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Lettuce Eat Local: Spring is sprouting

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Amanda Miller
Columnist
Lettuce Eat Local

 

It’s there on the calendar, but it’s there everywhere I look outside as well: Spring is here this week. 

Green things are popping up all over the place, and colors sprout extra brightly in contrast to winter’s shades of brown. Daffodils started with their leaves pushing through the soil a while ago, and they’ve already exploded into gently enthusiastic yellow flowers. The tight buds on our row of lilacs are forming, soon to also burst into simultaneously pale yet strong shades of purple; close by, our two old stock-tanks established with mint and strawberries are getting their headstart on the growing season, too. 

Benson and I trenched in some asparagus crowns a few weeks ago (okay fine, we threw some dirt around — Brian did the actual work), and while they haven’t peeked up yet, the fruit tree nearby is fluffy with blossoms. I can’t remember if it’s a cherry or a pear, but Benson’s fairly certain each of the burgeoning lamb’s-quarters scattered around the area are going to grow oranges. He’s wrong…but I’m in love with the excitement brimming out of him at seeing plants and potential springing out of the ground. 

He’s even in love with the ground itself, apparently; the other day after our meander around the farm pointing out all the colors everywhere, he flopped down in the cushion of greening grass, “watching the clouds and the moon.” I so appreciate Benson’s vivacity for the Creator’s gift of Spring and new life sprouting. 

And with all this sprouting going on outside, it’s only appropriate for us to have some going on inside. We don’t often eat sprouts, but we recently got a couple boxes of alfalfa and clover sprouts. For some reason it’s a little odd to me if I think too much about eating so many teeny tiny baby plants at one time, but I love their flavor and nutrition. 

Sprouts always remind me of a certain comedian’s quip, originally about rice but so applicable here as well: “[It’s] great if you’re really hungry and want to eat two thousand of something.” And clean up two thousand of something, as it’s nearly impossible to pick up a clump of sprouts without dropping some. Benson would randomly decide to stuff handfuls in his mouth, so even though I definitely consumed the most, I’ll blame him for the little seeds I kept finding everywhere.

Sprouts also always remind me of my parents talking about peanut butter sprout sandwiches. They grew the alfalfa sprouts, made the whole-wheat oat bread, and sandwiched it together with a spread of crunchy peanut butter. It sounds so hippie — to be fair, it was the 70s. 

And to be fair, it does also sound exactly like something I would do. (Because I do.) And it is really a moreish combination: the nutty, fresh sprouts complement the nutty, rich peanut butter, particularly when sandwiched between hearty bread. I of course had to elaborate on the theme a bit for my version, but as much as I want to poke at my mom and dad’s hippiness, I can’t help but just enjoy the meal. 

Spring is here! Sprouts are everywhere, outside and inside, and we are happy. 

 

Groovy Sprouts Sandwich

Mom says peanut butter sprout sandwiches were a common thing, and I did find some proof to back her up; perhaps you can also attest their popularity in a certain era. I can only assume they’ll start to be in vogue again then anytime, so I might as well get ahead of the curve and get one of my versions out in the sphere. All the elements just play so well together. I don’t know how to describe the texture of sprouts (plant-y?), but whatever it is calls out for the smoothness of avocado, peanut butter, and cream cheese, and the crispness of toasted bread. 

Prep tips: you can get as “hippie” as you want and bake the bread (even grow and mill the wheat), sprout the sprouts, make the cream cheese, grind the peanut butter…or you can just put them all together. 

2 slices hearty bread, toasted

a schmear of whipped cream cheese

a spoon of peanut butter (I uncharacteristically prefer creamy for this)

½ an avocado, sliced

a good sprinkle of coarse salt

a handful of alfalfa/clover sprouts

optional: a drizzle of local honey

Layer all ingredients in the order given, of course beginning and ending with bread. Enjoy, preferably in the sunshine. 

 

Turkey sausage recall: Johnsonville recalls more than 35,000 pounds of meat after rubber found

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A Wisconsin-based meat manufacturer is recalling more than 35,000 pounds of kielbasa sausage after multiple reports said black rubber was found in some of its products.

Salm Partners, LLC, of Denmark, recalled some of its Johnsonville meat products after the foreign material was found in the ready-to-eat meat by at least two consumers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.

According to Johnsonville, the affected product was shipped to retail distribution centers in the following states:

  • Michigan
  • Wisconsin
  • Ohio
  • Washington
  • California
  • Oregon
  • Idaho
  • North Carolina
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Minnesota

    What turkey kielbasa is being recalled?

    The following products are subject to recall:

    • 12-ounce vacuum-packed packages containing a single piece of “Johnsonville Polish kielbasa turkey sausage with best by dates of May 17, 2024 and May 18, 2024 printed on the packaging.
    • The recalled product also has the establishment number “P-32009” on the packaging.
    • The sausages were produced from Oct. 30-31, 2023.

      What to do if I bought Johnsonville turkey kielbasa sausage?

      So far, no injuries have been reported to the FDA.

      Anyone who bought the affected products should throw them away.

      Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or email [email protected]

Lovina and Family Prepare to Attend a Funeral

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Lovina’s Amish Kitchen
Lovina Eitcher,
Old Order Amish
Cook, Wife &
Mother of Eight 

This is Monday evening here at the Eicher homestead. Everyone is getting showered and ready for bed. Supper was easy tonight—son Joseph brought supper home. On the menu was pizza, wings, and subs. What a treat for daughter Lovina and me to not have to get supper.

Joe and I had left after he was home from work and showered. We attended the viewing/visitation of son-in-law Tim’s Aunt Sylvia, age 64. She passed away suddenly on Friday. Her husband found her lying down in the house—life had fled. Our sympathy to her husband and family left to mourn. Sylvia was in the same church district as we were for quite a few years. She always had a smile, and when I went to their general store and greenhouse she always asked how we were doing. She will be greatly missed! Her husband Mervin will have many lonely days ahead. Their four children are all married, and he lives alone now. 

I had to help take a dish in for supper tonight. I made a Cherry Delight. Tomorrow morning, I plan to attend the funeral, Lord willing, with sisters Verena and Emma.

Joe plans to go to work. He was off several days last week because of sickness. Now this week they won’t work a full week. It’s bad timing when building a new pole barn. We aren’t getting any younger, and the bills still have to be paid. We take one day at a time and trust in God. He knows the future, and we need to trust in him.

Church services will be held at daughter Susan and Ervin’s on Sunday, Lord willing. They have quite a lot to do yet. Those helping them with their work on Saturday were Joe and I, sons Benjamin, Joseph, and Kevin, daughter Lovina and her special friend Daniel, daughter Loretta, Dustin, and sons, daughter Elizabeth, Tim, and children. A lot was accomplished!

Ervin’s dad is still in the hospital and is showing some improvement. He will need to go to a rehab center after he’s dismissed from the hospital. He still can’t walk yet. Hopefully this will only be short-term. Susan was unable to go with Ervin on Sunday to visit him due to having several children sick with the flu. Ervin and sons Ryan and Curtis went to visit Perry. We are hoping and praying Perry will have a complete and full recovery!

Today was a nice but windy laundry day. The towels are so soft when blown dry in the wind. It was a little chilly hanging out the clothes.

