KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization of reservists in Russia on Wednesday, risking a deeply unpopular step that follows a string of humiliating setbacks for his troops nearly seven months after invading Ukraine.

It’s the first mobilization in Russia since World War II and is sure to further fuel tensions with the Western backers of Ukraine, who derided the move as an act of weakness. The move also sent Russians scrambling to buy plane tickets out of the country.

The Russian leader, in a seven-minute televised address to the nation aired on Wednesday morning, also warned the West that he isn't bluffing over using all the means at his disposal to protect Russia's territory, in what appeared to be a veiled reference to Russia’s nuclear capability. Putin has previously warned the West not to back Russia against the wall and has rebuked NATO countries for supplying weapons to help Ukraine.

The total number of reservists to be called up could be as high as 300,000, officials said.

Even a partial mobilization is likely to increase dismay, or sow doubt, among Russians about the war in Ukraine. Shortly after Putin’s address, Russian media reported a sharp spike in demand for plane tickets abroad amid an apparent scramble to leave despite exorbitant prices for flights.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who was asked what had changed since he and others previously said no mobilization was planned, argued that Russia is effectively fighting against a combined potential of NATO because the alliance’s members have been supplying weapons to Kyiv.

Only those with relevant combat and service experience will be mobilized, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. He added that there are around 25 million people who fit this criteria, but only around 1% of them will be mobilized.

Another clause in the decree prevents most professional soldiers from terminating their contracts and leaving service until the partial mobilization is no longer in place.

Putin's announcement came against the backdrop of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-general-assembly-russia-ukraine-putin-biden-health-5596bb7d07051a8edb776faa63311f82">U.N. General Assembly</a>&nbsp;in New York, where Moscow's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 has been the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-general-assembly-russia-ukraine-biden-taiwan-4aef4aa948a199b310efd457be7e3036">target of broad international criticism</a>&nbsp;that has kept up intense diplomatic pressure on Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky is due to address the gathering in a prerecorded address on Wednesday. Putin didn't travel to New York.

Putin's gambit has a strong element of risk — it could backfire, by making the Ukraine war unpopular at home and hurting his own standing, and it exposes Russia's underlying military shortcomings.

A Ukraine counteroffensive launched this month has snatched the military initiative away from Russia, as well as capturing large areas the Russians once held. The swiftness of the counteroffensive saw Russian forces abandon armored vehicles and other weapons as they beat hasty retreats.

A spokesman for Zelenskyy called the mobilization a “big tragedy” for the Russian people.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Sergii Nikiforov said conscripts sent to the front line in Ukraine would face a similar fate as ill-prepared Russian forces who were repelled in an attack on Kyiv in the first days of the invasion last February.

“This is a recognition of the incapacity of the Russian professional army, which has failed in all its tasks,” Nikiforov said.

The mobilization is unlikely to bring any consequences on the battlefield for months because of a lack of training facilities and equipment.

The U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, tweeted that the mobilization is a sign "of weakness, of Russian failure.”

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace echoed that assessment, describing Putin's move as “an admission that his invasion is failing.”

Russian political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin said Putin’s announcement smacked of “an act of desperation.” He predicted that Russians will resist the mobilization through “passive sabotage.”

“People will evade this mobilization in every possible way, bribe their way out of this mobilization, leave the country,” Oreshkin told the AP in an interview Wednesday.

The announcement won’t go down well with the general public, Oreshkin said, describing it as “a huge personal blow to Russian citizens, who until recently (took part in the hostilities) with pleasure, sitting on their couches, (watching) TV. And now the war has come into their home.”

The head of the Duma defense committee, Andrei Kartapolov, said there would be no additional restrictions on reservists leaving Russia based on this mobilization, according to Russian media reports. Kartapolov said he wanted to “calm” people about the mobilization.

The partial mobilization order came a day after Russian-controlled regions in eastern and southern Ukraine announced plans to hold votes on becoming integral parts of Russia — a move that could set the stage for Moscow to escalate the war following Ukrainian successes.

The referendums, which have been expected to take place since the first months of the war, will start Friday in the Luhansk, Kherson and partly Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.

The ballots are all but certain to go Moscow’s way.

The war, which has killed thousands of people, has driven up food prices worldwide and caused energy costs to soar. It has also brought fears of a potential nuclear catastrophe at Europe’s largest nuclear plant in Ukraine’s now Russia-occupied southeast.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-european-union-international-criminal-court-government-and-politics-8f11ae4601f12db2bfacd01806de17c3">Investigations are also underway</a>&nbsp;into possible atrocities committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.

In his address, which was far shorter than previous speeches about the Ukraine war, Putin accused the West of engaging in “nuclear blackmail” and noted “statements of some high-ranking representatives of the leading NATO states about the possibility of using nuclear weapons of mass destruction against Russia.”

He didn't identify who had made such comments.

“To those who allow themselves such statements regarding Russia, I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for separate components and more modern than those of NATO countries and when the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal,” Putin said.

Foreign leaders have described the ballots as illegitimate and nonbinding. Zelenskyy said they were a “sham” and “noise” to distract public attention.

Putin said he has already signed the decree for partial mobilization, which is due to start on Wednesday. A full-scale mobilization would likely be unpopular in Russia and could further dent Putin's standing after the recent military setbacks in Ukraine.

“We are talking about partial mobilization, that is, only citizens who are currently in the reserve will be subject to conscription, and above all, those who served in the armed forces have a certain military specialty and relevant experience,” Putin said.

Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, also said that 5,937 Russian soldiers have died in the Ukraine conflict, far lower than Western estimates that Russia has lost tens of thousands.

The Vesna opposition movement called for nationwide protests on Wednesday, saying “Thousands of Russian men -- our fathers, brothers and husbands -- will be thrown into the meat grinder of the war. What will they be dying for? What will mothers and children be crying for?"

It was unclear how many would dare to protest amid Russia's overall suppression of opposition and harsh laws against discrediting soldiers and the military operation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663760963726.jpeg" alt="Image from a video released by the Russian Presidential Press Service, Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022. (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP)" />
 <figcaption>Image from a video released by the Russian Presidential Press Service, Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022. (Russian Presidential Press Service via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization of reservists in Russia on Wednesday, risking a deeply unpopular step that follows a string of humiliating setbacks for his troops nearly seven months after invading Ukraine.It’s the first mobilization in Russia since World War II and is sure to further fuel tensions with the Western backers of Ukraine, who derided the move as an act of weakness. The move also sent Russians scrambling to buy plane tickets out of the country.The Russian leader, in a seven-minute televised address to the nation aired on Wednesday morning, also warned the West that he isn't bluffing over using all the means at his disposal to protect Russia's territory, in what appeared to be a veiled reference to Russia’s nuclear capability. Putin has previously warned the West not to back Russia against the wall and has rebuked NATO countries for supplying weapons to help Ukraine.The total number of reservists to be called up could be as high as 300,000, officials said.Even a partial mobilization is likely to increase dismay, or sow doubt, among Russians about the war in Ukraine. Shortly after Putin’s address, Russian media reported a sharp spike in demand for plane tickets abroad amid an apparent scramble to leave despite exorbitant prices for flights.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who was asked what had changed since he and others previously said no mobilization was planned, argued that Russia is effectively fighting against a combined potential of NATO because the alliance’s members have been supplying weapons to Kyiv.Only those with relevant combat and service experience will be mobilized, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said. He added that there are around 25 million people who fit this criteria, but only around 1% of them will be mobilized.Another clause in the decree prevents most professional soldiers from terminating their contracts and leaving service until the partial mobilization is no longer in place.Putin's announcement came against the backdrop of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-general-assembly-russia-ukraine-putin-biden-health-5596bb7d07051a8edb776faa63311f82">U.N. General Assembly</a>&nbsp;in New York, where Moscow's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 has been the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-nations-general-assembly-russia-ukraine-biden-taiwan-4aef4aa948a199b310efd457be7e3036">target of broad international criticism</a>&nbsp;that has kept up intense diplomatic pressure on Moscow.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky is due to address the gathering in a prerecorded address on Wednesday. Putin didn't travel to New York.Putin's gambit has a strong element of risk — it could backfire, by making the Ukraine war unpopular at home and hurting his own standing, and it exposes Russia's underlying military shortcomings.A Ukraine counteroffensive launched this month has snatched the military initiative away from Russia, as well as capturing large areas the Russians once held. The swiftness of the counteroffensive saw Russian forces abandon armored vehicles and other weapons as they beat hasty retreats.A spokesman for Zelenskyy called the mobilization a “big tragedy” for the Russian people.In a statement to The Associated Press, Sergii Nikiforov said conscripts sent to the front line in Ukraine would face a similar fate as ill-prepared Russian forces who were repelled in an attack on Kyiv in the first days of the invasion last February.“This is a recognition of the incapacity of the Russian professional army, which has failed in all its tasks,” Nikiforov said.The mobilization is unlikely to bring any consequences on the battlefield for months because of a lack of training facilities and equipment.The U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, tweeted that the mobilization is a sign "of weakness, of Russian failure.”British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace echoed that assessment, describing Putin's move as “an admission that his invasion is failing.”Russian political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin said Putin’s announcement smacked of “an act of desperation.” He predicted that Russians will resist the mobilization through “passive sabotage.”“People will evade this mobilization in every possible way, bribe their way out of this mobilization, leave the country,” Oreshkin told the AP in an interview Wednesday.The announcement won’t go down well with the general public, Oreshkin said, describing it as “a huge personal blow to Russian citizens, who until recently (took part in the hostilities) with pleasure, sitting on their couches, (watching) TV. And now the war has come into their home.”The head of the Duma defense committee, Andrei Kartapolov, said there would be no additional restrictions on reservists leaving Russia based on this mobilization, according to Russian media reports. Kartapolov said he wanted to “calm” people about the mobilization.The partial mobilization order came a day after Russian-controlled regions in eastern and southern Ukraine announced plans to hold votes on becoming integral parts of Russia — a move that could set the stage for Moscow to escalate the war following Ukrainian successes.The referendums, which have been expected to take place since the first months of the war, will start Friday in the Luhansk, Kherson and partly Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.The ballots are all but certain to go Moscow’s way.The war, which has killed thousands of people, has driven up food prices worldwide and caused energy costs to soar. It has also brought fears of a potential nuclear catastrophe at Europe’s largest nuclear plant in Ukraine’s now Russia-occupied southeast.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-european-union-international-criminal-court-government-and-politics-8f11ae4601f12db2bfacd01806de17c3">Investigations are also underway</a>&nbsp;into possible atrocities committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.In his address, which was far shorter than previous speeches about the Ukraine war, Putin accused the West of engaging in “nuclear blackmail” and noted “statements of some high-ranking representatives of the leading NATO states about the possibility of using nuclear weapons of mass destruction against Russia.”He didn't identify who had made such comments.“To those who allow themselves such statements regarding Russia, I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for separate components and more modern than those of NATO countries and when the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal,” Putin said.He added: “It’s not a bluff.”Foreign leaders have described the ballots as illegitimate and nonbinding. Zelenskyy said they were a “sham” and “noise” to distract public attention.Putin said he has already signed the decree for partial mobilization, which is due to start on Wednesday. A full-scale mobilization would likely be unpopular in Russia and could further dent Putin's standing after the recent military setbacks in Ukraine.“We are talking about partial mobilization, that is, only citizens who are currently in the reserve will be subject to conscription, and above all, those who served in the armed forces have a certain military specialty and relevant experience,” Putin said.Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, also said that 5,937 Russian soldiers have died in the Ukraine conflict, far lower than Western estimates that Russia has lost tens of thousands.The Vesna opposition movement called for nationwide protests on Wednesday, saying “Thousands of Russian men -- our fathers, brothers and husbands -- will be thrown into the meat grinder of the war. What will they be dying for? What will mothers and children be crying for?"It was unclear how many would dare to protest amid Russia's overall suppression of opposition and harsh laws against discrediting soldiers and the military operation.

