Union Pacific Railroad crews will be performing maintenance work at two railroad crossings along West Avenue D on Tuesday, March 17, which could cause intermittent traffic disruptions throughout the day.

The work will take place at the crossings located at West Avenue D and Monroe Street and West Avenue D and Madison Street. According to city officials, the project is scheduled to begin at approximately 6 a.m. and is expected to last about 12 hours.

During that time, the crossings will experience intermittent closures and flagging operations as crews complete the work. A contractor assisting Union Pacific said crews will alternate between the two crossings so that one crossing remains accessible while the other is temporarily closed or controlled by flaggers.

Drivers traveling through the area should expect periodic delays and are advised to use caution and follow directions from traffic control personnel.

Traffic volumes in the area may already be elevated due to the ongoing Woodie Seat Freeway reconstruction project, which has led to increased use of the Avenue D crossings.

Railroad crossing work to cause delays

Dear Dave, My husband and I are making great progress in paying off almost $100,000 in debt from student loans and a car loan using your debt snowball system. Our current combined income is $90,000 a year. He makes $45,000 as a teacher, and I make $45,000 as a retail assistant manager.

My husband would like to go back to school and get his master’s degree. We’ve talked about him quitting his teaching job in order to do this full-time. He’ll be able to make significantly more money with an advanced degree, and he would only be unemployed for two years. Plus, I can pick up extra hours at my job to bring in a little more money. The program will cost us about $2,500 out of pocket per semester for those two years. How do you feel about this? — Lisa

Dear Lisa, I love the way you’re both looking toward the future and trying to make better lives for yourselves. But my advice would be to wait until you’ve got your debt knocked out. Then, your husband could go back to school when you two are in a much better financial situation.

I mean, you could slow down your debt snowball and use some of that money to pay for school, but I can’t recommend it. I’ve seen too many people try to slow down, or skirt around the getting out of debt part of the Baby Steps, and next thing you know they’re still in debt—or have even more debt—four or five years down the road. They’ve lost all their momentum and fire for becoming debt-free and gaining control of their finances.

There’s really no reason for your husband to quit his job to make this happen. Lots of people, especially teachers, hold down their jobs and go back to school to further their education. It’s a pretty common thing, actually. Trying to make it on one income when you’re that deep in debt? It just sounds like a bad plan to me.

But whatever you do, please don’t borrow more money to make this happen. Cash flow it, or don’t do it.

You can hear Dave Ramsey, Monday through Friday evenings from 7 to 10 p.m. on KWBW, unless it is preempted by sports coverage.&nbsp;

Dave says: Don't lose your momentum

Home sales across the Mid-Kansas region increased in February compared to the same month last year, while home prices and overall sales volume also posted significant gains.

According to the latest housing data, a total of 86 homes were sold in February, representing an 11.7% increase from the 77 homes sold in February 2025. The region also saw a sharp rise in total sales value, with $16.5 million in sales volume, up 27.2% from a year earlier.

Home prices continued their upward trend. The median sale price in February reached $167,250, compared to $136,000 during the same month last year, reflecting a notable increase in property values.

Homes also continued to move relatively quickly on the market. Properties that sold in February were typically listed for 28 days before selling, and sellers received about 99% of their original list price on average, indicating strong buyer demand.

While sales rose, the number of available homes declined. At the end of February, the Mid-Kansas region had 235 active listings, down from 261 homes available at the same time in 2025. The current inventory represents about a 1.9-month supply of homes, suggesting a tighter housing market for buyers.

The median list price of homes still on the market at the end of February was $199,000.

Activity in pending sales slowed slightly during the month. Realtors reported 108 contracts written in February, down from 116 contracts in February 2025. Despite that decline, 147 homes remained under contract and pending at the end of the month, indicating continued activity heading into the spring homebuying season.

Housing markets across Kansas often begin to pick up as spring approaches, making March and April key months for both buyers and sellers in the region.

