SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a series of business burglaries and have a suspect in custody.

On&nbsp;&nbsp;October 30, Federal Marshals, with assistance of Topeka Police took Samuel Zweig, 27, into custody after a standoff, according to&nbsp;LT Shane Hilton.

Officers brought Zweig to the Law Enforcement Center to be questioned for several crimes he was suspected of committing.

After questioning, Zweig was booked into jail on requested charges in connection with four separate downtown business burglaries including: Hero Wireless, 103 SE 10th Street; Burglary, Theft, Criminal Damage to Property

Clayton Financial, 720 S. Kansas Avenue; Burglary, Theft

Clayton Financial, 716 S. Kansas Avenue; Burglary, Theft, Criminal Damage to Property and Evergy Plaza, 630 S. Kansas Avenue; Burglary, Theft, Felony Criminal Damage

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604315610554.png" alt="Zweig-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Zweig-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a series of business burglaries and have a suspect in custody.On&nbsp;&nbsp;October 30, Federal Marshals, with assistance of Topeka Police took Samuel Zweig, 27, into custody after a standoff, according to&nbsp;LT Shane Hilton.Officers brought Zweig to the Law Enforcement Center to be questioned for several crimes he was suspected of committing.After questioning, Zweig was booked into jail on requested charges in connection with four separate downtown business burglaries including: Hero Wireless, 103 SE 10th Street; Burglary, Theft, Criminal Damage to PropertyClayton Financial, 720 S. Kansas Avenue; Burglary, TheftClayton Financial, 716 S. Kansas Avenue; Burglary, Theft, Criminal Damage to Property and Evergy Plaza, 630 S. Kansas Avenue; Burglary, Theft, Felony Criminal Damage

Federal marshals catch suspect in 4 Kan. business burglaries

By LAURA OLSON &amp; ARIANA FIGUEROA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/30/where-kansas-fits-in-the-struggle-for-control-of-the-u-s-senate/">Kansas Reflector</a>

WASHINGTON
 — Democrats have a shot at winning the White House, capturing the 
Senate majority and keeping their hold on the House — an election result
 that could dramatically shift the policy agenda away from the gridlock 
that’s gripped the nation’s capital for years.

In
 the Senate, the clearest route to that outcome is through flipping 
GOP-held seats in Arizona, Colorado, Maine and either Iowa or North 
Carolina, according to experts who track Senate races. But even 
Republican-held seats in ruby-red states like Georgia, South Carolina 
and Montana have grown surprisingly competitive in the final weeks 
before the election, and close results could mean a delayed final 
verdict on the Senate majority.

In Kansas, where Democrats haven’t won a U.S. Senate seat since 1932, the <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/12/u-s-senate-candidate-barbara-bollier-raises-kansas-record-13-5-million-in-third-quarter/">most expensive Senate race</a>
 in the state’s history is unfolding over the open seat created by the 
retirement of Republican Sen. Pat Roberts. Polls have shown GOP U.S. 
Rep. Roger Marshall either tied with or narrowly leading state Sen. 
Barbara Bollier, a moderate former Republican who switched parties in 
2018.

Democratic
 presidential nominee Joe Biden is maintaining leads in the national 
popular vote as well as in battleground states, polls show. If Biden 
wins, the former vice president is all but guaranteed to be working with
 a Democratic House. And if Democrats flip the Senate as well, they 
would have the votes in Congress to push through to the Oval Office 
their most pressing priority — broad economic relief for Americans, 
businesses and state and local governments struggling amid the pandemic.

The
 key for the party is the Senate, where Republicans control 53 seats to 
Democrats’ 45, along with two independents who caucus with Democrats.

Democrats
 need four more seats, or just three if Biden claims the White House, 
since the vice president would break any ties on the Senate floor. A 
change in the majority now appears possible — though by no means certain
 — after a year of multiple crises: the coronavirus pandemic, widespread
 protests over racial injustice and an economic collapse.

“There
 was a path (for Democrats) at the beginning of the year, but it was a 
very narrow one,” said Jessica Taylor, who analyzes Senate races for the
 nonpartisan Cook Political Report. “Democrats were able to expand the 
map.”

While
 Democrats are expected to lose a seat in Alabama, the party is 
defending far fewer competitive seats than the GOP is. And President 
Donald Trump’s struggles in public polls as he defends his record 
fighting the virus have not helped down-ballot Republicans.

Democrats
 also have benefited from a tsunami of campaign cash, outraising 
Republican incumbents in nearly every competitive race, with outside 
groups on pace to break election-spending records.

Republicans
 have used the prospect of a Democratic-controlled Washington to raise 
money in the party’s final push to hold on to the Senate, warning that 
Democrats will unleash a flurry of expensive policies embraced by their 
most progressive members.

Democrats
 say the most pressing item on their agenda would be to approve a new 
COVID-19 relief deal after fruitless negotiations that stretched on for 
months between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury secretary Steve 
Mnuchin. But the party’s moderate and liberal wings also would have to 
come to agreement on a range of issues, from campaign finance reform to 
health care to climate change, to produce legislation that is signed 
into law.

For
 Democrats, the weakest spot on the Senate map is Alabama, where Sen. 
Doug Jones is expected to lose to Republican Tommy Tuberville, former 
head football coach at Auburn University.&nbsp;

Jones
 won a special election in 2017 in the state where Republicans have 
dominated statewide office for years, but he has trailed in the 
re-election race against Tuberville, who is making his first run for 
public office.

The
 only other incumbent Democratic senator facing a serious challenge is 
Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, who leads Republican challenger John James — a
 businessman and Iraq War veteran — by an average of nearly 7 percentage
 points in polls tracked by Real Clear Politics. National projections 
rate the race as leaning toward Peters, who is in his first Senate 
term.&nbsp;

In
 Minnesota, Democratic Sen. Tina Smith’s re-election race against 
Republican former congressman Jason Lewis has been rated as likely or 
solidly Democratic by national analysts. Some recent polls have 
suggested a tighter contest there for Smith, who was appointed to the 
Senate in 2018 to replace Sen. Al Franken, though the race has not 
attracted the significant outside spending seen elsewhere.

Another
 reelection race where Democrats are predicted to hold a seat is in 
Virginia. Sen. Mark Warner is expected to be elected to his third term 
against Republican Daniel Gade.

Analysts
 say Democrats head into Nov. 3 all but assured of gaining two GOP 
seats: one in Arizona, held by Sen. Martha McSally, and the Colorado 
seat represented by Sen. Cory Gardner.

Gardner
 won his first term narrowly in 2014, and has faced a tough re-election 
in a state that has trended away from Republicans in recent years. His 
Democratic challenger is John Hickenlooper, the moderate former governor
 who also sought the presidential nomination this year, and who has led 
by high single digits in recent polls.

McSally,
 a former military pilot, was appointed to fill the open Senate seat 
after losing a bid for Arizona’s other Senate seat in 2018. She now 
trails former astronaut Mark Kelly in a historically red state where 
Biden also leads Trump in the polls.

The
 next most endangered Republican senator is Susan Collins, of Maine, who
 is the only remaining GOP member of Congress from New England. Collins,
 a four-term moderate senator, has drawn the ire of Democrats after 
voting to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh two years ago. 
She’s being challenged by Sara Gideon, the Democratic speaker of the 
Maine state House.

Wins
 in those three states and a loss in Alabama would mean Democrats would 
need to flip at least one more state, and two if the party doesn’t win 
the White House.&nbsp;

“In
 all likelihood, Senate control may come down to Iowa and North 
Carolina,” said Kyle Kondik, an analyst at the University of Virginia 
Center for Politics.&nbsp;

In
 North Carolina, the Senate race already has become the most expensive 
in U.S. history. In the final weeks, the election has been rocked by an 
infidelity scandal, with Democrat Cal Cunningham admitting he exchanged 
sexually suggestive texts with a woman who is not his wife. Cunningham, 
an Army reservist, has kept a low public profile since those text 
messages and allegations of a second extramarital affair surfaced 
earlier this month.&nbsp;

Polls have tightened since those revelations, with Cunningham and first-term Sen. Thom Tillis statistically tied in <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-senate-poll/north-carolina-u-s-senate-race-a-dead-heat-democrat-leads-in-michigan-reuters-ipsos-poll-idUSKBN27C2XI">the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll</a>.
 Tillis has embraced Trump in the race, and voted to confirm Supreme 
Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Tillis was among those who tested 
positive for COVID-19 after attending Barrett’s announcement ceremony at
 the White House.

And in Iowa, it’s a close race between Republican incumbent Joni Ernst and Democrat Theresa
 Greenfield. It’s also the most expensive race Iowa has ever seen and 
the second-most expensive Senate race in the country, with more than 
$200 million spent by the candidates and outside groups, according to 
Advertising Analytics, which tracks political spending.

Ernst,
 the first woman to represent Iowa in Congress, has struggled to keep 
ahead in the polls and outraise her challenger. Greenfield raised more 
than $47.5 million, nearly double that of Ernst, who raised $24 
million.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Even with record campaign spending, neither candidate has a clear lead: Mid-October polls from <a href="https://emersonpolling.reportablenews.com/pr/iowa-2020-trump-holds-narrow-lead-over-biden">Emerson College</a> and the New York Times/Siena College <a href="https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/ia101820-crosstabs/1eff04c308f3dcb1/full.pdf">found</a> the two candidates separated by one percentage point.

In
 an increasingly competitive Georgia, an unusual scenario is playing 
out, with both Senate seats being filled at the same time — and the 
outcome of both races is unlikely to be clear for weeks, potentially 
leaving the Senate majority in limbo.&nbsp;

One
 of Georgia’s Senate races is a special election among Republican Sen. 
Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed after Sen. Johnny Isakson stepped down
 last year; Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Collins; and Democrat Raphael 
Warnock.&nbsp;

The
 other is a reelection race for Republican Sen. David Perdue, who is 
being challenged by Jon Ossoff, a former investigative journalist who 
ran unsuccessfully for a suburban Atlanta congressional seat in 2017.&nbsp;

In
 either race, if no candidate wins 50% of the vote, a runoff election 
will be held on Jan. 5 between the top two candidates. In a Monmouth 
University <a href="https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-institute/reports/monmouthpoll_ga_102820/">poll</a>
 released this week on Georgia’s special election, Warnock was leading 
with 41% of registered voters, and the two Republicans were in a close 
battle for what’s likely to be the second spot in a runoff: Loeffler at 
21% and Collins at 18%.

