Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers was in a familiar spot earlier this month when Republican legislators sent him a bill that would have banned anti-racist teachings in schools. For the 66th time since taking office in 2019, he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-wisconsin-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-legislature-8db54c00be82e0183ac6badc2d4c0804">pulled out his veto pen</a>.

The rejection was the latest reminder of the crucial role Evers and a select group of fellow Democratic governors play in some of the most politically divided states. They are the only backstop against a wave of GOP-backed legislation targeting everything from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-d42fda272f2276b9a3e340763752a609">abortion rights</a>&nbsp;and school curricula to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-election-2020-voting-voting-rights-health-3f46e438bf9368d9b3535824e8c6c911">access to voting</a>.

“I have to prevent some really bad things from happening,” Evers said in an interview. “It is a bit lonely, but I know I’m representing the people of Wisconsin.”

Wisconsin is one of four states emerging as top priorities for Democrats in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/midterm-elections">an election year</a>&nbsp;when the party is facing fierce political headwinds. In those states — Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — Republicans control the state Legislatures and Democratic-held governorships are on the ballot in the fall.

If the governorships switch parties, a flood of GOP legislation that has so far been blocked would likely become law. That’s especially concerning for Democrats when it comes to voting rights. The four incumbents — Evers, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf — have vetoed more than a dozen bills aimed at restricting voting.

Those moves were particularly important in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, all narrowly divided states that could decide the 2024 presidential election. If Republicans win the governor’s race in any of those states, they will almost certainly approve voting restrictions that have so far been rejected.

In Wisconsin, for example, the Legislature is fast-tracking a host of bills changing election administration and voting rules, all of which Evers is expected to veto but that other Republican candidates for governor support.

Governors also have an important role in the mechanics of presidential elections — under federal law, the electors they say reflect the winners of their state get extra weight in any congressional fight over certifying the choice of the next president. That means in more extreme scenarios, GOP governors may seek to reject Democratic electors in a presidential race, a step&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-electoral-college-elections-0ee1ccae092c21bc8e8c3ace90208cac">then-President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;pressed some Republicans to take in 2020.

Many GOP candidates running for governor this year have expressed support for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-fact-check-joe-biden-donald-trump-technology-49a24edd6d10888dbad61689c24b05a5">Trump’s lie that the last election was stolen</a>. In Wisconsin last week, state Rep. Timothy Ramthun, a conspiracy theorist who was disciplined by Republican leadership over false election claims,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wisconsin-elections-media-election-2020-52fa80d33c56621f3a35c845b2a75553">filed paperwork</a>&nbsp;to run for governor.

Federal and state election officials and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d">Trump’s own attorney general</a>&nbsp;have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former president’s allegations of fraud were also roundly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-pennsylvania-elections-talk-radio-433b6efe72720d8648221f405c2111f9">rejected by courts</a>, including by judges Trump appointed.

Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, the head of the Democratic Governors Association, said the four governors are “standing in the breach against Republican state legislatures’ attacks on voting rights.”

Cooper, who also contends with a Republican legislature, said the governors are “protecting the foundation of our democracy.”

Republicans argue that Democrats are being obstructionist and simply refusing to work with the party that controls the legislatures in their states.

“An inability to work effectively with their legislature, regardless of party control, will ultimately be viewed by voters as a failure of leadership,” said Phil Cox, a Republican strategist and former executive director of the Republican Governors Association.

Democrats aren’t limiting their work this year to protecting their position in the four states in question. They are also hoping to pick up Republican-held seats in states like Georgia, Massachusetts and Maryland.

But the DGA is stepping up its opposition research efforts on Republican candidates in Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. And the Democratic candidates themselves are sitting on sizable campaign accounts.

At the end of 2021, Evers had about $10 million while Josh Shapiro, the likely Democratic nominee for governor in Pennsylvania, had $13 million, according to state campaign records. In Kansas, Kelly is expected to have a more difficult bid for reelection than in 2018, when she won in a three-way race. She had $2 million at the end of last year.

And in Michigan, Whitmer was sitting on $10 million. An independent expenditure group affiliated with the DGA also ran a pro-Whitmer ad in Michigan worth roughly $200,000 during December and January.

Whitmer has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-voting-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-legislature-60cd10512a22d8167e9f12a3ca589282">vetoed multiple bills</a>&nbsp;that would make it harder to vote, rejecting nine such measures in October alone.

