WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded retirees who
 turned 72 during the last half of 2021 that, in most cases, Friday, 
April 1, 2022, is the last day to begin receiving payments from 
Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs), 401(k)s and similar workplace
 retirement plans.

The payments, called <a href="https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-required-minimum-distributions-rmds">required minimum distributions (RMDs)</a>,
 are normally made by the end of the year. But anyone who reached age 72
 after June 30, 2021, is covered by a special rule that allows IRA 
account owners and participants in workplace retirement plans to wait 
until as late as April 1, 2022, to take their first RMD. In other words,
 in general, the special April 1 rule applies to IRA owners and other 
participants in these plans who were born after June 30, 1949.

The April 1 RMD deadline only applies to the required distribution 
for the first year. For all later years, the RMD must be made by 
December 31.

This means that taxpayers who turned 72 after June 30, 2021, and 
receive their first required distribution (for 2021) in 2022 on or 
before April 1, must receive their second RMD (for 2022) by December 31,
 2022. Even though the first distribution is actually the required 2021 
distribution, it's taxable in 2022 and reported on the 2022 tax return -
 along with the regular 2022 distribution.

These required distribution rules apply to owners of traditional, SEP
 and SIMPLE IRAs while the original owner is alive. They also apply to 
participants in various workplace retirement plans, including 401(k), 
403(b) and 457(b) plans. RMDs don't apply to Roth IRAs.

An IRA trustee must either report the amount of the RMD to the IRA 
owner or offer to calculate it. Often, the trustee shows the RMD amount 
on <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-5498">Form 5498</a>
 in Box 12b. For a 2021 RMD, required by April 1, 2022, the RMD amount 
is shown on the 2020 Form 5498, normally issued to the owner during the 
first part of 2021.

Though the April 1 deadline is mandatory for all owners of 
traditional IRAs and most participants in workplace retirement plans, 
some people with workplace plans can wait longer to receive their RMD.

Most participants who are still working for that employer can wait 
until April 1 of the year after they retire to start receiving these 
distributions, if their workplace plan allows. This RMD exception does 
not apply to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/retirement-plans-faqs-regarding-required-minimum-distributions">5% owners</a>
 of the business sponsoring the retirement plan or to participants in 
SEP and SIMPLE IRA plans. See Tax on Excess Accumulation in <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-575">Publication 575</a> for details.

Employees of public schools and certain tax-exempt organizations with
 403(b) plan accruals before 1987 should check with their employer, plan
 administrator or provider to see how to treat these accruals.

IRS online tools and publications can help

Many answers to questions about RMDs can be found at <a href="https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/retirement-plans-faqs-regarding-required-minimum-distributions">RMD FAQs</a>
 on IRS.gov. Most taxpayers use Table III (Uniform Lifetime) to figure 
their RMD. Married taxpayers whose spouse is more than 10 years younger 
and is their only beneficiary use Table II.

Because this and other life expectancy tables were updated for 2022, 
recipients need to use a different version of this table to figure their
 2021 RMD, compared to their 2022 RMD. The required withdrawals in 2022 
and future years will generally be smaller.

For a 2021 RMD (due April 1, 2022), use the life expectancy tables in Appendix B of the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-prior/p590b--2020.pdf">Pub. 590-B</a>&nbsp;PDF
 used for preparing 2020 returns. As shown in Table III, the RMD for a 
person age 72 in 2021 will normally be based on a distribution period of
 25.6 years. Divide the December 31, 2020, balance by 25.6 to get the 
RMD for 2021.

For a 2022 RMD (due December 31, 2022), use the revised life expectancy tables in Appendix B of the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-prior/p590b--2021.pdf">Pub. 590-B</a>&nbsp;PDF
 used for preparing 2021 returns. As shown in the revised Table III, the
 RMD for a person age 72 in 2022 will normally be based on a 
distribution period of 27.4 years. Divide the December 31, 2021, balance
 by 27.4 to get the RMD for 2022.

Pub. 590-B has worksheets, examples and other information that can 
help anyone figure their RMD. Visit IRS.gov for more information.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today reminded retirees who
 turned 72 during the last half of 2021 that, in most cases, Friday, 
April 1, 2022, is the last day to begin receiving payments from 
Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs), 401(k)s and similar workplace
 retirement plans.The payments, called <a href="https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-required-minimum-distributions-rmds">required minimum distributions (RMDs)</a>,
 are normally made by the end of the year. But anyone who reached age 72
 after June 30, 2021, is covered by a special rule that allows IRA 
account owners and participants in workplace retirement plans to wait 
until as late as April 1, 2022, to take their first RMD. In other words,
 in general, the special April 1 rule applies to IRA owners and other 
participants in these plans who were born after June 30, 1949.<h2>Two payments in the same year</h2>The April 1 RMD deadline only applies to the required distribution 
for the first year. For all later years, the RMD must be made by 
December 31.This means that taxpayers who turned 72 after June 30, 2021, and 
receive their first required distribution (for 2021) in 2022 on or 
before April 1, must receive their second RMD (for 2022) by December 31,
 2022. Even though the first distribution is actually the required 2021 
distribution, it's taxable in 2022 and reported on the 2022 tax return -
 along with the regular 2022 distribution.<h2>Types of retirement plans requiring RMDs</h2>These required distribution rules apply to owners of traditional, SEP
 and SIMPLE IRAs while the original owner is alive. They also apply to 
participants in various workplace retirement plans, including 401(k), 
403(b) and 457(b) plans. RMDs don't apply to Roth IRAs.An IRA trustee must either report the amount of the RMD to the IRA 
owner or offer to calculate it. Often, the trustee shows the RMD amount 
on <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-5498">Form 5498</a>
 in Box 12b. For a 2021 RMD, required by April 1, 2022, the RMD amount 
is shown on the 2020 Form 5498, normally issued to the owner during the 
first part of 2021.<h2>Some can delay RMDs</h2>Though the April 1 deadline is mandatory for all owners of 
traditional IRAs and most participants in workplace retirement plans, 
some people with workplace plans can wait longer to receive their RMD.Most participants who are still working for that employer can wait 
until April 1 of the year after they retire to start receiving these 
distributions, if their workplace plan allows. This RMD exception does 
not apply to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/retirement-plans-faqs-regarding-required-minimum-distributions">5% owners</a>
 of the business sponsoring the retirement plan or to participants in 
SEP and SIMPLE IRA plans. See Tax on Excess Accumulation in <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-575">Publication 575</a> for details.Employees of public schools and certain tax-exempt organizations with
 403(b) plan accruals before 1987 should check with their employer, plan
 administrator or provider to see how to treat these accruals.<h2>IRS online tools and publications can help</h2>Many answers to questions about RMDs can be found at <a href="https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/retirement-plans-faqs-regarding-required-minimum-distributions">RMD FAQs</a>
 on IRS.gov. Most taxpayers use Table III (Uniform Lifetime) to figure 
their RMD. Married taxpayers whose spouse is more than 10 years younger 
and is their only beneficiary use Table II.Because this and other life expectancy tables were updated for 2022, 
recipients need to use a different version of this table to figure their
 2021 RMD, compared to their 2022 RMD. The required withdrawals in 2022 
and future years will generally be smaller.For a 2021 RMD (due April 1, 2022), use the life expectancy tables in Appendix B of the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-prior/p590b--2020.pdf">Pub. 590-B</a>&nbsp;PDF
 used for preparing 2020 returns. As shown in Table III, the RMD for a 
person age 72 in 2021 will normally be based on a distribution period of
 25.6 years. Divide the December 31, 2020, balance by 25.6 to get the 
RMD for 2021.For a 2022 RMD (due December 31, 2022), use the revised life expectancy tables in Appendix B of the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-prior/p590b--2021.pdf">Pub. 590-B</a>&nbsp;PDF
 used for preparing 2021 returns. As shown in the revised Table III, the
 RMD for a person age 72 in 2022 will normally be based on a 
distribution period of 27.4 years. Divide the December 31, 2021, balance
 by 27.4 to get the RMD for 2022.Pub. 590-B has worksheets, examples and other information that can 
help anyone figure their RMD. Visit IRS.gov for more information.

IRS: April 1 is last day to start taking money out of IRAs, 401(k)s

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A 65-year-old Kansas City truck driver has been arrested in connection with the crash that killed an assistant fire chief while he was working an accident scene.

The Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/article259835735.html">reports&nbsp;</a>that the Missouri Highway Patrol arrested Kevin Lee Brunson on Friday in Clay County. According to court documents, he was indicted on a charge of first-degree involuntary manslaughter earlier this month.

Boone County assistant fire chief Bryant Gladney died in an accident that occurred early on Dec. 22 on Interstate 70 near Columbia, as he was working at the scene of a previous accident. Authorities say a tractor-trailer traveling at a high rate of speed struck Gladney’s vehicle, then struck an ambulance and the truck involved in the earlier crash.

