Melva Elaine Cooper passed away on August 17, 2020. She was a resident of the Gove County Long Term Care in Quinter, KS. 

Melva was born July 7, 1929 to Horace and Hannah Jamison of Quinter, Kansas, 1 of 7 children. After graduating from Quinter High School, Melva was employed by AT&amp;T as a&nbsp;switchboard telephone operator for several years. Melva married Ralph Cooper in October of 1967 and resided to the Cooper family farm in Grinnell, Kansas. They had one son, James Cooper, residing in New Cambria, Kansas.

Melva was preceded in death by her parents, Horace and Hannah Jamison, husband Ralph Cooper, brothers Gerald Jamison, Harold Jamison, Carl Jamison, Dwight Jamison, Doyle James Jamison and sister Nola Conley.

Melva is survived by her son James Cooper, his wife Shanon Cooper and their daughter Becca Cooper.

Melva enjoyed her time outdoors in her vegetable garden and tending to her yard and many flowers planted around her house. She also enjoyed and cherished the time she spent with her granddaughter&nbsp;Becca.

No public service will be held. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Gove&nbsp;County Long Term Care facility.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598296041747.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Melva Elaine Cooper passed away on August 17, 2020. She was a resident of the Gove County Long Term Care in Quinter, KS. Melva was born July 7, 1929 to Horace and Hannah Jamison of Quinter, Kansas, 1 of 7 children. After graduating from Quinter High School, Melva was employed by AT&amp;T as a&nbsp;switchboard telephone operator for several years. Melva married Ralph Cooper in October of 1967 and resided to the Cooper family farm in Grinnell, Kansas. They had one son, James Cooper, residing in New Cambria, Kansas.Melva was preceded in death by her parents, Horace and Hannah Jamison, husband Ralph Cooper, brothers Gerald Jamison, Harold Jamison, Carl Jamison, Dwight Jamison, Doyle James Jamison and sister Nola Conley.Melva is survived by her son James Cooper, his wife Shanon Cooper and their daughter Becca Cooper.Melva enjoyed her time outdoors in her vegetable garden and tending to her yard and many flowers planted around her house. She also enjoyed and cherished the time she spent with her granddaughter&nbsp;Becca.No public service will be held. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Gove&nbsp;County Long Term Care facility.

Melva Elaine Cooper

BY JOCELYN GECKER AND&nbsp;MICHAEL LIEDTKE, Associated Press

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Schools across the United States are facing shortages and long delays, of up to several months, in getting this year’s most crucial back-to-school supplies: the laptops and other equipment needed for online learning, an Associated Press investigation has found.

The world’s three biggest computer companies, Lenovo, HP and Dell, have told school districts they have a shortage of nearly 5 million laptops, in some cases exacerbated by Trump administration sanctions on Chinese suppliers, according to interviews with over two dozen U.S. schools, districts in 15 states, suppliers, computer companies and industry analysts.

As the school year begins virtually in many places because of the coronavirus, educators nationwide worry that computer shortfalls will compound the inequities — and the headaches for students, families and teachers.

The Wichita Kansas school district has only received two-thirds of the computers and tablets it has ordered to equip students for distance learning because of worldwide supply chain problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Until the supply and demand problem clears up, USD 259 is prioritizing its distribution of the 8,000 devices it has received out of an order of 24,000.

“This is going to be like asking an artist to paint a picture without paint. You can’t have a kid do distance learning without a computer,” said Tom Baumgarten, superintendent of the Morongo County School District in California’s Mojave Desert, where all 8,000 students qualify for free lunch and most need computers for distance learning.

Baumgarten was set to order 5,000 Lenovo Chromebooks in July when his vendor called him off, saying Lenovos were getting “stopped by a government agency because of a component from China that’s not allowed here,” he said. He switched to HPs and was told they would arrive in time for the first day of school Aug. 26. The delivery date then changed to September, then October. The district has about 4,000 old laptops that can serve roughly half of students, but what about the rest, Baumgarten asks rhetorically. “I’m very concerned that I’m not going to be able to get everyone a computer.”

Chromebooks and other low-cost PCs are the computers of choice for most budget-strapped schools. The delays started in the spring and intensified because of high demand and disruptions of supply chains, the same reasons that toilet paper and other pandemic necessities flew off shelves a few months ago. Then came the Trump administration's July 20 announcement targeting Chinese companies it says were implicated in forced labor or other human rights abuses against a Muslim minority population, the Uighurs. The Commerce Department imposed sanctions on 11 Chinese companies, including the manufacturer of multiple models of Lenovo laptops, which the company says will add several weeks to existing delays, according to a letter Lenovo sent to customers.

School districts are pleading with the Trump administration to resolve the issue, saying that distance learning without laptops will amount to no learning for some of the country’s most vulnerable students.

“It's a tough one because I’m not condoning child slave labor for computers, but can we not hurt more children in the process?” said Matt Bartenhagen, IT director for Williston Public Schools in North Dakota, a district of 4,600 waiting on an order for 2,000 Lenovo Chromebooks. “They were supposed to be delivered in July. Then August. Then late August. The current shipping estimate is ‘hopefully" by the end of the year.

The Denver Public Schools district, the largest in Colorado, is waiting for 12,500 Lenovo Chromebooks ordered in April and May. The district has scrambled to find machines, settled for whatever is available and is handing out everything they get to students that need them. Still, when school starts Wednesday, they will be about 3,000 devices short, says Lara Hussain, an IT director for the district.

“We were promised devices. Our students need devices. And as a result of not receiving devices we will have students starting the school year unable to participate. It’s unconscionable,” said Hussain.

Lenovo had informed Denver and other districts over the spring and summer of supply chain delays. In late July, Lenovo sent a letter to customers to say the “trade controls” announced by the Commerce Department would cause another slowdown of at least several weeks.

“This delay is a new development and is unrelated to supply constraints previously communicated,” Matthew Zielinski, president of Lenovo North America said in the letter, which referred to the sanctions on a Chinese supplier, Hefei Bitland Information Technology Co. Ltd. The letter listed 23 Lenovo models for education and corporate customers made by Bitland.

“Effective immediately, we are no longer manufacturing these devices at Bitland,” the letter said, adding that Lenovo is working on “a transition plan” to shift production to other sites.

A Lenovo official told California’s Department of Education the company has a backlog of more than 3 million Chromebooks, said Daniel Thigpen, the department’s spokesman.

Lenovo declined to respond to repeated questions from AP seeking confirmation of the backlog and details on the numbers of devices delayed, replying only to deny a question on whether computers were seized by U.S. customs, as some schools were told by suppliers.

U.S. government agencies said they have no knowledge of the computers' whereabouts and also deny any were seized.

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection does not have any record of detained laptops matching this description,” the agency said in a statement.

The Department of Commerce said it added Hefei Bitland to its so-called Entity List, which restricts the export and in-country transfer of items by sanctioned companies. “It does not apply to the importation of Chromebooks from China,” the department said in a statement, adding, however, “we should all agree that American school children should not be using computers from China that were produced from forced labor.”

There are no nationwide tallies on the numbers of laptops and other devices that schools are waiting for. The Associated Press found that some of America’s biggest school districts are among those with outstanding orders of Chromebooks, other laptops or hotspots for internet connections, including Los Angeles, Clark County, Nevada, Wake County, North Carolina, Houston, Palm Beach and Hawaii, the nation’s only statewide school district.

A recent poll of California's 1,100 districts showed schools across the state are waiting on at least 300,000 backordered computers, said Mary Nicely, a senior policy advisor to the state superintendent. A survey in Alabama found that about 20 schools were waiting on 33,000 computers, said Ryan Hollingsworth, director of the School Superintendents of Alabama.

Smaller districts in Montana, New York, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, New Hampshire and elsewhere are also waiting on laptop orders, with delivery dates that have become moving targets.

Some of the school districts, like Los Angeles, say the outstanding orders are for replacement devices and all students who need a computer will have one. Many districts are asking parents with the means to buy devices for their children but realize that's not an option for many families.

It's also not an easy task with supplies at commercial stores running out. Best Buy's website shows 36 models of new and used Chromebooks priced under $500, the low-cost models that are popular for students. As of this week, 33 of those models were sold out.

The backlog and delays have become so widespread that some students will be forced to start the semester without an essential piece of technology for remote learning, said Michael Flood, senior vice president of Kajeet, which works with more than 2,000 school districts in the U.S. and Canada.

Some school administrators told Flood their laptop and Chromebook suppliers hope deliveries will only be delayed by a month or so. But others are being told their machines may not be available until early 2021.

The shortage stems from exceptionally high demand at a time when the personal computer industry is still recovering from pandemic-driven precautions that shut down the factories of major PC suppliers in China during February and March. Just as the supply chain started ramping back up, new orders poured in from huge companies and government agencies with large numbers of employees working from home — in addition to school districts scrambling to secure machines, said Mikako Kitagawa, research director at Gartner Inc., which closely follows the PC industry.

“The bottom line is everyone seems to want a laptop or Chromebook right now and there just isn’t enough supply of it,” Kitagawa said. “It’s a case of very bad timing.”

To make matters worse, many school districts underestimated their needs during spring ordering, assuming that traditional in-person classes would resume in the fall.

In California, most schools were planning for some form of in-person classes in the fall but only learned in July that wouldn’t be possible, when Gov. Gavin Newsom effectively ordered the majority of schools to start with remote learning. It created a mad dash for computers.

Tom Quiambao, director of technology for the Tracy Unified School District in Northern California, said he and his vendor contacted HP directly to ask why his July order for 10,000 HP laptops would take three months to be delivered. He was told, “HP is short 1.7 million units of laptops” because of production shortages in a variety of components made in China, including processors, touchscreens, motherboards and others, Quiambao said.

An HP spokeswoman declined to confirm or deny that number, saying only “we are continuing to leverage our global supply chain to meet the changing needs of our customer.”

Dell offered a similarly brief response to detailed questions about a backlog.

“We can’t comment on demand and supply specifically,” Dell said in an emailed statement, adding the company was seeing increased orders due to virtual learning and trying “to fulfill orders as efficiently as possible.”

With so many customers ordering laptops at the same time, PC manufacturers may be put in the uncomfortable position of deciding who gets them first, said Linn Huang, an analyst for the research firm International Data Corp. Those kind of pecking orders threaten to push small school districts to the back of the laptop line.

That’s part of the problem for the central Texas district of Abilene, where they are waiting for 6,000 Dell Chromebooks, ordered in May and June but not expected until November.

