WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is reviewing a batch of potentially classified documents found in the Washington office space of President Joe Biden's former institute, the White House said Monday.

Special counsel to the president Richard Sauber said “a small number of documents with classified markings” were discovered as Biden's personal attorneys were clearing out the offices of the Penn Biden Center, where the president kept an office after he left the vice presidency in 2017 until shortly before he launched his 2020 presidential campaign in 2019. The documents were found on Nov. 2, 2022, in a “locked closet” in the office, Sauber said.

Sauber said the attorneys immediately alerted the White House Counsel's office, who notified the National Archives and Records Administration — which took custody of the documents the next day.

“Since that discovery, the President’s personal attorneys have cooperated with the Archives and the Department of Justice in a process to ensure that any Obama-Biden Administration records are appropriately in the possession of the Archives,” Sauber said.

A person who is familiar with the matter but not authorized to discuss it publicly said Attorney General Merrick Garland asked U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois John Lausch to review the matter after the Archives referred the issue to the department. Lausch is one of the few U.S. attorneys to be held over from former President Donald Trump's administration.

Irrespective of the Justice Department review, the revelation that Biden potentially mishandled classified or presidential records could prove to be a political headache for the president, who called Trump's decision to keep hundreds of such records at his private club in Florida&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-taiwan-biden-government-and-politics-mar-a-lago-2474104aa0fd9ffaa8de33538813c84e">“irresponsible."</a>

Trump weighed in Monday on his social media site, asking, “When is the FBI going to raid the many homes of Joe Biden, perhaps even the White House?”

The revelation comes as Republicans have taken control of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-us-republican-party-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-b9fcfd11427a695fe2eb49e36988f1a0">House of Representatives</a>&nbsp;and are promising to launch widespread investigations of Biden's administration.

It also may complicate the Justice Department's consideration on whether to bring charges against Trump, who has launched a repeat bid for the White House in 2024 and has repeatedly claimed that the department's inquiry of his own conduct amounted to “corruption."

The National Archives did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. Spokespeople for Garland and Lausch declined to comment.

Rep. James Comer, the new GOP chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said Monday that the revelation raised questions about the Justice Department’s handling of the Trump probe.

“Is the White House going to be raided tonight? Are they going to raid the Bidens?” he asked reporters. “This is further concern that there’s a two-tier justice system within the DOJ with how they treat Republicans versus Democrats, certainly how they treat the former president versus the current president.”

His Democratic counterpart, Rep. Jamie Raskin, said Biden's attorneys “appear to have taken immediate and proper action.”

“I have confidence that the Attorney General took the appropriate steps to ensure the careful review of the circumstances surrounding the possession and discovery of these documents and make an impartial decision about any further action that may be needed,” he added.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chair of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, said Monday that the American public deserved to know earlier about the revelation of classified documents.

“They knew about this a week before the election, maybe the American people should have known that,” Jordan told reporters. “They certainly knew about the the raid on Mar-a-Lago 91 days before this election, but nice if on November 2, the country would have known that there were classified documents at the Biden Center.”

Jordan is among House Republicans pushing for the creation of a “select subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal government” within the Judiciary Committee.

Votes on creating that committee are expected as soon as this week, setting up a showdown between Republicans and the prosecutors leading various federal investigations, including the ones into Trump.

It wasn't immediately clear why the White House didn't disclose the discovery of the documents or the DOJ review sooner. CBS was first to report Monday on the discovery of the potentially classified documents.

The Justice Department for months has been investigating the retention of roughly 300 documents that were marked as classified and were recovered from the Trump's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mar-a-lago">Florida estate.</a>&nbsp;In that instance, prosecutors say, representatives of Trump resisted requests to give back the full stash of classified documents and failed to fully comply with a subpoena that sought their return.

FBI agents in August served a search warrant at the Mar-a-Lago property, removing 15 boxes of records.

That investigation is being led by special counsel Jack Smith. Prosecutors have interviewed an array of Trump associates and have been using a grand jury to hear evidence.

It is not clear when a decision when will be made on whether Trump, or anyone else, should be charged.

The think tank, formally known as the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, is affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania and continues to operate independently of the Biden administration.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673315316984.png" alt="The revelation comes as Republicans have taken control of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-us-republican-party-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-b9fcfd11427a695fe2eb49e36988f1a0">House of Representatives</a>&nbsp;and are promising to launch widespread investigations of Biden's administration-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>The revelation comes as Republicans have taken control of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-us-republican-party-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-b9fcfd11427a695fe2eb49e36988f1a0">House of Representatives</a>&nbsp;and are promising to launch widespread investigations of Biden's administration-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is reviewing a batch of potentially classified documents found in the Washington office space of President Joe Biden's former institute, the White House said Monday.Special counsel to the president Richard Sauber said “a small number of documents with classified markings” were discovered as Biden's personal attorneys were clearing out the offices of the Penn Biden Center, where the president kept an office after he left the vice presidency in 2017 until shortly before he launched his 2020 presidential campaign in 2019. The documents were found on Nov. 2, 2022, in a “locked closet” in the office, Sauber said.Sauber said the attorneys immediately alerted the White House Counsel's office, who notified the National Archives and Records Administration — which took custody of the documents the next day.“Since that discovery, the President’s personal attorneys have cooperated with the Archives and the Department of Justice in a process to ensure that any Obama-Biden Administration records are appropriately in the possession of the Archives,” Sauber said.A person who is familiar with the matter but not authorized to discuss it publicly said Attorney General Merrick Garland asked U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois John Lausch to review the matter after the Archives referred the issue to the department. Lausch is one of the few U.S. attorneys to be held over from former President Donald Trump's administration.Irrespective of the Justice Department review, the revelation that Biden potentially mishandled classified or presidential records could prove to be a political headache for the president, who called Trump's decision to keep hundreds of such records at his private club in Florida&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-taiwan-biden-government-and-politics-mar-a-lago-2474104aa0fd9ffaa8de33538813c84e">“irresponsible."</a>Trump weighed in Monday on his social media site, asking, “When is the FBI going to raid the many homes of Joe Biden, perhaps even the White House?”The revelation comes as Republicans have taken control of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-us-republican-party-united-states-house-of-representatives-kevin-mccarthy-b9fcfd11427a695fe2eb49e36988f1a0">House of Representatives</a>&nbsp;and are promising to launch widespread investigations of Biden's administration.It also may complicate the Justice Department's consideration on whether to bring charges against Trump, who has launched a repeat bid for the White House in 2024 and has repeatedly claimed that the department's inquiry of his own conduct amounted to “corruption."The National Archives did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. Spokespeople for Garland and Lausch declined to comment.Rep. James Comer, the new GOP chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said Monday that the revelation raised questions about the Justice Department’s handling of the Trump probe.“Is the White House going to be raided tonight? Are they going to raid the Bidens?” he asked reporters. “This is further concern that there’s a two-tier justice system within the DOJ with how they treat Republicans versus Democrats, certainly how they treat the former president versus the current president.”His Democratic counterpart, Rep. Jamie Raskin, said Biden's attorneys “appear to have taken immediate and proper action.”“I have confidence that the Attorney General took the appropriate steps to ensure the careful review of the circumstances surrounding the possession and discovery of these documents and make an impartial decision about any further action that may be needed,” he added.Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chair of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, said Monday that the American public deserved to know earlier about the revelation of classified documents.“They knew about this a week before the election, maybe the American people should have known that,” Jordan told reporters. “They certainly knew about the the raid on Mar-a-Lago 91 days before this election, but nice if on November 2, the country would have known that there were classified documents at the Biden Center.”Jordan is among House Republicans pushing for the creation of a “select subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal government” within the Judiciary Committee.Votes on creating that committee are expected as soon as this week, setting up a showdown between Republicans and the prosecutors leading various federal investigations, including the ones into Trump.It wasn't immediately clear why the White House didn't disclose the discovery of the documents or the DOJ review sooner. CBS was first to report Monday on the discovery of the potentially classified documents.The Justice Department for months has been investigating the retention of roughly 300 documents that were marked as classified and were recovered from the Trump's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mar-a-lago">Florida estate.</a>&nbsp;In that instance, prosecutors say, representatives of Trump resisted requests to give back the full stash of classified documents and failed to fully comply with a subpoena that sought their return.FBI agents in August served a search warrant at the Mar-a-Lago property, removing 15 boxes of records.That investigation is being led by special counsel Jack Smith. Prosecutors have interviewed an array of Trump associates and have been using a grand jury to hear evidence.It is not clear when a decision when will be made on whether Trump, or anyone else, should be charged.The think tank, formally known as the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, is affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania and continues to operate independently of the Biden administration.--------------

Classified docs from Biden's time as vice president discovered 

MARION COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating missing and injured Alpacas.

According to a statement from the Marion County Sheriff, on Sunday night, several Alpacas were shot in the 800 block of Old Mill Road north of Peabody.&nbsp; Five Alpacas are still missing. 

If you have any information regarding this incident, please call Deputy Miles at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office at 620-382-2144

MARION COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating missing and injured Alpacas.According to a statement from the Marion County Sheriff, on Sunday night, several Alpacas were shot in the 800 block of Old Mill Road north of Peabody.&nbsp; Five Alpacas are still missing. If you have any information regarding this incident, please call Deputy Miles at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office at 620-382-2144

Marion County Sheriff: Alpacas shot, several animals missing

KANSAS CITY —A &nbsp;Jackson County judge Thursday ordered Issac Fisher to serve consecutive sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole after he was convicted of multiple felonies in connection with three fatal shootings and the wounding of a 4-year-old child in 2018, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced today.

The judge ordered Fisher to serve two life without the possibility of parole sentences and a third life sentence. The judge set those sentences to run consecutively. The prosecutor had asked that setting the sentences to run consecutively would recognize each victim separately.

In addition, the judge set other sentences for other convictions -- six Armed Criminal Actions, three Burglary 1st Degrees, three Unlawful Use of Weapon and two Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Those were set to run concurrently to the life sentences. &nbsp;A Jackson County jury convicted Fisher, dob: 3/16/1983, of those charges.

