Mary Beth Wagner, 85, Rush Center, Kansas, passed away Friday, December 29, 2023, at Hays Medical Center, Hays, Kansas.

Mary Beth was born July 1, 1938, in La &nbsp;Crosse, Kansas, the daughter of Cyril P. and Marie B. (Jira) Schmidt. &nbsp;She was a lifelong resident of Rush County, Kansas. &nbsp;A 1956 graduate of La Crosse High School, La Crosse, Kansas, she was co-owner of Red’s Recreation, and &nbsp;an administrative assistant for many years before her retirement.

Mary Beth loved her family, and especially enjoyed attending her grandchildren’s activities, no matter what they might be. &nbsp;She was a talented seamstress, the family genealogist, and enjoyed her flower garden and house plants.

On June 9, 1961, she married Lloyd W. “Red Fox” Wagner at Junction City, Kansas. &nbsp;He preceded her in death October 29, 2013.

Survivors include: &nbsp;three sons, Tracy Wagner (Sue), La Crosse, Kansas, Terry Wagner (Julie), Rush Center, Kansas, and Ted Wagner (Lisa), Pawnee Rock, Kansas; one daughter, Tanya Pierce (Dean), La Crosse, Kansas; one step son, Preston Wagner (Maribeth), La Crosse, Kansas; two step daughters, Linda L. Redona (Raul), Palm Springs, California, and Tammy Wagner, Rush Center, Kansas; grandchildren, Ashley Boone (Spencer), Matthew Wagner (Dekota), Sarah Riedel (Aaron), Marissa Wagner, Tessa Pierce, Cole Pierce, Blake Pierce, and Danielle Wagner; great grandchildren, Milo, Coen, Adalyn, Lane and Maverick; step grandchildren, Melissa, Nicole, Amber, Jessica, Chris, Patrick, Saria, and Caladonia; 26 step great grandchildren; four &nbsp;brothers, Gary Schmidt, La Crosse, Kansas, Richard Schmidt, La Crosse, Kansas, Joe Schmidt, Wamego, Kansas, and John Schmidt, Hoisington, Kansas; and her faithful companion and best friend, Poncho.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; son, Travis Wagner; step son, Mark Wagner; three step grandchildren, Jason Wagner, Samuel Kelley, and Kacy Addams; three brothers, Mark Schmidt, Michael Schmidt, and Galen Schmidt; and two sisters, Judy Addams, and Debbie Hollis.

Visitation will be Tuesday, January 2, 2024, from 4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at the Janousek Funeral Home, La Crosse, Kansas, with the family receiving friends from 6:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. &nbsp;

Church visitation will be Wednesday, January 3, 2024, from 9:00 A.M. to 9:50 A.M. at Hope Lutheran Church, Rush Center, Kansas.

Funeral service will be Wednesday, January 3, 2024, at 10:00 A.M. at Hope Lutheran Church, Rush Center, Kansas, with Rhonda Templing, S. A. M. officiating. &nbsp;Interment will be in Hope Lutheran Cemetery, Rush Center, Kansas.

In lieu of flowers or plants, the family requests memorials to Hope Lutheran Cemetery, Rush Center, Kansas, or the Rush County EMTs.

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

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1704057138412.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Mary Beth Wagner, 85, Rush Center, Kansas, passed away Friday, December 29, 2023, at Hays Medical Center, Hays, Kansas.Mary Beth was born July 1, 1938, in La &nbsp;Crosse, Kansas, the daughter of Cyril P. and Marie B. (Jira) Schmidt. &nbsp;She was a lifelong resident of Rush County, Kansas. &nbsp;A 1956 graduate of La Crosse High School, La Crosse, Kansas, she was co-owner of Red’s Recreation, and &nbsp;an administrative assistant for many years before her retirement.Mary Beth loved her family, and especially enjoyed attending her grandchildren’s activities, no matter what they might be. &nbsp;She was a talented seamstress, the family genealogist, and enjoyed her flower garden and house plants.On June 9, 1961, she married Lloyd W. “Red Fox” Wagner at Junction City, Kansas. &nbsp;He preceded her in death October 29, 2013.Survivors include: &nbsp;three sons, Tracy Wagner (Sue), La Crosse, Kansas, Terry Wagner (Julie), Rush Center, Kansas, and Ted Wagner (Lisa), Pawnee Rock, Kansas; one daughter, Tanya Pierce (Dean), La Crosse, Kansas; one step son, Preston Wagner (Maribeth), La Crosse, Kansas; two step daughters, Linda L. Redona (Raul), Palm Springs, California, and Tammy Wagner, Rush Center, Kansas; grandchildren, Ashley Boone (Spencer), Matthew Wagner (Dekota), Sarah Riedel (Aaron), Marissa Wagner, Tessa Pierce, Cole Pierce, Blake Pierce, and Danielle Wagner; great grandchildren, Milo, Coen, Adalyn, Lane and Maverick; step grandchildren, Melissa, Nicole, Amber, Jessica, Chris, Patrick, Saria, and Caladonia; 26 step great grandchildren; four &nbsp;brothers, Gary Schmidt, La Crosse, Kansas, Richard Schmidt, La Crosse, Kansas, Joe Schmidt, Wamego, Kansas, and John Schmidt, Hoisington, Kansas; and her faithful companion and best friend, Poncho.She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; son, Travis Wagner; step son, Mark Wagner; three step grandchildren, Jason Wagner, Samuel Kelley, and Kacy Addams; three brothers, Mark Schmidt, Michael Schmidt, and Galen Schmidt; and two sisters, Judy Addams, and Debbie Hollis.Visitation will be Tuesday, January 2, 2024, from 4:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at the Janousek Funeral Home, La Crosse, Kansas, with the family receiving friends from 6:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. &nbsp;Church visitation will be Wednesday, January 3, 2024, from 9:00 A.M. to 9:50 A.M. at Hope Lutheran Church, Rush Center, Kansas.Funeral service will be Wednesday, January 3, 2024, at 10:00 A.M. at Hope Lutheran Church, Rush Center, Kansas, with Rhonda Templing, S. A. M. officiating. &nbsp;Interment will be in Hope Lutheran Cemetery, Rush Center, Kansas.In lieu of flowers or plants, the family requests memorials to Hope Lutheran Cemetery, Rush Center, Kansas, or the Rush County EMTs.Condolences or remembrances may be left for the family at www.janousekfuneralhome.com.Arrangements were by Janousek Funeral Home, 719 Pine Street, P O Box 550, La Crosse, Kansas 67548, 785/222-2517.

Mary Beth Wagner

Government rental assistance, a boon during the pandemic, has dwindled. Some states are working on their own solutions.

By CASEY QUINLAN,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/19/rural-hospitals-gird-for-unwinding-of-pandemic-medicaid-coverage/">States Newsroom</a>

Maine’s housing authority received $35 million in 2023 — the first time in 54 years it has received a direct appropriation from the state budget — to help build more affordable rental housing for communities that have struggled to keep up with high housing prices.

The state’s program provides funding to developers for affordable housing projects with between five and 18 units, a size that housing advocates say is sorely needed in many rural communities. That includes construction for new housing, reuse of buildings for housing and rehabilitation of existing housing.

Mark Wiesendanger, director of development at MaineHousing, said that as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates it was difficult for the independent state agency to support itself at the level the program needed, but that political leaders saw the value of their work and were able to make the historic investment because of a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pressherald.com/2023/08/17/state-budget-surplus-provides-another-65-million-for-affordable-housing/">$141 million budget surplus</a>.

Wiesendanger said there’s a lack of housing across the income spectrum in the state, which has some of the oldest housing stock in the nation. He said some of the housing needs to be condemned and replaced, and that much of it is inefficient to heat. To make matters worse, when the pandemic began and many people with the ability to telecommute moved to the state, the population shift drove up housing prices and wages didn’t keep up.

“[The coast of Maine] is a very expensive place to live,” he said. “Folks that work there as fishermen or people who work in the local restaurants, local mechanics and firefighters, have a hard time paying to live in those towns.”

The scenery may be different from state to state but the housing landscape is much the same across the country: People are struggling to find a home they can afford. Legislators, state agencies and the Biden administration this year proposed a raft of legislation and programs to tackle the problem. Advocates say states need to do even more to prioritize housing needs.

From January 2019 to January 2023, the average rent in a U.S. city shot up 19.38%&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUUR0000SEHA">according to</a>&nbsp;St. Louis Fed data. In 22 states and the District of Columbia, people need a wage above&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nlihc.org/oor">$26 an hour</a>&nbsp;to afford a two-bedroom rental home, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. According to rental data from CoreLogic, a company that analyzes property, financial and consumer information, the median renter household pays $500 more than it did in 2020.

The combination of high mortgage rates and low housing inventory contributed to those soaring rental prices which hit just as the federal programs and protections put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic ended.

Andrew Aurand, senior vice president for research at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said long-standing problems in the housing market were exacerbated by rental inflation in 2021 going into 2022.

“We saw that massive increase in rental inflation that fortunately has flattened now and rent prices have stabilized, but the damage has been done in terms of higher rents for those lowest income renters,” he said. “ … General demand for rental housing has increased quite significantly over the past decade. And so that has squeezed the lowest income renters even more as demand for rental housing has been pretty significant. It’s taken quite a while for supply to catch up.”

As rents went up, the number of people without a home also increased. U.S. homelessness, as measured by a single night in January 2023, rose 12% from last year,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_23_278">according to</a>&nbsp;a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development report released on Dec. 15.

But as Aurand noted, the situation is starting to show signs of improvement.

There has been an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNDCON5MUSA">increase</a>&nbsp;in privately owned housing units under construction this year, from 932,000 in January 2023 to 988,000 in November 2023. In 2022, the Biden administration&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/16/president-biden-announces-new-actions-to-ease-the-burden-of-housing-costs/">released a plan</a>&nbsp;to increase the housing supply, which included expanding federal financing of loans for affordable multifamily development homes and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/07/27/biden-harris-administration-announces-actions-to-lower-housing-costs-and-boost-supply/">removing a cap</a>&nbsp;for larger loans to build and rehabilitate certain homes.

But Mari Castaldi, director of state housing policy at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, said that it’s up to states and localities to prioritize housing. States have recognized this, with lawmakers introducing more than&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/targeting-policies-that-help-families-stay-afloat">2,500 bills</a>&nbsp;related to housing and homelessness this year in 49 states and D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam, according to the National Conference for State Legislatures. This is almost twice the number of bills the legislatures introduced in 2022. Ninety-three bills specific to rental assistance were introduced in 27 states this year compared to 56 bills in 12 states in 2022. Expect more of the same in the coming year.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2023/12/20/legislative-plan-to-overhaul-affordable-housing-prompts-applause-warnings/">New Jersey lawmakers</a>&nbsp;introduced an affordable housing “fix” just ahead of Christmas, and New Hampshire legislators have&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2023/12/21/a-deep-need-lawmakers-propose-slew-of-2024-bills-to-address-housing-shortages/">prefiled numerous bills</a>&nbsp;aimed at adding more affordable housing for their session that starts on Jan. 3.

