TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democrats in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/kansas">Kansas</a>&nbsp;filed a third lawsuit Tuesday against a congressional redistricting law enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature, arguing that GOP gerrymandering aimed to “practically void” Democratic votes in the liberal enclave of Lawrence.

Four Democrats from the northeast Kansas city filed the lawsuit in Douglas County District Court, claiming that the new law violates the Kansas Constitution. It moved Lawrence from the 2nd District of northeast Kansas into the sprawling 1st District of central and western Kansas with conservative Republican communities hours away by car.

The U.S. Supreme Court declared in 2019 that partisan gerrymandering is a political issue and not for the federal courts to resolve. That still leaves the question of whether state courts might declare that the Kansas Constitution separately bars gerrymandering.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday and two others filed last month in Wyandotte County District Court ask for just such a ruling.

Republican lawmakers dismissed allegations of gerrymandering.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican running for governor, already has filed a petition with the Kansas Supreme Court, asking it to intervene and declare that partisan gerrymandering isn't an issue for the state courts, either. Schmidt spokesperson John Milburn said the Democrats who filed the lawsuit Tuesday “appear to be raising the same legal questions.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1643147273216.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democrats in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/kansas">Kansas</a>&nbsp;filed a third lawsuit Tuesday against a congressional redistricting law enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature, arguing that GOP gerrymandering aimed to “practically void” Democratic votes in the liberal enclave of Lawrence.Four Democrats from the northeast Kansas city filed the lawsuit in Douglas County District Court, claiming that the new law violates the Kansas Constitution. It moved Lawrence from the 2nd District of northeast Kansas into the sprawling 1st District of central and western Kansas with conservative Republican communities hours away by car.The U.S. Supreme Court declared in 2019 that partisan gerrymandering is a political issue and not for the federal courts to resolve. That still leaves the question of whether state courts might declare that the Kansas Constitution separately bars gerrymandering.The lawsuit filed Tuesday and two others filed last month in Wyandotte County District Court ask for just such a ruling.Republican lawmakers dismissed allegations of gerrymandering.Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican running for governor, already has filed a petition with the Kansas Supreme Court, asking it to intervene and declare that partisan gerrymandering isn't an issue for the state courts, either. Schmidt spokesperson John Milburn said the Democrats who filed the lawsuit Tuesday “appear to be raising the same legal questions.”

Democrats file 3rd lawsuit over new Kansas congressional map

&nbsp;SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities have located a 1-year-old Kansas girl reported missing early Wednesday.

Kamryn is safe and police arrested her father identified as 41-year-old James Nordman on requested charges that include a violation of a domestic violence protection order, according to Officer Charley Davidson. Police released no additional details about how or where they found the child.

Just before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, officers responded to a domestic violence report call at a home in the 1000 block of South Christine in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson. Upon arrival, officers contacted a 25-year-old female of the residence.  

She reported that her boyfriend, James, was at the home with their child, Kamryn, while she was away.  When she arrived home James and Kamryn were gone, and they did not return for several hours.  Investigators are concerned for the welfare of Kamryn and need assistance locating her.  Additionally, James is wanted for a violation of a domestic violence protection order.

Nordman has previous convictions for theft, burglary and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are asking for assistance in locating 1-year-old Kamryn Nordman and 41-year-old James Nordman.

  They are traveling in a white 1999 Chevy Trailblazer with Kansas tag 388 MGG.  If you see Kamryn, James, or the Chevy Trailblazer, or know their whereabouts, please call 911.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646231301148.png" alt="Nordman has previous convictions for theft, burglary and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections." />
 <figcaption>Nordman has previous convictions for theft, burglary and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities have located a 1-year-old Kansas girl reported missing early Wednesday.Kamryn is safe and police arrested her father identified as 41-year-old James Nordman on requested charges that include a violation of a domestic violence protection order, according to Officer Charley Davidson. Police released no additional details about how or where they found the child.Just before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, officers responded to a domestic violence report call at a home in the 1000 block of South Christine in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson. Upon arrival, officers contacted a 25-year-old female of the residence. She reported that her boyfriend, James, was at the home with their child, Kamryn, while she was away. When she arrived home James and Kamryn were gone, and they did not return for several hours. Investigators are concerned for the welfare of Kamryn and need assistance locating her. Additionally, James is wanted for a violation of a domestic violence protection order.Nordman has previous convictions for theft, burglary and for drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.-------SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are asking for assistance in locating 1-year-old Kamryn Nordman and 41-year-old James Nordman.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646220988772.png" alt="photo courtesy Wichita Police" />
 <figcaption>photo courtesy Wichita Police</figcaption>
 </figure> They are traveling in a white 1999 Chevy Trailblazer with Kansas tag 388 MGG. If you see Kamryn, James, or the Chevy Trailblazer, or know their whereabouts, please call 911.Just before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, officers responded to a domestic violence report call at a home in the 1000 block of South Christine in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson. Upon arrival, officers contacted a 25-year-old female of the residence. She reported that her boyfriend, James, was at the home with their child, Kamryn, while she was away. When she arrived home James and Kamryn were gone, and they did not return for several hours. Investigators are concerned for the welfare of Kamryn and need assistance locating her. Additionally, James is wanted for a violation of a domestic violence protection order.

Police find missing 1-year-old Kan. girl, arrest her father

By JAMES BELL <a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/post-news-network">Post News Network</a>

HAYS, Kan. — While the current situation in Ukraine has dominated domestic and international headlines in recent weeks, one Fort Hays State University expert said the conflict is less a standalone event and more of an escalation of hostilities.

Along with her academic expertise as a historian of central and eastern Europe, Amber Nickell, associate professor of history, also spent time living in Ukraine as a Fulbright Scholar and has traveled to and from the country for research since 2018.

While half a world away, she said there are parallels to the people of Ukraine and those living in the area.

“Ukrainians are extremely resilient, very hard-working,” Nickell said. “And it definitely reminds me of some of the hard-working folks here in Kansas, that you know, are pulling themselves up and doing what it takes to get things done. And we're definitely seeing that in Ukraine right now, as Ukrainians are fighting against Russian aggression.”

And much like the Kansas farmers who help drive local economies, Ukrainians also rely on agriculture, with corn, wheat and seed oils among their top five exports.

“Ukraine has a large swath is what of what is known black earth territory,” Nickell said. “And this is soil that is so nutrient rich, that it can give two crops per season as opposed to one. And so, for those folks out there that are working in agriculture, know that there are many Ukrainians out there just like you spending their days in the fields. This is this is part of who they are.”

Now with the recent conflict escalation, those people are fighting for their county, but she said current hostilities are only the most recent in a long history of Russian interference in the county.

“For some time, Ukrainians have been trying to fight Russian aggression,” Nickell said. “And we can really reach back pretty far in the historical narrative, all the way back to the violent escalation inside of independent Ukraine in the interwar and Bolsheviks, kind of forcibly placing power over the Ukrainian population.

“But in the more recent memory, Ukraine has been illegally occupied since 2014, in both Crimea and the Donbass region which is Luhansk, and Donetsk. Here, Russians have backed so-called separatists and well over 4,000 Ukrainian citizens and soldiers have died in this conflict since 2014.”

While the conflict might be an old one, in the last week the conflict has become decidedly more pronounced.

“Things have definitely escalated exponentially in the past five days,” Nickell said. “The emails and messages and Facebook messages that I'm getting from my friends and colleagues in Ukraine are heartbreaking. Bombs dropping on their neighborhoods in their communities, children doing kindergarten underground and bunkers, folks fleeing to the borders looking for any chance to help their families survive. ... It's heartbreaking to see the escalation these past few days.”

Along with the similarities of the people of Ukraine, she said the country is like the U.S. — multiracial, with populations living in the country from around the globe.

"It is, in very many ways, a civic nation, much like us here, where you can be a citizen of the United States, regardless of where you come from,” Nickell said. “And you can have that patriotism and sense of belonging really, regardless of what languages you speak.”

And so, while Russian language and culture might remain prevalent in Ukraine, the sense of self-determination is also a large part of the society.

“Much like me sitting here, I have family from Poland, but I am an American citizen,” Nickell said. “And so that is something that I think we need to think about a little closely when we're listening to some of the media that is coming out of these places.”

The trend toward simplicity in reporting from the region, she added, can create an understanding that does not fully reflect national complexities.

“I think often folks think that Ukraine is just this small country out in the middle of nowhere,” Nickell said. “And I've definitely heard those things said. But it isn't a small country. It isn't in the middle of nowhere.”

The size of the nation itself is important for a good understanding of the situation and relevant to the desire of Russia to increase their sphere of influence in Ukraine.

“It is the largest country entirely in Europe. It's bigger than Germany. It's bigger than France. It's bigger than Spain. It's bigger than the UK. And so, we're talking about a very, very large swath of territory, we're talking a couple Kansases, for those that are thinking about size relative to where they are,” Nickell said. “It is geopolitically important for both the Kremlin and for the European Union because of this relative size.”

The country is also a regional economic power, that despite ongoing conflicts, has seen growth in recent years.

