ATCHINSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new drug charges after a weekend arrest.&nbsp;

Just before 6:30p.m. Saturday, police arrested 24-year-old&nbsp;Austin L. Lurquin of Atchison, in the 1600 block of Main on District and Municipal Court warrants for failure to appear in court, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

He is also facing requested charges of possession of fentanyl after officers found it on his person.&nbsp;

In January of 2022, police arrested him for alleged drug possession, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673273013220.png" alt="Lurquin-photo Atchison Co." />
 <figcaption>Lurquin-photo Atchison Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHINSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new drug charges after a weekend arrest.&nbsp;Just before 6:30p.m. Saturday, police arrested 24-year-old&nbsp;Austin L. Lurquin of Atchison, in the 1600 block of Main on District and Municipal Court warrants for failure to appear in court, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.He is also facing requested charges of possession of fentanyl after officers found it on his person.&nbsp;In January of 2022, police arrested him for alleged drug possession, according to online jail records.

Police found fentanyl during arrest, booking of Kan. man

By TYLER HENRY Salina Post contributor

With the 2022 portion of the schedule well in the books, the Wamego and Abilene girls’ basketball teams will meet on Tuesday night, each looking for a big early-January win.

The Lady Raiders have gotten off to a roaring start this season at 7-0 and will come into this contest ranked as the #3 team in Class 4A, having knocked off St. Mary’s and Concordia to open their new year.

“We have played very well as a team this season,” Wamego head coach Brian McIntosh said. “The girls have been extremely unselfish and only care about winning. They’re making the extra pass on offense, executing defensively, and building a strong bond on and off the court.”

On the other side of this matchup, the Cowgirls will enter this contest at 1-6, still putting the pieces together early in the year.

“We are starting to learn to compete and play for all four quarters,” Abilene head coach Shawn Herrman said. "We still need to stay patient on offense and limit our turnovers in a half-court set.”

While Wamego will come into this contest as heavy favorites, the Lady Raiders have afforded a great deal of respect to their opponents this week, while keeping the focus on the Cowgirl’s game in the paint.

“Abilene does a good job of playing into their post,” McIntosh said. “They switch up their defenses to try and keep you off rhythm. Dannefer is definitely someone they want to go to. She is very active in their offense, and it will be important for us to not allow her to catch where she wants to.”

On the other side of the matchup, Abilene will look to solve a puzzle that no other team has had an answer for, against a deep Raider attack that can hit their opponents from all over the court.

“They are extremely efficient on offense,” Herrman said. “They take care of the ball, apply ball pressure full-court, and continue that pressure in the half-court set. You can’t focus on just one player and they are very well-coached and experienced.”

To find that success, the Cowgirls will have to value each possession and handle the Raider press for 32 minutes.

“We have to take care of the ball and handle the pressure,” Herrman said. “We also have to become more efficient on the offensive end to give ourselves a chance.”

Meanwhile, Wamego will look to continue playing their game in the hopes of collecting an eighth straight victory to stay perfect on the year.

“We have to continue being us,” McIntosh said. “It doesn't matter who we play, we need to live up to our standards and the expectations we have for ourselves. For us, that means being the aggressors on both offense and defense.”

Tip-off between the Lady Raiders and Cowgirls is set for 6:30 at Abilene High School with the boys’ game to follow at 7:00.

For continuing coverage of all four teams all season long, stay tuned to the Salina Post.

By TYLER HENRY Salina Post contributor<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599179528888.png" alt="Coverage of Abilene girl's basketball is presented by Salina Ortho: Quality orthopedic care when you need it!" />
 <figcaption>Coverage of Abilene girl's basketball is presented by Salina Ortho: Quality orthopedic care when you need it!</figcaption>
 </figure>With the 2022 portion of the schedule well in the books, the Wamego and Abilene girls’ basketball teams will meet on Tuesday night, each looking for a big early-January win.The Lady Raiders have gotten off to a roaring start this season at 7-0 and will come into this contest ranked as the #3 team in Class 4A, having knocked off St. Mary’s and Concordia to open their new year.“We have played very well as a team this season,” Wamego head coach Brian McIntosh said. “The girls have been extremely unselfish and only care about winning. They’re making the extra pass on offense, executing defensively, and building a strong bond on and off the court.”On the other side of this matchup, the Cowgirls will enter this contest at 1-6, still putting the pieces together early in the year.“We are starting to learn to compete and play for all four quarters,” Abilene head coach Shawn Herrman said. "We still need to stay patient on offense and limit our turnovers in a half-court set.”While Wamego will come into this contest as heavy favorites, the Lady Raiders have afforded a great deal of respect to their opponents this week, while keeping the focus on the Cowgirl’s game in the paint.“Abilene does a good job of playing into their post,” McIntosh said. “They switch up their defenses to try and keep you off rhythm. Dannefer is definitely someone they want to go to. She is very active in their offense, and it will be important for us to not allow her to catch where she wants to.”On the other side of the matchup, Abilene will look to solve a puzzle that no other team has had an answer for, against a deep Raider attack that can hit their opponents from all over the court.“They are extremely efficient on offense,” Herrman said. “They take care of the ball, apply ball pressure full-court, and continue that pressure in the half-court set. You can’t focus on just one player and they are very well-coached and experienced.”To find that success, the Cowgirls will have to value each possession and handle the Raider press for 32 minutes.“We have to take care of the ball and handle the pressure,” Herrman said. “We also have to become more efficient on the offensive end to give ourselves a chance.”Meanwhile, Wamego will look to continue playing their game in the hopes of collecting an eighth straight victory to stay perfect on the year.“We have to continue being us,” McIntosh said. “It doesn't matter who we play, we need to live up to our standards and the expectations we have for ourselves. For us, that means being the aggressors on both offense and defense.”Tip-off between the Lady Raiders and Cowgirls is set for 6:30 at Abilene High School with the boys’ game to follow at 7:00.For continuing coverage of all four teams all season long, stay tuned to the Salina Post.

Cowgirls play host to #3 Wamego in search of big upset win 

By TYLER HENRY Salina Post contributor

With a month's worth of action on the hardwood already in the books, two teams, each ranked in Class 4A before the season began, will clash in Abilene as the Cowboys prepare to host white-hot Wamego on Tuesday evening.

The Red Raiders will enter this contest at 6-1, having already collected two wins in the new year, after knocking off St. Mary’s 60-55, and Concordia 59-49 last week.

“I’ve been impressed with our ability to rebound so far, especially on the offensive glass,” Wamego head coach Troy Hemphill said. “I’ve also been pleased with how we’re taking care of the ball, averaging just eight turnovers per game.”

On the other side of the matchup, the Cowboys have stumbled a bit in the new year, dropping their first two January matchups to St. Mary’s Academy and Marysville to fall back to 4-4 coming into this one.

“We still don’t take very good care of the ball,” Abilene head coach Erik Graefe said.&nbsp; “We also still need to rebound better, but I continue to be impressed with how hard our guys play every night.”

These two squads split their season series in the 2021-22 campaign, with Wamego winning the most recent battle 47-42 last February.

With both teams reloading and looking to make a deep playoff push again this year, games like this will be critical in setting the tone and establishing momentum as each works towards a potential peak in late February.

For the Raiders to remain undefeated in the new year and collect their seventh victory of the season, Wamego must find ways to overcome an Abilene team that loves to cause chaos and utilizes its speed to keep opponents off balance.

“They like to push the tempo, apply pressure in the backcourt and run up and down the floor,” Hemphill said. “They also have very balanced scoring. Cottone is a good guard and has proven he can have big games offensively, overall they are pretty long and athletic.”

On the flip side, to ensure they do not start 2023 at 0-3, it will be critical for the Cowboys to overcome the inside strength of a Red Raider team that has had its way with a majority of their opponents this season.

“They are strong with good size,” Graefe said. “They are always very well coached, Donahue is a competitor, Hecht can shoot it, and Shea is a monster. We will have to lower our turnovers, and not give our opponents extra chances on the glass.”

For the Raiders, this game will be more or less business as usual, as Wamego looks to continue what got them this far, and what they hope will take them even further in the future.

“We need to take care of the ball and take good shots,” Hemphill said. “We can't give them extra possessions by turning it over against the pressure of taking hard shots that lead to misses and run-outs on the other end.”

Tip-off between the Raiders and Cowboys is set for 7 pm at Abilene High school following the girl’s game at 6:30.

For continuing coverage of all four programs all season long, stay tuned to the Salina Post, and follow us on Twitter @spostsports.

