Linda Kay Crane, 69, died December 3, 2021, at her home in Lenexa.&nbsp; 
She was born on October 7, 1952, in Dodge City, daughter of Robert Eugene
 and Marilyn Kay (Kennedy) Crane.

Linda grew up in Dodge City, graduating from Dodge City High School. 
After high school, she attended Kansas State University where she 
received her Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design. &nbsp;Linda had spent the 
last several years of her life working as an executive administrator 
assistant for Sprint as well as T-Mobile.

Linda was an avid collector, having many different types of things 
she collected. She also loved spending time her Samoyed dogs. Linda also
 volunteered over the last ten years at Harvesters, Alzheimer’s 
Association, KCPREP, and Wayside Waifs. She enjoyed gardening, 
traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

She is survived by his sister, Jana Mathes and husband Dr. John 
Mathes of Pratt; two brothers, Jon Crane and wife Anne of Scott City, 
and Mark Crane and wife Debra of Aurora, Colorado; as well as several 
nieces and nephews. Linda was preceded in death by her parents, Robert 
and Marilyn Crane; and her significant other, Ron Walters.

Memorial service will be held in the Wesley Chapel at the United 
Methodist Church of the Resurrection, 23720 Roe Ave Leawood, Kansas 
66224 on Saturday, January 15, 2022, at 4:00 PM.&nbsp; 

Memorials are suggested
 to Lemon Park Lights of Pratt.&nbsp; Thoughts and memories may be shared in 
the online guest book at www.swaimfuneralhome.com.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639146538364.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Linda Kay Crane, 69, died December 3, 2021, at her home in Lenexa.&nbsp; 
She was born on October 7, 1952, in Dodge City, daughter of Robert Eugene
 and Marilyn Kay (Kennedy) Crane.Linda grew up in Dodge City, graduating from Dodge City High School. 
After high school, she attended Kansas State University where she 
received her Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design. &nbsp;Linda had spent the 
last several years of her life working as an executive administrator 
assistant for Sprint as well as T-Mobile.Linda was an avid collector, having many different types of things 
she collected. She also loved spending time her Samoyed dogs. Linda also
 volunteered over the last ten years at Harvesters, Alzheimer’s 
Association, KCPREP, and Wayside Waifs. She enjoyed gardening, 
traveling, and spending time with family and friends.She is survived by his sister, Jana Mathes and husband Dr. John 
Mathes of Pratt; two brothers, Jon Crane and wife Anne of Scott City, 
and Mark Crane and wife Debra of Aurora, Colorado; as well as several 
nieces and nephews. Linda was preceded in death by her parents, Robert 
and Marilyn Crane; and her significant other, Ron Walters.Memorial service will be held in the Wesley Chapel at the United 
Methodist Church of the Resurrection, 23720 Roe Ave Leawood, Kansas 
66224 on Saturday, January 15, 2022, at 4:00 PM.&nbsp; Memorials are suggested
 to Lemon Park Lights of Pratt.&nbsp; Thoughts and memories may be shared in 
the online guest book at www.swaimfuneralhome.com.&nbsp;

Linda Kay Crane

SALINE COUNTY —Christmas came early for the Rolling Hills Zoo family with the birth of the Zoo’s first southern white rhino calf Thursday.

The calf and Evey, the calf’s mother, are doing well and bonding as animal care staff monitors the pair from a distance. The sex of the calf not been confirmed at this time.

Evey had been part of a 15 member white rhino herd (or “crash”) at The Wilds Safari Park and Conservation Center at Cumberland, Ohio, prior to her arrival at RHZ. Since she had been with males within the herd, RHZ staff were hopeful that she was pregnant when she arrived in October 2020 and have been monitoring her pregnancy ever since. White rhino gestation can last 16 to 18 months.

“The Rolling Hills Zoo staff and I are over the moon for Evey and the first baby rhino birth at the Zoo,” said Ryan VanZant, RHZ executive director. “This a truly wonderful gift right before the holidays.”

Born at The Wilds Safari Park and Conservation Center, Evey was named for her birth date - December 31st. She will turn fifteen at the end of the month. While her parents have moved to other zoos as part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), Evey remained at The Wilds Safari Park as part of their white rhino herd which is managed as one large social group, and the only rhinos that were not born there are two adult breeding males. Evey made the move to Rolling Hills Zoo on a breeding recommendation by the SSP of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), of which Rolling Hills Zoo is an accredited member.

Evey is an experienced mother, successfully giving birth to three offspring: Jaycambo, a male born in 2011; Agnes, a female born in 2014; and Gordon, a male born in 2017, and has been a great mother to all three. While Jaycambo is no longer at The Wilds, Agnes and Gordon have remained as part of the herd.

At this time, the rhino barn is closed for public viewing. The zoo asks for the public’s patience and understanding as they allow time for the mother and calf to bond. For now, animal care staff are entering the building as necessary and the pair is being monitored via cameras.

The white rhino, the second largest land mammal after the elephant, is a major conservation success story after having been brought back from the very brink of extinction. But the current surge in poaching for their horns, particularly in South Africa, has seen record numbers killed in recent years and urgent efforts are now underway to stop the poaching and end the illegal trade. In Africa today, more than 20,000 southern white rhinos now thrive in protected sanctuaries and are classified as near threatened.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639089538189.jpeg" alt="The rhino calf was born Thursday&nbsp;Photos courtesy Rolling Hills Zoo" />
 <figcaption>The rhino calf was born Thursday&nbsp;Photos courtesy Rolling Hills Zoo</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Christmas came early for the Rolling Hills Zoo family with the birth of the Zoo’s first southern white rhino calf Thursday.The calf and Evey, the calf’s mother, are doing well and bonding as animal care staff monitors the pair from a distance. The sex of the calf not been confirmed at this time.Evey had been part of a 15 member white rhino herd (or “crash”) at The Wilds Safari Park and Conservation Center at Cumberland, Ohio, prior to her arrival at RHZ. Since she had been with males within the herd, RHZ staff were hopeful that she was pregnant when she arrived in October 2020 and have been monitoring her pregnancy ever since. White rhino gestation can last 16 to 18 months.“The Rolling Hills Zoo staff and I are over the moon for Evey and the first baby rhino birth at the Zoo,” said Ryan VanZant, RHZ executive director. “This a truly wonderful gift right before the holidays.”Born at The Wilds Safari Park and Conservation Center, Evey was named for her birth date - December 31st. She will turn fifteen at the end of the month. While her parents have moved to other zoos as part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), Evey remained at The Wilds Safari Park as part of their white rhino herd which is managed as one large social group, and the only rhinos that were not born there are two adult breeding males. Evey made the move to Rolling Hills Zoo on a breeding recommendation by the SSP of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), of which Rolling Hills Zoo is an accredited member.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639089719931.jpeg" alt="Evey, right, and her calf." />
 <figcaption>Evey, right, and her calf.</figcaption>
 </figure>Evey is an experienced mother, successfully giving birth to three offspring: Jaycambo, a male born in 2011; Agnes, a female born in 2014; and Gordon, a male born in 2017, and has been a great mother to all three. While Jaycambo is no longer at The Wilds, Agnes and Gordon have remained as part of the herd.At this time, the rhino barn is closed for public viewing. The zoo asks for the public’s patience and understanding as they allow time for the mother and calf to bond. For now, animal care staff are entering the building as necessary and the pair is being monitored via cameras.The white rhino, the second largest land mammal after the elephant, is a major conservation success story after having been brought back from the very brink of extinction. But the current surge in poaching for their horns, particularly in South Africa, has seen record numbers killed in recent years and urgent efforts are now underway to stop the poaching and end the illegal trade. In Africa today, more than 20,000 southern white rhinos now thrive in protected sanctuaries and are classified as near threatened.

Early Christmas present at Kan. zoo: White rhino calf

Ruth B. (Sheil) Murray, 97, passed away, Wednesday, December 8, 2021,
 at the University of Kansas Health Systems – Great Bend Campus, Great 
Bend, Kansas. She was born on December 22, 1923, in an oil camp in Salt 
Springs, Wyoming, to Edward and Pauline (Driscoll) Sheil.

A long-time resident of Great Bend, she did spend some of her 
childhood on a farm near Cherryvale and later Lyons, Kansas. She 
graduated from Great Bend High School in 1941. She then attended Salt 
City Business College in Hutchinson. Paying her way through school by 
doing various jobs including house cleaning and baby sitting while 
walking the length of Hutchinson. Finally, she secured a job as a 
“Harvey House Girl” at the Bisonte Hotel and Restaurant, where she 
helped serve meals to the troop trains passing through Hutchinson during
 World War II.

On January 24, 1946, she married John C. Murray, a former B-29 
crewmember, who had been stationed at the Great Bend Army Airfield prior
 to going overseas. In January of 1958, Ruth and John co-founded Murray 
Casing Crews, Inc., an oilfield service company which still exists after
 65 years and three-generations later. She was a charter member of St. 
Rose of Lima Catholic Church.

Having survived the Depression, the Dust Bowl and World War II, she 
also raised three sons: John (Steve) and wife Jan of Great Bend, Kansas,
 Thomas (Tom) and wife Jana of Great Bend, and Philip and wife Linda of 
Hays, Kansas. They survive. She has four grandchildren: John (Chris) 
Murray and Brett Murray of Great Bend, Kansas, Derek Murray, Michigan, 
and Caitlyn Murray of Casper, Wyoming; one great-grandchild; one sister 
Nita of Spokane, Washington; numerous nieces and nephews.

Ruth was preceded in death by her husband John, an infant daughter 
that she lost in October 1954: Janice Marie, her parents, sister Teresa 
Haag, and brothers Michael, James, and John Sheil.

Visitation will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday, December
 13, 2021, with Altar Society rosary at 4:00 p.m., and Vigil and rosary 
at 7 p.m., all at Bryant Funeral Home. A&nbsp;Mass of Christian Burial will 
be held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, December 14, 2021, at St. Rose of Lima 
Catholic Church, Great Bend, with Father Aneesh Parappanattu 
presiding.&nbsp;Interment will be in the&nbsp;Great Bend Cemetery, Great Bend. 


Memorials are suggested to Holy Family School Endowment Fund, in care of
 Bryant Funeral Home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639077169803.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Ruth B. (Sheil) Murray, 97, passed away, Wednesday, December 8, 2021,
 at the University of Kansas Health Systems – Great Bend Campus, Great 
Bend, Kansas. She was born on December 22, 1923, in an oil camp in Salt 
Springs, Wyoming, to Edward and Pauline (Driscoll) Sheil.A long-time resident of Great Bend, she did spend some of her 
childhood on a farm near Cherryvale and later Lyons, Kansas. She 
graduated from Great Bend High School in 1941. She then attended Salt 
City Business College in Hutchinson. Paying her way through school by 
doing various jobs including house cleaning and baby sitting while 
walking the length of Hutchinson. Finally, she secured a job as a 
“Harvey House Girl” at the Bisonte Hotel and Restaurant, where she 
helped serve meals to the troop trains passing through Hutchinson during
 World War II.On January 24, 1946, she married John C. Murray, a former B-29 
crewmember, who had been stationed at the Great Bend Army Airfield prior
 to going overseas. In January of 1958, Ruth and John co-founded Murray 
Casing Crews, Inc., an oilfield service company which still exists after
 65 years and three-generations later. She was a charter member of St. 
Rose of Lima Catholic Church.Having survived the Depression, the Dust Bowl and World War II, she 
also raised three sons: John (Steve) and wife Jan of Great Bend, Kansas,
 Thomas (Tom) and wife Jana of Great Bend, and Philip and wife Linda of 
Hays, Kansas. They survive. She has four grandchildren: John (Chris) 
Murray and Brett Murray of Great Bend, Kansas, Derek Murray, Michigan, 
and Caitlyn Murray of Casper, Wyoming; one great-grandchild; one sister 
Nita of Spokane, Washington; numerous nieces and nephews.Ruth was preceded in death by her husband John, an infant daughter 
that she lost in October 1954: Janice Marie, her parents, sister Teresa 
Haag, and brothers Michael, James, and John Sheil.Visitation will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Monday, December
 13, 2021, with Altar Society rosary at 4:00 p.m., and Vigil and rosary 
at 7 p.m., all at Bryant Funeral Home. A&nbsp;Mass of Christian Burial will 
be held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, December 14, 2021, at St. Rose of Lima 
Catholic Church, Great Bend, with Father Aneesh Parappanattu 
presiding.&nbsp;Interment will be in the&nbsp;Great Bend Cemetery, Great Bend. 
Memorials are suggested to Holy Family School Endowment Fund, in care of
 Bryant Funeral Home.

