Thursday, October 31 KKQY: Trego FB vs. Hill City, 6:15pm *

Friday, November 1 KFIX: Hays High FB at Andover, 6:30pm KKQY: TMP-Marian FB at Sterling, 6:30pm

Saturday, November 2
 KJLS: Fort Hays State FB at Emporia State, 12:00pm

Sunday, November 3
 KJLS: Fort Hays State
WBKB at UConn (exhibition), 10:30am

Thursday, October 31 KKQY: Trego FB vs. Hill City, 6:15pm *Friday, November 1 KFIX: Hays High FB at Andover, 6:30pm KKQY: TMP-Marian FB at Sterling, 6:30pmSaturday, November 2
 KJLS: Fort Hays State FB at Emporia State, 12:00pmSunday, November 3
 KJLS: Fort Hays State
WBKB at UConn (exhibition), 10:30am

🎧 Eagle Radio, Hull sports broadcast schedule

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

Kansas Fire Marshal inspection reports released Wednesday indicate significant structural damage to the Rodeway Inn, 3404 Vine, Hays.

The reports, which were released after the Hays Post filed a Kansas Open Records Request, said inspectors found structural instability in the second-floor walkways of the motel.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/a971b850-cbe9-40c3-8d20-21f4611006c1">SEE RELATED STORY: Kansas Fire Marshal orders Rodeway Inn in Hays closed</a>

The Hays Fire Department placed a wooden support structure under one of the walkways as a temporary measure. It issued a complaint to the state fire marshall's office on July 25.

That temporary support was still in place during the last inspection of the facility in October and a Hays Post visit to the building on Monday.

The fire marshal's office delivered a cease-and-desist order to the business on Aug. 12 after multiple safety issues were found in August.

The fire marshal's office said in an order that a structural engineer needed to access the structure and provide repair recommendations.

Other issues included problems with the electrical system, non-working smoke detectors, and a stairway that had at least one step completely broken through.

The state inspected the facility again on Oct. 4 and found 10 rooms were still occupied despite the cease and desist order. Some of those rooms were on the second floor. According to a lodging report, the owner told an inspector employees of the closed motel were still trying to find places to live.

The Hays Post was unable to confirm if anyone was still living at the motel as of this post.

The motel's lodging license was listed as expired in May, according to a lodging inspection.

HKHR Hospitality, the motel's owner, also owes $43,580 for unpaid 2023 property taxes, according to the Ellis County Treasurer's Office. Property owners have three years to pay delinquent taxes before the property is auctioned at a tax sale.

The motel, built in 1974, is actively listed on a real estate broker's website, Hotel Broker One, for sale for $1.2 million.

The Hays Post has not been able to identify or contact the owners of the motel. A clerk at the Ellis County Register of Deed's Office said the signature on the motel's deed was unreadable.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730230931407.jpeg" alt="Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostKansas Fire Marshal inspection reports released Wednesday indicate significant structural damage to the Rodeway Inn, 3404 Vine, Hays.The reports, which were released after the Hays Post filed a Kansas Open Records Request, said inspectors found structural instability in the second-floor walkways of the motel.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/a971b850-cbe9-40c3-8d20-21f4611006c1">SEE RELATED STORY: Kansas Fire Marshal orders Rodeway Inn in Hays closed</a>The Hays Fire Department placed a wooden support structure under one of the walkways as a temporary measure. It issued a complaint to the state fire marshall's office on July 25.That temporary support was still in place during the last inspection of the facility in October and a Hays Post visit to the building on Monday.The fire marshal's office delivered a cease-and-desist order to the business on Aug. 12 after multiple safety issues were found in August.The fire marshal's office said in an order that a structural engineer needed to access the structure and provide repair recommendations.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730316575527.png" alt="Issues with smoke detectors and outlets that Hays Deputy Hays Fire Chief Shane Preston documented in May at the Rodeway Inn, 3404 Vine." />
 <figcaption>Issues with smoke detectors and outlets that Hays Deputy Hays Fire Chief Shane Preston documented in May at the Rodeway Inn, 3404 Vine.</figcaption>
 </figure>Other issues included problems with the electrical system, non-working smoke detectors, and a stairway that had at least one step completely broken through.The state inspected the facility again on Oct. 4 and found 10 rooms were still occupied despite the cease and desist order. Some of those rooms were on the second floor. According to a lodging report, the owner told an inspector employees of the closed motel were still trying to find places to live.The Hays Post was unable to confirm if anyone was still living at the motel as of this post.The motel's lodging license was listed as expired in May, according to a lodging inspection.HKHR Hospitality, the motel's owner, also owes $43,580 for unpaid 2023 property taxes, according to the Ellis County Treasurer's Office. Property owners have three years to pay delinquent taxes before the property is auctioned at a tax sale.The motel, built in 1974, is actively listed on a real estate broker's website, Hotel Broker One, for sale for $1.2 million.The Hays Post has not been able to identify or contact the owners of the motel. A clerk at the Ellis County Register of Deed's Office said the signature on the motel's deed was unreadable.

Reports show structural damage at Rodeway Inn; delinquent taxes owed

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;walked down the steps of the Boeing 757 that bears his name, walked across a rain-soaked tarmac and, after twice missing the handle, climbed into the passenger seat of a white garbage truck that also carried his name.

The former president, once a reality TV star known for his showmanship, wanted to draw attention to a remark made a day earlier by his successor, Democratic President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>, that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-election-2024-c7d5aadbe44e51012f6fcfde374fdcc5">suggested Trump's supporters were garbage</a>. Trump has used the remark as a cudgel against his Democratic rival, Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>.

“How do you like my garbage truck?” Trump said, wearing an orange and yellow safety vest over his white dress shirt and red tie. “This is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden.”

Trump and other Republicans were facing pushback of their own for comments by a comedian at a weekend Trump rally who disparaged Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” Trump then seized on a comment Biden made on a late Wednesday call that "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”

The president tried to clarify the comment afterward, saying he had intended to say Trump's demonization of Latinos was unconscionable. But it was too late.

On Thursday, after arriving in Green Bay, Wisconsin, for an evening rally, Trump climbed into the garbage truck, carrying on a brief discussion with reporters while looking out the window — similar to what he did earlier this month during a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-mcdonalds-2024-presidential-election-pennsylvania-73e55c8c1db4adc2a547b62bd5142be3">photo opportunity</a>&nbsp;he staged at a Pennsylvania McDonalds.

He again tried to distance himself from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, whose joke had set off the firestorm, but Trump did not denounce it. He also said he did not need to apologize to Puerto Ricans.

“I don’t know anything about the comedian,” Trump said. “I don’t know who he is. I’ve never seen him. I heard he made a statement, but it was a statement that he made. He’s a comedian, what can I tell you. I know nothing about him.”

A spokesperson for Trump said the joke doesn't reflect his views, but the former president has not addressed it himself.

“I love Puerto Rico and Puerto Rico loves me,” Trump said from the garbage truck.

He ended the brief appearance by telling reporters: “I hope you enjoyed this garbage truck. Thank you very much.”

When he took the stage a short time later, he was still wearing the orange vest.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730336694776.png" alt="Image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;walked down the steps of the Boeing 757 that bears his name, walked across a rain-soaked tarmac and, after twice missing the handle, climbed into the passenger seat of a white garbage truck that also carried his name.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Former President Trump answers questions while sitting in a garbage truck in Green Bay, WI. <a href="https://t.co/jglxM8s1bm">pic.twitter.com/jglxM8s1bm</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1851769842686181677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The former president, once a reality TV star known for his showmanship, wanted to draw attention to a remark made a day earlier by his successor, Democratic President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>, that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-election-2024-c7d5aadbe44e51012f6fcfde374fdcc5">suggested Trump's supporters were garbage</a>. Trump has used the remark as a cudgel against his Democratic rival, Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>.“How do you like my garbage truck?” Trump said, wearing an orange and yellow safety vest over his white dress shirt and red tie. “This is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden.”Trump and other Republicans were facing pushback of their own for comments by a comedian at a weekend Trump rally who disparaged Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” Trump then seized on a comment Biden made on a late Wednesday call that "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”The president tried to clarify the comment afterward, saying he had intended to say Trump's demonization of Latinos was unconscionable. But it was too late.On Thursday, after arriving in Green Bay, Wisconsin, for an evening rally, Trump climbed into the garbage truck, carrying on a brief discussion with reporters while looking out the window — similar to what he did earlier this month during a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-mcdonalds-2024-presidential-election-pennsylvania-73e55c8c1db4adc2a547b62bd5142be3">photo opportunity</a>&nbsp;he staged at a Pennsylvania McDonalds.He again tried to distance himself from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, whose joke had set off the firestorm, but Trump did not denounce it. He also said he did not need to apologize to Puerto Ricans.“I don’t know anything about the comedian,” Trump said. “I don’t know who he is. I’ve never seen him. I heard he made a statement, but it was a statement that he made. He’s a comedian, what can I tell you. I know nothing about him.”A spokesperson for Trump said the joke doesn't reflect his views, but the former president has not addressed it himself.“I love Puerto Rico and Puerto Rico loves me,” Trump said from the garbage truck.He ended the brief appearance by telling reporters: “I hope you enjoyed this garbage truck. Thank you very much.”When he took the stage a short time later, he was still wearing the orange vest.