By TYLER HENRY Salina Post contributor<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599179528888.png" alt="Salina Ortho logo.png" />
 <figcaption>Salina Ortho logo.png</figcaption>
 </figure>With a month's worth of action on the hardwood already in the books, two teams, each ranked in Class 4A before the season began, will clash in Abilene as the Cowboys prepare to host white-hot Wamego on Tuesday evening.The Red Raiders will enter this contest at 6-1, having already collected two wins in the new year, after knocking off St. Mary’s 60-55, and Concordia 59-49 last week.“I’ve been impressed with our ability to rebound so far, especially on the offensive glass,” Wamego head coach Troy Hemphill said. “I’ve also been pleased with how we’re taking care of the ball, averaging just eight turnovers per game.”On the other side of the matchup, the Cowboys have stumbled a bit in the new year, dropping their first two January matchups to St. Mary’s Academy and Marysville to fall back to 4-4 coming into this one.“We still don’t take very good care of the ball,” Abilene head coach Erik Graefe said.&nbsp; “We also still need to rebound better, but I continue to be impressed with how hard our guys play every night.”These two squads split their season series in the 2021-22 campaign, with Wamego winning the most recent battle 47-42 last February.With both teams reloading and looking to make a deep playoff push again this year, games like this will be critical in setting the tone and establishing momentum as each works towards a potential peak in late February.For the Raiders to remain undefeated in the new year and collect their seventh victory of the season, Wamego must find ways to overcome an Abilene team that loves to cause chaos and utilizes its speed to keep opponents off balance.“They like to push the tempo, apply pressure in the backcourt and run up and down the floor,” Hemphill said. “They also have very balanced scoring. Cottone is a good guard and has proven he can have big games offensively, overall they are pretty long and athletic.”On the flip side, to ensure they do not start 2023 at 0-3, it will be critical for the Cowboys to overcome the inside strength of a Red Raider team that has had its way with a majority of their opponents this season.“They are strong with good size,” Graefe said. “They are always very well coached, Donahue is a competitor, Hecht can shoot it, and Shea is a monster. We will have to lower our turnovers, and not give our opponents extra chances on the glass.”For the Raiders, this game will be more or less business as usual, as Wamego looks to continue what got them this far, and what they hope will take them even further in the future.“We need to take care of the ball and take good shots,” Hemphill said. “We can't give them extra possessions by turning it over against the pressure of taking hard shots that lead to misses and run-outs on the other end.”Tip-off between the Raiders and Cowboys is set for 7 pm at Abilene High school following the girl’s game at 6:30.For continuing coverage of all four programs all season long, stay tuned to the Salina Post, and follow us on Twitter @spostsports.

Cowboys host red-hot Raiders looking for first win of 2023

Today is Tuesday, Jan. 10, the 10th day of 2023. There are 355 days left in the year.

On Jan. 10, 1776, Thomas Paine anonymously published his influential pamphlet, "Common Sense," which argued for American independence from British rule.

In 1860, the Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts, collapsed and caught fire, killing up to 145 people, mostly female workers from Scotland and Ireland.

In 1861, Florida became the third state to secede from the Union.

In 1863, the London Underground had its beginnings as the Metropolitan, the world's first underground passenger railway, opened to the public with service between Paddington and Farringdon Street.

In 1870, John D. Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil.

In 1920, the League of Nations was established as the Treaty of Versailles went into effect.

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson, in his State of the Union address, asked Congress to impose a surcharge on both corporate and individual income taxes to help pay for his "Great Society" programs as well as the war in Vietnam. Massachusetts Republican Edward W. Brooke, the first Black person elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, took his seat.

In 1971, French fashion designer Coco Chanel died in Paris at age 87.

In 1984, the United States and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations for the first time in more than a century.

In 2002, Marines began flying hundreds of al-Qaida prisoners in Afghanistan to a U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In 2003, North Korea withdrew from a global treaty barring it from making nuclear weapons.

In 2007, President George W. Bush said he took responsibility for any mistakes in Iraq and announced an increase in U.S. troops there to quell violence. The Democratic-controlled House voted 315-116 to increase the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.

In 2011, a judge in Austin, Texas, ordered former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to serve three years in prison for his money laundering conviction. (DeLay's conviction was ultimately overturned.) No. 1 Auburn beat No. 2 Oregon 22-19 on a last-second field goal to win the BCS national title.

Ten years ago: Vice President Joe Biden met with representatives from the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun groups as he worked on recommendations to curb gun violence. A series of bombings in different parts of Pakistan killed nearly 200 people. Three Kurdish women, including a founder of a militant separatist group battling Turkish troops, were found shot to death in Paris. Major League Baseball announced it would test for human growth hormone throughout the regular season and increase efforts to detect abnormal levels of testosterone.

Five years ago: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra said Charles Dutoit had stepped down as artistic director and principal conductor after multiple allegations of sexual assault. After nine terms in the House, California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa announced that he would not seek re-election.

One year ago: Robert Durst, the New York real estate heir who was sentenced to life in prison for killing his best friend, died at a hospital outside the California prison where he'd been serving the sentence; he was 78. Novak Djokovic returned to the tennis court for training after winning a round in the legal battle to stay in Australia and compete in the Australian Open; a judge reinstated his visa, which had been pulled after officials said he didn't qualify for an exemption to a rule requiring all non-citizens to be vaccinated against COVID-19. (Djokovic would eventually be deported for almost a year before returning for the Australian Open in 2023.) Stetson Bennett threw two touchdown passes to lead Georgia to a 33-18 win over Alabama for its first national championship in 41 years.

Today's birthdays: Jan. 10: Opera singer Sherrill Milnes is 88. Movie director Walter Hill is 83. Actor William Sanderson is 79. Singer Rod Stewart is 78. Rock singer-musician Donald Fagen (Steely Dan) is 75. Boxing Hall of Famer and entrepreneur George Foreman is 74. Roots rock singer Alejandro Escovedo is 72. Rock musician Scott Thurston (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) is 71. Singer Pat Benatar is 70. Hall of Fame race car driver and team owner Bobby Rahal is 69. Rock musician Michael Schenker (UFO) is 68. Singer Shawn Colvin is 67. Rock singer-musician Curt Kirkwood (Meat Puppets) is 64. Actor Evan Handler is 62. Rock singer Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) is 59. Actor Trini Alvarado is 56. Rock singer Brent Smith (Shinedown) is 45. Rapper Chris Smith (Kris Kross) is 44. Actor Sarah Shahi is 43. American roots singer Valerie June is 41.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Tuesday, Jan. 10, the 10th day of 2023. There are 355 days left in the year.Today's Highlight in History:On Jan. 10, 1776, Thomas Paine anonymously published his influential pamphlet, "Common Sense," which argued for American independence from British rule.On this date:In 1860, the Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts, collapsed and caught fire, killing up to 145 people, mostly female workers from Scotland and Ireland.In 1861, Florida became the third state to secede from the Union.In 1863, the London Underground had its beginnings as the Metropolitan, the world's first underground passenger railway, opened to the public with service between Paddington and Farringdon Street.In 1870, John D. Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil.In 1920, the League of Nations was established as the Treaty of Versailles went into effect.In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson, in his State of the Union address, asked Congress to impose a surcharge on both corporate and individual income taxes to help pay for his "Great Society" programs as well as the war in Vietnam. Massachusetts Republican Edward W. Brooke, the first Black person elected to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, took his seat.In 1971, French fashion designer Coco Chanel died in Paris at age 87.In 1984, the United States and the Vatican established full diplomatic relations for the first time in more than a century.In 2002, Marines began flying hundreds of al-Qaida prisoners in Afghanistan to a U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.In 2003, North Korea withdrew from a global treaty barring it from making nuclear weapons.In 2007, President George W. Bush said he took responsibility for any mistakes in Iraq and announced an increase in U.S. troops there to quell violence. The Democratic-controlled House voted 315-116 to increase the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.In 2011, a judge in Austin, Texas, ordered former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to serve three years in prison for his money laundering conviction. (DeLay's conviction was ultimately overturned.) No. 1 Auburn beat No. 2 Oregon 22-19 on a last-second field goal to win the BCS national title.Ten years ago: Vice President Joe Biden met with representatives from the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun groups as he worked on recommendations to curb gun violence. A series of bombings in different parts of Pakistan killed nearly 200 people. Three Kurdish women, including a founder of a militant separatist group battling Turkish troops, were found shot to death in Paris. Major League Baseball announced it would test for human growth hormone throughout the regular season and increase efforts to detect abnormal levels of testosterone.Five years ago: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra said Charles Dutoit had stepped down as artistic director and principal conductor after multiple allegations of sexual assault. After nine terms in the House, California Republican Rep. Darrell Issa announced that he would not seek re-election.One year ago: Robert Durst, the New York real estate heir who was sentenced to life in prison for killing his best friend, died at a hospital outside the California prison where he'd been serving the sentence; he was 78. Novak Djokovic returned to the tennis court for training after winning a round in the legal battle to stay in Australia and compete in the Australian Open; a judge reinstated his visa, which had been pulled after officials said he didn't qualify for an exemption to a rule requiring all non-citizens to be vaccinated against COVID-19. (Djokovic would eventually be deported for almost a year before returning for the Australian Open in 2023.) Stetson Bennett threw two touchdown passes to lead Georgia to a 33-18 win over Alabama for its first national championship in 41 years.Today's birthdays: Jan. 10: Opera singer Sherrill Milnes is 88. Movie director Walter Hill is 83. Actor William Sanderson is 79. Singer Rod Stewart is 78. Rock singer-musician Donald Fagen (Steely Dan) is 75. Boxing Hall of Famer and entrepreneur George Foreman is 74. Roots rock singer Alejandro Escovedo is 72. Rock musician Scott Thurston (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) is 71. Singer Pat Benatar is 70. Hall of Fame race car driver and team owner Bobby Rahal is 69. Rock musician Michael Schenker (UFO) is 68. Singer Shawn Colvin is 67. Rock singer-musician Curt Kirkwood (Meat Puppets) is 64. Actor Evan Handler is 62. Rock singer Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) is 59. Actor Trini Alvarado is 56. Rock singer Brent Smith (Shinedown) is 45. Rapper Chris Smith (Kris Kross) is 44. Actor Sarah Shahi is 43. American roots singer Valerie June is 41.

Today in History - Jan. 10

<a href="https://www.ryanmortuary.com/obituary/Mary-M-Wilson">https://www.ryanmortuary.com/obituary/Mary-M-Wilson</a>

Mary Wilson, 84, of Salina, Kansas, went to be with the Lord on January 6, 2023. She was born on July 13, 1938, to Veronica and John Ernst of Atchison, Kansas.

