In your mind, what are some of the biggest mental and emotional obstacles preventing people from addressing their financial problems?

This is a great question! There are always circumstances beyond our control that can put us in a bad place, financially or otherwise, for a season. But to change your situation when it comes to money, you have to be willing to step back and honestly look at the overall picture of what has and hasn’t been working—and why. You need to be willing to admit you might have been wrong about a few things, and be open to learning and trying new ways. 

<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/debt/money-myths-broke-people-believe">Myths about money</a> and debt are definitely near the top of the list of things messing people up when it comes to their finances. I’ve heard it said if you tell a lie often enough and loudly enough, that lie will become accepted as a fact. Repetition, volume, and longevity will twist and turn a myth, or a lie, into a commonly accepted way of doing things. Debt is so ingrained into our culture, and has been marketed to us so aggressively, that most Americans can’t envision a car without a payment, a house without a mortgage, or a <a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/debt/student-loan-refinancing">college student</a> without a loan. We’ve also bought into the myth that we can get rich quick. We’re living in a microwave society, but living right financially is a crock pot concept. It takes time.

Some people are afraid of change. Change can be painful, and many simply won’t change until the pain of where they are exceeds the pain of change. When it comes to money, where you are right now is a sum total of decisions you’ve made to this point. If you don’t like where you are, you have to admit changes need to be made in order for you to achieve your dreams. 

Finally, a lot of folks simply haven’t been taught the proper way to <a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/budgeting/guide-to-budgeting">manage money</a>. Ignorance is not lack of intelligence, it’s a lack of know how. There’s a big difference between the two.

Admit, even if it’s just to yourself, that you are not a financial expert. Read about money, talk to people who have been successful with their finances, and begin a life-long quest to learn as much as you can about money and how to manage it wisely. What you don’t know about money will make you broke, and keep you broke!

<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/">Dave Ramsey</a> is a seven-time No. 1 national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 16 million listeners each week. He has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596845065840.jpeg" alt="Dave Ramsey" />
 <figcaption>Dave Ramsey</figcaption>
 </figure>Dear Dave,In your mind, what are some of the biggest mental and emotional obstacles preventing people from addressing their financial problems?RogerDear Roger,This is a great question! There are always circumstances beyond our control that can put us in a bad place, financially or otherwise, for a season. But to change your situation when it comes to money, you have to be willing to step back and honestly look at the overall picture of what has and hasn’t been working—and why. You need to be willing to admit you might have been wrong about a few things, and be open to learning and trying new ways. <a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/debt/money-myths-broke-people-believe">Myths about money</a> and debt are definitely near the top of the list of things messing people up when it comes to their finances. I’ve heard it said if you tell a lie often enough and loudly enough, that lie will become accepted as a fact. Repetition, volume, and longevity will twist and turn a myth, or a lie, into a commonly accepted way of doing things. Debt is so ingrained into our culture, and has been marketed to us so aggressively, that most Americans can’t envision a car without a payment, a house without a mortgage, or a <a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/debt/student-loan-refinancing">college student</a> without a loan. We’ve also bought into the myth that we can get rich quick. We’re living in a microwave society, but living right financially is a crock pot concept. It takes time.Some people are afraid of change. Change can be painful, and many simply won’t change until the pain of where they are exceeds the pain of change. When it comes to money, where you are right now is a sum total of decisions you’ve made to this point. If you don’t like where you are, you have to admit changes need to be made in order for you to achieve your dreams. Finally, a lot of folks simply haven’t been taught the proper way to <a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/budgeting/guide-to-budgeting">manage money</a>. Ignorance is not lack of intelligence, it’s a lack of know how. There’s a big difference between the two. Admit, even if it’s just to yourself, that you are not a financial expert. Read about money, talk to people who have been successful with their finances, and begin a life-long quest to learn as much as you can about money and how to manage it wisely. What you don’t know about money will make you broke, and keep you broke!Dave<a href="https://www.ramseysolutions.com/">Dave Ramsey</a> is a seven-time No. 1 national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 16 million listeners each week. He has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.

DAVE SAYS: Obstacles and answers

<a href="https://www.gliddenedigerfuneral.com/obituaries/Lena-Allison-2/#!/PhotosVideos">Lena Denise Allison Obituary - Visitation &amp; Funeral Information (gliddenedigerfuneral.com)</a>

Lena Denise Allison, 61, of McPherson, Kansas, passed away at 1:59 a.m., Tuesday, April 6, 2021 at Salina Regional Health Center, Salina, Kansas. Lena was born on August 30, 1959, in McPherson, Kansas a daughter of Larry and Linda (Ethridge) Larson Lena attended Inman grade and graduated from Inman High School, Inman, Kansas in 1977. She worked as a health information aide for McPherson Hospital. Lena enjoyed gardening and tending her flower beds, canning vegetables from her garden, late night board and card games, watching Nascar racing, listening to music and spending time with her friends and family. Lena Denise Larson was united in marriage to Craig Allison on May 11, 1985 in McPherson, Kansas. The couple established their first home together in McPherson. This union was blessed with the birth of two children, Jennifer and Jarod. She is survived by her husband Craig Allison, of McPherson, Kansas; her children, Jennifer Allison, of Lake Charles, Louisiana and Jarod Allison, of Canton, Kansas; her parents Larry and Linda Larson, of Inman, Kansas and her brother Lyle Larson and his wife Karyn, of Inman, Kansas. A gravesides service will be held on Friday, April 9, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at the McPherson Cemetery, McPherson, Kansas with Pastor Tim Leaf officiating. Memorials are to the Lena Allison Memorial Fund and they can be sent to Glidden-Ediger Funeral Home, 222 West Euclid St., McPherson, Kansas 67460.

To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Lena Denise Allison please visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gliddenedigerfuneral.com/store/Category.aspx?CategoryId=319&amp;icn=desktop_memorial_obituary_link#chooser">Sympathy Store</a>.

<h2>Lena Denise Allison, McPherson</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617892098865.jpeg" alt="Lena Denise Allison" />
 <figcaption>Lena Denise Allison</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.gliddenedigerfuneral.com/obituaries/Lena-Allison-2/#!/PhotosVideos">Lena Denise Allison Obituary - Visitation &amp; Funeral Information (gliddenedigerfuneral.com)</a>August 30, 1959 - April 6, 2021Lena Denise Allison, 61, of McPherson, Kansas, passed away at 1:59 a.m., Tuesday, April 6, 2021 at Salina Regional Health Center, Salina, Kansas. Lena was born on August 30, 1959, in McPherson, Kansas a daughter of Larry and Linda (Ethridge) Larson Lena attended Inman grade and graduated from Inman High School, Inman, Kansas in 1977. She worked as a health information aide for McPherson Hospital. Lena enjoyed gardening and tending her flower beds, canning vegetables from her garden, late night board and card games, watching Nascar racing, listening to music and spending time with her friends and family. Lena Denise Larson was united in marriage to Craig Allison on May 11, 1985 in McPherson, Kansas. The couple established their first home together in McPherson. This union was blessed with the birth of two children, Jennifer and Jarod. She is survived by her husband Craig Allison, of McPherson, Kansas; her children, Jennifer Allison, of Lake Charles, Louisiana and Jarod Allison, of Canton, Kansas; her parents Larry and Linda Larson, of Inman, Kansas and her brother Lyle Larson and his wife Karyn, of Inman, Kansas. A gravesides service will be held on Friday, April 9, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at the McPherson Cemetery, McPherson, Kansas with Pastor Tim Leaf officiating. Memorials are to the Lena Allison Memorial Fund and they can be sent to Glidden-Ediger Funeral Home, 222 West Euclid St., McPherson, Kansas 67460. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Lena Denise Allison please visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gliddenedigerfuneral.com/store/Category.aspx?CategoryId=319&amp;icn=desktop_memorial_obituary_link#chooser">Sympathy Store</a>.

Lena Denise Allison

<a href="https://www.chaputbuoy.com/obituary/eric-herman">Obituary | Eric W. Herman of Concordia, Kansas | Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home</a>

Eric Wendall Herman, age 62, went to be with our Lord and Savior on Monday, April 5, 2021 at Sunset Nursing Home, Concordia, KS.&nbsp; 

Charles and Leota (Nitsch) Herman welcomed Eric into this world on July 27, 1958, in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Eric was welcomed by siblings Doug, Sandra and Anna. Eric’s younger brother, Kenneth Charles was born just 15 months later.

 Together the Hermans moved from Ardmore to Lafayette, Louisiana in 1962 where he attended kindergarten. The family then moved to Manhattan, Kansas in 1964, where Eric attended first grade. In 1965 the family settled in Concordia, Kansas. Concordia was a strategic move for the Herman family because it allowed Charles to work in town at the junior high school while still being close to Lincoln County, home of the family’s farm. This allowed Charles, Leota and the children to spend time helping as farm hands. Eric enjoyed this very much and some of his fondest memories were times spent on the farm over weekends and summers. This is where Eric learned many skills and the value of a hard day’s work. Visiting the farm also meant a great deal to him because he was spending time with his family, grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. He treasured these times, often sharing stories at length to anyone who would listen.

Eric enjoyed and excelled in many athletic endeavors. In middle school he found a love of basketball and distance running that he embraced the rest of his life. &nbsp;Eric finished the remainder of his school in Concordia, lettering in basketball, track and cross country. He graduated in 1976 and began his studies at Cloud County Community College. Eric married Jerilyn Chaput in 1978. Their family slowly grew as Eric pursued his career goals. Eric and Jeri had four children together, Aaron, Erica, Jared, and Garrett, whom Eric loved and adored.

After Eric graduated from Kansas State in 1980, he began his career with ABF freight as a dock manager. In 1982 he took an opportunity in sales at Hallmark Cards which turned into a 16 year career with the company that saw him rise from his position in retail sales to director of human resources for the northeast and gave his family the opportunity to live in many communities across the country.

In 2002, Eric and Jeri ended their marriage and Eric found new hope in Dallas, Texas. Eric began this new chapter of his life as vice president of marketing at Monarch Dental. After many successful years Eric decided to leave the corporate world. Eric started consulting for businesses in the Dallas area, as well as rehabbing homes in the north Dallas and Fort Worth areas. 

During this time Eric met and married Rebecca Davis. A desire to be near the water led Eric and Becky to the south Texas coast where Eric went back to school and earned his teaching certificate. He began teaching eighth grade math in San Benito, Texas. 

Eric settled into a historic home which he loving restored for his semi-retirement in Bonham, Texas. He kept himself busy with multiple projects such as his love of woodworking, gardening, and work around the home. Eric also enjoyed his annual pheasant hunting trip with his uncle, cousins, sons, nephew and friends in Lincoln County. In his later life Eric found a passion for sailing and when able, loved to be on the open water.

While Eric had an extensive and diverse work history he was not defined by his career. He first and foremost was a loving father who took pride in seeing his children succeed in their endeavors and was often involved as a coach, sponsor, or volunteer. Beyond being a father but almost equally defining for him is his faith instilled in him by his parents and nurtured by many church families across the country. Since he was a child Eric was very involved in church activities which included being a choir member, Sunday school teacher, youth group sponsor and church deacon. Eric took great pride that his example led his children into leading Christ-centered lives.

He is survived by his children; Aaron Herman (Erin), Concordia, KS, Erica Quave (Brandon), McKinney, TX, Jared Herman (Joii), Lodi, CA &amp; Garrett Herman (Becca), Frisco, TX; his parents, Charles &amp; Leota Herman, Concordia, KS; brother, Doug Herman (Kathy), Concordia, KS; sisters, Sandra Church (Ken), Lansing, KS &amp; Anna Mason (Richard), Concordia, KS and nine grandchildren Emma, Faith, Easton, Abby, Isaac, Anders, Evelyn, Hazel and George Landry.

