By COLE REIF Great Bend Post

When the City of Great Bend released a survey to allow citizens to rank
what “quality of life” projects they would like accomplished, the top
vote-getter was a city-wide cleanup. The city-wide cleanup is currently
underway and will continue through Sunday, Oct. 2. The item that received the
second-most votes was the installation of a splash pad. 
Collecting revenue from a .15% sales tax for “quality of life” projects, the
Great Bend City Council is expected to approve a 10-year capital improvement
plan at Monday’s meeting. On the list of projects is a new splash pad in 2023. 
City Administrator Kendal Francis projected $240,000 for the splash pad. "It's a large construction project with a large concrete pad," said Francis. "Depending on the features, whether you're recycling the water or it's draining off, there's a lot of things that come into this decision that drive the cost substantially one way or the other." 
Francis said the plan includes a large splash pad with new amenities. Drainage
options will factor into where the splash pad will be located. Veterans
Memorial Park and near the swimming pool at Brit Spaugh Park have both been
considered locations.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Great Bend figuring out location to install large splash pad

Buy Tickets <a href="https://tonyspizzaeventscenter.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventInfo?ticketCode=GS:BC:BC22:KM:&amp;linkID=global-bc&amp;RSRC=POST&amp;RDAT=KM22">HERE</a>

Kip Moore Tickets at Tony’s Pizza Event Center Saturday, September 17th

DAT Fitness $250 Grocery Sweepstakes 

Make a Difference Contest 

Spooky Nights Haunted Trail would like to invite everyone to a haunted trail on Oct. 28 and Oct. 29 in Lorraine, KS from 6 p.m. - 11 p.m.

The trail is located next to the city park at 234 Main Street.

The trail is free of charge, but a free will donation will be available to support local fire fighters. Participants are more than welcome to wear your Halloween costume.  Candy will be given out to kids. 

 For questions feel free to call Justin at (620) 282- 8147.&nbsp;

Haunted trail open to the public in Lorraine

Hear this week's City Edition episode with Eagle Radio's Steve Webster and Great Bend Network Administrator James Cell and IT Support Tech Josh Parks that aired Sept. 28, 2022.

The City Edition program airs every Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. on 1590 KVGB &amp; 95.5 FM.&nbsp;

🎙City Edition: IT Network Administration

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) have issued several public health advisories for Kansas lakes due to blue-green algae.&nbsp;

A harmful algal bloom (HAB) may look like foam, scum or paint floating on the water and be colored blue, bright green, brown or red. Blooms can develop rapidly; if the water appears suspicious or there is decaying algae on the shore, avoid contact and keep dogs away. These toxins can be absorbed by ingestion, inhalation of aerosols and even skin contact. Symptoms vary depending upon the type of exposure (e.g. direct contact, ingestion, inhalation) but can include rash, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, sore throat, and headache. If you, or your dog, come into contact with algae rinse the area with clean, fresh water. Suspected HAB-related health incidents, whether human or animal, regardless of season, should be reported at&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDAsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjA5MjkuNjQ0MzQ1MTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5rZGhlLmtzLmdvdi8xMTYzL1JlcG9ydC1hbi1JbGxuZXNzLW9yLUhlYWx0aC1JbmNpZGVudD91dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9zb3VyY2U9Z292ZGVsaXZlcnkifQ.upW2dmue6VC9FBJPOkRygpdBx1DL38iP26KMoQishK8/s/1305943094/br/144957450372-l" target="_blank">https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/1163</a>.&nbsp;

Warning&nbsp; Crystal Lake, Anderson County Elkhorn Lake, Jackson County (Added on September 29) Ford County Lake, Ford County Gathering Pond, Geary County&nbsp; Jerry Ivey Pond, Saline County&nbsp; Kingston Lake, Johnson County Melvern Outlet (River) Pond, Osage County&nbsp; Milford Lake Zone A, Dickinson and Geary Counties&nbsp; Milford Lake Zone B, Geary County&nbsp; Milford Lake Zone C, Geary and Clay County&nbsp; Rooks County SFL, Rooks County South Park Lake, Johnson County&nbsp;

Watch Carbondale City Lake (Strowbridge), Osage County&nbsp; Marion Reservoir, Marion County Overbrook City Lake, Osage County (Lowered on September 29)

Lifted Colwich City Lake, Sedgwick County Louisburg Old Lake (City Lake), Miami County&nbsp;

A&nbsp;Warning status&nbsp;indicates that conditions are unsafe for human and pet exposure.&nbsp; Contact with the waterbody should be avoided.&nbsp;

When a warning is issued, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken:&nbsp;

A&nbsp;Watch status&nbsp;means that blue-green algae have been detected and a harmful algal bloom is present or likely to develop. People are encouraged to avoid areas of algae accumulation and keep pets and livestock away from the water.&nbsp;