🎥 Trump in a garbage truck to draw attention to Biden remark

By BECKY KISER Hays Post

RUSSELL — Residents of Russell will vote during the Nov. 5 general election on whether to approve <a href="https://www.russellcity.org/319/Water-Sales-Tax">a 3/4 cent sales tax</a>.

The tax will be dedicated to building its water reserve fund and developing water sources and infrastructure at the R9 Ranch in Edwards County, which it co-owns with the city of Hays.&nbsp;

Russell has been operating under a water warning since April 2022.

Russell owns 18% of the R9 Ranch, which was first purchased by Hays in 1995 as a long-term water supply resource. Russell bought in a year later, in 1996.

The estimated total cost of the project is now $140 million.

A public forum about the proposed tax and the R9 was conducted Tuesday night at the Dream Theatre, with information provided by interim City Manager Kayla Schneider and Randy Baker, water utility director.&nbsp;

Also attending were Mayor Jim Cross, City Attorney Ken Cole, and several city council members and city staff who helped answer audience questions.

"Our Plant B failed about three years ago, and we had to spend $1.3 million of the water reserve fund to get it back up and running so we would have adequate water production capabilities," Cross said. "We really depleted that fund at that time. We started seeing the need [to build it back up]. Costs of the R9 project have just escalated."&nbsp;

Current water sources for Russell are Big Creek, eight miles south of town, and the Pfeifer Wellfield, 23 miles to the southwest.

 The Big Creek surface water is "susceptible to contamination and unreliable during drought," Schneider said.

Groundwater from the Smoky Hill River alluvium flows into the Pfeifer Wellfield.&nbsp;

"The Smoky Hill River has an intermittent flow and is greatly influenced by drought," she said. 

"Water conservation has become a way of life for us."

• No filling/refilling of residential swimming pools • Outdoor watering for residential customers is limited to one day a week between 7 p.m. and 10 a.m. • No outdoor watering for commercial or industrial customers • No washing of vehicles, boats or trailers • No washing of building/structure exteriors • Industrial customers must reduce consumption by 15-25% of the average previous five-year period

Russell also offers free low-flow shower heads to its residential customers and rebates for the installation of low-flow toilets.

In 2015, Hays and Russell applied to change the water rights at the ranch from irrigation to municipal use and submitted a water transfer application to the state in 2016.

In February 2024, the cities received a <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/8d8e87f6-e3c9-4950-bcea-9cac40e269bd">favorable ruling for the transfer</a>.

Along the way, the <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/a356c3c3-47d3-49eb-98d5-fe030ffd2b8e">Water Protection Association of Central Kansas</a>&nbsp;(WaterPACK) has filed numerous objections to the project.&nbsp;

Regulatory delays have continued, and in early October, <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/c7dd78a9-6785-4137-8502-4046eab09f91">Russell and Hays filed a lawsuit against the Edwards County Commission</a>, the Edwards County Planning Commission and several other parties, claiming illegal zoning practices designed to block the project southwest of Kinsley.

If the 3/4 cent sales tax is passed, it is estimated to generate at least $400,000 annually. It would go into effect on April 1, 2025, for 10 years.

Russell's total local sales tax is currently 8.5%.

If voters do not approve the tax, it's on to Plan B and Plan C,&nbsp; Cross said.&nbsp;

"We've talked about water rates having to go up 30 to 50%," Baker said. "There could also be a water surcharge. We don't want to have to do that."

Russell and Hays have jointly pursued state and federal grants and low-interest loans to fund the project. A meeting with FEMA concerning a grant opportunity is scheduled for today.

"Having a tax is never a good thing. ... The sales tax is the most fair tax," Cross said. "It would also be paid by visitors to Russell, and we get a lot coming off of I-70. .... If somebody buys off Amazon, Russell gets a share of that sales tax.

"Local property taxes are not in play in this proposal," he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730297026882.jpeg" alt="Russell city officials present information Tuesday night about the proposed 3/4 cent sales tax to build a water reserve fund. Russell and the city of Hays jointly own the R9 Ranch in Edwards County as a long-term water supply project. Photo by Becky Kiser/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Russell city officials present information Tuesday night about the proposed 3/4 cent sales tax to build a water reserve fund. Russell and the city of Hays jointly own the R9 Ranch in Edwards County as a long-term water supply project. Photo by Becky Kiser/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>By BECKY KISER Hays PostRUSSELL — Residents of Russell will vote during the Nov. 5 general election on whether to approve <a href="https://www.russellcity.org/319/Water-Sales-Tax">a 3/4 cent sales tax</a>.The tax will be dedicated to building its water reserve fund and developing water sources and infrastructure at the R9 Ranch in Edwards County, which it co-owns with the city of Hays.&nbsp;Russell has been operating under a water warning since April 2022.Russell owns 18% of the R9 Ranch, which was first purchased by Hays in 1995 as a long-term water supply resource. Russell bought in a year later, in 1996.The estimated total cost of the project is now $140 million.A public forum about the proposed tax and the R9 was conducted Tuesday night at the Dream Theatre, with information provided by interim City Manager Kayla Schneider and Randy Baker, water utility director.&nbsp;Also attending were Mayor Jim Cross, City Attorney Ken Cole, and several city council members and city staff who helped answer audience questions."Our Plant B failed about three years ago, and we had to spend $1.3 million of the water reserve fund to get it back up and running so we would have adequate water production capabilities," Cross said. "We really depleted that fund at that time. We started seeing the need [to build it back up]. Costs of the R9 project have just escalated."&nbsp;<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FT4VicSdvTs" title="Jim Cross Russell water tax" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Current water sources for Russell are Big Creek, eight miles south of town, and the Pfeifer Wellfield, 23 miles to the southwest. The Big Creek surface water is "susceptible to contamination and unreliable during drought," Schneider said.Groundwater from the Smoky Hill River alluvium flows into the Pfeifer Wellfield.&nbsp;"The Smoky Hill River has an intermittent flow and is greatly influenced by drought," she said. "Water conservation has become a way of life for us."Mandatory restrictions are• No filling/refilling of residential swimming pools • Outdoor watering for residential customers is limited to one day a week between 7 p.m. and 10 a.m. • No outdoor watering for commercial or industrial customers • No washing of vehicles, boats or trailers • No washing of building/structure exteriors • Industrial customers must reduce consumption by 15-25% of the average previous five-year periodRussell also offers free low-flow shower heads to its residential customers and rebates for the installation of low-flow toilets.In 2015, Hays and Russell applied to change the water rights at the ranch from irrigation to municipal use and submitted a water transfer application to the state in 2016.In February 2024, the cities received a <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/8d8e87f6-e3c9-4950-bcea-9cac40e269bd">favorable ruling for the transfer</a>.Along the way, the <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/a356c3c3-47d3-49eb-98d5-fe030ffd2b8e">Water Protection Association of Central Kansas</a>&nbsp;(WaterPACK) has filed numerous objections to the project.&nbsp;Regulatory delays have continued, and in early October, <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/c7dd78a9-6785-4137-8502-4046eab09f91">Russell and Hays filed a lawsuit against the Edwards County Commission</a>, the Edwards County Planning Commission and several other parties, claiming illegal zoning practices designed to block the project southwest of Kinsley.If the 3/4 cent sales tax is passed, it is estimated to generate at least $400,000 annually. It would go into effect on April 1, 2025, for 10 years.Russell's total local sales tax is currently 8.5%.If voters do not approve the tax, it's on to Plan B and Plan C,&nbsp; Cross said.&nbsp;"We've talked about water rates having to go up 30 to 50%," Baker said. "There could also be a water surcharge. We don't want to have to do that."Russell and Hays have jointly pursued state and federal grants and low-interest loans to fund the project. A meeting with FEMA concerning a grant opportunity is scheduled for today."Having a tax is never a good thing. ... The sales tax is the most fair tax," Cross said. "It would also be paid by visitors to Russell, and we get a lot coming off of I-70. .... If somebody buys off Amazon, Russell gets a share of that sales tax."Local property taxes are not in play in this proposal," he said.

🎥 Russell sales tax for water reserve fund, R9 Ranch on Tuesday ballot  

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court's conservative majority on Wednesday left in place Virginia's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-voter-rolls-lawsuit-purge-immigrant-488e9b52ae81f03b7cd1ea28bc384b69">purge voter registrations</a>&nbsp;that the state says is aimed at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-voter-registration-noncitizens-purge-appeal-b1d174ea90a7ac6e6fb1b9c623b7402e">stopping people who are not U.S. citizens from voting</a>.

One Virginian, whose registration was canceled despite living in the state her entire life, called the purge “a very bad October surprise.”

