Maridene Esther Lundstrom December 22, 1929 ~ March 25, 2024

Maridene Esther Lundstrom, 94, of Lindsborg, passed away March 25, 2024. She was a long-time resident of Lindsborg. She was married to Robert Lee Lundstrom, a farmer, carpenter, WWII veteran, and active church member in Lindsborg where they raised 3 children. Bob passed away in 2012.

She was born on a farm SE of Stafford, KS. Daughter of Samuel Brent and Alma Alice (Langdon) Newell and sister to Carroll (Doris) Newell, Margaret (Bob) Humphrey, and Clinton Newell. Maridene attended Eureka Rural Grade School, Stafford HS, and Bethany College where she graduated in 1951, majoring in Music Education. She taught music at Lincoln Grade School in Goodland, KS one year after graduation.

In 1952 she married Arthur Hanson, also a graduate of Bethany College as well as the Theological Seminary at Rock Island, IL. During that time, Maridene taught in San Francisco for a year when Arthur was positioned there. They then lived in Wolverton and later Comstock, Minnesota from 1954 to 1957.Arthur served these communities as a Lutheran Pastor. During this time, Stephen (1955), David (1956), and Paul (1959) were born. Arthur was serving a rural church congregation in East Grand Forks, MN at the time of his death in April 1960.

Following his death, Maridene with her 3 children moved back to Lindsborg. Directly across the street was where her future husband, Bob Lundstrom lived. They married on June 16, 1962. Bob and his brother Lawrence farmed land near Fremont Lutheran Church west of Lindsborg. They remained in Lindsborg where their 3 sons attended high school and college.

For decades, Maridene taught piano lessons to multiple generations of students, many of whom competed at regional and state levels. Maridene and Bob were both very active in the congregation of Bethany Lutheran Church. She was a Sunday School teacher, children’s choir leader, sang in the church choir, and held many other roles as a member of Bethany Lutheran Church. She was a Soprano Secretary Chair for Lindsborg’s annual Messiah Festival and sang for over 50 years in Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion.

Maridene always found great joy in serving and supporting others in Lindsborg and area communities. She was known for her unwavering spiritual faith and optimism, as well as listening to and comforting others in times of need through her roles in Stephen Ministries and Women of the ELCA. At Bethany Home she was part of the unofficial welcome committee for new residents and staff recently described her as very gifted in helping others feel cared for.

Maridene loved to cook for her community and family. Family members recall the festive Sunday and holiday dinners at home, her full course meals (often a hearty chicken dinner brought out to feed workers at harvest time or baling hay), her legendary cinnamon rolls, Swedish tea rings, pies, cookies, and more. She regularly asked to include a short time of scripture reading and prayer after main meals gathered with others.

Maridene is survived by her sons Stephen (Carol) Hanson, David (Lori) Hanson, and Paul (Robin) Hanson. She has 5 grandchildren: Sarah (John) Werner, Brent (Pam) Hanson, Destiny Hanson, Clara Hanson, and Addie Hanson. She has 8 great grandchildren: Isaiah, Malakai, Delani, Ben, Sam, Kate, James, and Luke, as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.

The visitation will be Friday, April 5th from 5-7 pm at Crick-Christians Funeral Home, 103 N Washington St. Lindsborg, KS 67456.

The funeral service will be held at 10:00 am Saturday, April 6th, at Bethany Lutheran Church, 320 N Main St. Lindsborg, KS with Rev. Dr. Mandy Todd officiating. A burial will follow at Fremont Cemetery, west of Lindsborg. A reception at Bethany Lutheran Church will follow the burial.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Bethany Lutheran Church, Bethany College, and Bethany Home. Memorials may be sent in care of the funeral home.

READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/7068f395-a20b-49d1-9500-ce7d7041a7b2">U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran announces more than $33 million investment for K-State Salina</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711640225293.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Maridene Esther Lundstrom December 22, 1929 ~ March 25, 2024Maridene Esther Lundstrom, 94, of Lindsborg, passed away March 25, 2024. She was a long-time resident of Lindsborg. She was married to Robert Lee Lundstrom, a farmer, carpenter, WWII veteran, and active church member in Lindsborg where they raised 3 children. Bob passed away in 2012.She was born on a farm SE of Stafford, KS. Daughter of Samuel Brent and Alma Alice (Langdon) Newell and sister to Carroll (Doris) Newell, Margaret (Bob) Humphrey, and Clinton Newell. Maridene attended Eureka Rural Grade School, Stafford HS, and Bethany College where she graduated in 1951, majoring in Music Education. She taught music at Lincoln Grade School in Goodland, KS one year after graduation.In 1952 she married Arthur Hanson, also a graduate of Bethany College as well as the Theological Seminary at Rock Island, IL. During that time, Maridene taught in San Francisco for a year when Arthur was positioned there. They then lived in Wolverton and later Comstock, Minnesota from 1954 to 1957.Arthur served these communities as a Lutheran Pastor. During this time, Stephen (1955), David (1956), and Paul (1959) were born. Arthur was serving a rural church congregation in East Grand Forks, MN at the time of his death in April 1960.Following his death, Maridene with her 3 children moved back to Lindsborg. Directly across the street was where her future husband, Bob Lundstrom lived. They married on June 16, 1962. Bob and his brother Lawrence farmed land near Fremont Lutheran Church west of Lindsborg. They remained in Lindsborg where their 3 sons attended high school and college.For decades, Maridene taught piano lessons to multiple generations of students, many of whom competed at regional and state levels. Maridene and Bob were both very active in the congregation of Bethany Lutheran Church. She was a Sunday School teacher, children’s choir leader, sang in the church choir, and held many other roles as a member of Bethany Lutheran Church. She was a Soprano Secretary Chair for Lindsborg’s annual Messiah Festival and sang for over 50 years in Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s St. Matthew’s Passion.Maridene always found great joy in serving and supporting others in Lindsborg and area communities. She was known for her unwavering spiritual faith and optimism, as well as listening to and comforting others in times of need through her roles in Stephen Ministries and Women of the ELCA. At Bethany Home she was part of the unofficial welcome committee for new residents and staff recently described her as very gifted in helping others feel cared for.Maridene loved to cook for her community and family. Family members recall the festive Sunday and holiday dinners at home, her full course meals (often a hearty chicken dinner brought out to feed workers at harvest time or baling hay), her legendary cinnamon rolls, Swedish tea rings, pies, cookies, and more. She regularly asked to include a short time of scripture reading and prayer after main meals gathered with others.Maridene is survived by her sons Stephen (Carol) Hanson, David (Lori) Hanson, and Paul (Robin) Hanson. She has 5 grandchildren: Sarah (John) Werner, Brent (Pam) Hanson, Destiny Hanson, Clara Hanson, and Addie Hanson. She has 8 great grandchildren: Isaiah, Malakai, Delani, Ben, Sam, Kate, James, and Luke, as well as many beloved nieces and nephews.The visitation will be Friday, April 5th from 5-7 pm at Crick-Christians Funeral Home, 103 N Washington St. Lindsborg, KS 67456.The funeral service will be held at 10:00 am Saturday, April 6th, at Bethany Lutheran Church, 320 N Main St. Lindsborg, KS with Rev. Dr. Mandy Todd officiating. A burial will follow at Fremont Cemetery, west of Lindsborg. A reception at Bethany Lutheran Church will follow the burial.In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Bethany Lutheran Church, Bethany College, and Bethany Home. Memorials may be sent in care of the funeral home.READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/7068f395-a20b-49d1-9500-ce7d7041a7b2">U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran announces more than $33 million investment for K-State Salina</a>

Maridene E. Lundstrom

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday seemed likely to preserve access to a medication that was used in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pills-mifepristone-supreme-court-27d18f91242eb08c4d805880ddb5bb60">nearly two-thirds of all abortions</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. last year, in the court’s first abortion case since conservative justices&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;two years ago.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2023/23-235">Click here to listen to</a> a replay of the oral arguments

In nearly 90 minutes of arguments, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-pill-arguments-highlights-7fe897ec4f5b3121dc73d5b74b5a0d6d">consensus appeared to emerge</a>&nbsp;that the abortion opponents who challenged the FDA's approval of the medication, mifepristone, and subsequent actions to ease access to it, lack the legal right or standing to sue.

Such a decision would leave in place the current rules that allow patients to receive the drug through the mail, without any need for an in-person visit with a doctor, and to take the medication to induce an abortion through 10 weeks of pregnancy. Should the court take the no-standing route, it would avoid the more politically sensitive aspects of the case.

The high court’s return to the abortion thicket is taking place in a political and regulatory landscape that was reshaped by its abortion decision in 2022 that led many Republican-led states to ban or severely restrict abortion.

Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, the Biden administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer, said the court should dismiss the case and make clear that anti-abortion doctors and organizations don’t “come within 100 miles” of having standing.

Even three justices who were in the majority to overturn Roe posed skeptical questions about standing to the lawyer for the abortion opponents. Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh are former President Donald Trump’s three Supreme Court appointees.

Barrett, for example, seemed to doubt that two doctors identified by lawyer Erin Hawley could show that they were actually harmed by the FDA's actions, one of the requirements for showing standing.

“I think the difficulty here is that, at least to me, these affidavits do read more like the conscience objection is strictly to actually participating in the abortion to end the life of the embryo or fetus. And I don’t read either ... to say that they ever participated in that,” Barrett said.

Kavanaugh had only one question during the entire session and it too seemed to be focused on the technical issue of standing. He asked Prelogar to confirm that “under federal law, no doctors can be forced against their consciences to perform or assist in an abortion.”

Abortion opponents are asking the justices to ratify&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-restrictions-appeals-court-402be732d162af449c40ed1315cfb851">a ruling</a>&nbsp;from a conservative federal appeals court that would limit access to mifepristone, one of two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-supreme-court-abortion-d451e14148ffbe6ce4811b1a37651480">drugs used in medication abortions</a>.

That ruling had immediate political consequences, and the outcome in the current case, expected by early summer, could affect races for Congress and the White House.

Another abortion case already is on the docket. Next month, the justices will hear arguments over whether&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-medical-emergencies-idaho-8ca89d7de0c1fa9256dcd27d1847e144">a federal law on emergency treatment</a>&nbsp;at hospitals must include abortions, even in states that have otherwise banned them.

The scene outside the Supreme Court was lively Tuesday morning, with demonstrators occupying the streets surrounding the court and groups on both sides of the issue marching and chanting. The police blocked traffic surrounding the court as well.

The practical consequences of a ruling for abortion opponents would be dramatic, including possibly halting the delivery of mifepristone through the mail and at large pharmacy chains, and ending increasingly popular telehealth visits at which the drug can be prescribed.

