DENVER (AP) — A judge sentenced a woman convicted of killing her 11-year-old stepson in Colorado and dumping his body over a bridge in Florida to life in prison without parole on Monday, calling her claim that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stepson-stepmother-killing-colorado-suitcase-florida-aa2e46edd072ccd98036479f8644e490">she was insane</a>&nbsp;and that one of her other personalities killed him a disservice to those who are mentally ill.

Earlier in the day, jurors found Letecia Stauch guilty of first-degree murder and other charges she faced in Gannon Stauch’s killing over three years ago. Prosecutors said she stabbed Gannon 18 times as he tried to fight her off before hitting him in the head and then shooting him once.

Prosecutors claimed Stauch killed the boy in January 2020 because she hated him and wanted to hurt his father, Al Stauch, whom she planned to leave and who was away on a National Guard deployment at the time. They said she then put his body in a suitcase and drove over 1,300 miles with it in a rented van.

Authorities arrested Stauch in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on March 2, 2022. She was held in the Saline County, Kansas jail on her return to Colorado.

Judge Gregory Werner said Stauch was also motivated by “hatred and jealousy” of Gannon’s mother, Landen Bullard, and resentful of being left to take care of Gannon and his younger sister.

Unlike other defendants with mental health problems, Werner said Stauch was never surprised by what her alleged other personality did but instead took conscious steps to cover up her actions.

“There is no time during the minutes, hours and days following the murder where Letecia came out and wondered 'Gee, why am I carrying a body around a body in my luggage?' That just isn't credible," he said.

Al Stauch broke down in court while addressing Gannon, saying he would never would have thought he was leaving him with his “murderer." Both he and Bullard recalled how their severely premature son weighed about a pound and a half when he was born, able to fit into the palms of his dad’s hands, but proved to be a survivor.

“You came into this world fighting. Unfortunately, you left this world fighting,” Bullard said.

Stauch did not deny killing Gannon, but she pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The defense argued that she killed Gannon during a “psychotic break" caused by trauma from being physically, emotionally and sexually abused during her childhood.

Experts at the state mental hospital concluded that Stauch had a personality disorder with borderline and narcissistic features but was sane at the time Gannon was killed. Under Colorado law, that means understanding the difference between right and wrong and being able to form the intent to commit a crime.

The main defense witness, Dr. Dorothy Lewis, author of the book “Crazy, Not Insane” and featured in an HBO documentary with the same title, concluded Stauch suffered from dissociative identity disorder — when someone has two or more personalities as the result of trauma — and was not sane at the time Gannon was killed.

In the weeks leading up to Gannon's killing, Stauch was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder after she was referred to a psychologist while being treated military health clinic. Therapist Ronda Niederhauser testified that Stauch did not show any signs of being a threat to herself or others and was aware of her surroundings.

Authorities believe Stauch killed Gannon in his bedroom a few hours before reporting him missing on Jan. 27, 2020, saying he had not come home from playing with friends. Dozens of volunteers helped search for the boy in the area around where the family lived near Colorado Springs. However, investigators later revealed that Stauch concocted a variety of stories to mislead them, including that a man she hired to repair a carpet raped her and then abducted Gannon.

After Al Stauch became suspicious of his wife, he allowed the FBI to listen in on his phone calls with Stauch, trying to draw out more information from her about where Gannon was. Hours of audio from those calls along with video recordings of interviews with Stauch about her mental health were a prominent part of the evidence offered during the five-week trial.

Gannon’s body was found in a suitcase below a bridge on the Florida Pandhandle during an inspection done twice a year in what prosecutors called “divine intervention.”

Stauch was convicted of first-degree murder after deliberation, first-degree murder of a child by a person in a position of trust, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence.

She did not appear to show any reaction to the verdict as it was read, sitting at the defense table between her two lawyers, or as Al Stauch, Bullard and others spoke to the judge about how Gannon's killing had hurt them.

Prosecutors claimed Stauch killed the boy in January 2020 because she hated him and wanted to hurt his father, Al Stauch, whom she planned to leave and who was away on a National Guard deployment at the time. They said she then put his body in a suitcase and drove over 1,300 miles with it in a rented van.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583419148723.jpeg" alt="After her March 2020 arrest in South Carolina, Letecia Stauch was held in the Saline County jail on her return to Colorado -Photo Saline County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>After her March 2020 arrest in South Carolina, Letecia Stauch was held in the Saline County jail on her return to Colorado -Photo Saline County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>DENVER (AP) — A judge sentenced a woman convicted of killing her 11-year-old stepson in Colorado and dumping his body over a bridge in Florida to life in prison without parole on Monday, calling her claim that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stepson-stepmother-killing-colorado-suitcase-florida-aa2e46edd072ccd98036479f8644e490">she was insane</a>&nbsp;and that one of her other personalities killed him a disservice to those who are mentally ill.Earlier in the day, jurors found Letecia Stauch guilty of first-degree murder and other charges she faced in Gannon Stauch’s killing over three years ago. Prosecutors said she stabbed Gannon 18 times as he tried to fight her off before hitting him in the head and then shooting him once.Prosecutors claimed Stauch killed the boy in January 2020 because she hated him and wanted to hurt his father, Al Stauch, whom she planned to leave and who was away on a National Guard deployment at the time. They said she then put his body in a suitcase and drove over 1,300 miles with it in a rented van.Authorities arrested Stauch in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on March 2, 2022. She was held in the Saline County, Kansas jail on her return to Colorado.Judge Gregory Werner said Stauch was also motivated by “hatred and jealousy” of Gannon’s mother, Landen Bullard, and resentful of being left to take care of Gannon and his younger sister.Unlike other defendants with mental health problems, Werner said Stauch was never surprised by what her alleged other personality did but instead took conscious steps to cover up her actions.“There is no time during the minutes, hours and days following the murder where Letecia came out and wondered 'Gee, why am I carrying a body around a body in my luggage?' That just isn't credible," he said.Al Stauch broke down in court while addressing Gannon, saying he would never would have thought he was leaving him with his “murderer." Both he and Bullard recalled how their severely premature son weighed about a pound and a half when he was born, able to fit into the palms of his dad’s hands, but proved to be a survivor.“You came into this world fighting. Unfortunately, you left this world fighting,” Bullard said.Stauch did not deny killing Gannon, but she pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The defense argued that she killed Gannon during a “psychotic break" caused by trauma from being physically, emotionally and sexually abused during her childhood.Experts at the state mental hospital concluded that Stauch had a personality disorder with borderline and narcissistic features but was sane at the time Gannon was killed. Under Colorado law, that means understanding the difference between right and wrong and being able to form the intent to commit a crime.The main defense witness, Dr. Dorothy Lewis, author of the book “Crazy, Not Insane” and featured in an HBO documentary with the same title, concluded Stauch suffered from dissociative identity disorder — when someone has two or more personalities as the result of trauma — and was not sane at the time Gannon was killed.In the weeks leading up to Gannon's killing, Stauch was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder after she was referred to a psychologist while being treated military health clinic. Therapist Ronda Niederhauser testified that Stauch did not show any signs of being a threat to herself or others and was aware of her surroundings.Authorities believe Stauch killed Gannon in his bedroom a few hours before reporting him missing on Jan. 27, 2020, saying he had not come home from playing with friends. Dozens of volunteers helped search for the boy in the area around where the family lived near Colorado Springs. However, investigators later revealed that Stauch concocted a variety of stories to mislead them, including that a man she hired to repair a carpet raped her and then abducted Gannon.After Al Stauch became suspicious of his wife, he allowed the FBI to listen in on his phone calls with Stauch, trying to draw out more information from her about where Gannon was. Hours of audio from those calls along with video recordings of interviews with Stauch about her mental health were a prominent part of the evidence offered during the five-week trial.Gannon’s body was found in a suitcase below a bridge on the Florida Pandhandle during an inspection done twice a year in what prosecutors called “divine intervention.”Stauch was convicted of first-degree murder after deliberation, first-degree murder of a child by a person in a position of trust, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence.She did not appear to show any reaction to the verdict as it was read, sitting at the defense table between her two lawyers, or as Al Stauch, Bullard and others spoke to the judge about how Gannon's killing had hurt them.-----------------DENVER (AP) — A judge sentenced a woman convicted of killing her 11-year-old stepson in Colorado and dumping his body over a bridge in Florida to life in prison without parole on Monday, calling her claim that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stepson-stepmother-killing-colorado-suitcase-florida-aa2e46edd072ccd98036479f8644e490">she was insane</a>&nbsp;and that one of her other personalities killed him a disservice to those who are mentally ill.Earlier in the day, jurors found Letecia Stauch guilty of first-degree murder and other charges she faced in Gannon Stauch’s killing over three years ago. Prosecutors said she stabbed Gannon 18 times as he tried to fight her off before hitting him in the head and then shooting him once.Prosecutors claimed Stauch killed the boy in January 2020 because she hated him and wanted to hurt his father, Al Stauch, whom she planned to leave and who was away on a National Guard deployment at the time. They said she then put his body in a suitcase and drove over 1,300 miles with it in a rented van.&nbsp;Authorities arrested Stauch in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on March 2, 2022. She was held in the Saline County, Kansas jail on her return to Colorado.Judge Gregory Werner said Stauch was also motivated by “hatred and jealousy” of Gannon’s mother, Landen Bullard, and resentful of being left to take care of Gannon and his younger sister.Unlike other defendants with mental health problems, Werner said Stauch was never surprised by what her alleged other personality did but instead took conscious steps to cover up her actions.“There is no time during the minutes, hours and days following the murder where Letecia came out and wondered 'Gee, why am I carrying a body around a body in my luggage?' That just isn't credible," he said.Al Stauch broke down in court while addressing Gannon, saying he would never would have thought he was leaving him with his “murderer." Both he and Bullard recalled how their severely premature son weighed about a pound and a half when he was born, able to fit into the palms of his dad’s hands, but proved to be a survivor.“You came into this world fighting. Unfortunately, you left this world fighting,” Bullard said.Stauch did not deny killing Gannon, but she pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The defense argued that she killed Gannon during a “psychotic break" caused by trauma from being physically, emotionally and sexually abused during her childhood.Experts at the state mental hospital concluded that Stauch had a personality disorder with borderline and narcissistic features but was sane at the time Gannon was killed. Under Colorado law, that means understanding the difference between right and wrong and being able to form the intent to commit a crime.The main defense witness, Dr. Dorothy Lewis, author of the book “Crazy, Not Insane” and featured in an HBO documentary with the same title, concluded Stauch suffered from dissociative identity disorder — when someone has two or more personalities as the result of trauma — and was not sane at the time Gannon was killed.In the weeks leading up to Gannon's killing, Stauch was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder after she was referred to a psychologist while being treated military health clinic. Therapist Ronda Niederhauser testified that Stauch did not show any signs of being a threat to herself or others and was aware of her surroundings.Authorities believe Stauch killed Gannon in his bedroom a few hours before reporting him missing on Jan. 27, 2020, saying he had not come home from playing with friends. Dozens of volunteers helped search for the boy in the area around where the family lived near Colorado Springs. However, investigators later revealed that Stauch concocted a variety of stories to mislead them, including that a man she hired to repair a carpet raped her and then abducted Gannon.After Al Stauch became suspicious of his wife, he allowed the FBI to listen in on his phone calls with Stauch, trying to draw out more information from her about where Gannon was. Hours of audio from those calls along with video recordings of interviews with Stauch about her mental health were a prominent part of the evidence offered during the five-week trial.Gannon’s body was found in a suitcase below a bridge on the Florida Pandhandle during an inspection done twice a year in what prosecutors called “divine intervention.”Stauch was convicted of first-degree murder after deliberation, first-degree murder of a child by a person in a position of trust, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence.She did not appear to show any reaction to the verdict as it was read, sitting at the defense table between her two lawyers, or as Al Stauch, Bullard and others spoke to the judge about how Gannon's killing had hurt them.

