Dorothy Jean Doty, 90, passed away on December 27, 2021, at 
Diversicare of Larned. She was born on December 31, 1930, at Manhattan, 
Kansas, to Clarence Levi &amp; Anna Belle (Marken) Cobler. On May 5, 
1951, she married Ernest Richard Doty in Great Bend, Kansas. He died on 
October 13, 1993.

Dorothy was a Great Bend resident and homemaker. She loved 
all animals and was passionate about taking care and feeding stray cats,
 reading, watching soap operas, and spending time with family, the 
grandkids, and especially the great-grands.

Survivors include one daughter, Wanda (Ron) Heine of Great Bend; one 
sister, Lucille Haines of Great Bend; five grandchildren, Kim (Cecil) 
Petrie, Chris (Kathi) Heine, Jeff (Ann) Heine, Rick (Janelle) Heine, 
Brent (Megan) Heine; seventeen great-grandchildren; and many 
great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; six
 brothers including a twin brother, Donald Cobler; and four sisters.

Visitation will take place on Sunday, January 2, 2022, from 1:00 p.m.
 to 8:00 p.m. at Bryant Funeral Home with family receiving friends from 
3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Monday,
 January 3, 2022, at Bryant Funeral Home with Pastor Michael Munz 
presiding. Interment will follow at Great Bend Cemetery. Memorials can 
be made to the Golden Belt Humane Society or Great Bend Public Library, 
in care of Bryant Funeral Home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640795287040.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Dorothy Jean Doty, 90, passed away on December 27, 2021, at 
Diversicare of Larned. She was born on December 31, 1930, at Manhattan, 
Kansas, to Clarence Levi &amp; Anna Belle (Marken) Cobler. On May 5, 
1951, she married Ernest Richard Doty in Great Bend, Kansas. He died on 
October 13, 1993.Dorothy was a Great Bend resident and homemaker. She loved 
all animals and was passionate about taking care and feeding stray cats,
 reading, watching soap operas, and spending time with family, the 
grandkids, and especially the great-grands.Survivors include one daughter, Wanda (Ron) Heine of Great Bend; one 
sister, Lucille Haines of Great Bend; five grandchildren, Kim (Cecil) 
Petrie, Chris (Kathi) Heine, Jeff (Ann) Heine, Rick (Janelle) Heine, 
Brent (Megan) Heine; seventeen great-grandchildren; and many 
great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; six
 brothers including a twin brother, Donald Cobler; and four sisters.Visitation will take place on Sunday, January 2, 2022, from 1:00 p.m.
 to 8:00 p.m. at Bryant Funeral Home with family receiving friends from 
3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Monday,
 January 3, 2022, at Bryant Funeral Home with Pastor Michael Munz 
presiding. Interment will follow at Great Bend Cemetery. Memorials can 
be made to the Golden Belt Humane Society or Great Bend Public Library, 
in care of Bryant Funeral Home.

Dorothy Jean Doty

Cherie Michelle Belford, 65, passed away on December 27, 2021 at 
Clara Barton Hospital, Hoisington. She was born on October 12, 1956 to 
A. Neal &amp; Opal (Mellies) Reichel. Cherie married Lawrence Belford on
 October 15, 1983 at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Great Bend, 
Kansas. They were inseparable through their years of marriage.

Mrs. Belford was a Hoisington, Kansas resident. She worked for 43 
years at Superior Essex as a Quality Tester. She enjoyed hunting, 
cooking, bowling, butchering/processing meat, and spending time with 
family especially the grandkids.

Survivors include, her husband, Lawrence of the home; two sons, Shawn
 Marvin and Tyler Marvin both of Great Bend; three daughters, Sandra 
(Anthony) Hopkins of Ellinwood, Heather Whisnant of Topeka, and Kendra 
Belford of Apple Valley, California; one sister, Charlotte (Phil) 
Brenning of Keller, TX; two brothers: Joel (Terry) Reichel of Alexander,
 KS, Jody (Seth Munter) Reichel of Oakland, CA; fifteen grandchildren, 
Devin, Emily, Brianna, Alexis, Kody, Madison, Kaden, Dietrich, Rae, 
Trace, Kali, Rella, Kinley, Creed; and two great-grandchildren, Zayl and
 Phreya. She is preceded in death by her parents.

Visitation will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sunday, January 
2, 2022, at Bryant Funeral Home with the family receiving friends from 
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on 
Monday, January 3, 2022, at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church with Father
 Kola presiding. Interment will follow at St. John the Evangelist 
cemetery. Memorials have been designated to Barton County Relay for 
Life, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640795250258.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Cherie Michelle Belford, 65, passed away on December 27, 2021 at 
Clara Barton Hospital, Hoisington. She was born on October 12, 1956 to 
A. Neal &amp; Opal (Mellies) Reichel. Cherie married Lawrence Belford on
 October 15, 1983 at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Great Bend, 
Kansas. They were inseparable through their years of marriage.Mrs. Belford was a Hoisington, Kansas resident. She worked for 43 
years at Superior Essex as a Quality Tester. She enjoyed hunting, 
cooking, bowling, butchering/processing meat, and spending time with 
family especially the grandkids.Survivors include, her husband, Lawrence of the home; two sons, Shawn
 Marvin and Tyler Marvin both of Great Bend; three daughters, Sandra 
(Anthony) Hopkins of Ellinwood, Heather Whisnant of Topeka, and Kendra 
Belford of Apple Valley, California; one sister, Charlotte (Phil) 
Brenning of Keller, TX; two brothers: Joel (Terry) Reichel of Alexander,
 KS, Jody (Seth Munter) Reichel of Oakland, CA; fifteen grandchildren, 
Devin, Emily, Brianna, Alexis, Kody, Madison, Kaden, Dietrich, Rae, 
Trace, Kali, Rella, Kinley, Creed; and two great-grandchildren, Zayl and
 Phreya. She is preceded in death by her parents.Visitation will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sunday, January 
2, 2022, at Bryant Funeral Home with the family receiving friends from 
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on 
Monday, January 3, 2022, at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church with Father
 Kola presiding. Interment will follow at St. John the Evangelist 
cemetery. Memorials have been designated to Barton County Relay for 
Life, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.

Cherie Michelle Belford

Despite a busy year at the Hays Fire Department, Chief Ryan
Hagans said he thought the year went well.

“It was another great year at the fire department,” Hagans said.

As far as emergency responses, he said the department was
dispatched to just a little more than 2,600 calls in 2021 — about seven calls per
day.

&nbsp;“It’s been a busy
year on the call volume,” Hagans said, “but to be expected to like everything
else, and we expect the numbers to go up over the years.”

Those calls included fires in the city, but also, he said
the department is proud to assist Ellis County Emergency Medical Services.

“We run hand-in-hand with Ellis County EMS, which is a great
partnership for us and for the community,” Hagans said, noting firefighters
are also trained EMTs and can assist as needed.

&nbsp;During the year, the
department benefited from the purchasing of new equipment that will assist the
department with fighting fires well into the future.

“We did have a couple of additions to our fleet this year. We were able to add in a little 300-gallon grass fire unit. That's something that
his fire department hasn’t had for a long time,” Hagans said.

The new equipment is self-contained, is similar to equipment
used by the Ellis County Rural Fire Department and will allow quicker response times
to grass fires.

A pickup was also purchased that will transport the
department’s mobile air supply.

“So, if we do have a long structure fire or something, we can
fill up our air bottles. Instead of bringing them back to the station, we just
pull this pickup up and just refill everything out there on scene handy,”
Hagans said. 

Along with the new trucks, he said some of the department’s radio
equipment was also upgraded. 

“We're just trying to keep up with what's available out
there,” Hagans said, “so we have the best that we can afford to have.”

A part of that communication equipment that is used to increase
department efficiencies are iPads that have replaced pen-and-paper business inspections.

“Some of the stuff we don't have to go back and revisit the
businesses. They can just send us a picture of anything they had to fix in an
email,” Hagans said. “It saves us time and saves them time.”

Equipment aside, he said the department also spent
significant resources this year on continuing training for the department.

“We do a lot of training for all different types of
emergencies,” Hagans said. “So far, the guys have logged over 9,200 hours of
training this year.”

While some of that training occurs locally, he said members
of the department also traveled for advanced training and were able to bring
those skills back to Hays to be shared with other members of the department.

“That works out very, very well for us,” Hagans said.

For the local training, Hagans said the department’s new
training facility has allowed for more complex training scenarios. 

“There's a three-story drill tower out there made out of
Conex boxes,” Hagans said. “We use one Conex box for a live burn training.”

Once completed, the ongoing construction of an on-site
classroom will allow for even more training opportunities.

“We've partnered up with NCK Tech and Fort Hays to construct
a classroom out there,” Hagans said. “So that project is moving along with the
classroom. Hopefully, here next year, we'll be able to get that completed, and
it'll be able to host different types of trainings out there. [It will be] open to
different fire departments throughout the state and have some classes.”

Also looking ahead to next year, Hagans said the Front Door
Fridays program will continue, giving area residents an opportunity to interact
with department members and explore their equipment.

“It's kind of an open house event if you want to just call
it that,” he said. “We started running that May through October on like the
third Friday of the month from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. That has been great. We had so
many people, I think it was September or October maybe, we had 100
people show up. Bring family, bring your kids and let them crawl around.”

It’s a fun way for the department to show their
appreciation for a supportive community.

“The community support that we received this year and over the
past years has been just great,” Hagans said. 

<div><iframe title="Hays Fire Department wraps busy year; looks ahead to 2022" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=tyiw6-11615c4-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</div>By JAMES BELL Hays PostDespite a busy year at the Hays Fire Department, Chief Ryan
Hagans said he thought the year went well.“It was another great year at the fire department,” Hagans said.As far as emergency responses, he said the department was
dispatched to just a little more than 2,600 calls in 2021 — about seven calls per
day.&nbsp;“It’s been a busy
year on the call volume,” Hagans said, “but to be expected to like everything
else, and we expect the numbers to go up over the years.”Those calls included fires in the city, but also, he said
the department is proud to assist Ellis County Emergency Medical Services.“We run hand-in-hand with Ellis County EMS, which is a great
partnership for us and for the community,” Hagans said, noting firefighters
are also trained EMTs and can assist as needed.&nbsp;During the year, the
department benefited from the purchasing of new equipment that will assist the
department with fighting fires well into the future.“We did have a couple of additions to our fleet this year. We were able to add in a little 300-gallon grass fire unit. That's something that
his fire department hasn’t had for a long time,” Hagans said.The new equipment is self-contained, is similar to equipment
used by the Ellis County Rural Fire Department and will allow quicker response times
to grass fires.A pickup was also purchased that will transport the
department’s mobile air supply.“So, if we do have a long structure fire or something, we can
fill up our air bottles. Instead of bringing them back to the station, we just
pull this pickup up and just refill everything out there on scene handy,”
Hagans said. Along with the new trucks, he said some of the department’s radio
equipment was also upgraded. “We're just trying to keep up with what's available out
there,” Hagans said, “so we have the best that we can afford to have.”A part of that communication equipment that is used to increase
department efficiencies are iPads that have replaced pen-and-paper business inspections.“Some of the stuff we don't have to go back and revisit the
businesses. They can just send us a picture of anything they had to fix in an
email,” Hagans said. “It saves us time and saves them time.”Equipment aside, he said the department also spent
significant resources this year on continuing training for the department.“We do a lot of training for all different types of
emergencies,” Hagans said. “So far, the guys have logged over 9,200 hours of
training this year.”While some of that training occurs locally, he said members
of the department also traveled for advanced training and were able to bring
those skills back to Hays to be shared with other members of the department.“That works out very, very well for us,” Hagans said.For the local training, Hagans said the department’s new
training facility has allowed for more complex training scenarios. “There's a three-story drill tower out there made out of
Conex boxes,” Hagans said. “We use one Conex box for a live burn training.”Once completed, the ongoing construction of an on-site
classroom will allow for even more training opportunities.“We've partnered up with NCK Tech and Fort Hays to construct
a classroom out there,” Hagans said. “So that project is moving along with the
classroom. Hopefully, here next year, we'll be able to get that completed, and
it'll be able to host different types of trainings out there. [It will be] open to
different fire departments throughout the state and have some classes.”Also looking ahead to next year, Hagans said the Front Door
Fridays program will continue, giving area residents an opportunity to interact
with department members and explore their equipment.“It's kind of an open house event if you want to just call
it that,” he said. “We started running that May through October on like the
third Friday of the month from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. That has been great. We had so
many people, I think it was September or October maybe, we had 100
people show up. Bring family, bring your kids and let them crawl around.”It’s a fun way for the department to show their
appreciation for a supportive community.“The community support that we received this year and over the
past years has been just great,” Hagans said.