In
 the Perdue-Ossoff race, that Monmouth poll gave the Democrat a slight 
edge of between 1 and 3 percentage points, depending on the voter 
turnout.

A
 Senate race that Republicans never expected to be a problem is the 
contest in South Carolina, where Sen. Lindsey Graham is fighting to keep
 his seat from Democratic candidate Jamie Harrison, who has shattered 
fundraising records, bringing in $57 million in the final quarter of the
 race.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Graham’s
 close relationship with the president and his vocal support to confirm 
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh — he also presided over the 
Barrett confirmation as Judiciary Committee chairman — have made him a 
target for Democrats. Harrison has campaigned on ushering a “new South” 
away from the Jim Crow era.&nbsp;

The latest <a href="https://surveyresearch-ecu.reportablenews.com/pr/ecu-poll-of-south-carolina-graham-with-a-narrow-lead-over-harrison-among-likely-voters-trump-ahead-of-biden-as-election-day-nears">poll</a> from East Carolina University gave Graham a slim edge over Harrison, 49% to 47%.

If Harrison wins, South Carolina would be the first state with two Black senators — one Democrat and one Republican.&nbsp;

Another
 surprise has been Montana, a state Trump won by 20 points in 2016 and 
where incumbent GOP Sen. Steve Daines of Montana is narrowly leading 
Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock. Recent polls have Daines ahead by an 
average of 3 percentage points.&nbsp;

While
 Texas is now rated as a toss-up state for the presidential election, 
the Senate race is still a tougher lift for Democrats. Republican 
incumbent John Cornyn is leading his Democratic challenger, MJ Hegar, by
 an average of 8 percentage points, according to Real Clear Politics.

However, there are several red states where Republicans expect to keep their Senate seats. 

In
 Louisiana, incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy is predicted to win more than 
50% of the vote, which a candidate is required to have to avoid a runoff
 election, against his Democratic opponents Adrian Perkins and Antoine 
Pierce. And in Tennessee, Bill Hagerty, a former economic adviser to 
President George H.W. Bush, is favored to beat Senate Democratic 
candidate Marquita Bradshaw in the contest for the open seat that has 
been held by Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander, according to an <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2020-election-forecast/senate/tennessee/">analysis</a> by FiveThirtyEight.

If
 Democrats are successful in picking up the Senate, their first agenda 
item would be passing a coronavirus relief bill. Attempts to pass 
another big stimulus package in response to the pandemic have been 
blocked by the Republican majority, which has sought a much smaller aid 
bill than what House Democrats have been negotiating with the White 
House.&nbsp;

Biden
 also has pointed to pandemic response efforts — such as more money for 
testing and vaccine distribution — as a top priority.

But
 other policy issues are sure to follow, said Lisa Gilbert, executive 
vice president for Public Citizen, a progressive advocacy group and 
think tank. Those are likely to include tackling climate change and 
passing sweeping campaign finance reform and anti-corruption 
legislation, which Democrats have said will be a top legislative package
 if they control the Senate, House and win the presidency.

“I
 think across the board, the volume of agenda items is large and I think
 we’re gonna be hoping that lawmakers are up to the task of taking 
(legislation) up quickly,” Gilbert said.

During the final presidential debate, <a href="https://www.azmirror.com/2020/10/22/biden-in-final-debate-vows-an-immigration-overhaul-in-his-first-100-days-as-president/">Biden pledged </a>that he would send Congress an immigration bill on day one, and work with lawmakers on creating a pathway to citizenship.&nbsp;

There’s
 also an urgency around health care, with a legal challenge to the 2010 
Affordable Care Act set to be argued at the Supreme Court, just days 
after the election. Congress could pass a quick-fix bill resolving the 
immediate legal question before the court, ending the threat of millions
 of Americans losing coverage if the justices overturn the law entirely.

But
 how else to use the political capital of full Democratic control? The 
last time a Democratic president came into office was when the 
Affordable Care Act was wrestled into law.&nbsp;

Amid
 a pandemic and a pent-up energy in Congress to make headway, the 
approach may be to maximize effort across a number of intertwined issues
 rather than to focus on one signature policy initiative, said Mara 
Rudman, executive vice president for policy at the Center for American 
Progress, a liberal think tank.

“More
 is better in the time that we are in,” Rudman said. “There are a number
 of different pressing needs and a reason to go big, for the country, on
 those needs.”

Even
 with a Democratic majority in the Senate, sweeping action may be 
challenging as the party grapples with how to reach agreement among its 
moderate and liberal lawmakers on big proposals, a replay of the fight 
in the presidential primaries that ended with Biden the victor.

“A
 lot of these Democrats that are poised to win are not going to be 
progressives. They’re running as pragmatists,” Taylor said.&nbsp;