President Joe Biden's administration and drug manufacturers warn that such an outcome also could undermine the FDA's drug approval process more widely by inviting judges to second-guess the agency's scientific judgments. The Democratic administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories, which makes mifepristone, say that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-abortion-pill-supreme-court-1d2221251197a391c9bca833918e4554">drug is among the safest</a>&nbsp;the FDA has ever approved.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Biden appointee who joined the court just after the last abortion case, signaled her agreement with some of those arguments when she asked Jessica Ellsworth, Danco's lawyer, whether she has concerns “about judges parsing medical and scientific studies.”

The abortion opponents argue that the FDA's decisions in 2016 and 2021 to relax restrictions on getting the drug were unreasonable and, as Hawley wrote in her clients' main legal brief, “jeopardize women's health across the nation.” She argued Tuesday that she was asking the court to affirm a ruling that “merely restored longstanding and crucial protections under which millions of women used abortion drugs.” Her husband, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and one of their children were in the courtroom to watch her first arguments.

The mifepristone case began five months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Abortion opponents initially won a sweeping ruling nearly a year ago from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-judge-matthew-kacsmaryk-abortion-pill-fda-75964b777ef09593a1ad948c6cfc0237">U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk</a>, a Trump nominee in Texas, which would have revoked the drug’s approval entirely. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals left intact the FDA’s initial approval of mifepristone. But it would reverse changes regulators made in 2016 and 2021 that eased some conditions for administering the drug.

The Supreme Court put the appeals court’s modified ruling on hold, then agreed to hear the case, though Justices Samuel Alito, the author of the decision overturning Roe, and Clarence Thomas would have allowed some restrictions to take effect while the case proceeded.

In arguments highly focused on technical legal issues, Alito and Thomas asked some of the few questions Tuesday on the substance of the case, including about sending mifepristone through the mail.

They referred to the Comstock Act, a rarely used, 151-year-old criminal law that has been revived by anti-abortion advocates seeking to block the delivery of mifepristone through the U.S. mail. Addressing Ellsworth, Thomas said the law is “fairly broad, and it specifically covers drugs such as yours.”

Even if the court doesn't address the Comstock Act in its ruling, some abortion rights advocates fear that a future administration that favors abortion restrictions could invoke the law to roll back access to mifepristone.

More than 6 million people have used mifepristone since 2000. It is one of two drugs used in medication abortions.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-supreme-court-abortion-d451e14148ffbe6ce4811b1a37651480">Mifepristone</a>&nbsp;blocks the hormone progesterone, and also primes the uterus to respond to the contraction-causing effect of another drug, misoprostol.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/questions-and-answers-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation">The two-drug regimen</a>&nbsp;is used to end a pregnancy through 10 weeks gestation.

Health care providers have said that if mifepristone is no longer available or is too hard to obtain, they would switch to using only misoprostol, which is somewhat less effective in ending pregnancies.

Associated Press writers Amanda Seitz and Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;is hearing arguments Tuesday in its first abortion case since conservative justices&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned the constitutional right to an abortion</a>&nbsp;two years ago. At stake is ease of access to a medication that was used in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pills-mifepristone-supreme-court-27d18f91242eb08c4d805880ddb5bb60">nearly two-thirds of all abortions</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. last year.

Click here to listen&nbsp;to a replay of the oral arguments

The high court's return to the abortion thicket is taking place in a political and regulatory landscape that was reshaped by the abortion decision in 2022 that led many Republican-led states to ban or severely restrict abortion.

That ruling had immediate political consequences, and the outcome in the new case, expected by early summer, could affect races for Congress and the White House.

The practical consequences of a ruling for abortion opponents would be dramatic, possibly halting the delivery of mifepristone through the mail and at large pharmacy chains, reducing the period in pregnancy when it can be used from 10 to seven weeks and ending increasingly popular telehealth visits at which the drug can be prescribed.

President Joe Biden's administration and drug manufacturers warn that such an outcome also could undermine the FDA's drug approval process more widely by inviting judges to second-guess the agency's scientific judgments.

Anti-abortion doctors and medical organizations argue that the FDA's decisions in 2016 and 2021 to relax restrictions on getting the drug were unreasonable and “jeopardize women's health across the nation.” The Democratic administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories, which makes mifepristone, respond that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-abortion-pill-supreme-court-1d2221251197a391c9bca833918e4554">drug is among the safest</a>&nbsp;the FDA has ever approved.

In one possible resolution, the justices could avoid touching on the more politically sensitive aspects of the case while preserving access to mifepristone. The administration and Danco argue that the challengers lack the legal right, or standing, to sue. If the high court agrees, it would essentially dismiss the case and erase the appellate ruling.

Mifepristone is one of two drugs, along with misoprostol, used in medication abortions. Their numbers have been rising for years. More than 6 million people have used mifepristone since 2000.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-supreme-court-abortion-d451e14148ffbe6ce4811b1a37651480">Mifepristone</a>&nbsp;is taken first to dilate the cervix and block the hormone progesterone, which is needed to sustain a pregnancy. Misoprostol is taken 24 to 48 hours later, causing the uterus to contract and expel pregnancy tissue.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680967457500.png" alt="Photo AP" />
 <figcaption>Photo AP</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday seemed likely to preserve access to a medication that was used in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pills-mifepristone-supreme-court-27d18f91242eb08c4d805880ddb5bb60">nearly two-thirds of all abortions</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. last year, in the court’s first abortion case since conservative justices&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned Roe v. Wade</a>&nbsp;two years ago.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/audio/2023/23-235">Click here to listen to</a> a replay of the oral argumentsIn nearly 90 minutes of arguments, a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-pill-arguments-highlights-7fe897ec4f5b3121dc73d5b74b5a0d6d">consensus appeared to emerge</a>&nbsp;that the abortion opponents who challenged the FDA's approval of the medication, mifepristone, and subsequent actions to ease access to it, lack the legal right or standing to sue.Such a decision would leave in place the current rules that allow patients to receive the drug through the mail, without any need for an in-person visit with a doctor, and to take the medication to induce an abortion through 10 weeks of pregnancy. Should the court take the no-standing route, it would avoid the more politically sensitive aspects of the case.The high court’s return to the abortion thicket is taking place in a political and regulatory landscape that was reshaped by its abortion decision in 2022 that led many Republican-led states to ban or severely restrict abortion.Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, the Biden administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer, said the court should dismiss the case and make clear that anti-abortion doctors and organizations don’t “come within 100 miles” of having standing.Even three justices who were in the majority to overturn Roe posed skeptical questions about standing to the lawyer for the abortion opponents. Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh are former President Donald Trump’s three Supreme Court appointees.Barrett, for example, seemed to doubt that two doctors identified by lawyer Erin Hawley could show that they were actually harmed by the FDA's actions, one of the requirements for showing standing.“I think the difficulty here is that, at least to me, these affidavits do read more like the conscience objection is strictly to actually participating in the abortion to end the life of the embryo or fetus. And I don’t read either ... to say that they ever participated in that,” Barrett said.Kavanaugh had only one question during the entire session and it too seemed to be focused on the technical issue of standing. He asked Prelogar to confirm that “under federal law, no doctors can be forced against their consciences to perform or assist in an abortion.”Abortion opponents are asking the justices to ratify&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-restrictions-appeals-court-402be732d162af449c40ed1315cfb851">a ruling</a>&nbsp;from a conservative federal appeals court that would limit access to mifepristone, one of two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-supreme-court-abortion-d451e14148ffbe6ce4811b1a37651480">drugs used in medication abortions</a>.That ruling had immediate political consequences, and the outcome in the current case, expected by early summer, could affect races for Congress and the White House.Another abortion case already is on the docket. Next month, the justices will hear arguments over whether&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-medical-emergencies-idaho-8ca89d7de0c1fa9256dcd27d1847e144">a federal law on emergency treatment</a>&nbsp;at hospitals must include abortions, even in states that have otherwise banned them.The scene outside the Supreme Court was lively Tuesday morning, with demonstrators occupying the streets surrounding the court and groups on both sides of the issue marching and chanting. The police blocked traffic surrounding the court as well.The practical consequences of a ruling for abortion opponents would be dramatic, including possibly halting the delivery of mifepristone through the mail and at large pharmacy chains, and ending increasingly popular telehealth visits at which the drug can be prescribed.President Joe Biden's administration and drug manufacturers warn that such an outcome also could undermine the FDA's drug approval process more widely by inviting judges to second-guess the agency's scientific judgments. The Democratic administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories, which makes mifepristone, say that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-abortion-pill-supreme-court-1d2221251197a391c9bca833918e4554">drug is among the safest</a>&nbsp;the FDA has ever approved.Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Biden appointee who joined the court just after the last abortion case, signaled her agreement with some of those arguments when she asked Jessica Ellsworth, Danco's lawyer, whether she has concerns “about judges parsing medical and scientific studies.”The abortion opponents argue that the FDA's decisions in 2016 and 2021 to relax restrictions on getting the drug were unreasonable and, as Hawley wrote in her clients' main legal brief, “jeopardize women's health across the nation.” She argued Tuesday that she was asking the court to affirm a ruling that “merely restored longstanding and crucial protections under which millions of women used abortion drugs.” Her husband, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and one of their children were in the courtroom to watch her first arguments.The mifepristone case began five months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Abortion opponents initially won a sweeping ruling nearly a year ago from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-judge-matthew-kacsmaryk-abortion-pill-fda-75964b777ef09593a1ad948c6cfc0237">U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk</a>, a Trump nominee in Texas, which would have revoked the drug’s approval entirely. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals left intact the FDA’s initial approval of mifepristone. But it would reverse changes regulators made in 2016 and 2021 that eased some conditions for administering the drug.The Supreme Court put the appeals court’s modified ruling on hold, then agreed to hear the case, though Justices Samuel Alito, the author of the decision overturning Roe, and Clarence Thomas would have allowed some restrictions to take effect while the case proceeded.In arguments highly focused on technical legal issues, Alito and Thomas asked some of the few questions Tuesday on the substance of the case, including about sending mifepristone through the mail.They referred to the Comstock Act, a rarely used, 151-year-old criminal law that has been revived by anti-abortion advocates seeking to block the delivery of mifepristone through the U.S. mail. Addressing Ellsworth, Thomas said the law is “fairly broad, and it specifically covers drugs such as yours.”Even if the court doesn't address the Comstock Act in its ruling, some abortion rights advocates fear that a future administration that favors abortion restrictions could invoke the law to roll back access to mifepristone.More than 6 million people have used mifepristone since 2000. It is one of two drugs used in medication abortions.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-supreme-court-abortion-d451e14148ffbe6ce4811b1a37651480">Mifepristone</a>&nbsp;blocks the hormone progesterone, and also primes the uterus to respond to the contraction-causing effect of another drug, misoprostol.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/questions-and-answers-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation">The two-drug regimen</a>&nbsp;is used to end a pregnancy through 10 weeks gestation.Health care providers have said that if mifepristone is no longer available or is too hard to obtain, they would switch to using only misoprostol, which is somewhat less effective in ending pregnancies.___Associated Press writers Amanda Seitz and Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this report.___----------WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;is hearing arguments Tuesday in its first abortion case since conservative justices&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturned the constitutional right to an abortion</a>&nbsp;two years ago. At stake is ease of access to a medication that was used in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pills-mifepristone-supreme-court-27d18f91242eb08c4d805880ddb5bb60">nearly two-thirds of all abortions</a>&nbsp;in the U.S. last year.Click here to listen&nbsp;to a replay of the oral argumentsAbortion opponents are asking the justices to ratify&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-pill-restrictions-appeals-court-402be732d162af449c40ed1315cfb851">a ruling</a>&nbsp;from a conservative federal appeals court that would limit access to mifepristone, one of two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-supreme-court-abortion-d451e14148ffbe6ce4811b1a37651480">drugs used in medication abortions</a>.The high court's return to the abortion thicket is taking place in a political and regulatory landscape that was reshaped by the abortion decision in 2022 that led many Republican-led states to ban or severely restrict abortion.That ruling had immediate political consequences, and the outcome in the new case, expected by early summer, could affect races for Congress and the White House.The scene outside the Supreme Court was lively Tuesday morning, with demonstrators occupying the streets surrounding the court and groups on both sides of the issue marching and chanting. The police blocked traffic surrounding the court as well.The practical consequences of a ruling for abortion opponents would be dramatic, possibly halting the delivery of mifepristone through the mail and at large pharmacy chains, reducing the period in pregnancy when it can be used from 10 to seven weeks and ending increasingly popular telehealth visits at which the drug can be prescribed.President Joe Biden's administration and drug manufacturers warn that such an outcome also could undermine the FDA's drug approval process more widely by inviting judges to second-guess the agency's scientific judgments.Anti-abortion doctors and medical organizations argue that the FDA's decisions in 2016 and 2021 to relax restrictions on getting the drug were unreasonable and “jeopardize women's health across the nation.” The Democratic administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories, which makes mifepristone, respond that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-abortion-pill-supreme-court-1d2221251197a391c9bca833918e4554">drug is among the safest</a>&nbsp;the FDA has ever approved.In one possible resolution, the justices could avoid touching on the more politically sensitive aspects of the case while preserving access to mifepristone. The administration and Danco argue that the challengers lack the legal right, or standing, to sue. If the high court agrees, it would essentially dismiss the case and erase the appellate ruling.Another abortion case already is on the docket. Next month, the justices will hear arguments over whether&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-medical-emergencies-idaho-8ca89d7de0c1fa9256dcd27d1847e144">a federal law on emergency treatment</a>&nbsp;at hospitals must include abortions, even in states that have otherwise banned them.The mifepristone case began five months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Abortion opponents initially won a sweeping ruling nearly a year ago from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-judge-matthew-kacsmaryk-abortion-pill-fda-75964b777ef09593a1ad948c6cfc0237">U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk</a>, a Trump nominee in Texas, which would have revoked the drug’s approval entirely. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals left intact the FDA’s initial approval of mifepristone. But it would reverse changes regulators made in 2016 and 2021 that eased some conditions for administering the drug.The Supreme Court put the appeals court’s modified ruling on hold, then agreed to hear the case, though Justices Samuel Alito, the author of the decision overturning Roe, and Clarence Thomas would have allowed some restrictions to take effect while the case proceeded.Mifepristone is one of two drugs, along with misoprostol, used in medication abortions. Their numbers have been rising for years. More than 6 million people have used mifepristone since 2000.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-supreme-court-abortion-d451e14148ffbe6ce4811b1a37651480">Mifepristone</a>&nbsp;is taken first to dilate the cervix and block the hormone progesterone, which is needed to sustain a pregnancy. Misoprostol is taken 24 to 48 hours later, causing the uterus to contract and expel pregnancy tissue.Health care providers have said that if mifepristone is no longer available or is too hard to obtain, they would switch to using only misoprostol, which is somewhat less effective in ending pregnancies.___

