Loretta K. Small passed away on Thursday, January 14, 2021, at the Wilson
 Care and Rehabilitation Center in Wilson, KS, at the age of 51. She was
 born on October 2, 1969, to Jesse and Melba (Kindlesparger) Whitmer in 
Ellsworth, Kansas. 
 Loretta was a lifetime resident of Wilson. She attended Wilson High 
School and graduated with the Class of 1987. She went on to receive her 
Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Development from Barton Community 
College in 1990. She then returned home to Wilson and married Jerry 
Small at the United Methodist Church in Wilson in 1990. She loved 
spending time with Jerry, and anything outdoors such as hunting, 
fishing, or being at the lake.

Loretta started work for Eschbaugh 
Advertising as a Screen Press Operator and later went to work for her 
husband’s Smoky Hill Body Shop. Loretta beat Hodgkin’s Disease but was 
in a debilitating boat wreck in 2002 that left her disabled and took 
Jerry’s life. Although the wreck left her paralyzed, it didn’t dull her 
shine. She could tell you exactly how she felt with her expressions. She
 never ceased to smile when younger children were around or let her 
family know that she loved their company. 
 Loretta leaves behind her siblings, Patty Miller of Wilson, Jeanetta
 (Albert) Schendel of Baldwin City, KS, Terry (Debbie) Whitmer of 
Wilson, Leroy (Sue) Whitmer of Halstead, KS, and Nelson Whitmer of 
Wilson.
 She joins in paradise her parents, Jesse and Melba Whitmer; husband,
 Jerry Small; brother, Robert Whitmer; a niece, Michelle Whitmer; 
nephews, Michael and Danny Whitmer; brother-in-law, Fred Miller; and 
sisters-in-law, Carol Whitmer and Kathy Whitmer.
 There will be private family services. Visitation will be open to 
the public on Saturday, January 16, 2021, from 5 PM until 7 PM at 
Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home in Wilson. Masks are encouraged upon entry
 to the funeral home.
 Memorials are suggested to the Wilson Care and Rehab and may be sent
 in care of Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, PO BOX 533, Wilson, KS 67490.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610742382673.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Loretta K. Small passed away on Thursday, January 14, 2021, at the Wilson
 Care and Rehabilitation Center in Wilson, KS, at the age of 51. She was
 born on October 2, 1969, to Jesse and Melba (Kindlesparger) Whitmer in 
Ellsworth, Kansas. 
 Loretta was a lifetime resident of Wilson. She attended Wilson High 
School and graduated with the Class of 1987. She went on to receive her 
Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Development from Barton Community 
College in 1990. She then returned home to Wilson and married Jerry 
Small at the United Methodist Church in Wilson in 1990. She loved 
spending time with Jerry, and anything outdoors such as hunting, 
fishing, or being at the lake. Loretta started work for Eschbaugh 
Advertising as a Screen Press Operator and later went to work for her 
husband’s Smoky Hill Body Shop. Loretta beat Hodgkin’s Disease but was 
in a debilitating boat wreck in 2002 that left her disabled and took 
Jerry’s life. Although the wreck left her paralyzed, it didn’t dull her 
shine. She could tell you exactly how she felt with her expressions. She
 never ceased to smile when younger children were around or let her 
family know that she loved their company. 
 Loretta leaves behind her siblings, Patty Miller of Wilson, Jeanetta
 (Albert) Schendel of Baldwin City, KS, Terry (Debbie) Whitmer of 
Wilson, Leroy (Sue) Whitmer of Halstead, KS, and Nelson Whitmer of 
Wilson.
 She joins in paradise her parents, Jesse and Melba Whitmer; husband,
 Jerry Small; brother, Robert Whitmer; a niece, Michelle Whitmer; 
nephews, Michael and Danny Whitmer; brother-in-law, Fred Miller; and 
sisters-in-law, Carol Whitmer and Kathy Whitmer.
 There will be private family services. Visitation will be open to 
the public on Saturday, January 16, 2021, from 5 PM until 7 PM at 
Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home in Wilson. Masks are encouraged upon entry
 to the funeral home.
 Memorials are suggested to the Wilson Care and Rehab and may be sent
 in care of Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, PO BOX 533, Wilson, KS 67490.

Loretta K. Small 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ordered this week that women must visit a doctor’s office, hospital or clinic in person to obtain an abortion pill during the COVID-19 pandemic, though similar rules for other drugs have been suspended during the public health emergency.

Days before President Donald Trump leaves office, the justices granted a Trump administration appeal to be able to enforce a longstanding rule on getting the abortion pill, mifepristone. The pill need not be taken in the presence of medical professionals.

The court split 6-3, with the liberal justices in dissent. The new administration could put the in-person requirement on hold after Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20.

A federal judge had suspended the rule since July because of the coronavirus, in response to a lawsuit from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other groups.

U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang affirmed the suspension of the rule in December, saying public health risks for patients had increased as COVID-19 cases soared.

The Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone to be used in combination with a second drug, misoprostol, to end an early pregnancy or manage a miscarriage.

The administration has suspended similar in-person visits for other drugs, including opioids in some cases, but refused to relax the rules for getting the abortion pill.

In October, the Supreme Court allowed women to continue getting the abortion pill by mail but deferred any substantive ruling. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas said they would have granted the administration’s request then.

At the time, there were only eight justices on the court, as Justice Amy Coney Barrett had been nominated, but not yet confirmed. Barrett took the seat of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died in September.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ordered this week that women must visit a doctor’s office, hospital or clinic in person to obtain an abortion pill during the COVID-19 pandemic, though similar rules for other drugs have been suspended during the public health emergency.Days before President Donald Trump leaves office, the justices granted a Trump administration appeal to be able to enforce a longstanding rule on getting the abortion pill, mifepristone. The pill need not be taken in the presence of medical professionals.The court split 6-3, with the liberal justices in dissent. The new administration could put the in-person requirement on hold after Joe Biden takes office on Jan. 20.A federal judge had suspended the rule since July because of the coronavirus, in response to a lawsuit from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other groups.U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang affirmed the suspension of the rule in December, saying public health risks for patients had increased as COVID-19 cases soared.The Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone to be used in combination with a second drug, misoprostol, to end an early pregnancy or manage a miscarriage.The administration has suspended similar in-person visits for other drugs, including opioids in some cases, but refused to relax the rules for getting the abortion pill.In October, the Supreme Court allowed women to continue getting the abortion pill by mail but deferred any substantive ruling. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas said they would have granted the administration’s request then.At the time, there were only eight justices on the court, as Justice Amy Coney Barrett had been nominated, but not yet confirmed. Barrett took the seat of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died in September.

Justices: Women must obtain abortion pill in person

Nellie LaPlant, age 90, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 
12, 2021, at the Parklane Nursing Home in Scott City, Kansas. She was 
born on April 18, 1930, in Enid, Oklahoma, the daughter of Hugh and Monta
 Embree Simmons. She had been a resident of Scott City since 2005 having
 moved from Garden City, Kansas and worked in retail sales.

Nellie was a member of the First Christian Church of Scott City, Kansas.

On May 26, 1946, Nellie married Olin LaPlant in Enid, Oklahoma. Olin 
and Nellie moved to a farm near Hereford, Texas shortly after they were 
married and their five children were born in Texas.&nbsp; In 1957, the family
 moved to Liberal Kansas and opened LaPlant Carpet and Tile in 1970 
until a fire destroyed the business in 1987. Olin passed away on October
 17, 1989 in Wichita, Kansas.

Survivors include her children: Linda and Paul Smith of Ogden, UT, 
Mary and Jerry Watson of Topeka, Kansas, Larry LaPlant of Aransas Pass, 
Texas, and Dennis LaPlant of Corpus Christi, Texas, ten grandchildren, 
19 great grandchildren, and five, great great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, two brothers, 
Harry Simmons and Hugh B. Simmons, Jr., and one infant son, David 
LaPlant.

Private graveside services will be held at the Ames Cemetery in Ames,
 Oklahoma.&nbsp; A Celebration Of Life will be held at a later date in Enid, 
Oklahoma.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610721518929.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Nellie LaPlant, age 90, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, January 
12, 2021, at the Parklane Nursing Home in Scott City, Kansas. She was 
born on April 18, 1930, in Enid, Oklahoma, the daughter of Hugh and Monta
 Embree Simmons. She had been a resident of Scott City since 2005 having
 moved from Garden City, Kansas and worked in retail sales.Nellie was a member of the First Christian Church of Scott City, Kansas.On May 26, 1946, Nellie married Olin LaPlant in Enid, Oklahoma. Olin 
and Nellie moved to a farm near Hereford, Texas shortly after they were 
married and their five children were born in Texas.&nbsp; In 1957, the family
 moved to Liberal Kansas and opened LaPlant Carpet and Tile in 1970 
until a fire destroyed the business in 1987. Olin passed away on October
 17, 1989 in Wichita, Kansas.Survivors include her children: Linda and Paul Smith of Ogden, UT, 
Mary and Jerry Watson of Topeka, Kansas, Larry LaPlant of Aransas Pass, 
Texas, and Dennis LaPlant of Corpus Christi, Texas, ten grandchildren, 
19 great grandchildren, and five, great great grandchildren.She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, two brothers, 
Harry Simmons and Hugh B. Simmons, Jr., and one infant son, David 
LaPlant.Private graveside services will be held at the Ames Cemetery in Ames,
 Oklahoma.&nbsp; A Celebration Of Life will be held at a later date in Enid, 
Oklahoma.

Nellie LaPlant

October 2, 1969
 -
 January 14, 2021

An obituary is pending with Plumer Overlease Funeral Homes.

Click <a href="https://www.plumeroverlease.com/obituaries/Loretta-K-Small?obId=19640722#/celebrationWall">HERE</a> for service details.

October 2, 1969
 -
 January 14, 2021 An obituary is pending with Plumer Overlease Funeral Homes.Click <a href="https://www.plumeroverlease.com/obituaries/Loretta-K-Small?obId=19640722#/celebrationWall">HERE</a> for service details.

Loretta K. Small

Larry Gene Huff, 80, of Iuka, Kansas passed away January 4, 2021, at 
the Grand Plains Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation in Pratt, Kansas.

Larry was born November 16, 1940, at the family home in Decatur 
County, Kansas as the oldest of three children to Bert B &amp; Dorothy 
Mae (Whalin) Huff. Larry grew up on the family farm in Decatur until 
1944 when they moved to Loop City, Nebraska. In 1952, has family bought a
 ranch in Ainsworth, Nebraska, where they raised pure bred Hereford 
cattle.&nbsp; Larry graduated from high school in 1959 from The University of
 Nebraska, School of Agriculture in Curtis, Nebraska.

On October 30, 1960, Larry married Verna Lea McDaniel at the Methodist
 Church in Johnstown, Nebraska they recently celebrated their 60th 
wedding anniversary this past October.

Their three sons, Craig, Bryan, and Mike were born at the Brown 
County Hospital in Ainsworth, Nebraska. &nbsp;He raised his family on the 
ranch while he worked for Dannet Construction until Larry moved his 
family to Iuka, Kansas in 1972. He worked for Westoff Brothers (Great 
Bend) leveling land and digging irrigation pits during the irrigation 
boom in the 1970’s. Later he worked for R&amp;R Manufacturing as a 
welder, as well as operating the feed mill for the Great Plains Alfalfa 
Company and Pratt Feeders. He also had a part time job for the City of 
Iuka running the water treatment facility and additional city 
maintenance.&nbsp; He was a member of the United Methodist Church in Pratt.