Daughter Verena left tonight with her special friend Daniel Ray to also attend the viewing/visitation of Sylvia. Daniel Ray’s dad Alvin is a pallbearer at the funeral tomorrow. They were neighbors with Sylvia and Mervin for many years. Verena and Daniel Ray will also attend the funeral tomorrow and so will daughter Elizabeth and Tim. Sylvia has many brothers and sisters and lots of nieces and nephews as well, so I am sure it will be a big funeral. Sylvia will be buried in the graveyard just down the road from us. We have three loved ones buried there beside only one other person in this newer graveyard. How this brings back sad memories of losing our loved ones three years ago. God makes no mistakes, we know! God bless you all! 

I will share the coffee cake recipe that daughter Susan had made for Saturday. It was delicious!

Coffee Cake

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

1 (13.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix

1 (3.4-ounce) box instant butterscotch pudding mix

1 (3.4-ounce) box instant vanilla pudding mix

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Mix eggs, oil, and water together. Add dry pudding mix and cake mix and beat well. Pour half of the batter into a 9 x 13-inch pan. Sprinkle half of topping on top. Repeat. Bake at 325°F for about 1 hour. 

Variation: Pour batter onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle on topping. Bake at 325°F for about 30 minutes. Also, 2 boxes of vanilla pudding mix can be used if you don’t have butterscotch pudding mix.  

Lovina’s Amish Kitchen is written by Lovina Eicher, Old Order Amish writer, cook, wife, and mother of eight. Her two cookbooks, The Essential Amish Cookbook and Amish Family Recipes, are available wherever books are sold. Readers can write to Eicher at Lovina’s Amish Kitchen, PO Box 234, Sturgis, MI 49091 (please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply); or email [email protected] and your message will be passed on to her to read. She does not personally respond to emails.

KU News: NSF CAREER Award winner and 3 Udall Scholarship nominees

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From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

 

Headlines

 

Department of Physics & Astronomy professor receives NSF CAREER Award for work on zinc-ion batteries
A University of Kansas researcher from the Department of Physics & Astronomy has been chosen for a prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation for his innovative work with zinc-ion batteries. The five-year, $504,566 grant will be used to design stable cathode material for zinc-ion batteries, which will improve their performance and longevity through state-of-the-art computational modeling. Zinc-ion batteries are a sustainable alternative to the more widely used lithium-ion batteries, which currently are in everything from mobile phones to electric vehicles.

KU nominates three undergraduates for Udall Scholarships
Three undergraduates at the University of Kansas are nominees for Udall Scholarships, which recognize students who demonstrate leadership, public service and commitment in the fields of tribal public policy, Native health care or the environment.  All three of KU’s 2024 nominees are competing in the environmental category.

 

 

Full stories below.

 

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Contact: Ranjit Arab, [email protected]

Department of Physics & Astronomy professor receives NSF CAREER Award for work on zinc-ion batteries
LAWRENCE — A University of Kansas researcher from the Department of Physics & Astronomy has been chosen for a prestigious CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation for his innovative work with zinc-ion batteries.

 

Hartwin Peelaers, assistant professor of physics & astronomy, received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the NSF for “Computational Design of High-Performing V205 Cathodes for Zinc-ion Batteries.”

 

The five-year, $504,566 grant will be used to design stable cathode material for zinc-ion batteries, which will improve their performance and longevity through state-of-the-art computational modeling. Zinc-ion batteries are a sustainable alternative to the more widely used lithium-ion batteries, which currently are in everything from mobile phones to electric vehicles.

 

Peelaers said a major application of his research is that it will help promote green energy sources in a cost-efficient, reliable and safe manner.

 

“This award will allow me to develop a new research line on a topic that can beneficially impact society by performing the necessary basic materials research on new, safe and Earth-abundant zinc-ion batteries that can provide cheap and reliable grid-scale energy storage so that more intermittent energy resources like wind and solar can be included in the electricity grid,” Peelaers said.

 

Along with developing zinc-ion batteries, the project also plans to increase diversity within STEM fields through outreach, research opportunities for high school and undergraduate students and an increase of underrepresented students admitted to Ph.D. programs.

 

“We are delighted that the NSF has recognized Professor Peelaers for his outstanding work,” said Arash Mafi, executive dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. “His research will not only further scientific learning, but will also provide a safer, more Earth-friendly alternative for powering electronic devices.”

 

The NSF CAREER Award is the most prestigious award given to faculty members beginning their independent careers. The program intends to provide support to professionals to further outstanding research through commitment to teaching, learning and disseminating knowledge.

 

About the College

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (known as “The College”) is the heart of KU, educating the most students, producing the most research and collaborating with nearly every entity at KU. The College is home to more than 50 departments, programs and centers, as well as the School of the Arts and School of Public Affairs & Administration.

 

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The official university account for X (formerly Twitter) is @UnivOfKansas.

Follow @KUnews for KU News Servitwce stories, discoveries and experts.

 

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Contact: Erin Wolfram, [email protected]

KU nominates three undergraduates for Udall Scholarships
LAWRENCE — Three undergraduates at the University of Kansas are nominees for Udall Scholarships, which recognize students who demonstrate leadership, public service and commitment in the fields of tribal public policy, Native health care or the environment.  All three of KU’s 2024 nominees are competing in the environmental category.

 

KU’s 2024 nominees are:

 

Grant Misse, a junior in environmental studies and music composition
Ally Pruente, a sophomore in environmental studies and strategic communications
Sarah Reuben-Hallock, a sophomore in environmental studies

The Udall Undergraduate Scholarship is a federal scholarship that honors the legacies of Morris Udall and Stewart Udall, two former Arizona lawmakers whose careers influenced American Indian self-governance, health care and the stewardship of public lands and natural resources.

 

The Udall Foundation administers the program. This year, the foundation will award 60 students with scholarships of up to $7,000 each. Selected scholars will also receive access to the Udall Alumni Network and attend a four-day scholar orientation in Tucson, Arizona. Students must be nominated by their university to apply, and universities are limited in the total number of nominations they can make.

 

At KU, the nomination process is coordinated by the Office of Fellowships within Academic Success. Students interested in applying next year should email [email protected]. The next application cycle will begin in spring 2025. Sophomores and juniors may apply.

 

Biographical details of the candidates follow.

 

Grant Misse

Grant Misse, from Gardner, is the son of Brett Misse and Kourtney Misse and a graduate of Gardner-Edgerton High School. Misse is majoring in environmental studies and music composition. He aspires to earn a master’s degree in public and nonprofit management and return to northeast Kansas to start a nonprofit and eventually influence policy related to sustainable agriculture and food systems at the government level.

 

In summer 2023, he interned at the Mahwah Environmental Volunteers Organization. Currently, Misse works to promote environmental initiatives as the leadership/recruitment outreach lead for the Sunrise Movement KU and as the committee lead/founder of 2040 Vision KU. Additionally, he works at the Center for Community Outreach as the managing director. He continues to volunteer for the program Music Mentors, for which he previously served as a program coordinator, and is also the president of the New Music Guild and a member of the Glee Club.