Ruth B. (Sheil) Murray

Carole J. Boor, 81, passed away December 8, 2021, at Almost Home, 
Great Bend, Kansas.&nbsp; She was born June 7, 1940, in Ellsworth, Kansas, to
 Stephen and Blanche Jiricek. She grew up in the Black Wolf Kansas area,
 attended South Exselsior country grade school and graduated from 
Ellsworth High School in 1958.

On October 7, 1958, she was married to Bernard J. Boor and they made their life in and around the Hoisington/Claflin area.

Carole was a member of the Holy Family Catholic Church, where she was
 the organist and choir director for 24 years and a member of the Altar 
Society. A homemaker and farm wife, Carole was also an avid reader and 
gardener.

She is survived by five children; Stephen Boor of Sylvan Grove, 
Connie Boor of Hoisington, Mark Boor of Odin, Christopher Boor of 
Olmitz, and Patrick Boor and wife Lori of Macksville. As well as seven 
grandchildren and eight great grandchildren and one more great 
grandchild on the way.

She was preceded in death by her parents, three infant sisters, husband, Bernard, and grandson, Jordan Boor.

Vistitation will be Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., with family to greet 
friends from 6 to 8 p.m.. Vigil with Rosary will begin at 7 p.m., all at
 Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m., Saturday, December 11, 
2021, at Holy Family Catholic Church, Odin, celebrated by Father Prakash
 Kola. Burial will follow in Holy Family Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to Kans for Kids or Hoisington Public Library 
in care of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, PO Box 146, Hoisington, KS 
67544.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639065348486.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Carole J. Boor, 81, passed away December 8, 2021, at Almost Home, 
Great Bend, Kansas.&nbsp; She was born June 7, 1940, in Ellsworth, Kansas, to
 Stephen and Blanche Jiricek. She grew up in the Black Wolf Kansas area,
 attended South Exselsior country grade school and graduated from 
Ellsworth High School in 1958.On October 7, 1958, she was married to Bernard J. Boor and they made their life in and around the Hoisington/Claflin area.Carole was a member of the Holy Family Catholic Church, where she was
 the organist and choir director for 24 years and a member of the Altar 
Society. A homemaker and farm wife, Carole was also an avid reader and 
gardener.She is survived by five children; Stephen Boor of Sylvan Grove, 
Connie Boor of Hoisington, Mark Boor of Odin, Christopher Boor of 
Olmitz, and Patrick Boor and wife Lori of Macksville. As well as seven 
grandchildren and eight great grandchildren and one more great 
grandchild on the way.She was preceded in death by her parents, three infant sisters, husband, Bernard, and grandson, Jordan Boor.Vistitation will be Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., with family to greet 
friends from 6 to 8 p.m.. Vigil with Rosary will begin at 7 p.m., all at
 Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home.Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m., Saturday, December 11, 
2021, at Holy Family Catholic Church, Odin, celebrated by Father Prakash
 Kola. Burial will follow in Holy Family Cemetery.Memorials may be made to Kans for Kids or Hoisington Public Library 
in care of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, PO Box 146, Hoisington, KS 
67544.

Carole J. Boor

Kansas State High School Activities Association

As a 1965 graduate, Bill Kimble is easily the most decorated athlete 
to graduate from Hoisington High School. Bill Kimble earned 12 gold 
medals from the KSHSAA State Track Meets in 1963, 1964 and 1965.  In 
each of those three years, he won the gold in the 100-yard and 220-yard 
dashes, the 180-yard hurdles, and the 880-yard relay. He also helped his
 track team win two state titles. Kimble holds the record for the 
100-yard dash with a time of 9.6 seconds (or converted to meters is 10.5
 seconds).  Bill continues to hold the state records for the 100-yard 
and 220-yard dashes.  Bill was also an accomplished football athlete and
 intended to compete for Texas when he experienced some bad luck with 
his trip and therefore returned to Kansas to participate in track and 
football at a junior college before being drafted to Vietnam.

***The
 USD 431 Hoisington Board of Education approved a motion in October to 
rename the track at HHS to “Bill Kimble Track." The Hoisington 
Invitational in April will be renamed the “Bill Kimble Invitational” 
going forward.

Charles "Chuck" Fessenden spent 43 years 
teaching, coaching and inspiring students at Northern Valley High School
 in Almena, Kansas. He served as the head football coach his entire 
career, charting 292 wins and 142 losses, the most all-time 8-player 
football coaching wins in Kansas. During his tenure, his team made the 
state championships seven times and brought home the championship crown 
in three of those games. At one time, his football program had 41 
consecutive wins. Chuck was one of the initial founders of the "Kansas 
8-Man Football Association" and the "8-Man All Star Game."&nbsp; Coach 
Fessenden was also responsible for coaching one state basketball 
championship and winning three state track championships. He was honored
 with multiple awards and recognitions over the course of four decades 
for his coaching of football, basketball, and track. The football field 
at Northern Valley has been named Fessenden Field in his honor.

Cheryl
 Gleason is synonymous with the Kansas Association for Youth (KAY) 
organization as it is built upon service and leadership. Cheryl served 
the students, coaches, sponsors, administrators, and schools of Kansas 
through her leadership as an Assistant Executive Director at the Kansas 
State High School Activities Association from 1989 until her retirement 
in 2021. Although she was the administrator for activities such as 
gymnastics, volleyball, bowling, tennis, swimming and diving and golf, 
what she will always be most remembered for are her years as the KAY 
State Director. Cheryl is the only KAY alum to have served 50 years at 
the KAY Leadership Camp. In 2012, she helped launch KAYAN, the Kansas 
Association for Youth Alumni Network, as an organization that would 
continue the beliefs and mission of the KAY organization. During her 
career, Cheryl served on numerous national committees and was recognized
 for her service with many Hall of Fame inductions.

Pam 
McComas spent 40 years in the Topeka 501 School District, instilling a 
passion for speech, debate and forensics in her students.&nbsp; She coached 
over 170 students to Nationals for 33 consecutive years, coaching five 
national champions and 15 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) 
All-Americans.&nbsp; In 1999 she was awarded the National Coach of the Year 
by Pi Kappa Delta/Bruno E. Jacob Award and in 2016 McComas received the 
National Federation State High School Association's (NFHS) Citation 
Award for Speech, Debate and Theatre Directors.&nbsp; Her involvement with 
the KSHSAA includes serving on the Board of Directors and Executive 
Board.&nbsp; Beyond the state of Kansas, she has served the NFHS on various 
committees and has co-authored National debate topic papers, in which 
her topic,&nbsp;Water&nbsp;Resources, was selected for the 2021-2022 school year. 
Through the NSDA, McComas has received multiple Chapter Awards and other
 numerous honors.

Barry Mellen spent 34 years as a teacher
 and coach, 29 of those years at Kismet-Southwestern Heights. During his
 girls basketball coaching career, he acquired a record of 785 wins and 
178 losses, a winning percentage of .815. In 1992, his girls' basketball
 team had an undefeated season which led to a state championship. His 
teams won state championship titles twice and were runner ups seven 
times. Barry was a successful volleyball coach as well, making it to the
 state tournament seven years and a girls/boys track coach with three 
state championships. With his years of success came many recognitions 
such as "Coach of the Year" by numerous news outlets and associations 
and even a "Coach of the Decade." At the National Federation State High 
School Association (NFHS) level, Coach Mellen was awarded the "National 
Girls Coach of the Year" for District 5 in 2009. --

The 
honorees were chosen from nominations reviewed by a selection committee.
 To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, an individual must have made an 
unusually outstanding contribution in interscholastic activities, either
 as a student with exceptional talent, or as an adult working with youth
 (such as an activity coach, director or sponsor, an administrator, an 
official or a contributor). Hall of Fame inductees may no longer be 
active in the field for which they are nominated (exception: contributor
 with over 30 years of outstanding service).

Each year schools and
 communities throughout Kansas submit many nominations of individuals 
who have made tremendous contributions in the field of interscholastic 
activities. Hall of Fame information is available on the KSHSAA website 
at www.kshsaa.org. Nomination forms are available by contacting the 
KSHSAA. Any nominations to be considered for induction in 2023 must be 
submitted prior to November 1, 2022.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639061563441.jpeg" alt="Bill Kimble" />
 <figcaption>Bill Kimble</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas State High School Activities AssociationAs a 1965 graduate, Bill Kimble is easily the most decorated athlete 
to graduate from Hoisington High School. Bill Kimble earned 12 gold 
medals from the KSHSAA State Track Meets in 1963, 1964 and 1965. In 
each of those three years, he won the gold in the 100-yard and 220-yard 
dashes, the 180-yard hurdles, and the 880-yard relay. He also helped his
 track team win two state titles. Kimble holds the record for the 
100-yard dash with a time of 9.6 seconds (or converted to meters is 10.5
 seconds). Bill continues to hold the state records for the 100-yard 
and 220-yard dashes. Bill was also an accomplished football athlete and
 intended to compete for Texas when he experienced some bad luck with 
his trip and therefore returned to Kansas to participate in track and 
football at a junior college before being drafted to Vietnam.***The
 USD 431 Hoisington Board of Education approved a motion in October to 
rename the track at HHS to “Bill Kimble Track." The Hoisington 
Invitational in April will be renamed the “Bill Kimble Invitational” 
going forward.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639061723739.png" alt="Charles 'Chuck' Fessenden" />
 <figcaption>Charles 'Chuck' Fessenden</figcaption>
 </figure>Charles "Chuck" Fessenden spent 43 years 
teaching, coaching and inspiring students at Northern Valley High School
 in Almena, Kansas. He served as the head football coach his entire 
career, charting 292 wins and 142 losses, the most all-time 8-player 
football coaching wins in Kansas. During his tenure, his team made the 
state championships seven times and brought home the championship crown 
in three of those games. At one time, his football program had 41 
consecutive wins. Chuck was one of the initial founders of the "Kansas 
8-Man Football Association" and the "8-Man All Star Game."&nbsp; Coach 
Fessenden was also responsible for coaching one state basketball 
championship and winning three state track championships. He was honored
 with multiple awards and recognitions over the course of four decades 
for his coaching of football, basketball, and track. The football field 
at Northern Valley has been named Fessenden Field in his honor. Cheryl
 Gleason is synonymous with the Kansas Association for Youth (KAY) 
organization as it is built upon service and leadership. Cheryl served 
the students, coaches, sponsors, administrators, and schools of Kansas 
through her leadership as an Assistant Executive Director at the Kansas 
State High School Activities Association from 1989 until her retirement 
in 2021. Although she was the administrator for activities such as 
gymnastics, volleyball, bowling, tennis, swimming and diving and golf, 
what she will always be most remembered for are her years as the KAY 
State Director. Cheryl is the only KAY alum to have served 50 years at 
the KAY Leadership Camp. In 2012, she helped launch KAYAN, the Kansas 
Association for Youth Alumni Network, as an organization that would 
continue the beliefs and mission of the KAY organization. During her 
career, Cheryl served on numerous national committees and was recognized
 for her service with many Hall of Fame inductions. Pam 
McComas spent 40 years in the Topeka 501 School District, instilling a 
passion for speech, debate and forensics in her students.&nbsp; She coached 
over 170 students to Nationals for 33 consecutive years, coaching five 
national champions and 15 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) 
All-Americans.&nbsp; In 1999 she was awarded the National Coach of the Year 
by Pi Kappa Delta/Bruno E. Jacob Award and in 2016 McComas received the 
National Federation State High School Association's (NFHS) Citation 
Award for Speech, Debate and Theatre Directors.&nbsp; Her involvement with 
the KSHSAA includes serving on the Board of Directors and Executive 
Board.&nbsp; Beyond the state of Kansas, she has served the NFHS on various 
committees and has co-authored National debate topic papers, in which 
her topic,&nbsp;Water&nbsp;Resources, was selected for the 2021-2022 school year. 
Through the NSDA, McComas has received multiple Chapter Awards and other
 numerous honors. Barry Mellen spent 34 years as a teacher
 and coach, 29 of those years at Kismet-Southwestern Heights. During his
 girls basketball coaching career, he acquired a record of 785 wins and 
178 losses, a winning percentage of .815. In 1992, his girls' basketball
 team had an undefeated season which led to a state championship. His 
teams won state championship titles twice and were runner ups seven 
times. Barry was a successful volleyball coach as well, making it to the
 state tournament seven years and a girls/boys track coach with three 
state championships. With his years of success came many recognitions 
such as "Coach of the Year" by numerous news outlets and associations 
and even a "Coach of the Decade." At the National Federation State High 
School Association (NFHS) level, Coach Mellen was awarded the "National 
Girls Coach of the Year" for District 5 in 2009. --The 
honorees were chosen from nominations reviewed by a selection committee.
 To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, an individual must have made an 
unusually outstanding contribution in interscholastic activities, either
 as a student with exceptional talent, or as an adult working with youth
 (such as an activity coach, director or sponsor, an administrator, an 
official or a contributor). Hall of Fame inductees may no longer be 
active in the field for which they are nominated (exception: contributor
 with over 30 years of outstanding service).Each year schools and
 communities throughout Kansas submit many nominations of individuals 
who have made tremendous contributions in the field of interscholastic 
activities. Hall of Fame information is available on the KSHSAA website 
at www.kshsaa.org. Nomination forms are available by contacting the 
KSHSAA. Any nominations to be considered for induction in 2023 must be 
submitted prior to November 1, 2022.