“(It’s a) massive economy,” Nickell said. “A very vibrant tech sector is emerging from Ukraine, especially in the past six or so years. ... They also have a very large education sector that they are building. They are exporters of various raw materials, perhaps the most beautiful, and maybe I'm biased, is amber. But this is something that they are building and they're working very hard to build this economy, despite the fact that it was decimated in 2014, in the wake of&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euromaidan">Euromaidan</a>, and despite the fact that their former president absconded with almost the entirety of the National Treasury when he left in 2014.”

The size, location and economic value of Ukraine is a primary driver of the desire of Russian to control the country, in part or in whole, and she said is an important buffer between NATO-allied countries and Russia.

“One of my scholarly colleagues by the name of Serhii&nbsp;Plokhy, he has called Ukraine the gates of Europe,” Nickell said. “And I think this is a really apt description, because it is the gates of Europe and Mr. Putin is afraid that those gates will come flooding open and European ideas, and what are perceived as Western ideas, like democracy will flood into Russian territory.

“And so I think he sees this as strategically a place to try to cut those ideas from flooding over,” she said. “So that location is very, very important. And, of course, it is bordering several NATO countries.”

Putin’s invoking of NATO creeping into the area is also a misrepresentation of the situation, Nickell said.

“I think it's important when we're listening to the news and thinking about these things, you're going to hear several people say that Mr. Putin is worried about NATO coming to his doorstep. I encourage you to open a map of NATO. You will see that NATO is already on his doorstep in the Baltics and Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, so he does have NATO countries already bordering Russia. So much of this is just rhetoric.”

But while the rhetoric coming out of the Russian government has been presented around the globe, Nickell said the situation has shown even within the country Putin’s messaging has been increasing scrutinized.

“I think we're seeing definitely over the past five days that some of our assumptions about some of these things are breaking down,” she said. “If you would have asked me five days ago about the extent of Putin's propaganda machine and its success, I might have thought it to be a little bit more successful than we're finding out it actually is. The propaganda is breaking down on the ground. Russians are coming out into the streets in the thousands, despite the very literal threat to their personal livelihoods to protest this. They're getting arrested. They're getting disappeared.”

Further, as those protests are occurring in the light of a “very sophisticated propaganda machine” and the heavy clampdown on the public sphere, showing complexity and divergence of thought within the region that highlights potential threats to Putin.

“Much of this is also just kind of in rooted in an autocrats' attempt to maintain power,” Nickell said. “And, really, I think he's afraid right now.”

Specifically, she said he seems to fear a growing trend toward democracy on Russia’s doorstep.

While Ukraine continues the fight to fend off Russian forces, Nickell said the Ukrainian response has come as surprising to Putin and his allies.

“We have evidence, empirical evidence at this point, he thought that this was going to go very differently,” she said. “He was under the impression that Russia would arrive and then Ukraine would capitulate within three days. We know these to be facts, because the Wayback Machine, which Putin tried to prevent from having access to Russian media outlets, caught something that was supposed to go out 48 hours ago, with pictures and everything, announcing that Ukraine had capitulated. And that is not what happened.

“So here we are. We're two days after that (and) Ukraine is fighting hard. And the world is seeing the propaganda machine for what it is.”

A large part of that propaganda perpetuated by Putin, is based on “entangled history,” Nickell said. But is not actually rooted in historical fact.

He often tries to use the shared history “as a way to depict both entities as the same thing, when in fact, they are different, but related things and the true heirs to Kievan Rus’ are not only Russians, but also Bella Russians and Ukrainians, all distinct separate national identities and now distinct sovereign nation states,” Nickell said.

While, historically, borders have shifted as the result of conflicts and wars in Europe, Ukrainian borders as they are now formed after World War Two.

“It's important that we understand that all of this rhetoric coming from the Kremlin, that Ukraine was always part of Russia is just that Ukraine is composed of parts of several different empires, be it Polish, be it Ottoman, be it Russian, be it Austrian,” Nickell said. “And so, it really is this place for many places, and not necessarily something that was Russian, and then became something else after.

While the lines were formalized in more recent history, they stem from movements in the 17th to 20th centuries.

“There's an independent Ukraine that emerges in 1917-1918,” Nickell said. “There's a brief moment in which they are kind of put down or pacified. And then they emerge as an independent Ukraine again shortly after that. This is short-lived, because unlike our war for independence, where we succeeded in gaining our independence from an imperial power, they did not succeed in gaining their independence from an imperial power. The Bolsheviks violently pacified Ukraine, they murdered millions in the process of doing this and incorporated Ukraine into the Soviet Union. And so that's how Ukraine gets into the Soviet Union.”

Ukraine would function as a part of the Soviet Union until 1991.

“But there was always kind of an undercurrent or demand for Ukrainian independence,” Nickell said. “This is hard to do in a totalitarian state, to come out and be like 'I want to independent state,' but there were always those ideas and cultures of Ukrainian independence. And as they steadily marched closer and closer to the collapse of communism, you saw them become more overt in these calls.”

After the collapse of the USSR, Ukrainians voted for their independence.

But in doing so, they found themselves in a precarious situation that was the impetus behind a meeting in Budapest in 1994.

“It's here that Yeltsin, that leaders of the United States, leaders of the U.K., and leaders of Ukraine all came together to discuss one of the biggest issues facing independent Ukraine,” Nickell said. “And that was the fact that they were sitting on top of the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world. And we wanted to denuclearize. We were moving away from the Cold War world, and that we put full faith in Russia and full faith in ourselves that we would begin this process of disarming our nukes.

“As a Colorado girl,” she continued, “I watched that process unfold at home. ... Ukraine agreed to this, that they would give up their nuclear weapons in exchange for one thing — that Russia and the United States acknowledged their territorial sovereignty and promise to protect it. So, we are right now contractually obligated to protect Ukrainian sovereignty, though much of our conversation has been about NATO. And Russia is also contractually obligated to do so. And this is kind of a little bit of a lesson and Putin's promises.”

As elections in Ukraine yielded pro-Russian and more pro-democratic leaders, tensions with Russia would come to a head in 2014 with the Euromaidan.

“Maidan is just the word for Square in Ukrainian, which is why Ukrainians call this the Revolution of Dignity, because this was the moment that they claimed back their dignity from the state,” Nickell said. “And they demanded democratic policies.”

Despite the desire of the people to live in a democratic system, the president at the time desired to bring Ukraine closer to Russia.

“And so, he essentially sicced the secret police on the population that was protesting,” Nickell said. "(A) little over 100 individuals were murdered ruthlessly in the streets of Kiev protesting. And today Ukrainians call them the Heavenly 100.”

The timing of those deaths corresponds with the Russian annexation of Crimea, something she attributes to Putin, or at least on his behalf. Soon after as a democratic election was underway, he took advantage of the situation to invade Crimea.

It was at this time he “also began the process of backing so-called separatists in eastern Ukraine in two regions called Donetsk and Luhansk,” Nickell said. “And they're kind of the equivalent to states here in the United States. And this has been ongoing since 2014. Well, over 4,000 Ukrainians have died in this war and war has been part of their everyday lives since."

Until recently, military action has been confined to those two regions.

“And Mr. Putin has at least maintained the facade of nonintervention in the eastern kind of crisis in Luhansk and Donetsk, the war of aggression there,” Nickell said. “However, over the past five days, we've seen this rapid escalation there. ... There is no more facade. Mr. Putin is sending in troops, he is sending in tanks, he is sending in planes, he is using weapons that even here we consider violations of human rights. And so, this is a violent, violent escalation that most of us hoped that we would not be coming to.”

And while allegiances in those regions created complex international relations, Ukrainian borders had been clearly set, she said.

As a historian, Nickell said she has no ability to predict what the outcome of the conflict might be, but fears the situation will not be quickly resolved.

“What I can say is based off of what has been occurring so far and the ratcheting up of violence, I do think this will be a very long and protracted — like very long — conflict,” Nickell said. “And given Putin's general approach to Ukraine over the past 15 years or so, I do think that he will continue to fight&nbsp; (and) Ukrainians will continue to resist. This is something I can say, I think, with some level of certainty.”

But she is encouraged by internal action to stop Russian aggression.

“Some of the rhetoric inside of us inside of the Russian Federation is really starting to break down his grip on power, I think protests out of Belarus in 2020 and again, this week, protests in Kazakhstan, all of these areas surrounding the Russian Federation, as well as inside where there are calls for democracy calls for an open public sphere calls for transparency,” Nickell said. “I think this is where our best hope lies, this would be the most ideal outcome, that democratic ideas overturn autocratic ideas.”

“But other than that,” she continued “I don't I don't know what comes next. I do know that the people of Ukraine need our support, they need our voices, they need anything that we can send their way. Call your congresspeople, do what you can do your bit. And this is a place that does their bit. So do your bit and make change.”

Nickell is scheduled to speak on this topic during an event at Hays
Public Library at 10 a.m. that can be viewed online by visiting their facebook page, f<a href="https://www.facebook.com/hayspubliclibrary">facebook.com/hayspubliclibrary</a>.