She was married on September 28,1963, to Walt Wilson of Huron, Kansas, to whom she was married for 51 years. They had two children, Karen and Steve, and resided in Salina all of their married life. 

Mary worked as a registered nurse at St. John’s Hospital, Salina, from 1963 to her retirement in 1981. Upon retirement, she did insurance physicals for local insurance agents and also was a delivery driver for Jim’s Pharmacy until the late 1990s. After retirement from the work force, she kicked her nursing skills back in place by taking care of her husband until his passing in July of 2015. 

She was a devoted wife and mother and loved spending time with her family, friends, and her dog, Mollie, as well as her granddogs.

She was proceeded in death by her husband Walt of Salina; parents John and Veronica Ernst of Atchison; and her twin brother John Ernst also of Atchison. 

She is survived by her kids Karen Laas (Mark), of Brookville and Steve of Salina; sister Betty Larson of Everest, Kansas; as well as several nieces and nephews.

Cremation has been chosen. The funeral will take place at St. Benedict’s Church in Atchison, in the spring of 2023 with a date being determined. Family and friends are invited to stop by Ryan Mortuary between 12:00 pm and 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 13, 2023, to sign the register book and collect a memorial folder.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Salina Animal Shelter, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, or Gentiva Hospice, all of Salina, or St. Benedict’s Church in Atchison, in care of Ryan Mortuary, 137 North Eighth Street, Salina, KS 67401.

To&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ryanmortuary.com/obituary/Mary-M-Wilson/sympathy-landing">send flowers</a>&nbsp;to the family or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ryanmortuary.com/obituary/Mary-M-Wilson/1074854/memorial-tree">plant a tree</a>&nbsp;in memory of Mary M. (Ernst) Wilson, please&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ryanmortuary.com/obituary/Mary-M-Wilson/sympathy-landing">visit our floral store.</a>

<h2>Mary Wilson, Salina</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673354900299.jpeg" alt="Mary Wilson" />
 <figcaption>Mary Wilson</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.ryanmortuary.com/obituary/Mary-M-Wilson">https://www.ryanmortuary.com/obituary/Mary-M-Wilson</a>July 13, 1938 ~ January 6, 2023 (age 84)Mary Wilson, 84, of Salina, Kansas, went to be with the Lord on January 6, 2023. She was born on July 13, 1938, to Veronica and John Ernst of Atchison, Kansas.She was married on September 28,1963, to Walt Wilson of Huron, Kansas, to whom she was married for 51 years. They had two children, Karen and Steve, and resided in Salina all of their married life. Mary worked as a registered nurse at St. John’s Hospital, Salina, from 1963 to her retirement in 1981. Upon retirement, she did insurance physicals for local insurance agents and also was a delivery driver for Jim’s Pharmacy until the late 1990s. After retirement from the work force, she kicked her nursing skills back in place by taking care of her husband until his passing in July of 2015. She was a devoted wife and mother and loved spending time with her family, friends, and her dog, Mollie, as well as her granddogs.She was proceeded in death by her husband Walt of Salina; parents John and Veronica Ernst of Atchison; and her twin brother John Ernst also of Atchison. She is survived by her kids Karen Laas (Mark), of Brookville and Steve of Salina; sister Betty Larson of Everest, Kansas; as well as several nieces and nephews.Cremation has been chosen. The funeral will take place at St. Benedict’s Church in Atchison, in the spring of 2023 with a date being determined. Family and friends are invited to stop by Ryan Mortuary between 12:00 pm and 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 13, 2023, to sign the register book and collect a memorial folder.In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Salina Animal Shelter, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, or Gentiva Hospice, all of Salina, or St. Benedict’s Church in Atchison, in care of Ryan Mortuary, 137 North Eighth Street, Salina, KS 67401.To&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ryanmortuary.com/obituary/Mary-M-Wilson/sympathy-landing">send flowers</a>&nbsp;to the family or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ryanmortuary.com/obituary/Mary-M-Wilson/1074854/memorial-tree">plant a tree</a>&nbsp;in memory of Mary M. (Ernst) Wilson, please&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ryanmortuary.com/obituary/Mary-M-Wilson/sympathy-landing">visit our floral store.</a>

Mary Wilson

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' recently reelected Democratic governor and Republican legislators are headed for a clash over how their financially flush state should cut taxes, and abortion opponents are wrestling with what ideas to pursue following last year's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisive statewide vote</a>&nbsp;favoring abortion rights.

Gov. Laura Kelly is scheduled to take the oath of office for her second four-year term in a ceremony at noon Monday. The Republican-controlled Legislature is set to convene in the afternoon for an annual session that's expected to last into early May.

Both Kelly and leaders of the Republicans' supermajorities in both chambers are making tax cuts a top priority but differ on what taxes to cut.

Besides abortion, almost a perennial issue for them, lawmakers expect to tackle education issues and water policy. Republicans also plan to pass another version of a bill to ban transgender athletes from girls' and women's college and K-12 sports, despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">two past vetoes from Kelly.</a>

Here is a look at key issues before Kansas lawmakers:

VOTE SCRAMBLES NEARLY ANNUAL ABORTION DEBATE

Abortion opponents are constrained by a Kansas Supreme Court ruling in 2019 that abortion access is a “fundamental” right under the state constitution. GOP lawmakers pushed to amend the constitution to say it doesn’t grant a right to abortion — allowing lawmakers to ban it — but voters rejected the proposed change in August.

While key anti-abortion groups haven't announced their plans, GOP lawmakers have floated several ideas, including an increase in the state's minimal aid to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers or a largely symbolic law telling doctors they must do everything they can to prevent newborns from dying, even following a botched abortion.

Abortion opponents also are upset that abortion medications are becoming more accessible in Kansas. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently finalized a rule&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-medication-d5fc3d5990dced69b0bf93a4760250fe">allowing more pharmacies to dispense</a>&nbsp;the medications. In November a state court judge blocked enforcement of the state's requirement that doctors providing the medication be in the same room when patients take it,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-kansas-city-planned-parenthood-7bbd62399537dac61093864166f0e81e">allowing teleconferencing.</a>

SURPLUS CASH PROMPTS NEW PUSH FOR TAX CUTS

Kansas garnered national attention for a 2012-13 slashing of income taxes and the persistent budget shortfalls that followed. But now, more than five years after lawmakers repealed most of the experiment, the state is headed toward ending June 2024 with $4.2 billion in surplus cash.

Kelly last year pushed to eliminate the sales tax on groceries last year, but lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/19b2052b2eea5e1ea55ec1e5f23366ac">phased it out over three years,</a>&nbsp;so that it dropped to 4% from 6.5% at the start of this year and doesn't disappear until 2025. The Democratic governor wants to zero out the tax as of April, but many Republicans are resisting.

Kelly also has proposed lower taxes on incomes in retirement, but many Republicans are more ambitious, with some wanting to eliminate it altogether.

And Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said he'd like to see Kansas move to a “flat” income tax, with one rate for all individual and corporate filers, instead of three for individuals and two for corporations. He argues that the simpler tax system would boost Kansas economically.

“I’m optimistic about a combination" that includes some version of what the governor has proposed, he said.

GOVERNOR, REPUBLICANS LIKELY TO CLASH ON EDUCATION

Conservative Republicans haven't given up on proposals that they believe will make public K-12 schools more transparent and give parents more choices about where to educate their kids, despite Kelly's veto last year of a “parental rights” measure. Critics, particularly Democratic lawmakers, see them as attacks on public schools.

GOP lawmakers expect again to pursue proposals that would require schools to post more information about what's being taught online and to make it easier for parents to seek the removal of materials and books from classrooms and libraries that they find objectionable. It's part of a push by Republicans across the U.S. to limit what's taught about gender, sexuality and the role of racism in U.S. history and society.

REPUBLICANS TO PURSUE ELECTION LAW CHANGES

While voters across the U.S. last year rejected candidates promoting baseless election conspiracies, tightening up Kansas election laws remains a priority for many Republicans. They expect to pursue proposals to limit or eliminate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-elections-legislature-kansas-4d3fbe728cfd479ed3f29a7bba0f1cc4">ballot drop boxes</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-rights-business-donald-trump-legislature-02dd97563eebcef1db384cc737cbea00">end the state's three-day grace period</a>&nbsp;for mail ballots to arrive after an election.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican who vouches for the integrity of Kansas elections and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-politics-donald-trump-arizona-9b675ed2223da37a90e5b53cfb6cf9b8">defeated an election conspiracy promoter</a>&nbsp;in last year's GOP primary, says he will have his own package of proposals to prevent voter intimidation and protect their privacy, though he hasn't made specific proposals public.

MARIJUANA, MEDICAID MEASURES ARE LIKELY NON-STARTERS

Kelly promised throughout her successful reelection campaign that she'll push again to expand the state's Medicaid health coverage to another 150,000 people, and she supports legalizing marijuana for medical uses.

Despite a perception that both ideas are widely popular among Kansas residents, neither appears likely to pass this year.

Kelly pushed Medicaid expansion throughout her first term and could put together working majorities for it in both chambers, but Republicans in key positions blocked it. Both Masterson and new Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, are vocal foes, as are the chairs of the chambers' health committees.

As for medical marijuana, a measure&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-health-medical-marijuana-marijuana-7f059c07fd72dbec30180f0f50f6dc74">passed the House in 2021.</a>&nbsp;But it didn't get even a committee vote in the Senate, where top GOP leaders are wary of such a law leading to pot's legalization for recreational use.