“Gov. Whitmer is the backstop in a world where, if Republicans were to control legislative chambers and the governor’s office in any of these states, stripping voting rights would just automatically become law,” said Patrick Schuh, Michigan director of the Democratic-leaning voter access advocacy group America Votes.

One measure would have tacked on extra identification requirements for absentee ballot requests and blocked the state’s top election official from sending vote-by-mail requests out widely. Republicans have been forced to try to end-run Whitmer by attempting a ballot initiative, one that Schuh’s group hopes to counter with its own.

In Pennsylvania, Wolf&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pa-state-wire-business-bills-elections-government-and-politics-8400bdb8742fe7a04b3b469c7136b498">blocked similar efforts</a>, vetoing a massive bill that also would have reduced the days drop boxes for absentee ballots would be open. Wolf, finishing his second four-year term, is not seeking reelection, but Shapiro supports his vetoes.

Those Democrats have some advantages that could help them politically this year, including robust budget surpluses, state revenue that outperformed dire&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic">coronavirus pandemic</a>&nbsp;forecasts and billions in federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-vote-coronavirus-relief-package-33f4902ca9a2aed4e76274af6bb2ea5c">COVID-19 relief</a>&nbsp;and incoming infrastructure money.

In Wisconsin, Evers has plans for the state’s largest budget surplus, $3 billion, including child care tax credits for working families and similar credits for full-time volunteer caregivers for the elderly and homebound, moves he sees as smart use of extra money at a time of need. With the flatness of low expectations, the mild-mannered former state school superintendent said he hopes Republicans “take a look at it.”