“What we’re seeing is that more and more, given the political dynamics in Washington, D.C., and particularly the debates around the debt ceiling, the prospects for sorely needed expansion of investments in affordable housing resources is uncertain at best,” Castaldi said. “We’re seeing, really out of necessity, and based on the needs in their community, states are starting to step in and try to begin filling those massive gaps.”

Affordable housing solutions across the U.S.

The number of these programs varies greatly from state to state. New York, Minnesota, California, Massachusetts and Illinois had the most rental housing programs in the U.S., with more than 17 programs, according to an October National Low Income Housing Coalition&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/state-and-local-investments-rental-housing-report.pdf">report</a>, and Oklahoma, Alabama, Idaho and Montana were among the states with the fewest, with one to seven programs. The organization found zero programs in Arkansas and Wyoming but cautioned that this may simply mean there is no online information about them, not that they absolutely do not exist in these states. The Arkansas Development Finance Authority told States Newsroom that it administers a state Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program similar to the federal program that encourages affordable rental housing development.

Aurand said some states and cities are also finding creative ways to support affordable housing efforts, and Denver is one example. The city’s marijuana tax revenue provided&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.westword.com/marijuana/denver-crosses-500-million-marijuana-tax-revenue-18073791#:~:text=Dispensary%20sales%20mirrored%20the%20same,fund%20local%20affordable%20housing%20programs.">$8.7 million</a>&nbsp;for affordable housing assistance this year. One downside of this approach, however, is that it is dependent on those sales, which have been&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/next/next-with-kyle-clark/where-does-denver-marijuana-money-go/73-34246b01-9e80-417f-b832-145affa468c3#:~:text=Denver%20hit%20%24500%20million%20in,sale%20on%20January%201%2C%202014.&amp;text=DENVER%20%E2%80%94%20Every%20time%20someone%20lights,couple%20cents%20in%20tax%20revenue.">falling</a>.

The funding for these programs comes down to the political will to fund programs as well as funding existing resources to support them, housing advocates said.

“Generally speaking, the states with the largest number of programs tend to be more socially progressive in terms of government programs, so I do think that plays a factor,” Aurand said. “Given that we focus on extremely low-income renters, it takes a lot of resources to adequately serve the lowest income population to meet their needs.”

States can also come up with solutions that are more tailored to their particular housing needs. Wiesendanger, of MaineHousing, explained that although the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit program is helpful for addressing rental affordability in Maine, it has its drawbacks. It can be hard for some developers to use the program to build more affordable rental housing, he said.

“It requires a certain amount of scale to work because there’s so many fixed costs in those projects — design fees, legal fees, things of that nature,” he said. “ … So in these rural areas where, let’s say, they need 15 units in a town, but these projects really need to be 20, 30, 40, 50 units to work, it’s really hard to make that program work there.”

He said the Maine program also comes with fewer requirements so that less sophisticated developers can use it.

Minnesota’s approach to affordable rental housing targets many different populations with smaller programs, such as Bridges Rental Assistance, which focuses on people and families where at least one person has a serious mental illness. The program assists them while they wait to get into another housing program, such as Section 8 housing. The Homework Starts with Home program is designed to help children stay in their school through supporting their family’s housing.

Housing advocates in Minnesota would still like to see larger programs, however, to serve the full needs of people in the state. According to Minnesota Housing Partnership’s analysis of 2021 census data, more than three-quarters of low-income people in the state are spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs, which means they are “cost-burdened.” Fifty-seven percent of Black renters were cost-burdened compared with 45% of white renters. Sixty-three percent of seniors had to spend more than 30% of their income on housing.

Elizabeth Glidden, deputy director of Minnesota Housing Partnership, said she’s seeing more political support for rental assistance in Minnesota than in other states. She said these conditions may have been influenced by a very large&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/06/05/how-minnesota-will-spend-1-billion-on-housing/">budget surplus</a>, which she said has made it easier to bring more attention to housing. But she added that she has also seen more bipartisan support for affordable housing than in the past.

“Does that mean that we are meeting the need? It doesn’t mean that we are meeting the need. It just means that there has been over time and across bipartisan lawmakers, you’re seeing more attention that has been spent on meeting housing needs than some other locations around the country,” she said.

The Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program, which helps tenants with rent deposits and rent payments, is an example of that shift, since the program once was funded at $20 million for two years to serve the entire state but has been dramatically expanded this year. In March, the Senate voted to provide $50 million for the program, which received&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kttc.com/2023/03/29/mn-senate-allocates-50m-homelessness-aid/">bipartisan support</a>, and Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed the bill into law later that month.

Jewelean Jackson, 74, has lived in Minneapolis for about 50 years, and is an advocate for changing housing policy in the city. Jackson has received housing assistance that she said was vital to ensuring that she didn’t become unhoused again. Jackson said she has been living in a one-bedroom apartment for the past three years. Before getting the apartment she spent eight years living in shelters or her car, but was able to avoid living in an encampment, she said. She was worried about losing housing again when her rent increased from about $270 a month to almost $500 a month in 2022 but was able to stave off eviction from December 2022 to March 2023 with rental assistance funds.

“Society always all of a sudden discovers that it has this heart when there’s a tragedy,” Jackson said of changes in housing policy that started with the COVID-19 pandemic. “And so as a result of COVID, it has loosened the system’s strings. It has not been as difficult to get in and out of some of the programs and people have been a little bit more sympathetic as a result of COVID. But we’re a far cry from being where we need to be in terms of homelessness in this country, including Minnesota.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600338481812.png" alt="&nbsp;When pandemic rental funding and protections ended rents soared across the country and many people became homeless for the first time. New programs proposed by states and Biden administration aim to reverse that trend. Google image" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;When pandemic rental funding and protections ended rents soared across the country and many people became homeless for the first time. New programs proposed by states and Biden administration aim to reverse that trend. Google image</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Government rental assistance, a boon during the pandemic, has dwindled. Some states are working on their own solutions.</h2>By CASEY QUINLAN,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/19/rural-hospitals-gird-for-unwinding-of-pandemic-medicaid-coverage/">States Newsroom</a>Maine’s housing authority received $35 million in 2023 — the first time in 54 years it has received a direct appropriation from the state budget — to help build more affordable rental housing for communities that have struggled to keep up with high housing prices.The state’s program provides funding to developers for affordable housing projects with between five and 18 units, a size that housing advocates say is sorely needed in many rural communities. That includes construction for new housing, reuse of buildings for housing and rehabilitation of existing housing.Mark Wiesendanger, director of development at MaineHousing, said that as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates it was difficult for the independent state agency to support itself at the level the program needed, but that political leaders saw the value of their work and were able to make the historic investment because of a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pressherald.com/2023/08/17/state-budget-surplus-provides-another-65-million-for-affordable-housing/">$141 million budget surplus</a>.Wiesendanger said there’s a lack of housing across the income spectrum in the state, which has some of the oldest housing stock in the nation. He said some of the housing needs to be condemned and replaced, and that much of it is inefficient to heat. To make matters worse, when the pandemic began and many people with the ability to telecommute moved to the state, the population shift drove up housing prices and wages didn’t keep up.“[The coast of Maine] is a very expensive place to live,” he said. “Folks that work there as fishermen or people who work in the local restaurants, local mechanics and firefighters, have a hard time paying to live in those towns.”The scenery may be different from state to state but the housing landscape is much the same across the country: People are struggling to find a home they can afford. Legislators, state agencies and the Biden administration this year proposed a raft of legislation and programs to tackle the problem. Advocates say states need to do even more to prioritize housing needs.<h2>The problem renters are facing</h2>From January 2019 to January 2023, the average rent in a U.S. city shot up 19.38%&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUUR0000SEHA">according to</a>&nbsp;St. Louis Fed data. In 22 states and the District of Columbia, people need a wage above&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nlihc.org/oor">$26 an hour</a>&nbsp;to afford a two-bedroom rental home, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. According to rental data from CoreLogic, a company that analyzes property, financial and consumer information, the median renter household pays $500 more than it did in 2020.The combination of high mortgage rates and low housing inventory contributed to those soaring rental prices which hit just as the federal programs and protections put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic ended.Andrew Aurand, senior vice president for research at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said long-standing problems in the housing market were exacerbated by rental inflation in 2021 going into 2022.“We saw that massive increase in rental inflation that fortunately has flattened now and rent prices have stabilized, but the damage has been done in terms of higher rents for those lowest income renters,” he said. “ … General demand for rental housing has increased quite significantly over the past decade. And so that has squeezed the lowest income renters even more as demand for rental housing has been pretty significant. It’s taken quite a while for supply to catch up.”As rents went up, the number of people without a home also increased. U.S. homelessness, as measured by a single night in January 2023, rose 12% from last year,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_23_278">according to</a>&nbsp;a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development report released on Dec. 15.But as Aurand noted, the situation is starting to show signs of improvement.There has been an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNDCON5MUSA">increase</a>&nbsp;in privately owned housing units under construction this year, from 932,000 in January 2023 to 988,000 in November 2023. In 2022, the Biden administration&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/16/president-biden-announces-new-actions-to-ease-the-burden-of-housing-costs/">released a plan</a>&nbsp;to increase the housing supply, which included expanding federal financing of loans for affordable multifamily development homes and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/07/27/biden-harris-administration-announces-actions-to-lower-housing-costs-and-boost-supply/">removing a cap</a>&nbsp;for larger loans to build and rehabilitate certain homes.But Mari Castaldi, director of state housing policy at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, said that it’s up to states and localities to prioritize housing. States have recognized this, with lawmakers introducing more than&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/targeting-policies-that-help-families-stay-afloat">2,500 bills</a>&nbsp;related to housing and homelessness this year in 49 states and D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam, according to the National Conference for State Legislatures. This is almost twice the number of bills the legislatures introduced in 2022. Ninety-three bills specific to rental assistance were introduced in 27 states this year compared to 56 bills in 12 states in 2022. Expect more of the same in the coming year.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2023/12/20/legislative-plan-to-overhaul-affordable-housing-prompts-applause-warnings/">New Jersey lawmakers</a>&nbsp;introduced an affordable housing “fix” just ahead of Christmas, and New Hampshire legislators have&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2023/12/21/a-deep-need-lawmakers-propose-slew-of-2024-bills-to-address-housing-shortages/">prefiled numerous bills</a>&nbsp;aimed at adding more affordable housing for their session that starts on Jan. 3.“What we’re seeing is that more and more, given the political dynamics in Washington, D.C., and particularly the debates around the debt ceiling, the prospects for sorely needed expansion of investments in affordable housing resources is uncertain at best,” Castaldi said. “We’re seeing, really out of necessity, and based on the needs in their community, states are starting to step in and try to begin filling those massive gaps.”<h2>Affordable housing solutions across the U.S.</h2>The number of these programs varies greatly from state to state. New York, Minnesota, California, Massachusetts and Illinois had the most rental housing programs in the U.S., with more than 17 programs, according to an October National Low Income Housing Coalition&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/state-and-local-investments-rental-housing-report.pdf">report</a>, and Oklahoma, Alabama, Idaho and Montana were among the states with the fewest, with one to seven programs. The organization found zero programs in Arkansas and Wyoming but cautioned that this may simply mean there is no online information about them, not that they absolutely do not exist in these states. The Arkansas Development Finance Authority told States Newsroom that it administers a state Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program similar to the federal program that encourages affordable rental housing development.Aurand said some states and cities are also finding creative ways to support affordable housing efforts, and Denver is one example. The city’s marijuana tax revenue provided&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.westword.com/marijuana/denver-crosses-500-million-marijuana-tax-revenue-18073791#:~:text=Dispensary%20sales%20mirrored%20the%20same,fund%20local%20affordable%20housing%20programs.">$8.7 million</a>&nbsp;for affordable housing assistance this year. One downside of this approach, however, is that it is dependent on those sales, which have been&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/next/next-with-kyle-clark/where-does-denver-marijuana-money-go/73-34246b01-9e80-417f-b832-145affa468c3#:~:text=Denver%20hit%20%24500%20million%20in,sale%20on%20January%201%2C%202014.&amp;text=DENVER%20%E2%80%94%20Every%20time%20someone%20lights,couple%20cents%20in%20tax%20revenue.">falling</a>.The funding for these programs comes down to the political will to fund programs as well as funding existing resources to support them, housing advocates said.“Generally speaking, the states with the largest number of programs tend to be more socially progressive in terms of government programs, so I do think that plays a factor,” Aurand said. “Given that we focus on extremely low-income renters, it takes a lot of resources to adequately serve the lowest income population to meet their needs.”States can also come up with solutions that are more tailored to their particular housing needs. Wiesendanger, of MaineHousing, explained that although the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit program is helpful for addressing rental affordability in Maine, it has its drawbacks. It can be hard for some developers to use the program to build more affordable rental housing, he said.“It requires a certain amount of scale to work because there’s so many fixed costs in those projects — design fees, legal fees, things of that nature,” he said. “ … So in these rural areas where, let’s say, they need 15 units in a town, but these projects really need to be 20, 30, 40, 50 units to work, it’s really hard to make that program work there.”He said the Maine program also comes with fewer requirements so that less sophisticated developers can use it.<h2>Finding the political will</h2>Minnesota’s approach to affordable rental housing targets many different populations with smaller programs, such as Bridges Rental Assistance, which focuses on people and families where at least one person has a serious mental illness. The program assists them while they wait to get into another housing program, such as Section 8 housing. The Homework Starts with Home program is designed to help children stay in their school through supporting their family’s housing.Housing advocates in Minnesota would still like to see larger programs, however, to serve the full needs of people in the state. According to Minnesota Housing Partnership’s analysis of 2021 census data, more than three-quarters of low-income people in the state are spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs, which means they are “cost-burdened.” Fifty-seven percent of Black renters were cost-burdened compared with 45% of white renters. Sixty-three percent of seniors had to spend more than 30% of their income on housing.Elizabeth Glidden, deputy director of Minnesota Housing Partnership, said she’s seeing more political support for rental assistance in Minnesota than in other states. She said these conditions may have been influenced by a very large&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/06/05/how-minnesota-will-spend-1-billion-on-housing/">budget surplus</a>, which she said has made it easier to bring more attention to housing. But she added that she has also seen more bipartisan support for affordable housing than in the past.“Does that mean that we are meeting the need? It doesn’t mean that we are meeting the need. It just means that there has been over time and across bipartisan lawmakers, you’re seeing more attention that has been spent on meeting housing needs than some other locations around the country,” she said.The Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program, which helps tenants with rent deposits and rent payments, is an example of that shift, since the program once was funded at $20 million for two years to serve the entire state but has been dramatically expanded this year. In March, the Senate voted to provide $50 million for the program, which received&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kttc.com/2023/03/29/mn-senate-allocates-50m-homelessness-aid/">bipartisan support</a>, and Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed the bill into law later that month.Jewelean Jackson, 74, has lived in Minneapolis for about 50 years, and is an advocate for changing housing policy in the city. Jackson has received housing assistance that she said was vital to ensuring that she didn’t become unhoused again. Jackson said she has been living in a one-bedroom apartment for the past three years. Before getting the apartment she spent eight years living in shelters or her car, but was able to avoid living in an encampment, she said. She was worried about losing housing again when her rent increased from about $270 a month to almost $500 a month in 2022 but was able to stave off eviction from December 2022 to March 2023 with rental assistance funds.“Society always all of a sudden discovers that it has this heart when there’s a tragedy,” Jackson said of changes in housing policy that started with the COVID-19 pandemic. “And so as a result of COVID, it has loosened the system’s strings. It has not been as difficult to get in and out of some of the programs and people have been a little bit more sympathetic as a result of COVID. But we’re a far cry from being where we need to be in terms of homelessness in this country, including Minnesota.”