By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' recently reelected Democratic governor and Republican legislators are headed for a clash over how their financially flush state should cut taxes, and abortion opponents are wrestling with what ideas to pursue following last year's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisive statewide vote</a>&nbsp;favoring abortion rights.Gov. Laura Kelly is scheduled to take the oath of office for her second four-year term in a ceremony at noon Monday. The Republican-controlled Legislature is set to convene in the afternoon for an annual session that's expected to last into early May.Both Kelly and leaders of the Republicans' supermajorities in both chambers are making tax cuts a top priority but differ on what taxes to cut.Besides abortion, almost a perennial issue for them, lawmakers expect to tackle education issues and water policy. Republicans also plan to pass another version of a bill to ban transgender athletes from girls' and women's college and K-12 sports, despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">two past vetoes from Kelly.</a>Here is a look at key issues before Kansas lawmakers:VOTE SCRAMBLES NEARLY ANNUAL ABORTION DEBATEAbortion opponents are constrained by a Kansas Supreme Court ruling in 2019 that abortion access is a “fundamental” right under the state constitution. GOP lawmakers pushed to amend the constitution to say it doesn’t grant a right to abortion — allowing lawmakers to ban it — but voters rejected the proposed change in August.While key anti-abortion groups haven't announced their plans, GOP lawmakers have floated several ideas, including an increase in the state's minimal aid to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers or a largely symbolic law telling doctors they must do everything they can to prevent newborns from dying, even following a botched abortion.Abortion opponents also are upset that abortion medications are becoming more accessible in Kansas. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently finalized a rule&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-medication-d5fc3d5990dced69b0bf93a4760250fe">allowing more pharmacies to dispense</a>&nbsp;the medications. In November a state court judge blocked enforcement of the state's requirement that doctors providing the medication be in the same room when patients take it,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-kansas-city-planned-parenthood-7bbd62399537dac61093864166f0e81e">allowing teleconferencing.</a>SURPLUS CASH PROMPTS NEW PUSH FOR TAX CUTSKansas garnered national attention for a 2012-13 slashing of income taxes and the persistent budget shortfalls that followed. But now, more than five years after lawmakers repealed most of the experiment, the state is headed toward ending June 2024 with $4.2 billion in surplus cash.Kelly last year pushed to eliminate the sales tax on groceries last year, but lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/19b2052b2eea5e1ea55ec1e5f23366ac">phased it out over three years,</a>&nbsp;so that it dropped to 4% from 6.5% at the start of this year and doesn't disappear until 2025. The Democratic governor wants to zero out the tax as of April, but many Republicans are resisting.Kelly also has proposed lower taxes on incomes in retirement, but many Republicans are more ambitious, with some wanting to eliminate it altogether.And Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said he'd like to see Kansas move to a “flat” income tax, with one rate for all individual and corporate filers, instead of three for individuals and two for corporations. He argues that the simpler tax system would boost Kansas economically.“I’m optimistic about a combination" that includes some version of what the governor has proposed, he said.GOVERNOR, REPUBLICANS LIKELY TO CLASH ON EDUCATIONConservative Republicans haven't given up on proposals that they believe will make public K-12 schools more transparent and give parents more choices about where to educate their kids, despite Kelly's veto last year of a “parental rights” measure. Critics, particularly Democratic lawmakers, see them as attacks on public schools.GOP lawmakers expect again to pursue proposals that would require schools to post more information about what's being taught online and to make it easier for parents to seek the removal of materials and books from classrooms and libraries that they find objectionable. It's part of a push by Republicans across the U.S. to limit what's taught about gender, sexuality and the role of racism in U.S. history and society.REPUBLICANS TO PURSUE ELECTION LAW CHANGESWhile voters across the U.S. last year rejected candidates promoting baseless election conspiracies, tightening up Kansas election laws remains a priority for many Republicans. They expect to pursue proposals to limit or eliminate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-elections-legislature-kansas-4d3fbe728cfd479ed3f29a7bba0f1cc4">ballot drop boxes</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-rights-business-donald-trump-legislature-02dd97563eebcef1db384cc737cbea00">end the state's three-day grace period</a>&nbsp;for mail ballots to arrive after an election.Meanwhile, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican who vouches for the integrity of Kansas elections and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-politics-donald-trump-arizona-9b675ed2223da37a90e5b53cfb6cf9b8">defeated an election conspiracy promoter</a>&nbsp;in last year's GOP primary, says he will have his own package of proposals to prevent voter intimidation and protect their privacy, though he hasn't made specific proposals public.MARIJUANA, MEDICAID MEASURES ARE LIKELY NON-STARTERSKelly promised throughout her successful reelection campaign that she'll push again to expand the state's Medicaid health coverage to another 150,000 people, and she supports legalizing marijuana for medical uses.Despite a perception that both ideas are widely popular among Kansas residents, neither appears likely to pass this year.Kelly pushed Medicaid expansion throughout her first term and could put together working majorities for it in both chambers, but Republicans in key positions blocked it. Both Masterson and new Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, are vocal foes, as are the chairs of the chambers' health committees.As for medical marijuana, a measure&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-health-medical-marijuana-marijuana-7f059c07fd72dbec30180f0f50f6dc74">passed the House in 2021.</a>&nbsp;But it didn't get even a committee vote in the Senate, where top GOP leaders are wary of such a law leading to pot's legalization for recreational use.

Kansas lawmakers expect clash over abortion, tax cuts 

Today is Monday, Jan. 9, the ninth day of 2023. There are 356 days left in the year.

On Jan. 9, 2015, French security forces shot and killed two al-Qaida-linked brothers suspected of carrying out the rampage at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo that had claimed 12 lives.

In 1788, Connecticut became the fifth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1793, Frenchman Jean Pierre Blanchard, using a hot-air balloon, flew from Philadelphia to Woodbury, New Jersey.

In 1861, Mississippi became the second state to secede from the Union, the same day the Star of the West, a merchant vessel bringing reinforcements and supplies to Federal troops at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, retreated because of artillery fire.

In 1913, Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th president of the United States, was born in Yorba Linda, California.

In 1914, the County of Los Angeles opened the country's first public defender's office.

In 1916, the World War I Battle of Gallipoli ended after eight months with an Ottoman Empire victory as Allied forces withdrew.

In 1945, during World War II, American forces began landing on the shores of Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines as the Battle of Luzon got underway, resulting in an Allied victory over Imperial Japanese forces.

In 1951, the United Nations headquarters in New York officially opened.

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, in his State of the Union address to Congress, warned of the threat of Communist imperialism.

In 1972, reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, speaking by telephone from the Bahamas to reporters in Hollywood, said a purported autobiography of him, as told to writer Clifford Irving, was a fake.

In 1987, the White House released a January 1986 memorandum prepared for President Ronald Reagan by Lt. Col. Oliver L. North showing a link between U.S. arms sales to Iran and the release of American hostages in Lebanon.

In 2003, U.N. weapons inspectors said there was no "smoking gun" to prove Iraq had nuclear, chemical or biological weapons but they demanded that Baghdad provide private access to scientists and fresh evidence to back its claim that it had destroyed its weapons of mass destruction.

In 2005, Mahmoud Abbas, the No. 2 man in the Palestinian hierarchy during Yasser Arafat's rule, was elected president of the Palestinian Authority by a landslide.

In 2020, Chinese state media said a preliminary investigation into recent cases of viral pneumonia had identified the probable cause as a new type of coronavirus.

Ten years ago: Vice President Joe Biden heard personal stories of gun violence from representatives of victims groups and gun-safety organizations at the White House as he undertook to draft the Obama administration's response to the shooting at a Connecticut elementary school. The Seastreak Wall Street, a commuter ferry, made a hard landing into a Manhattan pier, injuring 85 people. No one was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame; for the second time in four decades.

Five years ago: Downpours sent mud and boulders roaring down Southern California hillsides that had been stripped of vegetation by a gigantic wildfire; more than 20 people died and hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed. Breitbart News Network announced that Steve Bannon was stepping down as chairman after his public break with President Donald Trump.

One year ago: Seventeen people, including eight children, died after a fire sparked by a malfunctioning space heater filled a high-rise apartment building with smoke in the New York City borough of the Bronx; it was the city's deadliest blaze in three decades. Comedian and actor Bob Saget, best known for his role on the sitcom "Full House," was found dead in a hotel room in Orlando, Florida. (A medical examiner later determined that Saget died from an accidental blow to the head, likely from a backward fall.) Dwayne Hickman, an actor and TV executive remembered for his role as TV's Dobie Gillis from 1959 to 1963, died of complications from Parkinson's at his Los Angeles home; he was 87.