“In Texas, there are over 1,200 school districts and they’re all ordering,” said district spokesman Lance Fleming. Schools are trying to get disinfecting supplies, too. “Who would have ever thought that computers and Clorox Wipes would be on the same level of need in our country.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598006130627.png" alt="The school board in Wichita voted Thursday night to have 6-12 grade students begin the school year with online learning- photo courtesy USD 259." />
 <figcaption>The school board in Wichita voted Thursday night to have 6-12 grade students begin the school year with online learning- photo courtesy USD 259.</figcaption>
 </figure>BY JOCELYN GECKER AND&nbsp;MICHAEL LIEDTKE, Associated PressKANSAS CITY (AP) — Schools across the United States are facing shortages and long delays, of up to several months, in getting this year’s most crucial back-to-school supplies: the laptops and other equipment needed for online learning, an Associated Press investigation has found.The world’s three biggest computer companies, Lenovo, HP and Dell, have told school districts they have a shortage of nearly 5 million laptops, in some cases exacerbated by Trump administration sanctions on Chinese suppliers, according to interviews with over two dozen U.S. schools, districts in 15 states, suppliers, computer companies and industry analysts.As the school year begins virtually in many places because of the coronavirus, educators nationwide worry that computer shortfalls will compound the inequities — and the headaches for students, families and teachers.The Wichita Kansas school district has only received two-thirds of the computers and tablets it has ordered to equip students for distance learning because of worldwide supply chain problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Until the supply and demand problem clears up, USD 259 is prioritizing its distribution of the 8,000 devices it has received out of an order of 24,000.“This is going to be like asking an artist to paint a picture without paint. You can’t have a kid do distance learning without a computer,” said Tom Baumgarten, superintendent of the Morongo County School District in California’s Mojave Desert, where all 8,000 students qualify for free lunch and most need computers for distance learning.Baumgarten was set to order 5,000 Lenovo Chromebooks in July when his vendor called him off, saying Lenovos were getting “stopped by a government agency because of a component from China that’s not allowed here,” he said. He switched to HPs and was told they would arrive in time for the first day of school Aug. 26. The delivery date then changed to September, then October. The district has about 4,000 old laptops that can serve roughly half of students, but what about the rest, Baumgarten asks rhetorically. “I’m very concerned that I’m not going to be able to get everyone a computer.”Chromebooks and other low-cost PCs are the computers of choice for most budget-strapped schools. The delays started in the spring and intensified because of high demand and disruptions of supply chains, the same reasons that toilet paper and other pandemic necessities flew off shelves a few months ago. Then came the Trump administration's July 20 announcement targeting Chinese companies it says were implicated in forced labor or other human rights abuses against a Muslim minority population, the Uighurs. The Commerce Department imposed sanctions on 11 Chinese companies, including the manufacturer of multiple models of Lenovo laptops, which the company says will add several weeks to existing delays, according to a letter Lenovo sent to customers.School districts are pleading with the Trump administration to resolve the issue, saying that distance learning without laptops will amount to no learning for some of the country’s most vulnerable students.“It's a tough one because I’m not condoning child slave labor for computers, but can we not hurt more children in the process?” said Matt Bartenhagen, IT director for Williston Public Schools in North Dakota, a district of 4,600 waiting on an order for 2,000 Lenovo Chromebooks. “They were supposed to be delivered in July. Then August. Then late August. The current shipping estimate is ‘hopefully" by the end of the year.The Denver Public Schools district, the largest in Colorado, is waiting for 12,500 Lenovo Chromebooks ordered in April and May. The district has scrambled to find machines, settled for whatever is available and is handing out everything they get to students that need them. Still, when school starts Wednesday, they will be about 3,000 devices short, says Lara Hussain, an IT director for the district.“We were promised devices. Our students need devices. And as a result of not receiving devices we will have students starting the school year unable to participate. It’s unconscionable,” said Hussain.Lenovo had informed Denver and other districts over the spring and summer of supply chain delays. In late July, Lenovo sent a letter to customers to say the “trade controls” announced by the Commerce Department would cause another slowdown of at least several weeks.“This delay is a new development and is unrelated to supply constraints previously communicated,” Matthew Zielinski, president of Lenovo North America said in the letter, which referred to the sanctions on a Chinese supplier, Hefei Bitland Information Technology Co. Ltd. The letter listed 23 Lenovo models for education and corporate customers made by Bitland.“Effective immediately, we are no longer manufacturing these devices at Bitland,” the letter said, adding that Lenovo is working on “a transition plan” to shift production to other sites.A Lenovo official told California’s Department of Education the company has a backlog of more than 3 million Chromebooks, said Daniel Thigpen, the department’s spokesman.Lenovo declined to respond to repeated questions from AP seeking confirmation of the backlog and details on the numbers of devices delayed, replying only to deny a question on whether computers were seized by U.S. customs, as some schools were told by suppliers.U.S. government agencies said they have no knowledge of the computers' whereabouts and also deny any were seized.“U.S. Customs and Border Protection does not have any record of detained laptops matching this description,” the agency said in a statement.The Department of Commerce said it added Hefei Bitland to its so-called Entity List, which restricts the export and in-country transfer of items by sanctioned companies. “It does not apply to the importation of Chromebooks from China,” the department said in a statement, adding, however, “we should all agree that American school children should not be using computers from China that were produced from forced labor.”There are no nationwide tallies on the numbers of laptops and other devices that schools are waiting for. The Associated Press found that some of America’s biggest school districts are among those with outstanding orders of Chromebooks, other laptops or hotspots for internet connections, including Los Angeles, Clark County, Nevada, Wake County, North Carolina, Houston, Palm Beach and Hawaii, the nation’s only statewide school district.A recent poll of California's 1,100 districts showed schools across the state are waiting on at least 300,000 backordered computers, said Mary Nicely, a senior policy advisor to the state superintendent. A survey in Alabama found that about 20 schools were waiting on 33,000 computers, said Ryan Hollingsworth, director of the School Superintendents of Alabama.Smaller districts in Montana, New York, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, New Hampshire and elsewhere are also waiting on laptop orders, with delivery dates that have become moving targets.Some of the school districts, like Los Angeles, say the outstanding orders are for replacement devices and all students who need a computer will have one. Many districts are asking parents with the means to buy devices for their children but realize that's not an option for many families.It's also not an easy task with supplies at commercial stores running out. Best Buy's website shows 36 models of new and used Chromebooks priced under $500, the low-cost models that are popular for students. As of this week, 33 of those models were sold out.The backlog and delays have become so widespread that some students will be forced to start the semester without an essential piece of technology for remote learning, said Michael Flood, senior vice president of Kajeet, which works with more than 2,000 school districts in the U.S. and Canada.Some school administrators told Flood their laptop and Chromebook suppliers hope deliveries will only be delayed by a month or so. But others are being told their machines may not be available until early 2021.The shortage stems from exceptionally high demand at a time when the personal computer industry is still recovering from pandemic-driven precautions that shut down the factories of major PC suppliers in China during February and March. Just as the supply chain started ramping back up, new orders poured in from huge companies and government agencies with large numbers of employees working from home — in addition to school districts scrambling to secure machines, said Mikako Kitagawa, research director at Gartner Inc., which closely follows the PC industry.“The bottom line is everyone seems to want a laptop or Chromebook right now and there just isn’t enough supply of it,” Kitagawa said. “It’s a case of very bad timing.”To make matters worse, many school districts underestimated their needs during spring ordering, assuming that traditional in-person classes would resume in the fall.In California, most schools were planning for some form of in-person classes in the fall but only learned in July that wouldn’t be possible, when Gov. Gavin Newsom effectively ordered the majority of schools to start with remote learning. It created a mad dash for computers.Tom Quiambao, director of technology for the Tracy Unified School District in Northern California, said he and his vendor contacted HP directly to ask why his July order for 10,000 HP laptops would take three months to be delivered. He was told, “HP is short 1.7 million units of laptops” because of production shortages in a variety of components made in China, including processors, touchscreens, motherboards and others, Quiambao said.An HP spokeswoman declined to confirm or deny that number, saying only “we are continuing to leverage our global supply chain to meet the changing needs of our customer.”Dell offered a similarly brief response to detailed questions about a backlog.“We can’t comment on demand and supply specifically,” Dell said in an emailed statement, adding the company was seeing increased orders due to virtual learning and trying “to fulfill orders as efficiently as possible.”With so many customers ordering laptops at the same time, PC manufacturers may be put in the uncomfortable position of deciding who gets them first, said Linn Huang, an analyst for the research firm International Data Corp. Those kind of pecking orders threaten to push small school districts to the back of the laptop line.That’s part of the problem for the central Texas district of Abilene, where they are waiting for 6,000 Dell Chromebooks, ordered in May and June but not expected until November.“In Texas, there are over 1,200 school districts and they’re all ordering,” said district spokesman Lance Fleming. Schools are trying to get disinfecting supplies, too. “Who would have ever thought that computers and Clorox Wipes would be on the same level of need in our country.”___

US faces back-to-school laptop shortage

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday announced emergency authorization to treat COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma — a move he called “a breakthrough,” one of his top health officials called “promising” and other health experts said needs more study before it’s celebrated.

The announcement came after White House officials complained there were politically motivated delays by the Food and Drug Administration in approving a vaccine and therapeutics for the disease that has upended Trump’s reelection chances.

On the eve of the Republican National Convention, Trump put himself at the center of the FDA’s announcement of the authorization at a news conference Sunday evening. The authorization makes it easier for some patients to obtain the treatment but is not the same as full FDA approval.

The blood plasma, taken from patients who have recovered from the coronavirus and rich in antibodies, may provide benefits to those battling the disease. But the evidence so far has not been conclusive about whether it works, when to administer it and what dose is needed.

In a letter describing the emergency authorization, the chief scientist for the FDA, Denise Hinton, said: “COVID-19 convalescent plasma should not be considered a new standard of care for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Additional data will be forthcoming from other analyses and ongoing, well-controlled clinical trials in the coming months.”

But Trump had made clear to aides that he was eager to showcase good news in the battle against the virus, and the timing allowed him to head into his convention with momentum. He and aides billed it as a “major” development and used the White House briefing room to make the announcement.

Trump also displayed some rare discipline in the evening news conference, sticking to his talking points, deferring to the head of the FDA, Stephen Hahn, and only taking three questions from reporters.

The White House had grown agitated with the pace of the plasma approval. The accusations of an FDA slowdown, which were presented without evidence, were just the latest assault from Trump’s team on what he refers to as the “deep state” bureaucracy. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows did not deal in specifics, but said that “we’ve looked at a number of people that are not being as diligent as they should be in terms of getting to the bottom of it.”