Gladney was extricated from his vehicle and taken to a hospital, where he died.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/12/1640189981402.png" alt="Boone County assistant fire chief Bryant Gladney died in an accident that occurred early on Dec. 22 on Interstate 70-photo courtesy KOMU TV" />
 <figcaption>Boone County assistant fire chief Bryant Gladney died in an accident that occurred early on Dec. 22 on Interstate 70-photo courtesy KOMU TV</figcaption>
 </figure>COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A 65-year-old Kansas City truck driver has been arrested in connection with the crash that killed an assistant fire chief while he was working an accident scene.The Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/article259835735.html">reports&nbsp;</a>that the Missouri Highway Patrol arrested Kevin Lee Brunson on Friday in Clay County. According to court documents, he was indicted on a charge of first-degree involuntary manslaughter earlier this month.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648428948452.png" alt="Brunson photo Boone Co." />
 <figcaption>Brunson photo Boone Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Boone County assistant fire chief Bryant Gladney died in an accident that occurred early on Dec. 22 on Interstate 70 near Columbia, as he was working at the scene of a previous accident. Authorities say a tractor-trailer traveling at a high rate of speed struck Gladney’s vehicle, then struck an ambulance and the truck involved in the earlier crash.Gladney was extricated from his vehicle and taken to a hospital, where he died.

KC truck driver arrested in crash that killed fire official

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A rising middle school football player in Missouri, only 14 but already 6 feet, 5 inches tall and well over 300 pounds, Tyre Sampson fell to his death from a towering Florida amusement ride. Lawyers for his family want to know if negligence about his size, or other factors, played a role.

“This young man, he was athletic and he was big. He had no way of knowing,” said Bob Hilliard, a Texas&nbsp;<a href="https://hmglawfirm.com/robert-c-hilliard/">attorney&nbsp;</a>who represents Tyre's mother, Nekia Dodd, in an interview Saturday. “This is going to be an issue of a lack of supervision and lack of training. A straight-up negligence case."

Investigators on Saturday continued to examine what happened Thursday night when Sampson dropped out of his seat from a 430-foot, free-fall&nbsp;<a href="https://iconparkorlando.com/">amusement park ride</a>&nbsp;that is taller than the Statue of Liberty along a busy street in the heart of Orlando’s tourist district not far from Disney World.

The ride takes patrons up to that height, tilts so they face the ground for a moment or two, and then plummets toward the ground at speeds of 75 mph (about 121 kph) or more.

The well-known civil rights attorney&nbsp;<a href="https://bencrump.com/">Ben Crump</a>, who is working with Hilliard and represents Tyre's father, Yarnell Sampson, said the family is “shocked and heartbroken at the loss of their son.”

“This young man was the kind of son everyone hopes for — an honor roll student, an aspiring athlete, and a kind-hearted person who cared about others,” Crump said in a statement Saturday.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office and the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which regulates amusement rides in Florida at all but the major theme parks, declined comment Saturday other than to say the investigation is ongoing.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://iconparkorlando.com/media/">Icon Park</a>&nbsp;attraction said in a statement it is fully cooperating with investigators and that the Orlando FreeFall ride will be closed indefinitely. It opened late last year on International Drive, a major tourist mecca.

“We are heartbroken with the incident that took the life of one of our guests. We extend our condolences and deepest sympathy to his family and friends," said a statement from the SlingShot Group, which operates the ride.

Tyre was a giant for his age, already the size of an NFL offensive lineman. His family says he aspired to play pro football, like many kids with athletic ability who see a way to buy their mother a house and lift everyone in the family to a new level.

“That was his dream, and he was on his way,” Wendy Wooten, his stepmother, told the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/st-louis-county-teen-who-fell-to-his-death-at-florida-amusement-ride-dreamed-of/article_b86b02e4-7415-5365-b7d0-73949c837819.html">St. Louis Post-Dispatch</a>. “He had so many scouts looking at him. He was going to be a great football player.”

Tyre was part of a group called the St. Louis Bad Boyz football club who were in Orlando for a weeklong training camp, the Post-Dispatch reported. The group had chaperones and, by all accounts, were doing what millions do every year during spring break in Orlando: enjoying the theme parks and rides.

He was a student at the City Garden Montessori School in St. Louis. The school sent a letter to parents Friday saying counseling would be available for students on Monday.

“Tyre has been a City Garden student for many years,” the school said in a statement from its principal and CEO. “We will miss him tremendously and our hearts go out to his family and friends during this extremely difficult time.”

No criminal charges have been filed but a negligence or wrongful death lawsuit, or both, seem likely. Crump said boy's parents “intend to get answers for Tyre's grieving family.”

“A fun theme park visit with his football team should not have ended in tragedy,” Crump said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648251123999.png" alt="Investigators on Saturday continued to examine what happened Thursday night when Sampson dropped out of his seat from a 430-foot, free-fall&nbsp;<a href="https://iconparkorlando.com/">amusement park ride</a>&nbsp;that is taller than the Statue of Liberty along a busy street in the heart of Orlando’s tourist district not far from Disney World-photo courtesy WFTV" />
 <figcaption>Investigators on Saturday continued to examine what happened Thursday night when Sampson dropped out of his seat from a 430-foot, free-fall&nbsp;<a href="https://iconparkorlando.com/">amusement park ride</a>&nbsp;that is taller than the Statue of Liberty along a busy street in the heart of Orlando’s tourist district not far from Disney World-photo courtesy WFTV</figcaption>
 </figure>ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A rising middle school football player in Missouri, only 14 but already 6 feet, 5 inches tall and well over 300 pounds, Tyre Sampson fell to his death from a towering Florida amusement ride. Lawyers for his family want to know if negligence about his size, or other factors, played a role.“This young man, he was athletic and he was big. He had no way of knowing,” said Bob Hilliard, a Texas&nbsp;<a href="https://hmglawfirm.com/robert-c-hilliard/">attorney&nbsp;</a>who represents Tyre's mother, Nekia Dodd, in an interview Saturday. “This is going to be an issue of a lack of supervision and lack of training. A straight-up negligence case."Investigators on Saturday continued to examine what happened Thursday night when Sampson dropped out of his seat from a 430-foot, free-fall&nbsp;<a href="https://iconparkorlando.com/">amusement park ride</a>&nbsp;that is taller than the Statue of Liberty along a busy street in the heart of Orlando’s tourist district not far from Disney World.The ride takes patrons up to that height, tilts so they face the ground for a moment or two, and then plummets toward the ground at speeds of 75 mph (about 121 kph) or more.The well-known civil rights attorney&nbsp;<a href="https://bencrump.com/">Ben Crump</a>, who is working with Hilliard and represents Tyre's father, Yarnell Sampson, said the family is “shocked and heartbroken at the loss of their son.”“This young man was the kind of son everyone hopes for — an honor roll student, an aspiring athlete, and a kind-hearted person who cared about others,” Crump said in a statement Saturday.The Orange County Sheriff's Office and the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which regulates amusement rides in Florida at all but the major theme parks, declined comment Saturday other than to say the investigation is ongoing.The&nbsp;<a href="https://iconparkorlando.com/media/">Icon Park</a>&nbsp;attraction said in a statement it is fully cooperating with investigators and that the Orlando FreeFall ride will be closed indefinitely. It opened late last year on International Drive, a major tourist mecca.“We are heartbroken with the incident that took the life of one of our guests. We extend our condolences and deepest sympathy to his family and friends," said a statement from the SlingShot Group, which operates the ride.Tyre was a giant for his age, already the size of an NFL offensive lineman. His family says he aspired to play pro football, like many kids with athletic ability who see a way to buy their mother a house and lift everyone in the family to a new level.“That was his dream, and he was on his way,” Wendy Wooten, his stepmother, told the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/st-louis-county-teen-who-fell-to-his-death-at-florida-amusement-ride-dreamed-of/article_b86b02e4-7415-5365-b7d0-73949c837819.html">St. Louis Post-Dispatch</a>. “He had so many scouts looking at him. He was going to be a great football player.”Tyre was part of a group called the St. Louis Bad Boyz football club who were in Orlando for a weeklong training camp, the Post-Dispatch reported. The group had chaperones and, by all accounts, were doing what millions do every year during spring break in Orlando: enjoying the theme parks and rides.He was a student at the City Garden Montessori School in St. Louis. The school sent a letter to parents Friday saying counseling would be available for students on Monday.“Tyre has been a City Garden student for many years,” the school said in a statement from its principal and CEO. “We will miss him tremendously and our hearts go out to his family and friends during this extremely difficult time.”No criminal charges have been filed but a negligence or wrongful death lawsuit, or both, seem likely. Crump said boy's parents “intend to get answers for Tyre's grieving family.”“A fun theme park visit with his football team should not have ended in tragedy,” Crump said.

Did teen's big size factor in amusement ride death?

KANSAS CITY (AP) — After her home flooded five times in the past year, Tilicia Owens was on edge with every impending storm and ready to leave her Detroit neighborhood behind.

But then the 40-year-old quality engineer heard the city had a program that could prevent heavy rains from inundating her basement and damaging her furniture, photos and exercise equipment. The city is tapping $2.5 million in federal stimulus money as part of a $15 million effort to provide pumps and other equipment to help prevent flooding in 11 neighborhoods.

“That would mean the world to me,” said Owens, who has applied to the city’s Basement Backup Protection Program, which would provide homeowners a pump to remove floodwaters or a valve outside the home to prevent water from entering.

“I have invested so much into my home," she added. “I want to protect that and I want to protect my investment. It would take away all my anxiety.”

Detroit has turned to the $350 billion in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to partly finance the project. Part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-business-health-congress-310542ef5cddc914104960a00ae356e0">$1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan</a>&nbsp;approved last year, the money is meant to help communities recover from the pandemic and can be used for everything from job creation to child care to housing.