Woman briefly held in Saline Co. jail sentenced for killing stepson 

Karen Adele Shank was born in Emporia, KS on December 4th, 1940 to Emmett Hoffman Shank and Florence Elinor (Issitt) Shank. She passed away at home on May 6th, 2023 with her daughters by her side. She was born a farm girl raised in the Buckeye community and Navarre, KS, graduating with the class of 1959 at Dickinson County Country Community High School in Chapman, KS. She was baptized and was active as a young woman in the Navarre Church of the Brethren and became a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Abilene as an adult. Karen’s love for her family was first and foremost, especially for her two grandchildren, Trista Lee and Garrett. “Mema” never failed to attend Trista’s vocal or theater performances or Garrett’s sporting events, bringing her famous cinnamon rolls and Texas sheet brownies to all his baseball games. She also brought in her mother to care for her in aging years. Karen taught piano lessons for many years for children, except her kids who hated practicing that dreadful instrument. Karen had a lifelong passion for competitive sports. Her favorite season was football and her favorite team was the Kansas City Chiefs celebrated all three super bowl wins with her daughters. She loved watching KU basketball and college sports in general. Karen loved to play golf in her healthier times and still showed fascination with the sport, watching the telecast of PGA tournaments and Tiger Woods. Karen also loved her beautiful lush green law, flowers, and gardening. She also loved her poodles. Her puppies brought her so much joy and companionship her entire life. She loved celebrating holidays with her family, playing games and eating green chili. Karen had a funny sense of humor, creating laugher during family gatherings, always poking fun at herself. Karen worked in insurance for over 25 years and she said she hated every minute of it; except for her customers who would often stop by her office at Gemmill, Gugler &amp; Garten Insurance to swap funny stories or just to chat. Karen’s lifelong battle with Polycystic Renal disease brought her to dialysis in May of 2022 where she met a group of wonderful nursing staff who became her friends and provided additional emotional support for her. She truly loved visiting on the phone with lifelong best friend Charlene Crooks and her favorite sister-in-law Dee Parrish. As a mom or mother-in-law she never failed to “share” her advice or her opinions. It is debatable to whether or not her children listened or tuned it out. Either way she raised her children to be strong and independent. “Mema”, as she was known to her grandchildren, became an endearing name she was called by. “Mema” provided a loving environment in the early years for Eleen and Anna Holt, whom she thought of as her great-grandchildren. “Mema” will be missed by her family, friends and anyone who had the privilege to know this truly funny lady. She is survived by her daughters; Cythia Stone and husband Patrick, Michelle Heroeme husband Steven, all of Abilene, and Claudette Lehmann, of Houston, TX; Grandchildren, Trista Lee Stone and husband Nathan Preston, Garrett Krause and wife Brittany, all of Overland Park, KS, Kyle Heroneme and wife Laura; Great grandson Mason of Eudora, KS; brother, Roger Shank of Texas and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her father, Emmett; mother, Florence and brother, RIchard whom she adored. May you rest in peace “Mema”. We all love you and will be celebrating with you again. GO CHIEFS! A visitation will be held Friday at the Danner Funeral Home in Abilene from 12:00pm to 8:00pm where the family will receive friends from 6:00pm to 7:00. Memorial contributions can be made to Meals on Wheels in care of the funeral home at 501 N, Buckeye, Abilene 67410. A private family inurnment will take place at a later date.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683581529528.jpeg" alt="Karen Adele Shank" />
 <figcaption>Karen Adele Shank</figcaption>
 </figure>Karen Adele Shank was born in Emporia, KS on December 4th, 1940 to Emmett Hoffman Shank and Florence Elinor (Issitt) Shank. She passed away at home on May 6th, 2023 with her daughters by her side. She was born a farm girl raised in the Buckeye community and Navarre, KS, graduating with the class of 1959 at Dickinson County Country Community High School in Chapman, KS. She was baptized and was active as a young woman in the Navarre Church of the Brethren and became a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Abilene as an adult. Karen’s love for her family was first and foremost, especially for her two grandchildren, Trista Lee and Garrett. “Mema” never failed to attend Trista’s vocal or theater performances or Garrett’s sporting events, bringing her famous cinnamon rolls and Texas sheet brownies to all his baseball games. She also brought in her mother to care for her in aging years. Karen taught piano lessons for many years for children, except her kids who hated practicing that dreadful instrument. Karen had a lifelong passion for competitive sports. Her favorite season was football and her favorite team was the Kansas City Chiefs celebrated all three super bowl wins with her daughters. She loved watching KU basketball and college sports in general. Karen loved to play golf in her healthier times and still showed fascination with the sport, watching the telecast of PGA tournaments and Tiger Woods. Karen also loved her beautiful lush green law, flowers, and gardening. She also loved her poodles. Her puppies brought her so much joy and companionship her entire life. She loved celebrating holidays with her family, playing games and eating green chili. Karen had a funny sense of humor, creating laugher during family gatherings, always poking fun at herself. Karen worked in insurance for over 25 years and she said she hated every minute of it; except for her customers who would often stop by her office at Gemmill, Gugler &amp; Garten Insurance to swap funny stories or just to chat. Karen’s lifelong battle with Polycystic Renal disease brought her to dialysis in May of 2022 where she met a group of wonderful nursing staff who became her friends and provided additional emotional support for her. She truly loved visiting on the phone with lifelong best friend Charlene Crooks and her favorite sister-in-law Dee Parrish. As a mom or mother-in-law she never failed to “share” her advice or her opinions. It is debatable to whether or not her children listened or tuned it out. Either way she raised her children to be strong and independent. “Mema”, as she was known to her grandchildren, became an endearing name she was called by. “Mema” provided a loving environment in the early years for Eleen and Anna Holt, whom she thought of as her great-grandchildren. “Mema” will be missed by her family, friends and anyone who had the privilege to know this truly funny lady. She is survived by her daughters; Cythia Stone and husband Patrick, Michelle Heroeme husband Steven, all of Abilene, and Claudette Lehmann, of Houston, TX; Grandchildren, Trista Lee Stone and husband Nathan Preston, Garrett Krause and wife Brittany, all of Overland Park, KS, Kyle Heroneme and wife Laura; Great grandson Mason of Eudora, KS; brother, Roger Shank of Texas and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her father, Emmett; mother, Florence and brother, RIchard whom she adored. May you rest in peace “Mema”. We all love you and will be celebrating with you again. GO CHIEFS! A visitation will be held Friday at the Danner Funeral Home in Abilene from 12:00pm to 8:00pm where the family will receive friends from 6:00pm to 7:00. Memorial contributions can be made to Meals on Wheels in care of the funeral home at 501 N, Buckeye, Abilene 67410. A private family inurnment will take place at a later date.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Karen Adele Shank

Students at&nbsp;<a href="http://salina.ksu.edu/" target="_blank">Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus</a>&nbsp;have elected new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salina.k-state.edu/student-life/clubs-organizations/student-governing-association/" target="_blank">Student Governing Association</a>&nbsp;leadership for the 2023-2024 school year. The new K-State Salina Student Governing Association, or SGA, student body president is&nbsp;Cassy Girard, junior in electronic computer engineering technology,&nbsp;New York City,&nbsp;and&nbsp;the new vice president is&nbsp;Roxana Linares, junior in professional pilot,&nbsp;Arkansas City. Both Girard and Linares have extensive experience in student leadership and listen to their peers about what issues need to be addressed. Both have been involved in K-State Salina's SGA for more than a year, during which time&nbsp;Girard&nbsp;has served as&nbsp;the secretary&nbsp;and&nbsp;Linares&nbsp;has been&nbsp;the director of diversity affairs&nbsp;for the organization. Part of the duo's plan revolves&nbsp;around improving the information flow of activities and other events to students on campus. This would include informing students on the campus of the support that SGA can provide. "Our goal is to continue the process of bettering the communication between the students and administration on campus,"&nbsp;Girard said.&nbsp;"We want to see more students continuing to get involved and having&nbsp;a stake in what happens here." Ultimately, being an advocate for their fellow students and helping them make K-State Salina feel like an inclusive community is what drives both Girard and Linares to take the time to lead and foster new ideas for the campus. "We are eager to represent our fellow students,"&nbsp;said Linares.&nbsp;"We will look to have a lot of discussions around getting the right students involved in SGA and making sure that our time goes to improving the student experience on campus." The Student Governing Association represents full-time and part-time undergraduate students at K-State Salina. The group consists of a cabinet and senators who discuss and vote on issues important to the campus's student body. The student-run organization meets weekly and encourages attendance from any student, faculty or staff member. Girard and Linares will replace 2022-2023 student body president Augie Chapas, senior in uncrewed aircraft systems design and integration,&nbsp;Topeka, and vice president Caden Brond, senior in professional pilot,&nbsp;Houston.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683549436226.jpeg" alt="Cassy Girard, left, a junior from New York City, and Roxana Linares, right, a junior from Arkansas City, have been elected as the president and vice president, respectively, of K-State Salina for the 2023-2024 academic year. Photos courtesy K-State Salina" />
 <figcaption>Cassy Girard, left, a junior from New York City, and Roxana Linares, right, a junior from Arkansas City, have been elected as the president and vice president, respectively, of K-State Salina for the 2023-2024 academic year. Photos courtesy K-State Salina</figcaption>
 </figure>K-State SalinaStudents at&nbsp;<a href="http://salina.ksu.edu/" target="_blank">Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus</a>&nbsp;have elected new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.salina.k-state.edu/student-life/clubs-organizations/student-governing-association/" target="_blank">Student Governing Association</a>&nbsp;leadership for the 2023-2024 school year. The new K-State Salina Student Governing Association, or SGA, student body president is&nbsp;Cassy Girard, junior in electronic computer engineering technology,&nbsp;New York City,&nbsp;and&nbsp;the new vice president is&nbsp;Roxana Linares, junior in professional pilot,&nbsp;Arkansas City. Both Girard and Linares have extensive experience in student leadership and listen to their peers about what issues need to be addressed. Both have been involved in K-State Salina's SGA for more than a year, during which time&nbsp;Girard&nbsp;has served as&nbsp;the secretary&nbsp;and&nbsp;Linares&nbsp;has been&nbsp;the director of diversity affairs&nbsp;for the organization. Part of the duo's plan revolves&nbsp;around improving the information flow of activities and other events to students on campus. This would include informing students on the campus of the support that SGA can provide. "Our goal is to continue the process of bettering the communication between the students and administration on campus,"&nbsp;Girard said.&nbsp;"We want to see more students continuing to get involved and having&nbsp;a stake in what happens here." Ultimately, being an advocate for their fellow students and helping them make K-State Salina feel like an inclusive community is what drives both Girard and Linares to take the time to lead and foster new ideas for the campus. "We are eager to represent our fellow students,"&nbsp;said Linares.&nbsp;"We will look to have a lot of discussions around getting the right students involved in SGA and making sure that our time goes to improving the student experience on campus." The Student Governing Association represents full-time and part-time undergraduate students at K-State Salina. The group consists of a cabinet and senators who discuss and vote on issues important to the campus's student body. The student-run organization meets weekly and encourages attendance from any student, faculty or staff member. Girard and Linares will replace 2022-2023 student body president Augie Chapas, senior in uncrewed aircraft systems design and integration,&nbsp;Topeka, and vice president Caden Brond, senior in professional pilot,&nbsp;Houston.

