By MIKE COURSON Great Bend Post

More than two years of work went into the first turns of the shovel for the new childcare center located at Farmers Plaza at the intersection of 10th Street and K-96 Highway Thursday morning. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, Great Bend Economic Development Director Sara Arnberger, and a handful of other local officials were on hand for the groundbreaking event. 

Last month, Advancing Barton County Childcare (ABCC) announced it had received a $2.23 million grant for childcare development. ABCC Board Member Mary Foley announced the location of the second facility.

"Due to the generous grant from the Children's Cabinet and Trust Fund," she said, "we are able to announce that shortly after we have this facility's build in motion, we will be partnering with the Hoisington school district to establish our next Barton County center in Hoisington. Thank you to Superintendent Patrick Crowdis for joining forces with the ABCC team to see this plan continue throughout Barton County."

Foley also announced that Kelsie Baxter has been hired as facility director. "Kelsie comes to us with years and years of experience and a compassion for teaching and leading that can't be matched," Foley said. "We know under her leadership that this facility is sure to be a success."

Gov. Kelly said a vision of her first and second terms is to make Kansas the best place in the country to live, to work, and to raise a family. "Providing quality childcare services is fundamental to that goal," she said. "Devoting resources to early-childhood development and care is the smartest investment a community can make in its future."

Kansas saw unprecedented economic growth in Kelly's first term, but the governor said many parents still choose not to work because they cannot afford childcare. A lack of affordable care, especially in rural communities, leads to workplace absences and compromised work.

"Right here in Great Bend, the number one concern of employers is being able to recruit and retain employees because of the lack of childcare options," Kelly said. "That's why Advancing Barton County Childcare was created in the first place. In Barton County alone, there is currently a shortage of more than 800 childcare slots. Simply put, if we want to keep our economy growing, we need to support abundant and affordable childcare for our expanding workforce."

Kelly's office provided $53 million in bonuses to nearly 23,000 childcare professionals across the state after the pandemic. Last month, her office announced the recipients of the Childcare Capacity Accelerator Grant, which provided more than $43 million to 52 organizations or partnerships in an effort to expand childcare by enhancing existing facilities or building new ones. The grant will help open 4,200 new childcare slots around the state.

The Great Bend facility will serve up to 59 children aged five years or younger, and ultimately expand to 89 children. "It will also create 12 well-paying jobs with full benefits," said Kelly. "That's unheard of in childcare."

Arnberger thanked the governor and her office for recognizing the relationship between economic growth and the need for childcare.

"Childcare in the past was not always a topic of conversation," Arnberger said. "For lack of better words, that was a woman's job and they need to deal with that, and that's how it went. But in later years, it really has become the topic of conversation. A lot of that is because of the driving force behind Gov. Laura Kelly and her staff saying this is an integral part to workforce development. This is integral to growing our rural communities. And for that, I'm so very thankful because without their championing these projects and this initiative, I promise you this project would still have another two years before we'd be breaking ground with shovels."

Great Bend Mayor Cody Schmidt was among the many who thanked all private and public sponsors of the facility. Last July, ABCC received a $500,000 grant from the Patterson Family Foundation. The Barton County Commission contributed $435,000 to the project.

"When this started, it was a dream," Schmidt said. "It was a hope. Now it's a reality. To the Barton County Commissioners that are here that supported us, thank you. To the city council, thank you. Without us working together and believing in what this community needs, none of this happens. To Governor Kelly and her team, without your faith and believing in rural communities, thank you."

GLMV Architecture helped design the project, keeping in mind its target audience with a tricycle track and rounded corners on drywall to minimize accidents. 

"As architects, we do a lot of work that seems trivial," said GLMV Project Manager Chad Bard. "It's based on efficient buildings, economic structures, and the profitability of end users. While that's all fine and dandy for the bottom line of companies, we feel that the real charge of our architecture is to affect the built environment in positive and meaningful ways. This is a great example of where our passion lies as designers, where we can truly affect the next generation, keep them safe, get them a great head start, as well as allow working adults to have a viable option for places for their children to grow up safe."

Icon Structures will handle the construction of the facility. Project Manager Jordan Oulette spoke of the importance of such a project.

"We are here because we care about our youth," he said. "And Icon is not here just for this community. We are here to give hope to other communities that we can provide resources for children, that children will be given the care and help to succeed in their future."

The Great Bend facility carried an original price tag of $1.6 million. When completed, the new facility will offer approximately 6,800 square feet of space to serve area families.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689872791541.jpeg" alt="Gov. Laura Kelly and various local officials were present for the groundbreaking of the new childcare facility in Great Bend Thursday morning." />
 <figcaption>Gov. Laura Kelly and various local officials were present for the groundbreaking of the new childcare facility in Great Bend Thursday morning.</figcaption>
 </figure>By MIKE COURSON Great Bend PostMore than two years of work went into the first turns of the shovel for the new childcare center located at Farmers Plaza at the intersection of 10th Street and K-96 Highway Thursday morning. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, Great Bend Economic Development Director Sara Arnberger, and a handful of other local officials were on hand for the groundbreaking event. Last month, Advancing Barton County Childcare (ABCC) announced it had received a $2.23 million grant for childcare development. ABCC Board Member Mary Foley announced the location of the second facility.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689872874040.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>"Due to the generous grant from the Children's Cabinet and Trust Fund," she said, "we are able to announce that shortly after we have this facility's build in motion, we will be partnering with the Hoisington school district to establish our next Barton County center in Hoisington. Thank you to Superintendent Patrick Crowdis for joining forces with the ABCC team to see this plan continue throughout Barton County."Foley also announced that Kelsie Baxter has been hired as facility director. "Kelsie comes to us with years and years of experience and a compassion for teaching and leading that can't be matched," Foley said. "We know under her leadership that this facility is sure to be a success."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689872968426.jpeg" alt="USD 431 Hoisington Superintendent Patrick Crowdis and Roosevelt Principal Shellby Walker speak with Gov. Kelly. A second childcare facility was announced for Hoisington." />
 <figcaption>USD 431 Hoisington Superintendent Patrick Crowdis and Roosevelt Principal Shellby Walker speak with Gov. Kelly. A second childcare facility was announced for Hoisington.</figcaption>
 </figure>Gov. Kelly said a vision of her first and second terms is to make Kansas the best place in the country to live, to work, and to raise a family. "Providing quality childcare services is fundamental to that goal," she said. "Devoting resources to early-childhood development and care is the smartest investment a community can make in its future."Kansas saw unprecedented economic growth in Kelly's first term, but the governor said many parents still choose not to work because they cannot afford childcare. A lack of affordable care, especially in rural communities, leads to workplace absences and compromised work.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689873081506.jpeg" alt="The Barton County Commission contributed $435,000 to the childcare project." />
 <figcaption>The Barton County Commission contributed $435,000 to the childcare project.</figcaption>
 </figure>"Right here in Great Bend, the number one concern of employers is being able to recruit and retain employees because of the lack of childcare options," Kelly said. "That's why Advancing Barton County Childcare was created in the first place. In Barton County alone, there is currently a shortage of more than 800 childcare slots. Simply put, if we want to keep our economy growing, we need to support abundant and affordable childcare for our expanding workforce."Kelly's office provided $53 million in bonuses to nearly 23,000 childcare professionals across the state after the pandemic. Last month, her office announced the recipients of the Childcare Capacity Accelerator Grant, which provided more than $43 million to 52 organizations or partnerships in an effort to expand childcare by enhancing existing facilities or building new ones. The grant will help open 4,200 new childcare slots around the state.The Great Bend facility will serve up to 59 children aged five years or younger, and ultimately expand to 89 children. "It will also create 12 well-paying jobs with full benefits," said Kelly. "That's unheard of in childcare."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689873186118.jpeg" alt="Kelsie Baxter will be the Great Bend facility's first&nbsp; director." />
 <figcaption>Kelsie Baxter will be the Great Bend facility's first&nbsp; director.</figcaption>
 </figure>Arnberger thanked the governor and her office for recognizing the relationship between economic growth and the need for childcare."Childcare in the past was not always a topic of conversation," Arnberger said. "For lack of better words, that was a woman's job and they need to deal with that, and that's how it went. But in later years, it really has become the topic of conversation. A lot of that is because of the driving force behind Gov. Laura Kelly and her staff saying this is an integral part to workforce development. This is integral to growing our rural communities. And for that, I'm so very thankful because without their championing these projects and this initiative, I promise you this project would still have another two years before we'd be breaking ground with shovels."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689873269295.jpeg" alt="Great Bend Eco Devo Director Sara Arnberger, who also serves as interim director for ABCC." />
 <figcaption>Great Bend Eco Devo Director Sara Arnberger, who also serves as interim director for ABCC.</figcaption>
 </figure>Great Bend Mayor Cody Schmidt was among the many who thanked all private and public sponsors of the facility. Last July, ABCC received a $500,000 grant from the Patterson Family Foundation. The Barton County Commission contributed $435,000 to the project."When this started, it was a dream," Schmidt said. "It was a hope. Now it's a reality. To the Barton County Commissioners that are here that supported us, thank you. To the city council, thank you. Without us working together and believing in what this community needs, none of this happens. To Governor Kelly and her team, without your faith and believing in rural communities, thank you."GLMV Architecture helped design the project, keeping in mind its target audience with a tricycle track and rounded corners on drywall to minimize accidents. "As architects, we do a lot of work that seems trivial," said GLMV Project Manager Chad Bard. "It's based on efficient buildings, economic structures, and the profitability of end users. While that's all fine and dandy for the bottom line of companies, we feel that the real charge of our architecture is to affect the built environment in positive and meaningful ways. This is a great example of where our passion lies as designers, where we can truly affect the next generation, keep them safe, get them a great head start, as well as allow working adults to have a viable option for places for their children to grow up safe."Icon Structures will handle the construction of the facility. Project Manager Jordan Oulette spoke of the importance of such a project."We are here because we care about our youth," he said. "And Icon is not here just for this community. We are here to give hope to other communities that we can provide resources for children, that children will be given the care and help to succeed in their future."The Great Bend facility carried an original price tag of $1.6 million. When completed, the new facility will offer approximately 6,800 square feet of space to serve area families.