🎧 Supreme Court battle in biggest abortion case since the fall of Roe

By MIKE COURSON Great Bend Post

Stutzmans Greenhouse and Garden Centers around Kansas, including in Great Bend, will soon come to life for the spring and summer planting seasons. But the plants do not just magically appear. Each Wednesday, Stutzmans is featured on KSN's&nbsp;Good Day Kansas&nbsp;program. Ben Miller, owner of Stutzmans, said it has been a good venue to show the public what his company is about.

"Most people, as they get to a store, really have no idea what the process was to get that plant to that growth and that look," he said. "We took the opportunity to take people behind the scenes and actually show that process: how we prune, how we trim, how we plant to really get to the final product as we ship it out to the stores."

Miller's cousin started Stutzmans in 1956. Miller and his wife got out of the dairy industry in 1980 and began working for the cousin. They purchased the company in 1985.

"It's been a journey," Miller said. "A lot of our growth through the 80s and 90s was through wholesale, shipping all over the central part of the country. In about 2001, we started branching out into our own additional retail garden centers, what we refer to as 'season garden centers.' We're open primarily from April through October. We often say 'freeze to freeze.' It has totally revolutionized our company. We're strictly retail and really focused on that now with no wholesale whatsoever."

Stutzmans now operates 11 garden centers in a 70-mile radius with stores in Great Bend, Salina, Newton, Pratt, and Sedgwick and Reno Counties. They go as far west as Dodge City. But everything begins at the home base in Pleasantview, five miles west of Hutchinson. Many of the plants in the regional garden centers got their start in the eight acres of greenhouse space in Pleasantview.

"After a spring season, we bring in all the managers from all the locations, and we literally sit down for about two days and go line-item by line-item and determine what we're going to grow in numbers the following year," Miller said.

The group also looks at new plant materials and how genetics will help those plants perform in the various Kansas weather conditions. The company strives to live up to its motto, "Stutzmans expects success."

"It's really important that we have what will perform well for our customers," said Miller. "That is the lifeblood of what makes everything happen for us."

Ahead of spring,&nbsp;seeds are planted in plug trays, with each tray containing 288 plugs. A seeder drops the seed in, and when the plant is large enough, it is transplanted into a container for resale. The trick is not planting everything at once.

"Most everything, except for perennials, would be multiple plantings so we have fresh material coming through about June 1," Miller said. "As we get into late June and July, we transition into what we often refer to as our 'heat-loving plant material.' It's not that we don't have some of those varieties in spring, but it's totally focused on plant material that really will perform in our Kansas heat."

Once ready to be transplanted, the seedlings are put into six packs or pots for transport to the garden centers. That used to be done by hand. Stutzmans recently purchased a Dutch-engineered robot that can now do the work more efficiently, increasing production from 300 flats by hand per hour to more than 700 in some instances.

"It literally extracts the seedling plug from a tray that was seeded and grown in that tiny plug, pops it out," Miller said. "then plants it out into the finished container, which may either be a six-pack flat of annuals, or we often also go into a four-and-a-half inch material, which is more of your premium annuals to produce vegetative cuttings."

The latest problem is what to do with all the extra flats coming down the line.

"We literally get trains of carts with product waiting to get laid down in the greenhouse," Miller said. "We have a few things we need to work out in that whole process, but we're really ecstatic with what we're seeing at this point."

Nothing at Stutzmans is a small operation. Patio plants are produced from cuttings and placed into 12 and 14-inch pots. Stutzmans will distribute approximately 35,000 of those plants to its garden centers each year. The number grows to approximately 50,000 for Mother's Day planters.

Stutzmans will host an open house and tours of its Pleasantview facility on April 6 from 9 a.m. to noon. Manager Jason French also hits the airwaves on Eagle Radio each Saturday morning for the Stutzmans Home and Garden Show. Listeners can take a picture of plants and send their queries to&nbsp;questions@stutzmans.com&nbsp;for French to answer live on air.

Stutzmans Garden Center in Salina is in its final year at the corner of Ninth and Cloud Street. According to Stutzmans Marketing Manager, Krystofer Rosiere next year's Salina Garden Center will be located at the Salina Central Mall, in the old JCPenney parking lot.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681956255262.jpeg" alt="Stutzmans Garden Center in Salina is in its final year at the corner of Ninth and Cloud Street. According to Stutzmans Marketing Manager, Krystofer Rosiere next year's Salina Garden Center will be located at the Salina Central Mall, in the old JCPenney parking lot.&nbsp; Salina Post Photo" />
 <figcaption>Stutzmans Garden Center in Salina is in its final year at the corner of Ninth and Cloud Street. According to Stutzmans Marketing Manager, Krystofer Rosiere next year's Salina Garden Center will be located at the Salina Central Mall, in the old JCPenney parking lot.&nbsp; Salina Post Photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By MIKE COURSON Great Bend PostStutzmans Greenhouse and Garden Centers around Kansas, including in Great Bend, will soon come to life for the spring and summer planting seasons. But the plants do not just magically appear. Each Wednesday, Stutzmans is featured on KSN's&nbsp;Good Day Kansas&nbsp;program. Ben Miller, owner of Stutzmans, said it has been a good venue to show the public what his company is about."Most people, as they get to a store, really have no idea what the process was to get that plant to that growth and that look," he said. "We took the opportunity to take people behind the scenes and actually show that process: how we prune, how we trim, how we plant to really get to the final product as we ship it out to the stores."Miller's cousin started Stutzmans in 1956. Miller and his wife got out of the dairy industry in 1980 and began working for the cousin. They purchased the company in 1985."It's been a journey," Miller said. "A lot of our growth through the 80s and 90s was through wholesale, shipping all over the central part of the country. In about 2001, we started branching out into our own additional retail garden centers, what we refer to as 'season garden centers.' We're open primarily from April through October. We often say 'freeze to freeze.' It has totally revolutionized our company. We're strictly retail and really focused on that now with no wholesale whatsoever."Stutzmans now operates 11 garden centers in a 70-mile radius with stores in Great Bend, Salina, Newton, Pratt, and Sedgwick and Reno Counties. They go as far west as Dodge City. But everything begins at the home base in Pleasantview, five miles west of Hutchinson. Many of the plants in the regional garden centers got their start in the eight acres of greenhouse space in Pleasantview."After a spring season, we bring in all the managers from all the locations, and we literally sit down for about two days and go line-item by line-item and determine what we're going to grow in numbers the following year," Miller said.The group also looks at new plant materials and how genetics will help those plants perform in the various Kansas weather conditions. The company strives to live up to its motto, "Stutzmans expects success.""It's really important that we have what will perform well for our customers," said Miller. "That is the lifeblood of what makes everything happen for us."Ahead of spring,&nbsp;seeds are planted in plug trays, with each tray containing 288 plugs. A seeder drops the seed in, and when the plant is large enough, it is transplanted into a container for resale. The trick is not planting everything at once."Most everything, except for perennials, would be multiple plantings so we have fresh material coming through about June 1," Miller said. "As we get into late June and July, we transition into what we often refer to as our 'heat-loving plant material.' It's not that we don't have some of those varieties in spring, but it's totally focused on plant material that really will perform in our Kansas heat."Once ready to be transplanted, the seedlings are put into six packs or pots for transport to the garden centers. That used to be done by hand. Stutzmans recently purchased a Dutch-engineered robot that can now do the work more efficiently, increasing production from 300 flats by hand per hour to more than 700 in some instances."It literally extracts the seedling plug from a tray that was seeded and grown in that tiny plug, pops it out," Miller said. "then plants it out into the finished container, which may either be a six-pack flat of annuals, or we often also go into a four-and-a-half inch material, which is more of your premium annuals to produce vegetative cuttings."The latest problem is what to do with all the extra flats coming down the line."We literally get trains of carts with product waiting to get laid down in the greenhouse," Miller said. "We have a few things we need to work out in that whole process, but we're really ecstatic with what we're seeing at this point."Nothing at Stutzmans is a small operation. Patio plants are produced from cuttings and placed into 12 and 14-inch pots. Stutzmans will distribute approximately 35,000 of those plants to its garden centers each year. The number grows to approximately 50,000 for Mother's Day planters.Stutzmans will host an open house and tours of its Pleasantview facility on April 6 from 9 a.m. to noon. Manager Jason French also hits the airwaves on Eagle Radio each Saturday morning for the Stutzmans Home and Garden Show. Listeners can take a picture of plants and send their queries to&nbsp;questions@stutzmans.com&nbsp;for French to answer live on air.Stutzmans Garden Center in Salina is in its final year at the corner of Ninth and Cloud Street. According to Stutzmans Marketing Manager, Krystofer Rosiere next year's Salina Garden Center will be located at the Salina Central Mall, in the old JCPenney parking lot.&nbsp;

