WASHINGTON (AP) — People in their 80s lead countries, create majestic art and perform feats of endurance. One entered the record books for scaling Mount Everest. It's soon time for Joe Biden, 80 on Sunday, to decide whether he has one more mountain to climb — the one to a second term as president.

Questions swirl now, in his own party as well as broadly in the country, about whether he's got what it takes to go for the summit again.

The oldest president in U.S. history, Biden hits his milestone birthday at a personal crossroads as he and his family face a decision in the coming months on whether he should announce for reelection. He’d be 86 at the end of a potential second term.

Biden aides and allies all say he intends to run — and his team has begun quiet preparations for a campaign — but it has often been the president himself who has sounded the most equivocal. “My intention is that I run again,” he said at a news conference this month. ”But I’m a great respecter of fate."

“We're going to have discussions about it,” he said. Aides expect those conversations to pick up in earnest over Thanksgiving and Christmas, with a decision not until well after New Year's.

Biden planned to celebrate his birthday at a family brunch in the White House on Sunday.

To observe Biden at work is to see a leader tap a storehouse of knowledge built up over a half century in public office as he draws on deep personal relationships at home and abroad, his mastery of policy and his familiarity with how Washington works or doesn't. In short, the wisdom of the aged.

“There is something to be said for experience,” said Dartmouth College historian Matt Delmont as he noted the dozens of global leaders in their 80s.

But to observe Biden is also to see him walk now often with a halting gait, in contrast to his trotting on stage on election night 2020.

It is to see him take a pass on a formal dinner with other world leaders without a real explanation, as happened on his trip abroad this past week, when he twice spoke of visiting Colombia when he meant Cambodia. Some supporters wince when he speaks, hoping he gets through his remarks OK.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision, at age 82, to pull back from leadership and let a new generation rise may spill over into Biden's thinking and that of his party as Democrats weigh whether they want to go with a proven winner or turn to the energy of youth.

Among the questions Pelosi's move raises, said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, an authority on political communications at the University of Pennsylvania: "Even if one is highly competent and successful, is there a point at which one should step aside to give others the opportunity to lead just as others stepped aside to make it possible for you to do so?

“Pelosi’s decision makes such questions more salient in the context of Biden’s 2020 statement that he was the bridge to a new generation of leaders.”

Biden’s verbal flubs have been the stuff of legend throughout his five-decade political career, so sussing out the impact of age on his acuity is a guessing game for “armchair gerontologists,” as Dr. S. Jay Olshansky, an aging expert, puts it.

In the distorted mirrors of social media commentary, every slip is magnified into supposed proof of senility. A moment of silent reflection by Biden in a meeting is presented as the president nodding off. All of that went into Donald Trump's quiver of falsehoods when he announced Tuesday he will seek the presidency again.

Some allies see Biden's blunders as an increasing vulnerability in the eyes of voters as he's grown older.

In an AP VoteCast survey of the electorate this month, fully 58% of voters said he does not have the mental capability to serve effectively as president. That was a grim picture of his standing now, not just looking ahead to another potential term. Only 34% said he’s a strong leader.

Those findings come alongside notably low approval ratings in league with Trump’s at this point of their presidencies.

Two months before the 2020 election, Olshansky, at the University of Illinois, Chicago,&nbsp;<a href="https://today.uic.edu/new-study-finds-biden-trump-both-likely-to-be-super-agers/">published a paper</a>&nbsp;that predicted both Biden and Trump were bound to maintain their good health beyond the end of this presidential term.

Based on a scientific team's evaluation of available medical records, family history and other information, the paper further concluded that both men are probably “super-agers,” a subgroup of people who maintain their mental and physical functioning and tend to live longer than the average person their age.

Nothing has changed Olshansky's mind about either of them.

“While President Biden may chronologically be 80 years old, biologically he probably isn’t,” he said. “And biological age is far more important than chronological age." He calls Biden a “classic example of everything that’s good about aging ... and so his age, I think, should be almost completely irrelevant."

Biden is already in the club of high achievers for people his age. Unlike 92% of people 75 and over in the U.S., he still has a job, not to mention a mightily demanding one.

And he’s been on a roll. The November elections produced the best result for a Democratic president’s party in midterms in decades — despite the poison pill of high inflation — as Democrats kept control of the Senate, narrowly lost the House in defiance of expectations of a rout, and won several competitive governors’ races in key states.

The president also sealed a string of consequential legislative victories in recent months, on climate, infrastructure, health care expansion, military aid to Ukraine and more.

Biden says he begins most days with an 8 a.m. workout, when he is usually joined by his personal trainer and physical therapist, Drew Contreras, if he doesn’t ride his Peloton bike.

“If I let it go for a week, I feel it,” he told the “Smartless” podcast recently. “I used to be able to go for a week and nothing would change.”

White House aides say Biden reads his briefing book deep into the night, holds intensive evening meetings with advisers and has never balked at their scheduling requests that may have him out late, though rarely up early.

Yet his aides are deeply protective of the president, especially with his public schedule, which is lighter than those of Barack Obama and George W. Bush, both far younger in office. They’ve shielded him from formal interviews and, until recently, press conferences.

To his doubters, he says: “Watch me.”

Biden has been diagnosed with several very common age-related health conditions, none causing him serious problems.

In his November 2021 summary of Biden’s health after the president’s first full physical in office, Dr. Kevin O’Connor noted Biden’s gait had become somewhat stiffer, something doctors watch for in older patients as it could signal a fall risk.

But after testing, the doctor concluded it’s mostly due to ongoing “wear and tear” arthritis of the spine, as well as compensation for a broken foot sustained a year earlier and the development of “mild peripheral neuropathy” or subtle damage to some sensory nerves in the feet.

Experts say age is not destiny; what matters is good health, fitness and functioning. Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura had enough of those attributes to make it to the top of Mount Everest in 2013 at age 80, setting a record that an 85-year-old Nepali man&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mountains-ap-top-news-sports-asia-international-news-kathmandu-80626f64caee4ef98861b42e9145bca6">died trying to break</a>&nbsp;in 2017.

Growing old is inexorable — at whatever pace, it comes.

It came at one pace for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, for example, and it's coming at another for Pelosi, who is another institution in town.

“What’s wrong with me?” Marshall asked upon his decision to retire from the Supreme Court at age 82, before answering: “I’m old. I’m getting old and coming apart.” (He died two years later.)

At the same age, Pelosi buzzes Capitol hallways in high heels, outpacing much younger people. And her cognitive abilities have never been in question.

The knock against her was that she blocked the highest ambitions of generations of younger lawmakers before her decision this past week not to seek reelection as House Democratic leader when Republicans take control.

Supreme Court justices, shielded from the electorate and bosses, can grow as old in the job as they want and as fate allows — and they tend to stick around. Justice John Paul Stevens retired in 2010 at age 90, attributing his decision to a small stroke while reading his Citizens United dissent from the bench.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a hugely consequential 80-something, fell three years short of her goal to be as old as Stevens on the bench. She died in September 2020.

In democracies, where voters are the boss, and in autocracies, where they're not, plenty of people in power soldier on in their advanced years, even if few are up there like former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who became the world’s oldest leader at 92 and is running to get the office back, at 97.

Much of the leadership in the U.S. Congress is over 70, especially Democrats, and so were Biden's main rivals in the 2020 Democratic primaries and Trump.

Attribute that, in part, to increasing longevity.

“Life expectancy back around 1900 in the United States was about 50,” Olshansky said, “and we added about 30 years” since.

In Cockeysville, Maryland, outside Baltimore, Nelson Hyman, 85, and his wife, Roz Hyman, 77, credit Biden with getting big things right and especially with appointing a strong team. To these Democrats, that adds up to an effective presidency that taps the value of age in a society that often doesn't.

“I’ve always felt the president is as good as the people that he appoints, and I think he’s appointed some very, very good people, very competent people, and he uses them,” said Roz, a retired counselor in a psychiatric hospital.

“Now, are you going to ask me, is he going to be competent in two years? Who knows? I don’t know.”

A president can only be conceptual, said Nelson, retired from an insurance career, “and the detail people will take care of the details.” When Russia's Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, he said, Biden stepped up, ”spoke beautifully and strongly" and "has not been afraid to deal with Putin. Not at all.”

They recalled seeing Ronald Reagan struggle in his second term, before he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's after he left office, and felt that he, too, had surrounded himself with competence, as much as they disagreed with his direction.

Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, said Reagan posted major achievements even when his memory may have been slipping, in part because his aides were strong and accomplished and Reagan retained the values that informed his judgments.

That's true of many presidents, Biden included, she said. Trump, in contrast, preferred a team largely of acolytes.

But when a perception does take hold in the public, any slipup can feed it, whether it is relevant or not.

When Biden tumbled on his bicycle in Delaware in June, his foot or feet caught in the pedals' cages, the mishap fed the perception of a president not at the top of his game physically.

