WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Friday seemed likely to uphold a law that would ban&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-tiktok-china-speech-national-security-22d672d946b6b4065ae5fb7f3e0d8bed">TikTok</a>&nbsp;in the United States beginning Jan. 19 unless the popular social media program is sold by its China-based parent company.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2024/24-656">Click here to listen </a>to the oral argument

Hearing arguments in a momentous clash of free speech and national security concerns, the justices seemed persuaded by arguments that the national security threat posed by the company's connections to China override concerns about restricting the speech either of TikTok or its 170 million users in the United States.

Early in arguments that lasted more than two and a half hours, Chief Justice John Roberts identified his main concern: TikTok’s ownership by China-based ByteDance and the parent company's requirement to cooperate with the Chinese government’s intelligence operations.

If left in place, the law passed by bipartisan majorities in Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in April will require TikTok to “go dark” on Jan. 19, lawyer Noel Francisco told the justices on behalf of TikTok.

At the very least, Francisco urged, the justices should enter a temporary pause that would allow TikTok to keep operating. “We might be in a different world again” after President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Trump, who has 14.7 million followers on TikTok, also has called for the deadline to be pushed back to give him time to negotiate a “political resolution.” Francisco served as Trump's solicitor general in his first presidential term.

But it was not clear whether any justices would choose such a course. And only Justice Neil Gorsuch sounded like he would side with TikTok to find that the ban violates the Constitution.

Gorsuch labeled arguments advanced by the Biden administration’ in defense of the law a “paternalistic point of view.” TikTok, he said, has offered to post a warning that the content could be manipulated by the Chinese government.

“Don’t we normally assume that the best remedy for problematic speech is counter speech?” he asked Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who defended the law for the Biden administration

A warning wouldn’t be enough to counterbalance the spread of misinformation, Prelogar said.

Francisco and lawyer Jeffrey Fisher, representing content creators and TikTok users, repeatedly tried to focus the court on the First Amendment restrictions that would fall on TikTok and its users, imperiling the livelihood of content creators, if the law is allowed to take effect.

But compared to the mildly challenging questions directed to Prelogar, they faced skepticism from every justice other than Gorsuch.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh raised U.S. concerns about China accessing information on tens of millions of Americans, including especially teenagers and people in their 20s, with whom TikTok is extremely popular.

“That seems like a huge concern for the future of the country,” said Kavanaugh, whose daughters are in that age range.

Roberts downplayed Fisher’s argument that banning TikTok violates American users’ free speech rights. “Congress is fine with the expression,” Roberts said. “They’re not fine with a foreign adversary, as they’ve determined it is, gathering all this information about the 170 million people who use TikTok.”

The justices are expected to act within days, almost certainly ahead of the Jan. 19 deadline.

Content creators and small business owners who rely on the app are awaiting a decision with anxiety.

“There’s really no replacement for this app," said Skip Chapman, co-owner of KAFX Body in Manasquan, N.J., a maker and seller of natural deodorants. Chapman said more than 80% of his sales come on TikTok and he has not found the same traction on Amazon or other platforms.

Lee Zavorskas, a TikTok creator and a licensed esthetician based in New Hampshire, said she makes nearly half of her income on the platform by promoting products for other businesses. Zavorskas said she found it too stressful to listen to Friday's arguments. Instead, she spent her time building a YouTube channel.

ByteDance has said it won’t sell the short-form video platform, and Francisco said a sale might never be possible under the conditions set in the law.

But some investors have been eyeing TikTok, including Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-mnuchin-house-senate-ffdf37776e63a09bb6966d741df7093b">Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchi</a>&nbsp;n and billionaire businessman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-mccourt-sale-bytedance-843d24334321f90bebeeac4b32896a9a">Frank McCourt</a>. On Thursday, McCourt’s Project Liberty initiative said it, along with its unnamed partners, presented a proposal to ByteDance to acquire TikTok’s U.S. assets. The consortium, which includes “Shark Tank” host Kevin O’Leary, did not disclose the financial terms of the offer.

If TikTok isn’t sold to an approved buyer, the federal law would prohibit app stores, such as those operated by Apple and Google, from offering the popular app. It would also bar internet hosting services from hosting TikTok.

TikTok users who already have the app on their phones will continue to have access to it. But new users won’t be able to download the app, and existing ones will no longer be able to receive updates. That will eventually render the app unworkable, the Justice Department has said in court filings.

Prelogar said an eventual sale of the platform, even after the ban kicks in, would allow TikTok to resume operations. The sale of Twitter to Elon Musk, who renamed it X, shows that the sale of a social media platform can happen quickly, she said.

That high-profile transaction went through in about six months from offer to completion, she said.

TikTok, meanwhile, has been “on notice” since 2020, during Trump's first term, that its sale could be required if it couldn’t satisfy the U.S. government’s national security concerns

The federal law was the culmination of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-timeline-ban-biden-india-d3219a32de913f8083612e71ecf1f428">yearslong saga in Washington</a>&nbsp;over TikTok, which the government&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-bytedance-shou-zi-chew-8d8a6a9694357040d484670b7f4833be">sees as a national security threat</a>&nbsp;due to its connections to China.

U.S. officials argue that the vast amounts of user data that TikTok collects, including sensitive information on viewing habits, could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. They also are concerned that the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who could pressure ByteDance to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect.

TikTok, which sued the government last year over the law, has long denied it could be used as a tool of Beijing.

The company negotiated with the Biden administration between 2021 and 2022 to resolve the concerns around U.S. data privacy and potential algorithmic manipulation. In court documents, it has accused the administration of essentially walking away from those negotiations after it presented a draft agreement in August 2022. But the Justice Department has said the Biden administration concluded the proposal was “insufficient” because it would maintain TikTok’s ties to China. The agency said the Executive Branch also could “neither trust ByteDance to comply nor detect noncompliance before it was too late.”