Laura covers the nation's capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom, a network of nonprofit outlets that includes Kansas Reflector.&nbsp;Ariana Figueroa covers the nation's capital for States Newsroom, a network of state-based nonprofit news outlets that includes Kansas Reflector.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604086469655.png" alt="U.S. Senate candidate Roger Marshall, a Republican seeking to replace retiring U.S. Pat Roberts, hasn't reported third-quarter fundraising results but generated $2.6 million in the first and second quarters of 2020. Democratic nominee Barbara Bollier reported $19.5 million in donations in the first, second and third quarters. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Senate candidate Roger Marshall, a Republican seeking to replace retiring U.S. Pat Roberts, hasn't reported third-quarter fundraising results but generated $2.6 million in the first and second quarters of 2020. Democratic nominee Barbara Bollier reported $19.5 million in donations in the first, second and third quarters. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By LAURA OLSON &amp; ARIANA FIGUEROA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/30/where-kansas-fits-in-the-struggle-for-control-of-the-u-s-senate/">Kansas Reflector</a>WASHINGTON
 — Democrats have a shot at winning the White House, capturing the 
Senate majority and keeping their hold on the House — an election result
 that could dramatically shift the policy agenda away from the gridlock 
that’s gripped the nation’s capital for years.In
 the Senate, the clearest route to that outcome is through flipping 
GOP-held seats in Arizona, Colorado, Maine and either Iowa or North 
Carolina, according to experts who track Senate races. But even 
Republican-held seats in ruby-red states like Georgia, South Carolina 
and Montana have grown surprisingly competitive in the final weeks 
before the election, and close results could mean a delayed final 
verdict on the Senate majority.In Kansas, where Democrats haven’t won a U.S. Senate seat since 1932, the <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/12/u-s-senate-candidate-barbara-bollier-raises-kansas-record-13-5-million-in-third-quarter/">most expensive Senate race</a>
 in the state’s history is unfolding over the open seat created by the 
retirement of Republican Sen. Pat Roberts. Polls have shown GOP U.S. 
Rep. Roger Marshall either tied with or narrowly leading state Sen. 
Barbara Bollier, a moderate former Republican who switched parties in 
2018.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604086532586.png" alt="Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Barbara Bollier reported raising $13.5 million in the third quarter for the largest single-quarter fundraising total of any candidate in Kansas history. She is running for the open seat in Kansas against GOP nominee Roger Marshall. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Barbara Bollier reported raising $13.5 million in the third quarter for the largest single-quarter fundraising total of any candidate in Kansas history. She is running for the open seat in Kansas against GOP nominee Roger Marshall. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>Democratic
 presidential nominee Joe Biden is maintaining leads in the national 
popular vote as well as in battleground states, polls show. If Biden 
wins, the former vice president is all but guaranteed to be working with
 a Democratic House. And if Democrats flip the Senate as well, they 
would have the votes in Congress to push through to the Oval Office 
their most pressing priority — broad economic relief for Americans, 
businesses and state and local governments struggling amid the pandemic.The
 key for the party is the Senate, where Republicans control 53 seats to 
Democrats’ 45, along with two independents who caucus with Democrats.Democrats
 need four more seats, or just three if Biden claims the White House, 
since the vice president would break any ties on the Senate floor. A 
change in the majority now appears possible — though by no means certain
 — after a year of multiple crises: the coronavirus pandemic, widespread
 protests over racial injustice and an economic collapse.“There
 was a path (for Democrats) at the beginning of the year, but it was a 
very narrow one,” said Jessica Taylor, who analyzes Senate races for the
 nonpartisan Cook Political Report. “Democrats were able to expand the 
map.”While
 Democrats are expected to lose a seat in Alabama, the party is 
defending far fewer competitive seats than the GOP is. And President 
Donald Trump’s struggles in public polls as he defends his record 
fighting the virus have not helped down-ballot Republicans.Democrats
 also have benefited from a tsunami of campaign cash, outraising 
Republican incumbents in nearly every competitive race, with outside 
groups on pace to break election-spending records.Republicans
 have used the prospect of a Democratic-controlled Washington to raise 
money in the party’s final push to hold on to the Senate, warning that 
Democrats will unleash a flurry of expensive policies embraced by their 
most progressive members.Democrats
 say the most pressing item on their agenda would be to approve a new 
COVID-19 relief deal after fruitless negotiations that stretched on for 
months between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury secretary Steve 
Mnuchin. But the party’s moderate and liberal wings also would have to 
come to agreement on a range of issues, from campaign finance reform to 
health care to climate change, to produce legislation that is signed 
into law.<h2>Few states where Dems are on defense</h2>For
 Democrats, the weakest spot on the Senate map is Alabama, where Sen. 
Doug Jones is expected to lose to Republican Tommy Tuberville, former 
head football coach at Auburn University.&nbsp;Jones
 won a special election in 2017 in the state where Republicans have 
dominated statewide office for years, but he has trailed in the 
re-election race against Tuberville, who is making his first run for 
public office.The
 only other incumbent Democratic senator facing a serious challenge is 
Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, who leads Republican challenger John James — a
 businessman and Iraq War veteran — by an average of nearly 7 percentage
 points in polls tracked by Real Clear Politics. National projections 
rate the race as leaning toward Peters, who is in his first Senate 
term.&nbsp;In
 Minnesota, Democratic Sen. Tina Smith’s re-election race against 
Republican former congressman Jason Lewis has been rated as likely or 
solidly Democratic by national analysts. Some recent polls have 
suggested a tighter contest there for Smith, who was appointed to the 
Senate in 2018 to replace Sen. Al Franken, though the race has not 
attracted the significant outside spending seen elsewhere.Another
 reelection race where Democrats are predicted to hold a seat is in 
Virginia. Sen. Mark Warner is expected to be elected to his third term 
against Republican Daniel Gade.<h2>Likely and potential Dem pickups</h2>Analysts
 say Democrats head into Nov. 3 all but assured of gaining two GOP 
seats: one in Arizona, held by Sen. Martha McSally, and the Colorado 
seat represented by Sen. Cory Gardner.Gardner
 won his first term narrowly in 2014, and has faced a tough re-election 
in a state that has trended away from Republicans in recent years. His 
Democratic challenger is John Hickenlooper, the moderate former governor
 who also sought the presidential nomination this year, and who has led 
by high single digits in recent polls.McSally,
 a former military pilot, was appointed to fill the open Senate seat 
after losing a bid for Arizona’s other Senate seat in 2018. She now 
trails former astronaut Mark Kelly in a historically red state where 
Biden also leads Trump in the polls.The
 next most endangered Republican senator is Susan Collins, of Maine, who
 is the only remaining GOP member of Congress from New England. Collins,
 a four-term moderate senator, has drawn the ire of Democrats after 
voting to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh two years ago. 
She’s being challenged by Sara Gideon, the Democratic speaker of the 
Maine state House.Wins
 in those three states and a loss in Alabama would mean Democrats would 
need to flip at least one more state, and two if the party doesn’t win 
the White House.&nbsp;“In
 all likelihood, Senate control may come down to Iowa and North 
Carolina,” said Kyle Kondik, an analyst at the University of Virginia 
Center for Politics.&nbsp;In
 North Carolina, the Senate race already has become the most expensive 
in U.S. history. In the final weeks, the election has been rocked by an 
infidelity scandal, with Democrat Cal Cunningham admitting he exchanged 
sexually suggestive texts with a woman who is not his wife. Cunningham, 
an Army reservist, has kept a low public profile since those text 
messages and allegations of a second extramarital affair surfaced 
earlier this month.&nbsp;Polls have tightened since those revelations, with Cunningham and first-term Sen. Thom Tillis statistically tied in <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-senate-poll/north-carolina-u-s-senate-race-a-dead-heat-democrat-leads-in-michigan-reuters-ipsos-poll-idUSKBN27C2XI">the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll</a>.
 Tillis has embraced Trump in the race, and voted to confirm Supreme 
Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Tillis was among those who tested 
positive for COVID-19 after attending Barrett’s announcement ceremony at
 the White House.And in Iowa, it’s a close race between Republican incumbent Joni Ernst and Democrat Theresa
 Greenfield. It’s also the most expensive race Iowa has ever seen and 
the second-most expensive Senate race in the country, with more than 
$200 million spent by the candidates and outside groups, according to 
Advertising Analytics, which tracks political spending.Ernst,
 the first woman to represent Iowa in Congress, has struggled to keep 
ahead in the polls and outraise her challenger. Greenfield raised more 
than $47.5 million, nearly double that of Ernst, who raised $24 
million.&nbsp;&nbsp;Even with record campaign spending, neither candidate has a clear lead: Mid-October polls from <a href="https://emersonpolling.reportablenews.com/pr/iowa-2020-trump-holds-narrow-lead-over-biden">Emerson College</a> and the New York Times/Siena College <a href="https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/ia101820-crosstabs/1eff04c308f3dcb1/full.pdf">found</a> the two candidates separated by one percentage point.<h2>On the watch list: GOP strongholds&nbsp;</h2>In
 an increasingly competitive Georgia, an unusual scenario is playing 
out, with both Senate seats being filled at the same time — and the 
outcome of both races is unlikely to be clear for weeks, potentially 
leaving the Senate majority in limbo.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604086565135.png" alt="Long lines during Georgia’s June 9 primary were in part attributed to experienced older poll workers backing out due to coronavirus worries. But the state has also closed 214 polling places since 2012. (John McCosh/Georgia Recorder)" />
 <figcaption>Long lines during Georgia’s June 9 primary were in part attributed to experienced older poll workers backing out due to coronavirus worries. But the state has also closed 214 polling places since 2012. (John McCosh/Georgia Recorder)</figcaption>
 </figure>One
 of Georgia’s Senate races is a special election among Republican Sen. 
Kelly Loeffler, who was appointed after Sen. Johnny Isakson stepped down
 last year; Republican U.S. Rep. Doug Collins; and Democrat Raphael 
Warnock.&nbsp;The
 other is a reelection race for Republican Sen. David Perdue, who is 
being challenged by Jon Ossoff, a former investigative journalist who 
ran unsuccessfully for a suburban Atlanta congressional seat in 2017.&nbsp;In
 either race, if no candidate wins 50% of the vote, a runoff election 
will be held on Jan. 5 between the top two candidates. In a Monmouth 
University <a href="https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-institute/reports/monmouthpoll_ga_102820/">poll</a>
 released this week on Georgia’s special election, Warnock was leading 
with 41% of registered voters, and the two Republicans were in a close 
battle for what’s likely to be the second spot in a runoff: Loeffler at 
21% and Collins at 18%.In
 the Perdue-Ossoff race, that Monmouth poll gave the Democrat a slight 
edge of between 1 and 3 percentage points, depending on the voter 
turnout.A
 Senate race that Republicans never expected to be a problem is the 
contest in South Carolina, where Sen. Lindsey Graham is fighting to keep
 his seat from Democratic candidate Jamie Harrison, who has shattered 
fundraising records, bringing in $57 million in the final quarter of the
 race.&nbsp;&nbsp;Graham’s
 close relationship with the president and his vocal support to confirm 
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh — he also presided over the 
Barrett confirmation as Judiciary Committee chairman — have made him a 
target for Democrats. Harrison has campaigned on ushering a “new South” 
away from the Jim Crow era.&nbsp;The latest <a href="https://surveyresearch-ecu.reportablenews.com/pr/ecu-poll-of-south-carolina-graham-with-a-narrow-lead-over-harrison-among-likely-voters-trump-ahead-of-biden-as-election-day-nears">poll</a> from East Carolina University gave Graham a slim edge over Harrison, 49% to 47%.If Harrison wins, South Carolina would be the first state with two Black senators — one Democrat and one Republican.&nbsp;Another
 surprise has been Montana, a state Trump won by 20 points in 2016 and 
where incumbent GOP Sen. Steve Daines of Montana is narrowly leading 
Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock. Recent polls have Daines ahead by an 
average of 3 percentage points.&nbsp;While
 Texas is now rated as a toss-up state for the presidential election, 
the Senate race is still a tougher lift for Democrats. Republican 
incumbent John Cornyn is leading his Democratic challenger, MJ Hegar, by
 an average of 8 percentage points, according to Real Clear Politics.However, there are several red states where Republicans expect to keep their Senate seats. In
 Louisiana, incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy is predicted to win more than 
50% of the vote, which a candidate is required to have to avoid a runoff
 election, against his Democratic opponents Adrian Perkins and Antoine 
Pierce. And in Tennessee, Bill Hagerty, a former economic adviser to 
President George H.W. Bush, is favored to beat Senate Democratic 
candidate Marquita Bradshaw in the contest for the open seat that has 
been held by Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander, according to an <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2020-election-forecast/senate/tennessee/">analysis</a> by FiveThirtyEight.<h2>What’s next if the Senate flips?</h2>If
 Democrats are successful in picking up the Senate, their first agenda 
item would be passing a coronavirus relief bill. Attempts to pass 
another big stimulus package in response to the pandemic have been 
blocked by the Republican majority, which has sought a much smaller aid 
bill than what House Democrats have been negotiating with the White 
House.&nbsp;Biden
 also has pointed to pandemic response efforts — such as more money for 
testing and vaccine distribution — as a top priority.But
 other policy issues are sure to follow, said Lisa Gilbert, executive 
vice president for Public Citizen, a progressive advocacy group and 
think tank. Those are likely to include tackling climate change and 
passing sweeping campaign finance reform and anti-corruption 
legislation, which Democrats have said will be a top legislative package
 if they control the Senate, House and win the presidency.“I
 think across the board, the volume of agenda items is large and I think
 we’re gonna be hoping that lawmakers are up to the task of taking 
(legislation) up quickly,” Gilbert said.During the final presidential debate, <a href="https://www.azmirror.com/2020/10/22/biden-in-final-debate-vows-an-immigration-overhaul-in-his-first-100-days-as-president/">Biden pledged </a>that he would send Congress an immigration bill on day one, and work with lawmakers on creating a pathway to citizenship.&nbsp;There’s
 also an urgency around health care, with a legal challenge to the 2010 
Affordable Care Act set to be argued at the Supreme Court, just days 
after the election. Congress could pass a quick-fix bill resolving the 
immediate legal question before the court, ending the threat of millions
 of Americans losing coverage if the justices overturn the law entirely.But
 how else to use the political capital of full Democratic control? The 
last time a Democratic president came into office was when the 
Affordable Care Act was wrestled into law.&nbsp;Amid
 a pandemic and a pent-up energy in Congress to make headway, the 
approach may be to maximize effort across a number of intertwined issues
 rather than to focus on one signature policy initiative, said Mara 
Rudman, executive vice president for policy at the Center for American 
Progress, a liberal think tank.“More
 is better in the time that we are in,” Rudman said. “There are a number
 of different pressing needs and a reason to go big, for the country, on
 those needs.”Even
 with a Democratic majority in the Senate, sweeping action may be 
challenging as the party grapples with how to reach agreement among its 
moderate and liberal lawmakers on big proposals, a replay of the fight 
in the presidential primaries that ended with Biden the victor.“A
 lot of these Democrats that are poised to win are not going to be 
progressives. They’re running as pragmatists,” Taylor said.&nbsp;Laura covers the nation's capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom, a network of nonprofit outlets that includes Kansas Reflector.&nbsp;Ariana Figueroa covers the nation's capital for States Newsroom, a network of state-based nonprofit news outlets that includes Kansas Reflector.

