The Iola Register, Oct. 5, 2022

What’s Putin thinking? Tough to know for nuclear analysts

By JOHN LEICESTER The Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — Will Presi dent Vladimir Putin pull the nuclear trigger?

For Kremlin watchers try ing to figure out whether the Russian leader’s nuclear threats are just bluffs, there is no more pressing — or tough — question.

For now, analysts cautious ly suggest that the risk of Pu tin using the world’s biggest nuclear arsenal still seems low. The CIA says it hasn’t seen signs of an imminent Russian nuclear attack. Still, his vows to use “all the means at our disposal”

to defend Russia as he wag es war in Ukraine are being taken very seriously. And his claim Friday that the United States “created a precedent” by dropping atomic bombs in World War II further cranked up the nuclear stakes.

The White House has warned of “catastrophic con sequences for Russia” if Pu tin goes nuclear.

But whether that will stay Putin’s hand is anyone’s guess. Nervous Kremlin watchers acknowledge they can’t be sure what he is think ing or even if he’s rational and well-informed.

The former KGB agent has demonstrated an appetite for

risk and brinkmanship. It’s hard, even for Western intel ligence agencies with spy satellites, to tell if Putin is bluffing or truly intent on breaking the nuclear ta boo.

“We don’t see any prac tical evidence today in the U.S. intelligence communi ty that he’s moving closer to actual use, that there’s an im minent threat of using tactical nuclear weap ons,” CIA Di rector William Burns told

Thrift store expansion takes a detour

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

Efforts are moving for ward to expand a coun ty-owned thrift store run by a senior citizen group of volunteers, but the process has taken a few unexpected twists and turns.

The leaders of the effort will meet with a construc tion company on Friday to fi nalize plans to install a met al building on the lot.

In preparation, they’ve been moving things around. That led to a couple of com plaints about the new loca tion of a shed, which was placed at an angle in the yard south of the current building.

Dimity Lowell and Joe Hess, volunteers represent ing the Senior Citizens Inc. group, met with county com missioners on Tuesday to talk about it.

The commissioners have given the group wide lati tude about placement of the buildings after initially veto

ing their plans to cut down a tree on the lot.

That made it difficult to figure out where to put things, Hess said.

They initially wanted the

new building to sit at a 90-de gree angle to the main facil ity, roughly centered on the south side. But that would have required removal of the tree.

Instead, they’ll push that building farther to the east, with a bit of overlap that will allow visitors to trav el from the current facility straight into the entrance for the new one.

FEMA guidelines require the buildings to be set at least 5 feet apart, so that is how much space will be be tween the doors.

The new building is ten tatively planned to be 30 feet wide by 40 feet long.

It will be placed where three storage sheds have sat. The group needed to keep two of those, which had to be moved to other spaces on the lot.

Volunteers recently moved one, which led to the complaint. Lowell said the group didn’t want to block a window on the south side, which lets in sunlight and gives volunteers a view of the fenced-in yard and the highway. That view is im portant, she said, particular

Inmates often wait for mental health services

By RACHEL MIPRO Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — Local govern ment officials urged Kansas lawmakers to fund more mental health services, say ing the shortage of mental health beds is pushing un derstaffed hospitals and jails to the brink.

Larned State Hospital is the largest psychiatric fa cility in the state, used by the western two-thirds of Kansas. With a shortage of available beds there, workers at community hospitals and jails in western Kansas are picking up the slack, housing mentally unstable patients without state reimburse ment.

Cases of people deemed a danger to themselves or others are reviewed by the district attorney’s office, and they are sent to the county jail until a hospital bed is ready. Sedgwick County Dis trict Attorney Marc Bennett said the cost of housing these defendants is about $89 per day.

Bennett said he knew of one case where a man ac

Russian President Vladimir Putin TNS FILE PHOTO

Senior Citizens Inc. Thrift Store volunteer Joe Hess looks on as Dimity Lowell, who has been leading efforts to expand the store, points out the placement of a shed on the property after receiving complaints about how it is angled. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

Guiseppe Mangrella helps pull

storage

Obituary

DeWayne Vance

DeWayne Vance, age 88, of Iola, passed away Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022, at his residence. DeWayne was born Sept. 28, 1934, in Altamont, to Herman (Cy) Foster and Thelma (Brown) Foster.

DeWayne graduated in 1952 from Labette County Community High School, Altamont. He and Catherine Beetham were married July 4, 1954, in Altamont.

DeWayne was a highly skilled tool and die maker, retiring in 1999 from Haldex in Iola.

DeWayne enjoyed fishing, hunting, golfing and bowling. He was an avid sportsman who enjoyed KU basketball, Kansas City Chiefs, and Royals base ball. DeWayne was known to be very competitive in sports. He was a huge supporter of Allen Communi ty College athletics and loved watching his kids and grandkids in their sporting events. DeWayne was known to voice his opinion and make his own calls to the annoyance of the game officials. He loved his family and they loved him even more.

DeWayne was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Catherine; sister, Sharon Moore; granddaugh ter, Angel Marlow; and grandson, Shane Marlow.

DeWayne is survived by his daughter, Janet (Dan) Marlow, Parsons; son, Jeffery (Holly) Vance, Iola; grandchildren, Khrista Daum, Janelle Vance, Jacie Vance, Trey Vance, Rachel Coy, Lacy Dillow and Jordan Marlow; 19 great-grandchildren; broth er, David (Peggy) Foster, Dallas; special friend and companion, Maxine Redfern, Iola; and numerous other relatives and friends.

A visitation will be from 1 to 1:30 p.m. Thurs day, Oct. 6, followed by a funeral service at 1:30 at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, Iola. Burial will follow at 3:30 p.m. in Memorial Lawn Cemetery, Parsons.

Memorials are suggested to Allen Community College Booster Club, which may be left with the funeral home at 1883 U.S. 54, Iola.

Condolences may be left at www.feuerbornfuner al.com.

Police news

Phone found Iola police officers received a Tracfone in a black and red case that was found Sept. 27 at Iola Walmart. The phone will be kept at the Iola Police Depart ment until claimed by its owner.

Abandoned bike found

Officers recovered an abandoned gray bicycle Sept. 28 in the 100 block

of White Boulevard.

The 26-inch men’s bike can be claimed by its owner at IPD.

Parked car hit R.D. Wiles was east bound on East Street Thursday evening, and told officers he moved his car to avoid hitting an oncoming vehicle. In so doing, Wiles struck a parked car owned by Tammy Prather. Wiles was not injured.

In Ian’s wake, Florida residents wait for power

\BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) — Nearly a week after Hurricane Ian smashed into Flor ida and carved a path of destruction into the Carolinas, hundreds of thousands of people faced another warm day without electric ity Tuesday as rescu ers pressed on with their search for anyone trapped inside flooded and damaged homes.

At least 79 people have been confirmed dead from the storm: 71 in Florida, five in North Carolina and three in Cuba since Ian made landfall on the Carib bean island on Sept. 27, a day before it reached Florida.

The number of storm-related deaths has risen in recent days because of the dan gers posed by cleaning up and as search and rescue crews comb through some of in the hardest-hit areas of Florida. Officials said that as of Monday, more than 2,350 people had been rescued through out the state.

There have been deaths in vehicle wrecks, drownings and accidents. A man drowned after becom

ing trapped under a vehicle. Another got trapped trying to climb through a window. And a woman died when a gust of wind knocked her off her porch as she was smoking a cig arette as the storm was approaching, authori ties said.

In hardest hit Lee County, all 45 people killed by the hurricane were over age 50.

As floodwaters begin to recede, power resto ration has become job one.

In Naples, Kelly Sedg wick was just seeing news footage Monday of the devastation Ian had caused, thanks to power that was restored four days after the hur ricane slammed into her Gulf Coast commu nity of roughly 22,000

Loretta Lynn dies

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Loretta Lynn, the Kentucky coal min er’s daughter whose frank songs about life and love as a woman in Appalachia pulled her out of poverty and made her a pillar of country music, has died. She was 90.

In a statement pro vided to The Associat ed Press, Lynn’s family said she died Tuesday at her home in Hurri cane Mills, Tennessee.

“Our precious mom, Loretta Lynn, passed away peacefully this morning, October 4th, in her sleep at home in her beloved ranch in Hurricane Mills,” the family said in a state ment. They asked for privacy as they grieve and said a memorial will be announced lat er.

Lynn already had four children before launching her career in the early 1960s, and her songs reflected her pride in her ru ral Kentucky back ground.

As a songwriter, she crafted a persona of a defiantly tough wom an, a contrast to the stereotypical image of most female coun try singers. The Coun try Music Hall of Famer wrote fearless

ly about sex and love, cheating husbands, di vorce and birth control and sometimes got in trouble with radio pro grammers for material from which even rock performers once shied away.

Her biggest hits came in the 1960s and ’70s, in cluding “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” “The Pill,” “Don’t Come Home a Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind),” “Rated X” and “You’re Looking at Country.” She was known for ap pearing in floor-length, wide gowns with elab orate embroidery or rhinestones, many cre ated by her longtime personal assistant and designer Tim Cobb.

people. She said she was “relieved” to have her power back and praised the crews for their hard work: “They’ve done a remarkable job.”

