<a href="https://hutchpost.com/">Hutch Post</a>

LANGDON — A sharp increase in quarantines and positive COVID cases has forced Fairfield USD 310 to close effective tomorrow. All activities for Friday as well as next week are canceled.&nbsp;

Superintendent Betsy McKinney says the positive cases are among both the students and staff.

“We have 20% of our student body out, affected by COVID, with positive or in quarantine,” McKinney said. “We also have 39% of our teachers and paraprofessionals gone as of today (Thursday).”

Students will be in remote learning starting Tuesday and running through Friday. McKinney says they are prepared for students to learn from home.

“We have the capability to do that,” McKinney said. “We are preparing our students by sending home devices today and then having a materials pick-up on Monday for the younger students.”

Teachers who are not sick or quarantined will be working from campus. Fairfield will release more details about everything on Monday and provide parents with pick-up times for school work. Older students will take home devices Thursday. Students may also take home workbooks and textbooks they could need next week.

Student meals will be available for pick-up during next week’s four days of remote learning.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642111137439.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://hutchpost.com/">Hutch Post</a>LANGDON — A sharp increase in quarantines and positive COVID cases has forced Fairfield USD 310 to close effective tomorrow. All activities for Friday as well as next week are canceled.&nbsp;Superintendent Betsy McKinney says the positive cases are among both the students and staff.“We have 20% of our student body out, affected by COVID, with positive or in quarantine,” McKinney said. “We also have 39% of our teachers and paraprofessionals gone as of today (Thursday).”Students will be in remote learning starting Tuesday and running through Friday. McKinney says they are prepared for students to learn from home.“We have the capability to do that,” McKinney said. “We are preparing our students by sending home devices today and then having a materials pick-up on Monday for the younger students.”Teachers who are not sick or quarantined will be working from campus. Fairfield will release more details about everything on Monday and provide parents with pick-up times for school work. Older students will take home devices Thursday. Students may also take home workbooks and textbooks they could need next week.Student meals will be available for pick-up during next week’s four days of remote learning.&nbsp;

Reno Co. school returns to remote learning after COVID spike

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Heading into Christmas travel, gas prices in Kansas continue to be around the $3 a gallon mark.

"Right now, we've been experiencing a little bit of a decline in gas prices over the past four to six weeks," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "Here in Kansas, we're at $2.97 a gallon. That's down 2 cents from a week ago and down eight cents from where we were a month ago."

"Nationally, we're at $3.29 a gallon, on average," Steward said.

If you're traveling, most places both in Kansas and in the region are a little less expensive than at home with Kansas City, KS at $2.94, Manhattan at $2.96, Topeka at $2.95 and Wichita at $2.96.

"As usual, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, those are actually the four cheapest gas price states in the country," Steward said. "If you're traveling around here, you'll be getting a little bit of a benefit in your wallet when you go to fill up the tank."

Gray County, Texas in the Panhandle east of Amarillo is the least expensive county in the least expensive state at $2.63 a gallon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637673365192.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Heading into Christmas travel, gas prices in Kansas continue to be around the $3 a gallon mark."Right now, we've been experiencing a little bit of a decline in gas prices over the past four to six weeks," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "Here in Kansas, we're at $2.97 a gallon. That's down 2 cents from a week ago and down eight cents from where we were a month ago.""Nationally, we're at $3.29 a gallon, on average," Steward said.If you're traveling, most places both in Kansas and in the region are a little less expensive than at home with Kansas City, KS at $2.94, Manhattan at $2.96, Topeka at $2.95 and Wichita at $2.96."As usual, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, those are actually the four cheapest gas price states in the country," Steward said. "If you're traveling around here, you'll be getting a little bit of a benefit in your wallet when you go to fill up the tank."Gray County, Texas in the Panhandle east of Amarillo is the least expensive county in the least expensive state at $2.63 a gallon.

Gas prices still around $3 a gallon heading to Christmas in Kansas

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Gas prices continue to trickle lower in Kansas.

"Pump prices have continued their slow seasonal descent," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "The Kansas average is back a little bit under $3, settling in Thursday at $2.99 a gallon. That's down from the $3.10 mark that we saw a month ago.&nbsp;

There has been a slight rebound in crude oil prices lately.

"Gas prices tend to fall this time of year, due to shorter days," Steward said. "This trend was helped by the recent steep drop in oil prices due to fears over Omicron. The variant's impact on pricing appears to be fading a little bit. It remains to be seen if oil prices are going to stabilize or move higher."

Kansas is still a relatively inexpensive state in which to buy gas.

"The average Kansas gas price is about a dollar higher this year than we saw last year," Steward said. "Kansas is 32 cents less than the national average, which is today $3.31 a gallon. That puts us at 7th cheapest in the nation."

The cheapest state as of Thursday is Texas at $2.91 a gallon.

By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Gas prices continue to trickle lower in Kansas."Pump prices have continued their slow seasonal descent," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "The Kansas average is back a little bit under $3, settling in Thursday at $2.99 a gallon. That's down from the $3.10 mark that we saw a month ago.&nbsp;There has been a slight rebound in crude oil prices lately."Gas prices tend to fall this time of year, due to shorter days," Steward said. "This trend was helped by the recent steep drop in oil prices due to fears over Omicron. The variant's impact on pricing appears to be fading a little bit. It remains to be seen if oil prices are going to stabilize or move higher."Kansas is still a relatively inexpensive state in which to buy gas."The average Kansas gas price is about a dollar higher this year than we saw last year," Steward said. "Kansas is 32 cents less than the national average, which is today $3.31 a gallon. That puts us at 7th cheapest in the nation."The cheapest state as of Thursday is Texas at $2.91 a gallon.

Report: Gas prices in Kansas down from a month ago

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said his office is confident that they can hire the legal specialists necessary to look into potential illegal manipulation of natural gas prices during the February 2021 frigid weather.

"Under Kansas law, in order to retain a firm for this, we have to go through a formal bidding process, a request for proposals," Schmidt said Wednesday. "We issued that early in the fall. There were actually no bidders initially, so we had to extend the proposal. We now have firms that have bid and I think we're very close to being able to retain and announce the firm with the expertise to help us with this."

Some of Schmidt's political opponents see his ownership stake in a natural gas well in southeast Kansas as a potential conflict of interest in the case.

"We have a farm we've had for years," Schmidt said. "It was my grandparents. We have one and only one gas well on it. It's a low production well as many are in southeast Kansas. We're blessed to have it. We're not getting rich off it. In any event, we don't control the price of gas. We're just landowners."

