Lawrence W.&nbsp;Ehrlich, 96, of Russell,&nbsp;Kansas, died on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at the Wheatland Nursing Home in Russell, Kansas.&nbsp;

Lawrence was born on July 17, 1926, in Russell, Kansas, the son of Gotfred and Ida C. (Strecker) Ehrlich. &nbsp;He grew up in Russell and attended Russell schools. &nbsp;He joined the United States Armyduring the Korean war&nbsp;and was inducted in October 1944. &nbsp;After serving his country, he met, fell in love and was united in marriage to Victoria B.&nbsp;Michaelis&nbsp;on November 16, 1947, in Russell, Kansasat the St. John Lutheran Church. From this union, Lawrence and Victoria&nbsp;were blessed with two sons Tim and Thomas. &nbsp;He worked&nbsp;as a salesman&nbsp;for Shannon’s appliance&nbsp;for 20 years and also worked for the city and county of Russell. &nbsp;He was a longtime member of the St. John Lutheran Church in Russell. &nbsp;He was a member of the Russell V.F.W. Post #624 and the Russell American Legion Post #99. &nbsp;He&nbsp;loved dancing polka with his wife and especially enjoyed&nbsp;spending time with his family.

Surviving family include his two sons Tim R. Ehrlich of&nbsp;Clearwater, Kansas and Thomas J. Ehrlich of Hutchinson, Kansas; 2 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death&nbsp;by his parents, wife Victoria on September 22, 2005, and his brother Alvin Ehrlich.

A&nbsp;private burial has taken place&nbsp;at the Russell City Cemetery. &nbsp;Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682445655272.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Lawrence W.&nbsp;Ehrlich, 96, of Russell,&nbsp;Kansas, died on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at the Wheatland Nursing Home in Russell, Kansas.&nbsp;Lawrence was born on July 17, 1926, in Russell, Kansas, the son of Gotfred and Ida C. (Strecker) Ehrlich. &nbsp;He grew up in Russell and attended Russell schools. &nbsp;He joined the United States Armyduring the Korean war&nbsp;and was inducted in October 1944. &nbsp;After serving his country, he met, fell in love and was united in marriage to Victoria B.&nbsp;Michaelis&nbsp;on November 16, 1947, in Russell, Kansasat the St. John Lutheran Church. From this union, Lawrence and Victoria&nbsp;were blessed with two sons Tim and Thomas. &nbsp;He worked&nbsp;as a salesman&nbsp;for Shannon’s appliance&nbsp;for 20 years and also worked for the city and county of Russell. &nbsp;He was a longtime member of the St. John Lutheran Church in Russell. &nbsp;He was a member of the Russell V.F.W. Post #624 and the Russell American Legion Post #99. &nbsp;He&nbsp;loved dancing polka with his wife and especially enjoyed&nbsp;spending time with his family.Surviving family include his two sons Tim R. Ehrlich of&nbsp;Clearwater, Kansas and Thomas J. Ehrlich of Hutchinson, Kansas; 2 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.He was preceded in death&nbsp;by his parents, wife Victoria on September 22, 2005, and his brother Alvin Ehrlich.A&nbsp;private burial has taken place&nbsp;at the Russell City Cemetery. &nbsp;Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.

Lawrence W. Ehrlich

Rita Merle Shelton, 96, of Olathe, passed away on April 22, 2023, with 
loving family at her side. Mother indicated her greatest and most 
loving accomplishment was her three daughters. Although she loved her 
family beyond measure, she definitely touched the life of many other 
family and friends. She was born on May 31, 1926, to 
William and Blanche (Brosa) Thompson at Moorcroft, WY. At an early age,
 Rita moved to Norton, Kansas, with her parents where she grew up and 
attended Norton schools. Rita was united in marriage to James P.
 Shelton in Goodland, Kansas. To this union, three daughters were born,
 Wilma Wilcox, Jody Stephen and Jeannie Peterson. Rita and James made 
their home in Norton until 1972. Rita returned to Norton High 
School to complete her work and graduated in 1965. Later she attended 
Fort Hays State College to take courses in Library Science. In 1975, 
she became Librarian at the Norton Public Library. She worked there for
 13 years. In October of 1983, Rita and James made their way to
 Olathe, Kansas, where they retired to be with their three daughters and 
families. They eventually moved to live with their daughter, Jeannie and
 husband, Larry, as extra care was needed. Rita loved to 
travel. She traveled extensively in the United States, Europe and Saudi
 Arabia and celebrated when she made it to all 50 states. She was a 
member of the First Baptist Church, Ladies Reading Circle Federated 
Study Club, Salvation Army Auxiliary, a Johnson County Extension 
Homemaker’s Unit, and Rebekah Lodge. With her love of books, she was an
 active member of the Friends Group at the Olathe Public Library, and 
with her faith in God, she was always active and supportive in her 
church. Rita is survived by her loving daughters, Jeannie 
(Larry) Peterson, Jody (Jim) Stephen, and Wilma Wilcox, grandchildren, 
Jeremy Peterson, Erica Del Monaco and David Wilcox, great grandchildren,
 Elle Peterson and Hayden and Harper Del Monaco. She was preceded in 
death by her parents, her husband, James Shelton, in 2013 and her 
siblings, Margaret and David. Private family services will be held. Memorials are suggested to the Friends of the Library or First Baptist Church in Olathe, Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682440976284.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Rita Merle Shelton, 96, of Olathe, passed away on April 22, 2023, with 
loving family at her side. Mother indicated her greatest and most 
loving accomplishment was her three daughters. Although she loved her 
family beyond measure, she definitely touched the life of many other 
family and friends. She was born on May 31, 1926, to 
William and Blanche (Brosa) Thompson at Moorcroft, WY. At an early age,
 Rita moved to Norton, Kansas, with her parents where she grew up and 
attended Norton schools. Rita was united in marriage to James P.
 Shelton in Goodland, Kansas. To this union, three daughters were born,
 Wilma Wilcox, Jody Stephen and Jeannie Peterson. Rita and James made 
their home in Norton until 1972. Rita returned to Norton High 
School to complete her work and graduated in 1965. Later she attended 
Fort Hays State College to take courses in Library Science. In 1975, 
she became Librarian at the Norton Public Library. She worked there for
 13 years. In October of 1983, Rita and James made their way to
 Olathe, Kansas, where they retired to be with their three daughters and 
families. They eventually moved to live with their daughter, Jeannie and
 husband, Larry, as extra care was needed. Rita loved to 
travel. She traveled extensively in the United States, Europe and Saudi
 Arabia and celebrated when she made it to all 50 states. She was a 
member of the First Baptist Church, Ladies Reading Circle Federated 
Study Club, Salvation Army Auxiliary, a Johnson County Extension 
Homemaker’s Unit, and Rebekah Lodge. With her love of books, she was an
 active member of the Friends Group at the Olathe Public Library, and 
with her faith in God, she was always active and supportive in her 
church. Rita is survived by her loving daughters, Jeannie 
(Larry) Peterson, Jody (Jim) Stephen, and Wilma Wilcox, grandchildren, 
Jeremy Peterson, Erica Del Monaco and David Wilcox, great grandchildren,
 Elle Peterson and Hayden and Harper Del Monaco. She was preceded in 
death by her parents, her husband, James Shelton, in 2013 and her 
siblings, Margaret and David. Private family services will be held. Memorials are suggested to the Friends of the Library or First Baptist Church in Olathe, Kansas.

Rita Merle Shelton

Carolee “LaVada” (Stillwell, White) Campbell was born on October 12, 
1931, in Laton, Kansas, to Grover Stillwell and Luella McCall Stillwell. 
She died April 21, 2023, at Prairie Senior Living Center in Colby, 
Kansas. She graduated from Sheridan Community High School in 1949. She 
married Herbert Woodrow White on January 31st, 1950. They had seven 
children. They lived in multiple places including Hoxie, Menlo and 
Rexford before settling in Colby in 1960. They divorced in 1963. 

LaVada 
worked as a waitress in several restaurants in Colby including The Chief
 and Murphy’s Cafe. While working at Murphy’s, she met Harry “Bob” 
Campbell, and they married in February of 1968. She began working at 
Colby Community College in August of 1968 in Food Service. In August of 
1975, they had a daughter Tracy and she stayed home for two years. She 
then returned to work at the college until she retired in 1993. 
In her younger years she enjoyed camping and fishing. Attending plays 
and musicals that were performed locally was a great source of 
entertainment. Her trip to New York City with her two daughters to see 
some Broadway musicals was one of her favorite trips. She was an awesome
 cook at work and at home. Well known for her fried chicken, homemade 
noodles and homemade bread. She always made everyone’s favorite food and
 dessert for their birthdays. Every family holiday was held at her house
 and homemade potato and oyster soup as well as her Christmas sugar 
cookies and no bake cookies were always a favorite.

Doing puzzles was 
also another pastime as a puzzle was always in progress at her house. 
She was an avid reader. She later got into many different types of 
crafting and making quilts. Everyone got a set of embroidered tea towels
 for wedding gifts. She collected beanie babies and McDonald toys 
resulting in a huge collection at the time of her death. Whenever we 
needed a quick bite to eat, we had to go to McDonalds so she could get a
 Happy Meals for the toy to add to her collection. She enjoyed studying 
and doing extensive research on the genealogy of the Stillwell, White 
and Campbell families. 
She was preceded in death by her parents and siblings Lavern LaRue, 
Maxine Hoey and Maurice Stillwell, her infant daughter Luella, her 
husband Bob, son Jerry White, grandson Adam Goalden and great grandson 
Bryce Colgan. 
She is survived by her children Linda and Wes Rummel of Goodland, John 
and Dona White of Colby, Grant and Rhonda White of Colby, Debbie and 
Bill Messamore of Wichita, Karen Harper of Holdrege NE, and Tracy 
Campbell of Colby, 16 grandchildren 34 great grandchildren and many 
extended family members. 
Visitation will be from 5-7:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at 
Baalmann Mortuary, Colby. Funeral services will be held on Thursday 
April 27, 2023, at 2:00 pm at Baalmann Mortuary Colby, with burial at 
Beulah Cemetery. Immediately after the family will meet at The Gathering
 Place to provide time to visit with extended family and friends.


Memorials may be made to the Colby Community College Endowment 
Foundation and sent in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 391, Colby, KS 
67701. For information or condolences visit baalmannmortuary.com&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682362279583.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Carolee “LaVada” (Stillwell, White) Campbell was born on October 12, 
1931, in Laton, Kansas, to Grover Stillwell and Luella McCall Stillwell. 
She died April 21, 2023, at Prairie Senior Living Center in Colby, 
Kansas. She graduated from Sheridan Community High School in 1949. She 
married Herbert Woodrow White on January 31st, 1950. They had seven 
children. They lived in multiple places including Hoxie, Menlo and 
Rexford before settling in Colby in 1960. They divorced in 1963. LaVada 
worked as a waitress in several restaurants in Colby including The Chief
 and Murphy’s Cafe. While working at Murphy’s, she met Harry “Bob” 
Campbell, and they married in February of 1968. She began working at 
Colby Community College in August of 1968 in Food Service. In August of 
1975, they had a daughter Tracy and she stayed home for two years. She 
then returned to work at the college until she retired in 1993. 
In her younger years she enjoyed camping and fishing. Attending plays 
and musicals that were performed locally was a great source of 
entertainment. Her trip to New York City with her two daughters to see 
some Broadway musicals was one of her favorite trips. She was an awesome
 cook at work and at home. Well known for her fried chicken, homemade 
noodles and homemade bread. She always made everyone’s favorite food and
 dessert for their birthdays. Every family holiday was held at her house
 and homemade potato and oyster soup as well as her Christmas sugar 
cookies and no bake cookies were always a favorite. Doing puzzles was 
also another pastime as a puzzle was always in progress at her house. 
She was an avid reader. She later got into many different types of 
crafting and making quilts. Everyone got a set of embroidered tea towels
 for wedding gifts. She collected beanie babies and McDonald toys 
resulting in a huge collection at the time of her death. Whenever we 
needed a quick bite to eat, we had to go to McDonalds so she could get a
 Happy Meals for the toy to add to her collection. She enjoyed studying 
and doing extensive research on the genealogy of the Stillwell, White 
and Campbell families. 
She was preceded in death by her parents and siblings Lavern LaRue, 
Maxine Hoey and Maurice Stillwell, her infant daughter Luella, her 
husband Bob, son Jerry White, grandson Adam Goalden and great grandson 
Bryce Colgan. 
She is survived by her children Linda and Wes Rummel of Goodland, John 
and Dona White of Colby, Grant and Rhonda White of Colby, Debbie and 
Bill Messamore of Wichita, Karen Harper of Holdrege NE, and Tracy 
Campbell of Colby, 16 grandchildren 34 great grandchildren and many 
extended family members. 
Visitation will be from 5-7:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at 
Baalmann Mortuary, Colby. Funeral services will be held on Thursday 
April 27, 2023, at 2:00 pm at Baalmann Mortuary Colby, with burial at 
Beulah Cemetery. Immediately after the family will meet at The Gathering
 Place to provide time to visit with extended family and friends. 
Memorials may be made to the Colby Community College Endowment 
Foundation and sent in care of Baalmann Mortuary, PO Box 391, Colby, KS 
67701. For information or condolences visit baalmannmortuary.com&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Carolee LaVada Campbell (Stillwell)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nothing will change for now. That's what the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;said Friday evening about access to a widely used abortion pill.