Girard, Linares elected to K-State Salina student leadership

Check out the Coach Heron O'Neal Show tonight!

The show begins at 6 p.m. in AJ's at the Alley. If you can't be there, listen on KINA (910AM and 107.5FM) or watch it live here. Click on the link below.

Check out the Coach Heron O'Neal Show tonight!The show begins at 6 p.m. in AJ's at the Alley. If you can't be there, listen on KINA (910AM and 107.5FM) or watch it live here. Click on the link below.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SoOIZBgMmhU" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

🎥Watch the Coach Heron O'Neal Show live at 6 p.m. on Salina Post!

By GARY DEMUTH Salina Symphony

Cold Mountain began as a National Book Award-winning novel that was turned into an Oscar-winning movie and then an opera and suite by one of the leading female composers in contemporary classical music.

The 1997 novel by Charles Frazier tells the story of a wounded Civil War soldier who travels against great odds across the countryside to reunite with his one true love. The novel was turned into a popular movie starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Renee Zellweger.

Inspired by the dramatic passion of Frazier’s novel, composer Jennifer Higdon wrote a critically acclaimed opera, which she subsequently adapted into a musical suite highlighting the intense emotional landscapes of love, war and passion as the soldier embarks on a difficult spiritual odyssey to Cold Mountain.

Higdon’s Cold Mountain Suite will open the Salina Symphony’s season finale concert, Passion, a celebration of powerful female voices in classical music. The concert will begin at 4 p.m. Sunday in the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts, 151 S. Santa Fe Avenue.

Higdon is one of the most acclaimed composers in contemporary classical music. She received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto, a 2010 Grammy award for her Percussion Concerto, a 2018 Grammy for her Viola Concerto, and a 2020 Grammy for her Harp Concerto.

Yaniv Segal, conductor and music director of the Salina Symphony, said Higdon shouldn’t be defined as a female composer but as a great classical composer whatever her gender.

“Jennifer is one of the leading composers of her generation,” he said. “She has a real gift. She creates very beautiful melodies, but ones that take unexpected turns. She’s a brilliant orchestrator that makes an orchestra shimmer.”

In addition to Higdon’s suite, the Salina Symphony will perform selections from Bizet’s Carmen, Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, and Meditation from Thais by Jules Massenet.

“Through these pieces, you get to know these powerful women who have powerful stories, who have made their mark on history,” Segal said.

Salina Symphony concertmaster and violinist Denise Blehm will be the featured soloist for the season finale. A Salina native, Blehm has been a member of the Salina Symphony for more than 25 years and concertmaster for the last 20 seasons.

Blehm will be performing violin solos during Meditation from Thais and Scheherazade.

Massenet’s Meditation from Thais is taken from the instrumental entr’acte between the first and second acts of the French composer’s opera, Thais, and has been a showcase for violinists throughout its history.

“The melody is a well-known violin solo,” Segal said. “A beautiful piece that will feature Denise on violin.”

While thinking of other powerful women in music to include in the concert, Segal turned to perhaps the two most famous female characters in opera: Carmen and Scheherazade.

The character of Carmen is one of the most memorable women in opera with her contempt for social conventions, overt sexual behavior and violent death, all set to timeless music by Bizet, which was adapted in 1880 into two arrangements of orchestral suites by Bizet’s friend Ernest Guiraud using music from the opera.

The Symphony will perform Suite No. 1, which opens with the Act I prelude and moves into an instrumental interlude showcasing Spanish idioms, rhythms and evocative melodies.

“It’s a great portrayal of an empowered woman who felt free to do what she wanted to do and ends up being murdered by her jealous lover,” Segal said.

According to legend, Scheherazade’s stories were invented to prevent her execution at the hands of her brutal husband. These stories were spun over 1,001 nights and were a blend of poems, folk songs and fairy tales. She eventually had her death sentence commuted because the power of her stories captured the imagination of all who listened to them.

Rimsky-Korsakov capitalized on the fame of this immortal story when he featured the legendary storyteller and her tales in a musical composition that included a solo violin that opens the first two movements.

“The character of Scheherazade is represented by the violin, which is a huge solo for our concertmaster,” he said.

Blehm said “Scheherazade” is an incredible piece for a violinist.

“The violin is the voice of Scheherazade, and you can feel the tension mounting in it,” she said. “But it also has an incredible solo for Dena Berquist, our principal cellist, and also for the flute and clarinet.”

Blehm said she has been grateful for Segal’s encouragement and guidance while rehearsing the piece.

“He’s an exceptional musician and conductor and knows how to get the most out of his musicians, but he does it in such a kind manner,” she said. “He’s also a violinist, so it’s been a treat to learn from him.”

Reflecting on his first season as Salina Symphony music director and conductor, Segal said he has been “really pleased with the positive reception and interest in arts and culture I’ve found in (Salina).”

“As I put together diverse and adventurous programs, I feel I have the support of the community, the orchestra and the (Symphony) board,” he said. “I’m pleased how the orchestra is starting to understand the things I’m asking for and are continuing to grow.”

As he plans his second season, Segal realizes he has a first year of great expectations to live up to.

“There’s not enough time to present all the things I’d love to do here,” he said. “But I can promise that next year will be very exciting, with incredible soloists.”

Tickets for the Salina Symphony’s Passion concert are $29 and $39 for adults or $19 for students aged 5 to college senior. Tickets may be purchased at the Stiefel Theatre box office, by calling 785-827-1998 or online at <a href="http://www.salinasymphony.org">www.salinasymphony.org</a>.

Segal will host a pre-concert talk at 3 p.m. in the Stiefel Theatre’s Watson Room. Those attending are asked to enter through the main theatre doors, which open at 2:30 p.m.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1681562112720.jpeg" alt="Salina Symphony Concertmaster Denise Blehm will be the featured soloist for the symphony's final concert of the season.&nbsp;Photo courtesy Salina Symphony&nbsp;&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Salina Symphony Concertmaster Denise Blehm will be the featured soloist for the symphony's final concert of the season.&nbsp;Photo courtesy Salina Symphony&nbsp;&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By GARY DEMUTH Salina SymphonyCold Mountain began as a National Book Award-winning novel that was turned into an Oscar-winning movie and then an opera and suite by one of the leading female composers in contemporary classical music.The 1997 novel by Charles Frazier tells the story of a wounded Civil War soldier who travels against great odds across the countryside to reunite with his one true love. The novel was turned into a popular movie starring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Renee Zellweger.Inspired by the dramatic passion of Frazier’s novel, composer Jennifer Higdon wrote a critically acclaimed opera, which she subsequently adapted into a musical suite highlighting the intense emotional landscapes of love, war and passion as the soldier embarks on a difficult spiritual odyssey to Cold Mountain.Higdon’s Cold Mountain Suite will open the Salina Symphony’s season finale concert, Passion, a celebration of powerful female voices in classical music. The concert will begin at 4 p.m. Sunday in the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts, 151 S. Santa Fe Avenue.Higdon is one of the most acclaimed composers in contemporary classical music. She received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto, a 2010 Grammy award for her Percussion Concerto, a 2018 Grammy for her Viola Concerto, and a 2020 Grammy for her Harp Concerto.Yaniv Segal, conductor and music director of the Salina Symphony, said Higdon shouldn’t be defined as a female composer but as a great classical composer whatever her gender.“Jennifer is one of the leading composers of her generation,” he said. “She has a real gift. She creates very beautiful melodies, but ones that take unexpected turns. She’s a brilliant orchestrator that makes an orchestra shimmer.”Featured soloistIn addition to Higdon’s suite, the Salina Symphony will perform selections from Bizet’s Carmen, Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, and Meditation from Thais by Jules Massenet.“Through these pieces, you get to know these powerful women who have powerful stories, who have made their mark on history,” Segal said.Salina Symphony concertmaster and violinist Denise Blehm will be the featured soloist for the season finale. A Salina native, Blehm has been a member of the Salina Symphony for more than 25 years and concertmaster for the last 20 seasons.Blehm will be performing violin solos during Meditation from Thais and Scheherazade.Massenet’s Meditation from Thais is taken from the instrumental entr’acte between the first and second acts of the French composer’s opera, Thais, and has been a showcase for violinists throughout its history.“The melody is a well-known violin solo,” Segal said. “A beautiful piece that will feature Denise on violin.”Powerful womenWhile thinking of other powerful women in music to include in the concert, Segal turned to perhaps the two most famous female characters in opera: Carmen and Scheherazade.The character of Carmen is one of the most memorable women in opera with her contempt for social conventions, overt sexual behavior and violent death, all set to timeless music by Bizet, which was adapted in 1880 into two arrangements of orchestral suites by Bizet’s friend Ernest Guiraud using music from the opera.The Symphony will perform Suite No. 1, which opens with the Act I prelude and moves into an instrumental interlude showcasing Spanish idioms, rhythms and evocative melodies.“It’s a great portrayal of an empowered woman who felt free to do what she wanted to do and ends up being murdered by her jealous lover,” Segal said.According to legend, Scheherazade’s stories were invented to prevent her execution at the hands of her brutal husband. These stories were spun over 1,001 nights and were a blend of poems, folk songs and fairy tales. She eventually had her death sentence commuted because the power of her stories captured the imagination of all who listened to them.Rimsky-Korsakov capitalized on the fame of this immortal story when he featured the legendary storyteller and her tales in a musical composition that included a solo violin that opens the first two movements.“The character of Scheherazade is represented by the violin, which is a huge solo for our concertmaster,” he said.Blehm said “Scheherazade” is an incredible piece for a violinist.“The violin is the voice of Scheherazade, and you can feel the tension mounting in it,” she said. “But it also has an incredible solo for Dena Berquist, our principal cellist, and also for the flute and clarinet.”Blehm said she has been grateful for Segal’s encouragement and guidance while rehearsing the piece.“He’s an exceptional musician and conductor and knows how to get the most out of his musicians, but he does it in such a kind manner,” she said. “He’s also a violinist, so it’s been a treat to learn from him.”Great expectationsReflecting on his first season as Salina Symphony music director and conductor, Segal said he has been “really pleased with the positive reception and interest in arts and culture I’ve found in (Salina).”“As I put together diverse and adventurous programs, I feel I have the support of the community, the orchestra and the (Symphony) board,” he said. “I’m pleased how the orchestra is starting to understand the things I’m asking for and are continuing to grow.”As he plans his second season, Segal realizes he has a first year of great expectations to live up to.“There’s not enough time to present all the things I’d love to do here,” he said. “But I can promise that next year will be very exciting, with incredible soloists.”Tickets for the Salina Symphony’s Passion concert are $29 and $39 for adults or $19 for students aged 5 to college senior. Tickets may be purchased at the Stiefel Theatre box office, by calling 785-827-1998 or online at <a href="http://www.salinasymphony.org">www.salinasymphony.org</a>.Segal will host a pre-concert talk at 3 p.m. in the Stiefel Theatre’s Watson Room. Those attending are asked to enter through the main theatre doors, which open at 2:30 p.m.