Gov. helps break ground on new child care center in Great Bend

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Thursday expressed deep concern about the well-being of a U.S. soldier who bolted across the heavily armed North Korea border earlier this week as North Korean officials have yet to respond to U.S. requests for basic information about the AWOL soldier.

The history of rough treatment of Americans detained by North Koreans — including the 2017 death of a 22-year-old student after he was flown home in a vegetative state after 17 months in captivity — is top of mind as U.S. officials seek answers about Pvt. Travis King.

“This is not a country that is known for humane treatment of Americans or actually anybody else for that matter,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. “We don't know where he is. We don’t know the conditions in which he’s living right now. And it’s the not knowing that is deeply concerning to us and we’re trying as best we can to get as much information as we can about him.”

Without mentioning the soldier, North Korea's defense minister issued a veiled threat Thursday, suggesting the docking of a nuclear-armed U.S. submarine in South Korea could be grounds for a nuclear attack by the North. North Korea has used such rhetoric before, but the latest threat could signal just how strained ties are right now.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-border-fe5da15f52122af9acc45412fe391465">King</a>, who was supposed to be on his way to Fort Bliss, Texas, after finishing a prison sentence in South Korea for assault, ran into North Korea while on a civilian tour of the border village of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-dmz-panmunjom-7eb66dceeb1b9f10a50f76feadef69be">Panmunjom</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday. He is the first known American held in North Korea in nearly five years.

According to a U.S. official, King — who chose to serve his time at a labor camp rather than pay the nearly $4,000 fine — has been declared AWOL. The punishment for being away without leave can include confinement in the brig, forfeiture of pay or dishonorable discharge and it is largely based on how long they were away and whether they were apprehended or returned on their own. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.

King, 23, has not been declared a deserter, which is a far more serious offense. Often the military waits for a period of time to see if a service member returns, but that is very uncertain in this case. Desertion can result in imprisonment of as much as three years, and — in times of war — can carry the death penalty.

Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters on Thursday that King was not escorted all the way to the gate because he was not in custody and there was no anticipation that he would not get on the plane to go home.

Military personnel escorted him to the passport control area and were not allowed to go farther than that. Singh said he confirmed to the U.S. military that he was near the gate. King knew he was returning to Texas to face likely discharge.

Asked if King is alive, Singh said the U.S. does not know his health condition.

She said it is “not our assessment” that King represents a security threat or liability, when asked if he had intelligence that North Korea would want. She added that the department has no indication that King’s decision to run into North Korea was pre-planned or organized with Pyongyang.

Asked whether the U.S. feared that King could be mistreated or tortured by the North, Kirby responded that North Korea is a “brutal regime" but that the U.S. is still not in position to confirm how he is being treated.

Otto Warmbier, a University of Virginia student, was seized by North Korean authorities from a tour group in January 2016 and convicted of trying to steal a propaganda poster and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. He served 17 months before being returned to the U.S. in a vegetative state.

While not providing a clear reason for Warmbier’s brain damage, North Korea denied accusations by Warmbier’s family that he was tortured and insisted it had provided him medical care with “all sincerity.”

The U.S. and North Korea, which fought during the 1950-53 Korean War, are still technically at war since that conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, and have no diplomatic ties. Sweden provided consular services for Americans in past cases, but Swedish diplomatic staff reportedly haven’t returned since North Korea ordered foreigners to leave the country at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. can also reach North Korea via a hotline at the U.S.-led U.N. Command in Panmunjom — known as the “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-communication-hotline-b87a762b92361491dacbed8d22f56641">pink phone</a>."

The State Department confirmed on Wednesday it has reached out to officials in South Korea and Sweden for help reaching the North Koreans. Jeon Ha-kyu, a spokesperson of South Korea’s Defense Ministry, said Thursday his ministry is sharing information with the American-led U.N. Command in South Korea, without elaborating.

Meanwhile, the North's defense minister, Kang Sun Nam, issued a statement in state media that called a recent U.S. submarine deployment "the most undisguised and direct nuclear threat” to North Korea. He warned the deployment may be one of the situations foreseen in a new law that authorized the preemptive use of nuclear weapons in a broad range of cases.

“The U.S. military side should realize that its nuclear assets have entered extremely dangerous waters,” Kang said.

Some experts still doubt North Korea could use such arms first in the face of superior U.S. and South Korean forces. South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Friday described the deployment of the USS Kentucky and nuclear contingency planning meetings between Washington and Seoul as “defensive response measures” to counter the growing North Korean nuclear threat.

The ministry said in a statement it “strongly warns” that any nuclear attack by the North on the allies would face an “immediate, overwhelming and decisive response … that would bring an end to the North Korean regime.”

Kentucky's deployment, which happened on the day of King's border crossing, was part of U.S. steps to boost its security commitment to the North's rival, South Korea. North Korea later&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-missiles-us-nuclear-submarine-9a915fab65631ad2094f78e0d1d942cf">test-fired two missiles</a>.

The tensions could complicate efforts to free King.

“North Korea is not going to ‘catch and release’ a border-crosser. ... However, the Kim regime has little incentive to hold an American citizen very long, as doing so can entail liabilities,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

“For Pyongyang, it makes sense to find a way of extracting some compensation and then expel an American for unauthorized entry into the country before an isolated incident escalates in ways that risk North Korean diplomatic and financial interests,” he said.

Other experts say North Korea won’t likely easily return King as he is a soldier who apparently voluntarily fled to North Korea, though many previous American civilian detainees were released after the United States sent high-profile missions to Pyongyang to secure their freedom.

North Korea has previously held&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-past-border-entries-3b2e36d7cd162f8320768a049c50a361">a number of Americans</a>&nbsp;who were arrested for anti-state, espionage and other charges. But no other Americans were known to be detained since North Korea expelled American Bruce Byron Lowrance in 2018. During the Cold War, a small number of U.S. soldiers who fled to North Korea later appeared in North Korean propaganda films.

The motive for King's border crossing is unknown. King’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-border-fe5da15f52122af9acc45412fe391465">family members</a>&nbsp;said the soldier may have felt overwhelmed by the legal trouble in South Korea, which could lead to a discharge from the military.

King, who was serving in South Korea as a cavalry scout with the 1st Armored Division, was released earlier this month after 47 days of hard labor in the prison camp. In February, a Seoul court fined him 5 million won ($3,950) after convicting him of assaulting someone and damaging a police vehicle, according to a transcript of the verdict obtained by The Associated Press. The ruling said King had also been accused of punching a man at a Seoul nightclub, though the court dismissed that charge because the victim didn’t want King to be punished.

Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea. Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee in Washington; Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; and Melissa Winder in Kenosha, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Thursday expressed deep concern about the well-being of a U.S. soldier who bolted across the heavily armed North Korea border earlier this week as North Korean officials have yet to respond to U.S. requests for basic information about the AWOL soldier.The history of rough treatment of Americans detained by North Koreans — including the 2017 death of a 22-year-old student after he was flown home in a vegetative state after 17 months in captivity — is top of mind as U.S. officials seek answers about Pvt. Travis King.“This is not a country that is known for humane treatment of Americans or actually anybody else for that matter,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. “We don't know where he is. We don’t know the conditions in which he’s living right now. And it’s the not knowing that is deeply concerning to us and we’re trying as best we can to get as much information as we can about him.”Without mentioning the soldier, North Korea's defense minister issued a veiled threat Thursday, suggesting the docking of a nuclear-armed U.S. submarine in South Korea could be grounds for a nuclear attack by the North. North Korea has used such rhetoric before, but the latest threat could signal just how strained ties are right now.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-border-fe5da15f52122af9acc45412fe391465">King</a>, who was supposed to be on his way to Fort Bliss, Texas, after finishing a prison sentence in South Korea for assault, ran into North Korea while on a civilian tour of the border village of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-dmz-panmunjom-7eb66dceeb1b9f10a50f76feadef69be">Panmunjom</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday. He is the first known American held in North Korea in nearly five years.According to a U.S. official, King — who chose to serve his time at a labor camp rather than pay the nearly $4,000 fine — has been declared AWOL. The punishment for being away without leave can include confinement in the brig, forfeiture of pay or dishonorable discharge and it is largely based on how long they were away and whether they were apprehended or returned on their own. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.King, 23, has not been declared a deserter, which is a far more serious offense. Often the military waits for a period of time to see if a service member returns, but that is very uncertain in this case. Desertion can result in imprisonment of as much as three years, and — in times of war — can carry the death penalty.Sabrina Singh, a Pentagon spokeswoman, told reporters on Thursday that King was not escorted all the way to the gate because he was not in custody and there was no anticipation that he would not get on the plane to go home.Military personnel escorted him to the passport control area and were not allowed to go farther than that. Singh said he confirmed to the U.S. military that he was near the gate. King knew he was returning to Texas to face likely discharge.Asked if King is alive, Singh said the U.S. does not know his health condition.She said it is “not our assessment” that King represents a security threat or liability, when asked if he had intelligence that North Korea would want. She added that the department has no indication that King’s decision to run into North Korea was pre-planned or organized with Pyongyang.Asked whether the U.S. feared that King could be mistreated or tortured by the North, Kirby responded that North Korea is a “brutal regime" but that the U.S. is still not in position to confirm how he is being treated.Otto Warmbier, a University of Virginia student, was seized by North Korean authorities from a tour group in January 2016 and convicted of trying to steal a propaganda poster and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. He served 17 months before being returned to the U.S. in a vegetative state.While not providing a clear reason for Warmbier’s brain damage, North Korea denied accusations by Warmbier’s family that he was tortured and insisted it had provided him medical care with “all sincerity.”The U.S. and North Korea, which fought during the 1950-53 Korean War, are still technically at war since that conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, and have no diplomatic ties. Sweden provided consular services for Americans in past cases, but Swedish diplomatic staff reportedly haven’t returned since North Korea ordered foreigners to leave the country at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.The U.S. can also reach North Korea via a hotline at the U.S.-led U.N. Command in Panmunjom — known as the “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-communication-hotline-b87a762b92361491dacbed8d22f56641">pink phone</a>."The State Department confirmed on Wednesday it has reached out to officials in South Korea and Sweden for help reaching the North Koreans. Jeon Ha-kyu, a spokesperson of South Korea’s Defense Ministry, said Thursday his ministry is sharing information with the American-led U.N. Command in South Korea, without elaborating.Meanwhile, the North's defense minister, Kang Sun Nam, issued a statement in state media that called a recent U.S. submarine deployment "the most undisguised and direct nuclear threat” to North Korea. He warned the deployment may be one of the situations foreseen in a new law that authorized the preemptive use of nuclear weapons in a broad range of cases.“The U.S. military side should realize that its nuclear assets have entered extremely dangerous waters,” Kang said.Some experts still doubt North Korea could use such arms first in the face of superior U.S. and South Korean forces. South Korea’s Defense Ministry on Friday described the deployment of the USS Kentucky and nuclear contingency planning meetings between Washington and Seoul as “defensive response measures” to counter the growing North Korean nuclear threat.The ministry said in a statement it “strongly warns” that any nuclear attack by the North on the allies would face an “immediate, overwhelming and decisive response … that would bring an end to the North Korean regime.”Kentucky's deployment, which happened on the day of King's border crossing, was part of U.S. steps to boost its security commitment to the North's rival, South Korea. North Korea later&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-missiles-us-nuclear-submarine-9a915fab65631ad2094f78e0d1d942cf">test-fired two missiles</a>.The tensions could complicate efforts to free King.“North Korea is not going to ‘catch and release’ a border-crosser. ... However, the Kim regime has little incentive to hold an American citizen very long, as doing so can entail liabilities,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.“For Pyongyang, it makes sense to find a way of extracting some compensation and then expel an American for unauthorized entry into the country before an isolated incident escalates in ways that risk North Korean diplomatic and financial interests,” he said.Other experts say North Korea won’t likely easily return King as he is a soldier who apparently voluntarily fled to North Korea, though many previous American civilian detainees were released after the United States sent high-profile missions to Pyongyang to secure their freedom.North Korea has previously held&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-past-border-entries-3b2e36d7cd162f8320768a049c50a361">a number of Americans</a>&nbsp;who were arrested for anti-state, espionage and other charges. But no other Americans were known to be detained since North Korea expelled American Bruce Byron Lowrance in 2018. During the Cold War, a small number of U.S. soldiers who fled to North Korea later appeared in North Korean propaganda films.The motive for King's border crossing is unknown. King’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-korea-us-soldier-travis-king-border-fe5da15f52122af9acc45412fe391465">family members</a>&nbsp;said the soldier may have felt overwhelmed by the legal trouble in South Korea, which could lead to a discharge from the military.King, who was serving in South Korea as a cavalry scout with the 1st Armored Division, was released earlier this month after 47 days of hard labor in the prison camp. In February, a Seoul court fined him 5 million won ($3,950) after convicting him of assaulting someone and damaging a police vehicle, according to a transcript of the verdict obtained by The Associated Press. The ruling said King had also been accused of punching a man at a Seoul nightclub, though the court dismissed that charge because the victim didn’t want King to be punished.___Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea. Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, Lolita C. Baldor and Matthew Lee in Washington; Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin; and Melissa Winder in Kenosha, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.

North Korea threatens nuclear retaliation over US displays of military force

SEDGWICK COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 8p.m. Thursday in Sedgwick County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Dodge Journey driven by Caleb T. Faron, 18, Bel Aire,&nbsp; was northbound on Interstate 135 just north of 13th Street in the #3 lane moving to the #4 lane. 

The driver failed to see a 2011 Hyundai Sonata driven by Uriel&nbsp;Orosco, 31, Wichita, slowing down in lane 4 with emergency hazard lights activated.

After impact, the Dodge overturned and came to rest in the #3 lane. The Hyundai rotated counterclockwise and came to rest in the #4 lane against the KDOT bridge wall.

Orosco was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to the Forensics Science Center. EMS transported a passenger in the Hyundia identified as Nallely Medrano Meraz, 28, Wichita, to Wesley Medical Center. Faron was not injured. Orosco was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689934377266.png" alt="First responders on the scene of the crash photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene of the crash photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 8p.m. Thursday in Sedgwick County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Dodge Journey driven by Caleb T. Faron, 18, Bel Aire,&nbsp; was northbound on Interstate 135 just north of 13th Street in the #3 lane moving to the #4 lane. The driver failed to see a 2011 Hyundai Sonata driven by Uriel&nbsp;Orosco, 31, Wichita, slowing down in lane 4 with emergency hazard lights activated.The Dodge rear-ended the Hyundai.After impact, the Dodge overturned and came to rest in the #3 lane. The Hyundai rotated counterclockwise and came to rest in the #4 lane against the KDOT bridge wall.Orosco was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to the Forensics Science Center. EMS transported a passenger in the Hyundia identified as Nallely Medrano Meraz, 28, Wichita, to Wesley Medical Center. Faron was not injured. Orosco was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dead, 1 injured after rear-end, rollover crash

At least 10 patients suffered injury from treatment with Chinese products

KANSAS CIT. –A Kansas man, who was the former owner of a Kansas City medical spa, was sentenced in federal court for providing illegal treatments to his patients, several of whom suffered adverse effects from the foreign products, according to the United State's Attorney.

Richard B. Smith III, 47, of Shawnee, Kansas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to two years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Smith to pay $18,296 in restitution to his victims.

On July 27, 2022, Smith pleaded guilty to one count of receiving misbranded drugs (foreign and unapproved Botox) and delivering them for pay with the intent to defraud or mislead, and one count of receiving adulterated devices (Juvederm Ultra 3) and delivering them for pay with the intent to defraud or mislead.

Smith owned and operated Tap and Blade, located at 7208 Wornall Road, Suite 206, in Kansas City. Tap and Blade offered medical services, such as injections of prescription drugs, including Botox, and prescription devices to enhance facial features, including Juvederm Ultra 3. Tap and Blade also offered cosmetic services, such as microblading, brow shading, and cool sculpting. Smith was the only employee of Tap and Blade and performed all the procedures offered at the clinic.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations began investigating Tap and Blade in December 2020 based on information that multiple patients suffered injuries after receiving treatment at Tap and Blade. Agents executed a search warrant at Tap and Blade on April 7, 2021, and found boxes of Juvederm Ultra 3 as well as three syringes filled with Botox.

Smith admitted that he obtained Botox and Juvederm Ultra 3 over the internet and without a prescription from a website in China. Smith purchased the products from Alibaba.com because the foreign products were significantly cheaper, which allowed him to lower his cost compared to his competitors and led him to gain more customers. Smith knew the drugs and devices he was injecting into his patients were illegal.

Smith admitted he never told his patients he was using foreign prescription drugs and devices that had not been approved by the FDA. Smith estimated he treated approximately 50 to 60 customers. Smith treated at least 10 patients who suffered a bodily injury after being treated with Juvederm Ultra 3.

For example, according to court documents, one patient told investigators the treatment was very painful and bruised her lip immediately. She went to the emergency room due to severe pain and blistering on her upper lip and was treated by a plastic surgeon. Another patient told investigators she has a permanent scar as a result of Smith’s treatments.

Even after Smith became aware of patients suffering adverse reactions to his procedures, he continued to perform injections in the same manner using the same types of illegal products.

During the more than three years Tap and Blade operated, from Jan. 1, 2018, to April 30, 2021, there was never a medical doctor associated with the spa, nor was there a doctor overseeing procedures. Smith admitted that he knew his patients should have seen a doctor prior to receiving treatment, and that he told them there was a doctor on staff. Smith persistently misrepresented his qualifications to patients. He told patients he was a registered nurse or had a nursing degree, and that he was licensed to perform the procedures. These lies allowed him to gain the trust of his clients, which enabled him to commit these crimes that ultimately led to several individuals suffering an injury.

Smith did not attend any training courses on how to properly administer the products. Prior to opening Tap and Blade, Smith practiced injections on honeydew fruit, fake heads, and fake skins.

The FDA approval of Botox limits the drug to use under the supervision of a licensed practitioner, thus, it is a prescription drug. Smith admitted that the foreign and unapproved Botox he purchased for use at his spa was misbranded because it did not bear adequate directions for use.

Upon being injected beneath the skin’s surface, Juvederm adds volume and lift to smooth wrinkles and folds. Juvederm products are regulated as devices because, when injected, they are intended to reside under the skin and do not achieve their primary intended purpose through chemical action or metabolization. The FDA’s approval for Juvederm products limits them to use under the supervision of a licensed practitioner, thus, they are prescription devices. Juvederm Ultra 3 is not legal for distribution in the United States because it lacks FDA approval.

