While the&nbsp;<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-your-emotional-response-to-the-covid-19-pandemic-changed-your-behavior-and-your-sense-of-time-167957" target="_blank">emotional toll of the pandemic</a>&nbsp;may have completely wrecked our perception of time, periodic glances out our windows plus our knowledge of orbital dynamics confirm that Earth is continuing its annual revolution around our closest star. So even if we lose track of days or weeks, we can at least observe nature’s cycles and find comfort in the changing seasons together.&nbsp;

Or we could&nbsp;if&nbsp;we were able to stop arguing long enough to come to an agreement on when each season actually starts.&nbsp;

FiveThirtyEight&nbsp;conducted an informal poll (i.e., a Google form) to find out what&nbsp;people&nbsp;think marks the seasons. By the end of the four-day survey, 2,742 readers had shared their thoughts.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Readers&nbsp;were asked&nbsp;to select from a list of options to indicate when each season begins. Overall, they were more open to considering qualitative metrics for determining the start of the transitional seasons, fall and spring, than of winter or summer.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Here’s how&nbsp;the&nbsp;reader-generated calendar of the seasons breaks down.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Take a look and perhaps you’ll find something other than politics to argue about with your family this Thanksgiving — truly something to be thankful for.&nbsp;

A plurality of respondents (37 percent) said spring begins when buds appear on the trees, while 33 percent said it starts on the spring or vernal equinox, which falls on or around Mar. 20 in the Northern Hemisphere.&nbsp;

For fall, 26 percent said the season begins on the autumnal equinox, which lands on or around Sept. 22 in the Northern Hemisphere. But 25 percent said fall starts when the leaves start to change color. Another 25 percent said fall begins the day after Labor Day, which is obviously incorrect.

For summer, 40 percent of respondents — the largest plurality we had for any season — said the season begins the day after Memorial Day (in 2021, that was June 1). Twenty-three percent said summer starts when school lets out, and 18 percent said it begins on the summer solstice, which is on or around June 20 in the Northern Hemisphere.&nbsp;

And in case you had any doubt that America is first and foremost a capitalist society, the most popular response for when winter begins was Black Friday, with 23 percent selecting that option. (Of course, it is also the day after Thanksgiving, which could be seen as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/exploring_fall_traditions_and_the_true_meaning_of_thanksgiving" target="_blank">the pinnacle of harvest festivities</a>.)

Twenty-one percent said winter starts on the winter solstice (on or around Dec. 21 in the Northern Hemisphere), while 12 percent said it was when the first snow falls — the same percentage who said winter starts when the first snow sticks to the ground.&nbsp;

Readers&nbsp;were also asked&nbsp;whether they associated the start of a season with a specific date rather than with a phenomenon (like leaves changing colors) or a moving holiday (like Black Friday) and, if so, to mark it on a calendar.&nbsp;FiveThirtyEight&nbsp;got a wide range of dates, but a plurality (or, in the case of summer and winter, a majority) of respondents landed on the first day of a month near the start of that season. For spring, 25 percent said it begins on March 1, while 51 percent said summer starts on June 1.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Sept. 1 got the most votes for fall, with 31 percent, and Dec. 1 was deemed the start of winter by 51 percent of our survey-takers. These dates correlate with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/meteorological-versus-astronomical-seasons" target="_blank">meteorological seasons</a>, which are based on the annual temperature cycle, not the astronomical seasons (think the solstices and equinoxes), which are based on Earth’s tilt and the sun’s alignment over the equator.&nbsp;&nbsp;

According to David Macauley, a philosophy and environmental studies professor at Penn State University and editor of “The Seasons: Philosophical, Literary and Environmental Perspectives,” the fact that there were both a variety in responses and a fair amount of consensus around particular dates or markers shows how deeply imbued the traditional notions of the seasons are in the American psyche, even with all our regional and cultural differences.&nbsp;

Historically, said Macauley, the seasons were closely tied to our agricultural cycle: Spring was for planting, summer was for growing, fall was for harvesting, and in winter we lived off the stores. But, over time, as we moved away from a largely agrarian society, those practical associations with the changing seasons were overtaken by cultural signifiers. “The astronomical stuff got connected with the cultural stuff — Halloween, Easter, basically everything Norman Rockwell and others popularized in American culture. And that became part of our national identity,” he said.&nbsp;

In addition to multiple-choice options for when each season begins,&nbsp;FiveThirtyEight&nbsp;allowed respondents to write their own answers. Some of these responses were very specific. For example, one reader wrote that spring begins when their “malamute/husky begins to shed her heavy winter undercoat.” Another wrote that they know it’s summer “when the urge to grill and barbecue becomes too much.”&nbsp;

These open-ended responses revealed how big an influence religious and cultural calendars have on many people’s views of the seasons.&nbsp;Readers shared religious or cultural dates that help them mark the changing of the seasons. Eight readers said they considered it winter on the first day of Advent, the Christian liturgical season leading up to Christmas. Two readers marked the start of winter with Samhain, an ancient Celtic pagan festival signaling the end of harvest season. One reader said they measured the beginning of summer and winter by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/the-24-solar-terms.htm" target="_blank">Chinese solar terms</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;lì&nbsp;xià&nbsp;and&nbsp;lì&nbsp;dōng, respectively.&nbsp;

Another major cultural influence that measures the seasons: sports. Multiple respondents marked the start of spring with the first day of spring training for Major League Baseball or with opening day. Others thought opening day heralded the start of summer. Four respondents said March Madness signaled the start of spring for them. Some marked the beginning of fall by the start of the MLB playoffs or when football season (both college and professional or, in one instance, pee-wee) begins. One fan noted that winter begins “when the Steelers are out of the playoffs.”&nbsp;

Other responses reveal regional differences in seasonal perception. Considering that most of the U.S. doesn’t experience the prototypical New England-style four seasons, it’s understandable that gauging the seasons would look different depending on where you live. Using ZIP codes readers provided,&nbsp;they&nbsp;found that in the area around Phoenix, summer starts when there are “multiple 100-plus [degrees Fahrenheit] days in a row,” while in Tampa, Florida, summer equals hurricane season; in the Pacific Northwest, it’s when it stops raining all the time. And you&nbsp;get&nbsp;one guess where the reader who gave these responses lives: Winter starts with “the first five-car pileup on the pike due to ice.” Spring comes when “the snow pile melts at the mall.” Summer is marked by “Red Sox opening day,” which was April 1 this year. And it’s only fall once “Sam Adams&nbsp;OctoberFest&nbsp;is on the shelves.”&nbsp;

While the&nbsp;<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-your-emotional-response-to-the-covid-19-pandemic-changed-your-behavior-and-your-sense-of-time-167957" target="_blank">emotional toll of the pandemic</a>&nbsp;may have completely wrecked our perception of time, periodic glances out our windows plus our knowledge of orbital dynamics confirm that Earth is continuing its annual revolution around our closest star. So even if we lose track of days or weeks, we can at least observe nature’s cycles and find comfort in the changing seasons together.&nbsp;Or we could&nbsp;if&nbsp;we were able to stop arguing long enough to come to an agreement on when each season actually starts.&nbsp;FiveThirtyEight&nbsp;conducted an informal poll (i.e., a Google form) to find out what&nbsp;people&nbsp;think marks the seasons. By the end of the four-day survey, 2,742 readers had shared their thoughts.&nbsp;&nbsp;Readers&nbsp;were asked&nbsp;to select from a list of options to indicate when each season begins. Overall, they were more open to considering qualitative metrics for determining the start of the transitional seasons, fall and spring, than of winter or summer.&nbsp;&nbsp;Here’s how&nbsp;the&nbsp;reader-generated calendar of the seasons breaks down.&nbsp;&nbsp;Take a look and perhaps you’ll find something other than politics to argue about with your family this Thanksgiving — truly something to be thankful for.&nbsp;A plurality of respondents (37 percent) said spring begins when buds appear on the trees, while 33 percent said it starts on the spring or vernal equinox, which falls on or around Mar. 20 in the Northern Hemisphere.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637758321092.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>For fall, 26 percent said the season begins on the autumnal equinox, which lands on or around Sept. 22 in the Northern Hemisphere. But 25 percent said fall starts when the leaves start to change color. Another 25 percent said fall begins the day after Labor Day, which is obviously incorrect.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637758352398.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>For summer, 40 percent of respondents — the largest plurality we had for any season — said the season begins the day after Memorial Day (in 2021, that was June 1). Twenty-three percent said summer starts when school lets out, and 18 percent said it begins on the summer solstice, which is on or around June 20 in the Northern Hemisphere.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637758381749.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>And in case you had any doubt that America is first and foremost a capitalist society, the most popular response for when winter begins was Black Friday, with 23 percent selecting that option. (Of course, it is also the day after Thanksgiving, which could be seen as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/exploring_fall_traditions_and_the_true_meaning_of_thanksgiving" target="_blank">the pinnacle of harvest festivities</a>.) Twenty-one percent said winter starts on the winter solstice (on or around Dec. 21 in the Northern Hemisphere), while 12 percent said it was when the first snow falls — the same percentage who said winter starts when the first snow sticks to the ground.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637758433857.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Readers&nbsp;were also asked&nbsp;whether they associated the start of a season with a specific date rather than with a phenomenon (like leaves changing colors) or a moving holiday (like Black Friday) and, if so, to mark it on a calendar.&nbsp;FiveThirtyEight&nbsp;got a wide range of dates, but a plurality (or, in the case of summer and winter, a majority) of respondents landed on the first day of a month near the start of that season. For spring, 25 percent said it begins on March 1, while 51 percent said summer starts on June 1.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sept. 1 got the most votes for fall, with 31 percent, and Dec. 1 was deemed the start of winter by 51 percent of our survey-takers. These dates correlate with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/meteorological-versus-astronomical-seasons" target="_blank">meteorological seasons</a>, which are based on the annual temperature cycle, not the astronomical seasons (think the solstices and equinoxes), which are based on Earth’s tilt and the sun’s alignment over the equator.&nbsp;&nbsp;According to David Macauley, a philosophy and environmental studies professor at Penn State University and editor of “The Seasons: Philosophical, Literary and Environmental Perspectives,” the fact that there were both a variety in responses and a fair amount of consensus around particular dates or markers shows how deeply imbued the traditional notions of the seasons are in the American psyche, even with all our regional and cultural differences.&nbsp;Historically, said Macauley, the seasons were closely tied to our agricultural cycle: Spring was for planting, summer was for growing, fall was for harvesting, and in winter we lived off the stores. But, over time, as we moved away from a largely agrarian society, those practical associations with the changing seasons were overtaken by cultural signifiers. “The astronomical stuff got connected with the cultural stuff — Halloween, Easter, basically everything Norman Rockwell and others popularized in American culture. And that became part of our national identity,” he said.&nbsp;In addition to multiple-choice options for when each season begins,&nbsp;FiveThirtyEight&nbsp;allowed respondents to write their own answers. Some of these responses were very specific. For example, one reader wrote that spring begins when their “malamute/husky begins to shed her heavy winter undercoat.” Another wrote that they know it’s summer “when the urge to grill and barbecue becomes too much.”&nbsp;These open-ended responses revealed how big an influence religious and cultural calendars have on many people’s views of the seasons.&nbsp;Readers shared religious or cultural dates that help them mark the changing of the seasons. Eight readers said they considered it winter on the first day of Advent, the Christian liturgical season leading up to Christmas. Two readers marked the start of winter with Samhain, an ancient Celtic pagan festival signaling the end of harvest season. One reader said they measured the beginning of summer and winter by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/the-24-solar-terms.htm" target="_blank">Chinese solar terms</a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;lì&nbsp;xià&nbsp;and&nbsp;lì&nbsp;dōng, respectively.&nbsp;Another major cultural influence that measures the seasons: sports. Multiple respondents marked the start of spring with the first day of spring training for Major League Baseball or with opening day. Others thought opening day heralded the start of summer. Four respondents said March Madness signaled the start of spring for them. Some marked the beginning of fall by the start of the MLB playoffs or when football season (both college and professional or, in one instance, pee-wee) begins. One fan noted that winter begins “when the Steelers are out of the playoffs.”&nbsp;Other responses reveal regional differences in seasonal perception. Considering that most of the U.S. doesn’t experience the prototypical New England-style four seasons, it’s understandable that gauging the seasons would look different depending on where you live. Using ZIP codes readers provided,&nbsp;they&nbsp;found that in the area around Phoenix, summer starts when there are “multiple 100-plus [degrees Fahrenheit] days in a row,” while in Tampa, Florida, summer equals hurricane season; in the Pacific Northwest, it’s when it stops raining all the time. And you&nbsp;get&nbsp;one guess where the reader who gave these responses lives: Winter starts with “the first five-car pileup on the pike due to ice.” Spring comes when “the snow pile melts at the mall.” Summer is marked by “Red Sox opening day,” which was April 1 this year. And it’s only fall once “Sam Adams&nbsp;OctoberFest&nbsp;is on the shelves.”&nbsp;

