&nbsp;SEDGWICK COUNTY —A man convicted of killing three people in Wichita in 2014 was finally sentenced Wednesday.

Judge Kevin O’Connor sentenced 49-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20029847">Vinh Van Nguyen</a>&nbsp;of Wichita to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

In November, Nguyen pleaded guilty to one count of capital murder.&nbsp;

In June of 2014, Nguyen shot and killed his girlfriend, 45-year-old Tuyet Huynh, her 20-year-old daughter, Trinh Pham, and&nbsp;Pham's&nbsp;husband, 21-year-old Sean Pham, at a home in the 2200 block of South Beech Street in Wichita.

&nbsp;According to Wichita Police on the night of the murders, Trinh Pham called 911 and reported someone was inside their South Beech Street house and gunshots were being fired. She was in the basement of the residence with her infant son.&nbsp; &nbsp;

When officers arrived at the home, they kicked in the door and found&nbsp;Nguyen in the master bedroom along with his girlfriend Tuyet Huynh's body. Police found her daughter's body in the basement, and Sean Pham's body in a hallway. They had been shot multiple times. The infant was not injured, according to police.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671030241219.png" alt="Nguyen-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Nguyen-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;SEDGWICK COUNTY —A man convicted of killing three people in Wichita in 2014 was finally sentenced Wednesday.Judge Kevin O’Connor sentenced 49-year-old&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20029847">Vinh Van Nguyen</a>&nbsp;of Wichita to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.In November, Nguyen pleaded guilty to one count of capital murder.&nbsp;In June of 2014, Nguyen shot and killed his girlfriend, 45-year-old Tuyet Huynh, her 20-year-old daughter, Trinh Pham, and&nbsp;Pham's&nbsp;husband, 21-year-old Sean Pham, at a home in the 2200 block of South Beech Street in Wichita.&nbsp;According to Wichita Police on the night of the murders, Trinh Pham called 911 and reported someone was inside their South Beech Street house and gunshots were being fired. She was in the basement of the residence with her infant son.&nbsp; &nbsp;When officers arrived at the home, they kicked in the door and found&nbsp;Nguyen in the master bedroom along with his girlfriend Tuyet Huynh's body. Police found her daughter's body in the basement, and Sean Pham's body in a hallway. They had been shot multiple times. The infant was not injured, according to police.

Kansas man sentenced for killing girlfriend, 2 others in 2014

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-12-15/not-just-any-oil-spill-the-keystone-pipeline-dumped-notoriously-hard-to-clean-dilbit-in-kansas">Kansas News Service</a>

Each day that passes, the hundreds of thousands of gallons of sludgy 
oil coating Mill Creek in north-central Kansas become harder to clean 
up.

That’s because the pipeline that busted just outside the town of Washington on Dec. 7 doesn’t carry conventional crude
 oil. It carries a product of the Canadian tar sands called diluted 
bitumen that changes dramatically in chemical composition and behavior 
soon after escaping from pipes.

A <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/21834/chapter/1" target="_blank">National Academies of Sciences</a> study found that transformation means the crude oil can start sinking below the water’s surface in a matter of days.

The Kansas spill occurred <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/2022-12/TC%20Oil%20CAO.3-2022-074.pdf" target="_blank">eight days ago</a> and is now the second-largest spill of tar sands crude on U.S. soil.

The
 Environmental Protection Agency acknowledged Thursday morning that the 
crude was diluted bitumen, also known as dilbit. But the agency wouldn’t
 respond to questions about the implications of that fact for cleaning 
and containing the notoriously elusive crude oil.

And it wouldn’t 
disclose what methods were being used to verify the material is truly 
contained, even as Mill Creek continues to flow downstream.

TC Energy won’t answer those questions either.

The same 2016 National Academies of Science study of diluted bitumen —
 a deep dive ordered by Congress in the wake of the nation’s largest 
inland spill of the stuff in Michigan in 2010 — found that bitumen’s 
peanut butter-like consistency poses special risks to the environment.

“When
 a significant fraction of the spilled crude oil” sinks below the 
water’s surface, the scientists concluded, “the response becomes more 
complex because there are few proven techniques in the responder ‘tool 
box’ for detection, containment, and recovery.”

Once it escapes its pipe, diluted bitumen also becomes far stickier than other types of crude oil.

In
 Michigan, the gunk proved so gluey that it was easier to haul rocks 
away that had been coated with it along the Kalamazoo River than to 
scrub the bitumen off of them, said Steve Hamilton, a biologist who 
advised the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the cleanup.

“It’s
 almost impossible to clean from surfaces,” said Hamilton, a professor 
at Michigan State University and member of the National Academies of 
Sciences committee that wrote the 2016 report on diluted bitumen. “We 
tried hot water sprays and detergent and so on. … It’s extremely sticky 
once it has been exposed to air for a while.”

Of the estimated 
14,000 barrels that spilled — nearly 600,000 gallons — out of the 
three-foot-wide Keystone pipeline, most has not yet been recovered.

In
 the 2016 report, scientists concluded that once the bitumen starts 
sinking, detecting it and retrieving it becomes very difficult. So does 
containing it.

“It ultimately took four years to clean up the 
Kalamazoo River spill,” Hamilton said Wednesday, “And you could argue 
that three and three-quarters of those years were all about (removing) 
submerged oil.”

One silver lining: The 2016 report suggests that 
although bitumen spills may harm water quality more than conventional 
crude oil spills, as the substance weathers, it may pose less risk of 
contaminating groundwater (as opposed to surface water such as creeks) and drinking water.

On
 Tuesday, the Kansas News Service asked TC Energy which specific 
detection techniques the company is using to verify whether the crude 
oil spilled in Kansas has been entirely contained within a four-mile 
stretch of Mill Creek.

The News Service also asked which specific 
cleanup techniques are being used to address the concerns of scientists 
that traditional crude oil cleanup approaches have limited success on 
diluted bitumen spills.

“We
 have the people, expertise, training and equipment to mount an 
effective response and clean-up, and that’s what we’re doing,” the 
company said in an email.

It repeated previous public statements 
that it has deployed booms at the site and said it sees “no indication” 
that the oil is passing its barriers.

“Our approach in any 
incident is to respond and clean up the site as quickly as possible,” it
 said, “reducing the opportunity for any type of crude oil, including 
diluted bitumen, to have a lasting impact on the environment.”

It also noted that its containment efforts were monitored by the EPA.

The
 EPA says the spill has been contained to the 4 miles of creek that lie 
downstream from the pipeline break, and that the spill didn’t affect 
drinking water supplies, including wells.

The agency has coordinators at the site to oversee the cleanup.

Two
 underflow dams have been built, but they allow the stream to keep 
flowing under the water’s surface, where dilbit could already be 
present.

In 2007, the U.S. Department of Transportation decided it
 would allow the stretch of Keystone pipeline that runs from Nebraska 
through Kansas to Oklahoma to eventually operate at a higher pressure 
than is otherwise allowed because it would be made of stronger steel. It
 <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-588.pdf" target="_blank">gave the final go-ahead</a> a decade later.

On
 Thursday, the EPA said workers had pulled about 5,600 barrels of fluid 
from Mill Creek, though that fluid is a combination of oil and water. It
 says 5,000 cubic yards of oil-contaminated soil have been removed, and 
nine cubic yards of oily solids.

Tar sands oil, or bitumen, is far
 too thick to travel through pipelines. So companies in Canada force it 
into a more moveable state by mixing it with lighter volatile compounds.

But
 if a pipe breaks and the oil escapes, the diluted bitumen soon reverts 
to its original, sludgier consistency. The additives largely evaporate, 
leaving the ultra sticky, thick bitumen residue.

Bitumen doesn’t 
float on water, the way crude oil does. And that leaves a short time to 
capture diluted bitumen from the surface of rivers, creeks and lakes 
before the sludge disappears from view.

“This situation is highly 
problematic for spill response,” the National Academies report 
concluded, because “there are few effective techniques for detection, 
containment, and recovery of oil” once it has begun sinking.

And 
once it reaches the bottom of the water body, finding and cleaning it 
remains complicated. Retrieving generally involves dredging.

“Given
 these greater levels of concern,” the report concluded, “spills of 
diluted bitumen should elicit unique, immediate actions.”

The 
scientists expressed concern that federal policies that govern spill 
planning and response fell short of properly considering the special 
conundrums posed by diluted bitumen.

“Broadly, regulations and 
agency practices do not take the unique properties of diluted bitumen 
into account, nor do they encourage effective planning for spills of 
diluted bitumen,” the report said.

Most methods for trying to detect sunken bitumen don’t seem to work well, the report said.

The
 cause of the pipeline break in Kansas remains unknown, and a 
third-party analysis of the matter could take up to three months, 
according to the <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Transportation administration</a> that regulates oil pipelines.

The
 Michigan spill involved upward of 840,000 gallons (20,000 barrels) of 
oil. That contaminated more than 30 miles of the Kalamazoo River, plus 
nearby woodlands and wetlands. The sheer scale of the disaster was 
exacerbated by heavy rains.

