WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/food-banks-hunger-inflation-a3d8f4ed0c4842fc3927710f11207c9e">Food banks</a>&nbsp;across the country are experiencing a critical shortage of volunteers as the omicron variant frightens people away from their usual shifts, and companies and schools that regularly supply large groups of volunteers are canceling their participation over virus fears.

The end result in many cases has been a serious increase in spending by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-united-states-health-hunger-2c509e7e1ce108c47287b42315e2a0c3">food banks</a>&nbsp;at a time when they are already dealing with higher food costs due to inflation and supply chain issues.

“Food banks rely on volunteers. That’s how we keep the costs low,” said Shirley Schofield, CEO of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foodbanknorthal.org/" target="_blank">Food Bank of North Alabama.</a>&nbsp;“The work still gets done but at a much higher expense.”

The extent of the problem was highlighted this past week during the national holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, when many food banks have traditionally organized mass volunteer drives as part of a day of service.

Michael Altfest, director of community engagement for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accfb.org/" target="_blank">Alameda County Community Food Bank</a>&nbsp;in Oakland, California, called it “without fail, our biggest volunteer event of the year.”

But many food banks chose to cancel their plans this year or continued with radically lower numbers than pre-pandemic years.

Altfest said his food bank’s King Day event drew 73 people spread out over two shifts, when previous years had drawn more than 200 people with all volunteer slots booked up before New Year’s Day. The food bank did not attempt an event last year.

In Tallahassee, Florida, plans for a volunteer-driven event on the holiday were abruptly canceled when all the volunteers dropped out. Schofield said executives at her food bank in Huntsville, Alabama, are debating whether to cut back on their mobile food pantry distributions because they simply do not have enough volunteer-packed food boxes to hand out.

The shortage of volunteers is not universal.

Michael Manning of the&nbsp;<a href="https://brfoodbank.org/" target="_blank">Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank in Louisiana</a>&nbsp;said his volunteer numbers have remained strong and his MLK Day event proceeded normally with two shifts of more than 50 people.

But several food banks have reported a similar dynamic: minimal volunteers for most of 2021, then a surge last fall through November and December before falling off a cliff in January.

Food banks generally use volunteers to sort through donations and to pack ready-made boxes of goods for distribution. It is common practice to arrange for local companies or schools to send over large groups of volunteers, but that has left the system vulnerable to those institutions pulling out all at once.

At the&nbsp;<a href="https://fightinghunger.org/" target="_blank">Second Harvest of the Big Bend</a>&nbsp;food bank in Tallahassee, Florida, the volunteer numbers have remained solid through the omicron surge. But CEO Monique Van Pelt said she was forced to cancel her MLK Day plans because the volunteers all came from a single corporate partner that “didn’t think it was safe for them to gathering as a group in such tight quarters.”

Jamie Sizemore had planned for 54 volunteers from three corporate groups at the&nbsp;<a href="https://feedingamericaky.org/" target="_blank">Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland food bank</a>&nbsp;in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. But two groups canceled and the third sent less than half its promised number.

“We did manage to pick up some last minute individuals for a total of 12 volunteers for the day,” said Sizemore, the executive director. She added that a long-term contingent of eight assigned Kentucky National Guardsmen frequently help fill the volunteer gaps.

Even outdoor volunteer work, with seemingly less exposure risk than warehouse work, has suffered.

In Irvine, California, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.feedoc.org/" target="_blank">Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County</a>&nbsp;has launched an ambitious farm project on 45 acres of land provided by University of California. So far, 22 acres have been planted with cabbage and broccoli, and it’s harvest time. The plan was conceived with the intention of using up to 300 volunteers per week, organized in groups from corporate partners such as Disney. But most of the partnering organizations have suspended their volunteer drives amid the omicron surge.

“It’s a bummer because it’s a great outdoor experience,” said Claudia Keller, the food bank’s CEO . “We’re crossing our fingers that this is a short-term thing. We know many of the volunteers are chomping at the bit to get out there.”

The sudden absence of volunteer labor forces most food banks into more expensive choices. When the farm runs short of volunteers, paid laborers are employed.

At the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/" target="_blank">Capital Area Food Bank</a>&nbsp;in Washington, D.C., CEO Radha Muthiah has to order truckloads of prepackaged boxes of mixed goods to distribute because there aren’t enough volunteers to pack.

“When it’s prepackaged, that tends to increase the price significantly,” Muthiah said.

A truckload of produce on pallets costs about $9,000, but a truckload of ready-to-distribute care packages can cost between $13,000 and $18,000, she said.

In addition to the financial costs, some executives point out a more subtle impact.

“Volunteerism is about more than just getting the boxes packed,” said Schofield, from the Alabama food bank. “It builds camaraderie and a sense of community. It’s a sign of a healthy community at large.”

Vince Hall, government relations officer for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.feedingamerica.org/" target="_blank">Feeding America</a>, which coordinates the work of more than 200 food banks, said the volunteer numbers are partially a reflection of long-term emotional fatigue and burnout. As the nation endures a second pandemic winter and the omicron variant rolls back some of the progress people expected from the vaccine, long-time volunteers are wearing down.

“These people who are really part of the bedrock of our volunteer workforce, They’ve been doing this since March of 2020,” Hall said. “It takes an emotional toll on people.”

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/food-banks-hunger-inflation-a3d8f4ed0c4842fc3927710f11207c9e">Food banks</a>&nbsp;across the country are experiencing a critical shortage of volunteers as the omicron variant frightens people away from their usual shifts, and companies and schools that regularly supply large groups of volunteers are canceling their participation over virus fears.The end result in many cases has been a serious increase in spending by the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-united-states-health-hunger-2c509e7e1ce108c47287b42315e2a0c3">food banks</a>&nbsp;at a time when they are already dealing with higher food costs due to inflation and supply chain issues.“Food banks rely on volunteers. That’s how we keep the costs low,” said Shirley Schofield, CEO of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foodbanknorthal.org/" target="_blank">Food Bank of North Alabama.</a>&nbsp;“The work still gets done but at a much higher expense.”The extent of the problem was highlighted this past week during the national holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, when many food banks have traditionally organized mass volunteer drives as part of a day of service.Michael Altfest, director of community engagement for the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accfb.org/" target="_blank">Alameda County Community Food Bank</a>&nbsp;in Oakland, California, called it “without fail, our biggest volunteer event of the year.”But many food banks chose to cancel their plans this year or continued with radically lower numbers than pre-pandemic years.Altfest said his food bank’s King Day event drew 73 people spread out over two shifts, when previous years had drawn more than 200 people with all volunteer slots booked up before New Year’s Day. The food bank did not attempt an event last year.In Tallahassee, Florida, plans for a volunteer-driven event on the holiday were abruptly canceled when all the volunteers dropped out. Schofield said executives at her food bank in Huntsville, Alabama, are debating whether to cut back on their mobile food pantry distributions because they simply do not have enough volunteer-packed food boxes to hand out.The shortage of volunteers is not universal.Michael Manning of the&nbsp;<a href="https://brfoodbank.org/" target="_blank">Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank in Louisiana</a>&nbsp;said his volunteer numbers have remained strong and his MLK Day event proceeded normally with two shifts of more than 50 people.But several food banks have reported a similar dynamic: minimal volunteers for most of 2021, then a surge last fall through November and December before falling off a cliff in January.Food banks generally use volunteers to sort through donations and to pack ready-made boxes of goods for distribution. It is common practice to arrange for local companies or schools to send over large groups of volunteers, but that has left the system vulnerable to those institutions pulling out all at once.At the&nbsp;<a href="https://fightinghunger.org/" target="_blank">Second Harvest of the Big Bend</a>&nbsp;food bank in Tallahassee, Florida, the volunteer numbers have remained solid through the omicron surge. But CEO Monique Van Pelt said she was forced to cancel her MLK Day plans because the volunteers all came from a single corporate partner that “didn’t think it was safe for them to gathering as a group in such tight quarters.”Jamie Sizemore had planned for 54 volunteers from three corporate groups at the&nbsp;<a href="https://feedingamericaky.org/" target="_blank">Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland food bank</a>&nbsp;in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. But two groups canceled and the third sent less than half its promised number.“We did manage to pick up some last minute individuals for a total of 12 volunteers for the day,” said Sizemore, the executive director. She added that a long-term contingent of eight assigned Kentucky National Guardsmen frequently help fill the volunteer gaps.Even outdoor volunteer work, with seemingly less exposure risk than warehouse work, has suffered.In Irvine, California, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.feedoc.org/" target="_blank">Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County</a>&nbsp;has launched an ambitious farm project on 45 acres of land provided by University of California. So far, 22 acres have been planted with cabbage and broccoli, and it’s harvest time. The plan was conceived with the intention of using up to 300 volunteers per week, organized in groups from corporate partners such as Disney. But most of the partnering organizations have suspended their volunteer drives amid the omicron surge.“It’s a bummer because it’s a great outdoor experience,” said Claudia Keller, the food bank’s CEO . “We’re crossing our fingers that this is a short-term thing. We know many of the volunteers are chomping at the bit to get out there.”The sudden absence of volunteer labor forces most food banks into more expensive choices. When the farm runs short of volunteers, paid laborers are employed.At the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/" target="_blank">Capital Area Food Bank</a>&nbsp;in Washington, D.C., CEO Radha Muthiah has to order truckloads of prepackaged boxes of mixed goods to distribute because there aren’t enough volunteers to pack.“When it’s prepackaged, that tends to increase the price significantly,” Muthiah said.A truckload of produce on pallets costs about $9,000, but a truckload of ready-to-distribute care packages can cost between $13,000 and $18,000, she said.In addition to the financial costs, some executives point out a more subtle impact.“Volunteerism is about more than just getting the boxes packed,” said Schofield, from the Alabama food bank. “It builds camaraderie and a sense of community. It’s a sign of a healthy community at large.”Vince Hall, government relations officer for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.feedingamerica.org/" target="_blank">Feeding America</a>, which coordinates the work of more than 200 food banks, said the volunteer numbers are partially a reflection of long-term emotional fatigue and burnout. As the nation endures a second pandemic winter and the omicron variant rolls back some of the progress people expected from the vaccine, long-time volunteers are wearing down.“These people who are really part of the bedrock of our volunteer workforce, They’ve been doing this since March of 2020,” Hall said. “It takes an emotional toll on people.”