A few miles north along the coast in Bo nita Springs, Catalina Mejilla’s family wasn’t as lucky. She was still using a borrowed gen erator to try to keep her kids and their grandfa ther cool amid the tem peratures in the typi cally humid area that reached the upper 80s.

“The heat is unbear able,” Mejilla said. “When there’s no power ... we can’t make food, we don’t have gas.” Her mother has trouble breathing and had to go to a friend’s house that

Financial Focus

had electricity. “I think they should give power to the people who are most in need.”

Ian knocked out pow er to 2.6 million custom ers across Florida after it roared ashore with 150 mph winds and a powerful storm surge.

Since then, crews have been feverishly working to restore elec tricity infrastructure. State officials said they expect power to be re stored by Sunday to customers whose power lines and other electric infrastructure is still intact.

About 430,000 homes and businesses in Flor ida were still without power early Tuesday.

Eric Silagy, Chairman and CEO of Florida Pow er & Light — the largest power provider in the state — said he under stands the frustration and that 21,000 utility workers from 30 states are working as hard as they can to restore pow er as quickly as possible. The utility expects to have power restored to 95% of its service areas by the end of the day Fri day, he said.

Should You Consolidate Retirement Accounts?

One of the rewards for working over several decades is the ability to contribute to tax-advantaged retirement accounts, which can help provide needed income for you when you do retire. As the years went by, you may well have accumulated several retirement accounts, such as IRAs and 401(k)s or similar employer-sponsored plans. But you might find it advantageous to consolidate these accounts with a single provider.

Consolidating them can provide you with several potential benefits, including these:

• Less confusion and clutter – If you have multiple accounts in different locations, it may be difficult to keep track of tax documents, statements, fees, disclosures and other important information. Consolidating accounts could help provide clear, simplified account maintenance.

• Less likelihood of “lost accounts” – It may be hard to believe, but many people abandon their retirement accounts, leaving thousands of dollars behind and unclaimed.

In fact, at the end of 2021, there were nearly 25 million forgotten 401(k) accounts, worth about 20% of all 401(k) assets, according to an estimate by Capitalize, a financial services company that helps individuals roll over retirement plan assets into new accounts. It’s possible that employers can even move small, old accounts out of their 401(k) plans and into an IRA on behalf of their former employees, thus increasing the chances that savers will lose track of their money. By consolidating your retirement plans with one provider, you can ensure you don’t lose track of your hard-earned money.

• Ability to follow a unified strategy – With multiple retirement accounts, and different investment portfolios, you might find it difficult to maintain a unified financial strategy that’s appropriate for your goals and risk tolerance. But once you’ve consolidated accounts with a single provider, you’ll find it easier to manage your investment mix and to rebalance your portfolio as needed. The need to rebalance may become more important as you near retirement because you may want to shift some of your assets into investments that aren’t as susceptible to swings in the financial markets.

• Possible improvement in investment options –Often, 401(k)s may have limited investment selection, so consolidating accounts with a full-service firm may allow for a wider array of products and strategies. This broader exposure can potentially help you improve your overall retirement income strategies.

• Greater ease in calculating RMDs – Once you turn 72, you will need to start taking withdrawals — called required minimum distributions, or RMDs — from your traditional IRA and your 401(k) or similar plan. If you don’t take out at least the minimal amount, which is based on your age and account balance, you could face a penalty. If you have several accounts, with different providers, it could be cumbersome and difficult to calculate your RMDs — it will be much easier with all accounts under one roof.

So, if you do have multiple retirement accounts, give some thought to consolidating them. The consolidation process is not difficult, and the end result may save you time and hassles, while also helping you manage your retirement income more effectively.

DeWayne Vance

Aerial photo of damage in the aftermath of Hurri cane Ian on Thursday in Fort Myers. TNS

Putin: As his military effort falters, nuclear danger grows

“What we have to do is take it very seriously, watch for signs of actu al preparations,” Burns said.

Kremlin watchers are scratching their heads in part because they don’t see how nuclear force could greatly help reverse Russia’s mili tary losses in Ukraine.

Ukrainian troops aren’t using large con centrations of tanks to wrest back ground, and combat is sometimes for places as small as villag es. So what could Rus sian nuclear forces aim for with winning effect?

“Nuclear weapons are not a magic wand,” said Andrey Baklitskiy, a senior researcher at the U.N.’s Institute for Disarmament Research, who specializes in nu clear risk. “They are not something that you just employ and they solve all your problems.”

Analysts hope the taboo that surrounds nuclear weapons is a disincentive. The hor rific scale of human suffering in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the U.S. destroyed the Jap anese cities with atom

ic bombs on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, 1945, was a pow erful argument against a repeat use of such weapons. The attacks killed 210,000 people.

No country has since used a nuclear weap on. Analysts guess that

even Putin may find it difficult to become the first world leader since U.S. President Harry Truman to rain down nuclear fire.

“It is still a taboo in Russia to cross that threshold,” said Dara

Massicot, a senior poli cy researcher at RAND Corp. and a former ana lyst of Russian military capabilities at the U.S. Defense Department.

“One of the biggest decisions in the history of Earth,” Baklitskiy said.

The backlash could turn Putin into a global pariah.

“Breaking the nu clear taboo would im pose, at a minimum, complete diplomatic and economic isola tion on Russia,” said Sidharth Kaushal, a researcher with the Royal United Ser vices Institute in London that special izes in defense and security.

Long-range nu clear weapons that Russia could use in a direct conflict with the United States are battle-ready. But its stocks of warheads for shorter ranges — so-called tactical weapons that Putin might be tempted to use in Ukraine — are not, analysts say.

“All those weapons are in storage,” said Pavel Podvig, anoth er senior researcher who specializes in nuclear weapons at

the U.N.’s disarmament think tank in Geneva.

“You need to take them out of the bunker, load them on trucks,” and then marry them with missiles or other delivery systems, he said.

Russia hasn’t re leased a full inventory of its tactical nuclear weapons and their capa bilities. Putin could or der that a smaller one be surreptitiously readied and teed up for surprise use.

But overtly removing weapons from storage is also a tactic Putin could employ to raise pressure without using them. He’d expect U.S. satel lites to spot the activity and perhaps hope that baring his nuclear teeth might scare Western powers into dialing back support for Ukraine.

“That’s very much what the Russians would be gambling on, that each escalation pro vides the other side with both a threat but (also) an offramp to negotiate with Russia,” Kaushal said.

He added: “There is a sort of grammar to nuclear signaling and brinksmanship, and a logic to it which is more than just, you know, one

madman one day de cides to go through with this sort of thing.”

Analysts also expect other escalations first, including rampedup Russian strikes in Ukraine using non-nu clear weapons.

“I don’t think there will be a bolt out of the blue,” said Nikolai Sokov, who took part in arms control negotia tions when he worked for Russia’s Foreign Ministry and is now with the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation.

Analysts also strug gle to identify battlefield targets that would be worth the huge price Putin would pay. If one nuclear strike didn’t stop Ukrainian advanc es, would he then attack again and again?

Podvig noted the war does not have “large con centrations of troops” to target.

Striking cities, in hopes of shocking Ukraine into surrender, would be an awful alter native.

“The decision to kill tens and hundreds of thousands of people in cold blood, that’s a tough decision,” he said. “As it should be.”

Putin might be hoping that threats alone will slow Western weapon supplies to Ukraine and buy time to train 300,000 additional troops he’s mobilizing, triggering protests and an exodus of service-aged men.

But if Ukraine con tinues to roll back the invasion and Putin finds himself unable to hold what he has taken, ana lysts fear a growing risk of him deciding that his non-nuclear options are running out.

“Putin is really elim inating a lot of bridges behind him right now, with mobilization, with annexing new territo ries,” said RAND’s Mas sicot.

“It suggests that he is all-in on winning this on his terms,” she added. “I am very concerned about where that ulti mately takes us — to in clude, at the end, a kind of a nuclear decision.”

Expansion: Thrift store plans

Continued from A1

ly after someone who is homeless started using the property without permission for sleeping and electricity.

But the angle of the building’s placement is a bit unusual.

County custodian Ron Holman said he received a couple of complaints “about the way it looks going down State Street. It looks out of place.”

Commissioner Bruce Symes said he also was surprised by the place ment, but didn’t ask the group to make any changes.

“It is cattywampus but it doesn’t cause me discomfort to look at it,” he said.

Commissioners sug gested the group add a special kind of weave to the chain link fence that

would provide more pri vacy.

They also approved Lowell’s request to or der a set of double-doors that would be cut into the southeast corner of the current building, allowing it to match up with the new building.

The group will need

donations to buy the doors and have set up a fund at area business es and Emprise Bank. To donate at the bank, ask for the money to go to the Iola Senior Citi zens Inc. The group also plans to have a booth at Farm/City Days and an entry in the parade.

A storage shed at the Senior Citizens Inc. Thrift Store was placed at an angle so as not to block a window on the south side of the original building.