It took four years and <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/2016/07/kalamazoo_river_oil_spill_time.html#:~:text=Enbridge%20completes%20its%20cleanup%20and,on%20the%20total%20cleanup%20effort." target="_blank">more than $1.2 billion</a>
 to retrieve as much of the oil as was deemed feasible. Some amount was 
left because getting at the sludge is itself so damaging to the affected
 ecosystems.

Thousands of animals coated in oil were caught, treated and released.

In Kansas, TC Energy has said one beaver has been caught and is being treated.

The
 EPA added Thursday morning that four dead mammals and 71 dead fish have
 been found. It says biologists from the Kansas Department of Wildlife 
and Parks are assessing injured and dead animals.

TC Energy has put its initial estimate of the Kansas spill at about 588,000 gallons.

The
 region saw some rain this week, but TC Energy says it built a second 
earthen underflow dam in recent days to brace the initial containment 
dam for the anticipated rain, and that containment remains successful.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671117354594.png" alt="A dark streak of spilled oil in Washington County, Kansas, near the Nebraska border where the Keystone pipeline ruptured last week. Tyler Kersting / Nebraska Public Media" />
 <figcaption>A dark streak of spilled oil in Washington County, Kansas, near the Nebraska border where the Keystone pipeline ruptured last week. Tyler Kersting / Nebraska Public Media</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-12-15/not-just-any-oil-spill-the-keystone-pipeline-dumped-notoriously-hard-to-clean-dilbit-in-kansas">Kansas News Service</a>Each day that passes, the hundreds of thousands of gallons of sludgy 
oil coating Mill Creek in north-central Kansas become harder to clean 
up.That’s because the pipeline that busted just outside the town of Washington on Dec. 7 doesn’t carry conventional crude
 oil. It carries a product of the Canadian tar sands called diluted 
bitumen that changes dramatically in chemical composition and behavior 
soon after escaping from pipes.A <a href="https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/21834/chapter/1" target="_blank">National Academies of Sciences</a> study found that transformation means the crude oil can start sinking below the water’s surface in a matter of days.The Kansas spill occurred <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/2022-12/TC%20Oil%20CAO.3-2022-074.pdf" target="_blank">eight days ago</a> and is now the second-largest spill of tar sands crude on U.S. soil.The
 Environmental Protection Agency acknowledged Thursday morning that the 
crude was diluted bitumen, also known as dilbit. But the agency wouldn’t
 respond to questions about the implications of that fact for cleaning 
and containing the notoriously elusive crude oil.And it wouldn’t 
disclose what methods were being used to verify the material is truly 
contained, even as Mill Creek continues to flow downstream.TC Energy won’t answer those questions either.The same 2016 National Academies of Science study of diluted bitumen —
 a deep dive ordered by Congress in the wake of the nation’s largest 
inland spill of the stuff in Michigan in 2010 — found that bitumen’s 
peanut butter-like consistency poses special risks to the environment.“When
 a significant fraction of the spilled crude oil” sinks below the 
water’s surface, the scientists concluded, “the response becomes more 
complex because there are few proven techniques in the responder ‘tool 
box’ for detection, containment, and recovery.”Once it escapes its pipe, diluted bitumen also becomes far stickier than other types of crude oil.In
 Michigan, the gunk proved so gluey that it was easier to haul rocks 
away that had been coated with it along the Kalamazoo River than to 
scrub the bitumen off of them, said Steve Hamilton, a biologist who 
advised the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the cleanup.“It’s
 almost impossible to clean from surfaces,” said Hamilton, a professor 
at Michigan State University and member of the National Academies of 
Sciences committee that wrote the 2016 report on diluted bitumen. “We 
tried hot water sprays and detergent and so on. … It’s extremely sticky 
once it has been exposed to air for a while.”Of the estimated 
14,000 barrels that spilled — nearly 600,000 gallons — out of the 
three-foot-wide Keystone pipeline, most has not yet been recovered.In
 the 2016 report, scientists concluded that once the bitumen starts 
sinking, detecting it and retrieving it becomes very difficult. So does 
containing it.“It ultimately took four years to clean up the 
Kalamazoo River spill,” Hamilton said Wednesday, “And you could argue 
that three and three-quarters of those years were all about (removing) 
submerged oil.”One silver lining: The 2016 report suggests that 
although bitumen spills may harm water quality more than conventional 
crude oil spills, as the substance weathers, it may pose less risk of 
contaminating groundwater (as opposed to surface water such as creeks) and drinking water.On
 Tuesday, the Kansas News Service asked TC Energy which specific 
detection techniques the company is using to verify whether the crude 
oil spilled in Kansas has been entirely contained within a four-mile 
stretch of Mill Creek.The News Service also asked which specific 
cleanup techniques are being used to address the concerns of scientists 
that traditional crude oil cleanup approaches have limited success on 
diluted bitumen spills.TC Energy wouldn’t offer specifics.“We
 have the people, expertise, training and equipment to mount an 
effective response and clean-up, and that’s what we’re doing,” the 
company said in an email.It repeated previous public statements 
that it has deployed booms at the site and said it sees “no indication” 
that the oil is passing its barriers.“Our approach in any 
incident is to respond and clean up the site as quickly as possible,” it
 said, “reducing the opportunity for any type of crude oil, including 
diluted bitumen, to have a lasting impact on the environment.”It also noted that its containment efforts were monitored by the EPA.The
 EPA says the spill has been contained to the 4 miles of creek that lie 
downstream from the pipeline break, and that the spill didn’t affect 
drinking water supplies, including wells.The agency has coordinators at the site to oversee the cleanup.Two
 underflow dams have been built, but they allow the stream to keep 
flowing under the water’s surface, where dilbit could already be 
present.In 2007, the U.S. Department of Transportation decided it
 would allow the stretch of Keystone pipeline that runs from Nebraska 
through Kansas to Oklahoma to eventually operate at a higher pressure 
than is otherwise allowed because it would be made of stronger steel. It
 <a href="https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-588.pdf" target="_blank">gave the final go-ahead</a> a decade later.On
 Thursday, the EPA said workers had pulled about 5,600 barrels of fluid 
from Mill Creek, though that fluid is a combination of oil and water. It
 says 5,000 cubic yards of oil-contaminated soil have been removed, and 
nine cubic yards of oily solids.Tar sands oil, or bitumen, is far
 too thick to travel through pipelines. So companies in Canada force it 
into a more moveable state by mixing it with lighter volatile compounds.But
 if a pipe breaks and the oil escapes, the diluted bitumen soon reverts 
to its original, sludgier consistency. The additives largely evaporate, 
leaving the ultra sticky, thick bitumen residue.Bitumen doesn’t 
float on water, the way crude oil does. And that leaves a short time to 
capture diluted bitumen from the surface of rivers, creeks and lakes 
before the sludge disappears from view.“This situation is highly 
problematic for spill response,” the National Academies report 
concluded, because “there are few effective techniques for detection, 
containment, and recovery of oil” once it has begun sinking.And 
once it reaches the bottom of the water body, finding and cleaning it 
remains complicated. Retrieving generally involves dredging.“Given
 these greater levels of concern,” the report concluded, “spills of 
diluted bitumen should elicit unique, immediate actions.”The 
scientists expressed concern that federal policies that govern spill 
planning and response fell short of properly considering the special 
conundrums posed by diluted bitumen.“Broadly, regulations and 
agency practices do not take the unique properties of diluted bitumen 
into account, nor do they encourage effective planning for spills of 
diluted bitumen,” the report said.Most methods for trying to detect sunken bitumen don’t seem to work well, the report said.The
 cause of the pipeline break in Kansas remains unknown, and a 
third-party analysis of the matter could take up to three months, 
according to the <a href="https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Transportation administration</a> that regulates oil pipelines.The
 Michigan spill involved upward of 840,000 gallons (20,000 barrels) of 
oil. That contaminated more than 30 miles of the Kalamazoo River, plus 
nearby woodlands and wetlands. The sheer scale of the disaster was 
exacerbated by heavy rains.It took four years and <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/2016/07/kalamazoo_river_oil_spill_time.html#:~:text=Enbridge%20completes%20its%20cleanup%20and,on%20the%20total%20cleanup%20effort." target="_blank">more than $1.2 billion</a>
 to retrieve as much of the oil as was deemed feasible. Some amount was 
left because getting at the sludge is itself so damaging to the affected
 ecosystems.Thousands of animals coated in oil were caught, treated and released.In Kansas, TC Energy has said one beaver has been caught and is being treated.The
 EPA added Thursday morning that four dead mammals and 71 dead fish have
 been found. It says biologists from the Kansas Department of Wildlife 
and Parks are assessing injured and dead animals.TC Energy has put its initial estimate of the Kansas spill at about 588,000 gallons.The
 region saw some rain this week, but TC Energy says it built a second 
earthen underflow dam in recent days to brace the initial containment 
dam for the anticipated rain, and that containment remains successful.

