KANSAS CITY, Kan. – A federal grand jury in Kansas City returned an indictment charging a
pharmacist with one count of tampering with a consumer product, one count of possession of
Tramadol by deception and subterfuge, one count of possession of Zolpidem by deception and
subterfuge, and one count of possession of oxycodone hydrochloride by deception and subterfuge.


According to court documents, from July 2020 to October 2020, Benjamin Dandurand, 34, of
Shawnee Mission is accused of allegedly using his fingerprint at a pharmacy in Lenexa to remove
oxycodone hydrochloride from a safe. He allegedly removed the controlled substance from the
bottle and replaced it with an alternate liquid substance before returning the bottle to the safe.
Dandurand also allegedly took Tramadol, oxycodone hydrochloride, and Zolpidem from the
pharmacy between September 2020 and October 2020.


The Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration are investigating the
case.


Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle McFarlane is prosecuting the case.


U.S. Attorney's OfficeKANSAS CITY, Kan. – A federal grand jury in Kansas City returned an indictment charging a
pharmacist with one count of tampering with a consumer product, one count of possession of
Tramadol by deception and subterfuge, one count of possession of Zolpidem by deception and
subterfuge, and one count of possession of oxycodone hydrochloride by deception and subterfuge.
According to court documents, from July 2020 to October 2020, Benjamin Dandurand, 34, of
Shawnee Mission is accused of allegedly using his fingerprint at a pharmacy in Lenexa to remove
oxycodone hydrochloride from a safe. He allegedly removed the controlled substance from the
bottle and replaced it with an alternate liquid substance before returning the bottle to the safe.
Dandurand also allegedly took Tramadol, oxycodone hydrochloride, and Zolpidem from the
pharmacy between September 2020 and October 2020.
The Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Administration are investigating the
case.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle McFarlane is prosecuting the case.

Grand jury indicts Kan. pharmacist on multiple drug allegations

By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/15/faith-leaders-and-educators-urge-lawmakers-to-reject-bills-undermining-kansas-schools/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — A coalition of Kansas faith leaders and education advocates 
are calling on lawmakers to reject legislation currently being drafted 
to ban or restrict teaching about U.S. racial history.

More than 50 people gathered Tuesday on the first floor of the 
Capitol in Topeka to rally against what they considered a concerted 
effort to dismantle diversity and inclusion initiatives at Kansas public
 schools. One such measure would establish a parental bill of rights, 
creating a series of transparency checks to ensure parents have 
knowledge of all material made available in school.

<a target="_blank" href="http://kslegislature.com/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2662/">House Bill 2662</a>
 also compromises the affirmative defense for schools and educators if 
somebody charges them with promoting material harmful to minors. The 
House K-12 Education Budget Committee is set for a hearing on the 
measure Wednesday.

“This conversation about race or critical theory, whatever the right 
is calling it, is being used as an excuse to undermine support for 
public schools,” said Rabbi Moti Rieber, executive director for Kansas 
Interfaith Action. “We need to reach out to kids from across different 
spectrums, bring them into the conversation and to center the experience
 of people not often centered in our history books.”

A handful of faith leaders, equal rights advocates and teachers 
joined Rieber to describe their view of the Kansas Legislature’s 
approach to education. The consensus was that careless laws are putting 
teachers in the crosshairs of angry parents and pushing some out of the 
field entirely.

Across the country, a discussion surrounding critical race theory — 
an academic framework analyzing the role of systemic racism in American 
society — has led to the passing of laws against its inclusion in 
curriculum, which advocates argue is a thinly veiled attack on all 
diversity policies. Members of the state board of education and local 
school boards have stated that critical race theory is not part of any 
Kansas curriculum.

Chloe
 Chaffin, a Washburn University student studying secondary English 
education, said she has always wanted to be a teacher. Stories of 
harassment over curriculum choices are the only thing holding her back 
and other young, aspiring teachers she has engaged with often feel 
similarly, she said.

“As I talk to my professors and students in my program, I often hear 
that our class sizes in the education program are getting smaller and 
smaller, that they aren’t able convince enough students to go into the 
profession, and I believe that bills such as these passing their way 
through the Legislature are a reason why,” Chaffin said.

Michael Rebne, a public school teacher and Roeland Park City Council 
member, said some legislators in the building were trying to villainize 
the teaching profession and that these efforts would hamper students’ 
chances for an equitable future.

“We need to help our students get to the children of this country in 
order to understand why it is so important to continue to fight for 
democracy and freedom,” Rebne said. “We’re here to tell the right-wing 
legislators inside this building that we will not carry their ignorance,
 racism and fear into our schools.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1645024703528.png" alt="Rabbi Moti Rieber, executive director for Kansas Interfaith Action, speaks out against the parental bill of rights measure during a rally Tuesday at the Statehouse in Topeka. The proposed bill would work to cover up U.S. history, he said. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Rabbi Moti Rieber, executive director for Kansas Interfaith Action, speaks out against the parental bill of rights measure during a rally Tuesday at the Statehouse in Topeka. The proposed bill would work to cover up U.S. history, he said. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/15/faith-leaders-and-educators-urge-lawmakers-to-reject-bills-undermining-kansas-schools/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — A coalition of Kansas faith leaders and education advocates 
are calling on lawmakers to reject legislation currently being drafted 
to ban or restrict teaching about U.S. racial history.More than 50 people gathered Tuesday on the first floor of the 
Capitol in Topeka to rally against what they considered a concerted 
effort to dismantle diversity and inclusion initiatives at Kansas public
 schools. One such measure would establish a parental bill of rights, 
creating a series of transparency checks to ensure parents have 
knowledge of all material made available in school.<a target="_blank" href="http://kslegislature.com/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2662/">House Bill 2662</a>
 also compromises the affirmative defense for schools and educators if 
somebody charges them with promoting material harmful to minors. The 
House K-12 Education Budget Committee is set for a hearing on the 
measure Wednesday.“This conversation about race or critical theory, whatever the right 
is calling it, is being used as an excuse to undermine support for 
public schools,” said Rabbi Moti Rieber, executive director for Kansas 
Interfaith Action. “We need to reach out to kids from across different 
spectrums, bring them into the conversation and to center the experience
 of people not often centered in our history books.”A handful of faith leaders, equal rights advocates and teachers 
joined Rieber to describe their view of the Kansas Legislature’s 
approach to education. The consensus was that careless laws are putting 
teachers in the crosshairs of angry parents and pushing some out of the 
field entirely.Across the country, a discussion surrounding critical race theory — 
an academic framework analyzing the role of systemic racism in American 
society — has led to the passing of laws against its inclusion in 
curriculum, which advocates argue is a thinly veiled attack on all 
diversity policies. Members of the state board of education and local 
school boards have stated that critical race theory is not part of any 
Kansas curriculum.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1645024758153.png" alt="About 50 people gathered to oppose legislation that opponents say will undermine the authority of teachers and school boards to properly educate Kansas students. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>About 50 people gathered to oppose legislation that opponents say will undermine the authority of teachers and school boards to properly educate Kansas students. (Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>Chloe
 Chaffin, a Washburn University student studying secondary English 
education, said she has always wanted to be a teacher. Stories of 
harassment over curriculum choices are the only thing holding her back 
and other young, aspiring teachers she has engaged with often feel 
similarly, she said.“As I talk to my professors and students in my program, I often hear 
that our class sizes in the education program are getting smaller and 
smaller, that they aren’t able convince enough students to go into the 
profession, and I believe that bills such as these passing their way 
through the Legislature are a reason why,” Chaffin said.Michael Rebne, a public school teacher and Roeland Park City Council 
member, said some legislators in the building were trying to villainize 
the teaching profession and that these efforts would hamper students’ 
chances for an equitable future.“We need to help our students get to the children of this country in 
order to understand why it is so important to continue to fight for 
democracy and freedom,” Rebne said. “We’re here to tell the right-wing 
legislators inside this building that we will not carry their ignorance,
 racism and fear into our schools.”

Faith leaders, educators urge Kan. lawmakers to reject 'parental bill of rights'

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is ordering the release of Trump White House visitor logs to the House committee investigating the riot of Jan. 6, 2021, once more rejecting former President Donald Trump’s claims of executive privilege.

The committee has sought a trove of data from the National Archives, including presidential records that Trump had fought to keep private. The records being released to Congress are visitor logs showing appointment information for individuals who were allowed to enter the White House on the day of the insurrection.

In a letter sent Monday to the National Archives, White House counsel Dana Remus said Biden had considered Trump’s claim that because he was president at the time of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the records should remain private, but decided that it was “not in the best interest of the United States” to do so.

She also noted that as a matter of policy, the Biden administration “voluntarily discloses such visitor logs on a monthly basis,” as did the Obama administration and that the majority of the entries over which Trump asserted the claim would be publicly released under the current policy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644692713491.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>From the Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is ordering the release of Trump White House visitor logs to the House committee investigating the riot of Jan. 6, 2021, once more rejecting former President Donald Trump’s claims of executive privilege.The committee has sought a trove of data from the National Archives, including presidential records that Trump had fought to keep private. The records being released to Congress are visitor logs showing appointment information for individuals who were allowed to enter the White House on the day of the insurrection.In a letter sent Monday to the National Archives, White House counsel Dana Remus said Biden had considered Trump’s claim that because he was president at the time of the attack on the U.S. Capitol, the records should remain private, but decided that it was “not in the best interest of the United States” to do so.She also noted that as a matter of policy, the Biden administration “voluntarily discloses such visitor logs on a monthly basis,” as did the Obama administration and that the majority of the entries over which Trump asserted the claim would be publicly released under the current policy.

Biden orders release of Trump White House logs to Congress

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Two former officers at the Leavenworth Detention Center admitted to smuggling contraband into the prison. Federal prosecutors announced that the officers pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to accept bribes and provide contraband to inmates of a federal prison. 

Prosecutors said 26-year-old Jacqueline Sifuentes, of Laredo, Texas, smuggled methamphetamine, marijuana and tobacco into the prison in exchange for bribes from a federal inmate. And 29-year-old Cheyonte Harris, of Raytown, Missouri, pleaded guilty to smuggle contraband into the prison in exchange for bribes from inmates and their associates. 