John Lowell moves gravel for the pad of a storage shed as part of the Iola Se nior Citizens Inc. Thrift Store expansion project. COURTESY PHOTOS

US job openings sink as economy slows, cost to borrow rises

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of available jobs in the U.S. plummeted in Au gust compared with July as businesses grow less desper ate for workers, a trend that could cool chronically high inflation.

That is good news for the Federal Reserve in its efforts to bring down high prices without plunging the econo my into a recession. The gov ernment jobs report released Tuesday also showed that layoffs remained historically low, even after a modest in crease in August. And overall hiring was essentially un changed that month.

Altogether, the data sug gested that even as compa nies take down job postings, they aren’t cutting workers or slamming the brakes on adding jobs.

“Employers are thinking

about who they don’t need to hire, but not thinking about who they need to lay off,” said Layla O’Kane, a senior economist at labor analytics firms Lightcast.

There were 10.1 million ad vertised jobs on the last day of August, the government said Tuesday, down a huge 10% from 11.2 million open ings in July. In March, job openings hit a record of near ly 11.9 million.

The report pushed major U.S. markets higher because it is a potential sign that the Fed could slow its rapid pace of rate hikes, though most economists said that it would take more than one report to change the Fed’s trajectory. The U.S. releas es critical data on monthly em ployment on Friday.

The Dow Jones Industri al Average added to its early gains and jumped nearly 770 points, or 2.5%, in mid-morn

ing trading.

The report on job openings followed news that Australia’s central bank made an inter est rate hike that was smaller than its previous increases, a rare sign of moderation as central bankers around the world rapidly boost rates to fight rising prices.

In their effort to combat the worst inflation in 40 years, the Fed has rapidly raised its key short-term interest rate to a range of 3% to 3.25%, up sharply from nearly zero as recently as March.

Federal Reserve officials are hoping to reduce the de mand for workers by raising rates, which pushes up the cost of mortgages, auto loans, and borrowing for business es. While workers typically welcome larger raises, the Fed sees the current pace of wage increases — at about

6.5% a year, according to some measures — as unsus tainably high and a key driv er of inflation.

Chair Jerome Powell and other Fed officials hope that their interest rate hikes — the fastest in roughly four decades — will cause em ployers to slow their efforts to hire more people. Fewer job openings should reduce the pressure on companies to raise pay to attract and keep workers. Smaller pay raises, if sustained, could ease infla tionary pressures.

“This helps bring that in flation pressure down and reassures the Fed that may be there is a road out of this without dramatically push ing up the unemployment rate,” said Derek Tang, an economist at LHMeyer, an economic research firm.

Powell has warned that

the central bank’s rate hikes will likely lead to higher un employment and potentially a recession. Still, he and oth er Fed officials have held out hope for what they call a “soft landing” — in which the econ omy slows enough to curb in flation but not so much as to cause a recession.

Christopher Waller, a mem ber of the central bank’s Board of Governors, has ar gued that the Fed’s rate hikes may be able to reduce job openings and therefore infla tion pressures without caus ing widespread job losses. But former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers and former IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard have written that such an outcome is unlikely, based on past trends. When job openings fall, layoffs and unemployment typically rise, they found.

Inmates: Many wait months for mental health services

Continued from A1

cused of murder was deemed mentally in competent. The judge ordered the man to go to Larned in July 2021, but he was kept in the Sedg wick County jail until his admittance on June 22, 2022.

“The issue is that there are insufficient beds at Larned State Hospital,” Bennett said in testimony submitted to the Sept. 29 Special Committee on Mental Health Beds, asking leg islators to resolve the issue.

Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeffrey Easter also urged lawmakers to create more men tal health beds, saying that the county had 36 inmates waiting for a mental health facility, with an average wait time of around five and half months for each in mate to be placed.

One inmate has been waiting for more than a year to be sent to the Larned Mental Health Facility. Easter said the inmate was paralyzed from the waist down and had a history of self-harm. The inmate has been sent to the hospital more than 10 times for self-inflicted wounds.

While he is re strained, Easter said the system didn’t have the resources to treat him properly, especially since a staffing shortage at the jail meant they had to take away the in mate’s 24-hour surveil lance.

“We have taken all sharp objects from him,

but he still finds an item to cause paper cuts that then become infected,”

Easter said. “Recently, we had to take the one deputy away due to ex tremely low staffing.

The inmate has started to cut himself again, mainly utilizing his fin gernails or the medical bed we provide for him, while housed in our 24 hour staffed clinic.”

Around 30% to 33% of the inmate popula tion have some sort of mental illness, Easter said.

“Sedgwick County needs these additional beds to take pressure off the overwhelmed state hospitals but would also create a quicker avenue for mental health evalu ations to take place and restoration of charged inmates,” Easter said.

In Finney County, au

thorities are also strug gling to address inmate’s mental health needs, working with limited resources and a short age of 12 officers in the jail.

Lon Pishny, chair of the Finney County Board of Commission ers, said inmates in the county have a wait time of three to nine months for mental health evalu ations or transferral to state-operated mental facility.

About 80% of inmates suffer from mental ill ness, drug addiction or both, Pishny estimated. One inmate has been waiting for a court-or dered mental health evaluation since August of 2021.

Finney County has an annual budget allo cation of about $190,000 for addressing mental health concerns, with

$150,000 spent on ser vices from the county’s contracted behavioral health agency. About $40,000 is allocated in the sheriff’s annual bud get for mental health services, to be added to the county’s contract with the firm that pro vides health care for the inmates.

Pishny said the coun ty needed state assis tance to help overbur dened county jails.

“There are ‘costs’ not directly reflected in a fi

nancial budget, such as human capital costs, due to emotional stress and physical abuse suffered particularly by our jail ers, who have been spit upon, urinated upon and physically injured by inmates impaired by mental illness,” Pishny said. “These jailers are not trained, nor expect ed to be, mental health counselors.”

To fix this budgetary drain, some want law makers to create a re imbursement program.

Audrey Dunkel, vice president of govern ment relations for the Kansas Hospital Asso ciation, asked the Leg islature to allocate $5 million annually to pay hospitals, law enforce ment and local govern ments for costs related to behavioral health pa tients.

Dunkel said under staffed hospitals were being further drained by having to assign staff to mental health patients.

“Medical staff, law en forcement officers and others must take time away from doing their jobs caring for other patients and protecting the community, result ing in overtime costs and an overstressed system in communities where hospitals and law enforcement are shortstaffed,” Dunkel said.

Earlier this year, the American Civil Liber ties Union of Kansas filed a lawsuit against the state over delays in mental health evalu ations at Larned. The lawsuit said individu als who face criminal charges have had to wait behind bars for as long as 13 months before getting a pretrial com petency evaluation.

With a shortage of available beds at Larned State Hospital, local governments have to make accommoda tions for mentally unstable patients. KANSAS REFLECTOR SCREEN CAPTURE FROM KDADS VIDEO

Mounting threats against Congress a danger to all

“I wouldn’t be surprised if a senator or House mem ber were killed.” That was the chilling comment from Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) about escalating threats of violence and other intimidat ing acts against members of Congress. We would like to think the senator was being hyperbolic, but it’s hard to look at the surge in violent threats and confrontations and not fear the worst. The nation’s lawmakers should be safe. A good starting point would be for Republican leaders to unequivocally de nounce those in their party who have helped create this increasingly dangerous real ity.

A recent New York Times report detailed a rise in re corded threats against mem bers of Congress and an accompanying trend of dis turbing in-person confronta tions. Political violence has occurred throughout U.S. history, but what is new in modern times — and alarm ing — is its journey from the fringes to center stage, thanks largely to the danger ous rhetoric of former presi dent Donald Trump. Accord ing to the Times, in the five years after Mr. Trump was elected in 2016, following a campaign marked by his vir ulent discourse, the number of threats recorded by the Capitol Police against mem bers of Congress increased more than tenfold, to 9,625 in 2021; the first quarter of 2022 saw 1,820 cases opened.

Members of Congress from both parties have been tar geted, but the Times’s review showed that more than a third of the threats were made by Republican or pro-Trump in dividuals against Democrats or Republicans seen as dis loyal to Mr. Trump. Nearly a quarter were made by Demo crats targeting Republicans, while party affiliations could not be determined in the oth er cases. Particularly vulner able are lawmakers of color.

The increasing threats

— along with disturbing in cidents of members of Con gress being personally con fronted and harassed — have caused many members to hire their own security pro tection, using their official or campaign accounts. The Times analysis showed they spent more than $6 million on security since the start of last year, and that’s in addition to what the Capitol Police spent.

THE THREATS — and the feeling of danger some members of Congress still feel after the Jan. 6, 2021, at tack on the Capitol by Trump supporters — has changed the way some lawmakers ap proach their job. Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) told the Hill that he took the congres sional license tags off his car because he didn’t want to be identified publicly and be come the target of an attack. There are other insidious ef fects: creating more distance between elected representa tives and those they serve, discouraging some people from entering public service, encouraging those who see politics as blood sport and use violent rhetoric to mobi lize their base.