During the watch status, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken:&nbsp;

KDHE investigates publicly-accessible bodies of water for blue-green algae when the agency receives reports of potential algae blooms in Kansas lakes. Based on credible field observation and sampling results, KDHE reports on potentially harmful conditions.&nbsp;&nbsp;

If you observe a scum or paint-like surface on the water, small floating blue-green clumps or filaments in the water, or if the water is an opaque green, avoid contact and keep pets away. These are indications that a harmful bloom may be present. Pet owners should be aware that animals that swim in or drink water affected by a harmful algal bloom or eat dried algae along the shore may become seriously ill or die.&nbsp;

For information on blue-green algae and reporting potential harmful algal blooms, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjA5MjkuNjQ0MzQ1MTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5rZGhlLmtzLmdvdi9IQUI_dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWdvdmRlbGl2ZXJ5In0.kcLaxndDQKvGeTmW1gJniG73EYTIK9E4qKBCATZWp5k/s/1305943094/br/144957450372-l" target="_blank">https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/HAB</a><a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjA5MjkuNjQ0MzQ1MTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOi8vd3d3LmtkaGVrcy5nb3YvYWxnYWUtaWxsbmVzcy9pbmRleC5odG0_dXRtX21lZGl1bT1lbWFpbCZ1dG1fc291cmNlPWdvdmRlbGl2ZXJ5In0.FX9L-8PeYyW-i6fsYhkJ5UnPA6Z_C0yygBP3oQNox_k/s/1305943094/br/144957450372-l" target="_blank"></a>.

Public health advisories for Kansas lakes due to blue-green algae

It’s a two-minute recap of the headlines that broke this past week in the Golden Belt. For the full stories, click the links below.

<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/posts/2d7fde6d-f7c3-443b-8a69-b3b63b6245bb">Project Change: Great Bend Eco Devo has plans for old hotel property</a>

<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/posts/6ff8c719-588e-48d1-8dae-a4cf27e1a8a8">Great Bend reveals plans for a public shooting range</a>

<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/posts/aeed3543-bbe2-4752-8bf8-3b493d0ce876">Woman struck by vehicle in Great Bend domestic dispute</a>

Eagle Radio's News Week in Review

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By DR. KARISSA NIEHOFF and&nbsp;BILL FAFLICK

There’s
 an unfortunate trend continuing&nbsp;in&nbsp;Kansas and across the nation that 
must be stopped: the bad behavior of coaches, parents and fans at high 
school athletic events.

We’ve all seen it: the yelling, harassing,
 berating, disrespecting and even physically assaulting high school 
referees, umpires and other officials during and after games. And 
oftentimes, the harassment continues on social media. Perhaps you’ve 
witnessed it firsthand or even been one of those offenders yourself.

Not
 only is this behavior unacceptable and embarrassing, but it’s also 
having serious consequences on the future of high school sports.

That’s
 because another unfortunate trend is sweeping the nation: a&nbsp;critical 
shortage of high school officials in every state. The No. 1 reason? You 
guessed it: Coaches, parents and fans mistreating officials.

National surveys of officials report alarming statistics:

• 55% of officials say verbal abuse from coaches, parents and fans is the No. 1 reason they quit.

• 57% think sportsmanship is getting worse.

• 84% feel officials are treated unfairly by spectators.

• 46% have felt unsafe or feared for their safety due to spectator, coach, administrator or player behavior.

Officials
 are quitting faster than new ones are signing up. It’s a major area of 
concern for states like Kansas just to cover games. We’re already seeing
 middle school and JV games being cancelled and, in some cases, varsity 
games have to be rescheduled or not played. All because there aren’t 
enough officials.

Unfortunately, bad behavior&nbsp;at high school 
athletic events&nbsp;has become normalized. It is almost expected that 
coaches, parents and fans will disrespect the individuals serving as 
officials.

This culture of bad behavior and the negative 
perception of officials must change now. Everyone involved in high 
school sports—parents, coaches, administrators, fans, the media—must 
turn their focus to the student-athletes playing the games and away from
 the individuals officiating the contests.

The bottom line: With no high school officials, there can be no high school sports.

That’s
 why the KSHSAA is partnering with the NFHS and other state high school 
associations across the country to launch the nationwide&nbsp;#BenchBadBehavior&nbsp;campaign.
 We’ll use the power of social media along with other tools to help 
educate everyone about the importance of good behavior at high school 
athletic events.

You can help by being a positive role model at 
your high school’s athletic events. And if you think you have what it 
takes to be a licensed official, sign up today at&nbsp;<a href="http://HighSchoolOfficials.com">HighSchoolOfficials.com</a>&nbsp;and help fill an urgent need&nbsp;in&nbsp;Kansas!

