LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden is joining top messengers already crisscrossing the country to highlight the benefits of his massive COVID-19 rescue plan, in his case by promoting aid for small businesses.

Biden is set to visit a small business in suburban Philadelphia on Tuesday, his initial trip outside Washington for the “Help is here” tour that got underway Monday. Vice President Kamala Harris dropped in on a COVID-19 vaccination site and a culinary academy in Las Vegas while <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?509907-1/lady-jill-biden-speaks-covid-relief-aid-reopening-schools&amp;live=">first lady Jill Biden toured a New Jersey elementary school.</a>

“We want to avoid a situation where people are unaware of what they’re entitled to,” Harris said at the culinary academy. “It’s not selling it; it literally is letting people know their rights. Think of it more as a public education campaign.”

The White House is wasting no time promoting the $1.9 trillion relief plan, which Biden signed into law last week, looking to build momentum for the rest of his agenda and anxious to avoid the mistakes of 2009 in boosting that year’s recovery effort. Even veterans of Barack Obama’s administration acknowledge they did not do enough then to showcase their massive economic stimulus package.

“Hope is here in real and tangible ways,” Biden said Monday at the White House. He said the new government spending will bankroll efforts that could allow the nation to emerge from the pandemic’s twin crises, health and economic.

“Shots in arms and money in pockets,” the president said. “That’s important. The American Rescue Plan is already doing what it was designed to do: make a difference in people’s everyday lives. We’re just getting started.”

Biden said that within the next 10 days, his administration will clear two important benchmarks: distributing 100 million stimulus payments and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-19-vaccine-waste-largely-unknown-d2624a6dfefaa4b6a10cc0704ab5ab9d">administering 100 million vaccine doses</a>&nbsp;since he took office. To commemorate those milestones, Biden and his top representatives are embarking on their most ambitious travel schedule of his young presidency, visiting a series of potential election battleground states this week.

The sales pitch was leaving Republicans cold.

Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell dismissed the target of doses that Biden set when he took office as “not some audacious goal” but just the pace that he inherited. And he mocked Biden’s talk of Americans working toward merely being able to gather in small groups by July 4th as “bizarre.”

The Biden plan cleared Congress without any backing from Republicans, despite polling that found broad public support. Republicans argued the bill was too expensive, especially with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/germany-suspends-astrazeneca-vaccine-blood-clotting-0ab2c4fe13370c96c873e896387eb92f">vaccinations making progress against the virus,</a>&nbsp;and included too many provisions not directly linked to the pandemic.

After beginning the sales campaign with high-profile speeches, Biden will head to Pennsylvania on Tuesday and then join Harris in Georgia on Friday. Others on his team are visiting the electorally important states of Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and New Hampshire. The trip Monday marked Harris’ first official journey in office and included an unscheduled stop at a vegan taco stand as well as a coffee stand at the Culinary Academy Las Vegas.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “We want to take some time to engage directly with the American people and make sure they understand the benefits of the package and how it is going to help them get through this difficult period of time.”

The White House has detailed a theme for each day, focusing on small businesses, schools, home evictions and direct checks to most Americans. 

Jill Biden was joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on a tour Monday of Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington, where she highlighted steps the school took to reopen.

But her tour revealed the challenges ahead: In one classroom she visited, only two students were in attendance for in-person learning while the other 17 were virtual. The first lady sat down at a computer to say hello to the remote learners.

“I just I love being here at a school again: Educators, parents and students, the entire school has come together to bring kids back to the classroom,” she said. “But even with your best efforts, students can’t come, they can’t come in every day, which means that their parents are still having to take time off of work, or figure out childcare solutions. And this school like schools across this country can’t fully reopen without help.”

The president on Monday also announced that he had chosen Gene Sperling, a longtime Democratic economic policy expert, to oversee the massive stimulus package, the role Biden himself had played for the 2009 economic rescue package. The goal, Biden said, is to “stay on top of every dollar spent.”

“I learned from my experience implementing the Recovery Act just how important it is to have someone who can manage all the moving parts with efficiency, speed and integrity and accountability,” said the president.

The plan’s key features include direct payments of $1,400 for most single taxpayers, or $2,800 for married couples filing jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent — a total of $5,600 for a married couple with two children. The payments phase out for people with higher incomes.

An extension of federal unemployment benefits will continue through Sept. 6 at $300 a week. There’s $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments, $130 billion for K-12 schools and about $50 billion to expand COVID-19 testing, among other provisions.

Restaurants and bars that were forced to close or limit service can take advantage of a new multibillion-dollar grant program, and the plan also has tens of billions of dollars to help people who have fallen behind on rent and mortgage payments.

Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, joined his wife for the Western trip, visiting a food relief organization Monday in Las Vegas and participating in a listening session with the organization’s partners. In addition to the president, vice president and their spouses, Cabinet secretaries will also be out on the tour. Hundreds of mayors and governors, including Republicans, are being lined up to give interviews to discuss what the plan means for their communities.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg went first, touring a UPS distribution center in Landover, Maryland, on Monday that also delivers vaccines in the Washington area.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615895142496.png" alt="Jill Biden was joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on a tour Monday of Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington, where she highlighted steps the school took to reopen- photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Jill Biden was joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on a tour Monday of Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington, where she highlighted steps the school took to reopen- photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>LAS VEGAS (AP) — President Joe Biden is joining top messengers already crisscrossing the country to highlight the benefits of his massive COVID-19 rescue plan, in his case by promoting aid for small businesses.Biden is set to visit a small business in suburban Philadelphia on Tuesday, his initial trip outside Washington for the “Help is here” tour that got underway Monday. Vice President Kamala Harris dropped in on a COVID-19 vaccination site and a culinary academy in Las Vegas while <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?509907-1/lady-jill-biden-speaks-covid-relief-aid-reopening-schools&amp;live=">first lady Jill Biden toured a New Jersey elementary school.</a>“We want to avoid a situation where people are unaware of what they’re entitled to,” Harris said at the culinary academy. “It’s not selling it; it literally is letting people know their rights. Think of it more as a public education campaign.”The White House is wasting no time promoting the $1.9 trillion relief plan, which Biden signed into law last week, looking to build momentum for the rest of his agenda and anxious to avoid the mistakes of 2009 in boosting that year’s recovery effort. Even veterans of Barack Obama’s administration acknowledge they did not do enough then to showcase their massive economic stimulus package.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615895078268.png" alt="The Biden plan’s key features include direct payments of $1,400 for most single taxpayers, or $2,800 for married couples filing jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent — a total of $5,600 for a married couple with two children.-photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>The Biden plan’s key features include direct payments of $1,400 for most single taxpayers, or $2,800 for married couples filing jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent — a total of $5,600 for a married couple with two children.-photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>“Hope is here in real and tangible ways,” Biden said Monday at the White House. He said the new government spending will bankroll efforts that could allow the nation to emerge from the pandemic’s twin crises, health and economic.“Shots in arms and money in pockets,” the president said. “That’s important. The American Rescue Plan is already doing what it was designed to do: make a difference in people’s everyday lives. We’re just getting started.”Biden said that within the next 10 days, his administration will clear two important benchmarks: distributing 100 million stimulus payments and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-19-vaccine-waste-largely-unknown-d2624a6dfefaa4b6a10cc0704ab5ab9d">administering 100 million vaccine doses</a>&nbsp;since he took office. To commemorate those milestones, Biden and his top representatives are embarking on their most ambitious travel schedule of his young presidency, visiting a series of potential election battleground states this week.The sales pitch was leaving Republicans cold.Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell dismissed the target of doses that Biden set when he took office as “not some audacious goal” but just the pace that he inherited. And he mocked Biden’s talk of Americans working toward merely being able to gather in small groups by July 4th as “bizarre.”The Biden plan cleared Congress without any backing from Republicans, despite polling that found broad public support. Republicans argued the bill was too expensive, especially with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/germany-suspends-astrazeneca-vaccine-blood-clotting-0ab2c4fe13370c96c873e896387eb92f">vaccinations making progress against the virus,</a>&nbsp;and included too many provisions not directly linked to the pandemic.After beginning the sales campaign with high-profile speeches, Biden will head to Pennsylvania on Tuesday and then join Harris in Georgia on Friday. Others on his team are visiting the electorally important states of Nevada, Colorado, New Mexico and New Hampshire. The trip Monday marked Harris’ first official journey in office and included an unscheduled stop at a vegan taco stand as well as a coffee stand at the Culinary Academy Las Vegas.White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “We want to take some time to engage directly with the American people and make sure they understand the benefits of the package and how it is going to help them get through this difficult period of time.”The White House has detailed a theme for each day, focusing on small businesses, schools, home evictions and direct checks to most Americans. Jill Biden was joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on a tour Monday of Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington, where she highlighted steps the school took to reopen.But her tour revealed the challenges ahead: In one classroom she visited, only two students were in attendance for in-person learning while the other 17 were virtual. The first lady sat down at a computer to say hello to the remote learners.“I just I love being here at a school again: Educators, parents and students, the entire school has come together to bring kids back to the classroom,” she said. “But even with your best efforts, students can’t come, they can’t come in every day, which means that their parents are still having to take time off of work, or figure out childcare solutions. And this school like schools across this country can’t fully reopen without help.”The president on Monday also announced that he had chosen Gene Sperling, a longtime Democratic economic policy expert, to oversee the massive stimulus package, the role Biden himself had played for the 2009 economic rescue package. The goal, Biden said, is to “stay on top of every dollar spent.”“I learned from my experience implementing the Recovery Act just how important it is to have someone who can manage all the moving parts with efficiency, speed and integrity and accountability,” said the president.The plan’s key features include direct payments of $1,400 for most single taxpayers, or $2,800 for married couples filing jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent — a total of $5,600 for a married couple with two children. The payments phase out for people with higher incomes.An extension of federal unemployment benefits will continue through Sept. 6 at $300 a week. There’s $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments, $130 billion for K-12 schools and about $50 billion to expand COVID-19 testing, among other provisions.Restaurants and bars that were forced to close or limit service can take advantage of a new multibillion-dollar grant program, and the plan also has tens of billions of dollars to help people who have fallen behind on rent and mortgage payments.Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, joined his wife for the Western trip, visiting a food relief organization Monday in Las Vegas and participating in a listening session with the organization’s partners. In addition to the president, vice president and their spouses, Cabinet secretaries will also be out on the tour. Hundreds of mayors and governors, including Republicans, are being lined up to give interviews to discuss what the plan means for their communities.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg went first, touring a UPS distribution center in Landover, Maryland, on Monday that also delivers vaccines in the Washington area.