Smith was convicted in 2011 of one count of attempted possession of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) with intent to manufacture gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and three counts of possession of GBL with intent to manufacture GHB. He was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole. During the investigation of that case, it was determined that Smith, acting as a representative of Schindler Elevator, purchased four 30-gallon drums of GBL from Barton Solvents, Inc. in Kansas City, Kan., between Oct. 5, 2006, and Dec. 3, 2007. Smith falsely claimed the GBL would be used for cleaning and degreasing purposes, when in reality, Smith obtained the GBL with the intent of converting it to GHB. On Oct. 8, 2007, a woman who lived with and dated Smith died from a drug overdose. GHB was one drug found in her system. The amount of GHB in her system was considered a lethal level of GHB and likely led to her death.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1617122131504.jpg" alt="Agents executed a search warrant at Tap and Blade on April 7, 2021, and found boxes of Juvederm Ultra 3 as well as three syringes filled with Botox." />
 <figcaption>Agents executed a search warrant at Tap and Blade on April 7, 2021, and found boxes of Juvederm Ultra 3 as well as three syringes filled with Botox.</figcaption>
 </figure>At least 10 patients suffered injury from treatment with Chinese productsKANSAS CIT. –A Kansas man, who was the former owner of a Kansas City medical spa, was sentenced in federal court for providing illegal treatments to his patients, several of whom suffered adverse effects from the foreign products, according to the United State's Attorney.Richard B. Smith III, 47, of Shawnee, Kansas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to two years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Smith to pay $18,296 in restitution to his victims.On July 27, 2022, Smith pleaded guilty to one count of receiving misbranded drugs (foreign and unapproved Botox) and delivering them for pay with the intent to defraud or mislead, and one count of receiving adulterated devices (Juvederm Ultra 3) and delivering them for pay with the intent to defraud or mislead.Smith owned and operated Tap and Blade, located at 7208 Wornall Road, Suite 206, in Kansas City. Tap and Blade offered medical services, such as injections of prescription drugs, including Botox, and prescription devices to enhance facial features, including Juvederm Ultra 3. Tap and Blade also offered cosmetic services, such as microblading, brow shading, and cool sculpting. Smith was the only employee of Tap and Blade and performed all the procedures offered at the clinic.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations began investigating Tap and Blade in December 2020 based on information that multiple patients suffered injuries after receiving treatment at Tap and Blade. Agents executed a search warrant at Tap and Blade on April 7, 2021, and found boxes of Juvederm Ultra 3 as well as three syringes filled with Botox.Smith admitted that he obtained Botox and Juvederm Ultra 3 over the internet and without a prescription from a website in China. Smith purchased the products from Alibaba.com because the foreign products were significantly cheaper, which allowed him to lower his cost compared to his competitors and led him to gain more customers. Smith knew the drugs and devices he was injecting into his patients were illegal.Smith admitted he never told his patients he was using foreign prescription drugs and devices that had not been approved by the FDA. Smith estimated he treated approximately 50 to 60 customers. Smith treated at least 10 patients who suffered a bodily injury after being treated with Juvederm Ultra 3.For example, according to court documents, one patient told investigators the treatment was very painful and bruised her lip immediately. She went to the emergency room due to severe pain and blistering on her upper lip and was treated by a plastic surgeon. Another patient told investigators she has a permanent scar as a result of Smith’s treatments.Even after Smith became aware of patients suffering adverse reactions to his procedures, he continued to perform injections in the same manner using the same types of illegal products.During the more than three years Tap and Blade operated, from Jan. 1, 2018, to April 30, 2021, there was never a medical doctor associated with the spa, nor was there a doctor overseeing procedures. Smith admitted that he knew his patients should have seen a doctor prior to receiving treatment, and that he told them there was a doctor on staff. Smith persistently misrepresented his qualifications to patients. He told patients he was a registered nurse or had a nursing degree, and that he was licensed to perform the procedures. These lies allowed him to gain the trust of his clients, which enabled him to commit these crimes that ultimately led to several individuals suffering an injury.Smith did not attend any training courses on how to properly administer the products. Prior to opening Tap and Blade, Smith practiced injections on honeydew fruit, fake heads, and fake skins.The FDA approval of Botox limits the drug to use under the supervision of a licensed practitioner, thus, it is a prescription drug. Smith admitted that the foreign and unapproved Botox he purchased for use at his spa was misbranded because it did not bear adequate directions for use.Upon being injected beneath the skin’s surface, Juvederm adds volume and lift to smooth wrinkles and folds. Juvederm products are regulated as devices because, when injected, they are intended to reside under the skin and do not achieve their primary intended purpose through chemical action or metabolization. The FDA’s approval for Juvederm products limits them to use under the supervision of a licensed practitioner, thus, they are prescription devices. Juvederm Ultra 3 is not legal for distribution in the United States because it lacks FDA approval.Smith was convicted in 2011 of one count of attempted possession of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) with intent to manufacture gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and three counts of possession of GBL with intent to manufacture GHB. He was sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole. During the investigation of that case, it was determined that Smith, acting as a representative of Schindler Elevator, purchased four 30-gallon drums of GBL from Barton Solvents, Inc. in Kansas City, Kan., between Oct. 5, 2006, and Dec. 3, 2007. Smith falsely claimed the GBL would be used for cleaning and degreasing purposes, when in reality, Smith obtained the GBL with the intent of converting it to GHB. On Oct. 8, 2007, a woman who lived with and dated Smith died from a drug overdose. GHB was one drug found in her system. The amount of GHB in her system was considered a lethal level of GHB and likely led to her death.

Kan. owner of medical spa sentenced for illegal treatments

FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a 2021 homicide in southwest Kansas have made an arrest.

On a Sunday evening in March of 2021, police were dispatched to 1404 W. Fulton Street Apt. 4, in Garden City after report of a man shot in the head, according to Sgt. Lana Urteaga.

At the scene, police located&nbsp; 32-year-old Victor Cabrera and Finney County EMS transported him&nbsp; St. Catherine Hospital. He was later flown to Via Christi Hospital in Wichita where he died.

On July 19, police conducted a traffic stop in the 1000 block of N. 2nd Street in Garden City and arrested 39-year-old Alfonso Fajardo in connection to the killing.

 Fajardo is being held in Finney County Jail on requested charges of Second-Degree Murder, Aggravated Intimidation of a Witness, and Criminal Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.&nbsp;&nbsp;Fajardo has previous convictions for aggravated battery and aggravated burglary, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689876664898.png" alt="Fajardo has previous convictions for aggravated battery and aggravated burglary, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections." />
 <figcaption>Fajardo has previous convictions for aggravated battery and aggravated burglary, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a 2021 homicide in southwest Kansas have made an arrest.On a Sunday evening in March of 2021, police were dispatched to 1404 W. Fulton Street Apt. 4, in Garden City after report of a man shot in the head, according to Sgt. Lana Urteaga.At the scene, police located&nbsp; 32-year-old Victor Cabrera and Finney County EMS transported him&nbsp; St. Catherine Hospital. He was later flown to Via Christi Hospital in Wichita where he died.On July 19, police conducted a traffic stop in the 1000 block of N. 2nd Street in Garden City and arrested 39-year-old Alfonso Fajardo in connection to the killing. Fajardo is being held in Finney County Jail on requested charges of Second-Degree Murder, Aggravated Intimidation of a Witness, and Criminal Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.&nbsp;&nbsp;Fajardo has previous convictions for aggravated battery and aggravated burglary, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.---

Kansas felon accused in 2021 SW Kansas murder

Secrecy surrounds the firing of Stephen Wade following investigation into employee concerns

By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/kansas-house-agrees-to-raise-legal-smoking-age-to-21/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — As Stephen Wade struggled to navigate the turbulence of his final days as Topeka city manager, he frequently turned to a city hall colleague for solace.

He met with her at a bar on the evening of May 31, then exchanged a series of Teams messages with her later that night.

“Am in a pretty bad place,” Wade wrote.

The sentiment underscored the end of Wade’s nine-month reign as the city’s top administrator. He requested a leave of absence one week later, and the city council fired him for undisclosed reasons after a closed-door meeting July 11.

Documents obtained by Kansas Reflector, along with interviews conducted for this story, indicate that Wade struggled to cope with complaints about a worsening crisis with unsheltered residents and the police killings of mentally disabled Black men. Additionally, city employees raised concerns about his conduct, which eventually became the subject of a law firm’s investigation and part of the discussion leading to his dismissal.

The secrecy surrounding Wade’s departure shields city officials, the mayor and council members from explaining their own role in hiring and working alongside him until the bitter end.

Council members were warned not to hire Wade in an anonymous letter sent to them in April 2022. The letter referred to Wade, previously the city’s finance director, as “a tyrant with poor people skills.”

“Wade has mastery of numbers and finance but his moral compass is broken and his decision-making ability is questionable,” the letter warned.

Councilman Spencer Duncan said city employees reached out to him with “concerns” about Wade, and that he was working to confirm those concerns when Wade requested his leave of absence during a closed-door meeting June 6.

The concerns raised by city employees were “part of the discussion” that resulted in the 10-0 vote to terminate Wade’s contract, Duncan said.

The other eight council members and mayor declined to respond to Kansas Reflector questions about why they hired Wade, if they had any reservations at the time, and whether they were aware of any concerns with him before June 1.

“None of the reasons for Mr. Wade’s termination involve concerns of criminal actions,” Duncan said. “They are personnel issues. As they fall under that category, there are federal and state laws that limit what information can be disclosed.”

When the mayor and city council hired Wade in September in a unanimous vote, he was hailed as a candidate with strong local ties rather than another in a series of outsiders.

Wade previously worked at the Topeka Capital-Journal, where he was publisher from 2018 to 2020. (Kansas Reflector’s Sherman Smith, Tim Carpenter and Clay Wirestone worked for Wade at the Capital-Journal.) He joined the city staff in the summer of 2020 and wrangled a budget strained by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He expressed excitement in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fb.watch/lRdF1O2d-e/">a video produced by the city</a>&nbsp;shortly after he became city manager.

“Any time you have an internal promotion, it’s a win for the team,” Wade said. “And so I guess what I would say to the staff is this is a win for us.”

Wade made sweeping changes to the structure of city government. The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/local/2023/07/05/stephen-wade-beefs-up-topekas-city-government-with-34-new-positions/70362762007/">Topeka Capital-Journal reported</a>&nbsp;that he created 34 new positions, including seven with six-figure salaries. They included the promotion in December of Hannah Uhlrig, previously the city’s deputy public works director, to a job that pays $125,000. Her new title was director of special projects and innovation.

Teams messages, which the city provided in response to an open records request, show that Wade frequently turned to Uhlrig for support as he faced increasing pressure. They met for meals and drinks and engaged in late-night chats. He thanked her for the company.