Salina Symphony season ends Sunday with 'Passion' concert

Check out the Coach Heron O'Neal Show tonight!The show begins at 6 p.m. in AJ's at the Alley. If you can't be there, listen on KINA (910AM and 107.5FM) or watch it live here. Click on the link below.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iX_Y2YFp_5Y" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/grieving-moms-plea-to-kansas-lawmakers-do-something-this-epidemic-is-killing-our-kids/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said much had changed since his previous appearance at a Kansas Chamber annual dinner.

“I’ve lost a lot of weight since you saw me last. I have a much bigger security detail, since the Iranians are trying to kill me. They have a million dollar bounty on my head,” Pompeo told more than 600 people Wednesday night.

Pompeo, who served the 4th District of Kansas in the U.S. House before joining the administration of President Donald Trump, said he had to be the first and last operator of a Wichita aviation machine shop to become the nation’s top diplomat. Before serving in the U.S. State Department, he was director of the CIA.

While working for Trump, a prolific fan of social media, Pompeo would get up in the morning and search his phone to confirm he hadn’t been dismissed via Twitter.

“I had four crazy years in an administration that was radically different from any that had come before it,” he said. “Now, some of you are laughing. I can see. I get it. We were different. I made it four years. You Kansans should be very proud of that. You taught me to be tough and resilient.”

Pompeo’s former boss is a candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination for president and stands as GOP frontrunner in a campaign featuring Democrat Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in 2020. Less than two weeks ago, Pompeo made the “deeply personal decision”&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/19/kansas-political-analysts-pompeo-wisely-steps-aside-in-2024-presidential-election-cycle/">not to run for president in 2024</a>, declaring “this isn’t our moment.”

During his dinner speech, Pompeo briefly touted his memoir, “Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love.” It was a platform for testing his presidential appeal and concentrated on his work implementing Trump foreign policy. He suggested the book was “pretty good.”

“It was an even better book before the CIA cleared it. It’s a little shorter and a little less interesting, but still good,” he said.

He said Trump allowed him to do wonderful things throughout the world, and never asked him to apologize on behalf of the United States of America. The model was, of course, to put America first, he said.

“We absolutely knew that America may get it wrong, but mostly we were a force for good,” he said. “I will never forget the first trip I took almost exactly five years ago now to North Korea. It was wild.”

He was CIA director and Trump asked if it was possible to communicate with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un.

“Yes, sir, I think we can,” Pompeo recalled. “He said, ‘Well good. You should tell them that you’re going to come see them. Tell them that I’m going to come see them, but you’re going to go first.’ ”

“All right, I get the joke,” Pompeo said. “CIA directors are expendable. Presidents are not.”

Pompeo, who graduated from West Point and earned a law degree at Harvard University, recalled climbing off a helicopter in a Middle East country at about 3 a.m. to thank some people stationed in a difficult place.

“I could see the shadows of five men and the very first person to reach out and shake my hand said, ‘Rock chalk, sir.’ ” Pompeo knew the unnamed person was referring to the University of Kansas chant familiar to all Jayhawks. He joked he responded as someone who lived and worked near Wichita State University: “I was a Shocker fan, so I didn’t appreciate it.”

He said the exchange reminded him of the greatness of Kansas and the nation, which “raises young men and women to do hard things to allow us to come to places like this to build our businesses and to take care of our families and do all the things we are so blessed to be able to do here in America.”

He also said the Trump administration “got much right, but not everything.”

“We understood that the greatness of America didn’t come from Washington, D.C. We understood deeply the greatest of America sits in places like here,” Pompeo said. “You should know as I traveled the world as America’s secretary of state, it mattered that we had a capable military. It was important that our diplomatic team was good. But what really mattered was American economic power.”

Leaders in countries large and small wisely concluded being close to the United States mattered, Pompeo said. The Trump administration appreciated the “bad guys of the world” in Russia, China and elsewhere would exploit signs of American weakness, he said.

“I met them all,” Pompeo said. “I spent hours with Vladimir Putin. I spent too many hours with Xi Jinping of China. I knew that when I was with these people, who are in fact pure evil, that I represented a nation that was fundamentally different from that.”

Pompeo said he aggressively sought to undermine the Chinese Communist Party, especially in terms of China’s campaign to steal U.S. intellectual property and diminish U.S. economic advantages. He said it led to a telephone conversation between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping that culminated with a demand the president fire Pompeo.

“Xi Jinping railed on me in this phone call,” Pompeo recalled. “He said, ‘Your secretary of state is saying the Communist Party is evil. He’s saying that we don’t care about our own people. He’s saying we’re holding a million people in internment camps in the western part of our country.’ All, of course, true.

“I remember listening to that thinking, ‘I wonder how this will end?’ Thirty seconds later the phone rings. It is the White House. President Trump comes on the line and in that famous voice, without saying hello, says, ‘Man, that f****** guy hates you.’ ”

Pompeo said Americans should honor the nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage and understand deviating from that tradition placed the country in jeopardy.

“When we forget those things that make this country unique and special, then we’re truly at risk,” Pompeo said. “When in our schools, we fail to teach our children, the next generation of American greatness, then Xi Jinping may well get what it is he wants. He is desperate to find an America in decline. I’ll be damned if any of us should let that happen.”

At the same time, Pompeo urged the Kansas Chamber dinner audience — dozens of members of the Kansas Legislature were in attendance — not to tolerate politicians who manipulated the public by undermining the power of reasoning possessed by individuals. He pointed to issues of immigration, energy policy and the fentanyl crisis as examples of how politicians engaged in gaslighting.

“Believe what you see with your own two eyes. Don’t let them gaslight you,” Pompeo said. “We know that fossil fuels will be a central part of the American economy for 30, 40 years yet. And while we all ought to do the things we can to make sure we have safe drinking water and clean air, we can’t pretend that the world will be run on sunshine and windmills.”

He said rampant human trafficking and a flood of cheap fentanyl at the U.S. border demonstrated lack of security despite political claims to the contrary.

“Don’t let your leaders, whether they be city council members or school board members, whether they be state elected officials or members of the Board of Regents, don’t let them gaslight you,” he said. “Don’t let them tell you things you know to be true, aren’t true.”

He said he was confident the nation would prevail despite daily reminders the country appeared to be stumbling to a crossroad.

“No adversary from abroad can take down the United States of America in the same we that we risk being undermined by decadence and decline, and moving away from our heritage, our faith and our founding ideas here at home. This is, in fact, the real risk,” Pompeo said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1647123002389.png" alt="Pompeo served the 4th District of Kansas in the U.S. House before joining the administration of President Donald Trump -Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Pompeo served the 4th District of Kansas in the U.S. House before joining the administration of President Donald Trump -Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/grieving-moms-plea-to-kansas-lawmakers-do-something-this-epidemic-is-killing-our-kids/">Kansas Reflector</a> TOPEKA — Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said much had changed since his previous appearance at a Kansas Chamber annual dinner.“I’ve lost a lot of weight since you saw me last. I have a much bigger security detail, since the Iranians are trying to kill me. They have a million dollar bounty on my head,” Pompeo told more than 600 people Wednesday night.Pompeo, who served the 4th District of Kansas in the U.S. House before joining the administration of President Donald Trump, said he had to be the first and last operator of a Wichita aviation machine shop to become the nation’s top diplomat. Before serving in the U.S. State Department, he was director of the CIA.While working for Trump, a prolific fan of social media, Pompeo would get up in the morning and search his phone to confirm he hadn’t been dismissed via Twitter.“I had four crazy years in an administration that was radically different from any that had come before it,” he said. “Now, some of you are laughing. I can see. I get it. We were different. I made it four years. You Kansans should be very proud of that. You taught me to be tough and resilient.”Pompeo’s former boss is a candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination for president and stands as GOP frontrunner in a campaign featuring Democrat Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in 2020. Less than two weeks ago, Pompeo made the “deeply personal decision”&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/19/kansas-political-analysts-pompeo-wisely-steps-aside-in-2024-presidential-election-cycle/">not to run for president in 2024</a>, declaring “this isn’t our moment.”During his dinner speech, Pompeo briefly touted his memoir, “Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love.” It was a platform for testing his presidential appeal and concentrated on his work implementing Trump foreign policy. He suggested the book was “pretty good.”“It was an even better book before the CIA cleared it. It’s a little shorter and a little less interesting, but still good,” he said.<h2>‘It was wild’</h2>He said Trump allowed him to do wonderful things throughout the world, and never asked him to apologize on behalf of the United States of America. The model was, of course, to put America first, he said.“We absolutely knew that America may get it wrong, but mostly we were a force for good,” he said. “I will never forget the first trip I took almost exactly five years ago now to North Korea. It was wild.”He was CIA director and Trump asked if it was possible to communicate with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un.“Yes, sir, I think we can,” Pompeo recalled. “He said, ‘Well good. You should tell them that you’re going to come see them. Tell them that I’m going to come see them, but you’re going to go first.’ ”“All right, I get the joke,” Pompeo said. “CIA directors are expendable. Presidents are not.”Pompeo, who graduated from West Point and earned a law degree at Harvard University, recalled climbing off a helicopter in a Middle East country at about 3 a.m. to thank some people stationed in a difficult place.“I could see the shadows of five men and the very first person to reach out and shake my hand said, ‘Rock chalk, sir.’ ” Pompeo knew the unnamed person was referring to the University of Kansas chant familiar to all Jayhawks. He joked he responded as someone who lived and worked near Wichita State University: “I was a Shocker fan, so I didn’t appreciate it.”He said the exchange reminded him of the greatness of Kansas and the nation, which “raises young men and women to do hard things to allow us to come to places like this to build our businesses and to take care of our families and do all the things we are so blessed to be able to do here in America.”<h2>Pure evil out there</h2>He also said the Trump administration “got much right, but not everything.”“We understood that the greatness of America didn’t come from Washington, D.C. We understood deeply the greatest of America sits in places like here,” Pompeo said. “You should know as I traveled the world as America’s secretary of state, it mattered that we had a capable military. It was important that our diplomatic team was good. But what really mattered was American economic power.”Leaders in countries large and small wisely concluded being close to the United States mattered, Pompeo said. The Trump administration appreciated the “bad guys of the world” in Russia, China and elsewhere would exploit signs of American weakness, he said.“I met them all,” Pompeo said. “I spent hours with Vladimir Putin. I spent too many hours with Xi Jinping of China. I knew that when I was with these people, who are in fact pure evil, that I represented a nation that was fundamentally different from that.”Pompeo said he aggressively sought to undermine the Chinese Communist Party, especially in terms of China’s campaign to steal U.S. intellectual property and diminish U.S. economic advantages. He said it led to a telephone conversation between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping that culminated with a demand the president fire Pompeo.“Xi Jinping railed on me in this phone call,” Pompeo recalled. “He said, ‘Your secretary of state is saying the Communist Party is evil. He’s saying that we don’t care about our own people. He’s saying we’re holding a million people in internment camps in the western part of our country.’ All, of course, true.“I remember listening to that thinking, ‘I wonder how this will end?’ Thirty seconds later the phone rings. It is the White House. President Trump comes on the line and in that famous voice, without saying hello, says, ‘Man, that f****** guy hates you.’ ”<h2>Stop the gaslighting</h2>Pompeo said Americans should honor the nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage and understand deviating from that tradition placed the country in jeopardy.“When we forget those things that make this country unique and special, then we’re truly at risk,” Pompeo said. “When in our schools, we fail to teach our children, the next generation of American greatness, then Xi Jinping may well get what it is he wants. He is desperate to find an America in decline. I’ll be damned if any of us should let that happen.”At the same time, Pompeo urged the Kansas Chamber dinner audience — dozens of members of the Kansas Legislature were in attendance — not to tolerate politicians who manipulated the public by undermining the power of reasoning possessed by individuals. He pointed to issues of immigration, energy policy and the fentanyl crisis as examples of how politicians engaged in gaslighting.“Believe what you see with your own two eyes. Don’t let them gaslight you,” Pompeo said. “We know that fossil fuels will be a central part of the American economy for 30, 40 years yet. And while we all ought to do the things we can to make sure we have safe drinking water and clean air, we can’t pretend that the world will be run on sunshine and windmills.”He said rampant human trafficking and a flood of cheap fentanyl at the U.S. border demonstrated lack of security despite political claims to the contrary.“Don’t let your leaders, whether they be city council members or school board members, whether they be state elected officials or members of the Board of Regents, don’t let them gaslight you,” he said. “Don’t let them tell you things you know to be true, aren’t true.”He said he was confident the nation would prevail despite daily reminders the country appeared to be stumbling to a crossroad.“No adversary from abroad can take down the United States of America in the same we that we risk being undermined by decadence and decline, and moving away from our heritage, our faith and our founding ideas here at home. This is, in fact, the real risk,” Pompeo said.