More than 60 states, counties and cities, including Detroit, are tapping the funds for housing programs.

With President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better bill floundering and federal Emergency Rental Assistance running out in some places, the funds have become a critical source of money to address a shortage of affordable housing and a growing homelessness crisis. Prioritizing housing is also a reminder that the long-running shortage of affordable housing, especially in communities of color, has worsened during the pandemic, a time when a looming&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-bd61b8a59126081bb09ef9515d09866f">eviction crisis</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lifestyle-us-news-miami-florida-a4717c05df3cb0530b73a4fe998ec5d1">rising housing</a>&nbsp;prices threatened millions of families.

“There was already growing awareness before the pandemic in states and cities around the country that affordable housing problems that always existed were reaching an all time level and just had to be addressed,” said Stockton Williams, the executive director of the National Council of State Housing Agencies. “The pandemic has shown a brighter light on that, especially as they relate to the most vulnerable renters and homeowners.”

For many communities, the amount of money available in the state and local fiscal recovery funds is also historic and more than many have spent on housing in a year or even a decade.

“This is certainly transformational funding,” Jacqueline Edwards, the director of the Maricopa County Human Services Department in Arizona, said of the nearly $85 million it has to spend on everything from new housing to additional shelter beds to helping homeowners repair their air conditioning and stay in their homes when temperatures heat up. Typically, the county has a few million dollars to spend each year on these services.

“We’ll be able to make significant changes, not just that will impact today, but will impact lives for years to come,” she added.

But advocates say it still is only a start and significant federal investment — much of it in the Build Back Better bill, passed by the House but currently held up in the Senate — is necessary to fix the problem.

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 1 in 4 families eligible for federal rental assistance received it before the pandemic. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that $86 billion annually is needed over the next decade for universal housing vouchers and housing funds. Another $70 billion is needed for public housing repairs.

So far, more than $11 billion from the state and local fiscal recovery funds have been committed to housing-related programs, according to the Center, which is tracking&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/resource-lists/fiscal-recovery-funds-in-the-american-rescue-plan">spending</a>.

States in the West, Midwest and East have already made significant commitments, according to a February&nbsp;<a href="https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/ARPA_State-Local-Housing.pdf">report</a>&nbsp;from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Southern states, long known for having among the weakest tenant protections, have committed very little.

Among the biggest areas of investment is a promise to build more affordable housing.

Massachusetts has allotted nearly $600 million to affordable housing, including $150 million for new housing and $150 million to maintain public housing. Colorado lawmakers have proposed spending $400 million and Washington, D.C., has set aside $323 million, including $17 million for community groups to provide housing for victims of domestic violence. Clark County, Nevada, home to Las Vegas, whose tourist economy was hammered by the pandemic, plans to spend more than a third of its funds, or $157 million, on housing.

Others states, led by Washington, Oregon and New Jersey, are working to shore up their eviction protections — something the U.S. Treasury Department has encouraged.

Washington is spending $403 million to bolster its emergency rental assistance program and $174 million for homeowner assistance. New York City plans to spend nearly $329 million to increase access to rental assistance vouchers. New Jersey is spending $750 million in rental and utility assistance and creating a statewide eviction prevention program.

“A lot of people who never thought they would be housing unstable ... are in this situation. And so it is scary and people don’t know quite where to turn,” said Janel Winter, the director of New Jersey's Division of Housing and Community Resources.

“This provides them with that assistance. ... So everybody who is in that court understands their rights, understands their responsibilities, is able to take advantage of whatever protections are there for them.”

Several communities are using the funds to help the homeless.

North Carolina has set aside $15 million to rapidly rehouse people at risk of homelessness because of the pandemic. Clark County, Washington, is spending $4.4 million to fund homeless outreach teams while Burlington, Vermont, plans to use $1.4 million on 30 shelter pods for people to sleep in and store their belongings.

Austin, Texas, which has hundreds of homeless encampments and upwards of 2,500 people sleeping on the street most nights, is putting more than $106 million towards homelessness. That is in addition to the $110 million that Travis County, home to Austin, is putting towards the problem.

The funds will help move the homeless into temporary housing and eventually into permanent units that offer services like counseling and rental assistance. There is also funding for 1,300 new housing units set aside for the homeless and the city has acquired several hotels with the money.

“We are focused on building a system that doesn’t just move people off the streets into shelters but is focused on resolving their housing crisis,” said Dianna Grey, the city's homeless strategy officer.

Several cities are using the funds to save homes battered by years of neglect and to ensure impoverished families can remain housed. Milwaukee wants to spend $15 million to rehabilitate up to 150 city-owned, foreclosed houses.

Detroit has set aside more than $83 million for housing-related spending, including $27.5 million to repair 1,000 roofs — tripling the amount it spends on its low-income home-repair program. It's also spending $14.2 million to renovate vacant homes and $6.4 million to set up an online system allowing residents to find and apply for low-income housing.

Deputy Mayor Conrad Mallett said the spending priorities are aimed at preventing further declines in the city's population, which has dropped dramatically since the 1950s.

“If we are going to maintain population and attract new people to the city, it is going to be because of the housing opportunities that we can provide," he said, adding that the city also has to help those who have remained in Detroit.

“We are going to deliver service to the people who stayed," he said. "We are not simply going to say to the people who endured, that you have no place. We want you to stay. We want you to succeed."

KANSAS CITY (AP) — After her home flooded five times in the past year, Tilicia Owens was on edge with every impending storm and ready to leave her Detroit neighborhood behind.But then the 40-year-old quality engineer heard the city had a program that could prevent heavy rains from inundating her basement and damaging her furniture, photos and exercise equipment. The city is tapping $2.5 million in federal stimulus money as part of a $15 million effort to provide pumps and other equipment to help prevent flooding in 11 neighborhoods.“That would mean the world to me,” said Owens, who has applied to the city’s Basement Backup Protection Program, which would provide homeowners a pump to remove floodwaters or a valve outside the home to prevent water from entering.“I have invested so much into my home," she added. “I want to protect that and I want to protect my investment. It would take away all my anxiety.”Detroit has turned to the $350 billion in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to partly finance the project. Part of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-business-health-congress-310542ef5cddc914104960a00ae356e0">$1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan</a>&nbsp;approved last year, the money is meant to help communities recover from the pandemic and can be used for everything from job creation to child care to housing.More than 60 states, counties and cities, including Detroit, are tapping the funds for housing programs.With President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better bill floundering and federal Emergency Rental Assistance running out in some places, the funds have become a critical source of money to address a shortage of affordable housing and a growing homelessness crisis. Prioritizing housing is also a reminder that the long-running shortage of affordable housing, especially in communities of color, has worsened during the pandemic, a time when a looming&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-bd61b8a59126081bb09ef9515d09866f">eviction crisis</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lifestyle-us-news-miami-florida-a4717c05df3cb0530b73a4fe998ec5d1">rising housing</a>&nbsp;prices threatened millions of families.“There was already growing awareness before the pandemic in states and cities around the country that affordable housing problems that always existed were reaching an all time level and just had to be addressed,” said Stockton Williams, the executive director of the National Council of State Housing Agencies. “The pandemic has shown a brighter light on that, especially as they relate to the most vulnerable renters and homeowners.”For many communities, the amount of money available in the state and local fiscal recovery funds is also historic and more than many have spent on housing in a year or even a decade.“This is certainly transformational funding,” Jacqueline Edwards, the director of the Maricopa County Human Services Department in Arizona, said of the nearly $85 million it has to spend on everything from new housing to additional shelter beds to helping homeowners repair their air conditioning and stay in their homes when temperatures heat up. Typically, the county has a few million dollars to spend each year on these services.“We’ll be able to make significant changes, not just that will impact today, but will impact lives for years to come,” she added.But advocates say it still is only a start and significant federal investment — much of it in the Build Back Better bill, passed by the House but currently held up in the Senate — is necessary to fix the problem.According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 1 in 4 families eligible for federal rental assistance received it before the pandemic. The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates that $86 billion annually is needed over the next decade for universal housing vouchers and housing funds. Another $70 billion is needed for public housing repairs.So far, more than $11 billion from the state and local fiscal recovery funds have been committed to housing-related programs, according to the Center, which is tracking&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/resource-lists/fiscal-recovery-funds-in-the-american-rescue-plan">spending</a>.States in the West, Midwest and East have already made significant commitments, according to a February&nbsp;<a href="https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/ARPA_State-Local-Housing.pdf">report</a>&nbsp;from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Southern states, long known for having among the weakest tenant protections, have committed very little.Among the biggest areas of investment is a promise to build more affordable housing.Massachusetts has allotted nearly $600 million to affordable housing, including $150 million for new housing and $150 million to maintain public housing. Colorado lawmakers have proposed spending $400 million and Washington, D.C., has set aside $323 million, including $17 million for community groups to provide housing for victims of domestic violence. Clark County, Nevada, home to Las Vegas, whose tourist economy was hammered by the pandemic, plans to spend more than a third of its funds, or $157 million, on housing.Others states, led by Washington, Oregon and New Jersey, are working to shore up their eviction protections — something the U.S. Treasury Department has encouraged.Washington is spending $403 million to bolster its emergency rental assistance program and $174 million for homeowner assistance. New York City plans to spend nearly $329 million to increase access to rental assistance vouchers. New Jersey is spending $750 million in rental and utility assistance and creating a statewide eviction prevention program.“A lot of people who never thought they would be housing unstable ... are in this situation. And so it is scary and people don’t know quite where to turn,” said Janel Winter, the director of New Jersey's Division of Housing and Community Resources.“This provides them with that assistance. ... So everybody who is in that court understands their rights, understands their responsibilities, is able to take advantage of whatever protections are there for them.”Several communities are using the funds to help the homeless.North Carolina has set aside $15 million to rapidly rehouse people at risk of homelessness because of the pandemic. Clark County, Washington, is spending $4.4 million to fund homeless outreach teams while Burlington, Vermont, plans to use $1.4 million on 30 shelter pods for people to sleep in and store their belongings.Austin, Texas, which has hundreds of homeless encampments and upwards of 2,500 people sleeping on the street most nights, is putting more than $106 million towards homelessness. That is in addition to the $110 million that Travis County, home to Austin, is putting towards the problem.The funds will help move the homeless into temporary housing and eventually into permanent units that offer services like counseling and rental assistance. There is also funding for 1,300 new housing units set aside for the homeless and the city has acquired several hotels with the money.“We are focused on building a system that doesn’t just move people off the streets into shelters but is focused on resolving their housing crisis,” said Dianna Grey, the city's homeless strategy officer.Several cities are using the funds to save homes battered by years of neglect and to ensure impoverished families can remain housed. Milwaukee wants to spend $15 million to rehabilitate up to 150 city-owned, foreclosed houses.Detroit has set aside more than $83 million for housing-related spending, including $27.5 million to repair 1,000 roofs — tripling the amount it spends on its low-income home-repair program. It's also spending $14.2 million to renovate vacant homes and $6.4 million to set up an online system allowing residents to find and apply for low-income housing.Deputy Mayor Conrad Mallett said the spending priorities are aimed at preventing further declines in the city's population, which has dropped dramatically since the 1950s.“If we are going to maintain population and attract new people to the city, it is going to be because of the housing opportunities that we can provide," he said, adding that the city also has to help those who have remained in Detroit.“We are going to deliver service to the people who stayed," he said. "We are not simply going to say to the people who endured, that you have no place. We want you to stay. We want you to succeed."