Schmidt said&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/42129b37-4066-454d-87b0-b894da782af5">when the initial RFP went out</a>&nbsp;that the intent was to get someone who is an expert in the complicated natural gas marketplace.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637784447337.png" alt=" Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt (Kansas Legislature YouTube )" />
 <figcaption> Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt (Kansas Legislature YouTube )</figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said his office is confident that they can hire the legal specialists necessary to look into potential illegal manipulation of natural gas prices during the February 2021 frigid weather."Under Kansas law, in order to retain a firm for this, we have to go through a formal bidding process, a request for proposals," Schmidt said Wednesday. "We issued that early in the fall. There were actually no bidders initially, so we had to extend the proposal. We now have firms that have bid and I think we're very close to being able to retain and announce the firm with the expertise to help us with this."Some of Schmidt's political opponents see his ownership stake in a natural gas well in southeast Kansas as a potential conflict of interest in the case."We have a farm we've had for years," Schmidt said. "It was my grandparents. We have one and only one gas well on it. It's a low production well as many are in southeast Kansas. We're blessed to have it. We're not getting rich off it. In any event, we don't control the price of gas. We're just landowners."Schmidt said&nbsp;<a href="https://hutchpost.com/posts/42129b37-4066-454d-87b0-b894da782af5">when the initial RFP went out</a>&nbsp;that the intent was to get someone who is an expert in the complicated natural gas marketplace.

Kan. AG: Legal specialists being hired for gas price manipulation case


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
With the announcement that Keith Urban's tour stop in Wichita coincides with the second Saturday night of the Kansas State Fair, that creates some issues for scheduling a grandstand show that night.

"We just got back from the International Association of Fairs and Expositions convention," said State Fair GM Bryan Schulz. "There was four staff, myself and three of our board members went down there. We had an opportunity to meet with our entertainment buyers and started looking at things. Obviously, we were already in the row of finding some things. With this announcement, we have been able to shift from what we thought we might do on that Saturday night to different entertainment. We'll just make it work."

The State Fair's grandstand show budget isn't that large, when you're spreading it over the whole event.

"We have about $650,000 to $675,000, when you start taking that over ten days, that kind of dwindles down." Schulz said. "The Blake Sheltons, the Miranda Lamberts, KISS, ZZ Top, those might be a little tough to get in at the Kansas State Fair right now."

The key is figuring out who will be big and booking them early, which is an art in itself.

"Going after those ones that are starting to peak and getting them in at the dollar amounts that we can afford," Schulz said. "I remember, when I was at a previous fair, our agency said, hey Bryan, we've got this opportunity for Zac Brown Band. I said, okay. That's when Chicken Fried was just coming out. I said, okay, what do you think we can get them for? Well, about $27,000 is what I think we'll pay for them. Let's try it. By the time it got to be fair time, they were asking $200,000 to $250,000. It's when you can get in on that ground level and be able to lock it in, that's fantastic."

Schulz further explained that if an act will have a show in the region before the one at the Fair, sometimes announcements of acts have to be delayed, in an effort not to negatively impact the other close in show's date.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1626269696039.jpeg" alt="Bryan Schulz, General Manager of the Kansas State Fair" />
 <figcaption>Bryan Schulz, General Manager of the Kansas State Fair</figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
With the announcement that Keith Urban's tour stop in Wichita coincides with the second Saturday night of the Kansas State Fair, that creates some issues for scheduling a grandstand show that night."We just got back from the International Association of Fairs and Expositions convention," said State Fair GM Bryan Schulz. "There was four staff, myself and three of our board members went down there. We had an opportunity to meet with our entertainment buyers and started looking at things. Obviously, we were already in the row of finding some things. With this announcement, we have been able to shift from what we thought we might do on that Saturday night to different entertainment. We'll just make it work."The State Fair's grandstand show budget isn't that large, when you're spreading it over the whole event."We have about $650,000 to $675,000, when you start taking that over ten days, that kind of dwindles down." Schulz said. "The Blake Sheltons, the Miranda Lamberts, KISS, ZZ Top, those might be a little tough to get in at the Kansas State Fair right now."The key is figuring out who will be big and booking them early, which is an art in itself."Going after those ones that are starting to peak and getting them in at the dollar amounts that we can afford," Schulz said. "I remember, when I was at a previous fair, our agency said, hey Bryan, we've got this opportunity for Zac Brown Band. I said, okay. That's when Chicken Fried was just coming out. I said, okay, what do you think we can get them for? Well, about $27,000 is what I think we'll pay for them. Let's try it. By the time it got to be fair time, they were asking $200,000 to $250,000. It's when you can get in on that ground level and be able to lock it in, that's fantastic."Schulz further explained that if an act will have a show in the region before the one at the Fair, sometimes announcements of acts have to be delayed, in an effort not to negatively impact the other close in show's date.

Competing acts will complicate Grandstand Shows at State Fair


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Dr. Rex Degner, Chief Medical Officer at Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System believes getting a COVID-19 booster is a good idea for those who have already been vaccinated.

"I do believe that boosters are a very reasonable thing," Degner said. "I received my booster in October, as have the rest of my family. I think that they are very safe. I think that they do help the overall situation, both personally and as a community."

Degner strongly encourages boosters if it has been more than six months since your second COVID-19 shot, if you had a two-shot series, or more than two months if you received the one shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine.

"Omicron, the jury is still out on that," Degner said. "It appears initially, right now, that it may be a little bit more infectious, more people may get it than the other variants but it appears to be less virulent and they may not be getting as sick. That's the good news."

Viruses attempt to become more diverse in an effort to stay alive, and Degner expects that with COVID-19, as well. 

"I believe that we're switching from a pandemic, which was the initial big push of all of the COVID, to COVID now being what we call endemic," Degner said. "It's in the community. It's in the world. It's in the state and it probably is never going to completely go away, so the idea will be to mitigate it as much as possible, so as people get vaccinated, as people get natural immunity, it will help knock down the spread, so it won't be as severe."

Degner expects there may be booster recommendations in future years, just like people are encouraged to get their flu shot.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604662016880.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Dr. Rex Degner, Chief Medical Officer at Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System believes getting a COVID-19 booster is a good idea for those who have already been vaccinated."I do believe that boosters are a very reasonable thing," Degner said. "I received my booster in October, as have the rest of my family. I think that they are very safe. I think that they do help the overall situation, both personally and as a community."Degner strongly encourages boosters if it has been more than six months since your second COVID-19 shot, if you had a two-shot series, or more than two months if you received the one shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine."Omicron, the jury is still out on that," Degner said. "It appears initially, right now, that it may be a little bit more infectious, more people may get it than the other variants but it appears to be less virulent and they may not be getting as sick. That's the good news."Viruses attempt to become more diverse in an effort to stay alive, and Degner expects that with COVID-19, as well. "I believe that we're switching from a pandemic, which was the initial big push of all of the COVID, to COVID now being what we call endemic," Degner said. "It's in the community. It's in the world. It's in the state and it probably is never going to completely go away, so the idea will be to mitigate it as much as possible, so as people get vaccinated, as people get natural immunity, it will help knock down the spread, so it won't be as severe."Degner expects there may be booster recommendations in future years, just like people are encouraged to get their flu shot.

Hutchinson doctor recommends COVID-19 boosters 

RENO COUNTY—A Kansas man avoided serious injury in a small plane accident just after 4:30p.m. Thursday in Reno County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported an ultralight plane piloted by Scott M.&nbsp;Bontrager, 43, Hutchinson,&nbsp;was westbound and going to land on Morgan Road. 

The pilot did not see the power lines and struck them. The plane came to rest on the southwest corner of Partridge and Morgan.&nbsp; The KHP reported Bontranger had possible injuries but they did not report he was transported for treatment.

