HARVEY COUNTY—A Kansas woman is going to prison after admitting to child sex crimes.

On Monday District Judge Jason Lane sentenced 32-year-old Gabriaellea Akin 32, of Hesston to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 50 years, according to the Harvey County Attorney's office.

In June, Akin pleaded guilty to Aggravated Criminal Sodomy and Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a child, The victim of the case was a child under 14-years-old.

Along with the prison sentence, Judge Lane ordered Akin to serve lifetime parole and lifetime registration as a sexual offender. Akin is also ordered to register as a sex offender pursuant to the Kansas Offender Registration Act.

Lifetime parole requires the Kansas Department of Corrections to supervise Akin the rest of her life. Akin is subject to conditions of release set by the Kansas Department of Corrections. If she violates those conditions, she could be sent back to prison.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699373543614.png" alt="Akin-photo Harvey County" />
 <figcaption>Akin-photo Harvey County</figcaption>
 </figure>HARVEY COUNTY—A Kansas woman is going to prison after admitting to child sex crimes.On Monday District Judge Jason Lane sentenced 32-year-old Gabriaellea Akin 32, of Hesston to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 50 years, according to the Harvey County Attorney's office.In June, Akin pleaded guilty to Aggravated Criminal Sodomy and Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a child, The victim of the case was a child under 14-years-old.Along with the prison sentence, Judge Lane ordered Akin to serve lifetime parole and lifetime registration as a sexual offender. Akin is also ordered to register as a sex offender pursuant to the Kansas Offender Registration Act.Lifetime parole requires the Kansas Department of Corrections to supervise Akin the rest of her life. Akin is subject to conditions of release set by the Kansas Department of Corrections. If she violates those conditions, she could be sent back to prison.

Life in prison: Kan. woman admits to sex crimes involving a child

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man with a rifle was arrested in a park near the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, police said.

Police confronted 21-year-old Ahmir Lavon Merrell a registered sex offender from Atlanta after someone saw him with the gun in a park near Senate office buildings and told an officer, U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement. Officers demanded that he drop the gun, but he refused and they used a Taser stun gun to subdue him, police said.

The park and roads in the area across from Washington’s Union Station were closed for about two hours as officers searched the area and Merrell's belongings.

Officers said they did not believe there was an ongoing threat. It was not immediately clear why he was in Washington. No publicly listed contacts were available for him, and a lawyer who represented him on a previous case did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said he was proud of officers who “ran toward the man with the loaded gun.”

Carrying firearms is prohibited on U.S. Capitol grounds. So far this year, U.S. Capitol Police have confiscated more than 30 guns.

After the arrest, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he supports a ban on guns often referred to as assault weapons. “We are keeping a constant vigilance on security” in the Capitol, he said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man with a gun was arrested near the U.S. Capitol Tuesday afternoon, police said.

The man was in a park outside Senate office buildings and across from Washington’s Union Station when he was arrested, the U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.

Police searched the area where he was arrested as well as his belongings “out of an abundance of caution.”

Officers said they did not believe there was an “ongoing threat.”

-Check the Post for additional details as they are made available from the U.S. Capitol Police.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699405527730.png" alt="Merrill-photo from a 2019 arrest in Fulton County, Georgia" />
 <figcaption>Merrill-photo from a 2019 arrest in Fulton County, Georgia</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A man with a rifle was arrested in a park near the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, police said.Police confronted 21-year-old Ahmir Lavon Merrell a registered sex offender from Atlanta after someone saw him with the gun in a park near Senate office buildings and told an officer, U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement. Officers demanded that he drop the gun, but he refused and they used a Taser stun gun to subdue him, police said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">USCP Officers Arrest Man with Rifle Thanks to Citizen Tip: <a href="https://t.co/7kWpJrwH6T">https://t.co/7kWpJrwH6T</a> <a href="https://t.co/TVvFSKVuws">pic.twitter.com/TVvFSKVuws</a>&mdash; The U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/CapitolPolice/status/1722022573599277541?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The park and roads in the area across from Washington’s Union Station were closed for about two hours as officers searched the area and Merrell's belongings.Officers said they did not believe there was an ongoing threat. It was not immediately clear why he was in Washington. No publicly listed contacts were available for him, and a lawyer who represented him on a previous case did not immediately return messages seeking comment.Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said he was proud of officers who “ran toward the man with the loaded gun.”Carrying firearms is prohibited on U.S. Capitol grounds. So far this year, U.S. Capitol Police have confiscated more than 30 guns.After the arrest, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he supports a ban on guns often referred to as assault weapons. “We are keeping a constant vigilance on security” in the Capitol, he said.----------------WASHINGTON (AP) — A man with a gun was arrested near the U.S. Capitol Tuesday afternoon, police said.The man was in a park outside Senate office buildings and across from Washington’s Union Station when he was arrested, the U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.Police searched the area where he was arrested as well as his belongings “out of an abundance of caution.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Due to police activity, the following road closures are in effect: ⁰⁰- Columbus Circle between Louisiana and Delaware Avenues, NE⁰- D Street between Louisiana and Delaware Avenues, NE ⁰⁰Please avoid the area until further notice. <a href="https://t.co/rVixmZsgme">pic.twitter.com/rVixmZsgme</a>&mdash; The U.S. Capitol Police (@CapitolPolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/CapitolPolice/status/1721948851387396117?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Officers said they did not believe there was an “ongoing threat.”-Check the Post for additional details as they are made available from the U.S. Capitol Police.

Police: Sex offender with a rifle is arrested near the US Capitol

CLAY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect

On November 3, sheriff's deputies&nbsp;served a search warrant on a drug house operating next to an elementary school, according to the Clay County Sheriff's office.

 Clarence D.L. Greenwood, 56, was arrested on requested charges that include distribution of a controlled substance with an enhanced penalty of being within 2,000 feet of a school&nbsp; keeping or maintaining a public nuisance,&nbsp;

Greenwood is being held on a $100K bond. Kansas City Codes enforcement saw numerous violations that made the house uninhabitable and boarded it up. Deputies will continue to check it to ensure no one has returned for illegal activity.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699307350247.png" alt="Greenwood-photo Clay Co." />
 <figcaption>Greenwood-photo Clay Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>CLAY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspectOn November 3, sheriff's deputies&nbsp;served a search warrant on a drug house operating next to an elementary school, according to the Clay County Sheriff's office. Clarence D.L. Greenwood, 56, was arrested on requested charges that include distribution of a controlled substance with an enhanced penalty of being within 2,000 feet of a school&nbsp; keeping or maintaining a public nuisance,&nbsp;Greenwood is being held on a $100K bond. Kansas City Codes enforcement saw numerous violations that made the house uninhabitable and boarded it up. Deputies will continue to check it to ensure no one has returned for illegal activity.&nbsp;

Sheriff's deputies bust drug house near an elementary school

WASHINGTON —Senate Democrats on Tuesday afternoon blocked Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall's effort to pass the aid package to Israel that House Speaker Mike Johnson and the House GOP delivered to the Senate last week.