Shots in arms, money in pockets: Bidens promote relief plan 

<a href="https://www.wilsonfamilyfuneralhome.com/obituary/kenneth-d-wedel-md">Obituary | Kenneth D. Wedel, M.D. of Minneapolis, Kansas | Wilson Family Funeral Home</a>

Kenneth Dean Wedel, M.D., surrounded by family, died in peace at his home on March 13, 2021 at the age of 88.&nbsp; Ken, the son of Arthur A. and Elizabeth K. Wedel, was born at the family farmhouse in McPherson County, Kansas on July 28, 1932, one hour before his beloved identical twin brother, Kermit.&nbsp; From the beginning, the twins were inseparable.&nbsp; Of Swiss Mennonite heritage, they both spoke only German until the age of five.&nbsp;

Ken attended grade school at Garden Valley District No. 43, a one-room country schoolhouse in McPherson County, KS, and then Moundridge High School.&nbsp; After graduating from Bethel College in North Newton, KS, he received his medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine.&nbsp; Always a Jayhawk, as twins Ken and his brother Kerm portrayed the role of James Naismith on each side of the basketball court at the opening ceremony of Allen Fieldhouse on March 1, 1955.

On April 30, 1954, Ken married his best friend and soulmate Dardanella Estelle Stucky, at the Eden Mennonite Church in Moundridge, KS.&nbsp; After earning his medical license, Ken and Darda moved to Minneapolis, KS, which became their forever family home and the place where they raised their five children.&nbsp; Ken began his medical career in Minneapolis in 1961 at the newly constructed Minneapolis Clinic. &nbsp;Sears-Roebuck agreed to provide the plans for the clinic at no cost.&nbsp; The charge for an office call was $1.50 for all patients; 50₵ for Medicare. With the presence of Ken and Kerm and the support of the community, the Ottawa County Hospital became a reality in 1964, followed by the opening of the Childs Clinic in Delphos, KS in 1970. He made house calls and appreciated the graciousness of the many methods of thanks shown by his patients, fresh vegetables, homemade pies, and other gifts from the heart.&nbsp; Ken loved the communities he served, the patients he cared for, and the nurses and the staff.&nbsp; Ken was grateful to learn at his retirement that a wing of the hospital was named in his honor. &nbsp;

As much as he loved his calling, nothing could compare to his love for Darda and family.&nbsp; He never missed a family event or a ball game.&nbsp; He knew the score of every game they played and loved to watch the Royals, Chiefs, KU and the Minneapolis Lions, especially with the Wedel clan.&nbsp; He was always there for family with words of encouragement and a listening ear, never raising his voice.&nbsp; He was an invaluable role model for his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.&nbsp; Ever humble in his endeavors, the family learned from the newspaper and not from Ken that in 1988 he was named &nbsp;Kansas Family Physician of the Year, a prestigious award based on nominations received from 607 physicians in the state.&nbsp;

With five kids at home and a busy career, Ken’s life would not have been complete without Darda, the cog in his wheel of life.&nbsp; From the time they met, to the end of his life, he wanted nothing more than to have her by his side.&nbsp; Darda gave him happiness, a loving home and peace, and he is at peace now with a life that was happy, filled with joy and family.

Ken was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Delbert and sister Leola.&nbsp; He is survived by his wife, Darda, his brother Kerm (Kathleen), 5 children, Susan (Brad) Krehbiel, Karen (Randy) Renwick, Mark (Carolyn) Wedel, Mike (Nancy) Wedel, Duane (Janette) Wedel, 12 grandchildren; Ben (Erin) Krehbiel, Ty (Kim) Krehbiel, Courtney (Brandon) Horn, Emma Renwick, David (Pilar) Wedel, Jessica Wedel, Aaron (Sarah) Wedel, Drew (Kylie) Wedel, Ryan (Torey) Wedel, Mason Wedel, Logan Wedel, Sydney (Aaron) Brooks,&nbsp; 11 great grandchildren with 3 more on the way and a special family friend, Carolyn Coon.&nbsp; Ken leaves behind a legacy of love.

The family extends a special thanks to Dr. Kelly Yoxall and Dr. Trisha Barker Little, the daughter of his former partner and close personal friend, Dr. Steve Barker.

The family will be holding a private memorial service. &nbsp;Visitation without the family present will be from 2:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M, Friday, March 19 at Wilson Family Funeral Home, Minneapolis. &nbsp;In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the United Methodist Church or the Minneapolis Community Foundation Ken Wedel Fund created in his honor so that Ken and Darda can continue to support the community they love.&nbsp; The memorials may be mailed to the Wilson Funeral Home P.O. Box 166, Minneapolis KS 67467.

To plant Memorial Trees in memory of&nbsp;Kenneth D. Wedel, M.D., please&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.wilsonfamilyfuneralhome.com/obituary/kenneth-d-wedel-md/gifts?campaign=obituaryThemed-gifts-textLink-obitText">click here to visit our Sympathy Store</a>.

<h2>Kenneth Dean Wedel, M.D</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615813551829.jpeg" alt="Kenneth Dean Wedel, M.D." />
 <figcaption>Kenneth Dean Wedel, M.D.</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.wilsonfamilyfuneralhome.com/obituary/kenneth-d-wedel-md">Obituary | Kenneth D. Wedel, M.D. of Minneapolis, Kansas | Wilson Family Funeral Home</a>July 28, 1932 - March 13, 2021 Kenneth Dean Wedel, M.D., surrounded by family, died in peace at his home on March 13, 2021 at the age of 88.&nbsp; Ken, the son of Arthur A. and Elizabeth K. Wedel, was born at the family farmhouse in McPherson County, Kansas on July 28, 1932, one hour before his beloved identical twin brother, Kermit.&nbsp; From the beginning, the twins were inseparable.&nbsp; Of Swiss Mennonite heritage, they both spoke only German until the age of five.&nbsp;Ken attended grade school at Garden Valley District No. 43, a one-room country schoolhouse in McPherson County, KS, and then Moundridge High School.&nbsp; After graduating from Bethel College in North Newton, KS, he received his medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine.&nbsp; Always a Jayhawk, as twins Ken and his brother Kerm portrayed the role of James Naismith on each side of the basketball court at the opening ceremony of Allen Fieldhouse on March 1, 1955.On April 30, 1954, Ken married his best friend and soulmate Dardanella Estelle Stucky, at the Eden Mennonite Church in Moundridge, KS.&nbsp; After earning his medical license, Ken and Darda moved to Minneapolis, KS, which became their forever family home and the place where they raised their five children.&nbsp; Ken began his medical career in Minneapolis in 1961 at the newly constructed Minneapolis Clinic. &nbsp;Sears-Roebuck agreed to provide the plans for the clinic at no cost.&nbsp; The charge for an office call was $1.50 for all patients; 50₵ for Medicare. With the presence of Ken and Kerm and the support of the community, the Ottawa County Hospital became a reality in 1964, followed by the opening of the Childs Clinic in Delphos, KS in 1970. He made house calls and appreciated the graciousness of the many methods of thanks shown by his patients, fresh vegetables, homemade pies, and other gifts from the heart.&nbsp; Ken loved the communities he served, the patients he cared for, and the nurses and the staff.&nbsp; Ken was grateful to learn at his retirement that a wing of the hospital was named in his honor. &nbsp;As much as he loved his calling, nothing could compare to his love for Darda and family.&nbsp; He never missed a family event or a ball game.&nbsp; He knew the score of every game they played and loved to watch the Royals, Chiefs, KU and the Minneapolis Lions, especially with the Wedel clan.&nbsp; He was always there for family with words of encouragement and a listening ear, never raising his voice.&nbsp; He was an invaluable role model for his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.&nbsp; Ever humble in his endeavors, the family learned from the newspaper and not from Ken that in 1988 he was named &nbsp;Kansas Family Physician of the Year, a prestigious award based on nominations received from 607 physicians in the state.&nbsp;With five kids at home and a busy career, Ken’s life would not have been complete without Darda, the cog in his wheel of life.&nbsp; From the time they met, to the end of his life, he wanted nothing more than to have her by his side.&nbsp; Darda gave him happiness, a loving home and peace, and he is at peace now with a life that was happy, filled with joy and family.Ken was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Delbert and sister Leola.&nbsp; He is survived by his wife, Darda, his brother Kerm (Kathleen), 5 children, Susan (Brad) Krehbiel, Karen (Randy) Renwick, Mark (Carolyn) Wedel, Mike (Nancy) Wedel, Duane (Janette) Wedel, 12 grandchildren; Ben (Erin) Krehbiel, Ty (Kim) Krehbiel, Courtney (Brandon) Horn, Emma Renwick, David (Pilar) Wedel, Jessica Wedel, Aaron (Sarah) Wedel, Drew (Kylie) Wedel, Ryan (Torey) Wedel, Mason Wedel, Logan Wedel, Sydney (Aaron) Brooks,&nbsp; 11 great grandchildren with 3 more on the way and a special family friend, Carolyn Coon.&nbsp; Ken leaves behind a legacy of love.The family extends a special thanks to Dr. Kelly Yoxall and Dr. Trisha Barker Little, the daughter of his former partner and close personal friend, Dr. Steve Barker.The family will be holding a private memorial service. &nbsp;Visitation without the family present will be from 2:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M, Friday, March 19 at Wilson Family Funeral Home, Minneapolis. &nbsp;In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the United Methodist Church or the Minneapolis Community Foundation Ken Wedel Fund created in his honor so that Ken and Darda can continue to support the community they love.&nbsp; The memorials may be mailed to the Wilson Funeral Home P.O. Box 166, Minneapolis KS 67467. To plant Memorial Trees in memory of&nbsp;Kenneth D. Wedel, M.D., please&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.wilsonfamilyfuneralhome.com/obituary/kenneth-d-wedel-md/gifts?campaign=obituaryThemed-gifts-textLink-obitText">click here to visit our Sympathy Store</a>.

Kenneth Dean Wedel, M.D

For the first time in its 37-year history, the Salina Spring Poetry Series is going virtual. 

Five local poets will read from their work via Zoom and YouTube, each Tuesday in April. The public is invited to reserve a spot to listen and interact with the poets.

The series is sponsored by Salina Arts &amp; Humanities and will feature Joe McKenzie and Lori Brack on April 6, Ruth Moritz on April 13, Harley Elliott on April 20, and series founder Patricia Traxler on April 27.

“This year’s format for the Spring Poetry Series needed to adapt due to the pandemic and its impact on the community,” said Brad Anderson, executive director of Salina Arts &amp; Humanities. “Shifting to a virtual event will allow the poets and audience to safely engage as they experience recent work by an exceptional group of poets.”

