LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A 38-year-old man has been sentenced in the death of a Leavenworth man who was stabbed more than 25 times. 

Jeffery Samulczyk was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 25 years. He pleaded guilty in January to felony murder in the death of Joshua Gilson, whose body was found wrapped in plastic in the basement of his Leavenworth home in October 2020.

Investigators found text messages between Samulczyk and the victim's wife, discussing the murder and how to cover it up. Text messages also indicated that Alexandra Gilson and Jeffery Samulczyk were having an affair.

Alexandra, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder last year and was also sentenced to life in prison.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604404064511.png" alt="Samulczyk-photo Leavenworth Co." />
 <figcaption>Samulczyk-photo Leavenworth Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A 38-year-old man has been sentenced in the death of a Leavenworth man who was stabbed more than 25 times. Jeffery Samulczyk was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 25 years. He pleaded guilty in January to felony murder in the death of Joshua Gilson, whose body was found wrapped in plastic in the basement of his Leavenworth home in October 2020.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604366540962.png" alt="Gilson photo Leavenworth Co." />
 <figcaption>Gilson photo Leavenworth Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Investigators found text messages between Samulczyk and the victim's wife, discussing the murder and how to cover it up. Text messages also indicated that Alexandra Gilson and Jeffery Samulczyk were having an affair.Alexandra, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder last year and was also sentenced to life in prison.&nbsp;

Man texted Kansas woman on how to cover up husband's murder

Yvonne Robbins, 82, passed away February 7th, 2022, 
peacefully at her home in Olathe, surrounded by her loving family. 
Yvonne was born in Kinsley, KS, on July 17, 1939.&nbsp; She spent her 
childhood growing up in central Kansas and always had an appreciation 
and love of the prairieland, the hard-working people of this area and 
the educational opportunities for young people.&nbsp; She married William Rex
 “WR” Robbins in Kinsley, KS, on October 20th, 1957, and to 
this union, they were blessed with three children – Karesa, Penny and 
Monte.&nbsp; Yvonne was a devoted mother and grandmother and a supportive 
wife.

Yvonne devoted her energy to business, educational and philanthropic 
initiatives over the years. She assisted her husband as they worked 
together in growing Farmers Bank and Trust, a community bank located in 
central and eastern Kansas. She was instrumental in developing programs 
at Farmers Bank which offered travel and benefits for customers. Yvonne 
established educational scholarships at Barton Community College, Dodge 
City Community College and Fort Hays State University.&nbsp; She focused on 
opportunities to enhance the community through her work with nonprofit 
organizations and church affiliations.&nbsp; In addition, Yvonne enjoyed 
working alongside her husband in his efforts while President of the 
Kansas Bankers Association and created many friendships along the way.

She was particularly devoted to her children and grandchildren, 
supporting all of them in numerous academic opportunities, athletic 
activities, business endeavors, music and the arts and military 
service.&nbsp; Her consistent kind and gentle demeanor was always a bright 
light in her interactions with others.&nbsp; Although impacted by Alzheimer’s
 in her later years, it was important for her to use her time left to 
support and connect with her family.

Yvonne is survived by her loving husband of 64 years, WR Robbins of 
the home; her children, Karesa Harrison, Penny Kirk and Monte Robbins; 
and grandchildren, Chadd Harrison, Hunter Harrison, Garrett Kirk, Taylor
 Kirk, Nicole Robbins and Will Robbins.

A celebration of life for Yvonne will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 15th,
 2022, at First United Methodist Church in Great Bend, KS, with Reverend
 Tim Bever presiding.&nbsp; Visitation with the family will take place at 
1:00 p.m. at the church prior to services.&nbsp; Interment will be in the 
Great Bend Cemetery.&nbsp; 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests 
contributions be made in Yvonne’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association,
 in care of Bryant Funeral Home. The family extends their appreciation 
to friends and caregivers who cared so lovingly for Yvonne during her 
journey with Alzheimer’s.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644533348264.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Yvonne Robbins, 82, passed away February 7th, 2022, 
peacefully at her home in Olathe, surrounded by her loving family. 
Yvonne was born in Kinsley, KS, on July 17, 1939.&nbsp; She spent her 
childhood growing up in central Kansas and always had an appreciation 
and love of the prairieland, the hard-working people of this area and 
the educational opportunities for young people.&nbsp; She married William Rex
 “WR” Robbins in Kinsley, KS, on October 20th, 1957, and to 
this union, they were blessed with three children – Karesa, Penny and 
Monte.&nbsp; Yvonne was a devoted mother and grandmother and a supportive 
wife.Yvonne devoted her energy to business, educational and philanthropic 
initiatives over the years. She assisted her husband as they worked 
together in growing Farmers Bank and Trust, a community bank located in 
central and eastern Kansas. She was instrumental in developing programs 
at Farmers Bank which offered travel and benefits for customers. Yvonne 
established educational scholarships at Barton Community College, Dodge 
City Community College and Fort Hays State University.&nbsp; She focused on 
opportunities to enhance the community through her work with nonprofit 
organizations and church affiliations.&nbsp; In addition, Yvonne enjoyed 
working alongside her husband in his efforts while President of the 
Kansas Bankers Association and created many friendships along the way.She was particularly devoted to her children and grandchildren, 
supporting all of them in numerous academic opportunities, athletic 
activities, business endeavors, music and the arts and military 
service.&nbsp; Her consistent kind and gentle demeanor was always a bright 
light in her interactions with others.&nbsp; Although impacted by Alzheimer’s
 in her later years, it was important for her to use her time left to 
support and connect with her family.Yvonne is survived by her loving husband of 64 years, WR Robbins of 
the home; her children, Karesa Harrison, Penny Kirk and Monte Robbins; 
and grandchildren, Chadd Harrison, Hunter Harrison, Garrett Kirk, Taylor
 Kirk, Nicole Robbins and Will Robbins.A celebration of life for Yvonne will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 15th,
 2022, at First United Methodist Church in Great Bend, KS, with Reverend
 Tim Bever presiding.&nbsp; Visitation with the family will take place at 
1:00 p.m. at the church prior to services.&nbsp; Interment will be in the 
Great Bend Cemetery.&nbsp; In lieu of flowers, the family suggests 
contributions be made in Yvonne’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association,
 in care of Bryant Funeral Home. The family extends their appreciation 
to friends and caregivers who cared so lovingly for Yvonne during her 
journey with Alzheimer’s.&nbsp;

Yvonne Robbins

By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/2022-02-09/a-kansas-principal-shared-a-video-about-speaking-up-against-racism-he-was-ordered-to-apologize">Kansas News Service</a>

WICHITA&nbsp;— A Kansas high school principal was forced to apologize for showing a video about white privilege during an employee meeting.

Tim
 Hamblin, principal at Derby High School, shared a four-minute video 
during a staff in-service day last month that featured Black author Joy 
DeGruy. In it, the author relates a story about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf9QBnPK6Yg" target="_blank">being treated differently at a store</a> because of her race, and how a lighter-skinned family member spoke up for her.

“She
 used her white privilege to educate and make right a situation that was
 wrong,” DeGruy says in the 2011 video. “That’s what you can do every 
single day.”

Members of the Derby High girls basketball team were 
shown the same video in response to race-based comments made toward some
 team members on social media late last year.

Hamblin shared the 
video with staff members in January so they would be aware of what the 
students had seen, he explained in the email.

A teacher who 
attended the meeting told a Derby school board member the video was 
offensive and created a hostile work environment. The board member then 
directed Hamblin to apologize for showing it.

“The point was 
nothing more than to share what some of our kids were dealing with and 
one thing that they would see to try and help them get through it,” 
Hamblin said in the email.

“I apologize to anyone that felt the 
video or its content which reference white privilege made them feel 
uncomfortable, awkward, harassed, or that it created a hostile work 
environment.”

Hamblin declined to comment for this story.

Superintendent
 Heather Bohaty “is aware of the email you’re referencing and didn’t 
have further details or comments to share,” said district spokeswoman 
Katie Carlson in an email.

“The (school) Board as a whole had made
 no directive regarding specific videos or teaching materials of this 
type,” Carlson said.

School board president Michael Blankenship would not say which board member contacted Hamblin.

“This
 email was intended between him and his staff,” Blankenship said in an 
email to KMUW. “We respect the opinions and views of all our staff and 
work to maintain an environment where we support all students and 
staff.”

The episode illustrates an <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-12-13/conservatives-see-critical-race-theory-in-anti-racist-schooling-and-they-want-it-gone-from-kansas" target="_blank">ongoing debate over lessons about racism</a>
 and discrimination in Kansas schools. Critics say schools’ efforts to 
promote diversity can breed white guilt and accelerate racial conflict.

During
 a recent discussion about critical race theory in the Kansas 
Legislature, Rep. Patrick Penn, a Republican from Wichita, decried some 
school districts’ efforts to promote anti-racism.

“They reject 
wholeheartedly the theory or the notion of colorblindness. … They look 
at everything through a racial lens,” Penn said.

Tamara Seyler-James, a parent in the Blue Valley school district, also objected to themes of implicit bias or white privilege.

Public
 schools “drive the conversation exclusively toward the topic of … 
whites behaving badly, as opposed to balancing the equation and stating 
that everybody, no matter their skin color, is human, and is flawed and 
could commit the sin of bias and racism,” Seyler-James said. “I find 
that problematic.”

A conservative majority was elected to the Derby school board in November.

Blankenship, the board president, was one of two parents to <a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/local/education/article251170139.html" target="_blank">sue the Derby district</a> over its mask requirement. As one of its first orders of business last month, the Derby board <a href="http://www.derbyinformer.com/news/derby_news/derby-school-board-strips-covid-mask-mandate/article_e010225e-72ec-11ec-ab1f-a34405a0a980.html" target="_blank">eliminated any mask mandates</a>.

In
 a post on his campaign Facebook page in October, Blankenship listed 
“items and issues that have come to my attention by members of our 
community, parents and teachers.”

The list includes “CRT in school
 curriculum / changing or skewing historical facts about the foundation 
of our country” and “parents being limited or prevented in speaking out 
to school board members or meetings.”

In
 the video shared in Derby, DeGruy, who is Black, talks about being in a
 grocery store with her biracial sister-in-law, who looks “whiter than 
most white folks.”

The sister-in-law writes a check for her 
groceries without incident. Immediately after that, DeGruy writes a 
check and is asked for two forms of identification. Then the cashier 
“pulls out the ‘bad check’ book” and searches it for DeGruy’s license.

“I’m
 standing there trying to decide what to do, and it’s really deeply 
humiliating,” DeGruy says in the video. “My sister-in-law walks back 
over, and she steps in, and she says, ‘Excuse me, why are you doing 
this?’”

The sister-in-law points out inconsistencies to the cashier and then to the store manager.

“So
 you see, she used her white privilege,” DeGruy says. “And even though 
Kathleen is half black and half white, she recognizes what that means, 
and she made the statement. She pointed out the injustice and she, as a 
result of that one act, influenced everyone in that space.”

It’s 
unclear which Derby High staff member complained to school board members
 about the video. The board member told Hamblin the employee “feared 
retaliation for sharing their concerns,” he said in the email.

“I 
can guarantee there is not a single member(s) of this staff that can 
produce one piece of evidence I have ever retaliated against anyone as 
the Principal of Derby High School,” he added.

A letter supporting
 Hamblin circulated through Derby High School this week, as some 
teachers gathered signatures in hopes of sharing the letter with school 
board members.

“Mr. Hamblin at no time suggested that we were bad people nor did he call anyone out or try to shame anyone,” the letter says.

“On
 the contrary, he provided an outlet to discuss an issue that is at the 
forefront of our society right now. Derby has a checkered history 
handling race issues. … Mr. Hamblin has always done his best to help us 
recognize that there is a world outside our bubble of white privilege. 
It is time members of this board do the same.”

Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644504632159.png" alt="In a 2011 video, author Joy DeGruy relates a story about being treated differently at a store because of her race, and how a lighter-skinned family member spoke up for her. WorldTrustTV / YouTube" />
 <figcaption>In a 2011 video, author Joy DeGruy relates a story about being treated differently at a store because of her race, and how a lighter-skinned family member spoke up for her. WorldTrustTV / YouTube</figcaption>
 </figure>By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/2022-02-09/a-kansas-principal-shared-a-video-about-speaking-up-against-racism-he-was-ordered-to-apologize">Kansas News Service</a>WICHITA&nbsp;— A Kansas high school principal was forced to apologize for showing a video about white privilege during an employee meeting.Tim
 Hamblin, principal at Derby High School, shared a four-minute video 
during a staff in-service day last month that featured Black author Joy 
DeGruy. In it, the author relates a story about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf9QBnPK6Yg" target="_blank">being treated differently at a store</a> because of her race, and how a lighter-skinned family member spoke up for her.“She
 used her white privilege to educate and make right a situation that was
 wrong,” DeGruy says in the 2011 video. “That’s what you can do every 
single day.”Members of the Derby High girls basketball team were 
shown the same video in response to race-based comments made toward some
 team members on social media late last year.Hamblin shared the 
video with staff members in January so they would be aware of what the 
students had seen, he explained in the email.A teacher who 
attended the meeting told a Derby school board member the video was 
offensive and created a hostile work environment. The board member then 
directed Hamblin to apologize for showing it.“The point was 
nothing more than to share what some of our kids were dealing with and 
one thing that they would see to try and help them get through it,” 
Hamblin said in the email.“I apologize to anyone that felt the 
video or its content which reference white privilege made them feel 
uncomfortable, awkward, harassed, or that it created a hostile work 
environment.”Hamblin declined to comment for this story.Superintendent
 Heather Bohaty “is aware of the email you’re referencing and didn’t 
have further details or comments to share,” said district spokeswoman 
Katie Carlson in an email.“The (school) Board as a whole had made
 no directive regarding specific videos or teaching materials of this 
type,” Carlson said.School board president Michael Blankenship would not say which board member contacted Hamblin.“This
 email was intended between him and his staff,” Blankenship said in an 
email to KMUW. “We respect the opinions and views of all our staff and 
work to maintain an environment where we support all students and 
staff.”<h2>A larger debate</h2>The episode illustrates an <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-12-13/conservatives-see-critical-race-theory-in-anti-racist-schooling-and-they-want-it-gone-from-kansas" target="_blank">ongoing debate over lessons about racism</a>
 and discrimination in Kansas schools. Critics say schools’ efforts to 
promote diversity can breed white guilt and accelerate racial conflict.During
 a recent discussion about critical race theory in the Kansas 
Legislature, Rep. Patrick Penn, a Republican from Wichita, decried some 
school districts’ efforts to promote anti-racism.“They reject 
wholeheartedly the theory or the notion of colorblindness. … They look 
at everything through a racial lens,” Penn said.Tamara Seyler-James, a parent in the Blue Valley school district, also objected to themes of implicit bias or white privilege.Public
 schools “drive the conversation exclusively toward the topic of … 
whites behaving badly, as opposed to balancing the equation and stating 
that everybody, no matter their skin color, is human, and is flawed and 
could commit the sin of bias and racism,” Seyler-James said. “I find 
that problematic.”A conservative majority was elected to the Derby school board in November.Blankenship, the board president, was one of two parents to <a href="https://www.kansas.com/news/local/education/article251170139.html" target="_blank">sue the Derby district</a> over its mask requirement. As one of its first orders of business last month, the Derby board <a href="http://www.derbyinformer.com/news/derby_news/derby-school-board-strips-covid-mask-mandate/article_e010225e-72ec-11ec-ab1f-a34405a0a980.html" target="_blank">eliminated any mask mandates</a>.In
 a post on his campaign Facebook page in October, Blankenship listed 
“items and issues that have come to my attention by members of our 
community, parents and teachers.”The list includes “CRT in school
 curriculum / changing or skewing historical facts about the foundation 
of our country” and “parents being limited or prevented in speaking out 
to school board members or meetings.”<h2>Pointing out injustice</h2>In
 the video shared in Derby, DeGruy, who is Black, talks about being in a
 grocery store with her biracial sister-in-law, who looks “whiter than 
most white folks.”The sister-in-law writes a check for her 
groceries without incident. Immediately after that, DeGruy writes a 
check and is asked for two forms of identification. Then the cashier 
“pulls out the ‘bad check’ book” and searches it for DeGruy’s license.“I’m
 standing there trying to decide what to do, and it’s really deeply 
humiliating,” DeGruy says in the video. “My sister-in-law walks back 
over, and she steps in, and she says, ‘Excuse me, why are you doing 
this?’”The sister-in-law points out inconsistencies to the cashier and then to the store manager.“So
 you see, she used her white privilege,” DeGruy says. “And even though 
Kathleen is half black and half white, she recognizes what that means, 
and she made the statement. She pointed out the injustice and she, as a 
result of that one act, influenced everyone in that space.”It’s 
unclear which Derby High staff member complained to school board members
 about the video. The board member told Hamblin the employee “feared 
retaliation for sharing their concerns,” he said in the email.“I 
can guarantee there is not a single member(s) of this staff that can 
produce one piece of evidence I have ever retaliated against anyone as 
the Principal of Derby High School,” he added.A letter supporting
 Hamblin circulated through Derby High School this week, as some 
teachers gathered signatures in hopes of sharing the letter with school 
board members.“Mr. Hamblin at no time suggested that we were bad people nor did he call anyone out or try to shame anyone,” the letter says.“On
 the contrary, he provided an outlet to discuss an issue that is at the 
forefront of our society right now. Derby has a checkered history 
handling race issues. … Mr. Hamblin has always done his best to help us 
recognize that there is a world outside our bubble of white privilege. 
It is time members of this board do the same.”Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.

Kan. principal ordered to apologize for showing video on racism

Ann S. Schremmer, 97, passed away February 8, 2022, at Country Place 
Senior Living, Hoisington, Kansas. She was born on November 27, 1924 in 
rural Odin, Kansas, to Ferdinand &amp; Anna (Kirmer) Zorn. She married 
Anton Schremmer on June 4, 1945 at Odin, Kansas. He died on October 2, 
1990.

Ann was a resident of Beaver and Hoisington, Kansas. She graduated 
from Holy Family School in Odin and worked as a clerk at Duckwalls and 
Banner in Hoisington. Ann was a member of St. John The Evangelist 
Catholic Church of Hoisington and the Altar Society at St. John and St. 
Joseph of Beaver.

Survivors include two sons, Jerry (Sharla) Schremmer and Doug (Kayla)
 Schremmer, both of Hoisington, Kansas; a daughter, Judy (Leon) Oberle 
of Claflin, Kansas; a sister, Helen Holiday of Inman, Kansas; a brother,
 Gerald (Loretta) Zorn of Great Bend, Kansas; nine grandchildren; 
nineteen great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and three
 sisters-in-law, Emily, Bernice, and Lea Zorn. She was preceded in death
 by her husband; four sisters, Margaret, Marion, Tillie, and Eleanor; 
and six brothers, Frank, Leonard, Bernard, Alvin, Elmer, and Richard 
Zorn.

Visitation will take place on Friday, February 11, 2022, from 9:00 
a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home and starting at 4:00 
p.m. at St. John The Evangelist Church. A vigil service with rosary will
 be held at 5:00 p.m. at St. John The Evangelist Catholic Church on 
Friday, February 11, 2022. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:30
 p.m., February 12, 2022 at St. John The Evangelist Catholic Church in 
Hoisington, with Father Anselm Eke and Father Bob Schremmer presiding. 
Interment will follow at St. John Catholic Cemetery. 

Memorials can be 
made to St. John Catholic Cemetery Fund or the Altar Society at St. John
 The Evangelist Catholic Church, in care of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral 
Home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644514204174.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Ann S. Schremmer, 97, passed away February 8, 2022, at Country Place 
Senior Living, Hoisington, Kansas. She was born on November 27, 1924 in 
rural Odin, Kansas, to Ferdinand &amp; Anna (Kirmer) Zorn. She married 
Anton Schremmer on June 4, 1945 at Odin, Kansas. He died on October 2, 
1990.Ann was a resident of Beaver and Hoisington, Kansas. She graduated 
from Holy Family School in Odin and worked as a clerk at Duckwalls and 
Banner in Hoisington. Ann was a member of St. John The Evangelist 
Catholic Church of Hoisington and the Altar Society at St. John and St. 
Joseph of Beaver.Survivors include two sons, Jerry (Sharla) Schremmer and Doug (Kayla)
 Schremmer, both of Hoisington, Kansas; a daughter, Judy (Leon) Oberle 
of Claflin, Kansas; a sister, Helen Holiday of Inman, Kansas; a brother,
 Gerald (Loretta) Zorn of Great Bend, Kansas; nine grandchildren; 
nineteen great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and three
 sisters-in-law, Emily, Bernice, and Lea Zorn. She was preceded in death
 by her husband; four sisters, Margaret, Marion, Tillie, and Eleanor; 
and six brothers, Frank, Leonard, Bernard, Alvin, Elmer, and Richard 
Zorn.Visitation will take place on Friday, February 11, 2022, from 9:00 
a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home and starting at 4:00 
p.m. at St. John The Evangelist Church. A vigil service with rosary will
 be held at 5:00 p.m. at St. John The Evangelist Catholic Church on 
Friday, February 11, 2022. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:30
 p.m., February 12, 2022 at St. John The Evangelist Catholic Church in 
Hoisington, with Father Anselm Eke and Father Bob Schremmer presiding. 
Interment will follow at St. John Catholic Cemetery. Memorials can be 
made to St. John Catholic Cemetery Fund or the Altar Society at St. John
 The Evangelist Catholic Church, in care of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral 
Home.

Ann S. Schremmer

By KIRA LERNER <a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/states-target-ballot-drop-boxes-fight-over-voting-rights">States Newsroom</a>

Ballot drop boxes are so secure they’ve 
survived getting hit by an SUV and rolled by a school bus — yet much of 
the battle over voting rights has centered on the big metal boxes.

In the November 2020 general election, nearly 40 states had ballot 
drop boxes available and more voters used drop boxes than in any 
election in U.S. history, <a href="https://healthyelections.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/Ballot_Drop_Boxes.pdf" target="_blank">according to a report</a> from the Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

But in the lead up to the election and the years since, the big metal
 boxes have become the focus of controversy in state legislatures from <a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2022/01/10/sequel-to-battle-over-georgias-election-laws-in-play-in-2022-legislature/" target="_blank">Georgia</a> to <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/10/27/texas-voting-elections-mail-in-drop-off/" target="_blank">Texas</a> to <a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/legislative-hearing-turns-complaint-session-about-conduct-2020-elections?eType=EmailBlastContent&amp;eId=510b2c93-3c52-4b14-9d19-6ffe76776df4">Nebraska</a> and in courts in <a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2022/01/28/elections-commission-deadlocks-on-drop-boxes-as-litigation-moves-forward/" target="_blank">Wisconsin</a> and <a href="https://www.penncapital-star.com/blog/federal-judge-pauses-trump-lawsuit-to-toss-pa-ballot-drop-off-boxes/" target="_blank">Pennsylvania</a>.
 In many states, Republican lawmakers want to limit or end voters’ 
choice to return their ballots to drop boxes, citing the potential for 
tampering or fraud — though there’s no proof that’s happened.

Larry Olson, the vice president of Laserfab, a Washington state-based
 metal fabrication company that has manufactured drop boxes since 2010, 
recognizes the irony of all the attention on metal boxes in 2022.

Olson has traveled to election conferences across the country with 
county and state election officials. “I always find it funny,” he said. 
“I’m surrounded by all these people with voting on iPads and all these 
different ballot tabulations and I'm just sitting there trying to sell a
 big metal box. It’s the lowest of the lowest tech you can have.”