Putin calls up more troops, says he won’t ‘bluff’ on nukes

WASHINGTON —On Tuesday, the White House released state-by-state data on how the Biden Administration’s plan for student debt relief will benefit borrowers in all fifty states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, according to a statement from the White House.

In Kansas and Nebraska, almost 400,000 student loan recipients qualify for some form of loan forgiveness and over 777,000 qualify in Missouri.

<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/09/20/fact-sheet-the-biden-harris-administrations-plan-for-student-debt-relief-could-benefit-tens-of-millions-of-borrowers-in-all-fifty-states/">Click here to see the</a> breakdown

 Last month, President Biden announced his Administration’s plan to give working and middle-class Americans more breathing room by providing up to $20,000 in debt relief to Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 to other borrowers. The Biden-Harris Administration expects that over 40 million borrowers are eligible for its student debt relief plan, and nearly 20 million borrowers could see their entire remaining balance discharged.

The student debt relief plan will help borrowers and families continue to recover from the pandemic and prepare to resume student loan payments in January 2023. Nearly 90% of relief dollars will go to those earning less than $75,000 per year – and no relief will go to any individual or household in the top 5% of incomes in the United States. By targeting relief to borrowers with the highest economic need, the Administration’s actions are also likely to help narrow the racial wealth gap. Nearly 71% of Black undergraduate borrowers are Pell Grant recipients, and 65% of Latino undergraduate borrowers are Pell Grant recipients.

The below analysis from the Department of Education includes state-by-state data on the estimated number of individuals eligible for student debt relief, and the estimated number of Pell Grant borrowers eligible for up to $20,000 of relief within each state. In the coming weeks, the Department of Education will release additional details on how individuals across the country can benefit from the Administration’s student debt relief plan. For more information, visit&nbsp;<a>StudentAid.gov/debtrelief</a>.

WASHINGTON —On Tuesday, the White House released state-by-state data on how the Biden Administration’s plan for student debt relief will benefit borrowers in all fifty states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, according to a statement from the White House.In Kansas and Nebraska, almost 400,000 student loan recipients qualify for some form of loan forgiveness and over 777,000 qualify in Missouri.<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/09/20/fact-sheet-the-biden-harris-administrations-plan-for-student-debt-relief-could-benefit-tens-of-millions-of-borrowers-in-all-fifty-states/">Click here to see the</a> breakdown Last month, President Biden announced his Administration’s plan to give working and middle-class Americans more breathing room by providing up to $20,000 in debt relief to Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 to other borrowers. The Biden-Harris Administration expects that over 40 million borrowers are eligible for its student debt relief plan, and nearly 20 million borrowers could see their entire remaining balance discharged.The student debt relief plan will help borrowers and families continue to recover from the pandemic and prepare to resume student loan payments in January 2023. Nearly 90% of relief dollars will go to those earning less than $75,000 per year – and no relief will go to any individual or household in the top 5% of incomes in the United States. By targeting relief to borrowers with the highest economic need, the Administration’s actions are also likely to help narrow the racial wealth gap. Nearly 71% of Black undergraduate borrowers are Pell Grant recipients, and 65% of Latino undergraduate borrowers are Pell Grant recipients.The below analysis from the Department of Education includes state-by-state data on the estimated number of individuals eligible for student debt relief, and the estimated number of Pell Grant borrowers eligible for up to $20,000 of relief within each state. In the coming weeks, the Department of Education will release additional details on how individuals across the country can benefit from the Administration’s student debt relief plan. For more information, visit&nbsp;<a>StudentAid.gov/debtrelief</a>.

White House: Thousands in Kan. eligible for student debt forgiveness

ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities have filed new charges against a Kansas felon who absconded in August, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

Just after 1a.m. August 19, police officers responded to the area of the 400 block North 9th in Atchison to investigate a report of shots fired, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

Officers determined that multiple shots had been fired and although there were no injuries to anyone, four vehicles became a focus of police.&nbsp;

Two were parked vehicles that were struck by gunfire and two vehicles that were occupied. The investigation that followed has led to charges being filed in District Court against 21-year-old Keldon M. Reynolds of Atchison.

Reynolds is currently being held in the Lyon County Jail on unrelated charges. He&nbsp; is now charged in Atchison County District Court with criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle, criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and two counts of criminal damage to property.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663710208498.png" alt="Reynolds-photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections" />
 <figcaption>Reynolds-photo Kansas Dept. of Corrections</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities have filed new charges against a Kansas felon who absconded in August, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.Just after 1a.m. August 19, police officers responded to the area of the 400 block North 9th in Atchison to investigate a report of shots fired, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.Officers determined that multiple shots had been fired and although there were no injuries to anyone, four vehicles became a focus of police.&nbsp;<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KedKSrclC_w" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Two were parked vehicles that were struck by gunfire and two vehicles that were occupied. The investigation that followed has led to charges being filed in District Court against 21-year-old Keldon M. Reynolds of Atchison.Reynolds is currently being held in the Lyon County Jail on unrelated charges. He&nbsp; is now charged in Atchison County District Court with criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle, criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and two counts of criminal damage to property.

Charges filed against wanted Kan. felon for firing gun at vehicles

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service recently issued <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-wd/202237010.pdf">guidance addressing improper forgiveness of a Paycheck Protection Program loan (PPP loan)</a>PDF.

The guidance confirms that, when a taxpayer's loan is forgiven based 
upon misrepresentations or omissions, the taxpayer is not eligible to 
exclude the forgiveness from income and must include in income the 
portion of the loan proceeds that were forgiven based upon 
misrepresentations or omissions. Taxpayers who inappropriately received 
forgiveness of their PPP loans are encouraged to take steps to come into
 compliance by, for example, filing amended returns that include 
forgiven loan proceed amounts in income.

"This action underscores the Internal Revenue Service's commitment to
 ensuring that all taxpayers are paying their fair share of taxes," said
 IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "We want to make sure that those who are
 abusing such programs are held accountable, and we will be considering 
all available treatment and penalty streams to address the abuses."