“I think the Republicans will be hard-pressed to say no to this. But they’ve done it before,” Evers said. “Whatever the number I’ve vetoed, it’s paltry compared to the number I’m going to.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641933594915.png" alt="Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a candidate for governor in 2022, and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who is seeking re-election. (Photos by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a candidate for governor in 2022, and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who is seeking re-election. (Photos by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By THOMAS BEAUMONT, Associated PressWisconsin Gov. Tony Evers was in a familiar spot earlier this month when Republican legislators sent him a bill that would have banned anti-racist teachings in schools. For the 66th time since taking office in 2019, he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-wisconsin-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-legislature-8db54c00be82e0183ac6badc2d4c0804">pulled out his veto pen</a>.The rejection was the latest reminder of the crucial role Evers and a select group of fellow Democratic governors play in some of the most politically divided states. They are the only backstop against a wave of GOP-backed legislation targeting everything from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-d42fda272f2276b9a3e340763752a609">abortion rights</a>&nbsp;and school curricula to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-election-2020-voting-voting-rights-health-3f46e438bf9368d9b3535824e8c6c911">access to voting</a>.“I have to prevent some really bad things from happening,” Evers said in an interview. “It is a bit lonely, but I know I’m representing the people of Wisconsin.”Wisconsin is one of four states emerging as top priorities for Democrats in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/midterm-elections">an election year</a>&nbsp;when the party is facing fierce political headwinds. In those states — Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — Republicans control the state Legislatures and Democratic-held governorships are on the ballot in the fall.If the governorships switch parties, a flood of GOP legislation that has so far been blocked would likely become law. That’s especially concerning for Democrats when it comes to voting rights. The four incumbents — Evers, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf — have vetoed more than a dozen bills aimed at restricting voting.Those moves were particularly important in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, all narrowly divided states that could decide the 2024 presidential election. If Republicans win the governor’s race in any of those states, they will almost certainly approve voting restrictions that have so far been rejected.In Wisconsin, for example, the Legislature is fast-tracking a host of bills changing election administration and voting rules, all of which Evers is expected to veto but that other Republican candidates for governor support.Governors also have an important role in the mechanics of presidential elections — under federal law, the electors they say reflect the winners of their state get extra weight in any congressional fight over certifying the choice of the next president. That means in more extreme scenarios, GOP governors may seek to reject Democratic electors in a presidential race, a step&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-electoral-college-elections-0ee1ccae092c21bc8e8c3ace90208cac">then-President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;pressed some Republicans to take in 2020.Many GOP candidates running for governor this year have expressed support for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-fact-check-joe-biden-donald-trump-technology-49a24edd6d10888dbad61689c24b05a5">Trump’s lie that the last election was stolen</a>. In Wisconsin last week, state Rep. Timothy Ramthun, a conspiracy theorist who was disciplined by Republican leadership over false election claims,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wisconsin-elections-media-election-2020-52fa80d33c56621f3a35c845b2a75553">filed paperwork</a>&nbsp;to run for governor.Federal and state election officials and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d">Trump’s own attorney general</a>&nbsp;have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former president’s allegations of fraud were also roundly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-pennsylvania-elections-talk-radio-433b6efe72720d8648221f405c2111f9">rejected by courts</a>, including by judges Trump appointed.Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, the head of the Democratic Governors Association, said the four governors are “standing in the breach against Republican state legislatures’ attacks on voting rights.”Cooper, who also contends with a Republican legislature, said the governors are “protecting the foundation of our democracy.”Republicans argue that Democrats are being obstructionist and simply refusing to work with the party that controls the legislatures in their states.“An inability to work effectively with their legislature, regardless of party control, will ultimately be viewed by voters as a failure of leadership,” said Phil Cox, a Republican strategist and former executive director of the Republican Governors Association.Democrats aren’t limiting their work this year to protecting their position in the four states in question. They are also hoping to pick up Republican-held seats in states like Georgia, Massachusetts and Maryland.But the DGA is stepping up its opposition research efforts on Republican candidates in Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. And the Democratic candidates themselves are sitting on sizable campaign accounts.At the end of 2021, Evers had about $10 million while Josh Shapiro, the likely Democratic nominee for governor in Pennsylvania, had $13 million, according to state campaign records. In Kansas, Kelly is expected to have a more difficult bid for reelection than in 2018, when she won in a three-way race. She had $2 million at the end of last year.And in Michigan, Whitmer was sitting on $10 million. An independent expenditure group affiliated with the DGA also ran a pro-Whitmer ad in Michigan worth roughly $200,000 during December and January.Whitmer has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-voting-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-legislature-60cd10512a22d8167e9f12a3ca589282">vetoed multiple bills</a>&nbsp;that would make it harder to vote, rejecting nine such measures in October alone.“Gov. Whitmer is the backstop in a world where, if Republicans were to control legislative chambers and the governor’s office in any of these states, stripping voting rights would just automatically become law,” said Patrick Schuh, Michigan director of the Democratic-leaning voter access advocacy group America Votes.One measure would have tacked on extra identification requirements for absentee ballot requests and blocked the state’s top election official from sending vote-by-mail requests out widely. Republicans have been forced to try to end-run Whitmer by attempting a ballot initiative, one that Schuh’s group hopes to counter with its own.In Pennsylvania, Wolf&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pa-state-wire-business-bills-elections-government-and-politics-8400bdb8742fe7a04b3b469c7136b498">blocked similar efforts</a>, vetoing a massive bill that also would have reduced the days drop boxes for absentee ballots would be open. Wolf, finishing his second four-year term, is not seeking reelection, but Shapiro supports his vetoes.Those Democrats have some advantages that could help them politically this year, including robust budget surpluses, state revenue that outperformed dire&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic">coronavirus pandemic</a>&nbsp;forecasts and billions in federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-vote-coronavirus-relief-package-33f4902ca9a2aed4e76274af6bb2ea5c">COVID-19 relief</a>&nbsp;and incoming infrastructure money.In Wisconsin, Evers has plans for the state’s largest budget surplus, $3 billion, including child care tax credits for working families and similar credits for full-time volunteer caregivers for the elderly and homebound, moves he sees as smart use of extra money at a time of need. With the flatness of low expectations, the mild-mannered former state school superintendent said he hopes Republicans “take a look at it.”“I think the Republicans will be hard-pressed to say no to this. But they’ve done it before,” Evers said. “Whatever the number I’ve vetoed, it’s paltry compared to the number I’m going to.”___

Democrats eye key governors' races as backstop against GOP

Phillipsburg resident Mike Engling passed away February 12, 2022,&nbsp; peacefully at his home surrounded by family and friends at the age of 
64.

He was born October 17, 1957, in Plainville, KS the son of Edward M. 
Engling Sr. and Clara R. (Golembiewski) Engling.&nbsp; He graduated from the 
Plainville High School.