The nearly $14.5 billion military aid package approved in the House Thursday for Israel, a muscular U.S. response to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-11-1-2023-7016eb9ebd6a7852c0ed71bc97f14d92">war with Hamas</a>&nbsp;but also a partisan approach by new Speaker Mike Johnson that poses a direct challenge to Democrats and President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>.

On social media Marshall wrote,&nbsp; "Today marks one month since Hamas brutally attacked and murdered thousands of Israelis, and 36 American citizens. We cannot delay this aid to Israel another day."

“The first step in freeing these [American] hostages and helping Israel destroy these terrorists is passing aid for Israel. We must send the world a clear message attacking the United States and our allies and partners is a bad idea.”

However, Johnson's package of assistance for Israel required that the emergency aid be offset with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-debt-ceiling-budget-x-date-yellen-fe538fd8371cdf647400a27e6d56a9fb">cuts in government spending elsewhere</a>. That tack established the new House GOP's conservative leadership, but it also turned what would typically be a bipartisan vote into one dividing Democrats and Republicans.

Democrats said that approach would only delay help for Israel. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has warned that the “stunningly unserious” bill has no chances in the Senate.

WASHINGTON —Senate Democrats on Tuesday afternoon blocked Kansas U.S. Senator Roger Marshall's effort to pass the aid package to Israel that House Speaker Mike Johnson and the House GOP delivered to the Senate last week.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Democrats in the Senate are blocking the aid for Israel that Joe Biden requested. Make it make sense. <a href="https://t.co/Ap6RhvKW5W">pic.twitter.com/Ap6RhvKW5W</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1721931685724398017?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The nearly $14.5 billion military aid package approved in the House Thursday for Israel, a muscular U.S. response to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-11-1-2023-7016eb9ebd6a7852c0ed71bc97f14d92">war with Hamas</a>&nbsp;but also a partisan approach by new Speaker Mike Johnson that poses a direct challenge to Democrats and President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>.On social media Marshall wrote,&nbsp; "Today marks one month since Hamas brutally attacked and murdered thousands of Israelis, and 36 American citizens. We cannot delay this aid to Israel another day."“The first step in freeing these [American] hostages and helping Israel destroy these terrorists is passing aid for Israel. We must send the world a clear message attacking the United States and our allies and partners is a bad idea.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">During our debate for immediate standalone aid to ISRAEL, Senate Democrats mentioned Ukraine 77 TIMES, more than DOUBLE the number of times they mentioned Israel. It is clear: Senate Democrats are using Israel&#39;s crisis as a political pawn for another blank check to Ukraine.&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1721969703579472022?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>However, Johnson's package of assistance for Israel required that the emergency aid be offset with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/irs-debt-ceiling-budget-x-date-yellen-fe538fd8371cdf647400a27e6d56a9fb">cuts in government spending elsewhere</a>. That tack established the new House GOP's conservative leadership, but it also turned what would typically be a bipartisan vote into one dividing Democrats and Republicans.Democrats said that approach would only delay help for Israel. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has warned that the “stunningly unserious” bill has no chances in the Senate.

🎥 Kan. Senator's effort to pass aid package for Israel blocked

LYON COUNTY—The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks are investigating more alleged deer poaching.

On Sunday, the Lyon County Game Warden was called to a headless deer Northwest of Americus, according to a social media report from KDW&amp;P&nbsp; &nbsp; game wardens.

Lyon County Game Warden Scheve is asking for the public’s help identifying persons involved in the poaching.  Game Warden Scheve phone # (620) 431-9873.

On Friday, the Russell County Game Warden asked the public's assistance with information about 3 white-tailed does that were killed between 8a.m. on November and 9a.m. November 4, according to the a social media report from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and&nbsp; Parks Game Wardens.

The does were 'more than likely killed in the evening or night hours.'

All 3 does were shot with a rifle and left in the field on west side of 188th approximately 1/3 of a mile south of Waldo, Kansas.

If you have any information about this crime please contact Game Warden Pack (620)770-6148

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699369277316.png" alt="Photo KDW&amp;P Game Wardens" />
 <figcaption>Photo KDW&amp;P Game Wardens</figcaption>
 </figure>LYON COUNTY—The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks are investigating more alleged deer poaching.On Sunday, the Lyon County Game Warden was called to a headless deer Northwest of Americus, according to a social media report from KDW&amp;P&nbsp; &nbsp; game wardens.Lyon County Game Warden Scheve is asking for the public’s help identifying persons involved in the poaching. Game Warden Scheve phone # (620) 431-9873.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699221051436.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>On Friday, the Russell County Game Warden asked the public's assistance with information about 3 white-tailed does that were killed between 8a.m. on November and 9a.m. November 4, according to the a social media report from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and&nbsp; Parks Game Wardens.The does were 'more than likely killed in the evening or night hours.'All 3 does were shot with a rifle and left in the field on west side of 188th approximately 1/3 of a mile south of Waldo, Kansas.If you have any information about this crime please contact Game Warden Pack (620)770-6148

Game Wardens report more deer poaching in Kansas

WASHINGTON (AP) — Militants targeted the U.S. military base in Irbil, Iraq, overnight and again Tuesday morning, but caused no injuries to personnel or damage to the infrastructure, a U.S. defense official said.

The Islamic Resistance, an umbrella organization of Iran-backed Iraqi militant groups, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying their drones hit their target, without giving any further details.

The overnight attack on Irbil airbase near the city’s commercial airport was a multi-drone attack. Tuesday morning's attack was with a single drone, said the defense official, who was not authorized to discuss the strikes and spoke on condition of anonymity. Commercial flights were briefly suspended following the strikes.

The strikes are part of an ongoing string of attacks in recent weeks by the Iran-backed militants on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria, in light of Washington’s support of Israel in the ongoing Hamas-Israel war in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The attacks bring the total number of strikes on U.S. and coalition facilities in Iraq and Syria to at least 40 since Oct. 17.

