SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities investigating a 4th of July weekend double murder in rural Kansas are asking the public’s assistance in locating&nbsp; 42-year-old Hieu Trong Luong. He is also known as Sunny, according to Sheriff's Lt. Benjamin Blick.

Just after 5 a.m. Saturday, sheriff's deputies were sent to a shooting call in the 4400 block of south Rock Road in rural Sedgwick County, according to Blick.&nbsp;

At the scene, first responders found 42-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20076411">David Baeza</a>&nbsp;of Wichita on the side of the road suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Colonel Brian White with the sheriff's department. EMS transported Baeza to an area hospital for treatment and later arrested him.

During an additional search of the rural property, deputies found a man and woman deceased in the backyard of a residence the 4300 block of South Rock Road. They died from apparent gunshot wounds. The woman was later identified as 43-year-old Saren Negrete-Perez of California.&nbsp; Authorities have not released the name of the man who died.

While processing the scene, investigators found 43-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=18714449">Joseph Ponse Jr. </a>&nbsp;of Wichita. Deputies booked him into the Sedgwick County jail.

Investigators still have individuals they want to interview in connection with the case, according to White. "This was not a random act and drug activity is believed involved."&nbsp; The victims did not live at the location where they were killed.&nbsp;

Ponse and Baeza remain jailed each on a bond of $500,000.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657288018642.png" alt="Luong-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Luong-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities investigating a 4th of July weekend double murder in rural Kansas are asking the public’s assistance in locating&nbsp; 42-year-old Hieu Trong Luong. He is also known as Sunny, according to Sheriff's Lt. Benjamin Blick.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1656781809875.png" alt="Rock Road was closed during the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Rock Road was closed during the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 5 a.m. Saturday, sheriff's deputies were sent to a shooting call in the 4400 block of south Rock Road in rural Sedgwick County, according to Blick.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657051675461.png" alt="Baeza-photo Sedgwick County." />
 <figcaption>Baeza-photo Sedgwick County.</figcaption>
 </figure>At the scene, first responders found 42-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20076411">David Baeza</a>&nbsp;of Wichita on the side of the road suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Colonel Brian White with the sheriff's department. EMS transported Baeza to an area hospital for treatment and later arrested him.During an additional search of the rural property, deputies found a man and woman deceased in the backyard of a residence the 4300 block of South Rock Road. They died from apparent gunshot wounds. The woman was later identified as 43-year-old Saren Negrete-Perez of California.&nbsp; Authorities have not released the name of the man who died.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657051599579.png" alt="Ponse-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Ponse-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>While processing the scene, investigators found 43-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=18714449">Joseph Ponse Jr. </a>&nbsp;of Wichita. Deputies booked him into the Sedgwick County jail.Investigators still have individuals they want to interview in connection with the case, according to White. "This was not a random act and drug activity is believed involved."&nbsp; The victims did not live at the location where they were killed.&nbsp;Ponse and Baeza remain jailed each on a bond of $500,000.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Search continues for suspect in Kansas double murder

Today is Sunday, July 10, the 191st day of 2022. There are 174 days left in the year.

On July 10, 1940, during World War II, the Battle of Britain began as the Luftwaffe started attacking southern England. (The Royal Air Force was ultimately victorious.)

In 1509, theologian John Calvin, a key figure of the Protestant Reformation, was born in Noyon, Picardy, France.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson personally delivered the Treaty of Versailles to the Senate and urged its ratification. (However, the Senate rejected it.)

In 1925, jury selection took place in Dayton, Tennessee, in the trial of John T. Scopes, charged with violating the law by teaching Darwin's Theory of Evolution. (Scopes was convicted and fined, but the verdict was overturned on a technicality.)

In 1929, American paper currency was reduced in size as the government began issuing bills that were approximately 25 percent smaller.

In 1951, armistice talks aimed at ending the Korean War began at Kaesong.

In 1985, the Greenpeace protest ship Rainbow Warrior was sunk with explosives in Auckland, New Zealand, by French intelligence agents; one activist was killed.

In 1991, Boris N. Yeltsin took the oath of office as the first elected president of the Russian republic. President George H.W. Bush lifted economic sanctions against South Africa.

In 2002, the House approved, 310-113, a measure to allow airline pilots to carry guns in the cockpit to defend their planes against terrorists (President George W. Bush later signed the measure into law).

In 2005, a search-and-rescue team found the body of a missing U.S. commando in eastern Afghanistan, bringing an end to the desperate search for the last member of an ill-fated, four-man special forces unit that had disappeared the previous month.

In 2015, to the cheers of thousands, South Carolina pulled the Confederate flag from its place of honor at the Statehouse after more than 50 years.

In 2018, a daring rescue mission in Thailand was completed successfully, as the last four of the 12 boys who were trapped in a flooded cave for more than two weeks were brought to safety along with their soccer coach; the other eight had been brought out in the two preceding days.

In 2020, President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of his longtime political confidant Roger Stone, intervening in extraordinary fashion in a criminal case that was central to the Russia investigation and concerned Trump's own conduct; the move came days before Stone was to begin serving a 40-month sentence for lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the House investigation into whether Trump's 2016 campaign had colluded with Russia.

Ten years ago: Clashing over the economy, President Barack Obama challenged Mitt Romney to join him in allowing tax hikes for rich Americans like them; Romney dismissed the idea and redirected charges that he, Romney, had sent jobs overseas when he worked in private equity, calling Obama the real "outsourcer-in-chief." An Israeli court cleared former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of the central charges in a multi-case corruption trial that forced him from power, but convicted him of a lesser charge of breach of trust, for which Olmert received a suspended one-year jail sentence. The National League romped to an 8-0 victory over the American League in the All-Star game.

Five years ago: Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged that he agreed to meet with a Russian lawyer during his father's presidential campaign in the hope that he would receive information about Democrat Hillary Clinton. Fifteen Marines and a Navy corpsman were killed in the crash of a Marine Corps refueling and cargo plane in a soybean field in Mississippi.

One year ago: A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was hoisted off its stone pedestal in Charlottesville, Virginia and hauled away to storage along with a statue of Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson; the Lee monument had become a rallying cry for white supremacists, leading to a deadly 2017 rally in which a peaceful counterprotester was killed. Ash Barty won Wimbledon for her second Grand Slam title, holding off a comeback bid by Karolina Pliskova to win 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3; she was the first Australian woman to capture Wimbledon since Evonne Goolagong in 1980.

Today's Birthdays: Actor William Smithers is 95. Actor Lawrence Pressman is 83. Singer Mavis Staples is 83. Actor Mills Watson is 82. Actor Robert Pine is 81. Rock musician Jerry Miller (Moby Grape) is 79. International Tennis Hall of Famer Virginia Wade is 77. Folk singer Arlo Guthrie is 75. Rock musician Dave Smalley is 73. Country-folk singer-songwriter Cheryl Wheeler is 71. Rock singer Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys) is 68. Banjo player Bela Fleck is 64. Actor Fiona Shaw is 64. Bluegrass singer-musician Tim Surrett (Balsam Range) is 59. Actor Alec Mapa is 57. Country singer-songwriter Ken Mellons is 57. Rock musician Peter DiStefano (Porno for Pyros) is 57. Actor Gale Harold is 53. Country singer Gary LeVox (Rascal Flatts) is 52. Actor Aaron D. Spears is 51. Actor Sofia Vergara is 50. Rockabilly singer Imelda May is 48. Actor Adrian Grenier is 46. Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor is 45. Actor Gwendoline Yeo is 45. Actor Thomas Ian Nicholas is 42. Singer-actor Jessica Simpson is 42. Actor Heather Hemmens is 38. Actor Emily Skeggs (TV: "When We Rise") is 32. Rapper/singer Angel Haze is 31. Pop singer Perrie Edwards (Little Mix) is 29.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Sunday, July 10, the 191st day of 2022. There are 174 days left in the year.Today's Highlight in History:On July 10, 1940, during World War II, the Battle of Britain began as the Luftwaffe started attacking southern England. (The Royal Air Force was ultimately victorious.)On this date:In 1509, theologian John Calvin, a key figure of the Protestant Reformation, was born in Noyon, Picardy, France.In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson personally delivered the Treaty of Versailles to the Senate and urged its ratification. (However, the Senate rejected it.)In 1925, jury selection took place in Dayton, Tennessee, in the trial of John T. Scopes, charged with violating the law by teaching Darwin's Theory of Evolution. (Scopes was convicted and fined, but the verdict was overturned on a technicality.)In 1929, American paper currency was reduced in size as the government began issuing bills that were approximately 25 percent smaller.In 1951, armistice talks aimed at ending the Korean War began at Kaesong.In 1985, the Greenpeace protest ship Rainbow Warrior was sunk with explosives in Auckland, New Zealand, by French intelligence agents; one activist was killed.In 1991, Boris N. Yeltsin took the oath of office as the first elected president of the Russian republic. President George H.W. Bush lifted economic sanctions against South Africa.In 2002, the House approved, 310-113, a measure to allow airline pilots to carry guns in the cockpit to defend their planes against terrorists (President George W. Bush later signed the measure into law).In 2005, a search-and-rescue team found the body of a missing U.S. commando in eastern Afghanistan, bringing an end to the desperate search for the last member of an ill-fated, four-man special forces unit that had disappeared the previous month.In 2015, to the cheers of thousands, South Carolina pulled the Confederate flag from its place of honor at the Statehouse after more than 50 years.In 2018, a daring rescue mission in Thailand was completed successfully, as the last four of the 12 boys who were trapped in a flooded cave for more than two weeks were brought to safety along with their soccer coach; the other eight had been brought out in the two preceding days.In 2020, President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of his longtime political confidant Roger Stone, intervening in extraordinary fashion in a criminal case that was central to the Russia investigation and concerned Trump's own conduct; the move came days before Stone was to begin serving a 40-month sentence for lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the House investigation into whether Trump's 2016 campaign had colluded with Russia.Ten years ago: Clashing over the economy, President Barack Obama challenged Mitt Romney to join him in allowing tax hikes for rich Americans like them; Romney dismissed the idea and redirected charges that he, Romney, had sent jobs overseas when he worked in private equity, calling Obama the real "outsourcer-in-chief." An Israeli court cleared former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of the central charges in a multi-case corruption trial that forced him from power, but convicted him of a lesser charge of breach of trust, for which Olmert received a suspended one-year jail sentence. The National League romped to an 8-0 victory over the American League in the All-Star game.Five years ago: Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged that he agreed to meet with a Russian lawyer during his father's presidential campaign in the hope that he would receive information about Democrat Hillary Clinton. Fifteen Marines and a Navy corpsman were killed in the crash of a Marine Corps refueling and cargo plane in a soybean field in Mississippi.One year ago: A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was hoisted off its stone pedestal in Charlottesville, Virginia and hauled away to storage along with a statue of Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson; the Lee monument had become a rallying cry for white supremacists, leading to a deadly 2017 rally in which a peaceful counterprotester was killed. Ash Barty won Wimbledon for her second Grand Slam title, holding off a comeback bid by Karolina Pliskova to win 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3; she was the first Australian woman to capture Wimbledon since Evonne Goolagong in 1980.Today's Birthdays: Actor William Smithers is 95. Actor Lawrence Pressman is 83. Singer Mavis Staples is 83. Actor Mills Watson is 82. Actor Robert Pine is 81. Rock musician Jerry Miller (Moby Grape) is 79. International Tennis Hall of Famer Virginia Wade is 77. Folk singer Arlo Guthrie is 75. Rock musician Dave Smalley is 73. Country-folk singer-songwriter Cheryl Wheeler is 71. Rock singer Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys) is 68. Banjo player Bela Fleck is 64. Actor Fiona Shaw is 64. Bluegrass singer-musician Tim Surrett (Balsam Range) is 59. Actor Alec Mapa is 57. Country singer-songwriter Ken Mellons is 57. Rock musician Peter DiStefano (Porno for Pyros) is 57. Actor Gale Harold is 53. Country singer Gary LeVox (Rascal Flatts) is 52. Actor Aaron D. Spears is 51. Actor Sofia Vergara is 50. Rockabilly singer Imelda May is 48. Actor Adrian Grenier is 46. Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor is 45. Actor Gwendoline Yeo is 45. Actor Thomas Ian Nicholas is 42. Singer-actor Jessica Simpson is 42. Actor Heather Hemmens is 38. Actor Emily Skeggs (TV: "When We Rise") is 32. Rapper/singer Angel Haze is 31. Pop singer Perrie Edwards (Little Mix) is 29.

