The Iola Register, Dec. 31, 2022

Happy New Year!

Fire damages home under remodel

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

Iolan Gabe Walisky left his house around 11 a.m. on Thursday morning to buy groceries and stop for a quick cup of coffee when a neighbor called to tell him his house was on fire.

He thought she was joking. He’d just left there.

Minutes later, he drove up to find fire trucks surrounding his home and smoke pouring from the attic.

The house at 501 S. Walnut St. was heavily damaged by the fire. Crews were able to contain the blaze to the attic space and had it under control in about 30 minutes, Iola Fire Chief Corey Isbell said.

The cause of the fire is undetermined, Isbell said.

Most of the damage was to the attic, with light smoke and water damage to the rest of the house, Isbell said. Some of Walisky’s belongings were salvaged.

“Our crews did an excellent

Commissioners wrap up 2022, look ahead

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register

Allen County commissioners set a New Year’s resolution to be more consistent in their purchasing practices as they finalized some big-ticket endof-the-year deals and looked toward future expenses.

Commissioner Bruce Symes pointed out an inconsistency in the way commissioners approve purchasing requests. Sometimes they’ll immediately approve a request while other times ask for more bids or time for review.

A lot has to do with the way department heads submit requests.

All three commissioners took department leaders to task for submitting urgent requests with little time for review and often just one bid to consider.

The latest example came during Thursday’s final meeting of the year. Chelsie Angleton, 911 director, asked commissioners to approve $12,184 for a new server. The 911

center’s server unexpectedly went down and as it was being repaired, she learned its warranty had expired.

Earlier this month, commissioners scrambled to adapt when a contractor said he wasn’t informed about a deadline and wanted to submit a late bid, which came in about half the cost of the

lowest bid and had already been revealed publicly. Commissioners ultimately didn’t accept his bid.

Symes said he appreciates the way department leaders manage their offices and equipment, but sometimes they don’t give commissioners enough information or time to review their requests.

“I’d like to see all of us work on this bid system and just have a more comfortable feeling when it’s time to approve these requests,” he said.

Commissioner David Lee objected to Angleton’s request, noting she submitted just one bid from Advantage Computer. He said he under-

Study: Kansans had more marriages, drug-related deaths in 2021

By RACHEL MIPRO Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — Kansans had fewer homicides, more marriages and higher numbers of drug-related deaths in 2021, a recently released summary of the year’s statistics found.

Heart disease remained the leading cause of death for Kansans in 2021, followed by cancer, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s 2021 summary,

which was released Dec. 21.

“The Kansas Annual Summary of Vital Statistics report contains information on births, deaths, marriages, divorces and more,” State Registrar Kay Haug said in a news release about the summary.

“It is a valuable tool for public health program evaluation and community health assessment.”

In a review of 2021 Kansas data, there was a slight decrease in recorded deaths

and a slight increase in the birth rate. Kansas had 31,637 recorded resident deaths in 2021, compared with 31,667 deaths in 2020. The 2021 death count is significantly higher than the 2019 death count, which showed 27,312 recorded deaths, and officials attribute the difference to the effect of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, Kansas also saw the highest number of drug-related deaths recorded in the

last 20 years, with opioid cases almost doubling between 2020 and 2021. Opioids were involved in 416 of the cases, compared with 239 similar cases in 2020. The number of accidental deaths caused by drugs rose from 432 in 2020 to 635 in 2021. Psychostimulants, including amphetamine and methamphetamine cases, accounted for 277 cases in 2021.

Kansas resident deaths from suicide also rose slightly

Lawmakers eye reform for ‘tax cliff’

By TIM CARPENTER Kansas Reflector

income tax cliff applicable to retirees with more than $75,000 in annual earnings.

Under Kansas law, an individual or married couple is exempt from state income tax on Social Security benefits if federal adjusted gross income stayed under $75,000. If yearly income were to exceed that amount in Kansas, the state applies the income tax to Social Security. It’s viewed by Democrats and Republicans as an arbitrary “cliff” that treats taxpayers differently, even if the distinction was the couple of pennies between income of $74,999.99 and $75,000.01.

“It’s bad policy to have such a cliff, and it’s not good for retirees,” Kelly said.

The governor, who will be inaugurated Jan. 9 and deliver her state of the state speech Jan. 11, said the 2023 Legislature ought to raise that income tax exemption threshold to $100,000. Her proposal would cost the state treasury about $50 million over a three-year period.

Derek Schmidt, the Republican nominee for gov-

Iola firefighters climb onto the roof to extinguish a fire at the home of Gabe Walisky at 501 S. Walnut St. on Thursday morning. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

Public Works Director Mitch Garner hands information to county commissioners Jerry Daniels, from left, David Lee and Bruce Symes. Commissioners approved Garner’s request to purchase a dozer for the landfill. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS

TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly and the joint House and Senate tax committee agree the 2023 Legislature ought to work on bills addressing the state

Alfalfa sprouts recalled

OMAHA, Neb. (AP)

— A Nebraska company is recalling alfalfa sprouts sold in three states after 16 cases of salmonella were linked to the food.

SunSprouts said Thursday that its recall covers 808 pounds of sprouts that it sold to distributors in Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas in November and December. Health officials have said they linked the illnesses to alfalfa sprouts eaten at several restaurants and sold at several different grocery chains.

Neither the company nor health officials identified the restaurants and grocers that sold the sprouts that are suspected to be tainted with salmonella.

Nebraska health officials urged people not to eat alfalfa sprouts after they linked the illnesses to them. Most of the cases of salmonella were found in the Omaha area, and all of the people who became sick reported eating alfalfa sprouts between Dec. 4 and Dec. 13.

Square B 4-H talks holidays

The monthly meeting of the Square B 4-H Club was held Dec. 12 at the Kansas State University Extension office in Iola.

President Abigail Meiwes called the meeting to order. Flag salute and 4-H pledge were led by Henry Kramer and Cassie Hicks. Roll call was answered by “What do you want for Christmas?” The club sang

“Happy Birthday” to Cassie Hicks.

Recreation was a game of table toss. There were five members, two leaders, three parents and four guests present.

Secretary Carly Kramer read the minutes from the previous meeting. Henry Kramer gave his treasurer’s report. During new business, the club voted to volunteer to

help hang wreaths at the Fort Scott National Cemetery. Members then discussed 4-H day and what the club could do as a project.

The next club meeting will be Jan. 9 at the Extension office. The 4-H skate party was canceled but there was a 4-H bowling party Dec. 29 at the Erie Bowling Alley.

— Katelyn Hicks, reporter

Obituary

Margaret Jackman

Margaret Ann Jackman, 70, of Elsmore, died Monday, Dec. 26, 2022, at Allen County Regional Hospital, Iola. Margaret was born March 27, 1952, in Iola, to Willie Smith and Betty (Shepherd) Smith.

Margaret and Danny Jackman were married Dec. 26, 1970, in Uniontown.

Margaret is survived by her husband, Danny; son, Jay (Sara) Jackman, Savonburg; sisters, Cheryl (Jerry) Wallis and Nancy (Lloyd) Houk, Moran; and numerous other relatives and friends.

A visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, in The Venue at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, 1883 U.S. 54, Iola. A funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 4, in the funeral chapel. Interment will follow at Mount Moriah Cemetery, Savonburg.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to Allen County Animal Rescue Facility (ACARF), which may be left with the funeral home.

Condolences may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.

Court news

IOLA MUNICIPAL COURT

Judge Patti Boyd

Convicted as follows:

Troy A. Bland, Iola, possessing drug paraphernalia, possessing marijuana, $555, probation ordered.

Robert B. Faulkner, Colony, assault (two counts), $905, probation ordered.

Derrick T. Miller, Iola, theft, criminal damage to property, improper utility services, $795, probation ordered.

Orion Nicholas, Iola, criminal damage to property, $675, probation ordered.

Scott A. Patton, Iola, vicious animal violation, allowing dog to run at large, $375.

Jon B. Reed, Ottawa, violating protection order, obstructing law enforcement, $555, probation ordered.

Kerstin R. Rogers, Iola, driving while suspended, $665, probation ordered.

Diversion agreements:

Destiny R. Hurtado, Chanute, driving while intoxicated, improper driving on laned roadway, $1,245, Jennifer N. Kegg, Iola, driving while suspended, $515.

Putin, Xi vow closer ties as Russia bombards Ukraine again

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)

— Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping vowed Friday to deepen their bilateral cooperation against the backdrop of Moscow’s 10-month war in Ukraine, which weathered another night of drone and rocket attacks following a largescale missile bombardment.

Putin and Xi made no direct mention of Ukraine in their opening remarks by videoconference, which were broadcast publicly, before going into private talks. But they hailed strengthening ties between Moscow and Beijing amid what they called “geopolitical tensions” and a “difficult international situation,” with Putin expressing his wish to extend military collaboration.

“In the face of increasing geopolitical tensions, the significance of the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership is growing as a stabilizing factor,” said Putin, whose invasion of a neighboring country has been stymied by fierce Ukrainian resistance and Western military aid.

The Russian leader said he expected Xi to visit Moscow in the spring. Such a trip “will demonstrate to the whole world the strength of the Russian-Chinese ties on key issues, will become the main political event of the year in bilateral relations,” he said.

Putin said military cooperation has a “special place” in the relationship between their countries. He said the Kremlin aimed to “strengthen the cooperation between the

armed forces of Russia and China.”

Xi, in turn, said through a translator that “in the face of a difficult and far from straightforward international situation,” Beijing was ready “to increase strategic cooperation with Russia, provide each other with development opportunities, be global partners for the benefit of the peoples of our countries and in the interests of stability around the world.”

In its report on the meeting, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV described the events in Ukraine as a “crisis.”

The term marked a departure from China’s usual references to the “Ukraine situation,” and the change may reflect growing Chinese concern about the direction of the conflict.

“Xi Jinping emphasized that Russia has never refused to resolve the conflict through diplomatic negotiations, for which it (China) expresses its appreciation,”” CCTV reported.

Ties between Moscow and Beijing have grown stronger since Putin sent his troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24. Just last week, Moscow and Beijing held joint naval drills in the East China Sea. Putin and Xi also spoke by video link last

December.

China, which has promised a “no limits” friendship with Russia, has pointedly refused to criticize Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, blaming the U.S. and NATO for provoking the Kremlin, and has blasted the punishing sanctions imposed on Russia.

Russia, in turn, has strongly backed China amid the tensions with the U.S. over Taiwan.

Russia and China are both facing domestic difficulties. Putin is trying to maintain domestic support for a war that has lasted longer than anticipated, while a surge in COVID-19 cases has overwhelmed hospitals in China.

In Ukraine, author-

ities reviewed the toll from a widespread Russian missile attack on power stations and other vital infrastructure Thursday that was the biggest such bombardment in weeks. Four civilians were killed during the barrage, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s office.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in its Friday morning update that Russian forces had unleashed a total of 85 missiles and 35 airstrikes on targets across Ukraine in the previous 24 hours.

Russia also launched 63 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems, the military report said.

Following the first waves of missiles on Thursday morning, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with Iranian-made Shahed-131/136 drones on Thursday night and early Friday, all of which were shot down, the Ukrainian air force said.

Some were aimed at Kyiv, Mayor Vitali

Klitschko said Friday. Of seven exploding drones launched against the Ukrainian capital, two were shot down on the approach to the city and five over Kyiv itself, according to Klitschko.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address that Russia hasn’t abandoned plans to capture all of Donetsk, aiming to accomplish the goal by New Year’s Day. Zelenskyy also warned Ukrainians there could be another widespread air assault.

“There are two days left in this year. Perhaps the enemy will try once again to make us celebrate the New Year in the dark. Perhaps, the occupants are planning to make us suffer with the next strikes on our cities,” he said. “But no matter what they plan, we know one thing about ourselves: We will survive.”

Abigail Meiwes, standing, speaks at the Dec. 12 Square B 4-H Club meeting. COURTESY PHOTO

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping via a video link at the Kremlin on Friday. MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/SPUTNIK/AFP/TNS

Six climate breakthroughs that made 2022 a step toward net zero

By LESLIE KAUFMAN and LAURA MILLAN LOMBRANA Bloomberg News/TNS

The damage caused by climate change over this past year was at times so immense it was hard to comprehend. In Pakistan alone, extreme summer flooding killed thousands, displaced millions and caused over $40 billion in losses. Fall floods in Nigeria killed hundreds and displaced over 1 million people. Droughts in Europe, China and the U.S. dried out once-unstoppable rivers and slowed the flows of commerce on major arteries like the Mississippi and the Rhine.

