Bill on Gov. Laura Kelly’s desk sidesteps $72 million special education request

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/grieving-moms-plea-to-kansas-lawmakers-do-something-this-epidemic-is-killing-our-kids/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The school funding bill forwarded by the Kansas Legislature to Gov. Laura Kelly — noteworthy for what it excluded as well as what it included — contained an unexpected budget twist that potentially blindsided as many as 100 public school districts with declining enrollment.

Kansas Department of Education officials tunneling into details of Senate Bill 113, which officially landed Monday on Kelly’s desk, said the revised formula for how student enrollment was used to determine a district’s basic funding would be detrimental to more than one-third of the state’s public school districts. The policy was altered at close of the 2023 session without typical public hearings, debates or explanations.

Currently, Kansas public school districts have the option of relying on student headcount from the prior year or second preceding year when calculating foundational state aid. Under the bill passed on the session’s final day April 28, districts would be restricted to using the current year or prior year’s enrollment for determining funding from the state. Enrollment would be multiplied by base aid per pupil of $5,088 a year.

This change would be a financial bonus to districts with growing student populations. It amounted to a loss for districts experiencing year after year of falling enrollment. Inability to rely on the second prior year to calculate state funding would harm budgets of an estimated 100 school districts. The most severely damaged would be districts in rural parts of the state, said Randy Watson, commissioner at the state Department of Education.

“You have a handful of districts that are growing. You have a lot of others that are declining,” Watson said in a Tuesday interview. “What I think is panicking them is that it happened so late and they already went through their budget process as if they had it and now they don’t. Some of our smallest rural communities, they’re losing a lot of money.”

The surprise losses in dozens of low-enrollment districts could range from $100,000 to $400,000 or more in the upcoming school year, he said.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/ccrb_sb113_02_0428.pdf">The bill passed the Kansas Senate</a>&nbsp;on a vote of 23-16 and in the House by a margin of 83-37 with large GOP majorities and a sprinkling of Democratic support. The governor, after receiving a bill, has 10 days to sign or veto the legislation, or allow it to become state law without a signature. The measure passed both chambers with less than two-thirds majorities necessary to override a veto.

Complicating this K-12 budgeting issue were decisions by House and Senate GOP leadership to adjourn “sine die,” which meant lawmakers would skip the traditional one-day ceremonial conclusion of the annual session. The maneuver eliminated a window of opportunity for the Legislature to consider overriding a school-funding bill veto by Kelly or to draft an alternative education appropriations bill.

If the governor vetoed Senate Bill 113, a special session of the Legislature would have to be called to address state spending for benefit of 500,000 students in the 2023-2024 academic year.

Melanie Haas, chair of the Kansas State Board of Education, said the Legislature complicated their work by pulling together the school funding bill in the hurly-burly closing hours of the session. Key decisions were made in a conference committee meeting of three senators and three representatives who sat down at a statehouse table to craft a deal. The 125 representatives and 40 senators, not participants in that dialogue, couldn’t amend the bundled bill.

This approach eliminated opportunities for thoughtful discussion that ought to accompany changes in the method of calculating Kansas school aid, Haas said.

“That’s the pitfall of not having an opportunity for outside comment when they don’t discuss it in committee,” she said.

Craig Neuenswander, deputy commissioner for fiscal and administrative services at the state Department of Education, said the 5% increase in the basic per-pupil appropriations to public school districts wouldn’t be enough to keep all districts from a decline in state aid during the upcoming school year.

He scheduled a conference call with Kansas district administrators this week to begin preparing those public schools for the reversal of fortune.

To chagrin of political conservatives and champions of private schools, the bill excluded state taxpayer investment in some variation of school vouchers.

“The state board position on it is that public funds should go to public entities,” Watson said.

The bill continued to make available $10 million annually in state income tax credits for donors contributing to student scholarships at accredited private schools or, starting this year, schools working in “good faith” to become accredited. No clear definition of good faith was provided, but the value of the tax credit was sweetened and scholarship eligibility broadened to include families with higher incomes.

Haas said the state Board of Education was disappointed the final version of the K-12 budget excluded an appropriation of $72 million that would have reduced the burden on local school districts compelled to cover costs of special education programs. The state Board of Education and the governor recommended a five-year initiative with steady increases in special education spending, which would stop the practice of siphoning dollars otherwise available to education of all students.

“It kind of feels like there’s not a plan and a path forward,” Haas said. “That’s frustrating for special ed and that’s frustrating for districts who have to come up with those funds out of their general budgets.”

The Legislature did create in the bill a task force to draft recommendations for amending the formula on special education spending. Seven of 11 members of the task force would be appointed by legislators, three chosen by the state Department of Education and one selected by the state Board of Education.

“This may be a cynical approach,” said state Board of Education vice president Jim Porter, a Fredonia resident and former teacher, principal and superintendent. “The majority are appointed by people who have consistently refused to allow additional funding of special education.”

To the relief of many, it included an increase of 5% in foundational public school funding necessary to comply with an inflation index adjustment endorsed by the Kansas Supreme Court, which had ruled the state’s previous school finance system violated the Kansas Constitution.

The bill gave the Legislature first right of refusal on purchase of school buildings earmarked to be sold by districts. If the Legislature received notice of a closure while in session, lawmakers would have 45 days to pass a resolution declaring the Legislature’s intent. If the Legislature was out of session, the 45-day clock wouldn’t start until lawmakers convened in January.

A vote of the Legislature to buy the property would initiate a 180-day clock during which a state agency could complete the purchase. The Legislative Coordinating Council could extend that negotiating period by 60 days.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683752182824.png" alt=" Kansas State Board of Education member Danny Zeck of Atchison listen as state Department of Education members outline details of Senate Bill 113, a K-12 education funding and policy bill on the desk of Gov. Laura Kelly. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Kansas State Board of Education member Danny Zeck of Atchison listen as state Department of Education members outline details of Senate Bill 113, a K-12 education funding and policy bill on the desk of Gov. Laura Kelly. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Bill on Gov. Laura Kelly’s desk sidesteps $72 million special education request</h2>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/grieving-moms-plea-to-kansas-lawmakers-do-something-this-epidemic-is-killing-our-kids/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The school funding bill forwarded by the Kansas Legislature to Gov. Laura Kelly — noteworthy for what it excluded as well as what it included — contained an unexpected budget twist that potentially blindsided as many as 100 public school districts with declining enrollment.Kansas Department of Education officials tunneling into details of Senate Bill 113, which officially landed Monday on Kelly’s desk, said the revised formula for how student enrollment was used to determine a district’s basic funding would be detrimental to more than one-third of the state’s public school districts. The policy was altered at close of the 2023 session without typical public hearings, debates or explanations.Currently, Kansas public school districts have the option of relying on student headcount from the prior year or second preceding year when calculating foundational state aid. Under the bill passed on the session’s final day April 28, districts would be restricted to using the current year or prior year’s enrollment for determining funding from the state. Enrollment would be multiplied by base aid per pupil of $5,088 a year.This change would be a financial bonus to districts with growing student populations. It amounted to a loss for districts experiencing year after year of falling enrollment. Inability to rely on the second prior year to calculate state funding would harm budgets of an estimated 100 school districts. The most severely damaged would be districts in rural parts of the state, said Randy Watson, commissioner at the state Department of Education.“You have a handful of districts that are growing. You have a lot of others that are declining,” Watson said in a Tuesday interview. “What I think is panicking them is that it happened so late and they already went through their budget process as if they had it and now they don’t. Some of our smallest rural communities, they’re losing a lot of money.”The surprise losses in dozens of low-enrollment districts could range from $100,000 to $400,000 or more in the upcoming school year, he said.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/ccrb_sb113_02_0428.pdf">The bill passed the Kansas Senate</a>&nbsp;on a vote of 23-16 and in the House by a margin of 83-37 with large GOP majorities and a sprinkling of Democratic support. The governor, after receiving a bill, has 10 days to sign or veto the legislation, or allow it to become state law without a signature. The measure passed both chambers with less than two-thirds majorities necessary to override a veto.<h2>‘That’s the pitfall’</h2>Complicating this K-12 budgeting issue were decisions by House and Senate GOP leadership to adjourn “sine die,” which meant lawmakers would skip the traditional one-day ceremonial conclusion of the annual session. The maneuver eliminated a window of opportunity for the Legislature to consider overriding a school-funding bill veto by Kelly or to draft an alternative education appropriations bill.If the governor vetoed Senate Bill 113, a special session of the Legislature would have to be called to address state spending for benefit of 500,000 students in the 2023-2024 academic year.Melanie Haas, chair of the Kansas State Board of Education, said the Legislature complicated their work by pulling together the school funding bill in the hurly-burly closing hours of the session. Key decisions were made in a conference committee meeting of three senators and three representatives who sat down at a statehouse table to craft a deal. The 125 representatives and 40 senators, not participants in that dialogue, couldn’t amend the bundled bill.This approach eliminated opportunities for thoughtful discussion that ought to accompany changes in the method of calculating Kansas school aid, Haas said.“That’s the pitfall of not having an opportunity for outside comment when they don’t discuss it in committee,” she said.Craig Neuenswander, deputy commissioner for fiscal and administrative services at the state Department of Education, said the 5% increase in the basic per-pupil appropriations to public school districts wouldn’t be enough to keep all districts from a decline in state aid during the upcoming school year.He scheduled a conference call with Kansas district administrators this week to begin preparing those public schools for the reversal of fortune.<h2>K-12 policy package</h2>To chagrin of political conservatives and champions of private schools, the bill excluded state taxpayer investment in some variation of school vouchers.“The state board position on it is that public funds should go to public entities,” Watson said.The bill continued to make available $10 million annually in state income tax credits for donors contributing to student scholarships at accredited private schools or, starting this year, schools working in “good faith” to become accredited. No clear definition of good faith was provided, but the value of the tax credit was sweetened and scholarship eligibility broadened to include families with higher incomes.Haas said the state Board of Education was disappointed the final version of the K-12 budget excluded an appropriation of $72 million that would have reduced the burden on local school districts compelled to cover costs of special education programs. The state Board of Education and the governor recommended a five-year initiative with steady increases in special education spending, which would stop the practice of siphoning dollars otherwise available to education of all students.“It kind of feels like there’s not a plan and a path forward,” Haas said. “That’s frustrating for special ed and that’s frustrating for districts who have to come up with those funds out of their general budgets.”The Legislature did create in the bill a task force to draft recommendations for amending the formula on special education spending. Seven of 11 members of the task force would be appointed by legislators, three chosen by the state Department of Education and one selected by the state Board of Education.“This may be a cynical approach,” said state Board of Education vice president Jim Porter, a Fredonia resident and former teacher, principal and superintendent. “The majority are appointed by people who have consistently refused to allow additional funding of special education.”To the relief of many, it included an increase of 5% in foundational public school funding necessary to comply with an inflation index adjustment endorsed by the Kansas Supreme Court, which had ruled the state’s previous school finance system violated the Kansas Constitution.The bill gave the Legislature first right of refusal on purchase of school buildings earmarked to be sold by districts. If the Legislature received notice of a closure while in session, lawmakers would have 45 days to pass a resolution declaring the Legislature’s intent. If the Legislature was out of session, the 45-day clock wouldn’t start until lawmakers convened in January.A vote of the Legislature to buy the property would initiate a 180-day clock during which a state agency could complete the purchase. The Legislative Coordinating Council could extend that negotiating period by 60 days.

