ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pope-francis">Pope Francis</a>&nbsp;on Friday slammed both U.S. presidential candidates for what he called anti-life policies on abortion and migration, and he advised American Catholics to choose who they think is the “lesser evil” in the upcoming U.S. elections.

“Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies,″ Francis said.

The Argentine Jesuit was asked to provide counsel to American Catholic voters during an airborne news conference&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/pope-francis-singapore-asia-ac352a55c0bf4785b8a93a15fb74dbf1">while he flew back to Rome from his four-nation tour through Asia</a>. Francis stressed that he is not an American and would not be voting.

Neither Republican candidate Donald Trump nor the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, was mentioned by name.

But Francis nevertheless expressed himself in stark terms when asked to weigh in on their positions on two hot-button issues in the U.S. election — abortion and migration — that are also of major concern to the Catholic Church.

Francis has made the plight of migrants a priority of his pontificate and speaks out emphatically and frequently about it. While strongly upholding church teaching forbidding abortion, Francis has not emphasized church doctrine as much as his predecessors.

Francis said migration is a right described in Scripture and that anyone who does not follow the Biblical call to welcome the stranger is committing a “grave sin.”

He was also blunt in speaking about abortion. “To have an abortion is to kill a human being. You may like the word or not, but it’s killing,” he said. “We have to see this clearly.”

Asked what voters should do at the polls, Francis recalled the civic duty to vote.

“One should vote, and choose the lesser evil,” he said. “Who is the lesser evil, the woman or man? I don’t know.

“Everyone in their conscience should think and do it,” he said.

The Harris and Trump campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.

U.S. President Joe Biden, an observant Catholic, shares Harris’ strong support for abortion rights, a stance that prompted some Catholic bishops and other conservatives to call for him to be denied access to Communion.

After meeting Francis in person at the Vatican in October 2021, Biden came away saying the pope told him he was a “good Catholic” and should continue receiving Communion.

Francis, asked on previous occasions about some U.S. bishops who want to deny Communion to Biden over his support for abortion rights, has said bishops should be pastors, not politicians.

Friday's news conference was not the first time Francis has weighed in on a U.S. election. In the run-up to the 2016 election, Francis was asked about Trump’s plan to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. Francis declared then that anyone who builds a wall to keep out migrants “is not Christian.”

In responding Friday, Francis recalled that he celebrated Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border and “there were so many shoes of the migrants who ended up badly there.”

Trump pledges&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-north-carolina-arizona-election-34bca16175c387a076131ad69bc18d47">massive deportations, just as he did in his first White House</a>&nbsp;bid, when there was a vast gulf between his ambitions and the legal, financial and political realities of such an undertaking.

The U.S. bishops conference, for its part, has called abortion the “preeminent priority” for American Catholics in its published voter advice. Harris has strongly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-debate-kamala-harris-donald-trump-35078cdb5bb939eec323c7aa56434cad">defended abortion rights and has emphasized support</a>&nbsp;for reinstating a federal right to abortion.

In his comments, the pope added: “On abortion, science says that a month from conception, all the organs of a human being are already there, all of them. Performing an abortion is killing a human being. Whether you like the word or not, this is killing. You can’t say the church is closed because it does not allow abortion. The church does not allow abortion because it’s killing. It is murder.”

However, cells are only beginning the process of developing organs in the earliest weeks of pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that by 13 weeks, all major organs have formed. For example, cardiac tissue starts to form in the first two months — initially a tube that only later evolves into the four chambers that define a heart.

— denied a French media report that he would travel to Paris for the December inauguration of the restored Notre Dame Cathedral, saying flat-out he would not be there. But he confirmed he would like to go to the Canary Islands to highlight the plight of migrants.

— tamped down renewed speculation that he might finally return to Argentina later this year, saying he wants to go but that nothing had been decided. He added: “There are various things to resolve first.” Francis has not been home since before the 2013 conclave that elected him pope.

— declared that China was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-china-pope-52387161cdb423f0e45dddbb80726ac5">“a promise and a hope”</a>&nbsp;for the Catholic Church and hoped to one day visit.

— called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-abuse-abbe-pierre-vatican-6747a704ff8820bc49828c64fe71e927">sexual abuse “demonic”</a>&nbsp;and weighed on the latest revelations of assault against a legendary French priest, Abbe Pierre.

AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard in Washington contributed to this report.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/ap-twir">collaboration</a>&nbsp;with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718390145622.png" alt="File photo Pope Francis courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File photo Pope Francis courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/pope-francis">Pope Francis</a>&nbsp;on Friday slammed both U.S. presidential candidates for what he called anti-life policies on abortion and migration, and he advised American Catholics to choose who they think is the “lesser evil” in the upcoming U.S. elections.“Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies,″ Francis said.The Argentine Jesuit was asked to provide counsel to American Catholic voters during an airborne news conference&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/video/pope-francis-singapore-asia-ac352a55c0bf4785b8a93a15fb74dbf1">while he flew back to Rome from his four-nation tour through Asia</a>. Francis stressed that he is not an American and would not be voting.Neither Republican candidate Donald Trump nor the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, was mentioned by name.But Francis nevertheless expressed himself in stark terms when asked to weigh in on their positions on two hot-button issues in the U.S. election — abortion and migration — that are also of major concern to the Catholic Church.Francis has made the plight of migrants a priority of his pontificate and speaks out emphatically and frequently about it. While strongly upholding church teaching forbidding abortion, Francis has not emphasized church doctrine as much as his predecessors.Francis said migration is a right described in Scripture and that anyone who does not follow the Biblical call to welcome the stranger is committing a “grave sin.”He was also blunt in speaking about abortion. “To have an abortion is to kill a human being. You may like the word or not, but it’s killing,” he said. “We have to see this clearly.”Asked what voters should do at the polls, Francis recalled the civic duty to vote.“One should vote, and choose the lesser evil,” he said. “Who is the lesser evil, the woman or man? I don’t know.“Everyone in their conscience should think and do it,” he said.The Harris and Trump campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.U.S. President Joe Biden, an observant Catholic, shares Harris’ strong support for abortion rights, a stance that prompted some Catholic bishops and other conservatives to call for him to be denied access to Communion.After meeting Francis in person at the Vatican in October 2021, Biden came away saying the pope told him he was a “good Catholic” and should continue receiving Communion.Francis, asked on previous occasions about some U.S. bishops who want to deny Communion to Biden over his support for abortion rights, has said bishops should be pastors, not politicians.Friday's news conference was not the first time Francis has weighed in on a U.S. election. In the run-up to the 2016 election, Francis was asked about Trump’s plan to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. Francis declared then that anyone who builds a wall to keep out migrants “is not Christian.”In responding Friday, Francis recalled that he celebrated Mass at the U.S.-Mexico border and “there were so many shoes of the migrants who ended up badly there.”Trump pledges&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-harris-north-carolina-arizona-election-34bca16175c387a076131ad69bc18d47">massive deportations, just as he did in his first White House</a>&nbsp;bid, when there was a vast gulf between his ambitions and the legal, financial and political realities of such an undertaking.The U.S. bishops conference, for its part, has called abortion the “preeminent priority” for American Catholics in its published voter advice. Harris has strongly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-debate-kamala-harris-donald-trump-35078cdb5bb939eec323c7aa56434cad">defended abortion rights and has emphasized support</a>&nbsp;for reinstating a federal right to abortion.In his comments, the pope added: “On abortion, science says that a month from conception, all the organs of a human being are already there, all of them. Performing an abortion is killing a human being. Whether you like the word or not, this is killing. You can’t say the church is closed because it does not allow abortion. The church does not allow abortion because it’s killing. It is murder.”However, cells are only beginning the process of developing organs in the earliest weeks of pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says that by 13 weeks, all major organs have formed. For example, cardiac tissue starts to form in the first two months — initially a tube that only later evolves into the four chambers that define a heart.In other comments, Francis:— denied a French media report that he would travel to Paris for the December inauguration of the restored Notre Dame Cathedral, saying flat-out he would not be there. But he confirmed he would like to go to the Canary Islands to highlight the plight of migrants.— tamped down renewed speculation that he might finally return to Argentina later this year, saying he wants to go but that nothing had been decided. He added: “There are various things to resolve first.” Francis has not been home since before the 2013 conclave that elected him pope.— declared that China was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vatican-china-pope-52387161cdb423f0e45dddbb80726ac5">“a promise and a hope”</a>&nbsp;for the Catholic Church and hoped to one day visit.— called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pope-abuse-abbe-pierre-vatican-6747a704ff8820bc49828c64fe71e927">sexual abuse “demonic”</a>&nbsp;and weighed on the latest revelations of assault against a legendary French priest, Abbe Pierre.___AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard in Washington contributed to this report.___Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/ap-twir">collaboration</a>&nbsp;with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Pope slams U.S. presidential candidates for anti-life policies

Arizona and Nevada had the biggest spikes in renters paying 30% or more of their income on housing from 2019 to 2023.

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/thenderson/">TIM HENDERSON</a>

There were 21 states where a majority of tenant households spent 30% or more of their incomes on rent and utilities last year, compared with just seven states in 2019.