A three-judge panel made up of two Republican appointees and a Democratic appointee unanimously upheld the law in December, prompting TikTok's quick appeal to the Supreme Court.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Friday seemed likely to uphold a law that would ban&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-tiktok-china-speech-national-security-22d672d946b6b4065ae5fb7f3e0d8bed">TikTok</a>&nbsp;in the United States beginning Jan. 19 unless the popular social media program is sold by its China-based parent company.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2024/24-656">Click here to listen </a>to the oral argumentHearing arguments in a momentous clash of free speech and national security concerns, the justices seemed persuaded by arguments that the national security threat posed by the company's connections to China override concerns about restricting the speech either of TikTok or its 170 million users in the United States.Early in arguments that lasted more than two and a half hours, Chief Justice John Roberts identified his main concern: TikTok’s ownership by China-based ByteDance and the parent company's requirement to cooperate with the Chinese government’s intelligence operations.If left in place, the law passed by bipartisan majorities in Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in April will require TikTok to “go dark” on Jan. 19, lawyer Noel Francisco told the justices on behalf of TikTok.At the very least, Francisco urged, the justices should enter a temporary pause that would allow TikTok to keep operating. “We might be in a different world again” after President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Trump, who has 14.7 million followers on TikTok, also has called for the deadline to be pushed back to give him time to negotiate a “political resolution.” Francisco served as Trump's solicitor general in his first presidential term.But it was not clear whether any justices would choose such a course. And only Justice Neil Gorsuch sounded like he would side with TikTok to find that the ban violates the Constitution.Gorsuch labeled arguments advanced by the Biden administration’ in defense of the law a “paternalistic point of view.” TikTok, he said, has offered to post a warning that the content could be manipulated by the Chinese government.“Don’t we normally assume that the best remedy for problematic speech is counter speech?” he asked Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who defended the law for the Biden administrationA warning wouldn’t be enough to counterbalance the spread of misinformation, Prelogar said.Francisco and lawyer Jeffrey Fisher, representing content creators and TikTok users, repeatedly tried to focus the court on the First Amendment restrictions that would fall on TikTok and its users, imperiling the livelihood of content creators, if the law is allowed to take effect.But compared to the mildly challenging questions directed to Prelogar, they faced skepticism from every justice other than Gorsuch.Justice Brett Kavanaugh raised U.S. concerns about China accessing information on tens of millions of Americans, including especially teenagers and people in their 20s, with whom TikTok is extremely popular.“That seems like a huge concern for the future of the country,” said Kavanaugh, whose daughters are in that age range.Roberts downplayed Fisher’s argument that banning TikTok violates American users’ free speech rights. “Congress is fine with the expression,” Roberts said. “They’re not fine with a foreign adversary, as they’ve determined it is, gathering all this information about the 170 million people who use TikTok.”The justices are expected to act within days, almost certainly ahead of the Jan. 19 deadline.Content creators and small business owners who rely on the app are awaiting a decision with anxiety.“There’s really no replacement for this app," said Skip Chapman, co-owner of KAFX Body in Manasquan, N.J., a maker and seller of natural deodorants. Chapman said more than 80% of his sales come on TikTok and he has not found the same traction on Amazon or other platforms.Lee Zavorskas, a TikTok creator and a licensed esthetician based in New Hampshire, said she makes nearly half of her income on the platform by promoting products for other businesses. Zavorskas said she found it too stressful to listen to Friday's arguments. Instead, she spent her time building a YouTube channel.ByteDance has said it won’t sell the short-form video platform, and Francisco said a sale might never be possible under the conditions set in the law.But some investors have been eyeing TikTok, including Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-mnuchin-house-senate-ffdf37776e63a09bb6966d741df7093b">Former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchi</a>&nbsp;n and billionaire businessman&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-mccourt-sale-bytedance-843d24334321f90bebeeac4b32896a9a">Frank McCourt</a>. On Thursday, McCourt’s Project Liberty initiative said it, along with its unnamed partners, presented a proposal to ByteDance to acquire TikTok’s U.S. assets. The consortium, which includes “Shark Tank” host Kevin O’Leary, did not disclose the financial terms of the offer.If TikTok isn’t sold to an approved buyer, the federal law would prohibit app stores, such as those operated by Apple and Google, from offering the popular app. It would also bar internet hosting services from hosting TikTok.TikTok users who already have the app on their phones will continue to have access to it. But new users won’t be able to download the app, and existing ones will no longer be able to receive updates. That will eventually render the app unworkable, the Justice Department has said in court filings.Prelogar said an eventual sale of the platform, even after the ban kicks in, would allow TikTok to resume operations. The sale of Twitter to Elon Musk, who renamed it X, shows that the sale of a social media platform can happen quickly, she said.That high-profile transaction went through in about six months from offer to completion, she said.TikTok, meanwhile, has been “on notice” since 2020, during Trump's first term, that its sale could be required if it couldn’t satisfy the U.S. government’s national security concernsThe federal law was the culmination of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-timeline-ban-biden-india-d3219a32de913f8083612e71ecf1f428">yearslong saga in Washington</a>&nbsp;over TikTok, which the government&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-bytedance-shou-zi-chew-8d8a6a9694357040d484670b7f4833be">sees as a national security threat</a>&nbsp;due to its connections to China.U.S. officials argue that the vast amounts of user data that TikTok collects, including sensitive information on viewing habits, could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. They also are concerned that the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who could pressure ByteDance to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect.TikTok, which sued the government last year over the law, has long denied it could be used as a tool of Beijing.The company negotiated with the Biden administration between 2021 and 2022 to resolve the concerns around U.S. data privacy and potential algorithmic manipulation. In court documents, it has accused the administration of essentially walking away from those negotiations after it presented a draft agreement in August 2022. But the Justice Department has said the Biden administration concluded the proposal was “insufficient” because it would maintain TikTok’s ties to China. The agency said the Executive Branch also could “neither trust ByteDance to comply nor detect noncompliance before it was too late.”A three-judge panel made up of two Republican appointees and a Democratic appointee unanimously upheld the law in December, prompting TikTok's quick appeal to the Supreme Court.

🎧Supreme Court seems likely to uphold law to ban TikTok

This story is the second in a four-part series on the life and death of Hays resident Karen Schumacher, who died at the hands of her husband in 2022.

Part 1:&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/f6fb5eb0-494c-4518-992a-6bffdf7c38c9">A Voice for Karen: Living behind a curtain of silence</a> <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/3af7a093-f0d8-4c2e-a1e3-4a31be6c0e7e">Hays man who killed wife sentenced to 10 years in prison</a>

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/277704cd-f369-48f7-bfca-bdbdba1e8959">If you are a victim of domestic violence, find help here</a>

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

Karen Schumacher died at the hands of her husband in March 2022 after years of abuse.

Now, two years after her death, her friends and family are looking at her attempts to leave her abusive relationship and what kept drawing her back in.

Even in the early years of their marriage, Jay, Karen's husband, was physically violent with Karen, according to her friends and family.

Karen told her son, Jeremiah, that if she died, it would be by Jay's hands, and she had left proof in the couple's home.

Police searched Jay and Karen's home after Karen's death. Much later, Jeremiah searched the house and found hidden letters that chronicled the abuse dating back to his parents' early marriage.

In one of the letters, Karen describes Jay throwing her against the basement floor. She says she is disappointed in him and that if he does this again, she will leave him "FOREVER."

Karen's sister, Sue, initially thought the fights between Karen and Jay were only verbal. Yet, she said Karen still repeatedly tried to leave Jay throughout their marriage.

Sue said Karen drove more than an hour to Sue's home, first in Salina and then in Newton, intending to leave Jay.

"She would panic and say, 'I've got to get back before he gets home from work,' just scared to death. She would drive all the way there for maybe an hour and turn around and drive home. She did that a couple of times when I lived in Newton."

Karen left Jay to stay at the domestic violence shelter many times, Sue said, but she kept going back to Jay.

"She would miss her pets and wonder how they were doing," she said. "One of his controls, Jay, was to strangle cats, throw cats against the wall, kill her cats, take them out in the country and shoot them in front of her.

"[He would say,] 'If you ever leave me, this is what will happen to you. I will hunt you down like the dog you are and kill you.' We believed that. My husband and I believed it. She believed it," Sue said.

"When Jeremiah lived at home, he would threaten Jeremiah. 'I will torture him in front of you. I will kill him and then kill you and kill me,'" Sue said of Jay's words to Karen.

"Then, when Jeremiah left, it turned to me. 'I will kill your sister. You'll have to watch. I'll kill you and then kill me,'" Sue said of Jay's words.

Jeremiah said he was frustrated with his mother for not leaving his father.

“Then I saw what happened any time she tried,” he said.

Jeremiah moved out of his parents' house when he was 19. He initially thought the abuse stopped. "Because I was told I was the reason," he said.

“If we did something he didn’t like, it was bad, man,” Jeremiah said.

Sue said Karen would call her and tell her Jay was on the porch.

“I would call the police, and they would say, ‘We’ll talk to him,'” Sue said. “[This happened] 20 times or so.”

“She went directly to the police and said he’s hitting me,” Jeremiah said.

By this time, Jeremiah said, her memory was scrambled.&nbsp;

She was going to the police station two to three times a week,&nbsp;Jeremiah said.

"They would just take her back to the house and say, 'Jay, she says you're hitting her.' 'Oh no, she doesn't know what she's talking about,' [Jay would say] and in she'd go," Jeremiah said.

When Karen was living in Victoria, she filed a protection from abuse order against Jay.

Jay owned a number of guns and voluntarily placed them in the hands of the Victoria Police as he was barred from possessing firearms under the order, according to Victoria Police records.

By the time the protection from abuse order was in place in about 2016, Victoria Police Chief Cole Dinkel said Karen's mental health had deteriorated significantly.

Sue was driving from Newton in an attempt to take care of her sister, who was living alone with Jay out of the house because of the protection from abuse order.

Police reports from the time said Karen often forgot to shower. Her house and clothes also smelled of cat urine as she struggled to care for her home and her animals.

Dinkel said Karen reported abuse, but they were instances that had happened years early. There were never any visible marks on her, and she never called while the alleged violence was occurring, he said. She also made reports and then refused to press charges days later, according to reports from that time.