Following high school Mike went to work for Tom’s Machine and Welding
 Service in Plainville, KS, then for Kyle Railroad in 1989 in 
Phillipsburg, KS.&nbsp; He later returned to Tom’s Machine followed by 
G&amp;S Roustabout in Demar.

He was united in marriage to Dee Chandler on June 20, 2003, in Phillipsburg, KS.

Survivors include his wife Dee of Phillipsburg; 6 step-daughters 
Bonnie Garman of Salina, Staci Smith of McPherson, Casey Ralphs of Utah,
 Stacey Goscha of Tulsa, OK, Trisha McMullen of Salina, and Erica Tatro 
of Salina; a step-son Dustin Peterson of Phillipsburg; 11 grandchildren;
 5 great grandchildren; 3 brothers Edward Engling, Jr. and Andrew 
Engling both of Natoma, and Anthony Engling of Salina; and a sister 
Christine Hoffman of Hays.

Cremation was planned.&nbsp; A private family service will take place at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Mike Engling Memorial Fund 
c/o Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, PO Box 563, Phillipsburg, KS&nbsp; 67661.

Phillipsburg resident Mike Engling passed away February 12, 2022,&nbsp; peacefully at his home surrounded by family and friends at the age of 
64.He was born October 17, 1957, in Plainville, KS the son of Edward M. 
Engling Sr. and Clara R. (Golembiewski) Engling.&nbsp; He graduated from the 
Plainville High School.Following high school Mike went to work for Tom’s Machine and Welding
 Service in Plainville, KS, then for Kyle Railroad in 1989 in 
Phillipsburg, KS.&nbsp; He later returned to Tom’s Machine followed by 
G&amp;S Roustabout in Demar.He was united in marriage to Dee Chandler on June 20, 2003, in Phillipsburg, KS.He was preceded in death by his parents.Survivors include his wife Dee of Phillipsburg; 6 step-daughters 
Bonnie Garman of Salina, Staci Smith of McPherson, Casey Ralphs of Utah,
 Stacey Goscha of Tulsa, OK, Trisha McMullen of Salina, and Erica Tatro 
of Salina; a step-son Dustin Peterson of Phillipsburg; 11 grandchildren;
 5 great grandchildren; 3 brothers Edward Engling, Jr. and Andrew 
Engling both of Natoma, and Anthony Engling of Salina; and a sister 
Christine Hoffman of Hays.Cremation was planned.&nbsp; A private family service will take place at a later date.Memorial contributions may be made to the Mike Engling Memorial Fund 
c/o Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, PO Box 563, Phillipsburg, KS&nbsp; 67661.