🎙Hays Fire Department wraps busy year, looks ahead to 2022

Beth Anne Merklein, 58, of Oregon, Missouri, passed away on December 
21, 2021, at Mosaic Life Care Hospital in St. Joseph, Missouri, with 
family and close friends by her side. She was born on April 18, 1963, to
 Leland Duane and Phyllis (Stutterheim) Merklein at Phillipsburg, 
Kansas.

Beth spent her childhood on the farm in rural Phillips County. 
She was baptized and confirmed at the Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 
Stuttgart, KS. &nbsp;After graduating from Phillipsburg High 
School in 1981 she went on to study at Cloud County Community College, 
Concordia, KS, graduating in 1983 with an Associate of Science Degree in
 Travel and Tourism. After graduation, she began her career working for a
 large travel agency in Kansas City, MO; which eventually led her across
 the country working in that capacity for National Cattleman’s 
Association in Denver, Colorado and then advancing to providing travel 
services for the Mars Family and their companies. Being in the travel 
industry allowed Beth to explore her desire to travel and through her 
many travels she had adventurous tales to share with many when she 
returned. 

Through her marriage to David Baker she had two boys; Wyatt and Sam. &nbsp;Over the last 20 years she has been busy working and raising her boys. &nbsp;In
 October of 2020 Beth took the position as an Office Assistant working 
for the University of Missouri Extension Office for Holt County. This 
job allowed her flexibility to care for her boys and be close to home. &nbsp;She loved her family and her friends including Mandy and John Elifrits and family of Oregon, MO. 

Beth was preceded in death by the recent passing of her father Leland Duane Merklein. &nbsp;Survivors
 include her sons Wyatt and Sam Baker of the home, mother Phyllis 
Merklein of Prairie View, KS, siblings Susan Warner and husband Charlie 
of Cimarron, KS, Matt Merklein and wife Kelly of Dallas, TX, Denise 
Kaufmann and husband Robb of Southlake, TX, Janna Newman and husband 
Ryan of Gold Canyon, AZ. Along with many nieces and nephews and two 
great nephews and a host of friends. &nbsp;She will be greatly missed.

Celebration of Life service will be held at Chamberlain Funeral Home, 100 W. George St, Oregon, MO 64473, Wednesday, December 29, 2021, from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM with a short service at 6:30 PM. &nbsp;On
 January 15, 2022, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM, a receiving by Beth’s family
 will take place at Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, 1115 2nd St., Phillipsburg, KS 67661. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Memorials for the care of Beth’s children can be sent in care 
of the Chamberlain Funeral Home, P.O. Box 408, 100 W. George St., 
Oregon, MO, 64473. &nbsp;Thoughts and memories may be shared in the online guest book at <a href="http://www.chamberlainfuneral.com">www.chamberlainfuneral.com</a><a href="https://www.chamberlainfuneral.com"> or www.olliffboeve.com</a>. Beth’s family would like to extend their appreciation for the help and support she received during this journey. &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640701003302.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Beth Anne Merklein, 58, of Oregon, Missouri, passed away on December 
21, 2021, at Mosaic Life Care Hospital in St. Joseph, Missouri, with 
family and close friends by her side. She was born on April 18, 1963, to
 Leland Duane and Phyllis (Stutterheim) Merklein at Phillipsburg, 
Kansas.Beth spent her childhood on the farm in rural Phillips County. 
She was baptized and confirmed at the Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 
Stuttgart, KS. &nbsp;After graduating from Phillipsburg High 
School in 1981 she went on to study at Cloud County Community College, 
Concordia, KS, graduating in 1983 with an Associate of Science Degree in
 Travel and Tourism. After graduation, she began her career working for a
 large travel agency in Kansas City, MO; which eventually led her across
 the country working in that capacity for National Cattleman’s 
Association in Denver, Colorado and then advancing to providing travel 
services for the Mars Family and their companies. Being in the travel 
industry allowed Beth to explore her desire to travel and through her 
many travels she had adventurous tales to share with many when she 
returned. Through her marriage to David Baker she had two boys; Wyatt and Sam. &nbsp;Over the last 20 years she has been busy working and raising her boys. &nbsp;In
 October of 2020 Beth took the position as an Office Assistant working 
for the University of Missouri Extension Office for Holt County. This 
job allowed her flexibility to care for her boys and be close to home. &nbsp;She loved her family and her friends including Mandy and John Elifrits and family of Oregon, MO. Beth was preceded in death by the recent passing of her father Leland Duane Merklein. &nbsp;Survivors
 include her sons Wyatt and Sam Baker of the home, mother Phyllis 
Merklein of Prairie View, KS, siblings Susan Warner and husband Charlie 
of Cimarron, KS, Matt Merklein and wife Kelly of Dallas, TX, Denise 
Kaufmann and husband Robb of Southlake, TX, Janna Newman and husband 
Ryan of Gold Canyon, AZ. Along with many nieces and nephews and two 
great nephews and a host of friends. &nbsp;She will be greatly missed.Celebration of Life service will be held at Chamberlain Funeral Home, 100 W. George St, Oregon, MO 64473, Wednesday, December 29, 2021, from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM with a short service at 6:30 PM. &nbsp;On
 January 15, 2022, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM, a receiving by Beth’s family
 will take place at Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, 1115 2nd St., Phillipsburg, KS 67661. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Memorials for the care of Beth’s children can be sent in care 
of the Chamberlain Funeral Home, P.O. Box 408, 100 W. George St., 
Oregon, MO, 64473. &nbsp;Thoughts and memories may be shared in the online guest book at <a href="http://www.chamberlainfuneral.com">www.chamberlainfuneral.com</a><a href="https://www.chamberlainfuneral.com"> or www.olliffboeve.com</a>. Beth’s family would like to extend their appreciation for the help and support she received during this journey. &nbsp;

Beth Anne Merklein

Florence Rose Ritter Meitl Thompson, 93, of Hoxie, died Tuesday, 
December 21, 2021, at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, NE. She 
was born December 10, 1928, to Philomena (Minnie) and Bernard (Ben) 
Ritter at the family farm. She was the first born of identical twins and
 the sixth child out of eleven children. She, her twin, Sister Delores, 
and their siblings grew up on the family farm west of Dresden.
 Florence attended Leoville Grade and High School, graduating in May 
1946. After graduation, she worked for several families in the area. On 
May 9, 1950, she married Elmer Meitl at the Immaculate Conception Church
 in Leoville. They settled on a farm south and east of Dresden, along 
the Sheridan-Decatur County line. To this union, eight children were 
born, of which daughter Rose (December 5, 1952) only lived less than a 
day. Elmer passed away October 6, 1976. As a farm wife, she helped with 
the outside activities related to the farm.
 After Elmer’s passing, Florence took over as the regular driver of 
the Hoxie school bus route until she moved to Hoxie on March 29, 1982. 
She then worked at the First Insurance Agency, Inc. On August 30, 1985, 
Florence married Thomas (Tom) Thompson at St. Frances Church in Hoxie. 
They traveled with their camper as well as on bus trips. Tom passed away
 on May 29, 2000. 
 Florence enjoyed being involved in her church, both in Leoville and
 Hoxie. She liked working with wood and created many things for her 
home. She operated the Thrift Shop in Leoville and worked at the Swap 
Shop in Hoxie for several years. She loved her flowers and plants. She 
also machine quilted, finishing many quilts for friends and neighbors.
 Florence was preceded in death by her parents; husbands Elmer Meitl 
and Thomas Thompson; brothers Cletus, Raymond, Seraphim, Francis, 
Sylvester, Victor and Dennis Ritter; sister Alfreda Colling; and 
daughter Rose.
 Florence is survived by her children: Regina (John) Johnson of 
Colby, Jerry (Velma) Meitl of Basehor, KS, Ken (Karen) Meitl of 
Washington, IL., Thomas Meitl of Midland, TX., Carol (Jimmy) Stewart of 
Hoxie; Conrad (Jan) Meitl of Greeley, Co., and Andrew (Cynthia) Meitl 
of Abilene, TX.; her fifteen grandchildren, twenty-three great 
grandchildren and one great-great grandson. She is also survived by two
 sisters, Sister Dolores Ritter and Bernadine Spresser. 
 She relied on her faith to get her through the many trials of her life.
 A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday, December 28, 2021, 
10:30 A.M. at the St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church in Hoxie, Kansas. A
 lunch will follow the service in the St. Frances Cabrini Social Hall. 
Following the lunch, interment will follow in the Calvary Cemetery in 
Leoville, Kansas at approximately 1:15 PM. A visitation will be held 
Monday, December 27, 2021, from 1:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. Family will 
receive friends from 5:30 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. The Vigil service will 
follow the visitation, starting at 7:00 P.M. Visitation and Vigil 
Service will be at the Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home, Hoxie, Kansas. 
Memorials are suggested to the Sheridan County Benefit Walk or Masses 
and may be sent in care of Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home, PO Box 987, 
Hoxie, Kansas 67740.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640634963590.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Florence Rose Ritter Meitl Thompson, 93, of Hoxie, died Tuesday, 
December 21, 2021, at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, NE. She 
was born December 10, 1928, to Philomena (Minnie) and Bernard (Ben) 
Ritter at the family farm. She was the first born of identical twins and
 the sixth child out of eleven children. She, her twin, Sister Delores, 
and their siblings grew up on the family farm west of Dresden.
 Florence attended Leoville Grade and High School, graduating in May 
1946. After graduation, she worked for several families in the area. On 
May 9, 1950, she married Elmer Meitl at the Immaculate Conception Church
 in Leoville. They settled on a farm south and east of Dresden, along 
the Sheridan-Decatur County line. To this union, eight children were 
born, of which daughter Rose (December 5, 1952) only lived less than a 
day. Elmer passed away October 6, 1976. As a farm wife, she helped with 
the outside activities related to the farm.
 After Elmer’s passing, Florence took over as the regular driver of 
the Hoxie school bus route until she moved to Hoxie on March 29, 1982. 
She then worked at the First Insurance Agency, Inc. On August 30, 1985, 
Florence married Thomas (Tom) Thompson at St. Frances Church in Hoxie. 
They traveled with their camper as well as on bus trips. Tom passed away
 on May 29, 2000. 
 Florence enjoyed being involved in her church, both in Leoville and
 Hoxie. She liked working with wood and created many things for her 
home. She operated the Thrift Shop in Leoville and worked at the Swap 
Shop in Hoxie for several years. She loved her flowers and plants. She 
also machine quilted, finishing many quilts for friends and neighbors.
 Florence was preceded in death by her parents; husbands Elmer Meitl 
and Thomas Thompson; brothers Cletus, Raymond, Seraphim, Francis, 
Sylvester, Victor and Dennis Ritter; sister Alfreda Colling; and 
daughter Rose.
 Florence is survived by her children: Regina (John) Johnson of 
Colby, Jerry (Velma) Meitl of Basehor, KS, Ken (Karen) Meitl of 
Washington, IL., Thomas Meitl of Midland, TX., Carol (Jimmy) Stewart of 
Hoxie; Conrad (Jan) Meitl of Greeley, Co., and Andrew (Cynthia) Meitl 
of Abilene, TX.; her fifteen grandchildren, twenty-three great 
grandchildren and one great-great grandson. She is also survived by two
 sisters, Sister Dolores Ritter and Bernadine Spresser. 
 She relied on her faith to get her through the many trials of her life.
 A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday, December 28, 2021, 
10:30 A.M. at the St. Frances Cabrini Catholic Church in Hoxie, Kansas. A
 lunch will follow the service in the St. Frances Cabrini Social Hall. 
Following the lunch, interment will follow in the Calvary Cemetery in 
Leoville, Kansas at approximately 1:15 PM. A visitation will be held 
Monday, December 27, 2021, from 1:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. Family will 
receive friends from 5:30 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. The Vigil service will 
follow the visitation, starting at 7:00 P.M. Visitation and Vigil 
Service will be at the Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home, Hoxie, Kansas. 
Memorials are suggested to the Sheridan County Benefit Walk or Masses 
and may be sent in care of Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home, PO Box 987, 
Hoxie, Kansas 67740.