Which, of course, leads back to Mr. Trump and his latest, reckless attack on Sen ate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) “He has a DEATH WISH,” Mr. Trump wrote on his social media website, Truth Social, attack ing Mr. McConnell for failing to oppose Democrats with enough intensity. Republi cans at every level should have condemned not only Mr. Trump’s apparent incitement to violence but also a racist swipe against Elaine Chao, Mr. McConnell’s wife, which the former president added to his poisonous statement. Instead, apologists such as Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) made excuses about what he really meant to say. Make no mis take: Mr. Trump’s message came across loud and clear.

— The Washington Post

Animals are sentient beings, too

By HEATHER RALLY, DVM People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals/ TNS

A recent study by Japa nese researchers observing that dogs cry happy tears when reuniting with their guardians should surprise no one. Science long ago proved that dogs, like all animals, experience a full range of emotions, includ ing joy, sorrow, empathy, grief and doubt. The evi dence is both academic and empirical.

Elephants repeatedly return to the graves of de ceased loved ones to pay their respects. Rats giggle when they’re tickled. Crows hold grudges when they see others who have offended them — even years later.

Captive rhesus monkeys refused to pull a switch to obtain food if it meant an other monkey would receive a shock — even when they were hungry. And when giv en the choice between feast ing on chocolate or saving a drowning companion, rats chose the latter.

Video footage of a bullock carefully nudging an over turned tortoise until the reptile flipped upright gar nered millions of views on line. A bear at the Budapest

Zoo was filmed gently pluck ing a drowning crow out of the water, carefully placing the bird on the ground and then going about his busi ness. Dogs — and cats — routinely alert their guard ians to house fires.

Animals often express their feelings very clear ly. Mother cows and their calves bawl inconsolably when they’re separated so that people can steal the milk.

Researchers have found that — just like us — dol phins love to gossip and gab. Those clicks and whistles are complex conversations, sharing news, relaying im portant tips, such as plenti ful fishing spots, or express ing concern for an ill friend.

Individuals within a pod of orcas all communicate with one dialect, and they can communicate with indi viduals in other pods, who have their own dialect. The pods make up larger groups called clans, and the lan guages of the clans are as different as Russian is to Arabic.

Wild parrots use unique calls to name their babies, who are then instantly iden tifiable. When hearing a name called, other parrots can distinguish gender as well as the mate and family that the parrot belongs to,

Vaping needs stricter regulations

Despite the proven health risks in vaping — inhaling misted nicotine — e-ciga rette companies have mar keted it as a healthier alter native to cigarettes.

But there’s nothing healthy about vaping. It ex poses users to cancer-caus ing chemicals and metals that are toxic to their lungs, as well as seriously addic tive levels of nicotine. Us ers may experience mood swings, coughing, wheez ing, nausea, vomiting, head ache and dizziness.

Over the past two de cades, unregulated mar keting has boosted vaping among young people. Juul, owned in part by tobacco gi ant Altria, has marketed ag gressively in supermarkets, convenience stores and on social media. Particularly pernicious is its targeting the advertising of sugary, sweet flavor pods directly to minors.

E-cigarette companies must be held accountable.

In September, Juul, the country’s largest e-ciga

rette company, agreed to a $438 million settlement to 33 states over marketing its products to underage teens.

As part of that settlement, Juul has agreed to refrain from a host of marketing practices, in cluding using cartoons, pay ing social me dia influenc ers, depicting people under 35, advertising on billboards and public transporta tion, and plac ing ads in any outlets unless 85% of their audiences are adults. The deal also includes restric tions on where Juul prod ucts may be placed in stores, and age verification on all sales.

vaping company doing busi ness in Pennsylvania.

There’s nothing healthy about vaping. Inhaling misted nico tine exposes users to cancer-causing chem icals and metals that are toxic to the lungs.

In Pennsylvania it’s il legal to purchase tobacco products, including the car tridges, under the age of 21. It’s also illegal in Alleghe ny County to vape in indoor spaces where smoking is al ready banned, such as restau rants. State legislators ought to ex pand such a ban statewide.

The Food and Drug Ad ministration was slow to regulate vaping; research hasn’t yet pointed toward a clear solution.

panies, even suggested that teens turned to convention al cigarettes faster when the cartridges weren’t available.

Restrictions on how e-cig arette companies market va ping products, however, and forcing them to fund public awareness campaigns on the dangers of vaping, are prudent ways to safeguard public health.

According to a national report released earlier this year by the American Lung Association, 27% of high school students use a tobac co product, such as e-ciga rettes or chewable tobacco.

just as we can when some one calls for “Mrs. John Smith.” Sometimes we can understand these keenly in telligent birds. Neighbors in one Florida neighborhood called the police when they thought they heard a wom an screaming, “Help! Help! Let me out!” but it turned out to be a parrot.

When a kitten companion of Koko, the gorilla who had been taught American Sign Language, got tired of play ing with her, Koko would sign, “Obnoxious. Cat.” But when she was told that the kitten had been killed af ter getting hit by a car, she whimpered and cried and signed, “Sleep. Cat.”

It has now been unequiv ocally established that an imals aren’t “things” to exploit but rather living, breathing, feeling beings who have families, inter ests, intelligence and emo tions. To believe otherwise is speciesist. And as our society continues to evolve and reject that mindset, we will finally look back with shame for once having viewed animals as inferior to us.

About the writer: Heath er Rally is a senior veteri narian with People for the Ethical Treatment of Ani mals (PETA).

A look back in t me. A look back in t me.

70 Years Ago October 1952

Mr. and Mrs. H. McAtee of Pratt announced they have leased the former St. John’s Hospital east of Iola and will convert it into a nurs ing home. It is being leased from Dr. Frank Lenski, who bought it last year when it was closed by the Sisters of St. Joseph and kept it in op eration until the new Allen County Hospital opened in August. The McAtees said the home should accommo date about 50. The couple have been operating a small er home in Pratt. Mrs. McA tee is a registered nurse.

Pennsylvania, which is not a part of that settle ment, is pursuing its own lawsuit. Meantime, the mar keting restrictions approved by Juul should apply to any

Some states, including California, have experimented with banning flavored pods, thought to attract young consumers. Research suggests, howev er, the ban had no impact on the number of underage kids vaping. Some studies, not funded by tobacco com

Molly Pisciottano, advo cacy director of the Amer ican Lung Association of Pennsylvania, called e-cig arettes the state’s “biggest challenge,” as Pennsylva nia earned another failing grade from the association on curbing tobacco use.

Pennsylvania has no more important asset than its young people’s health. It must do a better job of pro tecting it.

— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The building at the corner of Madison and South Street formerly occupied by the Kinman Music Store, will be converted into a new home for Cooksey’s Drug Store. Thomas Bowlus owns the building. Cooksey now oper ates his drug store across the street from the Bowlus build ing. Cooksey first opened a drug store in Iola about 20 years ago. He moved into his present location in 1938.

Animals often express their feelings very clearly.

Well-known, polarizing Kris Kobach faces newcomer Chris Mann

By DYLAN LYSEN Kansas News Service

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas — The final challenge for Republi can Kris Kobach’s politi cal rebound may depend on how strongly Kansas voters feel about nation al Democrats and how much they fear a liber al agenda seeping into their state.

Or it may hinge on how they perceive his firebrand reputation that made him a polariz ing, national figure.

After losing a run for governor four years ago and the Republican pri mary for a U.S. Senate seat two years ago, Ko bach returns to Kansas voters with the same hot-button issues and a plea to be their attorney general.

He promises to make a nuisance of himself to the Democrat in the White House.

“And we will win,” Kobach said. “I’ll wake up every morning hav ing my breakfast think ing about what our next lawsuit against Joe Biden is going to be.”

But in a state where Republicans dominate, Kobach is in many ways campaigning against himself and how some Kansas voters love to loathe him.

His opponent, Dem ocrat Chris Mann, has kept the race close by capitalizing on anti-Ko bach sentiment and focusing on the tradi tionally bland state is sues the state’s lawyer normally concentrates on. He’s also touting his background as a former police officer, one-time prosecutor and a private attorney.

The relatively un known candidate points to Kobach’s high-profile failures, like his voter registration ID law that was struck down in fed eral court. Kobach’s de fense of that law cost the state nearly $2 mil

Hollywood sign gets makeover

LOS ANGELES (AP)

—

The Hollywood sign is getting a makeover befitting its status as a Tinseltown icon.

After a pres sure-wash and some rust removal, workers this week began using 250 gallons of prim er and white paint to spruce up the sign ahead of its centennial next year.

The entire renova tion effort is expect ed to take up to eight weeks.

Originally built in 1923, the sign read “Hollywoodland” to promote a property de velopment.

But after decades of neglect, the original sign was shortened to read “Hollywood” and then was replaced alto gether with a new sign in 1978.

“It’s now represent ing not only the place of Hollywood, but it signifies the entertain ment industry, and LA is the entertainment capital of the world,” Jeff Zarrinnam with the Hollywood Sign Trust said Monday.

lion and resulted in a federal judge ordering him to take remedial law classes.

“My opponent, Kris Kobach, has already proven he’s a threat to democracy in Kansas,” Mann said. “The last thing that Kansans need is a politician like Kris Kobach.”