<div><iframe title="Area Ukraine expert shares insights into situation; history" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=d3fid-11bd71a-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=ffffff&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>By JAMES BELL <a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/post-news-network">Post News Network</a>HAYS, Kan. — While the current situation in Ukraine has dominated domestic and international headlines in recent weeks, one Fort Hays State University expert said the conflict is less a standalone event and more of an escalation of hostilities.Along with her academic expertise as a historian of central and eastern Europe, Amber Nickell, associate professor of history, also spent time living in Ukraine as a Fulbright Scholar and has traveled to and from the country for research since 2018.While half a world away, she said there are parallels to the people of Ukraine and those living in the area.“Ukrainians are extremely resilient, very hard-working,” Nickell said. “And it definitely reminds me of some of the hard-working folks here in Kansas, that you know, are pulling themselves up and doing what it takes to get things done. And we're definitely seeing that in Ukraine right now, as Ukrainians are fighting against Russian aggression.”And much like the Kansas farmers who help drive local economies, Ukrainians also rely on agriculture, with corn, wheat and seed oils among their top five exports.“Ukraine has a large swath is what of what is known black earth territory,” Nickell said. “And this is soil that is so nutrient rich, that it can give two crops per season as opposed to one. And so, for those folks out there that are working in agriculture, know that there are many Ukrainians out there just like you spending their days in the fields. This is this is part of who they are.”Now with the recent conflict escalation, those people are fighting for their county, but she said current hostilities are only the most recent in a long history of Russian interference in the county.“For some time, Ukrainians have been trying to fight Russian aggression,” Nickell said. “And we can really reach back pretty far in the historical narrative, all the way back to the violent escalation inside of independent Ukraine in the interwar and Bolsheviks, kind of forcibly placing power over the Ukrainian population.“But in the more recent memory, Ukraine has been illegally occupied since 2014, in both Crimea and the Donbass region which is Luhansk, and Donetsk. Here, Russians have backed so-called separatists and well over 4,000 Ukrainian citizens and soldiers have died in this conflict since 2014.”While the conflict might be an old one, in the last week the conflict has become decidedly more pronounced.“Things have definitely escalated exponentially in the past five days,” Nickell said. “The emails and messages and Facebook messages that I'm getting from my friends and colleagues in Ukraine are heartbreaking. Bombs dropping on their neighborhoods in their communities, children doing kindergarten underground and bunkers, folks fleeing to the borders looking for any chance to help their families survive. ... It's heartbreaking to see the escalation these past few days.”<h2>A civic nation</h2>Along with the similarities of the people of Ukraine, she said the country is like the U.S. — multiracial, with populations living in the country from around the globe."It is, in very many ways, a civic nation, much like us here, where you can be a citizen of the United States, regardless of where you come from,” Nickell said. “And you can have that patriotism and sense of belonging really, regardless of what languages you speak.”And so, while Russian language and culture might remain prevalent in Ukraine, the sense of self-determination is also a large part of the society.“Much like me sitting here, I have family from Poland, but I am an American citizen,” Nickell said. “And so that is something that I think we need to think about a little closely when we're listening to some of the media that is coming out of these places.”The trend toward simplicity in reporting from the region, she added, can create an understanding that does not fully reflect national complexities.“I think often folks think that Ukraine is just this small country out in the middle of nowhere,” Nickell said. “And I've definitely heard those things said. But it isn't a small country. It isn't in the middle of nowhere.”The size of the nation itself is important for a good understanding of the situation and relevant to the desire of Russia to increase their sphere of influence in Ukraine.“It is the largest country entirely in Europe. It's bigger than Germany. It's bigger than France. It's bigger than Spain. It's bigger than the UK. And so, we're talking about a very, very large swath of territory, we're talking a couple Kansases, for those that are thinking about size relative to where they are,” Nickell said. “It is geopolitically important for both the Kremlin and for the European Union because of this relative size.”The country is also a regional economic power, that despite ongoing conflicts, has seen growth in recent years.“(It’s a) massive economy,” Nickell said. “A very vibrant tech sector is emerging from Ukraine, especially in the past six or so years. ... They also have a very large education sector that they are building. They are exporters of various raw materials, perhaps the most beautiful, and maybe I'm biased, is amber. But this is something that they are building and they're working very hard to build this economy, despite the fact that it was decimated in 2014, in the wake of&nbsp;<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euromaidan">Euromaidan</a>, and despite the fact that their former president absconded with almost the entirety of the National Treasury when he left in 2014.”<h2>Why it matters</h2>The size, location and economic value of Ukraine is a primary driver of the desire of Russian to control the country, in part or in whole, and she said is an important buffer between NATO-allied countries and Russia.“One of my scholarly colleagues by the name of Serhii&nbsp;Plokhy, he has called Ukraine the gates of Europe,” Nickell said. “And I think this is a really apt description, because it is the gates of Europe and Mr. Putin is afraid that those gates will come flooding open and European ideas, and what are perceived as Western ideas, like democracy will flood into Russian territory.“And so I think he sees this as strategically a place to try to cut those ideas from flooding over,” she said. “So that location is very, very important. And, of course, it is bordering several NATO countries.”Putin’s invoking of NATO creeping into the area is also a misrepresentation of the situation, Nickell said.“I think it's important when we're listening to the news and thinking about these things, you're going to hear several people say that Mr. Putin is worried about NATO coming to his doorstep. I encourage you to open a map of NATO. You will see that NATO is already on his doorstep in the Baltics and Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, so he does have NATO countries already bordering Russia. So much of this is just rhetoric.”But while the rhetoric coming out of the Russian government has been presented around the globe, Nickell said the situation has shown even within the country Putin’s messaging has been increasing scrutinized.“I think we're seeing definitely over the past five days that some of our assumptions about some of these things are breaking down,” she said. “If you would have asked me five days ago about the extent of Putin's propaganda machine and its success, I might have thought it to be a little bit more successful than we're finding out it actually is. The propaganda is breaking down on the ground. Russians are coming out into the streets in the thousands, despite the very literal threat to their personal livelihoods to protest this. They're getting arrested. They're getting disappeared.”Further, as those protests are occurring in the light of a “very sophisticated propaganda machine” and the heavy clampdown on the public sphere, showing complexity and divergence of thought within the region that highlights potential threats to Putin.“Much of this is also just kind of in rooted in an autocrats' attempt to maintain power,” Nickell said. “And, really, I think he's afraid right now.”Specifically, she said he seems to fear a growing trend toward democracy on Russia’s doorstep.<h2>The conflict</h2>While Ukraine continues the fight to fend off Russian forces, Nickell said the Ukrainian response has come as surprising to Putin and his allies.“We have evidence, empirical evidence at this point, he thought that this was going to go very differently,” she said. “He was under the impression that Russia would arrive and then Ukraine would capitulate within three days. We know these to be facts, because the Wayback Machine, which Putin tried to prevent from having access to Russian media outlets, caught something that was supposed to go out 48 hours ago, with pictures and everything, announcing that Ukraine had capitulated. And that is not what happened.“So here we are. We're two days after that (and) Ukraine is fighting hard. And the world is seeing the propaganda machine for what it is.”A large part of that propaganda perpetuated by Putin, is based on “entangled history,” Nickell said. But is not actually rooted in historical fact.He often tries to use the shared history “as a way to depict both entities as the same thing, when in fact, they are different, but related things and the true heirs to Kievan Rus’ are not only Russians, but also Bella Russians and Ukrainians, all distinct separate national identities and now distinct sovereign nation states,” Nickell said.While, historically, borders have shifted as the result of conflicts and wars in Europe, Ukrainian borders as they are now formed after World War Two.“It's important that we understand that all of this rhetoric coming from the Kremlin, that Ukraine was always part of Russia is just that Ukraine is composed of parts of several different empires, be it Polish, be it Ottoman, be it Russian, be it Austrian,” Nickell said. “And so, it really is this place for many places, and not necessarily something that was Russian, and then became something else after.While the lines were formalized in more recent history, they stem from movements in the 17th to 20th centuries.“There's an independent Ukraine that emerges in 1917-1918,” Nickell said. “There's a brief moment in which they are kind of put down or pacified. And then they emerge as an independent Ukraine again shortly after that. This is short-lived, because unlike our war for independence, where we succeeded in gaining our independence from an imperial power, they did not succeed in gaining their independence from an imperial power. The Bolsheviks violently pacified Ukraine, they murdered millions in the process of doing this and incorporated Ukraine into the Soviet Union. And so that's how Ukraine gets into the Soviet Union.”Ukraine would function as a part of the Soviet Union until 1991.“But there was always kind of an undercurrent or demand for Ukrainian independence,” Nickell said. “This is hard to do in a totalitarian state, to come out and be like 'I want to independent state,' but there were always those ideas and cultures of Ukrainian independence. And as they steadily marched closer and closer to the collapse of communism, you saw them become more overt in these calls.”After the collapse of the USSR, Ukrainians voted for their independence.But in doing so, they found themselves in a precarious situation that was the impetus behind a meeting in Budapest in 1994.“It's here that Yeltsin, that leaders of the United States, leaders of the U.K., and leaders of Ukraine all came together to discuss one of the biggest issues facing independent Ukraine,” Nickell said. “And that was the fact that they were sitting on top of the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world. And we wanted to denuclearize. We were moving away from the Cold War world, and that we put full faith in Russia and full faith in ourselves that we would begin this process of disarming our nukes.“As a Colorado girl,” she continued, “I watched that process unfold at home. ... Ukraine agreed to this, that they would give up their nuclear weapons in exchange for one thing — that Russia and the United States acknowledged their territorial sovereignty and promise to protect it. So, we are right now contractually obligated to protect Ukrainian sovereignty, though much of our conversation has been about NATO. And Russia is also contractually obligated to do so. And this is kind of a little bit of a lesson and Putin's promises.”<h2>The conflict heats up</h2>As elections in Ukraine yielded pro-Russian and more pro-democratic leaders, tensions with Russia would come to a head in 2014 with the Euromaidan.“Maidan is just the word for Square in Ukrainian, which is why Ukrainians call this the Revolution of Dignity, because this was the moment that they claimed back their dignity from the state,” Nickell said. “And they demanded democratic policies.”Despite the desire of the people to live in a democratic system, the president at the time desired to bring Ukraine closer to Russia.“And so, he essentially sicced the secret police on the population that was protesting,” Nickell said. "(A) little over 100 individuals were murdered ruthlessly in the streets of Kiev protesting. And today Ukrainians call them the Heavenly 100.”The timing of those deaths corresponds with the Russian annexation of Crimea, something she attributes to Putin, or at least on his behalf. Soon after as a democratic election was underway, he took advantage of the situation to invade Crimea.It was at this time he “also began the process of backing so-called separatists in eastern Ukraine in two regions called Donetsk and Luhansk,” Nickell said. “And they're kind of the equivalent to states here in the United States. And this has been ongoing since 2014. Well, over 4,000 Ukrainians have died in this war and war has been part of their everyday lives since."Until recently, military action has been confined to those two regions.“And Mr. Putin has at least maintained the facade of nonintervention in the eastern kind of crisis in Luhansk and Donetsk, the war of aggression there,” Nickell said. “However, over the past five days, we've seen this rapid escalation there. ... There is no more facade. Mr. Putin is sending in troops, he is sending in tanks, he is sending in planes, he is using weapons that even here we consider violations of human rights. And so, this is a violent, violent escalation that most of us hoped that we would not be coming to.”And while allegiances in those regions created complex international relations, Ukrainian borders had been clearly set, she said.As a historian, Nickell said she has no ability to predict what the outcome of the conflict might be, but fears the situation will not be quickly resolved.“What I can say is based off of what has been occurring so far and the ratcheting up of violence, I do think this will be a very long and protracted — like very long — conflict,” Nickell said. “And given Putin's general approach to Ukraine over the past 15 years or so, I do think that he will continue to fight&nbsp; (and) Ukrainians will continue to resist. This is something I can say, I think, with some level of certainty.”But she is encouraged by internal action to stop Russian aggression.“Some of the rhetoric inside of us inside of the Russian Federation is really starting to break down his grip on power, I think protests out of Belarus in 2020 and again, this week, protests in Kazakhstan, all of these areas surrounding the Russian Federation, as well as inside where there are calls for democracy calls for an open public sphere calls for transparency,” Nickell said. “I think this is where our best hope lies, this would be the most ideal outcome, that democratic ideas overturn autocratic ideas.”“But other than that,” she continued “I don't I don't know what comes next. I do know that the people of Ukraine need our support, they need our voices, they need anything that we can send their way. Call your congresspeople, do what you can do your bit. And this is a place that does their bit. So do your bit and make change.”Nickell is scheduled to speak on this topic during an event at Hays
Public Library at 10 a.m. that can be viewed online by visiting their facebook page, f<a href="https://www.facebook.com/hayspubliclibrary">facebook.com/hayspubliclibrary</a>.

