GOP candidate sits nearly 850 votes ahead of longest-serving legislator in Kansas history

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/04/kloos-ill-fated-campaign-for-governor-guides-shocking-senate-run-against-icon-hensley/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Republican Rick Kloos’ confidence began growing two weeks ago that a majority of voters in the 19th
 District were willing to turn away from Democratic Sen. Anthony 
Hensley, the longest serving member of the Kansas Legislature in state 
history.

Kloos understood why 
reasonable folks could be skeptical. Hensley has served in the 
Legislature for more than four decades and had led Senate Democrats for a
 quarter century. Kloos, with his son Nathaniel as his running mate, had
 finished last with 0.6% of the vote in their audacious independent 
campaign for governor in 2018.

“A lot of people have 
looked to him as kind of an icon in this district because of his strong 
base,” Kloos said during a Topeka coffee-shop interview Wednesday. “I 
don’t think people thought this was doable. But the last two weeks, I 
had a sense we were winning. Even among Democrats, I heard ‘term limits’
 come out.”

On Tuesday, voters in the 
Senate district spread over Topeka and eastern Shawnee County, western 
Douglas County and all of Osage County responded in concrete terms to 
Kloos. With totals unofficial and ballots still to count, Kloos leads 
with 15,676 votes to Hensley’s 14,827.

Hensley carved a 
2,200-vote advantage in Shawnee County, but Kloos outran Hensley by 
nearly 3,000 votes in Osage County — a county in which 71% of voters 
chose President Donald Trump over Democrat Joe Biden. In Douglas County,
 Hensley and Kloos essentially tied at 1,600 votes each.

Bottom line, for now: Kloos is up by 849.

Hensley said he wasn’t 
prepared to concede the race until all votes were tabulated, including 
provisional votes and advance ballots still arriving by mail at election
 offices in the three counties.

“We will be waiting until 
every vote has been counted,” the senator said Wednesday. “As such, I 
have not conceded. We will know the official counts and the final say of
 the people of Senate District 19 on November 16.”

Hensley, a retired Topeka 
public school teacher, said he was grateful for expressions of support 
for his family. He also said that “serving the people of Senate District
 19, and Kansas, has been one of the greatest joys of my life.”

Kloos said he was doubtful there were enough uncounted votes for Hensley to make up the deficit and alter the outcome.

Kloos, who helped found a 
Topeka community thrift shop called God’s Store House, generated 
controversy during the campaign by including a reference to God’s Store 
House on more than 100 large campaign signs scattered throughout the 
district.

Questions were raised 
about a nonprofit organization’s name being a featured on a political 
candidate’s advertising. Kloos said the name God’s Store House wasn’t 
trademarked and the unusual appendage was allowed by the Kansas 
Governmental Ethics Commission. He said it was his wife’s idea to add it
 to the signs.

“A third of my signs were 
in Democrat yards,” Kloos said. “That’s because they made a connection 
with what I’d been doing in the community with God’s Store House. That 
was powerful. I shared with people who I am.”

“People want to know that you’ve been doing something. It’s not so much what you’re going to do, but what have you been doing.”

Kloos said he drew upon 
his experience running for Kansas governor two years ago, a campaign in 
which he finished far behind the four other candidates in the contest 
won by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly over Republican Kris Kobach, 
independent Greg Orman, Libertarian Jeff Caldwell and Kloos. He 
attracted more than twice the votes for Senate than he did for governor.

“The governor’s race, 
obviously, I reflect on because that was my boot camp. From that I 
learned strategy and how important it was to listen to people,” Kloos 
said.

He said the Senate 
campaign had what his run for governor lacked: A meaningful ground game.
 He went door to door and spoke directly to residents in the diverse 
Senate district with a voter registration ranging from 32% Republican to
 30% Democrat and 28% independent.

“That was our strategy,” Kloos said. “We knocked on thousands of doors. Hundreds and hundreds of conversations.”

He didn’t surrender urban 
areas to Hensley, and conducted three meet-and-greet events with music 
and food in the Highland Park, Oakland and East Topeka neighborhoods. 
The gatherings were more social than political and served as an 
opportunity to engage with Democrats and independents in Topeka.

“In this district, they’re just not policy driven as much as they are that we want to put a face to the name,” Kloos said.

Kloos said there was no 
avalanche of early endorsements and financial support from conservative 
organizations pushing their special-interest agenda. He assumed it was 
because most didn’t think it possible to dislodge Hensley. Kloos said 
his opposition to abortion did attract attention of Kansans for Life. 
Hensley had at least three times the campaign budget, Kloos said, but 
“our social media plan was really good.”

Tim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years. He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal and previously worked for the Lawrence Journal-World and United Press International.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604523843742.png" alt="Topeka Republican Rick Kloos leads by more than 800 votes in the Kansas Senate race against Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, the longest serving member of the Kansas Legislature in state history. Kloos, left, stands Wednesday next to his controversial campaign sign with his son, Nathaniel. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Topeka Republican Rick Kloos leads by more than 800 votes in the Kansas Senate race against Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, the longest serving member of the Kansas Legislature in state history. Kloos, left, stands Wednesday next to his controversial campaign sign with his son, Nathaniel. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>GOP candidate sits nearly 850 votes ahead of longest-serving legislator in Kansas history</h2>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/11/04/kloos-ill-fated-campaign-for-governor-guides-shocking-senate-run-against-icon-hensley/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Republican Rick Kloos’ confidence began growing two weeks ago that a majority of voters in the 19th
 District were willing to turn away from Democratic Sen. Anthony 
Hensley, the longest serving member of the Kansas Legislature in state 
history.Kloos understood why 
reasonable folks could be skeptical. Hensley has served in the 
Legislature for more than four decades and had led Senate Democrats for a
 quarter century. Kloos, with his son Nathaniel as his running mate, had
 finished last with 0.6% of the vote in their audacious independent 
campaign for governor in 2018.“A lot of people have 
looked to him as kind of an icon in this district because of his strong 
base,” Kloos said during a Topeka coffee-shop interview Wednesday. “I 
don’t think people thought this was doable. But the last two weeks, I 
had a sense we were winning. Even among Democrats, I heard ‘term limits’
 come out.”On Tuesday, voters in the 
Senate district spread over Topeka and eastern Shawnee County, western 
Douglas County and all of Osage County responded in concrete terms to 
Kloos. With totals unofficial and ballots still to count, Kloos leads 
with 15,676 votes to Hensley’s 14,827.Hensley carved a 
2,200-vote advantage in Shawnee County, but Kloos outran Hensley by 
nearly 3,000 votes in Osage County — a county in which 71% of voters 
chose President Donald Trump over Democrat Joe Biden. In Douglas County,
 Hensley and Kloos essentially tied at 1,600 votes each.Bottom line, for now: Kloos is up by 849.Hensley said he wasn’t 
prepared to concede the race until all votes were tabulated, including 
provisional votes and advance ballots still arriving by mail at election
 offices in the three counties.“We will be waiting until 
every vote has been counted,” the senator said Wednesday. “As such, I 
have not conceded. We will know the official counts and the final say of
 the people of Senate District 19 on November 16.”Hensley, a retired Topeka 
public school teacher, said he was grateful for expressions of support 
for his family. He also said that “serving the people of Senate District
 19, and Kansas, has been one of the greatest joys of my life.”Kloos said he was doubtful there were enough uncounted votes for Hensley to make up the deficit and alter the outcome.Kloos, who helped found a 
Topeka community thrift shop called God’s Store House, generated 
controversy during the campaign by including a reference to God’s Store 
House on more than 100 large campaign signs scattered throughout the 
district.Questions were raised 
about a nonprofit organization’s name being a featured on a political 
candidate’s advertising. Kloos said the name God’s Store House wasn’t 
trademarked and the unusual appendage was allowed by the Kansas 
Governmental Ethics Commission. He said it was his wife’s idea to add it
 to the signs.“A third of my signs were 
in Democrat yards,” Kloos said. “That’s because they made a connection 
with what I’d been doing in the community with God’s Store House. That 
was powerful. I shared with people who I am.”“People want to know that you’ve been doing something. It’s not so much what you’re going to do, but what have you been doing.”Kloos said he drew upon 
his experience running for Kansas governor two years ago, a campaign in 
which he finished far behind the four other candidates in the contest 
won by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly over Republican Kris Kobach, 
independent Greg Orman, Libertarian Jeff Caldwell and Kloos. He 
attracted more than twice the votes for Senate than he did for governor.“The governor’s race, 
obviously, I reflect on because that was my boot camp. From that I 
learned strategy and how important it was to listen to people,” Kloos 
said.He said the Senate 
campaign had what his run for governor lacked: A meaningful ground game.
 He went door to door and spoke directly to residents in the diverse 
Senate district with a voter registration ranging from 32% Republican to
 30% Democrat and 28% independent.“That was our strategy,” Kloos said. “We knocked on thousands of doors. Hundreds and hundreds of conversations.”He didn’t surrender urban 
areas to Hensley, and conducted three meet-and-greet events with music 
and food in the Highland Park, Oakland and East Topeka neighborhoods. 
The gatherings were more social than political and served as an 
opportunity to engage with Democrats and independents in Topeka.“In this district, they’re just not policy driven as much as they are that we want to put a face to the name,” Kloos said.Kloos said there was no 
avalanche of early endorsements and financial support from conservative 
organizations pushing their special-interest agenda. He assumed it was 
because most didn’t think it possible to dislodge Hensley. Kloos said 
his opposition to abortion did attract attention of Kansans for Life. 
Hensley had at least three times the campaign budget, Kloos said, but 
“our social media plan was really good.”Tim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years. He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal and previously worked for the Lawrence Journal-World and United Press International.

Ill-fated campaign for Kan. governor guides shocking run against icon Hensley

WASHINGTON (AP) — She didn’t have to wear a black robe or even be in Washington, but Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined her new colleagues at the Supreme Court on Monday to hear arguments for the first time.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?475850-1/us-fish-game-service-v-sierra-club-inc-oral-argument">Click here&nbsp;</a>to listen to the oral arguments.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the high court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fe767ffb8833bb059f8eabfd529365a0">began hearing cases by phone in May.</a>&nbsp;That meant the public didn’t see the new justice Monday, but at the beginning of the day’s arguments Chief Justice John Roberts welcomed her publicly to her new role with the traditional greeting.

“Before we commence the business of the court this morning it gives me great pleasure on behalf of myself and my colleagues to welcome Justice Barrett to the court,” he said, wishing her “a long and happy career in our common calling.”

Participating in oral arguments is among the first things Barrett has done as a justice after being confirmed a week ago in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-virus-outbreak-ruth-bader-ginsburg-amy-coney-barrett-82a02a618343c98b80ca2b6bf9eafe07">52-48 virtual party-line vote, with Republicans overpowering Democrats to install President Donald Trump’s third Supreme Court nominee</a>.

The justices had a private conference Friday but Barrett didn’t participate “so that she could prepare for oral arguments” according to a statement from court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg.

She also did not participate in decisions the high court issued last week involving extended timelines for receiving and counting ballots in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-pennsylvania-amy-coney-barrett-elections-courts-57d6c7a32284071f36986006e37ee2d3">Pennsylvania&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-samuel-alito-amy-coney-barrett-north-carolina-elections-4cb4c214446bcfadbd73dafca9353701">North Carolina&nbsp;</a>because of the need for a quick resolution and “because she has not had time to fully review the parties’ filings,” Arberg said at the time. But her vote also wouldn’t have changed the outcome in either case.

On Monday, Barrett and her colleagues heard two hours of argument in two relatively low-profile cases: the first involving the Freedom of Information Act and the other involving disability benefits for railroad employees.

Like her colleagues, Barrett asked questions in both cases. Her first question had to do with a hypothetical case where a government official stamps “draft” on a document in order to try to avoid disclosing it. Barrett wanted to know “what other factors would a court consider” to determine whether the document should still be disclosed.