Kobach attaches Mann’s candidacy to a leftist agenda and other national Democrat poli cies Kansans generally oppose, like lowering bail bond costs for al leged criminals.

But the Republican establishment didn’t back Kobach in the GOP primary. As beloved as he is among grassroots Republicans, he’s a bit of a boogeyman to Dem ocrats and many moder ates.

Groups that almost al ways back Republicans are drifting away, leav ing the reliably conser vative candidate to see if he can win mostly on his own.

Kris Kobach Republican Kris Ko bach’s bid for Kansas attorney general may hinge on how voters per ceive his firebrand rep utation that made him a polarizing, national figure.

Kobach has made a political career out of two main issues — ille gal immigration and his unsubstantiated claims that voter fraud is a widespread problem.

But those issues are no longer just Kobach’s politics. Former Pres ident Donald Trump helped make them mainstream Republican talking points.

If elected, Kobach will be able to pursue those issues as the state’s law yer. But his laser focus on them appears to have waned, and his new tar get is stopping national Democrats to protect Kansans from federal laws they hate. He’s al ready sued Biden’s ad ministration twice as a private attorney on be half of groups challeng ing COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Michael Smith, a po litical scientist at Em poria State University, said the shift may be best for what an attor ney general has the au thority to do. But it also shows Kobach’s oft-used campaign material has moved into the political mainstream.

“The allegations of voter fraud have kind of developed a life of their own,” Smith said. “So Kobach is still trying to

get a handle on this.”

But his focus on na tional topics still reso nates with many Kan sans.

Marisel Walston, chair for the Johnson County Republican Par ty, said before the pri mary election that Ko bach’s stances on issues were very well known, making it easier for vot ers to understand where he stands. That may have helped him win a three-way race in the primary election with less than 50% of the vote. He overcame state Sen. Kellie Warren, who had the backing of the state’s Republican lead ership.

After that victory, Ko bach said he didn’t need the establishment’s backing.

“It shows the ordinary voters of our state,” Ko bach said, “will not be told who is going to rep resent them.”

Chris Mann Democrat Chris Mann is keeping his campaign for Kansas at torney general focused on state issues and his background as a former police officer and prose cutor.

Mann has never run for office before. He was injured while serving as

a Lawrence police offi cer when a drunk driver struck him with a car.

The injury led him to give up on that career to become a lawyer. He first was a prosecutor in Wyandotte County, trying cases from drunk driving to murder. He later moved to private practice as a criminal defense and personal in jury lawyer in the Kan sas City area.

Mann says he wants to be attorney general to help ordinary Kan sans rather than use the office for hot-button political fights. One of the issues he says he’ll focus on is consumer fraud that targets elder ly Kansans.

Mann said he will also try to stop federal laws infringing on the rights of Kansans, particular ly the business and ag riculture communities. Even if those laws come from Democrats.

“I will protect Kan sans rights no matter who is in the adminis tration,” Mann said. “I will make sure that we are protected from over reach when necessary, but I won’t be asserting my political agenda in that.”

Close race Leading up to the pri

mary election, critics often said Kobach was vulnerable to lose to a Democrat. He’s done it before, handing the gov ernorship to Democrat Laura Kelly in 2018.

Two years later, that loss was used against him when Republicans chose Roger Marshall to be a U.S. Senator over him. The lingering ef fect of those losses con tinues to hamper his ability to drum up sup port.

A recent KSN and The Hill poll conducted by Emerson College shows Kobach and Mann es sentially tied.

Kobach earned a high-profile endorse ment for conservative U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, who said Kobach is the state’s best chance to battle against a woke federal government.

But well-known con servative groups aren’t so sure. The Kansas Livestock Association is backing Mann, noting his focus on state crimes like livestock theft. The Kansas Farm Bureau is staying out of the race, according to the Sun flower State Journal. And the Kansas Cham ber of Commerce, usu ally a nearly automatic backer of Republicans, backed Warren in the primary and has not yet announced an endorse ment for the general election.

Smith said the race is close because even conservatives could be tiring of Kobach’s com bative style.

“I can easily see,” Smith said, “someone who voted for Donald Trump, who doesn’t regret voting for Don ald Trump and would vote for Donald Trump again, saying, ‘Yeah, but Kobach just lost too many elections. I think it’s time to give some body else a chance.’”

Election day is Nov. 8. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 18.

Democrat Chris Mann, left, and Republican Kris Kobach. KANSAS NEWS SERVICE

Sports Daily B

Waters, Royals take down Guardians in extras

By BRIAN DULIK The Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) —

Rookie Drew Waters belted a three-run homer off Kirk McCarty in the 10th inning, sending the Kansas City Royals to a 5-2 victory over the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians on Monday night.

Waters’ third home run in four games landed on the porch in left field, scoring automatic runner Nicky Lopez and Michael A. Taylor. The 23-year-old outfielder went 2 for 4 with four RBIs as Kansas City won for the second time in seven games.

“I wasn’t trying to hit a homer, I was just trying to make contact and get the guy in from third,” said Waters, who has four of his five homers against the Guardians. “But it was a dead-red fastball and I happened to have some good luck.”

Cleveland has won 11 of 14 and is an MLB-best 22-6 since Sept. 5. The Guardians will host either Tampa Bay or Seattle in a best-of-three wildcard series beginning Friday.

Closer Scott Barlow (7-4) pitched a scoreless ninth and Taylor Clarke worked the 10th, earning his third save. McCarty (4-3) allowed three runs, two earned, in two innings.

“How about Drew Waters? He’s been all-in and the guys have a lot of fun with him,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “He enjoys the competition and is just an intelligent, exciting player.”

Kansas City right-hander Zack Greinke, who is headed into free agency, went six innings, allowing one earned run and one unearned run.

The 39-year-old struck out

one, threw three wild pitches, and stabbed a liner by Owen Miller that was headed for his face.

Greinke ranks 20th all-time with 2,882 strikeouts and is tied for 73rd with 223 wins, but remained non-committal about his future in the sport.

“I don’t know for sure what’s going to happen,” Greinke said. “I don’t know at the moment. We do like the city

and (the franchise) has treated me and my family really good this year. Professionally, it’s been an enjoyable season.”

Regardless of where, and if, Greinke pitches in 2023, his manager knows where he will eventually end up.

“No question, he’s headed to the Hall of Fame,” Matheny said.

Bobby Witt Jr. singled and

stole his AL rookie-best 30th base for Kansas City, but also committed a fielding error in the sixth that permitted Cleveland to tie the game.

Oscar Gonzalez and Will Brennan had two hits apiece for the Guardians. Brennan is batting .351 with one homer and seven RBIs in 10 games since his Sept. 21 recall from Triple-A Columbus.

“Good young players grow, and you kind of see it right in front of your eyes,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. “It’s very satisfying.”

Triston McKenzie, who will start the second game of the wild-card series for Cleveland, allowed one run in five innings. The right-hander struck out four without a walk, completing his regular season with an 11-11 record and 2.96 ERA.

“I tried to use tonight as a tester, just trying to get my mind right for the playoffs,” McKenzie said. “There are a lot of nerves for everybody, even moving into this last stretch of games before the playoffs.”

ONE OF A KIND

Former AL Cy Young winner Greinke, who broke into the majors with Kansas City in 2004, signed a one-year contract on March 16. He made his 500th career start on June 29 against Texas and threw

Quality, business of hockey booming Griner appeal set for

By STEPHEN WHYNO The Associated Press

Cale Makar won the Stanley Cup and earned playoff MVP honors after a season in which he was voted the NHL’s best defenseman.

He may be the best hockey player in the world, and still he looks around at Connor McDavid, Patrick Kane, Auston Matthews and Colorado teammate Nathan MacKinnon and marvels at all the talent.

“I just hope it’s fun for fans to watch,” Makar said. “It’s a great time for hockey.”

Hard to argue with that. The NHL is coming off its highest-scoring season in decades and a Cup final between the Avalanche and back-toback champion Tampa Bay Lightning that was a showcase of the best playoff hockey can deliver.

Thanks to an unprecedented level of skill and speed on the ice, business is booming going into what’s expected to be the league’s first full season on a normal schedule since before the pandemic.

“The speed of the game has never been faster,” McDavid said. “And I think offensively the game has never been as dynamic. Not to knock on any other eras or anything like that but I just think that the skill is pretty wild right now in the NHL, and it’s fun to be part of.”

McDavid, Edmonton’s captain, set career highs with 44 goals, 79 assists and 123 points and still wasn’t the

MVP. That’s because Toronto’s Auston Matthews scored 60, the most in an NHL season since Alex Ovechkin’s 65 in 2007-08.

Matthews scored the most, but he certainly wasn’t alone.

The total of 6.3 goals per game last season is the most since 1995-96, and with a less condensed schedule, the questions follow along the line of, “Can Matthews score 65?” and “Can Ovechkin score 50 again?”

Maybe. Goaltenders beware.

“Every guy in this league can score goals,” Boston goal-

ie Jeremy Swayman said. “I have the best seat in the house some nights. It’s incredible what these players can do.”