Today's birthdays: Actor K Callan is 87. Folk singer Joan Baez is 82. Rock musician Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) is 79. Actor John Doman is 78. Singer David Johansen (aka Buster Poindexter) is 73. Singer Crystal Gayle is 72. Actor J.K. Simmons is 68. Actor Imelda Staunton is 67. Nobel Peace laureate Rigoberta Menchú is 64. Rock musician Eric Erlandson is 60. Actor Joely Richardson is 58. Rock musician Carl Bell (Fuel) is 56. Actor David Costabile ("Breaking Bad" is 56. Rock singer Steve Harwell (Smash Mouth) is 56. Rock singer-musician Dave Matthews is 56. Actor-director Joey Lauren Adams is 55. Comedian/actor Deon Cole is 52. Actor Angela Bettis is 50. Actor Omari Hardwick is 49. Roots singer-songwriter Hayes Carll is 47. Singer A.J. McLean (Backstreet Boys) is 45. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, is 41. Pop-rock musician Drew Brown (OneRepublic) is 39. Rock-soul singer Paolo Nutini is 36. Actor Nina Dobrev is 34. Actor Basil Eidenbenz is 30. Actor Kerris Dorsey is 25. Actor Tyree Brown is 19.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Monday, Jan. 9, the ninth day of 2023. There are 356 days left in the year.Today's Highlight in History:On Jan. 9, 2015, French security forces shot and killed two al-Qaida-linked brothers suspected of carrying out the rampage at the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo that had claimed 12 lives.On this date:In 1788, Connecticut became the fifth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.In 1793, Frenchman Jean Pierre Blanchard, using a hot-air balloon, flew from Philadelphia to Woodbury, New Jersey.In 1861, Mississippi became the second state to secede from the Union, the same day the Star of the West, a merchant vessel bringing reinforcements and supplies to Federal troops at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, retreated because of artillery fire.In 1913, Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th president of the United States, was born in Yorba Linda, California.In 1914, the County of Los Angeles opened the country's first public defender's office.In 1916, the World War I Battle of Gallipoli ended after eight months with an Ottoman Empire victory as Allied forces withdrew.In 1945, during World War II, American forces began landing on the shores of Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines as the Battle of Luzon got underway, resulting in an Allied victory over Imperial Japanese forces.In 1951, the United Nations headquarters in New York officially opened.In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, in his State of the Union address to Congress, warned of the threat of Communist imperialism.In 1972, reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, speaking by telephone from the Bahamas to reporters in Hollywood, said a purported autobiography of him, as told to writer Clifford Irving, was a fake.In 1987, the White House released a January 1986 memorandum prepared for President Ronald Reagan by Lt. Col. Oliver L. North showing a link between U.S. arms sales to Iran and the release of American hostages in Lebanon.In 2003, U.N. weapons inspectors said there was no "smoking gun" to prove Iraq had nuclear, chemical or biological weapons but they demanded that Baghdad provide private access to scientists and fresh evidence to back its claim that it had destroyed its weapons of mass destruction.In 2005, Mahmoud Abbas, the No. 2 man in the Palestinian hierarchy during Yasser Arafat's rule, was elected president of the Palestinian Authority by a landslide.In 2020, Chinese state media said a preliminary investigation into recent cases of viral pneumonia had identified the probable cause as a new type of coronavirus.Ten years ago: Vice President Joe Biden heard personal stories of gun violence from representatives of victims groups and gun-safety organizations at the White House as he undertook to draft the Obama administration's response to the shooting at a Connecticut elementary school. The Seastreak Wall Street, a commuter ferry, made a hard landing into a Manhattan pier, injuring 85 people. No one was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame; for the second time in four decades.Five years ago: Downpours sent mud and boulders roaring down Southern California hillsides that had been stripped of vegetation by a gigantic wildfire; more than 20 people died and hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed. Breitbart News Network announced that Steve Bannon was stepping down as chairman after his public break with President Donald Trump.One year ago: Seventeen people, including eight children, died after a fire sparked by a malfunctioning space heater filled a high-rise apartment building with smoke in the New York City borough of the Bronx; it was the city's deadliest blaze in three decades. Comedian and actor Bob Saget, best known for his role on the sitcom "Full House," was found dead in a hotel room in Orlando, Florida. (A medical examiner later determined that Saget died from an accidental blow to the head, likely from a backward fall.) Dwayne Hickman, an actor and TV executive remembered for his role as TV's Dobie Gillis from 1959 to 1963, died of complications from Parkinson's at his Los Angeles home; he was 87.Today's birthdays: Actor K Callan is 87. Folk singer Joan Baez is 82. Rock musician Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) is 79. Actor John Doman is 78. Singer David Johansen (aka Buster Poindexter) is 73. Singer Crystal Gayle is 72. Actor J.K. Simmons is 68. Actor Imelda Staunton is 67. Nobel Peace laureate Rigoberta Menchú is 64. Rock musician Eric Erlandson is 60. Actor Joely Richardson is 58. Rock musician Carl Bell (Fuel) is 56. Actor David Costabile ("Breaking Bad" is 56. Rock singer Steve Harwell (Smash Mouth) is 56. Rock singer-musician Dave Matthews is 56. Actor-director Joey Lauren Adams is 55. Comedian/actor Deon Cole is 52. Actor Angela Bettis is 50. Actor Omari Hardwick is 49. Roots singer-songwriter Hayes Carll is 47. Singer A.J. McLean (Backstreet Boys) is 45. Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, is 41. Pop-rock musician Drew Brown (OneRepublic) is 39. Rock-soul singer Paolo Nutini is 36. Actor Nina Dobrev is 34. Actor Basil Eidenbenz is 30. Actor Kerris Dorsey is 25. Actor Tyree Brown is 19.

Today in History - Jan. 9

NEW YORK (AP) — Russell Banks, an award-winning fiction writer who rooted such novels as “Affliction” and “The Sweet Hereafter” in the wintry, rural communities of his native Northeast and imagined the dreams and downfalls of everyone from modern blue-collar workers to the radical abolitionist John Brown, has died. He was 82.

Banks, a professor emeritus at Princeton University, died Saturday in upstate New York, his editor, Dan Halpern, told The Associated Press. Banks was being treated for cancer, Halpern said.

Joyce Carol Oates, who referred to Banks on Twitter as a great American writer and “beloved friend of so many," said he died peacefully in his home.

“I loved Russell &amp; loved his tremendous talent &amp; magnanimous heart,” Oates said. “'Cloudsplitter,'” (was) his masterpiece, but all his work is exceptional.”

Born in Newton, Massachusetts, and raised in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Banks was a self-styled heir to such 19th century writers as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Walt Whitman, aspiring to high art and a deep grasp of the country’s spirit. He was a plumber’s son who wrote often about working class families and those who died trying to break out, caught up in a “kind of madness” that the past can be erased, and those like himself who got away and survived and asked “Why me, Lord?”

Banks lived part of the year in Florida, and for a time had a home in Jamaica, but he was essentially a man of the North, with an old Puritan’s sense of consequences. Snow fell often in his fiction, whether on the upstate New York community torn by a bus crash in “The Sweet Hereafter” or on the desperate, divorced New Hampshire policeman undone by his paranoid fantasies in “Affliction.”

In Banks’ critical breakthrough “Continental Drift,” published in 1985, oil burner repairman Bob Dubois flees from his native New Hampshire and goes into business with his wealthy brother in Florida, only to learn his brother’s life was as hollow as his own.

“His brother’s strut and brag were empty from the start, and in a deep, barely conscious way, Bob knew that all along and forgave him his strut and brag simply because he knew they were empty. But he had never believed it would come to this, to nothing,” Banks wrote.

“Cloudsplitter” was his most ambitious novel, a 750-page narrative on John Brown and his improbable quest to rid the country of slavery.

The story long precedes Banks’ lifetime, but the inspiration was literally close to home. Banks lived near Brown’s burial ground in North Elba, New York, and he would pass by often enough that Brown “became a kind of ghostly presence,” the author told the AP in 1998.

“Cloudsplitter” reads like a prequel to Banks’ contemporary works, a summoning of Hawthorne and other early influences. As remembered by son Owen Brown, John Brown was a haunted man of the Old World whose resolve to free the slaves and punish the enslavers made his face burn like a revivalist preacher’s.

“I was a boy; I was frightened by my father’s face,” Banks’ narrator explains. “I remember father looking straight into our eyes, burning us with his gaze, as he told us to hear him now. He had determined that he would henceforth put his sins of pride and vanity behind him. And he would go out from here and wage war on slavery. The time has come, he declared, and he wished to join the time in full cry.”

Banks was a Pulitzer finalist for “Cloudsplitter” in 1999 and had been one 13 years earlier for “Continental Drift.” His other honors included the Anisfeld-Book Award for “Cloudsplitter” and membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Two of his books were adapted into acclaimed film releases in the late 1990s: “The Sweet Hereafter,” directed by Atom Egoyan and starring Ian Holm, and director Paul Schrader’s “Affliction,” which brought James Coburn an Academy Award for best supporting actor.

More recent works by Banks included the story collection “A Permanent Member of the Family” and the 2021 novel “Foregone,” in which an American filmmaker who fled to Canada during the Vietnam War looks back on his impulsive youth — a background Banks understood from the inside.

His books often told of absent and otherwise failing fathers and Banks’ own father, Earl Banks, was an alcoholic whom the author says beat him as a child and left him with a permanently damaged left eye.

Russell was meant for other worlds, smart enough to have the nickname “Teacher” in high school and become the first of his family to attend college, receiving a full scholarship from Colgate University.

He was an idealist in search of ideals, among countless young people of the 1960s to adopt Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” as a kind of Bible. He dropped out of Colgate and drove South with dreams of joining Fidel Castro’s revolutionary army in Cuba, a quest which ended in St. Petersburg, Florida.

He was married twice by his early 20s (and eventually had four children), endured more than a few bar fights, wrote poetry bad enough that he later wished he had burned it, worked for a time with his father as a plumber back in New Hampshire and resumed his education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He was in his mid-30s, and nearing the end of his second marriage, when he published his first story collection, “Searching for Survivors,” and first novel, “Family Life.”

By the start of the 1990s, when he turned 50, he was an established author and had settled into a lasting marriage with his fourth wife, the poet Chase Twichell.

“Over the years, I think that I’ve been able to make my anger coherent to myself, and that’s allowed me to become more lucid as a human being, as a writer, as — I hope — a husband, father, and friend,” he told Ploughshares for an interview that appeared in the magazine’s Winter 1993-94 issue. “It’s very hard to be a decent human being if you’re controlled by anger that you can’t understand. When you begin to acquire that understanding, you begin to become useful to other people.”