 

Ally Pruente

Ally Pruente, from Lenexa, is a graduate of Shawnee Mission Northwest High School and the daughter of Mike Pruente and Jennifer Pruente. She is majoring in environmental studies and strategic communications. In her future career, Pruente hopes to address environmental education and representation in the media. She is the outreach officer for the Osage Chapter of the Association for Women Geoscientists and a proud member of the Xi Chapter of Sigma Kappa sorority where she serves as the sustainability chair. Pruente is also a student assistant for the Kansas Geological Survey and a garden volunteer through the Center for Community Outreach.

 

Sarah Reuben-Hallock

Sarah Reuben-Hallock, from Overland Park, is a graduate of Blue Valley High School and is the daughter of Alex and Karen Hallock. Reuben-Hallock is majoring in environmental studies. She plans to pursue a graduate degree in mycology and forest pathology and contribute to cutting-edge research. Reuben-Hallock is the grounds team lead for Sunrise Movement KU advocating for a more sustainable campus and the program coordinator for EARTH within the Center for Community Outreach leading a community garden for students facing food insecurity. She also serves as a volunteer for Bridging the Gap, a nonprofit organization in Kansas City.

 

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KU News Service

1450 Jayhawk Blvd.

Lawrence KS 66045

Phone: 785-864-3256

Fax: 785-864-3339

[email protected]

http://www.news.ku.edu

 

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

 

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

KU News: Kansan Bill Kurtis to speak at KU in April, research in Kansas City region on adaptive exercise

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From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

Headlines

Dole Institute announces Bill Kurtis as 2024 Dole Lecture honoree
The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas has announced that Bill Kurtis — KU alumnus, journalist, network news anchor, producer and rancher — will be featured at this spring’s annual Dole Lecture at 7 p.m. April 16. Kurtis will join Dole Institute Director Audrey Coleman for a discussion of his Kansas roots and the news that shaped the nation over the course of his seven decades in journalism.

KU research explores impact of adaptive exercise for people with disabilities in Kansas City region
KU Life Span Institute researcher Lyndsie Koon is leading three pilot projects assessing the effectiveness of HIFT to improve various health outcomes, including fall risk, metabolic health, strength, flexibility, quality of life, psychosocial health and more. “We have almost no empirical evidence on the effects of this type of exercise for people with disabilities, yet people with disabilities are actively engaging in HIFT in communities across the country and worldwide,” Koon said.

Medicaid’s impact on inmate health and recidivism rates explored in new research
A new paper by David Slusky, a professor of economics at the University of Kansas, estimates the causal impact of access to Medicaid on health outcomes and recidivism for those recently released from incarceration. The research finds that reducing barriers in access to Medicaid for vulnerable populations increases enrollment and utilization of health care services, but it does not reduce 1-year or 3-year recidivism. This suggests the effectiveness of such policies is context-dependent.

Full stories below.

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Contact: Maria Fisher, 785-864-4900, [email protected]

Dole Institute announces Bill Kurtis as 2024 Dole Lecture honoree
LAWRENCE — The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas has announced that Bill Kurtis — KU alumnus, journalist, network news anchor, producer and rancher — will be featured at this spring’s annual Dole Lecture at 7 p.m. April 16. Kurtis will join Dole Institute Director Audrey Coleman for a discussion of his Kansas roots and the news that shaped the nation over the course of his seven decades in journalism.

“Before it was history, it was news,” Kurtis said.

The program will take place in-person at the Dole Institute, 2350 Petefish Drive, and be livestreamed on the institute’s website and YouTube channel. Detailed information on the program can be found at doleinstitute.org.

Kurtis began his journalism career at WIBW-TV in Topeka. After his 24-hour coverage of a devastating tornado in 1966, Kurtis was hired by Chicago’s WBBM-TV, where he was a field reporter and later anchor of The Channel Two News.

In 1978, Kurtis’ investigative unit was one of the first to report on the dangerous effects of the Agent Orange chemical on American forces in Vietnam. While covering the story, he returned to Vietnam in 1980 to find the children of American servicemen living in the streets of Saigon with their mothers, who were unable to find work.

Kurtis’ reporting became a cover story in the New York Times Magazine and resulted in legislation that allowed these children immediate access to the United States. Additionally, his reporting launched massive studies into the post-war lives of American servicemen to make exposure to Agent Orange treatable and establishing a new standard of care for veterans that continues today.

In 1982, Kurtis joined the CBS Morning News as a co-anchor alongside Diane Sawyer, later returning to WBBM-TV in 1985 as anchorman through 1996 and from 2010 to 2013 alongside Walter Jacobson.

After a 30-year run with CBS, he established Kurtis Productions, which produces nonfiction programs and documentaries. Additionally, he serves as the official judge and scorekeeper on National Public Radio’s news quiz show “Wait Wait … Don’t Tell Me!” and has narrated multiple motion pictures, including the “Anchorman” films starring Will Ferrell.

Kurtis was born in Florida and raised in Independence after his father retired from the U.S. Marine Corps. He graduated from KU with a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism and from Washburn University School of Law with a Juris Doctor.

In addition to his work in journalism, Kurtis is an active conservationist in Kansas. Kurtis has placed land in the Red Buffalo Ranch, originally 8,000 acres of prairie in Chautauqua County, in conservation easements and has sold much of the land to cattle ranchers and the Delaware Tribe of Indians. His daughter, Mary Kristin Kurtis, now owns the remainder of the ranch and the Red Buffalo Gift Shop in Sedan.

Each spring, the Dole Lecture commemorates the date on which Sen. Bob Dole was critically wounded while serving in Italy during World War II. To honor Dole’s courageous recovery and commitment to serve the nation, the Dole Institute welcomes a guest who embodies the commitments that Dole held throughout his career in public service.

About the Dole Institute

The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, a vibrant forum for civil discourse, civic engagement, and idea exchange across the political spectrum, features historical archives, exhibits, and public programs for all ages. Inspired by the public service of native Kansan, veteran, legislator and statesman Sen. Bob Dole and his wife Sen. Elizabeth Dole, visitor galleries feature changing exhibits, the Kansas Veterans Virtual Memory Wall, architectural-scale stained glass American flag and Sept. 11 memorial.

 

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The official university account for X (formerly Twitter) is @UnivOfKansas.

Follow @KUnews for KU News Servitwce stories, discoveries and experts.

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Contact: Christina Knott, [email protected]

KU research explores impact of adaptive exercise for people with disabilities in Kansas City region
LAWRENCE — Brian McMillan, 65, attends fitness classes four times a week in the Adaptive Athletes in Motion program, which was developed for people with mobility disabilities.

 

“You need strength to get through life,” he said.

 

McMillan and each of the other “adaptive athletes,” as they are known, ages 14 to 73, participating in the class have a physical condition that challenges their mobility, from ataxia to multiple sclerosis to spinal cord damage.

 

Known as high-intensity functional training, or HIFT, the community-based program is akin to CrossFit. It also is the focus of studies undertaken by University of Kansas researcher Lyndsie Koon, associate director of the Research and Training Center on Independent Living at the KU Life Span Institute.

 

McMillan took a break from using the ski ergometer machine at Brave Enough CrossFit in North Kansas City, Mo., and explained how he depends on exercising his arms and torso to get his heart rate up and stay physically engaged, even without the use of his legs.

 

“Sitting in this chair for 21 years … we lose our stomach muscles,” he said. “So, if you’re not burning extra calories, you’re just eating.”