Dr. Karrissa Niehoff is&nbsp;chief executive officer of the National Federation of State High School Associations. Bill Faflick is executive director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association.

ENOUGH: Bad behavior by coaches, parents, fans must stop

Western Athletic Conference Great Bend 21, Dodge City 14 OT Hays 48, Ulysses 14 Garden City 35, Liberal 14

Central Kansas League Pratt 37, Hoisington 13 Cimarron 23, Larned 14 Ellsworth 55, Lyons 0 Kingman 28, Hesston 0 Halstead 55, Hillsboro 21 Cheney 27, Smoky Valley 14 Garden Plain 45, Haven 18 Andale 108, Nickerson 0

Area 11-Man Games Conway Springs 36, Ellinwood 0 Russell 22, TMP 0 Medicine Lodge 28, Sterling 12

Area 8-Man Games Sylvan-Lucas 12, Central Plains 6 Dighton 54, Otis-Bison 6 Macksville 58, Ness City 12 Stafford 60, St. John 12 La Crosse 46, Skyline 0 Kinsley 52, Central Christian 38 Victoria 52, Wilson 6 Trego 78, Kiowa County 0 Hodgeman County (2-2) @ Bucklin (3-1) Little River 46, Moundridge 0

Area 6-Man Games Cunningham 46, Pawnee Heights 0 Southern Cloud 86, Chase 38

Area High School Football Scores - Week 5

From the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce...



Congratulations to Chelsea Mitchell Photography  for moving to their new location at the Riggs Studio Building. 

For 14 years, Chelsea has served over hundreds of clients, with many returning yearly for family portraits and other milestones. 

"I am excited to be the third generation photographer operating out of the Riggs Studio location and looking forward to serving our community." 

She also does business all over the states, "I travel to my clients - wherever they may be." 

Chelsea's full services include, photographing children &amp; family portraits as well as senior portraits, sessions, and events. 

"I also offer photograph restoration and negative/slide digitization. With the purchase of the Riggs Studio space I now offer framing and have a good response to the addition. Outside of our general area, I photograph luxury weddings around the United States and take a limited amount of clients." 



Chamber welcomes Great Bend photography business' new location

Stueder Contractors officially welcomed Tarynn (Stueder) Kirmer back to the family business. Tarynn started at Stueder's in April 2022 as a customer service representative and will be completing client billing.

"I've been around Stueder Contractors my entire life," said Tarynn. "You might remember me as the toddler in TV commercials back in the day!"&nbsp;

Now she's looking forward to gaining insight and a new perspective as an employee. 

"I'm excited to help continue to bring excellent service to our community," Tarynn said.&nbsp;

Tarynn graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Human Resources, having previously worked in the community after graduation at Farmers Bank and Trust. 

Tarynn is married to Benn Kirmer and is a resident of Claflin, KS.

Kirmer rejoins family business at Stueder Contractors

LA CROSSE — A Great Bend woman has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years for the January murder of a La Crosse man, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said today in a news release.

Jennifer Stipe, 49, of Great Bend, was sentenced in Rush County District Court by Chief Judge Bruce Gatterman. Stipe pleaded guilty on Aug. 10 to one count of first-degree murder. Gatterman also ordered Stipe to pay $5,000 in restitution.

The charges stem from the Jan. 11, murder of Leslie Marvin Randa, 61, in La Crosse. The case was investigated by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Rush County Sheriff’s Office.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Jessica Domme of Schmidt’s office.

Related charges against one additional defendant remain pending. Charges are merely accusations; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Great Bend woman sentenced to life for murder of La Crosse man

Kapaun Mount Carmel 70, Wichita Southeast 0

Kinsley 52, Hutchinson Central Christian 38

Lincoln College Prep, Mo. 59, Highland Park 22

Friday Statewide Scores

Saturday October 1 2:00PM KBGL- College Football - Iowa State @ Kansas 4:30PM 1590/95.5FM - Royals Baseball - Kansas City @ Cleveland&nbsp; Sunday October 2 12:00PM 1590/95.5FM - Royals Baseball - Kansas City @ Cleveland 5:00PM 1590/95.5FM - MLB Baseball - NY Mets @ Atlanta 6:00PM B104 - Chiefs Football - Kansas City @ Tampa Bay Monday October 3 4:30PM 1590/95.5FM - Royals Baseball - Kansas City @ Cleveland Tuesday October 4 4:30PM 1590/95.5FM - Royals Baseball - Kansas City @ Cleveland&nbsp;&nbsp; Wednesday October 5 2:30PM 1590/95.5FM - Royals Baseball - Kansas City @ Cleveland&nbsp; &nbsp;

Eagle Radio and Hull Broadcasting PBP Schedule

CIMARRON 23 LARNED 14 

PRATT 37 HOISINGTON 13 

GREAT BEND 21 DODGE 14 OT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Longtime big league catcher and manager John Wathan announced Wednesday that he will retire after this season, ending a career in professional baseball that included 47 of 51 years spent with the Kansas City Royals.

