October 20, 1932 ~ November 15, 2021

An obituary is pending with Koons-Russell Funeral Home.

Click <a href="https://www.koonsrussellfuneralhome.com/obituary/Robert-E-Waugh">HERE</a> for service details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637188246974.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>October 20, 1932 ~ November 15, 2021An obituary is pending with Koons-Russell Funeral Home.Click <a href="https://www.koonsrussellfuneralhome.com/obituary/Robert-E-Waugh">HERE</a> for service details.

Robert E. Waugh

Saturday, November 13, 2021, Verlan Leslie Bell, loving husband of Mary 
Lou (Lambert) Bell and father of four children, passed away peacefully 
at his home in Centennial, Colorado at the age of 90.
 Verlan was born September 5, 1931, in rural Graham County Kansas to 
Vernon and Mabel (Clark) Bell. He was the third child of seven. Verlan 
attended a one room country school in rural Graham County graduating 
from 8th grade in 1946. He completed grades 9-11 at Morland High School 
where he played football. After 11th grade he left school to help on the
 family farm. He worked as a farm hand for his father in Clayton, Kansas
 from 1944-1951. During his teen years, Verlan completed many 4H 
projects and later obtained his GED. In 1950 he met the love of his 
life, Mary Lou, while she was a freshman in high school. After dating 
for a couple of years they were engaged December 24, 1951. They were 
married June 12, 1954 and enjoyed 64 years together before Mary Lou’s 
death in 2019.
 Verlan was drafted into the army October 30, 1951. He served with 
the 51st Signal Battalion in Korea. The battalion furnished telephone 
and very high frequency radio service for the I Corps. Private Bell was 
assigned as a pole lineman. He was released from active military service
 after three years and transferred to Army Reserve to complete eight 
years of service under the Universal Military Training and Service Act. 
Verlan received the Korean Service Medal with three Bronze Service 
Stars, the United Nations Service Medal, and the Meritorious Unit 
Commendation.
 After Verlan and Mary Lou married they honeymooned in Colorado. They
 returned to Hill City, Kansas to begin their life together. Verlan 
worked for the power company and ran the projector for the movie theater
 in town. May 14, 1955, they were blessed with their first child, Leslie
 Owen. May 29, 1957, Verlan was shocked by a 2400-volt electric line 
while at work. The shock knocked him unconscious causing him to fall to 
the ground. His heart restarted when he hit the ground. He survived the 
fall with only cuts and bruises ~ a tremendous miracle and blessing from
 God for his family!
 November 19, 1957, Debra Ann was born followed by Diana Kay August 
19, 1959. In the fall of 1959 Verlan moved his family to Littleton, 
Colorado. Verlan worked for Martin Marietta before opening a Conoco 
station in Englewood, Colorado in 1963. In 1964 he opened another Conoco
 station on University in Centennial, Colorado. Verlan and Mary Lou 
bought a home in Centennial in 1969. James Craig was born July 27, 1970,
 completing their family.
 Verlan enjoyed hunting deer and elk, fishing, riding horses and 
traveling. He took the family on many adventures across the United 
States in a motorhome. He was an active member of the Littleton Optimist
 Club, spending many hours volunteering his time to earn funds to 
support their many charities. He served as the club President and 
Lieutenant Governor for the Colorado/Wyoming district from 1975-76.
 Verlan is preceded in death by his wife Mary Lou; his parents Vernon
 and Mabel; his sisters Arlene (Dale) Jones and Ethel (Jourdan) Mattke; 
brothers: Glen, Harold Lee and Doyle; and daughter-in- law Kay Bell.
 He is survived by his four children: Leslie, Debbie (Kjell) Snemyr, 
Diana (Don) Missel and Jim; five grandchildren: Bobby Anderson, LeAnne 
(Arlo) Padilla, Kristi (Janak) Garg, Erik Snemyr and Stephanie Missel; 
four great grandchildren: Mirabai and Kiran Garg, Hayden Snemyr, and 
Grayson Padilla; one brother Jerry (Rena) Bell, lots of special nieces, 
nephews, cousins and friends.

Click <a href="https://www.stinemetzfh.com/obituaries/Verlan-Leslie-Bell?obId=23110086#/obituaryInfo">HERE</a> for service details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637172775441.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Saturday, November 13, 2021, Verlan Leslie Bell, loving husband of Mary 
Lou (Lambert) Bell and father of four children, passed away peacefully 
at his home in Centennial, Colorado at the age of 90.
 Verlan was born September 5, 1931, in rural Graham County Kansas to 
Vernon and Mabel (Clark) Bell. He was the third child of seven. Verlan 
attended a one room country school in rural Graham County graduating 
from 8th grade in 1946. He completed grades 9-11 at Morland High School 
where he played football. After 11th grade he left school to help on the
 family farm. He worked as a farm hand for his father in Clayton, Kansas
 from 1944-1951. During his teen years, Verlan completed many 4H 
projects and later obtained his GED. In 1950 he met the love of his 
life, Mary Lou, while she was a freshman in high school. After dating 
for a couple of years they were engaged December 24, 1951. They were 
married June 12, 1954 and enjoyed 64 years together before Mary Lou’s 
death in 2019.
 Verlan was drafted into the army October 30, 1951. He served with 
the 51st Signal Battalion in Korea. The battalion furnished telephone 
and very high frequency radio service for the I Corps. Private Bell was 
assigned as a pole lineman. He was released from active military service
 after three years and transferred to Army Reserve to complete eight 
years of service under the Universal Military Training and Service Act. 
Verlan received the Korean Service Medal with three Bronze Service 
Stars, the United Nations Service Medal, and the Meritorious Unit 
Commendation.
 After Verlan and Mary Lou married they honeymooned in Colorado. They
 returned to Hill City, Kansas to begin their life together. Verlan 
worked for the power company and ran the projector for the movie theater
 in town. May 14, 1955, they were blessed with their first child, Leslie
 Owen. May 29, 1957, Verlan was shocked by a 2400-volt electric line 
while at work. The shock knocked him unconscious causing him to fall to 
the ground. His heart restarted when he hit the ground. He survived the 
fall with only cuts and bruises ~ a tremendous miracle and blessing from
 God for his family!
 November 19, 1957, Debra Ann was born followed by Diana Kay August 
19, 1959. In the fall of 1959 Verlan moved his family to Littleton, 
Colorado. Verlan worked for Martin Marietta before opening a Conoco 
station in Englewood, Colorado in 1963. In 1964 he opened another Conoco
 station on University in Centennial, Colorado. Verlan and Mary Lou 
bought a home in Centennial in 1969. James Craig was born July 27, 1970,
 completing their family.
 Verlan enjoyed hunting deer and elk, fishing, riding horses and 
traveling. He took the family on many adventures across the United 
States in a motorhome. He was an active member of the Littleton Optimist
 Club, spending many hours volunteering his time to earn funds to 
support their many charities. He served as the club President and 
Lieutenant Governor for the Colorado/Wyoming district from 1975-76.
 Verlan is preceded in death by his wife Mary Lou; his parents Vernon
 and Mabel; his sisters Arlene (Dale) Jones and Ethel (Jourdan) Mattke; 
brothers: Glen, Harold Lee and Doyle; and daughter-in- law Kay Bell.
 He is survived by his four children: Leslie, Debbie (Kjell) Snemyr, 
Diana (Don) Missel and Jim; five grandchildren: Bobby Anderson, LeAnne 
(Arlo) Padilla, Kristi (Janak) Garg, Erik Snemyr and Stephanie Missel; 
four great grandchildren: Mirabai and Kiran Garg, Hayden Snemyr, and 
Grayson Padilla; one brother Jerry (Rena) Bell, lots of special nieces, 
nephews, cousins and friends.Click <a href="https://www.stinemetzfh.com/obituaries/Verlan-Leslie-Bell?obId=23110086#/obituaryInfo">HERE</a> for service details.

Verlan Leslie Bell

John David Hein, 74, died November 15, 2021, at Clara Barton Hospital,
 Hoisington, Kansas. He was born on June 5, 1947, in Great Bend, Kansas,
 to David &amp; Elvina (Michaelis) Hein. John was united in marriage to 
Julie Ann Hester on October 15, 1972.

A lifetime Hoisington resident, John graduated from Hoisington High 
School Class of 1965 and attended Beauty Academy in Great Bend and was a
 licensed cosmetologist. After graduating cosmetology school, John and 
his twin brother, Don, were co-owners of Hair Fashion Salon. Shortly 
after opening the salon, John was called to serve his country. He served
 as a corpsman in a Korean MASH unit during the Vietnam War. John began 
working at Dillons in Great Bend in 1974 and was retired from there in 
2011 after 36 1/2 years.

As a lifetime member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, he served on the 
church council and was the church organist for 53 years. John began a 
long career in cake decorating in 1979 for his twin brother’s wedding 
cake. Over the years, countless cakes were made for family and friends 
throughout the region and as far away as Norman, Oklahoma.

John is survived by wife Julie and daughter Joelle Hein-Jacobs; two 
grandchildren, Jensen Jacobs and Jozie Jacobs, both of Great Bend; 
sister-in-law, Sheila Hein, and brother and sister-in-laws, Peter 
Hester, Jayme Walker, Joni Rowl and husband Dennis, Janelle Ross and 
friend Bill Koonce; numerous nieces and nephews, Shawn (Jenn) Hein, 
Courtney (Fred Shofler) Walker, Thomas (Jenny) Walker, Jason (Darcy) 
Rowl and family, Ryan (Heather) Rowl and family, Andrew (Whitney) Rowl 
and family, Kyle (Sarah Schulte) Rowl, Jackie (James) Mayonado and 
family.

He was preceded in death by and his parents, a twin brother, Don Hein, and nephew, Douglas Hein.

Visitation will be 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, November 18, 
2021, with family to greet friends from 6 to 8p.m. A Prayer service will
 begin at 7 p.m., all at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home

Funeral Service will be Friday, November 19, 2021, at 10:30 a.m. at 
Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Hoisington, with Pastor Wayne Balyga 
presiding. Burial will follow at Hoisington Cemetery, Hoisington, 
Kansas.

Memorials may be made to Emmanuel Lutheran Church or Kans for Kids, in care of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637163559116.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>John David Hein, 74, died November 15, 2021, at Clara Barton Hospital,
 Hoisington, Kansas. He was born on June 5, 1947, in Great Bend, Kansas,
 to David &amp; Elvina (Michaelis) Hein. John was united in marriage to 
Julie Ann Hester on October 15, 1972.A lifetime Hoisington resident, John graduated from Hoisington High 
School Class of 1965 and attended Beauty Academy in Great Bend and was a
 licensed cosmetologist. After graduating cosmetology school, John and 
his twin brother, Don, were co-owners of Hair Fashion Salon. Shortly 
after opening the salon, John was called to serve his country. He served
 as a corpsman in a Korean MASH unit during the Vietnam War. John began 
working at Dillons in Great Bend in 1974 and was retired from there in 
2011 after 36 1/2 years.As a lifetime member of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, he served on the 
church council and was the church organist for 53 years. John began a 
long career in cake decorating in 1979 for his twin brother’s wedding 
cake. Over the years, countless cakes were made for family and friends 
throughout the region and as far away as Norman, Oklahoma.John is survived by wife Julie and daughter Joelle Hein-Jacobs; two 
grandchildren, Jensen Jacobs and Jozie Jacobs, both of Great Bend; 
sister-in-law, Sheila Hein, and brother and sister-in-laws, Peter 
Hester, Jayme Walker, Joni Rowl and husband Dennis, Janelle Ross and 
friend Bill Koonce; numerous nieces and nephews, Shawn (Jenn) Hein, 
Courtney (Fred Shofler) Walker, Thomas (Jenny) Walker, Jason (Darcy) 
Rowl and family, Ryan (Heather) Rowl and family, Andrew (Whitney) Rowl 
and family, Kyle (Sarah Schulte) Rowl, Jackie (James) Mayonado and 
family.He was preceded in death by and his parents, a twin brother, Don Hein, and nephew, Douglas Hein.Visitation will be 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, November 18, 
2021, with family to greet friends from 6 to 8p.m. A Prayer service will
 begin at 7 p.m., all at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral HomeFuneral Service will be Friday, November 19, 2021, at 10:30 a.m. at 
Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Hoisington, with Pastor Wayne Balyga 
presiding. Burial will follow at Hoisington Cemetery, Hoisington, 
Kansas.Memorials may be made to Emmanuel Lutheran Church or Kans for Kids, in care of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home.

John David Hein

GEARY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal October shooting are asking the public for help with information in the case.

According to the Geary County Sheriff,&nbsp; On October 3, a man described as 6-foot-1 or taller and dressed in all black approached 22-year-old Enfinnity Hayes and her husband at the&nbsp; Milford State Park Group Shelter. The suspect&nbsp; attempted to rob the couple at gun point. 

There was a gun shot and Hayes fell to the ground. Her husband drove her to Geary Community Hospital where she died.

Anyone with any information on a suspect is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 785-238-2261, or after hours at 785-762-5912.

You can also report information on this case to&nbsp;david.gilbert@gearycountysheriff.org&nbsp;or anonymously to the Junction City Geary County Crime Stoppers at 762-TIPS or text TIPJC to 274637.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637156736481.png" alt="Enfinnity Hayes-Lawson-courtesy Joe Morris and Sons funeral home" />
 <figcaption>Enfinnity Hayes-Lawson-courtesy Joe Morris and Sons funeral home</figcaption>
 </figure>GEARY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal October shooting are asking the public for help with information in the case.According to the Geary County Sheriff,&nbsp; On October 3, a man described as 6-foot-1 or taller and dressed in all black approached 22-year-old Enfinnity Hayes and her husband at the&nbsp; Milford State Park Group Shelter. The suspect&nbsp; attempted to rob the couple at gun point. There was a gun shot and Hayes fell to the ground. Her husband drove her to Geary Community Hospital where she died.Anyone with any information on a suspect is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 785-238-2261, or after hours at 785-762-5912.You can also report information on this case to&nbsp;david.gilbert@gearycountysheriff.org&nbsp;or anonymously to the Junction City Geary County Crime Stoppers at 762-TIPS or text TIPJC to 274637.

Sheriff investigates robbery, fatal shooting of Kan. woman

Randy Lee Boxberger, age 61, passed away on October 18, 2021, in 
Grapevine, Texas, from complications of COVID. He was born on December 
19, 1959, the son of Valeria (Vicki) Boxberger and the late, Arlyn 
Boxberger. He is survived by his mother, Vicki of Great Bend; his wife, 
Cherie’ of Shady Shores, Texas; and daughters, Megan (fiancé-Ashton 
Kendall) of Plano, Texas and Erin of Craftsbury, Vermont.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Randy grew up in Great Bend, Kan. an active member of Trinity 
Lutheran Church. He played American Legion Baseball. As the only son, 
nephew, grandson he was very popular among his family members and 
everyone followed the rule – “No Christmas Paper”.

