The
 Federal Trade Commission is sending 4,505 checks to people who lost 
money in a financing scheme that targeted customers shopping for 
computers and related electronic devices.

In 2008, the FTC alleged that BlueHippo Funding, LLC and affiliate BlueHippo Capital, LLC promised
 to finance new computers, collected money from customers, and then 
failed to provide them with computers. The Commission also alleged that 
the two companies failed to disclose key terms of BlueHippo’s refund 
policy to customers prior to their making payments.

<a href="https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/federal.trade.commission/viz/Refunds_15797958402020/RefundsbyCase"></a>After
 agreeing to a settlement with the FTC, BlueHippo continued to engage in
 deceptive practices. In 2009, the FTC sued the companies again, as well
 as CEO and sole owner Joseph Rensin, charging them with contempt for 
violating the 2008 order. The FTC <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/02/ftc-wins-key-ruling-allowing-agency-continue-efforts-hold">won a lengthy court battle</a>, and is now using the money it recovered from Rensin to provide more than $103,000 in refunds to consumers.

People who receive checks should deposit or cash them within 90 days,
 as indicated on the check. Recipients who have questions about their 
checks can call the refund administrator Analytics, Inc., at 
1-855-558-1233. The FTC never requires people to pay money or provide 
account information to cash a refund check.

The FTC’s <a href="https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/federal.trade.commission/viz/Refunds_15797958402020/RefundsbyCase">interactive dashboards for refund data(link is external)</a>
 provide a state-by-state breakdown of FTC refunds. In 2020, FTC actions
 led to more than $483 million in refunds to consumers across the 
country, but recently the United States Supreme Court ruled the FTC 
lacks authority under Section 13(b) to seek monetary relief in federal 
court going forward. The <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/04/ftc-asks-congress-pass-legislation-reviving-agencys-authority">Commission has urged Congress</a> to restore the FTC’s ability to get money back for consumers.

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">protect and educate consumers</a>. You can <a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/">learn more about consumer topics</a> and file a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/complaint">consumer complaint online</a> or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357).&nbsp;For the latest news and resources, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/social-media">follow the FTC on social media</a>, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a> and read our <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619632629588.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FTCThe
 Federal Trade Commission is sending 4,505 checks to people who lost 
money in a financing scheme that targeted customers shopping for 
computers and related electronic devices.In 2008, the FTC alleged that BlueHippo Funding, LLC and affiliate BlueHippo Capital, LLC promised
 to finance new computers, collected money from customers, and then 
failed to provide them with computers. The Commission also alleged that 
the two companies failed to disclose key terms of BlueHippo’s refund 
policy to customers prior to their making payments.<a href="https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/federal.trade.commission/viz/Refunds_15797958402020/RefundsbyCase"></a>After
 agreeing to a settlement with the FTC, BlueHippo continued to engage in
 deceptive practices. In 2009, the FTC sued the companies again, as well
 as CEO and sole owner Joseph Rensin, charging them with contempt for 
violating the 2008 order. The FTC <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/02/ftc-wins-key-ruling-allowing-agency-continue-efforts-hold">won a lengthy court battle</a>, and is now using the money it recovered from Rensin to provide more than $103,000 in refunds to consumers.People who receive checks should deposit or cash them within 90 days,
 as indicated on the check. Recipients who have questions about their 
checks can call the refund administrator Analytics, Inc., at 
1-855-558-1233. The FTC never requires people to pay money or provide 
account information to cash a refund check.The FTC’s <a href="https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/federal.trade.commission/viz/Refunds_15797958402020/RefundsbyCase">interactive dashboards for refund data(link is external)</a>
 provide a state-by-state breakdown of FTC refunds. In 2020, FTC actions
 led to more than $483 million in refunds to consumers across the 
country, but recently the United States Supreme Court ruled the FTC 
lacks authority under Section 13(b) to seek monetary relief in federal 
court going forward. The <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/04/ftc-asks-congress-pass-legislation-reviving-agencys-authority">Commission has urged Congress</a> to restore the FTC’s ability to get money back for consumers.The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition and to <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/about-ftc/bureaus-offices/bureau-consumer-protection">protect and educate consumers</a>. You can <a href="https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/">learn more about consumer topics</a> and file a <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/complaint">consumer complaint online</a> or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357).&nbsp;For the latest news and resources, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/social-media">follow the FTC on social media</a>, <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/stay-connected">subscribe to press releases</a> and read our <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs">blogs</a>.

Refund checks heading to those who lost money in computer shopping scheme

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal stabbing, have made an arrest and located the alleged murder weapon.

Just after 9:30p.m. Monday, deputies were dispatched to a stabbing in the 5600 block of south 143rd Street East in Wichita, according to Lt. Benjamin Blick.

 When deputies arrived, they located a 48-year-old as Kelly Joe Ralph in the driveway with multiple stab wounds. EMS transported&nbsp; him to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

During the investigation, deputies learned there was a physical disturbance between Ralph and and his 32-year-old nephew Douglass R. McGathy over a gun sale, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter. They both lived at the home.