Chart of the Day: Opinions differ about what marks the start of each season

The House of Ruth’s&nbsp;first Winter Coat Drive for Kids&nbsp;was a success, according to&nbsp;founder&nbsp;Linda Gibson.&nbsp;

The House of Ruth&nbsp;partnered with&nbsp;several area organizations&nbsp;to&nbsp;purchase&nbsp;and&nbsp;collect&nbsp;donations of new children’s winter coats&nbsp;for six weeks.&nbsp;

The group, including&nbsp;volunteers&nbsp;Dewonna&nbsp;Goodridge, Kimberly Knight, Mercy Goodridge,&nbsp;presented the coats to students at&nbsp;Sheridan Elementary School,&nbsp;Grandview Elementary School,&nbsp;Washington Elementary School and Westwood Elementary School in Junction City, as well as Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School in Manhattan.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The House of Ruth expressed gratitude&nbsp;to&nbsp;the Junction City and Manhattan communities, as well as&nbsp;all of the principals and the staff&nbsp;for allowing the group&nbsp;to donate coats to their kids.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The&nbsp;House of Ruth’s coat drive&nbsp;received support, coats, and monetary donations from:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The House of Ruth’s&nbsp;first Winter Coat Drive for Kids&nbsp;was a success, according to&nbsp;founder&nbsp;Linda Gibson.&nbsp;The House of Ruth&nbsp;partnered with&nbsp;several area organizations&nbsp;to&nbsp;purchase&nbsp;and&nbsp;collect&nbsp;donations of new children’s winter coats&nbsp;for six weeks.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637683530848.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637683496208.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637683513640.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The group, including&nbsp;volunteers&nbsp;Dewonna&nbsp;Goodridge, Kimberly Knight, Mercy Goodridge,&nbsp;presented the coats to students at&nbsp;Sheridan Elementary School,&nbsp;Grandview Elementary School,&nbsp;Washington Elementary School and Westwood Elementary School in Junction City, as well as Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School in Manhattan.&nbsp;&nbsp;The House of Ruth expressed gratitude&nbsp;to&nbsp;the Junction City and Manhattan communities, as well as&nbsp;all of the principals and the staff&nbsp;for allowing the group&nbsp;to donate coats to their kids.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637683564296.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637683606896.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637683643471.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The&nbsp;House of Ruth’s coat drive&nbsp;received support, coats, and monetary donations from:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<ul>
 <li>Geary/Riley/Saline Alumnae Chapter of Deltas Sigma Theta Sorority&nbsp;</li><li>New Church of the Living God&nbsp;</li><li>Military Order of the Cooties Pup Tent #6&nbsp;</li><li>VFW Ladies Auxiliary&nbsp;</li><li>Fraternal Order of&nbsp;Eagles&nbsp;# 830 Ladies Auxiliary&nbsp;</li><li>Eagles Riders # 830&nbsp;</li><li>First&nbsp;Presbyterian&nbsp;Baptist Church&nbsp;</li><li>Morris Hill Baptist Church&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Kansas Council of Deliberation&nbsp;</li><li>Eagle&nbsp;Radio&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>

First coat drive a success

The following is an excerpt from Senator Roger Marshall's regularly scheduled newsletter November 22.

Fighting&nbsp;to Prevent Dishonorable Discharges&nbsp;

As we wrap up another busy week on Capitol Hill, I want you to know that I am going to keep fighting to stop Joe Biden’s unconstitutional COVID vaccine mandates that are wreaking havoc on so many Americans including our nation’s military men and women.&nbsp;

With the National Defense Authorization Act on the floor this week, we were hopeful Senate Democrats would have allowed a vote on my amendment to stop Joe Biden from dishonorably discharging our servicemembers for choosing to not get the COVID vaccine. Unfortunately, Chuck Schumer dragged his feet on NDAA consideration and blocked floor amendments.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Considering China’s military rise and the foreign policy disasters this White House has created, one would think delivering a paycheck to our servicemembers and providing funding to increase our military’s lethality would be top of mind. Instead, the Majority Leader remains focused on reckless taxing, reckless spending, and reckless borrowing that is pushing Americans further into debt, driving up inflation, and putting our nation at a disadvantage.&nbsp;

The U.S. Senate should be able to vote on a myriad of amendments such as mine to prevent dishonorable discharges. As a former Army doctor, I support the vaccine, but I also believe in the sanctity of the patient – doctor relationship. And, I support those who are defending our freedoms and carefully weighed their decision – with their doctor, their loved ones, perhaps their chaplain – and decided this vaccine isn’t for them.&nbsp;

Unfortunately, the sledge hammer policy out of the White House says that one size has to fit all and there are no exceptions to its mandate. They also refuse to consider natural immunity even though we know natural immunity to COVID is the same as, if not more powerful than the vaccine. As a result, President Biden wants to slap a dishonorable discharge on our unvaccinated heroes who put their lives on the line each day to defend our freedoms and our American way of life. A dishonorable discharge for our servicemembers is excessive and beyond harsh: they are disqualified from most jobs, they lose access to the GI bill, they lose VA home loans and medical benefits, and they lose military funeral honors. A dishonorable discharge treats those defending our freedoms as felons.&nbsp;

But,&nbsp;our American heroes deserve better.&nbsp;

For these reasons, I urged Chuck Schumer today to change course and allow a robust NDAA amendment process that includes a vote on my amendment when the Senate returns after Thanksgiving. We have come a long way in our fight against vaccine mandates, and I thank each of you for your continued support in this battle – I will not let up.&nbsp;

No otherwise honorable member of the United States military should worry about losing their freedom while protecting ours. Unfortunately, thousands of our servicemen and women are about to lose those very freedoms that they have fought so hard to defend as President Joe Biden’s COVID vaccine mandate is threatening them with a dishonorable discharge should they chose to not get the shot.

The bottom line is, American heroes should not be treated as felons because of their personal medical choices. President Biden’s vaccine mandate is a slap in the face to so many American heroes who put their lives on the line each day to defend our freedoms and our American way of life.

The following is an excerpt from Senator Roger Marshall's regularly scheduled newsletter November 22.Fighting&nbsp;to Prevent Dishonorable Discharges&nbsp;As we wrap up another busy week on Capitol Hill, I want you to know that I am going to keep fighting to stop Joe Biden’s unconstitutional COVID vaccine mandates that are wreaking havoc on so many Americans including our nation’s military men and women.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637756060789.jpeg" alt="Sen. Roger Marshall&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Sen. Roger Marshall&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>With the National Defense Authorization Act on the floor this week, we were hopeful Senate Democrats would have allowed a vote on my amendment to stop Joe Biden from dishonorably discharging our servicemembers for choosing to not get the COVID vaccine. Unfortunately, Chuck Schumer dragged his feet on NDAA consideration and blocked floor amendments.&nbsp;&nbsp;Considering China’s military rise and the foreign policy disasters this White House has created, one would think delivering a paycheck to our servicemembers and providing funding to increase our military’s lethality would be top of mind. Instead, the Majority Leader remains focused on reckless taxing, reckless spending, and reckless borrowing that is pushing Americans further into debt, driving up inflation, and putting our nation at a disadvantage.&nbsp;The U.S. Senate should be able to vote on a myriad of amendments such as mine to prevent dishonorable discharges. As a former Army doctor, I support the vaccine, but I also believe in the sanctity of the patient – doctor relationship. And, I support those who are defending our freedoms and carefully weighed their decision – with their doctor, their loved ones, perhaps their chaplain – and decided this vaccine isn’t for them.&nbsp;Unfortunately, the sledge hammer policy out of the White House says that one size has to fit all and there are no exceptions to its mandate. They also refuse to consider natural immunity even though we know natural immunity to COVID is the same as, if not more powerful than the vaccine. As a result, President Biden wants to slap a dishonorable discharge on our unvaccinated heroes who put their lives on the line each day to defend our freedoms and our American way of life. A dishonorable discharge for our servicemembers is excessive and beyond harsh: they are disqualified from most jobs, they lose access to the GI bill, they lose VA home loans and medical benefits, and they lose military funeral honors. A dishonorable discharge treats those defending our freedoms as felons.&nbsp;But,&nbsp;our American heroes deserve better.&nbsp;For these reasons, I urged Chuck Schumer today to change course and allow a robust NDAA amendment process that includes a vote on my amendment when the Senate returns after Thanksgiving. We have come a long way in our fight against vaccine mandates, and I thank each of you for your continued support in this battle – I will not let up.&nbsp;No otherwise honorable member of the United States military should worry about losing their freedom while protecting ours. Unfortunately, thousands of our servicemen and women are about to lose those very freedoms that they have fought so hard to defend as President Joe Biden’s COVID vaccine mandate is threatening them with a dishonorable discharge should they chose to not get the shot.The bottom line is, American heroes should not be treated as felons because of their personal medical choices. President Biden’s vaccine mandate is a slap in the face to so many American heroes who put their lives on the line each day to defend our freedoms and our American way of life.--Senator Roger Marshall&nbsp;

DC Dispatches: Letter from Senator Roger Marshall 

For several years, the City of Manhattan has undertaken a&nbsp;number of surveys&nbsp;and studies&nbsp;to formulate some modicum of an organized vision for the Aggieville District.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In&nbsp;each&nbsp;of those surveys, the condition and utilization of the&nbsp;District’s&nbsp;alleyways&nbsp;has&nbsp;been a top&nbsp;priority for respondents.&nbsp;

Despite the overwhelming demand for&nbsp;improvements, very little action has actually&nbsp;occurred.&nbsp;

During Tuesday’s work session, Manhattan city commissioners discussed&nbsp;the possibility of rather large action.&nbsp;

In&nbsp;May, the City contracted with&nbsp;MSW&nbsp;Consultants&nbsp;of Orlando, Florida&nbsp;to look at the issue and make recommendations.&nbsp;

After its analysis, MSW&nbsp;found&nbsp;two options for the&nbsp;City.&nbsp;&nbsp;

John Culbertson, MSW principal consultant, outlined the pros and cons of a plan for the City to take&nbsp;over responsibility for waste management in the district by establishing&nbsp;an&nbsp;exclusive waste service provision. Culbertson also outlined ways to&nbsp;leave the district as non-exclusive but develop ordinances and regulations to guide waste management requirements within the district.&nbsp;

Culbertson and MSW believe an exclusive waste cartage deal would benefit the City, but acknowledged the&nbsp;complexity of the initial set up would be daunting.&nbsp;

He told commissioners that having non-exclusive cartage is&nbsp;less efficient and&nbsp;makes it&nbsp;harder to manage container types and locations.&nbsp;He also reminded commissioners about the impacts of multiple&nbsp;heavy trucks on the pavement and&nbsp;air quality in the area.&nbsp;&nbsp;

To maintain the non-exclusive situation but still improve the&nbsp;District’s&nbsp;sanitation, Culbertson said the&nbsp;City&nbsp;could beef up requirements for licensure and permitting, nuancing the language to ensure compliance and minimum&nbsp;standards, as well as designing a configuration of containers and haulers that will safely and effectively serve the Aggieville district.&nbsp;

An exclusive agreement would mean the City would take over responsibility for waste hauling in the&nbsp;District, likely contracting the service out, but&nbsp;forcing businesses within the&nbsp;district&nbsp;to pay for the service. Fewer, more centralized containers with&nbsp;larger&nbsp;capacity would replace the&nbsp;current&nbsp;scattered,&nbsp;arbitrarily&nbsp;placed receptacles.&nbsp;

Many of the problems with the&nbsp;District’s&nbsp;alleyways are a matter of simple logistics.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Trash containers and service entrances for most businesses are in the alleys.&nbsp;Currently, waste cartage for the 100 businesses&nbsp;and more than 80 trash containers&nbsp;in the Aggieville District&nbsp;is&nbsp;an&nbsp;independent decision.&nbsp;That means seven different waste hauling companies send trucks into the&nbsp;District&nbsp;multiple times every day, increasing the already congested traffic and often blocking alleyways completely.&nbsp;

