By JOSH FUNK AP Transportation Writer

The nation's freight railroads are going to be able to try relying more on technology and inspect their tracks in person less often after the federal government approved their waiver request on Friday.

The Association of American Railroads trade group asked for the relief from inspection requirements that were written back in 1971 because railroads believe the automated track inspection technology they use today is so good at spotting problems early that human inspections aren't needed as frequently. They say that extended tests that BNSF and Norfolk Southern ran show that safety actually improved even when human inspections were reduced from twice a week to twice a month.

The Federal Railroad Administration didn't go quite that far in its decision, but the agency said railroads will be able to cut inspections down to only once a week under the approved waiver.

The railroads had also asked for permission to have up to three days to repair defects identified by the automated inspections. But the Federal Railroad Administration said any serious defects in the tracks must be repaired immediately and all defects should be addressed within 24 hours.

These automated inspection systems use an array of cameras and lasers installed either on a locomotive or on a railcar that can be pulled as part of a train to assess whether the tracks are moving out of alignment or shifting. But the union that represents track inspectors says the technology can’t detect things like the rock underneath the track shifting, vegetation growing into the path of the trains, a crack in the rail or railroad ties rotting out. Plus, inspectors can spot a combination of small defects that might together derail a train where the machine might not register a problem, the union says.

“This is everyday defects across the entire country that we find through visual inspections that cannot be detected by this machinery,” Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division union President Tony Cardwell said. “And that technology is not there. It has been here for 30 years. It hasn’t really advanced much at all. It’s a glorified tape measure.”

The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division union that represents track inspectors acknowledges that this technology does help spot problems. But the union says that this automated inspection equipment should supplement — not replace — human inspections because reducing track inspections would increase the risk of derailments.

The railroads counter that even if these systems can't see the ballast shifting under the tracks or the ties starting to rot, the system will notice the symptoms of those problems because the track geometry — basically the alignment of the tracks — will be affected when those things happen.

“What it is looking at is the ultimate performance. If those components are doing their job, then the track geometry is being maintained. If they’re not doing their job, the track geometry is not being maintained,” said Mike Rush, the Association of American Railroads' senior vice president of safety and operations.

Companies say technology is more effective

BNSF railroad said when it was arguing with the Federal Railroad Administration about whether their test should be extended that the “technology has proven to be far more sensitive and effective at detecting geometry defects on BNSF’s network than the regime of manual visual inspections mandated by the historic regulations.”

Over two years of testing, manual inspections detected only 0.01 defects per 100 miles, compared with the section of the railroad where the test was being run where the combination of the technology and reduced inspections found 4.54 defects per 100 miles.

The Federal Railroad Administration agreed that tracks don't need to be inspected visually as frequently when these automated track inspection systems are used regularly.

Cardwell and the union's safety director, Roy Morrison, think that's a bad idea. They said that one of the benefits of frequent inspections is that the inspectors become intimately familiar with their territories, which helps them spot subtle changes. If they aren't out on the tracks as often, it may be harder to spot problems, they said.

“A track inspector who’s out on his mainline track twice a week, he knows that track inside out, and a lot of times he’ll spot a defect without even knowing what he’s looking at yet,” Morrison said. “He’ll get out of the truck and say, hey, there’s something wrong here. Take some measurements and go, OK, this is what’s going on.”

But the railroads say that freeing up inspectors from some of these mandated track inspections will allow them to focus more on switches and other equipment that must be inspected manually. Plus, Norfolk Southern noted in its comments on the request that even if regular inspections aren't being done as often, special inspections will still be done regularly anytime there is a major storm or flooding in a certain area to make sure the tracks weren't affected.

Norfolk Southern said that during its 18-month test of reducing inspections while using the technology, the railroad saw improvements in areas that the automated system can't find because inspectors were free to spend more time focused on those areas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686018448112.png" alt="Union Pacific train in western Kansas -Post photo" />
 <figcaption>Union Pacific train in western Kansas -Post photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOSH FUNK AP Transportation WriterThe nation's freight railroads are going to be able to try relying more on technology and inspect their tracks in person less often after the federal government approved their waiver request on Friday.The Association of American Railroads trade group asked for the relief from inspection requirements that were written back in 1971 because railroads believe the automated track inspection technology they use today is so good at spotting problems early that human inspections aren't needed as frequently. They say that extended tests that BNSF and Norfolk Southern ran show that safety actually improved even when human inspections were reduced from twice a week to twice a month.The Federal Railroad Administration didn't go quite that far in its decision, but the agency said railroads will be able to cut inspections down to only once a week under the approved waiver.The railroads had also asked for permission to have up to three days to repair defects identified by the automated inspections. But the Federal Railroad Administration said any serious defects in the tracks must be repaired immediately and all defects should be addressed within 24 hours.<h2>Union says technology can miss problems</h2>These automated inspection systems use an array of cameras and lasers installed either on a locomotive or on a railcar that can be pulled as part of a train to assess whether the tracks are moving out of alignment or shifting. But the union that represents track inspectors says the technology can’t detect things like the rock underneath the track shifting, vegetation growing into the path of the trains, a crack in the rail or railroad ties rotting out. Plus, inspectors can spot a combination of small defects that might together derail a train where the machine might not register a problem, the union says.“This is everyday defects across the entire country that we find through visual inspections that cannot be detected by this machinery,” Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division union President Tony Cardwell said. “And that technology is not there. It has been here for 30 years. It hasn’t really advanced much at all. It’s a glorified tape measure.”The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division union that represents track inspectors acknowledges that this technology does help spot problems. But the union says that this automated inspection equipment should supplement — not replace — human inspections because reducing track inspections would increase the risk of derailments.The railroads counter that even if these systems can't see the ballast shifting under the tracks or the ties starting to rot, the system will notice the symptoms of those problems because the track geometry — basically the alignment of the tracks — will be affected when those things happen.“What it is looking at is the ultimate performance. If those components are doing their job, then the track geometry is being maintained. If they’re not doing their job, the track geometry is not being maintained,” said Mike Rush, the Association of American Railroads' senior vice president of safety and operations.<h2>Companies say technology is more effective</h2>BNSF railroad said when it was arguing with the Federal Railroad Administration about whether their test should be extended that the “technology has proven to be far more sensitive and effective at detecting geometry defects on BNSF’s network than the regime of manual visual inspections mandated by the historic regulations.”Over two years of testing, manual inspections detected only 0.01 defects per 100 miles, compared with the section of the railroad where the test was being run where the combination of the technology and reduced inspections found 4.54 defects per 100 miles.The Federal Railroad Administration agreed that tracks don't need to be inspected visually as frequently when these automated track inspection systems are used regularly.Cardwell and the union's safety director, Roy Morrison, think that's a bad idea. They said that one of the benefits of frequent inspections is that the inspectors become intimately familiar with their territories, which helps them spot subtle changes. If they aren't out on the tracks as often, it may be harder to spot problems, they said.“A track inspector who’s out on his mainline track twice a week, he knows that track inside out, and a lot of times he’ll spot a defect without even knowing what he’s looking at yet,” Morrison said. “He’ll get out of the truck and say, hey, there’s something wrong here. Take some measurements and go, OK, this is what’s going on.”But the railroads say that freeing up inspectors from some of these mandated track inspections will allow them to focus more on switches and other equipment that must be inspected manually. Plus, Norfolk Southern noted in its comments on the request that even if regular inspections aren't being done as often, special inspections will still be done regularly anytime there is a major storm or flooding in a certain area to make sure the tracks weren't affected.Norfolk Southern said that during its 18-month test of reducing inspections while using the technology, the railroad saw improvements in areas that the automated system can't find because inspectors were free to spend more time focused on those areas.

Railroads will be allowed to reduce inspections and rely more on technology to spot track problems

WASHINGTON (AP) — The publisher of the beloved children’s character Franklin the Turtle and Pop singer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sabrina-carpenter">Sabrina Carpenter</a>&nbsp;are disavowing the Trump administration’s use of their imagery and music to support its agenda.

Responding to the use of her song “Juno” in a video montage depicting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, Carpenter tweeted Tuesday: “this video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”

In the caption for the clip, the White House quoted Carpenter’s lyrics “Have you ever tried this one? Bye-bye.”

On Monday, Franklin the Turtle publisher Kids Can Press condemned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s post on X featuring a manipulated image showing Franklin aiming a bazooka at boats. Hegseth posted the image with the caption “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.”

“We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values,” the publisher said in a tweet.

The Trump administration has conducted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-boat-strikes-drugs-25000-lives-c6e4c750b0dc6f15d397d598c9bd169f">multiple strikes</a>&nbsp;in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean on small boats accused of ferrying drugs in the region. More than 80 people have been killed in such strikes since early September.

