His
 spokeswoman, Victoria LaCivita, said in a written response to questions
 from The Associated Press that the office had received complaints 
connected to this month's elections, but she could not comment on 
whether any investigations had resulted.

In addition, “the EIU 
successfully got a demurrer and a motion to dismiss” an attempt to force
 the state to abandon its use of electronic voting machines to count 
ballots and institute a statewide hand count.

Miyares' office said
 he was not available for an interview, but in a letter to the editor in
 The Washington Post in October he stated there was no widespread fraud 
in Virginia or anywhere else during the 2020 election. He said his 
office already had jurisdiction in election-related issues but that he 
was restructuring it into a unit to work more cooperatively with the 
election community to allay any doubts about the fairness of elections.

Smith,
 of the Campaign Legal Center, said there are real issues related to 
election security, including protecting voters, poll workers and 
elections staff, and securing voting equipment. But he said Republican 
steps to boost what they often refer to as “election integrity” to 
combat voter fraud often are about something else.

“It’s a myth that’s created so they can justify making it harder for people to vote,” he said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — State-level law enforcement units created after the
 2020 presidential election to investigate voter fraud are looking into 
scattered complaints more than two weeks after the <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections">midterms</a> but have provided no indication of systemic problems.That's
 just what election experts had expected and led critics to suggest that
 the new units were more about politics than rooting out widespread 
abuses. Most election-related fraud cases already are investigated and 
prosecuted at the local level.Florida, Georgia and Virginia 
created special state-level units after the 2020 election, all pushed by
 Republican governors, attorneys general or legislatures.“I am 
not aware of any significant detection of fraud on Election Day, but 
that’s not surprising,” said Paul Smith, senior vice president of the 
Campaign Legal Center. “The whole concept of voter impersonation fraud 
is such a horribly exaggerated problem. It doesn’t change the outcome of
 the election, it's a felony, you risk getting put in jail and you have a
 high possibility of getting caught. It's a rare phenomena.”The absence of widespread fraud is important because <a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">the lies</a> surrounding the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-claims-biden-won-explained-bd53b14ce871412b462cb3fe2c563f18">2020 presidential election</a>
 spread by former President Donald Trump and his allies have penetrated 
deeply into the Republican Party and eroded trust in elections. In the 
run-up to this year's elections, 45% of Republicans had <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-presidential-election-2020-democracy-33823de7f22a601a192fc82eeb88e630">little to no confidence</a> that votes would be counted accurately.An Associated Press investigation found there was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/voter-fraud-election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-7fcb6f134e528fee8237c7601db3328f">no widespread fraud</a> in Georgia or the five other <a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-arizona-donald-trump-voter-registration-tucson-c64bba90b8c074bf8bdfd2c751b6b0f2">battleground states</a> where Trump disputed his 2020 loss, and so far there is no indication of that in this year's elections. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-nevada-michigan-election-recounts-a2df6e14df54c99d6398985ebf465692">Certification of the results</a> is going smoothly in most states, with few complaints.In
 Georgia, where Trump tried to pressure state officials to “find” enough
 votes to overturn his loss, a new law gives the state’s top law 
enforcement agency, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, authority to 
initiate investigations of alleged election fraud without a request from
 election officials. The alleged violation would have to be significant 
enough to change or create doubt about the outcome of an election.GBI
 spokesperson Nelly Miles said the agency has not initiated any 
investigations under the statute. The agency is assisting the secretary 
of state’s office in an investigation of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-technology-lawsuits-donald-trump-voting-6a1324cc6cf45c95ca086a5c81617b15">a breach of voting equipment in Coffee County</a> in 2021, but that is its only recent election fraud investigation, she said in an email.That
 breach, which came to light earlier this year, involved local officials
 in a county that voted for Trump by nearly 40 percentage points in 2020
 and some high-profile supporters of the former president.State 
Rep. Jasmine Clark, a Democrat who opposed the additional authority for 
the bureau, said the lack of investigations validates the criticism that
 the law was unnecessary. But she said just the prospect of a GBI 
investigation could intimidate people who want to serve as poll workers 
or take on some other role in the voting process.“In this 
situation, there was no actual problem to be solved,” Clark said. “This 
was a solution looking for a problem, and that’s never the way that we 
should legislate.”Florida has been the most visible state, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-health-crime-florida-5fad57fac85e0944b6e8eeb423b195b7">creating its Office of Election Crimes and Security</a> amid much fanfare this year and keeping <a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-crime-police-florida-voting-6faba6b361ef699eb3f90988a849d33c">a pledge that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis made</a> in 2021 to combat unspecified election fraud.The
