Content Warning: This column contains discussion of gun violence and gun related homicide and suicide.

Medicaid expansion has been a hot topic over the past decade. Despite many states across the country expanding their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, Kansas has yet to do so.

According to the 2022 Kansas Speaks public opinion survey distributed by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University, nearly 76% of Kansans support KanCare expansion — KanCare is the name of the state’s Medicaid program.

Despite extremely high levels of public support, the state legislature has failed to expand KanCare. The reason is most often attributed to partisan politics.

However, opponents of KanCare expansion may want to take a second look at some specific benefits of extending the program — 90% of which would be paid for by the federal government.

The RAND Corporation, a non-partisan policy think tank, has published new data about state-level firearm related deaths.

According to their findings, Kansas’ firearm death rates are 24% higher than the national average. This high percentage is driven mostly by the state’s firearm death by suicide rate, which is 46% higher than the national average.

Firearm homicides are 7% lower in Kansas than the national average.

Contrary to popular belief, gun violence is not unique to urban areas.

New research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) last month finds that gun violence is not even predominantly an urban issue — an argument that is generally used as justification for loosening gun laws. Rather, all areas of Kansas are impacted by gun violence. Especially self-harm via firearms.

In Kansas’ rural areas, firearm deaths are 14% higher than the national average, firearm deaths by suicide are 25% higher, and rural firearm homicides are 9% lower.

What does this have to do with KanCare expansion?

Research from the Kaiser Foundation finds that Medicaid expansion increases access to care for adults with mental health conditions, such as depression.

Medicaid expansion is associated with an increase in the number of mental health facilities accepting Medicaid patients and an increase in the number of visits individual patients make to mental health providers.

Medicaid expansion is especially beneficial in providing much needed mental healthcare to rural residents, as nearly half of all mental health professional shortage areas nationally are located in rural areas.

Furthermore, a report from the Kansas Health Institute and the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas found that an estimated 24,154 Kansans are likely to use extended mental and behavioral health services under KanCare expansion.

Another research study published in JAMA, this one in June 2022, finds that an average of 1818 deaths by suicide were averted in Medicaid expansion states after the expansions — mostly among 20-29 year olds.

Expanding KanCare could — and based on the research likely would — prevent firearms deaths, especially those by suicide, in our state.

Alexandra Middlewood, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wichita State University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1633377761670.jpeg" alt="Alexandra Middlewood, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wichita State University." />
 <figcaption>Alexandra Middlewood, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wichita State University.</figcaption>
 </figure>Content Warning: This column contains discussion of gun violence and gun related homicide and suicide.Medicaid expansion has been a hot topic over the past decade. Despite many states across the country expanding their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act, Kansas has yet to do so.According to the 2022 Kansas Speaks public opinion survey distributed by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University, nearly 76% of Kansans support KanCare expansion — KanCare is the name of the state’s Medicaid program.Despite extremely high levels of public support, the state legislature has failed to expand KanCare. The reason is most often attributed to partisan politics.However, opponents of KanCare expansion may want to take a second look at some specific benefits of extending the program — 90% of which would be paid for by the federal government.The RAND Corporation, a non-partisan policy think tank, has published new data about state-level firearm related deaths.According to their findings, Kansas’ firearm death rates are 24% higher than the national average. This high percentage is driven mostly by the state’s firearm death by suicide rate, which is 46% higher than the national average.Firearm homicides are 7% lower in Kansas than the national average.Contrary to popular belief, gun violence is not unique to urban areas.New research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) last month finds that gun violence is not even predominantly an urban issue — an argument that is generally used as justification for loosening gun laws. Rather, all areas of Kansas are impacted by gun violence. Especially self-harm via firearms.In Kansas’ rural areas, firearm deaths are 14% higher than the national average, firearm deaths by suicide are 25% higher, and rural firearm homicides are 9% lower.What does this have to do with KanCare expansion?<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1582312931775.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Research from the Kaiser Foundation finds that Medicaid expansion increases access to care for adults with mental health conditions, such as depression.Medicaid expansion is associated with an increase in the number of mental health facilities accepting Medicaid patients and an increase in the number of visits individual patients make to mental health providers.Medicaid expansion is especially beneficial in providing much needed mental healthcare to rural residents, as nearly half of all mental health professional shortage areas nationally are located in rural areas.Furthermore, a report from the Kansas Health Institute and the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas found that an estimated 24,154 Kansans are likely to use extended mental and behavioral health services under KanCare expansion.Another research study published in JAMA, this one in June 2022, finds that an average of 1818 deaths by suicide were averted in Medicaid expansion states after the expansions — mostly among 20-29 year olds.Expanding KanCare could — and based on the research likely would — prevent firearms deaths, especially those by suicide, in our state.Alexandra Middlewood, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wichita State University.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Firearms related deaths are high in Kansas, KanCare expansion could help

By KIM BALDWIN McPherson County farmer and rancher Spring has sprung on our central Kansas farm. The daffodils and apricot trees are in full bloom and being visited by the honeybees. The small flock of sheep we’ve been caring for all winter have now more than doubled as all of the ewes have lambed. Now the pasture is full of little white lambs frolicking and bouncing all around as their mothers keep watch. Our machine shop has also transitioned from housing a winter basketball court to housing a planter being prepped and bags of corn seed stacked high as we await our season of spring planting. Like any spring, the Kansas weather has fluctuated from cold to warm and from cold to hot. I’ve experienced many recent days where I’ve had my son change out of the athletic shorts he planned to wear to school and instead have made him get some pants on. There’s also been days where I’ve told the kids to leave their coats at home only to regret that decision when the temperatures drop a bit too much by the time they get off the afternoon bus.&nbsp; It’s definitely the time of the year where major fluctuations in weather still occur. It’s also the time of the year where some serious countdowns have begun.&nbsp; While state assessments are about to begin for my children, school will actually wrap up and the kids will be on summer break in less than 30 days. We’ve made it past the holiday celebrations, the winter concerts, the days of indoor recesses, and the mornings of waiting for the school bus in the dark. Daylight is noticeably getting longer, talk of the end-of-year field day has begun and summer camp forms are being sent home. I can assure you, the kids have already started their final countdown. With that final countdown to summer break, there is also an elevated level of anticipation as we get closer and closer to the return of my son’s cattle from their winter pastures. They will be worked in the coming days and then brought home to pasture over the summer months in the pastures nearest our house. I can’t wait to see the cows grazing nearby while I look out my front windows. While we prepare the fencing and the water sources, we know the clock continues to tick for the herd’s arrival home for the summer. The countdown carries over as we also prepare to get the machines in the fields to begin spring planting. While we’ve been making final adjustments to the planter, we’ve also been anxiously awaiting a good spring rain before planting the seeds into the ground. While it seems we aren’t in as big of a hurry as previous years to start planting, mostly due to the dry conditions, the countdown has clearly begun and we wait and watch to determine when we will give ourselves the greenlight to begin. Yes, spring has definitely sprung! And with it, all of the final countdowns have also begun. "Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573617414005.jpeg" alt="Kim Baldwin" />
 <figcaption>Kim Baldwin</figcaption>
 </figure>By KIM BALDWIN McPherson County farmer and rancher Spring has sprung on our central Kansas farm. The daffodils and apricot trees are in full bloom and being visited by the honeybees. The small flock of sheep we’ve been caring for all winter have now more than doubled as all of the ewes have lambed. Now the pasture is full of little white lambs frolicking and bouncing all around as their mothers keep watch. Our machine shop has also transitioned from housing a winter basketball court to housing a planter being prepped and bags of corn seed stacked high as we await our season of spring planting. Like any spring, the Kansas weather has fluctuated from cold to warm and from cold to hot. I’ve experienced many recent days where I’ve had my son change out of the athletic shorts he planned to wear to school and instead have made him get some pants on. There’s also been days where I’ve told the kids to leave their coats at home only to regret that decision when the temperatures drop a bit too much by the time they get off the afternoon bus.&nbsp; It’s definitely the time of the year where major fluctuations in weather still occur. It’s also the time of the year where some serious countdowns have begun.&nbsp; While state assessments are about to begin for my children, school will actually wrap up and the kids will be on summer break in less than 30 days. We’ve made it past the holiday celebrations, the winter concerts, the days of indoor recesses, and the mornings of waiting for the school bus in the dark. Daylight is noticeably getting longer, talk of the end-of-year field day has begun and summer camp forms are being sent home. I can assure you, the kids have already started their final countdown. With that final countdown to summer break, there is also an elevated level of anticipation as we get closer and closer to the return of my son’s cattle from their winter pastures. They will be worked in the coming days and then brought home to pasture over the summer months in the pastures nearest our house. I can’t wait to see the cows grazing nearby while I look out my front windows. While we prepare the fencing and the water sources, we know the clock continues to tick for the herd’s arrival home for the summer. The countdown carries over as we also prepare to get the machines in the fields to begin spring planting. While we’ve been making final adjustments to the planter, we’ve also been anxiously awaiting a good spring rain before planting the seeds into the ground. While it seems we aren’t in as big of a hurry as previous years to start planting, mostly due to the dry conditions, the countdown has clearly begun and we wait and watch to determine when we will give ourselves the greenlight to begin. Yes, spring has definitely sprung! And with it, all of the final countdowns have also begun. "Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: The final countdown

By GLENN BRUNKOW Pottawatomie County farmer and rancher I don’t know about you, but spring is here and I am ready for it. After a cold winter, there is nothing better than the sun on your face&nbsp;that first warm spring day. That same sunshine brings new growth, and we can see our pastures greening up. At first, the blades of grass barely poke through the ground, but soon with a little bit of sunshine and (hopefully) some water the grass grows at an amazing rate. The growth is incredible and what I find more fascinating is it happens year after year. Fall and winter comes and the top growth dies off only to come back as new growth the next year. Why? The secret is in the roots, the grassroots. Just like the prairie, Kansas Farm Bureau relies on grassroots to make our organization strong and resilient. They are the source of everything that happens even though they may not always be very visible. Our grassroots are what anchor us in the ground and give the organization a strong footing. Our grassroots run deep; they have been growing for over a century. Without our counties anchoring and supporting, the rest of the organization would not exist. Our deep roots and wide network are also what make us survive. When things are tough, we cover enough ground to help us to receive what we need to keep going. Just like grassroots bring in water and nutrients, our counties supply the organization with new ideas, hard work and volunteers. In turn, the leaves provide the plant with energy. The Kansas Farm Bureau provides advocacy, support and education back to the counties. Those grassroots are what makes Farm Bureau such a great organization. It is the fact that each county has its own, autonomous association, then each state is its own entity and the American Farm Bureau Federation exists not because of the states but the counties in each state. Just like the grass plant, nothing else would exist without the county level organizations. All policy and decisions ultimately are made at the county level. Every leader started out as a member in their home county. Every policy in our state and national policy book started out as an idea at the county level and worked its way through the system. The most effective education, advocacy and community service all happen at the county level. That is why we can represent farmers and ranchers of all types of no matter how big or small their farms or ranches are. The depth and breadth of our roots is what makes us different from every other agricultural organization and we should be very proud of that. Yes, everyone sees the green grass growing above ground but that green grass exists because of its roots, and I don’t know about you but I am awfully proud of my grassroots. "Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1576508626397.png" alt="Glenn Brunkow" />
 <figcaption>Glenn Brunkow</figcaption>
 </figure>By GLENN BRUNKOW Pottawatomie County farmer and rancher I don’t know about you, but spring is here and I am ready for it. After a cold winter, there is nothing better than the sun on your face&nbsp;that first warm spring day. That same sunshine brings new growth, and we can see our pastures greening up. At first, the blades of grass barely poke through the ground, but soon with a little bit of sunshine and (hopefully) some water the grass grows at an amazing rate. The growth is incredible and what I find more fascinating is it happens year after year. Fall and winter comes and the top growth dies off only to come back as new growth the next year. Why? The secret is in the roots, the grassroots. Just like the prairie, Kansas Farm Bureau relies on grassroots to make our organization strong and resilient. They are the source of everything that happens even though they may not always be very visible. Our grassroots are what anchor us in the ground and give the organization a strong footing. Our grassroots run deep; they have been growing for over a century. Without our counties anchoring and supporting, the rest of the organization would not exist. Our deep roots and wide network are also what make us survive. When things are tough, we cover enough ground to help us to receive what we need to keep going. Just like grassroots bring in water and nutrients, our counties supply the organization with new ideas, hard work and volunteers. In turn, the leaves provide the plant with energy. The Kansas Farm Bureau provides advocacy, support and education back to the counties. Those grassroots are what makes Farm Bureau such a great organization. It is the fact that each county has its own, autonomous association, then each state is its own entity and the American Farm Bureau Federation exists not because of the states but the counties in each state. Just like the grass plant, nothing else would exist without the county level organizations. All policy and decisions ultimately are made at the county level. Every leader started out as a member in their home county. Every policy in our state and national policy book started out as an idea at the county level and worked its way through the system. The most effective education, advocacy and community service all happen at the county level. That is why we can represent farmers and ranchers of all types of no matter how big or small their farms or ranches are. The depth and breadth of our roots is what makes us different from every other agricultural organization and we should be very proud of that. Yes, everyone sees the green grass growing above ground but that green grass exists because of its roots, and I don’t know about you but I am awfully proud of my grassroots. "Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: From the ground up

