Following the unfortunate <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/6e85435e-6359-49f9-9065-13e910c2ef48">fire that destroyed the Garden Theatre</a>, local entrepreneur Carroll Bartlett Kelly purchased two lots and rebuilt the theatre in WaKeeney.

Business sense ran in this family that arrived in the newly established community in 1879. According to the Western Kansas World, C.B.’s grandfather “engaged in the hardware business, the firm known as Kelly and Walker, one of the first business establishments in the town.”

 Prior to young C.B.’s military service in World War I and after his return, he worked in the family-owned Star Grocery. In the 1920s, he managed the Garden Theatre in addition to holding other jobs.

During his military enlistment, young Kelly served on the Mexican border and later in France as an Infantry 2nd Lieutenant. Seriously wounded in France, C.B. required four years of treatment in American service hospitals following WWI. After returning to WaKeeney, he served as postmaster from 1924 until 1936, according to his obituary. Overcoming serious injuries, he served his home community until his death in 1951.

C.B.’s can-do attitude guided the rebuild of the local movie house, renamed the Kelly Theatre. The Western Kansas World said the new facility, which officially opened on November 7, 1929 was constructed using 125 x 38 feet of fireproof brick and tile and included 540 spring-bottom upholstered seats that filled the main floor, with another 60 in the balcony. A wine-colored satin curtain fronted the 20 x 38-foot stage. The basement contained the heating and cooling system while the projection room sported Vitaphone Talking equipment. Upon completion, WaKeeney area residents again enjoyed moving pictures.

As in the present, technology continually updated. Mr. Kelly accommodated patrons with new sound equipment from Universal Television Co. The June 26, 1930 Western Kansas World mentioned the new system was “superior to the old 5 tube sets.”

During July 1931, Kelly again dealt with blue law enforcement. He responded to legal demands that he close his theatre on Sundays by closing his doors, stating, “As soon as the smoke clears, he will reopen for business.”

Though I didn’t find a specific reopening date, the October 1, 1931 Western Kansas World reported that C.B. invested in 5,000 advertising cards promoting October, November, and December show dates. The article mentioned movie patronage increased other business in town. It appears folks supported the reopened theatre.

In November of '31, Kelly advertised the Dayton Vaudeville Act between shows. Audiences got their money’s worth watching an added live show during intermission. Imagine the buzz circulating as folks exited that performance.

Kelly continued to prosper. Despite a diminishing national economy, Mr. Kelly continued improving his theatre in 1933. The June 22 paper records that he installed an “18-foot Dayton Perforated Picture Screen that permitted him to show larger, brighter pictures.” He also updated the stage curtain.

He added improvements according to the July 13, 1933 Western Kansas World. He increased the lobby room, widened aisles, and installed a partition to separate those waiting to attend the second show.

Other businesses may have suffered hard times, but thanks to C.B. Kelly’s astute business sense, the Kelly Theatre thrived.

Karen Madorin is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and sixth-generation Kansan.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658158626307.png" alt="Karen Madorin. Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Karen Madorin. Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By KAREN MADORIN Following the unfortunate <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/6e85435e-6359-49f9-9065-13e910c2ef48">fire that destroyed the Garden Theatre</a>, local entrepreneur Carroll Bartlett Kelly purchased two lots and rebuilt the theatre in WaKeeney. Business sense ran in this family that arrived in the newly established community in 1879. According to the Western Kansas World, C.B.’s grandfather “engaged in the hardware business, the firm known as Kelly and Walker, one of the first business establishments in the town.” Prior to young C.B.’s military service in World War I and after his return, he worked in the family-owned Star Grocery. In the 1920s, he managed the Garden Theatre in addition to holding other jobs.During his military enlistment, young Kelly served on the Mexican border and later in France as an Infantry 2nd Lieutenant. Seriously wounded in France, C.B. required four years of treatment in American service hospitals following WWI. After returning to WaKeeney, he served as postmaster from 1924 until 1936, according to his obituary. Overcoming serious injuries, he served his home community until his death in 1951.C.B.’s can-do attitude guided the rebuild of the local movie house, renamed the Kelly Theatre. The Western Kansas World said the new facility, which officially opened on November 7, 1929 was constructed using 125 x 38 feet of fireproof brick and tile and included 540 spring-bottom upholstered seats that filled the main floor, with another 60 in the balcony. A wine-colored satin curtain fronted the 20 x 38-foot stage. The basement contained the heating and cooling system while the projection room sported Vitaphone Talking equipment. Upon completion, WaKeeney area residents again enjoyed moving pictures.As in the present, technology continually updated. Mr. Kelly accommodated patrons with new sound equipment from Universal Television Co. The June 26, 1930 Western Kansas World mentioned the new system was “superior to the old 5 tube sets.”During July 1931, Kelly again dealt with blue law enforcement. He responded to legal demands that he close his theatre on Sundays by closing his doors, stating, “As soon as the smoke clears, he will reopen for business.”Though I didn’t find a specific reopening date, the October 1, 1931 Western Kansas World reported that C.B. invested in 5,000 advertising cards promoting October, November, and December show dates. The article mentioned movie patronage increased other business in town. It appears folks supported the reopened theatre.In November of '31, Kelly advertised the Dayton Vaudeville Act between shows. Audiences got their money’s worth watching an added live show during intermission. Imagine the buzz circulating as folks exited that performance.Kelly continued to prosper. Despite a diminishing national economy, Mr. Kelly continued improving his theatre in 1933. The June 22 paper records that he installed an “18-foot Dayton Perforated Picture Screen that permitted him to show larger, brighter pictures.” He also updated the stage curtain.He added improvements according to the July 13, 1933 Western Kansas World. He increased the lobby room, widened aisles, and installed a partition to separate those waiting to attend the second show.Other businesses may have suffered hard times, but thanks to C.B. Kelly’s astute business sense, the Kelly Theatre thrived.Karen Madorin is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and sixth-generation Kansan.

MADORIN: Kelly Theatre—Part 2

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22JOHN%20HANNA%20and%20JAMIE%20STENGLE%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By JOHN HANNA and JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press</a>

DALLAS (AP) — Newly released documents related to President John F. Kennedy's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-51224feebb8742a8a4e604da845c7fa8">assassination in 1963</a>&nbsp;gave curious readers more details Wednesday into Cold War-era covert U.S. operations in other nations but didn't initially lend credence to long-circulating conspiracy theories about who killed JFK.

<a href="https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/available-online">Click here to read the files</a>&nbsp;from the National Archives

Assessments of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jfk-assassination-files-release-trump-3e8f31e18468d96b53210572e0992c07">roughly 2,200 files</a>&nbsp;posted by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration on its website came with a huge caveat: No one had enough time as of Wednesday to review more than a small fraction of them. The vast majority of the National Archives’ more than 6 million pages of records, photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings and artifacts related to the assassination have previously been released.

An initial Associated Press review of more than 63,000 pages of records released this week shows that some were not directly related to the assassination but rather dealt with covert CIA operations, particularly in Cuba. And nothing in the first documents examined undercut the conclusion that Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963.

“Nothing points to a second gunman,” said Philip Shenon, who wrote a 2013 book about the assassination. “I haven't seen any big blockbusters that rewrite the essential history of the assassination, but it is very early."

Kennedy was killed on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-298388ef0d6e41d98a47c70c86c64788">visit to Dallas</a>, when his motorcade was finishing its parade route downtown and shots rang out from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/travel-and-tourism-e9f33c5e647d45149c1738d64ea0e3c5">Texas School Book Depository</a>&nbsp;building. Police arrested the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/national-national-general-news-808c313725d849fd884794fe49b6fd39">24-year-old Oswald,</a>&nbsp;a former Marine who had positioned himself from a sniper’s perch on the sixth floor. Two days later Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner, fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer broadcast live on television.

Historians hope for new details about the man who killed JFK

A year after the assassination, the Warren Commission, established by Johnson to investigate, concluded that Oswald acted alone and there was no evidence of a conspiracy. But critics of the commission still spun a web of alternative theories.

Historians are hoping for details fleshing out Oswald's activities before the assassination and what the CIA and FBI knew about him beforehand.

Shenon pointed Wednesday to previously released documents about a trip Oswald made to Mexico City at the end of September 1963. Records show Oswald intended to contact the Soviet Union's embassy there after living as a U.S. defector in the U.S.S.R. from October 1959 until June 1962.

Shenon said the U.S. government may have kept information about what it knew about Oswald before the assassination secret to hide what he described as officials' possible “incompetence and laziness."

“The CIA had Oswald under pretty aggressive surveillance while he was there and this was just several weeks before the assassination,” Shenon said. “There’s reason to believe he talked openly about killing Kennedy in Mexico City and that people overheard him say that.”