States and Biden administration push efforts to aid renters

Across 21 states, nearly 40 percent of those who lost Medicaid coverage are children

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/nadahassanein/">NADA HASSANEIN</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

Eight months&nbsp;after states started&nbsp;dropping millions of low-income families&nbsp;from&nbsp;Medicaid rolls, grassroots groups say they are leading the push to&nbsp;re-enroll people denied coverage for bureaucratic reasons.

Nationwide, more than&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/#:~:text=At%20least-,11%2C967%2C000,-Medicaid%20enrollees%20have">12.5 million</a>&nbsp;people have lost coverage since April. That’s when the federal pandemic provision that had required states not to drop anyone from the rolls expired and states restarted income eligibility checks.

Federal officials over the summer allowed states to exercise&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/06/12/hhs-takes-additional-action-to-keep-people-covered-as-states-resume-medicaid-chip-renewals.html">flexibility</a>&nbsp;to avoid potentially unnecessary coverage losses, and mailed letters to governors warning that high numbers of removals for procedural reasons and long wait times could violate federal rules.

Still, as of Dec. 13,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/#:~:text=with%20available%20data%2C-,71%25%20of%20all%20people,-disenrolled%20had%20their">71</a>&nbsp;percent&nbsp;of the people who were dropped lost their coverage through “procedural” disenrollments — that is, they were missing paperwork or otherwise didn’t complete the renewal process by a specified date — according to health policy research organization KFF.

Many of those people&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/">may be eligible</a>&nbsp;for coverage, but struggle to get the paperwork through state bureaucracies.

Children, young adults, and&nbsp;Black and Hispanic people are overrepresented on the Medicaid rolls, compared with their share of the overall population. A federal Office of Health Policy&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/404a7572048090ec1259d216f3fd617e/aspe-end-mcaid-continuous-coverage_IB.pdf">brief</a>&nbsp;published in August 2022 ahead of the unwinding estimated&nbsp;that&nbsp;nearly one-third of those predicted to lose coverage would be Hispanic and another 15 percent Black — groups with health disparities that were magnified during the pandemic. About 60 percent of Medicaid enrollees are Black, Hispanic, Asian or multiracial.

More than 2.4 million children have lost coverage. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued another warning, mailing letters to governors of nine states — Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Dakota and Texas — with the highest&nbsp;rates of children dropped from the rolls.

Officials urged those states,&nbsp;which together have dropped&nbsp;60 percent of the children&nbsp;who have lost Medicaid coverage nationwide,&nbsp;to&nbsp;use flexibility provided by federal officials to “help prevent children and their families from losing coverage due to red tape,”&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/12/18/biden-harris-administration-releases-new-medicaid-chip-renewal-data-showing-role-statepolicychoices-play-keeping-kids-covered.html?preview=4hqrnHT295UmVM4R">noting</a>&nbsp;the efforts are “especially important for children and families of color.”

The department also noted that the 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid — Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming — “have disenrolled more children than those that have expanded combined.”

Federal officials also announced that relaxed rules that allowed automatic renewals will be continued through the end of 2024 to give states more time and keep more families covered.

States have released online tools to help local leaders and providers offer guidance on how to enroll. Texas, for example, created “<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hhs.texas.gov/providers/medicaid-business-resources/end-continuous-medicaid-coverage-ambassador-toolkit">ambassador</a>” toolkits in Spanish and English, with social media graphics and flyers geared toward families and older residents on how to set up an online account to re-enroll. Utah said it developed billboard and radio ads along with its own toolkits and flyers in 13 languages.

Still, grassroots groups say they are doing the heavy lifting.

These advocates’ outreach efforts go “beyond the walls of the capitol,” said Dr. Dena Hubbard, a neonatologist at Children’s Mercy hospital in Kansas City who chairs&nbsp;the public policy committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics’&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;chapter.

“(They’re) going to people, meeting people where they are in their communities, knowing what they need, knowing where they are, and helping them get the services they need,” she said. “I strongly feel that grassroots is where it’s at.”

Karina Gonzalez’s 18-year-old son only has enough psychiatric medication to get him through the end of December.

The Kansas City, Kansas, mother of four is worried about what will happen next. Her family was dropped from Medicaid coverage in October, and the kids haven’t been able to go to any doctor’s appointments, she said.

Gonzalez’s household relies on the income of her husband, who works in construction.

“It has affected us,” Gonzalez said in Spanish as her 16-year-old daughter translated. She said she feels “frustrated and nervous,” especially amid flu season.

Gonzalez received a letter the first week of October saying the family was no longer covered. She said she didn’t know why they were dropped and struggled with the online KanCare system, which isn’t available in Spanish. That’s when she reached out to El Centro, a community health advocacy group that assists Kansas Latino families. Spanish-speaking patient navigators there have been helping her collect and submit documentation to get re-enrolled, she said.

Matt Lara, chief of staff of&nbsp;the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said aside from the online portal, applicants and families renewing whose first language isn’t English can call and be connected with a language assistance line.

“Kansas is not a Medicaid Expansion state, which means that our eligibility threshold for non-disabled, non-pregnant adults is incredibly low,” Lara said in an emailed statement on the rate of children losing coverage. “As a result, over&nbsp;2/3 of our enrollees are children, and that results in them being the largest cohort of members losing eligibility.”

In Utah, Oreta Tupola is the program coordinator for the Utah Community Health Workers Association. Her community health workers have been helping families in the Latino and Pacific Islander community reapply.

Families have been calling her from the emergency room after taking a relative there and finding out they no longer have coverage. Many clients of her community health workers suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, and take essential medications for the conditions.