He was preceded in death by his brother, Kenneth Charles Herman, in 1967.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, at 11 a.m. at Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home, Concordia, KS with Matthew Carder officiating.&nbsp; Burial will follow at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Concordia.&nbsp;

The family invites you to celebrate Eric at the Cloud County fairgrounds for lunch and fellowship immediately following the burial. 

Visitation will be on Monday, April 12, 2021, 1-8 p.m. with the family greeting friends from 6-8 p.m. all to be held at the funeral home.&nbsp;

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to Kindred Hospice or cards to the family in care of the funeral home.&nbsp; For online condolences please visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chaputbuoy.com/">www.chaputbuoy.com</a>.

To plant Memorial Trees in memory of&nbsp;Eric W. Herman, please&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.chaputbuoy.com/obituary/eric-herman/gifts?campaign=obituaryThemed-gifts-textLink-obitText">click here to visit our Sympathy Store</a>.

<h2>Eric W. Herman, Concordia</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617717495763.jpeg" alt="Eric W. Herman" />
 <figcaption>Eric W. Herman</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.chaputbuoy.com/obituary/eric-herman">Obituary | Eric W. Herman of Concordia, Kansas | Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home</a>July 27, 1958 - April 5, 2021&nbsp;Eric Wendall Herman, age 62, went to be with our Lord and Savior on Monday, April 5, 2021 at Sunset Nursing Home, Concordia, KS.&nbsp; Charles and Leota (Nitsch) Herman welcomed Eric into this world on July 27, 1958, in Ardmore, Oklahoma. Eric was welcomed by siblings Doug, Sandra and Anna. Eric’s younger brother, Kenneth Charles was born just 15 months later. Together the Hermans moved from Ardmore to Lafayette, Louisiana in 1962 where he attended kindergarten. The family then moved to Manhattan, Kansas in 1964, where Eric attended first grade. In 1965 the family settled in Concordia, Kansas. Concordia was a strategic move for the Herman family because it allowed Charles to work in town at the junior high school while still being close to Lincoln County, home of the family’s farm. This allowed Charles, Leota and the children to spend time helping as farm hands. Eric enjoyed this very much and some of his fondest memories were times spent on the farm over weekends and summers. This is where Eric learned many skills and the value of a hard day’s work. Visiting the farm also meant a great deal to him because he was spending time with his family, grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles. He treasured these times, often sharing stories at length to anyone who would listen.Eric enjoyed and excelled in many athletic endeavors. In middle school he found a love of basketball and distance running that he embraced the rest of his life. &nbsp;Eric finished the remainder of his school in Concordia, lettering in basketball, track and cross country. He graduated in 1976 and began his studies at Cloud County Community College. Eric married Jerilyn Chaput in 1978. Their family slowly grew as Eric pursued his career goals. Eric and Jeri had four children together, Aaron, Erica, Jared, and Garrett, whom Eric loved and adored.After Eric graduated from Kansas State in 1980, he began his career with ABF freight as a dock manager. In 1982 he took an opportunity in sales at Hallmark Cards which turned into a 16 year career with the company that saw him rise from his position in retail sales to director of human resources for the northeast and gave his family the opportunity to live in many communities across the country.In 2002, Eric and Jeri ended their marriage and Eric found new hope in Dallas, Texas. Eric began this new chapter of his life as vice president of marketing at Monarch Dental. After many successful years Eric decided to leave the corporate world. Eric started consulting for businesses in the Dallas area, as well as rehabbing homes in the north Dallas and Fort Worth areas. During this time Eric met and married Rebecca Davis. A desire to be near the water led Eric and Becky to the south Texas coast where Eric went back to school and earned his teaching certificate. He began teaching eighth grade math in San Benito, Texas. Eric settled into a historic home which he loving restored for his semi-retirement in Bonham, Texas. He kept himself busy with multiple projects such as his love of woodworking, gardening, and work around the home. Eric also enjoyed his annual pheasant hunting trip with his uncle, cousins, sons, nephew and friends in Lincoln County. In his later life Eric found a passion for sailing and when able, loved to be on the open water.While Eric had an extensive and diverse work history he was not defined by his career. He first and foremost was a loving father who took pride in seeing his children succeed in their endeavors and was often involved as a coach, sponsor, or volunteer. Beyond being a father but almost equally defining for him is his faith instilled in him by his parents and nurtured by many church families across the country. Since he was a child Eric was very involved in church activities which included being a choir member, Sunday school teacher, youth group sponsor and church deacon. Eric took great pride that his example led his children into leading Christ-centered lives.He is survived by his children; Aaron Herman (Erin), Concordia, KS, Erica Quave (Brandon), McKinney, TX, Jared Herman (Joii), Lodi, CA &amp; Garrett Herman (Becca), Frisco, TX; his parents, Charles &amp; Leota Herman, Concordia, KS; brother, Doug Herman (Kathy), Concordia, KS; sisters, Sandra Church (Ken), Lansing, KS &amp; Anna Mason (Richard), Concordia, KS and nine grandchildren Emma, Faith, Easton, Abby, Isaac, Anders, Evelyn, Hazel and George Landry.He was preceded in death by his brother, Kenneth Charles Herman, in 1967.Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, at 11 a.m. at Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home, Concordia, KS with Matthew Carder officiating.&nbsp; Burial will follow at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, Concordia.&nbsp;The family invites you to celebrate Eric at the Cloud County fairgrounds for lunch and fellowship immediately following the burial. Visitation will be on Monday, April 12, 2021, 1-8 p.m. with the family greeting friends from 6-8 p.m. all to be held at the funeral home.&nbsp; In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to Kindred Hospice or cards to the family in care of the funeral home.&nbsp; For online condolences please visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chaputbuoy.com/">www.chaputbuoy.com</a>.To plant Memorial Trees in memory of&nbsp;Eric W. Herman, please&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.chaputbuoy.com/obituary/eric-herman/gifts?campaign=obituaryThemed-gifts-textLink-obitText">click here to visit our Sympathy Store</a>.

Eric W. Herman

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Liberal activists are stepping up calls for corporate America to denounce Republican efforts to tighten state voting laws, and businesses accustomed to cozy political relationships now find themselves in the middle of a growing partisan fight over voting rights.

Pressure is mounting on leading companies in&nbsp;Texas, Arizona and other states, particularly after&nbsp;Major League Baseball’s decision Friday to move the 2021 All-Star Game out of Atlanta. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.civicalliance.com/votingaccess/" target="_blank">joint statement&nbsp;</a>from executives at nearly 200 companies, including HP, Microsoft, PayPal, Target, Twitter, Uber and Under Armour, took aim at state legislation “threatening to make voting more difficult” and said “elections are not improved” when lawmakers impose new barriers to voting.

Republican lawmakers in Kansas joined GOP colleagues nationwide Wednesday trying to tighten voting laws, advancing a measure Wednesday that would make it harder for churches, civic groups, neighbors and candidates to collect and return absentee ballots for voters.

The state Senate approved, 28-12,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/supp_note_hb2183_02_0000.pdf" target="_blank">a bill&nbsp;</a>that would make it a felony for someone to deliver more than five absentee ballots for other people to election officials. Candidates would be limited to delivering ballots for immediate family members.

The nationwide outcry comes a week after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-legislature-bills-state-elections-voting-rights-b2b014cc81894a50fc513168a5f1d0b8">Georgia Republicans enacted an overhaul of the state’s election law</a>&nbsp;that critics argue is an attempt to suppress Democratic votes.

Other companies have, somewhat belatedly, joined the chorus of critics.

Delta Air Lines and The Coca-Cola Co., two of Georgia’s best-known brands,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-legislature-boycotts-voting-rights-elections-adaa1758fb58df19a12cd05c453840b0">this past week called the new law “unacceptable,”</a>&nbsp;although they had a hand in writing it. That only angered Republicans, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and several U.S. senators, who accused the companies of cowering from unwarranted attacks from the left.

The fight has thrust corporate America into a place it often tries to avoid — the center of a partisan political fight. But under threat of boycott and bad publicity, business leaders are showing a new willingness to enter the fray on an issue not directly related to their bottom line, even if it means alienating Republican allies.

“We want to hold corporations accountable for how they show up when voting rights are under attack,” said Marc Banks, an NAACP spokesman. “Corporations have a part to play, because when they do show up and speak, people listen.”

Civil rights groups have sued to block the new Georgia law, which was passed after Democrats flipped the once-reliably Republican state in an election that Donald Trump falsely claimed was rife with fraud. Some activists have called for consumer boycotts of Delta, Coca-Cola and others. They dismiss business leaders’ assertions that they helped water down the bill to ease earlier, more restrictive proposals; those leaders, they argue, should have tried to block the plan altogether.

In Texas, the NAACP, League of Women Voters and League of United Latin American Citizens, among other organizations, are urging corporations in the state to speak out against a slate of Republican-backed voting proposals. “Democracy is good for business,” the campaign says.

Nine organizations took out full-page ads in The Houston Chronicle and The Dallas Morning News, the state’s leading newspapers, urging corporate opposition to the plan. The Texas proposal would limit some early voting hours, bar counties from setting up drive-thru voting and prohibit local officials from proactively sending applications for mail ballots before voters request them.

Unlike their Georgia-based counterparts, American Airlines and Dell Technologies didn’t wait for the Texas measure to pass. “To make American’s stance clear: We are strongly opposed to this bill and others like it,” American said in a statement.

Arizona, which Biden flipped from Trump in November, hasn’t seen high-profile corporate players engage yet. But 30-plus groups sent a joint letter to Allstate Insurance, CVS Health and Farmers’ Insurance, among others, urging their public opposition to proposed voting restrictions. Emily Kirkland, executive director of Progress Arizona, a progressive group that signed the letter, said there’s been no response yet.

Other groups are demanding that corporations focus on Washington, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-voting-voting-rights-legislation-elections-8d54d5b9640115463b3f198603d62272">congressional Democrats are pushing measures intended to make it easier for Americans to vote</a>, regardless of state laws. Among the changes, Democrats would enact automatic voter registration nationally and standardize access to early and mail voting.

Democrats also want to restore parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that require the federal government to approve all election procedures in states and locales with a history of discrimination. The Supreme Court struck down those provisions, which applied to Georgia and Arizona, among other states, in 2013.

Corporate giants were mostly quiet when Trump falsely claimed he lost because of fraud. Business leaders largely maintained that caution as Republican state lawmakers used Trump’s lie to justify a flood of new bills to make it more cumbersome to vote.

The reticence was a stark contrast to how chambers of commerce reacted six years ago when Republican-run states pushed “religious freedom” measures. Indiana, under then-Gov. Mike Pence, the future vice president, saw immediate corporate backlash. After North Carolina passed a “bathroom bill” limiting LGBTQ rights in 2016, PayPal scuttled expansion plans there and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0a2fd6cffbc64f518a977f2b3e78c2e9">NBA moved its all-star game</a>&nbsp;from Charlotte.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e6c7a15d2e16452c8dcbc2756fd67b44">An AP analysis in 2017</a>&nbsp;found the reaction would eventually cost North Carolina at least $3.76 billion in lost business.

Then, Georgia’s corporate lobbying groups — with Delta’s and Coca-Cola’s backing — took no such chances, speaking out forcefully against Georgia conservatives’ version of a “religious freedom” bill. Lawmakers passed it anyway but Kemp’s predecessor,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/47afea6183b845a4ba7a5a2c72010dfa">Republican Nathan Deal, vetoed it amid the chamber outcry</a>.

Some Republicans dispute the comparison. Brian Robinson, a former top Deal aide who was part of the business coalition that publicly opposed the religious freedom bill, argued that measure “was clearly discriminatory” against LGBTQ citizens, while the nearly 100-page election bill is less clear-cut and is being misrepresented by Democrats and their allies.

Companies are reacting to “Twitter mobs demanding reaction to their false narrative,” he said.

National Republicans reacted even more harshly. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a former and potentially future presidential candidate, slammed Delta with the hashtag “#WokeCorporateHypocrites.”