“Those of us that know a little about aging were pretty impressed by the fact that he was on his bicycle to begin with ... that you’ve got somebody who is really active and healthy for his age," said Olshansky. Instead, the focus was on his injury-free fall.

Ageism pops up in campaigns even when opposing candidates are both old themselves; witness Trump's references to “Sleepy Joe” in 2020 and Biden's characterization of Trump as “mentally deranged.”

But it was particularly pronounced in the 2008 presidential contest between Obama, 47 in that fall's campaign, and Sen. John McCain, then 72.

When Obama misidentified the city he was in, the flub was attributed to a long day by a nation-trotting barnstormer, Jamieson said. When McCain did that, it was his age.

The Obama campaign exploited the age gap in what Jamieson said were underhanded ways. She noticed and, with her technical team, confirmed that in at least two ads, recordings of McCain had been slowed down to make him sound mentally feeble.

But the sharpest cracks about age came from McCain himself.

“Good evening, my fellow Americans,” he said on “Saturday Night Live." "I ask you, what should we be looking for in our next president? Certainly someone who is very, very, very old.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668878072053.png" alt="Biden planned to celebrate his birthday at a family brunch in the White House on Sunday.- White House photo" />
 <figcaption>Biden planned to celebrate his birthday at a family brunch in the White House on Sunday.- White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — People in their 80s lead countries, create majestic art and perform feats of endurance. One entered the record books for scaling Mount Everest. It's soon time for Joe Biden, 80 on Sunday, to decide whether he has one more mountain to climb — the one to a second term as president.Questions swirl now, in his own party as well as broadly in the country, about whether he's got what it takes to go for the summit again.The oldest president in U.S. history, Biden hits his milestone birthday at a personal crossroads as he and his family face a decision in the coming months on whether he should announce for reelection. He’d be 86 at the end of a potential second term.Biden aides and allies all say he intends to run — and his team has begun quiet preparations for a campaign — but it has often been the president himself who has sounded the most equivocal. “My intention is that I run again,” he said at a news conference this month. ”But I’m a great respecter of fate."“We're going to have discussions about it,” he said. Aides expect those conversations to pick up in earnest over Thanksgiving and Christmas, with a decision not until well after New Year's.Biden planned to celebrate his birthday at a family brunch in the White House on Sunday.To observe Biden at work is to see a leader tap a storehouse of knowledge built up over a half century in public office as he draws on deep personal relationships at home and abroad, his mastery of policy and his familiarity with how Washington works or doesn't. In short, the wisdom of the aged.“There is something to be said for experience,” said Dartmouth College historian Matt Delmont as he noted the dozens of global leaders in their 80s.But to observe Biden is also to see him walk now often with a halting gait, in contrast to his trotting on stage on election night 2020.It is to see him take a pass on a formal dinner with other world leaders without a real explanation, as happened on his trip abroad this past week, when he twice spoke of visiting Colombia when he meant Cambodia. Some supporters wince when he speaks, hoping he gets through his remarks OK.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision, at age 82, to pull back from leadership and let a new generation rise may spill over into Biden's thinking and that of his party as Democrats weigh whether they want to go with a proven winner or turn to the energy of youth.Among the questions Pelosi's move raises, said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, an authority on political communications at the University of Pennsylvania: "Even if one is highly competent and successful, is there a point at which one should step aside to give others the opportunity to lead just as others stepped aside to make it possible for you to do so?“Pelosi’s decision makes such questions more salient in the context of Biden’s 2020 statement that he was the bridge to a new generation of leaders.”Biden’s verbal flubs have been the stuff of legend throughout his five-decade political career, so sussing out the impact of age on his acuity is a guessing game for “armchair gerontologists,” as Dr. S. Jay Olshansky, an aging expert, puts it.In the distorted mirrors of social media commentary, every slip is magnified into supposed proof of senility. A moment of silent reflection by Biden in a meeting is presented as the president nodding off. All of that went into Donald Trump's quiver of falsehoods when he announced Tuesday he will seek the presidency again.Some allies see Biden's blunders as an increasing vulnerability in the eyes of voters as he's grown older.In an AP VoteCast survey of the electorate this month, fully 58% of voters said he does not have the mental capability to serve effectively as president. That was a grim picture of his standing now, not just looking ahead to another potential term. Only 34% said he’s a strong leader.Those findings come alongside notably low approval ratings in league with Trump’s at this point of their presidencies.Two months before the 2020 election, Olshansky, at the University of Illinois, Chicago,&nbsp;<a href="https://today.uic.edu/new-study-finds-biden-trump-both-likely-to-be-super-agers/">published a paper</a>&nbsp;that predicted both Biden and Trump were bound to maintain their good health beyond the end of this presidential term.Based on a scientific team's evaluation of available medical records, family history and other information, the paper further concluded that both men are probably “super-agers,” a subgroup of people who maintain their mental and physical functioning and tend to live longer than the average person their age.Nothing has changed Olshansky's mind about either of them.“While President Biden may chronologically be 80 years old, biologically he probably isn’t,” he said. “And biological age is far more important than chronological age." He calls Biden a “classic example of everything that’s good about aging ... and so his age, I think, should be almost completely irrelevant."Biden is already in the club of high achievers for people his age. Unlike 92% of people 75 and over in the U.S., he still has a job, not to mention a mightily demanding one.And he’s been on a roll. The November elections produced the best result for a Democratic president’s party in midterms in decades — despite the poison pill of high inflation — as Democrats kept control of the Senate, narrowly lost the House in defiance of expectations of a rout, and won several competitive governors’ races in key states.The president also sealed a string of consequential legislative victories in recent months, on climate, infrastructure, health care expansion, military aid to Ukraine and more.Biden says he begins most days with an 8 a.m. workout, when he is usually joined by his personal trainer and physical therapist, Drew Contreras, if he doesn’t ride his Peloton bike.“If I let it go for a week, I feel it,” he told the “Smartless” podcast recently. “I used to be able to go for a week and nothing would change.”White House aides say Biden reads his briefing book deep into the night, holds intensive evening meetings with advisers and has never balked at their scheduling requests that may have him out late, though rarely up early.Yet his aides are deeply protective of the president, especially with his public schedule, which is lighter than those of Barack Obama and George W. Bush, both far younger in office. They’ve shielded him from formal interviews and, until recently, press conferences.To his doubters, he says: “Watch me.”Biden has been diagnosed with several very common age-related health conditions, none causing him serious problems.In his November 2021 summary of Biden’s health after the president’s first full physical in office, Dr. Kevin O’Connor noted Biden’s gait had become somewhat stiffer, something doctors watch for in older patients as it could signal a fall risk.But after testing, the doctor concluded it’s mostly due to ongoing “wear and tear” arthritis of the spine, as well as compensation for a broken foot sustained a year earlier and the development of “mild peripheral neuropathy” or subtle damage to some sensory nerves in the feet.Experts say age is not destiny; what matters is good health, fitness and functioning. Japanese climber Yuichiro Miura had enough of those attributes to make it to the top of Mount Everest in 2013 at age 80, setting a record that an 85-year-old Nepali man&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mountains-ap-top-news-sports-asia-international-news-kathmandu-80626f64caee4ef98861b42e9145bca6">died trying to break</a>&nbsp;in 2017.Growing old is inexorable — at whatever pace, it comes.It came at one pace for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, for example, and it's coming at another for Pelosi, who is another institution in town.“What’s wrong with me?” Marshall asked upon his decision to retire from the Supreme Court at age 82, before answering: “I’m old. I’m getting old and coming apart.” (He died two years later.)At the same age, Pelosi buzzes Capitol hallways in high heels, outpacing much younger people. And her cognitive abilities have never been in question.The knock against her was that she blocked the highest ambitions of generations of younger lawmakers before her decision this past week not to seek reelection as House Democratic leader when Republicans take control.Supreme Court justices, shielded from the electorate and bosses, can grow as old in the job as they want and as fate allows — and they tend to stick around. Justice John Paul Stevens retired in 2010 at age 90, attributing his decision to a small stroke while reading his Citizens United dissent from the bench.Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a hugely consequential 80-something, fell three years short of her goal to be as old as Stevens on the bench. She died in September 2020.In democracies, where voters are the boss, and in autocracies, where they're not, plenty of people in power soldier on in their advanced years, even if few are up there like former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who became the world’s oldest leader at 92 and is running to get the office back, at 97.Much of the leadership in the U.S. Congress is over 70, especially Democrats, and so were Biden's main rivals in the 2020 Democratic primaries and Trump.Attribute that, in part, to increasing longevity.“Life expectancy back around 1900 in the United States was about 50,” Olshansky said, “and we added about 30 years” since.In Cockeysville, Maryland, outside Baltimore, Nelson Hyman, 85, and his wife, Roz Hyman, 77, credit Biden with getting big things right and especially with appointing a strong team. To these Democrats, that adds up to an effective presidency that taps the value of age in a society that often doesn't.“I’ve always felt the president is as good as the people that he appoints, and I think he’s appointed some very, very good people, very competent people, and he uses them,” said Roz, a retired counselor in a psychiatric hospital.“Now, are you going to ask me, is he going to be competent in two years? Who knows? I don’t know.”A president can only be conceptual, said Nelson, retired from an insurance career, “and the detail people will take care of the details.” When Russia's Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, he said, Biden stepped up, ”spoke beautifully and strongly" and "has not been afraid to deal with Putin. Not at all.”They recalled seeing Ronald Reagan struggle in his second term, before he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's after he left office, and felt that he, too, had surrounded himself with competence, as much as they disagreed with his direction.Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, said Reagan posted major achievements even when his memory may have been slipping, in part because his aides were strong and accomplished and Reagan retained the values that informed his judgments.That's true of many presidents, Biden included, she said. Trump, in contrast, preferred a team largely of acolytes.But when a perception does take hold in the public, any slipup can feed it, whether it is relevant or not.When Biden tumbled on his bicycle in Delaware in June, his foot or feet caught in the pedals' cages, the mishap fed the perception of a president not at the top of his game physically.“Those of us that know a little about aging were pretty impressed by the fact that he was on his bicycle to begin with ... that you’ve got somebody who is really active and healthy for his age," said Olshansky. Instead, the focus was on his injury-free fall.Ageism pops up in campaigns even when opposing candidates are both old themselves; witness Trump's references to “Sleepy Joe” in 2020 and Biden's characterization of Trump as “mentally deranged.”But it was particularly pronounced in the 2008 presidential contest between Obama, 47 in that fall's campaign, and Sen. John McCain, then 72.When Obama misidentified the city he was in, the flub was attributed to a long day by a nation-trotting barnstormer, Jamieson said. When McCain did that, it was his age.The Obama campaign exploited the age gap in what Jamieson said were underhanded ways. She noticed and, with her technical team, confirmed that in at least two ads, recordings of McCain had been slowed down to make him sound mentally feeble.But the sharpest cracks about age came from McCain himself.“Good evening, my fellow Americans,” he said on “Saturday Night Live." "I ask you, what should we be looking for in our next president? Certainly someone who is very, very, very old.”