There will be no visitation as cremation has taken place. Memorial 
graveside service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, November 20, 
2021, at Fairview Cemetery in Galatia, Reverend Wayne Baldyga presiding.
 A reception will follow at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Galatia. 

Memorial donations can be made in Randy’s name to WINforKC, an 
organization whose mission is to "Ignite the Lives of Women and Girls 
through Sports” at <a href="https://www.sportkc.org/about-us/get-involved/support-us">https://www.sportkc.org/about-us/get-involved/support-us</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637080741143.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Randy Lee Boxberger, age 61, passed away on October 18, 2021, in 
Grapevine, Texas, from complications of COVID. He was born on December 
19, 1959, the son of Valeria (Vicki) Boxberger and the late, Arlyn 
Boxberger. He is survived by his mother, Vicki of Great Bend; his wife, 
Cherie’ of Shady Shores, Texas; and daughters, Megan (fiancé-Ashton 
Kendall) of Plano, Texas and Erin of Craftsbury, Vermont.&nbsp;&nbsp;Randy grew up in Great Bend, Kan. an active member of Trinity 
Lutheran Church. He played American Legion Baseball. As the only son, 
nephew, grandson he was very popular among his family members and 
everyone followed the rule – “No Christmas Paper”.There will be no visitation as cremation has taken place. Memorial 
graveside service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, November 20, 
2021, at Fairview Cemetery in Galatia, Reverend Wayne Baldyga presiding.
 A reception will follow at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Galatia. 
Memorial donations can be made in Randy’s name to WINforKC, an 
organization whose mission is to "Ignite the Lives of Women and Girls 
through Sports” at <a href="https://www.sportkc.org/about-us/get-involved/support-us">https://www.sportkc.org/about-us/get-involved/support-us</a>.

Randy Lee Boxberger

WASHINGTON
 — Over 2,500 criminal investigations, the identification of more than 
$10 billion from tax fraud and financial crimes, and a nearly 90% 
conviction rate are just a few highlights from the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p3583.pdf">IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Report</a>&nbsp;PDF.
 The report, released Thursday, details statistics, important 
partnerships and significant criminal enforcement actions from IRS-CI, 
the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, for the past fiscal year, 
which began October 1, 2020 and ended September 30, 2021.

"IRS-CI agents are the only federal law enforcement officers with the
 authority to investigate criminal violations of the U.S. tax code. 
Their work reinforces the backbone of our voluntary compliance tax 
system – a system that funds services and benefits for our nation, 
including defense, infrastructure and education," said IRS Commissioner 
Chuck Rettig.

In fiscal year 2021, IRS-CI built upon its existing network of U.S. 
field offices and international attachés to combat financial crimes 
across the globe. The agency's alliance with the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/compliance/joint-chiefs-of-global-tax-enforcement">Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5)</a>
 helped strengthen public-private partnerships with financial 
institutions and the Fin-Tech industry to deter and identify criminal 
activity. Additionally, IRS-CI established its first cyber attaché in 
The Hague, Netherlands, to proactively support cyber investigative needs
 in coordination with Europol.

"IRS-CI continues to lead tax and financial investigations here in 
the U.S. and across the globe," said IRS-CI Chief Jim Lee. "In fiscal 
year 2021, as we faced the second year of a global pandemic, our team of
 agents continued to overcome personal and professional challenges to 
target criminals who exploited the U.S. tax and financial systems for 
personal gain."

While IRS-CI agents spent most of their investigative man-hours, 
about 72%, investigating tax-related crimes like tax evasion and tax 
fraud during fiscal year 2021, they also made significant contributions 
to money laundering, narcotics trafficking, public corruption, terrorism
 and COVID-19 fraud investigations.

In April 2021, a dual Russian-Swedish national was arrested in Los 
Angeles on criminal charges related to his alleged operation of the 
longest-running bitcoin money laundering service on the darknet dubbed 
Bitcoin Fog. The bulk of cryptocurrency laundered through Bitcoin Fog 
came from darknet marketplaces and was tied to illegal narcotics, 
computer fraud and identity theft. This case marked the second U.S. 
prosecution of a cryptocurrency mixing service; both were investigated 
by IRS-CI.

The ringleader of a transnational criminal organization, with ties to
 the Sinaloa Cartel, operating in California and along the East Coast 
was sentenced to 33 years in prison in July 2021 for narcotics 
trafficking-related charges. The sentencing followed a multiagency 
operation dubbed Operation Cookout that netted 65 kilograms of illegal 
drugs, 24 firearms, more than $700,000 in cash and guilty pleas from 45 
defendants.

Numerous IRS-CI investigations resulted in individuals being 
sentenced for fraudulently obtaining small business relief loans under 
the CARES Act. One of those cases involved a Texas businessman who was 
sentenced in September 2021 to 31 months confinement and 36 months of 
supervised release after he created a scheme to fraudulently obtain more
 than $3.3 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans for personal 
use.

The report includes additional case examples for each U.S. field 
office, an overview of IRS-CI's international footprint, details about 
the specialized services provided by IRS-CI and investigative 
statistics, broken down by discipline, for fiscal year 2021.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON
 — Over 2,500 criminal investigations, the identification of more than 
$10 billion from tax fraud and financial crimes, and a nearly 90% 
conviction rate are just a few highlights from the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p3583.pdf">IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Report</a>&nbsp;PDF.
 The report, released Thursday, details statistics, important 
partnerships and significant criminal enforcement actions from IRS-CI, 
the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, for the past fiscal year, 
which began October 1, 2020 and ended September 30, 2021."IRS-CI agents are the only federal law enforcement officers with the
 authority to investigate criminal violations of the U.S. tax code. 
Their work reinforces the backbone of our voluntary compliance tax 
system – a system that funds services and benefits for our nation, 
including defense, infrastructure and education," said IRS Commissioner 
Chuck Rettig.In fiscal year 2021, IRS-CI built upon its existing network of U.S. 
field offices and international attachés to combat financial crimes 
across the globe. The agency's alliance with the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/compliance/joint-chiefs-of-global-tax-enforcement">Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5)</a>
 helped strengthen public-private partnerships with financial 
institutions and the Fin-Tech industry to deter and identify criminal 
activity. Additionally, IRS-CI established its first cyber attaché in 
The Hague, Netherlands, to proactively support cyber investigative needs
 in coordination with Europol."IRS-CI continues to lead tax and financial investigations here in 
the U.S. and across the globe," said IRS-CI Chief Jim Lee. "In fiscal 
year 2021, as we faced the second year of a global pandemic, our team of
 agents continued to overcome personal and professional challenges to 
target criminals who exploited the U.S. tax and financial systems for 
personal gain."While IRS-CI agents spent most of their investigative man-hours, 
about 72%, investigating tax-related crimes like tax evasion and tax 
fraud during fiscal year 2021, they also made significant contributions 
to money laundering, narcotics trafficking, public corruption, terrorism
 and COVID-19 fraud investigations.<h2>Case examples include:</h2>In April 2021, a dual Russian-Swedish national was arrested in Los 
Angeles on criminal charges related to his alleged operation of the 
longest-running bitcoin money laundering service on the darknet dubbed 
Bitcoin Fog. The bulk of cryptocurrency laundered through Bitcoin Fog 
came from darknet marketplaces and was tied to illegal narcotics, 
computer fraud and identity theft. This case marked the second U.S. 
prosecution of a cryptocurrency mixing service; both were investigated 
by IRS-CI.The ringleader of a transnational criminal organization, with ties to
 the Sinaloa Cartel, operating in California and along the East Coast 
was sentenced to 33 years in prison in July 2021 for narcotics 
trafficking-related charges. The sentencing followed a multiagency 
operation dubbed Operation Cookout that netted 65 kilograms of illegal 
drugs, 24 firearms, more than $700,000 in cash and guilty pleas from 45 
defendants.Numerous IRS-CI investigations resulted in individuals being 
sentenced for fraudulently obtaining small business relief loans under 
the CARES Act. One of those cases involved a Texas businessman who was 
sentenced in September 2021 to 31 months confinement and 36 months of 
supervised release after he created a scheme to fraudulently obtain more
 than $3.3 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans for personal 
use.The report includes additional case examples for each U.S. field 
office, an overview of IRS-CI's international footprint, details about 
the specialized services provided by IRS-CI and investigative 
statistics, broken down by discipline, for fiscal year 2021.

IRS: 90% conviction rate on $10B in tax and COVID frauds, cybercrime

Doris T. Weiser, 93, died November 13, 2021, at Country Place Senior 
Living, Hoisington, Kansas. She was born October 28, 1928, on the family
 farm near Odin, Kansas, the daughter of William B. and Frances 
(Frenzel) Zecha.&nbsp;

On June 8, 1948, she married Herbert A. Weiser at Holy Family 
Catholic Church, Odin, Kansas.&nbsp; He preceded her in death on February 27,
 1991.

A longtime Hoisington resident, Doris was a homemaker and bookkeeper 
for the family businesses, Hoisington Oil Company and the Conoco service
 station.&nbsp; She was a member of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church 
and Altar Society. Doris was well known for her baking and was often 
gifting her delicious baked goods to family and friends.

Survivors include; two sons, Richard Weiser and wife Karen of Oro 
Valley, Arizona, and Eugene Weiser of Hoisington; a daughter, Susan 
Graves of Lee’s Summit, Missouri; a sister, Lucille Schneweis of 
Wichita; five grandchildren, David Kilroy of Denver, Kristin Frazier of 
Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Brian Weiser of Junction City, Eric Weiser of 
Tucson, Arizona, and Jesse Weiser of Thornton, Colorado; four great 
grandchildren, Kristi Blevins, Hadrian, Dimitri, and Augustus Weiser; 
and one great-great granddaughter, Aela Blevins.

She was preceded in death by; her husband, an infant daughter, Mary 
Jane Weiser, five brothers, Raymond, Robert, Victor, Herman, Francis and
 Clarence Zecha; and five sisters, Eleanor Johanning, Helen Straub, 
Kathleen Zecha, Agnes Penka, and Mathilda Penka.

Visitation will be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday with family to greet 
friends from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Vigil and Rosary will begin at 6 p.m., all
 at the funeral home. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m., 
Thursday, November 18, 2021, at Holy Family Catholic Church, Odin, 
Kansas, celebrated by Father Terrance Klein.&nbsp; Burial will follow at St. 
John Catholic Cemetery, Hoisington, Kansas.

Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, St. John 
Catholic Cemetery Fund, or Holy Family Catholic Cemetery Fund in care of
 Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, PO Box 146, Hoisington, KS 67544.

Doris T. Weiser, 93, died November 13, 2021, at Country Place Senior 
Living, Hoisington, Kansas. She was born October 28, 1928, on the family
 farm near Odin, Kansas, the daughter of William B. and Frances 
(Frenzel) Zecha.&nbsp;On June 8, 1948, she married Herbert A. Weiser at Holy Family 
Catholic Church, Odin, Kansas.&nbsp; He preceded her in death on February 27,
 1991.A longtime Hoisington resident, Doris was a homemaker and bookkeeper 
for the family businesses, Hoisington Oil Company and the Conoco service
 station.&nbsp; She was a member of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church 
and Altar Society. Doris was well known for her baking and was often 
gifting her delicious baked goods to family and friends.Survivors include; two sons, Richard Weiser and wife Karen of Oro 
Valley, Arizona, and Eugene Weiser of Hoisington; a daughter, Susan 
Graves of Lee’s Summit, Missouri; a sister, Lucille Schneweis of 
Wichita; five grandchildren, David Kilroy of Denver, Kristin Frazier of 
Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Brian Weiser of Junction City, Eric Weiser of 
Tucson, Arizona, and Jesse Weiser of Thornton, Colorado; four great 
grandchildren, Kristi Blevins, Hadrian, Dimitri, and Augustus Weiser; 
and one great-great granddaughter, Aela Blevins.She was preceded in death by; her husband, an infant daughter, Mary 
Jane Weiser, five brothers, Raymond, Robert, Victor, Herman, Francis and
 Clarence Zecha; and five sisters, Eleanor Johanning, Helen Straub, 
Kathleen Zecha, Agnes Penka, and Mathilda Penka.Visitation will be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday with family to greet 
friends from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Vigil and Rosary will begin at 6 p.m., all
 at the funeral home. Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m., 
Thursday, November 18, 2021, at Holy Family Catholic Church, Odin, 
Kansas, celebrated by Father Terrance Klein.&nbsp; Burial will follow at St. 
John Catholic Cemetery, Hoisington, Kansas.Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, St. John 
Catholic Cemetery Fund, or Holy Family Catholic Cemetery Fund in care of
 Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, PO Box 146, Hoisington, KS 67544.