Florence Rose Thompson

Retha Loree Petrie, age 94, of Oakley, passed away on December 16, 2021,&nbsp; at the Citizen's Medical Center, Colby.&nbsp; She was born to Jesse and 
Adelia (Ottken) Roberts on October 30, 1927, in Oakley.&nbsp; Retha married 
Neal Petrie on November 12, 1949, in Kansas City, Kansas and two children
 were born, Janis and Gary. Retha was preceded in death by parents, Jesse and Adelia, and husband, Neal, who passed away on November 24, 2016. Retha
 is survived by her daughter, Janis Petrie, of Brandon, OR, son, Gary 
and his wife, Cindy, of Everett, PA, a granddaughter, Katelyn and her 
husband Derek Dibert, and great grandchildren, Warren (Hoss) and Reid 
(Little Joe) all of Bedford, PA. Retha was a kind and loving 
mother who was the heart of her small family.&nbsp; She was intent to leave a
 legacy of her life in the gifts to her family. &nbsp;These gifts were the 
love expressed in planting trees, creating quilts, crafting toys and 
furniture for children and grandchildren and so many other acts of 
kindness. &nbsp;Her character was forged as a child growing up during the 
great depression, but she was always reliably gently and kind to all 
people and animals. She was a self-effacing and humble person, 
but also a solid, reliable friend. &nbsp;She had an adventuresome spirit and 
loved life. She is now rewarded and reunited with past friends and 
family in a peaceful new place. A visitation is planned on 
Sunday, December 19, from 5 - to 8 pm&nbsp;at Kennedy-Koster Funeral Home.&nbsp; 
The funeral service will be at 10:00 AM on Monday, December 20, 2021, at 
the funeral home, Oakley, with Pastor Bob Kelly officiating.&nbsp; Interment 
will follow in the Oakley Cemetery.&nbsp;

Memorials to the charity of the 
donor's choice may be sent in care of Kennedy-Koster Funeral Home, P.O. 
Box 221, Oakley, KS&nbsp; 67748.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640634887194.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Retha Loree Petrie, age 94, of Oakley, passed away on December 16, 2021,&nbsp; at the Citizen's Medical Center, Colby.&nbsp; She was born to Jesse and 
Adelia (Ottken) Roberts on October 30, 1927, in Oakley.&nbsp; Retha married 
Neal Petrie on November 12, 1949, in Kansas City, Kansas and two children
 were born, Janis and Gary. Retha was preceded in death by parents, Jesse and Adelia, and husband, Neal, who passed away on November 24, 2016. Retha
 is survived by her daughter, Janis Petrie, of Brandon, OR, son, Gary 
and his wife, Cindy, of Everett, PA, a granddaughter, Katelyn and her 
husband Derek Dibert, and great grandchildren, Warren (Hoss) and Reid 
(Little Joe) all of Bedford, PA. Retha was a kind and loving 
mother who was the heart of her small family.&nbsp; She was intent to leave a
 legacy of her life in the gifts to her family. &nbsp;These gifts were the 
love expressed in planting trees, creating quilts, crafting toys and 
furniture for children and grandchildren and so many other acts of 
kindness. &nbsp;Her character was forged as a child growing up during the 
great depression, but she was always reliably gently and kind to all 
people and animals. She was a self-effacing and humble person, 
but also a solid, reliable friend. &nbsp;She had an adventuresome spirit and 
loved life. She is now rewarded and reunited with past friends and 
family in a peaceful new place. A visitation is planned on 
Sunday, December 19, from 5 - to 8 pm&nbsp;at Kennedy-Koster Funeral Home.&nbsp; 
The funeral service will be at 10:00 AM on Monday, December 20, 2021, at 
the funeral home, Oakley, with Pastor Bob Kelly officiating.&nbsp; Interment 
will follow in the Oakley Cemetery.&nbsp; Memorials to the charity of the 
donor's choice may be sent in care of Kennedy-Koster Funeral Home, P.O. 
Box 221, Oakley, KS&nbsp; 67748.

Retha Loree Petrie

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly spent 18 months&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-ks-state-wire-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-health-7302d46eef675734fe1343f2640236f9">sparring with Kansas’ legislative Republicans</a>&nbsp;over COVID-19 measures. In the early days of the pandemic she imposed and then extended a stay-at-home order, issued a brief statewide mask mandate and tried to limit in-person worship services – all while meeting growls of GOP protest.

Then in November, two days after Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe to become governor of reliably blue Virginia, Kelly expressed her first opposition to Democratic President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates. A couple weeks later, she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-business-health-religion-822d31ed5cd6cdca053f21f4a9a965d9">signed a bill</a>&nbsp;aimed at helping Kansas workers resist vaccine mandates, a proposal that even the GOP-friendly Kansas Chamber of Commerce opposed.

As Democrats shook their heads, Kelly’s moves signaled her efforts to appeal to moderate Republican and GOP-leaning independent voters who she will need to win a tough reelection race in a heavily Republican state next year.

Like Democratic governors in Michigan and Wisconsin, Kelly will try to win a second term against midterm political headwinds blowing in Republicans’ favor. But she’s trying it in a state former President Donald Trump carried twice and where Republicans, energized in opposition to Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-26bace6485d88ad1ae3ef2aea60fbb65">vaccine mandates</a>, look likely to avoid a serious primary fight.

Her attempt to stake out ground in the political center has irritated some fellow Democrats in the short term. But others argue the tactic could work for her if she also hammers home a message that Kansas now has a stable budget and its public schools are considered fully funded.

“What Democrats need to remember is that she’s doing that to try to win reelection,” said Mike Swenson, who has worked as a Democratic strategist and consultant in the Kansas City area for over four decades.

He added: “We can appeal to the moderates — absolutely.”

Kelly said throughout the pandemic that she would follow science in addressing it. But Republican lawmakers used their legislative supermajorities to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/56291b90279c36bafb21087cdc845c8a">force her to accept</a>&nbsp;more local control over decisions about requiring masks and restricting businesses — a move that allowed many communities to reject recommendations from public health officials. She weathered their criticism for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-health-prisons-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-2ab2cdda2657d74e5dac4645e3660691">making prison inmates an early priority</a>&nbsp;for vaccines.

And so she surprised some Democrats and liberal activists by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-kansas-topeka-86d570bbf1eb4376a5e7b519c4cb4903">publicly questioning</a>&nbsp;Biden’s vaccine mandates and quickly signing&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2021s/b2021s/measures/documents/ccrb_hb2001_02_0000.pdf" target="_blank">Republicans’ bill.&nbsp;</a>The new law provides unemployment benefits if workers lose jobs for refusing shots and allows them to claim religious exemptions, no questions asked.

Also, to some Democrats, she seemed closer to Republican leaders: Multiple Democratic lawmakers said they learned of her plans to sign the bill from GOP colleagues’ gloating texts.

“It’s a huge, huge gamble,” said Christopher Reeves, a Kansas City-area consultant and former Democratic National Committee member.

She signed the measure less than a week after the state health department’s head abruptly resigned. Dr. Lee Norman was visible early in the coronavirus pandemic, appearing with Kelly at news conferences, often wearing a white lab coat. Internal emails showed an internal conflict this past summer over pandemic messaging, and Norman also recently said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-public-health-kansas-topeka-6ab3969aafde6d360cbd11f9eeba3564">Kelly’s administration ousted him</a>&nbsp;because of COVID-19 politics.

Kelly positioning herself in the political center on vaccines contrasts with her strong support for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tn-state-wire-us-news-womens-rights-courts-constitutions-22946ef8ed04d62a3360a7af4b635868">abortion access</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-government-and-politics-321b19c681fe78be837bde945c0f6aa4">LGBTQ rights.</a>

Kelly said during a recent Associated Press interview that her decision-making isn’t driven by “what voters it’s going to keep in my camp.” She cited major bipartisan legislation on school funding and transportation funding as examples of her approach.

“It’s the only way to govern and govern well,” she said.

Even as Kelly and GOP lawmakers sparred early in the pandemic, she praised Trump’s response to outbreaks in meatpacking plants enough that he later said she was doing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/af4b08e27e49ddbcfb0e1ca9765d236a">a “fantastic job”</a>&nbsp;in handling the pandemic.

Environmental issues provide another example of appealing to Republican-minded voters. Her administration resisted Biden administration efforts to preserve the lesser prairie chicken’s habitat, which raises concerns that agriculture and energy production will be restricted. Kelly’s administration has also been skeptical of Biden’s push to preserve 30% of the nation’s land by 2030, which critics call a land grab.

In addition, after forming a racial justice commission after the Minnesota killing of George Floyd last year, she didn’t intervene this year when its proposals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-kansas-city-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-death-of-george-floyd-6fa82522e516c9fa53ebf412dfb060f7">stalled in the Legislature.</a>

And on Wednesday, Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-personal-taxes-kansas-topeka-state-taxes-9c8e53d13a10b9bdd113db8a64be5d52">proposed giving a one-time $250 rebate</a>&nbsp;to every Kansas resident who filed a state income tax return last year, with $500 going to married couples who file jointly. The move came after Kelly vetoed three GOP proposals for permanent income tax cuts in three years, calling those measures fiscally irresponsible.

“It’s just the reality of being a Democratic governor in Kansas,” said Bob Beatty, a Washburn University of Topeka political scientist. “You have to be in the middle and sometimes you have to be in the middle-right.”

While Democrats haven’t won a U.S. Senate race in Kansas in nearly 90 years, they’ve been successful in trading the governor’s office back and forth with Republicans over the past half-century.

Swenson said the formula is “simple”: Run up votes in the state’s 10 most populous counties and avoid losing the other 95 by too much. Kelly essentially followed that path to victory in 2018.

It also helped Kelly in 2018 that her GOP foe was polarizing conservative Trump ally Kris Kobach, whose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c51d18affef34e919d63c19612d767f2">take-no-prisoners style</a>&nbsp;alienated moderate voters. Kelly’s expected Republican opponent next year is Derek Schmidt, the state’s three-term attorney general.

Schmidt is running as an anti-abortion, small-government attorney general, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ks-state-wire-kansas-election-2020-government-and-politics-e30db29af1d52723292a6549c20a4477">in the mold</a>&nbsp;of Kansas Republicans like former U.S. Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/275216bff11a438fafb4435c02319876">Pat Roberts</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bob-dole-dead-kansas-republican-737084f4e606c10a33a15384fbe05967">the late Bob Dole</a>&nbsp;— pragmatic enough to avoid alienating moderates.

