TOPEKA — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases* (see below) in Kansas increased by 8,952 to a total of 739,622, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The state reported 41 additional COVID-19 deaths for a total of 7,577.

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

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

As of August 1, 2021, in accordance with an&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">updated CDC/CSTE surveillance case definition</a>, a confirmed case is defined as a person who tested positive by molecular detection (e.g., PCR, NAA) or identification of SARS-CoV-2 through genetic sequencing. A probable case is defined as a person with: a) presumptive lab evidence (antigen) or b) no lab testing but meeting clinical case criteria and is epi-linked. A person will be counted as a new surveillance case (e.g. reinfection) if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a diagnostic test (i.e., molecular, antigen) and it has been greater than 90 days since the previous positive diagnostic test. In addition, a person with sequencing results identifying different SARS-CoV-2 lineages regardless of the time since the previous specimen sequenced will be counted as a new surveillance case.&nbsp;

Cases occurring between&nbsp;September 1, 2020&nbsp;and July 29, 2021 were classified by&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">previous CDC/CSTE case definition,&nbsp;</a>and cases prior to September 1, 2020 were classified by the&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/case-definitions/coronavirus-disease-2019-2020/" target="_blank">original case definition</a>.

TOPEKA — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases* (see below) in Kansas increased by 8,952 to a total of 739,622, the state health department reported Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;&nbsp;The state reported 41 additional COVID-19 deaths for a total of 7,577.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643825670907.png" alt="Wednesday February 2, 2022 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Wednesday February 2, 2022 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://www.kansasvaccine.gov/158/Data">Click here for Data</a> about the COVID-19 vaccine.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional virus numbers from the KDHE.As of August 1, 2021, in accordance with an&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">updated CDC/CSTE surveillance case definition</a>, a confirmed case is defined as a person who tested positive by molecular detection (e.g., PCR, NAA) or identification of SARS-CoV-2 through genetic sequencing. A probable case is defined as a person with: a) presumptive lab evidence (antigen) or b) no lab testing but meeting clinical case criteria and is epi-linked. A person will be counted as a new surveillance case (e.g. reinfection) if they test positive for SARS-CoV-2 by a diagnostic test (i.e., molecular, antigen) and it has been greater than 90 days since the previous positive diagnostic test. In addition, a person with sequencing results identifying different SARS-CoV-2 lineages regardless of the time since the previous specimen sequenced will be counted as a new surveillance case.&nbsp;Cases occurring between&nbsp;September 1, 2020&nbsp;and July 29, 2021 were classified by&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/" target="_blank">previous CDC/CSTE case definition,&nbsp;</a>and cases prior to September 1, 2020 were classified by the&nbsp;<a href="https://ndc.services.cdc.gov/case-definitions/coronavirus-disease-2019-2020/" target="_blank">original case definition</a>.

KDHE: 8,900 new cases, 41 more COVID-19 deaths

SEDGWICK COUNTY— A man accused in the sex assault of two women he gave rides home made. his first appearance in court Tuesday.

Marlon Montoya, 40, Wichita, is charged with aggravated kidnapping, 2 counts of rape, 2 counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated assault, and 2 counts of battery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp;

Shortly before 12:30 a.m. on December 31, police were dispatched to the 1000 block of N Topeka in Wichita for a rape report, according to Officer Trevor Macy.

On arrival, they located a 54-year-old woman who reported being battered and forced to have sexual intercourse with an unknown male she had met earlier that day after she had asked him for a ride.

&nbsp;On January 22, officers were dispatched to the area of 13th and Ohio in Wichita for an assault call. On arrival, officers located a 63-year-old female victim who reported being battered and sexually assaulted by an unknown male after obtaining a ride from him, according to Macy.

Investigators were able to identify&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20000550">Montoya</a>&nbsp;as the suspect in these cases.

Police located him in the 1000 block of E MacArthur on January 27th and took him into custody. He was transported to the Sedgwick County <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20000550">Jail </a>.

His next court appearance is Feb.14. He remains jailed on bond of $250,000, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1643404495160.png" alt="Montoya-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Montoya-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY— A man accused in the sex assault of two women he gave rides home made. his first appearance in court Tuesday.Marlon Montoya, 40, Wichita, is charged with aggravated kidnapping, 2 counts of rape, 2 counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated assault, and 2 counts of battery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp;Shortly before 12:30 a.m. on December 31, police were dispatched to the 1000 block of N Topeka in Wichita for a rape report, according to Officer Trevor Macy.On arrival, they located a 54-year-old woman who reported being battered and forced to have sexual intercourse with an unknown male she had met earlier that day after she had asked him for a ride.&nbsp;On January 22, officers were dispatched to the area of 13th and Ohio in Wichita for an assault call. On arrival, officers located a 63-year-old female victim who reported being battered and sexually assaulted by an unknown male after obtaining a ride from him, according to Macy.Investigators were able to identify&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20000550">Montoya</a>&nbsp;as the suspect in these cases. Police located him in the 1000 block of E MacArthur on January 27th and took him into custody. He was transported to the Sedgwick County <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20000550">Jail </a>.His next court appearance is Feb.14. He remains jailed on bond of $250,000, according to the district attorney's office.

Kan. man charged with kidnapping, rape of women he gave rides

BRUSSELS (AP) — President Joe Biden is sending about 2,000 U.S.-based troops to Poland and Germany and shifting 1,000 soldiers from Germany to Romania as demonstrations of American commitments to allies on NATO’s eastern flank amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?517673-1/pentagon-announces-troop-deployments-europe-amid-rising-russia-ukraine-tensions">Click here to watch&nbsp;</a>the Pentagon briefing on the troop deployment

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the soon-to-deploy U.S. forces are intended to temporarily bolster U.S. and allied defensive positions and will not enter Ukraine.

“These are not permanent moves,” he said, stressing that the purpose is to reassure allies at a time of heightened tension over Russia’s buildup of an estimated 100,000 troops along Ukraine’s borders. Kirby said the Russian buildup has continued, even in the last 24 hours, despite U.S. urgings that it deescalate.

The newly announced U.S. troop deployments are in line with expectations based on Biden administration efforts to reassure allies and demonstrate U.S. resolve without undermining efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis.

The U.S. already has several thousand troops in Poland, and Romania is host to a NATO missile defense system that Russia considers a threat to its security. Biden notably has not sent American military reinforcements to the three Baltic countries on NATO’s eastern flank — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — that are former states of the Soviet Union.

Of the 2,000 deploying from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, about 1,700 are members of the 82nd Airborne Division infantry brigade, who will go to Poland. The other 300 are with the 18th Airborne Corps and will deploy to Germany as what the Pentagon called a “joint task force-capable headquarters.”

Poland’s Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak wrote on Twitter that the U.S. deployment to his country is “a strong signal of solidarity in response to the situation in Ukraine.”

The 1,000 U.S. troops going to Romania are members of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment based at Vilseck, Germany. They will augment the approximately 900 U.S. troops already in Romania, Kirby said.

The cavalry deployment’s purpose is to “deter aggression and enhance our defensive capabilities in frontline allied states during this period of elevated risk,” the Pentagon said in a separate written statement.

“It’s important that we send a strong signal to Mr. Putin and to the world” of the U.S commitment to NATO, Kirby said.

He said France has decided it, too, will send troop reinforcements to Romania under NATO command, and he noted that a number of other European NATO countries are considering adding forces on NATO’s eastern flank.

NATO has been beefing up its defenses around allies in eastern Europe since late last year. Denmark, for example, said it was sending a frigate and F-16 warplanes to Lithuania, and Spain was sending four fighter jets to Bulgaria and three ships to the Black Sea to join NATO naval forces. The Netherlands plans to send two F-35 fighter aircraft to Bulgaria in April and is putting a ship and land-based units on standby for NATO’s Response Force.

Biden has said he will not put American troops in Ukraine to fight any Russian incursion, although the United States is supplying Ukraine with weapons to defend itself and seeking to reassure allies in Eastern Europe that Washington will fulfill its treaty obligation to defend them in the event they are attacked. Ukraine is not a NATO member and therefore the U.S. has no treaty obligation to come to its defense.

The military moves come amid stalled talks with Russia over its military buildup at Ukraine’s borders. And they underscore growing fears across Europe that Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to invade Ukraine. Smaller NATO countries on the alliance’s eastern flank worry they could be next, although Russia has said it has no intention of initiating conflict and is willing to continue diplomatic efforts.

Biden had said recently that he intended to provide additional U.S. forces to NATO allies in Eastern Europe as reassurance of an American commitment to treaty allies.

The Pentagon also has put about 8,500 U.S.-based troops on higher alert for possible deployment to Europe as additional reassurance to allies, and officials have indicated the possibility that additional units could be placed on higher alert soon. The U.S. already has between 75,000 and 80,000 troops in Europe as permanently stationed forces and as part of regular rotations in places such as Poland.

Washington and Moscow have been at loggerheads over Ukraine, with little sign of a diplomatic path forward. Kirby on Wednesday confirmed the validity of a document reported by a Spanish newspaper that indicated the United States could be willing to enter into an agreement with Russia to ease tensions over missile deployments in Europe if Moscow steps back from the brink in Ukraine.

The daily El Pais published two documents that Kirby confirmed were written replies from the United States and NATO last week to Russia’s proposals for a new security arrangement in Europe. The U.S. State department declined to comment on them.

In reference to the second document, NATO said that it never comments on “alleged leaks.” But the text closely reflects statements made to the media last week by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg as he laid out the 30-nation military organization’s position on Russia’s demands.

The U.S. document, marked as a confidential “non-paper,” said the United States would be willing to discuss in consultation with its NATO partners “a transparency mechanism to confirm the absences of Tomahawk cruise missiles at Aegis Ashore sites in Romania and Poland.”

That would happen on condition that Russia “offers reciprocal transparency measures on two ground-launched missiles bases of our choosing in Russia.”