President Biden turns 80, mulls 2nd White House bid

GEARY COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 10:30p.m. Saturday in Geary County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Chevy Colorado driven by Saeu T. Suluvale, 34, Kansas City, Mo., was westbound on Interstate 70 at Moritz Road. 

The pickup crossed the median and struck a 2022 Freightliner semi driven by Timothy&nbsp;Wiley, 47, Middleburg, Florida, head-on.

Suluvale was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Johnson Funeral Home. EMS transported Wiley and a passenger Gregory&nbsp;Moniz, 52, Debary, Florida, to Geary Community Hospital. The drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

GEARY COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 10:30p.m. Saturday in Geary County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Chevy Colorado driven by Saeu T. Suluvale, 34, Kansas City, Mo., was westbound on Interstate 70 at Moritz Road. The pickup crossed the median and struck a 2022 Freightliner semi driven by Timothy&nbsp;Wiley, 47, Middleburg, Florida, head-on.Suluvale was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Johnson Funeral Home. EMS transported Wiley and a passenger Gregory&nbsp;Moniz, 52, Debary, Florida, to Geary Community Hospital. The drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

Woman dead after I-70 pickup, semi head-on crash

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man sent to prison in March of 2020 for surreptitiously taking lewd photos of young women and young children has been found guilty of new sex crimes.

This week, a jury found 33-year-old James Dayvault guilty for the sexual abuse of a 7-year-old in 2015, according to the Sedgwick County District attorney's office.

According to court documents, Dayvault sexually abused a girl while she was playing outside after church.

In the 2020 case, a neighbor reported seeing Dayvault following young children and photographing them, according to Wichita Police. During the investigation, police recovered photos on his cell phone that included pornographic images of children and images taken up women’s skirts at various locations in Wichita including a local church and department store parking lot.

&nbsp;Dayvault's DNA in a national database connected him to the 2015 crime.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584393130389.png" alt="Dayvault photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Dayvault photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A Kansas man sent to prison in March of 2020 for surreptitiously taking lewd photos of young women and young children has been found guilty of new sex crimes.This week, a jury found 33-year-old James Dayvault guilty for the sexual abuse of a 7-year-old in 2015, according to the Sedgwick County District attorney's office.According to court documents, Dayvault sexually abused a girl while she was playing outside after church.In the 2020 case, a neighbor reported seeing Dayvault following young children and photographing them, according to Wichita Police. During the investigation, police recovered photos on his cell phone that included pornographic images of children and images taken up women’s skirts at various locations in Wichita including a local church and department store parking lot.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668786106708.png" alt="Dayvault-photo KBI offender registry" />
 <figcaption>Dayvault-photo KBI offender registry</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;Dayvault's DNA in a national database connected him to the 2015 crime.

Kan. man who took photos up women's skirts found guilty of sex crime

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Elon Musk reinstated Donald Trump’s account on Twitter on Saturday, reversing a ban that has kept the former president off the social media site since a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress was poised to certify Joe Biden’s election victory.

Musk made the announcement in the evening after holding a poll that asked Twitter users to click “yes” or “no” on whether Trump's account should be restored. The “yes” vote won, with 51.8%.

“The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” Musk tweeted, using a Latin phrase meaning “the voice of the people, the voice of God.”

Shortly afterward Trump's account, which had earlier appeared as suspended, reappeared on the platform complete with his former tweets, more than 59,000 of them. However his followers were gone, at least initially.

It is not clear whether Trump would actually return to Twitter. An irrepressible tweeter before he was banned, Trump has said in the past that he would not rejoin even if his account was reinstated. He has been relying on his own, much smaller social media site, Truth Social, which he launched after being blocked from Twitter.

And on Saturday, during a video speech to a Republican Jewish group meeting in Las Vegas, Trump said that he was aware of Musk’s poll but that he saw “a lot of problems at Twitter,” according to Bloomberg.

“I hear we’re getting a big vote to also go back on Twitter. I don’t see it because I don’t see any reason for it,” Trump was quoted as saying by Bloomberg. “It may make it, it may not make it,” he added, apparently referring to Twitter's recent internal upheavals.

The prospect of restoring Trump's presence to the platform follows Musk's purchase last month of Twitter — an acquisition that has fanned widespread concern that the billionaire owner will allow purveyors of lies and misinformation to flourish on the site. Musk has frequently expressed his belief that Twitter had become too restrictive of freewheeling speech.

His efforts to reshape the site have been both swift and chaotic. Musk has fired many of the company’s 7,500 full-time workers and an untold number of contractors who are responsible for content moderation and other crucial responsibilities. His demand that remaining employees pledge to “extremely hardcore” work triggered a wave of resignations, including hundreds of software engineers.

Users have reported seeing increased spam and scams on their feeds and in their direct messages, among other glitches, in the aftermath of the mass layoffs and worker exodus. Some programmers who were fired or resigned this week warned that Twitter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-elon-musk-twitter-inc-technology-sports-d9217e91f876794bd7816013fbbc8cbb">may soon fray so badly it could actually crash.</a>

Musk's&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1593767953706921985">online survey</a>, which ran for 24 hours before ending Saturday evening, concluded with 51.8% of more than 15 million votes favoring the restoration of Trump's Twitter' account. It comes four days after Trump announced his candidacy for the presidency in 2024.

Trump lost his access to Twitter two days after his supporters stormed the Capitol, soon after the former president had exhorted them to “fight like hell." Twitter dropped his account after Trump wrote a pair of tweets that the company said cast further doubts on the legitimacy of the presidential election and raised risks for the Biden presidential inauguration.

After the Jan. 6 attack, Trump was also kicked off Facebook and Instagram, which are owned by Meta Platforms, and Snapchat. His ability to post videos to his YouTube channel was also suspended. Facebook is set to reconsider Trump’s account suspension in January.

Throughout his tenure as president, Trump’s use of social media posed a significant challenge to major social media platforms that sought to balance the public’s interest in hearing from public officials with worries about misinformation, bigotry, harassment and incitement of violence.

But in a speech at an auto conference in May, Musk asserted that Twitter's ban of Trump was a “morally bad decision” and “foolish in the extreme.”

Earlier this month, Musk, who completed the $44 billion takeover of Twitter in late October, declared that the company wouldn't let anyone who had been kicked off the site return until Twitter had established procedures on how to do so, including forming a “content moderation council.”

On Friday, Musk tweeted that the suspended Twitter accounts for the comedian Kathy Griffin, the Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson and the conservative Christian news satire website Babylon Bee had been reinstated. He added that a decision on Trump had not yet been made. He also responded “no” when someone on Twitter asked him to reinstate the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ account.