Kelly prepared for 2022 by hiring a reelection campaign manager who in 2020 led Democrats’ successful effort to flip a Republican congressional seat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-virus-outbreak-bob-barr-rob-woodall-health-b16dde57b3fd89770ff416484e16af29">in Georgia.</a>&nbsp;Shelbi Dantic was also the deputy campaign manager in Montana for U.S. Sen. Jon Tester when he was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/6b8b324c23f9470d89c402e35e22a717">narrowly&nbsp;</a>reelected in 2018.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634130978150.png" alt="Gov. Laura Kelly and Dr. Jill Biden met for lunch during the First Lady's trip to Kansas in mid October-photo courtesy office of the First Lady." />
 <figcaption>Gov. Laura Kelly and Dr. Jill Biden met for lunch during the First Lady's trip to Kansas in mid October-photo courtesy office of the First Lady.</figcaption>
 </figure> By JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly spent 18 months&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-ks-state-wire-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-health-7302d46eef675734fe1343f2640236f9">sparring with Kansas’ legislative Republicans</a>&nbsp;over COVID-19 measures. In the early days of the pandemic she imposed and then extended a stay-at-home order, issued a brief statewide mask mandate and tried to limit in-person worship services – all while meeting growls of GOP protest.Then in November, two days after Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe to become governor of reliably blue Virginia, Kelly expressed her first opposition to Democratic President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates. A couple weeks later, she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-business-health-religion-822d31ed5cd6cdca053f21f4a9a965d9">signed a bill</a>&nbsp;aimed at helping Kansas workers resist vaccine mandates, a proposal that even the GOP-friendly Kansas Chamber of Commerce opposed.As Democrats shook their heads, Kelly’s moves signaled her efforts to appeal to moderate Republican and GOP-leaning independent voters who she will need to win a tough reelection race in a heavily Republican state next year.Like Democratic governors in Michigan and Wisconsin, Kelly will try to win a second term against midterm political headwinds blowing in Republicans’ favor. But she’s trying it in a state former President Donald Trump carried twice and where Republicans, energized in opposition to Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-26bace6485d88ad1ae3ef2aea60fbb65">vaccine mandates</a>, look likely to avoid a serious primary fight.Her attempt to stake out ground in the political center has irritated some fellow Democrats in the short term. But others argue the tactic could work for her if she also hammers home a message that Kansas now has a stable budget and its public schools are considered fully funded.“What Democrats need to remember is that she’s doing that to try to win reelection,” said Mike Swenson, who has worked as a Democratic strategist and consultant in the Kansas City area for over four decades.He added: “We can appeal to the moderates — absolutely.”Kelly said throughout the pandemic that she would follow science in addressing it. But Republican lawmakers used their legislative supermajorities to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/56291b90279c36bafb21087cdc845c8a">force her to accept</a>&nbsp;more local control over decisions about requiring masks and restricting businesses — a move that allowed many communities to reject recommendations from public health officials. She weathered their criticism for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-health-prisons-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-2ab2cdda2657d74e5dac4645e3660691">making prison inmates an early priority</a>&nbsp;for vaccines.And so she surprised some Democrats and liberal activists by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-kansas-topeka-86d570bbf1eb4376a5e7b519c4cb4903">publicly questioning</a>&nbsp;Biden’s vaccine mandates and quickly signing&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li_2021s/b2021s/measures/documents/ccrb_hb2001_02_0000.pdf" target="_blank">Republicans’ bill.&nbsp;</a>The new law provides unemployment benefits if workers lose jobs for refusing shots and allows them to claim religious exemptions, no questions asked.Also, to some Democrats, she seemed closer to Republican leaders: Multiple Democratic lawmakers said they learned of her plans to sign the bill from GOP colleagues’ gloating texts.“It’s a huge, huge gamble,” said Christopher Reeves, a Kansas City-area consultant and former Democratic National Committee member.She signed the measure less than a week after the state health department’s head abruptly resigned. Dr. Lee Norman was visible early in the coronavirus pandemic, appearing with Kelly at news conferences, often wearing a white lab coat. Internal emails showed an internal conflict this past summer over pandemic messaging, and Norman also recently said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-public-health-kansas-topeka-6ab3969aafde6d360cbd11f9eeba3564">Kelly’s administration ousted him</a>&nbsp;because of COVID-19 politics.Kelly positioning herself in the political center on vaccines contrasts with her strong support for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tn-state-wire-us-news-womens-rights-courts-constitutions-22946ef8ed04d62a3360a7af4b635868">abortion access</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-government-and-politics-321b19c681fe78be837bde945c0f6aa4">LGBTQ rights.</a>Kelly said during a recent Associated Press interview that her decision-making isn’t driven by “what voters it’s going to keep in my camp.” She cited major bipartisan legislation on school funding and transportation funding as examples of her approach.“It’s the only way to govern and govern well,” she said.Even as Kelly and GOP lawmakers sparred early in the pandemic, she praised Trump’s response to outbreaks in meatpacking plants enough that he later said she was doing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/af4b08e27e49ddbcfb0e1ca9765d236a">a “fantastic job”</a>&nbsp;in handling the pandemic.Environmental issues provide another example of appealing to Republican-minded voters. Her administration resisted Biden administration efforts to preserve the lesser prairie chicken’s habitat, which raises concerns that agriculture and energy production will be restricted. Kelly’s administration has also been skeptical of Biden’s push to preserve 30% of the nation’s land by 2030, which critics call a land grab.In addition, after forming a racial justice commission after the Minnesota killing of George Floyd last year, she didn’t intervene this year when its proposals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-kansas-city-kansas-coronavirus-pandemic-death-of-george-floyd-6fa82522e516c9fa53ebf412dfb060f7">stalled in the Legislature.</a>And on Wednesday, Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-personal-taxes-kansas-topeka-state-taxes-9c8e53d13a10b9bdd113db8a64be5d52">proposed giving a one-time $250 rebate</a>&nbsp;to every Kansas resident who filed a state income tax return last year, with $500 going to married couples who file jointly. The move came after Kelly vetoed three GOP proposals for permanent income tax cuts in three years, calling those measures fiscally irresponsible.“It’s just the reality of being a Democratic governor in Kansas,” said Bob Beatty, a Washburn University of Topeka political scientist. “You have to be in the middle and sometimes you have to be in the middle-right.”While Democrats haven’t won a U.S. Senate race in Kansas in nearly 90 years, they’ve been successful in trading the governor’s office back and forth with Republicans over the past half-century.Swenson said the formula is “simple”: Run up votes in the state’s 10 most populous counties and avoid losing the other 95 by too much. Kelly essentially followed that path to victory in 2018.It also helped Kelly in 2018 that her GOP foe was polarizing conservative Trump ally Kris Kobach, whose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c51d18affef34e919d63c19612d767f2">take-no-prisoners style</a>&nbsp;alienated moderate voters. Kelly’s expected Republican opponent next year is Derek Schmidt, the state’s three-term attorney general.Schmidt is running as an anti-abortion, small-government attorney general, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ks-state-wire-kansas-election-2020-government-and-politics-e30db29af1d52723292a6549c20a4477">in the mold</a>&nbsp;of Kansas Republicans like former U.S. Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/275216bff11a438fafb4435c02319876">Pat Roberts</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bob-dole-dead-kansas-republican-737084f4e606c10a33a15384fbe05967">the late Bob Dole</a>&nbsp;— pragmatic enough to avoid alienating moderates.Kelly prepared for 2022 by hiring a reelection campaign manager who in 2020 led Democrats’ successful effort to flip a Republican congressional seat&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-virus-outbreak-bob-barr-rob-woodall-health-b16dde57b3fd89770ff416484e16af29">in Georgia.</a>&nbsp;Shelbi Dantic was also the deputy campaign manager in Montana for U.S. Sen. Jon Tester when he was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/6b8b324c23f9470d89c402e35e22a717">narrowly&nbsp;</a>reelected in 2018.___

Kansas governor breaks with Biden in appeal to GOP voters

Rev. Dr. Gary L. Winget, 74, passed away December 24, 2021 at Salina Regional Health Center, Salina, Kansas.&nbsp;

He was born February 16, 1947 in Dodge City, KS, the son of James L. 
and Roberta O. Whipple Winget. He graduated from Hanston High School in 
1965, Sterling College in 1969 and furthered his education by earning 
his Doctorate of Divinity.

He was a member of the First Southern Baptist Church, Larned.&nbsp; Gary 
was a faithful minister to several churches including; First Baptist 
Church and Hanston Mennonite Church, both of Hanston, KS, First Baptist 
Church, Dodge City, KS, First Baptist Church, Holdrege, NE, Wellsville 
Baptist Church, Wellsville, KS, Harmony Baptist Church, Johnstown, OH 
and First Baptist Church of Kennett Square, PA.&nbsp; He worked at Hanston 
Insurance Agency and served as a Hanston State Bank board member.

On May 31, 1969, he married Marilyn Sue Hogue in Topeka, KS.&nbsp; She 
passed away February 18, 2018.&nbsp; On October 11, 2020, he married Janice 
Halling in Salina, KS.&nbsp; She survives.

Other survivors include: two sons, Shawn (Lynn) Winget, Long Beach, 
CA, Jason (Harmony) Winget, Ellinwood, KS; two daughters, Shannon (Mark)
 Slattery, Larned, KS, Melanie (Frank) Ishimura, Pittsburg, KS; fourteen
 grandchildren, Riann, Ashleigh, Micah (Grace), Jeremiah (Abigail), 
Jason Seth, Hannah, Ricky, Christopher, Christian, Summer, Macy, Jordan,
 Brendan, Camden and one great grandson on the way.

Funeral Service will be 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at 
First Baptist Church, Hanston with Pastor Jason Winget and Pastor Mark 
Slattery presiding.&nbsp; Visitation will be from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, 
December 27, 2021 at Beckwith Mortuary, Larned and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. 
Tuesday, December 28, 2021 at Beckwith Funeral Home, Jetmore.&nbsp; Burial 
will be in the Fairmount Cemetery, Jetmore, KS.

Memorials may be given to First Southern Baptist Church, Larned or 
UUMC Breaking Bread, Salina, in care of Beckwith Mortuary, Box 477 
Larned, KS 67550.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640579582345.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Rev. Dr. Gary L. Winget, 74, passed away December 24, 2021 at Salina Regional Health Center, Salina, Kansas.&nbsp;He was born February 16, 1947 in Dodge City, KS, the son of James L. 
and Roberta O. Whipple Winget. He graduated from Hanston High School in 
1965, Sterling College in 1969 and furthered his education by earning 
his Doctorate of Divinity.He was a member of the First Southern Baptist Church, Larned.&nbsp; Gary 
was a faithful minister to several churches including; First Baptist 
Church and Hanston Mennonite Church, both of Hanston, KS, First Baptist 
Church, Dodge City, KS, First Baptist Church, Holdrege, NE, Wellsville 
Baptist Church, Wellsville, KS, Harmony Baptist Church, Johnstown, OH 
and First Baptist Church of Kennett Square, PA.&nbsp; He worked at Hanston 
Insurance Agency and served as a Hanston State Bank board member.On May 31, 1969, he married Marilyn Sue Hogue in Topeka, KS.&nbsp; She 
passed away February 18, 2018.&nbsp; On October 11, 2020, he married Janice 
Halling in Salina, KS.&nbsp; She survives.Other survivors include: two sons, Shawn (Lynn) Winget, Long Beach, 
CA, Jason (Harmony) Winget, Ellinwood, KS; two daughters, Shannon (Mark)
 Slattery, Larned, KS, Melanie (Frank) Ishimura, Pittsburg, KS; fourteen
 grandchildren, Riann, Ashleigh, Micah (Grace), Jeremiah (Abigail), 
Jason Seth, Hannah, Ricky, Christopher, Christian, Summer, Macy, Jordan,
 Brendan, Camden and one great grandson on the way.Funeral Service will be 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at 
First Baptist Church, Hanston with Pastor Jason Winget and Pastor Mark 
Slattery presiding.&nbsp; Visitation will be from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, 
December 27, 2021 at Beckwith Mortuary, Larned and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. 
Tuesday, December 28, 2021 at Beckwith Funeral Home, Jetmore.&nbsp; Burial 
will be in the Fairmount Cemetery, Jetmore, KS.Memorials may be given to First Southern Baptist Church, Larned or 
UUMC Breaking Bread, Salina, in care of Beckwith Mortuary, Box 477 
Larned, KS 67550.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Rev. Dr. Gary L. Winget

Leland Wegele, 89, passed away on December 23, 2021, at his home in 
Otis, Kansas. He was born on January 3, 1932 to Jacob and Pauline 
(Bitter) Wegele. He married Joyce Karst on October 23, 1955 in 
Milberger, Kansas. She survives.