The high court, over the dissents of the three liberal justices, granted an emergency appeal from Virginia's Republican administration led by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The court provided no rationale for its action, which is typical in emergency appeals.

The justices acted on Virginia's appeal after a federal judge found that the state illegally purged more than 1,600 voter registrations in the past two months. A federal appeals court had previously allowed the judge's order to remain in effect.

The specter of immigrants voting illegally has been a main part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-immigrants-noncitizen-trump-republicans-2024-1c65429c152c2a10514b5156eacf9ca7">political messaging</a>&nbsp;this year from former President Donald Trump and other Republicans, even though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/noncitizens-voting-republicans-election-2024-immigration-09b86e6768f755fd875f3c51b0e8ea70">such voting is rare in American elections</a>.

Trump had criticized the earlier ruling, calling it “a totally unacceptable travesty” on social media. “Only U.S. Citizens should be allowed to vote,” Trump wrote.

Youngkin said voters who believe they were improperly removed from the rolls can still vote in the election because Virginia has same-day registration.

“And so there is the ultimate, ultimate safeguard in Virginia, no one is being precluded from voting, and therefore, I encourage every single citizen go vote,” Youngkin told reporters.

That option was noted also by the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for the White House.

“Every eligible voter has a right to cast their ballot and have their vote counted, and this ruling does not change that," campaign spokesman Charles Lutvak said in a statement. “Our campaign is going to make sure every eligible voter is able to vote. Voting by noncitizens remains illegal under federal law.”

Rina Shaw, 22, of Chesterfield, Virginia, said she was born in Virginia, has lived in the state her whole life and has never left the U.S.

Shaw thinks she may have forgotten to check a citizenship box on a form when she was updating her voter registration at the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles while getting her learner’s permit.

“My first reaction was that that was just ridiculous and it shouldn’t have been allowed in October, of all months. It should have been something that happened six months before the election rather than right on the eve of it,” Shaw said.

She planned to cast her ballot during early voting on Wednesday and said she still found the error troubling. Shaw said her voter registration has now been restored.

The Justice Department and a coalition of private groups sued the state earlier in October, arguing that Virginia election officials, acting on an executive order issued in August by Youngkin, were striking names from voter rolls in violation of federal election law.

<a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/national-voter-registration-act-1993-nvra">The National Voter Registration Act</a>&nbsp;requires a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/about-national-voter-registration-act">90-day “quiet period” ahead of elections</a>&nbsp;for the maintenance of voter rolls so that legitimate voters are not removed from the rolls by bureaucratic errors or last-minute mistakes that cannot be quickly corrected.

Youngkin issued his order on Aug. 7, the 90th day before the Nov. 5 election. It required daily checks of data from the state Department of Motor Vehicles against voter rolls to identify people who are not U.S. citizens.

Protect Democracy, one of the groups that brought the lawsuit, cited media interviews with other voters as showing that the Youngkin administration’s purge has removed U.S. citizens from the voter rolls.

One example is Nadra Wilson, who lives in Lynchburg, Virginia, and told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/10/29/nx-s1-5169204/virginia-noncitizen-voter-purge">NPR</a>&nbsp;she got swept up in the purge. “I was born in Brooklyn, New York. I’m a citizen,” Wilson said, before showing her American passport as proof of her citizenship.

Project Democracy said in a statement that “this program removes eligible voters. Virginia has not presented any evidence of noncitizens participating in elections. Because there is none. And it’s actually eligible VA voters that have been caught in the middle of this election-subversion scheme.”

U.S. District Judge Patricia Giles said elections officials still could remove names on an individualized basis, but not through a systematic purge.

Giles had ordered the state to notify affected voters and local registrars by Wednesday that the registrations have been restored.

Virginia’s deadline to register to vote was Oct. 15, but since 2022, the state has allowed same-day registration, which allows people to register to vote in-person and immediately submit a provisional ballot after the deadline to register has passed. The state Department of Elections does not remove names from the voting rolls after the Oct. 15 deadline unless they they are names of deceased people.

Nearly 6 million Virginians are registered to vote.

In a similar lawsuit in Alabama, a federal judge this month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-voter-purge-allen-secretary-state-judge-6cec74a5bc2afef14beae6827d4cf971">ordered the state</a>&nbsp;to restore eligibility for more than 3,200 voters who had been deemed ineligible noncitizens. Testimony from state officials in that case showed that roughly 2,000 of the 3,251 voters who were made inactive were actually legally registered citizens.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court's conservative majority on Wednesday left in place Virginia's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-voter-rolls-lawsuit-purge-immigrant-488e9b52ae81f03b7cd1ea28bc384b69">purge voter registrations</a>&nbsp;that the state says is aimed at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-voter-registration-noncitizens-purge-appeal-b1d174ea90a7ac6e6fb1b9c623b7402e">stopping people who are not U.S. citizens from voting</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Great news out of Virginia today for election integrity! Only U.S. citizens should be voting in U.S. elections. <a href="https://t.co/vZ6ufCFxpI">https://t.co/vZ6ufCFxpI</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1851700155822547202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>One Virginian, whose registration was canceled despite living in the state her entire life, called the purge “a very bad October surprise.”The high court, over the dissents of the three liberal justices, granted an emergency appeal from Virginia's Republican administration led by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The court provided no rationale for its action, which is typical in emergency appeals.The justices acted on Virginia's appeal after a federal judge found that the state illegally purged more than 1,600 voter registrations in the past two months. A federal appeals court had previously allowed the judge's order to remain in effect.The specter of immigrants voting illegally has been a main part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-immigrants-noncitizen-trump-republicans-2024-1c65429c152c2a10514b5156eacf9ca7">political messaging</a>&nbsp;this year from former President Donald Trump and other Republicans, even though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/noncitizens-voting-republicans-election-2024-immigration-09b86e6768f755fd875f3c51b0e8ea70">such voting is rare in American elections</a>.Trump had criticized the earlier ruling, calling it “a totally unacceptable travesty” on social media. “Only U.S. Citizens should be allowed to vote,” Trump wrote.Youngkin said voters who believe they were improperly removed from the rolls can still vote in the election because Virginia has same-day registration.“And so there is the ultimate, ultimate safeguard in Virginia, no one is being precluded from voting, and therefore, I encourage every single citizen go vote,” Youngkin told reporters.That option was noted also by the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for the White House.“Every eligible voter has a right to cast their ballot and have their vote counted, and this ruling does not change that," campaign spokesman Charles Lutvak said in a statement. “Our campaign is going to make sure every eligible voter is able to vote. Voting by noncitizens remains illegal under federal law.”Rina Shaw, 22, of Chesterfield, Virginia, said she was born in Virginia, has lived in the state her whole life and has never left the U.S.Shaw thinks she may have forgotten to check a citizenship box on a form when she was updating her voter registration at the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles while getting her learner’s permit.“My first reaction was that that was just ridiculous and it shouldn’t have been allowed in October, of all months. It should have been something that happened six months before the election rather than right on the eve of it,” Shaw said.She planned to cast her ballot during early voting on Wednesday and said she still found the error troubling. Shaw said her voter registration has now been restored.The Justice Department and a coalition of private groups sued the state earlier in October, arguing that Virginia election officials, acting on an executive order issued in August by Youngkin, were striking names from voter rolls in violation of federal election law.<a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/national-voter-registration-act-1993-nvra">The National Voter Registration Act</a>&nbsp;requires a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/about-national-voter-registration-act">90-day “quiet period” ahead of elections</a>&nbsp;for the maintenance of voter rolls so that legitimate voters are not removed from the rolls by bureaucratic errors or last-minute mistakes that cannot be quickly corrected.Youngkin issued his order on Aug. 7, the 90th day before the Nov. 5 election. It required daily checks of data from the state Department of Motor Vehicles against voter rolls to identify people who are not U.S. citizens.Protect Democracy, one of the groups that brought the lawsuit, cited media interviews with other voters as showing that the Youngkin administration’s purge has removed U.S. citizens from the voter rolls.One example is Nadra Wilson, who lives in Lynchburg, Virginia, and told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/10/29/nx-s1-5169204/virginia-noncitizen-voter-purge">NPR</a>&nbsp;she got swept up in the purge. “I was born in Brooklyn, New York. I’m a citizen,” Wilson said, before showing her American passport as proof of her citizenship.Project Democracy said in a statement that “this program removes eligible voters. Virginia has not presented any evidence of noncitizens participating in elections. Because there is none. And it’s actually eligible VA voters that have been caught in the middle of this election-subversion scheme.”U.S. District Judge Patricia Giles said elections officials still could remove names on an individualized basis, but not through a systematic purge.Giles had ordered the state to notify affected voters and local registrars by Wednesday that the registrations have been restored.Virginia’s deadline to register to vote was Oct. 15, but since 2022, the state has allowed same-day registration, which allows people to register to vote in-person and immediately submit a provisional ballot after the deadline to register has passed. The state Department of Elections does not remove names from the voting rolls after the Oct. 15 deadline unless they they are names of deceased people.Nearly 6 million Virginians are registered to vote.In a similar lawsuit in Alabama, a federal judge this month&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-voter-purge-allen-secretary-state-judge-6cec74a5bc2afef14beae6827d4cf971">ordered the state</a>&nbsp;to restore eligibility for more than 3,200 voters who had been deemed ineligible noncitizens. Testimony from state officials in that case showed that roughly 2,000 of the 3,251 voters who were made inactive were actually legally registered citizens.