Nationwide, about 22 million&nbsp;renters are shouldering that percentage.&nbsp;Anyone paying more than 30% is considered “cost burdened,” according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and may struggle to pay for other necessities, such as food, clothing, transportation and medical care.

Three presidential swing states had among the biggest increases in the share of renters who spent that much on housing: Arizona (to 54% from 46.5%), Nevada (to 57.4% from 51.1%) and Georgia (to 53.7% from 48.4%). The numbers are based on a Stateline analysis of American Community Survey data to be released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Florida and Maine also saw large jumps.

In Arizona, low wages, a housing shortage, and short-term rental and vacation homes are eating away at the stock of affordable housing for renters,&nbsp;according to Alison Cook-Davis, associate director for research at Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy.

“You’ve got people across the state kind of pulling their hair out, saying ‘I thought Arizona was supposed to be the affordable state,’” Cook-Davis said.

Rents in Arizona have shot up 40% to 60% in the last two years, she said. And the state’s eviction filings spiked 43% to 97,000 between 2022 and 2023, she said.

In places such as Arizona and Nevada where the housing bubble of the late 2000s left vacant houses, the construction of apartments and other homes has not caught up with population increases, Cook-Davis added.

A University of Nevada, Las Vegas,&nbsp;<a href="https://liedcenter.unlv.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Lied-Research-Report-Volume-1-Issue-1.pdf" target="_blank">data brief</a>&nbsp;reported in May&nbsp;that the Las Vegas area had the highest percentage of cost-burdened renters in the state, at 58.3%, more even than the New York City metro area (52.6%) or San Francisco metro area (48.9%).

Today’s newly released census figures showed that in addition to Arizona, Nevada and Georgia, the states with the highest jumps in the share of cost-burdened renters were Florida, which increased to 61.7% from 55.9%, and Maine, at 49.1% from 44%.

That jump left Florida as the state with the highest rate of cost-burdened renters. It was followed by Nevada (57.4%), Hawaii (56.7%), Louisiana (56.2%) and California (56.1%).

“Florida isn't the deal it used to be,” said Christopher McCarty, director of the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research. “Florida still has disproportionately lower-paying jobs compared to other states, and rents are increasing compared to other states as well.”

The states with the lowest rates of cost-burdened renters as of 2023 were North Dakota (37%), Wyoming (41.2%), South Dakota (41.3%), Kansas (43.5%) and Nebraska (44%).

The share of cost-burdened renters increased since 2019 in every state except Vermont (down to 47.8% from 54%), Wyoming (down to 41.2% from 44%), North Dakota (down to 37% from 38%) and Rhode Island (down to 48.1% from 49%).

There's hope for the future in Arizona and other states with increased home construction, Cook-Davis said.

“If you keep building, eventually this will sort itself out. But that could take years. It's a slow process," she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625411208272.png" alt="Apartment complex in Johnson County Kansas -Google image" />
 <figcaption>Apartment complex in Johnson County Kansas -Google image</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Arizona and Nevada had the biggest spikes in renters paying 30% or more of their income on housing from 2019 to 2023.</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/author/thenderson/">TIM HENDERSON</a>There were 21 states where a majority of tenant households spent 30% or more of their incomes on rent and utilities last year, compared with just seven states in 2019.Nationwide, about 22 million&nbsp;renters are shouldering that percentage.&nbsp;Anyone paying more than 30% is considered “cost burdened,” according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and may struggle to pay for other necessities, such as food, clothing, transportation and medical care.Three presidential swing states had among the biggest increases in the share of renters who spent that much on housing: Arizona (to 54% from 46.5%), Nevada (to 57.4% from 51.1%) and Georgia (to 53.7% from 48.4%). The numbers are based on a Stateline analysis of American Community Survey data to be released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. Florida and Maine also saw large jumps.In Arizona, low wages, a housing shortage, and short-term rental and vacation homes are eating away at the stock of affordable housing for renters,&nbsp;according to Alison Cook-Davis, associate director for research at Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy.“You’ve got people across the state kind of pulling their hair out, saying ‘I thought Arizona was supposed to be the affordable state,’” Cook-Davis said.Rents in Arizona have shot up 40% to 60% in the last two years, she said. And the state’s eviction filings spiked 43% to 97,000 between 2022 and 2023, she said.In places such as Arizona and Nevada where the housing bubble of the late 2000s left vacant houses, the construction of apartments and other homes has not caught up with population increases, Cook-Davis added.A University of Nevada, Las Vegas,&nbsp;<a href="https://liedcenter.unlv.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Lied-Research-Report-Volume-1-Issue-1.pdf" target="_blank">data brief</a>&nbsp;reported in May&nbsp;that the Las Vegas area had the highest percentage of cost-burdened renters in the state, at 58.3%, more even than the New York City metro area (52.6%) or San Francisco metro area (48.9%).<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726157150534.png" alt="Map: Tim Henderson/StatelineSource: American Community Survey, Stateline analysis" />
 <figcaption>Map: Tim Henderson/StatelineSource: American Community Survey, Stateline analysis</figcaption>
 </figure>Today’s newly released census figures showed that in addition to Arizona, Nevada and Georgia, the states with the highest jumps in the share of cost-burdened renters were Florida, which increased to 61.7% from 55.9%, and Maine, at 49.1% from 44%.That jump left Florida as the state with the highest rate of cost-burdened renters. It was followed by Nevada (57.4%), Hawaii (56.7%), Louisiana (56.2%) and California (56.1%).“Florida isn't the deal it used to be,” said Christopher McCarty, director of the University of Florida’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research. “Florida still has disproportionately lower-paying jobs compared to other states, and rents are increasing compared to other states as well.”The states with the lowest rates of cost-burdened renters as of 2023 were North Dakota (37%), Wyoming (41.2%), South Dakota (41.3%), Kansas (43.5%) and Nebraska (44%).The share of cost-burdened renters increased since 2019 in every state except Vermont (down to 47.8% from 54%), Wyoming (down to 41.2% from 44%), North Dakota (down to 37% from 38%) and Rhode Island (down to 48.1% from 49%).There's hope for the future in Arizona and other states with increased home construction, Cook-Davis said.“If you keep building, eventually this will sort itself out. But that could take years. It's a slow process," she said.

Rent is eating up a greater share of tenants’ income in almost every state

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement investigating a deadly shooting in Kansas City have identified the victim as 36-year-old Michael D. Porter, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.

Just before 10p.m. Sept. 12, police officers dispatched to the 6300 block of&nbsp;Manchester&nbsp;Avenue on a reported shooting. When officers arrived on scene, they were directed inside of an apartment where they located Porter who was unresponsive and suffering from apparent gunshot trauma. 

Officers checked him for any signs of life and were unable to locate a pulse. EMS personnel arrived shortly after and declared him deceased at the scene.

Preliminary investigation indicates Porter and an adult male suspect were involved in a verbal altercation that escalated into shots being fired.&nbsp; 

The suspect left the scene prior to officer arrival. Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement investigating a deadly shooting in Kansas City have identified the victim as 36-year-old Michael D. Porter, according to KCPD Officer Alayna Gonzalez.Just before 10p.m. Sept. 12, police officers dispatched to the 6300 block of&nbsp;Manchester&nbsp;Avenue on a reported shooting. When officers arrived on scene, they were directed inside of an apartment where they located Porter who was unresponsive and suffering from apparent gunshot trauma. Officers checked him for any signs of life and were unable to locate a pulse. EMS personnel arrived shortly after and declared him deceased at the scene.Preliminary investigation indicates Porter and an adult male suspect were involved in a verbal altercation that escalated into shots being fired.&nbsp; The suspect left the scene prior to officer arrival. Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

KCPD: Verbal altercation at apartment led to man's murder

PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — The Rev. Anthony Navaratnam stood before his congregation and urged them to pray for the women from surrounding states who will flock to the new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-survey-pills-roe-election-2024-7179dda48eae0a764be89c2e0aafd80a">abortion</a>&nbsp;clinic in town that opened in August.

“God is giving us an opportunity to be missionaries in Pittsburg, Kansas,” he told those at Flag Church, which hosted a training on how to protest outside of the clinic.

The debate over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ballot-measure-states-candidates-2004-953bce3ea1666f128721cab2a5c1cd1d">reproductive rights</a>&nbsp;has landed in this college town of 20,000 in the southeast corner of one of the few states left in the region still allowing abortions. It is near&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-missouri-ballot-election-c284f4fe17a23b63a4528bc2b2051943">Missouri</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-oklahoma-family-planning-title-x-3df24e69294f513e68634e6d6a146cf1">Oklahoma</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ballot-arkansas-supreme-court-48c208d49d82b467fbcc4b9c2724617a">Arkansas</a>&nbsp;and not terribly far from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-privacy-records-texas-lawsuit-9574df658a3336ab8ad28c31a2f79821">Texas</a>.

A place this size, especially one in a historically red state, was unlikely to have an abortion clinic before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Roe v. Wade was overturned</a>&nbsp;in 2022. Since then,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-restrictions-kansas-lawsuits-07b9d71bca29119ab4acc30c28a67099">Kansas</a>&nbsp;has become one of five states that people are most likely to travel to in order to get an abortion when they're unable to at home, said Caitlin Myers, an economics professor at Middlebury College who researches abortion policies.