Many PPP loan recipients who received loan forgiveness were qualified
 and used the loan proceeds properly to pay eligible expenses. However, 
the IRS has discovered that some recipients who received loan 
forgiveness did not meet one or more eligibility conditions. These 
recipients received forgiveness of their PPP loan through 
misrepresentation or omission and either did not qualify to receive a 
PPP loan or misused the loan proceeds.

The PPP loan program was established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief 
and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) to assist small US businesses that
 were adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in paying certain 
expenses. The PPP loan program was further extended by the Economic Aid 
to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act.

Under the terms of the PPP loan program, lenders can forgive the full
 amount of the loan if the loan recipient meets three conditions.

If the 3 conditions above are met, then under the PPP loan 
program the forgiven portion is excluded from income. If the conditions 
are not met, then the amount of the loan proceeds that were forgiven but
 do not meet the conditions must be included in income and any 
additional income tax must be paid.

To report tax-related illegal activities relating to PPP loans, submit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f3949a.pdf">Form 3949-A, Information Referral</a>PDF. You should also report instances of&nbsp;IRS-related phishing attempts and fraud to the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ustreas.gov/tigta">Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration</a>&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="tel:800-366-4484">800-366-4484</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRS\WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service recently issued <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-wd/202237010.pdf">guidance addressing improper forgiveness of a Paycheck Protection Program loan (PPP loan)</a>PDF.The guidance confirms that, when a taxpayer's loan is forgiven based 
upon misrepresentations or omissions, the taxpayer is not eligible to 
exclude the forgiveness from income and must include in income the 
portion of the loan proceeds that were forgiven based upon 
misrepresentations or omissions. Taxpayers who inappropriately received 
forgiveness of their PPP loans are encouraged to take steps to come into
 compliance by, for example, filing amended returns that include 
forgiven loan proceed amounts in income."This action underscores the Internal Revenue Service's commitment to
 ensuring that all taxpayers are paying their fair share of taxes," said
 IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig. "We want to make sure that those who are
 abusing such programs are held accountable, and we will be considering 
all available treatment and penalty streams to address the abuses."Many PPP loan recipients who received loan forgiveness were qualified
 and used the loan proceeds properly to pay eligible expenses. However, 
the IRS has discovered that some recipients who received loan 
forgiveness did not meet one or more eligibility conditions. These 
recipients received forgiveness of their PPP loan through 
misrepresentation or omission and either did not qualify to receive a 
PPP loan or misused the loan proceeds.The PPP loan program was established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief 
and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) to assist small US businesses that
 were adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in paying certain 
expenses. The PPP loan program was further extended by the Economic Aid 
to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act.Under the terms of the PPP loan program, lenders can forgive the full
 amount of the loan if the loan recipient meets three conditions.<ol>
 <li>The loan recipient was eligible to receive the PPP loan. An eligible loan recipient:
	• is a small business concern, independent contractor, eligible 
self-employed individual, sole proprietor, business concern, or a 
certain type of tax-exempt entity;&nbsp;• was in business on or before February 15, 2020; and• had employees or independent contractors who were paid for their 
services, or was a self-employed individual, sole proprietor or 
independent contractor. 
		&nbsp;</li><li>is a small business concern, independent contractor, eligible 
self-employed individual, sole proprietor, business concern, or a 
certain type of tax-exempt entity;&nbsp;</li><li>was in business on or before February 15, 2020; and</li><li>had employees or independent contractors who were paid for their 
services, or was a self-employed individual, sole proprietor or 
independent contractor. 
		&nbsp;</li><li>The loan proceeds had to be used to pay eligible expenses, such as 
payroll costs, rent, interest on the business' mortgage, and utilities. 
	&nbsp;</li><li>The loan recipient had to apply for loan forgiveness. The loan 
forgiveness application required a loan recipient to attest to 
eligibility, verify certain financial information, and meet other legal 
qualifications.</li>
 </ol>If the 3 conditions above are met, then under the PPP loan 
program the forgiven portion is excluded from income. If the conditions 
are not met, then the amount of the loan proceeds that were forgiven but
 do not meet the conditions must be included in income and any 
additional income tax must be paid.To report tax-related illegal activities relating to PPP loans, submit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f3949a.pdf">Form 3949-A, Information Referral</a>PDF. You should also report instances of&nbsp;IRS-related phishing attempts and fraud to the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ustreas.gov/tigta">Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration</a>&nbsp;at&nbsp;<a href="tel:800-366-4484">800-366-4484</a>

IRS: Improperly forgiven Paycheck Protection loans are taxable

KANSAS CITY (AP) —A federal judge on Tuesday threw out three of four convictions against a Kansas researcher accused of illegally concealing work he was doing at a Chinese university while working at the University of Kansas, leaving only a conviction for making a false statement on a form.

A jury&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-education-kansas-lawrence-university-of-kansas-cbbbb2cce47f22631a676e4e21a04beb">convicted</a>&nbsp;researcher Feng “Franklin” Tao in April on three counts of wire fraud and one count of false statements. He was accused of not disclosing that he was working for Fuzhou University in China while employed at the Kansas university.

However, U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson ruled that federal prosecutors did not provide sufficient evidence to support the wire fraud convictions. She upheld the making a false statement conviction and denied Tao's request for a new trial on that count.

Tao's attorney, Peter Zeidenberg, said in a statement that the defense team was gratified that Robinson found Tao did not intend to defraud Kansas or the federal government, and that Tao was "an outstanding researcher and award-winning professor" at Kansas.

“This will hopefully drive a final stake through the heart of these China Initiative cases, where the government has claimed that the failure to disclose a relationship to China constitutes federal grant fraud even when the researcher has completed all of the work on the grant to the government’s complete satisfaction,” Zeidenberg wrote.

The U.S. Attorney's office in Kansas said Tuesday it would have no comment on Robinson's ruling.

Zeidenberg said the defense team is considering its next steps related to the filing a false statement conviction, which carries a possible sentence of up to five years.

Federal prosecutors&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-china-education-kansas-city-kansas-8aae3094feceb89063daed39625925f4">argued during the trial</a>&nbsp;that Tao concealed his work in China to defraud the University of Kansas, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. The federal agencies had awarded Tao grants for research projects at Kansas.

Defense attorneys argued that Tao was merely “moonlighting.” They said Tao completed all the research he received grants to conduct in Kansas and that his work in China wasn’t illegal because he wasn’t paid for it.

Robinson said Tao was deceptive in not disclosing his activities at Fuzhou University but there was no evidence Tao received money or property for the work, which is required for a wire fraud conviction.

“During the time period of the alleged scheme to defraud, Tao continued to rightfully receive his salary from KU for his services and continued to successfully perform the research required by DOE and NSF under their research grants,” Robinson wrote.

She said Tao did make a false statement to Kansas on a conflict of interest statement he submitted to the university in 2018.

The case against Tao was part of the U.S. Justice Department's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-china-asia-pacific-u-s-news-espionage-15bb5a431f8bdcdde54c3988b48607d4">China Initiative,</a>&nbsp;a program started in 2018 to crack down on efforts to transfer original ideas and intellectual property from U.S. universities to Chinese government institutions. The department ended the program in February amid public criticism and several failed prosecutions.

Tao did not disclose on conflict of interest forms that he was named to a Chinese talent program, the Changjiang Professorship. As part of that program he traveled to China to set up a laboratory and recruit staff for Fuzhou University, while telling Kansas officials that he was in Germany.

Zeidenberg noted during the trial that Tao listed his affiliation with both schools in some papers, suggesting he wasn’t hiding it. He also noted that the university honored Tao for his research efforts in April 2019,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c504c8ccc0194ad190b1abf25a64e943">just months before his arrest</a>.