Kan. U.S. Senator praised Supreme Court ruling on election integrity

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;said she disagrees “with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” reacting after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-supporters-garbage-puerto-rico-comic-e62ccf9108ba0ca8d1ee694f91a6867e">President Joe Biden's reference to Donald Trump's supporters and “garbage.”</a>

“I will represent all Americans, including those who don’t vote for me," the vice president said.

Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, made the comment to reporters as she prepared to campaign in three states. Her words were an attempt to blunt the controversy over Biden's rhetoric with less than a week until the end of the campaign.

The tumult began Tuesday night around the time that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-trump-closing-argument-ellipse-washington-139a7b390dc30ceab85d9ac56fcc521d">Harris was delivering a unifying message</a>&nbsp;in a speech near the White House. Inside the building, Biden was criticizing Trump’s recent Madison Square Garden rally, where a comedian described Puerto Rico as an “island of garbage.”

“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American,” Biden said in a campaign call organized by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino. “It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been.”

Biden and the White House rushed to explain that the president was talking about the rhetoric on stage, not Trump’s supporters themselves. But Republicans seized on Biden’s comments, claiming they were an echo of the time when Hillary Clinton, as the Democratic nominee against Trump in 2016, said half of Trump’s supporters belong to a “basket of deplorables.”

In attacking Biden, and by extension, Harris, Republicans are glossing over Trump’s own history of insulting and demonizing rhetoric, such as calling the United States a “garbage can for the world” or describing political opponents as “the enemy within.” Trump has also described Harris as a “stupid person” and “lazy as hell,” and he’s questioned whether she was on drugs.

Trump has also refused demands to apologize for the comment about Puerto Rico at his rally, acknowledging “somebody said some bad things” but “I can’t imagine it’s a bid deal.”

Political attack lines have a history of occasionally boomeranging back on people who use them. For example, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, now Trump's running mate, once described Democrats as beholden to “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made.”

Vance's 3-year-old comments were resurfaced once he became the vice presidential nominee, energizing Harris supporters who repurposed the label as a point of pride on shirts and bumper stickers — much like Trump’s supporters once cheerfully branded themselves as “deplorables.”

On Wednesday morning, Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, downplayed Biden’s comments in television interviews.

He told “CBS Mornings” that Biden “was very clear that he’s speaking about the rhetoric we heard,” not the supporters themselves.

Walz made a similar comment on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” where he emphasized that Democrats’ inclusive message.

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;said she disagrees “with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” reacting after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-supporters-garbage-puerto-rico-comic-e62ccf9108ba0ca8d1ee694f91a6867e">President Joe Biden's reference to Donald Trump's supporters and “garbage.”</a><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Vice President Harris responds to President Biden&#39;s &#39;garbage&#39; comments: &quot;He clarified his comments. Let me clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/kmUfjIrytz">pic.twitter.com/kmUfjIrytz</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1851632924438806883?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“I will represent all Americans, including those who don’t vote for me," the vice president said.Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, made the comment to reporters as she prepared to campaign in three states. Her words were an attempt to blunt the controversy over Biden's rhetoric with less than a week until the end of the campaign.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> on President Biden&#39;s &#39;garbage&#39; comment: &quot;He was not calling Trump supporters garbage...He was regarding to the comedian...&quot; <a href="https://t.co/nvLs6taPso">pic.twitter.com/nvLs6taPso</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1851693129671598170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The tumult began Tuesday night around the time that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-trump-closing-argument-ellipse-washington-139a7b390dc30ceab85d9ac56fcc521d">Harris was delivering a unifying message</a>&nbsp;in a speech near the White House. Inside the building, Biden was criticizing Trump’s recent Madison Square Garden rally, where a comedian described Puerto Rico as an “island of garbage.”“The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American,” Biden said in a campaign call organized by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino. “It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been.”Biden and the White House rushed to explain that the president was talking about the rhetoric on stage, not Trump’s supporters themselves. But Republicans seized on Biden’s comments, claiming they were an echo of the time when Hillary Clinton, as the Democratic nominee against Trump in 2016, said half of Trump’s supporters belong to a “basket of deplorables.”In attacking Biden, and by extension, Harris, Republicans are glossing over Trump’s own history of insulting and demonizing rhetoric, such as calling the United States a “garbage can for the world” or describing political opponents as “the enemy within.” Trump has also described Harris as a “stupid person” and “lazy as hell,” and he’s questioned whether she was on drugs.Trump has also refused demands to apologize for the comment about Puerto Rico at his rally, acknowledging “somebody said some bad things” but “I can’t imagine it’s a bid deal.”Political attack lines have a history of occasionally boomeranging back on people who use them. For example, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, now Trump's running mate, once described Democrats as beholden to “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made.”Vance's 3-year-old comments were resurfaced once he became the vice presidential nominee, energizing Harris supporters who repurposed the label as a point of pride on shirts and bumper stickers — much like Trump’s supporters once cheerfully branded themselves as “deplorables.”On Wednesday morning, Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, downplayed Biden’s comments in television interviews.He told “CBS Mornings” that Biden “was very clear that he’s speaking about the rhetoric we heard,” not the supporters themselves.Walz made a similar comment on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” where he emphasized that Democrats’ inclusive message.

🎥 Harris distances herself from Biden's 'garbage' comments

Welcome to Cash Grab! It is your chance to win $250 on Friday's in October!

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Cash Grab is presented by Robert Brogden GMC in downtown Hays, Whitetail Properties Agents Adam Hahn and Mitch Keeley, Tri-Central Office Supply, and Vanderbilt’s of Hays.

Welcome to Cash Grab! It is your chance to win $250 on Friday's in October!Keywords are given out at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. You will have 20 minutes to enter the correct keyword that you heard on our radio stations. We will then draw out one winner on Friday morning!Thanks for playing and good luck!!Cash Grab is presented by Robert Brogden GMC in downtown Hays, Whitetail Properties Agents Adam Hahn and Mitch Keeley, Tri-Central Office Supply, and Vanderbilt’s of Hays.<div><script src="https://xp.audience.io/widget.js"></script>
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Kenneth Pfannenstiel, beloved husband, dad, grandpa, cousin
and friend, passed away peacefully on October 27, 2024, at the age of 76. Born
on January 7, 1948, Kenny grew up and was a lifelong resident of Hays, Kansas.
He was the son of Paul J. and Philippa Pfannenstiel.

As a child, Kenny enjoyed his time with his cousins. He
learned to dance the polka, play the accordion, and eat his favorite family
German dishes.

Kenny graduated from St. Joseph’s Military Academy, Class of
1966. He continued his education at Salina Vo-Tech and became a machinist in
1968. He was highly skilled in his trade, and over the years, he worked for
Ralph’s Welding and Machine, Cross Manufacturing, S &amp; W Supply Co., and
Rans Inc. He retired as a custodial specialist from Fort Hays State University
in 2011.

On June 19, 1971, Kenny married Diana Clews at Immaculate
Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Hays, beginning a life together that lasted 53
years. They were soulmates. Together, they raised 2 children: Sara and Kevin.
He was a loving father who worked hard to provide for his family.

Kenny loved spending time with his family and friends. He
enjoyed a good conversation, classic cars, cheering on the Royals and the
Kansas City Chiefs, and listening to his favorite songs on the oldies channel.
Most of all, he loved being a grandpa. He enjoyed celebrating birthday parties,
hosting talent shows and playing endless games of checkers and Bingo.

