DETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than a quarter-million Explorer SUVs in the U.S. because they can roll away unexpectedly while shifted into park.

The recall covers certain 2020 through 2022 Explorers with 2.3-liter engines, as well as 3-liter and 3.3-liter hybrids and the 3-liter ST. Also included are 2020 and 2021 Explorer Police hybrids and those with 3.3-liter gas engines.

Documents posted Friday by U.S. safety regulators say that a rear axle mounting bolt can fracture and cause the drive shaft to disconnect. If that happens, the SUVs can roll away even if they are placed in park gear, without the parking brake on.

The documents say Ford has 235 warranty claims due to the problem. The company says it knows of no crashes or injuries.

Depending on the model, dealers will replace a bushing and the axle cover, or they will update electronic parking brake software. Owners will be notified by mail starting June 6.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1651238741541.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>DETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co. is recalling more than a quarter-million Explorer SUVs in the U.S. because they can roll away unexpectedly while shifted into park.The recall covers certain 2020 through 2022 Explorers with 2.3-liter engines, as well as 3-liter and 3.3-liter hybrids and the 3-liter ST. Also included are 2020 and 2021 Explorer Police hybrids and those with 3.3-liter gas engines.Documents posted Friday by U.S. safety regulators say that a rear axle mounting bolt can fracture and cause the drive shaft to disconnect. If that happens, the SUVs can roll away even if they are placed in park gear, without the parking brake on.The documents say Ford has 235 warranty claims due to the problem. The company says it knows of no crashes or injuries.Depending on the model, dealers will replace a bushing and the axle cover, or they will update electronic parking brake software. Owners will be notified by mail starting June 6.

Ford recalls Explorer SUVs that can roll away while in park

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that he’s “taking a hard look” at canceling additional federal student loan debt and will reach a decision within a month.

“I am considering dealing with some debt reduction,” Biden told reporters in the Roosevelt Room at the White House.

The comments came days after Biden had a private meeting with Democratic lawmakers who pressed him on the issue. One of the lawmakers, Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., said afterwards that Biden disclosed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-race-and-ethnicity-hispanics-b27b4325aba74e63cc7d3cfcb962daa5">he was exploring the possibility.</a>

However, Biden signaled in his Thursday remarks that he wouldn’t go as far as some activists want, saying $50,000 in debt forgiveness was not under consideration. He did not give a number for what he was considering.

“I’m in the process of taking a hard look at whether or not there will be additional debt forgiveness,” he said. “And I’ll have an answer on that in the next couple of weeks.”

During his campaign, Biden said he wanted to “immediately cancel” at least $10,000 in student debt per person. So far he’s repeatedly extended a pause on requiring borrowers to repay their loans, a moratorium that was put in place under then-President Donald Trump near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Although activists have been encouraged by their increasing traction on this issue, some said they were concerned that Biden wouldn’t go far enough.

“President Biden, we agree that we shouldn’t cancel $50,000 in student loan debt. We should cancel all of it,” said Wisdom Cole, national director of the NAACP Youth &amp; College Division. “$50,000 was just the bottom line.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has signaled he might forgive some student loan debt and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-congress-miguel-cardona-lifestyle-education-2fad4da6c3fee980b5dacc65561ffa81">further extend the federal moratorium on repayments</a>, a lawmaker who discussed the issue with him said Wednesday.

The White House was notably more measured about Biden’s stance, but such moves would be a boon to many of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-education-6ce97ddc9db7f777e8e6fb2d7a8fb2cd">43 million Americans carrying student loans&nbsp;</a>worth $1.6 trillion, according to federal figures. It would also be a win for Democratic and progressive leaders who have long pressed Biden to carry through on a 2020 campaign promise that as president he would “immediately” cancel up to $10,000 in debt per student.

Biden’s remarks came during a wide-ranging Monday meeting at the White House with seven members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, according to Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., who was among them. He said in an interview Wednesday that he asked Biden to extend the moratorium on debt payments through this year, instead of letting it expire Aug. 31.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that he’s “taking a hard look” at canceling additional federal student loan debt and will reach a decision within a month.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F298694382441190%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=1140" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>“I am considering dealing with some debt reduction,” Biden told reporters in the Roosevelt Room at the White House.The comments came days after Biden had a private meeting with Democratic lawmakers who pressed him on the issue. One of the lawmakers, Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., said afterwards that Biden disclosed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-education-race-and-ethnicity-hispanics-b27b4325aba74e63cc7d3cfcb962daa5">he was exploring the possibility.</a>However, Biden signaled in his Thursday remarks that he wouldn’t go as far as some activists want, saying $50,000 in debt forgiveness was not under consideration. He did not give a number for what he was considering.“I’m in the process of taking a hard look at whether or not there will be additional debt forgiveness,” he said. “And I’ll have an answer on that in the next couple of weeks.”During his campaign, Biden said he wanted to “immediately cancel” at least $10,000 in student debt per person. So far he’s repeatedly extended a pause on requiring borrowers to repay their loans, a moratorium that was put in place under then-President Donald Trump near the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.Although activists have been encouraged by their increasing traction on this issue, some said they were concerned that Biden wouldn’t go far enough.“President Biden, we agree that we shouldn’t cancel $50,000 in student loan debt. We should cancel all of it,” said Wisdom Cole, national director of the NAACP Youth &amp; College Division. “$50,000 was just the bottom line.”---------WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has signaled he might forgive some student loan debt and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-congress-miguel-cardona-lifestyle-education-2fad4da6c3fee980b5dacc65561ffa81">further extend the federal moratorium on repayments</a>, a lawmaker who discussed the issue with him said Wednesday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1651153391885.png" alt="Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., accompanied by Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., Rep. Nanette Barragan, D-Calif., Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., speaks to members of the media following a meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday-photo courtesy Congressional Hispanic Caucus" />
 <figcaption>Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., accompanied by Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., Rep. Nanette Barragan, D-Calif., Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., speaks to members of the media following a meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House on Monday-photo courtesy Congressional Hispanic Caucus</figcaption>
 </figure>The White House was notably more measured about Biden’s stance, but such moves would be a boon to many of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-education-6ce97ddc9db7f777e8e6fb2d7a8fb2cd">43 million Americans carrying student loans&nbsp;</a>worth $1.6 trillion, according to federal figures. It would also be a win for Democratic and progressive leaders who have long pressed Biden to carry through on a 2020 campaign promise that as president he would “immediately” cancel up to $10,000 in debt per student.Biden’s remarks came during a wide-ranging Monday meeting at the White House with seven members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, according to Rep. Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., who was among them. He said in an interview Wednesday that he asked Biden to extend the moratorium on debt payments through this year, instead of letting it expire Aug. 31.

🎥Biden talks about canceling federal student loan debts

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Health reported&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;2,017 new coronavirus cases in Kansas since Friday, April 22, for a total of 775,813 cases.

The state reported 38 additional COVID-19 deaths in the past week for a total of 8,635.

<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.

The state will continue to support access to free COVID-19 testing, work 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 Friday.

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Health reported&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;2,017 new coronavirus cases in Kansas since Friday, April 22, for a total of 775,813 cases.The state reported 38 additional COVID-19 deaths in the past week for a total of 8,635.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1651250117927.png" alt="Friday April 29, 2022 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Friday April 29, 2022 KDHE image</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.The state will continue to support access to free COVID-19 testing, work 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 Friday.

KDHE: 38 additional COVID deaths, 2,017 new cases

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement officers with the Shawnee County Drug Enforcement Task Force executed search warrants on multiple retail businesses throughout Topeka and Shawnee County on Thursday, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

 Task Force officers seized illegal products that were being offered for sale and distributed to the general public.

These unlawful products, in various forms and packaging, were identified as Delta-8 THC, Delta9 THC and Delta-10 THC products that have been determined to be unlawful schedule I drugs under Kansas law. 

Shawnee County Drug Enforcement Task Force reports that no retail businesses were shut down during the operation and no arrests have been made at this time.

Each retail business was served with a cease and desist notice calling for an immediate stop to the sale of all Delta-8 THC, Delta-9 THC and Delta-10 THC products. 

Shawnee County Drug Enforcement Task Force will continue to address this issue with other retail businesses that may be engaged in the unlawful sale of these products.

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement officers with the Shawnee County Drug Enforcement Task Force executed search warrants on multiple retail businesses throughout Topeka and Shawnee County on Thursday, according to Deputy Abigail Christian. Task Force officers seized illegal products that were being offered for sale and distributed to the general public.These unlawful products, in various forms and packaging, were identified as Delta-8 THC, Delta9 THC and Delta-10 THC products that have been determined to be unlawful schedule I drugs under Kansas law. Shawnee County Drug Enforcement Task Force reports that no retail businesses were shut down during the operation and no arrests have been made at this time.Each retail business was served with a cease and desist notice calling for an immediate stop to the sale of all Delta-8 THC, Delta-9 THC and Delta-10 THC products. Shawnee County Drug Enforcement Task Force will continue to address this issue with other retail businesses that may be engaged in the unlawful sale of these products.