Olson, whose company has roughly 800 drop boxes in use scattered 
across the country, said there’s little validity to lawmakers’ security 
concerns.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“It’s difficult to say you can 100 percent stop anybody from doing 
anything, but we have found through history that this is a very secure 
way to vote,” he said. “I do think a certain portion of that argument is
 very, shall we say, political in nature.”

The metal box fabrication companies involved in making drop boxes 
know that security has to be a priority if counties are going to use 
their product. The boxes are designed in close collaboration with 
election officials, Olson said.&nbsp;

“Every design feature we talked about with the early counties came 
back to a concern about the integrity of the process,” Olson said. 
“Everything we considered, that was the overriding question.”&nbsp;

Olson explained some of the steps that Laserfab has taken to ensure that ballots can’t be tampered with or damaged:

&nbsp;Ballot drop boxes are generally bolted to the ground, weigh 
roughly 1,000 pounds, and are designed to withstand any kind of weather,
 from torrential downpours to snow and wind.&nbsp;

In October 2020, a suspected arsonist lit a piece of paper on fire 
and put it into one of Laserfab’s drop boxes, damaging an estimated 100 
ballots (there isn’t enough air inside the box for a fire to do much 
damage). When the fire department arrived at the scene in Los Angeles 
County, firefighters had to use a saw to open the box.&nbsp;

“It’s nearly impossible to get a crowbar or anything in there and 
open up the access door, so they had to saw the door to get it open,” 
Olson said.&nbsp;

A similar <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/10/26/boston-ballot-dropbox-arson-election/" target="_blank">incident occurred</a> in Boston a week later, but after the fire was put out, the drop box remained open for ballots.

Most boxes are also placed somewhere with video surveillance or 
monitored by a security guard, and typically they only allow one or two 
ballots to be inserted at a time.&nbsp;

“It’s little design features like that that make it very difficult — I
 hate to say it’s impossible to tamper with anything, but folks like us 
who do this, we take every step to minimize the possibility,” Olson 
said.&nbsp;

Still, former President Donald Trump made the boxes a target of attack. Prior to the 2020 election, he <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/23/21398015/twitter-president-trump-tweet-mail-fraud-election" target="_blank">tweeted</a> that “the Democrats are using Mail Drop Boxes, which are a voter security disaster.”

In <a href="https://twitter.com/realLizUSA/status/1485619935950917635" target="_blank">a statement</a>
 shared on Twitter last month, he maintained that claim. “Drop boxes are
 only good for Democrats and cheating, not good for Republicans,” he 
said.&nbsp;

Other Republicans are following his lead.&nbsp;

“Drop boxes were introduced as an emergency measure during the 
pandemic, but many counties did not follow the security guidelines in 
place, such as the requirement for camera surveillance on every drop 
box,” Georgia state Sen. Butch Miller, who is running for lieutenant 
governor, said in a statement when he introduced legislation to ban drop
 boxes.&nbsp;

“Moving forward, we can return to a pre-pandemic normal of voting in 
person,” he added. “Removing drop boxes will help rebuild the trust that
 has been lost.”

Amber McReynolds, a national election administration expert and 
former election official from Denver, said that drop boxes benefit 
people of all political persuasions and they only became controversial&nbsp; 
because Trump and his allies didn’t understand them.&nbsp;

“It literally is just a secure way for people to submit their ballots
 in person,” she said. “Frankly, I ran elections for 13 years and drop 
boxes provide better security than even the post boxes.”&nbsp;

“We’ve run the data on this,” she added. “People like the idea of 
voting at home, spending their time researching issues, but they still 
like the idea of submitting it in person, so the drop boxes give them 
the best of both worlds.”

Drop boxes first became commonplace in the Western states that were the first to move to <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/vopp-table-18-states-with-all-mail-elections.aspx" target="_blank">all-mail elections</a> — Washington, Colorado, and Oregon.&nbsp;

“They were our first big customers and it kind of exploded from there,” Olson said.&nbsp;

Over the last two decades, their use has expanded, first in states 
with all-mail elections like Republican-controlled Utah and then in 
other blue and red states across the country.&nbsp;

"Counties have added additional drop boxes almost every year since 2014," Justin Lee, Utah’s former director of elections, <a href="https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/oct/16/ballot-drop-boxes-have-long-been-used-without-cont/" target="_blank">told Politifact</a> in 2020. "We haven't had any security problems, and we have no indication that drop boxes favor one party over another party."

During the 2016 general election, nearly <a href="https://www.lawfareblog.com/rise-ballot-drop-boxes-due-coronavirus" target="_blank">1 in 6 U.S. voters</a> cast their ballot using a drop box. In Colorado, <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/preparing-election-day-deadlines-running-safe-election" target="_blank">nearly 75 percent</a> of all voters used a drop box.&nbsp;

That number increased in 2020, as more voters chose to vote by mail 
due to the coronavirus pandemic and U.S. Postal Service slowdowns, which
 made voters and election officials concerned about whether the mail 
could be trusted to deliver a ballot before strict deadlines.&nbsp;

Murray Morgan, president and CEO of Kingsley, a California-based 
manufacturer of metal drop boxes, said his company had been making 
library book returns for decades but got into the ballot drop box 
business in 2020 when the demand became clear.&nbsp;

“We thought, ‘Hey, there’s a market there if we deliver the right 
product,’” he said. “We changed the depository opening of our units, we 
beefed them up for security. We’ve done numerous things to address the 
concerns of states regarding the safety of the ballot returns.”

Morgan said his company had roughly 400 dispersed across the country 
for the 2020 election, but expects to be able to produce thousands for 
future elections.&nbsp;

Before the 2020 election, only <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/vopp-table-9-ballot-drop-box-definitions-design-features-location-and-number.aspx" target="_blank">eight states</a>
 — Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon 
and Washington state — had laws explicitly concerning drop boxes.&nbsp;

But the new political attention on the method of voting has brought a push from state lawmakers to regulate or limit their use.&nbsp;

A new bill introduced in Utah, where drop boxes have been popular for almost a decade, would <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2022/02/04/utahs-new-voters-would/" target="_blank">require 24-hour video surveillance</a> at ballot drop boxes.

In Georgia, the use of drop boxes <a href="https://www.ajc.com/politics/fewer-voters-used-drop-boxes-after-georgia-voting-law-limited-them/WTCPBE7QH5HBBEJB37RSC3FQYY/" target="_blank">declined</a>
 from 2020 to 2021 after the state took steps to limit their use, 
including a cap at one box per 100,000 active registered voters or one 
for each early voting location (whichever is smaller).&nbsp;

Voters were also restricted to using the boxes when early voting 
sites were open. The change was felt most dramatically in the most 
populous counties, including those in the Atlanta metro area.&nbsp;

Georgia state Sen. Butch Miller has also <a href="https://legislativenavigator.ajc.com/?_gl=1*qpqf5m*_ga*Nzk1NzEwMTE4LjE2NDIwMDIwMDE.*_ga_6VR7Y4BTY5*MTY0MjAwMjAwMS4xLjAuMTY0MjAwMjAwMS4w#bills/SB/325" target="_blank">proposed legislation</a> to ban the use of drop boxes altogether.&nbsp;

Like Georgia, Florida limited the use of drop boxes with a <a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2021/05/06/desantis-enacts-law-reforming-fl-elections-opponents-sue-and-citizens-could-face-voting-hurdles/" target="_blank">bill last year</a>
 that only allows election supervisors to place drop boxes in their 
counties during early voting hours. The boxes also must be placed at a 
permanent, staffed voting site. Supervisors who try to offer more drop 
boxes during additional times are subject to $25,000 fines.

In Wisconsin, a judge last month banned the use of drop boxes, but 
then an appeals court reinstated them for the February primary. The 
state Supreme Court <a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2022/01/28/elections-commission-deadlocks-on-drop-boxes-as-litigation-moves-forward/" target="_blank">said it would take up</a> the case but left the appeals court ruling in effect in the meantime.&nbsp;