Notoriously hard-to-clean 'dilbit' dumped in Kansas oil spill

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/12/14/outgoing-kansas-board-of-education-member-decries-gops-embrace-of-christian-nationalism/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kansas Board of 
Education member Ben Jones addressed colleagues at his final meeting 
Wednesday by raising concern about the influence of Christian 
nationalists in government, the Republican Party’s rejection of social 
and emotional learning in schools and the ostracizing of LGBTQ teachers 
and students.

Jones, a Sterling resident elected four years ago to represent a 
portion of southwest Kansas, lost his GOP primary in August to Dennis 
Hershberger of Hutchinson. Hershberger is among three Republicans 
elected in November to join the 10-member state Board of Education in 
January.

Jones said rise of Christian nationalism in the United States should 
be viewed as an assault on the liberty of individuals to choose a 
personal religious path. Influence wielded by Christian fundamentalists 
threatens to infuse government, including public education, with 
religious ideology reinforced by government “coercion,” Jones said.

“This narrative has now taken over the Republican Party in a way I 
never thought possible 10 years ago,” he said. “This is the belief that 
we are God’s chosen nation and we must follow the dictates of carefully 
selected portions of the Bible. This is dangerous — replacing the grace 
of Jesus Christ with the yoke of the law.”

Michael Kuckelman, chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, didn’t respond to a request for comment.

During the board meeting, Jones accused Christian fundamentalists of 
damaging conservatism in the quest for power. This misguided agenda 
sought to deny LGBTQ individuals from teaching in schools, said Jones, 
who has supported same-sex marriage.

“Gay students have a right to a safe and quality public education,” 
he said. “Gay teachers should be allowed to teach in our classrooms.”

Jones, a Republican, said a person’s morality couldn’t be determined 
by political party affiliation and a partisan group shouldn’t operate as
 some type of morality police. He said Republicans had falsely denounced
 social and emotional learning in schools and alleged teachers were 
advancing “critical race theory,” which represents the idea racism was a
 cultural construction designed to oppress people of color.

He said social and emotional learning — some state Board of Education
 members object to use of the phrase — was important because high school
 graduates needed a framework that would support their continued 
learning throughout life.

Jean Clifford, a first-term Republican state board member from Garden
 City, fell in the primary to Cathy Hopkins of Hays. She said she was 
honored to work the past four years on behalf of “dedicated, 
hard-working individuals who truly want to see their students succeed.”

She pointed to a misconception held by some people the state Board of
 Education had authority to mandate education reform. The state Board of
 Education, she said, had constitutional powers to guide public 
education statewide. For example, the state Board of Education 
recommended school districts stop using offensive Native American 
mascots, but didn’t have the ability to require the change.

“We provide a structure and guidance to local districts,” said 
Clifford, a former member of the Garden City school board. “Local boards
 of education and local control is a fundamental principle in our state.
 That is something we need to honor whether we agree with the decision 
at the local level or not.”

The third to depart the 10-member state Board of Education in January
 will be Janet Waugh of Kansas City, Kansas. She didn’t seek reelection 
and will complete a 24-year run on the board. She was on the Turner 
school board for 15 years and described teachers as “my heroes.”

“It takes a village to raise a board members,” Waugh said. “I’ve had a heck of a village supporting me.”

She said her state Board of Education district included a 
concentration of low-income students. She was proud the state Board of 
Education’s policy was to meet needs of every single child.

“Our students didn’t choose to be born into poverty. Education is the
 only escape for many of these students. Please, I ask of you, do not 
allow their zip code to determine the type of education they receive,” 
Waugh said.

She apologized for doubting the abilities of Randy Watson, who was 
named Kansas commissioner of education in 2014 while serving as 
superintendent of schools in McPherson.

“I was wrong,” Waugh said. “He’s been an amazing commissioner who has been a wonderful leader for the state.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671054749933.png" alt="Kansas Board of Education members Ben Jones, Janet Waugh and Jean Clifford, left to right, stand for a photograph at their final board meeting. Each reflected on their work on behalf of public education, with Jones also denouncing Christian nationalism, the Republican Party and political attacks on LGBTQ educators and students. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Board of Education members Ben Jones, Janet Waugh and Jean Clifford, left to right, stand for a photograph at their final board meeting. Each reflected on their work on behalf of public education, with Jones also denouncing Christian nationalism, the Republican Party and political attacks on LGBTQ educators and students. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/12/14/outgoing-kansas-board-of-education-member-decries-gops-embrace-of-christian-nationalism/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kansas Board of 
Education member Ben Jones addressed colleagues at his final meeting 
Wednesday by raising concern about the influence of Christian 
nationalists in government, the Republican Party’s rejection of social 
and emotional learning in schools and the ostracizing of LGBTQ teachers 
and students.Jones, a Sterling resident elected four years ago to represent a 
portion of southwest Kansas, lost his GOP primary in August to Dennis 
Hershberger of Hutchinson. Hershberger is among three Republicans 
elected in November to join the 10-member state Board of Education in 
January.Jones said rise of Christian nationalism in the United States should 
be viewed as an assault on the liberty of individuals to choose a 
personal religious path. Influence wielded by Christian fundamentalists 
threatens to infuse government, including public education, with 
religious ideology reinforced by government “coercion,” Jones said.“This narrative has now taken over the Republican Party in a way I 
never thought possible 10 years ago,” he said. “This is the belief that 
we are God’s chosen nation and we must follow the dictates of carefully 
selected portions of the Bible. This is dangerous — replacing the grace 
of Jesus Christ with the yoke of the law.”Michael Kuckelman, chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, didn’t respond to a request for comment.During the board meeting, Jones accused Christian fundamentalists of 
damaging conservatism in the quest for power. This misguided agenda 
sought to deny LGBTQ individuals from teaching in schools, said Jones, 
who has supported same-sex marriage.“Gay students have a right to a safe and quality public education,” 
he said. “Gay teachers should be allowed to teach in our classrooms.”Jones, a Republican, said a person’s morality couldn’t be determined 
by political party affiliation and a partisan group shouldn’t operate as
 some type of morality police. He said Republicans had falsely denounced
 social and emotional learning in schools and alleged teachers were 
advancing “critical race theory,” which represents the idea racism was a
 cultural construction designed to oppress people of color.He said social and emotional learning — some state Board of Education
 members object to use of the phrase — was important because high school
 graduates needed a framework that would support their continued 
learning throughout life.Jean Clifford, a first-term Republican state board member from Garden
 City, fell in the primary to Cathy Hopkins of Hays. She said she was 
honored to work the past four years on behalf of “dedicated, 
hard-working individuals who truly want to see their students succeed.”She pointed to a misconception held by some people the state Board of
 Education had authority to mandate education reform. The state Board of
 Education, she said, had constitutional powers to guide public 
education statewide. For example, the state Board of Education 
recommended school districts stop using offensive Native American 
mascots, but didn’t have the ability to require the change.“We provide a structure and guidance to local districts,” said 
Clifford, a former member of the Garden City school board. “Local boards
 of education and local control is a fundamental principle in our state.
 That is something we need to honor whether we agree with the decision 
at the local level or not.”The third to depart the 10-member state Board of Education in January
 will be Janet Waugh of Kansas City, Kansas. She didn’t seek reelection 
and will complete a 24-year run on the board. She was on the Turner 
school board for 15 years and described teachers as “my heroes.”“It takes a village to raise a board members,” Waugh said. “I’ve had a heck of a village supporting me.”She said her state Board of Education district included a 
concentration of low-income students. She was proud the state Board of 
Education’s policy was to meet needs of every single child.“Our students didn’t choose to be born into poverty. Education is the
 only escape for many of these students. Please, I ask of you, do not 
allow their zip code to determine the type of education they receive,” 
Waugh said.She apologized for doubting the abilities of Randy Watson, who was 
named Kansas commissioner of education in 2014 while serving as 
superintendent of schools in McPherson.“I was wrong,” Waugh said. “He’s been an amazing commissioner who has been a wonderful leader for the state.”

Outgoing Kan. ed board member decries embrace of ‘Christian nationalism’

By SUMMER BALLENTINE and JOHN D. HANNA&nbsp;

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The first openly transgender woman set to be executed in the U.S. is asking Missouri's governor for mercy, citing mental health issues.

Lawyers for Amber McLaughlin, now 49, on Monday asked Republican Gov. Mike Parson to spare her.

McLaughlin was convicted of killing 45-year-old Beverly Guenther on Nov. 20, 2003. Guenther was raped and stabbed to death in St. Louis County.

There is no known case of an openly transgender inmate being executed in the U.S. before, according to the anti-execution Death Penalty Information Center.

"It's wrong when anyone's executed regardless, but I hope that this is a first that doesn't occur," federal public defender Larry Komp said. "Amber has shown great courage in embracing who she is as a transgender woman in spite of the potential for people reacting with hate, so I admire her display of courage."