The pandemic upended a number of traditions that would have been part of Barrett’s first day of oral arguments had the justices been in their courtroom. Barrett would have joined her colleagues in a round of handshakes before taking the bench, a tradition every time the justices meet for argument or their private conference. The handshakes were suspended months ago because of the pandemic. Spectators would have seen her emerge from behind the court’s red curtains and take a seat on the far right hand side of the bench, the junior-most justice’s seat.

And while arguments in the courtroom are a free-for-all, with justices constantly jumping in with questions, the court’s phone-arguments are more orderly. Each justice gets to ask each lawyer questions in order of seniority. As the junior justice, Barrett asked her questions last.

If Monday’s arguments were a low-key introduction to the work of the court, that will soon change. On Tuesday, as the country finishes voting, the court’s cases include one about sentencing young people to life without parole. And on Wednesday, the day after Election Day,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aed76866be42f523bec4a3651da6efeb">the court hears a case that involves a clash of LGBTQ rights and religious freedoms</a>&nbsp;in a major swing state, Pennsylvania.

Next week brings&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eb725376830b13e2d6f89451d4f5191b">a case that could threaten the Affordable Care Act</a>, one that was front and center during Barrett’s confirmation hearings last month. Democrats claimed that the Obama-era health law, known as “Obamacare,” would be in jeopardy if Barrett joined the court. Trump has urged the court to overturn the law.

The justices have said they will continue to hear cases by phone through at least December. So it’s unclear when Barrett will move in to her offices at the court, taking over the space of her predecessor, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Amy Coney Barrett is expected to join her Supreme Court colleagues on Monday to hear arguments for the first time.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?475850-1/us-fish-game-service-v-sierra-club-inc-oral-argument">Click here </a>to listen to the oral arguments.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the high court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fe767ffb8833bb059f8eabfd529365a0">began hearing cases by phone in May.</a>&nbsp;That means the public won’t see the new justice, but they’ll be<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?475850-1/us-fish-game-service-v-sierra-club-inc-oral-argument"> able to hear</a> her if she asks questions, as all her colleagues have been doing. Also because of the pandemic, the court has been allowing the public to <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?475850-1/us-fish-game-service-v-sierra-club-inc-oral-argument">listen to arguments </a>in real time, a change from the past.

Participating in oral arguments will be among the first things Barrett will do after being confirmed last week in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-virus-outbreak-ruth-bader-ginsburg-amy-coney-barrett-82a02a618343c98b80ca2b6bf9eafe07">52-48 virtual party-line vote, with Republicans overpowering Democrats to install President Donald Trump’s third Supreme Court nominee</a>.

She did not participate in decisions the high court issued last week involving extended timelines for receiving and counting ballots in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-pennsylvania-amy-coney-barrett-elections-courts-57d6c7a32284071f36986006e37ee2d3">Pennsylvania&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-samuel-alito-amy-coney-barrett-north-carolina-elections-4cb4c214446bcfadbd73dafca9353701">North Carolina&nbsp;</a>because of the need for a quick resolution and “because she has not had time to fully review the parties’ filings,” the court’s spokeswoman said in a statement. But her vote also wouldn’t have changed the outcome in either case.

The two cases Barrett will hear Monday are relatively low-profile, a dispute involving the Freedom of Information Act and another involving disability benefits for railroad employees. On Tuesday, however, as the country finishes voting, the court’s cases include one about sentencing young people to life without parole. And on Wednesday, the day after Election Day,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aed76866be42f523bec4a3651da6efeb">the court hears a case that involves a clash of LGBTQ rights and religious freedoms</a>&nbsp;in a major swing state, Pennsylvania.

On Monday, Chief Justice John Roberts is expected to offer a traditional, short welcome, to Barrett before arguments begin, wishing her “a long and happy career in our common calling.” And the court will have a typical two hours of argument in two cases.

The pandemic has upended other traditions. If the justices were in their courtroom, Barrett would join her colleagues in a round of handshakes before taking the bench, a tradition every time the justices meet for argument or their private conference that was suspended months ago because of the pandemic. Spectators would see her emerge from behind the court’s red curtains and take a seat on the far right hand side of the bench, the junior-most justice’s seat. She would be seated next to Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trump’s first nominee to the court.

And while arguments in the courtroom are a free-for-all, with justices constantly jumping in with questions, the court’s phone-arguments are more orderly. Each justice gets to ask each lawyer questions in order of seniority. As the junior justice, Barrett will ask her questions last.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603812401665.png" alt="During a formal ceremony Oct. 27, Chief Justice John Roberts administers the Judicial Oath to Judge Amy Coney Barrett in the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court Building as Judge Barrett's husband, Jesse M. Barrett, holds the Bible -photo courtesy Fred Schilling/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>During a formal ceremony Oct. 27, Chief Justice John Roberts administers the Judicial Oath to Judge Amy Coney Barrett in the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court Building as Judge Barrett's husband, Jesse M. Barrett, holds the Bible -photo courtesy Fred Schilling/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — She didn’t have to wear a black robe or even be in Washington, but Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined her new colleagues at the Supreme Court on Monday to hear arguments for the first time.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?475850-1/us-fish-game-service-v-sierra-club-inc-oral-argument">Click here&nbsp;</a>to listen to the oral arguments.Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the high court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fe767ffb8833bb059f8eabfd529365a0">began hearing cases by phone in May.</a>&nbsp;That meant the public didn’t see the new justice Monday, but at the beginning of the day’s arguments Chief Justice John Roberts welcomed her publicly to her new role with the traditional greeting.“Before we commence the business of the court this morning it gives me great pleasure on behalf of myself and my colleagues to welcome Justice Barrett to the court,” he said, wishing her “a long and happy career in our common calling.”Participating in oral arguments is among the first things Barrett has done as a justice after being confirmed a week ago in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-virus-outbreak-ruth-bader-ginsburg-amy-coney-barrett-82a02a618343c98b80ca2b6bf9eafe07">52-48 virtual party-line vote, with Republicans overpowering Democrats to install President Donald Trump’s third Supreme Court nominee</a>.The justices had a private conference Friday but Barrett didn’t participate “so that she could prepare for oral arguments” according to a statement from court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg.She also did not participate in decisions the high court issued last week involving extended timelines for receiving and counting ballots in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-pennsylvania-amy-coney-barrett-elections-courts-57d6c7a32284071f36986006e37ee2d3">Pennsylvania&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-samuel-alito-amy-coney-barrett-north-carolina-elections-4cb4c214446bcfadbd73dafca9353701">North Carolina&nbsp;</a>because of the need for a quick resolution and “because she has not had time to fully review the parties’ filings,” Arberg said at the time. But her vote also wouldn’t have changed the outcome in either case.On Monday, Barrett and her colleagues heard two hours of argument in two relatively low-profile cases: the first involving the Freedom of Information Act and the other involving disability benefits for railroad employees.Like her colleagues, Barrett asked questions in both cases. Her first question had to do with a hypothetical case where a government official stamps “draft” on a document in order to try to avoid disclosing it. Barrett wanted to know “what other factors would a court consider” to determine whether the document should still be disclosed.The pandemic upended a number of traditions that would have been part of Barrett’s first day of oral arguments had the justices been in their courtroom. Barrett would have joined her colleagues in a round of handshakes before taking the bench, a tradition every time the justices meet for argument or their private conference. The handshakes were suspended months ago because of the pandemic. Spectators would have seen her emerge from behind the court’s red curtains and take a seat on the far right hand side of the bench, the junior-most justice’s seat.And while arguments in the courtroom are a free-for-all, with justices constantly jumping in with questions, the court’s phone-arguments are more orderly. Each justice gets to ask each lawyer questions in order of seniority. As the junior justice, Barrett asked her questions last.If Monday’s arguments were a low-key introduction to the work of the court, that will soon change. On Tuesday, as the country finishes voting, the court’s cases include one about sentencing young people to life without parole. And on Wednesday, the day after Election Day,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aed76866be42f523bec4a3651da6efeb">the court hears a case that involves a clash of LGBTQ rights and religious freedoms</a>&nbsp;in a major swing state, Pennsylvania.Next week brings&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eb725376830b13e2d6f89451d4f5191b">a case that could threaten the Affordable Care Act</a>, one that was front and center during Barrett’s confirmation hearings last month. Democrats claimed that the Obama-era health law, known as “Obamacare,” would be in jeopardy if Barrett joined the court. Trump has urged the court to overturn the law.The justices have said they will continue to hear cases by phone through at least December. So it’s unclear when Barrett will move in to her offices at the court, taking over the space of her predecessor, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.-----------WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Amy Coney Barrett is expected to join her Supreme Court colleagues on Monday to hear arguments for the first time.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?475850-1/us-fish-game-service-v-sierra-club-inc-oral-argument">Click here </a>to listen to the oral arguments.Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the high court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fe767ffb8833bb059f8eabfd529365a0">began hearing cases by phone in May.</a>&nbsp;That means the public won’t see the new justice, but they’ll be<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?475850-1/us-fish-game-service-v-sierra-club-inc-oral-argument"> able to hear</a> her if she asks questions, as all her colleagues have been doing. Also because of the pandemic, the court has been allowing the public to <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?475850-1/us-fish-game-service-v-sierra-club-inc-oral-argument">listen to arguments </a>in real time, a change from the past.Participating in oral arguments will be among the first things Barrett will do after being confirmed last week in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-virus-outbreak-ruth-bader-ginsburg-amy-coney-barrett-82a02a618343c98b80ca2b6bf9eafe07">52-48 virtual party-line vote, with Republicans overpowering Democrats to install President Donald Trump’s third Supreme Court nominee</a>.She did not participate in decisions the high court issued last week involving extended timelines for receiving and counting ballots in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-pennsylvania-amy-coney-barrett-elections-courts-57d6c7a32284071f36986006e37ee2d3">Pennsylvania&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-samuel-alito-amy-coney-barrett-north-carolina-elections-4cb4c214446bcfadbd73dafca9353701">North Carolina&nbsp;</a>because of the need for a quick resolution and “because she has not had time to fully review the parties’ filings,” the court’s spokeswoman said in a statement. But her vote also wouldn’t have changed the outcome in either case.The two cases Barrett will hear Monday are relatively low-profile, a dispute involving the Freedom of Information Act and another involving disability benefits for railroad employees. On Tuesday, however, as the country finishes voting, the court’s cases include one about sentencing young people to life without parole. And on Wednesday, the day after Election Day,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/aed76866be42f523bec4a3651da6efeb">the court hears a case that involves a clash of LGBTQ rights and religious freedoms</a>&nbsp;in a major swing state, Pennsylvania.Next week brings&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/eb725376830b13e2d6f89451d4f5191b">a case that could threaten the Affordable Care Act</a>, one that was front and center during Barrett’s confirmation hearings last month. Democrats claimed that the Obama-era health law, known as “Obamacare,” would be in jeopardy if Barrett joined the court. Trump has urged the court to overturn the law.The justices have said they will continue to hear cases by phone through at least December. So it’s unclear when Barrett will move in to her offices at the court, taking over the space of her predecessor, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.On Monday, Chief Justice John Roberts is expected to offer a traditional, short welcome, to Barrett before arguments begin, wishing her “a long and happy career in our common calling.” And the court will have a typical two hours of argument in two cases.The pandemic has upended other traditions. If the justices were in their courtroom, Barrett would join her colleagues in a round of handshakes before taking the bench, a tradition every time the justices meet for argument or their private conference that was suspended months ago because of the pandemic. Spectators would see her emerge from behind the court’s red curtains and take a seat on the far right hand side of the bench, the junior-most justice’s seat. She would be seated next to Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trump’s first nominee to the court.And while arguments in the courtroom are a free-for-all, with justices constantly jumping in with questions, the court’s phone-arguments are more orderly. Each justice gets to ask each lawyer questions in order of seniority. As the junior justice, Barrett will ask her questions last.

🎤 Barrett asks first questions during Supreme Court arguments

Paul Train, age 77 of Lindsborg, Kansas, passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 1st, 2020. Paul is survived by his loving wife Sally of 33 years, his brothers Donovan and Sam, his children Vicki, Kevin, Diane, Richea, and Jordy, grandchildren Katrina, Nathan, Alex, Braxton, and

Maxxum, and one great grandchild, Elidia. He is predeceased by his parents and his son, Drew.