RENO COUNTY— Emergency crews were on the scene of an ultralight plane crash just after 4:30p.m. Thursday in Reno County. The pilot escaped serious injury.

The ultralight went down in a field approximately 60 yards southwest of the corner of Morgan Road and Partridge Road in rural Reno County.

The name of the pilot has not been released. Electric crews were on scene to repair downed power lines that were still causing the closure of Morgan Road east of Partridge as of 6:30 p.m.

Rural fire districts three and four were called out as well as EMS.

Later information will come from the Kansas Highway Patrol, the agency that investigates small plane incidents in Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639096425913.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY—A Kansas man avoided serious injury in a small plane accident just after 4:30p.m. Thursday in Reno County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported an ultralight plane piloted by Scott M.&nbsp;Bontrager, 43, Hutchinson,&nbsp;was westbound and going to land on Morgan Road. The pilot did not see the power lines and struck them. The plane came to rest on the southwest corner of Partridge and Morgan.&nbsp; The KHP reported Bontranger had possible injuries but they did not report he was transported for treatment.----------ROD ZOOKHutch PostRENO COUNTY— Emergency crews were on the scene of an ultralight plane crash just after 4:30p.m. Thursday in Reno County. The pilot escaped serious injury.The ultralight went down in a field approximately 60 yards southwest of the corner of Morgan Road and Partridge Road in rural Reno County.The name of the pilot has not been released. Electric crews were on scene to repair downed power lines that were still causing the closure of Morgan Road east of Partridge as of 6:30 p.m.Rural fire districts three and four were called out as well as EMS.Later information will come from the Kansas Highway Patrol, the agency that investigates small plane incidents in Kansas.

KHP IDs pilot who avoided serious injury in small plane crash 

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Fed Chair Jerome Powell is keeping his job, but he's also tempering his outlook for the economy.

"He's been saying that inflation is transitory," said Creighton University economist Ernie Goss. "He removed that language and said, well, maybe it's not transitory, maybe it's here for awhile. It is here for awhile and what it means, his reappointment, is don't change boats in the middle of the stream."

The economy is slowing, but it's still growing.

"We are hitting somewhat of a wall," Goss said. "It's not a big wall, but it's slowing growth. It's got a lot to do with the supply chain disruption and we're also talking about, again, the inability to find and hire workers. That's slowing the growth, as well."

Right now, though, there's still plenty of money to spend.

"You know, we've had the Trump stimulus plan, we've had the Biden stimulus plan, then we've had the Federal Reserve stimulus plan, now we've got the Build Back Better plan which is before the Senate right now," Goss said.

If all of that passes, there's still plenty of opportunities for both business and government to spend, even with inflation where it is, as long as they can find both materials and labor.

By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Fed Chair Jerome Powell is keeping his job, but he's also tempering his outlook for the economy."He's been saying that inflation is transitory," said Creighton University economist Ernie Goss. "He removed that language and said, well, maybe it's not transitory, maybe it's here for awhile. It is here for awhile and what it means, his reappointment, is don't change boats in the middle of the stream."The economy is slowing, but it's still growing."We are hitting somewhat of a wall," Goss said. "It's not a big wall, but it's slowing growth. It's got a lot to do with the supply chain disruption and we're also talking about, again, the inability to find and hire workers. That's slowing the growth, as well."Right now, though, there's still plenty of money to spend."You know, we've had the Trump stimulus plan, we've had the Biden stimulus plan, then we've had the Federal Reserve stimulus plan, now we've got the Build Back Better plan which is before the Senate right now," Goss said.If all of that passes, there's still plenty of opportunities for both business and government to spend, even with inflation where it is, as long as they can find both materials and labor.

Fed Chair said inflation is around; Goss sees big supply of money

WASHINGTON, D.C. - First District Congressman Tracey Mann&nbsp; and representative Jimmy Panetta announced the establishment of the Congressional FFA Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"I'm really excited about this," Mann said Thursday. "Congress has caucuses, groups of members that come together and form little groups on certain topics. I'm delighted to form the FFA Caucus. It never existed before and it's important to bring members from both sides of the aisle across the political spectrum and across the country and really be able to focus on ag education in our schools and promote the FFA in the process."

The FFA Caucus will serve as an informal group of U.S. Representatives dedicated to issues related to the next generation of agriculture leaders and students pursuing careers in agriculture, food, natural resources, and related sciences.

"At Quinter High School, I was actually our FFA president," Mann said. "I learned a ton. Giving reasons after judging livestock. That's a great skill to learn how to do. Parliamentary procedure, I use that every day. It's amazing how many FFA members there are in Congress. Forming this caucus helps us to identify them. Really, then we can kind of have the go-to group to work to promote ag education, as things come up."

&nbsp;The National FFA Organization is a congressionally chartered school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 735,000 student members as part of 8,817 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634812906441.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostWASHINGTON, D.C. - First District Congressman Tracey Mann&nbsp; and representative Jimmy Panetta announced the establishment of the Congressional FFA Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives."I'm really excited about this," Mann said Thursday. "Congress has caucuses, groups of members that come together and form little groups on certain topics. I'm delighted to form the FFA Caucus. It never existed before and it's important to bring members from both sides of the aisle across the political spectrum and across the country and really be able to focus on ag education in our schools and promote the FFA in the process."The FFA Caucus will serve as an informal group of U.S. Representatives dedicated to issues related to the next generation of agriculture leaders and students pursuing careers in agriculture, food, natural resources, and related sciences."At Quinter High School, I was actually our FFA president," Mann said. "I learned a ton. Giving reasons after judging livestock. That's a great skill to learn how to do. Parliamentary procedure, I use that every day. It's amazing how many FFA members there are in Congress. Forming this caucus helps us to identify them. Really, then we can kind of have the go-to group to work to promote ag education, as things come up."&nbsp;The National FFA Organization is a congressionally chartered school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 735,000 student members as part of 8,817 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Mann announces establishment of Congressional FFA Caucus


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Gas prices generally are trending downward, though they are still above $3 a gallon locally.

"Kansas is fifth cheapest in the country again this week," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "Reno County today is $3.04 a gallon, just slightly above the statewide average."

Prices are well below that average as close as Wichita, with Sedgwick County at $2.94 a gallon.

"Demand has started to tick downward seasonally as we usually see this time of year," Steward said. "Those crude oil prices have been heading downward. Most recently, they have been about $20 less per barrel than we saw at their peak in late October."

A recent survey of Kansas drivers from AAA said many of them are driving differently right now.

Forty-four percent said they have changed their daily driving habits because of gas prices recently," Steward said. 

Thirty-seven percent (37%) of drivers say they try to consolidate errands, carpool or otherwise drive less when the price of gas tops $3 a gallon.