Still, Delta and Coca-Cola’s response to the Georgia voting fight is standing as a cautionary tale for other businesses.

Ed Bastian, the airline’s chief executive, initially released a statement noting the business lobby’s role in altering the bill as it moved through the General Assembly. Officials at the Atlanta Metro Chamber, where Bastian currently serves as president, detailed how corporate lobbyists spent weeks at the Capitol on mitigating provisions.

Some Georgia Republicans wanted to roll back the state’s no-excuse absentee voting law, end automatic voter registration and ban Sunday early voting used heavily by Black churches. They also wanted to require photocopies of state IDs to receive and submit absentee ballots, while banning “drop boxes” as ballot collection receptacles.

The final law preserved no-excuse absentee voting and automatic registration. The new ID requirement for absentee ballots allows a voter to write their state ID number, rather than produce a photocopy, and the legislature included funding for free state IDs. The law also codifies in-person early voting on weekends, although it allows counties to choose whether to be open for voting for up to two Sundays. And it made drop boxes of mail ballots a permanent fixture in Georgia, but limited the number.

Business leaders’ philosophy, according to Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan, was “basically, Republicans are going to pass something, so they might as well try to keep from being awful.”

But by Wednesday, the same day 72 Black business executives published a letter in The New York Times urging corporate leaders to speak out, Bastian was more direct. He sent a companywide memo declaring the law “unacceptable” and “based on a lie” — though he didn’t mention Trump.

Big business’s mistake, Jordan said, was “thinking there was ever any version that wouldn’t end up like this.”

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Liberal activists are stepping up calls for corporate America to denounce Republican efforts to tighten state voting laws, and businesses accustomed to cozy political relationships now find themselves in the middle of a growing partisan fight over voting rights.Pressure is mounting on leading companies in&nbsp;Texas, Arizona and other states, particularly after&nbsp;Major League Baseball’s decision Friday to move the 2021 All-Star Game out of Atlanta. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.civicalliance.com/votingaccess/" target="_blank">joint statement&nbsp;</a>from executives at nearly 200 companies, including HP, Microsoft, PayPal, Target, Twitter, Uber and Under Armour, took aim at state legislation “threatening to make voting more difficult” and said “elections are not improved” when lawmakers impose new barriers to voting.Republican lawmakers in Kansas joined GOP colleagues nationwide Wednesday trying to tighten voting laws, advancing a measure Wednesday that would make it harder for churches, civic groups, neighbors and candidates to collect and return absentee ballots for voters.The state Senate approved, 28-12,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/supp_note_hb2183_02_0000.pdf" target="_blank">a bill&nbsp;</a>that would make it a felony for someone to deliver more than five absentee ballots for other people to election officials. Candidates would be limited to delivering ballots for immediate family members.The nationwide outcry comes a week after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-legislature-bills-state-elections-voting-rights-b2b014cc81894a50fc513168a5f1d0b8">Georgia Republicans enacted an overhaul of the state’s election law</a>&nbsp;that critics argue is an attempt to suppress Democratic votes.Other companies have, somewhat belatedly, joined the chorus of critics.Delta Air Lines and The Coca-Cola Co., two of Georgia’s best-known brands,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-legislature-boycotts-voting-rights-elections-adaa1758fb58df19a12cd05c453840b0">this past week called the new law “unacceptable,”</a>&nbsp;although they had a hand in writing it. That only angered Republicans, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and several U.S. senators, who accused the companies of cowering from unwarranted attacks from the left.The fight has thrust corporate America into a place it often tries to avoid — the center of a partisan political fight. But under threat of boycott and bad publicity, business leaders are showing a new willingness to enter the fray on an issue not directly related to their bottom line, even if it means alienating Republican allies.“We want to hold corporations accountable for how they show up when voting rights are under attack,” said Marc Banks, an NAACP spokesman. “Corporations have a part to play, because when they do show up and speak, people listen.”Civil rights groups have sued to block the new Georgia law, which was passed after Democrats flipped the once-reliably Republican state in an election that Donald Trump falsely claimed was rife with fraud. Some activists have called for consumer boycotts of Delta, Coca-Cola and others. They dismiss business leaders’ assertions that they helped water down the bill to ease earlier, more restrictive proposals; those leaders, they argue, should have tried to block the plan altogether.In Texas, the NAACP, League of Women Voters and League of United Latin American Citizens, among other organizations, are urging corporations in the state to speak out against a slate of Republican-backed voting proposals. “Democracy is good for business,” the campaign says.Nine organizations took out full-page ads in The Houston Chronicle and The Dallas Morning News, the state’s leading newspapers, urging corporate opposition to the plan. The Texas proposal would limit some early voting hours, bar counties from setting up drive-thru voting and prohibit local officials from proactively sending applications for mail ballots before voters request them.Unlike their Georgia-based counterparts, American Airlines and Dell Technologies didn’t wait for the Texas measure to pass. “To make American’s stance clear: We are strongly opposed to this bill and others like it,” American said in a statement.Arizona, which Biden flipped from Trump in November, hasn’t seen high-profile corporate players engage yet. But 30-plus groups sent a joint letter to Allstate Insurance, CVS Health and Farmers’ Insurance, among others, urging their public opposition to proposed voting restrictions. Emily Kirkland, executive director of Progress Arizona, a progressive group that signed the letter, said there’s been no response yet.Other groups are demanding that corporations focus on Washington, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-voting-voting-rights-legislation-elections-8d54d5b9640115463b3f198603d62272">congressional Democrats are pushing measures intended to make it easier for Americans to vote</a>, regardless of state laws. Among the changes, Democrats would enact automatic voter registration nationally and standardize access to early and mail voting.Democrats also want to restore parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that require the federal government to approve all election procedures in states and locales with a history of discrimination. The Supreme Court struck down those provisions, which applied to Georgia and Arizona, among other states, in 2013.Corporate giants were mostly quiet when Trump falsely claimed he lost because of fraud. Business leaders largely maintained that caution as Republican state lawmakers used Trump’s lie to justify a flood of new bills to make it more cumbersome to vote.The reticence was a stark contrast to how chambers of commerce reacted six years ago when Republican-run states pushed “religious freedom” measures. Indiana, under then-Gov. Mike Pence, the future vice president, saw immediate corporate backlash. After North Carolina passed a “bathroom bill” limiting LGBTQ rights in 2016, PayPal scuttled expansion plans there and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/0a2fd6cffbc64f518a977f2b3e78c2e9">NBA moved its all-star game</a>&nbsp;from Charlotte.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e6c7a15d2e16452c8dcbc2756fd67b44">An AP analysis in 2017</a>&nbsp;found the reaction would eventually cost North Carolina at least $3.76 billion in lost business.Then, Georgia’s corporate lobbying groups — with Delta’s and Coca-Cola’s backing — took no such chances, speaking out forcefully against Georgia conservatives’ version of a “religious freedom” bill. Lawmakers passed it anyway but Kemp’s predecessor,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/47afea6183b845a4ba7a5a2c72010dfa">Republican Nathan Deal, vetoed it amid the chamber outcry</a>.Some Republicans dispute the comparison. Brian Robinson, a former top Deal aide who was part of the business coalition that publicly opposed the religious freedom bill, argued that measure “was clearly discriminatory” against LGBTQ citizens, while the nearly 100-page election bill is less clear-cut and is being misrepresented by Democrats and their allies.Companies are reacting to “Twitter mobs demanding reaction to their false narrative,” he said.National Republicans reacted even more harshly. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a former and potentially future presidential candidate, slammed Delta with the hashtag “#WokeCorporateHypocrites.”Still, Delta and Coca-Cola’s response to the Georgia voting fight is standing as a cautionary tale for other businesses.Ed Bastian, the airline’s chief executive, initially released a statement noting the business lobby’s role in altering the bill as it moved through the General Assembly. Officials at the Atlanta Metro Chamber, where Bastian currently serves as president, detailed how corporate lobbyists spent weeks at the Capitol on mitigating provisions.Some Georgia Republicans wanted to roll back the state’s no-excuse absentee voting law, end automatic voter registration and ban Sunday early voting used heavily by Black churches. They also wanted to require photocopies of state IDs to receive and submit absentee ballots, while banning “drop boxes” as ballot collection receptacles.The final law preserved no-excuse absentee voting and automatic registration. The new ID requirement for absentee ballots allows a voter to write their state ID number, rather than produce a photocopy, and the legislature included funding for free state IDs. The law also codifies in-person early voting on weekends, although it allows counties to choose whether to be open for voting for up to two Sundays. And it made drop boxes of mail ballots a permanent fixture in Georgia, but limited the number.Business leaders’ philosophy, according to Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan, was “basically, Republicans are going to pass something, so they might as well try to keep from being awful.”But by Wednesday, the same day 72 Black business executives published a letter in The New York Times urging corporate leaders to speak out, Bastian was more direct. He sent a companywide memo declaring the law “unacceptable” and “based on a lie” — though he didn’t mention Trump.Big business’s mistake, Jordan said, was “thinking there was ever any version that wouldn’t end up like this.”___

Pressure mounts on corporations to denounce GOP voting bills

<a href="https://www.gliddenedigerfuneral.com/obituaries/Curtis-Crough/#!/Obituary">Curtis K. Crough Obituary - Visitation &amp; Funeral Information (gliddenedigerfuneral.com)</a>

<a href="https://www.gliddenedigerfuneral.com/obituaries/Curtis-Crough/#!/Obituary"></a>May 9, 1957 - April 2, 2021

Curtis Keith Crough, 63, of McPherson, Kansas, passed away at 10:04 a.m., surrounded by family, on Friday, April 2, 2021 at The University of Kansas Health System, Kansas City, Kansas. Curtis was born in Salina, Kansas on May 9, 1957, a son of Maxine (Moses) and Curtis V. Crough. Curtis attended the Salina grade schools and graduated from Salina Central High School, Salina, Kansas in 1975. Curtis Keith Crough was united in marriage to Lisa Jo Kaiser on October 15, 1983 at McPherson, Kansas. The young couple established their first home together in McPherson. This union was blessed with the birth of two children, Lacey and Allison. Curtis worked for Dillon's for 42 years retiring as Produce Manager in 2017. He started as a volunteer with the McPherson Gymnastics Club in 2000 and soon took on the role of a coach. He later became the director of gymnastics through the McPherson YMCA. Curtis loved baseball, baseball, baseball! He enjoyed old movies, listening to music, reading, listening to Rush Limbaugh with out fail every weekday, working crossword puzzles, coaching baseball and gymnastics, going to the drag races to watch his son-in-law, and attending his children's and grandchildren's activities and spending time with his family. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of over 37 years, Lisa Crough, of McPherson, Kansas; his daughters, Lacey Meier and husband Adam, of Kansas City, Missouri and Allison Curran and husband Ryan, of McPherson, Kansas; his sister Terri Johnson and husband Gary, of Bennington, Kansas; his mother Maxine Jellison, of Solomon, Kansas; his father Curtis V. Crough and wife Ruth, of Rockport, Texas; his four grandchildren, Owen Curran, Liam Curran, Cecelia Meier, and Penelope Meier; other relatives and a host of friends. The visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Glidden - Ediger Chapel, McPherson, Kansas. The funeral service will be held at the Free Methodist Church, McPherson, Kansas, at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 8, 2021 with Pastor Jackie Case officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Curtis Crough Memorial Fund (to be designated at a later date) and they can be sent in care of the Glidden - Ediger Funeral Home; 222 West Euclid Street; McPherson, Kansas 67460.

To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Curtis K. Crough, please visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gliddenedigerfuneral.com/store/Category.aspx?CategoryId=319&amp;icn=desktop_memorial_obituary_link#chooser">Sympathy Store</a>.