They worked at the Leavenworth Detention Center, a privately-run maximum-security federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas. They are scheduled to be sentenced May 17.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Two former officers at the Leavenworth Detention Center admitted to smuggling contraband into the prison. Federal prosecutors announced that the officers pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to accept bribes and provide contraband to inmates of a federal prison. Prosecutors said 26-year-old Jacqueline Sifuentes, of Laredo, Texas, smuggled methamphetamine, marijuana and tobacco into the prison in exchange for bribes from a federal inmate. And 29-year-old Cheyonte Harris, of Raytown, Missouri, pleaded guilty to smuggle contraband into the prison in exchange for bribes from inmates and their associates. They worked at the Leavenworth Detention Center, a privately-run maximum-security federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas. They are scheduled to be sentenced May 17.

Former Kan. prison officers admit to smuggling contraband

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Detectives are investigating after a man was found shot to death Wednesday morning inside an apartment in Kansas City, Kansas. 

Television station WDAF reports that police were called to the apartment around 3:30 a.m. for reports of a shooting. Arriving officers found the body of a man who had been shot. 

He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not released the man's name and have not announced any suspects or arrests in the case.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Detectives are investigating after a man was found shot to death Wednesday morning inside an apartment in Kansas City, Kansas. Television station WDAF reports that police were called to the apartment around 3:30 a.m. for reports of a shooting. Arriving officers found the body of a man who had been shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not released the man's name and have not announced any suspects or arrests in the case.

Man found fatally shot inside Kansas City, Kansas, apartment

WASHINGTON
 — With phone volumes continuing at historic levels, the Internal 
Revenue Service reminds taxpayers IRS.gov, should be the first stop for 
taxpayers seeking information and help with their federal taxes.

Available around the clock, IRS.gov has a variety of <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/telephone-assistance">online tools, applications, and resources</a> available to help people prepare and file their taxes or help with refund tracking. Research tools like the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita">Interactive Tax Assistant</a> and answers for <a href="https://www.irs.gov/faqs">Frequently Asked Questions</a> provide in-depth answers on many tax subjects.

Taxpayers can use <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">IRS Free File</a> to prepare and electronically file their returns. They can also set up <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds/get-your-refund-faster-tell-irs-to-direct-deposit-your-refund-to-one-two-or-three-accounts">direct deposit</a> for their refunds, which is the fastest way to get their money.

IRS Free File software products are part of a 20-year partnership 
with leading tax software providers who make their online tax 
preparation products available for free with the IRS. Free File is 
available to any person or family who earned $73,000 or less in 2021. 
This represents about 70% of taxpayers.

IRS Free File is free when eligible taxpayers go through <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">IRS.gov/freefile</a>. In addition, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/e-file-providers/free-file-fillable-forms">Free File Fillable Forms</a>,
 the electronic version of paper IRS tax forms, are available to all 
taxpayers earning any income amount. They're most useful for those who 
are comfortable preparing and filing their own taxes online.

<a href="https://www.militaryonesource.mil/financial-legal/tax-resource-center/miltax-military-tax-services">MilTax</a>
 is also available for members of the military and qualifying veterans. 
This Department of Defense program generally offers free online tax 
preparation and e-filing software for federal returns and up to three 
state returns. Users can also set up direct deposit for their refunds.

Find answers with the Interactive Tax Assistant

The Interactive Tax Assistant answers general tax law questions, 
including helping to determine if a type of income is taxable or if 
someone is eligible to claim certain credits and deductions. With 
changes to income and other <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/did-you-know-life-events-like-marriage-birth-and-divorce-may-have-a-significant-tax-impact">life events</a> for many in 2021, tax <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-and-deductions">credits and deductions</a> can mean more money in a taxpayer's pocket.

An Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) is a six-digit number that 
prevents criminals from filing a fraudulent tax return using another 
taxpayer's Social Security number. The IP PIN is known only to the 
taxpayer and the IRS, and helps the IRS verify the taxpayer's identity 
when they file their electronic or paper tax return.

The IRS's <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/free-tax-return-preparation-for-qualifying-taxpayers">Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)</a>
 program offers free basic tax return preparation, electronic filing, 
and direct deposit of refunds to qualified taxpayers. The program is 
free for:

The <a href="https://www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp_taxaide/locations.html">Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE)</a> program also offers free tax help for taxpayers, particularly those age 60 and older. The <a href="https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/">VITA/TCE Site Locator</a> can help eligible taxpayers find the nearest community-based VITA/TCE site staffed by IRS-trained and certified volunteers.

IRS.gov offers a searchable directory that helps taxpayers <a href="https://irs.treasury.gov/rpo/rpo.jsf">find qualified local tax professionals</a> in their area. The list can be sorted by <a href="https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/understanding-tax-return-preparer-credentials-and-qualifications">credentials and qualifications</a>. IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/things-taxpayers-should-remember-when-searching-for-a-tax-preparer">tips for choosing a tax preparer</a> and how to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-dont-be-victim-to-ghost-tax-return-preparers">avoid unethical "ghost" return preparers</a> are important starting points before hiring a tax professional.

Taxpayers can securely access their individual Online Account to view
 important information they can use to file an accurate return. This 
includes:

Taxpayers can make a payment from their bank account through their <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">Online Account</a> or with <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/direct-pay">IRS Direct Pay</a>.
 In Online Account, they can view up to 5 years of their payment history
 and any pending or scheduled payments. Taxpayers can see their 
different payment options on IRS.gov which include: <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-taxes-by-electronic-funds-withdrawal">Electronic Funds Withdrawal</a> (during e-filing), <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-your-taxes-by-debit-or-credit-card">credit or debit card</a>, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-by-check-or-money-order">check or money order</a>, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-your-taxes-with-cash">or cash</a> at a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-with-cash-at-a-retail-partner">participating retail store</a>.

Taxpayers can meet their tax obligation in monthly installments by setting up a payment plan on <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/online-payment-agreement-application">IRS.gov/paymentplan</a> in a matter of minutes. Setup fees may apply for some types of plans. An <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/offer-in-compromise">offer in compromise</a>
 is a way for a taxpayer to settle their tax debt for less than the full
 amount. A pre-qualifier tool is available online. If the IRS determines
 a taxpayer is unable to pay, it may temporarily delay collection until 
the taxpayer's financial condition improves.

Taxpayers can receive the most up-to-date information about their tax
 refund using the Where's My Refund?&nbsp;tool on IRS.gov and on the official
 IRS mobile app, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs2goapp">IRS2Go</a>.

The IRS2Go app offers great mobile features

Users can check the status of an income tax refund within 24 hours 
after the IRS accepts their electronically filed return, or about four 
weeks after mailing a paper return.

The IRS2Go app also provides easy access to mobile-friendly payment 
options like IRS Direct Pay, offering a free, secure way to pay directly
 from a bank account. It can locate free tax help, connect to IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-social-media">social media accounts</a> and can generate login <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/secure-access-how-to-register-for-certain-online-self-help-tools">security codes</a> for certain IRS online services, allowing the retrieval of codes through IRS2Go instead of using text messages.

The Outreach Connection page provides information for groups inside 
and outside the tax community. Subscribers to Outreach Connection can 
keep clients, employees, customers, constituents, partners and even 
families connected to tax-related useful information and materials for 
tax topics and issues that affect them.