Full Coverage:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia-Ukraine</a>

Aegis Ashore is a system for defending against short- or intermediate-range missiles. Russia argues the site in Romania could be easily adapted to fire cruise missiles instead of interceptors, which ram their target and do not carry warheads, a claim that Washington has denied.

Putin again mentioned the possibility Tuesday, saying that “there are MK-41 launchers there that could be configured for firing Tomahawks.” He said they “are offensive systems that could reach thousands of kilometers into our territory. Isn’t that a threat to us?”

Fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine have mounted in recent months, after Putin deployed more than 100,000 troops to areas near Ukraine’s borders, including in neighboring Belarus, backed by tanks, artillery, helicopters and warplanes. Russian officials have insisted that Moscow has no intention of invading.

In his first public remarks on the standoff in more than a month, Putin on Tuesday accused the U.S. and its allies of ignoring Russia’s central security demands but he said that Moscow is willing to talk more to ease tensions over Ukraine.

His remarks suggested that a potential Russian invasion may not be imminent and that at least one more round of diplomacy is likely.

After talks in Kyiv Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte underlined that “it is essential for dialogue to continue.” If not, Rutte, said, “it is clear that further aggression against Ukraine will have serious consequences.”

At a NATO summit in 2008, NATO leaders said that they welcomed Ukraine’s and Georgia’s aspirations to join NATO but decided not to offer either country a formal path to eventual membership.

Russia invaded Georgia later that year and in 2014 annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Around 14,000 people have been killed in the conflict that still simmers in eastern Ukraine. Their membership plans have been on hold for years, although NATO continues to support them and promote reforms.

BRUSSELS (AP) – President Joe Biden is sending approximately 2,000 troops from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Poland and Germany this week and sending part of an infantry Stryker squadron of roughly 1,000 troops based in Germany to Romania, a senior administration official said Wednesday.

<a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events/fbclid/IwAR03WV9_Xdoy_GOgDxBSlHr-XU4qPKU0xZAfVImLwVWBfj4t_OXbWxu3O7w/#/?currentVideo=28044">Click here to watch </a>the Pentagon briefing on the troop deployment

The military moves come amid stalled talks with Russia over its military buildup at Ukraine’s borders. The move underscores growing fears across Europe that Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to invade Ukraine – and smaller NATO countries on the eastern flank worry they could be next.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military moves not yet announced.

NewsNation Now said The Pentagon is expected to announce that the troops will deploy “in the coming days,” U.S. officials&nbsp;told CNN.

It also said the Biden administration had previously announced&nbsp;8,500 troops would be on alert&nbsp;but did not commit to deploying them.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. has taken into account the risk that any troop movements could inflame the situation, but stressed the need for America to reassure its allies.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643813161501.png" alt="Pallets of ammunition, weapons and other equipment bound for Ukraine are processed at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware on Jan. 27.Photo By: Mauricio Campino, Air Force courtesy U.S. Dept. of Defense " />
 <figcaption>Pallets of ammunition, weapons and other equipment bound for Ukraine are processed at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware on Jan. 27.Photo By: Mauricio Campino, Air Force courtesy U.S. Dept. of Defense </figcaption>
 </figure>BRUSSELS (AP) — President Joe Biden is sending about 2,000 U.S.-based troops to Poland and Germany and shifting 1,000 soldiers from Germany to Romania as demonstrations of American commitments to allies on NATO’s eastern flank amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Pentagon said Wednesday.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?517673-1/pentagon-announces-troop-deployments-europe-amid-rising-russia-ukraine-tensions">Click here to watch&nbsp;</a>the Pentagon briefing on the troop deploymentPentagon press secretary John Kirby said the soon-to-deploy U.S. forces are intended to temporarily bolster U.S. and allied defensive positions and will not enter Ukraine.“These are not permanent moves,” he said, stressing that the purpose is to reassure allies at a time of heightened tension over Russia’s buildup of an estimated 100,000 troops along Ukraine’s borders. Kirby said the Russian buildup has continued, even in the last 24 hours, despite U.S. urgings that it deescalate.The newly announced U.S. troop deployments are in line with expectations based on Biden administration efforts to reassure allies and demonstrate U.S. resolve without undermining efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis.The U.S. already has several thousand troops in Poland, and Romania is host to a NATO missile defense system that Russia considers a threat to its security. Biden notably has not sent American military reinforcements to the three Baltic countries on NATO’s eastern flank — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — that are former states of the Soviet Union.Of the 2,000 deploying from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, about 1,700 are members of the 82nd Airborne Division infantry brigade, who will go to Poland. The other 300 are with the 18th Airborne Corps and will deploy to Germany as what the Pentagon called a “joint task force-capable headquarters.”Poland’s Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak wrote on Twitter that the U.S. deployment to his country is “a strong signal of solidarity in response to the situation in Ukraine.”The 1,000 U.S. troops going to Romania are members of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment based at Vilseck, Germany. They will augment the approximately 900 U.S. troops already in Romania, Kirby said.The cavalry deployment’s purpose is to “deter aggression and enhance our defensive capabilities in frontline allied states during this period of elevated risk,” the Pentagon said in a separate written statement.“It’s important that we send a strong signal to Mr. Putin and to the world” of the U.S commitment to NATO, Kirby said.He said France has decided it, too, will send troop reinforcements to Romania under NATO command, and he noted that a number of other European NATO countries are considering adding forces on NATO’s eastern flank.NATO has been beefing up its defenses around allies in eastern Europe since late last year. Denmark, for example, said it was sending a frigate and F-16 warplanes to Lithuania, and Spain was sending four fighter jets to Bulgaria and three ships to the Black Sea to join NATO naval forces. The Netherlands plans to send two F-35 fighter aircraft to Bulgaria in April and is putting a ship and land-based units on standby for NATO’s Response Force.Biden has said he will not put American troops in Ukraine to fight any Russian incursion, although the United States is supplying Ukraine with weapons to defend itself and seeking to reassure allies in Eastern Europe that Washington will fulfill its treaty obligation to defend them in the event they are attacked. Ukraine is not a NATO member and therefore the U.S. has no treaty obligation to come to its defense.The military moves come amid stalled talks with Russia over its military buildup at Ukraine’s borders. And they underscore growing fears across Europe that Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to invade Ukraine. Smaller NATO countries on the alliance’s eastern flank worry they could be next, although Russia has said it has no intention of initiating conflict and is willing to continue diplomatic efforts.Biden had said recently that he intended to provide additional U.S. forces to NATO allies in Eastern Europe as reassurance of an American commitment to treaty allies.The Pentagon also has put about 8,500 U.S.-based troops on higher alert for possible deployment to Europe as additional reassurance to allies, and officials have indicated the possibility that additional units could be placed on higher alert soon. The U.S. already has between 75,000 and 80,000 troops in Europe as permanently stationed forces and as part of regular rotations in places such as Poland.Washington and Moscow have been at loggerheads over Ukraine, with little sign of a diplomatic path forward. Kirby on Wednesday confirmed the validity of a document reported by a Spanish newspaper that indicated the United States could be willing to enter into an agreement with Russia to ease tensions over missile deployments in Europe if Moscow steps back from the brink in Ukraine.The daily El Pais published two documents that Kirby confirmed were written replies from the United States and NATO last week to Russia’s proposals for a new security arrangement in Europe. The U.S. State department declined to comment on them.In reference to the second document, NATO said that it never comments on “alleged leaks.” But the text closely reflects statements made to the media last week by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg as he laid out the 30-nation military organization’s position on Russia’s demands.The U.S. document, marked as a confidential “non-paper,” said the United States would be willing to discuss in consultation with its NATO partners “a transparency mechanism to confirm the absences of Tomahawk cruise missiles at Aegis Ashore sites in Romania and Poland.”That would happen on condition that Russia “offers reciprocal transparency measures on two ground-launched missiles bases of our choosing in Russia.”Full Coverage:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine">Russia-Ukraine</a>Aegis Ashore is a system for defending against short- or intermediate-range missiles. Russia argues the site in Romania could be easily adapted to fire cruise missiles instead of interceptors, which ram their target and do not carry warheads, a claim that Washington has denied.Putin again mentioned the possibility Tuesday, saying that “there are MK-41 launchers there that could be configured for firing Tomahawks.” He said they “are offensive systems that could reach thousands of kilometers into our territory. Isn’t that a threat to us?”Fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine have mounted in recent months, after Putin deployed more than 100,000 troops to areas near Ukraine’s borders, including in neighboring Belarus, backed by tanks, artillery, helicopters and warplanes. Russian officials have insisted that Moscow has no intention of invading.In his first public remarks on the standoff in more than a month, Putin on Tuesday accused the U.S. and its allies of ignoring Russia’s central security demands but he said that Moscow is willing to talk more to ease tensions over Ukraine.His remarks suggested that a potential Russian invasion may not be imminent and that at least one more round of diplomacy is likely.After talks in Kyiv Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte underlined that “it is essential for dialogue to continue.” If not, Rutte, said, “it is clear that further aggression against Ukraine will have serious consequences.”At a NATO summit in 2008, NATO leaders said that they welcomed Ukraine’s and Georgia’s aspirations to join NATO but decided not to offer either country a formal path to eventual membership.Russia invaded Georgia later that year and in 2014 annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Around 14,000 people have been killed in the conflict that still simmers in eastern Ukraine. Their membership plans have been on hold for years, although NATO continues to support them and promote reforms.___BRUSSELS (AP) – President Joe Biden is sending approximately 2,000 troops from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Poland and Germany this week and sending part of an infantry Stryker squadron of roughly 1,000 troops based in Germany to Romania, a senior administration official said Wednesday.<a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/Live-Events/fbclid/IwAR03WV9_Xdoy_GOgDxBSlHr-XU4qPKU0xZAfVImLwVWBfj4t_OXbWxu3O7w/#/?currentVideo=28044">Click here to watch </a>the Pentagon briefing on the troop deploymentThe military moves come amid stalled talks with Russia over its military buildup at Ukraine’s borders. The move underscores growing fears across Europe that Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to invade Ukraine – and smaller NATO countries on the eastern flank worry they could be next.The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military moves not yet announced.NewsNation Now said The Pentagon is expected to announce that the troops will deploy “in the coming days,” U.S. officials&nbsp;told CNN.It also said the Biden administration had previously announced&nbsp;8,500 troops would be on alert&nbsp;but did not commit to deploying them.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the U.S. has taken into account the risk that any troop movements could inflame the situation, but stressed the need for America to reassure its allies.

