Roy Allen Pfaff, 82, passed away on September 13, 2024 at his home in McCracken, Kansas. &nbsp;He was born on January 11, 1942 in McCracken, Kansas the son of John and Silvina (Hammerschmidt) Pfaff.

Roy was a farmer and rancher. He enjoyed his cows and chickens. &nbsp;He married Frances Kay Raskopf on October 4, 1961, in LaCrosse, Kansas. &nbsp;

Survivors include his wife, Frances Kay Pfaff of McCracken; 2 daughters, Susan (Joe) Gabel of LaCrosse, Jennifer Strickler of Ransom; brother, Bennie (Cindy) Boley; 4 sisters, Eileen Backstrom, Betty Miller, Laura Morgan, Becky Kinyon; 5 grandchildren, Caitlin Gabel, Jessica (Marshall) Broberg, Jenna Strickler, Alana Strickler, Rebecca Strickler; and 3 great-grandchildren, Evelyn Broberg, Mya Broberg, and Archer Savage. &nbsp;He was preceded in death by two children Kimberly Alice Pfaff and Roy Allen Pfaff Jr., his parents; brothers, Ralph, Leon, Walter, Glen Pfaff; sisters Lucille Pfaff, Hazel Opal, Mary Mask and Nancy Pfaff.&nbsp;

A memorial service will be held at a later time.&nbsp;

Memorial contributions may be given to the Ness County EMS.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726351887318.jpeg" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Roy Allen Pfaff, 82, passed away on September 13, 2024 at his home in McCracken, Kansas. &nbsp;He was born on January 11, 1942 in McCracken, Kansas the son of John and Silvina (Hammerschmidt) Pfaff.</p><p>Roy was a farmer and rancher. He enjoyed his cows and chickens. &nbsp;He married Frances Kay Raskopf on October 4, 1961, in LaCrosse, Kansas. &nbsp;</p><p>Survivors include his wife, Frances Kay Pfaff of McCracken; 2 daughters, Susan (Joe) Gabel of LaCrosse, Jennifer Strickler of Ransom; brother, Bennie (Cindy) Boley; 4 sisters, Eileen Backstrom, Betty Miller, Laura Morgan, Becky Kinyon; 5 grandchildren, Caitlin Gabel, Jessica (Marshall) Broberg, Jenna Strickler, Alana Strickler, Rebecca Strickler; and 3 great-grandchildren, Evelyn Broberg, Mya Broberg, and Archer Savage. &nbsp;He was preceded in death by two children Kimberly Alice Pfaff and Roy Allen Pfaff Jr., his parents; brothers, Ralph, Leon, Walter, Glen Pfaff; sisters Lucille Pfaff, Hazel Opal, Mary Mask and Nancy Pfaff.&nbsp;</p><p>A memorial service will be held at a later time.&nbsp;</p><p>Memorial contributions may be given to the Ness County EMS.</p>

Roy Allen Pfaff

Robert Benecke captured 19th-century western Kansas landscapes before massive European migrations to the area transformed them. In the intervening years, the dust bowl, mass extinction of bison, and expansion of mechanized agriculture have all led to a profusion of trees, ponds and lakes across the Sunflower State.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/f506a711-a676-4ec1-82e5-497f2f20116c">SEE RELATED STORY: Historic Hays home included in ecology study</a>

By&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/people/julie-denesha">Julie Denesha</a><br><a href="https://www.kcur.org/">KCUR</a>

When railroad companies hired Robert Benecke to help advertise Kansas land for sale in the 1870s, the German-born photographer captured a unique window into life on the Great Plains at a very early time in the state’s history.

A century and a half later, University of Kansas professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Town Peterson sees Benecke’s images as a chance to investigate the impact of human settlement.

Peterson first became aware of a trove of Benecke’s images preserved in&nbsp;<a href="https://digitalcollections.smu.edu/digital/search/searchterm/%22Robert%20Benecke%22" target="_blank">the digital collections</a>&nbsp;of Southern Methodist University during the pandemic, and he set out to re-photograph the scenes and see what changed over the course of time.

It’s all part of the curiosity process in science, Peterson says.

“You go out there with a tingle in your right ear and you play around for a bit,” he explains. “You learn some lessons and that leads you to the next curiosity.”

Peterson’s years-long effort has led to his new book, “One Hundred and Fifty Years of Change on the Great Plains,”<i>&nbsp;</i>available&nbsp;<a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1808/34963" target="_blank">for free as a PDF</a>&nbsp;or in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lulu.com/shop/a-townsend-peterson/one-hundred-and-fifty-years-of-change-on-the-great-plains/hardcover/product-gjg74wm.html?page=1&amp;pageSize=4" target="_blank">hard-copy format on demand</a>. It pairs Benecke's historic landscapes with Peterson’s new photographs of the same views.

The juxtaposition, Peterson says, can show how the region has changed.

“I use these photo comparisons as a way of exploring and thinking about things,” the Ohio native says. “This particular set of photographs was really neat because it goes back to 1873, which is pretty much at the beginning of what I would call mobile photography.”

The 1873 Kansas Pacific Railway assignment took the St. Louis-based Benecke between Kansas City and Denver, taking photographs along the tracks all the way. Benecke would eventually travel all 600 miles of Kansas Pacific’s tracks, taking photographs at nearly every major stop and using a railcar darkroom to process his glass plate negatives.

Benecke captured a moment before the massive migrations into Western Kansas, when cities like Lawrence and Manhattan were just small European settlements. His images help chronicle the disappearance of the bison, the dust bowl, and the expansion of mechanized agriculture, ranching, irrigation, fire suppression and more.

Peterson’s modern images display what’s changed in the intervening years. They show a contemporary Kansas in color, sometimes from the ground and other times from a drone.

The project, which scientists call “<a href="https://www.usgs.gov/centers/norock/science/repeat-photography-project" target="_blank">repeat photography</a>,” took Peterson across the state to find and photograph 50 different Benecke vantage points.

Each photograph presented its own challenges. While Benecke offered some detail about where each photo was taken, exact locations were often difficult to find.

“Locating the sites was months of work,” Peterson says, noting the hunt often left him spinning his wheels.

“Then it was two summers of driving back and forth between Denver and Kansas City getting into the fine details of where these sites were,” he says.

One of Peterson’s first observations was that many of the sites from 1873 are now covered by trees that have taken over the landscape. They often made the rephotographing process difficult and, when trees obscured the view, Peterson had to make compromises.

“If I can't see anything because I'm in trees, then what do I do about this site?” Peterson says. “How do I take a photograph that's meaningful in showing how this site is similar or different?”

Finding so many trees wasn’t exactly a surprise for the ecologist.

“I certainly have been aware of the afforestation process.” Peterson says. “If you look out my office window, it's a forested landscape, and if you look at the depictions of Lawrence in the 1800s, it wasn't, so I had some expectations.”

But he wasn’t entirely prepared for what he found either.

“West of Manhattan in the 1873 photos, you see essentially no trees,” Peterson says. “To me, the contrast is just astounding.”

Photography commissioned in the age of steam

Benecke’s 19th-century photographs were originally commissioned by railroad companies to lure white European settlers out west.

“The U.S. government incentivized building railroads that would connect, essentially, the east to the west of the country,” Peterson says.

Between 1850 and 1872 the federal government&nbsp;<a href="https://www.loc.gov/collections/railroad-maps-1828-to-1900/articles-and-essays/history-of-railroads-and-maps/land-grants/" target="_blank">granted millions of acres of public lands to railroad companies</a>&nbsp;in order to promote railroad construction, disregarding indigenous populations already living on the land in the process. Railroad companies commonly received 20 miles on either side of track that was built.

“It was very much in the Kansas Pacific railroad's interest to get people to move out there,” Peterson says. “If they could depict the Great Plains as this wonderland where you can have land very cheap and prosper with your family, they could make tons of money.”

And they did. According to the Library of Congress, most western railroads had established as early as 1868 profitable land departments and European bureaus of immigration to sell land and promote foreign settlement in states like Kansas.

Early steam locomotives ran on wood and water so there had to be a settlement every few miles, and refueling stations were built every 15 or 20 miles. On the often arid plains, a permanent source of water was also necessary, so the railroads built ponds and lakes along the lines to keep the engines running.

The new infrastructure encouraged development across the state but also affected the land, creating new wetlands.

"Kansas didn't have much in the way of wetlands in the 1800s," Peterson says.

Environmental transformations like that substantiate the scientific merit in returning to these sites to track the changing land, he says, and ecological studies are often revisited at five, 10 and 20-year intervals.

“This is all an effort to get a longer-term view of a landscape,” Peterson says. “And sure, some of it is just fun, and some of it is that kind of pre-science curiosity that turns into neat questions down the line.”

Peterson has included in his book the precise geographical coordinates of each image to help facilitate the next curious photographer.

“So much is going to change in the next 30 or 40 years,” Peterson says. “The idea is this is kind of our long-term anchor point for being able to understand how the landscape changes here.”

Peterson also has some advice for that future photographer who may someday retrace his and Benecke’s journey.

“Get everything possible done between March and early June, and then October and November,” Peterson says. “Because, as much as I love Kansas landscapes, the ticks, the chiggers, the poison ivy, the mosquitoes, stinging nettles — you have to use early spring and late fall.”