Off the ice, players are still paying back owners for losses from the pandemic under their collective-bargaining agreement, but thanks to U.S. TV deals with ESPN and Turner Sports that began last season and other business deals, the NHL has rebounded strong. Revenue hit a record of $5.2 billion last year.

That number is expected to keep rising, and one reason is the addition of advertisements to jerseys for the first

time, the second of the four major North American men’s professional sports leagues to go that route after the NBA. Montreal captain Nick Suzuki said it’s “just the way things are going in this generation” — a give and take between hockey tradition and the need for revenue.

“It’s tough, but we’ve got to make some money back any way we can,” Chicago forward Max Domi said.

MacKinnon will become the highest-paid player in the league after signing a $100.8

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court on Monday set Oct. 25 as the date for American basketball star Brittney Griner’s appeal against her nine-year prison sentence for drug possession.

Griner, an eight-time all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was convicted Aug. 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.

The Moscow region court said it will hear her appeal.

Griner admitted that she had the canisters in her luggage, but testified that she had inadvertently packed them in haste and that she had no criminal intent. Her defense team presented written statements that she had been prescribed cannabis to treat pain.

Her February arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington, just days before Russia sent troops into Ukraine. At the time, Griner, recognized as one of the greatest players in WNBA history, was returning to Russia, where

Drew Waters (6) of the Kansas City Royals hits a three-run homer during the tenth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on Monday in Cleveland, Ohio. JASON MILLER/GETTY IMAGES/TNS

San Jose Sharks forward Thomas Bordeleau (17) plays in a game against the Colorado Avalanche during the 2022 NHL Rookie Faceo on Sunday, Sept. 17, in San Jose, Calif. ARIC CRABB/BAY AREA

Excess connective tissue leads to outward skin conditions

DEAR DR. ROACH:

In my 40s, I developed lumps in the palm of my hands. I was diagnosed with Dupuytren’s contracture and underwent hand surgery to correct the condition.

I also noticed similar lumps in the arches of my feet, which cause no pain, so I’ve not sought treatment for my feet.

Now in my mid-60s, I have experienced a severe bend in my penis. I assume it’s Peyronie’s disease. The bend has lessened over several months.

What is the cause and connection between these phenomenon?

Should I seek treatment? — B.M.

ANSWER: All three of the conditions you

Dr. Keith Roach

mention are related to excess growth of connective tissue.

In the hand, Dupuytren’s contracture is caused by excess growth of a connective cell (called a fibroblast) in the superficial palmar fascia (fascia is thick, tough connective tissue found in many places in the body). A very similar condition in the plantar fascia (“plantar” refers to the sole of the feet) is called plantar fibromatosis (also called Ledderhose

disease).

Peyronie’s disease is also caused by excess growth of fibroblasts, with deposition of collagen plaques in the penis, causing pain and deformity of the penis. This, in turn, can cause psychological distress and sexual dysfunction.

Twenty-one percent of people with Peyronie’s also have Dupuytren’s contracture. It is thought that repeated trauma, whether to the hand, penis or foot, is a trigger for the abnormal fibroblast activity in people with a genetic predisposition.

Many men do not speak to their physician about Peyronie’s disease, so they don’t get

referred to a urologist, who can discuss the options for treatment. Treatment may include medications, injection and surgery, and referral to an expert is appropriate for all men in whom the condition is suspected.

DEAR DR. ROACH:

My wife was diagnosed with liver cancer in January. We do not know how she got it, since she does not smoke, drink or do drugs — and has no family history. She has lost about 50 pounds. She is currently receiving the immunotherapy drugs Tecentriq and Avastin. These drugs worked for a while, but now, they do not work as well. My question is,

could these drugs have caused this weight loss, since the side effects of both medications say that they could cause weight loss? What else could she take, and what could we do to help her gain weight faster? Her legs are very weak, and she has trouble walking. She has even fallen a few times. Thank you. — H.R.

ANSWER: I am very sorry for your wife’s diagnosis. Many symptoms found in people with cancer can be caused either by the cancer or by its treatment, and it can be very hard to determine which is causing the symptoms. Weight loss is an extremely common symptom in people with liver

cancer, so it may not be either of these drugs causing the problem. Even though weight loss can happen with either of the medicines she is taking, 50 pounds makes me suspect the issue is more likely the cancer itself, rather than the drug. But, of course, both might be working together.

A registered dietician can help work with you and your wife to give her nutrition advice, which normally includes tasty, high-protein, nutrientrich foods. Her cancer doctors may help with anti-nausea medicines, treating any underlying depression, and sometimes prescribing medicines to stimulate appetite.

Pujols passes Ruth for 2nd in RBI’s

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Albert Pujols hit his 703rd home run Monday night, breaking a tie with Babe Ruth for second place in career RBIs, but the St. Louis Cardinals lost to Pittsburgh 3-2 when the Pirates drew four consecutive walks in the ninth inning to force home the winning run.

The 42-year-old slugger connected off righthander Mitch Keller, pulling a two-run shot into the left-field stands to snap a scoreless tie in the sixth. It was Pujols’ 35th career home run at PNC Park, his most at any visiting ballpark.

The drive gave Pujols 2,216 RBIs, passing Ruth on the all-time list. Hank Aaron holds the record with 2,297.

“Passing Babe Ruth is a big deal,” Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said. “Seeing him hit a home run in that situation was fun to watch. You feel pretty good about where you’re at whenever he swings, and his home runs have been very meaningful.”

Pujols, who plans to retire after the season, has 24 home runs this year — his most since hitting 31 for the Los

Griner

Continued from B1

Angeles Angels in 2016. He is one of four players in major league history with 700, joining Barry Bonds (762), Aaron (755) and Ruth (714).

Pujols, who did not speak with reporters following the game, had been hitless in eight career at-bats against Keller.

“It’s an amazing time to be around him and being around this team,” Cardinals starting pitcher Jose Quintana said. “He keeps believing in his abilities. The most impressive thing is he homers, then he’s ready for the next one. He wants to keep going.”

With the score tied 2-all in the ninth, the Pirates loaded the bases when Ke’Bryan Hayes, Miguel Andujar and Rodolfo Castro drew consecutive walks from Giovanny Gallegos (3-6).

JoJo Romero relieved and walked Oneil Cruz on four pitches to end the game. It was the first walk-off plate appearance of the rookie’s career.

Before the game, the Cardinals signed Gallegos to a two-year contract worth $11 million that runs through 2024.

Yohan Ramirez (4-

1) pitched a scoreless ninth for the win.

“There were a lot of signs of resilience,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of the winning rally.

The Pirates avoided a second straight 100-loss season — at least for now — by beating the NL Central champion Cardinals for the second consecutive day.

Paul Goldschmidt led off the St. Louis sixth with a single before Pujols connected. Keller was chased after giving up two more singles in the inning.

The Pirates rallied to tie it at 2. Bryan Reynolds doubled home a run in the sixth and Jack Suwinski homered off

Andre Pallante in the eighth.

Normally a starter, Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas allowed one run in three innings of relief. He followed Quintana, who pitched three scoreless innings.

Mikolas reached the 200-inning mark, raising his season total to 202 1/3.

“It’s just a nice ending to the season to get there,” Mikolas said. “It’s a mark you don’t see a tremendous amount of guys get to anymore, so it’s always kind of nice to separate yourself from the pack.”

St. Louis used the starters in tandem as Marmol attempts to set his staff for postseason

NHL: Quality, business booming

Continued from B1 she played during the U.S. league’s offseason.

The nine-year sentence was close to the maximum of 10 years, and Griner’s lawyers argued after the conviction that the punishment was excessive. They said in similar cases defendants have received an average sentence of about five years, with about a third of them granted parole.

Before her conviction, the U.S. State Department declared Griner to be “wrongfully detained” — a charge that Russia has sharply rejected.

Reflecting the growing pressure on the Biden administration to do more to bring Griner home, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken took the unusual step of revealing publicly in July that Washington had made a “substantial proposal” to get Griner home, along with Paul Whelan, an American serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for espionage.

Blinken didn’t elaborate, but The Associated Press and other news organizations have reported that Washington has offered to exchange Griner and Whelan for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25year sentence in the U.S. and once earned the nickname the “merchant of death.”

The White House said it has not yet received a productive response from Russia to the offer.

Russian diplomats have refused to comment on the U.S. proposal and urged Washington to discuss the matter in confidential talks.

million contract extension that kicks in a year from now. He and the Avalanche are favored by FanDuel Sportsbook and other oddsmakers to win the Cup again, which rivals see as the product of talented teammates pushing each other to be better.

“Arguably, I think they’ve got the best forward, the best defenseman and a lot of guys underneath that that are unbelievable,” Anaheim forward Trevor Zegras said. “Just the talent on that team is ridiculous.”

Zegras was responsible for the most ridiculous highlight-reel play last season, alley-ooping the puck to a teammate from behind the net for a goal. Creativity is on the

rise, with stars like Matthews at the forefront of a generation of players unafraid to be themselves and stand out in a sport that has long discouraged individuality.

But it’s still hockey, the ultimate team sport where winning supersedes chasing milestones.