 

People with mobility disabilities are 66% more likely to be overweight or obese than their nondisabled peers, and they are at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, depression and anxiety. Fewer than half of adults with a mobility disability are physically active, despite evidence that exercise improves health and well-being.

 

Koon said that community-based exercise programs for health interventions are both understudied and overlooked by physicians, who are more likely to suggest surgery or pharmacological treatment than exercise for people with disabilities.

 

“We have almost no empirical evidence on the effects of this type of exercise (HIFT) for people with disabilities, yet people with disabilities are actively engaging in HIFT in communities across the country and worldwide,” Koon said.

 

Koon is leading three pilot projects assessing the effectiveness of HIFT to improve various health outcomes, including fall risk, metabolic health, strength, flexibility, quality of life, psychosocial health and more. Her work has been supported internally through a KU Research GO award that concludes in April. Additionally, she has been awarded support through the Kansas Center for Metabolism and Obesity Research, which is funded by the National Institutes of Health Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence, and the Landon Center on Aging, both at the KU Medical Center.

 

“Maintaining functional independence for people with mobility disability, including those aging with long-term disability, is extremely important to me and the entire goal of my work,” she said. “I care that people can get up off the ground if they fall, get down on the ground to play with their children or grandchildren, or carry their groceries into the house independently, and have a community of people supporting them in their health endeavors,”

 

Despite the benefits of exercise on brain health, helping manage weight, reducing the risk of disease, strengthening bones and muscles and improving the ability to do everyday activities, most community-based facilities are not accessible, or even inclusive, to people with physical disabilities, Koon said.

 

Moreover, while outpatient physical and occupational therapy can provide temporary benefits for people with disabilities these services are typically prescribed after an injury and are often short-term with limitations on the total number of visits. They are not a long-term strategy for activity engagement.

 

Developed by Josh Snyder, the HIFT program in KC, known as Adaptive Athletes in Motion (AAIM), offers opportunities to individuals at several area locations, including the Mission Barbell Club in Mission, the Kansas Athletic Club in Overland Park, FITNKC in Kansas City, Mo., and Kaw Valley CrossFit in Lawrence.

 

“Josh has a knack for this stuff,” Koon said. “He can take any disability type and build a program based on their capabilities and personal goals.”

 

Trainers work individually with new athletes in onboarding sessions after reviewing health concerns, movement limitations and health goals, Koon said.

 

After McMillan lost mobility of his legs in a motorcycle accident, he worked with a therapist to learn how to get dressed, move around and take care of himself.

 

“But that only lasts for so long, and then, after that, you’re just kind of on your own,” McMillan said.

 

In the AAIM program, he said every day they do something different to keep their muscles, and mind, engaged.

 

Daniel Bufford, 53, of Merriam, said he gained about 50 pounds after he lost his leg in 2022. Originally from the Dallas area, he moved to get fresh start after a Kansas City-area nonprofit, Steps of Faith, offered to pay a prosthetic limb.

 

He started with AAIM last spring and now attends several classes a week, sometimes even filling in as volunteer coach. He said if he doesn’t work out, he gets depressed.

 

“This really changed me,” Bufford said. “Now I’m competitive. I’ve done CrossFit competitions — I’ve done one so far, but I’m signed up to do a bunch right now.”

 

The added benefit of the fitness class is the community support and connections they make. For Bufford, this has helped give him a sense of purpose as well.

 

“One of my friends I work out with, he’s a triple amputee,” Bufford said. “He’s just got one arm, and we throw jokes back and forth a lot. And you’ll find that a lot (of us) are like that. Because if we can’t make fun of ourselves, then we’re never going be able to handle it with other people.”

 

Koon said that HIFT incorporates functional movement to support daily activities such as picking up objects from seated positions, transferring, reaching overhead, getting off the floor, or ambulating without supports. But another benefit of HIFT classes for people with disabilities is that such programs are widespread throughout the country, and internationally, making them within reach of many people who have disabilities.

 

“The best part is that our research is that participants have the option to stay in the program after the conclusion of the intervention,” she said.

 

So far, about 60%-70% of the participants opt to stay engaged in the AAIM program.

 

Koon said research is still in its early stages. However, her work is helping gather empirical evidence on program effects, grow the program in the greater Kansas City and Lawrence areas and increase its reach to new people in the community, as well as increase exposure to other HIFT programs that may be interested in starting their own adaptive classes.

 

“That’s been incredibly rewarding to see,” she said.

 

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Contact: Jon Niccum, 785-864-7633, [email protected]

Medicaid’s impact on inmate health and recidivism rates explored in new research
LAWRENCE — Inmates face numerous difficulties upon reentry into society. Public health care services are not always easily accessible to them while making this transition.

 

“Recidivism is an expensive and tragic societal problem,” said David Slusky, a professor of economics at the University of Kansas. “In addition to designing new policies to help reduce it, policymakers also want to understand what existing policies and programs could help.”

 

His new paper titled “Accessing the Safety Net: How Medicaid Affects Health and Recidivism” addresses this by estimating the causal impact of access to means-tested public health insurance coverage on health outcomes and recidivism for those recently released from incarceration. It finds that reducing barriers in access to Medicaid for vulnerable populations increases enrollment and utilization of health care services, but it does not reduce 1-year or 3-year recidivism. This suggests the effectiveness of such policies is context-dependent.

 

The findings appear as a working paper for the National Bureau of Economic Research.

 

“The U.S. makes it very difficult for those released from prison to rejoin the formal economy,” said Slusky, who co-wrote the article with Analisa Packham of Vanderbilt University.

 

“Many mundane tasks for the general population are extremely difficult, if not impossible, including housing, employment and voting. Many individuals see continued criminal activity as their best economic option.”

 

The U.S. boasts an incarcerated percentage of its population that is much higher than other countries, which also leads to a much higher incidence of recidivism. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, nearly half of those returning to the community are rearrested within one year, and 77% are rearrested within five years.

 

As noted in “Accessing the Safety Net,” a large proportion of inmates have high rates of chronic medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, as well as severe mental health disorders and substance use issues, which can lead to a higher likelihood of recidivism. But despite the need for timely and continuous access to care, many offenders do not receive necessary medical treatment.

 

To study these issues, Slusky focused on South Carolina, a non-Medicaid expansion state that implemented a 2016 policy to more easily re-enroll previously incarcerated individuals in the Medicaid program.

 

“The South Carolina program we studied was relatively limited in its scale and resources,” Slusky said. “Other states. such as Wisconsin, introduced far more expansive pre-release enrollment assistance. And many other states also changed their laws to allow those beginning incarceration who were on Medicaid to suspend their benefits instead of being terminated so they could much more easily and quickly be reactivated upon release.”

 

In terms of a strategy to combat this issue, some states are now exploring enrolling inmates on Medicaid while they are incarcerated, in the hopes that it will deliver better and more efficient care then and increase continuity of care before and after release.

 

However, Slusky found no evidence that people with easier access to Medicaid are less likely to commit future violent or property crimes.

 

So what exactly is the benefit for the community if this doesn’t curb crime?