Paul was born on May 31, 1943 in Lindsborg, Kansas to Emory and Marjorie Train. Paul worked as a farmer and cattleman for the majority of his life. In retirement, Paul was the main caretaker for the Elmwood cemetery in Lindsborg for more than 10 years. Paul was always known as a hard and devoted worker through many channels.

Paul was also a deeply devoted Christian man who loved his family and the entertaining adventures he and Sally had together. Paul loved to listen to hymns, one of his latest favorites being “How Great Thou Art” rendition by George Beverly Shea. Paul was a gentle, kind loving soul who made great, lasting impressions on everyone he met and enjoyed all the new relationships he made throughout his life.

The family wishes to extend their deepest gratitude to all of the medical workers and friends that showed such respect and care for Paul as he battled with health issues.

He will be buried at the Elmwood Cemetery on Tuesday, November 3rd, at 10:30am. When times are easier, and larger gatherings can happen again, a celebration of Paul’s life will be announced.

Please send any condolences to 1238 Sapphire Lane Lindsborg, KS 67456.

Paul Train, age 77 of Lindsborg, Kansas, passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 1st, 2020. Paul is survived by his loving wife Sally of 33 years, his brothers Donovan and Sam, his children Vicki, Kevin, Diane, Richea, and Jordy, grandchildren Katrina, Nathan, Alex, Braxton, andMaxxum, and one great grandchild, Elidia. He is predeceased by his parents and his son, Drew.Paul was born on May 31, 1943 in Lindsborg, Kansas to Emory and Marjorie Train. Paul worked as a farmer and cattleman for the majority of his life. In retirement, Paul was the main caretaker for the Elmwood cemetery in Lindsborg for more than 10 years. Paul was always known as a hard and devoted worker through many channels.Paul was also a deeply devoted Christian man who loved his family and the entertaining adventures he and Sally had together. Paul loved to listen to hymns, one of his latest favorites being “How Great Thou Art” rendition by George Beverly Shea. Paul was a gentle, kind loving soul who made great, lasting impressions on everyone he met and enjoyed all the new relationships he made throughout his life.The family wishes to extend their deepest gratitude to all of the medical workers and friends that showed such respect and care for Paul as he battled with health issues.He will be buried at the Elmwood Cemetery on Tuesday, November 3rd, at 10:30am. When times are easier, and larger gatherings can happen again, a celebration of Paul’s life will be announced.Please send any condolences to 1238 Sapphire Lane Lindsborg, KS 67456.

Paul Train

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid visited with the media after the team's win over the Jets. From <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KansasCityChiefs">The Kansas City Chiefs</a> Facebook page:

You can listen to the Chiefs' games on KINA (910 AM and 107.5 FM) and 99KG (99.9 FM), your local Chiefs Radio Network stations.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid visited with the media after the team's win over the Jets. From <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KansasCityChiefs">The Kansas City Chiefs</a> Facebook page:<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKansasCityChiefs%2Fvideos%2F354984008914098%2F&show_text=true&width=560" width="560" height="429" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>You can listen to the Chiefs' games on KINA (910 AM and 107.5 FM) and 99KG (99.9 FM), your local Chiefs Radio Network stations.

📹Chiefs' Reid talks with media after the team's win against the Jets

By&nbsp;BEVERLEY OLSON BULLER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

Ninety-six years ago this fall, Kansas newspaper owner and editor&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/william-allen-white/16139">William Allen White</a>, normally happy to be at home in Emporia, began traveling around the state, in his words, “fighting the Ku Klux Klan.”

White promised in his first editorial as owner of the Emporia Gazette that he would seek no political office. Yet, in September 1924, he announced his gubernatorial candidacy.

“I want to be governor to free Kansas from the disgrace of the Ku Klux Klan,” he wrote. “I was born in Kansas and have lived my life in Kansas. I am proud of my state. And the thought that Kansas should have a government beholden to this hooded gang of masked fanatics, ignorant and tyrannical in their ruthless oppression, is what calls me out of the pleasant ways of life into this distasteful but necessary task.”

He had already joined other editors in condemning the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, proudly noting in a July 28, 1921, editorial that when Klan organizers approached citizens in his town, “It is to the everlasting credit of Emporia that the organizers found no suckers with $10 each to squander here.” (The $10 registration fee included a robe and hood.)

Just four days later, however, he admitted, “The Ku Klux Klan is said to be reorganizing in Emporia” and called the Klan “a menace to peace and decent neighborly living” in the community.

The platform of the Klan of the 1920s included not only white supremacy but anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish, and anti-immigrant claims. The organization desired to be seen as benevolent and filled newspapers around the state with stories of robed members walking up to church altars or local hospitals to deliver cash gifts.

The Winfield Courier carried a Dec. 23, 1924, story headlined “KKK Santa” inviting all to their annual Christmas party. White’s own Gazette published thank-you notes to the Klan in its editorial section from people down on their luck.

White’s friend&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/henry-j-allen/11965">Gov. Henry Allen</a>&nbsp;battled the Klan with speeches and proclamations, including one that masks not be worn in public. Allen searched for ways to stop the Klan from operating in Kansas and began proceedings against them in the Kansas Supreme Court.

When it came time to elect a new governor in 1924, proceedings against the Klan were still moving through the state Supreme Court, and voters had no choice but to select one of two candidates with Klan ties.

In his Sept. 20, 1924, editorial announcing his decision to run, White explained the quandary.

Allen’s successor,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/jonathan-m-davis/17115">Jonathan M. Davis</a>, “had the Klan endorsement in the primary. His party threw it over, but Davis has not disclaimed it.” Of the Republican candidate, “<a href="https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/benjamin-s-paulen/17116">Ben Paulen</a>&nbsp;… accepted the Ku Klux Klan endorsement in the primary and owes his small plurality entirely to Ku Klux Klan votes.” White noted when asked about Klan involvement, Paulen would use the phrase, “Not at this time.”

Before he decided to enter the race, White tested the sentiment with petitions sent to counties around Lyon and received three times the number of signatures required to file. He did not ask for input from Emporia and Lyon County. In his announcement, White claimed, “It is the largest independent petition ever filed for an office in Kansas.”

The world watched as the 56-year-old newspaper editor kicked off his campaign on Sept. 22 on the steps of the Chase County courthouse in Cottonwood Falls, traveled 2,783 miles around his home state and made 104 speeches, concluding with two in Emporia on Nov. 3.

White began to say, “I’m not running for an office; I’m running for a principle.”

His campaign was often billed as “anti-Klan,” but on Oct. 14 in an El Dorado speech, he unveiled a platform that included revising banking laws, taking state schools of higher education out of politics, passing a federal child labor amendment and aiding hospital maternity wards. He also began to ask voters to support candidates for secretary of state and superintendent of public instruction and the attorney general, Charles Griffith, who had been working on legal ways to run the Klan out of Kansas.

White spent Election Day working at the Gazette, and the night before had published his only request for support in his paper, headlined “Entirely Personal.” In it, he asked “the home folks” to come to one of his two speeches that evening at the high school and to give him their vote, saying, “I have asked much for others. This, for the first time now I ask for myself.”

In the end, the election did not go White’s way. He received 149,811 votes to Paulen’s 323,403.

However, the other candidates White endorsed did win, and attorney general Griffith was able to continue his case against the Klan. When the state Supreme Court ruled in 1927 that the Ku Klux Klan could not legally operate in Kansas, it was the first such ruling in the nation, supporting White’s 1922 supposition, “When anything is going to happen in this country, it happens first in Kansas.”

White still had 20 years to serve his state and country. History shows he used that time to battle a questionable gubernatorial candidate,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/18/how-kansas-infamous-goat-gland-doctor-carved-a-political-path-for-donald-trump/">John Brinkley</a>, and in 1940 he headed what came to be known as the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_to_Defend_America_by_Aiding_the_Allies">White Committee</a>&nbsp;as the U.S. struggled with how to address the growing Nazi threat in Europe.

Following his death in 1944, his state found various ways to keep his name alive, a tradition that continues. Kansas children know White through the&nbsp;<a href="https://wawchildrensbookaward.com/">book award named after him</a>, which is approaching its 70th year of operation. The University of Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://journalism.ku.edu/">named its journalism school</a>&nbsp;after him in 1950 and annually gives a&nbsp;<a href="https://journalism.ku.edu/waw-award-list">White Award</a>&nbsp;to a deserving journalist on the national stage. His beloved home, Red Rocks, operates now as a state historic site. In observance of the 150th anniversary of White’s birth, the&nbsp;<a href="https://journalism.ku.edu/william-allen-white-foundation">William Allen White Foundation</a>&nbsp;tasked Kevin Willmott with making a documentary about White that is now making the rounds&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/video/william-allen-white-whats-the-matter-with-kansas-rrntdz/">on Kansas PBS stations</a>.

Kansas may well have taken a different turn in 1924 if not for the willingness of a small-town editor to publicly take on the “hooded gang of masked fanatics” threatening the well-being of his state.

It is people like White who remind us of the importance of letting our voice be heard, even when we are not sure anyone is listening.