🎥 Biden orders US troops to Europe amid Russia standoff

Walmart, Gatik seek state law forbidding cities, counties from imposing bans

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/01/senate-takes-up-legislation-to-regulate-use-of-autonomous-vehicles-in-kansas/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Retail giant Walmart and
 autonomous vehicle developer Gatik requested Tuesday passage of a bill 
legalizing use in Kansas of driverless vehicles on fixed 
business-to-business routes and preempting cities or counties from 
establishing roadblocks to deployment of self-driving vehicles.

Forty-four states have created a framework for regulating autonomous 
vehicles, but Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma are among six states without
 laws permitting operation of these cars and trucks. The bill before the
 Kansas Senate would create a statewide policy for autonomous vehicles 
not limited to the two companies.

Mike O’Neal, a former Kansas House speaker representing Walmart, said
 technological advances in autonomous vehicles, work by Gatik and 
Walmart on pilot programs in other states and an ongoing national 
shortage of commercial truck drivers made it logical for the Senate 
Transportation Committee to consider Senate Bill 379. The committee 
heard Tuesday from O’Neal and two Gatik employees and scheduled 
testimony from opponents for Wednesday.

“In today’s environment, particularly, the timing of this is very 
good because we know we’re having some pretty serious supply-chain 
issues and companies are having to innovate,” O’Neal said.

Under the Senate bill, cities and counties couldn’t enact ordinances 
to regulate or prohibit use of autonomous vehicles. The legislation 
would restrict automated vehicles in Kansas to the “middle mile” of 
shipping, which refers to movement of goods between fixed points along 
repeatable routes. The bill wouldn’t allow the automated driving systems
 on highways unless the vehicle complied with state traffic laws and met
 federal safety standards.

Owners of autonomous vehicles would be required to maintain insurance
 and the remote operator would have to possess a commercial driving 
license. O’Neal said Walmart and Gatik would agree to an amendment 
requiring an individual, or safety driver, to be in the truck cab during
 transit for an initial 12 months of operation in Kansas to establish a 
safety record.

Members of the Senate committee raised questions about reliance on 
satellites to guide the trucks, issues of vehicle insurance, 
responsibility for traffic tickets, vehicle response during inclement 
weather and whether a Kansas pilot program would be useful.

“This is a lot of innovation,” said Sen. Jeff Pittman, D-Leavenworth.
 “This is new and is something we’re considering, but we have safety 
concerns as you can imagine.”

Sen. Dennis Pyle, R-Hiawatha, requested maps of roads the Walmart 
trucks operated on and information about where Gatik autonomous 
components and vehicles were assembled.

Richard Steiner, director of policy and regulation for Gatik, said 
the company was founded in 2017 and the firm had been collaborating with
 Walmart since 2019. Gatik medium-duty vehicles have been operating with
 Walmart in Arkansas and Louisiana. Gatik also has engaged in use of 
automated vehicles in Texas, California and Ontario, Canada.

“We have achieved a 100% safety record,” Steiner said. “We are 
excited about the prospect of investing in Kansas — creating jobs, 
connecting communities with jobs.”

He said the objective was a more efficient method of delivering goods
 through reliance on autonomous box trucks moving along fixed delivery 
routes. This middle-mile zone, or short-haul routes, is the safest 
option for deploying autonomous vehicles for retail shipping, he said.

The Gatik software responds to construction zones, lane closures or 
vehicle accidents by forcing the vehicle to stop and await the decision 
of a technician on how to proceed. Walmart’s trucks in Arkansas are 
electric, but internal combustion engines have been used in Texas. The 
tentative plan would be to operate electric trucks in Kansas, Steiner 
said.

Apeksha Kumarat, chief engineer of Gatik, said an advantage of 
concentrating on the middle mile was a reduction in the volume of data 
required of an autonomous vehicle.

“There is a very high confidence of how the systems will be 
performing on these routes,” she said. “Components such as braking and 
steering and other software components, which are very critical to the 
operation and safety of the system, are duplicated.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643739008630.png" alt="Mike O’Neal, a representative of Walmart, requested the Senate Transportation Committee to approve a bill preventing city and county governments from adopting ordinances forbidding operation of autonomous vehicles. ( (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Legislature YouTube channel)" />
 <figcaption>Mike O’Neal, a representative of Walmart, requested the Senate Transportation Committee to approve a bill preventing city and county governments from adopting ordinances forbidding operation of autonomous vehicles. ( (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Legislature YouTube channel)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Walmart, Gatik seek state law forbidding cities, counties from imposing bans</h2>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/01/senate-takes-up-legislation-to-regulate-use-of-autonomous-vehicles-in-kansas/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Retail giant Walmart and
 autonomous vehicle developer Gatik requested Tuesday passage of a bill 
legalizing use in Kansas of driverless vehicles on fixed 
business-to-business routes and preempting cities or counties from 
establishing roadblocks to deployment of self-driving vehicles.Forty-four states have created a framework for regulating autonomous 
vehicles, but Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma are among six states without
 laws permitting operation of these cars and trucks. The bill before the
 Kansas Senate would create a statewide policy for autonomous vehicles 
not limited to the two companies.Mike O’Neal, a former Kansas House speaker representing Walmart, said
 technological advances in autonomous vehicles, work by Gatik and 
Walmart on pilot programs in other states and an ongoing national 
shortage of commercial truck drivers made it logical for the Senate 
Transportation Committee to consider Senate Bill 379. The committee 
heard Tuesday from O’Neal and two Gatik employees and scheduled 
testimony from opponents for Wednesday.“In today’s environment, particularly, the timing of this is very 
good because we know we’re having some pretty serious supply-chain 
issues and companies are having to innovate,” O’Neal said.Under the Senate bill, cities and counties couldn’t enact ordinances 
to regulate or prohibit use of autonomous vehicles. The legislation 
would restrict automated vehicles in Kansas to the “middle mile” of 
shipping, which refers to movement of goods between fixed points along 
repeatable routes. The bill wouldn’t allow the automated driving systems
 on highways unless the vehicle complied with state traffic laws and met
 federal safety standards.Owners of autonomous vehicles would be required to maintain insurance
 and the remote operator would have to possess a commercial driving 
license. O’Neal said Walmart and Gatik would agree to an amendment 
requiring an individual, or safety driver, to be in the truck cab during
 transit for an initial 12 months of operation in Kansas to establish a 
safety record.Members of the Senate committee raised questions about reliance on 
satellites to guide the trucks, issues of vehicle insurance, 
responsibility for traffic tickets, vehicle response during inclement 
weather and whether a Kansas pilot program would be useful.“This is a lot of innovation,” said Sen. Jeff Pittman, D-Leavenworth.
 “This is new and is something we’re considering, but we have safety 
concerns as you can imagine.”Sen. Dennis Pyle, R-Hiawatha, requested maps of roads the Walmart 
trucks operated on and information about where Gatik autonomous 
components and vehicles were assembled.Richard Steiner, director of policy and regulation for Gatik, said 
the company was founded in 2017 and the firm had been collaborating with
 Walmart since 2019. Gatik medium-duty vehicles have been operating with
 Walmart in Arkansas and Louisiana. Gatik also has engaged in use of 
automated vehicles in Texas, California and Ontario, Canada.“We have achieved a 100% safety record,” Steiner said. “We are 
excited about the prospect of investing in Kansas — creating jobs, 
connecting communities with jobs.”He said the objective was a more efficient method of delivering goods
 through reliance on autonomous box trucks moving along fixed delivery 
routes. This middle-mile zone, or short-haul routes, is the safest 
option for deploying autonomous vehicles for retail shipping, he said.The Gatik software responds to construction zones, lane closures or 
vehicle accidents by forcing the vehicle to stop and await the decision 
of a technician on how to proceed. Walmart’s trucks in Arkansas are 
electric, but internal combustion engines have been used in Texas. The 
tentative plan would be to operate electric trucks in Kansas, Steiner 
said.Apeksha Kumarat, chief engineer of Gatik, said an advantage of 
concentrating on the middle mile was a reduction in the volume of data 
required of an autonomous vehicle.“There is a very high confidence of how the systems will be 
performing on these routes,” she said. “Components such as braking and 
steering and other software components, which are very critical to the 
operation and safety of the system, are duplicated.”

Kan. Senate takes up legislation to regulate use of autonomous vehicles

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — There will be six more weeks of winter. That's the prediction made Wednesday by Punxsutawney Phil after he emerged from his burrow in Pennsylvania to perform his Groundhog Day duties.

Thousands of people gathered at Gobbler’s Knob as members of Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle” summoned him from his tree stump at dawn to learn if he'd seen his shadow. 

After Phil’s prediction was announced, the crowd repeatedly chanted “six more weeks!” According to folklore, spring would come early if he didn’t see it.

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — There will be six more weeks of winter. That's the prediction made Wednesday by Punxsutawney Phil after he emerged from his burrow in Pennsylvania to perform his Groundhog Day duties.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aBGOfdx0Nuc?start=13" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Thousands of people gathered at Gobbler’s Knob as members of Punxsutawney Phil’s “inner circle” summoned him from his tree stump at dawn to learn if he'd seen his shadow. After Phil’s prediction was announced, the crowd repeatedly chanted “six more weeks!” According to folklore, spring would come early if he didn’t see it.