Abortions spiked in Kansas by 152% after Roe, according to a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/report/abortion-clinics-united-states-2020-2024">analysis</a>&nbsp;by the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. Using Myers' count, six of the clinics in Kansas, Illinois,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-underwrites-new-abortion-clinic-b808f62f9aabe466b3f8d1a8e5af4529">New Mexico</a>, North Carolina and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-clinic-border-virginia-tennessee-bristol-7dfed02251e668fdded6ac97ae7fd281">Virginia</a>&nbsp;that have opened or relocated post-Roe are in communities with fewer than 25,000 people. Two others are in communities of fewer than 50,000.

“Kansas is really the only one in this region that can provide care to many people in these surrounding states,” said Kensey Wright, a member of the board of directors for the Roe Fund in Oklahoma, which supports Kansas abortion clinics through grants.

“Without abortion clinics in that state, we would be without hope," Wright said.

Providing abortions for out-of-state people

Housed in a former urology office, Pittsburg’s Planned Parenthood clinic sits across the street from a medical clinic run by a Catholic health care system. Behind the clinic are houses.

Clinic manager Logan Rink said her mother used to work in this building as a nurse — a connection that’s “small-town stuff.” She loves this town, and said her neighbors agree the clinic is needed. But she was guarded in her optimism, saying ” the reception that we are going to get from the community is going to be favorable in some ways and probably not always.”

Experts said smaller-sized clinics can be less overwhelming for women who are coming from rural areas, like those surrounding Pittsburg. But there is no anonymity in these smaller communities, where religious and family ties often run deep. Pittsburg was established in 1876, and settled largely by immigrants from Catholic-leaning countries who came to work at surrounding coal mines. There’s a typical main street and a state university with about 7,400 students.

“In a small town, it’s not just that you’ll know that person. Your family will know them. You will have known them for 40 years,” said Dr. Emily Walters, a supporter of the Pittsburg clinic who works as an anesthesiologist at a hospital in neighboring Missouri. “Your stories will be intertwined.”

She wondered aloud, “How do I see you at a protest and then see you the next day at the grocery store and still be able to be polite and civil with each other?”

Walters also chairs the Crawford County Democratic Party in an area that is increasingly Republican and has no Democratic state legislators — a change from 20 years ago when there were six. The county also has become increasingly religious in the same span; it now has twice as many white evangelical Protestants as the national average, and slightly more Catholics, according to the Public Religion Research Institute.

Just five weeks after Roe was overturned in 2022, voters in Kansas had to decide whether to strip the right to an abortion from the state constitution, which could have led to an outright ban. Despite the Republican and religious leanings, 55% of Crawford County voters were part of the 59% of voters statewide&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">who killed the proposal</a>.

It's in line with an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-trump-biden-election-2024-dobbs-498d14f6e2bbfe1f313f006ad089de4e">Associated Press-NORC poll from 2024 that showed 6 in 10 Americans</a>&nbsp;think their state should generally allow a person to obtain a legal abortion if they don’t want to be pregnant for any reason. But the rural counties that surrounded Pittsburg chose otherwise at the ballot box.

“I remember people were stealing yard signs, putting up different ones in people’s yards,” said Anastin Journot, an 18-year-old from Independence, Kansas, who is majoring in elementary education at Pittsburg State. She said she was alarmed by Roe getting overturned, remembering she thought: "What if I’m in a situation where I’m needing to get an abortion and it’s not an option?”

Abortion in Kansas is generally legal up until the 22nd week of pregnancy. The clinic's southern location puts it closer to states that have banned abortions instead of sending people to Kansas' larger cities, where hours have been expanded and appointments are still in short supply.

About 60% to 65% of people who call Planned Parenthood clinics in Kansas for an abortion appointment are turned away because there isn't enough capacity, said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains. Already, Wales said, the bulk of people seeking abortions in Kansas are from out of state — mostly Texas, which is about five hours south. After that, it's Missouri, a few minutes' drive east and Oklahoma, less than an hour away. She said some come from as far away as Louisiana and even Florida, which now prohibits the procedure after six weeks.

Clinics “strategically placed near (a state's) border can really help ease the congestion,” said Ushma Upadhyay, a public health scientist at the University of California San Francisco who studies abortion.

Most of the area that’s 100 miles from the new clinic has been designated as medically underserved for primary care by the federal government, and the number of obstetricians and gynecologists for every 100,000 female residents is less than half of the U.S. average.

For now, though, the focus at the Pittsburg clinic will be on abortion. Wales said Planned Parenthood wants to slowly add more services over the next two to three months, and one future goal for the clinic is to provide gender-affirming care.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-transgender-health-tennessee-kentucky-75e3b446513f61281013a2bf86248044">Neighboring states have restricted that, too</a>.

“Pittsburg is going to lift up a whole lot of states in the South and help people get care,” Wales said.

But those additions, she added, will come after staff gets used to the patients and the presence of protesters and opposition.

Donations are up at Vie Medical Clinic, the town’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/478cd077ca2b4da59330e0c38062bc8c">crisis pregnancy center</a>, executive director Megan Newman said. Such centers are typically religiously affiliated and encourage clients to continue their pregnancies.

People opposed to the Planned Parenthood clinic also are picking up pamphlets about Vie so they can hand them out to those seeking abortions. “When we got word that Planned Parenthood was coming, you could just kind of feel that in the town,” Newman said.

Jeanne Napier, a 68-year-old who attends a local Baptist church, vowed as she shopped at the local mall that she'll “be there every day with signs.”

Her daughter, Terri Napier, said in a phone interview she believes part of her parents' opposition to the clinic is from watching her struggle about 20 years ago. She was in an abusive relationship with someone who has since died. She got pregnant. The family was fearful of bringing a child into the situation.

She had an abortion, and spiraled into drug use. “I was at war with forgiving myself," said the 43-year-old, who is now clean.

Jeanne Napier said she felt like she encouraged the abortion. “And I hate that,” she said, "because I wish I could take that sin upon myself, so it’s real personal. I had an active play in terminating a life, and we don’t have that right.”

Brianna Barnes, a 19-year-old journalism major at Pittsburg State who is from Wichita, has protested and prayed outside of a clinic in her hometown.

“If someone made eye contact with us, we just smiled at them, kind of showing that love and care because no one responds well to screaming, yelling, violence no matter what side it’s on,” she said just after arriving on campus for the fall semester. Most of the students the AP talked to voiced support for the clinic.

Her mother, Crystal Barnes, 42, turned to her daughter: “You’re going to be the odd man out being a Catholic, and conservative, especially with things like abortion. It is so heated.”

The Friday before the clinic opened, crews installed a wooden facade outside, the air filled with the smell of fresh-cut lumber. Walters, the local anesthesiologist, had stopped by to check on the progress.

Walters' support comes from a personal place. When she was 20 and the same number of weeks pregnant, she went to an emergency room, bleeding. She said she was sent home to miscarry instead of having her labor induced or having a procedure to remove the fetus.

That experience — “horrific, and wouldn’t be considered standard of care, in modern practice,” she said — left her with a deep empathy for women in tough positions.

Just before the 2022 vote, an ad backed by 400 Kansas doctors who support abortion rights ran in some of the state's largest papers, including The Kansas City Star. Walters' name was listed first. During that time, her home address appeared online, a frightening prospect in a state where abortion provider Dr. George Tiller was shot dead in 2009 at his Wichita church by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6b273de60cc040bc98ff47acd0112995">an anti-abortion extremist</a>.