The Islamic Resistance also claimed responsibility for other attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria on Tuesday, including a drone attack on Al-Harir in Irbil province, and on the Green Village base in eastern Syria. The U.S. defense official said there were no reports of attacks at Al Harir.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Militants targeted the U.S. military base in Irbil, Iraq, overnight and again Tuesday morning, but caused no injuries to personnel or damage to the infrastructure, a U.S. defense official said.The Islamic Resistance, an umbrella organization of Iran-backed Iraqi militant groups, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying their drones hit their target, without giving any further details.The overnight attack on Irbil airbase near the city’s commercial airport was a multi-drone attack. Tuesday morning's attack was with a single drone, said the defense official, who was not authorized to discuss the strikes and spoke on condition of anonymity. Commercial flights were briefly suspended following the strikes.The strikes are part of an ongoing string of attacks in recent weeks by the Iran-backed militants on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria, in light of Washington’s support of Israel in the ongoing Hamas-Israel war in the besieged Gaza Strip.The attacks bring the total number of strikes on U.S. and coalition facilities in Iraq and Syria to at least 40 since Oct. 17.The Islamic Resistance also claimed responsibility for other attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria on Tuesday, including a drone attack on Al-Harir in Irbil province, and on the Green Village base in eastern Syria. The U.S. defense official said there were no reports of attacks at Al Harir.

Another drone attack targets U.S. base in Iraq 

RENO COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 6:30 a.m. Tuesday in Reno County.&nbsp;

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1996 Geo Metro driven by Barbara Sue&nbsp;Wiegand, 67, of South Hutchinson&nbsp;was making a left turn from Eastbound Kansas 96 onto Arlington Road. The driver failed to yield.

A westbound 2016 Ford F350 driven by Brayan Antonio Jimenez Matute, 21, Parkville, Maryland, struck the car in the passenger side door.

Weigand was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Elliott Mortuary. Jimenez Matute and two passengers from Mexico were not injured. Weigand was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699371078061.png" alt="Fog early Tuesday in Reno County-image KanDrive" />
 <figcaption>Fog early Tuesday in Reno County-image KanDrive</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY —One person died in an accident just after 6:30 a.m. Tuesday in Reno County.&nbsp;The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1996 Geo Metro driven by Barbara Sue&nbsp;Wiegand, 67, of South Hutchinson&nbsp;was making a left turn from Eastbound Kansas 96 onto Arlington Road. The driver failed to yield.A westbound 2016 Ford F350 driven by Brayan Antonio Jimenez Matute, 21, Parkville, Maryland, struck the car in the passenger side door.Weigand was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Elliott Mortuary. Jimenez Matute and two passengers from Mexico were not injured. Weigand was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Kansas woman dies after 2-vehicle crash 

SEDGWICK COUNTY— A Kansas felon found guilty of a fatal stabbing is going to prison.

Judge Tyler Rousch sentenced 62-year-old James Shaw of Wichita to 19-years in prison with 36 months post release supervision for the murder of 67-year-old Kurt Peterson.

In September of 2021, police responded to a shooting call at a home in the 100 block of North Glenn in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located. Petersen and determined he had been stabbed multiple times.&nbsp; He was pronounced deceased on the scene.

The investigation revealed, Petersen’s caretaker came to the home to check on him and found him lying on the kitchen floor with injuries and called 911.&nbsp; James Shaw was also inside of the residence when the caretaker arrived.&nbsp; Examination of evidence and interviews led to Shaw’s arrest, according to Davidson. Shaw was hospitalized for his injuries in the altercation and booked into jail two days later.

Shaw and Petersen were known to each other, according to Davidson.&nbsp; Shaw has had previous felony arrests and convictions and was currently on parole through the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC).&nbsp; He was paroled to Wichita from Wyandotte County.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632486359786.png" alt="Shaw-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Shaw-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY— A Kansas felon found guilty of a fatal stabbing is going to prison.Judge Tyler Rousch sentenced 62-year-old James Shaw of Wichita to 19-years in prison with 36 months post release supervision for the murder of 67-year-old Kurt Peterson.In September of 2021, police responded to a shooting call at a home in the 100 block of North Glenn in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located. Petersen and determined he had been stabbed multiple times.&nbsp; He was pronounced deceased on the scene.The investigation revealed, Petersen’s caretaker came to the home to check on him and found him lying on the kitchen floor with injuries and called 911.&nbsp; James Shaw was also inside of the residence when the caretaker arrived.&nbsp; Examination of evidence and interviews led to Shaw’s arrest, according to Davidson. Shaw was hospitalized for his injuries in the altercation and booked into jail two days later.Shaw and Petersen were known to each other, according to Davidson.&nbsp; Shaw has had previous felony arrests and convictions and was currently on parole through the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC).&nbsp; He was paroled to Wichita from Wyandotte County.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kansas felon on parole sentenced for knife fight killing

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man died in an accident just before 2p.m. Monday in Sedgwick County.

A motorcycle driven by Rafael Galvis-Marin, 23, Wichita, was westbound&nbsp;on West 2nd Street North and collided with a vehicle in the intersection at North Waco Avenue, according to Wichita Police Officer Juan Rebolledo.

The accident remains under investigation and detectives are seeking community cooperation of anyone who witnessed the collision.

This is the 30th motor vehicle fatality in Wichita in 2023.

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man died in an accident just before 2p.m. Monday in Sedgwick County.A motorcycle driven by Rafael Galvis-Marin, 23, Wichita, was westbound&nbsp;on West 2nd Street North and collided with a vehicle in the intersection at North Waco Avenue, according to Wichita Police Officer Juan Rebolledo.The accident remains under investigation and detectives are seeking community cooperation of anyone who witnessed the collision.This is the 30th motor vehicle fatality in Wichita in 2023.

Police ask for help as they investigate fatal Kan. motorcycle crash

DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a vandalism report Monday night at the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity,&nbsp;1116 Indiana Street, in Lawrence, according to a media release from Lawrence Police.

 The house had an Israeli Flag and American Flag flying on their flag pole until Sunday night when a member of the house called police to file a report.

The Israeli Flag had been cut down and ripped up and later found about a block away.&nbsp; The American Flag was still attached to the rope and on the ground near the flagpole. 

&nbsp;A detective visited the house and police are working to secure additional evidence. 

Anyone with information is asked to call LKPD 785.832.7509 or Douglas County CrimeStoppers at 785.843.TIPS if you can help. (Tips can be anonymous.)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699356449591.png" alt="Photo Lawrence Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Lawrence Police</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a vandalism report Monday night at the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity,&nbsp;1116 Indiana Street, in Lawrence, according to a media release from Lawrence Police. The house had an Israeli Flag and American Flag flying on their flag pole until Sunday night when a member of the house called police to file a report.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699356430721.png" alt="Photo Lawrence Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Lawrence Police</figcaption>
 </figure>The Israeli Flag had been cut down and ripped up and later found about a block away.&nbsp; The American Flag was still attached to the rope and on the ground near the flagpole. &nbsp;A detective visited the house and police are working to secure additional evidence. Anyone with information is asked to call LKPD 785.832.7509 or Douglas County CrimeStoppers at 785.843.TIPS if you can help. (Tips can be anonymous.)