🎙 Kan. Ukraine expert shares insights into situation, history

WASHINGTON (AP) — Addressing a concerned nation and anxious world, President Joe Biden vowed in his first State of the Union address Tuesday night to check&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-abc3e297725e57e6052529d844b5ee2f">Russian aggression in Ukraine,&nbsp;</a>tame soaring U.S. inflation and deal with the fading but still dangerous coronavirus.

Biden declared that he and all members of Congress, whatever their political differences, are joined “with an unwavering resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny.” He asked lawmakers crowding the House chamber to stand and salute the Ukrainians as he began his speech. They stood and cheered.

It was a notable show of unity after a long year of bitter acrimony between Biden’s Democratic coalition and the Republican opposition.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-voting-rights-immigration-state-of-the-union-address-5894f85ff2872a4c28b4f2bbde2741c7">Biden’s 62-minute speech,&nbsp;</a>which was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-state-of-the-union-address-joe-biden-coronavirus-pandemic-feaf4678d114e37ce708aa41fae8be82">split between attention to war abroad and worries at home</a>&nbsp;— reflected the same balancing act he now faces in his presidency. He must marshal allied resolve against Russia’s aggression while tending to inflation, COVID-19 fatigue and sagging approval ratings heading into the midterm elections.

Aiming to build on momentum from the speech, Biden will head to Wisconsin on Wednesday in an effort to show Americans that his domestic agenda is working. His vice president and Cabinet members will fan out around the country to amplify the message.

Biden heads again to an old bridge set to be repaired — increasingly a symbol for his administration, tangible evidence of the nation that he’s working to update. This time, it’s a wrought-iron bridge that connects Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, across the St. Louis Bay.

The bridge will be replaced using funds from the massive infrastructure plan signed into law last year, a signature piece of bipartisan legislation and proof — Biden says — that the GOP and Democrats can still work together.

In Tuesday’s speech, Biden highlighted the bravery of Ukrainian defenders and a newly reinvigorated Western alliance that has worked to rearm the Ukrainian military and cripple Russia’s economy through sanctions. He acknowledged costs to the American economy, as well, but warned ominously that without consequences, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression wouldn’t be contained to Ukraine.

“Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson – when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos,” Biden said. “They keep moving. And, the costs and threats to America and the world keep rising.”

As Biden spoke, Russian forces were escalating their attacks in Ukraine, having bombarded the central square of country’s second-biggest city and Kyiv’s main TV tower, killing at least five people. The Babi Yar Holocaust memorial was also damaged.

Biden announced that the U.S. is following Canada and the European Union in banning Russian planes from its airspace in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine. He also said the Justice Department was launching a task force to go after Russian oligarchs, whom he called “corrupt leaders who have bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime.”

“We are coming for your ill-begotten gains,” he said, pledging that the U.S. and European allies were after their yachts, luxury apartments and private jets.

Biden pivoted in his speech from the troubles abroad to those at home. Even before the Russian invasion sent energy costs skyrocketing, prices for American families had been rising, and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hurt families and the country’s economy.

Biden outlined plans to address inflation by reinvesting in American manufacturing capacity, speeding supply chains and reducing the burden of childcare and eldercare on workers.

“Too many families are struggling to keep up with the bills,” Biden said. “Inflation is robbing them of the gains they might otherwise feel. I get it. That’s why my top priority is getting prices under control.”

In one sign of national progress on the pandemic, Biden entered the House chamber without a mask, as coronavirus cases decline and new federal guidance tries to nudge the public back to pre-pandemic activities. But there was evidence of ongoing tension as well: The Capitol was newly fenced due to security concerns after last year’s insurrection.

Set against disquiet at home and danger abroad, the White House had conceived Tuesday night’s speech as an opportunity to highlight the improving coronavirus outlook, rebrand Biden’s domestic policy priorities and show a path to lower costs for families grappling with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/consumer-prices-inflation-c1bfd93ed1719cf0135420f4fd0270f9">soaring inflation</a>. But events took a turn toward world affairs with last week’s Russian invasion of Ukraine and nuclear saber-rattling by Putin.

As is customary, one Cabinet secretary, in this case Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, was kept in a secure location during the address, ready to take over the government in the event of a catastrophe.

The State of the Union is typically an address targeted to a national audience, but this year’s had the world watching. In an interview with CNN and Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Biden to deliver a strong and “useful” message about Russia’s invasion. In a show of unity, Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova joined first lady Jill Biden in the House gallery for the speech.

In a rare discordant moment, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado yelled out that Biden was to blame for the 13 service members who were killed during last August’s chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“You put them in. Thirteen of them,” Boebert yelled as Biden mentioned his late son Beau, a veteran who died from brain cancer and served near toxic military burn pits, used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan. Biden is pursuing legislation to help veterans suffering exposure and other injuries.

While the crisis in Eastern Europe may have helped to cool partisan tensions in Washington, it didn’t erase the political and cultural discord that is casting doubt on Biden’s ability to deliver.

A February AP-NORC poll found that more people disapproved than approved of how Biden is handling his job, 55% to 44%. That’s down from a 60% favorable rating last July.

Biden, used his remarks to highlight the progress from a year ago — with the majority of the U.S. population now vaccinated and millions more people at work — but also acknowledged that the job is not yet done, a recognition of American discontent.

“I have come to report on the state of the union,” Biden said. “And my report is this: The state of the union is strong — because you, the American people, are strong. We are stronger today than we were a year ago. And we will be stronger a year from now than we are today.”

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, selected to give the Republican response, said Biden’s address came as a blast from the past with rising inflation, rising crime and a resurgent Russia making it feel more like the 1980s than today.

“Even before taking the oath of office, the president said that he wanted to — quote — make America respected around the world again, and to unite us here. He’s failed on both fronts,” she said.

Biden used his speech to nudge the country back “to more normal routines” after the coronavirus reshaped American life.

“It’s time for Americans to get back to work and fill our great downtowns again,” he declared. He said people will be able to order another round of free tests from the government and that his administration was launching a “test to treat” initiative to provide free antiviral pills at pharmacies to those who test positive for the virus.