Today in History - July 10

By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-07-05/burned-out-as-more-educators-leave-kansas-faces-its-worst-ever-teacher-shortage">Kansas News Service</a>

WICHITA, Kansas — First came the school year where a killer 
virus sent everybody home early. Then the maddening online year. 
Followed by the half-and-half year.

Amid all that, teachers — or public schools writ large — became the 
enemy. Hostility boiled over about wearing masks, banning library books 
or teaching about history and race. And fears continued about gunmen 
storming classrooms.


Many teachers, principals and superintendents found themselves burned
 out, or merely worn out, and they’re calling it quits — heading for 
retirement or other jobs.


Now Kansas finds itself facing the most severe teacher shortage it’s 
ever known. Roughly 4% of teaching jobs — about 1,400 — are unfilled, 
and by the time the first bell rings this fall, it’s likely to be worse,
 not better.


“Forty years ago, there were up to 100 applicants for every 
(teaching) job in Kansas,” said Education Commissioner Randy Watson. 
This fall, even large districts will be lucky to get 10, he said. “We’ll
 have shortages.”


The problem has been building for years. But <a href="https://www.rand.org/education-and-labor/projects/state-of-the-american-teacher-and-the-american-principal.html" target="_blank">new research by the RAND Corporation</a> shows that the COVID-19 pandemic increased teachers’ levels of stress and burnout and may be accelerating the exodus.

The RAND think tank’s national survey of teachers and principals in 
January found educators faring far worse than other working adults on 
several indicators of overall well-being.


Nearly three-fourths of teachers and 85% of principals complained of 
frequent stress from their jobs. That’s more than double most adults. 
Fifty-nine percent of teachers and 48% of principals say they’re burned 
out.


Nearly a third of teachers and principals said they were likely to 
leave their current job by the end of the school year, an increase since
 <a href="https://www.rand.org/education-and-labor/projects/state-of-the-american-teacher-and-the-american-principal/related-research.html" target="_blank">RAND’s survey in 2021</a>. Teachers of color were more likely than white teachers to say they intended to leave.

For several years now, the survey has painted “a picture of stress 
and of some job dissatisfaction for many educators,” said Elizabeth 
Steiner, a policy researcher and co-author of the report.


The RAND survey found that supportive school environments — in which 
teachers are involved in decision-making and have positive relationships
 with their colleagues — lead to better well-being and a decreased 
likelihood of leaving the profession.


“They still love their jobs, want to be there for their students … 
love teaching, love leading schools,” Steiner said. “For many of them, 
it’s the context that they are teaching in, not teaching itself, that 
they find to be stressful and difficult.”


Cindy Deutsch <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/the-range/2022-06-17/let-the-children-play-a-wichita-kindergarten-teacher-looks-back-on-37-years-in-the-classroom" target="_blank">retired this spring</a>
 after teaching kindergarten for 37 years in Wichita. Early in her 
career, she had lots of flexibility and independence in the classroom, 
she said. Not now.

“We’re micromanaged a lot, where we’re told exactly what we’re 
supposed to be teaching, when we’re supposed to be teaching it,” she 
said.


A major frustration was an intense focus on testing even the youngest
 students, Deutsch said. When she started teaching, there were four 
categories to mark on kids’ report cards for reading and writing. Last 
year, there were more than 20.


At times, she said, she felt like she was testing more than teaching:


“We weigh the cow and we weigh the cow, but we don’t have time to feed the cow because we’re weighing the cow so much.”


Jarred Fuhrman struggled over his decision to leave his job as principal of <a href="https://blhs.usd458.org/" target="_blank">Basehor-Linwood High School</a>,
 but he finally decided in May to try something new. Fuhrman accepted a 
position in human resources for a Kansas City-area company.

“For me, it was a family decision,” said Fuhrman, who has two 
school-age children. “Being a high school principal is one of the more 
challenging positions in education.”


Fuhrman said there were days he’d get to school at 7 a.m. and not leave until after 10 p.m.


“It just wears on you. It’s just exhausting,” he said. “I was just tired.”


“The last couple years have been pretty hard with COVID and just all 
the different changes that schools have been going through,” he said. “I
 do worry about the teacher shortage. I think it’s going to be a little 
scary the next couple of years, and I don’t know that I have a good 
answer for that.”


Steiner, the RAND researcher, said a majority of teachers and 
principals intend to stay in their jobs and are leaning on each other to
 cope with job-related stress.


“They turn to their friends and colleagues to vent, to seek solutions, or sometimes just to hang out,” she said.


Steiner said school leaders should ask teachers what contributes to their stress and try to fix those problems.


“If there’s anything district and school leaders can do to address 
the things that teachers find difficult about their job,” she said, “it 
could help improve educators’ mental health.”


Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657138583709.png" alt="Nearly a third of teachers and principals said they were likely to leave their current job by the end of the school year, according to a survey by the RAND Corporation. Carlos Moreno/KCUR 89.3" />
 <figcaption>Nearly a third of teachers and principals said they were likely to leave their current job by the end of the school year, according to a survey by the RAND Corporation. Carlos Moreno/KCUR 89.3</figcaption>
 </figure>By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-07-05/burned-out-as-more-educators-leave-kansas-faces-its-worst-ever-teacher-shortage">Kansas News Service</a>WICHITA, Kansas — First came the school year where a killer 
virus sent everybody home early. Then the maddening online year. 
Followed by the half-and-half year.
Amid all that, teachers — or public schools writ large — became the 
enemy. Hostility boiled over about wearing masks, banning library books 
or teaching about history and race. And fears continued about gunmen 
storming classrooms.
Many teachers, principals and superintendents found themselves burned
 out, or merely worn out, and they’re calling it quits — heading for 
retirement or other jobs.
Now Kansas finds itself facing the most severe teacher shortage it’s 
ever known. Roughly 4% of teaching jobs — about 1,400 — are unfilled, 
and by the time the first bell rings this fall, it’s likely to be worse,
 not better.
“Forty years ago, there were up to 100 applicants for every 
(teaching) job in Kansas,” said Education Commissioner Randy Watson. 
This fall, even large districts will be lucky to get 10, he said. “We’ll
 have shortages.”
The problem has been building for years. But <a href="https://www.rand.org/education-and-labor/projects/state-of-the-american-teacher-and-the-american-principal.html" target="_blank">new research by the RAND Corporation</a> shows that the COVID-19 pandemic increased teachers’ levels of stress and burnout and may be accelerating the exodus.
The RAND think tank’s national survey of teachers and principals in 
January found educators faring far worse than other working adults on 
several indicators of overall well-being.
Nearly three-fourths of teachers and 85% of principals complained of 
frequent stress from their jobs. That’s more than double most adults. 
Fifty-nine percent of teachers and 48% of principals say they’re burned 
out.
Nearly a third of teachers and principals said they were likely to 
leave their current job by the end of the school year, an increase since
 <a href="https://www.rand.org/education-and-labor/projects/state-of-the-american-teacher-and-the-american-principal/related-research.html" target="_blank">RAND’s survey in 2021</a>. Teachers of color were more likely than white teachers to say they intended to leave.
For several years now, the survey has painted “a picture of stress 
and of some job dissatisfaction for many educators,” said Elizabeth 
Steiner, a policy researcher and co-author of the report.
The RAND survey found that supportive school environments — in which 
teachers are involved in decision-making and have positive relationships
 with their colleagues — lead to better well-being and a decreased 
likelihood of leaving the profession.
“They still love their jobs, want to be there for their students … 
love teaching, love leading schools,” Steiner said. “For many of them, 
it’s the context that they are teaching in, not teaching itself, that 
they find to be stressful and difficult.”
<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657138676699.png" alt="Cindy Deutsch recently retired after 37 years of teaching, most of it in kindergarten classrooms in Wichita. Suzanne Perez / KMUW" />
 <figcaption>Cindy Deutsch recently retired after 37 years of teaching, most of it in kindergarten classrooms in Wichita. Suzanne Perez / KMUW</figcaption>
 </figure>Cindy Deutsch <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/the-range/2022-06-17/let-the-children-play-a-wichita-kindergarten-teacher-looks-back-on-37-years-in-the-classroom" target="_blank">retired this spring</a>
 after teaching kindergarten for 37 years in Wichita. Early in her 
career, she had lots of flexibility and independence in the classroom, 
she said. Not now.
“We’re micromanaged a lot, where we’re told exactly what we’re 
supposed to be teaching, when we’re supposed to be teaching it,” she 
said.
A major frustration was an intense focus on testing even the youngest
 students, Deutsch said. When she started teaching, there were four 
categories to mark on kids’ report cards for reading and writing. Last 
year, there were more than 20.
At times, she said, she felt like she was testing more than teaching:
“We weigh the cow and we weigh the cow, but we don’t have time to feed the cow because we’re weighing the cow so much.”
Jarred Fuhrman struggled over his decision to leave his job as principal of <a href="https://blhs.usd458.org/" target="_blank">Basehor-Linwood High School</a>,
 but he finally decided in May to try something new. Fuhrman accepted a 
position in human resources for a Kansas City-area company.
“For me, it was a family decision,” said Fuhrman, who has two 
school-age children. “Being a high school principal is one of the more 
challenging positions in education.”
Fuhrman said there were days he’d get to school at 7 a.m. and not leave until after 10 p.m.
“It just wears on you. It’s just exhausting,” he said. “I was just tired.”
“The last couple years have been pretty hard with COVID and just all 
the different changes that schools have been going through,” he said. “I
 do worry about the teacher shortage. I think it’s going to be a little 
scary the next couple of years, and I don’t know that I have a good 
answer for that.”
Steiner, the RAND researcher, said a majority of teachers and 
principals intend to stay in their jobs and are leaning on each other to
 cope with job-related stress.
“They turn to their friends and colleagues to vent, to seek solutions, or sometimes just to hang out,” she said.
Steiner said school leaders should ask teachers what contributes to their stress and try to fix those problems.
“If there’s anything district and school leaders can do to address 
the things that teachers find difficult about their job,” she said, “it 
could help improve educators’ mental health.”
Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.