Almena coach, Hoisington track star named to KSHSAA Hall of Fame

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A man suspected of a total of six killings in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/missouri">Missouri</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/kansas">Kansas</a>&nbsp;pleaded not guilty Wednesday in two deaths in St. Louis.

Perez Reed, 26, appeared via video to face charges that he shot and killed 49-year-old Pamela Abercrombie on Sept. 16 and 24-year-old Carey Ross on Sept. 19 in St. Louis..

Reed is also charged in two killings in St. Louis County and two others in Kansas City, Kansas, in September and October.

He was arrested in early November while he was traveling from Kansas City to St. Louis.

Public defender Brian Horneyer entered not guilty pleas for Reed to two counts of murder and armed criminal action. Horneyer told the judge that Reed has an extensive history of mental health issues, KMOV reported.

Reed is charged in the St. Louis County killings of 16-year-old Marnay Haynes on Sept. 13 and Lester Robinson, 40, on Sept. 26. He is also charged with killing Damon Washington Irvin and Rau’daja De’Naya Farrow on Oct. 28-29 in Kansas City, Kansas. He has not been arraigned in those deaths.

Reed pleaded not guilty in November to a federal weapons charge. Authorities have said there is no known connection between the victims.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636462416961.png" alt="Reed-photo Wyandotte Co." />
 <figcaption>Reed-photo Wyandotte Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ST. LOUIS (AP) — A man suspected of a total of six killings in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/missouri">Missouri</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/kansas">Kansas</a>&nbsp;pleaded not guilty Wednesday in two deaths in St. Louis.Perez Reed, 26, appeared via video to face charges that he shot and killed 49-year-old Pamela Abercrombie on Sept. 16 and 24-year-old Carey Ross on Sept. 19 in St. Louis..Reed is also charged in two killings in St. Louis County and two others in Kansas City, Kansas, in September and October.He was arrested in early November while he was traveling from Kansas City to St. Louis.Public defender Brian Horneyer entered not guilty pleas for Reed to two counts of murder and armed criminal action. Horneyer told the judge that Reed has an extensive history of mental health issues, KMOV reported.Reed is charged in the St. Louis County killings of 16-year-old Marnay Haynes on Sept. 13 and Lester Robinson, 40, on Sept. 26. He is also charged with killing Damon Washington Irvin and Rau’daja De’Naya Farrow on Oct. 28-29 in Kansas City, Kansas. He has not been arraigned in those deaths.Reed pleaded not guilty in November to a federal weapons charge. Authorities have said there is no known connection between the victims.

Man charged in 2 Kan. killings enters plea for 2 deaths in Missouri

Frank Lee Lojka, age 51, of Lincoln, NE, died peacefully in his home on December 3, 2021, after a courageous battle with brain cancer. He was born in October 1970, in Hays, Kansas, the son of Glen Franklin and Barbara Lee (Blundell) Lojka. Lee graduated from Manhattan High School and attended Fort Hays State University majoring in Fine Arts; he then attended Kansas State University graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology. He was married to Michelle M. “Shelly” Roben in July of 1995; she was his best friend and partner in life for 26 years. Survivors include his wife Shelly Roben-Lojka and one child Renn Lojka of Lincoln, NE; his mother Barbara Lojka of Manhattan; his brother Dr. Brian Lojka (Tonya) of Chesterfield, MO; his In-laws Gerald and Sue Roben of Bellevue, Iowa; and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. Lee was preceded in death by his father on August 31st, 2021. Lee was a Chef and Director of Food Service programs throughout Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. His career spanned 21 years and culminated in his dream job as the Director of Food Service at Camp Carol Joy Holling in Ashland, NE. part of Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. He was a talented artist, teacher and role model. Lee was an avid reader, collector of cookbooks, lover of cats and an outdoorsman whose favorite place was anywhere he could fish, hike, kayak and cook over an open fire. He spent his time loving people through food, music and dynamic conversation. Lee was a gentle giant who was never at a loss for words and always made people feel welcome. He had a quick sense of humor and a huge laugh that would fill a room. Lee loved large family and friend gatherings where there was laughter and chaos. Lee was a fiercely loyal son, brother and friend but above all else he was a devoted husband and father. Memorial service to be held at 10:00 am Saturday, December 18th, at College Avenue United Methodist Church, 1609 College Avenue, Manhattan, KS, with Reverend Dr. Dennis Ackerman and Pastor Nate Wilcox officiating. A celebration of Lee’s life will be held following the service from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm at the Kansas State University Alumni Center, 100 Alumni Ctr, 1720 Anderson Ave., Manhattan, KS. Online condolences may be left for the family by clicking on "Send Condolences" on this page. Memorial contributions may be made to the Lee Lojka Memorial Fund, to be designated later. Contributions may be left in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639003628262.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Frank Lee Lojka, age 51, of Lincoln, NE, died peacefully in his home on December 3, 2021, after a courageous battle with brain cancer. He was born in October 1970, in Hays, Kansas, the son of Glen Franklin and Barbara Lee (Blundell) Lojka. Lee graduated from Manhattan High School and attended Fort Hays State University majoring in Fine Arts; he then attended Kansas State University graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology. He was married to Michelle M. “Shelly” Roben in July of 1995; she was his best friend and partner in life for 26 years. Survivors include his wife Shelly Roben-Lojka and one child Renn Lojka of Lincoln, NE; his mother Barbara Lojka of Manhattan; his brother Dr. Brian Lojka (Tonya) of Chesterfield, MO; his In-laws Gerald and Sue Roben of Bellevue, Iowa; and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. Lee was preceded in death by his father on August 31st, 2021. Lee was a Chef and Director of Food Service programs throughout Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. His career spanned 21 years and culminated in his dream job as the Director of Food Service at Camp Carol Joy Holling in Ashland, NE. part of Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries. He was a talented artist, teacher and role model. Lee was an avid reader, collector of cookbooks, lover of cats and an outdoorsman whose favorite place was anywhere he could fish, hike, kayak and cook over an open fire. He spent his time loving people through food, music and dynamic conversation. Lee was a gentle giant who was never at a loss for words and always made people feel welcome. He had a quick sense of humor and a huge laugh that would fill a room. Lee loved large family and friend gatherings where there was laughter and chaos. Lee was a fiercely loyal son, brother and friend but above all else he was a devoted husband and father. Memorial service to be held at 10:00 am Saturday, December 18th, at College Avenue United Methodist Church, 1609 College Avenue, Manhattan, KS, with Reverend Dr. Dennis Ackerman and Pastor Nate Wilcox officiating. A celebration of Lee’s life will be held following the service from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm at the Kansas State University Alumni Center, 100 Alumni Ctr, 1720 Anderson Ave., Manhattan, KS. Online condolences may be left for the family by clicking on "Send Condolences" on this page. Memorial contributions may be made to the Lee Lojka Memorial Fund, to be designated later. Contributions may be left in care of the Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502.

Frank Lee Lojka

Shirley Ann Rupp, 91, Hays, died Tuesday, December 7, 2021, at the Hays Good Samaritan Center.

She
 was born October 8, 1930, in Hays the eldest of nine children to Conrad 
Alexander “C.A.” and Zita Clara (Wasinger) Rupp.&nbsp; She was a 1948 
graduate of Girls Catholic High School and attended Rockhurst College.&nbsp; 
On October 9, 1950, she was united in marriage to Marvin J. Rupp and they
 celebrated over 68 years together before he died on November 4, 2018.&nbsp; 
Shirley was a farmwife and was the bookkeeper and office manager of 
Ellis County Implement and Ellis County Dairy Supply.&nbsp; She was a member 
of St. Joseph Catholic Church and the Daughters of Isabella Circle 
#254.&nbsp; She enjoyed flower gardening, embroidering tea towels and baby 
blankets, and collecting porcelain dolls.&nbsp; She was a very devout wife, 
mother, grandmother, and Catholic and shared her faith and love with her
 family.&nbsp; Visiting the farm and wheat fields brought great joy to 
Shirley as she was raised a city girl who grew to love living on the 
farm.&nbsp;

Survivors
 include a son:&nbsp; Andrew Rupp and wife Kathy of Hays, a daughter:&nbsp; Amy 
Perez and husband Leonel of Wichita, a daughter-in-law:&nbsp; Elaine Rupp of 
Hays, three brothers:&nbsp; Larry Rupp and wife Marq of Kansas City, MO, 
Bernie Rupp and wife Dottie of Tampa, FL, and Fred Rupp and wife Alicia 
of Kearney, NE, three sisters:&nbsp; Mary McNamara and husband Mike and 
Marlene McGuire, all of Kansas City, MO, and Connie Wallace of 
Alamogordo, NM, a sister-in-law: Marie Rupp of Lee’s Summit, MO, ten 
grandchildren:&nbsp; Stephen Rupp, Thomas Rupp, Jonathan Rupp and wife 
Amanda, Dr. Aaron Rupp, Matthew Applequist, Alex Perez, Vanessa Rupp, 
Elizabeth Goetz and husband Kyle, Annaka Applequist, and Isabella Perez,
 and three great grandchildren:&nbsp; Ivan Rupp, Amelia Rupp, and Theodore 
Goetz.

She
 was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Marvin, a son:&nbsp; 
Stephen Rupp, an infant daughter:&nbsp; Karen Rupp, two brothers:&nbsp; Ron Rupp 
and Stan Rupp, and a brother-in-law: Lou McGuire.

Mass
 of Christian Burial will be at 2:00 pm on Friday, December 10, 2021, at 
St. Joseph Catholic Church with Fr. Richard Daise officiating.&nbsp;&nbsp; Burial 
will follow in the St. Joseph Cemetery.&nbsp; Visitation will be from 5:00 pm
 until 7:30 on Thursday and from 1:00 pm until 1:45 on Friday, all at 
the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.&nbsp; A Daughters of Isabella rosary 
will be at 5:30 pm and a vigil service will be at 6:30 pm, both on 
Thursday at the funeral home.&nbsp; 

Memorials are suggested to TMP-Marian 
High School, St. Joseph Catholic Church, or to Ronald McDonald Charities
 of Kansas City.&nbsp; Condolences and memories of Shirley may be shared with
 the family at www.haysmemorial.com

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638972996947.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Shirley Ann Rupp, 91, Hays, died Tuesday, December 7, 2021, at the Hays Good Samaritan Center.She
 was born October 8, 1930, in Hays the eldest of nine children to Conrad 
Alexander “C.A.” and Zita Clara (Wasinger) Rupp.&nbsp; She was a 1948 
graduate of Girls Catholic High School and attended Rockhurst College.&nbsp; 
On October 9, 1950, she was united in marriage to Marvin J. Rupp and they
 celebrated over 68 years together before he died on November 4, 2018.&nbsp; 
Shirley was a farmwife and was the bookkeeper and office manager of 
Ellis County Implement and Ellis County Dairy Supply.&nbsp; She was a member 
of St. Joseph Catholic Church and the Daughters of Isabella Circle 
#254.&nbsp; She enjoyed flower gardening, embroidering tea towels and baby 
blankets, and collecting porcelain dolls.&nbsp; She was a very devout wife, 
mother, grandmother, and Catholic and shared her faith and love with her
 family.&nbsp; Visiting the farm and wheat fields brought great joy to 
Shirley as she was raised a city girl who grew to love living on the 
farm.&nbsp;Survivors
 include a son:&nbsp; Andrew Rupp and wife Kathy of Hays, a daughter:&nbsp; Amy 
Perez and husband Leonel of Wichita, a daughter-in-law:&nbsp; Elaine Rupp of 
Hays, three brothers:&nbsp; Larry Rupp and wife Marq of Kansas City, MO, 
Bernie Rupp and wife Dottie of Tampa, FL, and Fred Rupp and wife Alicia 
of Kearney, NE, three sisters:&nbsp; Mary McNamara and husband Mike and 
Marlene McGuire, all of Kansas City, MO, and Connie Wallace of 
Alamogordo, NM, a sister-in-law: Marie Rupp of Lee’s Summit, MO, ten 
grandchildren:&nbsp; Stephen Rupp, Thomas Rupp, Jonathan Rupp and wife 
Amanda, Dr. Aaron Rupp, Matthew Applequist, Alex Perez, Vanessa Rupp, 
Elizabeth Goetz and husband Kyle, Annaka Applequist, and Isabella Perez,
 and three great grandchildren:&nbsp; Ivan Rupp, Amelia Rupp, and Theodore 
Goetz.She
 was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Marvin, a son:&nbsp; 
Stephen Rupp, an infant daughter:&nbsp; Karen Rupp, two brothers:&nbsp; Ron Rupp 
and Stan Rupp, and a brother-in-law: Lou McGuire.Mass
 of Christian Burial will be at 2:00 pm on Friday, December 10, 2021, at 
St. Joseph Catholic Church with Fr. Richard Daise officiating.&nbsp;&nbsp; Burial 
will follow in the St. Joseph Cemetery.&nbsp; Visitation will be from 5:00 pm
 until 7:30 on Thursday and from 1:00 pm until 1:45 on Friday, all at 
the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.&nbsp; A Daughters of Isabella rosary 
will be at 5:30 pm and a vigil service will be at 6:30 pm, both on 
Thursday at the funeral home.&nbsp; Memorials are suggested to TMP-Marian 
High School, St. Joseph Catholic Church, or to Ronald McDonald Charities
 of Kansas City.&nbsp; Condolences and memories of Shirley may be shared with
 the family at www.haysmemorial.com