In a tweet Friday, the Tesla CEO described the company’s new content policy as “freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach.”

He explained that a tweet deemed to be “negative” or to include “hate” would be allowed on the site but would be visible only to users who specifically searched for it. Such tweets also would be “demonetized, so no ads or other revenue to Twitter,” Musk said.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Elon Musk reinstated Donald Trump’s account on Twitter on Saturday, reversing a ban that has kept the former president off the social media site since a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress was poised to certify Joe Biden’s election victory.Musk made the announcement in the evening after holding a poll that asked Twitter users to click “yes” or “no” on whether Trump's account should be restored. The “yes” vote won, with 51.8%.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei. <a href="https://t.co/jmkhFuyfkv">https://t.co/jmkhFuyfkv</a>&mdash; Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1594131768298315777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” Musk tweeted, using a Latin phrase meaning “the voice of the people, the voice of God.”Shortly afterward Trump's account, which had earlier appeared as suspended, reappeared on the platform complete with his former tweets, more than 59,000 of them. However his followers were gone, at least initially.It is not clear whether Trump would actually return to Twitter. An irrepressible tweeter before he was banned, Trump has said in the past that he would not rejoin even if his account was reinstated. He has been relying on his own, much smaller social media site, Truth Social, which he launched after being blocked from Twitter.And on Saturday, during a video speech to a Republican Jewish group meeting in Las Vegas, Trump said that he was aware of Musk’s poll but that he saw “a lot of problems at Twitter,” according to Bloomberg.“I hear we’re getting a big vote to also go back on Twitter. I don’t see it because I don’t see any reason for it,” Trump was quoted as saying by Bloomberg. “It may make it, it may not make it,” he added, apparently referring to Twitter's recent internal upheavals.The prospect of restoring Trump's presence to the platform follows Musk's purchase last month of Twitter — an acquisition that has fanned widespread concern that the billionaire owner will allow purveyors of lies and misinformation to flourish on the site. Musk has frequently expressed his belief that Twitter had become too restrictive of freewheeling speech.His efforts to reshape the site have been both swift and chaotic. Musk has fired many of the company’s 7,500 full-time workers and an untold number of contractors who are responsible for content moderation and other crucial responsibilities. His demand that remaining employees pledge to “extremely hardcore” work triggered a wave of resignations, including hundreds of software engineers.Users have reported seeing increased spam and scams on their feeds and in their direct messages, among other glitches, in the aftermath of the mass layoffs and worker exodus. Some programmers who were fired or resigned this week warned that Twitter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/world-cup-elon-musk-twitter-inc-technology-sports-d9217e91f876794bd7816013fbbc8cbb">may soon fray so badly it could actually crash.</a>Musk's&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1593767953706921985">online survey</a>, which ran for 24 hours before ending Saturday evening, concluded with 51.8% of more than 15 million votes favoring the restoration of Trump's Twitter' account. It comes four days after Trump announced his candidacy for the presidency in 2024.Trump lost his access to Twitter two days after his supporters stormed the Capitol, soon after the former president had exhorted them to “fight like hell." Twitter dropped his account after Trump wrote a pair of tweets that the company said cast further doubts on the legitimacy of the presidential election and raised risks for the Biden presidential inauguration.After the Jan. 6 attack, Trump was also kicked off Facebook and Instagram, which are owned by Meta Platforms, and Snapchat. His ability to post videos to his YouTube channel was also suspended. Facebook is set to reconsider Trump’s account suspension in January.Throughout his tenure as president, Trump’s use of social media posed a significant challenge to major social media platforms that sought to balance the public’s interest in hearing from public officials with worries about misinformation, bigotry, harassment and incitement of violence.But in a speech at an auto conference in May, Musk asserted that Twitter's ban of Trump was a “morally bad decision” and “foolish in the extreme.”Earlier this month, Musk, who completed the $44 billion takeover of Twitter in late October, declared that the company wouldn't let anyone who had been kicked off the site return until Twitter had established procedures on how to do so, including forming a “content moderation council.”On Friday, Musk tweeted that the suspended Twitter accounts for the comedian Kathy Griffin, the Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson and the conservative Christian news satire website Babylon Bee had been reinstated. He added that a decision on Trump had not yet been made. He also responded “no” when someone on Twitter asked him to reinstate the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ account.In a tweet Friday, the Tesla CEO described the company’s new content policy as “freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach.”He explained that a tweet deemed to be “negative” or to include “hate” would be allowed on the site but would be visible only to users who specifically searched for it. Such tweets also would be “demonetized, so no ads or other revenue to Twitter,” Musk said.

Musk restores Trump's Twitter account after online poll

ELLIS COUNTY—Three people avoided injury when a small plane made a belly landing just after 1p.m. Saturday in Ellis County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1965 Mooney M20E piloted by John Michael Hershey, 58, Monument, Colorado, was making a final landing approach to Hays Regional Airport. The manual landing gear failed to fully engage. 

Upon landing, the landing gear collapsed under the aircraft and it made a belly landing on the runway.

Hershey and two passengers were not injured. The KHP reported no additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668900764645.png" alt="Google map" />
 <figcaption>Google map</figcaption>
 </figure>ELLIS COUNTY—Three people avoided injury when a small plane made a belly landing just after 1p.m. Saturday in Ellis County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1965 Mooney M20E piloted by John Michael Hershey, 58, Monument, Colorado, was making a final landing approach to Hays Regional Airport. The manual landing gear failed to fully engage. Upon landing, the landing gear collapsed under the aircraft and it made a belly landing on the runway.Hershey and two passengers were not injured. The KHP reported no additional details.

Small plane makes belly landing at Kansas airport

BRANSON (AP) —A Tennessee man filed a lawsuit Friday claiming that operators of the Kanakuk Camps in Branson, Missouri, lied to him and his parents while persuading them to sign a settlement over sexual abuse by a camp counselor.

Logan Yandell, 27, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, and his parents reached a confidential settlement with Kanakuk in 2010 that included a non-disclosure agreement after Yandell was abused by Peter Newman, who is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/auburn-d599411ff6b34113a339febd9158e8ff">serving two life sentences</a>&nbsp;for sexually abusing multiple children while working for the Christian summer camps.

The lawsuit names Kanakuk Ministries, Kanakuk CEO Joe White, Kanakuk Heritage Inc., Westchester Fire Insurance Company and a John Doe.

A statement from Kanakuk said the company just received the lawsuit on Friday and does not comment on pending litigation.

“We will respond further if or when appropriate,” the company said. “In the meantime, we continue to pray for all who have been affected by Pete Newman’s behavior.

Yandell was sexually abused while attending the summer camp and other activities between 2005 and 2008.

The lawsuit alleges that Kanakuk officials claimed they did not know about Newman's sexual abuse of children prior to his arrest but the Yandell family later learned that wasn't true.

In December 2021, the conservative online news outlet The Dispatch reported that Newman’s supervisor, Will Cunningham, recommended in 2003 that Newman be fired because of reports of child sexual abuse, including participating in several activities with children while nude, “counseling” them in a hot tub and sleeping alone with children.

The lawsuit filed Friday contains an affidavit from Cunningham confirming that he wanted Newman fired. Instead, White overruled the suggestion and promoted Newman to camp director, according to the lawsuit.

The family would not have signed the settlement and non-disclosure agreement if they had known that Kanakuk officials had lied to them, Brian Kent, one of the family's attorneys, said Friday.

He said company officials took advantage of the family.

“Knowing that the Yandells were really trying to deal with making sure their child is OK and getting him better, this was a clear effort by Joe White and Kanakuk to advise them this is something they should do. And they lied to them in order to get them to sign.”

The lawsuit is not a class action but Kent said it's possible more of Newman's victims will file similar lawsuits because of the new information.

The Associated Press generally does not name victims of sexual abuse but Yandell is named in the lawsuit and has publicly discussed his case.

One of the reasons the family decided to file the lawsuit 12 years after signing the settlement was to allow Yandell to “get his voice back and have his voice heard,” Kent said.