McLaughlin's lawyers cited her traumatic childhood and mental health issues, which the jury never heard, in the clemency petition. A foster parent rubbed feces in her face when she was a toddler and her adoptive father tased her, according to the letter to Parson. She tried to kill herself multiple times, both as a child and as an adult.

Parson spokeswoman Kelli Jones said the Governor's Office is reviewing her request for mercy.

"These are not decisions that the Governor takes lightly," Jones said in an email.

Komp said McLaughlin's lawyers are scheduled to meet with Parson on Tuesday.

A judge sentenced McLaughlin to death after a jury was unable to decide on death or life in prison without parole.

A federal judge in St. Louis ordered a new sentencing hearing in 2016, citing concerns about the effectiveness of McLaughlin's trial lawyers and faulty jury instructions. But in 2021, a federal appeals court panel reinstated the death penalty.

McLaughlin's lawyers also listed the jury's indecision and McLaughlin's remorse as reasons Parson should spare her life.

Missouri has only executed one woman before, state Corrections Department spokeswoman Karen Pojmann said in an email.

McLaughlin's lawyers said she previously was rooming with another transgender woman but now is living in isolation leading up to her scheduled execution date.

Pojmann said 9% of Missouri's prison population is female, and all capital punishment inmates are imprisoned at Potosi Correctional Center.

"It is extremely unusual for a woman to commit a capital offense, such as a brutal murder, and even more unusual for a women to, as was the case with McLaughlin, rape and murder a woman," Pojmann said.

Missouri executed two men this year. Kevin Johnson, a 37 year old who was convicted of ambushing and killing a St. Louis area police officer he blamed in the death of his younger brother, was put to death last month. Carmen Deck died by injection in May for killing James and Zelma Long during a robbery at their home in De Soto, Missouri, in 1996.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671065135902.png" alt="Amber 'Scott' McLaughlin-photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Amber 'Scott' McLaughlin-photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>By SUMMER BALLENTINE and JOHN D. HANNA&nbsp;COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The first openly transgender woman set to be executed in the U.S. is asking Missouri's governor for mercy, citing mental health issues.Lawyers for Amber McLaughlin, now 49, on Monday asked Republican Gov. Mike Parson to spare her.McLaughlin was convicted of killing 45-year-old Beverly Guenther on Nov. 20, 2003. Guenther was raped and stabbed to death in St. Louis County.There is no known case of an openly transgender inmate being executed in the U.S. before, according to the anti-execution Death Penalty Information Center."It's wrong when anyone's executed regardless, but I hope that this is a first that doesn't occur," federal public defender Larry Komp said. "Amber has shown great courage in embracing who she is as a transgender woman in spite of the potential for people reacting with hate, so I admire her display of courage."McLaughlin's lawyers cited her traumatic childhood and mental health issues, which the jury never heard, in the clemency petition. A foster parent rubbed feces in her face when she was a toddler and her adoptive father tased her, according to the letter to Parson. She tried to kill herself multiple times, both as a child and as an adult.Parson spokeswoman Kelli Jones said the Governor's Office is reviewing her request for mercy."These are not decisions that the Governor takes lightly," Jones said in an email.Komp said McLaughlin's lawyers are scheduled to meet with Parson on Tuesday.A judge sentenced McLaughlin to death after a jury was unable to decide on death or life in prison without parole.A federal judge in St. Louis ordered a new sentencing hearing in 2016, citing concerns about the effectiveness of McLaughlin's trial lawyers and faulty jury instructions. But in 2021, a federal appeals court panel reinstated the death penalty.McLaughlin's lawyers also listed the jury's indecision and McLaughlin's remorse as reasons Parson should spare her life.Missouri has only executed one woman before, state Corrections Department spokeswoman Karen Pojmann said in an email.McLaughlin's lawyers said she previously was rooming with another transgender woman but now is living in isolation leading up to her scheduled execution date.Pojmann said 9% of Missouri's prison population is female, and all capital punishment inmates are imprisoned at Potosi Correctional Center."It is extremely unusual for a woman to commit a capital offense, such as a brutal murder, and even more unusual for a women to, as was the case with McLaughlin, rape and murder a woman," Pojmann said.Missouri executed two men this year. Kevin Johnson, a 37 year old who was convicted of ambushing and killing a St. Louis area police officer he blamed in the death of his younger brother, was put to death last month. Carmen Deck died by injection in May for killing James and Zelma Long during a robbery at their home in De Soto, Missouri, in 1996.___

Transgender inmate on death row asks for mercy

Nearly one-fourth of students missed at least 10% of school days in 2021-22

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/12/14/chronic-absenteeism-among-k-12-students-across-kansas-climbs-to-24-5/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The number of K-12 
students in Kansas classified as chronically absent from school surged 
to 24.5% during the 2021-22 academic year as educators emerged from 
the darkest depths of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The portion of Kansas students who missed more than 10% of school 
days — excused or unexcused — had ballooned from 13.7% in 2017-18 to 
24.5% last year. The danger in terms of student learning, education 
officials and consultants said, was the compounding influence of 
absences. A student missing one or two days each month starting in 
kindergarten could end up skipping the equivalent of one year of school 
by 12th grade.

“Across the board there’s been a significant jump in the chronic 
absentee rate,” said Robyn Kelso, an education program analyst with 
Kansas Department of Education. “Remember the last two years. It’s been a
 pretty significant, unprecedented time for schooling.”

The definition of an absence was left to local school districts in 
Kansas, but federal guidelines urge districts to count as present a 
student in school more than half the day.

Jim McNiece, a Kansas State Board of Education member from Wichita, 
said Tuesday that he found during 39 years as a teacher, coach and 
principal in Kansas public and private schools that students with 
profound attendance issues often were grappling with a set of unique 
challenges.

“I have a wealth of experience chasing kids who didn’t come to 
school,” he said. “If we can change attendance, we can change their 
life.”

Betty Arnold, another state Board of Education member from Wichita, 
said she was concerned about accuracy of district reporting on absent 
students.

“How do we address the problem so it reflects accurate information? 
So, when we look at possible solutions, we’re actually dealing with 
something real and not imagined. If we’re not dealing with accurate 
data, then that’s problematic,” Arnold said.

Kelso said the rising absentee rate would leave a broader imprint on students, schools and districts across Kansas.

“For the student, it’s obviously missed instruction, missed 
relationships, missed social interactions we value so highly as 
students,” she said. “The lost opportunity for instruction is going to 
lead to decreased achievement in most instances.”

Kelso said the uptick in chronic absenteeism meant teachers had to 
devote more time to sorting out assignments for students who needed to 
catch up. It could take a toll on other students as teachers 
accommodated individuals who missed previous instruction, she said.

Jane Groff, executive director of Kansas Parent Information Resource 
Center, said the trend among Kansas students missing significant amounts
 of school had placed districts on alert.

“Districts and schools are looking at this issue much more. I’ve done
 this 15 years and attendance and chronic absenteeism has never risen to
 the top like it has now,” she said.

She said lack of transportation, depression and trauma were barriers 
to regular attendance in school. Issues with student engagement and past
 negative school experiences, including bullying, were factors. Another 
obstacle were the misperceptions among parents and caregivers that 
excused absences weren’t a detriment to a student or that missing school
 only mattered to older students, she said.

Groff said educators had the best chance of amending attendance 
habits if they worked to build positive relationships with students and 
families.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671032111388.png" alt="Jane Groff, left, and Tamara Huff of the Kansas Parent Information Resource Center said the increase of chronically absent students in Kansas schools from 13.7% to 24.5% in five years was cause for concern. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Jane Groff, left, and Tamara Huff of the Kansas Parent Information Resource Center said the increase of chronically absent students in Kansas schools from 13.7% to 24.5% in five years was cause for concern. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Nearly one-fourth of students missed at least 10% of school days in 2021-22</h2>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/12/14/chronic-absenteeism-among-k-12-students-across-kansas-climbs-to-24-5/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The number of K-12 
students in Kansas classified as chronically absent from school surged 
to 24.5% during the 2021-22 academic year as educators emerged from 
the darkest depths of the COVID-19 pandemic.The portion of Kansas students who missed more than 10% of school 
days — excused or unexcused — had ballooned from 13.7% in 2017-18 to 
24.5% last year. The danger in terms of student learning, education 
officials and consultants said, was the compounding influence of 
absences. A student missing one or two days each month starting in 
kindergarten could end up skipping the equivalent of one year of school 
by 12th grade.“Across the board there’s been a significant jump in the chronic 
absentee rate,” said Robyn Kelso, an education program analyst with 
Kansas Department of Education. “Remember the last two years. It’s been a
 pretty significant, unprecedented time for schooling.”The definition of an absence was left to local school districts in 
Kansas, but federal guidelines urge districts to count as present a 
student in school more than half the day.Jim McNiece, a Kansas State Board of Education member from Wichita, 
said Tuesday that he found during 39 years as a teacher, coach and 
principal in Kansas public and private schools that students with 
profound attendance issues often were grappling with a set of unique 
challenges.“I have a wealth of experience chasing kids who didn’t come to 
school,” he said. “If we can change attendance, we can change their 
life.”Betty Arnold, another state Board of Education member from Wichita, 
said she was concerned about accuracy of district reporting on absent 
students.“How do we address the problem so it reflects accurate information? 
So, when we look at possible solutions, we’re actually dealing with 
something real and not imagined. If we’re not dealing with accurate 
data, then that’s problematic,” Arnold said.Kelso said the rising absentee rate would leave a broader imprint on students, schools and districts across Kansas.“For the student, it’s obviously missed instruction, missed 
relationships, missed social interactions we value so highly as 
students,” she said. “The lost opportunity for instruction is going to 
lead to decreased achievement in most instances.”Kelso said the uptick in chronic absenteeism meant teachers had to 
devote more time to sorting out assignments for students who needed to 
catch up. It could take a toll on other students as teachers 
accommodated individuals who missed previous instruction, she said.Jane Groff, executive director of Kansas Parent Information Resource 
Center, said the trend among Kansas students missing significant amounts
 of school had placed districts on alert.“Districts and schools are looking at this issue much more. I’ve done
 this 15 years and attendance and chronic absenteeism has never risen to
 the top like it has now,” she said.She said lack of transportation, depression and trauma were barriers 
to regular attendance in school. Issues with student engagement and past
 negative school experiences, including bullying, were factors. Another 
obstacle were the misperceptions among parents and caregivers that 
excused absences weren’t a detriment to a student or that missing school
 only mattered to older students, she said.Groff said educators had the best chance of amending attendance 
habits if they worked to build positive relationships with students and 
families.