Nicknamed “Duke,” Wathan was a first-round pick of the Royals in 1971 and eventually spent 10 seasons behind the plate for them. That included his memorable 1980 season in which he hit .305 and helped Kansas City win the AL pennant, and their 1985 season, when he helped the club win its first World Series title in his final year before retiring as a player.

Wathan went into coaching and managed the Royals from 1987 into the 1991 season before spending part of the 1992 season managing the Angels. He also did some broadcasting work for Kansas City before returning to the Royals in a player development role, eventually helping the club win two more AL pennants and the 2015 World Series.

"I’m very fortunate to have worked with the Royals, the classiest organization in baseball, and with so many great people throughout the years,” Wathan said. “I’m grateful for the tremendous support from all the great Royals fans throughout the years, and my wife Nancy and I are proud to have made Kansas City our home and be part of this community.

“This was my dream as a kid," Wathan added, "and I have had a full and blessed life to join this organization at 21 and work here until almost turning 73.”

Wathan's son, Derek, spent a decade playing minor league baseball. His other son, Dusty, played briefly for the Royals and is now the third-base coach of the Phillies. His daughter, Dina, also works for the Royals.

“Not many people walking this earth have done so many things for one organization,” Royals manager J.J. Picollo said. "I want to thank Duke for his complete honesty, regardless of the situation, and how he represents the game of baseball.”

Longtime Royals catcher, manager John Wathan to retire

Texas Tech heads to
No. 25 Kansas State on Saturday with each trying to reach 2-0 in the
Big 12. The Red Raiders opened conference play by rallying from a
10-point halftime deficit to beat Texas in overtime, while the
Wildcats held off Oklahoma on the road. Kansas State has won six
straight against Texas Tech, which hasn't won in Manhattan since
2008. Kansas State is led by Deuce Vaughn, the Big 12's top rusher,
while the Red Raiders have one of the league's best run defenses.

Texas Tech (3-1, 1-0
Big 12) at No. 25 Kansas State (3-1, 1-0), Saturday, noon ET (ESPN+)

Line: Kansas
State by 7 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series record:
Kansas State leads 13-9.

Kansas State
followed a stunning loss to Tulane with an equally surprising win
over then-No. 6 Oklahoma last week in Norman, sending the Wildcats
into the AP Top 25 for the first time this season. The challenge now
is to climb the rankings by beating Texas Tech, something they have
done six straight times. The Red Raiders are also trying to build on
the momentum they gained by rallying from a 10-point halftime deficit
to beat Texas in overtime last week. The winner moves to 2-0 in the
conference race and is in good position to challenge for the Big 12
title.

Kansas State RB
Deuce Vaughn, who leads the Big 12 in rushing at 117 yards per game,
will be facing a Texas Tech defense that allowed Texas running back
Bijan Robinson to run for 101 yards and two scores last week. Vaughn
carried 25 times for 116 yards against Oklahoma last week, allowing
Kansas State to control the time of possession.

Texas Tech: QB
Donovan Smith is the Big 12's leading passer with 1,117 yards and
nine touchdowns this season, and he's coming off arguably his best
game of the season against the Longhorns. He was 38 of 56 for 331
yards and two touchdowns without an interception while adding 15
carries for 42 yards and another score. Smith will be facing a Kansas
State pass defense that allowed Oklahoma's Dillon Gabriel to throw
for 330 yards and four TDs last week.

Kansas State: QB
Adrian Martinez broke out of a three-game slump to begin his career
in Manhattan with a game to remember against the Sooners. He threw
for 234 yards and a touchdown without an interception, ran for 148
yards and four more scores, and had a 55-yard fourth-quarter run that
helped the Wildcats clinch the win.

Kansas State has won
10 of the last 11 in the series. Texas Tech has not won in Manhattan
since 2008. ... The Red Raiders have not started 2-0 in league play
since 2013, when they won their first four games. ... Texas Tech will
be playing a ranked team for the fourth time in five games with wins
over Houston and Texas and a loss to North Carolina State. The Red
Raiders last faced four consecutive Top 25 teams in 2012, when they
went 2-3 over a five-game stretch. ... Texas Tech converted six
fourth downs against Texas, its most in a game since 2000. ... The
Wildcats had 509 yards total offense against Oklahoma, their most
since piling up 535 against Texas Tech in 2014. ... Vaughn has
eclipsed 100 yards rushing in 14 of his last 19 games. ... Kansas
State DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah has seven forced fumbles in his career,
two shy of tying the school record.

Texas Tech heads to No. 25 K-State as both come off big wins


- Sports in Kansas Chet Kuplan
with a preview of week 5 of the high school football season.