According to court records, police were first called to the 9000 block of Kentucky Avenue in Kansas City about 9:24 a.m. on a reported shooting. A woman reported her daughter-in-law had been shot by her son, the defendant. Witnesses at the residence told police that the defendant had arrived there and had argued with the first victim. Then the witness stated she heard four to five gunshots and found the victim on the bathroom floor suffering from gunshot wounds. The defendant was seen leaving the room holding a handgun. A short time later, police in Raytown located a vehicle reportedly taken from the first crime scene on Kentucky Avenue. A witness on Laurel Avenue in Raytown told police that her finance's brother was the defendant. He had come to the residence and kicked in the door before taking a second vehicle, a white Chevrolet Traverse. About 9:37 a.m. Sunday, police in Raytown responded to the 5700 block of Elm, where they found another victim suffering from gunshot wounds. That victim was reported to be the step-brother of the defendant. A 4-year-old girl also had been shot, while a 1-year-old was present but did not sustain injuries. A witness stated the suspect in the shooting was seen leaving the residence carrying a rifle over his shoulder. He fled in a white Traverse. And at 10;28 a.m., Kansas City police responded to a shooting near 112th and Eastern. The victim found there by police was reportedly a cousin of the defendant. While still alive, the victim told a witness that a man named "Big" had shot him. The defendant goes by the nickname "Big." &nbsp;Police located the white Traverse behind a nearby residence. Ballistics of shell casings at three homicide scenes matched.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1666807024992.png" alt="Fisher-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Fisher-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A &nbsp;Jackson County judge Thursday ordered Issac Fisher to serve consecutive sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole after he was convicted of multiple felonies in connection with three fatal shootings and the wounding of a 4-year-old child in 2018, Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced today.The judge ordered Fisher to serve two life without the possibility of parole sentences and a third life sentence. The judge set those sentences to run consecutively. The prosecutor had asked that setting the sentences to run consecutively would recognize each victim separately.In addition, the judge set other sentences for other convictions -- six Armed Criminal Actions, three Burglary 1st Degrees, three Unlawful Use of Weapon and two Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Those were set to run concurrently to the life sentences. &nbsp;A Jackson County jury convicted Fisher, dob: 3/16/1983, of those charges.According to court records, police were first called to the 9000 block of Kentucky Avenue in Kansas City about 9:24 a.m. on a reported shooting. A woman reported her daughter-in-law had been shot by her son, the defendant. Witnesses at the residence told police that the defendant had arrived there and had argued with the first victim. Then the witness stated she heard four to five gunshots and found the victim on the bathroom floor suffering from gunshot wounds. The defendant was seen leaving the room holding a handgun. A short time later, police in Raytown located a vehicle reportedly taken from the first crime scene on Kentucky Avenue. A witness on Laurel Avenue in Raytown told police that her finance's brother was the defendant. He had come to the residence and kicked in the door before taking a second vehicle, a white Chevrolet Traverse. About 9:37 a.m. Sunday, police in Raytown responded to the 5700 block of Elm, where they found another victim suffering from gunshot wounds. That victim was reported to be the step-brother of the defendant. A 4-year-old girl also had been shot, while a 1-year-old was present but did not sustain injuries. A witness stated the suspect in the shooting was seen leaving the residence carrying a rifle over his shoulder. He fled in a white Traverse. And at 10;28 a.m., Kansas City police responded to a shooting near 112th and Eastern. The victim found there by police was reportedly a cousin of the defendant. While still alive, the victim told a witness that a man named "Big" had shot him. The defendant goes by the nickname "Big." &nbsp;Police located the white Traverse behind a nearby residence. Ballistics of shell casings at three homicide scenes matched.&nbsp;

Kansas City man sentenced for murder of 3 family members

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/09/kansas-chambers-legislative-script-dives-into-tax-regulation-workforce-and-legal-issues/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The Kansas Chamber’s wish list for the legislative session that opened Monday&nbsp; features corporate and individual income tax cuts, a 
blockade on local government bans on plastic bags and regulatory changes
 to deliver regionally competitive energy costs.

The organization proposed lawmakers help fill gaps in the state’s 
workforce with a tax credit for companies hiring apprentices. If the 
Kansas Chamber could wave a magic wand, it would eliminate a state ban 
on retailers passing credit card fees to consumers, slash the state’s 
general sales tax of 6.5% and declare the legislative branch — not the 
judicial branch — the final authority on funding of K-12 education.

Other policy goals: support reforms to help people with criminal 
records land a job, amend the workers’ compensation system to limit 
pain-and-suffering damage awards to injured workers and give parents 
more opportunity to direct state tax dollars to private school education
 of their children.

“Our regulatory climate has improved and our employment laws are 
among the best in the nation,” said Alan Cobb, president of the Kansas 
Chamber. “Unfortunately, the work is not done. Actions taken by other 
states have made them more attractive to investment and to workers. We 
must act to become competitive.”

The Kansas Chamber, which has a political action committee that 
invests primarily in conservative Republican candidates, maintains a 
steady presence in the Capitol. The objective is to provide traction for
 “pro-business” legislation through direct lobbying, testimony on bills,
 drafting of legislation and behind-the-scenes negotiation on public 
policy. Generally, the organization embraces principles of free 
enterprise, small government, economic development and job creation. The
 bottom line: Lower the cost of doing business in Kansas.

Cobb and Eric Stafford, the Kansas Chamber’s top lobbyist, sat down 
with the Kansas Reflector podcast to walk through key elements of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansaschamber.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-Legislative-Agenda.pdf">the organization’s 2023 legislative agenda</a>.

“We need to become more competitive. We need to grow. We need to 
attract more business investment. We need to attract individuals here. 
And, it’s not just necessarily income taxes. We’re the sixth highest 
cellphone tax burden in the nation?” Stafford said.

Polling by the Kansas Chamber showed seven of 10 chief executive 
officers of businesses believed the property tax burden in Kansas was 
too high.

Some states made use of large state revenue surpluses by lowering 
income tax rates, but Kansas has not taken that step. The organization 
intends to pressure the Legislature to curtail both the individual 
income tax burden on Kansans by adopting a flat rate. The Kansas Chamber
 is working on legislation would earmark projected growth in state 
revenue for buying down state income taxes.

In addition, the Kansas Chamber proposed an across-the-board 
reduction of the state’s 6.5% sales tax. On Jan. 1, a law adopted by the
 2022 Legislature and Gov. Laura Kelly reduced the state sales tax on 
groceries from 6.5% to 4%. General purchases of goods is still tied to 
the 6.5% state rate and whatever percentage was imposed by cities or 
counties. The average total sales tax in Kansas is 8.4%, but in some 
jurisdictions it tops 10%.

“We are either seventh or eighth highest in combined … state and 
local tax rate in the country. I mean, it’s good to be in the top 10 
generally. That’s not one of them,” Cobb said.

Stafford said there was reason to be optimistic about the Legislature
 and Kelly reaching compromise on a broad tax bill that included the 
immediate elimination of sales tax on food.

“It’s a very realistic possibility it could happen,” he said, “but I 
also think it’ll be part of the bigger tax conversation. You know, 
Governor Kelly ran on commercials that she’s in the middle of the road. 
Well, you know, there’s going to be a time where&nbsp;the art of compromise 
isn’t getting only what you want. It’s giving up some things that you 
might not be crazy about.”

Stafford said there would likely be bipartisan support for adopting 
tax credits for businesses that participated in registered 
apprenticeship programs in traditional trades as well as education, 
information technology or health care. Under the Kansas Chamber’s 
proposal, the state would offer tax credits of $1,250 per apprentice up 
to 10 at each company.

The Kansas Chamber’s policy agenda waded into K-12 public education 
to include deploying state tax dollars for schools operating outside of 
the public education system. It’s controversial because some lawmakers 
believe a voucher-like system drained the best students and more 
resources from public schools, while proponents point to the need for 
educational alternatives best suited for the student.

“We need better students,” Cobb said. “We don’t care whether they’re 
homeschooled, private schools,&nbsp;parochial schools, religious schools or 
public schools. We need all of them to succeed. Competition works 
everywhere. We’re all of the above. It’s not terribly complicated.”

In addition, the Kansas Chamber would like the Legislature to be the 
final authority on determining appropriate levels of state funding of 
K-12 schools. In the past, the Kansas Supreme Court has found state aid 
to schools unconstitutional. Rulings have prompted increases in state 
aid to public education.

Stafford said the Kansas Supreme Court’s decision to strike down caps
 on pain-and-suffering awards to injured workers was bad public policy. 
The constitution ought to be amended to allow the Legislature to adopt 
award limits for noneconomic damages, he said.

“The Legislature felt it was the best public policy for the state to 
have that in place. And our Supreme Court came in and said, ‘Nope, those
 are unconstitutional. You can’t do that.’ We do support reinstating 
caps on economic damages. About the only approach that we have left at 
this point is a constitutional amendment.”

Cobb said the Kansas Chamber would support legislative efforts to do 
away with the penalty of five days in jail for a first offense for 
driving a vehicle on a suspended license.

“Driving while suspended. Five days in jail. We got to change that. I
 mean, five days in jail if you’re convicted of&nbsp;driving while 
suspended?” he said.