This release is part of the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-time-guide">Tax Time Guide</a>,
 a series of news releases designed to help taxpayers get the 
information they need to file an accurate tax return. Additional help is
 available in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-17">Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax (For Individuals)</a>, on IRS.gov.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON
 — With phone volumes continuing at historic levels, the Internal 
Revenue Service reminds taxpayers IRS.gov, should be the first stop for 
taxpayers seeking information and help with their federal taxes.Available around the clock, IRS.gov has a variety of <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/telephone-assistance">online tools, applications, and resources</a> available to help people prepare and file their taxes or help with refund tracking. Research tools like the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita">Interactive Tax Assistant</a> and answers for <a href="https://www.irs.gov/faqs">Frequently Asked Questions</a> provide in-depth answers on many tax subjects.<h2>Prepare and file taxes online for free</h2>Taxpayers can use <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">IRS Free File</a> to prepare and electronically file their returns. They can also set up <a href="https://www.irs.gov/refunds/get-your-refund-faster-tell-irs-to-direct-deposit-your-refund-to-one-two-or-three-accounts">direct deposit</a> for their refunds, which is the fastest way to get their money.IRS Free File software products are part of a 20-year partnership 
with leading tax software providers who make their online tax 
preparation products available for free with the IRS. Free File is 
available to any person or family who earned $73,000 or less in 2021. 
This represents about 70% of taxpayers.IRS Free File is free when eligible taxpayers go through <a href="https://www.irs.gov/filing/free-file-do-your-federal-taxes-for-free">IRS.gov/freefile</a>. In addition, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/e-file-providers/free-file-fillable-forms">Free File Fillable Forms</a>,
 the electronic version of paper IRS tax forms, are available to all 
taxpayers earning any income amount. They're most useful for those who 
are comfortable preparing and filing their own taxes online.<a href="https://www.militaryonesource.mil/financial-legal/tax-resource-center/miltax-military-tax-services">MilTax</a>
 is also available for members of the military and qualifying veterans. 
This Department of Defense program generally offers free online tax 
preparation and e-filing software for federal returns and up to three 
state returns. Users can also set up direct deposit for their refunds.<h2>Find answers with the Interactive Tax Assistant</h2>The Interactive Tax Assistant answers general tax law questions, 
including helping to determine if a type of income is taxable or if 
someone is eligible to claim certain credits and deductions. With 
changes to income and other <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/did-you-know-life-events-like-marriage-birth-and-divorce-may-have-a-significant-tax-impact">life events</a> for many in 2021, tax <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-and-deductions">credits and deductions</a> can mean more money in a taxpayer's pocket.<h2>Get an Identity Protection PIN</h2>An Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) is a six-digit number that 
prevents criminals from filing a fraudulent tax return using another 
taxpayer's Social Security number. The IP PIN is known only to the 
taxpayer and the IRS, and helps the IRS verify the taxpayer's identity 
when they file their electronic or paper tax return.<h2>Locate local free tax preparation</h2>The IRS's <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/free-tax-return-preparation-for-qualifying-taxpayers">Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA)</a>
 program offers free basic tax return preparation, electronic filing, 
and direct deposit of refunds to qualified taxpayers. The program is 
free for:<ul>
 <li>People who generally make $58,000 or less</li><li>Those with disabilities</li><li>Taxpayers with English as a second language</li>
 </ul>The <a href="https://www.aarp.org/money/taxes/aarp_taxaide/locations.html">Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE)</a> program also offers free tax help for taxpayers, particularly those age 60 and older. The <a href="https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/">VITA/TCE Site Locator</a> can help eligible taxpayers find the nearest community-based VITA/TCE site staffed by IRS-trained and certified volunteers.<h2>Find a local tax professional</h2>IRS.gov offers a searchable directory that helps taxpayers <a href="https://irs.treasury.gov/rpo/rpo.jsf">find qualified local tax professionals</a> in their area. The list can be sorted by <a href="https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/understanding-tax-return-preparer-credentials-and-qualifications">credentials and qualifications</a>. IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/things-taxpayers-should-remember-when-searching-for-a-tax-preparer">tips for choosing a tax preparer</a> and how to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-dont-be-victim-to-ghost-tax-return-preparers">avoid unethical "ghost" return preparers</a> are important starting points before hiring a tax professional.<h2>Online Account can help</h2>Taxpayers can securely access their individual Online Account to view
 important information they can use to file an accurate return. This 
includes:<ul>
 <li>Advance Child Tax Credit and Economic Impact Payment amounts: Total amounts of <a href="https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/advance-child-tax-credit-payments-in-2021">advance Child Tax Credit payments</a> and Economic Impact Payments needed to complete an accurate return are found on the Tax Records page.</li><li>Adjusted gross income: Taxpayers can find their 
AGI from their most recently filed tax return. This helps if they use a 
different tax software or tax preparer this year. </li><li>Estimated tax payment amounts: The total of any 
estimated tax payments made during the year or refunds applied as a 
credit can be found on the Account Balance page, and a record of each 
payment appears under Payment Activity.</li><li>Communication preference: Individuals can update 
their communication preferences. They can request personalized email 
notifications for new digital notices and go paperless for certain 
notices from the IRS.</li><li>Tax transcripts: Taxpayers can view, print or 
download a tax transcript after the IRS has processed the return, which 
can show return and/or account data. They can also find changes or 
transactions made after they filed their original return.</li>
 </ul><h2>Make a tax payment</h2>Taxpayers can make a payment from their bank account through their <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/your-online-account">Online Account</a> or with <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/direct-pay">IRS Direct Pay</a>.
 In Online Account, they can view up to 5 years of their payment history
 and any pending or scheduled payments. Taxpayers can see their 
different payment options on IRS.gov which include: <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-taxes-by-electronic-funds-withdrawal">Electronic Funds Withdrawal</a> (during e-filing), <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-your-taxes-by-debit-or-credit-card">credit or debit card</a>, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-by-check-or-money-order">check or money order</a>, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-your-taxes-with-cash">or cash</a> at a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-with-cash-at-a-retail-partner">participating retail store</a>.<h2>Set up a payment plan</h2>Taxpayers can meet their tax obligation in monthly installments by setting up a payment plan on <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/online-payment-agreement-application">IRS.gov/paymentplan</a> in a matter of minutes. Setup fees may apply for some types of plans. An <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/offer-in-compromise">offer in compromise</a>
 is a way for a taxpayer to settle their tax debt for less than the full
 amount. A pre-qualifier tool is available online. If the IRS determines
 a taxpayer is unable to pay, it may temporarily delay collection until 
the taxpayer's financial condition improves.<h2>Track refunds with Where's My Refund?</h2>Taxpayers can receive the most up-to-date information about their tax
 refund using the Where's My Refund?&nbsp;tool on IRS.gov and on the official
 IRS mobile app, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs2goapp">IRS2Go</a>.<h2>The IRS2Go app offers great mobile features</h2>Users can check the status of an income tax refund within 24 hours 
after the IRS accepts their electronically filed return, or about four 
weeks after mailing a paper return.The IRS2Go app also provides easy access to mobile-friendly payment 
options like IRS Direct Pay, offering a free, secure way to pay directly
 from a bank account. It can locate free tax help, connect to IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-social-media">social media accounts</a> and can generate login <a href="https://www.irs.gov/individuals/secure-access-how-to-register-for-certain-online-self-help-tools">security codes</a> for certain IRS online services, allowing the retrieval of codes through IRS2Go instead of using text messages.<h2>IRS Outreach Connection</h2>The Outreach Connection page provides information for groups inside 
and outside the tax community. Subscribers to Outreach Connection can 
keep clients, employees, customers, constituents, partners and even 
families connected to tax-related useful information and materials for 
tax topics and issues that affect them.This release is part of the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-time-guide">Tax Time Guide</a>,
 a series of news releases designed to help taxpayers get the 
information they need to file an accurate tax return. Additional help is
 available in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-17">Publication 17, Your Federal Income Tax (For Individuals)</a>, on IRS.gov.

IRS offers filing season Tax Time Guide

KANSAS CITY —A man who took a running vehicle from a KC-area driveway with two young children inside the vehicle has been charged with felonies, including kidnapping, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Mitchell S. Green, 42, faces two counts of Child Kidnapping and Tampering With a Motor Vehicle.

According to court records, the defendant on Sunday afternoon got into running vehicle parked in the driveway of a Lee's Summit residence. He drove off in the Red Edge with two children under the age of 4 in the vehicle. 

The mother told police she ran inside the residence to get baby wipes and took her keys. But the vehicle was already running. She turned and saw a man driving away in the vehicle. 

She ran after and tried to stop it. Then she called police. Police issued an Amber Alert and a resident alerted police about the suspect. Independence police located and stopped the vehicle &nbsp;in the area of Interstate 70 and Little Blue Parkway. Questioned by investigators, the suspect admitted to taking the car and that the car was not his. &nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644924046602.png" alt="Green-photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Green-photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A man who took a running vehicle from a KC-area driveway with two young children inside the vehicle has been charged with felonies, including kidnapping, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.Mitchell S. Green, 42, faces two counts of Child Kidnapping and Tampering With a Motor Vehicle.According to court records, the defendant on Sunday afternoon got into running vehicle parked in the driveway of a Lee's Summit residence. He drove off in the Red Edge with two children under the age of 4 in the vehicle. The mother told police she ran inside the residence to get baby wipes and took her keys. But the vehicle was already running. She turned and saw a man driving away in the vehicle. She ran after and tried to stop it. Then she called police. Police issued an Amber Alert and a resident alerted police about the suspect. Independence police located and stopped the vehicle &nbsp;in the area of Interstate 70 and Little Blue Parkway. Questioned by investigators, the suspect admitted to taking the car and that the car was not his. &nbsp;&nbsp;He remains jailed on a $50,000 bond.

Suspect in KC-area Amber Alert charged with kidnapping 

WASHINGTON&nbsp;—&nbsp;With tax season in full swing, the Internal Revenue 
Service, state tax agencies and tax industry today warned tax 
professionals of new email scams that attempt to steal their tax 
software preparation credentials.

The Security Summit partners warned these scams serve as a reminder that <a href="https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/protect-your-clients-protect-yourself">tax professionals</a>
 remain prime targets for thieves. These thieves try to steal client 
data and tax preparers' identities in an attempt to file fraudulent tax 
returns for refunds.

The latest phishing email uses the IRS logo and a variety of subject 
lines such as "Action Required: Your account has now been put on hold." 
The IRS has observed similar bogus emails that claim to be from a "tax 
preparation application provider." One such variation offers an "unusual
 activity report" and a solution link for the recipient to restore their
 account.

"Scams continue to evolve, and this one is especially sinister since 
it threatens tax professional's accounts," said IRS Commissioner Chuck 
Rettig. "Tax professionals must remain vigilant in identifying and 
staying clear of these IRS impersonation emails. A little extra care can
 protect the tax professionals and their clients."

Emails claiming "Your account has been put on hold" are scams

The IRS has observed similar bogus emails that claim to be from tax 
software providers. The scam email will send users to a website that 
shows the logos of several popular tax software preparation providers. 
Clicking on one of these logos requests tax preparer account 
credentials.

The IRS warns tax pros not to respond or take any of the steps 
outlined in the email. Similar emails include malicious links or 
attachments that are set up to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5293.pdf">steal information</a>&nbsp;PDF or to download malware onto the tax professional's computer.

In this case, if recipients enter their credentials into the pop up 
window, thieves can use this information to file fraudulent returns by 
using credentials that were provided by the tax professional.

An example of this type of bogus email states:

ALL preparers are required to apply security feature to their Tax Pro account towards 2021 Tax Returns processing.

You have failed to apply new update before expiry date

You are restore and update your acc|ount immediately.

Please Click Here to update your acc|ount now.

Failure to update your account within the next 24hours will lead to 
you account being terminated and be barred from filing tax returns 
claims for 2021 tax season Your access will be restored once you have 
updated your details.

Tax professionals who clicked on one of the URLs and then entered
 in their account information should contact their tax software 
preparation provider's support hotline.

Tax professionals who get a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/privacy-disclosure/report-phishing">scam email</a> should save the email as a file and then send it as an attachment to <a href="mailto:phishing@irs.gov">phishing@irs.gov</a>. They should also notify the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/">www.tigta.gov</a> to report the IRS impersonation scam. Both TIGTA and the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation">IRS Criminal Investigation division</a> are aware of this scam.

The IRS, state tax agencies and the nation's tax industry – working 
together in the Security Summit initiative – have taken numerous steps 
since 2015 to protect taxpayers, businesses and the tax system from 
identity thieves. Summit partners continue to warn people to watch out 
for common scams and schemes this tax season.

