BROWN COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for alleged child sex crimes.

Just after 11:30p.m. August 18, the Brown County Sheriff's office responded to 911 call involving a disturbance at a home in the 200 Block of Lodge Road in Hiawatha, according to Sheriff John Merchant.

Deputies arrested 23-year-old Dakota Wilhite of Fairview on a requested charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

After further investigation in conjunction with Hiawatha Police, officials&nbsp; Wilhite was accused of aggravated indecent solicitation of a child under the age of 14, use of a communication facility to commit a felony and sexual exploitation of a child. The case will be presented to the Brown County Attorney.

Wilhite posted bond and is no longer in custody, according to online jail records.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661285724764.png" alt="Wilhite-photo Brown County" />
 <figcaption>Wilhite-photo Brown County</figcaption>
 </figure>BROWN COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for alleged child sex crimes.Just after 11:30p.m. August 18, the Brown County Sheriff's office responded to 911 call involving a disturbance at a home in the 200 Block of Lodge Road in Hiawatha, according to Sheriff John Merchant.Deputies arrested 23-year-old Dakota Wilhite of Fairview on a requested charges of possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.After further investigation in conjunction with Hiawatha Police, officials&nbsp; Wilhite was accused of aggravated indecent solicitation of a child under the age of 14, use of a communication facility to commit a felony and sexual exploitation of a child. The case will be presented to the Brown County Attorney.Wilhite posted bond and is no longer in custody, according to online jail records.

Kansas man accused of child sex crimes, drug possession

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on multiple charges after a drug&nbsp; bust.

On Monday, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit and the Shawnee County Drug Task Force served a search warrant at a home in the 1700 Block SE Morrison Street, according to Lt. Ronnie Connell.

&nbsp;While conducting the search warrant, officers located methamphetamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, stolen property and firearms.

As a result, officers arrested 43-year-old Jason T. Fisher and 36-year-old Kimberly M. Harris both of Topeka.

&nbsp;Harris is being held on an arrest warrant and requested charges of Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, Possession of marijuana, Possession of drug paraphernalia.

Fisher is in custody on requested charges that include Distribution of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Possession of stolen property and Criminal possession of a weapon by a felon.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661258971202.png" alt="Fisher-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Fisher-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on multiple charges after a drug&nbsp; bust.On Monday, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit and the Shawnee County Drug Task Force served a search warrant at a home in the 1700 Block SE Morrison Street, according to Lt. Ronnie Connell.&nbsp;While conducting the search warrant, officers located methamphetamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, stolen property and firearms.As a result, officers arrested 43-year-old Jason T. Fisher and 36-year-old Kimberly M. Harris both of Topeka.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661258907520.png" alt="Harris-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Harris-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;Harris is being held on an arrest warrant and requested charges of Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, Possession of marijuana, Possession of drug paraphernalia.Fisher is in custody on requested charges that include Distribution of methamphetamine, Possession of drug paraphernalia, Possession of stolen property and Criminal possession of a weapon by a felon.

Police find stolen property, firearms and drugs at Kan. home

BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. (AP) — A 28-year-old suburban Kansas City man was shot and killed by law enforcement officers who were trying to arrest him, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

Michael Saunders, of Blue Springs, died in the shooting Tuesday afternoon.

Blue Springs Police Chief Bob Muenz said Saunders had shot at a Cass County sheriff's deputy during a pursuit a few days previously.

Deputies investigating that shooting followed Saunders to a Walmart on Tuesday and asked Blue Springs officers for backup as he left the store.

Saunders ran from the officers and allegedly fired at them, Muenz said. He was shot by two officers about a block away from the store. Muenz said he didn't know how many times Saunders fired at the officers.

He died at the scene. No officers were injured. The other person with Saunders was taken into custody.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661335298904.png" alt="Investigators on the scene of the officer shooting -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Investigators on the scene of the officer shooting -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. (AP) — A 28-year-old suburban Kansas City man was shot and killed by law enforcement officers who were trying to arrest him, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.Michael Saunders, of Blue Springs, died in the shooting Tuesday afternoon.Blue Springs Police Chief Bob Muenz said Saunders had shot at a Cass County sheriff's deputy during a pursuit a few days previously.Deputies investigating that shooting followed Saunders to a Walmart on Tuesday and asked Blue Springs officers for backup as he left the store.Saunders ran from the officers and allegedly fired at them, Muenz said. He was shot by two officers about a block away from the store. Muenz said he didn't know how many times Saunders fired at the officers.He died at the scene. No officers were injured. The other person with Saunders was taken into custody.

Police ID Kansas City-area man who died in officer shooting

WASHINGTON— President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced detailed plans to deliver on a campaign promise to provide $10,000 in student&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/student-loans">debt cancellation for millions of Americans</a>&nbsp;— and up to $10,000 more for those with the greatest financial need — along with measures to lower the burden of repayment for their remaining federal student debt.

(Click below to watch the President's comments)

The Biden Administration is following through and providing families breathing room as they prepare to start re-paying loans after the economic crisis brought on by the pandemic.

Since 1980, the total cost of both four-year public and four-year private college has&nbsp;<a href="https://research.collegeboard.org/trends/college-pricing">nearly tripled</a>, even after accounting for inflation. Federal support has not kept up: Pell Grants once covered&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/pell-grants-a-key-tool-for-expanding-college-access-and-economic">nearly 80 percent</a>&nbsp;of the cost of a four-year public college degree for students from working families, but now only cover a third. That has left many students from low- and middle-income families with no choice but to borrow if they want to get a degree. According to a Department of Education analysis, the typical undergraduate student with loans now graduates with nearly $25,000 in debt.&nbsp;

The skyrocketing cumulative federal student loan debt—$1.6 trillion and rising for more than 45 million borrowers—is a significant burden on America’s middle class. Middle-class borrowers struggle with high monthly payments and ballooning balances that make it harder for them to build wealth, like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/full/10.1086/704609?mobileUi=0">buying homes</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://crr.bc.edu/working-papers/how-does-student-debt-affect-early-career-retirement-saving/">putting away money for retirement</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.philadelphiafed.org/the-economy/the-impact-of-student-loan-debt-on-small-business-formation">starting small&nbsp;</a><a href="https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/mnsc.2017.2995?journalCode=mnsc">businesses</a>. For the most vulnerable borrowers, the effects of debt are even more crushing. Nearly one-third of borrowers have debt but no degree, according to an analysis by the Department of Education of a recent cohort of undergraduates. Many of these students could not complete their degree because the&nbsp;<a href="https://educationdata.org/college-dropout-rates">cost of attendance</a>&nbsp;was too high. About&nbsp;<a href="https://fsapartners.ed.gov/knowledge-center/library/electronic-announcements/2022-07-13/federal-student-aid-posts-quarterly-portfolio-reports-fsa-data-center#:~:text=Impact%20on%20Direct%20Loan%20Defaults&amp;text=In%20fact%2C%20the%20number%20of,3.4%20million%20in%20March%202022.">16%</a>&nbsp;of borrowers are in default – including nearly a third of senior citizens with student debt – which can result in the government garnishing a borrower’s wages or lowering a borrower’s credit score. The student debt burden also falls disproportionately on Black borrowers. Twenty years after first enrolling in school, the typical Black borrower who started college in the 1995-96 school year still owed&nbsp;<a href="https://heller.brandeis.edu/iere/pdfs/racial-wealth-equity/racial-wealth-gap/stallingdreams-how-student-debt-is-disrupting-lifechances.pdf">95%</a>&nbsp;of their original student debt. Today, President Biden is announcing a three-part plan to provide more breathing room to America’s working families as they continue to recover from the strains associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. This plan offers targeted debt relief as part of a comprehensive effort to address the burden of growing college costs and make the student loan system more manageable for working families. The President is announcing that the Department of Education will: &nbsp;&nbsp;

Provide Targeted Debt Relief, Fulfilling the President’s Campaign Commitment To address the financial harms of the pandemic for low- and middle-income borrowers and avoid defaults as loan repayment restarts next year, the Department of Education will provide up to $20,000 in loan relief to borrowers with loans held by the Department of Education whose individual income is less than $125,000 ($250,000 for married couples) and who received a Pell Grant.&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/data-center/student/title-iv">Nearly every Pell Grant recipient</a>&nbsp;came from a family that made less than $60,000 a year, and Pell Grant recipients typically experience more challenges repaying their debt than other borrowers. Borrowers who meet those income standards but did not receive a Pell Grant in college can receive up to $10,000 in loan relief.