Newman is serving two life sentences plus 30 years in state prison after his 2010 sentencing on seven felony counts of sexually abusing boys while he was a Kanakuk counselor. The number of victims is believed to be in the hundreds, according to the lawsuit.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668864737977.png" alt="Newman is serving two life sentences plus 30 years in state prison after his 2010 sentencing on seven felony counts of sexually abusing boys while he was a Kanakuk counselor.-photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Newman is serving two life sentences plus 30 years in state prison after his 2010 sentencing on seven felony counts of sexually abusing boys while he was a Kanakuk counselor.-photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>BRANSON (AP) —A Tennessee man filed a lawsuit Friday claiming that operators of the Kanakuk Camps in Branson, Missouri, lied to him and his parents while persuading them to sign a settlement over sexual abuse by a camp counselor.Logan Yandell, 27, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, and his parents reached a confidential settlement with Kanakuk in 2010 that included a non-disclosure agreement after Yandell was abused by Peter Newman, who is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/auburn-d599411ff6b34113a339febd9158e8ff">serving two life sentences</a>&nbsp;for sexually abusing multiple children while working for the Christian summer camps.The lawsuit names Kanakuk Ministries, Kanakuk CEO Joe White, Kanakuk Heritage Inc., Westchester Fire Insurance Company and a John Doe.A statement from Kanakuk said the company just received the lawsuit on Friday and does not comment on pending litigation.“We will respond further if or when appropriate,” the company said. “In the meantime, we continue to pray for all who have been affected by Pete Newman’s behavior.Yandell was sexually abused while attending the summer camp and other activities between 2005 and 2008.The lawsuit alleges that Kanakuk officials claimed they did not know about Newman's sexual abuse of children prior to his arrest but the Yandell family later learned that wasn't true.In December 2021, the conservative online news outlet The Dispatch reported that Newman’s supervisor, Will Cunningham, recommended in 2003 that Newman be fired because of reports of child sexual abuse, including participating in several activities with children while nude, “counseling” them in a hot tub and sleeping alone with children.The lawsuit filed Friday contains an affidavit from Cunningham confirming that he wanted Newman fired. Instead, White overruled the suggestion and promoted Newman to camp director, according to the lawsuit.The family would not have signed the settlement and non-disclosure agreement if they had known that Kanakuk officials had lied to them, Brian Kent, one of the family's attorneys, said Friday.He said company officials took advantage of the family.“Knowing that the Yandells were really trying to deal with making sure their child is OK and getting him better, this was a clear effort by Joe White and Kanakuk to advise them this is something they should do. And they lied to them in order to get them to sign.”The lawsuit is not a class action but Kent said it's possible more of Newman's victims will file similar lawsuits because of the new information.The Associated Press generally does not name victims of sexual abuse but Yandell is named in the lawsuit and has publicly discussed his case.One of the reasons the family decided to file the lawsuit 12 years after signing the settlement was to allow Yandell to “get his voice back and have his voice heard,” Kent said.Newman is serving two life sentences plus 30 years in state prison after his 2010 sentencing on seven felony counts of sexually abusing boys while he was a Kanakuk counselor. The number of victims is believed to be in the hundreds, according to the lawsuit.

Christian summer camp operators sued over sex abuse settlement

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Across the U.S., families are looking to the winter with dread as energy costs soar and fuel supplies tighten.

The Department of Energy is projecting sharp price increases for home heating compared with last winter and some worry whether heating assistance programs will be able to make up the difference for struggling families. The situation is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-germany-prices-cca7e5afd38fbcfc1ad72934e8e59bd9">even bleaker in Europe</a>, with Russia’s continued curtailment of natural gas pushing prices upward and causing painful shortages.

In Maine, Aaron Raymo saw the writing on the wall and began stocking up on heating oil in 5-gallon increments over the summer as costs crept upward. He filled a container with heating oil as he could afford it, usually on paydays, and used a heating assistance program to top off his 275-gallon oil tank with the arrival of colder weather.

His family is trying to avoid being forced into a difficult decision — choosing between food or heating their home.

“It’s a hard one,” he said. “What are you going to choose for food, or what amount of fuel oil are you going to choose to stay warm?”

A number of factors are converging to create a bleak situation: Global energy consumption has rebounded from the start of the pandemic, and supply was barely keeping pace before the war in Ukraine further reduced supplies.

The National Energy Assistance Directors Association says energy costs will be the highest in more than a decade this winter.

The Energy Department projects heating bills will jump 28% this winter for those who rely on natural gas, used by nearly half of U.S. households for heat. Heating oil is projected to be 27% higher and electricity 10% higher, the agency said.

That comes against inflation rates that accelerated last month with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-business-prices-consumer-aed3121e4d5e3ec37cf1591995f13ce0">consumer prices growing 6.6%</a>, the fastest such pace in four decades.

The pain will be especially acute in New England, which is heavily reliant on heating oil to keep homes warm. It's projected to cost more than $2,300 to heat a typical home with heating oil this winter, the energy department said.

Across the country, some are urging utilities to implement a moratorium on winter shut-offs, and members of Congress already added $1 billion in heating aid. But there will be fewer federal dollars than last year when pandemic aid flowed.

In Jay, where Raymo lives with his partner, Lucinda Tyler, and 8-year-old son, residents were already bracing for the worst before the local paper mill announced it’s going to close, putting more than 200 people out of work. That has the potential to wreak havoc on the town budget, and cause higher property taxes that will further eat into residents’ budgets.

Both Raymo and Tyler work full-time jobs. He works as many as 70 or 80 hours a week in an orthopedists’ office and she works from home in shareholder services for a financial services company. They don’t qualify for much help even though they’re scraping by to keep up with repairs, buy gas and put food on the table — and heat their 100-year-old home in a state known for bitter cold weather.

“We work significant hours but it seems that it’s not enough,” said Tyler, who wept with relief when she learned they qualified for even a modest amount of heating assistance.

Last month, Congress added<a href="https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/623"> $1 billion in funding</a> to Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, bringing the total to at least $4.8 billion and making additional heating aid available for the start of the winter season.

The third hottest summer on record already strained LIHEAP funding, “so I am glad that we were able to secure these new resources before the cold of winter sets in,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont.

But that level represents an overall reduction from last year, when federal pandemic relief pushed the total energy assistance package past $8 billion.

Some are seeking help who've never done so in the past. In Auburn, Maine, 72-year-old Mario Zullo said he worked all his life and never asked for help until last year when he received heating assistance last year. The program helped upgrade his heating.

“It came to us at a time when we needed it the most,” Zullo said.

Mark Wolfe, executive director of NEADA, said he fears the federally funded program won't be enough because of the high cost of energy and continued instability in energy markets. It could be even worse if the winter is especially cold, he said.

“The crisis is coming,” he said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty and factors in play that could drive these prices higher.”

In Maine, the state has the nation’s oldest population and it’s the most reliant on heating oil, creating a double whammy.

“People are scared. They’re worried. They’re frustrated," said Lisa McGee, who coordinates the heating aid program for Community Concepts Inc. in Lewiston, Maine. “There’s more anxiety this year.”

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Across the U.S., families are looking to the winter with dread as energy costs soar and fuel supplies tighten.The Department of Energy is projecting sharp price increases for home heating compared with last winter and some worry whether heating assistance programs will be able to make up the difference for struggling families. The situation is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-germany-prices-cca7e5afd38fbcfc1ad72934e8e59bd9">even bleaker in Europe</a>, with Russia’s continued curtailment of natural gas pushing prices upward and causing painful shortages.In Maine, Aaron Raymo saw the writing on the wall and began stocking up on heating oil in 5-gallon increments over the summer as costs crept upward. He filled a container with heating oil as he could afford it, usually on paydays, and used a heating assistance program to top off his 275-gallon oil tank with the arrival of colder weather.His family is trying to avoid being forced into a difficult decision — choosing between food or heating their home.“It’s a hard one,” he said. “What are you going to choose for food, or what amount of fuel oil are you going to choose to stay warm?”A number of factors are converging to create a bleak situation: Global energy consumption has rebounded from the start of the pandemic, and supply was barely keeping pace before the war in Ukraine further reduced supplies.The National Energy Assistance Directors Association says energy costs will be the highest in more than a decade this winter.The Energy Department projects heating bills will jump 28% this winter for those who rely on natural gas, used by nearly half of U.S. households for heat. Heating oil is projected to be 27% higher and electricity 10% higher, the agency said.That comes against inflation rates that accelerated last month with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-business-prices-consumer-aed3121e4d5e3ec37cf1591995f13ce0">consumer prices growing 6.6%</a>, the fastest such pace in four decades.The pain will be especially acute in New England, which is heavily reliant on heating oil to keep homes warm. It's projected to cost more than $2,300 to heat a typical home with heating oil this winter, the energy department said.Across the country, some are urging utilities to implement a moratorium on winter shut-offs, and members of Congress already added $1 billion in heating aid. But there will be fewer federal dollars than last year when pandemic aid flowed.In Jay, where Raymo lives with his partner, Lucinda Tyler, and 8-year-old son, residents were already bracing for the worst before the local paper mill announced it’s going to close, putting more than 200 people out of work. That has the potential to wreak havoc on the town budget, and cause higher property taxes that will further eat into residents’ budgets.Both Raymo and Tyler work full-time jobs. He works as many as 70 or 80 hours a week in an orthopedists’ office and she works from home in shareholder services for a financial services company. They don’t qualify for much help even though they’re scraping by to keep up with repairs, buy gas and put food on the table — and heat their 100-year-old home in a state known for bitter cold weather.“We work significant hours but it seems that it’s not enough,” said Tyler, who wept with relief when she learned they qualified for even a modest amount of heating assistance.Last month, Congress added<a href="https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/623"> $1 billion in funding</a> to Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, bringing the total to at least $4.8 billion and making additional heating aid available for the start of the winter season.The third hottest summer on record already strained LIHEAP funding, “so I am glad that we were able to secure these new resources before the cold of winter sets in,” said Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont.But that level represents an overall reduction from last year, when federal pandemic relief pushed the total energy assistance package past $8 billion.Some are seeking help who've never done so in the past. In Auburn, Maine, 72-year-old Mario Zullo said he worked all his life and never asked for help until last year when he received heating assistance last year. The program helped upgrade his heating.“It came to us at a time when we needed it the most,” Zullo said.Mark Wolfe, executive director of NEADA, said he fears the federally funded program won't be enough because of the high cost of energy and continued instability in energy markets. It could be even worse if the winter is especially cold, he said.“The crisis is coming,” he said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty and factors in play that could drive these prices higher.”In Maine, the state has the nation’s oldest population and it’s the most reliant on heating oil, creating a double whammy.“People are scared. They’re worried. They’re frustrated," said Lisa McGee, who coordinates the heating aid program for Community Concepts Inc. in Lewiston, Maine. “There’s more anxiety this year.”___