By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
Gas prices generally are trending downward, though they are still above $3 a gallon locally."Kansas is fifth cheapest in the country again this week," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "Reno County today is $3.04 a gallon, just slightly above the statewide average."Prices are well below that average as close as Wichita, with Sedgwick County at $2.94 a gallon."Demand has started to tick downward seasonally as we usually see this time of year," Steward said. "Those crude oil prices have been heading downward. Most recently, they have been about $20 less per barrel than we saw at their peak in late October."A recent survey of Kansas drivers from AAA said many of them are driving differently right now.Forty-four percent said they have changed their daily driving habits because of gas prices recently," Steward said. Thirty-seven percent (37%) of drivers say they try to consolidate errands, carpool or otherwise drive less when the price of gas tops $3 a gallon.

With less demand gas prices are down in Kansas

By
NICK GOSNELL<a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch
Post</a>


HUTCHINSON — 
Democratic Rep. and House Assistant Minority Leader Jason Probst sees 
the continuing issues with fellow Democratic Rep. Aaron Coleman as 
serious enough that he should step down. Coleman has been arrested twice
 this fall, the latest on alleged DUI over the weekend.

"The best 
option would be for him to recognize that he is struggling," Probst said
 Monday. "It's very apparent to everyone around him that he has some 
mental health needs. A judge in a previous case had indicated that he 
needs mental health help. The best option would be for him to resign, 
get that help that he needs, develop the tools that he needs to manage 
himself better and the legislature is not an environment that's 
conducive to that."

Probst thinks there may be additional appetite for the members of the House to vote him out that wasn't there before.

"I
 think there's more of an appetite now than there was previously," 
Probst said. "We did file an attempt to use the process in the 
legislature to expel him. That committee met and made some 
recommendations, including securing mental health treatment. It was 
pretty toothless at the time, but, then again, most of what had happened
 up to that point had occurred before he was elected to the legislature.
 Now that we've had several incidents that have arisen, since he's been a
 member of the legislature, I think there's maybe a renewed call and 
maybe a renewed appetite to address that further."

The key that 
makes Coleman's incidents different than the DUI charges that have come 
against other members during their tenures is that this isn't a one-time
 single issue.

"What we see with Rep. Coleman is a pattern," 
Probst said. "I think you could look at some of the other cases and say 
they might be, you know, there might be a case where there was a one-off
 case or something like that. Certainly, with this individual, we're 
seeing a repeated pattern over and over and over again that doesn't seem
 to be changing at all."

Online records indicate that the 
21-year-old Coleman, who represents the state's 37th District in Kansas 
City, Kansas was jailed briefly Saturday in Douglas County for DUI.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600960659626.jpeg" alt="Jason Probst" />
 <figcaption>Jason Probst</figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL<a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch
Post</a> 
HUTCHINSON — 
Democratic Rep. and House Assistant Minority Leader Jason Probst sees 
the continuing issues with fellow Democratic Rep. Aaron Coleman as 
serious enough that he should step down. Coleman has been arrested twice
 this fall, the latest on alleged DUI over the weekend."The best 
option would be for him to recognize that he is struggling," Probst said
 Monday. "It's very apparent to everyone around him that he has some 
mental health needs. A judge in a previous case had indicated that he 
needs mental health help. The best option would be for him to resign, 
get that help that he needs, develop the tools that he needs to manage 
himself better and the legislature is not an environment that's 
conducive to that."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1635804497310.png" alt="Coleman" />
 <figcaption>Coleman</figcaption>
 </figure>Probst thinks there may be additional appetite for the members of the House to vote him out that wasn't there before."I
 think there's more of an appetite now than there was previously," 
Probst said. "We did file an attempt to use the process in the 
legislature to expel him. That committee met and made some 
recommendations, including securing mental health treatment. It was 
pretty toothless at the time, but, then again, most of what had happened
 up to that point had occurred before he was elected to the legislature.
 Now that we've had several incidents that have arisen, since he's been a
 member of the legislature, I think there's maybe a renewed call and 
maybe a renewed appetite to address that further."The key that 
makes Coleman's incidents different than the DUI charges that have come 
against other members during their tenures is that this isn't a one-time
 single issue."What we see with Rep. Coleman is a pattern," 
Probst said. "I think you could look at some of the other cases and say 
they might be, you know, there might be a case where there was a one-off
 case or something like that. Certainly, with this individual, we're 
seeing a repeated pattern over and over and over again that doesn't seem
 to be changing at all."Online records indicate that the 
21-year-old Coleman, who represents the state's 37th District in Kansas 
City, Kansas was jailed briefly Saturday in Douglas County for DUI.

Hutch Dem: Coleman should step down, may be appetite for removal

By
NICK GOSNELL Hutch Post


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
For families living with dementia, the holidays can be challenging and bittersweet. Festivities can agitate, confuse, and overstimulate people with the disease. Juliette Bradley with the Alzheimer's Association notes that some things you do every year may not need to be the same.

"Change tradition," Bradley said. "It's not horribly important that we have the same tradition every year. It's okay. We need to give ourselves permission to do things differently."

Some of those traditions may actually overstimulate someone with dementia.

"We know that lights and cards and visitors and people and discussion, that can be a little bit too much stimulation," Bradley said. "Like I said, give yourself permission to do things a little bit differently."

If you're the person going into the care situation who is visiting, you need to understand that it won't be like you remember it any more.

"Make sure that you are lowering those expectations," Bradley said. "It's going to make it really easier on that caregiver and on the individual who has Alzheimer's disease, if the expectations are lowered."

If you want to help a caregiver, give them specific suggestions for when and how you can help them, but put it as part of your regular routine. Spending time with the person with the disease so that the caregiver can get time to themselves is one of the best gifts you can give. For more information on Alzheimer's and how to help, go to <a href="https://www.alz.org/">alz.org</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1589816811323.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
For families living with dementia, the holidays can be challenging and bittersweet. Festivities can agitate, confuse, and overstimulate people with the disease. Juliette Bradley with the Alzheimer's Association notes that some things you do every year may not need to be the same."Change tradition," Bradley said. "It's not horribly important that we have the same tradition every year. It's okay. We need to give ourselves permission to do things differently."Some of those traditions may actually overstimulate someone with dementia."We know that lights and cards and visitors and people and discussion, that can be a little bit too much stimulation," Bradley said. "Like I said, give yourself permission to do things a little bit differently."If you're the person going into the care situation who is visiting, you need to understand that it won't be like you remember it any more."Make sure that you are lowering those expectations," Bradley said. "It's going to make it really easier on that caregiver and on the individual who has Alzheimer's disease, if the expectations are lowered."If you want to help a caregiver, give them specific suggestions for when and how you can help them, but put it as part of your regular routine. Spending time with the person with the disease so that the caregiver can get time to themselves is one of the best gifts you can give. For more information on Alzheimer's and how to help, go to <a href="https://www.alz.org/">alz.org</a>.

Embrace changing holidays when dealing with Alzheimer's

By
NICK GOSNELL<a href="https://hutchpost.com/">Hutch
Post</a>


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt clarified Wednesday that those who have a religious reason not to be vaccinated don't have to explain why in Kansas.

"There have been some employers, particularly some public sector employers that have required employees to complete a questionnaire providing details about their religious faith and maybe even supporting materials about the nature of the faith and why it speaks to the issue of vaccine mandates," Schmidt said. "That is now illegal in Kansas. It was always suspect, as a matter of religious freedom, but now state law specifically prohibits employers from inquiring about the sincerity of an employee's claim of a religious exemption from vaccine mandates."