🎥 Groundhog Day: Punxsutawney Phil predicts more winter

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pfizer on Tuesday asked the U.S. to authorize extra-low doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5, potentially opening the way for the very youngest Americans to start receiving shots as early as March.

In an extraordinary move, the Food and Drug Administration had urged Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to apply earlier than the companies had planned.

The nation’s 19 million children under 5 are the only group not yet eligible for vaccination against the coronavirus. Many parents have been pushing for an expansion of shots to toddlers and preschoolers, especially as the omicron wave sent record numbers of youngsters to the hospital.

“I would say the parents in my office are desperate” to get their youngest kids vaccinated, said Dr. Dyan Hes, who runs a pediatrics practice in New York City where vaccination rates are high. For many, “that’s the first thing they ask when they walk through the door: ‘When do you think the shot is going to come out?’”

If the FDA agrees, Pfizer shots containing one-tenth of the dose given to adults could be dispensed to children as young as 6 months. Pfizer said Tuesday it had started submitting its data to the FDA and expects to complete the process in a few days.

An open question is how many shots those youngsters will need. Two of the extra-low doses turned out to be strong enough for babies but not for preschoolers. Pfizer is testing three shots, and the final data is expected in late March.

That means the FDA may consider whether to authorize two shots for now, with potentially a third shot being cleared later if the study supports it.

The FDA said Tuesday it will convene a panel of independent researchers and physicians in mid-February to help review the Pfizer data. The agency isn’t required to follow the panelists’ advice, but their input is a key step in publicly vetting vaccine safety and effectiveness.

The question of how long to wait for new vaccine data — and how much to require — is a concern for FDA regulators, who face pressure to be more proactive against a virus that has repeatedly confounded health experts.

The FDA asked Pfizer to begin submitting its application now due to omicron’s “greater toll on children,” an agency spokeswoman said, citing record cases among children under 5.

“In light of these new data and the rise in illnesses and hospitalization in this youngest age group, FDA believed that it was prudent to request that Pfizer submit the data it had available,” agency spokeswoman Stephanie Caccomo said in an emailed statement.

The FDA’s ultimate decision could come within the month but that isn’t the only hurdle. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has to sign off.

The Biden administration has been trying to speed the authorization of COVID-19 shots for children, contending vaccinations are critical for opening schools and day care centers and keeping them open, and for freeing up parents from child care duties so they can go back to work.

Yet vaccination rates have been lower among children than in other age groups. As of last week, just 20% of kids ages 5 to 11 and just over half of 12- to 17-year-olds were fully vaccinated, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Nearly three-quarters of adults are fully vaccinated.

While young children are far less likely than adults to get severely ill from the coronavirus, it can happen, and pediatric COVID-19 infections are higher than at any other point in the pandemic.

“What we’re seeing right now is still a lot of hospitalizations and unfortunately some deaths in this age group,” said Dr. Sean O’Leary of the University of Colorado, who is on the AAP’s infectious disease committee. If the FDA clears vaccinations for these youngsters, “that’s going to be really important because all of those hospitalizations and deaths essentially are preventable.”

For kids under 5, Pfizer’s study is giving participants two shots three weeks apart, followed by a third dose at least two months later. The company is testing whether the youngsters produce antibody levels similar to those known to protect teens and young adults.

In December, Pfizer announced that children under 2 looked to be protected but that the antibody response was too low in 2- to 4-year-olds. It’s not clear why, but one possibility is that the extra-low dose was a little too low for the preschoolers.

Since the preliminary results showed the shots were safe, Pfizer added a third dose to the testing in hopes of improving protection.

Chicago health officials have been trying to prepare parents for months for the day the shots are available, said Dr. Nimmi Rajagopal, a family medicine physician for Cook County Health, which oversees the public hospital system. Some parents wonder how rigorously the shots will be evaluated or have other questions that she said are critical to address.

Rajagopal is excited about getting her own 2-year-old son vaccinated if FDA clears the way, so it will be safer for him to play with other children.

“I have been waiting and waiting and waiting,” she said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pfizer on Tuesday asked the U.S. to authorize extra-low doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5, potentially opening the way for the very youngest Americans to start receiving shots as early as March.In an extraordinary move, the Food and Drug Administration had urged Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to apply earlier than the companies had planned.The nation’s 19 million children under 5 are the only group not yet eligible for vaccination against the coronavirus. Many parents have been pushing for an expansion of shots to toddlers and preschoolers, especially as the omicron wave sent record numbers of youngsters to the hospital.“I would say the parents in my office are desperate” to get their youngest kids vaccinated, said Dr. Dyan Hes, who runs a pediatrics practice in New York City where vaccination rates are high. For many, “that’s the first thing they ask when they walk through the door: ‘When do you think the shot is going to come out?’”If the FDA agrees, Pfizer shots containing one-tenth of the dose given to adults could be dispensed to children as young as 6 months. Pfizer said Tuesday it had started submitting its data to the FDA and expects to complete the process in a few days.An open question is how many shots those youngsters will need. Two of the extra-low doses turned out to be strong enough for babies but not for preschoolers. Pfizer is testing three shots, and the final data is expected in late March.That means the FDA may consider whether to authorize two shots for now, with potentially a third shot being cleared later if the study supports it.The FDA said Tuesday it will convene a panel of independent researchers and physicians in mid-February to help review the Pfizer data. The agency isn’t required to follow the panelists’ advice, but their input is a key step in publicly vetting vaccine safety and effectiveness.The question of how long to wait for new vaccine data — and how much to require — is a concern for FDA regulators, who face pressure to be more proactive against a virus that has repeatedly confounded health experts.The FDA asked Pfizer to begin submitting its application now due to omicron’s “greater toll on children,” an agency spokeswoman said, citing record cases among children under 5.“In light of these new data and the rise in illnesses and hospitalization in this youngest age group, FDA believed that it was prudent to request that Pfizer submit the data it had available,” agency spokeswoman Stephanie Caccomo said in an emailed statement.The FDA’s ultimate decision could come within the month but that isn’t the only hurdle. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also has to sign off.The Biden administration has been trying to speed the authorization of COVID-19 shots for children, contending vaccinations are critical for opening schools and day care centers and keeping them open, and for freeing up parents from child care duties so they can go back to work.Yet vaccination rates have been lower among children than in other age groups. As of last week, just 20% of kids ages 5 to 11 and just over half of 12- to 17-year-olds were fully vaccinated, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Nearly three-quarters of adults are fully vaccinated.While young children are far less likely than adults to get severely ill from the coronavirus, it can happen, and pediatric COVID-19 infections are higher than at any other point in the pandemic.“What we’re seeing right now is still a lot of hospitalizations and unfortunately some deaths in this age group,” said Dr. Sean O’Leary of the University of Colorado, who is on the AAP’s infectious disease committee. If the FDA clears vaccinations for these youngsters, “that’s going to be really important because all of those hospitalizations and deaths essentially are preventable.”For kids under 5, Pfizer’s study is giving participants two shots three weeks apart, followed by a third dose at least two months later. The company is testing whether the youngsters produce antibody levels similar to those known to protect teens and young adults.In December, Pfizer announced that children under 2 looked to be protected but that the antibody response was too low in 2- to 4-year-olds. It’s not clear why, but one possibility is that the extra-low dose was a little too low for the preschoolers.Since the preliminary results showed the shots were safe, Pfizer added a third dose to the testing in hopes of improving protection.Chicago health officials have been trying to prepare parents for months for the day the shots are available, said Dr. Nimmi Rajagopal, a family medicine physician for Cook County Health, which oversees the public hospital system. Some parents wonder how rigorously the shots will be evaluated or have other questions that she said are critical to address.Rajagopal is excited about getting her own 2-year-old son vaccinated if FDA clears the way, so it will be safer for him to play with other children.“I have been waiting and waiting and waiting,” she said.___

US could approve COVID vaccine for kids under 5 by next month

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal pedestrian accident have identified the victim as 73-year-old Luella Beemer of Wichita.

Just after 4:30p.m. Saturday, police responded to&nbsp;the 2600 block of N. Greenwich in Wichita, according to Officer Trevor Macy.

 First responders located Beemer who had suffered injuries after she was struck by a vehicle driven by a 15-year-old girl. The teen was backing out of a parking stall when she struck Beemer, who was getting into her own vehicle. EMS transported the woman to an area hospital where she later died. Police released no additional details.

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal pedestrian accident have identified the victim as 73-year-old Luella Beemer of Wichita.Just after 4:30p.m. Saturday, police responded to&nbsp;the 2600 block of N. Greenwich in Wichita, according to Officer Trevor Macy. First responders located Beemer who had suffered injuries after she was struck by a vehicle driven by a 15-year-old girl. The teen was backing out of a parking stall when she struck Beemer, who was getting into her own vehicle. EMS transported the woman to an area hospital where she later died. Police released no additional details.

Police ID Kan. woman who died after struck by teen driver

This new scam can seriously affect a business’ 
reputation. If you own a company, watch out for scammers trying to steal
 your Google Business Profile — along with all the good reviews you 
worked so hard to get.

When you search for a business in Google, information about that 
company will typically appear in the right sidebar. This is called a 
Google Business Profile. Alongside basic information, such as address, 
phone number, and operating hours, there’s a link enabling the business 
owner to claim and edit the profile. Unfortunately, it’s also an 
opportunity for scammers. &nbsp;

Scammers click the “Own this business?” link, which sends a request 
email to the current owner. If you or someone in your company approves 
this request, thinking it is legitimate, the scammer can take over your 
profile. They will likely change the name of your business and lock you out of the account.

Scammers then use this new business profile, with all of your reviews, to fool consumers into contacting them. <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/22797-bbb-scam-alert-locked-out-dont-fall-for-a-locksmith-cons" target="_blank">Scam locksmiths</a>
 commonly use this technique. If your business profile is stolen, you’ll
 need to go through a process with Google support to reclaim your 
profile. In the meantime, your profile may have received bad reviews or 
been altered by scammers.