 

“Medicaid has been shown in many other cases to improve economic and financial outcomes and make individuals less likely to skip necessary medical care due to cost,” he said. “We also do see increased overall healthcare utilization from the policy change, which is evidence individuals are getting more care — which is the outcome most directly affected by increased insurance rates.”

 

A KU faculty member since 2015, Slusky specializes in health economics and labor economics. He has conducted research on a wide variety of topics, including the Flint water crisis, COVID-19 restrictions, abortion care and physician birth outcomes. He is currently interim chair of KU’s Department of Speech-Language-Hearing. In 2022, he was named executive director of the American Society of Health Economics.

 

“There are limits to what can be done in non-Medicaid expansion states as enrollment assistance programs can only help those who are eligible,” Slusky said.

 

“It’s very difficult to scale up a program like the one in South Carolina. Despite all of the effort and expense, we just don’t see that large an increase in the share of released individuals who end up on Medicaid. There is just only so much that non-expansion states can do to help those in need.”

 

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KU News Service

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Lawrence KS 66045

Phone: 785-864-3256

Fax: 785-864-3339

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Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

 

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

KU News: KU student from Olathe is finalist for Truman scholarship

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From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

Headlines

KU student finalist for Truman scholarship
DaNae Estabine, a junior and University Honors student from Olathe, is a finalist for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship. The prestigious national awards provide up to $30,000 for graduate study. Estabine is majoring in psychology and minoring in philosophy. She will participate in an interview for the scholarship at the end of March in Kansas City. Since 1981, 20 KU students have become Truman scholars.

KU Theatre explores labor and community in award-winning drama ‘SWEAT’
“SWEAT” was based on research and dialogue that arose from the playwright embedding herself with the working class community of Reading, Pennsylvania, exploring how marginalized people build community and how they respond when that community is divided against itself.

 

Humanizing the witch on stage, screen

In a new book, an associate professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance is not saying directors must not or should not have a green-skinned witch in “The Wizard of Oz” or “Wicked.” Rather, she says that they should consider where these physiological stereotypes came from and whether and how to make them appropriate in a contemporary context.

 

Study: SCOTUS created two-tier health care system with Dobbs decision
A KU professor co-wrote new research showing that the Supreme Court’s refusal to connect the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision to gender-based ramifications, the results created a system of health care that exacerbates existing disparities in health care.

 

An evening with Nadya Tolokonnikova
Russian musician, conceptual artist, political activist Nadya Tolokonnikova will hold a public dialogue on the Lawrence campus with Ani Kokobobo, professor of Russian studies and chair of the Slavic, German & Eurasian studies department. The dialogue will conclude with a short audience Q&A session.

 

Full stories below.

 

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Contact: Erin Wolfram, [email protected]

KU student finalist for Truman scholarship
LAWRENCE — A University of Kansas junior and University Honors student from Olathe is a finalist for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship.

 

DaNae Estabine is majoring in psychology and minoring in philosophy. She will participate in an interview for the scholarship at the end of March in Kansas City. Final scholarship selections will be made in mid-April.

 

The prestigious national awards provide up to $30,000 for graduate study. The awards are given to college juniors for leadership in public service. They are highly competitive, with only about 60 Truman Scholars named nationwide each year.

 

This year, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation selected 191 finalists from 132 institutions to interview for the scholarship awards. The foundation received 709 applications from 285 institutions to determine the finalists.

 

The campus nomination process is coordinated by the Office of Fellowships, a unit of Academic Success. Students interested in applying for the Truman Scholarship in future years are encouraged to contact the office, which can nominate a limited number of students each year. The next application cycle will begin in fall 2024.

 

Since 1981, 20 KU students have become Truman scholars. Samuel Steuart was the most recent KU student to receive the honor in 2019.

 

More information about KU’s Truman finalist is below.

 

DaNae Estabine is the daughter of Jean and Kristy Estabine and a graduate of Olathe East High School. She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology and minoring in philosophy with plans to earn a juris doctor and doctorate in psychology and becoming a prosecutor in the state of Kansas. Estabine was named to the Multicultural Scholars Program as a sophomore and was selected for KU’s Legal Education Accelerated Degree program.

 

Her freshman year, she served as a senator in KU’s Student Senate, held the government relations director position as a sophomore and currently is the student body vice president. In summer 2023, Estabine interned for U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, and she now interns in the Statehouse for Kansas State Rep. Barbara Ballard. Outside of KU, Estabine volunteers her time as the director of the Johnson County Fair Pie Contest, an Olathe Fishing Derby board member and a Lawrence Mothers of Pre-Schoolers volunteer. Additionally, she is a substitute teacher in the Lawrence School District and was recently selected as KU’s 2024 Newman Civic Fellowship nominee.

 

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Contact: Lisa Coble-Krings, 785-864-5685, [email protected]

KU Theatre explores labor and community in award-winning drama ‘SWEAT’

LAWRENCE – The University Theatre will present Lynn Nottage’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “SWEAT,” which explores the lives of Rust Belt factory workers and the pressure of productivity.

 

Performances are in the William Inge Memorial Theatre at Murphy Hall. “SWEAT” will play at 7:30 p.m. March 22, 23, 26, 27 and 28 and at 2:30 p.m. March 24. Tickets are available for purchase at kutheatre.com/sweat, by calling 785-864-3982 or in-person at the box office in Murphy Hall from noon-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

 

“SWEAT” was based on research and dialogue that arose from Nottage embedding herself with the working class community of Reading, Pennsylvania, exploring how marginalized people build community and how they respond when that community is divided against itself. At times the text allows the characters space to cut loose and have fun before returning to serious subjects, like job security, prejudice and addiction, with globalization and neoliberalism as a backdrop.

 

The production is directed by acclaimed playwright Darren Canady, KU professor of English, who writes about the Black experience in the Midwest. His work has been produced at theatre companies across the country.

 

“’SWEAT’ is really about labor in America and how it affects the ways a community relates to its members, how a community builds its sense of joy and how the labor of that community also leads to its destruction,” Canady said. “It also asks, ‘What makes me who I am?’ and ‘How do I make a meaningful life in a society that decides my value based on my productivity?’”

 

The work confronts dehumanization as a byproduct of corporate greed and the dangers of defining a person’s value by their productivity. ‘SWEAT’ has mature language and violence depicted on stage and may not be appropriate for all audiences.

 

Canady’s recent directing and dramaturgy work have been seen at Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Helen Hocker Theatre and Theatre Lawrence. His own plays have been seen at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, American Conservatory Theater, Sound Theatre Company, Aurora Theatre, the Alliance Theatre, Horizon Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Fremont Centre Theatre, Congo Square Theatre, the BE Company, American Blues Theater, KC Rep and London’s Old Vic Theatre.

 

He is an alumnus of Carnegie Mellon University, New York University and the Juilliard School. Canady currently teaches playwriting at the KU. His participation in SWEAT is made possible in part by the LeWan Alexander Spiritship Fund.

 

The creative team is rounded out by Rana Esfandiary, assistant professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance, as scenic and costume designer; Elliot Bowman, a senior in theatre, math and linguistics from Topeka, as lighting designer; Jane Barnette, associate professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance, as dramaturg; Dan Heinz, a guest artist and freelance actor, director and fight director based in Lawrence, as fight director; and Connor L. Maloney, a junior in theatre design from Wichita, as stage manager.