Working was his hobby and loved spending time outdoors tending to the
 garden and mowing the grass.&nbsp; Creating and fixing things was his real 
passion.

Larry is survived by his wife Verna, two sons, Bryan (Dawn Stahl) of 
Overland Park, Kansas, Mike of Hays, Kansas, two sisters, Linda Rosse of
 Maxell, Nebraska, Mary (Larry Sapp) of Parker, Colorado, two 
grandchildren; Kiley (Drew Tenbrink) of Lenexa, Kansas, Brandon of 
Overland Park, Kansas, two great grandchildren (and one more on the way 
in April).

He was preceded in death by his son (Craig), parents (Bert &amp; 
Dorothy). Larry will be dearly missed by all his family and friends.

Inurnment will be held at the Iuka Cemetery and a celebration of life service to be held at a later date.

In lieu of Flowers, Please send memorial gifts to The Hope Center of Pratt, P.O. Box 127, Pratt, Kansas 67124.

Larry Gene Huff, 80, of Iuka, Kansas passed away January 4, 2021, at 
the Grand Plains Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation in Pratt, Kansas.Larry was born November 16, 1940, at the family home in Decatur 
County, Kansas as the oldest of three children to Bert B &amp; Dorothy 
Mae (Whalin) Huff. Larry grew up on the family farm in Decatur until 
1944 when they moved to Loop City, Nebraska. In 1952, has family bought a
 ranch in Ainsworth, Nebraska, where they raised pure bred Hereford 
cattle.&nbsp; Larry graduated from high school in 1959 from The University of
 Nebraska, School of Agriculture in Curtis, Nebraska.On October 30, 1960, Larry married Verna Lea McDaniel at the Methodist
 Church in Johnstown, Nebraska they recently celebrated their 60th 
wedding anniversary this past October.Their three sons, Craig, Bryan, and Mike were born at the Brown 
County Hospital in Ainsworth, Nebraska. &nbsp;He raised his family on the 
ranch while he worked for Dannet Construction until Larry moved his 
family to Iuka, Kansas in 1972. He worked for Westoff Brothers (Great 
Bend) leveling land and digging irrigation pits during the irrigation 
boom in the 1970’s. Later he worked for R&amp;R Manufacturing as a 
welder, as well as operating the feed mill for the Great Plains Alfalfa 
Company and Pratt Feeders. He also had a part time job for the City of 
Iuka running the water treatment facility and additional city 
maintenance.&nbsp; He was a member of the United Methodist Church in Pratt.Working was his hobby and loved spending time outdoors tending to the
 garden and mowing the grass.&nbsp; Creating and fixing things was his real 
passion.Larry is survived by his wife Verna, two sons, Bryan (Dawn Stahl) of 
Overland Park, Kansas, Mike of Hays, Kansas, two sisters, Linda Rosse of
 Maxell, Nebraska, Mary (Larry Sapp) of Parker, Colorado, two 
grandchildren; Kiley (Drew Tenbrink) of Lenexa, Kansas, Brandon of 
Overland Park, Kansas, two great grandchildren (and one more on the way 
in April).He was preceded in death by his son (Craig), parents (Bert &amp; 
Dorothy). Larry will be dearly missed by all his family and friends.Inurnment will be held at the Iuka Cemetery and a celebration of life service to be held at a later date.In lieu of Flowers, Please send memorial gifts to The Hope Center of Pratt, P.O. Box 127, Pratt, Kansas 67124.

Larry Gene Huff

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man has been found guilty of federal securities fraud and sentenced to four years' supervised probation. 

The office of U.S. Attorney General for Kansas Derek Schmidt says in a news release that 64-year-old Michael Davin, of Olathe, also was ordered Monday to pay more than $81,000 in restitution to a former client. 

Davin pleaded no contest to a single count back in December. Prosecutors say Davin failed to disclose to the investor that he had prior felony convictions, including two for theft. The securities case was initially filed in October 2018.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610658041549.png" alt="Davin photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Davin photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man has been found guilty of federal securities fraud and sentenced to four years' supervised probation. The office of U.S. Attorney General for Kansas Derek Schmidt says in a news release that 64-year-old Michael Davin, of Olathe, also was ordered Monday to pay more than $81,000 in restitution to a former client. Davin pleaded no contest to a single count back in December. Prosecutors say Davin failed to disclose to the investor that he had prior felony convictions, including two for theft. The securities case was initially filed in October 2018.

Kan. man ordered to repay investor in securities fraud case

Longtime Goodland, KS resident, Wilma Jean Davis, 93, passed away on Monday, January 11, 2021, at the Country Place Senior Living Center in Hoisington, KS.

Wilma was born on October 11, 1927, in Kanorado, KS to John Walter and Edna (Harding) Daise.&nbsp; She was one of six children. She attended school in Kanorado and Goodland, and graduated from Goodland High School in 1945.

In March of 1947, she married Jack Davis, and to this union one daughter Cheryl was born.&nbsp; She was a housewife, and was a member of the Goodland United Methodist Church. &nbsp; Farm life was always very important to her.&nbsp; She enjoyed traveling, playing bridge, shopping with her daughter and granddaughters, and family get togethers.&nbsp; She especially loved art and music.&nbsp; Her friendships throughout the years were timeless ones.

Preceding her in death were her parents, her husband Jack, two infant children, three brothers, Paul Maurice and Bill Daise, and one sister Donna Murray.

She is survived by her daughter Cheryl (Gene) Schremmer of Hoisington, KS, three granddaughters; Kristi (Derek) Roberts, and their children Daxton and Beckett of Nashville, TN, Danah Schremmer of Gardner, KS and Jackie Schremmer of Overland Park, KS, one brother John Daise of Seattle, WA, a brother-in-law Dick Murray of Colorado Springs, CO and a sister-in-law Mary Daise of Goodland, KS.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 10:30 AM MT at Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Goodland with Pastor Zach Anderson officiating.&nbsp; Burial will follow in the Goodland Cemetery, Goodland, KS.

Visitation will be held on Friday, January 15, 2021 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM MT at Koons-Russell Funeral Home.

Memorial contributions may be designated to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or to the Goodland Arts Council and may be left at the services or mailed to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, 211 N. Main Ave., Goodland, KS 67735.

Online condolences for the family may be left at <a href="http://www.koonsrussellfuneralhome.com">www.koonsrussellfuneralhome.com</a>.

Funeral services have been entrusted to Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Goodland, KS.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610546920429.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Longtime Goodland, KS resident, Wilma Jean Davis, 93, passed away on Monday, January 11, 2021, at the Country Place Senior Living Center in Hoisington, KS.Wilma was born on October 11, 1927, in Kanorado, KS to John Walter and Edna (Harding) Daise.&nbsp; She was one of six children. She attended school in Kanorado and Goodland, and graduated from Goodland High School in 1945.In March of 1947, she married Jack Davis, and to this union one daughter Cheryl was born.&nbsp; She was a housewife, and was a member of the Goodland United Methodist Church. &nbsp; Farm life was always very important to her.&nbsp; She enjoyed traveling, playing bridge, shopping with her daughter and granddaughters, and family get togethers.&nbsp; She especially loved art and music.&nbsp; Her friendships throughout the years were timeless ones.Preceding her in death were her parents, her husband Jack, two infant children, three brothers, Paul Maurice and Bill Daise, and one sister Donna Murray.She is survived by her daughter Cheryl (Gene) Schremmer of Hoisington, KS, three granddaughters; Kristi (Derek) Roberts, and their children Daxton and Beckett of Nashville, TN, Danah Schremmer of Gardner, KS and Jackie Schremmer of Overland Park, KS, one brother John Daise of Seattle, WA, a brother-in-law Dick Murray of Colorado Springs, CO and a sister-in-law Mary Daise of Goodland, KS.Funeral services will be held on Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 10:30 AM MT at Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Goodland with Pastor Zach Anderson officiating.&nbsp; Burial will follow in the Goodland Cemetery, Goodland, KS.Visitation will be held on Friday, January 15, 2021 from 6:00 to 8:00 PM MT at Koons-Russell Funeral Home.Memorial contributions may be designated to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or to the Goodland Arts Council and may be left at the services or mailed to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, 211 N. Main Ave., Goodland, KS 67735.Online condolences for the family may be left at <a href="http://www.koonsrussellfuneralhome.com">www.koonsrussellfuneralhome.com</a>.Funeral services have been entrusted to Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Goodland, KS.

Wilma Jean (Daise) Davis

Sarah Christine Ryser-Brown, 42, passed away January 10, 2021, at her
 home in Great Bend. She was born October 25, 1978, at Concordia to Gary
 &amp; Helen (Schueneman) Hayes. She was later adopted by Robert &amp; 
Barbara Jane (Rhodes) Ryser. She married Jeff Lee Brown July 31, 2010, 
at Larned.

Coming from Larned in 2010, Sarah was a Great Bend resident. She was a
 nurse's aide at Woodhaven Care Center. She enjoyed shopping, baking and
 softball. Her favorite teams were the St. Louis Cardinals and the 
Kansas City Chiefs. Sarah enjoyed taking care of everybody but 
especially loved caring for her children.

Survivors include, her husband, Jeff Lee Brown of Great Bend; a son, 
Austin Lee Brown of Great Bend; three daughters, Siriah Sexton and 
fiancé Mike Graves, Alexis Sexton, and Jasmine Sexton all of Great Bend;
 her mother, Barbara Jane Ryser; two sisters, Heather Burton of Ruidoso,
 New Mexico and Mary Eleta McDermet of Topeka; her uncle and aunt, 
Vernie and Ann Houtchens of Clifton; and two grandchildren, Karter 
Bentley Jewell and Dean Sexton. She was preceded in death by her father,
 Robert Ryser; and grandmother, Betty Rhodes.

There will be no visitation as cremation has taken place. Funeral 
Service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, January 15, 2021, at Bryant 
Funeral Home with Pastor Larry Schumacher presiding. A public livestream
 of the service will be available under Sarah’s obituary at <a href="http://www.bryantfh.net">www.bryantfh.net</a>. Memorials are designated to the Sarah Ryser-Brown Memorial Fund, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610485352054.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Sarah Christine Ryser-Brown, 42, passed away January 10, 2021, at her
 home in Great Bend. She was born October 25, 1978, at Concordia to Gary
 &amp; Helen (Schueneman) Hayes. She was later adopted by Robert &amp; 
Barbara Jane (Rhodes) Ryser. She married Jeff Lee Brown July 31, 2010, 
at Larned.Coming from Larned in 2010, Sarah was a Great Bend resident. She was a
 nurse's aide at Woodhaven Care Center. She enjoyed shopping, baking and
 softball. Her favorite teams were the St. Louis Cardinals and the 
Kansas City Chiefs. Sarah enjoyed taking care of everybody but 
especially loved caring for her children.Survivors include, her husband, Jeff Lee Brown of Great Bend; a son, 
Austin Lee Brown of Great Bend; three daughters, Siriah Sexton and 
fiancé Mike Graves, Alexis Sexton, and Jasmine Sexton all of Great Bend;
 her mother, Barbara Jane Ryser; two sisters, Heather Burton of Ruidoso,
 New Mexico and Mary Eleta McDermet of Topeka; her uncle and aunt, 
Vernie and Ann Houtchens of Clifton; and two grandchildren, Karter 
Bentley Jewell and Dean Sexton. She was preceded in death by her father,
 Robert Ryser; and grandmother, Betty Rhodes.There will be no visitation as cremation has taken place. Funeral 
Service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, January 15, 2021, at Bryant 
Funeral Home with Pastor Larry Schumacher presiding. A public livestream
 of the service will be available under Sarah’s obituary at <a href="http://www.bryantfh.net">www.bryantfh.net</a>. Memorials are designated to the Sarah Ryser-Brown Memorial Fund, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.