Tao was born in China and moved to the U.S. in 2002. He began working in August 2014 as a tenured associate professor at the University of Kansas’ Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, which conducts research on sustainable technology to conserve natural resources and energy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574105486339.png" alt="Feng “Franklin” Tao -photo University of Kansas" />
 <figcaption>Feng “Franklin” Tao -photo University of Kansas</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —A federal judge on Tuesday threw out three of four convictions against a Kansas researcher accused of illegally concealing work he was doing at a Chinese university while working at the University of Kansas, leaving only a conviction for making a false statement on a form.A jury&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/china-education-kansas-lawrence-university-of-kansas-cbbbb2cce47f22631a676e4e21a04beb">convicted</a>&nbsp;researcher Feng “Franklin” Tao in April on three counts of wire fraud and one count of false statements. He was accused of not disclosing that he was working for Fuzhou University in China while employed at the Kansas university.However, U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson ruled that federal prosecutors did not provide sufficient evidence to support the wire fraud convictions. She upheld the making a false statement conviction and denied Tao's request for a new trial on that count.Tao's attorney, Peter Zeidenberg, said in a statement that the defense team was gratified that Robinson found Tao did not intend to defraud Kansas or the federal government, and that Tao was "an outstanding researcher and award-winning professor" at Kansas.“This will hopefully drive a final stake through the heart of these China Initiative cases, where the government has claimed that the failure to disclose a relationship to China constitutes federal grant fraud even when the researcher has completed all of the work on the grant to the government’s complete satisfaction,” Zeidenberg wrote.The U.S. Attorney's office in Kansas said Tuesday it would have no comment on Robinson's ruling.Zeidenberg said the defense team is considering its next steps related to the filing a false statement conviction, which carries a possible sentence of up to five years.Federal prosecutors&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/science-china-education-kansas-city-kansas-8aae3094feceb89063daed39625925f4">argued during the trial</a>&nbsp;that Tao concealed his work in China to defraud the University of Kansas, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. The federal agencies had awarded Tao grants for research projects at Kansas.Defense attorneys argued that Tao was merely “moonlighting.” They said Tao completed all the research he received grants to conduct in Kansas and that his work in China wasn’t illegal because he wasn’t paid for it.Robinson said Tao was deceptive in not disclosing his activities at Fuzhou University but there was no evidence Tao received money or property for the work, which is required for a wire fraud conviction.“During the time period of the alleged scheme to defraud, Tao continued to rightfully receive his salary from KU for his services and continued to successfully perform the research required by DOE and NSF under their research grants,” Robinson wrote.She said Tao did make a false statement to Kansas on a conflict of interest statement he submitted to the university in 2018.The case against Tao was part of the U.S. Justice Department's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-china-asia-pacific-u-s-news-espionage-15bb5a431f8bdcdde54c3988b48607d4">China Initiative,</a>&nbsp;a program started in 2018 to crack down on efforts to transfer original ideas and intellectual property from U.S. universities to Chinese government institutions. The department ended the program in February amid public criticism and several failed prosecutions.Tao did not disclose on conflict of interest forms that he was named to a Chinese talent program, the Changjiang Professorship. As part of that program he traveled to China to set up a laboratory and recruit staff for Fuzhou University, while telling Kansas officials that he was in Germany.Zeidenberg noted during the trial that Tao listed his affiliation with both schools in some papers, suggesting he wasn’t hiding it. He also noted that the university honored Tao for his research efforts in April 2019,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/c504c8ccc0194ad190b1abf25a64e943">just months before his arrest</a>.Tao was born in China and moved to the U.S. in 2002. He began working in August 2014 as a tenured associate professor at the University of Kansas’ Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, which conducts research on sustainable technology to conserve natural resources and energy.

Judge tosses 3 of 4 convictions against KU researcher 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A state law enforcement oversight board reprimanded a Kansas sheriff's deputy who used his Taser on a 12-year-old boy with autism while the boy was handcuffed and hogtied in the deputy's vehicle.

However, the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training chose not to revoke the law enforcement certification for former Jackson County deputy Matthew Honas despite finding that he used excessive force against the boy.

Honas was terminated from the Jackson County Sheriff's department in March, The Topeka Capital-Journal&nbsp;reported.

The standards commission said on Feb. 23 Honas tied up the boy, who had run away from foster care, in a way that threatened his ability to breathe properly.

Honas was not wearing a body camera but the encounter was captured on his in-car camera. Honas knew the boy, identified as L.H., was autistic and had struggled with him during a previous encounter, the commission said.

Honas “struggled with, shoved, elbowed, applied pressure points, carried, pulled, ‘hog-tied’ and ultimately tased L.H.,” the commission said.

The commission said Honas used the Taser on the boy without warning as he was sitting in the patrol vehicle with his feet outside the vehicle. At the time, L.H. was handcuffed behind his back, with the handcuffs connected to shackles on his ankles.

Among other things, Honas also refused help from other available officers, did not call a transport van, used profanity and threatened to use his Taser on the boy again, the commission said.

Michelle Meier, the commission's legal counsel, said Monday she couldn’t comment on specific actions taken by the commission.

The Capital-Journal filed an open records request for the video from the in-car camera, but it was rejected by Jackson County counselor Lee Hendricks on Monday.

Hendricks said the state's Open Records Act allows criminal investigation records to be kept secret. He didn’t say which agency was investigating Honas.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A state law enforcement oversight board reprimanded a Kansas sheriff's deputy who used his Taser on a 12-year-old boy with autism while the boy was handcuffed and hogtied in the deputy's vehicle.However, the Kansas Commission on Peace Officers’ Standards and Training chose not to revoke the law enforcement certification for former Jackson County deputy Matthew Honas despite finding that he used excessive force against the boy.Honas was terminated from the Jackson County Sheriff's department in March, The Topeka Capital-Journal&nbsp;reported.The standards commission said on Feb. 23 Honas tied up the boy, who had run away from foster care, in a way that threatened his ability to breathe properly.Honas was not wearing a body camera but the encounter was captured on his in-car camera. Honas knew the boy, identified as L.H., was autistic and had struggled with him during a previous encounter, the commission said.Honas “struggled with, shoved, elbowed, applied pressure points, carried, pulled, ‘hog-tied’ and ultimately tased L.H.,” the commission said.The commission said Honas used the Taser on the boy without warning as he was sitting in the patrol vehicle with his feet outside the vehicle. At the time, L.H. was handcuffed behind his back, with the handcuffs connected to shackles on his ankles.Among other things, Honas also refused help from other available officers, did not call a transport van, used profanity and threatened to use his Taser on the boy again, the commission said.Michelle Meier, the commission's legal counsel, said Monday she couldn’t comment on specific actions taken by the commission.The Capital-Journal filed an open records request for the video from the in-car camera, but it was rejected by Jackson County counselor Lee Hendricks on Monday.Hendricks said the state's Open Records Act allows criminal investigation records to be kept secret. He didn’t say which agency was investigating Honas.

Officials: Kansas deputy used Taser on child with autism

SEDGWICK COUNTY —&nbsp; A registered Kansas sex offender has been sentenced to over 47 years in prison for raping a 15-year-old girl&nbsp;who was walking home from a Wichita grocery store, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

In August, a jury found Anthony Craig Seymour, 61, Wichita, guilty of rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated robbery.&nbsp;

In November 0f 2019, police responded to a 911 call of an abduction in the 300 Block of North Volutsia in Wichita, according to Wichita Police Captain Brett Allred.

Upon arrival, police searched the area and located a 2005 Lexus driven by a suspect later identified as Anthony Seymour leaving the area. They also observed a 15-year-old girl exit the vehicle while it was moving slowly and run toward the officers.&nbsp;Seymour fled in the car. Police initially were not able to locate it.

Investigators learned that while the girl was walking home, Seymour approached, held a knife to her, forced her into the Lexus and sexually assaulted her, according to Allred.

Through continued investigation, police located the victim’s phone in a parking lot and were able to obtain video in the area and a tag number on the car.

Police located the vehicle and Seymour in the 1900 Block of North Lorraine. He was arrested without incident and booked on requested charges of kidnapping, rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated battery and a Kansas Department of Corrections arrest and detain order, according to Allred.

“The victim is very brave,” said Allred. “She saw police and took action to get out of the car, run to the officers and explain what had happened.”&nbsp;She had been on her way to Dillons and had seen the suspect and thought he was acting suspiciously. On the way home, the suspect approached her a second time and forced her in the vehicle, according to Allred.

EMS transported the girl to a local hospital for treatment.

Seymour had been on parole since May of 2018 after a 2004 conviction for rape, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. Seymour is scheduled for sentencing on September 19, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663605766401.png" alt="Seymour-photo Kansas sex offender registry" />
 <figcaption>Seymour-photo Kansas sex offender registry</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —&nbsp; A registered Kansas sex offender has been sentenced to over 47 years in prison for raping a 15-year-old girl&nbsp;who was walking home from a Wichita grocery store, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.In August, a jury found Anthony Craig Seymour, 61, Wichita, guilty of rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated robbery.&nbsp;In November 0f 2019, police responded to a 911 call of an abduction in the 300 Block of North Volutsia in Wichita, according to Wichita Police Captain Brett Allred.Upon arrival, police searched the area and located a 2005 Lexus driven by a suspect later identified as Anthony Seymour leaving the area. They also observed a 15-year-old girl exit the vehicle while it was moving slowly and run toward the officers.&nbsp;Seymour fled in the car. Police initially were not able to locate it.Investigators learned that while the girl was walking home, Seymour approached, held a knife to her, forced her into the Lexus and sexually assaulted her, according to Allred.Through continued investigation, police located the victim’s phone in a parking lot and were able to obtain video in the area and a tag number on the car.Police located the vehicle and Seymour in the 1900 Block of North Lorraine. He was arrested without incident and booked on requested charges of kidnapping, rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated battery and a Kansas Department of Corrections arrest and detain order, according to Allred.“The victim is very brave,” said Allred. “She saw police and took action to get out of the car, run to the officers and explain what had happened.”&nbsp;She had been on her way to Dillons and had seen the suspect and thought he was acting suspiciously. On the way home, the suspect approached her a second time and forced her in the vehicle, according to Allred.EMS transported the girl to a local hospital for treatment.Seymour had been on parole since May of 2018 after a 2004 conviction for rape, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. Seymour is scheduled for sentencing on September 19, according to the district attorney's office.