How to protect your Google Business Profile

Read up on the <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/business/23063-better-business-briefing-the-power-of-customer-reviews-on-small-businesses" target="_blank">power of customer reviews</a>. Learn more about <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/19932-bbb-warning-businesses-dont-fall-for-that-scam" target="_blank">scams targeting small businesses</a>.

If you’ve spotted a scam, report it to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/ScamTracker" target="_blank">BBB Scam Tracker</a>, even if you didn’t fall victim or lose any money. Your report can help others avoid common scam tactics.

Stay up to date on the latest scams by subscribing to&nbsp;<a href="https://signup.e2ma.net/signup/1900156/1902645/" target="_blank">BBB’s weekly Scam Alerts email</a>. Learn how to spot a scam at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/all/spot-a-scam" target="_blank">BBB.org/SpotaScam</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579883951052.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BBBThis new scam can seriously affect a business’ 
reputation. If you own a company, watch out for scammers trying to steal
 your Google Business Profile — along with all the good reviews you 
worked so hard to get.<h2>How the scam works</h2>When you search for a business in Google, information about that 
company will typically appear in the right sidebar. This is called a 
Google Business Profile. Alongside basic information, such as address, 
phone number, and operating hours, there’s a link enabling the business 
owner to claim and edit the profile. Unfortunately, it’s also an 
opportunity for scammers. &nbsp;Scammers click the “Own this business?” link, which sends a request 
email to the current owner. If you or someone in your company approves 
this request, thinking it is legitimate, the scammer can take over your 
profile. They will likely change the name of your business and lock you out of the account.Scammers then use this new business profile, with all of your reviews, to fool consumers into contacting them. <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/22797-bbb-scam-alert-locked-out-dont-fall-for-a-locksmith-cons" target="_blank">Scam locksmiths</a>
 commonly use this technique. If your business profile is stolen, you’ll
 need to go through a process with Google support to reclaim your 
profile. In the meantime, your profile may have received bad reviews or 
been altered by scammers.<h2>How to protect your Google Business Profile </h2><ul>
 <li>Reject suspicious ownership requests. Stop scammers
 in their tracks by rejecting unauthorized attempts to claim your 
business profile immediately. If you aren’t sure if a member of your 
staff is behind the request, find out before you accept it. </li><li>Check your email and any alerts you receive from Google in a timely fashion. Scammers are counting on you not noticing strange activity on your profile. When initially verifying your account, be sure to use an email that you check regularly. </li><li>Contact Google support if your account gets hijacked. Regain control of your stolen account through Google’s support team. Fill out <a href="https://support.google.com/business/contact/gmb_3p_complaints" target="_blank">this form on Google</a> to start the reclaiming process. </li><li>Always report fraudulent activity. <a href="https://support.google.com/business/contact/gmb_3p_complaints" target="_blank">Report any problems</a> to Google immediately. You can also report your experience at <a href="https://www.BBB.org/ScamTracker">BBB.org/ScamTracker</a>. Your report will help other businesses stay alert to similar threats.</li>
 </ul><h2>For more information</h2>Read up on the <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/business/23063-better-business-briefing-the-power-of-customer-reviews-on-small-businesses" target="_blank">power of customer reviews</a>. Learn more about <a href="https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/19932-bbb-warning-businesses-dont-fall-for-that-scam" target="_blank">scams targeting small businesses</a>.If you’ve spotted a scam, report it to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/ScamTracker" target="_blank">BBB Scam Tracker</a>, even if you didn’t fall victim or lose any money. Your report can help others avoid common scam tactics.Stay up to date on the latest scams by subscribing to&nbsp;<a href="https://signup.e2ma.net/signup/1900156/1902645/" target="_blank">BBB’s weekly Scam Alerts email</a>. Learn how to spot a scam at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bbb.org/all/spot-a-scam" target="_blank">BBB.org/SpotaScam</a>.

Scam alert: Scammers targeting Google Business Profiles

By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/01/kansas-senate-unanimously-approves-gold-star-family-monument-for-statehouse-grounds/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kansas senators approved
 a series of bills Tuesday, including one allowing the construction on 
Statehouse grounds of a permanent memorial honoring the immediate 
families of those who lost their lives in the line of duty.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/sb330/">Senate Bill 330</a>
 comes in response to a unanimous decision by the Capitol Preservation 
Committee to add a Gold Star Family monument to the Veterans’ Walk 
outside the Capitol building in Topeka. The memorial will be funded 
entirely though donations and private funds.

“We are very anxious to erect and have a dedication ceremony for this
 Gold Star memorial later on this year,” said Sen. Jeff Longbine, 
R-Emporia. “The Capitol Preservation Committee has given preliminary 
approval. The design has been done and fundraising is getting ready to 
be started.”

The Senate approved the bill 40-0, and an identical measure has a hearing Thursday in the House Veterans and Military Committee.

Senators also approved legislation concerning water supply, boiler safety and disability savings accounts.

Perry Wiggins, executive director for the governor’s Military 
Council, said Kansas is one of few remaining states yet to have one of 
these memorials established on Statehouse grounds. He said the bill 
would rectify this oversight and emphasize Kansas’ military support.

“As a father of two servicemen myself, I can tell you that’s one of 
the hardest things you can do. Standing on point for this nation in 
uniform for me was not difficult but to have to have two of my own 
standing on point is very difficult,” Wiggins said. “Our true and unsung
 heroes for this nation are those families, the ones who have given the 
ultimate sacrifice and sacrificed our nation’s most precious resource, 
which is its sons and daughters.”

The monument will be 44 inches tall with a purple and gold pin 
recognized by the Department of Defense shortly after World War II at 
the top of a plaque. The plaque will read: “Dedicated by the grateful 
citizens of the state of Kansas in honor of those Gold Star families who
 sacrificed a loved one for our liberties and freedoms,” Wiggins said.

In addition to approving the memorial, senators passed a bill 
adjusting water boiler exemptions, which passed 125-0 in the House, and 
legislation to allow financing from the Public Water Supply Loan Fund 
for public water supply projects that acquire water through a water 
transfer.

They also approved a measure updating the state ABLE savings 
accounts, intended to help individuals with a disability and their 
families to save funds. Currently, ABLE accounts are required to have a 
conservatorship or a guardian in place. This measure would give a little
 bit more flexibility and would also bring the law into compliance with 
new federal regulations.

“This is a good bill for those who utilize this and without this 
bill, a lot of folks who deal with these kinds of issues will lose their
 ability to use the ABLE accounts in Kansas,” said Sen. Jeff Pittman, 
D-Leavenworth.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643814981716.png" alt="Sen, Jeff Longbine championed a measure to erect a Gold Star family monument of Statehouse grounds as a means to show appreciation to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice while in the line of duty and their loved ones. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Sen, Jeff Longbine championed a measure to erect a Gold Star family monument of Statehouse grounds as a means to show appreciation to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice while in the line of duty and their loved ones. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By NOAH TABORDA <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/01/kansas-senate-unanimously-approves-gold-star-family-monument-for-statehouse-grounds/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kansas senators approved
 a series of bills Tuesday, including one allowing the construction on 
Statehouse grounds of a permanent memorial honoring the immediate 
families of those who lost their lives in the line of duty.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2021_22/measures/sb330/">Senate Bill 330</a>
 comes in response to a unanimous decision by the Capitol Preservation 
Committee to add a Gold Star Family monument to the Veterans’ Walk 
outside the Capitol building in Topeka. The memorial will be funded 
entirely though donations and private funds.“We are very anxious to erect and have a dedication ceremony for this
 Gold Star memorial later on this year,” said Sen. Jeff Longbine, 
R-Emporia. “The Capitol Preservation Committee has given preliminary 
approval. The design has been done and fundraising is getting ready to 
be started.”The Senate approved the bill 40-0, and an identical measure has a hearing Thursday in the House Veterans and Military Committee.Senators also approved legislation concerning water supply, boiler safety and disability savings accounts.Perry Wiggins, executive director for the governor’s Military 
Council, said Kansas is one of few remaining states yet to have one of 
these memorials established on Statehouse grounds. He said the bill 
would rectify this oversight and emphasize Kansas’ military support.“As a father of two servicemen myself, I can tell you that’s one of 
the hardest things you can do. Standing on point for this nation in 
uniform for me was not difficult but to have to have two of my own 
standing on point is very difficult,” Wiggins said. “Our true and unsung
 heroes for this nation are those families, the ones who have given the 
ultimate sacrifice and sacrificed our nation’s most precious resource, 
which is its sons and daughters.”The monument will be 44 inches tall with a purple and gold pin 
recognized by the Department of Defense shortly after World War II at 
the top of a plaque. The plaque will read: “Dedicated by the grateful 
citizens of the state of Kansas in honor of those Gold Star families who
 sacrificed a loved one for our liberties and freedoms,” Wiggins said.In addition to approving the memorial, senators passed a bill 
adjusting water boiler exemptions, which passed 125-0 in the House, and 
legislation to allow financing from the Public Water Supply Loan Fund 
for public water supply projects that acquire water through a water 
transfer.They also approved a measure updating the state ABLE savings 
accounts, intended to help individuals with a disability and their 
families to save funds. Currently, ABLE accounts are required to have a 
conservatorship or a guardian in place. This measure would give a little
 bit more flexibility and would also bring the law into compliance with 
new federal regulations.“This is a good bill for those who utilize this and without this 
bill, a lot of folks who deal with these kinds of issues will lose their
 ability to use the ABLE accounts in Kansas,” said Sen. Jeff Pittman, 
D-Leavenworth.

Kan. Senate approves Gold Star Family monument for Statehouse grounds

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A man serving a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1fc2ad3d824541e98d604464d23b0191">25-year prison sentence</a>&nbsp;for rigging computers to win lottery jackpots for himself, friends and family will be released from an Iowa prison on parole after serving nearly five years, but he could be forced to return to prison in another state if he doesn’t pay required restitution.