McReynolds said she believes the political contention over drop boxes
 is a symptom of the larger politicization of the democratic process.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I really think it was politicized because people felt that it hurt 
them, or one person felt it hurt him,” McReynolds said. “If it wasn’t 
drop boxes, or it wasn’t vote-by-mail, it would have been early voting, 
or it would have been automatic voter registration. It almost seems like
 regardless, one of them would have been called out simply for making it
 easier for people to vote.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602706584512.jpeg" alt="Ellis County ballot drop box" />
 <figcaption>Ellis County ballot drop box</figcaption>
 </figure>By KIRA LERNER <a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/states-target-ballot-drop-boxes-fight-over-voting-rights">States Newsroom</a>Ballot drop boxes are so secure they’ve 
survived getting hit by an SUV and rolled by a school bus — yet much of 
the battle over voting rights has centered on the big metal boxes.In the November 2020 general election, nearly 40 states had ballot 
drop boxes available and more voters used drop boxes than in any 
election in U.S. history, <a href="https://healthyelections.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/Ballot_Drop_Boxes.pdf" target="_blank">according to a report</a> from the Stanford-MIT Healthy Elections Project.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;But in the lead up to the election and the years since, the big metal
 boxes have become the focus of controversy in state legislatures from <a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/2022/01/10/sequel-to-battle-over-georgias-election-laws-in-play-in-2022-legislature/" target="_blank">Georgia</a> to <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2020/10/27/texas-voting-elections-mail-in-drop-off/" target="_blank">Texas</a> to <a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/legislative-hearing-turns-complaint-session-about-conduct-2020-elections?eType=EmailBlastContent&amp;eId=510b2c93-3c52-4b14-9d19-6ffe76776df4">Nebraska</a> and in courts in <a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2022/01/28/elections-commission-deadlocks-on-drop-boxes-as-litigation-moves-forward/" target="_blank">Wisconsin</a> and <a href="https://www.penncapital-star.com/blog/federal-judge-pauses-trump-lawsuit-to-toss-pa-ballot-drop-off-boxes/" target="_blank">Pennsylvania</a>.
 In many states, Republican lawmakers want to limit or end voters’ 
choice to return their ballots to drop boxes, citing the potential for 
tampering or fraud — though there’s no proof that’s happened.Larry Olson, the vice president of Laserfab, a Washington state-based
 metal fabrication company that has manufactured drop boxes since 2010, 
recognizes the irony of all the attention on metal boxes in 2022.Olson has traveled to election conferences across the country with 
county and state election officials. “I always find it funny,” he said. 
“I’m surrounded by all these people with voting on iPads and all these 
different ballot tabulations and I'm just sitting there trying to sell a
 big metal box. It’s the lowest of the lowest tech you can have.”Olson, whose company has roughly 800 drop boxes in use scattered 
across the country, said there’s little validity to lawmakers’ security 
concerns.&nbsp;&nbsp;“It’s difficult to say you can 100 percent stop anybody from doing 
anything, but we have found through history that this is a very secure 
way to vote,” he said. “I do think a certain portion of that argument is
 very, shall we say, political in nature.”<h2>Bolted to the ground</h2>The metal box fabrication companies involved in making drop boxes 
know that security has to be a priority if counties are going to use 
their product. The boxes are designed in close collaboration with 
election officials, Olson said.&nbsp;“Every design feature we talked about with the early counties came 
back to a concern about the integrity of the process,” Olson said. 
“Everything we considered, that was the overriding question.”&nbsp;Olson explained some of the steps that Laserfab has taken to ensure that ballots can’t be tampered with or damaged:<ul>
 <li>The top of its drop boxes isn’t flat, so water and rain won’t pool toward the access door and get ballots wet.&nbsp;</li><li>The boxes are equipped with flanges above the slots that make it difficult for somebody to pour water into the box.&nbsp;</li><li>The slots and access door are designed so they have 
to be locked shut and can’t be shut by themselves, making it impossible 
for a worker to forget to lock them.&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>&nbsp;Ballot drop boxes are generally bolted to the ground, weigh 
roughly 1,000 pounds, and are designed to withstand any kind of weather,
 from torrential downpours to snow and wind.&nbsp;In October 2020, a suspected arsonist lit a piece of paper on fire 
and put it into one of Laserfab’s drop boxes, damaging an estimated 100 
ballots (there isn’t enough air inside the box for a fire to do much 
damage). When the fire department arrived at the scene in Los Angeles 
County, firefighters had to use a saw to open the box.&nbsp;“It’s nearly impossible to get a crowbar or anything in there and 
open up the access door, so they had to saw the door to get it open,” 
Olson said.&nbsp;A similar <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/10/26/boston-ballot-dropbox-arson-election/" target="_blank">incident occurred</a> in Boston a week later, but after the fire was put out, the drop box remained open for ballots.Most boxes are also placed somewhere with video surveillance or 
monitored by a security guard, and typically they only allow one or two 
ballots to be inserted at a time.&nbsp;“It’s little design features like that that make it very difficult — I
 hate to say it’s impossible to tamper with anything, but folks like us 
who do this, we take every step to minimize the possibility,” Olson 
said.&nbsp;Still, former President Donald Trump made the boxes a target of attack. Prior to the 2020 election, he <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/23/21398015/twitter-president-trump-tweet-mail-fraud-election" target="_blank">tweeted</a> that “the Democrats are using Mail Drop Boxes, which are a voter security disaster.”In <a href="https://twitter.com/realLizUSA/status/1485619935950917635" target="_blank">a statement</a>
 shared on Twitter last month, he maintained that claim. “Drop boxes are
 only good for Democrats and cheating, not good for Republicans,” he 
said.&nbsp;Other Republicans are following his lead.&nbsp;“Drop boxes were introduced as an emergency measure during the 
pandemic, but many counties did not follow the security guidelines in 
place, such as the requirement for camera surveillance on every drop 
box,” Georgia state Sen. Butch Miller, who is running for lieutenant 
governor, said in a statement when he introduced legislation to ban drop
 boxes.&nbsp;“Moving forward, we can return to a pre-pandemic normal of voting in 
person,” he added. “Removing drop boxes will help rebuild the trust that
 has been lost.”Amber McReynolds, a national election administration expert and 
former election official from Denver, said that drop boxes benefit 
people of all political persuasions and they only became controversial&nbsp; 
because Trump and his allies didn’t understand them.&nbsp;“It literally is just a secure way for people to submit their ballots
 in person,” she said. “Frankly, I ran elections for 13 years and drop 
boxes provide better security than even the post boxes.”&nbsp;“We’ve run the data on this,” she added. “People like the idea of 
voting at home, spending their time researching issues, but they still 
like the idea of submitting it in person, so the drop boxes give them 
the best of both worlds.”<h2>First states</h2>Drop boxes first became commonplace in the Western states that were the first to move to <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/vopp-table-18-states-with-all-mail-elections.aspx" target="_blank">all-mail elections</a> — Washington, Colorado, and Oregon.&nbsp;“They were our first big customers and it kind of exploded from there,” Olson said.&nbsp;Over the last two decades, their use has expanded, first in states 
with all-mail elections like Republican-controlled Utah and then in 
other blue and red states across the country.&nbsp;"Counties have added additional drop boxes almost every year since 2014," Justin Lee, Utah’s former director of elections, <a href="https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/oct/16/ballot-drop-boxes-have-long-been-used-without-cont/" target="_blank">told Politifact</a> in 2020. "We haven't had any security problems, and we have no indication that drop boxes favor one party over another party."During the 2016 general election, nearly <a href="https://www.lawfareblog.com/rise-ballot-drop-boxes-due-coronavirus" target="_blank">1 in 6 U.S. voters</a> cast their ballot using a drop box. In Colorado, <a href="https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/preparing-election-day-deadlines-running-safe-election" target="_blank">nearly 75 percent</a> of all voters used a drop box.&nbsp;That number increased in 2020, as more voters chose to vote by mail 
due to the coronavirus pandemic and U.S. Postal Service slowdowns, which
 made voters and election officials concerned about whether the mail 
could be trusted to deliver a ballot before strict deadlines.&nbsp;Murray Morgan, president and CEO of Kingsley, a California-based 
manufacturer of metal drop boxes, said his company had been making 
library book returns for decades but got into the ballot drop box 
business in 2020 when the demand became clear.&nbsp;“We thought, ‘Hey, there’s a market there if we deliver the right 
product,’” he said. “We changed the depository opening of our units, we 
beefed them up for security. We’ve done numerous things to address the 
concerns of states regarding the safety of the ballot returns.”Morgan said his company had roughly 400 dispersed across the country 
for the 2020 election, but expects to be able to produce thousands for 
future elections.&nbsp;<h2>New push for regulation</h2>Before the 2020 election, only <a href="https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/vopp-table-9-ballot-drop-box-definitions-design-features-location-and-number.aspx" target="_blank">eight states</a>
 — Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon 
and Washington state — had laws explicitly concerning drop boxes.&nbsp;But the new political attention on the method of voting has brought a push from state lawmakers to regulate or limit their use.&nbsp;A new bill introduced in Utah, where drop boxes have been popular for almost a decade, would <a href="https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2022/02/04/utahs-new-voters-would/" target="_blank">require 24-hour video surveillance</a> at ballot drop boxes.In Georgia, the use of drop boxes <a href="https://www.ajc.com/politics/fewer-voters-used-drop-boxes-after-georgia-voting-law-limited-them/WTCPBE7QH5HBBEJB37RSC3FQYY/" target="_blank">declined</a>
 from 2020 to 2021 after the state took steps to limit their use, 
including a cap at one box per 100,000 active registered voters or one 
for each early voting location (whichever is smaller).&nbsp;Voters were also restricted to using the boxes when early voting 
sites were open. The change was felt most dramatically in the most 
populous counties, including those in the Atlanta metro area.&nbsp;Georgia state Sen. Butch Miller has also <a href="https://legislativenavigator.ajc.com/?_gl=1*qpqf5m*_ga*Nzk1NzEwMTE4LjE2NDIwMDIwMDE.*_ga_6VR7Y4BTY5*MTY0MjAwMjAwMS4xLjAuMTY0MjAwMjAwMS4w#bills/SB/325" target="_blank">proposed legislation</a> to ban the use of drop boxes altogether.&nbsp;Like Georgia, Florida limited the use of drop boxes with a <a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2021/05/06/desantis-enacts-law-reforming-fl-elections-opponents-sue-and-citizens-could-face-voting-hurdles/" target="_blank">bill last year</a>
 that only allows election supervisors to place drop boxes in their 
counties during early voting hours. The boxes also must be placed at a 
permanent, staffed voting site. Supervisors who try to offer more drop 
boxes during additional times are subject to $25,000 fines.In Wisconsin, a judge last month banned the use of drop boxes, but 
then an appeals court reinstated them for the February primary. The 
state Supreme Court <a href="https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2022/01/28/elections-commission-deadlocks-on-drop-boxes-as-litigation-moves-forward/" target="_blank">said it would take up</a> the case but left the appeals court ruling in effect in the meantime.&nbsp;McReynolds said she believes the political contention over drop boxes
 is a symptom of the larger politicization of the democratic process.&nbsp;&nbsp;“I really think it was politicized because people felt that it hurt 
them, or one person felt it hurt him,” McReynolds said. “If it wasn’t 
drop boxes, or it wasn’t vote-by-mail, it would have been early voting, 
or it would have been automatic voter registration. It almost seems like
 regardless, one of them would have been called out simply for making it
 easier for people to vote.”

States target ballot drop boxes in fight over voting rights

Tammy&nbsp;Harris&nbsp;Morris, 58, of Russell, Kansas,&nbsp;died on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, at the Stormont Vail Health Center in Topeka, Kansas

Tammy was born on May 29, 1963, in Russell, Kansas, the daughter of&nbsp;Kenneth Mitchell and Billie Jean (Zimmerman) Beck. &nbsp;She&nbsp;grew up in&nbsp;Ellsworth&nbsp;and graduated from&nbsp;Ellsworth&nbsp;High School. &nbsp;She&nbsp;graduated from Brown Mackie College in 1983. &nbsp;She was united in marriage to Ray Morris on October 25, 2021, in Russell, Kansas.&nbsp;She formerly worked as a certified nurses assistant at Wheatland Nursing Home&nbsp;in Russell.&nbsp;She&nbsp;currently&nbsp;was owner and operator of Bonus Full Services. &nbsp;She was a longtime member of the Second Baptist Church in Russell. &nbsp;She enjoyed shopping, decorating, painting&nbsp;and caring for her family and friends. &nbsp;Most of all she loved God and loved going to church&nbsp;and spend time with her family. &nbsp;

Surviving family include her husband Ray Morris of the&nbsp;home, daughters Acasia Smith of Great Bend, Kansas, Ashadia Harris, Anajia Harris, Amirriah Harris-Morris, Ajadia Morris&nbsp;and son Ray Morris, Jr. all of Russell, Kansas; brother Joel Cleavenger and wife Marcia of Salina, Kansas and&nbsp;step-brother Les Javens of Russell. &nbsp;

She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Janet Daniels and infant brother Evan James Mitchell.

Cremation has been selected by the family and a memorial funeral service to celebrate Tammy’s life will be held at 12 P.M. on Saturday, February 12, 2022, at the 2nd Baptist Church in Russell.  Family will greet guests the day of the service at the church.  Memorials may be given to the Tammy Harris Morris Memorial Fund and sent in care of the mortuary.  Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644348752959.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Tammy&nbsp;Harris&nbsp;Morris, 58, of Russell, Kansas,&nbsp;died on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, at the Stormont Vail Health Center in Topeka, KansasTammy was born on May 29, 1963, in Russell, Kansas, the daughter of&nbsp;Kenneth Mitchell and Billie Jean (Zimmerman) Beck. &nbsp;She&nbsp;grew up in&nbsp;Ellsworth&nbsp;and graduated from&nbsp;Ellsworth&nbsp;High School. &nbsp;She&nbsp;graduated from Brown Mackie College in 1983. &nbsp;She was united in marriage to Ray Morris on October 25, 2021, in Russell, Kansas.&nbsp;She formerly worked as a certified nurses assistant at Wheatland Nursing Home&nbsp;in Russell.&nbsp;She&nbsp;currently&nbsp;was owner and operator of Bonus Full Services. &nbsp;She was a longtime member of the Second Baptist Church in Russell. &nbsp;She enjoyed shopping, decorating, painting&nbsp;and caring for her family and friends. &nbsp;Most of all she loved God and loved going to church&nbsp;and spend time with her family. &nbsp;Surviving family include her husband Ray Morris of the&nbsp;home, daughters Acasia Smith of Great Bend, Kansas, Ashadia Harris, Anajia Harris, Amirriah Harris-Morris, Ajadia Morris&nbsp;and son Ray Morris, Jr. all of Russell, Kansas; brother Joel Cleavenger and wife Marcia of Salina, Kansas and&nbsp;step-brother Les Javens of Russell. &nbsp;She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Janet Daniels and infant brother Evan James Mitchell.Cremation has been selected by the family and a memorial funeral service to celebrate Tammy’s life will be held at 12 P.M. on Saturday, February 12, 2022, at the 2nd Baptist Church in Russell. Family will greet guests the day of the service at the church. Memorials may be given to the Tammy Harris Morris Memorial Fund and sent in care of the mortuary. Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.

Tammy Harris Morris

Daniel Lee Simpson, 90, passed away December 14, 2021, at 
Medicalodges of Great Bend, Kansas. He was born on August 7, 1931, at 
Kansas City, Kansas, to Ralph &amp; Louise (Balzer) Simpson. He married 
Mary Anne Bender in 1951, and she passed away in 1984. He then married 
Charlotte Howlier on October 13, 1985, in Hoisington, Kansas.

A Hoisington resident, Daniel spent 34 years in law enforcement for 
the Barton County Sheriff's Office as a deputy and undersheriff. He was 
also the Chief of Police in Hoisington and Wellsville. He was a member 
of Concordia Lutheran Church in Hoisington.