Stafford said the organization had long opposed a patchwork of 
regulations by cities and counties regarding use of plastic bags 
commonly used in retail stores. This year, however, the agenda was 
widened to include opposition to local units of government forbidding 
sale of dogs and cats at retail stores, he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673281651332.png" alt="Kansas Chamber president Alan Cobb, right, and Kansas Chamber lobbyist Eric Stafford outline for a Kansas Reflector podcast key pieces of the business organization’s 2023 agenda ahead of the new session of the Kansas Legislature starting Monday. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Chamber president Alan Cobb, right, and Kansas Chamber lobbyist Eric Stafford outline for a Kansas Reflector podcast key pieces of the business organization’s 2023 agenda ahead of the new session of the Kansas Legislature starting Monday. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/09/kansas-chambers-legislative-script-dives-into-tax-regulation-workforce-and-legal-issues/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The Kansas Chamber’s wish list for the legislative session that opened Monday&nbsp; features corporate and individual income tax cuts, a 
blockade on local government bans on plastic bags and regulatory changes
 to deliver regionally competitive energy costs.The organization proposed lawmakers help fill gaps in the state’s 
workforce with a tax credit for companies hiring apprentices. If the 
Kansas Chamber could wave a magic wand, it would eliminate a state ban 
on retailers passing credit card fees to consumers, slash the state’s 
general sales tax of 6.5% and declare the legislative branch — not the 
judicial branch — the final authority on funding of K-12 education.Other policy goals: support reforms to help people with criminal 
records land a job, amend the workers’ compensation system to limit 
pain-and-suffering damage awards to injured workers and give parents 
more opportunity to direct state tax dollars to private school education
 of their children.“Our regulatory climate has improved and our employment laws are 
among the best in the nation,” said Alan Cobb, president of the Kansas 
Chamber. “Unfortunately, the work is not done. Actions taken by other 
states have made them more attractive to investment and to workers. We 
must act to become competitive.”The Kansas Chamber, which has a political action committee that 
invests primarily in conservative Republican candidates, maintains a 
steady presence in the Capitol. The objective is to provide traction for
 “pro-business” legislation through direct lobbying, testimony on bills,
 drafting of legislation and behind-the-scenes negotiation on public 
policy. Generally, the organization embraces principles of free 
enterprise, small government, economic development and job creation. The
 bottom line: Lower the cost of doing business in Kansas.Cobb and Eric Stafford, the Kansas Chamber’s top lobbyist, sat down 
with the Kansas Reflector podcast to walk through key elements of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.kansaschamber.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-Legislative-Agenda.pdf">the organization’s 2023 legislative agenda</a>.“We need to become more competitive. We need to grow. We need to 
attract more business investment. We need to attract individuals here. 
And, it’s not just necessarily income taxes. We’re the sixth highest 
cellphone tax burden in the nation?” Stafford said.<h2>Taxation theme</h2>Polling by the Kansas Chamber showed seven of 10 chief executive 
officers of businesses believed the property tax burden in Kansas was 
too high.Some states made use of large state revenue surpluses by lowering 
income tax rates, but Kansas has not taken that step. The organization 
intends to pressure the Legislature to curtail both the individual 
income tax burden on Kansans by adopting a flat rate. The Kansas Chamber
 is working on legislation would earmark projected growth in state 
revenue for buying down state income taxes.In addition, the Kansas Chamber proposed an across-the-board 
reduction of the state’s 6.5% sales tax. On Jan. 1, a law adopted by the
 2022 Legislature and Gov. Laura Kelly reduced the state sales tax on 
groceries from 6.5% to 4%. General purchases of goods is still tied to 
the 6.5% state rate and whatever percentage was imposed by cities or 
counties. The average total sales tax in Kansas is 8.4%, but in some 
jurisdictions it tops 10%.“We are either seventh or eighth highest in combined … state and 
local tax rate in the country. I mean, it’s good to be in the top 10 
generally. That’s not one of them,” Cobb said.Stafford said there was reason to be optimistic about the Legislature
 and Kelly reaching compromise on a broad tax bill that included the 
immediate elimination of sales tax on food.“It’s a very realistic possibility it could happen,” he said, “but I 
also think it’ll be part of the bigger tax conversation. You know, 
Governor Kelly ran on commercials that she’s in the middle of the road. 
Well, you know, there’s going to be a time where&nbsp;the art of compromise 
isn’t getting only what you want. It’s giving up some things that you 
might not be crazy about.”Stafford said there would likely be bipartisan support for adopting 
tax credits for businesses that participated in registered 
apprenticeship programs in traditional trades as well as education, 
information technology or health care. Under the Kansas Chamber’s 
proposal, the state would offer tax credits of $1,250 per apprentice up 
to 10 at each company.<h2>K-12 education</h2>The Kansas Chamber’s policy agenda waded into K-12 public education 
to include deploying state tax dollars for schools operating outside of 
the public education system. It’s controversial because some lawmakers 
believe a voucher-like system drained the best students and more 
resources from public schools, while proponents point to the need for 
educational alternatives best suited for the student.“We need better students,” Cobb said. “We don’t care whether they’re 
homeschooled, private schools,&nbsp;parochial schools, religious schools or 
public schools. We need all of them to succeed. Competition works 
everywhere. We’re all of the above. It’s not terribly complicated.”In addition, the Kansas Chamber would like the Legislature to be the 
final authority on determining appropriate levels of state funding of 
K-12 schools. In the past, the Kansas Supreme Court has found state aid 
to schools unconstitutional. Rulings have prompted increases in state 
aid to public education.Stafford said the Kansas Supreme Court’s decision to strike down caps
 on pain-and-suffering awards to injured workers was bad public policy. 
The constitution ought to be amended to allow the Legislature to adopt 
award limits for noneconomic damages, he said.“The Legislature felt it was the best public policy for the state to 
have that in place. And our Supreme Court came in and said, ‘Nope, those
 are unconstitutional. You can’t do that.’ We do support reinstating 
caps on economic damages. About the only approach that we have left at 
this point is a constitutional amendment.”Cobb said the Kansas Chamber would support legislative efforts to do 
away with the penalty of five days in jail for a first offense for 
driving a vehicle on a suspended license.“Driving while suspended. Five days in jail. We got to change that. I
 mean, five days in jail if you’re convicted of&nbsp;driving while 
suspended?” he said.Stafford said the organization had long opposed a patchwork of 
regulations by cities and counties regarding use of plastic bags 
commonly used in retail stores. This year, however, the agenda was 
widened to include opposition to local units of government forbidding 
sale of dogs and cats at retail stores, he said.

Kansas Chamber's agenda focuses on tax, regulation, workforce

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on Drug allegations.

On Friday, the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit and Shawnee County Drug Task Force served a search warrant in the 1900 Block of SE Illinois Avenue in Topeka, according to Lt. Ronnie Connell.

While conducting the search warrant, officers located methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

As a result 53-year-old Lloyd Townsend and 33-year-old Sean Coble were transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections.

Townsend is being held on requested charges that include Distribution of methamphetamine within 1000’ of a school and Possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute within 1000’ of a school

Sean Coble is jailed on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine and Possession of drug paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673099282972.png" alt="Coble-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Coble-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on Drug allegations.On Friday, the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit and Shawnee County Drug Task Force served a search warrant in the 1900 Block of SE Illinois Avenue in Topeka, according to Lt. Ronnie Connell.While conducting the search warrant, officers located methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673099216822.png" alt="Townsend-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Townsend-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>As a result 53-year-old Lloyd Townsend and 33-year-old Sean Coble were transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections.Townsend is being held on requested charges that include Distribution of methamphetamine within 1000’ of a school and Possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute within 1000’ of a schoolSean Coble is jailed on requested charges of Possession of methamphetamine and Possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police: Kansas man allegedly sold meth near school

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

A Salina shoe store is out more than $5,000 after 175 pairs of HEYDUDE shoes were stolen from a storage building behind the business.

On Saturday, an employee of Brown's Shoe Fit, 2150 Planet Avenue, who was attempting to put Christmas decorations into a storage building behind the business, discovered that someone had switched the lock on the building. That led to the discovery that 175 pairs of HEYDUDE shoes had been stolen from the building, Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester said this morning.

The theft occurred sometime between Nov. 21 and Saturday. Total loss was estimated at $5,250, Forrester said.

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostA Salina shoe store is out more than $5,000 after 175 pairs of HEYDUDE shoes were stolen from a storage building behind the business.On Saturday, an employee of Brown's Shoe Fit, 2150 Planet Avenue, who was attempting to put Christmas decorations into a storage building behind the business, discovered that someone had switched the lock on the building. That led to the discovery that 175 pairs of HEYDUDE shoes had been stolen from the building, Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester said this morning.The theft occurred sometime between Nov. 21 and Saturday. Total loss was estimated at $5,250, Forrester said.

Kansas shoe store reports 175 pairs of shoes missing

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a weekend homicide have identified the victim as 45-year-old Shawn A. Carter of Topeka.

Just before 9a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1300 Block of SE Madison in Topeka, according to Lt. Donna Eubanks.

First responders found Carter suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police released no additional details Monday afternoon and have not reported an arrest.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a weekend homicide.

First responders found one victim suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police released no additional details and have not reported an arrest.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a weekend homicide have identified the victim as 45-year-old Shawn A. Carter of Topeka.Just before 9a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1300 Block of SE Madison in Topeka, according to Lt. Donna Eubanks.First responders found Carter suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police released no additional details Monday afternoon and have not reported an arrest.---------------SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a weekend homicide.Just before 9a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1300 Block of SE Madison in Topeka, according to Lt. Donna Eubanks.First responders found one victim suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police released no additional details and have not reported an arrest.

Police ID 45-year-old Kan. man who died in weekend shooting

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Doctors who treated Damar Hamlin said the Bills safety was moved to a hospital in Buffalo on Monday, an uplifting sign of the remarkable progress he has made a week after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/Bills-damar-hamlin-collapse-what-happened-d73a76f2f7f736b652e95896dfaa0900">going into cardiac arrest and having to be resuscitated</a>&nbsp;on the field during a game in Cincinnati.

Hamlin was discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in the morning and flown to Buffalo, where he will continue his recovery.

“I can confirm that he is doing well. And this is the beginning of the next stage of his recovery,” Dr. William Knight said.

Doctors said Hamlin has been walking since Friday, and eating regular food and undergoing therapy. They said he was on a normal or even accelerated trajectory in his recovery from cardiac arrest, which is considered a life-threatening event, and that normal recovery can be measured from weeks to months.

“We continue to be ecstatic about his recovery,” Dr. Timothy Pritts said.

Hamlin’s return comes a day after he cheered on the Bills from his hospital bed during their regular season-ending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-england-patriots-buffalo-bills-miami-dolphins-york-jets-nfl-25243cdf2ceb3780419859fc39537ef4">35-23 win</a>&nbsp;over the New England Patriots. The game proved to be a cathartic outpouring of support for the Bills and Hamlin.

Hamlin was so excited watching teammate Nyheim Hines return the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown that “he jumped up and down, got out of his chair, set every alarm off in the ICU in the process,” Pritts said with a laugh.

Pritts said it was still premature to comment on the potential cause of Hamlin’s cardiac arrest.

The Bills wore No. 3 Hamlin patches on their jerseys Sunday and honored their teammate by raising three fingers in the closing minutes, while tight end Dawson Knox celebrated his touchdown by forming his hands into the shape of a heart. Fans joined in, with many holding up red heart and No. 3 signs.

“Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling,” Hamlin said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/HamlinIsland/status/1612546415787384837?s=20&amp;t=ZRcRcD8Go886siarMcqHxA" target="_blank">tweet</a>&nbsp;announcing he was heading home to Buffalo, “with a lot of love in my heart.

“The same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world n more.”