 office is under the Florida Department of State. It reviews allegations
 and then tasks state law enforcement with pursuing violations.DeSantis this summer announced the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-rights-florida-presidential-bfbf3d7d4f5dea4fa2a11589e4235c71">election unit had arrested 20</a>
 people for illegally voting in the 2020 election, when the state had 
14.4 million registered voters. That was the first major election since a
 state constitutional amendment restored voting rights for felons, 
except for those convicted of murder or felony sex crimes or those who 
still owe fines, fees or restitution.Court records show the 20 
people were able to register to vote despite prior felony convictions, 
apparently leading them to believe they could legally cast ballots. At 
least part of the confusion stems from language in the voter 
registration forms that requires applicants to swear they are not a 
felon — or if they are, that they have had their rights restored. The 
forms do not inquire specifically about past convictions for murder and 
felony sexual assault.One of the people charged, 56-year-old 
Robert Lee Wood, had his home surrounded early one morning by law 
enforcement officers who banged on his door and arrested him. He spent 
two days in jail. Wood’s lawyer, Larry Davis, said his client did not 
think he was breaking the law because he was able to register to vote 
without issue. Davis called the law enforcement reaction “over the top” 
in this case.Wood’s case was dismissed by a Miami judge in late 
October on jurisdictional grounds, because it was brought by the Office 
of the Statewide Prosecutor rather than local prosecutors in Miami. The 
state is appealing the ruling.Andrea Mercado, executive director 
of Florida Rising, an independent political activist organization 
focused on economic and racial justice in the state, said the 
disproportionate targeting of such would-be voters was sending a 
“chilling message to all returning citizens who want to register to 
vote.” She said her group found that many of them were confused about 
the requirements.“You have to go to 67 counties' websites and 
find their individual county processes to see if you have a fine or 
fee,” she said. “It’s a labyrinthian ordeal.”Weeks before the 
Nov. 8 election, the Office of Election Crimes and Security began 
notifying Florida counties of hundreds of registered voters who 
potentially were ineligible to vote because of prior convictions. In 
letters to the counties, state officials asked that election officials 
verify the information and then take action to prevent ineligible voters
 from casting ballots.“We’ve heard stories about voters who are 
eligible to vote but have a criminal conviction in their past, and they 
are now scared to register and vote," said Michael Pernick, a voting 
rights attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. He called it “deeply 
concerning.”A spokesman for the new office did not provide 
information related to any other actions it might have taken or 
investigations it might have underway related to this year’s primary and
 general elections.Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares 
announced he was forming his own Election Integrity Unit in September, 
saying it would “work to help restore confidence in our democratic 
process in the Commonwealth.”The formation of the unit came in a state where Republicans <a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-day-2021-virginia-2bbad4e99c1a9bd4b5b943551b0ba303">swept the three statewide offices</a> in 2021 elections, including Miyares' defeat of a Democratic incumbent.His
 spokeswoman, Victoria LaCivita, said in a written response to questions
 from The Associated Press that the office had received complaints 
connected to this month's elections, but she could not comment on 
whether any investigations had resulted.In addition, “the EIU 
successfully got a demurrer and a motion to dismiss” an attempt to force
 the state to abandon its use of electronic voting machines to count 
ballots and institute a statewide hand count.Miyares' office said
 he was not available for an interview, but in a letter to the editor in
 The Washington Post in October he stated there was no widespread fraud 
in Virginia or anywhere else during the 2020 election. He said his 
office already had jurisdiction in election-related issues but that he 
was restructuring it into a unit to work more cooperatively with the 
election community to allay any doubts about the fairness of elections.Smith,
 of the Campaign Legal Center, said there are real issues related to 
election security, including protecting voters, poll workers and 
elections staff, and securing voting equipment. But he said Republican 
steps to boost what they often refer to as “election integrity” to 
combat voter fraud often are about something else.“It’s a myth that’s created so they can justify making it harder for people to vote,” he said.

New state voter fraud units finding few cases from midterms

Luella Theresa Herrman, age 89, of 
Hays, Kansas, passed away Wednesday, November 23, 2022, at HaysMed. Luella
 was born July 20, 1933, in Hays to Fidelis and Thecla (Ruder) Dinges. 
She graduated from Schoenchen High School. On October 15, 1951, she 
married Maynard Herrman in Hays. He preceded her in death on June 3, 
2015.

Luella was a homemaker and had worked 
at Travenol and Fort Hays State University. She was a woman of strong 
faith, and her family was truly important to her. She loved to keep a 
beautiful home, garden and maintained impeccable flower beds. She had 
participated in Daughters of Isabella and Christian Mothers and was a 
member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.