Affordable housing, long overlooked, getting federal boost

KANSAS CITY– A former Kansas City man has been charged in federal court after child pornography was found on the cell phone he carried into a secure area at the U.S. Department of Energy national security campus in Kansas City, according to the United State's Attorney.

Shaun Walker, 39, was charged in a criminal complaint filed under seal in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City on March 14, 2022, with one count of distributing child pornography, one count of receiving child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography. The complaint has been unsealed following Walker’s arrest on Monday, March 21. Walker remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Thursday, March 24.

Walker was employed by Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technology, which is contracted by the Nuclear National Security Administration.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, Walker entered an inner secure area of the U.S. Department of Energy National Security Campus in Kansas City, Mo., with his personal cell phone on Nov. 29, 2021. Walker contacted Kansas City National Security Campus Security to self-report the violation.

Walker gave his cell phone to security personnel, who reviewed the cell phone to determine if any classified material was present on the phone. During the review, the affidavit says, a security officer observed numerous images and videos depicting child pornography. Walker’s phone was seized in order to conduct a forensic examination.

Investigators found an encrypted folder on Walker’s cell phone that contained 21 images and a video of a 5-year-old girl who is known to Walker. Investigators found dozens of additional images and videos of child pornography on Walker’s cell phone. Investigators also found thousands of WhatsApp chats between Walker and females he contacted through a livestreaming pornography website. Walker requested photos and videos of nude underage females conducting sexual acts, the affidavit says. As a result of his WhatsApp chats, Walker allegedly received and distributed images and videos of child pornography.

KANSAS CITY– A former Kansas City man has been charged in federal court after child pornography was found on the cell phone he carried into a secure area at the U.S. Department of Energy national security campus in Kansas City, according to the United State's Attorney.Shaun Walker, 39, was charged in a criminal complaint filed under seal in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City on March 14, 2022, with one count of distributing child pornography, one count of receiving child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography. The complaint has been unsealed following Walker’s arrest on Monday, March 21. Walker remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing on Thursday, March 24.Walker was employed by Honeywell Federal Manufacturing and Technology, which is contracted by the Nuclear National Security Administration.According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, Walker entered an inner secure area of the U.S. Department of Energy National Security Campus in Kansas City, Mo., with his personal cell phone on Nov. 29, 2021. Walker contacted Kansas City National Security Campus Security to self-report the violation.Walker gave his cell phone to security personnel, who reviewed the cell phone to determine if any classified material was present on the phone. During the review, the affidavit says, a security officer observed numerous images and videos depicting child pornography. Walker’s phone was seized in order to conduct a forensic examination.Investigators found an encrypted folder on Walker’s cell phone that contained 21 images and a video of a 5-year-old girl who is known to Walker. Investigators found dozens of additional images and videos of child pornography on Walker’s cell phone. Investigators also found thousands of WhatsApp chats between Walker and females he contacted through a livestreaming pornography website. Walker requested photos and videos of nude underage females conducting sexual acts, the affidavit says. As a result of his WhatsApp chats, Walker allegedly received and distributed images and videos of child pornography.

Child Porn: KC man's cell phone seized after carried into secure DOE area

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and have made an arrest.

Just after 3a.m. March 24, police&nbsp;were dispatched to a Topeka hospital in reference to a victim of a shooting arriving there with a non-life threatening injury, according to Lt. Donna Eubanks.

 After making contact with the victim officers located the place of the crime in the 500 Block of NE Grattan in Topeka.

As a result of the investigation, Dylan Dean Thomas, 30 years of age was booked into Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Battery, Distribution of an opiate within 1000’ of a school, Distribution of a depressant within 1000’ of a school, Possession of marijuana and Possession of drug paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648214947885.png" alt="Thomas-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Thomas-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and have made an arrest.Just after 3a.m. March 24, police&nbsp;were dispatched to a Topeka hospital in reference to a victim of a shooting arriving there with a non-life threatening injury, according to Lt. Donna Eubanks. After making contact with the victim officers located the place of the crime in the 500 Block of NE Grattan in Topeka.As a result of the investigation, Dylan Dean Thomas, 30 years of age was booked into Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Battery, Distribution of an opiate within 1000’ of a school, Distribution of a depressant within 1000’ of a school, Possession of marijuana and Possession of drug paraphernalia.

Police make arrest after shooting victim arrives at Kan. hospital

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thanks to a sudden $140 million cash infusion, officials in Broward County, Florida, recently broke ground on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.broward.org/CCExpansion/pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">high-end hotel</a>&nbsp;that will have views of the Atlantic Ocean and an 11,000-square-foot spa.

In New York, Dutchess County pledged $12 million for renovations of a&nbsp;<a href="https://dutchesstourism.com/listingsv/dutchess-stadium" target="_blank">minor league baseball stadium</a>&nbsp;to meet requirements the New York Yankees set for their farm teams.

And in Massachusetts, lawmakers delivered $5 million to pay off debts of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.emkinstitute.org/" target="_blank">Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate</a>&nbsp;in Boston, a nonprofit established to honor the late senator that has struggled financially.

The three distinctly different outlays have one thing in common: Each is among the scores of projects that state and local governments across the United States are funding with federal coronavirus relief money despite having little to do with combating the pandemic, a review by The Associated Press has found.

The expenditures amount to a fraction of the $350 billion made available through last year’s&nbsp;<a href="https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-state-local-and-tribal-governments/state-and-local-fiscal-recovery-funds" target="_blank">American Rescue Plan</a>&nbsp;to help state and local governments weather the crisis. But they are examples of uses of the aid that are inconsistent with the rationale that Democrats offered for the record $1.9 trillion bill: The cash was desperately needed to save jobs, help those in distress, open schools and increase vaccinations.

Republicans are already balking at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-business-health-congress-e5b411a879b2becf3e342fea3b0df981">additional money for pandemic relief that President Joe Biden has requested,</a>&nbsp;and programs that seem far removed from ones that directly combat the virus will probably add to the resistance in the GOP.

“They need to give us an accounting,” said Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who tried unsuccessfully to amend the Democrats’ bill last year to add more limits on how the money could be spent. “Show us how you’ve already spent the money Congress gave you,” he said, adding, “It’s hard to imagine how a four-star hotel is helping to solve the pain of COVID.”

Many of the projects identified by the AP echo pork-barrel spending disasters such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fe1ef497194642dab18792e14a61e27a">Alaska’s $398 million “Bridge to Nowhere,”</a>&nbsp;which was canceled in 2007 after a public uproar.

But with permissive Treasury Department rules governing how the pandemic money can be spent, state and local governments face few limitations. New Jersey allocated $15 million for upgrades to sweeten the state’s bid to host the 2026 World Cup. In Woonsocket, Rhode Island, officials allocated $53,000 for a remodeling of City Hall.

“Outrageous” and “just nuts” is how Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., described some of the expenditures, which she said were an affront to responsible local governments.

“Our hospitals were overwhelmed because of the pandemic and somebody now has a hotel somewhere?” she added.