For additional information and help, tax professionals should review <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4557.pdf">Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer Data</a>&nbsp;PDF and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/identity-theft-information-for-tax-professionals">Identity Theft Information for Tax Professionals</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON&nbsp;—&nbsp;With tax season in full swing, the Internal Revenue 
Service, state tax agencies and tax industry today warned tax 
professionals of new email scams that attempt to steal their tax 
software preparation credentials.The Security Summit partners warned these scams serve as a reminder that <a href="https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/protect-your-clients-protect-yourself">tax professionals</a>
 remain prime targets for thieves. These thieves try to steal client 
data and tax preparers' identities in an attempt to file fraudulent tax 
returns for refunds.The latest phishing email uses the IRS logo and a variety of subject 
lines such as "Action Required: Your account has now been put on hold." 
The IRS has observed similar bogus emails that claim to be from a "tax 
preparation application provider." One such variation offers an "unusual
 activity report" and a solution link for the recipient to restore their
 account."Scams continue to evolve, and this one is especially sinister since 
it threatens tax professional's accounts," said IRS Commissioner Chuck 
Rettig. "Tax professionals must remain vigilant in identifying and 
staying clear of these IRS impersonation emails. A little extra care can
 protect the tax professionals and their clients."<h2>Emails claiming "Your account has been put on hold" are scams</h2>The IRS has observed similar bogus emails that claim to be from tax 
software providers. The scam email will send users to a website that 
shows the logos of several popular tax software preparation providers. 
Clicking on one of these logos requests tax preparer account 
credentials.The IRS warns tax pros not to respond or take any of the steps 
outlined in the email. Similar emails include malicious links or 
attachments that are set up to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p5293.pdf">steal information</a>&nbsp;PDF or to download malware onto the tax professional's computer.In this case, if recipients enter their credentials into the pop up 
window, thieves can use this information to file fraudulent returns by 
using credentials that were provided by the tax professional.An example of this type of bogus email states:<h2>Your account has now been put on hold</h2>ALL preparers are required to apply security feature to their Tax Pro account towards 2021 Tax Returns processing.You have failed to apply new update before expiry dateYou are restore and update your acc|ount immediately.Please Click Here to update your acc|ount now.ImportantFailure to update your account within the next 24hours will lead to 
you account being terminated and be barred from filing tax returns 
claims for 2021 tax season Your access will be restored once you have 
updated your details.Sincerely,IRS.gov eServicesTax professionals who clicked on one of the URLs and then entered
 in their account information should contact their tax software 
preparation provider's support hotline.Tax professionals who get a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/privacy-disclosure/report-phishing">scam email</a> should save the email as a file and then send it as an attachment to <a href="mailto:phishing@irs.gov">phishing@irs.gov</a>. They should also notify the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/">www.tigta.gov</a> to report the IRS impersonation scam. Both TIGTA and the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation">IRS Criminal Investigation division</a> are aware of this scam.The IRS, state tax agencies and the nation's tax industry – working 
together in the Security Summit initiative – have taken numerous steps 
since 2015 to protect taxpayers, businesses and the tax system from 
identity thieves. Summit partners continue to warn people to watch out 
for common scams and schemes this tax season.For additional information and help, tax professionals should review <a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4557.pdf">Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer Data</a>&nbsp;PDF and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/identity-theft-information-for-tax-professionals">Identity Theft Information for Tax Professionals</a>.

Latest spearphishing scams target tax professionals

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating&nbsp;&nbsp;a shooting in the parking lot of a Dillons store arrested an 18-year-old from Oklahoma.

Shortly before 2:30 p.m. on February 10, police responded to a shooting call at 21st and Maize Road. Wichita Fire Department personnel were at the Dillon’s store at that location when they located a a man identified as&nbsp;18-year-old Iman Foye of Muskogee, Oklahoma with a gunshot wound, according to Officer Charley Davidson.

Foye directed them to another victim, a 21-year-old man who was in the parking lot between two vehicles with multiple gunshot wounds.

Both Foye and the 21-year-old were transported to an area hospital with critical injuries. Foye was released from the hospital on Feb. 13 and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on requested charges of aggravated robbery and criminal use of weapons.&nbsp;&nbsp;The 21-year-old male remains hospitalized.

Investigators learned that shortly after 2:00 p.m. on the 10th, one of the involved vehicles backed into a parking stall on the east side of the parking lot. A man then exited the vehicle, removed something from the trunk, then re-entered the car. Later, the other vehicle backed into a stall next to the first one. Shortly after that, gunfire was exchanged between the two cars, and three men exited the cars. It was initially believed that three men fled into the neighborhood to the east, while one remained by the vehicles.

However, it has since been discovered that only two fled into the neighborhood, and one remained by the vehicles, according to Davidson. Foye&nbsp; is no longer in custody.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644948108306.png" alt="Foye photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Foye photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating&nbsp;&nbsp;a shooting in the parking lot of a Dillons store arrested an 18-year-old from Oklahoma.Shortly before 2:30 p.m. on February 10, police responded to a shooting call at 21st and Maize Road. Wichita Fire Department personnel were at the Dillon’s store at that location when they located a a man identified as&nbsp;18-year-old Iman Foye of Muskogee, Oklahoma with a gunshot wound, according to Officer Charley Davidson.Foye directed them to another victim, a 21-year-old man who was in the parking lot between two vehicles with multiple gunshot wounds.Both Foye and the 21-year-old were transported to an area hospital with critical injuries. Foye was released from the hospital on Feb. 13 and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on requested charges of aggravated robbery and criminal use of weapons.&nbsp;&nbsp;The 21-year-old male remains hospitalized.Investigators learned that shortly after 2:00 p.m. on the 10th, one of the involved vehicles backed into a parking stall on the east side of the parking lot. A man then exited the vehicle, removed something from the trunk, then re-entered the car. Later, the other vehicle backed into a stall next to the first one. Shortly after that, gunfire was exchanged between the two cars, and three men exited the cars. It was initially believed that three men fled into the neighborhood to the east, while one remained by the vehicles.However, it has since been discovered that only two fled into the neighborhood, and one remained by the vehicles, according to Davidson. Foye&nbsp; is no longer in custody.

Kansas teen in parking lot gun fight moved from hospital to jail

By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/2022-02-15/kansas-lawmakers-want-schools-to-post-class-lessons-online-as-a-tool-against-critical-race-theory">Kansas News Service</a>

WICHITA&nbsp;— In the battle over critical race theory and 
how to teach about topics like racism or history in Kansas schools, 
conservative activists and lawmakers have a new clarion call: curriculum
 transparency.

They want schools to be more open about what 
they’re teaching, and they want districts to put classroom and training 
materials online for the public to see. They also want more oversight of
 materials centered on race, gender or sexuality, or other topics they 
think are inappropriate for youngsters.

A proposed <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/hb2662_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">Parents’ Bill of Rights</a>
 would require Kansas school districts to create an “academic 
transparency portal” on their websites to post information on learning 
materials and activities.

If approved, Kansas K-12 schools and 
libraries would no longer be exempt from obscenity laws, opening them to
 potential criminal charges if they distribute material found to be 
harmful to minors. It also would shield teachers who refuse to teach 
against their religious or philosophical beliefs.

“People have 
seen the news stories, and I think parents are saying, ‘Wait a second, 
is this happening in my kid’s classroom, too?’” said Rodney Penn, 
founder of a Salina-based parent group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/990859254309004/" target="_blank">Kansas Parents Involved in Education</a>.

“And they realize they don’t know, and they don’t know how to find out,” Penn said.

Opponents
 of curriculum transparency bills, including teachers’ unions and 
free-speech groups, say schools welcome and encourage parental 
involvement.

“Schools are some of the most overseen areas in the 
country. We have school boards. We have superintendents. We have PTA 
meetings. There’s an entire infrastructure of transparency and 
visibility already created,” said James Tager, research director for the
 free speech group <a href="https://pen.org/" target="_blank">PEN America</a>.

“We
 see these laws really as more teacher intimidation and surveillance of 
teachers,” Tager said. “This is essentially creating new means to 
pressure teachers to change their curricula not in ways that serve 
children, but in ways that reflect political biases and partisan 
actions.”

In a <a href="https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo/status/1479512380400803843" target="_blank">series of tweets</a> last month, Christopher Rufo of the conservative <a href="https://www.manhattan-institute.org/" target="_blank">Manhattan Institute</a>
 said pivoting from critical race theory to curriculum transparency is a
 “rhetorically-advantageous position.” Since then, measures echoing a <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-introduces-parents-bill-rights-defend-parents-role-education" target="_blank">proposal from conservative Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley</a> have been introduced in at least a dozen states.

“By
 moving to curriculum transparency, we will … bait the Left into 
opposing ‘transparency,’ which will raise the question: what are they 
trying to hide?” Rufo tweeted.

Some parents in the Shawnee Mission school district near Kansas City <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-12-13/conservatives-see-critical-race-theory-in-anti-racist-schooling-and-they-want-it-gone-from-kansas" target="_blank">protested a teacher training program called Deep Equity</a>.
 They say it is rooted in the tenets of critical race theory – the idea 
that slavery, Jim Crow and systemic racism are key to understanding 
American history and culture.

One parent told the House K-12 
Education Budget Committee last month that she was barred from viewing 
program materials because they were copyright protected.

District 
spokesman David Smith said Deep Equity training sessions weren’t 
recorded, and materials presented during them aren’t district property. 
But parents who ask could view workbooks or other materials the district
 has.

“Sometimes people, rather than speaking with their teacher 
or principal or somebody in the central office, they will go to somebody
 outside of the system and complain,” Smith said. “And that creates the 
appearance of a problem when, in fact, it doesn’t exist.”

Republican
 Kansas state Rep. Susan Estes, a former teacher, said it used to be 
easier for parents to keep track of what their children were learning in
 school. As materials shift from traditional textbooks to multimedia 
lessons or training sessions, that gets harder.

“So much of what 
is happening that parents are concerned about is happening 
conversationally in the classroom,” Estes said. “So a parent is really 
left in the dark, and never should be left in the dark.”

Opponents
 of curriculum transparency laws say teaching is an organic process that
 can’t be captured in lesson plans or lists of materials.

For example, the Blue Valley school district posts a <a href="https://www.bluevalleyk12.org/Page/34459" target="_blank">list of novels</a>
 approved for high school English classes, along with teachers’ 
rationale and some curriculum standards covered by those lessons. But 
once students are in a classroom talking about a novel, it’s hard to say
 what direction a discussion will take.

Brent Lewis, president of 
United Teachers of Wichita, said requiring detailed lesson plans as much
 as a year ahead of time would be not only impractical, but bad for 
students.

“If you wanted to do harm to the education of our 
children, you would make teachers provide one-size-fits-all instruction 
like this, instead of allowing us to adapt and meet the needs of 
individual students,” he said.

Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644954681095.png" alt="Celia Llopis-Jepsen / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Celia Llopis-Jepsen / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By SUZANNE PEREZ <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/2022-02-15/kansas-lawmakers-want-schools-to-post-class-lessons-online-as-a-tool-against-critical-race-theory">Kansas News Service</a>WICHITA&nbsp;— In the battle over critical race theory and 
how to teach about topics like racism or history in Kansas schools, 
conservative activists and lawmakers have a new clarion call: curriculum
 transparency.They want schools to be more open about what 
they’re teaching, and they want districts to put classroom and training 
materials online for the public to see. They also want more oversight of
 materials centered on race, gender or sexuality, or other topics they 
think are inappropriate for youngsters.A proposed <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/documents/hb2662_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">Parents’ Bill of Rights</a>
 would require Kansas school districts to create an “academic 
transparency portal” on their websites to post information on learning 
materials and activities.If approved, Kansas K-12 schools and 
libraries would no longer be exempt from obscenity laws, opening them to
 potential criminal charges if they distribute material found to be 
harmful to minors. It also would shield teachers who refuse to teach 
against their religious or philosophical beliefs.“People have 
seen the news stories, and I think parents are saying, ‘Wait a second, 
is this happening in my kid’s classroom, too?’” said Rodney Penn, 
founder of a Salina-based parent group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/990859254309004/" target="_blank">Kansas Parents Involved in Education</a>.“And they realize they don’t know, and they don’t know how to find out,” Penn said.Opponents
 of curriculum transparency bills, including teachers’ unions and 
free-speech groups, say schools welcome and encourage parental 
involvement.“Schools are some of the most overseen areas in the 
country. We have school boards. We have superintendents. We have PTA 
meetings. There’s an entire infrastructure of transparency and 
visibility already created,” said James Tager, research director for the
 free speech group <a href="https://pen.org/" target="_blank">PEN America</a>.“We
 see these laws really as more teacher intimidation and surveillance of 
teachers,” Tager said. “This is essentially creating new means to 
pressure teachers to change their curricula not in ways that serve 
children, but in ways that reflect political biases and partisan 
actions.”In a <a href="https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo/status/1479512380400803843" target="_blank">series of tweets</a> last month, Christopher Rufo of the conservative <a href="https://www.manhattan-institute.org/" target="_blank">Manhattan Institute</a>
 said pivoting from critical race theory to curriculum transparency is a
 “rhetorically-advantageous position.” Since then, measures echoing a <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-introduces-parents-bill-rights-defend-parents-role-education" target="_blank">proposal from conservative Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley</a> have been introduced in at least a dozen states.“By
 moving to curriculum transparency, we will … bait the Left into 
opposing ‘transparency,’ which will raise the question: what are they 
trying to hide?” Rufo tweeted.Some parents in the Shawnee Mission school district near Kansas City <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/education/2021-12-13/conservatives-see-critical-race-theory-in-anti-racist-schooling-and-they-want-it-gone-from-kansas" target="_blank">protested a teacher training program called Deep Equity</a>.
 They say it is rooted in the tenets of critical race theory – the idea 
that slavery, Jim Crow and systemic racism are key to understanding 
American history and culture.One parent told the House K-12 
Education Budget Committee last month that she was barred from viewing 
program materials because they were copyright protected.District 
spokesman David Smith said Deep Equity training sessions weren’t 
recorded, and materials presented during them aren’t district property. 
But parents who ask could view workbooks or other materials the district
 has.“Sometimes people, rather than speaking with their teacher 
or principal or somebody in the central office, they will go to somebody
 outside of the system and complain,” Smith said. “And that creates the 
appearance of a problem when, in fact, it doesn’t exist.”Republican
 Kansas state Rep. Susan Estes, a former teacher, said it used to be 
easier for parents to keep track of what their children were learning in
 school. As materials shift from traditional textbooks to multimedia 
lessons or training sessions, that gets harder.“So much of what 
is happening that parents are concerned about is happening 
conversationally in the classroom,” Estes said. “So a parent is really 
left in the dark, and never should be left in the dark.”Opponents
 of curriculum transparency laws say teaching is an organic process that
 can’t be captured in lesson plans or lists of materials.For example, the Blue Valley school district posts a <a href="https://www.bluevalleyk12.org/Page/34459" target="_blank">list of novels</a>
 approved for high school English classes, along with teachers’ 
rationale and some curriculum standards covered by those lessons. But 
once students are in a classroom talking about a novel, it’s hard to say
 what direction a discussion will take.Brent Lewis, president of 
United Teachers of Wichita, said requiring detailed lesson plans as much
 as a year ahead of time would be not only impractical, but bad for 
students.“If you wanted to do harm to the education of our 
children, you would make teachers provide one-size-fits-all instruction 
like this, instead of allowing us to adapt and meet the needs of 
individual students,” he said.Suzanne Perez reports on education for KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter @SuzPerezICT.

Critical race theory: Kan. lawmakers class lessons posted online

KANSAS CITY— A California man was subdued by several passengers and flight attendants when he tried to open the exit door on an American Airlines flight en route to Washington, D.C., on Sunday afternoon, forcing the plane to land at Kansas City International Airport, according to the United State's Attorney.

Juan Remberto Rivas, 50, was charged with one count of assaulting and intimidating a flight attendant and thereby interfering in the performance of the flight attendant’s duties. Rivas remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.

Rivas was a passenger aboard American Airlines flight 1775 traveling nonstop from Los Angeles, Calif., to Washington, D.C., which was diverted to Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Mo., at approximately 2:28 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13.

According to an affidavit filed in support of Tuesday's federal criminal complaint, Rivas created a disturbance on the plane that escalated when he walked up to the cockpit area. Rivas grabbed some plastic silverware, removed the napkin wrapped around it, and placed the plastic silverware in his shirt sleeve and was holding it like a shank. A flight attendant told federal agents he felt threatened by the knife. Rivas then grabbed a small champagne bottle by the neck of the bottle and attempted to break the bottle on the counter. He began kicking and shoving the service cart into one of the flight attendants.&nbsp;

Rivas, who is about six-feet, three-inches tall and weighs about 240 pounds, allegedly grabbed the handles used to manipulate the forward starboard aircraft exit door. Rivas positioned one foot on the aircraft door, the affidavit says, and began pulling hard on the handle with one hand, at first, and then both of his hands. A flight attendant grabbed a coffee pot and hit Rivas twice in the head with it. Several passengers came forward to assist the flight attendants, the affidavit says. One of the passengers, a police officer, began to struggle with Rivas and pulled him away from the door. A passenger punched Rivas in the jaw and another passenger grabbed his neck and pulled him to the floor. Passengers and flight attendants restrained Rivas until they could secure his hands and feet with zip ties and duct tape.

Rivas received medical treatment for a laceration on his head. Flight attendants told investigators they did not serve any alcohol to Rivas during the flight.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644939476993.png" alt="Image of the altercation on the flight from the video courtesy @soccermouaz KMBC-TV" />
 <figcaption>Image of the altercation on the flight from the video courtesy @soccermouaz KMBC-TV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY— A California man was subdued by several passengers and flight attendants when he tried to open the exit door on an American Airlines flight en route to Washington, D.C., on Sunday afternoon, forcing the plane to land at Kansas City International Airport, according to the United State's Attorney.Juan Remberto Rivas, 50, was charged with one count of assaulting and intimidating a flight attendant and thereby interfering in the performance of the flight attendant’s duties. Rivas remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing, which has not yet been scheduled.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Statement regarding a diverted flight to <a href="https://twitter.com/KCIAirport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KCIAirport</a> earlier today, from FBI Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Charles Dayoub. <a href="https://t.co/ql5cQRpbZM">pic.twitter.com/ql5cQRpbZM</a>&mdash; FBI Kansas City (@FBIKansasCity) <a href="https://twitter.com/FBIKansasCity/status/1493011499098517510?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Rivas was a passenger aboard American Airlines flight 1775 traveling nonstop from Los Angeles, Calif., to Washington, D.C., which was diverted to Kansas City International Airport in Kansas City, Mo., at approximately 2:28 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 13.According to an affidavit filed in support of Tuesday's federal criminal complaint, Rivas created a disturbance on the plane that escalated when he walked up to the cockpit area. Rivas grabbed some plastic silverware, removed the napkin wrapped around it, and placed the plastic silverware in his shirt sleeve and was holding it like a shank. A flight attendant told federal agents he felt threatened by the knife. Rivas then grabbed a small champagne bottle by the neck of the bottle and attempted to break the bottle on the counter. He began kicking and shoving the service cart into one of the flight attendants.&nbsp;Rivas, who is about six-feet, three-inches tall and weighs about 240 pounds, allegedly grabbed the handles used to manipulate the forward starboard aircraft exit door. Rivas positioned one foot on the aircraft door, the affidavit says, and began pulling hard on the handle with one hand, at first, and then both of his hands. A flight attendant grabbed a coffee pot and hit Rivas twice in the head with it. Several passengers came forward to assist the flight attendants, the affidavit says. One of the passengers, a police officer, began to struggle with Rivas and pulled him away from the door. A passenger punched Rivas in the jaw and another passenger grabbed his neck and pulled him to the floor. Passengers and flight attendants restrained Rivas until they could secure his hands and feet with zip ties and duct tape.Rivas received medical treatment for a laceration on his head. Flight attendants told investigators they did not serve any alcohol to Rivas during the flight.

Man charged for wild altercation on flight diverted to Kansas City

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers was in a familiar spot earlier this month when Republican legislators sent him a bill that would have banned anti-racist teachings in schools. For the 66th time since taking office in 2019, he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-wisconsin-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-legislature-8db54c00be82e0183ac6badc2d4c0804">pulled out his veto pen</a>.

The rejection was the latest reminder of the crucial role Evers and a select group of fellow Democratic governors play in some of the most politically divided states. They are the only backstop against a wave of GOP-backed legislation targeting everything from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-d42fda272f2276b9a3e340763752a609">abortion rights</a>&nbsp;and school curricula to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-election-2020-voting-voting-rights-health-3f46e438bf9368d9b3535824e8c6c911">access to voting</a>.

“I have to prevent some really bad things from happening,” Evers said in an interview. “It is a bit lonely, but I know I’m representing the people of Wisconsin.”

Wisconsin is one of four states emerging as top priorities for Democrats in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/midterm-elections">an election year</a>&nbsp;when the party is facing fierce political headwinds. In those states — Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — Republicans control the state Legislatures and Democratic-held governorships are on the ballot in the fall.

If the governorships switch parties, a flood of GOP legislation that has so far been blocked would likely become law. That’s especially concerning for Democrats when it comes to voting rights. The four incumbents — Evers, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf — have vetoed more than a dozen bills aimed at restricting voting.

Those moves were particularly important in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, all narrowly divided states that could decide the 2024 presidential election. If Republicans win the governor’s race in any of those states, they will almost certainly approve voting restrictions that have so far been rejected.

In Wisconsin, for example, the Legislature is fast-tracking a host of bills changing election administration and voting rules, all of which Evers is expected to veto but that other Republican candidates for governor support.

Governors also have an important role in the mechanics of presidential elections — under federal law, the electors they say reflect the winners of their state get extra weight in any congressional fight over certifying the choice of the next president. That means in more extreme scenarios, GOP governors may seek to reject Democratic electors in a presidential race, a step&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-electoral-college-elections-0ee1ccae092c21bc8e8c3ace90208cac">then-President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;pressed some Republicans to take in 2020.