Kenneth Pfannenstiel had a life filled with faith, love, and
friendship. He is survived by his wife, Diana; his children Sara (Matthew)
Mahoney and Kevin (Tanda) Pfannenstiel; and four grandchildren, Jaxson, Lexi,
Maeve and Liam. Kenny was preceded in death by his parents, his in-laws Leroy
and Susie Faye Clews and his sister-in-law Kimberly Clews. He was an honorary
lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 am on Saturday,
November 9, 2024 at St. Nicholas of Myra Catholic Church with Fr. Damian
Richards officiating.&nbsp; The family will
receive friends from 5:30 pm until 7:00 on Friday, November 8, 2024 at St.
John’s Chapel at Via Christi Village and from 9:00 am until service time on
Saturday at St. Nicholas of Myra Catholic Church.&nbsp; A vigil service and rosary will be at 6:30 pm
on Friday at St. John’s Chapel.&nbsp; In lieu
of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Via Christi
Village Long-term Care Activities Fund or to HaysMed Hospice.&nbsp; 

Services entrusted to Hays Memorial Chapel
Funeral Home and condolences and memories of Kenny may be shared with his
family at www.haysmemorial.com

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730315637300.jpeg" alt="Kenneth Pfannenstiel" />
 <figcaption>Kenneth Pfannenstiel</figcaption>
 </figure>Kenneth Pfannenstiel, beloved husband, dad, grandpa, cousin
and friend, passed away peacefully on October 27, 2024, at the age of 76. Born
on January 7, 1948, Kenny grew up and was a lifelong resident of Hays, Kansas.
He was the son of Paul J. and Philippa Pfannenstiel.As a child, Kenny enjoyed his time with his cousins. He
learned to dance the polka, play the accordion, and eat his favorite family
German dishes.Kenny graduated from St. Joseph’s Military Academy, Class of
1966. He continued his education at Salina Vo-Tech and became a machinist in
1968. He was highly skilled in his trade, and over the years, he worked for
Ralph’s Welding and Machine, Cross Manufacturing, S &amp; W Supply Co., and
Rans Inc. He retired as a custodial specialist from Fort Hays State University
in 2011.On June 19, 1971, Kenny married Diana Clews at Immaculate
Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Hays, beginning a life together that lasted 53
years. They were soulmates. Together, they raised 2 children: Sara and Kevin.
He was a loving father who worked hard to provide for his family.Kenny loved spending time with his family and friends. He
enjoyed a good conversation, classic cars, cheering on the Royals and the
Kansas City Chiefs, and listening to his favorite songs on the oldies channel.
Most of all, he loved being a grandpa. He enjoyed celebrating birthday parties,
hosting talent shows and playing endless games of checkers and Bingo.Kenneth Pfannenstiel had a life filled with faith, love, and
friendship. He is survived by his wife, Diana; his children Sara (Matthew)
Mahoney and Kevin (Tanda) Pfannenstiel; and four grandchildren, Jaxson, Lexi,
Maeve and Liam. Kenny was preceded in death by his parents, his in-laws Leroy
and Susie Faye Clews and his sister-in-law Kimberly Clews. He was an honorary
lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus.Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:00 am on Saturday,
November 9, 2024 at St. Nicholas of Myra Catholic Church with Fr. Damian
Richards officiating.&nbsp; The family will
receive friends from 5:30 pm until 7:00 on Friday, November 8, 2024 at St.
John’s Chapel at Via Christi Village and from 9:00 am until service time on
Saturday at St. Nicholas of Myra Catholic Church.&nbsp; A vigil service and rosary will be at 6:30 pm
on Friday at St. John’s Chapel.&nbsp; In lieu
of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Via Christi
Village Long-term Care Activities Fund or to HaysMed Hospice.&nbsp; Services entrusted to Hays Memorial Chapel
Funeral Home and condolences and memories of Kenny may be shared with his
family at www.haysmemorial.com

Kenneth Pfannenstiel

Michael
Raye Scheuerman, age 75, former Hays, Kansas resident passed away on Friday,
October 25, 2024, at the Ussery-Roan Texas State Veterans Nursing Home in
Amarillo, Texas.

He was born June 26, 1949, in LaCrosse, Kansas to Alvin and Clarinetta E.
(Scheuerman) Scheuerman.&nbsp; He married Deborah (Roach) on January 31, 2016.&nbsp;

Michael grew up on a farm outside of Bison, Kansas.&nbsp; He attended Otis
Grade School&nbsp;and
was a 1967 graduate of Otis High School.&nbsp; After graduation he enlisted in
the U S Marine Corps and did his basic training in San Diego and his advanced
infantry at Camp Pendleton.&nbsp; He served three years in active duty and
served three years in reserves.&nbsp; One of his tour of duty he spent 12
months in Vietnam where he received a Purple Heart for wounds received in
combat.&nbsp; 

After his time in the military he worked for the Hermann’s then attended Salina
Area Technical College getting his degree in Diesel Mechanic.&nbsp; Following
his training he opened Mike’s Repair in Otis, and later worked for Tupper’s
Custom Harvesters, George’s Repair, and I-70 Trucking where he retired from.&nbsp; 

Michael lived in Hays for many years and moved to Amarillo in 2016.&nbsp; While
in Hays he was a member of the Messiah Lutheran Church, a Lifetime member of
the Hays V.F.W Post #9076, and Edwin A. Schumacher Marine Corps League.&nbsp;
He enjoyed fishing, cooking, playing cards and golfing.

Michael is survived by his wife, Deboarh, of the home; his children, Marci;
Micah; and Marc, Scheuerman; and his two grandsons, all of Kansas City; his
brothers, Dennis Scheuerman and wife, VirJean, Smithville, MO; Paul Scheuerman
and wife, Doreen, Angola, KS; his nephew, Tate Scheuerman; his nieces, Treva
DeLeon, and Anna Scheuerman.

 Funeral Services will be at 11:00 A.M. Friday, November 1, 2024, at
Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays with Reverend Kenton Rohrberg
Officiating.&nbsp; A burial will be at 2:00 P.M. Friday, in the Kansas Veterans
Cemetery at WaKeeney, with Military Honors by the Hays V.F.W. Post 9076 and the
Edwin A. Schumacher Marine Corps League. 

Visitation&nbsp; will be from 9:00 to 11:00 A.M. Friday, at Cline’s-Keithley
Mortuary of Hays.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials made payable to: Hays V.F.W.
Post 9076 or Edwin A. Schumacher Marine Corps League in care of
Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays,
Kansas 67601.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 

Condolences can be sent via e-mail to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:clineschapels@gmail.com" target="_blank">clineschapels@gmail.com</a>&nbsp;or can be
left at guestbook at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com/" target="_blank">www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730144525003.jpeg" alt="Michael Raye Scheuerman" />
 <figcaption>Michael Raye Scheuerman</figcaption>
 </figure>Michael
Raye Scheuerman, age 75, former Hays, Kansas resident passed away on Friday,
October 25, 2024, at the Ussery-Roan Texas State Veterans Nursing Home in
Amarillo, Texas.He was born June 26, 1949, in LaCrosse, Kansas to Alvin and Clarinetta E.
(Scheuerman) Scheuerman.&nbsp; He married Deborah (Roach) on January 31, 2016.&nbsp;Michael grew up on a farm outside of Bison, Kansas.&nbsp; He attended Otis
Grade School&nbsp;and
was a 1967 graduate of Otis High School.&nbsp; After graduation he enlisted in
the U S Marine Corps and did his basic training in San Diego and his advanced
infantry at Camp Pendleton.&nbsp; He served three years in active duty and
served three years in reserves.&nbsp; One of his tour of duty he spent 12
months in Vietnam where he received a Purple Heart for wounds received in
combat.&nbsp; After his time in the military he worked for the Hermann’s then attended Salina
Area Technical College getting his degree in Diesel Mechanic.&nbsp; Following
his training he opened Mike’s Repair in Otis, and later worked for Tupper’s
Custom Harvesters, George’s Repair, and I-70 Trucking where he retired from.&nbsp; Michael lived in Hays for many years and moved to Amarillo in 2016.&nbsp; While
in Hays he was a member of the Messiah Lutheran Church, a Lifetime member of
the Hays V.F.W Post #9076, and Edwin A. Schumacher Marine Corps League.&nbsp;
He enjoyed fishing, cooking, playing cards and golfing.Michael is survived by his wife, Deboarh, of the home; his children, Marci;
Micah; and Marc, Scheuerman; and his two grandsons, all of Kansas City; his
brothers, Dennis Scheuerman and wife, VirJean, Smithville, MO; Paul Scheuerman
and wife, Doreen, Angola, KS; his nephew, Tate Scheuerman; his nieces, Treva
DeLeon, and Anna Scheuerman. Funeral Services will be at 11:00 A.M. Friday, November 1, 2024, at
Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays with Reverend Kenton Rohrberg
Officiating.&nbsp; A burial will be at 2:00 P.M. Friday, in the Kansas Veterans
Cemetery at WaKeeney, with Military Honors by the Hays V.F.W. Post 9076 and the
Edwin A. Schumacher Marine Corps League. Visitation&nbsp; will be from 9:00 to 11:00 A.M. Friday, at Cline’s-Keithley
Mortuary of Hays.In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorials made payable to: Hays V.F.W.
Post 9076 or Edwin A. Schumacher Marine Corps League in care of
Cline’s-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays,
Kansas 67601.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Condolences can be sent via e-mail to&nbsp;<a href="mailto:clineschapels@gmail.com" target="_blank">clineschapels@gmail.com</a>&nbsp;or can be
left at guestbook at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com/" target="_blank">www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com</a>

Michael Raye Scheuerman

LABETTE COUNTY —A horse injured when an SUV rear-ended a horse and buggy on a Kansas Highway October 24, is recovering, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol. Two people were also seriously injured in the crash in Labette County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2023 Ford Escape driven by Landin Rayne Knickerbocker, 27,&nbsp;Neodesha, was eastbound on U.S. 400 two miles East of the U.S. 169 Junction.