Kan. deputies seize Delta-8 THC products at multiple businesses 

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas is suing Family Dollar over the discovery of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-health-arkansas-us-food-and-drug-administration-524bdfcd18a5126febc2772f16a4e73f">more than 1,000 rodents</a>&nbsp;in a distribution facility in the state that prompted the discount retail chain to recall items purchased from hundreds of stores in the South.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday by Attorney General Leslie Rutledge in state court, accuses the chain and parent company Dollar Tree of deceiving consumers, negligence and engaging in a conspiracy that allowed the infestation at the West Memphis facility to occur.

“This misconduct by Family Dollar Stores and Dollar Tree allowed them to maximize profits, while causing Arkansas citizens to purchase hazardous, adulterated and contaminated products," the lawsuit said.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-health-arkansas-us-food-and-drug-administration-524bdfcd18a5126febc2772f16a4e73f">The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in February&nbsp;</a>that it had inspected the distribution facility following a consumer complaint. Inside the building, inspectors said they found live rodents, dead rodents in “various states of decay,” rodent feces, dead birds and bird droppings.

A Dollar Tree spokesman did not immediately return messages seeking comment Thursday.

After fumigating the facility, more than 1,100 dead rodents were recovered, officials said. Family Dollar issued a temporary recall and closed 404 stores in six states — Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee — so numerous products that had been at the facility could be removed from shelves. Family Dollar in February said it was not aware of any illnesses related to the recall.

The products included human foods, animal foods, cosmetics, medical devices and over-the-counter medications.

The infestation has also prompted private lawsuits in several other states that have been filed on behalf of customers.

During the news conference, Rutledge showed reporters video that a former employee had posted on social media of rats inside the facility. In one video, the former worker is trying to feed a potato chip to a large rat sitting on a stack of boxes.

According to the lawsuit, state and federal inspections show Family Dollar had known of the rodent infestation at its facility since at least January 2020.

Arkansas' lawsuit seeks up to $10,000 for each product that was distributed over the past two years by the facility to Arkansas consumers that was affected by the infestation, under the state's deceptive trade practices act. Rutledge is also seeking punitive damages and restitution for Arkansas consumers affected by the contamination. In her lawsuit, Rutledge also asks a state judge to suspend or revoke Family Dollar's authorization to do business in the state.

“We don't want to wipe out a source of groceries and medicines, but if those groceries and medicines are not safe then we need someone else providing that service," Rutledge said.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas is suing Family Dollar over the discovery of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-health-arkansas-us-food-and-drug-administration-524bdfcd18a5126febc2772f16a4e73f">more than 1,000 rodents</a>&nbsp;in a distribution facility in the state that prompted the discount retail chain to recall items purchased from hundreds of stores in the South.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAGLeslieRutledge%2Fvideos%2F671759331209284%2F&show_text=false&width=267&t=62" width="267" height="476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>The lawsuit, filed Thursday by Attorney General Leslie Rutledge in state court, accuses the chain and parent company Dollar Tree of deceiving consumers, negligence and engaging in a conspiracy that allowed the infestation at the West Memphis facility to occur.“This misconduct by Family Dollar Stores and Dollar Tree allowed them to maximize profits, while causing Arkansas citizens to purchase hazardous, adulterated and contaminated products," the lawsuit said.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-health-arkansas-us-food-and-drug-administration-524bdfcd18a5126febc2772f16a4e73f">The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in February&nbsp;</a>that it had inspected the distribution facility following a consumer complaint. Inside the building, inspectors said they found live rodents, dead rodents in “various states of decay,” rodent feces, dead birds and bird droppings.A Dollar Tree spokesman did not immediately return messages seeking comment Thursday.After fumigating the facility, more than 1,100 dead rodents were recovered, officials said. Family Dollar issued a temporary recall and closed 404 stores in six states — Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee — so numerous products that had been at the facility could be removed from shelves. Family Dollar in February said it was not aware of any illnesses related to the recall.The products included human foods, animal foods, cosmetics, medical devices and over-the-counter medications.The infestation has also prompted private lawsuits in several other states that have been filed on behalf of customers.During the news conference, Rutledge showed reporters video that a former employee had posted on social media of rats inside the facility. In one video, the former worker is trying to feed a potato chip to a large rat sitting on a stack of boxes.According to the lawsuit, state and federal inspections show Family Dollar had known of the rodent infestation at its facility since at least January 2020.Arkansas' lawsuit seeks up to $10,000 for each product that was distributed over the past two years by the facility to Arkansas consumers that was affected by the infestation, under the state's deceptive trade practices act. Rutledge is also seeking punitive damages and restitution for Arkansas consumers affected by the contamination. In her lawsuit, Rutledge also asks a state judge to suspend or revoke Family Dollar's authorization to do business in the state.“We don't want to wipe out a source of groceries and medicines, but if those groceries and medicines are not safe then we need someone else providing that service," Rutledge said.

🎥Lawsuit over rodents found at Family Dollar distribution facility

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kansas on Thursday approved an increase in funding for public schools but tied the extra money to allowing parents to send their children to any school with room for them.

The measure passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature and sent to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly would boost direct state funding to local school districts by about 6%. The $6.4 billion in funding for 2022-23 complies with past&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/16d63062f0a645f6a9231e22b623e9fb">Kansas Supreme Court rulings</a>&nbsp;in a lawsuit filed against the state in 2010 by school districts.

The votes were&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20220428162214_877589/" target="_blank">24-14</a>&nbsp;in the Senate and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20220428175308_547261/" target="_blank">75-45</a>&nbsp;in the House. No Democrats voted yes.

Conservative Republicans argued that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-kansas-topeka-76b286c41671f186d37e3ed4b3f41d5c">“open enrollment”</a>&nbsp;provisions in the bill would give parents more options while using competition to push schools to improve.

“Should we just pass on funding without having expectation?” said Rep. Kristey Williams, an Augusta Republican and the chair of a House committee on education funding.

Educators and Democratic lawmakers argued that local school districts should set their own enrollment policies and the bill would hurt some districts as funding followed students. They also said open enrollment benefits only students whose parents can afford to drive them to school.

The bill increases special education funding 1.5%, but educators and Democrats said schools needed more.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1618011715999.png" alt="“Should we just pass on funding without having expectation?” said Rep. Kristey Williams, an Augusta Republican and the chair of a House committee on education funding." />
 <figcaption>“Should we just pass on funding without having expectation?” said Rep. Kristey Williams, an Augusta Republican and the chair of a House committee on education funding.</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kansas on Thursday approved an increase in funding for public schools but tied the extra money to allowing parents to send their children to any school with room for them.The measure passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature and sent to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly would boost direct state funding to local school districts by about 6%. The $6.4 billion in funding for 2022-23 complies with past&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/16d63062f0a645f6a9231e22b623e9fb">Kansas Supreme Court rulings</a>&nbsp;in a lawsuit filed against the state in 2010 by school districts.The votes were&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20220428162214_877589/" target="_blank">24-14</a>&nbsp;in the Senate and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20220428175308_547261/" target="_blank">75-45</a>&nbsp;in the House. No Democrats voted yes.Conservative Republicans argued that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/education-kansas-topeka-76b286c41671f186d37e3ed4b3f41d5c">“open enrollment”</a>&nbsp;provisions in the bill would give parents more options while using competition to push schools to improve.“Should we just pass on funding without having expectation?” said Rep. Kristey Williams, an Augusta Republican and the chair of a House committee on education funding.Educators and Democratic lawmakers argued that local school districts should set their own enrollment policies and the bill would hurt some districts as funding followed students. They also said open enrollment benefits only students whose parents can afford to drive them to school.The bill increases special education funding 1.5%, but educators and Democrats said schools needed more.

GOP ties boost in Kansas school funding to 'open enrollment'

ULYSSES – A southwest Kansas man has been convicted of murder in connection with the 2019 death of a child, according to Attorney General Derek Schmidt.

Uraquio Agustin Arredondo, 31, of Ulysses, was convicted in Grant County District Court following a bench trial before Judge Clinton Peterson. Arredondo was found guilty of one count of first degree felony murder and one count of child abuse. Sentencing was set for June 13.

The case involved the death of a 3-year-old child that occurred while the child was being physically abused.

On Feb. 24, 2019 authorities arrested Uraquio “Rocky” A. Arredondo, at his home in the 900 Block of S. Cheyenne in Ulysses, Kan, according to a media release from the KBI.

Arredondo was arrested for first degree murder and abuse of a child. He was booked into the Grant County Jail on $500,000 bond.

The arrest followed a yearlong investigation by the KBI and the Ulysses Police Department into the death of 3-year-old Carlos Valenzuela III. On Feb. 26, 2019, police and EMS were dispatched to the child’s home after they received a 911 call reporting an unresponsive child.