“This president is about cutting red tape,” Meadows said in an interview Sunday on “This Week” on ABC. “He had to make sure that they felt the heat. If they don’t see the light, they need to feel the heat because the American people are suffering.”

During Sunday’s 18-minute press conference, Trump said he thought there had been a “logjam” at the FDA over granting the emergency authorization. He alleged there are people at the FDA “that can see things being held up ... and that’s for political reasons.”

Dr. Joshua Sharfstein said the statement, and Hahn’s silence while Trump said it, “was disgraceful.”

“The FDA commissioner basically allowed the president to mischaracterize the decision and attack the integrity of FDA employees. I was horrified,” said Sharfstein, a vice dean at John Hopkins University’s school of public health who was a top FDA official during the Obama administration.

“This is a promising therapy that has not been fully established,” he said

The push on Sunday came a day after Trump tweeted sharp criticism on the process to treat the virus, which has killed more than 175,000 Americans and imperiled his reelection chances. The White House has sunk vast resources into an expedited process to develop a vaccine, and Trump aides have been banking on it being an “October surprise” that could help the president make up ground in the polls.

“The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics,” Trump tweeted. “Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3rd. Must focus on speed, and saving lives!”

Earlier this month, Mayo Clinic researchers reported a strong hint that blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors helps other infected patients recover. But it wasn’t considered proof.

More than 70,000 patients in the U.S. have been given convalescent plasma, a century-old approach to fend off flu and measles before vaccines. It’s a go-to tactic when new diseases come along, and history suggests it works against some, but not all, infections.

The Mayo Clinic reported preliminary data from 35,000 coronavirus patients treated with plasma, and said there were fewer deaths among people given plasma within three days of diagnosis, and also among those given plasma containing the highest levels of virus-fighting antibodies.

But it wasn’t a formal study. The patients were treated in different ways in hospitals around the country as part of an FDA program designed to speed access to the experimental therapy. That “expanded access” program tracks what happens to the recipients, but it cannot prove the plasma — and not other care they received — was the real reason for improvement.

Administration officials, in a call with reporters Sunday, discussed a benefit for patients who were within three days of admission to a hospital and were not on a respirator, and were given ‘high-titer’ convalescent plasma containing higher concentrations of antibodies. They were then compared to similar patients who were given lower-titer plasma. The findings suggest deaths were 35% lower in the high-titer group.

There’s been little data on how effective it is or whether it must be administered fairly early in an illness to make a significant difference, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University.

Aiming to ward off a possible a run on convalescent plasma after the announcement, government officials have been working to obtain plasma and to team with corporate partners and nonprofit organizations to generate interest among previously infected patients to donate.

Hahn, who called the development “promising,” said Trump did not speak to him about the timing of the announcement. He said “this has been in the works for several weeks.”

But some health experts were skeptical. Benjamin Corb, of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, called it “conspicuous timing.”

“President Trump is once again putting his political goals ahead of the health and well-being of the American public,” Corb said.

Rigorous studies are under way around the country, comparing similar patients randomly assigned to get plasma or a dummy infusion in addition to regular care. But those studies have been difficult to finish as the virus waxes and wanes in different cities. Also, some patients have requested plasma rather than agreeing to a study that might give them a placebo instead.

Former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb dismissed the suggestion of a slowdown.

“I firmly reject the idea they would slow-walk anything or accelerate anything based on any political consideration or any consideration other than what is best for the public health and a real sense of mission to patients,” Gottlieb told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

Trump, in news conferences, “has made all kinds of therapeutic suggestions” that have not proven to be supported by science — and are even dangerous, Schaffner said. That includes statements about the possible value of treating COVID-19 patients with ultraviolet light and disinfectant. Trump reportedly also recently became enthusiastic about oleandrin, a plant extract derived from a toxic shrub that scientists immediately warned against.

But the president is perhaps best known for his early and ardent embrace of the malaria drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine.

Earlier this month, Hahn emphasized that routine evaluation procedures will remain in place to evaluate COVID vaccine candidates.

“I think this administration has put more pressure on the Food and Drug Administration than I can remember” ever happening in the past, Schaffner said.

“Everybody is just a little bit nervous,” he said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Sunday the emergency authorization of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 patients, in a move he called “a breakthrough,” one of his top health officials called “promising,” and other health experts said needs more study before it’s celebrated.

The announcement came after days of White House officials suggesting there were politically motivated delays by the Food and Drug Administration in approving a vaccine and therapeutics for the disease that has upended Trump’s reelection chances.

On the eve of the Republican National Convention, Trump put himself at the center of the FDA’s announcement of the authorization — it makes it easier for some patients to obtain the treatment — in a news conference Sunday evening.

The blood plasma, taken from patients who have recovered from the coronavirus and rich in antibodies, may provide benefits to those battling with the disease. But the evidence so far has not been conclusive about whether it works, when to administer it and what dose is needed.

In a letter describing the emergency authorization, the chief scientist for the FDA, Denise Hinton, noted: “COVID-19 convalescent plasma should not be considered a new standard of care for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Additional data will be forthcoming from other analyses and ongoing, well-controlled clinical trials in the coming months.”

An emergency use authorization is not the same as full FDA approval.

In the authorization letter, FDA officials emphasized convalescent plasma is still under investigation. “COVID-19 convalescent plasma should not be considered a new standard of care for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Additional data will be forthcoming from other analyses and ongoing, well-controlled clinical trials in the coming months,” it said.

But Trump had made clear to aides that he was eager for a piece of good news on the battle of the pandemic, and the timing allowed him to head into the convention with momentum. He and aides billed it as a “major” development and utilized the White House briefing room to make the announcement.

The White House had grown agitated with the pace of the plasma approval, but the accusations of a slowdown, which were presented without evidence, were just the latest assault from Trump’s team on the “deep state” bureaucracy. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows did not deal in specifics, but said that “we’ve looked at a number of people that are not being as diligent as they should be in terms of getting to the bottom of it.”

There’s no solid evidence yet that it fights the coronavirus and, if so, how best to use it.

Hahn, who called the development “promising,” said Trump did not speak to him about the timing of the announcement, which comes just before a pivotal week for the president’s reelection chances. Hahn said “this has been in the works for several weeks” and came after a data validation for which the agency had been waiting.

Rigorous studies underway around the country are designed to get that proof, by comparing similar patients randomly assigned to get plasma or a dummy infusion in addition to regular care. But those studies have been difficult to finish as the virus waxes and wanes in different cities. Also, some patients have requested plasma rather than agreeing to a study that might give them a placebo instead.