From seed to store: Stutzmans pulls back curtain on growing process

By JONATHAN J. COOPER&nbsp; &nbsp;Associated Press

The lack of excitement many Americans feel about a presidential rematch has heightened interest in alternatives to the major-party candidates, none more so than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/politics/election-2024-0000018ca126d7a5a79da57ef5030000">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>, whose famous name has helped him build buzz for his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-presidential-campaign-independent-2024-30d940109c4956de9c81f332ec418463">independent bid</a>.

Kennedy is a huge longshot to win Electoral College votes, much less the presidency. But his campaign events have drawn large crowds of supporters and people interested in his message.

He plans to announce his vice presidential nominee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kennedy-rfk-running-mate-announcement-vp-3b53343f1be4567bcfba7fb1eab3f3e3">later this month</a>&nbsp;in Oakland, California, and is stoking expectations that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-rfk-rodgers-ventura-453c6078714b867f5af736ee8f97d8fe">he might pick</a>&nbsp;New York Jets quarterback&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/aaron-rodgers">Aaron Rodgers</a>&nbsp;or former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura. His campaign manager said Saturday that Kennedy has made his choice but didn’t say whom he’s picked. She said he had also interviewed Nicole Shanahan, a California philanthropist who bankrolled a Super Bowl ad for Kennedy, and Mike Rowe, star of the television show “Dirty Jobs.”

Here is a look at his campaign and what he's stood for:

Kennedy, 70, is a member of perhaps the nation’s most famous political dynasty. His uncle was President John F. Kennedy. His father served as attorney general and a U.S. senator before seeking the Democratic nomination for president. Both were assassinated.

RFK Jr. built a reputation of his own as an activist, author and lawyer who fought for environmental causes such as clean water.

Along the way, his activism has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e">veered into conspiracies</a>&nbsp;and contradicted scientific consensus,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-kennedy-election-vaccines-2ccde2df146f57b5e8c26e8494f0a16a">most infamously on vaccines</a>. Some members of his family have publicly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-joe-biden-2024-democrat-super-bowl-e4dee4be456e643be11735c6e4029377">criticized his views</a>. Dozens of his family members posed with President Joe Biden at a St. Patrick's Day reception at the White House in a photo his sister Kerry Kennedy posted to social media.

Kennedy founded Waterkeeper Alliance, which works to secure clean water, and built a small anti-vaccine organization into Children’s Health Defense, a juggernaut in the movement that saw its reach grow rapidly during the pandemic.

Children's Health Defense has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy took leave from the group when he announced his run for president but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.

What does Kennedy’s campaign look like?

Kennedy's need to collect thousands of signatures to get on the ballot has taken him to places that rarely see presidential candidates, including Hawaii, Wyoming and West Virginia.

At events in Phoenix and Las Vegas, hundreds of supporters queued up outside hours before he was scheduled to arrive. He attracts a legion of fans, many of whom have listened extensively to Kennedy's interviews on podcasts or YouTube videos.

In Nevada, massive graphics and photos were projected on three walls as upbeat music played. Drinks and merchandise were for sale.

Kennedy speaks in a quiet, strained voice, sometimes haltingly, the result of a neurological condition called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/spasmodic-dysphonia#:~:text=Spasmodic%20dysphonia%20is%20a%20voice,able%20to%20talk%20at%20all.">spasmodic dysphonia</a>.

Kennedy frames himself as a truthteller with a track record of fighting for the middle class against powerful interests. He points to lawsuits he's won against corporate behemoths such as Monsanto and DuPont.

“I can fix this country,” he said in Las Vegas in February. “All these agencies that intimidate normal politicians, I’ve sued every one of them. ... When you sue these agencies, you get a Ph.D. in corporate capture and how to unravel it.” Corporate capture refers to private interests using their influence to control government decision-making, as when they help draft legislation.

Kennedy has been critical of U.S. support for Ukraine and supportive of Israel’s war against Hamas. He wants to reduce military and health care spending because of the impact on budget deficits, and combat rising housing costs so young people can afford to buy homes.

Kennedy has found a loyal following among people distrustful of institutions and those who believe the government has been captured by corporations, especially pharmaceutical companies.

He hasn't shied away from his controversial views on health care and vaccines. He wants to dismantle the public health bureaucracy, saying he'd immediately tell the National Institutes of Health to refocus research away from infectious diseases and vaccines and toward chronic diseases.

Kennedy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-kennedy-election-2024-president-campaign-621c9e9641381a1b2677df9de5a09731">insists he is not anti-vaccine</a>&nbsp;and claims he has never told the public to avoid vaccination. But he has repeatedly made his opposition to vaccines clear. He said on a podcast “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective” and has urged people to resist CDC guidelines on when kids should get vaccinated.

While there are rare instances when people have severe reactions to vaccines, the billions of doses administered globally provide real-world evidence that they are safe. The World Health Organization says vaccines prevent as many as 5 million deaths each year.

The United States has a long history of rejecting independent or third-party presidential candidates. In fact, the last president to win without a party’s backing was George Washington, and he did it before there were political parties.

The last third-party candidate to make it to the White House was Abraham Lincoln with the newly formed Republican Party.

The last third-party candidate to pull more than single digits in the popular vote was Ross Perot, a businessman who won 19% in 1992 and 8% in 1996. But he won zero electoral votes.

And while the independent share of the electorate is growing, it is still dwarfed by voters who consistently support Republican or Democratic candidates, even if they identify as independent.

Kennedy’s case for optimism hinges on his relatively strong showing in a few national polls. Polls during the 2016 presidential campaign regularly put libertarian Gary Johnson’s support in the high single or low double digits, but he ultimately received only about 3% of the vote nationwide.

Horse-race polls are also notoriously unreliable this far out from an election, and many Americans don’t know who Kennedy is.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/February-2024-topline-Biden.pdf">A February AP-NORC poll</a>&nbsp;found, for instance, that 29% of Americans don’t know enough about Kennedy to have a view about him.

Some of the people who say they’d support him may also be reacting to his famous last name rather than his actual pitch as a candidate.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/25/politics/cnn-poll-democrats-2024/index.html">A CNN/SSRS poll</a>&nbsp;conducted last spring found that 20% of people who said they would consider supporting Kennedy for the Democratic nomination — for which he was running at the time — said that their support was related to his last name and Kennedy family connections. Only 12% said it was because of support for his views and policies.

But for any of that to matter, he has to get on the ballot.

Forget getting elected; merely running for president is an arduous process, especially for candidates like Kennedy who don’t belong to a party.

Every state has different rules, requiring an army of lawyers to make sure everything is done right. Most states require thousands of signatures.

A pro-Kennedy super PAC is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dnc-fec-complaint-kenedy-trump-biden-09d42502ca757cd4656b4829c4b4c00d">helping pay</a>&nbsp;for Kennedy’s ballot access work in several states. His allies have created a political party to ease the process in some states by getting recognized as a party and making Kennedy its nominee.

He has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-president-election-utah-ballot-863513ec2bf75d1efc9b202cb8ddcc4a">approved for the ballot in Utah</a>. His campaign and super PAC say he’s collected enough signatures to qualify in several other states, including the battlegrounds of Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, though election officials in those states have not yet affirmed his candidacy.

Kennedy has also said he’s talked with officials from the Libertarian Party, though it’s not clear what a tie-up between the two might look like.

Kennedy is looking to his family and his allies in the anti-vaccine world to staff his campaign, building a leadership team that is light on experience working in politics.

His campaign manager is Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, his daughter-in-law who served as a CIA officer and has not worked in politics before.

His communications director, Del Bigtree, is founder of the Informed Consent Action Network, an anti-vaccine group. He also produced “Vaxxed,” an anti-vaccine film that promoted the discredited idea that the vaccines cause autism.

Press secretary Stefanie Spear was an editor for the Children's Health Defense news website. Charles Eisenstein, a New Age author, is an adviser.