Omicron wave leaves US food banks scrambling for volunteers

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Surveillance video shows a Black 17-year-old struggling with staff at a Wichita juvenile center last fall before he died after he was restrained facedown for more than 30 minutes.

Sedgwick County released 18 video clips late Friday afternoon of what happened before Cedric Lofton was rushed to a hospital on Sept. 24. He died two days later.

The release of the clips followed Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett’s announcement&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wichita-kansas-a51f619b8b196987e74b046ac399680c">Tuesday&nbsp;</a>that the state’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-wichita-topeka-legislature-gun-politics-6f61a926a56353a4b22ffecf90c46be3">“stand-your-ground” law</a>&nbsp;prevented him from pressing charges because staff members were protecting themselves. He also said he struggled with whether an involuntary manslaughter charge was justified, but concluded it was not.

Sedgwick County’s webpage crashed after the video was posted, making it&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/communications/media-room/september-24th-video-archive/?fbclid=IwAR3M4swJVlSE1O5E5xz4VynBAm9MSr6jDNEyyaGvHIHR5OEr2-p-f0W-JW8" target="_blank">temporarily&nbsp;</a>inaccessible. Several Wichita area television stations posted clips of some of the approximately two hours of footage, which didn’t include audio.

One video shows several officers carrying Lofton into the Sedgwick County Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center while restrained in something called the WRAP, a device comprised of a locking shoulder harness, leg restraints and ankle straps. The sheriff’s office describes it as a way to restrain a person who is “out of control” so that they don’t hurt themselves or others.

According to Bennett’s report, Lofton had become paranoid and was hallucinating. His foster father said the situation got worse after the teen attended his grandmother’s funeral. At a foster official’s urging, the foster father drove Lofton to a mental health provider, but he walked away. When Lofton returned home, foster officials told the foster father to call police.

But the 5-foot-10, 135-pound Lofton resisted the officers who responded to the home, assaulting at least one of them, Bennett’s report said.

The WRAP was removed at the juvenile intake center, according to Bennett’s report. An unrestrained Lofton walked out of his holding cell and then tried to grab a computer monitor from the intake counter.

The video shows him resisting attempts to place him back in the holding cell. At one point, he can be seen punching one of the juvenile detention employees in the head.

The video shows detention workers wrestle him into the cell and more employees showing up to help. The camera doesn’t show a close angle of what is happening inside the cell.

Bennett’s report said staff shackled Lofton’s ankles and put him on his stomach on the floor. His report said Cedric was “mumbling” at times, repeated that he was Jesus and saying staff should kill themselves and that he would “hex” them. Staff noticed he wasn’t breathing after they called to arrange for Loftin to be taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation.

KSNT&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksn.com/news/local/newly-released-jiac-video-shows-footage-of-cedric-loftons-fatal-interaction/" target="_blank">reported&nbsp;</a>that after about 30 minutes facedown in the cell, video appears to show workers flip Lofton onto his back. They eventually start CPR and paramedics arrive.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Surveillance video shows a Black 17-year-old struggling with staff at a Wichita juvenile center last fall before he died after he was restrained facedown for more than 30 minutes.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cxlFYiAFil4" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Sedgwick County released 18 video clips late Friday afternoon of what happened before Cedric Lofton was rushed to a hospital on Sept. 24. He died two days later.The release of the clips followed Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett’s announcement&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wichita-kansas-a51f619b8b196987e74b046ac399680c">Tuesday&nbsp;</a>that the state’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-wichita-topeka-legislature-gun-politics-6f61a926a56353a4b22ffecf90c46be3">“stand-your-ground” law</a>&nbsp;prevented him from pressing charges because staff members were protecting themselves. He also said he struggled with whether an involuntary manslaughter charge was justified, but concluded it was not.Sedgwick County’s webpage crashed after the video was posted, making it&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/communications/media-room/september-24th-video-archive/?fbclid=IwAR3M4swJVlSE1O5E5xz4VynBAm9MSr6jDNEyyaGvHIHR5OEr2-p-f0W-JW8" target="_blank">temporarily&nbsp;</a>inaccessible. Several Wichita area television stations posted clips of some of the approximately two hours of footage, which didn’t include audio.One video shows several officers carrying Lofton into the Sedgwick County Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center while restrained in something called the WRAP, a device comprised of a locking shoulder harness, leg restraints and ankle straps. The sheriff’s office describes it as a way to restrain a person who is “out of control” so that they don’t hurt themselves or others.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1633046927211.png" alt="Lofton-photo courtesy GoFundMe" />
 <figcaption>Lofton-photo courtesy GoFundMe</figcaption>
 </figure>According to Bennett’s report, Lofton had become paranoid and was hallucinating. His foster father said the situation got worse after the teen attended his grandmother’s funeral. At a foster official’s urging, the foster father drove Lofton to a mental health provider, but he walked away. When Lofton returned home, foster officials told the foster father to call police.But the 5-foot-10, 135-pound Lofton resisted the officers who responded to the home, assaulting at least one of them, Bennett’s report said.The WRAP was removed at the juvenile intake center, according to Bennett’s report. An unrestrained Lofton walked out of his holding cell and then tried to grab a computer monitor from the intake counter.The video shows him resisting attempts to place him back in the holding cell. At one point, he can be seen punching one of the juvenile detention employees in the head.The video shows detention workers wrestle him into the cell and more employees showing up to help. The camera doesn’t show a close angle of what is happening inside the cell.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642528923591.png" alt="Sedgwick Co. District Attorney Marc Bennett during Wednesday's news conference" />
 <figcaption>Sedgwick Co. District Attorney Marc Bennett during Wednesday's news conference</figcaption>
 </figure>Bennett’s report said staff shackled Lofton’s ankles and put him on his stomach on the floor. His report said Cedric was “mumbling” at times, repeated that he was Jesus and saying staff should kill themselves and that he would “hex” them. Staff noticed he wasn’t breathing after they called to arrange for Loftin to be taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation.KSNT&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ksn.com/news/local/newly-released-jiac-video-shows-footage-of-cedric-loftons-fatal-interaction/" target="_blank">reported&nbsp;</a>that after about 30 minutes facedown in the cell, video appears to show workers flip Lofton onto his back. They eventually start CPR and paramedics arrive.

🎥.Website crash: Video shows struggle before restrained Kan. teen's death

GREENWOOD COUNTY—A Kansas woman is recovering from injuries after a weekend accident in Greenwood County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that just before 2p.m. Saturday, a 2015 Ram 3500 driven by Thelbert M.&nbsp;Trimmell, 86, Fredonia, pulled to close to a panel while unloading cattle.&nbsp;

The pickup struck 86-year-old Marilyn J.&nbsp; Trimmell of Fredonia who got out of the pickup. The driver was unaware she had exited the pickup.

EMS transported Marilyn Trimmell, to the hospital in Fedonia.&nbsp; The driver was not wearing a seat belt and not injured, according to the KHP.