Mike Engling

Ernest Jule Mudd, 78, died Friday February 11, 2022, at Lane County 
Hospital in Dighton, Kansas. He was born October 31, 1943, and was the 
adopted son of Marvin &amp; Ethel Mudd of Alamota, Kansas. 
All he ever wanted to do was work on the farm. He was dedicated to his 
cattle as well as farming the ground. In his youth he liked fast cars 
&amp; fast boats, if he had free time he was always tinkering on a 
vehicle, or at the lake. He was always looking for an opportunity to 
play practical jokes or stump you with a novelty puzzle or game. 
On Oct. 21, 1978, he married Carolyn Kay Bartlett. Through this union, he
 adopted Kay's two children - Robert (Bob) and Jennifer. In 1979, their 
daughter Melissa was born. After Kay retired from the FSA office, they 
began their crafting business, Mudd Puddle Creations. He enjoyed 
hunting, creating various crafts, and spending time with family and 
friends.&nbsp; 
He was preceded in death by his parents, Marvin and Ethel Mudd. His wife Carolyn Kay Mudd. And grandchild Jordan Mudd. 
He is survived by his Children- Bob Mudd of Dighton, Kansas Jennifer 
&amp; Marty Garcia of Arvada, Colorado, Melissa &amp; Jarric of 
Lawrence, Kansas 8 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren and Sister- Lola
 &amp; Jim Mote of Wichita, Kansas. 
Memorial Services will be held at 2:00 pm Saturday February 19, 2022, at 
the First Christian Church in Dighton, Kansas with Alana Chapman 
officiating. Services will also be available via Facebook Live on the 
Garnand Funeral Homes Facebook Page. Memorial contributions are 
suggested to the Ernest Mudd Memorial Fund in care of Boomhower Funeral 
Home. Condolences may be posted by visiting www.garnandfuneralhomes.com 
Boomhower Funeral Home 145 N. Wichita P.O. Box 891 Dighton, Ks 67839&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644856907462.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Ernest Jule Mudd, 78, died Friday February 11, 2022, at Lane County 
Hospital in Dighton, Kansas. He was born October 31, 1943, and was the 
adopted son of Marvin &amp; Ethel Mudd of Alamota, Kansas. 
All he ever wanted to do was work on the farm. He was dedicated to his 
cattle as well as farming the ground. In his youth he liked fast cars 
&amp; fast boats, if he had free time he was always tinkering on a 
vehicle, or at the lake. He was always looking for an opportunity to 
play practical jokes or stump you with a novelty puzzle or game. 
On Oct. 21, 1978, he married Carolyn Kay Bartlett. Through this union, he
 adopted Kay's two children - Robert (Bob) and Jennifer. In 1979, their 
daughter Melissa was born. After Kay retired from the FSA office, they 
began their crafting business, Mudd Puddle Creations. He enjoyed 
hunting, creating various crafts, and spending time with family and 
friends.&nbsp; 
He was preceded in death by his parents, Marvin and Ethel Mudd. His wife Carolyn Kay Mudd. And grandchild Jordan Mudd. 
He is survived by his Children- Bob Mudd of Dighton, Kansas Jennifer 
&amp; Marty Garcia of Arvada, Colorado, Melissa &amp; Jarric of 
Lawrence, Kansas 8 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren and Sister- Lola
 &amp; Jim Mote of Wichita, Kansas. 
Memorial Services will be held at 2:00 pm Saturday February 19, 2022, at 
the First Christian Church in Dighton, Kansas with Alana Chapman 
officiating. Services will also be available via Facebook Live on the 
Garnand Funeral Homes Facebook Page. Memorial contributions are 
suggested to the Ernest Mudd Memorial Fund in care of Boomhower Funeral 
Home. Condolences may be posted by visiting www.garnandfuneralhomes.com 
Boomhower Funeral Home 145 N. Wichita P.O. Box 891 Dighton, Ks 67839&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Ernest Jule Mudd

George and Cooper Gier, of Russell, Kansas, died in a tragic car 
accident on Friday, February 11, 2022, in rural Russell County, Kansas.

George Cecil Gier was born on June 28, 1981, in Salina, Kansas, the 
son of Leo G. and Marian K. (Cooper) Gier.&nbsp; He grew up in Osborne, 
Kansas, and graduated from Osborne High School in the class of 1999.&nbsp; 
After high school he played football for 2 years at Highland Community 
College.&nbsp; He was united in marriage to Marcia Dawn Woodyard on October 
07, 2006 in Manhattan, Kansas.&nbsp; From this union they were blessed with 
two children Hailey and Cooper.&nbsp; He worked as a ranch hand and was 100% 
country and cowboy.&nbsp; He was a member of St. John Lutheran Church in 
Russell, lifelong 4-H member, American Quarter Horse Association, and 
former Fire Chief in Wheaton, Kansas.&nbsp; He enjoyed spending time 
performing his ranch chores, tending cattle, being outdoors, working and
 competing in rodeos, working with his horses and cattle dogs, hunting 
and teaching his children to appreciate the things he loved.&nbsp; Most of 
all he enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, laughing, 
being a goof ball and having a good time.

Cooper Francis Gier was born on June 03, 2011, in Manhattan, Kansas, 
the son of George and Marcia (Woodyard) Gier.&nbsp; He attended Bickerdyke 
Elementary in Russell, Kansas.&nbsp; He was a member of St. John Lutheran 
Church in Russell, Fossil Creek 4-H, Bickerdyke Bunch, 2 x 5 youth group
 and Russell Recreation football and basketball teams. &nbsp;He enjoyed 
helping his father with his ranch chores, pestering his sister, being 
outdoors, playing football, playing with his friends, spending time with
 his family and snuggling with his mom and dad.&nbsp;