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726090514329.png" alt="German-born photographer Robert Benecke, shown here in an undated self-portrait, traveled across Kansas taking scenic photographs at nearly every major stop in 1873 for the Kansas Pacific Railway. KU ecology and biology professor Town Peterson followed Benecke’s footsteps 150 years later to reveal startling changes to the prairie landscape.&nbsp;Robert Benecke/DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University" />
                        <figcaption>German-born photographer Robert Benecke, shown here in an undated self-portrait, traveled across Kansas taking scenic photographs at nearly every major stop in 1873 for the Kansas Pacific Railway. KU ecology and biology professor Town Peterson followed Benecke’s footsteps 150 years later to reveal startling changes to the prairie landscape.&nbsp;Robert Benecke/DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University</figcaption>
                    </figure><h2>Robert Benecke captured 19th-century western Kansas landscapes before massive European migrations to the area transformed them. In the intervening years, the dust bowl, mass extinction of bison, and expansion of mechanized agriculture have all led to a profusion of trees, ponds and lakes across the Sunflower State.</h2><p><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/f506a711-a676-4ec1-82e5-497f2f20116c">SEE RELATED STORY: Historic Hays home included in ecology study</a></p><p>By&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcur.org/people/julie-denesha">Julie Denesha</a><br><a href="https://www.kcur.org/">KCUR</a></p><p>When railroad companies hired Robert Benecke to help advertise Kansas land for sale in the 1870s, the German-born photographer captured a unique window into life on the Great Plains at a very early time in the state’s history.</p><p>A century and a half later, University of Kansas professor of ecology and evolutionary biology Town Peterson sees Benecke’s images as a chance to investigate the impact of human settlement.</p><p>Peterson first became aware of a trove of Benecke’s images preserved in&nbsp;<a href="https://digitalcollections.smu.edu/digital/search/searchterm/%22Robert%20Benecke%22" target="_blank">the digital collections</a>&nbsp;of Southern Methodist University during the pandemic, and he set out to re-photograph the scenes and see what changed over the course of time.</p><p>It’s all part of the curiosity process in science, Peterson says.</p><p>“You go out there with a tingle in your right ear and you play around for a bit,” he explains. “You learn some lessons and that leads you to the next curiosity.”</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726090628012.png" alt="Photo Credits: Before Robert Benecke After Town Peterson" />
                        <figcaption>Photo Credits: Before Robert Benecke After Town Peterson</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Peterson’s years-long effort has led to his new book, “One Hundred and Fifty Years of Change on the Great Plains,”<i>&nbsp;</i>available&nbsp;<a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1808/34963" target="_blank">for free as a PDF</a>&nbsp;or in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lulu.com/shop/a-townsend-peterson/one-hundred-and-fifty-years-of-change-on-the-great-plains/hardcover/product-gjg74wm.html?page=1&amp;pageSize=4" target="_blank">hard-copy format on demand</a>. It pairs Benecke's historic landscapes with Peterson’s new photographs of the same views.</p><p>The juxtaposition, Peterson says, can show how the region has changed.</p><p>“I use these photo comparisons as a way of exploring and thinking about things,” the Ohio native says. “This particular set of photographs was really neat because it goes back to 1873, which is pretty much at the beginning of what I would call mobile photography.”</p><p>The 1873 Kansas Pacific Railway assignment took the St. Louis-based Benecke between Kansas City and Denver, taking photographs along the tracks all the way. Benecke would eventually travel all 600 miles of Kansas Pacific’s tracks, taking photographs at nearly every major stop and using a railcar darkroom to process his glass plate negatives.</p><p>Benecke captured a moment before the massive migrations into Western Kansas, when cities like Lawrence and Manhattan were just small European settlements. His images help chronicle the disappearance of the bison, the dust bowl, and the expansion of mechanized agriculture, ranching, irrigation, fire suppression and more.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726090692594.png" alt="The Kansas Pacific main line, shown on an 1869 map. The thick, red and green area adjacent to the rail line indicates the extent of land grants available to settlers. The green sections in western Kansas were available for purchase at the time, while the red extension in Colorado Territory was completed the following year.&nbsp;Henry Seibert &amp; Bros./Wichita State University Libraries" />
                        <figcaption>The Kansas Pacific main line, shown on an 1869 map. The thick, red and green area adjacent to the rail line indicates the extent of land grants available to settlers. The green sections in western Kansas were available for purchase at the time, while the red extension in Colorado Territory was completed the following year.&nbsp;Henry Seibert &amp; Bros./Wichita State University Libraries</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Peterson’s modern images display what’s changed in the intervening years. They show a contemporary Kansas in color, sometimes from the ground and other times from a drone.</p><p>The project, which scientists call “<a href="https://www.usgs.gov/centers/norock/science/repeat-photography-project" target="_blank">repeat photography</a>,” took Peterson across the state to find and photograph 50 different Benecke vantage points.</p><p>Each photograph presented its own challenges. While Benecke offered some detail about where each photo was taken, exact locations were often difficult to find.</p><p>“Locating the sites was months of work,” Peterson says, noting the hunt often left him spinning his wheels.</p><p>“Then it was two summers of driving back and forth between Denver and Kansas City getting into the fine details of where these sites were,” he says.</p><p>One of Peterson’s first observations was that many of the sites from 1873 are now covered by trees that have taken over the landscape. They often made the rephotographing process difficult and, when trees obscured the view, Peterson had to make compromises.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726090819810.png" alt="Photo Credits: Before Robert Benecke After Town Peterson" />
                        <figcaption>Photo Credits: Before Robert Benecke After Town Peterson</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>“If I can't see anything because I'm in trees, then what do I do about this site?” Peterson says. “How do I take a photograph that's meaningful in showing how this site is similar or different?”</p><p>Finding so many trees wasn’t exactly a surprise for the ecologist.</p><p>“I certainly have been aware of the afforestation process.” Peterson says. “If you look out my office window, it's a forested landscape, and if you look at the depictions of Lawrence in the 1800s, it wasn't, so I had some expectations.”</p><p>But he wasn’t entirely prepared for what he found either.</p><p>“West of Manhattan in the 1873 photos, you see essentially no trees,” Peterson says. “To me, the contrast is just astounding.”</p><h2>Photography commissioned in the age of steam</h2><p>Benecke’s 19th-century photographs were originally commissioned by railroad companies to lure white European settlers out west.</p><p>“The U.S. government incentivized building railroads that would connect, essentially, the east to the west of the country,” Peterson says.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726090901463.png" alt="The railcar where Robert Benecke developed many of his landscape images, photographed by Benecke during a stop in Ellis, Kansas, in 1873.&nbsp;Robert Benecke/DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University" />
                        <figcaption>The railcar where Robert Benecke developed many of his landscape images, photographed by Benecke during a stop in Ellis, Kansas, in 1873.&nbsp;Robert Benecke/DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Between 1850 and 1872 the federal government&nbsp;<a href="https://www.loc.gov/collections/railroad-maps-1828-to-1900/articles-and-essays/history-of-railroads-and-maps/land-grants/" target="_blank">granted millions of acres of public lands to railroad companies</a>&nbsp;in order to promote railroad construction, disregarding indigenous populations already living on the land in the process. Railroad companies commonly received 20 miles on either side of track that was built.</p><p>“It was very much in the Kansas Pacific railroad's interest to get people to move out there,” Peterson says. “If they could depict the Great Plains as this wonderland where you can have land very cheap and prosper with your family, they could make tons of money.”</p><p>And they did. According to the Library of Congress, most western railroads had established as early as 1868 profitable land departments and European bureaus of immigration to sell land and promote foreign settlement in states like Kansas.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726090966978.png" alt="The No. 2. Taxidermist's Department of the Kansas Pacific Railway, photographed by Benecke in 1873 to help advertise bison heads during the so-called "Great Slaughter,” from 1820 to 1880. The loss of the massive herds of grazing bison was one reason for the expansion of trees on the Great Plains.&nbsp;Robert Benecke/DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University" />
                        <figcaption>The No. 2. Taxidermist's Department of the Kansas Pacific Railway, photographed by Benecke in 1873 to help advertise bison heads during the so-called "Great Slaughter,” from 1820 to 1880. The loss of the massive herds of grazing bison was one reason for the expansion of trees on the Great Plains.&nbsp;Robert Benecke/DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Early steam locomotives ran on wood and water so there had to be a settlement every few miles, and refueling stations were built every 15 or 20 miles. On the often arid plains, a permanent source of water was also necessary, so the railroads built ponds and lakes along the lines to keep the engines running.</p><p>The new infrastructure encouraged development across the state but also affected the land, creating new wetlands.</p><p>"Kansas didn't have much in the way of wetlands in the 1800s," Peterson says.</p><p>Environmental transformations like that substantiate the scientific merit in returning to these sites to track the changing land, he says, and ecological studies are often revisited at five, 10 and 20-year intervals.</p><p>“This is all an effort to get a longer-term view of a landscape,” Peterson says. “And sure, some of it is just fun, and some of it is that kind of pre-science curiosity that turns into neat questions down the line.”</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726090767879.png" alt="Photo Credits: Before Robert Benecke After Town Peterson" />
                        <figcaption>Photo Credits: Before Robert Benecke After Town Peterson</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Peterson has included in his book the precise geographical coordinates of each image to help facilitate the next curious photographer.</p><p>“So much is going to change in the next 30 or 40 years,” Peterson says. “The idea is this is kind of our long-term anchor point for being able to understand how the landscape changes here.”</p><p>Peterson also has some advice for that future photographer who may someday retrace his and Benecke’s journey.</p><p>“Get everything possible done between March and early June, and then October and November,” Peterson says. “Because, as much as I love Kansas landscapes, the ticks, the chiggers, the poison ivy, the mosquitoes, stinging nettles — you have to use early spring and late fall.”</p>

What did Kansas look like 150 years ago? A KU professor’s photo book shows parts of Ellis Co.

First Care Clinic, Inc. is pleased to announce that Dustin Smith, PharmD, has joined its First Care Pharmacy staff. Dustin earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Kansas. He is a Board-Certified Pharmacist, with nearly seventeen years of Pharmacy experience.

Eric Flax, First Care Clinic CEO said, “We are thrilled to see that our Pharmacy has continued to expand since its opening in October of 2023. A main contributor to this is our talented and caring pharmacy staff, and Dustin will make an excellent addition to the team!”

Pharmacy Director, Tami Zimmerman stated, “As our Pharmacy practice continues to grow, having Dustin on board with us will allow us to continue providing that quick and friendly experience you can expect from First Care Pharmacy - one you have hopefully already experienced with us!“

First Care Pharmacy is located inside the entrance of Express Care, at the corner of 13th and Main in downtown Hays. Providing convenient, fast, and friendly service, and offering free local delivery. Patients can experience the benefit of getting their prescriptions filled at the same time as their medical, dental, and/or behavioral health appointment. For assistance with transferring prescriptions to First Care Pharmacy, patients can call our pharmacy directly at (785) 301-9390.

First Care Clinic is a federally qualified health center, with three locations in Hays, providing services for people of all ages, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. They provide family medicine, express care, pharmaceutical, behavioral health, and family dentistry services.

First Care Clinic welcomes all patients and accepts all major insurances. A sliding fee scale discount is also available to those who qualify. Patients can schedule an appointment by calling First Care Clinic at (785) 621-4990. For same-day, or acute issues, patients can book a time &amp; skip the line by self-scheduling with Express Care at firstcareclinic.com.

“First Care Clinic. The region’s premiere medical home, dedicated to providing access to compassionate, quality care for all.”

For more information contact Danielle Windholz, Director of Operations, at First Care Clinic (785-621-4990).

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726076618364.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p><i>Submitted</i></p><p>First Care Clinic, Inc. is pleased to announce that Dustin Smith, PharmD, has joined its First Care Pharmacy staff. Dustin earned his Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Kansas. He is a Board-Certified Pharmacist, with nearly seventeen years of Pharmacy experience.</p><p>Eric Flax, First Care Clinic CEO said, “We are thrilled to see that our Pharmacy has continued to expand since its opening in October of 2023. A main contributor to this is our talented and caring pharmacy staff, and Dustin will make an excellent addition to the team!”</p><p>Pharmacy Director, Tami Zimmerman stated, “As our Pharmacy practice continues to grow, having Dustin on board with us will allow us to continue providing that quick and friendly experience you can expect from First Care Pharmacy - one you have hopefully already experienced with us!“</p><p>First Care Pharmacy is located inside the entrance of Express Care, at the corner of 13th and Main in downtown Hays. Providing convenient, fast, and friendly service, and offering free local delivery. Patients can experience the benefit of getting their prescriptions filled at the same time as their medical, dental, and/or behavioral health appointment. For assistance with transferring prescriptions to First Care Pharmacy, patients can call our pharmacy directly at (785) 301-9390.</p><p><b>ABOUT FIRST CARE CLINIC, INC.</b></p><p>First Care Clinic is a federally qualified health center, with three locations in Hays, providing services for people of all ages, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay. They provide family medicine, express care, pharmaceutical, behavioral health, and family dentistry services.</p><p>First Care Clinic welcomes all patients and accepts all major insurances. A sliding fee scale discount is also available to those who qualify. Patients can schedule an appointment by calling First Care Clinic at (785) 621-4990. For same-day, or acute issues, patients can book a time &amp; skip the line by self-scheduling with Express Care at firstcareclinic.com.</p><p>“First Care Clinic. The region’s premiere medical home, dedicated to providing access to compassionate, quality care for all.”</p><p>For more information contact Danielle Windholz, Director of Operations, at First Care Clinic (785-621-4990).</p>

Trump: No more debates with Kamala Harris

WASHINGTON (AP) — Taylor Swift, one of the music industry's biggest stars, endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly&nbsp;after the presidential debate ended.

“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” Swift wrote late Tuesday in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_wtAOKOW1z/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D">an Instagram post</a>, which included a link to a voter registration website.

Swift has a dedicated following among young women, a key demographic in the November election, and her latest tour has generated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-eras-tour-billion-dollar-record-52945111233438b1f2166aa19eee365f">more than $1 billion</a>&nbsp;in ticket sales. In a half hour, the post received more than 2.3 million likes.

She included a picture of herself holding her cat Benjamin Button, and she signed the message “Childless Cat Lady.” The remark is a reference to three-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-kamala-harris-childless-trump-0a37e991097b66c52bff5bf7ecf8de7b">comments made by JD Vance</a>, Donald Trump's running mate, about women without children not having an equal stake in the country's future.