The SUV rear-ended the Horse and Buggy that was halfway in the outside lane and shoulder.&nbsp;

&nbsp;EMS transported the driver of the buggy 35-year-old Elizabeth&nbsp; Schwartz and her passenger 16-year-old Priscilla Schwartz both of Cherryvale to Labette County Health in&nbsp; Parsons for treatment of serious injuries. 

First responders called a vet to the scene to treat the horse who suffered a gash to a hindquarter, according to KHP Lt. Himes. The horse was carefully loaded onto a trailer, transported to another vet for treatment and is recovering at home.

Knickerbocker was not injured and properly restrained, according to the KHP.&nbsp;&nbsp;

LABETTE COUNTY —A horse injured when an SUV rear-ended a horse and buggy on a Kansas Highway October 24, is recovering, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol. Two people were also seriously injured in the crash in Labette County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2023 Ford Escape driven by Landin Rayne Knickerbocker, 27,&nbsp;Neodesha, was eastbound on U.S. 400 two miles East of the U.S. 169 Junction.The SUV rear-ended the Horse and Buggy that was halfway in the outside lane and shoulder.&nbsp;&nbsp;EMS transported the driver of the buggy 35-year-old Elizabeth&nbsp; Schwartz and her passenger 16-year-old Priscilla Schwartz both of Cherryvale to Labette County Health in&nbsp; Parsons for treatment of serious injuries. First responders called a vet to the scene to treat the horse who suffered a gash to a hindquarter, according to KHP Lt. Himes. The horse was carefully loaded onto a trailer, transported to another vet for treatment and is recovering at home.Knickerbocker was not injured and properly restrained, according to the KHP.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Horse injured in SUV, buggy crash on Kan. highway is recovering

ATLANTA (AP) — Two ballot drop boxes in the Pacific Northwest were damaged in a suspected arson attack just over a week before Election Day,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vote-ballot-drop-box-democracy-fire-f66c52f774955106fb9e7c8172825cff">destroying hundreds of ballots</a>&nbsp;at one location in Vancouver, Washington.

At the other, in neighboring Portland, Oregon, it appears a fire suppression system worked to contain the blaze and limited the number of ballots damaged to three. Authorities are reviewing surveillance footage as they try to identify who is responsible.

Here’s what happened, how rules and security measures about drop boxes vary across the country, and how election conspiracy theories have undermined confidence in their use.

Police said incendiary devices started the fires in the drop boxes in Portland and Vancouver. Authorities said evidence showed the fires were connected and that they also are related to an Oct. 8 incident when an incendiary device was placed at a different drop box in Vancouver.

Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said his office was planning to contact the three voters whose ballots were damaged in Portland to help them get replacements.

In Vancouver, hundreds of ballots were lost at a ballot box at the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center when the drop box’s fire suppression system did not work as intended. Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said the box was last emptied at 11 a.m. Saturday. Voters who dropped their ballots there afterward are being urged to contact the office to get a new one.

The office will be increasing how frequently it collects ballots and changing collection times to the evening to keep ballot boxes from remaining full overnight when vandalism is more likely to occur.

Kimsey described the suspected arson as "a direct attack on democracy.”

Drop boxes have been used for years in states such as Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington, where ballots are mailed to all registered voters.

They grew in popularity in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, as election officials sought options for voters who wanted to avoid crowded polling places or were worried about mail delays.

In all, 27 states and the District of Columbia allow ballot drop boxes, according to data collected by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Six others don’t have a specific law but allow local communities to use them.

Placement can vary widely. In some communities, they’re located inside public buildings, available only during office hours. Elsewhere, they are outside and accessible at any hour, typically with video surveillance or someone watching.

Sporadic problems have occurred over the years.

In 2020, a few drop boxes were hit by vehicles, and one in Massachusetts was damaged by arson. In that case, most of the ballots were legible enough for voters to be identified and sent replacements. A drop box also was set on fire in Los Angeles County in 2020.

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency advises state and local election officials to place drop boxes in convenient, high-traffic areas that are familiar to voters, such as libraries and community centers.

If drop boxes are not staffed, they should be secured and locked at all times, located in well-lit areas and monitored by video surveillance cameras, the guidance says. Many are bolted to the ground, surveilled with cameras or confined to public buildings during business hours, where they can be monitored.

How have conspiracy theories contributed to concerns around drop boxes?

Ballot drop boxes have been in the spotlight for the last four years, targeted by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-technology-health-arizona-e1b49d2311bf900f44fa5c6dac406762?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">right-wing conspiracy theories</a>&nbsp;that falsely claimed they were responsible for massive voter fraud in 2020.

A debunked film called “2,000 Mules” amplified the claims, exposing millions to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-technology-health-arizona-e1b49d2311bf900f44fa5c6dac406762">a groundless theory</a>&nbsp;that a ballot harvesting operation was depositing fraudulent ballots in drop boxes in the dark of night.

An&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-2022-midterm-elections-covid-health-wisconsin-c61fa93a12a1a51d6d9f4e0a21fa3b75?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Associated Press survey of state election officials</a>&nbsp;across the U.S. found there were no widespread problems associated with drop boxes in 2020.

Paranoia about drop boxes continued into the 2022 midterms, when armed vigilantes began showing up to monitor them in Arizona and were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-arizona-phoenix-5353cfd0774727e6dd03bdbf48c12211">restricted by a federal judge</a>. This year, the conservative group True the Vote launched a website hosting citizen livestreams of drop boxes in various states.

In Montana, where an important U.S. Senate race is on the ballot, Republicans recently seized on an unsubstantiated ballot box tampering claim to raise money off doubts about the electoral process.

How have states responded since the 2020 election?

Republican lawmakers in several states sought to tighten rules around mail voting after the 2020 election, and much of their focus was on the use of ballot drop boxes.

Six states have since banned them: Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina and South Dakota, according to research by the Voting Rights Lab, which advocates for expanded voting access.

Other states have restricted their use. This includes Ohio and Iowa, which now permits only one drop box per county, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

In Georgia's Fulton County, which includes Atlanta and has over 1 million residents, 10 ballot drop boxes are available for this year’s presidential election. That's down from 38 four years ago under an emergency rule prompted by the pandemic. It’s the result of an election overhaul by Georgia Republicans in response to former President Donald&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">Trump’s false claims</a>&nbsp;of a stolen election.

Overall, 12 states prohibit drop boxes or do not list drop boxes as an approved method of returning a ballot, according to data collected by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Five other states do not have a state law and do not use drop boxes.