 

Cast members are ShonMichael Anderson, a sophomore in theatre performance from Wichita; Katelyn Arnold, a sophomore in theatre performance from Topeka; Alex Haynes, an actor, KU lecturer, and alum; Myles Hollie, a senior in theatre performance from Richmond, Virginia; Jordan Nevels, a senior in theater performance from Overland Park; Caleb Jonathan Parish, a senior in theatre performance; Nicole Piekalkiewicz, a senior in theatre performance from Lawrence; Sergio L. Román Alicea, a Ph.D. student in theatre studies from San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Casey Schenk, a sophomore in theatre performance and math from Topeka.

 

The University Theatre and University Dance Company are production wings of the University of Kansas’ Department of Theatre & Dance, offering public productions throughout the academic year. The University Theatre and University Dance Company productions are funded in part by KU Student Senate fees, and the theatre’s season is supported by Truity Credit Union.

 

The Department of Theatre & Dance is one of three departments in the School of the Arts. As part of the KU College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, the School of the Arts offers fresh possibilities for collaboration between the arts and the humanities, sciences, social sciences, international and interdisciplinary studies. For more information on the Department of Theatre & Dance, visit theatredance.ku.edu. For the most recent updates on KU Theatre public performances, visit kutheatre.com and for KU Dance performances, dance.ku.edu.

 

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Contact: Rick Hellman, 785-864-8852, [email protected]

Humanizing the witch on stage, screen

LAWRENCE – Jane Barnette believes that witches on stage and screen should get the same respect that other minority identities do.

 

Barnette is a University of Kansas associate professor in the Department of Theatre & Dance and a practitioner of the craft herself. Barnette reminds readers of her new book that witches are people, too, citing a study showing there are as many of them in the United States as there are Unitarians.

 

The KU researcher said part of the reason she wrote “Witch Fulfillment: Adaptation Dramaturgy and Casting the Witch for Stage and Screen” (Routledge) was that “so many witches are portrayed on stage as either agents of Satan, which is derived from the long heritage of witch hunts and crusades, or they’re just completely and utterly fantasy, which is fine, as long as you also recognize in some way that there are human beings — just like you and me — who actually practice witchcraft as their religious practice.”

 

She’s not saying directors must not or should not have a green-skinned witch in “The Wizard of Oz” or “Wicked,” but that they should consider where these physiological stereotypes came from and whether and how to make them appropriate in a contemporary context.

 

This principle applies, she argues, whether one is presenting a Greek tragedy (“Medea”), Shakespeare (“Macbeth”) or a Harry Potter film.

 

“Now that we have a different understanding of minoritized subjects — and I hope we go through casting in a way that is more sensitive to race and gender and sexuality and all those other pieces of the puzzle — I’m saying we can also ask the question of how witches are represented,” Barnette said.

 

“I would suggest that somewhere on your team, whether it’s the dramaturg or one of your designers, you have someone working with you who has practiced (witchcraft) in their life — period,” Barnette said. “And that person should be in the room with you in casting.

 

“It’s the same thing they would do if you were casting a play where the playwright said ‘I don’t want all white bodies on the stage. I don’t care how you do it, but make sure that it’s not just a sea of whiteness.’ OK then, if your entire production team is white, you’re already starting in a problematic state. You should probably get some folks of color on your team. Lest you make decisions that are going to further minoritize that person, it would be wise to consult wisdom outside of your own ability.”

 

A truly sensitive director could even subtly indicate this understanding to witches in the audience by, for instance, having the “three weird sisters” of “Macbeth” arranged onstage in a ritual “calling circle,” Barnette said. She likened this to the way queer artists in generations past used coded language to signal their intentions.

 

Humanizing the figure of the witch on stage and screen is particularly timely, Barnette argues in the book, in light of the rise of Christian nationalism in American politics.

 

“When people don’t want church and state to be separate … in the past, it has not been good for witches,” she said.

 

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Don’t miss new episodes of “When Experts Attack!,”

a KU News Service podcast hosted by Kansas Public Radio.

 

https://kansaspublicradio.org/when-experts-attack

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Contact: Mike Krings, 785-864-8860, [email protected]

Study: SCOTUS created two-tier health care system with Dobbs decision
LAWRENCE — When the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion, it did so by insulating itself from considering the effect the decision would have on women and marginalized communities, according to authors of a new study.

By refusing to connect the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to the gendered impact of its decision, the authors said the decision has resulted in a two-tiered system of health care that exacerbates existing disparities.

Alesha Doan, professor of public affairs & administration and women, gender & sexuality studies, is co-author of a study that examines the Dobbs decision, published in the Journal of Women, Politics & Policy.

 

In a critical legal analysis of the Dobbs decision, the authors wrote that the court did not connect abortion with “invidiously discriminatory animus against women” by claiming the topic was not about gender, nor did preventing abortion constitute sex discrimination. That ignores previous abortion cases like Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, both of which noted clearly that gender was paramount in the issue.

 

“The majority opinion in Dobbs completely dismissed and ignored the fundamentally gendered reality of abortion,” Doan said. “There is a line in the majority opinion that says, ‘This has nothing to do with gender.’ However, if you read the briefs submitted by hundreds of experts, providers, physicians, advocates and others, it is expressly present. And it is present in decades of research that provides empirical evidence that women suffer medical, legal, economic and other dire consequences when the government criminalizes abortion.”

 

The Supreme Court’s dissenting opinion also pointed out that gender was a central component of previous rulings on the matter, in addition to amicus briefs submitted to the court, Doan said. The result in curtailing women’s rights is unique in that legal arguments are generally on the side of expanding rights, she added, but the court insulated itself from discussion of removing rights by claiming the case was not about gender.

 

The study, co-written with Lori Brown of Syracuse University and Shoshanna Ehrlich of the University of Boston, connects a critical legal analysis with an examination of how the Dobbs decision has affected practitioners and those seeking abortion care. The authors conducted interviews with 22 providers in states with both abortion restrictions and protections.

 

Providers were interviewed after the Dobbs case was argued but before the decision was announced. That uncertain period, including the leaking of the decision to the media, created a snapshot of a fraught period of time. Results showed that providers were highly concerned about how the decision would affect their ability to deliver care equitably.

 

About a year after the Dobbs decision, approximately half of the providers were interviewed again. Many worked in states where abortion was criminalized or in the process of being criminalized.

 

“If you take one thing away from this paper, it should be the compounding inequality that resulted after Dobbs,” Doan said. “Although these were issues that existed before the decision, they have dramatically increased the difficulty for society’s more vulnerable people to receive abortion care, reproductive health care, reduce the quality of care they do receive and so much more.

 

“We know that women of color and people living in poverty have poorer health outcomes, and the physicians we interviewed unanimously expressed their concern about how this disparity will only get worse,” she said.

 

Providers expanded on how the decision has reduced the quality of care they could provide. Specifically, for women who travel to abortion-protective states, they often do not have the time for follow-up visits or to spend more than the minimum time at a care facility because of child care or work responsibilities waiting at home, or they cannot afford the travel-related costs of a longer stay.

 

Further, routine OBGYN care dictates that doctors serving a pregnant woman ask questions such as how many times they have been pregnant and how many miscarriages or abortions they have had previously.