There is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ronald-reagan-hip-hop-and-rap-phil-collins-bruce-springsteen-394ddb622b30a718f1b4621a316a78c3">a long list of performers</a>&nbsp;and artists who have objected to the Trump administration using their songs and copyright material, including ABBA, Bruce Springsteen, Olivia Rodrigo, Rihanna, Phil Collins, Pharrell, John Fogerty,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/semisonic-trump-cling-time-b9984c537f8aca5c68e80454aaa1cf22">Semisonic</a>, Neil Young, Eddy Grant, Panic! at the Disco, R.E.M., Guns N’ Roses,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-campaign-songs-celine-dion-objections-a6add3c61426768fa30fddb596db9797">Celine Dion</a>, Beyoncé and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/state-elections-music-general-news-gubernatorial-elections-fa03d5927b4b4f039ba97ced85c0b8ad">Adele</a>.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The publisher of the beloved children’s character Franklin the Turtle and Pop singer&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/sabrina-carpenter">Sabrina Carpenter</a>&nbsp;are disavowing the Trump administration’s use of their imagery and music to support its agenda.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">For your Christmas wish list… <a href="https://t.co/pLXzg20SaL">pic.twitter.com/pLXzg20SaL</a>&mdash; Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/1995291042346852861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Responding to the use of her song “Juno” in a video montage depicting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, Carpenter tweeted Tuesday: “this video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">this video is evil and disgusting. Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda.&mdash; Sabrina Carpenter (@SabrinaAnnLynn) <a href="https://twitter.com/SabrinaAnnLynn/status/1995876972405420114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In the caption for the clip, the White House quoted Carpenter’s lyrics “Have you ever tried this one? Bye-bye.”On Monday, Franklin the Turtle publisher Kids Can Press condemned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s post on X featuring a manipulated image showing Franklin aiming a bazooka at boats. Hegseth posted the image with the caption “Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists.”“We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent, or unauthorized use of Franklin’s name or image, which directly contradicts these values,” the publisher said in a tweet.The Trump administration has conducted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-boat-strikes-drugs-25000-lives-c6e4c750b0dc6f15d397d598c9bd169f">multiple strikes</a>&nbsp;in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean on small boats accused of ferrying drugs in the region. More than 80 people have been killed in such strikes since early September.There is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ronald-reagan-hip-hop-and-rap-phil-collins-bruce-springsteen-394ddb622b30a718f1b4621a316a78c3">a long list of performers</a>&nbsp;and artists who have objected to the Trump administration using their songs and copyright material, including ABBA, Bruce Springsteen, Olivia Rodrigo, Rihanna, Phil Collins, Pharrell, John Fogerty,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/semisonic-trump-cling-time-b9984c537f8aca5c68e80454aaa1cf22">Semisonic</a>, Neil Young, Eddy Grant, Panic! at the Disco, R.E.M., Guns N’ Roses,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-campaign-songs-celine-dion-objections-a6add3c61426768fa30fddb596db9797">Celine Dion</a>, Beyoncé and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/state-elections-music-general-news-gubernatorial-elections-fa03d5927b4b4f039ba97ced85c0b8ad">Adele</a>.

Pop singer, publisher condemn Trump admin.'s use of their work

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — An international body tasked with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">governing the Gaza Strip</a>&nbsp;under the next phase of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-un-us-plan-israel-45c3a49cf3c135821a7c1722354b5b94">U.S.-brokered ceasefire</a>&nbsp;is expected to be announced by the end of the year, an Arab official and a Western diplomat said Friday.

According to the ceasefire agreement, the authority — known as the Board of Peace and chaired by U.S. President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;— is to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-gaza-ceasefire-us-resolution-russia-107e44e276fe04a5365ff6d914545718">under a two-year, renewable U.N. mandate</a>.

It will include about a dozen other Middle Eastern and Western leaders, the Arab official and the Western diplomat told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.

<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/10/global-support-for-president-trumps-bold-vision-for-peace-in-gaza/">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;global support of the President's plan for peace in Gaza

Also to be announced is a committee of Palestinian technocrats who will run the day-to-day administration of post-war Gaza, they two said. The Western diplomat, who spoke to the AP over the phone from Cairo, said the announcement about this will likely happen when Trump and Israeli Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/benjamin-netanyahu">Benjamin Netanyahu</a>&nbsp;meet later this month.

The ceasefire deal also calls for an armed International Stabilization Force to keep security and ensure the disarming of the militant Hamas group, a key demand of Israel.

The announcement would be a significant step forward in implementing Trump’s 20-point plan for the territory devastated by Israel’s two-year campaign against Hamas.

The shaky ceasefire, which came into effect on Oct. 10, has been tested by outbursts of violence and accusations by both sides of violations of the truce. The first phase of the ceasefire has neared completion, though Hamas is still to hand over the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-netanyahu-ran-gvili-594f8faf7514f49750756de52f5c5f95">remains of a last Israel hostage called for under the deal</a>.

The Arab official said that talks are still ongoing over which countries will take part in the international force for Gaza but that he expects deployment will begin in the first quarter of 2026.

A U.S. official gave a similar timeline, saying that “boots on the ground” could be a reality in early 2026. The official spoke to the AP on the same condition of anonymity. Axios first reported the anticipated announcement on Thursday.

The Arab official said that “extensive talks” will start immediately with Hamas and Israel on the details of the second phase, which he expects to be tough.

Those talks are expected the tackle the issue of disarming Hamas, a step the militant group has not yet agreed to. The plan also calls for Israeli forces to withdraw from the roughly half of the Gaza Strip that they still control as the international force deploys.

Funding for a rebuilding plan for the Gaza Strip still has not been determined. Some Palestinians have expressed concern over the apparent lack of a Palestinian voice in the body and the lack of a firm promise in the plan that they will eventually gain statehood.

Netanyahu’s government rejects the creation of a Palestinian state, and the U.S.-brokered deal includes only a vague provision that a pathway toward statehood may be possible if certain conditions are met.

Israel’s plan to open a Gaza border crossing with Egypt

Israel announced on Wednesday that it plans to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-palestinians-hamas-rafah-1e1f8a208a58c0bb671b52304e2d6afa">reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt</a>&nbsp;in the coming days, allowing Palestinians to leave the devastated strip as laid out by the ceasefire agreement. That could be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-war-rafah-crossing-egypt-09acfdacaa4cbc48b19aaade5a0e1d2c">a major development for residents</a>, for whom leaving has been extremely difficult — if not impossible — for most of the war.

However, the governments of Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar all expressed “deep concern” on Friday about the plan.

A dispute also emerged between Egypt and Israel — Cairo wants Palestinians to be able to return to Gaza through the crossing and says it would only be opened if movement is allowed both ways. Israel has said that Palestinians will not be able to return to Gaza through the crossing until the last hostages’ remains are returned from Gaza.

In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the eight countries said the Rafah crossing must be open in both directions to allow for “freedom of movement” for Palestinians. They also expressed concern that if Palestinians were to leave Gaza, they might not be allowed to return.

The ministers underscored “their absolute rejection of any attempts to expel the Palestinian people from their land,” they wrote.

On Friday, Israel’s military said it killed a man in northern Gaza who was approaching the troops with another man, both of whom were “carrying suspicious objects.”

Israeli forces also killed another man in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Health Ministry said a 38-year-old was shot by Israeli forces in the northern West Bank while the military said the man threw a rock at soldiers.

The killings mark the latest violence in the Palestinian territories, which has fueled concern that it could shake Gaza’s fragile truce.

The latest Israel-Hamas war started when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 others hostage. Israel’s subsequent campaign in Gaza has killed more than 70,100 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government, is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community.

Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Doha, Qatar, and Megan Janetsky in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/10/1760374235793.jpeg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure>DOHA, Qatar (AP) — An international body tasked with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">governing the Gaza Strip</a>&nbsp;under the next phase of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-un-us-plan-israel-45c3a49cf3c135821a7c1722354b5b94">U.S.-brokered ceasefire</a>&nbsp;is expected to be announced by the end of the year, an Arab official and a Western diplomat said Friday.According to the ceasefire agreement, the authority — known as the Board of Peace and chaired by U.S. President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;— is to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-gaza-ceasefire-us-resolution-russia-107e44e276fe04a5365ff6d914545718">under a two-year, renewable U.N. mandate</a>.It will include about a dozen other Middle Eastern and Western leaders, the Arab official and the Western diplomat told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/10/global-support-for-president-trumps-bold-vision-for-peace-in-gaza/">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;global support of the President's plan for peace in Gaza<h2>The path forward for Gaza</h2>Also to be announced is a committee of Palestinian technocrats who will run the day-to-day administration of post-war Gaza, they two said. The Western diplomat, who spoke to the AP over the phone from Cairo, said the announcement about this will likely happen when Trump and Israeli Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/benjamin-netanyahu">Benjamin Netanyahu</a>&nbsp;meet later this month.The ceasefire deal also calls for an armed International Stabilization Force to keep security and ensure the disarming of the militant Hamas group, a key demand of Israel.The announcement would be a significant step forward in implementing Trump’s 20-point plan for the territory devastated by Israel’s two-year campaign against Hamas.The shaky ceasefire, which came into effect on Oct. 10, has been tested by outbursts of violence and accusations by both sides of violations of the truce. The first phase of the ceasefire has neared completion, though Hamas is still to hand over the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-netanyahu-ran-gvili-594f8faf7514f49750756de52f5c5f95">remains of a last Israel hostage called for under the deal</a>.The Arab official said that talks are still ongoing over which countries will take part in the international force for Gaza but that he expects deployment will begin in the first quarter of 2026.A U.S. official gave a similar timeline, saying that “boots on the ground” could be a reality in early 2026. The official spoke to the AP on the same condition of anonymity. Axios first reported the anticipated announcement on Thursday.The Arab official said that “extensive talks” will start immediately with Hamas and Israel on the details of the second phase, which he expects to be tough.Those talks are expected the tackle the issue of disarming Hamas, a step the militant group has not yet agreed to. The plan also calls for Israeli forces to withdraw from the roughly half of the Gaza Strip that they still control as the international force deploys.Funding for a rebuilding plan for the Gaza Strip still has not been determined. Some Palestinians have expressed concern over the apparent lack of a Palestinian voice in the body and the lack of a firm promise in the plan that they will eventually gain statehood.Netanyahu’s government rejects the creation of a Palestinian state, and the U.S.-brokered deal includes only a vague provision that a pathway toward statehood may be possible if certain conditions are met.<h2>Israel’s plan to open a Gaza border crossing with Egypt</h2>Israel announced on Wednesday that it plans to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-palestinians-hamas-rafah-1e1f8a208a58c0bb671b52304e2d6afa">reopen the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt</a>&nbsp;in the coming days, allowing Palestinians to leave the devastated strip as laid out by the ceasefire agreement. That could be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-israel-war-rafah-crossing-egypt-09acfdacaa4cbc48b19aaade5a0e1d2c">a major development for residents</a>, for whom leaving has been extremely difficult — if not impossible — for most of the war.However, the governments of Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar all expressed “deep concern” on Friday about the plan.A dispute also emerged between Egypt and Israel — Cairo wants Palestinians to be able to return to Gaza through the crossing and says it would only be opened if movement is allowed both ways. Israel has said that Palestinians will not be able to return to Gaza through the crossing until the last hostages’ remains are returned from Gaza.In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the eight countries said the Rafah crossing must be open in both directions to allow for “freedom of movement” for Palestinians. They also expressed concern that if Palestinians were to leave Gaza, they might not be allowed to return.The ministers underscored “their absolute rejection of any attempts to expel the Palestinian people from their land,” they wrote.<h2>A rising death toll</h2>On Friday, Israel’s military said it killed a man in northern Gaza who was approaching the troops with another man, both of whom were “carrying suspicious objects.”Israeli forces also killed another man in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Health Ministry said a 38-year-old was shot by Israeli forces in the northern West Bank while the military said the man threw a rock at soldiers.The killings mark the latest violence in the Palestinian territories, which has fueled concern that it could shake Gaza’s fragile truce.The latest Israel-Hamas war started when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 others hostage. Israel’s subsequent campaign in Gaza has killed more than 70,100 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government, is staffed by medical professionals and maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by the international community.___Associated Press writers Josef Federman in Doha, Qatar, and Megan Janetsky in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