Chronic absenteeism plagues Kansas K-12 schools

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Josh Hawley’s&nbsp; bill to ban TikTok on government devices unanimously passed the Senate for the second time, according to a statement from the Senator's office.

<a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/117th%20Congress%20-%20No%20TikTok%20on%20Government%20Devices%20-%20with%20Sponsors.pdf">Click&nbsp;here&nbsp;to</a> read the full text of the bill.

The bill would follow up on steps already taken by the State Department, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jan/3/state-department-and-dhs-ban-tiktok-government-iss/">Department of Homeland Security</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14471.8081434.7264637.7849109&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.washingtontimes.com%2fnews%2f2020%2fjan%2f3%2fstate-department-and-dhs-ban-tiktok-government-iss%2f&amp;redir_log=803986553622684" target="_blank">Department of Defense</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14471.8081434.7264637.7849109&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fapnews.com%2farticle%2faafc69bc4dfdbff93168df118e30ef8f&amp;redir_log=232165918581380" target="_blank">TSA</a>&nbsp;to ban the app on federal government devices due to security concerns.

“TikTok is a Trojan Horse for the Chinese Communist Party. It’s a major security risk to the United States, and until it is forced to sever ties with China completely, it has no place on government devices,”&nbsp;said Senator Hawley. “States across the U.S. are banning TikTok on government devices. It’s time for Joe Biden and the Democrats to help do the same.” Senator Hawley&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14471.8081434.7264637.7849109&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fsenators-hawley-scott-introduce-legislation-ban-tiktok-government-devices&amp;redir_log=230549623051734" target="_blank">originally introduced</a>&nbsp;the legislation last Congress and it&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14471.8081434.7264637.7849109&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fhawleys-bill-ban-tiktok-government-devices-passes-senate-unanimously&amp;redir_log=618824789431699" target="_blank">unanimously passed the Senate</a>&nbsp;in August 2020. In April 2021, Senators Hawley, Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Rubio (R-Fla.), and Cotton (R-Ark.)&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14471.8081434.7264637.7849109&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fhawley-colleagues-reintroduce-legislation-ban-tiktok-government-devices&amp;redir_log=144082805489720" target="_blank">reintroduced the legislation</a>&nbsp;and it&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14471.8081434.7264637.7849109&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fsen-hawleys-legislation-ban-tiktok-government-devices-unanimously-passes-committee&amp;redir_log=907298006333800" target="_blank">unanimously passed</a>&nbsp;in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.&nbsp;Senator Hawley has held hearings on the&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14471.8081434.7264637.7849109&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2ftwitter.com%2fHawleyMO%2fstatus%2f1191863214096703489%3fs%3d20%26t%3dfMtNeYtrBk5L21WKHYyERg&amp;redir_log=000445632268561" target="_blank">security concerns around TikTok since 2019</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14471.8081434.7264637.7849109&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2ftwitter.com%2fHawleyMO%2fstatus%2f1570171357375373315%3fs%3d20%26t%3dERz0nalg-hSp6cIZ7odViw&amp;redir_log=346014350689567" target="_blank">questioned company representatives</a>&nbsp;as recently as&nbsp;September 14, 2022.

The bill would only apply to government issues phones. The House has not voted on the bill.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Josh Hawley’s&nbsp; bill to ban TikTok on government devices unanimously passed the Senate for the second time, according to a statement from the Senator's office.<a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/117th%20Congress%20-%20No%20TikTok%20on%20Government%20Devices%20-%20with%20Sponsors.pdf">Click&nbsp;here&nbsp;to</a> read the full text of the bill.The bill would follow up on steps already taken by the State Department, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jan/3/state-department-and-dhs-ban-tiktok-government-iss/">Department of Homeland Security</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14471.8081434.7264637.7849109&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.washingtontimes.com%2fnews%2f2020%2fjan%2f3%2fstate-department-and-dhs-ban-tiktok-government-iss%2f&amp;redir_log=803986553622684" target="_blank">Department of Defense</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14471.8081434.7264637.7849109&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fapnews.com%2farticle%2faafc69bc4dfdbff93168df118e30ef8f&amp;redir_log=232165918581380" target="_blank">TSA</a>&nbsp;to ban the app on federal government devices due to security concerns.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Tonight the Senate unanimously passed my bill to BAN TikTok on all government devices&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1603196674842787842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“TikTok is a Trojan Horse for the Chinese Communist Party. It’s a major security risk to the United States, and until it is forced to sever ties with China completely, it has no place on government devices,”&nbsp;said Senator Hawley. “States across the U.S. are banning TikTok on government devices. It’s time for Joe Biden and the Democrats to help do the same.” Senator Hawley&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14471.8081434.7264637.7849109&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fsenators-hawley-scott-introduce-legislation-ban-tiktok-government-devices&amp;redir_log=230549623051734" target="_blank">originally introduced</a>&nbsp;the legislation last Congress and it&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14471.8081434.7264637.7849109&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fhawleys-bill-ban-tiktok-government-devices-passes-senate-unanimously&amp;redir_log=618824789431699" target="_blank">unanimously passed the Senate</a>&nbsp;in August 2020. In April 2021, Senators Hawley, Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Rubio (R-Fla.), and Cotton (R-Ark.)&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14471.8081434.7264637.7849109&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fhawley-colleagues-reintroduce-legislation-ban-tiktok-government-devices&amp;redir_log=144082805489720" target="_blank">reintroduced the legislation</a>&nbsp;and it&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14471.8081434.7264637.7849109&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fsen-hawleys-legislation-ban-tiktok-government-devices-unanimously-passes-committee&amp;redir_log=907298006333800" target="_blank">unanimously passed</a>&nbsp;in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.&nbsp;Senator Hawley has held hearings on the&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14471.8081434.7264637.7849109&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2ftwitter.com%2fHawleyMO%2fstatus%2f1191863214096703489%3fs%3d20%26t%3dfMtNeYtrBk5L21WKHYyERg&amp;redir_log=000445632268561" target="_blank">security concerns around TikTok since 2019</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14471.8081434.7264637.7849109&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2ftwitter.com%2fHawleyMO%2fstatus%2f1570171357375373315%3fs%3d20%26t%3dERz0nalg-hSp6cIZ7odViw&amp;redir_log=346014350689567" target="_blank">questioned company representatives</a>&nbsp;as recently as&nbsp;September 14, 2022.The bill would only apply to government issues phones. The House has not voted on the bill.

Senate passes bill to ban TikTok on government devices 

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. — Logan Glaze stood in a shed on the Johnson Ranch as the wind whistled through the eaves of a barn on a recent December day. 

It was another red flag warning day with winds forecast to gust 60 mph. 

Days like this are difficult for ranchers like Glaze, whose house near the corner of U.S. 183 and Homestead Road burned to the ground on Dec. 15, 2021, in the Four County Fire.

Glaze was on his employers' homestead in a valley about a half mile away when the fire started racing across the prairie. His wife, Kacey, and two children — Sage, 5, and Rhett, 2 — were barely able to escape flames before the wildfire took their home and everything in it.

“I tried to head to the house but flames and smoke were over the road. I called Kacey and told her to get out—&nbsp;leave. About the time they left the house, that’s when the flames started getting close," he said.

Stacy Campbell, K-State Extension agent from Hays, captured the fire on a trail camera. The camera also recorded the temperatures as the fire burned through the area.