The Pell Grant program is one of America’s most effective financial aid programs—but its value has been eroded over time. Pell Grant recipients are more than 60% of the borrower population. The Department of Education estimates that roughly 27 million borrowers will be eligible to receive up to $20,000 in relief, helping these borrowers meet their economic potential and avoid economic harm from the COVID-19 pandemic. Current students with loans are eligible for this debt relief. Borrowers who are dependent students will be eligible for relief based on parental income, rather than their own income. If all borrowers claim the relief they are entitled to, these actions will:

The Department of Education will work quickly and efficiently to set up a simple application process for borrowers to claim relief. The application will be available no later than when the pause on federal student loan repayments terminates at the end of the year. Nearly 8 million borrowers may be eligible to receive relief automatically because their relevant income data is already available to the Department. &nbsp; Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, this debt relief will not be treated as taxable income for the federal income tax purposes. To help ensure a smooth transition back to repayment, the Department of Education is extending the student loan pause a final time through December 31, 2022. No one with federally-held loans has had to pay a single dollar in loan payments since President Biden took office. Make the Student Loan System More Manageable for Current and Future Borrowers Fixing Existing Loan Repayment to Lower Monthly Payments The Administration is reforming student loan repayment plans so both current and future low- and middle-income borrowers will have smaller and more manageable monthly payments. The Department of Education has the authority to create income-driven repayment plans, which cap what borrowers pay each month based on a percentage of their discretionary income. Most of these plans cancel a borrower’s remaining debt once they make 20 years of monthly payments. But the existing versions of these plans are too complex and too limited. As a result, millions of borrowers who might benefit from them do not sign up, and the millions who do sign up are still often left with unmanageable monthly payments. To address these concerns and follow through on Congress’ original vision for income-driven repayment, the Department of Education is proposing a rule to do the following:

These reforms would simplify loan repayment and deliver significant savings to low- and middle-income borrowers. For example:

For each of these borrowers, their balances would not grow as long as they are making their monthly payments, and their remaining debt would be forgiven after they make the required number of qualifying payments. Further, the Department of Education will make it easier for borrowers who enroll in this new plan to stay enrolled. Starting in the summer of 2023, borrowers will be able to allow the Department of Education to automatically pull their income information year after year, avoiding the hassle of needing to recertify their income annually. Ensuring Public Servants Receive Credit Toward Loan Forgiveness Borrowers working in public service are entitled to earn credit toward debt relief under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. But because of complex eligibility restrictions, historic implementation failures, and poor counseling given to borrowers, many borrowers have not received the credit they deserve for their public service. The Department of Education has announced time-limited changes to PSLF that provide an easier path to forgiveness of all outstanding debt for eligible federal student loan borrowers who have served at a non-profit, in the military, or in federal, state, Tribal, or local government for at least 10 years, including non-consecutively. Those who have served less than 10 years may now more easily get credit for their service to date toward eventual forgiveness. These changes allow eligible borrowers to gain additional credit toward forgiveness, even if they had been told previously that they had the wrong loan type. The Department of Education also has proposed regulatory changes to ensure more effective implementation of the PSLF program moving forward. Specifically, the Department of Education has proposed allowing more payments to qualify for PSLF including partial, lump sum, and late payments, and allowing certain kinds of deferments and forbearances, such as those for Peace Corps and AmeriCorps service, National Guard duty, and military service, to count toward PSLF. The Department of Education also proposed to ensure the rules work better for non-tenured instructors whose colleges need to calculate their full-time employment. To ensure borrowers are aware of the temporary changes, the White House has launched four PSLF Days of Action dedicated to borrowers in specific sectors: government employees, educators, healthcare workers and first responders, and non-profit employees. You can find out other information about the temporary changes on PSLF.gov. You must apply to PSLF before the temporary changes end on October 31, 2022. Protecting Borrowers and Taxpayers from Steep Increases in College Costs While providing this relief to low- and middle-income borrowers, the President is focused on keeping college costs under control. Under this Administration, students have had more money in their pockets to pay for college. The President signed the largest increase to the maximum Pell Grant in over a decade and provided nearly $40 billion to colleges and universities through the American Rescue Plan, much of which was used for emergency student financial aid, allowing students to breathe a little easier. Additionally, the Department of Education has already taken significant steps to strengthen accountability, so that students are not left with mountains of debt with little payoff. The agency has re-established the enforcement unit in the Office of Federal Student Aid and it is holding accreditors’ feet to the fire. In fact, the Department just withdrew authorization for the accreditor that oversaw schools responsible for some of the worst for-profit scandals. The agency will also propose a rule to hold career programs accountable for leaving their graduates with mountains of debt they cannot repay, a rule the previous Administration repealed. Building off of these efforts, the Department of Education is announcing new actions to hold accountable colleges that have contributed to the student debt crisis. These include publishing an annual watch list of the programs with the worst debt levels in the country, so that students registering for the next academic year can steer clear of programs with poor outcomes. They also include requesting institutional improvement plans from the worst actors that outline how the colleges with the most concerning debt outcomes intend to bring down debt levels. &nbsp;

More information on claiming relief will be available to borrowers in the coming weeks. Borrowers can sign up to be notified when this information is available at StudentAid.gov/debtrelief.

🎥 Biden explains his student loan forgiveness plan

By WILLIAM MELHADO <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/08/23/uvalde-shooting-27-billion-lawsuit/">The Texas Tribune</a>

On behalf of Uvalde mass shooting victims and their families, the 
California-based law firm Bonner &amp; Bonner is seeking $27 billion 
from a litany of governmental entities over the May 24 Robb Elementary 
School massacre that left 19 children and two teachers dead.

Charles Bonner served the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School 
District with the multibillion-dollar claim Monday, requesting 
compensation for the victims. Bonner told The Texas Tribune he intended 
to serve Uvalde city leaders on Tuesday evening at a City Council 
meeting.

As evidence of the school district’s responsibility, the claim pointed to a <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/17/law-enforcement-failure-uvalde-shooting-investigation/" target="_blank">Texas House committee’s report</a>
 that investigated the shooting as well as law enforcement’s response. 
The report, which was published a month ago, found that “systemic 
failures and egregious poor decision making” contributed to the gunman’s
 ability to get inside a classroom and law enforcement’s delayed 
response in confronting him.

In addition to serving the school district and City Council, Bonner
 intends to seek damages from the list of law enforcement agencies 
present at Robb during the shooting and Daniel Defense, the manufacturer
 of the AR-15 the shooter used that day.

The claim, which could become a precursor to a class-action 
lawsuit, puts the would-be defendants of a potential suit on notice. 
Bonner said he hopes to reach a settlement ahead of the class-action 
suit, but if those parties don’t come to the negotiating table, he plans
 to file the federal lawsuit in September.

Bonner said the claim seeks to establish a medical monitoring fund 
to pay for counseling for those affected by the incident and further 
compensation for the victims of the shooting, their families and the 
other people in the school on the day of the tragedy.

As it stands, the class named in the prospective lawsuit covers 
nine families of shooting victims, but Bonner said he expects that more 
people impacted by the shooting will sign on moving forward.

“The theme of this invitation to negotiate is accountability, 
responsibility and justice, and that’s what we want for everyone in that
 class. We will leave no victim behind,” Bonner said.

Anne Marie Espinoza, a spokesperson for the school district, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661359291611.png" alt="More than two weeks after 21 people died in the school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, hundreds of flowers, toys and candles surround crosses standing in memorial for the victims. Credit: Evan L'Roy for the Texas Tribune " />
 <figcaption>More than two weeks after 21 people died in the school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, hundreds of flowers, toys and candles surround crosses standing in memorial for the victims. Credit: Evan L'Roy for the Texas Tribune </figcaption>
 </figure>By WILLIAM MELHADO <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/08/23/uvalde-shooting-27-billion-lawsuit/">The Texas Tribune</a>On behalf of Uvalde mass shooting victims and their families, the 
California-based law firm Bonner &amp; Bonner is seeking $27 billion 
from a litany of governmental entities over the May 24 Robb Elementary 
School massacre that left 19 children and two teachers dead.Charles Bonner served the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School 
District with the multibillion-dollar claim Monday, requesting 
compensation for the victims. Bonner told The Texas Tribune he intended 
to serve Uvalde city leaders on Tuesday evening at a City Council 
meeting.As evidence of the school district’s responsibility, the claim pointed to a <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/17/law-enforcement-failure-uvalde-shooting-investigation/" target="_blank">Texas House committee’s report</a>
 that investigated the shooting as well as law enforcement’s response. 
The report, which was published a month ago, found that “systemic 
failures and egregious poor decision making” contributed to the gunman’s
 ability to get inside a classroom and law enforcement’s delayed 
response in confronting him.In addition to serving the school district and City Council, Bonner
 intends to seek damages from the list of law enforcement agencies 
present at Robb during the shooting and Daniel Defense, the manufacturer
 of the AR-15 the shooter used that day.The claim, which could become a precursor to a class-action 
lawsuit, puts the would-be defendants of a potential suit on notice. 
Bonner said he hopes to reach a settlement ahead of the class-action 
suit, but if those parties don’t come to the negotiating table, he plans
 to file the federal lawsuit in September.Bonner said the claim seeks to establish a medical monitoring fund 
to pay for counseling for those affected by the incident and further 
compensation for the victims of the shooting, their families and the 
other people in the school on the day of the tragedy.As it stands, the class named in the prospective lawsuit covers 
nine families of shooting victims, but Bonner said he expects that more 
people impacted by the shooting will sign on moving forward.“The theme of this invitation to negotiate is accountability, 
responsibility and justice, and that’s what we want for everyone in that
 class. We will leave no victim behind,” Bonner said.Anne Marie Espinoza, a spokesperson for the school district, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Uvalde schools, law enforcement could face $27B class-action suit

By DYLAN LYSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-24/most-kansas-voters-want-abortion-access-but-their-legislators-may-further-restrict-it-anyway">Kansas News Service</a>

LAWRENCE — Voters made beyond clear that they didn’t want to give the Kansas Legislature more power to restrict abortion.

But
 the state’s lawmakers spent the last generation enacting ever-tighter 
restrictions. And their ranks are loaded with people who want to go even
 further.

Now, despite voters declaring <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-02/kansas-voters-rejected-an-amendment-that-would-have-stripped-away-abortion-rights" target="_blank">by a nearly 60-40 margin</a>
 that they didn’t want to change the Kansas Constitution in a way that 
would have opened the door to an outright ban, legislators could still 
test just how far they can restrict abortion.

“There is a right to
 abortion in Kansas, for now, (but) the anti-abortion movement is going 
to try to chip away at abortion rights as the anti-abortion movement has
 been doing for decades,” said Greer Donley, a Kansas native and 
abortion law expert at the University of Pittsburgh.

Certainly elections matter. But when voters choose who they want 
representing them in every Kansas House district in the state this fall,
 they’ll have relatively little choice.

Nearly half the people 
running for the House face no opponent. Some of those Republican seats 
even represent swing districts where Democrats have often won in the 
past. That will make it hard for any abortion rights wave to remake the 
Legislature.

So even districts that voted against a constitutional
 amendment to strip abortion rights from the Kansas Constitution will 
ultimately send conservatives to represent them in Topeka.