They laughed off a reporter’s questions about the amount of money&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/local/2023/06/07/top-bid-of-7-5-million-received-in-auction-to-sell-off-topeka-hotel/70294286007/">the city would pay for a hotel</a>&nbsp;— $7.6 million, more than twice the appraised value, in an effort to ensure redevelopment of the property. And they bashed Councilwoman Karen Hiller before and after a meeting between Wade and Hiller on June 2.

“That woman drives my blood pressure sky high,” Wade wrote.

In a series of messages after 8:40 p.m. June 5, the night before he requested a leave of absence, Uhlrig repeatedly encouraged him to think of “a positive interaction” he had that day.

The brightest moment for Wade: “The drive thru chic got my order right.”

Councilwoman Christina Valdivia-Alcala complained about Wade’s “unprofessional” relationship with the Topeka Rescue Mission as she addressed the crowd at a July 17 meeting in North Topeka.

Valdivia-Alcala represents a district that includes the area known as NOTO, a collection of art galleries, shops, restaurants and other small businesses just north of the Kansas River. The area is also known for its close proximity to the rescue mission, a homeless shelter situated between the pocket of commerce and tent encampments along the river.

Wade had been working with leaders of the rescue mission as he looked for ways to funnel taxpayer cash to the shelter.

“I’m going to be real blunt when I say this,” Valdivia-Alcala said. “I’m sad he’s gone. But his relationship with the mission was unprofessional. It was unprofessional. He carried their water.”

Kansas Reflector obtained Wade’s calendar items, emails and the text messages through an open records request with the city. The records show he frequently met and corresponded with rescue mission officials, including executive director LaManda Broyles, in the weeks before he went on leave.

Wade worked with Broyles to draft&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/resolution-for-funding-replacement.pdf">a resolution</a>&nbsp;that would use $316,966 from the city’s general fund to replace a grant the rescue mission had failed to win from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It would have been an unprecedented allocation of local taxpayer funding to the faith-based nonprofit.

“I cannot promise I am going to be successful,” Wade told Broyles in a May 19 text message, the same day she helped him&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/resolution-for-funding-replacement-revised.pdf">revise the proposed resolution</a>.

Broyles provided various estimates of the number of families the rescue mission assists through federal funding. She suggested that hundreds of families could be displaced without the transfer of city dollars.

Wade planned to ask the council to support the resolution at the June 6 meeting.

Separately, he told Broyles in a June 1 text that he was adding $1 million into the city’s operating budget for the homeless shelter. The city now says a task force will determine how that money will be spent.

“I know the weight on your mind and shoulders is heavy regarding this,” Broyles said. “Thank you for caring the way you do. Caring for the unsheltered while also caring for a thriving Topeka. I, and TRM, are in this with you. Through successes and setbacks. God guides it all.”

LaRonna Lassiter Saunders sensed that Wade was growing frustrated as she tried to make him understand the need for better relations between the community and law enforcement.

Their conversation stemmed from the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/local/2022/10/20/topeka-police-department-probe-black-men-killed-ywca-northeast-kansas-among-groups/69569048007/">police killings last year</a>&nbsp;of two Black men who struggled with mental wellness. The city refused to make public the video captured by police body cameras.

Lassiter Saunders, an attorney and justice advocate, was grateful that Wade was willing to meet with her and other advocates. But she said Wade, the son of a retired Kansas Highway Patrol officer, couldn’t understand the unresolved trauma that Black and Latino residents have from negative experiences with police.

“That’s what I kept trying to explain to Steve, and he was frustrated,” Lassiter Saunders said. “I could tell he was frustrated because at one point I said, ‘Do you understand what I’m saying? He said, ‘No.’ And I’m like OK, I can appreciate at least you’re being honest. But I think his frustration was he couldn’t understand that it was really a problem.”

Lassiter Saunders works with Bridging the Gap, a campaign focused on mental health awareness, training young people to know their rights during police interactions, and building relationships. The meeting took place a few days before Wade took a leave of absence.

Wade listened as Lassiter Saunders tried to explain the distrust that marginalized people have with police. To her, he appeared overwhelmed.

She wanted to know who the community could talk to when they have a concern or want to ask a question. Wade’s solution: People could call him personally.

Maybe his heart was in the right place, she thought, but that wasn’t a viable answer. How would people know the city manager’s number?

She wondered how the conversation was supposed to go: “My son just got pulled over, which we feel was racially motivated. Let me call the city manager see what he can do about it.”

Lassiter Saunders said she was “in his face,” pointing out things that didn’t make sense. That probably added to his frustration, she said. The conversation helped her realize the challenge was bigger than she thought.

“Not only are we trying to heal hurt and damage, but we’re also dealing with two different realities,” she said.

The city council and mayor fired Wade on July 11 following a two-hour meeting behind closed doors.

None of the council members who were present for the meeting or the mayor would answer reporters’ questions. Wade didn’t respond to a text message seeking comment.

City attorney Amanda Stanley said Chris McHugh, a civil litigation attorney from a Kansas City law firm, delivered an investigative report to the council during the closed meeting. The city hired the law firm to “investigate a complaint,” Stanley said.

“Other than that, we don’t comment on personnel matters,” Stanley said.

Stanley said the investigative report wouldn’t be made public.

She declined to say whether Wade had retained legal counsel or if the city anticipated Wade to file a lawsuit.

City residents&nbsp;responded to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fb.watch/lTOAZR-Vad/">city council meeting video on Facebook</a>. Genie Allgood referred to the secrecy as “complete and utter bs.”