In the face of these extremes, the human response was uneven at best. Consumption of coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, rebounded in 2022. Countries like the U.K. and China seemed to back away from major climate pledges.

But all of this gloom came with more than a silver lining. In fact, it’s all too easy to overlook the steps toward a lower-carbon world that came about in between more attention-getting catastrophes.

As 2022 unfolded, a clear pathway of climate hope emerged. New policy breakthroughs have the potential to unlock enormous progress in the effort to slow and reverse warming temperatures. Below is a list of six encouraging developments from a very momentous year, as nation after nation elected more climate-oriented governments and enacted new efforts to curb greenhouse gas.

1. President Joe Biden’s big win changes everything

Just when it seemed that Washington was hopelessly gridlocked, in August the Biden administration and a narrow Democratic majority in Congress managed to pass the Inflation Re-

EPA finalizes water rule

ST. LOUIS (AP) —

President Joe Biden’s administration on Friday finalized regulations that protect hundreds of thousands of small streams, wetlands and other waterways, repealing a Trump-era rule that federal courts had thrown out and that environmentalists said left waterways vulnerable to pollution.

The rule defines which “waters of the United States” are protected by the Clean Water Act. For decades, the term has been a flashpoint between environmental groups that want to broaden limits on pollution entering the nation’s waters and farmers, builders and industry groups that say extending regulations too far is onerous for business.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army said the reworked rule is based on definitions that were in place prior to 2015. Federal officials said they wrote a “durable definition” of waterways to reduce uncertainty.

duction Act.

This new U.S. law, backed by some $374 billion in climate spending, is the country’s most aggressive piece of climate legislation ever. Its provisions ensure that for decades to come billions of dollars will roll toward the energy transition, making it easier to deploy renewable energy, build out green technologies and subsidize consumer adoption of everything from electric cars to heat pumps.

Experts on energy modeling predict the law will eliminate 4 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

2. The E.U. taxes carbon dioxide at its border

The European Union started to make good on its pledge to cut emissions by 55% in 2030 (from 1990 levels).

The bloc’s 27 members reached a historic deal

to set up the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, an emissions levy on some imports that’s meant to protect Europe’s carbon-intensive industries that are forced to comply with the region’s increasingly strict rules. Once it take effect, there will be additional costs imposed on imported goods from countries without the E.U.’s restrictions on planet-warming pollution.

A separate milestone from 2022 saw the biggest overhaul of the E.U. carbon market that will extend it to road transport, shipping and heating. This expansion of the policy will also accelerate the pace at which companies — from energy producers to steelmakers — are required to reduce pollution. The accord provided certainty to companies and investors, sending Euro-

pean carbon prices to a record high for the year.

3. Birds, bees and biodiversity get a big break

Just two weeks before 2022 ended, negotiators at the COP15 United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Montreal delivered a surprise win in the form of a pledge by 195 nations to protect and restore at least 30% of the Earth’s land and water by 2030. Rich nations also committed to pay an estimated $30 billion per year by 2030 to poorer nations in part through a new biodiversity fund.

4. Rich nations agree to fund loss and damage, energy transition

The biodiversity breakthrough came one month after another historic moment at a U.N.-backed conference. Delegates at COP27 in Egypt’s Sharm

El-Sheikh reached a last-minute agreement to create a loss-and-damage fund to help developing countries impacted by climate change, a decades-long demand by nations that have contributed the least to warming of the planet.

Another form of climate funding, Just Energy Transition Partnerships, also went into wider use in 2022. The mechanism is meant to help emerging economies heavily dependent on coal move away from the most polluting fossil fuel in a way that doesn’t leave workers and communities behind. South Africa’s $8.5 billion JETP, announced in 2021, became a blueprint for these deals. Additional deals made in 2022 are set to mobilize $20 billion for Indonesia and $15.5 billion for Vietnam.

5. Changes in leaders, change in attitudes

Voters delivered big changes in leadership in several key countries. In Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won the presidency in part by promising to zero-out deforestation of the Amazon. Pro-climate parties also won big in Australia’s elections.

In November, meanwhile, Biden met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and reset the relationship that had been suspended by a diplomatic standoff over Taiwan. Cooperation between the top two economies (and emitters of greenhouse gas) has been essential in cementing previous climate breakthroughs like the 2015 Paris Agreement. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was in both nations’ interest to tackle climate change in a cooperative manner.

6. Taking methane matters more seriously

The world has been slow to understand the dangers of methane, a particularly powerful heat-trapping gas. But ever since last year’s COP26 in Glasgow, nations have been signing up to a global pledge to cut those emissions, which can come from oil and gas wells, coal seams, landfills and livestock.

In the lead-up to COP27 in Egypt, for instance, new nations such as Australia joined the pledge and brought the total number of countries signed up to over 150. In the U.S., meanwhile, the Biden administration pushed forward stronger rules that would require energy companies to do more to stifle methane leaks.

President Joe Biden, from left, with Vice President Kamala Harris, greets House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., at an event celebrating the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022. (YURI GRIPAS/ABACA PRESS/TNS)

US: Chinese intercept could have caused air collision

BEIJING (AP) — The U.S. military says a Chinese fighter jet flew dangerously close to an Air Force plane over the South China Sea, forcing the American pilot to maneuver to avoid a collision.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement Thursday that the incident occurred Dec. 21 when the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy J-11 flew in front of and within 6 meters (20 feet) of the nose of an

RC-135, a type of large reconnaissance plane operated by the U.S. Air Force.

The U.S. plane was “lawfully conducting routine operations over the South China Sea in international airspace,” the statement said. Its pilot was forced to “take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision.”

China frequently challenges military aircraft from the U.S. and its allies, especially over the strategically

vital South China Sea, which China claims in its entirety. Such behavior led to a 2001 inair collision in which a Chinese plane was lost and pilot killed.

“The U.S. Indo-Pacific Joint Force is dedicated to a free and open Indo-Pacific region and will continue to fly, sail and operate at sea and in international airspace with due regard for the safety of all vessels and aircraft under international law,” the statement said.

“We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law,” it said.

China deeply resents the presence of U.S. military assets in the South China Sea and regularly demands its ships and planes leave the area. The U.S. says it is fully entitled to operate in and over the South China Sea and ignores the Chinese demands.

Surplus: Expect tax revenue proposals

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ernor, proposed an income tax exemption on all forms of retirement programs, including IRAs and 401(k)s, outof-state public pensions and Social Security. Kansas is among 13 states with some form of income tax Social Security income.

Rep. Adam Smith, a Weskan Republican and chairman of the interim House-Senate committee assigned to work on tax policy, said there was bipartisan interest in removing the $75,000 cliff. In addition, he said, the Legislature should adjust the statute to end a “marriage penalty” arising from language creating the $75,000 cliff whether the taxpayer was an individual or married and filing jointly.

The House and Senate should be motivated to reduce and ultimately eliminate the state tax on Social Security because that part of the tax code was a disincentive to earn money, said Sen. Caryn Tyson, the Parker Republican who chairs the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee.

“We engineer behavior through our tax structure,” Tyson said. Smith also said the Legislature should churn through the tax code in search of provisions no longer relevant and ripe for repeal. Targets need to be identified in a bill and subject to committee hearings so organizations or individuals would have a chance to defend or attack tax provisions, he said.

Food for thought

During the legislative session opening in January, lawmakers are expected to present, debate and vote on a wide range of tax reforms designed to take advantage of the state’s surplus that could surpass $2 billion. Disagreement about how to spend down that reserve could be fierce, even when there is general agreement on the problem.

Kelly recommended during her reelection

campaign the Legislature speed removal of the 6.5% state sales tax on groceries. On Jan. 1, that state sales tax on groceries drops to 4%.

Under a law passed by the 2022 Legislature and signed by the governor, the tax would fall to 2% in 2024 before expiring in 2025.

She vowed to introduce a bill in January that would spike the state’s food sales tax as early as April 1 or no later than July 1.

“We need to think about effective, financially responsible policies that are going to help average taxpayers and not hurt the state in the long run,” Kelly said.

House Speaker-elect Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, and Senate President Ty Masterson, the Andover Republican, haven’t expressed enthusiasm for complying with the governor’s food tax agenda.

Sen. Jeff Longbine, a Republican from Emporia, said he would place a priority on reducing state income taxes on retirement income, but could see that reform packaged with a more rapid reduction in the sales tax on groceries.

“Is there a compromise deal that can be made? Possibly,” Longbine said.

The Legislature also could explore the state’s participation in a multistate sales tax partnership due to restraints on passage

Fire: Damage

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job. We had a quick response and a quick fire attack,” Isbell said.

Crews had to cut holes in the roof to fight the fire.

“When everyone arrived, there was light smoke in the attic area. There were some voids in the roof area where it was difficult to get it out.”

Walisky purchased the home earlier this summer and moved in September. He was in the process of remodeling the house.

He previously lived in Colorado and said he was encouraged to move here by friends and relatives. He recently started a plumbing business, Heartland Plumbing.

of certain tax law in Kansas. The agreement among states has frustrated the Legislature, because rules inhibited adoption by Kansas of a temporary sales tax holiday for back-toschool purchases. Legislators and Kelly have proposed creation of the brief tax holiday in 2023.

A flat tax?

Hawkins, who served as House majority leader before nominated to be House speaker, said he anticipated the Kansas Senate would take the lead on tax reform legislation during the annual session. That conversation in the Capitol is likely to include proposals to move Kansas from a tiered state income tax to a flat tax in which all taxable income was subject to the same rate regardless of income level or assets.

“I would imagine we’ll see something like that from the Senate tax committee, but I’m not sure in what form,” Hawkins said.

Americans for Prosperity of Kansas has proposed the Legislature replace the existing income tax structure with a “flatter, lower tax rate to bring simplicity to the Kansas tax code and budget management.” The

organization also recommended a mandate requiring two-thirds majority votes in the House and Senate for passage of a tax increase.

Sen. Jeff Pittman, D-Leavenworth, said he was skeptical of a flat tax on income because it would more resemble the regressive sales tax.

“A flat tax negatively affects the lower income folks and gives higher end, high income folks a bigger tax break,” Pittman said.

In addition, he said, his constituents were much more likely to complain about the rapid escalation in property valuations that lead to higher property tax bills than to raise questions about state income tax rates.

The Legislature should give consideration to requiring that county tax appraisers to be elected rather than appointed, said Sen. Virgil Peck, a Havana Republican. He said the change would make appraisers of property more accountable to taxpayers and potentially moderate changes in valuation.

County: Purchases

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stands why; Advantage services all of the county’s technical equipment.

However, he said he would like to see more options and suggested she do more research. He noted Road and Bridge Director Mark Griffith had been using Sourcewell, a purchasing cooperative for governments, schools and nonprofit organizations, to find lower prices and suggested she look into that option.

Chairman Jerry Daniels agreed with Lee’s general premise, that department heads need to do more research before coming to commissioners. However, in this case, he was concerned about public safety should the server go down again before Angleton had time to do that sort of due diligence.

Angleton also pointed out she learned about the problem on Dec. 12 and wasn’t able to bring the matter to commissioners on Dec. 13, which was the last meeting until Thursday.

Daniels and Symes approved Angleton’s request 2-1 with Lee voting against.

Dozer purchase

Just minutes before Angleton met with them, commissioners approved spending $559,417 for a new D-60 dozer at the landfill.

It was quite a bargain, Public Works Director Mitch Garner said, as a new dozer is typically about $700,000 but the county received discounts by offering a trade-in and buying the item from Sourcewell.

The dozer won’t be delivered until 2024, though. Commissioners weren’t happy about the delay but agreed it was best to buy the equipment now to avoid a possible price hike in the new year.

The county has spent about $1.2 million on heavy equipment this year for the Public Works and road and bridge departments. Those departments have been saving for the past five or six years in anticipation of those needs, Garner said. The fund still has $1.3 million for future purchases.

Landfill preparation

And speaking of financial preparedness, Garner gave commissioners a heads up to expect another major ex-

penditure in 2023 as the county prepares to open a new cell at the landfill.

The new cell should give the landfill enough capacity to collect trash for the next 60 years or so, assuming current collection rates remain somewhat consistent. In recent years, the amount of trash collection has increased.

“We get a lot of business out there,” he said. Daniels noted the landfill accepts items from several counties for a fee, and is a source of revenue for the county.