Speculation about such details surrounding Kennedy’s assassination has been intense over the decades, generating countless conspiracy theories about multiple shooters and involvement by the Soviet Union, the mafia and the CIA. The new release fueled rampant online speculation and sent people scurrying to read the documents and share online what they might mean.

Many documents already were public but information had been redacted

The latest release of documents followed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jfk-files-trump-release-381cd547e10e4f41d27a8e020bb6a435">an order by President Donald Trump</a>, though most of the records were made public previously with redactions. Before Tuesday, researchers had estimated that 3,000 to 3,500 files were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jfk-assassination-documents-release-trump-50ea62770b13f0ffc11ca18dde03500d">still unreleased</a>, either wholly or partially. Last month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jfk-fbi-trump-newly-discovered-files-0bd8ad5569f5fa3ed92b8ee9b795c9e7#">the FBI said</a>&nbsp;it had discovered about 2,400 new records related to the assassination.

Jefferson Morley, vice president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation, a repository for files related to the assassination, said in a statement posted on the social platform X that much of the “rampant overclassification of trivial information has been eliminated” from the documents.

The latest release also is a boon to historians of the Cold War. Timothy Natafali, an adjunct professor at Columbia University who is writing a book about JFK's presidency, said scholars now appear to have more details about U.S. intelligence activities under Kennedy than under any other president.

For example, in October 1975, U.S. senators were investigating what the CIA knew about Oswald, and an October 1975 memo said they considered the agency "not forthcoming.”

A version of that memo released in 2023 redacted the name of the CIA's security contact on Oswald in Mexico, as well as the identity of someone behind the “penetration of the Cuban embassy" there. The latest version shows that the security contact was the president of Mexico in 1975, Luis Echeverria Alvarez, who died in 2022, and that the Mexican government itself penetrated the Cuban embassy.

Also, Nafatali said, before the latest release, the government had made public copies of President Lyndon B. Johnson's “daily checklist” of highly sensitive foreign intelligence in the days after Kennedy's assassination, but with much of the material redacted. Now, he said, people can read what Johnson read.

“It’s quite remarkable to be able to walk through that secret world,” he said.

Some records provide small details about covert operations

Documents show that in December 1963, the CIA director's office was receiving messages from and replying to operatives in Cuba seeking to undermine the government under Fidel Castro. One, on Dec. 9, 1963, relayed a message to the director from Cuba: “TODAY RECD THE MAGNUM PISTOLS BUT NO BULLETS.”

“You’re getting both a bird’s-eye view of U.S. foreign policy, and you’re also getting a snail’s eye view of covert action, right there on the ground,” Nafatali said.

In a previously released April 1975 memo, the CIA downplayed what it knew about Oswald's visit to Mexico City before the assassination. The memo said the CIA recorded three phone calls between Oswald and a guard at the Soviet embassy, but only in the last one did Oswald identify himself.

“We’re now discovering how much more the CIA and the FBI knew before the assassination about Oswald,” Shenon said. “And the question is, why didn’t they act on the information in their own files?"

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1700660678254.png" alt="FILE - This Nov. 22, 1963 file photo shows President John F. Kennedy riding in motorcade with first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. (AP Photo, file)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - This Nov. 22, 1963 file photo shows President John F. Kennedy riding in motorcade with first lady Jacqueline Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. (AP Photo, file)</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22JOHN%20HANNA%20and%20JAMIE%20STENGLE%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By JOHN HANNA and JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press</a>DALLAS (AP) — Newly released documents related to President John F. Kennedy's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-51224feebb8742a8a4e604da845c7fa8">assassination in 1963</a>&nbsp;gave curious readers more details Wednesday into Cold War-era covert U.S. operations in other nations but didn't initially lend credence to long-circulating conspiracy theories about who killed JFK.<a href="https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/available-online">Click here to read the files</a>&nbsp;from the National ArchivesAssessments of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jfk-assassination-files-release-trump-3e8f31e18468d96b53210572e0992c07">roughly 2,200 files</a>&nbsp;posted by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration on its website came with a huge caveat: No one had enough time as of Wednesday to review more than a small fraction of them. The vast majority of the National Archives’ more than 6 million pages of records, photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings and artifacts related to the assassination have previously been released.An initial Associated Press review of more than 63,000 pages of records released this week shows that some were not directly related to the assassination but rather dealt with covert CIA operations, particularly in Cuba. And nothing in the first documents examined undercut the conclusion that Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963.“Nothing points to a second gunman,” said Philip Shenon, who wrote a 2013 book about the assassination. “I haven't seen any big blockbusters that rewrite the essential history of the assassination, but it is very early."Kennedy was killed on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-298388ef0d6e41d98a47c70c86c64788">visit to Dallas</a>, when his motorcade was finishing its parade route downtown and shots rang out from the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/travel-and-tourism-e9f33c5e647d45149c1738d64ea0e3c5">Texas School Book Depository</a>&nbsp;building. Police arrested the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/national-national-general-news-808c313725d849fd884794fe49b6fd39">24-year-old Oswald,</a>&nbsp;a former Marine who had positioned himself from a sniper’s perch on the sixth floor. Two days later Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner, fatally shot Oswald during a jail transfer broadcast live on television.<h2>Historians hope for new details about the man who killed JFK</h2>A year after the assassination, the Warren Commission, established by Johnson to investigate, concluded that Oswald acted alone and there was no evidence of a conspiracy. But critics of the commission still spun a web of alternative theories.Historians are hoping for details fleshing out Oswald's activities before the assassination and what the CIA and FBI knew about him beforehand.Shenon pointed Wednesday to previously released documents about a trip Oswald made to Mexico City at the end of September 1963. Records show Oswald intended to contact the Soviet Union's embassy there after living as a U.S. defector in the U.S.S.R. from October 1959 until June 1962.Shenon said the U.S. government may have kept information about what it knew about Oswald before the assassination secret to hide what he described as officials' possible “incompetence and laziness."“The CIA had Oswald under pretty aggressive surveillance while he was there and this was just several weeks before the assassination,” Shenon said. “There’s reason to believe he talked openly about killing Kennedy in Mexico City and that people overheard him say that.”Speculation about such details surrounding Kennedy’s assassination has been intense over the decades, generating countless conspiracy theories about multiple shooters and involvement by the Soviet Union, the mafia and the CIA. The new release fueled rampant online speculation and sent people scurrying to read the documents and share online what they might mean.<h2>Many documents already were public but information had been redacted</h2>The latest release of documents followed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jfk-files-trump-release-381cd547e10e4f41d27a8e020bb6a435">an order by President Donald Trump</a>, though most of the records were made public previously with redactions. Before Tuesday, researchers had estimated that 3,000 to 3,500 files were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jfk-assassination-documents-release-trump-50ea62770b13f0ffc11ca18dde03500d">still unreleased</a>, either wholly or partially. Last month,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jfk-fbi-trump-newly-discovered-files-0bd8ad5569f5fa3ed92b8ee9b795c9e7#">the FBI said</a>&nbsp;it had discovered about 2,400 new records related to the assassination.Jefferson Morley, vice president of the Mary Ferrell Foundation, a repository for files related to the assassination, said in a statement posted on the social platform X that much of the “rampant overclassification of trivial information has been eliminated” from the documents.<h2>A boon to historians of the Cold War</h2>The latest release also is a boon to historians of the Cold War. Timothy Natafali, an adjunct professor at Columbia University who is writing a book about JFK's presidency, said scholars now appear to have more details about U.S. intelligence activities under Kennedy than under any other president.For example, in October 1975, U.S. senators were investigating what the CIA knew about Oswald, and an October 1975 memo said they considered the agency "not forthcoming.”A version of that memo released in 2023 redacted the name of the CIA's security contact on Oswald in Mexico, as well as the identity of someone behind the “penetration of the Cuban embassy" there. The latest version shows that the security contact was the president of Mexico in 1975, Luis Echeverria Alvarez, who died in 2022, and that the Mexican government itself penetrated the Cuban embassy.Also, Nafatali said, before the latest release, the government had made public copies of President Lyndon B. Johnson's “daily checklist” of highly sensitive foreign intelligence in the days after Kennedy's assassination, but with much of the material redacted. Now, he said, people can read what Johnson read.“It’s quite remarkable to be able to walk through that secret world,” he said.<h2>Some records provide small details about covert operations</h2>Documents show that in December 1963, the CIA director's office was receiving messages from and replying to operatives in Cuba seeking to undermine the government under Fidel Castro. One, on Dec. 9, 1963, relayed a message to the director from Cuba: “TODAY RECD THE MAGNUM PISTOLS BUT NO BULLETS.”“You’re getting both a bird’s-eye view of U.S. foreign policy, and you’re also getting a snail’s eye view of covert action, right there on the ground,” Nafatali said.In a previously released April 1975 memo, the CIA downplayed what it knew about Oswald's visit to Mexico City before the assassination. The memo said the CIA recorded three phone calls between Oswald and a guard at the Soviet embassy, but only in the last one did Oswald identify himself.“We’re now discovering how much more the CIA and the FBI knew before the assassination about Oswald,” Shenon said. “And the question is, why didn’t they act on the information in their own files?"____Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas.