A court case that began in Texas has sought to roll back Food and Drug Administration approval of the drug, mifepristone. Lower courts had said that women seeking the drug should face more restrictions on getting it while the case continues, but the Supreme Court disagreed.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/22a901_3d9g.pdf">court’s action</a>&nbsp;almost certainly will leave access to mifepristone unchanged at least into next year, as appeals play out, including a potential appeal to the high court.

The new abortion controversy comes less than a year after the Supreme Court's conservative majority&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and allowed more than a dozen states to effectively ban abortion outright.

The following is a look at the drug at issue in the new case, how the case got to the nation's highest court and what's next in the legal case.

Mifepristone was approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration more than two decades ago. It has been used by more than 5 million women to safely end their pregnancies, and today more than half of women who end a pregnancy rely on the drug, the Justice Department said.

Over the years, the FDA has loosened restrictions on the drug’s use, extending from seven to 10 weeks of pregnancy when it can be used, reducing the dosage needed to safely end a pregnancy, eliminating the requirement to visit a doctor in person to get it and allowing pills to be obtained by mail. The FDA also approved a generic version of mifepristone that its manufacturer, Las Vegas-based GenBioPro, says makes up two-thirds of the domestic market.

Mifepristone is one of two pills used in medication abortions, along with misoprostol. Health care providers have said they could switch to misoprostol only if mifepristone is no longer available or is too hard to obtain. Misoprostol is somewhat less effective in ending pregnancies.

A lawsuit over mifepristone was filed in Amarillo, Texas, late last year. Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal group, represents the pill's opponents, who say the FDA's approval of mifepristone was flawed.

Why Amarillo?&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-judge-matthew-kacsmaryk-abortion-pill-fda-75964b777ef09593a1ad948c6cfc0237">U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk</a>, who was nominated by then-President Donald Trump, is the sole district court judge there, ensuring that all cases filed in the west Texas city land in front of him. Since taking the bench, he has ruled against President Joe Biden's administration on several other issues, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-joe-biden-new-orleans-mexico-statutes-0a3b7c93a6e6bdf06b0eee4935d7dc8f">immigration</a>&nbsp;and LGBTQ protections.

On April 7, Kacsmaryk issued a ruling that would completely&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">revoke the FDA's approval of mifepristone</a>, but he put the decision on hold for a week to allow an appeal.

Complicating matters, however, on the same day Kacsmaryk issued his order, a court in Washington state issued a separate ruling in a lawsuit brought by liberal states seeking to preserve access to mifepristone. The Washington judge, Spokane-based Thomas O. Rice, whom then-President Barack Obama nominated, ordered the FDA not to do anything that might affect the availability of mifepristone in the suing states. The Biden administration had said it would be impossible to follow both judges' directives at the same time.

HOW DID THE CASE GET TO THE SUPREME COURT?

The Biden administration responded to Kacsmaryk's ruling by asking the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-pills-4b65ecc66d1b908019bdf3843a428d5a">Court of Appeals</a>&nbsp;to prevent it from taking effect for now.

The appeals court didn't do that, but it narrowed Kacsmaryk's ruling so that the initial approval of mifepristone in 2000 wouldn't be revoked. And it agreed with him that changes the FDA made to relax the rules for prescribing and dispensing the drug should be put on hold. It said those rules, including expanding when the drug could be taken and allowing for the drug's delivery through the mail, should be on hold while the case continued.

The appeals court acted by a 2-1 vote. The judges in the majority, Kurt Engelhardt and Andrew Oldham, are both Trump picks.

The Biden administration and the maker of mifepristone, New York-based Danco Laboratories,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-pill-appeal-fe13d36218f1fb43590aff29b5ba4e9c">appealed to the Supreme Court</a>, saying that allowing the appeals court's restrictions to take effect would cause chaos. At first, facing a tight deadline, the Supreme Court gave itself some breathing room and issued an order suggesting it would act by Wednesday evening. But no decision came Wednesday and the court instead just gave itself an extension until just before midnight Friday. It wasn't clear why.

The court did make its second self-imposed deadline, issuing its brief decision around 6:30 p.m. in Washington. Two conservative justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, said they disagreed with the court's action but no other justice commented.

The case is on a fast track. Now that the high court has set out the rules that will govern access for now, the case can continue on its path through the courts.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has already announced it will hear arguments in the case in less than a month, on May 17. Both sides as well as interest groups will submit written briefs ahead of those arguments. And a three-judge panel of the court will hear the case, though the court has not yet said who those three judges will be. The group won't issue a decision from the bench but instead hear arguments and ask questions. That will give the public a sense of what they're thinking. Their decision will be made privately after oral arguments, and at some point they'll issue a written decision announcing it.

Both sides then have an opportunity to appeal, taking the case to all the judges of the appeals court or directly to the Supreme Court. The justices take a break for the summer, however, and don't start hearing cases again until October.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680967457500.png" alt="The new abortion controversy comes less than a year after the Supreme Court's conservative majority&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and allowed more than a dozen states to effectively ban abortion outright." />
 <figcaption>The new abortion controversy comes less than a year after the Supreme Court's conservative majority&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and allowed more than a dozen states to effectively ban abortion outright.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Nothing will change for now. That's what the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;said Friday evening about access to a widely used abortion pill.A court case that began in Texas has sought to roll back Food and Drug Administration approval of the drug, mifepristone. Lower courts had said that women seeking the drug should face more restrictions on getting it while the case continues, but the Supreme Court disagreed.The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/22a901_3d9g.pdf">court’s action</a>&nbsp;almost certainly will leave access to mifepristone unchanged at least into next year, as appeals play out, including a potential appeal to the high court.The new abortion controversy comes less than a year after the Supreme Court's conservative majority&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and allowed more than a dozen states to effectively ban abortion outright.The following is a look at the drug at issue in the new case, how the case got to the nation's highest court and what's next in the legal case.___WHAT IS MIFEPRISTONE?Mifepristone was approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration more than two decades ago. It has been used by more than 5 million women to safely end their pregnancies, and today more than half of women who end a pregnancy rely on the drug, the Justice Department said.Over the years, the FDA has loosened restrictions on the drug’s use, extending from seven to 10 weeks of pregnancy when it can be used, reducing the dosage needed to safely end a pregnancy, eliminating the requirement to visit a doctor in person to get it and allowing pills to be obtained by mail. The FDA also approved a generic version of mifepristone that its manufacturer, Las Vegas-based GenBioPro, says makes up two-thirds of the domestic market.Mifepristone is one of two pills used in medication abortions, along with misoprostol. Health care providers have said they could switch to misoprostol only if mifepristone is no longer available or is too hard to obtain. Misoprostol is somewhat less effective in ending pregnancies.___HOW DID THE CASE GET STARTED?A lawsuit over mifepristone was filed in Amarillo, Texas, late last year. Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal group, represents the pill's opponents, who say the FDA's approval of mifepristone was flawed.Why Amarillo?&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-judge-matthew-kacsmaryk-abortion-pill-fda-75964b777ef09593a1ad948c6cfc0237">U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk</a>, who was nominated by then-President Donald Trump, is the sole district court judge there, ensuring that all cases filed in the west Texas city land in front of him. Since taking the bench, he has ruled against President Joe Biden's administration on several other issues, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-joe-biden-new-orleans-mexico-statutes-0a3b7c93a6e6bdf06b0eee4935d7dc8f">immigration</a>&nbsp;and LGBTQ protections.On April 7, Kacsmaryk issued a ruling that would completely&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">revoke the FDA's approval of mifepristone</a>, but he put the decision on hold for a week to allow an appeal.Complicating matters, however, on the same day Kacsmaryk issued his order, a court in Washington state issued a separate ruling in a lawsuit brought by liberal states seeking to preserve access to mifepristone. The Washington judge, Spokane-based Thomas O. Rice, whom then-President Barack Obama nominated, ordered the FDA not to do anything that might affect the availability of mifepristone in the suing states. The Biden administration had said it would be impossible to follow both judges' directives at the same time.___HOW DID THE CASE GET TO THE SUPREME COURT?The Biden administration responded to Kacsmaryk's ruling by asking the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-pills-4b65ecc66d1b908019bdf3843a428d5a">Court of Appeals</a>&nbsp;to prevent it from taking effect for now.The appeals court didn't do that, but it narrowed Kacsmaryk's ruling so that the initial approval of mifepristone in 2000 wouldn't be revoked. And it agreed with him that changes the FDA made to relax the rules for prescribing and dispensing the drug should be put on hold. It said those rules, including expanding when the drug could be taken and allowing for the drug's delivery through the mail, should be on hold while the case continued.The appeals court acted by a 2-1 vote. The judges in the majority, Kurt Engelhardt and Andrew Oldham, are both Trump picks.The Biden administration and the maker of mifepristone, New York-based Danco Laboratories,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-pill-appeal-fe13d36218f1fb43590aff29b5ba4e9c">appealed to the Supreme Court</a>, saying that allowing the appeals court's restrictions to take effect would cause chaos. At first, facing a tight deadline, the Supreme Court gave itself some breathing room and issued an order suggesting it would act by Wednesday evening. But no decision came Wednesday and the court instead just gave itself an extension until just before midnight Friday. It wasn't clear why.The court did make its second self-imposed deadline, issuing its brief decision around 6:30 p.m. in Washington. Two conservative justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, said they disagreed with the court's action but no other justice commented.___WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?The case is on a fast track. Now that the high court has set out the rules that will govern access for now, the case can continue on its path through the courts.The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has already announced it will hear arguments in the case in less than a month, on May 17. Both sides as well as interest groups will submit written briefs ahead of those arguments. And a three-judge panel of the court will hear the case, though the court has not yet said who those three judges will be. The group won't issue a decision from the bench but instead hear arguments and ask questions. That will give the public a sense of what they're thinking. Their decision will be made privately after oral arguments, and at some point they'll issue a written decision announcing it.Both sides then have an opportunity to appeal, taking the case to all the judges of the appeals court or directly to the Supreme Court. The justices take a break for the summer, however, and don't start hearing cases again until October.___

Abortion pill battle on fast track after Supreme Court's order

Monday, October 12th, 1931-Friday, April 21st, 2023

On obituary and services are pending with Baalmann Mortuary.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682290530164.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Monday, October 12th, 1931-Friday, April 21st, 2023On obituary and services are pending with Baalmann Mortuary.

Shelly
 Lynn VanWinkle, 58, passed away April 20, 2023, at her home in Newton, 
Kan.. She was born October 9, 1964, in Wichita, Kan., to Conrad &amp; 
Wanda (Vickery) Richey. She married William VanWinkle April 24, 1999, in
 Wichita, Kan.&nbsp;

Shelly
 moved to Newton in 2016, from Great Bend, Kan. She was the scale master
 for the Barton County Landfill then Harvey County Landfill. Shelly had 
many other certifications as well, like her CDL. She loved getting her 
nails done and attending family get togethers.