- Hoisington Cardinal head
coach Zach Baird on the eve of Friday's night's homecoming game
against Pratt.


- Great Bend Girls Tennis
Coach Zach Bartel


- New Great Bend High School
swimming coach Klara Gilbert

Friday on Sports Day

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities&nbsp; investigating a third homicide in Topeka this week have made an arrest.

Just after 10a.m. Friday, police responded to the Meadowlark Apartments 1621 SW 37th Terrace in Topeka after receiving multiple reports of a shooting, according to police spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.

Upon arrival, officers located one man identified as&nbsp;Keith K. Gaylord Jr., 23 of Topeka. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. They located another individual with injuries believed to be non-life threatening. The injured individual was transported by American Medical Response to a local hospital, and was in stable condition late Friday.&nbsp;

As a result of the investigation, police arrested Bruce Holloway Jr., 20, of Lawrence, on a requested charge of first degree murder, according to Police Captain Jerry Monasmith.

This is the third homicide in Topeka in this week. This incident at the apartment complex is not believed to be related to the Friday's earlier homicide in connection with a body found under the Interstate 70 Bridge near the intersection of SE Quincy and SE 2nd Street or the shooting death at a home&nbsp;3500 Block of SW Kerry Avenue in Topeka on Thursday.

Police arrest suspect in Kansas apartment complex murder

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/09/30/aaup-asserts-faculty-dismissals-at-emporia-state-a-grave-threat-to-academic-freedom-tenure/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A representative of the 
American Association of University Professors denounced methods relied 
upon by Emporia State University to terminate faculty under a policy 
created by the Kansas Board of Regents to help state universities more 
easily address financial and personnel problems.

Michael DeCesare, program officer with the AAUP’s Department of 
Academic Freedom, Tenure and Governance and a former sociology professor
 at Merrimack College, sent a letter to ESU president Ken Hush and to 
Jon Rolph, chairman of the Board of Regents, complaining ESU 
administrators in September ignored AAUP and ESU procedural standards 
related to dismissal of faculty.

“Absent countervailing information,” DeCesare said, “the AAUP is 
compelled to regard the administration’s actions that resulted in the 
termination of tenured appointments as having been taken without a 
legitimate basis.”

He urged ESU administrators to rescind notices of termination issued 
nine faculty members named in his letter as well as two dozen of their 
colleagues similarly sacked.

“It is difficult not to construe what has happened at Emporia State 
as a direct assault on tenure and academic freedom with grave 
implications for tenure and academic freedom not only at Emporia State 
but throughout the Kansas system of public higher education,” DeCesare 
said.

The Board of Regents didn’t respond to a request Friday for comment.

Gwen Larson, spokeswoman with Emporia State, said she wouldn’t comment on the AAUP letter.

“As for the layoffs, a total of 33 faculty 
and staff were laid off under the ESU framework for workforce 
management. Out of empathy and respect for our co-workers, we are not 
releasing any information that could potentially identify them,” Larson 
said.

ESU did announce the administration decided to invest in hiring of a 
professor of music education and a director of choral activities.

The university previously said it would hire three tenure-track 
faculty to teach ceramics, graphic design and art history. The 
university also planned to hire an art instructor and gallery director. 
ESU vowed to invest more than $1 million in King Hall, which serves the 
art department.

“This is a transformational time for the department to better serve 
students and the community,”&nbsp; said art department chairman James Ehlers.
 “In the coming months we will be working on curricular changes and 
honing the details of what these positions will do for the department.”

DeCesare, speaking on behalf of the nine faculty informed Sept. 15 of
 their termination, alleged Hush disregarded key elements of a 1940 
statement of academic freedom and tenure contained in the university’s 
policy manual.

“Our association’s keen interest in these cases is further 
intensified by allegations that some appointments may have been selected
 for termination because the faculty members in question were 
outspokenly critical of the administration and governing board,” 
DeCesare said.

Some ESU faculty targeted for dismissal will remain employed through May 2023.

Dismissed employees have the option of appealing within 30 days 
through the Board of Regents’ office — not the university — for an 
administrative hearing.

The Board of Regents directed that internal faculty rules at ESU, 
University of Kansas, Kansas State University, Fort Hays State 
University, Pittsburg State University and Wichita State University 
wouldn’t be applicable to personnel changes brought under the 
alternative management policy scheduled to expire Dec. 31.

The Board of Regents’ special policy emerged from the COVID-19 
pandemic and freed the six universities from an obligation to declare a 
financial emergency as a prerequisite to suspension, dismissal or 
termination of certain university employees.

AAUP: Moves at Emporia State a ‘grave’ threat to academic freedom

By JASON DEAREN and MICHAEL REZENDES Associated Press

It was a frigid Sunday evening at the Catholic Newman Center in Salt Lake City when the priest warned parishioners who had gathered after Mass that their right to private confessions was in jeopardy.