Provision of Kan. K-12 funding bill slices state aid to about 100 public school districts

WASHINGTON –&nbsp;The U.S. Senate unanimously passed bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Jerry Moran on Tuesday and U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Shelley Moore Capito to help prevent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) system outages, according to a statement from the Senator's office. The&nbsp;NOTAM Improvement Act&nbsp;would require the FAA to strengthen the resiliency and cybersecurity of the NOTAM system, which alerts pilots of safety and location hazards on flight routes. This bill follows a recent NOTAM system outage in January that grounded flights nationwide. “The FAA has a responsibility to make certain air travel in our country is as safe and efficient as possible,”&nbsp;said Sen. Moran.&nbsp;“I am pleased by the swift passage of this legislation and urge my colleagues to quickly pass this in the House. The complete failure of the FAA’s NOTAM system stranded millions of Americans and was a warning of the need to strengthen and modernize our air travel system. This bill is an important first step to accomplish those goals.” The task force created by the&nbsp;NOTAM Improvement Act&nbsp;would be composed of representatives from air carriers, airports and airline pilots, aircraft dispatchers and FAA personnel unions, as well as aviation safety and cybersecurity experts. In January,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=2EE3818C-74BA-46CC-9E0D-1B36A4B9E9E8" target="_blank">Sens. Moran and Klobuchar spoke with FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen</a>&nbsp;following the NOTAM system failure to discuss his agency’s efforts to identify the factors behind the system outage that grounded all flights nationwide and to prevent similar breakdowns from happening again.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1672191058148.png" alt="In January,&nbsp;Sens. Moran and Klobuchar spoke with FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen&nbsp;following the NOTAM system failure-photo courtesy KMGH" />
 <figcaption>In January,&nbsp;Sens. Moran and Klobuchar spoke with FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen&nbsp;following the NOTAM system failure-photo courtesy KMGH</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON –&nbsp;The U.S. Senate unanimously passed bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senator Jerry Moran on Tuesday and U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Shelley Moore Capito to help prevent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) system outages, according to a statement from the Senator's office. The&nbsp;NOTAM Improvement Act&nbsp;would require the FAA to strengthen the resiliency and cybersecurity of the NOTAM system, which alerts pilots of safety and location hazards on flight routes. This bill follows a recent NOTAM system outage in January that grounded flights nationwide. “The FAA has a responsibility to make certain air travel in our country is as safe and efficient as possible,”&nbsp;said Sen. Moran.&nbsp;“I am pleased by the swift passage of this legislation and urge my colleagues to quickly pass this in the House. The complete failure of the FAA’s NOTAM system stranded millions of Americans and was a warning of the need to strengthen and modernize our air travel system. This bill is an important first step to accomplish those goals.” The task force created by the&nbsp;NOTAM Improvement Act&nbsp;would be composed of representatives from air carriers, airports and airline pilots, aircraft dispatchers and FAA personnel unions, as well as aviation safety and cybersecurity experts. In January,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=2EE3818C-74BA-46CC-9E0D-1B36A4B9E9E8" target="_blank">Sens. Moran and Klobuchar spoke with FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolen</a>&nbsp;following the NOTAM system failure to discuss his agency’s efforts to identify the factors behind the system outage that grounded all flights nationwide and to prevent similar breakdowns from happening again.

Unanimous: Senate OKs Moran’s bill to prevent FAA system outages

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden predicted Tuesday that the U.S.-Mexico border would be “chaotic for a while" when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-42-immigration-limits-supreme-court-updates-0494c30834fad66ce9c6057ea1605d89">pandemic-related restrictions end</a>, as 550 active-duty troops began arriving and migrants weighed whether or when to cross.

The restrictions have been in place since 2020, and allowed U.S. officials to quickly return migrants over the border. They are ending later this week and the U.S. is putting into place a set of new policies that will clamp down on illegal crossings while offering migrants a legal path to the United States if they apply online through a government app, have a sponsor and pass background checks.

Biden said his administration was working to make the change orderly. “But it remains to be seen," he told reporters. "It's going to be chaotic for a while.”

Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador spoke for roughly an hour Tuesday to discuss the border. Mexico shares a 1,951-mile border with the United States, so the nation is key to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/border-immigration-biden-mexico-a0b8f4730521d90fd5ea305e2f2cbc5e">the success of any plans</a>&nbsp;by the United States to control immigration at the southern border.

Migrants are already arriving. About 100 people — mostly from Colombia — came across the border before dawn Tuesday and walked nearly two hours through remote, boulder-strewn mountains east of San Diego to a sandy plateau where Border Patrol agents watched over them.

Andres Barra, 39, left Colombia on Friday, flew to Tijuana, Mexico, and paid a smuggler $300 to guide him to a mountain peak near the agents, to whom they surrendered. He fled Colombia because frequent robbery and extortion made it difficult to live.

He said he wanted to enter the United States while the restrictions were still in effect, because he heard it would be more difficult after Thursday.

“It won’t be so easy anymore,” he said.

Agents in the U.S. Border Patrol’s relatively quiet El Centro, California, sector stopped about 260 migrants a day over a four- or five-day period through Sunday, up from about 90 a day the previous week, said Gregory Bovino, the sector chief. On Monday, agents found migrants from 22 countries.

In the Mexican border city of Reynosa, across from McAllen, Texas, groups handed out fliers Tuesday that explained in English and Haitian Creole how to register for the CBP One app that the U.S. has been using to allow migrants to schedule an appointment to try to gain admittance to the U.S.

Standing in Reynosa’s central square Tuesday, Phanord Renel of Haiti said he would not risk deportation to cross. “We don’t want to go back there (Haiti) because the situation is very complicated there,” he said. “If we can’t cross, we have to put up with it here, maybe the government will do something for us, but cross illegally — no.”

U.S. and international law give migrants the right to seek asylum. However, the U.S. has used Title 42 of a public health law to expel migrants with no chance at asylum 2.8 million times since March 2020 on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The Biden administration has said it is ready to deal with whatever happens after Title 42's use ends, although it has also repeatedly criticized Congress for not making changes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-asylum-trump-biden-gang-of-eight-3d8007e72928665b66d8648be0e3e31f">the country's immigration system.</a>

“We believe we have a robust process to deal with what is going to occur after Title 42 lifts. Again, we’re using the tools that are available to us because Congress refuses to do their job as it relates to the border," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.

The movement of troops is part of efforts to beef up security along the southern border, but they will mainly be used to help monitor and watch the border, or do data entry and support, and are “not there in any way to be interacting with migrants,” said Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary. The goal is to free up U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to do law enforcement activities.

At least some of the active-duty troops will be used near El Paso, Texas, he said, while adding that CBP will decide where forces will go. More than 900 additional soldiers, Marines and airmen will follow around the end of May.

Roughly 2,500 National Guard members are already spread across all sectors of the border, providing an array of support to CBP, including monitoring, detection and air transportation. Separately, Texas National Guard troops are also working along the border under state authority.

Even with the COVID-19 asylum restrictions still in place, the administration has seen record numbers of people crossing the border. The Biden administration's plan is meant to crack down on those who cross illegally and by creating new pathways meant to offer alternatives to a dangerous and often deadly journey.

Some migrants have been spurred by false information from smugglers or widespread rumors about what the changes will mean for their chances of being able to remain in the U.S.

“It’s a very complicated legal system and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to communicate the realities of our clients,” Daniel Berlin, of the International Rescue Committee, said. ”While we try to communicate the most accurate and up to date information that we have, smugglers and traffickers and other bad actors are communicating false information.”

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-asylum-sanctuary-chicago-texas-99857b2b34e52fba556497dda263537d">Effects have also been felt far from the southern border.</a>&nbsp;In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued an emergency declaration in response to a tenfold increase in the number of asylum-seekers arriving in the city in need of temporary shelter and other help.