Pompeo jokes about $1 million bounty on his life, delves into ‘crazy’ 4 years with Trump

<a href="https://www.mcdonaldrobertsfuneralservice.com/obituary/donald-hewitt">https://www.mcdonaldrobertsfuneralservice.com/obituary/donald-hewitt</a>

Donald Neil Hewitt, a man of quiet strength and unwavering dedication, passed away on April 25, 2023, at the age of 91. He was born on January 13, 1932, in Salt Creek Township, Mitchell County, Kansas, to William Neil and Neva Muriel Broadbent Hewitt.

At age four, Don started school at District 93 Iowa School in Center Township, then graduated from Beloit High School in 1949.&nbsp;

Don grew up working on his family’s farm. After high school, he continued farming with his dad, uncle Carlton, and brothers. 

He joined the United States Army on January 21, 1953.&nbsp;&nbsp;Don proudly served his country at Camp Lucas, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. He was honorably discharged January 20, 1955, and was awarded a National Defense Service Medal.

hortly after&nbsp;returning home from&nbsp;military service,&nbsp;Don&nbsp;met&nbsp;Cylene B. Peters, and they married on November 28, 1956, at St. John's Catholic Church in Beloit.&nbsp;&nbsp;They lived in Kansas City briefly while Don attended trade school to learn appliance repair, then remained in the Beloit area where they raised four wonderful children together.

Don developed many talents through his lifetime; he was a skilled woodworker, mechanic, machinist, welder, repairman, an inventor, and stockman. In high school woodworking class, he crafted a footstool, bookcase, vanity/dresser, cedar chest, and using oak wood salvaged from an abandoned building, a desk – all items cherished by his family. Being self-sufficient and a&nbsp;dedicated&nbsp;provider for his family, he completed plumbing, electrical work, building, and much more. He was a&nbsp;lifelong&nbsp;farmer, worked part-time a few years for the Agricultural Stabilization Service, and served on the Center Township Board for several years.

Don's ingenuity and engineering were remarkable. With a few parts salvaged from Fred White’s lot and a Plymouth pickup, he built a front-end loader&nbsp;which he used many years to feed silage.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also from salvaged parts, he&nbsp;created a&nbsp;side-by-side&nbsp;vehicle&nbsp;made from&nbsp;two bicycle frames, a motor, and a school bus seat. He designed a tool to help farmers streamline their fence installation process; his&nbsp;electric fence post&nbsp;driver consists of a steel cap and handle welded onto a section of light-duty angle iron with a footstep on the other end. It allows users to drive fence posts into the ground using only their body weight on the step. The driver eliminates the need to remove insulators when moving posts, saving time and labor. It also eliminates the need to use a sledgehammer and prevents fatigue from manual installation methods. This practical and efficient solution was recognized and featured in Successful Farming magazine. Don, along with his son Ryan, used the driver to drive thousands of posts.

Don was good at math and had a fantastic memory for dates of significance, such as anniversaries and birthdates; he could be counted on to recall this information for Hewitt and Peters relatives, including parents, aunts/uncles, siblings, and children. Demonstrating events most important to him, Don bought and kept an automobile for the birth year of each of his children (a 1957 Chevy Bel Aire, 1959 Plymouth Plaza, and 1974 Pontiac Bonneville), and a 1956 Jeep Pickup for the year of his marriage.

Though soft-spoken and often a man of few words, Don’s actions spoke volumes. By his example, he showed how to love loyally and to laugh often. A&nbsp;caring husband and father, he smiled, joked, played, encouraged, supported, and protected. He was proud of his children and loved them unconditionally. He taught&nbsp;his children&nbsp;responsibility through his work ethic. Don would have measured success by the character of his children. Don and Cylene were blessed to spend over 66 years devoted to each other.

Don was known as&nbsp;patient, calm,&nbsp;compassionate,&nbsp;gentle, and for his humility and down-to-earth nature. He was most comfortable in his Key herringbone striped overalls, chambray shirt, and house slippers. He wanted others to feel comfortable in his presence; he welcomed visitors, enjoyed listening about their experiences, and invited them to return.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Preceding in death were Don’s parents; his son Ronald Dean; two brothers, Robert and Larry; and great-granddaughter Alyssa.

He leaves behind&nbsp;his loving wife Cylene; children,Carol Lea Maish and husband Alan, Renee Hewitt Soden and husband Garett, and Ryan Neil Hewitt; five grandchildren, Erin Nicole Urban and husband Jeremy, Amanda Lynn Maish, Westin Niel Lee Mash, Lakin Leekay Soden, and McKason Lendon Soden; two great-grandchildren, Sean Riley Urban and Natalie Ray Urban; and a host of other family and friends.

Don's legacy lives on through his family and the lasting impact he made on those who knew him. He will be remembered for his commitment to his family and the lasting relationships he built throughout his life.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Monday, May 1 at the Roberts Family Funeral Home. A rosary service will be at 7 p.m. Sunday and visitation will be from 5 p.m. until the rosary service begins Sunday at the funeral home. 

Memorials may be given to the St. John's Restoration Project or Alzheimer's Association.

To plant Memorial Trees in memory of&nbsp;Donald N. Hewitt, please&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.mcdonaldrobertsfuneralservice.com/obituary/donald-hewitt/gifts?campaign=obituaryInline-gifts-textLink-obitText">click here to visit our Sympathy Store</a>.

<h2>Donald N. Hewitt, Beloit</h2><a href="https://www.mcdonaldrobertsfuneralservice.com/obituary/donald-hewitt">https://www.mcdonaldrobertsfuneralservice.com/obituary/donald-hewitt</a>January 13, 1932 - April 25, 2023Donald Neil Hewitt, a man of quiet strength and unwavering dedication, passed away on April 25, 2023, at the age of 91. He was born on January 13, 1932, in Salt Creek Township, Mitchell County, Kansas, to William Neil and Neva Muriel Broadbent Hewitt.At age four, Don started school at District 93 Iowa School in Center Township, then graduated from Beloit High School in 1949.&nbsp;Don grew up working on his family’s farm. After high school, he continued farming with his dad, uncle Carlton, and brothers. He joined the United States Army on January 21, 1953.&nbsp;&nbsp;Don proudly served his country at Camp Lucas, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. He was honorably discharged January 20, 1955, and was awarded a National Defense Service Medal.hortly after&nbsp;returning home from&nbsp;military service,&nbsp;Don&nbsp;met&nbsp;Cylene B. Peters, and they married on November 28, 1956, at St. John's Catholic Church in Beloit.&nbsp;&nbsp;They lived in Kansas City briefly while Don attended trade school to learn appliance repair, then remained in the Beloit area where they raised four wonderful children together.Don developed many talents through his lifetime; he was a skilled woodworker, mechanic, machinist, welder, repairman, an inventor, and stockman. In high school woodworking class, he crafted a footstool, bookcase, vanity/dresser, cedar chest, and using oak wood salvaged from an abandoned building, a desk – all items cherished by his family. Being self-sufficient and a&nbsp;dedicated&nbsp;provider for his family, he completed plumbing, electrical work, building, and much more. He was a&nbsp;lifelong&nbsp;farmer, worked part-time a few years for the Agricultural Stabilization Service, and served on the Center Township Board for several years.Don's ingenuity and engineering were remarkable. With a few parts salvaged from Fred White’s lot and a Plymouth pickup, he built a front-end loader&nbsp;which he used many years to feed silage.&nbsp;&nbsp;Also from salvaged parts, he&nbsp;created a&nbsp;side-by-side&nbsp;vehicle&nbsp;made from&nbsp;two bicycle frames, a motor, and a school bus seat. He designed a tool to help farmers streamline their fence installation process; his&nbsp;electric fence post&nbsp;driver consists of a steel cap and handle welded onto a section of light-duty angle iron with a footstep on the other end. It allows users to drive fence posts into the ground using only their body weight on the step. The driver eliminates the need to remove insulators when moving posts, saving time and labor. It also eliminates the need to use a sledgehammer and prevents fatigue from manual installation methods. This practical and efficient solution was recognized and featured in Successful Farming magazine. Don, along with his son Ryan, used the driver to drive thousands of posts.Don was good at math and had a fantastic memory for dates of significance, such as anniversaries and birthdates; he could be counted on to recall this information for Hewitt and Peters relatives, including parents, aunts/uncles, siblings, and children. Demonstrating events most important to him, Don bought and kept an automobile for the birth year of each of his children (a 1957 Chevy Bel Aire, 1959 Plymouth Plaza, and 1974 Pontiac Bonneville), and a 1956 Jeep Pickup for the year of his marriage.Though soft-spoken and often a man of few words, Don’s actions spoke volumes. By his example, he showed how to love loyally and to laugh often. A&nbsp;caring husband and father, he smiled, joked, played, encouraged, supported, and protected. He was proud of his children and loved them unconditionally. He taught&nbsp;his children&nbsp;responsibility through his work ethic. Don would have measured success by the character of his children. Don and Cylene were blessed to spend over 66 years devoted to each other.Don was known as&nbsp;patient, calm,&nbsp;compassionate,&nbsp;gentle, and for his humility and down-to-earth nature. He was most comfortable in his Key herringbone striped overalls, chambray shirt, and house slippers. He wanted others to feel comfortable in his presence; he welcomed visitors, enjoyed listening about their experiences, and invited them to return.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Preceding in death were Don’s parents; his son Ronald Dean; two brothers, Robert and Larry; and great-granddaughter Alyssa.He leaves behind&nbsp;his loving wife Cylene; children,Carol Lea Maish and husband Alan, Renee Hewitt Soden and husband Garett, and Ryan Neil Hewitt; five grandchildren, Erin Nicole Urban and husband Jeremy, Amanda Lynn Maish, Westin Niel Lee Mash, Lakin Leekay Soden, and McKason Lendon Soden; two great-grandchildren, Sean Riley Urban and Natalie Ray Urban; and a host of other family and friends.Don's legacy lives on through his family and the lasting impact he made on those who knew him. He will be remembered for his commitment to his family and the lasting relationships he built throughout his life.Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Monday, May 1 at the Roberts Family Funeral Home. A rosary service will be at 7 p.m. Sunday and visitation will be from 5 p.m. until the rosary service begins Sunday at the funeral home. Memorials may be given to the St. John's Restoration Project or Alzheimer's Association.To plant Memorial Trees in memory of&nbsp;Donald N. Hewitt, please&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.mcdonaldrobertsfuneralservice.com/obituary/donald-hewitt/gifts?campaign=obituaryInline-gifts-textLink-obitText">click here to visit our Sympathy Store</a>.