U.S. to reveal 'Board of Peace' for Gaza before Christmas

By STEVE GILLILAND Explore Kansas Outdoors

One of the perks of having had an interesting and memorable childhood full of interesting and memorable characters, is having a treasure chest full of stories at one’s disposal should all other inspiration elude me as I sit down to pen a weekly column. And with deer rifle season beginning in Kansas, here is a story full of those characters.

I’ve often mentioned that during our first several years of deer hunting my brother and I were part of a neighborhood group of landowners and farmers that often hunted deer together. We would converge on a property, “post” two or three guys along one edge, then walk through from the other side as a group and attempt to run the deer out past the “posters” for a shot. 

We had some colorful and amusing individuals in our assembly. As in every group, we had Dave, the local cop who always shot straight, looked sharp and made no mistakes. Many deer were spotted from his kitchen window as we all sat around warming up with a hot drink. Someone (usually Dave) would spot a deer crossing the road, and coffee cups and chairs would fly as we headed for the trucks.

The Beck clan, brothers Don and Paul and most of Paul’s kids made up the bulk of the group. As I talked with my brother the other evening, he reminded me that the first advice I gave him when he began hunting with us was, “When the Becks start shootin’, just get on the ground!”

 I remember standing beside Don one day in the woods when a big buck erupted from a brush pile in front of us. I was behind the pile and couldn’t see well enough for a shot, but Don emptied both barrels of his old double barrel at the fleeing buck. The buck danced away unscathed and the next day Don had a different gun. 

His brother Paul (known to all of us as junior) had a live-in girl friend named Elaine. They were both pretty coarse and crude around the edges, and the best way I know to describe Paul is to compare him to Jackie Gleason’s character Ralph Kramden - always grousing and whining over something. Elaine hunted with us, too, and when they were dressed in hunting garb, the only way to tell them apart was that Elaine was the bigger one. Her favorite line, uttered often as we stood somewhere loitering and planning our assault was “I’m goin’ deer huntin’, you pansies!”

Of the Becks, Ralph, who was my age, was my favorite. He was a big, hairy guy (that earned him the nickname Wolf) who didn’t know his own strength. Turkey shoots were popular back in those days and sponsored by numerous organizations. For a fee you were given one shotgun shell and stood in a line in front of a row of paper targets. After everyone had shot, the targets were pulled down and the number of pellets was counted in each target. The winner was obviously the person putting the most pellets in their target and the prize was a turkey or a ham.

 Ralph had an old single-shot 12-gauge shotgun that broke open to load. The mechanism that allowed it to hinge open had long since ceased to function, so to load it, he simply pulled the pin and the gun became two pieces. He’d load the shell, reinsert the pin and close the gun. It was worth going with him to turkey shoots just to watch. All other shooters up and down the firing line sporting expensive custom-built shotguns would sneer and snicker as he walked up and broke the battered old 12-gauge in half and loaded his shell. The reactions became quite different, though as he fired the old cannon and walked away with the turkey every time.

As with most childhood stories, everything has changed now. I moved to Kansas and have lost touch with most of the old hunting gaggle. 

My brother and I and our families remain active deer hunters and trappers, I’d say in part because of those early experiences. Back then, we harvested few deer, but I learned respect for nature and for my elders. I learned hunter safety without a book or video to teach me. I also learned I’m glad that here in Kansas I can hunt deer with a rifle instead of a shotgun! 

Steve can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve Gilliland. Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Steve Gilliland. Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By STEVE GILLILAND Explore Kansas Outdoors One of the perks of having had an interesting and memorable childhood full of interesting and memorable characters, is having a treasure chest full of stories at one’s disposal should all other inspiration elude me as I sit down to pen a weekly column. And with deer rifle season beginning in Kansas, here is a story full of those characters.I’ve often mentioned that during our first several years of deer hunting my brother and I were part of a neighborhood group of landowners and farmers that often hunted deer together. We would converge on a property, “post” two or three guys along one edge, then walk through from the other side as a group and attempt to run the deer out past the “posters” for a shot. We had some colorful and amusing individuals in our assembly. As in every group, we had Dave, the local cop who always shot straight, looked sharp and made no mistakes. Many deer were spotted from his kitchen window as we all sat around warming up with a hot drink. Someone (usually Dave) would spot a deer crossing the road, and coffee cups and chairs would fly as we headed for the trucks.The Beck clan, brothers Don and Paul and most of Paul’s kids made up the bulk of the group. As I talked with my brother the other evening, he reminded me that the first advice I gave him when he began hunting with us was, “When the Becks start shootin’, just get on the ground!” I remember standing beside Don one day in the woods when a big buck erupted from a brush pile in front of us. I was behind the pile and couldn’t see well enough for a shot, but Don emptied both barrels of his old double barrel at the fleeing buck. The buck danced away unscathed and the next day Don had a different gun. His brother Paul (known to all of us as junior) had a live-in girl friend named Elaine. They were both pretty coarse and crude around the edges, and the best way I know to describe Paul is to compare him to Jackie Gleason’s character Ralph Kramden - always grousing and whining over something. Elaine hunted with us, too, and when they were dressed in hunting garb, the only way to tell them apart was that Elaine was the bigger one. Her favorite line, uttered often as we stood somewhere loitering and planning our assault was “I’m goin’ deer huntin’, you pansies!”Of the Becks, Ralph, who was my age, was my favorite. He was a big, hairy guy (that earned him the nickname Wolf) who didn’t know his own strength. Turkey shoots were popular back in those days and sponsored by numerous organizations. For a fee you were given one shotgun shell and stood in a line in front of a row of paper targets. After everyone had shot, the targets were pulled down and the number of pellets was counted in each target. The winner was obviously the person putting the most pellets in their target and the prize was a turkey or a ham. Ralph had an old single-shot 12-gauge shotgun that broke open to load. The mechanism that allowed it to hinge open had long since ceased to function, so to load it, he simply pulled the pin and the gun became two pieces. He’d load the shell, reinsert the pin and close the gun. It was worth going with him to turkey shoots just to watch. All other shooters up and down the firing line sporting expensive custom-built shotguns would sneer and snicker as he walked up and broke the battered old 12-gauge in half and loaded his shell. The reactions became quite different, though as he fired the old cannon and walked away with the turkey every time.As with most childhood stories, everything has changed now. I moved to Kansas and have lost touch with most of the old hunting gaggle. My brother and I and our families remain active deer hunters and trappers, I’d say in part because of those early experiences. Back then, we harvested few deer, but I learned respect for nature and for my elders. I learned hunter safety without a book or video to teach me. I also learned I’m glad that here in Kansas I can hunt deer with a rifle instead of a shotgun! Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.Steve can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

Explore Kansas Outdoors: Whitetails, shotguns and turkey shoots

By TONY GUERRERO Hays Post

Downtown Ellis will glow one more time tonight as the beloved holiday train returns for its final evening.

The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m., with miniature train rides starting after Ellis Recreation’s free Candy Cane Hunt at 5:30 p.m. at Twilight Baseball Field.

A suggested $5 donation per rider offers a trip through a magical one-mile route lined with thousands of holiday lights and seasonal displays. This year’s theme adds a playful touch with yeti sightings and a tribute to first responders.

All donations support programs for local children. Saturday was the only night for cookies and a family visit with Santa Claus.