Included among the projects and expenditures identified by the AP:

—$400 million&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-prisons-montgomery-kay-ivey-8a7d30c43f4e61987051368a9604fda9">to build new prisons in Alabama</a>, accounting for nearly one-quarter of the total aid the state will receive through the program.

—tens of millions of dollars for tourism marketing campaigns in Puerto Rico ($70 million), Washington, D.C. ($8 million) and Tucson, Arizona ($2 million). The city of Alexandria, Virginia, also announced it would spend $120,000 to give its tourism website a makeover.

—$6.6 million to replace irrigation systems at two golf courses in Colorado Springs.

—$5 million approved by Birmingham, Alabama, to support the 2022 World Games. The event features niche sporting contests such as DanceSport, korfball and flying disc.

—$2.5 million to hire new parking enforcement officers in Washington, D.C.

—$2 million to help Pottawattamie County, Iowa, purchase a privately owned ski area.

—$1 million to pay off overdue child support in St. Louis. A city memo states that owing child support stops some people from looking for work because the overdue payments are garnished from paychecks; the program would “empower individuals” by paying down a portion.

—$300,000 to establish a museum in Worcester, Massachusetts, honoring Major Taylor, a famed Black bicycle rider from the turn of the 20th century known as the “Worcester Whirlwind” who died in 1932.

Liz Bourgeois, a spokeswoman for the Treasury Department, called the program a success that allowed state and local governments to “recover from financial distress” and “achieve their own strategies for restoring jobs and industries hit by the pandemic.”

“Ultimately local governments are accountable to their communities on their decisions on how best to use their funds,” Bourgeois said in a statement.

In Broward County, officials defended their planned 29-story, 800-room hotel, which will be owned by the county but operated by a private management group.

They also contest whether federal money is technically being used for the project. Broward County initially routed $140 million in federal coronavirus aid to the project, which ran against Treasury Department rules that generally bar spending the money on large capital projects.

To get around the prohibition, the county adopted a common workaround.

<a href="https://broward.legistar1.com/broward/meetings/2022/2/1096_A_County_Commission_22-02-22_Regular_Meeting_Agenda.pdf" target="_blank">The agenda from a Feb. 22 county board meeting</a>&nbsp;details how: In a back-to-back series of unopposed votes, commissioners clawed back the federal money they had given to the hotel. They then transferred it to the county’s general fund, describing it as a federal payment to cover lost tax revenue, which is an acceptable use. Then the cash was transferred from the general fund right back to the project.

County Administrator Monica Cepero insisted “no federal funds will be used to pay any of the cost of developing the Hotel Project.”

“The County has reviewed the Treasury guidance and modified its use of (the) funds,” she said in a statement.

Some lawmakers in Congress, however, are nonplussed.

“They are basically money laundering funding that is meant to help communities that are suffering,” said Spanberger, who called for more oversight.

Local officials in New York’s Dutchess County, home to the $12 million minor league stadium project, said in a statement that the expenditure was “completely and absolutely consistent” with Congress’ intent for the money.

“It’s ironic that this criticism emanates from the same congressional members who have brought back pork barrel earmarks,” said Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro.

The Edward Kennedy Institute did not respond to messages seeking comment on the $5 million in coronavirus aid received from Massachusetts. The institute operated at a $27 million loss between 2015 and 2019, according to tax filings from those years, the most recent that are publicly available.

Even in cases where local and state officials may have violated the spending rules, the sheer volume of money pumped out presents a challenge for government oversight offices that are often understaffed and poorly funded.

“The amount of money that went out was so massive and so far beyond anything that has ever been spent in our country before, that our capacity to audit every dollar spent is clearly stretched,” Romney said.

But groups that lobby on behalf of local governments in Washington say the spending rules were written permissively in order to give as much flexibility as possible.

“Counties should be able to determine what’s best for them,” said Mark Ritacco, director of government affairs for the National Association of Counties. “Their residents will decide whether that was appropriate or not at the ballot box.”

The new findings track closely with AP’s previous reporting, which found in October that states and large cities had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-states-cities-spend-federal-pandemic-funds-191dce8c75b0f5159691f0606d910d74">spent just a tiny fraction of their relief funding</a>&nbsp;six months after it was approved. That was despite their pleas for the emergency cash when Congress was still debating it.

Some school districts also had so much extra federal pandemic cash that they spent it on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-school-funding-sports-5b468b260ebd2593e53f03f9104d9bca">new sports stadiums, arenas and football turf.</a>&nbsp;In other instances, states used discretionary funding to further&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-education-coronavirus-pandemic-school-choice-efe85ad624d092b6eff700b635103a02">school choice initiatives</a>&nbsp;that they had failed to get through their legislatures.

Rich Delmar, the deputy inspector general for the Treasury Department, declined to say whether the office had any active investigations into uses of the state and local pot of money.

“All projects are potentially subject to audit and investigation,” Delmar said in an email, adding that “we are actively engaging in oversight.”

Biden, meanwhile, has said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-congress-7bba01ec15bdc406c793bc835f717cd1">his administration urgently needs more money</a>&nbsp;to pay for things that are directly related to the pandemic.

Without it, the White House says, the administration won’t be able to replenish depleted stockpiles of vaccines and therapeutics. Republican say winning their support will hinge on it being paid for with money that was already appropriated.

A deal that leaders struck this month would have been paid for by recouping some aid intended for states. But the agreement fell apart after several governors objected and rank-and-file House Democrats rebelled.

At least one Democrat sought to raise campaign cash off her opposition to clawing local money back.