Deputies arrested McGathy and booked him on requested charges of Murder in the second degree.&nbsp; 

On Tuesday, investigators returned to the crime scene and&nbsp; located the knife used in the murder. It was thrown on the roof of the home, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1630426752484.png" alt="McGathy-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>McGathy-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal stabbing, have made an arrest and located the alleged murder weapon.Just after 9:30p.m. Monday, deputies were dispatched to a stabbing in the 5600 block of south 143rd Street East in Wichita, according to Lt. Benjamin Blick. When deputies arrived, they located a 48-year-old as Kelly Joe Ralph in the driveway with multiple stab wounds. EMS transported&nbsp; him to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.During the investigation, deputies learned there was a physical disturbance between Ralph and and his 32-year-old nephew Douglass R. McGathy over a gun sale, according to Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter. They both lived at the home.Deputies arrested McGathy and booked him on requested charges of Murder in the second degree.&nbsp; On Tuesday, investigators returned to the crime scene and&nbsp; located the knife used in the murder. It was thrown on the roof of the home, according to Sheriff Jeff Easter.

Sheriff: Deputies find murder weapon on roof of Kan. home

KANSAS CITY —The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to halt the October execution of a man convicted of a triple killing who claimed his intellectual disability made him ineligible for the death penalty.

Ernest Lee Johnson, 61, is scheduled to die by injection Oct. 5 at the state prison in Bonne Terre. It would be the first execution in Missouri since convicted killer Walter Barton was put to death in May 2020.

Johnson's attorney, Kansas City public defender Jeremy Weis, said he is still weighing options about what to do next. Weis said Johnson “meets all statutory and clinical definitions” of intellectual disability and has an IQ that in various tests has ranged from 67 to 77. The Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits executing intellectually disabled people.

Johnson was convicted of killing 46-year-old Mary Bratcher, 57-year-old Mable Scruggs and 58-year-old Fred Jones during a closing-time robbery of a Casey’s General Store in Columbia in February 1994. Johnson wanted money to buy drugs, authorities said.

All three workers were beaten to death with a claw hammer. Bratcher also was stabbed at least 10 times with a screwdriver and Jones was shot in the face. The bodies were hid in a cooler.

Johnson was arrested after police found a bank bag, stolen money and store receipts at his home.

Johnson had previously asked that his execution be carried out by firing squad. His lawyers argued that Missouri's lethal injection drug, pentobarbital, could trigger seizures. In 2008 Johnson had most, but not all, of a benign brain tumor removed, and a later MRI revealed that up to 20% of his brain tissue was also removed.

But Missouri law does not authorize execution by firing squad and the U.S. Supreme Court in May refused to consider Johnson's appeal. The Missouri Supreme Court, in its decision on Tuesday, also declined to halt the execution based on concerns about the drug.

Johnson has been sentenced to death three times.

He was already on death row in 2001 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that executing the mentally ill was unconstitutionally cruel and a new sentencing hearing was ordered. Johnson was again sentenced to death in 2003. The Missouri Supreme Court tossed that sentence, too. In 2006, Johnson was sentenced to death again.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1630442442895.png" alt="Johnson photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Johnson photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to halt the October execution of a man convicted of a triple killing who claimed his intellectual disability made him ineligible for the death penalty.Ernest Lee Johnson, 61, is scheduled to die by injection Oct. 5 at the state prison in Bonne Terre. It would be the first execution in Missouri since convicted killer Walter Barton was put to death in May 2020.Johnson's attorney, Kansas City public defender Jeremy Weis, said he is still weighing options about what to do next. Weis said Johnson “meets all statutory and clinical definitions” of intellectual disability and has an IQ that in various tests has ranged from 67 to 77. The Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits executing intellectually disabled people.Johnson was convicted of killing 46-year-old Mary Bratcher, 57-year-old Mable Scruggs and 58-year-old Fred Jones during a closing-time robbery of a Casey’s General Store in Columbia in February 1994. Johnson wanted money to buy drugs, authorities said.All three workers were beaten to death with a claw hammer. Bratcher also was stabbed at least 10 times with a screwdriver and Jones was shot in the face. The bodies were hid in a cooler.Johnson was arrested after police found a bank bag, stolen money and store receipts at his home.Johnson had previously asked that his execution be carried out by firing squad. His lawyers argued that Missouri's lethal injection drug, pentobarbital, could trigger seizures. In 2008 Johnson had most, but not all, of a benign brain tumor removed, and a later MRI revealed that up to 20% of his brain tissue was also removed.But Missouri law does not authorize execution by firing squad and the U.S. Supreme Court in May refused to consider Johnson's appeal. The Missouri Supreme Court, in its decision on Tuesday, also declined to halt the execution based on concerns about the drug.Johnson has been sentenced to death three times.He was already on death row in 2001 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that executing the mentally ill was unconstitutionally cruel and a new sentencing hearing was ordered. Johnson was again sentenced to death in 2003. The Missouri Supreme Court tossed that sentence, too. In 2006, Johnson was sentenced to death again.