The 24-year-old from the Pittsburgh area has made significant progress in his recovery since spending his first two days at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center under sedation and breathing through a ventilator.

He was awakened on Wednesday night and was eventually able to grip people’s hands. By Friday, Hamlin was able to breathe on his own and even addressed the team by videoconference, in which he told the Bills, “Love you boys.”

The last update from doctors came on Saturday, when they described Hamlin’s neurological function as “excellent,” though he remained listed in critical condition.

Later that day, Hamlin tweeted: “Putting love into the world comes back 3xs as much… thankful for everyone who has reached out and prayed. This will make me stronger on the road to recovery, keep praying for me!”

The NFL will showed support for Hamlin during all Week 18 games by including a pregame moment of support, painting Hamlin’s No. 3 on the 30-yard line and pregame shirts with “Love for Damar 3.”

Hamlin’s heart stopped on Monday night after making what appeared to be a routine tackle in the first quarter against the Bengals. The game was initially suspended before officially being canceled later in the week.

News of Hamlin’s discharge from the hospital in Cincinnati was greeted with enthusiasm.

“That’s unbelievable,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said.

“I mean, just think about it — that was one week, not even a week ago. There’s no one in this room that would have expected he’d be in Buffalo,” he added. “God is great. He works miracles. This is certainly a miracle, there’s no question. ... And just an amazing moment for Damar.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1672714269393.png" alt="Damar Hamlin photo courtesy Buffalo Bills" />
 <figcaption>Damar Hamlin photo courtesy Buffalo Bills</figcaption>
 </figure>ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Doctors who treated Damar Hamlin said the Bills safety was moved to a hospital in Buffalo on Monday, an uplifting sign of the remarkable progress he has made a week after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/Bills-damar-hamlin-collapse-what-happened-d73a76f2f7f736b652e95896dfaa0900">going into cardiac arrest and having to be resuscitated</a>&nbsp;on the field during a game in Cincinnati.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">An amazing update. ❤️💙 <a href="https://t.co/Do1P1nKQWI">pic.twitter.com/Do1P1nKQWI</a>&mdash; Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) <a href="https://twitter.com/BuffaloBills/status/1612542457383718912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Hamlin was discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in the morning and flown to Buffalo, where he will continue his recovery.“I can confirm that he is doing well. And this is the beginning of the next stage of his recovery,” Dr. William Knight said.Doctors said Hamlin has been walking since Friday, and eating regular food and undergoing therapy. They said he was on a normal or even accelerated trajectory in his recovery from cardiac arrest, which is considered a life-threatening event, and that normal recovery can be measured from weeks to months.“We continue to be ecstatic about his recovery,” Dr. Timothy Pritts said.Hamlin’s return comes a day after he cheered on the Bills from his hospital bed during their regular season-ending&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-england-patriots-buffalo-bills-miami-dolphins-york-jets-nfl-25243cdf2ceb3780419859fc39537ef4">35-23 win</a>&nbsp;over the New England Patriots. The game proved to be a cathartic outpouring of support for the Bills and Hamlin.Hamlin was so excited watching teammate Nyheim Hines return the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown that “he jumped up and down, got out of his chair, set every alarm off in the ICU in the process,” Pritts said with a laugh.Pritts said it was still premature to comment on the potential cause of Hamlin’s cardiac arrest.The Bills wore No. 3 Hamlin patches on their jerseys Sunday and honored their teammate by raising three fingers in the closing minutes, while tight end Dawson Knox celebrated his touchdown by forming his hands into the shape of a heart. Fans joined in, with many holding up red heart and No. 3 signs.“Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling,” Hamlin said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/HamlinIsland/status/1612546415787384837?s=20&amp;t=ZRcRcD8Go886siarMcqHxA" target="_blank">tweet</a>&nbsp;announcing he was heading home to Buffalo, “with a lot of love in my heart.“The same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world n more.”The 24-year-old from the Pittsburgh area has made significant progress in his recovery since spending his first two days at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center under sedation and breathing through a ventilator.He was awakened on Wednesday night and was eventually able to grip people’s hands. By Friday, Hamlin was able to breathe on his own and even addressed the team by videoconference, in which he told the Bills, “Love you boys.”The last update from doctors came on Saturday, when they described Hamlin’s neurological function as “excellent,” though he remained listed in critical condition.Later that day, Hamlin tweeted: “Putting love into the world comes back 3xs as much… thankful for everyone who has reached out and prayed. This will make me stronger on the road to recovery, keep praying for me!”The NFL will showed support for Hamlin during all Week 18 games by including a pregame moment of support, painting Hamlin’s No. 3 on the 30-yard line and pregame shirts with “Love for Damar 3.”Hamlin’s heart stopped on Monday night after making what appeared to be a routine tackle in the first quarter against the Bengals. The game was initially suspended before officially being canceled later in the week.News of Hamlin’s discharge from the hospital in Cincinnati was greeted with enthusiasm.“That’s unbelievable,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said.“I mean, just think about it — that was one week, not even a week ago. There’s no one in this room that would have expected he’d be in Buffalo,” he added. “God is great. He works miracles. This is certainly a miracle, there’s no question. ... And just an amazing moment for Damar.”___

Bills' Hamlin out of hospital, back in Buffalo to continue recovery

EL PASO, Texas&nbsp;–A day after President Joe Biden inspected a muddy stretch of the U.S. -Mexico border, Senator Jerry Moran join a bipartisan group of senators touring various points along the U.S. border in El Paso, Texas.

For Biden, it was his first trip to the region after two years in office, a visit shadowed by the fraught politics of immigration as Republicans try to blame him for the record numbers of migrants crossing into the country.

“This is my third visit to the border,” said Sen. Moran, in a media relase from his office. “I want to see if there is any progress being made, but mostly I want to hear from the people who are involved in enforcing our laws and what tools they need, what help they need to get this crisis under control.

There’s a humanitarian issue here, there’s a law enforcement issue here, there’s a national security issue here, and this place needs a lot of attention.” “We’ve been insisting that the President see what goes on here for a long time, but what strikes me is that there was no outrage, no stated recognition, that we have one of the most significant crises in our country right here on this border,”&nbsp;Sen. Moran continued.&nbsp;

“We’ve had two years of the Biden administration and things have gotten worse, not better. From my perspective to be here, to talk to actual border agents, there is a different feel when you can have a conversation face-to-face.”

EL PASO, Texas&nbsp;–A day after President Joe Biden inspected a muddy stretch of the U.S. -Mexico border, Senator Jerry Moran join a bipartisan group of senators touring various points along the U.S. border in El Paso, Texas. For Biden, it was his first trip to the region after two years in office, a visit shadowed by the fraught politics of immigration as Republicans try to blame him for the record numbers of migrants crossing into the country.“This is my third visit to the border,” said Sen. Moran, in a media relase from his office. “I want to see if there is any progress being made, but mostly I want to hear from the people who are involved in enforcing our laws and what tools they need, what help they need to get this crisis under control.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C20ZZfTfgSY?start=5" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>There’s a humanitarian issue here, there’s a law enforcement issue here, there’s a national security issue here, and this place needs a lot of attention.” “We’ve been insisting that the President see what goes on here for a long time, but what strikes me is that there was no outrage, no stated recognition, that we have one of the most significant crises in our country right here on this border,”&nbsp;Sen. Moran continued.&nbsp;“We’ve had two years of the Biden administration and things have gotten worse, not better. From my perspective to be here, to talk to actual border agents, there is a different feel when you can have a conversation face-to-face.”

 🎥Moran at the border learning what's needed to get crisis under control

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly called Monday for leaders in Republican-leaning Kansas to follow the lead of the state's residents and “turn down the volume” on “this hate, this vitriol, this divisiveness” in politics as she started a second term with a new, hard-right state attorney general.

Kelly and other statewide elected officials took their oaths of office under banners hung on the south side of the Statehouse, one declaring “Innovation,” and the others, “Unity” and “Prosperity.” Kelly was sworn in last and stuck with a pattern in major speeches of promoting bipartisanship after narrowly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-donald-trump-kansas-topeka-39afdff811fd2f30a212036d5ec6e3fa">winning reelection</a>&nbsp;in November.

The Democratic governor told her audience that the COVID-19 pandemic showed that Kansas residents “came through for one another,” adding, “It's a part of who we've always been.”

“Time and time again, in ways big and small, Kansans choose kindness, cooperation and civility,” Kelly said in the prepared text of her inaugural address. “Those in leadership positions have a particular responsibility to follow Kansans’ lead. The times demand it.”

The ceremony also will cap&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-immigration-kansas-topeka-339a45795e1e479b7754e2fc7a8127ed">a big political comeback</a>&nbsp;for Kris Kobach, the new attorney general. Over two decades, he gained a national reputation by advocating for strict immigration and election laws but became&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/618684029df54c9f8705a6b8ea08cbc5">a lightning rod for controversy.</a>&nbsp;He lost&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/32816d964acc49e188c9de18b9acb3b9">the 2018 governor's race</a>&nbsp;to Kelly and then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-top-news-religion-kansas-politics-6646c990bce8bd3d93e2722015de87f0">a GOP primary for an open U.S. Senate</a>&nbsp;seat in 2020.

Both Kelly's and Kobach's victories last year were narrow, as Kansas voters sent decidedly mixed messages. Voters in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively rejected</a>&nbsp;a proposed change to the state constitution that would have allowed lawmakers to ban abortion, but Republicans maintained their supermajorities in both legislative chambers — keeping conservatives firmly in charge.

The Legislature was set to convene at 2 p.m. Monday for House and Senate sessions of mostly housekeeping and swearing in new members. Kelly is scheduled to outline her legislative agenda in the annual State of the State address Wednesday evening.

“We cannot let the hostility and anger that has poisoned our national politics spread here to Kansas,” Kelly said in her inaugural address. “We should all agree: Now is the time to turn down the volume. This hate, this vitriol, this divisiveness, it’s not who we are as Kansans.”