Kan. sex offender sentenced for kidnapping, rape

JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal shooting at an apartment complex in Shawnee have identified the victim as 25-year-old Kathleen J. Dampier, according to a media release from police. The shooting is being investigated as a homicide.

Just before 6p.m. Sunday, police responded to report of a medical emergency at an apartment in the 7400 Block of Flint, according to a media release from police.

At the scene, officers located Dampier with gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp; Officers took two into custody for questioning.

The Johnson County Sheriff's office crime scene investigations unit is assisting police. Police have not reported an arrest.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663706515438.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal shooting at an apartment complex in Shawnee have identified the victim as 25-year-old Kathleen J. Dampier, according to a media release from police. The shooting is being investigated as a homicide.Just before 6p.m. Sunday, police responded to report of a medical emergency at an apartment in the 7400 Block of Flint, according to a media release from police.At the scene, officers located Dampier with gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene.&nbsp; Officers took two into custody for questioning.The Johnson County Sheriff's office crime scene investigations unit is assisting police. Police have not reported an arrest.

Homicide: Police ID Kan. woman who died in apartment shooting

By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2022-09-20/how-the-drought-killing-kansas-corn-crops-could-make-you-pay-more-for-gas-and-beef">Kansas News Service</a>

This dry, hot summer has claimed its share of victims in Marc Ramsey’s cornfields.

Fewer
 than seven inches of rain have fallen this year in the area he farms 
between Dighton and Scott City — nearly one foot below the historical 
average.

“This is a year unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Ramsey 
said. “There are lots of times this year I’ve just kind of been at a 
loss for words.”

Across western Kansas, vast swaths of brown, 
shriveled corn plants succumbed to the oppressive weather before 
reaching more than a couple of feet tall. Others grew ears with no 
kernels or no ears at all. Some of Ramsey’s stalks that stretched to 
six-feet-tall on July rains withered down to nothing under the late 
summer sun.

The harvests from these western Kansas cornfields 
typically fuel billion-dollar industries, such as feeding cattle. But 
with so little corn to go around this year, those industrial customers 
are paying a premium to ship grain in from other states just to keep 
their operations running.

Even during the region’s last big drought a decade ago, Ramsey said, 
his cornfields still had a decent number of bushels to harvest. This 
year, he estimates roughly half of the corn he planted won’t yield a 
single piece of grain.

“Just saying ‘zero yield’ is a painful thing to say,” Ramsey said. “It’s hard not to be disappointed.”

The ripple effects of this year’s poor corn harvest in Kansas will extend well beyond stressing farmers and their livelihoods. 

As
 it becomes more difficult and expensive for cattle feedlots — where 
animals are fattened up for slaughter — and ethanol plants to get the 
corn they need, people across Kansas could face higher prices at the 
grocery store and the gas pump.

Historically, it’s been common to see corn sell in western Kansas for about $4 a bushel.

Dan
 O’Brien, a Kansas State University agricultural economist based in 
Colby, said that number has roughly doubled. Prices had already been 
creeping up since Russia invaded Ukraine — another major corn exporter —
 and now thanks to the drought-fueled shortage, the price in western 
Kansas is around $8 per bushel.

“The reason that we built those 
grain-using industries out here had to do with availability of grain, 
and now they’re crunched,” O’Brien said. “That sets off a whole series 
of responses … all of them not good.”

The lack of local corn 
supply is already pushing Kansas cattle and ethanol companies to bring 
in grain by rail from places like Iowa, Illinois and Ohio. That’ll 
inflate corn prices across the Midwest, as local corn-dependent 
industries in those states suddenly have to compete with more buyers 
from Kansas.

But it’ll especially hurt Kansas. O’Brien estimates 
it’ll cost Kansas industries an extra $1 per bushel to ship in corn from
 other states.

Each steer at a feedlot can eat up to <a href="https://www.iowabeefcenter.org/ResearchProjects/IBC4.pdf" target="_blank">60 bushels</a> of corn before it gets turned into beef. Kansas feedlots have <a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Kansas/Publications/Livestock_Releases/Cattle_on_Feed/2022/KS-cof2208.pdf" target="_blank">2.35 million</a> bovine mouths to feed. So paying an extra dollar to ship in those bushels could add up quickly.

In the short term, O’Brien expects the corn crunch to push meat and ethanol prices up. Beef prices had <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/08/30/1120023642/beef-prices-are-down-right-now-but-that-may-not-last" target="_blank">fallen recently</a> as the drought forced livestock owners to sell off more of their cattle.

But even those higher prices might not be enough to keep corn-dependent companies profitable in western Kansas.

“Is
 that enough to offset the major increase in the cost of corn?” O’Brien 
said. “Whether it’s livestock feeders or ethanol plants, they all 
operate on the margin.”

Feedlots that can’t afford to pay a 
premium for getting corn from out of state may have to send some animals
 to slaughter early. And if the drought continues and corn prices remain
 high for months, it could start to reshape the future of those 
industries in western Kansas.

There might not be enough corn in 
western Kansas to keep ethanol plants going here for the long term, 
O’Brien said, when they could shift operations to the other parts of the
 Corn Belt where the grain is more readily available. Likewise, some 
Kansas feedlots may buy less cattle next year because of the rising cost
 of grain.

Cattle ranching and feeding has the largest economic impact of any agricultural sector in Kansas, contributing roughly <a href="https://www.agriculture.ks.gov/docs/default-source/ag-marketing/county-ag-stats/2022-county-ag-stats/state-of-kansas-reports-8-12-2022.pdf?sfvrsn=553e9bc1_4" target="_blank">$9 billion</a> to the state economy. Ethanol production contributes another <a href="https://www.agriculture.ks.gov/docs/default-source/default-document-library/ag-contribution-2018-with-retail-ethanol-combined-update-final.pdf?sfvrsn=49078bc1_0" target="_blank">$850 million</a>.

“If
 things get rough enough out in the west,” O’Brien said, “it affects the
 economic livelihood of everybody in the whole state.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that Kansas farmers will harvest <a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/crop0922.pdf" target="_blank">628 million bushels</a> of corn this year. That would be 122 million bushels less than last year.

If
 you multiply those 122 million missing bushels by the elevated 
$8-per-bushel prices, it means the state’s agricultural economy is 
missing out on nearly $1 billion due to the drought.

“If you just 
look at the typical annual Kansas corn and sorghum production,” Kansas 
State University agronomist Lucas Haag said, “and then figure the 
reductions that are going to be due to drought, we’re talking huge sums 
of money.”

The USDA says <a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Kansas/Publications/Crop_Progress_and_Condition/2022/KS-weekly0912.pdf" target="_blank">more than half</a> of the state’s corn is in poor or very poor condition. That’s up from around 20% at this point <a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Kansas/Publications/Crop_Progress_and_Condition/2021/KS-weekly0913.pdf" target="_blank">last year</a>.

It’s
 a similar story for sorghum, which is typically considered a more 
drought-tolerant alternative to corn. More than half of Kansas sorghum 
is in poor or very poor condition — up from just 15% last year.

While
 irrigation has helped some farms avoid the worst, Haag said, many 
fields with center pivot sprinklers will still be abandoned because 
farmers just couldn’t pump enough water to save them.

“There's 
very few areas of the state where we actually have wells that have the 
capacity to match up for when we're this short of precipitation,” Haag 
said.

Water levels in the Ogallala aquifer — the primary water source for most of western Kansas — have been <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2022-03-31/how-kansas-could-lose-billions-in-land-values-as-its-underground-water-runs-dry" target="_blank">declining for decades</a> since the dawn of irrigated farmland. Estimates show that if pumping trends continue,<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/aug13/groundwater82613.html" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/aug13/groundwater82613.html" target="_blank">more than two-thirds</a> of the water under Kansas will be gone within 40 years.

And it’s unclear when farmers in western Kansas will feel some relief.

It’s the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/09/12/1122259523/triple-dip-la-nina-explained-weather" target="_blank">first time in decades</a>&nbsp;that a La Niña weather pattern, which fueled droughts across the West and Great Plains in 2022, will show up for a third consecutive winter.&nbsp;And the National Drought Mitigation Center expects drought to persist 
across Kansas through at least the end of this year.

To make 
matters worse, a poor crop this season will likely leave fields with 
less residue — the pieces of plant matter that remain on the ground to 
help soil store moisture. And with so much of western Kansas already in a
 deep precipitation deficit, Haag said, it’ll take more than a few rains
 here and there to get the region back on its feet.

“We can really
 end up in one of these death spirals,” Haag said, “until we get a 
really above-average year in terms of precipitation and crop yields that
 then kind of pulls us back out of it.”

Marc Ramsey has heard from other western Kansas farmers who consider 
him lucky for having anything to harvest at all. Lots of folks who 
planted dryland, or nonirrigated, corn this year won’t even bother 
taking a combine into their fields.