“We had a bit of a fight when they tried to take money away from Michigan,” reads a fundraising email from Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell. “I was not going to let the Midwest get harmed. We won.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1638285832314.png" alt="“Outrageous” and “just nuts” is how Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., described some of the expenditures, which she said were an affront to responsible local governments." />
 <figcaption>“Outrageous” and “just nuts” is how Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., described some of the expenditures, which she said were an affront to responsible local governments.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Thanks to a sudden $140 million cash infusion, officials in Broward County, Florida, recently broke ground on a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.broward.org/CCExpansion/pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">high-end hotel</a>&nbsp;that will have views of the Atlantic Ocean and an 11,000-square-foot spa.In New York, Dutchess County pledged $12 million for renovations of a&nbsp;<a href="https://dutchesstourism.com/listingsv/dutchess-stadium" target="_blank">minor league baseball stadium</a>&nbsp;to meet requirements the New York Yankees set for their farm teams.And in Massachusetts, lawmakers delivered $5 million to pay off debts of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.emkinstitute.org/" target="_blank">Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate</a>&nbsp;in Boston, a nonprofit established to honor the late senator that has struggled financially.The three distinctly different outlays have one thing in common: Each is among the scores of projects that state and local governments across the United States are funding with federal coronavirus relief money despite having little to do with combating the pandemic, a review by The Associated Press has found.The expenditures amount to a fraction of the $350 billion made available through last year’s&nbsp;<a href="https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/coronavirus/assistance-for-state-local-and-tribal-governments/state-and-local-fiscal-recovery-funds" target="_blank">American Rescue Plan</a>&nbsp;to help state and local governments weather the crisis. But they are examples of uses of the aid that are inconsistent with the rationale that Democrats offered for the record $1.9 trillion bill: The cash was desperately needed to save jobs, help those in distress, open schools and increase vaccinations.Republicans are already balking at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-covid-business-health-congress-e5b411a879b2becf3e342fea3b0df981">additional money for pandemic relief that President Joe Biden has requested,</a>&nbsp;and programs that seem far removed from ones that directly combat the virus will probably add to the resistance in the GOP.“They need to give us an accounting,” said Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who tried unsuccessfully to amend the Democrats’ bill last year to add more limits on how the money could be spent. “Show us how you’ve already spent the money Congress gave you,” he said, adding, “It’s hard to imagine how a four-star hotel is helping to solve the pain of COVID.”Many of the projects identified by the AP echo pork-barrel spending disasters such as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fe1ef497194642dab18792e14a61e27a">Alaska’s $398 million “Bridge to Nowhere,”</a>&nbsp;which was canceled in 2007 after a public uproar.But with permissive Treasury Department rules governing how the pandemic money can be spent, state and local governments face few limitations. New Jersey allocated $15 million for upgrades to sweeten the state’s bid to host the 2026 World Cup. In Woonsocket, Rhode Island, officials allocated $53,000 for a remodeling of City Hall.“Outrageous” and “just nuts” is how Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., described some of the expenditures, which she said were an affront to responsible local governments.“Our hospitals were overwhelmed because of the pandemic and somebody now has a hotel somewhere?” she added.Included among the projects and expenditures identified by the AP:—$400 million&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-prisons-montgomery-kay-ivey-8a7d30c43f4e61987051368a9604fda9">to build new prisons in Alabama</a>, accounting for nearly one-quarter of the total aid the state will receive through the program.—tens of millions of dollars for tourism marketing campaigns in Puerto Rico ($70 million), Washington, D.C. ($8 million) and Tucson, Arizona ($2 million). The city of Alexandria, Virginia, also announced it would spend $120,000 to give its tourism website a makeover.—$6.6 million to replace irrigation systems at two golf courses in Colorado Springs.—$5 million approved by Birmingham, Alabama, to support the 2022 World Games. The event features niche sporting contests such as DanceSport, korfball and flying disc.—$2.5 million to hire new parking enforcement officers in Washington, D.C.—$2 million to help Pottawattamie County, Iowa, purchase a privately owned ski area.—$1 million to pay off overdue child support in St. Louis. A city memo states that owing child support stops some people from looking for work because the overdue payments are garnished from paychecks; the program would “empower individuals” by paying down a portion.—$300,000 to establish a museum in Worcester, Massachusetts, honoring Major Taylor, a famed Black bicycle rider from the turn of the 20th century known as the “Worcester Whirlwind” who died in 1932.Liz Bourgeois, a spokeswoman for the Treasury Department, called the program a success that allowed state and local governments to “recover from financial distress” and “achieve their own strategies for restoring jobs and industries hit by the pandemic.”“Ultimately local governments are accountable to their communities on their decisions on how best to use their funds,” Bourgeois said in a statement.In Broward County, officials defended their planned 29-story, 800-room hotel, which will be owned by the county but operated by a private management group.They also contest whether federal money is technically being used for the project. Broward County initially routed $140 million in federal coronavirus aid to the project, which ran against Treasury Department rules that generally bar spending the money on large capital projects.To get around the prohibition, the county adopted a common workaround.<a href="https://broward.legistar1.com/broward/meetings/2022/2/1096_A_County_Commission_22-02-22_Regular_Meeting_Agenda.pdf" target="_blank">The agenda from a Feb. 22 county board meeting</a>&nbsp;details how: In a back-to-back series of unopposed votes, commissioners clawed back the federal money they had given to the hotel. They then transferred it to the county’s general fund, describing it as a federal payment to cover lost tax revenue, which is an acceptable use. Then the cash was transferred from the general fund right back to the project.County Administrator Monica Cepero insisted “no federal funds will be used to pay any of the cost of developing the Hotel Project.”“The County has reviewed the Treasury guidance and modified its use of (the) funds,” she said in a statement.Some lawmakers in Congress, however, are nonplussed.“They are basically money laundering funding that is meant to help communities that are suffering,” said Spanberger, who called for more oversight.Local officials in New York’s Dutchess County, home to the $12 million minor league stadium project, said in a statement that the expenditure was “completely and absolutely consistent” with Congress’ intent for the money.“It’s ironic that this criticism emanates from the same congressional members who have brought back pork barrel earmarks,” said Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro.The Edward Kennedy Institute did not respond to messages seeking comment on the $5 million in coronavirus aid received from Massachusetts. The institute operated at a $27 million loss between 2015 and 2019, according to tax filings from those years, the most recent that are publicly available.Even in cases where local and state officials may have violated the spending rules, the sheer volume of money pumped out presents a challenge for government oversight offices that are often understaffed and poorly funded.“The amount of money that went out was so massive and so far beyond anything that has ever been spent in our country before, that our capacity to audit every dollar spent is clearly stretched,” Romney said.But groups that lobby on behalf of local governments in Washington say the spending rules were written permissively in order to give as much flexibility as possible.“Counties should be able to determine what’s best for them,” said Mark Ritacco, director of government affairs for the National Association of Counties. “Their residents will decide whether that was appropriate or not at the ballot box.”The new findings track closely with AP’s previous reporting, which found in October that states and large cities had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-states-cities-spend-federal-pandemic-funds-191dce8c75b0f5159691f0606d910d74">spent just a tiny fraction of their relief funding</a>&nbsp;six months after it was approved. That was despite their pleas for the emergency cash when Congress was still debating it.Some school districts also had so much extra federal pandemic cash that they spent it on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-school-funding-sports-5b468b260ebd2593e53f03f9104d9bca">new sports stadiums, arenas and football turf.</a>&nbsp;In other instances, states used discretionary funding to further&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-education-coronavirus-pandemic-school-choice-efe85ad624d092b6eff700b635103a02">school choice initiatives</a>&nbsp;that they had failed to get through their legislatures.Rich Delmar, the deputy inspector general for the Treasury Department, declined to say whether the office had any active investigations into uses of the state and local pot of money.“All projects are potentially subject to audit and investigation,” Delmar said in an email, adding that “we are actively engaging in oversight.”Biden, meanwhile, has said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-congress-7bba01ec15bdc406c793bc835f717cd1">his administration urgently needs more money</a>&nbsp;to pay for things that are directly related to the pandemic.Without it, the White House says, the administration won’t be able to replenish depleted stockpiles of vaccines and therapeutics. Republican say winning their support will hinge on it being paid for with money that was already appropriated.A deal that leaders struck this month would have been paid for by recouping some aid intended for states. But the agreement fell apart after several governors objected and rank-and-file House Democrats rebelled.At least one Democrat sought to raise campaign cash off her opposition to clawing local money back.“We had a bit of a fight when they tried to take money away from Michigan,” reads a fundraising email from Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell. “I was not going to let the Midwest get harmed. We won.”

Pandemic relief spending had little to do with combating pandemic

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — President Joe Biden delivered a forceful and highly personal condemnation of Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Saturday, summoning a call for liberal democracy and a durable resolve among Western nations in the face of a brutal autocrat.

As he capped a four-day trip to Europe, a blend of emotive scenes with refugees and standing among other world leaders in grand settings, Biden said of Putin: “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.”

It was a dramatic escalation in rhetoric — Biden had earlier called Putin a “butcher” — that the White House found itself quickly walking back. Before Biden could even board Air Force One to begin the flight back to Washington, aides were clarifying that he wasn’t calling for an immediate change in government in Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov quickly denounced Biden, saying “it’s not up to the president of the U.S. and not up to the Americans to decide who will remain in power in Russia.”

While Biden’s blunt language grabbed headlines, in other pieces of his roughly 30-minute speech before Warsaw’s iconic Royal Castle he urged Western allies to brace for what will be a turbulent road ahead in a “new battle for freedom.”

He also pointedly warned Putin against invading even “an inch” of territory of a NATO nation.

The address was a heavy bookend to a European visit in which Biden met with NATO and other Western leaders, visited the front lines of the growing refugee crisis and even held a young Ukrainian girl in his arms as he sought to spotlight some of the vast tentacles of the conflict that will likely define his presidency.

“We must remain unified today and tomorrow and the day after, and for the years and decades to come. It will not be easy,” Biden said as Russia continued to pound several Ukrainian cities. “There will be costs, but the price we have to pay, because the darkness that drives autocracy is ultimately no match for the flame of liberty that lights the souls of free people everywhere.”

Biden also made the case that multilateral institutions like NATO are more important than ever if the West and its allies are going to successfully push back against autocrats like Putin.

During his campaign for president, Biden talked often about the battle for primacy between democracies and autocracies. In those moments, his words seemed like an abstraction. Now, they have an urgent resonance.

Europe finds itself ensconced in a crisis that has virtually all of Europe revisiting defense spending, energy policy and more, and so does the U.S.

Charles Kupchan, who served as senior director for European affairs on the White House National Security Council during the Obama administration, called the invasion a “game-changer” that left Atlantic democracies with “no choice” but to bolster their posture against Russia.

But the path ahead for Biden — and the West — will only grow more complicated, Kupchan said.

“The challenges Biden’s presidency faces have just grown in magnitude,” said Kupchan, now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “He now needs to lead the West’s efforts to protect the West from the pressing external threat posed by Russia. And he needs to continue strengthening the West from within by countering the illiberal populism that still poses internal threats to democratic societies on both sides of the Atlantic.”

In one of the most poignant moments of his trip, Biden on Saturday bent down and picked up a young girl, a Ukrainian refugee in a pink winter coat, and spoke of how she reminded him of his own granddaughters.

“I don’t speak Ukrainian, but tell her I want to take her home,” Biden asked a translator to tell the smiling child.

Hours later, Biden was in front of a crowd of a 1,000 — including recent Ukrainian refugees — at the Royal Castle, a Warsaw landmark that dates back more than 400 years and was badly damaged in World War II. He made clear that the West would need to steel itself for what will be a long and difficult battle.

“We must commit now, to be this fight for the long haul,” Biden said.

The Biden administration, which has been selective about putting too great of importance on any single policy speech, sought to elevate what White House officials billed as a major address. Biden spoke with grand palace behind him to an invited audience — one bigger than just about any he’s spoken to during his presidency.

He singled out Lech Walesa, the Polish labor leader who led the push for freedom in his country and was eventually elected its president, and connected the moment to the former Soviet Union’s history of brutal oppression, including the post-World War II military operations to stamp out pro-democracy movements in Hungary, Poland and what was then Czechoslovakia. And he urged Europe to heed the words of Pope John Paul II, the first pontiff from Poland: “Be not afraid.”

Biden’s trip has reaffirmed the importance of European alliances, which atrophied under former President Donald Trump. He’s worked with his counterparts to marshal an array of punishing sanctions on Russia, and placed the continent on a course that could eliminate its dependence on Russian energy over the next several years.

The collective response to the invasion of Ukraine has little parallel in recent history, which has been more characterized by widening divisions than close coordination. But the Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed that dynamic, with European nations stepping up defense spending and imposing crushing sanctions against Moscow, and some taking initial steps to reorient their energy needs away from Russia.

“I’m confident that Vladimir Putin was counting on dividing NATO,” Biden said during a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Friday. “But he hasn’t been able to do it. We’ve all stayed together.”