“I would like to know why the reason the city manager was on paid leave and what he did (or didn’t do) to get fired! Transparency???” Allgood wrote.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689890223668.jpeg" alt="A Topeka police officer guards the closed doors of the city chamber during the July 11, 2023, city council meeting. When the doors opened, the council and mayor voted 10-0 to fire city manager Stephen Wade. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>A Topeka police officer guards the closed doors of the city chamber during the July 11, 2023, city council meeting. When the doors opened, the council and mayor voted 10-0 to fire city manager Stephen Wade. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Secrecy surrounds the firing of Stephen Wade following investigation into employee concerns</h2>By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/kansas-house-agrees-to-raise-legal-smoking-age-to-21/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — As Stephen Wade struggled to navigate the turbulence of his final days as Topeka city manager, he frequently turned to a city hall colleague for solace.He met with her at a bar on the evening of May 31, then exchanged a series of Teams messages with her later that night.“Am in a pretty bad place,” Wade wrote.The sentiment underscored the end of Wade’s nine-month reign as the city’s top administrator. He requested a leave of absence one week later, and the city council fired him for undisclosed reasons after a closed-door meeting July 11.Documents obtained by Kansas Reflector, along with interviews conducted for this story, indicate that Wade struggled to cope with complaints about a worsening crisis with unsheltered residents and the police killings of mentally disabled Black men. Additionally, city employees raised concerns about his conduct, which eventually became the subject of a law firm’s investigation and part of the discussion leading to his dismissal.The secrecy surrounding Wade’s departure shields city officials, the mayor and council members from explaining their own role in hiring and working alongside him until the bitter end.Council members were warned not to hire Wade in an anonymous letter sent to them in April 2022. The letter referred to Wade, previously the city’s finance director, as “a tyrant with poor people skills.”“Wade has mastery of numbers and finance but his moral compass is broken and his decision-making ability is questionable,” the letter warned.<h2>Personnel issues</h2>Councilman Spencer Duncan said city employees reached out to him with “concerns” about Wade, and that he was working to confirm those concerns when Wade requested his leave of absence during a closed-door meeting June 6.The concerns raised by city employees were “part of the discussion” that resulted in the 10-0 vote to terminate Wade’s contract, Duncan said.The other eight council members and mayor declined to respond to Kansas Reflector questions about why they hired Wade, if they had any reservations at the time, and whether they were aware of any concerns with him before June 1.“None of the reasons for Mr. Wade’s termination involve concerns of criminal actions,” Duncan said. “They are personnel issues. As they fall under that category, there are federal and state laws that limit what information can be disclosed.”When the mayor and city council hired Wade in September in a unanimous vote, he was hailed as a candidate with strong local ties rather than another in a series of outsiders.Wade previously worked at the Topeka Capital-Journal, where he was publisher from 2018 to 2020. (Kansas Reflector’s Sherman Smith, Tim Carpenter and Clay Wirestone worked for Wade at the Capital-Journal.) He joined the city staff in the summer of 2020 and wrangled a budget strained by the COVID-19 pandemic.He expressed excitement in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fb.watch/lRdF1O2d-e/">a video produced by the city</a>&nbsp;shortly after he became city manager.“Any time you have an internal promotion, it’s a win for the team,” Wade said. “And so I guess what I would say to the staff is this is a win for us.”Wade made sweeping changes to the structure of city government. The&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/local/2023/07/05/stephen-wade-beefs-up-topekas-city-government-with-34-new-positions/70362762007/">Topeka Capital-Journal reported</a>&nbsp;that he created 34 new positions, including seven with six-figure salaries. They included the promotion in December of Hannah Uhlrig, previously the city’s deputy public works director, to a job that pays $125,000. Her new title was director of special projects and innovation.Teams messages, which the city provided in response to an open records request, show that Wade frequently turned to Uhlrig for support as he faced increasing pressure. They met for meals and drinks and engaged in late-night chats. He thanked her for the company.They laughed off a reporter’s questions about the amount of money&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/local/2023/06/07/top-bid-of-7-5-million-received-in-auction-to-sell-off-topeka-hotel/70294286007/">the city would pay for a hotel</a>&nbsp;— $7.6 million, more than twice the appraised value, in an effort to ensure redevelopment of the property. And they bashed Councilwoman Karen Hiller before and after a meeting between Wade and Hiller on June 2.“That woman drives my blood pressure sky high,” Wade wrote.In a series of messages after 8:40 p.m. June 5, the night before he requested a leave of absence, Uhlrig repeatedly encouraged him to think of “a positive interaction” he had that day.The brightest moment for Wade: “The drive thru chic got my order right.”<h2>Carrying water</h2>Councilwoman Christina Valdivia-Alcala complained about Wade’s “unprofessional” relationship with the Topeka Rescue Mission as she addressed the crowd at a July 17 meeting in North Topeka.Valdivia-Alcala represents a district that includes the area known as NOTO, a collection of art galleries, shops, restaurants and other small businesses just north of the Kansas River. The area is also known for its close proximity to the rescue mission, a homeless shelter situated between the pocket of commerce and tent encampments along the river.Wade had been working with leaders of the rescue mission as he looked for ways to funnel taxpayer cash to the shelter.“I’m going to be real blunt when I say this,” Valdivia-Alcala said. “I’m sad he’s gone. But his relationship with the mission was unprofessional. It was unprofessional. He carried their water.”Kansas Reflector obtained Wade’s calendar items, emails and the text messages through an open records request with the city. The records show he frequently met and corresponded with rescue mission officials, including executive director LaManda Broyles, in the weeks before he went on leave.Wade worked with Broyles to draft&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/resolution-for-funding-replacement.pdf">a resolution</a>&nbsp;that would use $316,966 from the city’s general fund to replace a grant the rescue mission had failed to win from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It would have been an unprecedented allocation of local taxpayer funding to the faith-based nonprofit.“I cannot promise I am going to be successful,” Wade told Broyles in a May 19 text message, the same day she helped him&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/resolution-for-funding-replacement-revised.pdf">revise the proposed resolution</a>.Broyles provided various estimates of the number of families the rescue mission assists through federal funding. She suggested that hundreds of families could be displaced without the transfer of city dollars.Wade planned to ask the council to support the resolution at the June 6 meeting.Separately, he told Broyles in a June 1 text that he was adding $1 million into the city’s operating budget for the homeless shelter. The city now says a task force will determine how that money will be spent.“I know the weight on your mind and shoulders is heavy regarding this,” Broyles said. “Thank you for caring the way you do. Caring for the unsheltered while also caring for a thriving Topeka. I, and TRM, are in this with you. Through successes and setbacks. God guides it all.”<h2>Different realities</h2>LaRonna Lassiter Saunders sensed that Wade was growing frustrated as she tried to make him understand the need for better relations between the community and law enforcement.Their conversation stemmed from the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/local/2022/10/20/topeka-police-department-probe-black-men-killed-ywca-northeast-kansas-among-groups/69569048007/">police killings last year</a>&nbsp;of two Black men who struggled with mental wellness. The city refused to make public the video captured by police body cameras.Lassiter Saunders, an attorney and justice advocate, was grateful that Wade was willing to meet with her and other advocates. But she said Wade, the son of a retired Kansas Highway Patrol officer, couldn’t understand the unresolved trauma that Black and Latino residents have from negative experiences with police.“That’s what I kept trying to explain to Steve, and he was frustrated,” Lassiter Saunders said. “I could tell he was frustrated because at one point I said, ‘Do you understand what I’m saying? He said, ‘No.’ And I’m like OK, I can appreciate at least you’re being honest. But I think his frustration was he couldn’t understand that it was really a problem.”Lassiter Saunders works with Bridging the Gap, a campaign focused on mental health awareness, training young people to know their rights during police interactions, and building relationships. The meeting took place a few days before Wade took a leave of absence.Wade listened as Lassiter Saunders tried to explain the distrust that marginalized people have with police. To her, he appeared overwhelmed.She wanted to know who the community could talk to when they have a concern or want to ask a question. Wade’s solution: People could call him personally.Maybe his heart was in the right place, she thought, but that wasn’t a viable answer. How would people know the city manager’s number?She wondered how the conversation was supposed to go: “My son just got pulled over, which we feel was racially motivated. Let me call the city manager see what he can do about it.”“That doesn’t happen,” she said.Lassiter Saunders said she was “in his face,” pointing out things that didn’t make sense. That probably added to his frustration, she said. The conversation helped her realize the challenge was bigger than she thought.“Not only are we trying to heal hurt and damage, but we’re also dealing with two different realities,” she said.<h2>Utter BS</h2>The city council and mayor fired Wade on July 11 following a two-hour meeting behind closed doors.None of the council members who were present for the meeting or the mayor would answer reporters’ questions. Wade didn’t respond to a text message seeking comment.City attorney Amanda Stanley said Chris McHugh, a civil litigation attorney from a Kansas City law firm, delivered an investigative report to the council during the closed meeting. The city hired the law firm to “investigate a complaint,” Stanley said.“Other than that, we don’t comment on personnel matters,” Stanley said.Stanley said the investigative report wouldn’t be made public.She declined to say whether Wade had retained legal counsel or if the city anticipated Wade to file a lawsuit.City residents&nbsp;responded to the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fb.watch/lTOAZR-Vad/">city council meeting video on Facebook</a>. Genie Allgood referred to the secrecy as “complete and utter bs.”“I would like to know why the reason the city manager was on paid leave and what he did (or didn’t do) to get fired! Transparency???” Allgood wrote.

Topeka city manager was ‘in a pretty bad place’ in final days on the job

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities&nbsp; investigating a fatal plane crash northeast of Kansas City have&nbsp; identified the pilot who died as 79-year-old Alan “Doug” Moler of Valley Center, Kansas, according to the Clay County Missouri Sheriff's office.

Just after 9:30a.m., a 911 caller reported a plane crashed in a field. The plane was fully engulfed in flames and resting in a soybean field near NE 150th and Cordell streets. Excelsior Springs and Kearney fire departments responded and discovered the pilot was the sole occupant of the plane. The pilot was deceased.

Immediately before the crash, the plane had taken off from the Midwest Regional Air Center, a Clay County-owned airport at 13106 Rhodus Road, Mosby, Mo., located a short distance from the crash scene. 

The plane is a privately owned twin-engine Piper aircraft. It had just fueled up and had 140 gallons of fuel on board, which contributed to the fire, according to the sheriff's department. The Pilot was in route to an airport in Wichita.

The plane struck power lines during its descent, knocking down live wires. Residents on NE 150th Street east of Cordell were blocked from their homes until the wires could safely be removed from the roadway.&nbsp; No one on the ground was injured.

After the initial response and evidence gathering, the Sheriff’s Office will turn the investigation over to the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board. The FAA was to arrive Thursday afternoon, and the NTSB has indicated they will arrive Friday, according to the sheriff's office.

The crash scattered debris outside of the soybean field that deputies will have to leave in place until federal aviation authorities arrive to conduct their investigation. Therefore, Cordell Street at 92 Highway, N.E. 150th Street, and parts of Shady Grove Road will remain closed

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689879070841.png" alt="The plane is a privately owned twin-engine Piper aircraft.-photo courtesy KMBC" />
 <figcaption>The plane is a privately owned twin-engine Piper aircraft.-photo courtesy KMBC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities&nbsp; investigating a fatal plane crash northeast of Kansas City have&nbsp; identified the pilot who died as 79-year-old Alan “Doug” Moler of Valley Center, Kansas, according to the Clay County Missouri Sheriff's office.Just after 9:30a.m., a 911 caller reported a plane crashed in a field. The plane was fully engulfed in flames and resting in a soybean field near NE 150th and Cordell streets. Excelsior Springs and Kearney fire departments responded and discovered the pilot was the sole occupant of the plane. The pilot was deceased.Immediately before the crash, the plane had taken off from the Midwest Regional Air Center, a Clay County-owned airport at 13106 Rhodus Road, Mosby, Mo., located a short distance from the crash scene. The plane is a privately owned twin-engine Piper aircraft. It had just fueled up and had 140 gallons of fuel on board, which contributed to the fire, according to the sheriff's department. The Pilot was in route to an airport in Wichita.The plane struck power lines during its descent, knocking down live wires. Residents on NE 150th Street east of Cordell were blocked from their homes until the wires could safely be removed from the roadway.&nbsp; No one on the ground was injured.After the initial response and evidence gathering, the Sheriff’s Office will turn the investigation over to the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board. The FAA was to arrive Thursday afternoon, and the NTSB has indicated they will arrive Friday, according to the sheriff's office.The crash scattered debris outside of the soybean field that deputies will have to leave in place until federal aviation authorities arrive to conduct their investigation. Therefore, Cordell Street at 92 Highway, N.E. 150th Street, and parts of Shady Grove Road will remain closed

Kan. pilot dies in small plane crash into Missouri soybean field

By JASON HANCOCK <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s efforts to inflate the cost of an abortion-rights initiative petition were unanimously rejected by the state Supreme Court Thursday, j<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/18/fight-over-cost-of-abortion-rights-initiative-petition-reaches-missouri-supreme-court/">ust two days after judges heard arguments in the case</a>.&nbsp;

The quick verdict, which was written by Judge Paul Wilson, was scathing in its opinion of Bailey’s refusal to sign off on the work of Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, concluding that nothing in state law “gives the attorney general authority to question the auditor’s assessment of the fiscal impact of a proposed petition.”

The ruling upheld Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem’s ruling last month&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/06/20/judge-missouri-ag-had-absolute-absence-of-authority-to-question-abortion-initiative-cost/">ordering Bailey to sign off on Fitzpatrick’s fiscal summary within 24 hours</a>.&nbsp;

A spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office said Bailey disagrees with the court’s decision, “as we believe Missourians deserve to know how much this amendment would cost the state, but we will respect the court’s order.”

In early March, 11 versions of a proposed constitutional amendment rolling back Missouri’s abortion ban were filed with the secretary of state’s office.&nbsp;

As part of the initiative petition process, the state auditor is required to create a fiscal note and a fiscal note summary that states “the measure’s estimated cost or savings, if any, to state or local governmental entities.”

After consulting 60 state and local agencies, including the attorney general’s office, Fitzpatrick concluded the state would face “no costs or savings” as a result of the proposed constitutional amendment.