A lifetime resident of Otis and a “jack-of-all-trades”, Leland was a 
farmer, welder, and carpenter. He was a member of Trinity Lutheran 
Church in Great Bend and the Great Bend Wood Carvers Club. Leland 
especially enjoyed spending time with his family.

He is survived by a son, Richard (Miya) Wegele of Pleasant View, 
Arizona; daughter Paula (Steve) Storm and Leann Wegele, all of Albert, 
Kansas; grandchildren Michael (Michele) Gowans, Morgan Wegele, Jackson 
Linenberg, Sam (Tara) Storm, and Kelly (Derrick) Heuer; and many 
great-grandkids. He is preceded in death by his parents and three 
brothers, Albert, Ernest, and Paul.

Visitation will take place on Tuesday, December 28, 2021, from Noon 
to 8:00 p.m. at Bryant Funeral Home, with family receiving friends from 
6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Funeral service will be 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 
29, 2021, at Bryant Funeral Home with Chaplain Jeffrey Owen presiding. 
Internment will take place in Fairview Cemetery, Galatia, Kansas, with 
Military Rites conducted by Ft. Riley Honor Guard.&nbsp; Memorials can be 
made to Trinity Lutheran Church in Great Bend, St. Paul Lutheran Church 
in Galatia, or Kindred Hospice, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640579251244.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Leland Wegele, 89, passed away on December 23, 2021, at his home in 
Otis, Kansas. He was born on January 3, 1932 to Jacob and Pauline 
(Bitter) Wegele. He married Joyce Karst on October 23, 1955 in 
Milberger, Kansas. She survives.A lifetime resident of Otis and a “jack-of-all-trades”, Leland was a 
farmer, welder, and carpenter. He was a member of Trinity Lutheran 
Church in Great Bend and the Great Bend Wood Carvers Club. Leland 
especially enjoyed spending time with his family.He is survived by a son, Richard (Miya) Wegele of Pleasant View, 
Arizona; daughter Paula (Steve) Storm and Leann Wegele, all of Albert, 
Kansas; grandchildren Michael (Michele) Gowans, Morgan Wegele, Jackson 
Linenberg, Sam (Tara) Storm, and Kelly (Derrick) Heuer; and many 
great-grandkids. He is preceded in death by his parents and three 
brothers, Albert, Ernest, and Paul.Visitation will take place on Tuesday, December 28, 2021, from Noon 
to 8:00 p.m. at Bryant Funeral Home, with family receiving friends from 
6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Funeral service will be 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 
29, 2021, at Bryant Funeral Home with Chaplain Jeffrey Owen presiding. 
Internment will take place in Fairview Cemetery, Galatia, Kansas, with 
Military Rites conducted by Ft. Riley Honor Guard.&nbsp; Memorials can be 
made to Trinity Lutheran Church in Great Bend, St. Paul Lutheran Church 
in Galatia, or Kindred Hospice, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.

Leland Wegele

When Westminster United Methodist Church in Houston resumed in-person services late last year, after a seven-month halt due to COVID-19, there were Sundays when only three worshippers showed up, according to the pastor, Meredith Mills.

Since then, attendance has inched back up, but it’s still only about half the pre-pandemic turnout of 160 or 170, Mills estimates.

“It’s frustrating,” she said. “People just seem to want to leave home less these days.”

Some houses of worship are faring better than Mills’ church, some worse. Polls by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows how dramatically church attendance fell during the worst of the pandemic last year, even as many say they are now returning to regular service attendance.

Among mainline Protestants, just 1% said in a May 2020 poll that they were attending in-person services at least once a week. In the new poll, 14% say they’re doing so now, compared to 16% who say they did in 2019.

Among evangelical Protestants, 37% now say they are attending services in person at least weekly, while 42% said they did that in 2019. In the May 2020 poll, just 11% said they were attending services in person that often.

Among Catholics, 26% attend in person at least weekly now, compared with 30% in 2019. In the 2020 poll, conducted as many bishops temporarily waived the obligation for weekly Mass attendance, just 5% were worshipping in person at least weekly.

At St. Ambrose Catholic Parish in Brunswick, Ohio, the six services each weekend drew a total of about 3,800 worshippers before the pandemic, according to the pastor, Bob Stec. Current weekend attendance is about 2,800, Stec says, with 1,600 or more households joining online worship.

Elsewhere, churches large and small have taken hits in attendance.

John Elkins, teaching pastor at Sovereign Grace Fellowship in Brazoria, Texas, says 25 to 30 people have attended services recently, down from around 50 before the pandemic.

“For some, I was not political enough,” he said via email. “Some wanted more activities, some just stopped going to church.”

Sovereign Grace, a Southern Baptist church, had never offered online worship before the pandemic. When in-person worship was halted for a month in 2020, leaving online worship as the only option, Elkins said he did more crisis counseling for congregation members than ever before.

At the much larger First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio, there was a near-total halt to in-person worship between March 2020 and September of this year. On two Sundays in September 2020, worshippers were invited back to the church to test the feasibility of in-person services.

“But it was obvious they were still uncomfortable -- they came dressed like they were working at Chernobyl,” said the senior pastor, Bishop Timothy Clarke, evoking hazmat suits appropriate for confronting a nuclear disaster.

Pre-pandemic, the predominantly African American church held three services each weekend, including one on Saturday evenings, with average total attendance of 2,500. Now there’s a single service on Sunday, and only 500 worshippers – with masks and proof of vaccination -- are allowed into a sanctuary that can seat more than 1,500.

The return to in-person worship “gives us a sense of connection and community,” Clarke said. “But you also have safety.”

At All Saints’ Episcopal Church in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, average Sunday attendance dropped from about 140 pre-pandemic to as low as 30 before climbing back, reaching 120 earlier this month. The Rev. Steven Paulikas credits a mandatory mask policy.

“Mask wearing puts people at ease about their health and allows them to do what people come to church to do -- worship God,” he said.

Attendance is down sharply from pre-pandemic levels at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church in Cary, Illinois, which halted in-person, indoor worship for more than six months in 2020. Instead it held drive-in services in the parking lot.

Before the pandemic, about 115 people would attend one of two services offered on Sundays, said the pastor, Sarah Wilson. Now there’s one service, and attendance is down by more than half.

“Some families are still nervous about being in a room with others, even though most people attending are vaccinated and we require masks,” she said. “Other people have re-ordered their priorities and worship isn’t one of them.”

Friendswood United Methodist Church, in the Houston suburbs, has endured not only COVID-19 disruptions but also flooding during a winter storm last February that rendered the sanctuary unusable. It just reopened for services this month, said the pastor, Jim Bass.

Pre-pandemic, Friendswoods’ Sunday services would draw about 900 worshippers; Bass was pleased that about 650 gathered when the sanctuary reopened for high-energy, music-filled services on Dec. 5.

However, he said average attendance has been only half of that during most of the pandemic, creating a $400,000 shortfall in expected giving.

Like many houses of worship, Friendswood offered online services as an alternative to in-person attendance. He considers them a mixed blessing -- a plus for elderly congregation members worried about their health, but a disincentive for others who are increasingly disconnected from the church.

“They’ve become spectators,” Bass said.

At Temple Beth El in Charlotte, North Carolina, Rabbi Asher Knight was elated that recent Hannukah celebrations drew about 300 people in person. Overall, attendance now is roughly half of pre-pandemic levels, but an improvement over periods earlier this year when only a handful of worshippers appeared.

“It was demoralizing and painful to lead worship with virtually no one present,” he said. “But in October and November, people got the booster and their children got vaccinated and they slowly started coming back.”

In September, amid a surge in COVID cases, Temple Judea in Coral Gables, Florida, observed the Jewish High Holy Days with no in-person services. So the sanctuary wouldn’t look so empty for online services, Rabbi Judith Siegal and her staff filled it with cardboard cutouts of congregation members, including children and pets.

In-person worship has now resumed, and the range of weekly attendance – 75 to 125 people – is close to pre-pandemic levels.

“We’re still wearing masks, and the seating is still spread out,” Siegal said. “But our members love it.”

Among Christians, the option of worshipping online has been embraced by many evangelical Protestants, according to the AP-NORC poll. About 3 in 10 have livestreamed services at least weekly in recent months, compared with about 1 in 10 Catholics or mainline Protestants.

Three-quarters of evangelical Protestants say they pray privately at least weekly, compared with roughly half of mainline Protestants and Catholics, the poll found.

Roughly a quarter of evangelical Protestants say they’ve recently talked by phone or video conference with a religious or spiritual leader at least a few times a month, compared with about 1 in 10 mainline Protestants and Catholics.

Some faith leaders, such as Meredith Mills, see some positives, such as more energy in the church, even with fewer worshippers.

“The ones showing up right now are the people who really want to be there,” she said. “There’s a lot of joy in the room Sunday mornings. It’s one of the reasons that, despite everything, I still love my job.”

By DAVID CRARY, Associated PressWhen Westminster United Methodist Church in Houston resumed in-person services late last year, after a seven-month halt due to COVID-19, there were Sundays when only three worshippers showed up, according to the pastor, Meredith Mills.Since then, attendance has inched back up, but it’s still only about half the pre-pandemic turnout of 160 or 170, Mills estimates.“It’s frustrating,” she said. “People just seem to want to leave home less these days.”Some houses of worship are faring better than Mills’ church, some worse. Polls by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows how dramatically church attendance fell during the worst of the pandemic last year, even as many say they are now returning to regular service attendance.Among mainline Protestants, just 1% said in a May 2020 poll that they were attending in-person services at least once a week. In the new poll, 14% say they’re doing so now, compared to 16% who say they did in 2019.Among evangelical Protestants, 37% now say they are attending services in person at least weekly, while 42% said they did that in 2019. In the May 2020 poll, just 11% said they were attending services in person that often.Among Catholics, 26% attend in person at least weekly now, compared with 30% in 2019. In the 2020 poll, conducted as many bishops temporarily waived the obligation for weekly Mass attendance, just 5% were worshipping in person at least weekly.At St. Ambrose Catholic Parish in Brunswick, Ohio, the six services each weekend drew a total of about 3,800 worshippers before the pandemic, according to the pastor, Bob Stec. Current weekend attendance is about 2,800, Stec says, with 1,600 or more households joining online worship.Elsewhere, churches large and small have taken hits in attendance.John Elkins, teaching pastor at Sovereign Grace Fellowship in Brazoria, Texas, says 25 to 30 people have attended services recently, down from around 50 before the pandemic.“For some, I was not political enough,” he said via email. “Some wanted more activities, some just stopped going to church.”Sovereign Grace, a Southern Baptist church, had never offered online worship before the pandemic. When in-person worship was halted for a month in 2020, leaving online worship as the only option, Elkins said he did more crisis counseling for congregation members than ever before.At the much larger First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio, there was a near-total halt to in-person worship between March 2020 and September of this year. On two Sundays in September 2020, worshippers were invited back to the church to test the feasibility of in-person services.“But it was obvious they were still uncomfortable -- they came dressed like they were working at Chernobyl,” said the senior pastor, Bishop Timothy Clarke, evoking hazmat suits appropriate for confronting a nuclear disaster.Pre-pandemic, the predominantly African American church held three services each weekend, including one on Saturday evenings, with average total attendance of 2,500. Now there’s a single service on Sunday, and only 500 worshippers – with masks and proof of vaccination -- are allowed into a sanctuary that can seat more than 1,500.The return to in-person worship “gives us a sense of connection and community,” Clarke said. “But you also have safety.”At All Saints’ Episcopal Church in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, average Sunday attendance dropped from about 140 pre-pandemic to as low as 30 before climbing back, reaching 120 earlier this month. The Rev. Steven Paulikas credits a mandatory mask policy.“Mask wearing puts people at ease about their health and allows them to do what people come to church to do -- worship God,” he said.Attendance is down sharply from pre-pandemic levels at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church in Cary, Illinois, which halted in-person, indoor worship for more than six months in 2020. Instead it held drive-in services in the parking lot.Before the pandemic, about 115 people would attend one of two services offered on Sundays, said the pastor, Sarah Wilson. Now there’s one service, and attendance is down by more than half.“Some families are still nervous about being in a room with others, even though most people attending are vaccinated and we require masks,” she said. “Other people have re-ordered their priorities and worship isn’t one of them.”Friendswood United Methodist Church, in the Houston suburbs, has endured not only COVID-19 disruptions but also flooding during a winter storm last February that rendered the sanctuary unusable. It just reopened for services this month, said the pastor, Jim Bass.Pre-pandemic, Friendswoods’ Sunday services would draw about 900 worshippers; Bass was pleased that about 650 gathered when the sanctuary reopened for high-energy, music-filled services on Dec. 5.However, he said average attendance has been only half of that during most of the pandemic, creating a $400,000 shortfall in expected giving.Like many houses of worship, Friendswood offered online services as an alternative to in-person attendance. He considers them a mixed blessing -- a plus for elderly congregation members worried about their health, but a disincentive for others who are increasingly disconnected from the church.“They’ve become spectators,” Bass said.At Temple Beth El in Charlotte, North Carolina, Rabbi Asher Knight was elated that recent Hannukah celebrations drew about 300 people in person. Overall, attendance now is roughly half of pre-pandemic levels, but an improvement over periods earlier this year when only a handful of worshippers appeared.“It was demoralizing and painful to lead worship with virtually no one present,” he said. “But in October and November, people got the booster and their children got vaccinated and they slowly started coming back.”In September, amid a surge in COVID cases, Temple Judea in Coral Gables, Florida, observed the Jewish High Holy Days with no in-person services. So the sanctuary wouldn’t look so empty for online services, Rabbi Judith Siegal and her staff filled it with cardboard cutouts of congregation members, including children and pets.In-person worship has now resumed, and the range of weekly attendance – 75 to 125 people – is close to pre-pandemic levels.“We’re still wearing masks, and the seating is still spread out,” Siegal said. “But our members love it.”Among Christians, the option of worshipping online has been embraced by many evangelical Protestants, according to the AP-NORC poll. About 3 in 10 have livestreamed services at least weekly in recent months, compared with about 1 in 10 Catholics or mainline Protestants.Three-quarters of evangelical Protestants say they pray privately at least weekly, compared with roughly half of mainline Protestants and Catholics, the poll found.Roughly a quarter of evangelical Protestants say they’ve recently talked by phone or video conference with a religious or spiritual leader at least a few times a month, compared with about 1 in 10 mainline Protestants and Catholics.Some faith leaders, such as Meredith Mills, see some positives, such as more energy in the church, even with fewer worshippers.“The ones showing up right now are the people who really want to be there,” she said. “There’s a lot of joy in the room Sunday mornings. It’s one of the reasons that, despite everything, I still love my job.”___