Burned out: Kansas faces its worst-ever teacher shortage

By DAVID L. HUDSON, JR. Freedom Forum

Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo once said, “The meaning of today is not the meaning of tomorrow.” Dissenting opinions play a vital role in our constitutional democracy, offering different viewpoints from the majority. The right to dissent is also key to the First Amendment, as it protects unpopular opinions and perspectives.

Some dissenting opinions have changed the course of history. Consider that the U.S. Supreme Court once sanctioned legalized segregation by race in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). In a solitary dissent in Plessy, Justice&nbsp;John Marshall Harlan I&nbsp;wrote that “in respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law.”

It was Harlan’s vision in his lone dissent that won out in the celebrated Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decision 58 years later.

These five dissenting opinions in First Amendment cases had significant influence on the law and society.

(1) Political dissent should be protected speech — Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes in<a href="https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/250/616.html" target="_blank">&nbsp;Abrams v. United States</a>&nbsp;(1919)

Several Russian immigrants were charged with violating the Sedition Act of 1918 — a federal law designed to suppress political dissent — by distributing pamphlets that urged workers to strike and revolt if the United States militarily intervened in Russia’s revolution.

The court’s majority upheld the immigrants’ 20-year prison terms, reasoning that the clear plan of the pamphleteers was to foment distrust in the government and create a paralysis through striking. Justice&nbsp;Oliver Wendell Holmes&nbsp;– joined by&nbsp;Louis Brandeis&nbsp;– disagreed in what many have called “the Great Dissent.”

“It is only the present danger of immediate evil or an intent to bring it about that warrants Congress in setting a limit to the expression of opinion where private rights are not concerned,” Holmes wrote. He also said that even negative or unpopular ideas should be entered into the marketplace of ideas because “the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market.”

In his book “The Great Dissent,” author&nbsp;Thomas Healy&nbsp;says this dissenting opinion “changed the history of free speech in America.” It established that even political dissenters on the fringe have a right to freedom of speech

(2) Students shouldn’t be forced to say the pledge — Justice Harlan Fiske Stone in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1955/310us586" target="_blank">Minersville School District v. Gobitis</a>&nbsp;(1940)

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Pennsylvania law that required public school students to stand, salute the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Students who disobeyed were expelled. The Gobitis children, Lillian and Billy, refused to comply as they were Jehovah’s Witnesses who believed saluting the flag was akin to worshipping a graven image.

The court’s majority ruled for the school district, reasoning that religious liberty must give way to political authority. But, a lone voice of dissent, Justice&nbsp;Harlan Fiske Stone&nbsp;warned that “the state seeks to coerce these children to express a sentiment which, as they interpret it, they do not entertain, and which violates their deepest religious convictions.”

The decision in Gobitis had the effect of labeling Jehovah’s Witnesses as traitors, and a wave of violence sadly unfolded against them. The U.S. Supreme Court overruled Gobitis only three years later in West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette (1943), invalidating a similar flag salute law.

The court ruled in Barnette that public school officials could not compel student speech by forcing them to salute the flag. It was a stirring tribute to the idea that the court can fix its own wrongs.

(3) People speaking publicly generally should be protected, not punished — Justice Hugo Black in&nbsp;<a href="https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/340/315.html" target="_blank">Feiner v. New York</a>&nbsp;(1951)

Syracuse University student&nbsp;Irving Feiner&nbsp;stood on a street corner in New York, urging African Americans to stand up for their rights. Many in the crowd did not support Feiner, believing he was a rabble-rouser who was advocating dangerous ideas.

Instead of protecting Feiner, the police arrested him and charged him with disorderly conduct. The majority of the Supreme Court upheld his conviction, saying that police officers could reasonably think his speech was stirring up the audience and could lead to possible harm. But Justice Hugo Black wrote a fiery dissenting opinion. “In my judgment, today’s holding means that as a practical matter, minority speakers can be silenced in any city,” he warned.

As a result of the conviction, Irving Feiner was expelled from the university, and it would take decades before the school would repent for that action. But today — partly as a legacy of Black’s dissent — minority voices can speak out without fear of government retribution.

(4) Political dissent should be protected in wartime, too — Justice William O. Douglas in&nbsp;<a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/341/494/#:~:text=Dennis%20was%20convicted%20of%20conspiring%20with%20other%20Communist,organize%20people%20to%20perform%20such%20advocacy%20or%20teaching." target="_blank">Dennis v. United States</a>&nbsp;(1951)

In this decision, the Supreme Court upheld the convictions of&nbsp;Eugene Dennis&nbsp;and 10 other members of the American Communist Party for violating the Smith Act, a law that criminalized advocating or teaching the propriety of the violent overthrow of the United States’ government.

The majority emphasized the threat of communism to the established order in the reasoning behind its ruling.

Justice&nbsp;William O. Douglas’&nbsp;dissent criticized the majority for upholding people’s convictions for their noxious beliefs rather than for any concrete actions they had committed against the country. “Unless and until extreme and necessitous circumstances are shown, our aim should be to keep speech unfettered and to allow the processes of law to be invoked only when the provocateurs among us move from speech to action,” he concluded.

In hindsight, the Dennis decision serves as another example of the government’s overzealous punishment of dissident speech in times of war or national emergency. But Douglas,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.freedomforuminstitute.org/2011/05/30/william-o-douglas-ardent-first-amendment-defender/" target="_blank">an ardent free-speech defender</a>, offered a more protective view of free speech.

(5) Government employees should have free speech, too — Justice David Souter in&nbsp;<a href="https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/547/410.html" target="_blank">Garcetti v. Ceballos</a>&nbsp;(2006)

For many years, courts balanced public employees’ right to speak out on matters of public importance against their government employer’s own interests. In 2006, the court created a new categorical rule that if the public employee spoke in accordance with their official duties, then they had no First Amendment protection. In Garcetti v. Ceballos, the court held that the First Amendment wouldn’t protect Los Angeles assistant district attorney&nbsp;Richard Ceballos&nbsp;from punishment for speech he made in a memo. Ceballos’ assignment was to write the memo, so he had no free-speech claim.

Justice&nbsp;David Souter&nbsp;was one of four who dissented. He explained in his dissent that “[t]here is no question that public employees speaking on matters they are obliged to address would generally place a high value on a right to speak, as any responsible citizen would.”

Garcetti is still the law today. It has&nbsp;<a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3816664" target="_blank">devastated the free-speech rights</a>&nbsp;of many public employees who have been “<a href="https://www.freedomforuminstitute.org/2010/01/15/garcettized-06-ruling-still-zapping-speech/" target="_blank">Garcettized</a>.” Hopefully, one day Souter’s dissent will become law, just like Justice John Marshall Harlan I’s epic dissent in Plessy.

David L. Hudson Jr., is a First Amendment fellow of the Freedom Forum and a law professor at Belmont University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620536997682.jpeg" alt="David Hudson. Photo courtesy Freedom Forum" />
 <figcaption>David Hudson. Photo courtesy Freedom Forum</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVID L. HUDSON, JR. Freedom ForumFormer U.S. Supreme Court Justice Benjamin Cardozo once said, “The meaning of today is not the meaning of tomorrow.” Dissenting opinions play a vital role in our constitutional democracy, offering different viewpoints from the majority. The right to dissent is also key to the First Amendment, as it protects unpopular opinions and perspectives.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657340484633.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Some dissenting opinions have changed the course of history. Consider that the U.S. Supreme Court once sanctioned legalized segregation by race in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). In a solitary dissent in Plessy, Justice&nbsp;John Marshall Harlan I&nbsp;wrote that “in respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law.”It was Harlan’s vision in his lone dissent that won out in the celebrated Brown v. Board of Education (1954) decision 58 years later.These five dissenting opinions in First Amendment cases had significant influence on the law and society.(1) Political dissent should be protected speech — Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes in<a href="https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/250/616.html" target="_blank">&nbsp;Abrams v. United States</a>&nbsp;(1919)Several Russian immigrants were charged with violating the Sedition Act of 1918 — a federal law designed to suppress political dissent — by distributing pamphlets that urged workers to strike and revolt if the United States militarily intervened in Russia’s revolution.The court’s majority upheld the immigrants’ 20-year prison terms, reasoning that the clear plan of the pamphleteers was to foment distrust in the government and create a paralysis through striking. Justice&nbsp;Oliver Wendell Holmes&nbsp;– joined by&nbsp;Louis Brandeis&nbsp;– disagreed in what many have called “the Great Dissent.”“It is only the present danger of immediate evil or an intent to bring it about that warrants Congress in setting a limit to the expression of opinion where private rights are not concerned,” Holmes wrote. He also said that even negative or unpopular ideas should be entered into the marketplace of ideas because “the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market.”In his book “The Great Dissent,” author&nbsp;Thomas Healy&nbsp;says this dissenting opinion “changed the history of free speech in America.” It established that even political dissenters on the fringe have a right to freedom of speech(2) Students shouldn’t be forced to say the pledge — Justice Harlan Fiske Stone in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.oyez.org/cases/1940-1955/310us586" target="_blank">Minersville School District v. Gobitis</a>&nbsp;(1940)The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a Pennsylvania law that required public school students to stand, salute the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Students who disobeyed were expelled. The Gobitis children, Lillian and Billy, refused to comply as they were Jehovah’s Witnesses who believed saluting the flag was akin to worshipping a graven image.The court’s majority ruled for the school district, reasoning that religious liberty must give way to political authority. But, a lone voice of dissent, Justice&nbsp;Harlan Fiske Stone&nbsp;warned that “the state seeks to coerce these children to express a sentiment which, as they interpret it, they do not entertain, and which violates their deepest religious convictions.”The decision in Gobitis had the effect of labeling Jehovah’s Witnesses as traitors, and a wave of violence sadly unfolded against them. The U.S. Supreme Court overruled Gobitis only three years later in West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette (1943), invalidating a similar flag salute law.The court ruled in Barnette that public school officials could not compel student speech by forcing them to salute the flag. It was a stirring tribute to the idea that the court can fix its own wrongs.(3) People speaking publicly generally should be protected, not punished — Justice Hugo Black in&nbsp;<a href="https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/340/315.html" target="_blank">Feiner v. New York</a>&nbsp;(1951)Syracuse University student&nbsp;Irving Feiner&nbsp;stood on a street corner in New York, urging African Americans to stand up for their rights. Many in the crowd did not support Feiner, believing he was a rabble-rouser who was advocating dangerous ideas.Instead of protecting Feiner, the police arrested him and charged him with disorderly conduct. The majority of the Supreme Court upheld his conviction, saying that police officers could reasonably think his speech was stirring up the audience and could lead to possible harm. But Justice Hugo Black wrote a fiery dissenting opinion. “In my judgment, today’s holding means that as a practical matter, minority speakers can be silenced in any city,” he warned.As a result of the conviction, Irving Feiner was expelled from the university, and it would take decades before the school would repent for that action. But today — partly as a legacy of Black’s dissent — minority voices can speak out without fear of government retribution.(4) Political dissent should be protected in wartime, too — Justice William O. Douglas in&nbsp;<a href="https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/341/494/#:~:text=Dennis%20was%20convicted%20of%20conspiring%20with%20other%20Communist,organize%20people%20to%20perform%20such%20advocacy%20or%20teaching." target="_blank">Dennis v. United States</a>&nbsp;(1951)In this decision, the Supreme Court upheld the convictions of&nbsp;Eugene Dennis&nbsp;and 10 other members of the American Communist Party for violating the Smith Act, a law that criminalized advocating or teaching the propriety of the violent overthrow of the United States’ government.The majority emphasized the threat of communism to the established order in the reasoning behind its ruling.Justice&nbsp;William O. Douglas’&nbsp;dissent criticized the majority for upholding people’s convictions for their noxious beliefs rather than for any concrete actions they had committed against the country. “Unless and until extreme and necessitous circumstances are shown, our aim should be to keep speech unfettered and to allow the processes of law to be invoked only when the provocateurs among us move from speech to action,” he concluded.In hindsight, the Dennis decision serves as another example of the government’s overzealous punishment of dissident speech in times of war or national emergency. But Douglas,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.freedomforuminstitute.org/2011/05/30/william-o-douglas-ardent-first-amendment-defender/" target="_blank">an ardent free-speech defender</a>, offered a more protective view of free speech.(5) Government employees should have free speech, too — Justice David Souter in&nbsp;<a href="https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/547/410.html" target="_blank">Garcetti v. Ceballos</a>&nbsp;(2006)For many years, courts balanced public employees’ right to speak out on matters of public importance against their government employer’s own interests. In 2006, the court created a new categorical rule that if the public employee spoke in accordance with their official duties, then they had no First Amendment protection. In Garcetti v. Ceballos, the court held that the First Amendment wouldn’t protect Los Angeles assistant district attorney&nbsp;Richard Ceballos&nbsp;from punishment for speech he made in a memo. Ceballos’ assignment was to write the memo, so he had no free-speech claim.Justice&nbsp;David Souter&nbsp;was one of four who dissented. He explained in his dissent that “[t]here is no question that public employees speaking on matters they are obliged to address would generally place a high value on a right to speak, as any responsible citizen would.”Garcetti is still the law today. It has&nbsp;<a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3816664" target="_blank">devastated the free-speech rights</a>&nbsp;of many public employees who have been “<a href="https://www.freedomforuminstitute.org/2010/01/15/garcettized-06-ruling-still-zapping-speech/" target="_blank">Garcettized</a>.” Hopefully, one day Souter’s dissent will become law, just like Justice John Marshall Harlan I’s epic dissent in Plessy.David L. Hudson Jr., is a First Amendment fellow of the Freedom Forum and a law professor at Belmont University.