Survivors include his wife Charlotte Howlier-Simpson of the home; a 
son, Daniel Simpson and wife Debbie of Kerrville, Texas; two sisters, 
Peggy Snell of Leawood, Kansas, and Dotty Nicely of Overland Park, 
Kansas; six grandchildren, Brandon (Renee) Sigg, Wendy (Michael) Holton,
 Matthew Simpson, Gary (Emily) Simpson, Cory (Jennifer) Simpson, and 
Christopher Draffkorn; numerous great grandchildren and great great 
grandchildren; and his beloved dog, Mercedes. He was preceded in death 
by his first wife, Mary Anne Simpson; his parents; a daughter, Mary 
Sigg; and his brother, Bob Simpson.

There will be no visitation as cremation has taken place. Services 
will be held at a later date in Texas. Memorials are designated to 
Kansas Sheriff’s Association, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.

Daniel Lee Simpson, 90, passed away December 14, 2021, at 
Medicalodges of Great Bend, Kansas. He was born on August 7, 1931, at 
Kansas City, Kansas, to Ralph &amp; Louise (Balzer) Simpson. He married 
Mary Anne Bender in 1951, and she passed away in 1984. He then married 
Charlotte Howlier on October 13, 1985, in Hoisington, Kansas.A Hoisington resident, Daniel spent 34 years in law enforcement for 
the Barton County Sheriff's Office as a deputy and undersheriff. He was 
also the Chief of Police in Hoisington and Wellsville. He was a member 
of Concordia Lutheran Church in Hoisington.Survivors include his wife Charlotte Howlier-Simpson of the home; a 
son, Daniel Simpson and wife Debbie of Kerrville, Texas; two sisters, 
Peggy Snell of Leawood, Kansas, and Dotty Nicely of Overland Park, 
Kansas; six grandchildren, Brandon (Renee) Sigg, Wendy (Michael) Holton,
 Matthew Simpson, Gary (Emily) Simpson, Cory (Jennifer) Simpson, and 
Christopher Draffkorn; numerous great grandchildren and great great 
grandchildren; and his beloved dog, Mercedes. He was preceded in death 
by his first wife, Mary Anne Simpson; his parents; a daughter, Mary 
Sigg; and his brother, Bob Simpson.There will be no visitation as cremation has taken place. Services 
will be held at a later date in Texas. Memorials are designated to 
Kansas Sheriff’s Association, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.

Daniel Lee Simpson

NEW YORK (AP) — A year after winning a major court battle against the opening of so-called safe injection sites -- safe havens for people to use heroin and other narcotics with protections against fatal overdoses — the Justice Department is signaling it might be open to allowing them.

In response to questions from The Associated Press, the Justice Department said it is “evaluating” such facilities and talking to regulators about “appropriate guardrails.”

The position is a drastic change from its stance in the Trump administration, when prosecutors&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/appellate-court-agrees-government-supervised-injection-sites-are-illegal-under-federal-law" target="_blank">fought vigorously against a plan to open a safe consumption site in Philadelphia</a>. The Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-public-health-philadelphia-coronavirus-pandemic-247fdc735c337cbb4b7ae0305da834f8">won a lawsuit last year,&nbsp;</a>when a federal appeals court in Pennsylvania ruled that opening such a facility would violate a 1980s-era drug law, aimed at “crackhouses,” which bans operating a place for taking illegal drugs. The Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-pennsylvania-philadelphia-health-50da593c6e553da73a960fbc1a99c9b0">declined in October to take the case</a>.

About six weeks later, the first officially authorized safe injection sites&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-new-york-new-york-city-1f61d20529965ded7fef3fcee5f39d1e">opened in New York City in November</a>. The two facilities — which the city calls “overdose prevention centers” — provide a monitored place for drug users to partake, with staffers and supplies on hand to reverse overdoses. New York City is in a different appeals court jurisdiction that has not ruled on the centers.

Such sites exist in Canada, Australia and Europe and have been discussed for years in New York and some other U.S. cities and states. A few unofficial facilities have operated for some time.

Advocates have hailed them as a way to curb the scourge of overdose deaths. Drawing from the latest available death certificate data, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/overdodse-deaths-fentanayl-health-f34b022d75a1eb9776e27903ab40670f">estimated that more than 100,000 Americans</a>&nbsp;died of drug overdoses from May 2020 to April 2021.

Critics, however, argue that safe injection sites encourage illegal drug use and burden neighborhoods.

For months after President Joe Biden took office last year, the Justice Department — under Attorney General Merrick Garland — had refused to take a public stance on safe consumption sites. Officials now say they are weighing their use.

“Although we cannot comment on pending litigation, the Department is evaluating supervised consumption sites, including discussions with state and local regulators about appropriate guardrails for such sites, as part of an overall approach to harm reduction and public safety,” the agency said in a statement Friday to the AP.

The New York City sites so far have intervened in more than 125 overdoses among more than 640 users, many of whom have made multiple visits, according to OnPoint NYC, the organization running them.

Executive Director Sam Rivera said he was excited and relieved by the Justice Department’s statement. The group is eager to tell the agency about its work, he said.

“I believe they’re going to land in the right place here and we’ll be able to, together, really expand on this health initiative that’s saving lives every day,” he said.

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat whose administration allowed the centers to open, said the city’s attorneys believed that the federal statute is “aimed at drug trafficking, not at medical facilities,” as he characterized the consumption sites.

But U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a New York City Republican, has urged Garland to work to shut them down, citing the appeals court ruling against the Philadelphia proposal last year. She told Garland in November that it is “imperative that you enforce this legal precedent,” and she wasn’t pleased to hear about the new Justice Department statement.

“Instead of stopping the deadly drugs streaming over our border, putting drug dealers behind bars and helping people receive the long-term treatment they need to overcome addiction, Democrat leadership is enabling illegal drug use,” Malliotakis said in a statement.

The Philadelphia project, called Safehouse, is still fighting for court approval to open. Safehouse lawyers Ronda Goldfein and Ilana Eisenstein said they hoped the Justice Department’s new statement “signals the prospect of a positive resolution, not just for Philadelphia but for any place in America that seeks to provide overdose prevention services.”

Some other arms of the federal government also have signaled some willingness at least to explore safe injection facilities, if not yet embrace them. Asked about the New York sites, White House drug czar Dr. Rahul Gupta told CNN in December he was “interested in looking at the science and data behind all of the emerging harm reduction practices.”

Later that month, the National Institutes of Health issued a call for harm reduction research that mentioned safe consumption sites, among other approaches.

NEW YORK (AP) — A year after winning a major court battle against the opening of so-called safe injection sites -- safe havens for people to use heroin and other narcotics with protections against fatal overdoses — the Justice Department is signaling it might be open to allowing them.In response to questions from The Associated Press, the Justice Department said it is “evaluating” such facilities and talking to regulators about “appropriate guardrails.”The position is a drastic change from its stance in the Trump administration, when prosecutors&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/appellate-court-agrees-government-supervised-injection-sites-are-illegal-under-federal-law" target="_blank">fought vigorously against a plan to open a safe consumption site in Philadelphia</a>. The Justice Department&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-public-health-philadelphia-coronavirus-pandemic-247fdc735c337cbb4b7ae0305da834f8">won a lawsuit last year,&nbsp;</a>when a federal appeals court in Pennsylvania ruled that opening such a facility would violate a 1980s-era drug law, aimed at “crackhouses,” which bans operating a place for taking illegal drugs. The Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-pennsylvania-philadelphia-health-50da593c6e553da73a960fbc1a99c9b0">declined in October to take the case</a>.About six weeks later, the first officially authorized safe injection sites&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-new-york-new-york-city-1f61d20529965ded7fef3fcee5f39d1e">opened in New York City in November</a>. The two facilities — which the city calls “overdose prevention centers” — provide a monitored place for drug users to partake, with staffers and supplies on hand to reverse overdoses. New York City is in a different appeals court jurisdiction that has not ruled on the centers.Such sites exist in Canada, Australia and Europe and have been discussed for years in New York and some other U.S. cities and states. A few unofficial facilities have operated for some time.Advocates have hailed them as a way to curb the scourge of overdose deaths. Drawing from the latest available death certificate data, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/overdodse-deaths-fentanayl-health-f34b022d75a1eb9776e27903ab40670f">estimated that more than 100,000 Americans</a>&nbsp;died of drug overdoses from May 2020 to April 2021.Critics, however, argue that safe injection sites encourage illegal drug use and burden neighborhoods.For months after President Joe Biden took office last year, the Justice Department — under Attorney General Merrick Garland — had refused to take a public stance on safe consumption sites. Officials now say they are weighing their use.“Although we cannot comment on pending litigation, the Department is evaluating supervised consumption sites, including discussions with state and local regulators about appropriate guardrails for such sites, as part of an overall approach to harm reduction and public safety,” the agency said in a statement Friday to the AP.The New York City sites so far have intervened in more than 125 overdoses among more than 640 users, many of whom have made multiple visits, according to OnPoint NYC, the organization running them.Executive Director Sam Rivera said he was excited and relieved by the Justice Department’s statement. The group is eager to tell the agency about its work, he said.“I believe they’re going to land in the right place here and we’ll be able to, together, really expand on this health initiative that’s saving lives every day,” he said.Former Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat whose administration allowed the centers to open, said the city’s attorneys believed that the federal statute is “aimed at drug trafficking, not at medical facilities,” as he characterized the consumption sites.But U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a New York City Republican, has urged Garland to work to shut them down, citing the appeals court ruling against the Philadelphia proposal last year. She told Garland in November that it is “imperative that you enforce this legal precedent,” and she wasn’t pleased to hear about the new Justice Department statement.“Instead of stopping the deadly drugs streaming over our border, putting drug dealers behind bars and helping people receive the long-term treatment they need to overcome addiction, Democrat leadership is enabling illegal drug use,” Malliotakis said in a statement.The Philadelphia project, called Safehouse, is still fighting for court approval to open. Safehouse lawyers Ronda Goldfein and Ilana Eisenstein said they hoped the Justice Department’s new statement “signals the prospect of a positive resolution, not just for Philadelphia but for any place in America that seeks to provide overdose prevention services.”Some other arms of the federal government also have signaled some willingness at least to explore safe injection facilities, if not yet embrace them. Asked about the New York sites, White House drug czar Dr. Rahul Gupta told CNN in December he was “interested in looking at the science and data behind all of the emerging harm reduction practices.”Later that month, the National Institutes of Health issued a call for harm reduction research that mentioned safe consumption sites, among other approaches.