Starting a new cell is an expensive and lengthy process that began quite some time ago by requesting permits from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

The new cell will be west and south of the current collection spot. The area covers about 10 acres, which is actually equal to about two standard landfill cells.

On Jan. 5, Garner will give prospective bidders a tour of the landfill and the area to be opened. They’ll have until Jan. 25 to submit bids.

So far, about 31 companies have expressed interest in the project. Garner said that number has grown over time. Construction should take about a year. Preliminary estimates indicate it could cost as much as $6 million, but Garner said he is hopeful the high number of bidders might make it more competitive and result in lower rates.

Material to line the base of the cell is expensive, he said.

The process includes engineering services, new drainage pipes, storage tanks and liner with rock, dirt and clay. The landfill has electric services, but new poles and lines will need to be extended to the new cell for pumps.

After Garner receives bids for the project, it will take him a couple of weeks to organize the information before presenting a proposal to commissioners, likely in mid-February.

Commissioners asked about the landfill’s lifespan and capacity for future generations.

Garner said the county is well-positioned for at least the next 100 years.

The county can open at least one more cell to the west. Officials also have looked into purchasing more adjacent land, but that process has stalled.

5:00 pm. EHO (12) 31

House Speaker-elect Dan Hawkins of Wichita said he anticipated the 2023 Legislature would debate proposals to move from a tiered state income tax system to a flat tax in which all taxable income was subject to the same rate regardless of income level or assets. (POOL PHOTO BY EVERT NELSON/TOPEKA CAPITAL-JOURNAL)

New rockets, more spacecraft to take flight in 2023 from Space Coast

By RICHARD TRIBOU Orlando Sentinel/TNS

It’s slated to be a busy year of rocket launches from the Space Coast with a pace that could introduce some new names and set new records.

Launch pads at both Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station have been hitting a pace of more than one launch a week, finishing up 2022 with 57 rockets that made it to space.

That pace could be in line to nearly double as more launch service providers set up shop in Brevard County, said Frank DiBello, President and CEO of Space Florida, the state’s aerospace economic development agency.

“How many can we sustain? We’re building and investing, not just us alone, but the Space Force and NASA,” he said. “And commercial contractors are investing in infrastructure that should be able to support 100 launches a year. That was our plan. I think we want the capability to be able to do two, two-plus a week.”

A big chunk of that will come from SpaceX, which continues to roll out its Falcon 9 rockets like dominoes, but 2023 should also treat the Space Coast to several appearances of the powerhouse Falcon Heavy.

While NASA’s Space Launch System rocket grabbed headlines in November launching Orion to the moon for the Artemis I mission, it won’t launch again until at least 2024, so the next best thing for sheer power from a Space Coast launch comes courtesy of Falcon Heavy, which to date has only flown four times.

One of the treats to watching it go up, though, goes beyond the 5.1 million pounds of thrust. Spectators get the added bonus of

the sonic booms of two of its three first-stage boosters returning for a touchdown back on land.

Chances to watch the rocket fly can come as early as January with the planned USSF-67 mission for the Space Force. SpaceX also has a second Space Force mission and launch of a commercial satellite aboard its heavy-lift rocket expected in the first half of the year, along with an October liftoff of the delayed NASA Psyche probe to explore a distant asteroid.

For its smaller Falcon 9 rockets, the highlights will be the four planned launches from KSC sending humans into space in Crew Dragon capsules, aboard both Crew-6 in mid-February and Crew-7 in the fall, as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program to the International Space Station.

Also flying in Dragons will be the all-civilian Polaris Dawn flight returning billionaire Jared Issacman to space after flying in 2021 on the Inspiration4 mission. Polaris Dawn is the first of

three planned missions for Issacman, who once again is bringing along three passengers. The orbital mission, which will once again try to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, will feature a tethered spacewalk by at least one of the crew. That launch could come as early as March.

Another private launch is on the books for as early as May as Axiom Space once again hitches a ride for its customers on a SpaceX Crew Dragon for a planned 10-day stay on the ISS. Axiom-2 follows 2022′s successful Axiom-1 mission to the station, which brought up three customers who paid $55 million each along with an Axiom employee and former NASA astronaut to lead the way.

For 2023, Axiom-2 will feature former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, also now employed by Axiom Space. The missions are laying the groundwork for Axiom Space to send up its own modules to attach to the ISS and eventually become its own free-standing commercial space station.

SpaceX, though, isn’t the only spacecraft planning to send humans to the ISS from Florida next year. Boeing’s long-delayed CST-100 Starliner is set to finally complete its crewed test flight to the ISS sending up NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams for a quick trip on the books for April. The uncrewed version of Starliner successfully docked with the ISS back in May more than 2 1/2 years after an unsuccessful first uncrewed mission.

Starliner will launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Canaveral’s Launch Complex 41. Humans haven’t flown to space from Canaveral since Apollo 7 took off from what was then Cape Kennedy’s Launch Complex 34 in 1968, as every successive Apollo flight as well as those in the Space Shuttle Program and SpaceX Crew Dragon flights have taken off from KSC.

If all goes well, Boeing will have caught up to SpaceX, which has been handling taxi service to the ISS since 2020, and NASA will then trade off crew flights between

Stats: Marriages, births up slightly

from A1

ly between 2020 and 2021, rising from 529 to 555. In 84.1% of these cases, the victim was male, with most suicides occurring in the 25-34 age group. Firearms accounted for 344 of those deaths.

Resident homicide deaths decreased slightly in 2021, falling from 197 in 2020 to 182 in 2021.

The majority of these deaths were committed with firearms.

Kansan marriages were also slightly up in 2021, with 15,656 marriages occurring in the state, an increase of 11.5% from 2020. Records show Kansans are getting married later in life, with only 3.8%

of brides and 1.9% of grooms under the age of 20 in 2021. The average age of all brides in this time period was 31.9 years old, with the age of grooms being 33.8 years old.

In 2021, 5,368 marriage dissolutions, meaning divorces and annulments, occurred, an increase of 3.8% from 2020.

Kansas resident mothers had a slight increase in the number of live births in 2021, going from 34,368 in 2020 to 34,697 in 2021.

In 2021, Kansas residents had 3,937 abortions, only four of which were performed out of state. Nonresidents had 3,912 abor-

tions performed in Kansas. The 2021 abortion ratio for Kansas residents was 7% higher than in 2020, with 113.5 abortions per 1,000 live births, compared with 106.1 abortions per 1,000 live births in 2020. Compared to 2002, the abortion ratio fell by 29.1%.

In 2002, the abortion ratio was 160.1 abortions per 1,000 live births.

Seventy-one percent of these Kansas resident abortions happened before nine weeks of gestation, with the highest ratio of abortions occurring in residents under the age of 15. More than 85% of the recorded abortions were performed on unmarried women.

The total population estimate for Kansas in 2021 was calculated to be 2,934,582, increasing by 20,777 from the 2020 Kansas total population estimate. Kansas population density was 35.9 inhabitants per square mile in 2021, compared to the national population density of 94 people per square mile in 2021.

In this time period, 37 of the 105 Kansas counties had a population density of less than 6 people per square mile. The least-populated counties were Greeley and Wallace, with a density of 1.7 people per square mile. Johnson County had the highest density, with 1,295.4 people per square mile.

the two each year.

ULA meanwhile is expected to finally bring its new Vulcan Centaur rocket to market with an initial launch expected in early 2023. It’s the first of two certification flights on tap before ULA’s three planned launches for the Department of Defense in 2023. Already delayed from 2021, ULA was waiting on engines for the new rocket from Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. It uses two of the new BE-4 engines, which were finally delivered and installed on the first Vulcan rocket in November.

The first Vulcan flight aims to send commercial company Astrobotic’s Peregine lunar lander to the moon as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.

Also waiting on Vulcan is a new commercial cargo supplier to the ISS, Sierra Space and its Dream Chaser spacecraft that looks like a mini space shuttle. Dream Chaser will join SpaceX’s Cargo Dragon and Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft as options for NASA, and be the first cargo option to allow for a return trip that lands back at Kennedy Space Center. Sierra Space maintains its first mission remains on track for 2023.

One new rocket that likely won’t be making a first flight next year is Blue Origin’s own New Glenn, which also uses the BE-4 engines, but needs seven of them. And with ULA and its five planned Vulcan launches already slated for 2023, the first 10 engines are spoken for.

Both ULA and Blue Origin, though, will be in need of a ramped-up engine supply as both are customers of Amazon’s Project Kuiper internet satellite plan, which has as many as 83 launches planned by 2029 to send the majority of 3,236 satellites into orbit that will create a product similar to SpaceX’s Starlink constellation.

DiBello said he expects ULA to get closer to SpaceX in terms of regularity of launch sooner than later.

“I think once Vulcan starts to fly, I think you’ll see the same capability exhibited by ULA,” he said. “ULA has an incredible track record leading up to today’s capability. Once they get going with the Vulcan I think you might see that same

discipline in launch occur.”

While ULA and SpaceX will fill up most of the Space Coast launch schedule, another new rocket company expects to join the launch ranks soon as well.

Relativity Space and its 3D-printed Terran 1 rocket is sitting at Canaveral’s Launch Complex 16, set for a static fire of its engines and awaiting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration for its first-ever launch.

The Long Beach, California-based company would be the second small rocket company within a year to launch from Canaveral following the two launches by Astra Space in 2022. Astra’s two Rocket 3.3′s suffered failures after liftoff with issues in their second stage, so they won’t be returning to the Space Coast with the its planned Rocket 4 design likely until 2024.

But Relativity looks to follow up the test launch that it called its “GLHF” mission, as in “Good Luck, Have Fun,” with further Terran 1 launches from Canaveral, including one in 2023 for NASA. Down the line, the company plans to bring its larger Terran R rocket to the pad.

Relativity and Astra are just two of several companies that could be launching from Canaveral, if not in 2023, soon after. Firefly Aerospace, which had its first successful orbital flight in October in California, has a launch lease from Space Launch Complex 20. ABL Space Systems, which is aiming for its first-ever successful launch from Alaska in early 2023, had previously announced plans to fly from one of Canaveral’s launch pads to take up a pair of prototype satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper.

By 2024, the Space Coast could be juggling schedules from SpaceX, ULA, Relativity, Astra, Firefly, ABL and NASA.

“At one time, that might have been challenging,” DiBello said. “But the both Space Force and NASA and the FAA have made great strides in streamlining range and launch operations so that we can handle the capacity.”

Space Launch Delta 45 and the Eastern Range recently had prepared to support two SpaceX launches with overlapping windows, so could have conceivably seen two rockets flying up within 33 minutes of one another.

The Boeing CST-100 Starliner launches at dusk from the United Launch Alliance complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, on May 19, 2022. (JOE BURBANK/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TNS)

Getting to net zero requires more nuclear power

Rather quietly, a new age of atomic energy may be approaching. Splitting atoms may not be as exciting as fusing them, or as modish as wind and solar projects.

Yet old-fashioned fission is poised to make a comeback thanks to innovative new reactor designs. The world will be better for this revolution — if policymakers allow it.

As the fight against climate change gears up, new-energy progress is everywhere apparent. Variable renewables — wind and solar — are becoming more abundant as technology improves and funding flows. They’re also getting cheaper: From 2009 to 2021, the unsubsidized cost of wind declined by 72% and that of utility-scale solar fell by 90%. Energy storage is likewise getting more affordable.

Yet on current trends, none of this is enough. Sometimes the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow. Such intermittency requires either implausibly large storage capacities or more reliable sources of power to fill the gaps. At the moment, that’s mostly coal and natural gas — which is why fossil fuels still make up about 80% of the world’s primary energy supply.

Nuclear is the obvious alternative. A fission reactor produces clean, reliable, efficient and abundant energy, 24 hours a day, rain or shine.

Despite the alarm raised by rare accidents, such as those at Chernobyl and Fukushima, the risks of nuclear power are exceedingly low per unit of energy produced, and the newest reactor designs are safer still. Similarly, the dangers posed by radioactive waste are quickly receding, thanks to better tools and processes.

TO BRING GLOBAL emissions goals within reach, nuclear output will need to roughly double by 2050, according to the International Energy Agency. Unfortunately, the world is moving backward in key respects. Nuclear’s share of global energy production declined to 10.1% in 2020, from 17.5% in 1996. In the US, about a dozen reactors have shut since 2013 and more are on the chopping block. According to the Energy Information Administration, nuclear’s share of US generation will fall from about 19% today to 11% by 2050, even as electricity demand rises. Although renewables will pick up some

of the slack, fossil fuels are expected to predominate for decades.