Through its opinion section, the <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a> works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/submit-opinion/">here</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604197125917.jpeg" alt="Members of the Ku Klux Klan carry a flag at a gathering in the 1920s. (<a href="http://kansasmemory.org">KansasMemory.org</a>/Kansas State Historical Society)" />
 <figcaption>Members of the Ku Klux Klan carry a flag at a gathering in the 1920s. (<a href="http://kansasmemory.org">KansasMemory.org</a>/Kansas State Historical Society)</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;BEVERLEY OLSON BULLER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>Ninety-six years ago this fall, Kansas newspaper owner and editor&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/william-allen-white/16139">William Allen White</a>, normally happy to be at home in Emporia, began traveling around the state, in his words, “fighting the Ku Klux Klan.”White promised in his first editorial as owner of the Emporia Gazette that he would seek no political office. Yet, in September 1924, he announced his gubernatorial candidacy.“I want to be governor to free Kansas from the disgrace of the Ku Klux Klan,” he wrote. “I was born in Kansas and have lived my life in Kansas. I am proud of my state. And the thought that Kansas should have a government beholden to this hooded gang of masked fanatics, ignorant and tyrannical in their ruthless oppression, is what calls me out of the pleasant ways of life into this distasteful but necessary task.”He had already joined other editors in condemning the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, proudly noting in a July 28, 1921, editorial that when Klan organizers approached citizens in his town, “It is to the everlasting credit of Emporia that the organizers found no suckers with $10 each to squander here.” (The $10 registration fee included a robe and hood.)Just four days later, however, he admitted, “The Ku Klux Klan is said to be reorganizing in Emporia” and called the Klan “a menace to peace and decent neighborly living” in the community.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604197278313.jpeg" alt="A 1920 photo of the Ku Klux Klan float for the Kaffir Corn Carnival Parade in El Dorado, pulled by two horses in white hoods and shrouds. (<a href="http://kansasmemory.org">kansasmemory.org</a>/Kansas State Historical Society)" />
 <figcaption>A 1920 photo of the Ku Klux Klan float for the Kaffir Corn Carnival Parade in El Dorado, pulled by two horses in white hoods and shrouds. (<a href="http://kansasmemory.org">kansasmemory.org</a>/Kansas State Historical Society)</figcaption>
 </figure>The platform of the Klan of the 1920s included not only white supremacy but anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish, and anti-immigrant claims. The organization desired to be seen as benevolent and filled newspapers around the state with stories of robed members walking up to church altars or local hospitals to deliver cash gifts.The Winfield Courier carried a Dec. 23, 1924, story headlined “KKK Santa” inviting all to their annual Christmas party. White’s own Gazette published thank-you notes to the Klan in its editorial section from people down on their luck.White’s friend&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/henry-j-allen/11965">Gov. Henry Allen</a>&nbsp;battled the Klan with speeches and proclamations, including one that masks not be worn in public. Allen searched for ways to stop the Klan from operating in Kansas and began proceedings against them in the Kansas Supreme Court.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604197407593.jpeg" alt="William Allen White and Kansas Gov. Henry Justin Allen on July 19, 1922, at Emporia Normal School in Emporia. (<a href="http://kansasmemory.org">kansasmemory.org</a>/Kansas State Historical Society)" />
 <figcaption>William Allen White and Kansas Gov. Henry Justin Allen on July 19, 1922, at Emporia Normal School in Emporia. (<a href="http://kansasmemory.org">kansasmemory.org</a>/Kansas State Historical Society)</figcaption>
 </figure>When it came time to elect a new governor in 1924, proceedings against the Klan were still moving through the state Supreme Court, and voters had no choice but to select one of two candidates with Klan ties.In his Sept. 20, 1924, editorial announcing his decision to run, White explained the quandary.Allen’s successor,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/jonathan-m-davis/17115">Jonathan M. Davis</a>, “had the Klan endorsement in the primary. His party threw it over, but Davis has not disclaimed it.” Of the Republican candidate, “<a href="https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/benjamin-s-paulen/17116">Ben Paulen</a>&nbsp;… accepted the Ku Klux Klan endorsement in the primary and owes his small plurality entirely to Ku Klux Klan votes.” White noted when asked about Klan involvement, Paulen would use the phrase, “Not at this time.”Before he decided to enter the race, White tested the sentiment with petitions sent to counties around Lyon and received three times the number of signatures required to file. He did not ask for input from Emporia and Lyon County. In his announcement, White claimed, “It is the largest independent petition ever filed for an office in Kansas.”The world watched as the 56-year-old newspaper editor kicked off his campaign on Sept. 22 on the steps of the Chase County courthouse in Cottonwood Falls, traveled 2,783 miles around his home state and made 104 speeches, concluding with two in Emporia on Nov. 3.White began to say, “I’m not running for an office; I’m running for a principle.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604197532517.jpeg" alt="A cartoon titled “A Real American Goes Hunting,” drawn by Rollin Kirby and published in the New York World. (<a href="http://kansasmemory.org">kansasmemory.org</a>/Kansas State Historical Society)" />
 <figcaption>A cartoon titled “A Real American Goes Hunting,” drawn by Rollin Kirby and published in the New York World. (<a href="http://kansasmemory.org">kansasmemory.org</a>/Kansas State Historical Society)</figcaption>
 </figure>His campaign was often billed as “anti-Klan,” but on Oct. 14 in an El Dorado speech, he unveiled a platform that included revising banking laws, taking state schools of higher education out of politics, passing a federal child labor amendment and aiding hospital maternity wards. He also began to ask voters to support candidates for secretary of state and superintendent of public instruction and the attorney general, Charles Griffith, who had been working on legal ways to run the Klan out of Kansas.White spent Election Day working at the Gazette, and the night before had published his only request for support in his paper, headlined “Entirely Personal.” In it, he asked “the home folks” to come to one of his two speeches that evening at the high school and to give him their vote, saying, “I have asked much for others. This, for the first time now I ask for myself.”In the end, the election did not go White’s way. He received 149,811 votes to Paulen’s 323,403.However, the other candidates White endorsed did win, and attorney general Griffith was able to continue his case against the Klan. When the state Supreme Court ruled in 1927 that the Ku Klux Klan could not legally operate in Kansas, it was the first such ruling in the nation, supporting White’s 1922 supposition, “When anything is going to happen in this country, it happens first in Kansas.”White still had 20 years to serve his state and country. History shows he used that time to battle a questionable gubernatorial candidate,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/18/how-kansas-infamous-goat-gland-doctor-carved-a-political-path-for-donald-trump/">John Brinkley</a>, and in 1940 he headed what came to be known as the&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_to_Defend_America_by_Aiding_the_Allies">White Committee</a>&nbsp;as the U.S. struggled with how to address the growing Nazi threat in Europe.Following his death in 1944, his state found various ways to keep his name alive, a tradition that continues. Kansas children know White through the&nbsp;<a href="https://wawchildrensbookaward.com/">book award named after him</a>, which is approaching its 70th year of operation. The University of Kansas&nbsp;<a href="https://journalism.ku.edu/">named its journalism school</a>&nbsp;after him in 1950 and annually gives a&nbsp;<a href="https://journalism.ku.edu/waw-award-list">White Award</a>&nbsp;to a deserving journalist on the national stage. His beloved home, Red Rocks, operates now as a state historic site. In observance of the 150th anniversary of White’s birth, the&nbsp;<a href="https://journalism.ku.edu/william-allen-white-foundation">William Allen White Foundation</a>&nbsp;tasked Kevin Willmott with making a documentary about White that is now making the rounds&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbs.org/video/william-allen-white-whats-the-matter-with-kansas-rrntdz/">on Kansas PBS stations</a>.Kansas may well have taken a different turn in 1924 if not for the willingness of a small-town editor to publicly take on the “hooded gang of masked fanatics” threatening the well-being of his state.It is people like White who remind us of the importance of letting our voice be heard, even when we are not sure anyone is listening.Through its opinion section, the <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a> works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/submit-opinion/">here</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1604197817203.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

OPINION: When ‘real American’ White ran for office to save Kansas from KKK

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and players&nbsp;Tyreek Hill and Harrison Butker talk with the media during a Friday presser. From <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KansasCityChiefs">The Kansas City Chiefs</a> Facebook page:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and players&nbsp;Tyreek Hill and Harrison Butker talk with the media during a Friday presser. From <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KansasCityChiefs">The Kansas City Chiefs</a> Facebook page:<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKansasCityChiefs%2Fvideos%2F829016267888236%2F&show_text=true&width=560" width="560" height="429" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>You can listen to the Chiefs' games on KINA (910 AM and 107.5 FM) and 99KG (99.9 FM), your local Chiefs Radio Network stations.

📹Chiefs Reid, Hill, and Butker talk football on Friday

I recently received my master’s degree in finance, and for the last four years I’ve had a job as a social worker. I love my job and have a decent income, but I know I could make more money and come closer to reaching my full potential in the finance industry. I’m on Baby Step 2, and I have lots of debt. On top of this, my dad lives with me and needs transplant surgery. I’ll have to take six weeks off work when he has this done, and my current job has always been very supportive of his healthcare needs. Should I wait until after the procedure to look for a job in the finance field? Will the fact that I won’t be a brand new graduate at that point make finding something difficult?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Not at all. You can seek employment in anything you want anytime you want. But I think you’re putting the cart before the horse a little bit here. It sounds like you’re assuming you won’t be able to find an employer in the finance world that will understand your situation and work with you where you dad is concerned.

If you were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/reasons-leaving-a-job" target="_blank">interviewing</a>&nbsp;at my company, and we determined you were an amazing person and a perfect fit for the job, we’d take a look at things and do what we could to work things out to where we could bring you on and help you through the situation. So, in my mind, it doesn’t reflect badly on you at all to be seeking a better job now.

Now, if you found yourself in an interview where the company reeked of that hardcore,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/is-professional-development-worth-the-money/" target="_blank">corporate</a>, no-days-off-no-matter-what crap, well, you obviously wouldn’t take the&nbsp;job. Always remember that in a job interview&nbsp;you’re&nbsp;interviewing&nbsp;them&nbsp;just as much as&nbsp;they’re&nbsp;interviewing&nbsp;you. You have to decide if they’re a good fit for you as much as they need to see if you’re the right person for them.

Honestly? It sounds to me a little like you’re just trying to stay in your&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/what-to-do-if-you-get-laid-off" target="_blank">comfort zone</a>, kiddo. I think you need to go swimming. Jump in! The water’s fine.

<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 Dave 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" />
 <figcaption>Dave Ramsey</figcaption>
 </figure>Dear Dave,I recently received my master’s degree in finance, and for the last four years I’ve had a job as a social worker. I love my job and have a decent income, but I know I could make more money and come closer to reaching my full potential in the finance industry. I’m on Baby Step 2, and I have lots of debt. On top of this, my dad lives with me and needs transplant surgery. I’ll have to take six weeks off work when he has this done, and my current job has always been very supportive of his healthcare needs. Should I wait until after the procedure to look for a job in the finance field? Will the fact that I won’t be a brand new graduate at that point make finding something difficult?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;RachelDear Rachel,Not at all. You can seek employment in anything you want anytime you want. But I think you’re putting the cart before the horse a little bit here. It sounds like you’re assuming you won’t be able to find an employer in the finance world that will understand your situation and work with you where you dad is concerned.If you were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/reasons-leaving-a-job" target="_blank">interviewing</a>&nbsp;at my company, and we determined you were an amazing person and a perfect fit for the job, we’d take a look at things and do what we could to work things out to where we could bring you on and help you through the situation. So, in my mind, it doesn’t reflect badly on you at all to be seeking a better job now.Now, if you found yourself in an interview where the company reeked of that hardcore,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/is-professional-development-worth-the-money/" target="_blank">corporate</a>, no-days-off-no-matter-what crap, well, you obviously wouldn’t take the&nbsp;job. Always remember that in a job interview&nbsp;you’re&nbsp;interviewing&nbsp;them&nbsp;just as much as&nbsp;they’re&nbsp;interviewing&nbsp;you. You have to decide if they’re a good fit for you as much as they need to see if you’re the right person for them.Honestly? It sounds to me a little like you’re just trying to stay in your&nbsp;<a href="https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/what-to-do-if-you-get-laid-off" target="_blank">comfort zone</a>, kiddo. I think you need to go swimming. Jump in! The water’s fine.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 Dave 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: Jump in!

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs coordinators and Chris Jones fielded media questions Thursday. From <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KansasCityChiefs">The Kansas City Chiefs</a> Facebook page:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs coordinators and Chris Jones fielded media questions Thursday. From <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KansasCityChiefs">The Kansas City Chiefs</a> Facebook page:<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKansasCityChiefs%2Fvideos%2F2783066935302295%2F&show_text=true&width=560" width="560" height="429" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>You can listen to the Chiefs' games on KINA (910 AM and 107.5 FM) and 99KG (99.9 FM), your local Chiefs Radio Network stations.

📹Chiefs' coordinators, Chris Jones chat with media Thursday

Distracted, drunk and drowsy drivers pose dangers to trick-or-treaters and other road users this weekend

WICHITA – As Halloween 2020 approaches, AAA Kansas is raising concern for a dangerous traffic safety trifecta – increased pedestrian activity, drunk driving, and drowsy driving – all of which converge this Halloween weekend. The ghostly holiday falls on a Saturday this year, followed a few short hours later by “falling back” at the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST) at 2 a.m. Sunday. 

Halloween festivities amid the COVID-19 pandemic will likely look different for many communities, parents, trick-or-treaters, and party goers. Traditional indoor activities, like costume parties for children and adults, can move outside in small, socially distanced settings. However those planning to celebrate should not lose sight of safety first. 

A scare in good fun is expected on Halloween, but AAA Kansas warns, not when it comes to child pedestrian safety.

●According to Safe Kids Worldwide,&nbsp;children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween as any other day of the year.

●The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that&nbsp;Halloween is consistently one of the top three days of the year for pedestrian injuries and fatalities.

Creative costumes, trick-or-treating and bags full of goodies are top Halloween priorities, but safety often becomes an afterthought. Excited trick-or-treaters can forget about safety, so drivers, party-goers and parents must be even more alert, as the risk of kids being injured by moving vehicles increases.

“With an increased risk of pedestrian crashes on Halloween night, AAA Kansas urges parents to take the time to make trick-or-treaters and their costumes safer and more visible to motorists,” said Shawn Steward, AAA Kansas spokesman.&nbsp; “In addition, motorists must eliminate distractions, slow down and watch for children, as well as have a completely sober designated driver if drinking is part of a Halloween celebration.”

Halloween is also a statistically dangerous night for drunk driving. The combination of drinking and increased pedestrian traffic on Halloween is a deadly combination. AAA and the&nbsp;National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) found that:

●One-fourth of all pedestrian deaths ranging in age from 5-14 occurred in the four days leading up to Halloween (October 28-31) in 2017.

●On Halloween night 2017, 89 people were fatally injured in a traffic crash, with 13 percent involving alcohol.