Mid-Kansas home sales increase in February as prices continue to rise

Lane	Eric	Novotny		3/13/2026 10:43&nbsp;AM	DUI; 2nd conv; blood or breath .08 or higher

Timmothy	Allan	Fanning		3/13/2026 1:08&nbsp;PM	Probation Violation

Wayne	Lewis	Farnam		3/13/2026 2:07&nbsp;PM	Failure to Appear

Zachary	Ryan	Denoya		3/13/2026 2:15&nbsp;PM	Failure to Appear

Monica	Lynne	Perkins		3/13/2026 3:16&nbsp;PM	DUI; 1st conv; blood or breath .08 or higher

Jonathan	Nathaniel	Looney	Sr	3/13/2026 3:55&nbsp;PM	Failure to Appear

Darin	Lynn	Ferris		3/13/2026 4:11&nbsp;PM	Failure to Appear

Joshua	William	Kelley		3/13/2026 7:20&nbsp;PM	Probation Violation

Brittany	Nicole	Mcgarraugh		3/13/2026 7:21&nbsp;PM	DUI; 2nd conv; blood or breath .08 or higher

Ashley	Nicole	Adkins		3/13/2026 7:50&nbsp;PM	Probation Violation

Emily	Elizabeth	Bailey		3/13/2026 8:23&nbsp;PM	Poss of opiate, narcotic, or certain stimulant,					Use or Possess with Intent to use Drug Paraphernalia into Human Body

Kai	Benjamin	French		3/13/2026 8:24&nbsp;PM	Agg assault; w/ deadly weapon,					Agg battery; Knowingly cause angry phys contact, stalking; Course of conduct knowing the conduct will cause fear to person or family; 2nd conviction, Criminal Threat; with Intent to Terrorize or cause Evacuation,					Kidnapping; AGGRAVATED

Daily Bookings

The Harvey County Appraiser’s Office will be closed March 18-24 as it moves its offices from the Harvey County Courthouse to the County-owned building at 215 S. Pine St. in Newton.

The Appraiser’s Office anticipates reopening to the public at Pine Street in its third-floor office space March 25.

The office move overlaps with the timeline for property owners to request an appeal of their property valuations. Property owners have 30 days from the mailing date of their valuation notice to submit an appeal.

Appeals can be requested during the moving timeline by calling 316-283-8347.

The Appraiser’s Office is the last in a line of office moves to Pine Street that is targeted toward addressing space needs for the Ninth Judicial District at the Courthouse.

Departments that have previously moved include Aging, Kansas State Extension – Harvey County, the Geographic Information System office and Planning, Zoning and Environmental. The Health Department remains a long-standing tenant of the Pine Street building

Harvey County Appraisers Office to move

Three-day Outlook

Community members helped collect thousands of pounds of food during a special food drive Friday at the Dillons Marketplace on East 30th Avenue in support of the Food Bank of Reno County.

During the event, shoppers and volunteers donated 2,418 pounds of food along with $778 in monetary contributions to help stock the shelves at the Food Bank’s newly opened location.

The food drive was held in partnership with Dillons as part of the celebration of the Food Bank’s new facility and its expanded ability to serve Reno County residents experiencing food insecurity.

Dillons also helped launch the effort with a $20,000 donation, providing a significant boost to the Food Bank’s mission of providing meals and essential groceries to individuals and families throughout the community.

Organizers said the food and financial donations will help the Food Bank continue meeting the needs of local residents by supplying pantry staples and other essential grocery items.

Community donates during drive for Food Bank of Reno County 

The Prairie Spirit Trail 100-Mile Run will again provide an opportunity for Central Christian School Superintendent Dr. John Walker to combine endurance, faith, and and generosity in support of students at CCS.

Dr. Walker will compete in the 100-mile ultramarathon, from Ottawa to Iola and then back to Ottawa, to raise awareness and financial support for CCS tuition assistance. His goal is to help make a biblical education more accessible for families who desire it.

This is not the first time Dr. Walker has taken on the challenge. During a previous run, he  completed a challenging 101.5 miles, and through the generosity of donors, nearly $20,000 was raised to help provide tuition assistance for CCS students.

Supporters are invited to make a flat donation or pledge an amount for each mile that Dr. Walker completes. All proceeds will go directly toward tuition assistance at CCS.

