By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

A man was arrested Tuesday morning after he allegedly taunted people with a knife at a south Salina restaurant.

Officers were sent to the McDonald's at 2236 Planet Avenue at approximately 7 a.m. Tuesday for the report of a disorderly subject who was attempting to get into the restaurant and taunting people with a knife, Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester said this morning.

When they arrived, they found a red 2003 Ford Mustang in the middle of the parking lot and Quentin Kaiser, 34, of Salina, standing next to it, Forrester said. When Kaiser saw police, he allegedly threw a knife on top of the car.

An officer attempted to restrain Kaiser with handcuffs, however a brief altercation on the ground ensued, Forrester said. The officer sustained minor abrasions on his legs during the altercation.

Forrester said it appeared that Kaiser was under the influence of something, and he was transported to Salina Regional Health Center where he was checked out and then released.

Kaiser then was booked into the Saline County Jail on the following requested charges, Forrester said.

●Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs

●Interference with law enforcement officers

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639581032056.jpeg" alt="Quentin Kaiser. Photos courtesy Saline County Sheriff's Office" />
 <figcaption>Quentin Kaiser. Photos courtesy Saline County Sheriff's Office</figcaption>
 </figure>By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostA man was arrested Tuesday morning after he allegedly taunted people with a knife at a south Salina restaurant.Officers were sent to the McDonald's at 2236 Planet Avenue at approximately 7 a.m. Tuesday for the report of a disorderly subject who was attempting to get into the restaurant and taunting people with a knife, Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester said this morning.When they arrived, they found a red 2003 Ford Mustang in the middle of the parking lot and Quentin Kaiser, 34, of Salina, standing next to it, Forrester said. When Kaiser saw police, he allegedly threw a knife on top of the car.An officer attempted to restrain Kaiser with handcuffs, however a brief altercation on the ground ensued, Forrester said. The officer sustained minor abrasions on his legs during the altercation.Forrester said it appeared that Kaiser was under the influence of something, and he was transported to Salina Regional Health Center where he was checked out and then released.Kaiser then was booked into the Saline County Jail on the following requested charges, Forrester said.●Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs●Interference with law enforcement officers●Disorderly conduct●Driving in violation of restrictions

Man arrested after alleged knife incident at Salina restaurant

Today is Wednesday, Dec. 15, the 349th day of 2021. There are 16 days left in the year. 

On Dec. 15, 1978, President Jimmy Carter announced he would grant diplomatic recognition to Communist China on New Year's Day and sever official relations with Taiwan. 

In 1791, the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, went into effect following ratification by Virginia. 

In 1890, Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull and 11 other tribe members were killed in Grand River, South Dakota, during a confrontation with Indian police. 

In 1939, the Civil War motion picture epic "Gone with the Wind," starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable, had its world premiere in Atlanta.

In 1967, the Silver Bridge between Gallipolis, Ohio, and Point Pleasant, West Virginia, collapsed into the Ohio River, killing 46 people. 

In 1971, the Secret Service appointed its first five female special agents.

In 1974, the horror spoof "Young Frankenstein," starring Gene Wilder and directed by Mel Brooks, was released by 20th Century Fox.

In 1989, a popular uprising began in Romania that resulted in the downfall of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. 

In 2000, the long-troubled Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was closed for good. 

In 2001, with a crash and a large dust cloud, a 50-foot tall section of steel — the last standing piece of the World Trade Center's facade — was brought down in New York. 

In 2010, the U.N. Security Council gave a unanimous vote of confidence to the government of Iraq by lifting 19-year-old sanctions on weapons and civilian nuclear power. 

In 2012, a day after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, President Barack Obama declared that "every parent in America has a heart heavy with hurt" and said it was time to "take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this." 

In 2013, Nelson Mandela was laid to rest in his childhood hometown, ending a 10-day mourning period for South Africa's first Black president.

Ten years ago: The flag used by U.S. forces in Iraq was lowered in a low-key Baghdad airport ceremony marking the end of a war that had left 4,500 Americans and 110,000 Iraqis dead and cost more than $800 billion.

Five years ago: A federal jury in Charleston, South Carolina, convicted Dylann Roof of slaughtering nine Black church members who had welcomed him to their Bible study.

One year ago: Hundreds more hospitals around the country began dispensing COVID-19 shots to their workers in a rapid expansion of the U.S. vaccination drive. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the first kit that consumers could buy without a prescription to test themselves for COVID-19 entirely at home. After weeks of holding out, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Joe Biden on winning the presidential election. Biden nominated his former rival Pete Buttigieg as secretary of transportation. Two-time reigning NBA MVP Gannis Antetokounmpo said he'd signed an extension keeping him with the Milwaukee Bucks for at least five more seasons.

Today's Birthdays: Singer Cindy Birdsong (The Supremes) is 82. Rock musician Dave Clark (The Dave Clark Five) is 79. Rock musician Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge) is 75. Actor Don Johnson is 72. Actor Melanie Chartoff is 71. Movie director Julie Taymor is 69. Movie director Alex Cox is 67. Rock musician Paul Simonon (The Clash) is 66. Movie director John Lee Hancock is 65. Democratic Party activist Donna Brazile is 62. Country singer Doug Phelps (Brother Phelps; Kentucky Headhunters) is 61. Movie producer-director Reginald Hudlin is 60. Actor Helen Slater is 58. Actor Paul Kaye (TV: "Game of Thrones") is 57. Actor Molly Price is 56. Actor Garrett Wang is 53. Actor Michael Shanks is 51. Actor Stuart Townsend is 49. Figure skater Surya Bonaly is 48. Actor Geoff Stults is 45. Actor Adam Brody is 42. Actor Michelle Dockery is 40. Actor George O. Gore II is 39. Actor Camilla Luddington is 38. Rock musician and actor Alana Haim is 30. Actor Maude Apatow is 24. Actor Stefania Owen 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 Wednesday, Dec. 15, the 349th day of 2021. There are 16 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 15, 1978, President Jimmy Carter announced he would grant diplomatic recognition to Communist China on New Year's Day and sever official relations with Taiwan. On this date: In 1791, the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, went into effect following ratification by Virginia. In 1890, Sioux Indian Chief Sitting Bull and 11 other tribe members were killed in Grand River, South Dakota, during a confrontation with Indian police. In 1939, the Civil War motion picture epic "Gone with the Wind," starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable, had its world premiere in Atlanta.In 1967, the Silver Bridge between Gallipolis, Ohio, and Point Pleasant, West Virginia, collapsed into the Ohio River, killing 46 people. In 1971, the Secret Service appointed its first five female special agents.In 1974, the horror spoof "Young Frankenstein," starring Gene Wilder and directed by Mel Brooks, was released by 20th Century Fox.In 1989, a popular uprising began in Romania that resulted in the downfall of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. In 2000, the long-troubled Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was closed for good. In 2001, with a crash and a large dust cloud, a 50-foot tall section of steel — the last standing piece of the World Trade Center's facade — was brought down in New York. In 2010, the U.N. Security Council gave a unanimous vote of confidence to the government of Iraq by lifting 19-year-old sanctions on weapons and civilian nuclear power. In 2012, a day after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, President Barack Obama declared that "every parent in America has a heart heavy with hurt" and said it was time to "take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this." In 2013, Nelson Mandela was laid to rest in his childhood hometown, ending a 10-day mourning period for South Africa's first Black president.Ten years ago: The flag used by U.S. forces in Iraq was lowered in a low-key Baghdad airport ceremony marking the end of a war that had left 4,500 Americans and 110,000 Iraqis dead and cost more than $800 billion. Five years ago: A federal jury in Charleston, South Carolina, convicted Dylann Roof of slaughtering nine Black church members who had welcomed him to their Bible study. One year ago: Hundreds more hospitals around the country began dispensing COVID-19 shots to their workers in a rapid expansion of the U.S. vaccination drive. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the first kit that consumers could buy without a prescription to test themselves for COVID-19 entirely at home. After weeks of holding out, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Joe Biden on winning the presidential election. Biden nominated his former rival Pete Buttigieg as secretary of transportation. Two-time reigning NBA MVP Gannis Antetokounmpo said he'd signed an extension keeping him with the Milwaukee Bucks for at least five more seasons.Today's Birthdays: Singer Cindy Birdsong (The Supremes) is 82. Rock musician Dave Clark (The Dave Clark Five) is 79. Rock musician Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge) is 75. Actor Don Johnson is 72. Actor Melanie Chartoff is 71. Movie director Julie Taymor is 69. Movie director Alex Cox is 67. Rock musician Paul Simonon (The Clash) is 66. Movie director John Lee Hancock is 65. Democratic Party activist Donna Brazile is 62. Country singer Doug Phelps (Brother Phelps; Kentucky Headhunters) is 61. Movie producer-director Reginald Hudlin is 60. Actor Helen Slater is 58. Actor Paul Kaye (TV: "Game of Thrones") is 57. Actor Molly Price is 56. Actor Garrett Wang is 53. Actor Michael Shanks is 51. Actor Stuart Townsend is 49. Figure skater Surya Bonaly is 48. Actor Geoff Stults is 45. Actor Adam Brody is 42. Actor Michelle Dockery is 40. Actor George O. Gore II is 39. Actor Camilla Luddington is 38. Rock musician and actor Alana Haim is 30. Actor Maude Apatow is 24. Actor Stefania Owen is 24.

Today in History - Dec. 15

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Carolyn Burnett is bracing for her first Christmas without her son Chris, a beloved high school football coach whose outdoor memorial service drew a crowd of hundreds.

The unvaccinated 34-year-old father of four died in September as a result of COVID-19 after nearly two weeks on a ventilator, and his loss has left a gaping hole for his mother, widow and family as the holidays approach.

How, she thought, could they take a holiday photo without Chris? What would Christmas Day football be like without him offering up commentary? How could they play trivia games on Christmas Eve without him beating everyone with his movie expertise?

The U.S. on Tuesday hit another depressing pandemic milestone — 800,000 deaths. It’s a sad coda to a year that held so much promise with the arrival of vaccines but is ending in heartbreak for the many grieving families trying to navigate the holiday season.

For its Christmas card photo, the Burnett family ultimately opted to hold up a football presented as a memorial by the Kansas City Chiefs to represent Chris. Carolyn Burnett also set up a special shelf for the holidays, filling it with a drawing of her son, his bronzed baby shoe, a candle, a poem and an ornament of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

“These emotions come and go so quickly,” she said. “You see something. You hear something. His favorite food. You hear the song. There’s just all these little things. And then, bam.”