&nbsp;Luella is survived by a son, Steven 
Herrman and wife Deborah of Rockport, TX; a daughter, Trudy Leikam and 
Husband Robert of Hays; a brother, Robert Dinges and wife Darlene of 
Dalton, Georgia; two sisters, Doris Lang of Overland Park, Kansas and 
Judith Withers of Hays; a sister-in-law, Mildred Dinges of Hays; seven 
grandchildren, Joshua Herrman and wife Jessica, Jacob Herrman and wife 
Carol, Lucas Herrman, Quinton Herrman, Sarah Fischer and husband Shawn, 
Annie Bollig and husband Preston and Chrissy Driscoll and husband Tony; 
ten great grandchildren with one on the way, and one great-great 
grandchild.

&nbsp;She was preceded in death by her parents; a son, Ronald Herrman; a brother, Laverne Dinges and a sister, Verlee Schmidt.

&nbsp;Funeral services will be 10:00 AM 
Tuesday, November 29, 2022, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church 215 W. 13th 
in Hays. Burial will follow in the parish cemetery.

&nbsp;Visitation will be Monday 5:00 PM – 
8:00 PM and Tuesday 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM all at Brock’s-Keithley Funeral 
Chapel and Crematory, 2509 Vine, Hays, KS 67601.

&nbsp;A combined parish vigil and rosary service will be 7:00 PM Monday at the funeral chapel.

&nbsp;Memorial contributions are suggested to HaysMed Acute Care or Homestead of Hays.

&nbsp;Condolences may be left by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669481637221.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Luella Theresa Herrman, age 89, of 
Hays, Kansas, passed away Wednesday, November 23, 2022, at HaysMed. Luella
 was born July 20, 1933, in Hays to Fidelis and Thecla (Ruder) Dinges. 
She graduated from Schoenchen High School. On October 15, 1951, she 
married Maynard Herrman in Hays. He preceded her in death on June 3, 
2015.Luella was a homemaker and had worked 
at Travenol and Fort Hays State University. She was a woman of strong 
faith, and her family was truly important to her. She loved to keep a 
beautiful home, garden and maintained impeccable flower beds. She had 
participated in Daughters of Isabella and Christian Mothers and was a 
member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.&nbsp;Luella is survived by a son, Steven 
Herrman and wife Deborah of Rockport, TX; a daughter, Trudy Leikam and 
Husband Robert of Hays; a brother, Robert Dinges and wife Darlene of 
Dalton, Georgia; two sisters, Doris Lang of Overland Park, Kansas and 
Judith Withers of Hays; a sister-in-law, Mildred Dinges of Hays; seven 
grandchildren, Joshua Herrman and wife Jessica, Jacob Herrman and wife 
Carol, Lucas Herrman, Quinton Herrman, Sarah Fischer and husband Shawn, 
Annie Bollig and husband Preston and Chrissy Driscoll and husband Tony; 
ten great grandchildren with one on the way, and one great-great 
grandchild.&nbsp;She was preceded in death by her parents; a son, Ronald Herrman; a brother, Laverne Dinges and a sister, Verlee Schmidt.&nbsp;Funeral services will be 10:00 AM 
Tuesday, November 29, 2022, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church 215 W. 13th 
in Hays. Burial will follow in the parish cemetery.&nbsp;Visitation will be Monday 5:00 PM – 
8:00 PM and Tuesday 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM all at Brock’s-Keithley Funeral 
Chapel and Crematory, 2509 Vine, Hays, KS 67601.&nbsp;A combined parish vigil and rosary service will be 7:00 PM Monday at the funeral chapel.&nbsp;Memorial contributions are suggested to HaysMed Acute Care or Homestead of Hays.&nbsp;Condolences may be left by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com

Michael A. “Mike” Schmidt, 59, Catharine, died Friday, November 25, 2022, at HaysMed.