Dr. Walker says the challenge is about more than endurance. “Running these miles is how I hope to inspire our students to do hard things for other people,” he said. "It's an opportunity to them that perseverance, faith, and sacrifice can be used to serve others and make a difference. As Scripture says, suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope."

Community members, alumni, parents, and friends of the school are encouraged to participate and help expand access to biblical education through their support.

To submit a pledge or make a donation, supporters can follow the link provided by Central Christian School.

<a href="https://forms.gle/A4s6dNBpXrs1GD2t6">https://forms.gle/A4s6dNBpXrs1GD2t6</a>

Walker to run 100 miles to support CCS

A Buhler High School graduate has released a new novel set in central Kansas that blends small-town Kansas life with a suspenseful murder mystery.

Author Rock Neelly, now based in Cincinnati, recently published Late Night Radio, a thriller set in 1978 that takes place in Burrton and Hutchinson.&nbsp;

The novel begins when a sheriff’s deputy visits a Burrton farm after a woman fails to pick up her children from school. When authorities investigate, they discover she has vanished—launching what Neelly describes as a tense “cat-and-mouse” mystery involving a farmer who may be hiding a dark secret.

Neelly said he wanted to create a story grounded in Kansas culture.

“My working title was something like Mile Marker 133,” Neelly said. “I wanted it to feel very Kansas. Since I write mysteries, I thought—what could be more Kansas than a farmer? That’s where the premise began.”

A Reno County native, Neelly graduated from Buhler High School before attending Hutchinson Community College. He later earned an English degree from Fort Hays State University and completed graduate school at the University of Denver.

Neelly spent much of his career in sales before turning to writing. About 11 years ago, he was mentored by Wichita author Robert Beattie, who wrote The Hunt for BTK. Since then, Neelly has written eight books.

His earlier work includes the popular “Purple Heart Detective Agency” series, which follows two wounded veterans who operate a private detective agency. The series gained traction with readers and eventually led to multiple publishing contracts.

Late Night Radio marks a return to Neelly’s Kansas roots.

The author said extensive research went into recreating the late-1970s setting. He studied music charts from Casey Kasem’s “American Top 40,” along with television programming and films from the era, to ensure the story accurately reflects the time period.

“Because the story takes place in the fall of 1978, I wanted everything—from the songs on the radio to the movies in theaters—to match that time,” Neelly said.

The novel also references historical events from the period, including the BTK serial killer investigation in Wichita and other well-known Kansas crime stories.

Neelly said setting a mystery in a small rural town creates a different tone than stories set in larger cities.

“In a small town, everybody knows everybody,” he said. “That makes it more shocking when something terrible happens. It’s not anonymous city life—it’s your neighbor.”

Several scenes in the book take place in real Kansas locations, including Burrton, Hutchinson and nearby communities.

Neelly describes himself as a regional author who writes stories tied closely to places he knows. While he now lives in Cincinnati and sets some of his books there, he continues to draw inspiration from Kansas.

Late Night Radio has already generated enough interest that a sequel is in development. The next installment will follow a character introduced in the book—a fictional KBI agent who becomes the central figure in the series.

Neelly is visiting Reno County this week for several book-signing events:

For readers unable to attend a signing, copies of Late Night Radio are also available locally at Permanent Records, 122 W. Fourth Ave. in Hutchinson, as well as through online retailers.

Neelly said returning to Kansas to promote the book has been especially meaningful because the story is rooted in the communities where he grew up.

“It was fun to revisit those places,” he said. “The music, the towns and the memories all came back while writing it.”

Buhler, HutchCC grad releases mystery set in Burrton

PrairieStar Dental invites the community to trade “Smiles for Smiles” with its upcoming live-clean-comedy fundraiser April 30th, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hutchinson Fox Theater, featuring nationally known comedian Rik Roberts.

Known for his energetic delivery and relatable humor, Rik Roberts is a Nashville, TN based comedian and speaker who focuses on providing 100% clean comedy. As a married man, and father of two young kids, Rik has found there are enough real-life situations that we can all laugh at without going “below the belt”. He has been featured on DryBar Comedy, PureFlix Comedy All-Stars and SiriusXM radio. He also shares the Guinness Book World Record for Longest Stand-Up Comedy Show – which lasted over 7 days.

