New Kansas License Plate Design Winner Announced
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – Governor Laura Kelly on Monday announced the new Kansas standard license plate design. After a week-long voting process, Kansans chose a design featuring the Kansas Statehouse dome within a cutout of the state and a yellow, white, and blue gradient background. It received over 140,000, or 53%, of the total votes out of the nearly 270,000 votes received from Kansans in all 105 counties.
(–Additional reporting–)
Kansans Choose New License Plate Design
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas residents have settled on a new license plate design after Governor Laura Kelly put the options up for a vote. The Kansas News Service reports that the new license plate’s background is a gradient of blue, white and yellow. It’s designed to resemble the shape of the state and features the Kansas Statehouse dome in the bottom left. After a design released in November faced backlash from the public, Kelly unveiled five license plate designs for Kansans to vote on. The winning design received 53% of the vote, while the initial failed design received only 5%. A release from the Governor’s office says this is the first time the state allowed public input on the standard tag.
In a Landslide, Kansas Picks a New License Plate. It Recalls Sunsets and Features the Capitol Dome
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The next standard Kansas license plate will have bands of light gold and blue that recall a prairie sunset and an image of the Statehouse dome following an online vote, Governor Laura Kelly’s office announced Monday.
It was the landslide favorite among five possible choices made public by the state last week, according to Kelly’s office. But the voting did not completely quiet the hubbub because some lawmakers and social media users didn’t like any of the five.
The Democratic governor halted work on an earlier design that had been criticized as ugly, uninspired, too closely resembling a New York plate and reminding people of the University of Missouri's black and gold colors.
Kansas residents cast about 270,000 votes online over five days last week, the governor's office said. The winning design received about 140,000 votes, or 53% of the total. The other four split the rest, with the runner up receiving only 19%. Only votes from people listing Kansas ZIP codes were accepted.
The state's current plate is light blue and features part of the state seal. The new design also has “to the stars” in blue script at the bottom, a reference to the state's motto, “Ad astra per aspera,” or, “To the stars through difficulties.”
"It’s great to see Kansans’ passion for representing our great state,” Kelly said in a statement. “Now, we can move forward on a design that received majority support and get clearer, safer license plates on the streets as soon as possible.”
The previous, much-maligned design released by the state Department of Revenue was mostly gold with numbers and letters in dark blue. The winning design will have its numbers and letters in black to make it easier for law enforcement to read.
Kansas residents will receive the new plates when they go to renew their annual vehicle registrations and will pay 50 cents for the single required plate that goes on the back of a vehicle. They can also buy one of dozens of specialty plates for an extra $45. The state budget sets aside up to $9.8 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to pay for producing the plates.
The Department of Revenue, which licenses drivers, has said the current plates have deteriorated over their 16 years of use, making them harder to read. But with the first design, the governor immediately faced the prospects that an upset, Republican-controlled Legislature would overturn her decision.
Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, told reporters that the new design, depicting the Statehouse dome, was his favorite of the five.
Others, including Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican, touted designs that weren't eligible, including one with wheat fields and sunflowers.
"The new proposed license plates are an improvement," Kobach wrote. “But what about something like this?”
Last week, some social media users said that they didn’t like any of the designs — and some tweeted alternative options.
Kelly said designs circulating on social media and sent to her office are “beautiful works of art” but don't follow guidelines meant to make plates easier to produce and national standards meant to promote readability.
“Kansans will notice that license plates across the country are moving to simpler designs," Kelly said in her statement. "Our number one priority with these license plates is safety.”
State Rep. Nick Hoheisel identified the eventual winner as his favorite of the five, but he made it clear by words and emojis in a tweet that he was not enthusiastic about the options.
"Can we at least replace ‘to the stars’ with the Latin version?" he said.
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Homelessness Surges in US; Homeless Rate in Lawrence Increases at Quadruple National Average
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has just released its 2023 Homeless Assessment report, which provides a snapshot of the total number of people in the country currently experiencing homelessness. The new report shows that homelessness in the U.S. hit a new record. There were more than 653,000 homeless people counted during the annual January "Point-in-Time" census. That is the highest number since HUD started the annual headcount in 2007. The Lawrence Journal World reports that the homeless population in Lawrence this year increased more than four times faster than the national rate. Lawrence and Douglas County’s homeless population grew 51% from a year ago, making it the fastest-growing location in Kansas. Nationwide, the rate of people experiencing homelessness grew by about 12% in the last year. The USDA report indicates that Lawrence is likely in the top 10% of fastest-growing homeless populations in the country. The HUD report also reveals other noteworthy statistics:
• Black individuals continue to experience homelessness at rates far greater than average. Black individuals made up 37% of all people experiencing homelessness, even though the Black population is just 13% of the total U.S. population.