He was born October 19, 1963, in Hays 
the son of Emery R. and Shirley (Pfeifer) Schmidt.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1982, he 
graduated from Hays High School and was a lifelong wheat farmer and 
cattleman, member of St. Catherine Catholic Church, and was a member of 
the St. Catherine Third Degree Knights of Columbus Council #11687.&nbsp;&nbsp;On 
June 1, 1984, he was united in marriage to Ann L. Nichols in 
Catharine.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mike never new a stranger and loved to spend time visiting 
with friends and family, in addition to numerous interests including 
spending time at the lake, watching the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs, 
and episodes of his favorite TV show, Gunsmoke.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was a phenomenal 
cook and griller, loved his family including his dogs, Bruiser and 
Miles, enjoyed butchering beef and pork for his family, and driving his 
Ranger around the farm with his twin grandsons aboard, checking on 
cattle and visiting his neighbors.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Survivors include his wife Ann, of the 
home, his mother Shirley Schmidt of Catharine, his mother-in-law Carolyn
 Nichols of Hays, a son Michael P. Schmidt of Catharine, two 
daughters:&nbsp;&nbsp;Casey Wendel and husband Nathan of Catharine and Carly 
Schmidt and boyfriend Tyler Boling of Salina, a brother Greg Schmidt and
 wife Pam of Catharine, two sisters:&nbsp;&nbsp;Jackie Jones and husband Tim of 
Hays and Lisa Stouffer and husband Allen of Leavenworth, his 
sister-in-law Courtney Schmeidler of Hays, three grandsons:&nbsp;&nbsp;Tyler, 
Clayton, and Bennett Wendel, and numerous nieces and nephews.&nbsp;&nbsp;

He was preceded in death by his father Emery Schmidt, and his father-in-law William Nichols.

Mass of Christian burial will be at 
10:00 am on Wednesday, November 30, 2022, at St. Catherine Catholic 
Church with Fr. Earl Befort officiating.&nbsp;&nbsp;Burial will follow in the 
church cemetery.&nbsp;&nbsp;Visitation will be from 5:00 pm until 8:00 on Tuesday 
at Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home and from 9:00 am until service time
 on Wednesday at the church.&nbsp;&nbsp;A parish vigil service will be at 6:30 pm 
on Tuesday, followed by a Third Degree Knights of Columbus rosary, all 
at the funeral home.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In lieu of flowers or plants, memorials are 
suggested to Mike’s grandson’s education with checks payable to:&nbsp;&nbsp;Ann 
Schmidt.&nbsp;&nbsp;Condolences and memories of Mike may be shared with the family
 at <a href="http://www.haysmemorial.com">www.haysmemorial.com</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1669472914822.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Michael A. “Mike” Schmidt, 59, Catharine, died Friday, November 25, 2022, at HaysMed.He was born October 19, 1963, in Hays 
the son of Emery R. and Shirley (Pfeifer) Schmidt.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1982, he 
graduated from Hays High School and was a lifelong wheat farmer and 
cattleman, member of St. Catherine Catholic Church, and was a member of 
the St. Catherine Third Degree Knights of Columbus Council #11687.&nbsp;&nbsp;On 
June 1, 1984, he was united in marriage to Ann L. Nichols in 
Catharine.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mike never new a stranger and loved to spend time visiting 
with friends and family, in addition to numerous interests including 
spending time at the lake, watching the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs, 
and episodes of his favorite TV show, Gunsmoke.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was a phenomenal 
cook and griller, loved his family including his dogs, Bruiser and 
Miles, enjoyed butchering beef and pork for his family, and driving his 
Ranger around the farm with his twin grandsons aboard, checking on 
cattle and visiting his neighbors.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Survivors include his wife Ann, of the 
home, his mother Shirley Schmidt of Catharine, his mother-in-law Carolyn
 Nichols of Hays, a son Michael P. Schmidt of Catharine, two 
daughters:&nbsp;&nbsp;Casey Wendel and husband Nathan of Catharine and Carly 
Schmidt and boyfriend Tyler Boling of Salina, a brother Greg Schmidt and
 wife Pam of Catharine, two sisters:&nbsp;&nbsp;Jackie Jones and husband Tim of 
Hays and Lisa Stouffer and husband Allen of Leavenworth, his 
sister-in-law Courtney Schmeidler of Hays, three grandsons:&nbsp;&nbsp;Tyler, 
Clayton, and Bennett Wendel, and numerous nieces and nephews.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was preceded in death by his father Emery Schmidt, and his father-in-law William Nichols.Mass of Christian burial will be at 
10:00 am on Wednesday, November 30, 2022, at St. Catherine Catholic 
Church with Fr. Earl Befort officiating.&nbsp;&nbsp;Burial will follow in the 
church cemetery.&nbsp;&nbsp;Visitation will be from 5:00 pm until 8:00 on Tuesday 
at Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home and from 9:00 am until service time
 on Wednesday at the church.&nbsp;&nbsp;A parish vigil service will be at 6:30 pm 
on Tuesday, followed by a Third Degree Knights of Columbus rosary, all 
at the funeral home.&nbsp;&nbsp;In lieu of flowers or plants, memorials are 
suggested to Mike’s grandson’s education with checks payable to:&nbsp;&nbsp;Ann 
Schmidt.&nbsp;&nbsp;Condolences and memories of Mike may be shared with the family
 at <a href="http://www.haysmemorial.com">www.haysmemorial.com</a>