Valenzuela was first transported to Bob Wilson Memorial Hospital and was then transferred to a Denver, Colo. hospital for treatment. He died Feb. 27, 2019 in Denver. Arredondo was in a relationship with child’s mother, according to the KBI.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1582652296671.png" alt=" Arredondo photo Grant Co." />
 <figcaption> Arredondo photo Grant Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ULYSSES – A southwest Kansas man has been convicted of murder in connection with the 2019 death of a child, according to Attorney General Derek Schmidt.Uraquio Agustin Arredondo, 31, of Ulysses, was convicted in Grant County District Court following a bench trial before Judge Clinton Peterson. Arredondo was found guilty of one count of first degree felony murder and one count of child abuse. Sentencing was set for June 13.The case involved the death of a 3-year-old child that occurred while the child was being physically abused.On Feb. 24, 2019 authorities arrested Uraquio “Rocky” A. Arredondo, at his home in the 900 Block of S. Cheyenne in Ulysses, Kan, according to a media release from the KBI.Arredondo was arrested for first degree murder and abuse of a child. He was booked into the Grant County Jail on $500,000 bond.The arrest followed a yearlong investigation by the KBI and the Ulysses Police Department into the death of 3-year-old Carlos Valenzuela III. On Feb. 26, 2019, police and EMS were dispatched to the child’s home after they received a 911 call reporting an unresponsive child.Valenzuela was first transported to Bob Wilson Memorial Hospital and was then transferred to a Denver, Colo. hospital for treatment. He died Feb. 27, 2019 in Denver. Arredondo was in a relationship with child’s mother, according to the KBI.&nbsp;Sentencing is set for June 13.--------

Kan. man guilty in death of girlfriend's 3-year-old son

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas moved Thursday to phase out the nation’s second-highest state sales tax on groceries, but Republican lawmakers wouldn’t have the state decrease consumers’ bills until after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly faces reelection in November.

Governor Kelly said she would sign the bipartisan bill. "Make no mistake -- today’s action is a win for every single Kansan,” Governor Laura Kelly said in a statement from her office. “Eliminating the state tax on food will provide financial relief to everyone, and this bill is a good first step. However, prices continue to rise for essential necessities like groceries. We must provide financial relief swiftly – and I call on the Legislature to move the implementation date up to July 1, 2022. We owe it to Kansans to get this done and get it done immediately.”

Eliminating the 6.5% tax is Kelly’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-kansas-topeka-derek-schmidt-fe33c829200bb2c9345ee37534cf2b07">most visible legislative initiative</a>&nbsp;this year, and she and fellow Democrats have been waging a public campaign for weeks to get the GOP-controlled Legislature to eliminate the whole tax on July 1. The Republican plan would phase out the tax over three years, dropping it to 4% in January, to 2% in 2024 and zero in 2025.

The House voted 114-3 Thursday to approve&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/ccrb_hb2106_01_033122pm.pdf" target="_blank">the Republican plan</a>&nbsp;after the Senate&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20220427165913_738444/" target="_blank">voted 39-0</a>&nbsp;Wednesday to pass it, with Democrats in both chambers reluctant to oppose any version of the cut. The bill goes next to Kelly, who immediately promised to sign it, though she urged lawmakers to approve another measure to start the relief July 1.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-topeka-kansas-personal-taxes-legislature-090092b19f2e7de084f5b48cdcb7acaf">The debate</a>&nbsp;was dominated by election-year politics. Kelly portrays herself as a bipartisan problem-solver, and her proposed tax cut would start reducing people’s groceries bills ahead of the November election. GOP lawmakers are countering her proposal by throwing rhetoric she used in her 2018 campaign against her.

Kelly and her fellow Democrats argue that consumers want to see as much relief as possible as quickly as possible. That was true Thursday at a Topeka grocery for Ryan Gay, a 51-year-old firefighter who’s skeptical that the state will do something other than what “looks good on paper.”

“It’s always about the now, right?” he said. “Just get rid of it now, and I save money in the long run.”

Kelly argued that she was trying to help families struggling with the highest inflation in the U.S. since the 1980s. She promised in her first race for governor in 2018 to eliminate the tax but then put the idea on the back burner in favor of shoring up the state’s finances.

Republicans contended that they want a smooth rollout of a potentially complicated tax cut and to make sure that eliminating the tax doesn’t tank the budget.

Only 13 states charge any sales tax on groceries. Kansas’ rate is second only to Mississippi’s 7%.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2106/" target="_blank">The GOP plan</a>&nbsp;would save taxpayers about $740 million over three years, and a family spending $200 a week on groceries would save $208 in 2023. The same family would save $676 in 2023 under&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/fisc_note_sb342_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">Kelly’s plan,&nbsp;</a>and taxpayers would save as much as $1.4 billion over three years.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-state-governments-kansas-topeka-984739bdcf3aa7a4a0ff819fb9cfdce4">Kansas is flush with cash.</a>&nbsp;It has had surpluses in its tax collections for all but three months in the nearly five years since lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e4f794cd96cb488cb04ab1cd48b1458d">repealed most</a>&nbsp;of an income tax-cutting experiment&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-topeka-kansas-economy-state-governments-0fc7c5cc0bf149dcabe4bd2ac0c236be">under GOP Gov. Sam Brownback.</a>&nbsp;That experiment was followed by persistent budget shortfalls and became nationally notorious, even for Republicans.

Republicans argue that the state needs to delay starting the tax relief because the change will be complicated for grocers. The tax cut would apply to unprepared food, not most prepared foods. Adam Smith, House tax committee chair, said enacting the change July 1 is “not attainable.”

Caryn Tyson, the chair of the Senate tax committee, said during her chamber’s debate: “Vendors would not have the ability to implement it in the actual time frame.”

The state Department of Revenue and some vendors and vendor groups disputed the idea that the change would require months of work. Some consumers also are skeptical.

“They could pull the plug on it overnight,” said Steve Yager, a 75-year-old retiree who acknowledges that he doesn’t support Kelly generally and, “I’m not a fan of any Democrat.”

Some Republicans are irritated with Kelly demanding an immediate end to the sales tax on groceries because they included a plan phasing it out in a 2019 tax bill that she vetoed. That bill included income tax cuts that she and other Democrats strongly opposed.

“So, don’t tell me about this being some political delay,” Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said of the GOP plan on the grocery sales tax.

Republicans also argue that lawmakers should be more cautious than Kelly wants because they don’t know what the future holds, worrying that inflation will soon smother economic growth.

And they are now pointing to the budget woes following the tax experiment under Brownback as a warning. Kelly’s criticism of Brownback’s fiscal legacy was a key part her 2018 campaign.

“One of the things she says: It went too far, too fast,” said House Speaker Pro Tem Blaine Finch, a northeastern Kansas Republican.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is moving to phase out the nation’s second-highest state sales tax on groceries, but Republican lawmakers aren’t planning to lower consumers’ bills until after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly faces reelection in November.

The Senate&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20220427165913_738444/">voted 39-0&nbsp;</a>Wednesday to approve&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/ccrb_hb2106_01_033122pm.pdf">the Republican plan,</a>&nbsp;and the House planned to vote on it Thursday. With lawmakers reluctant to vote against any version of a tax cut on final action, the measure was likely to go to Kelly, who has made a point of not saying what she would do.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-topeka-kansas-personal-taxes-legislature-090092b19f2e7de084f5b48cdcb7acaf">The debate&nbsp;</a>is dominated by election-year politics. Kelly portrays herself as a bipartisan problem-solver, and her proposed tax cut would start reducing people’s groceries bills ahead of the November election. GOP lawmakers are countering her proposal by throwing rhetoric she used in her 2018 campaign against her.

Kelly argues that she’s trying to help families struggling with the highest inflation in the U.S. since the 1980s. She promised in her first race for governor in 2018 to eliminate the tax but then put the idea on the back burner in favor of shoring up the state’s finances.

Republicans contend that they want a smooth rollout of a potentially complicated tax cut and to make sure that eliminating the tax doesn’t tank the budget.

<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2106/">The GOP plan</a>&nbsp;would save taxpayers about $740 million over three years, and a family spending $200 a week on groceries would save $208 in 2023. The same family would save $676 in 2023 under&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/fisc_note_sb342_00_0000.pdf">Kelly's plan,&nbsp;</a>and taxpayers would save as much as $1.4 billion over three years.

Republicans argue that the state needs to delay starting the tax relief because the change will be complicated for grocers. The tax cut would apply to unprepared food, not most prepared foods. Senate tax committee Chair Caryn Tyson, an eastern Kansas Republican, said enacting the change July 1 is unrealistic.

“Vendors would not have the ability to implement it in the actual timeframe,” Tyson said during her chamber’s debate.

The state Department of Revenue and some vendors and vendor groups dispute the idea that the change would require months of work. Some consumers also are skeptical that Kansas needs months of lead time.

“They could pull the plug on it overnight,” said Steve Yaeger, a 75-year-old retiree who acknowledges that he doesn’t support Kelly generally and, “I’m not a fan of any Democrat.”

Some Republicans are irritated with Kelly demanding an immediate end to the sales tax on groceries because they included a plan phasing it out in a tax bill in 2019 that she vetoed. That bill included income tax cuts that she and other Democrats strongly opposed.

“So, don’t tell me about this being some political delay,” Masterson said of the GOP plan on the grocery sales tax.