By JACKIE MUNDT Pratt County farmer and rancher Recently I attended the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Fusion Conference, which is a joint event between the Women’s, Programing &amp; Education, and Young Farmers &amp; Ranchers committees, in Jacksonville, Fla. One of my Collegiate Farm Bureau students won the state discussion meet and competed in the national event. In addition to coaching, I was a workshop presenter on the topic of work-life balance, with a former YFR leader from Florida that I am friends with. As I was packing to leave for the event, Marc and I were discussing my planned agenda for the event and I mentioned the workshop with my friend Morgan. Marc got a slightly confused look on his face and asked, “Do I know this Morgan?” That’s what is funny about the relationships we build at these events. Someone I have only known a few years, visit with at an occasional national event, and am friends with on Facebook feels like so much more than just a professional acquaintance. Morgan and I have a connection through our jobs, mutual respect as leaders and a shared understanding of our industry and lifestyle. Our friendship is easy because our lives are very similar. I also caught up with my college advisor from California, who I rarely get to see in person and is probably the most impactful mentor of my life. I visited with a fellow presenter who I have judged with in the past and respect tremendously. The conference organizer is a friend with whom I have a long professional and personal relationship. I am motivated and encouraged by time shared with my “far-away friends.” I come home with an enthusiastic and renewed sense of purpose. Great people are one of the reasons I love attending these conferences. In addition to seeing old friends, I love getting to know new people with interesting backgrounds, listen to the perspectives of speakers and learn what is happening in other places. The information gained through new connections increases my knowledge, challenges my current views and often helps me find new solutions for problems I wrestle with at home. Early in my career, I remember discussing as a board member whether or not to support a staff member’s request to attend a national conference. The board was divided in support of professional development verses funding constraints. The decision eventually came down to the board chair, who chose to approve the request. He told the group, “One of the most valuable things I have done in my career is attend conferences and meetings. I have always come away better and think there is tremendous value in participating.” Coming back better is one of the reasons we step outside our normal zones. I recently read that one of the most accurate predictors of career attainment is continuous learning and skill development. People who never stop growing are better off that people who were rose to top positions early career and maintained that position. There is tremendous value and opportunity that comes when you attend events like conferences, seminars and conventions. Sometimes you have to step away from your normal circle of interaction to find new and interesting things to bring back.&nbsp; If you have the chance to attend a conference or event, especially in a different part of the country, I hope you will embrace the opportunity, find people who make you better and gather lots of ideas that you can bring home to make your world just a little bit better. "Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575406519723.jpeg" alt="Jackie Mundt" />
 <figcaption>Jackie Mundt</figcaption>
 </figure>By JACKIE MUNDT Pratt County farmer and rancher Recently I attended the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Fusion Conference, which is a joint event between the Women’s, Programing &amp; Education, and Young Farmers &amp; Ranchers committees, in Jacksonville, Fla. One of my Collegiate Farm Bureau students won the state discussion meet and competed in the national event. In addition to coaching, I was a workshop presenter on the topic of work-life balance, with a former YFR leader from Florida that I am friends with. As I was packing to leave for the event, Marc and I were discussing my planned agenda for the event and I mentioned the workshop with my friend Morgan. Marc got a slightly confused look on his face and asked, “Do I know this Morgan?” That’s what is funny about the relationships we build at these events. Someone I have only known a few years, visit with at an occasional national event, and am friends with on Facebook feels like so much more than just a professional acquaintance. Morgan and I have a connection through our jobs, mutual respect as leaders and a shared understanding of our industry and lifestyle. Our friendship is easy because our lives are very similar. I also caught up with my college advisor from California, who I rarely get to see in person and is probably the most impactful mentor of my life. I visited with a fellow presenter who I have judged with in the past and respect tremendously. The conference organizer is a friend with whom I have a long professional and personal relationship. I am motivated and encouraged by time shared with my “far-away friends.” I come home with an enthusiastic and renewed sense of purpose. Great people are one of the reasons I love attending these conferences. In addition to seeing old friends, I love getting to know new people with interesting backgrounds, listen to the perspectives of speakers and learn what is happening in other places. The information gained through new connections increases my knowledge, challenges my current views and often helps me find new solutions for problems I wrestle with at home. Early in my career, I remember discussing as a board member whether or not to support a staff member’s request to attend a national conference. The board was divided in support of professional development verses funding constraints. The decision eventually came down to the board chair, who chose to approve the request. He told the group, “One of the most valuable things I have done in my career is attend conferences and meetings. I have always come away better and think there is tremendous value in participating.” Coming back better is one of the reasons we step outside our normal zones. I recently read that one of the most accurate predictors of career attainment is continuous learning and skill development. People who never stop growing are better off that people who were rose to top positions early career and maintained that position. There is tremendous value and opportunity that comes when you attend events like conferences, seminars and conventions. Sometimes you have to step away from your normal circle of interaction to find new and interesting things to bring back.&nbsp; If you have the chance to attend a conference or event, especially in a different part of the country, I hope you will embrace the opportunity, find people who make you better and gather lots of ideas that you can bring home to make your world just a little bit better. "Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: Connecting across the country

By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;

Amelia Earhart speaks.&nbsp;She smiles, looks up, and begins to talk about her life experiences.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Wait – didn’t Amelia Earhart disappear in the South Pacific 80 years ago?&nbsp;

Yes, but she is alive again – at least virtually – in an incredible museum that will open in her hometown of Atchison in spring, 2023.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Joe Brentano is director of the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum.&nbsp;Makinzie Burghart is director of development.&nbsp;Burghart grew up in Atchison as did Amelia Earhart 120 years earlier.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Earhart and her younger sister, Muriel, spent many of their early years at their grandparent’s home in Atchison.&nbsp;In 1908, she saw her first airplane at the Iowa State Fair, but it didn’t excite her at the time.&nbsp;

Years later, she and a friend were at a flying exposition when a stunt pilot dived at them.&nbsp; “I believe that little red airplane spoke to me as it swished by,” Earhart later wrote.&nbsp;

After attending another air show, she was hooked on flying.&nbsp;She would go on to become the first president of the Ninety-Nines, a women's aviation organization; the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic; first woman to fly solo coast-to-coast; and the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the mainland.&nbsp;

She received many honors, including the Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress, before disappearing on an ill-fated attempt to fly around the globe.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Atchison celebrates the Amelia Earhart history through tours of her childhood home and an annual Amelia Earhart festival.&nbsp;But in 2016, a unique opportunity arose.&nbsp;There was an opportunity to purchase a Lockheed Electra 10-E – the same model as Amelia Earhart flew on her last flight, and the only one left in the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Citizens of Atchison, led by Karen and the late Ladd Seaberg, formed the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation and raised the funds to purchase the plane.&nbsp;It was affectionately named Muriel in honor of Amelia’s younger sister.&nbsp;The plane was carefully transported by trailer, 1,206 miles from California to Atchison.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The next step was to create a museum to display the plane.&nbsp;That led to the design and construction of the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum – in an actual hangar and terminal in a 1930s-style art deco building at the local airport. “This was a $17 million project,” Burghart said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Outside the museum stands a statue of Earhart, identical to the one that Kansas placed in statuary hall in the nation’s capitol.&nbsp;Inside the entrance, one is greeted by a hologram of Earhart.&nbsp;This electronic CGI image speaks her inspiring words from a century-plus ago, expressing the importance of transcending boundaries.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The centerpiece of the museum is Muriel, the Lockheed Electra 10-E.&nbsp;Muriel is surrounded by 14 incredible, high-tech, state-of-the-art interactive displays.&nbsp;Not only are these educational, they correlate with national and Kansas STEM curriculum content standards.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Exhibits include a digitized version of Earhart’s flight logbook, 3D holograms of aviation advancements through the years, and a display of other key female accomplishments.&nbsp; Guests can climb inside a full-sized replica of Muriel’s cockpit.&nbsp;At another station, guests can experience a virtual reality re-creation of Earhart’s 1932 transatlantic flight. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Another exhibit not only describes Earhart’s other pursuits as a nurse, mechanic, and fashion designer, it allows visitors to select one of these for which the computer will create a personalized on-screen avatar of the visitor in related clothing.&nbsp;Amazing!&nbsp;&nbsp;

What actually happened to Amelia Earhart?&nbsp;Step upstairs and the museum shows a map of where she disappeared, with an exhibit of seven alternative scenarios.&nbsp;Guests can study the arguments for and against each scenario and then vote.&nbsp;(I still suspect she’s living in an apartment with Elvis…)&nbsp;&nbsp;

This remarkable museum will open in mid-April 2023 in the rural community of Atchison, population 10,885 people.&nbsp;Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;&nbsp;

For more information, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ameliaearharthangarmuseum.org/">www.ameliaearharthangarmuseum.org</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Amelia Earhart speaks – at least in virtual form at this museum.&nbsp;We commend Karen and Ladd Seaberg, Joe Brentano, Makinzie Burghart, and all those making a difference with this remarkable technology in a museum you won’t want to miss.&nbsp;