Chicago officials have warned for several weeks that its shelters can't accommodate the larger number of migrants arriving daily since late April. Migrants have been sheltering inside city police stations or airports because city-run shelters are full.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632317716965.png" alt="photo Rep. Tony Gonzales" />
 <figcaption>photo Rep. Tony Gonzales</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden predicted Tuesday that the U.S.-Mexico border would be “chaotic for a while" when&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-42-immigration-limits-supreme-court-updates-0494c30834fad66ce9c6057ea1605d89">pandemic-related restrictions end</a>, as 550 active-duty troops began arriving and migrants weighed whether or when to cross.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Title 42 might as well already be rolled back. Our Border Patrol Agents are managing countless droves of migrants attempting to enter the United States. Congress must act and ensure BP has the resources they need to combat this crisis. <a href="https://t.co/NJOtqwZRk1">pic.twitter.com/NJOtqwZRk1</a>&mdash; Rep. Tony Gonzales (@RepTonyGonzales) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepTonyGonzales/status/1654179879074635776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The restrictions have been in place since 2020, and allowed U.S. officials to quickly return migrants over the border. They are ending later this week and the U.S. is putting into place a set of new policies that will clamp down on illegal crossings while offering migrants a legal path to the United States if they apply online through a government app, have a sponsor and pass background checks.Biden said his administration was working to make the change orderly. “But it remains to be seen," he told reporters. "It's going to be chaotic for a while.”Biden and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador spoke for roughly an hour Tuesday to discuss the border. Mexico shares a 1,951-mile border with the United States, so the nation is key to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/border-immigration-biden-mexico-a0b8f4730521d90fd5ea305e2f2cbc5e">the success of any plans</a>&nbsp;by the United States to control immigration at the southern border.Migrants are already arriving. About 100 people — mostly from Colombia — came across the border before dawn Tuesday and walked nearly two hours through remote, boulder-strewn mountains east of San Diego to a sandy plateau where Border Patrol agents watched over them.Andres Barra, 39, left Colombia on Friday, flew to Tijuana, Mexico, and paid a smuggler $300 to guide him to a mountain peak near the agents, to whom they surrendered. He fled Colombia because frequent robbery and extortion made it difficult to live.He said he wanted to enter the United States while the restrictions were still in effect, because he heard it would be more difficult after Thursday.“It won’t be so easy anymore,” he said.Agents in the U.S. Border Patrol’s relatively quiet El Centro, California, sector stopped about 260 migrants a day over a four- or five-day period through Sunday, up from about 90 a day the previous week, said Gregory Bovino, the sector chief. On Monday, agents found migrants from 22 countries.In the Mexican border city of Reynosa, across from McAllen, Texas, groups handed out fliers Tuesday that explained in English and Haitian Creole how to register for the CBP One app that the U.S. has been using to allow migrants to schedule an appointment to try to gain admittance to the U.S.Standing in Reynosa’s central square Tuesday, Phanord Renel of Haiti said he would not risk deportation to cross. “We don’t want to go back there (Haiti) because the situation is very complicated there,” he said. “If we can’t cross, we have to put up with it here, maybe the government will do something for us, but cross illegally — no.”U.S. and international law give migrants the right to seek asylum. However, the U.S. has used Title 42 of a public health law to expel migrants with no chance at asylum 2.8 million times since March 2020 on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.The Biden administration has said it is ready to deal with whatever happens after Title 42's use ends, although it has also repeatedly criticized Congress for not making changes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-asylum-trump-biden-gang-of-eight-3d8007e72928665b66d8648be0e3e31f">the country's immigration system.</a>“We believe we have a robust process to deal with what is going to occur after Title 42 lifts. Again, we’re using the tools that are available to us because Congress refuses to do their job as it relates to the border," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.The movement of troops is part of efforts to beef up security along the southern border, but they will mainly be used to help monitor and watch the border, or do data entry and support, and are “not there in any way to be interacting with migrants,” said Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary. The goal is to free up U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to do law enforcement activities.At least some of the active-duty troops will be used near El Paso, Texas, he said, while adding that CBP will decide where forces will go. More than 900 additional soldiers, Marines and airmen will follow around the end of May.Roughly 2,500 National Guard members are already spread across all sectors of the border, providing an array of support to CBP, including monitoring, detection and air transportation. Separately, Texas National Guard troops are also working along the border under state authority.Even with the COVID-19 asylum restrictions still in place, the administration has seen record numbers of people crossing the border. The Biden administration's plan is meant to crack down on those who cross illegally and by creating new pathways meant to offer alternatives to a dangerous and often deadly journey.Some migrants have been spurred by false information from smugglers or widespread rumors about what the changes will mean for their chances of being able to remain in the U.S.“It’s a very complicated legal system and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to communicate the realities of our clients,” Daniel Berlin, of the International Rescue Committee, said. ”While we try to communicate the most accurate and up to date information that we have, smugglers and traffickers and other bad actors are communicating false information.”<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-asylum-sanctuary-chicago-texas-99857b2b34e52fba556497dda263537d">Effects have also been felt far from the southern border.</a>&nbsp;In Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot issued an emergency declaration in response to a tenfold increase in the number of asylum-seekers arriving in the city in need of temporary shelter and other help.Chicago officials have warned for several weeks that its shelters can't accommodate the larger number of migrants arriving daily since late April. Migrants have been sheltering inside city police stations or airports because city-run shelters are full.___

Biden: US-Mexico border will be 'chaotic for a while'

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of&nbsp;Health reported 485&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3097/2023-COVID-19-Summary-and-Historical-Binder-PDF?bidId=">&nbsp;new</a> <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3097/2023-COVID-19-Summary-and-Historical-Binder-PDF?bidId=">coronavirus cases</a> in Kansas from May 3, to May 10, for a total of 945,923 cases.&nbsp;&nbsp;The state reported 483 cases the previous week.

On Wednesday, <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3097/2023-COVID-19-Summary-and-Historical-Binder-PDF?bidId=">the state reported&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;18 additional COVID-19 deaths since the report on May 3, for a total of 10,214 since the state started reporting COVID illness and deaths.&nbsp;

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

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3097/2023-COVID-19-Summary-and-Historical-Binder-PDF?bidId=">Click here</a>&nbsp;for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.

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

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

The health department updates data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of&nbsp;Health reported 485&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3097/2023-COVID-19-Summary-and-Historical-Binder-PDF?bidId=">&nbsp;new</a> <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3097/2023-COVID-19-Summary-and-Historical-Binder-PDF?bidId=">coronavirus cases</a> in Kansas from May 3, to May 10, for a total of 945,923 cases.&nbsp;&nbsp;The state reported 483 cases the previous week.On Wednesday, <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3097/2023-COVID-19-Summary-and-Historical-Binder-PDF?bidId=">the state reported&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;18 additional COVID-19 deaths since the report on May 3, for a total of 10,214 since the state started reporting COVID illness and deaths.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683741234646.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3097/2023-COVID-19-Summary-and-Historical-Binder-PDF?bidId=">Click here</a>&nbsp;for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.Kansas provides fewer updates of its data about COVID-19 now that Gov. Laura Kelly formally declared that the state is moving toward treating COVID-19 as a disease like the flu that spreads regularly and isn't considered a pandemic.&nbsp;The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.The state continues to support access to free COVID-19 testing, works to ensure that vulnerable populations can get vaccinated, see that providers serve a broad population and give “comprehensive guidance” about the virus. She called the new phase “endemic normalcy.”The health department updates data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.

KDHE reports increase in COVID cases, 18 new deaths

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Rep. George Santos has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging financial fraud at the heart of a political campaign built on dubious boasts about his personal wealth and business success.

<a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-05/santos.indictment.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the 13 count indictment

Santos, the New York Republican whose biography began to unravel after his election last fall, is accused of duping donors, stealing campaign funds, lying to Congress and cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn’t deserve. Santos, 34, was released on a $500,000 bond following his arraignment Wednesday at a Long Island federal courthouse, about five hours after he surrendered to authorities. Santos told reporters he would not resign.

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-santos">George Santos</a>, the New York Republican infamous for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-lies-congress-new-york-republicans-9e4fd69b75894addb5bd2d4d5e8171ff">fabricating his life story</a>, has been indicted on charges that he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn't deserve, prosecutors said Wednesday.

<a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-05/santos.indictment.pdf">Click here to read</a> the 13 count indictment

<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23809076-george-santos-indictment">The indictment</a>&nbsp;was a reckoning for a web of fraud and deceit that prosecutors say overlapped with Santos' fantastical public image as a wealthy businessman — a fictional biography that began to unravel after he won election last fall.

Santos surrendered on Wednesday and was taken to a federal courthouse on Long Island, where he was expected to make an initial court appearance on charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress.

Among the allegations, prosecutors say Santos induced supporters to donate to a company under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, they say, he used the money for personal expenses, including to buy designer clothes and to pay his credit cards and car payments.

Santos also is accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and applying for and receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed as regional director of an investment firm that the government shut down in 2021 over allegations that it was a Ponzi scheme.

The indictment “seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. “Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself."

Reached by The Associated Press on Tuesday, Santos said he was unaware of the charges.

Santos has defied calls to resign — some from fellow Republicans — as details of his fictitous resume came to light, though he did&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-congress-house-committees-6e46e2badad39fb190d38105a800236f">decline his committee assignments</a>. He has given no indication that he plans to step aside because of his indictment. In the past, members of Congress in both parties have remained in office while facing charges.

Santos, 34, was elected to Congress last fall after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-business-bb455cc02b70e5366b9c5e347da8ad38">a campaign built partly on falsehoods</a>. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things.

In reality, Santos didn't work at the big financial firms he claimed had employed him, didn't go to college and struggled financially before his run for public office. He claimed he fueled his run largely with self-made riches, earned from brokering deals on expensive toys for wealthy clients, but the indictment alleges those boasts were also exaggerated.

In regulatory filings, Santos claimed he loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000, but it was unclear how he would have come into that kind of wealth so quickly after years in which he struggled to pay his rent and faced multiple eviction proceedings.

In a financial disclosure form, Santos reported making $750,000 a year from a family company, the Devolder Organization, but the charges unsealed Wednesday allege that Santos never received that sum, nor the $1 million and $5 million in dividends he listed as coming from the firm.

Santos has described the Devolder Organization as a broker for sales of luxury items like yachts and aircraft. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos stopped working as a salesman for Harbor City Capital, the company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.

In November 2021, Santos formed Redstone Strategies, a Florida company that federal prosecutors say he used to dupe donors into financing his lifestyle. According to the indictment, Santos told an associate to solicit contributions to the company and gave the person contact information for potential donors.

Emails to prospective donors falsely claimed that the company was formed “exclusively” to aid Santos’ election bid and that there would be no limits on how much they could contribute, the indictment said. Santos falsely claimed that the money would be spent on television ads and other campaign expenses, it said.

Last October, a month before his election, Santos transferred about $74,000 from company coffers to bank accounts he maintained, the indictment said. He also transferred money to some of his associates, it said.

Many of Santos' fellow New York Republicans called on him to resign after his fabricated life story was revealed. Some renewed those calls after news of his indictment.

"Sooner or later, whether he chooses to or not, both the truth and justice will be delivered to him,” said U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican representing parts of upstate New York.

House Republican leaders were more circumspect, with Speaker Kevin McCarthy saying, “I think in America, you’re innocent till proven guilty," and Majority Leader Steve Scalise saying, “In America there’s a presumption of innocence."

Santos has faced criminal investigations before.

When he was 19, he was the subject of a criminal investigation in Brazil over allegations he used stolen checks to buy items at a clothing shop. Brazilian authorities said they have reopened the case.

In 2017, Santos was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-george-santos-pennsylvania-theft-business-e6d41c89261061f4775c7073c6ec14e8">charged with theft</a>&nbsp;in Pennsylvania after authorities said he used thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks to buy puppies from dog breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed his checkbook had been stolen, and that someone else had taken the dogs.