Other issues, however, are a matter of aesthetics and&nbsp;public appeal. Major&nbsp;complaints&nbsp;have been lodged regarding&nbsp;how&nbsp;overflowing trash, leaky&nbsp;receptacles, and&nbsp;slimy&nbsp;grease spills in the&nbsp;District&nbsp;have a massive negative effect on commerce and tourism.&nbsp;

Commissioner Linda Morse&nbsp;said that leaving cleanup and adequate&nbsp;maintenance&nbsp;of the alleys up to businesses is&nbsp;unreliable.&nbsp;Simple requests don’t do the trick, according to Morse, and the&nbsp;City&nbsp;should do more to compel some level of compliance.&nbsp;

“I think there’s a role for our ordinances,” Morse said.&nbsp;“We&nbsp;can't&nbsp;achieve&nbsp;this&nbsp;by asking.&nbsp;If we’re going to fix up alleys we have to insist on these things.”&nbsp;

Mayor&nbsp;Wynn Butler said he is against government having a big hand in trash operations. He said he can support the commission investigating ordinances, adopting new code language, and encouraging businesses to consolidate waste service privately,&nbsp;but he is utterly opposed to the&nbsp;City&nbsp;taking any operational role.&nbsp;

“I don’t want&nbsp;to see the city get into the trash business,” Butler said.&nbsp;“Government gets involved and&nbsp;we’ll do nothing but make&nbsp;it&nbsp;worse.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“We’re not getting into the trash business if I have anything to do with it.”&nbsp;

Some owners proposed stricter ordinances and enclosures to hide the trash containers. Most everyone acknowledged the lack of enforcement would make any new system ineffective.&nbsp;

Some business owners objected to the plan because of safety concerns. They fear sending employees out to throw away trash&nbsp;in a centralized container far away from their location in the dark.&nbsp;

“How am I going to send a hundred-pound girl out into the dark to a trash can two blocks away?” Dennis Cook of the Aggieville Business Association&nbsp;asked.&nbsp;

Cook&nbsp;told commissioners that business owners he has spoken with recognize that&nbsp;they&nbsp;need to be cleaner better, but he thinks adjusting pickup schedules to allow access for regular street sweeper&nbsp;cleanup is a less intrusive plan.&nbsp;

Charles,&nbsp;owner of&nbsp;Tanners&nbsp;Bar and&nbsp;Grill,&nbsp;said that the logistics of&nbsp;a&nbsp;centralized&nbsp;operation could be impossible during uber-busy&nbsp;times&nbsp;like&nbsp;Game Days and graduation.&nbsp;

“We just get slammed,” he told commissioners. “Logistically&nbsp;we&nbsp;don’t have the staff to run trash two&nbsp;or&nbsp;three&nbsp;blocks&nbsp;away,&nbsp;two&nbsp;or&nbsp;three times a day.”&nbsp;

Jason Hilgers, deputy city&nbsp;manager, said the alleys will have&nbsp;be&nbsp;dealt with soon. The most recent survey, echoing numerous others, suggested that a vast majority of respondents are in favor of transforming the alleys into pedestrian and public spaces. The&nbsp;City&nbsp;plans to spend&nbsp;hundreds&nbsp;of thousands, if not millions of dollars&nbsp;improving the district, and business&nbsp;may&nbsp;have to accept&nbsp;changes.&nbsp;

“I respect the businesses' perspectives,” Hilgers said, “but&nbsp;thousands&nbsp;of people walk those alleys to access businesses and they are&nbsp;unsightly and unkept. They need our attention.”&nbsp;

Commissioner Usha Reddi&nbsp;noted&nbsp;how the&nbsp;City&nbsp;and tax dollars support&nbsp;businesses’&nbsp;efforts, and they must sometimes make&nbsp;concessions&nbsp;for the good of the community that pays for the infrastructure surrounding them.&nbsp;

“Leaving it the way it is&nbsp;is&nbsp;not an option for me,” Reddi said.&nbsp;“These businesses need to understand that everything around them is public tax dollars.&nbsp;We’re making improvements but&nbsp;if&nbsp;things&nbsp;continue like this those&nbsp;improvements&nbsp;won’t last long.”&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637722772982.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>For several years, the City of Manhattan has undertaken a&nbsp;number of surveys&nbsp;and studies&nbsp;to formulate some modicum of an organized vision for the Aggieville District.&nbsp;&nbsp;In&nbsp;each&nbsp;of those surveys, the condition and utilization of the&nbsp;District’s&nbsp;alleyways&nbsp;has&nbsp;been a top&nbsp;priority for respondents.&nbsp;Despite the overwhelming demand for&nbsp;improvements, very little action has actually&nbsp;occurred.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637722316046.png" alt="" />
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 </figure>During Tuesday’s work session, Manhattan city commissioners discussed&nbsp;the possibility of rather large action.&nbsp;In&nbsp;May, the City contracted with&nbsp;MSW&nbsp;Consultants&nbsp;of Orlando, Florida&nbsp;to look at the issue and make recommendations.&nbsp;After its analysis, MSW&nbsp;found&nbsp;two options for the&nbsp;City.&nbsp;&nbsp;John Culbertson, MSW principal consultant, outlined the pros and cons of a plan for the City to take&nbsp;over responsibility for waste management in the district by establishing&nbsp;an&nbsp;exclusive waste service provision. Culbertson also outlined ways to&nbsp;leave the district as non-exclusive but develop ordinances and regulations to guide waste management requirements within the district.&nbsp;Culbertson and MSW believe an exclusive waste cartage deal would benefit the City, but acknowledged the&nbsp;complexity of the initial set up would be daunting.&nbsp;He told commissioners that having non-exclusive cartage is&nbsp;less efficient and&nbsp;makes it&nbsp;harder to manage container types and locations.&nbsp;He also reminded commissioners about the impacts of multiple&nbsp;heavy trucks on the pavement and&nbsp;air quality in the area.&nbsp;&nbsp;To maintain the non-exclusive situation but still improve the&nbsp;District’s&nbsp;sanitation, Culbertson said the&nbsp;City&nbsp;could beef up requirements for licensure and permitting, nuancing the language to ensure compliance and minimum&nbsp;standards, as well as designing a configuration of containers and haulers that will safely and effectively serve the Aggieville district.&nbsp;An exclusive agreement would mean the City would take over responsibility for waste hauling in the&nbsp;District, likely contracting the service out, but&nbsp;forcing businesses within the&nbsp;district&nbsp;to pay for the service. Fewer, more centralized containers with&nbsp;larger&nbsp;capacity would replace the&nbsp;current&nbsp;scattered,&nbsp;arbitrarily&nbsp;placed receptacles.&nbsp;Many of the problems with the&nbsp;District’s&nbsp;alleyways are a matter of simple logistics.&nbsp;&nbsp;Trash containers and service entrances for most businesses are in the alleys.&nbsp;Currently, waste cartage for the 100 businesses&nbsp;and more than 80 trash containers&nbsp;in the Aggieville District&nbsp;is&nbsp;an&nbsp;independent decision.&nbsp;That means seven different waste hauling companies send trucks into the&nbsp;District&nbsp;multiple times every day, increasing the already congested traffic and often blocking alleyways completely.&nbsp;Other issues, however, are a matter of aesthetics and&nbsp;public appeal. Major&nbsp;complaints&nbsp;have been lodged regarding&nbsp;how&nbsp;overflowing trash, leaky&nbsp;receptacles, and&nbsp;slimy&nbsp;grease spills in the&nbsp;District&nbsp;have a massive negative effect on commerce and tourism.&nbsp;Commissioner Linda Morse&nbsp;said that leaving cleanup and adequate&nbsp;maintenance&nbsp;of the alleys up to businesses is&nbsp;unreliable.&nbsp;Simple requests don’t do the trick, according to Morse, and the&nbsp;City&nbsp;should do more to compel some level of compliance.&nbsp;“I think there’s a role for our ordinances,” Morse said.&nbsp;“We&nbsp;can't&nbsp;achieve&nbsp;this&nbsp;by asking.&nbsp;If we’re going to fix up alleys we have to insist on these things.”&nbsp;Mayor&nbsp;Wynn Butler said he is against government having a big hand in trash operations. He said he can support the commission investigating ordinances, adopting new code language, and encouraging businesses to consolidate waste service privately,&nbsp;but he is utterly opposed to the&nbsp;City&nbsp;taking any operational role.&nbsp;“I don’t want&nbsp;to see the city get into the trash business,” Butler said.&nbsp;“Government gets involved and&nbsp;we’ll do nothing but make&nbsp;it&nbsp;worse.&nbsp;&nbsp;“We’re not getting into the trash business if I have anything to do with it.”&nbsp;Some owners proposed stricter ordinances and enclosures to hide the trash containers. Most everyone acknowledged the lack of enforcement would make any new system ineffective.&nbsp;Some business owners objected to the plan because of safety concerns. They fear sending employees out to throw away trash&nbsp;in a centralized container far away from their location in the dark.&nbsp;“How am I going to send a hundred-pound girl out into the dark to a trash can two blocks away?” Dennis Cook of the Aggieville Business Association&nbsp;asked.&nbsp;Cook&nbsp;told commissioners that business owners he has spoken with recognize that&nbsp;they&nbsp;need to be cleaner better, but he thinks adjusting pickup schedules to allow access for regular street sweeper&nbsp;cleanup is a less intrusive plan.&nbsp;Charles,&nbsp;owner of&nbsp;Tanners&nbsp;Bar and&nbsp;Grill,&nbsp;said that the logistics of&nbsp;a&nbsp;centralized&nbsp;operation could be impossible during uber-busy&nbsp;times&nbsp;like&nbsp;Game Days and graduation.&nbsp;“We just get slammed,” he told commissioners. “Logistically&nbsp;we&nbsp;don’t have the staff to run trash two&nbsp;or&nbsp;three&nbsp;blocks&nbsp;away,&nbsp;two&nbsp;or&nbsp;three times a day.”&nbsp;Jason Hilgers, deputy city&nbsp;manager, said the alleys will have&nbsp;be&nbsp;dealt with soon. The most recent survey, echoing numerous others, suggested that a vast majority of respondents are in favor of transforming the alleys into pedestrian and public spaces. The&nbsp;City&nbsp;plans to spend&nbsp;hundreds&nbsp;of thousands, if not millions of dollars&nbsp;improving the district, and business&nbsp;may&nbsp;have to accept&nbsp;changes.&nbsp;“I respect the businesses' perspectives,” Hilgers said, “but&nbsp;thousands&nbsp;of people walk those alleys to access businesses and they are&nbsp;unsightly and unkept. They need our attention.”&nbsp;Commissioner Usha Reddi&nbsp;noted&nbsp;how the&nbsp;City&nbsp;and tax dollars support&nbsp;businesses’&nbsp;efforts, and they must sometimes make&nbsp;concessions&nbsp;for the good of the community that pays for the infrastructure surrounding them.&nbsp;“Leaving it the way it is&nbsp;is&nbsp;not an option for me,” Reddi said.&nbsp;“These businesses need to understand that everything around them is public tax dollars.&nbsp;We’re making improvements but&nbsp;if&nbsp;things&nbsp;continue like this those&nbsp;improvements&nbsp;won’t last long.”&nbsp;