Biden's Justice Dept. may allow safe havens for taking drugs

Gaylene Holden McDowell went home to be with Jesus on January 14, 2022, 
at the age of 80. Gaylene was born October 3, 1941, at the hospital in 
Smith Center, Kansas, to George H. Howard and Leola (Oberdorf) Howard. 
Gaylene attended the Smith Center schools and, upon graduation, attended
 Fort Hays State University where she attained her Master's of Nursing 
Science degree with a 4.0 GPA and worked as an RN until her retirement. 
 Upon graduation in 1963, she married Jerold "Sam" McDowell on June 1, 
1963, and began her long career in nursing. 
 In her free time, she watched Sam set collegiate records on the 
hardwood. She then worked in the Manhattan, Kansas, hospital while Sam 
attended veterinary school. In Manhattan, her daughter Sandra Renee' 
Henderson was born in 1966. In June of 1968, she moved with her family 
to their new home, a ranch in rural Lebanon, Kansas, when her son 
Shannon McDowell was born, and where she lived the remainder of her 
life. Gaylene was active in the Thornburg Church, attended numerous 
Bible studies, supported missionaries around the globe and shared her 
faith and love with all those she encountered. The joys of her life 
were her husband, her children, her grandchildren and, recently, her 
three great-grandchildren, Charlie, Zeke and Kai. She visited her 
grandchildren Joshua McDowell, Jacob Henderson, Rachael Dozier, Rebecca 
Timmons, and Lydia McDowell every opportunity she had and their mere 
presence brought a smile to her face and heart every time. Due to 
distance, she was not able to visit her great-grandchildren as often as 
she would have liked but enjoyed facetiming with them every chance she 
had. 
 Gaylene prayed daily for each of her family and spoke of them to all
 who would listen. In her free time, she was an avid volunteer with her
 church and local library, and was an avid card player and book reader. 
 Gaylene was a frequent guest of her son's along with his wife, Lori, 
and her mother, Karen Griffith, where many a heated game of cards or 
dominoes took place. She had many friends and made new friends daily. 
Gaylene never met a stranger and tried to help and encourage all those 
she met. 
 She was preceded in death by her parents, George and Leola (Oberdorf) Howard, and her son-in-law, Randy Henderson. 
 Missing her are: her husband, Jerold "Sam" McDowell; children Sandra
 "Sandy" Henderson and her son, Jacob Henderson; Shannon McDowell (Lori)
 and his children Joshua McDowell; Rachael Dozier (TJ) and her children
 Ezekiel and Hezekiah; Rebecca Timmons (Emmanuel) and her son Charlie; 
and Lydia McDowell; Gaylene's brother George "Butch" (Wendy) Howard II, 
and his children Michelle Muzyka and Anthony Howard (Dawn).&nbsp; &nbsp;

Click <a href="https://www.rfmortuaries.com/obituaries/Gaylene-Holden-McDowell?obId=23866636#/celebrationWall">HERE</a> for service details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644329040272.png" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>Gaylene Holden McDowell went home to be with Jesus on January 14, 2022, 
at the age of 80. Gaylene was born October 3, 1941, at the hospital in 
Smith Center, Kansas, to George H. Howard and Leola (Oberdorf) Howard. 
Gaylene attended the Smith Center schools and, upon graduation, attended
 Fort Hays State University where she attained her Master's of Nursing 
Science degree with a 4.0 GPA and worked as an RN until her retirement. 
 Upon graduation in 1963, she married Jerold "Sam" McDowell on June 1, 
1963, and began her long career in nursing. 
 In her free time, she watched Sam set collegiate records on the 
hardwood. She then worked in the Manhattan, Kansas, hospital while Sam 
attended veterinary school. In Manhattan, her daughter Sandra Renee' 
Henderson was born in 1966. In June of 1968, she moved with her family 
to their new home, a ranch in rural Lebanon, Kansas, when her son 
Shannon McDowell was born, and where she lived the remainder of her 
life. Gaylene was active in the Thornburg Church, attended numerous 
Bible studies, supported missionaries around the globe and shared her 
faith and love with all those she encountered. The joys of her life 
were her husband, her children, her grandchildren and, recently, her 
three great-grandchildren, Charlie, Zeke and Kai. She visited her 
grandchildren Joshua McDowell, Jacob Henderson, Rachael Dozier, Rebecca 
Timmons, and Lydia McDowell every opportunity she had and their mere 
presence brought a smile to her face and heart every time. Due to 
distance, she was not able to visit her great-grandchildren as often as 
she would have liked but enjoyed facetiming with them every chance she 
had. 
 Gaylene prayed daily for each of her family and spoke of them to all
 who would listen. In her free time, she was an avid volunteer with her
 church and local library, and was an avid card player and book reader. 
 Gaylene was a frequent guest of her son's along with his wife, Lori, 
and her mother, Karen Griffith, where many a heated game of cards or 
dominoes took place. She had many friends and made new friends daily. 
Gaylene never met a stranger and tried to help and encourage all those 
she met. 
 She was preceded in death by her parents, George and Leola (Oberdorf) Howard, and her son-in-law, Randy Henderson. 
 Missing her are: her husband, Jerold "Sam" McDowell; children Sandra
 "Sandy" Henderson and her son, Jacob Henderson; Shannon McDowell (Lori)
 and his children Joshua McDowell; Rachael Dozier (TJ) and her children
 Ezekiel and Hezekiah; Rebecca Timmons (Emmanuel) and her son Charlie; 
and Lydia McDowell; Gaylene's brother George "Butch" (Wendy) Howard II, 
and his children Michelle Muzyka and Anthony Howard (Dawn).&nbsp; &nbsp; Click <a href="https://www.rfmortuaries.com/obituaries/Gaylene-Holden-McDowell?obId=23866636#/celebrationWall">HERE</a> for service details.

Gaylene Holden McDowell

Tammy Harris Morris, 58, of Russell, Kansas, died on Tuesday, 
February 1, 2022, at the Stormont Vail Health Center in Topeka, Kansas

Tammy was born on May 29, 1963, in Russell, Kansas, the daughter of 
Kenneth Mitchell and Billie Jean (Zimmerman) Beck.&nbsp; She grew up in 
Ellsworth and graduated from Ellsworth High School.&nbsp; She graduated from 
Brown Mackie College in 1983.&nbsp; She was united in marriage to Ray Morris 
on October 25, 2021, in Russell, Kansas. &nbsp;She formerly worked as a 
certified nurses assistant at Wheatland Nursing Home in Russell. She 
currently was owner and operator of Bonus Full Services.&nbsp; She was a 
longtime member of the Second Baptist Church in Russell.&nbsp; She enjoyed 
shopping, decorating, painting and caring for her family and friends.&nbsp; 
Most of all she loved God and loved going to church and spend time with 
her family.&nbsp;

Surviving family include her husband Ray Morris of the home, 
daughters Acasia Smith of Great Bend, Kansas, Ashadia Harris, Anajia 
Harris, Amirriah Harris-Morris, Ajadia Morris and son Ray Morris, Jr. 
all of Russell, Kansas; brother Joel Cleavenger and wife Marcia of 
Salina, Kansas and step-brother Les Javens of Russell.&nbsp;

Cremation has been selected by the family and a memorial funeral 
service to celebrate Tammy’s life will be held at 12 P.M. on Saturday, 
February 12, 2022, at the 2nd Baptist Church in Russell.&nbsp; 
Family will greet guests the day of the service at the church.&nbsp; 
Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in charge of the 
funeral service arrangements.

Tammy Harris Morris, 58, of Russell, Kansas, died on Tuesday, 
February 1, 2022, at the Stormont Vail Health Center in Topeka, KansasTammy was born on May 29, 1963, in Russell, Kansas, the daughter of 
Kenneth Mitchell and Billie Jean (Zimmerman) Beck.&nbsp; She grew up in 
Ellsworth and graduated from Ellsworth High School.&nbsp; She graduated from 
Brown Mackie College in 1983.&nbsp; She was united in marriage to Ray Morris 
on October 25, 2021, in Russell, Kansas. &nbsp;She formerly worked as a 
certified nurses assistant at Wheatland Nursing Home in Russell. She 
currently was owner and operator of Bonus Full Services.&nbsp; She was a 
longtime member of the Second Baptist Church in Russell.&nbsp; She enjoyed 
shopping, decorating, painting and caring for her family and friends.&nbsp; 
Most of all she loved God and loved going to church and spend time with 
her family.&nbsp;Surviving family include her husband Ray Morris of the home, 
daughters Acasia Smith of Great Bend, Kansas, Ashadia Harris, Anajia 
Harris, Amirriah Harris-Morris, Ajadia Morris and son Ray Morris, Jr. 
all of Russell, Kansas; brother Joel Cleavenger and wife Marcia of 
Salina, Kansas and step-brother Les Javens of Russell.&nbsp;She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Janet Daniels and infant brother Evan James Mitchell.Cremation has been selected by the family and a memorial funeral 
service to celebrate Tammy’s life will be held at 12 P.M. on Saturday, 
February 12, 2022, at the 2nd Baptist Church in Russell.&nbsp; 
Family will greet guests the day of the service at the church.&nbsp; 
Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in charge of the 
funeral service arrangements.

By JULIE FREIJAT <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/06/new-bill-would-allow-year-round-sale-of-fireworks-in-kansas/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA
 — As it stands, retail fireworks sellers in Kansas are only allowed to 
sell their wares from June 27 to July 6, a shorter time period than some
 neighboring states.

Seasonal retailers in Missouri can sell fireworks from <a target="_blank" href="https://dfs.dps.mo.gov/programs/fireworks/">June 20 to July 10 and from Dec. 20 to Jan. 2.</a> Missouri also allows the sale of fireworks year round.&nbsp;

The Senate Commerce Committee is 
considering a bill that looks to expand the timeframe in Kansas from 
June 15 through July 6 — and allow for year-round sales.

<a target="_blank" href="http://kslegislature.com/li/b2021_22/measures/sb378/">Senate Bill 378</a> was introduced by Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker. The legislation closely resembles a bill from 2020.&nbsp;The
 new bill introduces a definition for annual retailers. Those looking to
 sell fireworks throughout the year must meet state and local fire 
safety regulations and obtain a license.

Doug Jorgenson, Kansas fire marshal, 
said licenses would be issued through the Office of the State Fire 
Marshal, which doesn’t intend to charge for the license.&nbsp;

Local governments would still control how fireworks are regulated in their jurisdictions.

Sarah Beagle, a retail firework owner in southeast Kansas, said fireworks can be shot off all year round in Allen County.

“Each individual city in the county 
sets their own regulations, and then the county itself sets their 
regulations,” Beagle said. “A hundred percent, our bigger counties, our 
higher-populated areas, absolutely — they shouldn’t be lighting 
fireworks at midnight on a Tuesday in the middle of October when kids 
are in school and people have jobs. It makes sense.”

Philip Bradley of the Kansas Fireworks Association said he thinks the bill covers almost everyone’s concerns.&nbsp;

“In no way does the bill or does our 
association want to impinge upon the rights of local government to make 
the rules that are appropriate to that area, and we support that, and 
that was one of the amendments we insisted on having,” Bradley said.

Beagle said the bill would match Kansas’ fireworks season to its surrounding states’ seasons.

“We are losing a lot of revenue to 
our surrounding states — just from things I have heard from my 
customers,” Beagle said. “For me, when we won the Super Bowl in 2020, 
there were so many fireworks that were lit off, the National Weather 
Service was able to see it on their radar. For me, that’s just 
incredible, because where’d they get them from? Sure, some people might 
save fireworks after the season. But for most people, if you’re like my 
family, it’s getting blown up that night.”

Beagle said she favored expanding the seasonal retail period, as it would help both local and bigger retailers.&nbsp;

“I believe it’s 13 days would be what
 we would add to the sell season — and that is a lot of revenue we can 
make in those few days,” Beagle said.