Local or far-away participants who wish to listen to the readings and ask questions will register for the event through Zoom web-based video conferencing, via a personal computer, tablet, or cell phone. To view each full session, web access to YouTube will also be necessary. Each Zoom event will begin on a Tuesday at 7 p.m CST. To register for each Poetry Series readings via Zoom, click to <a href="http://www.salinaarts.com/poetry_series.cfm">www.salinaarts.com/poetry_series.cfm</a> or contact Salina Arts &amp; Humanities at 785-309-5770 or <a href="mailto:sah@salina.org">sah@salina.org</a>.

Traxler, whose writing has won national and international awards, founded the Poetry Series in 1984 when she served as Salina writer-in-residence. Since that time, the series has welcomed nearly 200 state and U.S. poets laureate, writers of national and regional significance, Salina writers, and regional new voices selected by series directors. After Traxler’s tenure as series director, Moritz directed the poetry readings for 17 years. McKenzie, then director of the Salina Public Library, made the selections for a year before he retired.

“Salina Arts &amp; Humanities staff and series organizers felt this was the perfect year to feature work by a diverse and well-qualified group of local poets, many of them who will be sharing recently published work,” Anderson said of the weekly series readings.

The line-up of poets for the 2021 Salina Poetry Series is as follows.

McKenzie is a writer who retired after a long career as a public librarian. He does freelance reporting and writes a column for the Salina Journal. His broad community involvement informs everything he writes. His first book of poems, At The Mercy of Ourselves, was released in 2019.

Brack is a freelance arts worker whose new book, A Case for the Dead Letter Detective, was published in February. She is also the author of Museum Made of Breath, published in 2018, and A Fine Place to See the Sky, a poetic script for a work of performance art by Ernesto Pujol, presented at the Salina Art Center in 2010. She is coordinating this year’s Poetry Series.

Moritz is a writer, an installation and graphic artist, and a retired educator. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Wichita State University and is the winner of national awards for her poems and essays. She taught at the Ellsworth Correctional Facility, Kansas State University, and Kansas Wesleyan University.

Elliott is the author of 11 poetry collections, including two books published in 2020: The Mercy of Distance: New and Selected Poems and Creature Way. He is also the author and illustrator of a children’s book and a memoir. Elliott taught art at Marymount College for 13 years and served as education coordinator at the Salina Art Center until his retirement.

Traxler is the author of a novel, Blood, the short story collection In the Skin, published in 2020, and four poetry collections including the 2019 Kansas Book Award winner Naming the Fires. She was twice named the Bunting Poetry Fellow at Radcliffe, and she has read her award-winning poetry at many universities.

Books by the poets will be available for purchase at Ad Astra Books &amp; Coffee House, 141 North Santa Fe Avenue, at least a week before the series begins.

For the first time in its 37-year history, the Salina Spring Poetry Series is going virtual. Five local poets will read from their work via Zoom and YouTube, each Tuesday in April. The public is invited to reserve a spot to listen and interact with the poets.The series is sponsored by Salina Arts &amp; Humanities and will feature Joe McKenzie and Lori Brack on April 6, Ruth Moritz on April 13, Harley Elliott on April 20, and series founder Patricia Traxler on April 27.“This year’s format for the Spring Poetry Series needed to adapt due to the pandemic and its impact on the community,” said Brad Anderson, executive director of Salina Arts &amp; Humanities. “Shifting to a virtual event will allow the poets and audience to safely engage as they experience recent work by an exceptional group of poets.”Local or far-away participants who wish to listen to the readings and ask questions will register for the event through Zoom web-based video conferencing, via a personal computer, tablet, or cell phone. To view each full session, web access to YouTube will also be necessary. Each Zoom event will begin on a Tuesday at 7 p.m CST. To register for each Poetry Series readings via Zoom, click to <a href="http://www.salinaarts.com/poetry_series.cfm">www.salinaarts.com/poetry_series.cfm</a> or contact Salina Arts &amp; Humanities at 785-309-5770 or <a href="mailto:sah@salina.org">sah@salina.org</a>.Traxler, whose writing has won national and international awards, founded the Poetry Series in 1984 when she served as Salina writer-in-residence. Since that time, the series has welcomed nearly 200 state and U.S. poets laureate, writers of national and regional significance, Salina writers, and regional new voices selected by series directors. After Traxler’s tenure as series director, Moritz directed the poetry readings for 17 years. McKenzie, then director of the Salina Public Library, made the selections for a year before he retired.“Salina Arts &amp; Humanities staff and series organizers felt this was the perfect year to feature work by a diverse and well-qualified group of local poets, many of them who will be sharing recently published work,” Anderson said of the weekly series readings.The line-up of poets for the 2021 Salina Poetry Series is as follows.McKenzie is a writer who retired after a long career as a public librarian. He does freelance reporting and writes a column for the Salina Journal. His broad community involvement informs everything he writes. His first book of poems, At The Mercy of Ourselves, was released in 2019.Brack is a freelance arts worker whose new book, A Case for the Dead Letter Detective, was published in February. She is also the author of Museum Made of Breath, published in 2018, and A Fine Place to See the Sky, a poetic script for a work of performance art by Ernesto Pujol, presented at the Salina Art Center in 2010. She is coordinating this year’s Poetry Series.Moritz is a writer, an installation and graphic artist, and a retired educator. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Wichita State University and is the winner of national awards for her poems and essays. She taught at the Ellsworth Correctional Facility, Kansas State University, and Kansas Wesleyan University.Elliott is the author of 11 poetry collections, including two books published in 2020: The Mercy of Distance: New and Selected Poems and Creature Way. He is also the author and illustrator of a children’s book and a memoir. Elliott taught art at Marymount College for 13 years and served as education coordinator at the Salina Art Center until his retirement.Traxler is the author of a novel, Blood, the short story collection In the Skin, published in 2020, and four poetry collections including the 2019 Kansas Book Award winner Naming the Fires. She was twice named the Bunting Poetry Fellow at Radcliffe, and she has read her award-winning poetry at many universities.Books by the poets will be available for purchase at Ad Astra Books &amp; Coffee House, 141 North Santa Fe Avenue, at least a week before the series begins.

Salina Spring Poetry Series going virtual

WASHINGTON (AP) — Let the sales push begin.

President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses are opening an ambitious, cross-country tour this week to highlight&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-first-prime-time-speech-next-phase-pandemic-85d1ae52bc61abffd3ae91c324e58308">the benefits of his $1.9 trillion plan</a>&nbsp;to defeat the coronavirus and boost the economy.

The road show — dubbed the “Help is Here” tour by the White House — begins Monday with Harris heading to a COVID-19 vaccination site and a culinary academy in Las Vegas and first lady Jill Biden touring a New Jersey elementary school.

The president will have more to say about the plan Monday at the White House, and he plans to visit a small business in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday. He and Harris are slated to appear together in Atlanta on Friday.

Harris will meet with small-business owners in Denver on Tuesday. Wednesday sees Jill Biden in Concord, New Hampshire, and Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The stops at vaccination sites, businesses, schools and more are meant to educate the public about different aspects of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-personal-taxes-legislation-coronavirus-pandemic-local-governments-e828c92fbdd7f4fa1e35d9ab95fe705e">the giant American Rescue Plan</a>&nbsp;and how it will help people get to the other side of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic">the coronavirus pandemic</a>.

Biden has said President Barack Obama’s administration, in which Biden was vice president, failed to adequately educate the public about the benefits of its economic recovery plan. He said he wants to do a better sales job this time around on the details of his first big legislative victory.

One of the plan’s key features is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-house-virus-relief-checks-3eed6a4659f1fb7d36b4ced0eba58f86">direct payments of $1,400 for a single taxpayer</a>, or $2,800 for a married couple filing their taxes jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent — for a total of $5,600 for a married couple with two children. The payments phase out for those with higher incomes.

An extension of federal unemployment benefits will continue through Sept. 6 at $300 a week. There’s $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments, $130 billion for K-12 schools and about $50 billion to expand COVID-19 testing, among other measures.

Restaurants and bars that were forced to close or limit service will take advantage of a new multibillion-dollar grant program, and the plan also has tens of billions of dollars to help people who have fallen behind on their rent and mortgage payments.

The bill cleared Congress without any backing from Republicans, despite polling that found broad public support for the plan. Republicans argued the bill was too expensive. Democrats provided the votes and Biden signed it into law last week.

The “Help is Here” tour is taking Harris on her first domestic trip as vice president. She’ll be accompanied by her husband, the nation’s first “second gentleman,” who plans to break off for separate events in Las Vegas on Monday and New Mexico on Wednesday.

Since taking office, Harris has presided over swearing-in ceremonies for members of Biden’s Cabinet. She has stood with the president at his speeches, delivered remarks of her own, spoken by telephone with assorted world leaders and made appearances in the Washington area, including at funeral services for Washington power broker Vernon Jordan.

Harris also cast three tie-breaking votes in the 50-50 Senate in her role as president of the Senate.

Jill Biden will be joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on a tour Monday of Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington, where she is expected to talk about how the plan will help families and communities, and highlight steps the school took to reopen.

The first lady has kept a robust schedule focused on education, military families and cancer research since stepping into her new role. Earlier this month, she and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona visited Connecticut and Pennsylvania public schools that reopened during the pandemic.

Emhoff, an entertainment lawyer, also has made a few appearances in the Washington area in between his stint teaching at Georgetown Law. He plans to visit a food relief organization Monday in Las Vegas and participate in a listening session with the organization’s partners.