 

“Because abortion is criminalized in many states, miscarriages may be called into question, so people are less willing to disclose them to their physician if they are criminal,” Doan said. “That’s just one of many ways the quality of reproductive health care has been compromised and reduced.”

 

Providers also expressed concern about the training of future doctors and health care providers. Several noted that medical schools in their states can no longer provide training on how to manage miscarriages, a common occurrence and necessity for OBGYN practitioners, or how to perform abortions. Medically, they are the same, but because the latter is now illegal in some states, some schools are shying away from its teaching.

 

Additionally, OBGYN residents are accepting more residencies in abortion-protective states, interviewees said. And data shows that residents tend to continue their medical careers in the states in which they complete residences, Doan added.

 

As a result, some states will have fewer fully trained health care providers, not only in OBGYN, but family medicine and other areas, the interviewees said.

As the dissenting justices wrote, the Supreme Court’s majority decision and claim the Dobbs decision was not about gender shows it “knows or cares little about women’s lives or about the suffering its decision will cause,” which the authors underscore in the study.

 

“You’re getting a two-tiered system of medical training, which translates to a two-tiered system of health care delivery. This was a very significant concern voiced in the interviews, this fracturing of reproductive medical care and what it will mean for deepening the existing inequitable health outcomes for women of color and other communities living in precarity,” Doan said.

 

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Contact: Ani Kokobobo, [email protected]

An evening with Nadya Tolokonnikova
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Department of Slavic, German & Eurasian Studies is hosting Russian musician, conceptual artist, political activist and founder of Pussy Riot, Nadya Tolokonnikova, at 6 p.m. April 4.

 

Tolokonnikova will hold a public dialogue on campus with Ani Kokobobo, professor of Russian studies and chair of the Slavic, German & Eurasian studies department. The dialogue will conclude with a short audience Q&A session.

 

The dialogue will address the history of Pussy Riot, the “Punk Prayer” song that launched the group into global prominence, as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the recent death and funeral of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. These questions pave the way for a broader discussion of democracy, authoritarianism, freedom of expression, gender and the role of art as a form of protest in contemporary Russia, the U.S. and beyond.

 

This event is free but ticketed for KU faculty, staff, students and community members. Reserve tickets online for the event in Murphy Hall’s Swarthout Recital Hall. The dialogue will be simultaneously livestreamed but not recorded for subsequent viewing. Register for the livestream through Zoom.

 

Audience members have the opportunity to submit questions online in advance for the speaker, and a few will be featured at the event.

 

This event is sponsored by the Department of Slavic, German & Eurasian Studies, Max Kade Center for German-American Studies, Office of Graduate Studies, Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, International Affairs, Center for Global & International Studies, The Kress Foundation Department of Art History, Department of Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging and the U.S. Russia Foundation.

 

About the artist

Conceptual artist and activist Nadya Tolokonnikova is the creator of Pussy Riot, a global feminist protest-art movement. In 2012, Pussy Riot performed the song “Punk Prayer” in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior, opposing the reelection of Vladimir Putin to the Russian presidency. The performance and the group’s subsequent arrest and show trail brought Pussy Riot a global following.

 

Tolokonnikova was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment following the performance. While in prison, Tolokonnikova went on a hunger strike raising awareness for the inhumane prison conditions in Russia. Since her release, she has continued to engage in guerrilla performances condemning political repression in Putin’s Russia and the war in Ukraine.

 

Along with other Pussy Riot group members, Tolokonnikova co-founded Mediazona, an independent Russian news outlet. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she raised $7 million in aid for Ukraine through cryptocurrency.

 

Alongside her political activism, Tolokonnikova is also an award-winning artist. She has performed at major music festivals and events worldwide. “Punk Prayer” was named by The Guardian among the best art pieces of the 21st century, and she’s released music with the likes of Big Freedia, Tom Morello, MARINA, Boys Noize and Tove Lo.

 

Tolokonnikova curated an immersive experience at Saatchi and an auction at Sotheby’s. She put on an installation, “Putin’s Ashes,” at the Deitch Gallery in January 2023. She has also published two books: “How to Start a Revolution” (Penguin, 2016) and “Read & Riot: A Pussy Riot Guide to Activism” (Harper Collins, 2018).

 

In March 2023 the Russian government put Tolokonnikova on their wanted list.

 

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KU News Service

1450 Jayhawk Blvd.

Lawrence KS 66045

Phone: 785-864-3256

Fax: 785-864-3339

[email protected]

http://www.news.ku.edu

 

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

 

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

 

KU News: Upcoming speakers on topics of race and sports, innovation

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From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

Headlines

ESPN commentator, professor Kevin Blackistone speaking at KU’s ‘Race and Sports’ symposium

The Langston Hughes Center, Kansas Athletics and the Department of African and African-American Studies at the University of Kansas will present “Race and Sports in American Culture: A KU Symposium” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, in the Jayhawk Welcome Center. The seventh annual event will feature a keynote address from Kevin Blackistone, an award-winning sportswriter, author, ESPN commentator and University of Maryland professor, as well as a panel discussion with former KU student-athletes Derek Fine (football) and Austin Richardson (women’s basketball).

 

Second annual KU School of Business entrepreneurship celebration to feature leader in innovation

Bestselling author and leader in innovation Steven Johnson will be the keynote speaker of the second annual Startup Jayhawk, a University of Kansas School of Business multiday event celebrating entrepreneurship. Johnson’s talk, set for 6:30 p.m. March 26, will take place in the Dicus Family Auditorium, 1111 Capitol Federal Hall. It is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

Full stories below.

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Contact: Shawn Alexander, 785-864-5044, [email protected]

ESPN commentator, professor Kevin Blackistone speaking at KU’s ‘Race and Sports’ symposium

LAWRENCE — The Langston Hughes Center, Kansas Athletics and the Department of African and African-American Studies at the University of Kansas will present “Race and Sports in American Culture: A KU Symposium” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, in the Jayhawk Welcome Center.

 

The seventh annual event will feature a keynote address from Kevin Blackistone, an award-winning sportswriter, author, ESPN commentator and University of Maryland professor, as well as a panel discussion with former KU student-athletes Derek Fine (football) and Austin Richardson (women’s basketball).

 

The event is free and open to the public. Donations benefiting the Langston Hughes Center will be accepted.

 

Shawn Leigh Alexander, professor and current chair of African & African-American Studies and director of the Langston Hughes Center, said the world of sport allows for a multi-level discussion about many issues, including corporate power, race, gender, homophobia, urban planning, health and labor.

 

“Sport, while occupying a central place in American culture and society, also has served as symbolic sites of protest, power, inclusion and discrimination for America’s racial minorities,” Alexander said. “For the past seven years, KU has been at the forefront of this discussion with its annual symposium, and we look forward to continuing our demonstrating leadership in this field and conversation with this year’s spectacular event.”

 

Blackistone has been an influential voice among African-American writers and editors throughout his journalism and academic career. He has been a longtime columnist at the Boston Globe, Chicago Reporter, Dallas Morning New and the Washington Post, among other positions. Blackistone is a panelist on ESPN’s “Around the Horn,” a contributor to NPR, the co-author of “A Gift for Ron: Friendship and Sacrifice On and Off the Gridiron,” with Everson Walls.