Israeli flag cut down, ripped up at Kansas fraternity house

Documents show unquestioning support before raid, followed by attempts to sidestep outrage

BY SHERMAN SMITH&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

MARION — Marion Police Chief Gideon Cody enlisted the support of local and state law enforcement officials in the days before&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/11/police-stage-chilling-raid-on-marion-county-newspaper-seizing-computers-records-and-cellphones/">he led raids</a>&nbsp;on the local newspaper office, the publisher’s home and the home of a city councilwoman.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Kansas Department of Revenue, Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the State Fire Marshal — along with the county attorney and a magistrate judge — were complicit in the Aug. 11 raid or knew it was imminent. But in the days that followed, they largely downplayed their involvement.

Police reports, internal agency emails and other documents obtained by Kansas Reflector provide a clearer picture of the raid than the early one that crystallized as a fast-moving story attracted international attention.

There was the restaurateur who wanted a liquor license. The reporter who looked up the restaurateur’s drunken driving record. The police chief who knew reporters were investigating his past misconduct. The newspaper publisher with his strident editorial voice, and the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/19/co-owner-of-kansas-newspaper-who-died-amid-stress-from-police-raid-honored-in-funeral-service/">demise</a>&nbsp;of his&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/21/youre-an-hole-police-chief-kansas-newspaper-owner-defiant-in-video-of-home-invasion/">defiant</a>&nbsp;98-year-old mother.

We now know there was also a KBI agent and his supervisor who had advance copies of the search warrants. A sheriff’s detective who wrote the search warrants. Department of Revenue staff who treated the reporter’s actions as criminal. And a fire marshal’s investigator who participated in the raid even though he seemed to realize it was unlawful.

Then there was the county attorney who claimed he didn’t review the search warrant affidavits until after the raid, even though police had sent them to him for preapproval. And the magistrate judge,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article278237263.html">with her own checkered driving record</a>, who signed three of the search warrants but refused a fourth.

Officers from three agencies converged Aug. 11 to seize personal cellphones, computers and other items from Marion County Record publisher Eric Meyer, two of his reporters — including one who wasn’t even a target in the investigation — and Councilwoman Ruth Herbel. Police also rummaged through a reporter’s desk drawer and Meyer’s paperwork to take stock of confidential sources.

There is no indication in any of the records obtained by Kansas Reflector that anybody anywhere suggested the raid would be a bad idea, despite federal protections for journalists and the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/20/completely-unjustified-affidavits-point-to-abuse-of-power-in-raid-on-kansas-newspaper/">flimsy pretext of a crime</a>.

Katherine Jacobsen, U.S. and Canada program coordinator for the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://cpj.org/">Committee to Protect Journalists</a>, said it is incredibly concerning that so many taxpayer-funded agencies were willing to tacitly or directly sign off on a gross violation of the freedom of the press.

“I think the most charitable interpretation I can come up with is they just didn’t know and were ill informed about freedom of the press and the rights that journalists have in this country,” Jacobsen said. “A more nefarious interpretation is, of course, that they just didn’t care and were in fact kind of happy to see the journalists put in their place.”

Marion County Record reporter Phyllis Zorn was exhausted Aug. 16 after staying up all night to publish the first edition of the newspaper since the raid five days earlier.

Scrutiny of the raid had intensified as&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/12/police-defend-raid-on-kansas-newspaper-amid-backlash-over-brazen-violation-of-press-freedom/">the police chief</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/13/kbi-director-on-marion-county-newspaper-raid-media-is-not-above-the-law/">KBI director</a>&nbsp;issued statements about journalists not being above the law — a distraction from the reality that if anyone had broken the law, it was the police.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/16/marion-county-record-publishes-in-defiance-of-police-raid-and-gets-seized-property-back/">The newspaper’s 200-point bold type headline that morning</a>&nbsp;read: “SEIZED … but not silenced.”

Cody, the police chief, had notified County Attorney Joel Ensey of his investigation in an Aug. 8 email, and sent copies of the search warrants to Ensey before taking them to a magistrate. A day after the raid, Ensey told Cody he would need to get a district court judge to sign the warrants so that the evidence seized during the raid could be reviewed by law enforcement outside of Marion.

“I also believe with the scrutiny this will receive, another judge reviewing the warrant would be a good idea, especially with some of the new information learned during the search,” Ensey said.

But as copies of the newspaper were being&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://cpj.org/2023/08/defiant-marion-county-record-hits-newsstands-following-police-raid/">delivered around town</a>&nbsp;on Aug. 16, and new subscribers streamed into the newspaper office, Ensey claimed he had reviewed the search warrants in detail on Aug. 14. He said there was insufficient evidence to support the raids and that items seized would be returned.

Zorn, wearing a Mickey Mouse T-shirt, leaned against the doorway to the sheriff’s office evidence locker, where a deputy was retrieving the electronic devices that police had collected and bagged during the raid. The reporter was listening to Sheriff Jeff Soyez assign blame to the police department.

“It’s not my search warrant,” Soyez said. “It was PD’s search warrant.”

He leaned in to say quietly in Zorn’s ear: “You didn’t see me over there.”

“No, I’m glad I didn’t,” she told him, “because as relaxed as it is between you and me, I probably would have said some things.”

In fact, it was one of Soyez’ officers, Detective Aaron Christner, who had advised Cody on Aug. 8 to get a search warrant to preserve emails. Christner then drafted the search warrants and sent them to Cody to modify and sign. During the raid, Christner used software to make a digital copy of files from Zorn’s computer, which&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/24/altered-evidence-list-indicates-marion-police-kept-illegal-copy-of-evidence-from-kansas-newspaper/">police initially didn’t disclose</a>&nbsp;on their evidence log.

Ensey and the sheriff weren’t the only ones offering a cop-out.

Anyone can access driving records legally through the Department of Revenue’s online database — if they have a name, date of birth, and driver’s license number. Marion resident Pam Maag on Aug. 2 sent Zorn and Herbel a copy of restaurateur Kari Newell’s driving record, which showed Newell had a DUI and had been driving without a license. Zorn used KDOR’s website to verify the record.

According to Marion police officer Zach Hudlin’s written summary of an Aug. 7 phone call, an unnamed employee in KDOR’s IT department told him “there was a loophole or a vulnerability in their system that would allow someone to access another person’s private data.” The IT staffer confirmed that Zorn had looked up Newell’s driving record on Aug. 4.