• The Asian population had the fastest growth rate of homelessness of any racial or ethnic group in the country. There was a 40% increase in the number of Asian or Asian Americans who were homeless in the last year.
• In terms of total numbers, Hispanics had the largest increase in homelessness during the last year. The number of Hispanics counted in the 2023 survey was about 39,000 higher than what was counted in the 2022 survey. That was a 28% growth rate.
• 72% of people experiencing homelessness lived in households that did not have children present.
Elsewhere in Kansas, Topeka and Shawnee County saw an increase of 11.5%. Johnson County's homeless poulation grew by up 10.8% and the Kansas City, Missouri / Kansas City, Kansas Metro area had a homeless population increase of up 11.3%.
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Kansas School District Changes Dress Code Policy After Complaints over Forced Haircuts for Native Boys
GIRARD, Kan. (KNS) — A Southeast Kansas school district has changed its dress code policy after facing backlash for allegedly forcing a Native American student to cut his hair. Members of the Girard School District voted unanimously to remove a dress code policy that stipulates boys’ hair cannot “touch the collar of a crew neck t-shirt … or extend below the earlobes.” Female students were not subjected to the same mandate. The change comes after national attention to the story and legal warnings from the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas. In November, the ACLU sent the school district a letter notifying board officials that the policy violated religious freedom for the 8-year-old Native American boy, a member of the Wyandotte Nation and a student at R.V. Haderlein Elementary. The ACLU said the district’s rule raised first amendment and civil rights concerns. KCUR reports that many men in the Wyandotte Nation follow a spiritual and religious practice of growing their hair, only cutting it when in mourning. The student began growing his hair out after he attended the Wyandotte Nation’s annual gathering and saw this cultural tradition in practice. For the child’s safety, the family has chosen not to be identified publicly. After asking for a religious exemption to the policy and attempting to contact the district supervisor, the mother cut the boy’s hair. She told the ACLU that she was afraid that her child would be suspended from school. After the meeting, the ACLU said the board had responded appropriately by changing the policy.
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Emergency Room Visits for Respiratory Illnesses Rising in Kansas
UNDATED (KNS) – State of Kansas health data shows emergency room visits for respiratory illnesses are rising in Kansas as vaccination rates remain low. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory to health care providers across the nation alerting them to low vaccination rates for Influenza, RSV and COVID-19.
“There are the viruses circulating in the community at a pretty high extent and so it is vitally important – you still have time to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Dana Hawkinson, who is the medical director of infection and prevention at the University of Kansas Health System.
State and federal reports show only about 16% percent of Kansans have updated COVID booster shots and 22% have current flu vaccines.
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COVID Spike Could Lead to Return of Masking Requirements at Some Hospitals
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KNS) — A rise in serious COVID-19 cases at the University of Kansas Health System could lead hospital officials to consider new masking requirements. The hospital is reporting an increase from 19 active COVID-19 cases in the week ending December 8th to 33 last week. Seven of those cases were in the ICU. KU Health’s Chief medical officer Steven Stites says that some hospital departments are choosing to return to mask wearing. "Our rehab units have gone back to masking and our transplant unit never really left masking,” Stites said. “We just have to pay attention to what our in-hospital numbers are." Stites says there has also been a slight increase in masking among patients and within the community.
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Douglas County Planning Commission to Consider Plans for Large Solar Facility North of Lawrence
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission will consider a major step toward the development of a large-scale solar energy facility in the county Monday evening. The Lawrence Journal World reports that the Planning Commission will accept an application for a conditional use permit for the Kansas Sky Energy Center. The region's major power supplier, Evergy, is proposing to build the facility on 1,105 acres just north of Lawrence and west of Lawrence Regional Airport. It would operate more than 237,000 solar panels to generate 159 MW of electricity. Evergy officials say that's enough energy to power several thousand homes. The project is a collaboration between Evergy, which would ultimately build, own and operate the facility, and Kansas City-based energy firm Savion, which is handling preliminary development for the project. Some neighbors of the proposed facility say they are opposed to the development and they are expected to address the commission about their concerns. The application to the commission says the facility would use tracking systems to move the solar panels on an axis to follow the sun throughout the day. The electricity produced at the facility would not be stored in batteries but instead would be collected at an on-site substation, then transmitted to the Midland substation, located near the proposed facility. If the Planning Commission approves the permit, the Douglas County Commission would make the final decision on approving the project. The Planning Commission will meet at 6:30 Monday evening at Lawrence City Hall.