In addition to the president, vice president and their spouses, Cabinet secretaries will also be out on the tour. Hundreds of mayors and governors, including Republicans, are being lined up to give interviews to discuss what the plan means for their communities.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was set Monday to tour a UPS distribution center in Landover, Maryland, that also delivers vaccines in the Washington area.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615804276114.png" alt="Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden during a Rose Garden event to discuss the $1.9T America Rescue Plan Act.-image courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden during a Rose Garden event to discuss the $1.9T America Rescue Plan Act.-image courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Let the sales push begin.President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses are opening an ambitious, cross-country tour this week to highlight&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-first-prime-time-speech-next-phase-pandemic-85d1ae52bc61abffd3ae91c324e58308">the benefits of his $1.9 trillion plan</a>&nbsp;to defeat the coronavirus and boost the economy.The road show — dubbed the “Help is Here” tour by the White House — begins Monday with Harris heading to a COVID-19 vaccination site and a culinary academy in Las Vegas and first lady Jill Biden touring a New Jersey elementary school.The president will have more to say about the plan Monday at the White House, and he plans to visit a small business in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday. He and Harris are slated to appear together in Atlanta on Friday.Harris will meet with small-business owners in Denver on Tuesday. Wednesday sees Jill Biden in Concord, New Hampshire, and Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.The stops at vaccination sites, businesses, schools and more are meant to educate the public about different aspects of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-personal-taxes-legislation-coronavirus-pandemic-local-governments-e828c92fbdd7f4fa1e35d9ab95fe705e">the giant American Rescue Plan</a>&nbsp;and how it will help people get to the other side of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic">the coronavirus pandemic</a>.Biden has said President Barack Obama’s administration, in which Biden was vice president, failed to adequately educate the public about the benefits of its economic recovery plan. He said he wants to do a better sales job this time around on the details of his first big legislative victory.One of the plan’s key features is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/white-house-virus-relief-checks-3eed6a4659f1fb7d36b4ced0eba58f86">direct payments of $1,400 for a single taxpayer</a>, or $2,800 for a married couple filing their taxes jointly, plus $1,400 per dependent — for a total of $5,600 for a married couple with two children. The payments phase out for those with higher incomes.An extension of federal unemployment benefits will continue through Sept. 6 at $300 a week. There’s $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments, $130 billion for K-12 schools and about $50 billion to expand COVID-19 testing, among other measures.Restaurants and bars that were forced to close or limit service will take advantage of a new multibillion-dollar grant program, and the plan also has tens of billions of dollars to help people who have fallen behind on their rent and mortgage payments.The bill cleared Congress without any backing from Republicans, despite polling that found broad public support for the plan. Republicans argued the bill was too expensive. Democrats provided the votes and Biden signed it into law last week.The “Help is Here” tour is taking Harris on her first domestic trip as vice president. She’ll be accompanied by her husband, the nation’s first “second gentleman,” who plans to break off for separate events in Las Vegas on Monday and New Mexico on Wednesday.Since taking office, Harris has presided over swearing-in ceremonies for members of Biden’s Cabinet. She has stood with the president at his speeches, delivered remarks of her own, spoken by telephone with assorted world leaders and made appearances in the Washington area, including at funeral services for Washington power broker Vernon Jordan.Harris also cast three tie-breaking votes in the 50-50 Senate in her role as president of the Senate.Jill Biden will be joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on a tour Monday of Samuel Smith Elementary School in Burlington, where she is expected to talk about how the plan will help families and communities, and highlight steps the school took to reopen.The first lady has kept a robust schedule focused on education, military families and cancer research since stepping into her new role. Earlier this month, she and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona visited Connecticut and Pennsylvania public schools that reopened during the pandemic.Emhoff, an entertainment lawyer, also has made a few appearances in the Washington area in between his stint teaching at Georgetown Law. He plans to visit a food relief organization Monday in Las Vegas and participate in a listening session with the organization’s partners.In addition to the president, vice president and their spouses, Cabinet secretaries will also be out on the tour. Hundreds of mayors and governors, including Republicans, are being lined up to give interviews to discuss what the plan means for their communities.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was set Monday to tour a UPS distribution center in Landover, Maryland, that also delivers vaccines in the Washington area.

Road show: Biden, Harris to promote relief plan's benefits

By ANNE M. PETERSON, Associated Press

More than 500 college athletes have signed a letter to the NCAA Board of Governors asking the organization to refuse to schedule championships in states that have banned transgender participation in sports.

The move follows a wave of legislative efforts across the country aimed at transgender athletes. Idaho banned transgender women from taking part in women’s and girls’ sports last year, although that law has been challenged in court. State legislatures in North Dakota and Mississippi have recently passed similar measures.

The letter to the NCAA asks the board to uphold the organization’s nondiscrimination policy, citing the decision to move championships out of North Carolina in 2016 in response to House Bill 2, which legislated transgender use of public restrooms.

“We call upon you to ensure that the NCAA lives up to the guidelines and standards that they claim to uphold by making a firm statement that you will uphold the NCAA Anti-Discrimination Policy and only operate championships and events in states that promote an inclusive atmosphere,” the letter says.

The NCAA has had policies in place since 2011 that allow for transgender participation in sports.

The letter was the idea of track and field athletes Aliya Schenck and Alana Bojar of Washington University in St. Louis, who work with Athlete Ally. Athletes from across the different college sports signed on to the effort.

“All student-athletes should be safe and protected when competing in NCAA championships,” the two said in a statement. “Your silence on this issue is only allowing more states to pass these bills. We urge you to act now and make a strong statement against these bills, saying that the NCAA will not host championships in states that openly discriminate against LGBTQI+ athletes.”

Athlete Ally is a nonprofit group that advocates for LGBTQI+ athletes. Last year it was part of an effort on behalf of 200 current and former athletes —— including Megan Rapinoe, Billie Jean King and Candace Parker — who filed an amicus brief with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in opposition to the Idaho law.

“Though the NCAA has continued to monitor the bills and has spoken out in support of trans athletes, the time is now for the NCAA to listen to hundreds of student athletes calling on them to clearly and unequivocally put the health and safety of all student-athletes first and condemn these horrific bills,” said Anne Lieberman, Athlete Ally’s director of policy and programs.

The NCAA issued a statement to The Associated Press saying it continues to monitor legislation that affects transgender athletes.

“The NCAA believes in fair and respectful student-athlete participation at all levels of sport. The Association’s transgender student-athlete participation policy and other diversity policies are designed to facilitate and support inclusion,” the statement said. “The NCAA believes diversity and inclusion improve the learning environment and it encourages its member colleges and universities to support the well-being of all student-athletes.”

By ANNE M. PETERSON, Associated PressMore than 500 college athletes have signed a letter to the NCAA Board of Governors asking the organization to refuse to schedule championships in states that have banned transgender participation in sports.The move follows a wave of legislative efforts across the country aimed at transgender athletes. Idaho banned transgender women from taking part in women’s and girls’ sports last year, although that law has been challenged in court. State legislatures in North Dakota and Mississippi have recently passed similar measures.The letter to the NCAA asks the board to uphold the organization’s nondiscrimination policy, citing the decision to move championships out of North Carolina in 2016 in response to House Bill 2, which legislated transgender use of public restrooms.“We call upon you to ensure that the NCAA lives up to the guidelines and standards that they claim to uphold by making a firm statement that you will uphold the NCAA Anti-Discrimination Policy and only operate championships and events in states that promote an inclusive atmosphere,” the letter says.The NCAA has had policies in place since 2011 that allow for transgender participation in sports.The letter was the idea of track and field athletes Aliya Schenck and Alana Bojar of Washington University in St. Louis, who work with Athlete Ally. Athletes from across the different college sports signed on to the effort.“All student-athletes should be safe and protected when competing in NCAA championships,” the two said in a statement. “Your silence on this issue is only allowing more states to pass these bills. We urge you to act now and make a strong statement against these bills, saying that the NCAA will not host championships in states that openly discriminate against LGBTQI+ athletes.”Athlete Ally is a nonprofit group that advocates for LGBTQI+ athletes. Last year it was part of an effort on behalf of 200 current and former athletes —— including Megan Rapinoe, Billie Jean King and Candace Parker — who filed an amicus brief with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in opposition to the Idaho law.“Though the NCAA has continued to monitor the bills and has spoken out in support of trans athletes, the time is now for the NCAA to listen to hundreds of student athletes calling on them to clearly and unequivocally put the health and safety of all student-athletes first and condemn these horrific bills,” said Anne Lieberman, Athlete Ally’s director of policy and programs.The NCAA issued a statement to The Associated Press saying it continues to monitor legislation that affects transgender athletes.“The NCAA believes in fair and respectful student-athlete participation at all levels of sport. The Association’s transgender student-athlete participation policy and other diversity policies are designed to facilitate and support inclusion,” the statement said. “The NCAA believes diversity and inclusion improve the learning environment and it encourages its member colleges and universities to support the well-being of all student-athletes.”

Athletes appeal to NCAA in protest of anti-transgender laws

WASHINGTON (AP) —As members of the Oath Keepers paramilitary group shouldered their way through the mob and up the steps to the U.S. Capitol, their plans for Jan. 6 were clear, authorities say. “Arrest this assembly, we have probable cause for acts of treason, election fraud,” someone commanded over an encrypted messaging app some extremists used to communicate during the siege.

A little while earlier, Proud Boys carrying two-way radios and wearing earpieces spread out and tried to blend in with the crowd as they invaded the Capitol led by a man assigned “war powers” to oversee the group’s attack, prosecutors say.

These two extremist groups that traveled to Washington along with thousands of other Trump supporters weren’t whipped into an impulsive frenzy by President Donald Trump that day, officials say. They’d been laying attack plans. And their internal communications and other evidence emerging in court papers and in hearings show how authorities are trying to build a case that small&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-extremist-groups-80e309418abecd0b1d50ec4762e6d9c6">cells hidden within the masses</a>&nbsp;mounted an organized, military-style assault on the heart of American democracy.

“This was not simply a march. This was an incredible attack on our institutions of government,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough said during a recent hearing.

The Proud Boys and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-ohio-4ae41a1dc529fc96879c618b5b64126d">the Oath Keepers make up a fraction</a>&nbsp;of the more than 300 Trump supporters charged so far in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">the siege</a>&nbsp;that led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860">Trump’s second impeachment</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/docs-expose-depth-january-6-capitol-siege-chaos-fd3204574c11e453be8fb4e3c81258c3">resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer</a>. But several of their leaders, members and associates have become the central targets of the Justice Department’s sprawling investigation.

It could mean more serious criminal charges for some rioters. On the other hand, mounting evidence of advance planning could also fuel Trump’s and his supporters’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-trial-update-2-12-2021-f831653160706c49987c9d33228ccbbb">claims that the Republican former president did not incite the riot</a>&nbsp;and therefore should not be liable for it.

Defense attorneys have accused prosecutors of distorting their clients’ words and actions to falsely portray the attack as a premeditated, orchestrated insurrection instead of a spontaneous outpouring of election-fueled rage to stop Congress’ certification of Trump’s defeat by Democrat Joe Biden.

And prosecutors’ case against a man described as a leader in the Proud Boys’ attack took a hit last week when a judge ordered him released while he awaits trial, calling some of the evidence against him “weak to say the least.”

The Oath Keepers began readying for violence as early as last November, authorities say. Communications show the group discussing logistics, weapons and training, including “2 days of wargames.”