Emails exchanged among Chad Burr, with KDOR’s Office of Special Investigations; Garrett Kaufman, technical services manager at KDOR; Craig Bowser, with the Office of Information Technology Services; Desiree Perry, a cyber intelligence specialist; and Valerie Pitts, IT manager at KDOR, show the agency treated Zorn’s use of the website as a crime. Kaufman said it was good that police were working with the KBI.

KDOR didn’t respond to an email asking why the agency’s perspective changed in the days after the raid.

On Aug. 21, KDOR spokesman Zach Denney&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/state/kansas/article278460169.html">told the Kansas City Star</a>&nbsp;that “this information is public record and available online.” He&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-accused-raided-kansas-newspaper-lying-get-records-reporter-used-rcna100998">told NBC News</a>&nbsp;“the motor vehicle driver’s checker is public-facing and free-use.”

Cody emailed KBI special agent Todd Leeds on Aug. 8 and asked for assistance. Leeds forwarded the request to his supervisor, special agent in charge Bethanie Popejoy, then opened a case on “Marion Public Corruption.”

Leeds asked police for cellphone numbers, Facebook account names and email addresses for Newell, Meyer, Herbel, Zorn and Maag. The KBI agent also wanted&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/21-MPD-08.09.23-Victim-Statement-1a.pdf">Newell’s witness statement</a>&nbsp;and Herbel’s emails. Marion police sent Leeds “everything we have currently for the case.”

Hudlin sent copies of search warrants to Leeds on Aug. 10.

“Did you guys execute this today?” Leeds asked.

“No,” Hudlin replied. “My understanding is that the county attorney wasn’t in the office today.”

A day after the raid, Cody wrote to Popejoy at the KBI to notify her of the items police had gathered during the raid. He CC’d Ensey on the email.

“I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the KBI’s support,” Cody wrote. “It has been tough being the Chief of Police today.”

Two days after the raid, KBI director Toni Mattivi professed his&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/13/kbi-director-on-marion-county-newspaper-raid-media-is-not-above-the-law/">belief in free speech</a>&nbsp;while defending his agency’s involvement in the investigation and taking a jab at news media. Mattivi said his agent did not apply for the search warrants and wasn’t present during the raid.

Attorney General Kris Kobach, who has oversight of the KBI,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/17/kobach-kbi-looking-into-possible-data-breach-in-kansas-newspaper-case/">told reporters on Aug. 16</a>&nbsp;that the KBI “was not notified of the searches prior to their taking place.”

Cody told the KBI that Magistrate Judge Laura Viar “scrutinized the evidence and decided it was not enough for me to get Pam Maag’s electronic devices.”

But Viar&nbsp;approved search warrants for the Marion County Record newsroom, Meyer’s home and Herbel’s home. The alleged crime was identity theft.

On the morning of Aug. 11,&nbsp;Marion police asked Chris Mercer, an investigator with the Office of the State Fire Marshal, to help with the raid.

Mercer agreed. He was briefed and assigned to Meyer’s house, according to the report he filed. He arrived at 10:55 a.m.

There, he secured Meyer’s cellphone and laptop and made Meyer leave a stack of paperwork on a table. Mercer told Meyer and his mother, Joan, the 98-year-old co-owner of the paper, they were free to leave.

From Mercer’s notes: “Eric home walking around with phone he’s upset, ‘we in s***storm,’ he says.”

Joan Meyer alternated between being calm and outraged, Mercer wrote. She called the judge stupid. Demanded police get out of her house. Called them Nazis.

She told Mercer she had previously suffered two strokes. If she has another, she said, that’s “going to be murder.”

“Joan crying and violent verbally, sitting in living room, Nazi comments, angry kicking walker,” Mercer wrote.

At one point, Mercer heard Eric Meyer talking to someone on the landline: “Cody has checkered past, and he will now have access to that information!”

The phone rang after Eric Meyer left to go to the newsroom, which was under siege. The caller was the author of this story. Joan Meyer answered, then handed the phone to a sheriff’s officer, who wasn’t interested in answering questions.

“Joan appears to be getting more confused,” Mercer wrote. She was crying and mumbling about corruption.

At the newsroom, police read reporters Zorn and Deb Gruver their Miranda rights. Gruver, who wasn’t named in any of the search warrant affidavits, told Cody she didn’t have anything to do with Newell’s driving record. Cody ripped her personal cellphone from her hand.

Surveillance video shows Hudlin uncovered a file in Gruver’s desk drawer and encouraged the police chief to take a look,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://marionrecord.com/direct/cody_found_reporter_s_notes_on_kc_misdeeds+5503cody+436f647920666f756e64207265706f727465722773206e6f746573206f6e204b43206d697364656564733c212d2d4d2d343434352d36363630332d343832352d2d3e?">the Marion County Record reported</a>.

“Hmm,” Cody said. “Keeping a personal file on me. I don’t care.”

The first page in the folder revealed a confidential source who had provided information about Cody’s time on the Kansas City, Missouri, police force. A half-dozen of Cody’s former coworkers had told Gruver that Cody faced demotion for sexual harassment before taking the Marion job in April.

When police arrived at Herbel’s house, she was in the bathroom. Her husband, who suffers from dementia, ran in a circle through the house trying to find her. He went to the backyard and screamed her name. She sat him down on the couch to try to calm him.

The councilwoman’s supposed crime involved forwarding Newell’s driving record to the city manager and raising concerns about whether the city council should grant Newell a liquor license. A political adversary, Mayor David Mayfield, had tried and failed to remove Herbel from office before. A felony crime would disqualify her from public service.

Police took her cellphone and computer during the raid, leaving her without a way to call for medical help if her husband needed it. She had to drive 35 miles to a town where she could buy a new phone.

Herbel’s husband ended up staying on the couch for more than three hours. Following the raid, she has taken him to the doctor several times because of his declining health.

“I will never forgive this police force or the sheriff’s office or the county attorney or anybody else for what they did to him,” Herbel said. “I mean, they can kick an old lady — and I’d say I’m an old lady because I’m 80 years old. And I can’t run that fast either. But they don’t do that to my husband. He’s 88, and I just felt that this shortened his lifespan tremendously when they did this, and I’ll have hard feelings against them all.”

By Mercer’s own account, he made sure city police went through the stack of paperwork he required Eric Meyer to leave behind.

Meanwhile, Mercer wrote, Joan Meyer was “yelling not to touch her stuff, calling us a**holes.”

She hoped officers would fall down the stairs and break their necks. She threw her walker.

“The team left and I was the last one out of the front door, while she sat in her recliner continuing to yell at us,” Mercer wrote. “She mentioned something about shoot if we come back, but I disregarded it as a I walked out the door.”

Joan Meyer died the next day. The coroner said the stress of the raid was a contributing factor.