NEW YORK (AP) — Russell Banks, an award-winning fiction writer who rooted such novels as “Affliction” and “The Sweet Hereafter” in the wintry, rural communities of his native Northeast and imagined the dreams and downfalls of everyone from modern blue-collar workers to the radical abolitionist John Brown, has died. He was 82.Banks, a professor emeritus at Princeton University, died Saturday in upstate New York, his editor, Dan Halpern, told The Associated Press. Banks was being treated for cancer, Halpern said.Joyce Carol Oates, who referred to Banks on Twitter as a great American writer and “beloved friend of so many," said he died peacefully in his home.“I loved Russell &amp; loved his tremendous talent &amp; magnanimous heart,” Oates said. “'Cloudsplitter,'” (was) his masterpiece, but all his work is exceptional.”Born in Newton, Massachusetts, and raised in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Banks was a self-styled heir to such 19th century writers as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Walt Whitman, aspiring to high art and a deep grasp of the country’s spirit. He was a plumber’s son who wrote often about working class families and those who died trying to break out, caught up in a “kind of madness” that the past can be erased, and those like himself who got away and survived and asked “Why me, Lord?”Banks lived part of the year in Florida, and for a time had a home in Jamaica, but he was essentially a man of the North, with an old Puritan’s sense of consequences. Snow fell often in his fiction, whether on the upstate New York community torn by a bus crash in “The Sweet Hereafter” or on the desperate, divorced New Hampshire policeman undone by his paranoid fantasies in “Affliction.”In Banks’ critical breakthrough “Continental Drift,” published in 1985, oil burner repairman Bob Dubois flees from his native New Hampshire and goes into business with his wealthy brother in Florida, only to learn his brother’s life was as hollow as his own.“His brother’s strut and brag were empty from the start, and in a deep, barely conscious way, Bob knew that all along and forgave him his strut and brag simply because he knew they were empty. But he had never believed it would come to this, to nothing,” Banks wrote.“Cloudsplitter” was his most ambitious novel, a 750-page narrative on John Brown and his improbable quest to rid the country of slavery.The story long precedes Banks’ lifetime, but the inspiration was literally close to home. Banks lived near Brown’s burial ground in North Elba, New York, and he would pass by often enough that Brown “became a kind of ghostly presence,” the author told the AP in 1998.“Cloudsplitter” reads like a prequel to Banks’ contemporary works, a summoning of Hawthorne and other early influences. As remembered by son Owen Brown, John Brown was a haunted man of the Old World whose resolve to free the slaves and punish the enslavers made his face burn like a revivalist preacher’s.“I was a boy; I was frightened by my father’s face,” Banks’ narrator explains. “I remember father looking straight into our eyes, burning us with his gaze, as he told us to hear him now. He had determined that he would henceforth put his sins of pride and vanity behind him. And he would go out from here and wage war on slavery. The time has come, he declared, and he wished to join the time in full cry.”Banks was a Pulitzer finalist for “Cloudsplitter” in 1999 and had been one 13 years earlier for “Continental Drift.” His other honors included the Anisfeld-Book Award for “Cloudsplitter” and membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters.Two of his books were adapted into acclaimed film releases in the late 1990s: “The Sweet Hereafter,” directed by Atom Egoyan and starring Ian Holm, and director Paul Schrader’s “Affliction,” which brought James Coburn an Academy Award for best supporting actor.More recent works by Banks included the story collection “A Permanent Member of the Family” and the 2021 novel “Foregone,” in which an American filmmaker who fled to Canada during the Vietnam War looks back on his impulsive youth — a background Banks understood from the inside.His books often told of absent and otherwise failing fathers and Banks’ own father, Earl Banks, was an alcoholic whom the author says beat him as a child and left him with a permanently damaged left eye.Russell was meant for other worlds, smart enough to have the nickname “Teacher” in high school and become the first of his family to attend college, receiving a full scholarship from Colgate University.He was an idealist in search of ideals, among countless young people of the 1960s to adopt Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” as a kind of Bible. He dropped out of Colgate and drove South with dreams of joining Fidel Castro’s revolutionary army in Cuba, a quest which ended in St. Petersburg, Florida.He was married twice by his early 20s (and eventually had four children), endured more than a few bar fights, wrote poetry bad enough that he later wished he had burned it, worked for a time with his father as a plumber back in New Hampshire and resumed his education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.He was in his mid-30s, and nearing the end of his second marriage, when he published his first story collection, “Searching for Survivors,” and first novel, “Family Life.”By the start of the 1990s, when he turned 50, he was an established author and had settled into a lasting marriage with his fourth wife, the poet Chase Twichell.“Over the years, I think that I’ve been able to make my anger coherent to myself, and that’s allowed me to become more lucid as a human being, as a writer, as — I hope — a husband, father, and friend,” he told Ploughshares for an interview that appeared in the magazine’s Winter 1993-94 issue. “It’s very hard to be a decent human being if you’re controlled by anger that you can’t understand. When you begin to acquire that understanding, you begin to become useful to other people.”

Russell Banks, author of novel on abolitionist John Brown, has died

Ernest H. "Ernie" Eikleberry, died Jan. 6, 2023,
at age 90. 
 
He was born Feb. 18, 1932, in Salina, Kan., to Glen and Cecelia (Neubarth)
Eikleberry. He graduated from Salina High School, where he ran track. Upon
graduation in 1951, he joined the Kansas National Guard and then served in the
United States Army, where he rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant before his
discharge in 1955. He worked for the Saline County Engineer's Office and the
Saline County Noxious Weed Office, as well as for Clare Generator. 
 
Ernie married Jane Jackson in 1960 in the Barnard Baptist Church. They had one
daughter, Leslie. 
 
Ernie enjoyed reading non-fiction books, fishing, building things, watching
football, hanging out with the pool guys at the Salina Senior Center, and
cheering for his now-Central Mustangs. He was a member of the Sunflower Lions
Club for many years and served as District Governor. 
 
Survivors include his wife, Jane; daughter, Leslie; a number of cousins; and
friends who became family, including Chuck and Bobbie Shannon, Dan and Janet
Sparks, and Wayne and Dorothy Owen. 
 
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Dale.

Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, January
11, at Ryan Mortuary, Salina. Funeral services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday,
January 12 at Ryan Mortuary,
with burial in the Brookville Cemetery. 
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the Salina Emergency Aid
Food Bank or Tammy Walker Cancer Center.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673197278993.jpeg" alt="Ernest H. "Ernie" Eikleberry" />
 <figcaption>Ernest H. "Ernie" Eikleberry</figcaption>
 </figure>Ernest H. "Ernie" Eikleberry, died Jan. 6, 2023,
at age 90. 
 
He was born Feb. 18, 1932, in Salina, Kan., to Glen and Cecelia (Neubarth)
Eikleberry. He graduated from Salina High School, where he ran track. Upon
graduation in 1951, he joined the Kansas National Guard and then served in the
United States Army, where he rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant before his
discharge in 1955. He worked for the Saline County Engineer's Office and the
Saline County Noxious Weed Office, as well as for Clare Generator. 
 
Ernie married Jane Jackson in 1960 in the Barnard Baptist Church. They had one
daughter, Leslie. 
 
Ernie enjoyed reading non-fiction books, fishing, building things, watching
football, hanging out with the pool guys at the Salina Senior Center, and
cheering for his now-Central Mustangs. He was a member of the Sunflower Lions
Club for many years and served as District Governor. 
 
Survivors include his wife, Jane; daughter, Leslie; a number of cousins; and
friends who became family, including Chuck and Bobbie Shannon, Dan and Janet
Sparks, and Wayne and Dorothy Owen. 
 
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Dale.Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, January
11, at Ryan Mortuary, Salina. Funeral services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday,
January 12 at Ryan Mortuary,
with burial in the Brookville Cemetery. 
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the Salina Emergency Aid
Food Bank or Tammy Walker Cancer Center.

Ernest H. 'Ernie' Eikleberry

Today is Sunday, Jan. 8, the eighth day of 2023. There are 357 days left in the year.

On Jan. 8, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson, in his State of the Union address, declared an "unconditional war on poverty in America."

In 1815, the last major engagement of the War of 1812 came to an end as U.S. forces defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans, not having received word of the signing of a peace treaty.

In 1867, the U.S. House of Representatives joined the Senate in overriding President Andrew Johnson's veto of the District of Columbia Suffrage Bill, giving Black men in the nation's capital the right to vote.

In 1912, the African National Congress was founded in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson outlined his Fourteen Points for lasting peace after World War I. Mississippi became the first state to ratify the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which established Prohibition.

In 1923, actor-comedian Larry Storch was born.

In 1935, rock-and-roll legend Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi.

In 1982, American Telephone and Telegraph settled the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against it by agreeing to divest itself of the 22 Bell System companies.

In 1994, Tonya Harding won the ladies' U.S. Figure Skating Championship in Detroit, a day after Nancy Kerrigan dropped out because of the clubbing attack that had injured her right knee. (The U.S. Figure Skating Association later stripped Harding of the title.)

In 1998, Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was sentenced in New York to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

In 2008, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton powered to victory in New Hampshire's 2008 Democratic primary in a startling upset, defeating Sen. Barack Obama and resurrecting her bid for the White House; Sen. John McCain defeated his Republican rivals to move back into contention for the GOP nomination.

In 2011, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was shot and critically wounded when a gunman opened fire as the congresswoman met with constituents in Tucson; six people were killed, 12 others also injured. (Gunman Jared Lee Loughner was sentenced in Nov. 2012 to seven consecutive life sentences, plus 140 years.)