“It is critical health care for women,” she said. “It is going to be disruptive to Pittsburg. And that part hurts my heart.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726399665756.png" alt="Anti-abortion protester Deborah Green-Myers, from Pittsburg, Kan., demonstrates outside a recently opened Planned Parenthood clinic, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Pittsburg, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>Anti-abortion protester Deborah Green-Myers, from Pittsburg, Kan., demonstrates outside a recently opened Planned Parenthood clinic, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Pittsburg, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and JOHN HANNA PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — The Rev. Anthony Navaratnam stood before his congregation and urged them to pray for the women from surrounding states who will flock to the new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-survey-pills-roe-election-2024-7179dda48eae0a764be89c2e0aafd80a">abortion</a>&nbsp;clinic in town that opened in August.“God is giving us an opportunity to be missionaries in Pittsburg, Kansas,” he told those at Flag Church, which hosted a training on how to protest outside of the clinic.The debate over&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ballot-measure-states-candidates-2004-953bce3ea1666f128721cab2a5c1cd1d">reproductive rights</a>&nbsp;has landed in this college town of 20,000 in the southeast corner of one of the few states left in the region still allowing abortions. It is near&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-missouri-ballot-election-c284f4fe17a23b63a4528bc2b2051943">Missouri</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-oklahoma-family-planning-title-x-3df24e69294f513e68634e6d6a146cf1">Oklahoma</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-ballot-arkansas-supreme-court-48c208d49d82b467fbcc4b9c2724617a">Arkansas</a>&nbsp;and not terribly far from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-privacy-records-texas-lawsuit-9574df658a3336ab8ad28c31a2f79821">Texas</a>.A place this size, especially one in a historically red state, was unlikely to have an abortion clinic before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Roe v. Wade was overturned</a>&nbsp;in 2022. Since then,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-restrictions-kansas-lawsuits-07b9d71bca29119ab4acc30c28a67099">Kansas</a>&nbsp;has become one of five states that people are most likely to travel to in order to get an abortion when they're unable to at home, said Caitlin Myers, an economics professor at Middlebury College who researches abortion policies.Abortions spiked in Kansas by 152% after Roe, according to a recent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/report/abortion-clinics-united-states-2020-2024">analysis</a>&nbsp;by the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. Using Myers' count, six of the clinics in Kansas, Illinois,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-underwrites-new-abortion-clinic-b808f62f9aabe466b3f8d1a8e5af4529">New Mexico</a>, North Carolina and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-clinic-border-virginia-tennessee-bristol-7dfed02251e668fdded6ac97ae7fd281">Virginia</a>&nbsp;that have opened or relocated post-Roe are in communities with fewer than 25,000 people. Two others are in communities of fewer than 50,000.“Kansas is really the only one in this region that can provide care to many people in these surrounding states,” said Kensey Wright, a member of the board of directors for the Roe Fund in Oklahoma, which supports Kansas abortion clinics through grants.“Without abortion clinics in that state, we would be without hope," Wright said.<h2>Providing abortions for out-of-state people</h2>Housed in a former urology office, Pittsburg’s Planned Parenthood clinic sits across the street from a medical clinic run by a Catholic health care system. Behind the clinic are houses.Clinic manager Logan Rink said her mother used to work in this building as a nurse — a connection that’s “small-town stuff.” She loves this town, and said her neighbors agree the clinic is needed. But she was guarded in her optimism, saying ” the reception that we are going to get from the community is going to be favorable in some ways and probably not always.”Experts said smaller-sized clinics can be less overwhelming for women who are coming from rural areas, like those surrounding Pittsburg. But there is no anonymity in these smaller communities, where religious and family ties often run deep. Pittsburg was established in 1876, and settled largely by immigrants from Catholic-leaning countries who came to work at surrounding coal mines. There’s a typical main street and a state university with about 7,400 students.“In a small town, it’s not just that you’ll know that person. Your family will know them. You will have known them for 40 years,” said Dr. Emily Walters, a supporter of the Pittsburg clinic who works as an anesthesiologist at a hospital in neighboring Missouri. “Your stories will be intertwined.”She wondered aloud, “How do I see you at a protest and then see you the next day at the grocery store and still be able to be polite and civil with each other?”Walters also chairs the Crawford County Democratic Party in an area that is increasingly Republican and has no Democratic state legislators — a change from 20 years ago when there were six. The county also has become increasingly religious in the same span; it now has twice as many white evangelical Protestants as the national average, and slightly more Catholics, according to the Public Religion Research Institute.Just five weeks after Roe was overturned in 2022, voters in Kansas had to decide whether to strip the right to an abortion from the state constitution, which could have led to an outright ban. Despite the Republican and religious leanings, 55% of Crawford County voters were part of the 59% of voters statewide&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">who killed the proposal</a>.It's in line with an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-trump-biden-election-2024-dobbs-498d14f6e2bbfe1f313f006ad089de4e">Associated Press-NORC poll from 2024 that showed 6 in 10 Americans</a>&nbsp;think their state should generally allow a person to obtain a legal abortion if they don’t want to be pregnant for any reason. But the rural counties that surrounded Pittsburg chose otherwise at the ballot box.“I remember people were stealing yard signs, putting up different ones in people’s yards,” said Anastin Journot, an 18-year-old from Independence, Kansas, who is majoring in elementary education at Pittsburg State. She said she was alarmed by Roe getting overturned, remembering she thought: "What if I’m in a situation where I’m needing to get an abortion and it’s not an option?”Abortion in Kansas is generally legal up until the 22nd week of pregnancy. The clinic's southern location puts it closer to states that have banned abortions instead of sending people to Kansas' larger cities, where hours have been expanded and appointments are still in short supply.About 60% to 65% of people who call Planned Parenthood clinics in Kansas for an abortion appointment are turned away because there isn't enough capacity, said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains. Already, Wales said, the bulk of people seeking abortions in Kansas are from out of state — mostly Texas, which is about five hours south. After that, it's Missouri, a few minutes' drive east and Oklahoma, less than an hour away. She said some come from as far away as Louisiana and even Florida, which now prohibits the procedure after six weeks.Clinics “strategically placed near (a state's) border can really help ease the congestion,” said Ushma Upadhyay, a public health scientist at the University of California San Francisco who studies abortion.Most of the area that’s 100 miles from the new clinic has been designated as medically underserved for primary care by the federal government, and the number of obstetricians and gynecologists for every 100,000 female residents is less than half of the U.S. average.For now, though, the focus at the Pittsburg clinic will be on abortion. Wales said Planned Parenthood wants to slowly add more services over the next two to three months, and one future goal for the clinic is to provide gender-affirming care.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-transgender-health-tennessee-kentucky-75e3b446513f61281013a2bf86248044">Neighboring states have restricted that, too</a>.“Pittsburg is going to lift up a whole lot of states in the South and help people get care,” Wales said.But those additions, she added, will come after staff gets used to the patients and the presence of protesters and opposition.<h2>Protesters are at the ready</h2>Donations are up at Vie Medical Clinic, the town’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/478cd077ca2b4da59330e0c38062bc8c">crisis pregnancy center</a>, executive director Megan Newman said. Such centers are typically religiously affiliated and encourage clients to continue their pregnancies.People opposed to the Planned Parenthood clinic also are picking up pamphlets about Vie so they can hand them out to those seeking abortions. “When we got word that Planned Parenthood was coming, you could just kind of feel that in the town,” Newman said.Jeanne Napier, a 68-year-old who attends a local Baptist church, vowed as she shopped at the local mall that she'll “be there every day with signs.”Her daughter, Terri Napier, said in a phone interview she believes part of her parents' opposition to the clinic is from watching her struggle about 20 years ago. She was in an abusive relationship with someone who has since died. She got pregnant. The family was fearful of bringing a child into the situation.She had an abortion, and spiraled into drug use. “I was at war with forgiving myself," said the 43-year-old, who is now clean.Jeanne Napier said she felt like she encouraged the abortion. “And I hate that,” she said, "because I wish I could take that sin upon myself, so it’s real personal. I had an active play in terminating a life, and we don’t have that right.”Brianna Barnes, a 19-year-old journalism major at Pittsburg State who is from Wichita, has protested and prayed outside of a clinic in her hometown.“If someone made eye contact with us, we just smiled at them, kind of showing that love and care because no one responds well to screaming, yelling, violence no matter what side it’s on,” she said just after arriving on campus for the fall semester. Most of the students the AP talked to voiced support for the clinic.Her mother, Crystal Barnes, 42, turned to her daughter: “You’re going to be the odd man out being a Catholic, and conservative, especially with things like abortion. It is so heated.”The Friday before the clinic opened, crews installed a wooden facade outside, the air filled with the smell of fresh-cut lumber. Walters, the local anesthesiologist, had stopped by to check on the progress.Walters' support comes from a personal place. When she was 20 and the same number of weeks pregnant, she went to an emergency room, bleeding. She said she was sent home to miscarry instead of having her labor induced or having a procedure to remove the fetus.That experience — “horrific, and wouldn’t be considered standard of care, in modern practice,” she said — left her with a deep empathy for women in tough positions.Just before the 2022 vote, an ad backed by 400 Kansas doctors who support abortion rights ran in some of the state's largest papers, including The Kansas City Star. Walters' name was listed first. During that time, her home address appeared online, a frightening prospect in a state where abortion provider Dr. George Tiller was shot dead in 2009 at his Wichita church by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/6b273de60cc040bc98ff47acd0112995">an anti-abortion extremist</a>.“It is critical health care for women,” she said. “It is going to be disruptive to Pittsburg. And that part hurts my heart.”

How a small town in Kansas found itself at the center of abortion’s national moment

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — As part of his town hall meeting in Dillon Hall in the Encampment Building at the Kansas State Fair Saturday night, Kansas U.S. Senator Dr. Roger Marshall said he's been trying to get a bill voted on to require proof of citizenship at the federal level, and he gave an update on that.

"Chuck Schumer is not going to let us even vote for it on the Senate," Marshall said. "The House has already passed it, and they've attached it to the year end funding. Again, I'm trying not to bore you with all the politics of this. But the government's going to run out of money at the end of September. So they were trying to use that as leverage, saying, OK, we've got to pass funding to the government. Let's attach this bill to it that requires proof of citizenship when you register to vote. Chuck Schumer has had a fit and says he's going to blame the Republicans if we shut the government down, so I'm afraid it's stuck."

Ultimately, they have to pass a funding bill, but it's probably going to be a continuing resolution until the new Congress is seated.

"We're trying to keep the government open," Marshall said. "The fiscal year ends on September 30th. It's always disappointing to me that we get up to these strike midnight moments and we haven't done anything yet with it. Again, that's preplanned, though. This is exactly what Chuck Schumer wants. This is what the White House wants. They want to write the funding for the next year. I think where Republicans are at this point is to do what we would call a continuing resolution and fund it from now until the end of December and see what happens with the elections."