<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/49-MPD-08.11.23-Mercer-Narrative_Redacted.pdf">Mercer’s report</a>&nbsp;is dated Aug. 11, the day of the raid. Attached to it is a three-page article written by media law attorneys Jonathan E. Buchan and Corby Anderson in 2001.

The article — “When the police knock at your door: Newsroom search warrants” — is about the federal Privacy Protection Act, which requires criminal investigators to get a subpoena instead of a search warrant. Congress passed the law to address concerns about police weaponizing search warrants against journalists.

Journalists “feared that the magistrates who issued warrants for these searches, often political allies of law enforcement officials, would be biased in deciding whether there was probable cause to justify issuing a warrant,” the attorneys wrote. “In addition, they feared that such searches would physically disrupt the newsroom and its operations.”

A spokeswoman for the Office of the State Fire Marshal didn’t respond to questions for this story about why the legal memo is attached to Mercer’s report, or why he agreed to join an unlawful raid.

Max Kautsch, president of the Kansas Coalition for Open Government, said the reference to federal protections attached to Mercer’s report “goes a long way to show that the decision-makers at the state and local levels involved with authorizing and executing the searches knew or should have known the searches were contrary to clearly established law.”

Four days after the raid, Marion Councilman Zach Collett emailed the League of Kansas Municipalities. He was “beginning to wonder if it would be beneficial to our community to have a council member grant an interview request?”

“I would be comfortable doing this, but would most definitely want lots of coaching from someone more versed in crisis communication than myself,” Collett wrote. “I was wondering if the League offers any services like that? I am still unsure of the best route forward, but I am tired of our community being portrayed the way (it) is in a national headline currently.”

Nathan Eberline, executive director of the League of Municipalities, referred Collett to two firms that focus on crisis communications and pointed him to a YouTube webinar on the topic.

“Given the weight of the media focus, I agree that it would be prudent to speak with an expert,” Eberline said.

Eric Meyer said nobody in Marion, including himself, wanted this kind of publicity.

“I mean, we’ve become the laughingstock of the free world, really, in terms of we’ve got these Keystone Cops and the judge who doesn’t know anything and had drunk driving arrests, and prosecutors who can’t take time to read stuff, and city council members who don’t answer questions,” Meyer said.

In the weeks that followed, ethics complaints were filed against Ensey&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/09/06/kansas-commission-seeks-magistrates-perspective-on-marion-search-warrant-complaint/">and Viar</a>. Gruver left the newspaper and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/30/kansas-reporter-sues-marion-police-chief-alleging-retaliation-in-newsroom-raid/">filed a civil lawsuit</a>&nbsp;against Cody in federal court.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/10/03/marion-police-chief-resigns-after-body-cam-footage-shows-him-rifling-through-records-about-himself/">Cody resigned</a>&nbsp;after&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/investigations/police-chief-who-launched-raid-on-marion-newspaper-accused-of-directing-witness-to-delete-text-messages">KSHB reported</a>&nbsp;he had instructed Newell to delete text messages between them. Hudlin is now the interim police chief. Herbel is up for re-election Tuesday.

Melissa Underwood, spokeswoman for the KBI, said the agency’s investigation “remains ongoing.”

“We expect to be able to update on the case soon,” Underwood said. “At that time we should be able to answer some additional questions.”

Meyer believes the raid was orchestrated by local figures who wanted to bully him.

“And for what? So we got Kari Newell’s driving record,” Meyer said. “This isn’t a big drug deal. This isn’t embezzlement.”

The newspaper’s website recently was subjected to a malware attack, Meyer said.

“That’s probably a more serious crime than what we were accused of — particularly since when all this was said and done, nobody did anything about it,” Meyer said. “And we told them what we’d done. So what crime existed? No, they just saw this as a convenient excuse.”

Kan. officials downplayed involvement in Marion raid. Here’s what they knew

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly shooting in Kansas.&nbsp;

Just after 8:30p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to 900 E Armour iin Kansas City on a reported sound of gun shots, according to Police Captain Corey Carlisle.

Upon arrival, officers located a vehicle leaving the scene which was&nbsp; transporting the victim to an area hospital. 

Officers made contact with the adult male victim at the hospital who appeared to be suffering from apparent gun shot wounds.

The man later died from his injuries, according to Carlisle.

Police are working to determine circumstances leading up to the homicide. Police have not made an arrest or released the name of the victim.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699357013524.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -Photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -Photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a deadly shooting in Kansas.&nbsp;Just after 8:30p.m. Monday, police were dispatched to 900 E Armour iin Kansas City on a reported sound of gun shots, according to Police Captain Corey Carlisle.Upon arrival, officers located a vehicle leaving the scene which was&nbsp; transporting the victim to an area hospital. Officers made contact with the adult male victim at the hospital who appeared to be suffering from apparent gun shot wounds.The man later died from his injuries, according to Carlisle.Police are working to determine circumstances leading up to the homicide. Police have not made an arrest or released the name of the victim.

Shooting victim dies after rushed to KC-area hospital

WASHINGTON (AP) — The most-watched races in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2023">Tuesday’s off-year general election</a>&nbsp;have all been dominated by the ongoing debate over abortion rights.

From&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-election-governor-beshear-cameron-d015a2fb145dfab9fd0aaf96b7978167">a reelection bid for governor in Kentucky</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-election-abortion-ballot-measure-issue-marijuana-b8a3e625deec79213ea9326b5ca1476a">a statewide ballot measure in Ohio</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-election-state-legislature-what-to-watch-f5901d85cec6081d6c0409321a908d63">state legislative elections in Virginia</a>, access to abortion has been a frequent topic in campaign debates and advertising, as it has since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in June last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturning Roe vs. Wade</a>.

Here's a look at three major races and how abortion has shaped each contest.

Ohio constitutional amendment on abortion

Ohio voters will decide whether to amend the state Constitution to protect access to abortion services.

The measure would establish the right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions” on matters including abortion, contraception and fertility treatment. It would also allow for abortions to be banned once it has been established that the fetus can survive outside of the womb, unless a physician determines that continuing with the pregnancy would endanger the patient’s “life or health.”

In August, voters rejected a measure that would have made it more difficult to approve Tuesday’s abortion proposal. That contest was seen as a proxy fight on reproductive rights and received national attention.

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear seeks a second term in a heavily Republican state Donald Trump carried twice. The GOP nominee is Daniel Cameron, who succeeded Beshear as state attorney general.

Beshear has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-kentucky-louisville-government-and-politics-fe8190f2ec7cb07e4379d4863b177983">called the state’s restrictive abortion law “extremist”</a>&nbsp;for not allowing exceptions in cases of rape and incest. He also vetoed a proposal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-kentucky-legislature-2a8ce08f07db96d843d5304cbea35170">banning abortions after 15 weeks</a>. Cameron says he supports the state law and that as governor he would sign a bill amending it to allow rape and incest exceptions. But at times he has had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-kentucky-governor-campaign-ec767bf7802852d48ea150b7118fc90c">difficulty clarifying what exceptions he favors</a>.