Many seasonal retailers are looking to expand in the future, Bradley said.&nbsp;

“They’re looking down the road, and 
if the law passed so that they could do that, they would start laying 
those plans, getting the financing they need and go into that type of a 
business,” Bradley said. “And, most of them would have one location in 
their local area, so it would make even more of those sales for the 
folks … who go to Oklahoma and go to Missouri stay in the state of 
Kansas.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644244288665.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By JULIE FREIJAT <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/06/new-bill-would-allow-year-round-sale-of-fireworks-in-kansas/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA
 — As it stands, retail fireworks sellers in Kansas are only allowed to 
sell their wares from June 27 to July 6, a shorter time period than some
 neighboring states.Seasonal retailers in Missouri can sell fireworks from <a target="_blank" href="https://dfs.dps.mo.gov/programs/fireworks/">June 20 to July 10 and from Dec. 20 to Jan. 2.</a> Missouri also allows the sale of fireworks year round.&nbsp;The Senate Commerce Committee is 
considering a bill that looks to expand the timeframe in Kansas from 
June 15 through July 6 — and allow for year-round sales.<a target="_blank" href="http://kslegislature.com/li/b2021_22/measures/sb378/">Senate Bill 378</a> was introduced by Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker. The legislation closely resembles a bill from 2020.&nbsp;The
 new bill introduces a definition for annual retailers. Those looking to
 sell fireworks throughout the year must meet state and local fire 
safety regulations and obtain a license.Doug Jorgenson, Kansas fire marshal, 
said licenses would be issued through the Office of the State Fire 
Marshal, which doesn’t intend to charge for the license.&nbsp;Local governments would still control how fireworks are regulated in their jurisdictions.Sarah Beagle, a retail firework owner in southeast Kansas, said fireworks can be shot off all year round in Allen County.“Each individual city in the county 
sets their own regulations, and then the county itself sets their 
regulations,” Beagle said. “A hundred percent, our bigger counties, our 
higher-populated areas, absolutely — they shouldn’t be lighting 
fireworks at midnight on a Tuesday in the middle of October when kids 
are in school and people have jobs. It makes sense.”Philip Bradley of the Kansas Fireworks Association said he thinks the bill covers almost everyone’s concerns.&nbsp;“In no way does the bill or does our 
association want to impinge upon the rights of local government to make 
the rules that are appropriate to that area, and we support that, and 
that was one of the amendments we insisted on having,” Bradley said.Beagle said the bill would match Kansas’ fireworks season to its surrounding states’ seasons.“We are losing a lot of revenue to 
our surrounding states — just from things I have heard from my 
customers,” Beagle said. “For me, when we won the Super Bowl in 2020, 
there were so many fireworks that were lit off, the National Weather 
Service was able to see it on their radar. For me, that’s just 
incredible, because where’d they get them from? Sure, some people might 
save fireworks after the season. But for most people, if you’re like my 
family, it’s getting blown up that night.”Beagle said she favored expanding the seasonal retail period, as it would help both local and bigger retailers.&nbsp;“I believe it’s 13 days would be what
 we would add to the sell season — and that is a lot of revenue we can 
make in those few days,” Beagle said.Many seasonal retailers are looking to expand in the future, Bradley said.&nbsp;“They’re looking down the road, and 
if the law passed so that they could do that, they would start laying 
those plans, getting the financing they need and go into that type of a 
business,” Bradley said. “And, most of them would have one location in 
their local area, so it would make even more of those sales for the 
folks … who go to Oklahoma and go to Missouri stay in the state of 
Kansas.”

New bill would allow year-round sale of fireworks in Kansas

Sister Mary Louise Pfannenstiel, CSA, formerly known as Sister Theodore,
 died unexpectedly and peacefully February 1, 2022, at St. Agnes 
Hospital, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
 Mary Louise was born in Hays, Kansas, on September 20, 1937, the 
daughter of Theodore L. Pfannenstiel and Basilia Wittman Pfannenstiel. 
Shortly after her birth, her parents moved with Mary Louise to a family 
farm in Plainville, Kansas, where she spent her childhood. Her mother 
died when she was ten years old, leaving Mary Louise to be raised by her
 father, her grandmother, and her aunts. In September of 1951, Mary 
Louise entered St. Agnes Convent in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and attended
 St. Agnes High School. She made her profession of vows in the 
Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes as Sister Theodore on August 15, 
1956.
 Sister Mary Louise received a BS in Elementary Education from Marian
 College, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, an MS in Elementary Education from St.
 Francis College, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and a Certificate in Library 
Science from Marian College of Fond du Lac. An avid learner and lover of
 books, she also earned several additional credits throughout her years 
in active ministry in religious studies, children’s literature, the 
teaching of reading, and building school libraries. From 1958 —1972, 
she was a primary grade teacher at St. Florian School, Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin; St. John the Baptist School, New Haven, Indiana; St. Joseph 
School, Decatur, Indiana. Beginning In 1972, she served as a learning 
center coordinator and librarian at St. Nicholas School, Evanston, 
Illinois; Brother Dutton School, Beloit, Wisconsin; and Sacred Heart 
School, Colby, Kansas. Sister Mary Louise returned to her birthplace, 
Hays, KS, in 1989 to care for her father and to volunteer as a primary 
teacher aide, library assistant, childcare provider, and foster 
grandparent at St. Joseph School in Hays, now known as Holy Family 
Elementary School. After her father’s death in 1998, she remained in 
Hays to continue her volunteer service until joining the community of 
CSA sisters at Nazareth Court and Center in Fond du Lac in October 2013.
 
 Sister Mary Louise will be remembered for her creative efforts to 
share with children her love for reading and literature. While deeply 
proud of her Kansas roots, she loved to travel and visit historical 
sites across the country often riding for days on a bus to reach her 
destination. Gifted with a brilliant mind, an inquisitive spirit, and a 
heart for the poor, she was unwavering in her determination to remain 
actively engaged in the life and mission of her CSA community even as 
her increasing physical limitations made travel and group participation 
more difficult. She kept her resolve to live life fully—up to the 
moment of her unexpected death.
 Sister Mary Louise was preceded in death by her parents, her infant 
sister Joan Catherine, her stepmother Pauline Leiker Pfannenstiel, and 
her aunts Sister Mary Bridget Wittman, CSA, and Sister Audrey 
Pfannenstiel, CSA. 
 She is survived by her aunt, Mildred Walters; her cousins; and the 
Sisters of St. Agnes, with whom she lived, prayed and ministered.
 Visitation will be held on Thursday, February 10, 2022, from 9 
–11:00 a.m. and from 12:00 -1:30 p.m. at Nazareth Court and Center, 375 
Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. A Prayer Service will be held 
at 11:00 a.m. in Nazareth Center Chapel. Please check in for the 
Visitation and Prayer Service at the 375 Gillett Street entrance only.
 A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister Mary Louise will be offered on
 Thursday, February 10, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. in St. Francis Home Chapel, 
33 Everett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, with Father Larry Abler, 
Capuchin, presiding. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Springs Cemetery, 
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
 Memorials may be directed to the CSA Mission Advancement Office, 320 County Road K, Fond du Lac, WI 54937.
 The Sisters of St. Agnes are grateful to the nurses and staff of 
Nazareth Court and Center and St. Agnes Hospital for their care of 
Sister Mary Louise.
 Zacherl Funeral Home is serving the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644264031021.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Sister Mary Louise Pfannenstiel, CSA, formerly known as Sister Theodore,
 died unexpectedly and peacefully February 1, 2022, at St. Agnes 
Hospital, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
 Mary Louise was born in Hays, Kansas, on September 20, 1937, the 
daughter of Theodore L. Pfannenstiel and Basilia Wittman Pfannenstiel. 
Shortly after her birth, her parents moved with Mary Louise to a family 
farm in Plainville, Kansas, where she spent her childhood. Her mother 
died when she was ten years old, leaving Mary Louise to be raised by her
 father, her grandmother, and her aunts. In September of 1951, Mary 
Louise entered St. Agnes Convent in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and attended
 St. Agnes High School. She made her profession of vows in the 
Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes as Sister Theodore on August 15, 
1956.
 Sister Mary Louise received a BS in Elementary Education from Marian
 College, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, an MS in Elementary Education from St.
 Francis College, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and a Certificate in Library 
Science from Marian College of Fond du Lac. An avid learner and lover of
 books, she also earned several additional credits throughout her years 
in active ministry in religious studies, children’s literature, the 
teaching of reading, and building school libraries. From 1958 —1972, 
she was a primary grade teacher at St. Florian School, Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin; St. John the Baptist School, New Haven, Indiana; St. Joseph 
School, Decatur, Indiana. Beginning In 1972, she served as a learning 
center coordinator and librarian at St. Nicholas School, Evanston, 
Illinois; Brother Dutton School, Beloit, Wisconsin; and Sacred Heart 
School, Colby, Kansas. Sister Mary Louise returned to her birthplace, 
Hays, KS, in 1989 to care for her father and to volunteer as a primary 
teacher aide, library assistant, childcare provider, and foster 
grandparent at St. Joseph School in Hays, now known as Holy Family 
Elementary School. After her father’s death in 1998, she remained in 
Hays to continue her volunteer service until joining the community of 
CSA sisters at Nazareth Court and Center in Fond du Lac in October 2013.
 
 Sister Mary Louise will be remembered for her creative efforts to 
share with children her love for reading and literature. While deeply 
proud of her Kansas roots, she loved to travel and visit historical 
sites across the country often riding for days on a bus to reach her 
destination. Gifted with a brilliant mind, an inquisitive spirit, and a 
heart for the poor, she was unwavering in her determination to remain 
actively engaged in the life and mission of her CSA community even as 
her increasing physical limitations made travel and group participation 
more difficult. She kept her resolve to live life fully—up to the 
moment of her unexpected death.
 Sister Mary Louise was preceded in death by her parents, her infant 
sister Joan Catherine, her stepmother Pauline Leiker Pfannenstiel, and 
her aunts Sister Mary Bridget Wittman, CSA, and Sister Audrey 
Pfannenstiel, CSA. 
 She is survived by her aunt, Mildred Walters; her cousins; and the 
Sisters of St. Agnes, with whom she lived, prayed and ministered.
 Visitation will be held on Thursday, February 10, 2022, from 9 
–11:00 a.m. and from 12:00 -1:30 p.m. at Nazareth Court and Center, 375 
Gillett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. A Prayer Service will be held 
at 11:00 a.m. in Nazareth Center Chapel. Please check in for the 
Visitation and Prayer Service at the 375 Gillett Street entrance only.
 A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister Mary Louise will be offered on
 Thursday, February 10, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. in St. Francis Home Chapel, 
33 Everett Street, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, with Father Larry Abler, 
Capuchin, presiding. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Springs Cemetery, 
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
 Memorials may be directed to the CSA Mission Advancement Office, 320 County Road K, Fond du Lac, WI 54937.
 The Sisters of St. Agnes are grateful to the nurses and staff of 
Nazareth Court and Center and St. Agnes Hospital for their care of 
Sister Mary Louise.
 Zacherl Funeral Home is serving the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes.

Sister Mary Louise Pfannenstiel

By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/education/2022-02-07/salina-parents-want-lgbtq-memoir-removed-from-school-libraries">Kansas News Service</a>

WICHITA&nbsp;— Some parents in the Salina school 
district want a book removed from high school libraries, citing sexually
 explicit passages that they say are not appropriate for young readers.

The book “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” by nonbinary author and activist <a href="https://iamgmjohnson.com/" target="_blank">George M. Johnson</a>, bills itself as a “memoir-manifesto” intended for adolescent readers. It <a href="https://www.kcur.org/education/2021-10-12/shawnee-mission-weighs-policy-change-after-parents-raise-concerns-about-books-descriptions-of-sex" target="_blank">came under fire</a> in the Shawnee Mission school district last fall and has been <a href="https://flaglerlive.com/170745/books-returned-withheld/" target="_blank">removed from school libraries</a> or classrooms in several states.

Chad Farber, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Salina, submitted one of two requests to review the book on Jan. 25.

In
 his request to district officials, Farber says the book contains 
“pornographic, lude (sic), and obscene content described in great 
detail” and that “this material could be used by some to experiment 
w/anal sex on other students (and) groom some to be molested by 
predators.”

Another parent, Jessica A. Henton, filed a request the same day to review “All Boys Aren’t Blue.”

“While,
 to my understanding, there is great educational content in the rest of 
the book, the obscene (and) descriptive text about ‘sex’ has no place on
 school library shelves,” Henton wrote.

District officials say the
 book is being reviewed by a school-level committee that includes a 
principal, librarian, teachers and parents. The Salina school board is 
expected to hear from people on both sides of the debate during its 
meeting Tuesday.

The case reflects a national trend that has 
school districts trying to balance parental outrage with students’ 
access to certain books. In recent months, dozens of books have been <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-11-10/goddard-school-district-reverses-decision-to-pull-library-books" target="_blank">challenged by parents and community members</a> who contend that they’re sexually explicit or <a href="https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/calls-to-ban-books-by-black-authors-are-increasing-amid-critical-race-theory-debates/2021/09" target="_blank">promote critical race theory</a>.

<a href="https://pen.org/user/james-tager/" target="_blank">James Tager</a>,
 research director for the free expression group PEN America, has 
tracked book challenges since 2016 and says the number and intensity of 
challenges is increasing dramatically. But the targets are largely the 
same.

“Most of the books have to do with the presentation of 
diverse viewpoints, which is to say that they feature characters or 
they're written by people of color,” Tager said.