Shirley Ann Rupp

Norman W. Younger, age 87, of Hays, 
Kansas, passed away Monday, December 6, 2021, at Hays Medical Center.&nbsp; He
 was born October 14, 1934, to Peter M. Younger and Catherine, “Katie” 
(Pfannenstiel) in Ellis County, Kansas. He graduated from Hays High 
School.&nbsp; He married Norma Jean (Klaus) September 5, 1959, at St. Joseph’s
 Church in Hays.&nbsp; She preceded him in death on May 23, 1991.

Norman was a farmer and stockman.&nbsp; He 
was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and served in the United 
States Army as a medic.&nbsp; During his working career he was a truck driver
 and a courier, all while farming on weekends.&nbsp; During his retirement 
years, he farmed and raised cattle with his son Dave, and you could 
always find him swathing hay in the summer months.&nbsp; He also enjoyed 
attending polka dances with his siblings.

He is survived by one son, David 
Younger, (Sarah), Hays, KS; two daughters, Brenda Younger (Jim Housel) 
Hays; Cheryl Younger (Bob Hoffman), Hays, and special friend Sharlene 
Gross, Meade, KS; two brothers, Richard Younger (Betty), Hays; Frank 
Younger, Hays, a sister Mary Dreiling (Bob), Hays, three grandchildren, 
Daniel Younger, Denver, CO; Aimee Martin (Garrett), Johnson City, KS; 
Spencer McCue, Colorado Springs, CO; three great grandchildren; and six 
step grandchildren.&nbsp; He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews and
 friends.

He was preceded in death by his 
parents, wife, and son, Dale Younger, brothers Severin (Virginia) 
Younker; Victor (Henrietta) Younger, Alvin (Rosie) Younger, Sylvester 
Younger, Joe (Betty) Younger, Edward (Dorothy) Younger, and a sister, 
Cora (Richard) Sawazhki.

Funeral services will be 10:00 AM 
Thursday, December 9, 2021 at St. Joseph’s Church, 215 W. 13th, Hays. 
Military grave side services will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, Hays.

Visitation will be Wednesday from 5 PM 
to 8 PM with a combined parish vigil and rosary service at 7 PM at 
Brock’s~Keithley Funeral Home and Chapel, 2509 Vine, Hays.

Thursday visitation will be 9 until service time&nbsp;at the church.

Memorial contributions are suggested to St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Condolences may be left by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or by email at keithleyfuneralhomes@gmail.com.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638972915685.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Norman W. Younger, age 87, of Hays, 
Kansas, passed away Monday, December 6, 2021, at Hays Medical Center.&nbsp; He
 was born October 14, 1934, to Peter M. Younger and Catherine, “Katie” 
(Pfannenstiel) in Ellis County, Kansas. He graduated from Hays High 
School.&nbsp; He married Norma Jean (Klaus) September 5, 1959, at St. Joseph’s
 Church in Hays.&nbsp; She preceded him in death on May 23, 1991.Norman was a farmer and stockman.&nbsp; He 
was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and served in the United 
States Army as a medic.&nbsp; During his working career he was a truck driver
 and a courier, all while farming on weekends.&nbsp; During his retirement 
years, he farmed and raised cattle with his son Dave, and you could 
always find him swathing hay in the summer months.&nbsp; He also enjoyed 
attending polka dances with his siblings.He is survived by one son, David 
Younger, (Sarah), Hays, KS; two daughters, Brenda Younger (Jim Housel) 
Hays; Cheryl Younger (Bob Hoffman), Hays, and special friend Sharlene 
Gross, Meade, KS; two brothers, Richard Younger (Betty), Hays; Frank 
Younger, Hays, a sister Mary Dreiling (Bob), Hays, three grandchildren, 
Daniel Younger, Denver, CO; Aimee Martin (Garrett), Johnson City, KS; 
Spencer McCue, Colorado Springs, CO; three great grandchildren; and six 
step grandchildren.&nbsp; He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews and
 friends.He was preceded in death by his 
parents, wife, and son, Dale Younger, brothers Severin (Virginia) 
Younker; Victor (Henrietta) Younger, Alvin (Rosie) Younger, Sylvester 
Younger, Joe (Betty) Younger, Edward (Dorothy) Younger, and a sister, 
Cora (Richard) Sawazhki.Funeral services will be 10:00 AM 
Thursday, December 9, 2021 at St. Joseph’s Church, 215 W. 13th, Hays. 
Military grave side services will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery, Hays.Visitation will be Wednesday from 5 PM 
to 8 PM with a combined parish vigil and rosary service at 7 PM at 
Brock’s~Keithley Funeral Home and Chapel, 2509 Vine, Hays.Thursday visitation will be 9 until service time&nbsp;at the church.Memorial contributions are suggested to St. Joseph Catholic Church.Condolences may be left by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or by email at keithleyfuneralhomes@gmail.com.

Norman W. Younger

NEW YORK (AP) —A major outage in Amazon’s cloud computing network Tuesday severely disrupted services at a wide range of U.S. companies for more than five hours, the latest sign of just how concentrated the business of keeping the internet running has become.

The incident at Amazon Web Services mostly affected the eastern U.S., but still impacted everything from airline reservations and auto dealerships to payment apps and video streaming services to Amazon’s own massive e-commerce operation. That included The Associated Press, whose publishing system was inoperable for much of the day, greatly limiting its ability to publish its news report..

Amazon has still said nothing about what, exactly, went wrong. In fact, the company limited its communications Tuesday to terse technical explanations on an AWS dashboard and a brief statement delivered via spokesperson Richard Rocha that acknowledged the outage had affected Amazon’s own warehouse and delivery operation but said the company was “working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”

Roughly five hours after numerous companies and other organizations began reporting issues, the company said in a post on the AWS status page that it had “mitigated” the underlying problem responsible for the outage, which it did not describe. It took some affected companies hours more to thoroughly check their systems and restart their own services.

Amazon Web Services was formerly run by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, who succeeded founder Jeff Bezos in July. The cloud-service operation is a huge profit center for Amazon. It holds roughly a third of the $152 billion market for cloud services, according to a report by Synergy Research — a larger share than its closest rivals, Microsoft and Google, combined.

To technologist and public data access activist Carl Malamud, the AWS outage highlights how much Big Tech has warped the internet, which was originally designed as a distributed and decentralized network intended to survive mass disasters such as nuclear attack.

“When we put everything in one place, be it Amazon’s cloud or Facebook’s monolith, we’re violating that fundamental principle,” said Malamud, who developed the internet’s first radio station and later put a vital U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission database online. “We saw that when Facebook became the instrument of a massive disinformation campaign, we just saw that today with the Amazon failure.”

Widespread and often lengthy outages resulting from single-point failures appear increasingly common. In June, the behind-the-scenes content distributor Fastly suffered a failure that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/internet-outage-down-fastly-7c607c931faba19584975da74c8fa633">briefly took down dozens of major internet sites</a>&nbsp;including CNN, The New York Times and Britain’s government home page.

Then in October, Facebook — now known as Meta Platforms — blamed a “faulty configuration change” for an hours-long worldwide outage that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/facebook-whatsapp-instagram-outage-8b9d3862ed957029e545182a595fdce1">took down Instagram and WhatsApp</a>&nbsp;in addition to its titular platform.

This time, problems began midmorning on the U.S. East Coast, said Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at Kentik Inc, a network intelligence firm. Netflix was one of the more prominent names affected; Kentik saw a 26% drop in traffic to the streaming service.

Customers trying to book or change trips with Delta Air Lines had trouble connecting to the airline. “Delta is working quickly to restore functionality to our AWS-supported phone lines,” said spokesperson Morgan Durrant. The airline apologized and encouraged customers to use its website or mobile app instead.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines said it switched to West Coast servers after some airport-based systems were affected by the outage. Customers were still reporting outages to DownDetector, a popular clearinghouse for user outage reports, more than three hours after they started. Southwest spokesman Brian Parrish said there were no major disruptions to flights.

Toyota spokesman Scott Vazin said the company’s U.S. East Region for dealer services went down. The company has apps that access inventory data, monthly payment calculators, service bulletins and other items. More than 20 apps were affected.

Also according to DownDetector, people trying to use Instacart, Venmo, Kindle, Roku, and Disney+ reported issues. The McDonald’s app was also down. But the airlines American, United, Alaska and JetBlue were unaffected.

Madory said he saw no reason to suspect nefarious activity. He said the recent cluster of major outages reflects how complex the networking industry has become. “More and more these outages end up being the product of automation and centralization of administration,” he said. “This ends up leading to outages that are hard to completely avoid due to operational complexity but are very impactful when they happen.”

It was unclear how, or whether, the outage was affecting the federal government. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in an email response to questions that it was working with Amazon “to understand any potential impacts this outage may have for federal agencies or other partners.”

NEW YORK (AP) —Amazon Web Services suffered a major outage Tuesday, the company said, limiting service at many key and popular sites.

The company provides cloud computing services to many governments, universities and companies, including The Associated Press.

<a href="https://status.aws.amazon.com/" target="_blank">Amazon said in a post</a>&nbsp;an hour after the outage began that it had identified the root cause and was “actively working towards recovery.” It did not disclose more about the cause.

The outage also affected Amazon’s ability to provide updates, it said.

The outage began midmorning on the U.S. East Coast, said Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at Kentik Inc, a network intelligence firm... “AWS is the biggest cloud provider and us-east-1 is their biggest data center, so any disruption there has big impacts to many popular websites and other internet services,” he said.

Madory said he did not believe the outage was anything nefarious. He said a recent cluster of outages at providers that host major websites reflects how the networking industry has evolved. “More and more these outages end up being the product of automation and centralization of administration,” he said. “This ends up leading to outages that are hard to completely avoid due to operational complexity, but are very impactful when they happen.”

Kentik was seeing a 26% drop in traffic to Netflix, among major web-based services affected by the outage, Madory said. According to Down Detector, a clearinghouse for user reports on outages, Delta and Southwest have been affected, but not American, United, Alaska or JetBlue.

People trying to use Instacart, Venmo, Kindle, Roku, and Disney+ have reported issues. The McDonald’s app is also down.