Nathaniel
 Birkhead, a political scientist at Kansas State University, said the 
Aug. 2 election shows a mismatch between Kansas voters and their 
representatives. While a majority of Kansans clearly support some level 
of abortion rights, they have elected lawmakers who don’t.

Gerrymandering that practically locks down a district for one party or the other, he said, could be a factor.

“As
 a consequence,” Birkhead said, “we will continue to see mismatches like
 these, where legislators are promoting ideas and issues that may not 
really align with … what the citizens want.”

Consider Crawford 
County, the home of Pittsburg State University in southeast Kansas. In 
recent years, the Democratic and Republican parties have traded off 
ownership of their seat in the Kansas House.

But this fall, 
Pittsburg’s Republican state Rep. Chuck Smith will cruise to reelection.
 Nobody ran against him. Smith’s county rejected the constitutional 
amendment by a 10% margin. But he wants tighter restrictions.

“No matter how I vote, I'm voting with (only) 50% of my constituents,” Smith said. “But you don't change your values.”

It
 also shows that a decisive election on one of the most contentious 
issues in the state over the last three decades is not going to bring 
the fight to an end. Kansans for Life, the largest anti-abortion group 
in the state, characterized the vote as only a temporary setback.

Kansas
 Republicans could pass more restrictive abortion laws, even if 
incumbent Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who supports abortion rights, 
wins reelection this fall over Republican challenger Derek Schmidt.

Republicans will likely keep their supermajority in the Kansas Legislature and the power override Kelly’s veto.

While every seat in the Kansas House was up for grabs, 55 of the 125 
seats only have a single candidate running. That vast majority of those 
candidates — 36 of them — are Republicans. That’s more than 40% of the 
seats the party would need to retain to keep its supermajority in the 
chamber.

Meanwhile, 22 of those unchallenged Republicans — more 
than half — are set to represent districts that include part of counties
 that rejected the amendment on abortion. Those seats alone make up the 
total difference between a simple majority and a supermajority in the 
Kansas House.

Birkhead said that leads to the mismatch, where 
lawmakers hold views that don’t align with most of their constituents. 
Without an opponent, those lawmakers won’t risk their seats by passing 
more abortion restrictions.

“If you fail to adhere to this sort of
 medium in your district,” he said, “there's no sanction because you're 
not going to lose your election.”

Smith is one of those lawmakers.
 Over the last 10 years, his district has routinely switched hands 
between Republicans and Democrats. But he faces no challenger from 
either party this year. That’s after he voted in 2021 to put the state 
constitutional amendment on the ballot that his constituency voted 
against.

Still, Smith said he still wants some more restrictions 
on abortions. But what restrictions lawmakers could pursue may need to 
be scaled back.

The
 election made one thing clear: abortion rights will continue in Kansas.
 What it doesn’t make clear is what exactly those rights are. Currently,
 state law bans abortion after 22 weeks.

Smith, for instance, said
 he “could live with” a 15-week ban. Some states, like Florida and 
Mississippi, have installed 15-week bans. The challenge to Mississippi’s
 ban was the catalyst for <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/06/24/1102305878/supreme-court-abortion-roe-v-wade-decision-overturn" target="_blank">overturning Roe v. Wade</a>.

Donley
 said Republican lawmakers could use a 15-week ban to test the Kansas 
Supreme Court’s ruling by passing such a law and trying to defend it in 
court. But with the way <a href="https://www.kcur.org/2019-04-26/kansas-supreme-court-rules-state-constitution-protects-right-to-abortion" target="_blank">the state’s high court ruled in 2019</a>, Donley said it’s unlikely it would then allow a 15-week ban to go into effect.

Yet, the court could allow a softer, 20-week law to go into effect, she said.

“I could imagine a court being more likely to entertain that law than a 15-week law,” Donley said.

Conservatives
 and anti-abortion activists still have another option to try to remove 
the right to an abortion from the state. They could push voters to 
remove Kansas Supreme Court justices through retention elections, 
allowing for Republican leaders to reshape the court with their ideology
 on abortion.

That would be similar to what happened at the 
federal level when former President Donald Trump nominated three 
conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. It led to the 
overturning of the decades-old precedent, Roe v. Wade, that provided 
abortion rights nationwide.

That’s a fear that has already been expressed by abortion rights activists.

Ashley
 All of Kansas for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign that worked to 
reject the constitutional amendment, said the day after the election 
that she expected conservatives to <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-03/abortion-rights-forces-won-a-huge-victory-in-kansas-but-the-fight-in-the-state-rages-on" target="_blank">shift their focus to the state supreme court</a>.

Six
 of the court’s seven justices will be up for retention in the November 
general election. If some of the justices are removed, and a Republican 
governor is able to put more conservatives in the court, the right to an
 abortion could be challenged again.

“Even though the entire state
 voted and essentially said no,” Donley said, “if the court changes its 
structure, they could overrule that previous holding and Kansas would 
lose the right to abortion.”

Dylan Lysen reports on politics 
for the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanLysen 
or email him at dlysen@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661349805178.png" alt="Despite Kansans overwhelmingly rejecting a state constitutional amendment to remove the right to an abortion, conservative lawmakers may continue to restrict abortion access in Kansas. KNS" />
 <figcaption>Despite Kansans overwhelmingly rejecting a state constitutional amendment to remove the right to an abortion, conservative lawmakers may continue to restrict abortion access in Kansas. KNS</figcaption>
 </figure>By DYLAN LYSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-24/most-kansas-voters-want-abortion-access-but-their-legislators-may-further-restrict-it-anyway">Kansas News Service</a>LAWRENCE — Voters made beyond clear that they didn’t want to give the Kansas Legislature more power to restrict abortion.But
 the state’s lawmakers spent the last generation enacting ever-tighter 
restrictions. And their ranks are loaded with people who want to go even
 further.Now, despite voters declaring <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-02/kansas-voters-rejected-an-amendment-that-would-have-stripped-away-abortion-rights" target="_blank">by a nearly 60-40 margin</a>
 that they didn’t want to change the Kansas Constitution in a way that 
would have opened the door to an outright ban, legislators could still 
test just how far they can restrict abortion.“There is a right to
 abortion in Kansas, for now, (but) the anti-abortion movement is going 
to try to chip away at abortion rights as the anti-abortion movement has
 been doing for decades,” said Greer Donley, a Kansas native and 
abortion law expert at the University of Pittsburgh.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661349897983.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Certainly elections matter. But when voters choose who they want 
representing them in every Kansas House district in the state this fall,
 they’ll have relatively little choice.Nearly half the people 
running for the House face no opponent. Some of those Republican seats 
even represent swing districts where Democrats have often won in the 
past. That will make it hard for any abortion rights wave to remake the 
Legislature.So even districts that voted against a constitutional
 amendment to strip abortion rights from the Kansas Constitution will 
ultimately send conservatives to represent them in Topeka.Nathaniel
 Birkhead, a political scientist at Kansas State University, said the 
Aug. 2 election shows a mismatch between Kansas voters and their 
representatives. While a majority of Kansans clearly support some level 
of abortion rights, they have elected lawmakers who don’t.Gerrymandering that practically locks down a district for one party or the other, he said, could be a factor.“As
 a consequence,” Birkhead said, “we will continue to see mismatches like
 these, where legislators are promoting ideas and issues that may not 
really align with … what the citizens want.”Consider Crawford 
County, the home of Pittsburg State University in southeast Kansas. In 
recent years, the Democratic and Republican parties have traded off 
ownership of their seat in the Kansas House.But this fall, 
Pittsburg’s Republican state Rep. Chuck Smith will cruise to reelection.
 Nobody ran against him. Smith’s county rejected the constitutional 
amendment by a 10% margin. But he wants tighter restrictions.“No matter how I vote, I'm voting with (only) 50% of my constituents,” Smith said. “But you don't change your values.”It
 also shows that a decisive election on one of the most contentious 
issues in the state over the last three decades is not going to bring 
the fight to an end. Kansans for Life, the largest anti-abortion group 
in the state, characterized the vote as only a temporary setback.<h2>Political mismatch</h2>Kansas
 Republicans could pass more restrictive abortion laws, even if 
incumbent Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who supports abortion rights, 
wins reelection this fall over Republican challenger Derek Schmidt.Republicans will likely keep their supermajority in the Kansas Legislature and the power override Kelly’s veto.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661349956299.png" alt="While every seat in the Kansas House was up for grabs this fall, 55 of the 125 seats only have a single candidate running. That vast majority of those candidates — 36 of them — are Republicans. Additionally, 22 of those unchallenged Republicans are set to represent districts that include counties that rejected the amendment on abortion. Dylan Lysen / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>While every seat in the Kansas House was up for grabs this fall, 55 of the 125 seats only have a single candidate running. That vast majority of those candidates — 36 of them — are Republicans. Additionally, 22 of those unchallenged Republicans are set to represent districts that include counties that rejected the amendment on abortion. Dylan Lysen / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>While every seat in the Kansas House was up for grabs, 55 of the 125 
seats only have a single candidate running. That vast majority of those 
candidates — 36 of them — are Republicans. That’s more than 40% of the 
seats the party would need to retain to keep its supermajority in the 
chamber.Meanwhile, 22 of those unchallenged Republicans — more 
than half — are set to represent districts that include part of counties
 that rejected the amendment on abortion. Those seats alone make up the 
total difference between a simple majority and a supermajority in the 
Kansas House.Birkhead said that leads to the mismatch, where 
lawmakers hold views that don’t align with most of their constituents. 
Without an opponent, those lawmakers won’t risk their seats by passing 
more abortion restrictions.“If you fail to adhere to this sort of
 medium in your district,” he said, “there's no sanction because you're 
not going to lose your election.”Smith is one of those lawmakers.
 Over the last 10 years, his district has routinely switched hands 
between Republicans and Democrats. But he faces no challenger from 
either party this year. That’s after he voted in 2021 to put the state 
constitutional amendment on the ballot that his constituency voted 
against.Still, Smith said he still wants some more restrictions 
on abortions. But what restrictions lawmakers could pursue may need to 
be scaled back.<h2>New restrictions</h2>The
 election made one thing clear: abortion rights will continue in Kansas.
 What it doesn’t make clear is what exactly those rights are. Currently,
 state law bans abortion after 22 weeks.Smith, for instance, said
 he “could live with” a 15-week ban. Some states, like Florida and 
Mississippi, have installed 15-week bans. The challenge to Mississippi’s
 ban was the catalyst for <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/06/24/1102305878/supreme-court-abortion-roe-v-wade-decision-overturn" target="_blank">overturning Roe v. Wade</a>.Donley
 said Republican lawmakers could use a 15-week ban to test the Kansas 
Supreme Court’s ruling by passing such a law and trying to defend it in 
court. But with the way <a href="https://www.kcur.org/2019-04-26/kansas-supreme-court-rules-state-constitution-protects-right-to-abortion" target="_blank">the state’s high court ruled in 2019</a>, Donley said it’s unlikely it would then allow a 15-week ban to go into effect.Yet, the court could allow a softer, 20-week law to go into effect, she said.“I could imagine a court being more likely to entertain that law than a 15-week law,” Donley said.<h2>Reshaping the court</h2>Conservatives
 and anti-abortion activists still have another option to try to remove 
the right to an abortion from the state. They could push voters to 
remove Kansas Supreme Court justices through retention elections, 
allowing for Republican leaders to reshape the court with their ideology
 on abortion.That would be similar to what happened at the 
federal level when former President Donald Trump nominated three 
conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. It led to the 
overturning of the decades-old precedent, Roe v. Wade, that provided 
abortion rights nationwide.That’s a fear that has already been expressed by abortion rights activists.Ashley
 All of Kansas for Constitutional Freedom, the campaign that worked to 
reject the constitutional amendment, said the day after the election 
that she expected conservatives to <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-03/abortion-rights-forces-won-a-huge-victory-in-kansas-but-the-fight-in-the-state-rages-on" target="_blank">shift their focus to the state supreme court</a>.Six
 of the court’s seven justices will be up for retention in the November 
general election. If some of the justices are removed, and a Republican 
governor is able to put more conservatives in the court, the right to an
 abortion could be challenged again.“Even though the entire state
 voted and essentially said no,” Donley said, “if the court changes its 
structure, they could overrule that previous holding and Kansas would 
lose the right to abortion.”Dylan Lysen reports on politics 
for the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanLysen 
or email him at dlysen@kcur.org.