JFK assassination files reveal more about CIA but don't yet point to conspiracies

WASHINGTON —The Iranian regime continues to fuel conflict in Middle East, pursue its nuclear program, and support its terrorist proxies.&nbsp; Iran’s oil exports are enabled by a network of illicit shipping facilitators in multiple jurisdictions who, through obfuscation and deception, load and transport Iranian oil for sale to buyers in Asia, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of State.

On Thursday, the United States announced it is taking action under National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-2, President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign on Iran.&nbsp; This action marks the fourth round of sanctions targeting Iranian oil sales to stop the flow of revenue the regime uses to fund their destabilizing activities.&nbsp; The Department of State is imposing sanctions on one entity engaged in the acquisition of Iranian petroleum.&nbsp; This target is being designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13846, which authorizes and reimposes certain sanctions with respect to Iran.&nbsp; In a separate action, the Department of the Treasury is imposing sanctions on 19 entities and vessels pursuant to E.O. 13902, which targets Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical sectors.

Specifically, the Department of State is taking action against a crude oil and petroleum products storage terminal in the port of Huizhou in China.&nbsp; The terminal received and stored Iranian-origin crude oil onboard a blocked tanker.&nbsp; Crude oil and petroleum products terminals based in China serve as the gateway for Iranian petroleum products to enter the Chinese market.&nbsp; As China is the largest importer of Iranian crude oil and petroleum products, terminals in China play a critical role in supporting Iran’s efforts to maintain revenues from its energy exports and fuel its destabilizing activities.

The Department is designating the following entity pursuant to section 3(a)(ii) of E.O. 13846 for knowingly engaging in a significant transaction for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport, or marketing of petroleum or petroleum products from Iran:

As a result of today’s sanctions-related actions, and in accordance with E.O. 13846, all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).&nbsp; Additionally, all entities and individuals that have ownership, either directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.

All transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons are prohibited unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or exempt.&nbsp; These prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person and the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.

The power and integrity of U.S. government sanctions derive not only from the U.S. government’s ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List, but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior.

WASHINGTON —The Iranian regime continues to fuel conflict in Middle East, pursue its nuclear program, and support its terrorist proxies.&nbsp; Iran’s oil exports are enabled by a network of illicit shipping facilitators in multiple jurisdictions who, through obfuscation and deception, load and transport Iranian oil for sale to buyers in Asia, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of State.On Thursday, the United States announced it is taking action under National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-2, President Trump’s maximum pressure campaign on Iran.&nbsp; This action marks the fourth round of sanctions targeting Iranian oil sales to stop the flow of revenue the regime uses to fund their destabilizing activities.&nbsp; The Department of State is imposing sanctions on one entity engaged in the acquisition of Iranian petroleum.&nbsp; This target is being designated pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13846, which authorizes and reimposes certain sanctions with respect to Iran.&nbsp; In a separate action, the Department of the Treasury is imposing sanctions on 19 entities and vessels pursuant to E.O. 13902, which targets Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical sectors.Specifically, the Department of State is taking action against a crude oil and petroleum products storage terminal in the port of Huizhou in China.&nbsp; The terminal received and stored Iranian-origin crude oil onboard a blocked tanker.&nbsp; Crude oil and petroleum products terminals based in China serve as the gateway for Iranian petroleum products to enter the Chinese market.&nbsp; As China is the largest importer of Iranian crude oil and petroleum products, terminals in China play a critical role in supporting Iran’s efforts to maintain revenues from its energy exports and fuel its destabilizing activities.The Department is designating the following entity pursuant to section 3(a)(ii) of E.O. 13846 for knowingly engaging in a significant transaction for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport, or marketing of petroleum or petroleum products from Iran:<ul>
 <li>HUAYING HUIZHOU DAYA BAY PETROCHEMICAL TERMINAL STORAGE CO., LTD (HUAYING PETROCHEMICAL)&nbsp;knowingly engaged in a significant transaction for the acquisition of crude oil from Iran in late January 2025, when the U.S.-designated tanker, formerly SPIRIT OF CASPER, also known as NICHOLA, offloaded approximately one million barrels of Iranian-origin crude oil at the Huaying Daya Bay terminal, a China-based petroleum products storage terminal that is owned and operated by HUAYING PETROCHEMICAL.</li><li>NICHOLA, which was added to the SDN List in October 2024 in connection with transporting multiple shipments of Iranian oil to China-based refineries, loaded Iranian-origin petroleum in December 2024, when it engaged in a ship-to-ship (STS) transfer in the eastern outer port limits near Singapore with U.S.-designated SALINA, an Iran-flagged tanker associated with the U.S.-designated NATIONAL IRANIAN TANKER COMPANY (NITC). At the time of the transfer, SALINA was laden with petroleum from Kharg Island, Iran, which it had loaded a month earlier in November 2024.</li><li>Several days before the NICHOLA arrived at the Huaying terminal, multiple sources reported that the vessel was laden with Iranian-origin petroleum. On January 22, 2025, HUAYING PETROCHEMICAL received NICHOLA at its petroleum products berth, where the vessel subsequently discharged approximately one million barrels of Iranian crude oil.&nbsp; Since March 2021, HUAYING PETROCHEMICAL has received at least nine shipments of Iranian petroleum at its terminal facility, seven of which came from the U.S.-designated NATIONAL IRANIAN OIL COMPANY).</li>
 </ul>SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONSAs a result of today’s sanctions-related actions, and in accordance with E.O. 13846, all property and interests in property of the designated persons described above that are in the United States or in possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).&nbsp; Additionally, all entities and individuals that have ownership, either directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked.All transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons are prohibited unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or exempt.&nbsp; These prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any blocked person and the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.The power and integrity of U.S. government sanctions derive not only from the U.S. government’s ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List, but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior.

U.S. sanctions additional entities that trade in Iran’s oil exports

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&nbsp;FHSU University Communications

A 12-member team of student delegates from Fort Hays State University journeyed to St. Louis, Mo., to compete at the annual Midwest Model United Nations competition. The competition took place between February 19-22 and involved more than 200 college students from across the United States.

“Last year, we sent a team of five to St. Louis and won a single Honorable Mention award. This year, with 12 delegates, we won eight awards and finished number three in the award count,” said FHSU Model UN advisor and associate professor of political science, Dr. Jay Steinmetz. &nbsp;

Model UN is a competitive collegiate experience where student delegates advance UN policy in specific committees and work toward resolutions that can ultimately pass the main plenary body. The competition is a superior test of each student’s skills in public speaking, writing resolutions, following rules of order, and researching specific countries and that country’s policy stances. &nbsp;

Students work incredibly hard to prepare for intense competition days filled with negotiations, responses to crisis events, positioning their teams and individuals as principal sponsors and writers of resolutions, and building alliances.

“The competition is dynamic, fluid, intense,” Steinmetz said. “The students love it—in my experience, I have observed that students like strict professionalism and the demands and rigors of intense negotiations; all of this makes the conference more fun and impactful for them.”

This year in St. Louis, four-person teams from FHSU represented the nations of Finland, Moldova, and Ethiopia. The 2025 team included students from diverse backgrounds, majors, home countries, and policy perspectives.

“We had Biology majors, Informatics majors, Music majors, Honor’s College students, student-athletes, local students from western Kansas, and international students from Israel, Senegal, and Togo,” said Daniel Bechle, a sophomore from Aurora, Colo.

Bechle was one of four FHSU students to take home an individual award. He was selected by the other Model UN delegates to receive the Delegates Choice award. 

Other individual award winners include Luke Hampl, a junior from Andover who took home a Position Paper Award; Mayan Paz, a sophomore from Israel, who won the Most Distinguished Delegate Award; and Mickey Mason, a senior from Ulysses, who earned an Honorable Mention Delegation Award.

“I think we earned a lot of respect this year,” Bechle said. “We raised the profile of our program and made some new friends, including a delegate from Johnson County Community College, who I am trying to get to transfer to FHSU.”

Hannah Caycedo from Manhattan was a member of FHSU’s team of delegates that represented the nation of Ethiopia and a high school senior in FHSU’s Kansas Academy of Math and Science (KAMS) residential college program.