<h2>Curtis K. Crough, McPherson</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617569765515.jpeg" alt="Curtis K. Crough" />
 <figcaption>Curtis K. Crough</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.gliddenedigerfuneral.com/obituaries/Curtis-Crough/#!/Obituary">Curtis K. Crough Obituary - Visitation &amp; Funeral Information (gliddenedigerfuneral.com)</a><a href="https://www.gliddenedigerfuneral.com/obituaries/Curtis-Crough/#!/Obituary"></a>May 9, 1957 - April 2, 2021Curtis Keith Crough, 63, of McPherson, Kansas, passed away at 10:04 a.m., surrounded by family, on Friday, April 2, 2021 at The University of Kansas Health System, Kansas City, Kansas. Curtis was born in Salina, Kansas on May 9, 1957, a son of Maxine (Moses) and Curtis V. Crough. Curtis attended the Salina grade schools and graduated from Salina Central High School, Salina, Kansas in 1975. Curtis Keith Crough was united in marriage to Lisa Jo Kaiser on October 15, 1983 at McPherson, Kansas. The young couple established their first home together in McPherson. This union was blessed with the birth of two children, Lacey and Allison. Curtis worked for Dillon's for 42 years retiring as Produce Manager in 2017. He started as a volunteer with the McPherson Gymnastics Club in 2000 and soon took on the role of a coach. He later became the director of gymnastics through the McPherson YMCA. Curtis loved baseball, baseball, baseball! He enjoyed old movies, listening to music, reading, listening to Rush Limbaugh with out fail every weekday, working crossword puzzles, coaching baseball and gymnastics, going to the drag races to watch his son-in-law, and attending his children's and grandchildren's activities and spending time with his family. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of over 37 years, Lisa Crough, of McPherson, Kansas; his daughters, Lacey Meier and husband Adam, of Kansas City, Missouri and Allison Curran and husband Ryan, of McPherson, Kansas; his sister Terri Johnson and husband Gary, of Bennington, Kansas; his mother Maxine Jellison, of Solomon, Kansas; his father Curtis V. Crough and wife Ruth, of Rockport, Texas; his four grandchildren, Owen Curran, Liam Curran, Cecelia Meier, and Penelope Meier; other relatives and a host of friends. The visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Glidden - Ediger Chapel, McPherson, Kansas. The funeral service will be held at the Free Methodist Church, McPherson, Kansas, at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 8, 2021 with Pastor Jackie Case officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Curtis Crough Memorial Fund (to be designated at a later date) and they can be sent in care of the Glidden - Ediger Funeral Home; 222 West Euclid Street; McPherson, Kansas 67460. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Curtis K. Crough, please visit our&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gliddenedigerfuneral.com/store/Category.aspx?CategoryId=319&amp;icn=desktop_memorial_obituary_link#chooser">Sympathy Store</a>.

Curtis K. Crough

By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/dignity-and-grace-new-historical-marker-showcases-life-legacy-hattie-mcdaniel">Kansas News Service</a>

Hattie McDaniel made history as the first Black actor to win an Academy Award, for her role as Mammy in “Gone with the Wind.”

Now, visitors passing her childhood home near 9th and Waco in Wichita can read all about her.

A
 colorful new memorial showcasing the actor’s life and career was 
dedicated Wednesday at 925 N. Wichita, across the street from where 
McDaniel once lived. It replaces a trail marker placed there by The 
Kansas African American Museum in 2011, which was removed after the 
sign's sponsor went out of business.

About 100 people gathered near the new marker on a sunny afternoon to
 remember McDaniel and honor her life. Among them was Ebony 
Clemons-Ajibolade, who read an original poem, “Black Not Accepted,” by 
Kevin John Goff, a descendant of McDaniel’s.

“But Wichita accepts
 her,” Clemons-Ajibolade read. “All of you here today accept her. You 
understand. You try to hold back the tears, for you were born in that 
everyday kind of pain that she knew all too well.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

The new 
marker relates McDaniel’s remarkable history: Her father, Henry 
McDaniel, was a former slave who fought in the Civil War. He moved his 
family to Manhattan, Kansas, and then to a portion of Wichita previously
 known as the “Black District.”

Hattie McDaniel, the youngest of 13 children, moved with her family 
to Colorado when she was 5. She began her career in vaudeville and was a
 talented singer, songwriter, playwright, dancer, radio show host and 
comedienne.

When “Gone with the Wind” was set to be released in 
1939, the producer scheduled a gala premiere in Atlanta, the hometown of
 author Margaret Mitchell. Because of Jim Crow laws in effect at the 
time, McDaniel and other Black actors were denied entrance to the 
premiere, and their photos were removed from a souvenir program.

Denise
 Sherman, executive director of the Kansas African American Museum, 
choked up toward the end of the dedication ceremony as she reflected on 
McDaniel’s career and its impact on Black history.

“I want to 
really share with you how blessed we are today,” Sherman said. “That we 
can come together and recognize an awesome African-American woman who 
endured so much but left a positive legacy for all of us.”

The historical marker is part of an initiative between The Kansas African American Museum, the city of Wichita and KMUW.

Carla
 Eckels, KMUW’s director of cultural diversity, news and engagement, 
helped raise interest and funds for the historical marker after 
interviewing fellow Wichitan Karla Burns at the site in 2019. Burns, a 
Broadway performer who portrayed McDaniel in a musical called “Hi-Hat 
Hattie,” was distressed that the marker noting the actor’s birthplace 
had been removed.

“You never know where a story will take you,” 
Eckels said Wednesday. “After the interview aired, there was an 
outpouring of calls and emails from KMUW listeners. . . And she now has a
 historic marker in her birthplace — Wichita, Kansas.

“As you 
will read on her historic marker, she lived her life with dignity and 
grace, proudly and bravely serving as an inspiration and shining example
 to all who knew her and for the generations to follow.”

You can view the new historical marker from a walking and biking path just east of Waco, between north 8th and 9th streets.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617294612284.png" alt="Suzanne Perez / KMUW " />
 <figcaption>Suzanne Perez / KMUW </figcaption>
 </figure>By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/dignity-and-grace-new-historical-marker-showcases-life-legacy-hattie-mcdaniel">Kansas News Service</a>Hattie McDaniel made history as the first Black actor to win an Academy Award, for her role as Mammy in “Gone with the Wind.”Now, visitors passing her childhood home near 9th and Waco in Wichita can read all about her.A
 colorful new memorial showcasing the actor’s life and career was 
dedicated Wednesday at 925 N. Wichita, across the street from where 
McDaniel once lived. It replaces a trail marker placed there by The 
Kansas African American Museum in 2011, which was removed after the 
sign's sponsor went out of business.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617294693252.jpeg" alt=" Denise Sherman, executive director of The Kansas African American Museum, speaks at a dedication ceremony for a new marker honoring Wichita native Hattie McDaniel. Credit Hugo Phan / KMUW" />
 <figcaption> Denise Sherman, executive director of The Kansas African American Museum, speaks at a dedication ceremony for a new marker honoring Wichita native Hattie McDaniel. Credit Hugo Phan / KMUW</figcaption>
 </figure>About 100 people gathered near the new marker on a sunny afternoon to
 remember McDaniel and honor her life. Among them was Ebony 
Clemons-Ajibolade, who read an original poem, “Black Not Accepted,” by 
Kevin John Goff, a descendant of McDaniel’s.“But Wichita accepts
 her,” Clemons-Ajibolade read. “All of you here today accept her. You 
understand. You try to hold back the tears, for you were born in that 
everyday kind of pain that she knew all too well.”&nbsp;&nbsp;The new 
marker relates McDaniel’s remarkable history: Her father, Henry 
McDaniel, was a former slave who fought in the Civil War. He moved his 
family to Manhattan, Kansas, and then to a portion of Wichita previously
 known as the “Black District.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617294721015.jpeg" alt=" Hattie McDaniel was born in Wichita. She became a talented singer, songwriter, playwright, dancer and radio show host. She was the first Black person to win an Academy Award. Credit BETTMANN/CORBIS/NPR" />
 <figcaption> Hattie McDaniel was born in Wichita. She became a talented singer, songwriter, playwright, dancer and radio show host. She was the first Black person to win an Academy Award. Credit BETTMANN/CORBIS/NPR</figcaption>
 </figure>Hattie McDaniel, the youngest of 13 children, moved with her family 
to Colorado when she was 5. She began her career in vaudeville and was a
 talented singer, songwriter, playwright, dancer, radio show host and 
comedienne.When “Gone with the Wind” was set to be released in 
1939, the producer scheduled a gala premiere in Atlanta, the hometown of
 author Margaret Mitchell. Because of Jim Crow laws in effect at the 
time, McDaniel and other Black actors were denied entrance to the 
premiere, and their photos were removed from a souvenir program.Denise
 Sherman, executive director of the Kansas African American Museum, 
choked up toward the end of the dedication ceremony as she reflected on 
McDaniel’s career and its impact on Black history.“I want to 
really share with you how blessed we are today,” Sherman said. “That we 
can come together and recognize an awesome African-American woman who 
endured so much but left a positive legacy for all of us.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617294759155.jpeg" alt="Credit Hugo Phan / KMUW" />
 <figcaption>Credit Hugo Phan / KMUW</figcaption>
 </figure>The historical marker is part of an initiative between The Kansas African American Museum, the city of Wichita and KMUW.Carla
 Eckels, KMUW’s director of cultural diversity, news and engagement, 
helped raise interest and funds for the historical marker after 
interviewing fellow Wichitan Karla Burns at the site in 2019. Burns, a 
Broadway performer who portrayed McDaniel in a musical called “Hi-Hat 
Hattie,” was distressed that the marker noting the actor’s birthplace 
had been removed.“You never know where a story will take you,” 
Eckels said Wednesday. “After the interview aired, there was an 
outpouring of calls and emails from KMUW listeners. . . And she now has a
 historic marker in her birthplace — Wichita, Kansas.“As you 
will read on her historic marker, she lived her life with dignity and 
grace, proudly and bravely serving as an inspiration and shining example
 to all who knew her and for the generations to follow.”You can view the new historical marker from a walking and biking path just east of Waco, between north 8th and 9th streets.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617294786628.png" alt="Credit Hugo Phan / KMUW" />
 <figcaption>Credit Hugo Phan / KMUW</figcaption>
 </figure>

New historical marker in Kansas showcases the life of Hattie McDaniel 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Seeking to overcome&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-norc-poll-us-half-want-vaccine-shots-4d98dbfc0a64d60d52ac84c3065dac55">vaccine hesitancy</a>, the Biden administration on Thursday stepped up its outreach efforts to skeptical Americans, launching a coalition of community, religious and celebrity partners to promote COVID-19 shots in hard-hit communities.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?509124-1/vice-president-harris-holds-virtual-town-hall">Click here to </a>watch a replay of the virtual meeting

The administration’s “We Can Do This” campaign features television and social media ads, but it also relies on a community corps of public health, athletic, faith and other groups to spread the word about the safety and efficacy of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-19-vaccine-us-study-highly-effective-57cde25de803c98503c5ff9937598420">the three approved vaccines</a>. The campaign comes amid worries that reluctance to get vaccinated will delay the nation’s recovery from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic">the coronavirus pandemic</a>&nbsp;— and is kicking off as the U.S. is anticipating a boost in vaccine supply that will make all adult Americans eligible for vaccines by the beginning of May.

President Joe Biden encouraged more than 1,000 faith leaders on Thursday to continue their efforts to promote vaccinations in their communities. “They’re going to listen to your words more than they are to me as president of the United States,” Biden said.

Vice President Kamala Harris and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-opioids-coronavirus-pandemic-vivek-murthy-barack-obama-2e1643c5f69e2f64ef04a46db60e95d7">Surgeon General Vivek Murthy</a>&nbsp;held a virtual meeting with the more than 275 inaugural members of the community corps on Thursday to kick off the effort. The Department of Health and Human Services was also encouraging other groups, as well as everyday Americans, to&nbsp;<a href="https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/covidcommunitycorps" target="_blank">join the effort.</a>

“You are the people that folks on the ground know and rely on and have a history with,” Harris said. “And when people are then making the decision to get vaccinated, they’re going to look to you.”