The Iowa Board of Parole granted release to Eddie Tipton on Jan. 20 because of good behavior, and he will be allowed to live in Texas, a board document said.

Tipton&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/4d6bedd2f2b347d68a3be15c2761b577">pleaded guilty in 2017</a>&nbsp;to ongoing criminal conduct and was ordered to repay $2.2 million in ill-gotten winnings from lotteries in Kansas, Colorado, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. He shared some of the restitution obligation with his brother in Texas, Tommy Tipton, who collected some of the winnings.

An Iowa jury also convicted Eddie Tipton of attempting to take $16.5 million from a rigged Iowa Lottery game in December 2010, but the Iowa Supreme Court in 2017&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fde8118a94f34bdb989ba81fbe4d3cf8">overruled the decision</a>, saying the state took too long to prosecute him.

Eddie Tipton owes no restitution in Iowa because Iowa Lottery officials never paid him for the Hot Lotto ticket he attempted to redeem in December 2010 after suspecting misconduct. He also agreed to a plea deal in Wisconsin that requires him to repay $409,600 to that state. Court documents from 2019 show that Eddie Tipton had paid $463 and still owed the state $409,137.

In Wisconsin, Eddie Tipton must pay restitution to the state by the end of his sentence there. His four years in prison was ordered served concurrently with the Iowa sentence but he has parole to complete in Wisconsin, which would end in September 2026. If he hasn’t paid his full restitution by then, a judge could order him back to prison there, according to information provided by Wisconsin officials to Iowa Auditor Rob Sand, who was an assistant attorney general who prosecuted Tipton’s case.

“Eddie may be done with this term, but under his plea agreement, he needs to get restitution paid to avoid serving more time in Wisconsin. I wish him luck in getting that done,” Sand said.

The 2019 document shows that Eddie Tipton still owed Colorado more than $568,300, Oklahoma $643,700 and Kansas $30,700 in restitution. It’s not clear whether he could be returned to prison if he hasn’t paid restitution in those states.

Eddie Tipton worked at an Urbandale, Iowa, organization that provided random number drawing computers to several lottery states. Investigators said he installed code on lottery computers that allowed him to predict the winning numbers on specific days. He, his brother and others played the numbers he predicted and claimed winnings.

Tommy Tipton was sentenced to 75 days in jail in Texas and was ordered to pay a portion of the restitution in some states.

Eddie Tipton, at his 2017 Iowa sentencing hearing, told the judge he “wrote software that included code that allowed me to understand or technically predict winning numbers, and I gave those numbers to other individuals who then won the lottery and shared the winnings with me.”

It’s not clear what happened to the money Eddie Tipton and his associates won between 2005 and 2011. Out of the seven known winning tickets that netted more than $2.2 million, Eddie Tipton claimed to have ended up with only $351,000.

Eddie Tipton, 58,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-des-moines-lawsuits-crime-1ddfbedc4ddd3a221310dffbefc2b553">has filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in state court claiming he was placed under duress to plead guilty. He also alleges that Iowa officials charged him for restitution in states for which it has no jurisdiction, and he says he can’t pay.

Assistant Attorney General William Hill asked a judge in November to dismiss the case, saying the lawsuit was barred by the statute of limitations and it should be dismissed as frivolous. Hill also said by filing the lawsuit Tipton is violating the terms of his plea agreements and that the violation “provides the opportunity for all jurisdictions to re-initiate criminal charges against him. A trial is set for Aug. 17.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/8/1566940541907.png" alt="Eddie Tipton-photo Polk County" />
 <figcaption>Eddie Tipton-photo Polk County</figcaption>
 </figure>DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A man serving a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/1fc2ad3d824541e98d604464d23b0191">25-year prison sentence</a>&nbsp;for rigging computers to win lottery jackpots for himself, friends and family will be released from an Iowa prison on parole after serving nearly five years, but he could be forced to return to prison in another state if he doesn’t pay required restitution.The Iowa Board of Parole granted release to Eddie Tipton on Jan. 20 because of good behavior, and he will be allowed to live in Texas, a board document said.Tipton&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/4d6bedd2f2b347d68a3be15c2761b577">pleaded guilty in 2017</a>&nbsp;to ongoing criminal conduct and was ordered to repay $2.2 million in ill-gotten winnings from lotteries in Kansas, Colorado, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. He shared some of the restitution obligation with his brother in Texas, Tommy Tipton, who collected some of the winnings.An Iowa jury also convicted Eddie Tipton of attempting to take $16.5 million from a rigged Iowa Lottery game in December 2010, but the Iowa Supreme Court in 2017&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fde8118a94f34bdb989ba81fbe4d3cf8">overruled the decision</a>, saying the state took too long to prosecute him.Eddie Tipton owes no restitution in Iowa because Iowa Lottery officials never paid him for the Hot Lotto ticket he attempted to redeem in December 2010 after suspecting misconduct. He also agreed to a plea deal in Wisconsin that requires him to repay $409,600 to that state. Court documents from 2019 show that Eddie Tipton had paid $463 and still owed the state $409,137.In Wisconsin, Eddie Tipton must pay restitution to the state by the end of his sentence there. His four years in prison was ordered served concurrently with the Iowa sentence but he has parole to complete in Wisconsin, which would end in September 2026. If he hasn’t paid his full restitution by then, a judge could order him back to prison there, according to information provided by Wisconsin officials to Iowa Auditor Rob Sand, who was an assistant attorney general who prosecuted Tipton’s case.“Eddie may be done with this term, but under his plea agreement, he needs to get restitution paid to avoid serving more time in Wisconsin. I wish him luck in getting that done,” Sand said.The 2019 document shows that Eddie Tipton still owed Colorado more than $568,300, Oklahoma $643,700 and Kansas $30,700 in restitution. It’s not clear whether he could be returned to prison if he hasn’t paid restitution in those states.Eddie Tipton worked at an Urbandale, Iowa, organization that provided random number drawing computers to several lottery states. Investigators said he installed code on lottery computers that allowed him to predict the winning numbers on specific days. He, his brother and others played the numbers he predicted and claimed winnings.Tommy Tipton was sentenced to 75 days in jail in Texas and was ordered to pay a portion of the restitution in some states.Eddie Tipton, at his 2017 Iowa sentencing hearing, told the judge he “wrote software that included code that allowed me to understand or technically predict winning numbers, and I gave those numbers to other individuals who then won the lottery and shared the winnings with me.”It’s not clear what happened to the money Eddie Tipton and his associates won between 2005 and 2011. Out of the seven known winning tickets that netted more than $2.2 million, Eddie Tipton claimed to have ended up with only $351,000.Eddie Tipton, 58,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-des-moines-lawsuits-crime-1ddfbedc4ddd3a221310dffbefc2b553">has filed a lawsuit</a>&nbsp;in state court claiming he was placed under duress to plead guilty. He also alleges that Iowa officials charged him for restitution in states for which it has no jurisdiction, and he says he can’t pay.Assistant Attorney General William Hill asked a judge in November to dismiss the case, saying the lawsuit was barred by the statute of limitations and it should be dismissed as frivolous. Hill also said by filing the lawsuit Tipton is violating the terms of his plea agreements and that the violation “provides the opportunity for all jurisdictions to re-initiate criminal charges against him. A trial is set for Aug. 17.

Man convicted of lottery scam in Kan., 3 other states granted parole

FORD COUNTY —A Kansas man died in an accident just after 2p.m. Tuesday in Ford County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Olds Bravada driven by Gaylord Howard Moritz, 87, Spearville, was southbound on 126 Road and stopped at the stop sign for U.S 50.

The driver then failed to yield to a&nbsp; westbound 1996 International semi driven by Bret Duane Lancaster, 61, Offerle.&nbsp;The semi struck the SUV.

EMS transported Moritz and&nbsp; Lancaster to Western Plains Medical Center where Moritz died. The drivers were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

FORD COUNTY —A Kansas man died in an accident just after 2p.m. Tuesday in Ford County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Olds Bravada driven by Gaylord Howard Moritz, 87, Spearville, was southbound on 126 Road and stopped at the stop sign for U.S 50.The driver then failed to yield to a&nbsp; westbound 1996 International semi driven by Bret Duane Lancaster, 61, Offerle.&nbsp;The semi struck the SUV.EMS transported Moritz and&nbsp; Lancaster to Western Plains Medical Center where Moritz died. The drivers were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

87-year-old Kansas man died after crash with a semi

DONIPHAN COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating alleged child sex crimes have arrested a suspect.

On January 12, the U.S. Marshals Service in Omaha arrested 37-year-old Christopher Jimeson on a Doniphan County warrant, according to a media release from Highland Police.

This week, Jimeson of Nemaha County Nebraska was extradited to Doniphan County Kansas to face requested charges including aggravated criminal sodomy of a child; aggravated indecent liberties of a child; criminal threat; and aggravated endangerment of a child.

He has a previous drug conviction in Nebraska, according to online jail records. He is being held on a $500,000 bond.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643734138066.png" alt="Jimeson-photo Doniphan County" />
 <figcaption>Jimeson-photo Doniphan County</figcaption>
 </figure>DONIPHAN COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating alleged child sex crimes have arrested a suspect.On January 12, the U.S. Marshals Service in Omaha arrested 37-year-old Christopher Jimeson on a Doniphan County warrant, according to a media release from Highland Police.This week, Jimeson of Nemaha County Nebraska was extradited to Doniphan County Kansas to face requested charges including aggravated criminal sodomy of a child; aggravated indecent liberties of a child; criminal threat; and aggravated endangerment of a child.He has a previous drug conviction in Nebraska, according to online jail records. He is being held on a $500,000 bond.

Kansas child sex crime suspect arrested in Nebraska

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced that total tax collections for January were $944.5 million. That is $119.6 million, or 14.5%, more than the monthly estimate. This is also an 18.7% growth over January 2021, according to a statement from her office.