Marshall is hopeful that Republicans can win the White House and retain control in the House while getting control of the Senate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726367189127.png" alt="Senator Roger Marshall&nbsp;at State Fair Town Hall-Photo by Nick Gosnell" />
 <figcaption>Senator Roger Marshall&nbsp;at State Fair Town Hall-Photo by Nick Gosnell</figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — As part of his town hall meeting in Dillon Hall in the Encampment Building at the Kansas State Fair Saturday night, Kansas U.S. Senator Dr. Roger Marshall said he's been trying to get a bill voted on to require proof of citizenship at the federal level, and he gave an update on that."Chuck Schumer is not going to let us even vote for it on the Senate," Marshall said. "The House has already passed it, and they've attached it to the year end funding. Again, I'm trying not to bore you with all the politics of this. But the government's going to run out of money at the end of September. So they were trying to use that as leverage, saying, OK, we've got to pass funding to the government. Let's attach this bill to it that requires proof of citizenship when you register to vote. Chuck Schumer has had a fit and says he's going to blame the Republicans if we shut the government down, so I'm afraid it's stuck."Ultimately, they have to pass a funding bill, but it's probably going to be a continuing resolution until the new Congress is seated."We're trying to keep the government open," Marshall said. "The fiscal year ends on September 30th. It's always disappointing to me that we get up to these strike midnight moments and we haven't done anything yet with it. Again, that's preplanned, though. This is exactly what Chuck Schumer wants. This is what the White House wants. They want to write the funding for the next year. I think where Republicans are at this point is to do what we would call a continuing resolution and fund it from now until the end of December and see what happens with the elections."Marshall is hopeful that Republicans can win the White House and retain control in the House while getting control of the Senate.

Senator Marshall holds Town Hall at the Kansas State Fair 

JOHNSON COUNTY —A Kansas man is going to prison for the rest of his life for the death of a teen.

Last week, Judge Brenda M. Cameron sentenced 29-year-old Malik Jamal Delva to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25-years for first degree murder, and granted an upward durational departure due to aggravating factors to 154 months in prison for distribution of marijuana, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.

In March a jury found Delva guilty in the June 2018 shooting death of 17-year-old Daniel Bowden. Police responded to an armed disturbance in the 100 Block of South Clairborne Road in Olathe.&nbsp; During an altercation between two groups, Bowden was shot.&nbsp; &nbsp;EMS transported him to a hospital where he died.&nbsp; Three others including 23-year-old Angelo Monteleone, 23-year-old Isaiah Wisinger and 22-year-old Cesar Herrera all have pleaded guilty in connection with Bowden's death and were sentenced.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725567458283.png" alt="Delva photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Delva photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —A Kansas man is going to prison for the rest of his life for the death of a teen.Last week, Judge Brenda M. Cameron sentenced 29-year-old Malik Jamal Delva to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25-years for first degree murder, and granted an upward durational departure due to aggravating factors to 154 months in prison for distribution of marijuana, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.In March a jury found Delva guilty in the June 2018 shooting death of 17-year-old Daniel Bowden. Police responded to an armed disturbance in the 100 Block of South Clairborne Road in Olathe.&nbsp; During an altercation between two groups, Bowden was shot.&nbsp; &nbsp;EMS transported him to a hospital where he died.&nbsp; Three others including 23-year-old Angelo Monteleone, 23-year-old Isaiah Wisinger and 22-year-old Cesar Herrera all have pleaded guilty in connection with Bowden's death and were sentenced.

Kansas man among four sentenced for death of 17-year-old

JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.&nbsp;

Just&nbsp;after 11 a.m. September 10, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Nissan Altima for a traffic violation on U.S. Highway 75 and 142nd Road in rural Jackson County, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

During the traffic stop, cocaine was located in the vehicle.  The driver, Dustin James Spooner, 39, of Topeka, was arrested on requested charges of possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving without a license.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725995571412.png" alt="Spooner-photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Spooner-photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.&nbsp;Just&nbsp;after 11 a.m. September 10, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Nissan Altima for a traffic violation on U.S. Highway 75 and 142nd Road in rural Jackson County, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.During the traffic stop, cocaine was located in the vehicle. The driver, Dustin James Spooner, 39, of Topeka, was arrested on requested charges of possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving without a license.

Kansas deputy found cocaine during traffic stop

RENO COUNTY— A Kansas felon is going back to prison after sentenced for a violent knife attack in May.

On Friday, 26-year-old Briantey L. Baskin was sentenced to 620 months for attempted murder in the first degree, 41 months for aggravated battery, 12 months for aggravated assault and six months for criminal threat, according to the Reno County District Attorney's office.

The attempted murder and battery charges will be served concurrently, while the assault and criminal threat charges will be served consecutively.

Baskin pleaded guilty on Aug. 15 to all four charges.

On May, 9, police were dispatched to 1st Avenue and Main Street in Hutchinson for a disturbance, according to a media release from Police Capt. Dayton Gates. When officers arrived on scene, they located a man with a laceration to his body. Another victim reported a man threatening him with a knife during the same incident.

The injured victim was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment. Police arrested&nbsp; Baskin in connection with the crime.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715273871315.png" alt="Baskin has a 2023 conviction for criminal damage to property, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections. " />
 <figcaption>Baskin has a 2023 conviction for criminal damage to property, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections. </figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY— A Kansas felon is going back to prison after sentenced for a violent knife attack in May.On Friday, 26-year-old Briantey L. Baskin was sentenced to 620 months for attempted murder in the first degree, 41 months for aggravated battery, 12 months for aggravated assault and six months for criminal threat, according to the Reno County District Attorney's office.The attempted murder and battery charges will be served concurrently, while the assault and criminal threat charges will be served consecutively.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715264701275.jpeg" alt="Police at the scene of the investigation in May Photo by Nick Gosnell." />
 <figcaption>Police at the scene of the investigation in May Photo by Nick Gosnell.</figcaption>
 </figure>Baskin pleaded guilty on Aug. 15 to all four charges.On May, 9, police were dispatched to 1st Avenue and Main Street in Hutchinson for a disturbance, according to a media release from Police Capt. Dayton Gates. When officers arrived on scene, they located a man with a laceration to his body. Another victim reported a man threatening him with a knife during the same incident.The injured victim was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment. Police arrested&nbsp; Baskin in connection with the crime.---

Kansas felon going back to prison for violent knife attack 

STEVENS COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 8:30p.m. Wednesday in Stevens County.

The Hugoton Police Department reported a 2018 Yamaha motorcycle driven by David Thomas, 19, Hugoton, and a 2015 Lincoln Navigator driven by Linda Hittle, 79, Hutoton,&nbsp; were involved in an accident at 11th and Madison Street in the city of Hugoton, according to a media release. 

Thomas was transported to the Stevens County hospital where he was pronounced deceased.&nbsp; Hittle was not injured.&nbsp; &nbsp;The accident remains under investigation.

STEVENS COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 8:30p.m. Wednesday in Stevens County.The Hugoton Police Department reported a 2018 Yamaha motorcycle driven by David Thomas, 19, Hugoton, and a 2015 Lincoln Navigator driven by Linda Hittle, 79, Hutoton,&nbsp; were involved in an accident at 11th and Madison Street in the city of Hugoton, according to a media release. Thomas was transported to the Stevens County hospital where he was pronounced deceased.&nbsp; Hittle was not injured.&nbsp; &nbsp;The accident remains under investigation.

Police ID Kansas teen who died in motorcycle, SUV accident

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden brushed off a threat from Russian leader Vladimir Putin about war against the West if Ukraine’s allies&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-kursk-putin-missiles-7e59c745b4bff79802454f0b660b0d0d">allow it to use weapons deeper inside Russia</a>. It’s a shift that Kyiv has pleaded for, but no decision was immediately announced following a meeting Friday between Biden and Britain’s prime minister.

Ukraine and many of its supporters in the U.S. and Europe&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-military-aid-zelenskyy-cf8addbd055e518a7a10a73d3d4353cd">want Biden to lift restrictions</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-missiles-war-nato-zelenskyy-b8039dcdd5b5f03415acd757fbead8e6">Western-provided long-range weapons</a>, and there are signs Biden might shift the administration’s policy.

The U.S., concerned about any step that could lead Russia to escalate the conflict, has moved cautiously before granting a series of earlier requests from Ukraine for specific arms, including advanced tanks, missiles and rocket systems, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-f16s-what-to-know-224d96ff2ad4f416d3969676a55876e2">F-16 fighter jets</a>. Russian officials have issued similar threats before many of those past decisions.

Ukraine was a key topic for Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/blinken-lammy-ukraine-russia-missiles-0584fb5f4cf2b89f9b4eea1358700a91">this week’s visit to Kyiv</a>&nbsp;by their top diplomats, who came under fresh pressure to loosen weapons restrictions. So far, the U.S. has allowed Ukraine to use&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/czechia-ukraine-russia-nato-blinken-441c9624d95f8193e99cf08effced44f">American-provided weapons</a>&nbsp;only in a limited area inside Russia’s border with Ukraine.

Two U.S. officials familiar with discussions said they believed Starmer was seeking Biden’s approval to allow Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow missiles for expanded strikes in Russia. Biden’s approval may be needed because Storm Shadow components are made in the U.S. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share the status of private conversations, said they believed Biden would be amenable.

Starmer said talks would continue when global leaders convene for the annual U.N. General Assembly gathering this month.