Despite abortion vote, Kan. legislators could further restrict it anyway

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Health reported&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;5,075 new coronavirus cases in Kansas from Wednesday August 17 to Wednesday August 12, for a total of&nbsp; 858,613 cases.&nbsp;&nbsp;

On Wednesday, th<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1529/June-15-Case-Summary-PDF?bidId=">e state reported&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;11 COVID-19 deaths for a total of 8,947. The large <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">net negative </a>in COVID deaths is due to the death verification process, <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">according to the KDHE.&nbsp;</a>

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

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.

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

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

The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Health reported&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;5,075 new coronavirus cases in Kansas from Wednesday August 17 to Wednesday August 12, for a total of&nbsp; 858,613 cases.&nbsp;&nbsp;On Wednesday, th<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1529/June-15-Case-Summary-PDF?bidId=">e state reported&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;11 COVID-19 deaths for a total of 8,947. The large <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">net negative </a>in COVID deaths is due to the death verification process, <a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">according to the KDHE.&nbsp;</a><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661360143698.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a>&nbsp;about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.Kansas is providing fewer updates of its data about COVID-19 now that Gov. Laura Kelly formally declared that the state is moving toward treating COVID-19 as a disease like the flu that spreads regularly and isn't considered a pandemic.&nbsp;The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.The state continues to support access to free COVID-19 testing, works to ensure that vulnerable populations can get vaccinated, see that providers serve a broad population and give “comprehensive guidance” about the virus. She called the new phase “endemic normalcy.”The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations each Wednesday.

KDHE: 11 new COVID deaths since August 17

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced his long-awaited plan to deliver on his campaign promise to provide $10,000 in debt cancellation for millions of Americans — and up to $10,000 more for those with the greatest financial need.

<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/24/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-student-loan-relief-for-borrowers-who-need-it-most/">Click here to read</a> the statement from the White House

Borrowers who earn less than $125,000 a year, or families earning less than $250,000, would be eligible for the $10,000 loan forgiveness, Biden announced in a tweet. For recipients of Pell Grants, which are reserved for undergraduates with the most significant financial need, the federal government would cancel up to an additional $10,000 in federal loan debt.

Biden is also extending a pause on federal student loan payments for what he called the “final time” through the end of 2022. He was set to deliver remarks Wednesday afternoon at the White House to unveil his proposal to the public.

If his plan survives legal challenges that are almost certain to come, it could offer a windfall to a swath of the nation in the run-up to this fall's midterm elections. More than 43 million people have federal student debt, with an average balance of $37,667, according to federal data. Nearly a third of borrowers owe less than $10,000, and about half owe less than $20,000. The White House estimates that Biden's announcement would erase the federal student debt of about 20 million people.

Proponents say cancellation will narrow the racial wealth gap — Black students are more likely to borrow federal student loans and at higher amounts than others. Four years after earning bachelor's degrees, Black borrowers owe an average of nearly $25,000 more than their white peers, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/black-white-disparity-in-student-loan-debt-more-than-triples-after-graduation/">Brookings Institution study</a>.

Still, the action is unlikely to thrill any of the factions that have been jostling for influence as Biden weighs how much to cancel and for whom.

Biden has faced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-95094e1f367262f93eb49fa653bed4c9">pressure from liberals</a>&nbsp;to provide broader relief to hard-hit borrowers, and from moderates and Republicans questioning the fairness of any widespread forgiveness. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-student-loans-tony-cardenas-2838c08edb677cb468b512a7ec54952a">delay in Biden’s decision</a>&nbsp;has only heightened the anticipation for what his own aides acknowledge represents a political no-win situation. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Biden's intended announcement ahead of time.

The continuation of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-congress-miguel-cardona-lifestyle-education-2fad4da6c3fee980b5dacc65561ffa81">the coronavirus pandemic-era payment freeze</a>&nbsp;comes just days before millions of Americans were set to find out when their next student loan bills will be due. This is the closest the administration has come to hitting the end of the payment freeze extension, with the current pause set to end Aug. 31.

Details of the plan have been kept closely guarded as Biden weighed his options. The administration said Wednesday the Education Department will&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief-announcement/">release information</a>&nbsp;in the coming weeks for eligible borrowers to sign up for debt relief. Cancellation for some would be automatic, if the department has access to to their income information, but others would need to fill out a form.

Current students would only be eligible for relief if their loans were originated before July 1, 2022. Biden is also set to propose capping the amount that borrowers pay monthly on undergraduate loans at 5% of their earnings.

During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden was initially skeptical of student loan debt cancellation as he faced off against more progressive candidates for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/bb261be1a4ca285b9422b2f6b93d8d75">the Democratic nomination</a>. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., had proposed cancellations of $50,000 or more.

As he tried to shore up support among younger voters and prepare for a general election battle against President Donald Trump, Biden unveiled his initial proposal for debt cancellation of $10,000 per borrower, with no mention of an income cap.

Biden narrowed his campaign promise in recent months by embracing the income limit as soaring inflation took a political toll and as he aimed to head off political attacks that the cancellation would benefit those with higher take-home pay. But Democrats, from members of congressional leadership to those facing tough reelection bids this November, have pushed the administration to go as broad as possible on debt relief, seeing it in part as a galvanizing issue, particularly for Black and young voters this fall.

Democrats are betting that Biden, who has seen his public approval tumble over the past year, can help motivate younger voters to the polls with the announcement.

Although Biden’s plan is changed from he initially proposed during the campaign, “he’ll get a lot of credit for following through on something that he was committed to,” said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who worked with Biden during the 2020 election.

A survey of 18- to 29-year-olds conducted by the Harvard Institute of Politics in March found that 59% of those polled favored debt cancellation of some sort — whether for all borrowers or those most in need — although student loans did not rank high among issues that most concerned people in that age group.

Some advocates say Biden's plan still falls short.

“If the rumors are true, we’ve got a problem,” Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP, which has aggressively lobbied Biden to take bolder action, said Tuesday.

“President Biden’s decision on student debt cannot become the latest example of a policy that has left Black people — especially Black women — behind,” he said. “This is not how you treat Black voters who turned out in record numbers and provided 90% of their vote to once again save democracy in 2020.”

John Della Volpe, who worked as a consultant on Biden’s campaign and is the director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, said the particulars of Biden’s announcement were less important than the decision itself.

“It’s about trust in politics, in government, in our system. It’s also about trust in the individual, which in this case is President Biden," Della Volpe said.

Republicans, meanwhile, see a political upside if Biden pursues a large-scale cancellation of student debt ahead of the November midterms, anticipating backlash for Democrats — particularly in states where there are large numbers of working-class voters without college degrees. Critics of broad student debt forgiveness also believe it will open the White House to lawsuits, on the grounds that Congress has never given the president the explicit authority to cancel debt on his own.

The Republican National Committee on Tuesday blasted Biden’s expected announcement as a “handout to the rich,” claiming it would unfairly burden lower-income taxpayers and those who have already paid off their student loans with covering the costs of higher education for the wealthy.

Biden’s long deliberations have led to grumbling among federal loan servicers, who had been instructed to hold back billing statements while Biden weighed a decision.

Industry groups had complained that the delayed decision left them with just days to notify borrowers, retrain customer service workers and update websites and digital payment systems, said Scott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance.

It increases the risk that some borrowers will inadvertently be told they need to make payments, he said.

“At this late stage I think that’s the risk we’re running,” he said. “You can’t just turn on a dime with 35 million borrowers who all have different loan types and statuses.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of Americans were waiting to learn the fate of their federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/student-loans">student debt</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday as President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;prepared to deliver on his campaign promise to provide up to $10,000 in debt cancellation.