“I didn’t know if the house was OK," Glaze said. "It was creeping down here to this farmstead. I got in the loader tractor and kept scooping dirt on the fire to keep it out of our hay stacks and keep it out of this yard.”

Glaze's employer, Dennis Johnson, loaded his elderly mother in a car with his wife to evacuate. The fire came yards from burning both his and his mother's 100-year-old home. The family has been on that homestead since 1897.

Although the homes were saved, 2,000 acres of Johnson's land burned.

“The fire was just so big," Johnson said, "the resources were overtaxed and of course that wind — the wind was so strong."

Johnson had to euthanize a bull and sell two other cattle that were badly burned. Some ranchers were hit harder, losing hundreds of cattle — most of their herds — to the blaze.

A year later, ranchers are still trying to recover from the fire. Homes and barns are still in the process of being rebuilt.&nbsp; Ten homes and 16 other structures were destroyed just in Ellis County. Miles of fence were destroyed and some has still yet to be replaced.

Two people died as a result of the fire. 36-year-old Derrick Kelley's remains were found near his burned vehicle. An 84-year-old rancher, Richard Shimanek, who lived near the city of Leoti, was injured while trying to save his home and died later in a Denver hospital.

About 164,000 acres of grassland burned in Ellis, Russell, Rooks and Osborne counties. The windstorm and wildfires caused more than $2.3 million in damages.

Several years of good rains had resulted in heavy growth of vegetation —or fuel as it is known to the fire service. Winds up to 100 mph and a high fuel load meant the fire burned faster and hotter than a typical Kansas wildfire.

"If you look closely right where that fire burned, especially when that first wave of fire went through where the wind was blowing so hard,” Johnson said. “Those agronomy people said that the land was scoured.”

 Drought has significantly slowed the regrowth of the grass in pastures, which has meant the farmers who did not lose cattle in the fire still had to cull their herds because of a lack of grass in the pastures. 

According to K-State research, in a year with average to above-average rainfall, ranchers could expect about 50 percent of the grasses to come back in the first year after a wildfire, said Stacy Campbell, K-State Extension agent.

The next year, the next 50 percent would be expected to come back, he said.

“I was talking to one rancher, and he thought it was more like 30 percent,” Campbell said of the pasture regrowth this year.

Johnson was only able to graze his cattle on the burned pastures for about two weeks. Those same cattle normally would have been on that grass all summer.

“As dry as it has been all year, I would expect next year to be short also,” he said. “We’ve had to cull cows. We’ve had to sell a third of the cows this year.”

In the short term, ranchers have the proceeds from the cattle they were forced to sell, but those cattle will not be producing new calves for next year.

“We’re going to be impacted by this for several years,” he said, “regardless of how much it rains. There is no way of knowing what next year will bring as far as the weather."

Ground cover whether on crop or grassland helps protect the soil from wind and rain erosion. That was wiped away by the fire, Johnson said.

"The other thing I have noticed is that the wildlife is just not there the way it was,” he said. “The small animals all in that area I am sure would have all perished. There was no way they could escape from it.”

Not only did Johnson have to feed his herd during the summer and fall, but the ranch also had about half as much hay as it normally would going into the winter.

“We’re going to be scrapping the bottom of the barrel come spring. We’ll have enough feed to get through the winter, but there won’t be much carryover," Glaze said.

Beth Christian, High Plains Mental Health therapist and outpatient supervisor in the Osborne office, said the fire and drought have been added stressors to the normal burdens of being a farm family.

“One of the things about being a farmer is that there is very little that you control in that industry,” she said. “You can’t control the weather. You can’t control the markets. A lot of your decision-making is based on 'I hope this is going to be what it looks like in a month or two from now.' 'I hope it's going to rain.' " 

The anniversary of the fire may be additionally problematic for those who were affected, Christian said.

“They may not be able to name why they’re feeling that way until the date of the event occurs. Then they look back and realize I was starting to think about that when I didn’t realize it. Sometimes our bodies will react to the trauma before our brains connect the dots of that it is because of this year's event,” she said.

When the wind blows, many like Johnson and Glaze still feel the trauma from fire.

“I still wake up at night when I hear that wind blowing,” Johnson said during a recent red flag warning. “We’ve had that the last two or three nights. I wake up, and that wind is blowing. That is stressful.”

Dr. Lauren Mack and her Plainville clinic cared for animals that were injured in the fire. She has seen the effects on her own staff and the ranchers she works with daily. She said the fire affected everyone in the Plainville community, just on a different scale. 

“I can tell you everyone is really antsy when the wind is up and it's dry and we’re in a high fire warning. We all look at each other and go, ‘We’re going to do it again?’ " she said.

“We weren’t that far from losing Plainville. That was the things that went through a lot of our minds. There is no rule saying you can’t take a town or take a whole community. I think it should make everyone a little antsy."

Christian encouraged friends and family of survivors of the fires to look for signs a loved one may be isolating or getting out of their normal routine and patterns. 

“Do a little more diligence on checking on them. Say, 'Hey, lets get together.' 'Do you have time for coffee?' 'Do you have plans for supper?' Try to make sure people aren’t isolating—they're trying to avoid situations or places that might remind them of that event. 

“We want to help people make new memories on that date so it's not always looking back on that date as a scary terrifying thing,” she said.

It’s never to late to seek help, she said.

“This is a grief process people are going through, and there is no timeline on that,” Christian said. “A year or two or three out from that event, it’s never wrong to reach out for help. It’s never too late to get some support.”

High Plains Mental Health has therapists on staff who have farming backgrounds and who have been trained in assisting agriculture workers. Telemedicine means farmers and ranchers can schedule phone or Zoom appointments so they don't have to come into one of the High Plains' offices for treatment.

High Plains has a 24/7 crisis hotline, (800) 432-0333, people can call anytime to speak to a therapist. 988 is the new national crisis helpline. You don’t have to be suicidal to call one of these lines. You can also text the crisis line at 741741.

High Plains provides a sliding-fee scale for individuals who are uninsured or underinsured.

Farmers and ranchers can also find assistance online at <a href="https://www.kansasagstress.org/">Kansas Ag Stress Resources</a>.

The Johnsons and Glazes said they feel fortunate the fire didn't rob them of more.

“We were fortunate,” Johnson said. “It could have been a lot worse. Had the wind been coming from a slightly different angle, we would have lost everything.”

“As it was, we lost a lot of stuff, but we can come back from it, we should be able to come back from it in a couple of years,” he said. 

The fire happened right before Christmas, but Logan said so many people donated gifts for the kids they didn't know the difference. Rhett was too young to understand anything beyond his family lost their house. Sage understood more.

“They’re excited to get a new house,” Glaze said.

“It’s been tough at times,” Glaze said. “We still have to care of the daily stuff, plus we have to figure out how are we going to rebuild and who are we going to get, just all of those decisions to make.”

In addition to local donations through GoFundMe accounts, the Kansas Livestock Foundation raised $1.39 million by January 2022 for fire relief.

Without the donations, Glaze said, getting through the fire would have been tougher.

“I’m thankful for all of the help that we had — everybody that came out and helped and supported us through all the donations," he said. "It was just unbelievable.

“We lost the house, and that set us back a couple of years, but the good thing is that everybody was OK."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670956212219.jpeg" alt="Logan Glaze's family is still working to rebuild their home near the intersection of U.S. 183 and Homestead a year after the Four County Fire burned the home and 2,000 acres of the surrounding grassland. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post " />
 <figcaption>Logan Glaze's family is still working to rebuild their home near the intersection of U.S. 183 and Homestead a year after the Four County Fire burned the home and 2,000 acres of the surrounding grassland. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post </figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostHAYS, Kan. — Logan Glaze stood in a shed on the Johnson Ranch as the wind whistled through the eaves of a barn on a recent December day. It was another red flag warning day with winds forecast to gust 60 mph. Days like this are difficult for ranchers like Glaze, whose house near the corner of U.S. 183 and Homestead Road burned to the ground on Dec. 15, 2021, in the Four County Fire.Glaze was on his employers' homestead in a valley about a half mile away when the fire started racing across the prairie. His wife, Kacey, and two children — Sage, 5, and Rhett, 2 — were barely able to escape flames before the wildfire took their home and everything in it.“I tried to head to the house but flames and smoke were over the road. I called Kacey and told her to get out—&nbsp;leave. About the time they left the house, that’s when the flames started getting close," he said.Stacy Campbell, K-State Extension agent from Hays, captured the fire on a trail camera. The camera also recorded the temperatures as the fire burned through the area. <div><div style="position:relative; overflow:hidden; padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/aFXzqumN-KcBmu4K3.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" title="Dec 2021 Fire" style="position:absolute;" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>