Sarah Christine Ryser-Brown

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas House Democrats started the process Tuesday to oust a newly elected lawmaker over multiple issues that include the 20-year-old’s rhetoric on Twitter and allegations of harassing and threatening girls and young women.

A formal compliant filed in the House about State Rep. Aaron Coleman will kick off a bipartisan investigation that will culminate in a recommendation and vote about his future in the Legislature. A two-thirds majority would be necessary to oust Coleman, of Kansas City, Kansas, who was sworn in on Monday.

“He is a danger to women,” said Minority Leader Tom Sawyer in a statement. “His removal is necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of legislators and Capitol staff.”

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has said Coleman is unfit to serve in the House.

Coleman, who was elected as a Democrat,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Aaron4KS37/status/1349019093354086402/photo/1" target="_blank">tweeted&nbsp;</a>Tuesday that he was unaffiliating with the party. He wrote that Democratic leaders in the House have “done everything possible” to deny the people of his district the right to representation in the Legislature.

“I am ready to get to work for the people of Kansas,” he said, adding that he is being stymied. While the censure inquiry is underway, he won’t be assigned to any committees or given an office.

He didn’t immediately respond to a text message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Coleman ran on a progressive platform that included providing universal health coverage, ending college tuition and legalizing marijuana. He won his primary race even after admitting on social media that he had circulated revenge porn as a “sick and troubled” middle school-aged boy.

He faced only write-in candidates in the general election, even as at least two other cases in which he was accused of threatening or abusing girls or young women came to light.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-state-courts-legislature-kansas-city-lawsuits-fa6cd16ccb10518f157e4796522d214b">Last week, he reached a legal agreement&nbsp;</a>with Brandie Armstrong, the campaign manager for the veteran lawmaker Coleman narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary in August. The order ended an anti-stalking court order against him.

Armstrong said in her request for the court order that Coleman repeatedly sent harassing texts and personal messages to her during the campaign, came to her home in June and October and attempted to file “false and bogus” complaints against her landlord to try to get her evicted.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610477940395.png" alt="Photo courtesy Rep. Aaron Coleman&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Rep. Aaron Coleman&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas House Democrats started the process Tuesday to oust a newly elected lawmaker over multiple issues that include the 20-year-old’s rhetoric on Twitter and allegations of harassing and threatening girls and young women.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Complaint Filed Against Rep. Aaron Coleman <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ksleg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ksleg</a> <a href="https://t.co/7dAl3xHgpR">pic.twitter.com/7dAl3xHgpR</a>&mdash; Kansas House Dems (@KSHouseDems) <a href="https://twitter.com/KSHouseDems/status/1349050518979665923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>A formal compliant filed in the House about State Rep. Aaron Coleman will kick off a bipartisan investigation that will culminate in a recommendation and vote about his future in the Legislature. A two-thirds majority would be necessary to oust Coleman, of Kansas City, Kansas, who was sworn in on Monday.“He is a danger to women,” said Minority Leader Tom Sawyer in a statement. “His removal is necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of legislators and Capitol staff.”Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has said Coleman is unfit to serve in the House.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 01-12-2021 Statement from House District 37 Representative Aaron Coleman on Unaffiliating with Democratic Leadership and Registering as an Independent. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ksleg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ksleg</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UsNotMe?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UsNotMe</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YangGang?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YangGang</a> <a href="https://t.co/OXFbNxrMVA">pic.twitter.com/OXFbNxrMVA</a>&mdash; Rep. Aaron Coleman 🌹✡️ (@Aaron4KS37) <a href="https://twitter.com/Aaron4KS37/status/1349019093354086402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Coleman, who was elected as a Democrat,&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Aaron4KS37/status/1349019093354086402/photo/1" target="_blank">tweeted&nbsp;</a>Tuesday that he was unaffiliating with the party. He wrote that Democratic leaders in the House have “done everything possible” to deny the people of his district the right to representation in the Legislature.“I am ready to get to work for the people of Kansas,” he said, adding that he is being stymied. While the censure inquiry is underway, he won’t be assigned to any committees or given an office.He didn’t immediately respond to a text message from The Associated Press seeking comment.Coleman ran on a progressive platform that included providing universal health coverage, ending college tuition and legalizing marijuana. He won his primary race even after admitting on social media that he had circulated revenge porn as a “sick and troubled” middle school-aged boy.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My seat and view when we are in session! :) <a href="https://t.co/OJ2ucd39Y2">pic.twitter.com/OJ2ucd39Y2</a>&mdash; Rep. Aaron Coleman 🌹✡️ (@Aaron4KS37) <a href="https://twitter.com/Aaron4KS37/status/1348749586534424582?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>He faced only write-in candidates in the general election, even as at least two other cases in which he was accused of threatening or abusing girls or young women came to light.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-state-courts-legislature-kansas-city-lawsuits-fa6cd16ccb10518f157e4796522d214b">Last week, he reached a legal agreement&nbsp;</a>with Brandie Armstrong, the campaign manager for the veteran lawmaker Coleman narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary in August. The order ended an anti-stalking court order against him.Armstrong said in her request for the court order that Coleman repeatedly sent harassing texts and personal messages to her during the campaign, came to her home in June and October and attempted to file “false and bogus” complaints against her landlord to try to get her evicted.

Kan. House Dems move to oust member over issues with women

Welton “Pete” Leroy Ideker, 76, passed away January 11, 2021, at the 
University of Kansas Health Systems Pawnee Valley Campus, Larned.

He was born September 30, 1944, in Great Bend, the son of Ervin Henry and Stella Carmen Reid Ideker.

A lifetime area resident, he was a farmer. He was a strong believer in
 the Heavenly Father and was an honest person. He served as a medic in 
the United States Army.

On October 19, 1991, he married Linda Shottenkirk at Grace Lutheran Church in Larned; she survives.

Other survivors include: two sons, Trevis (Kim) Galliart, Rozel, 
Timothy Galliart, Great Bend; foster brother, Larry (Marie) Fox, Tuscon,
 AZ; sister-in-law Nyla Ideker, FL; four grandchildren, Taylor, Tristen,
 McKenzie, and Tanner; four great grandchildren, Tripp, Evyn, Madison, 
and Charleigh; a niece, Michelle (Brian) Murdock Martin, FL; a nephew, 
Aaron (Sarah) Ideker, Auburn, KS; and two great nephews, Hunter and 
Dylan.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Armen Ervin Ideker.

Cremation has taken place and no services are planned at this time.

Welton “Pete” Leroy Ideker, 76, passed away January 11, 2021, at the 
University of Kansas Health Systems Pawnee Valley Campus, Larned.He was born September 30, 1944, in Great Bend, the son of Ervin Henry and Stella Carmen Reid Ideker.A lifetime area resident, he was a farmer. He was a strong believer in
 the Heavenly Father and was an honest person. He served as a medic in 
the United States Army.On October 19, 1991, he married Linda Shottenkirk at Grace Lutheran Church in Larned; she survives.Other survivors include: two sons, Trevis (Kim) Galliart, Rozel, 
Timothy Galliart, Great Bend; foster brother, Larry (Marie) Fox, Tuscon,
 AZ; sister-in-law Nyla Ideker, FL; four grandchildren, Taylor, Tristen,
 McKenzie, and Tanner; four great grandchildren, Tripp, Evyn, Madison, 
and Charleigh; a niece, Michelle (Brian) Murdock Martin, FL; a nephew, 
Aaron (Sarah) Ideker, Auburn, KS; and two great nephews, Hunter and 
Dylan.He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Armen Ervin Ideker.Cremation has taken place and no services are planned at this time.

Welton 'Pete' Leroy Ideker

Deanna Rhea Augustine, 61, Hays, died Monday, January 11, 2021 at HaysMed.

She was born June 4, 1959 in WaKeeney, the daughter of John and Greta (Gorsky) Dice.&nbsp; She graduated from Trego Community High School in 1977.&nbsp; On October 1, 1977 she was united in marriage to Rich Augustine at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ellis, and they celebrated 43 years of marriage.&nbsp; She worked at Helen’s Cafe, the WaKeeney movie theater, Travenol, was a bus driver for USD 489, and was a front end manager at Dillons.&nbsp; She was hardworking, loved decorating for holidays, baking, cooking and entertaining.&nbsp; She enjoyed dancing, was a Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs fan, made all kinds of crafts, and sewed outfits for infants using material from wedding dresses.&nbsp; She had a huge heart for everyone, loved time with her family, especially her grandchildren, always attending their sporting events and activities.

Survivors include her husband Rich of Hays, son: Craig Augustine and wife Bonnie of Hays, daughter: Tera Linenberger and Daniel Head of Olathe, brother: John Dice II and wife Marci of Hastings, NE, three sisters: Dawn Cookus of Chanute, Robin Armbrister and husband Rodney of Ellis, and Joan Townley and husband Brian of WaKeeney, four grandchildren: Emilee Augustine, Madison Augustine, Noah Linenberger, and Lane Linenberger, and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents: John and Greta Dice, father and mother-in-law: Leonard and Tillie Augustine, brother-in-law: Gary Cookus, and her nephew: Eric Joseph Augustine.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 am on Friday, January 15, 2021 at St. Joseph Catholic Church with Fr. Brian Lager officiating.&nbsp; Burial will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery.&nbsp; Visitation will be from 5:00 pm until 8:00 on Thursday at the church and from 9:00 am until 9:45 on Friday at Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.&nbsp; A vigil service and rosary will be at 6:30 pm on Thursday at the church.&nbsp; Memorials are suggested to the HaysMed Foundation or to the Hays ARC Park.&nbsp; Condolences and memories of Deanna may be shared with the family at www.haysmemorial.com&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610465098331.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Deanna Rhea Augustine, 61, Hays, died Monday, January 11, 2021 at HaysMed.She was born June 4, 1959 in WaKeeney, the daughter of John and Greta (Gorsky) Dice.&nbsp; She graduated from Trego Community High School in 1977.&nbsp; On October 1, 1977 she was united in marriage to Rich Augustine at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Ellis, and they celebrated 43 years of marriage.&nbsp; She worked at Helen’s Cafe, the WaKeeney movie theater, Travenol, was a bus driver for USD 489, and was a front end manager at Dillons.&nbsp; She was hardworking, loved decorating for holidays, baking, cooking and entertaining.&nbsp; She enjoyed dancing, was a Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs fan, made all kinds of crafts, and sewed outfits for infants using material from wedding dresses.&nbsp; She had a huge heart for everyone, loved time with her family, especially her grandchildren, always attending their sporting events and activities.Survivors include her husband Rich of Hays, son: Craig Augustine and wife Bonnie of Hays, daughter: Tera Linenberger and Daniel Head of Olathe, brother: John Dice II and wife Marci of Hastings, NE, three sisters: Dawn Cookus of Chanute, Robin Armbrister and husband Rodney of Ellis, and Joan Townley and husband Brian of WaKeeney, four grandchildren: Emilee Augustine, Madison Augustine, Noah Linenberger, and Lane Linenberger, and numerous nieces and nephews.She was preceded in death by her parents: John and Greta Dice, father and mother-in-law: Leonard and Tillie Augustine, brother-in-law: Gary Cookus, and her nephew: Eric Joseph Augustine.Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 am on Friday, January 15, 2021 at St. Joseph Catholic Church with Fr. Brian Lager officiating.&nbsp; Burial will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery.&nbsp; Visitation will be from 5:00 pm until 8:00 on Thursday at the church and from 9:00 am until 9:45 on Friday at Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home.&nbsp; A vigil service and rosary will be at 6:30 pm on Thursday at the church.&nbsp; Memorials are suggested to the HaysMed Foundation or to the Hays ARC Park.&nbsp; Condolences and memories of Deanna may be shared with the family at www.haysmemorial.com&nbsp;

Deanna Rhea Augustine

Marvella A. Becker, 87, passed away January 11, 2021, at Clara Barton
 Hospital, Hoisington.&nbsp; She was born October 25, 1933, in Great Bend, to
 Alfred and Lena Mary (Trauer) Krueger.&nbsp; Marvella married Elmer Becker 
April 5, 1966, in Las Vegas.&nbsp; He died March 9, 2016.&nbsp; Marvella, along 
with her husband Elmer, owned and operated Al’s Drive In for many years.