Given the looming risks of climate change — an “existential threat” as President Joe Biden says — these trends are cause for alarm. Worldwide, governments need to extend the lifetimes of existing nuclear plants, work with industry to finance new ones, and redouble efforts to improve waste disposal and otherwise ease the public’s mind about potential risks.

More important, they need to promote nuclear innovation. In recent years, small modular reactors (known as SMRs) have been inching toward commercial reality. Companies are testing dozens of competing designs. These reactors promise a much safer, cheaper and more flexible energy supply to supplement wind and solar. They could leverage economies of scale through standardized manufacturing, while potentially powering everything from homes to factories to transportation.

Yet red tape is standing in the way. In particular, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been obstructing new reactors for decades, thanks largely to outdated safety standards.

In 2019, Congress directed the commission to create a new licensing regime for SMRs, in the hopes of speeding their development and commercialization. Instead, the NRC has been busily bloating its own rulebook. Going forward, any increases to the commission’s budget should be conditioned on boosting US nuclear production; if the NRC can’t adapt to this challenge, Congress should push it aside and authorize a new overseer for advanced reactors.

More generally, lawmakers need to revisit their entire approach to nuclear regulation — devised in a different era, with different needs — and return to first principles. Their overriding goals should shift from total risk avoidance to maximizing nuclear power, accelerating innovation, and reducing carbon emissions with technologies old and new.

Confronting climate change means acknowledging hard realities. The world can’t decarbonize without nuclear power — and it can’t expand its nuclear output without rethinking the rules. Time is running short.

— Bloomberg opinion

A kiss for the new year

A needed safeguard on future elections

This nation owes a debt of gratitude to Congress for passing the Electoral Count Reform Act as part of the $1.7 trillion year-end funding bill in one of the last acts of the lame-duck session.

The process was relatively swift, by congressional standards. Introduced in July, the bill was drafted by a working group of bipartisan senators. By September, Senate Rules Committee Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., who also advised the group, shepherded it through to a remarkable 14-1 vote.

Just before Christmas, the Senate passed the bill on a strong bipartisan vote. The House passed the bill the following day. President Joe Biden later signed it and the funding bill into law, thanking the electoral reform bill’s bipartisan authors, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., along with Klobuchar and Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., “for finding compromise to strengthen our democracy in the face of election denialism and assaults on our bedrock constitutional values.”

Why was Congress able to find compromise on this when bipartisanship has been so elusive on so many other issues? It could well be the level of perceived threat. Lawmakers who lived through the Jan. 6 insurrection, whether they openly acknowledge it or not, received a terrifying lesson in the fragility of democratic institutions that day.

That insurrection was rooted in the brazen attempts of then-President Donald Trump to cling to power at any price. His scheme failed that day, in

part because his own vice president, Mike Pence, refused to go along with the notion that he alone could overturn an American election.

It is important to remember that the Electoral Count Act is not just a safeguard against the possible return of Trump. The reason it got bipartisan support is because smart legislators know that once a vulnerability in a law has been found, the likelihood of a recurrence increases — by a candidate of either party.

The sin of the original act was the vagueness of its language. Yet it too was an attempt to clarify the boundaries of the relationship between elections and elected officials. The Electoral Count Act of 1887 also resulted from claims of a stolen election, but it was Democrats alleging the steal. Locked in a tight battle in 1876, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden both claimed victory in states with unclear results: South Carolina, Louisiana and, wouldn’t you know it, Florida.

According to the University of Virginia’s Miller Center, which specializes in presidential politics, Republican-controlled electoral returns boards in those three states claimed that fraud, intimidation and violence invalidated some votes. The boards threw out enough Democratic votes for Hayes to be declared the victor. It took a decade for Congress to agree on the language of the act, which may account for its vagueness.

This time, it took less than two years for Congress to recognize the loophole that allowed Trump to make the claim that Pence, in his

capacity as president of the Senate, could change the results of the 2020 election.

Trump, true to form, complained over the weekend that “The Vice President did indeed have the power to send Electoral Votes back to State Legislatures for reapproval .... So why the new language? Because it was just another political Con Job.”

But we all know who’s pulling the con job here. Pence said earlier this year that not only was Trump flatly wrong, but also that “frankly, there is no idea more un-American than the notion that any one person could choose the American president.”

The new version of the Electoral Count Act makes clear that the role of vice president in administering the count is ceremonial. But the act goes further. It raises the threshold to challenge electoral votes during joint session, so that one or two members cannot hold the process hostage. It also makes clear that state legislatures cannot, after the fact, appoint electoral slates that would contravene the will of the voters. In addition, it requires that electoral votes received by Congress accurately reflect each state’s electoral results. That includes the right of candidates to go to court should a “rogue governor” attempt to send invalid electors.

These are all necessary clarifications and improvements over the original bill. It does much to safeguard future elections. More must be done, but this is a significant achievement for the protection of democratic institutions.

— Minneapolis Star-Tribune

How

to contact Iola’s elected officials

It must be difficult for residents of Hershey, Pennsylvania to swear off chocolate as a New Year’s resolution with the Hershey chocolate headquarters there. Pictured here is a 300-pound aluminum and fiberglass Hershey’s Kiss that will be raised at midnight during New Year’s Eve festivities on the square in Hershey. DAN GLEITER | DGLEITER@PENNLIVE.COM

Iola Mayor Steve French steve.french@cityofiola.

Oil spill cleanup continues

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN Kansas News Service

Crude oil began flowing through the Keystone pipeline from Nebraska through Kansas to Oklahoma again this week.

For now, the U.S. Department of Transportation requires the pipeline segment to operate at a lower pressure than when it burst. The pressure must stay 20% lower than when the Keystone’s biggest-ever spill happened on Dec. 7 in north-central Kansas.

The federal agency won’t disclose what the operating pressure was on Dec. 7. It told the Kansas News Service to file an open records request.

Canadian oil company TC Energy said it restored the Cushing Extension to service on Thursday. That segment of the Keystone system is critical to transporting oil from the Canadian tar sands in Alberta to facilities in the Midwest and as far as Houston, Texas.

“The Keystone Pipeline System is now operational to all delivery points,” the company said in a statement. “As always, we continue to monitor the system 24/7 as we deliver the energy customers and North Americans rely on.”

A Dec. 8 federal order required the eventual pipeline restart

to ramp up gradually. That meant using “incremental pressure increases … with each increment to be held for at least 2 hours.”

TC Energy also had to give local landowners and emergency response crews advance notice, the order from the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said.

C Energy won’t say what pressure level was in effect when the pipeline broke on Dec. 7. In 2017, the company received a federal greenlight to run sections of the Keystone at a higher pressure than is typically allowed, because the pipeline would use stronger steel.

That permission included parts of the Cushing Extension that

runs from Steele City, Nebraska., through Kansas, to Cushing, Oklahoma.

Neither TC Energy nor federal regulators have said if they’ve identified what likely caused the spill. The federal government required TC Energy to hire a third-party to help the company document what happened and complete an analysis within three months.

The oil cleanup continues. In its most recent update on the cleanup, the company said it had recovered about 7,600 barrels. It estimates that about 14,000 barrels (about 590,000 gallons) spilled.

The stuff that gushed out across several acres of farmland and into Mill Creek wasn’t conventional crude oil. It

‘He needs his lawyer on speed dial’

By TIM BALK New York Daily News

NEW YORK — An unrepentant Rep.-elect George Santos, who remains on track to be sworn in next week, faced growing legal scrutiny in recent days, as his web of known falsehoods expanded to include a misleading claim that his mother died on 9/11.

Over two days, the state attorney general’s office, the Nassau County district attorney’s office and the Queens district attorney’s office all signaled that they had set Santos in their sights.

Perhaps most alarmingly for the incoming congressman, federal prosecutors have started to comb through his public filings, ABC

News reported. Santos appears to have swiftly built personal wealth despite a history of debt and financial troubles.

“Once the U.S. attorney gets involved, that is the dominant player,” said Linda Lacewell, a former federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, adding that Santos could have a “big problem.”

Santos, a 34-year-old Republican, admitted this week to misrepresenting areas of his biography including his education, professional experience and property ownership, after The New York Times published a bombshell report last week examining holes in his resume.

“He has made himself a giant target by uttering all these admitted lies about his background that have

caused the eyes of the world — and most importantly the eyes of law enforcement — to focus on him,” Lacewell said. “He needs his lawyer on speed dial.”

Experts said falsified campaign filings could be the likeliest source of charges, and that the level of legal peril facing Santos would hinge on the sweep of his fabrications.

Santos also claimed that his grandparents “survived the Holocaust” as Ukrainian Jewish refugees from Belgium who changed their surname to survive. The statement contradicts evidence from Santos’s family trees compiled by genealogy websites, records on Jewish refugees and interviews with multiple genealogists.

was diluted bitumen, also known as dilbit, and this poses extra challenges for environmental cleanup.

Normal methods for cleaning oil spills in water rely on the fact that the oil floats. But dilbit sinks — a process that can start within days and makes tracking the stuff tricky.

A National Academies of Sciences study found “there are no proven techniques for containment” of dilbit that has begun sinking in moving water.

TC Energy has said the oil spill is contained — with emergency dams and booms — to about four miles of Mill Creek, but Kansas environmental officials say benzene and other chemicals from the spill have shown up farther downstream.

The chemicals won’t affect public drinking water, the state says, because they will become too diluted by river water before reaching areas that supply drinking water. However, the state says the chemicals pose a risk to wildlife that consume them through the food chain.

How to help kids with fevers feel better

By DR. PREETI PARIKH American Academy of Pediatricians/TNS

If your infant or child is older than 6 months and has a fever, they probably do not need to be treated for the fever unless they are uncomfortable.

The key is to watch your child’s behavior. If they are drinking, eating and sleeping normally, and they are able to play, you do not need to treat the fever. Instead, you should wait to see if the fever improves by itself.

What you can do to help your child feel better:

— Keep their room comfortably cool.

— Make sure they are dressed in light clothing.

— Encourage them to drink fluids such as water or a storebought electrolyte solution.

— Be sure that they do not overexert themselves.

What not to do if your child has a fever: — Do not use aspirin to treat your child’s fever or discomfort. Aspirin has been linked with side effects such as an upset stomach, intestinal bleeding, and Reye’s syndrome. Reye’s syndrome is a serious illness that affects the liver and brain.

— Do not use sponging to reduce your child’s fever. Cool or cold water can cause shivering and increase your child’s temperature.

— Never apply rubbing alcohol on your child to treat fever. Rubbing alcohol can be absorbed into the skin or inhaled, causing serious conditions such as a coma.

Acetamino -

phen and ibuprofen can help your child feel better if your child has a headache or body aches or a fever that is making them uncomfortable.

Acetaminophen for children comes in liquid as well as pills that can be chewed. It also comes as a pill that is put in the rectum (suppository) if your child is vomiting and can’t keep down medicine taken by mouth.

Ibuprofen comes in liquid form for young children and chewable tablets that may be given to older children. With ibuprofen, keep in mind that there are two different kinds of liquid medicines: one for infants 6 months and older and one for children (including toddlers and children up to age 11 years). Infant drops are stronger (more concentrated) than the medicine for children.

A “tripledemic” of respiratory viruses — RSV, flu and COVID-19 — is making it harder to find over-the-counter children’s pain and fever medications in some areas. Try not to panic if stores near you are out of stock. While fever-reducing medicines can make your child more comfortable, they do not cure illness.

REMEMBER to always look carefully at the label on the medicine and follow the directions. Each type of medicine has different directions based on the age and weight of a child. You should ask your child’s doctor about the right dose for your child. Also, if your child is taking other medicines, check the ingredients. If they include acetaminophen or ibuprofen, let your child’s doctor know.

The cleanup continues of the Keystone oil spill at Mill Creek in Washington County, Kansas. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Jan.

By SARAH D. WIRE Los Angeles Times/TNS

WASHINGTON —

Just days before it disbands and loses control over the millions of pages of evidence it has gathered, the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection has released transcripts of just 126 of the more than 1,000 interviews it conducted.

If the committee runs out of time, the largest compilation of evidence about the attack could be lost — locked away by the National Archives for decades, or withheld from the public so as to not harm the ongoing Justice Department investigation into the attack, experts warn.

“The absence of these documents is kind of a grave concern” for ensuring accountability and guaranteeing the historical record is as accurate as possible, said Ryan Goodman, a New York University law professor and co-founder of the national security law and policy website Just Security.