You can follow Ellis Polar Express on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ellispolarexpress/">Facebook</a>&nbsp;for any updates.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1765077825674.jpeg" alt="Riders on the Ellis Polar Express with its conductor before departing onto the tracks. Photo by Tony Guerrero/Hays Post." />
 <figcaption>Riders on the Ellis Polar Express with its conductor before departing onto the tracks. Photo by Tony Guerrero/Hays Post.</figcaption>
 </figure>By TONY GUERRERO Hays PostDowntown Ellis will glow one more time tonight as the beloved holiday train returns for its final evening.The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m., with miniature train rides starting after Ellis Recreation’s free Candy Cane Hunt at 5:30 p.m. at Twilight Baseball Field.A suggested $5 donation per rider offers a trip through a magical one-mile route lined with thousands of holiday lights and seasonal displays. This year’s theme adds a playful touch with yeti sightings and a tribute to first responders.All donations support programs for local children. Saturday was the only night for cookies and a family visit with Santa Claus.You can follow Ellis Polar Express on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ellispolarexpress/">Facebook</a>&nbsp;for any updates.<figure>
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📷 Ellis Polar Express to make final stop tonight

TOPEKA, Kan. – Fort Hays State Track and Field got its indoor season underway as a team on Saturday (Dec. 6) at the Washburn Alumni Invitational. Taylor Hoskinson and Katie Linenberger were victorious in events, while Linenberger and Mason Younger posted NCAA qualifying marks.

In her first collegiate meet as a Tiger, Linenberger cleared 5-feet, 8-inches in the women's high jump to win the event and hit an NCAA qualifying mark. She topped a field of 19 competitors, winning by an inch and a quarter.

Taylor Hoskinson topped the women's 1-mile field of 28 runners in a time of 5:07.06. Abbye Hudson in fourth and Keziah Bachman in fifth were also top-five finishers in that race for FHSU.

Younger turned in a strong effort in the pole vault, clearing 15-feet, 11-inches for an NCAA qualifying mark. He finished second in the event, even though he matched the winning height but in more tries. Josiah Ball was fourth in the event (15-feet, 7-inches).

Other top-five finishers for the Tigers included Avrey Albright in the men's 400 meters (3rd - 48.86), Luke Wessel in the 800 meters (4th – 1:57.26), Reba Mader in the women's 400 meters (5th – 57.75), Lillian Finke in the women's pole vault (4th - 11-feet, 7.75-inches).

Pittsburg State – Boo Rogers Combined Events

Drew Tolar competed for Fort Hays State in Pittsburg, Kan. over the weekend in the heptathlon. He posted a point total of 4,866, good for an NCAA qualifying mark. He finished fifth in the field as the top five athletes all met the NCAA standard. There were 15 men's competitors overall.

Breanna Wells also competed for the Tigers and finished eighth in the pentathlon with 2,756 points.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1765140245241.jpeg" alt="FHSU Athletics photo" />
 <figcaption>FHSU Athletics photo</figcaption>
 </figure>FHSU AthleticsTOPEKA, Kan. – Fort Hays State Track and Field got its indoor season underway as a team on Saturday (Dec. 6) at the Washburn Alumni Invitational. Taylor Hoskinson and Katie Linenberger were victorious in events, while Linenberger and Mason Younger posted NCAA qualifying marks.In her first collegiate meet as a Tiger, Linenberger cleared 5-feet, 8-inches in the women's high jump to win the event and hit an NCAA qualifying mark. She topped a field of 19 competitors, winning by an inch and a quarter.Taylor Hoskinson topped the women's 1-mile field of 28 runners in a time of 5:07.06. Abbye Hudson in fourth and Keziah Bachman in fifth were also top-five finishers in that race for FHSU.Younger turned in a strong effort in the pole vault, clearing 15-feet, 11-inches for an NCAA qualifying mark. He finished second in the event, even though he matched the winning height but in more tries. Josiah Ball was fourth in the event (15-feet, 7-inches).Other top-five finishers for the Tigers included Avrey Albright in the men's 400 meters (3rd - 48.86), Luke Wessel in the 800 meters (4th – 1:57.26), Reba Mader in the women's 400 meters (5th – 57.75), Lillian Finke in the women's pole vault (4th - 11-feet, 7.75-inches).Pittsburg State – Boo Rogers Combined EventsDrew Tolar competed for Fort Hays State in Pittsburg, Kan. over the weekend in the heptathlon. He posted a point total of 4,866, good for an NCAA qualifying mark. He finished fifth in the field as the top five athletes all met the NCAA standard. There were 15 men's competitors overall.Breanna Wells also competed for the Tigers and finished eighth in the pentathlon with 2,756 points.

👟 Two event champions, three qualifying marks for Tigers in first week of indoor action

By DUSTIN ARMBRUSTER Hays Post Sports

Both the Hays High girls and boys played for the championship of the 43rd Gerald Mitchell Hays City Shootout on Saturday evening. It marked the 23rd tournament were the same school had both teams in the tournament finals.

Girls: Hays 61, Manhattan 53 The first of two battles between Hays and Manhattan went to the hometown Hays Indians 61-53 for the Gerald Mitchell Hays City Shootout championship.

The teams were tied four times in the first quarter including at the end of the first at 11 points each. Brynlee Rupp scored just before the first quarter expired to tie the game.

Hays (3-0) fell behind by five at 16-11 as it took the Indians over two minutes to score the first points of the second quarter. Jenna Schmeidler scored six of her tournament finals record 32 points to get the Indians going on an 11-0 run and take a 22-16 advantage.&nbsp;

The Indians led by as many as eight later in the quarter on a Ramiyah Turner basket with fifteen seconds left until halftime. Manhattan (2-1) hit a field goal right before the first half buzzer to close the gap down to 27-21.

The first half of the third quarter belonged to Manhattan. They scored the first seven points to lead 28-21 with 3:10 remaining. Schmeidler and Morgan Armbruster hit back-to-back three pointers twenty seconds apart to steady the ship at 33-28. Hays would never trail again.

Hays entered the fourth quarter leading 35-32 and quickly grew the lead back to eight. Schmeidler scored six straight points for the Indians that gave Hays a ten point lead each time.

The Indian lead grew to 12 with two minutes left before Manhattan turned in one last run. Manhattan closed within six points with just inside a minute remaining in the game at 56-50 and five points at 58-53. Hays closed the game out by hitting three of four free throws for the final of 61-53.

Schmeidler's 32 points reset her career high which she set the night before with 26. She was named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player and to the All-Tournament team. Zoe Winter joined her on the list.&nbsp;

Hays wins back-to-back titles in their own tournament for the first time since the first two years of the Shootout in 1983 and 1984.

Hays will open Western Athletic Conference play on Tuesday by hosting Liberal (3-0.) The Indians have won 19 consecutive conference games.

Rupp 2, Schmeidler 32, Humphrey 0, LaBarge 1, Armbruster 6, Turner 5, Newell 0, Buckles 4, Winter 10.

Boys:&nbsp;Life Prep 57, Hays 51 A rough third quarter cost the Hays High Indians in a 57-51 loss to Life Prep in the Gerald Mitchell Hays City Shootout championship.

The Indians and Life Prep were tied three times over the first five minutes of the game. Noah Smalley scored for the first time on the season to tie the game at three. A pair of Dawson Ruder free throws knotted the score up at nine and the score was tied again at 11.

Life Prep (10-1) led by five after one quarter and then the Indians put together their best quarter of the game. Andre Pfeifer scored four of the eight points in an 8-2 run that tied the game at 20 midway through the third.

Trailing by three Hays (2-1) used a 12-4 run to close out the final four minutes of the second quarter. Izaac Fox scored the first two points on free throws and then Ruder and Trey Oakley each scored five straight. Oakley hit a three pointer as time expired in the first half for the Indians' biggest lead of the contest at 32-27.

The third quarter proved to be costly for the Indians. Life Prep went on an 18-2 run that lasted nearly the entire quarter. Smalley hit a basket to momentarily stop the bleeding at 35-34. The Fire scored ten straight points before Bryce Homeier nailed a three with the third quarter clock expiring to make it an eight point game at 45-37.

Fox scored back-to-back field goals to open the fourth quarter bringing Hays within four points at 45-41. Life Prep rebuilt their lead to ten with consecutive three pointers with five minutes left. The Fire would only score six points rest of the way and three of those were on free throws in the final twenty seconds. It was enough though to hold off the Indians 57-51.&nbsp;

Dawson Ruder and Izaac Fox led Hays with 17 and 14 points respectively. They were both named to the All-Tournament team. Most Outstanding Player Quinton Rolle scored 29 for Life Prep. Noah Smalley was name the Most Inspirational Player.

Hays will host Liberal (0-3) on Tuesday to open Western Athletic Conference play.

Pfeifer 4, Homeier 3, Oakley 6, Harmoney 1, Fox 14, Smalley 7, Ruder 17, Loving 0.