There's now no reason for an employer to keep any kind of records about an employee's faith beyond the paperwork required to prove the request was made.

"Any time there is a claim for a public benefit that involves an assertion of religious faith, it presents the question of how to determine whether the faith is genuine," Schmidt said. "In this case, the legislature has made crystal clear that there is to be no discretionary judgment call by employers, whether public or private. It's enough that the employee makes the assertion. That assertion then has to be respected."

This action by the legislature was pushback against the many vaccine mandate fronts on which the federal government has asserted authority.

"This very muddled situation that the Biden administration has caused with its multifaceted, inconsistent vaccine mandates, has to allow for accommodation of medical exemptions and accomodation of religious exemptions. The procedures for both of those being claimed have to be simple and straightforward. Employers are relieved from being in the business of having to pass judgment on an employee's religious faith or their medical condition. That's now clearly the work of a healthcare provider, a doctor, not of the employer. I think this provides clarity to everybody."

Under the new law, employees aggrieved by an employer’s violation of the law may file a complaint with the Kansas Department of Labor.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583409290272.jpeg" alt="Kansas AG Derek Schmidt" />
 <figcaption>Kansas AG Derek Schmidt</figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL<a href="https://hutchpost.com/">Hutch
Post</a> 
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt clarified Wednesday that those who have a religious reason not to be vaccinated don't have to explain why in Kansas."There have been some employers, particularly some public sector employers that have required employees to complete a questionnaire providing details about their religious faith and maybe even supporting materials about the nature of the faith and why it speaks to the issue of vaccine mandates," Schmidt said. "That is now illegal in Kansas. It was always suspect, as a matter of religious freedom, but now state law specifically prohibits employers from inquiring about the sincerity of an employee's claim of a religious exemption from vaccine mandates."There's now no reason for an employer to keep any kind of records about an employee's faith beyond the paperwork required to prove the request was made."Any time there is a claim for a public benefit that involves an assertion of religious faith, it presents the question of how to determine whether the faith is genuine," Schmidt said. "In this case, the legislature has made crystal clear that there is to be no discretionary judgment call by employers, whether public or private. It's enough that the employee makes the assertion. That assertion then has to be respected."This action by the legislature was pushback against the many vaccine mandate fronts on which the federal government has asserted authority."This very muddled situation that the Biden administration has caused with its multifaceted, inconsistent vaccine mandates, has to allow for accommodation of medical exemptions and accomodation of religious exemptions. The procedures for both of those being claimed have to be simple and straightforward. Employers are relieved from being in the business of having to pass judgment on an employee's religious faith or their medical condition. That's now clearly the work of a healthcare provider, a doctor, not of the employer. I think this provides clarity to everybody."Under the new law, employees aggrieved by an employer’s violation of the law may file a complaint with the Kansas Department of Labor.

Schmidt: 'No discretionary judgment call' on religious exemptions

<a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — That Thanksgiving meal is costing a lot more this 
year than last and it's not just the turkey that will cost more.

Thanks
 to inflation, nearly every ingredient in your holiday meal is more 
expensive, according to the American Farm Bureau's annual Thanksgiving 
dinner cost survey.

The average cost of this year’s classic 
Thanksgiving feast for 10 is more than $5 per person at $53.31. It's the
 most the Thanksgiving meal has cost in the survey's 36 years and is up 
14% from the $46.90 in 2020.&nbsp;

Last year's meal was the cheapest in
 more than a decade as families skipped large gatherings and opted for 
smaller meals amid the <a href="https://usatoday.com/news/coronavirus">pandemic</a>. But the price tag is also up 9% from a more normal-sized holiday meal in 2019.&nbsp;

<a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — That Thanksgiving meal is costing a lot more this 
year than last and it's not just the turkey that will cost more.Thanks
 to inflation, nearly every ingredient in your holiday meal is more 
expensive, according to the American Farm Bureau's annual Thanksgiving 
dinner cost survey.The average cost of this year’s classic 
Thanksgiving feast for 10 is more than $5 per person at $53.31. It's the
 most the Thanksgiving meal has cost in the survey's 36 years and is up 
14% from the $46.90 in 2020.&nbsp;Last year's meal was the cheapest in
 more than a decade as families skipped large gatherings and opted for 
smaller meals amid the <a href="https://usatoday.com/news/coronavirus">pandemic</a>. But the price tag is also up 9% from a more normal-sized holiday meal in 2019.&nbsp;

Thanksgiving dinner cost jumps 14%


HUTCHINSON — There are multiple reasons that Kansas First District Congressman
 Tracey Mann voted against the latest spending package backed by the 
Biden administration.

"It's $1.75 trillion, which makes it one of 
the largest spending bills in the history of the country," Mann said. 
"It starts a lot of new programs. It's bad for the oil and gas industry.
 This bill spends $80 billion to hire almost 80,000 more IRS agents. It 
does not have the Hyde Amendment, which, you know, for decades has been 
our policy, that we do not have taxpayer funded abortions. That language
 is not included. This bill is bad, bad, bad, for the country and for 
the Big First. It's not something I could support."

Mann also isn't sure that the price tag is really what the administration is claiming, either.

"There's
 a group that scores it, meaning they are determining what it would cost
 and that's $1.75 trillion," Mann said. "But, a lot of the new programs 
and things that get started are only for a couple of years. Then they 
have to get reauthorized. If you look at this bill over the next 10 
years, I think, more than likely, it would cost more like $4 trillion 
than $1.75 trillion. This just further adds to our $30 trillion debt we 
already have. This spending is not sustainable."

For Mann and many Republicans, it is fundamental to keep government in its lane.

"Big
 picture, there's an inverse relationship between freedom and the size 
of government," Mann said. "When government grows, freedom shrinks and 
when government shrinks, freedom grows. We have seen an expansive growth
 of government, in spending and in intrusion in our lives. Things like 
vaccine mandates, which I strongly oppose. These things are not good for
 our individual freedoms and liberties going forward."

Mann 
believes if the election were held now, Republicans would retake control
 of the House, but it remains to be seen what will change between now 
and next November.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611836622184.jpeg" alt="Rep. Tracey Mann" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Tracey Mann</figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL<a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch
Post</a> 
HUTCHINSON — There are multiple reasons that Kansas First District Congressman
 Tracey Mann voted against the latest spending package backed by the 
Biden administration."It's $1.75 trillion, which makes it one of 
the largest spending bills in the history of the country," Mann said. 
"It starts a lot of new programs. It's bad for the oil and gas industry.
 This bill spends $80 billion to hire almost 80,000 more IRS agents. It 
does not have the Hyde Amendment, which, you know, for decades has been 
our policy, that we do not have taxpayer funded abortions. That language
 is not included. This bill is bad, bad, bad, for the country and for 
the Big First. It's not something I could support."Mann also isn't sure that the price tag is really what the administration is claiming, either."There's
 a group that scores it, meaning they are determining what it would cost
 and that's $1.75 trillion," Mann said. "But, a lot of the new programs 
and things that get started are only for a couple of years. Then they 
have to get reauthorized. If you look at this bill over the next 10 
years, I think, more than likely, it would cost more like $4 trillion 
than $1.75 trillion. This just further adds to our $30 trillion debt we 
already have. This spending is not sustainable."For Mann and many Republicans, it is fundamental to keep government in its lane."Big
 picture, there's an inverse relationship between freedom and the size 
of government," Mann said. "When government grows, freedom shrinks and 
when government shrinks, freedom grows. We have seen an expansive growth
 of government, in spending and in intrusion in our lives. Things like 
vaccine mandates, which I strongly oppose. These things are not good for
 our individual freedoms and liberties going forward."Mann 
believes if the election were held now, Republicans would retake control
 of the House, but it remains to be seen what will change between now 
and next November.