Bailey refused to give what has traditionally been considered perfunctory approval of the fiscal note. Instead, he demanded the auditor increase the estimate to say the amendment would cost the state billions of dollars.

Fitzpatrick said that while he vehemently opposes the proposed initiative petition, the projected cost estimate being pushed by Bailey is not based in reality. To alter his fiscal summary to include Bailey’s “inaccurate information.” Fitzpatrick wrote to the attorney general, would “violate my duty as State Auditor to produce an accurate fiscal note summary.

Because of the impasse, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has not completed his work on the summary, and thus, supporters cannot legally begin collecting signatures to place the issue on the ballot.

Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling acknowledged how Bailey’s unlawful refusal to sign off on the fiscal note has derailed the initiative petition process.&nbsp;

&nbsp;“The attorney general was to have performed that task within 10 days of receiving the fiscal notes and summaries from the auditor, a period that expired more than three months ago,” Wilson wrote in his ruling, later adding: “Because of this logjam, the (secretary of state) could not — and, to this day, cannot — complete his duty by certifying the official ballot titles for the proposed petitions.”

If the attorney general had “complied with his duty to approve the Auditor’s fiscal note summaries,” Wilson wrote, the official ballot summary would have been finalized “nearly 100 days ago.”&nbsp;

In a statement after the ruling, Fitzpatrick said he has “consistently stood in defense of the lives of the innocent unborn and worked to make sure abortions do not take place in our state.

“As someone who is ardently pro-life, I will vote against these initiatives if they make it to the ballot,” he said. “However my personal stance cannot compromise the duty my office has to provide a fair assessment of their cost to the state.”

Luz María Henríquez, executive director of the ACLU of Missouri, which sued the attorney general over the fiscal note delays, said Tuesday that the attorney general was seeking to single-handedly upend the initiative petition process.&nbsp;

His efforts, Henríquez said, are “more consistent with the tendencies of an authoritarian government than what we would expect to find in a thriving democracy.”

In an interview Tuesday with KMOX-TV, Bailey was asked whether it’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kmov.com/2023/07/18/missouri-supreme-court-hear-arguments-abortion-petition-case/">morally acceptable to disregard parts of the constitution or break the law</a>&nbsp;as a means of preventing an abortion from taking place.

“I’m going to need to spend a little more time thinking through that kind of philosophical, moral question,” Bailey said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689729912291.png" alt="The Missouri Supreme Court Building in Jefferson City (Jason Hancock/Missouri Independent)." />
 <figcaption>The Missouri Supreme Court Building in Jefferson City (Jason Hancock/Missouri Independent).</figcaption>
 </figure>By JASON HANCOCK <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/02/20/state-senator-throws-first-punches-of-2024-missouri-governors-campaign/">Missouri Independent</a>Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s efforts to inflate the cost of an abortion-rights initiative petition were unanimously rejected by the state Supreme Court Thursday, j<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/07/18/fight-over-cost-of-abortion-rights-initiative-petition-reaches-missouri-supreme-court/">ust two days after judges heard arguments in the case</a>.&nbsp;The quick verdict, which was written by Judge Paul Wilson, was scathing in its opinion of Bailey’s refusal to sign off on the work of Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick, concluding that nothing in state law “gives the attorney general authority to question the auditor’s assessment of the fiscal impact of a proposed petition.”The ruling upheld Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem’s ruling last month&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://missouriindependent.com/2023/06/20/judge-missouri-ag-had-absolute-absence-of-authority-to-question-abortion-initiative-cost/">ordering Bailey to sign off on Fitzpatrick’s fiscal summary within 24 hours</a>.&nbsp;A spokeswoman for the attorney general’s office said Bailey disagrees with the court’s decision, “as we believe Missourians deserve to know how much this amendment would cost the state, but we will respect the court’s order.”In early March, 11 versions of a proposed constitutional amendment rolling back Missouri’s abortion ban were filed with the secretary of state’s office.&nbsp;As part of the initiative petition process, the state auditor is required to create a fiscal note and a fiscal note summary that states “the measure’s estimated cost or savings, if any, to state or local governmental entities.”After consulting 60 state and local agencies, including the attorney general’s office, Fitzpatrick concluded the state would face “no costs or savings” as a result of the proposed constitutional amendment.Bailey refused to give what has traditionally been considered perfunctory approval of the fiscal note. Instead, he demanded the auditor increase the estimate to say the amendment would cost the state billions of dollars.Fitzpatrick said that while he vehemently opposes the proposed initiative petition, the projected cost estimate being pushed by Bailey is not based in reality. To alter his fiscal summary to include Bailey’s “inaccurate information.” Fitzpatrick wrote to the attorney general, would “violate my duty as State Auditor to produce an accurate fiscal note summary.Because of the impasse, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has not completed his work on the summary, and thus, supporters cannot legally begin collecting signatures to place the issue on the ballot.Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling acknowledged how Bailey’s unlawful refusal to sign off on the fiscal note has derailed the initiative petition process.&nbsp;&nbsp;“The attorney general was to have performed that task within 10 days of receiving the fiscal notes and summaries from the auditor, a period that expired more than three months ago,” Wilson wrote in his ruling, later adding: “Because of this logjam, the (secretary of state) could not — and, to this day, cannot — complete his duty by certifying the official ballot titles for the proposed petitions.”If the attorney general had “complied with his duty to approve the Auditor’s fiscal note summaries,” Wilson wrote, the official ballot summary would have been finalized “nearly 100 days ago.”&nbsp;In a statement after the ruling, Fitzpatrick said he has “consistently stood in defense of the lives of the innocent unborn and worked to make sure abortions do not take place in our state.“As someone who is ardently pro-life, I will vote against these initiatives if they make it to the ballot,” he said. “However my personal stance cannot compromise the duty my office has to provide a fair assessment of their cost to the state.”Luz María Henríquez, executive director of the ACLU of Missouri, which sued the attorney general over the fiscal note delays, said Tuesday that the attorney general was seeking to single-handedly upend the initiative petition process.&nbsp;His efforts, Henríquez said, are “more consistent with the tendencies of an authoritarian government than what we would expect to find in a thriving democracy.”In an interview Tuesday with KMOX-TV, Bailey was asked whether it’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kmov.com/2023/07/18/missouri-supreme-court-hear-arguments-abortion-petition-case/">morally acceptable to disregard parts of the constitution or break the law</a>&nbsp;as a means of preventing an abortion from taking place.“I’m going to need to spend a little more time thinking through that kind of philosophical, moral question,” Bailey said.

Mo. Supreme Court rejects AG’s push to inflate cost of abortion-rights amendment

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia pounded Ukraine’s southern cities with drones and missiles for a third consecutive night Thursday, keeping Odesa in the Kremlin's crosshairs after a bitter dispute over the end of a wartime deal that allowed Ukraine to send grain through the key Black Sea port.

The strikes killed at least two people in Odesa. In Mykolaiv, a city close to the Black Sea, at least 19 people were injured, including a child, Ukrainian officials said.

Russia has targeted Ukrainian&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-odesa-crimea-1676e6e746c888c8c8c1f0e4493be6fa">critical grain export infrastructure</a>&nbsp;since it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-odesa-strike-grain-f4f9cc439384e4d7012c82368338405f">vowed “retribution”</a>&nbsp;this week for an attack that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-crimea-ukraine-kerch-bridge-c3759176ab015796a1e21ca82f19e0c9">damaged a crucial bridge</a>&nbsp;between Russia and the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula. Russian officials blamed that strike on Ukrainian drone boats.

The strikes on Ukraine's grain export infrastructure have helped&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-black-sea-grain-deal-365db9ddb05fb9f2114347aa59b8546a">drive up food prices in countries facing hunger</a>. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the end of the deal Monday would result in more human suffering, with potentially millions of people affected.

Carlos Mera, head of agricultural commodities markets at <a href="https://www.rabobank.com/en/home/index.html">Rabobank,</a> said wheat prices have risen about 17% over the last week, calling it a surprising rise that started even before the grain deal ended Monday and attributing it to “a little bit of panic.”

The grain deal provided guarantees that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-grain-shipping-risks-6adc97731965377e2f1db5f91adefa92">ships would not be attacked</a>&nbsp;entering and leaving Ukrainian ports, while a separate agreement facilitated the movement of Russian food and fertilizer.

The Russian military on Thursday described its strikes on Odesa, a city whose downtown area is described by the United Nations’ cultural agency UNESCO as possessing "outstanding universal value,” as “retaliatory.”

In January, UNESCO&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-entertainment-politics-odessa-ukraine-government-51da3a402b343bdd9ae8c2587278cb2d">added Odesa’s historic center</a>&nbsp;to its list of endangered World Heritage Sites, with UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay saying the “legendary port that has left its mark in cinema, literature and the arts.”

Despite multiple Russian artillery attacks and airstrikes during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">the war</a>&nbsp;that began in February 2022, Odesa had not previously been subjected to the heavy barrages that have targeted other towns and cities in Ukraine's south and east.

Odesa residents reeled from Russia’s sudden focus on their city.

“I remember the attack on the port last year, but now it feels like it was only 5% compared to what the Russians have launched at us during these past three days,” Oleksandr Kolodin, a 29-year-old photographer, told The Associated Press.

Some feared that Russia’s decision to tear up the grain deal would make Odesa a long-term primary target.

“We saw how they could attack Kyiv for an entire month,” said 29-year-old programmer Victor, referring to the intense bombardment of the Ukrainian capital in May. He asked to use only his first name out of concern for his safety.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that it targeted “production shops and storage sites for unmanned boats” in Odesa and the nearby city of Chornomorsk. In the Mykolaiv area, the Russian military claimed to have destroyed Ukraine’s fuel infrastructure facilities and ammunition depots.

Neither sides’ claims could be independently verified.

The previous night, an intense Russian bombardment using drones and missiles damaged critical port infrastructure in Odesa, including grain and oil terminals. The attack destroyed at least 60,000 tons of grain.