Committee spokespeople did not respond to multiple questions about what information the committee will be able to make public before it shuts down on Tuesday. After the committee dissolves, its records will be handed over to a yet-to-bedetermined successor committee, then to the

House clerk, and eventually to the National Archives, where they’re expected to be shielded from public view for at least 30 years.

Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., promised at the committee’s final hearing on Dec. 19 to make public the bulk of the nonsensitive material the panel had compiled. But the rate at which information has been released has experts afraid the committee will not honor that vow.

“I hope that they will make as much public as they humanly can,” said Daniel Weiner, director of the Brennan Center’s Elections and Government Program.

The investigation has been done largely in private, so the full scope of what the committee has amassed is still unclear, but the known evidence

places the 18-month investigation among the largest and most complex ever completed by Congress.

Committee staff spoke with more than 1,000 people for the investigation. The committee’s final report cites about 180 transcribed interviews or depositions.

As of Thursday morning, the committee had released 126 transcripts from depositions or interviews in just over a week, including several not included in the final report.

The pace of document release “appears to be more of the result of administrative problems and management problems rather than a deliberate choice,” Goodman said. “In the scramble to complete their work near the end ... it sounds as though they are run-

ning out of time.”

None of the underlying information or evidence collected by the committee has been made public.

The final report’s 4,285 citations, including 967 references to “Documents on file with the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol,” give a glimpse of the evidence the panel has — such as internal White House emails it received from the National Archives, notes on over 100 informal witness interviews, and handwritten notes from high-ranking Justice Department officials.

There are also citations for text messages turned over by former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows before he stopped cooperating with the com-

mittee; internal Secret Service and Defense Department communications; text messages and emails handed over by witnesses; and video footage of key players obtained from documentary crews.

Goodman fears the committee won’t release those records at all.

“It’s almost disappeared from the conversation that there are these other underlying documents. The bright, shiny object is the transcripts, which are super important — and probably most important — but the other underlying documents are very important,” he said.

Government watchdog groups and other organizations have already pulled information from the committee into online repositories, but they can only preserve what the committee releases.

Susanne Grooms, a former Democratic investigator for the House Oversight and Reform Committee who worked on both of former President Donald Trump’s impeachments, said committee staff was probably working to get out as much information as possible, and she expected more releases before Republicans take control of the House on Tuesday.

“There is probably a set of documents that they would release if they had the capacity to and were able to get it done,” she said.

The staff is probably scrambling to organize files, determining where to relocate information and what to release to the public, and weighing whether to accept redaction requests submitted by federal agencies — a time-consuming process.

“They are right up against the edge of their time ending. They must be facing a real challenge,” Grooms said. “I think they will go to the bitter end.”

Records not made public in the next few days could be squirreled away by the as-yet-unnamed successor committee and released in pieces, or, in the case of official committee records, sent to the National Archives.

Once the committee’s records end up at the National Archives, they will be extremely difficult for the public to see. House rules shield records given to the National Archives from public view for a minimum of 30 years, with sensitive information being held back for 50 years.

Transparency advocates would then have two options: Wait, or convince a future Congress to revisit the issue.

Congress retains ownership of records that enter the National Archives, so lawmakers could one day decide to recall any archived information and release it to the public.

billionaires.

By the Associated Press

Democrats in Congress released six years of former President Donald Trump’s tax returns on Friday, the culmination of a yearslong effort to learn about the finances of a onetime business mogul who broke decades of political precedent when he refused to voluntarily release the information as he sought the White House.

The returns, which include redactions of some personal sensitive information such as Social Security and bank account numbers, are from 2015 to 2020. They span nearly 6,000 pages, including more than 2,700 pages of individual returns from Trump and his wife, Melania, and more than 3,000 pages in returns for Trump’s business entities.

Their release follows a party-line vote in the House Ways and Means Committee last week to make the returns public. Committee Democrats argued that transparency and the rule of law were at stake, while Republicans countered that the release would set a dangerous precedent with regard to the loss of privacy protections.

Trump did not release his returns when he ran for president and had waged a legal battle to keep them secret while he was in the White House. But the Supreme Court refused last month to keep the Treasury Department from turning them over to the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee.

“The Democrats should have never done

it, the Supreme Court should have never approved it, and it’s going to lead to horrible things for so many people,” Trump said in a statement Friday. “The radical, left Democrats have weaponized everything, but remember, that is a dangerous twoway street!”

He said the returns “once again show how proudly successful I have been and how I have been able to use depreciation and various other tax deductions as an incentive for creating thousands of jobs and magnificent structures and enterprises.”

The release, just days before Trump’s fellow Republicans retake control of the House from the Democrats, raises the potential of new revelations about Trump’s finances, which have been shrouded in mystery and intrigue since his days as an up-andcoming Manhattan real estate developer in the 1980s. The returns could take on added significance now that Trump has launched a campaign for the White House in 2024.

They are likely to offer the clearest picture yet of his finances during his time in office.

Trump, known for building skyscrapers and hosting a reality TV show before winning the White House, did give some limited details about his holdings and income on mandatory disclosure forms. He has promoted his wealth in the annual financial statements he provides to banks to secure loans and to financial magazines to justify his place on rankings of the world’s

Trump’s longtime accounting firm has since disavowed the statements, and New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit alleging Trump and his Trump Organization inflated asset values on the statements as part of a yearslong fraud. Trump and his company have denied wrongdoing.

It will not be the first time Trump’s tax returns have been under scrutiny.

In October 2018, The New York Times published a Pulitzer Prize-winning series based on leaked tax records that showed that Trump received a modern-day equivalent of at least $413 million from his father’s real estate holdings, with much of that money coming

from what the Times called “tax dodges” in the 1990s.

A second series in 2020 showed that Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes in 2017 and 2018, as well as no income taxes at all in 10 of the past 15 years because he generally lost more money than he made.

In its report last week, the Ways and Means Committee indicated the Trump administration may have disregarded a post-Watergate requirement mandating audits of a president’s tax filings.

The IRS only began to audit Trump’s 2016 tax filings on April 3, 2019 — more than two years into his presidency — when the committee chairman, Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., asked the agency for information

related to the tax returns.

By comparison, there were audits of President Joe Biden for the 2020 and 2021 tax years, said Andrew Bates, a White House spokesperson. A spokesperson for former President Barack Obama said Obama was audited in each of his eight years in office.

A report from Congress’ nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation raised multiple red flags about aspects of Trump’s tax filings, including his carryover losses, deductions tied to conservation and charitable donations, and loans to his children that could be taxable gifts.

The House passed a bill in response that would require audits of any president’s income tax filings. Republi-

cans strongly opposed the legislation, raising concerns that a law requiring audits would infringe on taxpayer privacy and could lead to audits being weaponized for political gain.

The measure, approved mostly along party lines, has little chance of becoming law anytime soon with a new Republican-led House being sworn in in January. Rather, it is seen as a starting point for future efforts to bolster oversight of the presidency.

Republicans have argued that Democrats will regret the move once Republicans take power next week, and they warn that the committee’s new GOP chair will be under pressure to seek and make public the tax returns of other prominent people.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) and Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) listen as law enforcement officers testify in July 2021 at the House Jan. 6 committee’s first hearing. (KENT NISHIMURA/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS)

KC hosts reeling Broncos

By DAVE SKRETTA The Associated Press

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)

— The Kansas City Chiefs are perhaps the most stable franchise in the NFL these days, led by a coach in Andy Reid who commands leaguewide respect and a quarterback in Patrick Mahomes who is in the mix for a second MVP award.

So it’s no surprise they have clinched the AFC West and are tied with Buffalo for the conference’s best record.

Then there’s the Denver Broncos (4-11), the Chiefs’ opponent Sunday, who mortgaged much of their future to acquire struggling Russell Wilson from the Seahawks and just fired coach Nathaniel Hackett with two games left in his first year.

So it’s also not surprising they’ll be sitting out the playoffs for the seventh straight season.

“They played us tough this last one. They gave us everything that we could ask for,” said Mahomes, who nevertheless led the Chiefs (12-3) to a 34-28 victory in Denver three weeks ago. “We have to go out and play our best ball. If you look at the tape, you see the talent that they have

BACK AT IT

Area cagers, wrestlers return to action

Iola High’s basketball teams aren’t waiting around for school to resume before hitting the hardwood once again.

The boys and girls Mustang squads travel to Fort Scott Tuesday to kick off the post-Christmas portion of their schedule. Classes don’t resume in Iola until Wednesday.

The Iola boys carry a 3-3

ELSEWHERE, HumSee SPORTS | Page B2

Extolling virtue of opting in

By BRETT MARTEL The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — In an age of opt outs in college football, the best NFL prospects for Alabama and Kansas State are opting in at the Sugar Bowl.

Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young and edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. have high-first-round draft grades and could have minimized exposure to injury by sitting out Saturday’s game in the Superdome.

For Kansas State, standout players including running back Deuce Vaughn and defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah are risking their draft stock as well.

They say they have weighed the competing factors carefully and the benefits of playing won out.

“I love this program,” Young said. “I see how hard we work as a group, how much we pour into this and how much this means to us — how much it means to me. And it was easy.

“As a leader, I feel like it was important to me to make sure that we finish this year,” Young added. “With there being no opt-outs on both of the teams, I think that speaks to both of the programs.”

This season, as much as

Pelé remembered for transcending soccer

By RONALD BLUM The Associated Press

NEW

well-known person on Earth.

“Before Pelé, ‘10’ was just a number,” current Brazil forward Neymar wrote following the soccer great’s death Thursday at the age of 82. “That line, beautiful, is incomplete. I would say that before Pelé soccer was just a sport. Pelé changed everything. He transformed soccer into art, entertainment. He gave voice to the poor, to the Black and above all he gave

Iola High’s Preston Hurst (4) drives to the hoop in a game earlier this season. The Mustangs resume play Tuesday at Fort Scott. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

record into the new year; the girls stand at 1-5. The IHS wrestlers will have a few more days to get re-energized for their 2023 portion of the schedule. Iola travels to Burlington next Saturday for an invitational tournament.

YORK (AP) — Pelé was remembered for a life beyond the field, for transcending the sport of soccer and becoming perhaps the most

Kansas State Wildcats running back Deuce Vaughn (22) is ipped over after having his legs taken out from him against TCU Dec. 3. TOM FOX/ TNS

See

Russell Wilson (3) of the Denver Broncos walks o the eld after a game against the Carolina Panthers Nov. 27.

GETTY IMAGES/JARED C. TILTON/TNS

See CHIEFS

In a le photo from 2003, Brazilian soccer legend Pelé poses with a photograph of himself doing an overhead scissors kick. ABACA PRESS/PA WIRE/JOHN STILLWELL/TNS

Pelé: Brazilian soccer legend dies at 82

Brazil visibility. Soccer and Brazil elevated their standing thanks to the King! He is gone, but his magic will endure.”

Pelé scored 12 goals in 14 World Cup matches and is the only threetime world champion, winning titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970. His death was especially impactful for generations of Brazilian players who idolized him.

“Today Brazil waves goodbye to one of its most illustrious children,” wrote Romario, a 1994 World Cup champion who used Pelé’s full name in his post. “Edson Arantes do Nascimento made the world bow to his talent and took Brazilian soccer to the altar of gods. Throughout his life, Pelé inspired generations of athletes and deserves every tribute.”

Ronaldo, who led Brazil to a fifth World Cup title in 2002, described Pelé as “Unique. Genius. Skilled. Creative. Perfect. Unmatched.”

“What a privilege to come after you, my friend,” Ronaldo wrote. “Your talent is a school through which every player should go. Your legacy transcends generations. And that is the way you will continue to live.”

Pelé was a revered sports figure to a level probably not comparable to any athlete other than Muhammad Ali. As comfortable mingling with heads of states and celebrities as he was evading defenders, Pelé made an impact in capitals across continents.

“As one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, he understood the power of sports to bring people together,” former U.S. President Barack Obama wrote.

President Joe Biden tweeted: “For a sport that brings the world together like no other, Pelé’s rise from humble beginnings to soccer legend is a story of what is possible.”

Pelé’s greatest impact was in Brazil, a unifying figure celebrated during the 2014 World Cup.

“I saw Pelé play, live, at Pacaembu and Morumbi (stadiums),” former Brazil President and current President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wrote. “Play, no. I saw Pelé give a show. Because when he got the ball he always did something special, which often ended in a goal. ... Few Brazilians took the name of our country as far as he did. As different from Portuguese as one’s language was, foreigners from the four corners of the planet soon found a way to pronounce the magic word: ‘Pelé.’”