GREENWOOD COUNTY—A Kansas woman is recovering from injuries after a weekend accident in Greenwood County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that just before 2p.m. Saturday, a 2015 Ram 3500 driven by Thelbert M.&nbsp;Trimmell, 86, Fredonia, pulled to close to a panel while unloading cattle.&nbsp;The pickup struck 86-year-old Marilyn J.&nbsp; Trimmell of Fredonia who got out of the pickup. The driver was unaware she had exited the pickup.EMS transported Marilyn Trimmell, to the hospital in Fedonia.&nbsp; The driver was not wearing a seat belt and not injured, according to the KHP.

86-year-old Kan. woman injured while unloading cattle

Posting on social media is a great way to&nbsp;alert&nbsp;a wide range of 
people about a lost pet. Unfortunately, that same publicity can put you 
at risk for&nbsp;scams. Con artists comb social posts to find targets who 
have lost their beloved pets. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

You recently lost your pet, so you turn to social media 
to&nbsp;alert&nbsp;friends and neighbors. You create a public post – or even a 
group – to help spread the word. You share your phone number and other 
details, so people can easily reach you.&nbsp;

A few days later, you get a text message from someone claiming to 
have found your lost dog or cat. You ask them to describe your pet 
and/or send a photo, but the conversation quickly takes a strange turn. 
The scammer will give excuses, such as being out of town or not having a
 working smartphone, for why they can't snap a photo. Instead, the 
person will pressure you for money (or a gift card) to return your pet. 
Although you may be tempted to do anything to see your dog or cat 
returned safely, don't pay up! The scammer doesn't have your pet. They 
will just take the money and disappear.&nbsp;

In other cases, the pet has actually been stolen, and the scammer 
will ask for payment for the safe return-- or they may try to sell your 
pet online to another person.

Follow these tips to prevent falling victim to a pet loss&nbsp;scam:

To learn more about&nbsp;scams, go to BBB&nbsp;Scam&nbsp;Tips (<a href="https://www.bbb.org/all/scamtips" target="_blank">BBB.org/scamtips</a>). To report a&nbsp;scam, go to BBB&nbsp;Scam&nbsp;Tracker (<a href="https://bbb.org/scamtracker" target="_blank">BBB.org/scamtracker</a>).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579883951052.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BBBPosting on social media is a great way to&nbsp;alert&nbsp;a wide range of 
people about a lost pet. Unfortunately, that same publicity can put you 
at risk for&nbsp;scams. Con artists comb social posts to find targets who 
have lost their beloved pets. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>How the scam works</h2>You recently lost your pet, so you turn to social media 
to&nbsp;alert&nbsp;friends and neighbors. You create a public post – or even a 
group – to help spread the word. You share your phone number and other 
details, so people can easily reach you.&nbsp;A few days later, you get a text message from someone claiming to 
have found your lost dog or cat. You ask them to describe your pet 
and/or send a photo, but the conversation quickly takes a strange turn. 
The scammer will give excuses, such as being out of town or not having a
 working smartphone, for why they can't snap a photo. Instead, the 
person will pressure you for money (or a gift card) to return your pet. 
Although you may be tempted to do anything to see your dog or cat 
returned safely, don't pay up! The scammer doesn't have your pet. They 
will just take the money and disappear.&nbsp;In other cases, the pet has actually been stolen, and the scammer 
will ask for payment for the safe return-- or they may try to sell your 
pet online to another person.<h2>How to avoid a lost pet scam</h2>Follow these tips to prevent falling victim to a pet loss&nbsp;scam:<ul>
 <li>Limit the information in your social posts: If you 
post on Facebook or other social media, omit information about unique 
physical attributes.&nbsp; This can help you verify if someone really found 
your pet.</li><li>Watch for spoofed numbers: If you get a call from 
someone claiming to have your pet, ask them for a phone number where you
 can call them back.&nbsp;Scammers&nbsp;often spoof phone numbers, so they appear 
to be calling from somewhere else.</li><li>Ask for a photo: If a caller claims to have your 
pet in their possession, ask them to send a current picture. If the 
"finder" gets defensive or makes a lot of excuses, it's a red flag.</li><li>Never wire money or use a prepaid debit card to pay anyone you don't know. This is the same as sending cash.</li><li>Microchip and/or ID tag your pet: Consider having 
your veterinarian microchip your pet, and make sure they always wear a 
collar and ID tag. Newer ID tags with GPS trackers can be purchased, to 
find your pet's location.</li><li>Call the police if your pet was stolen, or if you see that someone else is trying to sell your pet online.</li>
 </ul>For more information:To learn more about&nbsp;scams, go to BBB&nbsp;Scam&nbsp;Tips (<a href="https://www.bbb.org/all/scamtips" target="_blank">BBB.org/scamtips</a>). To report a&nbsp;scam, go to BBB&nbsp;Scam&nbsp;Tracker (<a href="https://bbb.org/scamtracker" target="_blank">BBB.org/scamtracker</a>).

Scam alert: Lost pet? Watch out for this scam

WASHINGTON (AP) — Count 30-year-old Ethan Miller among that subset of Americans who are actually eager to file their taxes once&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-lifestyle-health-personal-taxes-0a62b6c209f7508c31b9b3c74e56c927">income tax filing season</a>&nbsp;opens on Monday.

The financial planner who lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, is looking forward to claiming the new deductions that will come from buying a home. He also wants to get a jump on a tax season that promises to bring lots of extra headaches and delays for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2022-tax-filing-season-begins-jan-24-irs-outlines-refund-timing-and-what-to-expect-in-advance-of-april-18-tax-deadline" target="_blank">filers this year</a>.

“I’m trying to get a head start on my taxes as much as possible,” Miller said, adding that he is not too nervous about forecasts of extra delays because he will file online and will not be waiting for too big a refund.

Plenty of other filers, though, may be in for more heartburn.

An IRS worker shortage, an enormous workload from administering pandemic-related programs and stalled legislation that would have given the agency billions of dollars for more expeditiously processing returns will combine to cause taxpayers pain this filing season.

“The IRS right now has unacceptable backlogs and the customer service that people are receiving is not what the American public deserves,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged Friday. “The agency has not been equipped with the resources to adequately serve taxpayers in normal times, let alone during a pandemic.”

She stressed that the problems predate the Biden administration and she urged understanding for beleaguered workers already saddled with huge backlogs. “It’s going to take some work, it’s going to take some time and I think people need to understand that they need funding,” Psaki said.

Agency officials are already warning filers that “in many areas, we are unable to deliver the amount of service and enforcement that our taxpayers and tax system deserves and needs,” as IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig put it earlier in the month.

Delays in processing are to be expected -- especially because the IRS says it still is working through 2020 tax returns.

During the 2020 budget year, the IRS processed more than 240 million tax returns and issued roughly $736 billion in refunds, including $268 billion in stimulus payments, according to the latest IRS&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/statistics/soi-tax-stats-irs-data-book" target="_blank">data</a>. In that same time frame, 59.5 million people called or visited an IRS office.

Donald Williamson, an accounting and taxation professor at American University in Washington, said he expects “weeks and weeks” of IRS delays in 2022.

“You can blame Congress or the IRS. I imagine they’re trying to do the right thing but it just adds to further complexity,” he said. “My advice in 2022 is file early, get started tomorrow and try to put your taxes together with a qualified professional.”

Williamson said he advises his clients to file electronically, and those who expect hefty refunds in the tens of thousands should expect greater delays. Most backlogged returns were filed on paper and are amended returns.

Deadlines to file have been extended in the past two years due to the pandemic. It is unclear whether this year the agency will offer similar leeway to taxpayers.

There will be plenty of new issues to navigate this year.

For example, individuals who are eligible to claim the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/child-tax-credits-program-ends-5ded3907c72ee0c3ad8a067a29d6b2c0">child tax credit</a>&nbsp;and have gotten advance payments throughout the year may get a smaller refund than they normally would see.

People who did not get stimulus checks that they were qualified for as part of the pandemic relief package might yet be able to claim a “&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments" target="_blank">recovery rebate credit</a>&nbsp;” on their taxes.

On Thursday, the IRS released a list of “&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/top-5-things-to-remember-when-filing-income-tax-returns-in-2022" target="_blank">Top 5 Things to Remember</a>,” with suggestions for taxpayers on what documents to pull together and what to do if their 2020 returns still have not been processed.

The IRS anticipates that most taxpayers will receive their refund within 21 days of when they file electronically, barring any issues with processing their return.

But plenty of pitfalls remain, in part due to staffing troubles at the IRS.

Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union that represents IRS workers, said the agency “has a hard time recruiting because they’re up against Burger King or McDonald’s,” which offer similar pay without requiring workers to “deal with confusing rules and regulations.”