Many GOP candidates running for governor this year have expressed support for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-fact-check-joe-biden-donald-trump-technology-49a24edd6d10888dbad61689c24b05a5">Trump’s lie that the last election was stolen</a>. In Wisconsin last week, state Rep. Timothy Ramthun, a conspiracy theorist who was disciplined by Republican leadership over false election claims,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wisconsin-elections-media-election-2020-52fa80d33c56621f3a35c845b2a75553">filed paperwork</a>&nbsp;to run for governor.

Federal and state election officials and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d">Trump’s own attorney general</a>&nbsp;have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former president’s allegations of fraud were also roundly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-pennsylvania-elections-talk-radio-433b6efe72720d8648221f405c2111f9">rejected by courts</a>, including by judges Trump appointed.

Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, the head of the Democratic Governors Association, said the four governors are “standing in the breach against Republican state legislatures’ attacks on voting rights.”

Cooper, who also contends with a Republican legislature, said the governors are “protecting the foundation of our democracy.”

Republicans argue that Democrats are being obstructionist and simply refusing to work with the party that controls the legislatures in their states.

“An inability to work effectively with their legislature, regardless of party control, will ultimately be viewed by voters as a failure of leadership,” said Phil Cox, a Republican strategist and former executive director of the Republican Governors Association.

Democrats aren’t limiting their work this year to protecting their position in the four states in question. They are also hoping to pick up Republican-held seats in states like Georgia, Massachusetts and Maryland.

But the DGA is stepping up its opposition research efforts on Republican candidates in Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. And the Democratic candidates themselves are sitting on sizable campaign accounts.

At the end of 2021, Evers had about $10 million while Josh Shapiro, the likely Democratic nominee for governor in Pennsylvania, had $13 million, according to state campaign records. In Kansas, Kelly is expected to have a more difficult bid for reelection than in 2018, when she won in a three-way race. She had $2 million at the end of last year.

And in Michigan, Whitmer was sitting on $10 million. An independent expenditure group affiliated with the DGA also ran a pro-Whitmer ad in Michigan worth roughly $200,000 during December and January.

Whitmer has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-voting-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-legislature-60cd10512a22d8167e9f12a3ca589282">vetoed multiple bills</a>&nbsp;that would make it harder to vote, rejecting nine such measures in October alone.

“Gov. Whitmer is the backstop in a world where, if Republicans were to control legislative chambers and the governor’s office in any of these states, stripping voting rights would just automatically become law,” said Patrick Schuh, Michigan director of the Democratic-leaning voter access advocacy group America Votes.

One measure would have tacked on extra identification requirements for absentee ballot requests and blocked the state’s top election official from sending vote-by-mail requests out widely. Republicans have been forced to try to end-run Whitmer by attempting a ballot initiative, one that Schuh’s group hopes to counter with its own.

In Pennsylvania, Wolf&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pa-state-wire-business-bills-elections-government-and-politics-8400bdb8742fe7a04b3b469c7136b498">blocked similar efforts</a>, vetoing a massive bill that also would have reduced the days drop boxes for absentee ballots would be open. Wolf, finishing his second four-year term, is not seeking reelection, but Shapiro supports his vetoes.

Those Democrats have some advantages that could help them politically this year, including robust budget surpluses, state revenue that outperformed dire&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic">coronavirus pandemic</a>&nbsp;forecasts and billions in federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-vote-coronavirus-relief-package-33f4902ca9a2aed4e76274af6bb2ea5c">COVID-19 relief</a>&nbsp;and incoming infrastructure money.

In Wisconsin, Evers has plans for the state’s largest budget surplus, $3 billion, including child care tax credits for working families and similar credits for full-time volunteer caregivers for the elderly and homebound, moves he sees as smart use of extra money at a time of need. With the flatness of low expectations, the mild-mannered former state school superintendent said he hopes Republicans “take a look at it.”

“I think the Republicans will be hard-pressed to say no to this. But they’ve done it before,” Evers said. “Whatever the number I’ve vetoed, it’s paltry compared to the number I’m going to.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641933594915.png" alt="Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a candidate for governor in 2022, and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who is seeking re-election. (Photos by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a candidate for governor in 2022, and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who is seeking re-election. (Photos by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By THOMAS BEAUMONT, Associated PressWisconsin Gov. Tony Evers was in a familiar spot earlier this month when Republican legislators sent him a bill that would have banned anti-racist teachings in schools. For the 66th time since taking office in 2019, he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-wisconsin-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-legislature-8db54c00be82e0183ac6badc2d4c0804">pulled out his veto pen</a>.The rejection was the latest reminder of the crucial role Evers and a select group of fellow Democratic governors play in some of the most politically divided states. They are the only backstop against a wave of GOP-backed legislation targeting everything from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-d42fda272f2276b9a3e340763752a609">abortion rights</a>&nbsp;and school curricula to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-election-2020-voting-voting-rights-health-3f46e438bf9368d9b3535824e8c6c911">access to voting</a>.“I have to prevent some really bad things from happening,” Evers said in an interview. “It is a bit lonely, but I know I’m representing the people of Wisconsin.”Wisconsin is one of four states emerging as top priorities for Democrats in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/midterm-elections">an election year</a>&nbsp;when the party is facing fierce political headwinds. In those states — Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — Republicans control the state Legislatures and Democratic-held governorships are on the ballot in the fall.If the governorships switch parties, a flood of GOP legislation that has so far been blocked would likely become law. That’s especially concerning for Democrats when it comes to voting rights. The four incumbents — Evers, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf — have vetoed more than a dozen bills aimed at restricting voting.Those moves were particularly important in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, all narrowly divided states that could decide the 2024 presidential election. If Republicans win the governor’s race in any of those states, they will almost certainly approve voting restrictions that have so far been rejected.In Wisconsin, for example, the Legislature is fast-tracking a host of bills changing election administration and voting rules, all of which Evers is expected to veto but that other Republican candidates for governor support.Governors also have an important role in the mechanics of presidential elections — under federal law, the electors they say reflect the winners of their state get extra weight in any congressional fight over certifying the choice of the next president. That means in more extreme scenarios, GOP governors may seek to reject Democratic electors in a presidential race, a step&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-electoral-college-elections-0ee1ccae092c21bc8e8c3ace90208cac">then-President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;pressed some Republicans to take in 2020.Many GOP candidates running for governor this year have expressed support for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-ap-fact-check-joe-biden-donald-trump-technology-49a24edd6d10888dbad61689c24b05a5">Trump’s lie that the last election was stolen</a>. In Wisconsin last week, state Rep. Timothy Ramthun, a conspiracy theorist who was disciplined by Republican leadership over false election claims,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-wisconsin-elections-media-election-2020-52fa80d33c56621f3a35c845b2a75553">filed paperwork</a>&nbsp;to run for governor.Federal and state election officials and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/barr-no-widespread-election-fraud-b1f1488796c9a98c4b1a9061a6c7f49d">Trump’s own attorney general</a>&nbsp;have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former president’s allegations of fraud were also roundly&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-pennsylvania-elections-talk-radio-433b6efe72720d8648221f405c2111f9">rejected by courts</a>, including by judges Trump appointed.Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, the head of the Democratic Governors Association, said the four governors are “standing in the breach against Republican state legislatures’ attacks on voting rights.”Cooper, who also contends with a Republican legislature, said the governors are “protecting the foundation of our democracy.”Republicans argue that Democrats are being obstructionist and simply refusing to work with the party that controls the legislatures in their states.“An inability to work effectively with their legislature, regardless of party control, will ultimately be viewed by voters as a failure of leadership,” said Phil Cox, a Republican strategist and former executive director of the Republican Governors Association.Democrats aren’t limiting their work this year to protecting their position in the four states in question. They are also hoping to pick up Republican-held seats in states like Georgia, Massachusetts and Maryland.But the DGA is stepping up its opposition research efforts on Republican candidates in Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. And the Democratic candidates themselves are sitting on sizable campaign accounts.At the end of 2021, Evers had about $10 million while Josh Shapiro, the likely Democratic nominee for governor in Pennsylvania, had $13 million, according to state campaign records. In Kansas, Kelly is expected to have a more difficult bid for reelection than in 2018, when she won in a three-way race. She had $2 million at the end of last year.And in Michigan, Whitmer was sitting on $10 million. An independent expenditure group affiliated with the DGA also ran a pro-Whitmer ad in Michigan worth roughly $200,000 during December and January.Whitmer has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/elections-voting-michigan-gretchen-whitmer-legislature-60cd10512a22d8167e9f12a3ca589282">vetoed multiple bills</a>&nbsp;that would make it harder to vote, rejecting nine such measures in October alone.“Gov. Whitmer is the backstop in a world where, if Republicans were to control legislative chambers and the governor’s office in any of these states, stripping voting rights would just automatically become law,” said Patrick Schuh, Michigan director of the Democratic-leaning voter access advocacy group America Votes.One measure would have tacked on extra identification requirements for absentee ballot requests and blocked the state’s top election official from sending vote-by-mail requests out widely. Republicans have been forced to try to end-run Whitmer by attempting a ballot initiative, one that Schuh’s group hopes to counter with its own.In Pennsylvania, Wolf&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pa-state-wire-business-bills-elections-government-and-politics-8400bdb8742fe7a04b3b469c7136b498">blocked similar efforts</a>, vetoing a massive bill that also would have reduced the days drop boxes for absentee ballots would be open. Wolf, finishing his second four-year term, is not seeking reelection, but Shapiro supports his vetoes.Those Democrats have some advantages that could help them politically this year, including robust budget surpluses, state revenue that outperformed dire&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic">coronavirus pandemic</a>&nbsp;forecasts and billions in federal&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-vote-coronavirus-relief-package-33f4902ca9a2aed4e76274af6bb2ea5c">COVID-19 relief</a>&nbsp;and incoming infrastructure money.In Wisconsin, Evers has plans for the state’s largest budget surplus, $3 billion, including child care tax credits for working families and similar credits for full-time volunteer caregivers for the elderly and homebound, moves he sees as smart use of extra money at a time of need. With the flatness of low expectations, the mild-mannered former state school superintendent said he hopes Republicans “take a look at it.”“I think the Republicans will be hard-pressed to say no to this. But they’ve done it before,” Evers said. “Whatever the number I’ve vetoed, it’s paltry compared to the number I’m going to.”___

Democrats eye key governors' races as backstop against GOP

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 33-year-old Wichita man who drove at a Sedgwick County courthouse officer and then harassed supporters of President Donald Trump has been sentenced to 30 months in prison. 

Prosecutors and defense attorneys for Justin Young recommended he receive probation for his actions in November 2020 because he was experiencing mental health issues after the death of his father. 