Karen was taken to Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, and that organization brought her back to Victoria, Dinkel said.

Dinkel said he did not have enough evidence to arrest Jay.

"You can't take a man's freedom on a hunch," Dinkel said.

Dinkel said there was one instance in which Jay showed up at the couple's home in Victoria to deliver groceries. The protection from abuse order was in effect, so Dinkel asked Jay to leave. He gave Jay a warning, and Jay left. A report was filed, but no charges.

Dinkel worked with Karen when she was a dispatcher in Hays. He said he regarded her as a friend and tried to get her help. The Department of Children and Families and the Ellis County Attorney's Office were both contacted in regard to Karen. Dinkel said he hoped to establish a care and treatment case.

However, Charlene Brubaker of the Ellis County Attorney's Office said Karen needed someone to serve as her guardian. Sue said she was interested in establishing a power of attorney for Karen, but Dinkel said Karen resisted, telling him she was afraid her sister would institutionalize her.&nbsp;

In 2016, Karen and Jay jointly requested the protection from abuse order to be lifted.

In a report from that time, Dinkel wrote that Karen asked him, "Am I doing the right thing?"

Dinkel said he has no regrets and expressed frustration that he and his colleagues are now being portrayed as "bad guys." He said because Karen was his friend, he went above and beyond to try to help her.

"The entire situation was a mess from the start to the finish," he said.

He added, "You can only help a person as much as they want help. Karen took three steps back for every one step forward."

Jeremiah said he was reluctant to work with the Victoria Police Department because of his father's relationship with them, although Dinkel said he was no more than Jay's acquaintance.

 Jeremiah said, “I never tried to report the abuse because my dad had very good friends in the police department, and frankly, we knew it would get back to him.

&nbsp;“I couldn’t afford to put my family through the possibility of what he might do,” Jeremiah  said.

“I was terrified of him. We all were,” he said.

Sue said she also called the Hays Police Department, where Karen had worked as a dispatcher. They said they could not do anything because Karen and Jay lived outside of their jurisdiction in Victoria.

After years of abuse, Karen's body and brain showed the effects.

She began forgetting things. It was hard for her to care for herself. Jay claimed she had dementia.&nbsp;

"It was hard to watch. You would never think she was that age. You had to help her learn how to make a plate of food because she didn't know how to do it," Kayci, Jeremiah's wife, said.

At one point, Karen wandered away from her house. Jay was on the road, so the police called Jeremiah to assist his mom.

Jeremiah and Kayci told Jay they would help care for Karen.

“If you can’t deal with this, maybe you should put her in a home or something,” Jeremiah said.

"'I ain't putting her in a Goddamn home, and I'm not paying for that shit,'" Jay told Jeremiah. "'I'll take care of your mom.'"

Karen separated from Jay about five years before her death. She filed for divorce.

Sue sought the opinion of a neurologist who diagnosed brain damage due to repeated head injuries.&nbsp;

Because of Karen's declining health, Sue was trying to gain guardianship.

However, Karen had left beloved pets at the house she shared with Jay. She went back to Jay one last and final time. She dropped the divorce filing.

Jay's control over Karen's life tightened even more. Jeremiah said she was no longer allowed to have keys to a vehicle or a cell phone.

Although Jay allowed Karen to attend some family functions with him present, he completely cut off contact between Jeremiah, his wife and children, and Sue, Jeremiah and Sue said.

Jeremiah said he only saw his mother twice in the years leading up to her death when he bumped into his parents at a store.

“He 100 percent isolated her, at least from us,” Jeremiah said.

Jeremiah would see Facebook posts of his mother in the hospital. He tried to contact his father to find out his mother's condition. Jay would not respond.

"It was his life. Her life that she had that she created, it was over," Kayci, Jeremiah's wife, said.

Scarlett Deutscher, Karen's longtime friend, saw her friend occasionally in the community, but she wasn't the same.&nbsp;

She would forget things,&nbsp;Deutscher said.

She recalled seeing Jay and Karen at a local convenience store.

"I feel bad about it, now looking back," she said. "I would see them every now and again. He said, 'Yeah, Karen's in the car.' I went to the car to go say hi to her. She just wasn't there. I could look into her eyes. I could still make contact with her, and she would kind of look at me and smile."

Deutscher&nbsp;said she thought Jay had finally stepped up to take care of Karen.

"But it was all a big lie he told a best friend," she said, "but I believed it. I believed him that he was taking care of her when, in essence, he wasn't. He was beatin' her. He was being very cruel to her. He was not taking care of her as she should be as a dependent."

“As someone you love. You just don’t do that,” she said.

Editor's note: Scarlett Deutscher is an employee of Eagle Media, which is the parent company of the Hays Post.

If you are a survivor of domestic or sexual violence, you can receive help in a variety of ways. You can walk into an Options office at 2716 Plaza, Hays, or&nbsp;1480 W. Fourth, Colby.&nbsp; You can call Options' 24-hour helpline at 1-800-794-4624 or text HOPE to 847411.

The Options website,&nbsp;<a href="https://help4abuse.org/">https://help4abuse.org/</a>, offers a live chat option or video conference with an advocate.

The website has a safe escape button that allows you to quickly close out of the website and erase your cookies, so anyone who is on the computer after you will not be able to see that you have been on the website.