As of Thursday, the agency’s careers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jobs.irs.gov/careers" target="_blank">website</a>&nbsp;listed at least 180 open jobs, including clerks and tax examiners paid as little as $11 an hour. Of those, 42 positions were open to the public; most were available only to internal applicants.

A hoped-for $80 billion infusion for the agency was included in versions of President Joe Biden’s proposed package of social spending programs but that stalled on Capitol Hill.

Reardon said the IRS “is in a lot of trouble in terms of how it is effectively able to carry out its mission and that has to be rectified.”

“I think clearly the taxpayer gets the brunt of this,” he said, adding that IRS workers get “the brunt of that blame under horrible circumstances.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1641845771409.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Count 30-year-old Ethan Miller among that subset of Americans who are actually eager to file their taxes once&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-lifestyle-health-personal-taxes-0a62b6c209f7508c31b9b3c74e56c927">income tax filing season</a>&nbsp;opens on Monday.The financial planner who lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, is looking forward to claiming the new deductions that will come from buying a home. He also wants to get a jump on a tax season that promises to bring lots of extra headaches and delays for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/2022-tax-filing-season-begins-jan-24-irs-outlines-refund-timing-and-what-to-expect-in-advance-of-april-18-tax-deadline" target="_blank">filers this year</a>.“I’m trying to get a head start on my taxes as much as possible,” Miller said, adding that he is not too nervous about forecasts of extra delays because he will file online and will not be waiting for too big a refund.Plenty of other filers, though, may be in for more heartburn.An IRS worker shortage, an enormous workload from administering pandemic-related programs and stalled legislation that would have given the agency billions of dollars for more expeditiously processing returns will combine to cause taxpayers pain this filing season.“The IRS right now has unacceptable backlogs and the customer service that people are receiving is not what the American public deserves,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki acknowledged Friday. “The agency has not been equipped with the resources to adequately serve taxpayers in normal times, let alone during a pandemic.”She stressed that the problems predate the Biden administration and she urged understanding for beleaguered workers already saddled with huge backlogs. “It’s going to take some work, it’s going to take some time and I think people need to understand that they need funding,” Psaki said.Agency officials are already warning filers that “in many areas, we are unable to deliver the amount of service and enforcement that our taxpayers and tax system deserves and needs,” as IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig put it earlier in the month.Delays in processing are to be expected -- especially because the IRS says it still is working through 2020 tax returns.During the 2020 budget year, the IRS processed more than 240 million tax returns and issued roughly $736 billion in refunds, including $268 billion in stimulus payments, according to the latest IRS&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/statistics/soi-tax-stats-irs-data-book" target="_blank">data</a>. In that same time frame, 59.5 million people called or visited an IRS office.Donald Williamson, an accounting and taxation professor at American University in Washington, said he expects “weeks and weeks” of IRS delays in 2022.“You can blame Congress or the IRS. I imagine they’re trying to do the right thing but it just adds to further complexity,” he said. “My advice in 2022 is file early, get started tomorrow and try to put your taxes together with a qualified professional.”Williamson said he advises his clients to file electronically, and those who expect hefty refunds in the tens of thousands should expect greater delays. Most backlogged returns were filed on paper and are amended returns.Deadlines to file have been extended in the past two years due to the pandemic. It is unclear whether this year the agency will offer similar leeway to taxpayers.There will be plenty of new issues to navigate this year.For example, individuals who are eligible to claim the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/child-tax-credits-program-ends-5ded3907c72ee0c3ad8a067a29d6b2c0">child tax credit</a>&nbsp;and have gotten advance payments throughout the year may get a smaller refund than they normally would see.People who did not get stimulus checks that they were qualified for as part of the pandemic relief package might yet be able to claim a “&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payments" target="_blank">recovery rebate credit</a>&nbsp;” on their taxes.On Thursday, the IRS released a list of “&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/top-5-things-to-remember-when-filing-income-tax-returns-in-2022" target="_blank">Top 5 Things to Remember</a>,” with suggestions for taxpayers on what documents to pull together and what to do if their 2020 returns still have not been processed.The IRS anticipates that most taxpayers will receive their refund within 21 days of when they file electronically, barring any issues with processing their return.But plenty of pitfalls remain, in part due to staffing troubles at the IRS.Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union that represents IRS workers, said the agency “has a hard time recruiting because they’re up against Burger King or McDonald’s,” which offer similar pay without requiring workers to “deal with confusing rules and regulations.”As of Thursday, the agency’s careers&nbsp;<a href="https://www.jobs.irs.gov/careers" target="_blank">website</a>&nbsp;listed at least 180 open jobs, including clerks and tax examiners paid as little as $11 an hour. Of those, 42 positions were open to the public; most were available only to internal applicants.A hoped-for $80 billion infusion for the agency was included in versions of President Joe Biden’s proposed package of social spending programs but that stalled on Capitol Hill.Reardon said the IRS “is in a lot of trouble in terms of how it is effectively able to carry out its mission and that has to be rectified.”“I think clearly the taxpayer gets the brunt of this,” he said, adding that IRS workers get “the brunt of that blame under horrible circumstances.”

Taxpayers face overloaded IRS as filing season opens 

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities investigating the fatal Jan. 14, shooting on board an Amtrak train near Kansas City continue to search for the suspect.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Police located the car they believe the suspect took in an armed carjacking&nbsp; in Lee's Summit after the shooting.&nbsp; The suspect in the case is a black male, late 20's - early 30's.&nbsp;

Investigators have worked to establish the timeline and events that led up to the shooting aboard the train as it was stopped at the Lee’s Summit station.  The initial investigation revealed that the train car where the shooting occurred did not have a large number of passengers and the passengers that heard the gunshots did not immediately recognize that a person had been shot. 

 The suspect in the case, also a passenger on the train fled from the train and the area. 

The victim identified as 30-year-old Richie T. Aaron Jr. of Independence, Missouri, was discovered after the train left the Lee’s Summit station and the next available location for the train to stop was the Independence station where emergency medical staff were immediately called to assist him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are asking the public for help in locating a stolen vehicle that investigators could be related to the homicide that occurred Friday evening aboard an Amtrak train near Kansas City, according to a media release from Lee's Summit Police.

 The vehicle is a gray, 2015 Dodge Charger, four door sedan, MO license ED6-M0U; last 4 of the VIN are 9360.

 The vehicle has very loud exhaust, tinted windows and no front license plate.The vehicle was taken Friday night around 9p.m. in an armed car jacking behind a business in downtown Lee's Summit. 

 The suspect in the case is a black male, late 20's - early 30's.  If you see the vehicle, do not approach and call 911 immediately.  If you have information that would be helpful, please call Det. Ide at 816-969-1668.

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal shooting on an Amtrak near Kansas City have identified the victim as&nbsp; 30 year old Richie T. Aaron Jr. of Independence, Missouri, according to Lee's Summit Police.

Investigators were working to establish the timeline and events that led up to the shooting aboard the train just after 9p.m. Friday as it was stopped at the Lee’s Summit station.  The initial investigation revealed that the train car where the shooting occurred did not have a large number of passengers and the passengers that heard the gunshots did not immediately recognize that a person had been shot. 

 The suspect in the case, also a passenger on the train fled from the train and the area. Aaron, Jr. was discovered after the train left the Lee’s Summit station and the next available location for the train to stop was the Independence station where emergency medical staff were immediately called to assist him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives have interviewed passengers on the train to develop a suspect in the case.&nbsp;

KANSAS CITY (AP) — One person is dead following a shooting Friday night on an Amtrak train that was stopped at a Missouri station, police said.

Police in Independence, Missouri, were called around 9:15 p.m. to the Amtrak station where they found a person who had been shot while the train had been stopped earlier at the Lee's Summit station, said Sgt. Chris Depue, a spokesman for the Lee’s Summit Police Department. Police are looking for the suspected shooter who is believed to have fled in Lee's Summit, he said.