Where his speech to Congress last year saw the rollout of a massive social spending package, Biden this year largely repackaged past proposals in search of achievable measures he hopes can win bipartisan support in a bitterly divided Congress before the elections.

The president also highlighted investments in everything from internet broadband access to bridge construction from November’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144">$1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law</a>&nbsp;as an example of government reaching consensus and delivering change for the nation.

As part of his pitch to voters, he also put a new emphasis on how proposals like extending the child tax credit and bringing down child care costs could bring relief to families as prices rise. He was said his climate change proposals would cut costs for lower- and middle-income families and create new jobs.

Biden called for lowering health care costs, pitching his plan to authorize Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, as well as an extension of more generous health insurance subsidies now temporarily available through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces where 14.5 million people get coverage.

Biden also appealed for action on voting rights, which has failed to win GOP support. And as gun violence rises, he returned to calls to ban assault weapons, a blunt request he hadn’t made in months. He called to “fund the police with the resources and training they need to protect our communities.”

He led Congress in a bipartisan tribute to retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and highlighted the biography of federal judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/Ketanji-Brown-Jackson-biden-supreme-court-nominee-32f77fe08d7cf64af95591668a0aaa41">Ketanji Brown Jackson,</a>&nbsp;his nominee be the first Black woman on the high court.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646187951280.png" alt="President&nbsp;Biden outlined plans to address inflation by reinvesting in American manufacturing capacity, speeding supply chains and reducing the burden of childcare and eldercare on workers.-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>President&nbsp;Biden outlined plans to address inflation by reinvesting in American manufacturing capacity, speeding supply chains and reducing the burden of childcare and eldercare on workers.-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Addressing a concerned nation and anxious world, President Joe Biden vowed in his first State of the Union address Tuesday night to check&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-abc3e297725e57e6052529d844b5ee2f">Russian aggression in Ukraine,&nbsp;</a>tame soaring U.S. inflation and deal with the fading but still dangerous coronavirus.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mVIXLQrC9rE?start=1384" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Biden declared that he and all members of Congress, whatever their political differences, are joined “with an unwavering resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny.” He asked lawmakers crowding the House chamber to stand and salute the Ukrainians as he began his speech. They stood and cheered.It was a notable show of unity after a long year of bitter acrimony between Biden’s Democratic coalition and the Republican opposition.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-voting-rights-immigration-state-of-the-union-address-5894f85ff2872a4c28b4f2bbde2741c7">Biden’s 62-minute speech,&nbsp;</a>which was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-state-of-the-union-address-joe-biden-coronavirus-pandemic-feaf4678d114e37ce708aa41fae8be82">split between attention to war abroad and worries at home</a>&nbsp;— reflected the same balancing act he now faces in his presidency. He must marshal allied resolve against Russia’s aggression while tending to inflation, COVID-19 fatigue and sagging approval ratings heading into the midterm elections.Aiming to build on momentum from the speech, Biden will head to Wisconsin on Wednesday in an effort to show Americans that his domestic agenda is working. His vice president and Cabinet members will fan out around the country to amplify the message.Biden heads again to an old bridge set to be repaired — increasingly a symbol for his administration, tangible evidence of the nation that he’s working to update. This time, it’s a wrought-iron bridge that connects Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, across the St. Louis Bay.The bridge will be replaced using funds from the massive infrastructure plan signed into law last year, a signature piece of bipartisan legislation and proof — Biden says — that the GOP and Democrats can still work together.In Tuesday’s speech, Biden highlighted the bravery of Ukrainian defenders and a newly reinvigorated Western alliance that has worked to rearm the Ukrainian military and cripple Russia’s economy through sanctions. He acknowledged costs to the American economy, as well, but warned ominously that without consequences, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression wouldn’t be contained to Ukraine.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646219843722.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“Throughout our history we’ve learned this lesson – when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos,” Biden said. “They keep moving. And, the costs and threats to America and the world keep rising.”As Biden spoke, Russian forces were escalating their attacks in Ukraine, having bombarded the central square of country’s second-biggest city and Kyiv’s main TV tower, killing at least five people. The Babi Yar Holocaust memorial was also damaged.Biden announced that the U.S. is following Canada and the European Union in banning Russian planes from its airspace in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine. He also said the Justice Department was launching a task force to go after Russian oligarchs, whom he called “corrupt leaders who have bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime.”“We are coming for your ill-begotten gains,” he said, pledging that the U.S. and European allies were after their yachts, luxury apartments and private jets.Biden pivoted in his speech from the troubles abroad to those at home. Even before the Russian invasion sent energy costs skyrocketing, prices for American families had been rising, and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to hurt families and the country’s economy.Biden outlined plans to address inflation by reinvesting in American manufacturing capacity, speeding supply chains and reducing the burden of childcare and eldercare on workers.“Too many families are struggling to keep up with the bills,” Biden said. “Inflation is robbing them of the gains they might otherwise feel. I get it. That’s why my top priority is getting prices under control.”In one sign of national progress on the pandemic, Biden entered the House chamber without a mask, as coronavirus cases decline and new federal guidance tries to nudge the public back to pre-pandemic activities. But there was evidence of ongoing tension as well: The Capitol was newly fenced due to security concerns after last year’s insurrection.Set against disquiet at home and danger abroad, the White House had conceived Tuesday night’s speech as an opportunity to highlight the improving coronavirus outlook, rebrand Biden’s domestic policy priorities and show a path to lower costs for families grappling with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/consumer-prices-inflation-c1bfd93ed1719cf0135420f4fd0270f9">soaring inflation</a>. But events took a turn toward world affairs with last week’s Russian invasion of Ukraine and nuclear saber-rattling by Putin.As is customary, one Cabinet secretary, in this case Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, was kept in a secure location during the address, ready to take over the government in the event of a catastrophe.The State of the Union is typically an address targeted to a national audience, but this year’s had the world watching. In an interview with CNN and Reuters, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Biden to deliver a strong and “useful” message about Russia’s invasion. In a show of unity, Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova joined first lady Jill Biden in the House gallery for the speech.In a rare discordant moment, Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado yelled out that Biden was to blame for the 13 service members who were killed during last August’s chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.“You put them in. Thirteen of them,” Boebert yelled as Biden mentioned his late son Beau, a veteran who died from brain cancer and served near toxic military burn pits, used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan. Biden is pursuing legislation to help veterans suffering exposure and other injuries.While the crisis in Eastern Europe may have helped to cool partisan tensions in Washington, it didn’t erase the political and cultural discord that is casting doubt on Biden’s ability to deliver.A February AP-NORC poll found that more people disapproved than approved of how Biden is handling his job, 55% to 44%. That’s down from a 60% favorable rating last July.Biden, used his remarks to highlight the progress from a year ago — with the majority of the U.S. population now vaccinated and millions more people at work — but also acknowledged that the job is not yet done, a recognition of American discontent.“I have come to report on the state of the union,” Biden said. “And my report is this: The state of the union is strong — because you, the American people, are strong. We are stronger today than we were a year ago. And we will be stronger a year from now than we are today.”Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, selected to give the Republican response, said Biden’s address came as a blast from the past with rising inflation, rising crime and a resurgent Russia making it feel more like the 1980s than today.“Even before taking the oath of office, the president said that he wanted to — quote — make America respected around the world again, and to unite us here. He’s failed on both fronts,” she said.Biden used his speech to nudge the country back “to more normal routines” after the coronavirus reshaped American life.“It’s time for Americans to get back to work and fill our great downtowns again,” he declared. He said people will be able to order another round of free tests from the government and that his administration was launching a “test to treat” initiative to provide free antiviral pills at pharmacies to those who test positive for the virus.Where his speech to Congress last year saw the rollout of a massive social spending package, Biden this year largely repackaged past proposals in search of achievable measures he hopes can win bipartisan support in a bitterly divided Congress before the elections.The president also highlighted investments in everything from internet broadband access to bridge construction from November’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144">$1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law</a>&nbsp;as an example of government reaching consensus and delivering change for the nation.As part of his pitch to voters, he also put a new emphasis on how proposals like extending the child tax credit and bringing down child care costs could bring relief to families as prices rise. He was said his climate change proposals would cut costs for lower- and middle-income families and create new jobs.Biden called for lowering health care costs, pitching his plan to authorize Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, as well as an extension of more generous health insurance subsidies now temporarily available through the Affordable Care Act marketplaces where 14.5 million people get coverage.Biden also appealed for action on voting rights, which has failed to win GOP support. And as gun violence rises, he returned to calls to ban assault weapons, a blunt request he hadn’t made in months. He called to “fund the police with the resources and training they need to protect our communities.”He led Congress in a bipartisan tribute to retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and highlighted the biography of federal judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/Ketanji-Brown-Jackson-biden-supreme-court-nominee-32f77fe08d7cf64af95591668a0aaa41">Ketanji Brown Jackson,</a>&nbsp;his nominee be the first Black woman on the high court.___

🎥 State of the Union: Biden vows to halt Russia, hit inflation

WASHINGTON&nbsp;—&nbsp;The Internal Revenue Service today issued <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-issues-questions-and-answers-about-the-tax-year-2021-earned-income-tax-credit">frequently asked questions (FAQs) for the 2021 Earned Income Tax Credit</a> to educate eligible taxpayers on how to properly claim the credit when they prepare and file their 2021 tax return.