US heating worries mount amid growing costs, uncertainty

By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/11/18/alex-gino-author-of-book-that-sparked-effort-to-close-kansas-towns-library-speaks-out/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Alex Gino wanted to write a 
book that reflected transgender youths’ experiences, the sort of book 
they wished they’d had when they were young.

It took them 12 years to write the 
book, which went on to receive several literary awards, including a 
Children’s Choice award and the Lambda literary award.

Now, the St. Marys City Commission is <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/11/16/future-of-kansas-towns-library-uncertain-after-outpouring-of-support-at-commission-meeting/">threatening the existence</a> of a public library for simply <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/11/14/future-of-kansas-towns-library-in-jeopardy-over-refusal-to-remove-divisive-books/">having Gino’s book in stock</a>.

“It hurts my heart,” Gino said. “The 
implication is that my existence is so monstrous that it should be 
withheld from children. And what happens is, you end up with adults like
 me, who didn’t have good role models or good reflections of people like
 them growing up, and the road does not change who you are, but it makes
 the road much more painful. And it makes the road a lot more 
dangerous.”

The book in question, “Melissa,” is 
about a transgender girl in middle school who fights to be accepted as a
 girl among her peers, family, and fellow students. Melissa learns to 
advocate for herself and her friends by playing the role of Charlotte in
 her school’s production of “Charlotte’s Web.”

The book, which was published in 2015, was added to the Pottawatomie
 Wabaunsee Regional Library in St. Marys after it made the William Allen
 White Award 2017-2018 Master List for grades 3-5.

“Melissa” had only been checked out 
four times from the library when it became the center of uproar this 
summer. Parent Dave Perry demanded the book be removed from the library,
 saying the contents were unsuitable for children and encouraged 
“chemical castration.”

Following Perry’s demands for 
removal, St. Marys city commissioners asked the library to accept a 
lease clause that would remove all books that dealt with sexuality, 
race, or LGBTQ themes.

The lease stipulated that the library
 not “supply, distribute, loan, encourage, or coerce acceptance of or 
approval of explicit sexual or racially or socially divisive material, 
or events (such as ‘drag queen story hours’) that support the LGBTQ+ or 
critical theory ideology or practice.”

The library refused to accept the 
“morals clause,” and commissioners remain undetermined on whether or not
 they’ll allow the library to stay in the St. Marys location. At the 
latest commission meeting, officials discussed allowing the library to 
have a short-term lease while they decided if the library met the “moral
 standards” of the commissioners. The commissioners will vote on the 
lease in early December. The library’s lease ends Dec. 31.

The American Civil Liberties Union of
 Kansas issued a statement in support of the library Wednesday, urging 
that the library continue to be funded and that the commission abandon 
the ban of these materials. The ACLU condemned the actions of the 
commission and said it will&nbsp; monitor the situation.

“The residents of the various cities 
served by the library have a First Amendment right to the targeted 
content,” said Sharon Brett, legal director of the ACLU of Kansas. “And 
the St. Mary’s commission’s insistence on banning items containing 
content they don’t like could have constitutional implications when it 
comes to library patrons’ rights to free expression and the right to 
receive information.”

Gino said the commissioners’ actions 
would damage transgender and LGBTQ youths in St. Marys, a town which is 
already heavily conservative and contains a large religious population 
associated with the Society of Saint Pius X.

St. Marys Vice-Mayor Francis 
Awerkamp, a Republican who also serves in the Kansas House, said he 
wouldn’t support the public library in any form because of the LGBTQ 
material it housed.

Gino said they are used to extreme reactions to “Melissa” but that this case was fairly extreme.

“When trans people are harmed because the people in his community don’t know who we are, that blood is on his hands,” Gino said.

Gino’s book is no longer kept in the 
library: Perry, the parent who objected to Gino’s book, said he had paid
 to have the book removed from the library.

Gino referenced Perry’s speech in 
support of the library during a Nov. 15 debate on whether or not to 
renew the library’s lease. Perry had said he wanted the library to stay,
 and that the whole thing had gone too far.

“The parent who brought up the book 
does not want the library closed. And it’s this case of, ‘No, no, I 
wanted censorship my way, but now you’re going too far.’ But you opened 
the door to censorship. That’s why we don’t do that,” Gino said.

“The scary thing is that the 
alternative is to remove the library, so I don’t even know how to feel,”
 Gino added. “But in general, the idea of taking my book off the shelves
 because one individual or small group of individuals are trying to 
outweigh the librarian and the library, it’s selfish. I think it’s a 
fragile action. And I think it’s not American. It is not in favor of 
free speech, and it’s not the world I want to be in.”

Gino said the sort of censorship seen
 in St. Marys and in the U.S. at large has worsened over the past few 
years, though they’ve been battling harsh responses to the book since it
 was published.

Gino said “Melissa” was the No.1 most
 banned and challenged book on the American Library Association’s banned
 books list for three years in a row. The book has been challenged in 
Kansas before, with Wichita Public Schools refusing to buy the book in 
2017, bucking the custom of purchasing books from the William Allen 
White Children’s Book Awards Committee.

“The issue of banned and challenged 
books is much, much worse in the last two or so years,” Gino said. “It’s
 becoming a real epidemic. It’s gotten to the point where people are 
going in with an entire list of books that they want removed.”

At the November commission meeting, 
many St. Marys residents spoke in favor of keeping the library, but few 
supported the book itself. One speaker said the book would encourage 
children to become “frankensteins.” More than one person said “Melissa” 
would cause the town youths to want to chemically castrate themselves. 
Another said that LGBTQ books were the work of a “silver tongued devil.”