Options has a free app for Android and Apple devices called "My Mobile Options."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732649972148.jpeg" alt="Graphics and video by Jordan Schaffer" />
 <figcaption>Graphics and video by Jordan Schaffer</figcaption>
 </figure>This story is the second in a four-part series on the life and death of Hays resident Karen Schumacher, who died at the hands of her husband in 2022.Part 1:&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/f6fb5eb0-494c-4518-992a-6bffdf7c38c9">A Voice for Karen: Living behind a curtain of silence</a> <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/3af7a093-f0d8-4c2e-a1e3-4a31be6c0e7e">Hays man who killed wife sentenced to 10 years in prison</a><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/277704cd-f369-48f7-bfca-bdbdba1e8959">If you are a victim of domestic violence, find help here</a><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M51p3FJ7UH4?si=UwR3rIrZLIfRlLOB" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostKaren Schumacher died at the hands of her husband in March 2022 after years of abuse.Now, two years after her death, her friends and family are looking at her attempts to leave her abusive relationship and what kept drawing her back in.Even in the early years of their marriage, Jay, Karen's husband, was physically violent with Karen, according to her friends and family.Karen told her son, Jeremiah, that if she died, it would be by Jay's hands, and she had left proof in the couple's home.Police searched Jay and Karen's home after Karen's death. Much later, Jeremiah searched the house and found hidden letters that chronicled the abuse dating back to his parents' early marriage.In one of the letters, Karen describes Jay throwing her against the basement floor. She says she is disappointed in him and that if he does this again, she will leave him "FOREVER."<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TmjnmQJJ4w8?si=MNS1zOz27EUSiLC6" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><h2>Leaving and going back</h2>Karen's sister, Sue, initially thought the fights between Karen and Jay were only verbal. Yet, she said Karen still repeatedly tried to leave Jay throughout their marriage.Sue said Karen drove more than an hour to Sue's home, first in Salina and then in Newton, intending to leave Jay."She would panic and say, 'I've got to get back before he gets home from work,' just scared to death. She would drive all the way there for maybe an hour and turn around and drive home. She did that a couple of times when I lived in Newton."Karen left Jay to stay at the domestic violence shelter many times, Sue said, but she kept going back to Jay."She would miss her pets and wonder how they were doing," she said. "One of his controls, Jay, was to strangle cats, throw cats against the wall, kill her cats, take them out in the country and shoot them in front of her."[He would say,] 'If you ever leave me, this is what will happen to you. I will hunt you down like the dog you are and kill you.' We believed that. My husband and I believed it. She believed it," Sue said."When Jeremiah lived at home, he would threaten Jeremiah. 'I will torture him in front of you. I will kill him and then kill you and kill me,'" Sue said of Jay's words to Karen."Then, when Jeremiah left, it turned to me. 'I will kill your sister. You'll have to watch. I'll kill you and then kill me,'" Sue said of Jay's words.Jeremiah said he was frustrated with his mother for not leaving his father.“Then I saw what happened any time she tried,” he said.Jeremiah moved out of his parents' house when he was 19. He initially thought the abuse stopped. "Because I was told I was the reason," he said.“If we did something he didn’t like, it was bad, man,” Jeremiah said.<h2>Not enough evidence</h2>Sue said Karen would call her and tell her Jay was on the porch.“I would call the police, and they would say, ‘We’ll talk to him,'” Sue said. “[This happened] 20 times or so.”“She went directly to the police and said he’s hitting me,” Jeremiah said.By this time, Jeremiah said, her memory was scrambled.&nbsp;She was going to the police station two to three times a week,&nbsp;Jeremiah said."They would just take her back to the house and say, 'Jay, she says you're hitting her.' 'Oh no, she doesn't know what she's talking about,' [Jay would say] and in she'd go," Jeremiah said.When Karen was living in Victoria, she filed a protection from abuse order against Jay.Jay owned a number of guns and voluntarily placed them in the hands of the Victoria Police as he was barred from possessing firearms under the order, according to Victoria Police records.By the time the protection from abuse order was in place in about 2016, Victoria Police Chief Cole Dinkel said Karen's mental health had deteriorated significantly. Sue was driving from Newton in an attempt to take care of her sister, who was living alone with Jay out of the house because of the protection from abuse order.Police reports from the time said Karen often forgot to shower. Her house and clothes also smelled of cat urine as she struggled to care for her home and her animals.Dinkel said Karen reported abuse, but they were instances that had happened years early. There were never any visible marks on her, and she never called while the alleged violence was occurring, he said. She also made reports and then refused to press charges days later, according to reports from that time.Karen was taken to Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services, and that organization brought her back to Victoria, Dinkel said.Dinkel said he did not have enough evidence to arrest Jay."You can't take a man's freedom on a hunch," Dinkel said.Dinkel said there was one instance in which Jay showed up at the couple's home in Victoria to deliver groceries. The protection from abuse order was in effect, so Dinkel asked Jay to leave. He gave Jay a warning, and Jay left. A report was filed, but no charges.Dinkel worked with Karen when she was a dispatcher in Hays. He said he regarded her as a friend and tried to get her help. The Department of Children and Families and the Ellis County Attorney's Office were both contacted in regard to Karen. Dinkel said he hoped to establish a care and treatment case.However, Charlene Brubaker of the Ellis County Attorney's Office said Karen needed someone to serve as her guardian. Sue said she was interested in establishing a power of attorney for Karen, but Dinkel said Karen resisted, telling him she was afraid her sister would institutionalize her.&nbsp;In 2016, Karen and Jay jointly requested the protection from abuse order to be lifted.In a report from that time, Dinkel wrote that Karen asked him, "Am I doing the right thing?"Dinkel said he has no regrets and expressed frustration that he and his colleagues are now being portrayed as "bad guys." He said because Karen was his friend, he went above and beyond to try to help her."The entire situation was a mess from the start to the finish," he said.He added, "You can only help a person as much as they want help. Karen took three steps back for every one step forward."Jeremiah said he was reluctant to work with the Victoria Police Department because of his father's relationship with them, although Dinkel said he was no more than Jay's acquaintance. Jeremiah said, “I never tried to report the abuse because my dad had very good friends in the police department, and frankly, we knew it would get back to him.&nbsp;“I couldn’t afford to put my family through the possibility of what he might do,” Jeremiah said.“I was terrified of him. We all were,” he said.Sue said she also called the Hays Police Department, where Karen had worked as a dispatcher. They said they could not do anything because Karen and Jay lived outside of their jurisdiction in Victoria.<h2>Brain damage</h2>After years of abuse, Karen's body and brain showed the effects.She began forgetting things. It was hard for her to care for herself. Jay claimed she had dementia.&nbsp;"It was hard to watch. You would never think she was that age. You had to help her learn how to make a plate of food because she didn't know how to do it," Kayci, Jeremiah's wife, said.At one point, Karen wandered away from her house. Jay was on the road, so the police called Jeremiah to assist his mom.Jeremiah and Kayci told Jay they would help care for Karen.“If you can’t deal with this, maybe you should put her in a home or something,” Jeremiah said."'I ain't putting her in a Goddamn home, and I'm not paying for that shit,'" Jay told Jeremiah. "'I'll take care of your mom.'"Karen separated from Jay about five years before her death. She filed for divorce.Sue sought the opinion of a neurologist who diagnosed brain damage due to repeated head injuries.&nbsp;Because of Karen's declining health, Sue was trying to gain guardianship.However, Karen had left beloved pets at the house she shared with Jay. She went back to Jay one last and final time. She dropped the divorce filing.Jay's control over Karen's life tightened even more. Jeremiah said she was no longer allowed to have keys to a vehicle or a cell phone.Although Jay allowed Karen to attend some family functions with him present, he completely cut off contact between Jeremiah, his wife and children, and Sue, Jeremiah and Sue said.Jeremiah said he only saw his mother twice in the years leading up to her death when he bumped into his parents at a store.“He 100 percent isolated her, at least from us,” Jeremiah said.Jeremiah would see Facebook posts of his mother in the hospital. He tried to contact his father to find out his mother's condition. Jay would not respond."It was his life. Her life that she had that she created, it was over," Kayci, Jeremiah's wife, said.Scarlett Deutscher, Karen's longtime friend, saw her friend occasionally in the community, but she wasn't the same.&nbsp;She would forget things,&nbsp;Deutscher said.She recalled seeing Jay and Karen at a local convenience store."I feel bad about it, now looking back," she said. "I would see them every now and again. He said, 'Yeah, Karen's in the car.' I went to the car to go say hi to her. She just wasn't there. I could look into her eyes. I could still make contact with her, and she would kind of look at me and smile."Deutscher&nbsp;said she thought Jay had finally stepped up to take care of Karen."But it was all a big lie he told a best friend," she said, "but I believed it. I believed him that he was taking care of her when, in essence, he wasn't. He was beatin' her. He was being very cruel to her. He was not taking care of her as she should be as a dependent."“As someone you love. You just don’t do that,” she said.Editor's note: Scarlett Deutscher is an employee of Eagle Media, which is the parent company of the Hays Post.<h2>How to get help</h2>If you are a survivor of domestic or sexual violence, you can receive help in a variety of ways. You can walk into an Options office at 2716 Plaza, Hays, or&nbsp;1480 W. Fourth, Colby.&nbsp; You can call Options' 24-hour helpline at 1-800-794-4624 or text HOPE to 847411.The Options website,&nbsp;<a href="https://help4abuse.org/">https://help4abuse.org/</a>, offers a live chat option or video conference with an advocate.The website has a safe escape button that allows you to quickly close out of the website and erase your cookies, so anyone who is on the computer after you will not be able to see that you have been on the website.Options has a free app for Android and Apple devices called "My Mobile Options."

A Voice for Karen: Leaving and going back

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Bill McCartney, who coached Colorado to its only football national championship in 1990, has died. He was 84.

The charismatic figure known as Coach Mac died Friday night “after a courageous journey with dementia,” according to a family statement. His family announced in 2016 that he had been diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer's.

“Coach Mac touched countless lives with his unwavering faith, boundless compassion, and enduring legacy as a leader, mentor and advocate for family, community and faith,” the family said in its statement. “As a trailblazer and visionary, his impact was felt both on and off the field, and his spirit will forever remain in the hearts of those he inspired.”

McCartney remains the winningest coach in Colorado history, with a record of 93-55-5. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

“I am very saddened at the passing of Coach Mac,” said Colorado athletic director Rick George, who remained lifelong friends with McCartney after he hired George as his recruiting coordinator in 1987. “Coach Mac was an incredible man who taught me about the importance of faith, family and being a good husband, father and grandfather. He instilled discipline and accountability to all of us who worked and played under his leadership."