Donald N. Hewitt

By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Brett Veach knew he was utilizing the NFL draft's biggest cliche at the scouting combine in February, when the Chiefs general manager insisted that the Super Bowl champions would take "the best player available" when they were on the clock.

The best player available wound up matching their biggest needs over three days of selections. The Chiefs added to their pass rush in the first round with Kansas State's Felix Anudike-Uzomah, gave Patrick Mahomes another playmaker in the second round with SMU's Rashee Rice and some protection up front in the third with Oklahoma offensive tackle Wanya Morris.

The final four selections Sunday provided some much needed depth: Virginia Tech safety Chamarri Conner in the fourth round, Stephen F. Austin linebacker BJ Thompson in the fifth, Texas defensive tackle Keondre Coburn in the sixth and Ball State cornerback Nic Jones in the seventh to wrap up a hometown draft held at Union Station near downtown Kansas City.

"There's always a sense of what you need," Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi admitted, "but we're really looking at the best value on the board. So the first night we took Felix — obviously a pass rusher, you can't get enough of those guys. And then we came back and we knew we wanted to take a receiver in the second round early, and we moved up for Rice. And you know, we were able to get a tackle in the third, so we felt good about filling the needs but also staying true to the board."

In other words, that cliche about taking the best player available had some element of truth to it.

But the Chiefs also knew there were specific areas they needed to target.

They had to release Frank Clark early in the offseason to create some salary cap space, and Carlos Dunlap became a free agent, so they needed some help rushing the passer. Charles Omenihu provided a veteran presence, but the Chiefs were eager to get a bookend for last year's first-round pick, George Karlaftis, and they found it just down the road.

Anudike-Uzomah grew up in Kansas City before turning into the Big 12's defensive player of the year at Kansas State.

"Frank Clark is one of my favorite pass rushers, watching him, and I was like, 'Listen, if he left, I could definitely have input for the team,' especially because I'm a young rusher and I could learn from the people in front of me," he said. "It's honestly surreal, and I'm glad to be a part of the Chiefs and glad to be part of a winning culture."

The Chiefs traded up in the second round to select Rice, who is aggressive after the catch in the same mold as JuJu Smith-Schuster, who left in free agency. The Chiefs also lost Mecole Hardman, making it a priority to add another pass catcher to a group headlined by Kadarius Toney and second-year pro Skyy Moore.

"You're getting a playmaker. You're getting someone who really wants to be a part of the Chiefs' program," said Rice, who caught passes from Mahomes at some impromptu workouts in Texas and got the MVP quarterback's seal of approval.

"I can't complain about a great quarterback," he said. "I'm going to be able to build my relationship with him."

Mahomes will need to establish a good relationship with Morris, too.

The Chiefs lost Orlando Brown Jr. when they were unable to come to terms on a long-term deal with the franchise left tackle, then they lost right tackle Andrew Wylie when he signed a lucrative contract in free agency. The Chiefs opened the checkbook to bring in Jawaan Taylor, and plan to move him from the right side to left, but that still left an opening on the offensive line.

Morris is expected to compete with Lucas Niang and others for that starting job throughout the summer and training camp.

"You know, he's long, he's athletic, he's got the feet. Now he's just got to put everything together," Borgonzi said, "and we feel comfortable with our room here that he'll learn from some of the guys here."

After the three biggest holes were plugged the first two days of the draft, the Chiefs spent Saturday on some luxury picks.

Conner could see playing time immediately after safety Juan Thornhill left in free agency. Thompson is an athletic linebacker who could play a variety of special teams roles. Coburn is a 332-pound space-eater in the defensive line who could free up Chris Jones to make plays. Ball State's Nic Jones can provide depth in the defensive backfield.

"I think Day 2 and Day 3 are really where personnel staffs can distinguish themselves," Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said, "and Brett's staff has certainly done that in recent years. We look back to last year and the number of players that we were able to select in the later rounds who ended up making a big contribution last year all the way to the Super Bowl."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682811763769.jpeg" alt="Former Kansas State defensive lineman Felix Anudike-Uzomah takes a selfie with fans during the second round of the NFL football draft Friday in Kansas City, Mo. Anudike-Uzomah was picked by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>Former Kansas State defensive lineman Felix Anudike-Uzomah takes a selfie with fans during the second round of the NFL football draft Friday in Kansas City, Mo. Anudike-Uzomah was picked by the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVE SKRETTA AP Sports WriterKANSAS CITY, Mo. — Brett Veach knew he was utilizing the NFL draft's biggest cliche at the scouting combine in February, when the Chiefs general manager insisted that the Super Bowl champions would take "the best player available" when they were on the clock.How fortuitous they must have been.The best player available wound up matching their biggest needs over three days of selections. The Chiefs added to their pass rush in the first round with Kansas State's Felix Anudike-Uzomah, gave Patrick Mahomes another playmaker in the second round with SMU's Rashee Rice and some protection up front in the third with Oklahoma offensive tackle Wanya Morris.The final four selections Sunday provided some much needed depth: Virginia Tech safety Chamarri Conner in the fourth round, Stephen F. Austin linebacker BJ Thompson in the fifth, Texas defensive tackle Keondre Coburn in the sixth and Ball State cornerback Nic Jones in the seventh to wrap up a hometown draft held at Union Station near downtown Kansas City."There's always a sense of what you need," Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi admitted, "but we're really looking at the best value on the board. So the first night we took Felix — obviously a pass rusher, you can't get enough of those guys. And then we came back and we knew we wanted to take a receiver in the second round early, and we moved up for Rice. And you know, we were able to get a tackle in the third, so we felt good about filling the needs but also staying true to the board."In other words, that cliche about taking the best player available had some element of truth to it.But the Chiefs also knew there were specific areas they needed to target.They had to release Frank Clark early in the offseason to create some salary cap space, and Carlos Dunlap became a free agent, so they needed some help rushing the passer. Charles Omenihu provided a veteran presence, but the Chiefs were eager to get a bookend for last year's first-round pick, George Karlaftis, and they found it just down the road.Anudike-Uzomah grew up in Kansas City before turning into the Big 12's defensive player of the year at Kansas State."Frank Clark is one of my favorite pass rushers, watching him, and I was like, 'Listen, if he left, I could definitely have input for the team,' especially because I'm a young rusher and I could learn from the people in front of me," he said. "It's honestly surreal, and I'm glad to be a part of the Chiefs and glad to be part of a winning culture."The Chiefs traded up in the second round to select Rice, who is aggressive after the catch in the same mold as JuJu Smith-Schuster, who left in free agency. The Chiefs also lost Mecole Hardman, making it a priority to add another pass catcher to a group headlined by Kadarius Toney and second-year pro Skyy Moore."You're getting a playmaker. You're getting someone who really wants to be a part of the Chiefs' program," said Rice, who caught passes from Mahomes at some impromptu workouts in Texas and got the MVP quarterback's seal of approval."I can't complain about a great quarterback," he said. "I'm going to be able to build my relationship with him."Mahomes will need to establish a good relationship with Morris, too.The Chiefs lost Orlando Brown Jr. when they were unable to come to terms on a long-term deal with the franchise left tackle, then they lost right tackle Andrew Wylie when he signed a lucrative contract in free agency. The Chiefs opened the checkbook to bring in Jawaan Taylor, and plan to move him from the right side to left, but that still left an opening on the offensive line.Morris is expected to compete with Lucas Niang and others for that starting job throughout the summer and training camp."You know, he's long, he's athletic, he's got the feet. Now he's just got to put everything together," Borgonzi said, "and we feel comfortable with our room here that he'll learn from some of the guys here."After the three biggest holes were plugged the first two days of the draft, the Chiefs spent Saturday on some luxury picks.Conner could see playing time immediately after safety Juan Thornhill left in free agency. Thompson is an athletic linebacker who could play a variety of special teams roles. Coburn is a 332-pound space-eater in the defensive line who could free up Chris Jones to make plays. Ball State's Nic Jones can provide depth in the defensive backfield."I think Day 2 and Day 3 are really where personnel staffs can distinguish themselves," Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said, "and Brett's staff has certainly done that in recent years. We look back to last year and the number of players that we were able to select in the later rounds who ended up making a big contribution last year all the way to the Super Bowl."

Chiefs address biggest needs during hometown NFL draft

Manhattan&nbsp;-&nbsp;U.S. Senator Roger Marshall hosted U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), the ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry in Manhattan as the Committee begins drafting the 2023 Farm Bill.

Friday afternoon, the Senators toured the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center.&nbsp;The Wheat Innovation Center is the single largest research investment by Kansas wheat farmers in history. It allows for the research of different wheat varieties and for collaboration of public and private institutions to leverage the vast genetic diversity of wheat across the world to improve modern varieties of wheat.&nbsp;

Following the tour, the Senators participated in a roundtable listening session to discuss a variety of top issues impacting the 2023 Farm Bill. From competition and transparency, crop insurance, disaster assistance, and food and nutrition security to export market development and biofuel infrastructure enhancements, we are working on many Kansas priorities in this legislation.