“One of the things she says: It went too far, too fast,” said House Speaker Pro-Tem Blaine Finch, a northeastern Kansas Republican.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1648810426776.png" alt="Governor Kelly says that she’s trying to help families struggling with the highest inflation in the U.S. since the 1980s" />
 <figcaption>Governor Kelly says that she’s trying to help families struggling with the highest inflation in the U.S. since the 1980s</figcaption>
 </figure>By John Hanna and Andy Tsubasa FieldTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas moved Thursday to phase out the nation’s second-highest state sales tax on groceries, but Republican lawmakers wouldn’t have the state decrease consumers’ bills until after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly faces reelection in November.Governor Kelly said she would sign the bipartisan bill. "Make no mistake -- today’s action is a win for every single Kansan,” Governor Laura Kelly said in a statement from her office. “Eliminating the state tax on food will provide financial relief to everyone, and this bill is a good first step. However, prices continue to rise for essential necessities like groceries. We must provide financial relief swiftly – and I call on the Legislature to move the implementation date up to July 1, 2022. We owe it to Kansans to get this done and get it done immediately.”Eliminating the 6.5% tax is Kelly’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-kansas-topeka-derek-schmidt-fe33c829200bb2c9345ee37534cf2b07">most visible legislative initiative</a>&nbsp;this year, and she and fellow Democrats have been waging a public campaign for weeks to get the GOP-controlled Legislature to eliminate the whole tax on July 1. The Republican plan would phase out the tax over three years, dropping it to 4% in January, to 2% in 2024 and zero in 2025.The House voted 114-3 Thursday to approve&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/ccrb_hb2106_01_033122pm.pdf" target="_blank">the Republican plan</a>&nbsp;after the Senate&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20220427165913_738444/" target="_blank">voted 39-0</a>&nbsp;Wednesday to pass it, with Democrats in both chambers reluctant to oppose any version of the cut. The bill goes next to Kelly, who immediately promised to sign it, though she urged lawmakers to approve another measure to start the relief July 1.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-topeka-kansas-personal-taxes-legislature-090092b19f2e7de084f5b48cdcb7acaf">The debate</a>&nbsp;was dominated by election-year politics. Kelly portrays herself as a bipartisan problem-solver, and her proposed tax cut would start reducing people’s groceries bills ahead of the November election. GOP lawmakers are countering her proposal by throwing rhetoric she used in her 2018 campaign against her.Kelly and her fellow Democrats argue that consumers want to see as much relief as possible as quickly as possible. That was true Thursday at a Topeka grocery for Ryan Gay, a 51-year-old firefighter who’s skeptical that the state will do something other than what “looks good on paper.”“It’s always about the now, right?” he said. “Just get rid of it now, and I save money in the long run.”Kelly argued that she was trying to help families struggling with the highest inflation in the U.S. since the 1980s. She promised in her first race for governor in 2018 to eliminate the tax but then put the idea on the back burner in favor of shoring up the state’s finances.Republicans contended that they want a smooth rollout of a potentially complicated tax cut and to make sure that eliminating the tax doesn’t tank the budget.Only 13 states charge any sales tax on groceries. Kansas’ rate is second only to Mississippi’s 7%.<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2106/" target="_blank">The GOP plan</a>&nbsp;would save taxpayers about $740 million over three years, and a family spending $200 a week on groceries would save $208 in 2023. The same family would save $676 in 2023 under&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/fisc_note_sb342_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">Kelly’s plan,&nbsp;</a>and taxpayers would save as much as $1.4 billion over three years.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-state-governments-kansas-topeka-984739bdcf3aa7a4a0ff819fb9cfdce4">Kansas is flush with cash.</a>&nbsp;It has had surpluses in its tax collections for all but three months in the nearly five years since lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e4f794cd96cb488cb04ab1cd48b1458d">repealed most</a>&nbsp;of an income tax-cutting experiment&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-topeka-kansas-economy-state-governments-0fc7c5cc0bf149dcabe4bd2ac0c236be">under GOP Gov. Sam Brownback.</a>&nbsp;That experiment was followed by persistent budget shortfalls and became nationally notorious, even for Republicans.Republicans argue that the state needs to delay starting the tax relief because the change will be complicated for grocers. The tax cut would apply to unprepared food, not most prepared foods. Adam Smith, House tax committee chair, said enacting the change July 1 is “not attainable.”Caryn Tyson, the chair of the Senate tax committee, said during her chamber’s debate: “Vendors would not have the ability to implement it in the actual time frame.”The state Department of Revenue and some vendors and vendor groups disputed the idea that the change would require months of work. Some consumers also are skeptical.“They could pull the plug on it overnight,” said Steve Yager, a 75-year-old retiree who acknowledges that he doesn’t support Kelly generally and, “I’m not a fan of any Democrat.”Some Republicans are irritated with Kelly demanding an immediate end to the sales tax on groceries because they included a plan phasing it out in a 2019 tax bill that she vetoed. That bill included income tax cuts that she and other Democrats strongly opposed.“So, don’t tell me about this being some political delay,” Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, said of the GOP plan on the grocery sales tax.Republicans also argue that lawmakers should be more cautious than Kelly wants because they don’t know what the future holds, worrying that inflation will soon smother economic growth.And they are now pointing to the budget woes following the tax experiment under Brownback as a warning. Kelly’s criticism of Brownback’s fiscal legacy was a key part her 2018 campaign.“One of the things she says: It went too far, too fast,” said House Speaker Pro Tem Blaine Finch, a northeastern Kansas Republican.---------------TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is moving to phase out the nation’s second-highest state sales tax on groceries, but Republican lawmakers aren’t planning to lower consumers’ bills until after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly faces reelection in November.Eliminating the 6.5% tax is Kelly’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-kansas-topeka-derek-schmidt-fe33c829200bb2c9345ee37534cf2b07">most visible legislative initiative</a>&nbsp;this year, and she and fellow Democrats have been waging a public campaign for weeks to get the GOP-controlled Legislature to eliminate the whole tax on July 1. The Republican plan would phase out the tax over three years, dropping it to 4% in January, to 2% in 2024 and zero in 2025.The Senate&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20220427165913_738444/">voted 39-0&nbsp;</a>Wednesday to approve&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/ccrb_hb2106_01_033122pm.pdf">the Republican plan,</a>&nbsp;and the House planned to vote on it Thursday. With lawmakers reluctant to vote against any version of a tax cut on final action, the measure was likely to go to Kelly, who has made a point of not saying what she would do.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-topeka-kansas-personal-taxes-legislature-090092b19f2e7de084f5b48cdcb7acaf">The debate&nbsp;</a>is dominated by election-year politics. Kelly portrays herself as a bipartisan problem-solver, and her proposed tax cut would start reducing people’s groceries bills ahead of the November election. GOP lawmakers are countering her proposal by throwing rhetoric she used in her 2018 campaign against her.Kelly and her fellow Democrats argue that consumers want to see as much relief as possible as quickly as possible. That was true Thursday at a Topeka grocery for Ryan Gay, a 51-year-old firefighter who’s skeptical that the state will do something other than what “looks good on paper.”“It’s always about the now, right?” he said. “Just get rid of it now, and I save money in the long run.”Kelly argues that she’s trying to help families struggling with the highest inflation in the U.S. since the 1980s. She promised in her first race for governor in 2018 to eliminate the tax but then put the idea on the back burner in favor of shoring up the state’s finances.Republicans contend that they want a smooth rollout of a potentially complicated tax cut and to make sure that eliminating the tax doesn’t tank the budget.Only 13 states charge any sales tax on groceries. Kansas’ rate is second only to Mississippi’s 7%.<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2106/">The GOP plan</a>&nbsp;would save taxpayers about $740 million over three years, and a family spending $200 a week on groceries would save $208 in 2023. The same family would save $676 in 2023 under&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/fisc_note_sb342_00_0000.pdf">Kelly's plan,&nbsp;</a>and taxpayers would save as much as $1.4 billion over three years.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-state-governments-kansas-topeka-984739bdcf3aa7a4a0ff819fb9cfdce4">Kansas is flush with cash.</a>&nbsp;It has had surpluses in its tax collections for all but three months in the nearly five years since lawmakers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e4f794cd96cb488cb04ab1cd48b1458d">repealed most</a>&nbsp;of an income tax-cutting experiment&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-topeka-kansas-economy-state-governments-0fc7c5cc0bf149dcabe4bd2ac0c236be">under GOP Gov. Sam Brownback.</a>&nbsp;That experiment was followed by persistent budget shortfalls and became nationally notorious, even for Republicans.Republicans argue that the state needs to delay starting the tax relief because the change will be complicated for grocers. The tax cut would apply to unprepared food, not most prepared foods. Senate tax committee Chair Caryn Tyson, an eastern Kansas Republican, said enacting the change July 1 is unrealistic.“Vendors would not have the ability to implement it in the actual timeframe,” Tyson said during her chamber’s debate.The state Department of Revenue and some vendors and vendor groups dispute the idea that the change would require months of work. Some consumers also are skeptical that Kansas needs months of lead time.“They could pull the plug on it overnight,” said Steve Yaeger, a 75-year-old retiree who acknowledges that he doesn’t support Kelly generally and, “I’m not a fan of any Democrat.”Some Republicans are irritated with Kelly demanding an immediate end to the sales tax on groceries because they included a plan phasing it out in a tax bill in 2019 that she vetoed. That bill included income tax cuts that she and other Democrats strongly opposed.“So, don’t tell me about this being some political delay,” Masterson said of the GOP plan on the grocery sales tax.Republicans also argue that lawmakers should be more cautious than Kelly wants because they don’t know what the future holds, worrying that inflation will soon smother economic growth.And they are now pointing to the budget woes following the tax experiment under Brownback as a warning. Kelly’s criticism of Brownback’s fiscal legacy was a key part her 2018 campaign.“One of the things she says: It went too far, too fast,” said House Speaker Pro-Tem Blaine Finch, a northeastern Kansas Republican.