●In 2017, more than half of pedestrian fatalities on Halloween occurred with the pedestrian outside of a marked crosswalk.

●From 2013 – 2017, 158 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes on Halloween night (NHTSA). From 2013 - 2017, 22 percent of pedestrian fatalities on Halloween night involved a drunk driver. (NHTSA). During that period, 42 percent of all people killed in motor vehicle crashes on Halloween night were in crashes involving a drunk driver. (NHTSA)

●Do not use your phone while behind the wheel, so you can focus on the road and trick-or-treaters.

●Slow down in residential neighborhoods and obey all traffic signs and signals. Drive at least 5 mph below the posted speed limit to give yourself extra time to react to children who may dart into the street. Broaden your scanning by looking for children left and right into yards and on front porches.

●Look for children crossing the street. They may not be paying attention to traffic and may cross the street mid-block or between parked cars.

●Carefully enter and exit driveways and alleys, taking extra care if you are backing up or turning.

●Turn your headlights on to make yourself more visible – even in the daylight.

●Make sure Halloween costumes are flame-retardant and light in color to improve visibility.

●Be bright at night – have trick-or-treaters use glow sticks or wear retro-reflective tape on costumes and on treat buckets.

●Ensure disguises don’t obstruct vision and avoid full facemasks.. Create face masks that coordinate with costumes rather than regular costume masks.&nbsp; This won’t obstruct vision and follows health and safety guidelines for COVID-19.

●Instead, use nontoxic face paint. Also, watch the length of billowy costumes to help avoid tripping.

●Ensure any props are flexible and blunt-tipped to avoid injury from tripping or horseplay.

●Ask an adult or older child to supervise children under age 12.

●Instruct children to travel only in familiar areas and along established routes.

●Teach children to stop only at well-lit houses and to never to enter a stranger’s home or garage.

●Review trick-or-treating safety precautions, including pedestrian and traffic safety rules.

●Stay on sidewalks and avoid walking in streets if possible.

●If there are no sidewalks, walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.

●Look both ways and listen for traffic before crossing the street.

●Cross streets only at the corner, using traffic signals and crosswalks, and never cross between parked vehicles or mid-block.

●Trick-or-treat in a group if someone older cannot go with you.

●Tell your parents where you are going.

●Carry a flashlight containing fresh batteries. Never shine flashlights into the eyes of oncoming drivers.

●Arrange a safe ride home and/or designate a driver before partaking in any festivities.

●If you are drunk, take a taxi or ride share service, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation.

●Before leaving for a party, load ride share apps or put numbers of local cab companies or your designated driver(s) into your phone.

●Walking impaired can be as dangerous as drunk driving. Designate a sober friend to walk you home.

●If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local law enforcement.

●If you know someone who is about to drive or ride impaired, take their keys and help them make safe travel arrangements to where they are going.

AAA provides automotive, travel, and insurance services to 60 million members nationwide and nearly 347,000 members in Kansas. AAA advocates for the safety and mobility of its members and has been committed to outstanding road service for more than 100 years.&nbsp;AAA is a&nbsp;non-stock, non-profit corporation working&nbsp;on behalf of motorists, who can now map a route, find local gas prices, discover discounts, book a hotel, and track their roadside assistance service with the AAA Mobile app (<a href="http://aaacluballiance.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d835489-%3eLCE59.%3c5%3a%26SDG%3c90%3a.&amp;RE=MC&amp;RI=5430239&amp;Preview=False&amp;DistributionActionID=334754&amp;Action=Follow+Link" target="_blank">AAA.com/mobile</a>) for iPhone, iPad and Android.&nbsp;For more information, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://aaacluballiance.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d835489-%3eLCE59.%3c5%3a%26SDG%3c90%3a.&amp;RE=MC&amp;RI=5430239&amp;Preview=False&amp;DistributionActionID=334753&amp;Action=Follow+Link" target="_blank">www.AAA.com</a>.

<h2>Distracted, drunk and drowsy drivers pose dangers to trick-or-treaters and other road users this weekend</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603930506720.jpeg" alt="Images courtesy AAA Kansas" />
 <figcaption>Images courtesy AAA Kansas</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA – As Halloween 2020 approaches, AAA Kansas is raising concern for a dangerous traffic safety trifecta – increased pedestrian activity, drunk driving, and drowsy driving – all of which converge this Halloween weekend. The ghostly holiday falls on a Saturday this year, followed a few short hours later by “falling back” at the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST) at 2 a.m. Sunday. Halloween festivities amid the COVID-19 pandemic will likely look different for many communities, parents, trick-or-treaters, and party goers. Traditional indoor activities, like costume parties for children and adults, can move outside in small, socially distanced settings. However those planning to celebrate should not lose sight of safety first. A scare in good fun is expected on Halloween, but AAA Kansas warns, not when it comes to child pedestrian safety.●According to Safe Kids Worldwide,&nbsp;children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween as any other day of the year.●The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that&nbsp;Halloween is consistently one of the top three days of the year for pedestrian injuries and fatalities.Creative costumes, trick-or-treating and bags full of goodies are top Halloween priorities, but safety often becomes an afterthought. Excited trick-or-treaters can forget about safety, so drivers, party-goers and parents must be even more alert, as the risk of kids being injured by moving vehicles increases.“With an increased risk of pedestrian crashes on Halloween night, AAA Kansas urges parents to take the time to make trick-or-treaters and their costumes safer and more visible to motorists,” said Shawn Steward, AAA Kansas spokesman.&nbsp; “In addition, motorists must eliminate distractions, slow down and watch for children, as well as have a completely sober designated driver if drinking is part of a Halloween celebration.”Halloween is also a statistically dangerous night for drunk driving. The combination of drinking and increased pedestrian traffic on Halloween is a deadly combination. AAA and the&nbsp;National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) found that:●One-fourth of all pedestrian deaths ranging in age from 5-14 occurred in the four days leading up to Halloween (October 28-31) in 2017.●On Halloween night 2017, 89 people were fatally injured in a traffic crash, with 13 percent involving alcohol.●In 2017, more than half of pedestrian fatalities on Halloween occurred with the pedestrian outside of a marked crosswalk.●From 2013 – 2017, 158 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes on Halloween night (NHTSA). From 2013 - 2017, 22 percent of pedestrian fatalities on Halloween night involved a drunk driver. (NHTSA). During that period, 42 percent of all people killed in motor vehicle crashes on Halloween night were in crashes involving a drunk driver. (NHTSA)Following are AAA Halloween safety tipsFor motorists●Do not use your phone while behind the wheel, so you can focus on the road and trick-or-treaters.●Slow down in residential neighborhoods and obey all traffic signs and signals. Drive at least 5 mph below the posted speed limit to give yourself extra time to react to children who may dart into the street. Broaden your scanning by looking for children left and right into yards and on front porches.●Look for children crossing the street. They may not be paying attention to traffic and may cross the street mid-block or between parked cars.●Carefully enter and exit driveways and alleys, taking extra care if you are backing up or turning.●Turn your headlights on to make yourself more visible – even in the daylight.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603930631354.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>For parents●Make sure Halloween costumes are flame-retardant and light in color to improve visibility.●Be bright at night – have trick-or-treaters use glow sticks or wear retro-reflective tape on costumes and on treat buckets.●Ensure disguises don’t obstruct vision and avoid full facemasks.. Create face masks that coordinate with costumes rather than regular costume masks.&nbsp; This won’t obstruct vision and follows health and safety guidelines for COVID-19.●Instead, use nontoxic face paint. Also, watch the length of billowy costumes to help avoid tripping.●Ensure any props are flexible and blunt-tipped to avoid injury from tripping or horseplay.●Ask an adult or older child to supervise children under age 12.●Instruct children to travel only in familiar areas and along established routes.●Teach children to stop only at well-lit houses and to never to enter a stranger’s home or garage.●Review trick-or-treating safety precautions, including pedestrian and traffic safety rules.For trick-or-treaters●Stay on sidewalks and avoid walking in streets if possible.●If there are no sidewalks, walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.●Look both ways and listen for traffic before crossing the street.●Watch for cars turning or backing up.●Cross streets only at the corner, using traffic signals and crosswalks, and never cross between parked vehicles or mid-block.●Trick-or-treat in a group if someone older cannot go with you.●Tell your parents where you are going.●Carry a flashlight containing fresh batteries. Never shine flashlights into the eyes of oncoming drivers.For party goers●Arrange a safe ride home and/or designate a driver before partaking in any festivities.●Always designate a sober driver.●If you are drunk, take a taxi or ride share service, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation.●Before leaving for a party, load ride share apps or put numbers of local cab companies or your designated driver(s) into your phone.●Walking impaired can be as dangerous as drunk driving. Designate a sober friend to walk you home.●If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local law enforcement.●If you know someone who is about to drive or ride impaired, take their keys and help them make safe travel arrangements to where they are going.About AAAAAA provides automotive, travel, and insurance services to 60 million members nationwide and nearly 347,000 members in Kansas. AAA advocates for the safety and mobility of its members and has been committed to outstanding road service for more than 100 years.&nbsp;AAA is a&nbsp;non-stock, non-profit corporation working&nbsp;on behalf of motorists, who can now map a route, find local gas prices, discover discounts, book a hotel, and track their roadside assistance service with the AAA Mobile app (<a href="http://aaacluballiance.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d835489-%3eLCE59.%3c5%3a%26SDG%3c90%3a.&amp;RE=MC&amp;RI=5430239&amp;Preview=False&amp;DistributionActionID=334754&amp;Action=Follow+Link" target="_blank">AAA.com/mobile</a>) for iPhone, iPad and Android.&nbsp;For more information, visit&nbsp;<a href="http://aaacluballiance.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d835489-%3eLCE59.%3c5%3a%26SDG%3c90%3a.&amp;RE=MC&amp;RI=5430239&amp;Preview=False&amp;DistributionActionID=334753&amp;Action=Follow+Link" target="_blank">www.AAA.com</a>.

AAA: Halloween weekend 2020 brings traffic safety triple threat

WICHITA — As Halloween 2020 approaches, KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman wore his Colonel Sanders outfit and offered some ideas on things that you can do to celebrate safely, get creative and have fun.

In addition, AAA Kansas is raising concern for a dangerous traffic safety trifecta – increased pedestrian activity, drunk driving, and drowsy driving – all of which converge this Halloween weekend. The ghostly holiday falls on a Saturday this year, followed a few short hours later by “falling back” at the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST) at 2:00 a.m. Sunday, November 1.

Halloween festivities amid the COVID-19 pandemic will likely look different for many communities, parents, trick-or-treaters, and party goers. Traditional indoor activities, like costume parties for children and adults, can move outside in small, socially distanced settings. However those planning to celebrate should not lose sight of safety first.