“I guess they get to relax a 
little bit more in the next couple of weeks,” Ramsey said. “But, you 
know, that's the kind of relaxation none of us want.”

Last year 
was dry too, Ramsey said, but his soil still had enough residual water 
to produce more than 50 bushels of corn per acre. This year, one of the <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2022-08-24/here-are-7-ways-this-dry-hot-year-stacks-up-against-the-worst-droughts-in-kansas-history" target="_blank">hottest, driest summers</a> on record has rung that dirt dry — the USDA reports that <a href="https://www.agriculture.com/weather/news/86-of-kansas-is-short-or-very-short-on-soil-moisture" target="_blank">86% of the soil</a> across Kansas doesn’t have enough moisture.

And
 just a couple of weeks from now, Ramsey and farmers across western 
Kansas will be planting their winter wheat crop into that same dry 
ground.

“Hopefully we've taken care of it, and it'll give us another shot.”

David Condos covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter<a href="http://twitter.com/davidcondos" target="_blank"> @davidcondos</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663680425377.png" alt="Many cornfields in western Kansas, like this one just outside of Garden City, have been parched by the drought. Estimates predict that Kansas corn farmers will harvest 122 million fewer bushels this year than they did last year. David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Many cornfields in western Kansas, like this one just outside of Garden City, have been parched by the drought. Estimates predict that Kansas corn farmers will harvest 122 million fewer bushels this year than they did last year. David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2022-09-20/how-the-drought-killing-kansas-corn-crops-could-make-you-pay-more-for-gas-and-beef">Kansas News Service</a>This dry, hot summer has claimed its share of victims in Marc Ramsey’s cornfields.Fewer
 than seven inches of rain have fallen this year in the area he farms 
between Dighton and Scott City — nearly one foot below the historical 
average.“This is a year unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Ramsey 
said. “There are lots of times this year I’ve just kind of been at a 
loss for words.”Across western Kansas, vast swaths of brown, 
shriveled corn plants succumbed to the oppressive weather before 
reaching more than a couple of feet tall. Others grew ears with no 
kernels or no ears at all. Some of Ramsey’s stalks that stretched to 
six-feet-tall on July rains withered down to nothing under the late 
summer sun.The harvests from these western Kansas cornfields 
typically fuel billion-dollar industries, such as feeding cattle. But 
with so little corn to go around this year, those industrial customers 
are paying a premium to ship grain in from other states just to keep 
their operations running.Even during the region’s last big drought a decade ago, Ramsey said, 
his cornfields still had a decent number of bushels to harvest. This 
year, he estimates roughly half of the corn he planted won’t yield a 
single piece of grain.“Just saying ‘zero yield’ is a painful thing to say,” Ramsey said. “It’s hard not to be disappointed.”The ripple effects of this year’s poor corn harvest in Kansas will extend well beyond stressing farmers and their livelihoods. As
 it becomes more difficult and expensive for cattle feedlots — where 
animals are fattened up for slaughter — and ethanol plants to get the 
corn they need, people across Kansas could face higher prices at the 
grocery store and the gas pump.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663680497163.png" alt="This map from Kansas Mesonet shows how many inches below-average precipitation totals are for various places across Kansas. A higher number (and darker red coloring) means that a location is more dry this year compared with historical averages." />
 <figcaption>This map from Kansas Mesonet shows how many inches below-average precipitation totals are for various places across Kansas. A higher number (and darker red coloring) means that a location is more dry this year compared with historical averages.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The corn crunch</h2>Historically, it’s been common to see corn sell in western Kansas for about $4 a bushel.Dan
 O’Brien, a Kansas State University agricultural economist based in 
Colby, said that number has roughly doubled. Prices had already been 
creeping up since Russia invaded Ukraine — another major corn exporter —
 and now thanks to the drought-fueled shortage, the price in western 
Kansas is around $8 per bushel.“The reason that we built those 
grain-using industries out here had to do with availability of grain, 
and now they’re crunched,” O’Brien said. “That sets off a whole series 
of responses … all of them not good.”The lack of local corn 
supply is already pushing Kansas cattle and ethanol companies to bring 
in grain by rail from places like Iowa, Illinois and Ohio. That’ll 
inflate corn prices across the Midwest, as local corn-dependent 
industries in those states suddenly have to compete with more buyers 
from Kansas.But it’ll especially hurt Kansas. O’Brien estimates 
it’ll cost Kansas industries an extra $1 per bushel to ship in corn from
 other states.Each steer at a feedlot can eat up to <a href="https://www.iowabeefcenter.org/ResearchProjects/IBC4.pdf" target="_blank">60 bushels</a> of corn before it gets turned into beef. Kansas feedlots have <a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Kansas/Publications/Livestock_Releases/Cattle_on_Feed/2022/KS-cof2208.pdf" target="_blank">2.35 million</a> bovine mouths to feed. So paying an extra dollar to ship in those bushels could add up quickly.In the short term, O’Brien expects the corn crunch to push meat and ethanol prices up. Beef prices had <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/08/30/1120023642/beef-prices-are-down-right-now-but-that-may-not-last" target="_blank">fallen recently</a> as the drought forced livestock owners to sell off more of their cattle.But even those higher prices might not be enough to keep corn-dependent companies profitable in western Kansas.“Is
 that enough to offset the major increase in the cost of corn?” O’Brien 
said. “Whether it’s livestock feeders or ethanol plants, they all 
operate on the margin.”Feedlots that can’t afford to pay a 
premium for getting corn from out of state may have to send some animals
 to slaughter early. And if the drought continues and corn prices remain
 high for months, it could start to reshape the future of those 
industries in western Kansas.There might not be enough corn in 
western Kansas to keep ethanol plants going here for the long term, 
O’Brien said, when they could shift operations to the other parts of the
 Corn Belt where the grain is more readily available. Likewise, some 
Kansas feedlots may buy less cattle next year because of the rising cost
 of grain.Cattle ranching and feeding has the largest economic impact of any agricultural sector in Kansas, contributing roughly <a href="https://www.agriculture.ks.gov/docs/default-source/ag-marketing/county-ag-stats/2022-county-ag-stats/state-of-kansas-reports-8-12-2022.pdf?sfvrsn=553e9bc1_4" target="_blank">$9 billion</a> to the state economy. Ethanol production contributes another <a href="https://www.agriculture.ks.gov/docs/default-source/default-document-library/ag-contribution-2018-with-retail-ethanol-combined-update-final.pdf?sfvrsn=49078bc1_0" target="_blank">$850 million</a>.“If
 things get rough enough out in the west,” O’Brien said, “it affects the
 economic livelihood of everybody in the whole state.”<h2>Breaking the drought</h2>The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that Kansas farmers will harvest <a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/crop0922.pdf" target="_blank">628 million bushels</a> of corn this year. That would be 122 million bushels less than last year.If
 you multiply those 122 million missing bushels by the elevated 
$8-per-bushel prices, it means the state’s agricultural economy is 
missing out on nearly $1 billion due to the drought.“If you just 
look at the typical annual Kansas corn and sorghum production,” Kansas 
State University agronomist Lucas Haag said, “and then figure the 
reductions that are going to be due to drought, we’re talking huge sums 
of money.”The USDA says <a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Kansas/Publications/Crop_Progress_and_Condition/2022/KS-weekly0912.pdf" target="_blank">more than half</a> of the state’s corn is in poor or very poor condition. That’s up from around 20% at this point <a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Kansas/Publications/Crop_Progress_and_Condition/2021/KS-weekly0913.pdf" target="_blank">last year</a>.It’s
 a similar story for sorghum, which is typically considered a more 
drought-tolerant alternative to corn. More than half of Kansas sorghum 
is in poor or very poor condition — up from just 15% last year.While
 irrigation has helped some farms avoid the worst, Haag said, many 
fields with center pivot sprinklers will still be abandoned because 
farmers just couldn’t pump enough water to save them.“There's 
very few areas of the state where we actually have wells that have the 
capacity to match up for when we're this short of precipitation,” Haag 
said.Water levels in the Ogallala aquifer — the primary water source for most of western Kansas — have been <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2022-03-31/how-kansas-could-lose-billions-in-land-values-as-its-underground-water-runs-dry" target="_blank">declining for decades</a> since the dawn of irrigated farmland. Estimates show that if pumping trends continue,<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/aug13/groundwater82613.html" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/aug13/groundwater82613.html" target="_blank">more than two-thirds</a> of the water under Kansas will be gone within 40 years.And it’s unclear when farmers in western Kansas will feel some relief.It’s the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/09/12/1122259523/triple-dip-la-nina-explained-weather" target="_blank">first time in decades</a>&nbsp;that a La Niña weather pattern, which fueled droughts across the West and Great Plains in 2022, will show up for a third consecutive winter.&nbsp;And the National Drought Mitigation Center expects drought to persist 
across Kansas through at least the end of this year.Corrected 8 a.m. WednesdayTo make 
matters worse, a poor crop this season will likely leave fields with 
less residue — the pieces of plant matter that remain on the ground to 
help soil store moisture. And with so much of western Kansas already in a
 deep precipitation deficit, Haag said, it’ll take more than a few rains
 here and there to get the region back on its feet.“We can really
 end up in one of these death spirals,” Haag said, “until we get a 
really above-average year in terms of precipitation and crop yields that
 then kind of pulls us back out of it.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The Seasonal Drought Outlook for the rest of 2022 shows that drought may develop in and around the Central and Southern Plains. Drought may improve or be removed in the Northwest, Northeast and Hawaii<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Drought?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Drought</a> may persist in areas west of the Mississippi River and across the West <a href="https://t.co/LJTlJi5C6Z">pic.twitter.com/LJTlJi5C6Z</a>&mdash; Drought Center (@DroughtCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/DroughtCenter/status/1571585975574462464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Marc Ramsey has heard from other western Kansas farmers who consider 
him lucky for having anything to harvest at all. Lots of folks who 
planted dryland, or nonirrigated, corn this year won’t even bother 
taking a combine into their fields.“I guess they get to relax a 
little bit more in the next couple of weeks,” Ramsey said. “But, you 
know, that's the kind of relaxation none of us want.”Last year 
was dry too, Ramsey said, but his soil still had enough residual water 
to produce more than 50 bushels of corn per acre. This year, one of the <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2022-08-24/here-are-7-ways-this-dry-hot-year-stacks-up-against-the-worst-droughts-in-kansas-history" target="_blank">hottest, driest summers</a> on record has rung that dirt dry — the USDA reports that <a href="https://www.agriculture.com/weather/news/86-of-kansas-is-short-or-very-short-on-soil-moisture" target="_blank">86% of the soil</a> across Kansas doesn’t have enough moisture.And
 just a couple of weeks from now, Ramsey and farmers across western 
Kansas will be planting their winter wheat crop into that same dry 
ground.“Hopefully we've taken care of it, and it'll give us another shot.”David Condos covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter<a href="http://twitter.com/davidcondos" target="_blank"> @davidcondos</a>.