For a half-century, people who knew the name of only one soccer player knew Pelé.

“He made people

dream and continued to do that with generations and generations of lovers of our sport,” France coach Didier Deschamps said in a statement. “Who, as a child, didn’t dream of being Pelé? ... Pelé was the alliance of beauty and efficiency. His talent and his list of achievements will stay engraved in our minds forever.”

French soccer star Kylian Mbappé tied Pelé for sixth in career World Cup goals with a hat trick in this month’s loss to Argentina in the final. Four years ago, Mbappé became only the second teenager — after Pelé — to score a goal in a World Cup final.

“The king of football has left us but his legacy will never be forgotten,” Mbappé wrote.

“Pelé not only filled football stadiums with exhilaration but he filled hearts and homes with hope and the knowledge that adversity was surmountable,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a statement Friday.

Sports: Winter break ends

Continued from B1

boldt’s wrestlers also will be at Burlington next weekend, part of a whirlwind opening to their January schedule. The Cub grapplers will kick off 2023 with four competitions in eight days, starting with a competition Thursday at Southeast of Cherokee. Then, after competing again in Burlington, Humboldt’s wrestlers will travel to Cherryvale Jan. 10 before hosting Jayhawk-Linn on Jan. 12.

Humboldt’s basketball teams have an extra week to build on their impressive resumes. The boys are still unbeaten at 6-0, while the Lady Cubs are at 4-2. They’ll return to action Jan. 10 at home against Fredonia.

Marmaton Valley, Crest and Southern Coffey County also resume play next week with plenty of home cooking.

The Wildcats host Uniontown on Tuesday and Oswego on Friday. Both the boys and girls squads carry 1-3 records into the break.

Crest is at home Tuesday against Jayhawk-Linn and Friday against Altoona-Midway. The Lancer boys stand at 2-2 headed into January. The Lady

Lancers are 1-3.

Southern Coffey County hosts Madison Tuesday and Lebo Friday. The Lady Titans carry a 4-2 record, while the boys are 1-5.

Yates Center returns with a pair of road games next week. The Wildcat boys are 1-2 and the girls 0-3 as they travel to Oswego Tuesday

and Uniontown Friday.

PLAY RESUMES next week for the Allen Community College women as well. The Red Devils travel to Crowder College at 2 p.m. Saturday.

The men and women open Jayhawk Conference play Jan. 14 with a home doubleheader against Labette.

“His endurance and impact on the field of play inspired the resilience with which Pelé worked for peace and justice globally.”

When Pelé’s condition worsened last month during the World Cup in Qatar, get well messages were flashed on the sides of buildings in Doha. The English Football Association lit Wembley Stadium’s arch in Brazil’s colors on Wednesday night. FIFA, soccer’s governing body, changed its website’s homepage to photos of Pelé with a black background.

“Pelé did things that no other player would even dream of,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino wrote. “The sight of him punching the air in celebration is one of the most iconic in our sport, and is etched into our history. In fact, because televised football was still in his infancy at the time, we only saw small glimpses of what he was capable of.”

When Pelé played for the New York Cosmos of the North American Soccer League from 1975-77, he helped spark soccer’s rise in the United States, leading to the nation hosting the World Cup in 1994.

“Pele was truly a remarkable figure — on and off the field,” said FIFA Council member Sunil Gulati, a former U.S. Soccer Federation president.

“The world has lost a once in a lifetime sportsman who leaves an extraordinary legacy.”

Iola High’s Karingten Hall, right, looks to pass the ball to a teammate in a game earlier this season. The Mustangs resume play Tuesday at Fort Scott. REGISTER/ QUINN BURKITT

Brazilian soccer star Pelé runs with the ball in Malmoe, Sweden, May 8, 1960. Pelé became famous when he played with the Brazilian national team at the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden and won the rst World Champion title for Brazil. DPA/ ABACA PRESS/TNS

Shiffrin enters new dimension with 50th slalom win

SEMMERING, Austria (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin made ski racing history once again on Thursday night.

This time, however, she wasn’t the only American skier doing so.

Shiffrin led teammate Paula Moltzan for the U.S. ski team’s first 1-2 finish in a women’s World Cup slalom since 1971.

And Shiffrin’s win in the night race made her the first ski racer with 50 World Cup wins in a single discipline. No other skier, female or male, has won an event more than 46 times in the 56-year World Cup history.

The result also marked Shiffrin’s 80th World Cup win overall — two short of Lindsey Vonn’s women’s record.

“I honestly have no idea, I have no idea what to say about that,” Shiffrin said about her personal best marks. “But one thing that is easy to say: U.S. 1-2 in slalom, that is amazing. That is unbelievable.”

Building on a big first-run lead of more than seven-tenths of a second, Shiffrin overcame several mistakes in her final run on the deteriorating course to finish 0.29 ahead of

Moltzan, who had her first career podium in the discipline.

“Paula had a ripping run, I saw that from the start. I thought she might win this race. It’s so special to share a podium with her,” Shiffrin said. “I don’t have much to say about 80, I don’t know what to say.”

Moltzan achieved her career best with her parents watching from the

stands at Semmering.

“I obviously couldn’t be more proud of myself and the whole team, and even better to do it in front of my parents,” said Moltzan, who previously had a second-place finish in a parallel event two years ago.

“So, we made history. We have a big team and all the girls are so fast, so it will only be days or weeks until they are really showing exactly

what they can do on the hill, as well.”

Germany’s Lena Dürr was 0.34 behind in third, followed by Shiffrin’s biggest rivals in slalom, Petra Vlhová and Wendy Holdener, who were the only other racers within a second of the winning time.

Shiffrin can match her former teammate Vonn’s achievement of 82 World Cup wins next week, when two slaloms

are scheduled in Zagreb, Croatia.

Only Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark won more races than Vonn and Shiffrin, with 86.

“I stopped wishing for things about three years ago,” Shiffrin said about the possibility of breaking Vonn’s record. “I am just here for the skiing, being able to do it with my teammates, and the amazing crowd and amazing people around,

I couldn’t even dare to wish for that.”

Shiffrin has won six races this season, including the last four: last week’s super-G in St. Moritz and two giant slaloms over the last two days.

Adding to its usual schedule of a GS and a slalom, Semmering this time hosted a giant slalom that was canceled in another Austrian resort, Sölden, in October.

Shiffrin also won all three events the previous time the resort near the capital Vienna staged races on three consecutive days, in December 2016.

Shiffrin extended the overall record for most wins a single discipline to 50 in slalom on Thursday.

She laid the foundation for her triumph in the opening run, where she was more than seven-tenths of a second faster than her closest challenger, Anna Swenn Larsson. The Swede struggled in her second run and dropped to shared sixth position with Croatian prodigy Zrinka Ljutic.

“I felt really good. I was firing, so that was a very, very good run and, to be honest, it was just a pleasure to ski,” Shiffrin said after the opening run.

Curry, Kupp, Judge among most bet-on athletes of 2022

By WAYNE PARRY The Associated Press

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.

(AP) — Did you win money betting on Saint Peter’s, the longest-of-longshots men’s college basketball team that got to the Elite Eight in the national championship tournament this year?

If so, you’ve got plenty of company.

According to DraftKings sportsbook, customers won more money betting on Saint Peter’s than on any other team in 2022. And the Peacocks’ 67-64 victory over Purdue on March 25 was the top-winning game for customers at BetMGM.

Did you lose money betting on the New York Yankees, Green Bay Packers or the Alabama Crimson Tide? Plenty of others did too.

Several of the nation’s leading sportsbooks provided year-end data to The Associated Press giving a look at how people bet in 2022. None would provide actual dollar figures, terming that proprietary information.

Other moneymakers for DraftKings included North Carolina, Gonzaga, Kansas and Providence in the NCAA tournament; and the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings and Washington Commanders in the NFL.

Big money-losers for DraftKings customers included the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, who did not even qualify for the

playoffs in an injury-marred 2022 season; the Denver Broncos, a trendy pre-season Super Bowl pick whose trade for veteran quarterback Russell Wilson has backfired in a 4-11 season so far; the struggling Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Brady’s former team, the New England Patriots; the Miami Dolphins; and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets.

In terms of the total amount of money wagered, Golden State’s Steph Curry was the most bet-on player of 2022 for DraftKings, followed by the Rams’ Cooper Kupp, the reigning Super Bowl MVP; the Yankees’ Aaron

Judge, the American League MVP; the Tennessee Titans’ Derrick Henry; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce; the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic; The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo; the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’marr Chase, and the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum.

In terms of the sheer number of bets, Titans running back Derrick Henry was first, followed by Kelce and Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb. Others on the list included New York Giants running back Saquan Barkley, Indianapolis Colts run-

ning back Jonathan Taylor and Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams.

The most bet-on players for customers of Caesars Sportsbook were Curry; Doncic; Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow; Tatum, and Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Caesars’ most bet-on teams were the Yankees; Warriors; Los Angeles Dodgers; New York Mets and Phoenix Suns.

At BetMGM, the most beton players were Judge, Curry and Doncic.

Houston mattress dealer and big-time gambler Jim McIngvale, also known as “Mattress Mack,” had two huge wins with Caesars this

year: betting $3 million on the Houston Astros to win the World Series at 10-1 odds for a $30 million payout, and winning nearly $8 million betting on Kansas to win the NCAA basketball tournament.

At BetMGM, the most beton players were Judge, Curry and Doncic. McIngvale also hit for $10 million on an Astros World Series bet with BetMGM.

A World Cup soccer game in which the U.S. beat Iran 1-0 was the third-most profitable game for customers this year at BetMGM.

Games that turned out best for BetMGM — but not their customers — were led by the Sept. 12 revenge game between the Seattle Seahawks, who had just traded Wilson, and the Denver Broncos, the team that acquired him. They also did well on a 49ers-Packers playoff game, the Georgia-Alabama college football championship game and a Bengals-Titans playoff game.

That sportsbook also paid out big bets on the Super Bowl including million-dollar bets on the Rams to score more points than the Bengals in the first and fourth quarters.

As it was with most sportsbooks, the Super Bowl was the most bet-on game of the year at PointsBet, followed by the Bengals-Chiefs AFC conference championship game; the Oct. 10 Raiders-Chiefs game; the Sept. 9 season opener between the Rams and the Buffalo Bills, and the Dolphins-Bengals game on Sept. 29.

Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States, shown here at the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Women’s Super G in Bulgaria, won her 50th slalom competition and 80th World Cup race overall Thursday. AGENCE ZOOM/GETTY IMAGES/CHRISTOPHE PALLOT/TNS

Saint Peter’s celebrates its upset victory over Purdue in the 2022 NCAA Tournament to advance to the Elite Eight — the first No. 15 seed to ever do so. NJ ADVANCE MEDIA/STEVE POLITI/TNS

ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE HAS TWO FULL-TIME DETENTION OFFICER OPENINGS AND ONE FULL-TIME DEPUTY SHERIFF POSITION.

Must be 18 years old, a high school diploma or its equivalent. No experience is needed, starting pay as a detention o cer is $17.09 with an increase for the experience. Must have a valid Driver's License, pass criminal background, a general knowledge test, and a fit for duty physical. Shifts are 12 hours with paid lunch.

To be a Deputy Sheri , you must be 21 or older, starting pay is $18.41, and if you are certified, $19.41 and up depending on experience. Because of many questions know that a tra c citation/ticket and simple misdemeanor convictions may not disqualify you from working for a government, or law enforcement entity, so call as we believe people just make bad choices sometimes and you should not hold it against them forever.

Call 785-448-5678 for an application or stop by 135 E. 5th Ave., Garnett, KS 66032. ANCOSO is an equal-opportunity employer and follows veterans' preference laws.

Director of Talent Search Project Salary: $35,000 - $40,000

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Safety Officer Part-time Minimum starting wage: $15.50

Assistant Spirit Coach Salary: $21,000

Low iodine levels rarely a concern in US

DEAR DR. ROACH: I notice that the specialty salts I now buy, such as Himalayan or sea salt, are not iodized. Should I be concerned about getting enough iodine in my diet? — P.M.

ANSWER: Iodine is necessary to make the thyroid hormones. In the United States, the areas with the least iodine

NBA suspends 11 players from scu e

NEW YORK (AP) —

Detroit guard Killian Hayes and Orlando’s Moritz Wagner were each given multi-game suspensions for their roles in a scuffle, while the NBA suspended eight Magic players one game apiece Thursday for leaving the bench area during an altercation.