Senator Marshall is excited to bring this group of the Agriculture industry together to talk through their top priorities in the Farm Bill and make sure the Senate Ag Ranking Member, Senator Boozman, gets to hear directly from Kansas producers. It is important that Kansans get a seat at the table at the highest levels of government when it comes to Agriculture.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1682727430940.png" alt="Friday afternoon, the Senators toured the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Friday afternoon, the Senators toured the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Manhattan&nbsp;-&nbsp;U.S. Senator Roger Marshall hosted U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), the ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry in Manhattan as the Committee begins drafting the 2023 Farm Bill. Friday afternoon, the Senators toured the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center.&nbsp;The Wheat Innovation Center is the single largest research investment by Kansas wheat farmers in history. It allows for the research of different wheat varieties and for collaboration of public and private institutions to leverage the vast genetic diversity of wheat across the world to improve modern varieties of wheat.&nbsp;Following the tour, the Senators participated in a roundtable listening session to discuss a variety of top issues impacting the 2023 Farm Bill. From competition and transparency, crop insurance, disaster assistance, and food and nutrition security to export market development and biofuel infrastructure enhancements, we are working on many Kansas priorities in this legislation.Senator Marshall is excited to bring this group of the Agriculture industry together to talk through their top priorities in the Farm Bill and make sure the Senate Ag Ranking Member, Senator Boozman, gets to hear directly from Kansas producers. It is important that Kansans get a seat at the table at the highest levels of government when it comes to Agriculture.

Senate Ag committee leader stops in Kansas

There is something for everyone at the movies this summer, both in theaters and streaming at home. In May, audiences can bid farewell to the Guardians of the Galaxy, go to Italy with Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen, or under the sea with Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy.

June brings "Indiana Jones 5," a "Spider-Verse" sequel, "The Flash" a new Pixar pic and one film many have already called the best of the year ("Past Lives").

And things get really exciting in July with the highly anticipated debuts of "Oppenheimer," "Mission: Impossible 7," "Barbie," while August promises a new take on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and introduces a new DC superhero, Blue Beetle.

Here's a month-by-month guide of this summer's new movies.

" Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 " (Disney/Marvel, theaters): Nine years after the non-comic obsessed world was introduced to Peter Quill, Rocket, Groot and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy, the misfits are closing out the trilogy and saying goodbye to director James Gunn, who is now leading rival DC.

" What's Love Got to Do with It? " (Shout! Studios, theaters): Lily James plays a documentary filmmaker whose next project follows her neighbor (Shazad Latif) on his road to an arranged marriage in this charming romantic comedy.

" Book Club: The Next Chapter " (Focus Features, theaters): Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen travel to Italy to celebrate an engagement.

" The Mother," (Netflix, streaming): Jennifer Lopez is an assassin and a mother in this action pic timed to Mother's Day.

" Love Again " (Sony, theaters): Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays a woman mourning the death of her boyfriend who texts his old number not knowing it belongs to someone new (Sam Heughan). Celine Dion (and her music) co-star in this romantic drama.

" STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie " (AppleTV+): Davis Guggenheim helps Michael J. Fox tell his story, from his rise in Hollywood to his Parkinson's diagnosis and beyond.

" Monica " (IFC, theaters): A transgender woman, estranged from her family, goes home to visit her dying mother in this film starring Tracee Lysette and Patricia Clarkson.

" The Starling Girl " (Bleecker Street, theaters): Eliza Scanlen plays a 17-year-old girl living in a fundamentalist Christian community in Kentucky whose life changes with the arrival of Lewis Pullman's charismatic youth pastor.

" Fool's Paradise " (Roadside Attractions, theaters): Charlie Day writes, directs and plays dual roles in this comedic Hollywood satire.

" Hypnotic " (Ketchup Entertainment): Ben Affleck plays a detective whose daughter goes missing in this Robert Rodriguez movie.

"It Ain't Over" (Sony Pictures Classics): A documentary about Lawrence Peter 'Yogi' Berra.

"Blackberry" (IFC): Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton star in this movie about the rise of the Blackberry.

" Fast X " (Universal, theaters): In the tenth installment of the Fast franchise, Jason Momoa joins as the vengeful son of a slain drug lord intent to take out Vin Diesel's Dom.

" White Men Can't Jump " (20th Century Studios, streaming on Hulu): Sinqua Walls and Jack Harlow co-star in this remake of the 1992 film, co-written by Kenya Barris and featuring the late Lance Reddick.

" Master Gardener " (Magnolia, theaters): Joel Edgerton is a horticulturist in this Paul Schrader drama, co-starring Sigourney Weaver as a wealthy dowager.

" Sanctuary " (Neon, theaters): A dark comedy about a dominatrix (Margaret Qualley) and her wealth client (Christopher Abbott).

" The Little Mermaid " (Disney, theaters): Halle Bailey plays Ariel in this technically ambitious live-action remake of a recent Disney classic directed by Rob Marshall ("Chicago") and co-starring Melissa McCarthy as Ursula.

" You Hurt My Feelings " (A24, theaters): Nicole Holofcener takes a nuanced and funny look at a white lie that unsettles the marriage between a New York City writer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and a therapist (Tobias Menzies).

" About My Father " (Lionsgate, theaters): Stand-up comic Sebastian Maniscalco co-wrote this culture clash movie in which he takes his Italian-American father (Robert De Niro) on a vacation with his wife's WASPy family.

" Victim/Suspect " (Netflix, on May 23): This documentary explores how law enforcement sometimes indicts victims of sexual assault instead of helping.

" The Machine," (Sony, theaters): Stand-up comedian Bert Kreischer brings Mark Hamill into the fray for this action-comedy.

" Kandahar " (Open Road Films, theaters): Gerard Butler plays an undercover CIA operative in hostile territory in Afghanistan.

" Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse " (Sony, theaters): Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is back, but with things not going so well in Brooklyn, he opts to visit the multiverse with his old pal Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), where he encounters the Spider-Society.

" The Boogeyman " (20th Century Studios, theaters): "It's the thing that comes for your kids when you're not paying attention," David Dastmalchian explains to Chris Messina in this Stephen King adaptation.

" Past Lives " (A24, theaters): Already being hailed as one of the best of the year after its Sundance debut, Celine Song's directorial debut is a decades and continent-spanning romance about two friends separated in childhood who meet 20 years later in New York.

" Transformers: Rise of the Beasts " (Paramount, theaters): Steven Caple Jr directs the seventh Transformers movie, starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback.

" Strays " (Universal, theaters): Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx voice dogs in this not-animated, R-rated comedy.

"Flamin' Hot" (Hulu, Disney+): Eva Longoria directs this story about Richard Montañez, a janitor at Frito-Lay who came up with the idea for Flamin' Hot Cheetos.

" Blue Jean " (Magnolia, theaters): It's 1988 in England and hostilities are mounting towards the LGBTQ community in Georgia Oakley's BAFTA-nominated directorial debut about a gym teacher (Rosy McEwan) and the arrival of a new student.

"Daliland" (Magnolia, theaters): Mary Harron directs Ben Kingsley as Salvador Dalí.

" The Flash " (Warner Bros., theaters): Batmans past Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton assemble for this standalone Flash movie directed by Andy Muschietti and starring Ezra Miller as the titular superhero.

" Elemental " (Pixar, theatrical): In Element City, residents include Air, Earth, Water and Fire in the new Pixar original, featuring the voices of Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie and Catherine O'Hara.

" Extraction 2 " (Netflix, streaming): Chris Hemsworth's mercenary Tyler Rake is back for another dangerous mission.

" Asteroid City " (Focus Features, limited and expanding June 23): Wes Anderson assembles Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Jason Schwartzman and Jeffrey Wright for a stargazer convention in the mid-century American desert.

" The Blackening " (Lionsgate, theaters): This scary movie satire sends a group of Black friends including Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg and X Mayo to a cabin in the woods.

" No Hard Feelings " (Sony, theaters): Jennifer Lawrence leads a raunchy comedy about a woman hired by a shy teen's parents to help him get out of his shell before Princeton.

" Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny " (Lucasfilm, theaters): Harrison Ford puts his iconic fedora back on for a fifth outing as Indy in this new adventure directed by James Mangold and co-starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

"Every Body" (Focus Features, theaters): Oscar-nominated documentarian Julie Cohen turns her lens on three intersex individuals in her latest film.

" Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken " (Universal, theaters): Lana Condor ("To All the Boys I've Loved Before") lends her voice to this animated action-comedy about a shy teenager trying to survive high school as a part-Kraken.

"Harold and the Purple Crayon" (Sony, theaters): Zachary Levi, Zooey Deschanel and Lil Rel Howery help bring this adaptation of the children's bedtime story to life.

" Insidious: The Red Door " (Sony, theaters): Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are back to scare everyone in the fifth edition.

" Joy Ride " (Lionsgate, theaters): Adele Lim directs this raucous comedy about a girls trip to China to find someone's birth mother, starring Ashley Park, Stephanie Hsu, Sherry Cola and Sabrina Wu.

"The Lesson" (Bleecker Street): A young novelist helps an acclaimed author in this thriller with Richard E. Grant.

" Biosphere " (IFC): Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown are the last two men on Earth.

" Mission: Impossible-Dead Reckoning Part I" (Paramount, theaters, on July 12): Tom Cruise? Death-defying stunts in Venice? The return of Kittridge? What more do you need?

"Theater Camp"(Searchlight, theaters): Musical theater nerds (and comedy fans) will delight in this loving satire of a childhood institution, with Ben Platt and Molly Gordon.

" Oppenheimer " (Universal, theaters): Christopher Nolan takes audiences into the mind of the "father of the atomic bomb," J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) as he and his peers build up to the trinity test at Los Alamos.

" Barbie " (Warner Bros., theaters): Margot Robbie plays the world's most famous doll (as do many others) opposite Ryan Gosling's Ken in Greta Gerwig's comedic look at their perfect world.

"Stephen Curry: Underrated" (Apple TV+): Peter Nicks directs a documentary about the four-time NBA champion.

" They Cloned Tyrone " (Netflix): John Boyega, Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx lead this mystery caper.