Gov. says she'll sign bill that moves to phase out tax on groceries 

HUTCHINSON — After nearly two decades, championship dirt track auto racing is returning to the famed half-mile oval at the Kansas State Fair on Sunday, Sept. 18, with the smashing fun of the Demolition Derby hitting the track earlier in the week.

“We are so thrilled for racing fans to once again experience the side-by-side and wheel-to-wheel excitement of Championship Dirt Track Auto Racing,” Bryan Schulz, Kansas State Fair General Manager, said.

All the favorites will be back, including the high-flying modifieds, the gladiators of the late model division, and the popular stock cars, battling for the title of Kansas State Fair Champion.

The ever-popular Demolition Derby is also back this year. Fans can experience the crashing commotion on Monday night, Sept. 12, during Dillons Dollar Day, which offers attendees $1 gate admission all day.

Tickets are on sale now at <a href="http://link.ss.ksf.ks.gov/ls/click?upn=IbAsoE20Oc2eSLwJ9NMhnk3z4iwkkBsjegsGzCHTDL-2BxGoZuX-2FlGMyjnlxYoj2iwxVFCCK11drOVjS6vbn-2FQHLrSw6djXsUlAMGdHh-2BHck5XQzY8WLCCScrwAjEiV3k3fO2kKfTEnuWomGYSkZ3CyYt-2FajIdjDgYv9wfLKqH2mYBAl83pl7SqxbruVFJlybr1-2F-2F9dzBJCA7aL6vqk-2Fe8J3RGJsgWhGVss7DrG3OOhqM-3D_iNC_bQt34-2Bek-2BcyJvedJqAHqbgenH5Rk-2FeZiZrj7lw1Zyj63safqRtbedMoM7MBZdt5gIIousbHeTMMBLFkwN61199PZrqvlRPW7wL1Af-2FNJZH5bOteeHPcNABMy95moTis4GaJfiWoMrpocRPguZiRUYoRXt08Tv7GWEMoDBpoC6iMBtvz9EnChmugSY1lRUzfvfAkAREyRHu9aWxu9yMlu1KdFpNIYhIssBWbd49gCZEOmrw8rksDjrzrpM8U-2FM2ZnV7LGJ3eUIDDvoxfNkUbe7Cc0ZlR-2BktuUZhN3tRMPen-2FbJoNBwLPtcF0qC2V36tinVA47d9EIg7CHrQNeZfq-2F5sMq0JGNtTOENq0szJNSE1-2FE0wTIZiReFOL6TfRN6wqzNvca54aLiMSdcjZT79OyQhK0o43gdkm4neFXV3K1lgaFxBU8VzVFkLwdRtBz0AElDAPkKXKStdKNvCvWi3-2BKGg-3D-3D">kansasstatefair.com</a> or by calling (620) 669-3618.&nbsp;

HUTCHINSON — After nearly two decades, championship dirt track auto racing is returning to the famed half-mile oval at the Kansas State Fair on Sunday, Sept. 18, with the smashing fun of the Demolition Derby hitting the track earlier in the week.“We are so thrilled for racing fans to once again experience the side-by-side and wheel-to-wheel excitement of Championship Dirt Track Auto Racing,” Bryan Schulz, Kansas State Fair General Manager, said.All the favorites will be back, including the high-flying modifieds, the gladiators of the late model division, and the popular stock cars, battling for the title of Kansas State Fair Champion.The ever-popular Demolition Derby is also back this year. Fans can experience the crashing commotion on Monday night, Sept. 12, during Dillons Dollar Day, which offers attendees $1 gate admission all day.Tickets are on sale now at <a href="http://link.ss.ksf.ks.gov/ls/click?upn=IbAsoE20Oc2eSLwJ9NMhnk3z4iwkkBsjegsGzCHTDL-2BxGoZuX-2FlGMyjnlxYoj2iwxVFCCK11drOVjS6vbn-2FQHLrSw6djXsUlAMGdHh-2BHck5XQzY8WLCCScrwAjEiV3k3fO2kKfTEnuWomGYSkZ3CyYt-2FajIdjDgYv9wfLKqH2mYBAl83pl7SqxbruVFJlybr1-2F-2F9dzBJCA7aL6vqk-2Fe8J3RGJsgWhGVss7DrG3OOhqM-3D_iNC_bQt34-2Bek-2BcyJvedJqAHqbgenH5Rk-2FeZiZrj7lw1Zyj63safqRtbedMoM7MBZdt5gIIousbHeTMMBLFkwN61199PZrqvlRPW7wL1Af-2FNJZH5bOteeHPcNABMy95moTis4GaJfiWoMrpocRPguZiRUYoRXt08Tv7GWEMoDBpoC6iMBtvz9EnChmugSY1lRUzfvfAkAREyRHu9aWxu9yMlu1KdFpNIYhIssBWbd49gCZEOmrw8rksDjrzrpM8U-2FM2ZnV7LGJ3eUIDDvoxfNkUbe7Cc0ZlR-2BktuUZhN3tRMPen-2FbJoNBwLPtcF0qC2V36tinVA47d9EIg7CHrQNeZfq-2F5sMq0JGNtTOENq0szJNSE1-2FE0wTIZiReFOL6TfRN6wqzNvca54aLiMSdcjZT79OyQhK0o43gdkm4neFXV3K1lgaFxBU8VzVFkLwdRtBz0AElDAPkKXKStdKNvCvWi3-2BKGg-3D-3D">kansasstatefair.com</a> or by calling (620) 669-3618.&nbsp;

Auto racing returns to the Kansas State Fair 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators gave final approval early Friday to a bill that authorizes betting on sporting events, with most of the state’s revenues from it going to efforts to lure the Missouri-based Kansas City Chiefs to the Kansas side of the metropolitan area.

The Republican-controlled Senate&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20220429015625_548312/" target="_blank">voted 21-13,</a>&nbsp;with six GOP senators abstaining, to approve the sports betting bill. The Republican-controlled House passed the measure Thursday,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20220428160501_979974/" target="_blank">73-49,</a>&nbsp;so it goes next to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who is expected to sign it.

The measure would allow people in the state to use cellphone or computer apps to bet on sporting events and to place bets at state-owned casinos or up to 50 other locations chosen by each of the four casinos. The state would impose a 10% tax on each bet.

The bill says that 80% of the revenues — perhaps $5 million a year — would go into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-nfl-sports-business-missouri-a63ac882393132ab2fa70bfd98bab169">a fund to provide incentives for professional sports teams</a>&nbsp;to come to Kansas.

The teams could include professional baseball’s Kansas City Royals or pro basketball or hockey teams. However, most supporters contemplated trying to lure the Chiefs to the Legends, a shopping and entertainment district in Kansas City, Kansas, that’s already home to a NASCAR track, professional soccer’s Sporting KC, and a state-owned casino.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641314079882.jpg" alt="The measure would allow people in the state to use cellphone or computer apps to bet on sporting events and to place bets at state-owned casinos" />
 <figcaption>The measure would allow people in the state to use cellphone or computer apps to bet on sporting events and to place bets at state-owned casinos</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators gave final approval early Friday to a bill that authorizes betting on sporting events, with most of the state’s revenues from it going to efforts to lure the Missouri-based Kansas City Chiefs to the Kansas side of the metropolitan area.The Republican-controlled Senate&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20220429015625_548312/" target="_blank">voted 21-13,</a>&nbsp;with six GOP senators abstaining, to approve the sports betting bill. The Republican-controlled House passed the measure Thursday,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/vote_view/je_20220428160501_979974/" target="_blank">73-49,</a>&nbsp;so it goes next to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who is expected to sign it.The measure would allow people in the state to use cellphone or computer apps to bet on sporting events and to place bets at state-owned casinos or up to 50 other locations chosen by each of the four casinos. The state would impose a 10% tax on each bet.The bill says that 80% of the revenues — perhaps $5 million a year — would go into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-chiefs-nfl-sports-business-missouri-a63ac882393132ab2fa70bfd98bab169">a fund to provide incentives for professional sports teams</a>&nbsp;to come to Kansas.The teams could include professional baseball’s Kansas City Royals or pro basketball or hockey teams. However, most supporters contemplated trying to lure the Chiefs to the Legends, a shopping and entertainment district in Kansas City, Kansas, that’s already home to a NASCAR track, professional soccer’s Sporting KC, and a state-owned casino.

Kansas lawmakers give final approval to sports betting plan

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two juveniles after a chase

Just after 2:30 p.m. Thursday, officers observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed that failed to stop at a stop sign at 17th and SW Oakley i Topeka, according to Lt. Manuel Munoz. 

When officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the driver took off at a high rate of speed and turned into a residential area. Officers saw that the vehicle had struck a curb and parts from the vehicle began to fall off. 

The vehicle slowed down and began traveling south on Oakley Street and into opposing lanes of traffic. Officers followed the vehicle where it eventually became disabled in the 2000 block of SW Collins. Both the driver and passenger fled from the vehicle on foot and were eventually taken into custody.

The investigation determined both individuals to be juveniles and were not injured. One of the juveniles was released to the custody of a parent. The other juvenile was transported to Shawnee County Department of Corrections for on requested charges of Felony Flee and Elude, Felony Obstruction and Numerous Traffic Charges.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1651183757901.png" alt="Police on the scene of the chase Thursday- photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the chase Thursday- photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two juveniles after a chaseJust after 2:30 p.m. Thursday, officers observed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed that failed to stop at a stop sign at 17th and SW Oakley i Topeka, according to Lt. Manuel Munoz. When officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the driver took off at a high rate of speed and turned into a residential area. Officers saw that the vehicle had struck a curb and parts from the vehicle began to fall off. The vehicle slowed down and began traveling south on Oakley Street and into opposing lanes of traffic. Officers followed the vehicle where it eventually became disabled in the 2000 block of SW Collins. Both the driver and passenger fled from the vehicle on foot and were eventually taken into custody.The investigation determined both individuals to be juveniles and were not injured. One of the juveniles was released to the custody of a parent. The other juvenile was transported to Shawnee County Department of Corrections for on requested charges of Felony Flee and Elude, Felony Obstruction and Numerous Traffic Charges.

2 Kansas juveniles lead police on high speed chase

TOPEKA — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt anticipates the oral arguments before the Kansas Supreme Court regarding the Congressional redistricting map to happen next month.

"I expect we're probably going to make that argument on May 16," Schmidt said Thursday. "It appears to be the date everyone's coalescing around. We'll go from there and see what the court says and either validate these maps or it will be back in the legislature's court to try again."

The objection of those suing is that the equal protection clauses in the state constitution are violated and it dilutes their votes.

"From a population standpoint, it is legally satisfactory, no problems," Schmidt said. "There are folks who object to it. They object mainly because of the way the lines were drawn in Wyandotte County, Kansas City, Kansas and Douglas County, around Lawrence. They've gone to court and filed lawsuits. They didn't file federal lawsuits, which is the normal manner of challenging these federal district maps. Instead, for the first time in state history, they filed state lawsuits under state law theory in state court."

Even the judge who decided the litigants case had merit at the district court level acknowledges that the state Supreme Court is where the final decision will lie.

"Everybody knew that's where this was going to get settled, ultimately," Schmidt said. "The court is now in the process of setting up procedure for us to brief the argument and make the argument."

The lower court held that the legislature didn't follow its own criteria in drawing the map. It also said they didn't necessarily have to have criteria, but once they told people what it was, it was on them to follow it.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1643147273216.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostTOPEKA — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt anticipates the oral arguments before the Kansas Supreme Court regarding the Congressional redistricting map to happen next month."I expect we're probably going to make that argument on May 16," Schmidt said Thursday. "It appears to be the date everyone's coalescing around. We'll go from there and see what the court says and either validate these maps or it will be back in the legislature's court to try again."The objection of those suing is that the equal protection clauses in the state constitution are violated and it dilutes their votes."From a population standpoint, it is legally satisfactory, no problems," Schmidt said. "There are folks who object to it. They object mainly because of the way the lines were drawn in Wyandotte County, Kansas City, Kansas and Douglas County, around Lawrence. They've gone to court and filed lawsuits. They didn't file federal lawsuits, which is the normal manner of challenging these federal district maps. Instead, for the first time in state history, they filed state lawsuits under state law theory in state court."Even the judge who decided the litigants case had merit at the district court level acknowledges that the state Supreme Court is where the final decision will lie."Everybody knew that's where this was going to get settled, ultimately," Schmidt said. "The court is now in the process of setting up procedure for us to brief the argument and make the argument."The lower court held that the legislature didn't follow its own criteria in drawing the map. It also said they didn't necessarily have to have criteria, but once they told people what it was, it was on them to follow it.

AG: Congressional map arguments before Kan. Supreme Court next month

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

Following an investigation conducted by the Pratt Police Department, Wichita Police and Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrested 19-year-old Kristopher Vanzandt, according to a media release from the sheriff's office.

 Multiple search warrants were executed because of the investigation and resulted in the seizure of computer equipment and documentation.

&nbsp;Vanzandt is being held on a $500,000 bond on requested charges of&nbsp;on suspicion of aggravated trafficking of child pornography through the internet and unlawful possession of child pornography, according to the release.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1651164958461.png" alt="Vanzandt-photo Pratt Co." />
 <figcaption>Vanzandt-photo Pratt Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>PRATT COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man for alleged sex crimes.Following an investigation conducted by the Pratt Police Department, Wichita Police and Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, deputies arrested 19-year-old Kristopher Vanzandt, according to a media release from the sheriff's office. Multiple search warrants were executed because of the investigation and resulted in the seizure of computer equipment and documentation.&nbsp;Vanzandt is being held on a $500,000 bond on requested charges of&nbsp;on suspicion of aggravated trafficking of child pornography through the internet and unlawful possession of child pornography, according to the release.

Sheriff: Kan. man held on $500K bond for alleged sex crimes

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary and have a suspect in custody.

Just before 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, the cleaning crew arrived at Capital City Nissan to find the front door to the business was broken and it appeared that one of the vehicles inside the showroom was driven through one of the garage doors, according to police Lt. Manuel Munoz.

Later in the early morning hours, Shawnee County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a suspicious vehicle in the area of the 6800 block of SE Evans.

Deputies found the vehicle to be the one taken from Capital City Nissan and was still occupied.

As a result of the investigation,&nbsp; police arrested 27-year-old Rider J. Leppin of Colorado and transported him to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Burglary, Theft, Felony Criminal Damage and Felony Warrant out of the State of Colorado, according to Munoz.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1651158694314.png" alt="Leppin-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Leppin-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary and have a suspect in custody.Just before 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, the cleaning crew arrived at Capital City Nissan to find the front door to the business was broken and it appeared that one of the vehicles inside the showroom was driven through one of the garage doors, according to police Lt. Manuel Munoz.Later in the early morning hours, Shawnee County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a suspicious vehicle in the area of the 6800 block of SE Evans.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1651228893558.png" alt="Photo of the garage door damage courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Photo of the garage door damage courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>Deputies found the vehicle to be the one taken from Capital City Nissan and was still occupied.As a result of the investigation,&nbsp; police arrested 27-year-old Rider J. Leppin of Colorado and transported him to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Burglary, Theft, Felony Criminal Damage and Felony Warrant out of the State of Colorado, according to Munoz.

Suspect crashed vehicle through doors of Kan. car dealership 

HAMILTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before noon Thursday in Hamilton County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported&nbsp; following departure, a Superior Culver LFA&nbsp; fixed wing aircraft piloted by Thomas E. Glotfelty, 64,Tecumseh, Michigan, had a loss of power to the engine. 

Upon trying to return to runway 18, the aircraft stalled.

EMS transported Glotfelty to the Hamilton County Hospital. The NTSB is in charge of the investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1651185262702.png" alt="Google map" />
 <figcaption>Google map</figcaption>
 </figure>HAMILTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before noon Thursday in Hamilton County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported&nbsp; following departure, a Superior Culver LFA&nbsp; fixed wing aircraft piloted by Thomas E. Glotfelty, 64,Tecumseh, Michigan, had a loss of power to the engine. Upon trying to return to runway 18, the aircraft stalled.EMS transported Glotfelty to the Hamilton County Hospital. The NTSB is in charge of the investigation.

Pilot seriously injured after small plane crash in Kansas

By STEPHEN KORANDA and JIM MCLEAN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-04-28/kansas-lawmakers-fall-a-few-votes-short-of-banning-transgender-athletes-from-womens-sports">Kansas News Service</a>

TOPEKA — Kansas lawmakers failed Thursday to override 
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a ban on transgender girls and 
women competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams.

(Click to below to listen to a portion of the debate)

The Senate <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-04-26/if-the-kansas-house-overrides-a-veto-transgender-women-and-girls-will-be-banned-from-female-sports" target="_blank">successfully voted to override</a>, but the failure in the House spells the end of <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/sb160/" target="_blank">the bill</a>
 for this year. Republicans came close to the needed 84 votes in the 
House, but ended up with only 81 when a few members of the GOP didn’t 
support the plan.

It’s a repeat of last session, when Kelly <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-05-03/kansas-lawmakers-fall-short-in-their-attempts-to-ban-transgender-athletes-from-female-sports-teams" target="_blank">vetoed a similar bill</a> and lawmakers lacked the votes for an override.

The
 measure would have prohibited transgender athletes on girls’ and 
women’s teams at institutions like public grade schools, high schools 
and colleges.

Almost all Republicans supported the bill, saying it
 was about making sure that girls and women in sports do not face a 
disadvantage competing against transgender athletes.