Survivors
 include, her husband, William “Kent” VanWinkle of the home; two sons, 
Kevin Richey and wife, Sarah of Wichita, Kan., and Nicholas Thomas of 
Mount Pleasant, Iowa; stepdaughter, Darline VanWinkle of Springfield, 
Mo.; four grandchildren, Kaitlynn and Konnor Richey, Ivy Peterson, and 
Arianna Jackson; two brothers, Kenny Richey and wife, Janet and Brian 
Richey and wife, Chris, all of Wichita, Kan.; and three sisters, Evelyn 
Cheek and husband, Bill, Linda Diggs and husband, Bill, and Connie Wiss,
 all of Wichita, Kan.

She
 was preceded in death by a son, Stephen Thomas; stepdaughter, Shawnda 
VanWinkle; her parents; two brothers, Gerald and Darrell Richey; and a 
brother-in-law, Doug Wiss.

Visitation
 will be held from Noon to 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at 
Bryant Funeral Home, with family to receive friends from 6:00 to 7:00 
p.m. Funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, April 27, 
2023, at Bryant Funeral Home in Great Bend, with Pastor Larry Schumacher
 presiding. Interment will be in the Hillcrest Memorial Park in Great 
Bend. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials have been designated to the Shelly 
VanWinkle Expense Fund or the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, in care of 
Bryant Funeral Home. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682265269187.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Shelly
 Lynn VanWinkle, 58, passed away April 20, 2023, at her home in Newton, 
Kan.. She was born October 9, 1964, in Wichita, Kan., to Conrad &amp; 
Wanda (Vickery) Richey. She married William VanWinkle April 24, 1999, in
 Wichita, Kan.&nbsp;Shelly
 moved to Newton in 2016, from Great Bend, Kan. She was the scale master
 for the Barton County Landfill then Harvey County Landfill. Shelly had 
many other certifications as well, like her CDL. She loved getting her 
nails done and attending family get togethers.Survivors
 include, her husband, William “Kent” VanWinkle of the home; two sons, 
Kevin Richey and wife, Sarah of Wichita, Kan., and Nicholas Thomas of 
Mount Pleasant, Iowa; stepdaughter, Darline VanWinkle of Springfield, 
Mo.; four grandchildren, Kaitlynn and Konnor Richey, Ivy Peterson, and 
Arianna Jackson; two brothers, Kenny Richey and wife, Janet and Brian 
Richey and wife, Chris, all of Wichita, Kan.; and three sisters, Evelyn 
Cheek and husband, Bill, Linda Diggs and husband, Bill, and Connie Wiss,
 all of Wichita, Kan.She
 was preceded in death by a son, Stephen Thomas; stepdaughter, Shawnda 
VanWinkle; her parents; two brothers, Gerald and Darrell Richey; and a 
brother-in-law, Doug Wiss.Visitation
 will be held from Noon to 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at 
Bryant Funeral Home, with family to receive friends from 6:00 to 7:00 
p.m. Funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, April 27, 
2023, at Bryant Funeral Home in Great Bend, with Pastor Larry Schumacher
 presiding. Interment will be in the Hillcrest Memorial Park in Great 
Bend. In lieu of flowers, memorials have been designated to the Shelly 
VanWinkle Expense Fund or the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, in care of 
Bryant Funeral Home.

Shelly Lynn VanWinkle

KINGMAN – A California man has been sentenced to serve more than 20 years for his conviction of attempted second-degree murder, according to Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach.

Robert John Escarcega, 50, a transient from California, was sentenced by Kingman County District Court Judge Francis R. Meisenheimer to serve 247 months in a Kansas Department of Corrections facility. He was also sentenced to register as a violent offender for 15 years. Escarcega was found guilty by a jury on February 7, 2023.

The crime took place on October 2, 2021, during a domestic incident in rural Kingman County. The case was investigated by the Kingman County Sheriff’s Office, Kingman Police Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Wichita Police Department.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682023597390.png" alt="Escarcega-photo Kingman Co." />
 <figcaption>Escarcega-photo Kingman Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KINGMAN – A California man has been sentenced to serve more than 20 years for his conviction of attempted second-degree murder, according to Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach.Robert John Escarcega, 50, a transient from California, was sentenced by Kingman County District Court Judge Francis R. Meisenheimer to serve 247 months in a Kansas Department of Corrections facility. He was also sentenced to register as a violent offender for 15 years. Escarcega was found guilty by a jury on February 7, 2023.The crime took place on October 2, 2021, during a domestic incident in rural Kingman County. The case was investigated by the Kingman County Sheriff’s Office, Kingman Police Department, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Wichita Police Department.

Kan. judge rules Calif. man must register as a violent offender 

Donald E. “Velvet” Deines was born July 26, 1936, in Hays, Kansas to Adam and Miriam Deines. “Velvet” passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his family on Thursday, April 20th, 2023 at the age of 86 years. He was baptized and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church south of WaKeeney, KS. He spent his formative years helping on the family farm. He graduated from Trego Community High School in 1955. He served his country in the US Army from 1955 to 1957. He married Marjorie Coleman on October 24, 1959. They moved to Beatrice, NE in 1964. 

“Velvet” was a grocer and former owner of Grant Street Grocery.  Following the sale of Grant Street, he was employed by Beatrice Super Market, Encore MFG and Deines Pharmacy. “Velvet” was a people lover, a fun lover and loved to be around his kids, grandkids, and great grandkids.  He especially loved spending time at the family home at Lake of the Ozarks.  

He is survived by his wife Marjorie; his sons, Mitch (Colleen) Deines of Beatrice, NE; Scott (Geri Ann) Deines of Fremont, NE and his daughter Jill (Kelly) Hedlund of Hays, KS.;  Grandchildren: Jonathan (Danielle) Deines, Beatrice, NE; Jessica (Devon) Wegner, Lincoln, NE; Benjamin (Natalie) Deines, Bennington, NE; Blake Deines, Lincoln, NE and Conner Deines, Lincoln, NE; Kelsey (Jared) Wasinger, Manhattan, KS and Kyle (Marina) Hedlund, Gretna, NE.; Great Grandchildren: Mia, Leo, Collins, Merritt, Dallas, Reid, Larson, Scarlett, Jetson, Jaxton &amp; Kinsley; sisters, Rosetta Jamison, Russell, KS; Gladys Feist, Great Bend, KS; Sister-in-Law, Nancy Tomanek, WaKeeney, KS as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.  

He was preceded in death by his parents, his in-laws, Everett &amp; Eva Coleman, his brother and sister-in-law LaVerne (Deacon) &amp; Delores Deines, Nephew Randy Deines, Sister in Law and Brother in Law, Bill &amp; Betty Norton, Brother in Laws, Duane Jamison, “Wild Bill” Feist and Gary Tomanek.

A celebration of “Velvet’s” life will be held at Cornerstone Lutheran Church in Beatrice at 10AM on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, with Reverend Dan Cloeter and Reverend Doyle Karst officiating.  The service may also be viewed at www.ghchapel.com. Burial with military honors by Nebraska Army National Guard and the Legion Riders will follow at Evergreen Home Cemetery in Beatrice. The body will lie in state Monday from 11:00-8:00 at the Griffiths-Hovendick Chapel in Beatrice with the family greeting friends from 6-7:30, and in state at the church on Tuesday one hour preceding the service. A family prayer service will be held at 9:45 AM Tuesday at the church. 

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to Cornerstone Lutheran Church and Cottonwood Hospice with the funeral home and Gene and Patty Lauritsen in charge. Additional service details, including any livestreams, video tributes, or memories may be found at www.ghchapel.com.

These services have been entrusted to the Griffiths-Hovendick Chapel in Beatrice. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682121138569.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Donald E. “Velvet” Deines was born July 26, 1936, in Hays, Kansas to Adam and Miriam Deines. “Velvet” passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by his family on Thursday, April 20th, 2023 at the age of 86 years. He was baptized and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church south of WaKeeney, KS. He spent his formative years helping on the family farm. He graduated from Trego Community High School in 1955. He served his country in the US Army from 1955 to 1957. He married Marjorie Coleman on October 24, 1959. They moved to Beatrice, NE in 1964. “Velvet” was a grocer and former owner of Grant Street Grocery. Following the sale of Grant Street, he was employed by Beatrice Super Market, Encore MFG and Deines Pharmacy. “Velvet” was a people lover, a fun lover and loved to be around his kids, grandkids, and great grandkids. He especially loved spending time at the family home at Lake of the Ozarks. He is survived by his wife Marjorie; his sons, Mitch (Colleen) Deines of Beatrice, NE; Scott (Geri Ann) Deines of Fremont, NE and his daughter Jill (Kelly) Hedlund of Hays, KS.; Grandchildren: Jonathan (Danielle) Deines, Beatrice, NE; Jessica (Devon) Wegner, Lincoln, NE; Benjamin (Natalie) Deines, Bennington, NE; Blake Deines, Lincoln, NE and Conner Deines, Lincoln, NE; Kelsey (Jared) Wasinger, Manhattan, KS and Kyle (Marina) Hedlund, Gretna, NE.; Great Grandchildren: Mia, Leo, Collins, Merritt, Dallas, Reid, Larson, Scarlett, Jetson, Jaxton &amp; Kinsley; sisters, Rosetta Jamison, Russell, KS; Gladys Feist, Great Bend, KS; Sister-in-Law, Nancy Tomanek, WaKeeney, KS as well as many beloved nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his in-laws, Everett &amp; Eva Coleman, his brother and sister-in-law LaVerne (Deacon) &amp; Delores Deines, Nephew Randy Deines, Sister in Law and Brother in Law, Bill &amp; Betty Norton, Brother in Laws, Duane Jamison, “Wild Bill” Feist and Gary Tomanek.A celebration of “Velvet’s” life will be held at Cornerstone Lutheran Church in Beatrice at 10AM on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, with Reverend Dan Cloeter and Reverend Doyle Karst officiating. The service may also be viewed at www.ghchapel.com. Burial with military honors by Nebraska Army National Guard and the Legion Riders will follow at Evergreen Home Cemetery in Beatrice. The body will lie in state Monday from 11:00-8:00 at the Griffiths-Hovendick Chapel in Beatrice with the family greeting friends from 6-7:30, and in state at the church on Tuesday one hour preceding the service. A family prayer service will be held at 9:45 AM Tuesday at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to Cornerstone Lutheran Church and Cottonwood Hospice with the funeral home and Gene and Patty Lauritsen in charge. Additional service details, including any livestreams, video tributes, or memories may be found at www.ghchapel.com.These services have been entrusted to the Griffiths-Hovendick Chapel in Beatrice.

Donald E. 'Velvet' Deines

Lawrence W. Ehrlich, 96, of Russell, Kansas, died on Wednesday, April
 19, 2023, at the Wheatland Nursing Home in Russell, Kansas.

Lawrence was born on July 17, 1926, in Russell, Kansas, the son of 
Gotfred and Ida C. (Strecker) Ehrlich.&nbsp; He grew up in Russell and 
attended Russell schools. He joined the United States Army during the 
Korean war and was inducted in October 1944.&nbsp; 

After serving his country,
 he met, fell in love and was united in marriage to Victoria B. 
Michaelis on November 16, 1947, in Russell, Kansas, at the St. John 
Lutheran Church.&nbsp; From this union Lawrence and Victoria were blessed 
with two sons Tim and Thomas.&nbsp; 

He worked as a salesman for Shannon’s 
appliance for 20 years and also worked for the city and county of 
Russell.&nbsp; He was a longtime member of the St. John Lutheran Church in 
Russell.&nbsp; He was a member of the Russell V.F.W. Post #624 and the 
Russell American Legion Post #99.&nbsp; He loved dancing polka with his wife 
and especially enjoyed spending time with his family.

Surviving family include his two sons Tim R. Ehrlich of Clearwater, 
Kansas and Thomas J. Ehrlich of Hutchinson, Kansas; 2 grandchildren and 3
 great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Victoria on September 22, 2005, and his brother Alvin Ehrlich.

