BUTLER COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects in connection to a Kansas Amber Alert for a missing&nbsp; 5-year-old boy on Thursday in Butler County.&nbsp;

At 2:40p.m. Thursday, a woman later identified as 31-year-old Danielle Banzet entered a school day care in Rose Hill, Kansas posing as a Social Worker, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The woman gained access to 5-year-old Brixton Sisk, exited the school, entered a black Suburban with a paper-30 day tag and departed the location.

Banzet was ultimately identified as the boy's mother who had her parental rights severed by the court. Actions taken by Banzet prior to the abduction, including threats of violence, indicated that Brixton was in imminent danger and the KBI issued an Amber Alert.

Just after 6:45p.m. Thursday, the KBI reported Banzet, a male counterpart later identified as the boy's father 33-year-old Zachery Sisk and the boy&nbsp; switched vehicles to a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta, with a Kansas license and may be fleeing the immediate area.  The KBI reported just before 9:30p.m. authorities found the Jetta abandoned in rural Cowley County.

A short time later, the Oklahoma Highway found the suspects and the boy in Noble County, Oklahoma. Troopers took the adults into custody and the KBI reported the boy was safe.

Banzed and Sisk remain jailed in Oklahoma on requested charges kidnapping, felon in possession of a firearm, transporting a loaded firearm, using a firearm while committing a felony, possession of a controlled substance and related drug accusations.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653080262660.png" alt="Banzet-photo Noble Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Banzet-photo Noble Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>BUTLER COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects in connection to a Kansas Amber Alert for a missing&nbsp; 5-year-old boy on Thursday in Butler County.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653071579508.png" alt="Sisk-photo Noble County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Sisk-photo Noble County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>At 2:40p.m. Thursday, a woman later identified as 31-year-old Danielle Banzet entered a school day care in Rose Hill, Kansas posing as a Social Worker, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. The woman gained access to 5-year-old Brixton Sisk, exited the school, entered a black Suburban with a paper-30 day tag and departed the location.Banzet was ultimately identified as the boy's mother who had her parental rights severed by the court. Actions taken by Banzet prior to the abduction, including threats of violence, indicated that Brixton was in imminent danger and the KBI issued an Amber Alert.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653005713044.png" alt="Photo KBI" />
 <figcaption>Photo KBI</figcaption>
 </figure>Just after 6:45p.m. Thursday, the KBI reported Banzet, a male counterpart later identified as the boy's father 33-year-old Zachery Sisk and the boy&nbsp; switched vehicles to a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta, with a Kansas license and may be fleeing the immediate area. The KBI reported just before 9:30p.m. authorities found the Jetta abandoned in rural Cowley County.A short time later, the Oklahoma Highway found the suspects and the boy in Noble County, Oklahoma. Troopers took the adults into custody and the KBI reported the boy was safe.Banzed and Sisk remain jailed in Oklahoma on requested charges kidnapping, felon in possession of a firearm, transporting a loaded firearm, using a firearm while committing a felony, possession of a controlled substance and related drug accusations.

Kan. Amber Alert suspects jailed on drug, kidnapping charges

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate approved a bill Thursday aimed at easing the baby formula shortage for families participating in a government assistance program that accounts for about half of all formula purchased in the United States.

The House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-government-and-politics-df586c2e52b5e5865ea9f8091d4d1f80">passed the bill</a>&nbsp;the day before, so it now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

Participants in a program known as WIC get vouchers that are redeemed for specific foods to supplement their diets. The vouchers usually can only be used to purchase one brand of infant formula, which encourages the manufacturer to offer big discounts to secure a state’s business.

The bill makes it possible in extenuating circumstances for the Department of Agriculture to waive certain requirements so that WIC participants can purchase whatever brand is available.

“Now, millions of parents will have an easier time finding the baby formula that they need,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the bill was passed.

Also Thursday, the Biden administration said the Defense Department is working to book commercial aircraft to fly about 246 pallets of Nestlé formula from Zurich, Switzerland, to Plainfield, Indiana.

The shipments will include the equivalent of up to 1.5 million 8-ounce bottles of three formulas — Alfamino Infant, Alfamino Junio, and Gerber Good Start Extensive HA, all hypoallergenic formulas for children with cow’s milk protein allergy. The White House said these are a priority because they serve a critical medical purpose and are in short supply.

Lawmakers are also considering boosting staffing at the Food and Drug Administration with a $28 million emergency spending bill. That legislation also passed the House this week, but faces uncertain prospects in the Senate.

The baby formula shortage was caused by the safety-related closure of the country’s largest formula manufacturing plant. The head of the FDA&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-politics-science-e4aef87dfb74039f1612ca5279e85227">told lawmakers</a>&nbsp;Thursday that the factory could be up and running as soon as next week.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648164055231.png" alt="In February Abbott, one of the country’s largest infant formula makers announced a recall of Similac-FDA image" />
 <figcaption>In February Abbott, one of the country’s largest infant formula makers announced a recall of Similac-FDA image</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate approved a bill Thursday aimed at easing the baby formula shortage for families participating in a government assistance program that accounts for about half of all formula purchased in the United States.The House&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-health-government-and-politics-df586c2e52b5e5865ea9f8091d4d1f80">passed the bill</a>&nbsp;the day before, so it now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.Participants in a program known as WIC get vouchers that are redeemed for specific foods to supplement their diets. The vouchers usually can only be used to purchase one brand of infant formula, which encourages the manufacturer to offer big discounts to secure a state’s business.The bill makes it possible in extenuating circumstances for the Department of Agriculture to waive certain requirements so that WIC participants can purchase whatever brand is available.“Now, millions of parents will have an easier time finding the baby formula that they need,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after the bill was passed.Also Thursday, the Biden administration said the Defense Department is working to book commercial aircraft to fly about 246 pallets of Nestlé formula from Zurich, Switzerland, to Plainfield, Indiana.The shipments will include the equivalent of up to 1.5 million 8-ounce bottles of three formulas — Alfamino Infant, Alfamino Junio, and Gerber Good Start Extensive HA, all hypoallergenic formulas for children with cow’s milk protein allergy. The White House said these are a priority because they serve a critical medical purpose and are in short supply.Lawmakers are also considering boosting staffing at the Food and Drug Administration with a $28 million emergency spending bill. That legislation also passed the House this week, but faces uncertain prospects in the Senate.The baby formula shortage was caused by the safety-related closure of the country’s largest formula manufacturing plant. The head of the FDA&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-politics-science-e4aef87dfb74039f1612ca5279e85227">told lawmakers</a>&nbsp;Thursday that the factory could be up and running as soon as next week.

New WIC rules make it easier for families to get  baby formula 

By ROKESHIA RENNE ASHLEY <a href="https://theconversation.com/after-initial-silence-the-biden-administration-is-making-moves-to-free-wnba-star-brittney-griner-from-russian-detention-181821">The Conversation</a>

A week before Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/04/26/1094763019/investigating-the-timing-and-implications-of-brittney-griners-arrest-in-russia">Russian authorities arrested</a> American basketball star <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60701050">Brittney Griner</a> at the Moscow airport. She was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-entertainment-sports-moscow-brittney-griner-7b2cfe5f9726c8620251e85ad5aa6bc9">charged with drug smuggling</a> after Russian officials allegedly found vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis in her luggage.

Since <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4dmJ6BjFCg">her arrest</a> on Feb. 17, Griner has been <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/brittney-griner-to-face-trial-on-drug-charges-in-russia-in-mid-june-140067397962">locked up in a Russian prison</a>.
 It’s a stark contrast to her life as a millionaire athlete playing in 
professional basketball leagues in both the United States and, for the 
last seven years, Russia, where she <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/04/14/1092677483/brittney-griner-russia-detention-wnba-nba-pay-gap">earns nearly four times</a> as much as her nearly US$282,000 annual WNBA salary.

Speculation on the reason for Griner’s arrest centers on Russian 
President Vladimir Putin’s alleged desire to use the American star as <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/brittney-griner-russia-wnba-inequality/627048/">a geopolitical pawn</a>
 at a time when U.S.-Russian relations were at their lowest point since 
the Cold War. And then the Russian invasion of Ukraine occurred, and 
U.S.-Russian relations have become worse.

Another American, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/27/politics/paul-whelan-left-behind-statement/index.html">Paul Whelan</a>, who is white, remains in Russian detention after more than two years since his 2020 conviction on espionage charges.

Though U.S.-Russia relations have gotten worse since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-united-states-prisoner-exchange-8fd1e58e690350019c7aab55af41bbbf">unexpected release</a> of <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/27/politics/trevor-reed-russia/index.html">Trevor Reed</a> on April 28, 2022, was a positive sign for Griner’s supporters.

A former U.S. Marine, Reed was held for the last three years in 
Russia on charges stemming from an alleged fight with a Russian police 
officer. He was exchanged for <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/tag/konstantin-yaroshenko">Konstantin Yaroshenko</a>, a Russian pilot serving a 20-year federal sentence for conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the United States.

<a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/russias-asking-price-for-brittney-griner-may-be-notorious-arms-trafficker-004449470.html">Such an exchange</a> may be in the works with Griner.

After nearly three months of silence on Griner, the Biden administration on May 3 <a href="https://www.insider.com/brittney-griner-russia-what-status-change-wrongfully-detained-means-2022-5">declared that Griner</a>
 had been “wrongfully detained” and, as such, the U.S. government would 
work more aggressively to secure her release even while the Russian 
legal case against Griner proceeds.

As a <a href="https://scholars.fiu.edu/display/person-ashley-rokeshia">scholar of Black women’s bodies</a>, one of my primary concerns for Griner is whether her <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/international/597890-anxiety-about-out-brittney-griners-freedom-mounts-amid-russia-ukraine?rl=1">identity as a gay Black woman</a> makes her a good or bad pawn.