“With an increased risk of pedestrian crashes on Halloween night, AAA Kansas urges parents to take the time to make trick-or-treaters and their costumes safer and more visible to motorists,” said Shawn Steward, AAA Kansas spokesman.&nbsp; “In addition, motorists must eliminate distractions, slow down and watch for children, as well as have a completely sober designated driver if drinking is part of a Halloween celebration.”Halloween is also a statistically dangerous night for drunk driving. The combination of drinking and increased pedestrian traffic on Halloween is a deadly combination. AAA and the&nbsp;National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) found that:

WICHITA — As Halloween 2020 approaches, KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman wore his Colonel Sanders outfit and offered some ideas on things that you can do to celebrate safely, get creative and have fun.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I love Halloween, and there are things that we can do to celebrate safely this holiday season. Get creative and have fun. Follow your county&#39;s guidelines, and find more ideas on our website: <a href="https://t.co/7KEvXPCPa6">https://t.co/7KEvXPCPa6</a>. <a href="https://t.co/E8fnwszBQy">pic.twitter.com/E8fnwszBQy</a>&mdash; Lee Norman (@SecNorman) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecNorman/status/1320748334852747264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In addition, AAA Kansas is raising concern for a dangerous traffic safety trifecta – increased pedestrian activity, drunk driving, and drowsy driving – all of which converge this Halloween weekend. The ghostly holiday falls on a Saturday this year, followed a few short hours later by “falling back” at the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST) at 2:00 a.m. Sunday, November 1.Halloween festivities amid the COVID-19 pandemic will likely look different for many communities, parents, trick-or-treaters, and party goers. Traditional indoor activities, like costume parties for children and adults, can move outside in small, socially distanced settings. However those planning to celebrate should not lose sight of safety first.A scare in good fun is expected on Halloween, but AAA Kansas warns, not when it comes to child pedestrian safety.<ul>
 <li>According to Safe Kids Worldwide,&nbsp;children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween as any other day of the year.</li><li>The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that&nbsp;Halloween is consistently one of the top three days of the year for pedestrian injuries and fatalities.</li>
 </ul>Creative costumes, trick-or-treating and bags full of goodies are top Halloween priorities, but safety often becomes an afterthought. Excited trick-or-treaters can forget about safety, so drivers, party-goers and parents must be even more alert, as the risk of kids being injured by moving vehicles increases.“With an increased risk of pedestrian crashes on Halloween night, AAA Kansas urges parents to take the time to make trick-or-treaters and their costumes safer and more visible to motorists,” said Shawn Steward, AAA Kansas spokesman.&nbsp; “In addition, motorists must eliminate distractions, slow down and watch for children, as well as have a completely sober designated driver if drinking is part of a Halloween celebration.”Halloween is also a statistically dangerous night for drunk driving. The combination of drinking and increased pedestrian traffic on Halloween is a deadly combination. AAA and the&nbsp;National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) found that:<ul>
 <li>One-fourth of all pedestrian deaths ranging in age from 5-14 occurred in the four days leading up to Halloween (October 28-31) in 2017.</li><li>On Halloween night 2017, 89 people were fatally injured in a traffic crash, with 13 percent involving alcohol.</li><li>In 2017, more than half of pedestrian fatalities on Halloween occurred with the pedestrian outside of a marked crosswalk.</li><li>From 2013 – 2017, 158 people were killed in drunk-driving crashes on Halloween night (NHTSA)</li><li>From 2013 - 2017, 22 percent of pedestrian fatalities on Halloween night involved a drunk driver. (NHTSA)</li><li>During that period, 42 percent of all people killed in motor vehicle crashes on Halloween night were in crashes involving a drunk driver. (NHTSA)</li>
 </ul><h2>AAA Halloween Safety TipsMotorists</h2><ul>
 <li>Do not use your phone while behind the wheel, so you can focus on the road and trick-or-treaters.</li><li>Slow down in residential neighborhoods and obey all traffic signs and signals. Drive at least 5 mph below the posted speed limit to give yourself extra time to react to children who may dart into the street. Broaden your scanning by looking for children left and right into yards and on front porches.</li><li>Look for children crossing the street. They may not be paying attention to traffic and may cross the street mid-block or between parked cars.</li><li>Carefully enter and exit driveways and alleys, taking extra care if you are backing up or turning.</li><li>Turn your headlights on to make yourself more visible – even in the daylight.</li>
 </ul><figure>
 <img src="https://us.vocuspr.com/Publish/523962/vcsPRAsset_523962_94848_e6aa352c-2292-413f-b873-8720597d00e4_0.jpg" alt=" " />
 <figcaption> </figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Parents</h2><ul>
 <li>Make sure Halloween costumes are flame-retardant and light in color to improve visibility.</li><li>Be bright at night – have trick-or-treaters use glow sticks or wear retro-reflective tape on costumes and on treat buckets.</li><li>Ensure disguises don’t obstruct vision and avoid full facemasks.</li><li>Create face masks that coordinate with costumes rather than regular costume masks.&nbsp; This won’t obstruct vision and follows health and safety guidelines for COVID-19.</li><li>&nbsp;Instead, use nontoxic face paint. Also, watch the length of billowy costumes to help avoid tripping.</li><li>Ensure any props are flexible and blunt-tipped to avoid injury from tripping or horseplay.</li><li>Ask an adult or older child to supervise children under age 12.</li><li>Instruct children to travel only in familiar areas and along established routes.</li><li>Teach children to stop only at well-lit houses and to never to enter a stranger’s home or garage.</li><li>Review trick-or-treating safety precautions, including pedestrian and traffic safety rules.</li>
 </ul><h2>Trick-or-Treaters</h2><ul>
 <li>Stay on sidewalks and avoid walking in streets if possible.</li><li>If there are no sidewalks, walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.</li><li>Look both ways and listen for traffic before crossing the street.</li><li>Watch for cars turning or backing up.</li><li>Cross streets only at the corner, using traffic signals and crosswalks, and never cross between parked vehicles or mid-block.</li><li>Trick-or-treat in a group if someone older cannot go with you.</li><li>Tell your parents where you are going.</li><li>Carry a flashlight containing fresh batteries. Never shine flashlights into the eyes of oncoming drivers.</li>
 </ul><h2>Party Goers</h2><ul>
 <li>Arrange a safe ride home and/or designate a driver before partaking in any festivities.</li><li>Always designate a sober driver.</li><li>If you are drunk, take a taxi or ride share service, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation.</li><li>Before leaving for a party, load ride share apps or put numbers of local cab companies or your designated driver(s) into your phone.</li><li>Walking impaired can be as dangerous as drunk driving. Designate a sober friend to walk you home.</li><li>If you see a drunk driver on the road, contact local law enforcement.</li><li>If you know someone who is about to drive or ride impaired, take their keys and help them make safe travel arrangements to where they are going.</li>
 </ul>

🎥 Halloween weekend safety tips from Dr. Lee Norman

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs' Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Daniel Sorensen chat with the media during a Wednesday presser. From <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KansasCityChiefs">The Kansas City Chiefs Facebook</a> page:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs' Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Daniel Sorensen chat with the media during a Wednesday presser. From <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KansasCityChiefs">The Kansas City Chiefs Facebook</a> page:<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKansasCityChiefs%2Fvideos%2F851898815551867%2F&show_text=true&width=560" width="560" height="429" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>You can listen to the Chiefs' games on KINA (910 AM and 107.5 FM) and 99KG (99.9 FM), your local Chiefs Radio Network stations.

📹Chiefs' Reid, Mahomes, Kelce, Sorensen chat with media Wednesday

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amy Coney Barrett was formally sworn in Tuesday as the Supreme Court’s ninth justice, her oath administered in private by Chief Justice John Roberts. Her first votes on the court could include two big topics affecting the man who appointed her.

The court is weighing a plea from President Donald Trump to prevent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-new-york-city-new-york-subpoenas-trump-investigations-ffdad3a4983088224245dbf761c6d113">the Manhattan district attorney</a>&nbsp;from acquiring his tax returns. It is also considering appeals from the Trump campaign and Republicans to shorten the deadline for receiving and counting absentee ballots in the battleground states of North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

It’s not certain Barrett will take part in any of these issues, but she will make that call.

Barrett&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-virus-outbreak-ruth-bader-ginsburg-amy-coney-barrett-82a02a618343c98b80ca2b6bf9eafe07">was confirmed Monday by the Senate</a>&nbsp;in a 52-48 virtual party line vote. She is expected to begin work as a justice on Tuesday after taking the second of two oaths required of judges by federal law. No justice has assumed office so close to a presidential election or immediately confronted issues so directly tied to the incumbent president’s political and personal fortunes.

At 48, she’s the youngest justice since Clarence Thomas joined the court in 1991 at age 43.

Other election-related issues are pending at the high court, which next week also will hear a clash of LGBTQ rights and religious freedoms.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-supreme-court-amy-coney-barrett-archive-courts-25cdbb056a83aa506af5c5b42943dbf6">The fate of the Affordable Care Act</a>&nbsp;is on the agenda on Nov. 10, and Trump himself last week reiterated his opposition to the Obama-era law. “I hope they end it,” he said in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-posts-unedited-60-minutes-3db1eb99671dc9549bae010ef7d024f2">an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes.”</a>

On Friday, Barrett, the most open opponent of abortion rights to join the court in decades, also could be called upon to weigh in on Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. The state is appealing lower court rulings invalidating the ban. Abortion opponents in Pittsburgh also are challenging a so-called bubble zone that prevents protesters from getting too close to abortion clinics.

The court put off acting on both cases before Barrett joined the court, without offering any explanation in the Mississippi case. It ordered Pittsburgh to file a response to the appeal filed by the protesters, who call themselves sidewalk counselors.

It’s not clear that the public will know how Barrett voted in the two abortion cases because the court typically doesn’t make the vote counts public when it is considering whether to grant full review to cases.

Barrett declined to commit to Democratic demands that she step aside from any cases on controversial topics, including a potential post-election dispute over the presidential results.

Barrett is joining the court at an unusual moment. The justices are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fe767ffb8833bb059f8eabfd529365a0">meeting remotely by telephone</a>&nbsp;because of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>, both for their private conferences and public argument sessions, at least through the end of 2020. The public can listen to the arguments as they take place, a change also resulting from the court’s response to the pandemic.

After her first private conference with her new colleagues on Friday, two weeks of arguments begin on Monday. In an institution that pays strict attention to seniority, Barrett will go last in the private and public sessions.

As she settles into her new office at the court, Barrett will be joined by four law clerks, usually recent law school graduates who have experience working for federal judges.

When the court reopens to the public and the justices return to the courtroom, Barrett is expected to assume several duties reserved for the court’s junior justice. She will be a member of the committee that oversees the court’s public cafeteria, and the person who takes notes and answers the door when someone knocks during the justices’ private conferences.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603812401665.png" alt="&nbsp;During a formal ceremony Tuesday, Chief Justice John Roberts administers the Judicial Oath to Judge Amy Coney Barrett in the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court Building as Judge Barrett's husband, Jesse M. Barrett, holds the Bible -photo courtesy Fred Schilling/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;During a formal ceremony Tuesday, Chief Justice John Roberts administers the Judicial Oath to Judge Amy Coney Barrett in the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court Building as Judge Barrett's husband, Jesse M. Barrett, holds the Bible -photo courtesy Fred Schilling/Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Amy Coney Barrett was formally sworn in Tuesday as the Supreme Court’s ninth justice, her oath administered in private by Chief Justice John Roberts. Her first votes on the court could include two big topics affecting the man who appointed her.The court is weighing a plea from President Donald Trump to prevent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-new-york-city-new-york-subpoenas-trump-investigations-ffdad3a4983088224245dbf761c6d113">the Manhattan district attorney</a>&nbsp;from acquiring his tax returns. It is also considering appeals from the Trump campaign and Republicans to shorten the deadline for receiving and counting absentee ballots in the battleground states of North Carolina and Pennsylvania.It’s not certain Barrett will take part in any of these issues, but she will make that call.Barrett&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-virus-outbreak-ruth-bader-ginsburg-amy-coney-barrett-82a02a618343c98b80ca2b6bf9eafe07">was confirmed Monday by the Senate</a>&nbsp;in a 52-48 virtual party line vote. She is expected to begin work as a justice on Tuesday after taking the second of two oaths required of judges by federal law. No justice has assumed office so close to a presidential election or immediately confronted issues so directly tied to the incumbent president’s political and personal fortunes.At 48, she’s the youngest justice since Clarence Thomas joined the court in 1991 at age 43.Other election-related issues are pending at the high court, which next week also will hear a clash of LGBTQ rights and religious freedoms.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-supreme-court-amy-coney-barrett-archive-courts-25cdbb056a83aa506af5c5b42943dbf6">The fate of the Affordable Care Act</a>&nbsp;is on the agenda on Nov. 10, and Trump himself last week reiterated his opposition to the Obama-era law. “I hope they end it,” he said in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-posts-unedited-60-minutes-3db1eb99671dc9549bae010ef7d024f2">an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes.”</a>On Friday, Barrett, the most open opponent of abortion rights to join the court in decades, also could be called upon to weigh in on Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. The state is appealing lower court rulings invalidating the ban. Abortion opponents in Pittsburgh also are challenging a so-called bubble zone that prevents protesters from getting too close to abortion clinics.The court put off acting on both cases before Barrett joined the court, without offering any explanation in the Mississippi case. It ordered Pittsburgh to file a response to the appeal filed by the protesters, who call themselves sidewalk counselors.It’s not clear that the public will know how Barrett voted in the two abortion cases because the court typically doesn’t make the vote counts public when it is considering whether to grant full review to cases.Barrett declined to commit to Democratic demands that she step aside from any cases on controversial topics, including a potential post-election dispute over the presidential results.Barrett is joining the court at an unusual moment. The justices are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fe767ffb8833bb059f8eabfd529365a0">meeting remotely by telephone</a>&nbsp;because of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/virus-outbreak">the coronavirus pandemic</a>, both for their private conferences and public argument sessions, at least through the end of 2020. The public can listen to the arguments as they take place, a change also resulting from the court’s response to the pandemic.After her first private conference with her new colleagues on Friday, two weeks of arguments begin on Monday. In an institution that pays strict attention to seniority, Barrett will go last in the private and public sessions.As she settles into her new office at the court, Barrett will be joined by four law clerks, usually recent law school graduates who have experience working for federal judges.When the court reopens to the public and the justices return to the courtroom, Barrett is expected to assume several duties reserved for the court’s junior justice. She will be a member of the committee that oversees the court’s public cafeteria, and the person who takes notes and answers the door when someone knocks during the justices’ private conferences.