“This was a really important invitation from the president to have this level of discussion about those critical issues,’' he told reporters after the White House meeting. He added, “Ukraine has a right to self-defense, and we’ve stood united.”

Putin said a day earlier that allowing long-range strikes “would mean that NATO countries, the United States and European countries, are at war with Russia.” His remarks were in line with the narrative the Kremlin has promoted since early in the war, accusing NATO countries of de-facto participation in the conflict and threatening a response.

Speaking to journalists before the private talks with Starmer, Biden said he wanted to make “clear that Putin will not prevail in this war.”

Asked what he thought about Putin’s threat, Biden answered, “I don’t think much about Vladimir Putin.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pressing the U.S. and other allies to allow his forces to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-war-us-weapons-long-range-missiles-7f061044c7b50a1946409eea9e9c399f">use Western weapons</a>&nbsp;to target Russian air bases and launch sites far from the border as Russia has stepped up&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-energy-russia-airstrikes-greenpeace-1dfe7e60d4f9291f1196afda1a19373a">assaults on Ukraine’s electricity grid</a>&nbsp;and utilities before winter.

“The war must become more difficult for Russia — that is the only way to make them realize it must end,” he posted Friday on social media.

Zelenskyy’s appeal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-kursk-putin-missiles-7e59c745b4bff79802454f0b660b0d0d">has garnered support</a>&nbsp;in U.S. and European security and diplomatic circles, including from some former U.S. generals and diplomats, lawmakers and security analysts. They argue that Russia’s previous threats of escalation against the West have proven hollow and that the U.S. restrictions on weapons are making it impossible for Ukraine to gain the battlefield momentum it needs.

Even a few Ukrainian strikes with heavier weapons on military targets deeper into Russia would put more strain on Russian logistics, troops and other resources, said George Barros, a security analyst for the Institute for the Study of War.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressed Friday that decisions on what military support to provide Ukraine were complex, saying, “There is no silver bullet when it comes to things like this.” He noted last week that Ukraine has already been able to strike inside Russia with its own internally produced systems, including drones.

Zelenskyy wants more long-range weaponry from Washington, including the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-long-range-missiles-4d2254639eb5a503d8b0a291ed0680e9">Army Tactical Missile System,</a>&nbsp;known as ATACMS, for strikes in Russia.

Lt. Col. Charlie Dietz, a Pentagon spokesperson, said ATACMS would not be the answer to the main threat Ukraine faces from long-range Russian glide bombs, which are being fired from more than 300 kilometers (185 miles) away, beyond the reach of ATACMS.

American officials also do not believe they have enough of the weapon systems available to provide Ukraine with the number to make a substantive difference on the ground, a U.S. official said.

Biden, however, has hinted that a change could be afoot. In an exchange with reporters this week about whether he was ready to ease weapons restrictions on Ukraine, he responded, “We’re working that out now.”

Some American supporters of Ukraine have criticized the Biden administration for telegraphing earlier decisions on beefing up weapons to Kyiv well in advance, saying the U.S. was giving Russia ample time to update its tactics accordingly.

Biden and Starmer, meeting for the second time since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uk-election-keir-starmer-profile-labour-e98d16e0810273f6041b61747e084aae">his center-left government was elected in July</a>, also were set to compare notes on languishing efforts to get a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-gaza-war-ceasefire-egypt-qatar-biden-aafbe442e8dd976218588d2f164b38a1">cease-fire deal in Gaza</a>, mutual concerns in the Indo-Pacific and other issues.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-uk-spying-7845e3554c753388e8c952733589fb7f">Russia accused six British diplomats</a>&nbsp;of spying Friday and said it would expel them. Starmer’s government called the accusation baseless and linked it to Britain’s expulsion of Moscow’s defense attache in London over spying allegations in May.

The White House also has tried in recent days to put a greater emphasis on the nexus between the war in Ukraine and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel">conflict in the Middle East</a>&nbsp;that was sparked after Iranian-backed Hamas militants in Gaza attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

The Biden administration said this week that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-britain-blinken-ukraine-iran-ballistic-missiles-russia-a2c3f92e213518063ccd5ad890105560">Iran recently delivered short-range ballistic weapons to Russia</a>&nbsp;to use against Ukraine, a transfer that White House officials worry will allow Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets far beyond the Ukrainian front line while employing Iranian warheads for closer-range targets.

“It certainly speaks to the manner in which this partnership threatens European security and how it illustrates Iran’s destabilizing influence now reaches well beyond the Middle East,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.

Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Zeke Miller and Tara Copp in Washington contributed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726321406705.png" alt="President Biden and Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House on Friday-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President Biden and Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House on Friday-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden brushed off a threat from Russian leader Vladimir Putin about war against the West if Ukraine’s allies&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-kursk-putin-missiles-7e59c745b4bff79802454f0b660b0d0d">allow it to use weapons deeper inside Russia</a>. It’s a shift that Kyiv has pleaded for, but no decision was immediately announced following a meeting Friday between Biden and Britain’s prime minister.Ukraine and many of its supporters in the U.S. and Europe&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-military-aid-zelenskyy-cf8addbd055e518a7a10a73d3d4353cd">want Biden to lift restrictions</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-missiles-war-nato-zelenskyy-b8039dcdd5b5f03415acd757fbead8e6">Western-provided long-range weapons</a>, and there are signs Biden might shift the administration’s policy.The U.S., concerned about any step that could lead Russia to escalate the conflict, has moved cautiously before granting a series of earlier requests from Ukraine for specific arms, including advanced tanks, missiles and rocket systems, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-f16s-what-to-know-224d96ff2ad4f416d3969676a55876e2">F-16 fighter jets</a>. Russian officials have issued similar threats before many of those past decisions.Ukraine was a key topic for Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/blinken-lammy-ukraine-russia-missiles-0584fb5f4cf2b89f9b4eea1358700a91">this week’s visit to Kyiv</a>&nbsp;by their top diplomats, who came under fresh pressure to loosen weapons restrictions. So far, the U.S. has allowed Ukraine to use&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/czechia-ukraine-russia-nato-blinken-441c9624d95f8193e99cf08effced44f">American-provided weapons</a>&nbsp;only in a limited area inside Russia’s border with Ukraine.Two U.S. officials familiar with discussions said they believed Starmer was seeking Biden’s approval to allow Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow missiles for expanded strikes in Russia. Biden’s approval may be needed because Storm Shadow components are made in the U.S. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share the status of private conversations, said they believed Biden would be amenable.Starmer said talks would continue when global leaders convene for the annual U.N. General Assembly gathering this month.“This was a really important invitation from the president to have this level of discussion about those critical issues,’' he told reporters after the White House meeting. He added, “Ukraine has a right to self-defense, and we’ve stood united.”Putin said a day earlier that allowing long-range strikes “would mean that NATO countries, the United States and European countries, are at war with Russia.” His remarks were in line with the narrative the Kremlin has promoted since early in the war, accusing NATO countries of de-facto participation in the conflict and threatening a response.Speaking to journalists before the private talks with Starmer, Biden said he wanted to make “clear that Putin will not prevail in this war.”Asked what he thought about Putin’s threat, Biden answered, “I don’t think much about Vladimir Putin.”Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pressing the U.S. and other allies to allow his forces to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-war-us-weapons-long-range-missiles-7f061044c7b50a1946409eea9e9c399f">use Western weapons</a>&nbsp;to target Russian air bases and launch sites far from the border as Russia has stepped up&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-energy-russia-airstrikes-greenpeace-1dfe7e60d4f9291f1196afda1a19373a">assaults on Ukraine’s electricity grid</a>&nbsp;and utilities before winter.“The war must become more difficult for Russia — that is the only way to make them realize it must end,” he posted Friday on social media.Zelenskyy’s appeal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-war-kursk-putin-missiles-7e59c745b4bff79802454f0b660b0d0d">has garnered support</a>&nbsp;in U.S. and European security and diplomatic circles, including from some former U.S. generals and diplomats, lawmakers and security analysts. They argue that Russia’s previous threats of escalation against the West have proven hollow and that the U.S. restrictions on weapons are making it impossible for Ukraine to gain the battlefield momentum it needs.Even a few Ukrainian strikes with heavier weapons on military targets deeper into Russia would put more strain on Russian logistics, troops and other resources, said George Barros, a security analyst for the Institute for the Study of War.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stressed Friday that decisions on what military support to provide Ukraine were complex, saying, “There is no silver bullet when it comes to things like this.” He noted last week that Ukraine has already been able to strike inside Russia with its own internally produced systems, including drones.Zelenskyy wants more long-range weaponry from Washington, including the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-long-range-missiles-4d2254639eb5a503d8b0a291ed0680e9">Army Tactical Missile System,</a>&nbsp;known as ATACMS, for strikes in Russia.Lt. Col. Charlie Dietz, a Pentagon spokesperson, said ATACMS would not be the answer to the main threat Ukraine faces from long-range Russian glide bombs, which are being fired from more than 300 kilometers (185 miles) away, beyond the reach of ATACMS.American officials also do not believe they have enough of the weapon systems available to provide Ukraine with the number to make a substantive difference on the ground, a U.S. official said.Biden, however, has hinted that a change could be afoot. In an exchange with reporters this week about whether he was ready to ease weapons restrictions on Ukraine, he responded, “We’re working that out now.”Some American supporters of Ukraine have criticized the Biden administration for telegraphing earlier decisions on beefing up weapons to Kyiv well in advance, saying the U.S. was giving Russia ample time to update its tactics accordingly.Biden and Starmer, meeting for the second time since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/uk-election-keir-starmer-profile-labour-e98d16e0810273f6041b61747e084aae">his center-left government was elected in July</a>, also were set to compare notes on languishing efforts to get a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-gaza-war-ceasefire-egypt-qatar-biden-aafbe442e8dd976218588d2f164b38a1">cease-fire deal in Gaza</a>, mutual concerns in the Indo-Pacific and other issues.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-uk-spying-7845e3554c753388e8c952733589fb7f">Russia accused six British diplomats</a>&nbsp;of spying Friday and said it would expel them. Starmer’s government called the accusation baseless and linked it to Britain’s expulsion of Moscow’s defense attache in London over spying allegations in May.The White House also has tried in recent days to put a greater emphasis on the nexus between the war in Ukraine and the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel">conflict in the Middle East</a>&nbsp;that was sparked after Iranian-backed Hamas militants in Gaza attacked Israel on Oct. 7.The Biden administration said this week that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-britain-blinken-ukraine-iran-ballistic-missiles-russia-a2c3f92e213518063ccd5ad890105560">Iran recently delivered short-range ballistic weapons to Russia</a>&nbsp;to use against Ukraine, a transfer that White House officials worry will allow Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets far beyond the Ukrainian front line while employing Iranian warheads for closer-range targets.“It certainly speaks to the manner in which this partnership threatens European security and how it illustrates Iran’s destabilizing influence now reaches well beyond the Middle East,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.<h2>___</h2>Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Zeke Miller and Tara Copp in Washington contributed.