A Harris senior campaign official said the endorsement was not coordinated with the campaign. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, appeared to learn about the endorsement in the middle of a live interview on MSNBC. As Rachel Maddow read the text, Walz broke into a smile and patted his chest.

“That was eloquent. And it was clear," Walz said. "And that’s the kind of courage we need in America to stand up.”

Swift wrote that her endorsement was partially prompted by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-taylor-swift-fake-endorsement-ai-fec99c412d960932839e3eab8d49fd5f">Trump’s decision to post artificial intelligence-generated pictures</a>&nbsp;suggesting that she had endorsed him. One showed Swift dressed as Uncle Sam, and the text said “Taylor wants YOU to VOTE for DONALD TRUMP.”

Trump's posts “brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” Swift wrote. She added that "I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice."

Trump said Wednesday that Swift's move “was just a question of time.” He told “Fox &amp; Friends” that Swift is “a very liberal person” who “seems to always endorse a Democrat and she'll probably pay a price in the marketplace.”

In 2020, she&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/taylorswift13/status/1313938080290803715?s=20">supported Democrat Joe Biden</a>, and she cheered for Harris in her debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. She also was openly critical of Trump, saying he had stoked “the fires of white supremacy and racism.”

Swift is a popular figure nationwide, but especially among Democrats. An October 2023 Fox News poll found that 55% of voters overall, including 68% of Democrats, said they had a favorable view of Swift. Republicans were divided, with 43% having a favorable opinion and 45% an unfavorable one.

AP VoteCast suggests that a partisan divide on Swift was apparent as early as 2018. That’s the year Swift made her first political endorsement, supporting Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen for Senate over Republican Marsha Blackburn.

VoteCast found that among Tennessee voters that year, 55% of Democrats and just 19% of Republicans said they had a favorable opinion of Swift. Blackburn won by a comfortable margin in the deep red state.

Swift is the leading nominee at Wednesday’s MTV Video Music Awards. While it’s unclear whether Swift will attend the show in New York, she could use any acceptance speeches to elaborate on her support of Harris.

The event was shifted a day later to accommodate Tuesday’s debate. MTV has a long history of encouraging voter participation.

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) — Taylor Swift, one of the music industry's biggest stars, endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly&nbsp;after the presidential debate ended.</p><div><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_wtAOKOW1z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_wtAOKOW1z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_wtAOKOW1z/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div><p>“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos,” Swift wrote late Tuesday in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C_wtAOKOW1z/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D">an Instagram post</a>, which included a link to a voter registration website.</p><p>Swift has a dedicated following among young women, a key demographic in the November election, and her latest tour has generated&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-eras-tour-billion-dollar-record-52945111233438b1f2166aa19eee365f">more than $1 billion</a>&nbsp;in ticket sales. In a half hour, the post received more than 2.3 million likes.</p><p>She included a picture of herself holding her cat Benjamin Button, and she signed the message “Childless Cat Lady.” The remark is a reference to three-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-kamala-harris-childless-trump-0a37e991097b66c52bff5bf7ecf8de7b">comments made by JD Vance</a>, Donald Trump's running mate, about women without children not having an equal stake in the country's future.</p><p>A Harris senior campaign official said the endorsement was not coordinated with the campaign. Tim Walz, Harris’ running mate, appeared to learn about the endorsement in the middle of a live interview on MSNBC. As Rachel Maddow read the text, Walz broke into a smile and patted his chest.</p><p>“That was eloquent. And it was clear," Walz said. "And that’s the kind of courage we need in America to stand up.”</p><p>Swift wrote that her endorsement was partially prompted by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-taylor-swift-fake-endorsement-ai-fec99c412d960932839e3eab8d49fd5f">Trump’s decision to post artificial intelligence-generated pictures</a>&nbsp;suggesting that she had endorsed him. One showed Swift dressed as Uncle Sam, and the text said “Taylor wants YOU to VOTE for DONALD TRUMP.”</p><p>Trump's posts “brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter,” Swift wrote. She added that "I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice."</p><p>Trump said Wednesday that Swift's move “was just a question of time.” He told “Fox &amp; Friends” that Swift is “a very liberal person” who “seems to always endorse a Democrat and she'll probably pay a price in the marketplace.”</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726077918382.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>In 2020, she&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/taylorswift13/status/1313938080290803715?s=20">supported Democrat Joe Biden</a>, and she cheered for Harris in her debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence. She also was openly critical of Trump, saying he had stoked “the fires of white supremacy and racism.”</p><p>Swift is a popular figure nationwide, but especially among Democrats. An October 2023 Fox News poll found that 55% of voters overall, including 68% of Democrats, said they had a favorable view of Swift. Republicans were divided, with 43% having a favorable opinion and 45% an unfavorable one.</p><p>AP VoteCast suggests that a partisan divide on Swift was apparent as early as 2018. That’s the year Swift made her first political endorsement, supporting Tennessee Democrat Phil Bredesen for Senate over Republican Marsha Blackburn.</p><p>VoteCast found that among Tennessee voters that year, 55% of Democrats and just 19% of Republicans said they had a favorable opinion of Swift. Blackburn won by a comfortable margin in the deep red state.</p><p>Swift is the leading nominee at Wednesday’s MTV Video Music Awards. While it’s unclear whether Swift will attend the show in New York, she could use any acceptance speeches to elaborate on her support of Harris.</p><p>The event was shifted a day later to accommodate Tuesday’s debate. MTV has a long history of encouraging voter participation.</p><p>___</p>

Trump responds to Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris

George Duane Harris passed away on August 23, 2024, at his home in Stockton, KS. He was born on August 28, 1943, in Stafford, Kansas to George William and Edna Pearl (Flanders) Harris.

Duane joined the U.S. Air Force in 1965. He served as a Staff-Sergeant in Thailand during the Vietnam War. After his discharge, he married Gloria Goddard on October 11, 1969, in Stockton. The couple moved to Teaneck, New Jersey where he worked for Sears and Roebuck as a Credit Sales Manager. While in New Jersey they we blessed with their first child, Edna. In 1972 they moved to Stockton and Duane worked for the Kansas Department of Transportation. Their family welcomed their second child, Crystal, a short time later. Their family was completed upon the birth of their third child, Kirtis. Duane later transferred to the Kansas Department of Agriculture Division of Water Resources, where he retired. He enjoyed helping his mother-in-law with farm work for many years in his free time and continued helping with the farm for the remainder of his life.

While living in Stockton, he was actively involved in the community. He was a member of the Main Street Christian Church for many years and served as an elder and a board member. Later he transferred to the First Christian Church in Phillipsburg where he also served as an elder and board member. He was an active member of Stockton Lions Club until it disbanded after which he joined the Plainville Lions Club. He even served a term as District Governor with the Lions Club from 1989-1990. He also belonged to Gideons. As a dedicated citizen of Stockton, Duane was a key person in keeping the Stockton Food Pantry open and available for those in need until his health limited his participation.

Duane loved his family and enjoyed spending time with all of them. He especially enjoyed interacting with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He always got excited when one of them dropped by for a visit or when he was invited to any of their events. He always looked forward to his grandkids’ “Graduation Trips” where the grandkids got to go with them and do the planning and the driving. They were able to take trips to California, the Grand Canyon, PBR in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the Painted Dessert and Carlsbad Cavern, and even March Madness. He was determined to do these trips with all the grandkids. He was looking forward to two more such trips.

Cheering on the Kansas Jayhawks in football and basketball was a pastime he enjoyed with long-time friends Rocque Garcia and Dennis Bedore. They would often watch games together at home. They even took road trips to watch away games including Texas. Duane would watch just about any sport on TV, including golf.

Duane could be found in front of his own sewing machine piecing together quilt tops for his great-grandchildren and the little ones in church. Gloria was tasked with completing them. He usually had them piled up waiting for her to finish them.

Duane was a loving and devoted husband, and was blessed by three children, eight grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren. All of whom will greatly miss his wisdom, love, and generosity.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, William Goodwin; sister, Sheryll White; and his twin sisters, Pauleen and Paulette Harris.

Survivors include his wife of almost 55 years, Gloria of the home in Stockton; children, Kirtis Harris (Kari) of Seward, NE, Edna Jenkins (Wayne) of Hill City, KS, and Crystal Kearns (Benjamin) of Phillipsburg, KS; eight grandchildren: Kassandra “Kasey” Grauerholz (Craig) of Kensington, KS, Caryssa McKinnon (John) of Linton, IN, Mary Benton (Brad) of Stockton, Andrew Johnson (fiancé Taylor) of LaCrosse, KS, Jacob Kearns of Phillipsburg, KS, Jarod Harris (Miranda) of Ann Harbor, MI, Krystyn Harris of High Point, NC, and George Jenkins Jr. of Hill City, KS; 11 great-grandchildren; brother-in-law, George Riffel (Jeanette) of Ness City; sister-in-law, Terrie Goddard of Salina, KS; ex son-in-law, Donald Johnson of LaCrosse, KS; several nieces and nephews; and many friends.

A Celebration of Life will be held 11:00 am on October 12, 2024 at the First Christian Church, 150 S. 7th in Phillipsburg, KS 67661.

Memorials are suggested to Plainville Lions Club and Phillipsburg First Christian Church and may be sent to Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, 723 N. 1st, Stockton, KS 67669.

<p>George Duane Harris passed away on August 23, 2024, at his home in Stockton, KS. He was born on August 28, 1943, in Stafford, Kansas to George William and Edna Pearl (Flanders) Harris.</p><p>Duane joined the U.S. Air Force in 1965. He served as a Staff-Sergeant in Thailand during the Vietnam War. After his discharge, he married Gloria Goddard on October 11, 1969, in Stockton. The couple moved to Teaneck, New Jersey where he worked for Sears and Roebuck as a Credit Sales Manager. While in New Jersey they we blessed with their first child, Edna. In 1972 they moved to Stockton and Duane worked for the Kansas Department of Transportation. Their family welcomed their second child, Crystal, a short time later. Their family was completed upon the birth of their third child, Kirtis. Duane later transferred to the Kansas Department of Agriculture Division of Water Resources, where he retired. He enjoyed helping his mother-in-law with farm work for many years in his free time and continued helping with the farm for the remainder of his life.</p><p>While living in Stockton, he was actively involved in the community. He was a member of the Main Street Christian Church for many years and served as an elder and a board member. Later he transferred to the First Christian Church in Phillipsburg where he also served as an elder and board member. He was an active member of Stockton Lions Club until it disbanded after which he joined the Plainville Lions Club. He even served a term as District Governor with the Lions Club from 1989-1990. He also belonged to Gideons. As a dedicated citizen of Stockton, Duane was a key person in keeping the Stockton Food Pantry open and available for those in need until his health limited his participation.</p><p>Duane loved his family and enjoyed spending time with all of them. He especially enjoyed interacting with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He always got excited when one of them dropped by for a visit or when he was invited to any of their events. He always looked forward to his grandkids’ “Graduation Trips” where the grandkids got to go with them and do the planning and the driving. They were able to take trips to California, the Grand Canyon, PBR in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the Painted Dessert and Carlsbad Cavern, and even March Madness. He was determined to do these trips with all the grandkids. He was looking forward to two more such trips.</p><p>Cheering on the Kansas Jayhawks in football and basketball was a pastime he enjoyed with long-time friends Rocque Garcia and Dennis Bedore. They would often watch games together at home. They even took road trips to watch away games including Texas. Duane would watch just about any sport on TV, including golf.</p><p>Duane could be found in front of his own sewing machine piecing together quilt tops for his great-grandchildren and the little ones in church. Gloria was tasked with completing them. He usually had them piled up waiting for her to finish them.</p><p>Duane was a loving and devoted husband, and was blessed by three children, eight grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren. All of whom will greatly miss his wisdom, love, and generosity.</p><p>He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, William Goodwin; sister, Sheryll White; and his twin sisters, Pauleen and Paulette Harris.</p><p>Survivors include his wife of almost 55 years, Gloria of the home in Stockton; children, Kirtis Harris (Kari) of Seward, NE, Edna Jenkins (Wayne) of Hill City, KS, and Crystal Kearns (Benjamin) of Phillipsburg, KS; eight grandchildren: Kassandra “Kasey” Grauerholz (Craig) of Kensington, KS, Caryssa McKinnon (John) of Linton, IN, Mary Benton (Brad) of Stockton, Andrew Johnson (fiancé Taylor) of LaCrosse, KS, Jacob Kearns of Phillipsburg, KS, Jarod Harris (Miranda) of Ann Harbor, MI, Krystyn Harris of High Point, NC, and George Jenkins Jr. of Hill City, KS; 11 great-grandchildren; brother-in-law, George Riffel (Jeanette) of Ness City; sister-in-law, Terrie Goddard of Salina, KS; ex son-in-law, Donald Johnson of LaCrosse, KS; several nieces and nephews; and many friends.</p><p>A Celebration of Life will be held 11:00 am on October 12, 2024 at the First Christian Church, 150 S. 7th in Phillipsburg, KS 67661.</p><p>Memorials are suggested to Plainville Lions Club and Phillipsburg First Christian Church and may be sent to Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home, 723 N. 1st, Stockton, KS 67669.</p>