Surviving is one daughter; Rhonda Shelton of Great Bend; five sons, 
Kevin Beakey and wife Debby of McPherson, Kenny Beakey of Great Bend, 
Ron Becker and wife Gina of Branson, Mo., Todd Becker of Great Bend and 
Shane Becker and wife Julie of Great Bend; two step sons, Steve Becker 
and Greg Becker; grandchildren, Cheri Wagner, Regan Parr, Michael Caine 
Shelton, Kendra Beakey, Jason Brabander, Jill Jackson, Kelsey Beakey, 
Cheyenne Beakey, Kennedy Beakey, Camryn Beakey, Cody Allen, Gage Becker,
 Tessa Van Conett, Lydia Murphy, Rieley Fuentes, Austin Becker, Hailey 
Tammen, Riley Tammen, Kenzlie Becker, Khloe Becker, Landon Becker and 
Hunter Becker; and many great grandchildren, including, Tylar Wagner, 
Paige Wagner, Maycee Parr, Kanyen Parr, Erika Parr, Gaige Gunderson, 
Zoey King and Kason King. She was preceded in death by son, Jim "Bimbo" 
Beakey; brother, Jerry Krueger; sister, Joyce Krueger; and a son-in-law,
 Mike Shelton.

Services will be 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 13, 2021, at Bryant 
Funeral Home with Rev. Dick Ogle. Interment will follow at Hillcrest 
Memorial Park, Great Bend.&nbsp; Visitation will be 1:00 to 9:00 p.m., 
Tuesday, January 12, at Bryant Funeral Home, with the family receiving 
friends from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.&nbsp; Memorials may be given to the Marvella 
Becker Memorial Fund, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610457453510.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Marvella A. Becker, 87, passed away January 11, 2021, at Clara Barton
 Hospital, Hoisington.&nbsp; She was born October 25, 1933, in Great Bend, to
 Alfred and Lena Mary (Trauer) Krueger.&nbsp; Marvella married Elmer Becker 
April 5, 1966, in Las Vegas.&nbsp; He died March 9, 2016.&nbsp; Marvella, along 
with her husband Elmer, owned and operated Al’s Drive In for many years.Surviving is one daughter; Rhonda Shelton of Great Bend; five sons, 
Kevin Beakey and wife Debby of McPherson, Kenny Beakey of Great Bend, 
Ron Becker and wife Gina of Branson, Mo., Todd Becker of Great Bend and 
Shane Becker and wife Julie of Great Bend; two step sons, Steve Becker 
and Greg Becker; grandchildren, Cheri Wagner, Regan Parr, Michael Caine 
Shelton, Kendra Beakey, Jason Brabander, Jill Jackson, Kelsey Beakey, 
Cheyenne Beakey, Kennedy Beakey, Camryn Beakey, Cody Allen, Gage Becker,
 Tessa Van Conett, Lydia Murphy, Rieley Fuentes, Austin Becker, Hailey 
Tammen, Riley Tammen, Kenzlie Becker, Khloe Becker, Landon Becker and 
Hunter Becker; and many great grandchildren, including, Tylar Wagner, 
Paige Wagner, Maycee Parr, Kanyen Parr, Erika Parr, Gaige Gunderson, 
Zoey King and Kason King. She was preceded in death by son, Jim "Bimbo" 
Beakey; brother, Jerry Krueger; sister, Joyce Krueger; and a son-in-law,
 Mike Shelton.Services will be 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 13, 2021, at Bryant 
Funeral Home with Rev. Dick Ogle. Interment will follow at Hillcrest 
Memorial Park, Great Bend.&nbsp; Visitation will be 1:00 to 9:00 p.m., 
Tuesday, January 12, at Bryant Funeral Home, with the family receiving 
friends from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.&nbsp; Memorials may be given to the Marvella 
Becker Memorial Fund, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.

Marvella A. Becker

Keely Connolly thought she would be safe once the ambulance arrived at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center in Kansas.

She
 was having difficulty breathing because she’d had to miss a kidney 
dialysis treatment a few days earlier for lack of child care. Her 
potassium was dangerously high, putting her at risk of a heart attack. 
But she trusted she would be fine once she was admitted and dialysis was
 begun.

She panicked when a nurse told her that no beds were 
available and that she would have to be transferred — possibly more than
 450 miles away to Denver. She had heard a rumor about a dialysis 
patient who died waiting for a bed at a hospital in Wichita, about an 
hour down the road.

“‘I don’t want to die in the ER,’” Connolly, 
32, recalled thinking. “I just wanted them to fix me, but then the woman
 came in and said, ‘There are no beds.’ I got really scared and I didn’t
 know if they had time to get me anywhere else.”

When a bed was 
finally located 65 miles away in Salina, Connolly, who has kidney 
failure, was relieved but worried: How long would she be gone? Who would
 care for her young daughter? How would she get home? What would it all 
cost?

Connolly was caught in a situation experts have warned about
 since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic: Covid-19 patients are 
overwhelming hospitals, squeezing space and staff needed to treat 
emergencies like Connolly’s.

While it has happened in pockets 
throughout the country since the spring, the pressure on hospitals is 
widespread now — reaching into both urban and rural communities at an 
alarming pace, even as local officials and citizens continue to <a href="https://khn.org/news/article/pandemic-backlash-jeopardizes-public-health-powers-leaders/" target="_blank">slam public health departments and pandemic guidelines</a>. Traveling nurses are hard to come by as their services are in high demand nationwide and <a href="https://khn.org/news/highly-paid-traveling-nurses-fill-staffing-shortages-during-covid-pandemic/" target="_blank">their pay has escalated beyond the reach of some smaller hospitals</a>.

“This
 is the first time since I have been here that we’ve had a scenario 
where multiple hospitals, for longer periods of time, are experiencing 
some kind of shortages,” said <a href="https://www.kha-net.org/AboutKHA/KHAStaffListing/KHAStaff/" target="_blank">Cindy Samuelson</a>, a senior vice president of the Kansas Hospital Association.

And
 it got worse after Connolly’s emergency in mid-November. The 14-day 
rolling average positive test rate in Reno County, where Hutchinson is 
the county seat, reached 46% on Dec. 22, though it has since come down 
to 24% as of Jan. 4, said D.J. Gering, data analyst for the <a href="https://www.renogov.org/741/COVID-19" target="_blank">Reno County Health Department</a>. The results did not include inmates from the Hutchinson Correctional Center, the local state prison.

By
 Oct. 1, four covid deaths had been recorded in the county of about 
62,000. By Jan. 4, the death toll since the pandemic began had jumped to
 105. For comparison, Gering said, Reno County had 19 deaths attributed 
to pneumonia and influenza combined in all of 2019.

Hospitalizations
 at the 190-licensed-bed Hutchinson Regional Medical Center increased 
800% from mid-October to mid-December then started to temper at the end 
of the month, said <a href="http://www.hutchregional.com/about-us/hrhs-administration" target="_blank">Chuck Welch</a>, vice president of Hutchinson Regional Medical System.

“I
 hate to be overly optimistic until we are well past the possible 
holiday surge from Christmas and New Year’s,” he said in an email.

Operating
 between 90% and 95% capacity, the hospital is providing care to 
patients with a multitude of needs and still has room to expand. The 
problem, Welch said, has been staffing.

<a href="https://khn.org/news/highly-paid-traveling-nurses-fill-staffing-shortages-during-covid-pandemic/" target="_blank">Competing for traveling nurses and specialists</a>
 against larger hospitals to backfill positions open from sick or 
quarantining staffers has been challenging. When the hospital has been 
faced with increasing numbers of covid patients seeking emergency care, 
handling “normal” emergencies like Connolly’s has been much more 
difficult, Welch said.

While staffers work to transfer patients as
 close to home as possible, with so many hospitals in Kansas beyond 
capacity, it has become more common than before to transfer as far away 
as Colorado and Nebraska. Such transfers require medical flights, which 
are typically not covered by insurance and can cost patients upward of 
$50,000, Welch said.

“It is collateral damage,” he said. “It is 
something that has sort of been lost out of the narrative of these folks
 where everybody is relieved when we find them a bed. Everybody forgets 
about the downstream impact of the cost of those transports.”

Connolly
 recovered after three days in the Salina hospital. But the question 
still looms about the costs for her emergency care. Connolly had left 
her job as a corrections officer at the prison in September because 
coronavirus cases began to spike inside. Without her employer-sponsored 
health insurance, Connolly now relies on Medicaid and Medicare Part A, 
which means she is responsible for more out-of-pocket costs for things 
like pharmaceuticals and ambulance services.

Connolly worries so 
much about her finances that she’s been too scared to look at her recent
 ambulance bills. Being a single parent, living with kidney failure and 
undergoing dialysis during a pandemic are her primary concerns.

As with many underlying conditions, covid-19 appears to pose an extra
 risk for people with kidney failure and patients undergoing dialysis, 
said Dr. <a href="https://www.asn-online.org/about/bio.aspx?ID=42512" target="_blank">Alan Kliger</a>, a nephrologist at Yale University and co-chair of the American Society of Nephrology’s COVID-19 Response Team.

Data
 from New York and Europe early in the pandemic showed that about 1 in 5
 dialysis patients who acquired covid died, he said. However, the 
complication and mortality rates have fallen in recent months, according
 to unpublished survey data from members of the nephrology society, 
Kliger said.

For 
Connolly, the pandemic has also complicated her three-times-a-week 
3½-hour dialysis schedule. For example, when her daughter’s kindergarten
 class was told to quarantine for 14 days after an in-class exposure to 
the virus, she had to scramble to find babysitters so she could attend 
dialysis.

“I don’t want too many people to watch her because of 
covid,” Connolly said of her daughter, adding that she is lucky the 
girl’s father is supportive. But he can’t always step in, which means if
 Connolly can’t find a sitter, she may have to skip or reschedule 
dialysis.

Connolly wants to get another job. But living in a 
county where so many refuse to wear masks and some elected leaders 
accuse the health department of providing false information about covid 
testing rates and statistics makes her afraid to be in public more than 
necessary.

“I want to work,” she said. “I had a good job. I served
 my community. The reality of knowing how bad it is at the hospital — I 
have seen it firsthand. And now I am out and seeing people without masks
 and I am thinking, ‘If I get this and I have to go back, I may not 
leave the hospital next time.’”

The reality, said Kliger, Welch 
and others, is that while the virus runs rampant, hospitals will 
struggle to keep up, which potentially endangers medical staffers and 
anyone needing hospital care — and the virus will continue to spread as 
long as people refuse to wear masks and disregard scientifically sound 
guidelines.