Details of the plan have been kept closely guarded, but borrowers who earn less than $125,000 a year would be eligible for the loan forgiveness, according to three people familiar with the decision. Biden is also set to extend a pause on federal student loan payments until January.

If it survives legal challenges that are almost certain to come, Biden’s plan could offer a windfall to a swath of the nation in the run-up to this fall's midterm elections. More than 43 million people have federal student debt, with an average balance of $37,667, according to federal data. Nearly a third of borrowers owe less than $10,000, and about half owe less than $20,000.

Wednesday’s announcement was set for the White House after Biden returns from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-jill-delaware-f1a5a72ff5200848e7859ffd4d55b9ea">vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware</a>. The administration had briefly considered higher education schools in the president’s home state for a larger reveal but scaled back its plans.

The frenzied last-minute lobbying continued Tuesday even as Biden remained on his summer vacation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., one of the loudest advocates in recent years for canceling student loan debt, spoke privately on the phone with Biden, imploring the president to forgive as much debt as the administration can, according to a Democrat with knowledge of the call.

In his pitch, Schumer argued to Biden that doing so was the right thing morally and economically, said the Democrat, who asked for anonymity to describe a private conversation.

Inside the administration, officials have discussed forgiving more than $10,000 of student debt for certain categories of borrowers, such as Pell Grant recipients, according to three people with knowledge of the deliberations. That remained one of the final variables being considered by Biden heading into Wednesday’s announcement.

Democrats are betting that Biden, who has seen his public approval rating tumble over the last year, can help motivate younger voters to the polls in November with the announcement.

Although Biden’s plan is narrower than what he initially proposed during the campaign, “he’ll get a lot of credit for following through on something that he was committed to,” said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who worked with Biden during the 2020 election.

She described student debt as a “gateway issue” for younger voters, meaning it affects their views and decisions on housing affordability and career choices. A survey of 18- to 29-year-olds conducted by the Harvard Institute of Politics in March found that 59% of those polled favored debt cancellation of some sort — whether for all borrowers or those most in need — although student loans did not rank high among issues that most concerned people in that age group.

Some advocates were already bracing for disappointment.

Biden’s elongated deliberations have sent federal loan servicers, who have been instructed to hold back billing statements while Biden weighed a decision, grumbling.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661356712793.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced his long-awaited plan to deliver on his campaign promise to provide $10,000 in debt cancellation for millions of Americans — and up to $10,000 more for those with the greatest financial need.<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/24/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-student-loan-relief-for-borrowers-who-need-it-most/">Click here to read</a> the statement from the White HouseBorrowers who earn less than $125,000 a year, or families earning less than $250,000, would be eligible for the $10,000 loan forgiveness, Biden announced in a tweet. For recipients of Pell Grants, which are reserved for undergraduates with the most significant financial need, the federal government would cancel up to an additional $10,000 in federal loan debt.Biden is also extending a pause on federal student loan payments for what he called the “final time” through the end of 2022. He was set to deliver remarks Wednesday afternoon at the White House to unveil his proposal to the public.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">There&#39;s no free lunch. Not requiring student loan repayment means the majority of Americans who paid their debt or never took loans will get stuck with a trillion-dollar tab.&mdash; Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomCottonAR/status/1473715346959912974?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>If his plan survives legal challenges that are almost certain to come, it could offer a windfall to a swath of the nation in the run-up to this fall's midterm elections. More than 43 million people have federal student debt, with an average balance of $37,667, according to federal data. Nearly a third of borrowers owe less than $10,000, and about half owe less than $20,000. The White House estimates that Biden's announcement would erase the federal student debt of about 20 million people.Proponents say cancellation will narrow the racial wealth gap — Black students are more likely to borrow federal student loans and at higher amounts than others. Four years after earning bachelor's degrees, Black borrowers owe an average of nearly $25,000 more than their white peers, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/black-white-disparity-in-student-loan-debt-more-than-triples-after-graduation/">Brookings Institution study</a>.Still, the action is unlikely to thrill any of the factions that have been jostling for influence as Biden weighs how much to cancel and for whom.Biden has faced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-95094e1f367262f93eb49fa653bed4c9">pressure from liberals</a>&nbsp;to provide broader relief to hard-hit borrowers, and from moderates and Republicans questioning the fairness of any widespread forgiveness. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-student-loans-tony-cardenas-2838c08edb677cb468b512a7ec54952a">delay in Biden’s decision</a>&nbsp;has only heightened the anticipation for what his own aides acknowledge represents a political no-win situation. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Biden's intended announcement ahead of time.The continuation of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-congress-miguel-cardona-lifestyle-education-2fad4da6c3fee980b5dacc65561ffa81">the coronavirus pandemic-era payment freeze</a>&nbsp;comes just days before millions of Americans were set to find out when their next student loan bills will be due. This is the closest the administration has come to hitting the end of the payment freeze extension, with the current pause set to end Aug. 31.Details of the plan have been kept closely guarded as Biden weighed his options. The administration said Wednesday the Education Department will&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief-announcement/">release information</a>&nbsp;in the coming weeks for eligible borrowers to sign up for debt relief. Cancellation for some would be automatic, if the department has access to to their income information, but others would need to fill out a form.Current students would only be eligible for relief if their loans were originated before July 1, 2022. Biden is also set to propose capping the amount that borrowers pay monthly on undergraduate loans at 5% of their earnings.During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden was initially skeptical of student loan debt cancellation as he faced off against more progressive candidates for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/bb261be1a4ca285b9422b2f6b93d8d75">the Democratic nomination</a>. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., had proposed cancellations of $50,000 or more.As he tried to shore up support among younger voters and prepare for a general election battle against President Donald Trump, Biden unveiled his initial proposal for debt cancellation of $10,000 per borrower, with no mention of an income cap.Biden narrowed his campaign promise in recent months by embracing the income limit as soaring inflation took a political toll and as he aimed to head off political attacks that the cancellation would benefit those with higher take-home pay. But Democrats, from members of congressional leadership to those facing tough reelection bids this November, have pushed the administration to go as broad as possible on debt relief, seeing it in part as a galvanizing issue, particularly for Black and young voters this fall.Democrats are betting that Biden, who has seen his public approval tumble over the past year, can help motivate younger voters to the polls with the announcement.Although Biden’s plan is changed from he initially proposed during the campaign, “he’ll get a lot of credit for following through on something that he was committed to,” said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who worked with Biden during the 2020 election.A survey of 18- to 29-year-olds conducted by the Harvard Institute of Politics in March found that 59% of those polled favored debt cancellation of some sort — whether for all borrowers or those most in need — although student loans did not rank high among issues that most concerned people in that age group.Some advocates say Biden's plan still falls short.“If the rumors are true, we’ve got a problem,” Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP, which has aggressively lobbied Biden to take bolder action, said Tuesday.“President Biden’s decision on student debt cannot become the latest example of a policy that has left Black people — especially Black women — behind,” he said. “This is not how you treat Black voters who turned out in record numbers and provided 90% of their vote to once again save democracy in 2020.”John Della Volpe, who worked as a consultant on Biden’s campaign and is the director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, said the particulars of Biden’s announcement were less important than the decision itself.“It’s about trust in politics, in government, in our system. It’s also about trust in the individual, which in this case is President Biden," Della Volpe said.Republicans, meanwhile, see a political upside if Biden pursues a large-scale cancellation of student debt ahead of the November midterms, anticipating backlash for Democrats — particularly in states where there are large numbers of working-class voters without college degrees. Critics of broad student debt forgiveness also believe it will open the White House to lawsuits, on the grounds that Congress has never given the president the explicit authority to cancel debt on his own.The Republican National Committee on Tuesday blasted Biden’s expected announcement as a “handout to the rich,” claiming it would unfairly burden lower-income taxpayers and those who have already paid off their student loans with covering the costs of higher education for the wealthy.Biden’s long deliberations have led to grumbling among federal loan servicers, who had been instructed to hold back billing statements while Biden weighed a decision.Industry groups had complained that the delayed decision left them with just days to notify borrowers, retrain customer service workers and update websites and digital payment systems, said Scott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance.It increases the risk that some borrowers will inadvertently be told they need to make payments, he said.“At this late stage I think that’s the risk we’re running,” he said. “You can’t just turn on a dime with 35 million borrowers who all have different loan types and statuses.”-----------WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of Americans were waiting to learn the fate of their federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/student-loans">student debt</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday as President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;prepared to deliver on his campaign promise to provide up to $10,000 in debt cancellation.Details of the plan have been kept closely guarded, but borrowers who earn less than $125,000 a year would be eligible for the loan forgiveness, according to three people familiar with the decision. Biden is also set to extend a pause on federal student loan payments until January.If it survives legal challenges that are almost certain to come, Biden’s plan could offer a windfall to a swath of the nation in the run-up to this fall's midterm elections. More than 43 million people have federal student debt, with an average balance of $37,667, according to federal data. Nearly a third of borrowers owe less than $10,000, and about half owe less than $20,000.Proponents say cancellation will narrow the racial wealth gap — Black students are more likely to borrow federal student loans and at higher amounts than others. Four years after earning bachelor's degrees, Black borrowers owe an average of nearly $25,000 more than their white peers, according to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/black-white-disparity-in-student-loan-debt-more-than-triples-after-graduation/">Brookings Institution study</a>.Still, the action is unlikely to thrill any of the factions that have been jostling for influence as Biden weighs how much to cancel and for whom.Biden has faced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-95094e1f367262f93eb49fa653bed4c9">pressure from liberals</a>&nbsp;to provide broader relief to hard-hit borrowers, and from moderates and Republicans questioning the fairness of any widespread forgiveness. The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-student-loans-tony-cardenas-2838c08edb677cb468b512a7ec54952a">delay in Biden’s decision</a>&nbsp;has only heightened the anticipation for what his own aides acknowledge represents a political no-win situation. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Biden's intended announcement ahead of time.The continuation of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-congress-miguel-cardona-lifestyle-education-2fad4da6c3fee980b5dacc65561ffa81">the coronavirus pandemic-era payment freeze</a>&nbsp;comes just days before millions of Americans were set to find out when their next student loan bills will be due. This is the closest the administration has come to hitting the end of the payment freeze extension, with the current pause set to end Aug. 31.Wednesday’s announcement was set for the White House after Biden returns from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-health-jill-delaware-f1a5a72ff5200848e7859ffd4d55b9ea">vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware</a>. The administration had briefly considered higher education schools in the president’s home state for a larger reveal but scaled back its plans.During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden was initially skeptical of student loan debt cancellation as he faced off against more progressive candidates for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/bb261be1a4ca285b9422b2f6b93d8d75">the Democratic nomination</a>. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., had proposed cancellations of $50,000 or more.As he tried to shore up support among younger voters and prepare for a general election battle against President Donald Trump, Biden unveiled his initial proposal for debt cancellation of $10,000 per borrower, with no mention of an income cap.Biden narrowed his campaign promise in recent months by embracing the income limit as soaring inflation took a political toll and as he aimed to head off political attacks that the cancellation would benefit those with higher take-home pay. But Democrats, from members of congressional leadership to those facing tough reelection bids this November, have pushed the administration to go as broad as possible on debt relief, seeing it in part as a galvanizing issue, particularly for Black and young voters this fall.The frenzied last-minute lobbying continued Tuesday even as Biden remained on his summer vacation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., one of the loudest advocates in recent years for canceling student loan debt, spoke privately on the phone with Biden, imploring the president to forgive as much debt as the administration can, according to a Democrat with knowledge of the call.In his pitch, Schumer argued to Biden that doing so was the right thing morally and economically, said the Democrat, who asked for anonymity to describe a private conversation.Inside the administration, officials have discussed forgiving more than $10,000 of student debt for certain categories of borrowers, such as Pell Grant recipients, according to three people with knowledge of the deliberations. That remained one of the final variables being considered by Biden heading into Wednesday’s announcement.Democrats are betting that Biden, who has seen his public approval rating tumble over the last year, can help motivate younger voters to the polls in November with the announcement.Although Biden’s plan is narrower than what he initially proposed during the campaign, “he’ll get a lot of credit for following through on something that he was committed to,” said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who worked with Biden during the 2020 election.She described student debt as a “gateway issue” for younger voters, meaning it affects their views and decisions on housing affordability and career choices. A survey of 18- to 29-year-olds conducted by the Harvard Institute of Politics in March found that 59% of those polled favored debt cancellation of some sort — whether for all borrowers or those most in need — although student loans did not rank high among issues that most concerned people in that age group.Some advocates were already bracing for disappointment.“If the rumors are true, we’ve got a problem,” Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP, which has aggressively lobbied Biden to take bolder action, said Tuesday.“President Biden’s decision on student debt cannot become the latest example of a policy that has left Black people — especially Black women — behind,” he said. “This is not how you treat Black voters who turned out in record numbers and provided 90% of their vote to once again save democracy in 2020.”John Della Volpe, who worked as a consultant on Biden’s campaign and is the director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, said the particulars of Biden’s announcement were less important than the decision itself.“It’s about trust in politics, in government, in our system. It’s also about trust in the individual, which in this case is President Biden," Della Volpe said.Republicans, meanwhile, see a political upside if Biden pursues a large-scale cancellation of student debt ahead of the November midterms, anticipating backlash for Democrats — particularly in states where there are large numbers of working-class voters without college degrees. Critics of broad student debt forgiveness also believe it will open the White House to lawsuits, on the grounds that Congress has never given the president the explicit authority to cancel debt on his own.The Republican National Committee on Tuesday blasted Biden’s expected announcement as a “handout to the rich,” claiming it would unfairly burden lower-income taxpayers and those who have already paid off their student loans with covering the costs of higher education for the wealthy.Biden’s elongated deliberations have sent federal loan servicers, who have been instructed to hold back billing statements while Biden weighed a decision, grumbling.Industry groups had complained that the delayed decision left them with just days to notify borrowers, retrain customer service workers and update websites and digital payment systems, said Scott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance.It increases the risk that some borrowers will inadvertently be told they need to make payments, he said.“At this late stage I think that’s the risk we’re running,” he said. “You can’t just turn on a dime with 35 million borrowers who all have different loan types and statuses.”