“I was nervous, especially with the part where we had to research existing UN precedents and write proposals based on those precedents,” Caycedo said. “I got more comfortable as the competition progressed and enjoyed working with the delegates representing Mozambique and South Africa on a youth disarmament initiative.”&nbsp;

Plans are underway for the FHSU team to return to competition next academic year, including a trip to Chicago for the November American Model United Nations conference. Plans are also underway to bring the Model UN experience to western Kansas. The inaugural Heartland Model UN Conference is tentatively scheduled for October of this year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741345113191.jpeg" alt="Student delegates from Fort Hays State University compete at the annual Midwest Model United Nations competition in St. Lous. Photo courtesy FHSU" />
 <figcaption>Student delegates from Fort Hays State University compete at the annual Midwest Model United Nations competition in St. Lous. Photo courtesy FHSU</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;FHSU University CommunicationsA 12-member team of student delegates from Fort Hays State University journeyed to St. Louis, Mo., to compete at the annual Midwest Model United Nations competition. The competition took place between February 19-22 and involved more than 200 college students from across the United States.“Last year, we sent a team of five to St. Louis and won a single Honorable Mention award. This year, with 12 delegates, we won eight awards and finished number three in the award count,” said FHSU Model UN advisor and associate professor of political science, Dr. Jay Steinmetz. &nbsp;Model UN is a competitive collegiate experience where student delegates advance UN policy in specific committees and work toward resolutions that can ultimately pass the main plenary body. The competition is a superior test of each student’s skills in public speaking, writing resolutions, following rules of order, and researching specific countries and that country’s policy stances. &nbsp;Students work incredibly hard to prepare for intense competition days filled with negotiations, responses to crisis events, positioning their teams and individuals as principal sponsors and writers of resolutions, and building alliances.“The competition is dynamic, fluid, intense,” Steinmetz said. “The students love it—in my experience, I have observed that students like strict professionalism and the demands and rigors of intense negotiations; all of this makes the conference more fun and impactful for them.”This year in St. Louis, four-person teams from FHSU represented the nations of Finland, Moldova, and Ethiopia. The 2025 team included students from diverse backgrounds, majors, home countries, and policy perspectives.“We had Biology majors, Informatics majors, Music majors, Honor’s College students, student-athletes, local students from western Kansas, and international students from Israel, Senegal, and Togo,” said Daniel Bechle, a sophomore from Aurora, Colo.Bechle was one of four FHSU students to take home an individual award. He was selected by the other Model UN delegates to receive the Delegates Choice award. Other individual award winners include Luke Hampl, a junior from Andover who took home a Position Paper Award; Mayan Paz, a sophomore from Israel, who won the Most Distinguished Delegate Award; and Mickey Mason, a senior from Ulysses, who earned an Honorable Mention Delegation Award.“I think we earned a lot of respect this year,” Bechle said. “We raised the profile of our program and made some new friends, including a delegate from Johnson County Community College, who I am trying to get to transfer to FHSU.”Hannah Caycedo from Manhattan was a member of FHSU’s team of delegates that represented the nation of Ethiopia and a high school senior in FHSU’s Kansas Academy of Math and Science (KAMS) residential college program.“I was nervous, especially with the part where we had to research existing UN precedents and write proposals based on those precedents,” Caycedo said. “I got more comfortable as the competition progressed and enjoyed working with the delegates representing Mozambique and South Africa on a youth disarmament initiative.”&nbsp;Plans are underway for the FHSU team to return to competition next academic year, including a trip to Chicago for the November American Model United Nations conference. Plans are also underway to bring the Model UN experience to western Kansas. The inaugural Heartland Model UN Conference is tentatively scheduled for October of this year.

FHSU team brings home 8 awards from Midwest Model United Nations competition

By MICHELLE BERAN Cottonwood Extension District

We often associate 4-H projects with the county fair but there is so much more to the 4-H year!

The 4-H year begins in October and youth select several projects to explore and increase their knowledge and skills. 

During winter months, this project work can involve working with a beef or swine animal to begin growing, learning about health, and start handling the animal so that it is familiar with the 4-H member. 

Project work for the foods project may involve learning new skills such as measuring or using a sharp knife, and helping make meals for the family. 

Photography members can have incredible opportunities to experiment with light, shadows, and composition with the variety of weather that Kansas provides! 

Additionally, club members are taking on new leadership roles in their club and improving their communication skills at each meeting.

As we move into spring, livestock projects such as sheep and goats take off as those animals are born or purchased and youth will be learning about nutrition, animal health, and showmanship skills. 

Photography becomes even more fun as 4-H youth can explore subjects such as animals, insects, or landscapes as we can spend more time outside. 

This is the time that horticulture projects really get busy as youth work on preparing garden space and selecting seeds or plants.

This past Friday, 4-H members from seven counties gathered at Great Bend High School for Regional 4-H Day. 

Each participant was the top placing individual or group in a variety of categories from club skits to project talks to public speaking. Preparing for their local event requires good preparation and planning, as well as a lot of practice as they improve their communication skills about a topic important to the individual youth.

Throughout the year, youth learn record keeping by working on Project Records which include setting goals, learning opportunities, project work, and financial records.

Communication, Leadership, and Community Engagement are all 4-H project areas but there is a piece of each of these in every 4-H project!&nbsp;These are lifetime skills that help youth be good family members, good employees, and good community members.

Keep learning! Keep showing grace and kindness!

Michelle Beran is the 4-H Youth Development Agent in the Cottonwood Extension District. For more information on this article or other 4-H Youth Development resources, email Michelle at mberan@ksu.edu or call Cottonwood Extension District – Barton Office at 620-793-1910.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668179445671.jpeg" alt="Michelle Beran, 4-H Youth Development Agent in the Cottonwood Extension District. Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Michelle Beran, 4-H Youth Development Agent in the Cottonwood Extension District. Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By MICHELLE BERAN Cottonwood Extension DistrictWe often associate 4-H projects with the county fair but there is so much more to the 4-H year!The 4-H year begins in October and youth select several projects to explore and increase their knowledge and skills. During winter months, this project work can involve working with a beef or swine animal to begin growing, learning about health, and start handling the animal so that it is familiar with the 4-H member. Project work for the foods project may involve learning new skills such as measuring or using a sharp knife, and helping make meals for the family. Photography members can have incredible opportunities to experiment with light, shadows, and composition with the variety of weather that Kansas provides! Additionally, club members are taking on new leadership roles in their club and improving their communication skills at each meeting.As we move into spring, livestock projects such as sheep and goats take off as those animals are born or purchased and youth will be learning about nutrition, animal health, and showmanship skills. Photography becomes even more fun as 4-H youth can explore subjects such as animals, insects, or landscapes as we can spend more time outside. This is the time that horticulture projects really get busy as youth work on preparing garden space and selecting seeds or plants.This past Friday, 4-H members from seven counties gathered at Great Bend High School for Regional 4-H Day. Each participant was the top placing individual or group in a variety of categories from club skits to project talks to public speaking. Preparing for their local event requires good preparation and planning, as well as a lot of practice as they improve their communication skills about a topic important to the individual youth.Throughout the year, youth learn record keeping by working on Project Records which include setting goals, learning opportunities, project work, and financial records.Communication, Leadership, and Community Engagement are all 4-H project areas but there is a piece of each of these in every 4-H project!&nbsp;These are lifetime skills that help youth be good family members, good employees, and good community members.Keep learning! Keep showing grace and kindness!Michelle Beran is the 4-H Youth Development Agent in the Cottonwood Extension District. For more information on this article or other 4-H Youth Development resources, email Michelle at mberan@ksu.edu or call Cottonwood Extension District – Barton Office at 620-793-1910.

BERAN: Life skills all year

NORTON — The Kansas Department of Transportation will close a 6-mile portion of K-23 in Sheridan County starting Monday, March 31.

The closure is necessary for the reconstruction of the highway from County Road 70S (CR-406) north to Walnut Avenue in Hoxie. During construction, motorists will be directed to follow the state-route detour on I-70, U.S. 83 and U.S. 24.

KDOT expects the road to reopen in late October, conditions permitting.

Sporer Land Development of Oakley is the primary contractor for the $19 million project, which is part of KDOT’s Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program, known as IKE. 