FIRST 5: Dissenting opinions that shaped 1st Amendment rights

Today is Saturday, July 9, the 190th day of 2022. There are 175 days left in the year.

On July 9, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to Gen. George Washington's troops in New York.

In 1918, 101 people were killed in a train collision in Nashville, Tennessee. The Distinguished Service Cross was established by an Act of Congress.

In 1937, a fire at 20th Century Fox's film storage facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey, destroyed most of the studio's silent films.

In 1943, during World War II, the Allies launched Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily.

In 1944, during World War II, American forces secured Saipan as the last Japanese defenses fell.

In 1947, the engagement of Britain's Princess Elizabeth to Lt. Philip Mountbatten was announced.

In 1965, the Sonny &amp; Cher single "I Got You Babe" was released by ATCO Records.

In 1982, Pan Am Flight 759, a Boeing 727, crashed in Kenner, Louisiana, shortly after takeoff from New Orleans International Airport, killing all 145 people aboard and eight people on the ground.

In 2004, a Senate Intelligence Committee report concluded the CIA had provided unfounded assessments of the threat posed by Iraq that the Bush administration had relied on to justify going to war.

In 2010, the largest U.S.-Russia spy swap since the Cold War was completed on a remote stretch of Vienna airport tarmac as planes from New York and Moscow arrived within minutes of each other with 10 Russian sleeper agents and four prisoners accused by Russia of spying for the West.

In 2015, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley relegated the Confederate flag to the state's "relic room" after the legislature passed a measure removing the flag from the grounds of the Statehouse in the wake of the slaughter of nine African-Americans at a church Bible study.

In 2018, President Donald Trump chose Brett Kavanaugh, a solidly conservative, politically connected federal appeals court judge, for the Supreme Court to fill the seat left vacant by the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy. (Kavanaugh would be confirmed in October after a contentious nomination fight.)

In 2020, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio used a roller to help paint "Black Lives Matter" in front of President Donald Trump's namesake Manhattan tower. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a New York prosecutor's demands for Trump's tax records.

Ten years ago: Facing sagging jobs numbers, President Barack Obama sought to recast the November election as a fight over tax fairness, urging tax cut extensions for all families earning less than $250,000 but denying them to households making more than that. The remains of six U.S. airmen lost over Laos in 1965 were laid to rest in a single casket at Arlington National Cemetery. Detroit's Prince Fielder became only the second player, after Ken Griffey Jr., to win multiple titles in the All-Star Home Run Derby, thrilling the crowd at Kauffman Stadium with eight splash shots into the right-field fountain and beating Toronto's Jose Bautista 12-7 in the final.

Five years ago: A cease-fire arranged by the United States, Russia and Jordan took effect in three war-torn provinces of southern Syria. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi celebrated with Iraqi troops in Mosul after they drove Islamic State militants from some of their last strongholds.

One year ago: Relaxing its COVID-19 guidelines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said vaccinated teachers and students did not need to wear masks inside school buildings. The White House said President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call that Putin must "take action" against cybercriminals in his country, and that the U.S. reserved the right to "defend its people and its critical infrastructure" from future attacks.

Today's Birthdays: Actor-singer Ed Ames is 95. Actor Richard Roundtree is 80. Singer Dee Dee Kenniebrew (The Crystals) is 77. Author Dean Koontz is 77. Football Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson is 75. Actor Chris Cooper is 71. TV personality John Tesh is 70. Country singer David Ball is 69. Business executive/TV personality Kevin O'Leary (TV: "Shark Tank") is 68. R&amp;B singer Debbie Sledge (Sister Sledge) is 68. Actor Jimmy Smits is 67. Actor Tom Hanks is 66. Singer Marc Almond is 65. Actor Kelly McGillis is 65. Rock singer Jim Kerr (Simple Minds) is 63. Actor-rock singer Courtney Love is 58. Rock musician Frank Bello (Anthrax) is 57. Actor David O'Hara is 57. Actor Pamela Adlon is 56. Actor Scott Grimes is 51. Actor Enrique Murciano is 49. Rock singer-musician Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse) is 47. Musician/producer Jack White is 47. Rock musician Dan Estrin (Hoobastank) is 46. Actor-director Fred Savage is 46. Actor Linda Park is 44. Actor Megan Parlen is 42. R&amp;B singer Kiely Williams (3lw) is 36. Actor Mitchel Musso is 31. Actor Georgie Henley is 27.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Saturday, July 9, the 190th day of 2022. There are 175 days left in the year.Today's Highlight in History:On July 9, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to Gen. George Washington's troops in New York.On this date:In 1918, 101 people were killed in a train collision in Nashville, Tennessee. The Distinguished Service Cross was established by an Act of Congress.In 1937, a fire at 20th Century Fox's film storage facility in Little Ferry, New Jersey, destroyed most of the studio's silent films.In 1943, during World War II, the Allies launched Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily.In 1944, during World War II, American forces secured Saipan as the last Japanese defenses fell.In 1947, the engagement of Britain's Princess Elizabeth to Lt. Philip Mountbatten was announced.In 1965, the Sonny &amp; Cher single "I Got You Babe" was released by ATCO Records.In 1982, Pan Am Flight 759, a Boeing 727, crashed in Kenner, Louisiana, shortly after takeoff from New Orleans International Airport, killing all 145 people aboard and eight people on the ground.In 2004, a Senate Intelligence Committee report concluded the CIA had provided unfounded assessments of the threat posed by Iraq that the Bush administration had relied on to justify going to war.In 2010, the largest U.S.-Russia spy swap since the Cold War was completed on a remote stretch of Vienna airport tarmac as planes from New York and Moscow arrived within minutes of each other with 10 Russian sleeper agents and four prisoners accused by Russia of spying for the West.In 2015, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley relegated the Confederate flag to the state's "relic room" after the legislature passed a measure removing the flag from the grounds of the Statehouse in the wake of the slaughter of nine African-Americans at a church Bible study.In 2018, President Donald Trump chose Brett Kavanaugh, a solidly conservative, politically connected federal appeals court judge, for the Supreme Court to fill the seat left vacant by the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy. (Kavanaugh would be confirmed in October after a contentious nomination fight.)In 2020, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio used a roller to help paint "Black Lives Matter" in front of President Donald Trump's namesake Manhattan tower. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a New York prosecutor's demands for Trump's tax records.Ten years ago: Facing sagging jobs numbers, President Barack Obama sought to recast the November election as a fight over tax fairness, urging tax cut extensions for all families earning less than $250,000 but denying them to households making more than that. The remains of six U.S. airmen lost over Laos in 1965 were laid to rest in a single casket at Arlington National Cemetery. Detroit's Prince Fielder became only the second player, after Ken Griffey Jr., to win multiple titles in the All-Star Home Run Derby, thrilling the crowd at Kauffman Stadium with eight splash shots into the right-field fountain and beating Toronto's Jose Bautista 12-7 in the final.Five years ago: A cease-fire arranged by the United States, Russia and Jordan took effect in three war-torn provinces of southern Syria. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi celebrated with Iraqi troops in Mosul after they drove Islamic State militants from some of their last strongholds.One year ago: Relaxing its COVID-19 guidelines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said vaccinated teachers and students did not need to wear masks inside school buildings. The White House said President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call that Putin must "take action" against cybercriminals in his country, and that the U.S. reserved the right to "defend its people and its critical infrastructure" from future attacks.Today's Birthdays: Actor-singer Ed Ames is 95. Actor Richard Roundtree is 80. Singer Dee Dee Kenniebrew (The Crystals) is 77. Author Dean Koontz is 77. Football Hall of Famer O.J. Simpson is 75. Actor Chris Cooper is 71. TV personality John Tesh is 70. Country singer David Ball is 69. Business executive/TV personality Kevin O'Leary (TV: "Shark Tank") is 68. R&amp;B singer Debbie Sledge (Sister Sledge) is 68. Actor Jimmy Smits is 67. Actor Tom Hanks is 66. Singer Marc Almond is 65. Actor Kelly McGillis is 65. Rock singer Jim Kerr (Simple Minds) is 63. Actor-rock singer Courtney Love is 58. Rock musician Frank Bello (Anthrax) is 57. Actor David O'Hara is 57. Actor Pamela Adlon is 56. Actor Scott Grimes is 51. Actor Enrique Murciano is 49. Rock singer-musician Isaac Brock (Modest Mouse) is 47. Musician/producer Jack White is 47. Rock musician Dan Estrin (Hoobastank) is 46. Actor-director Fred Savage is 46. Actor Linda Park is 44. Actor Megan Parlen is 42. R&amp;B singer Kiely Williams (3lw) is 36. Actor Mitchel Musso is 31. Actor Georgie Henley is 27.