Hundreds of drugs are currently being developed as possible treatments against the coronavirus infection, taking a range of approaches.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598222952199.png" alt="President Trump took only 3 questions during the Sunday evening press conference-photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>President Trump took only 3 questions during the Sunday evening press conference-photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Sunday announced emergency authorization to treat COVID-19 patients with convalescent plasma — a move he called “a breakthrough,” one of his top health officials called “promising” and other health experts said needs more study before it’s celebrated.The announcement came after White House officials complained there were politically motivated delays by the Food and Drug Administration in approving a vaccine and therapeutics for the disease that has upended Trump’s reelection chances.On the eve of the Republican National Convention, Trump put himself at the center of the FDA’s announcement of the authorization at a news conference Sunday evening. The authorization makes it easier for some patients to obtain the treatment but is not the same as full FDA approval.The blood plasma, taken from patients who have recovered from the coronavirus and rich in antibodies, may provide benefits to those battling the disease. But the evidence so far has not been conclusive about whether it works, when to administer it and what dose is needed.In a letter describing the emergency authorization, the chief scientist for the FDA, Denise Hinton, said: “COVID-19 convalescent plasma should not be considered a new standard of care for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Additional data will be forthcoming from other analyses and ongoing, well-controlled clinical trials in the coming months.”But Trump had made clear to aides that he was eager to showcase good news in the battle against the virus, and the timing allowed him to head into his convention with momentum. He and aides billed it as a “major” development and used the White House briefing room to make the announcement.Trump also displayed some rare discipline in the evening news conference, sticking to his talking points, deferring to the head of the FDA, Stephen Hahn, and only taking three questions from reporters.The White House had grown agitated with the pace of the plasma approval. The accusations of an FDA slowdown, which were presented without evidence, were just the latest assault from Trump’s team on what he refers to as the “deep state” bureaucracy. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows did not deal in specifics, but said that “we’ve looked at a number of people that are not being as diligent as they should be in terms of getting to the bottom of it.”“This president is about cutting red tape,” Meadows said in an interview Sunday on “This Week” on ABC. “He had to make sure that they felt the heat. If they don’t see the light, they need to feel the heat because the American people are suffering.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598222686256.png" alt="President Donald Trump accompanied by Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn, center and HHS Secretary Alex Azar during a media briefing Sunday -photo Courtesy White House." />
 <figcaption>President Donald Trump accompanied by Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn, center and HHS Secretary Alex Azar during a media briefing Sunday -photo Courtesy White House.</figcaption>
 </figure>During Sunday’s 18-minute press conference, Trump said he thought there had been a “logjam” at the FDA over granting the emergency authorization. He alleged there are people at the FDA “that can see things being held up ... and that’s for political reasons.”Dr. Joshua Sharfstein said the statement, and Hahn’s silence while Trump said it, “was disgraceful.”“The FDA commissioner basically allowed the president to mischaracterize the decision and attack the integrity of FDA employees. I was horrified,” said Sharfstein, a vice dean at John Hopkins University’s school of public health who was a top FDA official during the Obama administration.“This is a promising therapy that has not been fully established,” he saidThe push on Sunday came a day after Trump tweeted sharp criticism on the process to treat the virus, which has killed more than 175,000 Americans and imperiled his reelection chances. The White House has sunk vast resources into an expedited process to develop a vaccine, and Trump aides have been banking on it being an “October surprise” that could help the president make up ground in the polls.“The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics,” Trump tweeted. “Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3rd. Must focus on speed, and saving lives!”Earlier this month, Mayo Clinic researchers reported a strong hint that blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors helps other infected patients recover. But it wasn’t considered proof.More than 70,000 patients in the U.S. have been given convalescent plasma, a century-old approach to fend off flu and measles before vaccines. It’s a go-to tactic when new diseases come along, and history suggests it works against some, but not all, infections.The Mayo Clinic reported preliminary data from 35,000 coronavirus patients treated with plasma, and said there were fewer deaths among people given plasma within three days of diagnosis, and also among those given plasma containing the highest levels of virus-fighting antibodies.But it wasn’t a formal study. The patients were treated in different ways in hospitals around the country as part of an FDA program designed to speed access to the experimental therapy. That “expanded access” program tracks what happens to the recipients, but it cannot prove the plasma — and not other care they received — was the real reason for improvement.Administration officials, in a call with reporters Sunday, discussed a benefit for patients who were within three days of admission to a hospital and were not on a respirator, and were given ‘high-titer’ convalescent plasma containing higher concentrations of antibodies. They were then compared to similar patients who were given lower-titer plasma. The findings suggest deaths were 35% lower in the high-titer group.There’s been little data on how effective it is or whether it must be administered fairly early in an illness to make a significant difference, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University.Aiming to ward off a possible a run on convalescent plasma after the announcement, government officials have been working to obtain plasma and to team with corporate partners and nonprofit organizations to generate interest among previously infected patients to donate.Hahn, who called the development “promising,” said Trump did not speak to him about the timing of the announcement. He said “this has been in the works for several weeks.”But some health experts were skeptical. Benjamin Corb, of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, called it “conspicuous timing.”“President Trump is once again putting his political goals ahead of the health and well-being of the American public,” Corb said.Rigorous studies are under way around the country, comparing similar patients randomly assigned to get plasma or a dummy infusion in addition to regular care. But those studies have been difficult to finish as the virus waxes and wanes in different cities. Also, some patients have requested plasma rather than agreeing to a study that might give them a placebo instead.Former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb dismissed the suggestion of a slowdown.“I firmly reject the idea they would slow-walk anything or accelerate anything based on any political consideration or any consideration other than what is best for the public health and a real sense of mission to patients,” Gottlieb told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598218807664.png" alt="President Trump during the Sunday evening news conference -photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>President Trump during the Sunday evening news conference -photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>Trump, in news conferences, “has made all kinds of therapeutic suggestions” that have not proven to be supported by science — and are even dangerous, Schaffner said. That includes statements about the possible value of treating COVID-19 patients with ultraviolet light and disinfectant. Trump reportedly also recently became enthusiastic about oleandrin, a plant extract derived from a toxic shrub that scientists immediately warned against.But the president is perhaps best known for his early and ardent embrace of the malaria drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine.Earlier this month, Hahn emphasized that routine evaluation procedures will remain in place to evaluate COVID vaccine candidates.“I think this administration has put more pressure on the Food and Drug Administration than I can remember” ever happening in the past, Schaffner said.“Everybody is just a little bit nervous,” he said.-----------WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Sunday the emergency authorization of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 patients, in a move he called “a breakthrough,” one of his top health officials called “promising,” and other health experts said needs more study before it’s celebrated.The announcement came after days of White House officials suggesting there were politically motivated delays by the Food and Drug Administration in approving a vaccine and therapeutics for the disease that has upended Trump’s reelection chances.On the eve of the Republican National Convention, Trump put himself at the center of the FDA’s announcement of the authorization — it makes it easier for some patients to obtain the treatment — in a news conference Sunday evening.The blood plasma, taken from patients who have recovered from the coronavirus and rich in antibodies, may provide benefits to those battling with the disease. But the evidence so far has not been conclusive about whether it works, when to administer it and what dose is needed.In a letter describing the emergency authorization, the chief scientist for the FDA, Denise Hinton, noted: “COVID-19 convalescent plasma should not be considered a new standard of care for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Additional data will be forthcoming from other analyses and ongoing, well-controlled clinical trials in the coming months.”An emergency use authorization is not the same as full FDA approval.In the authorization letter, FDA officials emphasized convalescent plasma is still under investigation. “COVID-19 convalescent plasma should not be considered a new standard of care for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Additional data will be forthcoming from other analyses and ongoing, well-controlled clinical trials in the coming months,” it said.But Trump had made clear to aides that he was eager for a piece of good news on the battle of the pandemic, and the timing allowed him to head into the convention with momentum. He and aides billed it as a “major” development and utilized the White House briefing room to make the announcement.Trump also displayed some rare discipline in the evening news conference, sticking to his talking points, deferring to the head of the FDA, Stephen Hahn, and only taking three questions from reporters.The White House had grown agitated with the pace of the plasma approval, but the accusations of a slowdown, which were presented without evidence, were just the latest assault from Trump’s team on the “deep state” bureaucracy. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows did not deal in specifics, but said that “we’ve looked at a number of people that are not being as diligent as they should be in terms of getting to the bottom of it.”“This president is about cutting red tape,” Meadows said in an interview Sunday on “This Week” on ABC. “He had to make sure that they felt the heat. If they don’t see the light, they need to feel the heat because the American people are suffering.”The push on Sunday came a day after Trump tweeted sharp criticism on the process to treat the virus, which has killed more than 175,000 Americans and imperiled his reelection chances. The White House has sunk vast resources into an expedited process to develop a vaccine, and Trump aides have been banking on it being an “October surprise” that could help the president make up ground in the polls.“The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics,” Trump tweeted. “Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after November 3rd. Must focus on speed, and saving lives!”Earlier this month, Mayo Clinic researchers reported a strong hint that blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors helps other infected patients recover. But it wasn’t considered proof.More than 70,000 patients in the U.S. have been given convalescent plasma, a century-old approach to fend off flu and measles before vaccines. It’s a go-to tactic when new diseases come along, and history suggests it works against some, but not all, infections.There’s no solid evidence yet that it fights the coronavirus and, if so, how best to use it.The Mayo Clinic reported preliminary data from 35,000 coronavirus patients treated with plasma, and said there were fewer deaths among people given plasma within three days of diagnosis, and also among those given plasma containing the highest levels of virus-fighting antibodies.But it wasn’t a formal study. The patients were treated in different ways in hospitals around the country as part of an FDA program designed to speed access to the experimental therapy. That “expanded access” program tracks what happens to the recipients, but it cannot prove the plasma — and not other care they received — was the real reason for improvement.Administration officials, in a call with reporters Sunday, discussed a benefit for patients who were within three days of admission to a hospital and were not on a respirator, and were given ‘high-titer’ convalescent plasma containing higher concentrations of antibodies. They were then compared to similar patients who were given lower-titer plasma. The findings suggest deaths were 35% lower in the high-titer group.There’s been little data on how effective it is or whether it must be administered fairly early in an illness to make a significant difference, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University.Aiming to ward off a possible a run on convalescent plasma after the announcement, government officials have been working to obtain plasma and to team with corporate partners and nonprofit organizations to generate interest among previously infected patients to donate.Hahn, who called the development “promising,” said Trump did not speak to him about the timing of the announcement, which comes just before a pivotal week for the president’s reelection chances. Hahn said “this has been in the works for several weeks” and came after a data validation for which the agency had been waiting.But some health experts were skeptical. Benjamin Corb, of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, called it “conspicuous timing.”“President Trump is once again putting his political goals ahead of the health and well-being of the American public,” Corb said.Rigorous studies underway around the country are designed to get that proof, by comparing similar patients randomly assigned to get plasma or a dummy infusion in addition to regular care. But those studies have been difficult to finish as the virus waxes and wanes in different cities. Also, some patients have requested plasma rather than agreeing to a study that might give them a placebo instead.Former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb dismissed the suggestion of a slowdown.ADVERTISEMENT“I firmly reject the idea they would slow-walk anything or accelerate anything based on any political consideration or any consideration other than what is best for the public health and a real sense of mission to patients,” Gottlieb told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”Hundreds of drugs are currently being developed as possible treatments against the coronavirus infection, taking a range of approaches.Trump, in news conferences, “has made all kinds of therapeutic suggestions” that have not proven to be supported by science — and are even dangerous, Schaffner said. That includes statements about the possible value of treating COVID-19 patients with ultraviolet light and disinfectant. Trump reportedly also recently became enthusiastic about oleandrin, a plant extract derived from a toxic shrub that scientists immediately warned against.But the president is perhaps best known for his early and ardent embrace of the malaria drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine.Earlier this month, Hahn emphasized that routine evaluation procedures will remain in place to evaluate COVID vaccine candidates.“I think this administration has put more pressure on the Food and Drug Administration than I can remember” ever happening in the past, Schaffner said.“Everybody is just a little bit nervous,” he said.----

Trump: Plasma treatment for COVID-19 a breakthrough

Earl Duane Clews 84 passed away on August 19, 2020.&nbsp; He was a resident of WaKeeney since graduating from Arnold High School in 1954.&nbsp; He was a resident of the Trego County Long Term Care since August 2017.&nbsp; Earl was born December 8, 1935 in Arnold, Kansas, 1 of 8 children to John H. Clews &amp; Ester B. (Weber) Clews. 
After high school graduation he entered the United States Army from 1955 to 1957.&nbsp; He then fell in love with Wilma J. Bender and they were married on October 27, 1957.&nbsp; To this union 3 children were born.&nbsp; Wilma preceded him in in death November 1984.&nbsp; Earl then married Jennie L. Lorenz Zordel, April 12, 1986, gaining 6 stepchildren.

Earl is survived by two brothers, Dale and wife Shirley of Garden City, KS; Vyrl “Hank” Clews and wife Patty of McKinney, TX; children, Mark Clews of WaKeeney, KS, Jeanette Clews of Wichita, KS, Tracey Post and husband Dustin of Kansas City, MO; stepchildren Peggy Carter and husband Jim of Graham, TX, Terrence Zordel and wife Lao of Smith, AL, Daniel Zordel and wife Loretta of Hays, KS, Kelly Bliss and fiancé Lee Chaney of Graham, TX, Timothy Zordel and wife Sandy of Silver Lake, KS, step son-in-law Matthew Venechuk, Surprise, AZ; 13 grandchildren; and 9 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents John H. Clews &amp; Ester B. (Weber) Clews; wives Wilma J. (Bender) Clews; Jennie (Lorenz, Zordel) Clews; his sister Fern Green, and brothers Kenneth, Leroy, Floyd, Don and stepdaughter Tammy (Zordel) Venechuk. 
Earl worked for Verbeck Lumber Yard for 33 years.&nbsp; Most people in WaKeeney knew that if any supplies were needed and it was after hours all they had to do was contact Earl and he would meet them there to get things.&nbsp; He then worked for a local farmer for 10 years before officially retiring.&nbsp; For many years, in addition to the above jobs, he mowed lawns and rototilled gardens.&nbsp; He loved interacting with the public.&nbsp; He was an avid gardener; if you wanted to try some type of vegetable or fruit he probably grew it or at least tried to.&nbsp; Wheat farming was also very important to him. &nbsp;&nbsp; 
If he ever found any spare time, when he wasn’t working, he loved playing horseshoes and going dancing.&nbsp; He could really “cut the rug” when he wanted to.&nbsp; After long days of work he would relax and enjoy a mixed drink of his whiskey. &nbsp;&nbsp; 
He was a lifetime member of the Eagles Lodge as well as the American Legion.&nbsp;