A new law would break that sacred bond, the priest said, and directed the parishioners to sign a one-page form letter on their way out. “I/We Oppose HB90,” began the letter, stacked next to pre-addressed envelopes. “HB90 is an improper interference of the government into the practice of religion in Utah.”

In the following days of February 2020, Utah’s Catholic diocese, which oversees dozens of churches, says it collected some 9,000 signed letters from parishioners and sent them to state Rep. Angela Romero, a Democrat who had been working on the bill as part of her campaign against child sexual abuse. HB90 targeted Utah’s “clergy-penitent privilege,” a law similar to those in many states that exempts clergy of all denominations from the requirement to report child abuse if they learn about the crime in a confessional setting.

Utah’s Catholic leaders had mobilized against HB90 arguing that it threatened the sacred privacy of confessions. More importantly, it met with disapproval from some members in the powerful Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormon church,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/286983987f484cb182fba9334c52a617">whose followers comprise the vast majority</a>&nbsp;of the state Legislature. HB90 was dead on arrival.

In 33 states, clergy are exempt from any laws requiring professionals such as teachers, physicians and psychotherapists to report information about alleged child sexual abuse to police or child welfare officials if the church deems the information privileged.

This loophole has resulted in an unknown number of predators being allowed to continue abusing children for years despite having confessed the behavior to religious officials. In many of these cases, the privilege has been invoked to shield religious groups from civil and criminal liability after the abuse became known to civil authorities.

Over the past two decades state lawmakers like Romero have proposed more than 130 bills seeking to create or amend child sex abuse reporting laws, an Associated Press review found. All either targeted the loophole and failed to close it, or amended the mandatory reporting statute without touching the clergy privilege amid intense opposition from religious groups. The AP found that the Roman Catholic Church has used its well-funded lobbying infrastructure and deep influence among lawmakers in some states to protect the privilege, and that influential members of the Mormon church and Jehovah’s Witnesses have also worked in statehouses and courts to preserve it in areas where their membership is high.

In Maryland a successful campaign to defeat a proposal that would have closed the clergy-penitent loophole was led by a Catholic cardinal who would later be defrocked for sexually abusing children and adult seminarians.

In other states,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2dacbb76be1e415e9941c4b6fd900505">such as California</a>, Missouri and New Mexico, vociferous public and backroom opposition to bills aimed at closing the loophole from the Catholic and Mormon churches successfully derailed legislative reform efforts.

“They believe they’re on a divine mission that justifies keeping the name and the reputation of their institution pristine,” said David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, speaking of several religious groups. “So the leadership has a strong disincentive to involve the authorities, police or child protection people.”

LOOPHOLE PROTECTS CHURCHES FROM SURVIVORS AND PROSECUTORS

Last month, an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/Mormon-church-sexual-abuse-investigation-e0e39cf9aa4fbe0d8c1442033b894660">AP investigation</a>&nbsp;found that a Mormon bishop in Arizona, at the direction of church leaders,&nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/Ool6oN9P-hY">failed to report</a>&nbsp;a church member who had confessed that he sexually abused his 5-year-old daughter. The AP found that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/religion-lawsuits-utah-sexual-abuse-by-clergy-government-and-politics-9f1607f4d308248ebf12dc32f70376ec">Rep. Merrill Nelson</a>, a church lawyer and Utah Republican lawmaker, had advised the bishop not to report the abuse to civil authorities because of Arizona’s clergy privilege law, according to documents revealed in a lawsuit. That failure to report allowed the church member, the late Paul Adams, to repeatedly rape his two daughters and allegedly abuse one of his four sons for many years.

In response to the case, state Sen. Victoria Steele, a Democrat from Tucson, on three occasions proposed legislation to close the clergy reporting loophole in Arizona. Steele told the AP that key Mormon lawmakers including a former Republican state senator and judiciary committee chairmen thwarted her efforts before her proposals could be presented to the full Legislature.

“It’s difficult for me to tell this story without talking about the Mormons and their power in the Legislature,” Steele said. “What this boils down to is that the church is being given permission to protect the predators and the children be damned. … They are trying with all of their might to make sure this bill does not see the light of day.”

Latter-day Saints and Catholics hold a number of influential positions as leaders and committee chairmen in the Arizona Legislature, including the speaker of the House, and have been known to advance or block legislation in line with the church’s priorities and values.

In one high-profile example, two Republican legislators took a stand in 2019, refusing to vote for a budget until lawmakers passed a measure allowing past victims of child sexual abuse to sue churches or youth groups that turned a blind eye to the abuse. Legislative business ground to a halt for weeks amid fierce opposition from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Roman Catholic Church and insurers along with their allies in the Legislature, which finally approved the measure.