A White House official said Harris plans to take on a larger role in promoting the uptake of vaccines, in addition to her efforts selling the president’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill and working to address the root causes of migration driving an increase in unaccompanied minors entering the U.S. along the southern border.

The focus on trusted validators stems from both internal and public surveys showing those skeptical of the vaccines are most likely to be swayed by local, community and medical encouragement to get vaccinated, rather than messages from politicians.

Courtney Rowe, the White House’s COVID-19 director of strategic communications and engagement, briefed governors on the new initiative Tuesday, telling them that people “want to hear from those they know and trust.” She added that the initiative would be “empowering the leaders people want to hear from.”

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted late last month finds that three-quarters of American adults now say they have or will get a vaccine, compared with 13% who say they probably will not, while 12% say they definitely will not. The share saying they probably or definitely will not has ticked down since January, when a combined 32% said that.

The coalition includes health groups like the American Medical Association and the National Council of Urban Indian Health, sports leagues like the NFL, NASCAR and MLB, rural groups, unions and Latino, Black, Asian American Pacific Islander and Native American organizations, as well as coalitions of faith, business and veterans leaders.

The community corps will receive fact sheets and social media messages to share with members of their communities, as well as regular updates from the Biden administration with the latest vaccine confidence resources.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week that it will devote $3 billion to support outreach by community leaders and groups to boost vaccine confidence.

HHS was also launching its first national ad campaign promoting vaccinations, aimed at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsVx_PZtigo" target="_blank">senior</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9iEVmAiWsc%3C&amp;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">Latino</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ArOJN4XF3I" target="_blank">Black</a>&nbsp;Americans, with the roughly $250 million initial ad campaign. And in partnership with Facebook, it was deploying social media profile frames so that ordinary Americans could share their intent to get vaccinations and their experience with the shots to their peers.

The White House is also deploying Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, who chairs Biden’s COVID-19 equity task force, to speak directly to the public about the benefits of the vaccines. On Wednesday, the pair conducted an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KloxyjK36v0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KloxyjK36v0" target="_blank">interview</a>&nbsp;with rapper and actor LL Cool J and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

By the end of May, the U.S. will have enough supply of COVID-19 vaccine to cover all adults in the country.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/anthony-fauci">Dr. Anthony Fauci</a>, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, has estimated that 70% to 85% of the population needs to be immune to the virus to reach&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/when-do-we-reach-herd-immunity-explained-8da12b3d4f6e33c0c6562f29f81ca52a">herd immunity</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617360034286.png" alt="Vice President Kamala Harris and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-opioids-coronavirus-pandemic-vivek-murthy-barack-obama-2e1643c5f69e2f64ef04a46db60e95d7">Surgeon General Vivek Murthy</a>&nbsp;held a virtual meeting with the more than 275 inaugural members of the community corps on Thursday-photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>Vice President Kamala Harris and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-opioids-coronavirus-pandemic-vivek-murthy-barack-obama-2e1643c5f69e2f64ef04a46db60e95d7">Surgeon General Vivek Murthy</a>&nbsp;held a virtual meeting with the more than 275 inaugural members of the community corps on Thursday-photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Seeking to overcome&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-norc-poll-us-half-want-vaccine-shots-4d98dbfc0a64d60d52ac84c3065dac55">vaccine hesitancy</a>, the Biden administration on Thursday stepped up its outreach efforts to skeptical Americans, launching a coalition of community, religious and celebrity partners to promote COVID-19 shots in hard-hit communities.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?509124-1/vice-president-harris-holds-virtual-town-hall">Click here to </a>watch a replay of the virtual meetingThe administration’s “We Can Do This” campaign features television and social media ads, but it also relies on a community corps of public health, athletic, faith and other groups to spread the word about the safety and efficacy of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-19-vaccine-us-study-highly-effective-57cde25de803c98503c5ff9937598420">the three approved vaccines</a>. The campaign comes amid worries that reluctance to get vaccinated will delay the nation’s recovery from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic">the coronavirus pandemic</a>&nbsp;— and is kicking off as the U.S. is anticipating a boost in vaccine supply that will make all adult Americans eligible for vaccines by the beginning of May.President Joe Biden encouraged more than 1,000 faith leaders on Thursday to continue their efforts to promote vaccinations in their communities. “They’re going to listen to your words more than they are to me as president of the United States,” Biden said.Vice President Kamala Harris and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-opioids-coronavirus-pandemic-vivek-murthy-barack-obama-2e1643c5f69e2f64ef04a46db60e95d7">Surgeon General Vivek Murthy</a>&nbsp;held a virtual meeting with the more than 275 inaugural members of the community corps on Thursday to kick off the effort. The Department of Health and Human Services was also encouraging other groups, as well as everyday Americans, to&nbsp;<a href="https://wecandothis.hhs.gov/covidcommunitycorps" target="_blank">join the effort.</a>“You are the people that folks on the ground know and rely on and have a history with,” Harris said. “And when people are then making the decision to get vaccinated, they’re going to look to you.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617360300944.png" alt="Vice President Harris during the virtual event -image courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>Vice President Harris during the virtual event -image courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>A White House official said Harris plans to take on a larger role in promoting the uptake of vaccines, in addition to her efforts selling the president’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill and working to address the root causes of migration driving an increase in unaccompanied minors entering the U.S. along the southern border.The focus on trusted validators stems from both internal and public surveys showing those skeptical of the vaccines are most likely to be swayed by local, community and medical encouragement to get vaccinated, rather than messages from politicians.Courtney Rowe, the White House’s COVID-19 director of strategic communications and engagement, briefed governors on the new initiative Tuesday, telling them that people “want to hear from those they know and trust.” She added that the initiative would be “empowering the leaders people want to hear from.”A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted late last month finds that three-quarters of American adults now say they have or will get a vaccine, compared with 13% who say they probably will not, while 12% say they definitely will not. The share saying they probably or definitely will not has ticked down since January, when a combined 32% said that.The coalition includes health groups like the American Medical Association and the National Council of Urban Indian Health, sports leagues like the NFL, NASCAR and MLB, rural groups, unions and Latino, Black, Asian American Pacific Islander and Native American organizations, as well as coalitions of faith, business and veterans leaders.The community corps will receive fact sheets and social media messages to share with members of their communities, as well as regular updates from the Biden administration with the latest vaccine confidence resources.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week that it will devote $3 billion to support outreach by community leaders and groups to boost vaccine confidence.HHS was also launching its first national ad campaign promoting vaccinations, aimed at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsVx_PZtigo" target="_blank">senior</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9iEVmAiWsc%3C&amp;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">Latino</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ArOJN4XF3I" target="_blank">Black</a>&nbsp;Americans, with the roughly $250 million initial ad campaign. And in partnership with Facebook, it was deploying social media profile frames so that ordinary Americans could share their intent to get vaccinations and their experience with the shots to their peers.The White House is also deploying Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, and Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, who chairs Biden’s COVID-19 equity task force, to speak directly to the public about the benefits of the vaccines. On Wednesday, the pair conducted an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KloxyjK36v0https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KloxyjK36v0" target="_blank">interview</a>&nbsp;with rapper and actor LL Cool J and DJ Jazzy Jeff.By the end of May, the U.S. will have enough supply of COVID-19 vaccine to cover all adults in the country.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/anthony-fauci">Dr. Anthony Fauci</a>, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, has estimated that 70% to 85% of the population needs to be immune to the virus to reach&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/when-do-we-reach-herd-immunity-explained-8da12b3d4f6e33c0c6562f29f81ca52a">herd immunity</a>.

🎥 Vice Pres. leads celebrity team to boost vaccinations

NEW YORK —Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. issued the following statement Friday regarding the 2021 All-Star Game:

"Over the last week, we have engaged in thoughtful conversations with Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others, to listen to their views. I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft.

"Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box. In 2020, MLB became the first professional sports league to join the non-partisan Civic Alliance to help build a future in which everyone participates in shaping the United States. We proudly used our platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout our country to perform their civic duty and actively participate in the voting process. Fair access to voting continues to have our game’s unwavering support.

"We will continue with our plans to celebrate the memory of Hank Aaron during this season’s All-Star festivities. In addition, MLB’s planned investments to support local communities in Atlanta as part of our All-Star Legacy Projects will move forward. We are finalizing a new host city and details about these events will be announced shortly.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/8/1566305859676.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK —Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. issued the following statement Friday regarding the 2021 All-Star Game:"Over the last week, we have engaged in thoughtful conversations with Clubs, former and current players, the Players Association, and The Players Alliance, among others, to listen to their views. I have decided that the best way to demonstrate our values as a sport is by relocating this year’s All-Star Game and MLB Draft."Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box. In 2020, MLB became the first professional sports league to join the non-partisan Civic Alliance to help build a future in which everyone participates in shaping the United States. We proudly used our platform to encourage baseball fans and communities throughout our country to perform their civic duty and actively participate in the voting process. Fair access to voting continues to have our game’s unwavering support."We will continue with our plans to celebrate the memory of Hank Aaron during this season’s All-Star festivities. In addition, MLB’s planned investments to support local communities in Atlanta as part of our All-Star Legacy Projects will move forward. We are finalizing a new host city and details about these events will be announced shortly.”

'21 All-Star Game moved from Atlanta due to new election law

My husband and I are close to having our home paid off and being completely debt-free. Can we dip into our emergency fund to pay off the house?

I’m not sure I’d recommend doing this. I might&nbsp;think&nbsp;about it if your emergency fund is&nbsp;way&nbsp;too big, plus you have a&nbsp;very&nbsp;small amount left to pay on your home. But remember, your&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/askdave/saving/emergency-fund-in-a-safe" target="_blank">emergency fund</a>&nbsp;should be three to six months of&nbsp;expenses—not income. On top of that, paying off your home a few months earlier isn’t exactly an emergency.

Believe me, I understand the feelings that go along with being so close to becoming completely debt-free. It can be tempting to throw a bunch of money at your house, and get rid of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/mortgage-payoff-calculator" target="_blank">mortgage payments</a>. Still, even as much as I hate debt, I wouldn’t put my emergency fund at risk to make it happen.

When you do things like that, Enid, you’re just begging for Murphy to come visit. The moment you write a big check and weaken your emergency fund for something that isn’t an emergency, the transmission in your car will go out or you’ll have to replace the central unit on your home. It’s not worth the risk!

Should I catch up on my past due bills before saving up $1,000 for Baby Step 1?

That’s exactly what you should do. Get current or make payment arrangements with everyone who’s willing to work with you first. In the process, make sure you’re keeping your own living necessities in mind—food, shelter, clothing, utilities, and transportation.

After you’ve done that, and saved a beginner emergency fund of $1,000, start your&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/askdave/budgeting/whats-the-reason-for-the-debt-snowball" target="_blank">debt snowball</a>&nbsp;and pay off all your debts from smallest largest, except for your home. That’s Baby Step 2. In Baby Step 3, you’ll save up and increase your emergency fund from $1,000 to a full three to six months of expenses. Once you reach this point, you can really start looking toward the future.

In Baby Step 4, start investing 15 percent of your income into Roth IRAs and other pre-tax retirement plans.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/recommends/student-loan-refinancing" target="_blank">College</a>&nbsp;funding for the kids, if there are any, is next in Baby Step 5.

Baby Step 6 is a big one, because this is where you pay off your home early. But Baby Step 7 is the real deal. This is when you’re completely debt-free, and you’re able to build wealth like crazy and give with outrageous generosity!