“We started getting calls now from our clients saying, ‘I went to the doctor, or I’m at the ER, and I can’t get in. They won’t see me,’” Tupola said. “(They’d say) ‘I didn’t know I didn’t have coverage.’ Or one of the women that called me said, ‘Hey, I’m trying to go pick up my medicine and when I went to get my medication, that’s when I found out that I don’t have Medicaid anymore.’ Now we’re scrambling to get them back on and approved, which is another long process.”

Many of those who lost Medicaid coverage could qualify for it. Utah has the second-highest rate of people who lost coverage for administrative or paperwork reasons at 94%, following New Mexico at 95%.

New Mexico’s Health Services Department told Stateline in an email that it is using multilingual awareness campaigns along with some of the relaxed federal rules, such as a 30-day delay in procedural terminations, which extends the renewal deadline. As a result, the department asserts it is “seeing minimal eligibility closures.”

Last week, in two columns published in the monthly peer-reviewed health care journal Health Affairs, health policy experts addressed the unwinding.

“It should no longer be acceptable to maintain policies and practices that make it so difficult for people to enroll and retain their coverage,”&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/unwinding-should-call-action-fix-fragmented-system">wrote</a>&nbsp;experts from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a research and policy institute that advocates for left-leaning policies. They said the process has cast a light on the nation’s “fragmented” health care system.

Allison Orris, a co-author and senior fellow at the center, said in an interview the continuous enrollment period showed the benefits of minimizing red tape on a larger scale.

The churn “is magnifying some of the challenges that have always existed in systems,” she said. “The pandemic really laid bare a lot of fractures across many social services programs, and in Medicaid, we know that there have always been a high number of people who were eligible for Medicaid but not enrolled — and that is likely a sign that it was too hard to get enrolled and to stay enrolled in coverage.”

Craig Wilson, director of health policy at the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, co-authored the second&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/medicaid-unwound-disenrolled-deserve-epilogue">column</a>. Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2023/08/17/medicaids-coverage-role-in-small-towns-and-rural-areas/">reports</a>&nbsp;Arkansas has the largest share of rural children covered by Medicaid. About&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/">59</a>&nbsp;percent&nbsp;of Medicaid enrollees lost coverage in Arkansas.

Wilson is calling for a multistate assessment to compare states’ eligibility redeterminations, who was most affected geographically and demographically, and where and whether they found other coverage — or fell through coverage gaps.

“There are some opportunities to learn from what happened here that can be applied in future situations,” especially for at-risk communities, he told Stateline. “If there are states that did some things differently, and were more precise, in identifying people who were either eligible or ineligible, and having them go in the appropriate direction.”

In Arkansas, 77 percent of the people dropped from Medicaid lost their coverage for procedural reasons, while 23 percent were dropped because they were deemed ineligible, according to KFF. Children account for more than a third of those who lost coverage in Arkansas.

Meanwhile, about 71 percent of Arkansans whose coverage was renewed retained coverage via the federal rule that allows states to use previous income records.

Across 21 states reporting coverage losses by age brackets, 2.4 million, or 40 percent, of the people dropped from the rolls were children, according to KFF’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/#:~:text=2023%2C%20at%20least-,2%2C376%2C000%20children,-had%20been%20disenrolled">analysis</a>.

After Texas at 61 percent, Gonzalez’s Kansas ranks second among those 21 states in the proportion of children losing coverage, (55 percent), followed by Idaho (48 percent), Missouri (47 percent), Alaska (43 percent) and Minnesota (42 percent).

Of the 21 states, Massachusetts had the lowest proportion of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/#:~:text=2023%2C%20at%20least-,2%2C376%2C000%20children,-had%20been%20disenrolled">children disenrolled</a>&nbsp;at 18 percent, followed by California at 21 percent. Some states, such as&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2023/12/13/nc-unwinding-medicaid-children/">North Carolina</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.wuky.org/local-regional-news/2023-11-16/as-pandemic-era-medicaid-extensions-expire-kentucky-is-the-first-state-to-offer-automatic-renewal-for-minors">Kentucky</a>, are keeping kids with pending renewals covered for another year while the states work on eligibility redeterminations.

But experts such as Wilson worry that lack of communication from state Medicaid offices for another year will cause further confusion around coverage.

“Many of those folks may not have had any communication with the Medicaid office in three or more years,” he said. “With a rather transient population, it’s going to become much more of an issue when the span of eligibility rate determination is much longer.”

For now, some grassroots groups are relying on general outreach, such as putting up flyers and setting up tables at community events.

Tupola, of the Utah Community Health Workers Association, said she wishes state Medicaid offices supported those on the ground like her organization, especially after national attention on the benefits of grassroots vaccination campaigns throughout the pandemic.

“I think we don’t ever get called to the table until … the numbers are high, people are dying, or people are losing coverage,” she said.

“You need to bring us in from the very beginning.”

<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/2023/12/21/grassroots-groups-help-medicaid-recipients-regain-lost-coverage/">This story</a>&nbsp;was produced by Stateline, a States Newsroom affiliate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703786411770.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;Children’s Defense Fund program director Graciela Camarena assists Lucia Salazar with filling out Medicaid and SNAP application forms for her family in Pharr, Texas, in November. States began dropping millions of low-income families from Medicaid rolls in April, and grassroots groups say they are taking the lead on getting people re-enrolled. (Michael Gonzalez/The Associated Press)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Children’s Defense Fund program director Graciela Camarena assists Lucia Salazar with filling out Medicaid and SNAP application forms for her family in Pharr, Texas, in November. States began dropping millions of low-income families from Medicaid rolls in April, and grassroots groups say they are taking the lead on getting people re-enrolled. (Michael Gonzalez/The Associated Press)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Across 21 states, nearly 40 percent of those who lost Medicaid coverage are children</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/nadahassanein/">NADA HASSANEIN</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>Eight months&nbsp;after states started&nbsp;dropping millions of low-income families&nbsp;from&nbsp;Medicaid rolls, grassroots groups say they are leading the push to&nbsp;re-enroll people denied coverage for bureaucratic reasons.Nationwide, more than&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/#:~:text=At%20least-,11%2C967%2C000,-Medicaid%20enrollees%20have">12.5 million</a>&nbsp;people have lost coverage since April. That’s when the federal pandemic provision that had required states not to drop anyone from the rolls expired and states restarted income eligibility checks.Federal officials over the summer allowed states to exercise&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/06/12/hhs-takes-additional-action-to-keep-people-covered-as-states-resume-medicaid-chip-renewals.html">flexibility</a>&nbsp;to avoid potentially unnecessary coverage losses, and mailed letters to governors warning that high numbers of removals for procedural reasons and long wait times could violate federal rules.Still, as of Dec. 13,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/#:~:text=with%20available%20data%2C-,71%25%20of%20all%20people,-disenrolled%20had%20their">71</a>&nbsp;percent&nbsp;of the people who were dropped lost their coverage through “procedural” disenrollments — that is, they were missing paperwork or otherwise didn’t complete the renewal process by a specified date — according to health policy research organization KFF.Many of those people&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/">may be eligible</a>&nbsp;for coverage, but struggle to get the paperwork through state bureaucracies.Children, young adults, and&nbsp;Black and Hispanic people are overrepresented on the Medicaid rolls, compared with their share of the overall population. A federal Office of Health Policy&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://aspe.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/404a7572048090ec1259d216f3fd617e/aspe-end-mcaid-continuous-coverage_IB.pdf">brief</a>&nbsp;published in August 2022 ahead of the unwinding estimated&nbsp;that&nbsp;nearly one-third of those predicted to lose coverage would be Hispanic and another 15 percent Black — groups with health disparities that were magnified during the pandemic. About 60 percent of Medicaid enrollees are Black, Hispanic, Asian or multiracial.More than 2.4 million children have lost coverage. On Monday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued another warning, mailing letters to governors of nine states — Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Montana, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Dakota and Texas — with the highest&nbsp;rates of children dropped from the rolls.Officials urged those states,&nbsp;which together have dropped&nbsp;60 percent of the children&nbsp;who have lost Medicaid coverage nationwide,&nbsp;to&nbsp;use flexibility provided by federal officials to “help prevent children and their families from losing coverage due to red tape,”&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/12/18/biden-harris-administration-releases-new-medicaid-chip-renewal-data-showing-role-statepolicychoices-play-keeping-kids-covered.html?preview=4hqrnHT295UmVM4R">noting</a>&nbsp;the efforts are “especially important for children and families of color.”The department also noted that the 10 states that have not expanded Medicaid — Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming — “have disenrolled more children than those that have expanded combined.”Federal officials also announced that relaxed rules that allowed automatic renewals will be continued through the end of 2024 to give states more time and keep more families covered.States have released online tools to help local leaders and providers offer guidance on how to enroll. Texas, for example, created “<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hhs.texas.gov/providers/medicaid-business-resources/end-continuous-medicaid-coverage-ambassador-toolkit">ambassador</a>” toolkits in Spanish and English, with social media graphics and flyers geared toward families and older residents on how to set up an online account to re-enroll. Utah said it developed billboard and radio ads along with its own toolkits and flyers in 13 languages.Still, grassroots groups say they are doing the heavy lifting.These advocates’ outreach efforts go “beyond the walls of the capitol,” said Dr. Dena Hubbard, a neonatologist at Children’s Mercy hospital in Kansas City who chairs&nbsp;the public policy committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics’&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;chapter.“(They’re) going to people, meeting people where they are in their communities, knowing what they need, knowing where they are, and helping them get the services they need,” she said. “I strongly feel that grassroots is where it’s at.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703786487819.jpeg" alt="&nbsp;Gov. Laura Kelly unveils her new Medicaid expansion proposal during a Dec. 14, 2023, news conference at Holton Community Hospital. Kansas is one of 10 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;Gov. Laura Kelly unveils her new Medicaid expansion proposal during a Dec. 14, 2023, news conference at Holton Community Hospital. Kansas is one of 10 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>‘Frustrated and nervous’</h2>Karina Gonzalez’s 18-year-old son only has enough psychiatric medication to get him through the end of December.The Kansas City, Kansas, mother of four is worried about what will happen next. Her family was dropped from Medicaid coverage in October, and the kids haven’t been able to go to any doctor’s appointments, she said.Gonzalez’s household relies on the income of her husband, who works in construction.“It has affected us,” Gonzalez said in Spanish as her 16-year-old daughter translated. She said she feels “frustrated and nervous,” especially amid flu season.Gonzalez received a letter the first week of October saying the family was no longer covered. She said she didn’t know why they were dropped and struggled with the online KanCare system, which isn’t available in Spanish. That’s when she reached out to El Centro, a community health advocacy group that assists Kansas Latino families. Spanish-speaking patient navigators there have been helping her collect and submit documentation to get re-enrolled, she said.Matt Lara, chief of staff of&nbsp;the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said aside from the online portal, applicants and families renewing whose first language isn’t English can call and be connected with a language assistance line.“Kansas is not a Medicaid Expansion state, which means that our eligibility threshold for non-disabled, non-pregnant adults is incredibly low,” Lara said in an emailed statement on the rate of children losing coverage. “As a result, over&nbsp;2/3 of our enrollees are children, and that results in them being the largest cohort of members losing eligibility.”In Utah, Oreta Tupola is the program coordinator for the Utah Community Health Workers Association. Her community health workers have been helping families in the Latino and Pacific Islander community reapply.Families have been calling her from the emergency room after taking a relative there and finding out they no longer have coverage. Many clients of her community health workers suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, and take essential medications for the conditions.“We started getting calls now from our clients saying, ‘I went to the doctor, or I’m at the ER, and I can’t get in. They won’t see me,’” Tupola said. “(They’d say) ‘I didn’t know I didn’t have coverage.’ Or one of the women that called me said, ‘Hey, I’m trying to go pick up my medicine and when I went to get my medication, that’s when I found out that I don’t have Medicaid anymore.’ Now we’re scrambling to get them back on and approved, which is another long process.”Many of those who lost Medicaid coverage could qualify for it. Utah has the second-highest rate of people who lost coverage for administrative or paperwork reasons at 94%, following New Mexico at 95%.New Mexico’s Health Services Department told Stateline in an email that it is using multilingual awareness campaigns along with some of the relaxed federal rules, such as a 30-day delay in procedural terminations, which extends the renewal deadline. As a result, the department asserts it is “seeing minimal eligibility closures.”<h2>Assessing the changes</h2>Last week, in two columns published in the monthly peer-reviewed health care journal Health Affairs, health policy experts addressed the unwinding.“It should no longer be acceptable to maintain policies and practices that make it so difficult for people to enroll and retain their coverage,”&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/unwinding-should-call-action-fix-fragmented-system">wrote</a>&nbsp;experts from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a research and policy institute that advocates for left-leaning policies. They said the process has cast a light on the nation’s “fragmented” health care system.Allison Orris, a co-author and senior fellow at the center, said in an interview the continuous enrollment period showed the benefits of minimizing red tape on a larger scale.The churn “is magnifying some of the challenges that have always existed in systems,” she said. “The pandemic really laid bare a lot of fractures across many social services programs, and in Medicaid, we know that there have always been a high number of people who were eligible for Medicaid but not enrolled — and that is likely a sign that it was too hard to get enrolled and to stay enrolled in coverage.”Craig Wilson, director of health policy at the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, co-authored the second&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/medicaid-unwound-disenrolled-deserve-epilogue">column</a>. Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2023/08/17/medicaids-coverage-role-in-small-towns-and-rural-areas/">reports</a>&nbsp;Arkansas has the largest share of rural children covered by Medicaid. About&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/">59</a>&nbsp;percent&nbsp;of Medicaid enrollees lost coverage in Arkansas.Wilson is calling for a multistate assessment to compare states’ eligibility redeterminations, who was most affected geographically and demographically, and where and whether they found other coverage — or fell through coverage gaps.“There are some opportunities to learn from what happened here that can be applied in future situations,” especially for at-risk communities, he told Stateline. “If there are states that did some things differently, and were more precise, in identifying people who were either eligible or ineligible, and having them go in the appropriate direction.”In Arkansas, 77 percent of the people dropped from Medicaid lost their coverage for procedural reasons, while 23 percent were dropped because they were deemed ineligible, according to KFF. Children account for more than a third of those who lost coverage in Arkansas.Meanwhile, about 71 percent of Arkansans whose coverage was renewed retained coverage via the federal rule that allows states to use previous income records.<h2>Children without coverage</h2>Across 21 states reporting coverage losses by age brackets, 2.4 million, or 40 percent, of the people dropped from the rolls were children, according to KFF’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/#:~:text=2023%2C%20at%20least-,2%2C376%2C000%20children,-had%20been%20disenrolled">analysis</a>.After Texas at 61 percent, Gonzalez’s Kansas ranks second among those 21 states in the proportion of children losing coverage, (55 percent), followed by Idaho (48 percent), Missouri (47 percent), Alaska (43 percent) and Minnesota (42 percent).Of the 21 states, Massachusetts had the lowest proportion of&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/medicaid-enrollment-and-unwinding-tracker/#:~:text=2023%2C%20at%20least-,2%2C376%2C000%20children,-had%20been%20disenrolled">children disenrolled</a>&nbsp;at 18 percent, followed by California at 21 percent. Some states, such as&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2023/12/13/nc-unwinding-medicaid-children/">North Carolina</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.wuky.org/local-regional-news/2023-11-16/as-pandemic-era-medicaid-extensions-expire-kentucky-is-the-first-state-to-offer-automatic-renewal-for-minors">Kentucky</a>, are keeping kids with pending renewals covered for another year while the states work on eligibility redeterminations.But experts such as Wilson worry that lack of communication from state Medicaid offices for another year will cause further confusion around coverage.“Many of those folks may not have had any communication with the Medicaid office in three or more years,” he said. “With a rather transient population, it’s going to become much more of an issue when the span of eligibility rate determination is much longer.”For now, some grassroots groups are relying on general outreach, such as putting up flyers and setting up tables at community events.Tupola, of the Utah Community Health Workers Association, said she wishes state Medicaid offices supported those on the ground like her organization, especially after national attention on the benefits of grassroots vaccination campaigns throughout the pandemic.“I think we don’t ever get called to the table until … the numbers are high, people are dying, or people are losing coverage,” she said.“You need to bring us in from the very beginning.”<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/2023/12/21/grassroots-groups-help-medicaid-recipients-regain-lost-coverage/">This story</a>&nbsp;was produced by Stateline, a States Newsroom affiliate.