Connolly said she would love to see more empathy for 
people who have underlying health concerns like her from those resisting
 safety measures such as masks.

“Even if they think that it 
doesn’t work, what if it does? What if it could? I don’t really 
understand how wearing a mask is going to take so much out of your day, 
compared to someone who is immunocompromised and gets sick,” said 
Connolly. “Or you lose your grandma, or your parent. That’s going to 
affect your life a lot longer than wearing a mask for a little while.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610389428307.png" alt="After missing a dialysis appointment, Keely Connolly needed emergency care at a Hutchinson, Kansas, hospital. But all beds were filled, so she was transferred to Salina — 65 miles away from her home and young daughter. Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>After missing a dialysis appointment, Keely Connolly needed emergency care at a Hutchinson, Kansas, hospital. But all beds were filled, so she was transferred to Salina — 65 miles away from her home and young daughter. Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Kaiser Health NewsKeely Connolly thought she would be safe once the ambulance arrived at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center in Kansas.She
 was having difficulty breathing because she’d had to miss a kidney 
dialysis treatment a few days earlier for lack of child care. Her 
potassium was dangerously high, putting her at risk of a heart attack. 
But she trusted she would be fine once she was admitted and dialysis was
 begun.She panicked when a nurse told her that no beds were 
available and that she would have to be transferred — possibly more than
 450 miles away to Denver. She had heard a rumor about a dialysis 
patient who died waiting for a bed at a hospital in Wichita, about an 
hour down the road.“‘I don’t want to die in the ER,’” Connolly, 
32, recalled thinking. “I just wanted them to fix me, but then the woman
 came in and said, ‘There are no beds.’ I got really scared and I didn’t
 know if they had time to get me anywhere else.”When a bed was 
finally located 65 miles away in Salina, Connolly, who has kidney 
failure, was relieved but worried: How long would she be gone? Who would
 care for her young daughter? How would she get home? What would it all 
cost?Connolly was caught in a situation experts have warned about
 since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic: Covid-19 patients are 
overwhelming hospitals, squeezing space and staff needed to treat 
emergencies like Connolly’s.While it has happened in pockets 
throughout the country since the spring, the pressure on hospitals is 
widespread now — reaching into both urban and rural communities at an 
alarming pace, even as local officials and citizens continue to <a href="https://khn.org/news/article/pandemic-backlash-jeopardizes-public-health-powers-leaders/" target="_blank">slam public health departments and pandemic guidelines</a>. Traveling nurses are hard to come by as their services are in high demand nationwide and <a href="https://khn.org/news/highly-paid-traveling-nurses-fill-staffing-shortages-during-covid-pandemic/" target="_blank">their pay has escalated beyond the reach of some smaller hospitals</a>.“This
 is the first time since I have been here that we’ve had a scenario 
where multiple hospitals, for longer periods of time, are experiencing 
some kind of shortages,” said <a href="https://www.kha-net.org/AboutKHA/KHAStaffListing/KHAStaff/" target="_blank">Cindy Samuelson</a>, a senior vice president of the Kansas Hospital Association.And
 it got worse after Connolly’s emergency in mid-November. The 14-day 
rolling average positive test rate in Reno County, where Hutchinson is 
the county seat, reached 46% on Dec. 22, though it has since come down 
to 24% as of Jan. 4, said D.J. Gering, data analyst for the <a href="https://www.renogov.org/741/COVID-19" target="_blank">Reno County Health Department</a>. The results did not include inmates from the Hutchinson Correctional Center, the local state prison.By
 Oct. 1, four covid deaths had been recorded in the county of about 
62,000. By Jan. 4, the death toll since the pandemic began had jumped to
 105. For comparison, Gering said, Reno County had 19 deaths attributed 
to pneumonia and influenza combined in all of 2019.Hospitalizations
 at the 190-licensed-bed Hutchinson Regional Medical Center increased 
800% from mid-October to mid-December then started to temper at the end 
of the month, said <a href="http://www.hutchregional.com/about-us/hrhs-administration" target="_blank">Chuck Welch</a>, vice president of Hutchinson Regional Medical System.“I
 hate to be overly optimistic until we are well past the possible 
holiday surge from Christmas and New Year’s,” he said in an email.Operating
 between 90% and 95% capacity, the hospital is providing care to 
patients with a multitude of needs and still has room to expand. The 
problem, Welch said, has been staffing.<a href="https://khn.org/news/highly-paid-traveling-nurses-fill-staffing-shortages-during-covid-pandemic/" target="_blank">Competing for traveling nurses and specialists</a>
 against larger hospitals to backfill positions open from sick or 
quarantining staffers has been challenging. When the hospital has been 
faced with increasing numbers of covid patients seeking emergency care, 
handling “normal” emergencies like Connolly’s has been much more 
difficult, Welch said.While staffers work to transfer patients as
 close to home as possible, with so many hospitals in Kansas beyond 
capacity, it has become more common than before to transfer as far away 
as Colorado and Nebraska. Such transfers require medical flights, which 
are typically not covered by insurance and can cost patients upward of 
$50,000, Welch said.“It is collateral damage,” he said. “It is 
something that has sort of been lost out of the narrative of these folks
 where everybody is relieved when we find them a bed. Everybody forgets 
about the downstream impact of the cost of those transports.”Connolly
 recovered after three days in the Salina hospital. But the question 
still looms about the costs for her emergency care. Connolly had left 
her job as a corrections officer at the prison in September because 
coronavirus cases began to spike inside. Without her employer-sponsored 
health insurance, Connolly now relies on Medicaid and Medicare Part A, 
which means she is responsible for more out-of-pocket costs for things 
like pharmaceuticals and ambulance services.Connolly worries so 
much about her finances that she’s been too scared to look at her recent
 ambulance bills. Being a single parent, living with kidney failure and 
undergoing dialysis during a pandemic are her primary concerns.As with many underlying conditions, covid-19 appears to pose an extra
 risk for people with kidney failure and patients undergoing dialysis, 
said Dr. <a href="https://www.asn-online.org/about/bio.aspx?ID=42512" target="_blank">Alan Kliger</a>, a nephrologist at Yale University and co-chair of the American Society of Nephrology’s COVID-19 Response Team.Data
 from New York and Europe early in the pandemic showed that about 1 in 5
 dialysis patients who acquired covid died, he said. However, the 
complication and mortality rates have fallen in recent months, according
 to unpublished survey data from members of the nephrology society, 
Kliger said.“It’s still a high risk,” he said.For 
Connolly, the pandemic has also complicated her three-times-a-week 
3½-hour dialysis schedule. For example, when her daughter’s kindergarten
 class was told to quarantine for 14 days after an in-class exposure to 
the virus, she had to scramble to find babysitters so she could attend 
dialysis.“I don’t want too many people to watch her because of 
covid,” Connolly said of her daughter, adding that she is lucky the 
girl’s father is supportive. But he can’t always step in, which means if
 Connolly can’t find a sitter, she may have to skip or reschedule 
dialysis.Connolly wants to get another job. But living in a 
county where so many refuse to wear masks and some elected leaders 
accuse the health department of providing false information about covid 
testing rates and statistics makes her afraid to be in public more than 
necessary.“I want to work,” she said. “I had a good job. I served
 my community. The reality of knowing how bad it is at the hospital — I 
have seen it firsthand. And now I am out and seeing people without masks
 and I am thinking, ‘If I get this and I have to go back, I may not 
leave the hospital next time.’”The reality, said Kliger, Welch 
and others, is that while the virus runs rampant, hospitals will 
struggle to keep up, which potentially endangers medical staffers and 
anyone needing hospital care — and the virus will continue to spread as 
long as people refuse to wear masks and disregard scientifically sound 
guidelines.Connolly said she would love to see more empathy for 
people who have underlying health concerns like her from those resisting
 safety measures such as masks.“Even if they think that it 
doesn’t work, what if it does? What if it could? I don’t really 
understand how wearing a mask is going to take so much out of your day, 
compared to someone who is immunocompromised and gets sick,” said 
Connolly. “Or you lose your grandma, or your parent. That’s going to 
affect your life a lot longer than wearing a mask for a little while.”

When hospitals can't handle non-COVID patients

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — The U.S. government’s plans to carry out its first execution of a female inmate in nearly seven decades are on hold, and two other executions set for later this week have been halted because the inmates tested positive for COVID-19. 

The executions were to be the last before President-elect Joe Biden, an opponent of the federal death penalty, is sworn-in next week. Lisa Montgomery faced execution Tuesday for killing a pregnant woman and cutting the baby from her womb in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore in 2004. 

But an appeals court granted a stay of execution Tuesday. That came shortly after another appeals court lifted an Indiana judge’s ruling that found she likely couldn’t comprehend she'd be put to death.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — A judge has temporarily stopped the U.S. government’s plans Tuesday to carry out the first federal execution of a female inmate in nearly seven decades, finding that the Kansas woman who killed an expectant mother, cut the baby from her womb and tried to pass off the newborn as her own was likely mentally ill and couldn’t comprehend she would be put to death.

When other executions by the Trump administration were similarly stayed in days or even hours before the scheduled execution times last year, the Department of Justice succeeded in getting a higher court to reverse them. Government lawyers also quickly appealed the stay issued Monday for Lisa Montgomery.

Montgomery was convicted of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-michael-brown-coronavirus-pandemic-executions-terre-haute-ef212a64d7f6d8da9ff9f0a2ac3e3390">killing 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett&nbsp;</a>in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore in 2004. She used a rope to strangle Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant, and then cut the baby girl from the womb with a kitchen knife. Montgomery took the child with her and attempted to pass the girl off as her own.

A federal judge in southwestern Indiana handed down the order Monday less than 24 hours before the 52-year-old Montgomery, the only female on federal death row, was set to be executed at a federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Any delay of Montgomery’s execution beyond Joe Biden’s inauguration next Tuesday would likely mean she will not be executed since a Biden administration is expected to oppose carrying out of federal death sentences.

One of Montgomery’s lawyers, Kelley Henry, told The Associated Press Tuesday morning that her client arrived at the Terre Haute facility late Monday night from a Texas prison and that, because there are no facilities for female inmates, she was being kept in a cell in the execution-chamber building itself.

“I don’t believe she has any rational comprehension of what’s going on at all,” Henry said.

Montgomery has done needle-point in prison, making gloves, hats and other knitted items as gifts for her lawyers and others, Henry said. She hasn’t been able to continue that hobby or read since her glasses were taken away from her out of concern she could commit suicide.

“All of her coping mechanisms were taken away from her when they locked her down” in October when she was informed she had an execution date, Henry said.

Montgomery’s legal team says she suffered “sexual torture,” including gang rapes, as a child, permanently scarring her emotionally and exacerbating mental-health issues that ran in her family.

At trial, prosecutors accused Montgomery of faking mental illness, noting that her killing of Stinnett was premeditated and included meticulous planning, including online research on how to perform a C-section.

Henry balked at that idea, citing extensive testing and brain scans that supported the diagnosis of mental illness.

“You can’t fake brain scans that show the brain damage,” she said.

Henry said the issue at the core of the legal arguments are not whether she knew the killing was wrong in 2004 but whether she fully grasps why she is slated to be executed now.

In his ruling on a stay, U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon in Terre Haute cited defense experts who alleged Montgomery suffered from depression, borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Montgomery, the judge wrote, also suffered around the time of the killing from an extremely rare condition called pseudocyesis in which a woman’s false belief she is pregnant triggers hormonal and physical changes as if she was actually pregnant.

Montgomery also experiences delusions and hallucinations, believing God spoke with her through connect-the-dot puzzles, the judge said, citing defense experts.