<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/" target="_blank">Dave Ramsey</a>&nbsp;is a seven-time No. 1 national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of&nbsp;The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 16 million listeners each week. He has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596845065840.jpeg" alt="Dave Ramsey" />
 <figcaption>Dave Ramsey</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Not really an emergency</h2>Dear Dave,My husband and I are close to having our home paid off and being completely debt-free. Can we dip into our emergency fund to pay off the house?EnidDear Enid,I’m not sure I’d recommend doing this. I might&nbsp;think&nbsp;about it if your emergency fund is&nbsp;way&nbsp;too big, plus you have a&nbsp;very&nbsp;small amount left to pay on your home. But remember, your&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/askdave/saving/emergency-fund-in-a-safe" target="_blank">emergency fund</a>&nbsp;should be three to six months of&nbsp;expenses—not income. On top of that, paying off your home a few months earlier isn’t exactly an emergency.Believe me, I understand the feelings that go along with being so close to becoming completely debt-free. It can be tempting to throw a bunch of money at your house, and get rid of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/mortgage-payoff-calculator" target="_blank">mortgage payments</a>. Still, even as much as I hate debt, I wouldn’t put my emergency fund at risk to make it happen.When you do things like that, Enid, you’re just begging for Murphy to come visit. The moment you write a big check and weaken your emergency fund for something that isn’t an emergency, the transmission in your car will go out or you’ll have to replace the central unit on your home. It’s not worth the risk!Dave<h2>Getting started</h2>Dear Dave,Should I catch up on my past due bills before saving up $1,000 for Baby Step 1?SharynDear Sharyn,That’s exactly what you should do. Get current or make payment arrangements with everyone who’s willing to work with you first. In the process, make sure you’re keeping your own living necessities in mind—food, shelter, clothing, utilities, and transportation.After you’ve done that, and saved a beginner emergency fund of $1,000, start your&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/askdave/budgeting/whats-the-reason-for-the-debt-snowball" target="_blank">debt snowball</a>&nbsp;and pay off all your debts from smallest largest, except for your home. That’s Baby Step 2. In Baby Step 3, you’ll save up and increase your emergency fund from $1,000 to a full three to six months of expenses. Once you reach this point, you can really start looking toward the future.In Baby Step 4, start investing 15 percent of your income into Roth IRAs and other pre-tax retirement plans.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/recommends/student-loan-refinancing" target="_blank">College</a>&nbsp;funding for the kids, if there are any, is next in Baby Step 5.Baby Step 6 is a big one, because this is where you pay off your home early. But Baby Step 7 is the real deal. This is when you’re completely debt-free, and you’re able to build wealth like crazy and give with outrageous generosity!Dave<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/" target="_blank">Dave Ramsey</a>&nbsp;is a seven-time No. 1 national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of&nbsp;The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 16 million listeners each week. He has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

DAVE SAYS: Not really an emergency; Getting started

Salina Arts &amp; Humanities is launching a Kansas Literacy
Festival program this month. 

The Salina
Storytelling Project is a pilot program and an effort to strengthen the community’s
literacy and social-emotional growth through listening, discussion, and
reading. Salina Arts &amp; Humanities is one of 10 digital partners with
Wichita-based Storytime Village, the entity leading the statewide initiative featuring
projects taking place from February to September, culminating in the Kansas
Literacy Festival in September 2021. 

For the Salina Storytelling
Project, SAH staff worked with four community storytellers and three coaching
artists who supported the novice storytellers in preparing their story for
video recording. Each week in April, one storytelling video will be released
through YouTube and shared over social media. 

During the last week of the Salina
Storytelling Project, on April 29 at 7 p.m., a community discussion
about the project will take place, featuring a panel of local storytellers and
coaches, plus a Q&amp;A time. 

The community is invited to watch each storytelling video
as they are released via YouTube and shared on Salina Arts &amp; Humanities
social media, then register to attend the culminating Zoom event on April 29. Email
<a href="mailto:sah@salina.org">sah@salina.org</a> or call 785-309-5770 to
request the registration link. The community can also follow the project on
social 



media at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salinaarts">https://www.facebook.com/salinaarts</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SalinaArts">https://twitter.com/SalinaArts</a>,
and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/salina_arts/">https://www.instagram.com/salina_arts/</a>.

“We must all do our part to help
move the needle for Kansas youth,” says Storytime Village founder and CEO
Prisca Barnes. “We are proud of the organizations, artists, authors, and
educators who are joining forces across the state. The theme of the festival, Be
The Village, is a call to action to support literacy through the arts.”

The in-person Kansas Literacy Festival
is a community event in Wichita on September 2-4. It will include a teacher’s
conference, Read &amp; Rise Breakfast Gala, and a day-long festival that
provides literacy enrichment to Kansas youth through events and activities designed
to encourage early learning, family engagement, and access to books. 

The Kansas Literacy Festival is
supported in part by the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, which
receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
More information can be found at <a href="https://www.storytimevillage.org/kansas-literacy-festival">https://www.storytimevillage.org/kansas-literacy-festival</a> .

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1617326344338.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Salina Arts &amp; Humanities is launching a Kansas Literacy
Festival program this month. The Salina
Storytelling Project is a pilot program and an effort to strengthen the community’s
literacy and social-emotional growth through listening, discussion, and
reading. Salina Arts &amp; Humanities is one of 10 digital partners with
Wichita-based Storytime Village, the entity leading the statewide initiative featuring
projects taking place from February to September, culminating in the Kansas
Literacy Festival in September 2021. For the Salina Storytelling
Project, SAH staff worked with four community storytellers and three coaching
artists who supported the novice storytellers in preparing their story for
video recording. Each week in April, one storytelling video will be released
through YouTube and shared over social media. During the last week of the Salina
Storytelling Project, on April 29 at 7 p.m., a community discussion
about the project will take place, featuring a panel of local storytellers and
coaches, plus a Q&amp;A time. The community is invited to watch each storytelling video
as they are released via YouTube and shared on Salina Arts &amp; Humanities
social media, then register to attend the culminating Zoom event on April 29. Email
<a href="mailto:sah@salina.org">sah@salina.org</a> or call 785-309-5770 to
request the registration link. The community can also follow the project on
social 



media at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salinaarts">https://www.facebook.com/salinaarts</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/SalinaArts">https://twitter.com/SalinaArts</a>,
and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/salina_arts/">https://www.instagram.com/salina_arts/</a>.
“We must all do our part to help
move the needle for Kansas youth,” says Storytime Village founder and CEO
Prisca Barnes. “We are proud of the organizations, artists, authors, and
educators who are joining forces across the state. The theme of the festival, Be
The Village, is a call to action to support literacy through the arts.” The in-person Kansas Literacy Festival
is a community event in Wichita on September 2-4. It will include a teacher’s
conference, Read &amp; Rise Breakfast Gala, and a day-long festival that
provides literacy enrichment to Kansas youth through events and activities designed
to encourage early learning, family engagement, and access to books. The Kansas Literacy Festival is
supported in part by the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, which
receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
More information can be found at <a href="https://www.storytimevillage.org/kansas-literacy-festival">https://www.storytimevillage.org/kansas-literacy-festival</a> .

Arts & Humanities launching Salina Storytelling Project

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?510371-1/president-biden-announces-2-trillion-infrastructure-jobs-plan">Click here</a> to watch the President's anouncement

PITTSBURGH (AP) — President Joe Biden outlined a huge $2.3 trillion plan Wednesday to reengineer the nation’s infrastructure in what he billed as “a once-in-a-generation investment in America” that would undo his predecessor’s signature legislative achievement — giant tax cuts for corporations — in the process.

Speaking at a carpenters union training center in Pittsburgh, Biden drew comparisons between his hard-hatted proposed transformation of the U.S. economy and the space race — and promised results as grand in scale as the New Deal or Great Society programs that shaped the 20th century.

“It’s not a plan that tinkers around the edges,” Biden said. “It’s a once-in-a-generation investment in America unlike anything we’ve seen or done since we built the interstate highway system and the space race decades ago. In fact, it’s the largest American jobs investment since World War II. It will create millions of jobs, good-paying jobs.”

White House officials say the spending would generate those jobs as the country shifts away from fossil fuels and combats the perils of climate change. It is also an effort to compete with the technology and public investments made by China, which has the world’s second-largest economy and is fast gaining on the United States’ dominant position.

“I’m convinced that if we act now, in 50 years people are going to look back and say this is the moment when America won the future,” Biden said.

The Democratic president’s infrastructure projects would be financed by higher corporate taxes — a trade-off that could lead to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-politics-climate-climate-change-c14bb6ce360a43e6239abfe087758e5c">fierce resistance from the business community and thwart attempts to work with Republican lawmakers</a>. Biden hopes to pass&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-nancy-pelosi-bills-archive-063cdac72af44b98b338842416c50752">an infrastructure plan by summer</a>, which could mean relying solely on the slim Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate.

The higher corporate taxes would aim to raise the necessary piles of money over 15 years and then reduce the deficit going forward. In doing so, Biden would undo the 2017 tax overhaul by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans and lift the corporate tax rate to 28% from the 21% rate.

“Ninety-one Fortune 500 Companies, including Amazon, pay not a single solitary penny in income tax,” Biden said.

Wednesday’s announcement will be followed in coming weeks by Biden pushing a companion bill of roughly equal size for investments in child care, family tax credits and other domestic programs. That nearly $2 trillion package would be paid for by tax hikes on wealthy individuals and families.

“Wall Street didn’t build this country,” Biden said. “You, the great middle class, built this country. And unions built the middle class.”

Biden’s choice of Pittsburgh for unveiling the plan carried important economic and political resonance. He not only won Pittsburgh and its surrounding county to help secure the presidency, but he launched his campaign there in 2019. The city famed for steel mills that powered America’s industrial rise has steadily pivoted toward technology and health care, drawing in college graduates in a sign of how economies can change.

The White House says the largest chunk of the proposal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-corporate-taxes-00c9edd7b759a8787ea1bb31f48f4016">includes $621 billion for roads, bridges, public transit, electric vehicle charging stations and other transportation infrastructure</a>. The spending would push the country away from internal combustion engines that the auto industry views as increasingly antiquated technology.

An additional $111 billion would go to replace lead water pipes and upgrade sewers. Broadband internet would blanket the country for $100 billion. Separately, $100 billion would upgrade the power grid to deliver clean electricity. Homes would get retrofitted, schools modernized, workers trained and hospitals renovated under the plan, which also seeks to strengthen U.S. manufacturing.

The new construction could keep the economy running hot, coming on the heels of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-first-prime-time-speech-next-phase-pandemic-85d1ae52bc61abffd3ae91c324e58308">Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.&nbsp;</a>Economists already estimate it could push growth above 6% this year.

To keep companies from shifting profits overseas to avoid taxation, a 21% global minimum tax would be imposed. The tax code would also be updated so that companies could not merge with foreign businesses and avoid taxes by moving their headquarters to a tax haven. And among other provisions, it would increase IRS audits of corporations.

Biden appealed for Republicans and the business community to join him in negotiations on the bill, but the legislative prospects for Biden’s twin proposals already appear to hinge on Democrats coming up with the votes on their own through the budget reconciliation process, which requires just a simple majority in the 50-50 Senate.

“I’m going to bring Republicans into the Oval Office, listen to them, what they have to say and be open to other ideas,” Biden said. “We’ll have a good faith negotiation. Any Republican who wants to help get this done. But we have to get it done.”

Democratic leaders embraced Biden’s plan Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said it would create millions of jobs.

“I look forward to working with President Biden to pass a big, bold plan that will drive America forward for decades to come,” Schumer said at an event in Buffalo.

But Republican opposition to Biden’s ambitious proposal came swiftly, and with resolve for the long brawl ahead.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell dismissed the package as nothing more than a “Trojan horse” for tax hikes.

Republicans on Capitol Hill view the fight as a defining moment for the parties, framing it as a choice between Democrats intent on relying on government to solve the nation’s problems and a GOP that believes the private sector can best unleash the nation’s potential.

Smarting over Biden’s intent to undo the 2017 tax cuts has only solidified what could amount to a wall of GOP opposition.