George Duane Harris

Patrick Alan “Pat” Thayer, Stockton, KS, passed away on August 18, 2024, at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, MO, at the age of 67. He was born on November 12, 1956, to Austin R. and Imogene P. (Bird) Thayer in Omaha, NE. He married Lorna Hahn on March 16, 1980, in Stockton. They were blessed with four children: Lewis, Aaron, Clayton, and Melissa.

Pat lived in many places as an “air force brat” but mainly grew up in California. He graduated from Norton High School in 1975. As a revered contractor, Pat was known not only for his exceptional skills in the contracting world, but also for his remarkable ability to connect with others. A great conversationalist, he had a talent for engaging people in lively discussions, always leaving them with a smile. His fantastic sense of humor made every interaction a joy, and his advice and wisdom were sought after by many.

Pat had a love for new inventions. His inventive spirit was matched by his passion for restoring antique fans and flashlights, as well as creating new games. He also cherished his time spent with family, often seen relaxing and enjoying life around the backyard picnic table, where laughter and stories were often the highlight. He also loved attending his grandkids’ sporting events.

His love for football, Nascar, woodworking, airplanes, and trains depicted his hobbies and interests as well as his diverse passions and zest for life. Pat leaves behind a legacy of joy, creativity, and heartfelt connections. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him, and his memory will live on in the many lives he touched.

Pat leaves behind his wife, Lorna Thayer of the home in Stockton; children, Aaron (Lauren) Thayer of Prairie View, KS, Clayton (Ashley Fast) Thayer of Stockton, and Melissa (Andrew) Saaranen of Stockton; daughter-in-law, Kathleen (Anthony) Kuhlmann; brother, Kevin (Susan) Thayer of Stockton; sister, Jenny (Toby) Thayer-Wood of Auburn, KS; brothers-in-law, Richard Bretton of Salina and Alan (Pauline) Hahn of Salina; sisters-in-law, Clydene (Jr.) Widener of Stockton, Debbie Hahn of Stockton, and LeAnn (Jeff) Scott of Stockton; cousin and close friend, Ed Thayer of Stockton; 13 grandchildren, Xavier Kendall, Zach Young, Isaac Thayer, Vincent Thayer, Shelby Thayer, Breanna Fast, Caleigha Fast, Kaiden Fast, Addison Thayer, Jeremiah Thayer, Waylon Thayer, Hudson Saaranen and Benjamin Saaranen; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Austin and Imogene; and his son, Lewis Thayer.

A celebration of Pat’s life will be held from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm Saturday, October 5, 2024 at Harding Hall-4-H building at the fairgrounds in Stockton.

<p>Patrick Alan “Pat” Thayer, Stockton, KS, passed away on August 18, 2024, at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, MO, at the age of 67. He was born on November 12, 1956, to Austin R. and Imogene P. (Bird) Thayer in Omaha, NE. He married Lorna Hahn on March 16, 1980, in Stockton. They were blessed with four children: Lewis, Aaron, Clayton, and Melissa.</p><p>Pat lived in many places as an “air force brat” but mainly grew up in California. He graduated from Norton High School in 1975. As a revered contractor, Pat was known not only for his exceptional skills in the contracting world, but also for his remarkable ability to connect with others. A great conversationalist, he had a talent for engaging people in lively discussions, always leaving them with a smile. His fantastic sense of humor made every interaction a joy, and his advice and wisdom were sought after by many.</p><p>Pat had a love for new inventions. His inventive spirit was matched by his passion for restoring antique fans and flashlights, as well as creating new games. He also cherished his time spent with family, often seen relaxing and enjoying life around the backyard picnic table, where laughter and stories were often the highlight. He also loved attending his grandkids’ sporting events.</p><p>His love for football, Nascar, woodworking, airplanes, and trains depicted his hobbies and interests as well as his diverse passions and zest for life. Pat leaves behind a legacy of joy, creativity, and heartfelt connections. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him, and his memory will live on in the many lives he touched.</p><p>Pat leaves behind his wife, Lorna Thayer of the home in Stockton; children, Aaron (Lauren) Thayer of Prairie View, KS, Clayton (Ashley Fast) Thayer of Stockton, and Melissa (Andrew) Saaranen of Stockton; daughter-in-law, Kathleen (Anthony) Kuhlmann; brother, Kevin (Susan) Thayer of Stockton; sister, Jenny (Toby) Thayer-Wood of Auburn, KS; brothers-in-law, Richard Bretton of Salina and Alan (Pauline) Hahn of Salina; sisters-in-law, Clydene (Jr.) Widener of Stockton, Debbie Hahn of Stockton, and LeAnn (Jeff) Scott of Stockton; cousin and close friend, Ed Thayer of Stockton; 13 grandchildren, Xavier Kendall, Zach Young, Isaac Thayer, Vincent Thayer, Shelby Thayer, Breanna Fast, Caleigha Fast, Kaiden Fast, Addison Thayer, Jeremiah Thayer, Waylon Thayer, Hudson Saaranen and Benjamin Saaranen; and numerous nieces and nephews.</p><p>He is preceded in death by his parents, Austin and Imogene; and his son, Lewis Thayer.</p><p>A celebration of Pat’s life will be held from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm Saturday, October 5, 2024 at Harding Hall-4-H building at the fairgrounds in Stockton.</p>

Patrick Alan “Pat” Thayer

Delores (Dee) Diane Mongeau was born at the Phillips County Hospital in Phillipsburg, KS on October 28, 1956. She passed away on September 9, 2024 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Nebraska surrounded by her loved ones who will continue to honor her legacy by living their lives to the fullest.

Dee graduated from Logan High School and went on to further her education at Colby Community College. She took some additional courses, online, later in life.

Wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend. These are many of the titles Dee carried with her throughout her life. Not only was she a mother to her children, she was also a foster mother to several and a mother figure to many of her children’s friends.

Dee met the love of her life, Bert, at a singles dance held at the American Legion in Agra, KS in 1986. They were united in marriage on January 30, 1988 at the Catholic Church in Phillipsburg, KS.

Dee spent a majority of her working life in accounting and inventory for oil and gas companies, with the last several years doing accounting work for the family’s company, B&amp;B Redimix. She loved to travel around to her children’s activities; she was their biggest cheerleader. Being a grandmother was something she adored.

Dee was a lover with a big, giving heart. She wore her heart on her sleeve and loved her family and friends endlessly. She was always just a phone call away and was happy to lend a listening ear. She also loved animals, including her most recent pets: her dog, Cookie, and her cats Uno, Blue, and Tabby. Her care also extended to numerous farm and sick animals she would nurture back to health. Dee’s hobbies included reading, knitting/crocheting, canning, putting puzzles together, baking, gardening, playing the piano, and playing candy crush. She had a great love of flowers and enjoyed spending time each spring and summer outside taking care of her flower garden. Dee also spent a great deal of time volunteering through 4-H, serving as a club leader and helping with the dog project. She loved to collect anything with wolves. Dee was the glue to the family and her closest loved ones had the pleasure of seeing her feisty side come out from time to time.

Dee is survived by her husband, Bert; children Shane and wife Hannah of Glade, KS; Jodie and husband Ryan of Glade, KS; Kristy and husband Danny of Stuttgart, KS; Nathan and wife Kelly of Conroe, TX; brother Darrell and wife Deb of Stockton, KS, sister Brenda and husband Ronnie of Phillipsburg, KS; 8 grandchildren, Jeremiah, Katy, Allison, Trevor, Morgan, Quinley, Ella and Knox. She is preceded in death by her parents, Kenneth and Elizabeth Brobst.

We will always carry her memory in our hearts.&nbsp;

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, September 14, 2024 at the Sts. Philip and James Catholic Church, Phillipsburg.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100055272974764">The services will be streamed live on the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel Facebook page.</a>&nbsp; Burial will follow in the Fairview Cemetery, Phillipsburg.

A Rosary will be Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. in the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, followed by the family receiving friends from 7 p.m until 8:30 p.m. &nbsp;

Mrs. Mongeau will lie in state Thursday from noon until 9 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Phillips County 4-H.

<p>Delores (Dee) Diane Mongeau was born at the Phillips County Hospital in Phillipsburg, KS on October 28, 1956. She passed away on September 9, 2024 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Nebraska surrounded by her loved ones who will continue to honor her legacy by living their lives to the fullest.</p><p>Dee graduated from Logan High School and went on to further her education at Colby Community College. She took some additional courses, online, later in life.</p><p>Wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, friend. These are many of the titles Dee carried with her throughout her life. Not only was she a mother to her children, she was also a foster mother to several and a mother figure to many of her children’s friends.</p><p>Dee met the love of her life, Bert, at a singles dance held at the American Legion in Agra, KS in 1986. They were united in marriage on January 30, 1988 at the Catholic Church in Phillipsburg, KS.</p><p>Dee spent a majority of her working life in accounting and inventory for oil and gas companies, with the last several years doing accounting work for the family’s company, B&amp;B Redimix. She loved to travel around to her children’s activities; she was their biggest cheerleader. Being a grandmother was something she adored.</p><p>Dee was a lover with a big, giving heart. She wore her heart on her sleeve and loved her family and friends endlessly. She was always just a phone call away and was happy to lend a listening ear. She also loved animals, including her most recent pets: her dog, Cookie, and her cats Uno, Blue, and Tabby. Her care also extended to numerous farm and sick animals she would nurture back to health. Dee’s hobbies included reading, knitting/crocheting, canning, putting puzzles together, baking, gardening, playing the piano, and playing candy crush. She had a great love of flowers and enjoyed spending time each spring and summer outside taking care of her flower garden. Dee also spent a great deal of time volunteering through 4-H, serving as a club leader and helping with the dog project. She loved to collect anything with wolves. Dee was the glue to the family and her closest loved ones had the pleasure of seeing her feisty side come out from time to time.</p><p>Dee is survived by her husband, Bert; children Shane and wife Hannah of Glade, KS; Jodie and husband Ryan of Glade, KS; Kristy and husband Danny of Stuttgart, KS; Nathan and wife Kelly of Conroe, TX; brother Darrell and wife Deb of Stockton, KS, sister Brenda and husband Ronnie of Phillipsburg, KS; 8 grandchildren, Jeremiah, Katy, Allison, Trevor, Morgan, Quinley, Ella and Knox. She is preceded in death by her parents, Kenneth and Elizabeth Brobst.</p><p>We will always carry her memory in our hearts.&nbsp;</p><p>Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, September 14, 2024 at the Sts. Philip and James Catholic Church, Phillipsburg.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100055272974764">The services will be streamed live on the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel Facebook page.</a>&nbsp; Burial will follow in the Fairview Cemetery, Phillipsburg.</p><p>A Rosary will be Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. in the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, followed by the family receiving friends from 7 p.m until 8:30 p.m. &nbsp;</p><p>Mrs. Mongeau will lie in state Thursday from noon until 9 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel.</p><p>Memorial contributions may be made to the Phillips County 4-H.</p>

Dee Mongeau

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a detention deputy after a weekend arrest.