Kelly's centrist credibility has rested on a few high-profile moves, such as breaking with President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-kansas-topeka-86d570bbf1eb4376a5e7b519c4cb4903">on COVID-19 vaccine mandates</a>&nbsp;in November 2021 and signing a bill&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-topeka-kansas-legislature-policy-b2660b570d623b58806c4901340b00ec">to ban “sanctuary” cities</a>&nbsp;for immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Last month she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-tik-tok-ban-explainer-83ef9bc3ff44d90e7b0f54bd8f5228cb">banned the use of TikTok</a>&nbsp;by state workers on state-issued devices, following similar action&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-d33e58c76bb3c13297c72816ef4e6231">by Congress</a>&nbsp;and a slew of Republican governors such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-dakota-bans-tiktok-from-state-devices-f7a95dd494dab9c410ff80c577c609dd">South Dakota's Kristi Noem.</a>

Kelly's reelection campaign featured television ads showing her standing in the middle of a rural row, and she said in her address, “I believe the best choice is right down the middle of that road.”

“Because the middle of the road is where left and right come together, where well-intentioned people who hold different positions find common ground,” she said. “And progress is made.”

But Kelly also has clashed frequently with Republican lawmakers on budget issues, tax cuts and education and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-pandemics-infectious-diseases-legislature-8e0c2ab974e172817012adf032bbbc30">public health policy.</a>&nbsp;She twice vetoed their proposals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">to ban transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;from girls' and women's K-12 and college sports. Her proposals to expand the state's Medicaid coverage for another 150,000 people have been dead letters for top Republicans.

“I’ve never thought she lived in the middle of the road,” state Rep. Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said after fellow Republicans named him the next House speaker last month, adding that his chamber, “if anything, moves a little bit further to the right.”

Kobach lost a congressional race in 2004 before winning the first of two terms as Kansas secretary of state in 2010. He was the first prominent Kansas elected official to endorse Donald Trump's bid for president in 2016 and served as vice chairman of a short-lived Trump commission on voter fraud.

His unsuccessful 2018 and 2020 races crashed his political career and left many Republicans believing that he couldn't win a statewide race. But many GOP leaders and activists said his 2022 campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-presidential-immigration-3ec99db94c0d772465d3a7ccf015ccc6">was better organized and more focused,</a>&nbsp;generating less drama or outrage.

The more combative Kobach could return: He's promised to file lawsuits to challenge Biden administration policies. He's already identified as potential targets&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-texas-new-mexico-wildlife-birds-1dba73f652f3e454774d6799d09a257a">a listing of the lesser prairie chicken</a>&nbsp;as a threatened species and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-arizona-state-government-donald-trump-8d46b14c20cb0effcb52ace48220dcce">an expansion of waters covered</a>&nbsp;by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-donald-trump-kansas-topeka-39afdff811fd2f30a212036d5ec6e3fa">successful reelection campaign</a>&nbsp;in Republican-leaning Kansas wooed centrist voters with ads showing her standing in the middle of a rural road. She is starting her second term facing a skeptical, GOP-led Legislature and a new, hard-right state attorney general.

Kelly and other statewide elected officials took their oaths of office in a ceremony at noon Monday that includes her inaugural address. She's often used her major public speeches to promote bipartisanship.

The Legislature is set to convene at 2 p.m. Monday for House and Senate sessions of mostly housekeeping and swearing in new members. Kelly is scheduled to outline her legislative agenda in the annual State of the State address Wednesday evening.

“I knew from the very get-go that if I wanted to accomplish anything in public life, that I was going to need to establish relationships across the aisle,” Kelly said in a recent interview. “I will continue to work in a bipartisan manner to get things done.”

But she's also clashed frequently with Republican lawmakers on budget issues, tax cuts and education and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-pandemics-infectious-diseases-legislature-8e0c2ab974e172817012adf032bbbc30">public health policy.</a>&nbsp;She twice vetoed their proposals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">to ban transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;from girls' and women's K-12 and college sports. Her proposals to expand the state's Medicaid coverage for another 150,000 people have been dead letters for top Republicans.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673288753270.png" alt="Laura Kelly&nbsp; introduced on the Capitol steps just ahead of taking the oath of office-photos courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Laura Kelly&nbsp; introduced on the Capitol steps just ahead of taking the oath of office-photos courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly called Monday for leaders in Republican-leaning Kansas to follow the lead of the state's residents and “turn down the volume” on “this hate, this vitriol, this divisiveness” in politics as she started a second term with a new, hard-right state attorney general.Kelly and other statewide elected officials took their oaths of office under banners hung on the south side of the Statehouse, one declaring “Innovation,” and the others, “Unity” and “Prosperity.” Kelly was sworn in last and stuck with a pattern in major speeches of promoting bipartisanship after narrowly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-donald-trump-kansas-topeka-39afdff811fd2f30a212036d5ec6e3fa">winning reelection</a>&nbsp;in November.The Democratic governor told her audience that the COVID-19 pandemic showed that Kansas residents “came through for one another,” adding, “It's a part of who we've always been.”“Time and time again, in ways big and small, Kansans choose kindness, cooperation and civility,” Kelly said in the prepared text of her inaugural address. “Those in leadership positions have a particular responsibility to follow Kansans’ lead. The times demand it.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673290599543.png" alt="Kris Kobach took the oath of office as the new Kansas Attorney General-photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Kris Kobach took the oath of office as the new Kansas Attorney General-photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>The ceremony also will cap&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-immigration-kansas-topeka-339a45795e1e479b7754e2fc7a8127ed">a big political comeback</a>&nbsp;for Kris Kobach, the new attorney general. Over two decades, he gained a national reputation by advocating for strict immigration and election laws but became&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/618684029df54c9f8705a6b8ea08cbc5">a lightning rod for controversy.</a>&nbsp;He lost&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/32816d964acc49e188c9de18b9acb3b9">the 2018 governor's race</a>&nbsp;to Kelly and then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-top-news-religion-kansas-politics-6646c990bce8bd3d93e2722015de87f0">a GOP primary for an open U.S. Senate</a>&nbsp;seat in 2020.Both Kelly's and Kobach's victories last year were narrow, as Kansas voters sent decidedly mixed messages. Voters in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively rejected</a>&nbsp;a proposed change to the state constitution that would have allowed lawmakers to ban abortion, but Republicans maintained their supermajorities in both legislative chambers — keeping conservatives firmly in charge.The Legislature was set to convene at 2 p.m. Monday for House and Senate sessions of mostly housekeeping and swearing in new members. Kelly is scheduled to outline her legislative agenda in the annual State of the State address Wednesday evening.“We cannot let the hostility and anger that has poisoned our national politics spread here to Kansas,” Kelly said in her inaugural address. “We should all agree: Now is the time to turn down the volume. This hate, this vitriol, this divisiveness, it’s not who we are as Kansans.”Kelly's centrist credibility has rested on a few high-profile moves, such as breaking with President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-kansas-topeka-86d570bbf1eb4376a5e7b519c4cb4903">on COVID-19 vaccine mandates</a>&nbsp;in November 2021 and signing a bill&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-topeka-kansas-legislature-policy-b2660b570d623b58806c4901340b00ec">to ban “sanctuary” cities</a>&nbsp;for immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Last month she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-tik-tok-ban-explainer-83ef9bc3ff44d90e7b0f54bd8f5228cb">banned the use of TikTok</a>&nbsp;by state workers on state-issued devices, following similar action&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-d33e58c76bb3c13297c72816ef4e6231">by Congress</a>&nbsp;and a slew of Republican governors such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-dakota-bans-tiktok-from-state-devices-f7a95dd494dab9c410ff80c577c609dd">South Dakota's Kristi Noem.</a>Kelly's reelection campaign featured television ads showing her standing in the middle of a rural row, and she said in her address, “I believe the best choice is right down the middle of that road.”“Because the middle of the road is where left and right come together, where well-intentioned people who hold different positions find common ground,” she said. “And progress is made.”But Kelly also has clashed frequently with Republican lawmakers on budget issues, tax cuts and education and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-pandemics-infectious-diseases-legislature-8e0c2ab974e172817012adf032bbbc30">public health policy.</a>&nbsp;She twice vetoed their proposals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">to ban transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;from girls' and women's K-12 and college sports. Her proposals to expand the state's Medicaid coverage for another 150,000 people have been dead letters for top Republicans.“I’ve never thought she lived in the middle of the road,” state Rep. Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said after fellow Republicans named him the next House speaker last month, adding that his chamber, “if anything, moves a little bit further to the right.”Kobach lost a congressional race in 2004 before winning the first of two terms as Kansas secretary of state in 2010. He was the first prominent Kansas elected official to endorse Donald Trump's bid for president in 2016 and served as vice chairman of a short-lived Trump commission on voter fraud.His unsuccessful 2018 and 2020 races crashed his political career and left many Republicans believing that he couldn't win a statewide race. But many GOP leaders and activists said his 2022 campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-presidential-immigration-3ec99db94c0d772465d3a7ccf015ccc6">was better organized and more focused,</a>&nbsp;generating less drama or outrage.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673286373496.png" alt="Go. Laura Kelly started Monday with faith leaders from across the state at the Interfaith Breakfast.-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Go. Laura Kelly started Monday with faith leaders from across the state at the Interfaith Breakfast.-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>The more combative Kobach could return: He's promised to file lawsuits to challenge Biden administration policies. He's already identified as potential targets&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-texas-new-mexico-wildlife-birds-1dba73f652f3e454774d6799d09a257a">a listing of the lesser prairie chicken</a>&nbsp;as a threatened species and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-arizona-state-government-donald-trump-8d46b14c20cb0effcb52ace48220dcce">an expansion of waters covered</a>&nbsp;by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations.--------TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-biden-donald-trump-kansas-topeka-39afdff811fd2f30a212036d5ec6e3fa">successful reelection campaign</a>&nbsp;in Republican-leaning Kansas wooed centrist voters with ads showing her standing in the middle of a rural road. She is starting her second term facing a skeptical, GOP-led Legislature and a new, hard-right state attorney general.Kelly and other statewide elected officials took their oaths of office in a ceremony at noon Monday that includes her inaugural address. She's often used her major public speeches to promote bipartisanship.The ceremony also will cap&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-immigration-kansas-topeka-339a45795e1e479b7754e2fc7a8127ed">a big political comeback</a>&nbsp;for Kris Kobach, the new attorney general. Over two decades, he gained a national reputation by advocating for strict immigration and election laws but became&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/618684029df54c9f8705a6b8ea08cbc5">a lightning rod for controversy.</a>&nbsp;He lost&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/32816d964acc49e188c9de18b9acb3b9">the 2018 governor's race</a>&nbsp;to Kelly and then&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-top-news-religion-kansas-politics-6646c990bce8bd3d93e2722015de87f0">a GOP primary for an open U.S. Senate</a>&nbsp;seat in 2020.Both Kelly's and Kobach's victories last year were narrow, as Kansas voters sent decidedly mixed messages. Voters in August&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisively rejected</a>&nbsp;a proposed change to the state constitution that would have allowed lawmakers to ban abortion, but Republicans maintained their supermajorities in both legislative chambers — keeping conservatives firmly in charge.The Legislature is set to convene at 2 p.m. Monday for House and Senate sessions of mostly housekeeping and swearing in new members. Kelly is scheduled to outline her legislative agenda in the annual State of the State address Wednesday evening.“I knew from the very get-go that if I wanted to accomplish anything in public life, that I was going to need to establish relationships across the aisle,” Kelly said in a recent interview. “I will continue to work in a bipartisan manner to get things done.”Kelly's centrist credibility has rested on a few high-profile moves, such as breaking with President Joe Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-health-kansas-topeka-86d570bbf1eb4376a5e7b519c4cb4903">on COVID-19 vaccine mandates</a>&nbsp;in November 2021 and signing a bill&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-topeka-kansas-legislature-policy-b2660b570d623b58806c4901340b00ec">to ban “sanctuary” cities</a>&nbsp;for immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Last month she&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-tik-tok-ban-explainer-83ef9bc3ff44d90e7b0f54bd8f5228cb">banned the use of TikTok</a>&nbsp;by state workers on state-issued devices, following similar action&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-politics-d33e58c76bb3c13297c72816ef4e6231">by Congress</a>&nbsp;and a slew of Republican governors such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/south-dakota-bans-tiktok-from-state-devices-f7a95dd494dab9c410ff80c577c609dd">South Dakota's Kristi Noem.</a>But she's also clashed frequently with Republican lawmakers on budget issues, tax cuts and education and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/covid-health-pandemics-infectious-diseases-legislature-8e0c2ab974e172817012adf032bbbc30">public health policy.</a>&nbsp;She twice vetoed their proposals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">to ban transgender athletes</a>&nbsp;from girls' and women's K-12 and college sports. Her proposals to expand the state's Medicaid coverage for another 150,000 people have been dead letters for top Republicans.“I’ve never thought she lived in the middle of the road,” state Rep. Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said after fellow Republicans named him the next House speaker last month, adding that his chamber, “if anything, moves a little bit further to the right.”Kobach lost a congressional race in 2004 before winning the first of two terms as Kansas secretary of state in 2010. He was the first prominent Kansas elected official to endorse Donald Trump's bid for president in 2016 and served as vice chairman of a short-lived Trump commission on voter fraud.His unsuccessful 2018 and 2020 races crashed his political career and left many Republicans believing that he couldn't win a statewide race. But many GOP leaders and activists said his 2022 campaign&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-voting-rights-presidential-immigration-3ec99db94c0d772465d3a7ccf015ccc6">was better organized and more focused,</a>&nbsp;generating less drama or outrage.The more combative Kobach could return: He's promised to file lawsuits to challenge Biden administration policies. He's already identified as potential targets&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-texas-new-mexico-wildlife-birds-1dba73f652f3e454774d6799d09a257a">a listing of the lesser prairie chicken</a>&nbsp;as a threatened species and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-arizona-state-government-donald-trump-8d46b14c20cb0effcb52ace48220dcce">an expansion of waters covered</a>&nbsp;by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