Today in History - July 9

Sheriff asks for help to locate suspect in Kansas double murder

Today is Friday, July 8, the 189th day of 2022. There are 176 days left in the year.

On July 8, 1972, the Nixon administration announced a deal to sell $750 million in grain to the Soviet Union. (However, the Soviets were also engaged in secretly buying subsidized American grain, resulting in what critics dubbed "The Great Grain Robbery.")

In 1776, Col. John Nixon gave the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, outside the State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia.

In 1853, an expedition led by Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Yedo Bay, Japan, on a mission to seek diplomatic and trade relations with the Japanese.

In 1907, Florenz Ziegfeld staged his first "Follies," on the roof of the New York Theater.

In 1947, a New Mexico newspaper, the Roswell Daily Record, quoted officials at Roswell Army Air Field as saying they had recovered a "flying saucer" that crashed onto a ranch; officials then said it was actually a weather balloon. (To this day, there are those who believe what fell to Earth was an alien spaceship carrying extra-terrestrial beings.)

In 1950, President Harry S. Truman named Gen. Douglas MacArthur commander-in-chief of United Nations forces in Korea. (Truman ended up sacking MacArthur for insubordination nine months later.)

In 1967, Academy Award-winning actor Vivien Leigh, 53, died in London.

In 1989, Carlos Saul Menem was inaugurated as president of Argentina in the country's first transfer of power from one democratically elected civilian leader to another in six decades.

In 1994, Kim Il Sung, North Korea's communist leader since 1948, died at age 82.

In 2000, Venus Williams beat Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 7-6 (3) for her first Grand Slam title, becoming the first Black female champion at Wimbledon since Althea Gibson in 1957-58.

In 2010, the largest spy swap between the U.S. and Russia since the Cold War unfolded as 10 people accused of spying in suburban America pleaded guilty to conspiracy and were ordered deported to Russia in exchange for the release of four prisoners accused of spying for the West.

In 2011, former first lady Betty Ford died in Rancho Mirage, California, at age 93.

In 2016, on the first day of a two-day summit in Warsaw, NATO leaders geared up for a long-term standoff with Russia, ordering multinational troops to Poland and the three Baltic states as Moscow moved forward with its own plans to station two new divisions along its western borders.

Ten years ago: A bomb in eastern Afghanistan killed six NATO service members on a day in which a total of 29 people died from roadside bombs and insurgent attacks. Roger Federer equaled Pete Sampras' record of seven men's singles titles at the All England Club and won his 17th Grand Slam title overall, beating Andy Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. Academy Award-winning actor Ernest Borgnine, 95, died in Los Angeles.

Five years ago: At the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, world powers lined up against President Donald Trump on climate change, reaffirming their support for international efforts to fight global warming. After their first face-to-face meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he thought Trump believed his denials of Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential vote.

One year ago: President Joe Biden said the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan would end on Aug. 31; in a speech in the White House East Room, Biden made an impassioned argument for exiting the nearly 20-year war without sacrificing more America lives, but acknowledged that there would be no "mission accomplished" moment to celebrate. Amid increasing coronavirus infections, Tokyo's governor said fans would not be allowed in Tokyo-area stadiums and arenas for the Olympics, which would begin in two weeks. Former South African president Jacob Zuma turned himself over to police to begin serving a 15-month prison term for contempt. Lawyer Michael Avenatti was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike; Avenatti had gained fame representing porn star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against Donald Trump. Fourteen-year-old Zaila Avant-garde of Louisiana spelled "murraya" correctly to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, becoming the first African American champion.

Today's Birthdays: Singer Steve Lawrence is 87. Actor Jeffrey Tambor is 78. Rock musician Jaimoe Johanson is 77. Ballerina Cynthia Gregory is 75. Actor Kim Darby is 75. Actor Jonelle Allen is 74. Children's performer Raffi is 74. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck is 73. Actor Anjelica Huston is 71. Writer Anna Quindlen is 70. Actor Kevin Bacon is 64. Actor Robert Knepper is 63. Country singer Toby Keith is 61. Rock singer Joan Osborne is 60. Writer-producer Rob Burnett is 60. Actor Rocky Carroll is 59. Actor Corey Parker is 57. Actor Lee Tergesen is 57. Actor Michael B. Silver is 55. Actor Billy Crudup is 54. Actor Michael Weatherly is 54. Singer Beck is 52. Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco is 49. Actor Kathleen Robertson is 49. Christian rock musician Stephen Mason (Jars of Clay) is 47. Actor Milo Ventimiglia is 45. Singer Ben Jelen is 43. Actor Lance Gross is 41. Actor Sophia Bush is 40. Rock musician Jamie Cook (Arctic Monkeys) is 37. Actor Jake McDorman is 36. Actor Maya Hawke is 24. Actor Jaden Smith is 24.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Friday, July 8, the 189th day of 2022. There are 176 days left in the year.Today's Highlight in History:On July 8, 1972, the Nixon administration announced a deal to sell $750 million in grain to the Soviet Union. (However, the Soviets were also engaged in secretly buying subsidized American grain, resulting in what critics dubbed "The Great Grain Robbery.")On this date:In 1776, Col. John Nixon gave the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, outside the State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia.In 1853, an expedition led by Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Yedo Bay, Japan, on a mission to seek diplomatic and trade relations with the Japanese.In 1907, Florenz Ziegfeld staged his first "Follies," on the roof of the New York Theater.In 1947, a New Mexico newspaper, the Roswell Daily Record, quoted officials at Roswell Army Air Field as saying they had recovered a "flying saucer" that crashed onto a ranch; officials then said it was actually a weather balloon. (To this day, there are those who believe what fell to Earth was an alien spaceship carrying extra-terrestrial beings.)In 1950, President Harry S. Truman named Gen. Douglas MacArthur commander-in-chief of United Nations forces in Korea. (Truman ended up sacking MacArthur for insubordination nine months later.)In 1967, Academy Award-winning actor Vivien Leigh, 53, died in London.In 1989, Carlos Saul Menem was inaugurated as president of Argentina in the country's first transfer of power from one democratically elected civilian leader to another in six decades.In 1994, Kim Il Sung, North Korea's communist leader since 1948, died at age 82.In 2000, Venus Williams beat Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 7-6 (3) for her first Grand Slam title, becoming the first Black female champion at Wimbledon since Althea Gibson in 1957-58.In 2010, the largest spy swap between the U.S. and Russia since the Cold War unfolded as 10 people accused of spying in suburban America pleaded guilty to conspiracy and were ordered deported to Russia in exchange for the release of four prisoners accused of spying for the West.In 2011, former first lady Betty Ford died in Rancho Mirage, California, at age 93.In 2016, on the first day of a two-day summit in Warsaw, NATO leaders geared up for a long-term standoff with Russia, ordering multinational troops to Poland and the three Baltic states as Moscow moved forward with its own plans to station two new divisions along its western borders.Ten years ago: A bomb in eastern Afghanistan killed six NATO service members on a day in which a total of 29 people died from roadside bombs and insurgent attacks. Roger Federer equaled Pete Sampras' record of seven men's singles titles at the All England Club and won his 17th Grand Slam title overall, beating Andy Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. Academy Award-winning actor Ernest Borgnine, 95, died in Los Angeles.Five years ago: At the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, world powers lined up against President Donald Trump on climate change, reaffirming their support for international efforts to fight global warming. After their first face-to-face meeting, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he thought Trump believed his denials of Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential vote.One year ago: President Joe Biden said the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan would end on Aug. 31; in a speech in the White House East Room, Biden made an impassioned argument for exiting the nearly 20-year war without sacrificing more America lives, but acknowledged that there would be no "mission accomplished" moment to celebrate. Amid increasing coronavirus infections, Tokyo's governor said fans would not be allowed in Tokyo-area stadiums and arenas for the Olympics, which would begin in two weeks. Former South African president Jacob Zuma turned himself over to police to begin serving a 15-month prison term for contempt. Lawyer Michael Avenatti was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for trying to extort up to $25 million from Nike; Avenatti had gained fame representing porn star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against Donald Trump. Fourteen-year-old Zaila Avant-garde of Louisiana spelled "murraya" correctly to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, becoming the first African American champion.Today's Birthdays: Singer Steve Lawrence is 87. Actor Jeffrey Tambor is 78. Rock musician Jaimoe Johanson is 77. Ballerina Cynthia Gregory is 75. Actor Kim Darby is 75. Actor Jonelle Allen is 74. Children's performer Raffi is 74. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck is 73. Actor Anjelica Huston is 71. Writer Anna Quindlen is 70. Actor Kevin Bacon is 64. Actor Robert Knepper is 63. Country singer Toby Keith is 61. Rock singer Joan Osborne is 60. Writer-producer Rob Burnett is 60. Actor Rocky Carroll is 59. Actor Corey Parker is 57. Actor Lee Tergesen is 57. Actor Michael B. Silver is 55. Actor Billy Crudup is 54. Actor Michael Weatherly is 54. Singer Beck is 52. Comedian Sebastian Maniscalco is 49. Actor Kathleen Robertson is 49. Christian rock musician Stephen Mason (Jars of Clay) is 47. Actor Milo Ventimiglia is 45. Singer Ben Jelen is 43. Actor Lance Gross is 41. Actor Sophia Bush is 40. Rock musician Jamie Cook (Arctic Monkeys) is 37. Actor Jake McDorman is 36. Actor Maya Hawke is 24. Actor Jaden Smith is 24.

Today in History - July 8

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a man for the alleged attempted murder of his mother.

Just after 6:30p.m. Wednesday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communication Center received information that a 63-year-old woman had arrived at a local hospital with serious injuries to her face, head, and hands, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

 Investigators learned that the 63-year-old woman was attacked by her&nbsp; son identified as 41-year-old Preston Price&nbsp; in her own home in the 1100 block of NE 35th Street in Topeka.