McCartney led Colorado to its best season in 1990, when the team finished 11-1-1 and beat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl to clinch the national title. That season included a win at Missouri where the Buffaloes scored the winning touchdown on a “fifth down” as time expired — one of the biggest blunders in college football history.

The chain crew didn’t flip the marker from second to third down and the officials failed to notice. On fourth down — fifth in actuality — Charles Johnson scored to keep Colorado’s national title hopes afloat. Asked later if he would consider forfeiting the game, McCartney pointed to poor field conditions and didn’t think it was a fair test.

McCartney coached at Colorado from 1982-94, retiring early to spend more time with his wife, Lyndi, who died in 2013. Following his retirement, he worked full time at Promise Keepers, a ministry he started in 1990 after converting from Catholicism and whose aim is to encourage “godly men.”

The organization became a flash point in state politics, advocating unsuccessfully that gays be denied the designation of “protected class,” a position by the group that drew campus protests. He left as Promise Keepers’ president in 2003 because of his wife’s health but returned five years later.

As a football coach, McCartney’s impact at Colorado was immense. During a six-year span in the late ’80s and early ’90s, his teams were right up there with the powers of the time. McCartney coached Colorado to three Big Eight titles, 10 consecutive winning seasons in league competition and a 58-29-4 mark in conference play, all still school bests.

His 1989 squad went 11-1 and lost to Notre Dame 21-6 in the Orange Bowl. That set the groundwork for a national championship team that featured quarterbacks Darian Hagan and Charles Johnson, tailback Eric Bieniemy, and a stalwart defense that included Alfred Williams,&nbsp;<a href="https://cubuffs.com/honors/cu-athletic-hall-of-fame/greg-biekert/143">Greg Biekert</a>, Chad Brown and Kanavis McGhee.

“A hall of fame coach but somehow a better man and human being,” Brown&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/chadbrown94/status/1877952879794778560">wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.</a>&nbsp;“Love you Coach!”

Added&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/BigAlRadio/status/1877963947032371583">Williams in a post on X:</a>&nbsp;“His legacy is firmly built on love, character, integrity, hope, and faith. I will always thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to have him in my life. Thank you Coach for loving on all of us.”

To think, McCartney nearly chose a basketball coaching career.

Born in Riverview, Michigan, McCartney played center and linebacker at the University of Missouri, where he met his wife. He later coached basketball and football at a high school in Dearborn, Michigan. His teams were good, too, each capturing the state title in 1973.

He caught the eye of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler, who wanted McCartney to join his staff at Michigan. If that weren’t enough, Michigan basketball coach Johnny Orr urged him to join his staff.

McCartney couldn’t decide. His wife gave him some simple advice — follow his heart.

He stepped into the world of college football.

McCartney learned under Schembechler for eight seasons, until an opportunity came up to guide his own team. When the late Chuck Fairbanks left Colorado to become involved with the New Jersey Generals in the upstart United States Football League, McCartney asked Schembechler if the Hall of Fame coach would put in a good word for him.

Schembechler’s backing carried a lot of weight, and then-Colorado athletic director Eddie Crowder gave McCartney the position.

It was a rough start for McCartney with only seven victories in his first three seasons, including a 1-10 finish in 1984. Then things started to turn.

His last season with the Buffaloes was 1994, when the team went 11-1 behind a roster that included Kordell Stewart, Michael Westbrook and the late Rashaan Salaam. That season featured the “Miracle in Michigan,” with Westbrook hauling in a 64-yard TD catch from Stewart on a Hail Mary as time expired in a road win over the Wolverines. Salaam also rushed for 2,055 yards and won the Heisman Trophy.

McCartney also groomed the next wave of coaches, mentoring assistants such as Gary Barnett, Jim Caldwell, Ron Dickerson, Gerry DiNardo, Karl Dorrell, Jon Embree, Les Miles, Rick Neuheisel, Bob Simmons, Lou Tepper, Ron Vanderlinden and John Wristen.

In recent years, McCartney got to watch grandson Derek play defensive line at Colorado. Derek’s father, Shannon Clavelle, was a defensive lineman for Colorado from 1992-94 before playing a few seasons in the NFL. Derek’s brother, T.C. McCartney, was a quarterback at LSU and is the son of late Colorado quarterback Sal Aunese, who played for Bill McCartney in 1987 and ’88 before being diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1989 and dying six months later at 21.

Growing up, Derek McCartney used to go next door to his grandfather’s house to listen to his stories. He never tired of them.

Derek soaked up the tales about Salaam winning the Heisman Trophy and how Colorado beat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl to cement the national title. His grandfather had a picture of the famous play at Michigan and a button to push to hear the broadcast audio.

When playing for Colorado, hardly a day would go by when someone didn't ask Derek if he was somehow related to the coach.

“I like when that happens,” Derek said.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Bill McCartney, who coached Colorado to its only football national championship in 1990, has died. He was 84.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">A legend of the game. A legacy that will live forever. Rest in Peace, Coach Mac 🪽<a href="https://t.co/sSXySmmlZb">https://t.co/sSXySmmlZb</a> <a href="https://t.co/RKZqHvIZdl">pic.twitter.com/RKZqHvIZdl</a>&mdash; Colorado Buffaloes (@CUBuffs) <a href="https://twitter.com/CUBuffs/status/1877943660479685022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The charismatic figure known as Coach Mac died Friday night “after a courageous journey with dementia,” according to a family statement. His family announced in 2016 that he had been diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer's.“Coach Mac touched countless lives with his unwavering faith, boundless compassion, and enduring legacy as a leader, mentor and advocate for family, community and faith,” the family said in its statement. “As a trailblazer and visionary, his impact was felt both on and off the field, and his spirit will forever remain in the hearts of those he inspired.”McCartney remains the winningest coach in Colorado history, with a record of 93-55-5. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013.“I am very saddened at the passing of Coach Mac,” said Colorado athletic director Rick George, who remained lifelong friends with McCartney after he hired George as his recruiting coordinator in 1987. “Coach Mac was an incredible man who taught me about the importance of faith, family and being a good husband, father and grandfather. He instilled discipline and accountability to all of us who worked and played under his leadership."McCartney led Colorado to its best season in 1990, when the team finished 11-1-1 and beat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl to clinch the national title. That season included a win at Missouri where the Buffaloes scored the winning touchdown on a “fifth down” as time expired — one of the biggest blunders in college football history.The chain crew didn’t flip the marker from second to third down and the officials failed to notice. On fourth down — fifth in actuality — Charles Johnson scored to keep Colorado’s national title hopes afloat. Asked later if he would consider forfeiting the game, McCartney pointed to poor field conditions and didn’t think it was a fair test.McCartney coached at Colorado from 1982-94, retiring early to spend more time with his wife, Lyndi, who died in 2013. Following his retirement, he worked full time at Promise Keepers, a ministry he started in 1990 after converting from Catholicism and whose aim is to encourage “godly men.”The organization became a flash point in state politics, advocating unsuccessfully that gays be denied the designation of “protected class,” a position by the group that drew campus protests. He left as Promise Keepers’ president in 2003 because of his wife’s health but returned five years later.As a football coach, McCartney’s impact at Colorado was immense. During a six-year span in the late ’80s and early ’90s, his teams were right up there with the powers of the time. McCartney coached Colorado to three Big Eight titles, 10 consecutive winning seasons in league competition and a 58-29-4 mark in conference play, all still school bests.His 1989 squad went 11-1 and lost to Notre Dame 21-6 in the Orange Bowl. That set the groundwork for a national championship team that featured quarterbacks Darian Hagan and Charles Johnson, tailback Eric Bieniemy, and a stalwart defense that included Alfred Williams,&nbsp;<a href="https://cubuffs.com/honors/cu-athletic-hall-of-fame/greg-biekert/143">Greg Biekert</a>, Chad Brown and Kanavis McGhee.“A hall of fame coach but somehow a better man and human being,” Brown&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/chadbrown94/status/1877952879794778560">wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.</a>&nbsp;“Love you Coach!”Added&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/BigAlRadio/status/1877963947032371583">Williams in a post on X:</a>&nbsp;“His legacy is firmly built on love, character, integrity, hope, and faith. I will always thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to have him in my life. Thank you Coach for loving on all of us.”To think, McCartney nearly chose a basketball coaching career.Born in Riverview, Michigan, McCartney played center and linebacker at the University of Missouri, where he met his wife. He later coached basketball and football at a high school in Dearborn, Michigan. His teams were good, too, each capturing the state title in 1973.He caught the eye of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler, who wanted McCartney to join his staff at Michigan. If that weren’t enough, Michigan basketball coach Johnny Orr urged him to join his staff.McCartney couldn’t decide. His wife gave him some simple advice — follow his heart.He stepped into the world of college football.McCartney learned under Schembechler for eight seasons, until an opportunity came up to guide his own team. When the late Chuck Fairbanks left Colorado to become involved with the New Jersey Generals in the upstart United States Football League, McCartney asked Schembechler if the Hall of Fame coach would put in a good word for him.Schembechler’s backing carried a lot of weight, and then-Colorado athletic director Eddie Crowder gave McCartney the position.It was a rough start for McCartney with only seven victories in his first three seasons, including a 1-10 finish in 1984. Then things started to turn.His last season with the Buffaloes was 1994, when the team went 11-1 behind a roster that included Kordell Stewart, Michael Westbrook and the late Rashaan Salaam. That season featured the “Miracle in Michigan,” with Westbrook hauling in a 64-yard TD catch from Stewart on a Hail Mary as time expired in a road win over the Wolverines. Salaam also rushed for 2,055 yards and won the Heisman Trophy.McCartney also groomed the next wave of coaches, mentoring assistants such as Gary Barnett, Jim Caldwell, Ron Dickerson, Gerry DiNardo, Karl Dorrell, Jon Embree, Les Miles, Rick Neuheisel, Bob Simmons, Lou Tepper, Ron Vanderlinden and John Wristen.In recent years, McCartney got to watch grandson Derek play defensive line at Colorado. Derek’s father, Shannon Clavelle, was a defensive lineman for Colorado from 1992-94 before playing a few seasons in the NFL. Derek’s brother, T.C. McCartney, was a quarterback at LSU and is the son of late Colorado quarterback Sal Aunese, who played for Bill McCartney in 1987 and ’88 before being diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1989 and dying six months later at 21.Growing up, Derek McCartney used to go next door to his grandfather’s house to listen to his stories. He never tired of them.Derek soaked up the tales about Salaam winning the Heisman Trophy and how Colorado beat Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl to cement the national title. His grandfather had a picture of the famous play at Michigan and a button to push to hear the broadcast audio.When playing for Colorado, hardly a day would go by when someone didn't ask Derek if he was somehow related to the coach.“I like when that happens,” Derek said.