Laura Kelly sworn into office for second term as Kansas governor

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to hear the appeals of two brothers who were sentenced to death for four fatal shootings in a Kansas soccer field in December 2000 known as “the Wichita massacre.”

Outgoing Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said the high court's decision means Jonathan and Reginald Carr no longer have any direct appeals of their death sentences. However, Schmidt said, they can still file lawsuits in state and federal courts to try to prevent their executions by lethal injection.

The U.S. Supreme Court's action came a little less than a year after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-supreme-court-kansas-wichita-constitutions-a2713ff7b00c9db11d4a7215f03201a0">the Kansas Supreme Court ruled</a>&nbsp;that the two brothers had received fair trials and upheld their death sentences. Kansas has nine men on death row, but the state has not executed anyone since serial killers James Latham and George York were hanged on the same day in June 1965.

Prosecutors said the brothers broke into a home in December 2000 and forced the three men and two women there to have sex with one another and later to withdraw money from ATMs.

According to authorities, the women were raped repeatedly before all five were taken to a soccer field and shot. Four victims died: Aaron Sander, 29; Brad Heyka, 27; Jason Befort, 26; and Heather Muller, 25. One of the women survived to testify against the Carr brothers. Other crimes over six days left a fifth person dead.

Each of the brothers accused the other of carrying out the crimes.

The Kansas court upheld their convictions in 2014 but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-kansas-topeka-wichita-kansas-supreme-court-55a5a0319f814b929961bf95bc9029a2">overturned their death sentences</a>, concluding that not having separate hearings violated the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed that decision in 2016, returning the case to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wichita-government-and-politics-46c649b32d23838909c9a9bd446a0444">the Kansas Supreme Court</a>.

Attorneys for the brothers raised questions about how their cases weren’t conducted separately when jurors were considering whether the death penalty was warranted. Other issues they raised included the instructions that were given to jurors and how closing arguments were conducted.

The Kansas court's majority concluded that while the lower-court judge and prosecutors made errors, those errors did not warrant overturning their death sentences again.

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Monday came only hours before Schmidt, a three-term Republican, formally left office after losing the governor's race in November. The new attorney general is Republican Kris Kobach.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1621970475802.png" alt="Reginald Carr is being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility" />
 <figcaption>Reginald Carr is being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to hear the appeals of two brothers who were sentenced to death for four fatal shootings in a Kansas soccer field in December 2000 known as “the Wichita massacre.”Outgoing Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said the high court's decision means Jonathan and Reginald Carr no longer have any direct appeals of their death sentences. However, Schmidt said, they can still file lawsuits in state and federal courts to try to prevent their executions by lethal injection.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1621970431260.png" alt="Jonathan Carr is being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility" />
 <figcaption>Jonathan Carr is being held in the El Dorado Correctional Facility</figcaption>
 </figure>The U.S. Supreme Court's action came a little less than a year after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-supreme-court-kansas-wichita-constitutions-a2713ff7b00c9db11d4a7215f03201a0">the Kansas Supreme Court ruled</a>&nbsp;that the two brothers had received fair trials and upheld their death sentences. Kansas has nine men on death row, but the state has not executed anyone since serial killers James Latham and George York were hanged on the same day in June 1965.Prosecutors said the brothers broke into a home in December 2000 and forced the three men and two women there to have sex with one another and later to withdraw money from ATMs.According to authorities, the women were raped repeatedly before all five were taken to a soccer field and shot. Four victims died: Aaron Sander, 29; Brad Heyka, 27; Jason Befort, 26; and Heather Muller, 25. One of the women survived to testify against the Carr brothers. Other crimes over six days left a fifth person dead.Each of the brothers accused the other of carrying out the crimes.The Kansas court upheld their convictions in 2014 but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-kansas-topeka-wichita-kansas-supreme-court-55a5a0319f814b929961bf95bc9029a2">overturned their death sentences</a>, concluding that not having separate hearings violated the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed that decision in 2016, returning the case to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wichita-government-and-politics-46c649b32d23838909c9a9bd446a0444">the Kansas Supreme Court</a>.Attorneys for the brothers raised questions about how their cases weren’t conducted separately when jurors were considering whether the death penalty was warranted. Other issues they raised included the instructions that were given to jurors and how closing arguments were conducted.The Kansas court's majority concluded that while the lower-court judge and prosecutors made errors, those errors did not warrant overturning their death sentences again.The U.S. Supreme Court's decision Monday came only hours before Schmidt, a three-term Republican, formally left office after losing the governor's race in November. The new attorney general is Republican Kris Kobach.

US Supreme Court won't hear appeals from 'Wichita massacre'

CLOUD COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating at Cloud County Community College.

Just before 7a.m. Friday, police responded to a report of a burglary at Cloud County Community College, 2221 Campus Drive in Concordia, according to a media release from police.

Investigators learned that just after 2a.m. Friday, unknown suspect in a silver SUV entered the college and broke into and severely damaged the&nbsp;ATM of the College.

CLOUD COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating at Cloud County Community College.Just before 7a.m. Friday, police responded to a report of a burglary at Cloud County Community College, 2221 Campus Drive in Concordia, according to a media release from police.Investigators learned that just after 2a.m. Friday, unknown suspect in a silver SUV entered the college and broke into and severely damaged the&nbsp;ATM of the College.Police released no additional details.

Police: College campus ATM broken into, severely damaged

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' recently reelected Democratic governor and Republican legislators are headed for a clash over how their financially flush state should cut taxes, and abortion opponents are wrestling with what ideas to pursue following last year's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisive statewide vote</a>&nbsp;favoring abortion rights.

Gov. Laura Kelly is scheduled to take the oath of office for her second four-year term in a ceremony at noon Monday. The Republican-controlled Legislature is set to convene in the afternoon for an annual session that's expected to last into early May.

Both Kelly and leaders of the Republicans' supermajorities in both chambers are making tax cuts a top priority but differ on what taxes to cut.

Besides abortion, almost a perennial issue for them, lawmakers expect to tackle education issues and water policy. Republicans also plan to pass another version of a bill to ban transgender athletes from girls' and women's college and K-12 sports, despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">two past vetoes from Kelly.</a>

Here is a look at key issues before Kansas lawmakers:

VOTE SCRAMBLES NEARLY ANNUAL ABORTION DEBATE

Abortion opponents are constrained by a Kansas Supreme Court ruling in 2019 that abortion access is a “fundamental” right under the state constitution. GOP lawmakers pushed to amend the constitution to say it doesn’t grant a right to abortion — allowing lawmakers to ban it — but voters rejected the proposed change in August.

While key anti-abortion groups haven't announced their plans, GOP lawmakers have floated several ideas, including an increase in the state's minimal aid to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers or a largely symbolic law telling doctors they must do everything they can to prevent newborns from dying, even following a botched abortion.