Surviving family include wife and mother Marcia, daughter and sister 
Hailey both of the home; George’s parents Leo and Marian Gier of 
Osborne, Kansas; Marcia’s parents Daryl and Cathy Woodyard of Wamego, 
Kansas; George’s brother Garred Gier of Concordia, Kansas and Marcia’s 
brother Brandon Woodyard and wife Kristy of Denver, Colorado; George’s 
grandmother and Cooper’s great grandmother Lois Cooper of Lucas, Kansas.
 A celebration of George’s and Cooper’s life will be held at 10:30 A.M. 
on Saturday, February 19, 2022, at the St. Mary Queen of Angels Catholic
 Church in Russell, Kansas.&nbsp; Burial will follow at the St. John Lutheran
 Cemetery in Russell.&nbsp; Visitation will be from 9 A.M. to 8 P.M., Friday,
 February 18, 2022, at the mortuary with family greeting guests from 6 
P.M. to 8 P.M. Friday evening.&nbsp; 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests 
memorials be given to the Russell County 4-H and sent in care of the 
mortuary.&nbsp; Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in 
charge of the funeral service arrangements.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644847258212.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>George and Cooper Gier, of Russell, Kansas, died in a tragic car 
accident on Friday, February 11, 2022, in rural Russell County, Kansas.George Cecil Gier was born on June 28, 1981, in Salina, Kansas, the 
son of Leo G. and Marian K. (Cooper) Gier.&nbsp; He grew up in Osborne, 
Kansas, and graduated from Osborne High School in the class of 1999.&nbsp; 
After high school he played football for 2 years at Highland Community 
College.&nbsp; He was united in marriage to Marcia Dawn Woodyard on October 
07, 2006 in Manhattan, Kansas.&nbsp; From this union they were blessed with 
two children Hailey and Cooper.&nbsp; He worked as a ranch hand and was 100% 
country and cowboy.&nbsp; He was a member of St. John Lutheran Church in 
Russell, lifelong 4-H member, American Quarter Horse Association, and 
former Fire Chief in Wheaton, Kansas.&nbsp; He enjoyed spending time 
performing his ranch chores, tending cattle, being outdoors, working and
 competing in rodeos, working with his horses and cattle dogs, hunting 
and teaching his children to appreciate the things he loved.&nbsp; Most of 
all he enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, laughing, 
being a goof ball and having a good time.Cooper Francis Gier was born on June 03, 2011, in Manhattan, Kansas, 
the son of George and Marcia (Woodyard) Gier.&nbsp; He attended Bickerdyke 
Elementary in Russell, Kansas.&nbsp; He was a member of St. John Lutheran 
Church in Russell, Fossil Creek 4-H, Bickerdyke Bunch, 2 x 5 youth group
 and Russell Recreation football and basketball teams. &nbsp;He enjoyed 
helping his father with his ranch chores, pestering his sister, being 
outdoors, playing football, playing with his friends, spending time with
 his family and snuggling with his mom and dad.&nbsp;Surviving family include wife and mother Marcia, daughter and sister 
Hailey both of the home; George’s parents Leo and Marian Gier of 
Osborne, Kansas; Marcia’s parents Daryl and Cathy Woodyard of Wamego, 
Kansas; George’s brother Garred Gier of Concordia, Kansas and Marcia’s 
brother Brandon Woodyard and wife Kristy of Denver, Colorado; George’s 
grandmother and Cooper’s great grandmother Lois Cooper of Lucas, Kansas.
 A celebration of George’s and Cooper’s life will be held at 10:30 A.M. 
on Saturday, February 19, 2022, at the St. Mary Queen of Angels Catholic
 Church in Russell, Kansas.&nbsp; Burial will follow at the St. John Lutheran
 Cemetery in Russell.&nbsp; Visitation will be from 9 A.M. to 8 P.M., Friday,
 February 18, 2022, at the mortuary with family greeting guests from 6 
P.M. to 8 P.M. Friday evening.&nbsp; In lieu of flowers, the family requests 
memorials be given to the Russell County 4-H and sent in care of the 
mortuary.&nbsp; Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in 
charge of the funeral service arrangements.

George and Cooper Gier

Edwin Carl Hofstetter, 100 years 8 months, passed away February 11, 
2022, at Providence Place in Kansas City, Kansas. Edwin was born June 
10, 1921, to Henry and Williamina (Beisner) Hofstetter at their home in 
rural Osborne County north of Natoma, Kansas. He graduated from Natoma 
High School. He joined the United States Army in 1942 and served as a 
Staff Sergeant in the European Theater of Operations during World War 
II. He left the military at the end of the war in October 1945. He 
received the American Theater Campaign Medal; World War II Victory 
Medal; EAME Campaign Medal with two Bronze Stars; and a Good Conduct 
Medal.