Maintaining such unity will likely prove difficult as the war grinds on, and the refugee situation could become one source of strain. Much like NATO is committed to the collective defense of each member, Biden said, other nations should share the burden of caring for Ukrainian refugees. To that end, the U.S. administration announced it would admit up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees into the United States this year.

“It should be all of NATO’s responsibility,” he told Duda, whose country has accepted roughly 2.2 million of the 3.7 million who have fled Ukraine. It’s not clear how many of those displaced Ukrainians who have come through Poland have now moved on to other nations.

There’s also no clear path to ending the conflict. Although Russian officials have suggested they will focus their invasion on the Donbas, a region in East Ukraine, Biden wasn’t so sure if there was a real shift underway.

Asked on Saturday if the Russians have changed their strategy, he told reporters that “I am not sure they have.”

Despite the hazards ahead, Biden insisted there is more reason to be hopeful that the West and Ukraine can eventually succeed.

“A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never erase a people’s love for liberty,” Biden said. “Brutality will never grind down their will to be free. Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia, for free people refuse to live in a world of hopelessness and darkness.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648345290520.png" alt="&nbsp;President Biden visited Ukrainian refugees who have fled to Poland. You don’t need to speak the same language to feel the roller-coaster of emotions in their eyes-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;President Biden visited Ukrainian refugees who have fled to Poland. You don’t need to speak the same language to feel the roller-coaster of emotions in their eyes-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WARSAW, Poland (AP) — President Joe Biden delivered a forceful and highly personal condemnation of Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Saturday, summoning a call for liberal democracy and a durable resolve among Western nations in the face of a brutal autocrat.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWhiteHouse%2Fvideos%2F736390384013878%2F&show_text=false&width=560&t=12" 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>As he capped a four-day trip to Europe, a blend of emotive scenes with refugees and standing among other world leaders in grand settings, Biden said of Putin: “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.”It was a dramatic escalation in rhetoric — Biden had earlier called Putin a “butcher” — that the White House found itself quickly walking back. Before Biden could even board Air Force One to begin the flight back to Washington, aides were clarifying that he wasn’t calling for an immediate change in government in Moscow.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov quickly denounced Biden, saying “it’s not up to the president of the U.S. and not up to the Americans to decide who will remain in power in Russia.”While Biden’s blunt language grabbed headlines, in other pieces of his roughly 30-minute speech before Warsaw’s iconic Royal Castle he urged Western allies to brace for what will be a turbulent road ahead in a “new battle for freedom.”He also pointedly warned Putin against invading even “an inch” of territory of a NATO nation.The address was a heavy bookend to a European visit in which Biden met with NATO and other Western leaders, visited the front lines of the growing refugee crisis and even held a young Ukrainian girl in his arms as he sought to spotlight some of the vast tentacles of the conflict that will likely define his presidency.“We must remain unified today and tomorrow and the day after, and for the years and decades to come. It will not be easy,” Biden said as Russia continued to pound several Ukrainian cities. “There will be costs, but the price we have to pay, because the darkness that drives autocracy is ultimately no match for the flame of liberty that lights the souls of free people everywhere.”Biden also made the case that multilateral institutions like NATO are more important than ever if the West and its allies are going to successfully push back against autocrats like Putin.During his campaign for president, Biden talked often about the battle for primacy between democracies and autocracies. In those moments, his words seemed like an abstraction. Now, they have an urgent resonance.Europe finds itself ensconced in a crisis that has virtually all of Europe revisiting defense spending, energy policy and more, and so does the U.S.Charles Kupchan, who served as senior director for European affairs on the White House National Security Council during the Obama administration, called the invasion a “game-changer” that left Atlantic democracies with “no choice” but to bolster their posture against Russia.But the path ahead for Biden — and the West — will only grow more complicated, Kupchan said.“The challenges Biden’s presidency faces have just grown in magnitude,” said Kupchan, now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. “He now needs to lead the West’s efforts to protect the West from the pressing external threat posed by Russia. And he needs to continue strengthening the West from within by countering the illiberal populism that still poses internal threats to democratic societies on both sides of the Atlantic.”In one of the most poignant moments of his trip, Biden on Saturday bent down and picked up a young girl, a Ukrainian refugee in a pink winter coat, and spoke of how she reminded him of his own granddaughters.“I don’t speak Ukrainian, but tell her I want to take her home,” Biden asked a translator to tell the smiling child.Hours later, Biden was in front of a crowd of a 1,000 — including recent Ukrainian refugees — at the Royal Castle, a Warsaw landmark that dates back more than 400 years and was badly damaged in World War II. He made clear that the West would need to steel itself for what will be a long and difficult battle.“We must commit now, to be this fight for the long haul,” Biden said.The Biden administration, which has been selective about putting too great of importance on any single policy speech, sought to elevate what White House officials billed as a major address. Biden spoke with grand palace behind him to an invited audience — one bigger than just about any he’s spoken to during his presidency.He singled out Lech Walesa, the Polish labor leader who led the push for freedom in his country and was eventually elected its president, and connected the moment to the former Soviet Union’s history of brutal oppression, including the post-World War II military operations to stamp out pro-democracy movements in Hungary, Poland and what was then Czechoslovakia. And he urged Europe to heed the words of Pope John Paul II, the first pontiff from Poland: “Be not afraid.”Biden’s trip has reaffirmed the importance of European alliances, which atrophied under former President Donald Trump. He’s worked with his counterparts to marshal an array of punishing sanctions on Russia, and placed the continent on a course that could eliminate its dependence on Russian energy over the next several years.The collective response to the invasion of Ukraine has little parallel in recent history, which has been more characterized by widening divisions than close coordination. But the Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed that dynamic, with European nations stepping up defense spending and imposing crushing sanctions against Moscow, and some taking initial steps to reorient their energy needs away from Russia.“I’m confident that Vladimir Putin was counting on dividing NATO,” Biden said during a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Friday. “But he hasn’t been able to do it. We’ve all stayed together.”Maintaining such unity will likely prove difficult as the war grinds on, and the refugee situation could become one source of strain. Much like NATO is committed to the collective defense of each member, Biden said, other nations should share the burden of caring for Ukrainian refugees. To that end, the U.S. administration announced it would admit up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees into the United States this year.“It should be all of NATO’s responsibility,” he told Duda, whose country has accepted roughly 2.2 million of the 3.7 million who have fled Ukraine. It’s not clear how many of those displaced Ukrainians who have come through Poland have now moved on to other nations.There’s also no clear path to ending the conflict. Although Russian officials have suggested they will focus their invasion on the Donbas, a region in East Ukraine, Biden wasn’t so sure if there was a real shift underway.Asked on Saturday if the Russians have changed their strategy, he told reporters that “I am not sure they have.”Despite the hazards ahead, Biden insisted there is more reason to be hopeful that the West and Ukraine can eventually succeed.“A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never erase a people’s love for liberty,” Biden said. “Brutality will never grind down their will to be free. Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia, for free people refuse to live in a world of hopelessness and darkness.”

🎥Biden: For God’s sake, Putin cannot remain in power

CHASE COUNTY —A Kansas woman died in an accident just before 10p.m. Saturday in&nbsp; Chase County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Nissan Altima driven by Briana M. Lane, 32, Hutchinson, was westbound on U.S 50 three miles east of Strong City.

The Nissan crossed the center line into eastbound lane and struck a 2105 Freighliner semi driven by Forest F. Dillard, Jr., 59, Bakersfield, California.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Lane was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp; Brown-Bennett Funeral Home. Dillard was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/7/1563361166533.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>CHASE COUNTY —A Kansas woman died in an accident just before 10p.m. Saturday in&nbsp; Chase County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Nissan Altima driven by Briana M. Lane, 32, Hutchinson, was westbound on U.S 50 three miles east of Strong City.The Nissan crossed the center line into eastbound lane and struck a 2105 Freighliner semi driven by Forest F. Dillard, Jr., 59, Bakersfield, California.&nbsp;&nbsp;Lane was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp; Brown-Bennett Funeral Home. Dillard was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Kansas woman dies after crash with a semi

KANSAS CITY — A Kansas City man who was caught discussing plans online to sexually abuse a child pleaded guilty in federal court to distributing child pornography.

Joshua Evan Lilley, 30, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of distributing child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography over the internet, according to the United State's Attorney.

According to the plea agreement, an FBI employee from the Knoxville, Tennessee, division was acting in an undercover capacity on April 30, 2021, targeting individuals on a social media site (not identified) who were actively engaged in sharing, distributing, and/or producing child pornography. The undercover FBI employee was in contact with a site user (not identified) who sent Lilley images and videos of child pornography, which that individual had produced.

Messages between Lilley and the user involved a conversation about a child victim, to whom the user had access, and whom Lilly wanted to sexually abuse. Lilley sent the user images and videos of child sexual abuse; one involved bestiality. That individual was arrested, and consented for an FBI covert employee to assume their online identity.

Lilley sent at least six videos of child sexual abuse to the FBI covert employee. Lilley also sent a link to approximately 184 videos of child sexual abuse that he had collected.

Lilley said he was involved with other groups on the social media site that shared child pornography. He asked to meet the FBI covert employee for dinner and a drink. Lilley said he wanted to meet in person before going any further in their plans. When Lilley arrived for the meeting, the FBI covert employee sent him a message that he wasn’t going to be able to make it, and there was no meeting. A surveillance team followed Lilley as he returned home. &nbsp;

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Lilley’s residence on May 5, 2021, and seized his iPhone, iPad, laptop computer and a thumb drive, each of which contained child pornography. Investigators also seized five glass containers and eight bags that contained marijuana, a loaded Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol with additional ammunition, a Savage Arms .22-caliber rifle, and $12,020 in cash.