Funeral service - 10 a.m., Monday, August 24, 2020, at Schmitt Funeral Home, with Pastor Randy Gibbs officiating.&nbsp; Burial will follow at the city cemetery. &nbsp;

Visitation - Sunday 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions are suggested to the Trego County Long Term Care/Activities Department. &nbsp; Donations made to the LTC may be sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 336 N 12th, WaKeeney, KS&nbsp; 67672.&nbsp; Earl loved participating in games arts and crafts they provided.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598018162876.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Earl Duane Clews 84 passed away on August 19, 2020.&nbsp; He was a resident of WaKeeney since graduating from Arnold High School in 1954.&nbsp; He was a resident of the Trego County Long Term Care since August 2017.&nbsp; Earl was born December 8, 1935 in Arnold, Kansas, 1 of 8 children to John H. Clews &amp; Ester B. (Weber) Clews. 
After high school graduation he entered the United States Army from 1955 to 1957.&nbsp; He then fell in love with Wilma J. Bender and they were married on October 27, 1957.&nbsp; To this union 3 children were born.&nbsp; Wilma preceded him in in death November 1984.&nbsp; Earl then married Jennie L. Lorenz Zordel, April 12, 1986, gaining 6 stepchildren.Earl is survived by two brothers, Dale and wife Shirley of Garden City, KS; Vyrl “Hank” Clews and wife Patty of McKinney, TX; children, Mark Clews of WaKeeney, KS, Jeanette Clews of Wichita, KS, Tracey Post and husband Dustin of Kansas City, MO; stepchildren Peggy Carter and husband Jim of Graham, TX, Terrence Zordel and wife Lao of Smith, AL, Daniel Zordel and wife Loretta of Hays, KS, Kelly Bliss and fiancé Lee Chaney of Graham, TX, Timothy Zordel and wife Sandy of Silver Lake, KS, step son-in-law Matthew Venechuk, Surprise, AZ; 13 grandchildren; and 9 great-grandchildren.He was preceded in death by his parents John H. Clews &amp; Ester B. (Weber) Clews; wives Wilma J. (Bender) Clews; Jennie (Lorenz, Zordel) Clews; his sister Fern Green, and brothers Kenneth, Leroy, Floyd, Don and stepdaughter Tammy (Zordel) Venechuk. 
Earl worked for Verbeck Lumber Yard for 33 years.&nbsp; Most people in WaKeeney knew that if any supplies were needed and it was after hours all they had to do was contact Earl and he would meet them there to get things.&nbsp; He then worked for a local farmer for 10 years before officially retiring.&nbsp; For many years, in addition to the above jobs, he mowed lawns and rototilled gardens.&nbsp; He loved interacting with the public.&nbsp; He was an avid gardener; if you wanted to try some type of vegetable or fruit he probably grew it or at least tried to.&nbsp; Wheat farming was also very important to him. &nbsp;&nbsp; 
If he ever found any spare time, when he wasn’t working, he loved playing horseshoes and going dancing.&nbsp; He could really “cut the rug” when he wanted to.&nbsp; After long days of work he would relax and enjoy a mixed drink of his whiskey. &nbsp;&nbsp; 
He was a lifetime member of the Eagles Lodge as well as the American Legion.&nbsp;Funeral service - 10 a.m., Monday, August 24, 2020, at Schmitt Funeral Home, with Pastor Randy Gibbs officiating.&nbsp; Burial will follow at the city cemetery. &nbsp;Visitation - Sunday 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. at the funeral home.In lieu of flowers memorial contributions are suggested to the Trego County Long Term Care/Activities Department. &nbsp; Donations made to the LTC may be sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 336 N 12th, WaKeeney, KS&nbsp; 67672.&nbsp; Earl loved participating in games arts and crafts they provided.&nbsp;

Earl Clews

Many young, smooth, thin-barked trees such as honeylocusts, fruit trees, ashes, oaks, maples, lindens, and willows are susceptible to sunscald and bark cracks. Sunscald normally develops on the south or southwest side of the tree during late winter. Sunny, warm winter days may heat the bark to relatively high temperatures. 

Research done in Georgia has shown that the southwest side of the trunk of a peach tree can be 40 degrees warmer than shaded bark. This warming action can cause a loss of cold hardiness of the bark tissue resulting in cells becoming active. These cells then become susceptible to lethal freezing when the temperature drops at night. The damaged bark tissue becomes sunken and discolored in late spring.&nbsp; Damaged bark will eventually crack and slough off.&nbsp; Trees often recover but need TLC — especially watering during dry weather.

If you have seen this type of damage in previous years or fear you have susceptible trees, preventative measures are called for.&nbsp; Applying a light-colored tree wrap from the ground to the start of the first branches can protect young and/or recently planted trees. This should be done in October to November and removed the following March. Failure to remove the tree wrap in the spring can prove detrimental to the tree.

Lauren Fick is the Horticulture Extension Agent for the Cottonwood Extension District. If you have questions she can be contacted by e-mail at lfick@k-state.edu or by phone at 785-628-9430 or 620-793-1910. K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1580750915301.jpeg" alt="Lauren Fick is the Horticulture Extension Agent for the Cottonwood Extension District. " />
 <figcaption>Lauren Fick is the Horticulture Extension Agent for the Cottonwood Extension District. </figcaption>
 </figure>Many young, smooth, thin-barked trees such as honeylocusts, fruit trees, ashes, oaks, maples, lindens, and willows are susceptible to sunscald and bark cracks. Sunscald normally develops on the south or southwest side of the tree during late winter. Sunny, warm winter days may heat the bark to relatively high temperatures. Research done in Georgia has shown that the southwest side of the trunk of a peach tree can be 40 degrees warmer than shaded bark. This warming action can cause a loss of cold hardiness of the bark tissue resulting in cells becoming active. These cells then become susceptible to lethal freezing when the temperature drops at night. The damaged bark tissue becomes sunken and discolored in late spring.&nbsp; Damaged bark will eventually crack and slough off.&nbsp; Trees often recover but need TLC — especially watering during dry weather.If you have seen this type of damage in previous years or fear you have susceptible trees, preventative measures are called for.&nbsp; Applying a light-colored tree wrap from the ground to the start of the first branches can protect young and/or recently planted trees. This should be done in October to November and removed the following March. Failure to remove the tree wrap in the spring can prove detrimental to the tree.Lauren Fick is the Horticulture Extension Agent for the Cottonwood Extension District. If you have questions she can be contacted by e-mail at lfick@k-state.edu or by phone at 785-628-9430 or 620-793-1910. K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

FICK: Preventing sunscald on thin-barked trees

TOPEKA - Projects that promote safety, improve access or mobility and update transportation technology can receive financial assistance in a new Innovative Technology Program created by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT).

All transportation modes and technologies are eligible. Non-governmental applications will also be considered.

“As a leader in UAS, it’s important that we implement new technologies safely. Citizens at Local Consult meetings across the state last year stressed the need for technology opportunities to better position Kansas for the future,” said Secretary Julie Lorenz. “This program will help both rural and urban areas of the state improve the transportation system.”&nbsp;

An informational webinar about the program will take place at 10: 30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3. To participate, the webinar link is&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fattendee.gotowebinar.com%2Fregister%2F9091955517133125391&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7Cfe76383ead884ac07f6408d845091f25%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637335252836570994&amp;sdata=vbgPv9FwOLfyKAoRtW5q432VEGRbtbwQCYxoX0ADoW0%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9091955517133125391</a>

The program has $3 million per fiscal year available. A minimum of 25% non-state cash match is required, and additional consideration will be given to applications that contribute more.

The deadline for applications is Sept. 18 and selected projects will be announced in late October. Click&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ksdot.org%2FAssets%2Fwwwksdotorg%2Fbureaus%2FdivInnovTech%2FFY21_Innovative_Technology_Fact_Sheet.pdf%3FInnovative%2BTechnology%2BFact%2BSheet&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7Cfe76383ead884ac07f6408d845091f25%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637335252836580954&amp;sdata=ONrH%2BufCKZndBn6gAKCbn8eDp%2FredXSBg7SD0IXHu7c%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;for a facts sheet, or&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ksdot.org%2FAssets%2Fwwwksdotorg%2Fbureaus%2FdivInnovTech%2FFY21_Innovative_Tech_Program_Application.pdf%3FKDOT_Innovative_Technology_Program_Application_Form_2020&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7Cfe76383ead884ac07f6408d845091f25%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637335252836580954&amp;sdata=ejG0T6xYq6lO1bElfdCREcizixIeyQcXRLtJ0GVEPbI%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;for an application.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598020277973.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KDOTTOPEKA - Projects that promote safety, improve access or mobility and update transportation technology can receive financial assistance in a new Innovative Technology Program created by the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT).All transportation modes and technologies are eligible. Non-governmental applications will also be considered.“As a leader in UAS, it’s important that we implement new technologies safely. Citizens at Local Consult meetings across the state last year stressed the need for technology opportunities to better position Kansas for the future,” said Secretary Julie Lorenz. “This program will help both rural and urban areas of the state improve the transportation system.”&nbsp;An informational webinar about the program will take place at 10: 30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 3. To participate, the webinar link is&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fattendee.gotowebinar.com%2Fregister%2F9091955517133125391&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7Cfe76383ead884ac07f6408d845091f25%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637335252836570994&amp;sdata=vbgPv9FwOLfyKAoRtW5q432VEGRbtbwQCYxoX0ADoW0%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9091955517133125391</a>The program has $3 million per fiscal year available. A minimum of 25% non-state cash match is required, and additional consideration will be given to applications that contribute more.The deadline for applications is Sept. 18 and selected projects will be announced in late October. Click&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ksdot.org%2FAssets%2Fwwwksdotorg%2Fbureaus%2FdivInnovTech%2FFY21_Innovative_Technology_Fact_Sheet.pdf%3FInnovative%2BTechnology%2BFact%2BSheet&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7Cfe76383ead884ac07f6408d845091f25%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637335252836580954&amp;sdata=ONrH%2BufCKZndBn6gAKCbn8eDp%2FredXSBg7SD0IXHu7c%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;for a facts sheet, or&nbsp;<a href="https://gcc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ksdot.org%2FAssets%2Fwwwksdotorg%2Fbureaus%2FdivInnovTech%2FFY21_Innovative_Tech_Program_Application.pdf%3FKDOT_Innovative_Technology_Program_Application_Form_2020&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7Cfe76383ead884ac07f6408d845091f25%7Cdcae8101c92d480cbc43c6761ccccc5a%7C0%7C0%7C637335252836580954&amp;sdata=ejG0T6xYq6lO1bElfdCREcizixIeyQcXRLtJ0GVEPbI%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;for an application.