Biden brushes off Putin’s threats about weapons for Ukraine

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A default judgment was entered against an unlicensed Kansas childcare provider earlier this month for engaging in deceptive and unconscionable acts under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

 The matter was investigated by the Office of the District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Division after receiving a complaint against Monica Balfour, doing business as Tia’s Childcare.

The Consumer Protection Division alleged Monica Balfour violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act (KCPA) by acting as an unlicensed childcare provider and using Kansas Department of Health and Environment forms to present the appearance of being licensed. 

The Court found these alleged violations to be deceptive under the KCPA. As part of the ruling, the Court ordered Monica Balfour to pay $40,000.00 in civil penalties, as well as court costs and investigation fees. The court also permanently restrained Monica Balfour from providing child care services in Kansas without obtaining a license and from operating as a day care facility until all costs and fees from this judgment are paid. 

The District Attorney reminded consumers to "exercise care when choosing a childcare provider." The City of Wichita Child Care Licensing Department requires all providers to be licensed. In addition, the State of Kansas requires every child care facility to post its license in a conspicuous place on the premises of the business. Each license for a daycare facility must have an expiration sticker on its face stating the date of expiration of the license.

The default judgment was ordered on September 5, 2024 by Judge William Woolley.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714061990510.jpg" alt="File photo" />
 <figcaption>File photo</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A default judgment was entered against an unlicensed Kansas childcare provider earlier this month for engaging in deceptive and unconscionable acts under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office. The matter was investigated by the Office of the District Attorney’s Consumer Protection Division after receiving a complaint against Monica Balfour, doing business as Tia’s Childcare.The Consumer Protection Division alleged Monica Balfour violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act (KCPA) by acting as an unlicensed childcare provider and using Kansas Department of Health and Environment forms to present the appearance of being licensed. The Court found these alleged violations to be deceptive under the KCPA. As part of the ruling, the Court ordered Monica Balfour to pay $40,000.00 in civil penalties, as well as court costs and investigation fees. The court also permanently restrained Monica Balfour from providing child care services in Kansas without obtaining a license and from operating as a day care facility until all costs and fees from this judgment are paid. The District Attorney reminded consumers to "exercise care when choosing a childcare provider." The City of Wichita Child Care Licensing Department requires all providers to be licensed. In addition, the State of Kansas requires every child care facility to post its license in a conspicuous place on the premises of the business. Each license for a daycare facility must have an expiration sticker on its face stating the date of expiration of the license.The default judgment was ordered on September 5, 2024 by Judge William Woolley.

Unlicensed Kansas daycare provider will pay thousands in fines

On Friday, Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir wrote about the sentencing of the suspect in a cold case murder in Barton County.

BARTON COUNTY —On January 24, 1980, Mary Robin Walter was found murdered in her home west of the city of Great Bend in Nelson Trailer Park near the airport.

 She was 23 years of age at the time. She had been shot multiple times by an unknown assailant. A 22-caliber handgun, later confirmed to be the murder weapon, was recovered at the scene. 

The Sheriff’s Office investigated the case with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and assistance from the Great Bend Police Department. Suspects were developed and interviewed but no conclusive evidence was discovered. 

One of the suspects was identified as Steven Hanks, who was a neighbor to the Walters’ family at the time of the homicide. He was 25 years of age at the time.Over the years, dozens of law enforcement officers looked at the case to no avail. In mid-2022 I was approached by Detective Sgt. Adam Hales to reopen the case using new techniques and technology that were now available at the time of the murder.

 In all honesty, it was with some degree of skepticism that I authorized the expenditure of manpower and resources. Hales along with Lieutenant Paden, Detective Travis Doze and Detective Brian Volkel reopened the case looking at it with new eyes.

The first order of business was to consolidate the hundreds of documents accumulated over 40 years into an organized case file. Many interviews had been conducted decades apart, some documents were missing. Eventually, everything was indexed and consolidated. Under the direction of Sgt. Hales, evidence was re-examined and submitted for testing including DNA.(no DNA was found) 

Numerous interviews were conducted.Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas Bureau of investigation and the Great Bend Police Department all assisted.  Many of the witnesses as well as law enforcement officers that were originally involved in the case had died and interviews were not possible.

Eventually, by late 2022 an affidavit was presented to the District Court and an arrest warrant for Steven Hanks was issued. Hanks was arrested on December 8,2022 and charged with murder and second-degree.

The Kansas Atty. Gen.’s Office prosecuted the case represented by Associate Deputy Atty. Gen. Jessica Domme.&nbsp; On April 15, 2024, Hanks was bound over on a charge of second-degree murder in a preliminary hearing. 

By August 8, 2024, a plea agreement was reached, sentencing was scheduled for September 12, 2024. The agreement that was reached under the 1980 Kansas Statutes was for a sentence of not less than 5 years and not more than 25 years. 

At the sentencing hearing Barton County District Court Judge Hon. Steve Johnson departed upward from the plea agreement and sentenced Hanks to not less than 10 years and not more than 25 years. 

Hanks remains in the custody of the Sheriff’s Office and will be released to the Kansas Department of Corrections upon receipt of the necessary paperwork. We believe this is the oldest cold case in the State of Kansas to be solved and result in a conviction. From the date of the homicide to the sentencing was 44 years, 7 months and 19 days.

On a personal note, I was 18 years old and a senior in high school when this homicide occurred. I remember it well. By 1982 I had started with the Sheriff’s Office as a reserve deputy and have been associated with the Barton County Sheriff’s Office ever since. 