Historically and even now, Black women have been represented as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10894160902876705">less than normal</a>
by white feminine standards, making the value <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10894160902876705">of Black gay women</a> even less. And given the lack of media attention focused on the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/24/1040048967/missing-black-women-girls-left-out-media-ignored">disappearance of Black girls and women</a> – estimated in the U.S. to total <a href="https://time.com/6159565/missing-black-girls-relisha-rudd/">90,000 in 2021</a> – it appeared that Griner’s case would never achieve the publicity that is emerging now.

Started in May 2022 on change.org, a <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/free-brittney-griner-petition-nears-150k-signatures-1707742">petition drive calling</a> for Griner’s release has nearly reached its <a href="https://www.change.org/p/secure-brittney-griner-s-swift-and-safe-return-to-the-u-s">goal of 150,000 signatures</a>.

In addition, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he is working “side by
 side” with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert on bringing Griner home.

“We’ve been in touch with the White House, the State Department, 
hostage negotiators, every level of government and also through the 
private sector as well,” Silver said during <a href="https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/33935229/commissioner-adam-silver-says-nba-working-wnba-brittney-griner-release-russia">an interview on ESPN</a>. “Our No. 1 priority is her health and safety and making sure that she gets out of Russia.”

The Griner case <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10825811/U-S-diplomat-spoke-wife-detained-basketball-player-Brittney-Griner.html">gained more attention</a> when <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/richardson-helping-free-wnba-star-brittney-griner-detention/story?id=84518602">Bill Richardson</a>, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, joined the team of negotiators.

Richardson has worked privately for years as an international hostage negotiator and helped secure <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/morninginamerica/trevor-reed-back-in-u-s-after-prisoner-swap-with-russia/">the release of Reed</a>.

At 6 feet, 8 inches tall, Griner, 31, stands out in a crowd. In her book, “<a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/in-my-skin-brittney-grinersue-hovey?variant=32208120512546">In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court</a>,”
 Griner details her life as a extremely tall Black woman wearing size 17
 men’s shoes and whose outstretched arms measure 88 inches from 
fingertip to fingertip.

She also wrote about the stigma she endured as a gay woman. 

During her time at Baylor University, the private Christian university <a href="https://people.com/sports/wnbas-brittney-griner-on-being-a-gay-athlete-i-felt-like-half-of-me-wasnt-accepted/">banned homosexual behavior</a>.

“It was hard,” Griner <a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-xpm-2013-apr-18-la-sp-sn-brittney-griner-acknowledges-shes-gay-20130418-story.html">said in an interview</a>. “Just being picked on for being different, just being bigger, my sexuality, everything.”

“I overcame it and got over it,” she continued. “Definitely something
 that I am very passionate about. I want to work with kids and bring 
recognition to the problem, especially with the LGBT community.”

Since those early days in college, Griner has become a leading <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/in-my-skin-brittney-grinersue-hovey?variant=32208120512546">advocate for the LGBT community</a>, publicly speaking about gender, body image, self-esteem and sexuality.

It didn’t hurt that Griner is considered one of the world’s best women’s basketball players.

Her resume includes an NCAA championship in 2012 with Baylor, a 2014 
WNBA championship with the Phoenix Mercury, two Olympic gold medals for 
the U.S., three Russia Women’s Basketball Premier League championships 
and four EuroLeague championships.

In her seventh season in Russia, Griner’s last game with the Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg was on <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/brittany-griner-arrest-geopolitical-nightmare-perfect-storm">Jan. 29</a>, nearly three weeks before her arrest.

Part of <a href="https://time.com/6158334/brittney-griner-russia-arrest-help/">the initial silence</a> in the Griner case was the reluctance among U.S. State Department officials to publicly discuss it.

The so-called strategic silence by the Biden Administration has also 
played out among Griner’s supporters, including Engelbert, the WNBA 
commissioner, who said <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/absolutely-unimaginable-situation-wnba-commissioner-110030427.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall">they heeded advice</a> to remain low key.

<a href="https://thehill.com/policy/international/597890-anxiety-about-out-brittney-griners-freedom-mounts-amid-russia-ukraine?rl=1">U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee</a>, a Democrat representing Griner’s home state of Texas, was one of the few who wasn’t silent and <a href="https://people.com/sports/brittney-griner-texas-congresswoman-demands-russia-release-wnba-star-arrest/">demanded her release</a>.

“Under the circumstances,” <a href="https://people.com/sports/brittney-griner-texas-congresswoman-demands-russia-release-wnba-star-arrest/">Lee said on March 3,</a>,
 “I’m obviously concerned and believe the actions of the Russian Federal
 Customs officers was unnecessary. And it was, in my perspective, 
targeted and purposeful.”

Meanwhile, at a brief hearing on May 13, 2022, a handcuffed Griner <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/brittney-griner-held-russia-another-194807858.html">appeared in Russian court</a>
 wearing an orange hoodie with her face down. Her detention was extended
 another month before a trial. She faces up to 10 years if found guilty.

Her attorney, Alexander Boykov, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-moscow-hearing-live-updates-0ff42a2ceab60724f86f6c7e7f81313a">told the Associated Press</a> that Griner did not express “any complaints about the detention conditions” during the hearing.

In an earlier statement, Ned Price, a spokesperson for the State Department, said that Griner <a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2022/03/23/brittney-griner-russia-arrest-met-us-state-department-official-update-good-condition">received a consular visit</a> on March 23 and was in “good condition” and “doing as well as can be expected under these very difficult circumstances.”

Nonetheless, there remains uncertainty on how hard the U.S. will 
fight for a high-profile gay Black woman at a time of deteriorating 
relations with Russia.  

In my view, the U.S. government has ignored Black women, LGBTQ people
 and those who exist at the intersections for a long time, but the U.S. 
will acknowledge and address situations where citizens are white, male 
and not public figures. 

The U.S. must now decide how to protect a citizen who is none of the above. 

Prominent sports writer <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/brittney-griner-russia-wnba-inequality/627048/">Jemele Hill</a>
 suggested at this point in U.S.-Russian relations that it would be 
ironic if Griner’s work in Russia gave her the benefit of the doubt in 
Russian court.

“If Griner has even a modest amount of leverage in Russia,” Hill 
writes, “it’s because she has had an extraordinary career with 
Ekaterinburg.”

Ironic or not, one thing is clear: U.S. public support for her 
release is finally gaining momentum and is symbolized by the WNBA’s 
decision in May 2022 <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/report-wnba-teams-to-honor-brittney-griner-with-floor-decal-this-season-phoenix-mercury-russia-arrest-232132143.html">to place a floor decal</a> of Griner’s initials and No. 42, her uniform number, on the home court sideline of all 12 of its teams.

While this is a good show of support, will the U.S. help Brittney Griner the way its helped Trevor Reed?