A private burial has taken place at the Russell City Cemetery.&nbsp; 
Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in charge of the 
funeral service arrangements.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682111262665.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Lawrence W. Ehrlich, 96, of Russell, Kansas, died on Wednesday, April
 19, 2023, at the Wheatland Nursing Home in Russell, Kansas.Lawrence was born on July 17, 1926, in Russell, Kansas, the son of 
Gotfred and Ida C. (Strecker) Ehrlich.&nbsp; He grew up in Russell and 
attended Russell schools. He joined the United States Army during the 
Korean war and was inducted in October 1944.&nbsp; After serving his country,
 he met, fell in love and was united in marriage to Victoria B. 
Michaelis on November 16, 1947, in Russell, Kansas, at the St. John 
Lutheran Church.&nbsp; From this union Lawrence and Victoria were blessed 
with two sons Tim and Thomas.&nbsp; He worked as a salesman for Shannon’s 
appliance for 20 years and also worked for the city and county of 
Russell.&nbsp; He was a longtime member of the St. John Lutheran Church in 
Russell.&nbsp; He was a member of the Russell V.F.W. Post #624 and the 
Russell American Legion Post #99.&nbsp; He loved dancing polka with his wife 
and especially enjoyed spending time with his family.Surviving family include his two sons Tim R. Ehrlich of Clearwater, 
Kansas and Thomas J. Ehrlich of Hutchinson, Kansas; 2 grandchildren and 3
 great grandchildren.He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Victoria on September 22, 2005, and his brother Alvin Ehrlich.A private burial has taken place at the Russell City Cemetery.&nbsp; 
Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in charge of the 
funeral service arrangements.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors have formally dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/alec-baldwin">Alec Baldwin</a>&nbsp;in the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western film&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alec-baldwin-rust-shooting-f2d4db6806efe59e0de726b8f4860e6e">“Rust,</a>&nbsp;” citing new evidence and the need for more time to investigate.

In a stunning turnaround for the 65-year-old A-list actor, special prosecutors Kari Morrisey and Jason Lewis filed the notice to dismiss the only charge against Baldwin on Friday in state District Court in Santa Fe. Prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing.

An involuntary manslaughter charge against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the weapons supervisor on the film, is unchanged.

An online status hearing was scheduled for Friday afternoon in state District Court in the case against Gutierrez-Reed. Baldwin's involvement in the hearing was called off with no charge pending against him.

Friday's court filing echoed early statements from prosecutors that new facts had been revealed in the investigation that demand further investigation and forensic analysis, with little time left before evidentiary hearings scheduled to start on May 3.

On Thursday, the special prosecutors said that the “decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled.” They have declined further comment.

Los Angeles-based entertainment litigator and defense attorney Kate Mangels, who is not involved in the “Rust” case, said opportunities for further charges against Baldwin are narrowing.

“If they don’t have the evidence now, I don’t see what evidence they could obtain or that could develop. … It looks like they already had 30 people on a witness list, a cooperative (codefendant) witness, investigations done by various law enforcement agencies. It seems like this has already been pretty well investigated. I can’t imagine what would arise to bring new charges.”

Lawyers for Baldwin were first to announce that prosecutors were changing course, in a sharp turnaround for the Hollywood luminary who just a few months ago was confronting the possibility of a yearslong prison sentence.

Baldwin was pointing a pistol at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.

Baldwin has said the gun fired accidentally and he did not pull the trigger. An FBI forensic report found the weapon could not have fired unless the trigger was pulled, however.

In March, “Rust” safety coordinator and assistant director David Halls&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alec-baldwin-movie-set-shooting-rust-c378be51e3c886d099ac08dbd7ddd2f6">pleaded no contest to a conviction for unsafe handling of a firearm</a>&nbsp;and a suspended sentence of six months of probation. He agreed to cooperate in further inquiries into the fatal shooting.

A defense attorney for Halls said Friday that he is happy for Baldwin and also wishes the best for the Hutchins family.

“Mr. Halls never believed Mr. Baldwin should be charged with a crime. It was a tragic accident that is best resolved out of criminal court,” defense attorney Lisa Torraco said in an email.

When the manslaughter charges were announced in January, Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said the case was about equal justice under the law and accountability in Hutchins’ death, regardless of the fame or fortune of those involved. She said the Ukrainian-born cinematographer’s death was tragic — and preventable.

A new legal team took over prosecution of Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed in late March, after the original special prosecutor appointed in the case resigned.

The dismissal of the charge against Baldwin, also a coproducer on “Rust,” abruptly changes the tenor of the investigation, said John Day, a Santa Fe-based criminal defense attorney who is not involved with the case.

“It does give the impression that the people left holding the bag are the lowest people on that chain,” Day said.

When word of the dismissal came, Baldwin was at Yellowstone Film Ranch on the set of a rebooted “Rust” production, a representative for Rust Movie Productions said. Preparations for filming were underway at the film's new location in Montana, 18 months after the shooting shut it down.

Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys said they fully expect her to be exonerated in the judicial process.

“The truth about what happened will come out and the questions that we have long sought answers for will be answered,” the lawyers, Jason Bowles and Todd Bullion, said in a statement.

Before Friday's dismissal, the case against Baldwin had already been diminishing. In February,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-legal-proceedings-prop-gun-shooting-santa-fe-e9391bd29426e8ffb839c031517d59e7">a weapons enhancement to the manslaughter charge was dropped</a>, reducing the maximum prison sentence from five years to 18 months.

Baldwin's 40-year career has included the early blockbuster “The Hunt for Red October” and a starring role in the sitcom “30 Rock,” as well as iconic appearances in Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed” and a film adaptation of David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross.” In recent years he was known for his impression of former President Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live."

Baldwin has worked little as an actor since the shooting, but hardly went into hiding. He stayed active on social media,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq_Yp6_sDuP/?hl=en">making Instagram videos</a>, posting podcast interviews and pictures of his wife and seven children.

Plans to resume filming were outlined last year by the cinematographer's widower, Matthew Hutchins, in a proposed settlement to a wrongful death lawsuit that would make him an executive producer. Souza has said he will return to directing “Rust” to honor the legacy of Halyna Hutchins.

After a scathing safety review by regulators in New Mexico that detailed ignored complaints and misfires before Hutchins' death in October 2021, the production company agreed to pay a $100,000 fine.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674247011938.jpg" alt="-Baldwin thought the gun was loaded with blanks, ammunition that contains powder but not a bullet. Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>-Baldwin thought the gun was loaded with blanks, ammunition that contains powder but not a bullet. Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors have formally dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/alec-baldwin">Alec Baldwin</a>&nbsp;in the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western film&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alec-baldwin-rust-shooting-f2d4db6806efe59e0de726b8f4860e6e">“Rust,</a>&nbsp;” citing new evidence and the need for more time to investigate.In a stunning turnaround for the 65-year-old A-list actor, special prosecutors Kari Morrisey and Jason Lewis filed the notice to dismiss the only charge against Baldwin on Friday in state District Court in Santa Fe. Prosecutors say the investigation is ongoing.An involuntary manslaughter charge against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the weapons supervisor on the film, is unchanged.An online status hearing was scheduled for Friday afternoon in state District Court in the case against Gutierrez-Reed. Baldwin's involvement in the hearing was called off with no charge pending against him.Friday's court filing echoed early statements from prosecutors that new facts had been revealed in the investigation that demand further investigation and forensic analysis, with little time left before evidentiary hearings scheduled to start on May 3.On Thursday, the special prosecutors said that the “decision does not absolve Mr. Baldwin of criminal culpability and charges may be refiled.” They have declined further comment.Los Angeles-based entertainment litigator and defense attorney Kate Mangels, who is not involved in the “Rust” case, said opportunities for further charges against Baldwin are narrowing.“If they don’t have the evidence now, I don’t see what evidence they could obtain or that could develop. … It looks like they already had 30 people on a witness list, a cooperative (codefendant) witness, investigations done by various law enforcement agencies. It seems like this has already been pretty well investigated. I can’t imagine what would arise to bring new charges.”Lawyers for Baldwin were first to announce that prosecutors were changing course, in a sharp turnaround for the Hollywood luminary who just a few months ago was confronting the possibility of a yearslong prison sentence.Baldwin was pointing a pistol at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during a rehearsal when it went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.Baldwin has said the gun fired accidentally and he did not pull the trigger. An FBI forensic report found the weapon could not have fired unless the trigger was pulled, however.In March, “Rust” safety coordinator and assistant director David Halls&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alec-baldwin-movie-set-shooting-rust-c378be51e3c886d099ac08dbd7ddd2f6">pleaded no contest to a conviction for unsafe handling of a firearm</a>&nbsp;and a suspended sentence of six months of probation. He agreed to cooperate in further inquiries into the fatal shooting.A defense attorney for Halls said Friday that he is happy for Baldwin and also wishes the best for the Hutchins family.“Mr. Halls never believed Mr. Baldwin should be charged with a crime. It was a tragic accident that is best resolved out of criminal court,” defense attorney Lisa Torraco said in an email.When the manslaughter charges were announced in January, Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said the case was about equal justice under the law and accountability in Hutchins’ death, regardless of the fame or fortune of those involved. She said the Ukrainian-born cinematographer’s death was tragic — and preventable.A new legal team took over prosecution of Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed in late March, after the original special prosecutor appointed in the case resigned.The dismissal of the charge against Baldwin, also a coproducer on “Rust,” abruptly changes the tenor of the investigation, said John Day, a Santa Fe-based criminal defense attorney who is not involved with the case.“It does give the impression that the people left holding the bag are the lowest people on that chain,” Day said.When word of the dismissal came, Baldwin was at Yellowstone Film Ranch on the set of a rebooted “Rust” production, a representative for Rust Movie Productions said. Preparations for filming were underway at the film's new location in Montana, 18 months after the shooting shut it down.Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys said they fully expect her to be exonerated in the judicial process.“The truth about what happened will come out and the questions that we have long sought answers for will be answered,” the lawyers, Jason Bowles and Todd Bullion, said in a statement.Before Friday's dismissal, the case against Baldwin had already been diminishing. In February,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-legal-proceedings-prop-gun-shooting-santa-fe-e9391bd29426e8ffb839c031517d59e7">a weapons enhancement to the manslaughter charge was dropped</a>, reducing the maximum prison sentence from five years to 18 months.Baldwin's 40-year career has included the early blockbuster “The Hunt for Red October” and a starring role in the sitcom “30 Rock,” as well as iconic appearances in Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed” and a film adaptation of David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross.” In recent years he was known for his impression of former President Donald Trump on “Saturday Night Live."Baldwin has worked little as an actor since the shooting, but hardly went into hiding. He stayed active on social media,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cq_Yp6_sDuP/?hl=en">making Instagram videos</a>, posting podcast interviews and pictures of his wife and seven children.Plans to resume filming were outlined last year by the cinematographer's widower, Matthew Hutchins, in a proposed settlement to a wrongful death lawsuit that would make him an executive producer. Souza has said he will return to directing “Rust” to honor the legacy of Halyna Hutchins.After a scathing safety review by regulators in New Mexico that detailed ignored complaints and misfires before Hutchins' death in October 2021, the production company agreed to pay a $100,000 fine.---------------

Charge against Alec Baldwin in fatal movie set shooting dismissed

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;initially gave itself a deadline of Wednesday to decide whether women seeking access to a widely used abortion pill would face more restrictions while a court case plays out. But on the day of the highly anticipated decision the justices had only this to say:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-mifepristone-abortion-drug-8457b38f7a4799778e894da1858c8aa2">We need more time</a>.

In a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/041923zr1_kjfm.pdf">one-sentence order,</a>&nbsp;the court said it now expects to act by Friday evening. There was no explanation of the reason for the delay.

The following is a look at the drug at issue in the new case, how the case got to the nation's highest court and what the delay might say about what's going on.

On April 7, Kacsmaryk issued a ruling that would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">revoke the FDA's approval of mifepristone</a>, but he put the decision on hold for a week to allow an appeal.

Complicating matters, however, on the same day Kacsmaryk issued his order, a court in Washington state issued a separate ruling in a lawsuit brought by liberal states seeking to preserve access to mifepristone. The Washington judge, Spokane-based Thomas O. Rice, whom then-President Barack Obama nominated, ordered the FDA not to do anything that might affect the availability of mifepristone in the suing states. The Biden administration has said it is impossible to follow both judges' directives at the same time.

Last week, the appeals court narrowed Kacsmaryk's ruling so that the initial approval of mifepristone in 2000 is not affected, for now. But it agreed with him that changes the FDA made to relax the rules for prescribing and dispensing the drug should be put on hold. Those rules included expanding when the drug could be taken and allowing for the drug's delivery through the mail.