“This is what
 we’re dealing with: male and female biology,” Republican Rep. Trevor 
Jacobs said on the House floor. “I can identify as many things, but that
 doesn’t make it so.”

Several Democrats pushed back against that, 
including Rep. Stephanie Byers, the first openly transgender lawmaker in
 Kansas history.

“It comes down to whether or not we recognize someone’s identity,” Byers said. “This is not my lifestyle. This is my existence.”

Byers
 said there may be only a single transgender athlete trying to compete 
on a girls’ sports teams in Kansas. The association that manages sports 
for grades 7 through 12 in Kansas <a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856" target="_blank">told the Associated Press</a>
 that it had been alerted of six or seven instances of transgender youth
 competing in sports, but couldn’t confirm how many of them were 
transgender girls.

Opponents of the bill said it discriminates against transgender youth and can make them feel more isolated.

“Trans
 kids just want to be accepted for who they are at their core,” 
Democratic Rep. Susan Ruiz said. “It’s not about playing sports. It’s 
not about fairness. It’s about singling out a group of kids.”

Opponents of the bill said that isolation could play a part in the <a href="https://www.pitt.edu/pittwire/features-articles/study-transgender-teens-suicide-risk-higher-cisgender-peers" target="_blank">higher rates of suicidal thoughts</a> studies have found among transgender youth.

The few Republicans in the House who voted against the bill did not explain their reasons during debate on the plan.

In
 the Senate, the only dissenting Republican was Sen. Brenda Dietrich, a 
former Topeka school superintendent. She said she couldn’t support 
including grade schoolers in the ban.

“I’m just sad that this bill
 includes our youngest students,” Dietrich said in an emotional 
explanation of her vote to sustain the veto on Tuesday.

The plan 
would have required the Kansas State High School Activities Association,
 the Kansas Board of Regents and the boards governing municipal 
universities, community colleges and technical schools to adopt rules 
and regulations to enforce the ban.

Stephen Koranda is the news editor for the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Stephen_Koranda" target="_blank">@Stephen_Koranda</a> or email him at stephenkoranda@kcur.org.

Jim
 McLean is the senior correspondent for the Kansas News Service and the 
Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio. You can reach him on 
Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/jmcleanks" target="_blank">@jmcleanks</a> or email jim@kcur .org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1651175177248.png" alt="Rep. Stephanie Byers, a Wichita Democrat and the first transgender state lawmaker elected in Kansas spoke during Thursday's debate&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Stephanie Byers, a Wichita Democrat and the first transgender state lawmaker elected in Kansas spoke during Thursday's debate&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By STEPHEN KORANDA and JIM MCLEAN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-04-28/kansas-lawmakers-fall-a-few-votes-short-of-banning-transgender-athletes-from-womens-sports">Kansas News Service</a>TOPEKA — Kansas lawmakers failed Thursday to override 
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto of a ban on transgender girls and 
women competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams.(Click to below to listen to a portion of the debate)<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4ub1Yka8PUI?start=10668" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>The Senate <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-04-26/if-the-kansas-house-overrides-a-veto-transgender-women-and-girls-will-be-banned-from-female-sports" target="_blank">successfully voted to override</a>, but the failure in the House spells the end of <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/sb160/" target="_blank">the bill</a>
 for this year. Republicans came close to the needed 84 votes in the 
House, but ended up with only 81 when a few members of the GOP didn’t 
support the plan.It’s a repeat of last session, when Kelly <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-05-03/kansas-lawmakers-fall-short-in-their-attempts-to-ban-transgender-athletes-from-female-sports-teams" target="_blank">vetoed a similar bill</a> and lawmakers lacked the votes for an override.The
 measure would have prohibited transgender athletes on girls’ and 
women’s teams at institutions like public grade schools, high schools 
and colleges.Almost all Republicans supported the bill, saying it
 was about making sure that girls and women in sports do not face a 
disadvantage competing against transgender athletes.“This is what
 we’re dealing with: male and female biology,” Republican Rep. Trevor 
Jacobs said on the House floor. “I can identify as many things, but that
 doesn’t make it so.”Several Democrats pushed back against that, 
including Rep. Stephanie Byers, the first openly transgender lawmaker in
 Kansas history.“It comes down to whether or not we recognize someone’s identity,” Byers said. “This is not my lifestyle. This is my existence.”Byers
 said there may be only a single transgender athlete trying to compete 
on a girls’ sports teams in Kansas. The association that manages sports 
for grades 7 through 12 in Kansas <a href="https://apnews.com/article/topeka-kansas-legislature-libraries-9ffb07cf3b25faf848dda6d78bff8856" target="_blank">told the Associated Press</a>
 that it had been alerted of six or seven instances of transgender youth
 competing in sports, but couldn’t confirm how many of them were 
transgender girls.Opponents of the bill said it discriminates against transgender youth and can make them feel more isolated.“Trans
 kids just want to be accepted for who they are at their core,” 
Democratic Rep. Susan Ruiz said. “It’s not about playing sports. It’s 
not about fairness. It’s about singling out a group of kids.”Opponents of the bill said that isolation could play a part in the <a href="https://www.pitt.edu/pittwire/features-articles/study-transgender-teens-suicide-risk-higher-cisgender-peers" target="_blank">higher rates of suicidal thoughts</a> studies have found among transgender youth.The few Republicans in the House who voted against the bill did not explain their reasons during debate on the plan.In
 the Senate, the only dissenting Republican was Sen. Brenda Dietrich, a 
former Topeka school superintendent. She said she couldn’t support 
including grade schoolers in the ban.“I’m just sad that this bill
 includes our youngest students,” Dietrich said in an emotional 
explanation of her vote to sustain the veto on Tuesday.The plan 
would have required the Kansas State High School Activities Association,
 the Kansas Board of Regents and the boards governing municipal 
universities, community colleges and technical schools to adopt rules 
and regulations to enforce the ban.Stephen Koranda is the news editor for the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Stephen_Koranda" target="_blank">@Stephen_Koranda</a> or email him at stephenkoranda@kcur.org.Jim
 McLean is the senior correspondent for the Kansas News Service and the 
Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio. You can reach him on 
Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/jmcleanks" target="_blank">@jmcleanks</a> or email jim@kcur .org.

🎥 Kan. lawmakers fall short of ban on transgender athletes in women's sports

JOHNSON COUNTY—The City of Prairie Village received a message from one of the organizations they partnered with to collect and distribute protective equipment to the brave men and women fighting for their freedom in the Ukraine. 

Recently, the police department sent 50 ballistic vests of various types to Ukraine and this week received a picture with some of the fighters wearing the vests that were donated. 

The police department continue to partner with area police departments including Olathe, Spring Hill, the Miami County Sheriff'f office and the Blue Valley School District police to collect additional protective items such as gas masks, ballistic vests and helmets.  Another shipment is on the way from these agencies.&nbsp;

Below is the message from the partner agency who helped distribute the equipment to Ukraine.

"Today I had the most wonderful conversation with the volunteer who transported armored vests donated by Prairie Village police department to Ukraine. As 100 soldiers lined up in front of him to greet him at the military training base, he thanked them for their bravery and apologized that he didn't have enough armored vests for all of them. Then he said "you'll have pick amongst yourselves who is worthy to wear these vests". One soldiers stepped forward without any hesitation and exclaimed he is that ready to die for Ukraine. The rest quickly deliberated and decided who will be honored to wear these vests."

"Recently I visited Washington DC and saw this quote at the Korean War memorial. It really stuck with me : "[US] ...answered the call to defeat a country they never new and a people they never met". This is what being an American is all about."

"Prairie Village police department I bow my head to you for your help, for stepping up and supporting "country you never new and people you never met". We will always be in debt and gratitude to you."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/4/1651142315574.jpeg" alt="The Prairie Village Police&nbsp; wished the people of Ukraine good luck in their fight-.Photo courtesy Prairie Village Police" />
 <figcaption>The Prairie Village Police&nbsp; wished the people of Ukraine good luck in their fight-.Photo courtesy Prairie Village Police</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY—The City of Prairie Village received a message from one of the organizations they partnered with to collect and distribute protective equipment to the brave men and women fighting for their freedom in the Ukraine. Recently, the police department sent 50 ballistic vests of various types to Ukraine and this week received a picture with some of the fighters wearing the vests that were donated. The police department continue to partner with area police departments including Olathe, Spring Hill, the Miami County Sheriff'f office and the Blue Valley School District police to collect additional protective items such as gas masks, ballistic vests and helmets. Another shipment is on the way from these agencies.&nbsp;Below is the message from the partner agency who helped distribute the equipment to Ukraine."Today I had the most wonderful conversation with the volunteer who transported armored vests donated by Prairie Village police department to Ukraine. As 100 soldiers lined up in front of him to greet him at the military training base, he thanked them for their bravery and apologized that he didn't have enough armored vests for all of them. Then he said "you'll have pick amongst yourselves who is worthy to wear these vests". One soldiers stepped forward without any hesitation and exclaimed he is that ready to die for Ukraine. The rest quickly deliberated and decided who will be honored to wear these vests.""Recently I visited Washington DC and saw this quote at the Korean War memorial. It really stuck with me : "[US] ...answered the call to defeat a country they never new and a people they never met". This is what being an American is all about.""Prairie Village police department I bow my head to you for your help, for stepping up and supporting "country you never new and people you never met". We will always be in debt and gratitude to you."