By DUSTIN ARMBRUSTER Hays Post SportsBoth the Hays High girls and boys played for the championship of the 43rd Gerald Mitchell Hays City Shootout on Saturday evening. It marked the 23rd tournament were the same school had both teams in the tournament finals.Girls: Hays 61, Manhattan 53 The first of two battles between Hays and Manhattan went to the hometown Hays Indians 61-53 for the Gerald Mitchell Hays City Shootout championship.The teams were tied four times in the first quarter including at the end of the first at 11 points each. Brynlee Rupp scored just before the first quarter expired to tie the game.Hays (3-0) fell behind by five at 16-11 as it took the Indians over two minutes to score the first points of the second quarter. Jenna Schmeidler scored six of her tournament finals record 32 points to get the Indians going on an 11-0 run and take a 22-16 advantage.&nbsp;The Indians led by as many as eight later in the quarter on a Ramiyah Turner basket with fifteen seconds left until halftime. Manhattan (2-1) hit a field goal right before the first half buzzer to close the gap down to 27-21.Highlights<div><iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/soundcloud%253Atracks%253A2225372618&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/hhs-wbkb-highlights-v-2" title="HHS WBKB Highlights v Manhattan Dec 6, 2025" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">HHS WBKB Highlights v Manhattan Dec 6, 2025</a></div></div>The first half of the third quarter belonged to Manhattan. They scored the first seven points to lead 28-21 with 3:10 remaining. Schmeidler and Morgan Armbruster hit back-to-back three pointers twenty seconds apart to steady the ship at 33-28. Hays would never trail again.Hays entered the fourth quarter leading 35-32 and quickly grew the lead back to eight. Schmeidler scored six straight points for the Indians that gave Hays a ten point lead each time.The Indian lead grew to 12 with two minutes left before Manhattan turned in one last run. Manhattan closed within six points with just inside a minute remaining in the game at 56-50 and five points at 58-53. Hays closed the game out by hitting three of four free throws for the final of 61-53.Coach Len Melvin<div><iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/soundcloud%253Atracks%253A2225372399&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/hhs-wbkb-coach-post-v-1" title="HHS WBKB Coach Post v Manhattan Dec 6,2025" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">HHS WBKB Coach Post v Manhattan Dec 6,2025</a></div></div>Schmeidler's 32 points reset her career high which she set the night before with 26. She was named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player and to the All-Tournament team. Zoe Winter joined her on the list.&nbsp;Hays wins back-to-back titles in their own tournament for the first time since the first two years of the Shootout in 1983 and 1984.Hays will open Western Athletic Conference play on Tuesday by hosting Liberal (3-0.) The Indians have won 19 consecutive conference games.Rupp 2, Schmeidler 32, Humphrey 0, LaBarge 1, Armbruster 6, Turner 5, Newell 0, Buckles 4, Winter 10.Boys:&nbsp;Life Prep 57, Hays 51 A rough third quarter cost the Hays High Indians in a 57-51 loss to Life Prep in the Gerald Mitchell Hays City Shootout championship.The Indians and Life Prep were tied three times over the first five minutes of the game. Noah Smalley scored for the first time on the season to tie the game at three. A pair of Dawson Ruder free throws knotted the score up at nine and the score was tied again at 11.Life Prep (10-1) led by five after one quarter and then the Indians put together their best quarter of the game. Andre Pfeifer scored four of the eight points in an 8-2 run that tied the game at 20 midway through the third.Trailing by three Hays (2-1) used a 12-4 run to close out the final four minutes of the second quarter. Izaac Fox scored the first two points on free throws and then Ruder and Trey Oakley each scored five straight. Oakley hit a three pointer as time expired in the first half for the Indians' biggest lead of the contest at 32-27.Highlights<div><iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/soundcloud%253Atracks%253A2225372837&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/hhs-mbkb-highlights-v-life" title="HHS MBKB Highlights v Life Prep Dec 06, 2025" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">HHS MBKB Highlights v Life Prep Dec 06, 2025</a></div></div>The third quarter proved to be costly for the Indians. Life Prep went on an 18-2 run that lasted nearly the entire quarter. Smalley hit a basket to momentarily stop the bleeding at 35-34. The Fire scored ten straight points before Bryce Homeier nailed a three with the third quarter clock expiring to make it an eight point game at 45-37.Fox scored back-to-back field goals to open the fourth quarter bringing Hays within four points at 45-41. Life Prep rebuilt their lead to ten with consecutive three pointers with five minutes left. The Fire would only score six points rest of the way and three of those were on free throws in the final twenty seconds. It was enough though to hold off the Indians 57-51.&nbsp;Coach Sean Dreiling<div><iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/soundcloud%253Atracks%253A2225372747&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/hhs-mbkb-coach-post-v-life" title="HHS MBKB Coach Post v Life Prep Dec 6, 2025" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">HHS MBKB Coach Post v Life Prep Dec 6, 2025</a></div></div>Dawson Ruder and Izaac Fox led Hays with 17 and 14 points respectively. They were both named to the All-Tournament team. Most Outstanding Player Quinton Rolle scored 29 for Life Prep. Noah Smalley was name the Most Inspirational Player.Hays will host Liberal (0-3) on Tuesday to open Western Athletic Conference play.Pfeifer 4, Homeier 3, Oakley 6, Harmoney 1, Fox 14, Smalley 7, Ruder 17, Loving 0.

🏀 Hays girls claim Shootout title; boys fall by six

The Hays High boys and girls wrestling teams opened their season Saturday. The girls had two first place finishers at the Valley Center Girls Invitational while the boys had three wrestlers go undefeated at the Junction City Duals.

Girls have two champs at Valley Center Audrey Yarmer and Timber Lovewell both finished first in Valley Center. Yarmer at 105 pounds and Lovewell at 145.&nbsp;Yarmer won all four of her matches by fall. Lovewell won her first three matches by fall then won the finals over Claire Compton of Andover Central by technical fall.

The Indians had three other wrestlers finish in second place. Crystal Walters
at 155, Eleanor Stoffel at 190 and Kenlee Vehige at 120.

Hays finished third in the team standings with 169.5 points.
Haysville-Campus won the team title with 214 points and Derby finished second
with 181 points.

HHS boys open season at Junction City Duals The Hays High boys had three wrestlers to undefeated
at the Junction City Duals Saturday. Seniors Cade Lind (150) and
Jonathan Rigler (190) both went 5-0 while sophomore Gaven Deneault (106) 3-0.

Lind defeated Chris Evans of Hutchinson by fall, Hudson
Bohanan of Junction City by technical fall, Jack Crosby of Emporia by fall,
Remington Peterson of Wichit Heights 12-4 and Landon Reihm of Washburn Rural by
fall.

Rigler defeated JT Hill of Hutchinson 9-8 then defeated
Christian Simmers of Junction City, Andyn Perez of Emporia and Seth Weakley of Wichita
Heights by fall. He closed out the day with a win over Gavin Homeyer of
Washburn Rural by technical fall.

Deneault defeated Colden Blockcolsky of Junction City 9-2, won
by fall over IV Beisel of Wichita Heights then edged Hayden Broxterman of Washburn
Rural 9-8.

Hays Post SportsThe Hays High boys and girls wrestling teams opened their season Saturday. The girls had two first place finishers at the Valley Center Girls Invitational while the boys had three wrestlers go undefeated at the Junction City Duals.Girls have two champs at Valley Center Audrey Yarmer and Timber Lovewell both finished first in Valley Center. Yarmer at 105 pounds and Lovewell at 145.&nbsp;Yarmer won all four of her matches by fall. Lovewell won her first three matches by fall then won the finals over Claire Compton of Andover Central by technical fall.The Indians had three other wrestlers finish in second place. Crystal Walters
at 155, Eleanor Stoffel at 190 and Kenlee Vehige at 120.Hays finished third in the team standings with 169.5 points.
Haysville-Campus won the team title with 214 points and Derby finished second
with 181 points.HHS boys open season at Junction City Duals The Hays High boys had three wrestlers to undefeated
at the Junction City Duals Saturday. Seniors Cade Lind (150) and
Jonathan Rigler (190) both went 5-0 while sophomore Gaven Deneault (106) 3-0. Lind defeated Chris Evans of Hutchinson by fall, Hudson
Bohanan of Junction City by technical fall, Jack Crosby of Emporia by fall,
Remington Peterson of Wichit Heights 12-4 and Landon Reihm of Washburn Rural by
fall.Rigler defeated JT Hill of Hutchinson 9-8 then defeated
Christian Simmers of Junction City, Andyn Perez of Emporia and Seth Weakley of Wichita
Heights by fall. He closed out the day with a win over Gavin Homeyer of
Washburn Rural by technical fall.Deneault defeated Colden Blockcolsky of Junction City 9-2, won
by fall over IV Beisel of Wichita Heights then edged Hayden Broxterman of Washburn
Rural 9-8.

🤼‍♀️ HHS boys and girls open season Saturday

Congratulations to Reindeer Radio week three winner, Mary Selensky, who won a pair of Oral B IO electric toothbrushes with other goodies and a gift card to Total Convenience in Victoria. This prize pack with worth well over $250!

KAYS invites you to listen to Reindeer Radio and win! Each day Monday through Thursday, we will give out a code word.&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/d111a20f-161a-4a69-b697-ed219dfeb558">Enter that word on the Hays Post for your chance to win.</a>&nbsp;The code word changes daily.

Thank you to this week's feature sponsor The Dentist in Hays!&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1765067833717.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Congratulations to Reindeer Radio week three winner, Mary Selensky, who won a pair of Oral B IO electric toothbrushes with other goodies and a gift card to Total Convenience in Victoria. This prize pack with worth well over $250!KAYS invites you to listen to Reindeer Radio and win! Each day Monday through Thursday, we will give out a code word.&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/d111a20f-161a-4a69-b697-ed219dfeb558">Enter that word on the Hays Post for your chance to win.</a>&nbsp;The code word changes daily.A new winner will be drawn on Friday.Thank you to this week's feature sponsor The Dentist in Hays!&nbsp;

Week 3 Reindeer Radio winner announced; play with KAYS, Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Women's Wrestling turned in a strong performance at its home tournament on Saturday (Dec. 6), hosting the Bob Smith Open. Leiannah Landreth (117), Morgan Maschmann (124), Nichole Moore (138), and Isabella Renfro (180) were all victorious in their respective classes. A total of 16 Tigers placed in the tournament.