Doris T. Weiser

A two-month spike in U.S. crude-oil supplies and a three-week spike in U.S. rig counts pushed the U.S. crude benchmark below $80 on Monday for the first time since October. U.S. crude inventories rose last week, for the third week in a row and the fifth time in a month. The latest report from the government is due Wednesday, following an industry report expected the day before. Last week's rig counts marked the third increase three weeks.&nbsp; December Nymex crude prices settled Friday three dollars lower, the lowest close for WTI in five weeks. Light sweet crude on the Nymex was down to $79.95 per barrel by lunchtime Monday. London Brent drops 94 cents to $81.23 per barrel. Kansas prices start the week at $71 a barrel. CHS in McPherson dropped the price for Kansas Common by 75 cents on Friday. Prices are half a dollar lower on the week and more than three dollars lower than at the first of the month. A year ago the Kansas benchmark was forty-one dollars lower. U.S. crude inventories rose for the third week in a row. The Energy Information Administration reports total stockpiles of just over 435 million barrels on November 5th. That's up about a million barrels from a week earlier, but about seven percent below the five-year average for this time of year. The government reported a slight increase in domestic crude production. U.S. operators pumped just over 11.5 million barrels per day during the week through November 5th. That's an increase of about 10,000 barrels per day over the week before and about a million barrels per day over a year earlier. EIA reported crude imports of 6.1 million barrels per day last week, down 63,000 barrels per day. The average over the last four weeks is about 14% higher than the same four-week period last year. Gasoline stockpiles dropped by 1.6 million barrels last week, and are about four percent below the five-year seasonal average. The auto club AAA reports higher gasoline pump prices brought on by slight increases in demand and the high price for a barrel of crude. But they say shorter days under Daylight Saving Time could lower gasoline demand, and possibly bring down pump prices. The national average last Thursday (11/11) was just over $3.41 per gallon. That's up more than 14 cents per gallon over a month ago.&nbsp; The average across Kansas, $3.11 per gallon, is up about 13 cents from last month. Filling your 15-gallon tank will cost you nearly four dollars more than a month ago, and $17 more than a year ago.&nbsp; Kansas operators completed 25 wells last week 11 in eastern Kansas and 14 west of Wichita, for a year-to-date total of 778.&nbsp; That's a slight improvement over the weekly report from a year ago, which showed 728 completions.&nbsp; Kansas regulators approved 25 new drilling permits last week, 16 in eastern Kansas and 9 west of Wichita, including one new permit in Barton County. That's 991 new drilling locations so far this year, compared to 406 a year ago at this time. This week's Rig Count in Kansas is down slightly, with 13 active drilling rigs in the eastern half of the state, which is down two, and 27 west of Wichita, which is up one for the week. Drilling was underway on a lease in Ellis County, and operators were about to spud a new well in Barton County. This year, demand for petroleum has largely returned to the pre-pandemic levels of two years ago. In a new report, the government says demand has grown faster than supply, reducing inventories and contributing to higher prices for crude oil and petroleum products. The Energy Information Administration says the price of West Texas Intermediate crude is near its highest level since 2014. WTI on November first was up $37 per barrel compared to the beginning of the year. Likewise, the price of Brent crude, the European benchmark, was up $34 over the same period. U.S. crude oil inputs at domestic refineries have nearly returned to the 2019 level for this time of year, despite several refinery closures since 2020. By contrast, crude production has been slower to return. Output fell from a record from an average 12.3 million barrels per day in 2019, to about 9.7 million in May of 2020. Current production is just over 11.5 million barrels per day. Oil-by-rail traffic in the U.S. was up for the week but down from a year ago. The Association of American Railroads reports 10,010 carloads hauling petroleum and petroleum products.&nbsp; That's up 452 tanker carloads from the week before but down four percent from the same week in 2020. Canadian traffic was up more than 500 carloads for the week, and up more than eleven percent over a year ago. The government reports steady increases in both crude-oil production and consumption. The Energy Information Administration says U.S. output spiked dramatically last month, following the hurricane recovery. EIA now predicts production will reach 11.6 million barrels per day in December. The agency's Short Term Energy Outlook estimates global petroleum consumption reached 98.9 million barrels per day in October, an increase of 4.5 million barrels per day from a year earlier. The report forecasts a 5.1 million barrel-per-day increase in consumption for the entire year. Energy regulators in Texas cleared the way under a new state law to pay out some $3.4 BILLION to natural gas companies for a dramatic price increase during the recent cold snap and power-grid failure. The money is part of the debt Texas utilities incurred after gas prices skyrocketed during February's winter storm and blackout. The Railroad Commission of Texas voted to convert those debts into low-interest bonds guaranteed by the state. The cost of those bonds may be included on Texans’ gas bills for up to the next 30 years. The Biden administration is taking steps to block oil and gas leasing within a 10-mile radius around New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon, a site considered sacred to Native Americans. The White House said on Monday that the Interior Department is considering a 20-year withdrawal of federal lands within 10 miles of Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Such a move would prevent oil and gas leasing and development in the northwestern corner of the state. New Mexico is second only to Texas in state crude-production rankings, but the lions share of the production comes from the Permian Basin, more than 400 miles away in the southeastern corner of the state.&nbsp; Saudi Arabia last week announced it's raising prices to customers in Asia. The increases are bigger than expected and were propping up prices elsewhere. Saudi Aramco raised its Official Selling Price to its highest level since September.

By JOHN P. TRETBARA two-month spike in U.S. crude-oil supplies and a three-week spike in U.S. rig counts pushed the U.S. crude benchmark below $80 on Monday for the first time since October. U.S. crude inventories rose last week, for the third week in a row and the fifth time in a month. The latest report from the government is due Wednesday, following an industry report expected the day before. Last week's rig counts marked the third increase three weeks.&nbsp; December Nymex crude prices settled Friday three dollars lower, the lowest close for WTI in five weeks. Light sweet crude on the Nymex was down to $79.95 per barrel by lunchtime Monday. London Brent drops 94 cents to $81.23 per barrel. Kansas prices start the week at $71 a barrel. CHS in McPherson dropped the price for Kansas Common by 75 cents on Friday. Prices are half a dollar lower on the week and more than three dollars lower than at the first of the month. A year ago the Kansas benchmark was forty-one dollars lower. U.S. crude inventories rose for the third week in a row. The Energy Information Administration reports total stockpiles of just over 435 million barrels on November 5th. That's up about a million barrels from a week earlier, but about seven percent below the five-year average for this time of year. The government reported a slight increase in domestic crude production. U.S. operators pumped just over 11.5 million barrels per day during the week through November 5th. That's an increase of about 10,000 barrels per day over the week before and about a million barrels per day over a year earlier. EIA reported crude imports of 6.1 million barrels per day last week, down 63,000 barrels per day. The average over the last four weeks is about 14% higher than the same four-week period last year. Gasoline stockpiles dropped by 1.6 million barrels last week, and are about four percent below the five-year seasonal average. The auto club AAA reports higher gasoline pump prices brought on by slight increases in demand and the high price for a barrel of crude. But they say shorter days under Daylight Saving Time could lower gasoline demand, and possibly bring down pump prices. The national average last Thursday (11/11) was just over $3.41 per gallon. That's up more than 14 cents per gallon over a month ago.&nbsp; The average across Kansas, $3.11 per gallon, is up about 13 cents from last month. Filling your 15-gallon tank will cost you nearly four dollars more than a month ago, and $17 more than a year ago.&nbsp; Kansas operators completed 25 wells last week 11 in eastern Kansas and 14 west of Wichita, for a year-to-date total of 778.&nbsp; That's a slight improvement over the weekly report from a year ago, which showed 728 completions.&nbsp; Kansas regulators approved 25 new drilling permits last week, 16 in eastern Kansas and 9 west of Wichita, including one new permit in Barton County. That's 991 new drilling locations so far this year, compared to 406 a year ago at this time. This week's Rig Count in Kansas is down slightly, with 13 active drilling rigs in the eastern half of the state, which is down two, and 27 west of Wichita, which is up one for the week. Drilling was underway on a lease in Ellis County, and operators were about to spud a new well in Barton County. This year, demand for petroleum has largely returned to the pre-pandemic levels of two years ago. In a new report, the government says demand has grown faster than supply, reducing inventories and contributing to higher prices for crude oil and petroleum products. The Energy Information Administration says the price of West Texas Intermediate crude is near its highest level since 2014. WTI on November first was up $37 per barrel compared to the beginning of the year. Likewise, the price of Brent crude, the European benchmark, was up $34 over the same period. U.S. crude oil inputs at domestic refineries have nearly returned to the 2019 level for this time of year, despite several refinery closures since 2020. By contrast, crude production has been slower to return. Output fell from a record from an average 12.3 million barrels per day in 2019, to about 9.7 million in May of 2020. Current production is just over 11.5 million barrels per day. Oil-by-rail traffic in the U.S. was up for the week but down from a year ago. The Association of American Railroads reports 10,010 carloads hauling petroleum and petroleum products.&nbsp; That's up 452 tanker carloads from the week before but down four percent from the same week in 2020. Canadian traffic was up more than 500 carloads for the week, and up more than eleven percent over a year ago. The government reports steady increases in both crude-oil production and consumption. The Energy Information Administration says U.S. output spiked dramatically last month, following the hurricane recovery. EIA now predicts production will reach 11.6 million barrels per day in December. The agency's Short Term Energy Outlook estimates global petroleum consumption reached 98.9 million barrels per day in October, an increase of 4.5 million barrels per day from a year earlier. The report forecasts a 5.1 million barrel-per-day increase in consumption for the entire year. Energy regulators in Texas cleared the way under a new state law to pay out some $3.4 BILLION to natural gas companies for a dramatic price increase during the recent cold snap and power-grid failure. The money is part of the debt Texas utilities incurred after gas prices skyrocketed during February's winter storm and blackout. The Railroad Commission of Texas voted to convert those debts into low-interest bonds guaranteed by the state. The cost of those bonds may be included on Texans’ gas bills for up to the next 30 years. The Biden administration is taking steps to block oil and gas leasing within a 10-mile radius around New Mexico’s Chaco Canyon, a site considered sacred to Native Americans. The White House said on Monday that the Interior Department is considering a 20-year withdrawal of federal lands within 10 miles of Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Such a move would prevent oil and gas leasing and development in the northwestern corner of the state. New Mexico is second only to Texas in state crude-production rankings, but the lions share of the production comes from the Permian Basin, more than 400 miles away in the southeastern corner of the state.&nbsp; Saudi Arabia last week announced it's raising prices to customers in Asia. The increases are bigger than expected and were propping up prices elsewhere. Saudi Aramco raised its Official Selling Price to its highest level since September.

News From the Oil Patch: Crude supplies spike, prices plunge

John Feeney, 85, passed away peacefully on Friday, November 12, 2021,&nbsp; at Cedar Village Care Center, Ness City, KS.&nbsp; He was born on December 9,
 1935, in Washington, D.C. the son of John Feeney, Sr. and Myra 
(Richardson) Feeney.&nbsp; He graduated from Calvin Coolidge High School. 
After high school he trained as an Electrical Draftsman where he used 
his skills working at Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission where he 
worked until September 1963.&nbsp;

John served his country in the Army National Guard Reserves from 1957 to 1962 in the 140th Engineer Bn DCNG (DC national guard) as an SP5 E5.&nbsp;

In October 1963, John moved to Ness City, Kansas, where we went to work
 with his father-in-law (Joe Petersilie) as a contract oil well pumper 
until he retired in 2006.&nbsp;

He was member of the United Methodist Church, Ness City, KS.

On June 24, 1961, he married Jo Ann Petersilie in Ness City, Kansas.&nbsp;
 They moved from Takoma Park, Maryland to Ness City, Kansas in 1963 
where they made their home on the farm.

John and Jo Ann celebrated their 60th wedding Anniversary this past June.

John is survived by his wife Jo Ann of Ness City; daughters, Shannon 
Feeney of Ness City and Robin Pierson of Blue Springs, Missouri; one 
granddaughter Regan Pierson also of Blue Springs, Missouri; and his 
sister Ann Feeney of Ness City.&nbsp;

He was preceded in death by his parents John and Myra Feeney.&nbsp;

Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 18th from 5 -7 p.m. at Fitzgerald Funeral Home, Ness City.&nbsp; A funeral service will be held on Friday, November 19th, 2021 at the United Methodist Church, Ness City at 11:00 a.m.&nbsp; Burial will be at Ness City Cemetery with military honors.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Humane Society, 
Dodge City, the Animal Shelter in Dodge City or the United Methodist 
Church, Ness City.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637011218446.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>John Feeney, 85, passed away peacefully on Friday, November 12, 2021,&nbsp; at Cedar Village Care Center, Ness City, KS.&nbsp; He was born on December 9,
 1935, in Washington, D.C. the son of John Feeney, Sr. and Myra 
(Richardson) Feeney.&nbsp; He graduated from Calvin Coolidge High School. 
After high school he trained as an Electrical Draftsman where he used 
his skills working at Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission where he 
worked until September 1963.&nbsp;John served his country in the Army National Guard Reserves from 1957 to 1962 in the 140th Engineer Bn DCNG (DC national guard) as an SP5 E5.&nbsp;In October 1963, John moved to Ness City, Kansas, where we went to work
 with his father-in-law (Joe Petersilie) as a contract oil well pumper 
until he retired in 2006.&nbsp;He was member of the United Methodist Church, Ness City, KS.On June 24, 1961, he married Jo Ann Petersilie in Ness City, Kansas.&nbsp;
 They moved from Takoma Park, Maryland to Ness City, Kansas in 1963 
where they made their home on the farm.John and Jo Ann celebrated their 60th wedding Anniversary this past June.John is survived by his wife Jo Ann of Ness City; daughters, Shannon 
Feeney of Ness City and Robin Pierson of Blue Springs, Missouri; one 
granddaughter Regan Pierson also of Blue Springs, Missouri; and his 
sister Ann Feeney of Ness City.&nbsp;He was preceded in death by his parents John and Myra Feeney.&nbsp;Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 18th from 5 -7 p.m. at Fitzgerald Funeral Home, Ness City.&nbsp; A funeral service will be held on Friday, November 19th, 2021 at the United Methodist Church, Ness City at 11:00 a.m.&nbsp; Burial will be at Ness City Cemetery with military honors.In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Humane Society, 
Dodge City, the Animal Shelter in Dodge City or the United Methodist 
Church, Ness City.

John Feeney

Latest data compares 2021 to 2019, after no testing in 2020

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/11/15/math-reading-student-test-scores-tumble-in-kansas-amid-covid-19-pandemic/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Unprecedented disruption
 of classroom instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a drop 
in math and reading standardized test scores among 476,000 public school
 students in Kansas with the steepest assessment damage among children 
struggling with math.

Information released by the Kansas State Department of Education 
offered the first statewide evaluation of student performance in these 
key subject areas since the 2019 report. No testing was conducted in 
2020 as the pandemic derailed normal school activities for students and 
educators in Kansas by pushing instruction online from March until the 
end of the school year.

“Every data point we have is down,” said Randy Watson, commissioner 
of the Kansas State Department of Education. “So is everyone else’s 
across the country.”

The 2021 Kansas report on math for all students indicated 7.8% tested
 at the highest proficiency level, a decline of 1.5 percentage points 
since 2019, and 20% scored at the next-highest level, a reduction of 3.2
 percentage points since 2019. The portion of students at the lowest 
level of achievement in math surged to 34.3%, a disturbing escalation of
 6.1 percentage points.

In reading, the damage to Kansas students was less severe when 
comparing 2021 and 2019 results. In 2021, 8% of students tested in 
English and language arts reached the highest proficiency level, a 
setback of 0.7 percentage points compared to 2019. In 2021, 30.3% of 
students were at the lowest level of achievement on math exams, a 
wrong-way change of 0.9 percentage points from 2019.

Mark Tallman, who works on K-12 education issues for the Kansas 
Association of School Boards, said slippage in student achievement was 
widely anticipated. The 2021 report was unusual because 12,000 fewer 
students participated in testing as public school enrollment suffered 
and some remote-learner students didn’t have access to supervised 
settings to take exams, he said.

Kansas public school districts in Kansas were beneficiaries of $1 
billion in federal aid designed to address student pandemic needs. 
School districts also have been receiving millions of dollars in 
additional annual state appropriations as a result of the Gannon school 
funding lawsuit.