Under federal statutes, Lilley is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 40 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

KANSAS CITY — A Kansas City man who was caught discussing plans online to sexually abuse a child pleaded guilty in federal court to distributing child pornography.Joshua Evan Lilley, 30, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Howard F. Sachs to one count of distributing child pornography and one count of receiving child pornography over the internet, according to the United State's Attorney.According to the plea agreement, an FBI employee from the Knoxville, Tennessee, division was acting in an undercover capacity on April 30, 2021, targeting individuals on a social media site (not identified) who were actively engaged in sharing, distributing, and/or producing child pornography. The undercover FBI employee was in contact with a site user (not identified) who sent Lilley images and videos of child pornography, which that individual had produced.Messages between Lilley and the user involved a conversation about a child victim, to whom the user had access, and whom Lilly wanted to sexually abuse. Lilley sent the user images and videos of child sexual abuse; one involved bestiality. That individual was arrested, and consented for an FBI covert employee to assume their online identity.Lilley sent at least six videos of child sexual abuse to the FBI covert employee. Lilley also sent a link to approximately 184 videos of child sexual abuse that he had collected.Lilley said he was involved with other groups on the social media site that shared child pornography. He asked to meet the FBI covert employee for dinner and a drink. Lilley said he wanted to meet in person before going any further in their plans. When Lilley arrived for the meeting, the FBI covert employee sent him a message that he wasn’t going to be able to make it, and there was no meeting. A surveillance team followed Lilley as he returned home. &nbsp;Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Lilley’s residence on May 5, 2021, and seized his iPhone, iPad, laptop computer and a thumb drive, each of which contained child pornography. Investigators also seized five glass containers and eight bags that contained marijuana, a loaded Taurus 9mm semi-automatic pistol with additional ammunition, a Savage Arms .22-caliber rifle, and $12,020 in cash.Under federal statutes, Lilley is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 40 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

KC man caught discussing plans online to sexually abuse child

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue asking the public to help locate an inmate who was released from jail by mistake.

Just after 11:30 a.m. Monday, inmate Elijah Nehemiah Reed was released from the Sedgwick County Detention Facility in error, according to Sheriff's Lt. Benjamin Blick.

Reed was in custody on two writs to detain through the Juvenile District Court and a criminal possession of a firearm charge through the Adult District Court. After the adult case was dismissed by the District Court a paperwork error in the Sheriff’s Office was made concerning the sentencing status of the two juvenile cases and Reed was released from custody in error.

Reed is a 20 year old African-American who was last known to live in Wichita. He is 6-foot -2,&nbsp; weighs approximately 150 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Reed could be dangerous and possibly armed.

If you know of Reed’s whereabouts please call 911.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648080074670.png" alt="Reed photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Reed photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue asking the public to help locate an inmate who was released from jail by mistake.Just after 11:30 a.m. Monday, inmate Elijah Nehemiah Reed was released from the Sedgwick County Detention Facility in error, according to Sheriff's Lt. Benjamin Blick.Reed was in custody on two writs to detain through the Juvenile District Court and a criminal possession of a firearm charge through the Adult District Court. After the adult case was dismissed by the District Court a paperwork error in the Sheriff’s Office was made concerning the sentencing status of the two juvenile cases and Reed was released from custody in error.Reed is a 20 year old African-American who was last known to live in Wichita. He is 6-foot -2,&nbsp; weighs approximately 150 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Reed could be dangerous and possibly armed.If you know of Reed’s whereabouts please call 911.

Search continues for dangerous Kan. inmate released by mistake

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A father was sentenced to 29 years for killing his 3-year-old daughter, whose body was found in a wooded area of Kansas City, Kansas, in July 2020.

The Kansas City Star reports that the prison term for 30-year-old Howard Jansen III was handed down Friday during a hearing in Wyandotte County District Court. Jansen pleaded no contest last month to charges of second-degree murder, child abuse, aggravated child endangerment and interfering with a law enforcement investigation.

His girlfriend, Jacqulyn Kirkpatrick, is serving a 31-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in November to second-degree murder and interfering with a law enforcement investigation. Police found the body of Olivia Jansen on July 10, 2020, hours after Jansen had reported her missing.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1594468009097.png" alt="Jansen-photo Wyandotte Co." />
 <figcaption>Jansen-photo Wyandotte Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A father was sentenced to 29 years for killing his 3-year-old daughter, whose body was found in a wooded area of Kansas City, Kansas, in July 2020.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596232659832.png" alt="Olivia Jansen-photo KBI" />
 <figcaption>Olivia Jansen-photo KBI</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas City Star reports that the prison term for 30-year-old Howard Jansen III was handed down Friday during a hearing in Wyandotte County District Court. Jansen pleaded no contest last month to charges of second-degree murder, child abuse, aggravated child endangerment and interfering with a law enforcement investigation.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648324949286.png" alt="Kirkpatrick-photo KDOC" />
 <figcaption>Kirkpatrick-photo KDOC</figcaption>
 </figure>His girlfriend, Jacqulyn Kirkpatrick, is serving a 31-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in November to second-degree murder and interfering with a law enforcement investigation. Police found the body of Olivia Jansen on July 10, 2020, hours after Jansen had reported her missing.

Kansas father sentenced for killing 3-year-old

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Trustees who oversee the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System have voted to halt future investments in Russian assets amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine. 

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that while some board members initially pushed for a full divestment, others said they would rather focus on the future and noted the fund’s current holdings in the country have been largely liquidated anyway. 

Kansas has $36 million invested in Russian equities, as of Feb. 25. That accounts for about 0.14% of the pension fund’s total investments.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648318552362.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Trustees who oversee the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System have voted to halt future investments in Russian assets amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that while some board members initially pushed for a full divestment, others said they would rather focus on the future and noted the fund’s current holdings in the country have been largely liquidated anyway. Kansas has $36 million invested in Russian equities, as of Feb. 25. That accounts for about 0.14% of the pension fund’s total investments.

Kansas employee pension system halts Russia investments

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is giving the Navy a freer hand determining what job assignments it gives to 35 sailors who sued after refusing on religious grounds to comply with an order to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629972789785.png" alt="Photo courtesy U.S. Dept. of Defense" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy U.S. Dept. of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is giving the Navy a freer hand determining what job assignments it gives to 35 sailors who sued after refusing on religious grounds to comply with an order to get vaccinated against COVID-19.The high court in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/21a477_1bo2.pdf" target="_blank">brief order Friday</a>&nbsp;sided with the Biden administration and said that while the lawsuit plays out, the Navy may consider the sailors’ vaccination status in making deployment, assignment and other operational decisions. The group that sued includes mostly Navy SEALs.Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that there was a “simple overarching reason” that he agreed with the court’s decision. The Constitution makes the president, “not any federal judge,” the commander in chief of the armed forces, he wrote, noting that courts have been traditionally “reluctant to intrude upon the authority of the Executive in military and national security affairs.”Three conservative justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch — noted that they disagreed with their colleagues’ decision and would have sided with the group of SEALs.Alito wrote that his colleagues were “rubberstamping the Government’s request.” “These individuals appear to have been treated shabbily by the Navy, and the Court brushes all that aside,” Alito wrote.A federal judge in Texas in January&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-religion-austin-texas-b8227807672374e6f99edfc851e191dd">issued a preliminary injunction barring the Navy&nbsp;</a>from acting against the sailors. The Biden administration said it was not asking the Supreme Court to block parts of the lower court order barring the sailors from being disciplined or discharged but only the requirement that their assignments be made without considering their vaccination status. That requirement posed “intolerable risks to safety and mission success,”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/21/21A477/217841/20220307123349362_21A%20Texas%20Navy%20SEALS%20stay%20app.pdf" target="_blank">the administration had argued</a>.“Navy personnel routinely operate for extended periods of time in confined spaces that are ripe breeding grounds for respiratory illnesses, where mitigation measures such as distancing are impractical or impossible. A SEAL who falls ill not only cannot complete his or her own mission, but risks infecting others as well, particularly in close quarters, including on submarines,” Biden administration lawyers wrote.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last year&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-e08a6e68308b27ad7653ca9210d953dc">made vaccinations mandatory for service members</a>. Navy guidelines allow for exemptions to the vaccine requirement on religious and other grounds, including medical reasons and if a servicemember is about to leave the Navy. The Biden administration says the Navy has received more than 4,000 requests for religious exemptions, but it said that as of the start of February only about 80 had been fully adjudicated. It said one religious exemption had been granted.Lawyers for the group of sailors that sued had argued that the Navy had granted hundreds of non-religious exemptions. They said that in asking the high court to allow vaccine status to be considered, the Navy was seeking “license to engage in hostile tactics designed to coerce plaintiffs into disregarding their religious beliefs.”Lower courts had denied the Biden administration’s plea to be allowed to consider vaccination status. That includes a federal judge in Texas, Reed O’Connor, who was nominated by former President George W. Bush, and a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals. Two of those judges were appointees of former President Donald Trump while the third was appointed by former President Ronald Reagan.