Federal authorities have separately been looking into complaints about Santos' work raising money for a group that purported to help neglected and abused pets. One New Jersey veteran accused Santos of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-new-york-city-jersey-george-santos-surgery-f72a4d8a505783d7c558c8cbf4b6d55a">failing to deliver $3,000</a>&nbsp;he had raised to help his pet dog get a needed surgery.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683736676254.png" alt="United State's Attorney's office" />
 <figcaption>United State's Attorney's office</figcaption>
 </figure>CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Rep. George Santos has pleaded not guilty to charges alleging financial fraud at the heart of a political campaign built on dubious boasts about his personal wealth and business success.<a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-05/santos.indictment.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the 13 count indictmentSantos, the New York Republican whose biography began to unravel after his election last fall, is accused of duping donors, stealing campaign funds, lying to Congress and cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn’t deserve. Santos, 34, was released on a $500,000 bond following his arraignment Wednesday at a Long Island federal courthouse, about five hours after he surrendered to authorities. Santos told reporters he would not resign.----------CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) — U.S. Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/george-santos">George Santos</a>, the New York Republican infamous for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-lies-congress-new-york-republicans-9e4fd69b75894addb5bd2d4d5e8171ff">fabricating his life story</a>, has been indicted on charges that he duped donors, stole from his campaign and lied to Congress about being a millionaire, all while cheating to collect unemployment benefits he didn't deserve, prosecutors said Wednesday.<a href="https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-05/santos.indictment.pdf">Click here to read</a> the 13 count indictment<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23809076-george-santos-indictment">The indictment</a>&nbsp;was a reckoning for a web of fraud and deceit that prosecutors say overlapped with Santos' fantastical public image as a wealthy businessman — a fictional biography that began to unravel after he won election last fall.Santos surrendered on Wednesday and was taken to a federal courthouse on Long Island, where he was expected to make an initial court appearance on charges of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress.Among the allegations, prosecutors say Santos induced supporters to donate to a company under the false pretense that the money would be used to support his campaign. Instead, they say, he used the money for personal expenses, including to buy designer clothes and to pay his credit cards and car payments.Santos also is accused of lying about his finances on congressional disclosure forms and applying for and receiving unemployment benefits while he was employed as regional director of an investment firm that the government shut down in 2021 over allegations that it was a Ponzi scheme.The indictment “seeks to hold Santos accountable for various alleged fraudulent schemes and brazen misrepresentations,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said. “Taken together, the allegations in the indictment charge Santos with relying on repeated dishonesty and deception to ascend to the halls of Congress and enrich himself."Reached by The Associated Press on Tuesday, Santos said he was unaware of the charges.Santos has defied calls to resign — some from fellow Republicans — as details of his fictitous resume came to light, though he did&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/george-santos-congress-house-committees-6e46e2badad39fb190d38105a800236f">decline his committee assignments</a>. He has given no indication that he plans to step aside because of his indictment. In the past, members of Congress in both parties have remained in office while facing charges.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673636785376.png" alt="Rep. Santos -courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Santos -courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Santos, 34, was elected to Congress last fall after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-business-bb455cc02b70e5366b9c5e347da8ad38">a campaign built partly on falsehoods</a>. He told people he was a wealthy Wall Street dealmaker with a substantial real estate portfolio who had been a star volleyball player in college, among other things.In reality, Santos didn't work at the big financial firms he claimed had employed him, didn't go to college and struggled financially before his run for public office. He claimed he fueled his run largely with self-made riches, earned from brokering deals on expensive toys for wealthy clients, but the indictment alleges those boasts were also exaggerated.In regulatory filings, Santos claimed he loaned his campaign and related political action committees more than $750,000, but it was unclear how he would have come into that kind of wealth so quickly after years in which he struggled to pay his rent and faced multiple eviction proceedings.In a financial disclosure form, Santos reported making $750,000 a year from a family company, the Devolder Organization, but the charges unsealed Wednesday allege that Santos never received that sum, nor the $1 million and $5 million in dividends he listed as coming from the firm.Santos has described the Devolder Organization as a broker for sales of luxury items like yachts and aircraft. The business was incorporated in Florida shortly after Santos stopped working as a salesman for Harbor City Capital, the company accused by federal authorities of operating an illegal Ponzi scheme.In November 2021, Santos formed Redstone Strategies, a Florida company that federal prosecutors say he used to dupe donors into financing his lifestyle. According to the indictment, Santos told an associate to solicit contributions to the company and gave the person contact information for potential donors.Emails to prospective donors falsely claimed that the company was formed “exclusively” to aid Santos’ election bid and that there would be no limits on how much they could contribute, the indictment said. Santos falsely claimed that the money would be spent on television ads and other campaign expenses, it said.Last October, a month before his election, Santos transferred about $74,000 from company coffers to bank accounts he maintained, the indictment said. He also transferred money to some of his associates, it said.Many of Santos' fellow New York Republicans called on him to resign after his fabricated life story was revealed. Some renewed those calls after news of his indictment."Sooner or later, whether he chooses to or not, both the truth and justice will be delivered to him,” said U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican representing parts of upstate New York.House Republican leaders were more circumspect, with Speaker Kevin McCarthy saying, “I think in America, you’re innocent till proven guilty," and Majority Leader Steve Scalise saying, “In America there’s a presumption of innocence."Santos has faced criminal investigations before.When he was 19, he was the subject of a criminal investigation in Brazil over allegations he used stolen checks to buy items at a clothing shop. Brazilian authorities said they have reopened the case.In 2017, Santos was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/crime-george-santos-pennsylvania-theft-business-e6d41c89261061f4775c7073c6ec14e8">charged with theft</a>&nbsp;in Pennsylvania after authorities said he used thousands of dollars in fraudulent checks to buy puppies from dog breeders. That case was dismissed after Santos claimed his checkbook had been stolen, and that someone else had taken the dogs.Federal authorities have separately been looking into complaints about Santos' work raising money for a group that purported to help neglected and abused pets. One New Jersey veteran accused Santos of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-new-york-city-jersey-george-santos-surgery-f72a4d8a505783d7c558c8cbf4b6d55a">failing to deliver $3,000</a>&nbsp;he had raised to help his pet dog get a needed surgery.___

GOP congressman surrenders; read the indictment of fraud, theft

WASHINGTON (AP) — Women should start getting every-other-year mammograms at age 40 instead of waiting until 50, according to a draft recommendation from a federal task force.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has long said women can choose to start breast cancer screening as young as 40, with a stronger recommendation that they get the X-ray exams every two years from age 50 through 74.

Tuesday’s update -– if the draft proposal is finalized -– would mark a shift in the influential panel’s guidelines although it's not likely to end confusion. Other health groups differ over when and how often to screen.

“This new recommendation will help save lives and prevent more women from dying due to breast cancer,” said former task force chair Dr. Carol Mangione.

The task force noted that Black women are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women, making mammograms at 40 an especially important step -– but also urged more research to better understand and combat the disparity.

The task force also noted that nearly half of all women have dense breasts, which means mammograms may not work as well, and called for more research into whether additional types of testing would help.

The draft recommendation applies to women at average risk of breast cancer but not those at very high risk due to certain genetic or other factors. It is open for public comment through June 5, after which the task force will decide whether to finalize it.

While cancer deaths have been declining for years, breast cancer remains the second leading cancer killer of U.S. woman, behind lung cancer.

Health organizations have long had different screening recommendations, seeking to balance catching breast cancer early while avoiding too many false alarms, when the X-rays spot non-cancerous blips.

The American Cancer Society says women ages 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year -– but can choose to start at 40 and then at 55, can choose to switch to every other year.

The American College of Radiology recommends annual mammograms starting at 40 for women at average risk of breast cancer -– but urges that young women get assessed for risk factors that require even earlier screening.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Women should start getting every-other-year mammograms at age 40 instead of waiting until 50, according to a draft recommendation from a federal task force.The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has long said women can choose to start breast cancer screening as young as 40, with a stronger recommendation that they get the X-ray exams every two years from age 50 through 74.Tuesday’s update -– if the draft proposal is finalized -– would mark a shift in the influential panel’s guidelines although it's not likely to end confusion. Other health groups differ over when and how often to screen.“This new recommendation will help save lives and prevent more women from dying due to breast cancer,” said former task force chair Dr. Carol Mangione.The task force noted that Black women are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women, making mammograms at 40 an especially important step -– but also urged more research to better understand and combat the disparity.The task force also noted that nearly half of all women have dense breasts, which means mammograms may not work as well, and called for more research into whether additional types of testing would help.The draft recommendation applies to women at average risk of breast cancer but not those at very high risk due to certain genetic or other factors. It is open for public comment through June 5, after which the task force will decide whether to finalize it.While cancer deaths have been declining for years, breast cancer remains the second leading cancer killer of U.S. woman, behind lung cancer.Health organizations have long had different screening recommendations, seeking to balance catching breast cancer early while avoiding too many false alarms, when the X-rays spot non-cancerous blips.The American Cancer Society says women ages 45 to 54 should get mammograms every year -– but can choose to start at 40 and then at 55, can choose to switch to every other year.The American College of Radiology recommends annual mammograms starting at 40 for women at average risk of breast cancer -– but urges that young women get assessed for risk factors that require even earlier screening.

Start mammograms at 40, not 50, a US health panel recommends

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City Council committee will consider a resolution on Wednesday that would designate the city as a sanctuary for people seeking or providing gender-affirming care, even as the state's attorney general is proposing a new restrictions on the procedures for adults and children.

The resolution, which was proposed by LGTBQ advocates in Kansas City, says the city will not prosecute or fine any person or organization that seeks, provides, receives or helps someone receive gender-affirming care such as as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery.

It also says if the state passes a law or resolution that imposes criminal or civil punishments, fines, or professional sanctions in such cases, Kansas City personnel will make enforcing those requirements “their lowest priority.”

The resolution comes as a judge is considering&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-gender-affirming-care-restrictions-missouri-4def2189dac9979a00d298efb3baf12a">a proposed emergency rule</a>&nbsp;from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey that would require adults and children to undergo more than a year of therapy and fulfill other requirements before they could receive gender-affirming treatments such as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery.

If the council's Transportation, Infrastructure and Operations Committee passes the resolution it could go before the Kansas City Council on Thursday.