Beshear, the son of former two-term Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear, was first elected in 2019 when he defeated GOP incumbent Matt Bevin by less than half a percentage point. Cameron is a former aide to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and endorsed by Trump. If elected, he would become the first Black Republican governor since Reconstruction.

Control of both chambers of Virginia’s state legislature is up for grabs, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-virginia-house-elections-3bbba1e6cbc642dfeaf7e9d2fdee888a">Republicans holding a narrow majority in the state House</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-religion-elections-richmond-virginia-b4de9a0fb11500aa1201e87d07a1da4d">Democrats leading the state Senate</a>. Either or both chambers could flip and possibly give Republicans full control of state government. That would clear the way for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin to implement&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-politics-legislature-virginia-c7c5fb02f82a0173487b4eba807ca618">a ban on abortions after 15 weeks</a>&nbsp;with exceptions for rape, incest and when the mother’s life is endangered. Democratic candidates have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-abortion-state-legislative-races-26951fd38e0017f9d555963a2eb92917">campaigned heavily on the issue</a>.

In addition to the three marquee races in Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia, the Associated Press will report vote totals and winners in 346 contested races in 12 states. Here are some other notable races to watch:

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-business-tate-reeves-mississippi-ba485155cb4d3d84795dfb65f1938b63">running for a second term</a>&nbsp;against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-governor-reeves-brandon-presley-elvis-cousin-5130a94afb4b78a6601a128964ce55df">Democrat Brandon Presley</a>, a state utility regulator and cousin of rock ’n’ roll legend&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/elvis-presley">Elvis Presley</a>. Democrats held the Mississippi governorship for almost all of the 20th century, but Republicans have controlled the office for the last 20 years. With help from a sizable cash infusion from the national party,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-governor-election-reeves-presley-855a22c26529f1a51fec304b44a3334c">Presley outraised Reeves</a>&nbsp;this year and essentially matched him in spending, but the incumbent entered the final stretch of the campaign with more money.

Reeves was first elected in 2019 with 52% of the vote. Both chambers of the state legislature are also up for election.

Republican Carolyn Carluccio and Democrat Daniel McCaffery are the nominees to fill a vacant state Supreme Court seat that could play a significant role on voting-related cases during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Democrat Gabe Amo and Republican Gerry Leonard face off in a special election to complete the term of former Democratic U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rhode-island-state-government-david-cicilline-providence-b51e932ebce2ee902c641435fe54d081">resigned in May</a>&nbsp;after seven terms. The district has voted reliably for Democrats. Cicilline was first elected in 2010 and won his last five reelection bids with 60% of the vote or higher. Democrat Patrick Kennedy previously held the seat for 16 years.

In Houston, 17 candidates are vying to replace term-limited Mayor Sylvester Turner. Notable hopefuls include U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and state Sen. John Whitmire, both Democrats.

In Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School last year, the candidates for mayor are former news reporter Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose daughter was killed in the shooting, former mayor Cody Smith and elementary school teacher Veronica Martinez.

In Bridgeport, Connecticut, Mayor Joe Ganim is seeking an eighth term, but on Wednesday, a state judge made the unusual move of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/connecticut-judge-bridgeport-ganim-mayor-election-1e6d23567703c55430968ffdaa0b6369">ordering a re-do of the September Democratic primary</a>&nbsp;after evidence surfaced of possible ballot stuffing. The date for the new primary has not been set but will take place after Tuesday’s general election. AP will tabulate vote results of the Tuesday election but will not declare a winner until the legal challenges have been resolved.