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) helps low- to moderate-income 
workers and families in the form of a credit to either reduce the taxes 
owed or an added payment to increase a tax refund. The amount of the 
credit may change if the taxpayer has children, dependents, are disabled
 or meet other criteria.

These FAQs&nbsp;detail what the EITC is, how it was expanded for 2021, which taxpayers are eligible, and how to claim it.

Taxpayers with income is $73,000 or less can file their federal tax returns electronically for free through the IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">Free File Program</a>.
 The fastest way to receive a tax refund is to file electronically and 
have it direct deposited into a financial account. Refunds can be 
directly deposited into bank accounts, prepaid debit cards or mobile 
apps as long as a routing and account number is provided.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON&nbsp;—&nbsp;The Internal Revenue Service today issued <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-issues-questions-and-answers-about-the-tax-year-2021-earned-income-tax-credit">frequently asked questions (FAQs) for the 2021 Earned Income Tax Credit</a> to educate eligible taxpayers on how to properly claim the credit when they prepare and file their 2021 tax return.The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) helps low- to moderate-income 
workers and families in the form of a credit to either reduce the taxes 
owed or an added payment to increase a tax refund. The amount of the 
credit may change if the taxpayer has children, dependents, are disabled
 or meet other criteria.These FAQs&nbsp;detail what the EITC is, how it was expanded for 2021, which taxpayers are eligible, and how to claim it.The 17 new FAQs are:<ul>
 <li>What is the Earned Income Tax Credit?</li><li>What is earned income?</li><li>What are the earned income limits for taxpayers without qualifying children?</li><li>How old must I be to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit if I do not have qualifying children?</li><li>Do I need to have a Social Security number (SSN) to be eligible to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit?</li><li>Do my qualifying children need to have SSNs in order for me to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit?</li><li>What are the age requirements for claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit if I have a qualifying child?</li><li>What are the earned income limits for individuals with a qualifying child?</li><li>Will any refund that I receive because I claimed the Earned Income Tax Credit affect my government benefits?</li><li>What is the maximum amount of the Earned Income Tax Credit for 2021 for eligible taxpayers without qualifying children?</li><li>Is there a limit on the amount of investment income I can earn and remain eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit?</li><li>If I am not filing a joint return with my spouse, can I claim the Earned Income Tax Credit?</li><li>Who is considered a qualified homeless youth for purposes of the Earned Income Tax Credit?</li><li>Who is considered a qualified former foster youth for purposes of the Earned Income Tax Credit?</li><li>Can I elect to use my 2019 earned income to figure my Earned Income Tax Credit for 2021?</li><li>Can a student claim the Earned Income Tax Credit for 2021?</li><li>What is a specified student for purposes of the Earned Income Tax Credit?</li>
 </ul><h2>File for free and use direct deposit</h2>Taxpayers with income is $73,000 or less can file their federal tax returns electronically for free through the IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">Free File Program</a>.
 The fastest way to receive a tax refund is to file electronically and 
have it direct deposited into a financial account. Refunds can be 
directly deposited into bank accounts, prepaid debit cards or mobile 
apps as long as a routing and account number is provided.

IRS FAQs explain 2021 Earned Income Tax Credit

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an armed robbery and asking the public for help to identify a suspect.

This suspect held three women at gunpoint about 6 p.m. on Feb. 18 at the Cash America Pawn shop at Paseo and 63rd Street, according to Kansas City Police.&nbsp;

He wore a “Saints &amp; Sinners” sweatshirt, a navy coat, black pants, black crocs, and blue latex gloves. He is believed to be a black male, about 5=-foot-8 with a regular build and in his 30s.

One woman tried pushing the panic button, but the suspect shoved her to the floor and threatened to shoot her.

If you recognize him, contact police anonymously at <a href="https://t.co/gULWXwQkBQ" target="_blank">http://kccrimestoppers.com</a> or call 816-474-TIPS.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646170967734.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an armed robbery and asking the public for help to identify a suspect.This suspect held three women at gunpoint about 6 p.m. on Feb. 18 at the Cash America Pawn shop at Paseo and 63rd Street, according to Kansas City Police.&nbsp;He wore a “Saints &amp; Sinners” sweatshirt, a navy coat, black pants, black crocs, and blue latex gloves. He is believed to be a black male, about 5=-foot-8 with a regular build and in his 30s.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646170897304.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>One woman tried pushing the panic button, but the suspect shoved her to the floor and threatened to shoot her.If you recognize him, contact police anonymously at <a href="https://t.co/gULWXwQkBQ" target="_blank">http://kccrimestoppers.com</a> or call 816-474-TIPS.

Police: Suspect held 3 women at gunpoint in Kan. armed robbery

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two Kansas City workers died and and another was injured after a trash truck rolled over and caught fire Tuesday, police said.

The crash happened Tuesday morning as the trash truck tried to exit Interstate 435 onto Front Street in northeast Kansas City, police Sgt. Bill Mahoney said.

Investigators believe the trash truck struck a concrete barrier before catching on fire, KSHB-TV&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/i-435-trash-truck-crash">reported</a>.

Mahoney said a police officer was able to rescue one person from inside the trash truck.

Mahoney said one of the workers died at the scene. The other two were hospitalized, one in critical condition and the other in serious condition. No names have been released.

“I am absolutely devastated,” said Michael Shaw, director of the city's public works department. “My team is absolutely devastated.”

Shaw said he had worked for the city for 23 years and never experienced a fatality.

“We had a substantial tragedy today in Kansas City,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646220407423.png" alt="The crash happened Tuesday morning as the trash truck tried to exit Interstate 435 onto Front Street in northeast Kansas City-photo courtesy KSHB-TV" />
 <figcaption>The crash happened Tuesday morning as the trash truck tried to exit Interstate 435 onto Front Street in northeast Kansas City-photo courtesy KSHB-TV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two Kansas City workers died and and another was injured after a trash truck rolled over and caught fire Tuesday, police said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I am deeply saddened to have learned that a second city employee has died as a result of today’s accident. My heart breaks for his family, his friends, and our entire Kansas City Public Works Department. My prayers are with the families and all impacted today.&mdash; Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) <a href="https://twitter.com/QuintonLucasKC/status/1498842006541512706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The crash happened Tuesday morning as the trash truck tried to exit Interstate 435 onto Front Street in northeast Kansas City, police Sgt. Bill Mahoney said.Investigators believe the trash truck struck a concrete barrier before catching on fire, KSHB-TV&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/i-435-trash-truck-crash">reported</a>.Mahoney said a police officer was able to rescue one person from inside the trash truck.Mahoney said one of the workers died at the scene. The other two were hospitalized, one in critical condition and the other in serious condition. No names have been released.“I am absolutely devastated,” said Michael Shaw, director of the city's public works department. “My team is absolutely devastated.”Shaw said he had worked for the city for 23 years and never experienced a fatality.“We had a substantial tragedy today in Kansas City,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said.

2 Kansas City employees dead, 1 injured in trash truck crash

TOPEKA&nbsp;–&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly Tuesday announced&nbsp;that&nbsp;total tax collections for February were $502.5 million. That is $18.7 million, or 3.9%, more than the February estimate. Those collections are also $46.6 million, or 10.2%, more than February 2021.&nbsp;

<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjAzMDEuNTQyMjYyMTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2NvbnRlbnQuZ292ZGVsaXZlcnkuY29tL2F0dGFjaG1lbnRzL0tTT0cvMjAyMi8wMy8wMS9maWxlX2F0dGFjaG1lbnRzLzIwOTA3OTMvMDhfRmVicnVhcnlfUmV2ZW51ZV9GWTIwMjJfMDMtMDEtMjAyMl9GaW5hbC5wZGYifQ.NY9vmUHWBTrPSTjusvqqOmUEvHLtiPOwQO6AvMm0Tc0/s/1303160919/br/127367333286-l" target="_blank">Click here</a>&nbsp;to view the tax receipts

"My administration has taken steps to restore the Kansas economy,&nbsp;and that fiscal responsibility has paved the way to provide direct tax relief to Kansans," Governor&nbsp;Laura&nbsp;Kelly said. "I urge the&nbsp;Legislature to work together&nbsp;to&nbsp;send me a clean bill eliminating the state’s tax on food immediately, so that we can&nbsp;put this money back into the pockets of Kansas taxpayers."&nbsp;

Individual income tax collections were $183.4 million in February. That is $6.6 million, or 3.5%, below the estimate. However, it is important to note that income tax refunds are being issued much quicker than in prior years. There have been 15,000 more refunds sent out in February 2022 compared to February 2021. The increase in refunds total $21.0 million more paid out in February compared to the same month of 2021.

"The positive trend in tax receipts continues with all of the major tax types, individual income tax, corporate income tax, retailer's sales tax, and compensating use tax, performing well. But for the larger number of refunds issued in February, individual income tax receipts also would have surpassed the February estimate," said Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart.&nbsp;"We are pleased to be able to get individual income tax refunds paid more quickly and into the accounts of taxpayers." 

So far, nearly 281,000 refunds, totaling $147.0 million, have been paid out this filing season. Refunds for electronically filed returns can be expected to be deposited in taxpayers' bank accounts in 4-7 days, with some deposits occurring in as little as three days.