Council member Andrea Bough, who co-sponsored the resolution with Mayor Quinton Lucas and councilman Eric Bunch, said that Bailey's proposed rule is part of a larger effort by Republican-controlled legislatures in Missouri and across the country to pass&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lgbtq-laws-states-gender-affirming-zephyr-fc2528326823c8232cb0aaa7ece0beab">bills restricting the rights of LGBTQ residents,</a>&nbsp;particularly transgender people.

Bough said members of the city’s LGBTQ Commission reached out to supporters in city government for some type of response to several anti-LGBTQ proposals in this year’s Missouri Legislature.

“There comes a time when you have to speak up and say to our LGTBQ residents, especially children, who are wondering if their city and state are accepting of them, we have to stand up right now and say, ‘Yes, you are welcome in Kansas City, we will protect you.’”

Justice Horn, chair of the LGBTQ Commission, said the resolution is one of many steps needed to help transgender, non-binary and other LBGTQ residents of the Kansas City metro areas.

“We don't know if these state laws are going to be signed, if the attorney general's order is going to be approved,” Horn said. “We didn't want (the state) to come after us, we want to be proactive and do what we can to protect the community. The basic message is that folks need to know we are going to do everything we can to ensure they have access to care."

The resolution also says city personnel will not arrest or detain anyone sought by another jurisdiction for seeking gender-affirming care, respond to requests for information from other jurisdictions, or collect any civil penalties in such cases.

Horn and Bough noted that Kansas City's police force is controlled by a state-appointed Board of Police Commissioners and any possible criminal charges in gender-affirming cases would be filed by the county prosecutor rather than city prosecutors — both of which could make enforcing the resolution problematic.

“To some extent, we recognize that it may have some limitations. ... It's a statement of our policy and our goals and will hopefully send a message to those within our jurisdiction how we hope others will act as well,” Bough said.

Bailey sought to impose his rule on April 27, prompting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-missouri-attorney-general-ef30b41658d95b7206535c5fd67513ae">a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;on behalf of transgender people. St. Louis County Judge Ellen Ribaudo initially granted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-transgender-health-care-ruling-705afa8c4e8a6d4445629c3f2694053f">a temporary restraining order</a>&nbsp;and scheduled a hearing for May 11. That hearing was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-missouri-lawsuit-fb59ee86b950c0f6ca2f54368f3e4aea">later delayed</a>&nbsp;until July 20.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683722152227.png" alt="Justice Horn, chair of the LGBTQ Commission-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Justice Horn, chair of the LGBTQ Commission-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By MARGARET STAFFORD&nbsp;KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City Council committee will consider a resolution on Wednesday that would designate the city as a sanctuary for people seeking or providing gender-affirming care, even as the state's attorney general is proposing a new restrictions on the procedures for adults and children.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Starting this morning virtually meeting with folks from the Harvard Law School LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic around the Biden Administration’s proposed Title IX policy with other current and former LGBTQ+ athletes. After that, I’ll be heading to city hall for today’s public hearing!&mdash; Justice Horn (@JusticeHorn_) <a href="https://twitter.com/JusticeHorn_/status/1656264902330437632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The resolution, which was proposed by LGTBQ advocates in Kansas City, says the city will not prosecute or fine any person or organization that seeks, provides, receives or helps someone receive gender-affirming care such as as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery.It also says if the state passes a law or resolution that imposes criminal or civil punishments, fines, or professional sanctions in such cases, Kansas City personnel will make enforcing those requirements “their lowest priority.”The resolution comes as a judge is considering&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-gender-affirming-care-restrictions-missouri-4def2189dac9979a00d298efb3baf12a">a proposed emergency rule</a>&nbsp;from Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey that would require adults and children to undergo more than a year of therapy and fulfill other requirements before they could receive gender-affirming treatments such as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery.If the council's Transportation, Infrastructure and Operations Committee passes the resolution it could go before the Kansas City Council on Thursday.Council member Andrea Bough, who co-sponsored the resolution with Mayor Quinton Lucas and councilman Eric Bunch, said that Bailey's proposed rule is part of a larger effort by Republican-controlled legislatures in Missouri and across the country to pass&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lgbtq-laws-states-gender-affirming-zephyr-fc2528326823c8232cb0aaa7ece0beab">bills restricting the rights of LGBTQ residents,</a>&nbsp;particularly transgender people.Bough said members of the city’s LGBTQ Commission reached out to supporters in city government for some type of response to several anti-LGBTQ proposals in this year’s Missouri Legislature.“There comes a time when you have to speak up and say to our LGTBQ residents, especially children, who are wondering if their city and state are accepting of them, we have to stand up right now and say, ‘Yes, you are welcome in Kansas City, we will protect you.’”Justice Horn, chair of the LGBTQ Commission, said the resolution is one of many steps needed to help transgender, non-binary and other LBGTQ residents of the Kansas City metro areas.“We don't know if these state laws are going to be signed, if the attorney general's order is going to be approved,” Horn said. “We didn't want (the state) to come after us, we want to be proactive and do what we can to protect the community. The basic message is that folks need to know we are going to do everything we can to ensure they have access to care."The resolution also says city personnel will not arrest or detain anyone sought by another jurisdiction for seeking gender-affirming care, respond to requests for information from other jurisdictions, or collect any civil penalties in such cases.Horn and Bough noted that Kansas City's police force is controlled by a state-appointed Board of Police Commissioners and any possible criminal charges in gender-affirming cases would be filed by the county prosecutor rather than city prosecutors — both of which could make enforcing the resolution problematic.“To some extent, we recognize that it may have some limitations. ... It's a statement of our policy and our goals and will hopefully send a message to those within our jurisdiction how we hope others will act as well,” Bough said.Bailey sought to impose his rule on April 27, prompting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-missouri-attorney-general-ef30b41658d95b7206535c5fd67513ae">a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;on behalf of transgender people. St. Louis County Judge Ellen Ribaudo initially granted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-transgender-health-care-ruling-705afa8c4e8a6d4445629c3f2694053f">a temporary restraining order</a>&nbsp;and scheduled a hearing for May 11. That hearing was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-missouri-lawsuit-fb59ee86b950c0f6ca2f54368f3e4aea">later delayed</a>&nbsp;until July 20.

Kansas City considers becoming LGBTQ sanctuary city

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating vandalism at a Topeka church

Just after 3p.m. On May 2, police were dispatched to In Gods House Church, 1616 NE Seward Avenue in Topeka, in response to vandalism to a bus, according to a media relase.

The bus displayed disturbing messages of hate.

Police notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) due to the type of vandalism displayed. As a result of the investigation, police identified a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old&nbsp;&nbsp;as suspects.

On Tuesday, police sent the case to the Shawnee County District Attorney’s office for charging consideration.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683668480056.png" alt="Photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating vandalism at a Topeka churchJust after 3p.m. On May 2, police were dispatched to In Gods House Church, 1616 NE Seward Avenue in Topeka, in response to vandalism to a bus, according to a media relase.The bus displayed disturbing messages of hate.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683668454422.png" alt="Broken windows in the bus -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Broken windows in the bus -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>Police notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) due to the type of vandalism displayed. As a result of the investigation, police identified a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old&nbsp;&nbsp;as suspects.On Tuesday, police sent the case to the Shawnee County District Attorney’s office for charging consideration.

Police contact FBI due to vandalism to Kansas church bus

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and congressional leaders confronted each other on the debt limit impasse Tuesday, ending their meeting with no breakthrough but agreeing to meet again this week to try to avert the looming&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-us-department-of-the-treasury-united-states-government-janet-yellen-business-6fe9b54dcdfea58bead0f4c5f9f89a64">risk of an unprecedented government default</a>.

Speaking at the White House, Biden described the talks as “productive” even though House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said after the high-stakes Oval Office meeting that he “didn’t see any new movement” toward resolving the stalemate.

Lawmakers and their staffs were to continue discussions as soon as Tuesday evening on the annual federal budget at Biden’s encouragement. Biden and the congressional leaders are to meet again on Friday.

After the hour-long discussion in the Oval Office, Biden said he was “absolutely certain” that the country could avert a default, declaring that failure to meet America's obligations “is not an option.”

Still, time is short. The government is bumping up against its legal limit for borrowing and will not be able to pay all of its bills as soon as June 1 if Congress doesn’t agree to raise the debt ceiling. That failure would send the country into default with wide-reaching economic impacts at home and around the world.

Republicans came to the White House hoping to negotiate sweeping cuts to federal spending in exchange for allowing new borrowing to avoid default. Biden, on the other hand, reinforced his opposition to allowing the country’s full faith and credit to be held “hostage” to negotiations — while affirming his willingness to hold talks on the budget only after default is no longer a threat.

“I told congressional leaders that I’m prepared to begin a separate discussion about my budget, spending priorities, but not under the threat of default,” Biden said.

Outside the White House, McCarthy said, “I asked the president this simple question, Does he not believe there’s any place we could find savings."

As the president welcomed McCarthy, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, he had quipped to reporters, “We’re going to get started, solve all the world’s problems.”

Biden described the meeting's tone as “very measured and low key,” adding, “occasionally there would be a little bit of an assertion that maybe was a little over the top from the speaker.”

He especially took issue with McCarthy's branding as a lie the Democrats' assertion that the Republicans' budget restraints would hurt veterans.

Still, Biden added, “I trust Kevin will try to do what he says.”

There seemed to be at least a bit of daylight between McConnell, who has let his House counterpart take the lead in negotiations and backed him up ahead of the White House meeting, and McCarthy.

The Senate leader categorically said, “The United States is not going to default. It never has and it never will." The speaker, though, simply said, “I’ve done everything in my power to make sure we will not default.”

Democrats said there is room to “come together” on spending cuts as part of the budget process, but quickly jumped on McCarthy's refusal to rule out the possibility of default, with Schumer saying the Republican is “greatly endangering America.”

“To use the risk of default, with all the dangers that has for the American people as a hostage and say it’s my way or no way, are mostly my way or no way, is dangerous," Schumer said.

McCarthy said Biden had directed their staffs to continue discussions, and that the leaders themselves would convene again in person on Friday at the White House.

While Biden ruled out default, he also all but dismissed trying to unilaterally prevent it, saying that he didn't believe invoking the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which says the validity of the federal debt shall not be questioned, was a solution to the current impasse.

White House lawyers will pursue the idea further, he added, but "the problem is it would have to be litigated.”