The influx of cash and decline in math and reading test scores is 
likely to drive debate in the 2022 legislative session on expanding a 
statewide program offering tax credits for support low-income students 
who enroll in private schools, Tallman said.

“Many education leaders have said it will take time for additional 
funding to have an impact,” Tallman said. “However, many legislators are
 impatient to see results from higher funding and some say what they see
 as the slow pace means the state should consider expanding aid to 
students attending alternatives to public schools.”

More than twice the percentage of low-income students scored in the 
lowest level on both reading and math than wealthier students in 2021.

David Dorsey, senior education policy fellow with the Kansas Policy 
Institute, said the “unacceptably low test scores” in 2021 ought to 
prompt the state Department of Education to recommit to upgrading 
student achievement in fundamental academic skills.

Watson, commissioner of education in Kansas, said consequences of the
 pandemic continued to unfold for students, parents, teachers and 
administrators engaged in the public school system. The coronavirus 
variant known as Delta is sickening, hospitalizing and killing people 
more than 18 months after COVID-19 shook the foundation of education in 
early 2020, he said.

“People are still, unfortunately, passing away,” Watson said. “What you see is a weariness.”

He said as of October more than 30 school district superintendents 
had filed a notice of retirement, an unusually high number for that 
point in the academic year. He said there had been a lack of continuity 
among classroom teachers as they grappled with online instruction, 
quarantines and illnesses. Parents have made their displeasure known at 
school board meetings across Kansas, he said.

Kansas assessment results for the state, districts and schools are available at the state Department of Education’s <a target="_blank" href="https://datacentral.ksde.org/">Data Central</a> website portal.

The Kansas Board of Education set goals for moving more students into
 the two highest of four levels of achievement on standardized 
tests.&nbsp;The state board also adopted broader educational outcomes, 
including graduation rates, postsecondary participation, kindergarten 
readiness, implementation of individual student plans of study and 
promotion of social and emotional growth.

Watson said 88.3% of Kansas high school seniors graduated in 2020, an
 improvement of 2.6 percentage points. The nearly 12,000 students who 
didn’t earn a diploma represented 4,000 to 5,000 students, he said. It 
won’t be a surprise if the 2021 graduation rate dips below the previous 
year’s mark, he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637005442776.png" alt="Randy Watson, commissioner of the Kansas State Department of Education, said the unprecedented influence of COVID-19 pushed down public school district assessment scores in math and reading when comparing 2021 to 2019. No testing was conducted in 2020. (Screen capture/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Randy Watson, commissioner of the Kansas State Department of Education, said the unprecedented influence of COVID-19 pushed down public school district assessment scores in math and reading when comparing 2021 to 2019. No testing was conducted in 2020. (Screen capture/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Latest data compares 2021 to 2019, after no testing in 2020</h2>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/11/15/math-reading-student-test-scores-tumble-in-kansas-amid-covid-19-pandemic/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Unprecedented disruption
 of classroom instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a drop 
in math and reading standardized test scores among 476,000 public school
 students in Kansas with the steepest assessment damage among children 
struggling with math.Information released by the Kansas State Department of Education 
offered the first statewide evaluation of student performance in these 
key subject areas since the 2019 report. No testing was conducted in 
2020 as the pandemic derailed normal school activities for students and 
educators in Kansas by pushing instruction online from March until the 
end of the school year.“Every data point we have is down,” said Randy Watson, commissioner 
of the Kansas State Department of Education. “So is everyone else’s 
across the country.”The 2021 Kansas report on math for all students indicated 7.8% tested
 at the highest proficiency level, a decline of 1.5 percentage points 
since 2019, and 20% scored at the next-highest level, a reduction of 3.2
 percentage points since 2019. The portion of students at the lowest 
level of achievement in math surged to 34.3%, a disturbing escalation of
 6.1 percentage points.In reading, the damage to Kansas students was less severe when 
comparing 2021 and 2019 results. In 2021, 8% of students tested in 
English and language arts reached the highest proficiency level, a 
setback of 0.7 percentage points compared to 2019. In 2021, 30.3% of 
students were at the lowest level of achievement on math exams, a 
wrong-way change of 0.9 percentage points from 2019.Mark Tallman, who works on K-12 education issues for the Kansas 
Association of School Boards, said slippage in student achievement was 
widely anticipated. The 2021 report was unusual because 12,000 fewer 
students participated in testing as public school enrollment suffered 
and some remote-learner students didn’t have access to supervised 
settings to take exams, he said.Kansas public school districts in Kansas were beneficiaries of $1 
billion in federal aid designed to address student pandemic needs. 
School districts also have been receiving millions of dollars in 
additional annual state appropriations as a result of the Gannon school 
funding lawsuit.The influx of cash and decline in math and reading test scores is 
likely to drive debate in the 2022 legislative session on expanding a 
statewide program offering tax credits for support low-income students 
who enroll in private schools, Tallman said.“Many education leaders have said it will take time for additional 
funding to have an impact,” Tallman said. “However, many legislators are
 impatient to see results from higher funding and some say what they see
 as the slow pace means the state should consider expanding aid to 
students attending alternatives to public schools.”More than twice the percentage of low-income students scored in the 
lowest level on both reading and math than wealthier students in 2021.David Dorsey, senior education policy fellow with the Kansas Policy 
Institute, said the “unacceptably low test scores” in 2021 ought to 
prompt the state Department of Education to recommit to upgrading 
student achievement in fundamental academic skills.Watson, commissioner of education in Kansas, said consequences of the
 pandemic continued to unfold for students, parents, teachers and 
administrators engaged in the public school system. The coronavirus 
variant known as Delta is sickening, hospitalizing and killing people 
more than 18 months after COVID-19 shook the foundation of education in 
early 2020, he said.“People are still, unfortunately, passing away,” Watson said. “What you see is a weariness.”He said as of October more than 30 school district superintendents 
had filed a notice of retirement, an unusually high number for that 
point in the academic year. He said there had been a lack of continuity 
among classroom teachers as they grappled with online instruction, 
quarantines and illnesses. Parents have made their displeasure known at 
school board meetings across Kansas, he said.Kansas assessment results for the state, districts and schools are available at the state Department of Education’s <a target="_blank" href="https://datacentral.ksde.org/">Data Central</a> website portal.The Kansas Board of Education set goals for moving more students into
 the two highest of four levels of achievement on standardized 
tests.&nbsp;The state board also adopted broader educational outcomes, 
including graduation rates, postsecondary participation, kindergarten 
readiness, implementation of individual student plans of study and 
promotion of social and emotional growth.Watson said 88.3% of Kansas high school seniors graduated in 2020, an
 improvement of 2.6 percentage points. The nearly 12,000 students who 
didn’t earn a diploma represented 4,000 to 5,000 students, he said. It 
won’t be a surprise if the 2021 graduation rate dips below the previous 
year’s mark, he said.

Kan. math, reading test scores tumble amid COVID pandemic

RILEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a jewelry store theft in Manhattan.

Just after 2p.m. Friday, police filed a report for theft in the 400 block of Poyntz Ave. in Manhattan. Danenberg Jewelers&nbsp; reported an unknown suspect stole a 14k yellow gold engagement ring on October 14.

The estimated total loss associated with this case is approximately $5,600. 

Anyone with information can contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636998394566.png" alt="Danenberg Jewelers -Google image" />
 <figcaption>Danenberg Jewelers -Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>RILEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a jewelry store theft in Manhattan.Just after 2p.m. Friday, police filed a report for theft in the 400 block of Poyntz Ave. in Manhattan. Danenberg Jewelers&nbsp; reported an unknown suspect stole a 14k yellow gold engagement ring on October 14.The estimated total loss associated with this case is approximately $5,600. Anyone with information can contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers. Using the Crime Stoppers service can allow you to remain anonymous and could qualify you for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

Police: Suspect stole $5,600 engagement ring from Kan. store

Mildred Bertha Lippelmann, 95, was born on October 13, 1926, in Bladen, 
NE. She was the 6th of 9 children born to Howard and Ruby (Goble) 
Cramer. She graduated from Red Cloud High School in 1944. She took 
normal training and taught at a country school near Thedford, NE. She 
spent two years in Chicago working in a sporting goods factory.
 She returned to Oberlin to be with her sister Esther Vernon and met 
Gordon Lippelmann. They were married on Aug. 16, 1949. They lived on a 
farm southwest of Oberlin. Three sons were born, Dan, Terry, and Jon. 
Mildred worked at the Oberlin Cedar Living Center as a housekeeper for 
23 years and at the Oberlin Livestock café for 8 years. She was a member
 of the Oberlin Covenant Church, American Legion Auxiliary, Calico Gals 
Club, Widows and Friends Club and a Royal Neighbor member. She and her 
sisters enjoyed a vacation in Acapulco, Mexico. Millie was an avid 
collector of things that pleased her, until her house burnt down in 
2004. Since then, she has a collected a 1960’s craft of large glass 
grapes.
 She had 4 grandchildren, Stephanie, Milo, Wheat, and Rye. 7 great 
grandchildren, Gregory, Baylee, Lane, Lakynn, Ryllie, Levi, and Lucas. 4
 step great grandchildren, Brandon and Steven Gaede, McKayla (Michael) 
Pepper, and Josie Franz, and 4 great great grandchildren. 
 She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Gordon; 2 
grandchildren, Stephanie and Rye; 4 sisters, Esther Vernon, Mary Belle 
Stockes, Donna Faye Rose, and Joan Niles; 3 brothers William Cramer, 
Vernon Cramer, and Glen Cramer.
 Survivors include her 3 sons, Dan (Vickie) of Oberlin, KS, Terry of 
Selden, KS, Jon (Marilyn) of Crystal Beach, TX; sister, Norma Lee 
Swanstrom.

Click <a href="https://www.paulsfh.com/obituaries/Mildred-Bertha-Lippelmann?obId=23084990#/celebrationWall">HERE</a> for service details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636998424150.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Mildred Bertha Lippelmann, 95, was born on October 13, 1926, in Bladen, 
NE. She was the 6th of 9 children born to Howard and Ruby (Goble) 
Cramer. She graduated from Red Cloud High School in 1944. She took 
normal training and taught at a country school near Thedford, NE. She 
spent two years in Chicago working in a sporting goods factory.
 She returned to Oberlin to be with her sister Esther Vernon and met 
Gordon Lippelmann. They were married on Aug. 16, 1949. They lived on a 
farm southwest of Oberlin. Three sons were born, Dan, Terry, and Jon. 
Mildred worked at the Oberlin Cedar Living Center as a housekeeper for 
23 years and at the Oberlin Livestock café for 8 years. She was a member
 of the Oberlin Covenant Church, American Legion Auxiliary, Calico Gals 
Club, Widows and Friends Club and a Royal Neighbor member. She and her 
sisters enjoyed a vacation in Acapulco, Mexico. Millie was an avid 
collector of things that pleased her, until her house burnt down in 
2004. Since then, she has a collected a 1960’s craft of large glass 
grapes.
 She had 4 grandchildren, Stephanie, Milo, Wheat, and Rye. 7 great 
grandchildren, Gregory, Baylee, Lane, Lakynn, Ryllie, Levi, and Lucas. 4
 step great grandchildren, Brandon and Steven Gaede, McKayla (Michael) 
Pepper, and Josie Franz, and 4 great great grandchildren. 
 She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Gordon; 2 
grandchildren, Stephanie and Rye; 4 sisters, Esther Vernon, Mary Belle 
Stockes, Donna Faye Rose, and Joan Niles; 3 brothers William Cramer, 
Vernon Cramer, and Glen Cramer.
 Survivors include her 3 sons, Dan (Vickie) of Oberlin, KS, Terry of 
Selden, KS, Jon (Marilyn) of Crystal Beach, TX; sister, Norma Lee 
Swanstrom.Click <a href="https://www.paulsfh.com/obituaries/Mildred-Bertha-Lippelmann?obId=23084990#/celebrationWall">HERE</a> for service details.

Mildred Bertha Lippelmann

Joan Marie Kline was born February 6, 1949, in Greeley, NE, the 
daughter of Joseph and Opal Irene (Gleason) Heim and departed this life 
November 7, 2021, at the age of 72 at her home in Smith Center, KS.&nbsp; 
 Joan spent most of her life in Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado, while 
living in Smith Center she met the love of her life, Randy Kline.&nbsp;&nbsp;They 
were married at Fort Rucker Alabama on April 22, 1967, where Randy was 
stationed with the Army.&nbsp;&nbsp;To this union three children were born, twins 
Justin Edward and Melissa Ann on September of 1969, but wait, Joan 
wasn't done yet and in October of 1985, surprise, we had another 
bouncing baby boy, Tyson Frank. Joan's children have always been the 
loves of her life.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Joan and Randy ran a 
greenhouse at their home place in Smith Center for 10 years.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1995, 
Joan heard the song by Reba McIntire "Is There Life Out There" and she 
made up her mind to pursue a career in nursing, this was a lifelong 
dream of hers and she graduated with honors in 1996.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1997 Joan went 
to work at Long Term Care in Smith Center where she worked for 17 
years.&nbsp;&nbsp;Randy and Joan enjoyed camping and a family fish fry at Glen 
Elder Lake every 4th of July.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She was preceded in death by her parents, and two sisters, Judith Lee Heim and Sandra Lunders.&nbsp; 
 Joan is survived by her husband Randy Kline of Smith Center; three 
children, Justin Kline of Smith Center, Melissa (Caven) Portenier of 
Luray, Tyson (SkyeAnne) Kline of Smith Center; sister Pat (Ralph) 
Werthmann of Osborne; brother Gary (Vivian) Gaster of Woodward, OK; 
seven grandchildren, Aften (Luke) Roenne, Tanner Portenier and partner 
Monica Mullender, Sabrina Kline partner Travis Jones, Hunter Kline and 
partner Cassidy, TylieAnne, Arrow and Octavia Kline and eleven 
great-grandchildren, Riley, Paisley, Joanie, Caylee, Wyatt, Tucker, 
Clayton, Laramie, Lane, Levi and Hollie, many nieces, nephews, family 
members and friends. A celebration of Joan's life will be 
held at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, November 18, 2021 at All Faiths Funeral 
Chapel, 113 S. Madison St., Smith Center, KS.&nbsp; There will not be a 
public visitation as cremation has taken place. Inurment will take place
 the Gaylord Cemetery, Gaylord, KS.&nbsp; Memorials may be given to Hospice 
Services of Smith County and can be sent in care of the funeral chapel.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636991139396.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Joan Marie Kline was born February 6, 1949, in Greeley, NE, the 
daughter of Joseph and Opal Irene (Gleason) Heim and departed this life 
November 7, 2021, at the age of 72 at her home in Smith Center, KS.&nbsp; 
 Joan spent most of her life in Nebraska, Kansas, and Colorado, while 
living in Smith Center she met the love of her life, Randy Kline.&nbsp;&nbsp;They 
were married at Fort Rucker Alabama on April 22, 1967, where Randy was 
stationed with the Army.&nbsp;&nbsp;To this union three children were born, twins 
Justin Edward and Melissa Ann on September of 1969, but wait, Joan 
wasn't done yet and in October of 1985, surprise, we had another 
bouncing baby boy, Tyson Frank. Joan's children have always been the 
loves of her life.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Joan and Randy ran a 
greenhouse at their home place in Smith Center for 10 years.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1995, 
Joan heard the song by Reba McIntire "Is There Life Out There" and she 
made up her mind to pursue a career in nursing, this was a lifelong 
dream of hers and she graduated with honors in 1996.&nbsp;&nbsp;In 1997 Joan went 
to work at Long Term Care in Smith Center where she worked for 17 
years.&nbsp;&nbsp;Randy and Joan enjoyed camping and a family fish fry at Glen 
Elder Lake every 4th of July.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She was preceded in death by her parents, and two sisters, Judith Lee Heim and Sandra Lunders.&nbsp; 
 Joan is survived by her husband Randy Kline of Smith Center; three 
children, Justin Kline of Smith Center, Melissa (Caven) Portenier of 
Luray, Tyson (SkyeAnne) Kline of Smith Center; sister Pat (Ralph) 
Werthmann of Osborne; brother Gary (Vivian) Gaster of Woodward, OK; 
seven grandchildren, Aften (Luke) Roenne, Tanner Portenier and partner 
Monica Mullender, Sabrina Kline partner Travis Jones, Hunter Kline and 
partner Cassidy, TylieAnne, Arrow and Octavia Kline and eleven 
great-grandchildren, Riley, Paisley, Joanie, Caylee, Wyatt, Tucker, 
Clayton, Laramie, Lane, Levi and Hollie, many nieces, nephews, family 
members and friends. A celebration of Joan's life will be 
held at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, November 18, 2021 at All Faiths Funeral 
Chapel, 113 S. Madison St., Smith Center, KS.&nbsp; There will not be a 
public visitation as cremation has taken place. Inurment will take place
 the Gaylord Cemetery, Gaylord, KS.&nbsp; Memorials may be given to Hospice 
Services of Smith County and can be sent in care of the funeral chapel.