“As long as I’m playing well and helping the team win and we’re playing well as a team and everything, it doesn’t matter how many goals I score,” Matthews said. “Whether I score 20 goals or 100 goals, as long as those things are kind of aligning, it’s fine.”

Matthews and the Maple Leafs will again try to exorcise some playoff demons after losing six consecutive opening se-

Bowlus

ries, while McDavid and the Oilers will attempt to get past Colorado in the West. But that can’t start until the regular season wraps up in mid-April, back on schedule for the Stanley Cup to be awarded two months later.

But first, it’s time for 1,312 regular-season games, starting with San Jose and Nashville in Prague for the return of the NHL’s Global Series.

Before going to Finland in November to face the Blue Jackets, the Avalanche will raise the third championship banner in franchise history in their season opener and begin the hunt to keep the Stanley Cup in Denver.

“Nothing really changes,” MacKinnon said.

Arts

play. The Cardinals host a best-of-three wild-card series beginning Friday, and Marmol has not decided on his rotation.

“It allows us the flexibility to still start them in any game of that three-game set,” he explained before the game.

Keller allowed two runs and six hits in five innings.

PIRATES MOVES

RHP Nick Mears was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis and RHP Luis Ortiz was optioned to the same club. Ortiz made his major league debut Sept. 13 and went 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in four starts.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Cardinals: 3B Nolan Arenado was scratched from the lineup 15 minutes before the game because of a slight quadriceps strain. He might also sit out Tuesday night as a precaution. … OF Tyler O’Neill (strained left hamstring) went through a full baseball workout but the Cardinals are still uncertain if he will be ready to play by Friday. … RHP Jordan Hicks will either be activated from the injured list and pitch in Wednesday’s regular-season finale or throw a bullpen that day.

Osaka to publish book

NEW YORK (AP) — Naomi Osaka has some life lessons she’d like to share.

The tennis superstar has a deal with HarperCollins Publishers for a children’s picture book, “The Way Champs Play,” scheduled to come out Dec. 6. Illustrated by Kamala Nair, the book was arranged through Osaka’s new media company, Hana Kuma. The story is based on Osaka’s organization Play Academy, which provides grants and training for community sports organizations.

“The Way Champs Play” is Osaka’s first book.

“The leadership, confidence, teamwork, and resilience I’ve learned on the court have been so valuable to me and that’s why I am so excited about my new book, ‘The Way Champs Play,’” Osaka, 24, said in a statement released Tuesday.

Albert Pujols (5) of the St. Louis Cardinals takes a curtain call after hitting his 701st career home run on Sept. 30. DILIP VISHWANAT/TNS

NFL isn’t passing eye test on head injuries

By ARNIE STAPLETON

Associated Press

What happened in Tampa was the last thing the NFL, its players and its fanbase needed three days after Tua Tagovailoa’s horrifying head injury called into question the league’s commitment to curbing concussions.

Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate sat out the second half of Sunday night’s 41-31 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs with a concussion after colliding with a teammate and being allowed to re-enter the game.

Brate was shaken up just before halftime after catching a pass for a 9-yard gain and colliding with Bucs receiver Chris Godwin while being tackled. Brate stayed down for a few seconds before heading for the sideline, but he didn’t get off the field fast enough for Tampa

Bay to avoid a penalty for having too many men on the field on the next play.

Brate re-entered the game and was Tom Brady’s intended receiver on multiple incompletions just before halftime.

Coach Todd Bowles said after the game that Brate was in the concussion protocol but was unable to explain why he was allowed to re-enter the game with a head injury.

A day later, Bowles said it was because Brate experienced delayed symptoms of a concussion at halftime after initially complaining only of shoulder discomfort and being allowed to go back in the game.

“Broken system,” tweeted Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy, who was in attendance in his role as analyst for NBC’s “Football Night

in America.”

“I was on the sideline very close to Brate-obvious he had his bell rung,” Dungy continued. “There’s a league appointed spotter in the press box who should stop play & alert the referee. Brate shouldn’t have been allowed to return until after an evaluation. Why didn’t that happen???”

Dungy added, “Coaches, team doctors and game officials are all watching play and can all step in. But the league appointed spotter has the ability to buzz the referee, stop the game and mandate that player leave the game to be evaluated— no penalty or timeout charged to the team.”

Bowles said Monday that Brate was checked out three times before being allowed to re-enter the game with the Bucs driving for a touchdown that trimmed

Tampa Bay’s deficit to 28-17 at halftime. Brate said “nothing about his head” while complaining of shoulder discomfort, Bowles said.

The NFL’s concussion and diagnosis protocol states that potential signs of a concussion include: “Slow to get up from the ground or return to play following a hit to the head” which “may include secondary contact with the playing surface,” and “motor coordination/balance problems of neurologic etiology (stumbles, trips/falls, slow/labored movement).”

Bowels said Brate was re-examined at halftime after symptoms arose and “we kept him out the rest of the game.”

That did little to placate critics who also insist Tagovailoa never should have been allowed to suit up against the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night just

Qatar World Cup viewing boycotting

PARIS (AP) — Paris will not broadcast World Cup matches on giant screens in public fan zones amid concerns over rights violations of migrant workers and the environmental impact of the tournament in Qatar.

It follows similar moves by other French cities, despite France going in as the defending champion. Some other European teams or federations are also looking at ways to protest.

Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sports, told reporters in the French capital that the decision against public broadcasting of matches is due to “the conditions of the organization of this World Cup, both on the environmental and social level.”

He said in an interview with France Blue Paris that “air-con-

ditioned stadiums” and the “conditions in which these facilities have been built are to be questioned.”

Rabadan stressed that Paris is not boycotting the soccer tournament, but explained that Qatar’s “model of staging big events goes against what (Paris, the host of the 2024 Olympics) wants to organize.”

The move comes despite the city’s football club, Paris Saint-Germain, being owned by Qatar Sports Investments.

“We have very constructive relations with the club and its entourage yet it doesn’t prevent us to say when we disagree,” Rabadan said.

Denmark is staging its own protest: Its team jerseys at the World Cup will include a black option to honor migrant workers who died during construc-

Osaka: book

Continued from B3

“I’ve learned my greatest lessons on the court, and that’s why I started Play Academy, to ensure girls can stay in organized sports,” the four-time Grand

Slam singles champion added. “It’s proven to give them the skills they need to succeed not just in sports but in the classroom, in the boardroom, and within their communities.”

Waters: Royals win

Continued from B1

his 50,000th pitch on July 10 against Cleveland.

Known for his eccentricities, Greinke roamed the field in shorts, an oversized long-sleeve shirt and high socks on the chilly, windy afternoon.

“Zack is so unique and so real because he’s not trying to impress anybody,” Matheny said. “The young guys have used him as a resource, but the thing with him is, you better be careful what you ask because he’ll tell you.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: C Salvador Perez (left thumb soreness) missed his second straight game after feeling discomfort in his surgically repaired thumb Satur-

day. Matheny said the seven-time All-Star is being monitored and has not been ruled out for the year.

UP NEXT Royals: LHP Daniel Lynch (4-12, 4.96 ERA) seeks his first victory in his fifth career start against the Guardians. Lynch is 0-2 with an 8.66 ERA against Cleveland, including an 8-3 road loss on May 31 in which he allowed six runs in four innings.

Guardians: RHP Cal Quantrill (14-5, 3.42 ERA) can break the Progressive Field record for the longest winning streak by a pitcher. Quantrill is 13-0 in his career at the ballpark, tying him with Charles Nagy, who won 13 in a row from 1995-1996.

tion work for the tournament. And several European soccer federations want their captains to wear an armband with a rainbow heart design during World Cup games to campaign against discrimination.

A growing number of French cities are refusing to erect screens to broadcast World Cup matches to protest Qatar’s human rights record.

The mayor of Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament and the European Court of Human Rights, cited allegations of human rights abuses and exploitation of migrant workers in Qatar as the reason for canceling

public broadcasts of the World Cup.

“It’s impossible for us to ignore the many warnings of abuse and exploitation of migrant workers by non-governmental organizations,” Jeanne Barseghian said in a statement. “We cannot condone these abuses, we cannot turn a blind eye when human rights are violated.”

And then, there’s the impact on the environment, Barseghian said.

“While climate change is a palpable reality, with fires and droughts and other disaster, organizing a soccer tournament in the desert defies common sense and amounts to an ecological disaster,” she said.

four days after Miami’s quarterback came up stumbling when his head hit the ground in a game against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 25.

Tagovailoa initially seemed to exhibit concussion symptoms against Buffalo, but he was cleared by a team physician and UNC to return to the game. He and the team later explained his legs were wobbly because of a back injury.

Still, the league and its players’ union began a joint review into Tagovailoa’s quick return to the Bills game that is ongoing.

When Tagovailoa sustained a concussion four days later at Cincinnati, the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant who cleared him from entering concussion protocol against Buffalo was fired by the union, and the league and the union said

changes were needed to the concussion protocol.

The league and the NFLPA issued a statement last week that said they had made no conclusions about “medical errors or protocol violations” while the investigation is still underway. But the two added that “modifications are needed ... to enhance player safety.”