Aggieville District waste debate overflows

There aren't many better times to launch a family-friendly streaming service than four months before everyone gets locked inside — and it showed for Disney.&nbsp; &nbsp; After launching in November 2019, Disney+ went on to hit&nbsp;100 million subscribers&nbsp;in record time. People were watching more content than ever, and Disney felt confident it could raise its targets. It settled on a goal of between&nbsp;230 million&nbsp;and&nbsp;260 million&nbsp;subscribers by the end of 2024.&nbsp; &nbsp; After such a fast start, many thought that would be easy for the house of mouse — but yesterday Disney said&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/disney-plus-subscribers-september-2021-misses-expectations-1235109491/" target="_blank">things were slowing down</a>, with the company adding just two million&nbsp;new paid customers in its latest quarter.&nbsp; &nbsp; The good news for Disney is that its Parks division swung back into profit, thanks to a doubling of its revenue compared to this time last year. The bad news is that the stock market didn't seem to care, with the focus presumably on the streaming slowdown, which sent Disney's shares down more than seven percent yesterday.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637675495242.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>There aren't many better times to launch a family-friendly streaming service than four months before everyone gets locked inside — and it showed for Disney.&nbsp; &nbsp; After launching in November 2019, Disney+ went on to hit&nbsp;100 million subscribers&nbsp;in record time. People were watching more content than ever, and Disney felt confident it could raise its targets. It settled on a goal of between&nbsp;230 million&nbsp;and&nbsp;260 million&nbsp;subscribers by the end of 2024.&nbsp; &nbsp; After such a fast start, many thought that would be easy for the house of mouse — but yesterday Disney said&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/disney-plus-subscribers-september-2021-misses-expectations-1235109491/" target="_blank">things were slowing down</a>, with the company adding just two million&nbsp;new paid customers in its latest quarter.&nbsp; &nbsp; The good news for Disney is that its Parks division swung back into profit, thanks to a doubling of its revenue compared to this time last year. The bad news is that the stock market didn't seem to care, with the focus presumably on the streaming slowdown, which sent Disney's shares down more than seven percent yesterday.&nbsp;DATA SNACKS&nbsp;<ul>
 <li>More than&nbsp;50%&nbsp;of the domestic box office takings for sci-fi epic&nbsp;Dune&nbsp;were in&nbsp;<a href="https://variety.com/2021/film/box-office/dune-box-office-opening-weekend-timothee-chalamet-1235096320/" target="_blank">premium formats</a>&nbsp;such as IMAX in its opening weekend, suggesting audiences sought out a premium experience for the visual effects.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g18jFHCLXk" target="_blank">Trailer here</a>.&nbsp;</li><li>Famed venture capital firm Sequoia has&nbsp;<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/26/sequoia-dramatically-revamps-its-fund-structure-as-it-looks-to-rethink-venture-capital-model/" target="_blank">announced a radical change-up</a>&nbsp;in its strategy: abandoning the&nbsp;traditional fund structure and rigid timelines. As a VC firm that's backed&nbsp;Google,&nbsp;Oracle,&nbsp;Instagram,&nbsp;Zoom,&nbsp;WhatsApp,&nbsp;LinkedIn&nbsp;and many others, Sequoia probably won't have trouble finding investors for its new structure.&nbsp;</li><li>Great story on why&nbsp;<a href="https://thetakeout.com/new-aw-burger-bigger-than-quarter-pounder-math-fail-1847927720" target="_blank">simple math mistakes</a>&nbsp;may have held us back from getting bigger burgers in fast food restaurants.&nbsp;</li><li>Astronomers may have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.inverse.com/science/first-planet-outside-our-galaxy" target="_blank">discovered the first planet outside of our galaxy</a>. It's&nbsp;23 million light-years&nbsp;away (give or take a few).&nbsp;</li>
 </ul>

Chart of the Day: Post-lockdown streaming stalls for Disney+

The&nbsp;Kansas State University&nbsp;College of Arts and Sciences announces 2021 recipients of the Alumni Merit and Young Alumni awards. This year's award recipients are Donte Bernard,&nbsp;Travis Cloer, and Geraldine Richmond.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;Young Alumni Award&nbsp;is given to alumni who have excelled in their professions and provided service to their communities in the early part of their careers. Other areas of consideration include humanitarian&nbsp;and direct&nbsp;service to society.&nbsp;

Bernard,&nbsp;a 2013 KSU&nbsp;psychology&nbsp;grad, and is now&nbsp;an assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina National Crime Victims Treatment and Research Center. He earned a doctorate in clinical psychology — child and family — from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As an undergraduate at K-State,&nbsp;Bernard&nbsp;was a McNair Scholar&nbsp;mentored by Don Saucier,&nbsp;and was awarded a Doreen Shanteau Undergraduate Research Fellowship in 2013. He was the first author on a presentation at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (Bernard, McManus, &amp; Saucier, 2013, "Making mountains out of molehills: Opportunities for justification in an emergency interracial helping situation").&nbsp;Bernard&nbsp;is a prolific researcher and sought-after speaker in the area of psychological and behavioral consequences of racism-related stress and trauma among Black adolescents and emerging adults.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Arts and Sciences Alumni Merit Award is given to those who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and received national or international recognition in&nbsp;the areas of distinguished service, discovery, public engagement, arts and humanities,&nbsp;and&nbsp;entrepreneurship.&nbsp;

Cloer&nbsp;graduated K-State in 1994 and&nbsp;is&nbsp;an&nbsp;professional&nbsp;actor and singer, having played Frankie Valli in the Tony and Grammy-winning musical "Jersey Boys" longer than any other actor in Broadway and Las Vegas.&nbsp;&nbsp;

He has recorded three solo CDs, containing original songs he wrote, and a Christmas album with cast members from "Jersey Boys." He is a frequent musical performer throughout Las Vegas in venues such as the Italian American Club, Myron's Cabaret Jazz at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Tuscany Suites and Casino, and The Space. He has appeared as a featured soloist with the Abilene and Las Vegas Philharmonics and has made solo appearances at the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, Washington, and with Royal Caribbean Cruises.&nbsp;

Richmond is the presidential chair in science/professor of chemistry at the University of Oregon, and earned her undergrad in chemistry from KSU in 1975.&nbsp;She&nbsp;is an elected&nbsp;member of the U. S. National Academy of Sciences,&nbsp;the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is a fellow of the American Chemical Society, the American Physical Society, the Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Association for Women in Science.&nbsp;She is currently a member of the National Science Board, appointed by President Barack Obama.&nbsp;

In 2018&nbsp;Richmond&nbsp;was awarded the Priestley Medal from the American Chemical Society&nbsp;-&nbsp;the highest honor conferred by the American Chemical Society. In 2013 she was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Obama.&nbsp;In 2017 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Kansas State University. Her complete letter of nominations details many more contributions she has made to the scientific field.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;Kansas State University&nbsp;College of Arts and Sciences announces 2021 recipients of the Alumni Merit and Young Alumni awards. This year's award recipients are Donte Bernard,&nbsp;Travis Cloer, and Geraldine Richmond.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Young Alumni Award&nbsp;is given to alumni who have excelled in their professions and provided service to their communities in the early part of their careers. Other areas of consideration include humanitarian&nbsp;and direct&nbsp;service to society.&nbsp;Bernard,&nbsp;a 2013 KSU&nbsp;psychology&nbsp;grad, and is now&nbsp;an assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina National Crime Victims Treatment and Research Center. He earned a doctorate in clinical psychology — child and family — from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637672933055.jpeg" alt="Donte Bernard" />
 <figcaption>Donte Bernard</figcaption>
 </figure>As an undergraduate at K-State,&nbsp;Bernard&nbsp;was a McNair Scholar&nbsp;mentored by Don Saucier,&nbsp;and was awarded a Doreen Shanteau Undergraduate Research Fellowship in 2013. He was the first author on a presentation at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (Bernard, McManus, &amp; Saucier, 2013, "Making mountains out of molehills: Opportunities for justification in an emergency interracial helping situation").&nbsp;Bernard&nbsp;is a prolific researcher and sought-after speaker in the area of psychological and behavioral consequences of racism-related stress and trauma among Black adolescents and emerging adults.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Arts and Sciences Alumni Merit Award is given to those who have demonstrated outstanding achievement and received national or international recognition in&nbsp;the areas of distinguished service, discovery, public engagement, arts and humanities,&nbsp;and&nbsp;entrepreneurship.&nbsp;Cloer&nbsp;graduated K-State in 1994 and&nbsp;is&nbsp;an&nbsp;professional&nbsp;actor and singer, having played Frankie Valli in the Tony and Grammy-winning musical "Jersey Boys" longer than any other actor in Broadway and Las Vegas.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637672965433.png" alt="Travis Cloer" />
 <figcaption>Travis Cloer</figcaption>
 </figure>He has recorded three solo CDs, containing original songs he wrote, and a Christmas album with cast members from "Jersey Boys." He is a frequent musical performer throughout Las Vegas in venues such as the Italian American Club, Myron's Cabaret Jazz at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Tuscany Suites and Casino, and The Space. He has appeared as a featured soloist with the Abilene and Las Vegas Philharmonics and has made solo appearances at the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, Washington, and with Royal Caribbean Cruises.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637673117440.png" alt="Geraldine Richmond" />
 <figcaption>Geraldine Richmond</figcaption>
 </figure>Richmond is the presidential chair in science/professor of chemistry at the University of Oregon, and earned her undergrad in chemistry from KSU in 1975.&nbsp;She&nbsp;is an elected&nbsp;member of the U. S. National Academy of Sciences,&nbsp;the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is a fellow of the American Chemical Society, the American Physical Society, the Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Association for Women in Science.&nbsp;She is currently a member of the National Science Board, appointed by President Barack Obama.&nbsp;In 2018&nbsp;Richmond&nbsp;was awarded the Priestley Medal from the American Chemical Society&nbsp;-&nbsp;the highest honor conferred by the American Chemical Society. In 2013 she was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Obama.&nbsp;In 2017 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by Kansas State University. Her complete letter of nominations details many more contributions she has made to the scientific field.&nbsp;

Distinguished trio of alums lauded

<a href="https://ksso.org/">Special Olympics&nbsp;Kansas</a>&nbsp;and the Riley County Police&nbsp;Department&nbsp;are&nbsp;once again&nbsp;partnering with Texas Roadhouse&nbsp;for&nbsp;their <a href="https://ksso.org/calendar/tip-a-cop-manhattan/">Tip-A-Cop</a> event&nbsp;December 7.&nbsp;

Patrons are encouraged to tip the law enforcement officers following their meal. All tips will benefit Special Olympics&nbsp;Kansas and the more than 4,500 athletes.&nbsp;

Texas Roadhouse is located at&nbsp;200 Manhattan Town Center in Manhattan.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637670326470.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://ksso.org/">Special Olympics&nbsp;Kansas</a>&nbsp;and the Riley County Police&nbsp;Department&nbsp;are&nbsp;once again&nbsp;partnering with Texas Roadhouse&nbsp;for&nbsp;their <a href="https://ksso.org/calendar/tip-a-cop-manhattan/">Tip-A-Cop</a> event&nbsp;December 7.&nbsp;Patrons are encouraged to tip the law enforcement officers following their meal. All tips will benefit Special Olympics&nbsp;Kansas and the more than 4,500 athletes.&nbsp;Texas Roadhouse is located at&nbsp;200 Manhattan Town Center in Manhattan.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637670560721.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Special Olympics and RCPD partner for Tip-a-Cop

The Riley County Police Department is trying to identify a&nbsp;person surrounding a string of car burglaries in Ogden the night of November 13 and early morning of November 14.&nbsp;

RCPD has posted <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RileyCountyPD/posts/260079912816606">videos of the suspect on its Facebook page</a> in hopes that someone will recognize the person. The videos are somewhat&nbsp;blurry, making facial&nbsp;identification&nbsp;difficult, but the suspect is shown wearing a&nbsp;unique&nbsp;black&nbsp;Nike jacket&nbsp;with bright neon logos or other markings.&nbsp;

RCPD is&nbsp;trying to identify additional persons in connection to these burglaries.&nbsp;

If you have any information about this person or the car burglaries, please contact RCPD at (785) 537-2112 or Crime Stoppers at (785) 539-7777.&nbsp;

The Riley County Police Department is trying to identify a&nbsp;person surrounding a string of car burglaries in Ogden the night of November 13 and early morning of November 14.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637669241832.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>RCPD has posted <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RileyCountyPD/posts/260079912816606">videos of the suspect on its Facebook page</a> in hopes that someone will recognize the person. The videos are somewhat&nbsp;blurry, making facial&nbsp;identification&nbsp;difficult, but the suspect is shown wearing a&nbsp;unique&nbsp;black&nbsp;Nike jacket&nbsp;with bright neon logos or other markings.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637669279243.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>RCPD is&nbsp;trying to identify additional persons in connection to these burglaries.&nbsp;If you have any information about this person or the car burglaries, please contact RCPD at (785) 537-2112 or Crime Stoppers at (785) 539-7777.&nbsp;