The Biden administration and the maker of mifepristone, New York-based Danco Laboratories,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-pill-appeal-fe13d36218f1fb43590aff29b5ba4e9c">appealed to the Supreme Court</a>, saying that allowing the appeals court's restrictions to take effect would cause chaos. Facing a tight deadline, the Supreme Court gave itself some breathing room and issued an order suggesting it would act by Wednesday evening. That timeline was extended to Friday, the day the justices will hold a previously scheduled private conference.

The justices could talk about the issue further then. The additional time could also be part of an effort to craft an order that has broad support among the nine justices. Or one or more justices might be writing a separate opinion and asked for a couple of extra days.

The Supreme Court’s delay suggests a maddening reality about an institution that ordinarily adheres to a schedule that hasn’t changed much in years: Even experts can be in the dark about when the court will decide things and how.

Cases are argued over seven months from October to April, and the most important decisions typically come right before the justices take a long summer break. The court does not say which cases it plans to hand down on a given day, and the court, in a search for consensus, will sometimes pass on the biggest issues it faces and decide a very small legal point.

But nowhere is the uncertainty as great as a separate category of cases that have come to be known as the shadow docket.

Apart from death row inmates seeking 11th-hour reprieves, shadow docket cases generally involve emergency appeals to the justices before lower courts have reached final decisions. That includes the mifepristone case.

When the justices consider this set of cases, they don’t usually have a deadline to act. A few years back, an order concerning an elections case in Texas came in the wee hours of a Saturday morning for no reason other than that’s when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg finished work on her dissenting opinion.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is leaving women's access to a widely used&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-medication-abortion-works-f913375ec6f8ebcb1f1055e57a3aef63">abortion pill</a>&nbsp;untouched until at least Friday, while the justices consider whether to allow&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-pill-appeal-fe13d36218f1fb43590aff29b5ba4e9c">restrictions</a>&nbsp;on the drug mifepristone to take effect.

The court is dealing with a new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abortion">abortion</a>&nbsp;controversy less than a year after its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and allowed more than a dozen states to effectively ban abortion outright.

At stake now is whether to allow restrictions on mifepristone ordered by a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23774813-5th-circuit-abortion-pill-stay-order">lower court</a>&nbsp;to take effect while a legal challenge to the medication's Food and Drug Administration approval continues.

The justices had at first given themselves a Wednesday evening deadline in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-judge-matthew-kacsmaryk-abortion-pill-fda-75964b777ef09593a1ad948c6cfc0237">a fast-moving case from Texas</a>&nbsp;in which abortion opponents are seeking to roll back FDA approval of mifepristone, which is used in the most common method of abortion in the United States.

But on Wednesday afternoon, Justice Samuel Alito issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/041923zr1_kjfm.pdf">one-sentence order</a>&nbsp;giving the court more time and indicating it expects to act by Friday night. Alito, the justice in charge of handling emergency appeals from Texas, provided no explanation.

The justices are scheduled to meet for a private conference Friday, where they could talk about the issue. The additional time could be part of an effort to craft an order that has broad support among the justices. Or one or more justices might be writing a separate opinion, and asked for a couple of extra days.

The drug first won FDA approval in 2000, and conditions on its use have been loosened in recent years, including making it available by mail in states that allow access.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mifepristone-ff152a443d8439e8fa5d9376070822b2">The Biden administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories</a>, the maker of the drug, want the nation’s highest court to reject limits on mifepristone’s use imposed by lower courts, at least as long as the legal case makes it way through the courts. They say women who want the drug and providers who dispense it will face chaos if limits on the drug take effect. Depending on what the justices decide, that could include requiring women to take a higher dosage of the drug than the FDA says is necessary.

Alliance Defending Freedom, representing anti-abortion doctors and medical groups in a challenge to the drug, is defending the rulings in calling on the Supreme Court to restrict access now.

Complicating the situation, a federal judge in Washington has ordered the FDA to preserve access to mifepristone under the current rules in 17 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia that filed a separate lawsuit.

The Biden administration has said the rulings conflict and create an untenable situation for the FDA.

Even as the abortion landscape changed dramatically in several states,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-mifepristone-abortion-drug-3855bb5d5c791e4c0465958bae94519e">abortion opponents</a>&nbsp;set their sights on medication abortions, which make up more than half of all abortions in the United States.

The abortion opponents filed suit in November in Amarillo, Texas. The legal challenge quickly reached the Supreme Court after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">a federal judge issued a ruling</a>&nbsp;on April 7 that would revoke FDA approval of mifepristone, one of two drugs used in medication abortions.

Less than a week later, a federal appeals court modified the ruling so that mifepristone would remain available while the case continues, but with limits. The appeals court said the drug should only be approved through seven weeks of pregnancy for now, even though the FDA since 2016 has endorsed its use through 10 weeks of pregnancy.

The court also said that the drug can’t be mailed or dispensed as a generic and that patients who seek it need to make three in-person visits with a doctor, among other things.

The generic version of mifepristone makes up two-thirds of the supply in the United States, its manufacturer, Las Vegas-based GenBioPro Inc., wrote in a court filing that underscored the perils of allowing the restrictions to be put into effect.

In the latest legal twist surrounding the case, GenBioPro filed a lawsuit Wednesday to preemptively block the FDA from removing its drug from the market, in the event that the Supreme Court doesn’t intervene.

The FDA approved the company’s generic pill in 2019, based on data and studies showing it is essentially identical to the original version of mifepristone. Both versions have been studied extensively and deemed safe for women.

If the justices aren't inclined to block the ruling from taking effect for now, the Democratic administration and Danco have a fallback argument, asking the court to take up the challenge to mifepristone, hear arguments and decide the case by early summer.

The court only rarely takes such a step before at least one appeals court has thoroughly examined the legal issues involved.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans already has ordered an accelerated schedule for hearing the case, with arguments set for May 17.

Mifepristone has been available for use in medication abortions in the United States since the FDA granted approval in 2000. Since then, more than 5 million women have used it, along with another drug, misoprostol, to induce abortions.

<a href="https://twitter.com/AP/status/1648782842292494336">Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi</a>&nbsp;said in an interview with The Associated Press that for the court to allow restrictions intervening with FDA decisions “would be ludicrous, if it wasn't so serious.”

If the justices take such a step, said Pelosi, D-Calif., "they’ve been too long on Mount Olympus, and it is time for a bright light to be shone."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680967457500.png" alt="About 60% of abortions in Kansas involve the abortion pill. photo Associated Press" />
 <figcaption>About 60% of abortions in Kansas involve the abortion pill. photo Associated Press</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;initially gave itself a deadline of Wednesday to decide whether women seeking access to a widely used abortion pill would face more restrictions while a court case plays out. But on the day of the highly anticipated decision the justices had only this to say:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-mifepristone-abortion-drug-8457b38f7a4799778e894da1858c8aa2">We need more time</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681934229833.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/041923zr1_kjfm.pdf">one-sentence order,</a>&nbsp;the court said it now expects to act by Friday evening. There was no explanation of the reason for the delay.The new abortion controversy comes less than a year after the Supreme Court's conservative majority&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and allowed more than a dozen states to effectively ban abortion outright.The following is a look at the drug at issue in the new case, how the case got to the nation's highest court and what the delay might say about what's going on.___WHAT IS MIFEPRISTONE?Mifepristone was approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration more than two decades ago. It has been used by more than 5 million women to safely end their pregnancies, and today more than half of women who end a pregnancy rely on the drug, the Justice Department said.Over the years, the FDA has loosened restrictions on the drug’s use, extending from seven to 10 weeks of pregnancy when it can be used, reducing the dosage needed to safely end a pregnancy, eliminating the requirement to visit a doctor in person to get it and allowing pills to be obtained by mail. The FDA also approved a generic version of mifepristone that its manufacturer, Las Vegas-based GenBioPro, says makes up two-thirds of the domestic market.Mifepristone is one of two pills used in medication abortions, along with misoprostol. Health care providers have said they could switch to misoprostol only if mifepristone is no longer available or is too hard to obtain. Misoprostol is somewhat less effective in ending pregnancies.___HOW DID THE CASE GET STARTED?A lawsuit over mifepristone was filed in Amarillo, Texas, late last year. Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal group, represents the pill's opponents, who say the FDA's approval of mifepristone was flawed.Why Amarillo?&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-judge-matthew-kacsmaryk-abortion-pill-fda-75964b777ef09593a1ad948c6cfc0237">U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk</a>, who was nominated by then-President Donald Trump, is the sole district court judge there, ensuring that all cases filed in the west Texas city land in front of him. Since taking the bench, he has ruled against President Joe Biden's administration on several other issues, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-joe-biden-new-orleans-mexico-statutes-0a3b7c93a6e6bdf06b0eee4935d7dc8f">immigration</a>&nbsp;and LGBTQ protections.On April 7, Kacsmaryk issued a ruling that would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">revoke the FDA's approval of mifepristone</a>, but he put the decision on hold for a week to allow an appeal.Complicating matters, however, on the same day Kacsmaryk issued his order, a court in Washington state issued a separate ruling in a lawsuit brought by liberal states seeking to preserve access to mifepristone. The Washington judge, Spokane-based Thomas O. Rice, whom then-President Barack Obama nominated, ordered the FDA not to do anything that might affect the availability of mifepristone in the suing states. The Biden administration has said it is impossible to follow both judges' directives at the same time.___HOW DID THE CASE GET TO THE SUPREME COURT?The Biden administration responded to Kacsmaryk's ruling by asking the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-pills-4b65ecc66d1b908019bdf3843a428d5a">Court of Appeals</a>&nbsp;to prevent it from taking effect for now.Last week, the appeals court narrowed Kacsmaryk's ruling so that the initial approval of mifepristone in 2000 is not affected, for now. But it agreed with him that changes the FDA made to relax the rules for prescribing and dispensing the drug should be put on hold. Those rules included expanding when the drug could be taken and allowing for the drug's delivery through the mail.The appeals court acted by a 2-1 vote. The judges in the majority, Kurt Engelhardt and Andrew Oldham, are both Trump picks.The Biden administration and the maker of mifepristone, New York-based Danco Laboratories,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-pill-appeal-fe13d36218f1fb43590aff29b5ba4e9c">appealed to the Supreme Court</a>, saying that allowing the appeals court's restrictions to take effect would cause chaos. Facing a tight deadline, the Supreme Court gave itself some breathing room and issued an order suggesting it would act by Wednesday evening. That timeline was extended to Friday, the day the justices will hold a previously scheduled private conference.The justices could talk about the issue further then. The additional time could also be part of an effort to craft an order that has broad support among the nine justices. Or one or more justices might be writing a separate opinion and asked for a couple of extra days.___WHAT COULD HAPPEN NEXT?The Supreme Court’s delay suggests a maddening reality about an institution that ordinarily adheres to a schedule that hasn’t changed much in years: Even experts can be in the dark about when the court will decide things and how.Cases are argued over seven months from October to April, and the most important decisions typically come right before the justices take a long summer break. The court does not say which cases it plans to hand down on a given day, and the court, in a search for consensus, will sometimes pass on the biggest issues it faces and decide a very small legal point.But nowhere is the uncertainty as great as a separate category of cases that have come to be known as the shadow docket.Apart from death row inmates seeking 11th-hour reprieves, shadow docket cases generally involve emergency appeals to the justices before lower courts have reached final decisions. That includes the mifepristone case.When the justices consider this set of cases, they don’t usually have a deadline to act. A few years back, an order concerning an elections case in Texas came in the wee hours of a Saturday morning for no reason other than that’s when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg finished work on her dissenting opinion.___WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is leaving women's access to a widely used&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-medication-abortion-works-f913375ec6f8ebcb1f1055e57a3aef63">abortion pill</a>&nbsp;untouched until at least Friday, while the justices consider whether to allow&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-abortion-pill-appeal-fe13d36218f1fb43590aff29b5ba4e9c">restrictions</a>&nbsp;on the drug mifepristone to take effect.The court is dealing with a new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abortion">abortion</a>&nbsp;controversy less than a year after its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;and allowed more than a dozen states to effectively ban abortion outright.At stake now is whether to allow restrictions on mifepristone ordered by a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23774813-5th-circuit-abortion-pill-stay-order">lower court</a>&nbsp;to take effect while a legal challenge to the medication's Food and Drug Administration approval continues.The justices had at first given themselves a Wednesday evening deadline in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-judge-matthew-kacsmaryk-abortion-pill-fda-75964b777ef09593a1ad948c6cfc0237">a fast-moving case from Texas</a>&nbsp;in which abortion opponents are seeking to roll back FDA approval of mifepristone, which is used in the most common method of abortion in the United States.But on Wednesday afternoon, Justice Samuel Alito issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/041923zr1_kjfm.pdf">one-sentence order</a>&nbsp;giving the court more time and indicating it expects to act by Friday night. Alito, the justice in charge of handling emergency appeals from Texas, provided no explanation.The justices are scheduled to meet for a private conference Friday, where they could talk about the issue. The additional time could be part of an effort to craft an order that has broad support among the justices. Or one or more justices might be writing a separate opinion, and asked for a couple of extra days.The drug first won FDA approval in 2000, and conditions on its use have been loosened in recent years, including making it available by mail in states that allow access.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-pill-mifepristone-ff152a443d8439e8fa5d9376070822b2">The Biden administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories</a>, the maker of the drug, want the nation’s highest court to reject limits on mifepristone’s use imposed by lower courts, at least as long as the legal case makes it way through the courts. They say women who want the drug and providers who dispense it will face chaos if limits on the drug take effect. Depending on what the justices decide, that could include requiring women to take a higher dosage of the drug than the FDA says is necessary.Alliance Defending Freedom, representing anti-abortion doctors and medical groups in a challenge to the drug, is defending the rulings in calling on the Supreme Court to restrict access now.Complicating the situation, a federal judge in Washington has ordered the FDA to preserve access to mifepristone under the current rules in 17 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia that filed a separate lawsuit.The Biden administration has said the rulings conflict and create an untenable situation for the FDA.Even as the abortion landscape changed dramatically in several states,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-mifepristone-abortion-drug-3855bb5d5c791e4c0465958bae94519e">abortion opponents</a>&nbsp;set their sights on medication abortions, which make up more than half of all abortions in the United States.The abortion opponents filed suit in November in Amarillo, Texas. The legal challenge quickly reached the Supreme Court after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-lawsuit-mifepristone-misoprostol-kacsmaryk-74cb1c4cfab2c04f6cf2696151bc86ef">a federal judge issued a ruling</a>&nbsp;on April 7 that would revoke FDA approval of mifepristone, one of two drugs used in medication abortions.Less than a week later, a federal appeals court modified the ruling so that mifepristone would remain available while the case continues, but with limits. The appeals court said the drug should only be approved through seven weeks of pregnancy for now, even though the FDA since 2016 has endorsed its use through 10 weeks of pregnancy.The court also said that the drug can’t be mailed or dispensed as a generic and that patients who seek it need to make three in-person visits with a doctor, among other things.The generic version of mifepristone makes up two-thirds of the supply in the United States, its manufacturer, Las Vegas-based GenBioPro Inc., wrote in a court filing that underscored the perils of allowing the restrictions to be put into effect.In the latest legal twist surrounding the case, GenBioPro filed a lawsuit Wednesday to preemptively block the FDA from removing its drug from the market, in the event that the Supreme Court doesn’t intervene.The FDA approved the company’s generic pill in 2019, based on data and studies showing it is essentially identical to the original version of mifepristone. Both versions have been studied extensively and deemed safe for women.If the justices aren't inclined to block the ruling from taking effect for now, the Democratic administration and Danco have a fallback argument, asking the court to take up the challenge to mifepristone, hear arguments and decide the case by early summer.The court only rarely takes such a step before at least one appeals court has thoroughly examined the legal issues involved.The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans already has ordered an accelerated schedule for hearing the case, with arguments set for May 17.Mifepristone has been available for use in medication abortions in the United States since the FDA granted approval in 2000. Since then, more than 5 million women have used it, along with another drug, misoprostol, to induce abortions.<a href="https://twitter.com/AP/status/1648782842292494336">Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi</a>&nbsp;said in an interview with The Associated Press that for the court to allow restrictions intervening with FDA decisions “would be ludicrous, if it wasn't so serious.”If the justices take such a step, said Pelosi, D-Calif., "they’ve been too long on Mount Olympus, and it is time for a bright light to be shone."