The 63-year-old female was able to escape the scene and drive herself to a local hospital. She is currently being treated in a Kansas City hospital for extensive injuries suffered during the attack.

Deputies arrested Preston L. Price of Topeka and booked him on a requested charge of attempted murder in the 1st degree, according to Christian.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657221582560.png" alt="Price-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Price-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a man for the alleged attempted murder of his mother.Just after 6:30p.m. Wednesday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communication Center received information that a 63-year-old woman had arrived at a local hospital with serious injuries to her face, head, and hands, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. Investigators learned that the 63-year-old woman was attacked by her&nbsp; son identified as 41-year-old Preston Price&nbsp; in her own home in the 1100 block of NE 35th Street in Topeka.The 63-year-old female was able to escape the scene and drive herself to a local hospital. She is currently being treated in a Kansas City hospital for extensive injuries suffered during the attack.Deputies arrested Preston L. Price of Topeka and booked him on a requested charge of attempted murder in the 1st degree, according to Christian.

Kan. woman hospitalized after violent attack by her son

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a weekend double murder have identified one of the victims as 43-year-old Saren Negrete-Perez of California, according to Lt. Benjamin Blick. The sheriff's office has not released the name of the male victim.

At the scene, first responders found 42-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20076411">David Baeza</a>&nbsp;of Wichita on the side of the road suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Colonel Brian White with the sheriff's department. EMS transported Baeza to an area hospital for treatment.

During an additional search of the rural property, deputies found a man andNegrete-Perez deceased in the backyard of a residence the 4300 block of South Rock Road. They died from apparent gunshot wounds.&nbsp; The victims did not live at this location, according to White.

While processing the scene, investigators found 43-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=18714449">Joseph Ponse Jr. </a>&nbsp;of Wichita. Deputies booked him on requested charges of first degree murder and a Kansas Department of Corrections arrest and detain order, according to White.

After he was released from the hospital and interviewed, deputies booked<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20076411">&nbsp;Baeza</a>&nbsp;on requested charges of first-degree murder.

Investigators still have individuals they want to interview in connection with the case, according to White. "This was not a random act and drug activity is believed involved."&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1656781809875.png" alt="Rock Road was closed during the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Rock Road was closed during the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a weekend double murder have identified one of the victims as 43-year-old Saren Negrete-Perez of California, according to Lt. Benjamin Blick. The sheriff's office has not released the name of the male victim.Just after 5 a.m. Saturday, sheriff's deputies were sent to a shooting call in the 4400 block of south Rock Road in rural Sedgwick County, according to Blick.&nbsp;At the scene, first responders found 42-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20076411">David Baeza</a>&nbsp;of Wichita on the side of the road suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Colonel Brian White with the sheriff's department. EMS transported Baeza to an area hospital for treatment.During an additional search of the rural property, deputies found a man andNegrete-Perez deceased in the backyard of a residence the 4300 block of South Rock Road. They died from apparent gunshot wounds.&nbsp; The victims did not live at this location, according to White.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657051675461.png" alt="Baeza-photo Sedgwick County." />
 <figcaption>Baeza-photo Sedgwick County.</figcaption>
 </figure>While processing the scene, investigators found 43-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=18714449">Joseph Ponse Jr. </a>&nbsp;of Wichita. Deputies booked him on requested charges of first degree murder and a Kansas Department of Corrections arrest and detain order, according to White.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657051599579.png" alt="Ponse-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Ponse-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>After he was released from the hospital and interviewed, deputies booked<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20076411">&nbsp;Baeza</a>&nbsp;on requested charges of first-degree murder. Investigators still have individuals they want to interview in connection with the case, according to White. "This was not a random act and drug activity is believed involved."&nbsp;

Sheriff: California woman a victim in rural Kan. double murder

<a href="https://www.jostfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Dwight-Alan-Schmidt?obId=25304939#/obituaryInfo">Dwight Alan Schmidt Obituary - Visitation &amp; Funeral Information (jostfuneralhome.com)</a>

Dwight Alan Schmidt was welcomed into this world by his parents Peter Schmidt, Jr. and Hilda E. Schmidt on May 21, 1956. He was born in Goessel, KS and brought home to meet his siblings Jolene, Darrel and Janet in their home in Lehigh, KS. The family was blessed with two more children, LaVonne and Julia, in the following years.

Dwight attended Lehigh Grade and Junior High School and Hillsboro High School. He attended the Lehigh Mennonite Church where he was baptized. Currently he was a member of First Mennonite Church of Hillsboro. 

Growing up in a small town was a wonderful experience for children in those years. We were free to roam the town and play with all the neighbor kids till dark without fear. We all loved to visit our father at the local filling station where he worked and spent many hours there. Dwight remembered helping our father read water meters and replace light bulbs on the town’s streetlights. He remembered having the time of his life running down the halls in Lehigh High School where our father was the custodian, as do the rest of us. He remembered the smell of baking zweibach with mom on Saturdays and working in the garden with the family. He also remembered mother helping the children with their Sunday School lessons every Saturday evening. As a family we spent many hours on the farms of our grandpas' and grandmas' and playing with cousins on the weekends was a big highlight. Dwight participated in making rubber band boats for races in the stock tank with his brother and cousin and then, of course, plunging in to cool off in the summer heat.

During high school years he played in intramural sports. Word has it that he could make a basket from “pretty far out.” He had a group of friends he hung out with; we aren’t quite sure what kinds of shenanigans they were up to. He also spent time at Henry’s Auto Shop in downtown Lehigh and helped work on cars. It was a hangout place in the evenings and weekends for Lehigh kids. 

Dwight was a very dedicated and hard worker. He started working at AMPI in Hillsboro when he was 16 years old both before and after school. He would get up early and roar down the road in his white Corvair. He started out loading and unloading freight and rose to the position of manager, doing the ordering of all ingredients for the Baskin Robbins ice cream that was made at that plant. He also ran the store they had on the premises. For Christmas the family always got gifts of “cheese” he purchased from AMPI -- and it sure was tasty! This was all, of course, before computers so he had to keep all manual inventory records. He could still recite phone numbers for the places he called and names of the salespersons he dealt with. He had a very sharp mind and memory. He was one of the last employees to walk out the door when AMPI closed. 

He also worked on the trailer assembly line at Circle D in Hillsboro for several years. After that he worked for some years at Walmart in McPherson where he was placed in charge of stocking the entire dairy department and he was very well liked there. He was also a faithful volunteer at the Et Cetera shop in Hillsboro. 

He was a quiet person but one-on-one he was very friendly and cared deeply about people. He had a wonderful dry sense of humor which we all loved and will miss.

Dwight was a good cook and loved to look up recipes and try them out. He would also make up his own. He hunted pheasants and would try various ways of fixing them to eat. He loved nature and would take peaceful drives in the country for pleasure. He had several vehicles over the years that he was quite proud of – a red 1977 T-bird, a 1978 black and gold El Camino (called The Black Knight), a BMW motorcycle and several pickups. He planted flowers and rhubarb in pots outside his door and took good care of them. He put out water and bird seed for the birds and frequently had to chase the squirrels away. He was an avid reader and always had a book beside him. He won the award in his elementary years for “Most Books Read” during the school year. He kept up on all the current news and always seemed to know what was going on before any of us did. He had a love of music and had an extensive collection of record albums and CDs. He recently got a record player and was listening to his old albums. He loved KU basketball and the Chiefs. He watched most all their games and could tell you exactly how they were doing. He had a coin collection. He loved hats and had “a zillion of them.” When Mother was still with us he would visit her in the nursing home in Hillsboro several times a week. His visits cheered her up and made him feel like he was doing what a faithful son would do.

2018 was a hard year as he battled cancer. He was very brave as he faced radiation and chemotherapy. He never complained but remained upbeat. It was during this time that he rediscovered his faith and love for God. He read scripture and devotionals and many books to learn more and more about living a life to please the Lord. That continued until the end of his life.

2019-2021 were good years for Dwight. He had moved to his apartment on West Grand in Hillsboro and was asked to be on the board of the Hillsboro Housing Authority, which he accepted. He thoroughly enjoyed those meetings, making friends with the executive director as well as the maintenance man. He even helped with little projects in the housing development. He always enjoyed visits with our family and he loved his little apartment and his life there.

2022 again saw the return of cancer. He said that it felt like the movie “Groundhog Day” as he had to return to Tammy Walker Cancer Center in Salina for radiation and chemotherapy. We are so thankful for the kind doctors and nurses who assisted him there. He was once again very brave and never complained. This is a quote from Dwight – “Life on this earth can be very hard at times. But the Lord has plans for each of us. We all have to put our trust in Him.” After sending Dwight the scripture from Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you; I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” he replied “The Lord’s hand is on my shoulder.” We know that this was the true expression of his faith, as he had given his life to Jesus and was ready to follow the path that was chosen for him.

Dwight passed into the presence of our Lord on July 3, 2022 at 2:57 p.m. “with the Lord’s hand on his shoulder” after an emergency air flight to KU St. Francis Hospital in Topeka. He is now with our mother, father, sister Janet and nephew Marshal as well as many relatives and friends who have gone on before. We are sad but do not grieve without hope because we know we will see him again in heaven. 

We love you, Dwight Alan Schmidt, our dear precious brother, and we will carry on here on earth with the “Lord’s hand on our shoulders” until we meet again. Your dear brother and sisters, Jolene, Darrel, LaVonne and Julia To&nbsp;<a href="https://jost-funeral-home.tributestore.com/?oId=25304939&amp;tag=&amp;tn=V2MSticky|FreeTreeTestFC&amp;otv=Frazer_MS2_Cont&amp;source=tco_description&amp;mtph=1" target="_blank">send flowers</a>&nbsp;to the family or&nbsp;<a href="https://jost-funeral-home.tributestore.com/memorial-tree?oId=25304939&amp;tag=&amp;source=tco_description&amp;mtph=1" target="_blank">plant a tree</a>&nbsp;in memory of Dwight, please&nbsp;<a href="https://jost-funeral-home.tributestore.com/?oId=25304939&amp;tag=&amp;tn=V2MSticky|FreeTreeTestFC&amp;otv=Frazer_MS2_Cont&amp;source=tco_description&amp;mtph=1" target="_blank">visit our floral store.</a>