When Amelia Earhart speaks, I listen.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1677075122947.png" alt="Courtesy K-State Research &amp; Extension" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy K-State Research &amp; Extension</figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;Amelia Earhart speaks.&nbsp;She smiles, looks up, and begins to talk about her life experiences.&nbsp;&nbsp;Wait – didn’t Amelia Earhart disappear in the South Pacific 80 years ago?&nbsp;Yes, but she is alive again – at least virtually – in an incredible museum that will open in her hometown of Atchison in spring, 2023.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Joe Brentano is director of the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum.&nbsp;Makinzie Burghart is director of development.&nbsp;Burghart grew up in Atchison as did Amelia Earhart 120 years earlier.&nbsp;&nbsp;Earhart and her younger sister, Muriel, spent many of their early years at their grandparent’s home in Atchison.&nbsp;In 1908, she saw her first airplane at the Iowa State Fair, but it didn’t excite her at the time.&nbsp;Years later, she and a friend were at a flying exposition when a stunt pilot dived at them.&nbsp; “I believe that little red airplane spoke to me as it swished by,” Earhart later wrote.&nbsp;After attending another air show, she was hooked on flying.&nbsp;She would go on to become the first president of the Ninety-Nines, a women's aviation organization; the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic; first woman to fly solo coast-to-coast; and the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to the mainland.&nbsp;She received many honors, including the Distinguished Flying Cross from Congress, before disappearing on an ill-fated attempt to fly around the globe.&nbsp;&nbsp;Atchison celebrates the Amelia Earhart history through tours of her childhood home and an annual Amelia Earhart festival.&nbsp;But in 2016, a unique opportunity arose.&nbsp;There was an opportunity to purchase a Lockheed Electra 10-E – the same model as Amelia Earhart flew on her last flight, and the only one left in the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;Citizens of Atchison, led by Karen and the late Ladd Seaberg, formed the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation and raised the funds to purchase the plane.&nbsp;It was affectionately named Muriel in honor of Amelia’s younger sister.&nbsp;The plane was carefully transported by trailer, 1,206 miles from California to Atchison.&nbsp;&nbsp;The next step was to create a museum to display the plane.&nbsp;That led to the design and construction of the new Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum – in an actual hangar and terminal in a 1930s-style art deco building at the local airport. “This was a $17 million project,” Burghart said.&nbsp;&nbsp;Outside the museum stands a statue of Earhart, identical to the one that Kansas placed in statuary hall in the nation’s capitol.&nbsp;Inside the entrance, one is greeted by a hologram of Earhart.&nbsp;This electronic CGI image speaks her inspiring words from a century-plus ago, expressing the importance of transcending boundaries.&nbsp;&nbsp;The centerpiece of the museum is Muriel, the Lockheed Electra 10-E.&nbsp;Muriel is surrounded by 14 incredible, high-tech, state-of-the-art interactive displays.&nbsp;Not only are these educational, they correlate with national and Kansas STEM curriculum content standards.&nbsp;&nbsp;Exhibits include a digitized version of Earhart’s flight logbook, 3D holograms of aviation advancements through the years, and a display of other key female accomplishments.&nbsp; Guests can climb inside a full-sized replica of Muriel’s cockpit.&nbsp;At another station, guests can experience a virtual reality re-creation of Earhart’s 1932 transatlantic flight. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Another exhibit not only describes Earhart’s other pursuits as a nurse, mechanic, and fashion designer, it allows visitors to select one of these for which the computer will create a personalized on-screen avatar of the visitor in related clothing.&nbsp;Amazing!&nbsp;&nbsp;What actually happened to Amelia Earhart?&nbsp;Step upstairs and the museum shows a map of where she disappeared, with an exhibit of seven alternative scenarios.&nbsp;Guests can study the arguments for and against each scenario and then vote.&nbsp;(I still suspect she’s living in an apartment with Elvis…)&nbsp;&nbsp;This remarkable museum will open in mid-April 2023 in the rural community of Atchison, population 10,885 people.&nbsp;Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;&nbsp;For more information, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ameliaearharthangarmuseum.org/">www.ameliaearharthangarmuseum.org</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Amelia Earhart speaks – at least in virtual form at this museum.&nbsp;We commend Karen and Ladd Seaberg, Joe Brentano, Makinzie Burghart, and all those making a difference with this remarkable technology in a museum you won’t want to miss.&nbsp;When Amelia Earhart speaks, I listen.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural: Amelia Earhart Hanger Museum

If two bills moving through the Kansas legislature become law, together they could destabilize public schools, prove disastrous for Kansas students and reduce the state general tax fund.

As currently written, the bills would shift funding to private and home schools plus permit affluent parents to donate enough to an existing scholarship fund to write off the entire cost of private schooling.&nbsp; Yet low income parents with vouchers still could not afford the cost of many private schools.&nbsp;

What is more, there are as many as 60 Kansas counties with no private schools for students to attend.&nbsp;

The bill most publicized and hotly contested is the Kansas Sunflower Education Equity Act HB2218, also called the Education Savings Account voucher bill.&nbsp; It would provide parents the yearly per-pupil state funding amount of nearly $5,000 for their students in grades one to 12&nbsp;and preschoolers with disabilities.

HB2218 vouchers cover a range of expenditures including tuition in accredited and non-accredited private schools and micro-schools where home schoolers form groups to teach their children jointly, often in each other’s homes.

The bill allows for individual home school support and other educational services like online learning.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Kansas Division of Budget estimates that the yearly loss of state aid to school districts would be approximately $152 million.

The state treasurer’s office (not the Kansas State Department of Education) would administer the program, but administrative cost is unknown due to lack of data for preschool and private school students.

School supporters estimate total cost at $270 million.

HB2218 requires only a mandate for full-time instruction in math, science, reading, grammar and social studies.

In an interview on the National Public Radio 1A program Feb. 13, House Education Committee Chair, Republican Kristey Williams was asked by the moderator if white supremist, racist beliefs would be allowed by HB2218.&nbsp; Williams replied such speech was “abhorrent.”&nbsp;

Noting that recently an Ohio network of micro-schools was discovered to be teaching Nazi propaganda and racism, the moderator repeated the question.&nbsp; Williams said she believes in parents and that most, if not all, parents in Kansas would choose to teach their kids in the best possible way.&nbsp; Find the entire interview at&nbsp;<a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Fpodcasts%2F510316%2F1a&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cnmfrazier%40ku.edu%7Ca545e2e5107348ddcdbd08db15b77b45%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638127650028943240%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=unWPmyjPC%2FzXdCtcbVg3ibt2ieJuJl06H1UbHjdwLGE%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510316/1a</a>

Another bill that would weaken public schools is the scholarship tax credit program originally intended to provide private school tuition for students living in poverty.&nbsp; Bill HB2048 would extend funding to a much larger income group with a&nbsp; tax credit of 75 percent for corporation or individual donations.&nbsp; If passed, affluent parents could write off the entire cost of private school.&nbsp; Should this bill become law the Kansas Division of Budget expects it to reduce the state general fund around $10 million in the first year.&nbsp;

Such proposals circulating in the Legislature, leave students without standards for curriculum or protection from indoctrination.&nbsp; Besides striping funds from public school budgets, increased tax credits rob the general fund of resources for other state expenditures.&nbsp;&nbsp;

I too believe in Kansas parents to make right decisions.&nbsp; I believe they’ll tell legislators to trash these bills.

Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1593719779701.jpeg" alt="Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education." />
 <figcaption>Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.</figcaption>
 </figure>If two bills moving through the Kansas legislature become law, together they could destabilize public schools, prove disastrous for Kansas students and reduce the state general tax fund.As currently written, the bills would shift funding to private and home schools plus permit affluent parents to donate enough to an existing scholarship fund to write off the entire cost of private schooling.&nbsp; Yet low income parents with vouchers still could not afford the cost of many private schools.&nbsp;What is more, there are as many as 60 Kansas counties with no private schools for students to attend.&nbsp;The bill most publicized and hotly contested is the Kansas Sunflower Education Equity Act HB2218, also called the Education Savings Account voucher bill.&nbsp; It would provide parents the yearly per-pupil state funding amount of nearly $5,000 for their students in grades one to 12&nbsp;and preschoolers with disabilities.HB2218 vouchers cover a range of expenditures including tuition in accredited and non-accredited private schools and micro-schools where home schoolers form groups to teach their children jointly, often in each other’s homes.The bill allows for individual home school support and other educational services like online learning.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Kansas Division of Budget estimates that the yearly loss of state aid to school districts would be approximately $152 million.The state treasurer’s office (not the Kansas State Department of Education) would administer the program, but administrative cost is unknown due to lack of data for preschool and private school students.School supporters estimate total cost at $270 million.HB2218 requires only a mandate for full-time instruction in math, science, reading, grammar and social studies.In an interview on the National Public Radio 1A program Feb. 13, House Education Committee Chair, Republican Kristey Williams was asked by the moderator if white supremist, racist beliefs would be allowed by HB2218.&nbsp; Williams replied such speech was “abhorrent.”&nbsp;Noting that recently an Ohio network of micro-schools was discovered to be teaching Nazi propaganda and racism, the moderator repeated the question.&nbsp; Williams said she believes in parents and that most, if not all, parents in Kansas would choose to teach their kids in the best possible way.&nbsp; Find the entire interview at&nbsp;<a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Fpodcasts%2F510316%2F1a&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cnmfrazier%40ku.edu%7Ca545e2e5107348ddcdbd08db15b77b45%7C3c176536afe643f5b96636feabbe3c1a%7C0%7C0%7C638127650028943240%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=unWPmyjPC%2FzXdCtcbVg3ibt2ieJuJl06H1UbHjdwLGE%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510316/1a</a>Another bill that would weaken public schools is the scholarship tax credit program originally intended to provide private school tuition for students living in poverty.&nbsp; Bill HB2048 would extend funding to a much larger income group with a&nbsp; tax credit of 75 percent for corporation or individual donations.&nbsp; If passed, affluent parents could write off the entire cost of private school.&nbsp; Should this bill become law the Kansas Division of Budget expects it to reduce the state general fund around $10 million in the first year.&nbsp;Such proposals circulating in the Legislature, leave students without standards for curriculum or protection from indoctrination.&nbsp; Besides striping funds from public school budgets, increased tax credits rob the general fund of resources for other state expenditures.&nbsp;&nbsp;I too believe in Kansas parents to make right decisions.&nbsp; I believe they’ll tell legislators to trash these bills.Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Two bills that could undermine schools

Clinical trials can benefit you, no matter what stage of cancer you have. Here, Tara Lin, M.D., professor of hematologic malignancies and cellular therapeutics at KU Medical Center and medical director of the Clinical Trials Office at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, explains five reasons to consider participating in the testing of a novel cancer treatment.

Advances in cancer medicine come through rigorous testing in clinical trials. A clinical trial is how we develop new treatments — by testing a new drug alone, by testing a new drug in combination with already approved medications or by testing a new combination of older medicines used together. There are also clinical trials to learn about new techniques in surgery or radiation therapy for people with cancer.&nbsp;

By the time the treatment reaches an individual, scientists have already spent years developing it. Nearly all tried-and-true cancer drugs available to you today exist because past patients participated in clinical trials.

Despite the advantages of joining a clinical trial, few people with cancer actually&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kucancercenter.org/cancer-clinical-trials/why-participate" target="_blank">participate</a>. With all the advances in our understanding of cancer biology and new options for treatment, today is an ideal time to consider joining a clinical trial.

Below are five reasons you should consider participating in a clinical trial:

1. You gain access to innovative treatments before they become widely available.

As a participant in a clinical trial, you may receive the latest leading-edge cancer treatment.

2. You receive frequent, attentive medical care.&nbsp;

Some people are nervous that once in a clinical trial, their standard of care will stop. Placebos are rarely used for active cancer treatment. Most studies compare the standard treatment with a new investigational drug or treatment. As a clinical trial participant, in addition to the care you would receive as part of your standard treatment, you will also have visits to the clinic with the trial team. Team members will track your side effects as well as the effectiveness of the new therapy. In essence, you are receiving “Standard of Care Plus.”

3. You play an active role in important treatment decisions that can affect your care.&nbsp;

If you qualify for a clinical trial, you are the advocate in your care and can choose to take part. Participating in a clinical trial may make you feel as if you have more control over your health, which can lead to a more positive outlook on life.

4. Clinical trials aren’t just for people who have exhausted all treatment options.&nbsp;

There are more clinical trials testing new medications in combination with the current standard of care for people with newly diagnosed cancers, too. Clinical trials can be an important part of your cancer care when you are first diagnosed or if the cancer comes back.

5. You are contributing to improving the health of others.&nbsp;

Clinical trials are the only way researchers can continue to develop new cancer treatments. By participating in a clinical trial, you are helping to advance cancer research and offering hope and opportunity for future patients.

If you’re interested in participating in a clinical trial, ask your doctor about your options.