Kennedy also has staff and volunteers spread throughout states and focused on gathering signatures to get him on the ballot.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704300369387.png" alt="Robert F. Kennedy Jr- courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Robert F. Kennedy Jr- courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By JONATHAN J. COOPER&nbsp; &nbsp;Associated PressThe lack of excitement many Americans feel about a presidential rematch has heightened interest in alternatives to the major-party candidates, none more so than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/politics/election-2024-0000018ca126d7a5a79da57ef5030000">Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</a>, whose famous name has helped him build buzz for his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-jr-presidential-campaign-independent-2024-30d940109c4956de9c81f332ec418463">independent bid</a>.Kennedy is a huge longshot to win Electoral College votes, much less the presidency. But his campaign events have drawn large crowds of supporters and people interested in his message.He plans to announce his vice presidential nominee&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kennedy-rfk-running-mate-announcement-vp-3b53343f1be4567bcfba7fb1eab3f3e3">later this month</a>&nbsp;in Oakland, California, and is stoking expectations that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-rfk-rodgers-ventura-453c6078714b867f5af736ee8f97d8fe">he might pick</a>&nbsp;New York Jets quarterback&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/aaron-rodgers">Aaron Rodgers</a>&nbsp;or former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura. His campaign manager said Saturday that Kennedy has made his choice but didn’t say whom he’s picked. She said he had also interviewed Nicole Shanahan, a California philanthropist who bankrolled a Super Bowl ad for Kennedy, and Mike Rowe, star of the television show “Dirty Jobs.”Here is a look at his campaign and what he's stood for:Who is RFK Jr?Kennedy, 70, is a member of perhaps the nation’s most famous political dynasty. His uncle was President John F. Kennedy. His father served as attorney general and a U.S. senator before seeking the Democratic nomination for president. Both were assassinated.RFK Jr. built a reputation of his own as an activist, author and lawyer who fought for environmental causes such as clean water.Along the way, his activism has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/how-rfk-jr-built-anti-vaccine-juggernaut-amid-covid-4997be1bcf591fe8b7f1f90d16c9321e">veered into conspiracies</a>&nbsp;and contradicted scientific consensus,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-kennedy-election-vaccines-2ccde2df146f57b5e8c26e8494f0a16a">most infamously on vaccines</a>. Some members of his family have publicly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-joe-biden-2024-democrat-super-bowl-e4dee4be456e643be11735c6e4029377">criticized his views</a>. Dozens of his family members posed with President Joe Biden at a St. Patrick's Day reception at the White House in a photo his sister Kerry Kennedy posted to social media.Kennedy founded Waterkeeper Alliance, which works to secure clean water, and built a small anti-vaccine organization into Children’s Health Defense, a juggernaut in the movement that saw its reach grow rapidly during the pandemic.Children's Health Defense has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy took leave from the group when he announced his run for president but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.He’s married to actress Cheryl Hines.What does Kennedy’s campaign look like?Kennedy's need to collect thousands of signatures to get on the ballot has taken him to places that rarely see presidential candidates, including Hawaii, Wyoming and West Virginia.At events in Phoenix and Las Vegas, hundreds of supporters queued up outside hours before he was scheduled to arrive. He attracts a legion of fans, many of whom have listened extensively to Kennedy's interviews on podcasts or YouTube videos.In Nevada, massive graphics and photos were projected on three walls as upbeat music played. Drinks and merchandise were for sale.Kennedy speaks in a quiet, strained voice, sometimes haltingly, the result of a neurological condition called&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/spasmodic-dysphonia#:~:text=Spasmodic%20dysphonia%20is%20a%20voice,able%20to%20talk%20at%20all.">spasmodic dysphonia</a>.What does he talk about?Kennedy frames himself as a truthteller with a track record of fighting for the middle class against powerful interests. He points to lawsuits he's won against corporate behemoths such as Monsanto and DuPont.“I can fix this country,” he said in Las Vegas in February. “All these agencies that intimidate normal politicians, I’ve sued every one of them. ... When you sue these agencies, you get a Ph.D. in corporate capture and how to unravel it.” Corporate capture refers to private interests using their influence to control government decision-making, as when they help draft legislation.Kennedy has been critical of U.S. support for Ukraine and supportive of Israel’s war against Hamas. He wants to reduce military and health care spending because of the impact on budget deficits, and combat rising housing costs so young people can afford to buy homes.Kennedy has found a loyal following among people distrustful of institutions and those who believe the government has been captured by corporations, especially pharmaceutical companies.He hasn't shied away from his controversial views on health care and vaccines. He wants to dismantle the public health bureaucracy, saying he'd immediately tell the National Institutes of Health to refocus research away from infectious diseases and vaccines and toward chronic diseases.Kennedy&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rfk-kennedy-election-2024-president-campaign-621c9e9641381a1b2677df9de5a09731">insists he is not anti-vaccine</a>&nbsp;and claims he has never told the public to avoid vaccination. But he has repeatedly made his opposition to vaccines clear. He said on a podcast “there’s no vaccine that is safe and effective” and has urged people to resist CDC guidelines on when kids should get vaccinated.While there are rare instances when people have severe reactions to vaccines, the billions of doses administered globally provide real-world evidence that they are safe. The World Health Organization says vaccines prevent as many as 5 million deaths each year.Can he win?The United States has a long history of rejecting independent or third-party presidential candidates. In fact, the last president to win without a party’s backing was George Washington, and he did it before there were political parties.The last third-party candidate to make it to the White House was Abraham Lincoln with the newly formed Republican Party.The last third-party candidate to pull more than single digits in the popular vote was Ross Perot, a businessman who won 19% in 1992 and 8% in 1996. But he won zero electoral votes.And while the independent share of the electorate is growing, it is still dwarfed by voters who consistently support Republican or Democratic candidates, even if they identify as independent.In other words, the odds are long.Kennedy’s case for optimism hinges on his relatively strong showing in a few national polls. Polls during the 2016 presidential campaign regularly put libertarian Gary Johnson’s support in the high single or low double digits, but he ultimately received only about 3% of the vote nationwide.Horse-race polls are also notoriously unreliable this far out from an election, and many Americans don’t know who Kennedy is.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/February-2024-topline-Biden.pdf">A February AP-NORC poll</a>&nbsp;found, for instance, that 29% of Americans don’t know enough about Kennedy to have a view about him.Some of the people who say they’d support him may also be reacting to his famous last name rather than his actual pitch as a candidate.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/25/politics/cnn-poll-democrats-2024/index.html">A CNN/SSRS poll</a>&nbsp;conducted last spring found that 20% of people who said they would consider supporting Kennedy for the Democratic nomination — for which he was running at the time — said that their support was related to his last name and Kennedy family connections. Only 12% said it was because of support for his views and policies.But for any of that to matter, he has to get on the ballot.How does he get on the ballot?Forget getting elected; merely running for president is an arduous process, especially for candidates like Kennedy who don’t belong to a party.Every state has different rules, requiring an army of lawyers to make sure everything is done right. Most states require thousands of signatures.A pro-Kennedy super PAC is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dnc-fec-complaint-kenedy-trump-biden-09d42502ca757cd4656b4829c4b4c00d">helping pay</a>&nbsp;for Kennedy’s ballot access work in several states. His allies have created a political party to ease the process in some states by getting recognized as a party and making Kennedy its nominee.He has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/robert-kennedy-president-election-utah-ballot-863513ec2bf75d1efc9b202cb8ddcc4a">approved for the ballot in Utah</a>. His campaign and super PAC say he’s collected enough signatures to qualify in several other states, including the battlegrounds of Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, though election officials in those states have not yet affirmed his candidacy.Kennedy has also said he’s talked with officials from the Libertarian Party, though it’s not clear what a tie-up between the two might look like.Who is working for him?Kennedy is looking to his family and his allies in the anti-vaccine world to staff his campaign, building a leadership team that is light on experience working in politics.His campaign manager is Amaryllis Fox Kennedy, his daughter-in-law who served as a CIA officer and has not worked in politics before.His communications director, Del Bigtree, is founder of the Informed Consent Action Network, an anti-vaccine group. He also produced “Vaxxed,” an anti-vaccine film that promoted the discredited idea that the vaccines cause autism.Press secretary Stefanie Spear was an editor for the Children's Health Defense news website. Charles Eisenstein, a New Age author, is an adviser.Kennedy also has staff and volunteers spread throughout states and focused on gathering signatures to get him on the ballot.

Who is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and why is he running for president?

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;is at risk of being ousted after hard-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to vacate on Friday in the middle of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-shutdown-budget-speaker-johnson-85dc1e93f6c49c154c02a166d0e8e784">a House vote on a $1.2 trillion package</a>&nbsp;to keep the government open.

It’s the same political dynamic that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">removed the last Republican speaker</a>, Kevin McCarthy, just five months ago when far-right conservatives revolted over his compromise with Democrats to prevent a federal shutdown. But this one faces steeper odds with less GOP support.

The House is scheduled to leave town for a two-week spring recess at the end of Friday’s session, and it’s doubtful any vote on removing Johnson, of Louisiana, would be imminent.

“Speaker Johnson always listens to the concerns of members but is focused on governing,” spokesman Raj Shah said. “He will continue to push conservative legislation that secures our border, strengthens our national defense and demonstrates how we’ll grow our majority.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/motion-to-vacate-kevin-mccarthy-republicans-congress-eba874f3a76ab8ebe03236514d981810">Under the rules</a>, any member can make the motion privileged, which would require leaders to schedule a vote within two legislative days. But it can also simply sit until lawmakers return next month.

Greene, of Georgia, said she was issuing a “warning” to Johnson but did not indicate a timetable for her next move.

“We’ve started the clock to start the process to elect a new speaker,” she said on the Capitol steps.

Yet even the threat of removal, the ultimate punishment for a speaker, will hang over Johnson’s young speakership, just months on the job — particularly as he turns next to passing funding to support Ukraine that far-right Republicans oppose.

No speaker had been removed this way until McCarthy’s dramatic ouster last fall, a swift, stunning and chaotic episode that essentially shuttered the House chamber for weeks as Republicans searched for a new speaker.

Greene is a leading ally of the Republicans' presumed 2024 presidential nominee, former president Donald Trump, and McCarthy, of California, was toppled by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/motion-to-vacate-kevin-mccarthy-republicans-congress-eba874f3a76ab8ebe03236514d981810">a similar contingent of far-right Republicans</a>&nbsp;led at the time by Trump ally Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.

The Georgia congresswoman spoke vehemently against House passage of the government funding bill, and she has warned she would try to remove the speaker if he pushes ahead with a package to support Ukraine as it battles&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s invasion</a>.

Johnson has refused to put a $95 billion Senate-passed national security package with Ukraine funds to a House vote, but nevertheless he promised to fund Ukraine as the a next priority. The removal threat against him now puts any votes to help Ukraine in potential jeopardy.

With the most narrow majority in modern times, Johnson has a weak grasp on his Republicans in the House. He can risk only a few defectors on any vote, meaning he could be easily ousted, unless Democrats jump in with their votes to protect him.