Joan Marie Kline

Brett C. Kendrick, age 62, passed away on Saturday, November 13, 
2021, at the Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kansas.&nbsp; He was born on 
October 15, 1959 in Scott City, Kansas, the son of Emerson Earl &amp; 
Marilyn Mae Spellman Kendrick.&nbsp; A lifetime resident of Scott City, 
Kansas, he was a Farmer and Advanced EMT for the Scott County EMS.

He was a member of the Immanuel Southern Baptist Church in Scott City, Kansas.

On September 6, 1980 he married Kendra Wren in Scott City, Kansas.&nbsp; She survives.

Survivors include his Wife - Kendra Kendrick of Scott City, Kansas, 
Two Sons - Todd &amp; Lauren Kendrick of Topeka, Kansas, Trace &amp; 
Stephanie Kendrick of Wichita, Kansas, Mother - Marilyn Kendrick of 
Scott City, Kansas, One Sister - Annette &amp; Chris Shultz of Paola, 
Kansas, and Three Grandchildren - Kash Kendrick &amp; Briar Kendrick of 
Topeka, Kansas, and Shepherd Kendrick of Wichita, Kansas.

He was preceded in death by his Father, and One Nephew - Ryan Shultz.

Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, November 19, 2021 
at the First Baptist Church in Scott City, Kansas with Pastor Don 
Williams presiding.&nbsp; Services will be live-streamed and can be seen by 
clicking the Livestream tab on the left side of the obituary&nbsp;at 
www.priceandsons.com starting at 1:55 p.m.

Burial will be in the Scott County Cemetery in Scott City, Kansas.

Memorials In Lieu Of Flowers can be written to the Scott County EMS 
in care of Price &amp; Sons Funeral Home, PO Box 553, Scott City, 
Kansas, 67871.

Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Wednesday and 
10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Thursday at Price &amp; Sons Funeral Home, 
401 S. Washington St., Scott City, Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636985823873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Brett C. Kendrick, age 62, passed away on Saturday, November 13, 
2021, at the Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kansas.&nbsp; He was born on 
October 15, 1959 in Scott City, Kansas, the son of Emerson Earl &amp; 
Marilyn Mae Spellman Kendrick.&nbsp; A lifetime resident of Scott City, 
Kansas, he was a Farmer and Advanced EMT for the Scott County EMS.He was a member of the Immanuel Southern Baptist Church in Scott City, Kansas.On September 6, 1980 he married Kendra Wren in Scott City, Kansas.&nbsp; She survives.Survivors include his Wife - Kendra Kendrick of Scott City, Kansas, 
Two Sons - Todd &amp; Lauren Kendrick of Topeka, Kansas, Trace &amp; 
Stephanie Kendrick of Wichita, Kansas, Mother - Marilyn Kendrick of 
Scott City, Kansas, One Sister - Annette &amp; Chris Shultz of Paola, 
Kansas, and Three Grandchildren - Kash Kendrick &amp; Briar Kendrick of 
Topeka, Kansas, and Shepherd Kendrick of Wichita, Kansas.He was preceded in death by his Father, and One Nephew - Ryan Shultz.Funeral Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, November 19, 2021 
at the First Baptist Church in Scott City, Kansas with Pastor Don 
Williams presiding.&nbsp; Services will be live-streamed and can be seen by 
clicking the Livestream tab on the left side of the obituary&nbsp;at 
www.priceandsons.com starting at 1:55 p.m.Burial will be in the Scott County Cemetery in Scott City, Kansas.Memorials In Lieu Of Flowers can be written to the Scott County EMS 
in care of Price &amp; Sons Funeral Home, PO Box 553, Scott City, 
Kansas, 67871.Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Wednesday and 
10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Thursday at Price &amp; Sons Funeral Home, 
401 S. Washington St., Scott City, Kansas.

Brett C. Kendrick

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The annual inflation rate in the US surged to 6.2% in October of 2021, the highest since November of 1990. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said he's not surprised.

"Our surveys that we conduct here at Creighton University, both the Rural Mainstreet survey and the survey of supply managers, both of them contain Kansas as one of the states are showing, we haven't seen inflationary pressures like this in the 25 years we've been conducting the surveys," Goss said.

The Fed keeps saying the inflation will end. Goss doesn't think that will happen for a while, at least.

"We are going to see these supply chain disruptions and we are going to see these exceptional high inflationary pressures well into 2022," Goss said. "I don't envision any really, relief in terms of inflation, until the second half of 2022."

Energy costs recorded the biggest gain, but the inflation was broad based.

"Interestingly, the food increases haven't been as likely as we are going to see going forward," Goss said. "A lot of it is automobiles, so not everybody is seeing that, of course, if you're not buying or selling an automobile. Also, in terms of housing prices, a lot of it is housing increases. There again, you may not be seeing it, until you buy or sell a house."

The inflation number was well above the Fed's average annual 2% inflation target for a 7th consecutive month.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620071466817.jpeg" alt="Creighton Economist Ernie Goss, PhD" />
 <figcaption>Creighton Economist Ernie Goss, PhD</figcaption>
 </figure>By NICK GOSNELLHutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — The annual inflation rate in the US surged to 6.2% in October of 2021, the highest since November of 1990. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said he's not surprised."Our surveys that we conduct here at Creighton University, both the Rural Mainstreet survey and the survey of supply managers, both of them contain Kansas as one of the states are showing, we haven't seen inflationary pressures like this in the 25 years we've been conducting the surveys," Goss said.The Fed keeps saying the inflation will end. Goss doesn't think that will happen for a while, at least."We are going to see these supply chain disruptions and we are going to see these exceptional high inflationary pressures well into 2022," Goss said. "I don't envision any really, relief in terms of inflation, until the second half of 2022."Energy costs recorded the biggest gain, but the inflation was broad based."Interestingly, the food increases haven't been as likely as we are going to see going forward," Goss said. "A lot of it is automobiles, so not everybody is seeing that, of course, if you're not buying or selling an automobile. Also, in terms of housing prices, a lot of it is housing increases. There again, you may not be seeing it, until you buy or sell a house."The inflation number was well above the Fed's average annual 2% inflation target for a 7th consecutive month.

Economist: U.S. Inflationary pressures as high as he's ever seen them

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are increasingly optimistic about flipping governor’s offices in key battleground states next year, buoyed by President Joe Biden’s sagging approval ratings, Democratic infighting in Congress and better-than-expected results in elections in Virginia and New Jersey.

Democrats were already steeled for tough races, but the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2021-virginia-governor-glenn-youngkin-mcaulife-6cdbf77acf9a966e216ab2a297601baa">upset loss in Virginia’s governor’s race and a close win in deeply blue New Jersey’s</a>&nbsp;confirmed the difficult conditions ahead. In both places, the party was largely caught off guard by the potency of culture-war debates over schools and struggled to stop voters once turned off by former President Donald Trump from migrating back to Republicans.

“Biden’s approval is pulling down Democrats everywhere,” said Charles Franklin, the pollster at Marquette Law School, which released a survey this week showing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-health-coronavirus-pandemic-business-government-and-politics-e3a7a7e1540c5a357c96f1f75cde6b11">Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers</a>&nbsp;′ approval rating had slid even more. “There’s no question national forces are playing a big role.”

Democratic incumbents will be playing defense in much-watched Michigan and Wisconsin, and trying to hold an open seat in Pennsylvania. The three governorships are seen as Democrats’ best chance to slow the GOP’s ascendancy in the Rust Belt. The GOP currently holds the governor’s office in 27 states, compared with Democrats’ 23. Thirty-six are up next year nationwide.

Those races are poised to become expensive and intense contests, as voters and political parties have increasingly relied on state leaders to advance — or block — consequential policy. Evers and Democratic Govs.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/gretchen-whitmer">Gretchen Whitmer</a>&nbsp;of Michigan and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tom-wolf">Tom Wolf&nbsp;</a>of Pennsylvania have emerged as major national figures, credited with stymieing Republican-controlled legislatures’ efforts to add restrictions on voting and to curb precautions during the coronavirus pandemic.

Democrats see added urgency in holding the three governorships, in part because of their role in presidential elections. Trump and his backers last year pushed swing-state governors to name electors who would cast votes for Trump in the Electoral College, even though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-joe-biden-arizona-government-and-politics-ap-fact-check-0e7fad7e5bdf02d953c6b90a474267cc">Biden won</a>&nbsp;their states. All refused, but a new crop of more Trump-friendly governors could act differently should the next presidential race’s results be similarly disputed.

Flipping Michigan and Wisconsin and winning Pennsylvania — Wolf is term limited and can’t run again — would also likely give Republicans a boost heading into 2024 whether that year’s election’s results be ultimately challenged or not.

“Having Republican governors in key presidential battlegrounds like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan can be worth a point or two on the presidential ballot,” said Phil Cox, former executive director for the Republican Governors Association, who is advising GOP gubernatorial candidates for 2022. “Republican governors can be difference makers in 2024.”

Republican strategists say Wisconsin and Michigan are among their best pickup chances next year, along with Kansas — a normally deep-red state where Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly narrowly won a three-way 2018 race. Nevada, Maine and perhaps New Mexico could be within reach, they say.

GOP candidates across the country will likely try to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-elections-education-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-fc8501fa2b0ef655933f4cce27bf4c9a">energize conservative parents by denouncing schools adhering to “critical race theory,”</a>&nbsp;an academic framework about systemic racism that has become a catch-all phrase for teaching about race in U.S. history. Defending “parents’ rights” to push back against school districts’ efforts to teach about things like institutional racism helped Republican Glenn Youngkin win the governor’s race in Virginia, a state Biden carried by 10 percentage points just last year, and could further resonate in toss-up states.

“When you’re talking about governors, you’re talking about people who are actually in charge of what’s going to wind up in our kids’ schools,” said Rick Hess, director of education programs for the conservative American Enterprise Institute. “For senators and members of Congress, it’s a little more difficult. But this is such a gut-level, values-driven conversation, it will absolutely still motivate.”

Democrats, meanwhile, see pickup opportunities in open governorships in Maryland and in Arizona, where Biden last year became just the second Democratic presidential candidate to win since 1948.

Marshall Cohen, the Democratic Governors Association’s political director, said the party is also eyeing Ohio and Texas, where former Senate and presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-texas-election-2020-campaign-2016-government-and-politics-1d2fcef28c9d9a00c33500845136bda1">is expected</a>&nbsp;to challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.

Both parties, meanwhile, are also focused on Georgia, which narrowly went for Biden in 2020 and elected two Democratic senators in January. Incumbent GOP Gov. Brian Kemp faces the potential of a primary challenge from a Trump-backed Republican.

“No one knows what the environment’s going to be like in the fall of 2022,” Cohen said. “These races are not being held tomorrow.”

For now, though, Biden’s approval rating has slumped since the early months of his presidency, falling to 48% in an October AP-NORC poll from 59% in July.

That, plus the party being slow to pass its domestic agenda, may be a drag on governors’ in-state accomplishments. Congress approved a White House-backed $1 trillion infrastructure package late Friday, but it came too late to help the party during elections in Virginia and New Jersey.

“Many of the things that we are seeing and hearing about in the Build Back Better infrastructure are things that Democratic governors have already been doing in their states,” Wendi Wallace, deputy executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, said, referencing a spending bill endorsed by the White House which has yet to clear Congress. “Our in-state efforts are sometimes overshadowed by what’s happening in Washington.”

Biden’s trouble, meanwhile, could increase pressure on Democratic governors facing tough reelection fights to distance themselves from the White House in coming months. That’s mostly not happened, though reactions to Biden’s vaccine mandate for all Americans who work at companies of more than 100 employees could offer some hints that schisms are possible.

Polls show that such requirements are popular among Democrats and unpopular among staunch Republicans — but governor’s races are likely to be decided by independent and swing voters.

In Kansas,&nbsp;Kelly&nbsp;argued that mandates like the Biden administration’s vaccine requirements for larger businesses “tend not to work.” Whitmer and Evers have said little about the policy.

A former Wisconsin state school superintendent, Evers beat two-term Republican Gov. Scott Walker by fewer than 30,000 votes in 2018.

The Marquette Law School poll taken last week showed 45% of respondents approve of Evers’ performance, a metric weighed down by approval among independents and in line with pessimism among roughly half of registered voters about the direction the state is headed. Still, a majority of registered Wisconsin voters approve of the job Evers has done handling the COVID-19 pandemic, the poll found.