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Kansas Researchers Working to Make Controlled Burns Safer
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) — Researchers at Kansas State University and the University of Kansas are cooperating on a new project to make controlled burns of prairie and woodlands safer. They are building an online tool that shows landowners how fires are likely to behave by considering the property’s vegetation, the day’s weather conditions and other factors. Audrey Joslin, geography professor at Kansas State, says the scientists will also be looking for ways to mitigate the impact of smoke from the fires. “Wind conditions change day to day and make a huge difference in how fast fire spreads and where it spreads,” Joslin said. The overall goal is safer controlled burns that also pump less smoke into the air. Landowners in the Gypsum Hills region of in Clark, Comanche and Barber counties in south central Kansas and in Paola in Miami County are collaborating on the project. Controlled fire can help native plants and animals. And prevent dangerous wildfires. It can also help ranchers by keeping grasslands healthy.
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Texas Cattle Company Charged with Operating Ponzi Scheme
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - A cattle company based in Texas has been accused of using $191 million in investor funds in a Ponzi scheme. WIBW reports that the scheme also allegedly paid an undisclosed amount in sales commissions to the company owners and others. The company has a location in Herington, Kansas.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced on December 14 that a temporary restraining order, asset freeze, and appointment of a receiver have been ordered for Agridime LLC. The company is based out of Fort Worth, Texas. The restraining order also includes a temporary freeze on emergency relief.
The order was issued in response to an alleged $191 million cattle Ponzi scheme perpetrated by the company's owners, Josh Link of Gilbert, Arizona, and Jed Wood of Fort Worth, and various company managers.
The SEC has alleged that the defendants took millions in investor funds to make Ponzi payments and pay undisclosed sales commissions to themselves and others.
The SEC’s complaint was filed on December 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, and was unsealed on Wednesday. It alleged that Agridime raised at least $191 million from more than 2,100 investors in at least 15 states. The company offered and sold investments related to the supposed purchase of cattle.
Court records indicated that Agridime told investors it would use funds to acquire, feed and raise cattle on a network of ranches. The complaint alleged the defendants did not purchase enough cattle or generate sufficient revenues from operations to deliver the promised results. Since around December 2022, the defendants used at least $58 million to make payments to previous investors and more than $11 million to pay undisclosed sales commissions to Wood, Link, Link’s wife and other sales representatives.
The SEC's complaint charged the defendants with antifraud and registration violations of federal securities laws. The SEC has also requested permanent injunctions and civil penalties.
The court is set to hear a motions trial on December 20 for the preliminary injunction.
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Kansas Governor Offers Revenue-Neutral Plan for Medicaid Expansion
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly announced legislation Thursday that is aimed at expanding Medicaid at no additional cost to taxpayers. The Kansas News Service reports that after Kelly’s push for Medicaid expansion failed in the past, she is now taking a different approach with a plan she hopes Republicans would accept. A release from the Governor’s office says the legislation would be revenue-neutral, providing Medicaid health care coverage to 150,000 Kansans. The release says the federal government pays 90% of expenses to expand Medicaid while states pay 10%. The state’s portion would be paid by drug rebates, a hospital fee and other federal funding.
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Kansas Supreme Court Sends Voting Law Challenge Back to Kansas Court of Appeals
UNDATED (KNS) – The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday revived a legal challenge to a state law that caused some voter advocacy groups to stop holding registration drives. It’s a challenge brought by voting groups against a law that makes it a felony to impersonate an election official. The Court of Appeals previously knocked down the lawsuit saying the groups did not have standing. The Kansas News Service reports that the state Supreme Court has now reversed that and the legal challenge will proceed. Voting groups say the law is vaguely written and could result in felony charges for actions that help voters register.
“You're discouraging participation in our democracy, and so that's why it’s so important, because these kinds of statutes that make it more difficult to participate in our political process and in our democracy, are anti democratic,” said Teresa Woody, litigation director at the advocacy group Kansas Appleseed.
The Supreme Court ruling Friday sends the lawsuit back to the Kansas Court of Appeals for more consideration.
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KU Professor Argues for A.I. “Bill of Rights” in Education
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — Should students be using ChatGPT and other forms of Artificial Intelligence in the classroom? Is this technology helpful, or just a new way to cheat? Given that ChatGPT and other forms of A.I. can churn out passable essays on, say, “Romeo and Juliet,” those who work in higher education are on the front lines of the changes posed by emerging technology. For the past year, University of Kansas English Professor Kathryn Conrad has been thinking deeply about this issue and discussing the implications of AI with her peers. This led her to compose a "Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights in Education,” published online this fall in the new journal, Critical AI. In the latest KU podcast "When Experts Attack!," professor Conrad discusses the subject with Rick Hellman of the KU News Service.