How drought killing Kan. corn could make you pay more for gas, beef

&nbsp;WASHINGTON —U.S. Senator Roger Marshall led 11 of his Senate Republican colleagues on a letter to the CEOs of Visa, Mastercard, and American Express condemning them for removing gun sales from being categorized as “general merchandise” and instead placing gun sales into a separate category, according to a statement from the senator's office.

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marshall.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/V-M-Amex-Letter-on-Gun-Merchant-Code.pdf" target="_blank">HERE</a>&nbsp;to read the full letter submitted by Senators

The CEOs decision came at the recommendation of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which has no authority over the affairs of American businesses. The Senators expressed deep concern that these credit card companies’ new policy would infringe upon the Second Amendment Rights of law-abiding American citizens in their letter, writing in part,

“This decision, which is already being hailed by radical anti-gun activists, is the first step towards backdoor gun control on law-abiding Americans…&nbsp;Creating a new merchant code for gun transactions is a choice being made by each of your companies. You are choosing the side of gun control advocates over the privacy and Second Amendment rights of millions of law-abiding Americans… Your companies are the facilitators of the vast majority of daily financial transactions in America, and that gives you incredible influence over everyday commerce, and thus every American’s very way of life. If you are intent on abusing that influence you will leave Congress no choice but to intercede on behalf of our constituents and all of the law abiding Americans who will not stand by as large banks and the payment networks that serve them do an end run around their constitutional Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms…”

The Senators concluded their letter by requesting answers from the CEOs related to what factors influenced each company to settled on this new policy, how the recategorization of gun sales backs up claims that the action would reduce gun violence, and if customers would be able to continue to use these companies’ services without discrimination, among other issues.

Senators Thom Tillis (NC), John Barrasso (WY), Cynthia Lummis (WY), Rick Scott (FL), Ben Sasse (NE), Marco Rubio (FL), Dan Sullivan (AK), Mike Crapo (ID), Bill Cassidy (LA), James Risch (ID), and Steve Daines (MT) cosigned Senator Marshall’s letter.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663617496645.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;WASHINGTON —U.S. Senator Roger Marshall led 11 of his Senate Republican colleagues on a letter to the CEOs of Visa, Mastercard, and American Express condemning them for removing gun sales from being categorized as “general merchandise” and instead placing gun sales into a separate category, according to a statement from the senator's office.Click&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marshall.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/V-M-Amex-Letter-on-Gun-Merchant-Code.pdf" target="_blank">HERE</a>&nbsp;to read the full letter submitted by SenatorsThe CEOs decision came at the recommendation of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), which has no authority over the affairs of American businesses. The Senators expressed deep concern that these credit card companies’ new policy would infringe upon the Second Amendment Rights of law-abiding American citizens in their letter, writing in part,“This decision, which is already being hailed by radical anti-gun activists, is the first step towards backdoor gun control on law-abiding Americans…&nbsp;Creating a new merchant code for gun transactions is a choice being made by each of your companies. You are choosing the side of gun control advocates over the privacy and Second Amendment rights of millions of law-abiding Americans… Your companies are the facilitators of the vast majority of daily financial transactions in America, and that gives you incredible influence over everyday commerce, and thus every American’s very way of life. If you are intent on abusing that influence you will leave Congress no choice but to intercede on behalf of our constituents and all of the law abiding Americans who will not stand by as large banks and the payment networks that serve them do an end run around their constitutional Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms…”The Senators concluded their letter by requesting answers from the CEOs related to what factors influenced each company to settled on this new policy, how the recategorization of gun sales backs up claims that the action would reduce gun violence, and if customers would be able to continue to use these companies’ services without discrimination, among other issues.Senators Thom Tillis (NC), John Barrasso (WY), Cynthia Lummis (WY), Rick Scott (FL), Ben Sasse (NE), Marco Rubio (FL), Dan Sullivan (AK), Mike Crapo (ID), Bill Cassidy (LA), James Risch (ID), and Steve Daines (MT) cosigned Senator Marshall’s letter.

Marshall calls out credit card CEOs for infringing on 2nd amendment rights

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-09-19/kansas-foster-kids-get-moved-around-less-often-but-some-still-have-to-sleep-in-offices">Kansas News Service</a>

Kansas foster care contractors had more than 50 children sleep in 
offices and other inappropriate places in 2021 — despite a court 
settlement that pushes the state to fix its ailing, privatized foster 
care system.

That’s according to a new, third-party report 
released Monday, which concludes the contractors weren’t facing 
extraordinary circumstances that would justify these arrangements.

Still, the Kansas foster care system has improved, the report found.

The
 state’s contractors hit targets for moving children among foster homes 
less often. During 2021, 86% of the state’s foster kids were in stable 
placements, which topped the goal of 80% set for that year.

The 
report gauges the state’s progress toward goals set out in a 2020 court 
settlement stemming from a 2018 class-action lawsuit.

Kansas was supposed to make sure that foster care providers stopped making <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-06-02/kansas-foster-children-are-still-sleeping-in-offices-years-after-promises-that-would-end" target="_blank">kids sleep in offices</a>, conference rooms and similar places by the end of 2021.

“We
 understand that it takes time for meaningful change,” said Teresa 
Woody, the litigation director for Kansas Appleseed, one of the groups 
that brought the lawsuit. “But there’s a lot that needs to be done to 
protect foster care children.”

Wood praised signs of progress. But she said Kansas will need to keep working on community <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-09-12/foster-kids-in-kansas-cant-get-the-mental-health-care-they-need-but-there-might-be-a-fix" target="_blank">mental health services</a>,
 contractor accountability, and supports that help families keep their 
children. She urged the Legislature to help with funding.

Most of 
the children who slept in offices and similarly inappropriate places in 
2021 were there for one night. A handful slept there longer, including 
one whose stay outside of foster homes lasted 54 days.

Kansas was 
also supposed to put a stop to night-to-night foster home placements by 
Dec. 31, 2021. Those are situations in which foster kids get moved 
within a day. About 800 children experienced night-to-night moves in 
2021.

More than 6,000 kids are in foster care in Kansas.

The
 Kansas agency that oversees foster care said in a press release that 
several initiatives will help give children more stability. The 
Department for Children and Families recently launched a network 
intended to offer stand-by service beds and added therapeutic foster 
homes for higher-needs children.

Gov. Laura Kelly highlighted these facts in a press release responding to the findings.

“My
 administration inherited a broken child welfare system,” Kelly said. 
“We have made substantial progress in making sure kids are in stable 
placements and experience fewer moves. There’s more work to be done, but
 this report shows we are headed in the right direction.”

Kansas 
agreed to a long list of improvements in the 2020 settlement, which 
includes a series of deadlines for reaching those goals.

The state has completed some of the changes already — such as tracking how many foster kids end up in correctional facilities.

But
 the third-party report found that the foster care system continues to 
subject children to delays in mental health care. And the state needs to
 improve its data, to allow for tracking caseworker workloads, for 
example.

The court settlement resulted from a 2018 class-action lawsuit against state officials.

Foster care contractors were shuffling children night after night from one home to the next, and having some sleep in offices.