But Sedgwick County District Judge Eric Williams imposed the 30-month prison sentence at a hearing last week. An arrest affidavit says a demonstrator reported Young was harassing people at the Trump rally. Authorities said when Officer Stephen Linarez intervened, Young drove his truck toward Linarez, who escaped injury.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644953372934.png" alt="Young from an earlier arrest in Sumner Co." />
 <figcaption>Young from an earlier arrest in Sumner Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 33-year-old Wichita man who drove at a Sedgwick County courthouse officer and then harassed supporters of President Donald Trump has been sentenced to 30 months in prison. Prosecutors and defense attorneys for Justin Young recommended he receive probation for his actions in November 2020 because he was experiencing mental health issues after the death of his father. But Sedgwick County District Judge Eric Williams imposed the 30-month prison sentence at a hearing last week. An arrest affidavit says a demonstrator reported Young was harassing people at the Trump rally. Authorities said when Officer Stephen Linarez intervened, Young drove his truck toward Linarez, who escaped injury.

Kan. man who drove at officer, harassed Trump rally sentenced

KANSAS CITY (AP) —A day before she was due to be evicted in November from her Atlanta home, Shanelle King heard that she had been awarded about $15,000 in rental assistance. She could breathe again.

But then the 43-year-old hairdresser got a letter last month from her landlord saying the company was canceling her lease in March —- seven months early — without any explanation.

“I’m really pissed about it. I thought I would be comfortable again back in my home,” said King, whose work dried up during the pandemic and who now worries about finding another apartment she can afford. “Here I am back up against the wall with no where to stay. I don’t know what I am going to do.”

Although the $46.5 billion&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-business-health-gene-sperling-7dbfb8157401d1e6d838116455c11556">Emergency Rental Assistance Program</a>&nbsp;has paid out tens of billions of dollars to help avert an eviction crisis, some tenants, like King, who received help are finding themselves threatened with eviction again — sometimes days after getting federal help. Many are finding it nearly impossible to find another affordable place to live.

“It is a Band-Aid. It was never envisioned as anything more than a Band-Aid,” Erin Willoughby, director of the Clayton Housing Legal Resource Center Atlanta, said of the program.

“It’s not solving the underlying problem, which is a lack of affordable housing. People are on the hook for rents they cannot afford to pay,” she said. “Simply finding something cheaper is not an option because there is not anything cheaper. People have to be housed somewhere.”

The National Housing Law Project, in a survey last fall of nearly 120 legal aid attorneys and civil rights advocates, found that 86% of respondents reported cases in which landlords either refused to take assistance or accepted the money and still moved to evict tenants. The survey also found a significant increase in cases of landlords lying in court to evict tenants and illegally locking them out.

“A number of issues could be described as issues related to landlord fraud ... and a set of problems I would describe as loopholes within the ... program that made it less effective to accomplish the goal,” said Natalie N. Maxwell, a senior attorney with the group.

National Apartment Association President and CEO Bob Pinnegar said the survey was not based on facts, adding that its members are doing everything they can to keep tenants in their homes, including lobbying to get rental assistance out faster.

“Skewed surveys aren’t reflective of the entire situation. By and large the rental housing industry has gone to great lengths to support residents, including when it comes to rental assistance and adherence to laws and regulations,” Pinnegar said in a statement.

Legal aid attorneys interviewed across the country confirmed they are seeing a steady increase in cases where tenants were approved for rental help and still faced eviction.

These include the mother of a newborn and two other children in Florida who received rental assistance but was ordered evicted after the landlord refused to take the money. Another Florida landlord lied in court that she hadn’t received the money in a bid to push through an eviction.

There have also been cases in Georgia and Texas where landlords who received assistance moved to end leases early, increased rents to unaffordable levels or found other reasons than nonpayment to evict someone, lawyers said.

“As it is right now, it doesn’t seem to be working as intended,” said Tori Tavormina, an eviction prevention specialist with Texas Housers. “It feels much more like it’s a program that is alleviating the pressure of the eviction crisis but not solving the underlying problems.”

District Court Judge Shera Grant, who handles housing cases in Birmingham, Alabama, said she and her fellow judges have seen an uptick in cases of landlords getting assistance and returning to court a few weeks later after a tenant has fallen behind on rent to seek an eviction. So far they have prevented them — though she expects a spike in these kinds of cases going forward.

“It’s incumbent on the judges to make sure we are paying close attention to our eviction cases and making sure that the landlord is not having their cake and eating it too,” she said. “By the same token, we are not forcing landlords to take the money. There are some unfortunate circumstances where the tenant has to be evicted.”

In the case of King, she believes her landlord was retaliating for earlier complaints about mold and water leaks in her three-bedroom house. The company King was dealing with, NDI Maxim, which manages property for owners, said it “was not at liberty to share details of tenants’ status nor their payment records.”

Other cases are complicated by the length of the pandemic and conflicting accounts of landlord and tenant. And they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-5f1a2b734a06eacad423298c1f0f6f3f">often leave both parties feeling shortchanged.</a>

Despite his landlord getting more than $20,000 in rental assistance, Prince Beatty is facing imminent eviction from his three-bedroom house in East Point, Georgia.

After the money was approved, Beatty signed an agreement in court late last year to pay several thousand dollars more that he owed as a condition to remain housed. He went back to the county for additional assistance to cover the balance but says he was denied. Unable to find warehouse work during the pandemic, the 47-year-old Navy veteran still can’t pay rent and is now $12,000 behind, in part due to his rent increasing from $1,250-a-month to $2,000.

Beatty, who was told he would be evicted this month, said he wakes most mornings in a panic, wondering if this will be the day when marshals “come and disrespect my stuff and throw it in the street.”

His landlord, Monique Jones, said she tried to work with Beatty. But she said he violated the lease by subletting rooms to several other people and that the amount of rental assistance has not covered losses from months of unpaid rent that started before the pandemic.

“It was helpful but it did not address the underlying issue which is his nonpayment of rent,” she said of the rental assistance. “That still remains and that is rightfully why I am proceeding. If I have a tenant who will pay rent and abides by the lease, I would not attempt to evict.”

Limits with rental assistance often come down to some states and localities failing to follow Treasury Department guidance calling for policies requiring landlords delay evictions after getting money. Although the program prevents landlords from evicting during the period covered by rental assistance, the Treasury Department can only encourage states to adopt policies that ban evictions up to three months afterward.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition found only 29 states and localities in 2021 had adopted policies that prohibit landlords who participate in the rental assistance program from evicting tenants for a period ranging from 30 days to 12 months. Six states — Arizona, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina and West Virginia — passed regulations while several cities or counties in Texas and Maryland did.

Gene Sperling, who is charged with overseeing implementation of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package, said there was no data to suggest landlords evicting tenants after getting assistance is a “pervasive issue” but that it was “completely unacceptable.”

While it’s “not against the letter of the act, it’s against the spirit of it,” he said.

The Coalition also said the program’s issues illustrate a larger problem.

“We are in the middle of a severe affordable housing crisis with gaping holes in our social safety net,” CEO Diane Yentel said. “We have a systemic power imbalance that favors landlords at the expense of low-income tenants. Emergency rental assistance and eviction moratoriums were a temporary patch to those holes.”

KANSAS CITY (AP) —A day before she was due to be evicted in November from her Atlanta home, Shanelle King heard that she had been awarded about $15,000 in rental assistance. She could breathe again.But then the 43-year-old hairdresser got a letter last month from her landlord saying the company was canceling her lease in March —- seven months early — without any explanation.“I’m really pissed about it. I thought I would be comfortable again back in my home,” said King, whose work dried up during the pandemic and who now worries about finding another apartment she can afford. “Here I am back up against the wall with no where to stay. I don’t know what I am going to do.”Although the $46.5 billion&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-joe-biden-business-health-gene-sperling-7dbfb8157401d1e6d838116455c11556">Emergency Rental Assistance Program</a>&nbsp;has paid out tens of billions of dollars to help avert an eviction crisis, some tenants, like King, who received help are finding themselves threatened with eviction again — sometimes days after getting federal help. Many are finding it nearly impossible to find another affordable place to live.“It is a Band-Aid. It was never envisioned as anything more than a Band-Aid,” Erin Willoughby, director of the Clayton Housing Legal Resource Center Atlanta, said of the program.“It’s not solving the underlying problem, which is a lack of affordable housing. People are on the hook for rents they cannot afford to pay,” she said. “Simply finding something cheaper is not an option because there is not anything cheaper. People have to be housed somewhere.”The National Housing Law Project, in a survey last fall of nearly 120 legal aid attorneys and civil rights advocates, found that 86% of respondents reported cases in which landlords either refused to take assistance or accepted the money and still moved to evict tenants. The survey also found a significant increase in cases of landlords lying in court to evict tenants and illegally locking them out.“A number of issues could be described as issues related to landlord fraud ... and a set of problems I would describe as loopholes within the ... program that made it less effective to accomplish the goal,” said Natalie N. Maxwell, a senior attorney with the group.National Apartment Association President and CEO Bob Pinnegar said the survey was not based on facts, adding that its members are doing everything they can to keep tenants in their homes, including lobbying to get rental assistance out faster.“Skewed surveys aren’t reflective of the entire situation. By and large the rental housing industry has gone to great lengths to support residents, including when it comes to rental assistance and adherence to laws and regulations,” Pinnegar said in a statement.Legal aid attorneys interviewed across the country confirmed they are seeing a steady increase in cases where tenants were approved for rental help and still faced eviction.These include the mother of a newborn and two other children in Florida who received rental assistance but was ordered evicted after the landlord refused to take the money. Another Florida landlord lied in court that she hadn’t received the money in a bid to push through an eviction.There have also been cases in Georgia and Texas where landlords who received assistance moved to end leases early, increased rents to unaffordable levels or found other reasons than nonpayment to evict someone, lawyers said.“As it is right now, it doesn’t seem to be working as intended,” said Tori Tavormina, an eviction prevention specialist with Texas Housers. “It feels much more like it’s a program that is alleviating the pressure of the eviction crisis but not solving the underlying problems.”District Court Judge Shera Grant, who handles housing cases in Birmingham, Alabama, said she and her fellow judges have seen an uptick in cases of landlords getting assistance and returning to court a few weeks later after a tenant has fallen behind on rent to seek an eviction. So far they have prevented them — though she expects a spike in these kinds of cases going forward.“It’s incumbent on the judges to make sure we are paying close attention to our eviction cases and making sure that the landlord is not having their cake and eating it too,” she said. “By the same token, we are not forcing landlords to take the money. There are some unfortunate circumstances where the tenant has to be evicted.”In the case of King, she believes her landlord was retaliating for earlier complaints about mold and water leaks in her three-bedroom house. The company King was dealing with, NDI Maxim, which manages property for owners, said it “was not at liberty to share details of tenants’ status nor their payment records.”Other cases are complicated by the length of the pandemic and conflicting accounts of landlord and tenant. And they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-business-health-coronavirus-pandemic-5f1a2b734a06eacad423298c1f0f6f3f">often leave both parties feeling shortchanged.</a>Despite his landlord getting more than $20,000 in rental assistance, Prince Beatty is facing imminent eviction from his three-bedroom house in East Point, Georgia.After the money was approved, Beatty signed an agreement in court late last year to pay several thousand dollars more that he owed as a condition to remain housed. He went back to the county for additional assistance to cover the balance but says he was denied. Unable to find warehouse work during the pandemic, the 47-year-old Navy veteran still can’t pay rent and is now $12,000 behind, in part due to his rent increasing from $1,250-a-month to $2,000.Beatty, who was told he would be evicted this month, said he wakes most mornings in a panic, wondering if this will be the day when marshals “come and disrespect my stuff and throw it in the street.”His landlord, Monique Jones, said she tried to work with Beatty. But she said he violated the lease by subletting rooms to several other people and that the amount of rental assistance has not covered losses from months of unpaid rent that started before the pandemic.“It was helpful but it did not address the underlying issue which is his nonpayment of rent,” she said of the rental assistance. “That still remains and that is rightfully why I am proceeding. If I have a tenant who will pay rent and abides by the lease, I would not attempt to evict.”Limits with rental assistance often come down to some states and localities failing to follow Treasury Department guidance calling for policies requiring landlords delay evictions after getting money. Although the program prevents landlords from evicting during the period covered by rental assistance, the Treasury Department can only encourage states to adopt policies that ban evictions up to three months afterward.The National Low Income Housing Coalition found only 29 states and localities in 2021 had adopted policies that prohibit landlords who participate in the rental assistance program from evicting tenants for a period ranging from 30 days to 12 months. Six states — Arizona, Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, North Carolina and West Virginia — passed regulations while several cities or counties in Texas and Maryland did.Gene Sperling, who is charged with overseeing implementation of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package, said there was no data to suggest landlords evicting tenants after getting assistance is a “pervasive issue” but that it was “completely unacceptable.”While it’s “not against the letter of the act, it’s against the spirit of it,” he said.The Coalition also said the program’s issues illustrate a larger problem.“We are in the middle of a severe affordable housing crisis with gaping holes in our social safety net,” CEO Diane Yentel said. “We have a systemic power imbalance that favors landlords at the expense of low-income tenants. Emergency rental assistance and eviction moratoriums were a temporary patch to those holes.”