Bill McCartney, who coached Colorado to its only football national championship has died

By BECKY KISER Hays Post

The city of Hays can remove snow more quickly in residential areas, but Toby Dougherty, city manager, said, "we would probably have to double the size of our fleet, and then we'd have to add more personnel, and quite frankly, we just don't have the budget for that."

City employees and commissioners have received considerable criticism about how the snow removal was handled, particularly in residential areas, following <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/550dc1da-a2c0-42ce-9917-70ea98e9c20c">last weekend's blizzard</a>, which left between 9 and 10 inches of snow in Hays.&nbsp;

"In any snow event, but especially one like this, the immediate priority is the emergency snow routes," Dougherty said. "That means making sure emergency vehicles can get to every part of town, maybe not to every street, but to every part of town."

The second priority is streets around schools, although there is often a delay of a day or two.

"A storm like this really taxes our operation," he said.

In addition to streets, city workers are clearing around city facilities, including the Hays Regional Airport parking lot.

"Pretty much all available city staff that can be in a piece of (snow removal) equipment is out in that equipment."

Employees from the departments of public works, parks, water resources and the airport all come in to work around the clock.

Each storm is different. Dougherty said in his 20 years with the city, this is just the third time the decision was made to plow residential streets.&nbsp;

"With this significant storm on Sunday and then with the wind, it was Tuesday before we were done with the snow routes,"&nbsp;Dougherty said.&nbsp; "And you have to make sure access on and off those routes is cleared. ... By that time, Wednesday rolled around.&nbsp;

"People were wondering why we weren't in residential streets yet. The short answer is, we don't have the resources."

Mayor Sandy Jacobs said there have also been many favorable public comments about the process. "The naysayers seem to come to the top in most situations," she said. "But I had as many calls and emails, if not more, saying 'thanks for everything you do.'

"We had crews out there 24/7. We started on Saturday, and we were moving everything as fast as we could.&nbsp;

"We have a lot of equipment, but not every piece can do every job. Again, it comes down to resources. We can do anything our citizens are willing to pay for," the mayor said.

The city hired two local contractors to help <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5506cdb0-7552-4ab5-b400-0392bf68f1ef">haul off snow from the downtown streets and parking areas</a>&nbsp;Monday night, but Dougherty said he's not inclined to hire contractors for other areas.

"There's probably not enough contractors with big enough equipment to have a coordinated effort to help when it comes to streets like this," he said.

"You have to be concerned about liability when they hit a parked car or cause an accident. At least I know my people are trained, and they're under my (the city's) liability insurance."

On Thursday, city crews were finally able to get into residential areas to plow without causing any damage.

"We have 8 to 9,000 driveways in Hays, and they're usually cleared (by residents) a couple of days after a storm, along with sidewalks,"&nbsp;Dougherty said.

"If we go in two days after a storm, we're going to be pushing snow into driveways, and people are going to be unhappy with that. We also don't want to close in people's cars that have been parked along the side of the road with a three-foot windrow of snow.

"You really have to be careful of the unintended consequences of creating more of a problem."

Under the <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/be4565ea-fb50-47d0-8abb-e2658e6db9d9">first phase of a winter storm traffic emergency declaration</a>, residents must remove their vehicles from the emergency snow routes.

"I think our crews did a great job," Dougherty said. 

"By and large, our residential streets were snow-packed until Thursday until they started getting a little slushy, and that's when we were able to get in and move it a little bit," he said.

Plowing of residential streets will continue, he said.&nbsp;

The winter storm traffic emergency declaration was <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/dac7b3cf-db3e-423c-ae0d-8c46cc419d74">lifted</a> late Thursday afternoon.

SEE RELATED NEWS STORIES: <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/b5ccc5d7-a03f-4e6f-95b6-cbced100241a">Weekend snowstorm leads to disabled vehicles, accidents in Hays</a>

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/ed60b044-9e6a-494b-8cc1-f3caa91ded98">Ellis County crews working to clear roadways</a>