Challenges focused on obscenity tend to target books by LGBTQ authors, he said.

“Whenever
 these arguments are raised, I hardly ever see an effort to evaluate 
this against the literary and educational merit of the book,” he said. 
“There’s a focus on a few passages or a few parts rather than on the 
book in and of itself.”

In an author’s note at the start of “All 
Boys Aren’t Blue,” Johnson acknowledges that his book features 
provocative and potentially controversial material.

“As heavy as 
these subjects may be, it is necessary that they are not only told, but 
also read by teens who may have to navigate many of these same 
experiences in their own lives,” Johnson writes.

“This book will 
touch on sexual assault (including molestation), loss of virginity, 
homophobia, racism, and anti-Blackness. These discussions at times may 
be a bit graphic, but nonetheless they are experiences that many reading
 this book will encounter or have already encountered. And I want those 
readers to be seen and heard in these pages.”

Both people who 
filed complaints in Salina said they had not read “All Boys Aren’t 
Blue,” but saw portions of the book shared on social media.

Parent
 groups have raised issues about a four-page passage near the end of the
 book. In a chapter titled “Losing My Virginity Twice,” Johnson relates a
 consensual homosexual encounter in detail, including oral sex, 
masturbation and intercourse.

Rodney Penn, a Salina father and founder of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/990859254309004/" target="_blank">Kansas Parents Involved in Education</a>,
 said books containing explicit material should be removed from school 
libraries or labeled as explicit, like movies and music, and kept in a 
section that requires parental consent before students can check them 
out.

“We have statutes in the state of Kansas that talk about how a
 school district must monitor and protect kids from internet-based 
obscenities. But what about print obscenities?” Penn said.

Kansas law prohibits the <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2012/b2011_12/statute/021_000_0000_chapter/021_064_0000_article/021_064_0001_section/021_064_0001_k/#:~:text=2012%20Statute&amp;text=(b)%20Promoting%20obscenity%20to%20minors,the%20age%20of%2018%20years" target="_blank">promotion of obscenity to minors</a>.
 But the law exempts “institutions having scientific, educational or 
governmental justification,” such as schools, universities and public 
libraries.

A school district in North Kansas City, Mo., pulled 
“All Boys Aren’t Blue” and another LGBTQ-themed title, “Fun Home,” from 
high school shelves last October but <a href="https://fox4kc.com/news/education/north-kansas-city-school-district-returning-lgbtq-books-to-shelves-after-pushback/#:~:text=%E2%80%94%20North%20Kansas%20City%20School%20District,said%20it%20was%20sent%20Friday." target="_blank">returned them</a> after students petitioned to keep the books.

“All Boys Aren’t Blue” was on a list of books briefly <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-11-10/goddard-school-district-reverses-decision-to-pull-library-books" target="_blank">pulled from circulation</a> at school libraries in Goddard in November. The district <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-11-10/goddard-school-district-reverses-decision-to-pull-library-books" target="_blank">reversed its decision</a> after receiving national pushback from authors and free-speech advocates.

Chris
 Field, a former Salina teacher who ran unsuccessfully for school board 
in November, said he’s disturbed by challenges that target materials 
dealing with race, gender and sexuality. He said libraries need diverse 
materials to help students navigate real-life experiences.

“To be 
able to find books that they can identify with and know that other 
people in the world are struggling with these issues also. … That’s got 
to be comforting to these children,” he said.

“Ninety-nine percent
 of the books that are on these lists and being attacked are not harming
 children. They’re actually helping them get through life.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644244121019.png" alt=""All Boys Aren't Blue," a memoir by LGBTQ author George M. Johnson, has been the target of book challenges nationwide. Suzanne Perez / KMUW" />
 <figcaption>"All Boys Aren't Blue," a memoir by LGBTQ author George M. Johnson, has been the target of book challenges nationwide. Suzanne Perez / KMUW</figcaption>
 </figure>By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/education/2022-02-07/salina-parents-want-lgbtq-memoir-removed-from-school-libraries">Kansas News Service</a>WICHITA&nbsp;— Some parents in the Salina school 
district want a book removed from high school libraries, citing sexually
 explicit passages that they say are not appropriate for young readers.The book “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” by nonbinary author and activist <a href="https://iamgmjohnson.com/" target="_blank">George M. Johnson</a>, bills itself as a “memoir-manifesto” intended for adolescent readers. It <a href="https://www.kcur.org/education/2021-10-12/shawnee-mission-weighs-policy-change-after-parents-raise-concerns-about-books-descriptions-of-sex" target="_blank">came under fire</a> in the Shawnee Mission school district last fall and has been <a href="https://flaglerlive.com/170745/books-returned-withheld/" target="_blank">removed from school libraries</a> or classrooms in several states.Chad Farber, pastor of Central Baptist Church in Salina, submitted one of two requests to review the book on Jan. 25.In
 his request to district officials, Farber says the book contains 
“pornographic, lude (sic), and obscene content described in great 
detail” and that “this material could be used by some to experiment 
w/anal sex on other students (and) groom some to be molested by 
predators.”Another parent, Jessica A. Henton, filed a request the same day to review “All Boys Aren’t Blue.”“While,
 to my understanding, there is great educational content in the rest of 
the book, the obscene (and) descriptive text about ‘sex’ has no place on
 school library shelves,” Henton wrote.District officials say the
 book is being reviewed by a school-level committee that includes a 
principal, librarian, teachers and parents. The Salina school board is 
expected to hear from people on both sides of the debate during its 
meeting Tuesday.The case reflects a national trend that has 
school districts trying to balance parental outrage with students’ 
access to certain books. In recent months, dozens of books have been <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-11-10/goddard-school-district-reverses-decision-to-pull-library-books" target="_blank">challenged by parents and community members</a> who contend that they’re sexually explicit or <a href="https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/calls-to-ban-books-by-black-authors-are-increasing-amid-critical-race-theory-debates/2021/09" target="_blank">promote critical race theory</a>.<a href="https://pen.org/user/james-tager/" target="_blank">James Tager</a>,
 research director for the free expression group PEN America, has 
tracked book challenges since 2016 and says the number and intensity of 
challenges is increasing dramatically. But the targets are largely the 
same.“Most of the books have to do with the presentation of 
diverse viewpoints, which is to say that they feature characters or 
they're written by people of color,” Tager said.Challenges focused on obscenity tend to target books by LGBTQ authors, he said.“Whenever
 these arguments are raised, I hardly ever see an effort to evaluate 
this against the literary and educational merit of the book,” he said. 
“There’s a focus on a few passages or a few parts rather than on the 
book in and of itself.”In an author’s note at the start of “All 
Boys Aren’t Blue,” Johnson acknowledges that his book features 
provocative and potentially controversial material.“As heavy as 
these subjects may be, it is necessary that they are not only told, but 
also read by teens who may have to navigate many of these same 
experiences in their own lives,” Johnson writes.“This book will 
touch on sexual assault (including molestation), loss of virginity, 
homophobia, racism, and anti-Blackness. These discussions at times may 
be a bit graphic, but nonetheless they are experiences that many reading
 this book will encounter or have already encountered. And I want those 
readers to be seen and heard in these pages.”Both people who 
filed complaints in Salina said they had not read “All Boys Aren’t 
Blue,” but saw portions of the book shared on social media.Parent
 groups have raised issues about a four-page passage near the end of the
 book. In a chapter titled “Losing My Virginity Twice,” Johnson relates a
 consensual homosexual encounter in detail, including oral sex, 
masturbation and intercourse.Rodney Penn, a Salina father and founder of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/990859254309004/" target="_blank">Kansas Parents Involved in Education</a>,
 said books containing explicit material should be removed from school 
libraries or labeled as explicit, like movies and music, and kept in a 
section that requires parental consent before students can check them 
out.“We have statutes in the state of Kansas that talk about how a
 school district must monitor and protect kids from internet-based 
obscenities. But what about print obscenities?” Penn said.Kansas law prohibits the <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2012/b2011_12/statute/021_000_0000_chapter/021_064_0000_article/021_064_0001_section/021_064_0001_k/#:~:text=2012%20Statute&amp;text=(b)%20Promoting%20obscenity%20to%20minors,the%20age%20of%2018%20years" target="_blank">promotion of obscenity to minors</a>.
 But the law exempts “institutions having scientific, educational or 
governmental justification,” such as schools, universities and public 
libraries.A school district in North Kansas City, Mo., pulled 
“All Boys Aren’t Blue” and another LGBTQ-themed title, “Fun Home,” from 
high school shelves last October but <a href="https://fox4kc.com/news/education/north-kansas-city-school-district-returning-lgbtq-books-to-shelves-after-pushback/#:~:text=%E2%80%94%20North%20Kansas%20City%20School%20District,said%20it%20was%20sent%20Friday." target="_blank">returned them</a> after students petitioned to keep the books.“All Boys Aren’t Blue” was on a list of books briefly <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-11-10/goddard-school-district-reverses-decision-to-pull-library-books" target="_blank">pulled from circulation</a> at school libraries in Goddard in November. The district <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-11-10/goddard-school-district-reverses-decision-to-pull-library-books" target="_blank">reversed its decision</a> after receiving national pushback from authors and free-speech advocates.Chris
 Field, a former Salina teacher who ran unsuccessfully for school board 
in November, said he’s disturbed by challenges that target materials 
dealing with race, gender and sexuality. He said libraries need diverse 
materials to help students navigate real-life experiences.“To be 
able to find books that they can identify with and know that other 
people in the world are struggling with these issues also. … That’s got 
to be comforting to these children,” he said.“Ninety-nine percent
 of the books that are on these lists and being attacked are not harming
 children. They’re actually helping them get through life.”Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.

Kan. parents want LGBTQ memoir removed from school libraries

The Kansas Department of Transportation has awarded $2 million to install electric vehicle charging stations along the state’s most traveled highways.

KDOT received 32 project proposals seeking to use $2 million of the state’s allocation of Volkswagen Mitigation Trust funds dedicated to the installation of Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) stations. KDOT had identified 12 priority locations for these funds to improve public access to charging stations along primary corridors, to which applicants made their case for providing EV services.

Projects in Oakley, WaKeeney and Russell are included.&nbsp;

“The quality of proposals made the selection process very competitive, and it was clear there is much support across Kansas for electric vehicles and infrastructure,” said Matt Messina, KDOT’s Transportation Planning Manager. “Many applicants proved dedication to EV services beyond the required five-year commitment as they are eager to promote transportation options.”

Staff from KDOT, the Kansas Department of Health &amp; Environment and a team of consultants evaluated each project proposal and made selections based on criteria provided in a Request for Proposals (RFP) announced in October 2021. Responses were due mid-December 2021.

Each award recipient is responsible for providing 20% of the project cost, bringing the total estimated investment for the seven selected proposals to nearly $2.5 million. Proposals selected to receive an award are identified below.

KDOTThe Kansas Department of Transportation has awarded $2 million to install electric vehicle charging stations along the state’s most traveled highways.KDOT received 32 project proposals seeking to use $2 million of the state’s allocation of Volkswagen Mitigation Trust funds dedicated to the installation of Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) stations. KDOT had identified 12 priority locations for these funds to improve public access to charging stations along primary corridors, to which applicants made their case for providing EV services.Projects in Oakley, WaKeeney and Russell are included.&nbsp;“The quality of proposals made the selection process very competitive, and it was clear there is much support across Kansas for electric vehicles and infrastructure,” said Matt Messina, KDOT’s Transportation Planning Manager. “Many applicants proved dedication to EV services beyond the required five-year commitment as they are eager to promote transportation options.”Staff from KDOT, the Kansas Department of Health &amp; Environment and a team of consultants evaluated each project proposal and made selections based on criteria provided in a Request for Proposals (RFP) announced in October 2021. Responses were due mid-December 2021.Each award recipient is responsible for providing 20% of the project cost, bringing the total estimated investment for the seven selected proposals to nearly $2.5 million. Proposals selected to receive an award are identified below.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643989194179.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>