Rokeshia Renné Ashley is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Florida International University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646510097872.png" alt="The 31-year-old Griner, one of the most recognizable players in women’s basketball, has won two Olympic gold medals with the U.S., a WNBA championship with the Phoenix Mercury and a national championship at Baylor. She is a seven-time All-Star and three-time Big 12 Player of the year at Baylor-photo courtesy Phoenix Mercury" />
 <figcaption>The 31-year-old Griner, one of the most recognizable players in women’s basketball, has won two Olympic gold medals with the U.S., a WNBA championship with the Phoenix Mercury and a national championship at Baylor. She is a seven-time All-Star and three-time Big 12 Player of the year at Baylor-photo courtesy Phoenix Mercury</figcaption>
 </figure>By ROKESHIA RENNE ASHLEY <a href="https://theconversation.com/after-initial-silence-the-biden-administration-is-making-moves-to-free-wnba-star-brittney-griner-from-russian-detention-181821">The Conversation</a>A week before Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/04/26/1094763019/investigating-the-timing-and-implications-of-brittney-griners-arrest-in-russia">Russian authorities arrested</a> American basketball star <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60701050">Brittney Griner</a> at the Moscow airport. She was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-entertainment-sports-moscow-brittney-griner-7b2cfe5f9726c8620251e85ad5aa6bc9">charged with drug smuggling</a> after Russian officials allegedly found vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis in her luggage.Since <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4dmJ6BjFCg">her arrest</a> on Feb. 17, Griner has been <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/watch/brittney-griner-to-face-trial-on-drug-charges-in-russia-in-mid-june-140067397962">locked up in a Russian prison</a>.
 It’s a stark contrast to her life as a millionaire athlete playing in 
professional basketball leagues in both the United States and, for the 
last seven years, Russia, where she <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/04/14/1092677483/brittney-griner-russia-detention-wnba-nba-pay-gap">earns nearly four times</a> as much as her nearly US$282,000 annual WNBA salary. Speculation on the reason for Griner’s arrest centers on Russian 
President Vladimir Putin’s alleged desire to use the American star as <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/brittney-griner-russia-wnba-inequality/627048/">a geopolitical pawn</a>
 at a time when U.S.-Russian relations were at their lowest point since 
the Cold War. And then the Russian invasion of Ukraine occurred, and 
U.S.-Russian relations have become worse. Another American, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/27/politics/paul-whelan-left-behind-statement/index.html">Paul Whelan</a>, who is white, remains in Russian detention after more than two years since his 2020 conviction on espionage charges. Though U.S.-Russia relations have gotten worse since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-united-states-prisoner-exchange-8fd1e58e690350019c7aab55af41bbbf">unexpected release</a> of <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/04/27/politics/trevor-reed-russia/index.html">Trevor Reed</a> on April 28, 2022, was a positive sign for Griner’s supporters. A former U.S. Marine, Reed was held for the last three years in 
Russia on charges stemming from an alleged fight with a Russian police 
officer. He was exchanged for <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/tag/konstantin-yaroshenko">Konstantin Yaroshenko</a>, a Russian pilot serving a 20-year federal sentence for conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the United States.<a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/russias-asking-price-for-brittney-griner-may-be-notorious-arms-trafficker-004449470.html">Such an exchange</a> may be in the works with Griner. After nearly three months of silence on Griner, the Biden administration on May 3 <a href="https://www.insider.com/brittney-griner-russia-what-status-change-wrongfully-detained-means-2022-5">declared that Griner</a>
 had been “wrongfully detained” and, as such, the U.S. government would 
work more aggressively to secure her release even while the Russian 
legal case against Griner proceeds. <h2>Missing Black women</h2>As a <a href="https://scholars.fiu.edu/display/person-ashley-rokeshia">scholar of Black women’s bodies</a>, one of my primary concerns for Griner is whether her <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/international/597890-anxiety-about-out-brittney-griners-freedom-mounts-amid-russia-ukraine?rl=1">identity as a gay Black woman</a> makes her a good or bad pawn. Historically and even now, Black women have been represented as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10894160902876705">less than normal</a>
by white feminine standards, making the value <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10894160902876705">of Black gay women</a> even less. And given the lack of media attention focused on the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/09/24/1040048967/missing-black-women-girls-left-out-media-ignored">disappearance of Black girls and women</a> – estimated in the U.S. to total <a href="https://time.com/6159565/missing-black-girls-relisha-rudd/">90,000 in 2021</a> – it appeared that Griner’s case would never achieve the publicity that is emerging now. Started in May 2022 on change.org, a <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/free-brittney-griner-petition-nears-150k-signatures-1707742">petition drive calling</a> for Griner’s release has nearly reached its <a href="https://www.change.org/p/secure-brittney-griner-s-swift-and-safe-return-to-the-u-s">goal of 150,000 signatures</a>. In addition, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he is working “side by
 side” with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert on bringing Griner home.“We’ve been in touch with the White House, the State Department, 
hostage negotiators, every level of government and also through the 
private sector as well,” Silver said during <a href="https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/33935229/commissioner-adam-silver-says-nba-working-wnba-brittney-griner-release-russia">an interview on ESPN</a>. “Our No. 1 priority is her health and safety and making sure that she gets out of Russia.”The Griner case <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10825811/U-S-diplomat-spoke-wife-detained-basketball-player-Brittney-Griner.html">gained more attention</a> when <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/richardson-helping-free-wnba-star-brittney-griner-detention/story?id=84518602">Bill Richardson</a>, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, joined the team of negotiators. Richardson has worked privately for years as an international hostage negotiator and helped secure <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/morninginamerica/trevor-reed-back-in-u-s-after-prisoner-swap-with-russia/">the release of Reed</a>.<h2>An international star</h2>At 6 feet, 8 inches tall, Griner, 31, stands out in a crowd. In her book, “<a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/in-my-skin-brittney-grinersue-hovey?variant=32208120512546">In My Skin: My Life On and Off the Basketball Court</a>,”
 Griner details her life as a extremely tall Black woman wearing size 17
 men’s shoes and whose outstretched arms measure 88 inches from 
fingertip to fingertip. She also wrote about the stigma she endured as a gay woman. During her time at Baylor University, the private Christian university <a href="https://people.com/sports/wnbas-brittney-griner-on-being-a-gay-athlete-i-felt-like-half-of-me-wasnt-accepted/">banned homosexual behavior</a>. “It was hard,” Griner <a href="https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-xpm-2013-apr-18-la-sp-sn-brittney-griner-acknowledges-shes-gay-20130418-story.html">said in an interview</a>. “Just being picked on for being different, just being bigger, my sexuality, everything.”“I overcame it and got over it,” she continued. “Definitely something
 that I am very passionate about. I want to work with kids and bring 
recognition to the problem, especially with the LGBT community.”Since those early days in college, Griner has become a leading <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/in-my-skin-brittney-grinersue-hovey?variant=32208120512546">advocate for the LGBT community</a>, publicly speaking about gender, body image, self-esteem and sexuality. It didn’t hurt that Griner is considered one of the world’s best women’s basketball players.Her resume includes an NCAA championship in 2012 with Baylor, a 2014 
WNBA championship with the Phoenix Mercury, two Olympic gold medals for 
the U.S., three Russia Women’s Basketball Premier League championships 
and four EuroLeague championships.In her seventh season in Russia, Griner’s last game with the Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg was on <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/sports/brittany-griner-arrest-geopolitical-nightmare-perfect-storm">Jan. 29</a>, nearly three weeks before her arrest. <h2>Breaking the silence</h2>Part of <a href="https://time.com/6158334/brittney-griner-russia-arrest-help/">the initial silence</a> in the Griner case was the reluctance among U.S. State Department officials to publicly discuss it. The so-called strategic silence by the Biden Administration has also 
played out among Griner’s supporters, including Engelbert, the WNBA 
commissioner, who said <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/absolutely-unimaginable-situation-wnba-commissioner-110030427.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall">they heeded advice</a> to remain low key. <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/international/597890-anxiety-about-out-brittney-griners-freedom-mounts-amid-russia-ukraine?rl=1">U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee</a>, a Democrat representing Griner’s home state of Texas, was one of the few who wasn’t silent and <a href="https://people.com/sports/brittney-griner-texas-congresswoman-demands-russia-release-wnba-star-arrest/">demanded her release</a>. “Under the circumstances,” <a href="https://people.com/sports/brittney-griner-texas-congresswoman-demands-russia-release-wnba-star-arrest/">Lee said on March 3,</a>,
 “I’m obviously concerned and believe the actions of the Russian Federal
 Customs officers was unnecessary. And it was, in my perspective, 
targeted and purposeful.”Meanwhile, at a brief hearing on May 13, 2022, a handcuffed Griner <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/brittney-griner-held-russia-another-194807858.html">appeared in Russian court</a>
 wearing an orange hoodie with her face down. Her detention was extended
 another month before a trial. She faces up to 10 years if found guilty.Her attorney, Alexander Boykov, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-moscow-hearing-live-updates-0ff42a2ceab60724f86f6c7e7f81313a">told the Associated Press</a> that Griner did not express “any complaints about the detention conditions” during the hearing.In an earlier statement, Ned Price, a spokesperson for the State Department, said that Griner <a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2022/03/23/brittney-griner-russia-arrest-met-us-state-department-official-update-good-condition">received a consular visit</a> on March 23 and was in “good condition” and “doing as well as can be expected under these very difficult circumstances.”Nonetheless, there remains uncertainty on how hard the U.S. will 
fight for a high-profile gay Black woman at a time of deteriorating 
relations with Russia. In my view, the U.S. government has ignored Black women, LGBTQ people
 and those who exist at the intersections for a long time, but the U.S. 
will acknowledge and address situations where citizens are white, male 
and not public figures. The U.S. must now decide how to protect a citizen who is none of the above. Prominent sports writer <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/brittney-griner-russia-wnba-inequality/627048/">Jemele Hill</a>
 suggested at this point in U.S.-Russian relations that it would be 
ironic if Griner’s work in Russia gave her the benefit of the doubt in 
Russian court. “If Griner has even a modest amount of leverage in Russia,” Hill 
writes, “it’s because she has had an extraordinary career with 
Ekaterinburg.”Ironic or not, one thing is clear: U.S. public support for her 
release is finally gaining momentum and is symbolized by the WNBA’s 
decision in May 2022 <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/report-wnba-teams-to-honor-brittney-griner-with-floor-decal-this-season-phoenix-mercury-russia-arrest-232132143.html">to place a floor decal</a> of Griner’s initials and No. 42, her uniform number, on the home court sideline of all 12 of its teams.While this is a good show of support, will the U.S. help Brittney Griner the way its helped Trevor Reed?Rokeshia Renné Ashley is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Florida International University.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/181821/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1"></iframe></div>

U.S. making moves to free former Big 12 star from Russian detention

HUTCHINSON—Renewable energy firm Siemens Gamesa will be shutting down its Hutchinson nacelle facility indefinitely to address what it says are continued challenges in production demand for the U.S. onshore wind energy market, according to a media release.

The plant will shut down at the end of the month and the stoppage will run through July 31. The shutdown also affects the Ft. Madison, Iowa blade facility.&nbsp; In February the firm reported layoffs involving 69 employees in Hutchinson and 121 in Iowa. 

Employees at both facilities will be released from employment during this time. All affected employees will be provided with a comprehensive separation package, which includes severance pay, benefits continuation, career counseling, resume preparation and job placement assistance. The closing affects 92 workers at the Hutchinson plant.

“The hibernation of our manufacturing and assembly facilities is an unfortunate but necessary&nbsp; measure to address the current challenges in the U.S. onshore wind market,” Shannon Sturgil, CEO of Onshore North America said. “We continue to pursue new orders and remain fully&nbsp; committed to finding a path in support of our Fort Madison and Hutchinson manufacturing facilities.”&nbsp;

Siemens Gamesa faced a patent challenge against features of its onshore wind turbines in 2021 brought by a competitor. While the International Trade Commission ultimately ruled in favor of Siemens Gamesa, the company was unable to pursue orders during that period. Since then, the&nbsp; U.S. wind market for onshore has slowed in anticipation of new climate legislation and the accompanying renewable energy incentives. Combined with long lead times on wind energy&nbsp; projects, these factors have resulted in a “production gap” in 2022.