Kan. congressman concerned about spending, government intrusion


HUTCHINSON — 
Nickerson-South Hutchinson USD 309 Superintendent Curtis Nightingale let
 Hutch Post know that one of his schools is taking additional COVID-19 
precautions immediately before Thanksgiving.

"Thursday of last 
week, we got a pretty decent spike at South Hutch Elementary," 
Nightingale said. "Today and tomorrow, South Hutch Elementary is 
in ... they're in masks for Monday and Tuesday, to hopefully get us to the
 break."

The hope is that the break can give both students and staff a chance to reset.

"You've
 got to realize the amount of anxiety that faces our staff each and 
every day when they come to school," Nightingale said. "You think about a
 teacher that's got over 100 kids that are going to funnel through their
 classroom on a given day. As you do that, you're just dealing with that
 larger of a potential of either contracting something or something 
getting spread in your building and I think everybody's kind of looking 
forward to that."

The district is out from Nov. 24 to 26 for Thanksgiving break and back in school Monday, Nov. 29.

By
NICK GOSNELL<a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch
Post</a> 
HUTCHINSON — 
Nickerson-South Hutchinson USD 309 Superintendent Curtis Nightingale let
 Hutch Post know that one of his schools is taking additional COVID-19 
precautions immediately before Thanksgiving."Thursday of last 
week, we got a pretty decent spike at South Hutch Elementary," 
Nightingale said. "Today and tomorrow, South Hutch Elementary is 
in ... they're in masks for Monday and Tuesday, to hopefully get us to the
 break."The hope is that the break can give both students and staff a chance to reset."You've
 got to realize the amount of anxiety that faces our staff each and 
every day when they come to school," Nightingale said. "You think about a
 teacher that's got over 100 kids that are going to funnel through their
 classroom on a given day. As you do that, you're just dealing with that
 larger of a potential of either contracting something or something 
getting spread in your building and I think everybody's kind of looking 
forward to that."The district is out from Nov. 24 to 26 for Thanksgiving break and back in school Monday, Nov. 29.

Hutchinson-area grade school returns to mask mandate


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said the bankers he surveys for the Rural Mainstreet Index aren't that enthusiastic about the infrastructure bill that has made it through Congress.

"30 percent of them, almost one-third said, no, they'd rather not have it, it's not going to have much of an impact for agriculture," Goss said. "More than one-fourth, 26.8%, said the broadband impact, the impact of that broadband connectivity portion of it, that's $65 billion, not a small amount, that will have the biggest impact on the agricultural sector of rural Main Street."

Goss said it will still be a long time before we're back to normal in both the supply chain in general and the overall money supply.

"We're saying the second half of 2022," Goss said. "In other words, six months out, we'll see things get back to normal. That would be the supply chain disruptions. That's an important part of the rural Main Street economy, too. The bankers report that farmers are having difficulty shipping out and getting in."

These are part of the forces that are causing agricultural input costs to outstrip the growth in revenue that has come from increasing commodity prices.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620071466817.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said the bankers he surveys for the Rural Mainstreet Index aren't that enthusiastic about the infrastructure bill that has made it through Congress."30 percent of them, almost one-third said, no, they'd rather not have it, it's not going to have much of an impact for agriculture," Goss said. "More than one-fourth, 26.8%, said the broadband impact, the impact of that broadband connectivity portion of it, that's $65 billion, not a small amount, that will have the biggest impact on the agricultural sector of rural Main Street."Goss said it will still be a long time before we're back to normal in both the supply chain in general and the overall money supply."We're saying the second half of 2022," Goss said. "In other words, six months out, we'll see things get back to normal. That would be the supply chain disruptions. That's an important part of the rural Main Street economy, too. The bankers report that farmers are having difficulty shipping out and getting in."These are part of the forces that are causing agricultural input costs to outstrip the growth in revenue that has come from increasing commodity prices.

Economist: Rural bankers not impressed with infrastructure bill

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Cosmosphere had a great summer, according to Mimi Meredith, Senior Vice President &amp; Chief Development Officer.

"We had the highest attendance we've seen in nearly a decade," Meredith said. "That's pretty exciting. I think that was due to a lot of things, including the opening of our CosmoKids area."

There is a lot of construction going on, but the end product should make enjoying the Cosmosphere easier.

"We're remodeling the next three galleries," Meredith said. "You used to come down the stairs and see walls. Now you see the X-plane on your left, CosmoKids on your right. When construction is complete, which we hope will be by Christmas, you'll be able to look through and see the V-2 rocket and then have a very open and engaging experience through the Redstone, Sputnik and Kennedy theaters. The kind of strange, confining walls have all been taken away and, as a result, artifacts are just going to come to life in a whole new way."

It should make things easier for families with kids to get the most out of the museum.

"Enjoy everything at your own pace," Meredith said. "You don't feel as if you're being pushed along, and you also didn't get lost quite as easily, which people did, frequently, in the Cosmosphere. That's part of our ongoing revitalization plan and we're really excited to showcase those three new galleries."

The Hall of Space Museum is available at no charge to Reno County residents.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583784441832.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Cosmosphere had a great summer, according to Mimi Meredith, Senior Vice President &amp; Chief Development Officer."We had the highest attendance we've seen in nearly a decade," Meredith said. "That's pretty exciting. I think that was due to a lot of things, including the opening of our CosmoKids area."There is a lot of construction going on, but the end product should make enjoying the Cosmosphere easier."We're remodeling the next three galleries," Meredith said. "You used to come down the stairs and see walls. Now you see the X-plane on your left, CosmoKids on your right. When construction is complete, which we hope will be by Christmas, you'll be able to look through and see the V-2 rocket and then have a very open and engaging experience through the Redstone, Sputnik and Kennedy theaters. The kind of strange, confining walls have all been taken away and, as a result, artifacts are just going to come to life in a whole new way."It should make things easier for families with kids to get the most out of the museum."Enjoy everything at your own pace," Meredith said. "You don't feel as if you're being pushed along, and you also didn't get lost quite as easily, which people did, frequently, in the Cosmosphere. That's part of our ongoing revitalization plan and we're really excited to showcase those three new galleries."The Hall of Space Museum is available at no charge to Reno County residents.