The year began with the COVID-19 death toll at about 350,000 in the U.S., at a time when the country was in the throes of a winter surge so bad that patients were lined up in emergency room hallways waiting for beds.

But vaccines were just getting rolled out, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-when-can-i-get-it-20de995ab6d01dd286ad3bbea46f69ce">sports stadiums and fairgrounds</a>&nbsp;were quickly transformed into mass vaccination sites. Case numbers began&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-st-louis-coronavirus-pandemic-93eadee30306a42ac7be38fdd2dec1a2">falling.</a>&nbsp;By spring, nearly all schools had reopened and communities were shedding mask orders. TV newscasters began talking cheerfully about a post-pandemic world. President Joe Biden proclaimed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-joe-biden-lifestyle-coronavirus-pandemic-health-f97e0316c51d2d8362a17d149daedb14">Fourth of July</a>&nbsp;holiday as a celebration of the nation’s freedom from the virus.

It didn’t last long.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-c053fae3d462705c39e3ffcd612d8a50">Delta struck</a>&nbsp;just as vaccination rates were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nm-state-wire-health-coronavirus-government-and-politics-108f1fd0813f0d2ecec1589fd137625d">stalling&nbsp;</a>amid a wave of misinformation, devastating poorly immunized portions of the Midwest and South. Hospitals brought back mobile morgues and opened up their pocket books in a desperate bid to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-b6d58e41b209dd67ed0954f28b542baf">attract enough nurses</a>&nbsp;to care for the sick.

“People have no idea,” said Debbie Eaves, a lab worker, who grew weary of the wave of death as she collected swabs from patients at Oakdale Community Hospital in Louisiana amid the surge. “Oh, no. They have no idea what it is to look and see, to see it.”

In Kansas, Carolyn Burnett begged her son, who went by the nickname Coach Cheese because of his love of cheeseburgers, to get vaccinated.

“He was a part of the group that ... just didn’t trust it,” she said, pausing and sighing. “They didn’t want to be a guinea pig. They didn’t want to be experimented on.”

She thought maybe he was softening. When his dad got his first COVID-19 shot in August, Chris, a diabetic, told his mother he would discuss it with his doctor. But then one of Chris’ children got infected at a family sleepover and soon everyone was sick.

She texted him, “Honey, God’s got you.” His last text to her said: “Mama, I feel him.” He died Sept. 11.

School administrators tweeted heartfelt condolences, praising his passion in coaching running backs at Olathe East High School. Tearful athletes paid tribute in TV interviews. The Kansas City Glory, an all-female football team that Burnett coached, asked fans to contribute to a GoFundMe fundraiser to help his children. And he was honored with an inspiration award at a ceremony that recognizes the region’s best high school athletes.

“We had so much support that you would think he was a celebrity,” his mom recalled.

Now, as the year ends, the delta variant is fueling another wave of hospitalizations, court battles are brewing over vaccine mandates and fresh questions are swirling about the new omicron variant.

Steve Grove has seen his share of coronavirus deaths in his role as a chaplain at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.

Recently, one dying patient’s family gathered in a conference room. One by one they were taken to the patient’s bedside, while the other relatives watched on Zoom.

“It’s a huge pain in the butt and the connection drops and it’s weird,” he acknowledged. “Here’s what I’m going to say to COVID: ‘Up yours.’ I’m getting a Zoom call going, and there you have it. That’s what’s happening today at least. You’re going to do what you’re going to do and you’re going to kill this person. You get to do that COVID. But what we’re going to do today is this. And I’m going to give them a hug when it’s done.

“The alternative,” he said, “is that you just, you just give up, and I guess most people in this building have too much faith in humanity.”

He acknowledged that he sometimes gets mad at unvaccinated patients because it “didn’t have to be this way. And now there’s a mess that perhaps was avoidable.”

“I’ll confess to it,” he said. “And I know I’m not proud of it, and I swallow it down and then I remember as a human being that my compassion reminds me that it’s still somebody’s loved one. It is still death and it still stings.”

Dr. LaTasha Perkins, of Georgetown University Student Health, is getting ready to take a job in January in a clinic that helps underserved residents of the community. She is Black and said she felt compelled to make the change after watching the virus devastate her family.

She has lost a great uncle, an aunt and a cousin to COVID-19, and she suspects the virus may have played a role in the death of her grandfather. When it struck her own household last December after she had gotten her first shot but the rest of her family wasn’t yet eligible, she spent sleepless nights watching her toddler breathe and took her husband to the hospital, although he wasn’t admitted. She never got sick and credits the vaccine. Her husband also later got the shot.

Still, maddeningly to her, only three of her six siblings are vaccinated. Some of the hesitation, she said, is rooted in the “horrible things done in the name of medicine to Black and brown bodies in this country.” She tells them: “If you’re worried about rich white people not caring about you, they’re lining up getting the vaccine.”

She has been unable, though, to get through to some of her relatives. It’s part of the reason why she started doing hesitancy talks specifically for African Americans in the D.C. area.

“For my own selfish reason, I don’t want to go to any more funerals,” she said, “and I don’t want COVID to come back in my house.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639569362029.png" alt="Members of the U.S.&nbsp; Senate and House joined together in a moment of silence to honor the 800,000 Americans who have lost their lives to the COVID pandemic.-photo courtesy Sen. Majority Leader" />
 <figcaption>Members of the U.S.&nbsp; Senate and House joined together in a moment of silence to honor the 800,000 Americans who have lost their lives to the COVID pandemic.-photo courtesy Sen. Majority Leader</figcaption>
 </figure>By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTHMISSION, Kan. (AP) — Carolyn Burnett is bracing for her first Christmas without her son Chris, a beloved high school football coach whose outdoor memorial service drew a crowd of hundreds.The unvaccinated 34-year-old father of four died in September as a result of COVID-19 after nearly two weeks on a ventilator, and his loss has left a gaping hole for his mother, widow and family as the holidays approach.How, she thought, could they take a holiday photo without Chris? What would Christmas Day football be like without him offering up commentary? How could they play trivia games on Christmas Eve without him beating everyone with his movie expertise?The U.S. on Tuesday hit another depressing pandemic milestone — 800,000 deaths. It’s a sad coda to a year that held so much promise with the arrival of vaccines but is ending in heartbreak for the many grieving families trying to navigate the holiday season.For its Christmas card photo, the Burnett family ultimately opted to hold up a football presented as a memorial by the Kansas City Chiefs to represent Chris. Carolyn Burnett also set up a special shelf for the holidays, filling it with a drawing of her son, his bronzed baby shoe, a candle, a poem and an ornament of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.But nothing feels quite right this year.“These emotions come and go so quickly,” she said. “You see something. You hear something. His favorite food. You hear the song. There’s just all these little things. And then, bam.”The year began with the COVID-19 death toll at about 350,000 in the U.S., at a time when the country was in the throes of a winter surge so bad that patients were lined up in emergency room hallways waiting for beds.But vaccines were just getting rolled out, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-vaccine-when-can-i-get-it-20de995ab6d01dd286ad3bbea46f69ce">sports stadiums and fairgrounds</a>&nbsp;were quickly transformed into mass vaccination sites. Case numbers began&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-st-louis-coronavirus-pandemic-93eadee30306a42ac7be38fdd2dec1a2">falling.</a>&nbsp;By spring, nearly all schools had reopened and communities were shedding mask orders. TV newscasters began talking cheerfully about a post-pandemic world. President Joe Biden proclaimed the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-and-politics-joe-biden-lifestyle-coronavirus-pandemic-health-f97e0316c51d2d8362a17d149daedb14">Fourth of July</a>&nbsp;holiday as a celebration of the nation’s freedom from the virus.It didn’t last long.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-c053fae3d462705c39e3ffcd612d8a50">Delta struck</a>&nbsp;just as vaccination rates were&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nm-state-wire-health-coronavirus-government-and-politics-108f1fd0813f0d2ecec1589fd137625d">stalling&nbsp;</a>amid a wave of misinformation, devastating poorly immunized portions of the Midwest and South. Hospitals brought back mobile morgues and opened up their pocket books in a desperate bid to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-b6d58e41b209dd67ed0954f28b542baf">attract enough nurses</a>&nbsp;to care for the sick.“People have no idea,” said Debbie Eaves, a lab worker, who grew weary of the wave of death as she collected swabs from patients at Oakdale Community Hospital in Louisiana amid the surge. “Oh, no. They have no idea what it is to look and see, to see it.”In Kansas, Carolyn Burnett begged her son, who went by the nickname Coach Cheese because of his love of cheeseburgers, to get vaccinated.“He was a part of the group that ... just didn’t trust it,” she said, pausing and sighing. “They didn’t want to be a guinea pig. They didn’t want to be experimented on.”She thought maybe he was softening. When his dad got his first COVID-19 shot in August, Chris, a diabetic, told his mother he would discuss it with his doctor. But then one of Chris’ children got infected at a family sleepover and soon everyone was sick.She texted him, “Honey, God’s got you.” His last text to her said: “Mama, I feel him.” He died Sept. 11.School administrators tweeted heartfelt condolences, praising his passion in coaching running backs at Olathe East High School. Tearful athletes paid tribute in TV interviews. The Kansas City Glory, an all-female football team that Burnett coached, asked fans to contribute to a GoFundMe fundraiser to help his children. And he was honored with an inspiration award at a ceremony that recognizes the region’s best high school athletes.“We had so much support that you would think he was a celebrity,” his mom recalled.Now, as the year ends, the delta variant is fueling another wave of hospitalizations, court battles are brewing over vaccine mandates and fresh questions are swirling about the new omicron variant.Steve Grove has seen his share of coronavirus deaths in his role as a chaplain at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.Recently, one dying patient’s family gathered in a conference room. One by one they were taken to the patient’s bedside, while the other relatives watched on Zoom.“It’s a huge pain in the butt and the connection drops and it’s weird,” he acknowledged. “Here’s what I’m going to say to COVID: ‘Up yours.’ I’m getting a Zoom call going, and there you have it. That’s what’s happening today at least. You’re going to do what you’re going to do and you’re going to kill this person. You get to do that COVID. But what we’re going to do today is this. And I’m going to give them a hug when it’s done.“The alternative,” he said, “is that you just, you just give up, and I guess most people in this building have too much faith in humanity.”He acknowledged that he sometimes gets mad at unvaccinated patients because it “didn’t have to be this way. And now there’s a mess that perhaps was avoidable.”“I’ll confess to it,” he said. “And I know I’m not proud of it, and I swallow it down and then I remember as a human being that my compassion reminds me that it’s still somebody’s loved one. It is still death and it still stings.”Dr. LaTasha Perkins, of Georgetown University Student Health, is getting ready to take a job in January in a clinic that helps underserved residents of the community. She is Black and said she felt compelled to make the change after watching the virus devastate her family.She has lost a great uncle, an aunt and a cousin to COVID-19, and she suspects the virus may have played a role in the death of her grandfather. When it struck her own household last December after she had gotten her first shot but the rest of her family wasn’t yet eligible, she spent sleepless nights watching her toddler breathe and took her husband to the hospital, although he wasn’t admitted. She never got sick and credits the vaccine. Her husband also later got the shot.Still, maddeningly to her, only three of her six siblings are vaccinated. Some of the hesitation, she said, is rooted in the “horrible things done in the name of medicine to Black and brown bodies in this country.” She tells them: “If you’re worried about rich white people not caring about you, they’re lining up getting the vaccine.”She has been unable, though, to get through to some of her relatives. It’s part of the reason why she started doing hesitancy talks specifically for African Americans in the D.C. area.“For my own selfish reason, I don’t want to go to any more funerals,” she said, “and I don’t want COVID to come back in my house.”