In 2016, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the world's most-wanted drug lord, was captured for a third time in a daring raid by Mexican marines, six months after walking through a tunnel to freedom from a maximum security prison.

In 2020, Iran struck back at the United States for killing Iran's top military commander, firing missiles at two Iraqi military bases housing American troops; more than 100 U.S. service members were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after the attack. As Iran braced for a counterattack, the country's Revolutionary Guard shot down a Ukrainian jetliner after apparently mistaking it for a missile; all 176 people on board were killed, including 82 Iranians and more than 50 Canadians.

Ten years ago: Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, launched a political action committee aimed at curbing gun violence as her Arizona hometown paused to mark the second anniversary of the deadly shooting rampage.

Five years ago: Alabama beat Georgia in overtime, 26-23, to claim the College Football Playoff national championship after freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa came off the bench to spark a comeback. A judge in Las Vegas dismissed criminal charges against Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and his sons, who were accused of leading an armed uprising against federal authorities.

One year ago: NASA's new James Webb Space Telescope opened its huge, gold-plated, flower-shaped mirror, the final step in the unfurling of the observatory, which had already traveled more than 660,000 miles since its Christmas Day launch. Negotiations resumed in an effort to resolve a standoff between Chicago school officials and the city's teachers union over COVID-19 precautions. (An agreement the following week would end the dispute after five days of canceled classes.) Oscar-winning lyricist Marilyn Bergman, who teamed with her husband Alan on songs including "The Way We Were," died at her Los Angeles home; she was 93.

Today's birthdays: Former CBS newsman Charles Osgood is 90. Singer Shirley Bassey is 86. Game show host Bob Eubanks is 85. Country-gospel singer Cristy Lane is 83. R&amp;B singer Jerome Anthony Gourdine (Little Anthony and the Imperials) is 82. Singer Juanita Cowart Motley (The Marvelettes) is 79. Actor Kathleen Noone is 78. Rock musician Robby Krieger (The Doors) is 77. Movie director John McTiernan is 72. Actor Harriet Sansom Harris is 68. Actor Ron Cephas Jones is 66. Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is 65. Singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith is 59. Actor Michelle Forbes is 58. Actor Maria Pitillo is 57. Singer R. Kelly is 56. Actor/producer Ami Dolenz is 54. Reggae singer Sean Paul is 50. Actor Donnell Turner ("General Hospital") is 50. Country singer Tift Merritt is 48. Actor-rock singer Jenny Lewis is 47. Actor Amber Benson is 46. Actor Scott Whyte is 45. Singer-songwriter Erin McCarley is 44. Actor Sarah Polley is 44. Actor Gaby Hoffman is 41. Rock musician Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo (Gym Class Heroes) is 40. Actor Cynthia Erivo is 36. Actor Freddie Stroma is 36.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Sunday, Jan. 8, the eighth day of 2023. There are 357 days left in the year.Today's Highlight in History:On Jan. 8, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson, in his State of the Union address, declared an "unconditional war on poverty in America."On this date:In 1815, the last major engagement of the War of 1812 came to an end as U.S. forces defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans, not having received word of the signing of a peace treaty.In 1867, the U.S. House of Representatives joined the Senate in overriding President Andrew Johnson's veto of the District of Columbia Suffrage Bill, giving Black men in the nation's capital the right to vote.In 1912, the African National Congress was founded in Bloemfontein, South Africa.In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson outlined his Fourteen Points for lasting peace after World War I. Mississippi became the first state to ratify the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which established Prohibition.In 1923, actor-comedian Larry Storch was born.In 1935, rock-and-roll legend Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi.In 1982, American Telephone and Telegraph settled the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit against it by agreeing to divest itself of the 22 Bell System companies.In 1994, Tonya Harding won the ladies' U.S. Figure Skating Championship in Detroit, a day after Nancy Kerrigan dropped out because of the clubbing attack that had injured her right knee. (The U.S. Figure Skating Association later stripped Harding of the title.)In 1998, Ramzi Yousef, the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, was sentenced in New York to life in prison without the possibility of parole.In 2008, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton powered to victory in New Hampshire's 2008 Democratic primary in a startling upset, defeating Sen. Barack Obama and resurrecting her bid for the White House; Sen. John McCain defeated his Republican rivals to move back into contention for the GOP nomination.In 2011, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was shot and critically wounded when a gunman opened fire as the congresswoman met with constituents in Tucson; six people were killed, 12 others also injured. (Gunman Jared Lee Loughner was sentenced in Nov. 2012 to seven consecutive life sentences, plus 140 years.)In 2016, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the world's most-wanted drug lord, was captured for a third time in a daring raid by Mexican marines, six months after walking through a tunnel to freedom from a maximum security prison.In 2020, Iran struck back at the United States for killing Iran's top military commander, firing missiles at two Iraqi military bases housing American troops; more than 100 U.S. service members were diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries after the attack. As Iran braced for a counterattack, the country's Revolutionary Guard shot down a Ukrainian jetliner after apparently mistaking it for a missile; all 176 people on board were killed, including 82 Iranians and more than 50 Canadians.Ten years ago: Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, launched a political action committee aimed at curbing gun violence as her Arizona hometown paused to mark the second anniversary of the deadly shooting rampage.Five years ago: Alabama beat Georgia in overtime, 26-23, to claim the College Football Playoff national championship after freshman quarterback Tua Tagovailoa came off the bench to spark a comeback. A judge in Las Vegas dismissed criminal charges against Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and his sons, who were accused of leading an armed uprising against federal authorities.One year ago: NASA's new James Webb Space Telescope opened its huge, gold-plated, flower-shaped mirror, the final step in the unfurling of the observatory, which had already traveled more than 660,000 miles since its Christmas Day launch. Negotiations resumed in an effort to resolve a standoff between Chicago school officials and the city's teachers union over COVID-19 precautions. (An agreement the following week would end the dispute after five days of canceled classes.) Oscar-winning lyricist Marilyn Bergman, who teamed with her husband Alan on songs including "The Way We Were," died at her Los Angeles home; she was 93.Today's birthdays: Former CBS newsman Charles Osgood is 90. Singer Shirley Bassey is 86. Game show host Bob Eubanks is 85. Country-gospel singer Cristy Lane is 83. R&amp;B singer Jerome Anthony Gourdine (Little Anthony and the Imperials) is 82. Singer Juanita Cowart Motley (The Marvelettes) is 79. Actor Kathleen Noone is 78. Rock musician Robby Krieger (The Doors) is 77. Movie director John McTiernan is 72. Actor Harriet Sansom Harris is 68. Actor Ron Cephas Jones is 66. Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is 65. Singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith is 59. Actor Michelle Forbes is 58. Actor Maria Pitillo is 57. Singer R. Kelly is 56. Actor/producer Ami Dolenz is 54. Reggae singer Sean Paul is 50. Actor Donnell Turner ("General Hospital") is 50. Country singer Tift Merritt is 48. Actor-rock singer Jenny Lewis is 47. Actor Amber Benson is 46. Actor Scott Whyte is 45. Singer-songwriter Erin McCarley is 44. Actor Sarah Polley is 44. Actor Gaby Hoffman is 41. Rock musician Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo (Gym Class Heroes) is 40. Actor Cynthia Erivo is 36. Actor Freddie Stroma is 36.

Today in History - Jan. 8

From the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salinapubliclibrary">Salina Public Library Facebook page</a>:

See what's new this week at the Salina Public Library at:

*** <a href="http://wowbrary.org/nu.aspx?fb&amp;p=5578-486&amp;fbclid=IwAR14NyauG2d1936do3JJeFVeh9koAtmJxxbiPt0Vmajm07yNcOqDMlTVbcI" target="_blank">http://wowbrary.org/nu.aspx?fb&amp;p=5578-486</a> ***

There are 23 new bestsellers, 94 new movies, nine new audiobooks, 53 new music CDs, 182 new children's books, and 256 other new books. The new bestsellers this week include "The January 6 Report," "The January 6th Report," and "Guinness World Records 2023." The new movies this week include "Black Adam," "Till," and "The Banshees of Inisherin."&nbsp;&nbsp;

From the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salinapubliclibrary">Salina Public Library Facebook page</a>:See what's new this week at the Salina Public Library at:*** <a href="http://wowbrary.org/nu.aspx?fb&amp;p=5578-486&amp;fbclid=IwAR14NyauG2d1936do3JJeFVeh9koAtmJxxbiPt0Vmajm07yNcOqDMlTVbcI" target="_blank">http://wowbrary.org/nu.aspx?fb&amp;p=5578-486</a> ***There are 23 new bestsellers, 94 new movies, nine new audiobooks, 53 new music CDs, 182 new children's books, and 256 other new books. The new bestsellers this week include "The January 6 Report," "The January 6th Report," and "Guinness World Records 2023." The new movies this week include "Black Adam," "Till," and "The Banshees of Inisherin."&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673123768579.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Check out what's new at the Salina Public Library

Today is Saturday, Jan. 7, the seventh day of 2023. There are 358 days left in the year.

On Jan. 7, 1953, President Truman announced in his State of the Union message to Congress that the United States had developed a hydrogen bomb.

In 1608, an accidental fire devastated the Jamestown settlement in the Virginia Colony.

In 1789, America held its first presidential election as voters chose electors who, a month later, selected George Washington to be the nation's first chief executive.

In 1927, commercial transatlantic telephone service was inaugurated between New York and London.

In 1955, singer Marian Anderson made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, in Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera."

In 1959, the United States recognized the new government of Cuba, six days after Fidel Castro led the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista.