New transportation technology program funding available

TOPEKA - Kansans are invited to
attend the Kansas Rural Center’s (KRC) “Future of Farming and Food” Town Hall
virtual meetings this summer and early fall. Four meetings will facilitate
discussion on local/regional food system resiliency, rural revitalization, climate
and energy, and farm to school. 

Each town hall will be hosted on Zoom
from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the following dates:

August 27 - Local and Regional Food System
Resilience 

September 10&nbsp;
- Rural Revitalization 

Registration is required to receive the
meeting links.&nbsp; Registration can be found
at<a href="http://www.kansasruralcenter.org/"> </a><a href="https://kansasruralcenter.org/2020townhalls/">www.kansasruralcenter.org/2020townhalls/</a>.

The Town Halls will offer opportunities
to share information and community dialogue on the unique challenges or
opportunities communities face in each topic area, within the context of an
election year and the new realities of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

These come at a time when Kansans are
thinking about resiliency and what the future will look like. The ways in which
we farm and get food to our plates and our capacity to work together as
communities will be critical - perhaps now more than ever. 

Based on dialogue and feedback from Town
Hall participants last summer, KRC identified components of a shared vision for
the future and developed a report and recommendations for a more resilient
food, farm and energy future. The recommendations&nbsp; focus on&nbsp;
four areas: Local/Regional Food and Agriculture; Rural Revitalization;
Water, Conservation and the Environment; and Energy.&nbsp; A free copy of the <a href="https://kansasruralcenter.org/krc-future-of-farming-food-town-hall-summary-recommendations-available/">report can be found on KRC’s website</a>.

This year's Town Halls will build on the
visions and ideas outlined in the report and recommendations.&nbsp; “We want to revisit what we learned from
folks last year because we are all living in a much different world and many of
our priorities have shifted.” says Natalie Fullerton, KRC Assistant Director.
“We want people to come away from the meetings with a better understanding of
common concerns, goals and reasons for hope.” 

Each Town Hall meeting will feature a
pre-recorded farm or local foods industry virtual tour shared ahead of
time.&nbsp; During the Town Halls a panel of
leaders will share new and old challenges and visions for how we come together
to strengthen our resilience around each topic.&nbsp;
Attendees will then have time to ask questions, respond to the
panelists, and share their experiences or opinions about the issues addressed
in order to help identify what is needed to advance opportunities in their
communities and/or the region. 

KRC has just begun a two-year Farm to
School project which includes the opportunity to provide space for community
dialogue on what the project entails and how members of the community can
support it. The final Town Hall will invite panelists who are part of
successful farm to school programs to share the unique ways their schools and
communities connect kids to fresh local food.&nbsp;


As the November election nears, the Town
Halls will also provide an opportunity to explore questions to be asking
candidates and ways to ensure that&nbsp; voter
tools are accessible to everyone.&nbsp; “As we
have seen in the past and are seeing currently, elections have consequences on
our food and ag landscape,” says Fullerton.&nbsp;
“Civic engagement is very much an important part of the conversation
when thinking about future resiliency.” 

If you have other questions or want to
register, contact Ryan Goertzen-Regier at <a href="mailto:ryangr@kansasruralcenter.org">ryangr@kansasruralcenter.org</a> or
call 866-579-5469.

The town halls are part of KRC’s
Integrated Voter Engagement project, funded by the Kansas Health Foundation and
Farm to School project, funded by USDA. The projects aim to improve economic,
community, environmental, and human health in Kansas by strengthening civic
engagement and public policy support that better incorporates Kansas farms and
communities into the state’s healthy food supply chain.&nbsp; 

The mission of KRC, founded in 1979,
is to promote the long-term health of the land and its people through
community-based research, education, and advocacy that advances an economically
viable, ecologically sound, and socially just food and farming system in
Kansas. For more information, visit kansasruralcenter.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597849268455.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KRCTOPEKA - Kansans are invited to
attend the Kansas Rural Center’s (KRC) “Future of Farming and Food” Town Hall
virtual meetings this summer and early fall. Four meetings will facilitate
discussion on local/regional food system resiliency, rural revitalization, climate
and energy, and farm to school. Each town hall will be hosted on Zoom
from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the following dates:August 27 - Local and Regional Food System
Resilience September 10&nbsp;
- Rural Revitalization September 24 - Climate and EnergyOctober 8 - Farm to School Registration is required to receive the
meeting links.&nbsp; Registration can be found
at<a href="http://www.kansasruralcenter.org/"> </a><a href="https://kansasruralcenter.org/2020townhalls/">www.kansasruralcenter.org/2020townhalls/</a>.The Town Halls will offer opportunities
to share information and community dialogue on the unique challenges or
opportunities communities face in each topic area, within the context of an
election year and the new realities of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. These come at a time when Kansans are
thinking about resiliency and what the future will look like. The ways in which
we farm and get food to our plates and our capacity to work together as
communities will be critical - perhaps now more than ever. Based on dialogue and feedback from Town
Hall participants last summer, KRC identified components of a shared vision for
the future and developed a report and recommendations for a more resilient
food, farm and energy future. The recommendations&nbsp; focus on&nbsp;
four areas: Local/Regional Food and Agriculture; Rural Revitalization;
Water, Conservation and the Environment; and Energy.&nbsp; A free copy of the <a href="https://kansasruralcenter.org/krc-future-of-farming-food-town-hall-summary-recommendations-available/">report can be found on KRC’s website</a>. This year's Town Halls will build on the
visions and ideas outlined in the report and recommendations.&nbsp; “We want to revisit what we learned from
folks last year because we are all living in a much different world and many of
our priorities have shifted.” says Natalie Fullerton, KRC Assistant Director.
“We want people to come away from the meetings with a better understanding of
common concerns, goals and reasons for hope.” Each Town Hall meeting will feature a
pre-recorded farm or local foods industry virtual tour shared ahead of
time.&nbsp; During the Town Halls a panel of
leaders will share new and old challenges and visions for how we come together
to strengthen our resilience around each topic.&nbsp;
Attendees will then have time to ask questions, respond to the
panelists, and share their experiences or opinions about the issues addressed
in order to help identify what is needed to advance opportunities in their
communities and/or the region. KRC has just begun a two-year Farm to
School project which includes the opportunity to provide space for community
dialogue on what the project entails and how members of the community can
support it. The final Town Hall will invite panelists who are part of
successful farm to school programs to share the unique ways their schools and
communities connect kids to fresh local food.&nbsp;
As the November election nears, the Town
Halls will also provide an opportunity to explore questions to be asking
candidates and ways to ensure that&nbsp; voter
tools are accessible to everyone.&nbsp; “As we
have seen in the past and are seeing currently, elections have consequences on
our food and ag landscape,” says Fullerton.&nbsp;
“Civic engagement is very much an important part of the conversation
when thinking about future resiliency.” Registration is required to receive the
meeting links.&nbsp; Registration can be found
at<a href="http://www.kansasruralcenter.org/"> </a><a href="https://kansasruralcenter.org/2020townhalls/">www.kansasruralcenter.org/2020townhalls/</a>.If you have other questions or want to
register, contact Ryan Goertzen-Regier at <a href="mailto:ryangr@kansasruralcenter.org">ryangr@kansasruralcenter.org</a> or
call 866-579-5469.The town halls are part of KRC’s
Integrated Voter Engagement project, funded by the Kansas Health Foundation and
Farm to School project, funded by USDA. The projects aim to improve economic,
community, environmental, and human health in Kansas by strengthening civic
engagement and public policy support that better incorporates Kansas farms and
communities into the state’s healthy food supply chain.&nbsp; The mission of KRC, founded in 1979,
is to promote the long-term health of the land and its people through
community-based research, education, and advocacy that advances an economically
viable, ecologically sound, and socially just food and farming system in
Kansas. For more information, visit kansasruralcenter.org.

Kansas Rural Center to host online future of farming and food town halls

Darrell Wayne Yott, 62, died August 19, 2020, at his home in rural 
Olmitz, Kansas.&nbsp; He was born July 8, 1958, in Louisville, Kentucky, the 
son of Emmitt A. “Sonny” and Inola S. (Johnston) Yott.&nbsp; Darrell 
graduated from Hoisington High School in 1976 and then later received 
his associate degree from Barton County Community College. He served in 
the United States Army as a Specialist 4 from 1976 to 1979.&nbsp;

A longtime Barton County resident, he was an oil field driller with 
Southwind Drilling.&nbsp; He also owned his own flooring business, Darrell’s 
Custom Floors. Darrell was good man with a zest for life.&nbsp; He loved his 
many friends and family. He also loved a good game of horseshoes and 
sponsored the DD Horseshoe Tournament. He was an avid hunter and 
sportsman, and loved playing pool, ping pong, darts, and bowling.

On June 8, 1976, he married Rebecca Cannon, and they later divorced.&nbsp;
 He then married Laura Hendon on October 4, 2017, in Great Bend, 
Kansas.&nbsp; She survives.

Other survivors include; son, David Yott of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; 
and daughters, Theresa Yott and spouse Thomas Wise of Hoisington, and 
Dietre Stevenson of Olmitz; four grandchildren, Tyler Duerksen, Dylan W.
 Yott, Dayne W. Yott, and Deryk W. Yott.

Memorial service will be 10:00 a.m., Saturday, August 29, 2020, at 
Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, with Ron Bailey presiding.&nbsp; Friends may 
sign the book 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, cremation has 
taken place.