Abortion opponents also are upset that abortion medications are becoming more accessible in Kansas. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently finalized a rule&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-medication-d5fc3d5990dced69b0bf93a4760250fe">allowing more pharmacies to dispense</a>&nbsp;the medications. In November a state court judge blocked enforcement of the state's requirement that doctors providing the medication be in the same room when patients take it,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-kansas-city-planned-parenthood-7bbd62399537dac61093864166f0e81e">allowing teleconferencing.</a>

SURPLUS CASH PROMPTS NEW PUSH FOR TAX CUTS

Kansas garnered national attention for a 2012-13 slashing of income taxes and the persistent budget shortfalls that followed. But now, more than five years after lawmakers repealed most of the experiment, the state is headed toward ending June 2024 with $4.2 billion in surplus cash.

Kelly last year pushed to eliminate the sales tax on groceries last year, but lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/19b2052b2eea5e1ea55ec1e5f23366ac">phased it out over three years,</a>&nbsp;so that it dropped to 4% from 6.5% at the start of this year and doesn't disappear until 2025. The Democratic governor wants to zero out the tax as of April, but many Republicans are resisting.

Kelly also has proposed lower taxes on incomes in retirement, but many Republicans are more ambitious, with some wanting to eliminate it altogether.

And Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said he'd like to see Kansas move to a “flat” income tax, with one rate for all individual and corporate filers, instead of three for individuals and two for corporations. He argues that the simpler tax system would boost Kansas economically.

“I’m optimistic about a combination" that includes some version of what the governor has proposed, he said.

GOVERNOR, REPUBLICANS LIKELY TO CLASH ON EDUCATION

Conservative Republicans haven't given up on proposals that they believe will make public K-12 schools more transparent and give parents more choices about where to educate their kids, despite Kelly's veto last year of a “parental rights” measure. Critics, particularly Democratic lawmakers, see them as attacks on public schools.

GOP lawmakers expect again to pursue proposals that would require schools to post more information about what's being taught online and to make it easier for parents to seek the removal of materials and books from classrooms and libraries that they find objectionable. It's part of a push by Republicans across the U.S. to limit what's taught about gender, sexuality and the role of racism in U.S. history and society.

REPUBLICANS TO PURSUE ELECTION LAW CHANGES

While voters across the U.S. last year rejected candidates promoting baseless election conspiracies, tightening up Kansas election laws remains a priority for many Republicans. They expect to pursue proposals to limit or eliminate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-elections-legislature-kansas-4d3fbe728cfd479ed3f29a7bba0f1cc4">ballot drop boxes</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-rights-business-donald-trump-legislature-02dd97563eebcef1db384cc737cbea00">end the state's three-day grace period</a>&nbsp;for mail ballots to arrive after an election.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican who vouches for the integrity of Kansas elections and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-politics-donald-trump-arizona-9b675ed2223da37a90e5b53cfb6cf9b8">defeated an election conspiracy promoter</a>&nbsp;in last year's GOP primary, says he will have his own package of proposals to prevent voter intimidation and protect their privacy, though he hasn't made specific proposals public.

MARIJUANA, MEDICAID MEASURES ARE LIKELY NON-STARTERS

Kelly promised throughout her successful reelection campaign that she'll push again to expand the state's Medicaid health coverage to another 150,000 people, and she supports legalizing marijuana for medical uses.

Despite a perception that both ideas are widely popular among Kansas residents, neither appears likely to pass this year.

Kelly pushed Medicaid expansion throughout her first term and could put together working majorities for it in both chambers, but Republicans in key positions blocked it. Both Masterson and new Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, are vocal foes, as are the chairs of the chambers' health committees.

As for medical marijuana, a measure&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-health-medical-marijuana-marijuana-7f059c07fd72dbec30180f0f50f6dc74">passed the House in 2021.</a>&nbsp;But it didn't get even a committee vote in the Senate, where top GOP leaders are wary of such a law leading to pot's legalization for recreational use.

By JOHN HANNA&nbsp;TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' recently reelected Democratic governor and Republican legislators are headed for a clash over how their financially flush state should cut taxes, and abortion opponents are wrestling with what ideas to pursue following last year's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-kansas-abortion-b6d62a852c2ce4617f2c03589fbb523e">decisive statewide vote</a>&nbsp;favoring abortion rights.Gov. Laura Kelly is scheduled to take the oath of office for her second four-year term in a ceremony at noon Monday. The Republican-controlled Legislature is set to convene in the afternoon for an annual session that's expected to last into early May.Both Kelly and leaders of the Republicans' supermajorities in both chambers are making tax cuts a top priority but differ on what taxes to cut.Besides abortion, almost a perennial issue for them, lawmakers expect to tackle education issues and water policy. Republicans also plan to pass another version of a bill to ban transgender athletes from girls' and women's college and K-12 sports, despite&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856">two past vetoes from Kelly.</a>Here is a look at key issues before Kansas lawmakers:VOTE SCRAMBLES NEARLY ANNUAL ABORTION DEBATEAbortion opponents are constrained by a Kansas Supreme Court ruling in 2019 that abortion access is a “fundamental” right under the state constitution. GOP lawmakers pushed to amend the constitution to say it doesn’t grant a right to abortion — allowing lawmakers to ban it — but voters rejected the proposed change in August.While key anti-abortion groups haven't announced their plans, GOP lawmakers have floated several ideas, including an increase in the state's minimal aid to anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers or a largely symbolic law telling doctors they must do everything they can to prevent newborns from dying, even following a botched abortion.Abortion opponents also are upset that abortion medications are becoming more accessible in Kansas. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently finalized a rule&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-medication-d5fc3d5990dced69b0bf93a4760250fe">allowing more pharmacies to dispense</a>&nbsp;the medications. In November a state court judge blocked enforcement of the state's requirement that doctors providing the medication be in the same room when patients take it,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-kansas-city-planned-parenthood-7bbd62399537dac61093864166f0e81e">allowing teleconferencing.</a>SURPLUS CASH PROMPTS NEW PUSH FOR TAX CUTSKansas garnered national attention for a 2012-13 slashing of income taxes and the persistent budget shortfalls that followed. But now, more than five years after lawmakers repealed most of the experiment, the state is headed toward ending June 2024 with $4.2 billion in surplus cash.Kelly last year pushed to eliminate the sales tax on groceries last year, but lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/19b2052b2eea5e1ea55ec1e5f23366ac">phased it out over three years,</a>&nbsp;so that it dropped to 4% from 6.5% at the start of this year and doesn't disappear until 2025. The Democratic governor wants to zero out the tax as of April, but many Republicans are resisting.Kelly also has proposed lower taxes on incomes in retirement, but many Republicans are more ambitious, with some wanting to eliminate it altogether.And Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said he'd like to see Kansas move to a “flat” income tax, with one rate for all individual and corporate filers, instead of three for individuals and two for corporations. He argues that the simpler tax system would boost Kansas economically.“I’m optimistic about a combination" that includes some version of what the governor has proposed, he said.GOVERNOR, REPUBLICANS LIKELY TO CLASH ON EDUCATIONConservative Republicans haven't given up on proposals that they believe will make public K-12 schools more transparent and give parents more choices about where to educate their kids, despite Kelly's veto last year of a “parental rights” measure. Critics, particularly Democratic lawmakers, see them as attacks on public schools.GOP lawmakers expect again to pursue proposals that would require schools to post more information about what's being taught online and to make it easier for parents to seek the removal of materials and books from classrooms and libraries that they find objectionable. It's part of a push by Republicans across the U.S. to limit what's taught about gender, sexuality and the role of racism in U.S. history and society.REPUBLICANS TO PURSUE ELECTION LAW CHANGESWhile voters across the U.S. last year rejected candidates promoting baseless election conspiracies, tightening up Kansas election laws remains a priority for many Republicans. They expect to pursue proposals to limit or eliminate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/voting-rights-elections-legislature-kansas-4d3fbe728cfd479ed3f29a7bba0f1cc4">ballot drop boxes</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-rights-business-donald-trump-legislature-02dd97563eebcef1db384cc737cbea00">end the state's three-day grace period</a>&nbsp;for mail ballots to arrive after an election.Meanwhile, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican who vouches for the integrity of Kansas elections and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-politics-donald-trump-arizona-9b675ed2223da37a90e5b53cfb6cf9b8">defeated an election conspiracy promoter</a>&nbsp;in last year's GOP primary, says he will have his own package of proposals to prevent voter intimidation and protect their privacy, though he hasn't made specific proposals public.MARIJUANA, MEDICAID MEASURES ARE LIKELY NON-STARTERSKelly promised throughout her successful reelection campaign that she'll push again to expand the state's Medicaid health coverage to another 150,000 people, and she supports legalizing marijuana for medical uses.Despite a perception that both ideas are widely popular among Kansas residents, neither appears likely to pass this year.Kelly pushed Medicaid expansion throughout her first term and could put together working majorities for it in both chambers, but Republicans in key positions blocked it. Both Masterson and new Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, are vocal foes, as are the chairs of the chambers' health committees.As for medical marijuana, a measure&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-health-medical-marijuana-marijuana-7f059c07fd72dbec30180f0f50f6dc74">passed the House in 2021.</a>&nbsp;But it didn't get even a committee vote in the Senate, where top GOP leaders are wary of such a law leading to pot's legalization for recreational use.

Kansas lawmakers expect clash over abortion, tax cuts 

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after an arrest.

Just after 10:30p.m. Friday, police arrested 44-year-old&nbsp;George N. Lewis of Atchison in the 500 block North 9th for fleeing and attempting to elude, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

He is also facing requested charges of driving while suspended, no insurance and reckless driving.&nbsp;

In August, Lewis spent time in custody on requested charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to online jail records. He has two previous convictions for burglary, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673273691206.png" alt="Lewis-photo Atchison County" />
 <figcaption>Lewis-photo Atchison County</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after an arrest.Just after 10:30p.m. Friday, police arrested 44-year-old&nbsp;George N. Lewis of Atchison in the 500 block North 9th for fleeing and attempting to elude, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.He is also facing requested charges of driving while suspended, no insurance and reckless driving.&nbsp;In August, Lewis spent time in custody on requested charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to online jail records. He has two previous convictions for burglary, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Kansas felon accused of attempting to flee from police

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a weekend homicide.Just before 9a.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to a shooting in the 1300 Block of SE Madison in Topeka, according to Lt. Donna Eubanks.First responders found one victim suffering from a gunshot wound. The victim was pronounced deceased at the scene. Police released no additional details and have not reported an arrest.