Burglary suspects on video

Kansas State University&nbsp;has seen&nbsp;455&nbsp;employees file religious or medical&nbsp;exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.&nbsp;That number is&nbsp;about&nbsp;five percent of the institution’s&nbsp;approximately&nbsp;9,200&nbsp;employees, according to K-State officials.&nbsp;

Those employees filing an exemption request were notified of their approval or denial Friday.&nbsp;

K-State&nbsp;officials&nbsp;say that&nbsp;a little over 80 percent of employees have been vaccinated.&nbsp;

KSU&nbsp;workers&nbsp;must upload proof&nbsp;of COVID-19 vaccination&nbsp;to the Lafene Health Center website.&nbsp;

The deadline for&nbsp;university employees to be fully vaccinated&nbsp;is&nbsp;January&nbsp;4&nbsp;or face&nbsp;termination January&nbsp;9.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The deadline for employees to&nbsp;receive at least the first round of&nbsp;vaccinations&nbsp;is&nbsp;Nov. 29.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kansas State University&nbsp;has seen&nbsp;455&nbsp;employees file religious or medical&nbsp;exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.&nbsp;That number is&nbsp;about&nbsp;five percent of the institution’s&nbsp;approximately&nbsp;9,200&nbsp;employees, according to K-State officials.&nbsp;Those employees filing an exemption request were notified of their approval or denial Friday.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637668309654.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>K-State&nbsp;officials&nbsp;say that&nbsp;a little over 80 percent of employees have been vaccinated.&nbsp;KSU&nbsp;workers&nbsp;must upload proof&nbsp;of COVID-19 vaccination&nbsp;to the Lafene Health Center website.&nbsp;The deadline for&nbsp;university employees to be fully vaccinated&nbsp;is&nbsp;January&nbsp;4&nbsp;or face&nbsp;termination January&nbsp;9.&nbsp;&nbsp;The deadline for employees to&nbsp;receive at least the first round of&nbsp;vaccinations&nbsp;is&nbsp;Nov. 29.&nbsp;&nbsp;

University vax compliance over 80 percent

The&nbsp;Stepping Stones&nbsp;Child Advisory, a project of Sunflower Casa, is presenting an online discussion about the impact of COVID-19 and other stressors on the mental health of people from the&nbsp;LGBTQ+ community.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Claudia Weese&nbsp;will present Tips for Working with LGTBQ+ Students.&nbsp;

Weese&nbsp;is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and the owner of the therapy practice Weese Counseling Services, LLC in Manhattan.&nbsp;She&nbsp;has been a practicing therapist for 11 years and works with adolescents, adults, and families.&nbsp;Weese&nbsp;is a member of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities through the American Counseling Association.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The event will&nbsp;be December 10 from noon to 1:30 p.m.&nbsp;

Information and registration&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tips-for-working-with-lgbtq-youth-tickets-212676369747" target="_blank">can be found here.</a>&nbsp;

The&nbsp;Stepping Stones&nbsp;Child Advisory, a project of Sunflower Casa, is presenting an online discussion about the impact of COVID-19 and other stressors on the mental health of people from the&nbsp;LGBTQ+ community.&nbsp;&nbsp;Claudia Weese&nbsp;will present Tips for Working with LGTBQ+ Students.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637634609870.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Weese&nbsp;is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and the owner of the therapy practice Weese Counseling Services, LLC in Manhattan.&nbsp;She&nbsp;has been a practicing therapist for 11 years and works with adolescents, adults, and families.&nbsp;Weese&nbsp;is a member of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities through the American Counseling Association.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637634667940.jpeg" alt="Claudia Weese" />
 <figcaption>Claudia Weese</figcaption>
 </figure>The event will&nbsp;be December 10 from noon to 1:30 p.m.&nbsp;Information and registration&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tips-for-working-with-lgbtq-youth-tickets-212676369747" target="_blank">can be found here.</a>&nbsp;

Sunflower CASA presentation offers advice for working with LGBTQ+ youth 

Gas money&nbsp; The price of natural gas in Europe, and across the world, has shot up in the last few weeks, as fear of a gas crisis grows. In some markets that has meant a doubling or even tripling of the price of natural gas over the course of the last few months.&nbsp; &nbsp; Much of Europe remains dependent on gas imports to heat their homes and generate electricity, but supply disruptions in Russia, Norway and other countries have failed to adequately replenish Europe's stores of gas, which are currently just over 70&nbsp;percent&nbsp;full, which is not where you want them heading into the coldest months of the year.&nbsp; &nbsp; This time last year, and in 2019, they were almost completely full (95&nbsp;percent).&nbsp; &nbsp; Double trouble&nbsp; &nbsp; The UK has had a particularly tough time. Roughly 25&nbsp;percent&nbsp;of the UK's electricity comes from wind and the last few months just... haven't been that windy. That's meant extra demand for gas, which has exacerbated the supply issues further - and put&nbsp;four&nbsp;smaller energy providers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58610561" target="_blank">on the brink of collapse</a>.&nbsp;

Netflix&nbsp;has&nbsp;<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/22/media/netflix-roald-dahl-deal-scli-intl/index.html" target="_blank">acquired the rights to Roald Dahl's stories</a>, with a plan to create a "universe" of shows and products. Roald Dahl created characters such as Willy Wonka, Matilda, Fantastic Mr. Fox and many more — selling&nbsp;200+ million&nbsp;copies of his books.&nbsp; &nbsp; Google has made a big bet on the return to the office spending&nbsp;$2.1&nbsp;billion&nbsp;on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-buying-nyc-office-building-wsj-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank">huge New York City office building</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp; The&nbsp;fastest fast food?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/content/2021-qsr-magazine-drive-thru-study-speed-service" target="_blank">According to a QSR study</a>&nbsp;that would be&nbsp;Taco Bell, with an average drive-thru order taking just&nbsp;4 minutes 28 seconds.&nbsp; &nbsp; Scientists at Purdue University&nbsp;<a href="https://eu.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/nation/2021/09/17/whitest-paint-created-global-warming/8378579002/" target="_blank">have created the "whitest paint ever"</a>, capable of reflecting&nbsp;98.1% of solar radiation, which could help naturally cool buildings in hot climates.&nbsp;

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637586760268.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Gas money&nbsp; The price of natural gas in Europe, and across the world, has shot up in the last few weeks, as fear of a gas crisis grows. In some markets that has meant a doubling or even tripling of the price of natural gas over the course of the last few months.&nbsp; &nbsp; Much of Europe remains dependent on gas imports to heat their homes and generate electricity, but supply disruptions in Russia, Norway and other countries have failed to adequately replenish Europe's stores of gas, which are currently just over 70&nbsp;percent&nbsp;full, which is not where you want them heading into the coldest months of the year.&nbsp; &nbsp; This time last year, and in 2019, they were almost completely full (95&nbsp;percent).&nbsp; &nbsp; Double trouble&nbsp; &nbsp; The UK has had a particularly tough time. Roughly 25&nbsp;percent&nbsp;of the UK's electricity comes from wind and the last few months just... haven't been that windy. That's meant extra demand for gas, which has exacerbated the supply issues further - and put&nbsp;four&nbsp;smaller energy providers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58610561" target="_blank">on the brink of collapse</a>.&nbsp;DATA SNACKS&nbsp;Netflix&nbsp;has&nbsp;<a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/22/media/netflix-roald-dahl-deal-scli-intl/index.html" target="_blank">acquired the rights to Roald Dahl's stories</a>, with a plan to create a "universe" of shows and products. Roald Dahl created characters such as Willy Wonka, Matilda, Fantastic Mr. Fox and many more — selling&nbsp;200+ million&nbsp;copies of his books.&nbsp; &nbsp; Google has made a big bet on the return to the office spending&nbsp;$2.1&nbsp;billion&nbsp;on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-buying-nyc-office-building-wsj-2021-9?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank">huge New York City office building</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp; The&nbsp;fastest fast food?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/content/2021-qsr-magazine-drive-thru-study-speed-service" target="_blank">According to a QSR study</a>&nbsp;that would be&nbsp;Taco Bell, with an average drive-thru order taking just&nbsp;4 minutes 28 seconds.&nbsp; &nbsp; Scientists at Purdue University&nbsp;<a href="https://eu.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/nation/2021/09/17/whitest-paint-created-global-warming/8378579002/" target="_blank">have created the "whitest paint ever"</a>, capable of reflecting&nbsp;98.1% of solar radiation, which could help naturally cool buildings in hot climates.&nbsp;

Chart of the Day: Euro energy policies drive up global heating costs 

For individuals needing the Moderna Booster shot, Riley County Health Department will have a vaccine booster clinic December 2.

The clinic will run from 2-6 p.m. Participants are asked to bring an insurance card if available. Appointments are necessary at can be made by contacting RCHD at 785-565-6200 or at <a href="https://rileyco-1202.rsvpify.com/">rileyco-1202.rsvpify.com</a>

The RCHD is also offering a booster clinic on Friday, December 10 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637578885997.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>For individuals needing the Moderna Booster shot, Riley County Health Department will have a vaccine booster clinic December 2.The clinic will run from 2-6 p.m. Participants are asked to bring an insurance card if available. Appointments are necessary at can be made by contacting RCHD at 785-565-6200 or at <a href="https://rileyco-1202.rsvpify.com/">rileyco-1202.rsvpify.com</a>The RCHD is also offering a booster clinic on Friday, December 10 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.&nbsp;

Two COVID booster clinics slated

Preparing for the weekend, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/mhkprd?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__[0]=AZWfV-LDtVTLBoIQHhPaUYaTK3jAj2_VnzNesA6KyqYrvxpZ3HQltJ9pa1dagWL5YCQWDcR7E42Fze-tSOASaGT9ViJ4hDMjBGl9y0Gk1lQ6LZUWjOc7FotYuTpDQghMOnGjYT8OrTb_HpotTc4tks_UF2DE2gtOxPLqof-fpLLfMQ&amp;__tn__=*NK-R" target="_blank">#mhkprd</a>&nbsp;Forestry crew planted 10 trees at Douglass Park around the new Douglass Activity Center, with 10 additional trees to be planted in the future. The new trees include maples, northern red oak and swamp white oak, silver linden and&nbsp;greenspire&nbsp;linden, bald cypress, flowering crabapple, and Japanese lilac.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637582104974.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Preparing for the weekend, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/mhkprd?__eep__=6&amp;__cft__[0]=AZWfV-LDtVTLBoIQHhPaUYaTK3jAj2_VnzNesA6KyqYrvxpZ3HQltJ9pa1dagWL5YCQWDcR7E42Fze-tSOASaGT9ViJ4hDMjBGl9y0Gk1lQ6LZUWjOc7FotYuTpDQghMOnGjYT8OrTb_HpotTc4tks_UF2DE2gtOxPLqof-fpLLfMQ&amp;__tn__=*NK-R" target="_blank">#mhkprd</a>&nbsp;Forestry crew planted 10 trees at Douglass Park around the new Douglass Activity Center, with 10 additional trees to be planted in the future. The new trees include maples, northern red oak and swamp white oak, silver linden and&nbsp;greenspire&nbsp;linden, bald cypress, flowering crabapple, and Japanese lilac.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Douglass Activity Center gets new trees

Several College of Education faculty members, including all from the college's Rural Education Center, shared their expertise in presentations and meetings at the National Forum to Advance Rural Education in Indianapolis, Nov. 11-12.&nbsp;

Jerry D. Johnson and Hobart L. Harmon presented "Fostering Collaborative Leadership for Living in Sustainable Rural Communities," which highlighted collaborative leadership as a key driver in achieving desirable economic, environmental and social qualities of future sustainable rural communities. 