Corporate income tax collections were $23.4 million, which is $12.4 million, or 112.8%, more than the February 2022 estimate. Those collections are $15.2 million, or 186.3% more than February 2021, reflecting substantial corporate profits.

Retail sales tax collections were $195.2 million, which is $5.2 million, or 2.8% more than the estimate. Those collections are also $16.0 million, or 8.9%, greater than February 2021. Compensating use tax collections were $59.4 million, which is $4.4 million, or 8.0%, more than the estimate. Those collections were $20.7 million, or 53.7%, more than February 2021.&nbsp;

TOPEKA&nbsp;–&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly Tuesday announced&nbsp;that&nbsp;total tax collections for February were $502.5 million. That is $18.7 million, or 3.9%, more than the February estimate. Those collections are also $46.6 million, or 10.2%, more than February 2021.&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjAzMDEuNTQyMjYyMTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2NvbnRlbnQuZ292ZGVsaXZlcnkuY29tL2F0dGFjaG1lbnRzL0tTT0cvMjAyMi8wMy8wMS9maWxlX2F0dGFjaG1lbnRzLzIwOTA3OTMvMDhfRmVicnVhcnlfUmV2ZW51ZV9GWTIwMjJfMDMtMDEtMjAyMl9GaW5hbC5wZGYifQ.NY9vmUHWBTrPSTjusvqqOmUEvHLtiPOwQO6AvMm0Tc0/s/1303160919/br/127367333286-l" target="_blank">Click here</a>&nbsp;to view the tax receipts"My administration has taken steps to restore the Kansas economy,&nbsp;and that fiscal responsibility has paved the way to provide direct tax relief to Kansans," Governor&nbsp;Laura&nbsp;Kelly said. "I urge the&nbsp;Legislature to work together&nbsp;to&nbsp;send me a clean bill eliminating the state’s tax on food immediately, so that we can&nbsp;put this money back into the pockets of Kansas taxpayers."&nbsp;Individual income tax collections were $183.4 million in February. That is $6.6 million, or 3.5%, below the estimate. However, it is important to note that income tax refunds are being issued much quicker than in prior years. There have been 15,000 more refunds sent out in February 2022 compared to February 2021. The increase in refunds total $21.0 million more paid out in February compared to the same month of 2021."The positive trend in tax receipts continues with all of the major tax types, individual income tax, corporate income tax, retailer's sales tax, and compensating use tax, performing well. But for the larger number of refunds issued in February, individual income tax receipts also would have surpassed the February estimate," said Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart.&nbsp;"We are pleased to be able to get individual income tax refunds paid more quickly and into the accounts of taxpayers." So far, nearly 281,000 refunds, totaling $147.0 million, have been paid out this filing season. Refunds for electronically filed returns can be expected to be deposited in taxpayers' bank accounts in 4-7 days, with some deposits occurring in as little as three days.Corporate income tax collections were $23.4 million, which is $12.4 million, or 112.8%, more than the February 2022 estimate. Those collections are $15.2 million, or 186.3% more than February 2021, reflecting substantial corporate profits.Retail sales tax collections were $195.2 million, which is $5.2 million, or 2.8% more than the estimate. Those collections are also $16.0 million, or 8.9%, greater than February 2021. Compensating use tax collections were $59.4 million, which is $4.4 million, or 8.0%, more than the estimate. Those collections were $20.7 million, or 53.7%, more than February 2021.&nbsp;

Kansas tax collections for February $18.7M ahead of estimate

By
NICK GOSNELL Hutch Post

According to University of Kansas Law Brenneisen Distinguished Professor Raj Bhala, the choice by the European Union that was confirmed Wednesday to remove some Russian banks from SWIFT is cutting them off from the majority of trade with the world.

"Payment for normal trade transactions, by which Russia receives import revenues, those payments will not be processed by SWIFT," Bhala said. "The SWIFT banks are saying we will not deal with a designated list of major Russian banks. We'll not accept their payments. Those are the very banks that Russia has been using to make or receive payments for trade and investment transactions."

Two major Russian banks that process energy payments were not included in Wednesday's order.

"Banks will not have access to a large portion of its foreign exchange reserves," Bhala said. "Russia's got about $630 billion of hard currency in foreign exchange reserves. Those are in banks overseas. The Russian ruble is crashing."

The exchange rate as of midday Wednesday was at 105 rubles to the US Dollar.

"The denial of access to the SWIFT system is really, to me, the core sanction that is taking aim at Russia's fortress economy."

SWIFT is used by more than 11,000 financial institutions across the globe.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579783750382.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>
By
NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostAccording to University of Kansas Law Brenneisen Distinguished Professor Raj Bhala, the choice by the European Union that was confirmed Wednesday to remove some Russian banks from SWIFT is cutting them off from the majority of trade with the world."Payment for normal trade transactions, by which Russia receives import revenues, those payments will not be processed by SWIFT," Bhala said. "The SWIFT banks are saying we will not deal with a designated list of major Russian banks. We'll not accept their payments. Those are the very banks that Russia has been using to make or receive payments for trade and investment transactions."Two major Russian banks that process energy payments were not included in Wednesday's order."Banks will not have access to a large portion of its foreign exchange reserves," Bhala said. "Russia's got about $630 billion of hard currency in foreign exchange reserves. Those are in banks overseas. The Russian ruble is crashing."The exchange rate as of midday Wednesday was at 105 rubles to the US Dollar."The denial of access to the SWIFT system is really, to me, the core sanction that is taking aim at Russia's fortress economy."SWIFT is used by more than 11,000 financial institutions across the globe.

KU professor: SWIFT system removal is 'core sanction' against Russia

Bhala: SWIFT payment system removal is 'core sanction' against Russia

LIBERAL, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman won a narrow victory over her counterpart in England in the traditional Pancake Day race. Whitney Hay of Liberal, Kansas, ran the 415-yard course in 1 minute, 7 seconds on Tuesday. 

That beat Katie Godof of Olney, England, who ran her race in 1 minute, 10 seconds. The annual trans-Atlantic pancake-flipping race between Olney and Liberal began in 1950. It wasn't held last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Hay, a 21-year-old student at Southwestern College in Winfield, also won the Liberal segment of the race in 2020 but Olney won that year's race. Each woman must flip a pancake in a frying pan at the start and at the finish of the race.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646180880148.png" alt="Whitney Hay of Liberal, Kansas, ran the 415-yard course in 1 minute, 7 seconds-photo courtesy Rep. Tracey Mann" />
 <figcaption>Whitney Hay of Liberal, Kansas, ran the 415-yard course in 1 minute, 7 seconds-photo courtesy Rep. Tracey Mann</figcaption>
 </figure>LIBERAL, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman won a narrow victory over her counterpart in England in the traditional Pancake Day race. Whitney Hay of Liberal, Kansas, ran the 415-yard course in 1 minute, 7 seconds on Tuesday. That beat Katie Godof of Olney, England, who ran her race in 1 minute, 10 seconds. The annual trans-Atlantic pancake-flipping race between Olney and Liberal began in 1950. It wasn't held last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Hay, a 21-year-old student at Southwestern College in Winfield, also won the Liberal segment of the race in 2020 but Olney won that year's race. Each woman must flip a pancake in a frying pan at the start and at the finish of the race.

Liberal wins traditional pancake race against England

By ALLISON KITE <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/03/01/shooting-themselves-in-the-foot-committee-guts-kansas-bill-to-protect-water/">Kansas Reflector</a>

The prospects for <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/20/we-cant-wait-15-years-legislative-committee-works-to-overhaul-kansas-water-policy/">a major overhaul</a>
 of Kansas water programs dimmed Tuesday after a legislative committee 
gutted a reform bill meant to give cabinet-level importance to a near 
crisis in Kansas.

“What ended up happening is we kicked
 the can down the road again,” said Rep. Ron Highland, chairman of the 
House Water Committee.&nbsp;

For more than a year, Highland’s 
committee has studied the myriad water issues facing Kansas. In some 
areas of western Kansas, the aquifer is expected to dry out in the next 
10 or 20 years. Some small towns are out of compliance with drinking 
water rules, and upgrades would bankrupt them.

Committee leaders proposed a complete
 restructuring of state departments handling water issues and 
establishment of a new secretary position, vaulting water concerns into 
the governor’s cabinet.

But the bill put them at odds with 
Kansas’ largest water user: agriculture. And the state’s agriculture 
industry, committee leaders suspected, was responsible for an amendment 
proposed Tuesday to strike nearly all of the proposals.

The committee passed an amended bill 
that would carve out sales tax revenue to fund water projects and 
require some additional reporting from local officials overseeing 
groundwater management in southern and western Kansas. The amendment 
stripped the restructuring of state agencies and other reforms meant to 
give voice to water issues and give officials overseeing water 
independence from agricultural interests.

Highland, a Wamego Republican, and 
the committee’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Lindsay Vaughn of Overland Park, 
said they were frustrated by the outcome.

Vaughn said they are concerned about 
the depletion of groundwater in western Kansas. She said taking sales 
tax revenue, largely generated in eastern Kansas, and spending it 
without rethinking the way water is managed and protected wouldn’t 
change much.

“We’re just throwing more money at the problem,” she said.