COVID toll hits 800,000 to close out year filled with death

Joyce Lorraine Groke, age 61, of McPherson, Kansas, died Saturday morning, December 11, 2021, at Disability Supports of the Great Plains, McPherson, Kansas.

She was born May 18th, 1960, in McPherson Kansas, to Dorothea M. and Albert H. Groke Sr.

Joyce was a Christian and a parishioner of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in McPherson, Kansas. She was a creative, loving sister and aunt who had a hug for everyone she met whether stranger or friend. She loved babies and priests. She enjoyed coloring in her many coloring books using a jumbo set of colors, putting together puzzles and watching her favorite movies stars “The Three Stooges”. She was also known for her extensive watch collection, keeping her brother Al buying batteries! She also liked going out to eat, especially pancakes with lots of butter and syrup after Sunday mass with her brother Al, and if you’re buying all the better. In 1987 Joyce traveled to Dallas, Texas to participate with the Tall Texans of Dallas in the “Hoop-It-Up” Fund Raiser for the Special Olympics. She also enjoys being an athlete in the Special Olympics.

Joyce worked for McPherson County Diversified Services, Pizza Hut and Clayworks. At Clayworks she put her creative talent to use handcrafting products for purchase.

She was a 25-year breast cancer survivor.

Joyce was preceded in death by her mother, Dorothea Groke, her father Albert Groke Sr., her stepmother, Virginia Wagner, Phillip Wagner, Elena Guthals, and Dave Wagner. She is survived by: Ted Groke, Mary Lou Waitzman, Herb Groke, Al Groke, Margaret Parker, Jane Van Bunnen, Ken Wagner, Kathleen Denney, and Mike Wagner, and numerous nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held on Friday, December 17, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, McPherson, Kansas. Rosary will be held on Friday, December 17, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, McPherson, Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639539469571.jpeg" alt="Joyce Lorraine Groke" />
 <figcaption>Joyce Lorraine Groke</figcaption>
 </figure>Joyce Lorraine Groke, age 61, of McPherson, Kansas, died Saturday morning, December 11, 2021, at Disability Supports of the Great Plains, McPherson, Kansas. She was born May 18th, 1960, in McPherson Kansas, to Dorothea M. and Albert H. Groke Sr. Joyce was a Christian and a parishioner of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in McPherson, Kansas. She was a creative, loving sister and aunt who had a hug for everyone she met whether stranger or friend. She loved babies and priests. She enjoyed coloring in her many coloring books using a jumbo set of colors, putting together puzzles and watching her favorite movies stars “The Three Stooges”. She was also known for her extensive watch collection, keeping her brother Al buying batteries! She also liked going out to eat, especially pancakes with lots of butter and syrup after Sunday mass with her brother Al, and if you’re buying all the better. In 1987 Joyce traveled to Dallas, Texas to participate with the Tall Texans of Dallas in the “Hoop-It-Up” Fund Raiser for the Special Olympics. She also enjoys being an athlete in the Special Olympics. Joyce worked for McPherson County Diversified Services, Pizza Hut and Clayworks. At Clayworks she put her creative talent to use handcrafting products for purchase. She was a 25-year breast cancer survivor. Joyce was preceded in death by her mother, Dorothea Groke, her father Albert Groke Sr., her stepmother, Virginia Wagner, Phillip Wagner, Elena Guthals, and Dave Wagner. She is survived by: Ted Groke, Mary Lou Waitzman, Herb Groke, Al Groke, Margaret Parker, Jane Van Bunnen, Ken Wagner, Kathleen Denney, and Mike Wagner, and numerous nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held on Friday, December 17, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, McPherson, Kansas. Rosary will be held on Friday, December 17, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, McPherson, Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Joyce Lorraine Groke

Memorial services will be at 10 AM Saturday, December 18 at the Zion Lutheran Church in Beloit followed by burial in Scottsville Cemetery. Cremation has been chosen. Friends may sign the register book from 9 AM to 5 PM Friday at the Roberts Family Funeral Home. Memorials may be given to the Mitchell County Regional Medical Foundation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639538305650.jpeg" alt="Dorothy J. Fuller" />
 <figcaption>Dorothy J. Fuller</figcaption>
 </figure>Memorial services will be at 10 AM Saturday, December 18 at the Zion Lutheran Church in Beloit followed by burial in Scottsville Cemetery. Cremation has been chosen. Friends may sign the register book from 9 AM to 5 PM Friday at the Roberts Family Funeral Home. Memorials may be given to the Mitchell County Regional Medical Foundation.

Dorothy J. Fuller

Faith Renae Callaham, 22, of Herington, passed away peacefully at Geary Community Hospital on December 9, 2021. Faith was born on October 28, 1999, in Topeka, KS to Patrick Callaham and Michelle (Boykin) Callaham. Faith lived in White City prior to moving to Herington with her parents. Faith was a caring and loving person, who loved making people smile. She also loved fishing, camping, playing with her nieces and nephews. She also loved going home to Alabama to see family, Faith also loved to go shopping, if it was what she wanted to go shopping for. But more than anything Faith loved taking care of her animals. Her dream was to become a veterinarian. Faith will be missed by everyone that she has touched in her short life.

Faith is survived by her parents of the home, sisters; Chelsea McGuffie, of AL, Nikki Woods, of NE, Ashley Callaham and significant other Josh Price, of KS. Brother, Joel Callaham, of NE, grandparents; Mary and Loren Callaham, of KS, Rita Boykin, of AL, Bill Cobb, of AL. Several nieces and nephews, and her special friend, Travis Woods of KS. She was preceded in death by her grandfather, Gary Boykin and grandmother Darlene Cobb. Yazel-Megli Funeral Home, Herington Chapel is serving the family.

The family will receive friends on December 14, at Yazel-Megli Funeral Home, Herington Chapel at 404 S. Broadway St. Visitation will be from 3:00pm to the start of the service. Pastor Gary Schrader will officiate the service. Memorial Contributions can be made in care of the Callaham family. Please sign the online guest book and leave a memory of Faith.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639537591051.jpeg" alt="Faith Callaham" />
 <figcaption>Faith Callaham</figcaption>
 </figure>Faith Renae Callaham, 22, of Herington, passed away peacefully at Geary Community Hospital on December 9, 2021. Faith was born on October 28, 1999, in Topeka, KS to Patrick Callaham and Michelle (Boykin) Callaham. Faith lived in White City prior to moving to Herington with her parents. Faith was a caring and loving person, who loved making people smile. She also loved fishing, camping, playing with her nieces and nephews. She also loved going home to Alabama to see family, Faith also loved to go shopping, if it was what she wanted to go shopping for. But more than anything Faith loved taking care of her animals. Her dream was to become a veterinarian. Faith will be missed by everyone that she has touched in her short life. Faith is survived by her parents of the home, sisters; Chelsea McGuffie, of AL, Nikki Woods, of NE, Ashley Callaham and significant other Josh Price, of KS. Brother, Joel Callaham, of NE, grandparents; Mary and Loren Callaham, of KS, Rita Boykin, of AL, Bill Cobb, of AL. Several nieces and nephews, and her special friend, Travis Woods of KS. She was preceded in death by her grandfather, Gary Boykin and grandmother Darlene Cobb. Yazel-Megli Funeral Home, Herington Chapel is serving the family. The family will receive friends on December 14, at Yazel-Megli Funeral Home, Herington Chapel at 404 S. Broadway St. Visitation will be from 3:00pm to the start of the service. Pastor Gary Schrader will officiate the service. Memorial Contributions can be made in care of the Callaham family. Please sign the online guest book and leave a memory of Faith.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Faith Callaham

Max Gail Merrill, 90, of Lenexa, Kansas, passed away peacefully on December 10, 2021.