“Smiles for Smiles” fundraiser is designed not only to entertain but to support PrairieStar Dental’s “Bridging the Gap in Access to Rural Dental Care” project. PrairieStar plans to construct a new, state-of-the-art dental clinic that will better serve patients and the community. Set to break ground this summer, PrairieStar will build the new dental clinic just to the west of the current clinic. Ticket sales from the fundraiser will go towards the construction of the new dental clinic and will help unlock a $600,000 Mabee Foundations Challenge Grant.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 6:30 p.m. To purchase tickets prior to the event, <a href="https://www.hutchinsonfox.com/events/prairiestar-health-center-presents-smiles-for-smiles">click here</a>.

“We are excited to bring the community together for a night of laughter while supporting a meaningful goal,” said PrairieStar Marketing Director, Kyran Losew. “This new building will allow us to expand services and continue providing high-quality dental care to the families we serve. Bring the family out for a night that will leave everyone with a smile.”

Event Details Event: Smiles for Smiles – Live Clean Comedy Fundraiser Featuring: Rik Roberts Date: April 30 Doors Open: 5:30 p.m. Show Begins: 6:30 p.m. Location: Hutchinson Fox Theater

For more information about the event or ticket availability, please visit <a href="http://www.hutchinsonfox.com/events/prairiestar-health-center-presents-smiles-for-smiles">http://www.hutchinsonfox.com/events/prairiestar-health-center-presents-smiles-for-smiles</a>

For sponsorship opportunities or to learn more about the Bridging the Gap in Access to Rural Dental Care, visit pshcks.org/bridgingthegap or email bridgingthegap@prairiestarhealth.org .

PrairieStar announces "Smiles for Smiles" comedy fundraiser

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas basketball fans will have an opportunity to hear behind-the-scenes stories about one of college basketball’s most storied programs when author Chelan David visits Hutchinson this week.

David, a lifelong University of Kansas basketball fan and Lawrence native, recently appeared on the BW Morning Show to discuss his newest book, "Stories from the Fog", which highlights decades of KU basketball history centered around Allen Fieldhouse.

The book, released last fall, is David’s second publication. His first book, Beautiful States of Mind, chronicled his travels across all 50 states with his two daughters.

David said his love for KU basketball began during childhood.

“My first KU basketball game was when I was a fourth grader in 1982,” David said. “I just fell in love with the fieldhouse, the atmosphere, the pep band and everything that went along with it.”

Although Kansas finished that season with a losing record, the experience sparked a lifelong passion. David now lives in Overland Park and holds season tickets to Jayhawks games.

Stories from the Fog focuses largely on the last 40 years of Kansas basketball. The book blends David’s perspective as a fan with interviews and stories from people closely connected to the program.

The project, which David described as a two-year labor of love, expanded significantly as more individuals agreed to share their memories.

“I started writing it from my perspective, but once I began reaching out, I was surprised how many people were willing to talk,” David said. “I was able to interview all four living KU coaches, along with players, boosters, super fans and even family members connected to the early history of the program.”

The book also touches on the origins of KU basketball, including the program’s beginnings under James Naismith, who invented the sport and served as Kansas’ first coach, as well as legendary coach Phog Allen, whose name now graces Allen Fieldhouse.

David revisits several memorable games and rivalries throughout the book. Among them is the intense rivalry between Kansas and Missouri, which he said remains one of the most emotional matchups in college basketball history.

One story highlights the final Big 12 meeting between the two teams in Allen Fieldhouse in 2012, when Kansas rallied from a 19-point deficit to force overtime and win a dramatic game shortly before Missouri departed for the Southeastern Conference.

David also reflects on other iconic moments, including a 1993 victory over Indiana when KU freshman Rex Walters hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to defeat a team coached by Bobby Knight.

Another standout contest came in 2016 when Kansas defeated Oklahoma in triple overtime in a No. 1 versus No. 2 matchup. Oklahoma star Buddy Hield scored 46 points in the game, earning a standing ovation from KU fans as he left the court.

David said that appreciation for great basketball—regardless of which team delivers it—is part of the tradition at Allen Fieldhouse.