Drop boxes had been used for years in Wisconsin, one of this year's presidential battlegrounds, but support for them has split along ideological lines since 2020. In Wausau, the conservative mayor carted away the city’s lone drop box, an action that’s under investigation by the state Department of Justice. The drop box has since been returned and is in use.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730165077840.png" alt="-Photo FBI" />
 <figcaption>-Photo FBI</figcaption>
 </figure>ATLANTA (AP) — Two ballot drop boxes in the Pacific Northwest were damaged in a suspected arson attack just over a week before Election Day,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vote-ballot-drop-box-democracy-fire-f66c52f774955106fb9e7c8172825cff">destroying hundreds of ballots</a>&nbsp;at one location in Vancouver, Washington.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Breaking - Statement from the FBI, U.S. Attorney&#39;s Office. <a href="https://twitter.com/USAO_OR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USAO_OR</a> <a href="https://t.co/Rn0ZNjZdP2">pic.twitter.com/Rn0ZNjZdP2</a>&mdash; FBI Portland (@FBIPortland) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIPortland/status/1851407956769656968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 29, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>At the other, in neighboring Portland, Oregon, it appears a fire suppression system worked to contain the blaze and limited the number of ballots damaged to three. Authorities are reviewing surveillance footage as they try to identify who is responsible.Here’s what happened, how rules and security measures about drop boxes vary across the country, and how election conspiracy theories have undermined confidence in their use.<h2>What do we know?</h2>Police said incendiary devices started the fires in the drop boxes in Portland and Vancouver. Authorities said evidence showed the fires were connected and that they also are related to an Oct. 8 incident when an incendiary device was placed at a different drop box in Vancouver.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730151562414.png" alt="-Suspect vehicle is described as a black or dark-colored 2001-2004 Volvo S-60. The vehicle does not have a front license plate, but it does have an unknown rear plate.-photo FBI" />
 <figcaption>-Suspect vehicle is described as a black or dark-colored 2001-2004 Volvo S-60. The vehicle does not have a front license plate, but it does have an unknown rear plate.-photo FBI</figcaption>
 </figure>Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said his office was planning to contact the three voters whose ballots were damaged in Portland to help them get replacements.In Vancouver, hundreds of ballots were lost at a ballot box at the Fisher’s Landing Transit Center when the drop box’s fire suppression system did not work as intended. Clark County Auditor Greg Kimsey said the box was last emptied at 11 a.m. Saturday. Voters who dropped their ballots there afterward are being urged to contact the office to get a new one.The office will be increasing how frequently it collects ballots and changing collection times to the evening to keep ballot boxes from remaining full overnight when vandalism is more likely to occur.Kimsey described the suspected arson as "a direct attack on democracy.”<h2>When and where can drop boxes be used?</h2>Drop boxes have been used for years in states such as Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington, where ballots are mailed to all registered voters.They grew in popularity in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, as election officials sought options for voters who wanted to avoid crowded polling places or were worried about mail delays.In all, 27 states and the District of Columbia allow ballot drop boxes, according to data collected by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Six others don’t have a specific law but allow local communities to use them.Placement can vary widely. In some communities, they’re located inside public buildings, available only during office hours. Elsewhere, they are outside and accessible at any hour, typically with video surveillance or someone watching.Sporadic problems have occurred over the years.In 2020, a few drop boxes were hit by vehicles, and one in Massachusetts was damaged by arson. In that case, most of the ballots were legible enough for voters to be identified and sent replacements. A drop box also was set on fire in Los Angeles County in 2020.<h2>How should they be secured?</h2>The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency advises state and local election officials to place drop boxes in convenient, high-traffic areas that are familiar to voters, such as libraries and community centers.If drop boxes are not staffed, they should be secured and locked at all times, located in well-lit areas and monitored by video surveillance cameras, the guidance says. Many are bolted to the ground, surveilled with cameras or confined to public buildings during business hours, where they can be monitored.<h2>How have conspiracy theories contributed to concerns around drop boxes?</h2>Ballot drop boxes have been in the spotlight for the last four years, targeted by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-technology-health-arizona-e1b49d2311bf900f44fa5c6dac406762?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">right-wing conspiracy theories</a>&nbsp;that falsely claimed they were responsible for massive voter fraud in 2020.A debunked film called “2,000 Mules” amplified the claims, exposing millions to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-covid-technology-health-arizona-e1b49d2311bf900f44fa5c6dac406762">a groundless theory</a>&nbsp;that a ballot harvesting operation was depositing fraudulent ballots in drop boxes in the dark of night.An&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-2022-midterm-elections-covid-health-wisconsin-c61fa93a12a1a51d6d9f4e0a21fa3b75?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Associated Press survey of state election officials</a>&nbsp;across the U.S. found there were no widespread problems associated with drop boxes in 2020.Paranoia about drop boxes continued into the 2022 midterms, when armed vigilantes began showing up to monitor them in Arizona and were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-arizona-phoenix-5353cfd0774727e6dd03bdbf48c12211">restricted by a federal judge</a>. This year, the conservative group True the Vote launched a website hosting citizen livestreams of drop boxes in various states.In Montana, where an important U.S. Senate race is on the ballot, Republicans recently seized on an unsubstantiated ballot box tampering claim to raise money off doubts about the electoral process.<h2>How have states responded since the 2020 election?</h2>Republican lawmakers in several states sought to tighten rules around mail voting after the 2020 election, and much of their focus was on the use of ballot drop boxes.Six states have since banned them: Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina and South Dakota, according to research by the Voting Rights Lab, which advocates for expanded voting access.Other states have restricted their use. This includes Ohio and Iowa, which now permits only one drop box per county, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.In Georgia's Fulton County, which includes Atlanta and has over 1 million residents, 10 ballot drop boxes are available for this year’s presidential election. That's down from 38 four years ago under an emergency rule prompted by the pandemic. It’s the result of an election overhaul by Georgia Republicans in response to former President Donald&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-michael-pence-electoral-college-elections-health-2d9bd47a8bd3561682ac46c6b3873a10">Trump’s false claims</a>&nbsp;of a stolen election.Overall, 12 states prohibit drop boxes or do not list drop boxes as an approved method of returning a ballot, according to data collected by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Five other states do not have a state law and do not use drop boxes.Drop boxes had been used for years in Wisconsin, one of this year's presidential battlegrounds, but support for them has split along ideological lines since 2020. In Wausau, the conservative mayor carted away the city’s lone drop box, an action that’s under investigation by the state Department of Justice. The drop box has since been returned and is in use.___

Search continues for suspect in ballot drop box fires

By JOHN P. TRETBAR Eagle Media

A big drop in&nbsp;oil&nbsp;prices is being called a collective sigh of relief after Israel refrained from attacking Iran's energy infrastructure. The benchmarks were all down six percent Monday.

Weekly crude production in the United States topped 13.5 million barrels per day for only the second time ever, but output declined from last week's all-time high. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports output of 13,526,000 barrels per day in the week through October 18, a decline of 5,000 daily barrels from a week earlier. 

Cumulative production so far this year is up six percent to top 13.2 million barrels a day for the first time ever.

EIA reports crude inventories increased by more than five million barrels to 426 million barrels. That's about four percent below the five-year average for this time of year.

The government took delivery on 800,000 barrels of crude&nbsp;oil&nbsp;for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) last week. The SPR now holds more than 384 million barrels, up nearly ten percent from a year ago, but just over half the total from three years ago.

The weekly Rotary Rig Count from Baker Hughes was 585 rigs, up two&nbsp;oil&nbsp;rigs but down two seeking natural gas. Louisiana was down two rigs; Pennsylvania was down one. New Mexico, Oklahoma and Ohio were each up one.

Independent&nbsp;Oil&nbsp;&amp; Gas Service this week reported 27 new drilling locations statewide last week. There are 15 in eastern Kansas and 12 west of Wichita, with one new permit in Barton County and one in Stafford County.

Crude prices at CHS in McPherson are nearly three dollars below the monthly average, but rose $1.50 on Friday to start the week at $62 per barrel. That's up $2.50 from a week ago and $2.00 higher than at the first of the month.

Two offshore drillers that were once the world's largest are considering a merger. According to World&nbsp;Oil&nbsp;and Bloomberg, stock prices for &nbsp;both Transocean and Seadrill are both down by more than 25%, but the two would create a combined market value of $6 billion at current prices. 

Transocean, which owned the Deepwater Horizon rig involved in the blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, was the only major offshore rig contractor to avoid bankruptcy during the 2020 downturn. The companies could yet opt to remain independent. Bloomberg reports the talks are ongoing and no deal has been reached as of yet.

The U.S. is a net crude-oil&nbsp;importer, bringing in about 2.3 million barrels a day more than we shipped out last week. Product exports outpace imports by nearly 5 million barrels a day. Weekly crude imports rose nearly a million barrels to 6.4 million barrels a day. The four-week average is up slightly from a year ago. 

Crude exports averaged just over 4million barrels a day, down 11,000 daily barrels. Four-week average crude exports are down nearly 100,000 barrels a day from a year ago.

North Dakota crude oil&nbsp;production increased by nearly 300,000 barrels from July to August. The Department of Mineral Resources reported an August production total of just over 36.5 million barrels, or 1.18 million barrels a day.

An&nbsp;oil&nbsp;terminal Iran built to bypass the vital Strait of Hormuz now appears partially filled with crude, offering Tehran a means to get a little of its&nbsp;oil&nbsp;into the world without using the waterway. 

Iran has threatened to close the strait many times, a hollow threat because it would lock in its own&nbsp;oil&nbsp;production. The so-called "Jask" terminal is located outside the Persian Gulf and would bypass the relatively narrow waterway. Jask can load one million barrels per day, with storage capacity of about 20 million barrels. Iran's main terminal at Kharg Island boasts capacity of roughly three times that.