 I worked for the four Sheriff’s that preceded me and this homicide has haunted all of us.  It bothers me that many of the people who were so affected by this tragic crime have since passed away prior to bringing the suspect to justice. I consider myself fortunate that I had the resources and the diligent personnel to close this case. The credit for solving this homicide goes to the dedicated officers that had the tenacity to bring it to a conviction.The Sheriff’s Office wishes to thank the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Great Bend Police Department as well as the Office of the Kansas Atty. Gen. for their assistance.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670617705007.jpeg" alt="File photo Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir at a press conference announcing the arrest of Steven Hanks, who was charged with the 1980 murder of Mary Robin Walter." />
 <figcaption>File photo Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir at a press conference announcing the arrest of Steven Hanks, who was charged with the 1980 murder of Mary Robin Walter.</figcaption>
 </figure>On Friday, Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir wrote about the sentencing of the suspect in a cold case murder in Barton County.BARTON COUNTY —On January 24, 1980, Mary Robin Walter was found murdered in her home west of the city of Great Bend in Nelson Trailer Park near the airport.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670608379475.png" alt="Mary Robin Walter courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Mary Robin Walter courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure> She was 23 years of age at the time. She had been shot multiple times by an unknown assailant. A 22-caliber handgun, later confirmed to be the murder weapon, was recovered at the scene. The Sheriff’s Office investigated the case with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and assistance from the Great Bend Police Department. Suspects were developed and interviewed but no conclusive evidence was discovered. One of the suspects was identified as Steven Hanks, who was a neighbor to the Walters’ family at the time of the homicide. He was 25 years of age at the time.Over the years, dozens of law enforcement officers looked at the case to no avail. In mid-2022 I was approached by Detective Sgt. Adam Hales to reopen the case using new techniques and technology that were now available at the time of the murder. In all honesty, it was with some degree of skepticism that I authorized the expenditure of manpower and resources. Hales along with Lieutenant Paden, Detective Travis Doze and Detective Brian Volkel reopened the case looking at it with new eyes.The first order of business was to consolidate the hundreds of documents accumulated over 40 years into an organized case file. Many interviews had been conducted decades apart, some documents were missing. Eventually, everything was indexed and consolidated. Under the direction of Sgt. Hales, evidence was re-examined and submitted for testing including DNA.(no DNA was found) Numerous interviews were conducted.Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas Bureau of investigation and the Great Bend Police Department all assisted. Many of the witnesses as well as law enforcement officers that were originally involved in the case had died and interviews were not possible.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670609613326.jpeg" alt="Hanks photo Barton Co." />
 <figcaption>Hanks photo Barton Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Eventually, by late 2022 an affidavit was presented to the District Court and an arrest warrant for Steven Hanks was issued. Hanks was arrested on December 8,2022 and charged with murder and second-degree.The Kansas Atty. Gen.’s Office prosecuted the case represented by Associate Deputy Atty. Gen. Jessica Domme.&nbsp; On April 15, 2024, Hanks was bound over on a charge of second-degree murder in a preliminary hearing. By August 8, 2024, a plea agreement was reached, sentencing was scheduled for September 12, 2024. The agreement that was reached under the 1980 Kansas Statutes was for a sentence of not less than 5 years and not more than 25 years. At the sentencing hearing Barton County District Court Judge Hon. Steve Johnson departed upward from the plea agreement and sentenced Hanks to not less than 10 years and not more than 25 years. Hanks remains in the custody of the Sheriff’s Office and will be released to the Kansas Department of Corrections upon receipt of the necessary paperwork. We believe this is the oldest cold case in the State of Kansas to be solved and result in a conviction. From the date of the homicide to the sentencing was 44 years, 7 months and 19 days.On a personal note, I was 18 years old and a senior in high school when this homicide occurred. I remember it well. By 1982 I had started with the Sheriff’s Office as a reserve deputy and have been associated with the Barton County Sheriff’s Office ever since. I worked for the four Sheriff’s that preceded me and this homicide has haunted all of us. It bothers me that many of the people who were so affected by this tragic crime have since passed away prior to bringing the suspect to justice. I consider myself fortunate that I had the resources and the diligent personnel to close this case. The credit for solving this homicide goes to the dedicated officers that had the tenacity to bring it to a conviction.The Sheriff’s Office wishes to thank the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Great Bend Police Department as well as the Office of the Kansas Atty. Gen. for their assistance.

Kansas sheriff reports sentencing of man in 44-year-old murder case

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a fatal shooting and have identified a person of interest.

 just after 8:30p.m. Thursday, police to the 4200 block of Agnes Avenue on a reported disturbance, according to Officer Alayna Gonzalez. While officers were in route to the address, call notes were updated and indicated someone may have been shot.

First responders located a man on the front porch of a residence, unresponsive and suffering from apparent gunshot trauma. Officers immediately began to render medical aid until EMS personnel responded and transported the victim to an area hospital.&nbsp; The man was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital, according to Gonzalez.

On Friday, police reported they took a person of interest into custody for further investigation. Police released no additional details.

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a fatal shooting and have identified a person of interest. just after 8:30p.m. Thursday, police to the 4200 block of Agnes Avenue on a reported disturbance, according to Officer Alayna Gonzalez. While officers were in route to the address, call notes were updated and indicated someone may have been shot.First responders located a man on the front porch of a residence, unresponsive and suffering from apparent gunshot trauma. Officers immediately began to render medical aid until EMS personnel responded and transported the victim to an area hospital.&nbsp; The man was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital, according to Gonzalez.On Friday, police reported they took a person of interest into custody for further investigation. Police released no additional details.

KCPD: Victim dies during transport to hospital after shooting

JERUSALEM —U.S. forces continue to face threats across the Middle East almost daily and are taking action.

This week U.S. forces killed an ISIS attack cell member in a strike in Eastern Syria, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command. The individual was in the midst of planting an IED for a planned attack against Coalition and Partner Forces.

In addition, over the past week, U.S. forces have successfully destroyed 13 Iranian-back Houthi drones, 7 Houthi missile systems and 3 support vehicles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen or on the Red Sea, according to the Central Command.

On Friday,&nbsp; the U.S. Army announced the upcoming deployment of the 101st Airborne Division, Combat Aviation Brigade, 'Wings of Destiny,' will deploy to replace the 10th Mountain Division Combat Aviation Brigade.

JERUSALEM —U.S. forces continue to face threats across the Middle East almost daily and are taking action.This week U.S. forces killed an ISIS attack cell member in a strike in Eastern Syria, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command. The individual was in the midst of planting an IED for a planned attack against Coalition and Partner Forces.In addition, over the past week, U.S. forces have successfully destroyed 13 Iranian-back Houthi drones, 7 Houthi missile systems and 3 support vehicles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen or on the Red Sea, according to the Central Command.On Friday,&nbsp; the U.S. Army announced the upcoming deployment of the 101st Airborne Division, Combat Aviation Brigade, 'Wings of Destiny,' will deploy to replace the 10th Mountain Division Combat Aviation Brigade.

U.S. forces kill ISIS attack cell member during a strike in Syria

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Three people died in an accident just before 7:30p.m. Friday in Sedgwick County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Dodge Durango driven by Amanda Fleming, 48, Wichita, was eastbound in the westbound lanes of Kansas 96 one half mile south of 13th Street. 

The SUV collided head-on with a westbound 2019 Ram 1500 driven by Randall&nbsp;Henrickson, 31, Rose Hill.&nbsp; The impact caused the pickup to spin around and strike a 2011 Dodge Ram 2500 driven by Charles Robert&nbsp;Loges, 67, McPherson.&nbsp; The Ram 1500 was&nbsp;engulfed in flames and came to rest on the north shoulder of K96 on its wheels. 

The impact from rhe Ram 1500 into Ram 2500 caused the trailer to be torn off the hitch and the Ram 2500 skidded across the median and came to rest on eastbound K96 facing east. The trailer came to rest on its side in the north ditch.

Fleming, Henrickson and a passenger in the Ram 1500 pickup identified as Eli&nbsp;Henrickson, 11, Rose Hill, were pronounced dead at the scene and were transported to the Forensic Science Center. 

Loges and two passengers in the Ram 2500 were not transported for treatment. All six involved in the crash were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1726274988997.png" alt="View of the crash scene -image from KanDrive" />
 <figcaption>View of the crash scene -image from KanDrive</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Three people died in an accident just before 7:30p.m. Friday in Sedgwick County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Dodge Durango driven by Amanda Fleming, 48, Wichita, was eastbound in the westbound lanes of Kansas 96 one half mile south of 13th Street. The SUV collided head-on with a westbound 2019 Ram 1500 driven by Randall&nbsp;Henrickson, 31, Rose Hill.&nbsp; The impact caused the pickup to spin around and strike a 2011 Dodge Ram 2500 driven by Charles Robert&nbsp;Loges, 67, McPherson.&nbsp; The Ram 1500 was&nbsp;engulfed in flames and came to rest on the north shoulder of K96 on its wheels. The impact from rhe Ram 1500 into Ram 2500 caused the trailer to be torn off the hitch and the Ram 2500 skidded across the median and came to rest on eastbound K96 facing east. The trailer came to rest on its side in the north ditch.Fleming, Henrickson and a passenger in the Ram 1500 pickup identified as Eli&nbsp;Henrickson, 11, Rose Hill, were pronounced dead at the scene and were transported to the Forensic Science Center. Loges and two passengers in the Ram 2500 were not transported for treatment. All six involved in the crash were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

2 adults, 11-year-old dead after 3-vehicle Kansas crash

JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on drug allegations.

Just after 2:30p.m. September 9, 2024, around 2:30 p.m., a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 75 and 110 Road,&nbsp;on a maroon Pontiac Grand Prix displaying a Kansas Tag which returned to a Ford &nbsp;F150 pickup truck, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

 During the traffic stop, a Jackson County Sheriff’s K-9 alerted to the odor of illegal narcotics inside the vehicle.&nbsp; The driver, Craig Anthony Newton, 53, of Axtell, and the passenger, Shelly Jo Artzer, 53, of Topeka, were arrested.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725995718532.png" alt="Newton photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Newton photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating two suspects on drug allegations.Just after 2:30p.m. September 9, 2024, around 2:30 p.m., a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 75 and 110 Road,&nbsp;on a maroon Pontiac Grand Prix displaying a Kansas Tag which returned to a Ford &nbsp;F150 pickup truck, according to Sheriff Tim Morse. During the traffic stop, a Jackson County Sheriff’s K-9 alerted to the odor of illegal narcotics inside the vehicle.&nbsp; The driver, Craig Anthony Newton, 53, of Axtell, and the passenger, Shelly Jo Artzer, 53, of Topeka, were arrested.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725995680394.png" alt="Artzer photo Jackson" />
 <figcaption>Artzer photo Jackson</figcaption>
 </figure>Newton is being held on requested charges that include Distribution of methamphetamine, Possession of a hallucinogenic drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, Display tag not assigned to vehicle and Failure to provide proof of vehicle insurance.Artzer was arrested on requested charges that include, Distribution of methamphetamine, Possession of a hallucinogenic drug and Possession of drug paraphernalia.