<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjAyMDEuNTI3MjUzNTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2NvbnRlbnQuZ292ZGVsaXZlcnkuY29tL2F0dGFjaG1lbnRzL0tTT0cvMjAyMi8wMi8wMS9maWxlX2F0dGFjaG1lbnRzLzIwNjQyMzkvMDdfSmFudWFyeV9SZXZlbnVlX0ZZMjAyMl8wMi0wMS0yMDIyX0ZpbmFsLnBkZiJ9.o_Slf84LWvBZr_bhCAlLHS6HP2WUus9dhz5SjNTU7IY/s/1303160919/br/125971008203-l" target="_blank">Click here</a>&nbsp;to view the tax receipts

“Over the past three years my administration has taken steps to restore the Kansas economy, and that fiscal responsibility has paved the way to provide direct tax relief to Kansas taxpayers,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“That relief will come specifically through proposals like axing the state’s sales tax on food. I urge the Legislature to send a clean bill to my desk quickly, so we can get this done for Kansas families.”

Individual income tax collections were $542.2 million. That is $82.2 million, or 17.9%, more than the estimate and 18.4% more than the previous January. Wage withholding remains strong going into 2022 reflecting both improved statewide employment and accompanying wage growth.

Retail sales tax collections were $258.2 million for January. This is $18.2 million, or 7.6%, more than the estimate and 14.9% more than January 2021. Compensating use tax collections also exceeded estimates by 5.2%. Those collections are also 30.2% more than the previous January. Both retailer’s sales tax and compensating use tax collections established new monthly collection records in January 2022.

“Individual income tax, corporate income tax, retailer’s sales tax, and compensating use tax all continue to perform well as the state’s primary revenue sources,”&nbsp;Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart said.&nbsp;“Increased holiday spending in December accounts in large part for the record sales and compensating use tax collections in January.”

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced that total tax collections for January were $944.5 million. That is $119.6 million, or 14.5%, more than the monthly estimate. This is also an 18.7% growth over January 2021, according to a statement from her office.<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMjAyMDEuNTI3MjUzNTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2NvbnRlbnQuZ292ZGVsaXZlcnkuY29tL2F0dGFjaG1lbnRzL0tTT0cvMjAyMi8wMi8wMS9maWxlX2F0dGFjaG1lbnRzLzIwNjQyMzkvMDdfSmFudWFyeV9SZXZlbnVlX0ZZMjAyMl8wMi0wMS0yMDIyX0ZpbmFsLnBkZiJ9.o_Slf84LWvBZr_bhCAlLHS6HP2WUus9dhz5SjNTU7IY/s/1303160919/br/125971008203-l" target="_blank">Click here</a>&nbsp;to view the tax receipts“Over the past three years my administration has taken steps to restore the Kansas economy, and that fiscal responsibility has paved the way to provide direct tax relief to Kansas taxpayers,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“That relief will come specifically through proposals like axing the state’s sales tax on food. I urge the Legislature to send a clean bill to my desk quickly, so we can get this done for Kansas families.”Individual income tax collections were $542.2 million. That is $82.2 million, or 17.9%, more than the estimate and 18.4% more than the previous January. Wage withholding remains strong going into 2022 reflecting both improved statewide employment and accompanying wage growth.Retail sales tax collections were $258.2 million for January. This is $18.2 million, or 7.6%, more than the estimate and 14.9% more than January 2021. Compensating use tax collections also exceeded estimates by 5.2%. Those collections are also 30.2% more than the previous January. Both retailer’s sales tax and compensating use tax collections established new monthly collection records in January 2022.“Individual income tax, corporate income tax, retailer’s sales tax, and compensating use tax all continue to perform well as the state’s primary revenue sources,”&nbsp;Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart said.&nbsp;“Increased holiday spending in December accounts in large part for the record sales and compensating use tax collections in January.”

Kansas revenues exceed expectations for 18th month in a row

MCPHERSON — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged threat to commit violence at the McPherson High School and arrested the suspect.

On Monday evening, the McPherson Police Department received a report concerning a threat communicated on Snapchat to commit violence at the McPherson High School using knives. 

On Tuesday, the McPherson Police Department posted additional officers in the high school and middle school.

With the assistance from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the McPherson Police Department identified the suspect who communicated the threat of violence via Snapchat as a 15-year-old McPherson High School student. Officers arrested the suspect on a requested charge of Criminal Threat. The suspect was processed through Juvenile Intake and Assessment; and then transported to a detention center.

Chief Mikel T. Golden thanked students and parents, who saw the Snapchat and made the “right” decision to notify Law Enforcement right away. Additionally, to address rumors of a threat of violence involving “guns,” no threats involving guns or firearms were communicated.

MCPHERSON — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged threat to commit violence at the McPherson High School and arrested the suspect.On Monday evening, the McPherson Police Department received a report concerning a threat communicated on Snapchat to commit violence at the McPherson High School using knives. On Tuesday, the McPherson Police Department posted additional officers in the high school and middle school.With the assistance from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the McPherson Police Department identified the suspect who communicated the threat of violence via Snapchat as a 15-year-old McPherson High School student. Officers arrested the suspect on a requested charge of Criminal Threat. The suspect was processed through Juvenile Intake and Assessment; and then transported to a detention center.Chief Mikel T. Golden thanked students and parents, who saw the Snapchat and made the “right” decision to notify Law Enforcement right away. Additionally, to address rumors of a threat of violence involving “guns,” no threats involving guns or firearms were communicated.

15-year-old arrested for alleged school threat in McPherson

A man whose death sentence was overturned three times before being reinstated is now scheduled to die in May for killing a small-town couple nearly 26 years ago.

The Missouri Supreme Court on Monday set a May 3 execution date for Carman Deck. Executions in Missouri are carried out at the prison in Bonne Terre.

James and Zelma Long were fatally shot during a robbery inside their home in De Soto, about 45 miles southwest of St. Louis, in July 1996. Deck confessed to the killings and was sentenced to death in 1998. The Missouri Supreme Court threw out the sentence due to errors by Deck's trial lawyer.

After he was sentenced a second time, the U.S. Supreme Court tossed that sentence in 2005, citing the prejudice caused by Deck being shackled in front of the sentencing jury.

He was sentenced to death for a third time in 2008. In 2017, U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/59b0d23c85d04ed7b8374ce433393748">determined that “substantial” evidence arguing against the death penalty</a>&nbsp;in Deck’s first two penalty phases was unavailable for the third because witnesses had died, couldn’t be found or declined to cooperate.

In October 2020, a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-courts-michael-brown-courts-dafff1dff6fdc35801b8fee2065af7ff">restored the death penalty</a>, ruling that Deck should have raised his concern first in state court, not federal court.

Court records said Deck and his sister went to the Long home under the guise of asking for directions, but with the intent to rob them. Deck pulled a pistol from his waistband and ordered them to lie facedown on their bed. He shot them in the head.

Prosecutors said Deck later gave a full account of the killings in oral, written and audio taped statements.

Only 11 people were executed in the U.S. last year, the fewest since 1988. Among them was Ernest Lee Johnson, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-columbia-st-louis-missouri-religion-ec42295f28d14e01055aab20075c6422">was put to death in Missouri in October</a>&nbsp;for killing three Columbia convenience store workers in 1994.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643738665139.png" alt="Deck photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Deck photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>By JIM SALTER, Associated PressA man whose death sentence was overturned three times before being reinstated is now scheduled to die in May for killing a small-town couple nearly 26 years ago.The Missouri Supreme Court on Monday set a May 3 execution date for Carman Deck. Executions in Missouri are carried out at the prison in Bonne Terre.James and Zelma Long were fatally shot during a robbery inside their home in De Soto, about 45 miles southwest of St. Louis, in July 1996. Deck confessed to the killings and was sentenced to death in 1998. The Missouri Supreme Court threw out the sentence due to errors by Deck's trial lawyer.After he was sentenced a second time, the U.S. Supreme Court tossed that sentence in 2005, citing the prejudice caused by Deck being shackled in front of the sentencing jury.He was sentenced to death for a third time in 2008. In 2017, U.S. District Judge Catherine Perry&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/59b0d23c85d04ed7b8374ce433393748">determined that “substantial” evidence arguing against the death penalty</a>&nbsp;in Deck’s first two penalty phases was unavailable for the third because witnesses had died, couldn’t be found or declined to cooperate.In October 2020, a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/state-courts-michael-brown-courts-dafff1dff6fdc35801b8fee2065af7ff">restored the death penalty</a>, ruling that Deck should have raised his concern first in state court, not federal court.Court records said Deck and his sister went to the Long home under the guise of asking for directions, but with the intent to rob them. Deck pulled a pistol from his waistband and ordered them to lie facedown on their bed. He shot them in the head.Prosecutors said Deck later gave a full account of the killings in oral, written and audio taped statements.Only 11 people were executed in the U.S. last year, the fewest since 1988. Among them was Ernest Lee Johnson, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-columbia-st-louis-missouri-religion-ec42295f28d14e01055aab20075c6422">was put to death in Missouri in October</a>&nbsp;for killing three Columbia convenience store workers in 1994.

Execution set for man whose sentence was overturned 3 times

OSBORNE COUNTY–&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Osborne County Sheriff’s Office again ask for the public’s assistance as they investigate the November 3, 2021 murder of 48-year-old Calvin Beams of Downs, according to a media release from the KBI.

Beams was reported missing on Nov. 4, and his body was then discovered by a farmer in a field south of Downs on Nov. 8.&nbsp;

Anyone with information about this homicide case is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME. Tips can also be submitted anonymously online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643750806417.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>OSBORNE COUNTY–&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Osborne County Sheriff’s Office again ask for the public’s assistance as they investigate the November 3, 2021 murder of 48-year-old Calvin Beams of Downs, according to a media release from the KBI.Beams was reported missing on Nov. 4, and his body was then discovered by a farmer in a field south of Downs on Nov. 8.&nbsp;Anyone with information about this homicide case is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME. Tips can also be submitted anonymously online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.&nbsp;

KBI asks for help with investigation into murder of Kan. man

KANSAS CITY—One person died in a house fire Tuesday in Kansas City, Kansas.