Whitmer won her first term comfortably in 2018 and became a national face of imposing restrictions to slow the pandemic’s spread last year. But she’s softened some in recent months.

Democratic strategist Amy Chapman said Whitmer has long known that, given the backlash she and other Democratic governors have faced over efforts to control the spread of COVID-19, 2022 would be a challenge. Whitmer was the subject of multiple threats and a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-us-news-state-courts-courts-ap-travel-da09ca66cd8d5f36722021d3593425ff">kidnapping plot foiled by federal authorities</a>.

“I don’t think there was ever a presumption in Michigan that this was going to be easy,” said Chapman, who was Barack Obama’s state director in 2008 and a senior adviser in 2012. “The governor has known that she really has to be vigilant about this.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636550088740.png" alt="Kansas governor Laura Kelly went grocery shopping Tuesday with Jennifer Melcher and her daughter Millie to discuss her plan to end the state tax on groceries.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Kansas governor Laura Kelly went grocery shopping Tuesday with Jennifer Melcher and her daughter Millie to discuss her plan to end the state tax on groceries.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans are increasingly optimistic about flipping governor’s offices in key battleground states next year, buoyed by President Joe Biden’s sagging approval ratings, Democratic infighting in Congress and better-than-expected results in elections in Virginia and New Jersey.Democrats were already steeled for tough races, but the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2021-virginia-governor-glenn-youngkin-mcaulife-6cdbf77acf9a966e216ab2a297601baa">upset loss in Virginia’s governor’s race and a close win in deeply blue New Jersey’s</a>&nbsp;confirmed the difficult conditions ahead. In both places, the party was largely caught off guard by the potency of culture-war debates over schools and struggled to stop voters once turned off by former President Donald Trump from migrating back to Republicans.“Biden’s approval is pulling down Democrats everywhere,” said Charles Franklin, the pollster at Marquette Law School, which released a survey this week showing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-health-coronavirus-pandemic-business-government-and-politics-e3a7a7e1540c5a357c96f1f75cde6b11">Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers</a>&nbsp;′ approval rating had slid even more. “There’s no question national forces are playing a big role.”Democratic incumbents will be playing defense in much-watched Michigan and Wisconsin, and trying to hold an open seat in Pennsylvania. The three governorships are seen as Democrats’ best chance to slow the GOP’s ascendancy in the Rust Belt. The GOP currently holds the governor’s office in 27 states, compared with Democrats’ 23. Thirty-six are up next year nationwide.Those races are poised to become expensive and intense contests, as voters and political parties have increasingly relied on state leaders to advance — or block — consequential policy. Evers and Democratic Govs.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/gretchen-whitmer">Gretchen Whitmer</a>&nbsp;of Michigan and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tom-wolf">Tom Wolf&nbsp;</a>of Pennsylvania have emerged as major national figures, credited with stymieing Republican-controlled legislatures’ efforts to add restrictions on voting and to curb precautions during the coronavirus pandemic.Democrats see added urgency in holding the three governorships, in part because of their role in presidential elections. Trump and his backers last year pushed swing-state governors to name electors who would cast votes for Trump in the Electoral College, even though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-joe-biden-arizona-government-and-politics-ap-fact-check-0e7fad7e5bdf02d953c6b90a474267cc">Biden won</a>&nbsp;their states. All refused, but a new crop of more Trump-friendly governors could act differently should the next presidential race’s results be similarly disputed.Flipping Michigan and Wisconsin and winning Pennsylvania — Wolf is term limited and can’t run again — would also likely give Republicans a boost heading into 2024 whether that year’s election’s results be ultimately challenged or not.“Having Republican governors in key presidential battlegrounds like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan can be worth a point or two on the presidential ballot,” said Phil Cox, former executive director for the Republican Governors Association, who is advising GOP gubernatorial candidates for 2022. “Republican governors can be difference makers in 2024.”Republican strategists say Wisconsin and Michigan are among their best pickup chances next year, along with Kansas — a normally deep-red state where Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly narrowly won a three-way 2018 race. Nevada, Maine and perhaps New Mexico could be within reach, they say.GOP candidates across the country will likely try to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-elections-education-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-fc8501fa2b0ef655933f4cce27bf4c9a">energize conservative parents by denouncing schools adhering to “critical race theory,”</a>&nbsp;an academic framework about systemic racism that has become a catch-all phrase for teaching about race in U.S. history. Defending “parents’ rights” to push back against school districts’ efforts to teach about things like institutional racism helped Republican Glenn Youngkin win the governor’s race in Virginia, a state Biden carried by 10 percentage points just last year, and could further resonate in toss-up states.“When you’re talking about governors, you’re talking about people who are actually in charge of what’s going to wind up in our kids’ schools,” said Rick Hess, director of education programs for the conservative American Enterprise Institute. “For senators and members of Congress, it’s a little more difficult. But this is such a gut-level, values-driven conversation, it will absolutely still motivate.”Democrats, meanwhile, see pickup opportunities in open governorships in Maryland and in Arizona, where Biden last year became just the second Democratic presidential candidate to win since 1948.Marshall Cohen, the Democratic Governors Association’s political director, said the party is also eyeing Ohio and Texas, where former Senate and presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-texas-election-2020-campaign-2016-government-and-politics-1d2fcef28c9d9a00c33500845136bda1">is expected</a>&nbsp;to challenge Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.Both parties, meanwhile, are also focused on Georgia, which narrowly went for Biden in 2020 and elected two Democratic senators in January. Incumbent GOP Gov. Brian Kemp faces the potential of a primary challenge from a Trump-backed Republican.“No one knows what the environment’s going to be like in the fall of 2022,” Cohen said. “These races are not being held tomorrow.”For now, though, Biden’s approval rating has slumped since the early months of his presidency, falling to 48% in an October AP-NORC poll from 59% in July.That, plus the party being slow to pass its domestic agenda, may be a drag on governors’ in-state accomplishments. Congress approved a White House-backed $1 trillion infrastructure package late Friday, but it came too late to help the party during elections in Virginia and New Jersey.“Many of the things that we are seeing and hearing about in the Build Back Better infrastructure are things that Democratic governors have already been doing in their states,” Wendi Wallace, deputy executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, said, referencing a spending bill endorsed by the White House which has yet to clear Congress. “Our in-state efforts are sometimes overshadowed by what’s happening in Washington.”Biden’s trouble, meanwhile, could increase pressure on Democratic governors facing tough reelection fights to distance themselves from the White House in coming months. That’s mostly not happened, though reactions to Biden’s vaccine mandate for all Americans who work at companies of more than 100 employees could offer some hints that schisms are possible.Polls show that such requirements are popular among Democrats and unpopular among staunch Republicans — but governor’s races are likely to be decided by independent and swing voters.In Kansas,&nbsp;Kelly&nbsp;argued that mandates like the Biden administration’s vaccine requirements for larger businesses “tend not to work.” Whitmer and Evers have said little about the policy.A former Wisconsin state school superintendent, Evers beat two-term Republican Gov. Scott Walker by fewer than 30,000 votes in 2018.The Marquette Law School poll taken last week showed 45% of respondents approve of Evers’ performance, a metric weighed down by approval among independents and in line with pessimism among roughly half of registered voters about the direction the state is headed. Still, a majority of registered Wisconsin voters approve of the job Evers has done handling the COVID-19 pandemic, the poll found.Whitmer won her first term comfortably in 2018 and became a national face of imposing restrictions to slow the pandemic’s spread last year. But she’s softened some in recent months.Democratic strategist Amy Chapman said Whitmer has long known that, given the backlash she and other Democratic governors have faced over efforts to control the spread of COVID-19, 2022 would be a challenge. Whitmer was the subject of multiple threats and a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-us-news-state-courts-courts-ap-travel-da09ca66cd8d5f36722021d3593425ff">kidnapping plot foiled by federal authorities</a>.“I don’t think there was ever a presumption in Michigan that this was going to be easy,” said Chapman, who was Barack Obama’s state director in 2008 and a senior adviser in 2012. “The governor has known that she really has to be vigilant about this.”

Democrats facing tough slog in 2022 governor's races

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department
 announced today that millions of American families will soon receive 
their advance Child Tax Credit (CTC) payment for the month of November. 
Low-income families who are not getting payments and have not filed a 
tax return can still get one, but they must sign up on IRS.gov by 11:59 
pm Eastern Time on Monday, Nov. 15.

This fifth batch of advance monthly payments, totaling about $15 
billion, will reach about 36 million families across the country.&nbsp;The 
majority of payments are being made by direct deposit.

Under the American Rescue Plan, most eligible families received 
payments dated July 15, Aug. 13, Sept. 15 and Oct. 15. The last payment 
for 2021 is scheduled for Dec. 15. For these families, each&nbsp;payment is 
up to $300 per month for each child under age 6 and up to $250 per month
 for each child ages 6 through 17.

Here are more details on the November payments:

Recently, the IRS sent letters to many Americans urging them to check
 out the Child Tax Credit and if they qualify, to sign up soon to get 
advance payments. Whether or not they got one of these letters, an 
eligible family who is not already getting monthly payments can still 
sign up to get an advance payment of the Child Tax Credit.

Treasury and IRS urge any low-income family who doesn’t normally need
 to file a return to sign up now to get their payment. The deadline is 
11:59 pm Eastern Time on Monday, November 15.

Right now, they can only sign up online. To do so, quickly and securely, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS.gov/childtaxcredit2021</a>. Families can choose to file either in English or Spanish. 
Families signing up now will normally&nbsp;receive half of their total Child Tax Credit receive on
 Dec. 15. This means a payment of up to $1,800 for each child under 6, 
and up to $1,500 for each child age 6 to 17. This is the same total 
amount that most other families have been receiving in up to six monthly
 payments that began in July. 
Any family who receives advance payments of the CTC during 2021 can 
claim the rest of the credit when they file their 2021 Federal income 
tax return. To help them do that, early in 2022 families will receive 
Letter 6419 documenting any advance payments issued to them during 2021 
and the number of qualifying children used to calculate the advance 
payments.

Families can make changes to their account

Families who are already receiving monthly payments can use the Child
 Tax Credit Update Portal (CTC-UP) to quickly update their account. 
Available only on IRS.gov, CTC-UP already allows families to verify 
their eligibility for the payments and then, if they choose to:

Updates made by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Nov. 29 will be reflected in the monthly payment scheduled for Dec. 15.

Later this month, the IRS will launch a Spanish-language version of 
the tool. In addition, new features will be added to enable families to 
raise or lower their final monthly payment to reflect life changes, such
 as another child born or adopted in 2021.

The IRS encourages partners and community groups to share information and use available <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">online tools and toolkits</a> to help non-filers, low-income families and other underserved groups sign up to receive these benefits. 
Links to online tools, answers to frequently asked questions and other helpful resources are available on the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS’ special advance CTC 2021 page</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department
 announced today that millions of American families will soon receive 
their advance Child Tax Credit (CTC) payment for the month of November. 
Low-income families who are not getting payments and have not filed a 
tax return can still get one, but they must sign up on IRS.gov by 11:59 
pm Eastern Time on Monday, Nov. 15.This fifth batch of advance monthly payments, totaling about $15 
billion, will reach about 36 million families across the country.&nbsp;The 
majority of payments are being made by direct deposit.Under the American Rescue Plan, most eligible families received 
payments dated July 15, Aug. 13, Sept. 15 and Oct. 15. The last payment 
for 2021 is scheduled for Dec. 15. For these families, each&nbsp;payment is 
up to $300 per month for each child under age 6 and up to $250 per month
 for each child ages 6 through 17.Here are more details on the November payments:<ul>
 <li>Families will see the direct deposit payments in their accounts 
starting Nov. 15. Like the prior payments, the vast majority of families
 will receive them by direct deposit.</li><li>For those receiving payments by paper check, be sure to allow extra time, through the end of November, for delivery by mail.</li><li>Those wishing to receive their December payment by direct deposit can make this change using the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-update-portal">Child Tax Credit Update Portal</a>, available only on IRS.gov. Be sure to make the change by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Nov. 29. To access the portal, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS.gov/childtaxcredit2021</a>.</li><li>Payments are going to eligible families who filed a 2019 or 2020 
income tax return. Returns processed by Nov. 1 are reflected in these 
payments. This includes people who don’t typically file a return but 
either during 2020 successfully filed a return to register for Economic 
Impact Payments using the IRS Non-Filers tool on IRS.gov, or in 2021 
successfully filed a return by using the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-non-filer-sign-up-tool">Non-filer Sign-up Tool for advance CTC</a>.</li><li>Payments are automatic. Aside from filing a tax return, including a
 return from the Non-filer Sign-up Tool, families don’t have to do 
anything if they are eligible to receive monthly payments.</li><li>Families who did not get a July, August, September or October 
payment and are getting their first monthly payment this month will 
still receive their total advance payment amount for the year (which is 
half of their total Child Tax Credit). This means that the total payment
 will be spread over two months, rather than six, making each monthly 
payment larger.</li>
 </ul><h2>Sign up by Nov. 15</h2>Recently, the IRS sent letters to many Americans urging them to check
 out the Child Tax Credit and if they qualify, to sign up soon to get 
advance payments. Whether or not they got one of these letters, an 
eligible family who is not already getting monthly payments can still 
sign up to get an advance payment of the Child Tax Credit.Treasury and IRS urge any low-income family who doesn’t normally need
 to file a return to sign up now to get their payment. The deadline is 
11:59 pm Eastern Time on Monday, November 15.Right now, they can only sign up online. To do so, quickly and securely, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS.gov/childtaxcredit2021</a>. Families can choose to file either in English or Spanish. 
Families signing up now will normally&nbsp;receive half of their total Child Tax Credit receive on
 Dec. 15. This means a payment of up to $1,800 for each child under 6, 
and up to $1,500 for each child age 6 to 17. This is the same total 
amount that most other families have been receiving in up to six monthly
 payments that began in July. 
Any family who receives advance payments of the CTC during 2021 can 
claim the rest of the credit when they file their 2021 Federal income 
tax return. To help them do that, early in 2022 families will receive 
Letter 6419 documenting any advance payments issued to them during 2021 
and the number of qualifying children used to calculate the advance 
payments.<h2>Families can make changes to their account</h2>Families who are already receiving monthly payments can use the Child
 Tax Credit Update Portal (CTC-UP) to quickly update their account. 
Available only on IRS.gov, CTC-UP already allows families to verify 
their eligibility for the payments and then, if they choose to:<ul>
 <li>Switch from receiving a paper check to direct deposit;</li><li>Change the account where their payment is direct deposited;</li><li>Update their mailing address;</li><li>Stop monthly payments and</li><li>Reflect significant changes in their income that could potentially raise or lower their monthly payments.</li>
 </ul>Updates made by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Nov. 29 will be reflected in the monthly payment scheduled for Dec. 15.Later this month, the IRS will launch a Spanish-language version of 
the tool. In addition, new features will be added to enable families to 
raise or lower their final monthly payment to reflect life changes, such
 as another child born or adopted in 2021.<h2>Community partners can help</h2>The IRS encourages partners and community groups to share information and use available <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">online tools and toolkits</a> to help non-filers, low-income families and other underserved groups sign up to receive these benefits. 
Links to online tools, answers to frequently asked questions and other helpful resources are available on the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">IRS’ special advance CTC 2021 page</a>.