The business community favors updating U.S. infrastructure but dislikes higher tax rates. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley said in a statement that “we applaud the Biden administration for making infrastructure a top priority. However, we believe the proposal is dangerously misguided when it comes to how to pay for infrastructure.” The Business Roundtable, a group of CEOs, would rather have infrastructure funded with user fees such as tolls.

Trump, in a statement, blasted his successor’s proposal, claiming it “would be among the largest self-inflicted economic wounds in history.”

Infrastructure spending usually holds the promise of juicing economic growth, but by how much remains a subject of political debate. Commutes and shipping times could be shortened, while public health would be improved and construction jobs would bolster consumer spending.

Standard &amp; Poor’s chief U.S. economist, Beth Ann Bovino, estimated last year that a $2.1 trillion boost in infrastructure spending could add as much as $5.7 trillion in income to the entire economy over a decade. Those kinds of analyses have led liberal Democrats in Congress such as Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal to conclude, “The economic consensus is that infrastructure pays for itself over time.”

But the Biden administration is taking a more cautious approach than some Democrats might like. After $1.9 trillion in pandemic aid and $4 trillion in relief last year, the administration is trying to avoid raising the national debt to levels that would trigger higher interest rates and make it harder to repay.

Biden’s efforts may also be complicated by demands from a handful of Democratic lawmakers who say they cannot support the bill unless it addresses the $10,000 cap on individuals’ state and local tax deductions put in place under Trump and a Republican-led Congress.

With a narrow majority in the House, those Democrats could conceivably quash any bill that doesn’t significantly lift the cap or repeal it entirely.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617228468283.png" alt="President Biden said “It’s a once-in-a-generation investment in America unlike anything we’ve seen or done since we built the interstate highway system." Photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>President Biden said “It’s a once-in-a-generation investment in America unlike anything we’ve seen or done since we built the interstate highway system." Photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?510371-1/president-biden-announces-2-trillion-infrastructure-jobs-plan">Click here</a> to watch the President's anouncementPITTSBURGH (AP) — President Joe Biden outlined a huge $2.3 trillion plan Wednesday to reengineer the nation’s infrastructure in what he billed as “a once-in-a-generation investment in America” that would undo his predecessor’s signature legislative achievement — giant tax cuts for corporations — in the process.Speaking at a carpenters union training center in Pittsburgh, Biden drew comparisons between his hard-hatted proposed transformation of the U.S. economy and the space race — and promised results as grand in scale as the New Deal or Great Society programs that shaped the 20th century.“It’s not a plan that tinkers around the edges,” Biden said. “It’s a once-in-a-generation investment in America unlike anything we’ve seen or done since we built the interstate highway system and the space race decades ago. In fact, it’s the largest American jobs investment since World War II. It will create millions of jobs, good-paying jobs.”White House officials say the spending would generate those jobs as the country shifts away from fossil fuels and combats the perils of climate change. It is also an effort to compete with the technology and public investments made by China, which has the world’s second-largest economy and is fast gaining on the United States’ dominant position.“I’m convinced that if we act now, in 50 years people are going to look back and say this is the moment when America won the future,” Biden said.The Democratic president’s infrastructure projects would be financed by higher corporate taxes — a trade-off that could lead to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-politics-climate-climate-change-c14bb6ce360a43e6239abfe087758e5c">fierce resistance from the business community and thwart attempts to work with Republican lawmakers</a>. Biden hopes to pass&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-nancy-pelosi-bills-archive-063cdac72af44b98b338842416c50752">an infrastructure plan by summer</a>, which could mean relying solely on the slim Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate.The higher corporate taxes would aim to raise the necessary piles of money over 15 years and then reduce the deficit going forward. In doing so, Biden would undo the 2017 tax overhaul by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans and lift the corporate tax rate to 28% from the 21% rate.“Ninety-one Fortune 500 Companies, including Amazon, pay not a single solitary penny in income tax,” Biden said.Wednesday’s announcement will be followed in coming weeks by Biden pushing a companion bill of roughly equal size for investments in child care, family tax credits and other domestic programs. That nearly $2 trillion package would be paid for by tax hikes on wealthy individuals and families.“Wall Street didn’t build this country,” Biden said. “You, the great middle class, built this country. And unions built the middle class.”Biden’s choice of Pittsburgh for unveiling the plan carried important economic and political resonance. He not only won Pittsburgh and its surrounding county to help secure the presidency, but he launched his campaign there in 2019. The city famed for steel mills that powered America’s industrial rise has steadily pivoted toward technology and health care, drawing in college graduates in a sign of how economies can change.The White House says the largest chunk of the proposal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-politics-corporate-taxes-00c9edd7b759a8787ea1bb31f48f4016">includes $621 billion for roads, bridges, public transit, electric vehicle charging stations and other transportation infrastructure</a>. The spending would push the country away from internal combustion engines that the auto industry views as increasingly antiquated technology.An additional $111 billion would go to replace lead water pipes and upgrade sewers. Broadband internet would blanket the country for $100 billion. Separately, $100 billion would upgrade the power grid to deliver clean electricity. Homes would get retrofitted, schools modernized, workers trained and hospitals renovated under the plan, which also seeks to strengthen U.S. manufacturing.The new construction could keep the economy running hot, coming on the heels of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-first-prime-time-speech-next-phase-pandemic-85d1ae52bc61abffd3ae91c324e58308">Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.&nbsp;</a>Economists already estimate it could push growth above 6% this year.To keep companies from shifting profits overseas to avoid taxation, a 21% global minimum tax would be imposed. The tax code would also be updated so that companies could not merge with foreign businesses and avoid taxes by moving their headquarters to a tax haven. And among other provisions, it would increase IRS audits of corporations.Biden appealed for Republicans and the business community to join him in negotiations on the bill, but the legislative prospects for Biden’s twin proposals already appear to hinge on Democrats coming up with the votes on their own through the budget reconciliation process, which requires just a simple majority in the 50-50 Senate.“I’m going to bring Republicans into the Oval Office, listen to them, what they have to say and be open to other ideas,” Biden said. “We’ll have a good faith negotiation. Any Republican who wants to help get this done. But we have to get it done.”Democratic leaders embraced Biden’s plan Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said it would create millions of jobs.“I look forward to working with President Biden to pass a big, bold plan that will drive America forward for decades to come,” Schumer said at an event in Buffalo.But Republican opposition to Biden’s ambitious proposal came swiftly, and with resolve for the long brawl ahead.Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell dismissed the package as nothing more than a “Trojan horse” for tax hikes.Republicans on Capitol Hill view the fight as a defining moment for the parties, framing it as a choice between Democrats intent on relying on government to solve the nation’s problems and a GOP that believes the private sector can best unleash the nation’s potential.Smarting over Biden’s intent to undo the 2017 tax cuts has only solidified what could amount to a wall of GOP opposition.The business community favors updating U.S. infrastructure but dislikes higher tax rates. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer Neil Bradley said in a statement that “we applaud the Biden administration for making infrastructure a top priority. However, we believe the proposal is dangerously misguided when it comes to how to pay for infrastructure.” The Business Roundtable, a group of CEOs, would rather have infrastructure funded with user fees such as tolls.Trump, in a statement, blasted his successor’s proposal, claiming it “would be among the largest self-inflicted economic wounds in history.”Infrastructure spending usually holds the promise of juicing economic growth, but by how much remains a subject of political debate. Commutes and shipping times could be shortened, while public health would be improved and construction jobs would bolster consumer spending.Standard &amp; Poor’s chief U.S. economist, Beth Ann Bovino, estimated last year that a $2.1 trillion boost in infrastructure spending could add as much as $5.7 trillion in income to the entire economy over a decade. Those kinds of analyses have led liberal Democrats in Congress such as Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal to conclude, “The economic consensus is that infrastructure pays for itself over time.”But the Biden administration is taking a more cautious approach than some Democrats might like. After $1.9 trillion in pandemic aid and $4 trillion in relief last year, the administration is trying to avoid raising the national debt to levels that would trigger higher interest rates and make it harder to repay.Biden’s efforts may also be complicated by demands from a handful of Democratic lawmakers who say they cannot support the bill unless it addresses the $10,000 cap on individuals’ state and local tax deductions put in place under Trump and a Republican-led Congress.With a narrow majority in the House, those Democrats could conceivably quash any bill that doesn’t significantly lift the cap or repeal it entirely.___

🎥  Pres. Biden's $2.3T infrastructure plan a 'win the future'

By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/03/31/behemoth-public-education-policy-budget-measure-narrowly-approved-by-kansas-house/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A bill with 
wide-ranging impacts to education policy and the public school budget 
passed the Kansas House by a narrow margin Tuesday despite bipartisan 
concerns over several provisions.

<a href="http://kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2119/">House Bill 2119</a>,
 the Student Empowerment Act, would take the per-pupil amount of money 
normally given to public schools and place it into education savings 
accounts for students to use toward private school tuition. The bill 
would also limit funding for remote learning options by providing a 
finance formula based on virtual school rather than in-person 
instruction.

A provision added in the 
House K-12 Budget Committee would expand the state’s school choice 
efforts by reimbursing organizations that grant scholarships for private
 schools up to $8,000 in tax credits per student per year. While only 
about 600 students from low-income families in poorly performing schools
 are currently eligible, the proposed legislation would expand 
eligibility greatly.

The bill was amended in 
committee to soften some enrollment eligibility concerns, but public 
education advocates remain skeptical. Critics have dubbed the measure a 
“Frankenstein bill” for the way public education policy and 
appropriations were stitched together. They argued private schools are 
not held to the same standards as public schools in many respects.

Proponents, however, say 
the bill is a necessary response to growing achievement gaps since the 
onset of the pandemic. Many pointed to frustrations among parents who 
feel school districts are not listening to them or are prioritizing 
teachers over students.

Of those who are upset 
with the way their school has served them, only those who have the money
 to pick up and move can exercise educational choice, said Rep. Susan 
Humphries, R-Wichita.

“It is unconscionable to 
me that anyone would deny that opportunity and freedom to other students
 and families so that their children can be better served,” Humphries 
said. “This bill offers hope for the most vulnerable and those who need 
it most.”

The behemoth bill held off
 scrutiny from both sides of the aisle on a 65-58 vote. Eighteen 
Republicans joined all House Democrats in opposing the legislation.

Several who voted in favor
 of the bill expressed a desire to see certain kinks ironed out when the
 House and Senate come together to discuss their stances on the 
education budget.

Rep. Valdenia Winn, 
D-Kansas City, Kansas, said in passing the bill, her colleagues were 
casting a blind eye to potential cost ramifications and a bevy of other 
education issues needing attention. For example, she argued teacher 
education standards were out of date.

For all the discussions on
 how to best serve students and state education, Winn said curriculum 
and educational opportunity are not being considered.

“There are a lot of issues
 that could help explain low achievement. We haven’t talked about them,”
 she said. “I’m not willing to give up on public schools. I’m here 
waiting to reform public education.”

Instead, HB2119 would 
undermine public schools, she said. Winn argued private schools are not 
required to meet the same standards in reporting data and choosing 
students.

House Minority Leader Tom 
Sawyer, D-Wichita, tacked on the argument that the bill’s policy would 
shift public tax dollars to private schools with no strings attached.

Rep. Kristey Williams, 
R-Augusta, and chairwoman of the House K-12 Budget Committee, countered 
those concerns by saying the bill would fully fund public education as 
requested in the governor’s budget for 2021, 2022 and the estimate for 
2023.

The bill also calls for 
$10 million in federal funds to be directed toward mental health 
programs, school safety grants and community schools, Williams said.

“This bill addresses the 
issue of school finance, along with student achievement, in an effort to
 cast light on an ever-expanding achievement gap between the haves and 
the have nots,” Williams said. “It forces us to take time to consider 
accountability, transparency and student outcomes.”

Public school advocates, however, pointed to the 71-52 passage of <a href="http://kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2397/">House Bill 2397</a>,
 as a reason to doubt the promise of fully funding public education. The
 measure,&nbsp;a budget bill dealing with appropriations from 2021 to 2024, 
calls for a 2% cut across the board, including public education.