Hayes, who struck Wagner in the back of the head, was given a three-game suspension without pay. Wagner was banned two games and the Pistons’ Hamidou Diallo was suspended one game by NBA executive vice president

Joe

The fallout from the game in Detroit on Wednesday night was so large that the suspensions of the Magic players will be staggered so they have enough available players to play their next game.

Cole Anthony, R.J. Hampton, Gary Harris, Kevon Harris, Admiral Schofield, Franz Wagner, Mo Bamba and Wendell Carter Jr. were all suspended one game.

Wagner hip-checked Hayes into the Detroit bench to begin the altercation. Hayes got up

and hit him in the back, and Wagner appeared to briefly be knocked out. Magic players then rushed off their bench area in concern for their teammate.

Anthony, Bamba, Carter Hampton and Gary Harris will serve their suspensions Friday against Washington. Kevon Harris, Schofield and Franz Wagner will be suspended for Orlando’s following game Jan. 4 in Oklahoma City

The 11 suspensions will result in just over $500,000 in forfeited salary. Hayes will lose the most, about $121,000.

Dr. Keith Roach

To Your Good Health

are the Great Lakes, Appalachians and Pacific Northwest. Iodized salt, and the availability of food grown in areas with high iodine concentration, has made iodine deficiency much less common in the past 100 years. Most people do not need to worry about low iodine now: Severe deficiency is rare in the U.S. and Canada, and moderate deficiency is found in 1% of Americans and 6% of Canadians.

Sea salt has many trace minerals, but only miniscule amounts of iodine. Himalayan pink salt (it’s the iron in the salt that gives it the pink color) also has very little iodine in it. Fish and shellfish from the ocean are naturally high in iodine. So are dairy products and vegetables grown in iodinerich areas.

Nonpregnant adults are recommended to take in 150 micrograms of iodine daily. If you use iodized salt, that’s the amount in just over half a teaspoon, but most people get most, or all, of what they need from food and do not need to consciously take in iodized salt.

Pregnant women are particularly important because severely low iodine during pregnancy can have terrible effects on the developing fetus, and that’s why prenatal vitamins contain all the iodine a pregnant woman needs.

Most people get far more sodium than they need, so I recommend going easy on your salt intake. If you like the taste of your specialty salts, keep using them sparingly.

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am 91. Literally overnight, I went from eating a very high-fiber diet (which had agreed with me for many years) to requiring a low-fiber diet with two probiotics a day. What could have caused this complete change to my system? — R.C.

ANSWER: Sudden changes in bowel habits can occur from many different causes. Some common causes, like irritable bowel syndrome and abnormal thyroid levels, tend to change gradually. A sudden change like the one you are describing is very concerning for an anatomical change in the colon, and that is very worrisome for colon cancer. The risk of colon cancer increases over the lifespan, and both men and women over the age of 85 are at the highest risk.

There are certainly many other potential causes, but a sudden change in bowel habits, especially in a person over 45, is highly suspicious for colon cancer and should be evaluated.

I often recommend that colon cancer screening is unlikely to be helpful for people over 85, but I just want to be clear: This is not a colon cancer screening. This is an evaluation of new symptoms, and it’s important to find out what is causing it, so please see your gastroenterologist or regular doctor.

Dumars — the former Pistons star player and executive.

Half sister refuses to care for ailing aunt

following columns appeared in 2008.

Dear Carolyn: My half sister was raised by her mother and I by mine; our father died when we were kids. We have an aunt on our dad’s side but no other relatives. This aunt is now elderly and ailing, but apparently this aunt was very hateful to her mother, so my half sister has cut her off for the past 14 years.

The burden of caring for our aunt falls completely on me now, and my half sister refuses to help. I am very resentful of having to carry this load by myself. My half sister has a big family on her mother’s side, with lots of support. I am basically by myself. How do I come to terms with having a sister who lives as if our father and his side of the family simply did not exist?

— The City of Dysfunction

The City of Dysfunction: I can sympathize with the strain you’re feeling.

However, you are asking your half sister to provide aid and comfort to a tormentor. (Gandhior MLK-like forbearance is something we ask of ourselves, not of others.) In fact, she could be as resentful of your helping someone who terrorized her family as you are of her unwillingness to pitch in.

If you plan another appeal, then acknowledge your half sister’s pain first and make it clear you would regard it as a show of support for you, not your aunt. Assure her you will understand if the answer is no. Asking, good; guilt-tripping, bad.

For the sake of your own peace of mind, I would also advise not looking over your shoulder at all the help you aren’t getting. Instead, concentrate on owning your decision to the best

CRYPTOQUOTES

Hax

of your ability. If you aren’t up to providing the necessary care, then please tap local eldercare resources for help (there’s a locator at eldercare.acl.gov).

You made the choice necessary for your own peace of mind; please consider that your half sister did the same.

Hi, Carolyn: My partner and I live in a large co-op apartment building that employs a staff of about 10 guys. We’ve always made a point of tipping the staff at Christmas. Money is tight this year and we’re already discussing cutting back on the gift exchange with our families. We don’t want to stiff the building crew, especially since they really do an excellent job.

At the same time, we’re going to end up spending more on their gifts than on our families’. I don’t doubt they could use the money as much as we could, but is there a less expensive way to show our appreciation without being stingy?

— Nuttin’ for Christmas Nuttin’ for Christmas: When you go out to eat, I doubt you’ll ever leave a greeting card in lieu of a tip, just so you can afford dessert. You know the wait staff depends on tips. So conscience demands that you do the waiter test whenever you contemplate cutting back tips.

The other reason you wouldn’t blow off the wait staff is that tips aren’t gifts. They’re compensation — voluntary, but compensation nonetheless. If there’s a cultural expectation that a job well done will be rewarded with

PIXABAY.COM

a tip, then I don’t think it’s fair to pull back on your compensation to the building staff just because it pinches you more than usual lately. The staff, after all, is still holding up its end of the bargain.

Finally, if you cut back on staff tips the way you never would in a restaurant, then you’re basing your calculations not on the quality of service in your building or even on your priorities, but on what you feel you can get away with.

In other words, unless it’s impossible, please give the 10 guys what you believe they have earned. As the Whos down in Whoville remind us every year, even canceling the family gift exchange wouldn’t mean you were canceling Christmas.

Dear Carolyn: I am generally happy with my life (work, home, pets, family, friends), but every now and then I wonder when I will get married — when will it be my turn? Many friends are getting hitched, and I feel left behind. I’m 31. Sometimes it bothers me and sometimes I couldn’t care less. Is this a natural reaction as we grow older and seek companionship?

— WDC WDC: I think this is a natural reaction as we are surrounded by

friends getting hitched. If everybody who walked by you were eating a cupcake, even if you didn’t want one yourself just then, you’d wonder why everyone had one but you.

But while peer frenzies are common, they also tend to separate us from our better judgment. Summon a little extra willpower to help keep you focused on doing what’s right for you, and one day you’ll realize you haven’t noticed anyone with a cupcake recently. (They need both hands to push the stroller.)

Yesterday’s Cryptoquote: May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness.

— Neil Gaiman

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

The

Carolyn

Steroid user A-Rod tops Hall of Fame ballot because Bonds is out

By MARCUS HAYES The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS)

So this is how it goes, I guess. Every year, the Thrill of Christmas will be followed by the Agony of the Vote.

Deciding on another man’s right to immortality is, indeed, an agonizing exercise. Who deserves to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame? And who am I to choose?

I spent 30 years in this business debating with both my brethren and my conscience whether me and mine were best suited to enshrine them and theirs. After three decades of getting to know them and theirs I’ve decided that, generally speaking, yes: Me and mine are far better suited than them, or theirs.

Me and mine all have different parameters, which adds to the charm of the process, which is negligible, and vexation of those who disagree with the outcome, which is everyone. So it goes.

I more fully spelled out my personal guidelines last year, my first as a voter. Here’s an abridged version:

— Yes, I’m voting for players connected with the performance enhancers. Why? Because hundreds of players got away with it, so the playing field was nowhere near as skewed as purists will have you believe. Also, hundreds of players, managers, general managers, owners, and media members looked the other way during the Steroid Era because, simply, it benefited all of them. It made the sport money; some say it saved it. Baseball is rife with hypocrisy, but none in this age is as great as this hypocrisy.

— Second, I believe in the character clause. I call it the Schilling Line. I’m proud to have done my part to both deny the sport’s most famous religious bigot and treason cheerleader, Curt

Schilling, access to the Hall as a writer and to inform the recent voters on the Contemporary Era Committee why they should rebuke him, too. Which they did.

— Third, I will vote for lost causes. This year, that’s probably Jimmy Rollins and Omar Vizquel, whose diminishing support underscores the absence of knowledge and appreciation of the electorate for defensive genius.

— I will always weight defense more heavily than most voters. After all, players spend half the game playing defense, only about 20 minutes hitting, and the rest sitting on their butts.

— I’ll vote for the maximum 10 players every year.

— No relievers. They’re failed starters who pitch about one inning twice a week. That goes for Mariano Rivera, who, thankfully, got in before I could vote.

Apologies to my man Billy Wagner.

— No designated hitters. And no, I didn’t vote for David Ortiz last year.

— Timing matters. If two players are equal, and one is close to ending his 10-year candidacy on the writers’ ballot, then that guy gets the vote. My final choice this year was subjected to this guideline.

— My ballot not only will be public, I’ll rank my selections. The writers’ Hall of Fame votes will be announced on Jan. 24.

1.

Alex Rodriguez: second year

Last year, Barry Bonds, a condescending jerk who used steroids, was my No. 1 choice, but he dropped off the ballot after a decade of rejection. He also failed to get elected by the Contemporary Era Committee earlier this year. A-Rod, a condescending jerk who admitted he used steroids, takes Bonds’ place on top. Juiced or not, Rodriguez was a Gold Glove shortstop with unreal power. He had no peer. (Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa, who ranked third and eighth for me last year, also exhausted their 10year eligibility window and were rejected by the Contemporary Era Committee.)

2. Manny Ramirez: seventh year

Remember the heart of the 2004 Red Sox how you will — Papi, Schilling, Gabe Kapler — but the franchise that broke the curse was built around Manny Ramirez, as were the great Indians teams of the late 1990s, along

Chiefs: Interim coach leads Broncos

Continued from B1

and how hard they play.”

It will be up to 67-yearold Jerry Rosburg to finally get that talent playing at a high level.

The Broncos turned to the career assistant, who has 18 years of NFL coaching experience, to bridge the gap from Hackett’s firing into next season. He was special teams coordinator in Baltimore for a decade with stops in Atlanta and Cleveland, and was hired by the Broncos in September to hire in-game management when Hackett struggled in his first two games.

“He actually worked for (Ravens coach) John Harbaugh for a number of years,” Reid said. “One of the top special teams coaches in the NFL and a good football coach, period. But a tremendous special teams coach. Good guy.”

Turns out the affection goes both ways.

“He’s a fine man. He’s been so gracious with my family over the years,” Rosburg said of Reid, who was Harbaugh’s mentor in Philadelphia.

“He’s a model for all coaches. We should all aspire to

be like Andy Reid.”

While Wilson is suffering through the worst season of his career, Mahomes is on another tear for the Chiefs, putting himself in position to break the NFL record for yards passing in a season — albeit in a 17-game schedule rather than 16. And Rosburg has seen enough of Mahomes over the years that he’s plenty impressed by him.

He’s just not so excited about facing Mahomes in his first game running the show for Denver.

“I could list them, and you all know them,” Rosburg said of the Chiefs’ playmakers.

“Who would sign up for this? You get to coach in the National Football League? OK, here are the Kansas City Chiefs. Here I am, choose me.”

PLAYOFF POSITION

While the Chiefs are tied with the Bills for the AFC’s best record, Buffalo would get the No. 1 seed and lone firstround bye because of its head-to-head win in October in Kansas City. So not only do the Chiefs need to beat Denver, and probably Las Vegas next week, they also need the

Bengals or Patriots to beat the Bills down the stretch.

DOMINANCE OF DENVER

The Chiefs have won 14 straight against their longtime division rival, a franchise record for any opponent. It’s the fifth-longest streak by any team against an opponent in NFL history, and one more would tie for the third longest. The last time the Broncos beat the Chiefs was a 31-24 victory on Sept. 17, 2015, in Kansas City.

FIXING WILSON

The priority for the Broncos is fixing Wilson, who was brought in at a high cost (three players, four prime draft picks to Seattle) and signed to a five-year extension with about $165 million in guarantees. But this version of Wilson has been head-scratching: He’s on pace for career worsts in touchdowns, completion percentage and sacks.