Still, many Republicans in Congress were embarrassed by McCarthy’s removal as speaker, which exposed deep party divisions and infighting that left their new majority, in office since January, unable to fully function on priorities.

The night before Friday’s voting, Gaetz warned against trying to oust Johnson, saying that Republican lawmakers fed up with the process would cross the aisle and vote for the Democratic leader,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nancy-pelosi-hakeem-jeffries-congress-government-and-politics-e6dee438b2cfd776b70ff29495072ab5">Rep. Hakeem Jeffries</a>&nbsp;of New York.

“If we vacated this speaker, we’d end up with a Democrat,” Gaetz predicted late Thursday. “When I vacated the last one, I made a promise to the country that we would not end up with a Democrat speaker. ... I couldn’t make that promise again today.”

The idea of a Republican House majority casting votes to make a Democrat the House speaker would be an unheard of political situation.

But with Republicans at war among themselves it is also one that could potentially transpire as they try to return Congress to a sense of normalcy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711124062964.png" alt="House Speaker Mike Johnson during a Thursday news conference -courtesy image" />
 <figcaption>House Speaker Mike Johnson during a Thursday news conference -courtesy image</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>&nbsp;is at risk of being ousted after hard-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to vacate on Friday in the middle of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-shutdown-budget-speaker-johnson-85dc1e93f6c49c154c02a166d0e8e784">a House vote on a $1.2 trillion package</a>&nbsp;to keep the government open.It’s the same political dynamic that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">removed the last Republican speaker</a>, Kevin McCarthy, just five months ago when far-right conservatives revolted over his compromise with Democrats to prevent a federal shutdown. But this one faces steeper odds with less GOP support.The House is scheduled to leave town for a two-week spring recess at the end of Friday’s session, and it’s doubtful any vote on removing Johnson, of Louisiana, would be imminent.“Speaker Johnson always listens to the concerns of members but is focused on governing,” spokesman Raj Shah said. “He will continue to push conservative legislation that secures our border, strengthens our national defense and demonstrates how we’ll grow our majority.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/motion-to-vacate-kevin-mccarthy-republicans-congress-eba874f3a76ab8ebe03236514d981810">Under the rules</a>, any member can make the motion privileged, which would require leaders to schedule a vote within two legislative days. But it can also simply sit until lawmakers return next month.Greene, of Georgia, said she was issuing a “warning” to Johnson but did not indicate a timetable for her next move.“We’ve started the clock to start the process to elect a new speaker,” she said on the Capitol steps.Yet even the threat of removal, the ultimate punishment for a speaker, will hang over Johnson’s young speakership, just months on the job — particularly as he turns next to passing funding to support Ukraine that far-right Republicans oppose.No speaker had been removed this way until McCarthy’s dramatic ouster last fall, a swift, stunning and chaotic episode that essentially shuttered the House chamber for weeks as Republicans searched for a new speaker.Greene is a leading ally of the Republicans' presumed 2024 presidential nominee, former president Donald Trump, and McCarthy, of California, was toppled by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/motion-to-vacate-kevin-mccarthy-republicans-congress-eba874f3a76ab8ebe03236514d981810">a similar contingent of far-right Republicans</a>&nbsp;led at the time by Trump ally Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.The Georgia congresswoman spoke vehemently against House passage of the government funding bill, and she has warned she would try to remove the speaker if he pushes ahead with a package to support Ukraine as it battles&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia’s invasion</a>.Johnson has refused to put a $95 billion Senate-passed national security package with Ukraine funds to a House vote, but nevertheless he promised to fund Ukraine as the a next priority. The removal threat against him now puts any votes to help Ukraine in potential jeopardy.With the most narrow majority in modern times, Johnson has a weak grasp on his Republicans in the House. He can risk only a few defectors on any vote, meaning he could be easily ousted, unless Democrats jump in with their votes to protect him.Still, many Republicans in Congress were embarrassed by McCarthy’s removal as speaker, which exposed deep party divisions and infighting that left their new majority, in office since January, unable to fully function on priorities.The night before Friday’s voting, Gaetz warned against trying to oust Johnson, saying that Republican lawmakers fed up with the process would cross the aisle and vote for the Democratic leader,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nancy-pelosi-hakeem-jeffries-congress-government-and-politics-e6dee438b2cfd776b70ff29495072ab5">Rep. Hakeem Jeffries</a>&nbsp;of New York.“If we vacated this speaker, we’d end up with a Democrat,” Gaetz predicted late Thursday. “When I vacated the last one, I made a promise to the country that we would not end up with a Democrat speaker. ... I couldn’t make that promise again today.”The idea of a Republican House majority casting votes to make a Democrat the House speaker would be an unheard of political situation.But with Republicans at war among themselves it is also one that could potentially transpire as they try to return Congress to a sense of normalcy.

House speaker's job in jeopardy as Dems pass $1.2T spending bill

<a href="https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/news-and-publications/news/stories/2024/03/cattle-chat-helping-heifers-ahead-of-breeding.html">By LISA MOSER</a> K-State Research and Extension news service

While it seems like a natural event, getting pregnant is not always as easy as it sounds, especially if the female isn’t having estrus cycles.

Specific to cattle, the experts at the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute offered tips on how to get heifers cycling on a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://ksre-learn.com/CattleChatHelpingHeifersAheadofBreeding">Cattle Chat</a>&nbsp;podcast.

The veterinarians recommend doing a pre-breeding exam on the heifers as early as six to eight weeks ahead of the start of the breeding season to assess the reproductive tract and overall health of the young females. Heifers typically start their estrus cycles around 12-13 months of age.

For heifers that are behind in their body weight and reproductive maturity, the BCI experts suggested a few options to help them along.

“For heifers that are too thin, I’d recommend adding grain to get them to gain between one and a half to two pounds a day,” said beef cattle nutritionist Phillip Lancaster. At that pace, the cattle should be able to add an extra 100 pounds or so in 45 to 60 days, he said.

Along with adding grain, Lancaster also recommends adding ionophores to the feed.

“An ionophore is a feed supplement that changes the fermentation in the rumen that provides additional blood glucose and will help the heifer begin cycling a little earlier than she might otherwise,” Lancaster said.

Along with adjusting the nutrition plan, K-State veterinarian Brian Lubbers said it is important to make sure the heifers have been treated with a deworming product.

“Having heifers on a good deworming program means they are losing less energy to parasites, and they can gain more weight because they are using their calories more efficiently,” Lubbers said.

Another tip is to expose the heifers to an older bull through fence line contact or use a vasectomized bull in the pasture with them.

“Although only a minor effect, research has shown that bull exposure will hasten the onset of puberty in females that are close to cycling,” said K-State veterinarian Bob Larson.

Larson also suggests using an estrus synchronization protocol that includes progesterone. He said this can be done through a feed additive such as MGA (melengestrol acetate) or with a CIDR (a product placed intravaginally for either seven or 14 days).

“MGA works well as long as they get their half milligram every day and it is fed for 14 days, while the CIDR is more expensive but is more flaw proof because if it is in their body, then you know they are getting the progesterone.”

Because of the cost of estrous synchronization and artificial insemination, Larson recommends that heifers that are behind at an eight-week pre-breeding exam be re-evaluated closer to breeding before committing to an artificial insemination mating.

“I normally don’t do the breeding soundness exams twice, but in a herd or group that is behind, I will because it may not be worth the expense of putting in a CIDR and semen in heifer that has a low chance of responding,” Larson said.

To hear the full discussion, listen to&nbsp;<a href="https://ksre-learn.com/CattleChatHelpingHeifersAheadofBreeding">Cattle Chat</a>&nbsp;on your preferred streaming platform.

READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/d7b5a005-9ac6-4d89-ae63-dd9bafd923f4">Shroom-Mates — science leads owners to small-scale agriculture</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711123128274.jpeg" alt="Management interventions can help heifers reach puberty. Image courtesy K-State Research and Extension news service" />
 <figcaption>Management interventions can help heifers reach puberty. Image courtesy K-State Research and Extension news service</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/news-and-publications/news/stories/2024/03/cattle-chat-helping-heifers-ahead-of-breeding.html">By LISA MOSER</a> K-State Research and Extension news serviceWhile it seems like a natural event, getting pregnant is not always as easy as it sounds, especially if the female isn’t having estrus cycles.Specific to cattle, the experts at the Kansas State University Beef Cattle Institute offered tips on how to get heifers cycling on a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://ksre-learn.com/CattleChatHelpingHeifersAheadofBreeding">Cattle Chat</a>&nbsp;podcast.The veterinarians recommend doing a pre-breeding exam on the heifers as early as six to eight weeks ahead of the start of the breeding season to assess the reproductive tract and overall health of the young females. Heifers typically start their estrus cycles around 12-13 months of age.For heifers that are behind in their body weight and reproductive maturity, the BCI experts suggested a few options to help them along.“For heifers that are too thin, I’d recommend adding grain to get them to gain between one and a half to two pounds a day,” said beef cattle nutritionist Phillip Lancaster. At that pace, the cattle should be able to add an extra 100 pounds or so in 45 to 60 days, he said.Along with adding grain, Lancaster also recommends adding ionophores to the feed.“An ionophore is a feed supplement that changes the fermentation in the rumen that provides additional blood glucose and will help the heifer begin cycling a little earlier than she might otherwise,” Lancaster said.Along with adjusting the nutrition plan, K-State veterinarian Brian Lubbers said it is important to make sure the heifers have been treated with a deworming product.“Having heifers on a good deworming program means they are losing less energy to parasites, and they can gain more weight because they are using their calories more efficiently,” Lubbers said.Another tip is to expose the heifers to an older bull through fence line contact or use a vasectomized bull in the pasture with them.“Although only a minor effect, research has shown that bull exposure will hasten the onset of puberty in females that are close to cycling,” said K-State veterinarian Bob Larson.Larson also suggests using an estrus synchronization protocol that includes progesterone. He said this can be done through a feed additive such as MGA (melengestrol acetate) or with a CIDR (a product placed intravaginally for either seven or 14 days).“MGA works well as long as they get their half milligram every day and it is fed for 14 days, while the CIDR is more expensive but is more flaw proof because if it is in their body, then you know they are getting the progesterone.”Because of the cost of estrous synchronization and artificial insemination, Larson recommends that heifers that are behind at an eight-week pre-breeding exam be re-evaluated closer to breeding before committing to an artificial insemination mating.“I normally don’t do the breeding soundness exams twice, but in a herd or group that is behind, I will because it may not be worth the expense of putting in a CIDR and semen in heifer that has a low chance of responding,” Larson said.To hear the full discussion, listen to&nbsp;<a href="https://ksre-learn.com/CattleChatHelpingHeifersAheadofBreeding">Cattle Chat</a>&nbsp;on your preferred streaming platform.READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/d7b5a005-9ac6-4d89-ae63-dd9bafd923f4">Shroom-Mates — science leads owners to small-scale agriculture</a>