Tagovailoa’s concussion was topic No. 1 across the NFL heading into Sunday’s slate of games, and coaches across the league spoke about safety being the game’s top priority.

Then came Sunday night when Brate kept playing despite a head injury.

“IT HAPPENED AGAIN @NFL!” tweeted Chris Nowinski, a founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation who played football at Harvard.

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don’t do division.

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good

Purr-plexing choice: Cat or boyfriend

Hi Carolyn: I’ve had my cat since college (al most 10 years). I’ve been dating my boyfriend for two years, I love him more than I’ve ever loved anyone, and we’d like to move in together.

My boyfriend hates cats. Hates them. He isn’t allergic (though he used to say he was, until I insisted on a test). He does have a strong aver sion to them, probably from his family, who have some kind of be lief that they’re evil or unclean. I’ve sought to understand it but could never get a coherent ex planation out of any of them.

He jumps when the cat is in the room. And my cat is extremely af fectionate, so doesn’t understand why he can’t come sit with us and be friends.

My boyfriend is of fended I won’t give up the cat so he can move in. I’ve suggested com promises such as keep ing the cat to just one part of the apartment, but he insists he needs the cat out.

I feel the cat was here first so this is an unrea sonable ask. My boy friend feels if I really love him then nothing should take precedence over his moving in, and he now says my hesi tance is causing him to question the foundation of the entire relation ship.

I cannot imagine re homing my cat. I also can’t imagine ending my relationship. Am I being unreasonable or is he? — S. S.: “Team Cat. No question. And I don’t like cats.” That opened my first draft of this answer. But it bothered me: He’s a person, not a Kleenex, and you’re gutted by having to part with a deep love of two or 10 years. I owe you a better answer. So I sat with it for a while. (And my dogs.)

Some people love us

CRYPTOQUOTES

Carolyn Hax

best in our context, amid our own people and pets and quirks and old fur niture. Some people love us best out of our context and in theirs, with all their people and things. It’s an oversim plification but gets at a fundamental tension in some couples who re ally do love each other but also both feel worn down, uncomfortable, unsupported.

If the pair are both invested in pushing through initial discom fort to create an envi ronment together that suits them both — and strong enough to rec ognize and walk away from an impasse — then it’s worth trying to make it work.

This could be you two, except you have tried to understand him and of fered compromises (un realistic ones, maybe, involving cat-free zones, but still) — while he has shooed the cat, lied about an allergy, then, when busted, settled on emotional blackmail:

If you “really love him then” blah blah and you’re “causing him to question … the entire relationship.”

So reasonable or unis the wrong standard.

Both of you want to live in your own defini tions of comfort, rea sonably — and you don’t have to live by anyone else’s just because it’s “reasonable.”

The standard for each of you is internal and about you alone: Is a particular accommoda tion for someone else comfortable or un-? Is it healthy for you or un-?

Could you live with the choice peacefully ever after, or not? Cat, dog, city, faith, kids — could be anything.

The cat is a hairy decoy, distracting you from the serious mis take you’re poised to make: thinking about your relationship in terms of what you owe the other person. All you owe anyone is to be yourself. Respect oth ers; be you.

It’s on him to ask his own questions about liv ing with that real you. It’s on him to assume the work of living with his own answers.

For you to take respon sibility for his feelings through your actions probably feels normalcouple-y: “Should I pri oritize my cat over my partner? Of course not, obviously.” But what that really does is shift the basis of your deci sion to someone else’s emotional needs, some one else’s comfort, while suppressing the call of your own. The more he insists, then more “you” you erase.

THE question as you commit to someone is whether the relation ship meets your needs enough for you to be yourself in it, comfort able as-is, given all the things you gain and sur render in the bargain, and why. (Which is why allergies and coherence matter.)

This is not selfish ness or entitlement; it’s self-knowledge so you can come to each other freely vs. with stashed, un-sorted-through bag gage.

When you succumb to pressure, believing you owe it to the other

person to change, the old wants survive inside you. That sets up both of you — yes, him too — for the grind of an awkward fit and daily efforts to get along.

You both want each other in your own con text. It happens. But he expects you to choose his over yours, to serve his feelings without ap parent regard for yours (or the cat’s).

Don’t do it. Not with out careful thought about life with someone who assumes primacy. And who’d have you send your companion out to the curb, boxed up with the rest of your context, so you could live with him on his terms.

Yesterday’s Cryptoquote:

Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together. — Vincent Van Gogh

ZITS by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman BEETLE BAILEY by Mort Walker HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by Chris Browne FUNKY WINKERBEAN by Tom Batiuk BLONDIE by Young and Drake MARVIN by Tom Armstrong HI AND LOIS by Chance Browne

S T L K C Z R F Z C R S S N X K F R O R T W I P K W T Z O K Z C B F T C Q T W Z P K L R S S . — L . C B N Z Z L T Z H O K F R S V

Chiefs do about-face after Colts letdown

By DAVE SKRETTA The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One week after Kansas City could do little right in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs could seemingly do no wrong in a 41-31 blowout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night.

On offense, Mahomes conjured more improvisational magic in throwing for 249 yards and three touchdowns, including a did-you-seethat jump pass to Clyde Edwards-Helaire during a big first half.

And on the ground, Edwards-Helaire and Isiah Pacheco sliced through one of the league’s best run defenses to the tune of 189 yards and two more TDs.

On defense, the Chiefs held Leonard Fournette — who dominated them in a Super Bowl triumph in Raymond James Stadium less than two years ago — and the rest of the Tampa Bay running attack to 3 yards total.

“Listen, we stunk it up last week. We all knew that. We admitted it to you. We didn’t play the way we should play,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.

“The guys cleaned it up, which is important. If this becomes an ongoing issue, then you’re not going to win a lot of games. So, it was important that the guys put their foot down and did what they did.”

Even the special teams were vastly improved from the previous week, when a fumbled punt return, missed field goal, missed extra point and a series of lousy kickoff returns conspired against Kansas City in what became a 20-17 loss to the Colts.

The biggest play on Sunday night came on the opening kickoff, when the coverage team stripped the ball from Buccaneers returner Rachaad White and recovered the fumble.

The Chiefs needed just two plays for Mahomes to find Travis

Kelce in the end zone, effectively giving the Chiefs — who were due to get the kickoff to start the second half — a 7-0 head-start in the game.

It was more than that, though.

New fill-in kicker Matthew Wright hit both of his field goals and all five of his PATs while the Chiefs gave Harrison Butker another week to rest his sprained ankle. Pacheco averaged more than 30 yards on three kickoff returns. And punt returner Skyy Moore picked up 12 yards while cleanly fielding his op-

Steelers turn to rookie quarterback

PITTSBURGH (AP) —

The Kenny Pickett Era is officially underway in Pittsburgh.

The rookie quarterback will make his first career start Sunday when the Steelers visit Buffalo.

Pickett, the 20th overall pick in the draft, made his regular season debut in the second half of a 24-20 loss to the New York Jets. He

ran for two touchdowns but also threw three interceptions, including a pick late in the fourth quarter that set up New York’s game-winning drive.

Pickett replaces Mitch Trubisky, who was signed in the offseason but was benched at halftime against the Jets as coach Mike Tomlin looked for a spark.

The Steelers are en-

tering a particularly difficult part of their schedule. Pittsburgh is 1-3 heading into a stretch against teams with a combined 12-4 record, starting with a visit to 3-1 Bills.

portunities.

“We didn’t play our best football last week. And in this league if you don’t play good, you’re going to lose,” said Mahomes, who also had 34 yards scrambling. “That’s a good football team. To come to their house and find a way to score some points and find a way to win, I mean it gets you — hopefully — gets you kickstarted into the rest of this year.”

PHOTO BY KAITLYN DRAKE/MVHS

MVJH earns split

CHEROKEE — Marmaton Valley Junior High won’t have to wait long to take another swing at its opponent from Southeast Junior High School.

After cruising past Pleasanton in straight sets, the Wildcats dropped a hard-fought two-set loss to Southeast, falling 25-21 and 25-22.

“It was a great game against Southeast,” Wildcat head coach Brenda Mills said.

“We came up short at the end, but I was extremely proud of our serves, setting it up and hitting. It was an exciting two sets.”

Andie Carr led Marmaton Valley with seven points, followed by Taylen Blevins with six, Addisyn Drake with four, Jae

Beachner with three, Layla Cook with two and Emma Michael with one.

Marmaton Valley will get its shot at redemption Thursday with a home match against Southeast.

A balanced scoring attack led the Wildcats in the 25-11, 25-20 win over Pleasanton.

Michael was the high-scorer with nine points, while Beachner and Cook both scored seven and Blevins six. Carr added two and Drake one.

In B team action, Marmaton Valley won both of its matches, defeating Pleasanton 25-14 and 25-20, before knocking off Southeast in a three-set thriller, 25-14, 17-25 and 15-7. Individual statistics were unavailable.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) gets around Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Logan Ryan (26) to score a touchdown during rst half action at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday. DIRK SHADD/TNS

Marmaton Valley Junior High’s Adisyn Pritchard sets up a teammate during a match earlier this season.