November Child Tax Credit payments on the way, December deadline looms

Matthew J. Spangler, age 39, passed away on Saturday, October 30, 
2021, at the North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, Colorado.&nbsp; He was
 born on March 4, 1982, in Scott City, Kansas, the son of Les &amp; Mary
 Ann Flakus Spangler.

Matthew was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Scott City, 
Kansas.&nbsp; He was a 2001 Scott Community High School graduate, he moved to
 Lawrence, Kansas for 8 years where he worked as a chef for Westside 
Deli and Milton’s both in Lawrence and then at Blind Box Barbeque in 
Shawnee, Kansas.&nbsp; Matthew then moved in 2018 to Greeley, Colorado where 
he worked for Lance Brittan Construction and then went to work in 2019 
for Midian Homes, LLC in Windsor, Colorado as a superintendent for new 
home construction.

Matthew enjoyed the outdoors and spent many hours exploring the 
unique beauty of Scott County and Scott State Park.&nbsp; He was a master 
with his hands, creating recipes, drawings, and building furniture for 
those he loved.&nbsp; Matthew loved to laugh.&nbsp; He was headstrong, curious, 
and sensitive and his memory will be cherished by all those who knew 
him.

Survivors include his Parents - Les &amp; Mary Ann Spangler of Scott 
City, Kansas, One Brother - Brett &amp; Elisa Spangler of Kansas City, 
Missouri, and numerous Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins.

He was preceded in death by his Grandparents and One Uncle - Steve Flakus.

Memorial Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, November 15, 
2021, at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Scott City, Kansas with Fr. 
Don Bedore presiding.&nbsp; Services will be live-streamed and can be seen by
 clicking the Livestream tab on the left side of the obituary&nbsp;starting 
at 10:25 a.m

Inurnment will be in the Scott County Cemetery in Scott City, Kansas.

Memorials In Lieu Of Flowers may be written to the Scott Community 
Foundation for a Scholarship in Culinary Arts in care of Price &amp; 
Sons Funeral Home, PO Box 553, Scott City, Kansas, 67871.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636218096773.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Matthew J. Spangler, age 39, passed away on Saturday, October 30, 
2021, at the North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, Colorado.&nbsp; He was
 born on March 4, 1982, in Scott City, Kansas, the son of Les &amp; Mary
 Ann Flakus Spangler.Matthew was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Scott City, 
Kansas.&nbsp; He was a 2001 Scott Community High School graduate, he moved to
 Lawrence, Kansas for 8 years where he worked as a chef for Westside 
Deli and Milton’s both in Lawrence and then at Blind Box Barbeque in 
Shawnee, Kansas.&nbsp; Matthew then moved in 2018 to Greeley, Colorado where 
he worked for Lance Brittan Construction and then went to work in 2019 
for Midian Homes, LLC in Windsor, Colorado as a superintendent for new 
home construction.Matthew enjoyed the outdoors and spent many hours exploring the 
unique beauty of Scott County and Scott State Park.&nbsp; He was a master 
with his hands, creating recipes, drawings, and building furniture for 
those he loved.&nbsp; Matthew loved to laugh.&nbsp; He was headstrong, curious, 
and sensitive and his memory will be cherished by all those who knew 
him.Survivors include his Parents - Les &amp; Mary Ann Spangler of Scott 
City, Kansas, One Brother - Brett &amp; Elisa Spangler of Kansas City, 
Missouri, and numerous Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins.He was preceded in death by his Grandparents and One Uncle - Steve Flakus.Memorial Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, November 15, 
2021, at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Scott City, Kansas with Fr. 
Don Bedore presiding.&nbsp; Services will be live-streamed and can be seen by
 clicking the Livestream tab on the left side of the obituary&nbsp;starting 
at 10:25 a.mThere will be no calling times.Inurnment will be in the Scott County Cemetery in Scott City, Kansas.Memorials In Lieu Of Flowers may be written to the Scott Community 
Foundation for a Scholarship in Culinary Arts in care of Price &amp; 
Sons Funeral Home, PO Box 553, Scott City, Kansas, 67871.

Matthew J. Spangler

Amber Dawn Wilson, 42, passed away November 8, 2021, at her home in 
Great Bend. She was born October 24, 1979, at Enid, Okla. to Gene &amp; 
Jana Sue (Chance) Wilson.

A Great Bend resident for the last several years, Amber worked for 
Wendy's. She enjoyed coloring and drawing but was also known to write 
poetry and bible verses. Amber was known for her love of perfumes and 
fragrances and you could always tell when she walked into the room. She 
loved spending time with her family, especially her nieces and nephews 
whom she adored dearly.

Survivors include, her father, Gene Wilson of Newkirk, Okla.; three 
sisters, Kristy Blazek (Eric) of Hoisington, Tonya Wilson (Gregg 
Adamson) of Enid, Okla., and Tori Smock (Garrett) of Springfield, Mo.; 
her nieces and nephews, Kelsea Wagner, Karissa Wagner, Kaleb Blazek, 
Jynna Adamson, Kyler Adamson, Mando Smock, Raiden Smock and Olive Smock;
 five great nieces and nephews; and longtime companion, Pete Brown. She 
was preceded in death by her mother, Jana Sue Chance.

There will be no visitation as cremation has taken place. Memorial 
service will be held at 6:30 p.m., Friday, November 19, 2021, at 
Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home in Hoisington. Memorials have been 
designated to the Amber Wilson Funeral Expense Fund, in care of Bryant 
Funeral Home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636826568570.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Amber Dawn Wilson, 42, passed away November 8, 2021, at her home in 
Great Bend. She was born October 24, 1979, at Enid, Okla. to Gene &amp; 
Jana Sue (Chance) Wilson.A Great Bend resident for the last several years, Amber worked for 
Wendy's. She enjoyed coloring and drawing but was also known to write 
poetry and bible verses. Amber was known for her love of perfumes and 
fragrances and you could always tell when she walked into the room. She 
loved spending time with her family, especially her nieces and nephews 
whom she adored dearly.Survivors include, her father, Gene Wilson of Newkirk, Okla.; three 
sisters, Kristy Blazek (Eric) of Hoisington, Tonya Wilson (Gregg 
Adamson) of Enid, Okla., and Tori Smock (Garrett) of Springfield, Mo.; 
her nieces and nephews, Kelsea Wagner, Karissa Wagner, Kaleb Blazek, 
Jynna Adamson, Kyler Adamson, Mando Smock, Raiden Smock and Olive Smock;
 five great nieces and nephews; and longtime companion, Pete Brown. She 
was preceded in death by her mother, Jana Sue Chance.There will be no visitation as cremation has taken place. Memorial 
service will be held at 6:30 p.m., Friday, November 19, 2021, at 
Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home in Hoisington. Memorials have been 
designated to the Amber Wilson Funeral Expense Fund, in care of Bryant 
Funeral Home.

Amber Dawn Wilson

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Fort Hays State had nine players named to the 2021 All-GAC/MIAA Men's Soccer Team, released on Thursday evening.&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6239">Taisei Arima</a>&nbsp;is the GAC/MIAA Offensive Player of the Year, while&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6241">Alec Bevis</a>&nbsp;is the GAC/MIAA Defender of the Year. They join&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6240">Blake Arndt</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6244">Kieran Brown</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6261">Viktor Robertsson</a>&nbsp;as First Team selections, while&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6247">Antonio De La Torre</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6252">Haruya Iwasaki</a>&nbsp;earned Second Team and&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6249">Ethan Doud</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6251">Jonathan Gammelvind</a>&nbsp;were Honorable Mentions. <a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/documents/2021/11/11//2021_MSoc_ALL_GAC.pdf?id=6364">2021 All-GAC/MIAA Men's Soccer Team&nbsp;(PDF)</a> Aside from the being the conference's top defender,&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6241">Alec Bevis</a>&nbsp;also collected Distinguished Scholar Athlete Honors which goes to an individual with a GPA of at least 3.7, has at least 70 hours of college credit, and is competing at the GAC/MIAA Tournament Championship site. Only five players at the championship site meet the criteria this year. Arima, a sophomore forward from Machida, Japan, is the conference's Offensive Player of the Year, finishing the regular season tied with teammate&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6240">Blake Arndt</a>&nbsp;for the conference lead in points generated. Arima had eight goals and a team-leading five assists during the regular season, generating 21 points. After a slow start in non-conference play, Arima broke out in a big way by generating all 21 of his points during GAC/MIAA play, which covered the last 12 matches of the regular season. Sixteen of his 21 points came during the month of October, all during a stretch of six matches. Arima is now a two-time All-GAC/MIAA selection after earning a Second Team selection as a freshman during the shortened 2020-21 spring season. Bevis, a senior defender from Wichita, Kansas, is the conference's Defender of the Year, helping the Tigers to a 0.89 goals against average as a team. Bevis has been a force anchoring the Tigers at center back, shutting down numerous offensive chances for opponents. He has played 1,557 minutes this year and even provided a goal in a home win over Newman University earlier this season. He helped the Tigers post six shutouts as a team during the regular season. Bevis is now a three-time All-GAC/MIAA selection, twice as first team and once as honorable mention. He was the GAC/MIAA Freshman of the Year in 2019, while garnering all-region honors as well. Arndt, a junior forward from Wichita, Kansas, earns the second All-GAC/MIAA First Team selection of his career. He earned the same distinction back in the shortened spring season of 2020-21, while garnering Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors. Arndt tied Arima for the team lead in points during the regular season with 21, producing nine goals and three assists. He led the GAC/MIAA in goals during the regular season. He has three game-winning goals to his credit this season. Brown, a junior goalkeeper from Kettering, Australia, earns a First Team selection at goalkeeper for the second straight season. Brown has a 0.79 goals against average, which leads the MIAA and ranks 16th&nbsp;nationally. His .823 save percentage and 65 saves also lead the conference, ranking 18th&nbsp;nationally in save percentage. Brown has an 11-5-2 record between the pipes this season with six shutouts. Robertsson, a sophomore midfielder from Kopavogur, Iceland, earns the first all-conference nod of his career at FHSU, receiving a first team selection in the midfield. He has 10 points this season with four goals and two assists, logging 1,379 minutes on the pitch. He also has one game-winning goal to his credit. De La Torre, a senior from Dodge City, Kansas, picks up a second-straight second-team selection at defender after earning the same honor in the shortened spring 2020-21 season. A key part of the Tigers' back line, De La Torre is a versatile player that often goes forward on the attack for FHSU. He finished the regular season with 14 points to rank third on the team, generating five goals and four assists. He tallied 12 of his 14 points for the season in conference matches. Iwasaki, a sophomore from Tokyo, Japan, received second-team honors at defender. He has been integral to the Tiger success this season by playing 1,668 minutes on the back line of defense. He has been the team's iron man, playing in every possible minute of action this season through 18 matches. He has helped the Tigers to a 0.89 goals against average as a team and six shutouts. Doud, a sophomore from Wichita, Kansas, received an honorable mention nod in the midfield. He started all 18 contests during the regular season and generated four points with a goal and two assists. This is the first all-conference honor of his career. Gammelvind, a sophomore from Silkeborg, Denmark, receives and honorable mention selection at defender for a second-straight season. He had one assist during the regular season and helps anchor the Tigers' defensive unit that allows less than one goal per match. Fort Hays State has now had the GAC/MIAA Offensive Player of the Year all three seasons since the GAC and MIAA combined to make a conference in men's soccer. Santiago Agudelo was the Offensive Player of the Year in 2019, and Arndt received the honor in 2020-21. The Tigers have had the Defender of the Year twice as Bevis joins Sergio Villalba, who received the honor back in 2019. In fact, the Tigers have produced a conference player of the year five straight seasons now as Derick Gonzalez was the MIAA Player of the Year in 2017 and Agudelo collected his first of two player of the year awards at FHSU in 2018 as the MIAA Player of the Year.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636715890393.jpeg" alt="FHSU Athletics" />
 <figcaption>FHSU Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Fort Hays State had nine players named to the 2021 All-GAC/MIAA Men's Soccer Team, released on Thursday evening.&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6239">Taisei Arima</a>&nbsp;is the GAC/MIAA Offensive Player of the Year, while&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6241">Alec Bevis</a>&nbsp;is the GAC/MIAA Defender of the Year. They join&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6240">Blake Arndt</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6244">Kieran Brown</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6261">Viktor Robertsson</a>&nbsp;as First Team selections, while&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6247">Antonio De La Torre</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6252">Haruya Iwasaki</a>&nbsp;earned Second Team and&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6249">Ethan Doud</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6251">Jonathan Gammelvind</a>&nbsp;were Honorable Mentions. <a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/documents/2021/11/11//2021_MSoc_ALL_GAC.pdf?id=6364">2021 All-GAC/MIAA Men's Soccer Team&nbsp;(PDF)</a> Aside from the being the conference's top defender,&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6241">Alec Bevis</a>&nbsp;also collected Distinguished Scholar Athlete Honors which goes to an individual with a GPA of at least 3.7, has at least 70 hours of college credit, and is competing at the GAC/MIAA Tournament Championship site. Only five players at the championship site meet the criteria this year. Arima, a sophomore forward from Machida, Japan, is the conference's Offensive Player of the Year, finishing the regular season tied with teammate&nbsp;<a href="https://fhsuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=6240">Blake Arndt</a>&nbsp;for the conference lead in points generated. Arima had eight goals and a team-leading five assists during the regular season, generating 21 points. After a slow start in non-conference play, Arima broke out in a big way by generating all 21 of his points during GAC/MIAA play, which covered the last 12 matches of the regular season. Sixteen of his 21 points came during the month of October, all during a stretch of six matches. Arima is now a two-time All-GAC/MIAA selection after earning a Second Team selection as a freshman during the shortened 2020-21 spring season. Bevis, a senior defender from Wichita, Kansas, is the conference's Defender of the Year, helping the Tigers to a 0.89 goals against average as a team. Bevis has been a force anchoring the Tigers at center back, shutting down numerous offensive chances for opponents. He has played 1,557 minutes this year and even provided a goal in a home win over Newman University earlier this season. He helped the Tigers post six shutouts as a team during the regular season. Bevis is now a three-time All-GAC/MIAA selection, twice as first team and once as honorable mention. He was the GAC/MIAA Freshman of the Year in 2019, while garnering all-region honors as well. Arndt, a junior forward from Wichita, Kansas, earns the second All-GAC/MIAA First Team selection of his career. He earned the same distinction back in the shortened spring season of 2020-21, while garnering Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors. Arndt tied Arima for the team lead in points during the regular season with 21, producing nine goals and three assists. He led the GAC/MIAA in goals during the regular season. He has three game-winning goals to his credit this season. Brown, a junior goalkeeper from Kettering, Australia, earns a First Team selection at goalkeeper for the second straight season. Brown has a 0.79 goals against average, which leads the MIAA and ranks 16th&nbsp;nationally. His .823 save percentage and 65 saves also lead the conference, ranking 18th&nbsp;nationally in save percentage. Brown has an 11-5-2 record between the pipes this season with six shutouts. Robertsson, a sophomore midfielder from Kopavogur, Iceland, earns the first all-conference nod of his career at FHSU, receiving a first team selection in the midfield. He has 10 points this season with four goals and two assists, logging 1,379 minutes on the pitch. He also has one game-winning goal to his credit. De La Torre, a senior from Dodge City, Kansas, picks up a second-straight second-team selection at defender after earning the same honor in the shortened spring 2020-21 season. A key part of the Tigers' back line, De La Torre is a versatile player that often goes forward on the attack for FHSU. He finished the regular season with 14 points to rank third on the team, generating five goals and four assists. He tallied 12 of his 14 points for the season in conference matches. Iwasaki, a sophomore from Tokyo, Japan, received second-team honors at defender. He has been integral to the Tiger success this season by playing 1,668 minutes on the back line of defense. He has been the team's iron man, playing in every possible minute of action this season through 18 matches. He has helped the Tigers to a 0.89 goals against average as a team and six shutouts. Doud, a sophomore from Wichita, Kansas, received an honorable mention nod in the midfield. He started all 18 contests during the regular season and generated four points with a goal and two assists. This is the first all-conference honor of his career. Gammelvind, a sophomore from Silkeborg, Denmark, receives and honorable mention selection at defender for a second-straight season. He had one assist during the regular season and helps anchor the Tigers' defensive unit that allows less than one goal per match. Fort Hays State has now had the GAC/MIAA Offensive Player of the Year all three seasons since the GAC and MIAA combined to make a conference in men's soccer. Santiago Agudelo was the Offensive Player of the Year in 2019, and Arndt received the honor in 2020-21. The Tigers have had the Defender of the Year twice as Bevis joins Sergio Villalba, who received the honor back in 2019. In fact, the Tigers have produced a conference player of the year five straight seasons now as Derick Gonzalez was the MIAA Player of the Year in 2017 and Agudelo collected his first of two player of the year awards at FHSU in 2018 as the MIAA Player of the Year.&nbsp;&nbsp;FHSU Athletics