In 1963, the U.S. Post Office raised the cost of a first-class stamp from 4 to 5 cents.

In 1979, Vietnamese forces captured the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, overthrowing the Khmer Rouge government.

In 1989, Emperor Hirohito of Japan died in Tokyo at age 87; he was succeeded by his son, Crown Prince Akihito.

In 1999, for the second time in history, an impeached American president went on trial before the Senate. President Bill Clinton faced charges of perjury and obstruction of justice; he was acquitted.

In 2004, President George W. Bush proposed legal status, at least temporarily, for millions of immigrants improperly working in the U.S.

In 2015, masked gunmen stormed the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French newspaper that had caricatured the Prophet Mohammad, methodically killing 12 people, including the editor, before escaping in a car. (Two suspects were killed two days later.)

In 2019, Amazon eclipsed Microsoft as the most valuable publicly traded company in the U.S. For the first time in more than 25 years, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was absent from oral arguments as she recuperated from cancer surgery.

Ten years ago: President Barack Obama announced he would nominate former GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary, calling him "the leader our troops deserve"; Obama also chose White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. The No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide rolled top-ranked Notre Dame 42-14 for the BCS championship.

Five years ago: "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" was the top film at the Golden Globe Awards, winning as best drama and taking home awards for stars Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell and for writer-director Martin McDonagh. The Golden Globes ceremony became an expression of female empowerment in the post-Harvey Weinstein era, capped by a speech in which Cecil B. DeMille Award winner Oprah Winfrey said of men who use their power to abuse women, "Their time is up!" The arctic air that engulfed parts of the East Coast broke cold temperature records from Maine to West Virginia.

One year ago: Three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery were sentenced to life in prison; a judge in Georgia denied any chance of parole for the father and son who armed themselves and initiated the deadly pursuit of the 25-year-old Black man after spotting him running in their neighborhood. In a first for medical science, doctors at the University of Maryland transplanted a heart from a pig that had undergone gene-editing into a human patient in a last-ditch effort to save his life. (The patient, 57-year-old David Bennett, died two months later; he'd been considered too sick to get a human heart.)

Today's Birthdays: Magazine publisher Jann Wenner is 77. Singer Kenny Loggins is 75. Singer-songwriter Marshall Chapman is 74. Actor Erin Gray is 73. Actor Sammo Hung is 71. Actor Jodi Long is 69. Actor David Caruso is 67. Talk show host Katie Couric is 66. Country singer David Lee Murphy is 64. Rock musician Kathy Valentine is 64. Actor David Marciano is 63. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., is 62. Actor Hallie Todd is 61. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is 60. Actor Nicolas Cage is 59. Singer-songwriter John Ondrasik (Five for Fighting) is 58. Actor Rex Lee is 54. Actor Doug E. Doug is 53. Actor Kevin Rahm is 52. Actor Jeremy Renner is 52. Country singer-musician John Rich is 48. Actor Reggie Austin is 44. Singer-rapper Aloe Blacc is 44. Actor Lauren Cohan is 41. Actor Brett Dalton is 40. Actor Robert Ri'chard is 40. Actor Lyndsy Fonseca is 36. Actor Liam Aiken is 33. Actor Camryn Grimes is 33. Actor Max Morrow is 32. Actor Marcus Scribner is 23.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Saturday, Jan. 7, the seventh day of 2023. There are 358 days left in the year.Today's Highlight in History:On Jan. 7, 1953, President Truman announced in his State of the Union message to Congress that the United States had developed a hydrogen bomb.On this date:In 1608, an accidental fire devastated the Jamestown settlement in the Virginia Colony.In 1789, America held its first presidential election as voters chose electors who, a month later, selected George Washington to be the nation's first chief executive.In 1927, commercial transatlantic telephone service was inaugurated between New York and London.In 1955, singer Marian Anderson made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, in Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera."In 1959, the United States recognized the new government of Cuba, six days after Fidel Castro led the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista.In 1963, the U.S. Post Office raised the cost of a first-class stamp from 4 to 5 cents.In 1979, Vietnamese forces captured the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, overthrowing the Khmer Rouge government.In 1989, Emperor Hirohito of Japan died in Tokyo at age 87; he was succeeded by his son, Crown Prince Akihito.In 1999, for the second time in history, an impeached American president went on trial before the Senate. President Bill Clinton faced charges of perjury and obstruction of justice; he was acquitted.In 2004, President George W. Bush proposed legal status, at least temporarily, for millions of immigrants improperly working in the U.S.In 2015, masked gunmen stormed the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French newspaper that had caricatured the Prophet Mohammad, methodically killing 12 people, including the editor, before escaping in a car. (Two suspects were killed two days later.)In 2019, Amazon eclipsed Microsoft as the most valuable publicly traded company in the U.S. For the first time in more than 25 years, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was absent from oral arguments as she recuperated from cancer surgery.Ten years ago: President Barack Obama announced he would nominate former GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel as his next defense secretary, calling him "the leader our troops deserve"; Obama also chose White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. The No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide rolled top-ranked Notre Dame 42-14 for the BCS championship.Five years ago: "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" was the top film at the Golden Globe Awards, winning as best drama and taking home awards for stars Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell and for writer-director Martin McDonagh. The Golden Globes ceremony became an expression of female empowerment in the post-Harvey Weinstein era, capped by a speech in which Cecil B. DeMille Award winner Oprah Winfrey said of men who use their power to abuse women, "Their time is up!" The arctic air that engulfed parts of the East Coast broke cold temperature records from Maine to West Virginia.One year ago: Three white men who chased and killed Ahmaud Arbery were sentenced to life in prison; a judge in Georgia denied any chance of parole for the father and son who armed themselves and initiated the deadly pursuit of the 25-year-old Black man after spotting him running in their neighborhood. In a first for medical science, doctors at the University of Maryland transplanted a heart from a pig that had undergone gene-editing into a human patient in a last-ditch effort to save his life. (The patient, 57-year-old David Bennett, died two months later; he'd been considered too sick to get a human heart.)Today's Birthdays: Magazine publisher Jann Wenner is 77. Singer Kenny Loggins is 75. Singer-songwriter Marshall Chapman is 74. Actor Erin Gray is 73. Actor Sammo Hung is 71. Actor Jodi Long is 69. Actor David Caruso is 67. Talk show host Katie Couric is 66. Country singer David Lee Murphy is 64. Rock musician Kathy Valentine is 64. Actor David Marciano is 63. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., is 62. Actor Hallie Todd is 61. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is 60. Actor Nicolas Cage is 59. Singer-songwriter John Ondrasik (Five for Fighting) is 58. Actor Rex Lee is 54. Actor Doug E. Doug is 53. Actor Kevin Rahm is 52. Actor Jeremy Renner is 52. Country singer-musician John Rich is 48. Actor Reggie Austin is 44. Singer-rapper Aloe Blacc is 44. Actor Lauren Cohan is 41. Actor Brett Dalton is 40. Actor Robert Ri'chard is 40. Actor Lyndsy Fonseca is 36. Actor Liam Aiken is 33. Actor Camryn Grimes is 33. Actor Max Morrow is 32. Actor Marcus Scribner is 23.

Today in History - Jan. 7

Irene Helen (Galardi) Jepsen, 91, of Russell, Kansas, passed away Tuesday, January 3, 2023, at St. Luke’s Hospice House in Kansas City, Missouri.

Irene was born November 8, 1931, in Jackson, Michigan.&nbsp; One of six 
children born to Frank and Costanza (LeDonne) Galardi, Irene grew up in 
Jackson until her senior year when her family moved to Huntington, West 
Virginia.&nbsp; She graduated from St. Joseph High School.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673024333567.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Irene Helen (Galardi) Jepsen, 91, of Russell, Kansas, passed away Tuesday, January 3, 2023, at St. Luke’s Hospice House in Kansas City, Missouri.Irene was born November 8, 1931, in Jackson, Michigan.&nbsp; One of six 
children born to Frank and Costanza (LeDonne) Galardi, Irene grew up in 
Jackson until her senior year when her family moved to Huntington, West 
Virginia.&nbsp; She graduated from St. Joseph High School.Irene was united in marriage to Delbert Dale Jepsen on January 14, 
1959, in Topeka, Kansas.&nbsp; This union was blessed with three daughters, 
Diane, Julie, and Dena.&nbsp; They made their home in Lincoln County, Kansas,
 Phillips County, Kansas, and Russell.&nbsp; Delbert preceded her in death on 
June 8, 2003.Irene was an Editor for the Russell Daily News for many years.&nbsp; She 
was a member of the V.F.W. Post #6240 Ladies Auxiliary.&nbsp; She enjoyed 
working with ceramics, reading books and dancing.Irene’s surviving family include her daughters, Diane Cohan of Victoria, Kansas, and Julie Jepsen of Los Angeles, California; sister, Mary Hogarty of Panama City Beach, Florida; three granddaughters, Marjan Pekarek (Wesley), Roya Attari (Roni) and Dena Contreras, and 
three great-grandchildren; Raffael Attari, Evie Pekarek and Whitley 
Pekarek.Irene was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Delbert, and
 her daughter, Dena Renee Jepsen; sister, Georgina Conner; and three 
brothers, Albert Galardi, Alphonse Galardi and Joe Galardi.A Celebration of Irene’s Life will be held at 10:30 AM, Wednesday, January 11, 2023, at Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell.&nbsp; Burial to follow at 
St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Russell.&nbsp; Visitation will be held at 
9:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, with the family present to greet friends from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM.&nbsp;In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established with St. Luke’s Hospice House.&nbsp;Contributions and condolences may be sent to Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, who is in charge of these arrangements.