To search KU Cancer Center clinical trials that may be a good fit for you, download the KUCC Clinical Trial Finder app. The app is currently available for iOS and Android users. To download, go to the App Store or Google Play Store and search for “KUCC Clinical Trial Finder.” From there, download the app to your personal device.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675778031892.jpeg" alt="Tara L. Lin, M.D., is a professor in the Division of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. She also is the medical director of the Clinical Trials Office at The University of Kansas Cancer Center." />
 <figcaption>Tara L. Lin, M.D., is a professor in the Division of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. She also is the medical director of the Clinical Trials Office at The University of Kansas Cancer Center.</figcaption>
 </figure>Clinical trials can benefit you, no matter what stage of cancer you have. Here, Tara Lin, M.D., professor of hematologic malignancies and cellular therapeutics at KU Medical Center and medical director of the Clinical Trials Office at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, explains five reasons to consider participating in the testing of a novel cancer treatment.Advances in cancer medicine come through rigorous testing in clinical trials. A clinical trial is how we develop new treatments — by testing a new drug alone, by testing a new drug in combination with already approved medications or by testing a new combination of older medicines used together. There are also clinical trials to learn about new techniques in surgery or radiation therapy for people with cancer.&nbsp;By the time the treatment reaches an individual, scientists have already spent years developing it. Nearly all tried-and-true cancer drugs available to you today exist because past patients participated in clinical trials.Despite the advantages of joining a clinical trial, few people with cancer actually&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kucancercenter.org/cancer-clinical-trials/why-participate" target="_blank">participate</a>. With all the advances in our understanding of cancer biology and new options for treatment, today is an ideal time to consider joining a clinical trial.Below are five reasons you should consider participating in a clinical trial:<h2>1. You gain access to innovative treatments before they become widely available.</h2>As a participant in a clinical trial, you may receive the latest leading-edge cancer treatment.<h2>2. You receive frequent, attentive medical care.&nbsp;</h2>Some people are nervous that once in a clinical trial, their standard of care will stop. Placebos are rarely used for active cancer treatment. Most studies compare the standard treatment with a new investigational drug or treatment. As a clinical trial participant, in addition to the care you would receive as part of your standard treatment, you will also have visits to the clinic with the trial team. Team members will track your side effects as well as the effectiveness of the new therapy. In essence, you are receiving “Standard of Care Plus.”<h2>3. You play an active role in important treatment decisions that can affect your care.&nbsp;</h2>If you qualify for a clinical trial, you are the advocate in your care and can choose to take part. Participating in a clinical trial may make you feel as if you have more control over your health, which can lead to a more positive outlook on life.<h2>4. Clinical trials aren’t just for people who have exhausted all treatment options.&nbsp;</h2>There are more clinical trials testing new medications in combination with the current standard of care for people with newly diagnosed cancers, too. Clinical trials can be an important part of your cancer care when you are first diagnosed or if the cancer comes back.<h2>5. You are contributing to improving the health of others.&nbsp;</h2>Clinical trials are the only way researchers can continue to develop new cancer treatments. By participating in a clinical trial, you are helping to advance cancer research and offering hope and opportunity for future patients.If you’re interested in participating in a clinical trial, ask your doctor about your options.To search KU Cancer Center clinical trials that may be a good fit for you, download the KUCC Clinical Trial Finder app. The app is currently available for iOS and Android users. To download, go to the App Store or Google Play Store and search for “KUCC Clinical Trial Finder.” From there, download the app to your personal device.

LIN: Five reasons to consider participating in a clinical trial for cancer treatment

Next week, the&nbsp;diversity in school&nbsp;debate returns to neighboring state Missouri&nbsp;via House Bill 952, its anti-1619 Project&nbsp;bill, joining&nbsp;the earlier proposed Parent’s Bill of Rights, SB 776. Missouri, a&nbsp;bellwether&nbsp;for&nbsp;policymaking&nbsp;in Kansas, points to the likely resuscitation of&nbsp;this&nbsp;political debate&nbsp;after similar efforts slowed in the Kansas legislature. Coupled with Florida’s recent&nbsp;rejection of AP African American Course in public schools, the two events mark a resurging salvo in a larger argument over school curriculum and diversity.

The&nbsp;Parent’s&nbsp;Bill prohibits school districts&nbsp;from&nbsp;denying&nbsp;parental&nbsp;review&nbsp;ofcurricula&nbsp;and educational materials utilized by the school.&nbsp;Other elements&nbsp;include: notification about safety issues impacting their children, the right to visit their child in school, the right to review&nbsp;their children’s&nbsp;school records, and the right to be heard at school board meetings.&nbsp;Hardly any of these&nbsp;issues&nbsp;are&nbsp;prohibited by school systems.&nbsp;The more dangerous component includes parent rights to review information on teachers, lecturers, and presenters; and the right to object to materials parents find inappropriate.&nbsp;

Additionally,&nbsp;the bill&nbsp;undergirds&nbsp;a larger educational framework&nbsp;by&nbsp;the Missouri&nbsp;General Assembly to ban&nbsp;Critical&nbsp;Race&nbsp;Theory&nbsp;(CRT)&nbsp;and 1619 Project.&nbsp;The combined legislation, which acts to empower parental say over curriculum, is a bit of misnomer given&nbsp;the bill does&nbsp;not extend to calculus, physics, and other areas of study, but is a legislative condemnation of all things “diversity.”

The problem&nbsp;is&nbsp;that Missouri’s bill, similar to the Kansas version, incorrectly conflates CRT theory with any diversity related subject matter, particularly black history.&nbsp;The law is&nbsp;abstractly&nbsp;constructed&nbsp;as&nbsp;a&nbsp;broad framework that allows&nbsp;parents and politicians&nbsp;to excise&nbsp;certain subject matter for political propaganda.

​For example, an educator cannot identify people, entities, or institutions in the United States as “inherently, immutably, or systematically sexist, racist, anti-LGBT, bigoted, biased, privileged, or oppressed.” Is the legislation suggesting that the Ku Klux Klan (an entity) is&nbsp;not&nbsp;inherently racist?&nbsp;Although numerous studies&nbsp;repeatedly&nbsp;confirm that the&nbsp;criminal justice system (an American institution)&nbsp;unequally treats&nbsp;Black Americans, are educators to ignore the incongruities in the system?&nbsp;Other elements&nbsp;of the law&nbsp;are just as confounding.

Logical&nbsp;analysis of&nbsp;the&nbsp;educational curriculum is not what’s at stake here, nor is it the real intent.&nbsp;Political operatives&nbsp;who&nbsp;focused on&nbsp;CRT&nbsp;as a&nbsp;mechanism to denounce “liberal” education, ironically use it to craft&nbsp;their own&nbsp;doctrine of education- an America with no imperfections.&nbsp;Black History&nbsp;and other “diversity” subjects are&nbsp;uncomfortable, because&nbsp;they&nbsp;question&nbsp;the centrality of democracy as a&nbsp;shared&nbsp;American identity. Within Black history is always the question- freedom for who?&nbsp;When? How?

The&nbsp;circumstances of this legislation&nbsp;are also&nbsp;more ominous than political division. The&nbsp;adversarial nature of these politicized claims of “unpatriotic” education&nbsp;has&nbsp;created an&nbsp;upsurge in&nbsp;harassment by opponents to diversity. Teachers, lectures,&nbsp;and&nbsp;writers become the focus of online&nbsp;and physical&nbsp;harassment.&nbsp;

​Parents should think deeply about this legislation&nbsp;when debate returns to Kansas. How are&nbsp;parents&nbsp;truly empowered? What will their children fail to learn about themselves or society? In what ways are teachers and educators endangered by these sentiments? Why would censorship provide the pathway to patriotism?&nbsp;Finally,&nbsp;they should ask themselves if&nbsp;fear of diversity&nbsp;is&nbsp;a good way to prepare children for a future in a multicultural America?

Nishani Frazier is Associate Professor of History and American Studies at the University of Kansas. Prior to Kansas, she held positions as Associate Curator of African American History and Archives at Western Reserve Historical Society, Assistant to the Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Archives at the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, and personal assistant for Dr. John Hope Franklin, before and during his tenure as chair of President Bill Clinton's advisory board on "One America."&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1675191230725.jpeg" alt="Nishani Frazier is Associate Professor of History and American Studies at the University of Kansas. " />
 <figcaption>Nishani Frazier is Associate Professor of History and American Studies at the University of Kansas. </figcaption>
 </figure>Next week, the&nbsp;diversity in school&nbsp;debate returns to neighboring state Missouri&nbsp;via House Bill 952, its anti-1619 Project&nbsp;bill, joining&nbsp;the earlier proposed Parent’s Bill of Rights, SB 776. Missouri, a&nbsp;bellwether&nbsp;for&nbsp;policymaking&nbsp;in Kansas, points to the likely resuscitation of&nbsp;this&nbsp;political debate&nbsp;after similar efforts slowed in the Kansas legislature. Coupled with Florida’s recent&nbsp;rejection of AP African American Course in public schools, the two events mark a resurging salvo in a larger argument over school curriculum and diversity.The&nbsp;Parent’s&nbsp;Bill prohibits school districts&nbsp;from&nbsp;denying&nbsp;parental&nbsp;review&nbsp;ofcurricula&nbsp;and educational materials utilized by the school.&nbsp;Other elements&nbsp;include: notification about safety issues impacting their children, the right to visit their child in school, the right to review&nbsp;their children’s&nbsp;school records, and the right to be heard at school board meetings.&nbsp;Hardly any of these&nbsp;issues&nbsp;are&nbsp;prohibited by school systems.&nbsp;The more dangerous component includes parent rights to review information on teachers, lecturers, and presenters; and the right to object to materials parents find inappropriate.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Additionally,&nbsp;the bill&nbsp;undergirds&nbsp;a larger educational framework&nbsp;by&nbsp;the Missouri&nbsp;General Assembly to ban&nbsp;Critical&nbsp;Race&nbsp;Theory&nbsp;(CRT)&nbsp;and 1619 Project.&nbsp;The combined legislation, which acts to empower parental say over curriculum, is a bit of misnomer given&nbsp;the bill does&nbsp;not extend to calculus, physics, and other areas of study, but is a legislative condemnation of all things “diversity.”The problem&nbsp;is&nbsp;that Missouri’s bill, similar to the Kansas version, incorrectly conflates CRT theory with any diversity related subject matter, particularly black history.&nbsp;The law is&nbsp;abstractly&nbsp;constructed&nbsp;as&nbsp;a&nbsp;broad framework that allows&nbsp;parents and politicians&nbsp;to excise&nbsp;certain subject matter for political propaganda.​For example, an educator cannot identify people, entities, or institutions in the United States as “inherently, immutably, or systematically sexist, racist, anti-LGBT, bigoted, biased, privileged, or oppressed.” Is the legislation suggesting that the Ku Klux Klan (an entity) is&nbsp;not&nbsp;inherently racist?&nbsp;Although numerous studies&nbsp;repeatedly&nbsp;confirm that the&nbsp;criminal justice system (an American institution)&nbsp;unequally treats&nbsp;Black Americans, are educators to ignore the incongruities in the system?&nbsp;Other elements&nbsp;of the law&nbsp;are just as confounding.Logical&nbsp;analysis of&nbsp;the&nbsp;educational curriculum is not what’s at stake here, nor is it the real intent.&nbsp;Political operatives&nbsp;who&nbsp;focused on&nbsp;CRT&nbsp;as a&nbsp;mechanism to denounce “liberal” education, ironically use it to craft&nbsp;their own&nbsp;doctrine of education- an America with no imperfections.&nbsp;Black History&nbsp;and other “diversity” subjects are&nbsp;uncomfortable, because&nbsp;they&nbsp;question&nbsp;the centrality of democracy as a&nbsp;shared&nbsp;American identity. Within Black history is always the question- freedom for who?&nbsp;When? How?The&nbsp;circumstances of this legislation&nbsp;are also&nbsp;more ominous than political division. The&nbsp;adversarial nature of these politicized claims of “unpatriotic” education&nbsp;has&nbsp;created an&nbsp;upsurge in&nbsp;harassment by opponents to diversity. Teachers, lectures,&nbsp;and&nbsp;writers become the focus of online&nbsp;and physical&nbsp;harassment.&nbsp;​Parents should think deeply about this legislation&nbsp;when debate returns to Kansas. How are&nbsp;parents&nbsp;truly empowered? What will their children fail to learn about themselves or society? In what ways are teachers and educators endangered by these sentiments? Why would censorship provide the pathway to patriotism?&nbsp;Finally,&nbsp;they should ask themselves if&nbsp;fear of diversity&nbsp;is&nbsp;a good way to prepare children for a future in a multicultural America?Nishani Frazier is Associate Professor of History and American Studies at the University of Kansas. Prior to Kansas, she held positions as Associate Curator of African American History and Archives at Western Reserve Historical Society, Assistant to the Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Archives at the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change, and personal assistant for Dr. John Hope Franklin, before and during his tenure as chair of President Bill Clinton's advisory board on "One America."&nbsp;

INSIGHT KANSAS: Missouri Parents Bill of Rights vs. diversity

The call came while she was sitting with her dad at a pizza place. Essentially, the message was: “Sorry, we’re canceling our entire order from your business.”&nbsp;

Since that was all the product that she had to sell, it seemed like disaster. But this was just a turning point in the development of what has become a remarkable business in rural Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Jacquelyne Leffler is the founder of Leffler Prime Performance, a direct-to-consumer beef marketing business that she operates in conjunction with her family’s farm. She lives on the place where she grew up, near the rural community of Americus, population 776 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;