After eight months, they have found the tug boat that was dragging the&nbsp;oil&nbsp;barge that was leaking&nbsp;oil&nbsp;and fouling the waters around the island of Tobago. They found the tug nearly 6,000 miles away, across the Atlantic Ocean in Angola. The&nbsp;oil&nbsp;spill was first noticed last February. It took until August to remove the&nbsp;oil&nbsp;barge. And now, in October, they have taken the tug into custody and filed a $270 million claim. But as of now they have no idea who owns the tug.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670507085360.jpeg" alt="Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By JOHN P. TRETBAR Eagle MediaA big drop in&nbsp;oil&nbsp;prices is being called a collective sigh of relief after Israel refrained from attacking Iran's energy infrastructure. The benchmarks were all down six percent Monday.Weekly crude production in the United States topped 13.5 million barrels per day for only the second time ever, but output declined from last week's all-time high. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports output of 13,526,000 barrels per day in the week through October 18, a decline of 5,000 daily barrels from a week earlier. Cumulative production so far this year is up six percent to top 13.2 million barrels a day for the first time ever.EIA reports crude inventories increased by more than five million barrels to 426 million barrels. That's about four percent below the five-year average for this time of year.The government took delivery on 800,000 barrels of crude&nbsp;oil&nbsp;for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) last week. The SPR now holds more than 384 million barrels, up nearly ten percent from a year ago, but just over half the total from three years ago.The weekly Rotary Rig Count from Baker Hughes was 585 rigs, up two&nbsp;oil&nbsp;rigs but down two seeking natural gas. Louisiana was down two rigs; Pennsylvania was down one. New Mexico, Oklahoma and Ohio were each up one.Independent&nbsp;Oil&nbsp;&amp; Gas Service this week reported 27 new drilling locations statewide last week. There are 15 in eastern Kansas and 12 west of Wichita, with one new permit in Barton County and one in Stafford County.Crude prices at CHS in McPherson are nearly three dollars below the monthly average, but rose $1.50 on Friday to start the week at $62 per barrel. That's up $2.50 from a week ago and $2.00 higher than at the first of the month.Two offshore drillers that were once the world's largest are considering a merger. According to World&nbsp;Oil&nbsp;and Bloomberg, stock prices for &nbsp;both Transocean and Seadrill are both down by more than 25%, but the two would create a combined market value of $6 billion at current prices. Transocean, which owned the Deepwater Horizon rig involved in the blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, was the only major offshore rig contractor to avoid bankruptcy during the 2020 downturn. The companies could yet opt to remain independent. Bloomberg reports the talks are ongoing and no deal has been reached as of yet.The U.S. is a net crude-oil&nbsp;importer, bringing in about 2.3 million barrels a day more than we shipped out last week. Product exports outpace imports by nearly 5 million barrels a day. Weekly crude imports rose nearly a million barrels to 6.4 million barrels a day. The four-week average is up slightly from a year ago. Crude exports averaged just over 4million barrels a day, down 11,000 daily barrels. Four-week average crude exports are down nearly 100,000 barrels a day from a year ago.North Dakota crude oil&nbsp;production increased by nearly 300,000 barrels from July to August. The Department of Mineral Resources reported an August production total of just over 36.5 million barrels, or 1.18 million barrels a day.An&nbsp;oil&nbsp;terminal Iran built to bypass the vital Strait of Hormuz now appears partially filled with crude, offering Tehran a means to get a little of its&nbsp;oil&nbsp;into the world without using the waterway. Iran has threatened to close the strait many times, a hollow threat because it would lock in its own&nbsp;oil&nbsp;production. The so-called "Jask" terminal is located outside the Persian Gulf and would bypass the relatively narrow waterway. Jask can load one million barrels per day, with storage capacity of about 20 million barrels. Iran's main terminal at Kharg Island boasts capacity of roughly three times that.After eight months, they have found the tug boat that was dragging the&nbsp;oil&nbsp;barge that was leaking&nbsp;oil&nbsp;and fouling the waters around the island of Tobago. They found the tug nearly 6,000 miles away, across the Atlantic Ocean in Angola. The&nbsp;oil&nbsp;spill was first noticed last February. It took until August to remove the&nbsp;oil&nbsp;barge. And now, in October, they have taken the tug into custody and filed a $270 million claim. But as of now they have no idea who owns the tug.&nbsp;&nbsp;

News from the Oil Patch: Crude production records tumble

Fort Hays State men's basketball plays their only exhibition game against Kansas State on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 at Bramlage Coliseum.

Fort Hays State men's basketball plays their only exhibition game against Kansas State on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 at Bramlage Coliseum.<div><iframe title="FHSU Rewind: MBB at Kansas State (Oct. 29, 2024)" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);height:150px;" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=gp7k6-1723a0f-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=1&font-color=&logo_link=episode_page&btn-skin=2" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

🎧 Defend the Fort Podcast: FHSU Rewind-MBB at Kansas State (Oct. 29, 2024)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;took a swipe against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump's</a>&nbsp;supporters as he reacted to the Republican presidential nominee's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-madison-square-garden-new-york-election-fcfe75be7f8281fde7bffa3adb3bba5d">weekend rally</a>&nbsp;at Madison Square Garden, which was overshadowed by crude and racist rhetoric.

In a call organized by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino, Biden on Tuesday responded to&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/a%20comic">a comic</a>&nbsp;at Trump's rally who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” Biden's initial comments were garbled.

“Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. Well, let me tell you something, I don’t, I don’t know the Puerto Rican that I know, the Puerto Rico where I’m fr -- in my home state of Delaware. They’re good, decent honorable people,” he said.

The president then added: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been.”

White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden “referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage.’”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1730294797293.png" alt="Image courtesy Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;took a swipe against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump's</a>&nbsp;supporters as he reacted to the Republican presidential nominee's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-madison-square-garden-new-york-election-fcfe75be7f8281fde7bffa3adb3bba5d">weekend rally</a>&nbsp;at Madison Square Garden, which was overshadowed by crude and racist rhetoric.In a call organized by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino, Biden on Tuesday responded to&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/a%20comic">a comic</a>&nbsp;at Trump's rally who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” Biden's initial comments were garbled.“Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. Well, let me tell you something, I don’t, I don’t know the Puerto Rican that I know, the Puerto Rico where I’m fr -- in my home state of Delaware. They’re good, decent honorable people,” he said.The president then added: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been.”White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden “referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage.’”Biden then took to social media to personally clarify what he said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump&#39;s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage—which is the only word I can think of to describe it. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That&#39;s all I meant to say. The…&mdash; Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1851436643498037614?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage — which is the only word I can think of to describe it,” he posted on X. “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.”In referring to Trump's supporters as “garbage,” however, Biden's tone was at odds with the message that Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is seeking to present as she aims to cast a broad appeal, including to disaffected Republicans. Shortly after Biden's comments, Harris spoke from the Ellipse in Washington, vowing to be a president who would unite the country.“I pledge to be a president for all Americans,” said Harris, who is Biden's vice president.Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, said the campaign's message of unity was not undercut by Biden's words.Walz said Wednesday on “CBS Mornings” that the president “was very clear that he’s speaking about the rhetoric we heard, so it doesn’t undermine it.” Walz added on ABC's “Good Morning America” that he and Harris “have made it absolutely clear that we want everyone as a part of this. Donald Trump’s divisive rhetoric is what needs to end.”Republicans quickly highlighted Biden's remark. Trump called up Florida Sen.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/marco-rubio">Marco Rubio</a>&nbsp;during his rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to recount what happened.“Moments ago Joe Biden stated that our supporters, our patriots, are garbage,” Rubio said. ”He’s talking about everyday Americans who love their country.”Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a subsequent statement, “There’s no way to spin it: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris don’t just hate President Trump, they despise the tens of millions of Americans who support him."A Trump campaign fundraising text declared, “KAMALA’S BOSS JOE BIDEN JUST CALLED ALL MY SUPPORTERS GARBAGE!” before ensuring recipients that Trump himself thinks, “YOU ARE AMAZING!”Even some prominent Democrats began distancing themselves from Biden's comments. Speaking on CNN, Pennsylvania Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/josh-shapiro">Josh Shapiro</a>&nbsp;said he would “never insult the good people of Pennsylvania or any Americans even if they chose to support a candidate that I didn't support.”The comments recalled then-Democratic presidential nominee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/hillary-clinton">Hillary Clinton</a>&nbsp;dismissing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Trump</a>&nbsp;supporters during a 2016 fundraiser in New York by saying that half would fit into a “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/events-united-states-presidential-election-97d6e5c7188845888bba36957160b675">basket of deplorables</a>.”Clinton later called that characterization “grossly generalistic.” But it became a defiant rallying cry for many Trump backers who said the insult encapsulated the elitist attitudes of Clinton and the Democrats.As reactions to Biden's reaction began to fly, meanwhile, Trump was asked in an interview Tuesday night with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity about the racist and vulgar joke at his New York rally. He responded: “Somebody said there was a comedian that joked about Puerto Rico or something. And I have no idea who he is.”The former president added, "I can’t imagine it’s a big deal.”At a rally Tuesday in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a city with a large Hispanic population, Trump repeated his claim that Biden's immigration policies have allowed other countries to treat the U.S. like “a giant garbage can.”With Election Day now just a week off, Biden has worked to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-harris-2024-campaign-voting-5bc945613e702b0d92fec5881b676ed2">maintain relevance</a>, furiously promoting his administration’s accomplishments while Harris in her race against Trump.But his efforts to remain in the political spotlight might not always be so helpful for the top of the Democratic ticket he’s now promoting. That’s because, while Harris has been sharply critical of Trump for months, repeatedly calling him “unstable” and “unhinged” and even suggesting that he was “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fascism-meaning-harris-trump-kelly-fda56694feb1825dcf6477c8081a563d">fascist</a>,” she has been careful not to decry his supporters.In fact, the vice president has campaigned extensively with former Republican Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-election-2024-gop-c584f9860260f48ddff90ab2dca0433a">Liz Cheney</a>&nbsp;and other former GOP elected officials — hoping to woo conservative crossover voters. The Democratic convention — and Harris ads — have highlighted the stories of everyday Americans who talked about having voted for Trump in the past but now say they are supporting the vice president.On Tuesday’s call, Biden also said that Trump “doesn’t give a damn about the Latino community” and urged rejection of the former president even as Trump’s campaign says its support is rising among Hispanics, particularly men.“Vote to keep Donald Trump out of the White House,” Biden said. “He’s a true danger to, not just Latinos but to all people. Particularly those who are in a minority in this country.”