Max spent his childhood in Marion, Kansas and attended Marion High School, graduating in 1950. In 2004, he was named one of Marion County’s Top 100 Athletes of all time. For Marion High School Max played quarterback in football, forward in basketball, and pitcher and shortstop in baseball, while becoming the only Marion athlete to ever letter in three sports over the span of four seasons. Max earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Geology from The University in Kansas in 1954. He was a proud member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Following college Max served two years in the Air Force stationed in St. Louis, MO. He then began his career in the oil business working for Exxon/Mobil, living in the Midwest locations of Wichita, KS, Amarillo, TX, Oklahoma City, OK, and Midland, TX. In 1973, Max and his family moved to London, England where he spent eight years working for Esso Europe. Max returned from Europe to Oklahoma City, OK, working for Seneca Oil until his retirement. Max was an avid golfer and enjoyed playing throughout the US and Europe. His numerous trips to play golf in Scotland and attend the British Open were among his favorites. He was also a two time winner of the Kansas Senior Four-Ball Championship. Playing the piano and ukulele were favorite hobbies and he loved to entertain with a spirited rendition of the Boogie Woogie. Max was a dedicated University of Kansas Jayhawk fan, no matter the sport. Max and his wife Patricia Harris Merrill were married 67 years. He and Patsy had their first date in 7th grade and grew up in Marion together until they were married in 1954. They especially enjoyed their time in London where they were able to travel extensively throughout Europe. Collecting antiques from the small English villages was a special joy to them both. His loving family includes children, Mitch Merrill (and Tonya) of Sioux City, IA, and Sarah Hickey (and Tom) of Overland Park, KS; grandchildren, Jennifer Rangelova (and Atanas) of Sioux City, IA, Kyle Merrill of Cincinnati, OH, Connor Hickey of Overland Park, KS, and Mallory Hickey of Overland Park, KS, and great-grandchildren, Konstantina Rangelova and Nikolas Rangelov of Sioux City, IA; sister, Carolyn White, Clark, CO, nephew Mike Wafer, Denver, CO, and niece Julie Wafer, Denver, CO. Funeral Service will be held Friday, December 17, 11am at Valley United Methodist Church, 300 Santa Fe, Marion, KS. Max will be laid to rest at Marion Cemetery following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his name may be directed to Kansas City Hospice House, in care of Yazel-Megli Funeral Home, P.O. Box 96, Marion, Kansas 66861. Please sign his online guest book and leave a memory of Max at <a href="http://www.yazelmeglifh.com">www.yazelmeglifh.com</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639537405720.jpeg" alt="Max Gail Merrill" />
 <figcaption>Max Gail Merrill</figcaption>
 </figure>Max Gail Merrill, 90, of Lenexa, Kansas, passed away peacefully on December 10, 2021.Max spent his childhood in Marion, Kansas and attended Marion High School, graduating in 1950. In 2004, he was named one of Marion County’s Top 100 Athletes of all time. For Marion High School Max played quarterback in football, forward in basketball, and pitcher and shortstop in baseball, while becoming the only Marion athlete to ever letter in three sports over the span of four seasons. Max earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Geology from The University in Kansas in 1954. He was a proud member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. Following college Max served two years in the Air Force stationed in St. Louis, MO. He then began his career in the oil business working for Exxon/Mobil, living in the Midwest locations of Wichita, KS, Amarillo, TX, Oklahoma City, OK, and Midland, TX. In 1973, Max and his family moved to London, England where he spent eight years working for Esso Europe. Max returned from Europe to Oklahoma City, OK, working for Seneca Oil until his retirement. Max was an avid golfer and enjoyed playing throughout the US and Europe. His numerous trips to play golf in Scotland and attend the British Open were among his favorites. He was also a two time winner of the Kansas Senior Four-Ball Championship. Playing the piano and ukulele were favorite hobbies and he loved to entertain with a spirited rendition of the Boogie Woogie. Max was a dedicated University of Kansas Jayhawk fan, no matter the sport. Max and his wife Patricia Harris Merrill were married 67 years. He and Patsy had their first date in 7th grade and grew up in Marion together until they were married in 1954. They especially enjoyed their time in London where they were able to travel extensively throughout Europe. Collecting antiques from the small English villages was a special joy to them both. His loving family includes children, Mitch Merrill (and Tonya) of Sioux City, IA, and Sarah Hickey (and Tom) of Overland Park, KS; grandchildren, Jennifer Rangelova (and Atanas) of Sioux City, IA, Kyle Merrill of Cincinnati, OH, Connor Hickey of Overland Park, KS, and Mallory Hickey of Overland Park, KS, and great-grandchildren, Konstantina Rangelova and Nikolas Rangelov of Sioux City, IA; sister, Carolyn White, Clark, CO, nephew Mike Wafer, Denver, CO, and niece Julie Wafer, Denver, CO. Funeral Service will be held Friday, December 17, 11am at Valley United Methodist Church, 300 Santa Fe, Marion, KS. Max will be laid to rest at Marion Cemetery following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his name may be directed to Kansas City Hospice House, in care of Yazel-Megli Funeral Home, P.O. Box 96, Marion, Kansas 66861. Please sign his online guest book and leave a memory of Max at <a href="http://www.yazelmeglifh.com">www.yazelmeglifh.com</a>.

Max Gail Merrill

JACKSON COUNTY–Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas woman on drug allegations

Just after 5a.m. Dec. 12, a sheriff’s deputy stopped to assist a stranded motorist on U.S. 75 near 286th Road., according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

The incident ended in an arrest for illegal narcotics.  The deputy booked the driver, Tiffany Ann Boaldin, 44, of White Cloud, on on requested charges that include possession of methamphetamine, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, possession of drug paraphernalia and no insurance, according to Morse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639533318359.png" alt="Boaldin photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Boaldin photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY–Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas woman on drug allegationsJust after 5a.m. Dec. 12, a sheriff’s deputy stopped to assist a stranded motorist on U.S. 75 near 286th Road., according to Sheriff Tim Morse.The incident ended in an arrest for illegal narcotics. The deputy booked the driver, Tiffany Ann Boaldin, 44, of White Cloud, on on requested charges that include possession of methamphetamine, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, possession of drug paraphernalia and no insurance, according to Morse.

Deputy arrests stranded Kan. driver for alleged drug possession

LAS VEGAS (AP) — O.J. Simpson is a free man. The 74-year-old former football hero and actor, acquitted California murder defendant and convicted Las Vegas armed robber was granted good behavior credits and discharged from parole effective Dec. 1, a day after a hearing before the Nevada Board of Parole, Nevada State Police spokeswoman Kim Yoko Smith said Tuesday.

“Mr. Simpson is a completely free man now,” said Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s lawyer in Las Vegas.

Simpson declined an immediate interview, his attorney said, and LaVergne declined to talk about Simpson’s future plans, including whether he intends to remain in Nevada.

He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-entertainment-football-ap-top-news-us-news-d7e2b7929405481c8220adf59f0f232e">told parole officials</a>&nbsp;before his release from prison on Oct. 1, 2017, that he planned to move to Florida.

He instead moved to a gated community in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-football-ap-top-news-us-news-las-vegas-e2fea70fefb74c5580c3232d35d95459">Las Vegas where he plays golf</a>&nbsp;and frequently takes to Twitter to offer opinions about college and pro sports, especially football.

“Life is fine,” he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-ap-top-news-us-news-crime-0fea103ed1014714a966bd75c475880d">told The Associated Press during a June 2019 interview</a>.

Simpson was convicted by a jury in Las Vegas in October 2008 and served nine years in prison for leading five men, including two with guns, in a September 2007 confrontation with two sports collectibles dealers at a Las Vegas casino hotel.

Simpson insisted he only wanted to retrieve personal mementoes and items stolen from him following his acquittal in Los Angeles in the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.

He had been scheduled for discharge from parole Feb. 9, but the parole board granted him about three months of good time credits.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639516831265.png" alt="Simpson photo from his 2016 booking by the Nevada Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Simpson photo from his 2016 booking by the Nevada Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>LAS VEGAS (AP) — O.J. Simpson is a free man. The 74-year-old former football hero and actor, acquitted California murder defendant and convicted Las Vegas armed robber was granted good behavior credits and discharged from parole effective Dec. 1, a day after a hearing before the Nevada Board of Parole, Nevada State Police spokeswoman Kim Yoko Smith said Tuesday.“Mr. Simpson is a completely free man now,” said Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s lawyer in Las Vegas.Simpson declined an immediate interview, his attorney said, and LaVergne declined to talk about Simpson’s future plans, including whether he intends to remain in Nevada.He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-entertainment-football-ap-top-news-us-news-d7e2b7929405481c8220adf59f0f232e">told parole officials</a>&nbsp;before his release from prison on Oct. 1, 2017, that he planned to move to Florida.He instead moved to a gated community in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-football-ap-top-news-us-news-las-vegas-e2fea70fefb74c5580c3232d35d95459">Las Vegas where he plays golf</a>&nbsp;and frequently takes to Twitter to offer opinions about college and pro sports, especially football.“Life is fine,” he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-sports-ap-top-news-us-news-crime-0fea103ed1014714a966bd75c475880d">told The Associated Press during a June 2019 interview</a>.Simpson was convicted by a jury in Las Vegas in October 2008 and served nine years in prison for leading five men, including two with guns, in a September 2007 confrontation with two sports collectibles dealers at a Las Vegas casino hotel.Simpson insisted he only wanted to retrieve personal mementoes and items stolen from him following his acquittal in Los Angeles in the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.He had been scheduled for discharge from parole Feb. 9, but the parole board granted him about three months of good time credits.

OJ Simpson a free man as parole ends early in Nevada

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 14, the 348th day of 2021. There are 17 days left in the year. 

On Dec. 14, 2020, the Electoral College decisively confirmed Joe Biden as the nation's next president, ratifying his November victory in a state-by-state repudiation of President Donald Trump's refusal to concede he had lost; electors gave Biden 306 votes to Trump's 232. Speaking from Delaware, Biden accused Trump of threatening core principles of democracy, but told Americans that their form of self-government had "prevailed." A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected Trump's lawsuit seeking to overturn his loss in the battleground state about an hour before the Electoral College cast Wisconsin's 10 votes for Biden. 

In 1799, the first president of the United States, George Washington, died at his Mount Vernon, Virginia, home at age 67. 

In 1819, Alabama joined the Union as the 22nd state. 

In 1861, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, died at Windsor Castle at age 42. 

In 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his team became the first men to reach the South Pole, beating out a British expedition led by Robert F. Scott. 

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson vetoed an immigration measure aimed at preventing "undesirables" and anyone born in the "Asiatic Barred Zone" from entering the U.S. (Congress overrode Wilson's veto in February 1917.) 

In 1939, the Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations for invading Finland.

In 1961, a school bus was hit by a passenger train at a crossing near Greeley, Colorado, killing 20 students. 

In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States, ruled that Congress was within its authority to enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1964 against racial discrimination by private businesses (in this case, a motel that refused to cater to Blacks). 

In 1981, Israel annexed the Golan Heights, which it had seized from Syria in 1967. 

In 1985, former New York Yankees outfielder Roger Maris, who'd hit 61 home runs during the 1961 season, died in Houston at age 51.

In 2005, President George W. Bush defended his decision to wage the Iraq war, even as he acknowledged that "much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong." 

In 2012, a gunman with a semi-automatic rifle killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, then took his own life as police arrived; the 20-year-old had also fatally shot his mother at their home before carrying out the attack on the school. 

Ten years ago: President Barack Obama, visiting Fort Bragg in North Carolina, saluted troops returning from Iraq, asserting that the nearly nine-year conflict was ending honorably.