<div><iframe title="City Commission: Hays Discusses Snow Removal" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:300px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?from=embed&i=3ksw2-17a7271-pb&square=1&share=1&download=1&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&rtl=0&logo_link=podcast_page&btn-skin=60a0c8&size=300" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>By BECKY KISER Hays PostThe city of Hays can remove snow more quickly in residential areas, but Toby Dougherty, city manager, said, "we would probably have to double the size of our fleet, and then we'd have to add more personnel, and quite frankly, we just don't have the budget for that." City employees and commissioners have received considerable criticism about how the snow removal was handled, particularly in residential areas, following <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/550dc1da-a2c0-42ce-9917-70ea98e9c20c">last weekend's blizzard</a>, which left between 9 and 10 inches of snow in Hays.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736534269728.png" alt="City of Hays" />
 <figcaption>City of Hays</figcaption>
 </figure>"In any snow event, but especially one like this, the immediate priority is the emergency snow routes," Dougherty said. "That means making sure emergency vehicles can get to every part of town, maybe not to every street, but to every part of town."The second priority is streets around schools, although there is often a delay of a day or two."A storm like this really taxes our operation," he said.In addition to streets, city workers are clearing around city facilities, including the Hays Regional Airport parking lot."Pretty much all available city staff that can be in a piece of (snow removal) equipment is out in that equipment."Employees from the departments of public works, parks, water resources and the airport all come in to work around the clock.Each storm is different. Dougherty said in his 20 years with the city, this is just the third time the decision was made to plow residential streets.&nbsp;"With this significant storm on Sunday and then with the wind, it was Tuesday before we were done with the snow routes,"&nbsp;Dougherty said.&nbsp; "And you have to make sure access on and off those routes is cleared. ... By that time, Wednesday rolled around.&nbsp;"People were wondering why we weren't in residential streets yet. The short answer is, we don't have the resources."Mayor Sandy Jacobs said there have also been many favorable public comments about the process. "The naysayers seem to come to the top in most situations," she said. "But I had as many calls and emails, if not more, saying 'thanks for everything you do.'"We had crews out there 24/7. We started on Saturday, and we were moving everything as fast as we could.&nbsp;"We have a lot of equipment, but not every piece can do every job. Again, it comes down to resources. We can do anything our citizens are willing to pay for," the mayor said.The city hired two local contractors to help <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5506cdb0-7552-4ab5-b400-0392bf68f1ef">haul off snow from the downtown streets and parking areas</a>&nbsp;Monday night, but Dougherty said he's not inclined to hire contractors for other areas."There's probably not enough contractors with big enough equipment to have a coordinated effort to help when it comes to streets like this," he said."You have to be concerned about liability when they hit a parked car or cause an accident. At least I know my people are trained, and they're under my (the city's) liability insurance."On Thursday, city crews were finally able to get into residential areas to plow without causing any damage."We have 8 to 9,000 driveways in Hays, and they're usually cleared (by residents) a couple of days after a storm, along with sidewalks,"&nbsp;Dougherty said."If we go in two days after a storm, we're going to be pushing snow into driveways, and people are going to be unhappy with that. We also don't want to close in people's cars that have been parked along the side of the road with a three-foot windrow of snow. "You really have to be careful of the unintended consequences of creating more of a problem."Under the <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/be4565ea-fb50-47d0-8abb-e2658e6db9d9">first phase of a winter storm traffic emergency declaration</a>, residents must remove their vehicles from the emergency snow routes."I think our crews did a great job," Dougherty said. "By and large, our residential streets were snow-packed until Thursday until they started getting a little slushy, and that's when we were able to get in and move it a little bit," he said.Plowing of residential streets will continue, he said.&nbsp;The winter storm traffic emergency declaration was <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/dac7b3cf-db3e-423c-ae0d-8c46cc419d74">lifted</a> late Thursday afternoon.SEE RELATED NEWS STORIES: <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/b5ccc5d7-a03f-4e6f-95b6-cbced100241a">Weekend snowstorm leads to disabled vehicles, accidents in Hays</a><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/ed60b044-9e6a-494b-8cc1-f3caa91ded98">Ellis County crews working to clear roadways</a>

🎙 Recent blizzard 'taxed our operation,' says Hays city manager

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jack Sawyer had the kind of moment that will live on long past his playing days with Ohio State. Of course, one more victory would make it that much sweeter.

Sawyer stripped Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers — his former roommate — and returned the fumble 83 yards for the clinching touchdown in a 28-14 victory over the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night, giving the Buckeyes a shot at their sixth AP national title.

“We talked before the game about how do you leave a legacy is to become your old legend. And there’s some guys on this team today that I believe will become legends in Ohio State history,” coach Ryan Day said. “Now they get 10 more days together, and an opportunity to tell their story if they go win one more.”

Led by Ohio native Sawyer and Quinshon Judkins, who rushed for two touchdowns, the Buckeyes (13-2) posted the semifinal victory in the same stadium where 10 years ago they were champions when the College Football Playoff debuted with a four-team format. Now they have the opportunity to be the winner again in the first season with an expanded 12-team field.

Ohio State plays Orange Bowl champion&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cfp-notre-dame-ohio-state-texas-276477d7ff38e93a3625632d515f189b">Notre Dame</a>&nbsp;in Atlanta on Jan. 20. It could be quite a finish for the Big Ten Buckeyes after they lost to rival Michigan on Nov. 30.

Sawyer got to Ewers on a fourth-and-goal from the 8, knocking the ball loose before scooping it up and lumbering all the way to the other end zone with 2:13 left. It was the longest fumble return in CFP history.

“I saw the ball pop out right to me after I tackled him, I was just thinking, I’ve got to stay on my feet, because I almost blacked out when I scooped it and saw a bunch of green grass ahead of me,” Sawyer said.

Ewers and Sawyer were roommates in Columbus for one semester before the quarterback transferred home to Texas. Ewers helped lead the Longhorns (13-3) to consecutive CFP semifinals, but next season will be their 20th since winning their last national title with Vince Young in 2005.

“I felt him. I started drifting away, thought I was going to be able to get the ball off before he got there,” Ewers said. “I saw Jack running with the ball down the sideline. ... Jack’s a good player made a great play.”

Texas had moved to the 1, helped by two pass-interference penalties in the end zone, before Quintrevion Wisner was stopped for a 7-yard loss. Ewers then threw a third-down incompletion while being pressured by Sawyer on the play before the defensive touchdown.

“He’s everything that we possibly ask for in a captain,” Day said. “To make a play like that in that moment ... He just became a legend at Ohio State.”

Judkins, a transfer from Mississippi, had a 1-yard touchdown for a 21-14 lead with 7:02 left, capping an 88-yard, 13-play drive over 7:45. That score came four plays after quarterback Will Howard converted a fourth-and-2 from the Texas 34 with a stumbling 18-yard run that probably should have been a score.

“That fourth down was huge. ... I fell on purpose. I'm joking,” Howard said. “A statement drive. We needed that.”

Howard was 24-of-33 passing for 289 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He played his first game at AT&amp;T Stadium since leading Kansas State to a win over undefeated TCU in the Big 12 championship two years ago. He was 0-3 as a starter against the Longhorns while at K-State, including an overtime thriller in Austin last season.

Ewers finished 23 of 39 for 283 yards with two TD passes to Jaydon Blue and an interception after getting the ball back one final time. It might have been his last play for the Longhorns since he could go into the NFL draft.

Texas won the Big 12 title last season before moving to the SEC.

The Buckeyes went ahead on their opening drive of the game when Judkins scored on a 9-yard run. It looked as if they could get off to another fast start, after jumping ahead 21-0 and 34-0 in their first two playoff games.

But Ohio State then punted on four consecutive possessions before Texas tied it at 7 on Ewers' 18-yard touchdown pass to Blue with 29 seconds left in the first half. Arch Manning, the backup and future starting quarterback, kept that drive alive when he converted fourth-and-1 from midfield with an 8-yard keeper — his only play in the game.

Right after Texas' first TD, Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson turned a screen pass into a 75-yard touchdown, following a wall of blockers before shooting through an open gap and sprinting to the end zone.

Blue had a tying 26-yard TD catch with 3:12 left in the third quarter. The drive featured a terrific play by Ewers, who was being dragged down by Sawyer on third-and-10 when he managed to scoop the ball underhanded to Wisner for a 13-yard gain.