Biden announces long-awaited student debt forgiveness plan

OSAGE COUNTY—On Tuesday afternoon,&nbsp; deputies responded to a different type of call, according to the Osage County Sheriff's office.

Deputies learned that a kitten that had fallen into a 30-foot-deep cistern. 

With assistance from Osage County Fire District #1 -  Carbondale Fire, Osage County EMS, and the homeowner, first responders fit a fish net to a long pole using duct tape. 

Sheriff Chris Wells was able to get the kitten to run into the net and retrieve it from the cistern. 

"Great teamwork—the kitten was saved and uninjured."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661351322112.png" alt="Photo courtesy Osage County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Osage County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY—On Tuesday afternoon,&nbsp; deputies responded to a different type of call, according to the Osage County Sheriff's office.Deputies learned that a kitten that had fallen into a 30-foot-deep cistern. With assistance from Osage County Fire District #1 - Carbondale Fire, Osage County EMS, and the homeowner, first responders fit a fish net to a long pole using duct tape. Sheriff Chris Wells was able to get the kitten to run into the net and retrieve it from the cistern. "Great teamwork—the kitten was saved and uninjured."

Kansas deputies improvise, rescue kitten from cistern

TOPEKA —A federal grand jury in Topeka returned an indictment charging a Kansas man with three counts of false statement during the acquisition of a firearm, according to the United State's Attorney.

According to court documents, Todd Hetherington, 26, of Topeka is accused of purchasing a total of six pistols from various licensed dealers in which he allegedly falsely presented himself as the actual transferee or buyer.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case.

TOPEKA —A federal grand jury in Topeka returned an indictment charging a Kansas man with three counts of false statement during the acquisition of a firearm, according to the United State's Attorney.According to court documents, Todd Hetherington, 26, of Topeka is accused of purchasing a total of six pistols from various licensed dealers in which he allegedly falsely presented himself as the actual transferee or buyer.The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) is investigating the case.

Indictment: Kansas man lied during purchase of firearms 

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he is sending $2.98 billion in new military&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-united-states-moscow-government-and-politics-c6bfbefe2a4bf671ca47108b68fe3818">aid to Ukraine that will enable forces</a>&nbsp;there to fight for years to come.

In a statement, Biden said the aid will allow Ukraine to acquire air defense systems, artillery systems and munitions, drones and other equipment “to ensure it can continue to defend itself over the long term.”

The announcement comes as Ukraine is celebrating its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-boris-johnson-crimea-government-and-politics-88b84ca48ef131f2c629ce1fcbf67948">1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union</a>.

“I know this independence day is bittersweet for many Ukrainians as thousands have been killed or wounded, millions have been displaced from their homes, and so many others have fallen victim to Russian atrocities and attacks,” Biden said. “But six months of relentless attacks have only strengthened Ukrainians’ pride in themselves, in their country, and in their thirty-one years of independence.”

The aid package is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Officials said it will include money for the small, hand-launched Puma drones, the longer-endurance Scan Eagle surveillance drones, which are launched by catapult, and, for the first time, the British Vampire drone system, which can be launched off ships. Several officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the aid before its public release.

As&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia's war on Ukraine</a>&nbsp;drags on, U.S. security assistance is shifting to a longer-term campaign that also will likely keep more American military troops in Europe into the future, U.S. officials said. Wednesday is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-kyiv-moscow-3507728aeaf8ebfc68a1cdbd3aa8c30e">Ukraine's independence day holiday</a>&nbsp;and the six-month point in the war.

Unlike most&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-government-and-politics-2c702bcbbcc0393a4d471c09680abea4">previous packages</a>, the new funding is largely aimed at helping Ukraine secure its medium- to long-term defense posture, according to officials familiar with the matter. Earlier shipments, most of them done under presidential drawdown authority, have focused on Ukraine’s more immediate needs for weapons and ammunition and involved materiel that the Pentagon already has in stock that can be shipped in short order.

Besides providing longer-term assistance that Ukraine can use for potential future defense needs, the new package is intended to reassure Ukrainian officials that the United States intends to keep up its support, regardless of the day-to-day back and forth of the conflict, the officials said.

NATO Secretary-General&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jens-stoltenberg">Jens Stoltenberg</a>&nbsp;noted the more extended focus Tuesday as he reaffirmed the alliance’s support for the conflict-torn country.

“Winter is coming, and it will be hard, and what we see now is a grinding war of attrition. This is a battle of wills, and a battle of logistics. Therefore we must sustain our support for Ukraine for the long term, so that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent nation,” Stoltenberg said, speaking at a virtual conference about Crimea, organized by Ukraine.

Six months after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-russia-moscow-kyiv-626a8c5ec22217bacb24ece60fac4fe1">Russia invaded</a>, the war has slowed to a grind, as both sides trade combat strikes and small advances in the east and south. Both sides have seen&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-fires-eac13f4bb47663c9769696029ecc257d">thousands of troops killed</a>&nbsp;and injured, as Russia’s bombardment of cities has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-state-of-the-union-address-zelenskyy-biden-kyiv-7cc069b80178629a60f4f2d166348d45">killed countless innocent civilians</a>.

There are fears that Russia will intensify&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-boris-johnson-government-and-politics-19f322cfdf0fe66f10378e01d38ea8c2">attacks on civilian infrastructure</a>&nbsp;and government facilities in the coming days because of the holiday celebrating Ukraine's 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union and the day marking six months since the invasion.

On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and the State Department issued a new security alert for Ukraine that repeated a call for Americans in the country to leave due to the danger.