“Our employees have remained professional and committed throughout this challenging time in&nbsp; the U.S. onshore wind market, and I want to thank them for their dedication,”Sturgil said. “The hibernation of the two facilities in no way reflects the excellent work done by the teams at those locations. We explored many options to address the current shortfall, and ultimately found the hibernation plan to be the most viable option for the long-term success of our manufacturing and assembly plants in the United States.”&nbsp;

The hibernation of the two facilities will have no impact on Siemens Gamesa’s delivery of current onshore contracts, and is entirely unrelated to the company’s offshore wind business, including further development of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind commercial project agreements.&nbsp;

Since the facility opened in 2010, workers at Siemens Gamesa’s plant in Hutchinson have produced approximately 5,500 nacelles, which sit atop the wind tower, supporting the rotor and housing components for electric power generation.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607017503991.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON—Renewable energy firm Siemens Gamesa will be shutting down its Hutchinson nacelle facility indefinitely to address what it says are continued challenges in production demand for the U.S. onshore wind energy market, according to a media release.The plant will shut down at the end of the month and the stoppage will run through July 31. The shutdown also affects the Ft. Madison, Iowa blade facility.&nbsp; In February the firm reported layoffs involving 69 employees in Hutchinson and 121 in Iowa. Employees at both facilities will be released from employment during this time. All affected employees will be provided with a comprehensive separation package, which includes severance pay, benefits continuation, career counseling, resume preparation and job placement assistance. The closing affects 92 workers at the Hutchinson plant.“The hibernation of our manufacturing and assembly facilities is an unfortunate but necessary&nbsp; measure to address the current challenges in the U.S. onshore wind market,” Shannon Sturgil, CEO of Onshore North America said. “We continue to pursue new orders and remain fully&nbsp; committed to finding a path in support of our Fort Madison and Hutchinson manufacturing facilities.”&nbsp;Siemens Gamesa faced a patent challenge against features of its onshore wind turbines in 2021 brought by a competitor. While the International Trade Commission ultimately ruled in favor of Siemens Gamesa, the company was unable to pursue orders during that period. Since then, the&nbsp; U.S. wind market for onshore has slowed in anticipation of new climate legislation and the accompanying renewable energy incentives. Combined with long lead times on wind energy&nbsp; projects, these factors have resulted in a “production gap” in 2022.“Our employees have remained professional and committed throughout this challenging time in&nbsp; the U.S. onshore wind market, and I want to thank them for their dedication,”Sturgil said. “The hibernation of the two facilities in no way reflects the excellent work done by the teams at those locations. We explored many options to address the current shortfall, and ultimately found the hibernation plan to be the most viable option for the long-term success of our manufacturing and assembly plants in the United States.”&nbsp;The hibernation of the two facilities will have no impact on Siemens Gamesa’s delivery of current onshore contracts, and is entirely unrelated to the company’s offshore wind business, including further development of the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind commercial project agreements.&nbsp;Since the facility opened in 2010, workers at Siemens Gamesa’s plant in Hutchinson have produced approximately 5,500 nacelles, which sit atop the wind tower, supporting the rotor and housing components for electric power generation.&nbsp;

Renewable energy firm to close Kansas plant indefinitely

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Health reported&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;1900 new coronavirus cases in Kansas from Friday, May 13, to Wednesday May 18, for a total of 782,802 cases.

The state reported 82 additional COVID-19 deaths in the past week for a total of 8,802.

<a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.

Kansas is providing fewer updates of its data about COVID-19 now that Gov. Laura Kelly formally declared that the state is moving toward treating COVID-19 as a disease like the flu that spreads regularly and isn't considered a pandemic.&nbsp;The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.

The state continue to support access to free COVID-19 testing, work to ensure that vulnerable populations can get vaccinated, see that providers serve a broad population and give “comprehensive guidance” about the virus. She called the new phase “endemic normalcy.”

The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Health reported&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;1900 new coronavirus cases in Kansas from Friday, May 13, to Wednesday May 18, for a total of 782,802 cases.The state reported 82 additional COVID-19 deaths in the past week for a total of 8,802.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653063668720.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.Kansas is providing fewer updates of its data about COVID-19 now that Gov. Laura Kelly formally declared that the state is moving toward treating COVID-19 as a disease like the flu that spreads regularly and isn't considered a pandemic.&nbsp;The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.The state continue to support access to free COVID-19 testing, work to ensure that vulnerable populations can get vaccinated, see that providers serve a broad population and give “comprehensive guidance” about the virus. She called the new phase “endemic normalcy.”The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.

KDHE reports 82 additional COVID-19 deaths 

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal hit and run have made a second arrest.

Just before 3:30 a.m., Sunday, police responded to a report of a motorcycle vs passenger vehicle at SE 6th Street and SE Chandler Street in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Jerry Monasmith.

Officers arrived on scene and found one victim identified as 53-year-old Sam Rice in the roadway. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.

On Thursday police arrested 19-year-old Michael Flores-Herrera of Topeka, on requested charges of Murder in the 1st Degree, Aggravated Assault, and Aggravated Child Endangerment.

Police previously arrested 23-year-old&nbsp;Geovany Arellano of Topeka, on requested charges of&nbsp;Murder in the 1st Degree, Aggravated Assault and&nbsp;Reckless Driving, according to Monasmith.&nbsp;&nbsp;

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal hit and run have made an arrest.

Just before 3:30 a.m., Sunday, responded to a report of a motorcycle vs passenger vehicle at SE 6th Street and SE Chandler Street in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Jerry Monasmith.

Officers arrived on scene and found one victim in the roadway. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Following an investigation by the Topeka Police Department Accident Reconstruction Team, police arrested 23-year-old&nbsp;Geovany Arellano of Topeka, on requested charges of&nbsp;Murder in the 1st Degree, Aggravated Assault and&nbsp;Reckless Driving, according to Monasmith.&nbsp; Police have not released the victim's name.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653043670089.png" alt=" Flores-Herrera" />
 <figcaption> Flores-Herrera</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal hit and run have made a second arrest.Just before 3:30 a.m., Sunday, police responded to a report of a motorcycle vs passenger vehicle at SE 6th Street and SE Chandler Street in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Jerry Monasmith.Officers arrived on scene and found one victim identified as 53-year-old Sam Rice in the roadway. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.On Thursday police arrested 19-year-old Michael Flores-Herrera of Topeka, on requested charges of Murder in the 1st Degree, Aggravated Assault, and Aggravated Child Endangerment.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652662672522.png" alt="Arellano-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Arellano-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>Police previously arrested 23-year-old&nbsp;Geovany Arellano of Topeka, on requested charges of&nbsp;Murder in the 1st Degree, Aggravated Assault and&nbsp;Reckless Driving, according to Monasmith.&nbsp;&nbsp;-------------SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal hit and run have made an arrest.Just before 3:30 a.m., Sunday, responded to a report of a motorcycle vs passenger vehicle at SE 6th Street and SE Chandler Street in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Jerry Monasmith.Officers arrived on scene and found one victim in the roadway. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.Following an investigation by the Topeka Police Department Accident Reconstruction Team, police arrested 23-year-old&nbsp;Geovany Arellano of Topeka, on requested charges of&nbsp;Murder in the 1st Degree, Aggravated Assault and&nbsp;Reckless Driving, according to Monasmith.&nbsp; Police have not released the victim's name.

Second Kan. man jailed after fatal hit-and-run crash

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas State Fair General Manager Bryan Schulz is ready to talk about the project to renovate the Bison Arena, now that the governor has signed the bill for the state's half.

"With House Bill 2510 going through, that allocated about $14.6 million towards the fair," Schulz said. "$10 million of that was earmarked for the Bison Arena. The remainder, the $2.5 million was going to go towards asphalt repairs on the grounds, a million that would go towards a PA system, $500,000 towards air conditioning in the Oz Gallery and Centennial Hall and then about $460,000 to finish the upgrades down at Expocenter."

The state's money is allocated in FY 2023, which starts July 1. The total cost is estimated around $20 million.

"We're going to need to hire an architect," Schulz said. "We do have our contract with Schaefer Johnson Cox Frey. With a bid this big, I think it has to go out on state bid. We'll see what happens with that. Once we have an architect in place, then we'll probably look at structural, making sure that is what we need to do and then start moving forward to actually get a better cost of what the building is going to be."

The concern is that any estimate given even months ago is likely not accurate. The fair has seen this problem with the Capper project as its price tag went up and completion date went back due to supply chain issues, particularly with steel, so Schulz really wants to be sure fairgoers are patient with the process.

"It's going to take at least a year to get everything into place," Schulz said. "That would be a rough timeline. Starting a year, to get everything into place how we want it, getting everything going. Then, it's probably going to be another year or so after that. I'm thinking it's going to be two plus years before it would be open, for sure."

The goal is to make sure all of the timeline is firm before getting specific bids as the project progresses, so that costs can be controlled as much as possible.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653060590462.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas State Fair General Manager Bryan Schulz is ready to talk about the project to renovate the Bison Arena, now that the governor has signed the bill for the state's half."With House Bill 2510 going through, that allocated about $14.6 million towards the fair," Schulz said. "$10 million of that was earmarked for the Bison Arena. The remainder, the $2.5 million was going to go towards asphalt repairs on the grounds, a million that would go towards a PA system, $500,000 towards air conditioning in the Oz Gallery and Centennial Hall and then about $460,000 to finish the upgrades down at Expocenter."The state's money is allocated in FY 2023, which starts July 1. The total cost is estimated around $20 million."We're going to need to hire an architect," Schulz said. "We do have our contract with Schaefer Johnson Cox Frey. With a bid this big, I think it has to go out on state bid. We'll see what happens with that. Once we have an architect in place, then we'll probably look at structural, making sure that is what we need to do and then start moving forward to actually get a better cost of what the building is going to be."The concern is that any estimate given even months ago is likely not accurate. The fair has seen this problem with the Capper project as its price tag went up and completion date went back due to supply chain issues, particularly with steel, so Schulz really wants to be sure fairgoers are patient with the process."It's going to take at least a year to get everything into place," Schulz said. "That would be a rough timeline. Starting a year, to get everything into place how we want it, getting everything going. Then, it's probably going to be another year or so after that. I'm thinking it's going to be two plus years before it would be open, for sure."The goal is to make sure all of the timeline is firm before getting specific bids as the project progresses, so that costs can be controlled as much as possible.

$10M for renovation of Bison Arena at Kan. State Fairgrounds

By PHIL GALEWITZ, LAUREN WEBER and SAM WHITEHEAD <a href="https://khn.org/news/article/covid-health-disparities-federal-funding-state-spending/">Kaiser Health News</a>

The Biden administration in March 2021 announced it was investing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0317-COVID-19-Health-Disparities.html">$2.25 billion</a>
 to address COVID health disparities, the largest federal funding 
initiative designed specifically to help underserved communities hardest
 hit by the virus.