NEW YORK (AP) —A major outage in Amazon’s cloud computing network Tuesday severely disrupted services at a wide range of U.S. companies for more than five hours, the latest sign of just how concentrated the business of keeping the internet running has become.The incident at Amazon Web Services mostly affected the eastern U.S., but still impacted everything from airline reservations and auto dealerships to payment apps and video streaming services to Amazon’s own massive e-commerce operation. That included The Associated Press, whose publishing system was inoperable for much of the day, greatly limiting its ability to publish its news report..Amazon has still said nothing about what, exactly, went wrong. In fact, the company limited its communications Tuesday to terse technical explanations on an AWS dashboard and a brief statement delivered via spokesperson Richard Rocha that acknowledged the outage had affected Amazon’s own warehouse and delivery operation but said the company was “working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”Roughly five hours after numerous companies and other organizations began reporting issues, the company said in a post on the AWS status page that it had “mitigated” the underlying problem responsible for the outage, which it did not describe. It took some affected companies hours more to thoroughly check their systems and restart their own services.Amazon Web Services was formerly run by Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, who succeeded founder Jeff Bezos in July. The cloud-service operation is a huge profit center for Amazon. It holds roughly a third of the $152 billion market for cloud services, according to a report by Synergy Research — a larger share than its closest rivals, Microsoft and Google, combined.To technologist and public data access activist Carl Malamud, the AWS outage highlights how much Big Tech has warped the internet, which was originally designed as a distributed and decentralized network intended to survive mass disasters such as nuclear attack.“When we put everything in one place, be it Amazon’s cloud or Facebook’s monolith, we’re violating that fundamental principle,” said Malamud, who developed the internet’s first radio station and later put a vital U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission database online. “We saw that when Facebook became the instrument of a massive disinformation campaign, we just saw that today with the Amazon failure.”Widespread and often lengthy outages resulting from single-point failures appear increasingly common. In June, the behind-the-scenes content distributor Fastly suffered a failure that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/internet-outage-down-fastly-7c607c931faba19584975da74c8fa633">briefly took down dozens of major internet sites</a>&nbsp;including CNN, The New York Times and Britain’s government home page.Then in October, Facebook — now known as Meta Platforms — blamed a “faulty configuration change” for an hours-long worldwide outage that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/facebook-whatsapp-instagram-outage-8b9d3862ed957029e545182a595fdce1">took down Instagram and WhatsApp</a>&nbsp;in addition to its titular platform.This time, problems began midmorning on the U.S. East Coast, said Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at Kentik Inc, a network intelligence firm. Netflix was one of the more prominent names affected; Kentik saw a 26% drop in traffic to the streaming service.Customers trying to book or change trips with Delta Air Lines had trouble connecting to the airline. “Delta is working quickly to restore functionality to our AWS-supported phone lines,” said spokesperson Morgan Durrant. The airline apologized and encouraged customers to use its website or mobile app instead.Dallas-based Southwest Airlines said it switched to West Coast servers after some airport-based systems were affected by the outage. Customers were still reporting outages to DownDetector, a popular clearinghouse for user outage reports, more than three hours after they started. Southwest spokesman Brian Parrish said there were no major disruptions to flights.Toyota spokesman Scott Vazin said the company’s U.S. East Region for dealer services went down. The company has apps that access inventory data, monthly payment calculators, service bulletins and other items. More than 20 apps were affected.Also according to DownDetector, people trying to use Instacart, Venmo, Kindle, Roku, and Disney+ reported issues. The McDonald’s app was also down. But the airlines American, United, Alaska and JetBlue were unaffected.Madory said he saw no reason to suspect nefarious activity. He said the recent cluster of major outages reflects how complex the networking industry has become. “More and more these outages end up being the product of automation and centralization of administration,” he said. “This ends up leading to outages that are hard to completely avoid due to operational complexity but are very impactful when they happen.”It was unclear how, or whether, the outage was affecting the federal government. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in an email response to questions that it was working with Amazon “to understand any potential impacts this outage may have for federal agencies or other partners.”NEW YORK (AP) —Amazon Web Services suffered a major outage Tuesday, the company said, limiting service at many key and popular sites.The company provides cloud computing services to many governments, universities and companies, including The Associated Press.<a href="https://status.aws.amazon.com/" target="_blank">Amazon said in a post</a>&nbsp;an hour after the outage began that it had identified the root cause and was “actively working towards recovery.” It did not disclose more about the cause.The outage also affected Amazon’s ability to provide updates, it said.The outage began midmorning on the U.S. East Coast, said Doug Madory, director of internet analysis at Kentik Inc, a network intelligence firm... “AWS is the biggest cloud provider and us-east-1 is their biggest data center, so any disruption there has big impacts to many popular websites and other internet services,” he said.Madory said he did not believe the outage was anything nefarious. He said a recent cluster of outages at providers that host major websites reflects how the networking industry has evolved. “More and more these outages end up being the product of automation and centralization of administration,” he said. “This ends up leading to outages that are hard to completely avoid due to operational complexity, but are very impactful when they happen.”Kentik was seeing a 26% drop in traffic to Netflix, among major web-based services affected by the outage, Madory said. According to Down Detector, a clearinghouse for user reports on outages, Delta and Southwest have been affected, but not American, United, Alaska or JetBlue.People trying to use Instacart, Venmo, Kindle, Roku, and Disney+ have reported issues. The McDonald’s app is also down.

Major outage at Amazon disrupts businesses across the US

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders reached an elaborate deal Tuesday that will allow Democrats to lift the nation’s debt limit without any votes from Republicans, likely averting another last-minute rush to avoid a federal default. Hours later, the House passed legislation overwhelmingly along party lines that kicked off a multi-step process.

Congress approved a $480 billion increase in the nation’s debt limit in October. That’s enough for the Treasury to finance the government’s operations through Dec. 15, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s projection.

But Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-congress-economy-bills-f2b52bc7ff5d1f241ed12e73e382c6b8">have warned</a>&nbsp;they won’t vote for any future debt ceiling increase to ensure the federal government can meet its financial obligations, and instead, the politically unpopular measure would have to be passed entirely by the Democratic majority in both chambers of Congress.

President Joe Biden had called on Republicans to “get out of the way” if they won’t help Democrats shoulder the debt responsibility. But rather than step aside and allow for a quick vote, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has helped engineer an unusual legislative process that will play out over the next several days. Donald Trump, the former president, ridiculed McConnell for allowing any action, showing just how politically toxic the routine act of paying the nation’s bills has become.

“I think this is in the best interest of the country,” said McConnell, R-Ky. “I think it is also in the best interest of Republicans, who feel very strongly that the previous debt ceilings we agreed to when President Trump was here carried us through August. And this current debt ceiling is indeed about the future and not about the past.”

The agreement spelled out in the House bill passed Tuesday establishes the days-long process ahead. In short, it would tuck a provision to fast-track the debt limit process into an unrelated Medicare bill that will prevent payment cuts to doctors and other health care providers. That measure passed the House by a vote of 222-212 with only Republican, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, siding with Democrats in voting for the measure.

“House Republicans can’t support using patients and access to local doctors as leverage to increase the national debt on our children,” said Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas.

The measure now goes to the Senate, and if the Medicare bill becomes law, it will open the process for the Senate to raise the debt ceiling through subsequent legislation with a Democrats’ only majority vote.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., struck an optimistic note that the debt ceiling plan will pass.

“This is a very good outcome for the American people. We will avoid default, which would have been disastrous. Democrats have always said that we were willing to shoulder the load at 50 votes to get this done as long it was not a convoluted or risky process, and Leader McConnell and I have achieved that.”

Key to the agreement is that Democrats will have to vote on a specific amount by which the debt ceiling would be lifted. The amount has not yet been disclosed, but it is sure to be a staggering sum. Republicans want to try to blame Democrats for the nation’s rising debt load and link it to Biden’s $1.85 trillion social and environmental bill.

“To have Democrats raise the debt ceiling and be held politically accountable for racking up more debt is my goal, and this helps us accomplish that,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

The increase in the debt ceiling, however, is needed to meet financial obligations accrued by both parties under past legislation. The vast majority of it predates Biden’s presidency.

“This is about meeting obligations that the government has already incurred, largely during the Trump Administration,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to Democratic colleagues. “Only three percent of the current debt has been accrued under President Biden.”

Pelosi said that addressing the debt limit will prevent a drastic increase in interest rates for car loans, student debt, mortgages and other types of borrowing for Americans.

The legislation before the House on Tuesday establishes a fast-track process for the days ahead. A subsequent vote will be needed to pass the debt ceiling increase itself. Once the Senate has done so, the House will take up the bill and send it to Biden to be signed into law.

At their private luncheon Thursday, Republican senators sounded off against the plan. Many of them will not support it.

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., a member of GOP leadership, said the lunch discussion went about as would be expected — though he said the plan at least allows Republicans to achieve their goal of forcing Democrats to vote on their own to raise the debt ceiling by a specific amount.

The parliamentary machinations struck some House lawmakers as an “absurd” but necessary way to deal with the Senate, where the filibuster rules allow the Republican minority to block action.

“We’re tying ourselves into parliamentary contortions to try to help the Senate deal with this straitjacket they have put themselves into,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional leaders reached an elaborate deal Tuesday that will allow Democrats to lift the nation’s debt limit without any votes from Republicans, likely averting another last-minute rush to avoid a federal default. Hours later, the House passed legislation overwhelmingly along party lines that kicked off a multi-step process.Congress approved a $480 billion increase in the nation’s debt limit in October. That’s enough for the Treasury to finance the government’s operations through Dec. 15, according to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s projection.But Republicans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-congress-economy-bills-f2b52bc7ff5d1f241ed12e73e382c6b8">have warned</a>&nbsp;they won’t vote for any future debt ceiling increase to ensure the federal government can meet its financial obligations, and instead, the politically unpopular measure would have to be passed entirely by the Democratic majority in both chambers of Congress.President Joe Biden had called on Republicans to “get out of the way” if they won’t help Democrats shoulder the debt responsibility. But rather than step aside and allow for a quick vote, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has helped engineer an unusual legislative process that will play out over the next several days. Donald Trump, the former president, ridiculed McConnell for allowing any action, showing just how politically toxic the routine act of paying the nation’s bills has become.“I think this is in the best interest of the country,” said McConnell, R-Ky. “I think it is also in the best interest of Republicans, who feel very strongly that the previous debt ceilings we agreed to when President Trump was here carried us through August. And this current debt ceiling is indeed about the future and not about the past.”The agreement spelled out in the House bill passed Tuesday establishes the days-long process ahead. In short, it would tuck a provision to fast-track the debt limit process into an unrelated Medicare bill that will prevent payment cuts to doctors and other health care providers. That measure passed the House by a vote of 222-212 with only Republican, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, siding with Democrats in voting for the measure.“House Republicans can’t support using patients and access to local doctors as leverage to increase the national debt on our children,” said Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas.The measure now goes to the Senate, and if the Medicare bill becomes law, it will open the process for the Senate to raise the debt ceiling through subsequent legislation with a Democrats’ only majority vote.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., struck an optimistic note that the debt ceiling plan will pass.“This is a very good outcome for the American people. We will avoid default, which would have been disastrous. Democrats have always said that we were willing to shoulder the load at 50 votes to get this done as long it was not a convoluted or risky process, and Leader McConnell and I have achieved that.”Key to the agreement is that Democrats will have to vote on a specific amount by which the debt ceiling would be lifted. The amount has not yet been disclosed, but it is sure to be a staggering sum. Republicans want to try to blame Democrats for the nation’s rising debt load and link it to Biden’s $1.85 trillion social and environmental bill.“To have Democrats raise the debt ceiling and be held politically accountable for racking up more debt is my goal, and this helps us accomplish that,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.The increase in the debt ceiling, however, is needed to meet financial obligations accrued by both parties under past legislation. The vast majority of it predates Biden’s presidency.“This is about meeting obligations that the government has already incurred, largely during the Trump Administration,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to Democratic colleagues. “Only three percent of the current debt has been accrued under President Biden.”Pelosi said that addressing the debt limit will prevent a drastic increase in interest rates for car loans, student debt, mortgages and other types of borrowing for Americans.The legislation before the House on Tuesday establishes a fast-track process for the days ahead. A subsequent vote will be needed to pass the debt ceiling increase itself. Once the Senate has done so, the House will take up the bill and send it to Biden to be signed into law.At their private luncheon Thursday, Republican senators sounded off against the plan. Many of them will not support it.Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., a member of GOP leadership, said the lunch discussion went about as would be expected — though he said the plan at least allows Republicans to achieve their goal of forcing Democrats to vote on their own to raise the debt ceiling by a specific amount.The parliamentary machinations struck some House lawmakers as an “absurd” but necessary way to deal with the Senate, where the filibuster rules allow the Republican minority to block action.“We’re tying ourselves into parliamentary contortions to try to help the Senate deal with this straitjacket they have put themselves into,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said.

Congressional leaders reach deal to hike debt limit again

TOPEKA – A federal court Tuesday blocked a third vaccination mandate imposed by the Biden administration, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia granted a motion by Kansas and other plaintiffs to place a temporary injunction on the administration’s policy that required employers to impose COVID-19 vaccine mandates on their employees as a condition for receiving federal contracts. Schmidt and six other state attorneys general filed the lawsuit October 29, arguing that the mandate exceeded federal authority. The preliminary injunction is in effect nationwide.

The University of Kansas, Wichita State and Kansas State University all&nbsp; halted their implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal government contractors and subcontractors following the injunction.

“Federal courts continue to recognize that these overreaching, one-size-fits all mandates from the Biden administration are unlawful,” Schmidt said. “I continue to encourage Kansans to be vaccinated, but that personal health care decision should be made by each individual and not mandated by the federal government.”