</div>“I didn’t know if the house was OK," Glaze said. "It was creeping down here to this farmstead. I got in the loader tractor and kept scooping dirt on the fire to keep it out of our hay stacks and keep it out of this yard.”Glaze's employer, Dennis Johnson, loaded his elderly mother in a car with his wife to evacuate. The fire came yards from burning both his and his mother's 100-year-old home. The family has been on that homestead since 1897.Although the homes were saved, 2,000 acres of Johnson's land burned.“The fire was just so big," Johnson said, "the resources were overtaxed and of course that wind — the wind was so strong."Johnson had to euthanize a bull and sell two other cattle that were badly burned. Some ranchers were hit harder, losing hundreds of cattle — most of their herds — to the blaze.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670958931345.jpeg" alt="Trees were still smoldering in northeast Ellis County on Dec. 16, 2021. Fire crews continued to fight the blaze for a total of three days. Cristina Janney/Hays Post" />
 <figcaption>Trees were still smoldering in northeast Ellis County on Dec. 16, 2021. Fire crews continued to fight the blaze for a total of three days. Cristina Janney/Hays Post</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Scoured earth </h2>A year later, ranchers are still trying to recover from the fire. Homes and barns are still in the process of being rebuilt.&nbsp; Ten homes and 16 other structures were destroyed just in Ellis County. Miles of fence were destroyed and some has still yet to be replaced.Two people died as a result of the fire. 36-year-old Derrick Kelley's remains were found near his burned vehicle. An 84-year-old rancher, Richard Shimanek, who lived near the city of Leoti, was injured while trying to save his home and died later in a Denver hospital. About 164,000 acres of grassland burned in Ellis, Russell, Rooks and Osborne counties. The windstorm and wildfires caused more than $2.3 million in damages. Several years of good rains had resulted in heavy growth of vegetation —or fuel as it is known to the fire service. Winds up to 100 mph and a high fuel load meant the fire burned faster and hotter than a typical Kansas wildfire."If you look closely right where that fire burned, especially when that first wave of fire went through where the wind was blowing so hard,” Johnson said. “Those agronomy people said that the land was scoured.” Drought has significantly slowed the regrowth of the grass in pastures, which has meant the farmers who did not lose cattle in the fire still had to cull their herds because of a lack of grass in the pastures. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670959396381.jpeg" alt="You can still see patches of bare ground on the land that burned last year. Drought has slowed the recovery of the grasslands, which may not fully recover for three or more years, according to K-State Extension agents. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post " />
 <figcaption>You can still see patches of bare ground on the land that burned last year. Drought has slowed the recovery of the grasslands, which may not fully recover for three or more years, according to K-State Extension agents. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post </figcaption>
 </figure>According to K-State research, in a year with average to above-average rainfall, ranchers could expect about 50 percent of the grasses to come back in the first year after a wildfire, said Stacy Campbell, K-State Extension agent.The next year, the next 50 percent would be expected to come back, he said.“I was talking to one rancher, and he thought it was more like 30 percent,” Campbell said of the pasture regrowth this year. <h2>Recovery still years away</h2>Johnson was only able to graze his cattle on the burned pastures for about two weeks. Those same cattle normally would have been on that grass all summer.“As dry as it has been all year, I would expect next year to be short also,” he said. “We’ve had to cull cows. We’ve had to sell a third of the cows this year.”In the short term, ranchers have the proceeds from the cattle they were forced to sell, but those cattle will not be producing new calves for next year. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670959689943.jpeg" alt="The Four County fire burned 2,000 acres of Dennis Johnson's land. Miles of fence were destroyed and had to be replaced. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post " />
 <figcaption>The Four County fire burned 2,000 acres of Dennis Johnson's land. Miles of fence were destroyed and had to be replaced. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post </figcaption>
 </figure>“We’re going to be impacted by this for several years,” he said, “regardless of how much it rains. There is no way of knowing what next year will bring as far as the weather."Ground cover whether on crop or grassland helps protect the soil from wind and rain erosion. That was wiped away by the fire, Johnson said."The other thing I have noticed is that the wildlife is just not there the way it was,” he said. “The small animals all in that area I am sure would have all perished. There was no way they could escape from it.”Not only did Johnson have to feed his herd during the summer and fall, but the ranch also had about half as much hay as it normally would going into the winter.“We’re going to be scrapping the bottom of the barrel come spring. We’ll have enough feed to get through the winter, but there won’t be much carryover," Glaze said.<h2>Still on alert</h2>Beth Christian, High Plains Mental Health therapist and outpatient supervisor in the Osborne office, said the fire and drought have been added stressors to the normal burdens of being a farm family.“One of the things about being a farmer is that there is very little that you control in that industry,” she said. “You can’t control the weather. You can’t control the markets. A lot of your decision-making is based on 'I hope this is going to be what it looks like in a month or two from now.' 'I hope it's going to rain.' " <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670960240835.jpeg" alt="Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post " />
 <figcaption>Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post </figcaption>
 </figure>The anniversary of the fire may be additionally problematic for those who were affected, Christian said.“They may not be able to name why they’re feeling that way until the date of the event occurs. Then they look back and realize I was starting to think about that when I didn’t realize it. Sometimes our bodies will react to the trauma before our brains connect the dots of that it is because of this year's event,” she said.When the wind blows, many like Johnson and Glaze still feel the trauma from fire.“I still wake up at night when I hear that wind blowing,” Johnson said during a recent red flag warning. “We’ve had that the last two or three nights. I wake up, and that wind is blowing. That is stressful.”Dr. Lauren Mack and her Plainville clinic cared for animals that were injured in the fire. She has seen the effects on her own staff and the ranchers she works with daily. She said the fire affected everyone in the Plainville community, just on a different scale. “I can tell you everyone is really antsy when the wind is up and it's dry and we’re in a high fire warning. We all look at each other and go, ‘We’re going to do it again?’ " she said. “We weren’t that far from losing Plainville. That was the things that went through a lot of our minds. There is no rule saying you can’t take a town or take a whole community. I think it should make everyone a little antsy."<h2>Never too late to ask for help</h2>Christian encouraged friends and family of survivors of the fires to look for signs a loved one may be isolating or getting out of their normal routine and patterns. “Do a little more diligence on checking on them. Say, 'Hey, lets get together.' 'Do you have time for coffee?' 'Do you have plans for supper?' Try to make sure people aren’t isolating—they're trying to avoid situations or places that might remind them of that event. “We want to help people make new memories on that date so it's not always looking back on that date as a scary terrifying thing,” she said.It’s never to late to seek help, she said.“This is a grief process people are going through, and there is no timeline on that,” Christian said. “A year or two or three out from that event, it’s never wrong to reach out for help. It’s never too late to get some support.”High Plains Mental Health has therapists on staff who have farming backgrounds and who have been trained in assisting agriculture workers. Telemedicine means farmers and ranchers can schedule phone or Zoom appointments so they don't have to come into one of the High Plains' offices for treatment.High Plains has a 24/7 crisis hotline, (800) 432-0333, people can call anytime to speak to a therapist. 988 is the new national crisis helpline. You don’t have to be suicidal to call one of these lines. You can also text the crisis line at 741741.High Plains provides a sliding-fee scale for individuals who are uninsured or underinsured.Farmers and ranchers can also find assistance online at <a href="https://www.kansasagstress.org/">Kansas Ag Stress Resources</a>.<h2>'We were fortunate'</h2>The Johnsons and Glazes said they feel fortunate the fire didn't rob them of more. “We were fortunate,” Johnson said. “It could have been a lot worse. Had the wind been coming from a slightly different angle, we would have lost everything.”“As it was, we lost a lot of stuff, but we can come back from it, we should be able to come back from it in a couple of years,” he said. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670960562394.jpeg" alt="Logan Glaze, whose family lost their home in the Four County Fire, said the recovery after the fire has been difficult, but they are thankful for all the donations they received after the fire. Courtesy photo. " />
 <figcaption>Logan Glaze, whose family lost their home in the Four County Fire, said the recovery after the fire has been difficult, but they are thankful for all the donations they received after the fire. Courtesy photo. </figcaption>
 </figure>The fire happened right before Christmas, but Logan said so many people donated gifts for the kids they didn't know the difference. Rhett was too young to understand anything beyond his family lost their house. Sage understood more. “They’re excited to get a new house,” Glaze said.“It’s been tough at times,” Glaze said. “We still have to care of the daily stuff, plus we have to figure out how are we going to rebuild and who are we going to get, just all of those decisions to make.”In addition to local donations through GoFundMe accounts, the Kansas Livestock Foundation raised $1.39 million by January 2022 for fire relief. Without the donations, Glaze said, getting through the fire would have been tougher.“I’m thankful for all of the help that we had — everybody that came out and helped and supported us through all the donations," he said. "It was just unbelievable.“We lost the house, and that set us back a couple of years, but the good thing is that everybody was OK."

🎥 Drought double disaster as ranchers struggle to recover year after wildfire

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a murder and asking the public for help to locate 28-year-old&nbsp;Glenn A. Pulluaim Jr., according to Kansas City police.