Supreme Court considers high profile cases as Barrett begins

&nbsp; Phyliis (Kugler) McCosh was born 100 years ago, on September 14th, 1920, and died Saturday,&nbsp;October 24th in the Lakeview Village Rehabilitation Center in Lenexa, Kansas. Her good long&nbsp;life began as a child of John Musselman Kugler and Bertha Burkholder Kugler of rural Abilene. Some of her best childhood memories were fixing a snack when coming home from school and&nbsp;going to the barn while her Mother milked the cows. She talked of the many scrumptious&nbsp;meals her Mother would fix for large family holiday dinners, a tradition she continued. She also&nbsp;spoke fondly of practicing the piano as a child and especially loved playing hymns.

Phyllis&nbsp;attended East Buckeye grade school, Abilene High School and graduated from Bethany&nbsp;College in Lindsborg in 1941 with a degree in music education.

In 1937, she and another young man from the community, LeRoy McCosh, were two of three&nbsp;selected to attend the National 4-H Club Congress in Chicago. A relationship began that led to&nbsp;their marriage in 1943, with a wedding at her parents home at the Kugler farm. 

They were&nbsp;married 58 years and had six children: Ron McCosh (Cindy) of Beverly, KS, Patricia King (Gary)&nbsp;of Winfield,KS, Gordon McCosh (Sherryl), of Rockwall, TX, Nancy Wassenberg (Roger) of&nbsp;Shawnee, KS, Dennis McCosh of rural Abilene, and Cathy Matlack (Terry) of Shawnee, KS.&nbsp;Phyllis had 16 grandchildren, 41 great grandchildren and 2 great-great granddaughters. 

Phyllis&nbsp;was preceded in death by her husband LeRoy in 2002, her parents, her three siblings, Harold&nbsp;Kugler, Marie Wick and Laberta Simmons, a daughter-in-law, Lynn McCosh and a grandson,&nbsp;Joe McCosh.

Both LeRoy and Phyllis had many accomplishments, honors and awards through out their&nbsp;lives. Highlights were the Dickinson County Extension Council Appreciation award and they&nbsp;were also honored as members of the Master Farmer and Master Farm Homemaker award in&nbsp;1993, giving public recognition for excellence in farming, homemaking and rural citizenship.

Phyllis was honored with the Master Teacher award from the Chapman School District in 1977.

Music and the piano was Phyllis’ passion. She began giving piano lessons at the age of 16&nbsp;and continued until 80 years of age. She taught elementary music in the Chapman School&nbsp;District at Blue Ridge, Talmage and Upland schools from 1956 - 1988. She inspired many “next&nbsp;generation” music teachers who she continued to mentor and stay in touch with over the&nbsp;years. She loved hearing her grandchildren and great grand-children play the piano or their instruments and many mini concerts were given her while she listened with a broad smile.

Phyllis had a strong unshakable faith. She served her community of faith at the Buckeye&nbsp;Church of the Brethren by serving as pianist and organist for 48 years. She had youth choirs,&nbsp;did summer bible school and encouraged and accompanied many of her students who were&nbsp;ready to share their musical talents with the church community. 

She was known for her baking&nbsp;and her cinnamon twists were always one of the first things people would seek out at many church potlucks.

Services will be Saturday, October 31st, 11am, at Danner Funeral Home, 501 N. Buckeye St.,&nbsp;Abilene, KS. Due to the pandemic, attendees are encouraged to wear masks. Burial will follow&nbsp;the service at 12:15pm at the Union-Livingston Cemetery on Indy Road, south of Highway 18,&nbsp;north of Abilene. The service can be viewed online with this link, starting at 11am; http://www.phyllismccosh.com/ Memorial contributions may be made to the Phyllis McCosh Scholarship fund for Chapman&nbsp;graduates to pursue a degree in music. Make checks payable to the Irish Foundation, noting&nbsp;the Phyllis McCosh Scholarship fund. Send to The Irish Foundation, P.O. Box 249, Chapman, KS 67431. Donations can also be left at Danner Funeral Home in Abilene.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603844485346.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp; Phyliis (Kugler) McCosh was born 100 years ago, on September 14th, 1920, and died Saturday,&nbsp;October 24th in the Lakeview Village Rehabilitation Center in Lenexa, Kansas. Her good long&nbsp;life began as a child of John Musselman Kugler and Bertha Burkholder Kugler of rural Abilene. Some of her best childhood memories were fixing a snack when coming home from school and&nbsp;going to the barn while her Mother milked the cows. She talked of the many scrumptious&nbsp;meals her Mother would fix for large family holiday dinners, a tradition she continued. She also&nbsp;spoke fondly of practicing the piano as a child and especially loved playing hymns. Phyllis&nbsp;attended East Buckeye grade school, Abilene High School and graduated from Bethany&nbsp;College in Lindsborg in 1941 with a degree in music education. In 1937, she and another young man from the community, LeRoy McCosh, were two of three&nbsp;selected to attend the National 4-H Club Congress in Chicago. A relationship began that led to&nbsp;their marriage in 1943, with a wedding at her parents home at the Kugler farm. They were&nbsp;married 58 years and had six children: Ron McCosh (Cindy) of Beverly, KS, Patricia King (Gary)&nbsp;of Winfield,KS, Gordon McCosh (Sherryl), of Rockwall, TX, Nancy Wassenberg (Roger) of&nbsp;Shawnee, KS, Dennis McCosh of rural Abilene, and Cathy Matlack (Terry) of Shawnee, KS.&nbsp;Phyllis had 16 grandchildren, 41 great grandchildren and 2 great-great granddaughters. Phyllis&nbsp;was preceded in death by her husband LeRoy in 2002, her parents, her three siblings, Harold&nbsp;Kugler, Marie Wick and Laberta Simmons, a daughter-in-law, Lynn McCosh and a grandson,&nbsp;Joe McCosh. Both LeRoy and Phyllis had many accomplishments, honors and awards through out their&nbsp;lives. Highlights were the Dickinson County Extension Council Appreciation award and they&nbsp;were also honored as members of the Master Farmer and Master Farm Homemaker award in&nbsp;1993, giving public recognition for excellence in farming, homemaking and rural citizenship. Phyllis was honored with the Master Teacher award from the Chapman School District in 1977. Music and the piano was Phyllis’ passion. She began giving piano lessons at the age of 16&nbsp;and continued until 80 years of age. She taught elementary music in the Chapman School&nbsp;District at Blue Ridge, Talmage and Upland schools from 1956 - 1988. She inspired many “next&nbsp;generation” music teachers who she continued to mentor and stay in touch with over the&nbsp;years. She loved hearing her grandchildren and great grand-children play the piano or their instruments and many mini concerts were given her while she listened with a broad smile. Phyllis had a strong unshakable faith. She served her community of faith at the Buckeye&nbsp;Church of the Brethren by serving as pianist and organist for 48 years. She had youth choirs,&nbsp;did summer bible school and encouraged and accompanied many of her students who were&nbsp;ready to share their musical talents with the church community. She was known for her baking&nbsp;and her cinnamon twists were always one of the first things people would seek out at many church potlucks. Services will be Saturday, October 31st, 11am, at Danner Funeral Home, 501 N. Buckeye St.,&nbsp;Abilene, KS. Due to the pandemic, attendees are encouraged to wear masks. Burial will follow&nbsp;the service at 12:15pm at the Union-Livingston Cemetery on Indy Road, south of Highway 18,&nbsp;north of Abilene. The service can be viewed online with this link, starting at 11am; http://www.phyllismccosh.com/ Memorial contributions may be made to the Phyllis McCosh Scholarship fund for Chapman&nbsp;graduates to pursue a degree in music. Make checks payable to the Irish Foundation, noting&nbsp;the Phyllis McCosh Scholarship fund. Send to The Irish Foundation, P.O. Box 249, Chapman, KS 67431. Donations can also be left at Danner Funeral Home in Abilene.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Phyllis L McCosh (Kugler)

The Bennington State Bank (BSB) has opened a loan production office (LPO) in Abilene. 

The office is located at 418 West Third Street in Abilene, and is currently open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and by appointment. The LPO will facilitate additional business opportunities and will offer a full suite of competitive business lending services.

“Expanding into the Abilene and Dickinson County market is a natural progression for our bank as The Bennington State Bank has many ties to the Abilene community,” said Burke Matthews, president. “Dr. Don Berkley, retired BSB Board member, resides in Abilene and is still very involved with the bank. BSB has many great customer relationships in the Abilene community, and this office will help us take better care of those customers while also being able to serve new customers in this market.”

BSB is pleased to announce the hiring of Mike Anderes to oversee the market expansion as vice president and loan officer. A Kansas native, Anderes is a commercial banking industry leader with over 25 years of commercial and ag lending experience.

“As a community focused bank, we believe our core values and relationship based banking philosophy, along with our unique financial expertise and diverse set of commercial products will meet the personal and business banking needs of the Abilene market,” said Darren Gragg, chief operating officer. “We are excited to welcome Mike Anderes who brings valuable leadership and experience to the team. Mike is an exceptional business lender who understands the Abilene and Central Kansas business market very well.”

The LPO is not a full-service branch office, but could eventually expand into a full-service banking location. Bennington State Bank currently has seven full-service banking locations in Kansas. BSB also offers leading edge online and digital banking solutions that enable customers to carry out many financial transactions through their computer or mobile device.

“We pride ourselves in listening to our customers, responding to their needs, and developing lasting relationships. This location is starting out as a Loan Production Office, and as we continue to expand our footprint in Kansas, we expect this location to eventually grow into a fullservice branch,” Matthews commented. 