Highland said he knew the amendment 
was coming after the state’s agricultural industry groups attempted to 
lobby him. He suspected it came directly from the industry.

“They’ve decided to fight any change 
at all, and I think the future, unfortunately … we’re having urban vs. 
rural discussions,” Highland said.

Kent Askern, public policy director 
for the Kansas Farm Bureau, objected to the notion the organization was 
opposed to any kind of change. He said the organization laid out its 
priorities before the bill was revealed and bemoaned that the bill text 
was revealed just a few days before hearings began.

“We want to see progress made because
 our members’ very livelihood and even ability to live in those areas 
depends upon having good water policy,” Askern said.

The amendment’s sponsor, Rep. Joe 
Newland, a Neodesha Republican and former Kansas Farm Bureau board 
member, did not immediately return a request for comment.&nbsp;

The original <a target="_blank" href="http://kslegislature.com/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2686/">House Bill 2686</a>
 would have established a new Kansas Department of Water and Environment
 to replace fractured departments dealing with water under the Kansas 
Department of Health and Environment, the Kansas Department of 
Agriculture, the Kansas Water Authority and other agencies.

Highland has said having a 
cabinet-level secretary focused on water could have helped prevent more 
than a decade of underfunding of the state’s water plan.

In the past almost 15 years, Highland said, water projects have been underfunded to the tune of about $85 million.

Gov. Laura Kelly has proposed fully 
funding the state’s part of water programs — $8 million — for the first 
time in more than a decade.

But fully addressing the state’s ever-smaller supply of water will take more like $55 million per year, <a target="_blank" href="https://kwo.ks.gov/docs/default-source/water-vision-water-plan/blue-ribbon-funding-task-force-documents/rpt_brftf_final_011217.pdf?sfvrsn=64c48614_0">according to a task force convened under former Gov. Sam Brownback</a>.

The original bill would have 
increased fees for water users that haven’t changed in about 40 years 
and levy new ones on some irrigators to raise another $8 million per 
year.

The most controversial element of the
 original bill would have given more power to residents residing within 
groundwater management districts who do not hold water rights. Right 
now, to serve on the board of a groundwater management district, someone
 must own at least 40 contiguous acres or a right to withdraw water on 
their property.

Highland and water law experts have said requiring property ownership to vote on water issues is likely unconstitutional.

In a competing amendment to the one 
that passed, Highland proposed setting aside the groundwater management 
district reforms for now. But he said GMDs have been charged for decades
 with halting the decline of water in aquifers in arid western Kansas.

“With the exception of one, not much has been done,” he said.

Askern said he hoped even those who 
were disappointed with Tuesday’s outcome would get behind the gutted 
bill because it provides more funds for water projects.

“I haven’t heard anybody yet who 
doesn’t want more funding,” Askern said. “… If that’s true, then why 
would we not all get behind that and try to push this past the finish 
line?”

Vaughn said the committee was put in 
the position of working in opposition to the state’s agricultural 
industry —&nbsp;a politically powerful group of organizations. She noted 
farmers would be the most affected if water runs out in western Kansas.

“The very people this impacts have 10, 20, 30 years left of water before it’s no longer going to exist,” Vaughn said.

She added: “I really feel that they are shooting themselves in the foot.”

Highland said the amended bill doesn’t do much because it eliminated most of the underlying proposals.

“I’m not the loser; I think the state of Kansas is the loser today,” Highland said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646169157766.png" alt=" Rep. Ron Highland and Rep. Lindsay Vaughn have championed a bill to overhaul Kansas’ management of water resources. A House committee gutted it Tuesday. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Rep. Ron Highland and Rep. Lindsay Vaughn have championed a bill to overhaul Kansas’ management of water resources. A House committee gutted it Tuesday. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By ALLISON KITE <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/03/01/shooting-themselves-in-the-foot-committee-guts-kansas-bill-to-protect-water/">Kansas Reflector</a>The prospects for <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/20/we-cant-wait-15-years-legislative-committee-works-to-overhaul-kansas-water-policy/">a major overhaul</a>
 of Kansas water programs dimmed Tuesday after a legislative committee 
gutted a reform bill meant to give cabinet-level importance to a near 
crisis in Kansas.“What ended up happening is we kicked
 the can down the road again,” said Rep. Ron Highland, chairman of the 
House Water Committee.&nbsp;For more than a year, Highland’s 
committee has studied the myriad water issues facing Kansas. In some 
areas of western Kansas, the aquifer is expected to dry out in the next 
10 or 20 years. Some small towns are out of compliance with drinking 
water rules, and upgrades would bankrupt them.Committee leaders proposed a complete
 restructuring of state departments handling water issues and 
establishment of a new secretary position, vaulting water concerns into 
the governor’s cabinet.But the bill put them at odds with 
Kansas’ largest water user: agriculture. And the state’s agriculture 
industry, committee leaders suspected, was responsible for an amendment 
proposed Tuesday to strike nearly all of the proposals.The committee passed an amended bill 
that would carve out sales tax revenue to fund water projects and 
require some additional reporting from local officials overseeing 
groundwater management in southern and western Kansas. The amendment 
stripped the restructuring of state agencies and other reforms meant to 
give voice to water issues and give officials overseeing water 
independence from agricultural interests.Highland, a Wamego Republican, and 
the committee’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Lindsay Vaughn of Overland Park, 
said they were frustrated by the outcome.Vaughn said they are concerned about 
the depletion of groundwater in western Kansas. She said taking sales 
tax revenue, largely generated in eastern Kansas, and spending it 
without rethinking the way water is managed and protected wouldn’t 
change much.“We’re just throwing more money at the problem,” she said.Highland said he knew the amendment 
was coming after the state’s agricultural industry groups attempted to 
lobby him. He suspected it came directly from the industry.“They’ve decided to fight any change 
at all, and I think the future, unfortunately … we’re having urban vs. 
rural discussions,” Highland said.Kent Askern, public policy director 
for the Kansas Farm Bureau, objected to the notion the organization was 
opposed to any kind of change. He said the organization laid out its 
priorities before the bill was revealed and bemoaned that the bill text 
was revealed just a few days before hearings began.“We want to see progress made because
 our members’ very livelihood and even ability to live in those areas 
depends upon having good water policy,” Askern said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1646169240834.png" alt="Rep. Ron Highland, right, and Rep. Lindsay Vaughn, center, listen as Rep. Joe Newland explains an amendment he proposed to gut a bill aimed at overhauling the way Kansas manages water. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Ron Highland, right, and Rep. Lindsay Vaughn, center, listen as Rep. Joe Newland explains an amendment he proposed to gut a bill aimed at overhauling the way Kansas manages water. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>The amendment’s sponsor, Rep. Joe 
Newland, a Neodesha Republican and former Kansas Farm Bureau board 
member, did not immediately return a request for comment.&nbsp;<h2>Overhauling water</h2>The original <a target="_blank" href="http://kslegislature.com/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2686/">House Bill 2686</a>
 would have established a new Kansas Department of Water and Environment
 to replace fractured departments dealing with water under the Kansas 
Department of Health and Environment, the Kansas Department of 
Agriculture, the Kansas Water Authority and other agencies.Highland has said having a 
cabinet-level secretary focused on water could have helped prevent more 
than a decade of underfunding of the state’s water plan.In the past almost 15 years, Highland said, water projects have been underfunded to the tune of about $85 million.Gov. Laura Kelly has proposed fully 
funding the state’s part of water programs — $8 million — for the first 
time in more than a decade.But fully addressing the state’s ever-smaller supply of water will take more like $55 million per year, <a target="_blank" href="https://kwo.ks.gov/docs/default-source/water-vision-water-plan/blue-ribbon-funding-task-force-documents/rpt_brftf_final_011217.pdf?sfvrsn=64c48614_0">according to a task force convened under former Gov. Sam Brownback</a>.The original bill would have 
increased fees for water users that haven’t changed in about 40 years 
and levy new ones on some irrigators to raise another $8 million per 
year.The most controversial element of the
 original bill would have given more power to residents residing within 
groundwater management districts who do not hold water rights. Right 
now, to serve on the board of a groundwater management district, someone
 must own at least 40 contiguous acres or a right to withdraw water on 
their property.Highland and water law experts have said requiring property ownership to vote on water issues is likely unconstitutional.In a competing amendment to the one 
that passed, Highland proposed setting aside the groundwater management 
district reforms for now. But he said GMDs have been charged for decades
 with halting the decline of water in aquifers in arid western Kansas.“With the exception of one, not much has been done,” he said.Askern said he hoped even those who 
were disappointed with Tuesday’s outcome would get behind the gutted 
bill because it provides more funds for water projects.“I haven’t heard anybody yet who 
doesn’t want more funding,” Askern said. “… If that’s true, then why 
would we not all get behind that and try to push this past the finish 
line?”Vaughn said the committee was put in 
the position of working in opposition to the state’s agricultural 
industry —&nbsp;a politically powerful group of organizations. She noted 
farmers would be the most affected if water runs out in western Kansas.“The very people this impacts have 10, 20, 30 years left of water before it’s no longer going to exist,” Vaughn said.She added: “I really feel that they are shooting themselves in the foot.”Highland said the amended bill doesn’t do much because it eliminated most of the underlying proposals.“I’m not the loser; I think the state of Kansas is the loser today,” Highland said.