Just after 8a.m., fire crews responded&nbsp; to a single-story house fire at&nbsp;2832 N Allis Street, according to a media release.

Firefighters searched the home, found a man and pulled him from the home. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, according to KCK fire officials.

.No firefighters were injured.&nbsp; Fire officials have not released the identity of the victim.&nbsp;The cause of the fire remains under investigation

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643748838685.png" alt="photo KCK Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>photo KCK Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—One person died in a house fire Tuesday in Kansas City, Kansas.Just after 8a.m., fire crews responded&nbsp; to a single-story house fire at&nbsp;2832 N Allis Street, according to a media release.Firefighters searched the home, found a man and pulled him from the home. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, according to KCK fire officials..No firefighters were injured.&nbsp; Fire officials have not released the identity of the victim.&nbsp;The cause of the fire remains under investigation

Man dies after 2-alarm fire at Kansas home

Hearing attracts 11 opponents, no favorable testimony

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643730828104.png" alt="Rep. Patrick Penn, R-Wichita, asserted the executive director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association advocated discrimination against LGBTQIA, indigenous and Black people by opposing a bill allowing homeschool and virtual school students to participate in sports and activities in public school districts. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Patrick Penn, R-Wichita, asserted the executive director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association advocated discrimination against LGBTQIA, indigenous and Black people by opposing a bill allowing homeschool and virtual school students to participate in sports and activities in public school districts. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Hearing attracts 11 opponents, no favorable testimony</h2>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/01/bill-opens-public-school-sports-extracurricular-activities-to-virtual-or-homeschool-students/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Douglass High School activities director Jason Menard says 
there’s no justification for a Kansas House bill rewriting state law to 
make virtual school, homeschool and nonaccredited private school 
students eligible for extracurricular activities in the public school 
district where they reside.Menard, president of the Kansas Interscholastic Athletic 
Administrators Association, urged the House K-12 Education Budget 
Committee on Monday to reject the bill and affirm the state’s system of 
providing sports, music, debate and other opportunities to bona fide 
students of a public school district who participate only if compliant 
with attendance, academic and behavior standards set by the local Board 
of Education and the Kansas State High School Activities Association.He said the legislation would disrupt an approach to education that 
blended classroom experiences with lessons learned through involvement 
in more than 15 KSHSAA-sanctioned activities.“One thing we teach our students every day, is that there are 
positive and negative consequences to every decision,” Menard said. 
“Students and parents that choose the homeschool setting are doing so 
because they felt it was in their best academic or social interests. But
 by choosing the homeschool route, you are also forgoing opportunities 
to participate in their local school’s activities.”The committee took no action on <a target="_blank" href="http://kslegislature.com/li/b2021_22/measures/hb2511/">House Bill 2511</a>,
 but chairwoman Kristey Williams, a Republican from Augusta, expressed 
support for the bill likely to gain traction among conservative 
lawmakers fond of school choice. While no one testified in support of 
the bill, Williams said written testimony in favor of it was submitted 
after the deadline and wasn’t made public.The bill would place into state law a requirement KSHSAA employees 
and board members be mandatory reporters of alleged student abuse or 
neglect. Currently, 73 of the 79 members of the KSHSAA board of 
directors are employees of Kansas school districts and fall under 
existing law making them mandated reporters. The other six, appointees 
of the state Board of Education or Gov. Laura Kelly, are mandatory 
reporters due to employment or licensing status.Williams said students educated in home or virtual settings would be 
enriched by taking part in extracurricular activities at the 286 public 
school districts in Kansas. The influx of athletes or performers would 
be a boon in public school districts with shrinking enrollment, she 
said.Under the bill, the private-education newcomers would be required to 
adhere to age, vaccination and fee-payment rules of their public school 
peers. They wouldn’t be held to academic course enrollment and 
completion standards applied to public school students takin part in 
extracurricular offerings.Williams labeled Kansas a “no access” state in terms of opening 
public school activities and sports to homeschool and virtual school 
students. She said 20 states offered homeschooled students access to 
public school programs, while 10 states guaranteed partial access to 
homeschoolers.“That’s building bridges, not walls,” Williams said. “It’s a 
progressive thought. One-hundred percent. Kids benefit when you let them
 play.”The House bill would allow the homeschool or virtual school — not the
 public school district administrator — decide whether a student 
qualified for extracurricular activities. The roster of KSHSAA-sponsored
 activities includes basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf,
 gymnastics, soccer, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball, wrestling as 
well as debate, drama, music, piano, scholars bowl, speech and spirit 
activities.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643730887554.png" alt=" Bill Faflick, executive director of the state High School Activities Association, said he opposed House Bill 2511 because it would enable homeschool and virtual school students to participate in public school district sports or activities without meeting minimum enrollment, academic, attendance and behavior requirements of the district’s other students. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Legislature YouTube channel)" />
 <figcaption> Bill Faflick, executive director of the state High School Activities Association, said he opposed House Bill 2511 because it would enable homeschool and virtual school students to participate in public school district sports or activities without meeting minimum enrollment, academic, attendance and behavior requirements of the district’s other students. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Legislature YouTube channel)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>It’s the principle</h2>Bill Faflick, executive director of the state High School Activities 
Association, said that since the 1970s the association granted small, 
nonaccredited private schools and homeschool organizations a chance to 
compete against KSHSAA member schools in regular season and invitation 
competitions. In the 2021-22 school year, 30 alternative schools were on
 the list.He said 100,000 Kansas students attending accredited private and 
public schools with membership in KSHSAA earned the right on a 
semester-by-semester basis to be part of extracurricular activities. 
Passage of House Bill 2511, which guaranteed eligibility for students 
who chose to homeschool or go to virtual school, would be a disservice 
to those 100,000 students, he said.“To grant automatic eligibility to homeschool children to play on 
another school’s team, where they have no standing or connection, 
fundamentally changes the nature of school activity groups and teams as 
extensions of the sponsoring school. The philosophical basis of all 
KSHSAA activities is that the student responsibilities come before being
 an athlete. This bill changes that foundational principle,” Faflick 
said.He said it would transform high school teams into community teams competing in a recreational or club league.“Will the Legislature grant eligibility for non-students to play on 
Kansas junior college, college or university teams in the same manner?” 
Faflick said.Rep. Patrick Penn, a Wichita Republican on the House committee 
considering the bill, said he took exception to Faflick’s reference to 
students with no “standing or connection” to a public school district. 
He accused Faflick of intolerance for Black and Indigenous people as 
well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual
 people by denying them a chance at extracurricular activities in public
 schools.“The people who pay the taxes, aren’t they the taxpayers?” Penn asked
 Faflick, who responded affirmatively. “So, are you saying you’re in 
favor of discriminating against taxpaying students from the LGBTQIA, the
 Indigenous people and the Black community just because they don’t 
attend your public schools?”Faflick said he didn’t support discrimination of any person for any reason.“I find some of your comments here a little abrasive and offensive,” Penn said.Williams picked up the thread on “standing” by suggesting to Faflick 
that families paying property taxes in support of public education had a
 financial stake in local school districts. She said the owner of a 
$120,000 house in Andover or Sterling paid about $935 annually in 
property taxes for public schools.“That piece of your testimony was a little concerning, considering 
the type of economic benefit those parents are providing the school 
district,” Williams said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/2/1643730926597.png" alt="Mark Tallman, right, a lobbyist with the Kansas Association of School Boards, said the organization opposed a House bill that guaranteed homeschool and virtual school students a chance to participate in public school extracurricular activities and sports. He said passage of the bill could trigger misgivings from parents convinced their children lost enrichment opportunities to people not enrolled at their public school. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Mark Tallman, right, a lobbyist with the Kansas Association of School Boards, said the organization opposed a House bill that guaranteed homeschool and virtual school students a chance to participate in public school extracurricular activities and sports. He said passage of the bill could trigger misgivings from parents convinced their children lost enrichment opportunities to people not enrolled at their public school. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Other voices</h2>Keith Hall, superintendent of the Thunder Ridge district in 
Kensington, said experience showed and research affirmed students need 
to be on campus, in person, for the full day and not just show up for 
sports activities.He said Thunder Ridge allowed remote learning for students unable to 
attend regular classes and agreed some of these students could 
participate in extracurricular activities. A portion are tempted to skip
 alternative school classes and show up for their favorite activities, 
he said.“This bill, in the best interest of students, should be denied,” Hall
 said. “If you must move this bill forward, at the very least students 
should be enrolled in their home institution to allow the parents and 
school board to keep the local personal relationship strong and have an 
opportunity to create an environment that the local community supports. 
It should not be a springboard to allow a distant, impersonal 
institution that cares nothing about our students or community to raid 
our school district of our students and diminish the education they 
deserve.”Phil Bressler, principal at Sterling Junior and Senior High School, 
said authors of the bill missed a basic reality that school-based 
activities were part of enrolling as a student in Sterling.“Just because a school event is open to the community does not make 
it a community event. Similarly, the local Independence Day parade is 
not a school event simply because the school band marches in it,” 
Bressler said.Holton High School principal Rod Wittmer said lack of state 
requirements that homeschools hire licensed personnel, offer specific 
curriculum and subject themselves to audits justified unease about 
legislation requiring the blending of students in public school 
districts.He said the result could be emergence of a sports-first or sports-only environment.“If this is what parents want, then they already have club sports at 
their disposal,” Wittmer said. “If parents and students want to 
participate in public school activities and want to have the sense of 
community with classmates and teammates, then our doors are always open 
for their enrollment and participation.”