Landlords finding ways to evict after getting rental aid

SEDGWICK COUNTY — A Kansas felon charged in the Sept. 7, mass shooting at a Wichita night club and arrested in Arizona attend a preliminary hearing in the case Friday, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20044181">Keshawn Dawson, 23 of Wichita, </a>is&nbsp;charged with 1st degree intentional murder, 1st degree murder in the commission of a felony, six counts of aggravated battery, and criminal discharge of a firearm, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Dawson is also charged in two separate cases for criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon for an incident on June 15, and&nbsp; criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, possession of marijuana, and possession of paraphernalia for use involving an arrest in January, according to the district attorney.

Friday's hearing included testimony from law enforcement and a viewing of security camera video from the night of the crime. The hearing will continue on March 1, according to the district attorney's office.

On Oct. 8, U.S. Marshals arrested Dawson in Phoenix Arizona., according to officer Charley Davidson. Dawson is being held on bond of five-million dollars for a shooting that killed 34-year-old Preston Spencer and injured six others with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.

At approximately 12:40 a.m. on Sept. 7, officers responded to a shooting call at the Enigma Club, 351 N. Mosely.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located multiple victims that were all transported to an area hospital for medical treatment.&nbsp; The investigation revealed Dawson got into a disturbance earlier inside the club and was forced to leave.&nbsp; Dawson returned a short time later and fired multiple rounds with a handgun through windows into the club from the outside, striking the victims.

In addition, Dawson had active felony Sedgwick County warrants and was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to previous felony convictions, according to Davidson.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634817510235.png" alt="Dawson photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Dawson photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — A Kansas felon charged in the Sept. 7, mass shooting at a Wichita night club and arrested in Arizona attend a preliminary hearing in the case Friday, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20044181">Keshawn Dawson, 23 of Wichita, </a>is&nbsp;charged with 1st degree intentional murder, 1st degree murder in the commission of a felony, six counts of aggravated battery, and criminal discharge of a firearm, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.Dawson is also charged in two separate cases for criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon for an incident on June 15, and&nbsp; criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, possession of marijuana, and possession of paraphernalia for use involving an arrest in January, according to the district attorney.Friday's hearing included testimony from law enforcement and a viewing of security camera video from the night of the crime. The hearing will continue on March 1, according to the district attorney's office.On Oct. 8, U.S. Marshals arrested Dawson in Phoenix Arizona., according to officer Charley Davidson. Dawson is being held on bond of five-million dollars for a shooting that killed 34-year-old Preston Spencer and injured six others with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.At approximately 12:40 a.m. on Sept. 7, officers responded to a shooting call at the Enigma Club, 351 N. Mosely.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located multiple victims that were all transported to an area hospital for medical treatment.&nbsp; The investigation revealed Dawson got into a disturbance earlier inside the club and was forced to leave.&nbsp; Dawson returned a short time later and fired multiple rounds with a handgun through windows into the club from the outside, striking the victims.In addition, Dawson had active felony Sedgwick County warrants and was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to previous felony convictions, according to Davidson.

Preliminary hearing for Kan. mass shooting suspect far from over

By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/12/kansas-broadband-leaders-tout-ongoing-programs-future-initiatives-to-bridge-digital-divide/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kansas state broadband 
leaders say federal and state funding established last year to improve 
connectivity across the state helped support nearly 100 projects, and 
they are optimistic additional funds are on the way.

During the pandemic, the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://covid.ks.gov/spark-information/">SPARK task force</a>
 earmarked $60 million in CARES Act funding for two broadband grant 
programs related to the pandemic response. Connectivity Emergency 
Response Grants totaling $50 million are funding a total of 65 projects 
across the state and 25 Broadband Partnership Adoption Grants totaling 
$10 million helped facilitate internet access for low-income households,
 defraying internet subscription costs, funded hot spots, and provided 
devices to eligible households.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1644850286730.png" alt="State and federal funds initiated in 2020 are funding nearly 100 projects across the state, said Stanley Adams, who leads the broadband development office at the Kansas Department of Commerce. He expressed optimism with how these programs were addressing the digital divide in Kansas. (Oct. 8, 2020, photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>State and federal funds initiated in 2020 are funding nearly 100 projects across the state, said Stanley Adams, who leads the broadband development office at the Kansas Department of Commerce. He expressed optimism with how these programs were addressing the digital divide in Kansas. (Oct. 8, 2020, photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/12/kansas-broadband-leaders-tout-ongoing-programs-future-initiatives-to-bridge-digital-divide/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kansas state broadband 
leaders say federal and state funding established last year to improve 
connectivity across the state helped support nearly 100 projects, and 
they are optimistic additional funds are on the way.During the pandemic, the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://covid.ks.gov/spark-information/">SPARK task force</a>
 earmarked $60 million in CARES Act funding for two broadband grant 
programs related to the pandemic response. Connectivity Emergency 
Response Grants totaling $50 million are funding a total of 65 projects 
across the state and 25 Broadband Partnership Adoption Grants totaling 
$10 million helped facilitate internet access for low-income households,
 defraying internet subscription costs, funded hot spots, and provided 
devices to eligible households.Stanley Adams, who&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/10/11/pandemic-inspired-investment-in-broadband-infrastructure-signals-new-era-of-internet-access/">leads the broadband development office</a> at the Kansas Department of Commerce, said the programs are having a positive impact on communities.“I am optimistic that this will 
represent a significant opportunity to help Kansas close the digital 
divide so all Kansans can have robust broadband and are able to fully 
participate in our ever-growing digital economy,” Adams told legislators
 on the House Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications Committee on 
Thursday.The nonprofit Kansas Appleseed 
reported 165,000 Kansans did not have wired high-speed internet service 
available at their home. In addition, about 300,000 Kansans were plagued
 by slow internet speeds.About that same number had only one service provider in their area.In April 2020, the Legislature and
 Gov. Laura Kelly approved a measure dedicating an additional $85 
million to broadband infrastructure through 2030 to aid in addressing 
this digital divide. The funding through the Kansas Department of 
Transportation’s Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program offers grants 
totaling $5 million per year for the first three years followed by a $10
 million per year for the next seven years.The maximum amount for a single 
grant is $1 million, and there is a 50% matching contribution component 
meaning the initiative can support projects costing up to $2 million in 
total to improve connectivity. This is the first state-funded broadband 
infrastructure grant program.In the first year, 14 awardees 
have nearly completed all projects. The deadline for applications for 
the second year of the program was Friday.While these programs continue to address the broadband dilemma, some legislators on the House panel had an eye to the future.“At some point SPARK funding will 
be exhausted and doled out,” said. Rep. Mark Schreiber, an Emporia 
Republican. “Are there thoughts from your department as to what happens 
after that? Once that initial glut of funding expires, what is next?”Adams said the SPARK committee is 
already planning for additional federal funding expected down the road. 
In addition, the state broadband office applied for $13.4 million to 
fund 10 more projects from the National Information and 
Telecommunications Administration’s Broadband Infrastructure Program.“The formulation for that and the 
details for how it will flow to our state or to all states is still 
being worked out,” Adams said.Cort Buffington, executive 
director of KanREN, or Kansas Research and Education Network — an 
organization serving the unique connectivity needs of education and 
research — urged legislators to consider the needs of anchor 
institutions like universities, hospitals and other organizations that 
play a vital role in their local communities when distributing future 
funds.While residential broadband 
remains of paramount importance, he said the institutional digital 
divide remains unaddressed. Buffington also urged legislators to 
consider ensuring the state’s fiber infrastructure is publicly funded 
and publicly owned.“It’s not KU’s fiber. It’s not 
KDOTs fiber,” Buffington said. “It’s fiber that belongs to the taxpayers
 of Kansas, and that should all be inventoried and made available in a 
way that’s going to do the most for us.”