" Haunted Mansion " (Disney, theaters): A Disney ride comes to life in with the help of Rosario Dawson, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson and Danny DeVito.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSThere is something for everyone at the movies this summer, both in theaters and streaming at home. In May, audiences can bid farewell to the Guardians of the Galaxy, go to Italy with Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen, or under the sea with Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy.June brings "Indiana Jones 5," a "Spider-Verse" sequel, "The Flash" a new Pixar pic and one film many have already called the best of the year ("Past Lives").And things get really exciting in July with the highly anticipated debuts of "Oppenheimer," "Mission: Impossible 7," "Barbie," while August promises a new take on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and introduces a new DC superhero, Blue Beetle.Here's a month-by-month guide of this summer's new movies.May 5" Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 " (Disney/Marvel, theaters): Nine years after the non-comic obsessed world was introduced to Peter Quill, Rocket, Groot and the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy, the misfits are closing out the trilogy and saying goodbye to director James Gunn, who is now leading rival DC." What's Love Got to Do with It? " (Shout! Studios, theaters): Lily James plays a documentary filmmaker whose next project follows her neighbor (Shazad Latif) on his road to an arranged marriage in this charming romantic comedy.May 12" Book Club: The Next Chapter " (Focus Features, theaters): Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen travel to Italy to celebrate an engagement." The Mother," (Netflix, streaming): Jennifer Lopez is an assassin and a mother in this action pic timed to Mother's Day." Love Again " (Sony, theaters): Priyanka Chopra Jonas plays a woman mourning the death of her boyfriend who texts his old number not knowing it belongs to someone new (Sam Heughan). Celine Dion (and her music) co-star in this romantic drama." STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie " (AppleTV+): Davis Guggenheim helps Michael J. Fox tell his story, from his rise in Hollywood to his Parkinson's diagnosis and beyond." Monica " (IFC, theaters): A transgender woman, estranged from her family, goes home to visit her dying mother in this film starring Tracee Lysette and Patricia Clarkson." The Starling Girl " (Bleecker Street, theaters): Eliza Scanlen plays a 17-year-old girl living in a fundamentalist Christian community in Kentucky whose life changes with the arrival of Lewis Pullman's charismatic youth pastor." Fool's Paradise " (Roadside Attractions, theaters): Charlie Day writes, directs and plays dual roles in this comedic Hollywood satire." Hypnotic " (Ketchup Entertainment): Ben Affleck plays a detective whose daughter goes missing in this Robert Rodriguez movie."It Ain't Over" (Sony Pictures Classics): A documentary about Lawrence Peter 'Yogi' Berra."Blackberry" (IFC): Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton star in this movie about the rise of the Blackberry.May 19" Fast X " (Universal, theaters): In the tenth installment of the Fast franchise, Jason Momoa joins as the vengeful son of a slain drug lord intent to take out Vin Diesel's Dom." White Men Can't Jump " (20th Century Studios, streaming on Hulu): Sinqua Walls and Jack Harlow co-star in this remake of the 1992 film, co-written by Kenya Barris and featuring the late Lance Reddick." Master Gardener " (Magnolia, theaters): Joel Edgerton is a horticulturist in this Paul Schrader drama, co-starring Sigourney Weaver as a wealthy dowager." Sanctuary " (Neon, theaters): A dark comedy about a dominatrix (Margaret Qualley) and her wealth client (Christopher Abbott).May 26" The Little Mermaid " (Disney, theaters): Halle Bailey plays Ariel in this technically ambitious live-action remake of a recent Disney classic directed by Rob Marshall ("Chicago") and co-starring Melissa McCarthy as Ursula." You Hurt My Feelings " (A24, theaters): Nicole Holofcener takes a nuanced and funny look at a white lie that unsettles the marriage between a New York City writer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and a therapist (Tobias Menzies)." About My Father " (Lionsgate, theaters): Stand-up comic Sebastian Maniscalco co-wrote this culture clash movie in which he takes his Italian-American father (Robert De Niro) on a vacation with his wife's WASPy family." Victim/Suspect " (Netflix, on May 23): This documentary explores how law enforcement sometimes indicts victims of sexual assault instead of helping." The Machine," (Sony, theaters): Stand-up comedian Bert Kreischer brings Mark Hamill into the fray for this action-comedy." Kandahar " (Open Road Films, theaters): Gerard Butler plays an undercover CIA operative in hostile territory in Afghanistan.June 2" Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse " (Sony, theaters): Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is back, but with things not going so well in Brooklyn, he opts to visit the multiverse with his old pal Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), where he encounters the Spider-Society." The Boogeyman " (20th Century Studios, theaters): "It's the thing that comes for your kids when you're not paying attention," David Dastmalchian explains to Chris Messina in this Stephen King adaptation." Past Lives " (A24, theaters): Already being hailed as one of the best of the year after its Sundance debut, Celine Song's directorial debut is a decades and continent-spanning romance about two friends separated in childhood who meet 20 years later in New York.June 9" Transformers: Rise of the Beasts " (Paramount, theaters): Steven Caple Jr directs the seventh Transformers movie, starring Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback." Strays " (Universal, theaters): Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx voice dogs in this not-animated, R-rated comedy."Flamin' Hot" (Hulu, Disney+): Eva Longoria directs this story about Richard Montañez, a janitor at Frito-Lay who came up with the idea for Flamin' Hot Cheetos." Blue Jean " (Magnolia, theaters): It's 1988 in England and hostilities are mounting towards the LGBTQ community in Georgia Oakley's BAFTA-nominated directorial debut about a gym teacher (Rosy McEwan) and the arrival of a new student."Daliland" (Magnolia, theaters): Mary Harron directs Ben Kingsley as Salvador Dalí.June 16" The Flash " (Warner Bros., theaters): Batmans past Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton assemble for this standalone Flash movie directed by Andy Muschietti and starring Ezra Miller as the titular superhero." Elemental " (Pixar, theatrical): In Element City, residents include Air, Earth, Water and Fire in the new Pixar original, featuring the voices of Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie and Catherine O'Hara." Extraction 2 " (Netflix, streaming): Chris Hemsworth's mercenary Tyler Rake is back for another dangerous mission." Asteroid City " (Focus Features, limited and expanding June 23): Wes Anderson assembles Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Jason Schwartzman and Jeffrey Wright for a stargazer convention in the mid-century American desert." The Blackening " (Lionsgate, theaters): This scary movie satire sends a group of Black friends including Grace Byers, Jermaine Fowler, Melvin Gregg and X Mayo to a cabin in the woods.June 23" No Hard Feelings " (Sony, theaters): Jennifer Lawrence leads a raunchy comedy about a woman hired by a shy teen's parents to help him get out of his shell before Princeton.June 30" Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny " (Lucasfilm, theaters): Harrison Ford puts his iconic fedora back on for a fifth outing as Indy in this new adventure directed by James Mangold and co-starring Phoebe Waller-Bridge."Every Body" (Focus Features, theaters): Oscar-nominated documentarian Julie Cohen turns her lens on three intersex individuals in her latest film." Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken " (Universal, theaters): Lana Condor ("To All the Boys I've Loved Before") lends her voice to this animated action-comedy about a shy teenager trying to survive high school as a part-Kraken."Harold and the Purple Crayon" (Sony, theaters): Zachary Levi, Zooey Deschanel and Lil Rel Howery help bring this adaptation of the children's bedtime story to life.July 7" Insidious: The Red Door " (Sony, theaters): Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne are back to scare everyone in the fifth edition." Joy Ride " (Lionsgate, theaters): Adele Lim directs this raucous comedy about a girls trip to China to find someone's birth mother, starring Ashley Park, Stephanie Hsu, Sherry Cola and Sabrina Wu."The Lesson" (Bleecker Street): A young novelist helps an acclaimed author in this thriller with Richard E. Grant." Biosphere " (IFC): Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown are the last two men on Earth.July 14" Mission: Impossible-Dead Reckoning Part I" (Paramount, theaters, on July 12): Tom Cruise? Death-defying stunts in Venice? The return of Kittridge? What more do you need?"Theater Camp"(Searchlight, theaters): Musical theater nerds (and comedy fans) will delight in this loving satire of a childhood institution, with Ben Platt and Molly Gordon.July 21" Oppenheimer " (Universal, theaters): Christopher Nolan takes audiences into the mind of the "father of the atomic bomb," J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) as he and his peers build up to the trinity test at Los Alamos." Barbie " (Warner Bros., theaters): Margot Robbie plays the world's most famous doll (as do many others) opposite Ryan Gosling's Ken in Greta Gerwig's comedic look at their perfect world."Stephen Curry: Underrated" (Apple TV+): Peter Nicks directs a documentary about the four-time NBA champion." They Cloned Tyrone " (Netflix): John Boyega, Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx lead this mystery caper.July 28" Haunted Mansion " (Disney, theaters): A Disney ride comes to life in with the help of Rosario Dawson, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson and Danny DeVito." Talk to Me " (A24, theaters): A group of friends conjure spirits in this horror starring Sophie Wilde and Joe Bird."Happiness for Beginners" (Netflix, on July 27): Ellie Kemper is a newly divorced woman looking to shake things up."Sympathy for the Devil" (IFC): Joel Kinnaman is forced to drive a mysterious gunman (Nicolas Cage) in this thriller."Kokomo City" (Magnolia): This documentary follows four Black transgender sex workers.Aug. 4"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem " (Paramount, theaters): This animated movie puts the teenage back in the equation with a very funny voice cast including Seth Rogen and John Cena as Bebop and Rocksteady."Meg 2: The Trench" (Warner Bros., theaters): Jason Statham is back fighting sharks." Passages " (Mubi): The relationship of a longtime couple (Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw) is thrown when one begins an affair with a woman (Adèle Exarchopoulos)." A Compassionate Spy " (Magnolia): Steve James' documentary about the youngest physicist on the Manhattan Project who fed information to the Soviets."Dreamin' Wild" (Roadside Attractions): Casey Affleck stars in this film about musical duo Donnie and Joe Emerson.Aug. 11" Gran Turismo " (Sony, theaters): A gamer gets a chance to drive a professional course in this video game adaptation starring David Harbour and Orlando Bloom."The Last Voyage of the Demeter" (Universal, theaters): This supernatural horror film draws from a chapter of "Dracula."" Heart of Stone " (Netflix): Gal Gadot played an intelligence operative in this action thriller, with Jamie Dornan."The Eternal Memory" (MTV Documentary Films): This documentary explores a marriage and Alzheimer's disease.Aug. 18" Blue Beetle " (Warner Bros., theaters): Xolo Maridueña plays the DC superhero Jaime Reyes / Blue Beetle in this origin story."Please Don't Destroy" (Universal, theaters): The "SNL" trio Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy expand their popular sketch for the big screen."birth/rebirth" (IFC, theaters): A woman and a morgue technician bring a little girl back to life in this horror." White Bird: A Wonder Story " (Lionsgate, theaters): Helen Mirren tells her grandson, expelled from school for bullying, a story about herself in Nazi-occupied France."Landscape with Invisible Hand" (MGM, theaters): Teens come up with a unique moneymaking scheme in a world taken over by aliens."The Hill" (Briarcliff Entertainment): This baseball drama starring Dennis Quaid is based on the true story of Rickey Hill.Aug. 25"They Listen" (Sony, theaters): John Cho and Katherine Waterston lead this secretive Blumhouse horror."Golda" (Bleecker Street): Helen Mirren stars in this drama about Golda Meir, the Prime Minister of Israel during the Yom Kippur War."Bottoms" (MGM, theaters): Two unpopular teenage girls (Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri) start a fight club to impress the cheerleaders they want to lose their virginity to in this parody of the teen sex comedy."The Dive" (IFC, theaters): In this suspense pic about two sisters out for a dive, one gets hurt and is trapped underwater.Sept. 1" The Equalizer 3 " (Sony, theaters): Denzel Washington is back as Robert McCall, who is supposed to be retired from the assassin business but things get complicated in Southern Italy.