Memorials are suggested to Golden Belt Community Foundation in care 
of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, PO Box 146, Hoisington, KS 67544.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598040697387.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Darrell Wayne Yott, 62, died August 19, 2020, at his home in rural 
Olmitz, Kansas.&nbsp; He was born July 8, 1958, in Louisville, Kentucky, the 
son of Emmitt A. “Sonny” and Inola S. (Johnston) Yott.&nbsp; Darrell 
graduated from Hoisington High School in 1976 and then later received 
his associate degree from Barton County Community College. He served in 
the United States Army as a Specialist 4 from 1976 to 1979.&nbsp;A longtime Barton County resident, he was an oil field driller with 
Southwind Drilling.&nbsp; He also owned his own flooring business, Darrell’s 
Custom Floors. Darrell was good man with a zest for life.&nbsp; He loved his 
many friends and family. He also loved a good game of horseshoes and 
sponsored the DD Horseshoe Tournament. He was an avid hunter and 
sportsman, and loved playing pool, ping pong, darts, and bowling.On June 8, 1976, he married Rebecca Cannon, and they later divorced.&nbsp;
 He then married Laura Hendon on October 4, 2017, in Great Bend, 
Kansas.&nbsp; She survives.Other survivors include; son, David Yott of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; 
and daughters, Theresa Yott and spouse Thomas Wise of Hoisington, and 
Dietre Stevenson of Olmitz; four grandchildren, Tyler Duerksen, Dylan W.
 Yott, Dayne W. Yott, and Deryk W. Yott.Memorial service will be 10:00 a.m., Saturday, August 29, 2020, at 
Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, with Ron Bailey presiding.&nbsp; Friends may 
sign the book 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, cremation has 
taken place.Memorials are suggested to Golden Belt Community Foundation in care 
of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, PO Box 146, Hoisington, KS 67544.

Darrell Wayne Yott

Prairie View, KS resident Wayne K. Rupke passed away Tuesday, 
August 18, 2020, at the Norton County Hospital, Norton, KS at the age of 
76.

He was born October 9, 1943, in Norton, KS the son of Walter J. and 
Freda L. (Schemper) Rupke. He graduated from high school in Prairie 
View.&nbsp; &nbsp;He went on to graduate from Fort Hays University with a degree 
in Industrial Arts.

Wayne was a part of the last draft for the Vietnam War in 1969 and served in the US Army.

Following his discharge he attended Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland and completed the plumbing program.

He began working for the State of Kansas at the Hospital for 
handicapped in Norton in the maintenance department and continued when 
it became the Norton Corrections Facility. He later retired after 34 
years there.

He met his wife at a Western Auto store in Norton and was later 
united in marriage to Leeta JoAnn Michael on April 28, 1979, at the 
Luctor Christian Reformed Church.

They were blessed with two children. Wayne loved to travel and 
enjoyed many trips with his wife as a result of her sales for a company 
she worked with at the time. She survives.

Wayne used his education to remodel and add onto his home In Prairie 
View and his plumbing knowledge served many of the folks in his 
hometown.

Wayne suffered the last ten years with complications from West Niles 
virus; later contracting diabetes and a heart condition which was 
determined to be a result of his service in Vietnam. Wayne was not a man
 who complained, but suffered much. In recent months he lost some of his
 toes and endured much discomfort. He is finally with no pain. We will 
miss him.

Wayne is survived by his wife JoAnn of the home in Prairie View, his 
son Vance M. Rupke of Jennings, KS; daughter, Emma A. Rupke of Topeka, 
KS; two sisters, Shirley (Art) Henrickson of Logan, KS and Wanda (Doug) 
Rahjes of Kensington, KS, many cousins, nephews and nieces.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, August 22, 2020
 at the Prairie View Reformed Church, Prairie View, KS, with Pastor Lew 
VanDerWege officiating.&nbsp; The services will be streamed live on the 
Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel FaceBook page.&nbsp; Burial with military honors
 will follow in the Prairie View Cemetery.

Wayne will lie in state from noon until 9 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 
p.m. Friday with the family receiving friends Friday evening from 7 p.m.
 until 8 p.m. all at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, 1115 2nd St., Phillipsburg, KS&nbsp; 67661.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Prairie View Cemetery Fund.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1598026874097.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Prairie View, KS resident Wayne K. Rupke passed away Tuesday, 
August 18, 2020, at the Norton County Hospital, Norton, KS at the age of 
76.He was born October 9, 1943, in Norton, KS the son of Walter J. and 
Freda L. (Schemper) Rupke. He graduated from high school in Prairie 
View.&nbsp; &nbsp;He went on to graduate from Fort Hays University with a degree 
in Industrial Arts.Wayne was a part of the last draft for the Vietnam War in 1969 and served in the US Army.Following his discharge he attended Northwest Kansas Technical College in Goodland and completed the plumbing program.He began working for the State of Kansas at the Hospital for 
handicapped in Norton in the maintenance department and continued when 
it became the Norton Corrections Facility. He later retired after 34 
years there.He met his wife at a Western Auto store in Norton and was later 
united in marriage to Leeta JoAnn Michael on April 28, 1979, at the 
Luctor Christian Reformed Church.They were blessed with two children. Wayne loved to travel and 
enjoyed many trips with his wife as a result of her sales for a company 
she worked with at the time. She survives.Wayne used his education to remodel and add onto his home In Prairie 
View and his plumbing knowledge served many of the folks in his 
hometown.Wayne suffered the last ten years with complications from West Niles 
virus; later contracting diabetes and a heart condition which was 
determined to be a result of his service in Vietnam. Wayne was not a man
 who complained, but suffered much. In recent months he lost some of his
 toes and endured much discomfort. He is finally with no pain. We will 
miss him.Wayne is survived by his wife JoAnn of the home in Prairie View, his 
son Vance M. Rupke of Jennings, KS; daughter, Emma A. Rupke of Topeka, 
KS; two sisters, Shirley (Art) Henrickson of Logan, KS and Wanda (Doug) 
Rahjes of Kensington, KS, many cousins, nephews and nieces.Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, August 22, 2020
 at the Prairie View Reformed Church, Prairie View, KS, with Pastor Lew 
VanDerWege officiating.&nbsp; The services will be streamed live on the 
Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel FaceBook page.&nbsp; Burial with military honors
 will follow in the Prairie View Cemetery.Wayne will lie in state from noon until 9 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 
p.m. Friday with the family receiving friends Friday evening from 7 p.m.
 until 8 p.m. all at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, 1115 2nd St., Phillipsburg, KS&nbsp; 67661.Memorial contributions may be made to the Prairie View Cemetery Fund.

Wayne K. Rupke

A Kansas State University agricultural economist has completed an exhaustive study on hedging cattle prices, which he says could help producers manage their economic risks – perhaps especially so in times of crisis.

Brian Coffey looked at the average price of steers and heifers sold in Kansas between 2010 and June 2020 to determine if hedging – a strategy to lock in prices using futures markets – is a reliable strategy for selling live cattle.

“One thing that came out of this will be surprising to a lot of people,” Coffey said. “If we look just at the average price that live cattle would have been sold for from 2010 to 2020, the hedged prices are lower, but they are only 48 cents per hundredweight (cwt) lower than unhedged sales, on average. In other words, the risk-management benefits of hedging come at a fairly lower cost per hundredweight, on average.

“A lot of times, people have in mind that to get the risk-management benefit of hedging, you take a pretty big hit on expected average returns. But over the long term, we’re just not seeing that.”

Hedging helps to protect against adverse price changes in the markets by allowing a producer who is feeding cattle to establish an approximate selling price now and be protected if prices decline by the time they market those animals later.

“In given weeks or months, you can definitely give up potential gains in some of those extreme times when cash prices rally unexpectedly,” Coffey said. “But you also avoid extreme losses in weeks or months when cash prices decline unexpectedly.”

Coffey notes that more detailed information on hedging is available at&nbsp;<a href="https://agmanager.info/">AgManager.info</a>, a website managed by the K-State Department of Agricultural Economics.

In his study, Coffey assumed a feeding period of 160 days while comparing what a producer might have earned on live cattle sales had they hedged those sales instead.

“Basically what I assumed was that a producer would hedge cattle immediately upon placement, then immediately lift the hedge when those live cattle are priced or sold,” he said. “It’s a very disciplined and systematic hedging routine.”

While he found a slight average-price decrease when hedging during normal times, Coffey said hedging can provide huge benefits when disaster hits the industry – such as has happened twice in the past year.

In Fall 2019, a fire destroyed a packing plant owned by Tyson Fresh Meats in Holcomb, Kansas, which had a daily capacity of 6,000 head – or about 6% of the United States’ slaughter capacity.

Coffey compared live cattle prices for 23 weeks, between July and October 2019 to see what impact hedging would have had on producers’ profits.

“What I saw was the hedged price, on average, was about $10 per cwt higher,” he said. “If someone was marketing fed cattle week after week through that same time period, having those cattle hedged was worth an extra $10 per cwt higher.”

Put another way, the average weekly value of gain for hedged cattle was $123 higher per head than for unhedged cattle.

More recently, Coffey also looked at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, comparing prices between February 2020 and the end of June. Again, hedging proved to be a successful strategy during crisis.

“The hedged value of gain averaged about $221 per head higher,” Coffey said.

“The take-home lesson from both of those instances,” he said, “is that hedging can protect from scenarios that can, frankly, end a business. Hedging protects against catastrophic losses.”

Coffey’s full report, titled&nbsp;Hedging Kansas Live Cattle: A Summary of Outcomes over the Past 10 Years, is&nbsp;<a href="https://agmanager.info/">available online at Agmanager.info</a>.

Alicia Boor is an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent in the Cottonwood District (which includes Barton and Ellis counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact her by e-mail at aboor@ksu.edu or calling 620-793-1910.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1592579538317.png" alt="Alicia Boor is an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent in the Cottonwood District." />
 <figcaption>Alicia Boor is an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent in the Cottonwood District.</figcaption>
 </figure>A Kansas State University agricultural economist has completed an exhaustive study on hedging cattle prices, which he says could help producers manage their economic risks – perhaps especially so in times of crisis.Brian Coffey looked at the average price of steers and heifers sold in Kansas between 2010 and June 2020 to determine if hedging – a strategy to lock in prices using futures markets – is a reliable strategy for selling live cattle.“One thing that came out of this will be surprising to a lot of people,” Coffey said. “If we look just at the average price that live cattle would have been sold for from 2010 to 2020, the hedged prices are lower, but they are only 48 cents per hundredweight (cwt) lower than unhedged sales, on average. In other words, the risk-management benefits of hedging come at a fairly lower cost per hundredweight, on average.“A lot of times, people have in mind that to get the risk-management benefit of hedging, you take a pretty big hit on expected average returns. But over the long term, we’re just not seeing that.”Hedging helps to protect against adverse price changes in the markets by allowing a producer who is feeding cattle to establish an approximate selling price now and be protected if prices decline by the time they market those animals later.“In given weeks or months, you can definitely give up potential gains in some of those extreme times when cash prices rally unexpectedly,” Coffey said. “But you also avoid extreme losses in weeks or months when cash prices decline unexpectedly.”Coffey notes that more detailed information on hedging is available at&nbsp;<a href="https://agmanager.info/">AgManager.info</a>, a website managed by the K-State Department of Agricultural Economics.In his study, Coffey assumed a feeding period of 160 days while comparing what a producer might have earned on live cattle sales had they hedged those sales instead.“Basically what I assumed was that a producer would hedge cattle immediately upon placement, then immediately lift the hedge when those live cattle are priced or sold,” he said. “It’s a very disciplined and systematic hedging routine.”While he found a slight average-price decrease when hedging during normal times, Coffey said hedging can provide huge benefits when disaster hits the industry – such as has happened twice in the past year.In Fall 2019, a fire destroyed a packing plant owned by Tyson Fresh Meats in Holcomb, Kansas, which had a daily capacity of 6,000 head – or about 6% of the United States’ slaughter capacity.Coffey compared live cattle prices for 23 weeks, between July and October 2019 to see what impact hedging would have had on producers’ profits.“What I saw was the hedged price, on average, was about $10 per cwt higher,” he said. “If someone was marketing fed cattle week after week through that same time period, having those cattle hedged was worth an extra $10 per cwt higher.”Put another way, the average weekly value of gain for hedged cattle was $123 higher per head than for unhedged cattle.More recently, Coffey also looked at the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, comparing prices between February 2020 and the end of June. Again, hedging proved to be a successful strategy during crisis.“The hedged value of gain averaged about $221 per head higher,” Coffey said.“The take-home lesson from both of those instances,” he said, “is that hedging can protect from scenarios that can, frankly, end a business. Hedging protects against catastrophic losses.”Coffey’s full report, titled&nbsp;Hedging Kansas Live Cattle: A Summary of Outcomes over the Past 10 Years, is&nbsp;<a href="https://agmanager.info/">available online at Agmanager.info</a>.Alicia Boor is an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent in the Cottonwood District (which includes Barton and Ellis counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact her by e-mail at aboor@ksu.edu or calling 620-793-1910.