He married Neita Luhman August 28, 1948. They lived at their farm 
north of Natoma where they raised their two sons. Edwin was a lifelong 
member of Peace Lutheran Church in Natoma and over the years served the 
congregation in several positions. He belonged to the Russell V.F.W. 
Post #6240, served on the Round Mound Township Board, and the Natoma 
School Board. After retiring from farming, Ed and Neita moved to their 
home in Natoma. They celebrated 65 years of marriage. Edwin enjoyed 
pitching horseshoes, playing basketball, playing pitch and pinochle, 
hunting, and watching K. U. sports. Most of all he enjoyed spending time
 with his family, especially his grandchildren and great grandchildren 
and laughing uncontrollably at a good joke.

Edwin is survived by his sons, Darrel Hofstetter and wife Nancy of 
Tonganoxie, Kansas, and Roy Hofstetter of Cummings, Kansas; and by seven
 grandchildren: Corbin Hofstetter and wife Barb of Shawnee, Kansas, 
Rachael Hofstetter of Smithville, Missouri, Andrea Hofstetter of Kansas 
City, Missouri, Janelle Martinelli and husband Byron of Parkville, 
Missouri, Chad Hofstetter of Cummings, Kansas, Kristyn Sweeney and 
husband Sean of Spring Hill, Kansas, Joshua Hofstetter and wife Rebecca 
of Carroll, Iowa, and by 12 great grandchildren. He is also survived by 
his younger brother Paul Hofstetter (96) and wife Deloris of Hill City, 
Kansas and many nieces and nephews.

Edwin was preceded in death by his parents, wife Neita, brother Ernest Hofstetter, and sister Frieda Pfortmiller.

Edwin’s funeral will be held at 11 A.M. on Friday, February 18, 2022,
 at the Peace Lutheran Church in Natoma, Kansas.&nbsp; Burial will follow at 
the North Lutheran Cemetery north of Natoma.&nbsp; Military honors will be 
provided by the Russell V.F.W. Post 6240.&nbsp; Visitation will be from 9:30 
A.M. to 10:45 A.M. at the church the day of the service.&nbsp; 

Memorials may 
be given to the Lutheran Hour Ministries and sent in care of the 
mortuary.&nbsp; Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in 
charge of the funeral service arrangements.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644847205987.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Edwin Carl Hofstetter, 100 years 8 months, passed away February 11, 
2022, at Providence Place in Kansas City, Kansas. Edwin was born June 
10, 1921, to Henry and Williamina (Beisner) Hofstetter at their home in 
rural Osborne County north of Natoma, Kansas. He graduated from Natoma 
High School. He joined the United States Army in 1942 and served as a 
Staff Sergeant in the European Theater of Operations during World War 
II. He left the military at the end of the war in October 1945. He 
received the American Theater Campaign Medal; World War II Victory 
Medal; EAME Campaign Medal with two Bronze Stars; and a Good Conduct 
Medal.He married Neita Luhman August 28, 1948. They lived at their farm 
north of Natoma where they raised their two sons. Edwin was a lifelong 
member of Peace Lutheran Church in Natoma and over the years served the 
congregation in several positions. He belonged to the Russell V.F.W. 
Post #6240, served on the Round Mound Township Board, and the Natoma 
School Board. After retiring from farming, Ed and Neita moved to their 
home in Natoma. They celebrated 65 years of marriage. Edwin enjoyed 
pitching horseshoes, playing basketball, playing pitch and pinochle, 
hunting, and watching K. U. sports. Most of all he enjoyed spending time
 with his family, especially his grandchildren and great grandchildren 
and laughing uncontrollably at a good joke.Edwin is survived by his sons, Darrel Hofstetter and wife Nancy of 
Tonganoxie, Kansas, and Roy Hofstetter of Cummings, Kansas; and by seven
 grandchildren: Corbin Hofstetter and wife Barb of Shawnee, Kansas, 
Rachael Hofstetter of Smithville, Missouri, Andrea Hofstetter of Kansas 
City, Missouri, Janelle Martinelli and husband Byron of Parkville, 
Missouri, Chad Hofstetter of Cummings, Kansas, Kristyn Sweeney and 
husband Sean of Spring Hill, Kansas, Joshua Hofstetter and wife Rebecca 
of Carroll, Iowa, and by 12 great grandchildren. He is also survived by 
his younger brother Paul Hofstetter (96) and wife Deloris of Hill City, 
Kansas and many nieces and nephews.Edwin was preceded in death by his parents, wife Neita, brother Ernest Hofstetter, and sister Frieda Pfortmiller.Edwin’s funeral will be held at 11 A.M. on Friday, February 18, 2022,
 at the Peace Lutheran Church in Natoma, Kansas.&nbsp; Burial will follow at 
the North Lutheran Cemetery north of Natoma.&nbsp; Military honors will be 
provided by the Russell V.F.W. Post 6240.&nbsp; Visitation will be from 9:30 
A.M. to 10:45 A.M. at the church the day of the service.&nbsp; Memorials may 
be given to the Lutheran Hour Ministries and sent in care of the 
mortuary.&nbsp; Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in 
charge of the funeral service arrangements.