Across US, houses of worship struggle to rebuild attendance

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Just as Americans and Europeans were eagerly awaiting their most normal holiday season in a couple of years, the omicron variant has unleashed a fresh round of fear and uncertainty — for travelers, shoppers, party-goers and their economies as a whole.

The Rockettes have canceled their Christmas show in New York. Some London restaurants have emptied out as commuters avoid the downtown. Broadway shows are canceling some performances. The National Hockey League suspended its games until after Christmas. Boston plans to require diners, revelers and shoppers to show proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, bars and stores.

A heightened sense of anxiety has begun to erode the willingness of some people and some businesses to carry on as usual in the face of the extraordinarily contagious omicron variant, which has fast become the dominant version of the virus in the United States.

Other people are still traveling, spending and congregating as they normally do, though often with more caution. Holiday air travel remains robust. Many stores and restaurants are still enjoying solid sales. And omicron has yet to keep audiences away from movie theaters in significant numbers. This past weekend, record audiences across all demographics flocked to theaters for the new “Spider-Man” movie.

“The movie theater has not yet been hindered by omicron,” said Steve Buck, the chief strategy officer of EntTelligence.

At the same time, no one knows yet what omicron will ultimately mean for the health of the Western economies, which have endured a wild ride of downturns and recoveries since early 2020.

“These mutations keep coming,” said Robin Brooks, chief economist at the Institute of International Finance. “What is the probability that sometime we get a really nasty one? No one has any idea. This thing is mutating, and it’s very, very hard to say.’’

Will omicron cause outbreaks at factories and ports, disrupt operations and worsen supply chain bottlenecks that have forced up prices and contributed to the hottest U.S. inflation in decades?

Will it mean people will hunker down at home again and spend less on services — restaurant meals, concerts, hotel stays — which could weaken the economy but potentially defuse inflationary pressures?

Will return-to-office plans for white collar workers be put on hold indefinitely, deepening the hit to many cities’ downtown businesses?

Or will omicron prove a blip that scarcely slows what has become a surprisingly strong recovery from the short but intense pandemic recession?

Spooked by uncertainty and fear of the worst-case scenarios, stock markets around the world sold off for three days before rebounding Tuesday.

“We don’t know whether this is good or bad for growth or inflation in the medium term,” said Megan Greene, global chief economist at the Kroll Institute. “We just don’t have enough data yet.’’

Unable to assess its longer-term consequences, businesses, consumers and policymakers have struggled to respond to the omicron threat.

Danielle Ballantyne, a Chicago dietitian, had planned to visit some stores and seek inspiration for holiday gifts. But as omicron spread, she scrapped that idea in favor of staying home and shopping online.

“From what I have been hearing in the news,” Ballantyne said, “omicron is more contagious. So I am trying to be more selective in where I go in terms of big public spaces.”

At its stores in big cities like New York and Chicago, the clothier Untuckit is reporting a 15% drop in traffic, similar to what it experienced when the delta variant started spreading last summer.

“It impacts people’s perception of comfort and safety and their willingness to go out,” said Aaron Sanandres, CEO of the company.

As infections have spread, European countries have so far gone further than the United States, with restrictions ranging from a full lockdown in the Netherlands to indoor mask mandates in the United Kingdom.

A theater in western England refunded $240,000 in tickets. The Advantage Travel Group, which represents U.K. travel agents, said that business — flights, cruises and package holidays — plummeted fell 40% in mid-December from a month earlier. A diner in central Madrid absorbed cancellations for about half its booked space one week recently.

In London, downtown restaurants are suffering as office workers stay home.

“As soon as they said work from home, it’s completely emptied,” said Sally Abe, a chef at the Conrad Hotel in central London.

On Tuesday, Britain&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-europe-public-health-518704a0a2cc3aa95b32284b52dac6bf">announced that it would provide</a>&nbsp;1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) in grants and other aid to help the hospitality industry survive omicron. The government bowed to pressure from pubs, restaurants and other businesses whose income has plunged in the aftermath of public health warnings.

Since the pandemic hit nearly two years ago, it has imposed one economic challenge after another. Economies all but shut down when the virus struck early last year. More than 22 million people in the United States alone lost jobs. Bars, restaurants and hotels were particularly devastated.

But record-high infusions of government spending and, eventually, the rollout of vaccines triggered an unexpectedly powerful recovery, giving many households the confidence and financial wherewithal to resume shopping. And it sparked optimism for the 2021 holiday season: In an updated forecast shortly before omicron emerged as a serious threat, the National Retail Federation said U.S. holiday sales were on track for a record-breaking year.

One fear now is that omicron infections will further disrupt manufacturing and shipping, worsen the supply chain backlogs and keep inflation simmering. It could also increase consumers’ already intensified demand for goods, which would magnify the supply shortages.

“If everybody is freaked out that going to a bar or restaurant is going to land them in a hospital, they may continue to buy goods,” said Greene, the Kroll Institute economist. “So that could exacerbate the short-term trend and make inflation worse.’’

On the other hand, she said, “if growth is really dampened (by omicron), that should take the heat off inflation.”

There are other reasons to think the recovery could decelerate. In the United States, economic aid from federal spending and relief checks is fading. The Federal Reserve is reducing its economic support. China’s economy, the world’s second-biggest after the United States, is slowing.

For now, the U.S. bond market is signaling more concern about economic weakness than about runaway inflation: The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note remains at historically low levels, below 1.5%.

Citing omicron and other factors, Oxford Economics has downgraded its estimate of U.S. economic growth for the October-December quarter to a 7.3% annual pace, down from an earlier 7.8% estimate.

“Omicron has been so rampant,” said Kathy Bostjancic, Oxford’s chief U.S. financial economist. “And it is hitting in high-density areas of the Northeast. We think it is going to take a pretty big toll on economic activity.’’

That said, it’s also possible that the economy will prove resilient against the latest challenge COVID has thrown at it. One measure of retail traffic shows that the new variant has made little difference — at least so far. For the week that ended Dec. 18, store traffic was up nearly 20% from a year earlier, though down 23% from the same week in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, according to Sensormatic Solutions. For the Black Friday that ended Nov. 27, sales were up 30% from last year.

Peter McCall, Sensormatic’s senior manager of retail consulting, noted that shoppers are still going to retail stores but are now favoring open-air shopping centers and outlet malls more than enclosed shopping centers.

Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corp., the world’s leading cruise company, said this week that Carnival had experienced “a little spike” in cancellations but predicted that it would prove just a short term blip.

“The booking patterns are strong,” Donald said.

So is the traffic at some big retailers. Several hundred people lined up for the opening of the Toys R Us flagship store Sunday at the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

“We were prepared for a big day, but it was even bigger than we thought,” said Yehuda Shmidman, co-founder of WHP Global, which owns Toys R Us.

Abt Electronics in Chicago says it’s enjoying a strong holiday season so far, with sales up 10% from a year ago. But Jon Abt, co-president and a grandson of the company’s founder, said he’s noticed that omicron is changing how some people shop. Though fewer customers are entering stores, there’s increasing demand for curbside pickup.

He’s also made changes for workers designed to prevent the spread of COVID: He’s requiring them to stay at the counters or warehouses where they work instead of jumping back and forth to different workplaces.

“I am an optimist,” Abt said. “I am not a worrier. This is life. And you have got to roll with the punches.’’