Two months later, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/partnerships/COVID-19-Health-Disparities-OT21-2103.html">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>
 awarded grants to every state health department and 58 large city and 
county health agencies. The money is intended to help limit the spread 
of COVID-19 among those most at risk in rural areas and within racial 
and ethnic minority groups, as well as improve their health. The CDC 
initially said the grant had to be spent by May 2023 but earlier this 
year told states they could apply to extend that time.

A year later — with COVID having killed 1 million people in the U.S. 
since the start of the pandemic and hospitalizing millions more — little
 of the money has been used, according to a KHN review of about a dozen 
state and county agencies’ grants. While some states and localities have
 allocated large portions of the CDC money for projects, they still have
 spent only a small proportion.

Missouri’s health department has not spent any of its $35.6 million. 
Wisconsin, Illinois, and Idaho — whose state health departments each 
received between $27 million and $31 million — have used less than 5% of
 their grant money.

Pennsylvania’s health department has used about 6% of its nearly $27.7 million grant.

California’s health department has spent just over 10% of its $32.5 million funding.

The public health agencies give a litany of reasons for that: They 
need time to hire people. They blame their state’s long budget process. 
They say it takes time to work with nonprofit organizations to set up 
programs or for them to put the money to use. They’re already tapping 
other federal dollars to fight COVID disparities.

Mounting unspent COVID relief dollars is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2022/03/03/1084162255/biden-wants-more-covid-relief-funds-the-gop-wants-to-know-where-previous-relief-">one of the key reasons</a> Republicans in Congress oppose Democrats’ efforts to appropriate billions more federal dollars for managing the pandemic.

The slow disbursement also highlights the ripple effects of years of neglect for public health systems and the <a target="_blank" href="https://khn.org/news/article/public-health-experts-worry-about-boom-bust-cycle-of-support/">boom-bust cycle of legislative funding</a>. “They are investments that overwhelm a system that has been starved for so long,” said Dr. <a target="_blank" href="https://drexel.edu/dornsife/academics/faculty/Usama-Bilal/">Usama Bilal</a>, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Dr. <a target="_blank" href="https://epibiostat.ucsf.edu/news/kirsten-bibbins-domingo-phd-md-mas-join-jama-and-jama-network-editor-chief">Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo</a>,
 chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the 
University of California-San Francisco, added that it is difficult for 
public health systems <a target="_blank" href="https://khn.org/news/us-public-health-system-underfunded-under-threat-faces-more-cuts-amid-covid-pandemic/">lacking resources</a> and fighting a pandemic to establish ties to local nonprofits so quickly.

“The pandemic shone a light on these big health disparities, but they
 also shone a light on the fact that [public health systems] don’t have 
the structures in place to partner directly with communities,” she said.

The funding is meant to reduce the pandemic’s disproportionate effect
 on minorities. When adjusting for the age differences across racial and
 ethnic groups, Black, Hispanic, and Native American communities 
experienced <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/covid-19-cases-and-deaths-by-race-ethnicity-current-data-and-changes-over-time/">higher rates</a>
 of COVID hospitalizations and deaths compared with white people. Such 
adjustments are necessary, researchers say, as communities of color <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/covid-19-cases-and-deaths-by-race-ethnicity-current-data-and-changes-over-time/">tend to be younger</a>.

Despite the need to address these issues, the Riverside County health
 department in California has spent about $700,000 of its $23.4 million 
grant, which is separate from the state health department’s funds.

“Public health has been historically underfunded, and all of a sudden this is way more money than we ever get,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://phasocal.org/wendy-hetherington/">Wendy Hetherington</a>,
 public health program chief with the agency. “It’s great that we got 
this funding because it’s necessary, but we are struggling in trying to 
spend it.”

Part of the problem was that county health officials had to wait six 
months for local government approval to spend it. Then, she said, she 
faced delays negotiating contracts with area nonprofits.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aei.org/profile/stan-veuger/">Stan Veuger</a>,
 a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, 
echoed Republican lawmakers’ concerns, saying the slow rollout of these 
grants shows that Congress sent more pandemic relief than state and 
local governments needed since their tax revenue <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2022/03/10/tax-revenue-in-21-states-outperformed-pre-pandemic-growth">rebounded much quicker</a> than many expected.

“It raises questions about why this separate grant program was set up,” he said.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.heritage.org/staff/rachel-greszler">Rachel Greszler</a>, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation who has argued against Congress funding <a target="_blank" href="https://www.heritage.org/budget-and-spending/commentary/9-reasons-not-pass-yet-another-federal-covid-19-relief-spending">new COVID relief</a>,
 said the slow spending also shows how states need time to absorb an 
influx in revenue and develop programs, especially when governments are 
facing labor shortages and supply chain issues.

The CDC has said the money could be used to aid in preventing the 
spread of the COVID virus, improve data collection, expand health 
services related to COVID, and address social and economic issues that 
have hampered many minority communities from receiving appropriate care 
during the pandemic.

CDC officials are working with groups on the implementation of the grant, said spokesperson Jade Fulce.

Because the term “health disparities” encompasses challenges facing 
all types of population groups, the money can be applied to almost 
anything that affects health.

The Illinois Department of Public Health received $28.9 million and 
has spent $138,000, according to spokesperson Mike Claffey. The state 
plans to spend some of the money on American Sign Language translation 
for COVID materials, outreach to those in jail, mobile health units for 
rural areas, and the hiring of community health workers.

“The goal was to design programs that build up the health care 
infrastructure and address these historic inequities in a significant 
way and meaningful way,” Claffey said.

Florida’s Health Department plans to use $236,000 of its nearly $35 
million grant on newborn hearing screenings after COVID-related closures
 led to a decline in timely checks, said spokesperson Jeremy Redfern.

The Miami-Dade County Health Department has spent $4 million of its 
$28 million CDC grant. It’s giving money to local nonprofit groups to 
deal with food insecurity and language barriers. Like other 
jurisdictions, the county noted it has awarded funding that groups 
haven’t spent yet, including $100,000 to improve literacy among its 
large Haitian community. Saradjine Batrony said she hopes to help 
between 60 and 100 people starting in May with that grant.

“The language barrier is what prevented people from getting 
vaccinated,” said Batrony, who was a researcher at the University of 
Miami before starting her own company last year focused on translating 
health documents into Haitian Creole.

Almost $4.6 million of Pennsylvania’s CDC grant went to the state 
Office of Rural Health, which last fall was planning to give money to 20
 counties. As of May 5, it hadn’t funded any of them.

“In the last couple months, we have encountered issues with county 
leaders losing momentum and interest in COVID-19 work,” said Rachel 
Foster, rural COVID-19 program manager for the agency based at Penn 
State University. “In rural Pennsylvania, cases are low, interest in 
vaccines has waned, and rural residents largely feel the pandemic is 
over.”

Some counties and states say they were addressing health inequity issues before the CDC disparity money.

Philadelphia’s $8.3 million grant followed several CDC awards that 
also dealt with issues affecting underserved communities, said 
spokesperson Matthew Rankin. Philadelphia has spent about $147,000 of 
the disparities grant.

The University of Florida health system in Jacksonville was <a target="_blank" href="https://ufhealthjax.org/news/story.aspx?id=2774">awarded $1.25 million</a>
 last July from Duval County to expand services to communities 
disproportionately affected by COVID. But as of early May, the 
university had not yet received the money, said spokesperson Dan 
Leveton. “We’re not concerned because we have other COVID funding we’re 
using for now and will use the CDC’s funding when it comes through,” he 
said.

Mississippi received $48.4 million, the single-largest award to any 
state health agency from the grant. So far, the agency has spent $8.2 
million, said spokesperson Liz Sharlot, although it has already used 
other federal relief dollars to address COVID health disparities.

While states figure out how to spend the money, health experts worry 
about the consequences politically and to the communities that need 
help.