For more information, please contact KDOT Area Construction Manager Todd Anderson at 785-953-6011 or&nbsp;<a href="mailto:todd.anderson@ks.gov">todd.anderson@ks.gov</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741788624852.jpeg" alt="KDOT" />
 <figcaption>KDOT</figcaption>
 </figure>KDOTNORTON — The Kansas Department of Transportation will close a 6-mile portion of K-23 in Sheridan County starting Monday, March 31.The closure is necessary for the reconstruction of the highway from County Road 70S (CR-406) north to Walnut Avenue in Hoxie. During construction, motorists will be directed to follow the state-route detour on I-70, U.S. 83 and U.S. 24.KDOT expects the road to reopen in late October, conditions permitting.Sporer Land Development of Oakley is the primary contractor for the $19 million project, which is part of KDOT’s Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program, known as IKE. For more information, please contact KDOT Area Construction Manager Todd Anderson at 785-953-6011 or&nbsp;<a href="mailto:todd.anderson@ks.gov">todd.anderson@ks.gov</a>.

K-23 to close for improvements in Sheridan County

CAIRO (AP) — The United States and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are both vowing escalation after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-yemen-houthis-rebels-attack-airstrike-11b0e080b3982542dd621338a7b18afd">the U.S. launched airstrikes</a>&nbsp;to deter the rebels from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-yemen-houthis-airstrikes-iran-explainer-06e5676098543ebab53a0cdeefd83731">attacking military and commercial vessels</a>&nbsp;on one of the world's busiest shipping corridors.

The Houthi-run Health Ministry said the U.S. strikes on Saturday killed at least 53 people, including five women and two children, and wounded almost 100 in the capital of Sanaa and other provinces, including Saada, the rebels’ stronghold on the border with Saudi Arabia.

“We’re not going to have these people controlling which ships can go through and which ones cannot. And so your question is, how long will this go on? It will go on until they no longer have the capability to do that," Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS on Sunday. He said these are not the one-off retaliation strikes the Biden administration carried out after Houthi attacks.

President Donald Trump on Saturday vowed to use “overwhelming lethal force” until the Houthis cease their attacks, and warned that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/iran">Tehran</a>&nbsp;would be held “fully accountable” for their actions.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted international shipping in the Red Sea,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/houthi-rebels-ship-attack-red-sea-yemen-bfa7d321e55c5bb59b268b82ef3c56ba">sinking two vessels</a>, in what they call acts of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has been at war with Hamas, another Iranian ally.

The attacks stopped when a Israel-Hamas ceasefire took hold in January — a day before Trump took office — but last week the Houthis said they would renew attacks against Israeli vessels after Israel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-hamas-palestinians-aid-explainer-ecc0e70d5ff1120a04bf36626dfd96f4">cut off the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza</a>&nbsp;this month.

There have been no Houthi attacks reported since then.

The overnight airstrikes were one of the most extensive attacks against the Houthis since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.

Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Waltz, on Sunday told ABC that the strikes “actually targeted multiple Houthi leaders and took them out.” He didn't identify them or give evidence. Rubio said some Houthi facilities had been destroyed.

The Houthis’ political bureau has said the rebels will respond to the U.S. strikes and “meet escalation with escalation.”

The rebels on Sunday claimed to have targeted the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/truman-aircraft-carrier-collision-merchant-vessel-50e039f339c4658d246a08ca496a21d9">USS Harry S. Truman</a>&nbsp;carrier strike group with missiles and a drone.

According to a U.S. official, the Houthis did fire drones and at least one missile in response to the U.S. attack. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide updated information on operations, said that beginning at about midnight local time in Yemen, the Houthis fired 11 drones and at least one missile over a period of about 12 hours. Ten of the drones were intercepted by U.S. Air Force fighter jets and one was intercepted by a Navy F/A-18 fighter jet. The missile fell into the water far from the ship, and nothing came close to hitting either the carrier or the warships in its strike group.

Initially officials said they had no information on Houthi launches, but the official said they were able to get updated information.

The spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement called for “utmost restraint and a cessation of all military activities,” while warning of the “grave risks” to the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest nation.

Rubio said that over the past 18 months the Houthis had attacked the U.S. Navy “directly” 174 times and targeted commercial shipping 145 times using “guided precision anti-ship weaponry.”

The attacks sparked the most serious combat the U.S. Navy had seen since World War II.

On Sunday, the head of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami, denied his country was involved in the Houthis' attacks, saying it “plays no role in setting the national or operational policies” of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hamas-hezbollah-houthis-iran-militant-groups-745bfc36e23997ee3f0bc499a9f5c16d">the militant groups it is allied with</a>&nbsp;across the region, according to state-run TV.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, writing on X, urged the U.S. to halt its airstrikes and said Washington cannot dictate Iran's foreign policy.

The U.S. and others have long accused Iran of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-yemen-houthis-rebels-attack-airstrike-11b0e080b3982542dd621338a7b18afd">providing military aid</a>&nbsp;to the rebels. The U.S. Navy has seized Iranian-made missile parts and other weaponry it said was bound for the Houthis.

The United States, Israel and Britain previously hit Houthi-held areas in Yemen, but the new operation was conducted solely by the U.S. It was the first strike on the Houthis under the second Trump administration.

The USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group, which includes the carrier, three Navy destroyers and one cruiser, is in the Red Sea and was part of the mission. The USS Georgia cruise missile submarine has also been operating in the region.

Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Tara Copp and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.

CAIRO (AP) — The United States and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are both vowing escalation after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-yemen-houthis-rebels-attack-airstrike-11b0e080b3982542dd621338a7b18afd">the U.S. launched airstrikes</a>&nbsp;to deter the rebels from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-yemen-houthis-airstrikes-iran-explainer-06e5676098543ebab53a0cdeefd83731">attacking military and commercial vessels</a>&nbsp;on one of the world's busiest shipping corridors.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">CENTCOM forces continue operations against Iran-backed Houthi terrorists... <a href="https://t.co/zEWykoDKQR">pic.twitter.com/zEWykoDKQR</a>&mdash; U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1901428374486089974?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Houthi-run Health Ministry said the U.S. strikes on Saturday killed at least 53 people, including five women and two children, and wounded almost 100 in the capital of Sanaa and other provinces, including Saada, the rebels’ stronghold on the border with Saudi Arabia.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">CENTCOM operations against Iran-backed Houthis continue... <a href="https://t.co/DYvc3gREN8">pic.twitter.com/DYvc3gREN8</a>&mdash; U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) <a href="https://twitter.com/CENTCOM/status/1901043879496876459?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“We’re not going to have these people controlling which ships can go through and which ones cannot. And so your question is, how long will this go on? It will go on until they no longer have the capability to do that," Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS on Sunday. He said these are not the one-off retaliation strikes the Biden administration carried out after Houthi attacks.President Donald Trump on Saturday vowed to use “overwhelming lethal force” until the Houthis cease their attacks, and warned that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/iran">Tehran</a>&nbsp;would be held “fully accountable” for their actions.The Houthis have repeatedly targeted international shipping in the Red Sea,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/houthi-rebels-ship-attack-red-sea-yemen-bfa7d321e55c5bb59b268b82ef3c56ba">sinking two vessels</a>, in what they call acts of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has been at war with Hamas, another Iranian ally.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">USS Gettysburg (CG 64) delivered lethal precision March 15 on Houthi targets in Yemen. America&#39;s Navy is ready and fully committed to defending freedom of navigation around the world. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NavyReady?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NavyReady</a> <a href="https://t.co/GNqPEaZgtj">pic.twitter.com/GNqPEaZgtj</a>&mdash; U.S. Navy (@USNavy) <a href="https://twitter.com/USNavy/status/1901329292333580305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The attacks stopped when a Israel-Hamas ceasefire took hold in January — a day before Trump took office — but last week the Houthis said they would renew attacks against Israeli vessels after Israel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-hamas-palestinians-aid-explainer-ecc0e70d5ff1120a04bf36626dfd96f4">cut off the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza</a>&nbsp;this month.There have been no Houthi attacks reported since then.The overnight airstrikes were one of the most extensive attacks against the Houthis since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Waltz, on Sunday told ABC that the strikes “actually targeted multiple Houthi leaders and took them out.” He didn't identify them or give evidence. Rubio said some Houthi facilities had been destroyed.The Houthis’ political bureau has said the rebels will respond to the U.S. strikes and “meet escalation with escalation.”The rebels on Sunday claimed to have targeted the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/truman-aircraft-carrier-collision-merchant-vessel-50e039f339c4658d246a08ca496a21d9">USS Harry S. Truman</a>&nbsp;carrier strike group with missiles and a drone.According to a U.S. official, the Houthis did fire drones and at least one missile in response to the U.S. attack. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide updated information on operations, said that beginning at about midnight local time in Yemen, the Houthis fired 11 drones and at least one missile over a period of about 12 hours. Ten of the drones were intercepted by U.S. Air Force fighter jets and one was intercepted by a Navy F/A-18 fighter jet. The missile fell into the water far from the ship, and nothing came close to hitting either the carrier or the warships in its strike group.Initially officials said they had no information on Houthi launches, but the official said they were able to get updated information.The spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement called for “utmost restraint and a cessation of all military activities,” while warning of the “grave risks” to the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest nation.Rubio said that over the past 18 months the Houthis had attacked the U.S. Navy “directly” 174 times and targeted commercial shipping 145 times using “guided precision anti-ship weaponry.”The attacks sparked the most serious combat the U.S. Navy had seen since World War II.On Sunday, the head of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami, denied his country was involved in the Houthis' attacks, saying it “plays no role in setting the national or operational policies” of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hamas-hezbollah-houthis-iran-militant-groups-745bfc36e23997ee3f0bc499a9f5c16d">the militant groups it is allied with</a>&nbsp;across the region, according to state-run TV.Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, writing on X, urged the U.S. to halt its airstrikes and said Washington cannot dictate Iran's foreign policy.The U.S. and others have long accused Iran of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-yemen-houthis-rebels-attack-airstrike-11b0e080b3982542dd621338a7b18afd">providing military aid</a>&nbsp;to the rebels. The U.S. Navy has seized Iranian-made missile parts and other weaponry it said was bound for the Houthis.The United States, Israel and Britain previously hit Houthi-held areas in Yemen, but the new operation was conducted solely by the U.S. It was the first strike on the Houthis under the second Trump administration.The USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group, which includes the carrier, three Navy destroyers and one cruiser, is in the Red Sea and was part of the mission. The USS Georgia cruise missile submarine has also been operating in the region.___Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Tara Copp and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.