Before the White House meeting, both McCarthy and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted it would be simple to avert default — if only the other side capitulated.

The chasm between these opposite postures had fomented uncertainty that is roiling financial markets and threatens to turn into a tidal wave that swamps the country’s economy. Default, officials say, would have sweeping impacts, threatening to disrupt Social Security payments to retirees, destabilize global markets and tilt the nation into a potentially debilitating recession.

Last month, House Republicans passed a sweeping bill to slash spending, an opening offer in negotiations. But that legislation has no chance in the Democratic Senate and the White House has threatened to veto it. Republicans hope that bill would achieve $4.5 trillion in deficit savings through cuts in spending, eliminating tax breaks for investing in clean energy, and reversing Biden’s plans to reduce the burdens of student loan debt.

Referring to the House bill, McCarthy said, “We both said default is not an option — but only one of us took action.”

Already looking past the meeting, Biden on Wednesday is to go to Westchester County, New York, where he plans to deliver a speech on how proposed spending cuts approved by House Republicans could hurt teachers, older adults needing food aid and veterans seeking health care.

It's part of a broader campaign by Biden to try to paint the Republican cuts as draconian. Aides believe that message both strengthens his position in talks with the GOP and boosts his nascent 2024 reelection effort. His Wednesday visit will be to a congressional district won by Biden in 2020 but now represented by a Republican, Rep. Mike Lawler.

Because the House Republican bill does not specifically spell out which federal programs would be cut, Democrats have gone on offense warning of steep hits to popular programs. The Democratic-aligned group House Majority Forward announced a $1 million campaign Tuesday amplifying such cuts, while the House Republicans' campaign committee countered with its own effort portraying Democrats as “addicted to spending.”

McCarthy rejected as he said his caucus would take steps to increase funding for veterans despite their overall proposal. “First of all, cutting the veterans is a lie,” he said.

While calling for a “clean” increase to the debt limit, Biden has said he is open to discussion about how to reduce the federal deficit. His budget plan would trim deficits by nearly $3 trillion over a decade, mainly through tax increases on the wealthy and changes such as letting the government negotiate over prescription drug prices.

In response to McCarthy’s demand to claw back some unspent funds from his sweeping COVID-19 relief package, Biden said he would “take a hard look” at doing so independent of the talks to raise the debt limit.

“We don’t need it all, but the question is what obligations were there made, commitments, made, money not dispersed, etc.,” Biden said, adding: “It’s on the table.”

Biden added the debt limit should be raised for “more than a year, so that we can move things along.” The House GOP bill raised the possibility of another showdown over the government’s borrowing authority in the heat of a presidential election next year.

While&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/recession-gdp-economy-inflation-interest-rates-growth-b6276997368000bdd2bb12bdcf34f3b8">the financial markets</a>&nbsp;have started to show some jitters, the business community has thus far largely avoided backing either side in the showdown and instead called for a deal to be struck.

“Securing a bipartisan path forward to raise the debt ceiling could not be more urgent,” said Josh Bolten, the head of the Business Roundtable, a group that represents CEOs. “The cost of a default, or even the threat of a default, is simply too high.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce suggested its own priorities for a swift deal Tuesday, saying "there are no two better places to start than permitting reform and an agreement on spending caps.”

Biden's refusal to negotiate on the debt limit is informed by his first-hand experience in 2011, when he was Barack Obama's vice president and the administration made painful concessions to Republicans in an effort to avoid default. Biden has told aides it's an experience he refuses to repeat, not just for himself, but for future presidents.

Notably, though, the administration has not ruled out a short-term increase in the debt limit that would align the deadline to increase federal borrowing authority with the talks on government spending that must be resolved by Sept. 30.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683679819499.png" alt="Republicans came to the White House hoping to negotiate sweeping cuts to federal spending in exchange for allowing new borrowing to avoid default. Biden, on the other hand, reinforced his opposition to allowing the country’s full faith and credit to be held “hostage” to negotiations -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Republicans came to the White House hoping to negotiate sweeping cuts to federal spending in exchange for allowing new borrowing to avoid default. Biden, on the other hand, reinforced his opposition to allowing the country’s full faith and credit to be held “hostage” to negotiations -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and congressional leaders confronted each other on the debt limit impasse Tuesday, ending their meeting with no breakthrough but agreeing to meet again this week to try to avert the looming&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-us-department-of-the-treasury-united-states-government-janet-yellen-business-6fe9b54dcdfea58bead0f4c5f9f89a64">risk of an unprecedented government default</a>.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Join me as I deliver remarks following a meeting with Congressional leaders about preventing a first-ever government default. <a href="https://t.co/FTjvRnl7oa">https://t.co/FTjvRnl7oa</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1656066178886803457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Speaking at the White House, Biden described the talks as “productive” even though House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said after the high-stakes Oval Office meeting that he “didn’t see any new movement” toward resolving the stalemate.Lawmakers and their staffs were to continue discussions as soon as Tuesday evening on the annual federal budget at Biden’s encouragement. Biden and the congressional leaders are to meet again on Friday.After the hour-long discussion in the Oval Office, Biden said he was “absolutely certain” that the country could avert a default, declaring that failure to meet America's obligations “is not an option.”Still, time is short. The government is bumping up against its legal limit for borrowing and will not be able to pay all of its bills as soon as June 1 if Congress doesn’t agree to raise the debt ceiling. That failure would send the country into default with wide-reaching economic impacts at home and around the world.Republicans came to the White House hoping to negotiate sweeping cuts to federal spending in exchange for allowing new borrowing to avoid default. Biden, on the other hand, reinforced his opposition to allowing the country’s full faith and credit to be held “hostage” to negotiations — while affirming his willingness to hold talks on the budget only after default is no longer a threat.“I told congressional leaders that I’m prepared to begin a separate discussion about my budget, spending priorities, but not under the threat of default,” Biden said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Our national debt crisis is too important to play politics. That’s why House Republicans voted to avoid default and responsibly raise the debt limit. Our founders designed our government for negotiation. So let’s get this done. <a href="https://t.co/eVmNSLYg5E">pic.twitter.com/eVmNSLYg5E</a>&mdash; Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerMcCarthy/status/1656082747482415104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Outside the White House, McCarthy said, “I asked the president this simple question, Does he not believe there’s any place we could find savings."<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Just finished meeting at the White House. My position is clear and reasonable—House Republicans have done their job to avoid a default and responsibly raise the debt limit. Democrats must now do the same. <a href="https://t.co/AkR3DoagD9">https://t.co/AkR3DoagD9</a>&mdash; Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerMcCarthy/status/1656044330099044352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>As the president welcomed McCarthy, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, he had quipped to reporters, “We’re going to get started, solve all the world’s problems.”Biden described the meeting's tone as “very measured and low key,” adding, “occasionally there would be a little bit of an assertion that maybe was a little over the top from the speaker.”He especially took issue with McCarthy's branding as a lie the Democrats' assertion that the Republicans' budget restraints would hurt veterans.Still, Biden added, “I trust Kevin will try to do what he says.”There seemed to be at least a bit of daylight between McConnell, who has let his House counterpart take the lead in negotiations and backed him up ahead of the White House meeting, and McCarthy.The Senate leader categorically said, “The United States is not going to default. It never has and it never will." The speaker, though, simply said, “I’ve done everything in my power to make sure we will not default.”Democrats said there is room to “come together” on spending cuts as part of the budget process, but quickly jumped on McCarthy's refusal to rule out the possibility of default, with Schumer saying the Republican is “greatly endangering America.”“To use the risk of default, with all the dangers that has for the American people as a hostage and say it’s my way or no way, are mostly my way or no way, is dangerous," Schumer said.McCarthy said Biden had directed their staffs to continue discussions, and that the leaders themselves would convene again in person on Friday at the White House.While Biden ruled out default, he also all but dismissed trying to unilaterally prevent it, saying that he didn't believe invoking the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which says the validity of the federal debt shall not be questioned, was a solution to the current impasse.White House lawyers will pursue the idea further, he added, but "the problem is it would have to be litigated.”Before the White House meeting, both McCarthy and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted it would be simple to avert default — if only the other side capitulated.The chasm between these opposite postures had fomented uncertainty that is roiling financial markets and threatens to turn into a tidal wave that swamps the country’s economy. Default, officials say, would have sweeping impacts, threatening to disrupt Social Security payments to retirees, destabilize global markets and tilt the nation into a potentially debilitating recession.Last month, House Republicans passed a sweeping bill to slash spending, an opening offer in negotiations. But that legislation has no chance in the Democratic Senate and the White House has threatened to veto it. Republicans hope that bill would achieve $4.5 trillion in deficit savings through cuts in spending, eliminating tax breaks for investing in clean energy, and reversing Biden’s plans to reduce the burdens of student loan debt.Referring to the House bill, McCarthy said, “We both said default is not an option — but only one of us took action.”Already looking past the meeting, Biden on Wednesday is to go to Westchester County, New York, where he plans to deliver a speech on how proposed spending cuts approved by House Republicans could hurt teachers, older adults needing food aid and veterans seeking health care.It's part of a broader campaign by Biden to try to paint the Republican cuts as draconian. Aides believe that message both strengthens his position in talks with the GOP and boosts his nascent 2024 reelection effort. His Wednesday visit will be to a congressional district won by Biden in 2020 but now represented by a Republican, Rep. Mike Lawler.Because the House Republican bill does not specifically spell out which federal programs would be cut, Democrats have gone on offense warning of steep hits to popular programs. The Democratic-aligned group House Majority Forward announced a $1 million campaign Tuesday amplifying such cuts, while the House Republicans' campaign committee countered with its own effort portraying Democrats as “addicted to spending.”McCarthy rejected as he said his caucus would take steps to increase funding for veterans despite their overall proposal. “First of all, cutting the veterans is a lie,” he said.While calling for a “clean” increase to the debt limit, Biden has said he is open to discussion about how to reduce the federal deficit. His budget plan would trim deficits by nearly $3 trillion over a decade, mainly through tax increases on the wealthy and changes such as letting the government negotiate over prescription drug prices.In response to McCarthy’s demand to claw back some unspent funds from his sweeping COVID-19 relief package, Biden said he would “take a hard look” at doing so independent of the talks to raise the debt limit.“We don’t need it all, but the question is what obligations were there made, commitments, made, money not dispersed, etc.,” Biden said, adding: “It’s on the table.”Biden added the debt limit should be raised for “more than a year, so that we can move things along.” The House GOP bill raised the possibility of another showdown over the government’s borrowing authority in the heat of a presidential election next year.While&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/recession-gdp-economy-inflation-interest-rates-growth-b6276997368000bdd2bb12bdcf34f3b8">the financial markets</a>&nbsp;have started to show some jitters, the business community has thus far largely avoided backing either side in the showdown and instead called for a deal to be struck.“Securing a bipartisan path forward to raise the debt ceiling could not be more urgent,” said Josh Bolten, the head of the Business Roundtable, a group that represents CEOs. “The cost of a default, or even the threat of a default, is simply too high.”The U.S. Chamber of Commerce suggested its own priorities for a swift deal Tuesday, saying "there are no two better places to start than permitting reform and an agreement on spending caps.”Biden's refusal to negotiate on the debt limit is informed by his first-hand experience in 2011, when he was Barack Obama's vice president and the administration made painful concessions to Republicans in an effort to avoid default. Biden has told aides it's an experience he refuses to repeat, not just for himself, but for future presidents.Notably, though, the administration has not ruled out a short-term increase in the debt limit that would align the deadline to increase federal borrowing authority with the talks on government spending that must be resolved by Sept. 30.