David will speak about the book during an author talk at the Hutchinson Public Library, where he will discuss the stories behind the project and share insights about KU basketball history.

Copies of Stories from the Fog are available through David’s <a href="https://cdavidbooks.com/">website</a>, Amazon and select bookstores, including Watermark Books in Wichita.

Library's 'Author Talk' to feature Chelan David

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/stan-choe">STAN CHOE</a>

NEW YORK (AP) — When stock markets are as manic as they’ve been recently, it’s natural to want to do something to protect your retirement savings. Historically, though, staying calm has usually been best.

The U.S. stock market has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wall-street-stock-market-record-tariffs-1bd2027a7564f42cc1387d8f3115def9">a track record of recovering from every steep drop</a>&nbsp;it’s taken. Whether it’s a global financial crisis, a trade war or a military war, the S&amp;P 500 has so far always recouped its losses to push toward more records. Of course, that can take years, but anyone who moved their 401(k) investments out of stocks risked missing out on the recovery and further gains.

Will that happen again? No one can say for sure, and some things are different this time around. But many professional investors and strategists are sticking with the advice they usually give: As long as it’s money you don’t need soon, which should never be in stocks in the first place, try to be patient and ride out the stock market’s swings, tough as it is.

They gave the same counsel after President Donald Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/market-rates-trump-tariffs-d86db525c370e9da834e6dfb76e23b86">unveiled his global tariffs on “Liberation Day”</a>&nbsp;last year, after inflation skyrocketed in 2021 and after COVID crashed the global economy in 2020. Stomaching these kinds of shocks is the price of admission to get the bigger returns that stocks can offer over the long term.

“Although volatility may feel uncomfortable, could rise from here, and possibly cause a near-term drawdown in stocks, volatility in itself tends to be brief when it reaches more extreme levels,” according to Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise. “And, more often than not, the extreme volatility provides investors with a solid long-term entry point to buy stocks rather than sell.”

The war in Iran is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oil-stocks-markets-iran-crude-trump-45f78a8cfe9a5c7e1a2279150a2f90f1">slowing the global flow of oil</a>&nbsp;and causing extreme swings in markets.

The fighting has halted most of the traffic in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-strait-hormuz-us-protests-persian-gulf-db7159d715453977279ab9cfd918e6e4">Strait of Hormuz</a>, a narrow waterway off Iran’s coast where a fifth of the world’s oil sails on a typical day. That has storage tanks for crude in the region filling up because it has nowhere else to go. And that is pushing oil producers to say they’re cutting their output.

Oil on Monday briefly spiked to nearly $120 per barrel, the highest price since the summer of 2022, on worries that the production problems could last a long time. Some analysts say prices could quickly reach $150 if the strait remains closed.

A long stretch of high oil prices could put the global economy in a worst-case scenario called “stagflation.” That’s what economists call it when growth stagnates yet inflation remains high. It’s a miserable combination that the Federal Reserve and central banks worldwide have no good tools to fix.

The S&amp;P 500 is only 4.4% below its all-time high, which was set in January, as of Thursday’s close. It feels worse because of how sharply stock prices have swung recently, often hour to hour as well as day to day.

Several times since the start of the Iran war, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has plunged roughly 900 points in the morning only to erase its loss later in the day or come close to it.

The U.S. stock market doesn’t often behave exactly like this, but it has a regular history of falling to steep losses before rising again.

The S&amp;P 500 has seen a decline of at least 10% every year or so. Such drops are common enough that professional investors have a name for them: a “correction.” Often, experts view them as a culling of optimism that could otherwise run overboard and drive stock prices too high.

Selling your stocks or moving your 401(k) investments away from stocks and into bonds may offer less chance of seeing huge drops. But getting out of the market would also mean having to figure out the right time to get back in, unless you’re willing to give up any future recovery and gains.

And timing the market correctly is always difficult. Some of the best days in the U.S. stock market’s history have been clustered in among downturns.

Some recoveries take longer than others, but experts often recommend not putting money into stocks that you can’t afford to lose for several years, up to 10. Emergency funds, for things like home repairs or medical bills, should not be invested in stocks.