Grassroots groups help Medicaid recipients regain lost coverage

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

Spiehs raises constitutional issues after banned from district property

TOPEKA — A critic of now-rescinded COVID-19 mask mandates filed a federal lawsuit against the Lawrence public school district superintendent and school board members to challenge constitutionality of his banishment from district property and a prohibition against his in-person commentary at district board meetings.

Stilwell attorney Linus Baker raised First and 14th amendment arguments in a filing in U.S. District Court on behalf of Justin Spiehs, an unsuccessful candidate for Douglas County Commission. Baker asserted in the court document Spiehs’ speech rights were violated because Lawrence school district officials opposed his political views. The attorney said Spiehs’ right to equal protection under the Constitution was violated because other people with similar views weren’t comparably punished by district officials.

“Those restrictions are not reasonable,” Baker said. “If the government opens a forum for discussion, it cannot undermine that discussion by excluding otherwise relevant speech.”

Spiehs, who resides in Johnson County, filed a separate lawsuit alleging freedom of speech infractions against the Lawrence City Commission in November.

In both cases, Spiehs urged the federal court to award him unspecified damages as well as issue orders providing him the right to speak freely at school or city meetings in Lawrence.

Spiehs began to draw attention to himself in Lawrence and Topeka while objecting to public health orders associated with emergence of the pandemic and rapidly escalating infections and fatalities. The death of 10,200 Kansans has been linked to COVID-19.

Spiehs regularly picketed Lawrence school district headquarters. In 2021, he was banned from the district’s property. He delivered obscenity-laced testimony about the pandemic during a meeting of the Kansas Legislature at the Capitol. He was arrested in Lawrence on suspicion of aggravated assault for allegedly threatening people with a sign post during a vaccine clinic for children. He was convicted of two misdemeanors and placed on probation for one year.

He was forbidden from offering in-person public comment at Lawrence school board meetings, but allowed to address the board in writing or through a video or telephone conferencing system. In 2022, he was denied access to the Webex communication system for 90 days after violating school board rules.

Baker described his client as&nbsp;a community activist willing to speak about matters “government does not like to hear in ways that might be considered shocking, rudely truthful, earthy or even crass.”

In terms of the school district lawsuit, Lawrence Superintendent Anthony Lewis wasn’t available to comment Wednesday. The lawsuit says Lewis affirmed in a Dec. 6 email that Spiehs remained banned from Lawrence school district property.

Lewis indicated the exclusion was tied to issuance by Lawrence police of a “no trespass” directive against Spiehs in October 2021. Spiehs came to attention of police by declining to wear a mask at a Lawrence High School event. His lawyer said masks exacerbated Spiehs’ medical condition. Spiehs has a doctorate in human development and a graduate degree in marriage and family therapy.

“A remnant of the masking psychosis from the COVID-19 paranoia is on full display in this lawsuit,” Baker said. “As a result of Dr. Spiehs’ protests and that one-time occurrence, the defendant Lewis has diagnosed Dr.&nbsp;Spiehs with a critical-analysis leprosy — one that must be forever quarantined.”

Baker said Lewis decided “from his&nbsp;righteous governmental altar, and with the full approval of the government board members, that Dr. Spiehs shalt not step foot on USD 497 property ever again.” The decision should be viewed as a retaliatory campaign to deter Spiehs from making comments in public considered negative or embarrassing to school district staff or students, he said.

Baker claimed there was no school board policy in 2021 or 2022 limiting the scope of a person’s remarks at school board meetings.

“The&nbsp;government defendants cannot prohibit future expressive activity by Dr. Spiehs as a result of some purported past unlawful conduct,” Baker said. “This is raw retaliatory censorship.”