🎥U.S. continues attack against Iran-backed terrorists in Yemen

LAWRENCE, Kan.&nbsp;– The Kansas Jayhawks have secured the No. 7 seed in the West Region for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, marking their 52nd all-time appearance. They are set to face the No. 10 seed Arkansas Razorbacks on March 20 in Providence, Rhode Island.

Kansas (21-12, 11-9 Big 12) will take on No. 10 seed Arkansas (20-13, 8-10 SEC) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 20. Tipoff is set for 6:10 p.m. CT at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island, with the game airing on CBS.

Kansas enters the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7 seed for just the second time in program history, the first being in 1981 when the Jayhawks went 2-1 and advanced to the Sweet 16.

Kansas returns to the NCAA West Region for the first time since the 2021 season. The Jayhawks have a strong history in the NCAA Tournament, holding a 47-5 record in first-round games and an all-time tournament record of 113-50.

Kansas holds a narrow 8-7 lead in the all-time series against Arkansas, including an exhibition game prior to the 2024-25 season, where Arkansas claimed an 85-69 victory on October 25 in Fayetteville. Their most recent official matchup came in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, where Arkansas edged Kansas 72-71 in Des Moines. This will mark the third NCAA Tournament meeting between the two programs, with Kansas winning the 1991 Elite Eight showdown 93-81 in Charlotte en route to a Final Four appearance and a runner-up finish to Duke.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1742206069380.png" alt="Kansas Athletics photo" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Athletics photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas AthleticsLAWRENCE, Kan.&nbsp;– The Kansas Jayhawks have secured the No. 7 seed in the West Region for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, marking their 52nd all-time appearance. They are set to face the No. 10 seed Arkansas Razorbacks on March 20 in Providence, Rhode Island.Kansas (21-12, 11-9 Big 12) will take on No. 10 seed Arkansas (20-13, 8-10 SEC) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 20. Tipoff is set for 6:10 p.m. CT at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rhode Island, with the game airing on CBS.Kansas enters the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7 seed for just the second time in program history, the first being in 1981 when the Jayhawks went 2-1 and advanced to the Sweet 16.Kansas returns to the NCAA West Region for the first time since the 2021 season. The Jayhawks have a strong history in the NCAA Tournament, holding a 47-5 record in first-round games and an all-time tournament record of 113-50.Kansas holds a narrow 8-7 lead in the all-time series against Arkansas, including an exhibition game prior to the 2024-25 season, where Arkansas claimed an 85-69 victory on October 25 in Fayetteville. Their most recent official matchup came in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, where Arkansas edged Kansas 72-71 in Des Moines. This will mark the third NCAA Tournament meeting between the two programs, with Kansas winning the 1991 Elite Eight showdown 93-81 in Charlotte en route to a Final Four appearance and a runner-up finish to Duke.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🏀 Kansas gains 7-seed for NCAAs, face Arkansas in first round Thursday

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Kansas, returned an indictment charging a Nebraska contractor for allegedly defrauding customers across multiple states by failing to construct buildings after being paid, according to the United State's Attorney.

According to court documents, Bobby Bates Sr., 42, of Grand Island, Nebraska, is charged with two counts of wire fraud.

Bates, as the owner of Built Rite Construction, is accused of accepting deposits for construction projects and not starting or completing the work. Between February 2023 and October 2023, he allegedly defrauded customers in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota, Illinois, Georgia, Alabama, and Texas resulting in total losses of more than $700,000.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are investigating the case

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Kansas, returned an indictment charging a Nebraska contractor for allegedly defrauding customers across multiple states by failing to construct buildings after being paid, according to the United State's Attorney.According to court documents, Bobby Bates Sr., 42, of Grand Island, Nebraska, is charged with two counts of wire fraud.Bates, as the owner of Built Rite Construction, is accused of accepting deposits for construction projects and not starting or completing the work. Between February 2023 and October 2023, he allegedly defrauded customers in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Nebraska, South Dakota, Illinois, Georgia, Alabama, and Texas resulting in total losses of more than $700,000.The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are investigating the case

Contractor accused of defrauding customers in Kansas, 9 other states

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A father in Missouri was sentenced to 13 years in prison on Thursday for shooting and wounding a St. Louis youth football coach over his son’s playing time while 9- and 10-year-olds practiced nearby.

A jury found Daryl Clemmons, 45, guilty last month of assault and armed criminal action in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/youth-football-coach-shot-st-louis-6aa076fc0e6fb659ae0cdc6003984498">October 2023</a>&nbsp;shooting of Shaquille Latimore, a volunteer coach for the City Rec Legends Football League. He was hospitalized in critical condition but survived.

Both men were armed. According to prosecutors, the coach handed his gun to a friend and told Clemmons they should fight with fists. Clemmons rejected that idea and shot Latimore five times. The father fled but turned himself in to police later that evening.

The team was then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/st-louis-youth-football-coach-shot-629410ce31c5633c3ba06b7459215b35">suspended</a>&nbsp;over what St. Louis officials described as “a series of incidents perpetuated by adults” that culminated in the shooting near a practice field in Sherman Park. Latimore said at the time that he was upset about the decision, calling it “not fair” that the team should suffer.

The defense argued that the shooting was in self defense and filed a motion for a new trial.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office said the two men were at odds over the amount of playing time Clemmons’s son had been getting.

“Violence, especially in youth sports, is completely unacceptable and undermines the purpose of these programs — teaching teamwork, discipline, and respect,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore in a news release after the jury returned the guilty verdict.

After the shooting, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis partnered with the city to offer counseling to the players and others who witnessed the shooting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697123209562.png" alt="Clemmons-photo St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department" />
 <figcaption>Clemmons-photo St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department</figcaption>
 </figure>ST. LOUIS (AP) — A father in Missouri was sentenced to 13 years in prison on Thursday for shooting and wounding a St. Louis youth football coach over his son’s playing time while 9- and 10-year-olds practiced nearby.A jury found Daryl Clemmons, 45, guilty last month of assault and armed criminal action in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/youth-football-coach-shot-st-louis-6aa076fc0e6fb659ae0cdc6003984498">October 2023</a>&nbsp;shooting of Shaquille Latimore, a volunteer coach for the City Rec Legends Football League. He was hospitalized in critical condition but survived.Both men were armed. According to prosecutors, the coach handed his gun to a friend and told Clemmons they should fight with fists. Clemmons rejected that idea and shot Latimore five times. The father fled but turned himself in to police later that evening.The team was then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/st-louis-youth-football-coach-shot-629410ce31c5633c3ba06b7459215b35">suspended</a>&nbsp;over what St. Louis officials described as “a series of incidents perpetuated by adults” that culminated in the shooting near a practice field in Sherman Park. Latimore said at the time that he was upset about the decision, calling it “not fair” that the team should suffer.The defense argued that the shooting was in self defense and filed a motion for a new trial.St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office said the two men were at odds over the amount of playing time Clemmons’s son had been getting.“Violence, especially in youth sports, is completely unacceptable and undermines the purpose of these programs — teaching teamwork, discipline, and respect,” said Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore in a news release after the jury returned the guilty verdict.After the shooting, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis partnered with the city to offer counseling to the players and others who witnessed the shooting.