⚽ Tiger men land nine on all-conference team, Arima and Bevis earn top honors

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A jury recommended early Friday up to 28 years in prison for a Missouri man found guilty of second-degree murder in his wife's death.

The jury returned the recommendation only hours after Joseph Elledge was convicted late Thursday in the killing of 28-year-old Mengqi Ji, news outlets reported. Circuit Judge J. Hasbrouck Jacobs will make the final decision on the sentence at a December hearing but cannot sentence Elledge to more than 28 years.

Elledge had admitted during the trial to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/university-of-missouri-missouri-columbia-216284c1ec05a2c6f2f9df771075c428">burying his wife’s body</a>&nbsp;and misleading authorities for more than a year about Ji's whereabouts.

After deliberating for almost seven hours, a jury found Elledge guilty in the killing of Ji, whom he married after she moved to the U.S. from China to study at the University of Missouri.

Elledge reported Ji missing in October 2019, prompting months of extensive searches. Her remains were found in a park near Columbia, Missouri, in March.

Elledge was charged with first-degree murder, but Jacobs told jurors they could consider charges of second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and first-degree or second-degree involuntary manslaughter. Elledge was acquitted of the first-degree murder charge.

First-degree murder requires the state to prove that Elledge killed Ji intentionally after deliberating about it, and Elledge’s intent was central to arguments throughout the trial.

Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Knight had asked for life in prison, while Elledge’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, asked for 10 years,&nbsp;<a href="https://abc17news.com/news/2021/11/11/jury-recommends-28-year-prison-sentence-for-joseph-elledge/">KMIZ-TV</a>&nbsp;reported.

The jury heard evidence from both sides before returning the recommended sentence, television stations KMIZ and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.komu.com/news/midmissourinews/joseph-elledge-sentenced-to-up-to-28-years-in-prison-following-second-degree-murder-conviction/article_33aada6e-3e52-11ec-8a78-d71ae1955859.html?utm_source=SocialNewsDesk&amp;utm_medium=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=SND_twitter">KOMU</a>&nbsp;reported.

An attorney for Ji's family told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/news/courts/2021/11/11/ury-agrees-second-degree-murder-conviction-joseph-elledge/6367072001/">the Columbia Daily Tribune</a>&nbsp;before the trial started that they didn't plan to provide a statement, but said on Wednesday they're pleased with Knight's efforts.

During closing arguments on Thursday, Knight told the jury that Elledge was a “stone cold killer” who was guilty of first-degree murder because he intentionally killed his wife.

Rosenblum argued that his client was awkward and made “unbelievably dumb” decisions after she died. But he said Elledge never intended to kill his wife and should never have been charged with murder.

During his trial,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-columbia-52ef87b9ad760f2385213c702a47fc67">Elledge said Ji’s death was accidental</a>. He said she fell and hit her head on Oct. 8, 2019, after he pushed her during an argument and he found her dead in bed the next morning. He said he panicked, put her body in the trunk of her car and did not report what happened while he tried to decide what to do.

He did not tell anyone, including Ji’s mother, about her disappearance.

On Oct. 10, with the couple’s young daughter in the car, Elledge drove to Rock Bridge State Park about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of Columbia, where they lived. There, he dug a grave and buried Ji at a site a half-mile from where he proposed to her. He then returned home and reported her missing.

Prosecutors used social media posts, audio tapes and a journal Elledge kept to document the couple’s volatile relationship. The evidence showed them frequently yelling at each other and arguing, with Elledge often criticizing his wife for her appearance and for how she treated him.

Elledge said that in the days before her death, he discovered Ji had been exchanging sexually suggestive messages with a man from China via social media. He also testified that the couple’s relationship suffered because of tension caused by her parents who moved from China to live with them after their daughter was born on Oct. 3, 2018.

The couple met in 2015 at Nanova, a company that makes dental products, where Ji was Elledge’s supervisor. They began dating the following year and eventually traveled to China, where he asked Ji’s parents for permission to marry her. The couple married in 2017.

Ji earned a master’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Missouri in December 2014. Elledge was a student at the university when his wife died.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/10/1572177968305.png" alt="Joseph Elledge photo Boone Co." />
 <figcaption>Joseph Elledge photo Boone Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A jury recommended early Friday up to 28 years in prison for a Missouri man found guilty of second-degree murder in his wife's death.The jury returned the recommendation only hours after Joseph Elledge was convicted late Thursday in the killing of 28-year-old Mengqi Ji, news outlets reported. Circuit Judge J. Hasbrouck Jacobs will make the final decision on the sentence at a December hearing but cannot sentence Elledge to more than 28 years.Elledge had admitted during the trial to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/university-of-missouri-missouri-columbia-216284c1ec05a2c6f2f9df771075c428">burying his wife’s body</a>&nbsp;and misleading authorities for more than a year about Ji's whereabouts.After deliberating for almost seven hours, a jury found Elledge guilty in the killing of Ji, whom he married after she moved to the U.S. from China to study at the University of Missouri.Elledge reported Ji missing in October 2019, prompting months of extensive searches. Her remains were found in a park near Columbia, Missouri, in March.Elledge was charged with first-degree murder, but Jacobs told jurors they could consider charges of second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter and first-degree or second-degree involuntary manslaughter. Elledge was acquitted of the first-degree murder charge.First-degree murder requires the state to prove that Elledge killed Ji intentionally after deliberating about it, and Elledge’s intent was central to arguments throughout the trial.Boone County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Knight had asked for life in prison, while Elledge’s attorney, Scott Rosenblum, asked for 10 years,&nbsp;<a href="https://abc17news.com/news/2021/11/11/jury-recommends-28-year-prison-sentence-for-joseph-elledge/">KMIZ-TV</a>&nbsp;reported.The jury heard evidence from both sides before returning the recommended sentence, television stations KMIZ and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.komu.com/news/midmissourinews/joseph-elledge-sentenced-to-up-to-28-years-in-prison-following-second-degree-murder-conviction/article_33aada6e-3e52-11ec-8a78-d71ae1955859.html?utm_source=SocialNewsDesk&amp;utm_medium=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=SND_twitter">KOMU</a>&nbsp;reported.An attorney for Ji's family told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/news/courts/2021/11/11/ury-agrees-second-degree-murder-conviction-joseph-elledge/6367072001/">the Columbia Daily Tribune</a>&nbsp;before the trial started that they didn't plan to provide a statement, but said on Wednesday they're pleased with Knight's efforts.During closing arguments on Thursday, Knight told the jury that Elledge was a “stone cold killer” who was guilty of first-degree murder because he intentionally killed his wife.Rosenblum argued that his client was awkward and made “unbelievably dumb” decisions after she died. But he said Elledge never intended to kill his wife and should never have been charged with murder.During his trial,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-columbia-52ef87b9ad760f2385213c702a47fc67">Elledge said Ji’s death was accidental</a>. He said she fell and hit her head on Oct. 8, 2019, after he pushed her during an argument and he found her dead in bed the next morning. He said he panicked, put her body in the trunk of her car and did not report what happened while he tried to decide what to do.He did not tell anyone, including Ji’s mother, about her disappearance.On Oct. 10, with the couple’s young daughter in the car, Elledge drove to Rock Bridge State Park about 5 miles (8 kilometers) south of Columbia, where they lived. There, he dug a grave and buried Ji at a site a half-mile from where he proposed to her. He then returned home and reported her missing.Prosecutors used social media posts, audio tapes and a journal Elledge kept to document the couple’s volatile relationship. The evidence showed them frequently yelling at each other and arguing, with Elledge often criticizing his wife for her appearance and for how she treated him.Elledge said that in the days before her death, he discovered Ji had been exchanging sexually suggestive messages with a man from China via social media. He also testified that the couple’s relationship suffered because of tension caused by her parents who moved from China to live with them after their daughter was born on Oct. 3, 2018.The couple met in 2015 at Nanova, a company that makes dental products, where Ji was Elledge’s supervisor. They began dating the following year and eventually traveled to China, where he asked Ji’s parents for permission to marry her. The couple married in 2017.Ji earned a master’s degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Missouri in December 2014. Elledge was a student at the university when his wife died.-------COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man has been found guilty of killing his wife, whose remains were not found for more than a year. A jury on Thursday convicted Joseph Elledge of second-degree murder in the October 2019 death of 28-year-old Mengqi Ji. Prosecutors presented tapes, a journal and social media posts that detailed the couple’s volatile relationship. Ji met Elledge after moving to the U.S. from China to study at the University of Missouri.---------COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man accused of killing his wife and burying her body two years ago is a “stone cold killer," a prosecuting attorney said Thursday.Boone County Prosecutor Dan Knight urged a jury during closing arguments in the trial of Joseph Elledge to find him guilty of first-degree murder in the death of his 28-year-old wife, Mengqi Ji.Scott Rosenblum, Elledge's attorney, countered in his closing argument that Elledge was “awkward” and made “dumb decisions” but never intended to kill his wife."This case was never a murder case. Never," Rosenblum said, KOMU-TV&nbsp;<a href="https://www.komu.com/news/midmissourinews/the-murder-trial-of-joseph-elledge-jury-to-hear-closing-arguments/article_d09c7912-42fe-11ec-9783-b73c8f9378d3.html">reported</a>.The couple married in 2017 after Ji had moved to the U.S. from China and earned a master's degree from the University of Missouri. The couple had a daughter who was 1 year old when Ji died.Elledge is charged with first-degree murder, but Circuit Judge J. Hasbrouck Jacobs told jurors they could consider charges of second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and first-degree or second-degree involuntary manslaughter.First-degree murder requires the state to prove that Elledge killed Ji intentionally after deliberating about it, and Elledge's intent was central to arguments throughout the trial.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/university-of-missouri-missouri-columbia-216284c1ec05a2c6f2f9df771075c428">During his testimony</a>&nbsp;earlier this week, Elledge acknowledged that he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-tigers-mens-basketball-columbia-0f341cef77aa806e3973186497383c9c">buried his wife's body&nbsp;</a>and lied about her whereabouts. But he insisted that she died accidentally after she fell and hit her head during an argument at their home in Columbia on Oct. 8, 2019.He said the argument began after he confronted his wife about sexual messages he said she was exchanging with another man.Elledge said he found her dead in bed the next morning and put her body in the trunk of a car because he panicked and couldn't decide what to do. He drove to several spots the next day but could not find a place to bury her, he said, and returned home. He did not tell anyone she was missing on Oct. 9.On Oct 10, with the couple's daughter in the car, Elledge said he drove to a park near Columbia, dug a grave and buried Ji. He then returned home and reported her missing.After extensive searches, Ji's remains were found in a park south of Columbia in March.During his closing, Knight discussed about nine hours of audio recordings he played during the trial that included the couple arguing and Elledge frequently insulting or threatening his wife, and criticizing her for her appearance and how she treated him.“The defendant in his very own voice told you what his intent was; he told you what he felt about Mengqi,” Knight said.Knight also told the jury Elledge “is a huge liar.”“He lied to the police. He lied to the media. He lied to (the jury),” Knight said. “Make no mistake, he’s a stone cold killer. Period.”Rosenblum argued during the trial that the audio recordings were presented without context and did not show the full range of the couple's relationship.In his closing argument, Rosenblum said if Elledge did not respond to his wife's death as jurors might have expected, it's because he is “as awkward as can be," not because he wasn't telling the truth.“Was he making unbelievably dumb decisions? He was. But it was hard to turn back,” Rosenblum said.In testimony on Wednesday, Keith Norton, a forensic pathologist at the Boone County Medical Examiner’s Office who performed Ji’s autopsy, said he could not determine an exact cause of death but it “was caused by another person.” He said he did not rule the death an accident.Rosenblum argued during the trial that Ji died from a subdural hematoma, or bleeding in the brain, after she was pushed by Elledge in the couple’s kitchen and hit her head.