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1638148803210.png" alt="3D structure of spike with amino acid changes in Omicron -photo courtesy GISAID" />
 <figcaption>3D structure of spike with amino acid changes in Omicron -photo courtesy GISAID</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —Just as Americans and Europeans were eagerly awaiting their most normal holiday season in a couple of years, the omicron variant has unleashed a fresh round of fear and uncertainty — for travelers, shoppers, party-goers and their economies as a whole.The Rockettes have canceled their Christmas show in New York. Some London restaurants have emptied out as commuters avoid the downtown. Broadway shows are canceling some performances. The National Hockey League suspended its games until after Christmas. Boston plans to require diners, revelers and shoppers to show proof of vaccination to enter restaurants, bars and stores.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640259572943.png" alt="Omicron found in most of the United States-map GISAID" />
 <figcaption>Omicron found in most of the United States-map GISAID</figcaption>
 </figure>A heightened sense of anxiety has begun to erode the willingness of some people and some businesses to carry on as usual in the face of the extraordinarily contagious omicron variant, which has fast become the dominant version of the virus in the United States.Other people are still traveling, spending and congregating as they normally do, though often with more caution. Holiday air travel remains robust. Many stores and restaurants are still enjoying solid sales. And omicron has yet to keep audiences away from movie theaters in significant numbers. This past weekend, record audiences across all demographics flocked to theaters for the new “Spider-Man” movie.“The movie theater has not yet been hindered by omicron,” said Steve Buck, the chief strategy officer of EntTelligence.At the same time, no one knows yet what omicron will ultimately mean for the health of the Western economies, which have endured a wild ride of downturns and recoveries since early 2020.“These mutations keep coming,” said Robin Brooks, chief economist at the Institute of International Finance. “What is the probability that sometime we get a really nasty one? No one has any idea. This thing is mutating, and it’s very, very hard to say.’’Will omicron cause outbreaks at factories and ports, disrupt operations and worsen supply chain bottlenecks that have forced up prices and contributed to the hottest U.S. inflation in decades?Will it mean people will hunker down at home again and spend less on services — restaurant meals, concerts, hotel stays — which could weaken the economy but potentially defuse inflationary pressures?Will return-to-office plans for white collar workers be put on hold indefinitely, deepening the hit to many cities’ downtown businesses?Or will omicron prove a blip that scarcely slows what has become a surprisingly strong recovery from the short but intense pandemic recession?Spooked by uncertainty and fear of the worst-case scenarios, stock markets around the world sold off for three days before rebounding Tuesday.“We don’t know whether this is good or bad for growth or inflation in the medium term,” said Megan Greene, global chief economist at the Kroll Institute. “We just don’t have enough data yet.’’Unable to assess its longer-term consequences, businesses, consumers and policymakers have struggled to respond to the omicron threat.Danielle Ballantyne, a Chicago dietitian, had planned to visit some stores and seek inspiration for holiday gifts. But as omicron spread, she scrapped that idea in favor of staying home and shopping online.“From what I have been hearing in the news,” Ballantyne said, “omicron is more contagious. So I am trying to be more selective in where I go in terms of big public spaces.”At its stores in big cities like New York and Chicago, the clothier Untuckit is reporting a 15% drop in traffic, similar to what it experienced when the delta variant started spreading last summer.“It impacts people’s perception of comfort and safety and their willingness to go out,” said Aaron Sanandres, CEO of the company.As infections have spread, European countries have so far gone further than the United States, with restrictions ranging from a full lockdown in the Netherlands to indoor mask mandates in the United Kingdom.A theater in western England refunded $240,000 in tickets. The Advantage Travel Group, which represents U.K. travel agents, said that business — flights, cruises and package holidays — plummeted fell 40% in mid-December from a month earlier. A diner in central Madrid absorbed cancellations for about half its booked space one week recently.In London, downtown restaurants are suffering as office workers stay home.“As soon as they said work from home, it’s completely emptied,” said Sally Abe, a chef at the Conrad Hotel in central London.On Tuesday, Britain&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-europe-public-health-518704a0a2cc3aa95b32284b52dac6bf">announced that it would provide</a>&nbsp;1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) in grants and other aid to help the hospitality industry survive omicron. The government bowed to pressure from pubs, restaurants and other businesses whose income has plunged in the aftermath of public health warnings.Since the pandemic hit nearly two years ago, it has imposed one economic challenge after another. Economies all but shut down when the virus struck early last year. More than 22 million people in the United States alone lost jobs. Bars, restaurants and hotels were particularly devastated.But record-high infusions of government spending and, eventually, the rollout of vaccines triggered an unexpectedly powerful recovery, giving many households the confidence and financial wherewithal to resume shopping. And it sparked optimism for the 2021 holiday season: In an updated forecast shortly before omicron emerged as a serious threat, the National Retail Federation said U.S. holiday sales were on track for a record-breaking year.One fear now is that omicron infections will further disrupt manufacturing and shipping, worsen the supply chain backlogs and keep inflation simmering. It could also increase consumers’ already intensified demand for goods, which would magnify the supply shortages.“If everybody is freaked out that going to a bar or restaurant is going to land them in a hospital, they may continue to buy goods,” said Greene, the Kroll Institute economist. “So that could exacerbate the short-term trend and make inflation worse.’’On the other hand, she said, “if growth is really dampened (by omicron), that should take the heat off inflation.”There are other reasons to think the recovery could decelerate. In the United States, economic aid from federal spending and relief checks is fading. The Federal Reserve is reducing its economic support. China’s economy, the world’s second-biggest after the United States, is slowing.For now, the U.S. bond market is signaling more concern about economic weakness than about runaway inflation: The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note remains at historically low levels, below 1.5%.Citing omicron and other factors, Oxford Economics has downgraded its estimate of U.S. economic growth for the October-December quarter to a 7.3% annual pace, down from an earlier 7.8% estimate.“Omicron has been so rampant,” said Kathy Bostjancic, Oxford’s chief U.S. financial economist. “And it is hitting in high-density areas of the Northeast. We think it is going to take a pretty big toll on economic activity.’’That said, it’s also possible that the economy will prove resilient against the latest challenge COVID has thrown at it. One measure of retail traffic shows that the new variant has made little difference — at least so far. For the week that ended Dec. 18, store traffic was up nearly 20% from a year earlier, though down 23% from the same week in the pre-pandemic year of 2019, according to Sensormatic Solutions. For the Black Friday that ended Nov. 27, sales were up 30% from last year.Peter McCall, Sensormatic’s senior manager of retail consulting, noted that shoppers are still going to retail stores but are now favoring open-air shopping centers and outlet malls more than enclosed shopping centers.Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corp., the world’s leading cruise company, said this week that Carnival had experienced “a little spike” in cancellations but predicted that it would prove just a short term blip.“The booking patterns are strong,” Donald said.So is the traffic at some big retailers. Several hundred people lined up for the opening of the Toys R Us flagship store Sunday at the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey.“We were prepared for a big day, but it was even bigger than we thought,” said Yehuda Shmidman, co-founder of WHP Global, which owns Toys R Us.Abt Electronics in Chicago says it’s enjoying a strong holiday season so far, with sales up 10% from a year ago. But Jon Abt, co-president and a grandson of the company’s founder, said he’s noticed that omicron is changing how some people shop. Though fewer customers are entering stores, there’s increasing demand for curbside pickup.He’s also made changes for workers designed to prevent the spread of COVID: He’s requiring them to stay at the counters or warehouses where they work instead of jumping back and forth to different workplaces.“I am an optimist,” Abt said. “I am not a worrier. This is life. And you have got to roll with the punches.’’

Omicron casts a new shadow over economy's pandemic recovery

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas prosecutors argued Wednesday that a 21-year-old state lawmaker who is charged with domestic battery in a disturbance involving his brother is no longer eligible for diversion.

Johnson County Assistant District Attorney Samantha Shannon said in a Zoom hearing that the issue is that a warrant was issued for Aaron Coleman after a motion to revoke his bond was filed in the wake of his arrest late last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-arrests-kansas-city-kansas-lawrence-c876d564826fdfeebc29b002a3298492">on suspicion of drunken driving.</a>

But Coleman’s attorney, David Bell, said that he didn’t know what had changed to prevent diversion.

Magistrate Judge James Phelan set a hearing for Jan. 7 to consider the issue and hear the results of a mental health evaluation that he previously ordered. Phelan said Coleman could remain free on bond until the hearing.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-arrests-kansas-city-kansas-cad353ffd3afe3583df3d267ebb535a5">affidavit</a>&nbsp;in the domestic battery case said that the Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat pushed and hit his 18-year-old brother in an Oct. 30 fight. The sergeant said Coleman, who has acknowledged past abuses against girls and young women, was “uncooperative” with police and “extremely erratic.”

Several lawmakers have called for Coleman to resign, but no formal action has been taken yet.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1635804497310.png" alt="Coleman from his October booking photo in Johnson County" />
 <figcaption>Coleman from his October booking photo in Johnson County</figcaption>
 </figure>OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas prosecutors argued Wednesday that a 21-year-old state lawmaker who is charged with domestic battery in a disturbance involving his brother is no longer eligible for diversion.Johnson County Assistant District Attorney Samantha Shannon said in a Zoom hearing that the issue is that a warrant was issued for Aaron Coleman after a motion to revoke his bond was filed in the wake of his arrest late last month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-arrests-kansas-city-kansas-lawrence-c876d564826fdfeebc29b002a3298492">on suspicion of drunken driving.</a>But Coleman’s attorney, David Bell, said that he didn’t know what had changed to prevent diversion.Magistrate Judge James Phelan set a hearing for Jan. 7 to consider the issue and hear the results of a mental health evaluation that he previously ordered. Phelan said Coleman could remain free on bond until the hearing.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-arrests-kansas-city-kansas-cad353ffd3afe3583df3d267ebb535a5">affidavit</a>&nbsp;in the domestic battery case said that the Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat pushed and hit his 18-year-old brother in an Oct. 30 fight. The sergeant said Coleman, who has acknowledged past abuses against girls and young women, was “uncooperative” with police and “extremely erratic.”Several lawmakers have called for Coleman to resign, but no formal action has been taken yet.

Prosecutors: Kansas lawmaker shouldn't get diversion

By JOHN P. TRETBAR Kansas crude prices rose and fell last week, winding up a dollar-per-barrel lower than a week ago but nearly five dollars higher than at the first of the month. Kansas Common crude at CHS in McPherson dropped a $1.75 on Friday and will start the week at $61 per barrel. That's up from $55.75 a barrel Dec. 1, and $23 per barrel higher than a year ago. The Rig Count in Kansas is up slightly from last week. Independent Oil &amp; Gas Service reports 17 active drilling rigs in eastern Kansas, up two for the week, and 27 west of Wichita, which is down one. At 579, the Rotary Rig Count from Baker Hughes was up four oil rigs and down one seeking natural gas. The count in Texas was up three, Oklahoma was up two, and New Mexico was down one. Kansas regulators approved 31 new drilling permits for the week ending December 16. That's 1,146 new drilling locations across the state so far this year. There were 19 new permits east of Wichita and 12 in Western Kansas. Kansas operators completed 34 wells across Kansas last week, 899 so far this year. Independent Oil &amp; Gas Service reports 15 newly-completed wells east of Wichita and 19 in Western Kansas, including one in Ellis County and one in Stafford County The number of wells spudded is up 89 percent from a year ago. The number of active operators searching for oil and gas in Kansas this year now totals 237, compared with 168 a year ago, an increase of just over 41 percent. &nbsp; The Energy Information Administration says U.S. commercial crude inventories dropped by 4.6 million barrels from the previous week. At 428.3 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 7% below the five year average for this time of year.&nbsp; Total motor gasoline inventories decreased by 700,000 barrels last week and are about 6% below the five year average for this time of year.&nbsp;

U.S. operators pumped over&nbsp;11.7&nbsp;million barrels per day of crude oil last week, up nearly 100,000 barrels per day over the previous week. U.S. crude oil imports averaged 6.5 million barrels per day last week, down by 28,000 barrels per day from the previous week. Imports over the last four weeks are 15% higher than the same four weeks a year ago. Over the past four weeks, crude oil imports averaged about 6.5 million barrels per day, 15.4% more than the same four-week period last year.&nbsp; Oil-by-rail traffic is up for the week but down from a year ago. The Association of American Railroads reports 11,086 tanker cars hauling petroleum or petroleum products across the U.S. during the week through December 11th. That's up 372 carloads from the week before, but down more than three percent from a year ago. AAR says Canadian traffic was up for the week by 644 carloads, but down 1.6% from last year at this time. Crude production in North Dakota rose by about a million barrels in October compared to the month before. The number-three producing state reached 34.4 million barrels, or 1.11 million barrels per day. That's down about 100,000 barrels per day from a year earlier. North Dakota keeps improving on what were once controversial levels of natural gas flaring at oil wells. The Department of Mineral Resources reports operators in October captured 94% of that gas, flaring only 5.7%. Most of the nation's coal-fired power plants were built in the 1970s and 1980s, and the government says operators are planning on retiring many of them, even though there is no requirement to do so. The &nbsp;Owners and operators tell the Energy Information Administration about 28% of the coal-fired capacity will go offline within the next 15 years, creating a possible market opening for oil and natural gas as well as renewable energy sources. An EIA report suggests rising costs or diminishing reliability are the chief drivers of those shutdowns, especially when lower-cost or more efficient technologies enter the market, when fuel prices change, or when new regulations require additional investment. The average operating coal-fired generating unit in the United States is 45 years old.&nbsp; The Biden Administration last week said a crude-oil export ban is not under consideration. Bloomberg reports Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm took a conciliatory tone with members of the oil industry in an online meeting of an outside advisory group . Biden Administration energy policies are coming under fire, including its temporary halt to federal oil leases and the termination of the Keystone Pipeline permit. Secretary Granholm &nbsp;said the administration is not considering reinstating a ban on the export of crude oil. Bloomberg called that the administration’s most definitive statement yet regarding any plans for an export ban. The White house had previously considered such a move as it tried to address spiking gasoline prices.&nbsp;