Where Kansas fits in the struggle for control of the U.S. Senate

Rosalie Wallace, 101, died on Friday, October 30, 2020 at Lane County 
Hospital in Dighton. She was born on June 20, 1919 in Scott County the 
daughter of John Wesley &amp; Gladys Emaline (Conner) Shull. She 
married W.F. (Bill) Wallace on April 27, 1941 at Sterling. He died on 
March 28, 1996. 
Rosalie began her early school at Grigsby (as it was known then) and 
continued her grade school years at Prairie Home school south of Amy. 
She then attended Lane County Community High School and Cosmetology 
school in Lincoln, Nebraska. After her marriage they made their home on
 the farm in Sutton Township in the Southwest corner of Lane County. 
She was a real farm women. She did the usual life work of a farmers 
wife including house keeping, helping with the livestock and the 
farming. She was a very knowledgeable women, never forgetting an 
incident that happened or a persons birthday. She knew and always 
remembered every birthday or date of every event she had been told and 
this kept her mind going. In July 2013 she had an accident and broke 
her leg and this confined her to the Lane County Long Term Care. 
She is survived by 2 Sister-In-Laws- Joyce Shull and Dora Mae Bowman, 
Brother-In-Law- Charley Montgomery, Special Friend- David Knoll and 
Nieces &amp; Nephews- Tammy (Steve) Rice, Dan (Rita) Shull, Mike Shull, 
C.D. Shull, Miles Shull, Diana (Randy) Loveall, Doug Wallace, Darlene 
Friesen, Darcy (Mark) Boor, Denise (Randy) Frye, Roberta (Jerry) 
Barnett, Stephanie (Ferris) Parker, Chandler (Tonya) Shull, Margaret 
(Lynn) Honeyman, Kendell Shull and Kent (Michelle) Shull. 
She is preceded in death by her Parents, Husband, 7 Brothers- Jack 
Shull, Harry Shull, Joe Shull, Don Shull, Carrol Shull, Wendell Shull 
&amp; James Shull, 2 Sisters- Virginia Shull and Genevieve Montgomery, 2
 Nieces- Connie Shull and Lou Ann Hickey and 2 Nephews- Jon Shull and 
Tim Shull. 
Graveside Service will be at 1:30 PM Wednesday at Dighton Memorial 
Cemetery with Rev Berniece Ludlum officiating. Memorials are suggested 
to Lane County Hospital in care of Boomhower Funeral Home. Friends may 
call from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM Tuesday and 9:00 AM to Noon Wednesday at 
Boomhower Funeral Home. Condolences may be posted at 
www.garnandfuneralhomes.com

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604254959856.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Rosalie Wallace, 101, died on Friday, October 30, 2020 at Lane County 
Hospital in Dighton. She was born on June 20, 1919 in Scott County the 
daughter of John Wesley &amp; Gladys Emaline (Conner) Shull. She 
married W.F. (Bill) Wallace on April 27, 1941 at Sterling. He died on 
March 28, 1996. 
Rosalie began her early school at Grigsby (as it was known then) and 
continued her grade school years at Prairie Home school south of Amy. 
She then attended Lane County Community High School and Cosmetology 
school in Lincoln, Nebraska. After her marriage they made their home on
 the farm in Sutton Township in the Southwest corner of Lane County. 
She was a real farm women. She did the usual life work of a farmers 
wife including house keeping, helping with the livestock and the 
farming. She was a very knowledgeable women, never forgetting an 
incident that happened or a persons birthday. She knew and always 
remembered every birthday or date of every event she had been told and 
this kept her mind going. In July 2013 she had an accident and broke 
her leg and this confined her to the Lane County Long Term Care. 
She is survived by 2 Sister-In-Laws- Joyce Shull and Dora Mae Bowman, 
Brother-In-Law- Charley Montgomery, Special Friend- David Knoll and 
Nieces &amp; Nephews- Tammy (Steve) Rice, Dan (Rita) Shull, Mike Shull, 
C.D. Shull, Miles Shull, Diana (Randy) Loveall, Doug Wallace, Darlene 
Friesen, Darcy (Mark) Boor, Denise (Randy) Frye, Roberta (Jerry) 
Barnett, Stephanie (Ferris) Parker, Chandler (Tonya) Shull, Margaret 
(Lynn) Honeyman, Kendell Shull and Kent (Michelle) Shull. 
She is preceded in death by her Parents, Husband, 7 Brothers- Jack 
Shull, Harry Shull, Joe Shull, Don Shull, Carrol Shull, Wendell Shull 
&amp; James Shull, 2 Sisters- Virginia Shull and Genevieve Montgomery, 2
 Nieces- Connie Shull and Lou Ann Hickey and 2 Nephews- Jon Shull and 
Tim Shull. 
Graveside Service will be at 1:30 PM Wednesday at Dighton Memorial 
Cemetery with Rev Berniece Ludlum officiating. Memorials are suggested 
to Lane County Hospital in care of Boomhower Funeral Home. Friends may 
call from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM Tuesday and 9:00 AM to Noon Wednesday at 
Boomhower Funeral Home. Condolences may be posted at 
www.garnandfuneralhomes.com

Rosalie Wallace

December 2, 1932
 -
 October 31, 2020

An obituary is pending with Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home.

December 2, 1932
 -
 October 31, 2020An obituary is pending with Mickey-Leopold Funeral Home.Services will be held at a later date.

Virginia L. (Schoenfeld) Pratt

Verline M. Sander, age 66, of Boonville, Missouri, a former Victoria, Kansas, resident&nbsp;died Thursday, October 29, 2020, at Lakeview Care Center in Boonville,&nbsp;Missouri.&nbsp; She was born on May 11, 1954, in Hays, Kansas to Saturin Anton “Tony” and Pauline (Herman) Sander.&nbsp;

She attended the Anderson School of Hope in Victoria, Kansas, for many years until it closed.&nbsp; Verline spent her pastime playing with her doll collection.&nbsp; She and her mother moved to Boonville, Missouri, in 2005 to be close to Joe and Mona, and their families.

Survivors include one brother, Joe Sander and wife, Mona, Boonville, MO;&nbsp; and four nieces and nephews.&nbsp; She was preceded in death by her parents.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at10:00 A.M. Monday, November 2, 2020, at The Basilica of St. Fidelis, Victoria, Kansas.&nbsp; Burial will be in St. Fidelis Cemetery, Victoria, Kansas.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

The family will receive friends from 9:00 to 10:00 A.M. Monday, at the church.&nbsp;

The family suggests memorials to the Lakeview Care Center, Boonville, Missouri, or St. Fidelis Cemetery Fund, Victoria, Kansas in care of the mortuary.

Due to the coronavirus. if you have a cough, fever or are not feeling well, please use our e-mail or on line guestbook.&nbsp; Social distancing and wearing masks will be required at the visitation and funeral services.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Services are entrusted to Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary, 412 Main Street Victoria, Kansas 67671.&nbsp; Condolences can be sent via e-mail to <a href="mailto:clinesmortuary@eaglecom.net">clinesmortuary@eaglecom.net</a> or can be left at guest book at <a href="http://www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com">www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com</a> &nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604170911658.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Verline M. Sander, age 66, of Boonville, Missouri, a former Victoria, Kansas, resident&nbsp;died Thursday, October 29, 2020, at Lakeview Care Center in Boonville,&nbsp;Missouri.&nbsp; She was born on May 11, 1954, in Hays, Kansas to Saturin Anton “Tony” and Pauline (Herman) Sander.&nbsp;She attended the Anderson School of Hope in Victoria, Kansas, for many years until it closed.&nbsp; Verline spent her pastime playing with her doll collection.&nbsp; She and her mother moved to Boonville, Missouri, in 2005 to be close to Joe and Mona, and their families.Survivors include one brother, Joe Sander and wife, Mona, Boonville, MO;&nbsp; and four nieces and nephews.&nbsp; She was preceded in death by her parents.A Mass of Christian Burial will be at10:00 A.M. Monday, November 2, 2020, at The Basilica of St. Fidelis, Victoria, Kansas.&nbsp; Burial will be in St. Fidelis Cemetery, Victoria, Kansas.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The family will receive friends from 9:00 to 10:00 A.M. Monday, at the church.&nbsp;The family suggests memorials to the Lakeview Care Center, Boonville, Missouri, or St. Fidelis Cemetery Fund, Victoria, Kansas in care of the mortuary.Due to the coronavirus. if you have a cough, fever or are not feeling well, please use our e-mail or on line guestbook.&nbsp; Social distancing and wearing masks will be required at the visitation and funeral services.&nbsp; &nbsp;Services are entrusted to Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary, 412 Main Street Victoria, Kansas 67671.&nbsp; Condolences can be sent via e-mail to <a href="mailto:clinesmortuary@eaglecom.net">clinesmortuary@eaglecom.net</a> or can be left at guest book at <a href="http://www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com">www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com</a> &nbsp; &nbsp;

Verline M. Sander

WASHINGTON (AP) — An American citizen kidnapped in the West African nation of Niger this past week has been rescued in a U.S. military operation in neighboring Nigeria, a U.S. official told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Philipe Nathan Walton was taken from his farm in Massalata in southern Niger early Tuesday morning by armed kidnappers who demanded a ransom from the man’s father.

The Defense Department confirmed the operation Saturday, saying it took place in northern Nigeria.

“This American citizen is safe and is now in the care of the U.S. Department of State. No U.S military personnel were injured during the operation,” the department said in a statement.

Niger has faced a growing number of attacks by extremists linked to both the Islamic State group and to al-Qaida. The kidnapping comes two months after IS-linked militants killed six French aid workers and their Niger guide while they were visiting a wildlife park east of the capital.

The U.S. official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the rescue and spoke on condition of anonymity, said there were no solid indications that Walton’s kidnapping was terrorism-related and that it was instead “trending toward a kidnapping for ransom.”

But the official said the U.S. government said it was concerned that the hostage could be passed to another terrorist group, or that the kidnapping could become a prolonged hostage-taking.

Walton is now back in Niger, according to the official, who said no ransom was paid.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly promoted his administration’s focus on securing the release of American hostages held by militant groups abroad as well as others being detained. Earlier this month, two Americans held captive by Iranian-backed militants in Yemen were released, along with a third person, in exchange for the return of about 250 of the Houthi rebels from Oman.