The Adams case is not the only example of the privilege being invoked in cases where a clergy member's failure to report led to prolonged abuse. In Montana, for example, a woman who was abused by a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in the mid-2000s won a $35 million jury verdict against the church for failing to report her abuse. But in 2020 the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/95b03b21a0c86f7ec1dfa25372e36f39">state Supreme Court reversed the judgment</a>, ruling that church leaders were under no obligation to report, citing the state’s clergy-penitent privilege.

The privilege can also be used to protect religious organizations from criminal liability. In 2013, a former Boise, Idaho, police officer turned himself in for abusing children, something he had reported to 15 members of the Mormon church, none of whom notified authorities. But prosecutors declined to file charges against the church because of Idaho’s clergy-penitent privilege law.

The Mormon church said in a written statement to the AP that a member who confesses child sex abuse “has come seeking an opportunity to reconcile with God and to seek forgiveness for their actions. ... That confession is considered sacred, and in most states, is regarded as a protected religious conversation owned by the confessor.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops did not immediately return a request for comment about its campaigns against state bills seeking to do away with the clergy-penitent privilege.

But supporters of the clergy privilege say abolishing it will not make children safer. Some go so far as to say that the ability of abusers to report privately to clergy encourages them to confess and often leads to stopping the abuse.

“It’s considered essential to the exercise of religion to have a priest-penitent privilege that will allow people to to approach their clergy for the purpose of unburdening themselves, their mind, their soul … to seek peace and consolation with God as well as with their fellow beings,” Utah state Rep. Nelson told the AP. “Without that assurance of secrecy, troubled people will not confide in their clergy.”

Jean Hill, the government liaison for Utah’s Catholic Diocese who helped organize opposition to Romero's bill, pointed to a single research paper to argue that laws that target privileged, confessional conversations in the context of child abuse have not increased reporting in those communities.

“When you take away every opportunity for people to get help, they go underground and the abuse continues,” Hill said.

But the authors of the study Hill cited,&nbsp;<a href="https://repository.law.umich.edu/articles/1572/">published in 2014</a>, have cautioned about reaching such conclusions based on their research.

Frank Vandervort, a law professor at the University of Michigan, and his co-author, Vincent Palusci, a pediatrics professor at New York University, told the AP that the study was limited, partly because churches often wouldn’t give them access to data on clergy reporting.

“A single article should not be the basis for making policy decisions,” said Vandervort, lead author of the study. “It may be entirely the case that there’s no connection between the changing of the laws and the number of reports.”

PRIVILEGE NOT ‘CONSTITUTIONALLY REQUIRED’

Efforts to rid state laws of the privilege have been successful in only a handful of states, including North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas and West Virginia. Records and interviews with lawmakers in the 33 states that still have the privilege show that intense opposition from powerful religious organizations is more often too much to overcome.

Former California state Sen. Jerry Hill said a bill he introduced in 2019 to require clergy members to report suspicion of child sex abuse or neglect by co-workers was killed after opposition from the Catholic and Mormon churches, as well as other religious groups.

“The opposition of the Catholic Church was instrumental in creating a lot of controversy around the bill and a lot of questions related to religious freedom,” Hill said. The Catholic Church made it clear it would sue if the bill passed, Hill said.

Michael Cassidy, a professor at Catholic-affiliated Boston College Law School and a former state prosecutor, said it’s not clear how a religious freedom case regarding the clergy privilege would turn out.

Some supporters believe the privilege is securely rooted in the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of religion. But Cassidy said “there is no firm precedent that says the clergy-penitent privilege is constitutionally required.”

“The Supreme Court has never held that,” Cassidy said.

He’s proposed a middle path: allow clergy to maintain the secrecy of the confessional but carve out an exception for “dangerous persons” including child sex abusers.

Often, legislative efforts to close the clergy loophole run up against lawmakers who are also church members, as well as intimidation from advocacy groups aligned with various religions. It’s a one-two punch that has killed many bills quietly before they are even introduced, and has led to the privilege loophole being deemed by child welfare advocates as a poison pill included in mandatory reporting bills, the AP’s review found.

In Utah, after religious officials publicly opposed her bill seeking to close the loophole, state Rep. Romero, a lifelong Catholic, received ominous voicemails and emails. Fearing for her staff’s safety, she reported some of them to state law enforcement.

“It’s utterly despicable that you think that this is all right,” said one anonymous caller claiming to represent a group called Young Americans for Liberty. “If you care to, return my message. If not, I’m going to call you every day until you do.”

The blowback also got personal: Devout Catholic members of Romero’s own family stopped talking to her. “They thought I was trying to attack the Catholic Church and get rid of confession, one of our sacraments,” Romero said. “That’s how it was presented to them.”