“I really just want to send my 
support to the trans kids, to the queer kids out there, to the families 
out there,” Gino said. “The majority does support you, and you are 
loved, and you are welcome in your space.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668797134203.png" alt="St. Marys residents line the walls to listen to the discussion of the library’s lease renewal during a Nov. 15, 2022, city commission meeting. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>St. Marys residents line the walls to listen to the discussion of the library’s lease renewal during a Nov. 15, 2022, city commission meeting. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/11/18/alex-gino-author-of-book-that-sparked-effort-to-close-kansas-towns-library-speaks-out/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Alex Gino wanted to write a 
book that reflected transgender youths’ experiences, the sort of book 
they wished they’d had when they were young.It took them 12 years to write the 
book, which went on to receive several literary awards, including a 
Children’s Choice award and the Lambda literary award.Now, the St. Marys City Commission is <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/11/16/future-of-kansas-towns-library-uncertain-after-outpouring-of-support-at-commission-meeting/">threatening the existence</a> of a public library for simply <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/11/14/future-of-kansas-towns-library-in-jeopardy-over-refusal-to-remove-divisive-books/">having Gino’s book in stock</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668797191108.jpeg" alt="Alex Gino, author of “Melissa,” says transgender youths need to hear stories that reflect their experiences. (Submitted by Alex Gino)" />
 <figcaption>Alex Gino, author of “Melissa,” says transgender youths need to hear stories that reflect their experiences. (Submitted by Alex Gino)</figcaption>
 </figure>“It hurts my heart,” Gino said. “The 
implication is that my existence is so monstrous that it should be 
withheld from children. And what happens is, you end up with adults like
 me, who didn’t have good role models or good reflections of people like
 them growing up, and the road does not change who you are, but it makes
 the road much more painful. And it makes the road a lot more 
dangerous.”The book in question, “Melissa,” is 
about a transgender girl in middle school who fights to be accepted as a
 girl among her peers, family, and fellow students. Melissa learns to 
advocate for herself and her friends by playing the role of Charlotte in
 her school’s production of “Charlotte’s Web.”The book, which was published in 2015, was added to the Pottawatomie
 Wabaunsee Regional Library in St. Marys after it made the William Allen
 White Award 2017-2018 Master List for grades 3-5.“Melissa” had only been checked out 
four times from the library when it became the center of uproar this 
summer. Parent Dave Perry demanded the book be removed from the library,
 saying the contents were unsuitable for children and encouraged 
“chemical castration.”Following Perry’s demands for 
removal, St. Marys city commissioners asked the library to accept a 
lease clause that would remove all books that dealt with sexuality, 
race, or LGBTQ themes.The lease stipulated that the library
 not “supply, distribute, loan, encourage, or coerce acceptance of or 
approval of explicit sexual or racially or socially divisive material, 
or events (such as ‘drag queen story hours’) that support the LGBTQ+ or 
critical theory ideology or practice.”The library refused to accept the 
“morals clause,” and commissioners remain undetermined on whether or not
 they’ll allow the library to stay in the St. Marys location. At the 
latest commission meeting, officials discussed allowing the library to 
have a short-term lease while they decided if the library met the “moral
 standards” of the commissioners. The commissioners will vote on the 
lease in early December. The library’s lease ends Dec. 31.The American Civil Liberties Union of
 Kansas issued a statement in support of the library Wednesday, urging 
that the library continue to be funded and that the commission abandon 
the ban of these materials. The ACLU condemned the actions of the 
commission and said it will&nbsp; monitor the situation.“The residents of the various cities 
served by the library have a First Amendment right to the targeted 
content,” said Sharon Brett, legal director of the ACLU of Kansas. “And 
the St. Mary’s commission’s insistence on banning items containing 
content they don’t like could have constitutional implications when it 
comes to library patrons’ rights to free expression and the right to 
receive information.”Gino said the commissioners’ actions 
would damage transgender and LGBTQ youths in St. Marys, a town which is 
already heavily conservative and contains a large religious population 
associated with the Society of Saint Pius X.St. Marys Vice-Mayor Francis 
Awerkamp, a Republican who also serves in the Kansas House, said he 
wouldn’t support the public library in any form because of the LGBTQ 
material it housed.Gino said they are used to extreme reactions to “Melissa” but that this case was fairly extreme.“When trans people are harmed because the people in his community don’t know who we are, that blood is on his hands,” Gino said.Gino’s book is no longer kept in the 
library: Perry, the parent who objected to Gino’s book, said he had paid
 to have the book removed from the library.Gino referenced Perry’s speech in 
support of the library during a Nov. 15 debate on whether or not to 
renew the library’s lease. Perry had said he wanted the library to stay,
 and that the whole thing had gone too far.“The parent who brought up the book 
does not want the library closed. And it’s this case of, ‘No, no, I 
wanted censorship my way, but now you’re going too far.’ But you opened 
the door to censorship. That’s why we don’t do that,” Gino said.“The scary thing is that the 
alternative is to remove the library, so I don’t even know how to feel,”
 Gino added. “But in general, the idea of taking my book off the shelves
 because one individual or small group of individuals are trying to 
outweigh the librarian and the library, it’s selfish. I think it’s a 
fragile action. And I think it’s not American. It is not in favor of 
free speech, and it’s not the world I want to be in.”Gino said the sort of censorship seen
 in St. Marys and in the U.S. at large has worsened over the past few 
years, though they’ve been battling harsh responses to the book since it
 was published.Gino said “Melissa” was the No.1 most
 banned and challenged book on the American Library Association’s banned
 books list for three years in a row. The book has been challenged in 
Kansas before, with Wichita Public Schools refusing to buy the book in 
2017, bucking the custom of purchasing books from the William Allen 
White Children’s Book Awards Committee.“The issue of banned and challenged 
books is much, much worse in the last two or so years,” Gino said. “It’s
 becoming a real epidemic. It’s gotten to the point where people are 
going in with an entire list of books that they want removed.”At the November commission meeting, 
many St. Marys residents spoke in favor of keeping the library, but few 
supported the book itself. One speaker said the book would encourage 
children to become “frankensteins.” More than one person said “Melissa” 
would cause the town youths to want to chemically castrate themselves. 
Another said that LGBTQ books were the work of a “silver tongued devil.”Gino’s message remains firm.“I really just want to send my 
support to the trans kids, to the queer kids out there, to the families 
out there,” Gino said. “The majority does support you, and you are 
loved, and you are welcome in your space.”

Author of book that sparked effort to close Kan. library speaks out

SEDGWICK COUNTY — A baby chimp was born at The Sedgwick County Zoo this week. Chimpanzee Mahale gave birth to a baby boy via C-section performed by Dr. Laura Whisler and Dr. Janna Chibry of College Hill OB-GYN along with the Zoo Veterinary team, according to a statement from the zoo.

The baby had to be put on oxygen for a few days. Click below to watch the moment mother and baby were reunited.

The zoo reported Thursday Mahale and baby are doing amazing and the boy now has a name: Kucheza (koo-CHAY-zuh) means “play” in Swahili.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668771125682.png" alt="photo courtesy Sedgwick County zoo" />
 <figcaption>photo courtesy Sedgwick County zoo</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — A baby chimp was born at The Sedgwick County Zoo this week. Chimpanzee Mahale gave birth to a baby boy via C-section performed by Dr. Laura Whisler and Dr. Janna Chibry of College Hill OB-GYN along with the Zoo Veterinary team, according to a statement from the zoo.The baby had to be put on oxygen for a few days. Click below to watch the moment mother and baby were reunited.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=322&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSedgwickCountyZoo%2Fvideos%2F492332559533758%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=1" width="560" height="322" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>The zoo reported Thursday Mahale and baby are doing amazing and the boy now has a name: Kucheza (koo-CHAY-zuh) means “play” in Swahili.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSedgwickCountyZoo%2Fvideos%2F1548221642275042%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=1" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>

🎥 Chimpanzee mom and new baby reunited at Kansas zoo

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-biden-plan-d9c8e18774a744187c9af634bf4eb728">plan to provide up to $20,000 in federal student loan forgiveness</a>&nbsp;has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-plan-court-ruling-explained-1946d03f84653c47cf37dd863a023175">blocked by two federal courts</a>, leaving millions of borrowers wondering what happens next. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-government-and-politics-c20de9770b690e61b3d97912e5336ce8">administration plans to appeal</a>. Here’s what to know if you’ve applied for relief:

While&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-student-loans-government-and-politics-06a1160237717b16091ec864b2a56e4d">the application for relief has been taken down</a>&nbsp;from the Federal Student Aid website, applications that have already been filed are on hold while the appeal works its way through the courts.

“Courts have issued orders blocking our student debt relief program,” the Education Department said on its site. “As a result, at this time, we are not accepting applications. We are seeking to overturn those orders.”

A federal judge in Texas ruled that the plan overstepped the White House’s authority. Before that, a federal appeals court in St. Louis put the plan on temporary hold while it considers a challenge from six Republican-led states.

Still, advocates believe the administration will succeed in court.

“We’re really confident they’re going to find a way forward to cancel people’s debt,” said Katherine Welbeck at the&nbsp;<a href="https://protectborrowers.org/" target="_blank">Student Borrower Protection Center</a>.

Experts say student loan forgiveness has the potential to end up before the Supreme Court, meaning this could be a lengthy process.

Most people with student loan debt have not been required to make payments during the coronavirus pandemic, but payments are set to resume, along with the accrual of interest, in January.

Biden previously said the payment pause will not be extended again, but that was before the courts halted his plan.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-government-and-politics-3f7971456f690281326a2f27b3772b30">He’s now facing mounting pressure to continue the pause</a>&nbsp;while the legal challenges to the program play out.

More than 26 million people applied for cancellation over the course of less than a month, according to the Education Department. If you’re one of them, there’s nothing more you need to do right now.

About 16 million people already had their applications approved, according to the Biden administration. Yet because of court actions, none of the relief has actually been delivered.

The Education Department will “quickly process their relief once we prevail in court,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

WHAT IF I HAVEN’T YET APPLIED FOR RELIEF?

For those who have not yet applied, the application for debt cancellation is no longer online. But there are still&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-what-to-know-be79262b338394b2780ba44093146d17">steps people can take to make sure their debt is canceled</a>, should the appeal be successful, according to Welbeck.

“People should still check their eligibility,” she said. “As news changes, people should look out for updates from the Department of Education.”

You can&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/debt-relief-info" target="_blank">sign up to receive the latest from the Federal Student Aid website here</a>.

WHO QUALIFIES, SHOULD THE APPEAL SUCCEED?

The debt forgiveness plan announced in August would cancel $10,000 in student loan debt for those making less than $125,000 or households with less than $250,000 in income.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-education-higher-pell-grant-fce8a300f7d7400283891dc223cbc378">Pell Grant recipients</a>, who typically demonstrate more financial need, would get an additional $10,000 in debt forgiven, for a total of $20,000.