WASHINGTON (AP) — An American citizen kidnapped in the West African nation of Niger this past week has been rescued in a U.S. military operation in neighboring Nigeria, a U.S. official told The Associated Press on Saturday.Philipe Nathan Walton was taken from his farm in Massalata in southern Niger early Tuesday morning by armed kidnappers who demanded a ransom from the man’s father.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Last night, our Country’s brave warriors rescued an American hostage in Nigeria. Our Nation salutes the courageous soldiers behind the daring nighttime rescue operation and celebrates the safe return of yet another American citizen!&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1322568272483475457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Defense Department confirmed the operation Saturday, saying it took place in northern Nigeria.“This American citizen is safe and is now in the care of the U.S. Department of State. No U.S military personnel were injured during the operation,” the department said in a statement.Niger has faced a growing number of attacks by extremists linked to both the Islamic State group and to al-Qaida. The kidnapping comes two months after IS-linked militants killed six French aid workers and their Niger guide while they were visiting a wildlife park east of the capital.The U.S. official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the rescue and spoke on condition of anonymity, said there were no solid indications that Walton’s kidnapping was terrorism-related and that it was instead “trending toward a kidnapping for ransom.”But the official said the U.S. government said it was concerned that the hostage could be passed to another terrorist group, or that the kidnapping could become a prolonged hostage-taking.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Outstanding work by the U.S. military today in freeing a U.S. citizen taken hostage in Niger and reuniting him with his family.&mdash; Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecPompeo/status/1322537249062461440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 31, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Walton is now back in Niger, according to the official, who said no ransom was paid.President Donald Trump has repeatedly promoted his administration’s focus on securing the release of American hostages held by militant groups abroad as well as others being detained. Earlier this month, two Americans held captive by Iranian-backed militants in Yemen were released, along with a third person, in exchange for the return of about 250 of the Houthi rebels from Oman.

American hostage in Africa rescued by U.S. Navy Seals

LONDON (AP) — Sean Connery, the charismatic Scottish actor who rose to international superstardom as suave, fearless secret agent James Bond and then abandoned the role to carve out an equally successful, Oscar-winning career playing a variety of leading and character roles, has died. He was 90.

Bond producers EON Productions confirmed his death. Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said they were “devastated” by the news.

“He was and shall always be remembered as the original James Bond whose indelible entrance into cinema history began when he announced those unforgettable words — ‘The name’s Bond... James Bond,’” they said in a statement Saturday.

The producers said Connery’s “gritty and witty portrayal of the sexy and charismatic secret agent” was largely responsible for the success of the series.

Connery’s son Jason said his father died peacefully in his sleep overnight in the Bahamas where he lived, having been “unwell for some time.”

“A sad day for all who knew and loved my dad and a sad loss for all people around the world who enjoyed the wonderful gift he had as an actor,” Jason Connery told the BBC.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was “heartbroken” at the news.

“Our nation today mourns one of her best loved sons,” she said.

A commanding screen presence for some 40 years, Connery was in his early 30s and little known when he starred in the first Bond thriller, 1962’s “Dr. No,” based on the Ian Fleming novel.

Condemned as immoral by the Vatican and the Kremlin, but screened at the White House for Bond fan John F. Kennedy, “Dr. No” was a box office hit and helped Bond become a franchise that long outlasted its Cold War origins.

For decades, with actors from Connery to Daniel Craig in the leading role, filmgoers have loved the outrageous stunts, vicious villains and likable, roguish hero who enjoyed a life of carousing, fast cars, gadgety weapons, elegant clothes and vodka martinis (always shaken, not stirred).

For many, Connery was the definitive James Bonds, his character’s introduction among the most famous in movie history. He is seated at the blackjack table of an upscale casino, seen first from the side and the back. After he wins a couple of hands against a glamorous young woman, she asks for more money to gamble. “I admire your courage, Miss, uh ...” we hear him tell her as the camera shows his hands removing a cigarette from a slender case. She introduces herself as “Trench, Sylvia Trench,” tells him she admires his luck and asks his name. His reply remains a catchphrase decades later. “Bond,” he says, his face finally revealed as he lights a cigarette. “James Bond.”

United Artists couldn’t wait to make more Bond movies, with ever more elaborate stunts and gadgets, along with more exotic locales and more prominent co-stars, among them Lotte Lenya and Jill St. John.

Connery continued as Bond in “From Russia With Love,” “Goldfinger,” “Thunderball,” “You Only Live Twice” and “Diamonds Are Forever,” often performing his own stunts.

“Diamonds Are Forever” came out in 1971 and by then Connery had grown weary of playing 007 and feared he wasn’t being taken seriously despite his dramatic performances in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Marnie” and Sidney Lumet’s “The Hill.”

“I’d been an actor since I was 25, but the image the press put out was that I just fell into this tuxedo and started mixing vodka martinis,” he once complained.

When he walked away at age 41, Hollywood insiders predicted Connery would soon be washed up. Who would hire a balding, middle-aged actor with a funny accent?

Connery fooled them all, playing a wide range of characters and proving equally adept at comedy, adventure or drama. And age only heightened the appeal of his dark stare and rugged brogue; he set a celebrity record of sorts when at age 59 he was named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive.”

He won the affection of fans of the “Indiana Jones” franchise when he played Indy’s father opposite Harrison Ford in the third picture, 1989′s “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” He turned in a poignant portrayal of an aging Robin Hood opposite Audrey Hepburn in “Robin and Marian” in 1976 and, 15 years later, was King Richard to Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood in “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.”

He was the lovable English con man who joined Michael Caine in swindling tribal people everywhere in “The Man Who Would Be King” and the bold Russian submarine commander in “The Hunt for Red October.”

He delivered a charming performance as a reclusive writer who mentors a teenage prodigy in 2000′s “Finding Forrester.”

He won his Oscar for supporting actor in 1987 for his portrayal of a tough Chicago cop who joins Elliot Ness’ crime-fighters in “The Untouchables.

By then he was at peace with James Bond, and when he arrived onstage at the Oscar ceremony he declared, “The name’s Connery. Sean Connery.”

He kept his promise not to play Bond again until 1983, when he was lured back by an offbeat script about a middle-aged 007. Based on the only Fleming story that hadn’t been nailed down by the film empire Broccoli and Saltzman created, Connery took the role and helped produce the film. The result was “Never Say Never Again,” a title suggested by his wife, Micheline Roquebrune.

Even as the 007 films made him a millionaire, Connery tried often to separate his own personality from that of Bond. “I’m obviously not Bond,” he once said. “And Bond is obviously not a human being. Fleming invented him after the war, when people were hungry for luxury, gourmet touches, exotic settings. Those were the things the English loved to read about following the privations of the war.”

The “real” Sean Connery had a troubled first marriage and a history of comments justifying domestic violence. In 1962, he married Diane Cilento, an actress best known for her role as Molly in “Tom Jones.” They had a son, Jason, who also became an actor, but the union proved tempestuous and ended in 1974.

Its impact lasted long after. Cilento would allege that he had physically abused her and Connery defended his behavior in interviews. In 1965, he told Playboy magazine that he did not find “anything particularly wrong about hitting a woman — although I don’t recommend doing it in the same way that you’d hit a man. An openhanded slap is justified — if all other alternatives fail and there has been plenty of warning.”

When Barbara Walter brought up those remarks in a 1987 interview, he said his opinion hadn’t changed because “sometimes women just won’t leave things alone.”

Connery was widely criticized, but still received numerous honors, including being chosen as commander (the same rank as Bond) of France’s Order of Arts and Literature and a Kennedy Center honoree in 1999. The following year Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed him a British knight.

In 2005 he was chosen for a lifetime achievement award by the American Film Institute. Thomas Sean Connery was born Aug. 25, 1930, in Edinburgh, Scotland, the first of two sons of a long-distance truck driver and a domestic worker.

He left school at age 13 during World War II to help support his family.

“I was a milkman, laborer, steel bender, cement mixer— virtually anything,” he once said.

Weary of day labor, he joined the British navy and was medically discharged after three years. The ailment: stomach ulcers.

Back in Edinburgh, he lifted weights to build his body and compete in the Mr. Universe contest. He came in third, and briefly considered becoming a professional soccer player, but chose acting because he reasoned his career would last longer.

He got his first big break singing and dancing to “There is Nothing Like a Dame” in “South Pacific” on the London stage and in a road production before going on to act in repertory, television and B movies. He went to Hollywood for two early films, Disney’s “Darby O’Gill and the Little People” and “Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure.”

When he decided to become an actor, he was told that Thomas Sean Connery wouldn’t fit on a theater marquee so he dropped his first name.

Then came the audition that changed his life. American producers Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and Harry Saltzman had bought the film rights to a string of post-World War II spy adventure novels by Fleming. Connery was not their first choice for “Dr. No.”

The producers had looked to Cary Grant, but decided they wanted an actor would commit to a series. The producers also realized they couldn’t afford a big-name star because United Artists had limited their film budget to $1 million a picture, so they started interviewing more obscure British performers.

Among them was the 6-foot-2 Connery. Without a screen test, Broccoli and Saltzman chose the actor, citing his “dark, cruel good looks,” a perfect match for the way Fleming described Bond. When Connery started earning big money, he established his base at a villa in Marbella on the Spanish coast.

He described it as “my sanitarium, where I recover from the madness of the film world.” It also helped him avoid the overwhelming income tax he would have paid had he remained a resident of Britain.

As his acting roles diminished when he reached his 70s, Connery spent much of his time at his tax-free home at Lynford Cay in the Bahamas. He played golf almost every morning, often with his wife. He announced in 2007 that he had retired when he turned down the chance to appear in another “Indiana Jones” movie.

“I thought long and hard about it, and if anything could have pulled me out of retirement it would have been an `Indiana Jones’ film,” he said.

“But in the end, retirement is just too damned much fun.”