On Saturday, Maize Police arrested&nbsp;Off-duty Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office Detention Deputy 28-year-old Nieka Rasberry on on a requested charge of of Domestic Battery, according to a statement from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's office.

Rasberry has been employed by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office since October 2023 as a detention deputy.&nbsp;&nbsp;Rasberry is currently suspended from duty, pending the outcome of the criminal case and an internal investigation.

After meeting the requirement of bond, she is no longer in custody, according to online jail records.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726002792299.png" alt="Rasberry photo Sedgwick County" />
                        <figcaption>Rasberry photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a detention deputy after a weekend arrest.</p><p>On Saturday, Maize Police arrested&nbsp;Off-duty Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office Detention Deputy 28-year-old Nieka Rasberry on on a requested charge of of Domestic Battery, according to a statement from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's office.</p><p>Rasberry has been employed by the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office since October 2023 as a detention deputy.&nbsp;&nbsp;Rasberry is currently suspended from duty, pending the outcome of the criminal case and an internal investigation.</p><p>After meeting the requirement of bond, she is no longer in custody, according to online jail records.</p>

Kansas jail deputy held in jail where she worked

PHILADELPHIA (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;pressed a forceful case against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday in their first and perhaps only debate before the presidential election, repeatedly goading him in an event that showcased their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-issue-positions-worlds-apart-3f80a342c790da64e3de92a4f5760991">starkly different visions</a>&nbsp;for the country on abortion, immigration and American democracy.

The Democratic vice president provoked Trump with reminders about the 2020 election loss that he still denies, delivered derisive asides at his false claims and sought to underscore the Republican former president's role in the Supreme Court's overturning of a national right to abortion two years ago. Trump tore into Harris as too liberal and a continuation of Biden's unpopular administration, as he launched into the sort of freewheeling personal attacks and digressions from which his advisers and supporters have tried to steer him away.

Less than two months from Election Day and hours before the first early ballots will begin to be mailed Wednesday in Alabama, the debate offered the clearest look yet at a presidential race that has been repeatedly upended.

Harris’ performance by nearly every measure seemed to be the opposite of President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden’s</a>&nbsp;in June, with sharp, focused answers designed to showcase the contrast between her and Trump, whereas Biden at times was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bidentrumppresidentialdebate-0e7577e9a354a69f50675494fea54ca9">muddled, halting and incoherent</a>. Harris used her body language and facial expressions to confront Trump and express that she found his answers ridiculous, amusing or both — a pronounced change from Biden's slack-jawed expression when Trump attacked him.

Harris appeared intent on casting herself as a relief for voters seeking a break from Trump’s acerbic politics — a contrast highlighted as Trump appeared to be set on his back foot by her needling.

In one moment, Harris turned to Trump and said that as vice president, she had spoken to foreign leaders who “are laughing at Donald Trump,” and said she had spoken to military leaders, “and they say you’re a disgrace.”

As Trump, 78, again questioned her racial identity, the 59-year-old Harris, the first woman, Black person and person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president, pointedly gestured to Trump and responded, “I think the American people want better than that, want better than this.”

Trump in turn tried to link Harris to the still-unpopular Biden, questioning why she hadn’t acted on her proposed ideas while serving as vice president. Trump also focused his attacks on Harris over her assignment by Biden to deal with the root causes of illegal migration.

“Why hasn’t she done it? She’s been there for three and a half years,” he said.

Harris promised tax cuts aimed at the middle class and said she would push to restore a federally guaranteed right to abortion overturned by the Supreme Court two years ago. Trump said his proposed tariffs would help the U.S. stop being cheated by allies on trade and said he would work to swiftly end the Russia-Ukraine war — though he twice refused to say he believed it was in America's interest for Ukraine, which bipartisan majorities in Congress have backed, to win the war.

Trump again denied that he lost to Biden four years ago, when a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to try to stop the certification of his loss based on false or unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. He tried to reverse the question of threats to American democracy and suggested criticism of him could be linked to the assassination attempt he survived in July.

“I probably took a bullet to the head because of the things that they say about me,” he said. “They talk about democracy, I’m a threat to democracy. They’re the threat to democracy.”

Trump has in recent days ramped up his threats of retribution if he returns to the White House, saying he would prosecute lawyers, donors, and other officials whom he deems to “cheat” in the election.

“Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people," Harris said, "So let’s be clear about that. And clearly he is having a very difficult time processing that.”

Her campaign ended the debate by expressing openness to another meeting in October — and welcomed an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-endorse-kamala-harris-president-3a36b6f9695c20153891bba35c47f21d">endorsement</a>&nbsp;from megastar&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Taylor Swift</a>, who labeled herself a “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-kamala-harris-childless-trump-0a37e991097b66c52bff5bf7ecf8de7b">childless cat lady</a>&nbsp;” in a dig at Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jd-vance">JD Vance</a>, as she encouraged her fans to vote.

Harris defends shifts to the center, puts abortion front and center

Harris sought to defend her shifts away from liberal causes to more moderate stances on fracking, expanding Medicare for all and mandatory gun buyback programs — and even backing away from her position that plastic straws should be banned — as pragmatism.

Asked about her changing positions on a number of issues, she twice repeated a phrase she has used to try to explain it away, saying, “My values have not changed.”

Trump, meanwhile, quickly went after Harris for abandoning some of her past liberal positions and said: “She’s going to my philosophy now. In fact, I was going to send her a MAGA hat.” Harris smiled broadly and laughed.

Harris, in zeroing in on one of Trump’s biggest electoral vulnerabilities, laid the end of a federally guaranteed right to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abortion">abortion</a>&nbsp;at Trump’s feet for his role in appointing three U.S. Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving more than 20 states in the country with what she called “Trump abortion bans.”

Harris gave one of her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-debate-kamala-harris-donald-trump-35078cdb5bb939eec323c7aa56434cad">most impassioned answers</a>&nbsp;as she described the ways women have been denied abortion care and other emergency care since that ruling, and said Trump would sign a national abortion ban if he wins.

Trump declared it “a lie,” and said, “I’m not signing a ban and there’s no reason to sign a ban.”

The Republican has said he wants the issue left to the states.

Trump, who is trying to paint the vice president as an out-of-touch liberal while trying to win over voters skeptical he should return to the White House, continued to call Harris a “Marxist” and said, “Everyone knows she’s a Marxist.”

Harris’ eyebrows shot up and she made an amused face, bringing her hand to her chin and staring at him.

Trump leaned on familiar falsehoods and signaled a shift on Ukraine

Trump attacked Harris for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/inflation">inflation</a>&nbsp;seen under the Biden-Harris administration, a major liability for the vice president. He quickly turned his answer to warning about immigrants coming into the country — one of the subjects he’s focused on most heavily in his campaign.

He called his proposed tariffs a straightforward way to make other countries pay up for what he has long argued is an imbalance that hurts the U.S. Harris called the tariffs an effective national sales tax. Trump reacted swiftly and called that “an incorrect statement.”

Throughout his campaign, Trump has leaned on illegal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/immigration">immigration</a>, an issue that has bedeviled Biden and Harris with rising numbers of illegal border crossings and the arrivals of thousands of people needing shelter in Democratic-led cities. He accused Democrats of abetting large numbers of unauthorized crossings — though they have dropped in recent months in part due to new asylum restrictions by the Biden administration.

But as he often does in his rallies and on his social media account, Trump reeled off a series of falsehoods or unproven claims about migrants. One of those claims was a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debate-harris-trump-fact-focus-abortion-crime-0e368102d38d87d708a8a497a38f4fb2">debunked rumor</a>&nbsp;that Trump and his allies have spread online in recent days, alleging Haitian immigrants in an Ohio town are hunting and eating pets. Officials in Springfield, Ohio, say they have no evidence of that happening.

“Talk about extreme,” Harris said after Trump talked about dogs and cats being eaten.

Harris' expressions filled their split-screen

As the debate opened, Harris walked up to Trump’s lectern to introduce herself, marking the first time the two had ever met, since Trump skipped her 2021 inauguration. “Kamala Harris,” she said, extending her hand to Trump, who received it in a handshake — the first presidential debate handshake since the 2016 campaign.

Trump has at times resorted to invoking racial and gender stereotypes and falsely claiming that Harris, who attended a historically Black university, hid her race during her career.

“I read where she was not Black,” Trump said when asked about comments questioning Harris' race, adding a minute later, “and then I read that she was Black.” He seemed to suggest her race was a choice, saying twice, “That’s up to her.”

“I think it’s a tragedy that we have someone who wants to be president who has consistently over the course of his career attempted to use race to divide the American people,” Harris responded.

While Tuesday’s meeting might be the last time the candidates cross paths on the debate stage, they may cross paths again Wednesday when they both mark the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Harris, Trump and Biden plan to all be at ground zero in lower Manhattan and the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday. Harris and Biden will also visit the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, later in the day for a ceremony there.

Trump at one point launched into an attack on Biden, questioning his mental acuity by making the claim that Biden “doesn’t even know he’s alive.”

Harris quickly tried to turn it around to make Trump look less than sharp.