“We’re the fourth generation on the farm,” Leffler said. “Our family has been here since 1941.”&nbsp;

The Lefflers produce beef cattle, corn, soybeans and wheat.&nbsp;

“My sister and I grew up in 4-H,” Leffler said. “My grandfather would give us a steer for 4-H each year, but the proceeds from the steer’s sale had to go into a savings account for our college education.”&nbsp;

She noticed that some local people would buy those steers directly after the fair.&nbsp;

Leffler was also involved in sports. She found she especially enjoyed track and field.&nbsp;

“We had a new teacher who had been a collegiate track and field coach, so he really helped develop our talents,” Leffler said. At Northern Heights High School, she became an eight-time state champion in the shotput and discus and was highly recruited nationally.&nbsp;

“I had coaches from Oregon to North Carolina sitting in my living room, but I’m a Kansas kid,” Leffler said. On her birthday in 2008, at her local church, she signed a letter of intent to Kansas State.&nbsp;

She would go on to a successful collegiate career, scoring highly at the Big 12 and NCAA national championships. After graduation, she coached track and field for two years at Emporia State while helping her dad and grandpa on the farm. Then she began coaching track and field athletes on her own. Now she is also working with a nearby sports academy.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, she saw an opportunity to add value to her family’s beef sales by doing direct marketing to consumers. She started with five head of cattle and reached a deal with a retail outlet to buy them. Then she got a call while she happened to be sitting at a pizza restaurant with her dad: The retailer was backing out of the deal.&nbsp;

Leffler had her entire inventory of five head ready to go to market, but suddenly there was no buyer. “I thought it was the end,” she said.&nbsp;&nbsp;She put a post on Facebook and essentially said, “If anybody needs beef, let us know.”&nbsp;

“The community rallied around me,” Leffler said. Friends and neighbors stepped up to buy the beef.&nbsp;

“I saw the power of social media and community,” she said. She grew her direct beef marketing business. Then the COVID pandemic hit and demand for local beef exploded.&nbsp;&nbsp;She started connecting with consumers and other producers in a big way. She also noticed that customers would purchase a half or quarter of beef, but didn’t know how to prepare beef cuts.&nbsp;

“The Kansas Beef Council had boxes of beef recipe books that they couldn’t take to trade shows that were cancelled due to COVID, so they made those available to me,” Leffler said. “The beef checkoff did a lot for us.”&nbsp;

Today, Leffler Prime Performance is marketing retail and custom beef to states throughout the Midwest. “I enjoy putting high quality protein in local people’s freezers at an affordable price,” Leffler said. “God has really provided me with the best support system,” she said.&nbsp;

For more information, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.lefflerprimeperformance.com/">www.lefflerprimeperformance.com</a>.&nbsp;

The call cancelling her first order came while she was out with her dad, but it was only a curve on her journey to success. We commend Jacquelyne Leffler for making a difference with creatively marketing her family’s products. Her decision to market those products directly was a good call.&nbsp;

What about that local sports academy?&nbsp;&nbsp;We’ll learn about that next week.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674656374396.png" alt="Jacquelyne Leffler / Courtesy K-State Extension" />
 <figcaption>Jacquelyne Leffler / Courtesy K-State Extension</figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;The call came while she was sitting with her dad at a pizza place. Essentially, the message was: “Sorry, we’re canceling our entire order from your business.”&nbsp;Since that was all the product that she had to sell, it seemed like disaster. But this was just a turning point in the development of what has become a remarkable business in rural Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jacquelyne Leffler is the founder of Leffler Prime Performance, a direct-to-consumer beef marketing business that she operates in conjunction with her family’s farm. She lives on the place where she grew up, near the rural community of Americus, population 776 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;“We’re the fourth generation on the farm,” Leffler said. “Our family has been here since 1941.”&nbsp;The Lefflers produce beef cattle, corn, soybeans and wheat.&nbsp;“My sister and I grew up in 4-H,” Leffler said. “My grandfather would give us a steer for 4-H each year, but the proceeds from the steer’s sale had to go into a savings account for our college education.”&nbsp;She noticed that some local people would buy those steers directly after the fair.&nbsp;Leffler was also involved in sports. She found she especially enjoyed track and field.&nbsp;“We had a new teacher who had been a collegiate track and field coach, so he really helped develop our talents,” Leffler said. At Northern Heights High School, she became an eight-time state champion in the shotput and discus and was highly recruited nationally.&nbsp;“I had coaches from Oregon to North Carolina sitting in my living room, but I’m a Kansas kid,” Leffler said. On her birthday in 2008, at her local church, she signed a letter of intent to Kansas State.&nbsp;She would go on to a successful collegiate career, scoring highly at the Big 12 and NCAA national championships. After graduation, she coached track and field for two years at Emporia State while helping her dad and grandpa on the farm. Then she began coaching track and field athletes on her own. Now she is also working with a nearby sports academy.&nbsp;Meanwhile, she saw an opportunity to add value to her family’s beef sales by doing direct marketing to consumers. She started with five head of cattle and reached a deal with a retail outlet to buy them. Then she got a call while she happened to be sitting at a pizza restaurant with her dad: The retailer was backing out of the deal.&nbsp;Leffler had her entire inventory of five head ready to go to market, but suddenly there was no buyer. “I thought it was the end,” she said.&nbsp;&nbsp;She put a post on Facebook and essentially said, “If anybody needs beef, let us know.”&nbsp;“The community rallied around me,” Leffler said. Friends and neighbors stepped up to buy the beef.&nbsp;“I saw the power of social media and community,” she said. She grew her direct beef marketing business. Then the COVID pandemic hit and demand for local beef exploded.&nbsp;&nbsp;She started connecting with consumers and other producers in a big way. She also noticed that customers would purchase a half or quarter of beef, but didn’t know how to prepare beef cuts.&nbsp;“The Kansas Beef Council had boxes of beef recipe books that they couldn’t take to trade shows that were cancelled due to COVID, so they made those available to me,” Leffler said. “The beef checkoff did a lot for us.”&nbsp;Today, Leffler Prime Performance is marketing retail and custom beef to states throughout the Midwest. “I enjoy putting high quality protein in local people’s freezers at an affordable price,” Leffler said. “God has really provided me with the best support system,” she said.&nbsp;For more information, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.lefflerprimeperformance.com/">www.lefflerprimeperformance.com</a>.&nbsp;The call cancelling her first order came while she was out with her dad, but it was only a curve on her journey to success. We commend Jacquelyne Leffler for making a difference with creatively marketing her family’s products. Her decision to market those products directly was a good call.&nbsp;What about that local sports academy?&nbsp;&nbsp;We’ll learn about that next week.&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural: Leffler Prime Performance 

By LAURA HAFFNER Ellis County farmer Farmers and ranchers are some of the most resilient people I know. They weather incredible odds, pun intended, from droughts, to floods, fire, hail, blizzards and more. This doesn’t even touch the volatile input costs, family dynamics, inflation and increased regulations we are seeing. Despite these adversities, we pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and continue to provide for our families while often being the first to give the shirts off our own backs for a neighbor in need. But what happens when that proverbial bootstrap snaps? Do we fix it right away and make it whole again, or do we slap a little duct tape and bailing wire on it and call it good? While that solution may work for a short time, the tape will eventually lose its sticky and the wire will start poking one in the calf. That’s when a whole new set of challenges surface. In my own life, agriculture has provided me with some of life’s greatest highs, but it has also contributed to some of my darkest lows. It is curious how something we love so much can cause so much stress, and we often ignore or fail to address the signs.&nbsp; Several years ago, I invited a counselor with an agriculture background to my classroom. He walked students through an exercise where they wrote down all the agriculture-related stressors they could think of. Within a few short minutes, one group had listed more than 40. Upon evaluation, class members determined the only thing in all those items we could control was ourselves. That left more than 40 other major items that we had little to no control over. Talk about the perfect storm for some real stress in our industry! Using the results from the exercise, our guest speaker guided us through an eye-opening experience to help us learn how we view and handle our stress. Those in the room realized they weren’t alone, and there are others who have experienced similar stressors. That may have been just as powerful as any coping skill we could have learned — we are not alone in the battles we face in agriculture.&nbsp; Some battles we face are short and quick. They may annoyingly take our time and make us uncomfortable, but we can quickly adjust to take on another day. Some battles rage on for months and even years. Even the toughest, most resilient warriors can get worn down. In some cases, the burden is so great it feels like the battle may never end or we may be left behind on the field. But it doesn’t have to be that way.&nbsp; Our fellow members within the Farm Bureau family are standing up and recognizing that something needs to change. Farmers and ranchers are passionate about this topic because we’ve lived it or have seen our families and friends struggle with it. We are sounding the alarm, rallying the troops and fighting alongside each other to ensure no one is left on the field alone.&nbsp; Maybe you know something needs to change mentally but taking that first step to attack the topic of mental health is scary. Maybe the first step is opening up to a trusted friend, family member, doctor, pastor or exploring some resources to learn more. Perhaps you’re not experiencing any of your own mental health battles at the moment but would like to learn how to be an ally.&nbsp; While these don’t substitute for the opinion of a health care professional, Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB) has been building an arsenal of resources that may serve as good place to start. You can find them by searching for Rural Minds Matter at&nbsp;<a href="http://kfb.org/">kfb.org</a>. “Kansas Living,” KFB’s quarterly lifestyle magazine, featured three members who have experienced challenges, and are working to help themselves and others. Read more at<a href="https://kfb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=45bba928f411d21617c5eadbe&amp;id=8ebc3f402e&amp;e=5bf0f0e5fe">www.kansaslivingmagazine.com</a>&nbsp;or visit KFB’s YouTube channel to hear their stories firsthand.&nbsp;KFB’s Women’s Leadership Committee (WLC) teamed up with KFB’s Young Farmers &amp; Ranchers Committee at the organization’s annual meeting in December for a three-part farm family resilience workshop series. The WLC also plans to host a women’s wellness retreat in November. These are just a few examples of how farmers and ranchers are mobilizing and working together to offer a hand to friends and family when a bootstrap wears thin. It will take all of us doing our part to end the stigma, but together we can help ourselves, friends, families and communities continue to be healthy and resilient.&nbsp; If you or someone you know are experiencing an immediate emergency, call or text the national suicide hotline at 998.

"Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674486447566.jpeg" alt="Laura Haffner" />
 <figcaption>Laura Haffner</figcaption>
 </figure>By LAURA HAFFNER Ellis County farmer Farmers and ranchers are some of the most resilient people I know. They weather incredible odds, pun intended, from droughts, to floods, fire, hail, blizzards and more. This doesn’t even touch the volatile input costs, family dynamics, inflation and increased regulations we are seeing. Despite these adversities, we pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and continue to provide for our families while often being the first to give the shirts off our own backs for a neighbor in need. But what happens when that proverbial bootstrap snaps? Do we fix it right away and make it whole again, or do we slap a little duct tape and bailing wire on it and call it good? While that solution may work for a short time, the tape will eventually lose its sticky and the wire will start poking one in the calf. That’s when a whole new set of challenges surface. In my own life, agriculture has provided me with some of life’s greatest highs, but it has also contributed to some of my darkest lows. It is curious how something we love so much can cause so much stress, and we often ignore or fail to address the signs.&nbsp; Several years ago, I invited a counselor with an agriculture background to my classroom. He walked students through an exercise where they wrote down all the agriculture-related stressors they could think of. Within a few short minutes, one group had listed more than 40. Upon evaluation, class members determined the only thing in all those items we could control was ourselves. That left more than 40 other major items that we had little to no control over. Talk about the perfect storm for some real stress in our industry! Using the results from the exercise, our guest speaker guided us through an eye-opening experience to help us learn how we view and handle our stress. Those in the room realized they weren’t alone, and there are others who have experienced similar stressors. That may have been just as powerful as any coping skill we could have learned — we are not alone in the battles we face in agriculture.&nbsp; Some battles we face are short and quick. They may annoyingly take our time and make us uncomfortable, but we can quickly adjust to take on another day. Some battles rage on for months and even years. Even the toughest, most resilient warriors can get worn down. In some cases, the burden is so great it feels like the battle may never end or we may be left behind on the field. But it doesn’t have to be that way.&nbsp; Our fellow members within the Farm Bureau family are standing up and recognizing that something needs to change. Farmers and ranchers are passionate about this topic because we’ve lived it or have seen our families and friends struggle with it. We are sounding the alarm, rallying the troops and fighting alongside each other to ensure no one is left on the field alone.&nbsp; Maybe you know something needs to change mentally but taking that first step to attack the topic of mental health is scary. Maybe the first step is opening up to a trusted friend, family member, doctor, pastor or exploring some resources to learn more. Perhaps you’re not experiencing any of your own mental health battles at the moment but would like to learn how to be an ally.&nbsp; While these don’t substitute for the opinion of a health care professional, Kansas Farm Bureau (KFB) has been building an arsenal of resources that may serve as good place to start. You can find them by searching for Rural Minds Matter at&nbsp;<a href="http://kfb.org/">kfb.org</a>. “Kansas Living,” KFB’s quarterly lifestyle magazine, featured three members who have experienced challenges, and are working to help themselves and others. Read more at<a href="https://kfb.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=45bba928f411d21617c5eadbe&amp;id=8ebc3f402e&amp;e=5bf0f0e5fe">www.kansaslivingmagazine.com</a>&nbsp;or visit KFB’s YouTube channel to hear their stories firsthand.&nbsp;KFB’s Women’s Leadership Committee (WLC) teamed up with KFB’s Young Farmers &amp; Ranchers Committee at the organization’s annual meeting in December for a three-part farm family resilience workshop series. The WLC also plans to host a women’s wellness retreat in November. These are just a few examples of how farmers and ranchers are mobilizing and working together to offer a hand to friends and family when a bootstrap wears thin. It will take all of us doing our part to end the stigma, but together we can help ourselves, friends, families and communities continue to be healthy and resilient.&nbsp; If you or someone you know are experiencing an immediate emergency, call or text the national suicide hotline at 998."Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: Rural minds matter