BOOR: Hedging cattle prices

Therese Marie (Kinderknecht) Hoag, age 
52, of Hays, KS passed away on June 4, 2020 at Hays Medical Center. She 
was born October 17, 1968 in Hays to Donald and Virginia (Legleiter) 
Kinderknecht. She attended Hays High School.

She is survived by a daughter, Sierra 
Hoag; two grandsons, Colton and Chase; sisters, Sue Erbacher (Pody), 
Dana Schmidt (John) both of Hays Kimberly Farber (Alan) Commerce City, 
CO; brothers, Carl Kinderknecht, Hays and John Kinderknecht, Hutchinson,
 KS.

She was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Debbra Kinderknecht; brothers, Michael and Marty Kinderknecht.

Private burial took place at St. 
Joseph’s Cemetery Hays with Brock's-Keithley Funeral Chapel and 
Crematory 2509 Vine Street Hays, Kansas 67601.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597932291355.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Therese Marie (Kinderknecht) Hoag, age 
52, of Hays, KS passed away on June 4, 2020 at Hays Medical Center. She 
was born October 17, 1968 in Hays to Donald and Virginia (Legleiter) 
Kinderknecht. She attended Hays High School.She is survived by a daughter, Sierra 
Hoag; two grandsons, Colton and Chase; sisters, Sue Erbacher (Pody), 
Dana Schmidt (John) both of Hays Kimberly Farber (Alan) Commerce City, 
CO; brothers, Carl Kinderknecht, Hays and John Kinderknecht, Hutchinson,
 KS.She was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Debbra Kinderknecht; brothers, Michael and Marty Kinderknecht.Private burial took place at St. 
Joseph’s Cemetery Hays with Brock's-Keithley Funeral Chapel and 
Crematory 2509 Vine Street Hays, Kansas 67601.Condolences may be left by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or by email at keithleyfuneralhomes@gmail.com

Therese M. Hoag

Mary Ann Heyen, 83, was called home to heaven on August 16, 2020 at 
her home surrounded by her family. She will be welcomed by her late 
husband, Meryle. Born March 15, 1937 to Jim (postmaster in St John) and 
Jennie Owen (teacher in Missouri) in Great Bend, Kansas during a snow 
storm. Her grandfather, C.A. Brown, donated a tract of land which is now
 known as the baseball park, swimming pool, shelter house, football 
field and Brown Park.

Mary Ann graduated in 1957 from St John High School, a 5th generation
 graduate. After high school Mary Ann went to college in Emporia, Ks and
 Gulf Port, Mississippi and studied nursing. In college she loved 
fencing and won many medals and trophies for her efforts. Mary Ann loved
 life and in the summer of 1956 worked at the North Pole in Colorado, at
 their grand opening as "Little Bo Peep" and an elf.

She married Meryle Heyen on October 18, 1958 at the Methodist Church 
in St John. Later she and Meryle joined the Church of Christ in 
Stafford. She belonged to the Modern Homemakers in Stafford, Great Bend 
Petroleum Club, she was a 50 year member (Golden Girl) of PEO in St 
John, and was a member of numerous bridge clubs in St John, Stafford, 
Great Bend, and Woodland Park Colorado.

Her hobbies were rock gathering in the mountains, estate and garage 
sales, collecting cut glass, old fruit jars, and barb wire. She loved 
going to Cripple Creek with her bridge friends and her niece Cappy and 
Sam. The love of her life besides Meryle were her dogs and 
great-grandchildren.

Survived by daughter Brenda Heyen of St John, grandchildren Erika 
Bebee and companion, Derek Jones, and Jaime Heyen. Great grandchildren 
Jadance Heyen, Jakobus "Kobi" Heyen, Elvin Jones, Colt Heyen and 
Remington Becker all of St John. Extended grandchildren, Leah Getty (Kip
 Ward, spouse), Travis Getty (Jamie Getty, spouse) and Heath Getty all 
of St John. Extended great grandchildren Hunter, Colton, and Addi Ward, 
Reese Getty, and Shyanna Rittel. She was proceeded in death by her 
parents, Jim and Jennie Owen, Brothers, Jimmy Phelps and Jack Brown 
Owen, three great grandchildren, Noah, Bjorn, and Luka and extended son 
Leonard Getty.

Visitation will be held from Noon to 9:00 p.m., Friday, August, 21, 
2020, at Bryant Funeral Home, with family to receive friends from 5:00 
to 7:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 22, 2020, at
 2:00 p.m., at Bryant Funeral Home, located at 1425 Patton Road, Great 
Bend, Kansas. Graveside services will follow in St. John. Memorials are 
suggested to the Great Grandchildren’s Education Fund, in care of Bryant
 Funeral Home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1597932441177.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Mary Ann Heyen, 83, was called home to heaven on August 16, 2020 at 
her home surrounded by her family. She will be welcomed by her late 
husband, Meryle. Born March 15, 1937 to Jim (postmaster in St John) and 
Jennie Owen (teacher in Missouri) in Great Bend, Kansas during a snow 
storm. Her grandfather, C.A. Brown, donated a tract of land which is now
 known as the baseball park, swimming pool, shelter house, football 
field and Brown Park.Mary Ann graduated in 1957 from St John High School, a 5th generation
 graduate. After high school Mary Ann went to college in Emporia, Ks and
 Gulf Port, Mississippi and studied nursing. In college she loved 
fencing and won many medals and trophies for her efforts. Mary Ann loved
 life and in the summer of 1956 worked at the North Pole in Colorado, at
 their grand opening as "Little Bo Peep" and an elf.She married Meryle Heyen on October 18, 1958 at the Methodist Church 
in St John. Later she and Meryle joined the Church of Christ in 
Stafford. She belonged to the Modern Homemakers in Stafford, Great Bend 
Petroleum Club, she was a 50 year member (Golden Girl) of PEO in St 
John, and was a member of numerous bridge clubs in St John, Stafford, 
Great Bend, and Woodland Park Colorado.Her hobbies were rock gathering in the mountains, estate and garage 
sales, collecting cut glass, old fruit jars, and barb wire. She loved 
going to Cripple Creek with her bridge friends and her niece Cappy and 
Sam. The love of her life besides Meryle were her dogs and 
great-grandchildren.Survived by daughter Brenda Heyen of St John, grandchildren Erika 
Bebee and companion, Derek Jones, and Jaime Heyen. Great grandchildren 
Jadance Heyen, Jakobus "Kobi" Heyen, Elvin Jones, Colt Heyen and 
Remington Becker all of St John. Extended grandchildren, Leah Getty (Kip
 Ward, spouse), Travis Getty (Jamie Getty, spouse) and Heath Getty all 
of St John. Extended great grandchildren Hunter, Colton, and Addi Ward, 
Reese Getty, and Shyanna Rittel. She was proceeded in death by her 
parents, Jim and Jennie Owen, Brothers, Jimmy Phelps and Jack Brown 
Owen, three great grandchildren, Noah, Bjorn, and Luka and extended son 
Leonard Getty.Visitation will be held from Noon to 9:00 p.m., Friday, August, 21, 
2020, at Bryant Funeral Home, with family to receive friends from 5:00 
to 7:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 22, 2020, at
 2:00 p.m., at Bryant Funeral Home, located at 1425 Patton Road, Great 
Bend, Kansas. Graveside services will follow in St. John. Memorials are 
suggested to the Great Grandchildren’s Education Fund, in care of Bryant
 Funeral Home.

Mary Ann Heyen

Wichita City League schools have canceled all non-league games and will play a league-only schedule for fall sports in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

GWAL athletic director J Means told the Wichita Eagle that a decision&nbsp;whether to play any games is coming Thursday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The decision leaves Hays High with two less football games.

The Indians were to open their season September 4th at
Wichita East then host Wichita Northwest October 23rd. 

The decision does not affect Hays High's game game at Maize South on October 15th since they are not in the Greater Wichita Athletic League.

Tuesday's decision by the GWAL leaves other WAC teams without games.

Dodge City lost three games and now has only one scheduled through their first four weeks of the season. Liberal lost three and Garden City lost two.

Wichita City League schools have canceled all non-league games and will play a league-only schedule for fall sports in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.GWAL athletic director J Means told the Wichita Eagle that a decision&nbsp;whether to play any games is coming Thursday.&nbsp;&nbsp;The decision leaves Hays High with two less football games.The Indians were to open their season September 4th at
Wichita East then host Wichita Northwest October 23rd. The decision does not affect Hays High's game game at Maize South on October 15th since they are not in the Greater Wichita Athletic League.Tuesday's decision by the GWAL leaves other WAC teams without games.Dodge City lost three games and now has only one scheduled through their first four weeks of the season. Liberal lost three and Garden City lost two.The move also affects the Hays High boys soccer team who was scheduled to play in the now canceled Wichita South Titan Classic.&nbsp;HHS tweeted out Tuesday night that they are trying to find replacement games and has already scheduled Salina Central on September 9th in Hays.