“I need you fighting fit” by the inauguration, one Ohio member, Jessica Watkins, told a recruit in November, according to court documents. “If Biden becomes president our way of life as we know it is over. Our Republic would be over. Then it is our duty as Americans to fight, kill and die for our rights,” she said in another message later that month.

As Jan. 6 neared, they discussed stationing a “quick reaction force” outside Washington that could bring in weapons “if something goes to hell,” according to court documents. Days before the attack, one man suggested getting a boat to ferry “heavy weapons” across the Potomac River into their “waiting arms.”

“I believe we will have to get violent to stop this,” that man, Thomas Caldwell of Virginia, said in a November message to Watkins. On Jan. 1, he took to Facebook to decry what he viewed as a rigged election, saying “we must smite them now and drive them down,” authorities say.

Authorities have acknowledged there’s no evidence Caldwell was a dues-paying member of the Oath Keepers but have described him as a supporter who appeared to play a “leadership role” within the group.

There were plans for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-politics-impeachments-7d2334edf7da4e2d50e4c6f1f386dec1">some Oath Keepers</a>&nbsp;to be there in “grey man” mode without identifiable militia gear so they could blend in with the crowd.

“For every Oath Keeper you see, there are at least two you don’t see,” said a Jan. 4 email sent to members.

Two days before the attack, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/henry-tarrio-proud-boys-arrested-d00d08b026669c150832d1e4c19aeab6">Proud Boys’ top leader, Enrique Tarrio,</a>&nbsp;was arrested shortly after he arrived in Washington and was charged with vandalizing a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic Black church during a December protest.

Tarrio was ordered to stay away from the nation’s capital, so Ethan Nordean was given “war powers” to take charge of the group’s Jan. 6 activities, prosecutors say.

Nordean, a Proud Boys chapter president from Washington state known as Ruffio Panman, tapped his social media following to solicit donations of money and tactical gear for the rally, prosecutors said. On the day of Tarrio’s arrest, Nordean posted a link to a podcast in which he discussed baseless claims about fraud in the election.

“Democracy is dead? Well, then no peace for you. No democracy, no peace,” he said.

Publicly, Tarrio announced on social media that the Proud Boys wouldn’t be wearing their customary yellow-and-black polo shirts on Jan. 6 so they could be “incognito.” Joseph Biggs, a self-described Proud Boys organizer from Florida, echoed that in a social media post directed at counter-protesters.

“We will be blending in as one of you. You won’t see us,” Biggs wrote. “We are going to smell like you, move like you, and look like you.”

Privately, according to prosecutors, the Proud Boys arranged for members to communicate using specific frequencies on Baofeng radios, Chinese-made devices that can be programmed for use on hundreds of frequencies, making it difficult for outsiders to eavesdrop.

One of the Proud Boys who heeded the call to meet in Washington was Dominic Pezzola. He traveled from Syracuse, New York, on Jan. 5 and stayed with other members at a hotel, authorities say.

Another group of members came from the Kansas City area. Investigators believe their chapter leader, William Chrestman, brought a helmet, a gas mask and an ax handle that he would conceal as a flag.

They were ready for a fight, prosecutors say.

Long before the riot, Trump refused to condemn the Proud Boys during his Sept. 29 presidential debate against Biden, instead saying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-race-and-ethnicity-donald-trump-chris-wallace-0b32339da25fbc9e8b7c7c7066a1db0f">the group should “stand back and stand by.”</a>&nbsp;Proud Boys members celebrated his words on social media, before the president later claimed not to know who they were. It’s unclear whether the Oath Keepers were on the White House radar.

Proud Boys members, who describe themselves as a politically incorrect men’s club for “Western chauvinists,” have frequently engaged in street fights with antifascist activists at rallies and protests. Vice Media co-founder Gavin McInnes, who founded the Proud Boys in 2016, sued the Southern Poverty Law Center for labeling it as a hate group.

The Oath Keepers are a loosely organized group of extremists who actively recruit current and former military, police and first responders who pledge to fulfill the oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies — foreign or domestic.

In the weeks before the attack, Trump and his supporters were making increasingly false and incendiary comments, designed to mobilize supporters to work to overturn the election results — even though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-fact-check-joe-biden-donald-trump-technology-49a24edd6d10888dbad61689c24b05a5">there was no widespread fraud</a>&nbsp;in the election, as was confirmed by election officials across the country and by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d">Trump’s attorney general</a>.

Trump encouraged thousands at the rally preceding the riot to “fight like hell,” but lawyers for the former president adamantly denied during his impeachment trial that he had incited the attack. They pointed to a remark during his speech in which he told the crowd to behave “peacefully” that day.

He was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-trials-impeachments-b245b52fd7d4a079ae199c954baba452">acquitted in a Senate trial</a>&nbsp;of inciting the riot after he was impeached by the House, but GOP leaders said a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-acquittals-impeachments-6fb642f97be5f2bd202e8bc002d6a167">more appropriate venue</a>&nbsp;for his actions could be the courts.

As the mob swarmed the Capitol, Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers, was communicating with some of the alleged rioters.

“All I see Trump doing is complaining. I see no intent by him to do anything. So the patriots are taking it into their own hands. They’ve had enough,” he said in a Signal message to a group around 1:40 p.m., authorities say. A little later, Rhodes, who has not been charged in the attack, instructed the group to “come to South Side of Capitol on steps.”

Around 2:40 p.m., members of a military-style “stack” who moved up Capitol stairs in a line entered the building through a door on the east side, authorities say. Lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence had been evacuated from the House and Senate chambers just about 20 minutes earlier.

“We are in the mezzanine. We are in the main dome right now. We are rocking it. They are throwing grenades, they are fricking shooting people with paint balls. But we are in here,” Watkins declared over a channel called Stop the Steal J6 on the walkie-talkie app Zello.

“Get it, Jess. ... Everything we (expletive) trained for,” someone responded, according to the communications&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/zello-tapes-walkie-talkie-app-used-during-insurrection-on-the-media" target="_blank">obtained by WNYC’s “On the Media” program</a>&nbsp;and detailed in court documents.

Caldwell, who did not join the stack, climbed up to the west side balcony, authorities say.

“We are surging forward, doors breached,” he said in a Facebook message about 10 minutes after the group went inside, according to court documents. Roughly 15 minutes later he sent another message: “Inside.”

Caldwell received a Facebook message saying “all members are in the tunnels under capital seal them in,” authorities said. “Turn on gas,” the message said.

Hours after the siege, Caldwell was already talking about another attack “at the local level,” authorities say.

“If we’d had guns I guarantee we would have killed 100 politicians. They ran off and were spirited away through their underground tunnels like the rats they were,” Caldwell said in a message to a friend.

The Proud Boys met at the Washington Monument and were already at the Capitol before Trump finished addressing thousands of supporters near the White House. Listening to the president’s speech wasn’t part of their plan, prosecutors say.

Nordean led the way with a bullhorn while they wore headgear marked with orange tape. Pezzola appeared to have an earpiece in his right ear. Biggs had what looked like a walkie-talkie device on his chest.

Nordean was spotted having a brief exchange near the Capitol with Robert Gieswein, a bat-wielding Colorado man. Proud Boys planning for Jan. 6 had discussed using non-members, or “normies,” like Gieswein to “burn that city to ash” and “smash some pigs to dust,” prosecutors said.

The Proud Boys arrived at the east side of the Capitol before noon. Nordean allegedly positioned them at a Capitol grounds pedestrian entrance guarded by a handful of police officers behind a movable metal barrier.

Around 12:50 p.m., just before the joint session of Congress was scheduled to start, a crowd including Proud Boys members broke through a front line of Capitol police officers and past sets of metal barriers. Nordean moved to the front of the crowd and “stalked” the line of officers to intimidate them and rile up the crowd, prosecutors wrote.

As the mob advanced to another line of officers in the Capitol’s west plaza, Chrestman faced them and shouted, “Do you want your house back?”

Gieswein and Pezzola were among the first to enter the Capitol, through a window Pezzola shattered with a riot shield that he snatched from police, prosecutors say. It took Pezzola more than an hour to fight his way from the exterior of the Capitol grounds to the building’s interior, they say.

Inside, Pezzola joined others in confronting Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, who led the mob away from an entrance to the Senate chamber. Pezzola later took a video of himself smoking a cigar.

“Victory smoke in the Capitol, boys,” he said.

Nine people linked to the Oath Keepers have been indicted on charges that they planned and coordinated with one another in the siege. At least 11 leaders, members or associates of the Proud Boys charged in the riots are accused by the Justice Department of participating in a coordinated attack.

Several from both groups remain in federal custody while awaiting trial.

Their defense attorneys say prosecutors have painted a misleading account of the day’s events based on shaky evidence. Other lawyers for those charged with storming the Capitol have tried to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-us-news-75b5963841a2263fe8d79b1d18ef552b">pin the blame on Trump for inciting the rioters</a>.

Nordean’s lawyers said prosecutors haven’t presented any evidence that he used encrypted communications to lead a group’s attack on the Capitol. While the government said investigators found a Baofeng radio in Nordean’s home, his lawyers said he did not obtain it until after the day after the riot.

“The government has made repeated claims about Ethan’s activities and then backed away from them without providing any support,” said one of his attorneys, Nicholas Smith.

Caldwell’s lawyer has accused prosecutors of twisting social media posts and messages to make fantastic claims with no hard evidence that any person or group had a premeditated plan to storm the Capitol. David Fischer described Caldwell as a Hollywood-addicted amateur screenwriter full of bravado. The prosecutors’ case is heavy on “dramatic language” but “light on specifics,” the lawyer said in a recent court filing.

“What time was the ‘invasion’ scheduled to begin? Who would lead the attack? What was the goal once the planners entered the Capitol? Who was the leader in the attack? What was the exit strategy of the planners?” Fischer wrote.

Fischer said prosecutors’ case crumbles when closely examined. The “quick reaction force” prosecutors have alleged the Oath Keepers were planning, for example, was actually one person — an obese man in his late 60s with a bad back — who planned to come to their aid if they were attacked by left-wing protesters, Fischer said.

During a hearing last month in which a judge ordered him to remain behind bars while he awaits trial, Caldwell exclaimed that his messages were being “taken out of context.”