“The record before the Court contains ample evidence that Ms. Montgomery’s current mental state is so divorced from reality that she cannot rationally understand the government’s rationale for her execution,” the judge’ said.

The government has acknowledged Montgomery’s mental issues but disputes that she can’t comprehend that she is scheduled for execution for killing another person because of them.

Details of the crime at times left jurors in tears during her trial.

Prosecutors told the jury Montgomery drove about 170 miles (274 kilometers) from her Melvern, Kansas, farmhouse to the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore under the guise of adopting a rat terrier puppy from Stinnett. She strangled Stinnett performing a crude cesarean and fleeing with the baby.

Prosecutors said Stinnett regained consciousness and tried to defend herself as Montgomery used a kitchen knife to cut the baby girl from her womb. Later that day, Montgomery called her husband to pick her up in the parking lot of a Long John Silver’s in Topeka, Kansas, telling him she had delivered the baby earlier in the day at a nearby birthing center.

Montgomery was arrested the next day after showing off the premature infant, Victoria Jo, who is now 16 years old and hasn’t spoken publicly about the tragedy.

Prosecutors said the motive was that Montgomery’s ex-husband knew she had undergone a tubal ligation that made her sterile and planned to reveal she was lying about being pregnant in an effort to get custody of two of their four children. Needing a baby before a fast-approaching court date, Montgomery turned her focus on Stinnett, whom she had met at dog shows.

The U.S. has executed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-coronavirus-pandemic-executions-736b68c22e821be7c5faa85f1bf0b245">10 people at Terre Haute</a>&nbsp;since the resumption of federal executions after a 17-year pause started on July 14. Anti-death penalty groups said President Donald Trump was pushing for executions prior to the November election in a cynical bid to burnish a reputation as a law-and-order leader.

The last woman executed by the federal government was Bonnie Brown Heady on Dec. 18, 1953, for the kidnapping and murder of a 6-year-old boy in Missouri.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/47889ad17a0547398f6818c47a33b9a9">last woman executed by a state</a>&nbsp;was Kelly Gissendaner, 47, on Sept. 30, 2015, in Georgia. She was convicted of murder in the 1997 slaying of her husband after she conspired with her lover, who stabbed Douglas Gissendaner to death.

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A judge has granted a stay in what was slated to be the U.S. government’s first execution of a female inmate in nearly seven decades — a Kansas woman who killed an expectant mother in Missouri, cut the baby from her womb and passed off the newborn as her own.

Judge Patrick Hanlon granted the stay late Monday, citing the need to determine Montgomery’s mental competence. Lisa Montgomery faced execution Tuesday at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, just eight days before President-elect Joe Biden, an opponent of the federal death penalty, takes office.

Montgomery drove about 170 miles from her Melvern, Kansas, farmhouse to the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore under the guise of adopting a rat terrier puppy from Bobbie Jo Stinnett, a 23-year-old dog breeder. She strangled Stinnett with a rope before performing a crude cesarean and fleeing with the baby.

She was arrested the next day after showing off the premature infant, Victoria Jo, who is now 16 years old and hasn’t spoken publicly about the tragedy.

“As we walked across the threshold our Amber Alert was scrolling across the TV at that very moment,” recalled Randy Strong, who was part of the northwest Missouri major case squad at the time.

He looked to his right and saw Montgomery holding the newborn and was awash in relief when she handed her over to law enforcement. The preceding hours had been a blur in which he photographed Stinnett’s body and spent a sleepless night looking for clues — unsure of whether the baby was dead or alive and no idea what she looked like.

But then tips began arriving about Montgomery, who had a history of faking pregnancies and suddenly had a baby. Strong, now the sheriff of Nodaway County, where the killing happened, hopped in an unmarked car with another officer. He learned while en route that the email address fischer4kids@hotmail.com that was used to set up the deadly meeting with Stinnett had been sent from a dial-up connection at Montgomery’s home.

“I absolutely knew I was walking into the killer’s home,” recalled Strong, saying rat terriers ran around his feet as he approached her house. Like Stinnett, Montgomery also raised rat terriers.

Bobbie Jo Stinnett’s mother, Becky Harper, sobbed as she told a Missouri dispatcher about stumbling across her daughter in a pool of blood, her womb slashed open and the child she had been carrying missing.

“It’s like she exploded or something,” Harper told the dispatcher on Dec. 16, 2004, during the desperate yet futile attempt to get help for her daughter.

Prosecutors said her motive was that Stinnett’s ex-husband knew she had undergone a tubal ligation that made her sterile and planned to reveal she was lying about being pregnant in an effort to get custody of two of their four children. Needing a baby before a fast-approaching court date, Montgomery turned her focus on Stinnett, whom she had met at dog shows.

Montgomery’s lawyers, though, have argued that sexual abuse during Montgomery’s childhood led to mental illness. Attorney Kelley Henry spoke in favor of Monday’s decision, saying in a statement to the Capital-Journal that “Mrs. Montgomery has brain damage and severe mental illness that was exacerbated by the lifetime of sexual torture she suffered at the hands of caretakers.”

Her stepfather denied the sexual abuse in videotaped testimony and said he didn’t have a good memory when confronted with a transcript of a divorce proceeding in which he admitted some physical abuse. Her mother testified that she never filed a police complaint because he had threatened her and her children.

But the jurors who heard the case, some crying through the gruesome testimony, disregarded the defense in convicting her of kidnapping resulting in death.

Prosecutors argued that Stinnett regained consciousness and tried to defend herself as Montgomery used a kitchen knife to cut the baby girl from her womb. Later that day, Montgomery called her husband to pick her up in the parking lot of a Long John Silver’s in Topeka, Kansas, telling him she had delivered the baby earlier in the day at a nearby birthing center.

She eventually confessed, and the rope and bloody knife used to kill Stinnett were found in her car. A search of her computer showed she used it to research caesareans and order a birthing kit.

Stinnett’s husband, Zeb, told jurors his world “crashed to an end” when he learned his wife was dead. He said he didn’t return for months to the couple’s home in Skidmore, a small farming community that earlier gained notoriety after the 1981 slaying of town bully Ken Rex McElroy in front of a crowd of people who refused to implicate the killer or killers. That crime was chronicled in a book, “In Broad Daylight,” as well as a TV movie, the film “Without Mercy” and the miniseries “No One Saw a Thing.”

Recently, on Victoria Jo’s birthday, he sent Strong, the sheriff, a message through Facebook Messenger thanking him.

“I just wept,” Strong recalled. “He is going to constantly be reminded of this whether in his nightmares or somebody is going to call and want to interview him. The family doesn’t want to be interviewed. They want to be left alone. The community of Skidmore has had a troubling past and history. They didn’t want this. They didn’t deserve this.”

Montgomery originally was scheduled to be put to death on Dec. 8. But the execution was temporarily blocked after her attorneys contracted the coronavirus visiting her in prison.

The resumption of federal executions after a 17-year pause started on July 14. Anti-death penalty groups said President Donald Trump was pushing for executions prior to the November election in a cynical bid to burnish a reputation as a law-and-order leader.

U.S. officials have portrayed the executions as bringing long-delayed justice for victims and their families.

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Becky Harper sobbed as she spoke to a Missouri dispatcher after stumbling across her expectant daughter in a pool of blood, her womb slashed open and the child she had been carrying missing.

“It’s like she exploded or something,” Harper told the dispatcher on Dec. 16, 2004, during the desperate yet futile attempt to get help for her daughter, Bobbie Jo Stinnett, who had been eight months pregnant.

Lisa Montgomery, who strangled Stinnett with a rope before performing a crude cesarean and fleeing with the baby, awaits execution Tuesday, just eight days before the presidential inauguration of death penalty opponent Joe Biden. If the lethal injection is carried out as scheduled at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, Montgomery would be the first woman executed by the federal government in about six decades.

Montgomery drove about 170 miles from her Melvern, Kansas, farmhouse to the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore under the guise of adopting a rat terrier puppy from Stinnett, a 23-year-old dog breeder.

She was arrested the next day after showing off the premature infant, Victoria Jo, as her own. She is now 16 years old and hasn’t spoken publicly about about the tragedy.

Prosecutors said her motive was that her ex-husband knew she had undergone a tubal ligation that made her sterile and planned to reveal she was lying about being pregnant in an effort to get custody of two of their four children. Needing a baby before a fast-approaching court date, Montgomery turned her focus on Stinnett, whom she had met at dog shows.