In Tuesday's ruling, the court found that the executive order “goes far beyond addressing administrative and management issues in order to promote efficiency and economy in procurement and contracting, and instead, in application, works as a regulation of public health, which is not clearly authorized under the Procurement Act.”

In other lawsuits Schmidt filed, courts have previously blocked the mandate from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that applied to private employers with more than 100 employees and the mandate from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that applied to employees, contractors and volunteers in health care facilities.

In addition, a new state law enacted last month requires all employers, both public and private sector, to accommodate employee requests for relief from COVID-19 vaccine requirements on medical grounds or the ground that the requirement would violate a sincerely held religious belief of the employee and for religious requests forbids employers from “inquiring into the sincerity of the request” by the employee.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632773094040.png" alt="President Biden received his COVID vaccine booster last month-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Biden received his COVID vaccine booster last month-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA – A federal court Tuesday blocked a third vaccination mandate imposed by the Biden administration, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia granted a motion by Kansas and other plaintiffs to place a temporary injunction on the administration’s policy that required employers to impose COVID-19 vaccine mandates on their employees as a condition for receiving federal contracts. Schmidt and six other state attorneys general filed the lawsuit October 29, arguing that the mandate exceeded federal authority. The preliminary injunction is in effect nationwide.The University of Kansas, Wichita State and Kansas State University all&nbsp; halted their implementation of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal government contractors and subcontractors following the injunction.“Federal courts continue to recognize that these overreaching, one-size-fits all mandates from the Biden administration are unlawful,” Schmidt said. “I continue to encourage Kansans to be vaccinated, but that personal health care decision should be made by each individual and not mandated by the federal government.”In Tuesday's ruling, the court found that the executive order “goes far beyond addressing administrative and management issues in order to promote efficiency and economy in procurement and contracting, and instead, in application, works as a regulation of public health, which is not clearly authorized under the Procurement Act.”In other lawsuits Schmidt filed, courts have previously blocked the mandate from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that applied to private employers with more than 100 employees and the mandate from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that applied to employees, contractors and volunteers in health care facilities.In addition, a new state law enacted last month requires all employers, both public and private sector, to accommodate employee requests for relief from COVID-19 vaccine requirements on medical grounds or the ground that the requirement would violate a sincerely held religious belief of the employee and for religious requests forbids employers from “inquiring into the sincerity of the request” by the employee.

Kan. AG on federal court blocking 3rd Biden vaccine mandate

William Lee “Bill” Nelson, 86, passed away on December 4, 2021, in 
Norton, KS. He was born on October 26, 1935, in Jennings, KS to Lawrence
 and Edna (Farris) Nelson.
 Bill spent his whole life living in Jennings, KS and graduated from 
Jennings High School in 1954. After high school he worked for his dad at
 the Standard Gas Station in Jennings till 1968. After working at the 
gas station he started working for the KDOT where he retired in 1996. 
Bill married Charlotte Harold of rural Dresden in the Leoville Church on
 September 9, 1958 and to that union they had two children: Ricky and 
Kristy. In Bill’s spare time he loved to hunt, fish, and ride his 
Yamaha motorcycle. He was also a taxidermist and master engraver.
 Bill is survived by his wife, Charlotte Nelson of Jennings, KS; 
Daughter, Kristy (Bill) Gawith of Lacrosse, KS; grandson, Bradley 
(Wendy) Gawith; great grandchildren, Thomas and Kegan Gawith. He is 
also survived by may nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Bill
 was preceded in death by his parents, son, Ricky Nelson; brother, 
Robert Nelson.
 Private service will be held at a later date.

Pauls Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638907003102.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>William Lee “Bill” Nelson, 86, passed away on December 4, 2021, in 
Norton, KS. He was born on October 26, 1935, in Jennings, KS to Lawrence
 and Edna (Farris) Nelson.
 Bill spent his whole life living in Jennings, KS and graduated from 
Jennings High School in 1954. After high school he worked for his dad at
 the Standard Gas Station in Jennings till 1968. After working at the 
gas station he started working for the KDOT where he retired in 1996. 
Bill married Charlotte Harold of rural Dresden in the Leoville Church on
 September 9, 1958 and to that union they had two children: Ricky and 
Kristy. In Bill’s spare time he loved to hunt, fish, and ride his 
Yamaha motorcycle. He was also a taxidermist and master engraver.
 Bill is survived by his wife, Charlotte Nelson of Jennings, KS; 
Daughter, Kristy (Bill) Gawith of Lacrosse, KS; grandson, Bradley 
(Wendy) Gawith; great grandchildren, Thomas and Kegan Gawith. He is 
also survived by may nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Bill
 was preceded in death by his parents, son, Ricky Nelson; brother, 
Robert Nelson.
 Private service will be held at a later date.Pauls Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

William Lee 'Bill' Nelson

U.S. crude prices posted their sixth consecutive loss on Friday, with the near-month contract for light sweet crude on the Nymex settling at $66.26 per barrel. That's down nearly two dollars from a week earlier and more than $17 lower than the settlement price on October 25, the last time weekly prices rose. Crude traders took an optimistic turn on Monday, with prices rising more than two percent in New York and London. The benchmark Nymex contract gained $1.61 to $67.87 per barrel in mid-morning trading Monday. London Brent was up $1.69 to $71.57. The OPEC-Plus group of crude-oil exporters opted to continue with their gradual output increases next month, and the Saudis have raised prices again. CEO Amin Nasser of Saudi Aramco said last week the market has overreacted to the new Omicron variant of the COVID virus. According to a Bloomberg report, Nasser said he was "very optimistic about demand." Kansas Common crude at CHS in McPherson dropped a quarter per barrel on Friday (12/3), and will start the week at &nbsp;$56.50 per barrel. That's down two dollars a barrel from a week ago. Kansas Common started the month of December nearly twenty dollars lower than the month before. The average price for the month was just over $68.34 per barrel, about $37 a barrel higher than a year ago. Independent Oil &amp; Gas Service reports drilling activity in Kansas is up more than 87% compared to last year at this time based on the number of new wells spudded. For the first 48 weeks of the year, there are 983 new wells, compared to just 524 during the same week in 2020. The number of active operators in the state is up more than 40% at 233. Independent Oil &amp; Gas Service reports 15 active drilling rigs in eastern Kansas, which is up one for the week, and 27 west of Wichita, which is unchanged. Drilling is underway at one well in Barton County and one in Ellis County. Operators were about to spud new wells on one lease in Ellis County and one in Stafford County. The weekly Rotary Rig Count from Baker Hughes shows 569 active drilling rigs, which is unchanged from last week in the aggregate. But the state count in New Mexico was up five while Texas and Louisiana were each down two.&nbsp; Kansas regulators last week approved 25 new drilling permits, 16 in eastern Kansas and nine west of Wichita, including two in Barton County. There are 1084 new drilling locations on the books so far this year in Kansas. Operators in Kansas completed 25 new wells last week, 865 so far this year. There were 15 new well-completions in eastern Kansas and ten in the western half of the state, including one in Stafford County. State regulators reports new intent-to-drill notices are down for the month but well above the total a year ago.&nbsp; The Kansas Corporation Commission says 133 new intents were filed in November, compared to 159 in October, and just 41 in November of 2021 bringing the total so far this year to 1,160. That's more than double the total of 509 filed through November of 2020. There are 10 new intents on file in Barton County, three in Ellis County, one in Russell County and two in Stafford County. Oil-by-rail traffic in the U.S. declined for the 12th consecutive week. The Association of American Railroads reports 8,934 carloads of petroleum and petroleum products rolling the rails during the week through November 27th. That's down nearly 15-hundred tankers from the week before, and a 1.5% decrease year-over year. Canadian totals increased by about 500 carloads from the week before, but are down more than three percent year-over year Total domestic rail traffic was down nearly five percent for the week. The trade group says total monthly freight traffic in November increased in 15 of the 20 categories they track. Senior Vice-President John Gray says coal is leading the way, with year-to-date carload totals up more than eleven percent. That's nearly 306,000 carloads more than last year at this time. Gray says the main driver for coal is natural gas prices, which have doubled in the last year.&nbsp; Critics are blasting regulators of the oil-and-gas industry in Texas for new rules aimed at preventing a repeat of last February's deadly freeze. The Railroad Commission of Texas adopted the new rules last week, but they won't be implemented in time for this winter, and the state is still at risk of blackouts. The February storm led to one of the biggest power outages in U.S. history, knocking out electricity to more than 4 million customers and leading to hundreds of deaths. Some homes were left without heat and water for days. CORRECTED, 12:40 p.m. Dec. 7:&nbsp;Our reporting was incorrect. A recent natural-gas rate increase approved by regulators in Oklahoma was not in fact related to the cold snap in February. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is considering a cost-recovery case related to the winter weather events of last February which is still pending. But that case is not about rates, and is unrelated to the rate increase referenced in the report. We regret the error.

CorrectedBy JOHN P. TRETBARU.S. crude prices posted their sixth consecutive loss on Friday, with the near-month contract for light sweet crude on the Nymex settling at $66.26 per barrel. That's down nearly two dollars from a week earlier and more than $17 lower than the settlement price on October 25, the last time weekly prices rose. Crude traders took an optimistic turn on Monday, with prices rising more than two percent in New York and London. The benchmark Nymex contract gained $1.61 to $67.87 per barrel in mid-morning trading Monday. London Brent was up $1.69 to $71.57. The OPEC-Plus group of crude-oil exporters opted to continue with their gradual output increases next month, and the Saudis have raised prices again. CEO Amin Nasser of Saudi Aramco said last week the market has overreacted to the new Omicron variant of the COVID virus. According to a Bloomberg report, Nasser said he was "very optimistic about demand." Kansas Common crude at CHS in McPherson dropped a quarter per barrel on Friday (12/3), and will start the week at &nbsp;$56.50 per barrel. That's down two dollars a barrel from a week ago. Kansas Common started the month of December nearly twenty dollars lower than the month before. The average price for the month was just over $68.34 per barrel, about $37 a barrel higher than a year ago. Independent Oil &amp; Gas Service reports drilling activity in Kansas is up more than 87% compared to last year at this time based on the number of new wells spudded. For the first 48 weeks of the year, there are 983 new wells, compared to just 524 during the same week in 2020. The number of active operators in the state is up more than 40% at 233. Independent Oil &amp; Gas Service reports 15 active drilling rigs in eastern Kansas, which is up one for the week, and 27 west of Wichita, which is unchanged. Drilling is underway at one well in Barton County and one in Ellis County. Operators were about to spud new wells on one lease in Ellis County and one in Stafford County. The weekly Rotary Rig Count from Baker Hughes shows 569 active drilling rigs, which is unchanged from last week in the aggregate. But the state count in New Mexico was up five while Texas and Louisiana were each down two.&nbsp; Kansas regulators last week approved 25 new drilling permits, 16 in eastern Kansas and nine west of Wichita, including two in Barton County. There are 1084 new drilling locations on the books so far this year in Kansas. Operators in Kansas completed 25 new wells last week, 865 so far this year. There were 15 new well-completions in eastern Kansas and ten in the western half of the state, including one in Stafford County. State regulators reports new intent-to-drill notices are down for the month but well above the total a year ago.&nbsp; The Kansas Corporation Commission says 133 new intents were filed in November, compared to 159 in October, and just 41 in November of 2021 bringing the total so far this year to 1,160. That's more than double the total of 509 filed through November of 2020. There are 10 new intents on file in Barton County, three in Ellis County, one in Russell County and two in Stafford County. Oil-by-rail traffic in the U.S. declined for the 12th consecutive week. The Association of American Railroads reports 8,934 carloads of petroleum and petroleum products rolling the rails during the week through November 27th. That's down nearly 15-hundred tankers from the week before, and a 1.5% decrease year-over year. Canadian totals increased by about 500 carloads from the week before, but are down more than three percent year-over year Total domestic rail traffic was down nearly five percent for the week. The trade group says total monthly freight traffic in November increased in 15 of the 20 categories they track. Senior Vice-President John Gray says coal is leading the way, with year-to-date carload totals up more than eleven percent. That's nearly 306,000 carloads more than last year at this time. Gray says the main driver for coal is natural gas prices, which have doubled in the last year.&nbsp; Critics are blasting regulators of the oil-and-gas industry in Texas for new rules aimed at preventing a repeat of last February's deadly freeze. The Railroad Commission of Texas adopted the new rules last week, but they won't be implemented in time for this winter, and the state is still at risk of blackouts. The February storm led to one of the biggest power outages in U.S. history, knocking out electricity to more than 4 million customers and leading to hundreds of deaths. Some homes were left without heat and water for days. CORRECTED, 12:40 p.m. Dec. 7:&nbsp;Our reporting was incorrect. A recent natural-gas rate increase approved by regulators in Oklahoma was not in fact related to the cold snap in February. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is considering a cost-recovery case related to the winter weather events of last February which is still pending. But that case is not about rates, and is unrelated to the rate increase referenced in the report. We regret the error.