The pair provided details of the International Rural Schools Leadership Project and lessons learned in a three-year evaluation of collaboration in a Victims of Crime project in rural Kentucky. Johnson is the chair of the educational leadership department and the Lydia E. Skeen endowed professor in education, and Harmon is the leader of strategic advancement at Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8 in Pennsylvania and senior research associate in educational leadership at K-State.&nbsp;

Harmon also presented with colleagues from Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8 on "Expanding STEM Resources to Underserved Rural Communities." The session focused on a project that increases access to learning resources in the IU's STEM Lending Center and helps make learning STEM more relevant to living and working in the rural region.&nbsp;

"Conducting an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) with Latinx Parent Involvement" was the subject of a presentation by Pedro Silva Espinoza and F. Todd Goodson. They shared information regarding two school districts' processes to offer translation and interpretation services through individualized education plan meetings. Espinoza is a teaching assistant professor for the curriculum and instruction department and is the college's diversity point person. Goodson, professor and chair of curriculum and instruction, is assistant dean for teacher education and accreditation and the Elvon and Lydia Skeen endowed chair in education.&nbsp;

Lori Goodson, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction and assistant director of the Rural Education Center in the College of Education, and Goodson also presented on "Teacher Licensure Programs for Place-bound Students." Their virtual presentation provided information about two innovative K-State COE distance programs that deliver high-quality teacher credentialing course work and field experiences to place-bound students.&nbsp;

J. Spencer Clark, director of the Rural Education Center, attended the state directors meeting at the conference. Also attending that session were Denise O'Dea, superintendent of USD 108 Washington County Schools, and Darrel Kohlman, superintendent of USD 115 Nemaha Central Schools. O'Dea and Kohlman were special guests invited by Allen Pratt, executive director of the National Rural Education Association. Their districts are two of the 15 members of the K-State Rural Education Center's Rural Professional Development Network.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637503734554.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Several College of Education faculty members, including all from the college's Rural Education Center, shared their expertise in presentations and meetings at the National Forum to Advance Rural Education in Indianapolis, Nov. 11-12.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637504000508.jpeg" alt="Dr. Hobart Harmon" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Hobart Harmon</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637504087688.jpeg" alt="Dr. Jerry Johnson" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Jerry Johnson</figcaption>
 </figure>Jerry D. Johnson and Hobart L. Harmon presented "Fostering Collaborative Leadership for Living in Sustainable Rural Communities," which highlighted collaborative leadership as a key driver in achieving desirable economic, environmental and social qualities of future sustainable rural communities. The pair provided details of the International Rural Schools Leadership Project and lessons learned in a three-year evaluation of collaboration in a Victims of Crime project in rural Kentucky. Johnson is the chair of the educational leadership department and the Lydia E. Skeen endowed professor in education, and Harmon is the leader of strategic advancement at Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8 in Pennsylvania and senior research associate in educational leadership at K-State.&nbsp;Harmon also presented with colleagues from Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8 on "Expanding STEM Resources to Underserved Rural Communities." The session focused on a project that increases access to learning resources in the IU's STEM Lending Center and helps make learning STEM more relevant to living and working in the rural region.&nbsp;"Conducting an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) with Latinx Parent Involvement" was the subject of a presentation by Pedro Silva Espinoza and F. Todd Goodson. They shared information regarding two school districts' processes to offer translation and interpretation services through individualized education plan meetings. Espinoza is a teaching assistant professor for the curriculum and instruction department and is the college's diversity point person. Goodson, professor and chair of curriculum and instruction, is assistant dean for teacher education and accreditation and the Elvon and Lydia Skeen endowed chair in education.&nbsp;Lori Goodson, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction and assistant director of the Rural Education Center in the College of Education, and Goodson also presented on "Teacher Licensure Programs for Place-bound Students." Their virtual presentation provided information about two innovative K-State COE distance programs that deliver high-quality teacher credentialing course work and field experiences to place-bound students.&nbsp;J. Spencer Clark, director of the Rural Education Center, attended the state directors meeting at the conference. Also attending that session were Denise O'Dea, superintendent of USD 108 Washington County Schools, and Darrel Kohlman, superintendent of USD 115 Nemaha Central Schools. O'Dea and Kohlman were special guests invited by Allen Pratt, executive director of the National Rural Education Association. Their districts are two of the 15 members of the K-State Rural Education Center's Rural Professional Development Network.&nbsp;

KSU faculty talk rural education at national forum 

With next week being a busy travel week, the weather will fortunately cooperate for the most part with dry conditions expected across the region Monday - Tuesday, and Thursday - Saturday. There is a chance for rain on Wednesday from eastern Kansas through Missouri and southwards into Arkansas and Oklahoma. Further west, snow is possible in the central Colorado area. Thanksgiving is forecast to be the coldest day of the week with highs in the 40s across Kansas, otherwise temps are fairly seasonable in the 50s to 60s.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637581181299.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>With next week being a busy travel week, the weather will fortunately cooperate for the most part with dry conditions expected across the region Monday - Tuesday, and Thursday - Saturday. There is a chance for rain on Wednesday from eastern Kansas through Missouri and southwards into Arkansas and Oklahoma. Further west, snow is possible in the central Colorado area. Thanksgiving is forecast to be the coldest day of the week with highs in the 40s across Kansas, otherwise temps are fairly seasonable in the 50s to 60s.&nbsp;

Monday morning travel forecast

Manhattan Parks and Recreation crews have been working hard to complete much-needed repairs on the Linear Trail bridge located along Seth Child Road. Due to additional unforeseen repairs, the trail will remain closed until end of day on November 24. We realize this is an inconvenience and we appreciate your continued patience.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637580223378.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Manhattan Parks and Recreation crews have been working hard to complete much-needed repairs on the Linear Trail bridge located along Seth Child Road. Due to additional unforeseen repairs, the trail will remain closed until end of day on November 24. We realize this is an inconvenience and we appreciate your continued patience.&nbsp;

Linear Trail closure 

<a href="https://mccain.k-state.edu/">McCain Performance Series</a>&nbsp;at Kansas State University continues its blockbuster lineup with "BEAUTIFUL — The Carole King Musical" at 7:30 p.m.&nbsp;Thursday, Dec. 2, in McCain Auditorium. The musical tells the inspiring true story of King's remarkable rise to stardom, from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. Along the way, she made more than beautiful music — she wrote the soundtrack to a generation. The show features an array of beloved songs written by Goffin and King and Mann and Weil, including "I Feel The Earth Move," "One Fine Day," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "You've Got A Friend" and the title song, "BEAUTIFUL," which is also a book by Tony Award nominee and Academy Award-nominated writer Douglas McGrath. The Broadway musical was directed by Marc Bruni and choreographed by Josh Prince. It won two 2014 Tony Awards and the 2015 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. Tickets are available online at&nbsp;<a href="https://mccain.k-state.edu/">mccain.k-state.edu</a>&nbsp;or at the Ticket Services Office in the newly expanded McCain lobby from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays. Tickets are available by phone, 785-532-6428, during the same hours. Kids 18 and under get 50% off the general price of admission. McCain Auditorium will follow K-State's policies for COVID-19 health and safety procedures. The university has implemented a temporary face mask requirement. Everyone must wear a face mask over their mouth and nose while inside McCain Auditorium. If a patron is seen not complying with this policy, they will be asked to wear a mask, ensuring it covers the mouth and nose. If an individual does not comply with the request to properly wear a mask, the individual will be escorted from the premises and tickets will not be refunded. For more information on K-State's policies, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://k-state.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=043af9aaf5ccf6a230e79f4cc&amp;id=8faf39a558&amp;e=256dc7e59a">k-state.edu/covid-19.</a> For&nbsp;the 2021-2022 season, and due to the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19, if a patron wishes to not attend a show for any reason, the patron can ask for a refund or a credit to their account up to 30 minutes before showtime. As stated above, however, individuals in physical attendance at McCain Auditorium not complying with the mask requirement will not be issued refunds.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637504479338.jpeg" alt="From a Carnegie Hall performance of "BEAUTIFUL — The Carole King Musical." The smash hit is coming to Kansas State University's McCain Auditorium on Dec. 2. Tickets are available now." />
 <figcaption>From a Carnegie Hall performance of "BEAUTIFUL — The Carole King Musical." The smash hit is coming to Kansas State University's McCain Auditorium on Dec. 2. Tickets are available now.</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://mccain.k-state.edu/">McCain Performance Series</a>&nbsp;at Kansas State University continues its blockbuster lineup with "BEAUTIFUL — The Carole King Musical" at 7:30 p.m.&nbsp;Thursday, Dec. 2, in McCain Auditorium. The musical tells the inspiring true story of King's remarkable rise to stardom, from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. Along the way, she made more than beautiful music — she wrote the soundtrack to a generation. The show features an array of beloved songs written by Goffin and King and Mann and Weil, including "I Feel The Earth Move," "One Fine Day," "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman," "You've Got A Friend" and the title song, "BEAUTIFUL," which is also a book by Tony Award nominee and Academy Award-nominated writer Douglas McGrath. The Broadway musical was directed by Marc Bruni and choreographed by Josh Prince. It won two 2014 Tony Awards and the 2015 Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. Tickets are available online at&nbsp;<a href="https://mccain.k-state.edu/">mccain.k-state.edu</a>&nbsp;or at the Ticket Services Office in the newly expanded McCain lobby from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays. Tickets are available by phone, 785-532-6428, during the same hours. Kids 18 and under get 50% off the general price of admission. McCain Auditorium will follow K-State's policies for COVID-19 health and safety procedures. The university has implemented a temporary face mask requirement. Everyone must wear a face mask over their mouth and nose while inside McCain Auditorium. If a patron is seen not complying with this policy, they will be asked to wear a mask, ensuring it covers the mouth and nose. If an individual does not comply with the request to properly wear a mask, the individual will be escorted from the premises and tickets will not be refunded. For more information on K-State's policies, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://k-state.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=043af9aaf5ccf6a230e79f4cc&amp;id=8faf39a558&amp;e=256dc7e59a">k-state.edu/covid-19.</a> For&nbsp;the 2021-2022 season, and due to the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19, if a patron wishes to not attend a show for any reason, the patron can ask for a refund or a credit to their account up to 30 minutes before showtime. As stated above, however, individuals in physical attendance at McCain Auditorium not complying with the mask requirement will not be issued refunds.

Hits keep on comin' to McCain

&nbsp; The good Some stocks boomed, and then kept booming.&nbsp;Etsy, the online marketplace for vintage gifts and homemade crafts saw its share price rise during the early days of the pandemic — and they haven't looked back since, gaining 555% since 2020.&nbsp;DocuSign, which lets organizations manage contracts and agreements electronically (no need to sign in-person), has also had a pretty smooth ride, up 257%. But no company was the face of "pandemic winner" more than&nbsp;Zoom. The video-conferencing site has seen the shine come off pretty dramatically since last year, as expectations got ahead of the company's economic reality, but even so it's hard to put Zoom in any other bucket than "the pandemic was good for business". The bad, then good again Few sectors got hit as hard as travel. Online travel company&nbsp;Expedia&nbsp;saw its shares shed almost&nbsp;60%&nbsp;of their value, but they've since made a roaring comeback, as lockdowns have faded and we booked all those vacations we missed out on.&nbsp;Airbnb&nbsp;had a similar experience, going through a brutal restructuring for its employees, before business picked up and the company managed to get its IPO done. Since then it's up&nbsp;38%. Live Nation Entertainment, which is the parent company of Ticketmaster and other live event platforms, also managed to weather the storm, gaining&nbsp;57%&nbsp;since the start of 2020, despite the turbulence of the early pandemic. The ugly Airlines, like&nbsp;American Airlines&nbsp;and&nbsp;Delta, still aren't back to where they started, with many taking on debt or issuing equity to get them through the tough times of reduced air travel. Then there's&nbsp;Peloton, which has done an even more extreme version of&nbsp;Zoom. Technically, shares are still up&nbsp;60%&nbsp;on where they were at the start of 2020, but with everything moving in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chartr.co/newsletters/2021/11/5/peloton-crash" target="_blank">wrong direction at their recent results</a>, and the company still burning cash, that might not last.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637502258816.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp; The good Some stocks boomed, and then kept booming.&nbsp;Etsy, the online marketplace for vintage gifts and homemade crafts saw its share price rise during the early days of the pandemic — and they haven't looked back since, gaining 555% since 2020.&nbsp;DocuSign, which lets organizations manage contracts and agreements electronically (no need to sign in-person), has also had a pretty smooth ride, up 257%. But no company was the face of "pandemic winner" more than&nbsp;Zoom. The video-conferencing site has seen the shine come off pretty dramatically since last year, as expectations got ahead of the company's economic reality, but even so it's hard to put Zoom in any other bucket than "the pandemic was good for business". The bad, then good again Few sectors got hit as hard as travel. Online travel company&nbsp;Expedia&nbsp;saw its shares shed almost&nbsp;60%&nbsp;of their value, but they've since made a roaring comeback, as lockdowns have faded and we booked all those vacations we missed out on.&nbsp;Airbnb&nbsp;had a similar experience, going through a brutal restructuring for its employees, before business picked up and the company managed to get its IPO done. Since then it's up&nbsp;38%. Live Nation Entertainment, which is the parent company of Ticketmaster and other live event platforms, also managed to weather the storm, gaining&nbsp;57%&nbsp;since the start of 2020, despite the turbulence of the early pandemic. The ugly Airlines, like&nbsp;American Airlines&nbsp;and&nbsp;Delta, still aren't back to where they started, with many taking on debt or issuing equity to get them through the tough times of reduced air travel. Then there's&nbsp;Peloton, which has done an even more extreme version of&nbsp;Zoom. Technically, shares are still up&nbsp;60%&nbsp;on where they were at the start of 2020, but with everything moving in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.chartr.co/newsletters/2021/11/5/peloton-crash" target="_blank">wrong direction at their recent results</a>, and the company still burning cash, that might not last.&nbsp;&nbsp;INFOSNACKS<ul>
 <li>Why did&nbsp;Cambodian users&nbsp;account&nbsp;for&nbsp;50% of global traffic&nbsp;for Facebook's Messenger voice function? Good story from&nbsp;<a href="https://restofworld.org/2021/facebook-didnt-know-why-half-of-messengers-voice-traffic-comes-from-cambodia-heres-why/?utm_source=chartr" target="_blank">Rest of World here</a>.&nbsp;</li><li>The top&nbsp;25%&nbsp;most-active Twitter users are responsible for&nbsp;97% of all tweets, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/11/15/the-behaviors-and-attitudes-of-u-s-adults-on-twitter/" target="_blank">data from Pew Research Center</a>.&nbsp;</li><li>Ever wondered what gets you through that first filter when applying for jobs? A software engineer experimented with how many buzzwords&nbsp;<a href="https://www.protocol.com/workplace/fake-resume-tech-job-interviews" target="_blank">they could fit on their resume</a>.&nbsp;</li><li>Visa&nbsp;and&nbsp;Amazon&nbsp;are&nbsp;<a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/consumers-caught-middle-amazon-visa-clash-fees-81254460" target="_blank">clashing over transaction fees</a>, with Amazon banning Visa credit cards issued in the UK last week. If this spills over into the rest of retail it'll be a big deal —&nbsp;Visa accounts for 58% of the European payment network.&nbsp;</li><li>IBM has announced the development of a 127-qubit quantum processor, almost doubling the previous record (64). Good&nbsp;<a href="https://www.popsci.com/technology/ibm-eagle-127-qubit-quantum-chip/" target="_blank">explanation here</a>&nbsp;of why that might mean massive leaps forward in computer processing power in the future.&nbsp; &nbsp;</li>
 </ul>