Landreth nearly ran through the tournament without allowing a point with four straight tech falls. The first three were shutouts, while her championship match ended 11-1 over Dianna Shiflett of Tarleton State.

Maschmann's path to a title consisted of three tech falls and a fall. Her championship match was an 11-0 shutout of Ana Rojas Zamora of Chadron State.

In her first action since the first tournament of the year in Colorado, Moore blazed through the 138 bracket with a fall, tech fall, and pair of decisions. She had to defeat a pair of teammates to win, knocking out Ashlynn Goodwin in the semifinals with a 6-0 decision, then Peyton Hellmann in the championship with a 5-1 decision.

Renfro just keeps on winning, and she claimed her title with four-straight falls. Her first pin of the day was a blazing-fast 15 seconds. In the title match, she defeated Caroline Purcell of Fort Hays Tech Northwest in 2:00. Renfro is now 18-0 overall this season.

All four of Fort Hays State's champions went 4-0 on the day. Landreth and Renfro are ranked in the latest NWCA national rankings, Landreth at No. 10 at 117 and Renfro No. 1 at 180. Moore started the year in the rankings, but dropped out after no action for about a month. Maschmann is among the Open Mat supplemental individual rankings online.

Grace Johns (207), Dylen Ritchey (145), and the aforementioned Hellman (138) were the runner-up finishers for the Tigers. Johns went 2-1 for the day, while Ritchey and Hellmann were 3-1. Johns posted a pair of decisions for her wins, but fell in the championship match by fall to Esther Peters of Chadron State. Ritchey and Hellman each had a variety of wins, including a decision, tech fall, and fall. Ritchey lost to Jennifer Soto of Tarleton State in the final by fall, while Hellmann was on the short end of the decision to Moore.

Goodwin was the only third-place finisher for the Tigers, going 5-1. Her only blemish was the decision to Moore in the semifinals. She had three falls on the day, a tech fall, and a decision.

Samara Markwardt (131), Alexis Burton (145), and Marissa Porsch (160) were all fourth-place finishers. Burton had a 4-2 day, while Markwardt and Porsch both went 3-2.

Jaidyn Alvarado (103), Addison Broxterman (131), Amanda Jaeger (145), and Hayleen Martinez (180) all placed fifth. Broxterman posted a 4-2 record in the tournament, while the other three all had winning marks of 3-2. Hailey Conley was the only sixth-place finisher for FHSU, picking up two wins in the tournament.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1765078469631.jpeg" alt="FHSU Athletics photo/Jordyn Bredenberg" />
 <figcaption>FHSU Athletics photo/Jordyn Bredenberg</figcaption>
 </figure>FHSU AthleticsHAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State Women's Wrestling turned in a strong performance at its home tournament on Saturday (Dec. 6), hosting the Bob Smith Open. Leiannah Landreth (117), Morgan Maschmann (124), Nichole Moore (138), and Isabella Renfro (180) were all victorious in their respective classes. A total of 16 Tigers placed in the tournament.Landreth nearly ran through the tournament without allowing a point with four straight tech falls. The first three were shutouts, while her championship match ended 11-1 over Dianna Shiflett of Tarleton State.Maschmann's path to a title consisted of three tech falls and a fall. Her championship match was an 11-0 shutout of Ana Rojas Zamora of Chadron State.In her first action since the first tournament of the year in Colorado, Moore blazed through the 138 bracket with a fall, tech fall, and pair of decisions. She had to defeat a pair of teammates to win, knocking out Ashlynn Goodwin in the semifinals with a 6-0 decision, then Peyton Hellmann in the championship with a 5-1 decision.Renfro just keeps on winning, and she claimed her title with four-straight falls. Her first pin of the day was a blazing-fast 15 seconds. In the title match, she defeated Caroline Purcell of Fort Hays Tech Northwest in 2:00. Renfro is now 18-0 overall this season.All four of Fort Hays State's champions went 4-0 on the day. Landreth and Renfro are ranked in the latest NWCA national rankings, Landreth at No. 10 at 117 and Renfro No. 1 at 180. Moore started the year in the rankings, but dropped out after no action for about a month. Maschmann is among the Open Mat supplemental individual rankings online.Grace Johns (207), Dylen Ritchey (145), and the aforementioned Hellman (138) were the runner-up finishers for the Tigers. Johns went 2-1 for the day, while Ritchey and Hellmann were 3-1. Johns posted a pair of decisions for her wins, but fell in the championship match by fall to Esther Peters of Chadron State. Ritchey and Hellman each had a variety of wins, including a decision, tech fall, and fall. Ritchey lost to Jennifer Soto of Tarleton State in the final by fall, while Hellmann was on the short end of the decision to Moore.Goodwin was the only third-place finisher for the Tigers, going 5-1. Her only blemish was the decision to Moore in the semifinals. She had three falls on the day, a tech fall, and a decision.Samara Markwardt (131), Alexis Burton (145), and Marissa Porsch (160) were all fourth-place finishers. Burton had a 4-2 day, while Markwardt and Porsch both went 3-2.Jaidyn Alvarado (103), Addison Broxterman (131), Amanda Jaeger (145), and Hayleen Martinez (180) all placed fifth. Broxterman posted a 4-2 record in the tournament, while the other three all had winning marks of 3-2. Hailey Conley was the only sixth-place finisher for FHSU, picking up two wins in the tournament.

🤼‍♀️ Landreth, Maschmann, Moore, and Renfro victorious, 16 Tigers place in Bob Smith Open

By GARRETT WELLBROCK Hays Post Sports

TMP boys and girls both got their first wins of the season Saturday with wins on the final day of the Hays City Shootout to finish 7th place.

Girls: TMP-Marian 47, Olathe East 36 Second-chance points have hurt the Lady Monarchs all tournament, but today they benefited from it and helped get their first win of the season.

The Lady Monarchs outrebounded Olathe East 42-28 en route to an 11-point victory.

TMP struggled to get going offensively early, starting the 1st quarter 1-13 from the field, but they scored on the last play of the quarter to trim the Hawks' lead to 9-4 after 1.&nbsp;

A strong 2nd quarter, where the Lady Monarchs knocked down 2 threes, helped them tie things up at halftime, 23-23.

To begin the 3rd, Hannah Rose hit a 3, and it was then followed up by Claire Schippers and 1 layup to give the Monarchs a 30-25 lead, and they never trailed again.

TMP was in the same situation they were in last night, up 6 going into the 4th. But this time they finished the job, outscoring Olathe East 10 to 5 in the 4th quarter.

The Lady Monarchs held Olathe East to only 13 second-half points.

Schippers led the Monarchs with 12 points and Raegan Allen added 10 points as well.

Boys: TMP-Marian 55, Newton 49 The Monarchs trailed by as many as 9 in the first half and managed a second-half comeback to get their first win of the season over 5A Newton.

TMP had a short 4-2 lead early in the 1st quarter, but once again they went on a scoring drought like they have previously in the first 2 games and saw the Railers go on a 9-0 run to fall behind by 9.

The Monarchs battled back but still trailed by 7 heading into the locker room, 26-19.

TMP's offense came alive in the 3rd quarter as they came out of the locker room with three 3's and two and one layups from Jacob Seib and Grant Nehls. They went into the 4th tied at 38.

TMP got 2 baskets to begin the 4th quarter to give them their largest lead of 4, but Newton responded quickly with 6 straight points to retake the lead 44-42.&nbsp;

William Eck made a layup to tie it, but once again the Railers added 4 straight to go back up 4.

Ty Schmeidler then hit the 2 biggest shots of the day, making back-to-back 3's to give the Monarchs the lead for good at 50-48.&nbsp;

TMP would make their free throws and get their first win of the year, 55-49, to wrap up the Hays City Shootout.

The Monarchs hit 6 threes, 5 of them coming in the second half. They were led by Jacob Seib with 13 points, followed by Schmeidler, who finished with 12.

The Nehls brothers, Grant and Ian, both finished the game with 9.