Prison for shooting youth football coach over son’s playing time

MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan.&nbsp;– The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will headline McConnell’s 2026 Frontiers in Flight Open House and Air Show, now scheduled for Oct. 17-18, 2026, according to a statement from the base.

The Thunderbirds are the Air Force’s premier aerial demonstration team, performing precision aerial maneuvers displaying Air Force high-performance aircraft to people worldwide. The show involves a mix of precision formation flying and intense solo routines demonstrating the capabilities of Air Force pilots and the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

The Thunderbirds last performed above the Wichita skies in September 2022.

Over 65,000 visitors arrived on day one of McConnell’s last air show on Aug. 24, 2024. The show never continued its second day after an unexpected wet microburst brought 54 mph wind gusts and torrential rain, leaving debris strewn around the flightline and air acts unable to operate safely.

The base looks forward to milder October weather and a historically lower chance of precipitation during next year’s show.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741967975433.png" alt="U.S. Air Force Thunderbird F-16 Fighting Falcons flies under a KC-135A, over the United States Aug. 16, 2024. The F-16 has a wingspan of 32 feet 8 inches. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Paula Arce)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Air Force Thunderbird F-16 Fighting Falcons flies under a KC-135A, over the United States Aug. 16, 2024. The F-16 has a wingspan of 32 feet 8 inches. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Paula Arce)</figcaption>
 </figure>MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan.&nbsp;– The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will headline McConnell’s 2026 Frontiers in Flight Open House and Air Show, now scheduled for Oct. 17-18, 2026, according to a statement from the base.The Thunderbirds are the Air Force’s premier aerial demonstration team, performing precision aerial maneuvers displaying Air Force high-performance aircraft to people worldwide. The show involves a mix of precision formation flying and intense solo routines demonstrating the capabilities of Air Force pilots and the F-16 Fighting Falcon.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741968104926.png" alt="The United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron "Thunderbirds" perform air shows across the United States from March-November, 2023. During the 2023 season, the Thunderbirds performed 63 demonstrations across 32 locations as they celebrated their 70th anniversary. (U.S. Air Force video by Staff Sgt. Dakota Carter)" />
 <figcaption>The United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron "Thunderbirds" perform air shows across the United States from March-November, 2023. During the 2023 season, the Thunderbirds performed 63 demonstrations across 32 locations as they celebrated their 70th anniversary. (U.S. Air Force video by Staff Sgt. Dakota Carter)</figcaption>
 </figure>The Thunderbirds last performed above the Wichita skies in September 2022.Over 65,000 visitors arrived on day one of McConnell’s last air show on Aug. 24, 2024. The show never continued its second day after an unexpected wet microburst brought 54 mph wind gusts and torrential rain, leaving debris strewn around the flightline and air acts unable to operate safely.The base looks forward to milder October weather and a historically lower chance of precipitation during next year’s show.

U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds set to return to Kansas air show

BY&nbsp;MICHELLE CHAPMAN Associated Press

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-airlines-faa-4f8a7b71070de5e93097535f610124c1">Southwest Airlines</a>&nbsp;will begin charging customers a fee to check bags, abandoning a decades-long practice that executives had described last fall as key to differentiating&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-airlines-cabin-service-a2766c4de881e1467900b392789457de">the budget carrier</a>&nbsp;from its rivals.

Southwest, which built years of advertising campaigns around its policy of letting passengers check up to two bags for free, said Tuesday that people who haven’t either reached the upper tiers of its Rapid Rewards loyalty program, bought a business class ticket or hold the airline’s credit card will have to pay for checked bags.

The airline did not outline the fee schedule but said the new policy would start with flights booked on May 28.

“We have tremendous opportunity to meet current and future customer needs, attract new customer segments we don’t compete for today, and return to the levels of profitability that both we and our shareholders expect,” CEO Bob Jordan said in a statement.

Less than a year ago, the Dallas-based airline announced it was doing away with another tradition, the open-boarding system it has used for more than 50 years. Southwest expects to begin operating flights with passengers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-changes-seating-boarding-hedge-fund-ba6a97380df6201e9a35335d3202fc8a">in assigned seats</a>&nbsp;next year.

Southwest has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-airlines-lowers-outlook-hedge-fund-a8cfdb619410757b96f108b45565ca1b">struggled recently</a>&nbsp;and is under pressure from activist investors to boost profits and revenue. The airline&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-american-airlines-earnings-elliott-management-947a14e29e80503a459331393954df2b">reached a truce</a>&nbsp;in October with hedge fund Elliott Investment Management to avoid a proxy fight, but Elliott won several seats on the company board.

The airline announced last month that it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-airlines-layoffs-29a0daf8f8091ae2b0a9c11282138464">eliminating</a>&nbsp;1,750 jobs, or 15% of its corporate workforce, in the first major layoffs in the company’s 53-year history.

The job cuts, which were scheduled to be mostly completed by the end of June, are part of a plan to slash costs and transform the company into a “leaner, faster, and more agile organization,” Jordan said at the time.

Southwest’s stock rose more than 9% Tuesday.

As recently as Southwest’s investor day in late September, airline executives described the bags-fly-free as the most important feature in setting Southwest apart from rivals. All other leading U.S. airlines charge for checked luggage, and Wall Street has long argued that Southwest was leaving money behind.

The airline estimated in September that charging bag fees would bring in about $1.5 billion a year but cost the airline $1.8 billion in lost business from customers who chose to fly Southwest because of its generous baggage allowance.

Southwest said Tuesday that it would continue to offer two free checked bags to Rapid Rewards A-List preferred members and customers traveling on Business Select fares, and one free checked bag to A-List members and other select customers. Passengers with Rapid Rewards credit cards will receive a credit for one checked bag.

People who don’t qualify for those categories will get charged to check bags. The airline said that it also would roll out a new, basic fare on its lowest priced tickets when the change takes effect.

“I would rather have the free checked bags, that’s for sure,” said customer Dorothy Severson, who was awaiting a flight Tuesday at Chicago Midway International Airport. “It’s one of the main reasons I still fly Southwest.”

Southwest is betting that the added bag fees will outweigh the loss of business from travelers who look closely at the costs on top of ticket prices. Rivals on Tuesday saw an opening.

“I think clearly there are some customers who chose them because of that, and now those customers are up for grabs,” said Delta Airlines President Glen Hauenstein, speaking at the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference.

Yet in the current economic environment, keeping travel affordable may play an outsized roll in staying competitive. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-economy-tariffs-stock-musk-business-8a5f28d9bb16e0b8a924d99ead0907fa">trade war initiated by President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is roiling U.S. markets and dampening the high-flying optimism prevalent last year among businesses and households.

To start the week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/delta-air-lines-guidance-stock-price-695f8f59b78e894841755199b0a30b4e">Delta slashed its quarterly earnings and revenue expectations</a>, saying that a recent decline in consumer and corporate confidence over the economy is weakening domestic demand. Shares of Delta have tumbled 24% this year.

Shares of United have slumped 22%, JetBlue 27% and American Airlines a whopping 32%.

On Tuesday, Southwest cut its own expectations for the quarter. The airline now anticipates revenue per available seat mile will rise between 2% and 4%. That is down sharply from its previous projections of a 5% to 7% increase. The airline said it expects capacity to be down about 2%.

The airline announced last year that along with giving passengers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-assigned-seats-earnings-6869dbe31934c87e049c9e428eae7761">assigned seats</a>, it would charge them extra for with more legroom and offer red-eye flights.