Borrowers qualify if their loans were disbursed before July 1.

About 43 million student loan borrowers are eligible for some debt forgiveness, with 20 million who could have their debt erased entirely, according to the administration.

ARE THERE OTHER PATHWAYS TO CANCELLATION?

For those who have worked for a government agency or a nonprofit organization,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-philanthropy-student-loans-us-department-of-f9b57d058fc41ad8be7d1268e33c4718">the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program offers cancellation after 10 years of regular payments</a>, and some income-driven repayment plans cancel the remainder of a borrower’s debt after 20 to 25 years, according to Welbeck.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668197313548.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-biden-plan-d9c8e18774a744187c9af634bf4eb728">plan to provide up to $20,000 in federal student loan forgiveness</a>&nbsp;has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-plan-court-ruling-explained-1946d03f84653c47cf37dd863a023175">blocked by two federal courts</a>, leaving millions of borrowers wondering what happens next. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-government-and-politics-c20de9770b690e61b3d97912e5336ce8">administration plans to appeal</a>. Here’s what to know if you’ve applied for relief:WHAT HAPPENS NOW?While&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-student-loans-government-and-politics-06a1160237717b16091ec864b2a56e4d">the application for relief has been taken down</a>&nbsp;from the Federal Student Aid website, applications that have already been filed are on hold while the appeal works its way through the courts.“Courts have issued orders blocking our student debt relief program,” the Education Department said on its site. “As a result, at this time, we are not accepting applications. We are seeking to overturn those orders.”A federal judge in Texas ruled that the plan overstepped the White House’s authority. Before that, a federal appeals court in St. Louis put the plan on temporary hold while it considers a challenge from six Republican-led states.Still, advocates believe the administration will succeed in court.“We’re really confident they’re going to find a way forward to cancel people’s debt,” said Katherine Welbeck at the&nbsp;<a href="https://protectborrowers.org/" target="_blank">Student Borrower Protection Center</a>.Experts say student loan forgiveness has the potential to end up before the Supreme Court, meaning this could be a lengthy process.WHEN DO PAYMENTS RESUME?Most people with student loan debt have not been required to make payments during the coronavirus pandemic, but payments are set to resume, along with the accrual of interest, in January.Biden previously said the payment pause will not be extended again, but that was before the courts halted his plan.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-government-and-politics-3f7971456f690281326a2f27b3772b30">He’s now facing mounting pressure to continue the pause</a>&nbsp;while the legal challenges to the program play out.WHAT IF I ALREADY APPLIED FOR RELIEF?More than 26 million people applied for cancellation over the course of less than a month, according to the Education Department. If you’re one of them, there’s nothing more you need to do right now.About 16 million people already had their applications approved, according to the Biden administration. Yet because of court actions, none of the relief has actually been delivered.The Education Department will “quickly process their relief once we prevail in court,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.WHAT IF I HAVEN’T YET APPLIED FOR RELIEF?For those who have not yet applied, the application for debt cancellation is no longer online. But there are still&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/student-loan-forgiveness-what-to-know-be79262b338394b2780ba44093146d17">steps people can take to make sure their debt is canceled</a>, should the appeal be successful, according to Welbeck.“People should still check their eligibility,” she said. “As news changes, people should look out for updates from the Department of Education.”You can&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/debt-relief-info" target="_blank">sign up to receive the latest from the Federal Student Aid website here</a>.WHO QUALIFIES, SHOULD THE APPEAL SUCCEED?The debt forgiveness plan announced in August would cancel $10,000 in student loan debt for those making less than $125,000 or households with less than $250,000 in income.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-education-higher-pell-grant-fce8a300f7d7400283891dc223cbc378">Pell Grant recipients</a>, who typically demonstrate more financial need, would get an additional $10,000 in debt forgiven, for a total of $20,000.Borrowers qualify if their loans were disbursed before July 1.About 43 million student loan borrowers are eligible for some debt forgiveness, with 20 million who could have their debt erased entirely, according to the administration.ARE THERE OTHER PATHWAYS TO CANCELLATION?For those who have worked for a government agency or a nonprofit organization,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-philanthropy-student-loans-us-department-of-f9b57d058fc41ad8be7d1268e33c4718">the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program offers cancellation after 10 years of regular payments</a>, and some income-driven repayment plans cancel the remainder of a borrower’s debt after 20 to 25 years, according to Welbeck.“Borrowers should make sure they’re signed up for the best income-driven repayment plan possible,” Welbeck said. In July, the administration will be reviewing and adjusting some of the accounts enrolled in these plans.&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/repayment/plans/income-driven" target="_blank">You can find out more about those plans here.</a>Borrowers who have been defrauded by for-profit schools may also apply for borrower defense and receive relief on that account, Welbeck said.SHOULD I RESUME PAYMENTS WHEN THE PAYMENT PAUSE IS LIFTED?Advocates, including the Student Borrower Protection Center, are still urging the president to extend the pandemic-era payment freeze, arguing that students are entitled to the promised cancellation before the January repayment date arrives.That said, Welbeck recommends logging on to your account, making sure you know who your servicer is, your due date, and whether you’re enrolled in the best income-driven repayment plan, as you resume making payments.The Student Borrower Protection Center is holding regular webinars on how to follow the changing policy in the coming months.&nbsp;<a href="https://protectborrowers.org/events/" target="_blank">You can sign up for those here.</a>If your budget doesn’t allow you to resume payments, it’s important to know how to navigate the possibility of default and delinquency on a student loan.&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/default" target="_blank">You can read more about those here.</a>&nbsp;Both can hurt your credit rating, which would make you ineligible for additional aid.If you’re in a short-term financial bind, you may qualify for a deferment or a forbearance. With either of these options, you can talk to your servicer about ways to temporarily suspend your payments.&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/lower-payments/get-temporary-relief" target="_blank">You can learn more about those options here.</a>WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW?<a href="https://studentaid.gov/articles/avoid-student-loan-forgiveness-scams/" target="_blank">Watch out for scams</a>&nbsp;and get information only from trusted sources such as&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/debt-relief-info" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/debt-relief-info" target="_blank">the Federal Student Aid site of the Department of Education.</a>IS IT POSSIBLE THE DEBT WON’T BE CANCELLED?Yes. The issue of debt forgiveness is now before the courts.The administration is not saying whether or not it’s exploring other options for canceling debt if it loses its appeals. But advocates point to other ways the debt might be forgiven, including through the Higher Education Act.HOW DO I PREPARE FOR STUDENT LOAN PAYMENTS TO RESTART?Betsy Mayotte, President of the Institute of Student Loan Advisors, encourages people not to make any payments until the pause has ended.“I’ve been telling people to pretend they’re paying their student loan, but to put it into an interest-bearing account for now if you’re able,” she said. “Then you’ve maintained the habit of making the payment, but earning a little bit of interest as well. There’s no reason to send that money to the student loans until the last minute of the zero percent interest rate.”Mayotte recommends that borrowers use the&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/loan-simulator" target="_blank">loan simulator tool at StudentAid.gov</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://freestudentloanadvice.org/repayment-plan/" target="_blank">the one on TISLA’s website</a>&nbsp;to find the repayment course that best fits their needs. Once you plug in your information, it tells you what your monthly payment would be under each available plan, as well as what the long-term costs amount to.“I really want to emphasize the long-term,” Mayotte said. “Oftentimes I see people who might be having a financial struggle. They’ll find a lower monthly repayment option, and then, ‘Set it and forget it.’”Mayotte encourages people to switch to higher payments if their financial situation stabilizes, so the loan doesn’t end up costing more in the long run.Other useful tips that can shave costs for borrowers:— If you sign up for automatic payments, the servicer takes a quarter of a percent off your interest rate, according to Mayotte.— Income-driven repayment plans aren’t right for everyone. That said, if you know you will eventually qualify for forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, it makes sense to make the lowest monthly payments possible, as the remainder of your debt will be cancelled once that decade of payments is complete.— Re-evaluate your monthly student loan repayment at tax time, when you already have all your financial information in front of you. “Can you afford to increase it? Or do you need to decrease it?” Mayotte said. “Always look at your long-term student loan management strategy.”— Break up payments into whatever ways work best for you, whether that means two installments during the month, so it’s not a large lump sum at the end or the beginning, or setting aside cash in envelopes for designated purposes.“Even if it’s an extra $5 or $20 a month, that’s a good strategy,” Mayotte said. “If they can afford to pay a little more per month — the more you pay and faster you pay, the less you’ll pay in the long run.”Mayotte gave one example of a borrower with debt from higher education in the six figures. She was recently married, and she and her husband and kids decided to save every five dollar bill in a cookie jar to go towards the loans.“That added up to a few more hundred dollars each quarter,” Mayotte said. “Everybody has a different financial personality. There are those who are really good at budgets. There are people who need to play games and trick themselves. And people shouldn’t judge each other people’s financial personalities.”—-