LONDON (AP) — Sean Connery, the charismatic Scottish actor who rose to international superstardom as suave, fearless secret agent James Bond and then abandoned the role to carve out an equally successful, Oscar-winning career playing a variety of leading and character roles, has died. He was 90.Bond producers EON Productions confirmed his death. Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said they were “devastated” by the news.“He was and shall always be remembered as the original James Bond whose indelible entrance into cinema history began when he announced those unforgettable words — ‘The name’s Bond... James Bond,’” they said in a statement Saturday.The producers said Connery’s “gritty and witty portrayal of the sexy and charismatic secret agent” was largely responsible for the success of the series.Connery’s son Jason said his father died peacefully in his sleep overnight in the Bahamas where he lived, having been “unwell for some time.”“A sad day for all who knew and loved my dad and a sad loss for all people around the world who enjoyed the wonderful gift he had as an actor,” Jason Connery told the BBC.Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she was “heartbroken” at the news.“Our nation today mourns one of her best loved sons,” she said.A commanding screen presence for some 40 years, Connery was in his early 30s and little known when he starred in the first Bond thriller, 1962’s “Dr. No,” based on the Ian Fleming novel.Condemned as immoral by the Vatican and the Kremlin, but screened at the White House for Bond fan John F. Kennedy, “Dr. No” was a box office hit and helped Bond become a franchise that long outlasted its Cold War origins.For decades, with actors from Connery to Daniel Craig in the leading role, filmgoers have loved the outrageous stunts, vicious villains and likable, roguish hero who enjoyed a life of carousing, fast cars, gadgety weapons, elegant clothes and vodka martinis (always shaken, not stirred).For many, Connery was the definitive James Bonds, his character’s introduction among the most famous in movie history. He is seated at the blackjack table of an upscale casino, seen first from the side and the back. After he wins a couple of hands against a glamorous young woman, she asks for more money to gamble. “I admire your courage, Miss, uh ...” we hear him tell her as the camera shows his hands removing a cigarette from a slender case. She introduces herself as “Trench, Sylvia Trench,” tells him she admires his luck and asks his name. His reply remains a catchphrase decades later. “Bond,” he says, his face finally revealed as he lights a cigarette. “James Bond.”United Artists couldn’t wait to make more Bond movies, with ever more elaborate stunts and gadgets, along with more exotic locales and more prominent co-stars, among them Lotte Lenya and Jill St. John.Connery continued as Bond in “From Russia With Love,” “Goldfinger,” “Thunderball,” “You Only Live Twice” and “Diamonds Are Forever,” often performing his own stunts.“Diamonds Are Forever” came out in 1971 and by then Connery had grown weary of playing 007 and feared he wasn’t being taken seriously despite his dramatic performances in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Marnie” and Sidney Lumet’s “The Hill.”“I’d been an actor since I was 25, but the image the press put out was that I just fell into this tuxedo and started mixing vodka martinis,” he once complained.When he walked away at age 41, Hollywood insiders predicted Connery would soon be washed up. Who would hire a balding, middle-aged actor with a funny accent?Connery fooled them all, playing a wide range of characters and proving equally adept at comedy, adventure or drama. And age only heightened the appeal of his dark stare and rugged brogue; he set a celebrity record of sorts when at age 59 he was named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive.”He won the affection of fans of the “Indiana Jones” franchise when he played Indy’s father opposite Harrison Ford in the third picture, 1989′s “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” He turned in a poignant portrayal of an aging Robin Hood opposite Audrey Hepburn in “Robin and Marian” in 1976 and, 15 years later, was King Richard to Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood in “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.”He was the lovable English con man who joined Michael Caine in swindling tribal people everywhere in “The Man Who Would Be King” and the bold Russian submarine commander in “The Hunt for Red October.”He delivered a charming performance as a reclusive writer who mentors a teenage prodigy in 2000′s “Finding Forrester.”He won his Oscar for supporting actor in 1987 for his portrayal of a tough Chicago cop who joins Elliot Ness’ crime-fighters in “The Untouchables.By then he was at peace with James Bond, and when he arrived onstage at the Oscar ceremony he declared, “The name’s Connery. Sean Connery.”He kept his promise not to play Bond again until 1983, when he was lured back by an offbeat script about a middle-aged 007. Based on the only Fleming story that hadn’t been nailed down by the film empire Broccoli and Saltzman created, Connery took the role and helped produce the film. The result was “Never Say Never Again,” a title suggested by his wife, Micheline Roquebrune.Even as the 007 films made him a millionaire, Connery tried often to separate his own personality from that of Bond. “I’m obviously not Bond,” he once said. “And Bond is obviously not a human being. Fleming invented him after the war, when people were hungry for luxury, gourmet touches, exotic settings. Those were the things the English loved to read about following the privations of the war.”The “real” Sean Connery had a troubled first marriage and a history of comments justifying domestic violence. In 1962, he married Diane Cilento, an actress best known for her role as Molly in “Tom Jones.” They had a son, Jason, who also became an actor, but the union proved tempestuous and ended in 1974.Its impact lasted long after. Cilento would allege that he had physically abused her and Connery defended his behavior in interviews. In 1965, he told Playboy magazine that he did not find “anything particularly wrong about hitting a woman — although I don’t recommend doing it in the same way that you’d hit a man. An openhanded slap is justified — if all other alternatives fail and there has been plenty of warning.”When Barbara Walter brought up those remarks in a 1987 interview, he said his opinion hadn’t changed because “sometimes women just won’t leave things alone.”Connery was widely criticized, but still received numerous honors, including being chosen as commander (the same rank as Bond) of France’s Order of Arts and Literature and a Kennedy Center honoree in 1999. The following year Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed him a British knight.In 2005 he was chosen for a lifetime achievement award by the American Film Institute. Thomas Sean Connery was born Aug. 25, 1930, in Edinburgh, Scotland, the first of two sons of a long-distance truck driver and a domestic worker.He left school at age 13 during World War II to help support his family.“I was a milkman, laborer, steel bender, cement mixer— virtually anything,” he once said.Weary of day labor, he joined the British navy and was medically discharged after three years. The ailment: stomach ulcers.Back in Edinburgh, he lifted weights to build his body and compete in the Mr. Universe contest. He came in third, and briefly considered becoming a professional soccer player, but chose acting because he reasoned his career would last longer.He got his first big break singing and dancing to “There is Nothing Like a Dame” in “South Pacific” on the London stage and in a road production before going on to act in repertory, television and B movies. He went to Hollywood for two early films, Disney’s “Darby O’Gill and the Little People” and “Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure.”When he decided to become an actor, he was told that Thomas Sean Connery wouldn’t fit on a theater marquee so he dropped his first name.Then came the audition that changed his life. American producers Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and Harry Saltzman had bought the film rights to a string of post-World War II spy adventure novels by Fleming. Connery was not their first choice for “Dr. No.”The producers had looked to Cary Grant, but decided they wanted an actor would commit to a series. The producers also realized they couldn’t afford a big-name star because United Artists had limited their film budget to $1 million a picture, so they started interviewing more obscure British performers.Among them was the 6-foot-2 Connery. Without a screen test, Broccoli and Saltzman chose the actor, citing his “dark, cruel good looks,” a perfect match for the way Fleming described Bond. When Connery started earning big money, he established his base at a villa in Marbella on the Spanish coast.He described it as “my sanitarium, where I recover from the madness of the film world.” It also helped him avoid the overwhelming income tax he would have paid had he remained a resident of Britain.As his acting roles diminished when he reached his 70s, Connery spent much of his time at his tax-free home at Lynford Cay in the Bahamas. He played golf almost every morning, often with his wife. He announced in 2007 that he had retired when he turned down the chance to appear in another “Indiana Jones” movie.“I thought long and hard about it, and if anything could have pulled me out of retirement it would have been an `Indiana Jones’ film,” he said.“But in the end, retirement is just too damned much fun.”___

Actor Sean Connery, the 'original' James Bond, dies at 90

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and after asking the public for help to locate two suspects have reported an arrest.

On Thursday, authorities in Seattle, Washington arrested&nbsp;31-year-old Latrelle Sheneice Praylow 

A second suspect Todge Anderson is still outstanding, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.

Just after 11:30a.m. October 3, police responded to a call for service at a home in the 300 Block of SW Polk in Topeka for a check welfare, according to&nbsp;LT Jerry Monasmith.

On arrival, officers found 38-year-old Christopher McMillon with what appeared to be a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.&nbsp;

Praylow is being held without bond in King County until she is returned to Kansas.&nbsp;

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have identified the victim as&nbsp; Christopher McMillon, 38, of Topeka. 

Just after 11:30a.m. Saturday, police responded to a call for service at a home in the 300 Block of SW Polk for a check welfare, according to&nbsp;LT Jerry Monasmith.

On arrival, officers found McMillon with what appeared to be a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police released no additional details early Sunday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603125505902.png" alt="Praylow has previous convictions for theft, forgery and criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections -photo Topeka Police" />
 <figcaption>Praylow has previous convictions for theft, forgery and criminal possession of a weapon by a felon, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections -photo Topeka Police</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and after asking the public for help to locate two suspects have reported an arrest.On Thursday, authorities in Seattle, Washington arrested&nbsp;31-year-old Latrelle Sheneice Praylow <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603125537277.png" alt="Anderson-photo Topeka Police" />
 <figcaption>Anderson-photo Topeka Police</figcaption>
 </figure>A second suspect Todge Anderson is still outstanding, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.Just after 11:30a.m. October 3, police responded to a call for service at a home in the 300 Block of SW Polk in Topeka for a check welfare, according to&nbsp;LT Jerry Monasmith.On arrival, officers found 38-year-old Christopher McMillon with what appeared to be a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.&nbsp;Praylow is being held without bond in King County until she is returned to Kansas.&nbsp;---------SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have identified the victim as&nbsp; Christopher McMillon, 38, of Topeka. Just after 11:30a.m. Saturday, police responded to a call for service at a home in the 300 Block of SW Polk for a check welfare, according to&nbsp;LT Jerry Monasmith.On arrival, officers found McMillon with what appeared to be a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police released no additional details early Sunday.-----------

Suspect wanted for Kan. man's murder jailed in Seattle

Sister Edith Marie Hauser, 93, died October 30, 2020, in the 
Dominican Sisters’ convent infirmary, Great Bend.&nbsp; She was born January 
19, 1927, in Nashville, KS, the daughter of Edward and Mary (Schnittker)
 Hauser.&nbsp; She entered the Dominican Sisters Community in 1943 and 
pronounced vows in 1946.&nbsp; Sister Edith Marie ministered as an educator, 
serving as teacher and/or principal from 1946-2010.&nbsp; At that time she 
retired at the motherhouse in Great Bend.&nbsp;

Sister Edith was preceded in death by her parents, three brothers, 
and three sisters.&nbsp; She is survived by one sister, Angela Scantlin, 
numerous nieces and nephews, as well as the Dominican Sisters of Peace.&nbsp;

A private Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 AM Monday, 
November 2.&nbsp; A Vigil Service will be held Sunday, November 1, at 7:00 
PM.&nbsp; Both will take place at the Sisters’ Convent.&nbsp; Burial will be in 
the Sisters’ Resurrection Cemetery. 

Memorials in honor of Sister Edith 
Marie may be sent to Dominican Sisters of Peace, 2320 Airport Drive, 
Columbus, OH 43219-2098.&nbsp; Condolences may be sent and notice viewed at <a href="http://www.bryantfh.net">www.bryantfh.net</a>.&nbsp; Arrangements by Bryant Funeral Home, 1425 Patton Rd., Great Bend 67530.