“First of all, I think it’s important to remind the former president, you’re not running against Joe Biden. You’re running against me,” she said.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726016863083.png" alt="Image courtesy ABC via CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>Image courtesy ABC via CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>PHILADELPHIA (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;pressed a forceful case against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday in their first and perhaps only debate before the presidential election, repeatedly goading him in an event that showcased their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-issue-positions-worlds-apart-3f80a342c790da64e3de92a4f5760991">starkly different visions</a>&nbsp;for the country on abortion, immigration and American democracy.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">LIVE --&gt; ABC Presidential Debate Simulcast <a href="https://t.co/hNTcMAdx1e">https://t.co/hNTcMAdx1e</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833656962824978933?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Handshake between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump as the ABC News Presidential Debate begins. <a href="https://t.co/p0UO3sZUds">pic.twitter.com/p0UO3sZUds</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833673429964247202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Former President Trump: &quot;She has no policy. Everything that she believed...is out the window. She&#39;s going to my philosophy now. In fact I was going to send her a MAGA hat...If she ever got elected she&#39;d change it...She&#39;s a Marxist. Everyone knows she&#39;s s Marxist.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/PnSmAkOxJH">pic.twitter.com/PnSmAkOxJH</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833677387348709584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">CLIP: Former President Trump and VP Harris on abortion and IVF at ABC News Presidential Debate. <a href="https://t.co/jKFFf0oPBf">pic.twitter.com/jKFFf0oPBf</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833681436898992364?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">VP Harris: &quot;People start leaving his rallies early out of exhausting and boredom.&quot;<br><br>Former President Trump: &quot;People don&#39;t go to her rallies...people don&#39;t leave my rallies. We have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/MbUWFmTA21">pic.twitter.com/MbUWFmTA21</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833681793255436767?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">VP Kamala Harris on endorsements from Republicans: &quot;If you want to really know the inside track on who the former president is...just ask people who have worked with him...&quot;<br><br>Former President Trump: &quot;I fired most of those people.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/nIEAKl5ReN">pic.twitter.com/nIEAKl5ReN</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833683283323855317?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Former President Trump to Vice President Harris: &quot;Wait a minute. I&#39;m talking now. If you don&#39;t mind. Please. Does that sound familiar?&quot; <a href="https://t.co/0muInrNeT9">pic.twitter.com/0muInrNeT9</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833684182305759366?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Former President Trump on January 6th: &quot;I had nothing to do with that, other than they asked me to make a speech.&quot;<br><br>VP Harris: &quot;On that day the president of the United States incited a violent mob...the former president has been indicted and impeached exactly for that reason.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/TlOOP1CSAK">pic.twitter.com/TlOOP1CSAK</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833687269271568768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Former President Trump: &quot;She hates Israel. If she&#39;s president I believe that Israel will not exist within two years from now.<br><br>VP Harris: &quot;He&#39;s trying to again divide and distract from the reality...he admire dictators, wants to be a dictator on day one according to himself.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/BdpYpM6V7v">pic.twitter.com/BdpYpM6V7v</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833690931477852379?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">David Muir: &quot;Do you want Ukraine to win this war?<br><br>Former President Trump: &quot;I want this war to stop. I want to save lives...&quot; <a href="https://t.co/rcM8DOGICi">pic.twitter.com/rcM8DOGICi</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833692540551274992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Vice President Harris: &quot;You&#39;re not running against Joe Biden. You&#39;re running against me...If Donald Trump were president right not, Putin would be sitting in Kiev right now.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/aX3WdHTToh">pic.twitter.com/aX3WdHTToh</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833692662873890842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Q: &quot;You said she went to went to negotiate with Vladimir Putin. Vice President Harris have you ever met Vladimir Putin? Can you clarify?&quot;<br><br>VP Harris: &quot;I said at the beginning of this debate, you&#39;re going to hear a bunch of lies coming from this fella, and that is another one.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/gttiose1qR">pic.twitter.com/gttiose1qR</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833693206476939641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Vice President Kamala Harris: &quot;This business about taking everyone&#39;s guns away; Tim Walz and I are both gun owners. We&#39;re not taking anybody&#39;s guns away so stop with the continuous lying about this stuff.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/I7Kc1KIdZR">pic.twitter.com/I7Kc1KIdZR</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1833696590701162496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The Democratic vice president provoked Trump with reminders about the 2020 election loss that he still denies, delivered derisive asides at his false claims and sought to underscore the Republican former president's role in the Supreme Court's overturning of a national right to abortion two years ago. Trump tore into Harris as too liberal and a continuation of Biden's unpopular administration, as he launched into the sort of freewheeling personal attacks and digressions from which his advisers and supporters have tried to steer him away.</p><p>Less than two months from Election Day and hours before the first early ballots will begin to be mailed Wednesday in Alabama, the debate offered the clearest look yet at a presidential race that has been repeatedly upended.</p><p>Harris’ performance by nearly every measure seemed to be the opposite of President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden’s</a>&nbsp;in June, with sharp, focused answers designed to showcase the contrast between her and Trump, whereas Biden at times was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bidentrumppresidentialdebate-0e7577e9a354a69f50675494fea54ca9">muddled, halting and incoherent</a>. Harris used her body language and facial expressions to confront Trump and express that she found his answers ridiculous, amusing or both — a pronounced change from Biden's slack-jawed expression when Trump attacked him.</p><p>Harris appeared intent on casting herself as a relief for voters seeking a break from Trump’s acerbic politics — a contrast highlighted as Trump appeared to be set on his back foot by her needling.</p><p>In one moment, Harris turned to Trump and said that as vice president, she had spoken to foreign leaders who “are laughing at Donald Trump,” and said she had spoken to military leaders, “and they say you’re a disgrace.”</p><p>As Trump, 78, again questioned her racial identity, the 59-year-old Harris, the first woman, Black person and person of South Asian descent to serve as vice president, pointedly gestured to Trump and responded, “I think the American people want better than that, want better than this.”</p><p>Trump in turn tried to link Harris to the still-unpopular Biden, questioning why she hadn’t acted on her proposed ideas while serving as vice president. Trump also focused his attacks on Harris over her assignment by Biden to deal with the root causes of illegal migration.</p><p>“Why hasn’t she done it? She’s been there for three and a half years,” he said.</p><p>Harris promised tax cuts aimed at the middle class and said she would push to restore a federally guaranteed right to abortion overturned by the Supreme Court two years ago. Trump said his proposed tariffs would help the U.S. stop being cheated by allies on trade and said he would work to swiftly end the Russia-Ukraine war — though he twice refused to say he believed it was in America's interest for Ukraine, which bipartisan majorities in Congress have backed, to win the war.</p><p>Trump again denied that he lost to Biden four years ago, when a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to try to stop the certification of his loss based on false or unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. He tried to reverse the question of threats to American democracy and suggested criticism of him could be linked to the assassination attempt he survived in July.</p><p>“I probably took a bullet to the head because of the things that they say about me,” he said. “They talk about democracy, I’m a threat to democracy. They’re the threat to democracy.”</p><p>Trump has in recent days ramped up his threats of retribution if he returns to the White House, saying he would prosecute lawyers, donors, and other officials whom he deems to “cheat” in the election.</p><p>“Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people," Harris said, "So let’s be clear about that. And clearly he is having a very difficult time processing that.”</p><p>Her campaign ended the debate by expressing openness to another meeting in October — and welcomed an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-endorse-kamala-harris-president-3a36b6f9695c20153891bba35c47f21d">endorsement</a>&nbsp;from megastar&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/taylor-swift">Taylor Swift</a>, who labeled herself a “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jd-vance-kamala-harris-childless-trump-0a37e991097b66c52bff5bf7ecf8de7b">childless cat lady</a>&nbsp;” in a dig at Trump's running mate, Ohio Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jd-vance">JD Vance</a>, as she encouraged her fans to vote.</p><h2>Harris defends shifts to the center, puts abortion front and center</h2><p>Harris sought to defend her shifts away from liberal causes to more moderate stances on fracking, expanding Medicare for all and mandatory gun buyback programs — and even backing away from her position that plastic straws should be banned — as pragmatism.</p><p>Asked about her changing positions on a number of issues, she twice repeated a phrase she has used to try to explain it away, saying, “My values have not changed.”</p><p>Trump, meanwhile, quickly went after Harris for abandoning some of her past liberal positions and said: “She’s going to my philosophy now. In fact, I was going to send her a MAGA hat.” Harris smiled broadly and laughed.</p><p>Harris, in zeroing in on one of Trump’s biggest electoral vulnerabilities, laid the end of a federally guaranteed right to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abortion">abortion</a>&nbsp;at Trump’s feet for his role in appointing three U.S. Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving more than 20 states in the country with what she called “Trump abortion bans.”</p><p>Harris gave one of her&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-debate-kamala-harris-donald-trump-35078cdb5bb939eec323c7aa56434cad">most impassioned answers</a>&nbsp;as she described the ways women have been denied abortion care and other emergency care since that ruling, and said Trump would sign a national abortion ban if he wins.</p><p>Trump declared it “a lie,” and said, “I’m not signing a ban and there’s no reason to sign a ban.”</p><p>The Republican has said he wants the issue left to the states.</p><p>Trump, who is trying to paint the vice president as an out-of-touch liberal while trying to win over voters skeptical he should return to the White House, continued to call Harris a “Marxist” and said, “Everyone knows she’s a Marxist.”</p><p>Harris’ eyebrows shot up and she made an amused face, bringing her hand to her chin and staring at him.</p><h2>Trump leaned on familiar falsehoods and signaled a shift on Ukraine</h2><p>Trump attacked Harris for the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/inflation">inflation</a>&nbsp;seen under the Biden-Harris administration, a major liability for the vice president. He quickly turned his answer to warning about immigrants coming into the country — one of the subjects he’s focused on most heavily in his campaign.</p><p>He called his proposed tariffs a straightforward way to make other countries pay up for what he has long argued is an imbalance that hurts the U.S. Harris called the tariffs an effective national sales tax. Trump reacted swiftly and called that “an incorrect statement.”</p><p>Throughout his campaign, Trump has leaned on illegal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/immigration">immigration</a>, an issue that has bedeviled Biden and Harris with rising numbers of illegal border crossings and the arrivals of thousands of people needing shelter in Democratic-led cities. He accused Democrats of abetting large numbers of unauthorized crossings — though they have dropped in recent months in part due to new asylum restrictions by the Biden administration.</p><p>But as he often does in his rallies and on his social media account, Trump reeled off a series of falsehoods or unproven claims about migrants. One of those claims was a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/debate-harris-trump-fact-focus-abortion-crime-0e368102d38d87d708a8a497a38f4fb2">debunked rumor</a>&nbsp;that Trump and his allies have spread online in recent days, alleging Haitian immigrants in an Ohio town are hunting and eating pets. Officials in Springfield, Ohio, say they have no evidence of that happening.</p><p>“Talk about extreme,” Harris said after Trump talked about dogs and cats being eaten.</p><h2>Harris' expressions filled their split-screen</h2><p>As the debate opened, Harris walked up to Trump’s lectern to introduce herself, marking the first time the two had ever met, since Trump skipped her 2021 inauguration. “Kamala Harris,” she said, extending her hand to Trump, who received it in a handshake — the first presidential debate handshake since the 2016 campaign.</p><p>Trump has at times resorted to invoking racial and gender stereotypes and falsely claiming that Harris, who attended a historically Black university, hid her race during her career.</p><p>“I read where she was not Black,” Trump said when asked about comments questioning Harris' race, adding a minute later, “and then I read that she was Black.” He seemed to suggest her race was a choice, saying twice, “That’s up to her.”</p><p>“I think it’s a tragedy that we have someone who wants to be president who has consistently over the course of his career attempted to use race to divide the American people,” Harris responded.</p><p>While Tuesday’s meeting might be the last time the candidates cross paths on the debate stage, they may cross paths again Wednesday when they both mark the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Harris, Trump and Biden plan to all be at ground zero in lower Manhattan and the Flight 93 National Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday. Harris and Biden will also visit the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, later in the day for a ceremony there.</p><p>Trump at one point launched into an attack on Biden, questioning his mental acuity by making the claim that Biden “doesn’t even know he’s alive.”</p><p>Harris quickly tried to turn it around to make Trump look less than sharp.</p><p>“First of all, I think it’s important to remind the former president, you’re not running against Joe Biden. You’re running against me,” she said.</p>

🎥 Highlights from Harris, Trump Presidential debate

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After a 2-0 start to the season, Fort Hays State Men's Soccer moved into the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 on Tuesday. The Tigers are ranked No. 22 in the first regular season poll of the season.

This is the first appearance in the Top 25 for the Tigers since the 2022 season, when they held a No. 16 ranking on October 11, 2022. The Tigers were receiving votes in the preseason national poll before jumping into the Top 25 after a week of play.

This Thursday in Kansas City the Tigers will face Maryville University in a neutral site match. Maryville was in the Preseason Top 25 at No. 12, but fell out of the poll this week after going 0-1-1 in the first week of the season. Maryville reached the national quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament last year.

Southern Nazarene (No. 14) and FHSU (No. 22) represent the GAC in this week's Top 25. Rogers State is among the teams receiving votes.