Five years ago: President-elect Donald Trump convened a summit at Trump Tower for nearly a dozen tech leaders whose industry had largely supported Democrat Hillary Clinton; the CEOs included Apple's Tim Cook, Google's Eric Schmidt, Amazon's Jeff Bezos and Tesla's Elon Musk. Trump announced his selection of former campaign rival Rick Perry to be secretary of energy. Yahoo said it believed hackers had stolen data from more than one billion user accounts in Aug. 2013 (in Oct. 2017, Yahoo raised that figure to 3 billion).

One year ago: The largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history began with health workers getting shots on the same day the nation's COVID-19 death toll hit 300,000. U.S. government agencies and private companies rushed to secure computer networks after the disclosure of a sophisticated, long-running cyber-espionage intrusion suspected of being carried out by Russian hackers. The owner of the Cleveland Indians said the team would drop the name it had used since 1915; he said it was "no longer acceptable in our world." (The team would still be known as the Indians in 2021, with the new name, the Guardians, taking effect after that season.)

Today's Birthdays: Singer-actor Abbe Lane is 90. Actor Hal Williams is 87. Actor-singer Jane Birkin is 75. Pop singer Joyce Vincent-Wilson (Tony Orlando and Dawn) is 75. Entertainment executive Michael Ovitz is 75. Actor Dee Wallace is 73. R&amp;B singer Ronnie McNeir (The Four Tops) is 72. Rock musician Cliff Williams is 72. Actor-comedian T.K. Carter is 65. Rock singer-musician Mike Scott (The Waterboys) is 63. Singer-musician Peter "Spider" Stacy (The Pogues) is 63. Actor Cynthia Gibb is 58. Actor Nancy Valen is 56. Actor Archie Kao is 52. Actor Natascha McElhone is 52. Actor-comedian Michaela Watkins is 50. Actor-comedian Miranda Hart is 49. R&amp;B singer Brian Dalyrimple (Soul For Real) is 46. Actor KaDee Strickland is 46. Actor Tammy Blanchard is 45. Actor Sophie Monk is 42. Actor-singer-musician Jackson Rathbone is 37. Actor Vanessa Hudgens is 33. Rock/R&amp;B singer Tori Kelly 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 Tuesday, Dec. 14, the 348th day of 2021. There are 17 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 14, 2020, the Electoral College decisively confirmed Joe Biden as the nation's next president, ratifying his November victory in a state-by-state repudiation of President Donald Trump's refusal to concede he had lost; electors gave Biden 306 votes to Trump's 232. Speaking from Delaware, Biden accused Trump of threatening core principles of democracy, but told Americans that their form of self-government had "prevailed." A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected Trump's lawsuit seeking to overturn his loss in the battleground state about an hour before the Electoral College cast Wisconsin's 10 votes for Biden. On this date: In 1799, the first president of the United States, George Washington, died at his Mount Vernon, Virginia, home at age 67. In 1819, Alabama joined the Union as the 22nd state. In 1861, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, died at Windsor Castle at age 42. In 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his team became the first men to reach the South Pole, beating out a British expedition led by Robert F. Scott. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson vetoed an immigration measure aimed at preventing "undesirables" and anyone born in the "Asiatic Barred Zone" from entering the U.S. (Congress overrode Wilson's veto in February 1917.) In 1939, the Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations for invading Finland.In 1961, a school bus was hit by a passenger train at a crossing near Greeley, Colorado, killing 20 students. In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States, ruled that Congress was within its authority to enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1964 against racial discrimination by private businesses (in this case, a motel that refused to cater to Blacks). In 1981, Israel annexed the Golan Heights, which it had seized from Syria in 1967. In 1985, former New York Yankees outfielder Roger Maris, who'd hit 61 home runs during the 1961 season, died in Houston at age 51.In 2005, President George W. Bush defended his decision to wage the Iraq war, even as he acknowledged that "much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong." In 2012, a gunman with a semi-automatic rifle killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, then took his own life as police arrived; the 20-year-old had also fatally shot his mother at their home before carrying out the attack on the school. Ten years ago: President Barack Obama, visiting Fort Bragg in North Carolina, saluted troops returning from Iraq, asserting that the nearly nine-year conflict was ending honorably. Five years ago: President-elect Donald Trump convened a summit at Trump Tower for nearly a dozen tech leaders whose industry had largely supported Democrat Hillary Clinton; the CEOs included Apple's Tim Cook, Google's Eric Schmidt, Amazon's Jeff Bezos and Tesla's Elon Musk. Trump announced his selection of former campaign rival Rick Perry to be secretary of energy. Yahoo said it believed hackers had stolen data from more than one billion user accounts in Aug. 2013 (in Oct. 2017, Yahoo raised that figure to 3 billion).One year ago: The largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history began with health workers getting shots on the same day the nation's COVID-19 death toll hit 300,000. U.S. government agencies and private companies rushed to secure computer networks after the disclosure of a sophisticated, long-running cyber-espionage intrusion suspected of being carried out by Russian hackers. The owner of the Cleveland Indians said the team would drop the name it had used since 1915; he said it was "no longer acceptable in our world." (The team would still be known as the Indians in 2021, with the new name, the Guardians, taking effect after that season.)Today's Birthdays: Singer-actor Abbe Lane is 90. Actor Hal Williams is 87. Actor-singer Jane Birkin is 75. Pop singer Joyce Vincent-Wilson (Tony Orlando and Dawn) is 75. Entertainment executive Michael Ovitz is 75. Actor Dee Wallace is 73. R&amp;B singer Ronnie McNeir (The Four Tops) is 72. Rock musician Cliff Williams is 72. Actor-comedian T.K. Carter is 65. Rock singer-musician Mike Scott (The Waterboys) is 63. Singer-musician Peter "Spider" Stacy (The Pogues) is 63. Actor Cynthia Gibb is 58. Actor Nancy Valen is 56. Actor Archie Kao is 52. Actor Natascha McElhone is 52. Actor-comedian Michaela Watkins is 50. Actor-comedian Miranda Hart is 49. R&amp;B singer Brian Dalyrimple (Soul For Real) is 46. Actor KaDee Strickland is 46. Actor Tammy Blanchard is 45. Actor Sophie Monk is 42. Actor-singer-musician Jackson Rathbone is 37. Actor Vanessa Hudgens is 33. Rock/R&amp;B singer Tori Kelly is 29.

Today in History - Dec. 14

MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Workers, volunteers and members of the National Guard fanned out in areas of Kentucky slammed by a series of tornadoes to begin the long process of recovery, including replacing thousands of damaged utility poles, delivering bottles of drinking water and continuing to search for the dead.

The tornado outbreak Friday that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tornadoes-kentucky-illinois-arkansas-tennessee-missouri-e1ae21e0b7521c28411f8c360b756700">killed at least 88 people</a>&nbsp;in five states — 74 of them in Kentucky — cut a path of devastation that stretched from Arkansas, where a nursing home was destroyed, to Illinois, where an Amazon distribution center was heavily damaged.

In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tornadoes-tennessee-illinois-kentucky-missouri-8ed8a33cf1e63e050f7733b1c5e41485">death toll could grow</a>&nbsp;as authorities continued to work around debris that slowed recovery efforts. Nearly 450 National Guard members have been mobilized in the state, and 95 of them are searching for those presumed dead.

“With this amount of damage and rubble, it may be a week or even more before we have a final count on the number of lost lives,” the governor said.

Kentucky authorities said the sheer level of destruction was hindering their ability to tally the damage. Still, efforts turned to repairing the power grid,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/a1cd794334ef3009f180bf049eb21e39">sheltering those whose homes were destroyed</a>&nbsp;and delivering supplies.

Across the state, about 26,000 homes and businesses were without electricity, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://poweroutage.us/area/state/kentucky" target="_blank">poweroutage.us</a>, including nearly all of those in Mayfield. More than 10,000 homes and businesses had no water as of Monday, and another 17,000 are under boil-water advisories, Kentucky Emergency Management Director Michael Dossett told reporters.

A fund set up by the state collected $6 million in donations, according to the governor. Kentucky First Lady Britainy Beshear launched a Christmas toy drive for children affected by the storm. She is asking for unwrapped toys, books, and gift cards of $25 that will be distributed to families in need.

State and local officials said it could take years for some of the hardest-hit areas to fully recover.

“This again is not going to be a week or a month operation, folks. This will go on for years to come. This is a massive event,” Dossett said.

Five twisters hit Kentucky in all, including one with an extraordinarily long path of about 200 miles, authorities said.

In addition to the deaths in Kentucky, the tornadoes also killed at least six people in Illinois, where the Amazon distribution center in Edwardsville was hit; four in Tennessee; two in Arkansas, where the nursing home was destroyed and the governor said workers shielded residents with their own bodies; and two in Missouri.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Monday that it has opened an investigation into the collapse of the Amazon warehouse in Illinois.

Mayfield, home to 10,000, suffered some of the worst damage. Debris from destroyed buildings and shredded trees covered the ground in the city. Twisted sheet metal, downed power lines and wrecked vehicles lined the streets. Windows were blown out and roofs torn off the buildings that were still standing.

Not far from Mayfield, a church serving as a shelter in Wingo said it expected to host more than 100 people Monday night.

Glynda Glover, 82, said she had no idea how long she would stay at the Wingo shelter: Her apartment is uninhabitable since the wind blew out the windows and covered her bed in glass and asphalt.

“I’ll stay here until we get back to whatever normal is,” she said, “and I don’t know what normal is anymore.”

On the outskirts of Dawson Springs, another town devastated by the storms, homes were reduced to rubble and trees toppled, littering the landscape for a span of at least a mile. Jack Whitfield Jr., the Hopkins County judge-executive, estimated that more than 60% of the town, including hundreds of homes, was “beyond repair.”