<h2>Dwight Alan Schmidt</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657214141544.jpeg" alt="Dwight Alan Schmidt" />
 <figcaption>Dwight Alan Schmidt</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.jostfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Dwight-Alan-Schmidt?obId=25304939#/obituaryInfo">Dwight Alan Schmidt Obituary - Visitation &amp; Funeral Information (jostfuneralhome.com)</a>May 21, 1956 - July 3, 2022Dwight Alan Schmidt was welcomed into this world by his parents Peter Schmidt, Jr. and Hilda E. Schmidt on May 21, 1956. He was born in Goessel, KS and brought home to meet his siblings Jolene, Darrel and Janet in their home in Lehigh, KS. The family was blessed with two more children, LaVonne and Julia, in the following years. Dwight attended Lehigh Grade and Junior High School and Hillsboro High School. He attended the Lehigh Mennonite Church where he was baptized. Currently he was a member of First Mennonite Church of Hillsboro. Growing up in a small town was a wonderful experience for children in those years. We were free to roam the town and play with all the neighbor kids till dark without fear. We all loved to visit our father at the local filling station where he worked and spent many hours there. Dwight remembered helping our father read water meters and replace light bulbs on the town’s streetlights. He remembered having the time of his life running down the halls in Lehigh High School where our father was the custodian, as do the rest of us. He remembered the smell of baking zweibach with mom on Saturdays and working in the garden with the family. He also remembered mother helping the children with their Sunday School lessons every Saturday evening. As a family we spent many hours on the farms of our grandpas' and grandmas' and playing with cousins on the weekends was a big highlight. Dwight participated in making rubber band boats for races in the stock tank with his brother and cousin and then, of course, plunging in to cool off in the summer heat. During high school years he played in intramural sports. Word has it that he could make a basket from “pretty far out.” He had a group of friends he hung out with; we aren’t quite sure what kinds of shenanigans they were up to. He also spent time at Henry’s Auto Shop in downtown Lehigh and helped work on cars. It was a hangout place in the evenings and weekends for Lehigh kids. Dwight was a very dedicated and hard worker. He started working at AMPI in Hillsboro when he was 16 years old both before and after school. He would get up early and roar down the road in his white Corvair. He started out loading and unloading freight and rose to the position of manager, doing the ordering of all ingredients for the Baskin Robbins ice cream that was made at that plant. He also ran the store they had on the premises. For Christmas the family always got gifts of “cheese” he purchased from AMPI -- and it sure was tasty! This was all, of course, before computers so he had to keep all manual inventory records. He could still recite phone numbers for the places he called and names of the salespersons he dealt with. He had a very sharp mind and memory. He was one of the last employees to walk out the door when AMPI closed. He also worked on the trailer assembly line at Circle D in Hillsboro for several years. After that he worked for some years at Walmart in McPherson where he was placed in charge of stocking the entire dairy department and he was very well liked there. He was also a faithful volunteer at the Et Cetera shop in Hillsboro. He was a quiet person but one-on-one he was very friendly and cared deeply about people. He had a wonderful dry sense of humor which we all loved and will miss.Dwight was a good cook and loved to look up recipes and try them out. He would also make up his own. He hunted pheasants and would try various ways of fixing them to eat. He loved nature and would take peaceful drives in the country for pleasure. He had several vehicles over the years that he was quite proud of – a red 1977 T-bird, a 1978 black and gold El Camino (called The Black Knight), a BMW motorcycle and several pickups. He planted flowers and rhubarb in pots outside his door and took good care of them. He put out water and bird seed for the birds and frequently had to chase the squirrels away. He was an avid reader and always had a book beside him. He won the award in his elementary years for “Most Books Read” during the school year. He kept up on all the current news and always seemed to know what was going on before any of us did. He had a love of music and had an extensive collection of record albums and CDs. He recently got a record player and was listening to his old albums. He loved KU basketball and the Chiefs. He watched most all their games and could tell you exactly how they were doing. He had a coin collection. He loved hats and had “a zillion of them.” When Mother was still with us he would visit her in the nursing home in Hillsboro several times a week. His visits cheered her up and made him feel like he was doing what a faithful son would do.2018 was a hard year as he battled cancer. He was very brave as he faced radiation and chemotherapy. He never complained but remained upbeat. It was during this time that he rediscovered his faith and love for God. He read scripture and devotionals and many books to learn more and more about living a life to please the Lord. That continued until the end of his life. 2019-2021 were good years for Dwight. He had moved to his apartment on West Grand in Hillsboro and was asked to be on the board of the Hillsboro Housing Authority, which he accepted. He thoroughly enjoyed those meetings, making friends with the executive director as well as the maintenance man. He even helped with little projects in the housing development. He always enjoyed visits with our family and he loved his little apartment and his life there.2022 again saw the return of cancer. He said that it felt like the movie “Groundhog Day” as he had to return to Tammy Walker Cancer Center in Salina for radiation and chemotherapy. We are so thankful for the kind doctors and nurses who assisted him there. He was once again very brave and never complained. This is a quote from Dwight – “Life on this earth can be very hard at times. But the Lord has plans for each of us. We all have to put our trust in Him.” After sending Dwight the scripture from Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you; I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” he replied “The Lord’s hand is on my shoulder.” We know that this was the true expression of his faith, as he had given his life to Jesus and was ready to follow the path that was chosen for him. Dwight passed into the presence of our Lord on July 3, 2022 at 2:57 p.m. “with the Lord’s hand on his shoulder” after an emergency air flight to KU St. Francis Hospital in Topeka. He is now with our mother, father, sister Janet and nephew Marshal as well as many relatives and friends who have gone on before. We are sad but do not grieve without hope because we know we will see him again in heaven. We love you, Dwight Alan Schmidt, our dear precious brother, and we will carry on here on earth with the “Lord’s hand on our shoulders” until we meet again. Your dear brother and sisters, Jolene, Darrel, LaVonne and Julia To&nbsp;<a href="https://jost-funeral-home.tributestore.com/?oId=25304939&amp;tag=&amp;tn=V2MSticky|FreeTreeTestFC&amp;otv=Frazer_MS2_Cont&amp;source=tco_description&amp;mtph=1" target="_blank">send flowers</a>&nbsp;to the family or&nbsp;<a href="https://jost-funeral-home.tributestore.com/memorial-tree?oId=25304939&amp;tag=&amp;source=tco_description&amp;mtph=1" target="_blank">plant a tree</a>&nbsp;in memory of Dwight, please&nbsp;<a href="https://jost-funeral-home.tributestore.com/?oId=25304939&amp;tag=&amp;tn=V2MSticky|FreeTreeTestFC&amp;otv=Frazer_MS2_Cont&amp;source=tco_description&amp;mtph=1" target="_blank">visit our floral store.</a>

Dwight Alan Schmidt

MOSCOW (AP) — Jailed American basketball star Brittney Griner on Thursday pleaded guilty to drug possession and smuggling during her trial in Moscow but said she had no intention of committing a crime, Russian news agencies reported.

The reports quoted Griner as saying through an interpreter at the court hearing that she had acted unintentionally because she was packing in haste.

Griner was detained in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters with cannabis oil allegedly were found in her luggage. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of large-scale transportation of drugs.

The trial of the Phoenix Mercury star and two-time Olympic gold medalist began last week amid a growing chorus of calls for Washington to do more to secure her freedom nearly five months after her arrest.

Before Thursday’s hearing, Russian police escorted Griner, handcuffed and clad in a bright red T-shirt and sports trousers, into the courtroom past a crowd of journalists.

The athlete was detained in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters with cannabis oil allegedly were found in her luggage. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of large-scale transportation of drugs.

Elizabeth Rood, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, told reporters after the hearing that she spoke to Griner in the courtroom and shared a letter from President Joe Biden that she read.

“She’s eating well, she’s able to read books and under the circumstances she’s doing well,” Rood said of Griner.

“I would like again to emphasize the commitment of the U.S. government at the very highest level to bring home safely Ms. Griner and all U.S. citizens wrongfully detained as well as the commitment of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to care for and protect the interests of all U.S. citizens detained or imprisoned in Russia,” Rood said.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov bristled at the U.S. description of Briner as “wrongfully detained” and warned that “attempts by the American side to make noise in public ... don’t help the practical settlement of issues.”

The White House said Biden called Griner’s wife on Wednesday to assure her that he’s doing all he can to obtain the athlete’s release, as soon as possible. They spoke after Biden read a letter from Griner in which she said she feared she’d never return home.

Washington hasn’t made public its strategy in the case and the United States may have little leverage with Moscow because of strong animosity due to Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. The State Department has designated Griner as wrongfully detained, moving her case under the supervision of its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, effectively the government’s chief hostage negotiator.

Asked about the possibility of Griner being swapped for a Russian jailed in the U.S., Ryabkov, the senior Russian diplomat, noted that until her trial is over “there are no formal or procedural reasons to talk about any further steps.”

He warned that U.S. criticism, including a description of Griner as wrongfully detained and dismissive comments about the Russian judicial system, “makes it difficult to engage in detailed discussion of any possible exchanges.”

“The persistence with which the U.S. administration ... describes those who were handed prison sentences for serious criminal articles and those who are awaiting the end of investigation and court verdicts as ‘wrongfully detained’ reflects Washington’s refusal to have a sober view of the outside world,” Ryabkov snapped.

Griner's trial was adjourned after its start last week because two scheduled witnesses did not appear. Such delays are routine in Russian courts and her detention has been authorized through Dec. 20, suggesting the proceedings could last months.

Although Griner's supporters initially kept a low profile, calls for the United States to take action spiked after the trial's first day.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, one of America's most prominent Black activists, this week called for Biden to arrange a prayer meeting with Griner, saying, "Four months is too long for this to have gone on, and I hope the President acts on her pleas to come home.”

An organization called Win With Black Women sent Biden a letter saying Secretary of State Antony Blinken “has called Cherelle Griner, Brittney’s wife, assuring her and stating publicly that Brittney’s safe return was a matter of personal priority; however, we are concerned that the rhetoric does not appear to align with the actions taken to date. We urge you to make a deal to get Brittney back home swiftly.”

Russian news media have repeatedly speculated that Griner could be swapped for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. on conviction of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization.

Russia has agitated for Bout’s release for years. But the wide discrepancy between Griner’s alleged offense and Bout’s global dealings in deadly weapons could make such a swap unpalatable to Washington.

Others have suggested that she could be traded along with Paul Whelan, a former Marine and security director serving a 16-year sentence in Russia on an espionage conviction that the U.S. has repeatedly described as a setup.

Russia has shown no signs of backing off.

“This is a serious offense, confirmed by indisputable evidence ... Attempts to present the case as if the American was detained illegally do not hold up," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexei Zaitsev said Wednesday.