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Cattle Rounded Up After Escaping from Overturned Semi in Western Kansas
BREWSTER, Kan. (KSNW) — Cattle have been rounded up in western Kansas after escaping from an overturned semi-truck and trailer. The Thomas County Sheriff's Office says the semi veered off of I-70 near Brewster Thursday morning and ended up on its side. Cattle in the trailer escaped. KSNW TV reports that several local ranchers, along with members of the Colby Community College rodeo team, helped wrangle the loose cattle. The driver of the semi was not seriously hurt.
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Canadian Company Announces Major Sustainable Aviation Fuel Refinery Plant in Southeast Kansas
INDEPENDENCE, Kan. (Montgomery County Chronicle) — A Canadian company has confirmed that it will invest millions in southeastern Kansas. The Montgomery County Chronicle reports that Azure Sustainable Fuels, based in Calgary, Alberta, will spend $900 million to build a refinery and provide clean-burning fuel for the aviation industry. The plant will be built south of Cherryvale in Montgomery County.
The Azure refinery will use soybean oil, processed from a neighboring soybean processing plant, as a primary feed stock in the production of sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF. The global aviation industry has set a target date of 2030 to decarbonize its fuel emissions — shifting from traditional, crude oil-based fuel to sustainable aviation fuel.
Once completed, the plant is expected to have more than 150 employees. Construction is slated to begin in early 2025. The facility is currently expected to begin fuel production in 2027.
(–Earlier reporting–)
Public Hearing Monday on $900 Million Industrial Project in Southeast Kansas
INDEPENDENCE, Kan. (Montgomery County Chronicle) — A public hearing is scheduled for Monday about a mammoth industrial prospect for Montgomery County, in southeast Kansas. The Montgomery County Chronicle reports that the item remains on the docket for the next meeting of the Montgomery County Commission. Commissioners will hold a public hearing Monday morning about the Azure 2023 Project. That's the name given to a $900 million industrial project to be built near the Bartlett Grain soybean processing plant. The Bartlett plant remains under construction east of the U.S. 160-169 highway junction, south of Cherryvale. The plant is expected to open in 2024.
Details about the Azure 2023 Project have been under wraps because of confidentiality agreements, but those restrictions will be lifted Monday. The Chronicle has learned of a partnership between a Canadian-based company known as Azure Sustainable Fuels, and Savage, the parent company of Bartlett Grain.
In the past two years, Azure has taken increased interest in the production of sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, for jet airplanes. In October, Azure Sustainable Fuels signed a strategic partnership” agreement with Savage to create a SAF production program utilizing Savage’s transportation and shipping networks and Bartlett Grain’s connection to the soybean industry.
Bartlett Grain’s new soybean processing plant in Montgomery County will be the largest of its kind in the Midwest, where it will process soy products. The Bartlett project itself represents a $450 million investment.
Monday's public hearing will be held to discuss the issuance of $900 million in industrial revenue bonds for the Azure 2023 Project. If county commissioners approve the issuance of those bonds, which is anticipated, it will represent the single-largest investment of private money into a local industrial project in the history of Montgomery County and will be among the top five largest industrial projects in Kansas.
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KU Football Considering Temporary Move to Arrowhead Stadium
LAWRENCE, Kan. (WDAF) — The University of Kansas Jayhawks football program is considering a temporary move while demolition and construction work continues at KU’s David Booth Memorial Stadium in Lawrence. But where will the KU football team will play in the 2024 season? WDAF TV reports that KU is considering several options, including a possible move to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri for the season. University leadership is in discussions with the Kansas City Chiefs about moving KU games to Arrowhead while the nearly $450 million renovation continues at Memorial Stadium. The discussions are causing concern for restaurants in downtown Lawrence. Some report that their business often doubles during KU games. KU officials say several other venues in the region are under consideration, but there are no firm commitments yet for where the team might play in the fall.