In the lawsuit against the Lawrence City Commission, Baker said Spiehs was repeatedly removed from the commission’s public comment sessions based on determinations by the mayor that his statements weren’t germane to city business. In one exchange, Spiehs called the mayor a Nazi.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703887746326.png" alt=" Justin Spiehs filed a federal lawsuit alleging constitutional violations by the Lawrence public school superintendent and school board members for banning him from district property and limiting his speech rights at school board meetings. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Justin Spiehs filed a federal lawsuit alleging constitutional violations by the Lawrence public school superintendent and school board members for banning him from district property and limiting his speech rights at school board meetings. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a><h2>Spiehs raises constitutional issues after banned from district property</h2>TOPEKA — A critic of now-rescinded COVID-19 mask mandates filed a federal lawsuit against the Lawrence public school district superintendent and school board members to challenge constitutionality of his banishment from district property and a prohibition against his in-person commentary at district board meetings.Stilwell attorney Linus Baker raised First and 14th amendment arguments in a filing in U.S. District Court on behalf of Justin Spiehs, an unsuccessful candidate for Douglas County Commission. Baker asserted in the court document Spiehs’ speech rights were violated because Lawrence school district officials opposed his political views. The attorney said Spiehs’ right to equal protection under the Constitution was violated because other people with similar views weren’t comparably punished by district officials.“Those restrictions are not reasonable,” Baker said. “If the government opens a forum for discussion, it cannot undermine that discussion by excluding otherwise relevant speech.”Spiehs, who resides in Johnson County, filed a separate lawsuit alleging freedom of speech infractions against the Lawrence City Commission in November.In both cases, Spiehs urged the federal court to award him unspecified damages as well as issue orders providing him the right to speak freely at school or city meetings in Lawrence.Spiehs began to draw attention to himself in Lawrence and Topeka while objecting to public health orders associated with emergence of the pandemic and rapidly escalating infections and fatalities. The death of 10,200 Kansans has been linked to COVID-19.Spiehs regularly picketed Lawrence school district headquarters. In 2021, he was banned from the district’s property. He delivered obscenity-laced testimony about the pandemic during a meeting of the Kansas Legislature at the Capitol. He was arrested in Lawrence on suspicion of aggravated assault for allegedly threatening people with a sign post during a vaccine clinic for children. He was convicted of two misdemeanors and placed on probation for one year.He was forbidden from offering in-person public comment at Lawrence school board meetings, but allowed to address the board in writing or through a video or telephone conferencing system. In 2022, he was denied access to the Webex communication system for 90 days after violating school board rules.Baker described his client as&nbsp;a community activist willing to speak about matters “government does not like to hear in ways that might be considered shocking, rudely truthful, earthy or even crass.”In terms of the school district lawsuit, Lawrence Superintendent Anthony Lewis wasn’t available to comment Wednesday. The lawsuit says Lewis affirmed in a Dec. 6 email that Spiehs remained banned from Lawrence school district property.Lewis indicated the exclusion was tied to issuance by Lawrence police of a “no trespass” directive against Spiehs in October 2021. Spiehs came to attention of police by declining to wear a mask at a Lawrence High School event. His lawyer said masks exacerbated Spiehs’ medical condition. Spiehs has a doctorate in human development and a graduate degree in marriage and family therapy.“A remnant of the masking psychosis from the COVID-19 paranoia is on full display in this lawsuit,” Baker said. “As a result of Dr. Spiehs’ protests and that one-time occurrence, the defendant Lewis has diagnosed Dr.&nbsp;Spiehs with a critical-analysis leprosy — one that must be forever quarantined.”Baker said Lewis decided “from his&nbsp;righteous governmental altar, and with the full approval of the government board members, that Dr. Spiehs shalt not step foot on USD 497 property ever again.” The decision should be viewed as a retaliatory campaign to deter Spiehs from making comments in public considered negative or embarrassing to school district staff or students, he said.Baker claimed there was no school board policy in 2021 or 2022 limiting the scope of a person’s remarks at school board meetings.“The&nbsp;government defendants cannot prohibit future expressive activity by Dr. Spiehs as a result of some purported past unlawful conduct,” Baker said. “This is raw retaliatory censorship.”In the lawsuit against the Lawrence City Commission, Baker said Spiehs was repeatedly removed from the commission’s public comment sessions based on determinations by the mayor that his statements weren’t germane to city business. In one exchange, Spiehs called the mayor a Nazi.

Critic of masks alleges ‘righteous governmental altar’ in lawsuit against Lawrence schools

As the new year approaches, it is a time of reflection. 

So as we wrap up the year, and look forward to 2024 here is a look back at the top 10 local Hays Post stories from 2023.

Hays man arrested by FBI in $4.5 million fraud scheme targeting elderly

In July, Hays resident Christopher Lang was charged with a criminal complaint in the&nbsp;U.S. District Court in Los Angeles with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The defendants allegedly convinced victims to pay advance fees in return for services that involved selling or securing the sale or rental of their timeshares.

Read the original story at&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/2166a4d6-7ac2-483b-bf16-84d3a9f8d25e">hayspost.com/posts/2166a4d6-7ac2-483b-bf16-84d3a9f8d25e</a>.

Cattleman's Cafe to offer 'grandma's cooking' in new Hays location

Just as 2023 was kicking off, Cattleman's Steak House announced they would be opening a location in Hays in addition to their Liberal and Sublette locations.&nbsp;The cafe offers comfort food favorites, such as chicken-fried steaks, meatloaf, pot roast, hamburgers, salads and steaks and has quickly developed into a staple for many area residents.

Read the original story at&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/c9b5cd92-a70c-4ae7-b853-e755153c432f">hayspost.com/posts/c9b5cd92-a70c-4ae7-b853-e755153c432f</a>.

Shooting outside Hays bar leaves person dead

In June, an argument outside of a bar in Hays ended with one man dead and another jailed.&nbsp;Larry Braun was allegedly killed by Keith Ostrom, leading to a grand jury indictment charging Ostrom with voluntary manslaughter, criminal discharge of a firearm, possession of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol and endangerment.

Read the original story at <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/cb25e09c-b11a-4bc4-9df4-321f1f528bcb">hayspost.com/posts/cb25e09c-b11a-4bc4-9df4-321f1f528bcb</a>.

Young mom from Hays sues Kansas Board of Cosmetology to offer sugaring

In October, Hays resident Bryn Green sued the Kansas&nbsp;Board of Cosmetology in order to offer sugaring,&nbsp;an ancient grooming technique that uses a mixture of sugar, lemon juice and water to safely remove unwanted hair without obtaining an occupational license with the assistance of the Kansas Justice Institute.&nbsp;

Read the original story at&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/14a7b433-3f84-4a2b-97ac-9ea092742473">hayspost.com/posts/14a7b433-3f84-4a2b-97ac-9ea092742473</a>.

Hays felon arrested on suspicion of attempted murder

In March, Hays Police responded to a domestic disturbance finding a victim with multiple stab wounds. Collin Micheal McMillin would later be arrested on charges of attempted murder.

Read the original story at <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/453cb422-cd9e-4386-8103-8e6c8f7ff224">hayspost.com/posts/453cb422-cd9e-4386-8103-8e6c8f7ff224</a>.

McMillin is currently in custody in the Ellis County Jail.

Ellis County man found guilty of pre-meditated murder after week-long trial

In September, a criminal case dating to Halloween 2019 was closed after the conviction of Colby Alan Trickle for the pre-meditated first-degree murder of his wife, Kristin Trickle.

Read the original story at&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/b6c032e6-536c-4ad8-b646-fea6b6b293bf">hayspost.com/posts/b6c032e6-536c-4ad8-b646-fea6b6b293bf</a>.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/0379c4b5-8e93-4dcb-8d83-cfb4b8537b90">Colby Trickle was sentenced in November</a> to life in prison and is currently being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility.

Hays PD reports arrests following fentanyl-linked overdose death

In March, two Hays residents were arrested on drug charges stemming from a death in February from fentanyl ingestion. Kimberly Schmeidler and Brandon Kahrs were both charged with alleged drug distribution after a search of their home located drugs that matched the pills found during the initial investigation.

Read the original story at&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/d7ff76bf-a6d5-4493-8470-3d110f0ded4f">hayspost.com/posts/d7ff76bf-a6d5-4493-8470-3d110f0ded4f</a>.

Vehicle drives into Gross Memorial; train crash may be related

In June, an unnamed suspect allegedly drove inside Gross Memorial Coliseum on the Fort Hays Campus, causing significant damage. A vehicle matching the description later drove onto train tracks near the university and was struck by a train.

Read the original story at&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/703cf48a-78d2-4eea-b296-3fab7397c6d9">hayspost.com/posts/703cf48a-78d2-4eea-b296-3fab7397c6d9</a>.

Locals pack Brass Rail bar for last time after more than 70 years in Hays

In October, area residents had one last chance to visit an iconic part of downtown Hays, The Brass Rail, after the building was sold and before the over-70-year-old bar closed for the last time.&nbsp;

Read the original story at&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/63d75fa4-f2c2-468b-865c-515c72d8e17b">hayspost.com/posts/63d75fa4-f2c2-468b-865c-515c72d8e17b</a>

Plans for the building have not yet been announced, but demolition is currently underway inside.

Blue Light Body Art opens with new name on Main in Hays

In February, after 15 years at Vine and Eighth, Sore Loser, Tattoo rebranded and moved downtown with the new name Blue Light Body Arts.

Read the original story at <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/96919371-593d-482a-8dec-5e5b23ed7638">hayspost.com/posts/96919371-593d-482a-8dec-5e5b23ed7638</a>.

The business continues operating in the new location.