Established in 1887, The Bennington State Bank (BSB) was founded on the principles of integrity, trust, and fostering long-term customer relationships through the delivery of excellence in customer service and financial products including state-of-the-art online and mobile platforms. BSB is a full-service financial provider, offering Consumer banking, Ag solutions, and Commercial banking, including Trust and Wealth Management, Portfolio Management and Employee Benefit Services. With nearly $800 million in total assets, BSB has locations in Salina, Bennington, Minneapolis, Lucas, Sylvan Grove, and Wamego. Always committed to local decision-making, excellent customer service and community investment, BSB is your trusted hometown bank. For more information, please visit bsbks.com.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603763142160.jpeg" alt="The Bennington State Bank loan production office in Abilene. Photo courtesy Bennington State Bank" />
 <figcaption>The Bennington State Bank loan production office in Abilene. Photo courtesy Bennington State Bank</figcaption>
 </figure>The Bennington State Bank (BSB) has opened a loan production office (LPO) in Abilene. The office is located at 418 West Third Street in Abilene, and is currently open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and by appointment. The LPO will facilitate additional business opportunities and will offer a full suite of competitive business lending services.“Expanding into the Abilene and Dickinson County market is a natural progression for our bank as The Bennington State Bank has many ties to the Abilene community,” said Burke Matthews, president. “Dr. Don Berkley, retired BSB Board member, resides in Abilene and is still very involved with the bank. BSB has many great customer relationships in the Abilene community, and this office will help us take better care of those customers while also being able to serve new customers in this market.”BSB is pleased to announce the hiring of Mike Anderes to oversee the market expansion as vice president and loan officer. A Kansas native, Anderes is a commercial banking industry leader with over 25 years of commercial and ag lending experience.“As a community focused bank, we believe our core values and relationship based banking philosophy, along with our unique financial expertise and diverse set of commercial products will meet the personal and business banking needs of the Abilene market,” said Darren Gragg, chief operating officer. “We are excited to welcome Mike Anderes who brings valuable leadership and experience to the team. Mike is an exceptional business lender who understands the Abilene and Central Kansas business market very well.”The LPO is not a full-service branch office, but could eventually expand into a full-service banking location. Bennington State Bank currently has seven full-service banking locations in Kansas. BSB also offers leading edge online and digital banking solutions that enable customers to carry out many financial transactions through their computer or mobile device.“We pride ourselves in listening to our customers, responding to their needs, and developing lasting relationships. This location is starting out as a Loan Production Office, and as we continue to expand our footprint in Kansas, we expect this location to eventually grow into a fullservice branch,” Matthews commented. About Bennington State BankEstablished in 1887, The Bennington State Bank (BSB) was founded on the principles of integrity, trust, and fostering long-term customer relationships through the delivery of excellence in customer service and financial products including state-of-the-art online and mobile platforms. BSB is a full-service financial provider, offering Consumer banking, Ag solutions, and Commercial banking, including Trust and Wealth Management, Portfolio Management and Employee Benefit Services. With nearly $800 million in total assets, BSB has locations in Salina, Bennington, Minneapolis, Lucas, Sylvan Grove, and Wamego. Always committed to local decision-making, excellent customer service and community investment, BSB is your trusted hometown bank. For more information, please visit bsbks.com.

Bennington State Bank opens loan production office in Abilene

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid fielded media questions during a presser on Monday. From <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KansasCityChiefs">The Kansas City Chiefs</a> Facebook page:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid fielded media questions during a presser on Monday. From <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KansasCityChiefs">The Kansas City Chiefs</a> Facebook page:<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FKansasCityChiefs%2Fvideos%2F394673068380016%2F&show_text=true&width=560" width="560" height="429" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>You can listen to the Chiefs' games on KINA (910 AM and 107.5 FM) and 99KG (99.9 FM), your local Chiefs Radio Network stations.

📹Chiefs' Reid chats with media on Monday

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/26/secret-recording-exposes-three-wichita-politicians-to-demands-for-their-resignation/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Three members of the Sedgwick County Commission on Sunday denounced Republican colleague Michael O’Donnell after the <a href="https://www.kansas.com/article246669242.html">Wichita Eagle published a secret recording</a>
 of O’Donnell, a Wichita city councilman and a Kansas House member 
plotting to deceive the public about their role in a false campaign 
video accusing a Democratic candidate for mayor of sexual harassment.

Commissioners Lacey Cruse,
 David Dennis and Jim Howell made clear O’Donnell’s statements on the 
45-minute recording, including political advice to attack first and 
“avoid the truth at all expense,” made it impossible for him to continue
 serving the county.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603722521631.png" alt="From left: Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O'Donnell, Kansas House Rep. Michael Capps and Wichita City Councilman James Clendenin. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>From left: Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O'Donnell, Kansas House Rep. Michael Capps and Wichita City Councilman James Clendenin. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/10/26/secret-recording-exposes-three-wichita-politicians-to-demands-for-their-resignation/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Three members of the Sedgwick County Commission on Sunday denounced Republican colleague Michael O’Donnell after the <a href="https://www.kansas.com/article246669242.html">Wichita Eagle published a secret recording</a>
 of O’Donnell, a Wichita city councilman and a Kansas House member 
plotting to deceive the public about their role in a false campaign 
video accusing a Democratic candidate for mayor of sexual harassment.Commissioners Lacey Cruse,
 David Dennis and Jim Howell made clear O’Donnell’s statements on the 
45-minute recording, including political advice to attack first and 
“avoid the truth at all expense,” made it impossible for him to continue
 serving the county.In the at-times chaotic 
recording, made shortly before the November 2019 mayoral election and 
released to the public due to a pending lawsuit, O’Donnell said it might
 be possible to blame their sleazy campaign attack on a former Kansas 
Republican Party chairman. He also declared such coverups to be 
“standard political operations.” He expressed admiration for the good 
sense of Democrats to betray each other quietly. And, he said, there 
wasn’t a pro-life person unhappy with the assassination a decade ago of 
Wichita abortion doctor George Tiller.“Michael O’Donnell has 
proven to be a risk and major liability to Sedgwick County,” said Cruse,
 a Democrat. “I’m not shocked by what we all heard on this tape because I
 have witnessed this type of unethical behavior for almost two years. 
I’m not willing to get in line and be quiet. This behavior is not okay 
and those who choose to be silent, those who are not willing to speak 
out about this publicly, are part of the problem.”Howell, the GOP chairman 
of the county commission, went further and urged O’Donnell, Wichita City
 Councilman James Clendenin and Kansas House Rep. Michael Capps to 
immediately resign from public office.“The people of Sedgwick 
county deserve representation that is ethical, above reproach and 
honest,” Howell said. “The actions of these men in the<a href="https://www.kwch.com/2020/08/28/man-behind-protect-wichita-girls-video-breaks-silence/"> ‘Protect Wichita Girls’ scandal</a> is reprehensible and embarrassing to our community.”So far, the three Wichita 
politicians have chosen to cling to their jobs. O’Donnell is seeking 
re-election to the county commission on Nov. 3. In August, Wichita 
voters decided to end Capps’ career in the Kansas House effective in 
January. Capps was hammered in the GOP primary, receiving just 25% of 
the vote. Clendenin, a member of the city council since 2011, isn’t on 
the 2020 ballot.<h2>The blame game</h2>In the recording, the 
three politicians and the producer of the video agreed to blame Sedgwick
 County Republican Party chairman Dalton Glasscock for orchestrating the
 commercial. They considered and rejected the idea of also fingering 
Kelly Arnold, who has served as Sedgwick County’s clerk since 2008 and 
was the Kansas GOP chairman from 2013 to 2019.The malicious video, 
posted to Facebook and YouTube, featured unidentified women silhouetted 
against a menacing background who alleged without evidence sexual 
harassment by state legislators. The target was then-Democratic mayoral 
candidate Brandon Whipple, who by implication was accused of engaging in
 misconduct as a member of the Kansas House. In closing moments of the 
video, the women say, “Stop Brandon Whipple.”The video was apparently 
viewed more than 400,000 times. It was traced to a New Mexico shadow 
company, Protect Wichita’s Girls LLC, that was linked to Capps.Whipple, who said the 
video was part of a political misinformation campaign, easily won the 
November 2019 election. He defeated incumbent Republican Mayor Jeff 
Longwell by more than 10 percentage points. Longwell’s re-election was 
hampered by reports he intervened to award the new water plant contract 
for the state’s largest city to his political supporters and friends.Shortly after the video 
began appearing online in October 2019, Whipple filed a lawsuit against 
video producer Matthew Colborn and two John Does. Colborn, who recorded 
the four-person conversation in which the coverup and misdirection was 
mapped out, was dropped from the suit in exchange for turning over the 
audio recording and other evidence to Whipple’s lawyers. The lawsuit has
 been amended to target O’Donnell, Clendenin and Capps.Michael
 Shultz, the Wichita attorney for Colborn, said his client regretted 
participating in the underhanded assault and learned painful lessons 
about politics, relationships and business. Colborn is being scapegoated
 in the public eye by the scandal, Schultz said. 
“Matthew
 was at the meeting where Michael O’Donnell, James Clendenin and Michael
 Capps planned to push the blame for this ad onto Dalton Glasscock and 
others,” Schultz said. “To protect himself, he recorded that 
conversation. We are releasing that recording now to demonstrate the 
accuracy of what Matthew has now said and to try and stop those who 
continue to attack him.”<h2>‘Dalton’s head’</h2>The meeting that produced 
the secret recording was called to help Capps prepare for a 2019 radio 
interview on the video controversy with Wichita talk show host John 
Whitmer, a former Republican state legislator. Capps and O’Donnell 
sounded confident Whitmer would be sympathetic to their claims, 
asserting Whitmer was opposed to election of a Democrat as mayor and had
 a strong dislike for Glasscock.“John, though, wants Dalton’s head. He doesn’t know how to hunt. He just wants to collect,” Capps said on the recording.Capps, who was angry 
Glasscock had previously called for his resignation, could be heard on 
the recording practicing his talking points in advance of the radio 
interview, including: “Let me be clear to your listeners and to you 
John. I had nothing to do with the production of this video.”O’Donnell advised Capps to
 claim firsthand knowledge that both Glasscock and Arnold spoke of plans
 designed to conceal information about who was responsible for the 
video. O’Donnell said linking the pair would deflect damage to the 
Sedgwick County Republican Party, because it would appear “more of a 
conspiracy by the party to cover itself.”Later in the conversation,
 the group decided Arnold was too influential among Sedgwick County 
Republicans to accuse of misconduct. Backlash from Arnold could get out 
of hand, so they agreed Glasscock would be framed alone. They also 
agreed it would be useful to place responsibility at Glasscock’s feet if
 the Republican mayor lost the campaign to Whipple.“Nobody questions Kelly 
(Arnold) being an ultra-party guy, a conservative,” O’Donnell said. “I 
just think naming him in this deal will bring added scrutiny that we, 
particularly James (Clendenin) and I don’t need.”<h2>Narrative not ideal</h2>Clendenin, the Wichita 
city council member, said labeling Arnold as a responsible party could 
open an unsavory two-front political conflict. He also predicted 
maneuvering their way out of the Whipple video scandal by boxing in 
Glasscock wouldn’t “go as smoothly as we’re talking about it right now.”“This is not an ideal 
narrative,” Capps said. “I’m going to accept the fact that it is not. 
But I’m also looking at this purely from a business/political 
perspective. That it’s either our necks or his.”“I’m always learned in 
politics,” O’Donnell said, “it’s always avoid the truth at all expense. 
Right? And, just go on the attack.”O’Donnell at several 
points in the recording recommended they each be vague when pointing 
fingers at other people, because specifics could come back to haunt them
 if a lawsuit went to the discovery stage or a trial.In 2018, O’Donnell was 
indicted on federal charges that included 23 counts of wire fraud and 
three counts of money laundering. The allegations of campaign finance 
misconduct related to his campaign for the Kansas Senate and O’Donnell’s
 decision to write a series of checks from a campaign account to 
friends. He was acquitted last year of 21 counts and the jury couldn’t 
reach a verdict on five counts. He described the trial as the worst 
experience of his life.“I don’t think we’re all 
culpable like for a lawsuit or something,” O’Donnell said on the audio 
recording, “but what I think — I just don’t ever want it to get into 
discovery mode.”The
 Kansas Democratic Party jumped into the fray with a photograph of 
O’Donnell standing next to U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall, a Republican in a 
tight race for U.S. Senate against Democratic Kansas Sen. Barbara 
Bollier.“What
 games are Roger Marshall and Michael O’Donnell playing?” the Democrats 
claimed Kansans deserved to know. “Does Roger Marshall stand by his 
‘friend’ Michael O’Donnell’s actions?”As if there wasn’t enough drama in Whipple’s life, a Wichita musician and retired firefighter was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/17/us/wichita-kansas-mayor-mask-arrest-trnd/index.html">arrested Oct. 16 on suspicion of threatening to kidnap and kill the mayor</a> due to frustration with the city’s COVID-19 mask ordinance.Tim Carpenter has reported on Kansas for 35 years. He covered the Capitol for 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal and previously worked for the Lawrence Journal-World and United Press International.&nbsp;