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Chiefs Beat New England Patriots Sunday in Massachusetts
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (KNS) — After back-to-back losses, the Kansas City Chiefs found the win column once again with a 27-17 victory at New England. The Chiefs had a 14-10 lead at halftime. Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay set up the Chiefs final touchdown with an interception in the third quarter. He says the team was intent on reversing its direction. “We knew we had to get back on track man,” Gay said. “Two losses in a row, we aren’t used to that. But it’s part of the game, we live and we learn from it.” Gay now has four career interceptions, but his pick on Sunday was his first of the year. The Chiefs, are now 9-and-5, have a Christmas Day game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
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Chiefs Put Struggling Wide Receiver Skyy Moore on Injured Reserve with Knee Problem
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs placed wide receiver Skyy Moore on injured reserve Monday, ending what had been a disappointing second season for the 2022 second-round draft pick.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said earlier in the day that Moore had some swelling in his knee, which caused him to play limited snaps during Sunday's 27-17 win in New England. But in the time that he was on the field, Moore once again fumbled the ball away after a catch, only to be bailed out by a defensive holding penalty that gave Kansas City the ball back.
The Chiefs, who improved to 9-5 with the win over the Patriots, were hopeful that Moore could improve upon a rookie season in which he caught 22 passes for 250 yards but began to show promise late in the season and into the playoffs.
Instead, Moore caught just 21 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown while ceding playing time to other wide receivers.
The Chiefs have struggled to get consistent production from their pass-catchers all season, although rookie Rashee Rice has emerged as a potential star. Marquez Valdes-Scantling has had crucial dropped passes and has failed to produce a return on the $11 million he is making this season, while Kadarius Toney continues to make costly mental mistakes in games.
The latest involving Toney, whose offside penalty cost the Chiefs a go-ahead TD the prior week against Buffalo, came when his dropped pass was intercepted by the Patriots on Sunday. The same thing happened to him in Week 1 against Detroit.
Reid said that Richie James, who has been excellent as a punt returner, could see more playing time at wide receiver after playing just a couple of snaps in New England. The Chiefs also get Justyn Ross off the exempt list this week; he had been there after a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal-conduct policy, and he could take Moore's place on the 53-man roster.
“We’ll have to see on Ross just to where that goes,” Reid said. "I’ll get with (General Manager Brett) Veach today, and we’ll go through all of that. Richie, though, has got to play more than two snaps, so that’s my responsibility on that. I didn’t have him in on enough stuff. He’s a good football player, though.”
The Chiefs play the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday. They are two games back of Baltimore for the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
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Michael Wacha and Kansas City Royals Finalize $32 Million, 2-Year Contract
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals made official their deal with starting pitcher Michael Wacha on Monday, a $32 million, two-year pact that includes a player option for 2025 and incentives based on the number of innings he pitches.
The Royals have been among the busiest teams in the majors this offseason, bolstering their rotation in free agency by signing Wacha and Seth Lugo along with their bullpen by signing Chris Stratton and Will Smith. They also have landed power-hitting outfielder Hunter Renfroe to give their lineup a veteran presence along with some additional pop.
The deal for Wacha includes a $16 million salary next year, a $16 million option and $50,000 bonuses for pitching 105, 110, 115 and 120 innings each season. When it is combined with the other contracts given out, the Royals have committed well over $100 million in free agency to improve the club.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Royals traded right-hander Jonathan Heasley to the Baltimore Orioles for right-hander Cesar Espinal. Heasley had a 7.20 ERA over 12 relief appearances for Kansas City last season, while the 18-year-old Espinal was 2-1 with a 3.18 ERA for the Orioles' club in the Dominican Summer League.
The Royals are coming off a 106-loss season in manager Matt Quatraro's first season, and the first full season in which J.J. Picollo has been general manager. But in a division without a clear-cut favorite, and with promising young talents such as Bobby Witt Jr. and Vinnie Pasquantino already on the roster, the Royals saw an opportunity to go from worst to first in the AL Central.
“We feel like it's time for us to make a significant move,” Picollo acknowledged last week.
The Royals also are trying to rally public support for a new downtown ballpark to replace aging Kauffman Stadium, and putting a winning team on the field would help. They hoped to announce a location for the new stadium by the end of September, but their ongoing discussions with political leaders in multiple locations have slowed the progress on their plans.
The 32-year-old Wacha, a former first-round pick of the Cardinals, spent last season with Lugo in San Diego. He went 14-4 with a 3.22 ERA in 24 starts for the Padres, the third time he has had at least 10 wins and a 3.40-or-better ERA in his career.
Wacha has pitched in parts of 11 seasons for the Cardinals (2013-19), Mets (2020), Rays (2021), Red Sox (2022) and Padres (2023), going a combined 88-54 with a 3.96 ERA. Along the way, Wacha has been the NLCS MVP as a rookie with St. Louis in 2013, when he threw 13 2/3 scoreless innings over the course of two games with the Dodgers.
He has made eight postseason appearances in all, most recently with Tampa Bay during the 2021 Division Series.
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