That statement from a young woman’s three-year old daughter helped launch a business of producing handmade soaps and other skin care products in rural Kansas.&nbsp;

Dixie Pachta is founder and owner of Rose Creek Suds. Her products not only avoid the allergic reactions suffered by her daughter, they provide the wonderful scents and luxurious lather that her customers enjoy. She also supports worthy local causes.&nbsp;

Pachta grew up in the Linn and Washington area. She met and married Andrew who is from Linn. They attended Kansas State University where Dixie studied accounting and Andrew studied animal sciences.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After graduation, they moved to Andrew’s grandparents’ farm near the rural community of Munden, population 96 people. Now, that’s rural. For 10 years, Dixie Pachta worked in tax preparation and now does internal audits for a bank in Belleville.&nbsp;

At Christmas time in 2020, Andrew bought a bar of soap that he thought sounded appealing. “We were disappointed in it,” Dixie said. She remembered her grandmother had made soap at home, so Dixie decided to see if she could make a better soap herself.&nbsp;

“Both of our grandmothers made lard soap for laundry purposes,” Dixie said. “We still have chunks of her laundry soap.” Dixie also knew that several members of her family had issues with sensitive skin.&nbsp;

Dixie Pachta researched the process of making soap by hand and gave it a try. When her three-year old daughter used the soap and found that it didn’t sting her hands like the store products did, Dixie knew she was on the right track. Soon, friends and family members wanted the products, so Dixie started a business venture.&nbsp;

Because they live on Rose Creek, she named the business Rose Creek Suds. Today, Rose Creek Suds produces handmade soaps and other products, such as candles, wax melts, face mists and sugar scrubs.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The key base product for many of her soaps is lard, as pioneer women used more than a century ago. “Lard soap is more creamy and it’s especially good for extra sensitive skin,” Dixie said. One of their family members raised hogs as a 4-H project so the Pachtas were able to access lard directly.&nbsp;

“I add various scents and castor oil and coconut oil for more bubbles,” Dixie said. In January 2021, she began taking her products to craft shows. Her products are sold locally and online, and have gone as far away as Florida, Canada, and Australia.&nbsp;

“I love to experiment,” Dixie said. “What can I use to make it smell better or have a smoother lather?” Her Lumberyard soap and scents with cedar, lavender and musk have been really popular with guys.&nbsp;

One day a friend of Dixie’s gave her a supply of glass jars for recycling, but Dixie wasn’t sure what to do with them. Then Dixie learned about her nephew’s friend who was having many challenges.&nbsp;

He was an eighth-grade boy who came to the U.S. from Bulgaria and spoke no English.&nbsp;&nbsp;The boy was in the process of being adopted by a local pastor’s family when he started having a sinus infection – not realizing that the very serious infection was going into his brain.&nbsp;

“His adoption was finalized in adoption court one morning, and by midnight of that day, he was having his brain operated on at Children’s Mercy,” Dixie said. The boy is now recuperating and is getting fitted with a skullcap.&nbsp;

Dixie decided to use those glass jars to make a special product to sell as a fundraiser to help with this young man’s medical expenses. These are candles with a red, white, and blue design, using the scents of Roarin’ Raspberry, Whistlin’ Wicks, and Bloomin’ Blueberry.&nbsp;

The product is called Red, White, and Believin.’ “I’m willing to make special products for other fundraisers too,” Dixie said.&nbsp;

For more information, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.rosecreeksuds.com/">www.rosecreeksuds.com</a>.&nbsp;

“Mommy, it doesn’t sting!”&nbsp;&nbsp;That comment from her daughter helped this young mother realize that her product was healthy as well as enjoyable. We commend Dixie Pachta for making a difference with Rose Creek Suds.&nbsp;

Her potential success works me into a lather.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674050223164.png" alt="Courtesy K-State Extension" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy K-State Extension</figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;“Mommy, it doesn’t sting!”&nbsp;That statement from a young woman’s three-year old daughter helped launch a business of producing handmade soaps and other skin care products in rural Kansas.&nbsp;Dixie Pachta is founder and owner of Rose Creek Suds. Her products not only avoid the allergic reactions suffered by her daughter, they provide the wonderful scents and luxurious lather that her customers enjoy. She also supports worthy local causes.&nbsp;Pachta grew up in the Linn and Washington area. She met and married Andrew who is from Linn. They attended Kansas State University where Dixie studied accounting and Andrew studied animal sciences.&nbsp;&nbsp;After graduation, they moved to Andrew’s grandparents’ farm near the rural community of Munden, population 96 people. Now, that’s rural. For 10 years, Dixie Pachta worked in tax preparation and now does internal audits for a bank in Belleville.&nbsp;At Christmas time in 2020, Andrew bought a bar of soap that he thought sounded appealing. “We were disappointed in it,” Dixie said. She remembered her grandmother had made soap at home, so Dixie decided to see if she could make a better soap herself.&nbsp;“Both of our grandmothers made lard soap for laundry purposes,” Dixie said. “We still have chunks of her laundry soap.” Dixie also knew that several members of her family had issues with sensitive skin.&nbsp;Dixie Pachta researched the process of making soap by hand and gave it a try. When her three-year old daughter used the soap and found that it didn’t sting her hands like the store products did, Dixie knew she was on the right track. Soon, friends and family members wanted the products, so Dixie started a business venture.&nbsp;Because they live on Rose Creek, she named the business Rose Creek Suds. Today, Rose Creek Suds produces handmade soaps and other products, such as candles, wax melts, face mists and sugar scrubs.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The key base product for many of her soaps is lard, as pioneer women used more than a century ago. “Lard soap is more creamy and it’s especially good for extra sensitive skin,” Dixie said. One of their family members raised hogs as a 4-H project so the Pachtas were able to access lard directly.&nbsp;“I add various scents and castor oil and coconut oil for more bubbles,” Dixie said. In January 2021, she began taking her products to craft shows. Her products are sold locally and online, and have gone as far away as Florida, Canada, and Australia.&nbsp;“I love to experiment,” Dixie said. “What can I use to make it smell better or have a smoother lather?” Her Lumberyard soap and scents with cedar, lavender and musk have been really popular with guys.&nbsp;One day a friend of Dixie’s gave her a supply of glass jars for recycling, but Dixie wasn’t sure what to do with them. Then Dixie learned about her nephew’s friend who was having many challenges.&nbsp;He was an eighth-grade boy who came to the U.S. from Bulgaria and spoke no English.&nbsp;&nbsp;The boy was in the process of being adopted by a local pastor’s family when he started having a sinus infection – not realizing that the very serious infection was going into his brain.&nbsp;“His adoption was finalized in adoption court one morning, and by midnight of that day, he was having his brain operated on at Children’s Mercy,” Dixie said. The boy is now recuperating and is getting fitted with a skullcap.&nbsp;Dixie decided to use those glass jars to make a special product to sell as a fundraiser to help with this young man’s medical expenses. These are candles with a red, white, and blue design, using the scents of Roarin’ Raspberry, Whistlin’ Wicks, and Bloomin’ Blueberry.&nbsp;The product is called Red, White, and Believin.’ “I’m willing to make special products for other fundraisers too,” Dixie said.&nbsp;For more information, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.rosecreeksuds.com/">www.rosecreeksuds.com</a>.&nbsp;“Mommy, it doesn’t sting!”&nbsp;&nbsp;That comment from her daughter helped this young mother realize that her product was healthy as well as enjoyable. We commend Dixie Pachta for making a difference with Rose Creek Suds.&nbsp;Her potential success works me into a lather.&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural:  Dixie Pachta, Rose Creek Suds 