In Derby, Connecticut, incumbent Mayor Richard Dziekan is running as an independent for a fourth term after losing the Republican primary to alderman Gino DiGiovanni, Jr., who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/connecticut-january-6-mayor-79b98b74915ece65e8beb22c28444025">charged by federal prosecutors</a>&nbsp;in August with illegally entering the U.S. Capitol during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Criminal justice reform activist Yusef Salaam, who was one of five men convicted and later exonerated in the “Central Park Jogger” rape case, is running unopposed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699281363641.png" alt="Photo courtesy SBA Pro-Life America" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy SBA Pro-Life America</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The most-watched races in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/election-2023">Tuesday’s off-year general election</a>&nbsp;have all been dominated by the ongoing debate over abortion rights.From&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-election-governor-beshear-cameron-d015a2fb145dfab9fd0aaf96b7978167">a reelection bid for governor in Kentucky</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-election-abortion-ballot-measure-issue-marijuana-b8a3e625deec79213ea9326b5ca1476a">a statewide ballot measure in Ohio</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-election-state-legislature-what-to-watch-f5901d85cec6081d6c0409321a908d63">state legislative elections in Virginia</a>, access to abortion has been a frequent topic in campaign debates and advertising, as it has since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in June last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">overturning Roe vs. Wade</a>.Here's a look at three major races and how abortion has shaped each contest.Ohio constitutional amendment on abortionOhio voters will decide whether to amend the state Constitution to protect access to abortion services.The measure would establish the right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions” on matters including abortion, contraception and fertility treatment. It would also allow for abortions to be banned once it has been established that the fetus can survive outside of the womb, unless a physician determines that continuing with the pregnancy would endanger the patient’s “life or health.”In August, voters rejected a measure that would have made it more difficult to approve Tuesday’s abortion proposal. That contest was seen as a proxy fight on reproductive rights and received national attention.Kentucky governorDemocratic Gov. Andy Beshear seeks a second term in a heavily Republican state Donald Trump carried twice. The GOP nominee is Daniel Cameron, who succeeded Beshear as state attorney general.Beshear has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-kentucky-louisville-government-and-politics-fe8190f2ec7cb07e4379d4863b177983">called the state’s restrictive abortion law “extremist”</a>&nbsp;for not allowing exceptions in cases of rape and incest. He also vetoed a proposal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-health-kentucky-legislature-2a8ce08f07db96d843d5304cbea35170">banning abortions after 15 weeks</a>. Cameron says he supports the state law and that as governor he would sign a bill amending it to allow rape and incest exceptions. But at times he has had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-kentucky-governor-campaign-ec767bf7802852d48ea150b7118fc90c">difficulty clarifying what exceptions he favors</a>.Beshear, the son of former two-term Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear, was first elected in 2019 when he defeated GOP incumbent Matt Bevin by less than half a percentage point. Cameron is a former aide to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and endorsed by Trump. If elected, he would become the first Black Republican governor since Reconstruction.Virginia General AssemblyControl of both chambers of Virginia’s state legislature is up for grabs, with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-virginia-house-elections-3bbba1e6cbc642dfeaf7e9d2fdee888a">Republicans holding a narrow majority in the state House</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-religion-elections-richmond-virginia-b4de9a0fb11500aa1201e87d07a1da4d">Democrats leading the state Senate</a>. Either or both chambers could flip and possibly give Republicans full control of state government. That would clear the way for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin to implement&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-politics-legislature-virginia-c7c5fb02f82a0173487b4eba807ca618">a ban on abortions after 15 weeks</a>&nbsp;with exceptions for rape, incest and when the mother’s life is endangered. Democratic candidates have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virginia-abortion-state-legislative-races-26951fd38e0017f9d555963a2eb92917">campaigned heavily on the issue</a>.___In addition to the three marquee races in Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia, the Associated Press will report vote totals and winners in 346 contested races in 12 states. Here are some other notable races to watch:Mississippi governorRepublican Gov. Tate Reeves is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-business-tate-reeves-mississippi-ba485155cb4d3d84795dfb65f1938b63">running for a second term</a>&nbsp;against&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-governor-reeves-brandon-presley-elvis-cousin-5130a94afb4b78a6601a128964ce55df">Democrat Brandon Presley</a>, a state utility regulator and cousin of rock ’n’ roll legend&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/elvis-presley">Elvis Presley</a>. Democrats held the Mississippi governorship for almost all of the 20th century, but Republicans have controlled the office for the last 20 years. With help from a sizable cash infusion from the national party,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mississippi-governor-election-reeves-presley-855a22c26529f1a51fec304b44a3334c">Presley outraised Reeves</a>&nbsp;this year and essentially matched him in spending, but the incumbent entered the final stretch of the campaign with more money.Reeves was first elected in 2019 with 52% of the vote. Both chambers of the state legislature are also up for election.Pennsylvania Supreme CourtRepublican Carolyn Carluccio and Democrat Daniel McCaffery are the nominees to fill a vacant state Supreme Court seat that could play a significant role on voting-related cases during the 2024 presidential campaign.Rhode Island U.S. House District 1Democrat Gabe Amo and Republican Gerry Leonard face off in a special election to complete the term of former Democratic U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/rhode-island-state-government-david-cicilline-providence-b51e932ebce2ee902c641435fe54d081">resigned in May</a>&nbsp;after seven terms. The district has voted reliably for Democrats. Cicilline was first elected in 2010 and won his last five reelection bids with 60% of the vote or higher. Democrat Patrick Kennedy previously held the seat for 16 years.MayorsIn Houston, 17 candidates are vying to replace term-limited Mayor Sylvester Turner. Notable hopefuls include U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and state Sen. John Whitmire, both Democrats.In Uvalde, Texas, where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School last year, the candidates for mayor are former news reporter Kimberly Mata-Rubio, whose daughter was killed in the shooting, former mayor Cody Smith and elementary school teacher Veronica Martinez.In Bridgeport, Connecticut, Mayor Joe Ganim is seeking an eighth term, but on Wednesday, a state judge made the unusual move of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/connecticut-judge-bridgeport-ganim-mayor-election-1e6d23567703c55430968ffdaa0b6369">ordering a re-do of the September Democratic primary</a>&nbsp;after evidence surfaced of possible ballot stuffing. The date for the new primary has not been set but will take place after Tuesday’s general election. AP will tabulate vote results of the Tuesday election but will not declare a winner until the legal challenges have been resolved.In Derby, Connecticut, incumbent Mayor Richard Dziekan is running as an independent for a fourth term after losing the Republican primary to alderman Gino DiGiovanni, Jr., who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/connecticut-january-6-mayor-79b98b74915ece65e8beb22c28444025">charged by federal prosecutors</a>&nbsp;in August with illegally entering the U.S. Capitol during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021.New York City Council District 9Criminal justice reform activist Yusef Salaam, who was one of five men convicted and later exonerated in the “Central Park Jogger” rape case, is running unopposed.

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DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities and USD 497 officials are investigating after a 14-year-old was reported with a gun at school.

On Monday morning, officials locked down Lawrence High School, 1901 Louisiana Street, and the School Resource Officer (SRO)&nbsp; immediately began searching for the student while the school was locked down, according to a media release from police.

An SRO and school security officer located the suspect student re-entering the school as it was locked down, but he was not in possession of a firearm, and denied having brought one to school.

 Due to the numerous students that reported seeing a firearm, officers believed the student had ditched the firearm prior to being contacted, and began working to retrace the student’s steps to locate it while the school remained locked down. 

Officers on scene determined the firearm was likely left in Veteran’s Park, 1840 Louisiana Street, and began checking the area. 

Realizing the item would soon be found, the student then informed officers he had ditched a pellet gun in the park and told them where to find it. 

The pellet gun, which closely resembled a pistol, was recovered in a bush in the park. Once the pellet gun was recovered, the lock down at the school was lifted. 

The student, who did not provide a specific reason for bringing a pellet gun to school, was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center for processing.&nbsp;

Police thanked the students who reported this incident to school staff, as well as our relationship with USD 497 that allows situations like this to be addressed immediately by the Resource Officers in the school.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699355874386.png" alt="Photo of the gun the student brought to school and ditched in a nearby park-photo Lawrence&nbsp; Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo of the gun the student brought to school and ditched in a nearby park-photo Lawrence&nbsp; Police</figcaption>
 </figure>DOUGLAS COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities and USD 497 officials are investigating after a 14-year-old was reported with a gun at school.On Monday morning, officials locked down Lawrence High School, 1901 Louisiana Street, and the School Resource Officer (SRO)&nbsp; immediately began searching for the student while the school was locked down, according to a media release from police.An SRO and school security officer located the suspect student re-entering the school as it was locked down, but he was not in possession of a firearm, and denied having brought one to school. Due to the numerous students that reported seeing a firearm, officers believed the student had ditched the firearm prior to being contacted, and began working to retrace the student’s steps to locate it while the school remained locked down. Officers on scene determined the firearm was likely left in Veteran’s Park, 1840 Louisiana Street, and began checking the area. Realizing the item would soon be found, the student then informed officers he had ditched a pellet gun in the park and told them where to find it. The pellet gun, which closely resembled a pistol, was recovered in a bush in the park. Once the pellet gun was recovered, the lock down at the school was lifted. The student, who did not provide a specific reason for bringing a pellet gun to school, was taken to the Juvenile Detention Center for processing.&nbsp;Police thanked the students who reported this incident to school staff, as well as our relationship with USD 497 that allows situations like this to be addressed immediately by the Resource Officers in the school.