The suit also accused Kansas of failing to ensure that foster kids get appropriate mental health care.

Children in foster care have high rates of trauma and mental health needs. By some estimates, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5421550/#:~:text=Between%2050%20and%2080%25%20of,et%20al.%2C%202005)." target="_blank">as many as 50-80%</a> need mental health services.

A team of lawyers from the <a href="https://youthlaw.org/" target="_blank">National Center for Youth Law</a>, <a href="https://www.childrensrights.org/" target="_blank">Children’s Rights</a>, <a href="https://www.kansasappleseed.org/" target="_blank">Kansas Appleseed</a> and private law firms represented the plaintiffs.

The
 lawsuit said some children had to switch their locations more than 100 
times while in foster care. It argued that the situation compounded 
children’s trauma and made them, in effect, homeless.

The class-action suit didn’t ask for money. Instead, it demanded Kansas fix its foster care system.

The 2020 settlement gave Kansas various deadlines to make a long list of improvements.

Under
 the settlement, the Center for the Study of Social Policy is 
determining whether Kansas reaches various benchmarks, in part by 
checking random samples of foster kids to see how often they get moved 
and whether they receive timely mental health care.

A separate court settlement from earlier this summer requires the foster care system to <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-06-30/kansas-foster-care-will-pay-1-25-million-after-a-child-was-sexually-assaulted-in-a-contractors-office/" target="_blank">pay $1.25 million</a> after a child was sexually assaulted while forced to sleep in an office.

The
 assault happened in 2018. The victim was 13 years old at that time and 
had been sleeping in a Johnson County office of foster care contractor 
KVC Kansas. KVC was also keeping an 18-year-old there who had a history 
of abusing others and attacked the girl when KVC staff weren’t around.

Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service. You 
can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663681037546.png" alt=" David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-09-19/kansas-foster-kids-get-moved-around-less-often-but-some-still-have-to-sleep-in-offices">Kansas News Service</a>Kansas foster care contractors had more than 50 children sleep in 
offices and other inappropriate places in 2021 — despite a court 
settlement that pushes the state to fix its ailing, privatized foster 
care system.That’s according to a new, third-party report 
released Monday, which concludes the contractors weren’t facing 
extraordinary circumstances that would justify these arrangements.Still, the Kansas foster care system has improved, the report found.The
 state’s contractors hit targets for moving children among foster homes 
less often. During 2021, 86% of the state’s foster kids were in stable 
placements, which topped the goal of 80% set for that year.The 
report gauges the state’s progress toward goals set out in a 2020 court 
settlement stemming from a 2018 class-action lawsuit.Kansas was supposed to make sure that foster care providers stopped making <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-06-02/kansas-foster-children-are-still-sleeping-in-offices-years-after-promises-that-would-end" target="_blank">kids sleep in offices</a>, conference rooms and similar places by the end of 2021.“We
 understand that it takes time for meaningful change,” said Teresa 
Woody, the litigation director for Kansas Appleseed, one of the groups 
that brought the lawsuit. “But there’s a lot that needs to be done to 
protect foster care children.”Wood praised signs of progress. But she said Kansas will need to keep working on community <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-09-12/foster-kids-in-kansas-cant-get-the-mental-health-care-they-need-but-there-might-be-a-fix" target="_blank">mental health services</a>,
 contractor accountability, and supports that help families keep their 
children. She urged the Legislature to help with funding.Most of 
the children who slept in offices and similarly inappropriate places in 
2021 were there for one night. A handful slept there longer, including 
one whose stay outside of foster homes lasted 54 days.Kansas was 
also supposed to put a stop to night-to-night foster home placements by 
Dec. 31, 2021. Those are situations in which foster kids get moved 
within a day. About 800 children experienced night-to-night moves in 
2021.More than 6,000 kids are in foster care in Kansas.The
 Kansas agency that oversees foster care said in a press release that 
several initiatives will help give children more stability. The 
Department for Children and Families recently launched a network 
intended to offer stand-by service beds and added therapeutic foster 
homes for higher-needs children.Gov. Laura Kelly highlighted these facts in a press release responding to the findings.“My
 administration inherited a broken child welfare system,” Kelly said. 
“We have made substantial progress in making sure kids are in stable 
placements and experience fewer moves. There’s more work to be done, but
 this report shows we are headed in the right direction.”Kansas 
agreed to a long list of improvements in the 2020 settlement, which 
includes a series of deadlines for reaching those goals.The state has completed some of the changes already — such as tracking how many foster kids end up in correctional facilities.But
 the third-party report found that the foster care system continues to 
subject children to delays in mental health care. And the state needs to
 improve its data, to allow for tracking caseworker workloads, for 
example.The court settlement resulted from a 2018 class-action lawsuit against state officials.Foster care contractors were shuffling children night after night from one home to the next, and having some sleep in offices.The suit also accused Kansas of failing to ensure that foster kids get appropriate mental health care.Children in foster care have high rates of trauma and mental health needs. By some estimates, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5421550/#:~:text=Between%2050%20and%2080%25%20of,et%20al.%2C%202005)." target="_blank">as many as 50-80%</a> need mental health services.A team of lawyers from the <a href="https://youthlaw.org/" target="_blank">National Center for Youth Law</a>, <a href="https://www.childrensrights.org/" target="_blank">Children’s Rights</a>, <a href="https://www.kansasappleseed.org/" target="_blank">Kansas Appleseed</a> and private law firms represented the plaintiffs.The
 lawsuit said some children had to switch their locations more than 100 
times while in foster care. It argued that the situation compounded 
children’s trauma and made them, in effect, homeless.The class-action suit didn’t ask for money. Instead, it demanded Kansas fix its foster care system.The 2020 settlement gave Kansas various deadlines to make a long list of improvements.Under
 the settlement, the Center for the Study of Social Policy is 
determining whether Kansas reaches various benchmarks, in part by 
checking random samples of foster kids to see how often they get moved 
and whether they receive timely mental health care.A separate court settlement from earlier this summer requires the foster care system to <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-06-30/kansas-foster-care-will-pay-1-25-million-after-a-child-was-sexually-assaulted-in-a-contractors-office/" target="_blank">pay $1.25 million</a> after a child was sexually assaulted while forced to sleep in an office.The
 assault happened in 2018. The victim was 13 years old at that time and 
had been sleeping in a Johnson County office of foster care contractor 
KVC Kansas. KVC was also keeping an 18-year-old there who had a history 
of abusing others and attacked the girl when KVC staff weren’t around.Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service. You 
can follow her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia@kcur.org.

Report: Kansas foster care system improved — but still lacking

KINGMAN COUNTY—The Kingman Historic Theater announced two fundraisers to assist those displaced by fire at the Eagle Acres apartment complex, 501 N. Thompson Street in Kingman.

According to the Theater, they are doing a raffle to go with the Fundraising Events that include two concerts on Saturday, Sept. 24, by The Other Guys Band. The first concert will start at 7pm. Doors will open at 6pm.The second will start at 10pm. Doors will open at 9pm.

The theater will begin the raffle on the September 24, at The Other Guys Band Concert and will continue through the movie on September 25.

Drawing will be live on the<a href="https://www.facebook.com/kingmantheatre/"> theater Facebook page </a>after the movie on Sunday.

Both events are free will donation at the door. All donations will go 100 percent to the fund being set up at Citizen's bank.

Friends have also established a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/eagle-acres-fire-victims-fundraiser?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unknown&amp;utm_campaign=comms_34pk+eagle-acres-fire-victims-fundraiser">GoFundMe</a> to help the twelve families displaced by the fire.

&nbsp;If you would like to donate, call the theatre at 620-532-1253 and leave a message, or email at kingmancommunitytheatreassoc@gmail.com.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663668288156.png" alt="photo GoFundMe" />
 <figcaption>photo GoFundMe</figcaption>
 </figure>KINGMAN COUNTY—The Kingman Historic Theater announced two fundraisers to assist those displaced by fire at the Eagle Acres apartment complex, 501 N. Thompson Street in Kingman.According to the Theater, they are doing a raffle to go with the Fundraising Events that include two concerts on Saturday, Sept. 24, by The Other Guys Band. The first concert will start at 7pm. Doors will open at 6pm.The second will start at 10pm. Doors will open at 9pm.The theater will begin the raffle on the September 24, at The Other Guys Band Concert and will continue through the movie on September 25.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663668356120.png" alt="photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>Drawing will be live on the<a href="https://www.facebook.com/kingmantheatre/"> theater Facebook page </a>after the movie on Sunday.Both events are free will donation at the door. All donations will go 100 percent to the fund being set up at Citizen's bank.Friends have also established a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/eagle-acres-fire-victims-fundraiser?utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unknown&amp;utm_campaign=comms_34pk+eagle-acres-fire-victims-fundraiser">GoFundMe</a> to help the twelve families displaced by the fire.&nbsp;If you would like to donate, call the theatre at 620-532-1253 and leave a message, or email at kingmancommunitytheatreassoc@gmail.com.