The train traveled north to Independence where life-saving efforts were attempted before the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim's name is being withheld until the family is notified.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642418758538.png" alt="police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KMBC TV" />
 <figcaption>police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KMBC TV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities investigating the fatal Jan. 14, shooting on board an Amtrak train near Kansas City continue to search for the suspect.&nbsp;&nbsp;Police located the car they believe the suspect took in an armed carjacking&nbsp; in Lee's Summit after the shooting.&nbsp; The suspect in the case is a black male, late 20's - early 30's.&nbsp;Investigators have worked to establish the timeline and events that led up to the shooting aboard the train as it was stopped at the Lee’s Summit station. The initial investigation revealed that the train car where the shooting occurred did not have a large number of passengers and the passengers that heard the gunshots did not immediately recognize that a person had been shot. The suspect in the case, also a passenger on the train fled from the train and the area. The victim identified as 30-year-old Richie T. Aaron Jr. of Independence, Missouri, was discovered after the train left the Lee’s Summit station and the next available location for the train to stop was the Independence station where emergency medical staff were immediately called to assist him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.----------KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are asking the public for help in locating a stolen vehicle that investigators could be related to the homicide that occurred Friday evening aboard an Amtrak train near Kansas City, according to a media release from Lee's Summit Police.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642535853515.png" alt="Photo Lee's Summit Police" />
 <figcaption>Photo Lee's Summit Police</figcaption>
 </figure> The vehicle is a gray, 2015 Dodge Charger, four door sedan, MO license ED6-M0U; last 4 of the VIN are 9360.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642543101551.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure> The vehicle has very loud exhaust, tinted windows and no front license plate.The vehicle was taken Friday night around 9p.m. in an armed car jacking behind a business in downtown Lee's Summit. The suspect in the case is a black male, late 20's - early 30's. If you see the vehicle, do not approach and call 911 immediately. If you have information that would be helpful, please call Det. Ide at 816-969-1668.--------<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642418758538.png" alt="Search for the suspect continues -photo courtesy KMBC TV" />
 <figcaption>Search for the suspect continues -photo courtesy KMBC TV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal shooting on an Amtrak near Kansas City have identified the victim as&nbsp; 30 year old Richie T. Aaron Jr. of Independence, Missouri, according to Lee's Summit Police.Investigators were working to establish the timeline and events that led up to the shooting aboard the train just after 9p.m. Friday as it was stopped at the Lee’s Summit station. The initial investigation revealed that the train car where the shooting occurred did not have a large number of passengers and the passengers that heard the gunshots did not immediately recognize that a person had been shot. The suspect in the case, also a passenger on the train fled from the train and the area. Aaron, Jr. was discovered after the train left the Lee’s Summit station and the next available location for the train to stop was the Independence station where emergency medical staff were immediately called to assist him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.Detectives have interviewed passengers on the train to develop a suspect in the case.&nbsp;-----------------KANSAS CITY (AP) — One person is dead following a shooting Friday night on an Amtrak train that was stopped at a Missouri station, police said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642418691221.png" alt="Police on the scene of the shooting investigation -photo courtesy KMBC TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the shooting investigation -photo courtesy KMBC TV</figcaption>
 </figure>Police in Independence, Missouri, were called around 9:15 p.m. to the Amtrak station where they found a person who had been shot while the train had been stopped earlier at the Lee's Summit station, said Sgt. Chris Depue, a spokesman for the Lee’s Summit Police Department. Police are looking for the suspected shooter who is believed to have fled in Lee's Summit, he said.The train traveled north to Independence where life-saving efforts were attempted before the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.The victim's name is being withheld until the family is notified.

Search continues for suspect in KC-area killing on Amtrak train

JOHNSON COUNTY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a Sunday afternoon fire at a pool hall in Johnson County.

Just after 4:30p.m. Sunday, firefighters responded to the report of a fire on the roof at&nbsp;Shooters 810 W Old Highway 56 in Olathe, according to a social media report.

Firefighters took about an hour to put the fire out. There were no injuries reported. Officials have not reported damage estimates.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1643023633410.png" alt="Photo courtesy Olathe Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Olathe Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a Sunday afternoon fire at a pool hall in Johnson County.Just after 4:30p.m. Sunday, firefighters responded to the report of a fire on the roof at&nbsp;Shooters 810 W Old Highway 56 in Olathe, according to a social media report.Firefighters took about an hour to put the fire out. There were no injuries reported. Officials have not reported damage estimates.

No injures after Sunday roof fire at Kansas business 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former assistant boys high school basketball coach in Topeka has admitted to posing as a teenage girl on social media to get explicit photos from other teens. 

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that 41-year-old Jeffrey Pierce pleaded guilty Friday to one count of producing child pornography in exchange for the dismissal of 11 other federal charges he faced. 

Pierce taught ninth-grade social studies and was an assistant basketball coach at Seaman. He was fired after he was arrested in September 2020. 

He admitted through his plea that he asked nine 14-to 16-year-old boys for sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves while pretending to be a teenage girl on Snapchat, Instagram and other social media platforms.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599184633467.png" alt="Pierce photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Pierce photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former assistant boys high school basketball coach in Topeka has admitted to posing as a teenage girl on social media to get explicit photos from other teens. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that 41-year-old Jeffrey Pierce pleaded guilty Friday to one count of producing child pornography in exchange for the dismissal of 11 other federal charges he faced. Pierce taught ninth-grade social studies and was an assistant basketball coach at Seaman. He was fired after he was arrested in September 2020. He admitted through his plea that he asked nine 14-to 16-year-old boys for sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves while pretending to be a teenage girl on Snapchat, Instagram and other social media platforms.

Ex Kan. high school coach admits posing as girl to get pics from boys

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department on Sunday ordered the families of all American personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine to leave the country amid heightened fears of a Russian invasion.

The department told the dependents of staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv that they must leave the country. It also said that non-essential embassy staff could leave Ukraine at government expense.

The move came amid rising tensions about Russia's military buildup on the Ukraine border that were not eased during talks Friday between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva.

State Department officials stressed the Kyiv embassy will remain open and that the announcement does not constitute an evacuation. The move had been under consideration for some time and does not reflect an easing of U.S. support for Ukraine, the officials said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642982265359.png" alt="On Saturday, President Biden met with his national security team to discuss continued Russian aggressive actions toward Ukraine. White House photo&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>On Saturday, President Biden met with his national security team to discuss continued Russian aggressive actions toward Ukraine. White House photo&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATTHEW LEE, AP Diplomatic WriterWASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department on Sunday ordered the families of all American personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine to leave the country amid heightened fears of a Russian invasion.The department told the dependents of staffers at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv that they must leave the country. It also said that non-essential embassy staff could leave Ukraine at government expense.The move came amid rising tensions about Russia's military buildup on the Ukraine border that were not eased during talks Friday between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva.State Department officials stressed the Kyiv embassy will remain open and that the announcement does not constitute an evacuation. The move had been under consideration for some time and does not reflect an easing of U.S. support for Ukraine, the officials said.

Families of US Embassy personnel in Ukraine ordered to evacuate

SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — The family of a Kansas girl who was kicked by her kindergarten teacher have reached a partial settlement. The Kansas City Star reports that lawyers for the child and her mother are seeking the court’s approval of an agreement with the former teacher, Crystal Smith. 

A motion filed Friday said the settlement involves a confidentiality clause. Additional claims remain pending against the Shawnee Mission School District, which suspended and then fired Smith after reviewing security footage. 

The video showed Smith kick a 5-year-old girl who had hidden herself in a bookshelf in the library of Bluejacket-Flint Elementary School in February 2019 after other students had left the area and another employee’s back was turned.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/2/1582734209741.png" alt="Image from the security camera video courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Image from the security camera video courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — The family of a Kansas girl who was kicked by her kindergarten teacher have reached a partial settlement. The Kansas City Star reports that lawyers for the child and her mother are seeking the court’s approval of an agreement with the former teacher, Crystal Smith. A motion filed Friday said the settlement involves a confidentiality clause. Additional claims remain pending against the Shawnee Mission School District, which suspended and then fired Smith after reviewing security footage. The video showed Smith kick a 5-year-old girl who had hidden herself in a bookshelf in the library of Bluejacket-Flint Elementary School in February 2019 after other students had left the area and another employee’s back was turned.

Settlement in works over Kan. teacher who kicked kindergartner

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 2017 killing of an 18-year-old Topeka woman. 

Twenty-year-old Javon Amond Smith was sentenced Thursday for second-degree murder and other crimes linked to the death of Kianna Cherise Hodges.

Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay said Topeka police were called on March 4, 2017, after a man on foot shot into two separate vehicles, killing Hodges and wounding four other people. New information emerged during a cold case review in 2020, leading to Smith's arrest. Smith pleaded guilty in October to second-degree murder and criminal discharge of a weapon into an occupied vehicle.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1601575530743.png" alt="Javon Smith photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Javon Smith photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 2017 killing of an 18-year-old Topeka woman. Twenty-year-old Javon Amond Smith was sentenced Thursday for second-degree murder and other crimes linked to the death of Kianna Cherise Hodges.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1601570234524.png" alt="Kianna Hodge photo Penwell Gable Funeral Home" />
 <figcaption>Kianna Hodge photo Penwell Gable Funeral Home</figcaption>
 </figure>Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay said Topeka police were called on March 4, 2017, after a man on foot shot into two separate vehicles, killing Hodges and wounding four other people. New information emerged during a cold case review in 2020, leading to Smith's arrest. Smith pleaded guilty in October to second-degree murder and criminal discharge of a weapon into an occupied vehicle.