United Soccer Coaches Top 25 for September 10, 2024.<br>Rank - School - Prev - W-L-T<br>1 - Franklin Pierce - 1 - 2-0-0<br>2 - Colorado State-Pueblo - 2 - 2-0-0<br>3 - California State-Los Angeles - 5 - 1-0-0<br>4 - Lynn - 19 - 2-0-0<br>5 - Wingate - 20 - 2-0-0<br>6 - Auburn Montgomery - NR - 2-0-0<br>7 - Midwestern State - 8 - 1-0-1<br>8 - Purdue Northwest - NR - 2-0-0<br>9 - Point Loma Nazarene - RV - 1-0-1<br>10 - Coker - NR - 2-0-0<br>11 - Tiffin - 22 - 1-0-1<br>12 - California State-San Bernardino - NR - 1-0-1<br>13 - Mississippi College - RV - 2-0-0<br>14 - Southern Nazarene 23 - 1-1-0<br>15 - Fort Lewis College - 21 - 1-0-1<br>16 - Assumption - NR - 2-0-0<br>17 - McKendree - 24 - 2-0-0<br>18 - Florida Tech - 3 - 1-1-0<br>19 - University of Charleston - 9 - 1-0-1<br>20 - Lincoln Memorial - RV - 2-0-0<br>21 - Cal Poly Pomona - 10 - 2-1-0<br>22 - Fort Hays State - RV - 2-0-0<br>23 - Post - 14 - 1-0-1<br>24 - UC-Colorado Springs - NR - 1-0-1<br>25 - Lewis 4 - 0-1-1

Receiving Votes: West Chester, Saginaw Valley State, Limestone, Rogers State, Adelphi, Young Harris College, West Alabama, Hawai'i-Hilo, Gannon, Millersville.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725998247577.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p><i>FHSU Athletics</i></p><p>KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After a 2-0 start to the season, Fort Hays State Men's Soccer moved into the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 on Tuesday. The Tigers are ranked No. 22 in the first regular season poll of the season.</p><p>This is the first appearance in the Top 25 for the Tigers since the 2022 season, when they held a No. 16 ranking on October 11, 2022. The Tigers were receiving votes in the preseason national poll before jumping into the Top 25 after a week of play.</p><p>This Thursday in Kansas City the Tigers will face Maryville University in a neutral site match. Maryville was in the Preseason Top 25 at No. 12, but fell out of the poll this week after going 0-1-1 in the first week of the season. Maryville reached the national quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament last year.</p><p>Southern Nazarene (No. 14) and FHSU (No. 22) represent the GAC in this week's Top 25. Rogers State is among the teams receiving votes.</p><p>United Soccer Coaches Top 25 for September 10, 2024.<br>Rank - School - Prev - W-L-T<br>1 - Franklin Pierce - 1 - 2-0-0<br>2 - Colorado State-Pueblo - 2 - 2-0-0<br>3 - California State-Los Angeles - 5 - 1-0-0<br>4 - Lynn - 19 - 2-0-0<br>5 - Wingate - 20 - 2-0-0<br>6 - Auburn Montgomery - NR - 2-0-0<br>7 - Midwestern State - 8 - 1-0-1<br>8 - Purdue Northwest - NR - 2-0-0<br>9 - Point Loma Nazarene - RV - 1-0-1<br>10 - Coker - NR - 2-0-0<br>11 - Tiffin - 22 - 1-0-1<br>12 - California State-San Bernardino - NR - 1-0-1<br>13 - Mississippi College - RV - 2-0-0<br>14 - Southern Nazarene 23 - 1-1-0<br>15 - Fort Lewis College - 21 - 1-0-1<br>16 - Assumption - NR - 2-0-0<br>17 - McKendree - 24 - 2-0-0<br>18 - Florida Tech - 3 - 1-1-0<br>19 - University of Charleston - 9 - 1-0-1<br>20 - Lincoln Memorial - RV - 2-0-0<br>21 - Cal Poly Pomona - 10 - 2-1-0<br>22 - Fort Hays State - RV - 2-0-0<br>23 - Post - 14 - 1-0-1<br>24 - UC-Colorado Springs - NR - 1-0-1<br>25 - Lewis 4 - 0-1-1</p><p>Receiving Votes: West Chester, Saginaw Valley State, Limestone, Rogers State, Adelphi, Young Harris College, West Alabama, Hawai'i-Hilo, Gannon, Millersville.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

⚽ FHSU men jump into United Soccer Coaches Top 25

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Israeli military said Tuesday an American activist&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/turkish-american-palestinian-activist-funeral-israel-palestinians-ff3ed17b295793bce4631fdb2a35332c">killed in the West Bank</a>&nbsp;last week was likely shot “indirectly and unintentionally” by soldiers firing upon participants in a demonstration against settlements that turned violent. The acknowledgement drew a strong rebuke from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the activist's family.

Israel expressed its “deepest regret” for the death of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/american-shot-killed-west-bank-israel-palestinians-b2f1c741cea3d56eb1a339240dbf036e">Aysenur Ezgi Eygi,</a>&nbsp;a 26-year-old activist from Seattle who also held Turkish citizenship, and said a criminal investigation has been launched.

Blinken condemned the “unprovoked and unjustified” killing when asked about the Israeli inquiry at a news conference in London. “No one should be shot while attending a protest,” he said. “The Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way they operate in the West Bank.”

Eygi's family in the U.S. released a statement saying “we are deeply offended by the suggestion that her killing by a trained sniper was in any way unintentional. The disregard shown for human life in the inquiry is appalling.”

An Israeli protester who witnessed the shooting, Jonathan Pollak, said Eygi was killed about half an hour after clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces had subsided, in an area several hundred meters (yards) from where the demonstration took place. Pollak said he saw two Israeli soldiers mount the roof of a nearby home, train a gun in the group’s direction and fire, with one of the bullets striking Eygi in the head.

Israel said its inquiry into Eygi’s killing “found that it is highly likely that she was hit indirectly and unintentionally by (Israeli army) fire which was not aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator of the riot.”

The killing came amid a surge of violence in the West Bank since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;began in October, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-west-bank-jenin-hamas-militants-c1618cc024d8a5269486e266593b5434">increasing Israeli raids</a>, attacks by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-west-bank-raids-bc3383024400ee42518e41f3660acbd4">Palestinian militants</a>&nbsp;on Israelis,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/west-bank-israel-palestinians-settler-violence-ffa6e84c39861c224f685e660c53a82d">attacks by Israeli settlers</a>&nbsp;on Palestinians and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-6-september-2024-29705c9c6cc59054d74b1dbcd29497df">heavier military crackdowns</a>&nbsp;on Palestinian protests.

Israel says it thoroughly investigates allegations of its forces killing civilians and holds them accountable. It says soldiers often have to make split-second decisions while operating in areas where militants hide among civilians. But even in the most shocking cases — and those captured on video — soldiers often get relatively light sentences.

The Palestinian Authority held a funeral procession for Eygi in the West Bank city of Nablus on Monday. Turkish authorities said they are working on repatriating her body to Turkey for burial in the Aegean coastal town of Didim, as per her family’s wishes.

Eygi was a volunteer with the activist group International Solidarity Movement. But Eygi's uncle said in an interview with the Turkish TV channel HaberTurk that she kept her visit to the West Bank secret from at least some of her family members. She said she was traveling to Jordan to help Palestinians there, he said.

"She hid the fact that she was going to Palestine. She blocked us from her social media posts so that we would not see them,” Yilmaz Eygi said.

The deaths of American citizens in the West Bank have drawn international attention, such as the fatal shooting of a prominent Palestinian-American journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, in 2022 in the Jenin refugee camp.

Several independent investigations and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-west-bank-middle-east-israel-8df6c999627efcef2fe0ca2b401e7a2c">reporting by The Associated Press</a>&nbsp;shortly after the killing determined that Abu Akleh was likely killed by Israeli fire. Months later, the military said there was a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-israel-journalists-veterans-al-jazeera-0e33ab0025cf06ee498ab83445e39733">“high probablility”</a>&nbsp;one of its soldiers had mistakenly killed her but that no one would be punished.

Earlier in 2022, Israel’s military said it would punish a senior officer and remove two others from their posts over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-israel-2569b996a0d596a5981d09ef811783f4">the death of Omar Assad, 78</a>, a Palestinian-American who was dragged from a car by Israeli troops, bound and blindfolded after being stopped at a checkpoint.

The military later said the soldiers believed Assad was asleep when they cut his zip-ties and left him face-down in an abandoned building where he had been detained with three other Palestinians.

The deaths of Palestinians who do not have dual nationality rarely receive the same scrutiny.

Human rights groups say Israel rarely holds soldiers accountable for killing Palestinians and that any resulting military investigations often reflect a pattern of impunity. B’Tselem, a leading Israeli watchdog, became so frustrated with the system that in 2016 it dismissed the probes as a whitewash and halted its decades-long practice of assisting investigations.

Last year, an Israeli court acquitted a member of the paramilitary Border Police who had been charged with reckless manslaughter in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinian-autistic-court-jerusalem-shooting-acquitted-cddd8df0d1f9fd2925a5a3ea011655f4">the deadly shooting of 32-year-old Eyad Hallaq</a>, an autistic Palestinian man in Jerusalem’s Old City in 2020. The case had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-middle-east-shootings-863c927ae5a5e2eae21b1dff3bc36c4b">drawn comparisons to the police killing</a>&nbsp;of George Floyd in the United States.

In 2017, Israeli soldier Elor Azaria was convicted for manslaughter and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-90c06663250747a68b6d77e3199d136b">served nine months after he killed a wounded</a>, incapacitated Palestinian attacker in the West Bank city of Hebron. The combat medic was caught on video fatally shooting Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, who was lying motionless on the ground.

That case&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-cf98215495194f37b283dc11d3ff7fd3">deeply divided Israelis</a>, with the military saying Azaria had clearly violated its code of ethics, while many Israelis — particularly on the nationalist right — defended his actions and accused military brass of second-guessing a soldier operating in dangerous conditions.