Many who voted for those 
cuts were the same lawmakers on the House education budget committee who
 touted the full funding in House Bill 2119, said Mark Desseti, of the 
Kansas National Education Association

“Here they are with their 
bill that they count as fully funding the governor’s budget, and then 
they vote to cut the governor’s budget 2% across the board (which) takes
 it out of schools,” Dessert said. “So, the bill now comes out, with 
that, possibly worse than it was at the beginning of the debate.”

The House and Senate will 
now have to reconcile over distinctions in their budget bills. The 
process may be an unusual one as the K-12 budget in the House resides in
 both House Bill 2119 and House Bill 2397.

Meanwhile, Senate Bill 267, the proposal coming from across the rotunda, holds off on $570 million for K-12 education.

As a House Bill, the 
Senate cannot simply concur, but it is subject to a conference 
committee, where legislators from both chambers can hash out their 
differences.

Apart from financial 
implications, some who voted to support the mega bill hoped certain 
policy issues would be worked on during those forthcoming deliberations.
 Rep. Mark Samsel, R-Wellsville, said he had already jeopardized trust 
between superintendents and others in his district by voting in favor of
 the bill, but would not continue to do so if changes were not made.

“I’m putting my trust in 
our own leadership,” Samsel said. “… I have faith and trust that we’ll 
work that out as we go to conference committee and further on.”

Even if the sizable bill 
should pass in its current form, the bill seems certain to be vetoed by 
Gov. Laura Kelly. Legislators appear to lack the votes to override that 
action should it occur based on the narrow vote margin in the House.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617227213494.png" alt="Rep. Susan Humphries, R-Wichita, said House Bill 2119, which passed 65-58, would open the door for lower-income families dissatisfied with school board decisions to choose a better option for their children. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Susan Humphries, R-Wichita, said House Bill 2119, which passed 65-58, would open the door for lower-income families dissatisfied with school board decisions to choose a better option for their children. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/03/31/behemoth-public-education-policy-budget-measure-narrowly-approved-by-kansas-house/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A bill with 
wide-ranging impacts to education policy and the public school budget 
passed the Kansas House by a narrow margin Tuesday despite bipartisan 
concerns over several provisions.<a href="http://kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2119/">House Bill 2119</a>,
 the Student Empowerment Act, would take the per-pupil amount of money 
normally given to public schools and place it into education savings 
accounts for students to use toward private school tuition. The bill 
would also limit funding for remote learning options by providing a 
finance formula based on virtual school rather than in-person 
instruction.A provision added in the 
House K-12 Budget Committee would expand the state’s school choice 
efforts by reimbursing organizations that grant scholarships for private
 schools up to $8,000 in tax credits per student per year. While only 
about 600 students from low-income families in poorly performing schools
 are currently eligible, the proposed legislation would expand 
eligibility greatly.The bill was amended in 
committee to soften some enrollment eligibility concerns, but public 
education advocates remain skeptical. Critics have dubbed the measure a 
“Frankenstein bill” for the way public education policy and 
appropriations were stitched together. They argued private schools are 
not held to the same standards as public schools in many respects.Proponents, however, say 
the bill is a necessary response to growing achievement gaps since the 
onset of the pandemic. Many pointed to frustrations among parents who 
feel school districts are not listening to them or are prioritizing 
teachers over students.Of those who are upset 
with the way their school has served them, only those who have the money
 to pick up and move can exercise educational choice, said Rep. Susan 
Humphries, R-Wichita.“It is unconscionable to 
me that anyone would deny that opportunity and freedom to other students
 and families so that their children can be better served,” Humphries 
said. “This bill offers hope for the most vulnerable and those who need 
it most.”The behemoth bill held off
 scrutiny from both sides of the aisle on a 65-58 vote. Eighteen 
Republicans joined all House Democrats in opposing the legislation.Several who voted in favor
 of the bill expressed a desire to see certain kinks ironed out when the
 House and Senate come together to discuss their stances on the 
education budget.Rep. Valdenia Winn, 
D-Kansas City, Kansas, said in passing the bill, her colleagues were 
casting a blind eye to potential cost ramifications and a bevy of other 
education issues needing attention. For example, she argued teacher 
education standards were out of date.For all the discussions on
 how to best serve students and state education, Winn said curriculum 
and educational opportunity are not being considered.“There are a lot of issues
 that could help explain low achievement. We haven’t talked about them,”
 she said. “I’m not willing to give up on public schools. I’m here 
waiting to reform public education.”Instead, HB2119 would 
undermine public schools, she said. Winn argued private schools are not 
required to meet the same standards in reporting data and choosing 
students.House Minority Leader Tom 
Sawyer, D-Wichita, tacked on the argument that the bill’s policy would 
shift public tax dollars to private schools with no strings attached.Rep. Kristey Williams, 
R-Augusta, and chairwoman of the House K-12 Budget Committee, countered 
those concerns by saying the bill would fully fund public education as 
requested in the governor’s budget for 2021, 2022 and the estimate for 
2023.The bill also calls for 
$10 million in federal funds to be directed toward mental health 
programs, school safety grants and community schools, Williams said.“This bill addresses the 
issue of school finance, along with student achievement, in an effort to
 cast light on an ever-expanding achievement gap between the haves and 
the have nots,” Williams said. “It forces us to take time to consider 
accountability, transparency and student outcomes.”Public school advocates, however, pointed to the 71-52 passage of <a href="http://kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2397/">House Bill 2397</a>,
 as a reason to doubt the promise of fully funding public education. The
 measure,&nbsp;a budget bill dealing with appropriations from 2021 to 2024, 
calls for a 2% cut across the board, including public education.Many who voted for those 
cuts were the same lawmakers on the House education budget committee who
 touted the full funding in House Bill 2119, said Mark Desseti, of the 
Kansas National Education Association“Here they are with their 
bill that they count as fully funding the governor’s budget, and then 
they vote to cut the governor’s budget 2% across the board (which) takes
 it out of schools,” Dessert said. “So, the bill now comes out, with 
that, possibly worse than it was at the beginning of the debate.”The House and Senate will 
now have to reconcile over distinctions in their budget bills. The 
process may be an unusual one as the K-12 budget in the House resides in
 both House Bill 2119 and House Bill 2397.Meanwhile, Senate Bill 267, the proposal coming from across the rotunda, holds off on $570 million for K-12 education.As a House Bill, the 
Senate cannot simply concur, but it is subject to a conference 
committee, where legislators from both chambers can hash out their 
differences.Apart from financial 
implications, some who voted to support the mega bill hoped certain 
policy issues would be worked on during those forthcoming deliberations.
 Rep. Mark Samsel, R-Wellsville, said he had already jeopardized trust 
between superintendents and others in his district by voting in favor of
 the bill, but would not continue to do so if changes were not made.“I’m putting my trust in 
our own leadership,” Samsel said. “… I have faith and trust that we’ll 
work that out as we go to conference committee and further on.”Even if the sizable bill 
should pass in its current form, the bill seems certain to be vetoed by 
Gov. Laura Kelly. Legislators appear to lack the votes to override that 
action should it occur based on the narrow vote margin in the House.

Behemoth education policy, budget narrowly approved by Kan. House

Today is Wednesday, March 31, the 90th day of 2021. There are 275 days left in the year. 

On March 31, 1931, Notre Dame college football coach Knute Rockne, 43, was killed in the crash of a TWA plane in Bazaar, Kan. 

In 1814, Paris was occupied by a coalition of Russian, Prussian and Austrian forces; the surrender of the French capital forced the abdication of Emperor Napoleon.

In 1917, the United States took formal possession of the Virgin Islands from Denmark.

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Emergency Conservation Work Act, which created the Civilian Conservation Corps. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSToday is Wednesday, March 31, the 90th day of 2021. There are 275 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On March 31, 1931, Notre Dame college football coach Knute Rockne, 43, was killed in the crash of a TWA plane in Bazaar, Kan. On this date: In 1814, Paris was occupied by a coalition of Russian, Prussian and Austrian forces; the surrender of the French capital forced the abdication of Emperor Napoleon.In 1917, the United States took formal possession of the Virgin Islands from Denmark.In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Emergency Conservation Work Act, which created the Civilian Conservation Corps. In 1943, "Oklahoma!," the first musical play by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, opened on Broadway. In 1968, at the conclusion of a nationally broadcast address on Vietnam, President Lyndon B. Johnson stunned listeners by declaring, "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President." In 1976, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that Karen Ann Quinlan, a young woman in a persistent vegetative state, could be disconnected from her respirator. (Quinlan, who remained unconscious, died in 1985.)In 1991, the Warsaw Pact military alliance came to an end.In 1995, Mexican-American singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez, 23, was shot to death in Corpus Christi, Texas, by the founder of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar, who was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. In 2004, four American civilian contractors were killed in Fallujah, Iraq; frenzied crowds dragged the burned, mutilated bodies and strung two of them from a bridge. In 2005, Terri Schiavo, 41, died at a hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida, 13 days after her feeding tube was removed in a wrenching right-to-die court fight. In 2009, Benjamin Netanyahu took office as Israel's new prime minister after the Knesset approved his government. In 2019, rapper Nipsey Hussle was fatally shot outside the clothing store he had founded to help rebuild his troubled South Los Angeles neighborhood; he was 33. Former Vice President Joe Biden defended his interactions with women; saying he didn't believe he had ever acted inappropriately.Ten years ago: Moammar Gadhafi struck a defiant stance after two high-profile defections from his regime, saying the Western leaders who had decimated his military with airstrikes should resign immediately — not him. (Gadhafi's message was in the form of a scroll across the bottom of state TV as he remained out of sight.) Five years ago: An overpass collapsed onto a crowded Kolkata, India, neighborhood, killing 26 people. A man who was convicted of fatally beating another man to death after a night of drinking and drug use in 1994 was put to death in Georgia. A 34-year-old Illinois man fatally shot a Virginia state trooper at a busy bus terminal in Richmond before being killed by other troopers. A Maryland man accused of fatally beating his girlfriend's 9-year-old son over a missing piece of birthday cake pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. One year ago: The White House released new projections that the number of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. could range from 100,000 to 240,000 even if current social distancing guidelines were maintained. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said President Donald Trump's impeachment trial had distracted the federal government from the coronavirus as it reached the United States in January. CNN's Chris Cuomo anchored his CNN show from the basement of his home after testing positive for the coronavirus. A temporary hospital in a New York City convention center began accepting patients. Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan officially stepped down from duties as members of the royal family. Stocks finished the first quarter of 2020 with a decline of 20%, the market's worst quarter since the 2008 financial crisis. NFL owners voted to expand the number of playoff teams by one in each conference in the 2020 season.Today's Birthdays: Actor William Daniels is 94. Actor Richard Chamberlain is 87. Actor Shirley Jones is 87. Musician Herb Alpert is 86. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is 81. Former U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., is 81. Actor Christopher Walken is 78. Comedian Gabe Kaplan is 77. Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, is 77. Rock musician Mick Ralphs (Bad Company; Mott the Hoople) is 77. Former Vice President Al Gore is 74. Author David Eisenhower is 73. Actor Rhea Perlman is 73. Actor Robbie Coltrane is 71. Actor Ed Marinaro is 71. Rock musician Angus Young (AC/DC) is 66. Actor Marc McClure is 64. Actor William McNamara is 56. Alt-country musician Bob Crawford (The Avett Brothers) is 50. Actor Ewan McGregor is 50. Actor Erica Tazel is 46. Actor Judi Shekoni is 43. Rapper Tony Yayo is 43. Actor Kate Micucci is 41. Actor Brian Tyree Henry (TV: "Atlanta" Stage: "Book of Mormon") is 39. Actor Melissa Ordway is 38. Jazz musician Christian Scott is 38. Pop musician Jack Antonoff (fun.) is 37. Actor Jessica Szohr is 36.