“I believe in myself at the highest level,” Wilson said. “It’s not going to happen this year, but the mission is still the same and that’s to help bring Super Bowls to Denver. That’s the goal.”

COACHING

CAROUSEL

Rosburg makes five different Broncos coaches for safety Justin Simmons since he was taken in the third-round of the 2016 draft. If owner and CEO Greg Penner wanted his opinion on, say, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero getting a shot at the head coaching job, Simmons would gladly give it. Denver’s defense has been one of the best in the league until a clunker last weekend in a 51-14 loss to Baker Mayfield and the Los Angeles Rams.

“I just want to win,” Simmons said. “When stuff like this happens like with Coach Hackett, I think about what I could’ve done better to help keep his job stable. Whatever it is, whoever it is, I just want to win.”

WEAPON RETURNING

The Chiefs expect to have wide receiver Mecole Hardman back for the first time since an abdominal injury in Week 9 put him on injured reserve. He practiced the last couple of weeks, but has not been inactive for games. He was on a tear before getting hurt, too, scoring five touchdowns in his last three games.

with Jim Thome. Manny was popped twice for PED use, and was suspended twice. He was not suspended for a lifetime. His Hall of Fame blackball shouldn’t last that long, either.

3. Scott Rolen: sixth year Eight Gold Gloves, seven All-Star Games, World Series champion. 70.1 career WAR, ninth all-time among third basemen, and all seven who were Hall eligible are in. Early trends indicate that Rolen will join them this year.

4. Carlos Beltran: first year This is where the arguments get shaky. Beltran isn’t a slam dunk, despite three Gold Gloves, nine All-Star Games, and his postseason feats — a .307 average and 16 homers over 65 games — but in his prime he was a beautiful player who reminded you of Beltran’s hero, Roberto Clemente. If you want to contend that he should be punished with non-inclusion because of his role in the Astros’ cheating scandal in 2017, well, there are going to be lots of angry Astros fans in about 15 years when the rest of the cheaters enter their candidacies.

5. Jimmy Rollins: second year

Five hundred doubles, 200 homers, 400 steals, MVP in 2007, four Gold Gloves, .983 fielding percentage, switch-hitter, and the unquestioned leader of a Phillies team that won five straight National League East titles and the 2008 World Series. J-Roll was unique.

6. Jeff Kent: 10th year The 2000 MVP has

377 homers, most among second basemen, and a .500 slugging percentage, which is second. Then again, he wasn’t much of a second baseman.

7. Todd Helton: fifth year An excellent defender who routinely loses votes because he “only” played first base, and a stupendous hitter who routinely loses votes because he had his best years in Coors Field pre-humidor. I think Helton gets in this year. While his home OPS of 1.048 was nearly 200 points higher than his road OPS, the reality is that he was a superior player on some very good teams.

8. Bobby Abreu: sixth year

Abreu was often an indifferent right fielder and he seldom reached his potential defensively. Evidence: He won a Gold Glove in 2005, the season he really cared, which also was the season he knew he might be traded from the Phillies. But from 1998-2009 he carried a .903 OPS and a .406 on-base percentage. His offensive WAR from 1998-2007, his 10 best consecutive seasons, was 49.0, which was better than David Ortiz’s from 2004-2013, his 10 best consecutive seasons, which was 38.8. And Abreu not only played in the field in that 10-year span, he played almost every single day: 157 of 162 games on average. You’d think he’d be a darling of the analytics cult. Alas.

9. Omar Vizquel: sixth year Vizquel faced accusations of sexual abuse of an autistic batboy and domestic abuse of his estranged wife. He denied both and neither was proven. On the diamond, he’s the best defensive shortstop in baseball history behind Ozzie Smith, he won 11 Gold Gloves, and hit .282 over a 15-year period. For me, he’s in.

10. Gary Sheffield: ninth year

I left Sheff off my ballot last year, but the only first-year candidate I consider worthy this year is Beltran. Ryan Howard would have occupied this spot, but he fell off the ballot last year because he didn’t get the requisite 5% of the vote. (I didn’t vote for him either.) Andruw Jones was the other consideration for my No. 10, but he’s only in his sixth year, so Sheffield’s situation is more dire. So, Sheff it is.

Alex Rodriguez’s Hall of Fame candidacy is clouded because of his use of steroids as a player. TNS FILE PHOTO

Longtime Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins is on the Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot for the second year. THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER/TNS

Prescott has 2 TD passes, Cowboys top banged-up Titans

NASHVILLE, Tenn.

(AP) — Dak Prescott threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns to Dalton Schultz as the Dallas Cowboys beat the banged-up and resting Tennessee Titans 27-13 on Thursday night for their sixth win in seven games.

The Cowboys (12-4)

posted their first backto-back 12-win seasons since 1994 and 1995, when Dallas won its last of the franchise’s five Super Bowl titles. Fans were chanting “Let’s go Cowboys!” throughout the game.

The Cowboys still need to finish the regular season by winning

at Washington with Philadelphia (13-2) losing out for a chance at a second straight NFC East title. Otherwise, they will be locked into the No. 5 seed in the NFC.

Ezekiel Elliott ran for a 1-yard touchdown, his ninth straight game with a rushing TD. That

made him the fifth player with such a streak since 2000, joining Shaun Alexander (2005), Priest Holmes (11 in 2002), Jonathan Taylor in 2021 and LaDainian Tomlinson (18 between 2004-05).

The Titans (7-9) lost their sixth straight hours after placing

quarterback Ryan Tannehill on injured reserve, ending his season unless they reach the AFC championship. They have 22 players on injured reserve and lead the NFL using at least 83 different players.

This game was meaningless for Tennessee in the stand-

ings, with next week’s regular-season finale at Jacksonville deciding the AFC South title. So the Titans scratched seven starters, not counting two others put on IR with Tannehill. Those watching included Derrick Henry, the NFL’s second-leading rusher.

Sugar Bowl: Star players not avoiding tantalizing matchup

any other, opt-outs have been a common theme across games not tied into the fourteam College Football Playoff, which this year are the Fiesta and Peach bowls.

Tennessee will be missin top receivers Jalin Hyatt and Cedric Tillman and linebacker Jeremy Banks in Friday night’s Orange Bowl against Clemson, which will be without top defensive end Myles Murphy.

Kentucky will play the Music City Bowl

without quarterback Will Levis and running back Chris Rodriguez.

Texas was without 1,580-yard rusher Bijan Robinson in Thursday night’s Alamo Bowl against Washington.

LSU will play the Citrus Bowl without edge rusher BJ Ojulari and receiver Kayshon Boutte.

All of those players have turned their attention to NFL draft preparations rather than exposing themselves to injury in one final college game.

Anudike-Uzomah said he and Vaughn never considered missing

the Sugar Bowl, arguably the highest-profile postseason game for Kansas State in a decade.

“We worked so hard for this team, why would we just leave it, honestly? Just go finish it,” Anudike-Uzomah said. “It took us three years really to do this, me and Deuce. And it’s just been a dream come true.

“Growing up, I always looked at Alabama as the best program in college football history. So, it’s a dream come true and an honor the play them, honestly,” Anu-

dike-Uzomah added. “I’m not going to lie; I never thought I would be in the Sugar Bowl.”

Anderson, along with fellow pro prospects on Alabama’s defense such as linebacker Henry To’oto’o and safety Jordan Battle, essentially said they would have felt like hypocrites had they opted out.

All season they had preached the importance of living up the “Alabama standard.” So, shortly after beating Auburn, seniors and other draft-eligible leaders made a pact that they would go out together in

a bowl game. “If you want to go out the right way and you want to be legendary, you want people to remember you by doing something good, this is how you do it,” Anderson said. He said he felt he was showing younger Alabama players “the right thing to do.”

In other words, the college team that, yearafter-year, fields as many NFL caliber players as any is fostering an anti-opt-out culture. It’s made an impression on younger Alabama players like sophomore defensive back Kool-Aid

TRUCKS NOTE: After multiple part-time stints in Xfinity and Trucks Series in 2022, Rajah Caruth landed a full-time ride for the upcoming Craftsman Truck Series season, driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for GMS Racing.

McKinstry.

Anderson’s decision to play “made me feel even more confident about the guy that I already thought he was,” McKinstry said. “I feel like I’ll make the same decision” should he end up facing a similar choice.

Young has not yet declared for the next NFL draft but is widely expected to do so. He was watching the Sugar Bowl a year ago when Mississippi quarterback Matt Corral was helped off of the field after injuring his ankle.

TY DILLON: The 30-year-old veteran wipes the slate clean entering 2022 as he looks for greener pastures in the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports. If he can work with his teammate LaJoie at a track like Daytona or Atlanta, the door is open for Dillon to get that elusive maiden victory.

AUSTIN HILL: Hill will run a part-time schedule in the No. 62 Chevrolet for Beard Motorsports in 2023. This includes competing in both Daytona and Talladega races. Hill led 241 laps combined on superspeedways in the Xfinity Series last season, including two wins at Daytona and Atlanta. Do not be surprised if Hill is in contention for his first career Cup win in 2023.

ZANE SMITH: In an expanded role with Front Row Motorsports, Smith will make his first attempt at running the Daytona 500 in February, along with other select Cup and Xfinity Series races to be announced later. Smith won the Truck Series opener at Daytona last February, so he’s no stranger to running out front at the storied superspeedway.

TODD GILLILAND: In his rookie year last season, Gilliland grabbed a fourth-place finish at the Indianapolis road course for his best run of 2022. If strategy could fall in his favor again in 2023, look for Gilliland as a potential frontrunner at the Brickyard.

HARRISON BURTON: After a rookie slump, the expectations will be raised for the 22-year-old whose only top-five finish came at the Indianapolis road course (third). Burton wasn’t afraid to run up front during the Daytona 500 last year before flipping down the backstretch in Stage 1. Maybe, he’ll be upset-minded when the 2023 calendar opens on the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

COREY LAJOIE: After a heartbreaking end to his upset bid at Atlanta last July, LaJoie will be hungrier than ever to score his maiden Cup Series win. He’s also improved his average finish every season since 2019, so expect that trend to continue in 2023.

RYAN PREECE: Returning to full-time Cup Series action for the first time since 2021, Preece will pilot the No. 41 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing. Superspeedways are a trendy pick but look toward the intermediate oval in Nashville Superspeedway that could be the 32-yearold’s golden opportunity to break through in NASCAR’s premier series.

NOAH GRAGSON: Despite the No. 42 Chevrolet for Petty GMS Motorsports going winless last season, the organization built substantial momentum ahead of 2023, highlighted by Erik Jones’ Southern 500 win. With Gragson joining Jones – and the leadership of seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson in the stable – Gragson could turn the No. 42 into a contender on a weekly basis.

TY GIBBS: Likely the favorite to win Rookie of the Year in 2023, Gibbs will pilot the No. 54 Toyota for his grandfather’s championshipcontending team. It may take a few weeks for the 20-yearold to be fully accustomed to the Cup car despite making 15 starts in 2022 but look for Gibbs to potentially score his first win at a road course like Circuit of the Americas in March.

‘The King’ set to lead NASCAR’s Rose Parade entry

NASCAR is turning the 2023 Rose Parade presented by Honda into a royal processional fit for “The King.”

Richard Petty will ride atop NASCAR’s historic float “Always Forward” that celebrates NASCAR’s 75th anniversary and the Feb. 5 Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum. The parade, which will be held on Monday, Jan. 2., is part of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses which also features the famed Rose Bowl Game (UTah vs. Penn State).

“Nobody embodies the rich history of our sport more than Richard Petty,” said NASCAR Vice President of Marketing Patrick Rogers. “He’s not only ‘The King,’ but an icon recognized around the world as one of the greatest athletes of all time.”

The float that will carry “The King” features his iconic No. 43 race car, along with the No. 3 made popular by Dale Earnhardt and the No. 24 driven by Jeff Gordon. With the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum’s Peristyle and Olympic cauldron serving as a backdrop, the cars race around a track surrounded by flags, ribbons and palm trees.

The annual Rose Parade celebrates 134 years of success with its upcoming celebration on Jan. 2, led by the volunteer-driven, non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association. In addition to participating in the 2023 parade, NASCAR will also be providing the Association’s 935 volunteers with a special Busch Light Clash and Auto Club Speedway ticket offer, in recognition of their dedication to America’s New Year Celebration.