Police: One dead in weekend Kansas shooting 

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — President Joe Biden walked a muddy stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border and inspected a busy port of entry Sunday on his first trip to the region after two years in office, a visit shadowed by the fraught politics of immigration as Republicans try to blame him for the record numbers of migrants crossing into the country.

At his first stop, the president observed as border officers in El Paso demonstrated how they search vehicles for drugs, money and other contraband. Next, he traveled to a dusty street with abandoned buildings and a small playground. Near the street was a metal border fence that separated the U.S. city from Ciudad Juarez. Biden walked slowly along the border wall, initially joined by two Border Patrol agents.&nbsp;

Senator Jerry Moran announced Sunday evening that he will visit El Paso on Monday. He will join a bipartisan group of senators that will tour various points along the border.

In a sign of the deep tensions over immigration, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, handed Biden a letter upon his arrival in the state that said the “chaos” at the border was a “direct result” of the president's failure to enforce federal laws. Biden later took the letter out of his jacket pocket during his tour, telling reporters, “I haven't read it yet.”

Asked what he’s learned by seeing the border firsthand and speaking with the officers who work along it, Biden said: “They need a lot of resources. We’re going to get it for them.”

Immigration for years has been a serious point of conflict, exposing both the dysfunction of the U.S. system as well as the turmoil within migrants' home countries that has pushed many to flee. Administration officials have tried to counter Republican criticism by saying Congress should work with them to increase border security funding and overhaul immigration policy.

Biden was spending just a few hours in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.elpasotexas.gov/Migrant-Crisis">the city</a>, which is currently the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-el-paso-united-states-government-cuba-82701453fb018778c04255c1e2b10564">biggest corridor for illegal crossings</a>, in large part due to Nicaraguans fleeing repression, crime and poverty in their country. They are among migrants from four countries who are now subject to quick expulsion under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mexico-immigration-af0643a4fb8f45388fe247e44c9b2c5e">new rules enacted by the Biden administration</a>&nbsp;in the past week that drew strong criticism from immigration advocates.

The president also was to visit the El Paso County Migrant Services Center and meet with nonprofits and religious groups that support migrants arriving to the U.S. It was not clear whether he would talk to any migrants.

Biden's announcement on border security and his visit to the border are aimed in part at quelling the political noise and blunting the impact of upcoming investigations into immigration promised by House Republicans. But any enduring solution will require action by the sharply divided Congress, where multiple efforts to enact sweeping changes have failed in recent years.

From El Paso, Biden was to continue south to Mexico City, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-mexico-government-us-national-security-council-united-states-599d640834d079503c5dd568c312c19f">he and the leaders of Mexico and Canada will gather</a>&nbsp;on Monday and Tuesday for a North American leaders summit. Immigration is among the items on the agenda.

In El Paso, where migrants congregate at bus stops and in parks before traveling on, border patrol agents stepped up security before Biden's visit.

“I think they’re trying to send a message that they’re going to more consistently check people’s documented status, and if you have not been processed they are going to pick you up,” said Ruben Garcia of the Annunciation House aid group in El Paso.

Migrants and asylum-seekers fleeing violence and persecution have increasingly found that protections in the United States are available primarily to those with money or the savvy to find someone to vouch for them financially.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673215903534.png" alt="A large "Welcome to Mexico" sign hung over the Bridge of the Americas is visible as President Joe Biden tours the El Paso port of entry, Bridge of the Americas, a busy port of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border, in El Paso Texas, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)" />
 <figcaption>A large "Welcome to Mexico" sign hung over the Bridge of the Americas is visible as President Joe Biden tours the El Paso port of entry, Bridge of the Americas, a busy port of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border, in El Paso Texas, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)</figcaption>
 </figure>EL PASO, Texas (AP) — President Joe Biden walked a muddy stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border and inspected a busy port of entry Sunday on his first trip to the region after two years in office, a visit shadowed by the fraught politics of immigration as Republicans try to blame him for the record numbers of migrants crossing into the country.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden traveled to El Paso today to assess border enforcement operations and meet with local officials who have been important partners in managing the historic number of migrants feeling political oppression and violence in Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Cuba. <a href="https://t.co/PRvoemzdou">pic.twitter.com/PRvoemzdou</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1612276626900877312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>At his first stop, the president observed as border officers in El Paso demonstrated how they search vehicles for drugs, money and other contraband. Next, he traveled to a dusty street with abandoned buildings and a small playground. Near the street was a metal border fence that separated the U.S. city from Ciudad Juarez. Biden walked slowly along the border wall, initially joined by two Border Patrol agents.&nbsp;Senator Jerry Moran announced Sunday evening that he will visit El Paso on Monday. He will join a bipartisan group of senators that will tour various points along the border.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today, I met with President Biden during his first visit to the border. I hand-delivered a letter asking him to do his constitutional duty to secure our border and keep Texans — and Americans — safe. Full letter: <a href="https://t.co/04B6hYfKRJ">https://t.co/04B6hYfKRJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/bAHxCbBNJ8">pic.twitter.com/bAHxCbBNJ8</a>&mdash; Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovAbbott/status/1612176391289569280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In a sign of the deep tensions over immigration, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, handed Biden a letter upon his arrival in the state that said the “chaos” at the border was a “direct result” of the president's failure to enforce federal laws. Biden later took the letter out of his jacket pocket during his tour, telling reporters, “I haven't read it yet.”Asked what he’s learned by seeing the border firsthand and speaking with the officers who work along it, Biden said: “They need a lot of resources. We’re going to get it for them.”Immigration for years has been a serious point of conflict, exposing both the dysfunction of the U.S. system as well as the turmoil within migrants' home countries that has pushed many to flee. Administration officials have tried to counter Republican criticism by saying Congress should work with them to increase border security funding and overhaul immigration policy.Biden was spending just a few hours in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.elpasotexas.gov/Migrant-Crisis">the city</a>, which is currently the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-el-paso-united-states-government-cuba-82701453fb018778c04255c1e2b10564">biggest corridor for illegal crossings</a>, in large part due to Nicaraguans fleeing repression, crime and poverty in their country. They are among migrants from four countries who are now subject to quick expulsion under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-mexico-immigration-af0643a4fb8f45388fe247e44c9b2c5e">new rules enacted by the Biden administration</a>&nbsp;in the past week that drew strong criticism from immigration advocates.The president also was to visit the El Paso County Migrant Services Center and meet with nonprofits and religious groups that support migrants arriving to the U.S. It was not clear whether he would talk to any migrants.Biden's announcement on border security and his visit to the border are aimed in part at quelling the political noise and blunting the impact of upcoming investigations into immigration promised by House Republicans. But any enduring solution will require action by the sharply divided Congress, where multiple efforts to enact sweeping changes have failed in recent years.From El Paso, Biden was to continue south to Mexico City, where&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-mexico-government-us-national-security-council-united-states-599d640834d079503c5dd568c312c19f">he and the leaders of Mexico and Canada will gather</a>&nbsp;on Monday and Tuesday for a North American leaders summit. Immigration is among the items on the agenda.In El Paso, where migrants congregate at bus stops and in parks before traveling on, border patrol agents stepped up security before Biden's visit.“I think they’re trying to send a message that they’re going to more consistently check people’s documented status, and if you have not been processed they are going to pick you up,” said Ruben Garcia of the Annunciation House aid group in El Paso.Migrants and asylum-seekers fleeing violence and persecution have increasingly found that protections in the United States are available primarily to those with money or the savvy to find someone to vouch for them financially.Venezuelan migrant Jose Castillo, who said he traveled without family members for five months from his home on Margarita Island to arrive in El Paso on Dec. 29, said he hoped Biden “will take us into consideration as the human beings we are.”Castillo was among a group of about 30 migrants who gathered for prayers Sunday morning outside the Sacred Heart Catholic Church where many of the newcomers have been camping.“We have suffered a lot since entering the jungle of the Darien Gap and passing through Mexico. It has all been a battle, battle, battle,” he said. “I know that we are here illegally, but please give us a chance.”The numbers of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has risen dramatically during Biden’s first two years in office. There were more than 2.38 million stops during the year that ended Sept. 30, the first time the number topped 2 million. The administration has struggled to clamp down on crossings, reluctant to take hard-line measures that would resemble those of former President Donald Trump's administration.The policy changes announced this past week are Biden's biggest move yet to contain illegal border crossings and will turn away tens of thousands of migrants arriving at the border. At the same time, 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela will get the chance to come to the U.S. legally as long as they travel by plane, get a sponsor and pass background checks.The U.S. will also turn away migrants who do not seek asylum first in a country they traveled through en route to the U.S. Migrants are being asked to complete a form on a phone app so that they they can go to a port of entry at a pre-scheduled date and time.Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters aboard Air Force One that the administration is trying to “incentivize a safe and orderly way and cut out the smuggling organizations,” saying the policies are “not a ban at all" but an attempt to protect migrants from the trauma that smuggling can create.The changes were welcomed by some, particularly leaders in cities where migrants have been massing. But Biden was excoriated by immigrant advocate groups, which accused him of taking measures modeled after those of the former president. Administration officials disputed that characterization.For all of his international travel over his 50 years in public service, Biden has not spent much time at the U.S.-Mexico border.The only visit that the White House could point to was Biden's drive by the border while he was campaigning for president in 2008. He sent&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-immigration-2c5747617f9c60b2b3be4ce99895a0b8">Vice President Kamala Harris to El Paso in 2021</a>, but she was criticized for largely bypassing the action, because El Paso wasn't the center of crossings that it is now.<a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2011/05/10/remarks-president-comprehensive-immigration-reform-el-paso-texas">President Barack Obama made a 2011 trip to El Paso</a>, where he toured border operations and the Paso Del Norte international bridge, but he was later criticized for not going back as tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors crossed into the U.S. from Mexico.Trump, who made hardening immigration a signature issue, traveled to the border several times. During one visit, he crammed into a small border station to inspect cash and drugs confiscated by agents.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-north-america-donald-trump-ap-top-news-politics-19bec277a1ac48fda6aeab0bd9c950e0">During a trip to McAllen, Texas</a>, then the center of a growing crisis, he made one of his most-often repeated claims, that Mexico would pay to build a border wall.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-football-politics-immigration-850cf00b403e230809f9d07e2a0a9c7d">American taxpayers</a>&nbsp;ended up footing the bill after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/28e60e866f6d32cdadedd126e292eba7">Mexican leaders flatly rejected the idea.</a>------------