🎥Not much happened at the White House debt limit meeting 

BOURBON COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office arrested three subjects after an investigation in Fort Scott, Kansas, according to a media release from the KBI.

Just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at 113 S. Barbee Street in Fort Scott.&nbsp; Officers found methamphetamine, marijuana, and drug use paraphernalia at the location. Four subjects were on the property at the time the warrant was served.

Following the search,&nbsp;Janelle Roberts, 38, of Fort Scott, was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Roger Firebaugh, 53, of Fort Scott, was arrested on requested charges of distribution of methamphetamine, two counts of distribution of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of school property, and two counts of use of a communication facility for the distribution of controlled substances.

Cavin Ford, 61, of Fort Scott, was arrested on requested charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683726849220.png" alt="Firebaugh has a previous drug conviction in Linn Co., according to the KDOC" />
 <figcaption>Firebaugh has a previous drug conviction in Linn Co., according to the KDOC</figcaption>
 </figure>BOURBON COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office arrested three subjects after an investigation in Fort Scott, Kansas, according to a media release from the KBI.Just before 11 a.m. Tuesday, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at 113 S. Barbee Street in Fort Scott.&nbsp; Officers found methamphetamine, marijuana, and drug use paraphernalia at the location. Four subjects were on the property at the time the warrant was served.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683726782626.png" alt="Roberts has a previous drug conviction in 2020, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections. Photo Bourbon Co." />
 <figcaption>Roberts has a previous drug conviction in 2020, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections. Photo Bourbon Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Following the search,&nbsp;Janelle Roberts, 38, of Fort Scott, was arrested on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia.Roger Firebaugh, 53, of Fort Scott, was arrested on requested charges of distribution of methamphetamine, two counts of distribution of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of school property, and two counts of use of a communication facility for the distribution of controlled substances.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683726869751.png" alt="Ford-photo Bourbon Co." />
 <figcaption>Ford-photo Bourbon Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Cavin Ford, 61, of Fort Scott, was arrested on requested charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

KBI makes drug bust at Kansas home near a school

WYANDOTTE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide at a Kansas home.

Just before 2p.m. Tuesday, police responded to report of a shooting in the 2200 Block of North 56th Terrace, according to a media release. Officers found a man inside the home who was struck by gunfire. First responders attempted life saving measures but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police released no suspect information or additional details late Tuesday.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide at a Kansas home.Just before 2p.m. Tuesday, police responded to report of a shooting in the 2200 Block of North 56th Terrace, according to a media release. Officers found a man inside the home who was struck by gunfire. First responders attempted life saving measures but he was pronounced dead at the scene.Police released no suspect information or additional details late Tuesday.

Homicide: Kansas man found dead from gunshot wound

WASHINGTON (A) — About 550 U.S. active duty troops have begun arriving along the U.S.-Mexico border in the first group of military support ahead of an expected increase of migrants, U.S. defense officials said Tuesday.

The movement of troops is part of efforts to beef up security along the southern border as the U.S. prepares for the end of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-42-immigration-limits-supreme-court-updates-0494c30834fad66ce9c6057ea1605d89">immigration restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic.</a>&nbsp;Those restrictions are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-biden-border-title-42-mexico-asylum-be4e0b15b27adb9bede87b9bbefb798d">set to expire Thursday</a>, leading to concerns about whether that will result in an increase in migrants trying to enter the U.S. starting Friday.

The forces will mainly be used to help monitor and watch the border, or do data entry and support, and are “not there in any way to be interacting with migrants,” said Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary. The goal is to free up U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to do law enforcement activities.

"They needed assistance performing some of those back shop type requirements so that they can focus on the law enforcement aspect of this,” Ryder said.

At least some of the active duty troops will be used near El Paso, Texas, he said, while adding that CBP will decide where forces will go.

More than 900 additional soldiers, Marines and airmen will follow around the end of May. The initial plan calls for a temporary 90-day deployment of the active duty forces, because they can be moved much more quickly to the border than National Guard or Reserve troops.

The Biden administration has said that it is ready to deal with whatever happens after Title 42's use ends, although it has also repeatedly criticized Congress for not making changes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-asylum-trump-biden-gang-of-eight-3d8007e72928665b66d8648be0e3e31f">the country's immigration system.</a>

Roughly 2,500 National Guard members are already spread across all sectors of the border, providing an array of support to CBP, including monitoring, detection and air transportation.

Separately, Texas National Guard troops are also working along the border under state authority. Ryder said the active duty troops will be doing an entirely separate mission.

Even with the COVID-19 asylum restrictions still in place, the administration has seen record numbers of people crossing the border. President Joe Biden has responded by cracking down on those who cross illegally and by creating new pathways meant to offer alternatives to a dangerous and often deadly journey.

Some locations across the border are already seeing an influx of migrants, often spurred by false information from smugglers or widespread rumors about what the Title 42 changes will mean for their chances of being able to remain in the U.S.

Agents in the Border Patrol’s relatively quiet El Centro, California, sector stopped about 260 migrants a day over a four or five day period through Sunday, up from about 90 a day the previous week, said Gregory Bovino, the sector chief.

It’s unclear what’s driving the increase other than anticipation that pandemic restrictions are about to end, Bovino said in an interview.

“We see these surges whenever there’s a major event or a news story,” he said. “We don’t have a crystal ball, so I can’t say there’s going to be a massive surge on Friday.”

Top nationalities crossing illegally in the El Centro sector are from Peru, Colombia and Senegal, Bovino said. On Monday, agents found migrants from 22 countries.

Also Tuesday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and President Joe Biden spoke by telephone. Since Mexico shares a roughly 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) border with the United States, it's key to the success of any plans by the United States to control immigration at the southern border. The Mexican president said the two spoke for over an hour.

“We reaffirmed the commitment to continue working together on issues like migration with a humanistic perspective, drug and weapons trafficking, and above all, cooperation on the welfare of the poorest people on our continent,” he said.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Under a set of white tents at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/immigration">the U.S.-Mexico border</a>&nbsp;in Brownsville, Texas, dozens of Venezuelan men waited. Some sat on curbs and others leaned on metal barricades. When the gates eventually opened, the long line of men filed slowly up the pedestrian pathway to the bridge and across the Rio Grande River to Mexico.

In the past few weeks, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have been facilitating these expulsions three times a day as roughly 30,000 migrants,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-immigration-border-migrants-86bd7acbf3f13167db8d2197607fa940">mostly from Venezuela</a>, have entered the U.S. in this region since mid-April. That's compared with 1,700 migrants Border Patrol agents encountered in the first two weeks of April.

In the other end of the state, in El Paso, officials are dealing with another surge of migrants and worry that thousands more are waiting to cross.

All this comes as the U.S. is preparing for the end of a policy linked to the coronavirus pandemic that allowed it to quickly expel many migrants, and it spotlights concerns about whether the end of the immigration limits&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-42-immigration-limits-supreme-court-updates-0494c30834fad66ce9c6057ea1605d89">under Title 42 of a 1944 public health law</a>&nbsp;will mean even more migrants trying to cross the southern border.