News From the Oil Patch: OPEC+ continues output increases

Ethel Ella (Newell) Zrubek passed away Saturday 
November 27th, 2021, at the Salina Regional Health Center in Salina, 
Kansas. She was born on October 21st, 1945, to Alfred E. and Marie E. 
(Knipp) Newell in Hays, Kansas.

In April of 1964, she graduated from Brown Mackie School of Business 
in Salina, Kansas. She went on to work for the Salina City Court, the 
Magistrate Court, and was also employed by the Salina Police Department.

She married Larry A. Zrubek on February 24th, 1968, in Damar, Kansas. 
In 1976, she partnered with husband Larry and started Zrubek Transmission Service which was later sold.

In 1996, Ethel again went to work with husband Larry and son Gary, 
establishing Larry’s Transmission Repair thereby building another 
successful family business where she worked until her passing. Ethel’s 
greatest love was family which is reflected in her volumes of personal 
dedication to the family Genealogy.

She is proceeded in death by parents Alfred E. and Maria E. (Knipp) 
Newell, brother Maxim E. Newell, sisters Henrietta L. (Tooker), Marlene 
A. Newell, and sister-in-law Patricia J. Newell&nbsp; &nbsp;

She is survived by husband Larry A. Zrubek, sons Gary A. &amp; wife 
Laurie (Jeske) Zrubek, Michael A. &amp; Wife Becky (Lutz) Zrubek all of 
Salina. Grandchildren, Bradley Blair, Kylee Jeske, Ryan Zrubek, Patrick 
Zrubek, Joshua Zrubek, and Travis Zrubek, Michael Lutz Jr., Amanda Lutz,
 Mary Ellen Srack, Melissa Lutz, and several great-grandchildren. 
She is also survived by brothers, LeRoy Newell of Salina, Richard Newell
 of Palco, sisters Wanita Hulett of Milford, Raenetta Munsterman of 
Atchison along with numerous nieces and nephews.

Public visitations will be held on Friday December 10th from 5 to 7 p.m. at Ryan Mortuary, Salina, Kansas.

There will be a Mass at 10 a.m. on Saturday December 11th at the 
Sacred Heart Cathedral with graveside services following at the Mt 
Calvary Catholic Cemetery Salina, Kansas. 
Masks are recommended.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Catholic Church care
 of the Sacred Heart Cathedral, 118 N 9th St, Salina, KS 67401

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638811159187.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Ethel Ella (Newell) Zrubek passed away Saturday 
November 27th, 2021, at the Salina Regional Health Center in Salina, 
Kansas. She was born on October 21st, 1945, to Alfred E. and Marie E. 
(Knipp) Newell in Hays, Kansas.In April of 1964, she graduated from Brown Mackie School of Business 
in Salina, Kansas. She went on to work for the Salina City Court, the 
Magistrate Court, and was also employed by the Salina Police Department.She married Larry A. Zrubek on February 24th, 1968, in Damar, Kansas. 
In 1976, she partnered with husband Larry and started Zrubek Transmission Service which was later sold.In 1996, Ethel again went to work with husband Larry and son Gary, 
establishing Larry’s Transmission Repair thereby building another 
successful family business where she worked until her passing. Ethel’s 
greatest love was family which is reflected in her volumes of personal 
dedication to the family Genealogy.She is proceeded in death by parents Alfred E. and Maria E. (Knipp) 
Newell, brother Maxim E. Newell, sisters Henrietta L. (Tooker), Marlene 
A. Newell, and sister-in-law Patricia J. Newell&nbsp; &nbsp;She is survived by husband Larry A. Zrubek, sons Gary A. &amp; wife 
Laurie (Jeske) Zrubek, Michael A. &amp; Wife Becky (Lutz) Zrubek all of 
Salina. Grandchildren, Bradley Blair, Kylee Jeske, Ryan Zrubek, Patrick 
Zrubek, Joshua Zrubek, and Travis Zrubek, Michael Lutz Jr., Amanda Lutz,
 Mary Ellen Srack, Melissa Lutz, and several great-grandchildren. 
She is also survived by brothers, LeRoy Newell of Salina, Richard Newell
 of Palco, sisters Wanita Hulett of Milford, Raenetta Munsterman of 
Atchison along with numerous nieces and nephews.Public visitations will be held on Friday December 10th from 5 to 7 p.m. at Ryan Mortuary, Salina, Kansas.There will be a Mass at 10 a.m. on Saturday December 11th at the 
Sacred Heart Cathedral with graveside services following at the Mt 
Calvary Catholic Cemetery Salina, Kansas. 
Masks are recommended.In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Catholic Church care
 of the Sacred Heart Cathedral, 118 N 9th St, Salina, KS 67401

Ethel Ella (Newell) Zrubek

WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service today issued guidance for 
employers regarding the retroactive termination of the Employee 
Retention Credit. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was 
enacted on November 15, 2021, amended the law so that the Employee 
Retention Credit applies only to wages paid before October 1, 2021, 
unless the employer is a recovery startup business.

<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-21-65.pdf">Notice 2021-65</a>&nbsp;PDF
 applies to employers that paid wages after September 30, 2021 and 
received an advance payment of the Employee Retention Credit for those 
wages or reduced employment tax deposits in anticipation of the credit 
for the fourth quarter of 2021 but are now ineligible for the credit due
 to the change in the law. The notice also provides guidance regarding 
how the rules apply to recovery startup businesses during the fourth 
quarter of 2021.

Generally, employers that are not recovery startup businesses and 
received advance payments for fourth quarter wages of 2021 will avoid 
failure to pay penalties if they repay those amounts by the due date of 
their applicable employment tax returns.

Employers who Reduced Employment Tax Deposits

Employers that reduced deposits on or before December 20, 2021, for 
wages paid during the fourth calendar quarter of 2021 in anticipation of
 the Employee Retention Credit and that are not recovery startup 
businesses will not be subject to a failure to deposit penalty with 
respect to the retained deposits if—

Due to the termination of the Employee Retention Credit for 
wages paid in the fourth quarter of 2021 for employers that are not 
recovery startup businesses, failure to deposit penalties are not waived
 for these employers if they reduce deposits after December 20, 2021.

If an employer does not qualify for relief under this Notice, it may 
reply to a notice about a penalty with an explanation and the IRS will 
consider reasonable cause relief.

More information for businesses seeking coronavirus-related tax relief can be found at IRS.gov.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service today issued guidance for 
employers regarding the retroactive termination of the Employee 
Retention Credit. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was 
enacted on November 15, 2021, amended the law so that the Employee 
Retention Credit applies only to wages paid before October 1, 2021, 
unless the employer is a recovery startup business.<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-21-65.pdf">Notice 2021-65</a>&nbsp;PDF
 applies to employers that paid wages after September 30, 2021 and 
received an advance payment of the Employee Retention Credit for those 
wages or reduced employment tax deposits in anticipation of the credit 
for the fourth quarter of 2021 but are now ineligible for the credit due
 to the change in the law. The notice also provides guidance regarding 
how the rules apply to recovery startup businesses during the fourth 
quarter of 2021.<h2>Employers who Received Advance Payments</h2>Generally, employers that are not recovery startup businesses and 
received advance payments for fourth quarter wages of 2021 will avoid 
failure to pay penalties if they repay those amounts by the due date of 
their applicable employment tax returns.<h2>Employers who Reduced Employment Tax Deposits</h2>Employers that reduced deposits on or before December 20, 2021, for 
wages paid during the fourth calendar quarter of 2021 in anticipation of
 the Employee Retention Credit and that are not recovery startup 
businesses will not be subject to a failure to deposit penalty with 
respect to the retained deposits if—<ol>
 <li>The employer reduced deposits in anticipation of the Employee Retention Credit, consistent with the rules in <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-21-24.pdf">Notice 2021-24</a>&nbsp;PDF,</li><li>The employer deposits the amounts initially retained in 
anticipation of the Employee Retention Credit on or before the relevant 
due date for wages paid on December 31, 2021 (regardless of whether the 
employer actually pays wages on that date). Deposit due dates will vary 
based on the deposit schedule of the employer, and</li><li>The employer reports the tax liability resulting from the 
termination of the employer's Employee Retention Credit on the 
applicable employment tax return or schedule that includes the period 
from October 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021. Employers should refer 
to the instructions to the applicable employment tax return or schedule 
for additional information on how to report the tax liability.</li>
 </ol>Due to the termination of the Employee Retention Credit for 
wages paid in the fourth quarter of 2021 for employers that are not 
recovery startup businesses, failure to deposit penalties are not waived
 for these employers if they reduce deposits after December 20, 2021.If an employer does not qualify for relief under this Notice, it may 
reply to a notice about a penalty with an explanation and the IRS will 
consider reasonable cause relief.More information for businesses seeking coronavirus-related tax relief can be found at IRS.gov.

IRS: Guidance regarding retroactive termination of Employee Retention Credit

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to prison Friday for his participation in a pair of armed bank robberies in which he fired several shots, including one at a customer about to enter the bank, according to the United State's Attorney.

In August 2021, a federal jury convicted Michael Shiferaw, 23, of Olathe of two counts of armed bank robbery and two counts of discharging a firearm in connection with a bank robbery. A federal judge sentenced Shiferaw to 28 years in prison.

Prior to Shiferaw’s trial, accomplice Kenya Breakfield, 23, of Olathe pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery and one count of discharging a firearm in connection with a bank robbery.

Breakfield was sentenced in September 2021 to 76 months in prison.

In October 2018, Shiferaw and Breakfield went into a Wells Fargo bank in Leawood, Kansas, wearing Venom face masks and carrying handguns. Shiferaw fired a shot into the ceiling upon entering. He then pointed a gun at the tellers and forced them to fill a duffel bag with money. As they left the bank, Shiferaw fired another round into the ceiling, yelling “happy holidays”.

In March 2019, the men robbed the Commerce Bank in Roeland Park, Kansas. This time Breakfield stayed in the vehicle as the getaway driver, and Shiferaw entered the bank alone. Shiferaw fired four rounds during the robbery. When tellers attempted to hide under the counter, Shiferaw pointed his gun at them demanding to get into the vault. When one of the tellers attempted to get up, Shiferaw shoved him and pointed a gun at his head.

The defendants were arrested shortly after the second robbery.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Olathe Police Department, Leawood Police Department, and Roeland Park Police Department all assisted in the investigation of the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608237620776.png" alt="Security camera image of suspects during the bank robbery in Roeland Park -photo FBI Kansas City" />
 <figcaption>Security camera image of suspects during the bank robbery in Roeland Park -photo FBI Kansas City</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to prison Friday for his participation in a pair of armed bank robberies in which he fired several shots, including one at a customer about to enter the bank, according to the United State's Attorney.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629232104778.png" alt="Shiferaw photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Shiferaw photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>In August 2021, a federal jury convicted Michael Shiferaw, 23, of Olathe of two counts of armed bank robbery and two counts of discharging a firearm in connection with a bank robbery. A federal judge sentenced Shiferaw to 28 years in prison.Prior to Shiferaw’s trial, accomplice Kenya Breakfield, 23, of Olathe pleaded guilty to one count of armed bank robbery and one count of discharging a firearm in connection with a bank robbery.Breakfield was sentenced in September 2021 to 76 months in prison.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608237271487.png" alt="Breakfield photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Breakfield photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>In October 2018, Shiferaw and Breakfield went into a Wells Fargo bank in Leawood, Kansas, wearing Venom face masks and carrying handguns. Shiferaw fired a shot into the ceiling upon entering. He then pointed a gun at the tellers and forced them to fill a duffel bag with money. As they left the bank, Shiferaw fired another round into the ceiling, yelling “happy holidays”.In March 2019, the men robbed the Commerce Bank in Roeland Park, Kansas. This time Breakfield stayed in the vehicle as the getaway driver, and Shiferaw entered the bank alone. Shiferaw fired four rounds during the robbery. When tellers attempted to hide under the counter, Shiferaw pointed his gun at them demanding to get into the vault. When one of the tellers attempted to get up, Shiferaw shoved him and pointed a gun at his head.The defendants were arrested shortly after the second robbery.The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Olathe Police Department, Leawood Police Department, and Roeland Park Police Department all assisted in the investigation of the case.