“These Oath Keepers thought they — ” he said, before the audio was disconnected and the judge cut in to warn him that anything he said could be used against him by prosecutors.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1613070062571.png" alt="In February, a Capitol. Chief U.S. District Judge ordered&nbsp; that 47-year-old William Chrestman of Olathe be taken from Kansas to Washington to be held until his trial. Chrestman is charged with conspiracy and several other counts. Federal authorities allege he led members of the Kansas City-area Proud Boys who stormed the Capitol Jan. 6.&nbsp; photo Wyandotte County Jail" />
 <figcaption>In February, a Capitol. Chief U.S. District Judge ordered&nbsp; that 47-year-old William Chrestman of Olathe be taken from Kansas to Washington to be held until his trial. Chrestman is charged with conspiracy and several other counts. Federal authorities allege he led members of the Kansas City-area Proud Boys who stormed the Capitol Jan. 6.&nbsp; photo Wyandotte County Jail</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —As members of the Oath Keepers paramilitary group shouldered their way through the mob and up the steps to the U.S. Capitol, their plans for Jan. 6 were clear, authorities say. “Arrest this assembly, we have probable cause for acts of treason, election fraud,” someone commanded over an encrypted messaging app some extremists used to communicate during the siege.A little while earlier, Proud Boys carrying two-way radios and wearing earpieces spread out and tried to blend in with the crowd as they invaded the Capitol led by a man assigned “war powers” to oversee the group’s attack, prosecutors say.These two extremist groups that traveled to Washington along with thousands of other Trump supporters weren’t whipped into an impulsive frenzy by President Donald Trump that day, officials say. They’d been laying attack plans. And their internal communications and other evidence emerging in court papers and in hearings show how authorities are trying to build a case that small&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-extremist-groups-80e309418abecd0b1d50ec4762e6d9c6">cells hidden within the masses</a>&nbsp;mounted an organized, military-style assault on the heart of American democracy.“This was not simply a march. This was an incredible attack on our institutions of government,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough said during a recent hearing.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/2/1614042711157.png" alt="Protesters at the U.S. Capitol on January 6-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Protesters at the U.S. Capitol on January 6-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>The Proud Boys and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-ohio-4ae41a1dc529fc96879c618b5b64126d">the Oath Keepers make up a fraction</a>&nbsp;of the more than 300 Trump supporters charged so far in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">the siege</a>&nbsp;that led to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-vote-capitol-siege-0a6f2a348a6e43f27d5e1dc486027860">Trump’s second impeachment</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/docs-expose-depth-january-6-capitol-siege-chaos-fd3204574c11e453be8fb4e3c81258c3">resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer</a>. But several of their leaders, members and associates have become the central targets of the Justice Department’s sprawling investigation.It could mean more serious criminal charges for some rioters. On the other hand, mounting evidence of advance planning could also fuel Trump’s and his supporters’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-impeachment-trial-update-2-12-2021-f831653160706c49987c9d33228ccbbb">claims that the Republican former president did not incite the riot</a>&nbsp;and therefore should not be liable for it.Defense attorneys have accused prosecutors of distorting their clients’ words and actions to falsely portray the attack as a premeditated, orchestrated insurrection instead of a spontaneous outpouring of election-fueled rage to stop Congress’ certification of Trump’s defeat by Democrat Joe Biden.And prosecutors’ case against a man described as a leader in the Proud Boys’ attack took a hit last week when a judge ordered him released while he awaits trial, calling some of the evidence against him “weak to say the least.”___The Oath Keepers began readying for violence as early as last November, authorities say. Communications show the group discussing logistics, weapons and training, including “2 days of wargames.”“I need you fighting fit” by the inauguration, one Ohio member, Jessica Watkins, told a recruit in November, according to court documents. “If Biden becomes president our way of life as we know it is over. Our Republic would be over. Then it is our duty as Americans to fight, kill and die for our rights,” she said in another message later that month.As Jan. 6 neared, they discussed stationing a “quick reaction force” outside Washington that could bring in weapons “if something goes to hell,” according to court documents. Days before the attack, one man suggested getting a boat to ferry “heavy weapons” across the Potomac River into their “waiting arms.”“I believe we will have to get violent to stop this,” that man, Thomas Caldwell of Virginia, said in a November message to Watkins. On Jan. 1, he took to Facebook to decry what he viewed as a rigged election, saying “we must smite them now and drive them down,” authorities say.Authorities have acknowledged there’s no evidence Caldwell was a dues-paying member of the Oath Keepers but have described him as a supporter who appeared to play a “leadership role” within the group.There were plans for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-politics-impeachments-7d2334edf7da4e2d50e4c6f1f386dec1">some Oath Keepers</a>&nbsp;to be there in “grey man” mode without identifiable militia gear so they could blend in with the crowd.“For every Oath Keeper you see, there are at least two you don’t see,” said a Jan. 4 email sent to members.____Two days before the attack, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/henry-tarrio-proud-boys-arrested-d00d08b026669c150832d1e4c19aeab6">Proud Boys’ top leader, Enrique Tarrio,</a>&nbsp;was arrested shortly after he arrived in Washington and was charged with vandalizing a Black Lives Matter banner at a historic Black church during a December protest.Tarrio was ordered to stay away from the nation’s capital, so Ethan Nordean was given “war powers” to take charge of the group’s Jan. 6 activities, prosecutors say.Nordean, a Proud Boys chapter president from Washington state known as Ruffio Panman, tapped his social media following to solicit donations of money and tactical gear for the rally, prosecutors said. On the day of Tarrio’s arrest, Nordean posted a link to a podcast in which he discussed baseless claims about fraud in the election.“Democracy is dead? Well, then no peace for you. No democracy, no peace,” he said.Publicly, Tarrio announced on social media that the Proud Boys wouldn’t be wearing their customary yellow-and-black polo shirts on Jan. 6 so they could be “incognito.” Joseph Biggs, a self-described Proud Boys organizer from Florida, echoed that in a social media post directed at counter-protesters.“We will be blending in as one of you. You won’t see us,” Biggs wrote. “We are going to smell like you, move like you, and look like you.”Privately, according to prosecutors, the Proud Boys arranged for members to communicate using specific frequencies on Baofeng radios, Chinese-made devices that can be programmed for use on hundreds of frequencies, making it difficult for outsiders to eavesdrop.One of the Proud Boys who heeded the call to meet in Washington was Dominic Pezzola. He traveled from Syracuse, New York, on Jan. 5 and stayed with other members at a hotel, authorities say.Another group of members came from the Kansas City area. Investigators believe their chapter leader, William Chrestman, brought a helmet, a gas mask and an ax handle that he would conceal as a flag.They were ready for a fight, prosecutors say.___Long before the riot, Trump refused to condemn the Proud Boys during his Sept. 29 presidential debate against Biden, instead saying&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-race-and-ethnicity-donald-trump-chris-wallace-0b32339da25fbc9e8b7c7c7066a1db0f">the group should “stand back and stand by.”</a>&nbsp;Proud Boys members celebrated his words on social media, before the president later claimed not to know who they were. It’s unclear whether the Oath Keepers were on the White House radar.Proud Boys members, who describe themselves as a politically incorrect men’s club for “Western chauvinists,” have frequently engaged in street fights with antifascist activists at rallies and protests. Vice Media co-founder Gavin McInnes, who founded the Proud Boys in 2016, sued the Southern Poverty Law Center for labeling it as a hate group.The Oath Keepers are a loosely organized group of extremists who actively recruit current and former military, police and first responders who pledge to fulfill the oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies — foreign or domestic.In the weeks before the attack, Trump and his supporters were making increasingly false and incendiary comments, designed to mobilize supporters to work to overturn the election results — even though&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-fact-check-joe-biden-donald-trump-technology-49a24edd6d10888dbad61689c24b05a5">there was no widespread fraud</a>&nbsp;in the election, as was confirmed by election officials across the country and by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d">Trump’s attorney general</a>.Trump encouraged thousands at the rally preceding the riot to “fight like hell,” but lawyers for the former president adamantly denied during his impeachment trial that he had incited the attack. They pointed to a remark during his speech in which he told the crowd to behave “peacefully” that day.He was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-trials-impeachments-b245b52fd7d4a079ae199c954baba452">acquitted in a Senate trial</a>&nbsp;of inciting the riot after he was impeached by the House, but GOP leaders said a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-riots-acquittals-impeachments-6fb642f97be5f2bd202e8bc002d6a167">more appropriate venue</a>&nbsp;for his actions could be the courts.___As the mob swarmed the Capitol, Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers, was communicating with some of the alleged rioters.“All I see Trump doing is complaining. I see no intent by him to do anything. So the patriots are taking it into their own hands. They’ve had enough,” he said in a Signal message to a group around 1:40 p.m., authorities say. A little later, Rhodes, who has not been charged in the attack, instructed the group to “come to South Side of Capitol on steps.”Around 2:40 p.m., members of a military-style “stack” who moved up Capitol stairs in a line entered the building through a door on the east side, authorities say. Lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence had been evacuated from the House and Senate chambers just about 20 minutes earlier.“We are in the mezzanine. We are in the main dome right now. We are rocking it. They are throwing grenades, they are fricking shooting people with paint balls. But we are in here,” Watkins declared over a channel called Stop the Steal J6 on the walkie-talkie app Zello.“Get it, Jess. ... Everything we (expletive) trained for,” someone responded, according to the communications&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/segments/zello-tapes-walkie-talkie-app-used-during-insurrection-on-the-media" target="_blank">obtained by WNYC’s “On the Media” program</a>&nbsp;and detailed in court documents.Caldwell, who did not join the stack, climbed up to the west side balcony, authorities say.“We are surging forward, doors breached,” he said in a Facebook message about 10 minutes after the group went inside, according to court documents. Roughly 15 minutes later he sent another message: “Inside.”Caldwell received a Facebook message saying “all members are in the tunnels under capital seal them in,” authorities said. “Turn on gas,” the message said.Hours after the siege, Caldwell was already talking about another attack “at the local level,” authorities say.“If we’d had guns I guarantee we would have killed 100 politicians. They ran off and were spirited away through their underground tunnels like the rats they were,” Caldwell said in a message to a friend.___The Proud Boys met at the Washington Monument and were already at the Capitol before Trump finished addressing thousands of supporters near the White House. Listening to the president’s speech wasn’t part of their plan, prosecutors say.Nordean led the way with a bullhorn while they wore headgear marked with orange tape. Pezzola appeared to have an earpiece in his right ear. Biggs had what looked like a walkie-talkie device on his chest.Nordean was spotted having a brief exchange near the Capitol with Robert Gieswein, a bat-wielding Colorado man. Proud Boys planning for Jan. 6 had discussed using non-members, or “normies,” like Gieswein to “burn that city to ash” and “smash some pigs to dust,” prosecutors said.The Proud Boys arrived at the east side of the Capitol before noon. Nordean allegedly positioned them at a Capitol grounds pedestrian entrance guarded by a handful of police officers behind a movable metal barrier.Around 12:50 p.m., just before the joint session of Congress was scheduled to start, a crowd including Proud Boys members broke through a front line of Capitol police officers and past sets of metal barriers. Nordean moved to the front of the crowd and “stalked” the line of officers to intimidate them and rile up the crowd, prosecutors wrote.As the mob advanced to another line of officers in the Capitol’s west plaza, Chrestman faced them and shouted, “Do you want your house back?”“Yes!” the crowd replied.“Take it!” Chrestman yelled.Gieswein and Pezzola were among the first to enter the Capitol, through a window Pezzola shattered with a riot shield that he snatched from police, prosecutors say. It took Pezzola more than an hour to fight his way from the exterior of the Capitol grounds to the building’s interior, they say.Inside, Pezzola joined others in confronting Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, who led the mob away from an entrance to the Senate chamber. Pezzola later took a video of himself smoking a cigar.“Victory smoke in the Capitol, boys,” he said.___Nine people linked to the Oath Keepers have been indicted on charges that they planned and coordinated with one another in the siege. At least 11 leaders, members or associates of the Proud Boys charged in the riots are accused by the Justice Department of participating in a coordinated attack.Several from both groups remain in federal custody while awaiting trial.Their defense attorneys say prosecutors have painted a misleading account of the day’s events based on shaky evidence. Other lawyers for those charged with storming the Capitol have tried to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-capitol-siege-us-news-75b5963841a2263fe8d79b1d18ef552b">pin the blame on Trump for inciting the rioters</a>.Nordean’s lawyers said prosecutors haven’t presented any evidence that he used encrypted communications to lead a group’s attack on the Capitol. While the government said investigators found a Baofeng radio in Nordean’s home, his lawyers said he did not obtain it until after the day after the riot.“The government has made repeated claims about Ethan’s activities and then backed away from them without providing any support,” said one of his attorneys, Nicholas Smith.Caldwell’s lawyer has accused prosecutors of twisting social media posts and messages to make fantastic claims with no hard evidence that any person or group had a premeditated plan to storm the Capitol. David Fischer described Caldwell as a Hollywood-addicted amateur screenwriter full of bravado. The prosecutors’ case is heavy on “dramatic language” but “light on specifics,” the lawyer said in a recent court filing.“What time was the ‘invasion’ scheduled to begin? Who would lead the attack? What was the goal once the planners entered the Capitol? Who was the leader in the attack? What was the exit strategy of the planners?” Fischer wrote.Fischer said prosecutors’ case crumbles when closely examined. The “quick reaction force” prosecutors have alleged the Oath Keepers were planning, for example, was actually one person — an obese man in his late 60s with a bad back — who planned to come to their aid if they were attacked by left-wing protesters, Fischer said.During a hearing last month in which a judge ordered him to remain behind bars while he awaits trial, Caldwell exclaimed that his messages were being “taken out of context.”“These Oath Keepers thought they — ” he said, before the audio was disconnected and the judge cut in to warn him that anything he said could be used against him by prosecutors.____