Cattle Chat: Helping heifers ahead of breeding

Join 910KINA's Saturday Morning Show hosts Dave Foor and Nate King this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. on&nbsp;<a href="http://www.910kina.com/">910AM 107.5 FM.</a>

Hear highlights about community events, public affairs, and all things happening in Salina. Their approach is friendly, informative, and entertaining. To listen to past 910KINA Saturday Morning Shows head on over to the KINA podcast homepage&nbsp;<a href="https://streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/KINA&amp;embedOpened=true&amp;embedOpenedApp=song&amp;embedOpenedSong=910683and6831076845683KINA&amp;embedOpenedArtist=&amp;embedOpenedAlbum=">here.</a>&nbsp;

9:05 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.  Rev. Shay Craig, Dean of Christ Cathedral to discuss Easter celebrations

9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. Chad Young, Salina talks about the upcoming <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/1b1a930a-9ce9-431e-85c5-1e0e5f39d443">Salina Grace Open House</a>

9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Claire Ludes, Salina Area United Way executive director

10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Michelle Case, Chair of the Department of Business and Accounting and Chair of the Women in Leadership committee at Kansas Wesleyan University to discuss&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/80460362-b18f-4c8a-b171-246bed43dfd1">KWU Women in Leadership Conference</a>

10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Lt. Luke Hursh, upcoming fundraising concert and how the Salina Salvation Army helps <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/42dbd29f-e625-4828-b08f-570a490b9c4b">local families impacted by house fires&nbsp;</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591971280271.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Join 910KINA's Saturday Morning Show hosts Dave Foor and Nate King this Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. on&nbsp;<a href="http://www.910kina.com/">910AM 107.5 FM.</a>Hear highlights about community events, public affairs, and all things happening in Salina. Their approach is friendly, informative, and entertaining. To listen to past 910KINA Saturday Morning Shows head on over to the KINA podcast homepage&nbsp;<a href="https://streamdb7web.securenetsystems.net/cirrusencore/KINA&amp;embedOpened=true&amp;embedOpenedApp=song&amp;embedOpenedSong=910683and6831076845683KINA&amp;embedOpenedArtist=&amp;embedOpenedAlbum=">here.</a>&nbsp;9:05 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Rev. Shay Craig, Dean of Christ Cathedral to discuss Easter celebrations9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. Chad Young, Salina talks about the upcoming <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/1b1a930a-9ce9-431e-85c5-1e0e5f39d443">Salina Grace Open House</a>9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Claire Ludes, Salina Area United Way executive director10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Michelle Case, Chair of the Department of Business and Accounting and Chair of the Women in Leadership committee at Kansas Wesleyan University to discuss&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/80460362-b18f-4c8a-b171-246bed43dfd1">KWU Women in Leadership Conference</a>10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Lt. Luke Hursh, upcoming fundraising concert and how the Salina Salvation Army helps <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/42dbd29f-e625-4828-b08f-570a490b9c4b">local families impacted by house fires&nbsp;</a>

910KINA Saturday Morning Show Lineup

Vance Ryan McComber November 28, 2006 ~ March 15, 2024

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of&nbsp;Vance Ryan McComber, 17, who left us far too soon on March 15, 2024.&nbsp; He was a cherished and beloved son, brother, grandson, uncle, and friend.

Vance was born on November 28, 2006, in Emporia Kansas to Thomas McComber and Kristina Rowland (McComber).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

He was raised in Salina and attended Salina public schools through his Junior year in high school at Salina Central.&nbsp; While in high school he lived and breathed football and his teammates quickly became a second family to him.&nbsp; His commitment carried over to the off season where he found a love and dedication for weightlifting and fitness.&nbsp; Through this he would end up inspiring many family members and friends to lead a healthier lifestyle.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Vance was a talented auto mechanic who had a passion for fast loud cars, and he had a knack for fixing anything underneath the hood.&nbsp; He loved being involved with the local car community culture and was passionate about introducing it to anybody and everyone.&nbsp; He could literally talk about cars for hours on end every single day.&nbsp; He also enjoyed fishing, playing video games, listening to music, and just hanging out with his friends.

Vance will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who had the pleasure of knowing him.&nbsp; His smile and laughter were contagious, and he had a very loving and kind soul.&nbsp; Vance was a best friend to many.&nbsp;

Survived by his mom Kristina Rowland, stepfather Eric Rowland; sister Avery McComber, stepsiblings, Tyler Rowland, Hayden Rowland, Hannah McCubbin (Rowland); father Thomas McComber, stepmother Arianna Camarena; half-siblings Kynlee McComber, Briggs McComber, Brooke Dunn; grandparents Marilyn McComber, Linda McGill, Tarri Rowland, Charles Rowland, Betty Hueser.

Preceded in death by his grandfather Ronald McComber, David McGill, great-grandmother Esther Morris.

A memorial service will be 1 pm, Monday, March 25, 2024, at First Covenant Church, 2625 E Magnolia, Salina, Kansas.

Memorials may be made the Vance McComber Memorial Fund, in care of Ryan Mortuary, 137 North Eighth Street, Salina, Kansas 67401.

READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/42dbd29f-e625-4828-b08f-570a490b9c4b">Salina Salvation Army continues helping families amid financial challenges</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711030086448.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Vance Ryan McComber November 28, 2006 ~ March 15, 2024It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of&nbsp;Vance Ryan McComber, 17, who left us far too soon on March 15, 2024.&nbsp; He was a cherished and beloved son, brother, grandson, uncle, and friend.Vance was born on November 28, 2006, in Emporia Kansas to Thomas McComber and Kristina Rowland (McComber).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He was raised in Salina and attended Salina public schools through his Junior year in high school at Salina Central.&nbsp; While in high school he lived and breathed football and his teammates quickly became a second family to him.&nbsp; His commitment carried over to the off season where he found a love and dedication for weightlifting and fitness.&nbsp; Through this he would end up inspiring many family members and friends to lead a healthier lifestyle.&nbsp;&nbsp;Vance was a talented auto mechanic who had a passion for fast loud cars, and he had a knack for fixing anything underneath the hood.&nbsp; He loved being involved with the local car community culture and was passionate about introducing it to anybody and everyone.&nbsp; He could literally talk about cars for hours on end every single day.&nbsp; He also enjoyed fishing, playing video games, listening to music, and just hanging out with his friends.Vance will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who had the pleasure of knowing him.&nbsp; His smile and laughter were contagious, and he had a very loving and kind soul.&nbsp; Vance was a best friend to many.&nbsp;Survived by his mom Kristina Rowland, stepfather Eric Rowland; sister Avery McComber, stepsiblings, Tyler Rowland, Hayden Rowland, Hannah McCubbin (Rowland); father Thomas McComber, stepmother Arianna Camarena; half-siblings Kynlee McComber, Briggs McComber, Brooke Dunn; grandparents Marilyn McComber, Linda McGill, Tarri Rowland, Charles Rowland, Betty Hueser.Preceded in death by his grandfather Ronald McComber, David McGill, great-grandmother Esther Morris.A memorial service will be 1 pm, Monday, March 25, 2024, at First Covenant Church, 2625 E Magnolia, Salina, Kansas.Memorials may be made the Vance McComber Memorial Fund, in care of Ryan Mortuary, 137 North Eighth Street, Salina, Kansas 67401.READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/42dbd29f-e625-4828-b08f-570a490b9c4b">Salina Salvation Army continues helping families amid financial challenges</a>

Vance R. McComber

By NATE KING KING and OLIVIA BERGMEIER Salina Post

Earlier this month, the Kansas Corporation Commission, or KCC, ordered Sundowner, LLC, owner Scott Kolling, to remove the locks he placed on water meters at Sundowner West Mobile Home and Trailer Park.

Following the adoption of a report by the KCC Utilities Division, staff found that Kolling was out of compliance as a public utility.

Sundowner, LLC’s failure to obtain proper documentation could lead to an almost $1 million fine. The fine is from K.S.A. 66-138, which prescribes a civil penalty of no less than $100 a day for providers who fail to comply with a provision of the public utilities statutes. The report stated that the fine would begin on Aug. 26, 2021.

One of these statutes requires filing for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, or COC, before providing the service. According to the KCC analysis, staff found that Sundowner, LLC owner Scott Kolling had not obtained a COC.

“<a href="https://www.ksrevisor.org/statutes/chapters/ch66/066_001_0004.html">K.S.A. 66-104</a>&nbsp;defines a public utility as any company that furnishes water service,” the report by the KCC Utilities Division stated. “In addition to obtaining a COC to operate as a public utility, <a href="https://www.ksrevisor.org/statutes/chapters/ch66/066_001_0017.html">K.S.A. 66-117</a>&nbsp;requires public utilities to seek approval for any rates or changes to its customers.”

Misty Livingston-Holmes, a longtime resident at Sundowner, said she voiced her concerns with the KCC about whether or not the founder of Sundowner, Frank Norton, ever applied for a COC when he established the park or if he was required to do so.

“I said, ‘I want clarification on this,” Livingston-Holmes said. “[Saline County]&nbsp; told me to call the KCC, and they will handle it.”

READ MORE: <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/fbf51323-7eb3-4f6c-8e69-37dea91cc2e6">Years of neglect causes water crisis at Sundowner Mobile Home and Trailer Park</a>

When Livingston-Holmes called the KCC’s consumer helpline in 2023 and again in January 2024, the KCC staff told her that the commission knew nothing about the water issue at Sundowner or that Sundowner’s public utility even existed.

According to a statement from Linda Berry, the KCC Public Affairs and Consumer Protection director, the KCC staff are unsure when the subdivision Norton founded became a public utility. Berry said if Norton sold water to private homes while he owned the park, it would qualify as a public utility under <a href="https://www.ksrevisor.org/statutes/chapters/ch66/066_001_0004.html">K.S.A. 66-104</a>.

This unknown qualification status for a COC or other oversight continued through each subsequent owner of Sundowner, LLC.

“They didn't know anything about it because he [Kolling] was never registered with the state,” Livingston-Holmes said. “Sundowner originated with Frank Norton owning the property. We bought lots, so with Frank, though, owning all of this, he didn't have to register.”

Residents at Sundowner, including Livingston-Holmes, continue to experience alternating days of black water with sandy sediment or strong-smelling chlorinated water coming from their faucets. Livingston-Holmes said the water quality issues have ruined her kitchen and bathroom appliances.&nbsp;

“This is the third time that I've had to run my dishwasher. I'm currently running it empty because I ran my washer, and I had all kinds of nasty sand all over my dishes,” Livingston-Holmes said. “The water has ruined our clothes and appliances because of all the black yuck.”