Sister Edith Marie Hauser, 93, died October 30, 2020, in the 
Dominican Sisters’ convent infirmary, Great Bend.&nbsp; She was born January 
19, 1927, in Nashville, KS, the daughter of Edward and Mary (Schnittker)
 Hauser.&nbsp; She entered the Dominican Sisters Community in 1943 and 
pronounced vows in 1946.&nbsp; Sister Edith Marie ministered as an educator, 
serving as teacher and/or principal from 1946-2010.&nbsp; At that time she 
retired at the motherhouse in Great Bend.&nbsp;Sister Edith was preceded in death by her parents, three brothers, 
and three sisters.&nbsp; She is survived by one sister, Angela Scantlin, 
numerous nieces and nephews, as well as the Dominican Sisters of Peace.&nbsp;A private Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 AM Monday, 
November 2.&nbsp; A Vigil Service will be held Sunday, November 1, at 7:00 
PM.&nbsp; Both will take place at the Sisters’ Convent.&nbsp; Burial will be in 
the Sisters’ Resurrection Cemetery. Memorials in honor of Sister Edith 
Marie may be sent to Dominican Sisters of Peace, 2320 Airport Drive, 
Columbus, OH 43219-2098.&nbsp; Condolences may be sent and notice viewed at <a href="http://www.bryantfh.net">www.bryantfh.net</a>.&nbsp; Arrangements by Bryant Funeral Home, 1425 Patton Rd., Great Bend 67530.

Sister Edith Marie Hauser

Howard Lewis “Arkie” McNair, 80, McCracken, Kansas, died Wednesday, October 21, 2020, at Hays Medical Center, Hays, Kansas.

Arkie was born November 29, 1939, in Moro, Arkansas, the son of Homer
 McNair, Sr. and Jessamine (Shelton) McNair.&nbsp; He was a resident of 
McCracken, Kansas, since 2003, moving from Thornton, Colorado.&nbsp; He 
worked in cable maintenance for the telephone industry before his 
retirement.

He was a veteran of the United States Army.

On December 31, 1965, he married Diana F. Ochs at Fort Worth, Texas.&nbsp;

Survivors include:&nbsp; his wife, Diana F. McNair, McCracken, Kansas; two
 sons, Travis McNair (Alice), Franktown, Colorado, and Curtis McNair 
(Kelly), Thornton, Colorado; four grandchildren, Melanie McNair, 
Thornton, Colorado, Jesse McNair (Blythe), Parker, Colorado, Kristen 
McNair, Thornton, Colorado, and Tyler McNair, Highlands Ranch, Colorado;
 and one sister, Patsy Edgin, Marianna, Arkansas.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one grandson, Travis McNair,
 Jr.; seven brothers, Cecil McNair, Homer McNair, Jr., Ernest McNair, 
James McNair, Henry McNair, Leroy McNair; and Roger McNair; and&nbsp; four 
sisters, Betty Fear, Sara Desautel, Mildred Watkins, and Mary Edgin.

Per Arkie’s wishes, cremation has been chosen.&nbsp;

Memorials are suggested to wildlife or national park preservation organizations.

Condolences or remembrances may be left for the family at www.janousekfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements were by Janousek Funeral Home, 719 Pine Street, P O Box 550, La Crosse, Kansas 67548, 785/222-2517.

Howard Lewis “Arkie” McNair, 80, McCracken, Kansas, died Wednesday, October 21, 2020, at Hays Medical Center, Hays, Kansas.Arkie was born November 29, 1939, in Moro, Arkansas, the son of Homer
 McNair, Sr. and Jessamine (Shelton) McNair.&nbsp; He was a resident of 
McCracken, Kansas, since 2003, moving from Thornton, Colorado.&nbsp; He 
worked in cable maintenance for the telephone industry before his 
retirement.He was a veteran of the United States Army.On December 31, 1965, he married Diana F. Ochs at Fort Worth, Texas.&nbsp;Survivors include:&nbsp; his wife, Diana F. McNair, McCracken, Kansas; two
 sons, Travis McNair (Alice), Franktown, Colorado, and Curtis McNair 
(Kelly), Thornton, Colorado; four grandchildren, Melanie McNair, 
Thornton, Colorado, Jesse McNair (Blythe), Parker, Colorado, Kristen 
McNair, Thornton, Colorado, and Tyler McNair, Highlands Ranch, Colorado;
 and one sister, Patsy Edgin, Marianna, Arkansas.He was preceded in death by his parents; one grandson, Travis McNair,
 Jr.; seven brothers, Cecil McNair, Homer McNair, Jr., Ernest McNair, 
James McNair, Henry McNair, Leroy McNair; and Roger McNair; and&nbsp; four 
sisters, Betty Fear, Sara Desautel, Mildred Watkins, and Mary Edgin.Per Arkie’s wishes, cremation has been chosen.&nbsp;Memorials are suggested to wildlife or national park preservation organizations.Condolences or remembrances may be left for the family at www.janousekfuneralhome.com.Arrangements were by Janousek Funeral Home, 719 Pine Street, P O Box 550, La Crosse, Kansas 67548, 785/222-2517.

Howard Lewis 'Arkie' McNair

By NOMIN UJIYEDIIN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-10-30/western-kansas-is-full-of-coronavirus-hot-spots-tying-up-icu-beds">Kansas News Service</a>

For the first time during the pandemic. Dr. Drew Miller was unable to
 send a severely ill COVID patient to the intensive care unit.

Miller
 and other staff at the Kearny County Hospital, in southwestern Kansas, 
had done what they could last weekend, putting the patient on a maximum 
oxygen flow. But the closest ICU in the area was one county over — St. 
Catherine Hospital in Garden City — and it was full. The nearest open 
ICU bed was in Kansas City, seven hours away.

By the time an ICU bed opened up at St. Catherine, the patient needed to be intubated and was in much worse condition.

The
 experience was “uncomfortable. And unwanted,” said Miller, who is the 
hospital’s chief of staff and the county’s lead medical officer.

It
 brought home a reality that many in western Kansas have been trying to 
avoid: The coronavirus is here, it is getting worse and it will put a 
strain on a rural health care system that is already sparse and 
understaffed. 

Overall, Kansas has more than 85,000 cases. And as 
of Friday, five rural Kansas counties were among the top 20 U.S. 
counties with the highest number of COVID-19 cases per resident, 
according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.

Kearny
 County is not one of them. It had opted out of the state’s mask 
mandate, as permitted this summer. But on Oct. 14, the county began <a href="https://www.kearnycountykansas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Resolution-20-2110142020.pdf" target="_blank">requiring masks</a> in public spaces and limiting mass gatherings to 25% occupancy.

As of Friday, the county has seen 160 <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank">COVID-19 cases</a> over the course of the pandemic, 58 of them diagnosed in October. It’s <a href="https://www.kearnycountyhospital.com/covid-19-public-risk-level-guidelines/" target="_blank">currently</a> at Level 4, the highest level on a county-created <a href="http://www.kearnycountyhospital.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Alert-Guidelines.pdf" target="_blank">rubric</a>
 of pandemic severity, indicating a rapidly increasing number of people 
are testing positive for COVID-19 and seeking medical treatment.

Even so, Miller said, it’s been hard to convey the growing threat of the virus, especially with such widespread misinformation.

“Our
 county health voice has just been drowned out,” Miller said. “It’s hard
 to get people to wear a mask when they don’t feel it, when they don’t 
see what we see every day, which is more sick people and more severe 
cases.”

In nearby Finney County, <a href="https://www.finneycounty.org/755/Coronavirus-COVID-19" target="_blank">positivity rates</a>
 for the coronavirus reached 31% between Oct. 12-16. As of Friday, there
 had been 2,766 cases in the county, 700 of them reported since Sept. 
30.

The virus is spreading widely throughout the community, Finney County Health Department Director Colleen Drees said.

“I
 wouldn’t say that there’s any specific outbreaks that are causing it,” 
Drees said. “We’ve had several people that have reported that they’re 
not sure where they contracted COVID because they’re unsure of who near 
them was sick.”

Earlier this year, Finney, Ford and Seward counties — home to four meatpacking plants and 25% of the nation’s beef processing — <a href="https://www.hppr.org/post/emails-show-kansas-agencies-helped-keep-meatpacking-plants-open-despite-concerns-about" target="_blank">saw a massive spike in cases</a>. According to <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank">state data</a>,
 21 clusters have been linked to meatpacking plants, as well as more 
than 3,600 cases, 113 hospitalizations and 19 deaths. Unlike in other 
places, the plants in western Kansas did not close.

Dr. R.C. Trotter, an advisor for Ford County, said its numbers (3,491
 as of Oct. 30) are no longer as concerning. To his knowledge, the 
county does not track current moving averages of positivity rates or 
case numbers, which are common measures for COVID severity.

Ford 
County does not have a mask order, but Trotter said he sees most people 
wearing masks in public places, and many indoor gatherings have been 
cancelled. He called the question of a mandate “political.”

“I sit
 on the fence, I’ll be honest,” he said. “Is it worth it for me to go 
out and fall on the sword, which quite honestly, a lot of public health 
officers are? We’re seeing the rebuttal for that.”

While other 
health officials have warned for months that the fall and winter would 
bring a rise in cases — which appears to be happening across a large 
swath of the country — Trotter said he doesn’t think there’s any 
scientific evidence that the colder weather increases cases.

“It’s conjecture. We don’t know,” he said.

Officials
 in the Finney County government and in Garden City, the largest city 
and county seat, have yet to issue any orders relating to coronavirus 
precautions, such as a mask mandate, gathering ban or social distancing 
rules. Leaders opted out of Gov. Laura Kelly’s statewide mask mandate in
 the summer.

The county’s medical director has asked the county and city governments for a mask order through the summer and fall.

The
 county commission meets next on Monday, Nov. 2. Commissioner Dave Jones
 said COVID would likely be on the agenda, but he wasn’t sure whether a 
mask order would be. Jones also said he was concerned a mask mandate 
would be too overbearing on local schools, and preferred to let the 
districts make that decision.

Finney County Commissioner Duane 
Drees supports mask wearing, social distancing and other recommendations
 of doctors, but said he doesn’t feel a mandate is necessary or even 
enforceable.

“There is a limit to what common sense and the public
 will tolerate,” he said. “You don’t need a law to protect people from 
their own self. That’s why God gave us common sense.”

Drees said 
social distancing and gathering limits also would be hard to enforce, 
especially in a county with such a large population of people from 
different ethnicities.