“The money is terribly needed, but we need to consider that these 
health departments have long been overburdened and they don’t really 
have enough people to handle it,” said Drexel’s Bilal.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.khn.org/about-us">KHN</a> 
(Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth 
journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and 
Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/about-us">KFF</a> (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652797741530.png" alt="The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded grants to every state health department and 58 large city and county health agencies last summer to focus on COVID health disparities (Adam Schultz/official White House photo)." />
 <figcaption>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded grants to every state health department and 58 large city and county health agencies last summer to focus on COVID health disparities (Adam Schultz/official White House photo).</figcaption>
 </figure>By PHIL GALEWITZ, LAUREN WEBER and SAM WHITEHEAD <a href="https://khn.org/news/article/covid-health-disparities-federal-funding-state-spending/">Kaiser Health News</a>The Biden administration in March 2021 announced it was investing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/p0317-COVID-19-Health-Disparities.html">$2.25 billion</a>
 to address COVID health disparities, the largest federal funding 
initiative designed specifically to help underserved communities hardest
 hit by the virus.Two months later, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/partnerships/COVID-19-Health-Disparities-OT21-2103.html">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>
 awarded grants to every state health department and 58 large city and 
county health agencies. The money is intended to help limit the spread 
of COVID-19 among those most at risk in rural areas and within racial 
and ethnic minority groups, as well as improve their health. The CDC 
initially said the grant had to be spent by May 2023 but earlier this 
year told states they could apply to extend that time.A year later — with COVID having killed 1 million people in the U.S. 
since the start of the pandemic and hospitalizing millions more — little
 of the money has been used, according to a KHN review of about a dozen 
state and county agencies’ grants. While some states and localities have
 allocated large portions of the CDC money for projects, they still have
 spent only a small proportion.Missouri’s health department has not spent any of its $35.6 million. 
Wisconsin, Illinois, and Idaho — whose state health departments each 
received between $27 million and $31 million — have used less than 5% of
 their grant money.Pennsylvania’s health department has used about 6% of its nearly $27.7 million grant.California’s health department has spent just over 10% of its $32.5 million funding.The public health agencies give a litany of reasons for that: They 
need time to hire people. They blame their state’s long budget process. 
They say it takes time to work with nonprofit organizations to set up 
programs or for them to put the money to use. They’re already tapping 
other federal dollars to fight COVID disparities.Mounting unspent COVID relief dollars is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.npr.org/2022/03/03/1084162255/biden-wants-more-covid-relief-funds-the-gop-wants-to-know-where-previous-relief-">one of the key reasons</a> Republicans in Congress oppose Democrats’ efforts to appropriate billions more federal dollars for managing the pandemic.The slow disbursement also highlights the ripple effects of years of neglect for public health systems and the <a target="_blank" href="https://khn.org/news/article/public-health-experts-worry-about-boom-bust-cycle-of-support/">boom-bust cycle of legislative funding</a>. “They are investments that overwhelm a system that has been starved for so long,” said Dr. <a target="_blank" href="https://drexel.edu/dornsife/academics/faculty/Usama-Bilal/">Usama Bilal</a>, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Drexel University in Philadelphia.Dr. <a target="_blank" href="https://epibiostat.ucsf.edu/news/kirsten-bibbins-domingo-phd-md-mas-join-jama-and-jama-network-editor-chief">Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo</a>,
 chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the 
University of California-San Francisco, added that it is difficult for 
public health systems <a target="_blank" href="https://khn.org/news/us-public-health-system-underfunded-under-threat-faces-more-cuts-amid-covid-pandemic/">lacking resources</a> and fighting a pandemic to establish ties to local nonprofits so quickly.“The pandemic shone a light on these big health disparities, but they
 also shone a light on the fact that [public health systems] don’t have 
the structures in place to partner directly with communities,” she said.The funding is meant to reduce the pandemic’s disproportionate effect
 on minorities. When adjusting for the age differences across racial and
 ethnic groups, Black, Hispanic, and Native American communities 
experienced <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/covid-19-cases-and-deaths-by-race-ethnicity-current-data-and-changes-over-time/">higher rates</a>
 of COVID hospitalizations and deaths compared with white people. Such 
adjustments are necessary, researchers say, as communities of color <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/covid-19-cases-and-deaths-by-race-ethnicity-current-data-and-changes-over-time/">tend to be younger</a>.Despite the need to address these issues, the Riverside County health
 department in California has spent about $700,000 of its $23.4 million 
grant, which is separate from the state health department’s funds.“Public health has been historically underfunded, and all of a sudden this is way more money than we ever get,” said <a target="_blank" href="https://phasocal.org/wendy-hetherington/">Wendy Hetherington</a>,
 public health program chief with the agency. “It’s great that we got 
this funding because it’s necessary, but we are struggling in trying to 
spend it.”Part of the problem was that county health officials had to wait six 
months for local government approval to spend it. Then, she said, she 
faced delays negotiating contracts with area nonprofits.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.aei.org/profile/stan-veuger/">Stan Veuger</a>,
 a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, 
echoed Republican lawmakers’ concerns, saying the slow rollout of these 
grants shows that Congress sent more pandemic relief than state and 
local governments needed since their tax revenue <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2022/03/10/tax-revenue-in-21-states-outperformed-pre-pandemic-growth">rebounded much quicker</a> than many expected.“It raises questions about why this separate grant program was set up,” he said.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.heritage.org/staff/rachel-greszler">Rachel Greszler</a>, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation who has argued against Congress funding <a target="_blank" href="https://www.heritage.org/budget-and-spending/commentary/9-reasons-not-pass-yet-another-federal-covid-19-relief-spending">new COVID relief</a>,
 said the slow spending also shows how states need time to absorb an 
influx in revenue and develop programs, especially when governments are 
facing labor shortages and supply chain issues.The CDC has said the money could be used to aid in preventing the 
spread of the COVID virus, improve data collection, expand health 
services related to COVID, and address social and economic issues that 
have hampered many minority communities from receiving appropriate care 
during the pandemic.CDC officials are working with groups on the implementation of the grant, said spokesperson Jade Fulce.Because the term “health disparities” encompasses challenges facing 
all types of population groups, the money can be applied to almost 
anything that affects health.The Illinois Department of Public Health received $28.9 million and 
has spent $138,000, according to spokesperson Mike Claffey. The state 
plans to spend some of the money on American Sign Language translation 
for COVID materials, outreach to those in jail, mobile health units for 
rural areas, and the hiring of community health workers.“The goal was to design programs that build up the health care 
infrastructure and address these historic inequities in a significant 
way and meaningful way,” Claffey said.Florida’s Health Department plans to use $236,000 of its nearly $35 
million grant on newborn hearing screenings after COVID-related closures
 led to a decline in timely checks, said spokesperson Jeremy Redfern.The Miami-Dade County Health Department has spent $4 million of its 
$28 million CDC grant. It’s giving money to local nonprofit groups to 
deal with food insecurity and language barriers. Like other 
jurisdictions, the county noted it has awarded funding that groups 
haven’t spent yet, including $100,000 to improve literacy among its 
large Haitian community. Saradjine Batrony said she hopes to help 
between 60 and 100 people starting in May with that grant.“The language barrier is what prevented people from getting 
vaccinated,” said Batrony, who was a researcher at the University of 
Miami before starting her own company last year focused on translating 
health documents into Haitian Creole.Almost $4.6 million of Pennsylvania’s CDC grant went to the state 
Office of Rural Health, which last fall was planning to give money to 20
 counties. As of May 5, it hadn’t funded any of them.“In the last couple months, we have encountered issues with county 
leaders losing momentum and interest in COVID-19 work,” said Rachel 
Foster, rural COVID-19 program manager for the agency based at Penn 
State University. “In rural Pennsylvania, cases are low, interest in 
vaccines has waned, and rural residents largely feel the pandemic is 
over.”Some counties and states say they were addressing health inequity issues before the CDC disparity money.Philadelphia’s $8.3 million grant followed several CDC awards that 
also dealt with issues affecting underserved communities, said 
spokesperson Matthew Rankin. Philadelphia has spent about $147,000 of 
the disparities grant.The University of Florida health system in Jacksonville was <a target="_blank" href="https://ufhealthjax.org/news/story.aspx?id=2774">awarded $1.25 million</a>
 last July from Duval County to expand services to communities 
disproportionately affected by COVID. But as of early May, the 
university had not yet received the money, said spokesperson Dan 
Leveton. “We’re not concerned because we have other COVID funding we’re 
using for now and will use the CDC’s funding when it comes through,” he 
said.Mississippi received $48.4 million, the single-largest award to any 
state health agency from the grant. So far, the agency has spent $8.2 
million, said spokesperson Liz Sharlot, although it has already used 
other federal relief dollars to address COVID health disparities.While states figure out how to spend the money, health experts worry 
about the consequences politically and to the communities that need 
help.“The money is terribly needed, but we need to consider that these 
health departments have long been overburdened and they don’t really 
have enough people to handle it,” said Drexel’s Bilal.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.khn.org/about-us">KHN</a> 
(Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth 
journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and 
Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kff.org/about-us">KFF</a> (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.<figure>
 <img src="https://ssl.google-analytics.com/collect?v=1&amp;t=event&amp;ec=Republish&amp;tid=UA-53070700-2&amp;z=1652729708072&amp;cid=9d006ef1-1f01-4f21-9997-65c508d29f70&amp;ea=https%3A%2F%2Fkhn.org%2Fnews%2Farticle%2Fcovid-health-disparities-federal-funding-state-spending%2F&amp;el=States%20Have%20Yet%20to%20Spend%20Hundreds%20of%20Millions%20of%20Federal%20Dollars%20to%20Tackle%20Covid%20Health%20Disparities" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

Millions of federal COVID dollars to help underserved left unspent

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged child sex crimes.

Just before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a check welfare call at a local elementary school in Wichita, according to Officer Trevor Macy. 

Investigators interviewed a child who had reported being sexually assaulted by a man who is known to her.

Officers located the man identified 30-year-old Christopher Moore. They transported him to the Exploited and Missing Child Unit where detectives interviewed him and<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20026149"> later booked him </a>on requested charges that include two counts of rape involving a child under the age of 13. He is being held on a $500,000 bond, according to online jail records.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652991775024.png" alt="Moore-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Moore-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged child sex crimes.Just before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a check welfare call at a local elementary school in Wichita, according to Officer Trevor Macy. Investigators interviewed a child who had reported being sexually assaulted by a man who is known to her.Officers located the man identified 30-year-old Christopher Moore. They transported him to the Exploited and Missing Child Unit where detectives interviewed him and<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20026149"> later booked him </a>on requested charges that include two counts of rape involving a child under the age of 13. He is being held on a $500,000 bond, according to online jail records.&nbsp;

Kansas sex crime arrest after child alerted someone at school

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris, embracing her role as one of the administration’s most outspoken defenders of abortion rights, spoke Thursday with abortion providers in Kansas, Missouri and other states with some of the country’s strictest restrictions, saying they are “on the front lines of this war on women’s rights.”

The virtual conversation, which Harris hosted from the White House complex, came weeks after the leak of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-07439f9fc4542f1500ab78dfd34036b1">draft Supreme Court opinion</a>&nbsp;suggesting that justices are on the brink of overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.

Justices are expected to issue their final ruling in the next six weeks, but some states with Republican leaders are already laying the groundwork to ban abortion outright if the court allows individual states to set their own rules for the procedure.

Shortly before Harris began her meeting,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-politics-texas-legislature-a43f7f21c1b8e07a383b120d1bdbc695">Oklahoma lawmakers passed</a>&nbsp;what might be the most restrictive abortion ban in the country, preventing the procedure in all cases except to save the life of a pregnant woman or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest that has been reported to law enforcement.