Countdown on for Supreme Court decision on abortion pill

Campus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education, has named 154 student civic leaders from 38 states, Washington, D.C., and Mexico, to the 2023 cohort of Newman Civic Scholars. The list for this coming school year includes Fort Hays State University sophomore Ella Burrows.

The Newman Civic Fellowship recognizes students who stand out for their commitment to creating positive change in communities locally and around the world. Fellows are nominated by Campus Compact member presidents and chancellors, who are invited to select one outstanding student from their campus each year.

“It means a lot to see the work that I’ve done has been recognized,” Burrows said. “Through the Newman Fellowship, I’ll be able to learn more and bring that back to Fort Hays to continue to get more students civically engaged.”

Burrows, a political science major with a pre-law emphasis, will begin her term as a fellow in the fall of 2023. She will attend a conference in Boston next October, where leadership, professional development, and civic engagement opportunities will be available.&nbsp;

In the fall, she will also begin her term as Student Government Association president, duties of which will intersect nicely with her Newman Fellow term.

Burrows is passionate about civic engagement and is working with the Student Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate to examine student voter registration and other issues surrounding voting on the FHSU campus. &nbsp;

She credits much of her interest in civic engagement and community development to her upbringing in Satanta, a community of just 1,092 people.

“Our town is so small, it is fighting to survive out in western Kansas,” she said. “My whole path is to get people engaged, and eventually, I’d love to get into politics and do policy research and create policies that benefit all of western Kansas.”

In her personal statement, Burrows points out that her community “raised me to advocate fiercely for the least, the last, and the lost.”

Burrows has served as a freshman senator in SGA and legislative affairs director. In addition, she has been a student coordinator for the American Democracy Project, peer mentor to the Honors College, and peer academic leader to the Law, Politics and Justice Living and Learning Community. A link to her full bio is available at:&nbsp;<a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=-2BFJoAhsjp8losQfY8t-2BZtHDLbfSLtveCe7hQ1BU-2B1gfWvmIPYmOCvw4a1dqaEZjARYxu0nBq8rbVxOyhYaQi7QLFI0QAWFv0a1tFaIs0679wl-2FsDsJTv7PidYYbA7iN1-2FGbOUghiaVL3NV00875xig-3D-3DS-Kl_-2FnwFlkKVzcKMOkDYhP8GUyFUplsqhIzQPvqFQr864lE6mcAzErX0FzZi5JGU6rvvK6MLOuHK4jhl5V61fmGkhToZRMbpEKBDAFMZ0jElT3tJmz7vmG2Oh1wrxpMGOIemD0Hvm1TCZ-2FsZMbmF1pTzYR1liMgRJNpQ5yP0H0cUOXVXwZO-2FK7EPSr6oGa4W3dPax8ySGDlzcO4gPbj97-2BqYIW91IcNCzw5Wrkft-2FaC4tSufesKWtTWM8q-2FlnyEuzsTbI4C1uRMdVjEtcrGI1XITppTUDsHrMjwQ7bq14J1VGbNx-2Bgkxq-2FqMvFgZLaBRjP6O3c8cJy-2BZqzIssBiH-2FdU8ZrUNVnEKKYVX6DTmWZxxzlDudltBlhMSSGgrCOTBLC-2F1Khm2sLW4GF3SXVY-2B4VthTA-3D-3D">https://compact.org/current-programs/newman-civic-fellowship/newman-civic-fellows/ella-0</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681924126092.jpeg" alt="Burrows" />
 <figcaption>Burrows</figcaption>
 </figure>FHSU University CommunicationsCampus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education, has named 154 student civic leaders from 38 states, Washington, D.C., and Mexico, to the 2023 cohort of Newman Civic Scholars. The list for this coming school year includes Fort Hays State University sophomore Ella Burrows.The Newman Civic Fellowship recognizes students who stand out for their commitment to creating positive change in communities locally and around the world. Fellows are nominated by Campus Compact member presidents and chancellors, who are invited to select one outstanding student from their campus each year.“It means a lot to see the work that I’ve done has been recognized,” Burrows said. “Through the Newman Fellowship, I’ll be able to learn more and bring that back to Fort Hays to continue to get more students civically engaged.”Burrows, a political science major with a pre-law emphasis, will begin her term as a fellow in the fall of 2023. She will attend a conference in Boston next October, where leadership, professional development, and civic engagement opportunities will be available.&nbsp;In the fall, she will also begin her term as Student Government Association president, duties of which will intersect nicely with her Newman Fellow term.Burrows is passionate about civic engagement and is working with the Student Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate to examine student voter registration and other issues surrounding voting on the FHSU campus. &nbsp;She credits much of her interest in civic engagement and community development to her upbringing in Satanta, a community of just 1,092 people.“Our town is so small, it is fighting to survive out in western Kansas,” she said. “My whole path is to get people engaged, and eventually, I’d love to get into politics and do policy research and create policies that benefit all of western Kansas.”In her personal statement, Burrows points out that her community “raised me to advocate fiercely for the least, the last, and the lost.”Burrows has served as a freshman senator in SGA and legislative affairs director. In addition, she has been a student coordinator for the American Democracy Project, peer mentor to the Honors College, and peer academic leader to the Law, Politics and Justice Living and Learning Community. A link to her full bio is available at:&nbsp;<a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=-2BFJoAhsjp8losQfY8t-2BZtHDLbfSLtveCe7hQ1BU-2B1gfWvmIPYmOCvw4a1dqaEZjARYxu0nBq8rbVxOyhYaQi7QLFI0QAWFv0a1tFaIs0679wl-2FsDsJTv7PidYYbA7iN1-2FGbOUghiaVL3NV00875xig-3D-3DS-Kl_-2FnwFlkKVzcKMOkDYhP8GUyFUplsqhIzQPvqFQr864lE6mcAzErX0FzZi5JGU6rvvK6MLOuHK4jhl5V61fmGkhToZRMbpEKBDAFMZ0jElT3tJmz7vmG2Oh1wrxpMGOIemD0Hvm1TCZ-2FsZMbmF1pTzYR1liMgRJNpQ5yP0H0cUOXVXwZO-2FK7EPSr6oGa4W3dPax8ySGDlzcO4gPbj97-2BqYIW91IcNCzw5Wrkft-2FaC4tSufesKWtTWM8q-2FlnyEuzsTbI4C1uRMdVjEtcrGI1XITppTUDsHrMjwQ7bq14J1VGbNx-2Bgkxq-2FqMvFgZLaBRjP6O3c8cJy-2BZqzIssBiH-2FdU8ZrUNVnEKKYVX6DTmWZxxzlDudltBlhMSSGgrCOTBLC-2F1Khm2sLW4GF3SXVY-2B4VthTA-3D-3D">https://compact.org/current-programs/newman-civic-fellowship/newman-civic-fellows/ella-0</a>

Fort Hays State sophomore named Newman Civic Fellow

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — American-made Patriot missiles have arrived in Ukraine, the country's defense minister said Wednesday, providing Kyiv with a long-sought new shield against the Russian airstrikes that have devastated cities and civilian infrastructure.

The U.S. agreed in October to send the surface-to-air systems, which can target aircraft, cruise missiles and shorter-range ballistic missiles such as those that Russia has used to bombard residential areas and the Ukrainian power grid.

“Today, our beautiful Ukrainian sky becomes more secure,” Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in a tweet.

The missiles are the latest contribution from Western allies, who have also pledged tanks, artillery and some types of fighter jets as Ukraine gears up for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-counteroffensive-russia-war-oleksiy-danilov-interview-6e8e4fec0916bf10a9bcd642374103f9">an expected counteroffensive</a>.

Reznikov thanked the United States, Germany and the Netherlands, without saying how many missile systems had been delivered or when they arrived.

Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said late Tuesday that delivery of the systems would be a landmark event, allowing Ukrainians to knock out Russian targets at a greater distance.

Germany’s federal government website on Tuesday listed a Patriot system as among the military items delivered within the past week to Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock confirmed that to lawmakers Wednesday in Berlin.

Germany has also delivered the second of four medium-range IRIS-T air defense systems that it pledged last year, Baerbock said.

Reznikov said he first asked for Patriot systems when visiting the U.S. in August 2021, five months before Russia's full-scale invasion and seven years after Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula. He described possessing the system as “a dream” but said he was told in the U.S. at the time that it was “impossible.”