In what appeared to be a tit-for-tat move, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry announced that as of Friday, all vessels in the Black Sea heading to Russian ports “may be considered by Ukraine as such carrying military cargo with all the associated risks.” That may result in higher insurance costs for those ships.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said earlier this week that Moscow had formally declared wide areas of the Black Sea dangerous for shipping and warned that it would view any incoming ship as laden with weapons, effectively announcing a sea blockade.

Despite the risks, ship owners haven't shown any less interest so far in carrying Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, according to John Stawpert, senior manager of environment and trade for the International Chamber of Shipping, which represents 80% of the world’s commercial fleet.

The European Union’s foreign affairs chief condemned Russia's targeting of grain storage facilities.

“More than 60,000 tons of grain has been burned,” Josep Borrell said in Brussels on Thursday, regarding Moscow's recent tactics. “So not only they withdraw from the grain agreement … but they are burning the grain.”

German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock said at the same meeting that the EU is involved in international efforts to get Ukrainian grain to the world market.

“The fact that the Russian president has canceled the grain agreement and is now bombing the port of Odesa is not only another attack on Ukraine, but an attack on the people, on the poorest people in the world,” she said. “Hundreds of thousands of people, not to say millions,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kenya-somalia-refugees-hunger-food-ukraine-deal-7a7bbb6de8173ec20811663ad53362ce">urgently need grain from Ukraine</a>.”

The White House warned Wednesday that Russia was preparing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-shipping-black-sea-6e7721886bb2b1d98af2e49cf6f67aaf">possible attacks on civilian shipping</a>&nbsp;vessels in the Black Sea. The warning could alarm shippers and further drive up grain prices.

Russia has laid additional sea mines in the approaches to Ukrainian ports, White House National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said in a statement. “We believe that this is a coordinated effort to justify any attacks against civilian ships in the Black Sea and lay blame on Ukraine for these attacks,” the statement said.

A lot of the wheat exported from Ukraine goes to very poor countries, such as those in North Africa, he said. People in those places are already struggling with food insecurity and high local food prices. Russia, meanwhile, has been exporting record amounts of wheat in recent months despite complaints that its agricultural exports have been hindered.

There is “a vast list of underdeveloped countries that depend on Ukrainian and Russian wheat,” Mera said. “And with prices going up, people will have to pay more for that wheat, which means more expensive bread in those countries.”

Russia has blasted Ukrainian towns and cities since the start of the war. Ukraine's Western allies have helped upgrade its air defense systems. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-military-aid-war-83790aadb76c4eca6da9d0dc48ad791c">latest military aid package</a>&nbsp;from the United States, announced by the Pentagon on Wednesday, includes funding for four National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, and munitions for them.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663760963726.jpeg" alt="Russia has targeted Ukrainian&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-odesa-crimea-1676e6e746c888c8c8c1f0e4493be6fa">critical grain export infrastructure</a>&nbsp;since it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-odesa-strike-grain-f4f9cc439384e4d7012c82368338405f">vowed “retribution”</a>&nbsp;this week for an attack that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-crimea-ukraine-kerch-bridge-c3759176ab015796a1e21ca82f19e0c9">damaged a crucial bridge</a>&nbsp;between Russia and the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula. Russian officials blamed that strike on Ukrainian drone boats. -Photo Russian Presidential Press Service via AP" />
 <figcaption>Russia has targeted Ukrainian&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-odesa-crimea-1676e6e746c888c8c8c1f0e4493be6fa">critical grain export infrastructure</a>&nbsp;since it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-odesa-strike-grain-f4f9cc439384e4d7012c82368338405f">vowed “retribution”</a>&nbsp;this week for an attack that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-crimea-ukraine-kerch-bridge-c3759176ab015796a1e21ca82f19e0c9">damaged a crucial bridge</a>&nbsp;between Russia and the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula. Russian officials blamed that strike on Ukrainian drone boats. -Photo Russian Presidential Press Service via AP</figcaption>
 </figure>KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia pounded Ukraine’s southern cities with drones and missiles for a third consecutive night Thursday, keeping Odesa in the Kremlin's crosshairs after a bitter dispute over the end of a wartime deal that allowed Ukraine to send grain through the key Black Sea port.The strikes killed at least two people in Odesa. In Mykolaiv, a city close to the Black Sea, at least 19 people were injured, including a child, Ukrainian officials said.Russia has targeted Ukrainian&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-odesa-crimea-1676e6e746c888c8c8c1f0e4493be6fa">critical grain export infrastructure</a>&nbsp;since it&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-odesa-strike-grain-f4f9cc439384e4d7012c82368338405f">vowed “retribution”</a>&nbsp;this week for an attack that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-crimea-ukraine-kerch-bridge-c3759176ab015796a1e21ca82f19e0c9">damaged a crucial bridge</a>&nbsp;between Russia and the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula. Russian officials blamed that strike on Ukrainian drone boats.The strikes on Ukraine's grain export infrastructure have helped&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-black-sea-grain-deal-365db9ddb05fb9f2114347aa59b8546a">drive up food prices in countries facing hunger</a>. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the end of the deal Monday would result in more human suffering, with potentially millions of people affected.Carlos Mera, head of agricultural commodities markets at <a href="https://www.rabobank.com/en/home/index.html">Rabobank,</a> said wheat prices have risen about 17% over the last week, calling it a surprising rise that started even before the grain deal ended Monday and attributing it to “a little bit of panic.”The grain deal provided guarantees that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-grain-shipping-risks-6adc97731965377e2f1db5f91adefa92">ships would not be attacked</a>&nbsp;entering and leaving Ukrainian ports, while a separate agreement facilitated the movement of Russian food and fertilizer.The Russian military on Thursday described its strikes on Odesa, a city whose downtown area is described by the United Nations’ cultural agency UNESCO as possessing "outstanding universal value,” as “retaliatory.”In January, UNESCO&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-entertainment-politics-odessa-ukraine-government-51da3a402b343bdd9ae8c2587278cb2d">added Odesa’s historic center</a>&nbsp;to its list of endangered World Heritage Sites, with UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay saying the “legendary port that has left its mark in cinema, literature and the arts.”Despite multiple Russian artillery attacks and airstrikes during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">the war</a>&nbsp;that began in February 2022, Odesa had not previously been subjected to the heavy barrages that have targeted other towns and cities in Ukraine's south and east.Odesa residents reeled from Russia’s sudden focus on their city.“I remember the attack on the port last year, but now it feels like it was only 5% compared to what the Russians have launched at us during these past three days,” Oleksandr Kolodin, a 29-year-old photographer, told The Associated Press.Some feared that Russia’s decision to tear up the grain deal would make Odesa a long-term primary target.“We saw how they could attack Kyiv for an entire month,” said 29-year-old programmer Victor, referring to the intense bombardment of the Ukrainian capital in May. He asked to use only his first name out of concern for his safety.The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that it targeted “production shops and storage sites for unmanned boats” in Odesa and the nearby city of Chornomorsk. In the Mykolaiv area, the Russian military claimed to have destroyed Ukraine’s fuel infrastructure facilities and ammunition depots.Neither sides’ claims could be independently verified.The previous night, an intense Russian bombardment using drones and missiles damaged critical port infrastructure in Odesa, including grain and oil terminals. The attack destroyed at least 60,000 tons of grain.In what appeared to be a tit-for-tat move, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry announced that as of Friday, all vessels in the Black Sea heading to Russian ports “may be considered by Ukraine as such carrying military cargo with all the associated risks.” That may result in higher insurance costs for those ships.Russia’s Defense Ministry said earlier this week that Moscow had formally declared wide areas of the Black Sea dangerous for shipping and warned that it would view any incoming ship as laden with weapons, effectively announcing a sea blockade.Despite the risks, ship owners haven't shown any less interest so far in carrying Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, according to John Stawpert, senior manager of environment and trade for the International Chamber of Shipping, which represents 80% of the world’s commercial fleet.The European Union’s foreign affairs chief condemned Russia's targeting of grain storage facilities.“More than 60,000 tons of grain has been burned,” Josep Borrell said in Brussels on Thursday, regarding Moscow's recent tactics. “So not only they withdraw from the grain agreement … but they are burning the grain.”German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock said at the same meeting that the EU is involved in international efforts to get Ukrainian grain to the world market.“The fact that the Russian president has canceled the grain agreement and is now bombing the port of Odesa is not only another attack on Ukraine, but an attack on the people, on the poorest people in the world,” she said. “Hundreds of thousands of people, not to say millions,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kenya-somalia-refugees-hunger-food-ukraine-deal-7a7bbb6de8173ec20811663ad53362ce">urgently need grain from Ukraine</a>.”The White House warned Wednesday that Russia was preparing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-shipping-black-sea-6e7721886bb2b1d98af2e49cf6f67aaf">possible attacks on civilian shipping</a>&nbsp;vessels in the Black Sea. The warning could alarm shippers and further drive up grain prices.Russia has laid additional sea mines in the approaches to Ukrainian ports, White House National Security Council spokesman Adam Hodge said in a statement. “We believe that this is a coordinated effort to justify any attacks against civilian ships in the Black Sea and lay blame on Ukraine for these attacks,” the statement said.A lot of the wheat exported from Ukraine goes to very poor countries, such as those in North Africa, he said. People in those places are already struggling with food insecurity and high local food prices. Russia, meanwhile, has been exporting record amounts of wheat in recent months despite complaints that its agricultural exports have been hindered.There is “a vast list of underdeveloped countries that depend on Ukrainian and Russian wheat,” Mera said. “And with prices going up, people will have to pay more for that wheat, which means more expensive bread in those countries.”Russia has blasted Ukrainian towns and cities since the start of the war. Ukraine's Western allies have helped upgrade its air defense systems. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-military-aid-war-83790aadb76c4eca6da9d0dc48ad791c">latest military aid package</a>&nbsp;from the United States, announced by the Pentagon on Wednesday, includes funding for four National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, or NASAMS, and munitions for them.