“It’s outrageous, and it’s just the latest in a series of extreme laws from around the country,” Harris said. She said the rules were designed to “punish and control women.”

In addition to Kansas and Missouri the abortion providers who participated in the meeting were from Texas and Montana. Other states with less restrictive laws are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-travel-132127dcb999cc350408e391dcbf8f3b">preparing for a potential influx of patients</a>&nbsp;if more bans going into effect.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-biden-us-supreme-court-health-religion-32fbfb858d7d3314427e5cdd88308b8b">Much as President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has done, Harris said other court rulings that allowed access to contraception and legalized same sex marriage could also be at risk.

“It would be a direct assault on the fundamental right of self determination, to live and love without interference from the government,” she said.

The Biden administration has few options available to protect abortion, especially since legislation to safeguard access&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-biden-us-supreme-court-filibusters-congress-759beeba80ac56aa95271711a8e915da">failed in the Senate last week.</a>

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris, embracing her role as one of the administration’s most outspoken defenders of abortion rights, spoke Thursday with abortion providers in Kansas, Missouri and other states with some of the country’s strictest restrictions, saying they are “on the front lines of this war on women’s rights.”<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FVicePresident%2Fvideos%2F745715176447480%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=1" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>The virtual conversation, which Harris hosted from the White House complex, came weeks after the leak of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-07439f9fc4542f1500ab78dfd34036b1">draft Supreme Court opinion</a>&nbsp;suggesting that justices are on the brink of overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.Justices are expected to issue their final ruling in the next six weeks, but some states with Republican leaders are already laying the groundwork to ban abortion outright if the court allows individual states to set their own rules for the procedure.Shortly before Harris began her meeting,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-politics-texas-legislature-a43f7f21c1b8e07a383b120d1bdbc695">Oklahoma lawmakers passed</a>&nbsp;what might be the most restrictive abortion ban in the country, preventing the procedure in all cases except to save the life of a pregnant woman or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest that has been reported to law enforcement.“It’s outrageous, and it’s just the latest in a series of extreme laws from around the country,” Harris said. She said the rules were designed to “punish and control women.”In addition to Kansas and Missouri the abortion providers who participated in the meeting were from Texas and Montana. Other states with less restrictive laws are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-travel-132127dcb999cc350408e391dcbf8f3b">preparing for a potential influx of patients</a>&nbsp;if more bans going into effect.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-biden-us-supreme-court-health-religion-32fbfb858d7d3314427e5cdd88308b8b">Much as President Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;has done, Harris said other court rulings that allowed access to contraception and legalized same sex marriage could also be at risk.“It would be a direct assault on the fundamental right of self determination, to live and love without interference from the government,” she said.The Biden administration has few options available to protect abortion, especially since legislation to safeguard access&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-biden-us-supreme-court-filibusters-congress-759beeba80ac56aa95271711a8e915da">failed in the Senate last week.</a>

🎥What VP Harris told abortion providers in Kansas

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a wanted Kansas man on multiple charges in Missouri.

On Wednesday, police arrested 25-year-old Alexzander S. Green of Atchison, on a Boone County Missouri warrant, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

He is being held without bond for alleged terroristic threat, felony harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.

Police arrested Green on May 4 for failure to appear, according to online jail records. Police released no additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652971947190.png" alt="Green-photo Atchison County" />
 <figcaption>Green-photo Atchison County</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a wanted Kansas man on multiple charges in Missouri.On Wednesday, police arrested 25-year-old Alexzander S. Green of Atchison, on a Boone County Missouri warrant, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.He is being held without bond for alleged terroristic threat, felony harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.Police arrested Green on May 4 for failure to appear, according to online jail records. Police released no additional details.

Kan. man accused of terroristic threat in Missouri

WASHINGTON (AP) —Kids ages 5 to 11 should get a booster dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, advisers to the U.S. government said Thursday.

If the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agrees, as expected, it would open a third COVID-19 shot to healthy elementary-age kids -- just like it is already recommended for everybody 12 and older.

The hope is that an extra shot will shore up protection for kids ages 5 to 11 as infections once again are on the rise.

Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer’s kid-sized booster, to be offered at least five months after the youngsters’ last shot.

But the CDC takes the next step of recommending who actually needs vaccinations. Its advisers debated if all otherwise healthy 5- to 11-year-olds need an extra dose, especially since so many children were infected during the huge winter surge of the omicron variant.

Ultimately, the committee pointed to growing evidence from older kids and adults that two primary vaccinations plus a booster are providing the best protection against the newest coronavirus variants.

“This always perhaps should have been a three-dose vaccine,” said Dr. Grace Lee of Stanford University, who chairs the CDC’s advisory panel.

The booster question isn’t the hottest vaccine topic: Parents still are anxiously awaiting a chance to vaccinate even younger tots, those under 5 -- the only group not yet eligible in the U.S. Both Pfizer and rival Moderna hope to offer vaccines for those youngest children soon; the FDA is expected to evaluate data from one or both companies sometime next month.

But for the 5- to 11-year-olds, it’s not clear how much booster demand there will be. Only about 30% of that age group have had the initial two Pfizer doses since vaccinations opened to them in November.

CDC adviser Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot of Vanderbilt University said health authorities must put more effort into getting more of those youngsters their initial shots

“That needs to be a priority,” she said.

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech make the only COVID-19 vaccine available for children of any age in the U.S. Those ages 5 to 11 receive a kid-sized dose that’s one-third the amount given to everyone 12 and older.

In a small study, Pfizer found a booster revved up those kids’ levels of virus-fighting antibodies -- including those able to fight the super-contagious omicron variant -- the same kind of jump adults get from an extra shot.

Vaccines may not always prevent milder infections -- and omicron especially proved able to slip past their defenses. But CDC cited data during the omicron surge that showed unvaccinated 5- to 11-year-olds had twice the rate of hospitalization as youngsters who got their first two doses.

Health authorities say for all ages, the vaccines are still offering strong protection against COVID-19′s worst outcomes, especially after a third dose.

But some especially high-risk people, including those 50 and older, have been offered the choice of a second booster, or fourth shot. And still to be decided is whether everyone will need additional shots in the fall, possibly reformulated to offer better protection against newer coronavirus variants.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635537216378.png" alt="COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11-photo courtesy Pfizer" />
 <figcaption>COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11-photo courtesy Pfizer</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Kids ages 5 to 11 should get a booster dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, advisers to the U.S. government said Thursday.If the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agrees, as expected, it would open a third COVID-19 shot to healthy elementary-age kids -- just like it is already recommended for everybody 12 and older.The hope is that an extra shot will shore up protection for kids ages 5 to 11 as infections once again are on the rise.Earlier this week, the Food and Drug Administration authorized Pfizer’s kid-sized booster, to be offered at least five months after the youngsters’ last shot.But the CDC takes the next step of recommending who actually needs vaccinations. Its advisers debated if all otherwise healthy 5- to 11-year-olds need an extra dose, especially since so many children were infected during the huge winter surge of the omicron variant.Ultimately, the committee pointed to growing evidence from older kids and adults that two primary vaccinations plus a booster are providing the best protection against the newest coronavirus variants.“This always perhaps should have been a three-dose vaccine,” said Dr. Grace Lee of Stanford University, who chairs the CDC’s advisory panel.The booster question isn’t the hottest vaccine topic: Parents still are anxiously awaiting a chance to vaccinate even younger tots, those under 5 -- the only group not yet eligible in the U.S. Both Pfizer and rival Moderna hope to offer vaccines for those youngest children soon; the FDA is expected to evaluate data from one or both companies sometime next month.But for the 5- to 11-year-olds, it’s not clear how much booster demand there will be. Only about 30% of that age group have had the initial two Pfizer doses since vaccinations opened to them in November.CDC adviser Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot of Vanderbilt University said health authorities must put more effort into getting more of those youngsters their initial shots“That needs to be a priority,” she said.Pfizer and its partner BioNTech make the only COVID-19 vaccine available for children of any age in the U.S. Those ages 5 to 11 receive a kid-sized dose that’s one-third the amount given to everyone 12 and older.In a small study, Pfizer found a booster revved up those kids’ levels of virus-fighting antibodies -- including those able to fight the super-contagious omicron variant -- the same kind of jump adults get from an extra shot.Vaccines may not always prevent milder infections -- and omicron especially proved able to slip past their defenses. But CDC cited data during the omicron surge that showed unvaccinated 5- to 11-year-olds had twice the rate of hospitalization as youngsters who got their first two doses.Health authorities say for all ages, the vaccines are still offering strong protection against COVID-19′s worst outcomes, especially after a third dose.But some especially high-risk people, including those 50 and older, have been offered the choice of a second booster, or fourth shot. And still to be decided is whether everyone will need additional shots in the fall, possibly reformulated to offer better protection against newer coronavirus variants.___

CDC advisers urge Pfizer booster for children ages 5 to 11

According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the suspects have been arrested and the child recovered by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. 5-year-old Brixton Sisk is safe.

The public's assistance in this matter was outstanding. Several of the tips provided led investigators to the location.&nbsp;

Authorities released no additional details.

BUTLER COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities have issued an Amber Alert for a missing&nbsp; 5-year-old boy.

At 2:40p.m. Thursday, a woman entered a school day care in Rose Hill, Kansas posing as a Social Worker. The woman gained access to 5-year-old Brixton Sisk, exited the school, entered a black Suburban with a paper-30 day tag and departed the location.

The woman was identified as Brixton's mother, Danielle Banzet, who had her parental rights severed by the court. Actions taken by Banzet prior to the abduction, including threats of violence, indicate that Brixton is in imminent danger.

KBI reported just after 6:45p.m. Banzet, a male counterpart and child have switched vehicles to a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta, Kansas license 461NWF and may be fleeing the immediate area.&nbsp; The KBI reported just before 9:30p.m. authorities found the Jetta abandoned in rural Cowley County.