“A full recovering is going to take years,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639486133435.png" alt="“With this amount of damage and rubble, it may be a week or even more before we have a final count on the number of lost lives,” the Governor of Kentucky said.-photo American Red Cross" />
 <figcaption>“With this amount of damage and rubble, it may be a week or even more before we have a final count on the number of lost lives,” the Governor of Kentucky said.-photo American Red Cross</figcaption>
 </figure>MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) — Workers, volunteers and members of the National Guard fanned out in areas of Kentucky slammed by a series of tornadoes to begin the long process of recovery, including replacing thousands of damaged utility poles, delivering bottles of drinking water and continuing to search for the dead.The tornado outbreak Friday that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tornadoes-kentucky-illinois-arkansas-tennessee-missouri-e1ae21e0b7521c28411f8c360b756700">killed at least 88 people</a>&nbsp;in five states — 74 of them in Kentucky — cut a path of devastation that stretched from Arkansas, where a nursing home was destroyed, to Illinois, where an Amazon distribution center was heavily damaged.In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/tornadoes-tennessee-illinois-kentucky-missouri-8ed8a33cf1e63e050f7733b1c5e41485">death toll could grow</a>&nbsp;as authorities continued to work around debris that slowed recovery efforts. Nearly 450 National Guard members have been mobilized in the state, and 95 of them are searching for those presumed dead.“With this amount of damage and rubble, it may be a week or even more before we have a final count on the number of lost lives,” the governor said.Kentucky authorities said the sheer level of destruction was hindering their ability to tally the damage. Still, efforts turned to repairing the power grid,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/a1cd794334ef3009f180bf049eb21e39">sheltering those whose homes were destroyed</a>&nbsp;and delivering supplies.Across the state, about 26,000 homes and businesses were without electricity, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://poweroutage.us/area/state/kentucky" target="_blank">poweroutage.us</a>, including nearly all of those in Mayfield. More than 10,000 homes and businesses had no water as of Monday, and another 17,000 are under boil-water advisories, Kentucky Emergency Management Director Michael Dossett told reporters.A fund set up by the state collected $6 million in donations, according to the governor. Kentucky First Lady Britainy Beshear launched a Christmas toy drive for children affected by the storm. She is asking for unwrapped toys, books, and gift cards of $25 that will be distributed to families in need.State and local officials said it could take years for some of the hardest-hit areas to fully recover.“This again is not going to be a week or a month operation, folks. This will go on for years to come. This is a massive event,” Dossett said.Five twisters hit Kentucky in all, including one with an extraordinarily long path of about 200 miles, authorities said.In addition to the deaths in Kentucky, the tornadoes also killed at least six people in Illinois, where the Amazon distribution center in Edwardsville was hit; four in Tennessee; two in Arkansas, where the nursing home was destroyed and the governor said workers shielded residents with their own bodies; and two in Missouri.The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Monday that it has opened an investigation into the collapse of the Amazon warehouse in Illinois.Mayfield, home to 10,000, suffered some of the worst damage. Debris from destroyed buildings and shredded trees covered the ground in the city. Twisted sheet metal, downed power lines and wrecked vehicles lined the streets. Windows were blown out and roofs torn off the buildings that were still standing.Not far from Mayfield, a church serving as a shelter in Wingo said it expected to host more than 100 people Monday night.Glynda Glover, 82, said she had no idea how long she would stay at the Wingo shelter: Her apartment is uninhabitable since the wind blew out the windows and covered her bed in glass and asphalt.“I’ll stay here until we get back to whatever normal is,” she said, “and I don’t know what normal is anymore.”On the outskirts of Dawson Springs, another town devastated by the storms, homes were reduced to rubble and trees toppled, littering the landscape for a span of at least a mile. Jack Whitfield Jr., the Hopkins County judge-executive, estimated that more than 60% of the town, including hundreds of homes, was “beyond repair.”“A full recovering is going to take years,” he said.

Search for missing continues in tornado-slammed parts of 5 states

LONDON (AP) — Long lines formed Monday at vaccination centers across England as people heeded the government’s call for all adults to get booster shots to protect themselves against the omicron variant, as the U.K. recorded its first death of a patient infected with omicron.

In a televised announcement late Sunday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-europe-england-a32ff1844911b50d0b09dd1013e16bab">everyone 18 and up</a>&nbsp;would be offered a third vaccine dose by Dec. 31 — less than three weeks away, and a month earlier than the previous target.

Johnson said said boosters would “reinforce our wall of vaccine protection” against an anticipated “tidal wave of omicron.” The British government raised the country’s official coronavirus threat level on Sunday, warning that the rapid spread of omicron “adds additional and rapidly increasing risk to the public and health care services.”

U.K. health authorities say omicron cases are doubling every two to three days in Britain, and it will replace delta as the dominant coronavirus strain within days. But it’s unclear whether the expected wave of infections will inundate the country’s state-funded health care system.

Scientists in South Africa, where omicron was first identified, say they see signs the variant may cause less severe disease than delta but caution that it’s too soon to be certain. Health authorities around the world are watching Britain closely to see what an omicron surge looks like in a country with an older, more highly vaccinated population than South Africa’s.

About 10 people are in U.K. hospitals with COVID-19 caused by omicron, and Johnson on Monday said the country’s first COVID-19 death involving the variant had been confirmed.

“So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus, I think that’s something we need to set on one side and just recognize the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population,” Johnson said as he visited a vaccination center in London. “So the best thing we can do is all get our boosters.”

The U.K. Health Security Agency says existing vaccines appear less effective in preventing symptomatic infections in people exposed to omicron, though effectiveness appears to rise to between 70% and 75% after a third dose.

More than 80% of people age 12 and up in Britain have received two vaccine doses, and 40% of adults have had three. Giving the rest boosters by the end of the month will be a huge challenge, requiring almost 1 million vaccine shots delivered a day. Johnson acknowledged that many routine medical procedures would have to be postponed to meet the goal.

Some 750 soldiers and thousands of volunteer vaccinators will help give the jabs at doctors’ offices, hospitals, pharmacies and pop-up vaccination centers.

While the online appointment booking system will not be open to under-30s until Wednesday, Johnson said any adult could show up at a walk-in center to get a booster starting Monday.

Lines built up at big London vaccination clinics on Monday morning. The line for shots at St. Thomas’ Hospital, on the south bank of the River Thames in London, stretched across Westminster Bridge toward Parliament. At many clinics people queued patiently despite being told they faced a wait of several hours.

The government’s appointment-booking website struggled to keep up with demand, and also ran out of rapid at-home virus test kits, which have been distributed free to households during the pandemic. The website where tests can be ordered said none were available Monday. Starting Wednesday, people in England must show proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter nightclubs and other crowded venues.

Johnson’s Dec. 31 target applies to England. The other parts of the U.K. — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — are also expected to speed up their vaccination campaigns.

While omicron is spreading around the world, Britain may be especially affected because it ordinarily has high levels of travel to South Africa. The omicron outbreak is also more visible because U.K. is also a world leader in genomic sequencing, the technique used to identify and track new variants.

Researchers in the U.K. have sequenced about 13.3% of all positive cases, compared with 3.8% in the U.S., according to GISAID, which promotes rapid sharing of data on COVID-19 and the flu. While nations such as Iceland and Denmark have sequenced a greater percentage of their positive cases, the size of the U.K.’s population and the scope of its outbreak mean Britain has sequenced many more cases.

This surveillance provided a key piece of the evidence that Johnson and the nation’s chief medical officers used in deciding to tighten pandemic restrictions and ramp up the U.K.’s vaccination program.

Johnson’s Conservative government is bringing in vaccine certificates for nightclubs and reintroducing restrictions that were lifted almost six months ago. Masks must once again be worn in most indoor settings and as of Monday, people were urged to work from home if possible.

Many scientists say those measures are unlikely to be enough and are calling for tougher ones. But cafes, pubs and shops in city centers fear that plummeting commuter numbers will hammer business in the usually busy pre-Christmas period.

Johnson is facing a major rebellion from unhappy Conservative lawmakers when Parliament votes on the new virus restrictions Tuesday. Dozens are expected to oppose the restrictions — especially vaccine passports, which they say are unfair and economically damaging.

The measures are still highly likely to pass, with support from the opposition Labour Party.

Robert Read, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Southampton, said it was still unclear how severe cases of COVID-19 from omicron would be, but “the evidence is that omicron probably requires much larger amounts of antibody in the blood in order to thwart the virus as much as possible.”

“We need to get those third doses into as many adults as we possibly can, just in case this virus turns out to be a raging bull rather than a pussy cat,” Read told radio station LBC.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1638297902218.png" alt="Riders on earlier this month aboard the Underground in London-image courtesy Underground Web Camera" />
 <figcaption>Riders on earlier this month aboard the Underground in London-image courtesy Underground Web Camera</figcaption>
 </figure>LONDON (AP) — Long lines formed Monday at vaccination centers across England as people heeded the government’s call for all adults to get booster shots to protect themselves against the omicron variant, as the U.K. recorded its first death of a patient infected with omicron.In a televised announcement late Sunday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-europe-england-a32ff1844911b50d0b09dd1013e16bab">everyone 18 and up</a>&nbsp;would be offered a third vaccine dose by Dec. 31 — less than three weeks away, and a month earlier than the previous target.Johnson said said boosters would “reinforce our wall of vaccine protection” against an anticipated “tidal wave of omicron.” The British government raised the country’s official coronavirus threat level on Sunday, warning that the rapid spread of omicron “adds additional and rapidly increasing risk to the public and health care services.”U.K. health authorities say omicron cases are doubling every two to three days in Britain, and it will replace delta as the dominant coronavirus strain within days. But it’s unclear whether the expected wave of infections will inundate the country’s state-funded health care system.Scientists in South Africa, where omicron was first identified, say they see signs the variant may cause less severe disease than delta but caution that it’s too soon to be certain. Health authorities around the world are watching Britain closely to see what an omicron surge looks like in a country with an older, more highly vaccinated population than South Africa’s.About 10 people are in U.K. hospitals with COVID-19 caused by omicron, and Johnson on Monday said the country’s first COVID-19 death involving the variant had been confirmed.“So I think the idea that this is somehow a milder version of the virus, I think that’s something we need to set on one side and just recognize the sheer pace at which it accelerates through the population,” Johnson said as he visited a vaccination center in London. “So the best thing we can do is all get our boosters.”The U.K. Health Security Agency says existing vaccines appear less effective in preventing symptomatic infections in people exposed to omicron, though effectiveness appears to rise to between 70% and 75% after a third dose.More than 80% of people age 12 and up in Britain have received two vaccine doses, and 40% of adults have had three. Giving the rest boosters by the end of the month will be a huge challenge, requiring almost 1 million vaccine shots delivered a day. Johnson acknowledged that many routine medical procedures would have to be postponed to meet the goal.Some 750 soldiers and thousands of volunteer vaccinators will help give the jabs at doctors’ offices, hospitals, pharmacies and pop-up vaccination centers.While the online appointment booking system will not be open to under-30s until Wednesday, Johnson said any adult could show up at a walk-in center to get a booster starting Monday.Lines built up at big London vaccination clinics on Monday morning. The line for shots at St. Thomas’ Hospital, on the south bank of the River Thames in London, stretched across Westminster Bridge toward Parliament. At many clinics people queued patiently despite being told they faced a wait of several hours.The government’s appointment-booking website struggled to keep up with demand, and also ran out of rapid at-home virus test kits, which have been distributed free to households during the pandemic. The website where tests can be ordered said none were available Monday. Starting Wednesday, people in England must show proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter nightclubs and other crowded venues.Johnson’s Dec. 31 target applies to England. The other parts of the U.K. — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — are also expected to speed up their vaccination campaigns.While omicron is spreading around the world, Britain may be especially affected because it ordinarily has high levels of travel to South Africa. The omicron outbreak is also more visible because U.K. is also a world leader in genomic sequencing, the technique used to identify and track new variants.Researchers in the U.K. have sequenced about 13.3% of all positive cases, compared with 3.8% in the U.S., according to GISAID, which promotes rapid sharing of data on COVID-19 and the flu. While nations such as Iceland and Denmark have sequenced a greater percentage of their positive cases, the size of the U.K.’s population and the scope of its outbreak mean Britain has sequenced many more cases.This surveillance provided a key piece of the evidence that Johnson and the nation’s chief medical officers used in deciding to tighten pandemic restrictions and ramp up the U.K.’s vaccination program.Johnson’s Conservative government is bringing in vaccine certificates for nightclubs and reintroducing restrictions that were lifted almost six months ago. Masks must once again be worn in most indoor settings and as of Monday, people were urged to work from home if possible.Many scientists say those measures are unlikely to be enough and are calling for tougher ones. But cafes, pubs and shops in city centers fear that plummeting commuter numbers will hammer business in the usually busy pre-Christmas period.Johnson is facing a major rebellion from unhappy Conservative lawmakers when Parliament votes on the new virus restrictions Tuesday. Dozens are expected to oppose the restrictions — especially vaccine passports, which they say are unfair and economically damaging.The measures are still highly likely to pass, with support from the opposition Labour Party.Robert Read, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Southampton, said it was still unclear how severe cases of COVID-19 from omicron would be, but “the evidence is that omicron probably requires much larger amounts of antibody in the blood in order to thwart the virus as much as possible.”“We need to get those third doses into as many adults as we possibly can, just in case this virus turns out to be a raging bull rather than a pussy cat,” Read told radio station LBC.