Greg Doering, Kansas Farm Bureau Kansas Farm Bureau had a good 2022 as evidenced by the Pinnacle and New Horizon awards it received at the American Farm Bureau’s 104th convention recently. The Pinnacle award is the highest honor a state Farm Bureau can earn for program and membership achievement. KFB received the New Horizon award, which highlights innovative new programs, for the Casten Fellows Program, developed to honor the life of staffer Jill Casten-Downing through leadership development and international travel. The honors are well deserved, and it’s nice to take a few minutes to appreciate the amount of work required to go from the initial idea to implementation and execution. The destination is important, but so is the journey. There’s no shortage of challenges today in agriculture, as evidenced by just some of the ongoing work from last year, like KFB’s End Hunger campaign to ensure all our state’s residents have access to the food they need. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, individuals and businesses contributed more than $50,000 toward the campaign. That money will go to innovative programs run by county Farm Bureaus to address the needs they’ve identified locally. By no way is this problem solved, but progress is being made. Next year’s goal is to raise $75,000. Another ongoing project includes KFB’s purchase of Shop Kansas Farms (SKF) which allows our farm and ranch members to reach consumers in a new way. SKF founder Rick McNary is also helping communities develop local food systems to capture the full economic value from farm gates to dinner plates. Announced late last year, the Rural Kansas Apprenticeship Program will really get rolling in 2023 as the state’s first ever initiative to match agriculturists and rural business owners with a structured plan to train and retain employees. It’s not a silver bullet for the lack of help available in rural areas, but it’s the beginning of addressing a skills gap to meet our current and future workforce needs. As always, KFB will continue to ensure the voices of farmers and ranchers are heard in Topeka with a special focus on three topics: water, taxes and broadband. KFB will continue to support the basic tenets of Kansas water law, which have provided our members the ability to plan, invest and defend their private property rights for decades. KFB policy also supports the development of a Kansas Water Plan, either through the state general fund or dedicated statewide revenue sources. Any redesign of tax structures comes with the potential to shift taxes from one source to another with significant consequences. KFB will continue to steadfastly advocate for the constitutionally required use-value system that accurately and appropriately values agricultural lands and provides stable tax revenues to local units of government. Agricultural operations are businesses, and they should receive fair and equal tax treatment as it pertains to sales tax exemptions. Access to a vibrant, high-speed broadband network is essential to the future of both rural and urban Kansas. Statewide broadband deployment will provide new opportunities for the delivery of healthcare, education, entertainment, business development and enhance the capabilities of precision agriculture. Efforts by the state to facilitate telecommunications connectivity throughout Kansas should consider the technology-dependent nature of the agriculture industry, and its significant impact on the Kansas economy. For those paying attention, this isn’t a new list, and there’s a good chance it will be similar in 2024. There will be advancements on some fronts and setbacks on others. The key is stick to your priorities and have the patience to withstand the mundane and incremental nature of progress.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574694551876.png" alt="Greg Doering&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Greg Doering&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Greg Doering, Kansas Farm Bureau Kansas Farm Bureau had a good 2022 as evidenced by the Pinnacle and New Horizon awards it received at the American Farm Bureau’s 104th convention recently. The Pinnacle award is the highest honor a state Farm Bureau can earn for program and membership achievement. KFB received the New Horizon award, which highlights innovative new programs, for the Casten Fellows Program, developed to honor the life of staffer Jill Casten-Downing through leadership development and international travel. The honors are well deserved, and it’s nice to take a few minutes to appreciate the amount of work required to go from the initial idea to implementation and execution. The destination is important, but so is the journey. There’s no shortage of challenges today in agriculture, as evidenced by just some of the ongoing work from last year, like KFB’s End Hunger campaign to ensure all our state’s residents have access to the food they need. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, individuals and businesses contributed more than $50,000 toward the campaign. That money will go to innovative programs run by county Farm Bureaus to address the needs they’ve identified locally. By no way is this problem solved, but progress is being made. Next year’s goal is to raise $75,000. Another ongoing project includes KFB’s purchase of Shop Kansas Farms (SKF) which allows our farm and ranch members to reach consumers in a new way. SKF founder Rick McNary is also helping communities develop local food systems to capture the full economic value from farm gates to dinner plates. Announced late last year, the Rural Kansas Apprenticeship Program will really get rolling in 2023 as the state’s first ever initiative to match agriculturists and rural business owners with a structured plan to train and retain employees. It’s not a silver bullet for the lack of help available in rural areas, but it’s the beginning of addressing a skills gap to meet our current and future workforce needs. As always, KFB will continue to ensure the voices of farmers and ranchers are heard in Topeka with a special focus on three topics: water, taxes and broadband. KFB will continue to support the basic tenets of Kansas water law, which have provided our members the ability to plan, invest and defend their private property rights for decades. KFB policy also supports the development of a Kansas Water Plan, either through the state general fund or dedicated statewide revenue sources. Any redesign of tax structures comes with the potential to shift taxes from one source to another with significant consequences. KFB will continue to steadfastly advocate for the constitutionally required use-value system that accurately and appropriately values agricultural lands and provides stable tax revenues to local units of government. Agricultural operations are businesses, and they should receive fair and equal tax treatment as it pertains to sales tax exemptions. Access to a vibrant, high-speed broadband network is essential to the future of both rural and urban Kansas. Statewide broadband deployment will provide new opportunities for the delivery of healthcare, education, entertainment, business development and enhance the capabilities of precision agriculture. Efforts by the state to facilitate telecommunications connectivity throughout Kansas should consider the technology-dependent nature of the agriculture industry, and its significant impact on the Kansas economy. For those paying attention, this isn’t a new list, and there’s a good chance it will be similar in 2024. There will be advancements on some fronts and setbacks on others. The key is stick to your priorities and have the patience to withstand the mundane and incremental nature of progress."Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: 2023 priorities for agriculture

The design cut into the wood is beautiful, detailed, intricate – and handmade. It was not produced with a laser cutter or computer-aided design, but rather, entirely by hand by a remarkably skilled craftsman in rural Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Curtis and Lori Swenson are founders and owners of C&amp;L Crafts in Miltonvale. They grew up in the Randolph area, met in school and were married. They would ultimately have four children.&nbsp;

Those children, now grown, have also chosen to live in rural Kansas. They now live in Miltonvale, population 440; Mayetta, population 348; Olsburg, population 218; and Idana, population 54 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;

Curtis took a job in Nebraska where he suffered a terrible accident in which his back was broken in two places. He would have 22 back surgeries, the first of which was 8 ½ hours long. He made a full recovery, but it was a long recuperation.&nbsp;

“I was going stir crazy,” Curtis said. He looked for something he could do with his hands.&nbsp;

“I had watched a guy at Silver Dollar City cut designs into wood and thought that looked interesting.” He bought a scroll saw on sale and found he really enjoyed cutting intricate designs.&nbsp;

“It was therapy,” said Lori, who helped out by doing the finish work.&nbsp;

The Swensons moved to the Miltonvale area in 1996. “When people there saw what I was doing, they told me we should sell those things at craft shows,” Curtis said. So, the couple started going to shows and continued to make these products on the side while he worked for the school district, from which he is now retired.&nbsp;

Today, C&amp;L Crafts has sold wood products all over the nation and beyond. These are not your typical trinkets. Every one of these is handcrafted by Curtis and Lori themselves.&nbsp;

They order Baltic Birch type A plywood from a Kansas City company. This wood is especially made for cabinet liners and has no knots or spaces. Curtis orders 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2 inch thickness. He can also make designs in oak, walnut, cedar, and even hedge.&nbsp;

The Swensons have attended as many as 40 craft shows in a single year. For a decade, they had a booth at craft shows in Branson during the spring and fall. “They would put me in the number one and number two booths, and I would demonstrate the wood-cutting all day long,” Curtis said. “I enjoyed that.”&nbsp;

These designs are remarkably detailed and intricate.&nbsp;&nbsp;“A lot of people believe this is done by a laser, but a laser burns the edges of the wood,” Curtis said. His items are entirely hand-cut using a narrow-bladed scroll saw.&nbsp;

Curtis does the cutting and Lori does the finish work: “She has the lighter touch,” Curtis said. Lori does the sanding, staining, and varnishing, plus the final assembly or attaching a hanger. She also categorizes and stores the items.&nbsp;&nbsp;“We’re a team,” Curtis said.&nbsp;

“We do lots of custom work,” Curtis said. Lori adds: “If you’re looking for something in particular, just ask.”&nbsp;

“We will donate items for schools or groups to sell as fundraisers,” Lori said. Curtis has donated military designs to veterans and given crosses to the elderly ladies at nursing homes. “If you can do something with it that cheers somebody up, that’s all that matters,” Curtis said. “We like to see people happy.”&nbsp;

That personal touch is why he prefers craft shows to selling over the Internet. “I like to visit with people,” Curtis said.&nbsp;

The Swensons use more than 6,500 patterns for signs, toys, wildlife designs, and Christmas ornaments. “We do 20,000-plus ornaments in a year, easy,” Curtis said. C&amp;L Craft items have gone from coast to coast, to Alaska, Hawaii, and as far away as Africa and Australia.&nbsp;

For more information, contact Curtis and Lori at 785-427-6353.&nbsp;

The design in the wood is intricate and beautiful – and entirely created by hand. We commend Curtis and Lori Swenson of C&amp;L Crafts for making a difference with creative craftsmanship. They are truly accomplished artisans, hands-down.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1672840643201.png" alt="Lori and Curtis Swenson / Courtesy K-State Research &amp; Extension" />
 <figcaption>Lori and Curtis Swenson / Courtesy K-State Research &amp; Extension</figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;The design cut into the wood is beautiful, detailed, intricate – and handmade. It was not produced with a laser cutter or computer-aided design, but rather, entirely by hand by a remarkably skilled craftsman in rural Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Curtis and Lori Swenson are founders and owners of C&amp;L Crafts in Miltonvale. They grew up in the Randolph area, met in school and were married. They would ultimately have four children.&nbsp;Those children, now grown, have also chosen to live in rural Kansas. They now live in Miltonvale, population 440; Mayetta, population 348; Olsburg, population 218; and Idana, population 54 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;Curtis took a job in Nebraska where he suffered a terrible accident in which his back was broken in two places. He would have 22 back surgeries, the first of which was 8 ½ hours long. He made a full recovery, but it was a long recuperation.&nbsp;“I was going stir crazy,” Curtis said. He looked for something he could do with his hands.&nbsp;“I had watched a guy at Silver Dollar City cut designs into wood and thought that looked interesting.” He bought a scroll saw on sale and found he really enjoyed cutting intricate designs.&nbsp;“It was therapy,” said Lori, who helped out by doing the finish work.&nbsp;The Swensons moved to the Miltonvale area in 1996. “When people there saw what I was doing, they told me we should sell those things at craft shows,” Curtis said. So, the couple started going to shows and continued to make these products on the side while he worked for the school district, from which he is now retired.&nbsp;Today, C&amp;L Crafts has sold wood products all over the nation and beyond. These are not your typical trinkets. Every one of these is handcrafted by Curtis and Lori themselves.&nbsp;They order Baltic Birch type A plywood from a Kansas City company. This wood is especially made for cabinet liners and has no knots or spaces. Curtis orders 1/8, 1/4, and 1/2 inch thickness. He can also make designs in oak, walnut, cedar, and even hedge.&nbsp;The Swensons have attended as many as 40 craft shows in a single year. For a decade, they had a booth at craft shows in Branson during the spring and fall. “They would put me in the number one and number two booths, and I would demonstrate the wood-cutting all day long,” Curtis said. “I enjoyed that.”&nbsp;These designs are remarkably detailed and intricate.&nbsp;&nbsp;“A lot of people believe this is done by a laser, but a laser burns the edges of the wood,” Curtis said. His items are entirely hand-cut using a narrow-bladed scroll saw.&nbsp;Curtis does the cutting and Lori does the finish work: “She has the lighter touch,” Curtis said. Lori does the sanding, staining, and varnishing, plus the final assembly or attaching a hanger. She also categorizes and stores the items.&nbsp;&nbsp;“We’re a team,” Curtis said.&nbsp;“We do lots of custom work,” Curtis said. Lori adds: “If you’re looking for something in particular, just ask.”&nbsp;“We will donate items for schools or groups to sell as fundraisers,” Lori said. Curtis has donated military designs to veterans and given crosses to the elderly ladies at nursing homes. “If you can do something with it that cheers somebody up, that’s all that matters,” Curtis said. “We like to see people happy.”&nbsp;That personal touch is why he prefers craft shows to selling over the Internet. “I like to visit with people,” Curtis said.&nbsp;The Swensons use more than 6,500 patterns for signs, toys, wildlife designs, and Christmas ornaments. “We do 20,000-plus ornaments in a year, easy,” Curtis said. C&amp;L Craft items have gone from coast to coast, to Alaska, Hawaii, and as far away as Africa and Australia.&nbsp;For more information, contact Curtis and Lori at 785-427-6353.&nbsp;The design in the wood is intricate and beautiful – and entirely created by hand. We commend Curtis and Lori Swenson of C&amp;L Crafts for making a difference with creative craftsmanship. They are truly accomplished artisans, hands-down.&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural: Curtis and Lori Swenson, C&L Crafts 

By ERIC THOMAS <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/06/january-ushers-in-covid-19-turning-points-year-after-year-in-kansas/">Courtesy Kansas Reflector</a>

The COVID-19 pandemic has crafted 
many of its dark landmarks during recent Januarys. The last three 
installments have brought perhaps the most significant events related to
 the virus: the month that introduced COVID-19 to Kansas, two months 
that contained the two most deadly and contagious surges, and also a 
month that introduced widespread vaccination.

Three years into the pandemic, it’s 
tempting to think that we know everything about this cataclysm that 
interrupted our lives — and then gave our lives back to us. Looking 
back, as my history teachers have instructed me, revealed what I 
couldn’t remember, and what I never knew.

In writing this column, some of what I
 learned (or relearned) came from scrolling back through the YouTube 
channel of the University of Kansas Health System, featuring chief 
medical officer Steven Stites. The updates that he, his colleagues and 
his staff posted so dutifully are like dispatches from the pandemic 
past, complete with the emotions of the moment and vital statistics from
 people who worked the front lines.

The last three years tested us as Kansans in dramatic ways. January provided the decisive moments.

Many of us think of March 2020 as the
 beginning of the pandemic in Kansas, because that is when we heard 
about the first cases of COVID-19 in the state, followed rapidly by the 
dramatic closures of almost all public institutions, notably schools.

However, two months earlier, in January 2020, the first Kansan died from COVID-19, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/08/24/first-covid-19-death-in-kansas-now-believed-to-be-from-early-january-2020/">a death certificate that was publicized more than a year later.</a>

As reported by the San Jose Mercury 
News, Lovell “Cookie” Brown, a grandmother from Leavenworth County, was 
the first Kansan whose death was attributed to the virus. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/09/02/exclusive-how-did-a-kansas-grandmother-just-become-the-first-u-s-covid-death-not-even-her-family-knew-until-this-week/">The Mercury News also reported</a>
 how Brown’s death appeared “to turn the clock back on the virus’ 
arrival in the U.S. but also suggest that it had surfaced much sooner in
 America’s heartland, far beyond the country’s early coastal hotspots.”