Apps on smartphones have made trading easier and cheaper than ever. That’s helped draw in a new generation of investors who may not be used to such wild swings in the market.

But the good news is younger investors often have the gift of time. With decades to go until retirement, they can afford to ride the waves and let their stock portfolios hopefully recover before compounding and eventually growing even bigger. For them, drops in prices may almost be like stocks going on sale.

Older investors have less time than younger ones for their investments to bounce back.

People who have already retired may want to cut back on spending and withdrawals after sharp market downturns, because bigger withdrawals will remove more potential compounding ability in the future. But even in retirement, some people will need their investments to last 30 years or more.

For those who have to raid their 401(k) now

If you have no other choice, you have no other choice. But selling stocks in your 401(k) account and withdrawing cash packs a double whammy. One, you may have to pay tax, as well as a possible 10% early-withdrawal penalty. Two, a withdrawal means no chance of those investments recovering their losses and growing over time.

A 401(k) loan is possible in some cases, but those come with their own peculiarities and possible penalties.

You don’t have to pay as much attention to any of this. Defined-benefit pensions, which few U.S. workers still have, mean you’re in line to get a defined payment regardless of what the stock market does.

When stocks are falling, prices for Treasury bonds and gold often rise as investors move into investments considered safer. That’s why many advisers suggest keeping a diversified portfolio, to help smooth out shocks.

This time around, though, Treasury prices have been hurt by worries about high oil prices and inflation. Gold’s price has also struggled occasionally when yields on Treasury bonds have climbed. That’s because gold, which pays its investors nothing, looks less attractive when Treasurys are paying more in interest.

No one knows, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

When stock markets get shaken, it can pay for investors to be patient

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach launched a statewide public awareness campaign to address the growing fentanyl crisis that is taking a devastating toll on our communities.

More than 1,500 Kansans have already lost their lives to fentanyl overdoses, and the threat continues to rise. This deadly drug is not only consumed by those who seek it out, but is increasingly laced into other substances, a social event, with friends, online, or unknowingly consuming pills that contain fentanyl. Since an overdose can happen anywhere at any time, it’s critical to have easy access to Naloxone to save a life.

Each distribution box contains naloxone -&nbsp;2 doses per box.

To maximize access, we have collaborated with 40 colleges and universities across Kansas to place these boxes in visible, public, temperature-controlled locations where community members could easily find and use them.

Every host site receives ongoing support, including box refills and assistance asneeded,&nbsp;from the Kansas Attorney General’s Office and DCCA. Throughout the program, Emily’s Hope tracks distribution data toevaluate impact and guide future efforts.

<a href="https://www.ag.ks.gov/reports-resources/emily-s-hope-naloxone-distribution-program?fbclid=IwY2xjawQdBilleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFCZGtWNnBXaHREREJCdmZhc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHmrKcrsqrxJ1He_Glz-i0Gt229RZ6DnW96Wtt3oIlyUu_BDZtLwS4cgBKoZB_aem_gsRusthn-mjqRIEqfF55HA">Click here to</a> find a box near you.

Kansas AG's statewide campaign to address the growing fentanyl crisis

KANSAS CITY – A Missouri man has been indicted with two counts of willful transmission of national defense information.&nbsp; The indictment was returned by a grand jury under seal and was made public this week after the arrest and initial appearance of the defendant, according to the United State's Attorney.

Seth Chambers, 35, a former United States Marine Corps. Intelligence Analyst, was employed as a civilian contractor and stationed in Iraq during the time frame alleged in the indictment.&nbsp;The indictment states that, as part of his duties, he held a security clearance that authorized him to view classified material up to a TOP SECRET level and therefore had access to national defense and classified information.

According to court documents, on two separate occasions, the defendant willfully transmitted SECRET level documents to two separate individuals who were not entitled or authorized to receive it.&nbsp; 

The first transmission occurred on Dec. 10, 2022, when the defendant transmitted a white paper containing verbatim and near verbatim excerpts from classified U.S. government documents and was sent to an individual in Maryland.&nbsp; The second transmission of a document containing verbatim and near verbatim excerpts from classified U.S. government documents occurred on April 20, 2023, and was sent to an individual believed to be in the People’s Republic of China.