<p>RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Israeli military said Tuesday an American activist&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/turkish-american-palestinian-activist-funeral-israel-palestinians-ff3ed17b295793bce4631fdb2a35332c">killed in the West Bank</a>&nbsp;last week was likely shot “indirectly and unintentionally” by soldiers firing upon participants in a demonstration against settlements that turned violent. The acknowledgement drew a strong rebuke from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the activist's family.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Aysenur Ezgi Eygi should be alive today. <br><br>Instead, she was shot in the head and killed by the IDF while protesting Israel’s illegal occupation of the West Bank.<br><br>She was an American citizen. There must be accountability and a thorough, independent investigation. <a href="https://t.co/FQuPq3Sf9R">pic.twitter.com/FQuPq3Sf9R</a></p>&mdash; Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepPressley/status/1833255569530225068?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Israel expressed its “deepest regret” for the death of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/american-shot-killed-west-bank-israel-palestinians-b2f1c741cea3d56eb1a339240dbf036e">Aysenur Ezgi Eygi,</a>&nbsp;a 26-year-old activist from Seattle who also held Turkish citizenship, and said a criminal investigation has been launched.</p><p>Blinken condemned the “unprovoked and unjustified” killing when asked about the Israeli inquiry at a news conference in London. “No one should be shot while attending a protest,” he said. “The Israeli security forces need to make some fundamental changes in the way they operate in the West Bank.”</p><p>Eygi's family in the U.S. released a statement saying “we are deeply offended by the suggestion that her killing by a trained sniper was in any way unintentional. The disregard shown for human life in the inquiry is appalling.”</p><p>An Israeli protester who witnessed the shooting, Jonathan Pollak, said Eygi was killed about half an hour after clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces had subsided, in an area several hundred meters (yards) from where the demonstration took place. Pollak said he saw two Israeli soldiers mount the roof of a nearby home, train a gun in the group’s direction and fire, with one of the bullets striking Eygi in the head.</p><p>Israel said its inquiry into Eygi’s killing “found that it is highly likely that she was hit indirectly and unintentionally by (Israeli army) fire which was not aimed at her, but aimed at the key instigator of the riot.”</p><p>The killing came amid a surge of violence in the West Bank since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;began in October, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-west-bank-jenin-hamas-militants-c1618cc024d8a5269486e266593b5434">increasing Israeli raids</a>, attacks by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-west-bank-raids-bc3383024400ee42518e41f3660acbd4">Palestinian militants</a>&nbsp;on Israelis,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/west-bank-israel-palestinians-settler-violence-ffa6e84c39861c224f685e660c53a82d">attacks by Israeli settlers</a>&nbsp;on Palestinians and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-war-news-6-september-2024-29705c9c6cc59054d74b1dbcd29497df">heavier military crackdowns</a>&nbsp;on Palestinian protests.</p><p>Israel says it thoroughly investigates allegations of its forces killing civilians and holds them accountable. It says soldiers often have to make split-second decisions while operating in areas where militants hide among civilians. But even in the most shocking cases — and those captured on video — soldiers often get relatively light sentences.</p><p>The Palestinian Authority held a funeral procession for Eygi in the West Bank city of Nablus on Monday. Turkish authorities said they are working on repatriating her body to Turkey for burial in the Aegean coastal town of Didim, as per her family’s wishes.</p><p>Eygi was a volunteer with the activist group International Solidarity Movement. But Eygi's uncle said in an interview with the Turkish TV channel HaberTurk that she kept her visit to the West Bank secret from at least some of her family members. She said she was traveling to Jordan to help Palestinians there, he said.</p><p>"She hid the fact that she was going to Palestine. She blocked us from her social media posts so that we would not see them,” Yilmaz Eygi said.</p><p>The deaths of American citizens in the West Bank have drawn international attention, such as the fatal shooting of a prominent Palestinian-American journalist, Shireen Abu Akleh, in 2022 in the Jenin refugee camp.</p><p>Several independent investigations and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-west-bank-middle-east-israel-8df6c999627efcef2fe0ca2b401e7a2c">reporting by The Associated Press</a>&nbsp;shortly after the killing determined that Abu Akleh was likely killed by Israeli fire. Months later, the military said there was a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-israel-journalists-veterans-al-jazeera-0e33ab0025cf06ee498ab83445e39733">“high probablility”</a>&nbsp;one of its soldiers had mistakenly killed her but that no one would be punished.</p><p>Earlier in 2022, Israel’s military said it would punish a senior officer and remove two others from their posts over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-israel-2569b996a0d596a5981d09ef811783f4">the death of Omar Assad, 78</a>, a Palestinian-American who was dragged from a car by Israeli troops, bound and blindfolded after being stopped at a checkpoint.</p><p>The military later said the soldiers believed Assad was asleep when they cut his zip-ties and left him face-down in an abandoned building where he had been detained with three other Palestinians.</p><p>The deaths of Palestinians who do not have dual nationality rarely receive the same scrutiny.</p><p>Human rights groups say Israel rarely holds soldiers accountable for killing Palestinians and that any resulting military investigations often reflect a pattern of impunity. B’Tselem, a leading Israeli watchdog, became so frustrated with the system that in 2016 it dismissed the probes as a whitewash and halted its decades-long practice of assisting investigations.</p><p>Last year, an Israeli court acquitted a member of the paramilitary Border Police who had been charged with reckless manslaughter in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinian-autistic-court-jerusalem-shooting-acquitted-cddd8df0d1f9fd2925a5a3ea011655f4">the deadly shooting of 32-year-old Eyad Hallaq</a>, an autistic Palestinian man in Jerusalem’s Old City in 2020. The case had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-middle-east-shootings-863c927ae5a5e2eae21b1dff3bc36c4b">drawn comparisons to the police killing</a>&nbsp;of George Floyd in the United States.</p><p>In 2017, Israeli soldier Elor Azaria was convicted for manslaughter and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-90c06663250747a68b6d77e3199d136b">served nine months after he killed a wounded</a>, incapacitated Palestinian attacker in the West Bank city of Hebron. The combat medic was caught on video fatally shooting Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, who was lying motionless on the ground.</p><p>That case&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-cf98215495194f37b283dc11d3ff7fd3">deeply divided Israelis</a>, with the military saying Azaria had clearly violated its code of ethics, while many Israelis — particularly on the nationalist right — defended his actions and accused military brass of second-guessing a soldier operating in dangerous conditions.</p>

Israel says its forces likely shot and killed an American activist 

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/james-earl-jones">James Earl Jones,</a>&nbsp;who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen — eventually lending his deep, commanding voice to CNN, “The Lion King” and Darth Vader — has died. He was 93.

His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Monday morning at home in New York's Hudson Valley region. The cause was not immediately clear.

The pioneering Jones, who was one of the first African American actors in a continuing role on a daytime drama and worked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0c663181fccc4be5a06b6f63670fc7d6/james-earl-jones-happy-receive-voice-icon-award">deep into his 80s,</a>&nbsp;won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors and was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-business-earl-jones-james-earl-jones-august-wilson-b4056d456fb32a19657d1b9ff39ee0d6">Broadway theater was renamed</a>&nbsp;in his honor.

He cut an elegant figure late in life, with a wry sense of humor and a ferocious work habit. In 2015, he arrived at rehearsals for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f5220b7049444bc9ab4e273edf022cba">a Broadway run of “The Gin Game”</a>&nbsp;having already memorized the play and with notebooks filled with comments from the creative team. He said he was always in service of the work.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725918777492.png" alt="FILE - James Earl Jones arrives at the American Theatre Wing benefit to honor CBS and Leslie Moonves, Chairman of CBS, Monday, April 11, 2005, in New York. Jones, who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen has died at age 93. His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Monday morning, Sept. 9, 2024, at home. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff, File)" />
                        <figcaption>FILE - James Earl Jones arrives at the American Theatre Wing benefit to honor CBS and Leslie Moonves, Chairman of CBS, Monday, April 11, 2005, in New York. Jones, who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen has died at age 93. His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Monday morning, Sept. 9, 2024, at home. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff, File)</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/james-earl-jones">James Earl Jones,</a>&nbsp;who overcame racial prejudice and a severe stutter to become a celebrated icon of stage and screen — eventually lending his deep, commanding voice to CNN, “The Lion King” and Darth Vader — has died. He was 93.</p><p>His agent, Barry McPherson, confirmed Jones died Monday morning at home in New York's Hudson Valley region. The cause was not immediately clear.</p><p>The pioneering Jones, who was one of the first African American actors in a continuing role on a daytime drama and worked&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/0c663181fccc4be5a06b6f63670fc7d6/james-earl-jones-happy-receive-voice-icon-award">deep into his 80s,</a>&nbsp;won two Emmys, a Golden Globe, two Tony Awards, a Grammy, the National Medal of Arts, the Kennedy Center Honors and was given an honorary Oscar and a special Tony for lifetime achievement. In 2022, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-business-earl-jones-james-earl-jones-august-wilson-b4056d456fb32a19657d1b9ff39ee0d6">Broadway theater was renamed</a>&nbsp;in his honor.</p><p>He cut an elegant figure late in life, with a wry sense of humor and a ferocious work habit. In 2015, he arrived at rehearsals for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f5220b7049444bc9ab4e273edf022cba">a Broadway run of “The Gin Game”</a>&nbsp;having already memorized the play and with notebooks filled with comments from the creative team. He said he was always in service of the work.</p><p>“The need to storytell has always been with us,” he told The Associated Press then. “I think it first happened around campfires when the man came home and told his family he got the bear, the bear didn't get him."</p><p>Jones created such memorable film roles as the reclusive writer coaxed back into the spotlight in “Field of Dreams,” the boxer Jack Johnson in the stage and screen hit “The Great White Hope,” the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-entertainment-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-3064de5f4a327209306fda7df7d25f14">writer Alex Haley</a>&nbsp;in “Roots: The Next Generation” and a South African minister in “Cry, the Beloved Country.”</p><p>He was also a sought-after voice actor, expressing the villainy of Darth Vader (“No, I am your father,” commonly misremembered as “Luke, I am your father”), as well as the benign dignity of King Mufasa in Disney's animated “The Lion King” and announcing “This is CNN” during station breaks. He won a 1977 Grammy for his performance on the “Great American Documents” audiobook.</p><p>“If you were an actor or aspired to be an actor, if you pounded the payment in these streets looks for jobs, one of the standards we always had was to be a James Earl Jones,” Samuel L. Jackson once said.</p><p>Some of his other films include “Dr. Strangelove,” “The Greatest” (with Muhammad Ali), “Conan the Barbarian,” “Three Fugitives” and playing an admiral in three Tom Clancy blockbuster adaptations — “The Hunt for Red October,” “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger.” In a rare romantic comedy, “Claudine,” Jones had an onscreen love affair with Diahann Carroll.</p><p>Jones made his Broadway debut in 1958’s “Sunrise At Campobello” and would win his two Tony Awards for “The Great White Hope” (1969) and “Fences” (1987). He also was nominated for “On Golden Pond” (2005) and “Gore Vidal’s The Best Man” (2012). He was celebrated for his command of Shakespeare and Athol Fugard alike. More recent Broadway appearances include “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” “The Iceman Cometh,” and “You Can’t Take It With You.”</p><p>As a rising stage and television actor, he appeared in “As the World Turns” in 1965, one of the first Black actors to have such role on daytime TV. He performed with the New York Shakespeare Festival Theater in “Othello,” “Macbeth” and “King Lear” and in off-Broadway plays.</p><p>Jones was born by the light of an oil lamp in a shack in Arkabutla, Mississippi, on Jan. 17, 1931. His father, Robert Earl Jones, had deserted his wife before the baby's arrival to pursue life as a boxer and, later, an actor.</p><p>When Jones was 6, his mother took him to her parents' farm near Manistee, Michigan. His grandparents adopted the boy and raised him.</p><p>“A world ended for me, the safe world of childhood,” Jones wrote in his autobiography, “Voices and Silences.” “The move from Mississippi to Michigan was supposed to be a glorious event. For me it was a heartbreak, and not long after, I began to stutter.”</p><p>Too embarrassed to speak, he remained virtually mute for years, communicating with teachers and fellow students with handwritten notes. A sympathetic high school teacher, Donald Crouch, learned that the boy wrote poetry, and demanded that Jones read one of his poems aloud in class. He did so faultlessly.</p><p>Teacher and student worked together to restore the boy’s normal speech. “I could not get enough of speaking, debating, orating — acting,” he recalled in his book.</p><p>At the University of Michigan, he failed a pre-med exam and switched to drama, also playing four seasons of basketball. He served in the Army from 1953 to 1955.</p><p>In New York, he moved in with his father and enrolled with the American Theater Wing program for young actors. Father and son waxed floors to support themselves while looking for acting jobs.</p><p>True stardom came suddenly in 1970 with “The Great White Hope.” Howard Sackler’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play depicted the struggles of Jack Johnson, the first Black heavyweight boxing champion, amid the racism of early 20th-century America. In 1972, Jones repeated his role in the movie version and was nominated for an Academy Award as best actor.</p><p>Jones’ two wives were also actors. He married Julienne Marie Hendricks in 1967. After their divorce, he married Cecilia Hart, best known for her role as Stacey Erickson in the CBS police drama “Paris,” in 1982. (She died in 2016.) They had a son, Flynn Earl, born in 1983.</p><p>In 2022, the Cort Theatre on Broadway&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-earl-jones-james-b2ede81ef88bedef4d17a8f08570b9dd">was renamed after Jones,</a>&nbsp;with a ceremony that included Norm Lewis singing “Go the Distance,” Brian Stokes Mitchell singing “Make Them Hear You” and words from Mayor Eric Adams, Samuel L. Jackson and LaTanya Richardson Jackson.</p><p>“You can’t think of an artist that has served America more,” director Kenny Leon told the AP. “It’s like it seems like a small act, but it’s a huge action. It’s something we can look up and see that’s tangible.”</p><p>Citing his stutter as one of the reasons he wasn’t a political activist, Jones nonetheless hoped his art could change minds.</p><p>“I realized early on, from people like Athol Fugard, that you cannot change anybody’s mind, no matter what you do,” he told the AP. “As a preacher, as a scholar, you cannot change their mind. But you can change the way they feel.”</p>