Ukrainian personnel have been trained on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-patriot-missile-system-explainer-b16125509161de8a7a3b4c38022534c7">Patriot battery</a>, which requires up to 90 troops to operate and maintain it.

“Our air defenders have mastered (the Patriot systems) as far as they could. And our partners have kept their word,” Reznikov wrote.

Experts have cautioned that the system’s effectiveness is limited and that it may not significantly change the shape of the war, even though it will add to Ukraine’s arsenal against its bigger enemy.

The Patriot was first deployed by the U.S. in the 1980s. The system costs approximately $4 million per missile, and the launchers cost about $10 million each, analysts say. At such a cost, it’s not advantageous to use the Patriot to shoot down the smaller, cheaper Iranian drones that Russia has been buying and using in Ukraine.

In other developments Wednesday, China denied recent reports that Chinese drones have been found on Ukraine battlefields. China has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-taiwan-weapons-germany-ukraine-2a51d2c64c12fca75683d20fbafba475">insisted that it will not help arm Russia</a>, one of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-china-defense-minister-putin-xi-military-cooperation-018129169d50f64df3a06793f89776c5">its key allies</a>.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement that Beijing maintains strict control over the export of drones in keeping with international standards preventing them from being used for nonpeaceful purposes.

China, which has repeatedly criticized the U.S. and other countries’ support for Ukraine as “adding fuel to the fire” of the war, has an “objective and fair stance” and seeks peace, the statement said.

Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-putin-285966d09f3b0659e29c3292ff957d3d">recently visited</a>&nbsp;Moscow-controlled parts of Ukraine’s southern Kherson and easternmost Luhansk provinces.

“The purpose of the trip was to meet with the military, whom I did not want to distract for a long time and a long distance from the deployment of the units they command,” he said.

Kyiv officials have reported daily civilian, but not military, casualties from Russian bombardment.

At least four civilians were killed and 27 others were wounded Tuesday and overnight, Ukraine’s defense ministry reported.

A 50-year-old man and 44-year-old woman were killed in a Russian airstrike on a border town in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said in televised remarks.

Russian forces launched 12 rocket, artillery, mortar, tank and drone attacks on Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, killing one civilian at a market in the center of Kherson, the region’s namesake capital, and a nearby school, Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said.

A woman was killed and another was wounded in northern Ukraine after Russian forces shelled the border village of Richki from multiple rocket launchers, the local military administration said.

Russian forces also fired exploding drones at Ukraine’s southern Odesa region.

___ Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, Christopher Bodeen in Beijing, and Geir Moulson in Berlin, contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673396092973.png" alt="Ukrainian troops trained at Oklahoma’s Fort Sill Army base operating and maintaining the Patriot missile defense system-Photo U.S. Defense Department" />
 <figcaption>Ukrainian troops trained at Oklahoma’s Fort Sill Army base operating and maintaining the Patriot missile defense system-Photo U.S. Defense Department</figcaption>
 </figure>KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — American-made Patriot missiles have arrived in Ukraine, the country's defense minister said Wednesday, providing Kyiv with a long-sought new shield against the Russian airstrikes that have devastated cities and civilian infrastructure.The U.S. agreed in October to send the surface-to-air systems, which can target aircraft, cruise missiles and shorter-range ballistic missiles such as those that Russia has used to bombard residential areas and the Ukrainian power grid.“Today, our beautiful Ukrainian sky becomes more secure,” Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in a tweet.The missiles are the latest contribution from Western allies, who have also pledged tanks, artillery and some types of fighter jets as Ukraine gears up for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-counteroffensive-russia-war-oleksiy-danilov-interview-6e8e4fec0916bf10a9bcd642374103f9">an expected counteroffensive</a>.Reznikov thanked the United States, Germany and the Netherlands, without saying how many missile systems had been delivered or when they arrived.Ukrainian air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said late Tuesday that delivery of the systems would be a landmark event, allowing Ukrainians to knock out Russian targets at a greater distance.Germany’s federal government website on Tuesday listed a Patriot system as among the military items delivered within the past week to Ukraine. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock confirmed that to lawmakers Wednesday in Berlin.Germany has also delivered the second of four medium-range IRIS-T air defense systems that it pledged last year, Baerbock said.Reznikov said he first asked for Patriot systems when visiting the U.S. in August 2021, five months before Russia's full-scale invasion and seven years after Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula. He described possessing the system as “a dream” but said he was told in the U.S. at the time that it was “impossible.”Ukrainian personnel have been trained on the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-patriot-missile-system-explainer-b16125509161de8a7a3b4c38022534c7">Patriot battery</a>, which requires up to 90 troops to operate and maintain it.“Our air defenders have mastered (the Patriot systems) as far as they could. And our partners have kept their word,” Reznikov wrote.Experts have cautioned that the system’s effectiveness is limited and that it may not significantly change the shape of the war, even though it will add to Ukraine’s arsenal against its bigger enemy.The Patriot was first deployed by the U.S. in the 1980s. The system costs approximately $4 million per missile, and the launchers cost about $10 million each, analysts say. At such a cost, it’s not advantageous to use the Patriot to shoot down the smaller, cheaper Iranian drones that Russia has been buying and using in Ukraine.In other developments Wednesday, China denied recent reports that Chinese drones have been found on Ukraine battlefields. China has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-taiwan-weapons-germany-ukraine-2a51d2c64c12fca75683d20fbafba475">insisted that it will not help arm Russia</a>, one of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-china-defense-minister-putin-xi-military-cooperation-018129169d50f64df3a06793f89776c5">its key allies</a>.The Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement that Beijing maintains strict control over the export of drones in keeping with international standards preventing them from being used for nonpeaceful purposes.China, which has repeatedly criticized the U.S. and other countries’ support for Ukraine as “adding fuel to the fire” of the war, has an “objective and fair stance” and seeks peace, the statement said.Elsewhere, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-putin-285966d09f3b0659e29c3292ff957d3d">recently visited</a>&nbsp;Moscow-controlled parts of Ukraine’s southern Kherson and easternmost Luhansk provinces.“The purpose of the trip was to meet with the military, whom I did not want to distract for a long time and a long distance from the deployment of the units they command,” he said.Kyiv officials have reported daily civilian, but not military, casualties from Russian bombardment.At least four civilians were killed and 27 others were wounded Tuesday and overnight, Ukraine’s defense ministry reported.A 50-year-old man and 44-year-old woman were killed in a Russian airstrike on a border town in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said in televised remarks.Russian forces launched 12 rocket, artillery, mortar, tank and drone attacks on Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, killing one civilian at a market in the center of Kherson, the region’s namesake capital, and a nearby school, Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin said.A woman was killed and another was wounded in northern Ukraine after Russian forces shelled the border village of Richki from multiple rocket launchers, the local military administration said.Russian forces also fired exploding drones at Ukraine’s southern Odesa region.___ Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, Christopher Bodeen in Beijing, and Geir Moulson in Berlin, contributed to this report.

US-made Patriot guided missile systems arrive in Ukraine

Lifelong Sherman County resident and beloved mother and friend, Nancy
 Jane Rudy, passed away due to a brief illness on November 19, 2022, at 
St. Anthony’s Hospital in Denver, CO.

On October 13, 1937, Nancy was born to the union of Carl Hugh 
Errington and Nellie Ball Errington at Boothroy Memorial Hospital in 
Goodland, Kansas.&nbsp; Nancy was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul’s 
Episcopal Church.&nbsp; Life began for Nancy growing up on the Bar E Ranch in
 Sherman County.&nbsp; She attended Ruleton Elementary and graduated from 
Sherman Community High School in 1955.&nbsp; She furthered her education in 
business and accounting at Fort Hays State University.&nbsp; After college, 
Nancy attended Hollywood Beauty College in Denver, Colorado, pursuing a 
career in cosmetology.

During her adolescent years, putting aside her usual farm and school 
activities, Nancy was a member of the Harmony Hustlers 4-H Club for 
eleven years.&nbsp; She held club officer positions and received many 
achievement awards at county and state levels.&nbsp; Nancy had an eye for 
selecting a grand champion steer from her father’s Polled Hereford cow 
herd, the most memorable was her steer named Butch.&nbsp; She continued her 
interest in 4-H later, as a leader for the Ruleton Eager Beavers.&nbsp; Nancy
 was also an all-around athlete and learned to play softball at an early
 age.&nbsp; She played throughout high school and played with the Fort Hays 
State girls traveling team where she was also known for throwing a mean 
curve ball.

On January 19, 1963, Nancy was united in marriage to James Devere 
Rudy at the United Methodist Church in Brewster, Kansas.&nbsp; To this union,
 two daughters were born, Tracy Ann and Trina Jo.&nbsp; As a family, they 
enjoyed camping and fishing together.&nbsp; In the spring of 1981, James had 
passed away, leaving Nancy to rear their girls.&nbsp; She dedicated her life 
making sure they had stability, an education and a good work ethic.&nbsp; She
 demonstrated her work ethic throughout her career as a beautician.&nbsp; 
Nancy owned her own businesses in Atwood, Colby and Goodland, KS.&nbsp; As 
time went on, she worked as a beautician at Golden West Skills Center 
and at Good Samaritan Assisted Living, while she was a CNA.&nbsp; She had 
many other pursuits that included operating The Ole Ice Cream Parlor in 
Goodland and managing her farm until her passing.

Nancy was a member of Zonta International Women’s Club.&nbsp; She was 
listed along with her parents in the National Social Directory from 
1971-1975.&nbsp; Nancy enjoyed living in her home on the family farm.&nbsp; She 
gave to many charities and was always there to help a friend in need.&nbsp; 
She enjoyed traveling with her daughters, spending time with friends, 
keeping up with her granddaughter, and was a sports enthusiast, never 
missing a K-State or KU game.

Nancy is preceded in death by her parents and her husband.

She is survived by her daughters Tracy Rudy of Burlington, CO and 
Trina Rudy of Vancouver, WA, a granddaughter Samantha Jones of 
Burlington, CO and many other family members and friends.

Click <a href="https://www.koonsrussellfuneralhome.com/obituary/Nancy-Rudy">HERE</a> for service details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681917655732.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Lifelong Sherman County resident and beloved mother and friend, Nancy
 Jane Rudy, passed away due to a brief illness on November 19, 2022, at 
St. Anthony’s Hospital in Denver, CO.On October 13, 1937, Nancy was born to the union of Carl Hugh 
Errington and Nellie Ball Errington at Boothroy Memorial Hospital in 
Goodland, Kansas.&nbsp; Nancy was baptized and confirmed at St. Paul’s 
Episcopal Church.&nbsp; Life began for Nancy growing up on the Bar E Ranch in
 Sherman County.&nbsp; She attended Ruleton Elementary and graduated from 
Sherman Community High School in 1955.&nbsp; She furthered her education in 
business and accounting at Fort Hays State University.&nbsp; After college, 
Nancy attended Hollywood Beauty College in Denver, Colorado, pursuing a 
career in cosmetology.During her adolescent years, putting aside her usual farm and school 
activities, Nancy was a member of the Harmony Hustlers 4-H Club for 
eleven years.&nbsp; She held club officer positions and received many 
achievement awards at county and state levels.&nbsp; Nancy had an eye for 
selecting a grand champion steer from her father’s Polled Hereford cow 
herd, the most memorable was her steer named Butch.&nbsp; She continued her 
interest in 4-H later, as a leader for the Ruleton Eager Beavers.&nbsp; Nancy
 was also an all-around athlete and learned to play softball at an early
 age.&nbsp; She played throughout high school and played with the Fort Hays 
State girls traveling team where she was also known for throwing a mean 
curve ball.On January 19, 1963, Nancy was united in marriage to James Devere 
Rudy at the United Methodist Church in Brewster, Kansas.&nbsp; To this union,
 two daughters were born, Tracy Ann and Trina Jo.&nbsp; As a family, they 
enjoyed camping and fishing together.&nbsp; In the spring of 1981, James had 
passed away, leaving Nancy to rear their girls.&nbsp; She dedicated her life 
making sure they had stability, an education and a good work ethic.&nbsp; She
 demonstrated her work ethic throughout her career as a beautician.&nbsp; 
Nancy owned her own businesses in Atwood, Colby and Goodland, KS.&nbsp; As 
time went on, she worked as a beautician at Golden West Skills Center 
and at Good Samaritan Assisted Living, while she was a CNA.&nbsp; She had 
many other pursuits that included operating The Ole Ice Cream Parlor in 
Goodland and managing her farm until her passing.Nancy was a member of Zonta International Women’s Club.&nbsp; She was 
listed along with her parents in the National Social Directory from 
1971-1975.&nbsp; Nancy enjoyed living in her home on the family farm.&nbsp; She 
gave to many charities and was always there to help a friend in need.&nbsp; 
She enjoyed traveling with her daughters, spending time with friends, 
keeping up with her granddaughter, and was a sports enthusiast, never 
missing a K-State or KU game.Nancy is preceded in death by her parents and her husband.She is survived by her daughters Tracy Rudy of Burlington, CO and 
Trina Rudy of Vancouver, WA, a granddaughter Samantha Jones of 
Burlington, CO and many other family members and friends.Click <a href="https://www.koonsrussellfuneralhome.com/obituary/Nancy-Rudy">HERE</a> for service details.