If convicted, under federal statutes, Chambers is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole on each count. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Kelleher and Trial Attorneys Nicolas Hunter and Sean O’Dowd of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section. It was investigated by FBI Kansas City Field Office.&nbsp;

Former U.S. intelligence analyst accused of sending classified info to China

By&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/author/jaimie-ding">JAIMIE DING</a>

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Math nerds and dessert enthusiasts unite to celebrate Pi Day every March 14, the date that represents the first three digits of the mathematical constant pi.

Representing the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, pi is approximately equal to 3.14159 — but its digits go on forever. In school, you might have used it to calculate the area of a circle or the volume of a cylinder. But the applications of pi are endless and part of every corner of our world.

The holiday was created in 1988 by Larry Shaw, a physicist at the Exploratorium science museum in San Francisco.

“He had a very open and expansive view of the world and saw an opportunity with this number, mathematical concept, to invite people into the joy of mathematical learning,” said Sam Sharkland, program director of public programs at the museum, who worked with Shaw before he died in 2017.

While it began as a small staff celebration featuring pie, it soon turned into a grand procession where hundreds of visitors marched around the pi shrine, each carrying a digit. Attendees often show up early to claim their favorite digit for the parade. One woman who has the symbol tattooed on her neck comes every year and marches near the front with a pi flag, Sharkland said.

The celebration begins at 1:59 p.m., signifying the next three digits of pi.

Here are a few ways pi is being used on the cutting edge of science.

In Artur Davoyan’s field of mechanical and aerospace engineering, pi is so fundamental that it would be hard to pinpoint one use case for it, he said.

Pi is part of “literally every single formula that you would use to do any calculation, like for spacecraft motion, for materials and how they work, or propulsion systems,” said Davoyan, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Anything that is round or has cyclical or repeating properties — such as radio waves — involves pi. Even squares or irregular blobs can be broken down into a series of progressively smaller circles and calculated using pi, Davoyan said.

Davoyan’s research looks at how to create new propulsion systems to send spacecrafts more quickly to the far reaches of the solar system to gather and send back information to Earth. He pointed to NASA’s Voyager 1 and 2, which launched in 1977 but didn’t reach interstellar space until 2012 and 2018.

To send a signal to those space probes, NASA must calculate Earth’s exact position in orbit around the sun and design antennas for communication using pi. Then scientists use pi once more when receiving and breaking down complex signals that are being beamed back to Earth.

“Say aliens send something to us, something that we don’t know how to deal with,” Davoyan said. “So the very first thing that you would do, you would try to split it into simple functions... and turns out that when you do this operation, you will naturally have pis in it.”

Pi also comes up frequently when studying small amounts of fluids.

Dino Di Carlo, chair of the bioengineering department at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, conducts research that involves creating little particles out of polymers that act as tiny test tubes for cells. This is used as an important tool to examine cells closely and learn about their functions and what’s inside them.

The pi constant is used in calculating how to form those droplets, surface tension calculations that define how droplets can break up, and how researchers can control the size of those volumes, Di Carlo said.

Di Carlo is using this technique to find antibodies — small proteins that fight diseases in your body — that could block signals put out by cancer cells.

Pi is also an important part of calculations when looking at how liquids flow through tubes and barriers. One example is when the fluid sample slowly flows sideways in a take-home COVID-19 test.

Di Carlo used these properties to devise a new test for Lyme disease that can be completed in 20 minutes, rather than days or weeks like previously.

“As an engineer and scientist, (pi) is just a part of life,” Di Carlo said. “Maybe I’ve taken it for granted.”

Pi Day 2026: How the number pi is embedded in our lives

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ghills/">GRACE HILLS</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA —&nbsp;Advocates, medical providers and recipients of public assistance programs rallied Thursday at the Statehouse with a clear message: restricting access to these programs would hurt Kansans.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/sb363/" target="_blank">Senate Bill 363</a>&nbsp;imposes a&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/02/10/kansas-senate-bill-may-add-17m-to-oversight-of-health-and-welfare-programs/">sweeping set of steps</a>&nbsp;to verify Kansans’ eligibility for the state’s medical and food assistance programs. April Holman, executive director for Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, said opponents disapprove of the whole bill, but have stronger concerns for two elements.&nbsp;

The first is eliminating self-attestation. That means applicants no longer could self-attest their income, residency, age, household composition, caretaker relative status or other coverage. State agencies would have to verify those claims.