Call 911 immediately if you have seen a missing child, suspect, or suspect’s vehicle. If you have other information on a missing child, call the Butler County Sheriff's Office at 316-320-1294 if you have information about Brixton or Banzet.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653001318069.png" alt=" Brixton-photo KBI" />
 <figcaption> Brixton-photo KBI</figcaption>
 </figure>According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the suspects have been arrested and the child recovered by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. 5-year-old Brixton Sisk is safe.The public's assistance in this matter was outstanding. Several of the tips provided led investigators to the location.&nbsp;Authorities released no additional details.--------BUTLER COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities have issued an Amber Alert for a missing&nbsp; 5-year-old boy.At 2:40p.m. Thursday, a woman entered a school day care in Rose Hill, Kansas posing as a Social Worker. The woman gained access to 5-year-old Brixton Sisk, exited the school, entered a black Suburban with a paper-30 day tag and departed the location.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653001181087.png" alt="Danielle Banzet-photo KBI" />
 <figcaption>Danielle Banzet-photo KBI</figcaption>
 </figure>The woman was identified as Brixton's mother, Danielle Banzet, who had her parental rights severed by the court. Actions taken by Banzet prior to the abduction, including threats of violence, indicate that Brixton is in imminent danger.KBI reported just after 6:45p.m. Banzet, a male counterpart and child have switched vehicles to a 2010 Volkswagen Jetta, Kansas license 461NWF and may be fleeing the immediate area.&nbsp; The KBI reported just before 9:30p.m. authorities found the Jetta abandoned in rural Cowley County.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653005713044.png" alt="photo KBI" />
 <figcaption>photo KBI</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653001488867.png" alt="Vehicle originally involved -photo KBI" />
 <figcaption>Vehicle originally involved -photo KBI</figcaption>
 </figure>Call 911 immediately if you have seen a missing child, suspect, or suspect’s vehicle. If you have other information on a missing child, call the Butler County Sheriff's Office at 316-320-1294 if you have information about Brixton or Banzet.

KBI: Suspects in Amber Alert captured in Okla.; boy found safe

KANSAS CITY (AP) —In the five months that Jennifer Anne Hall was a respiratory therapist at Hedrick Medical Center, the rural Missouri hospital experienced 18 “code blue” incidents — an alarming increase in sudden cardiac arrest events for a hospital that historically averaged one of them a year, according to a police investigator.

Nine of those patients died, and nine recovered. Twenty years later, Hall was charged this month with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-franco-missouri-e1b5b5d9b9341349bc921776c169c1ab">first-degree murder</a>&nbsp;in one of the deaths — that of 75-year-old Fern Franco.

Livingston County Prosecuting Attorney Adam Warren, who launched an investigation 10 years ago, said Franco died of lethal doses of succinylcholine — a relaxant that paralyzes the respiratory muscles — and the pain reliever morphine. The prosecutor did not disclose a possible motive or say why the investigation took a decade.

Hall's attorney, Matt O’Connor, said she is innocent and that as a respiratory therapist, she didn’t have access to succinylcholine, morphine or any other drugs. He said Hall became a scapegoat for the deaths at Hedrick because of an arson conviction that she was cleared of in 2005.

It’s unclear if Hall will face additional murder charges in the 2002 deaths at Hedrick. Warren declined interview requests, and Livingston County Sheriff Steve Cox did not respond to phone and email messages seeking comment.

Franco's granddaughter, Aprille Franco hopes investigators get to the bottom of the other deaths.

“Just for the other families’ sake," Franco, 44, of Kansas City, Missouri, said. "They’ve been waiting 20 years for answers. It’s up to my grandma’s case to find answers for them."

Hall, 41, is jailed without bond. O'Connor said he will seek bond so Hall can get chemotherapy treatment for leukemia.

She began working at Hedrick in December 2001. The small hospital is in Chillicothe, a town of 9,100 residents 90 miles northeast of Kansas City.

A probable cause statement from Chillicothe Officer Brian Schmidt said that during Hall’s brief time at Hedrick, sudden cardiac collapse incidents — code blues — “rose alarmingly.”

Hospital officials were alerted to the concerns about Hall but “did everything in the world to cover it up” to avoid bad publicity, said Scott Lindley, the county coroner. No criminal investigation was launched at the time.

A wrongful-death lawsuit naming the hospital and the company that now operates it, St. Luke's Health System, was filed in 2010 on behalf of relatives of five patients who died. The Missouri Supreme Court tossed the lawsuit in 2019, ruling it was filed after the statute of limitations had run out.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652449498878.png" alt="Authorities arrested Hall last week in Kansas-Photo Livingston Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Authorities arrested Hall last week in Kansas-Photo Livingston Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —In the five months that Jennifer Anne Hall was a respiratory therapist at Hedrick Medical Center, the rural Missouri hospital experienced 18 “code blue” incidents — an alarming increase in sudden cardiac arrest events for a hospital that historically averaged one of them a year, according to a police investigator.Nine of those patients died, and nine recovered. Twenty years later, Hall was charged this month with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-franco-missouri-e1b5b5d9b9341349bc921776c169c1ab">first-degree murder</a>&nbsp;in one of the deaths — that of 75-year-old Fern Franco.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1653007502545.png" alt="Hall is being held in Livingston County" />
 <figcaption>Hall is being held in Livingston County</figcaption>
 </figure>Livingston County Prosecuting Attorney Adam Warren, who launched an investigation 10 years ago, said Franco died of lethal doses of succinylcholine — a relaxant that paralyzes the respiratory muscles — and the pain reliever morphine. The prosecutor did not disclose a possible motive or say why the investigation took a decade.Hall's attorney, Matt O’Connor, said she is innocent and that as a respiratory therapist, she didn’t have access to succinylcholine, morphine or any other drugs. He said Hall became a scapegoat for the deaths at Hedrick because of an arson conviction that she was cleared of in 2005.It’s unclear if Hall will face additional murder charges in the 2002 deaths at Hedrick. Warren declined interview requests, and Livingston County Sheriff Steve Cox did not respond to phone and email messages seeking comment.Franco's granddaughter, Aprille Franco hopes investigators get to the bottom of the other deaths.“Just for the other families’ sake," Franco, 44, of Kansas City, Missouri, said. "They’ve been waiting 20 years for answers. It’s up to my grandma’s case to find answers for them."Hall, 41, is jailed without bond. O'Connor said he will seek bond so Hall can get chemotherapy treatment for leukemia.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652204964045.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>She began working at Hedrick in December 2001. The small hospital is in Chillicothe, a town of 9,100 residents 90 miles northeast of Kansas City.A probable cause statement from Chillicothe Officer Brian Schmidt said that during Hall’s brief time at Hedrick, sudden cardiac collapse incidents — code blues — “rose alarmingly.”Hospital officials were alerted to the concerns about Hall but “did everything in the world to cover it up” to avoid bad publicity, said Scott Lindley, the county coroner. No criminal investigation was launched at the time.A wrongful-death lawsuit naming the hospital and the company that now operates it, St. Luke's Health System, was filed in 2010 on behalf of relatives of five patients who died. The Missouri Supreme Court tossed the lawsuit in 2019, ruling it was filed after the statute of limitations had run out.St. Luke's Health System noted in a statement that it took over operation of Hedrick more than a year after the deaths.“We, too, are only interested in the truth, and look forward to a final resolution of the investigation,” the statement read.Warren, who was elected prosecutor in 2010,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lawsuits-missouri-eb1f83b41c6749218dc02ecad99a295a">opened the investigation in 2012</a>, saying he didn’t believe that a “thorough investigation has ever been completed.”The deaths involved people of varying ages and levels of health.World War II veteran Charles O'Hara, 88, was admitted for evaluation of a high temperatures, vomiting and agitation on Feb. 2, 2002, and died two days later. Retired conservation agent Coval Gann was 82.But David Harper was just 37. He had been hospitalized with pneumonia, but the lawsuit said he was so much better that he was about to be discharged. He died on March 20, 2002.Similarly, 49-year-old Shirley Eller was a day away from going home after being treated for pneumonia when she collapsed and died on March 9, 2002.The lawsuit said Eller's death was attributed to “natural causes,” the same as the others who died. Eller's sister, Helen Pittman, found that puzzling. Eller smoked but was otherwise healthy and active.“It was a shock,” Pittman said. “It just seems really suspicious. Shirley was doing good.”Franco also had been hospitalized with pneumonia. Hall and another staff member identified only as “J.A.” in the probable cause statement found her dead on May 18, 2002.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/5/1652474493585.png" alt="U.S. Marshals arrested Hall in Kansas on May 12 -photo Johnson Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Marshals arrested Hall in Kansas on May 12 -photo Johnson Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>“Hall’s vicim was a sick, defenseless, elderly woman who was depending on Hall to care for physical ailment within a medical facility,” Schmidt wrote. He said the succinylcholine caused a “ghastly death from suffocation” while Franco was fully conscious.Hall was placed on administrative leave three days after Franco's death and the code blue incidents “returned to historical frequency,” Schmidt's report stated.Hall was fired months later, but not because of the patient deaths. O'Connor said she was fired after hospital officials learned she had been convicted of an arson fire at another small Missouri hospital, Cass Regional Medical Center in Harrisonville, where she previously worked. She was free on appeal when she took the job in Chillicothe and later spent a year behind bars before being acquitted at a retrial.O’Connor called it unfathomable that Hall would again be singled out for a crime she didn’t commit.“To go through it once is terrible,” O’Connor said. “To go through it twice is a recurring nightmare.”He said Hall’s proximity to the patients shouldn’t be unexpected since it’s a small hospital with a small staff.Twenty years after the death of her younger sister, Pittman, 79, wasn't ready to pass judgment, but she does want investigators to keep looking into Shirley Eller's death.“It’s hard for me to believe people can be that mean," Pittman said. "But I guess they can.”