“Given Russia’s track record in Ukraine, we are concerned about the continued threat that Russian strikes pose to civilians and civilian infrastructure,” it said.

Other NATO allies are also marking the independence day with new aid announcements.

German Chancellor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/olaf-scholz">Olaf Scholz</a>&nbsp;said his country is providing more than 500 million euros (nearly $500 million) in aid, including powerful anti-aircraft systems. The aid will include rocket launchers, ammunition, anti-drone equipment, a dozen armored recovery vehicles and and three additional IRIS-T long-range air defense systems, the German news agency dpa reported.

The funding must still be approved by parliament, and some of it won’t be delivered until next year.

And Canada's Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/justin-trudeau">Justin Trudeau</a>&nbsp;announced $3.85 million for two Ukraine projects through the Peace and Stabilization Operations Program. It includes about $2.9 million in funding for ongoing development of Ukraine's national police force and other emergency services, and about $950,000 to help advise Ukraine's defense ministry.

To date, the U.S. has provided about $10.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration, including 19 packages of weapons taken directly from Defense Department stocks since August 2021.

U.S. defense leaders are also eyeing plans that will expand training for Ukrainian troops outside their country, and for militaries on Europe’s eastern and southern flanks that feel most threatened by Russia’s aggression.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661342950513.png" alt="Members of the 305th Aerial Port Squadron load munition packages bound for Ukraine at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst-photo U.S. Dept. of Defense " />
 <figcaption>Members of the 305th Aerial Port Squadron load munition packages bound for Ukraine at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst-photo U.S. Dept. of Defense </figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he is sending $2.98 billion in new military&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-united-states-moscow-government-and-politics-c6bfbefe2a4bf671ca47108b68fe3818">aid to Ukraine that will enable forces</a>&nbsp;there to fight for years to come.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Grateful to <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> and the people of 🇺🇸 for the powerful congratulations on 🇺🇦 Independence Day - an unprecedented package of security assistance of almost $3 billion. The people of Ukraine, all our defenders highly appreciate 🇺🇸&#39;s unwavering support. Together we will win!&mdash; Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1562427476533714945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 24, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In a statement, Biden said the aid will allow Ukraine to acquire air defense systems, artillery systems and munitions, drones and other equipment “to ensure it can continue to defend itself over the long term.”The announcement comes as Ukraine is celebrating its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-boris-johnson-crimea-government-and-politics-88b84ca48ef131f2c629ce1fcbf67948">1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union</a>.“I know this independence day is bittersweet for many Ukrainians as thousands have been killed or wounded, millions have been displaced from their homes, and so many others have fallen victim to Russian atrocities and attacks,” Biden said. “But six months of relentless attacks have only strengthened Ukrainians’ pride in themselves, in their country, and in their thirty-one years of independence.”The aid package is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. Officials said it will include money for the small, hand-launched Puma drones, the longer-endurance Scan Eagle surveillance drones, which are launched by catapult, and, for the first time, the British Vampire drone system, which can be launched off ships. Several officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the aid before its public release.As&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia's war on Ukraine</a>&nbsp;drags on, U.S. security assistance is shifting to a longer-term campaign that also will likely keep more American military troops in Europe into the future, U.S. officials said. Wednesday is&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-kyiv-moscow-3507728aeaf8ebfc68a1cdbd3aa8c30e">Ukraine's independence day holiday</a>&nbsp;and the six-month point in the war.Unlike most&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-government-and-politics-2c702bcbbcc0393a4d471c09680abea4">previous packages</a>, the new funding is largely aimed at helping Ukraine secure its medium- to long-term defense posture, according to officials familiar with the matter. Earlier shipments, most of them done under presidential drawdown authority, have focused on Ukraine’s more immediate needs for weapons and ammunition and involved materiel that the Pentagon already has in stock that can be shipped in short order.Besides providing longer-term assistance that Ukraine can use for potential future defense needs, the new package is intended to reassure Ukrainian officials that the United States intends to keep up its support, regardless of the day-to-day back and forth of the conflict, the officials said.NATO Secretary-General&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/jens-stoltenberg">Jens Stoltenberg</a>&nbsp;noted the more extended focus Tuesday as he reaffirmed the alliance’s support for the conflict-torn country.“Winter is coming, and it will be hard, and what we see now is a grinding war of attrition. This is a battle of wills, and a battle of logistics. Therefore we must sustain our support for Ukraine for the long term, so that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent nation,” Stoltenberg said, speaking at a virtual conference about Crimea, organized by Ukraine.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1661295576018.png" alt="Members of the 305th Aerial Port Squadron load munition packages bound for Ukraine at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst" />
 <figcaption>Members of the 305th Aerial Port Squadron load munition packages bound for Ukraine at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst</figcaption>
 </figure>Six months after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-russia-moscow-kyiv-626a8c5ec22217bacb24ece60fac4fe1">Russia invaded</a>, the war has slowed to a grind, as both sides trade combat strikes and small advances in the east and south. Both sides have seen&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-fires-eac13f4bb47663c9769696029ecc257d">thousands of troops killed</a>&nbsp;and injured, as Russia’s bombardment of cities has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-state-of-the-union-address-zelenskyy-biden-kyiv-7cc069b80178629a60f4f2d166348d45">killed countless innocent civilians</a>.There are fears that Russia will intensify&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-boris-johnson-government-and-politics-19f322cfdf0fe66f10378e01d38ea8c2">attacks on civilian infrastructure</a>&nbsp;and government facilities in the coming days because of the holiday celebrating Ukraine's 1991 declaration of independence from the Soviet Union and the day marking six months since the invasion.On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and the State Department issued a new security alert for Ukraine that repeated a call for Americans in the country to leave due to the danger.“Given Russia’s track record in Ukraine, we are concerned about the continued threat that Russian strikes pose to civilians and civilian infrastructure,” it said.Other NATO allies are also marking the independence day with new aid announcements.German Chancellor&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/olaf-scholz">Olaf Scholz</a>&nbsp;said his country is providing more than 500 million euros (nearly $500 million) in aid, including powerful anti-aircraft systems. The aid will include rocket launchers, ammunition, anti-drone equipment, a dozen armored recovery vehicles and and three additional IRIS-T long-range air defense systems, the German news agency dpa reported.The funding must still be approved by parliament, and some of it won’t be delivered until next year.And Canada's Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/justin-trudeau">Justin Trudeau</a>&nbsp;announced $3.85 million for two Ukraine projects through the Peace and Stabilization Operations Program. It includes about $2.9 million in funding for ongoing development of Ukraine's national police force and other emergency services, and about $950,000 to help advise Ukraine's defense ministry.To date, the U.S. has provided about $10.6 billion in military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration, including 19 packages of weapons taken directly from Defense Department stocks since August 2021.U.S. defense leaders are also eyeing plans that will expand training for Ukrainian troops outside their country, and for militaries on Europe’s eastern and southern flanks that feel most threatened by Russia’s aggression.

Ukraine President thanks Biden for $3B in new aid for war effort

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson, whose unmistakable swagger in helping the Kansas City Chiefs to their first Super Bowl title earned him the nickname “Lenny the Cool,” died Wednesday. He was 87.

Dawson's family announced his death in a statement through KMBC, the Kansas City-based television station where he starred in his second career as a broadcaster. No cause was given, though Dawson had been in declining health for years.

“With wife Linda at his side, it is with much sadness that we inform you of the passing of our beloved Len Dawson,” the family's statement read. “He was a wonderful husband, father, brother and friend. Len was always grateful and many times overwhelmed by the countless bonds he made during his football and broadcast careers.”

The MVP of the Chiefs’ victory over the Vikings in January 1970, Dawson had entered hospice care on Aug. 12.

“He loved Kansas City," his family said, "and no matter where his travels took him he could not wait to return home."

Dawson personified the Chiefs almost from the start, when the suave standout from Purdue lost out on starting jobs in Pittsburgh and Cleveland and landed with the nascent franchise, then located in Dallas. There, Dawson reunited with Hank Stram, who had been an assistant with the Boilermakers, and together they forever changed the franchise.

The coach and quarterback won the AFL championship together in 1962, their first year together, and became bona fide stars the following year, when club founder Lamar Hunt moved the team to Kansas City and rechristened it the Chiefs.

They proceeded to win two more AFL titles, one in 1966 when they lost to the Packers in the first Super Bowl, and the other in '69, when Dawson came back from an injury to help beat the Vikings at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans.

“Looking back on my career, I’ve been blessed for what I had the opportunity to do,” Dawson said told The Associated Press in 2017, shortly after he announced his retirement from his second career as a Hall of Fame broadcaster.

“I could not have accomplished so much without my teammates and colleagues, and I’m grateful for each of them.”

Dawson always remained a beloved figure in Kansas City, even though he cut back on public appearances several years ago when his health began to fail him. But he always had time for fans, whether it be a photograph or signature, the latter often on an iconic black-and-white photo from halftime of that first Super Bowl: the exhausted quarterback, white uniform caked with mud, sitting on a folding chair with a cigarette in his mouth and a bottle of Fresca at his feet.

It perfectly captured a time and place. And it perfectly captured a man that embodied poise and self-assurance.

“Next to my father, few people have had a more lasting impact on the Kansas City Chiefs than Len Dawson,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said a few years ago. “Over the course of a legendary career, first as a player and later as a broadcaster, Len has been a part of every major moment in franchise history.”

Dawson was born June 20, 1935, the ninth of 11 children that filled the house of James and Annie Dawson in the blue-collar manufacturing town of Alliance, Ohio. He was a three-sport athlete at Alliance High School, setting records in both football and basketball, and turned his success on the gridiron into a scholarship offer from Purdue.

There, Dawson led the NCAA in passing efficiency as a sophomore while also playing defense and kicking, and he helped lead a memorable upset of Notre Dame during that 1954 season. By the end of his college career, Dawson had thrown for more than 3,000 yards, despite playing in an era that favored ground-and-pound football.