Kan. police department sends equipment to fighters in Ukraine

LINDSBORG —Law enforcement authorities have determined that two juvenile boys, not college students or staff, are involved in an incident in which a foreign substance, identified as line paint, was placed in a water cooler the Bethany College baseball team provided to Kansas Wesleyan University during their doubleheader on Sunday, according to a media release from Lindsborg Police.

On April 24,&nbsp; Kansas Wesleyan University (KWU) contacted the Lindsborg Police Department to file a police report regarding a foreign substance found in their baseball team’s water cooler while at Bethany College for a game. Shortly thereafter, Bethany College contacted the police department to report the same incident. A police report was filed and both colleges agreed to cooperate with the investigation.

This incident generated wide-reaching media interest after initial comments on social media claimed that a college baseball program deliberately contaminated an opponent’s water cooler. 

Allegations were made that the foreign substance found in the water of KWU’s cooler was paint thinner. Based on information obtained through the investigation, it has been determined that the foreign substance was not paint thinner, but rather line paint used on the field and to touch up bases.

The Lindsborg Police Department has conducted over 60 interviews so far, collected multiple pieces of evidence, photographed the scene, and followed various leads. Though the investigation is active and ongoing, it has been determined that no one associated with either college was responsible for tampering with the water cooler.

The Lindsborg Police Department has identified two male juveniles as being involved in this incident and are continuing to investigate this matter.

LINDSBORG —Law enforcement authorities have determined that two juvenile boys, not college students or staff, are involved in an incident in which a foreign substance, identified as line paint, was placed in a water cooler the Bethany College baseball team provided to Kansas Wesleyan University during their doubleheader on Sunday, according to a media release from Lindsborg Police.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Putting PAINT THINNER in our water coolers to get our baseball players sick and still getting toasted by 31 runs is WILD. Stay classy! Glad all our players are okay <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/buckfethany?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#buckfethany</a> <a href="https://t.co/GqPFVqwQra">pic.twitter.com/GqPFVqwQra</a>&mdash; KWU Barstool (@BarstoolKwu) <a href="https://twitter.com/BarstoolKwu/status/1518437632090517506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>On April 24,&nbsp; Kansas Wesleyan University (KWU) contacted the Lindsborg Police Department to file a police report regarding a foreign substance found in their baseball team’s water cooler while at Bethany College for a game. Shortly thereafter, Bethany College contacted the police department to report the same incident. A police report was filed and both colleges agreed to cooperate with the investigation.This incident generated wide-reaching media interest after initial comments on social media claimed that a college baseball program deliberately contaminated an opponent’s water cooler. Allegations were made that the foreign substance found in the water of KWU’s cooler was paint thinner. Based on information obtained through the investigation, it has been determined that the foreign substance was not paint thinner, but rather line paint used on the field and to touch up bases.The Lindsborg Police Department has conducted over 60 interviews so far, collected multiple pieces of evidence, photographed the scene, and followed various leads. Though the investigation is active and ongoing, it has been determined that no one associated with either college was responsible for tampering with the water cooler.The Lindsborg Police Department has identified two male juveniles as being involved in this incident and are continuing to investigate this matter.

Police: 2 juveniles responsible for Kan. college water cooler tampering

FRANKLIN COUNTY—A Kansas man died in an accident just before 5a.m. Thursday in Franklin County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Mazda CX9 driven by Weston Scott Johnson, 18, Garnett, was northbound on US Highway 59 just south of Finney Road.

The Mazda crossed the center line,&nbsp; entered the southbound lanes of travel and struck&nbsp; 2010 Toyota Tacoma driven by Bryce Jacob Crump, 31, Newton.

Crump was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Frontier Forensics. EMS transported Johnson to Advent Health and he was later transferred to Overland Park Regional Medical Center. The KHP reported Johnson was not wearing a seat belt.

FRANKLIN COUNTY—A Kansas man died in an accident just before 5a.m. Thursday in Franklin County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Mazda CX9 driven by Weston Scott Johnson, 18, Garnett, was northbound on US Highway 59 just south of Finney Road. The Mazda crossed the center line,&nbsp; entered the southbound lanes of travel and struck&nbsp; 2010 Toyota Tacoma driven by Bryce Jacob Crump, 31, Newton.Crump was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Frontier Forensics. EMS transported Johnson to Advent Health and he was later transferred to Overland Park Regional Medical Center. The KHP reported Johnson was not wearing a seat belt.

Kansas man dead, another injured after 2-vehicle crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden asked Congress on Thursday for an additional $33 billion to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s invasion, a signal that the U.S. is prepared to mount a robust, long-term campaign to bolster Kyiv and weaken Moscow as the bloody war enters its third month with no sign of abating.

Biden’s latest proposal — which the White House said was expected to support Ukraine’s needs for five months — has more than $20 billion in military assistance for Kyiv and for shoring up defenses in nearby countries. There is also $8.5 billion in economic aid to help keep Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government functioning and $3 billion for food and humanitarian programs to help civilians, including the more than five million refugees created by the war.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden asked Congress on Thursday for an additional $33 billion to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s invasion, a signal that the U.S. is prepared to mount a robust, long-term campaign to bolster Kyiv and weaken Moscow as the bloody war enters its third month with no sign of abating.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F298694382441190%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=4" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Biden’s latest proposal — which the White House said was expected to support Ukraine’s needs for five months — has more than $20 billion in military assistance for Kyiv and for shoring up defenses in nearby countries. There is also $8.5 billion in economic aid to help keep Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government functioning and $3 billion for food and humanitarian programs to help civilians, including the more than five million refugees created by the war.The assistance package, which now heads to Congress for consideration, would be more than twice as large as an initial $13.6 billion of defense and economic aid for Ukraine and Western allies that Congress enacted last month and is now almost exhausted. It was meant to signify that the U.S. is not tiring of helping to stave off Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attempt to expand his nation’s control of its neighbor, and perhaps beyond.“The cost of this fight is not cheap, but caving to aggression is going to be more costly,” Biden said. “It’s critical this funding gets approved and as quickly as possible.”The request comes with the fighting, now in its ninth week, sharpening in eastern and southern parts of the country and international tensions growing as Russia cuts off gas supplies to two NATO allies, Poland and Bulgaria.There is wide, bipartisan support in Congress for giving Ukraine all the assistance it needs to fight the Russians, and its eventual approval seems certain. But Biden and congressional Democrats also want lawmakers to approve billions more to battle the pandemic, and that along with a Republican push to entangle the measure with an extension of some Trump-era immigration restrictions leaves the proposal’s pathway to enactment unclear.In an accompanying letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Biden also asked lawmakers to include an additional $22.5 billion for vaccines, treatments, testing and aid to other countries in continuing efforts to contain COVID-19.But that figure, which Biden also requested last month, seems aspirational at best. In a compromise with Republicans, Senate Democrats have already agreed to pare that figure to $10 billion, and reviving the higher amount would be at best an uphill fight.As if acknowledging the political problems the pandemic response is encountering, Biden’s letter to Pelosi said, “I urge the Congress to include this much needed” pandemic spending in the Ukraine package. That wording seemed to suggest that separating the two initiatives, if needed to speed the Ukraine money, might be palatable to the White House.Biden was also asking Congress on Thursday for new powers to seize and repurpose the assets of Russian oligarchs.He wants lawmakers to make it a criminal offense for a person to “knowingly or intentionally possess proceeds directly obtained from corrupt dealings with the Russian government,” double the statute of limitations for foreign money laundering offenses to 10 years, and expand the definition of “racketeering” under U.S. law to include efforts to evade sanctions.Biden will also ask Congress to allow the federal government use the proceeds from selling the seized assets of sanctioned Russian oligarchs to help the people of Ukraine.In a virtual address to International Monetary Fund and World Bank leaders last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for the proceeds of sanctioned property and Central Bank reserves to be used to compensate Ukraine for its losses.He said that frozen Russian assets “have to be used to rebuild Ukraine after the war as well as to pay for the losses caused to other nations.”Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said at the time that congressional action would be needed to authorize such actions.The war has already caused more than $60 billion in damage to buildings and infrastructure, World Bank President David Malpass said last week. And the IMF in its latest world economic outlook forecast that Ukraine’s economy will shrink by 35% this year and next.In recent weeks, the U.S. and global allies have sanctioned dozens of oligarchs and their family members, along with hundreds of Russian officials involved in or deemed to be supporting its invasion of Ukraine. The White House says the new tools will toughen the impact of the sanctions on Russia’s economy and its ruling class by making sanctions more difficult to evade.Biden last week warned that $6.5 billion earmarked for security assistance for Ukraine could soon be “exhausted” and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-biden-announces-new-military-aid-e78a7db76215a84f86586bb56122cd04">that Congress would need to approve supplemental funding</a>. More than half of the approved money for weapons and equipment for Ukraine’s military has already been drawn down.