Chart of the Day: Pandemic profit & loss

Kansas State University fashion studies professor Melody L. A.&nbsp;LeHew&nbsp;is among five authors of an essay, appearing in the November 2021 issue of the Energy Research &amp; Social Science journal which cautions that current levels of worldwide economic growth, energy use and resource consumption will overshoot Earth’s finite limits.&nbsp;

The essay, “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629621003327" target="_blank">Modernity is Incompatible with Planetary Limits: Developing a PLAN for the Future</a>”, also announces the establishment of a&nbsp;<a href="http://planetarylimits.net/" target="_blank">network of scholars and researchers</a>&nbsp;to promote the understanding of planetary limits, envision scenarios for humanity to thrive within planetary limits, better educate college students about these challenges and advise government officials and communities in developing effective responses.&nbsp;

“We all are a product of our times, where ‘new,’ ‘shiny,’ ‘better’ seem normal and ‘more, more, more’ seems good, but that is a reflection of the abnormal period of the last century or so," said Tom Murphy, professor of physics at the University of California at San Diego "If humanity keeps growing its impact on the planet, we will overshoot planetary limits, so we need to plan to power down while there’s still time. Even the founders of economics recognized that Earth’s resources are finite and growth is but a transient phase.”&nbsp;

For example, the authors wrote, "early flying machines invariably crashed despite an exhilarating brief airborne interval mainly because the contraptions were simply not built according to aerodynamic principles of sustainable flight. Likewise, the present economy is not built on principles for sustainable, steady-state operation."&nbsp;

Essay senior author Ben McCall and the authors acknowledge “the thought that growth should come to an end is counter to our culture.” But keeping at this pace, society is not going to get the future it’s been promised, according to McCall.&nbsp;

“We shouldn’t expect a ‘Jetsons’ future with flying cars, but with intentional planning we can hope to do better than a ‘Flintstones’ future,” he said.&nbsp;

The authors also stress they are preaching prudence, rather than trying to sound alarmist.&nbsp;

“We hope this essay gets people to step back from the familiar, up-close view of their place in the world to see a broader perspective on the challenges modern society faces going forward,” said David Murphy, associate professor and department chair of environmental studies at St. Lawrence University. “We are not making predictions of ‘when.’ Our point is there are fundamental limits to our resources on this finite planet, and if we continue using them at this pace, we’ll exhaust our resources and that outcome won’t be good.”&nbsp;

LeHew&nbsp;stresses the need to find ways to power our world without destroying it. “More than just engineers, economists and biologists need to study these problems,” she said. “We all need to get out of our academic silos to contribute to solutions. As someone who studies fashion, I have seen how our current systems can lead to tremendous waste of resources. I also know how dedicated scholars working together can make even the fashion industry more sustainable.”&nbsp;

Anyone can join the network as a subscriber to receive updates about network activities. Active scholars can join as members to participate in forums or collaborators to receive full access to the network. Visit&nbsp;<a href="mailto:https://planetarylimits.net/plan-application/" target="_blank">the PLAN Academic website</a>&nbsp;for more information.&nbsp;

“Our hope is that we might spark debate and deep thinking about how human civilization might thrive for millennia to come, rather than simply survive the bottlenecks of the next few decades,” said Tom Love, professor emeritus of anthropology at Linfield University. “We want scholars to ask what role their current research plays in addressing these issues and contribute to the understanding how human activity might fit within planetary limits.”&nbsp;

--from Kansas State University&nbsp;

Kansas State University fashion studies professor Melody L. A.&nbsp;LeHew&nbsp;is among five authors of an essay, appearing in the November 2021 issue of the Energy Research &amp; Social Science journal which cautions that current levels of worldwide economic growth, energy use and resource consumption will overshoot Earth’s finite limits.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637414495770.png" alt="Dr. Melody LeHew encourages prudence over alarmism" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Melody LeHew encourages prudence over alarmism</figcaption>
 </figure>The essay, “<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214629621003327" target="_blank">Modernity is Incompatible with Planetary Limits: Developing a PLAN for the Future</a>”, also announces the establishment of a&nbsp;<a href="http://planetarylimits.net/" target="_blank">network of scholars and researchers</a>&nbsp;to promote the understanding of planetary limits, envision scenarios for humanity to thrive within planetary limits, better educate college students about these challenges and advise government officials and communities in developing effective responses.&nbsp;“We all are a product of our times, where ‘new,’ ‘shiny,’ ‘better’ seem normal and ‘more, more, more’ seems good, but that is a reflection of the abnormal period of the last century or so," said Tom Murphy, professor of physics at the University of California at San Diego "If humanity keeps growing its impact on the planet, we will overshoot planetary limits, so we need to plan to power down while there’s still time. Even the founders of economics recognized that Earth’s resources are finite and growth is but a transient phase.”&nbsp;For example, the authors wrote, "early flying machines invariably crashed despite an exhilarating brief airborne interval mainly because the contraptions were simply not built according to aerodynamic principles of sustainable flight. Likewise, the present economy is not built on principles for sustainable, steady-state operation."&nbsp;Essay senior author Ben McCall and the authors acknowledge “the thought that growth should come to an end is counter to our culture.” But keeping at this pace, society is not going to get the future it’s been promised, according to McCall.&nbsp;“We shouldn’t expect a ‘Jetsons’ future with flying cars, but with intentional planning we can hope to do better than a ‘Flintstones’ future,” he said.&nbsp;The authors also stress they are preaching prudence, rather than trying to sound alarmist.&nbsp;“We hope this essay gets people to step back from the familiar, up-close view of their place in the world to see a broader perspective on the challenges modern society faces going forward,” said David Murphy, associate professor and department chair of environmental studies at St. Lawrence University. “We are not making predictions of ‘when.’ Our point is there are fundamental limits to our resources on this finite planet, and if we continue using them at this pace, we’ll exhaust our resources and that outcome won’t be good.”&nbsp;LeHew&nbsp;stresses the need to find ways to power our world without destroying it. “More than just engineers, economists and biologists need to study these problems,” she said. “We all need to get out of our academic silos to contribute to solutions. As someone who studies fashion, I have seen how our current systems can lead to tremendous waste of resources. I also know how dedicated scholars working together can make even the fashion industry more sustainable.”&nbsp;Anyone can join the network as a subscriber to receive updates about network activities. Active scholars can join as members to participate in forums or collaborators to receive full access to the network. Visit&nbsp;<a href="mailto:https://planetarylimits.net/plan-application/" target="_blank">the PLAN Academic website</a>&nbsp;for more information.&nbsp;“Our hope is that we might spark debate and deep thinking about how human civilization might thrive for millennia to come, rather than simply survive the bottlenecks of the next few decades,” said Tom Love, professor emeritus of anthropology at Linfield University. “We want scholars to ask what role their current research plays in addressing these issues and contribute to the understanding how human activity might fit within planetary limits.”&nbsp;--from Kansas State University&nbsp;

KSU professor's new book cautions against unfettered growth

Compassion International&nbsp;presents&nbsp;'A Cloverton Christmas Tour'&nbsp;on Thursday, December 9.&nbsp;

Proceeds will&nbsp;benefit Flint Hills Christian School.&nbsp;

Join Cloverton for a night of Christmas Cheer.&nbsp;Hear your favorite Cloverton Christmas songs including "Hallelujah Christmas", "We Sing Joy", "Carol of the Bells", &amp;&nbsp;"Drummer Boy" among many others.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The show will be at Crestview Christian Church at 3940 Excel Road in Manhattan.&nbsp;Tickets&nbsp;are&nbsp;very limited for this special night.&nbsp;&nbsp;

General&nbsp;admission&nbsp;tickets&nbsp;are&nbsp;$5.&nbsp;VIP&nbsp;tickets&nbsp;are&nbsp;$15&nbsp;and&nbsp;Include&nbsp;early&nbsp;venue entrance, Q&amp;A&nbsp;with&nbsp;Cloverton,&nbsp;and&nbsp;preferred&nbsp;seating.&nbsp;

Tickets are for sale online only at&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-cloverton-christmas-tour-tickets-208289368107?fbclid=IwAR3gEnnpmyCPhJVFEvK8QNLA2kN688vjXMw2IrZHxwih4Qc-EUat--eVhR8" target="_blank">https://www.eventbrite.com/.../a-cloverton-christmas-tour...</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637413141361.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Compassion International&nbsp;presents&nbsp;'A Cloverton Christmas Tour'&nbsp;on Thursday, December 9.&nbsp;Proceeds will&nbsp;benefit Flint Hills Christian School.&nbsp;Join Cloverton for a night of Christmas Cheer.&nbsp;Hear your favorite Cloverton Christmas songs including "Hallelujah Christmas", "We Sing Joy", "Carol of the Bells", &amp;&nbsp;"Drummer Boy" among many others.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637412957234.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The show will be at Crestview Christian Church at 3940 Excel Road in Manhattan.&nbsp;Tickets&nbsp;are&nbsp;very limited for this special night.&nbsp;&nbsp;General&nbsp;admission&nbsp;tickets&nbsp;are&nbsp;$5.&nbsp;VIP&nbsp;tickets&nbsp;are&nbsp;$15&nbsp;and&nbsp;Include&nbsp;early&nbsp;venue entrance, Q&amp;A&nbsp;with&nbsp;Cloverton,&nbsp;and&nbsp;preferred&nbsp;seating.&nbsp;Tickets are for sale online only at&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-cloverton-christmas-tour-tickets-208289368107?fbclid=IwAR3gEnnpmyCPhJVFEvK8QNLA2kN688vjXMw2IrZHxwih4Qc-EUat--eVhR8" target="_blank">https://www.eventbrite.com/.../a-cloverton-christmas-tour...</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

Cloverton show to benefit Flint Hills Christian School

Holiday shopping and events are now easier than ever.&nbsp;