Edwin Carl Hofstetter

Donovan Lyle "Don" Gatewood, 77, formerly of Aurora, CO passed away due to complications from Agent Orange, on January 13, 2022, in Rotonda West, Florida.

Don was born in Hays, Kansas, to Donovan and Virginia Gatewood on October 6, 1944. He attended St. Joseph's Military Academy and graduated in 1962. He went on to honorably serve our country in the United States Army, completing two tours in Vietnam. Later, he went on to earn his Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice. He worked as a Sales Rep for Tweco for 35 years. Don was an avid hunter and fisherman, he enjoyed good music, playing guitar, and he loved Classic Cars/Mopar.

Don is survived by his wife of 45 years, Judy of Rotonda West, FL, his daughter Erin (Ryan) Smith, daughter Niki Gatewood, son Jesse (Jazmine) Gatewood, sister Gwynne Van Scoyk, brother Stephen Fitz James, he has two grandchildren he adored and finally, his "Best Buddy," his dog - Corona.

Memorial services will be announced later.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the MabryAnders.org scholarship fund. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to Tidewell Hospice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.lemonbayfh.com for the GATEWOOD family.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644773227824.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Donovan Lyle "Don" Gatewood, 77, formerly of Aurora, CO passed away due to complications from Agent Orange, on January 13, 2022, in Rotonda West, Florida.Don was born in Hays, Kansas, to Donovan and Virginia Gatewood on October 6, 1944. He attended St. Joseph's Military Academy and graduated in 1962. He went on to honorably serve our country in the United States Army, completing two tours in Vietnam. Later, he went on to earn his Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice. He worked as a Sales Rep for Tweco for 35 years. Don was an avid hunter and fisherman, he enjoyed good music, playing guitar, and he loved Classic Cars/Mopar.Don is survived by his wife of 45 years, Judy of Rotonda West, FL, his daughter Erin (Ryan) Smith, daughter Niki Gatewood, son Jesse (Jazmine) Gatewood, sister Gwynne Van Scoyk, brother Stephen Fitz James, he has two grandchildren he adored and finally, his "Best Buddy," his dog - Corona.Memorial services will be announced later.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the MabryAnders.org scholarship fund. The family wishes to extend their gratitude to Tidewell Hospice.Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.lemonbayfh.com for the GATEWOOD family.

Donovan Lyle 'Don' Gatewood

Sunday, October 21st, 1962-Thursday, February 10th, 2022

An obituary and services are pending with&nbsp;Boomhower Funeral Home, 145 N. Wichita, P.O. Box 891, Dighton, Ks 67839 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644681032435.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Sunday, October 21st, 1962-Thursday, February 10th, 2022An obituary and services are pending with&nbsp;Boomhower Funeral Home, 145 N. Wichita, P.O. Box 891, Dighton, Ks 67839

Alan M. Hanna

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yvonne Robbins

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hamblin declined to comment for this story.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kan. principal ordered to apologize for showing video on racism

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ann S. Schremmer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Other Republicans are following his lead.&nbsp;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

States target ballot drop boxes in fight over voting rights

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tammy Harris Morris

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

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

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

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

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

Daniel Lee Simpson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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