In 2003, as the Catholic clergy sex abuse scandal swept the nation, a bill seeking to rid Maryland of the privilege in child abuse cases evoked a strong rebuke from Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, then the powerful archbishop of the Diocese of Washington, D.C.

“If this bill were to pass, I shall instruct all priests in the Archdiocese of Washington who serve in Maryland to ignore it,” McCarrick wrote in a Catholic Standard column. “On this issue, I will gladly plead civil disobedience and willingly — if not gladly — go to jail.”

The bill withered under McCarrick’s attack and never emerged from committee. Similar legislation proposed in 2004 suffered the same fate. Today, the clergy-penitent privilege in Maryland remains intact, even though McCarrick has been defrocked for sex crimes.

Virginia updated its mandatory reporting law in 2006. While the bill started out with clergy among those listed as reporters with the privilege intact, they would be removed from the final bill. The privilege, oddly, was left in. The state went on in 2019 to add ministers, priests, rabbis and other religious officials to the list of mandatory reporters of child abuse, but again protected the clergy-penitent privilege.

State Del. Karrie Delaney, a Virginia Democrat who sponsored the bill in 2019 that added clergy to the list of mandated reporters, said that including language to close the privilege would have doomed the bill.

“We wanted to pass the bill,” Delaney said. “And we knew that not having that (exemption) in there would have drawn an enormous amount of resistance from particular faith communities that really would have put the bill in jeopardy.”

In heavily Catholic Pennsylvania, 40 bills have included changes in mandatory child sex abuse reporting laws over the past two decades. None of them has challenged the clergy-penitent privilege. That comes as no surprise to child sex abuse survivors and their advocates, who have seen the Catholic Church and its lobbyists spend millions in a battle in Pennsylvania over a proposed two-year legal window for survivors to file lawsuits against their alleged abusers.

In other states, legislators said they didn't know clergy had a way around reporting abuse. After learning of the loophole from the AP, Vermont state Sen. Richard Sears, a Democrat, said he would introduce a bill in the next legislative session to try to close it. “I wasn’t even aware it existed,” Sears said.

In 2003, amid the uproar over the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse scandals, several states added clergy to their child sex abuse reporting laws, often with the exception for clergy who learn about child sex abuse during spiritual confessions.

With the privilege protected, the bill sailed easily through both houses and was even supported by The Archdiocese of Santa Fe, which was embroiled in its own church sexual abuse scandal.

Since then, there have been several bills introduced in the New Mexico Legislature aimed at clarifying language in the reporting law. Only one would have eliminated the clergy-penitent privilege. It died in committee.

“We have repeatedly asked the Legislature to strengthen reporting requirements in schools and religious institutions,” state Attorney General Hector Balderas told the AP. He said unreported child abuse is a major problem “resulting in tremendous amounts of trauma.”

Associated Press writers Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas; Sophie Austin in Sacramento, California; Jim Anderson in Denver, Colorado; Randall Chase in Dover, Delaware; Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida; Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta; Keith Ridler in Boise, Idaho; John O'Connor in Springfield, Illinois; Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky; Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; David Sharp in Portland, Maine; Brian Witte in Annapolis, Maryland; Steve LeBlanc in Boston; Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; Summer Ballentine in Jefferson City, Missouri; Amy Hanson in Helena, Montana; Gabe Stern in Carson City, Nevada; Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico; James MacPherson in Bismarck, North Dakota; Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus, Ohio: Andrew Selsky in Salem, Oregon; Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Sam Metz in Salt Lake City; Wilson Ring in Montpelier, Vermont; Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia; Rachel La Corte in Olympia, Washington; and Todd Richmond in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.

Churches defend clergy loophole in child sex abuse reporting

By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansas-rehab-patients-sent-to-nursing-homes-because-of-attendant-care-shortages/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA
 —Medical professionals say patients are being sent from rehabilitation 
services to nursing homes because of a shortage of medical support 
workers in Kansas.

Janet Williams, CEO of Mind Matters, a
 brain injury rehabilitation organization, said health care providers 
are recommending people go from rehab to nursing homes because of a lack
 of available care. Williams said she knew of seven cases personally, 
including one 19-year-old who was struggling to find attendant care.&nbsp;

“We are going backward,” Williams said
 in testimony submitted this week to the Robert G. Bethell Joint 
Committee on Home and Community Based Services and KanCare Oversight, 
asking legislators to increase incentives for health care workers.&nbsp;

Nursing homes also are struggling to fill staff positions.&nbsp;

In June of 2022 there were around 
1,650 fewer beds available than there were at the start of the pandemic,
 with 35 nursing homes and residential care facilities experiencing 
partial or complete closure according to a LeadingAge Kansas report.&nbsp;

The report found that full-time 
staffing and hours in nursing and residential care had decreased by 10% 
and 15% respectively since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;

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