Man sentenced in cold-case killing of 18-year-old Kan. woman

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-01-20/a-johnson-county-woman-created-a-blood-drive-before-she-died-its-needed-now-more-than-ever">Kansas News Service</a>

In the last year of Katie Scott’s life, blood transfusions made all the difference.

The
 Johnson County native needed them regularly — as often as every other 
week — during months of chemotherapy to treat a rare bone cancer.

They
 counteracted the exhaustion caused not just by Ewing sarcoma, but by 
the treatment — which in the fight to kill cancer cells, also took a 
toll on healthy ones.

“It was like night and day,” her husband 
Ryan Scott said, recalling how Katie would wake up with renewed strength
 the day after a transfusion. “It was life back into her.”

For
 the Scotts, a generous act by others — people who had donated blood — 
translated into more energy for Katie to continue chemotherapy and to 
spend time doing things with the people she loved.

On Feb. 4, the 
family hopes many people will come to Overland Park’s Sheraton Hotel for
 an annual blood drive launched by Katie, her coworkers and friends in 
the final weeks of her life.

She knew at that point that the cancer would be fatal and she wanted a way to give back to others the way they had given to her.

On Feb. 1, 2018, Katie died one day before the first blood drive. She was 29.

This year, the effort she began comes as the American Red Cross announced its worst blood shortage in more than a decade.

A five-day supply is ideal. Right now, no sooner does blood arrive and get screened than it’s gone.

“We have less than a day’s supply,” said Joe Zydlo, a spokesman for 
the Red Cross region that includes Missouri, Arkansas and parts of 
Kansas. “Probably more like three-quarters of a day’s supply.”

Hospitals get only a portion of what they’d normally expect to receive each day.

In
 a typical year, winter weather and the flu season can easily cut into 
blood supplies. Fewer people donate, and it’s not unusual for the Red 
Cross to issue emergency appeals for help.

But this winter, the pandemic has pushed the situation well beyond that.

Last
 week, Kansas reported 55,000 new cases of the coronavirus – more than 
double the weekly case counts from the worst period of the pandemic last
 winter.

The sheer amount of COVID-19 circulating here and 
nationally keeps far more people at home than even a bad flu year. 
They’re sick, in quarantine or trying to avoid the germs to protect 
themselves and their families.

HCA Midwest Health’s chief medical 
officer, Kimberly Megow, calls the situation “unprecedented” — yet 
another stressor on the health care system.

“One trauma patient 
who needs a massive blood transfusion,” Megow said in an emailed 
statement, “can deplete a good portion of a hospital’s blood supply.”

To cope, HCA Midwest facilities shuffle supplies among themselves on a daily basis to get the blood to where it’s needed.

HCA
 Midwest runs seven hospitals in the Kansas City region, 10 emergency 
rooms and several trauma and cancer centers. It delivers more babies 
than any other health system in the area.

In short, it needs a lot of blood. For car accident victims. Emergency C-sections. Cancer care.

And
 though last winter brought a shortage, too, Megow says hospitals also 
used less blood then. Many people stayed home instead of seeking health 
care, and hospitals postponed non-emergency surgeries to cope with the 
influx of COVID patients.

To be sure, some of that is happening 
now, she says. HCA Midwest hospitals are delaying some surgeries as the 
region’s third major wave of COVID continues.

But facilities are 
also seeing more car accident victims and treating a backlog of patients
 who put off care last year. More blood supplies are needed.

This
 marks the fifth year of the annual drives that Katie Scott started and 
that have come to involve donation sites in multiple cities. Over the 
last four years, the drives collected enough blood to impact nearly 
3,000 lives.

Ryan Scott remembers what the planning meant to his wife in her final weeks and days.

She
 recruited donors. She logged in to the event portal over and over, 
watching the growing list of those who pledged to give, and sending 
reminders to others in hopes of attracting more.

“She would 
literally be on that, I mean, every 20 minutes,” Ryan said. “She’d 
refresh and she’d see which friends signed up, which family signed up.”

The day after she died, her family grieved while donating as she had wanted.

For them, each year’s event remains a day of mixed emotions. It comes at the time of year when they lost Katie.

“But
 then you also see the impact of how many people (the drive) is 
helping,” Ryan said. “You see family, you see friends. So it’s kind of 
like a celebration, too, of an incredible life.”

Naturally 
outgoing, her warmth toward others led to relationships with people all 
across Renaissance Financial, the firm where she worked.

So 
although her roots were in the Kansas City area — where she attended 
Holy Spirit Catholic School and Bishop Miege High School, then 
Benedictine College — colleagues run blood drives to carry out her 
vision in St. Louis, Omaha and Phoenix, too.

This year her family 
will also unveil two new Red Cross vans made possible by a GoFundMe 
campaign that swiftly raised more than $100,000 to honor Katie’s memory.
 Those will shore up the fleet of vehicles in the Midwest that shuttle 
blood from donation sites to blood banks.

Blood drive details: Friday, Feb. 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the 
Sheraton Overland Park Hotel, 6100 College Blvd. Donors should <a href="https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?order=DATE&amp;range=10&amp;zipSponsor=KATIESCOTT" target="_blank">sign up in advance</a> and wear a mask at the donation site.

Celia Llopis-Jepsen 
reports on consumer health for the Kansas News Service. You can follow 
her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642778591579.png" alt="Katie Scott spends time with her nephews, Rex, Henry and Charlie. Submitted to Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Katie Scott spends time with her nephews, Rex, Henry and Charlie. Submitted to Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-01-20/a-johnson-county-woman-created-a-blood-drive-before-she-died-its-needed-now-more-than-ever">Kansas News Service</a>In the last year of Katie Scott’s life, blood transfusions made all the difference.The
 Johnson County native needed them regularly — as often as every other 
week — during months of chemotherapy to treat a rare bone cancer.They
 counteracted the exhaustion caused not just by Ewing sarcoma, but by 
the treatment — which in the fight to kill cancer cells, also took a 
toll on healthy ones.“It was like night and day,” her husband 
Ryan Scott said, recalling how Katie would wake up with renewed strength
 the day after a transfusion. “It was life back into her.”For
 the Scotts, a generous act by others — people who had donated blood — 
translated into more energy for Katie to continue chemotherapy and to 
spend time doing things with the people she loved.On Feb. 4, the 
family hopes many people will come to Overland Park’s Sheraton Hotel for
 an annual blood drive launched by Katie, her coworkers and friends in 
the final weeks of her life.She knew at that point that the cancer would be fatal and she wanted a way to give back to others the way they had given to her.On Feb. 1, 2018, Katie died one day before the first blood drive. She was 29.This year, the effort she began comes as the American Red Cross announced its worst blood shortage in more than a decade.A five-day supply is ideal. Right now, no sooner does blood arrive and get screened than it’s gone.“We have less than a day’s supply,” said Joe Zydlo, a spokesman for 
the Red Cross region that includes Missouri, Arkansas and parts of 
Kansas. “Probably more like three-quarters of a day’s supply.”Hospitals get only a portion of what they’d normally expect to receive each day.<h2>Pandemic effect</h2>In
 a typical year, winter weather and the flu season can easily cut into 
blood supplies. Fewer people donate, and it’s not unusual for the Red 
Cross to issue emergency appeals for help.But this winter, the pandemic has pushed the situation well beyond that.Last
 week, Kansas reported 55,000 new cases of the coronavirus – more than 
double the weekly case counts from the worst period of the pandemic last
 winter.The sheer amount of COVID-19 circulating here and 
nationally keeps far more people at home than even a bad flu year. 
They’re sick, in quarantine or trying to avoid the germs to protect 
themselves and their families.HCA Midwest Health’s chief medical 
officer, Kimberly Megow, calls the situation “unprecedented” — yet 
another stressor on the health care system.“One trauma patient 
who needs a massive blood transfusion,” Megow said in an emailed 
statement, “can deplete a good portion of a hospital’s blood supply.”To cope, HCA Midwest facilities shuffle supplies among themselves on a daily basis to get the blood to where it’s needed.HCA
 Midwest runs seven hospitals in the Kansas City region, 10 emergency 
rooms and several trauma and cancer centers. It delivers more babies 
than any other health system in the area.In short, it needs a lot of blood. For car accident victims. Emergency C-sections. Cancer care.And
 though last winter brought a shortage, too, Megow says hospitals also 
used less blood then. Many people stayed home instead of seeking health 
care, and hospitals postponed non-emergency surgeries to cope with the 
influx of COVID patients.To be sure, some of that is happening 
now, she says. HCA Midwest hospitals are delaying some surgeries as the 
region’s third major wave of COVID continues.But facilities are 
also seeing more car accident victims and treating a backlog of patients
 who put off care last year. More blood supplies are needed.<h2>A time of mixed emotions</h2>This
 marks the fifth year of the annual drives that Katie Scott started and 
that have come to involve donation sites in multiple cities. Over the 
last four years, the drives collected enough blood to impact nearly 
3,000 lives.Ryan Scott remembers what the planning meant to his wife in her final weeks and days.She
 recruited donors. She logged in to the event portal over and over, 
watching the growing list of those who pledged to give, and sending 
reminders to others in hopes of attracting more.“She would 
literally be on that, I mean, every 20 minutes,” Ryan said. “She’d 
refresh and she’d see which friends signed up, which family signed up.”The day after she died, her family grieved while donating as she had wanted.For them, each year’s event remains a day of mixed emotions. It comes at the time of year when they lost Katie.“But
 then you also see the impact of how many people (the drive) is 
helping,” Ryan said. “You see family, you see friends. So it’s kind of 
like a celebration, too, of an incredible life.”Naturally 
outgoing, her warmth toward others led to relationships with people all 
across Renaissance Financial, the firm where she worked.So 
although her roots were in the Kansas City area — where she attended 
Holy Spirit Catholic School and Bishop Miege High School, then 
Benedictine College — colleagues run blood drives to carry out her 
vision in St. Louis, Omaha and Phoenix, too.This year her family 
will also unveil two new Red Cross vans made possible by a GoFundMe 
campaign that swiftly raised more than $100,000 to honor Katie’s memory.
 Those will shore up the fleet of vehicles in the Midwest that shuttle 
blood from donation sites to blood banks.Blood drive details: Friday, Feb. 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the 
Sheraton Overland Park Hotel, 6100 College Blvd. Donors should <a href="https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?order=DATE&amp;range=10&amp;zipSponsor=KATIESCOTT" target="_blank">sign up in advance</a> and wear a mask at the donation site.Celia Llopis-Jepsen 
reports on consumer health for the Kansas News Service. You can follow 
her on Twitter @celia_LJ or email her at celia@kcur.org.