Construction at Kan. Cosmosphere to be finished next month

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas Republican Attorney General candidate Kris Kobach is helping one of his clients, the Alliance for Free Citizens challenge the Biden administration's vaccine mandates, according to an announcement from the group last week. Kobach believes there are several grounds where this is federal overreach.

"It's found pretty squarely in the precedents of the Supreme Court," Kobach said Monday. "It's all about the commerce power of Article 1, Section 8. Most of the powers the federal government has are found in the power to regulate interstate commerce. What the Supreme Court said back in 2012 in the Obamacare case is, the power to regulate commerce does not include the power to make people get involved in commerce when they choose not to buy something. Just like the feds can't force us to purchase health insurance, the feds also can't force us to purchase a vaccine, even if the federal government subsidizes that purchase."

Kobach notes that this extends to people having to buy tests if they choose not to be vaccinated.

"The way the OSHA mandate is phrased, a company can, if it wishes, allow people to test out of it by testing weekly, but that's a problem, too," Kobach said. "Suppose you exercise your First Amendment free exercise of religion right to opt out and say, you know, the vaccine is contrary to your beliefs, well, you have to pay for your own testing every week. The median cost of a COVID test is $148. That adds up to over $7000 a year, paying for those weekly tests."

Since the mandate is being challenged in multiple jurisdictions, there is another step it will go through soon.

"The next step is something that doesn't happen very often in American courts," Kobach said. "It's called the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. Whenever an action of a federal agency is simultaneously challenged in multiple circuits of the U.S. courts, then there's a kind of lottery, a drawing from a drum. Each circuit that has a case filed in it has an equal chance of getting it. They are going to consolidate these cases in one of the circuits and we should find that out by the end of this week."

No matter which circuit gets the case, it's a safe bet that the loser will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court on this one, anyway.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1595880140752.jpeg" alt="Kansas Republican Attorney General candidate Kris Kobach -photo by Sherman Smith" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Republican Attorney General candidate Kris Kobach -photo by Sherman Smith</figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas Republican Attorney General candidate Kris Kobach is helping one of his clients, the Alliance for Free Citizens challenge the Biden administration's vaccine mandates, according to an announcement from the group last week. Kobach believes there are several grounds where this is federal overreach."It's found pretty squarely in the precedents of the Supreme Court," Kobach said Monday. "It's all about the commerce power of Article 1, Section 8. Most of the powers the federal government has are found in the power to regulate interstate commerce. What the Supreme Court said back in 2012 in the Obamacare case is, the power to regulate commerce does not include the power to make people get involved in commerce when they choose not to buy something. Just like the feds can't force us to purchase health insurance, the feds also can't force us to purchase a vaccine, even if the federal government subsidizes that purchase."Kobach notes that this extends to people having to buy tests if they choose not to be vaccinated."The way the OSHA mandate is phrased, a company can, if it wishes, allow people to test out of it by testing weekly, but that's a problem, too," Kobach said. "Suppose you exercise your First Amendment free exercise of religion right to opt out and say, you know, the vaccine is contrary to your beliefs, well, you have to pay for your own testing every week. The median cost of a COVID test is $148. That adds up to over $7000 a year, paying for those weekly tests."Since the mandate is being challenged in multiple jurisdictions, there is another step it will go through soon."The next step is something that doesn't happen very often in American courts," Kobach said. "It's called the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. Whenever an action of a federal agency is simultaneously challenged in multiple circuits of the U.S. courts, then there's a kind of lottery, a drawing from a drum. Each circuit that has a case filed in it has an equal chance of getting it. They are going to consolidate these cases in one of the circuits and we should find that out by the end of this week."No matter which circuit gets the case, it's a safe bet that the loser will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court on this one, anyway.

Kobach: Cases against vaccine mandates should be consolidated soon

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The annual inflation rate in the US surged to 6.2% in October of 2021, the highest since November of 1990. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said he's not surprised.

"Our surveys that we conduct here at Creighton University, both the Rural Mainstreet survey and the survey of supply managers, both of them contain Kansas as one of the states are showing, we haven't seen inflationary pressures like this in the 25 years we've been conducting the surveys," Goss said.

The Fed keeps saying the inflation will end. Goss doesn't think that will happen for a while, at least.

"We are going to see these supply chain disruptions and we are going to see these exceptional high inflationary pressures well into 2022," Goss said. "I don't envision any really, relief in terms of inflation, until the second half of 2022."

Energy costs recorded the biggest gain, but the inflation was broad based.

"Interestingly, the food increases haven't been as likely as we are going to see going forward," Goss said. "A lot of it is automobiles, so not everybody is seeing that, of course, if you're not buying or selling an automobile. Also, in terms of housing prices, a lot of it is housing increases. There again, you may not be seeing it, until you buy or sell a house."

The inflation number was well above the Fed's average annual 2% inflation target for a 7th consecutive month.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620071466817.jpeg" alt="Creighton Economist Ernie Goss, PhD" />
 <figcaption>Creighton Economist Ernie Goss, PhD</figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The annual inflation rate in the US surged to 6.2% in October of 2021, the highest since November of 1990. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said he's not surprised."Our surveys that we conduct here at Creighton University, both the Rural Mainstreet survey and the survey of supply managers, both of them contain Kansas as one of the states are showing, we haven't seen inflationary pressures like this in the 25 years we've been conducting the surveys," Goss said.The Fed keeps saying the inflation will end. Goss doesn't think that will happen for a while, at least."We are going to see these supply chain disruptions and we are going to see these exceptional high inflationary pressures well into 2022," Goss said. "I don't envision any really, relief in terms of inflation, until the second half of 2022."Energy costs recorded the biggest gain, but the inflation was broad based."Interestingly, the food increases haven't been as likely as we are going to see going forward," Goss said. "A lot of it is automobiles, so not everybody is seeing that, of course, if you're not buying or selling an automobile. Also, in terms of housing prices, a lot of it is housing increases. There again, you may not be seeing it, until you buy or sell a house."The inflation number was well above the Fed's average annual 2% inflation target for a 7th consecutive month.

Economist: U.S. Inflationary pressures as high as he's ever seen them

HUTCHINSON — Gas prices are still above $3 a gallon, but not as far above this week.

"We polled some Kansas drivers this month and of those who said they are not planning to travel this Thanksgiving, 26% said that gas prices did play a role in their decision not to travel," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas.&nbsp; Most Kansans still are paying less than much of the country.

"The national average is $3.41 a gallon," Steward said. "Kansas is still in good shape, 31 cents less than the national average. That puts us at 6th cheapest in the U.S."

The fundamentals are still hard to pin down, even as we get closer to holiday travel.

"Demand generally, this time of year, has started to decrease," Steward said. "But, in the most recent weekly report, we saw a slight increase in gas demand. You'd expect that quite a few people are going to be traveling for the holiday weekend coming up, so you would expect demand to be fairly strong again this week. That, coupled with the high crude oil prices that we continue to see, that's keeping prices elevated when we go to fill up at the pumps."

The least expensive state in the nation, Oklahoma, still has average gas prices above $3 a gallon at $3.02 as of Friday.