“African cultures, Asian cultures, 
Hispanic. Family unit is very important to most of these cultures,” he 
said. “And they tend to get together as a family unit more than the 
traditional resident.”

Families who have been in the area for "100
 years," Drees continued, “we tend to have assimilated much more and 
drifted away from the family orientation.”

He believes it’s harder to tell recent immigrants to follow social distancing rules.

“Are they going to pay attention? I doubt it,” Drees said.

Garden
 City Manager Matt Allen said the municipal government decided at the 
beginning of the pandemic to defer to the county government for a 
unified message.

While a mask mandate is tentatively on the agenda
 for the city’s Nov. 3 meeting, he said it was unclear whether the city 
would decide to depart from the county.

Finney County Medical 
Director, Dr. Lindsay Byrnes, said she often observes people going 
unmasked in public spaces. When she went to the county administration 
building to vote this week, only one poll worker was wearing a mask, she
 said. Most government employees were not.

“I think our leadership failed to take a strong stance and encourage it,” she said.

She
 pushed for a mask mandate through the summer and fall. It’s the best 
way, she said, to ensure county residents comply with health precautions
 during a critical time.

A recently published <a href="https://ipsr.ku.edu/covid19/images/MaskMandateUpdate.pdf" target="_blank">study from the University of Kansas</a>
 shows counties with mask mandates decreased their seven-day rolling 
averages of daily cases per 100,000 people, while counties without 
mandates have seen those averages increase.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604085345802.png" alt="The coronavirus positivity rate in southwestern Kansas' Finney County was 31% from Oct. 12-16. The county's has added 700 cases in a month. Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>The coronavirus positivity rate in southwestern Kansas' Finney County was 31% from Oct. 12-16. The county's has added 700 cases in a month. Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOMIN UJIYEDIIN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-10-30/western-kansas-is-full-of-coronavirus-hot-spots-tying-up-icu-beds">Kansas News Service</a>For the first time during the pandemic. Dr. Drew Miller was unable to
 send a severely ill COVID patient to the intensive care unit.Miller
 and other staff at the Kearny County Hospital, in southwestern Kansas, 
had done what they could last weekend, putting the patient on a maximum 
oxygen flow. But the closest ICU in the area was one county over — St. 
Catherine Hospital in Garden City — and it was full. The nearest open 
ICU bed was in Kansas City, seven hours away.By the time an ICU bed opened up at St. Catherine, the patient needed to be intubated and was in much worse condition.The
 experience was “uncomfortable. And unwanted,” said Miller, who is the 
hospital’s chief of staff and the county’s lead medical officer.It
 brought home a reality that many in western Kansas have been trying to 
avoid: The coronavirus is here, it is getting worse and it will put a 
strain on a rural health care system that is already sparse and 
understaffed. Overall, Kansas has more than 85,000 cases. And as 
of Friday, five rural Kansas counties were among the top 20 U.S. 
counties with the highest number of COVID-19 cases per resident, 
according to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>.Kearny
 County is not one of them. It had opted out of the state’s mask 
mandate, as permitted this summer. But on Oct. 14, the county began <a href="https://www.kearnycountykansas.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Resolution-20-2110142020.pdf" target="_blank">requiring masks</a> in public spaces and limiting mass gatherings to 25% occupancy.As of Friday, the county has seen 160 <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank">COVID-19 cases</a> over the course of the pandemic, 58 of them diagnosed in October. It’s <a href="https://www.kearnycountyhospital.com/covid-19-public-risk-level-guidelines/" target="_blank">currently</a> at Level 4, the highest level on a county-created <a href="http://www.kearnycountyhospital.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Alert-Guidelines.pdf" target="_blank">rubric</a>
 of pandemic severity, indicating a rapidly increasing number of people 
are testing positive for COVID-19 and seeking medical treatment.Even so, Miller said, it’s been hard to convey the growing threat of the virus, especially with such widespread misinformation.“Our
 county health voice has just been drowned out,” Miller said. “It’s hard
 to get people to wear a mask when they don’t feel it, when they don’t 
see what we see every day, which is more sick people and more severe 
cases.”<h2>The absence of mask mandates</h2>In nearby Finney County, <a href="https://www.finneycounty.org/755/Coronavirus-COVID-19" target="_blank">positivity rates</a>
 for the coronavirus reached 31% between Oct. 12-16. As of Friday, there
 had been 2,766 cases in the county, 700 of them reported since Sept. 
30.The virus is spreading widely throughout the community, Finney County Health Department Director Colleen Drees said.“I
 wouldn’t say that there’s any specific outbreaks that are causing it,” 
Drees said. “We’ve had several people that have reported that they’re 
not sure where they contracted COVID because they’re unsure of who near 
them was sick.”Earlier this year, Finney, Ford and Seward counties — home to four meatpacking plants and 25% of the nation’s beef processing — <a href="https://www.hppr.org/post/emails-show-kansas-agencies-helped-keep-meatpacking-plants-open-despite-concerns-about" target="_blank">saw a massive spike in cases</a>. According to <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas" target="_blank">state data</a>,
 21 clusters have been linked to meatpacking plants, as well as more 
than 3,600 cases, 113 hospitalizations and 19 deaths. Unlike in other 
places, the plants in western Kansas did not close.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604085485371.png" alt="The National Beef plant in Dodge City was the site of coronavirus cases earlier this year. Bethany Wood" />
 <figcaption>The National Beef plant in Dodge City was the site of coronavirus cases earlier this year. Bethany Wood</figcaption>
 </figure>Dr. R.C. Trotter, an advisor for Ford County, said its numbers (3,491
 as of Oct. 30) are no longer as concerning. To his knowledge, the 
county does not track current moving averages of positivity rates or 
case numbers, which are common measures for COVID severity.Ford 
County does not have a mask order, but Trotter said he sees most people 
wearing masks in public places, and many indoor gatherings have been 
cancelled. He called the question of a mandate “political.”“I sit
 on the fence, I’ll be honest,” he said. “Is it worth it for me to go 
out and fall on the sword, which quite honestly, a lot of public health 
officers are? We’re seeing the rebuttal for that.”While other 
health officials have warned for months that the fall and winter would 
bring a rise in cases — which appears to be happening across a large 
swath of the country — Trotter said he doesn’t think there’s any 
scientific evidence that the colder weather increases cases.“It’s conjecture. We don’t know,” he said.Officials
 in the Finney County government and in Garden City, the largest city 
and county seat, have yet to issue any orders relating to coronavirus 
precautions, such as a mask mandate, gathering ban or social distancing 
rules. Leaders opted out of Gov. Laura Kelly’s statewide mask mandate in
 the summer.The county’s medical director has asked the county and city governments for a mask order through the summer and fall.The
 county commission meets next on Monday, Nov. 2. Commissioner Dave Jones
 said COVID would likely be on the agenda, but he wasn’t sure whether a 
mask order would be. Jones also said he was concerned a mask mandate 
would be too overbearing on local schools, and preferred to let the 
districts make that decision.Finney County Commissioner Duane 
Drees supports mask wearing, social distancing and other recommendations
 of doctors, but said he doesn’t feel a mandate is necessary or even 
enforceable.“There is a limit to what common sense and the public
 will tolerate,” he said. “You don’t need a law to protect people from 
their own self. That’s why God gave us common sense.”Drees said 
social distancing and gathering limits also would be hard to enforce, 
especially in a county with such a large population of people from 
different ethnicities.“African cultures, Asian cultures, 
Hispanic. Family unit is very important to most of these cultures,” he 
said. “And they tend to get together as a family unit more than the 
traditional resident.”Families who have been in the area for "100
 years," Drees continued, “we tend to have assimilated much more and 
drifted away from the family orientation.”He believes it’s harder to tell recent immigrants to follow social distancing rules.“Are they going to pay attention? I doubt it,” Drees said.Garden
 City Manager Matt Allen said the municipal government decided at the 
beginning of the pandemic to defer to the county government for a 
unified message.While a mask mandate is tentatively on the agenda
 for the city’s Nov. 3 meeting, he said it was unclear whether the city 
would decide to depart from the county.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604085530551.png" alt="St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City has eight ICU beds. Corinne Boyer" />
 <figcaption>St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City has eight ICU beds. Corinne Boyer</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>‘We are desperate’</h2>Finney County Medical 
Director, Dr. Lindsay Byrnes, said she often observes people going 
unmasked in public spaces. When she went to the county administration 
building to vote this week, only one poll worker was wearing a mask, she
 said. Most government employees were not.“I think our leadership failed to take a strong stance and encourage it,” she said.She
 pushed for a mask mandate through the summer and fall. It’s the best 
way, she said, to ensure county residents comply with health precautions
 during a critical time.A recently published <a href="https://ipsr.ku.edu/covid19/images/MaskMandateUpdate.pdf" target="_blank">study from the University of Kansas</a>
 shows counties with mask mandates decreased their seven-day rolling 
averages of daily cases per 100,000 people, while counties without 
mandates have seen those averages increase.“We are desperate to 
explain that this must be a community-wide effort,” Byrnes said. “It 
cannot be only the burden of the health care system. It cannot be the 
burden of a few, it has to be everyone working in concert.”Byrnes
 said school teachers and hospital staff in the county have had to stay 
home from work because they’ve caught the virus out in the community, 
not at their workplaces. That indicates that the virus is widespread, 
and that schools and hospitals may be incapacitated just when the 
community needs them, she said.St. Catherine Hospital in Garden 
City only has eight ICU beds. Patients in serious condition are 
sometimes transferred to facilities in Wichita, Denver or other large 
cities within a few hours’ flight, Byrnes said.If hospitals in those areas also become full, Finney County won’t have any other options.“It’s not sustainable,” she said. “My colleagues are saying, ‘Please, anybody do something. We can’t do this by ourselves.’”It
 feels like health care providers have been abandoned, Byrnes said. She 
used to believe southwest Kansas, where she grew up, was a place where 
neighbors helped each other, no questions asked. But the resistance to 
masks has led her to question her community.“These are the people
 that would go out and cut your wheat if you were in the hospital or had
 a problem in the family,” she said. “Why is this different now? What 
happened? Why aren’t people willing to take care of each other?”Nomin
 Ujiyediin reports on criminal justice and social welfare for the Kansas
 News Service. You can email her at nomin@kcur.org and follow
 her on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/nominuj" target="_blank">@NominUJ</a>.