Montgomery’s lawyers, though, have argued that sexual abuse during Montgomery’s childhood led to mental illness. Her stepfather denied the sexual abuse in videotaped testimony and said he didn’t have a good memory when confronted with a transcript of a divorce proceeding in which he admitted some physical abuse. Her mother testified that she never filed a police complaint because he had threatened her and her children.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1602895377835.png" alt="Montgomery is being held at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, according to online jail records." />
 <figcaption>Montgomery is being held at the Federal Medical Center, Carswell in Fort Worth, Texas, according to online jail records.</figcaption>
 </figure>TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — The U.S. government’s plans to carry out its first execution of a female inmate in nearly seven decades are on hold, and two other executions set for later this week have been halted because the inmates tested positive for COVID-19. The executions were to be the last before President-elect Joe Biden, an opponent of the federal death penalty, is sworn-in next week. Lisa Montgomery faced execution Tuesday for killing a pregnant woman and cutting the baby from her womb in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore in 2004. But an appeals court granted a stay of execution Tuesday. That came shortly after another appeals court lifted an Indiana judge’s ruling that found she likely couldn’t comprehend she'd be put to death.------TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — A judge has temporarily stopped the U.S. government’s plans Tuesday to carry out the first federal execution of a female inmate in nearly seven decades, finding that the Kansas woman who killed an expectant mother, cut the baby from her womb and tried to pass off the newborn as her own was likely mentally ill and couldn’t comprehend she would be put to death.When other executions by the Trump administration were similarly stayed in days or even hours before the scheduled execution times last year, the Department of Justice succeeded in getting a higher court to reverse them. Government lawyers also quickly appealed the stay issued Monday for Lisa Montgomery.Montgomery was convicted of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-michael-brown-coronavirus-pandemic-executions-terre-haute-ef212a64d7f6d8da9ff9f0a2ac3e3390">killing 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett&nbsp;</a>in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore in 2004. She used a rope to strangle Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant, and then cut the baby girl from the womb with a kitchen knife. Montgomery took the child with her and attempted to pass the girl off as her own.A federal judge in southwestern Indiana handed down the order Monday less than 24 hours before the 52-year-old Montgomery, the only female on federal death row, was set to be executed at a federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana.Any delay of Montgomery’s execution beyond Joe Biden’s inauguration next Tuesday would likely mean she will not be executed since a Biden administration is expected to oppose carrying out of federal death sentences.One of Montgomery’s lawyers, Kelley Henry, told The Associated Press Tuesday morning that her client arrived at the Terre Haute facility late Monday night from a Texas prison and that, because there are no facilities for female inmates, she was being kept in a cell in the execution-chamber building itself.“I don’t believe she has any rational comprehension of what’s going on at all,” Henry said.Montgomery has done needle-point in prison, making gloves, hats and other knitted items as gifts for her lawyers and others, Henry said. She hasn’t been able to continue that hobby or read since her glasses were taken away from her out of concern she could commit suicide.“All of her coping mechanisms were taken away from her when they locked her down” in October when she was informed she had an execution date, Henry said.Montgomery’s legal team says she suffered “sexual torture,” including gang rapes, as a child, permanently scarring her emotionally and exacerbating mental-health issues that ran in her family.At trial, prosecutors accused Montgomery of faking mental illness, noting that her killing of Stinnett was premeditated and included meticulous planning, including online research on how to perform a C-section.Henry balked at that idea, citing extensive testing and brain scans that supported the diagnosis of mental illness.“You can’t fake brain scans that show the brain damage,” she said.Henry said the issue at the core of the legal arguments are not whether she knew the killing was wrong in 2004 but whether she fully grasps why she is slated to be executed now.In his ruling on a stay, U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon in Terre Haute cited defense experts who alleged Montgomery suffered from depression, borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.Montgomery, the judge wrote, also suffered around the time of the killing from an extremely rare condition called pseudocyesis in which a woman’s false belief she is pregnant triggers hormonal and physical changes as if she was actually pregnant.Montgomery also experiences delusions and hallucinations, believing God spoke with her through connect-the-dot puzzles, the judge said, citing defense experts.“The record before the Court contains ample evidence that Ms. Montgomery’s current mental state is so divorced from reality that she cannot rationally understand the government’s rationale for her execution,” the judge’ said.The government has acknowledged Montgomery’s mental issues but disputes that she can’t comprehend that she is scheduled for execution for killing another person because of them.Details of the crime at times left jurors in tears during her trial.Prosecutors told the jury Montgomery drove about 170 miles (274 kilometers) from her Melvern, Kansas, farmhouse to the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore under the guise of adopting a rat terrier puppy from Stinnett. She strangled Stinnett performing a crude cesarean and fleeing with the baby.Prosecutors said Stinnett regained consciousness and tried to defend herself as Montgomery used a kitchen knife to cut the baby girl from her womb. Later that day, Montgomery called her husband to pick her up in the parking lot of a Long John Silver’s in Topeka, Kansas, telling him she had delivered the baby earlier in the day at a nearby birthing center.Montgomery was arrested the next day after showing off the premature infant, Victoria Jo, who is now 16 years old and hasn’t spoken publicly about the tragedy.Prosecutors said the motive was that Montgomery’s ex-husband knew she had undergone a tubal ligation that made her sterile and planned to reveal she was lying about being pregnant in an effort to get custody of two of their four children. Needing a baby before a fast-approaching court date, Montgomery turned her focus on Stinnett, whom she had met at dog shows.The U.S. has executed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-coronavirus-pandemic-executions-736b68c22e821be7c5faa85f1bf0b245">10 people at Terre Haute</a>&nbsp;since the resumption of federal executions after a 17-year pause started on July 14. Anti-death penalty groups said President Donald Trump was pushing for executions prior to the November election in a cynical bid to burnish a reputation as a law-and-order leader.The last woman executed by the federal government was Bonnie Brown Heady on Dec. 18, 1953, for the kidnapping and murder of a 6-year-old boy in Missouri.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/47889ad17a0547398f6818c47a33b9a9">last woman executed by a state</a>&nbsp;was Kelly Gissendaner, 47, on Sept. 30, 2015, in Georgia. She was convicted of murder in the 1997 slaying of her husband after she conspired with her lover, who stabbed Douglas Gissendaner to death.-------------MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A judge has granted a stay in what was slated to be the U.S. government’s first execution of a female inmate in nearly seven decades — a Kansas woman who killed an expectant mother in Missouri, cut the baby from her womb and passed off the newborn as her own.Judge Patrick Hanlon granted the stay late Monday, citing the need to determine Montgomery’s mental competence. Lisa Montgomery faced execution Tuesday at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, just eight days before President-elect Joe Biden, an opponent of the federal death penalty, takes office.Montgomery drove about 170 miles from her Melvern, Kansas, farmhouse to the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore under the guise of adopting a rat terrier puppy from Bobbie Jo Stinnett, a 23-year-old dog breeder. She strangled Stinnett with a rope before performing a crude cesarean and fleeing with the baby.She was arrested the next day after showing off the premature infant, Victoria Jo, who is now 16 years old and hasn’t spoken publicly about the tragedy.“As we walked across the threshold our Amber Alert was scrolling across the TV at that very moment,” recalled Randy Strong, who was part of the northwest Missouri major case squad at the time.He looked to his right and saw Montgomery holding the newborn and was awash in relief when she handed her over to law enforcement. The preceding hours had been a blur in which he photographed Stinnett’s body and spent a sleepless night looking for clues — unsure of whether the baby was dead or alive and no idea what she looked like.But then tips began arriving about Montgomery, who had a history of faking pregnancies and suddenly had a baby. Strong, now the sheriff of Nodaway County, where the killing happened, hopped in an unmarked car with another officer. He learned while en route that the email address fischer4kids@hotmail.com that was used to set up the deadly meeting with Stinnett had been sent from a dial-up connection at Montgomery’s home.“I absolutely knew I was walking into the killer’s home,” recalled Strong, saying rat terriers ran around his feet as he approached her house. Like Stinnett, Montgomery also raised rat terriers.Bobbie Jo Stinnett’s mother, Becky Harper, sobbed as she told a Missouri dispatcher about stumbling across her daughter in a pool of blood, her womb slashed open and the child she had been carrying missing.“It’s like she exploded or something,” Harper told the dispatcher on Dec. 16, 2004, during the desperate yet futile attempt to get help for her daughter.Prosecutors said her motive was that Stinnett’s ex-husband knew she had undergone a tubal ligation that made her sterile and planned to reveal she was lying about being pregnant in an effort to get custody of two of their four children. Needing a baby before a fast-approaching court date, Montgomery turned her focus on Stinnett, whom she had met at dog shows.Montgomery’s lawyers, though, have argued that sexual abuse during Montgomery’s childhood led to mental illness. Attorney Kelley Henry spoke in favor of Monday’s decision, saying in a statement to the Capital-Journal that “Mrs. Montgomery has brain damage and severe mental illness that was exacerbated by the lifetime of sexual torture she suffered at the hands of caretakers.”Her stepfather denied the sexual abuse in videotaped testimony and said he didn’t have a good memory when confronted with a transcript of a divorce proceeding in which he admitted some physical abuse. Her mother testified that she never filed a police complaint because he had threatened her and her children.But the jurors who heard the case, some crying through the gruesome testimony, disregarded the defense in convicting her of kidnapping resulting in death.Prosecutors argued that Stinnett regained consciousness and tried to defend herself as Montgomery used a kitchen knife to cut the baby girl from her womb. Later that day, Montgomery called her husband to pick her up in the parking lot of a Long John Silver’s in Topeka, Kansas, telling him she had delivered the baby earlier in the day at a nearby birthing center.She eventually confessed, and the rope and bloody knife used to kill Stinnett were found in her car. A search of her computer showed she used it to research caesareans and order a birthing kit.Stinnett’s husband, Zeb, told jurors his world “crashed to an end” when he learned his wife was dead. He said he didn’t return for months to the couple’s home in Skidmore, a small farming community that earlier gained notoriety after the 1981 slaying of town bully Ken Rex McElroy in front of a crowd of people who refused to implicate the killer or killers. That crime was chronicled in a book, “In Broad Daylight,” as well as a TV movie, the film “Without Mercy” and the miniseries “No One Saw a Thing.”Recently, on Victoria Jo’s birthday, he sent Strong, the sheriff, a message through Facebook Messenger thanking him.“I just wept,” Strong recalled. “He is going to constantly be reminded of this whether in his nightmares or somebody is going to call and want to interview him. The family doesn’t want to be interviewed. They want to be left alone. The community of Skidmore has had a troubling past and history. They didn’t want this. They didn’t deserve this.”Montgomery originally was scheduled to be put to death on Dec. 8. But the execution was temporarily blocked after her attorneys contracted the coronavirus visiting her in prison.The resumption of federal executions after a 17-year pause started on July 14. Anti-death penalty groups said President Donald Trump was pushing for executions prior to the November election in a cynical bid to burnish a reputation as a law-and-order leader.U.S. officials have portrayed the executions as bringing long-delayed justice for victims and their families.-----MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Becky Harper sobbed as she spoke to a Missouri dispatcher after stumbling across her expectant daughter in a pool of blood, her womb slashed open and the child she had been carrying missing.“It’s like she exploded or something,” Harper told the dispatcher on Dec. 16, 2004, during the desperate yet futile attempt to get help for her daughter, Bobbie Jo Stinnett, who had been eight months pregnant.Lisa Montgomery, who strangled Stinnett with a rope before performing a crude cesarean and fleeing with the baby, awaits execution Tuesday, just eight days before the presidential inauguration of death penalty opponent Joe Biden. If the lethal injection is carried out as scheduled at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, Montgomery would be the first woman executed by the federal government in about six decades.Montgomery drove about 170 miles from her Melvern, Kansas, farmhouse to the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore under the guise of adopting a rat terrier puppy from Stinnett, a 23-year-old dog breeder.She was arrested the next day after showing off the premature infant, Victoria Jo, as her own. She is now 16 years old and hasn’t spoken publicly about about the tragedy.“As we walked across the threshold our Amber Alert was scrolling across the TV at that very moment,” recalled Randy Strong, who was part of the northwest Missouri major case squad at the time.He looked to his right and saw Montgomery holding the newborn and was awash in relief when she handed her over to law enforcement. The preceding hours had been a blur in which he photographed Stinnett’s body and spent a sleepless night looking for clues — unsure of whether the baby was dead or alive and no idea what she looked like.But then tips began arriving about Montgomery, who had a history of faking pregnancies and suddenly had a baby. Strong, now the sheriff of Nodaway County, where the killing happened, hopped in an unmarked car with another officer. He learned while en route that the email address fischer4kids@hotmail.com that was used to set up the deadly meeting with Stinnett had been sent from a dial-up connection at Montgomery’s home.“I absolutely knew I was walking into the killer’s home,” recalled Strong, saying rat terriers ran around his feet as he approached her house. Like Stinnett, Montgomery also raised rat terriers.Prosecutors said her motive was that her ex-husband knew she had undergone a tubal ligation that made her sterile and planned to reveal she was lying about being pregnant in an effort to get custody of two of their four children. Needing a baby before a fast-approaching court date, Montgomery turned her focus on Stinnett, whom she had met at dog shows.Montgomery’s lawyers, though, have argued that sexual abuse during Montgomery’s childhood led to mental illness. Her stepfather denied the sexual abuse in videotaped testimony and said he didn’t have a good memory when confronted with a transcript of a divorce proceeding in which he admitted some physical abuse. Her mother testified that she never filed a police complaint because he had threatened her and her children.But the jurors who heard the case, some crying through the gruesome testimony, disregarded the defense in convicting her of kidnapping resulting in death.Prosecutors argued that Stinnett regained consciousness and tried to defend herself as Montgomery used a kitchen knife to cut the baby girl from her womb. Later that day, Montgomery called her husband to pick her up in the parking lot of a Long John Silver’s in Topeka, Kansas, telling him she had delivered the baby earlier in the day at a nearby birthing center.She eventually confessed, and the rope and bloody knife used to kill Stinnett were found in her car. A search of her computer showed she used it to research caesareans and order a birthing kit.Stinnett’s husband, Zeb, told jurors his world “crashed to an end” when he learned his wife was dead. He said he didn’t return for months to the couple’s home in Skidmore, a small farming community that earlier gained notoriety after the 1981 slaying of town bully Ken Rex McElroy in front of a crowd of people who refused to implicate the killer or killers. That crime was chronicled in a book, “In Broad Daylight,” as well as a TV movie, the film “Without Mercy” and the miniseries “No One Saw a Thing.”Recently, on Victoria Jo’s birthday, he sent Strong, the sheriff, a message through Facebook Messenger thanking him.“I just wept,” Strong recalled. “He is going to constantly be reminded of this whether in his nightmares or somebody is going to call and want to interview him. The family doesn’t want to be interviewed. They want to be left alone. The community of Skidmore has had a troubling past and history. They didn’t want this. They didn’t deserve this.”Montgomery originally was scheduled to be put to death on Dec. 8. But the execution was temporarily blocked after her attorneys contracted the coronavirus visiting her in prison.The resumption of federal executions after a 17-year pause started on July 14. Anti-death penalty groups said President Donald Trump was pushing for executions prior to the November election in a cynical bid to burnish a reputation as a law-and-order leader.U.S. officials have portrayed the executions as bringing long-delayed justice for victims and their families.