US narrows in on organized extremists in Capitol siege probe

Why do you seem to put so much emphasis on teaching young children about money? Isn’t there time for that later when they’re older?

I firmly believe that one of the best ways you can make sure your kids are ready to face adulthood when the time comes is to teach them how to handle money at an early age. The reason? Learning about money, and how to manage it in a wise, mature fashion, is about a lot more than just dollars and cents.

There’s a quote from author Andy Andrews I really love. He says, “The goal is not to raise great kids. It’s to raise kids who become great adults.” If you think about it, there’s a subtle but powerful distinction here.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/why-kids-shouldnt-get-an-allowance" target="_blank">Kids</a>&nbsp;might behave well out of a sense of obedience or even fear, but that doesn’t mean they’ll do what’s best for them once they’re on their own. To raise kids who later become great adults, you have to begin instilling good character traits in them at an early age.

Work equals money. When you teach kids to&nbsp;work, you’re teaching them responsibility. Whether it’s chores around the house or a job at the mall, work involves accountability and following through on tasks. Work shows kids&nbsp;they&nbsp;are in control of their actions, and that&nbsp;they&nbsp;will reap the rewards or consequences of those actions.

Teaching kids to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/save-like-you-mean-it" target="_blank">save</a>&nbsp;teaches them patience. Today’s world is one of instant gratification, and saving money makes you slow down and think. It also shows kids they can’t have every little thing they want the moment they want it.

When you teach kids to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/why-giving-makes-you-feel-good" target="_blank">give</a>, you’re teaching them generosity.&nbsp;A willingness and desire to give doesn’t always come natural to us when we’re young. Parents should encourage and model the act of giving, because generosity is a wonderful character trait and a powerful weapon in the fight against selfishness and greed.

Finally, teaching kids to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/fun-money-in-budget" target="_blank">spend</a>&nbsp;responsibly is a great way to teach wisdom. All kids totally get the idea that spending money is fun. That’s a no brainer. But when you get involved in teaching spending as something that should be thought through and done with care and reason, you’re imparting the idea of using good judgment and thoughtfulness before taking action.

*<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 The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 16 million listeners each week. He&nbsp;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&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Dave Ramsey&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Dear Dave,Why do you seem to put so much emphasis on teaching young children about money? Isn’t there time for that later when they’re older?CyndiDear Cyndi,I firmly believe that one of the best ways you can make sure your kids are ready to face adulthood when the time comes is to teach them how to handle money at an early age. The reason? Learning about money, and how to manage it in a wise, mature fashion, is about a lot more than just dollars and cents.There’s a quote from author Andy Andrews I really love. He says, “The goal is not to raise great kids. It’s to raise kids who become great adults.” If you think about it, there’s a subtle but powerful distinction here.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/why-kids-shouldnt-get-an-allowance" target="_blank">Kids</a>&nbsp;might behave well out of a sense of obedience or even fear, but that doesn’t mean they’ll do what’s best for them once they’re on their own. To raise kids who later become great adults, you have to begin instilling good character traits in them at an early age.Work equals money. When you teach kids to&nbsp;work, you’re teaching them responsibility. Whether it’s chores around the house or a job at the mall, work involves accountability and following through on tasks. Work shows kids&nbsp;they&nbsp;are in control of their actions, and that&nbsp;they&nbsp;will reap the rewards or consequences of those actions.Teaching kids to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/save-like-you-mean-it" target="_blank">save</a>&nbsp;teaches them patience. Today’s world is one of instant gratification, and saving money makes you slow down and think. It also shows kids they can’t have every little thing they want the moment they want it.When you teach kids to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/why-giving-makes-you-feel-good" target="_blank">give</a>, you’re teaching them generosity.&nbsp;A willingness and desire to give doesn’t always come natural to us when we’re young. Parents should encourage and model the act of giving, because generosity is a wonderful character trait and a powerful weapon in the fight against selfishness and greed.Finally, teaching kids to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/fun-money-in-budget" target="_blank">spend</a>&nbsp;responsibly is a great way to teach wisdom. All kids totally get the idea that spending money is fun. That’s a no brainer. But when you get involved in teaching spending as something that should be thought through and done with care and reason, you’re imparting the idea of using good judgment and thoughtfulness before taking action.I hope this helps, Cyndi!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 The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 16 million listeners each week. He&nbsp;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: Raise them to become great adults

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas could finish immunizing seniors, meatpacking employees and other essential workers and move on to the next phase of coronavirus vaccinations by next month, top officials say.

Dr. Lee Norman, the head of the state health department, said in a webcast Tuesday with University of Kansas Health officials that he anticipated the state would begin the third phase of vaccinations in four weeks or “a little bit less.” The next phase includes people aged 16 to 64 with medical conditions that put them at severe risk if they are infected with COVID-19, including cancer and Type 2 diabetes, as well as workers in critical industries such as information technology and government.

He said some rural communities already have finished vaccinating people in the current phase, which is the state’s largest and includes about 1 million people, or about one-third of the state’s 2.9 million residents.

“They therefore are on pause as we call it for receiving additional vaccine allocation so that we can reallocate to the other counties that are still in phase 2 and moving in an orderly manner through phase 2,” Norman said. “As a state, it is good idea to not have some counties move to phase three, four, five while there are other counties still in phase 2.”

The second phase includes those over the age of 65, critical workers including firefighters, law enforcement officers, meatpacking employees, grocery store workers, teachers and child-care workers, as well as prisoners.

Gov. Laura Kelly said at a new mass vaccination site in a hard hit area of Kansas City, Kansas, that there was “no drop dead date” for moving to the next phase but that she anticipated it would happen at the beginning of April.

“That, of course, is all dependent on getting enough vaccines from the federal government to finish up phase two,” Kelly said after listening to several community leaders discuss challenges that must be overcome to fix racial vaccination disparities.

The rate of vaccinations among Kansas residents has been heavily skewed, with 121.75 out of every 1,000 white residents vaccinated, compared to 54.60 out of every 1,000 black residents and 78.83 out of every 1,000 Hispanic residents, state vaccination data shows.

“We certainly haven’t intentionally not vaccinated in communities of color and our vulnerable communities. In fact, part of the way we have been thinking about this is to look at our vulnerable communities,” Kelly said, adding that it was clear the state had not addressed the problem aggressively enough.

Kelly said one of the reasons that meatpacking workers were moved up on the priority list was to target “socially vulnerable communities.”

Teachers — another priority — have been vaccinated “for the most part,” with the exception of “a few second doses that need to go into people yet this month,” Norman said.

That’s led schools to gradually shift from virtual to in-person learning. The Board of Education in the Wichita district, which is the state’s largest with about 47,000 students, voted 6-0 Monday to allow middle and high school students to head back to class five days a week on March 29.