Kan. woman created a blood drive before she died; It's needed now more than ever

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, angrily accused Kansas senator Roger Marshall last week of making false accusations that are leading to threats against him -- all to raise political cash. Now Senator Roger Marshall's campaign is <a href="https://store.kansansformarshall.com/storefront/moron-white-t-shirt/details/">selling t-shirts over</a> the heated exchange during the Senate hearing.

During the January 11, hearing Fauci lost his temper when Marshall accused him of hiding financial disclosure forms required of public officials.

“You’re so misinformed that it’s extraordinary,” Fauci responded, saying those documents are publicly available upon request. As the exchange ended, Fauci could be heard muttering off-camera, “What a moron.” Following the line of questioning, Dr. Fauci proceeded to call Senator Marshall a “moron” and said, “Jesus Christ.” Click&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1480977059874848769?s=20" target="_blank">HERE</a>&nbsp; to hear Dr. Fauci on hot mic.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/1/1642525933058.png" alt="Senator&nbsp;Marshall's campaign now sells t-shirts with "moron" underneath a picture of Dr. Anthony Fauci." />
 <figcaption>Senator&nbsp;Marshall's campaign now sells t-shirts with "moron" underneath a picture of Dr. Anthony Fauci.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, angrily accused Kansas senator Roger Marshall last week of making false accusations that are leading to threats against him -- all to raise political cash. Now Senator Roger Marshall's campaign is <a href="https://store.kansansformarshall.com/storefront/moron-white-t-shirt/details/">selling t-shirts over</a> the heated exchange during the Senate hearing.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gB4Q4tCBsh4?start=7" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>During the January 11, hearing Fauci lost his temper when Marshall accused him of hiding financial disclosure forms required of public officials.“You’re so misinformed that it’s extraordinary,” Fauci responded, saying those documents are publicly available upon request. As the exchange ended, Fauci could be heard muttering off-camera, “What a moron.” Following the line of questioning, Dr. Fauci proceeded to call Senator Marshall a “moron” and said, “Jesus Christ.” Click&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1480977059874848769?s=20" target="_blank">HERE</a>&nbsp; to hear Dr. Fauci on hot mic.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Calling me a moron during a Senate hearing may have alleviated the stress of the least trusted bureaucrat in America, but it didn’t take away from the facts. We need the truth Dr. Fauci! <a href="https://t.co/GyfdppfNgn">pic.twitter.com/GyfdppfNgn</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1481029428754984968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 11, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Marshall's campaign selling Fauci t-shirts following heated exchange

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve on&nbsp; released a highly anticipated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/money-and-payments-discussion-paper.htm" target="_blank">report on central bank digital currencies</a>&nbsp;that suggested it is leaning toward having banks and other financial firms, rather than the Fed itself, manage digital accounts for customers.

A central bank digital currency would differ in some key ways from the online and digital payments that millions of Americans already conduct. Those transactions are funneled through banks, which wouldn’t be necessary with a digital dollar.

The Fed’s paper stressed that no final decisions about a digital currency have been reached. But it suggested that a digital currency that “would best serve the needs” of the nation would follow an “intermediated model” under which banks or payment firms would create accounts or digital wallets.

The Fed characterized the potential introduction of a digital currency as a step that could have far-reaching consequences for banks and other financial firms as well as for the central bank itself.

“The introduction of a (central bank digital currency) would represent a highly significant innovation in American money,” the study said. The Fed said it “could fundamentally change the structure of the U.S. financial system, altering the roles and responsibilities of the private sector and the central bank.”

The report comes at a time when digital money is proliferating in a variety of forms. Millions of people own cryptocurrencies, though they are often used more as investments than as forms of payment. But so-called stablecoins, which are often pegged to the dollar, have also soared in use in the past year, mostly for cryptocurrency transactions.

And most central banks around the world are studying government-backed digital currencies. China’s central bank has already tested a digital version of the yuan. The European Central Bank began exploring a digital euro in October and said its “investigation period” would last two years. Some Caribbean nations have already issued digital currencies.

China’s action and the explosion of stablecoins, which can be used in place of dollars in international transactions, have raised pressure on the Fed to consider a digital currency. Last March, Chair Jerome Powell said that while the Fed needed to keep pace with financial innovations, it would proceed cautiously.

“As the world’s principal reserve currency...we have an obligation to be on the cutting edge of understanding the technological challenges,” Powell said then. “But...we don’t need to rush this project. We don’t need to be first to market.”

The Fed is likely years away from actually issuing a digital currency, if it decides to do so. The paper released Thursday kicks off a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/apps/forms/cbdc" target="_blank">120-day comment period</a>, during which the Fed will seek input from the public. The Fed also said it would proceed only with support from Congress, “ideally in the form of a specific authorizing law.”

And officials at the central bank aren’t all in agreement about whether a central bank digital currency is needed. Lael Brainard, who serves on the Fed’s Board of Governors and has been nominated by President Joe Biden to be vice chair, has, for example, expressed support for the concept, while Christopher Waller, another board member, has been skeptical.

A digital dollar could bring a host of benefits as well as risks. It would be a safer form of digital payment, because the Fed, unlike a bank or the companies issuing stablecoins, can’t go bankrupt. It could be easier and less expensive to access for people without bank accounts.

At the same time, a digital currency could pose privacy risks because it would be issued by the government. The Fed’s paper suggests, though, that banks and other third-party firms would shield consumer data from the Fed while also implementing existing rules against money-laundering and other illicit activity.

Such a government-issued digital dollar could also have major consequences for commercial banks because many Americans might prefer to hold such currency in a “wallet” issued by a payment provider like PayPal or Venmo, potentially cutting into bank deposits.

The Fed could even seek to influence the economy through a digital currency, as it now does by controlling interest rates. It could pay interest on a digital dollar, for example, or even have it decline in value, as a form of a negative interest rate. An interest payment could make a digital dollar more attractive than money in a bank.

“This substitution effect could reduce the aggregate amount of deposits in the banking system,” the Fed report said.