By GARRETT WELLBROCK Hays Post SportsTMP boys and girls both got their first wins of the season Saturday with wins on the final day of the Hays City Shootout to finish 7th place.Girls: TMP-Marian 47, Olathe East 36 Second-chance points have hurt the Lady Monarchs all tournament, but today they benefited from it and helped get their first win of the season.<div><iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/soundcloud%253Atracks%253A2225233955&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/tmp-wbkb-vs-olathe-east-coach" title="TMP WBKB vs Olathe East Coach John Linn Postgame 12-06-2025" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">TMP WBKB vs Olathe East Coach John Linn Postgame 12-06-2025</a></div></div>The Lady Monarchs outrebounded Olathe East 42-28 en route to an 11-point victory.TMP struggled to get going offensively early, starting the 1st quarter 1-13 from the field, but they scored on the last play of the quarter to trim the Hawks' lead to 9-4 after 1.&nbsp;A strong 2nd quarter, where the Lady Monarchs knocked down 2 threes, helped them tie things up at halftime, 23-23.To begin the 3rd, Hannah Rose hit a 3, and it was then followed up by Claire Schippers and 1 layup to give the Monarchs a 30-25 lead, and they never trailed again.TMP was in the same situation they were in last night, up 6 going into the 4th. But this time they finished the job, outscoring Olathe East 10 to 5 in the 4th quarter.The Lady Monarchs held Olathe East to only 13 second-half points.<div><iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/soundcloud%253Atracks%253A2225234222&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/tmp-wbkb-vs-olathe-east" title="TMP WBKB vs Olathe East Highlights 12-06-2025" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">TMP WBKB vs Olathe East Highlights 12-06-2025</a></div></div>Schippers led the Monarchs with 12 points and Raegan Allen added 10 points as well.Boys: TMP-Marian 55, Newton 49 The Monarchs trailed by as many as 9 in the first half and managed a second-half comeback to get their first win of the season over 5A Newton.<div><iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/soundcloud%253Atracks%253A2225233166&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/tmp-mbkb-vs-newton-coach-bill" title="TMP MBKB vs Newton Coach Bill Meagher Postgame 12-06-2025" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">TMP MBKB vs Newton Coach Bill Meagher Postgame 12-06-2025</a></div></div>TMP had a short 4-2 lead early in the 1st quarter, but once again they went on a scoring drought like they have previously in the first 2 games and saw the Railers go on a 9-0 run to fall behind by 9.The Monarchs battled back but still trailed by 7 heading into the locker room, 26-19.TMP's offense came alive in the 3rd quarter as they came out of the locker room with three 3's and two and one layups from Jacob Seib and Grant Nehls. They went into the 4th tied at 38.TMP got 2 baskets to begin the 4th quarter to give them their largest lead of 4, but Newton responded quickly with 6 straight points to retake the lead 44-42.&nbsp;William Eck made a layup to tie it, but once again the Railers added 4 straight to go back up 4.Ty Schmeidler then hit the 2 biggest shots of the day, making back-to-back 3's to give the Monarchs the lead for good at 50-48.&nbsp;TMP would make their free throws and get their first win of the year, 55-49, to wrap up the Hays City Shootout.The Monarchs hit 6 threes, 5 of them coming in the second half. They were led by Jacob Seib with 13 points, followed by Schmeidler, who finished with 12.<div><iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/soundcloud%253Atracks%253A2225234099&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509" title="Eagle Radio" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Eagle Radio</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-814667509/tmp-mbkb-vs-newton-highlights" title="TMP MBKB vs Newton Highlights 12-06-2025" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">TMP MBKB vs Newton Highlights 12-06-2025</a></div></div>The Nehls brothers, Grant and Ian, both finished the game with 9.

🏀 TMP gets first wins of season in final day of Hays City Shootout

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Michael Annett, a former racecar driver who made 436 combined starts in NASCAR’s three national touring series, has died. He was 39.

JR Motorsports, one of Annett's former teams, posted the news on social media on Friday. No cause of death was announced.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend Michael Annett,” the team wrote. “Michael was a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021 and was an important part in turning us into the four-car organization we remain today.”

According to NASCAR, Annett made 321 starts in the Xfinity Series, 158 of which came with JRM.

In 2019, Annett won the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway in the No. 1 JRM Chevrolet for his only win at the national level.

Annett, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, was also a two-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series. He won at Talladega Superspeedway in 2007 and then took the series opener at Daytona in 2008.

“NASCAR is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former NASCAR driver Michael Annett," the racing body said in a statement. "Michael was a respected competitor whose determination, professionalism, and positive spirit were felt by everyone in the garage. Throughout his career, he represented our sport with integrity and the passion of a true racer. NASCAR extends its condolences to Michael’s family and many friends.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/12/1765051158844.jpeg" alt="FILE - NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Michael Annett before the Alsco Uniforms 300 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 29, 2021 in Charlotte, NC. (AP Photo/Ben Gray, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Michael Annett before the Alsco Uniforms 300 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 29, 2021 in Charlotte, NC. (AP Photo/Ben Gray, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>MOORESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Michael Annett, a former racecar driver who made 436 combined starts in NASCAR’s three national touring series, has died. He was 39.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend Michael Annett. Michael was a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021 and was an important part in turning us into the four-car organization we remain today. <a href="https://t.co/oZdMymjBz6">https://t.co/oZdMymjBz6</a> <a href="https://t.co/PUsCZHkXEg">pic.twitter.com/PUsCZHkXEg</a>&mdash; JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/JRMotorsports/status/1997099119676985354?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>JR Motorsports, one of Annett's former teams, posted the news on social media on Friday. No cause of death was announced.“Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Annett family with the passing of our friend Michael Annett,” the team wrote. “Michael was a key member of JRM from 2017 until he retired in 2021 and was an important part in turning us into the four-car organization we remain today.”According to NASCAR, Annett made 321 starts in the Xfinity Series, 158 of which came with JRM.In 2019, Annett won the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway in the No. 1 JRM Chevrolet for his only win at the national level.Annett, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, was also a two-time winner in the ARCA Menards Series. He won at Talladega Superspeedway in 2007 and then took the series opener at Daytona in 2008.“NASCAR is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former NASCAR driver Michael Annett," the racing body said in a statement. "Michael was a respected competitor whose determination, professionalism, and positive spirit were felt by everyone in the garage. Throughout his career, he represented our sport with integrity and the passion of a true racer. NASCAR extends its condolences to Michael’s family and many friends.”

Former NASCAR star Michael Annett dead at 39

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-signal-messaging-app-attack-plans-f8581bcb447b91d2e7f9cb7809ae0f06">The Pentagon’s watchdog</a>&nbsp;found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. personnel and their mission at risk when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-atlantic-war-plans-signal-yemen-houthis-c0addd08c627ab01a37ea63621cb695e">used the Signal messaging app</a>&nbsp;to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Yemen's Houthi militants, two people familiar with the findings said Wednesday.

<a href="https://media.defense.gov/2025/Dec/04/2003834916/-1/-1/1/DODIG_2026_021.PDF">Click here to read the full 84-page report</a>

Hegseth, however, has the ability to declassify material and the report did not find he did so improperly, according to one of the people familiar with the findings who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the information. That person also said the report concluded that Hegseth violated Pentagon policy by using his personal device for official business and it recommended better training for all Pentagon officials.

Hegseth declined to sit for an interview with the Pentagon's inspector general but provided a written statement, that person said. The defense secretary asserted that he was permitted to declassify information as he saw fit and only communicated details he thought would not endanger the mission.

The initial findings, which were first reported by CNN,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-hegseth-boat-strikes-e68621ec48c7886215359c0110d6d9ca">ramp up the pressure</a>&nbsp;on the former Fox News Channel host after lawmakers called for the independent inquiry into his use of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/signal-app-atlantic-war-plans-32699da142c5209b845e57f690df4925">commercially available app</a>.

Lawmakers also just opened investigations into a news report that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-hegseth-maduro-512c66b99b2a13e9d1a3ed2699e78228">a follow-up strike</a>&nbsp;on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean Sea in September killed survivors after Hegseth issued a verbal order to “kill everybody."

Hegseth&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-trump-venezuela-540ae279827e02105e089f1bd5af37a6">defended the strike as emerging in the “fog of war</a>,” saying he didn’t see any survivors but also “didn’t stick around” for the rest of the mission and that the admiral in charge “made the right call” in ordering the second strike. He also did not admit fault following the Signal revelations, asserting that the information was unclassified.

“The Inspector General review is a TOTAL exoneration of Secretary Hegseth and proves what we knew all along — no classified information was shared,” Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman said in a statement. “This matter is resolved, and the case is closed.”

President Donald Trump “stands by” Hegseth, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, adding that the probe affirms that “no classified information was leaked, and operational security was not compromised.”

Journalist was added to a chat where sensitive plans were shared

In at least two separate Signal chats, Hegseth provided the exact timings of warplane launches and when bombs would drop — before the men and women carrying out those attacks on behalf of the United States were airborne.

Hegseth’s use of the app came to light when a journalist,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-atlantic-war-plans-signal-yemen-houthis-c0addd08c627ab01a37ea63621cb695e">Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic</a>, was inadvertently added to a Signal text chain by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-waltz-rubio-national-security-hegseth-d787db43d45922668ad0c1c62e608f85">then-national security adviser Mike Waltz</a>. It included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and others, brought together to discuss March 15 military operations against the Iran-backed Houthis.

Hegseth had created&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-signal-chat-houthis-attack-8dbf9dd6c711796438a5c1c84831c40b">another Signal chat</a>&nbsp;with 13 people that included his wife and brother where he shared similar details of the same strike, The Associated Press reported.

Signal is encrypted but is not authorized for carrying classified information and is not part of the Pentagon’s secure communications network.

Hegseth previously has said none of the information shared in the chats was classified. Multiple current and former military officials have told the AP there was no way details with that specificity, especially before a strike took place, would have been OK to share on an unsecured device.

The review was delivered to lawmakers, who were able to review the report in a classified facility at the Capitol. A partially redacted version of the report was expected to be released publicly later this week.

Hegseth said he viewed the investigation as a partisan exercise and did not trust the inspector general, according to one of the people familiar with the report’s findings. The review had to rely on screenshots of the Signal chat published by the Atlantic because Hegseth could not provide more than a small handful of his Signal messages, the person said.

When asked about the investigation in August, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told reporters that "we believe that this is a witch hunt and a total sham and being conducted in bad faith.”