BY&nbsp;MICHELLE CHAPMAN Associated Press<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-airlines-faa-4f8a7b71070de5e93097535f610124c1">Southwest Airlines</a>&nbsp;will begin charging customers a fee to check bags, abandoning a decades-long practice that executives had described last fall as key to differentiating&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-airlines-cabin-service-a2766c4de881e1467900b392789457de">the budget carrier</a>&nbsp;from its rivals.Southwest, which built years of advertising campaigns around its policy of letting passengers check up to two bags for free, said Tuesday that people who haven’t either reached the upper tiers of its Rapid Rewards loyalty program, bought a business class ticket or hold the airline’s credit card will have to pay for checked bags.The airline did not outline the fee schedule but said the new policy would start with flights booked on May 28.“We have tremendous opportunity to meet current and future customer needs, attract new customer segments we don’t compete for today, and return to the levels of profitability that both we and our shareholders expect,” CEO Bob Jordan said in a statement.Less than a year ago, the Dallas-based airline announced it was doing away with another tradition, the open-boarding system it has used for more than 50 years. Southwest expects to begin operating flights with passengers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-changes-seating-boarding-hedge-fund-ba6a97380df6201e9a35335d3202fc8a">in assigned seats</a>&nbsp;next year.Southwest has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-airlines-lowers-outlook-hedge-fund-a8cfdb619410757b96f108b45565ca1b">struggled recently</a>&nbsp;and is under pressure from activist investors to boost profits and revenue. The airline&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-american-airlines-earnings-elliott-management-947a14e29e80503a459331393954df2b">reached a truce</a>&nbsp;in October with hedge fund Elliott Investment Management to avoid a proxy fight, but Elliott won several seats on the company board.The airline announced last month that it was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-airlines-layoffs-29a0daf8f8091ae2b0a9c11282138464">eliminating</a>&nbsp;1,750 jobs, or 15% of its corporate workforce, in the first major layoffs in the company’s 53-year history.The job cuts, which were scheduled to be mostly completed by the end of June, are part of a plan to slash costs and transform the company into a “leaner, faster, and more agile organization,” Jordan said at the time.Southwest’s stock rose more than 9% Tuesday.As recently as Southwest’s investor day in late September, airline executives described the bags-fly-free as the most important feature in setting Southwest apart from rivals. All other leading U.S. airlines charge for checked luggage, and Wall Street has long argued that Southwest was leaving money behind.The airline estimated in September that charging bag fees would bring in about $1.5 billion a year but cost the airline $1.8 billion in lost business from customers who chose to fly Southwest because of its generous baggage allowance.Southwest said Tuesday that it would continue to offer two free checked bags to Rapid Rewards A-List preferred members and customers traveling on Business Select fares, and one free checked bag to A-List members and other select customers. Passengers with Rapid Rewards credit cards will receive a credit for one checked bag.People who don’t qualify for those categories will get charged to check bags. The airline said that it also would roll out a new, basic fare on its lowest priced tickets when the change takes effect.“I would rather have the free checked bags, that’s for sure,” said customer Dorothy Severson, who was awaiting a flight Tuesday at Chicago Midway International Airport. “It’s one of the main reasons I still fly Southwest.”Southwest is betting that the added bag fees will outweigh the loss of business from travelers who look closely at the costs on top of ticket prices. Rivals on Tuesday saw an opening.“I think clearly there are some customers who chose them because of that, and now those customers are up for grabs,” said Delta Airlines President Glen Hauenstein, speaking at the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference.Yet in the current economic environment, keeping travel affordable may play an outsized roll in staying competitive. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-economy-tariffs-stock-musk-business-8a5f28d9bb16e0b8a924d99ead0907fa">trade war initiated by President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is roiling U.S. markets and dampening the high-flying optimism prevalent last year among businesses and households.To start the week,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/delta-air-lines-guidance-stock-price-695f8f59b78e894841755199b0a30b4e">Delta slashed its quarterly earnings and revenue expectations</a>, saying that a recent decline in consumer and corporate confidence over the economy is weakening domestic demand. Shares of Delta have tumbled 24% this year.Shares of United have slumped 22%, JetBlue 27% and American Airlines a whopping 32%.On Tuesday, Southwest cut its own expectations for the quarter. The airline now anticipates revenue per available seat mile will rise between 2% and 4%. That is down sharply from its previous projections of a 5% to 7% increase. The airline said it expects capacity to be down about 2%.The airline announced last year that along with giving passengers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-assigned-seats-earnings-6869dbe31934c87e049c9e428eae7761">assigned seats</a>, it would charge them extra for with more legroom and offer red-eye flights.<h2>____</h2>

At Southwest Airlines, checked bags will no longer fly for free

HaysMed is pleased to announce the appointment of Joben Rieth as the permanent Chief Nursing Officer, effective March 10, 2025, following a national search and comprehensive interview process.

 Since joining HaysMed in an interim capacity in October 2024, Rieth has exemplified a leadership style rooted in transparency, direct engagement, and a profound commitment to patient care.

Throughout his tenure at HaysMed, Rieth has actively worked to understand the hospital’s systems and processes deeply, forging meaningful connections with both associates and patients. His approach has positioned him to effectively lead and implement strategic initiatives, leveraging a solid grasp of operational strengths and areas for growth.

During recent discussions about his journey in healthcare and his vision for the future, Rieth shared insights into the challenges he has faced and his strategic responses.

"One of the main challenges has been navigating the complexities of healthcare regulations while striving to improve patient care efficiency," Rieth said. "We've addressed these challenges by fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptation. I've initiated regular feedback sessions and have been working closely with the Associates to implement innovative solutions that enhance our service delivery without compromising care quality."

Rieth also unveiled an exciting initiative for the upcoming year.

"I'm thrilled to announce that we are implementing the 'BEE Award.' Similar to the Daisy Award, this recognition program will honor the invaluable contributions of our non-nursing staff members, such as our environmental services, administrative personnel, and support staff," he explained. 

"These team members are crucial to our operations and significantly contribute to a positive environment for both patients and healthcare providers. The BEE Award aims to spotlight their dedication and the compassionate care they provide daily, which are vital to our success and patient satisfaction."

Furthermore, Rieth discussed his ongoing efforts to enhance the work environment for HaysMed’s nursing staff. "My goal is to maintain an environment where our nurses feel valued, respected, and motivated," he remarked.

"We are enhancing our professional development programs to provide more growth opportunities for our nursing staff. Additionally, we're improving our work-life balance initiatives&nbsp;to ensure that our nurses can manage their professional responsibilities while enjoying personal fulfillment and well-being," Rieth said.

Eddie Herrman, president and CEO of HaysMed, warmly welcomed Rieth's permanent role, stating, "We are thrilled to have Joben step into the role of Chief Nursing Officer at HaysMed. Joben's unique blend of compassion, leadership, and expertise in nursing aligns perfectly with our mission to provide exceptional care. His proactive approach and commitment to excellence are exactly what we need to continue advancing our services and supporting our community. Welcome aboard, Joben!"

HaysMed is enthusiastic about the positive changes Rieth’s leadership will bring and is proud to welcome him to his new role.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741705657044.jpeg" alt="Joben Rieth. Photo by Hays Medical Center" />
 <figcaption>Joben Rieth. Photo by Hays Medical Center</figcaption>
 </figure>HaysMedHaysMed is pleased to announce the appointment of Joben Rieth as the permanent Chief Nursing Officer, effective March 10, 2025, following a national search and comprehensive interview process. Since joining HaysMed in an interim capacity in October 2024, Rieth has exemplified a leadership style rooted in transparency, direct engagement, and a profound commitment to patient care.Throughout his tenure at HaysMed, Rieth has actively worked to understand the hospital’s systems and processes deeply, forging meaningful connections with both associates and patients. His approach has positioned him to effectively lead and implement strategic initiatives, leveraging a solid grasp of operational strengths and areas for growth.During recent discussions about his journey in healthcare and his vision for the future, Rieth shared insights into the challenges he has faced and his strategic responses."One of the main challenges has been navigating the complexities of healthcare regulations while striving to improve patient care efficiency," Rieth said. "We've addressed these challenges by fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptation. I've initiated regular feedback sessions and have been working closely with the Associates to implement innovative solutions that enhance our service delivery without compromising care quality."Rieth also unveiled an exciting initiative for the upcoming year. "I'm thrilled to announce that we are implementing the 'BEE Award.' Similar to the Daisy Award, this recognition program will honor the invaluable contributions of our non-nursing staff members, such as our environmental services, administrative personnel, and support staff," he explained. "These team members are crucial to our operations and significantly contribute to a positive environment for both patients and healthcare providers. The BEE Award aims to spotlight their dedication and the compassionate care they provide daily, which are vital to our success and patient satisfaction."Furthermore, Rieth discussed his ongoing efforts to enhance the work environment for HaysMed’s nursing staff. "My goal is to maintain an environment where our nurses feel valued, respected, and motivated," he remarked."We are enhancing our professional development programs to provide more growth opportunities for our nursing staff. Additionally, we're improving our work-life balance initiatives&nbsp;to ensure that our nurses can manage their professional responsibilities while enjoying personal fulfillment and well-being," Rieth said.Eddie Herrman, president and CEO of HaysMed, warmly welcomed Rieth's permanent role, stating, "We are thrilled to have Joben step into the role of Chief Nursing Officer at HaysMed. Joben's unique blend of compassion, leadership, and expertise in nursing aligns perfectly with our mission to provide exceptional care. His proactive approach and commitment to excellence are exactly what we need to continue advancing our services and supporting our community. Welcome aboard, Joben!"HaysMed is enthusiastic about the positive changes Rieth’s leadership will bring and is proud to welcome him to his new role.