As the new year approaches, it is a time of reflection. So as we wrap up the year, and look forward to 2024 here is a look back at the top 10 local Hays Post stories from 2023.<h2>Hays man arrested by FBI in $4.5 million fraud scheme targeting elderly</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1688408367149.png" alt="File photo" />
 <figcaption>File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>In July, Hays resident Christopher Lang was charged with a criminal complaint in the&nbsp;U.S. District Court in Los Angeles with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The defendants allegedly convinced victims to pay advance fees in return for services that involved selling or securing the sale or rental of their timeshares.The Lang case has yet to go to trial.Read the original story at&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/2166a4d6-7ac2-483b-bf16-84d3a9f8d25e">hayspost.com/posts/2166a4d6-7ac2-483b-bf16-84d3a9f8d25e</a>.<h2>Cattleman's Cafe to offer 'grandma's cooking' in new Hays location</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703881790098.jpeg" alt="Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>Just as 2023 was kicking off, Cattleman's Steak House announced they would be opening a location in Hays in addition to their Liberal and Sublette locations.&nbsp;The cafe offers comfort food favorites, such as chicken-fried steaks, meatloaf, pot roast, hamburgers, salads and steaks and has quickly developed into a staple for many area residents.Read the original story at&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/c9b5cd92-a70c-4ae7-b853-e755153c432f">hayspost.com/posts/c9b5cd92-a70c-4ae7-b853-e755153c432f</a>.<h2>Shooting outside Hays bar leaves person dead</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687978043263.jpeg" alt="File photo" />
 <figcaption>File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>In June, an argument outside of a bar in Hays ended with one man dead and another jailed.&nbsp;Larry Braun was allegedly killed by Keith Ostrom, leading to a grand jury indictment charging Ostrom with voluntary manslaughter, criminal discharge of a firearm, possession of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol and endangerment.Read the original story at <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/cb25e09c-b11a-4bc4-9df4-321f1f528bcb">hayspost.com/posts/cb25e09c-b11a-4bc4-9df4-321f1f528bcb</a>.<h2>Young mom from Hays sues Kansas Board of Cosmetology to offer sugaring</h2>In October, Hays resident Bryn Green sued the Kansas&nbsp;Board of Cosmetology in order to offer sugaring,&nbsp;an ancient grooming technique that uses a mixture of sugar, lemon juice and water to safely remove unwanted hair without obtaining an occupational license with the assistance of the Kansas Justice Institute.&nbsp;Read the original story at&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/14a7b433-3f84-4a2b-97ac-9ea092742473">hayspost.com/posts/14a7b433-3f84-4a2b-97ac-9ea092742473</a>.The case remains ongoing.<h2>Hays felon arrested on suspicion of attempted murder</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/3/1680189341105.png" alt="File photo" />
 <figcaption>File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>In March, Hays Police responded to a domestic disturbance finding a victim with multiple stab wounds. Collin Micheal McMillin would later be arrested on charges of attempted murder.Read the original story at <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/453cb422-cd9e-4386-8103-8e6c8f7ff224">hayspost.com/posts/453cb422-cd9e-4386-8103-8e6c8f7ff224</a>.McMillin is currently in custody in the Ellis County Jail.<h2>Ellis County man found guilty of pre-meditated murder after week-long trial</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1626522324942.png" alt="File photo" />
 <figcaption>File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>In September, a criminal case dating to Halloween 2019 was closed after the conviction of Colby Alan Trickle for the pre-meditated first-degree murder of his wife, Kristin Trickle.Read the original story at&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/b6c032e6-536c-4ad8-b646-fea6b6b293bf">hayspost.com/posts/b6c032e6-536c-4ad8-b646-fea6b6b293bf</a>.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/0379c4b5-8e93-4dcb-8d83-cfb4b8537b90">Colby Trickle was sentenced in November</a> to life in prison and is currently being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility. <h2>Hays PD reports arrests following fentanyl-linked overdose death</h2>In March, two Hays residents were arrested on drug charges stemming from a death in February from fentanyl ingestion. Kimberly Schmeidler and Brandon Kahrs were both charged with alleged drug distribution after a search of their home located drugs that matched the pills found during the initial investigation.Read the original story at&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/d7ff76bf-a6d5-4493-8470-3d110f0ded4f">hayspost.com/posts/d7ff76bf-a6d5-4493-8470-3d110f0ded4f</a>.<h2>Vehicle drives into Gross Memorial; train crash may be related</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703886115812.jpeg" alt="Photo by Tony Guerrero/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Tony Guerrero/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>In June, an unnamed suspect allegedly drove inside Gross Memorial Coliseum on the Fort Hays Campus, causing significant damage. A vehicle matching the description later drove onto train tracks near the university and was struck by a train.Read the original story at&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/703cf48a-78d2-4eea-b296-3fab7397c6d9">hayspost.com/posts/703cf48a-78d2-4eea-b296-3fab7397c6d9</a>.<h2>Locals pack Brass Rail bar for last time after more than 70 years in Hays</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1698166384468.jpeg" alt="Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>In October, area residents had one last chance to visit an iconic part of downtown Hays, The Brass Rail, after the building was sold and before the over-70-year-old bar closed for the last time.&nbsp;Read the original story at&nbsp;<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/63d75fa4-f2c2-468b-865c-515c72d8e17b">hayspost.com/posts/63d75fa4-f2c2-468b-865c-515c72d8e17b</a>Plans for the building have not yet been announced, but demolition is currently underway inside.<h2>Blue Light Body Art opens with new name on Main in Hays</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675965490569.jpeg" alt="Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure>In February, after 15 years at Vine and Eighth, Sore Loser, Tattoo rebranded and moved downtown with the new name Blue Light Body Arts.Read the original story at <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/96919371-593d-482a-8dec-5e5b23ed7638">hayspost.com/posts/96919371-593d-482a-8dec-5e5b23ed7638</a>.The business continues operating in the new location.

Goodbye 2023: A look back at the biggest local stories of the year

Lewis "Bud" Hooper was born during a "Hell of a hailstorm" on October 2nd, 1930 in Stratton, Colorado. He married Dixie Darlene Carson on July 16th 1949, at the Nazarene church in Kirwin, Kansas. Together they had 3 children. They lived a full life together until Dixie passed away in 2002. Bud then married a classmate and 2nd love of his life, Donna (Morris). Bud passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus on December 23rd, 2023 in Logan, KS.&nbsp;

Bud was preceded in death by the mother of his children, Dixie; his 2nd wife, Donna, who loved him very much as well; his parents, Lewis and Anna Hooper; his brother, Bill Hooper; his sister Betty (Hooper) Jacobson; and his step-son Gary Morris.

Surviving family, who will miss him dearly, are his brothers Robert Hooper and wife Diane of Bogue, KS; Allen Hooper and wife Jeannie of Oberlin, KS; JD Hooper of Goodland, KS; and Floyd Hooper and wife Jane of Manhattan, &nbsp;KS; his nieces and nephews; his sons, Lewis "Skip" Hooper and wife Barbara of Pickering, Ontario, Canada, and Michael Hooper and significant other Deb Meador of Logan and Sublette, KS ; his favorite daughter, Pamela (Hooper) Hessman and husband Rick of Bloomfield, NM; 12 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson.&nbsp;

Cremation was arranged. &nbsp;Memorial services will be Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at the Logan Free Methodist Church, Logan, with Pastor Dennis Gilhousen officiating. &nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/p/Olliff-Boeve-Memorial-Chapel-100055272974764/">The services will be live streamed on the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel Facebook Page.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;Inurnment will take place at a later date in La Veta, CO.

Friends may sign the book from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024 at the Logan Funeral Home, Logan, KS. &nbsp;The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. for visitation.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Logan Manor.

Bud was a hardworking man who loved fishing, golf, pool, playing cards, and colorful socks. He got to travel and see some amazing parts of the country and world. He loved to laugh and tease people good-heartedly. He will be greatly missed, and is up in Heaven saying, "I think dammit!"

Logan Funeral Home, 102 E. Church St., Logan, KS, is in charge of arrangements.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703888918559.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Lewis "Bud" Hooper was born during a "Hell of a hailstorm" on October 2nd, 1930 in Stratton, Colorado. He married Dixie Darlene Carson on July 16th 1949, at the Nazarene church in Kirwin, Kansas. Together they had 3 children. They lived a full life together until Dixie passed away in 2002. Bud then married a classmate and 2nd love of his life, Donna (Morris). Bud passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus on December 23rd, 2023 in Logan, KS.&nbsp;Bud was preceded in death by the mother of his children, Dixie; his 2nd wife, Donna, who loved him very much as well; his parents, Lewis and Anna Hooper; his brother, Bill Hooper; his sister Betty (Hooper) Jacobson; and his step-son Gary Morris.Surviving family, who will miss him dearly, are his brothers Robert Hooper and wife Diane of Bogue, KS; Allen Hooper and wife Jeannie of Oberlin, KS; JD Hooper of Goodland, KS; and Floyd Hooper and wife Jane of Manhattan, &nbsp;KS; his nieces and nephews; his sons, Lewis "Skip" Hooper and wife Barbara of Pickering, Ontario, Canada, and Michael Hooper and significant other Deb Meador of Logan and Sublette, KS ; his favorite daughter, Pamela (Hooper) Hessman and husband Rick of Bloomfield, NM; 12 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson.&nbsp;Cremation was arranged. &nbsp;Memorial services will be Wednesday, January 3, 2024 at the Logan Free Methodist Church, Logan, with Pastor Dennis Gilhousen officiating. &nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/p/Olliff-Boeve-Memorial-Chapel-100055272974764/">The services will be live streamed on the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel Facebook Page.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;Inurnment will take place at a later date in La Veta, CO.Friends may sign the book from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, January 2nd, 2024 at the Logan Funeral Home, Logan, KS. &nbsp;The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. for visitation.Memorial contributions may be made to the Logan Manor.Bud was a hardworking man who loved fishing, golf, pool, playing cards, and colorful socks. He got to travel and see some amazing parts of the country and world. He loved to laugh and tease people good-heartedly. He will be greatly missed, and is up in Heaven saying, "I think dammit!"Logan Funeral Home, 102 E. Church St., Logan, KS, is in charge of arrangements.

Lewis E. Hooper

Nancy L. (Williams) Hurlbut, 76, of Russell, Kansas and formerly of Sylvan Grove, Kansas, passed away Saturday, December 23, 2023, at Main Street Manor of Russell.

Nancy was born June 2, 1947 in Goodland, Kansas.&nbsp; She was the daughter of John and Violet (Hill) Williams.&nbsp; Her dad was a custom cutter in Kansas and so growing up they lived in several places.&nbsp; She was a graduate of Luray High School.

Nancy was united in marriage to Gary Edward Hurlbut on October 22, 1965 in Lincoln, Kansas.&nbsp; This union was blessed with three children; Troy, Shelley and Angela.&nbsp; Gary was in the U.S. Army when they were married so they lived in Maryland, Texas and Virginia.&nbsp; After his service they moved to Sylvan Grove.&nbsp; Gary preceded her in death on February 21, 2014.

Nancy worked for over 36 years in the Sylvan Grove Post Office, she was the Post Office Master Relief when she retired.

Surviving family include her son, Troy Hurlbut of Bunker Hill, Kansas; daughters, Shelley Price (Todd) of Russell, Kansas and Angela Hurlbut of Sylvan Grove, Kansas; brothers, Don Williams (Karen) of Salina, Kansas and Dennis Williams of Russell, Kansas; brother-in-law, Roger Besher of Salina, Kansas; and two grandsons, Austin Price and Caleb Price.

Nancy was preceded in death by her parents, husband Gary, and sister, Barbara Besher.

A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 AM, Wednesday, January 3, 2023 at the First Presbyterian Church of Sylvan Grove.&nbsp; A private family burial of ashes will follow the service.&nbsp; Condolences may be sent to Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, who is in charge of these arrangements.

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703888179125.jpeg" alt="" />
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 </figure>Nancy L. (Williams) Hurlbut, 76, of Russell, Kansas and formerly of Sylvan Grove, Kansas, passed away Saturday, December 23, 2023, at Main Street Manor of Russell.Nancy was born June 2, 1947 in Goodland, Kansas.&nbsp; She was the daughter of John and Violet (Hill) Williams.&nbsp; Her dad was a custom cutter in Kansas and so growing up they lived in several places.&nbsp; She was a graduate of Luray High School.Nancy was united in marriage to Gary Edward Hurlbut on October 22, 1965 in Lincoln, Kansas.&nbsp; This union was blessed with three children; Troy, Shelley and Angela.&nbsp; Gary was in the U.S. Army when they were married so they lived in Maryland, Texas and Virginia.&nbsp; After his service they moved to Sylvan Grove.&nbsp; Gary preceded her in death on February 21, 2014.Nancy worked for over 36 years in the Sylvan Grove Post Office, she was the Post Office Master Relief when she retired.Surviving family include her son, Troy Hurlbut of Bunker Hill, Kansas; daughters, Shelley Price (Todd) of Russell, Kansas and Angela Hurlbut of Sylvan Grove, Kansas; brothers, Don Williams (Karen) of Salina, Kansas and Dennis Williams of Russell, Kansas; brother-in-law, Roger Besher of Salina, Kansas; and two grandsons, Austin Price and Caleb Price.Nancy was preceded in death by her parents, husband Gary, and sister, Barbara Besher.A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 AM, Wednesday, January 3, 2023 at the First Presbyterian Church of Sylvan Grove.&nbsp; A private family burial of ashes will follow the service.&nbsp; Condolences may be sent to Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, who is in charge of these arrangements.