Lawmakers had called for inspector general to investigate

The revelations sparked intense scrutiny, with Democratic lawmakers and a small number of Republicans saying Hegseth posting the information to the Signal chats before the military jets had reached their targets&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-signal-chat-pentagon-trump-30dc4c3d0e75a89f3fd883f38b26afff">potentially put those pilots’ lives at risk</a>. They said lower-ranking members of the military would have been fired for such a lapse.

Some Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees suggested Wednesday that Hegseth’s actions would be a fireable offense for anyone else.

“This was not an isolated lapse. It reflects a broader pattern of recklessness and poor judgment from a secretary who has repeatedly shown he is in over his head,” Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia said in a statement.

The inspector general had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-signal-messaging-app-attack-plans-f8581bcb447b91d2e7f9cb7809ae0f06">opened its investigation</a>&nbsp;into Hegseth at the request of the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, and the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island.

It all ties back to the campaign against Yemen’s Houthis

The Houthi rebels had started launching&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-israel-hamas-red-sea-shipping-ab6fee82e73170b7e2edbab90ed6c14c">missile and drone attacks</a>&nbsp;against commercial and military ships in late 2023 in what their leadership had described as an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/israel-hamas-war-yemen-red-sea-rebellions-and-uprisings-yemen-government-35148e6fbef64ec8b6fa074d4da2551c">effort to end</a>&nbsp;Israel’s offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Their campaign greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually.

The U.S.-led campaign against the Houthis in 2024 turned into the most intense running sea battle the Navy had faced since World War II.

A ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war had begun in January before falling apart in March. The U.S. then launched a broad assault against the Houthis that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-houthis-end-of-bombing-yemen-israel-e2f08ac04024ef3d6409b4ce97092489">ended weeks later</a>&nbsp;when Trump said they pledged to stop attacking ships. The latest Gaza ceasefire began in October.

Following the disclosure of Hegseth’s Signal chat that included the Atlantic’s editor, the magazine&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-atlantic-war-plans-signal-yemen-houthis-c0addd08c627ab01a37ea63621cb695e">released the entire thread</a>&nbsp;in late March. Hegseth had posted multiple details about an impending strike, using military language and laying out when a “strike window” starts, where a “target terrorist” was located, the time elements around the attack and when various weapons and aircraft would be used in the strike. He mentioned that the U.S. was “currently clean” on operational security.

Hegseth told Fox News Channel in April that what he shared over Signal was “informal, unclassified coordinations, for media coordinations and other things.”

Associated Press writer Stephen Groves, Konstantin Toropin, Michelle L. Price and David Klepper contributed to this report.

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 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-signal-messaging-app-attack-plans-f8581bcb447b91d2e7f9cb7809ae0f06">The Pentagon’s watchdog</a>&nbsp;found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put U.S. personnel and their mission at risk when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-atlantic-war-plans-signal-yemen-houthis-c0addd08c627ab01a37ea63621cb695e">used the Signal messaging app</a>&nbsp;to convey sensitive information about a military strike against Yemen's Houthi militants, two people familiar with the findings said Wednesday.<a href="https://media.defense.gov/2025/Dec/04/2003834916/-1/-1/1/DODIG_2026_021.PDF">Click here to read the full 84-page report</a>Hegseth, however, has the ability to declassify material and the report did not find he did so improperly, according to one of the people familiar with the findings who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the information. That person also said the report concluded that Hegseth violated Pentagon policy by using his personal device for official business and it recommended better training for all Pentagon officials.Hegseth declined to sit for an interview with the Pentagon's inspector general but provided a written statement, that person said. The defense secretary asserted that he was permitted to declassify information as he saw fit and only communicated details he thought would not endanger the mission.The initial findings, which were first reported by CNN,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-hegseth-boat-strikes-e68621ec48c7886215359c0110d6d9ca">ramp up the pressure</a>&nbsp;on the former Fox News Channel host after lawmakers called for the independent inquiry into his use of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/signal-app-atlantic-war-plans-32699da142c5209b845e57f690df4925">commercially available app</a>.Lawmakers also just opened investigations into a news report that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-hegseth-maduro-512c66b99b2a13e9d1a3ed2699e78228">a follow-up strike</a>&nbsp;on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Caribbean Sea in September killed survivors after Hegseth issued a verbal order to “kill everybody."Hegseth&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-trump-venezuela-540ae279827e02105e089f1bd5af37a6">defended the strike as emerging in the “fog of war</a>,” saying he didn’t see any survivors but also “didn’t stick around” for the rest of the mission and that the admiral in charge “made the right call” in ordering the second strike. He also did not admit fault following the Signal revelations, asserting that the information was unclassified.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">No classified information. Total exoneration. Case closed. Houthis bombed into submission. Thank you for your attention to this IG report. <a href="https://t.co/eQPO5iPIRc">https://t.co/eQPO5iPIRc</a>&mdash; Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) <a href="https://twitter.com/PeteHegseth/status/1996368824397094925?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“The Inspector General review is a TOTAL exoneration of Secretary Hegseth and proves what we knew all along — no classified information was shared,” Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman said in a statement. “This matter is resolved, and the case is closed.”President Donald Trump “stands by” Hegseth, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, adding that the probe affirms that “no classified information was leaked, and operational security was not compromised.”<h2>Journalist was added to a chat where sensitive plans were shared</h2>In at least two separate Signal chats, Hegseth provided the exact timings of warplane launches and when bombs would drop — before the men and women carrying out those attacks on behalf of the United States were airborne.Hegseth’s use of the app came to light when a journalist,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-atlantic-war-plans-signal-yemen-houthis-c0addd08c627ab01a37ea63621cb695e">Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic</a>, was inadvertently added to a Signal text chain by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-waltz-rubio-national-security-hegseth-d787db43d45922668ad0c1c62e608f85">then-national security adviser Mike Waltz</a>. It included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and others, brought together to discuss March 15 military operations against the Iran-backed Houthis.Hegseth had created&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-signal-chat-houthis-attack-8dbf9dd6c711796438a5c1c84831c40b">another Signal chat</a>&nbsp;with 13 people that included his wife and brother where he shared similar details of the same strike, The Associated Press reported.Signal is encrypted but is not authorized for carrying classified information and is not part of the Pentagon’s secure communications network.Hegseth previously has said none of the information shared in the chats was classified. Multiple current and former military officials have told the AP there was no way details with that specificity, especially before a strike took place, would have been OK to share on an unsecured device.The review was delivered to lawmakers, who were able to review the report in a classified facility at the Capitol. A partially redacted version of the report was expected to be released publicly later this week.Hegseth said he viewed the investigation as a partisan exercise and did not trust the inspector general, according to one of the people familiar with the report’s findings. The review had to rely on screenshots of the Signal chat published by the Atlantic because Hegseth could not provide more than a small handful of his Signal messages, the person said.When asked about the investigation in August, Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson told reporters that "we believe that this is a witch hunt and a total sham and being conducted in bad faith.”<h2>Lawmakers had called for inspector general to investigate</h2>The revelations sparked intense scrutiny, with Democratic lawmakers and a small number of Republicans saying Hegseth posting the information to the Signal chats before the military jets had reached their targets&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-signal-chat-pentagon-trump-30dc4c3d0e75a89f3fd883f38b26afff">potentially put those pilots’ lives at risk</a>. They said lower-ranking members of the military would have been fired for such a lapse.Some Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees suggested Wednesday that Hegseth’s actions would be a fireable offense for anyone else.“This was not an isolated lapse. It reflects a broader pattern of recklessness and poor judgment from a secretary who has repeatedly shown he is in over his head,” Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia said in a statement.The inspector general had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-signal-messaging-app-attack-plans-f8581bcb447b91d2e7f9cb7809ae0f06">opened its investigation</a>&nbsp;into Hegseth at the request of the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, and the committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island.<h2>It all ties back to the campaign against Yemen’s Houthis</h2>The Houthi rebels had started launching&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-houthi-israel-hamas-red-sea-shipping-ab6fee82e73170b7e2edbab90ed6c14c">missile and drone attacks</a>&nbsp;against commercial and military ships in late 2023 in what their leadership had described as an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/israel-hamas-war-yemen-red-sea-rebellions-and-uprisings-yemen-government-35148e6fbef64ec8b6fa074d4da2551c">effort to end</a>&nbsp;Israel’s offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Their campaign greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually.The U.S.-led campaign against the Houthis in 2024 turned into the most intense running sea battle the Navy had faced since World War II.A ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war had begun in January before falling apart in March. The U.S. then launched a broad assault against the Houthis that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-houthis-end-of-bombing-yemen-israel-e2f08ac04024ef3d6409b4ce97092489">ended weeks later</a>&nbsp;when Trump said they pledged to stop attacking ships. The latest Gaza ceasefire began in October.Following the disclosure of Hegseth’s Signal chat that included the Atlantic’s editor, the magazine&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-atlantic-war-plans-signal-yemen-houthis-c0addd08c627ab01a37ea63621cb695e">released the entire thread</a>&nbsp;in late March. Hegseth had posted multiple details about an impending strike, using military language and laying out when a “strike window” starts, where a “target terrorist” was located, the time elements around the attack and when various weapons and aircraft would be used in the strike. He mentioned that the U.S. was “currently clean” on operational security.Hegseth told Fox News Channel in April that what he shared over Signal was “informal, unclassified coordinations, for media coordinations and other things.”___Associated Press writer Stephen Groves, Konstantin Toropin, Michelle L. Price and David Klepper contributed to this report.