“We’ve been preparing for quite some time and we are ready. What we are expecting is indeed a surge. And what we are doing is planning for different levels of a surge,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last week during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mayorkas-border-patrol-asylum-title-42-849bd8da7a3427b8ee6cba5b83b9086c">a visit to southern Texas</a>. But he also stressed that the situation at the border is “extremely challenging.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683651774846.png" alt="The initial plan calls for a temporary 90-day deployment of the active duty forces photo courtesy Rep. Tony Gonzales" />
 <figcaption>The initial plan calls for a temporary 90-day deployment of the active duty forces photo courtesy Rep. Tony Gonzales</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (A) — About 550 U.S. active duty troops have begun arriving along the U.S.-Mexico border in the first group of military support ahead of an expected increase of migrants, U.S. defense officials said Tuesday.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Title 42 might as well already be rolled back. Our Border Patrol Agents are managing countless droves of migrants attempting to enter the United States. Congress must act and ensure BP has the resources they need to combat this crisis. <a href="https://t.co/NJOtqwZRk1">pic.twitter.com/NJOtqwZRk1</a>&mdash; Rep. Tony Gonzales (@RepTonyGonzales) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepTonyGonzales/status/1654179879074635776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The movement of troops is part of efforts to beef up security along the southern border as the U.S. prepares for the end of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-42-immigration-limits-supreme-court-updates-0494c30834fad66ce9c6057ea1605d89">immigration restrictions linked to the coronavirus pandemic.</a>&nbsp;Those restrictions are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-biden-border-title-42-mexico-asylum-be4e0b15b27adb9bede87b9bbefb798d">set to expire Thursday</a>, leading to concerns about whether that will result in an increase in migrants trying to enter the U.S. starting Friday.The forces will mainly be used to help monitor and watch the border, or do data entry and support, and are “not there in any way to be interacting with migrants,” said Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary. The goal is to free up U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to do law enforcement activities."They needed assistance performing some of those back shop type requirements so that they can focus on the law enforcement aspect of this,” Ryder said.At least some of the active duty troops will be used near El Paso, Texas, he said, while adding that CBP will decide where forces will go.More than 900 additional soldiers, Marines and airmen will follow around the end of May. The initial plan calls for a temporary 90-day deployment of the active duty forces, because they can be moved much more quickly to the border than National Guard or Reserve troops.U.S. and international law give migrants the right to seek asylum. However, the U.S. has used Title 42 of a public health law to expel migrants with no chance at asylum 2.8 million times since March 2020 on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.The Biden administration has said that it is ready to deal with whatever happens after Title 42's use ends, although it has also repeatedly criticized Congress for not making changes to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-asylum-trump-biden-gang-of-eight-3d8007e72928665b66d8648be0e3e31f">the country's immigration system.</a>“We believe we have a robust process to deal with what is going to occur after Title 42 lifts. Again, we’re using the tools that are available to us because Congress refuses to do their job as it relates to the border," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.Roughly 2,500 National Guard members are already spread across all sectors of the border, providing an array of support to CBP, including monitoring, detection and air transportation.Separately, Texas National Guard troops are also working along the border under state authority. Ryder said the active duty troops will be doing an entirely separate mission.Even with the COVID-19 asylum restrictions still in place, the administration has seen record numbers of people crossing the border. President Joe Biden has responded by cracking down on those who cross illegally and by creating new pathways meant to offer alternatives to a dangerous and often deadly journey.Some locations across the border are already seeing an influx of migrants, often spurred by false information from smugglers or widespread rumors about what the Title 42 changes will mean for their chances of being able to remain in the U.S.Agents in the Border Patrol’s relatively quiet El Centro, California, sector stopped about 260 migrants a day over a four or five day period through Sunday, up from about 90 a day the previous week, said Gregory Bovino, the sector chief.It’s unclear what’s driving the increase other than anticipation that pandemic restrictions are about to end, Bovino said in an interview.“We see these surges whenever there’s a major event or a news story,” he said. “We don’t have a crystal ball, so I can’t say there’s going to be a massive surge on Friday.”Top nationalities crossing illegally in the El Centro sector are from Peru, Colombia and Senegal, Bovino said. On Monday, agents found migrants from 22 countries.Also Tuesday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and President Joe Biden spoke by telephone. Since Mexico shares a roughly 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) border with the United States, it's key to the success of any plans by the United States to control immigration at the southern border. The Mexican president said the two spoke for over an hour.“We reaffirmed the commitment to continue working together on issues like migration with a humanistic perspective, drug and weapons trafficking, and above all, cooperation on the welfare of the poorest people on our continent,” he said.----------BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Under a set of white tents at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/immigration">the U.S.-Mexico border</a>&nbsp;in Brownsville, Texas, dozens of Venezuelan men waited. Some sat on curbs and others leaned on metal barricades. When the gates eventually opened, the long line of men filed slowly up the pedestrian pathway to the bridge and across the Rio Grande River to Mexico.In the past few weeks, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have been facilitating these expulsions three times a day as roughly 30,000 migrants,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-immigration-border-migrants-86bd7acbf3f13167db8d2197607fa940">mostly from Venezuela</a>, have entered the U.S. in this region since mid-April. That's compared with 1,700 migrants Border Patrol agents encountered in the first two weeks of April.In the other end of the state, in El Paso, officials are dealing with another surge of migrants and worry that thousands more are waiting to cross.All this comes as the U.S. is preparing for the end of a policy linked to the coronavirus pandemic that allowed it to quickly expel many migrants, and it spotlights concerns about whether the end of the immigration limits&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-42-immigration-limits-supreme-court-updates-0494c30834fad66ce9c6057ea1605d89">under Title 42 of a 1944 public health law</a>&nbsp;will mean even more migrants trying to cross the southern border.“We’ve been preparing for quite some time and we are ready. What we are expecting is indeed a surge. And what we are doing is planning for different levels of a surge,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last week during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mayorkas-border-patrol-asylum-title-42-849bd8da7a3427b8ee6cba5b83b9086c">a visit to southern Texas</a>. But he also stressed that the situation at the border is “extremely challenging.”He spoke from a location in Brownsville where U.S. officials had set up a tent and facilities like portable bathrooms for migrants. He said it's difficult to identify the cause of the recent Venezuelan surge but said the U.S. is working with Mexico to address it and predicted change “very shortly.”Many of those crossing the border are entering through Brownsville just north of the Mexican border town of Matamoros. The city was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bus-stop-crash-migrants-dead-shelter-border-2a84f53e5981fc0d315d290b0961f793">rocked by another crisis Sunday</a>&nbsp;when an SUV plowed into people waiting at a bus stop across from the city's migrant shelter. Eight people, mostly men from Venezuela, died.Ricardo Marquez, a 30-year-old Venezuelan man, arrived at a shelter in McAllen after crossing the border with his wife and 5-month-old child in Brownsville. They left Venezuela because his daughter needs surgery.“I was confronted with the decision to either stay there or risk it all for my daughter,” he said. They had crossed the Rio Grande after spending a month in Matamoros trying to get an appointment through an app the U.S. uses to schedule appointments for people without documents to come to the border and seek entry.Officials in President Joe Biden's administration say they have been preparing for well over a year for the end of Title 42.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-border-biden-asylum-75d8c0e67d5521fb48ac04f6bf017a49">The strategy</a>&nbsp;has hinged on providing more legal pathways for migrants to get to the U.S. without risking the perilous journey to the border. That includes things like setting up centers in foreign countries where migrants can apply to emigrate as well as a humanitarian parole process already in place&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mexico-immigration-af0643a4fb8f45388fe247e44c9b2c5e">with 30,000 slots a month for people</a>&nbsp;from four countries to come to the U.S. Starting May 12 they're expanding appointments available through the CBP One app Marquez tried to use. When it was launched&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-united-states-government-caribbean-mexico-mobile-apps-49b38b18869ed3b2260fb6d774153456">many migrants and advocates criticized the app</a>, saying it had technological problems and there simply weren't enough appointments.The strategy is also heavy on consequences. The U.S. is proposing a rule that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mexico-costa-rica-donald-trump-1a5a89459fb0b61f04f8500789b9b221">would severely limit</a>&nbsp;asylum to migrants who first travel through another country,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-asylum-screening-title-42-mexico-93273917fa28848b78684cfb99bb7ad5">quickly screening migrants seeking</a>&nbsp;asylum at the border and deporting those deemed not qualified, and a five-year ban on reentry for those deported.A lot of these consequences have been met with harsh criticism by immigrants' rights groups who have gone so far as to compare the policies to then-President Donald Trump's and say the right to apply for asylum on U.S. soil is sacrosanct. Much of the Biden administration strategy is also facing legal peril in the coming weeks. The proposed rule limiting asylum is almost certain to be the subject of lawsuits. And Republican-leaning states want to stop the Democratic administration's use of humanitarian parole on such a large scale.The administration has also been increasing Immigration and Customs Enforcement flights to remove people from the country — flights like one that took off recently from an airport in Harlingen, Texas. Shortly after dawn three buses pulled up next to a plane. One by one migrants got out of the bus. They were wearing handcuffs and leg restraints and surgical masks. First they were patted down for contraband and then slowly walked up the stairs to the plane. Altogether 133 migrants were sent back to their home country of Guatemala.But those flights only work if countries accept them. Venezuela does not. And Colombia says it's suspending deportation flights due to “cruel and degrading” treatment of migrants.Administration officials say they're using technology to speed up the processing of migrants who cross the border without documentation and using mobile processing, so they can process migrants while they're being transported by bus or van, for example. They've pushed to digitize documents that at one time were filled out by hand by Border Patrol. And they've beefed up the hiring of contractors so agents can remain in the field.But critics have slammed the administration, saying it's not doing enough. Kyrsten Sinema, an independent U.S. senator from Arizona, said on CBS' “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the administration wasn't communicating with local officials about things like what type of surge to expect or whether buses would be available to transport migrants. And she said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-immigration-troops-southern-border-68ec4d25fb87b41265019a0ffd20a784">a decision to send 1,500 military troops</a>&nbsp;to the border came too late.In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday he was deploying “tactical” National Guard teams this week to the busiest crossing spots. Abbott, who for years has accused the Biden administration of not doing enough on the border, also said “many thousands more” migrants in the coming days will be bused by the state&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/greg-abbott-mexico-texas-immigration-philadelphia-65a9158fc6969608cc2736b93de0c20f">to Democratic-led cities elsewhere in the U.S.</a>“It did not have to be this way," said Abbott, speaking in Austin as Guard members boarded four C-130 cargo planes behind him.In communities that border Mexico, officials and community groups that care for newly arrived migrants are anxious about what the end of Title 42 means. Sister Norma Pimentel runs&nbsp;<a href="https://www.catholiccharitiesrgv.org/respitecenter/home.aspx">Catholic Charities' Humanitarian Respite Center</a>, the largest shelter in South Texas.The shelter functions mainly as a resource center where migrants can purchase tickets, make calls, eat and rest before traveling to their next destination, where they often have family or other contacts. But, Pimentel said, many of the Venezuelans in this latest surge don’t have connections in the U.S., making it harder for them to move to the next destination. “That becomes a problem for us,” she said.The federal government gives money to communities to help them deal with the increases in migrants. On Friday&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2023/05/05/emergency-food-and-shelter-program-national-board-allocates-over-300-million-local">the administration announced that $332 million</a>&nbsp;had been disbursed to 35 local governments and service organizations. Most goes to communities close to the border “due to the urgencies they are confronting,” but cities far from the border also get funds.In the Texas border city of El Paso, about 2,200 migrants are currently camped or living on the streets a few blocks from major ports of entry that connect El Paso with the Mexican city of Juárez. The city is prepared to open up shelters next week if needed at two vacant school buildings and a civic center.El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser estimated that roughly 10,000 to 12,000 migrants are in Juárez waiting to cross, as local officials prepare for the “unknown.” Leeser said migrants are flocking to the border under false assumptions that it will be easier to gain entry to the U.S. when Title 42 goes away, but for many there could be tougher consequences.It's a message federal officials have been repeating. But they're competing against a powerful human smuggling network that facilitates northern migration and the desperation of migrants who feel they have no other option.At the Brownsville port of entry, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say they've run drills to prepare in case there’s a surge of migrants trying to cross and they need to close the bridge. Pedestrians cross from Matamoros using a covered walkway that can only accommodate a few people across. Worried about the impact of long lines of migrants coming to the port after May 11 without an appointment and impacting port operations, they're calling on people to schedule appointments through CBP One.___