On top of black or heavily chlorinated water, Kolling allegedly provided water bills late to residents, with some Sundowner residents reporting bills that totaled almost $1,000.

Billing issues continue to affect the residents of Sundowner, and Livingston-Holmes said she felt burdened with anger and disgust.

“I got my water bill for February, and according to Scott, my consumption showed that I had used almost 16,000 gallons,” Livingston-Holmes said. “We use it to shower, which we try to do minimally, run our dishwasher, and wash our clothes. If you compare my bills from the past, we have never even come close to using 16,000 gallons of water.”

Livingston-Holmes and other Sundowner residents first raised their concerns with the Saline County Commission, starting with Saline County District 5 Commissioner and Commission Chair Joe Hay.

The only significant change the Saline County Commission could make to remedy the issue was to impose eminent domain, but that process is lengthy, and Hay said it would take too long to get the residents the help they need.

Instead, Hay began conversations with the KCC and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, or KDHE, and provided as much information as possible. The recent KCC Utilities Division report outlined some things Hay found in his initial review of the issue.

“I think they looked at it like he's [Kolling] neglected so much stuff,” Hay said. “He's never applied for the permit — he never applied to be able to raise their rates.”

State Representative Susan Concannon became aware of the ongoing situation at Sundowner after hearing about billing errors and inconsistent water quality from Hay.&nbsp;

LISTEN:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/90be1788-5134-4e53-abd2-48415a7901c5">🎙King in the Community: State Rep. Susan Concannon</a>

Concannon later found more evidence for Kolling’s alleged neglect when KDHE staff told her that a local individual sent the water samples to the state department. KDHE staff confirmed this was the standard when testing privately owned wells, and staff do not visit the site.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706028886080.jpeg" alt="Sundowner West Meadows Mobile Home Park resident Misty Livingston-Holmes holds up a water bottle filled with water from a spigot in her back yard on Wednesday, Jan. 17, near Hedville. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>Sundowner West Meadows Mobile Home Park resident Misty Livingston-Holmes holds up a water bottle filled with water from a spigot in her back yard on Wednesday, Jan. 17, near Hedville. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>By NATE KING KING and OLIVIA BERGMEIER Salina PostEarlier this month, the Kansas Corporation Commission, or KCC, ordered Sundowner, LLC, owner Scott Kolling, to remove the locks he placed on water meters at Sundowner West Mobile Home and Trailer Park.Following the adoption of a report by the KCC Utilities Division, staff found that Kolling was out of compliance as a public utility.Sundowner, LLC’s failure to obtain proper documentation could lead to an almost $1 million fine. The fine is from K.S.A. 66-138, which prescribes a civil penalty of no less than $100 a day for providers who fail to comply with a provision of the public utilities statutes. The report stated that the fine would begin on Aug. 26, 2021.One of these statutes requires filing for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, or COC, before providing the service. According to the KCC analysis, staff found that Sundowner, LLC owner Scott Kolling had not obtained a COC.“<a href="https://www.ksrevisor.org/statutes/chapters/ch66/066_001_0004.html">K.S.A. 66-104</a>&nbsp;defines a public utility as any company that furnishes water service,” the report by the KCC Utilities Division stated. “In addition to obtaining a COC to operate as a public utility, <a href="https://www.ksrevisor.org/statutes/chapters/ch66/066_001_0017.html">K.S.A. 66-117</a>&nbsp;requires public utilities to seek approval for any rates or changes to its customers.”Misty Livingston-Holmes, a longtime resident at Sundowner, said she voiced her concerns with the KCC about whether or not the founder of Sundowner, Frank Norton, ever applied for a COC when he established the park or if he was required to do so.“I said, ‘I want clarification on this,” Livingston-Holmes said. “[Saline County]&nbsp; told me to call the KCC, and they will handle it.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706028816067.jpeg" alt="A bottle filled with water from an outside spigot at Sundowner West Meadows Mobile Home Park resident Misty Livingston-Holmes' house on Wednesday, Jan. 17, near Hedville. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>A bottle filled with water from an outside spigot at Sundowner West Meadows Mobile Home Park resident Misty Livingston-Holmes' house on Wednesday, Jan. 17, near Hedville. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>READ MORE: <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/fbf51323-7eb3-4f6c-8e69-37dea91cc2e6">Years of neglect causes water crisis at Sundowner Mobile Home and Trailer Park</a>When Livingston-Holmes called the KCC’s consumer helpline in 2023 and again in January 2024, the KCC staff told her that the commission knew nothing about the water issue at Sundowner or that Sundowner’s public utility even existed.According to a statement from Linda Berry, the KCC Public Affairs and Consumer Protection director, the KCC staff are unsure when the subdivision Norton founded became a public utility. Berry said if Norton sold water to private homes while he owned the park, it would qualify as a public utility under <a href="https://www.ksrevisor.org/statutes/chapters/ch66/066_001_0004.html">K.S.A. 66-104</a>.This unknown qualification status for a COC or other oversight continued through each subsequent owner of Sundowner, LLC.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709938771635.jpeg" alt="The corrosion on a kitchen sink in Misty Livingston-Holme's home at Sundowner West Mobile Home and Trailer Park in early March. Image courtesy Misty Livingston-Holmes." />
 <figcaption>The corrosion on a kitchen sink in Misty Livingston-Holme's home at Sundowner West Mobile Home and Trailer Park in early March. Image courtesy Misty Livingston-Holmes.</figcaption>
 </figure>“They didn't know anything about it because he [Kolling] was never registered with the state,” Livingston-Holmes said. “Sundowner originated with Frank Norton owning the property. We bought lots, so with Frank, though, owning all of this, he didn't have to register.”Residents at Sundowner, including Livingston-Holmes, continue to experience alternating days of black water with sandy sediment or strong-smelling chlorinated water coming from their faucets. Livingston-Holmes said the water quality issues have ruined her kitchen and bathroom appliances.&nbsp;“This is the third time that I've had to run my dishwasher. I'm currently running it empty because I ran my washer, and I had all kinds of nasty sand all over my dishes,” Livingston-Holmes said. “The water has ruined our clothes and appliances because of all the black yuck.”On top of black or heavily chlorinated water, Kolling allegedly provided water bills late to residents, with some Sundowner residents reporting bills that totaled almost $1,000.Billing issues continue to affect the residents of Sundowner, and Livingston-Holmes said she felt burdened with anger and disgust.“I got my water bill for February, and according to Scott, my consumption showed that I had used almost 16,000 gallons,” Livingston-Holmes said. “We use it to shower, which we try to do minimally, run our dishwasher, and wash our clothes. If you compare my bills from the past, we have never even come close to using 16,000 gallons of water.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709938977502.jpeg" alt="Residue on Misty Livingston-Holmes' shower at Sundowner West Mobile Home and Trailer Park. Image courtesy Misty Livingston-Holmes." />
 <figcaption>Residue on Misty Livingston-Holmes' shower at Sundowner West Mobile Home and Trailer Park. Image courtesy Misty Livingston-Holmes.</figcaption>
 </figure>Livingston-Holmes and other Sundowner residents first raised their concerns with the Saline County Commission, starting with Saline County District 5 Commissioner and Commission Chair Joe Hay.<h2>The early efforts from the local scene</h2>The only significant change the Saline County Commission could make to remedy the issue was to impose eminent domain, but that process is lengthy, and Hay said it would take too long to get the residents the help they need.Instead, Hay began conversations with the KCC and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, or KDHE, and provided as much information as possible. The recent KCC Utilities Division report outlined some things Hay found in his initial review of the issue.“I think they looked at it like he's [Kolling] neglected so much stuff,” Hay said. “He's never applied for the permit — he never applied to be able to raise their rates.”State Representative Susan Concannon became aware of the ongoing situation at Sundowner after hearing about billing errors and inconsistent water quality from Hay.&nbsp;LISTEN:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/90be1788-5134-4e53-abd2-48415a7901c5">🎙King in the Community: State Rep. Susan Concannon</a>Concannon later found more evidence for Kolling’s alleged neglect when KDHE staff told her that a local individual sent the water samples to the state department. KDHE staff confirmed this was the standard when testing privately owned wells, and staff do not visit the site.“When I first found out about it that weekend, when I came home, I just drove to Sundowner and walked around, met some people,” Concannon said. “I had to see and hear about it myself before I could be a big advocate for them in Topeka.”The following week, Concannon spoke with KDHE and a representative from Gov. Laura Kelly’s office to find a solution for residents.“I just could not find anybody who would respond in a way that I felt was reactive,” Concannon said.One way Concannon later saw an issue of slow response was in the Utilities Division report. Staff recommended that the KCC order Kolling to “Show Cause” or explain why Sundowner, LLC, would not need to apply for a COC within 30 days — possibly 30 more days of residents living with a compromised water system.To Concannon, this issue was more than just part of her job. As she began interacting with Livingston-Holmes and other residents, she found the importance of opening dialogue channels for them.“It's part of my job, but the part that I really enjoy is being able to fix a problem and help my constituents,” Concannon said. “Getting to know Misty has been just a pleasure. She really is a fighter for her community.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709939066435.jpeg" alt="The toilet tank filled with black water at Misty Livingston-Holmes' residence at Sundowner West Mobile Home and Trailer Park. Image courtesy Misty Livingston-Holmes." />
 <figcaption>The toilet tank filled with black water at Misty Livingston-Holmes' residence at Sundowner West Mobile Home and Trailer Park. Image courtesy Misty Livingston-Holmes.</figcaption>
 </figure>Inspired by the strength of Livingston-Holmes and other residents at Sundowner, Concannon continued to push the issue and decided to contact Kansas Sen. J. R. Claeys, chair of the Utilities Division. After notifying Claeys, he sought further clarification on Sundowner’s history.“The issue was that they [Kansas Attorney General’s Office] was under the assumption that the KCC would regulate based on it being from utility,” Claeys said. “Once they found out that there was a landlord-tenant issue, that gave them the clarification they could pursue.”According to KDHE Communications Director Jill Bronaugh, the KDHE is responsible for complying with and enforcing federal and state regulations regarding public water supply systems.&nbsp;Bronaugh said in the statement, “If the water system is privately owned, the KCC also has oversight authority regarding water rates.”&nbsp;With the analysis of the Sundowner issue complete and on public record, KCC staff and other departments continue to wait for Kolling to “Show Cause” as to why he may not need a COC to continue business as Sundowner, LCC.“This is a major health concern,” Livingston-Holmes. “I am very disappointed. I'm irritated. I'm just disgusted.”