World's 1st omicron death; cases doubling every 2 to 3 days in Britain

Today is Monday, Dec. 13, the 347th day of 2021. There are 18 days left in the year. 

On Dec. 13, 2000, Republican George W. Bush claimed the presidency a day after the U.S. Supreme Court shut down further recounts of disputed ballots in Florida; Democrat Al Gore conceded, delivering a call for national unity. 

In 1835, Phillips Brooks, the American Episcopal bishop who wrote the words to "O Little Town of Bethlehem," was born in Boston.

In 1928, George Gershwin's "An American in Paris" had its premiere at Carnegie Hall in New York.

In 1937, the Chinese city of Nanjing fell to Japanese forces during the Sino-Japanese War; what followed was a massacre of war prisoners, soldiers and citizens. (China maintains that up to 300,000 people were killed; Japanese nationalists say the death toll was far lower, and some maintain the massacre never happened.) 

In 1978, the Philadelphia Mint began stamping the Susan B. Anthony dollar, which went into circulation the following July. 

In 1981, authorities in Poland imposed martial law in a crackdown on the Solidarity labor movement. (Martial law formally ended in 1983.) 

In 1993, the space shuttle Endeavour returned from its mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. 

In 2001, the Pentagon publicly released a captured videotape of Osama bin Laden in which the al-Qaida leader said the deaths and destruction achieved by the September 11 attacks exceeded his "most optimistic" expectations. 

In 2002, President George W. Bush announced he would take the smallpox vaccine along with U.S. military forces, but was not recommending the potentially risky inoculation for most Americans. 

In 2003, Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces while hiding in a hole under a farmhouse in Adwar, Iraq, near his hometown of Tikrit. 

In 2007, Major League Baseball's Mitchell Report was released, identifying 85 names to differing degrees in connection with the alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. 

In 2014, thousands of protesters marched in New York, Washington and other U.S. cities to call attention to the killing of unarmed Black men by white police officers who faced no criminal charges. 

In 2019, the House Judiciary Committee approved two articles of impeachment accusing President Donald Trump of abuse of power in his dealings with Ukraine and obstruction of Congress in the investigation that followed.

Ten years ago: Early sound recordings by Alexander Graham Bell that were packed away at the Smithsonian Institution for more than a century were played publicly for the first time using new technology that read the sound with light and a 3D camera. (In one recording, a man recites part of Hamlet's Soliloquy; on another, a voice recites the numbers 1 through 6.)

Five years ago: President-elect Donald Trump announced his choice of ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state. Actor Alan Thicke, best remembered as the beloved dad on the ABC series "Growing Pains," died in Los Angeles at age 69.

One year ago: The first vials of the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 began making their way to distribution sites across the United States. President Donald Trump said he was reversing an administration directive to vaccinate top government officials against COVID-19 while public distribution of the shot was limited to health care workers and people in nursing homes and long-term care facilities; hours earlier, the administration had confirmed that senior U.S. officials would be offered vaccines in the days ahead.

Today's Birthdays: Actor-comedian Dick Van Dyke is 96. Country singer Buck White is 91. Music/film producer Lou Adler is 88. Singer John Davidson is 80. Actor Kathy Garver (TV: "Family Affair") is 76. Singer Ted Nugent is 73. Rock musician Jeff "Skunk" Baxter is 73. Actor Robert Lindsay is 72. Country singer-musician Randy Owen is 72. Actor Wendie Malick is 71. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is 71. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is 68. Country singer John Anderson is 67. Singer-songwriter Steve Forbert is 67. Singer-actor Morris Day is 65. Actor Steve Buscemi is 64. Actor Johnny Whitaker (TV: "Family Affair") is 62. Rock musician John Munson (Semisonic; Twilight Hours) is 59. Actor-reality TV star NeNe Leakes is 55. Actor-comedian Jamie Foxx is 54. Actor Lusia Strus is 54. Actor Bart Johnson is 51. Actor Jeffrey Pierce is 50. TV personality Debbie Matenopoulos is 47. Rock singer-musician Thomas Delonge is 46. Actor James Kyson Lee is 46. Actor Kimee Balmilero (TV: "Hawaii Five-0") is 42. Actor Chelsea Hertford is 40. Rock singer Amy Lee (Evanescence) is 40. Actor Michael Socha is 34. Actor Marcel Spears (TV: "The Mayor") is 33. Singer Taylor Swift is 32. Actor Maisy Stella is 18.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Monday, Dec. 13, the 347th day of 2021. There are 18 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 13, 2000, Republican George W. Bush claimed the presidency a day after the U.S. Supreme Court shut down further recounts of disputed ballots in Florida; Democrat Al Gore conceded, delivering a call for national unity. On this date: In 1835, Phillips Brooks, the American Episcopal bishop who wrote the words to "O Little Town of Bethlehem," was born in Boston.In 1928, George Gershwin's "An American in Paris" had its premiere at Carnegie Hall in New York.In 1937, the Chinese city of Nanjing fell to Japanese forces during the Sino-Japanese War; what followed was a massacre of war prisoners, soldiers and citizens. (China maintains that up to 300,000 people were killed; Japanese nationalists say the death toll was far lower, and some maintain the massacre never happened.) In 1978, the Philadelphia Mint began stamping the Susan B. Anthony dollar, which went into circulation the following July. In 1981, authorities in Poland imposed martial law in a crackdown on the Solidarity labor movement. (Martial law formally ended in 1983.) In 1993, the space shuttle Endeavour returned from its mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. In 2001, the Pentagon publicly released a captured videotape of Osama bin Laden in which the al-Qaida leader said the deaths and destruction achieved by the September 11 attacks exceeded his "most optimistic" expectations. In 2002, President George W. Bush announced he would take the smallpox vaccine along with U.S. military forces, but was not recommending the potentially risky inoculation for most Americans. In 2003, Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces while hiding in a hole under a farmhouse in Adwar, Iraq, near his hometown of Tikrit. In 2007, Major League Baseball's Mitchell Report was released, identifying 85 names to differing degrees in connection with the alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs. In 2014, thousands of protesters marched in New York, Washington and other U.S. cities to call attention to the killing of unarmed Black men by white police officers who faced no criminal charges. In 2019, the House Judiciary Committee approved two articles of impeachment accusing President Donald Trump of abuse of power in his dealings with Ukraine and obstruction of Congress in the investigation that followed.Ten years ago: Early sound recordings by Alexander Graham Bell that were packed away at the Smithsonian Institution for more than a century were played publicly for the first time using new technology that read the sound with light and a 3D camera. (In one recording, a man recites part of Hamlet's Soliloquy; on another, a voice recites the numbers 1 through 6.) Five years ago: President-elect Donald Trump announced his choice of ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state. Actor Alan Thicke, best remembered as the beloved dad on the ABC series "Growing Pains," died in Los Angeles at age 69. One year ago: The first vials of the Pfizer vaccine against COVID-19 began making their way to distribution sites across the United States. President Donald Trump said he was reversing an administration directive to vaccinate top government officials against COVID-19 while public distribution of the shot was limited to health care workers and people in nursing homes and long-term care facilities; hours earlier, the administration had confirmed that senior U.S. officials would be offered vaccines in the days ahead.Today's Birthdays: Actor-comedian Dick Van Dyke is 96. Country singer Buck White is 91. Music/film producer Lou Adler is 88. Singer John Davidson is 80. Actor Kathy Garver (TV: "Family Affair") is 76. Singer Ted Nugent is 73. Rock musician Jeff "Skunk" Baxter is 73. Actor Robert Lindsay is 72. Country singer-musician Randy Owen is 72. Actor Wendie Malick is 71. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is 71. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is 68. Country singer John Anderson is 67. Singer-songwriter Steve Forbert is 67. Singer-actor Morris Day is 65. Actor Steve Buscemi is 64. Actor Johnny Whitaker (TV: "Family Affair") is 62. Rock musician John Munson (Semisonic; Twilight Hours) is 59. Actor-reality TV star NeNe Leakes is 55. Actor-comedian Jamie Foxx is 54. Actor Lusia Strus is 54. Actor Bart Johnson is 51. Actor Jeffrey Pierce is 50. TV personality Debbie Matenopoulos is 47. Rock singer-musician Thomas Delonge is 46. Actor James Kyson Lee is 46. Actor Kimee Balmilero (TV: "Hawaii Five-0") is 42. Actor Chelsea Hertford is 40. Rock singer Amy Lee (Evanescence) is 40. Actor Michael Socha is 34. Actor Marcel Spears (TV: "The Mayor") is 33. Singer Taylor Swift is 32. Actor Maisy Stella is 18.