Nancy Jane Rudy

Thomas A. “Tom” Frederking, of Plainville, KS, passed away on April 12, 2023, at the Rooks County Health Center in Plainville. He was born on May 8, 1960, in Ellsworth, KS to Theodore C. and Saundra (McGee) Frederking. He married Lori J. Panzer on October 17, 1981, in Hays, KS. They were blessed with four children: Shawn, Brandon, Katelyn, and Logan.

Tom grew up in&nbsp;Sylvan Grove, KS&nbsp;and graduated from&nbsp;Sylvan&nbsp;Unified&nbsp;High School&nbsp;in 1978. He then went on&nbsp;to Barton County Community&nbsp;College&nbsp;for a year.&nbsp;Tom was an oilfield sales manager for Crawford Supply for&nbsp;the past&nbsp;7&nbsp;years, and before that he worked many years for Harbison-Fischer.&nbsp;

He was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and&nbsp;4th&nbsp;Degree Member of the&nbsp;Knights of Columbus Council 1857.

Tom&nbsp;never met a stranger. To him, everyone was just a friend he hadn’t yet met. He&nbsp;was an avid KU Basketball fan. He enjoyed youth sports through coaching&nbsp;and refereeing, starting when he was 21 years old&nbsp;in&nbsp;1981&nbsp;until 2019. He was head&nbsp;boys’&nbsp;basketball coach for Plainville Cardinals from 2004 through 2008.&nbsp;He also&nbsp;enjoyed playing cards at Ruder Oil&nbsp;and never hesitated to take money from all the guys!&nbsp;He loved spending time with his family, especially his three grandchildren.&nbsp;Some of Tom’s favorite&nbsp;times&nbsp;were those&nbsp;spent&nbsp;together&nbsp;at the Lake of the Ozarks.

Tom is survived by his wife, Lori of the home in Plainville; children: Shawn Frederking and fiancé Bradi Blanco of Edmond, OK, Brandon Frederking (Kendra) of Bentonville, AR, Katelyn Dunlap (Michael) of Ottawa, KS, and Logan Frederking of Kansas City, MO;&nbsp;siblings: Richard Frederking (Brenda) of Plainville, Dale Frederking of Russellville, AR, Tracy Frederking of Sylvan Grove, KS, and Joanna&nbsp;Donley (Tracy) of Salina, KS; step-mother, Ruby Frederking of Russellville, AR; and three grandchildren: Harper, Henry, and Addison Jo.

He is preceded in death by his parents,&nbsp;Theodore&nbsp;and Saundra Frederking.

Tom was a good-hearted man who worked hard, enjoyed&nbsp;life,&nbsp;and cherished his family and friends. Although he was taken from us far too soon, we know that those we enjoyed and loved, we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us. We can smile because he lived and left us with cherished memories that will live forever in our hearts. He will be remembered in love.

A Mass of Christian Burial was Monday, April 17, 2023, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Plainville. Burial was at the Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery.&nbsp;

Memorials are suggested to Rooks County Health Center or Sacred Heart Church and may be sent to Plumer-Overlease&nbsp;Funeral Home, 320 SW 2nd, Plainville, KS 67663. Online condolences may be left for the family at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.plumeroverlease.com/">www.plumeroverlease.com</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681834018135.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Thomas A. “Tom” Frederking, of Plainville, KS, passed away on April 12, 2023, at the Rooks County Health Center in Plainville. He was born on May 8, 1960, in Ellsworth, KS to Theodore C. and Saundra (McGee) Frederking. He married Lori J. Panzer on October 17, 1981, in Hays, KS. They were blessed with four children: Shawn, Brandon, Katelyn, and Logan.Tom grew up in&nbsp;Sylvan Grove, KS&nbsp;and graduated from&nbsp;Sylvan&nbsp;Unified&nbsp;High School&nbsp;in 1978. He then went on&nbsp;to Barton County Community&nbsp;College&nbsp;for a year.&nbsp;Tom was an oilfield sales manager for Crawford Supply for&nbsp;the past&nbsp;7&nbsp;years, and before that he worked many years for Harbison-Fischer.&nbsp;He was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and&nbsp;4th&nbsp;Degree Member of the&nbsp;Knights of Columbus Council 1857.Tom&nbsp;never met a stranger. To him, everyone was just a friend he hadn’t yet met. He&nbsp;was an avid KU Basketball fan. He enjoyed youth sports through coaching&nbsp;and refereeing, starting when he was 21 years old&nbsp;in&nbsp;1981&nbsp;until 2019. He was head&nbsp;boys’&nbsp;basketball coach for Plainville Cardinals from 2004 through 2008.&nbsp;He also&nbsp;enjoyed playing cards at Ruder Oil&nbsp;and never hesitated to take money from all the guys!&nbsp;He loved spending time with his family, especially his three grandchildren.&nbsp;Some of Tom’s favorite&nbsp;times&nbsp;were those&nbsp;spent&nbsp;together&nbsp;at the Lake of the Ozarks.Tom is survived by his wife, Lori of the home in Plainville; children: Shawn Frederking and fiancé Bradi Blanco of Edmond, OK, Brandon Frederking (Kendra) of Bentonville, AR, Katelyn Dunlap (Michael) of Ottawa, KS, and Logan Frederking of Kansas City, MO;&nbsp;siblings: Richard Frederking (Brenda) of Plainville, Dale Frederking of Russellville, AR, Tracy Frederking of Sylvan Grove, KS, and Joanna&nbsp;Donley (Tracy) of Salina, KS; step-mother, Ruby Frederking of Russellville, AR; and three grandchildren: Harper, Henry, and Addison Jo.He is preceded in death by his parents,&nbsp;Theodore&nbsp;and Saundra Frederking.Tom was a good-hearted man who worked hard, enjoyed&nbsp;life,&nbsp;and cherished his family and friends. Although he was taken from us far too soon, we know that those we enjoyed and loved, we can never lose, for all that we love deeply becomes a part of us. We can smile because he lived and left us with cherished memories that will live forever in our hearts. He will be remembered in love.A Mass of Christian Burial was Monday, April 17, 2023, at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Plainville. Burial was at the Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery.&nbsp;Memorials are suggested to Rooks County Health Center or Sacred Heart Church and may be sent to Plumer-Overlease&nbsp;Funeral Home, 320 SW 2nd, Plainville, KS 67663. Online condolences may be left for the family at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.plumeroverlease.com/">www.plumeroverlease.com</a>

Thomas A. 'Tom' Frederking

DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines planes were grounded nationwide for what the airline called an intermittent technology issue, causing more than 1,700 flight delays Tuesday just four months after the carrier suffered a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-transportation-us-department-of-0925834b8cfcf1150358f874334d16d7">meltdown</a>&nbsp;over the Christmas travel rush.

The hold on departures was lifted by late morning, shortly after it was announced, according to Southwest and the Federal Aviation Administration, but not before traffic at airports from Denver to New York City backed up.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681829765447.png" alt="Image Kansas City International Airport" />
 <figcaption>Image Kansas City International Airport</figcaption>
 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This morning <a href="https://twitter.com/SouthwestAir?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SouthwestAir</a> experienced a technical issue with one of their internal systems. At the airline’s request, the FAA paused Southwest’s departures as they resolved the issue. The pause has been lifted and their service has resumed.&mdash; The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FAANews/status/1648343231569035266?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines planes were grounded nationwide for what the airline called an intermittent technology issue, causing more than 1,700 flight delays Tuesday just four months after the carrier suffered a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-transportation-us-department-of-0925834b8cfcf1150358f874334d16d7">meltdown</a>&nbsp;over the Christmas travel rush.The hold on departures was lifted by late morning, shortly after it was announced, according to Southwest and the Federal Aviation Administration, but not before traffic at airports from Denver to New York City backed up.“Southwest has resumed operations after temporarily pausing flight activity this morning to work through data connection issues resulting from a firewall failure,” the Dallas airline said in a prepared statement. “Early this morning, a vendor-supplied firewall went down and connection to some operational data was unexpectedly lost.”The airline urged customers to check on their flight status “and explore self-service options” for travel as the airline worked on restoring its operation.By late morning on the East Coast, Southwest accounted for well over half of all delays nationwide, but the airline had canceled fewer than a dozen flights, according to FlightAware.Tuesday's flight freeze was brief, but it added to the picture of an airline that has struggled more than most with technology issues. CEO Robert Jordan has embarked on a campaign to repair the airline's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-texas-arizona-california-da3b72f2350b0f77498f7f67316facb5">damaged reputation</a>.In December, Southwest canceled nearly 17,000 flights over the Christmas holiday due to bad weather and its crew-scheduling system becoming overwhelmed. Those cancellations cost the airline more than $1 billion. The Transportation Department is investigating the breakdown.The airline’s unions have said they warned management about problems with the crew-scheduling system after a previous meltdown in October 2021.Southwest said last month it would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/southwest-airlines-cancellations-technology-weather-314069ab4bb9de5eb804c566927606ec">add deicing equipment and increase staffing</a>&nbsp;during winter weather that is cold enough to limit the amount of time that ground workers can stay outside.------------DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines planes were stopped from taking off nationwide for what the airline called an intermittent technology issue, causing more than 1,500 flight delays Tuesday just four months after the carrier suffered a meltdown over the Christmas travel rush.Southwest and the Federal Aviation Administration said by late morning on the East Coast that the pause had been lifted.“Southwest has resumed operations after temporarily pausing flight activity this morning to work through data connection issues resulting from a firewall failure,” the Dallas airline said in a prepared statement. “Early this morning, a vendor-supplied firewall went down and connection to some operational data was unexpectedly lost.”By late morning on the East Coast, Southwest accounted for well over half of all delays nationwide, but the airline had canceled fewer than a dozen flights, according to FlightAware.In December, Southwest canceled nearly 17,000 flights over the Christmas holiday due to bad weather and its crew-scheduling system becoming overwhelmed. Those cancellations cost the airline more than $1 billion and are being investigated by the Transportation Department.------------DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines scrubbed thousands of flights again Tuesday in the aftermath of the massive winter storm that wrecked Christmas travel plans across the U.S., and the federal government said it would investigate why the company lagged so far behind other carriers.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Southwest Airlines requested the FAA pause the airline’s departures. Please contact Southwest Airlines for more.&mdash; The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FAANews/status/1648334637574356994?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>y late morning on the East Coast, more than 1,500 Southwest flights had been delayed, accounting for well over half of all delays nationwide, according to FlightAware.Southwest said on Twitter that it asked the Federal Aviation Administration to hold up departures because of “intermittent" technical issues and hoped to resume flights as soon as possible.The airline did not immediately respond to questions about the nature of the technical problem.The FAA said only that Southwest requested the pause on flights, and referred questions to the Dallas-based airline.In December, Southwest canceled nearly 17,000 flights over the Christmas holiday due to bad weather and its crew-scheduling system becoming overwhelmed. Those cancellations cost the airline more than $1 billion and are being investigated by the Transportation Department.-----------------KANSAS CITY —All Southwest Airlines flight departures were halted nationwide just before 10a.m. Tuesday due to technical issues, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Southwest Airlines requested the FAA pause the airline’s departures. Please contact Southwest Airlines for more.&mdash; The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FAANews/status/1648334637574356994?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 18, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Grounds stops prevent any flights not already in the air from departing, according to the FAA.Check the Post for additional details as they become available.In December, Southwest Airlines scrubbed thousands of flights in the aftermath of the massive winter storm that wrecked Christmas travel plans across the U.S.