The Latest: Kansas woman's execution on hold

Charles C. “Scooter” Skilling, 76, died on Wednesday, January 6, 2021 at
 Western Plains Medical Complex in Dodge City. He was born on December 
10, 1944 at Napa, California. He was adopted and raised by Howard &amp;
 Hazel (Mastin) Skilling. He married Dolline Myers on October 10, 1987 
at Garden City. 
Charles graduated from Garden City High School and Fort Hays State 
University. He served in the United States Army after high school. He 
was a guidance councilor at Healy High School and later worked as a 
stocker at Wal-Mart in Garden City. His family owned the skating rink 
in Garden City and his passion was skating and he participated in many 
professional roller skating events. He had written and published a book
 and was well known for his many letters to the editor in the Garden 
City Telegram discussing local issues. 
He is survived by his Wife- Dolline Skilling, Son- Rodger Skilling of 
Haysville, Daughter- Tamera Skilling of Altus, Oklahoma, 4 
Step-Children, Sister- Maureen Armstrong of Plymouth, Michigan, 4 
Grandchildren, 11 Step-Grandchildren, 8 Great-Grandchildren and 2 
Great-Great-Grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his Parents, 1 
Step-Son, 3 Grandchildren and 1 Great-Grandchild. 
Funeral Service will be at 2:00 PM Thursday at Garnand Funeral Home with
 Gerald Belknap officiating. Burial will be in Valley View Cemetery 
with military honors by Kansas Army National Guard Honor Guard and 
American Legion District 8 Honor Guard. Memorials are suggested to 
Charles Skilling Memorial Fund in care of Garnand Funeral Home. 
Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610385089328.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Charles C. “Scooter” Skilling, 76, died on Wednesday, January 6, 2021 at
 Western Plains Medical Complex in Dodge City. He was born on December 
10, 1944 at Napa, California. He was adopted and raised by Howard &amp;
 Hazel (Mastin) Skilling. He married Dolline Myers on October 10, 1987 
at Garden City. 
Charles graduated from Garden City High School and Fort Hays State 
University. He served in the United States Army after high school. He 
was a guidance councilor at Healy High School and later worked as a 
stocker at Wal-Mart in Garden City. His family owned the skating rink 
in Garden City and his passion was skating and he participated in many 
professional roller skating events. He had written and published a book
 and was well known for his many letters to the editor in the Garden 
City Telegram discussing local issues. 
He is survived by his Wife- Dolline Skilling, Son- Rodger Skilling of 
Haysville, Daughter- Tamera Skilling of Altus, Oklahoma, 4 
Step-Children, Sister- Maureen Armstrong of Plymouth, Michigan, 4 
Grandchildren, 11 Step-Grandchildren, 8 Great-Grandchildren and 2 
Great-Great-Grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his Parents, 1 
Step-Son, 3 Grandchildren and 1 Great-Grandchild. 
Funeral Service will be at 2:00 PM Thursday at Garnand Funeral Home with
 Gerald Belknap officiating. Burial will be in Valley View Cemetery 
with military honors by Kansas Army National Guard Honor Guard and 
American Legion District 8 Honor Guard. Memorials are suggested to 
Charles Skilling Memorial Fund in care of Garnand Funeral Home. 
Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com

Charles C. 'Scooter' Skilling

NORTON&nbsp;– Over recent months, more than $1.3 million in COVID-19 relief funding has been awarded to Norton County businesses and organizations through three programs - the Norton Local SPARK Fund Program, the City of Norton Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program for business support, and the Norton County Community Development Block Grant Program for COVID Virus (CDBG-CV) business support program.&nbsp;

Norton Local SPARK funds of $418,367 were awarded to the cities of Almena, Lenora, and Norton, and to Norton County for COVID remediation supplies and services. These funds also provided pandemic preparedness funds to the county’s tax-supported agencies such as Norton County Health Department, Norton County Emergency Preparedness, Norton County Sheriff’s Office, and City of Norton Police Department.

The Norton Local SPARK&nbsp;Fund Program also awarded&nbsp;46 grants totaling $623,959&nbsp;during October and November.&nbsp;The program, which was designed to help strengthen and revitalize our county economy, provided funding to assist businesses, nonprofits, healthcare organizations, and childcare agencies in mitigating COVID-19 impacts, i.e. re-opening expenses, revenue loss due to required closures, and items needed to strengthen operations.

“The county’s overall strategy for SPARK fund distribution was put together by multiple stakeholders from across different agencies,” explained Tara Vance, executive director of Norton County Community Foundation (NCCC).

 “Then the actual administration of the grants was overseen by three specific organizations," she said. "Norton County&nbsp;Community Foundation oversaw the Nonprofit and Childcare support grants, Norton Area Chamber of Commerce oversaw the Business support grants and Norton City/County Economic Development oversaw the Healthcare grants.”

The SPARK grants were distributed as follows: &nbsp;

“The collaborative efforts that it took to distribute needed assistance to businesses, non-profits, healthcare and childcare through the Norton County SPARK Funding process was one of the most rewarding experiences in 2020 for the chamber,” said Donna Eastman Liddle, president &amp; CEO of Norton Area Chamber of Commerce. “In a year of ‘living on the financial edge' this represented some solid footing with which to take a few steps forward.”

The city of Norton was successful in converting CDBG funds into a COVID Virus business support grant pool. Simultaneously, Norton County acquired Federal Cares Act funding to create an additional CDBG-CV pool of grantable dollars for business support. 

As a result of these two programs, 33 local businesses received a total of $288,000. $35,000 additional CDBG funds were awarded to Norton County to create community meal programs, of which nearly $6,000 have been used to support holiday meal services and food basket deliveries.

“With so many businesses and nonprofits facing financial hardships over the past year, it was gratifying to see local, state, and federal funds strategically applied to assist businesses in keeping doors open, and more importantly, staff employed,” said Mike Posson,&nbsp;executive director of Norton City/County Economic Development.

 “It was also commendable to see the Norton County Commissioners place such a high level of trust on a group of local stakeholders to implement plans to distribute those funds. The committees that oversaw the application/submission process were united by a shared vision and commitment to serving our community,” Posson added.

For more information, please contact Tara Vance, Norton County Community Foundation (<a href="mailto:tara@nortonccf.org" target="_blank">tara@nortonccf.org</a>), Mike Posson, Norton&nbsp;City/County Economic Development&nbsp;(<a href="mailto:mike@nortoncountyks.gov" target="_blank">mike@nortoncountyks.gov</a>), Donna&nbsp;Eastman Liddle, Norton Area Chamber of Commerce (<a href="mailto:nortoncc@ruraltel.net" target="_blank">nortoncc@ruraltel.net</a>), or&nbsp;Troy Blevins, Emergency Management (<a href="mailto:tblevins@nortoncountyks.gov" target="_blank">tblevins@nortoncountyks.gov</a>).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610139624570.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NCCCNORTON&nbsp;– Over recent months, more than $1.3 million in COVID-19 relief funding has been awarded to Norton County businesses and organizations through three programs - the Norton Local SPARK Fund Program, the City of Norton Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program for business support, and the Norton County Community Development Block Grant Program for COVID Virus (CDBG-CV) business support program.&nbsp;Norton Local SPARK funds of $418,367 were awarded to the cities of Almena, Lenora, and Norton, and to Norton County for COVID remediation supplies and services. These funds also provided pandemic preparedness funds to the county’s tax-supported agencies such as Norton County Health Department, Norton County Emergency Preparedness, Norton County Sheriff’s Office, and City of Norton Police Department.The Norton Local SPARK&nbsp;Fund Program also awarded&nbsp;46 grants totaling $623,959&nbsp;during October and November.&nbsp;The program, which was designed to help strengthen and revitalize our county economy, provided funding to assist businesses, nonprofits, healthcare organizations, and childcare agencies in mitigating COVID-19 impacts, i.e. re-opening expenses, revenue loss due to required closures, and items needed to strengthen operations.“The county’s overall strategy for SPARK fund distribution was put together by multiple stakeholders from across different agencies,” explained Tara Vance, executive director of Norton County Community Foundation (NCCC). “Then the actual administration of the grants was overseen by three specific organizations," she said. "Norton County&nbsp;Community Foundation oversaw the Nonprofit and Childcare support grants, Norton Area Chamber of Commerce oversaw the Business support grants and Norton City/County Economic Development oversaw the Healthcare grants.”The SPARK grants were distributed as follows: &nbsp;<ul>
 <li>Direct Aid: County and City civic agencies received SPARK grants totaling $418,367</li><li>Business: 24 businesses received grants totaling $280,046</li><li>Nonprofit: 12 nonprofits received grants totaling $181,954</li><li>Healthcare: 5 healthcare businesses/organizations received grants totaling $130,309</li><li>Childcare: 2 childcare agencies received grants totaling $31,650</li>
 </ul>“The collaborative efforts that it took to distribute needed assistance to businesses, non-profits, healthcare and childcare through the Norton County SPARK Funding process was one of the most rewarding experiences in 2020 for the chamber,” said Donna Eastman Liddle, president &amp; CEO of Norton Area Chamber of Commerce. “In a year of ‘living on the financial edge' this represented some solid footing with which to take a few steps forward.”The city of Norton was successful in converting CDBG funds into a COVID Virus business support grant pool. Simultaneously, Norton County acquired Federal Cares Act funding to create an additional CDBG-CV pool of grantable dollars for business support. As a result of these two programs, 33 local businesses received a total of $288,000. $35,000 additional CDBG funds were awarded to Norton County to create community meal programs, of which nearly $6,000 have been used to support holiday meal services and food basket deliveries.“With so many businesses and nonprofits facing financial hardships over the past year, it was gratifying to see local, state, and federal funds strategically applied to assist businesses in keeping doors open, and more importantly, staff employed,” said Mike Posson,&nbsp;executive director of Norton City/County Economic Development. “It was also commendable to see the Norton County Commissioners place such a high level of trust on a group of local stakeholders to implement plans to distribute those funds. The committees that oversaw the application/submission process were united by a shared vision and commitment to serving our community,” Posson added.For more information, please contact Tara Vance, Norton County Community Foundation (<a href="mailto:tara@nortonccf.org" target="_blank">tara@nortonccf.org</a>), Mike Posson, Norton&nbsp;City/County Economic Development&nbsp;(<a href="mailto:mike@nortoncountyks.gov" target="_blank">mike@nortoncountyks.gov</a>), Donna&nbsp;Eastman Liddle, Norton Area Chamber of Commerce (<a href="mailto:nortoncc@ruraltel.net" target="_blank">nortoncc@ruraltel.net</a>), or&nbsp;Troy Blevins, Emergency Management (<a href="mailto:tblevins@nortoncountyks.gov" target="_blank">tblevins@nortoncountyks.gov</a>).