Dawson was chosen by the Steelers in the first round of the 1957 draft, but he wound up riding the bench behind Earl Morrall as a rookie and then failed to beat out Bobby Layne for he starting job the following season. The Steelers ultimately traded him to the Browns, where Dawson was unable to beat out Milt Plum for the job and was released.

One of the great disappointments of Dawson's career wound up being one of the best things to ever happen to him.

With newfound freedom to sign anywhere, Dawson jumped to the upstart AFL and the Texans, lured in part by the chance to play for one of his old coaches at Purdue. Stram was able to finally tap into his talent, helping Dawson to quickly become one of the league's prolific passers as the Texans went 11-3 and won the first of three championships.

The second came in 1966, when Dawson led the Chiefs to an 11-2-1 record and a 31-7 blowout of the Bills in the AFL title game. That earned the Chiefs the chance to face the powerhouse Green Bay Packers — and coach Vince Lombardi — in the inaugural Super Bowl, where Dawson threw for 210 yards and a touchdown in a 35-10 defeat.

It was the 1969 season that proved to be the most memorable of Dawson's career, though. He sustained a serious knee injury against the Patriots in Week 2, forcing him to miss the next five games, but went on a tear once he returned to the field. Dawson led the Chiefs to victories over the defending champion Jets and bitter rival Raiders to reach what would be the final Super Bowl before the AFL-NFL merger, where he threw for 142 yards and a score in a 23-7 triumph.

“It was overwhelming,” Dawson said afterward. “It’s just, you know how that relief comes with you know it’s over with, and we’ve been successful? That’s the feeling that I had when I came off the field.”

Dawson continued to play for six more seasons in Kansas City, setting many franchise records that stood until a youngster named Patrick Mahomes came along, before hanging up his helmet after the 1975 season.

Along the way, Dawson parlayed what began as a publicity stunt into a second career in broadcasting.

In 1966, then-Chiefs general manager Jack Steadman wanted to drum up support for the franchise in Kansas City and convinced Dawson to anchor a sports segment on the nightly news. His natural charisma and folksy style made Dawson a natural, he turned his attention to TV and radio on a full-time basis after his playing career had finished.

Dawson continued to work in local TV for several decades, adding game analysis for NBC from 1977-82 and hosting HBO's iconic “Inside the NFL” from 1977-2001. He also served more than three decades on the Chiefs' radio broadcast team.

After going into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1987, Dawson was inducted as a broadcaster in 2012.

“It’s been a true privilege and honor to have Len at the center of our broadcast team for the last 33 years,” said Dan Israel, the executive producer of the Chiefs’ radio network, upon his retirement a few years ago. “His contributions to not only this sport, but our industry, are incredibly profound.”

Dawson was married to his high school sweetheart, Jackie, from 1954 until her death in 1978, and together they had two children. His second wife, Linda, remained by his side even when Dawson was forced to enter hospice care.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/8/1660354181481.jpeg" alt="Len Dawson U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joel Pfiester/Released, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons" />
 <figcaption>Len Dawson U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Joel Pfiester/Released, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson, whose unmistakable swagger in helping the Kansas City Chiefs to their first Super Bowl title earned him the nickname “Lenny the Cool,” died Wednesday. He was 87.Dawson's family announced his death in a statement through KMBC, the Kansas City-based television station where he starred in his second career as a broadcaster. No cause was given, though Dawson had been in declining health for years.“With wife Linda at his side, it is with much sadness that we inform you of the passing of our beloved Len Dawson,” the family's statement read. “He was a wonderful husband, father, brother and friend. Len was always grateful and many times overwhelmed by the countless bonds he made during his football and broadcast careers.”The MVP of the Chiefs’ victory over the Vikings in January 1970, Dawson had entered hospice care on Aug. 12.“He loved Kansas City," his family said, "and no matter where his travels took him he could not wait to return home."Dawson personified the Chiefs almost from the start, when the suave standout from Purdue lost out on starting jobs in Pittsburgh and Cleveland and landed with the nascent franchise, then located in Dallas. There, Dawson reunited with Hank Stram, who had been an assistant with the Boilermakers, and together they forever changed the franchise.The coach and quarterback won the AFL championship together in 1962, their first year together, and became bona fide stars the following year, when club founder Lamar Hunt moved the team to Kansas City and rechristened it the Chiefs.They proceeded to win two more AFL titles, one in 1966 when they lost to the Packers in the first Super Bowl, and the other in '69, when Dawson came back from an injury to help beat the Vikings at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans.“Looking back on my career, I’ve been blessed for what I had the opportunity to do,” Dawson said told The Associated Press in 2017, shortly after he announced his retirement from his second career as a Hall of Fame broadcaster.“I could not have accomplished so much without my teammates and colleagues, and I’m grateful for each of them.”Dawson always remained a beloved figure in Kansas City, even though he cut back on public appearances several years ago when his health began to fail him. But he always had time for fans, whether it be a photograph or signature, the latter often on an iconic black-and-white photo from halftime of that first Super Bowl: the exhausted quarterback, white uniform caked with mud, sitting on a folding chair with a cigarette in his mouth and a bottle of Fresca at his feet.It perfectly captured a time and place. And it perfectly captured a man that embodied poise and self-assurance.“Next to my father, few people have had a more lasting impact on the Kansas City Chiefs than Len Dawson,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said a few years ago. “Over the course of a legendary career, first as a player and later as a broadcaster, Len has been a part of every major moment in franchise history.”Dawson was born June 20, 1935, the ninth of 11 children that filled the house of James and Annie Dawson in the blue-collar manufacturing town of Alliance, Ohio. He was a three-sport athlete at Alliance High School, setting records in both football and basketball, and turned his success on the gridiron into a scholarship offer from Purdue.There, Dawson led the NCAA in passing efficiency as a sophomore while also playing defense and kicking, and he helped lead a memorable upset of Notre Dame during that 1954 season. By the end of his college career, Dawson had thrown for more than 3,000 yards, despite playing in an era that favored ground-and-pound football.Dawson was chosen by the Steelers in the first round of the 1957 draft, but he wound up riding the bench behind Earl Morrall as a rookie and then failed to beat out Bobby Layne for he starting job the following season. The Steelers ultimately traded him to the Browns, where Dawson was unable to beat out Milt Plum for the job and was released.One of the great disappointments of Dawson's career wound up being one of the best things to ever happen to him.With newfound freedom to sign anywhere, Dawson jumped to the upstart AFL and the Texans, lured in part by the chance to play for one of his old coaches at Purdue. Stram was able to finally tap into his talent, helping Dawson to quickly become one of the league's prolific passers as the Texans went 11-3 and won the first of three championships.The second came in 1966, when Dawson led the Chiefs to an 11-2-1 record and a 31-7 blowout of the Bills in the AFL title game. That earned the Chiefs the chance to face the powerhouse Green Bay Packers — and coach Vince Lombardi — in the inaugural Super Bowl, where Dawson threw for 210 yards and a touchdown in a 35-10 defeat.It was the 1969 season that proved to be the most memorable of Dawson's career, though. He sustained a serious knee injury against the Patriots in Week 2, forcing him to miss the next five games, but went on a tear once he returned to the field. Dawson led the Chiefs to victories over the defending champion Jets and bitter rival Raiders to reach what would be the final Super Bowl before the AFL-NFL merger, where he threw for 142 yards and a score in a 23-7 triumph.“It was overwhelming,” Dawson said afterward. “It’s just, you know how that relief comes with you know it’s over with, and we’ve been successful? That’s the feeling that I had when I came off the field.”Dawson continued to play for six more seasons in Kansas City, setting many franchise records that stood until a youngster named Patrick Mahomes came along, before hanging up his helmet after the 1975 season.Along the way, Dawson parlayed what began as a publicity stunt into a second career in broadcasting.In 1966, then-Chiefs general manager Jack Steadman wanted to drum up support for the franchise in Kansas City and convinced Dawson to anchor a sports segment on the nightly news. His natural charisma and folksy style made Dawson a natural, he turned his attention to TV and radio on a full-time basis after his playing career had finished.Dawson continued to work in local TV for several decades, adding game analysis for NBC from 1977-82 and hosting HBO's iconic “Inside the NFL” from 1977-2001. He also served more than three decades on the Chiefs' radio broadcast team.After going into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1987, Dawson was inducted as a broadcaster in 2012.“It’s been a true privilege and honor to have Len at the center of our broadcast team for the last 33 years,” said Dan Israel, the executive producer of the Chiefs’ radio network, upon his retirement a few years ago. “His contributions to not only this sport, but our industry, are incredibly profound.”Dawson was married to his high school sweetheart, Jackie, from 1954 until her death in 1978, and together they had two children. His second wife, Linda, remained by his side even when Dawson was forced to enter hospice care.

Longtime broadcaster, Chiefs star Len Dawson dead at 87

FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a house fire and have determined it was intentionally set, according to a statement from the Garden City Fire Department.

Just after 5 a.m. on August 18, fire crews responded to a fire in the 1600 block of A Street.&nbsp; The Garden City Police Department&nbsp; was already on scene and the fire was extinguished. There were no injuries.

FINNEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a house fire and have determined it was intentionally set, according to a statement from the Garden City Fire Department.Just after 5 a.m. on August 18, fire crews responded to a fire in the 1600 block of A Street.&nbsp; The Garden City Police Department&nbsp; was already on scene and the fire was extinguished. There were no injuries.Firefighters began to investigate around the house and noticed a strong smell of accelerant, as well as markings of smoke residue.&nbsp; Authorities turned the scene over to GCFD Fire Investigator Gene Robertson. He identified several areas on the outside of the residence that had possible ignitable liquid trails, as well as burn marks on the exterior siding of the home. The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office was also contacted to request a State Investigator and Accelerant K-9.&nbsp; The cause of the fire has been deemed arson.&nbsp; Authorities released&nbsp;no damage estimates for the structure.