“The law has been violated, and arguments about the innocent nature of Griner’s addiction, which, by the way, is punishable in some U.S. states, are inappropriate in this case,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646510097872.png" alt="The 31-year-old Griner, one of the most recognizable players in women’s basketball, has won two Olympic gold medals with the U.S., a WNBA championship with the Phoenix Mercury and a national championship at Baylor. She is a seven-time All-Star and three-time Big 12 Player of the year at Baylor-photo courtesy Phoenix Mercury" />
 <figcaption>The 31-year-old Griner, one of the most recognizable players in women’s basketball, has won two Olympic gold medals with the U.S., a WNBA championship with the Phoenix Mercury and a national championship at Baylor. She is a seven-time All-Star and three-time Big 12 Player of the year at Baylor-photo courtesy Phoenix Mercury</figcaption>
 </figure>MOSCOW (AP) — Jailed American basketball star Brittney Griner on Thursday pleaded guilty to drug possession and smuggling during her trial in Moscow but said she had no intention of committing a crime, Russian news agencies reported.The reports quoted Griner as saying through an interpreter at the court hearing that she had acted unintentionally because she was packing in haste.Griner was detained in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters with cannabis oil allegedly were found in her luggage. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of large-scale transportation of drugs.The trial of the Phoenix Mercury star and two-time Olympic gold medalist began last week amid a growing chorus of calls for Washington to do more to secure her freedom nearly five months after her arrest.Before Thursday’s hearing, Russian police escorted Griner, handcuffed and clad in a bright red T-shirt and sports trousers, into the courtroom past a crowd of journalists.The athlete was detained in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport after vape canisters with cannabis oil allegedly were found in her luggage. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of large-scale transportation of drugs.Elizabeth Rood, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, told reporters after the hearing that she spoke to Griner in the courtroom and shared a letter from President Joe Biden that she read.“She’s eating well, she’s able to read books and under the circumstances she’s doing well,” Rood said of Griner.“I would like again to emphasize the commitment of the U.S. government at the very highest level to bring home safely Ms. Griner and all U.S. citizens wrongfully detained as well as the commitment of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to care for and protect the interests of all U.S. citizens detained or imprisoned in Russia,” Rood said.Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov bristled at the U.S. description of Briner as “wrongfully detained” and warned that “attempts by the American side to make noise in public ... don’t help the practical settlement of issues.”The White House said Biden called Griner’s wife on Wednesday to assure her that he’s doing all he can to obtain the athlete’s release, as soon as possible. They spoke after Biden read a letter from Griner in which she said she feared she’d never return home.Washington hasn’t made public its strategy in the case and the United States may have little leverage with Moscow because of strong animosity due to Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. The State Department has designated Griner as wrongfully detained, moving her case under the supervision of its special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, effectively the government’s chief hostage negotiator.Asked about the possibility of Griner being swapped for a Russian jailed in the U.S., Ryabkov, the senior Russian diplomat, noted that until her trial is over “there are no formal or procedural reasons to talk about any further steps.”He warned that U.S. criticism, including a description of Griner as wrongfully detained and dismissive comments about the Russian judicial system, “makes it difficult to engage in detailed discussion of any possible exchanges.”“The persistence with which the U.S. administration ... describes those who were handed prison sentences for serious criminal articles and those who are awaiting the end of investigation and court verdicts as ‘wrongfully detained’ reflects Washington’s refusal to have a sober view of the outside world,” Ryabkov snapped.Griner's trial was adjourned after its start last week because two scheduled witnesses did not appear. Such delays are routine in Russian courts and her detention has been authorized through Dec. 20, suggesting the proceedings could last months.Although Griner's supporters initially kept a low profile, calls for the United States to take action spiked after the trial's first day.The Rev. Al Sharpton, one of America's most prominent Black activists, this week called for Biden to arrange a prayer meeting with Griner, saying, "Four months is too long for this to have gone on, and I hope the President acts on her pleas to come home.”An organization called Win With Black Women sent Biden a letter saying Secretary of State Antony Blinken “has called Cherelle Griner, Brittney’s wife, assuring her and stating publicly that Brittney’s safe return was a matter of personal priority; however, we are concerned that the rhetoric does not appear to align with the actions taken to date. We urge you to make a deal to get Brittney back home swiftly.”Russian news media have repeatedly speculated that Griner could be swapped for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. on conviction of conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization.Russia has agitated for Bout’s release for years. But the wide discrepancy between Griner’s alleged offense and Bout’s global dealings in deadly weapons could make such a swap unpalatable to Washington.Others have suggested that she could be traded along with Paul Whelan, a former Marine and security director serving a 16-year sentence in Russia on an espionage conviction that the U.S. has repeatedly described as a setup.Russia has shown no signs of backing off.“This is a serious offense, confirmed by indisputable evidence ... Attempts to present the case as if the American was detained illegally do not hold up," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexei Zaitsev said Wednesday.“The law has been violated, and arguments about the innocent nature of Griner’s addiction, which, by the way, is punishable in some U.S. states, are inappropriate in this case,” he said.

Report: Former Big 12 star pleads guilty in Russia drugs trial

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal shooting that left&nbsp;39-year-old Louis Cantrell of Topeka dead have made an arrest.

Late Wednesday, police arrested 20-year-old Jahiem Brown and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of First Degree Murder, Aggravated assault; Use of a deadly weapon and&nbsp;Criminal possession of a firearm by a felon, according to Lt. Jerry Monasmith.

Just before 1a.m. July 5, police responded to report of a shooting in the 200 Block SE Lawrence Street in Topeka, according to Lt. Jerry Monasmith. Upon arrival, officers located Cantrell suffering from a gunshot wound. An ambulance transported him to an area hospital. 

Medical personnel pronounced him deceased, according to Monasmith.&nbsp; Police released no additional details Tuesday afternoon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657034249250.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation early Tuesday -photo by Phil Anderson courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation early Tuesday -photo by Phil Anderson courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal shooting that left&nbsp;39-year-old Louis Cantrell of Topeka dead have made an arrest.Late Wednesday, police arrested 20-year-old Jahiem Brown and booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of First Degree Murder, Aggravated assault; Use of a deadly weapon and&nbsp;Criminal possession of a firearm by a felon, according to Lt. Jerry Monasmith.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1657191443740.png" alt="Brown -photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Brown -photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 1a.m. July 5, police responded to report of a shooting in the 200 Block SE Lawrence Street in Topeka, according to Lt. Jerry Monasmith. Upon arrival, officers located Cantrell suffering from a gunshot wound. An ambulance transported him to an area hospital. Medical personnel pronounced him deceased, according to Monasmith.&nbsp; Police released no additional details Tuesday afternoon.

Police arrest 20-year-old Kansas man for alleged murder

Today is Thursday, July 7, the 188th day of 2022. There are 177 days left in the year.

On July 7, 1976, the United States Military Academy at West Point included female cadets for the first time as 119 women joined the Class of 1980.

In 1846, U.S. annexation of California was proclaimed at Monterey after the surrender of a Mexican garrison.

In 1865, four people were hanged in Washington, D.C. for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln: Lewis Powell (aka Lewis Payne), David Herold, George Atzerodt and Mary Surratt, the first woman to be executed by the federal government.

In 1898, the United States annexed Hawaii.

In 1930, construction began on Boulder Dam (later Hoover Dam).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Thursday, July 7, the 188th day of 2022. There are 177 days left in the year.Today's Highlight in History:On July 7, 1976, the United States Military Academy at West Point included female cadets for the first time as 119 women joined the Class of 1980.On this date:In 1846, U.S. annexation of California was proclaimed at Monterey after the surrender of a Mexican garrison.In 1865, four people were hanged in Washington, D.C. for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln: Lewis Powell (aka Lewis Payne), David Herold, George Atzerodt and Mary Surratt, the first woman to be executed by the federal government.In 1898, the United States annexed Hawaii.In 1930, construction began on Boulder Dam (later Hoover Dam).In 1946, Jimmy Carter, 21, married Rosalynn Smith, 18, in Plains, Georgia.In 1948, six female U.S. Navy reservists became the first women to be sworn in to the regular Navy.In 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced he was nominating Arizona Judge Sandra Day O'Connor to become the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.In 1990, the first "Three Tenors" concert took place as opera stars Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras performed amid the brick ruins of Rome's Baths of Caracalla on the eve of the World Cup championship.In 2005, terrorist bombings in three Underground stations and a double-decker bus killed 52 victims and four bombers in the worst attack on London since World War II.In 2010, Los Angeles police charged Lonnie Franklin Jr. in the city's "Grim Sleeper" serial killings. (Franklin, who was sentenced to death for the killings of nine women and a teenage girl, died in prison in March 2020 at the age of 67.)In 2013, Andy Murray became the first British man in 77 years to win the Wimbledon title, beating Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 in the final.In 2016, Micah Johnson, a Black Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, opened fire on Dallas police, killing five officers in an act of vengeance for the fatal police shootings of Black men; the attack ended with Johnson being killed by a bomb delivered by a police robot.Ten years ago: Jubilant Libyans chose a new parliament in their first nationwide vote in decades. The Obama administration declared Afghanistan the United States' newest "major non-NATO ally." Serena Williams beat Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 to win a fifth Wimbledon singles championship; about five hours later, she and sister Venus were back on Centre Court to win the doubles final.Five years ago: Islamic militants attacked a remote Egyptian army outpost in the Sinai Peninsula with a suicide car bomb and heavy machine gun fire, killing at least 23 soldiers in the deadliest attack in the turbulent region in two years. A federal appeals court dismissed Hawaii's attempt to challenge Trump administration rules for a travel ban on citizens from six majority-Muslim countries, saying it didn't have jurisdiction to address the issue.One year ago: A squad of gunmen assassinated Haitian President Jovenel Moïse and wounded his wife in an overnight raid on their home. (More than 40 suspects have been arrested, including at least 18 Colombian soldiers and 20 Haitian police officers.) Former President Donald Trump sued Facebook, Twitter and Google's YouTube, claiming that he and other conservatives had been wrongfully censored. A federal judge ruled that the Air Force was mostly responsible for a former serviceman killing more than two dozen people at a Texas church in 2017 because it failed to submit his criminal history into a database, which should have prevented him from purchasing firearms. The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive season, beating the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 to wrap up the series four games to one.Today's Birthdays: Musician-conductor Doc Severinsen is 95. Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough is 89. Rock star Ringo Starr is 82. Comedian Bill Oddie is 81. Singer-musician Warren Entner (The Grass Roots) is 79. Actor Joe Spano is 76. Pop singer David Hodo (The Village People) is 75. Country singer Linda Williams is 75. Actor Shelley Duvall is 73. Actor Roz Ryan is 71. Actor Billy Campbell is 63. Rock musician Mark White (Spin Doctors) is 60. Singer-songwriter Vonda Shepard is 59. Actor-comedian Jim Gaffigan is 56. R&amp;B musician Ricky Kinchen (Mint Condition) is 56. Actor Amy Carlson is 54. Actor Jorja Fox is 54. Actor Cree Summer is 53. Actor Robin Weigert is 53. Actor Kirsten Vangsness is 50. Actor Troy Garity is 49. Actor Berenice Bejo is 46. Actor Hamish Linklater is 46. Olympic silver and bronze medal figure skater Michelle Kwan is 42. Rapper Cassidy is 40. Country singer Gabbie Nolen is 40. Actor Ross Malinger is 38. Actor-comedian Luke Null (TV: "Saturday Night Live") is 32. Pop singer Ally Hernandez (Fifth Harmony) (TV: "The X Factor") is 29. Pop musician Ashton Irwin (5 Seconds to Summer) is 28. Country singer Maddie Font (Maddie and Tae) is 27.