Pulluaim is charged with 2 counts of 1st degree murder and 2 counts of armed criminal action in connection with a double murder on October 22 at 8748 Chestnut Circle in Kansas City. The victims have been identified as Austin Scott and Chantell Gipson.

Pulluaim fled the scene im the victim's vehicle. Police recovered the vehicle and have exhausted all leads in an attempted to find him.&nbsp;

Pulluaim is described as 6-foot,&nbsp;&nbsp;thin build with&nbsp; shoulder length dreadlocks. He should be considered armed and dangerous. The FBI is assisting with the investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671103315937.png" alt="Pulluaim-photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Pulluaim-photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a murder and asking the public for help to locate 28-year-old&nbsp;Glenn A. Pulluaim Jr., according to Kansas City police.Pulluaim is charged with 2 counts of 1st degree murder and 2 counts of armed criminal action in connection with a double murder on October 22 at 8748 Chestnut Circle in Kansas City. The victims have been identified as Austin Scott and Chantell Gipson.Pulluaim fled the scene im the victim's vehicle. Police recovered the vehicle and have exhausted all leads in an attempted to find him.&nbsp;Pulluaim is described as 6-foot,&nbsp;&nbsp;thin build with&nbsp; shoulder length dreadlocks. He should be considered armed and dangerous. The FBI is assisting with the investigation.

Police ask for help to locate Kansas City double-murder suspect

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Railroad workers who are fed up with demanding work schedules and disappointed in the contract they received aired their frustrations this week at rallies across the country and in a leadership vote at one of their biggest unions.

Workers gathered in Washington D.C. and nearly a dozen other locations across the country Tuesday to emphasize their quality of life concerns and fight for paid sick leave after Congress intervened in the stalled contract talks earlier this month and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-pete-buttigieg-strikes-congress-c95510555dcd4cdc2d839e61d1195b06">imposed a deal</a>&nbsp;on four unions that had rejected it. And thousands of engineers voted to oust their long-time union president although that result won't be final until next week.

The five-year contract that roughly 115,000 workers in 12 unions received includes 24% raises, $5,000 in bonuses and one additional paid leave day, but the unions say it didn't&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-strikes-congress-d2ae4d3aecb27f176418518d977e69e1">do enough</a>&nbsp;to address workers'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-207229bcd558b6a6c1d58f3f85e2d804">quality-of-life concerns</a>. President Joe Biden urged Congress to get involved because the potential&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-strikes-climate-and-environment-government-politics-92ea7632a29f807ccc0e2658c50d731e">economic damage</a>&nbsp;that would come with a railroad strike was too great to bear, but their action left many workers disappointed because lawmakers opted not to require the railroads to add sick time.

“The American people should know that while this round of collective bargaining is over, the underlying issues facing the workforce and rail customers remain,” said the Transportation Trades Department coalition of the AFL-CIO that includes all the rail unions. “Over the last seven years, the freight railroad industry has moved to a business model that has cut their workforces to the bone, devastated worker morale by creating unsustainable working conditions across the industry, and put the safety of their workers and the American public at risk.”

The unions have said that the roughly 45,000 job cuts across the industry as railroads&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-aab7d3084a8d17d8d721d2cb750be323">overhauled their operations</a>&nbsp;over the past several years have increased the workload for everyone who remains and prompted the railroads to adopt strict attendance policies that make it hard for workers to take a day off. Railroads say they don't need as many workers as they used to because they have cut down on the number of trains and locomotives they are using by relying on longer trains with a mix of freight that run on a tighter schedule.

The railroads did agree as part of the contract to try to improve the way regular days off are scheduled through ongoing additional negotiations at each railroad. But it's not yet clear how much of a difference those changes will make to engineers and conductors who say they are now essentially on call 24-7.

One of the other concessions railroads made was to offer engineers and conductors three unpaid days off a year to tend to medical events as long as they schedule their appointments at least 30 days ahead of time.

The engineers union narrowly approved the deal while the union that represents conductors rejected it. But more than half of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union members who voted this week backed challenger Eddie Hall over Dennis Pierce, who had led the union since 2010.

BLET officials say those results won't be certified until Monday after any challenges to the vote are resolved. Pierce, who was one of the leaders of the large bargaining coalition that represented the unions in the contract talks with all the major freight railroads over the past three years, declined to comment on the election results.

Hall said he thinks the vote clearly shows that engineers just aren't “satisfied with our leadership,” The win is remarkable given that Hall was little known among the union nationally before he was nominated by workers in his division in Arizona.

“This is like a club fighter knocking out Muhammad Ali," Hall said. "I’m a vice local chairman out of Division 28 in Tucson. This is unprecedented. It’s never happened before and it’ll probably never happen again.”

Hall said there is definitely still a lot of work to do to help improve workers' quality of life, but he doesn't have a long plan of what he will do if he does take office. He said the first thing on his agenda will be getting out and meeting with engineers all across the country to listen to their concerns.

Regardless of who leads the BLET for the next four years, all the unions have pledged to continue pressing the railroads to add sick time and ease some of their restrictive rules.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671055776665.png" alt="Workers gathered in Washington D.C. and nearly a dozen other locations across the country Tuesday to emphasize their quality of life concerns-photos courtesy Senator Bernie Sanders" />
 <figcaption>Workers gathered in Washington D.C. and nearly a dozen other locations across the country Tuesday to emphasize their quality of life concerns-photos courtesy Senator Bernie Sanders</figcaption>
 </figure>OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Railroad workers who are fed up with demanding work schedules and disappointed in the contract they received aired their frustrations this week at rallies across the country and in a leadership vote at one of their biggest unions.Workers gathered in Washington D.C. and nearly a dozen other locations across the country Tuesday to emphasize their quality of life concerns and fight for paid sick leave after Congress intervened in the stalled contract talks earlier this month and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-pete-buttigieg-strikes-congress-c95510555dcd4cdc2d839e61d1195b06">imposed a deal</a>&nbsp;on four unions that had rejected it. And thousands of engineers voted to oust their long-time union president although that result won't be final until next week.The five-year contract that roughly 115,000 workers in 12 unions received includes 24% raises, $5,000 in bonuses and one additional paid leave day, but the unions say it didn't&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-strikes-congress-d2ae4d3aecb27f176418518d977e69e1">do enough</a>&nbsp;to address workers'&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-government-and-politics-207229bcd558b6a6c1d58f3f85e2d804">quality-of-life concerns</a>. President Joe Biden urged Congress to get involved because the potential&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-economy-strikes-climate-and-environment-government-politics-92ea7632a29f807ccc0e2658c50d731e">economic damage</a>&nbsp;that would come with a railroad strike was too great to bear, but their action left many workers disappointed because lawmakers opted not to require the railroads to add sick time.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671055751999.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“The American people should know that while this round of collective bargaining is over, the underlying issues facing the workforce and rail customers remain,” said the Transportation Trades Department coalition of the AFL-CIO that includes all the rail unions. “Over the last seven years, the freight railroad industry has moved to a business model that has cut their workforces to the bone, devastated worker morale by creating unsustainable working conditions across the industry, and put the safety of their workers and the American public at risk.”The unions have said that the roughly 45,000 job cuts across the industry as railroads&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-aab7d3084a8d17d8d721d2cb750be323">overhauled their operations</a>&nbsp;over the past several years have increased the workload for everyone who remains and prompted the railroads to adopt strict attendance policies that make it hard for workers to take a day off. Railroads say they don't need as many workers as they used to because they have cut down on the number of trains and locomotives they are using by relying on longer trains with a mix of freight that run on a tighter schedule.The railroads did agree as part of the contract to try to improve the way regular days off are scheduled through ongoing additional negotiations at each railroad. But it's not yet clear how much of a difference those changes will make to engineers and conductors who say they are now essentially on call 24-7.One of the other concessions railroads made was to offer engineers and conductors three unpaid days off a year to tend to medical events as long as they schedule their appointments at least 30 days ahead of time.The engineers union narrowly approved the deal while the union that represents conductors rejected it. But more than half of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union members who voted this week backed challenger Eddie Hall over Dennis Pierce, who had led the union since 2010.BLET officials say those results won't be certified until Monday after any challenges to the vote are resolved. Pierce, who was one of the leaders of the large bargaining coalition that represented the unions in the contract talks with all the major freight railroads over the past three years, declined to comment on the election results.Hall said he thinks the vote clearly shows that engineers just aren't “satisfied with our leadership,” The win is remarkable given that Hall was little known among the union nationally before he was nominated by workers in his division in Arizona.“This is like a club fighter knocking out Muhammad Ali," Hall said. "I’m a vice local chairman out of Division 28 in Tucson. This is unprecedented. It’s never happened before and it’ll probably never happen again.”Hall said there is definitely still a lot of work to do to help improve workers' quality of life, but he doesn't have a long plan of what he will do if he does take office. He said the first thing on his agenda will be getting out and meeting with engineers all across the country to listen to their concerns.Regardless of who leads the BLET for the next four years, all the unions have pledged to continue pressing the railroads to add sick time and ease some of their restrictive rules.