By JOHN P. TRETBAR Kansas crude prices rose and fell last week, winding up a dollar-per-barrel lower than a week ago but nearly five dollars higher than at the first of the month. Kansas Common crude at CHS in McPherson dropped a $1.75 on Friday and will start the week at $61 per barrel. That's up from $55.75 a barrel Dec. 1, and $23 per barrel higher than a year ago. The Rig Count in Kansas is up slightly from last week. Independent Oil &amp; Gas Service reports 17 active drilling rigs in eastern Kansas, up two for the week, and 27 west of Wichita, which is down one. At 579, the Rotary Rig Count from Baker Hughes was up four oil rigs and down one seeking natural gas. The count in Texas was up three, Oklahoma was up two, and New Mexico was down one. Kansas regulators approved 31 new drilling permits for the week ending December 16. That's 1,146 new drilling locations across the state so far this year. There were 19 new permits east of Wichita and 12 in Western Kansas. Kansas operators completed 34 wells across Kansas last week, 899 so far this year. Independent Oil &amp; Gas Service reports 15 newly-completed wells east of Wichita and 19 in Western Kansas, including one in Ellis County and one in Stafford County The number of wells spudded is up 89 percent from a year ago. The number of active operators searching for oil and gas in Kansas this year now totals 237, compared with 168 a year ago, an increase of just over 41 percent. &nbsp; The Energy Information Administration says U.S. commercial crude inventories dropped by 4.6 million barrels from the previous week. At 428.3 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 7% below the five year average for this time of year.&nbsp; Total motor gasoline inventories decreased by 700,000 barrels last week and are about 6% below the five year average for this time of year.&nbsp;U.S. operators pumped over&nbsp;11.7&nbsp;million barrels per day of crude oil last week, up nearly 100,000 barrels per day over the previous week. U.S. crude oil imports averaged 6.5 million barrels per day last week, down by 28,000 barrels per day from the previous week. Imports over the last four weeks are 15% higher than the same four weeks a year ago. Over the past four weeks, crude oil imports averaged about 6.5 million barrels per day, 15.4% more than the same four-week period last year.&nbsp; Oil-by-rail traffic is up for the week but down from a year ago. The Association of American Railroads reports 11,086 tanker cars hauling petroleum or petroleum products across the U.S. during the week through December 11th. That's up 372 carloads from the week before, but down more than three percent from a year ago. AAR says Canadian traffic was up for the week by 644 carloads, but down 1.6% from last year at this time. Crude production in North Dakota rose by about a million barrels in October compared to the month before. The number-three producing state reached 34.4 million barrels, or 1.11 million barrels per day. That's down about 100,000 barrels per day from a year earlier. North Dakota keeps improving on what were once controversial levels of natural gas flaring at oil wells. The Department of Mineral Resources reports operators in October captured 94% of that gas, flaring only 5.7%. Most of the nation's coal-fired power plants were built in the 1970s and 1980s, and the government says operators are planning on retiring many of them, even though there is no requirement to do so. The &nbsp;Owners and operators tell the Energy Information Administration about 28% of the coal-fired capacity will go offline within the next 15 years, creating a possible market opening for oil and natural gas as well as renewable energy sources. An EIA report suggests rising costs or diminishing reliability are the chief drivers of those shutdowns, especially when lower-cost or more efficient technologies enter the market, when fuel prices change, or when new regulations require additional investment. The average operating coal-fired generating unit in the United States is 45 years old.&nbsp; The Biden Administration last week said a crude-oil export ban is not under consideration. Bloomberg reports Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm took a conciliatory tone with members of the oil industry in an online meeting of an outside advisory group . Biden Administration energy policies are coming under fire, including its temporary halt to federal oil leases and the termination of the Keystone Pipeline permit. Secretary Granholm &nbsp;said the administration is not considering reinstating a ban on the export of crude oil. Bloomberg called that the administration’s most definitive statement yet regarding any plans for an export ban. The White house had previously considered such a move as it tried to address spiking gasoline prices.&nbsp;

News From the Oil Patch: Administration not considering export ban

Sunday, October 6th, 1946-Saturday, December 18th, 2021

A full obituary is pending with <a href="https://memorials.baalmannmortuary.com/Wallsmith-Thomas/4806760/">Baalmann Mortuary</a>.

<h2>Thomas David Wallsmith</h2>Sunday, October 6th, 1946-Saturday, December 18th, 2021A full obituary is pending with <a href="https://memorials.baalmannmortuary.com/Wallsmith-Thomas/4806760/">Baalmann Mortuary</a>.

Thomas David Wallsmith

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said Sunday he cannot back his party’s signature&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-joe-biden-business-health-congress-44c43fab00aa95a268a2cba420713d22">$2 trillion social and environment bill,</a>&nbsp;dealing a potentially fatal blow to President Joe Biden’s leading domestic initiative heading into an election year when Democrats’ narrow hold on Congress was already in peril.

Manchin told “Fox News Sunday” that after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-environment-wv-state-wire-joe-manchin-316cb4a4919960cabae88d1e965d3f97">five-and-half months of negotiations</a>&nbsp;among Democrats in which he was his party’s chief obstacle to passage, “I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t. I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there.”

Manchin’s choice of words seemed to crack the door open to continued talks with Biden and top congressional Democrats over reshaping the legislation. But the West Virginia senator all but said the bill would die unless it met his demands for a smaller, less sweeping package — something that would be hard for many Democrats in the narrowly divided Congress to accept.

The bill would provide hundreds of billions of dollars to help millions of families with children by extending a more generous child tax credit, creating free preschool and bolstering child care aid. There is more than $500 billion for tax breaks and spending aimed at curbing carbon emissions, which experts consider the largest federal expenditure ever to combat climate change.

Other provisions would limit prescription drug price increases, create hearing benefits for Medicare recipients and bolster aid for the elderly, housing and job training. Nearly all of it would be paid for with higher taxes on the wealthy and large corporations.

In an unusually hardball response to a lawmaker whose vote is crucial in the 50-50 Senate, White House press secretary Jen Psaki called Manchin’s announcement “a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position” and “a breach of his commitments” to Biden and congressional Democrats. She pointedly said that Manchin, whose state is among the nation’s poorest, “will have to explain” why many families will have to cope with higher health and child care costs the bill is intended to address.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608550263779.png" alt="It is rare for a member of a president’s own party to administer a fatal blow to their paramount legislative objective-photo courtesy Architect of the Capitol" />
 <figcaption>It is rare for a member of a president’s own party to administer a fatal blow to their paramount legislative objective-photo courtesy Architect of the Capitol</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said Sunday he cannot back his party’s signature&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/climate-joe-biden-business-health-congress-44c43fab00aa95a268a2cba420713d22">$2 trillion social and environment bill,</a>&nbsp;dealing a potentially fatal blow to President Joe Biden’s leading domestic initiative heading into an election year when Democrats’ narrow hold on Congress was already in peril.Manchin told “Fox News Sunday” that after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-environment-wv-state-wire-joe-manchin-316cb4a4919960cabae88d1e965d3f97">five-and-half months of negotiations</a>&nbsp;among Democrats in which he was his party’s chief obstacle to passage, “I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t. I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there.”Manchin’s choice of words seemed to crack the door open to continued talks with Biden and top congressional Democrats over reshaping the legislation. But the West Virginia senator all but said the bill would die unless it met his demands for a smaller, less sweeping package — something that would be hard for many Democrats in the narrowly divided Congress to accept.The bill would provide hundreds of billions of dollars to help millions of families with children by extending a more generous child tax credit, creating free preschool and bolstering child care aid. There is more than $500 billion for tax breaks and spending aimed at curbing carbon emissions, which experts consider the largest federal expenditure ever to combat climate change.Other provisions would limit prescription drug price increases, create hearing benefits for Medicare recipients and bolster aid for the elderly, housing and job training. Nearly all of it would be paid for with higher taxes on the wealthy and large corporations.In an unusually hardball response to a lawmaker whose vote is crucial in the 50-50 Senate, White House press secretary Jen Psaki called Manchin’s announcement “a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position” and “a breach of his commitments” to Biden and congressional Democrats. She pointedly said that Manchin, whose state is among the nation’s poorest, “will have to explain” why many families will have to cope with higher health and child care costs the bill is intended to address.Psaki said in a statement that Manchin had “in person” given Biden a written proposal last Tuesday that was “the same size and scope” of a framework for the bill that Democrats rallied behind in October, and agreed he’d continue talks. That framework had a 10-year cost of $1.85 trillion. Officials hadn’t previously disclosed that Tuesday meeting.“We will continue to. press him to see if he will reverse his position yet again, to honor his prior commitments and be true to his word,” Psaki said.A Manchin aide gave the White House about a 20-minute notice before the lawmaker announced his position on national television, said a person familiar with the senator’s actions who described them only on condition of anonymity.The legislation’s collapse would deepen bitter ideological divisions between progressive and moderate Democrats. That would imperil the party’s ability to get behind any substantial legislation before the November congressional elections, when their control of Congress seems in doubt. And it would add a note of chaos just as Democrats need to demonstrate accomplishments and show a united front to voters.Manchin’s declaration was a stunning repudiation of Biden’s and his party’s top goal, and its delivery — a last-minute heads up from a staffer — seemed little short of a slap in the face to Biden. A rejection of the legislation has been seen by many as unthinkable because of the political damage it could inflict on Democrats.It is rare for a member of a president’s own party to administer a fatal blow to their paramount legislative objective. Manchin’s decision called to mind the famous thumbs-down vote by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that killed President Donald Trump’s 2017 effort to repeal the health care law enacted under President Barack Obama.Manchin’s comments, as Congress was on a holiday recess, drew fury from Democratic colleagues he already has enraged and frustrated for months. Other problems have arisen, caused by another moderate Democrat, Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, and bickering between progressives and centrists, but none has approached the magnitude of Manchin’s stands.Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said in a written statement that if Manchin wants to oppose the legislation, “He should have the opportunity to do so with a floor vote as soon as the Senate returns.” Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, a leader of House progressives, said Manchin can no longer say “he is a man of his word.”Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said it would be “extremely disappointing” to abandon top priorities but that a package helping families, containing health care costs and creating clean energy jobs “would go a long way toward addressing our challenges.”Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., reiterated moderates’ desire to see the bill refocused on fewer programs. “Failure is not an option,” she said.South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, had spent weeks trying to turn Manchin against the bill by saying it was too expensive. “I very much appreciate” Manchin’s opposition, Graham said.Manchin said he was opposing the 10-year, roughly $2 trillion bill because of his concerns about inflation, growing federal debt and a need to focus on the omicron COVID-19 variant. He accused Democrats in a written statement later of trying to “dramatically reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face,” seemingly delineating an ideological gap between himself and his party.He also wants the bill’s initiatives to last the measure’s full 10-year duration. Democrats made many of them temporary to limit the bill’s cost, which Manchin says is misleading.The bill’s extension of enhanced child tax credit benefits, including monthly checks to millions of families, would only be extended one year. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected the credit’s full 10-year cost at $1.6 trillion, nearly the size of the entire package Manchin says he’d accept. To fit, any compromise would likely have to reduce the tax credit’s benefits and deeply cut many other proposals.Democrats dismiss Manchin’s assertions that the bill would fuel inflation and worsen budget deficits.They say its annual spending would be a tiny percentage of the country’s $23 trillion economy and have little impact on prices. Its job training, education and other initiatives would spur economic growth and curb inflation long-term, they say.Democrats note that CBO estimated the bill’s savings would leave it adding $200 billion to federal deficits over the coming decade, small compared to the $12 trillion in red ink already projected.