Anecdotally, many of us knew this to 
be true: The virus was present long before medical experts could prove 
it. For instance, one of my friends was devastated by fever, chills and 
coughing fits after traveling with me in January 2020. Months later, he 
tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, with no other sickness to 
explain them. He likely had COVID-19 during that first January.

COVID-19 was lurking, undetected, in Kansas well before we were aware.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/museum/timeline/covid19.html">Also during January 2020</a>:
 The Chinese city of Wuhan was locked down by the Chinese government. 
The virus was confirmed — for the first time contemporaneously — in the 
United States.&nbsp;

The deadliest time for Kansans 
fighting the COVID-19 virus ran right through January two years ago. 
Buttressed by a surge in December on one side and a frantic peak in 
February on the other, four weeks in January witnessed the death of 949 
Kansans, according to the CDC. A deadly January fed an even more lethal 
February.

According to the CDC, about 100,000 
tests were being performed each week, one of the most active times of 
testing for the entire pandemic.

However, January 2021 was distinct 
because of the battle beginning between virus and vaccine. More than 
four times as many Kansans were vaccinated during that month (more than 
214,000) than had been vaccinated during the previous month. The 
recovery had already begun.

Those January days were a clear 
turning point. The virus would kill almost 6,000 additional Kansans (and
 counting) in the following years, but vaccination slowed the 
infections. It was dazzling how much happened in 12 months.

“A year ago, we were just hearing the
 rumblings about what was going on across the ocean, and now look where 
we are at,” Stites said on a January episode of his YouTube series. That
 month, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsPHedUF9g4">Stites happily rolled up his sleeve</a> for a vaccination.

Seeing that reminded me of the 
urgency of those vaccinations. At that point, we asked ourselves, “Can I
 continue social distancing, masking and quarantine for just a bit 
longer, until I get the vaccine? Can I stay safe for a few more weeks?”

I recall how eager I was to get the 
vaccine, both to safeguard myself and to feel like I was helping slow 
the infection rate that was so deadly and so steadily climbing.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/museum/timeline/covid19.html">Also in January 2021</a>: The CDC required face masks on public transportation and inside transportation hubs.

After Omicron was <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-kansas-f539218dc9d3c0500691c74a09c00b25">confirmed in Kansas in December 2021</a>,
 the new year was a viral extravaganza. During the week that started 
Jan. 19, 2022, more than 79,000 people in Kansas tested positive. The 
state had not seen that many positive cases — in total — during the 
first six months of the pandemic.

If you search for the top four weeks 
of positive infections in Kansas, three of those weeks were in January 
2022. We struggled to locate enough tests, staking out pharmacies and 
trading tips with friends about where to get tested.

The number of resulting deaths was 
both infuriating and heartbreaking. Many Kansans died in hospital ICUs 
after refusing vaccination out of stubbornness or misinformation. Others
 died from underlying conditions that doomed them, once combined with 
the virus.

The conference call of regional medical experts that month was partially and ominously titled, “From Bad to Worse.”

Stites’ guests sighed and dispatched 
the latest news from their hospitals, where blood supplies were low, 
morgues were full and ventilators were tenuous.

“I would start by saying that the COVID blizzard continues.”

“I wish we could paint a different picture, but it’s not here.”

“Even when we try to prepare, it hits us pretty hard, and that’s where we are right now.”

Reacting to 17 recent deaths at the 
Kansas Medical Center and staring at a nationwide map of COVID-19 cases,
 Stites observed: “This is really a difficult map to see right now. I’ve
 never seen the country all be so purple at the same time. If you look 
at Kansas and Missouri, that’s really difficult.”

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/museum/timeline/covid19.html">Also in January 2022</a>: Nationwide, the news was similar; the U.S. had almost 1 million new infections, more than any other nation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673024619311.png" alt="Steven Stites, chief medical officer of the University of Kansas Health System, said January 2022 was the most difficult moment in the COVID-19 pandemic for medical care providers. (Screen capture by Kansas Reflector from University of Kansas Health System video)" />
 <figcaption>Steven Stites, chief medical officer of the University of Kansas Health System, said January 2022 was the most difficult moment in the COVID-19 pandemic for medical care providers. (Screen capture by Kansas Reflector from University of Kansas Health System video)</figcaption>
 </figure>By ERIC THOMAS <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/06/january-ushers-in-covid-19-turning-points-year-after-year-in-kansas/">Courtesy Kansas Reflector</a>The COVID-19 pandemic has crafted 
many of its dark landmarks during recent Januarys. The last three 
installments have brought perhaps the most significant events related to
 the virus: the month that introduced COVID-19 to Kansas, two months 
that contained the two most deadly and contagious surges, and also a 
month that introduced widespread vaccination.So it is that we arrive in January 2023.Three years into the pandemic, it’s 
tempting to think that we know everything about this cataclysm that 
interrupted our lives — and then gave our lives back to us. Looking 
back, as my history teachers have instructed me, revealed what I 
couldn’t remember, and what I never knew.In writing this column, some of what I
 learned (or relearned) came from scrolling back through the YouTube 
channel of the University of Kansas Health System, featuring chief 
medical officer Steven Stites. The updates that he, his colleagues and 
his staff posted so dutifully are like dispatches from the pandemic 
past, complete with the emotions of the moment and vital statistics from
 people who worked the front lines.The last three years tested us as Kansans in dramatic ways. January provided the decisive moments.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673024693260.png" alt="A Jayhawk statue at the University of Kansas in Lawrence sports a face mask in the later months of 2020. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>A Jayhawk statue at the University of Kansas in Lawrence sports a face mask in the later months of 2020. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>January 2020: The start</h2>Many of us think of March 2020 as the
 beginning of the pandemic in Kansas, because that is when we heard 
about the first cases of COVID-19 in the state, followed rapidly by the 
dramatic closures of almost all public institutions, notably schools.However, two months earlier, in January 2020, the first Kansan died from COVID-19, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/08/24/first-covid-19-death-in-kansas-now-believed-to-be-from-early-january-2020/">a death certificate that was publicized more than a year later.</a>As reported by the San Jose Mercury 
News, Lovell “Cookie” Brown, a grandmother from Leavenworth County, was 
the first Kansan whose death was attributed to the virus. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/09/02/exclusive-how-did-a-kansas-grandmother-just-become-the-first-u-s-covid-death-not-even-her-family-knew-until-this-week/">The Mercury News also reported</a>
 how Brown’s death appeared “to turn the clock back on the virus’ 
arrival in the U.S. but also suggest that it had surfaced much sooner in
 America’s heartland, far beyond the country’s early coastal hotspots.”Anecdotally, many of us knew this to 
be true: The virus was present long before medical experts could prove 
it. For instance, one of my friends was devastated by fever, chills and 
coughing fits after traveling with me in January 2020. Months later, he 
tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, with no other sickness to 
explain them. He likely had COVID-19 during that first January.COVID-19 was lurking, undetected, in Kansas well before we were aware.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/museum/timeline/covid19.html">Also during January 2020</a>:
 The Chinese city of Wuhan was locked down by the Chinese government. 
The virus was confirmed — for the first time contemporaneously — in the 
United States.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673024735476.png" alt="A participant looks away at the moment a COVID-19 vaccine needle makes contact during a temporary clinic at Topeka High School in 2021. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>A participant looks away at the moment a COVID-19 vaccine needle makes contact during a temporary clinic at Topeka High School in 2021. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>January 2021: The battle</h2>The deadliest time for Kansans 
fighting the COVID-19 virus ran right through January two years ago. 
Buttressed by a surge in December on one side and a frantic peak in 
February on the other, four weeks in January witnessed the death of 949 
Kansans, according to the CDC. A deadly January fed an even more lethal 
February.According to the CDC, about 100,000 
tests were being performed each week, one of the most active times of 
testing for the entire pandemic.However, January 2021 was distinct 
because of the battle beginning between virus and vaccine. More than 
four times as many Kansans were vaccinated during that month (more than 
214,000) than had been vaccinated during the previous month. The 
recovery had already begun.Those January days were a clear 
turning point. The virus would kill almost 6,000 additional Kansans (and
 counting) in the following years, but vaccination slowed the 
infections. It was dazzling how much happened in 12 months.“A year ago, we were just hearing the
 rumblings about what was going on across the ocean, and now look where 
we are at,” Stites said on a January episode of his YouTube series. That
 month, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsPHedUF9g4">Stites happily rolled up his sleeve</a> for a vaccination.Seeing that reminded me of the 
urgency of those vaccinations. At that point, we asked ourselves, “Can I
 continue social distancing, masking and quarantine for just a bit 
longer, until I get the vaccine? Can I stay safe for a few more weeks?”I recall how eager I was to get the 
vaccine, both to safeguard myself and to feel like I was helping slow 
the infection rate that was so deadly and so steadily climbing.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/museum/timeline/covid19.html">Also in January 2021</a>: The CDC required face masks on public transportation and inside transportation hubs.<h2>January 2022: The peak</h2>After Omicron was <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-kansas-f539218dc9d3c0500691c74a09c00b25">confirmed in Kansas in December 2021</a>,
 the new year was a viral extravaganza. During the week that started 
Jan. 19, 2022, more than 79,000 people in Kansas tested positive. The 
state had not seen that many positive cases — in total — during the 
first six months of the pandemic.If you search for the top four weeks 
of positive infections in Kansas, three of those weeks were in January 
2022. We struggled to locate enough tests, staking out pharmacies and 
trading tips with friends about where to get tested.The number of resulting deaths was 
both infuriating and heartbreaking. Many Kansans died in hospital ICUs 
after refusing vaccination out of stubbornness or misinformation. Others
 died from underlying conditions that doomed them, once combined with 
the virus.The conference call of regional medical experts that month was partially and ominously titled, “From Bad to Worse.”Stites’ guests sighed and dispatched 
the latest news from their hospitals, where blood supplies were low, 
morgues were full and ventilators were tenuous.“I would start by saying that the COVID blizzard continues.”“This has been a difficult time.”“I wish we could paint a different picture, but it’s not here.”“Even when we try to prepare, it hits us pretty hard, and that’s where we are right now.”Reacting to 17 recent deaths at the 
Kansas Medical Center and staring at a nationwide map of COVID-19 cases,
 Stites observed: “This is really a difficult map to see right now. I’ve
 never seen the country all be so purple at the same time. If you look 
at Kansas and Missouri, that’s really difficult.”<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/museum/timeline/covid19.html">Also in January 2022</a>: Nationwide, the news was similar; the U.S. had almost 1 million new infections, more than any other nation.<h2>January 2023: The hope</h2>This January, however, we Kansans 
largely find ourselves less wondering what will happen next and more 
confident that the pandemic is simply over. That’s not to say that we 
are free from risk.On his most recent COVID-19 update, 
Stites said: “I think that surge that we are going to see with everyone 
inside, with the Christmas and New Year’s Eve parties and get togethers,
 we will see how that plays out.”Jennifer Schrimsher of Lawrence Memorial Hospital and Douglas County said: “COVID is still here. It still kills people.”&nbsp;&nbsp;However, the conversations between 
the medical officers on Stites’ conference call sound more reflective 
than their previous urgency.“I’m brought to a focus on how 
chronic this disease has become,” said Kevin Dishman, chief medical and 
quality officer at Stormont Vail Health in Topeka. “And we are all 
starting to use that word, which I think we are hearing both from 
doctors at academic centers and also across the state, and also now 
nationally, that the chronicity of this disease is going to be a 
challenge going forward.”Dishman said on the conference call that the Topeka media center had consistently cared for 15 to 17 COVID-19 patients recently.“If you think that, a few years ago 
we didn’t have anyone in the hospital like this,” Stites added. “And now
 10 to 15 percent of our hospital beds are taken up with one disease 
entity — one viral entity.”Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association, a nonprofit that supports student journalism throughout the state. He also teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Kansas in Lawrence.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Opinion