Nancy L. (Williams) Hurlbut

Madeline Doris Farris, age 96 years and 11 months, of Protection, Kansas, died Sunday, December 24, 2023, at Comanche County Hospital in Coldwater, Kansas. She was born January 29, 1927, in Wichita, Kansas, the daughter of Emmett Lyman Bush and Irene Alberta (Schmitt) Bush Merhoff.

Madeline was raised in Great Bend, Kansas, where she completed high school. She married Clarence E. Farris on October 16, 1950, in Kansas City, Kansas. Clarence worked in the oil field which gave the family the opportunity to live in many places. Madeline supported her husband in his career and often times would help him when needed. Madeline was funny, witty, cantankerous, smart, ornery, an escape artist, and full of life. Her hobbies included listening to country music, singing and dancing around the house, reading the Bible, and her family. She was happiest when she was at a family reunion with all the family there. She made everyone feel special by remembering their birthday. Madeline loved to challenge the nursing staff at the care homes by trying to escape or having her sons sneak her in a beer during their visits.

Madeline is survived by her son, Dale Farris of Woodward, Oklahoma; daughters, Linda Wooten and husband Bobby of Ada, Oklahoma, Sondra Wilhelm and husband Don of Waverly, Nebraska, and Jo Thompson and husband Phillip of Hugoton, Kansas; daughter-in-law, Donna Farris of Liberal, Kansas; 18 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren, and 16 great-great-grandchildren.

Madeline is preceded in death by her parents, Emmett Bush and Irene Merhoff; husband, Clarence Farris; son, Robert Farris; twin sister, Maxine Pucket; grandchildren, Tera Lee Thompson, Ricky Tharp, Jr., Isaac Brown, and Angela Wilson; and great-grandchildren, Meilani and Ryleigh Carter.

The family will have a private inurnment at the Liberal Cemetery and memorial celebration at a later date. Memorial contributions may be given to the American Cancer Society in care of Garnand Funeral Home, 920 E. 11th St. Hugoton, KS 67951. Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703799495844.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Madeline Doris Farris, age 96 years and 11 months, of Protection, Kansas, died Sunday, December 24, 2023, at Comanche County Hospital in Coldwater, Kansas. She was born January 29, 1927, in Wichita, Kansas, the daughter of Emmett Lyman Bush and Irene Alberta (Schmitt) Bush Merhoff.Madeline was raised in Great Bend, Kansas, where she completed high school. She married Clarence E. Farris on October 16, 1950, in Kansas City, Kansas. Clarence worked in the oil field which gave the family the opportunity to live in many places. Madeline supported her husband in his career and often times would help him when needed. Madeline was funny, witty, cantankerous, smart, ornery, an escape artist, and full of life. Her hobbies included listening to country music, singing and dancing around the house, reading the Bible, and her family. She was happiest when she was at a family reunion with all the family there. She made everyone feel special by remembering their birthday. Madeline loved to challenge the nursing staff at the care homes by trying to escape or having her sons sneak her in a beer during their visits.Madeline is survived by her son, Dale Farris of Woodward, Oklahoma; daughters, Linda Wooten and husband Bobby of Ada, Oklahoma, Sondra Wilhelm and husband Don of Waverly, Nebraska, and Jo Thompson and husband Phillip of Hugoton, Kansas; daughter-in-law, Donna Farris of Liberal, Kansas; 18 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren, and 16 great-great-grandchildren.Madeline is preceded in death by her parents, Emmett Bush and Irene Merhoff; husband, Clarence Farris; son, Robert Farris; twin sister, Maxine Pucket; grandchildren, Tera Lee Thompson, Ricky Tharp, Jr., Isaac Brown, and Angela Wilson; and great-grandchildren, Meilani and Ryleigh Carter.The family will have a private inurnment at the Liberal Cemetery and memorial celebration at a later date. Memorial contributions may be given to the American Cancer Society in care of Garnand Funeral Home, 920 E. 11th St. Hugoton, KS 67951. Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Madeline Doris Farris

TOPEKA—The Kansas judicial branch phased restoration of the Kansas eCourt case management system in district courts continues, although at a slower pace than had been planned, according to a statement released Wednesday from the court website.

The case management system is used by district courts to process cases. It is among several information systems temporarily incapacitated by an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kscourts.org/About-the-Courts/Court-Administration/OJA/Court-Systems-Security-Incident/News">October 12 cyberattack</a>.District courts in nine judicial districts encompassing 28 counties had their access to the case management system restored as of December 19.

Two more judicial districts were added December 22, eight were added yesterday, and one will be added Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;

The restoration plan originally called for courts in 104 counties to be back on the case management system by the end of last week, but system performance slowed the effort.Courts that regained access December 22 and after

The two judicial districts that regained access December 22 are:

Judicial districts that regained access Tuesday are:

The 18th Judicial District, which is Sedgwick County, will regain access this afternoon.

As more courts regained access to the case management system, court personnel reported performance issues affecting how financial activities are recorded.

Through troubleshooting the issues with support from system experts, the Office of Judicial Administration determined case processing and backfilling case events are unaffected and can continue.System experts will continue to troubleshoot, isolate, and resolve system performance issues that affect recording financial activities.

Until performance issues are resolved, courts operating on the case management system will continue to use a paper receipting process adopted after the October 12 cyberattack.When the system issues are resolved, courts will take payments electronically.

Portal access through courthouse terminals only

When the case management system is restored in a district court, that court can offer visitors the option to search district court case information through a courthouse terminal.

Because courts have not had access to the case management system for several weeks, case events and case documents dated after October 12 are not likely to show up in search, at least initially. 

It could take courts several weeks to bring all case events and documents up to date.

A similar search capability through the web-based Kansas District Court Public Access Portal will not be available until sometime after all district courts have their access to the case management system restored.

The public can continue to search cases through a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kscourts.org/About-the-Courts/Court-Administration/OJA/Court-Systems-Security-Incident/Public-Access-Service-Center">public access service center</a>&nbsp;in the Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka or visit a district court that has regained access to the case management system.

Clerk of district court hours of operation

The Office of Judicial Administration recommended district courts consider several strategies to bring the case management system up to date. One recommendation is to temporarily modify clerk office hours to give staff uninterrupted time to focus on entering case events and adding documents.

A person who has business with a court clerk office is advised to check the district court’s website or call the court clerk office to verify their current hours of operation. Modified clerk office hours do not affect scheduled court appearances.

Visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kscourts.org/About-the-Courts/District-Courts">District Courts</a>&nbsp;for court contact information.

TOPEKA—The Kansas judicial branch phased restoration of the Kansas eCourt case management system in district courts continues, although at a slower pace than had been planned, according to a statement released Wednesday from the court website.The case management system is used by district courts to process cases. It is among several information systems temporarily incapacitated by an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kscourts.org/About-the-Courts/Court-Administration/OJA/Court-Systems-Security-Incident/News">October 12 cyberattack</a>.District courts in nine judicial districts encompassing 28 counties had their access to the case management system restored as of December 19. Two more judicial districts were added December 22, eight were added yesterday, and one will be added Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;The restoration plan originally called for courts in 104 counties to be back on the case management system by the end of last week, but system performance slowed the effort.Courts that regained access December 22 and afterThe two judicial districts that regained access December 22 are:<ul>
 <li>28th Judicial District: Ottawa and Saline counties</li><li>30th Judicial District: Barber, Harper, Kingman, Pratt, and Sumner counties</li>
 </ul>Judicial districts that regained access Tuesday are:<ul>
 <li>2nd Judicial District: Jackson, Jefferson, Pottawatomie, and Wabaunsee counties</li><li>6th Judicial District: Bourbon, Linn, and Miami counties</li><li>11th Judicial District: Cherokee, Crawford, and Labette counties</li><li>14th Judicial District: Chautauqua and Montgomery counties</li><li>16th Judicial District: Clark, Comanche, Ford, Gray, Kiowa, and Meade counties</li><li>20th Judicial District: Barton, Ellsworth, Rice, Russell, and Stafford counties</li><li>22nd Judicial District: Brown, Doniphan, Marshall, and Nemaha counties</li><li>24th Judicial District: Edwards, Hodgeman, Lane, Ness, Pawnee, and Rush counties</li>
 </ul>The 18th Judicial District, which is Sedgwick County, will regain access this afternoon.Resolving performance issues&nbsp;As more courts regained access to the case management system, court personnel reported performance issues affecting how financial activities are recorded.Through troubleshooting the issues with support from system experts, the Office of Judicial Administration determined case processing and backfilling case events are unaffected and can continue.System experts will continue to troubleshoot, isolate, and resolve system performance issues that affect recording financial activities.Electronic payments to courtsUntil performance issues are resolved, courts operating on the case management system will continue to use a paper receipting process adopted after the October 12 cyberattack.When the system issues are resolved, courts will take payments electronically.Portal access through courthouse terminals onlyWhen the case management system is restored in a district court, that court can offer visitors the option to search district court case information through a courthouse terminal.Because courts have not had access to the case management system for several weeks, case events and case documents dated after October 12 are not likely to show up in search, at least initially. It could take courts several weeks to bring all case events and documents up to date.A similar search capability through the web-based Kansas District Court Public Access Portal will not be available until sometime after all district courts have their access to the case management system restored.The public can continue to search cases through a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kscourts.org/About-the-Courts/Court-Administration/OJA/Court-Systems-Security-Incident/Public-Access-Service-Center">public access service center</a>&nbsp;in the Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka or visit a district court that has regained access to the case management system.Clerk of district court hours of operationThe Office of Judicial Administration recommended district courts consider several strategies to bring the case management system up to date. One recommendation is to temporarily modify clerk office hours to give staff uninterrupted time to focus on entering case events and adding documents.A person who has business with a court clerk office is advised to check the district court’s website or call the court clerk office to verify their current hours of operation. Modified clerk office hours do not affect scheduled court appearances.Visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kscourts.org/About-the-Courts/District-Courts">District Courts</a>&nbsp;for court contact information.Kansas Courts eFilingThe Kansas Courts eFiling system used by attorneys to electronically file documents in district courts is expected to be available after the case management system is restored in district courts, or after the first of the year.Appellate information systemsThe efiling and case management systems used by the Kansas Supreme Court and the Kansas Court of Appeals will be brought back online after district court systems. The Office of Judicial Administration will share a timeline as work advances.UpdatesUpdates on the cyberattack and efforts to restore court information systems are on the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kscourts.org/security-incident">Court Systems Security Incident webpage</a>.Other courts operating on Kansas eCourt case management system﻿<a href="https://www.kscourts.org/Newsroom/News-Releases/News/2023-News-Releases/December-2023/Judicial-branch-begins-restoring-case-management-s">Judicial branch begins restoring case management system in district courts</a>