Kansas man sentenced for pair of violent bank robberies

Larry D. Lala, Kirwin, KS, passed away on December 2, 2021, at the Rooks County Health Center in Plainville, KS, at the age of 84. He was born on October 2, 1937, to Theodore and Hallie (Newbrey) Lala in Hays, KS. Larry married Elizabeth “Betty” Ann Vohs on June 2, 1956, in Osborne, KS. They were blessed with two daughters: Barbara Ann and Susan Elizabeth.

Larry grew up on a farm north of Woodston and graduated from Woodston Rural High School in 1955. He started farming and ranching, the occupation he had planned since 8th grade.  He farmed with his step-dad Vernon Townley and brother Kent Townley until 1984. He continued to farm with his step-dad Vernon until his death in 1999. Larry ran a cow/calf operation, as well as a small feedlot in the early years, but his love was crop production. He loved his tractors and machinery; anything motorized or Case IH and he was very particular about their maintenance. He was a skilled mechanic, he could make or fix anything, and never missed an opportunity to teach. As he often said: “You can’t learn any younger”. Anyone who knew him knew his wardrobe consisted of Key overalls, with many tools and accessories in his front pockets (which provided the grandkids with hours of play), work boots and in the winter, floppy eared hats. 

Larry was very active in the Kirwin Lions Club being a key player in the annual Old Settler’s Day.  He was also a member of the Alton Masonic Lodge, Western Bohemian Fraternal Association, FSA Board, Bull City Saddle Club, Rural Fire Dept., and the Woodston and Ash Rock Cemetery Boards. He and Betty played cards with the Rural Life Card Group in Alton/Osborne for many years.  

Larry worked and played hard. He was busy all the time, yet he managed to always have time for everyone. In his younger years he enjoyed boating at the lake, water and snow skiing. He and Betty enjoyed dances at the Bohemian Hall dancing to the Harmony Four. The family enjoyed summer vacations to Colorado and the Dakota’s, even though Larry was most happy on the ‘knob north of Woodston’. He loved to go to the car races and demo derbies. He liked to ride motorcycles, snowmobiles, and even learned to fly an airplane, parking it in the front yard.

He and Betty were very involved in Barb’s and Susan’s activities, assisting with 4H projects	 and following them to their sporting events. When grandkids came along, he and Betty tried to attend as many of their events as they could, with Larry hitting every concession stand! He adored his grandkids.  

When his step-father Vernon’s health started to decline in the late 90’s, Larry took over the community coffee shop in Woodston. You could find him there with friends almost every morning swapping stories. In the last few years, Larry expanded his personal lawn mowing efforts to include a large portion of Woodston. Larry didn’t know a stranger, and loved to visit, for hours at a time.

Larry is survived by his wife, Betty Lala of the home in Woodston; daughters, Barbara Ann McClain and husband Mark of Smith Center, KS and Susan Elizabeth McCall and husband Shane of Smith Center, KS; sister-in-law, Janese Townley of Stockton, KS; four grandchildren, Matthew McClain (Janice), Megan Engle (Kurt), Marshall McCall, and Hallie McCall (Cody Theobald); five great-grandchildren, Luke, Benjamin, and Ethan McClain, and Brooks and Avery Engle; and many nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Ted Lala and Hallie Townley; step-dad Vernon Townley and brother Kent Townley.

Larry was greatly loved and will be terribly missed.  He was a man of value, character, and integrity who served with a giving heart and loved with an even greater heart. We can smile because he lived and left us with cherished memories that will live forever in our hearts. He will be remembered in love.

A Graveside Service will be held at Ashrock Cemetery north of Woodston, KS on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, at 11AM. Visitation will be held on Monday 2PM-7PM with the family receiving friends 5PM-7PM. 

Memorials are suggested to the Woodston Rural Fire Dept. and may be sent in care of Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, 723 N 1st, Stockton, KS 67669. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.plumeroverlease.com 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638741692109.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Larry D. Lala, Kirwin, KS, passed away on December 2, 2021, at the Rooks County Health Center in Plainville, KS, at the age of 84. He was born on October 2, 1937, to Theodore and Hallie (Newbrey) Lala in Hays, KS. Larry married Elizabeth “Betty” Ann Vohs on June 2, 1956, in Osborne, KS. They were blessed with two daughters: Barbara Ann and Susan Elizabeth.Larry grew up on a farm north of Woodston and graduated from Woodston Rural High School in 1955. He started farming and ranching, the occupation he had planned since 8th grade. He farmed with his step-dad Vernon Townley and brother Kent Townley until 1984. He continued to farm with his step-dad Vernon until his death in 1999. Larry ran a cow/calf operation, as well as a small feedlot in the early years, but his love was crop production. He loved his tractors and machinery; anything motorized or Case IH and he was very particular about their maintenance. He was a skilled mechanic, he could make or fix anything, and never missed an opportunity to teach. As he often said: “You can’t learn any younger”. Anyone who knew him knew his wardrobe consisted of Key overalls, with many tools and accessories in his front pockets (which provided the grandkids with hours of play), work boots and in the winter, floppy eared hats. Larry was very active in the Kirwin Lions Club being a key player in the annual Old Settler’s Day. He was also a member of the Alton Masonic Lodge, Western Bohemian Fraternal Association, FSA Board, Bull City Saddle Club, Rural Fire Dept., and the Woodston and Ash Rock Cemetery Boards. He and Betty played cards with the Rural Life Card Group in Alton/Osborne for many years. Larry worked and played hard. He was busy all the time, yet he managed to always have time for everyone. In his younger years he enjoyed boating at the lake, water and snow skiing. He and Betty enjoyed dances at the Bohemian Hall dancing to the Harmony Four. The family enjoyed summer vacations to Colorado and the Dakota’s, even though Larry was most happy on the ‘knob north of Woodston’. He loved to go to the car races and demo derbies. He liked to ride motorcycles, snowmobiles, and even learned to fly an airplane, parking it in the front yard.He and Betty were very involved in Barb’s and Susan’s activities, assisting with 4H projects	 and following them to their sporting events. When grandkids came along, he and Betty tried to attend as many of their events as they could, with Larry hitting every concession stand! He adored his grandkids. When his step-father Vernon’s health started to decline in the late 90’s, Larry took over the community coffee shop in Woodston. You could find him there with friends almost every morning swapping stories. In the last few years, Larry expanded his personal lawn mowing efforts to include a large portion of Woodston. Larry didn’t know a stranger, and loved to visit, for hours at a time.Larry is survived by his wife, Betty Lala of the home in Woodston; daughters, Barbara Ann McClain and husband Mark of Smith Center, KS and Susan Elizabeth McCall and husband Shane of Smith Center, KS; sister-in-law, Janese Townley of Stockton, KS; four grandchildren, Matthew McClain (Janice), Megan Engle (Kurt), Marshall McCall, and Hallie McCall (Cody Theobald); five great-grandchildren, Luke, Benjamin, and Ethan McClain, and Brooks and Avery Engle; and many nieces and nephews.He is preceded in death by his parents, Ted Lala and Hallie Townley; step-dad Vernon Townley and brother Kent Townley.Larry was greatly loved and will be terribly missed. He was a man of value, character, and integrity who served with a giving heart and loved with an even greater heart. We can smile because he lived and left us with cherished memories that will live forever in our hearts. He will be remembered in love.A Graveside Service will be held at Ashrock Cemetery north of Woodston, KS on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, at 11AM. Visitation will be held on Monday 2PM-7PM with the family receiving friends 5PM-7PM. Memorials are suggested to the Woodston Rural Fire Dept. and may be sent in care of Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, 723 N 1st, Stockton, KS 67669. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.plumeroverlease.com

Larry D. Lala

Kenneth D. “Kenny” Kippes, age 71, died Saturday, December 4, 2021, at Hays Medical Center, Hays, Kansas. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;He was born August 31, 1950, in Russell to George and Doris (Nowak) Kippes.&nbsp; He married Margaret (Hammerschmidt) on October 14, 1972, in Hays.&nbsp;

He owned and operated Ken’s Heating &amp; Air most of his life and the remaining 12 years worked at Fort Hays State University.&nbsp; He grew up on the family farm North of Walker, Kansas.&nbsp; Ken attended Walker Grade School and was a 1969 graduate of Victoria High School.&nbsp; He enjoyed wood working and spending time with his grandkids and their extracurricular activities.&nbsp; He was a long-time member of the Sons of American Legion and St. Mary’s Knights of Columbus both of Hays.

Survivors include his wife, Margaret Kippes, of the home; three daughters, Michele Kieffer and husband, Andy, Hays, KS; Janelle Limon and husband, Richard, Colorado Springs, CO; Renee Trow, Scott City, KS; two sons, Kurt Kippes and wife, Kellie, Fenton, MI; John Kippes, Aurora, CO; seven grandchildren, Avery Kieffer; Macie Kieffer; Jasmine Limon; Raquel Limon; Kalyn Kippes; Kylah Kippes; Emily Vincent;&nbsp;&nbsp;one sister, Judy Sherlock and husband, Steve, Buena Vista, CO; his mother-in-law, Bernice Hammerschmidt, Hays, KS.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his father-in-law, Richard Hammerschmidt.

A Celebration of Life Service will be at 10:00 A.M. Friday, December 10, 2021, at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas 67601 with Father Nick Parker officiating.&nbsp; A private family inurnment will be at St. Ann Cemetery, Walker, Kansas.

A Knights of Columbus rosary will be held at 7:00 P.M. Thursday, at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays.

The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Thursday, and from 9:00 to 10:00 A.M. at the mortuary.

The family suggests memorials made payable to: the organization, Children’s Mercy Heart Center Research, Humane Society of the High Plains or the Kenneth Kippes Family made payable to: Margaret Kippes, in care of mortuary.

Condolences can be sent via e-mail to <a href="mailto:clinesmortuary@eaglecom.net">clinesmortuary@eaglecom.net</a> or can be left at guest book at <a href="http://www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com">www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638741606515.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Kenneth D. “Kenny” Kippes, age 71, died Saturday, December 4, 2021, at Hays Medical Center, Hays, Kansas. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;He was born August 31, 1950, in Russell to George and Doris (Nowak) Kippes.&nbsp; He married Margaret (Hammerschmidt) on October 14, 1972, in Hays.&nbsp;He owned and operated Ken’s Heating &amp; Air most of his life and the remaining 12 years worked at Fort Hays State University.&nbsp; He grew up on the family farm North of Walker, Kansas.&nbsp; Ken attended Walker Grade School and was a 1969 graduate of Victoria High School.&nbsp; He enjoyed wood working and spending time with his grandkids and their extracurricular activities.&nbsp; He was a long-time member of the Sons of American Legion and St. Mary’s Knights of Columbus both of Hays.Survivors include his wife, Margaret Kippes, of the home; three daughters, Michele Kieffer and husband, Andy, Hays, KS; Janelle Limon and husband, Richard, Colorado Springs, CO; Renee Trow, Scott City, KS; two sons, Kurt Kippes and wife, Kellie, Fenton, MI; John Kippes, Aurora, CO; seven grandchildren, Avery Kieffer; Macie Kieffer; Jasmine Limon; Raquel Limon; Kalyn Kippes; Kylah Kippes; Emily Vincent;&nbsp;&nbsp;one sister, Judy Sherlock and husband, Steve, Buena Vista, CO; his mother-in-law, Bernice Hammerschmidt, Hays, KS.He was preceded in death by his parents; his father-in-law, Richard Hammerschmidt.A Celebration of Life Service will be at 10:00 A.M. Friday, December 10, 2021, at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas 67601 with Father Nick Parker officiating.&nbsp; A private family inurnment will be at St. Ann Cemetery, Walker, Kansas.A Knights of Columbus rosary will be held at 7:00 P.M. Thursday, at Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays.The family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. Thursday, and from 9:00 to 10:00 A.M. at the mortuary.The family suggests memorials made payable to: the organization, Children’s Mercy Heart Center Research, Humane Society of the High Plains or the Kenneth Kippes Family made payable to: Margaret Kippes, in care of mortuary.Condolences can be sent via e-mail to <a href="mailto:clinesmortuary@eaglecom.net">clinesmortuary@eaglecom.net</a> or can be left at guest book at <a href="http://www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com">www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com</a>

Kenneth D. 'Kenny' Kippes

October 2, 1937
 -
 December 2, 2021

An obituary is pending with Plumer Overlease Funeral Homes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1638675031006.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>October 2, 1937
 -
 December 2, 2021An obituary is pending with Plumer Overlease Funeral Homes.Click <a href="https://www.plumeroverlease.com/obituaries/Larry-D-Lala?obId=23292791#/celebrationWall">HERE</a> for service details.