Elementary students already had been in-person five days a week. But older students are attending hybrid classes — at home part of the time and and in-person the rest of the time. The district will continue a virtual option, though.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas could finish immunizing seniors, meatpacking employees and other essential workers and move on to the next phase of coronavirus vaccinations by next month, top officials say.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fkuhospital%2Fvideos%2F1086596078483509%2F&show_text=false&width=560" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Dr. Lee Norman, the head of the state health department, said in a webcast Tuesday with University of Kansas Health officials that he anticipated the state would begin the third phase of vaccinations in four weeks or “a little bit less.” The next phase includes people aged 16 to 64 with medical conditions that put them at severe risk if they are infected with COVID-19, including cancer and Type 2 diabetes, as well as workers in critical industries such as information technology and government.He said some rural communities already have finished vaccinating people in the current phase, which is the state’s largest and includes about 1 million people, or about one-third of the state’s 2.9 million residents.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610104544544.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“They therefore are on pause as we call it for receiving additional vaccine allocation so that we can reallocate to the other counties that are still in phase 2 and moving in an orderly manner through phase 2,” Norman said. “As a state, it is good idea to not have some counties move to phase three, four, five while there are other counties still in phase 2.”The second phase includes those over the age of 65, critical workers including firefighters, law enforcement officers, meatpacking employees, grocery store workers, teachers and child-care workers, as well as prisoners.Gov. Laura Kelly said at a new mass vaccination site in a hard hit area of Kansas City, Kansas, that there was “no drop dead date” for moving to the next phase but that she anticipated it would happen at the beginning of April.“That, of course, is all dependent on getting enough vaccines from the federal government to finish up phase two,” Kelly said after listening to several community leaders discuss challenges that must be overcome to fix racial vaccination disparities.The rate of vaccinations among Kansas residents has been heavily skewed, with 121.75 out of every 1,000 white residents vaccinated, compared to 54.60 out of every 1,000 black residents and 78.83 out of every 1,000 Hispanic residents, state vaccination data shows.“We certainly haven’t intentionally not vaccinated in communities of color and our vulnerable communities. In fact, part of the way we have been thinking about this is to look at our vulnerable communities,” Kelly said, adding that it was clear the state had not addressed the problem aggressively enough.Kelly said one of the reasons that meatpacking workers were moved up on the priority list was to target “socially vulnerable communities.”Teachers — another priority — have been vaccinated “for the most part,” with the exception of “a few second doses that need to go into people yet this month,” Norman said.That’s led schools to gradually shift from virtual to in-person learning. The Board of Education in the Wichita district, which is the state’s largest with about 47,000 students, voted 6-0 Monday to allow middle and high school students to head back to class five days a week on March 29.Elementary students already had been in-person five days a week. But older students are attending hybrid classes — at home part of the time and and in-person the rest of the time. The district will continue a virtual option, though.

🎥 Kansas to move to next vaccination phase in April

<a href="https://www.chaputbuoy.com/obituary/steve-chartier">Obituary | Steve C. Chartier of Concordia, Kansas | Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home</a>

Steve C. Chartier, age 63, entered into rest on Saturday, March 6, 2021, at his residence in Concordia, Kansas.&nbsp; He was born on January 31, 1958 in Concordia, Kansas to Charles and Mary (Sorell) Chartier.&nbsp;&nbsp; 

Steve was a 1976 graduate of Concordia High School, Concordia, Kansas.

On July 11, 2018 he married Linda Collette in Concordia, Kansas.

Steve worked for Geisler Roofing Company in Concordia as a roofer for 30 years.

He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, cooking fish, mushroom hunting, and loved listening to 70’s music.

Steve is survived by his wife Linda, 2 step children, Erin (Jeff ) Burchfiel, Zach (Jade) McGuire, 3 step grandchildren, Austin Cordry, Lucas Burchfiel, Gage McGuire.&nbsp; His dog Wally who he loved more than his wife (LOL).&nbsp;Sisters, Peg (Richard) Sholtz, Linda LeClair, Pam (Mark) Perry, Brother, Jim (Ambrea) Chartier, many nieces, nephews, and extended family members.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Mary,

Cremation has taken place and a Celebration of Life service will be held 1:00 p.m., Saturday, April 10, 2021 at the Glen Elder Lake at the Sioux Kaw Location.&nbsp; A private family Inurnment will be held at a later time in the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, St. Joseph, Kansas.

Memorial contributions may be given to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, &amp; Tourism Wild Trust Outdoor Skills and Ethics Fund, which will benefit the Kansas Hunter Safety program and Youth Fishing program, in care of Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home, PO Box 606, Concordia, KS 66901.&nbsp; For online condolences please visit, www.chaputbuoy.com.

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

<h2>Steve C. Chartier, Concordia</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615222875022.jpeg" alt="Steve C. Chartier" />
 <figcaption>Steve C. Chartier</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.chaputbuoy.com/obituary/steve-chartier">Obituary | Steve C. Chartier of Concordia, Kansas | Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home</a>January 31, 1958 - March 6, 2021Steve C. Chartier, age 63, entered into rest on Saturday, March 6, 2021, at his residence in Concordia, Kansas.&nbsp; He was born on January 31, 1958 in Concordia, Kansas to Charles and Mary (Sorell) Chartier.&nbsp;&nbsp; Steve was a 1976 graduate of Concordia High School, Concordia, Kansas.On July 11, 2018 he married Linda Collette in Concordia, Kansas.Steve worked for Geisler Roofing Company in Concordia as a roofer for 30 years.He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, cooking fish, mushroom hunting, and loved listening to 70’s music.Steve is survived by his wife Linda, 2 step children, Erin (Jeff ) Burchfiel, Zach (Jade) McGuire, 3 step grandchildren, Austin Cordry, Lucas Burchfiel, Gage McGuire.&nbsp; His dog Wally who he loved more than his wife (LOL).&nbsp;Sisters, Peg (Richard) Sholtz, Linda LeClair, Pam (Mark) Perry, Brother, Jim (Ambrea) Chartier, many nieces, nephews, and extended family members.He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Mary,Cremation has taken place and a Celebration of Life service will be held 1:00 p.m., Saturday, April 10, 2021 at the Glen Elder Lake at the Sioux Kaw Location.&nbsp; A private family Inurnment will be held at a later time in the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, St. Joseph, Kansas.Memorial contributions may be given to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, &amp; Tourism Wild Trust Outdoor Skills and Ethics Fund, which will benefit the Kansas Hunter Safety program and Youth Fishing program, in care of Chaput-Buoy Funeral Home, PO Box 606, Concordia, KS 66901.&nbsp; For online condolences please visit, www.chaputbuoy.com.To plant Memorial Trees in memory of&nbsp;Steve C. Chartier, please&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.chaputbuoy.com/obituary/steve-chartier/gifts?campaign=obituaryThemed-gifts-textLink-obitText">click here to visit our Sympathy Store</a>.

Steve C. Chartier

<a href="https://www.roselawnsalina.com/obituary/derald-armbrust">Obituary | Derald Dean Armbrust of SALINA, Kansas | Roselawn Mortuary and Memorial Park (roselawnsalina.com)</a>

Derald Dean Armbrust, 89 of Salina, passed away Saturday, February 20, 2021 surrounded by those he loved, and those that loved him.

He was born June 30, 1931 in Ellsworth, Ks to Andy and Ella (Dolezal) Armbrust.

In 1951, at the young age of 18, Derald enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. After finishing his introduction into boot camp, Derald was sent to Europe and fought during the Korean War. While there, Derald earned the Korean Service Medal with two (2) Stars, as well as the National Defense Service Medal and the United Nations Service Medal.

Upon his release from active duty, Derald took an interest in construction, then becoming a welder. He worked for Rickel Manufacturing, Building “Big A”. In 1971, he started a lawn mowing business that he ran for 49 years. In 2003, he retired after 23 years as a welding at Great Plains Manufacturing.

In his younger years, he enjoyed racing dirt bikes, fishing, gardening, and could build anything out of metal. He enjoyed listening to Red Foxx on cassette tape in his Ford pickup.

Derald reveled in sharing his stories about his service to his counrty during the Korean War, as well as sharing stories about his childhood.

Derald also knew and understood heartache with the passing of his parents, Andy, and Ella (Dolezal) Armbrust; his beloved wife, Sylvia Armbrust; his three (3) children, Bob Armbrust, Karen Jackson, and Infant Tammy; brothers, Dell Armbrust and Melvin Armbrust, and especially his beloved and loyal companion, “Red.”

Those left to remember his tales and his spirit are his sons, Donald Armbrust, and Larry Armbrust; both of Salina, sister, Gladys Russell, of Texas, 7 grandchildren, and 8 great grandchildren.

A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, March 12, 2021 at 1:00pm at Roselawn Heights Memorial Chapel, 1920 E. Crawford, Salina, where Derald will receive full Military Honors from the VFW, Post 1432.

Memorials may be made to Diabetes Association in care of Roselawn Mortuary, PO Box 2322, Salina, 67402.

For online condolences contact Roselawn at <a href="http://www.roselawnsalina.com">www.roselawnsalina.com</a>.

<h2>Derald Dean Armbrust, Salina</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1615039749879.png" alt="Derald Dean Armbrust" />
 <figcaption>Derald Dean Armbrust</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.roselawnsalina.com/obituary/derald-armbrust">Obituary | Derald Dean Armbrust of SALINA, Kansas | Roselawn Mortuary and Memorial Park (roselawnsalina.com)</a>June 30, 1931 - February 20, 2021Derald Dean Armbrust, 89 of Salina, passed away Saturday, February 20, 2021 surrounded by those he loved, and those that loved him.He was born June 30, 1931 in Ellsworth, Ks to Andy and Ella (Dolezal) Armbrust.In 1951, at the young age of 18, Derald enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. After finishing his introduction into boot camp, Derald was sent to Europe and fought during the Korean War. While there, Derald earned the Korean Service Medal with two (2) Stars, as well as the National Defense Service Medal and the United Nations Service Medal.Upon his release from active duty, Derald took an interest in construction, then becoming a welder. He worked for Rickel Manufacturing, Building “Big A”. In 1971, he started a lawn mowing business that he ran for 49 years. In 2003, he retired after 23 years as a welding at Great Plains Manufacturing.In his younger years, he enjoyed racing dirt bikes, fishing, gardening, and could build anything out of metal. He enjoyed listening to Red Foxx on cassette tape in his Ford pickup.Derald reveled in sharing his stories about his service to his counrty during the Korean War, as well as sharing stories about his childhood.Derald also knew and understood heartache with the passing of his parents, Andy, and Ella (Dolezal) Armbrust; his beloved wife, Sylvia Armbrust; his three (3) children, Bob Armbrust, Karen Jackson, and Infant Tammy; brothers, Dell Armbrust and Melvin Armbrust, and especially his beloved and loyal companion, “Red.”Those left to remember his tales and his spirit are his sons, Donald Armbrust, and Larry Armbrust; both of Salina, sister, Gladys Russell, of Texas, 7 grandchildren, and 8 great grandchildren.A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, March 12, 2021 at 1:00pm at Roselawn Heights Memorial Chapel, 1920 E. Crawford, Salina, where Derald will receive full Military Honors from the VFW, Post 1432.Memorials may be made to Diabetes Association in care of Roselawn Mortuary, PO Box 2322, Salina, 67402.For online condolences contact Roselawn at <a href="http://www.roselawnsalina.com">www.roselawnsalina.com</a>.