Income and residency are already verified by state agencies, but Holman said the bill would ask the agencies to verify things like household size, which she said are difficult to identify.&nbsp;

“The first is the self-attestation, the prohibition,” Holman said. “The second tends to be the thing that we are most concerned about.”&nbsp;

The second thing is the quarterly redetermination process, a switch-up from the current one-year reapplication.&nbsp;

“We know that all of the people who are in the Medicaid program in Kansas, because we don’t have expansion, tend to be very vulnerable,” Holman said. “They are people who have a disability that’s been determined by the Social Security Administration. So it’s very difficult to get determination.”

Amendments to the bill would exempt pregnant people, seniors, those younger than 19 years old, and those on home and community-based service waivers from the quarterly redetermination.&nbsp;

The bill still applies to people with mental illness.&nbsp;

Angela Watson, a mental health provider from Wichita who spoke at the rally, said she is a Medicaid success story. She was on Medicaid for 13 years.

“This proposal to move Medicaid eligibility checks to quarterly redeterminations may sound like a single administrative change,” Watson said. “For people living with serious mental illness, it has the potential to create very harmful consequences.”&nbsp;

She said the red tape of managing paperwork can be difficult for people with severe depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis or delusions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Changing this process to every three months means quadrupling the chances that someone will lose coverage simply because a form was missed, a letter arrived late, or a document wasn’t submitted in time,” Watson said.&nbsp;

“This doesn’t mean they’re no longer eligible. It means they got lost in the system,” she added. “And when people lose Medicaid coverage, even temporarily, the consequences are immediate. Mental health treatment depends on continuity of care.”

Kari Rinker, who represents the American Heart Association, said she has a masters degree and has spent years navigating paperwork. She helped her son fill out the public assistance programs’ paperwork after he suffered a life-altering car crash.&nbsp;

“I found myself overwhelmed,” Rinker said. “It is complex. We would receive paperwork well past deadlines and feel abject panic.”

Her son would be subject to the quarterly redeterminations.&nbsp;

After the rally, opponents of the bill flooded Thursday’s House Welfare Reform Committee.&nbsp;

Along with ending self-attestation and implementing quarterly redeterminations, the bill would:&nbsp;

The process would cost the state an estimated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/fisc_note_sb363_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">$17 million</a>. Republicans in both the Senate and House raised their eyebrows at that.&nbsp;

The Florida-based FGA Action, the lobbying arm of the conservative Foundation for Government Accountability, which is dedicated to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/05/06/nx-s1-5387527/fga-foundation-for-government-accountability-states-snap-work-requirements" target="_blank">limiting government benefits</a>, brought forward the sole two proponents of the bill — who said it would eventually pay for itself. They also said it would bring Kansas in step with President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“That’s not the case,” Holman said.&nbsp;

Holman said federal law would control what happens in Kansas regardless of if it is codified in Kansas law. But she said there are two elements of the bill that go beyond federal law that would hurt both Kansans on public assistance programs and the departments that administer those.&nbsp;

In an interview, vice chair of the House committee Rep. Dale Helwig, a Republican from Columbus, said he believes the bill brings Kansas into compliance with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is also called H.R. 1.&nbsp;

“There are some things that probably are a little more restrictive than H.R. 1, which we need to work through, but I think we will. We do need to get rid of the self attestation on some of this stuff,” Helwig said.&nbsp;

He pointed to the recent state audit that estimated Kansas subsidized&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2026/01/20/kansas-house-studies-free-lunch-enrollment-audit-implications-of-at-risk-overpayment-to-schools/">a jarring amount</a>&nbsp;of free-and-reduced lunches that shouldn’t have been.&nbsp;

Rep. Clarke Sanders, a Republican from Salina also on the House Welfare Reform Committee, said he isn’t a fan of self-attestation either.&nbsp;

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