Today in History - Dec. 13


HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
With the announcement that Keith Urban's tour stop in Wichita coincides with the second Saturday night of the Kansas State Fair, that creates some issues for scheduling a grandstand show that night.

"We just got back from the International Association of Fairs and Expositions convention," said State Fair GM Bryan Schulz. "There was four staff, myself and three of our board members went down there. We had an opportunity to meet with our entertainment buyers and started looking at things. Obviously, we were already in the row of finding some things. With this announcement, we have been able to shift from what we thought we might do on that Saturday night to different entertainment. We'll just make it work."

The State Fair's grandstand show budget isn't that large, when you're spreading it over the whole event.

"We have about $650,000 to $675,000, when you start taking that over ten days, that kind of dwindles down." Schulz said. "The Blake Sheltons, the Miranda Lamberts, KISS, ZZ Top, those might be a little tough to get in at the Kansas State Fair right now."

The key is figuring out who will be big and booking them early, which is an art in itself.

"Going after those ones that are starting to peak and getting them in at the dollar amounts that we can afford," Schulz said. "I remember, when I was at a previous fair, our agency said, hey Bryan, we've got this opportunity for Zac Brown Band. I said, okay. That's when Chicken Fried was just coming out. I said, okay, what do you think we can get them for? Well, about $27,000 is what I think we'll pay for them. Let's try it. By the time it got to be fair time, they were asking $200,000 to $250,000. It's when you can get in on that ground level and be able to lock it in, that's fantastic."

Schulz further explained that if an act will have a show in the region before the one at the Fair, sometimes announcements of acts have to be delayed, in an effort not to negatively impact the other close in show's date.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1626269696039.jpeg" alt="Bryan Schulz, General Manager of the Kansas State Fair" />
 <figcaption>Bryan Schulz, General Manager of the Kansas State Fair</figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL
Hutch
Post
HUTCHINSON,
Kan. — 
With the announcement that Keith Urban's tour stop in Wichita coincides with the second Saturday night of the Kansas State Fair, that creates some issues for scheduling a grandstand show that night."We just got back from the International Association of Fairs and Expositions convention," said State Fair GM Bryan Schulz. "There was four staff, myself and three of our board members went down there. We had an opportunity to meet with our entertainment buyers and started looking at things. Obviously, we were already in the row of finding some things. With this announcement, we have been able to shift from what we thought we might do on that Saturday night to different entertainment. We'll just make it work."The State Fair's grandstand show budget isn't that large, when you're spreading it over the whole event."We have about $650,000 to $675,000, when you start taking that over ten days, that kind of dwindles down." Schulz said. "The Blake Sheltons, the Miranda Lamberts, KISS, ZZ Top, those might be a little tough to get in at the Kansas State Fair right now."The key is figuring out who will be big and booking them early, which is an art in itself."Going after those ones that are starting to peak and getting them in at the dollar amounts that we can afford," Schulz said. "I remember, when I was at a previous fair, our agency said, hey Bryan, we've got this opportunity for Zac Brown Band. I said, okay. That's when Chicken Fried was just coming out. I said, okay, what do you think we can get them for? Well, about $27,000 is what I think we'll pay for them. Let's try it. By the time it got to be fair time, they were asking $200,000 to $250,000. It's when you can get in on that ground level and be able to lock it in, that's fantastic."Schulz further explained that if an act will have a show in the region before the one at the Fair, sometimes announcements of acts have to be delayed, in an effort not to negatively impact the other close in show's date.

Competing acts will complicate Grandstand Shows at State Fair

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

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

*** <a href="http://wowbrary.org/nu.aspx?fb&amp;p=5578-430&amp;fbclid=IwAR05ymrgH4h8M9fLgt-uHsaB67Aq3PzUBRwPkDtH1ar2pbFiGWTovtcLWuY" target="_blank">http://wowbrary.org/nu.aspx?fb&amp;p=5578-430</a> ***

There are three new bestsellers, 32 new movies, one new music CD, and 51 other new books. The new bestsellers this week are "Pandemia: How Coronavirus Hysteria Took Over Our Government, Rights, and Lives," "Lore Olympus: Volume One," and "I Hope This Finds You Well: Poems." The new movies this week include "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," "The Last Duel," and "Titane."&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1639353755751.png" alt="Image courtesy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salinapubliclibrary">Salina Public Library</a> Facebook page" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salinapubliclibrary">Salina Public Library</a> Facebook page</figcaption>
 </figure>From the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salinapubliclibrary">Salina Public Library</a> Facebook page:See what's new this week at the Salina Public Library at:*** <a href="http://wowbrary.org/nu.aspx?fb&amp;p=5578-430&amp;fbclid=IwAR05ymrgH4h8M9fLgt-uHsaB67Aq3PzUBRwPkDtH1ar2pbFiGWTovtcLWuY" target="_blank">http://wowbrary.org/nu.aspx?fb&amp;p=5578-430</a> ***There are three new bestsellers, 32 new movies, one new music CD, and 51 other new books. The new bestsellers this week are "Pandemia: How Coronavirus Hysteria Took Over Our Government, Rights, and Lives," "Lore Olympus: Volume One," and "I Hope This Finds You Well: Poems." The new movies this week include "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings," "The Last Duel," and "Titane."&nbsp;&nbsp;

Check out what's new at the Salina Public Library

Today is Sunday, Dec. 12, the 346th day of 2021. There are 19 days left in the year. 

On Dec. 12, 2015, nearly 200 nations meeting in Paris adopted the first global pact to fight climate change, calling on the world to collectively cut and then eliminate greenhouse gas pollution but imposing no sanctions on countries that didn't do so. 

In 1870, Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina became the first Black lawmaker sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives. 

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt nominated Oscar Straus to be Secretary of Commerce and Labor; Straus became the first Jewish Cabinet member.

<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, Dec. 12, the 346th day of 2021. There are 19 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 12, 2015, nearly 200 nations meeting in Paris adopted the first global pact to fight climate change, calling on the world to collectively cut and then eliminate greenhouse gas pollution but imposing no sanctions on countries that didn't do so. On this date: In 1870, Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina became the first Black lawmaker sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt nominated Oscar Straus to be Secretary of Commerce and Labor; Straus became the first Jewish Cabinet member.In 1913, authorities in Florence, Italy, announced that the "Mona Lisa," stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris in 1911, had been recovered. In 1915, singer-actor Frank Sinatra was born Francis Albert Sinatra in Hoboken, New Jersey. In 1917, during World War I, a train carrying some 1,000 French troops from the Italian front derailed while descending a steep hill in Modane; at least half of the soldiers were killed in France's greatest rail disaster. Father Edward Flanagan founded Boys Town outside Omaha, Nebraska. In 1939, swashbuckling actor Douglas Fairbanks died in Santa Monica, California, at age 56.In 1977, the dance movie "Saturday Night Fever," starring John Travolta, premiered in New York. In 1985, 248 American soldiers and eight crew members were killed when an Arrow Air charter crashed after takeoff from Gander, Newfoundland. In 1995, by three votes, the Senate killed a constitutional amendment giving Congress authority to outlaw flag burning and other forms of desecration against Old Glory. In 1997, Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, the international terrorist known as "Carlos the Jackal," went on trial in Paris on charges of killing two French investigators and a Lebanese national. (Ramirez was convicted and is serving a life prison sentence.) In 2000, George W. Bush became president-elect as a divided U.S. Supreme Court reversed a state court decision for recounts in Florida's contested election. The Marine Corps grounded all eight of its high-tech MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft following a fiery crash in North Carolina that killed four Marines. (The Osprey program was revived by the Pentagon in 2005.)In 2010, the inflatable roof of the Minneapolis Metrodome collapsed following a snowstorm that had dumped 17 inches on the city. (The NFL was forced to shift an already rescheduled game between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants to Detroit's Ford Field.) Ten years ago: President Barack Obama met at the White House with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki; afterward, the president declared that U.S. troops were leaving Iraq "with honor and with their heads held high." Five years ago: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan endorsed investigations into the CIA's belief that Russia had meddled in the November election to help Donald Trump win, a claim the president-elect called "ridiculous."One year ago: Thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump gathered in Washington for rallies to back his desperate efforts to subvert the election that he lost to Joe Biden; sporadic fights broke out between pro-Trump and anti-Trump demonstrators after sundown, and four people were taken to the hospital with stab wounds. A federal judge in Wisconsin who'd been appointed by Trump dismissed Trump's lawsuit asking that the Republican-controlled Legislature name Trump the winner in the state; the judge said Trump's arguments "fail as a matter of law and fact." Charley Pride, the son of sharecroppers in Mississippi who became one of country music's biggest stars and the first Black member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, died in Dallas at 86 from what a spokesman said were complications from COVID-19. John le Carre, the former spy whose novels defined the Cold War espionage thriller, died in England at the age of 89. Today's Birthdays: Former TV host Bob Barker is 98. Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Pettit is 89. Singer Connie Francis is 84. Singer Dionne Warwick is 81. Rock singer-musician Dickey Betts is 78. Hall of Fame race car driver Emerson Fittipaldi is 75. Actor Wings Hauser is 74. Actor Bill Nighy is 72. Actor Duane Chase (Film: "The Sound of Music") is 71. Country singer LaCosta is 71. Gymnast-turned-actor Cathy Rigby is 69. Author Lorna Landvik is 67. Singer-musician Sheila E. is 64. Actor Sheree J. Wilson is 63. Pop singer Daniel O'Donnell is 60. International Tennis Hall of Famer Tracy Austin is 59. Rock musician Eric Schenkman (Spin Doctors) is 58. Author Sophie Kinsella is 52. News anchor Maggie Rodriguez is 52. Actor Jennifer Connelly is 51. Actor Madchen Amick is 51. Actor Regina Hall is 51. Country singer Hank Williams III is 49. Actor Mayim Bialik is 46. Model Bridget Hall is 44. Actor Lucas Hedges is 25. Actor Sky Katz is 17.