While Ohio State prepares for the CFP title game, Texas waits for a rematch with the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in the previously scheduled 2025 season opener Aug. 30.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apnews.com/newsletters">here</a>. AP college football:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-football">https://apnews.com/hub/college-football</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/1/1736575503289.jpeg" alt="Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer, top, runs for a touchdown after recovering a fumble by Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, bottom, during the second half of the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)" />
 <figcaption>Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer, top, runs for a touchdown after recovering a fumble by Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, bottom, during the second half of the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)</figcaption>
 </figure>ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jack Sawyer had the kind of moment that will live on long past his playing days with Ohio State. Of course, one more victory would make it that much sweeter.Sawyer stripped Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers — his former roommate — and returned the fumble 83 yards for the clinching touchdown in a 28-14 victory over the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl on Friday night, giving the Buckeyes a shot at their sixth AP national title.“We talked before the game about how do you leave a legacy is to become your old legend. And there’s some guys on this team today that I believe will become legends in Ohio State history,” coach Ryan Day said. “Now they get 10 more days together, and an opportunity to tell their story if they go win one more.”Led by Ohio native Sawyer and Quinshon Judkins, who rushed for two touchdowns, the Buckeyes (13-2) posted the semifinal victory in the same stadium where 10 years ago they were champions when the College Football Playoff debuted with a four-team format. Now they have the opportunity to be the winner again in the first season with an expanded 12-team field.Ohio State plays Orange Bowl champion&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/cfp-notre-dame-ohio-state-texas-276477d7ff38e93a3625632d515f189b">Notre Dame</a>&nbsp;in Atlanta on Jan. 20. It could be quite a finish for the Big Ten Buckeyes after they lost to rival Michigan on Nov. 30.Sawyer got to Ewers on a fourth-and-goal from the 8, knocking the ball loose before scooping it up and lumbering all the way to the other end zone with 2:13 left. It was the longest fumble return in CFP history.“I saw the ball pop out right to me after I tackled him, I was just thinking, I’ve got to stay on my feet, because I almost blacked out when I scooped it and saw a bunch of green grass ahead of me,” Sawyer said.Ewers and Sawyer were roommates in Columbus for one semester before the quarterback transferred home to Texas. Ewers helped lead the Longhorns (13-3) to consecutive CFP semifinals, but next season will be their 20th since winning their last national title with Vince Young in 2005.“I felt him. I started drifting away, thought I was going to be able to get the ball off before he got there,” Ewers said. “I saw Jack running with the ball down the sideline. ... Jack’s a good player made a great play.”Texas had moved to the 1, helped by two pass-interference penalties in the end zone, before Quintrevion Wisner was stopped for a 7-yard loss. Ewers then threw a third-down incompletion while being pressured by Sawyer on the play before the defensive touchdown.“He’s everything that we possibly ask for in a captain,” Day said. “To make a play like that in that moment ... He just became a legend at Ohio State.”Judkins, a transfer from Mississippi, had a 1-yard touchdown for a 21-14 lead with 7:02 left, capping an 88-yard, 13-play drive over 7:45. That score came four plays after quarterback Will Howard converted a fourth-and-2 from the Texas 34 with a stumbling 18-yard run that probably should have been a score.“That fourth down was huge. ... I fell on purpose. I'm joking,” Howard said. “A statement drive. We needed that.”Howard was 24-of-33 passing for 289 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He played his first game at AT&amp;T Stadium since leading Kansas State to a win over undefeated TCU in the Big 12 championship two years ago. He was 0-3 as a starter against the Longhorns while at K-State, including an overtime thriller in Austin last season.Ewers finished 23 of 39 for 283 yards with two TD passes to Jaydon Blue and an interception after getting the ball back one final time. It might have been his last play for the Longhorns since he could go into the NFL draft.Texas won the Big 12 title last season before moving to the SEC.<h2>Not so fast</h2>The Buckeyes went ahead on their opening drive of the game when Judkins scored on a 9-yard run. It looked as if they could get off to another fast start, after jumping ahead 21-0 and 34-0 in their first two playoff games.But Ohio State then punted on four consecutive possessions before Texas tied it at 7 on Ewers' 18-yard touchdown pass to Blue with 29 seconds left in the first half. Arch Manning, the backup and future starting quarterback, kept that drive alive when he converted fourth-and-1 from midfield with an 8-yard keeper — his only play in the game.Right after Texas' first TD, Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson turned a screen pass into a 75-yard touchdown, following a wall of blockers before shooting through an open gap and sprinting to the end zone.<h2>A great escape</h2>Blue had a tying 26-yard TD catch with 3:12 left in the third quarter. The drive featured a terrific play by Ewers, who was being dragged down by Sawyer on third-and-10 when he managed to scoop the ball underhanded to Wisner for a 13-yard gain.<h2>Up next</h2>While Ohio State prepares for the CFP title game, Texas waits for a rematch with the Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium in the previously scheduled 2025 season opener Aug. 30.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apnews.com/newsletters">here</a>. AP college football:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll">https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-football">https://apnews.com/hub/college-football</a>

🏈 Ohio State gets shot at 6th national title after win over Texas in CFP semi Cotton Bowl

A man who was charged with beating his wife to death in March 2o22 was sentenced Thursday in Ellis County District Court to 10 years in prison.

Jay Schumacher of Hays was initially charged with murder in connection with the death of his wife, Karen.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/11/1732311419032.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostA man who was charged with beating his wife to death in March 2o22 was sentenced Thursday in Ellis County District Court to 10 years in prison.Jay Schumacher of Hays was initially charged with murder in connection with the death of his wife, Karen.He accepted a plea agreement that reduced his charges to voluntary manslaughter, aggravated battery and mistreatment of a dependent adult.23rd District Judge Glenn Braun sentenced Schumacher to 61 months in prison on the voluntary manslaughter charge and 43 months on the aggravated battery charge with the sentences to run consecutively.He was also sentenced to 18 months and 16 months on the mistreatment of a dependent adult charge. Those two sentences will run concurrent to each other but together will run consecutively to the previous 104 months, for a total of 122 months in prison.Schumacher has been in custody since his wife's death in March 2o22. He was evaluated twice for competency. Once for competency to stand trial and again to see if he qualified to be placed for treatment at Larned Correctional Facility.In both cases, he was found competent.Braun said he was required by law to give Schumacher credit for the 1,026 days he has served. This will reduce his prison sentence by almost three years.Jeremiah Schumacher, Jay and Karen Schumacher's son; Kayci Schumacher, Jeremiah's wife; Sue Rohr, Karen's sister; and Scarlett Deutscher, Karen's long-time friend, all gave emotional victim statements prior to sentencing.The family members and&nbsp;Deutscher chronicled how Karen had suffered domestic abuse for four decades at the hands of Jay Schumacher.Jeremiah related how his mother told him Jay had threatened to kill both Jeremiah and Karen.He also read a letter written by his mother about a beating she had received from Jay and how she feared that Jay would kill her.Prosecutor Aaron Cunninghan, Ellis County attorney elect, called Karen's story a "cautionary tale" and that she was a "poster child for the worst-case scenario" of domestic abuse.Judge Braun noted this was his last sentencing before he is set to retire on Monday.He knew Karen Schumacher personally from when Karen worked as a dispatcher for the Hays Police Department and Braun was the city prosecutor.He said everyone failed Karen—her friends, her family, law enforcement, the local community and our greater society.He said despite the brutality indicated in the case and pleas from family and friends for a longer sentence, he sentenced Schumacher to the maximum sentence allowed by law based on the charges that he pled to.Karen Schumacher's death prompted the passage of a new law named for her.The Kansas Slayer Law prohibits people convicted of feloniously killing another person from inheriting or taking any part of the deceased's estate.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/2f905806-4881-4d91-b175-a5b9c4145f86">“Karen’s Law,” which was signed into law in spring 2023</a>,&nbsp;closed the loophole in the Kansas probate law, making it unlawful for anyone charged with killing someone to benefit from their estate.Read more on this story in the coming days on Hays Post Dot Com.Editor's note:&nbsp;Scarlett Deutscher is an employee of Eagle Media, which is the parent company of the Hays Post.<h2>How to get help</h2>If you are a survivor of domestic or sexual violence, you can receive help in a variety of ways from Options Domestic and Sexual Violence Services. The agency serves 18 counties in northwest Kansas.You can walk into an Options office at 2716 Plaza, Hays, or&nbsp;1480 W. Fourth, Colby. You can call Options' 24-hour helpline at 1-800-794-4624 or text HOPE to 847411.The Options website,&nbsp;<a href="https://help4abuse.org/">https://help4abuse.org/</a>, offers a live chat option or video conference with an advocate.The website has a safe escape button that allows you to close out of the website and erase your cookies quickly, so anyone on the computer after you cannot see that you have been on the website.Options has a free app for Android and Apple devices called "My Mobile Options."