Manhattan Public Transportation is in full holiday mode as&nbsp;ATA&nbsp;Bus&nbsp;is instituting&nbsp;a <a href="https://www.fhata.org/districtloop">new district loop</a> connecting Aggieville, downtown Manhattan, Blue Earth Plaza, as well as many local hotels and&nbsp;restaurants.&nbsp;

Beginning November 19,&nbsp;riders can park&nbsp;at the&nbsp;Third Street&nbsp;parking&nbsp;garage&nbsp;and take a&nbsp;free shuttle&nbsp;bus&nbsp;on&nbsp;Fridays&nbsp;from 4-10 p.m.,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Saturdays&nbsp;from&nbsp;10-10&nbsp;p.m.&nbsp;

Holiday shopping and events are now easier than ever.&nbsp;Manhattan Public Transportation is in full holiday mode as&nbsp;ATA&nbsp;Bus&nbsp;is instituting&nbsp;a <a href="https://www.fhata.org/districtloop">new district loop</a> connecting Aggieville, downtown Manhattan, Blue Earth Plaza, as well as many local hotels and&nbsp;restaurants.&nbsp;Beginning November 19,&nbsp;riders can park&nbsp;at the&nbsp;Third Street&nbsp;parking&nbsp;garage&nbsp;and take a&nbsp;free shuttle&nbsp;bus&nbsp;on&nbsp;Fridays&nbsp;from 4-10 p.m.,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Saturdays&nbsp;from&nbsp;10-10&nbsp;p.m.&nbsp;

ATA Bus adds shopping route, free rides for holidays

Kansas State University President Richard&nbsp;Myers received approval from the Kansas Board of Regents to name the new volleyball arena the Morgan Family Arena for alumni Ward and Brenda Morgan, their children and grandchildren. The volleyball arena will be part of the Volleyball and Olympic Training Facility.&nbsp;

The Morgans were 2019 Lud Fiser Citizens of the Year for Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce.&nbsp;They are the 53rd recipients of the award and the first to receive as a couple.&nbsp;

Brenda grew up in Manhattan attending Woodrow Wilson and Northview Elementary schools and graduating from Manhattan High School. She attended MATC and Kansas State University and worked for Steel and Pipe Supply before starting her career as a local volunteer. Ward grew up in Kansas as well graduating from Decatur Community High School. He went to tech school for auto mechanics and Kansas State University for business. He co-founded Networks Plus in 1994 and then went on to create&nbsp;CivicPlus.&nbsp;

The Morgans have been integral in helping to revitalize downtown with the creation of the Green Apple Bike Program and most recently opening the Midwest Dream Car Collection.&nbsp;They established&nbsp;a donor-advised fund at the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation for $17 million.&nbsp;

The K-State Volleyball team is in action at No. 2 Texas&nbsp;tonight&nbsp;at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin.&nbsp;The Wildcats were swept by the&nbsp;Longhorns&nbsp;last&nbsp;night, and will wrap up regular season&nbsp;at home against Kansas next Friday and Saturday, November 26-27.&nbsp;

Kansas State University President Richard&nbsp;Myers received approval from the Kansas Board of Regents to name the new volleyball arena the Morgan Family Arena for alumni Ward and Brenda Morgan, their children and grandchildren. The volleyball arena will be part of the Volleyball and Olympic Training Facility.&nbsp;The Morgans were 2019 Lud Fiser Citizens of the Year for Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce.&nbsp;They are the 53rd recipients of the award and the first to receive as a couple.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637293364044.jpeg" alt="The Morgan Family Arena will be part of the Olympic Training Center" />
 <figcaption>The Morgan Family Arena will be part of the Olympic Training Center</figcaption>
 </figure>Brenda grew up in Manhattan attending Woodrow Wilson and Northview Elementary schools and graduating from Manhattan High School. She attended MATC and Kansas State University and worked for Steel and Pipe Supply before starting her career as a local volunteer. Ward grew up in Kansas as well graduating from Decatur Community High School. He went to tech school for auto mechanics and Kansas State University for business. He co-founded Networks Plus in 1994 and then went on to create&nbsp;CivicPlus.&nbsp;The Morgans have been integral in helping to revitalize downtown with the creation of the Green Apple Bike Program and most recently opening the Midwest Dream Car Collection.&nbsp;They established&nbsp;a donor-advised fund at the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation for $17 million.&nbsp;The K-State Volleyball team is in action at No. 2 Texas&nbsp;tonight&nbsp;at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin.&nbsp;The Wildcats were swept by the&nbsp;Longhorns&nbsp;last&nbsp;night, and will wrap up regular season&nbsp;at home against Kansas next Friday and Saturday, November 26-27.&nbsp;

Wildcat volleyball facility to be Morgan Family Arena 

The National Weather Service in Topeka has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for much of the area today.&nbsp;

A very high fire danger will develop across portions of north&nbsp;central and central KS late this morning and through the&nbsp;afternoon, as minimum relative humidity values drop below 30&nbsp;percent and southerly wind&nbsp;gusts increase to 35 to 40 MPH.&nbsp;

The following counties are affected: Republic, Washington, Marshall, Nemaha, Brown, Cloud, Clay, Riley,&nbsp;Pottawatomie, Jackson, Jefferson, Ottawa, Dickinson, Geary, Morris,&nbsp;Wabaunsee, Shawnee, Douglas, Lyon, Osage, Franklin, Coffey, and Anderson.

Dry conditions are expected to persist for several days, but lower wind speeds should mitigate much of the fire danger.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637342149579.png" alt="from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration" />
 <figcaption>from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration</figcaption>
 </figure>The National Weather Service in Topeka has issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for much of the area today.&nbsp;A very high fire danger will develop across portions of north&nbsp;central and central KS late this morning and through the&nbsp;afternoon, as minimum relative humidity values drop below 30&nbsp;percent and southerly wind&nbsp;gusts increase to 35 to 40 MPH.&nbsp;The following counties are affected: Republic, Washington, Marshall, Nemaha, Brown, Cloud, Clay, Riley,&nbsp;Pottawatomie, Jackson, Jefferson, Ottawa, Dickinson, Geary, Morris,&nbsp;Wabaunsee, Shawnee, Douglas, Lyon, Osage, Franklin, Coffey, and Anderson.Dry conditions are expected to persist for several days, but lower wind speeds should mitigate much of the fire danger.&nbsp;

NWS: Fire weather warning today

Manhattan Art Center’s Birdhouse Music Series continues as Colorado-based singer-songwriter, acoustic&nbsp;guitarist Justin Roth&nbsp;takes the stage tonight at 7:30.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Roth is hailed for his&nbsp;inventive fingerstyle guitar arrangements&nbsp;that&nbsp;define his unique mix of indie folk and instrumental guitar music.&nbsp;

General Admission tickets are $18. Military members, students, and children get in for $12.&nbsp;<a href="https://manhattanarts.secure.force.com/ticket/#/events/a0S3o00001JmZaIEAV" target="_blank">Buy tickets online here</a>, or call 785-537-4420.&nbsp;

Roth&nbsp;has toured with David Wilcox and John Gorka and opened for some of the finest singer/songwriters on the acoustic music scene, including Shawn Colvin, Lucy Kaplansky, Darrell Scott, and Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary).&nbsp;He has appeared in major festivals&nbsp;including&nbsp;the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, Kerrville Folk Festival and Sisters Folk Fest.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637341307688.png" alt="Justin Roth" />
 <figcaption>Justin Roth</figcaption>
 </figure>Manhattan Art Center’s Birdhouse Music Series continues as Colorado-based singer-songwriter, acoustic&nbsp;guitarist Justin Roth&nbsp;takes the stage tonight at 7:30.&nbsp;&nbsp;Roth is hailed for his&nbsp;inventive fingerstyle guitar arrangements&nbsp;that&nbsp;define his unique mix of indie folk and instrumental guitar music.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637341382223.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>General Admission tickets are $18. Military members, students, and children get in for $12.&nbsp;<a href="https://manhattanarts.secure.force.com/ticket/#/events/a0S3o00001JmZaIEAV" target="_blank">Buy tickets online here</a>, or call 785-537-4420.&nbsp;Roth&nbsp;has toured with David Wilcox and John Gorka and opened for some of the finest singer/songwriters on the acoustic music scene, including Shawn Colvin, Lucy Kaplansky, Darrell Scott, and Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary).&nbsp;He has appeared in major festivals&nbsp;including&nbsp;the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, Kerrville Folk Festival and Sisters Folk Fest.&nbsp;

Live music tonight at MAC 

The proportion of 13-year-old students who say they "read for fun" almost every day has roughly halved since 1984, according to new data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ltt/reading/student-experiences/?age=13" target="_blank">report</a>. If you're a big reading advocate, you'll be even more worried by the statistic that&nbsp;29%&nbsp;of American 13-year-olds&nbsp;now "never or hardly ever" read for fun — a proportion that has more than tripled since 1984.&nbsp; &nbsp; A picture is worth a thousand words&nbsp;

It's easy to blame the rise of screens, the internet or more TV for the slow demise of "reading for fun". If a picture is worth a thousand words, and a TV show or movie has at least 24 frames per second... you get the idea. Reading for fun has stiff competition, and it's probably only going to get more intense.&nbsp;

See you when you're sleeping A parent on reddit has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/qpekw1/oc_my_daughters_complete_first_year_of_sleep/" target="_blank">visualized every single day of sleep</a>&nbsp;for the first year of their newborn daughter's life.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Please change your password... again Robinhood&nbsp;has confirmed that&nbsp;5 million&nbsp;customer email addresses and&nbsp;2 million&nbsp;customer names&nbsp;<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/09/robinhood-data-breach/" target="_blank">were compromised during a hack last week</a>.&nbsp;

Say what? Squid Game&nbsp;is a perfect example of the globalization of the streaming boom — and it's&nbsp;<a href="https://restofworld.org/2021/lost-in-translation-the-global-streaming-boom-is-creating-a-translator-shortage/" target="_blank">causing a shortage of translators</a>.&nbsp;

Inflation celebrates best year since 1980 US inflation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/nov/10/inflation-us-latest-high-30-years-economy-predictions" target="_blank">just hit 6.2% year-on-year</a>, the highest reading for 30 years.&nbsp; &nbsp; Maybe next year NASA's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59231632" target="_blank">return to the moon has been pushed back a year</a>, with the space agency now expecting to land the first woman and 13th man on the lunar surface in 2025.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637320796751.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The proportion of 13-year-old students who say they "read for fun" almost every day has roughly halved since 1984, according to new data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ltt/reading/student-experiences/?age=13" target="_blank">report</a>. If you're a big reading advocate, you'll be even more worried by the statistic that&nbsp;29%&nbsp;of American 13-year-olds&nbsp;now "never or hardly ever" read for fun — a proportion that has more than tripled since 1984.&nbsp; &nbsp; A picture is worth a thousand words&nbsp;It's easy to blame the rise of screens, the internet or more TV for the slow demise of "reading for fun". If a picture is worth a thousand words, and a TV show or movie has at least 24 frames per second... you get the idea. Reading for fun has stiff competition, and it's probably only going to get more intense.&nbsp;<h2>DATA SNACKS&nbsp;</h2>See you when you're sleeping A parent on reddit has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/qpekw1/oc_my_daughters_complete_first_year_of_sleep/" target="_blank">visualized every single day of sleep</a>&nbsp;for the first year of their newborn daughter's life.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; Please change your password... again Robinhood&nbsp;has confirmed that&nbsp;5 million&nbsp;customer email addresses and&nbsp;2 million&nbsp;customer names&nbsp;<a href="https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/09/robinhood-data-breach/" target="_blank">were compromised during a hack last week</a>.&nbsp;Say what? Squid Game&nbsp;is a perfect example of the globalization of the streaming boom — and it's&nbsp;<a href="https://restofworld.org/2021/lost-in-translation-the-global-streaming-boom-is-creating-a-translator-shortage/" target="_blank">causing a shortage of translators</a>.&nbsp;Inflation celebrates best year since 1980 US inflation&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/nov/10/inflation-us-latest-high-30-years-economy-predictions" target="_blank">just hit 6.2% year-on-year</a>, the highest reading for 30 years.&nbsp; &nbsp; Maybe next year NASA's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-59231632" target="_blank">return to the moon has been pushed back a year</a>, with the space agency now expecting to land the first woman and 13th man on the lunar surface in 2025.&nbsp;