That hasn’t gone unnoticed by banks. The Bank Policy Institute, a lobbying group, asserted in a&nbsp;<a href="https://bpi.com/legal-authority-to-issue-a-u-s-central-bank-digital-currency/" target="_blank">blog post last June</a>&nbsp;that the Fed doesn’t have legal authority to pay interest on a digital dollar.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve on&nbsp; released a highly anticipated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/money-and-payments-discussion-paper.htm" target="_blank">report on central bank digital currencies</a>&nbsp;that suggested it is leaning toward having banks and other financial firms, rather than the Fed itself, manage digital accounts for customers.A central bank digital currency would differ in some key ways from the online and digital payments that millions of Americans already conduct. Those transactions are funneled through banks, which wouldn’t be necessary with a digital dollar.The Fed’s paper stressed that no final decisions about a digital currency have been reached. But it suggested that a digital currency that “would best serve the needs” of the nation would follow an “intermediated model” under which banks or payment firms would create accounts or digital wallets.The Fed characterized the potential introduction of a digital currency as a step that could have far-reaching consequences for banks and other financial firms as well as for the central bank itself.“The introduction of a (central bank digital currency) would represent a highly significant innovation in American money,” the study said. The Fed said it “could fundamentally change the structure of the U.S. financial system, altering the roles and responsibilities of the private sector and the central bank.”The report comes at a time when digital money is proliferating in a variety of forms. Millions of people own cryptocurrencies, though they are often used more as investments than as forms of payment. But so-called stablecoins, which are often pegged to the dollar, have also soared in use in the past year, mostly for cryptocurrency transactions.And most central banks around the world are studying government-backed digital currencies. China’s central bank has already tested a digital version of the yuan. The European Central Bank began exploring a digital euro in October and said its “investigation period” would last two years. Some Caribbean nations have already issued digital currencies.China’s action and the explosion of stablecoins, which can be used in place of dollars in international transactions, have raised pressure on the Fed to consider a digital currency. Last March, Chair Jerome Powell said that while the Fed needed to keep pace with financial innovations, it would proceed cautiously.“As the world’s principal reserve currency...we have an obligation to be on the cutting edge of understanding the technological challenges,” Powell said then. “But...we don’t need to rush this project. We don’t need to be first to market.”The Fed is likely years away from actually issuing a digital currency, if it decides to do so. The paper released Thursday kicks off a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/apps/forms/cbdc" target="_blank">120-day comment period</a>, during which the Fed will seek input from the public. The Fed also said it would proceed only with support from Congress, “ideally in the form of a specific authorizing law.”And officials at the central bank aren’t all in agreement about whether a central bank digital currency is needed. Lael Brainard, who serves on the Fed’s Board of Governors and has been nominated by President Joe Biden to be vice chair, has, for example, expressed support for the concept, while Christopher Waller, another board member, has been skeptical.A digital dollar could bring a host of benefits as well as risks. It would be a safer form of digital payment, because the Fed, unlike a bank or the companies issuing stablecoins, can’t go bankrupt. It could be easier and less expensive to access for people without bank accounts.At the same time, a digital currency could pose privacy risks because it would be issued by the government. The Fed’s paper suggests, though, that banks and other third-party firms would shield consumer data from the Fed while also implementing existing rules against money-laundering and other illicit activity.Such a government-issued digital dollar could also have major consequences for commercial banks because many Americans might prefer to hold such currency in a “wallet” issued by a payment provider like PayPal or Venmo, potentially cutting into bank deposits.The Fed could even seek to influence the economy through a digital currency, as it now does by controlling interest rates. It could pay interest on a digital dollar, for example, or even have it decline in value, as a form of a negative interest rate. An interest payment could make a digital dollar more attractive than money in a bank.“This substitution effect could reduce the aggregate amount of deposits in the banking system,” the Fed report said.That hasn’t gone unnoticed by banks. The Bank Policy Institute, a lobbying group, asserted in a&nbsp;<a href="https://bpi.com/legal-authority-to-issue-a-u-s-central-bank-digital-currency/" target="_blank">blog post last June</a>&nbsp;that the Fed doesn’t have legal authority to pay interest on a digital dollar.

The Federal Reserve wants your input on US digital currency

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting.

Just after 11p.m. Saturday,&nbsp; police were dispatched to the 1100 Block of 47th Terrace in Kansas City, Kansas for a person found lying in the driveway, according to a media release. 

At the home, police found a man who had been the victim of apparent gunfire. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police released no additional details including the victim's name.

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting.Just after 11p.m. Saturday,&nbsp; police were dispatched to the 1100 Block of 47th Terrace in Kansas City, Kansas for a person found lying in the driveway, according to a media release. At the home, police found a man who had been the victim of apparent gunfire. He was pronounced dead at the scene.Police released no additional details including the victim's name.

Police: Man found shot to death in driveway of Kansas home

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis vowed Friday to provide justice to victims of clergy sexual abuse and German authorities called for further investigation after an independent audit faulted retired Pope Benedict XVI for having botched four cases of abuse when he was archbishop of Munich, Germany.

The fallout from the report continued to reverberate Friday as church officials digested the findings that a pope credited with having turned the Vatican around on the abuse issue had in fact mishandled cases earlier in his career.

One day after the report's release, Francis met with the members of the Vatican office that handles sex abuse cases in a previously scheduled audience. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was headed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger for nearly a quarter-century before he became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1603292366279.png" alt="Pope Francis mage courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Pope Francis mage courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated PressROME (AP) — Pope Francis vowed Friday to provide justice to victims of clergy sexual abuse and German authorities called for further investigation after an independent audit faulted retired Pope Benedict XVI for having botched four cases of abuse when he was archbishop of Munich, Germany.The fallout from the report continued to reverberate Friday as church officials digested the findings that a pope credited with having turned the Vatican around on the abuse issue had in fact mishandled cases earlier in his career.One day after the report's release, Francis met with the members of the Vatican office that handles sex abuse cases in a previously scheduled audience. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was headed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger for nearly a quarter-century before he became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.In his speech, Francis didn’t refer to the findings of the report into how the Munich archdiocese handled abuse cases from 1945 and 2019. Ratzinger was archbishop there from 1977-1982.But Francis said the church was continuing to discern the way forward in the abuse scandal, which has discredited the Catholic hierarchy at the Vatican and around the world.“The church, with God’s help, is carrying out the commitment with firm determination to do justice to the victims of abuse by its members, applying with particular attention and rigor to the canonical legislation envisaged,” Francis told the group.He recalled he had recently updated the Vatican norms to handle abuse cases to make them more effective.“This alone cannot be enough to stem the phenomenon, but it is a necessary step to restore justice, to repair scandal and reform the offender,” he said.The German report prepared by an independent law firm found that Ratzinger mishandled four cases of abusive clergy during his tenure as archbishop. Until Thursday, only one known case implicating his Munich tenure had been made public; the report found that the church’s claim that Ratzinger was unaware of the priest's background lacked credibility.Prosecutors in Munich said Friday they are examining 42 cases of possible wrongdoing by church officials arising from Thursday’s report. Spokesperson Anne Leiding told German news agency dpa that the cases were referred to them by the law firm that prepared the report last year.If any suspicion of “possible criminally relevant behavior” emerges from the examination, Leiding said, prosecutors will seek further details from the law firm.The law firm said on Thursday that the cases involve living officials who are still in office.Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokeswoman, Christiane Hoffmann, said Friday it was “urgent that these matters be fully investigated and a comprehensive reappraisal be carried out.”The report makes “the extent of the abuse and breach of duty by church dignitaries shockingly clear.” she said.“It is crucial that confidence in the process of coming to terms with the past is strengthened in the Catholic Church and by individual dignitaries,” she said.The Vatican didn’t immediately comment on the report, saying it would read it carefully in the coming days. Benedict’s longtime secretary, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, also said the retired pope hadn’t yet read the report, but would.Benedict, who provided information to the report’s authors, expressed his upset and shame about the scandal, Gaenswein said.Benedict’s legacy as pope had already been colored by the 2010 global eruption of the clergy abuse scandal, even though as a cardinal he was responsible for turning around the Vatican’s approach to the issue.Ratzinger took the then-revolutionary decision in 2001 to assume responsibility for processing abuse cases after he realized bishops around the world weren’t punishing abusers but were just moving them from parish to parish and enabling them to rape again.That decision, however, came after Ratzinger was still sitting on cases at the Vatican. Years ago documentation emerged showing that Ratzinger in 1985 dithered on a case of a convicted child molester in California who asked to be defrocked, delaying any action for two years.The case of the Rev. Stephen Kiesle was evidence that the Vatican under St. John Paul II strongly resisted letting priests leave active ministry, even if they were convicted rapists.A fellow German and one of Ratzinger's successors at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, dismissed the report's findings, suggesting they were ideologically motivated to attack Ratzinger and saying if there were errors in the handling of cases, Ratzinger didn't know about them.He noted that in the 1970s and 1980s, neither the church nor society at large handled child sex abusers properly.“It was thought that therapy could resolve the problem. Today we know that this is useless for these criminals," he said.