 

He is also the co-producer and co-writer of the award-winning documentary “Imagining the Indian: The Fight Against Native American Mascoting.” Blackistone has received numerous honors and awards for sports column writing and other scholarly works.

 

Past events featured keynote addresses from sports sociologist Harry Edwards, The Nation’s sports editor and author Dave Zirin, author and former New York Times sports columnist William Rhoden, sportswriter Kavitha Davidson, sports historian Lou Moore and award-winning sports columnist and ESPN contributor Claire Smith.

 

This year’s co-sponsors include the School of Journalism & Mass Communications, the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging, KU Native American Initiatives and the KU departments of Health, Sport & Exercise Sciences, History and Political Science.

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The official university Twitter account has changed to @UnivOfKansas.

Refollow @KUnews for KU News Service stories, discoveries and experts.

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Contact: Lauren Cunningham, 785-864-9540, [email protected]

Second annual KU School of Business entrepreneurship celebration to feature leader in innovation

LAWRENCE — Bestselling author and leader in innovation Steven Johnson will be the keynote speaker of the second annual Startup Jayhawk, a University of Kansas School of Business multiday event celebrating entrepreneurship.

 

Johnson’s talk, set for 6:30 p.m. March 26, will take place in the Dicus Family Auditorium, 1111 Capitol Federal Hall. It is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

 

Johnson will present “Where Good Ideas Come From: Patterns of Innovation and How We Got to Now,” examining the cultural, environmental, biological and historical factors that fuel major developments. He is the editorial director at Google Labs, a cornerstone of Google’s artificial intelligence division. He also is one of the creators of NotebookLM, Google’s experimental AI-powered research tool designed to generate insights and information based on a user’s notes or other selected sources.

 

Johnson has written more than a dozen books centered on how innovations drive societal change. His next book, titled “The Infernal Machine,” will be released in May and explores anarchism, the rise of the “modern detective” and the emerging surveillance state. Johnson also regularly contributes to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Wired magazine and other publications. He hosts the TED Interview podcast and has delivered several TED Talks.

 

The KU School of Business’ Startup Jayhawk celebrates the KU student entrepreneurial ecosystem and the communities the university serves. KU students are invited to participate in additional Startup Jayhawk events, which include a Kansas City startup tour March 22 and a 60-minute challenge leveraging AI tools March 25. More information about the events, including registration links, can be found at the Startup Jayhawk website.

 

The inaugural Startup Jayhawk took place in April 2023 and featured keynote speaker Jeni Britton, founder and chief creative officer of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, among a lineup of other activities.

 

More information about KU School of Business entrepreneurship curricular and co-curricular programming and events, which are open to all KU students, can be found on the School of Business website.

 

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KU News Service

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Phone: 785-864-3256

Fax: 785-864-3339

[email protected]

http://www.news.ku.edu

 

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

 

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

Seeds Versus Transplants

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If you follow the garden calendar in the newsletter you’ve noticed you’re instructed to plant some vegetables by seed and others by transplant. New gardeners may be wondering why this matters.

Starting plants from seed can initially be less expensive. Seed packets can be purchased from most home improvement and even grocery stores for $2-4 each. There’s also the cost of the seed-starting mix, containers and labels, but you can grow a lot of plants with minimal cost.

Transplants are often sold as four to six young plants in a pack. A pack of four may cost $3 – $4 depending on plant variety, but they already have established roots. This gives the gardener a jumpstart on the growing season without having to nurture tender seedlings.

It is important to note the proper timing for starting seeds or transplanting into the garden because of the impact of temperature. When the garden calendar says you can “direct sow” at a certain date, this means it is generally safe to start seeds for that vegetable variety in the garden soil. If the garden calendar states you can transplant at a certain date, that means it is time to move transplants that were started indoors or purchased at a garden center into the garden beds. This time of year, the garden calendar often states you can “start seeds indoors”. This is for gardeners who wish to grow their own transplants to later be moved into the garden when the weather warms.

Some plants are recommended to start from seed while others are recommended as transplants. Root vegetables, such as carrots, turnips and beets tend to not transplant well. In these cases, direct-seeding into the garden is safest.

Cole crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts can successfully be transplanted into the garden. In fact, transplanting is preferred so the plants will mature before the heat arrives and slows down production.

Peppers and tomatoes are two examples where transplanting is a better option. If we waited to start these plants from seed in the garden when the weather is warm enough to safely grow, our harvest would be significantly delayed. By transplanting, the plants can reach maturity sooner which means the harvest comes earlier.

Planting Fruit Trees

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It’s time for establishing new fruit trees in Kansas. Here are a few tips to get started.

  • Whether bare root or potted trees, store them in a shady location and keep watered until planting. Bare root trees may be potted temporarily to prevent against drying out if they won’t be planted right away. Do not store bare root trees in water.
  • Remove wires, labels and anything else attached to the tree to prevent damage to the trunk and branches.
  • Roots may require pruning prior to planting to avoid girdling which can result in nutrient deficiencies and poor growth.
  • Dig a hole approximately three times the width of the root ball.
  • Backfill the soil to completely cover the root ball, but avoid covering the graft.

​You can access our complete publication for planning your fruit garden through the KSRE bookstore: Planning your Fruit Garden.

As storm season arrives, make sure you are not underinsured

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As Severe Weather Preparedness Week draws to a close, many across Kansas have made
plans for the arrival of storm season. But while you should certainly prepare your home and family for the risk of severe weather, do not overlook your insurance policies in your preparation. If you have not checked in with you agent or reviewed your policies recently, you could be underinsured and not know it.

“If you are underinsured and a storm causes major damage to your property, you could have a nasty surprise when you are stuck paying thousands of dollars out-of-pocket,” said Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt. “Take the time now to check with your agent to understand and address any coverage gaps you may have before storm season arrives.”

Underinsurance refers to when you have an insurance policy that does not provide enough coverage to pay for the full cost of a claim. Often homeowners can become underinsured if they have made changes to their property like renovations or additions, or they have not updated their coverage to keep up with construction costs.

Here are a few tips to make sure that your policies are up to date before severe weather season:
Check with your agent or insurance company. First and foremost, review your current coverages with your agent or insurer right away. It is always a good idea to do a yearly insurance review, but even more so if you have made major changes to your property.

Consider your auto coverage as well. Hail and wind can take their toll on your vehicle just as much as your home. If you have liability coverage only, you may want to weigh the benefits of getting comprehensive coverage. Liability alone won’t cover hail damage or if a tree branch falls on your car. Just like your home coverage, review and understand what your policy does and does not cover when it comes to your vehicle.

Shop around for better coverages and premiums. With inflation and rising costs, it can feel like you are spending more than you should for coverage. But there are options, and shopping around for coverage that better fits your needs can lead to savings that help offset rising premiums. Additionally, be sure to check ifnthere are discounts you may qualify for.

The Kansas Department of Insurance has several insurance shopping guides that you can find online at insurance.ks.gov/department/publications.php. This storm season, if you are If you or someone you know is having trouble with an insurance claim, please contact the Department’s Consumer Assistance Division toll-free at 1-800-432-2484, by email at [email protected] or online at insurance.kansas.gov for any claims-
related questions or concerns.