By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON — Gas prices are still above $3 a gallon, but not as far above this week."We polled some Kansas drivers this month and of those who said they are not planning to travel this Thanksgiving, 26% said that gas prices did play a role in their decision not to travel," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas.&nbsp; Most Kansans still are paying less than much of the country."The national average is $3.41 a gallon," Steward said. "Kansas is still in good shape, 31 cents less than the national average. That puts us at 6th cheapest in the U.S."The fundamentals are still hard to pin down, even as we get closer to holiday travel."Demand generally, this time of year, has started to decrease," Steward said. "But, in the most recent weekly report, we saw a slight increase in gas demand. You'd expect that quite a few people are going to be traveling for the holiday weekend coming up, so you would expect demand to be fairly strong again this week. That, coupled with the high crude oil prices that we continue to see, that's keeping prices elevated when we go to fill up at the pumps."The least expensive state in the nation, Oklahoma, still has average gas prices above $3 a gallon at $3.02 as of Friday.

Many Kan. drivers not traveling for holiday because of gas prices

Updated 5 p.m. Nov. 15&nbsp;to clarify Austin no longer works for the Kansas Health Institute.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Republican candidate for Kansas State Treasurer and economist Michael Austin is pleased to see both parties supporting tax cuts on food, but the discussion shouldn't end there.

"I love seeing bipartisan efforts to lower taxes," Austin said. "Kansas has a history with tax cuts. Largely, it hasn't been positive. With its tendency to always raise the budget, I really think that this time around, we have to make sure that we lower taxes the right way. I think the only way to cut taxes is to find and cut wasteful spending."

Austin's hope is that state government looks deeper than today's bank balance in determining whether tax relief is sustainable.

"With this food sales tax cut, I think there's a current conversation that the state government can use its excess tax revenues as a partial pay for, for this food sales tax reduction," Austin said. "I'm here to say that I think that move is dangerous and I think it risks raising taxes in the future."

It's also important for policymakers not to use federal infrastructure dollars that are one-time use to make this happen.

"A fiscally responsible budget means before you make permanent changes to tax revenue, it has to be supported by permanent changes to spending," Austin said. "In the aftermath of the Great Recession, Kansas government did the exact opposite. Kansas coffers were flush with federal cash, so Democrat Governor Mark Parkinson used that one time money to support permanent budget expenditures. Guess what? When that federal money ended, his administration had to take a hatchet to the budget and then raised sales tax."

Austin has nearly a decade of experience as a free-market economist and scholar. He served as Chief Economist for two Republican Governors.

Updated 5 p.m. Nov. 15&nbsp;to clarify Austin no longer works for the Kansas Health Institute.By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Republican candidate for Kansas State Treasurer and economist Michael Austin is pleased to see both parties supporting tax cuts on food, but the discussion shouldn't end there."I love seeing bipartisan efforts to lower taxes," Austin said. "Kansas has a history with tax cuts. Largely, it hasn't been positive. With its tendency to always raise the budget, I really think that this time around, we have to make sure that we lower taxes the right way. I think the only way to cut taxes is to find and cut wasteful spending."Austin's hope is that state government looks deeper than today's bank balance in determining whether tax relief is sustainable."With this food sales tax cut, I think there's a current conversation that the state government can use its excess tax revenues as a partial pay for, for this food sales tax reduction," Austin said. "I'm here to say that I think that move is dangerous and I think it risks raising taxes in the future."It's also important for policymakers not to use federal infrastructure dollars that are one-time use to make this happen."A fiscally responsible budget means before you make permanent changes to tax revenue, it has to be supported by permanent changes to spending," Austin said. "In the aftermath of the Great Recession, Kansas government did the exact opposite. Kansas coffers were flush with federal cash, so Democrat Governor Mark Parkinson used that one time money to support permanent budget expenditures. Guess what? When that federal money ended, his administration had to take a hatchet to the budget and then raised sales tax."Austin has nearly a decade of experience as a free-market economist and scholar. He served as Chief Economist for two Republican Governors.Cover image courtesy Pixabay

Austin: Food sales tax cut should be start of larger discussion

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas Republican State Rep. Paul Waggoner believes there is considerable support for a special legislative session to address specific issues related to vaccine mandates.

"There's two bills that I specifically know about," Waggoner said Wednesday. "There can be additional bills, but there's going to be one that will make sure that religious exemptions are honored and that they're not thwarted by what some of the, either big companies, or even some of our public institutions have been doing. That's been requiring people to fill out like a three or five page, you know, theology thesis on why they want a religious exemption, which is just total overkill. The other thing is, it is true in Kansas law that, if you refuse an order of your employer, it's basically like you're...it's a voluntary suspension, it's like you're quitting on your own accord, which of course is not the case, they're being forced out. If you're quitting on your own accord, you do not get unemployment compensation."

Normally, bringing the legislature into special session is not something they do themselves.

"To have the House and Senate members call for a special session has literally never happened in Kansas history," Waggoner said. "This is kind of a one-off event. Typically the governor is the one who is doing this, but, of course, Governor Kelly is not really of the same persuasion, I think, as the rest of the legislature is on this topic."

Kelly has made a public statement saying that it is 'too late to impose a federal standard' regarding vaccines. Waggoner said there is already a timeline out there for the legislature's return.

"It would be that Monday right before Thanksgiving," Waggoner said. "Typically, this would be about a two-day session, I think, is what they are expecting. We should be able to get some things out of committee officially and debated and voted on relatively quickly."

Waggoner said in his opinion they can fairly easily get to a majority of the House that is in favor of coming to Topeka, but, unless the Governor acts, they would need two-thirds majorities of both houses to agree just to be allowed to show up.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1580315458842.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas Republican State Rep. Paul Waggoner believes there is considerable support for a special legislative session to address specific issues related to vaccine mandates."There's two bills that I specifically know about," Waggoner said Wednesday. "There can be additional bills, but there's going to be one that will make sure that religious exemptions are honored and that they're not thwarted by what some of the, either big companies, or even some of our public institutions have been doing. That's been requiring people to fill out like a three or five page, you know, theology thesis on why they want a religious exemption, which is just total overkill. The other thing is, it is true in Kansas law that, if you refuse an order of your employer, it's basically like you're...it's a voluntary suspension, it's like you're quitting on your own accord, which of course is not the case, they're being forced out. If you're quitting on your own accord, you do not get unemployment compensation."Normally, bringing the legislature into special session is not something they do themselves."To have the House and Senate members call for a special session has literally never happened in Kansas history," Waggoner said. "This is kind of a one-off event. Typically the governor is the one who is doing this, but, of course, Governor Kelly is not really of the same persuasion, I think, as the rest of the legislature is on this topic."Kelly has made a public statement saying that it is 'too late to impose a federal standard' regarding vaccines. Waggoner said there is already a timeline out there for the legislature's return."It would be that Monday right before Thanksgiving," Waggoner said. "Typically, this would be about a two-day session, I think, is what they are expecting. We should be able to get some things out of committee officially and debated and voted on relatively quickly."Waggoner said in his opinion they can fairly easily get to a majority of the House that is in favor of coming to Topeka, but, unless the Governor acts, they would need two-thirds majorities of both houses to agree just to be allowed to show up.