Court declines to halt triple-killer's execution

WICHITA — A man was sentenced to life in prison Monday for having sexual relations with an underage Wichita girl. 

District Judge Kevin O’Connor sentenced Breyon Mukes, 27 of Wichita, to life on one count of attempted aggravated criminal sodomy and nine months for criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.

The sentences will run concurrently. Mukes will be eligible for parole after 25 years.

The crimes occurred in September 2014 in Wichita. A jury found Mukes guilty in 2016, but the convictions were overturned on appeal by the Kansas Court of Appeals in 2019.

A new trial was ordered and in February of this year, Mukes was found guilty of the attempt sodomy charge. At the sentencing hearing last Friday, Judge O’Connor ruled Mukes will have to finish his sentence for attempted aggravated robbery in an unrelated 2012 case before he can begin to serve his life sentence in this matter. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1630353771742.png" alt="Mukes photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Mukes photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA — A man was sentenced to life in prison Monday for having sexual relations with an underage Wichita girl. District Judge Kevin O’Connor sentenced Breyon Mukes, 27 of Wichita, to life on one count of attempted aggravated criminal sodomy and nine months for criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.The sentences will run concurrently. Mukes will be eligible for parole after 25 years.The crimes occurred in September 2014 in Wichita. A jury found Mukes guilty in 2016, but the convictions were overturned on appeal by the Kansas Court of Appeals in 2019.A new trial was ordered and in February of this year, Mukes was found guilty of the attempt sodomy charge. At the sentencing hearing last Friday, Judge O’Connor ruled Mukes will have to finish his sentence for attempted aggravated robbery in an unrelated 2012 case before he can begin to serve his life sentence in this matter.

Kansas man gets life in prison for child sex crime

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-08-30/landing-in-the-hospital-with-covid-19-is-getting-more-expensive-heres-why">Kansas News Service</a>

For many Kansans, landing in the hospital with COVID-19 could easily 
cost thousands more dollars now than earlier in the pandemic.

It’s the latest, financial reason that experts encourage people to get vaccinated.

The vast majority of people hospitalized with the coronavirus today never got their shots against the disease. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7032e3.htm" target="_blank">Getting the coronavirus vaccine gives you excellent odds</a> of staying out of the hospital.

Early
 in the pandemic, most major insurance companies and many employers 
promised to waive cost-sharing (coinsurance, copays, deductibles) if you
 caught COVID-19 and needed medical care.

“Insurers
 were voluntarily waiving deductibles and copays,” said Krutika Amin, a 
researcher at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “The environment has shifted
 with the safe and highly effective vaccines that are now widely 
available.”

In recent months, <a href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/most-private-insurers-are-no-longer-waiving-cost-sharing-for-covid-19-treatment/" target="_blank">most health plans nationwide</a>
 appear to have dropped those promises. Others plan to make the same 
move in coming weeks or months. That includes Kansas’ two largest 
insurers, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas and Blue KC.

If you 
come down with a nasty case of COVID-19 and end up in the hospital, the 
key money things you need to worry about are your health plan’s network,
 its cost-sharing rules and the risk of surprise bills.

Here’s the lowdown for Kansans who have health insurance, including 
cost-sharing rules for major insurers and health plans in Kansas.

(Side note: If you don’t have insurance, you’re in an even more precarious situation. <a href="https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/unvaccinated-covid-patients-cost-the-u-s-health-system-billions-of-dollars/" target="_blank">A typical COVID-19 hospital stay</a> can easily add up to $20,000 at prices negotiated by insurers. The uninsured risk getting charged even higher amounts.)

You may not be able to stay in-network.

Many Kansas hospitals are so busy right now that they <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-08-17/short-staffed-fatigued-and-filling-up-kansas-hospitals-struggle-again-with-covid-surge" target="_blank">can’t take on more patients</a>. Some have even had to divert ambulances to other hospitals. And some are <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-08-18/a-kansas-doctor-tells-the-story-of-sending-her-critically-ill-covid-patient-570-miles-away" target="_blank">sending critically ill patients in air ambulances</a> to beds in other states hours away from home.

All of this means that you can’t count on getting admitted to a hospital within your insurance network if you wind up needing intensive care.

Those
 air ambulances — with their eye-popping bills — could also easily fall 
outside your network. Last year we wrote about one COVID-19 patient’s <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-07-21/what-it-took-for-this-coronavirus-patients-80-000-air-ambulance-charge-to-go-away" target="_blank">$80,000 bill for an air ambulance</a> from southeast Kansas to Kansas City.

So
 what happens if you end up in an out-of-network ICU? Experts say you 
may end up paying out-of-network rates for that care, or need to spend 
long hours filing paperwork and talking to your insurance carrier, 
making your case that the bills should count as in-network because you 
had no control over which hospital had a bed available.

“The 
patient — or, in many cases, it’s going to be a family member — needs to
 talk to the insurance company right away,” said Jack Hoadley, a health 
policy researcher and professor emeritus at Georgetown University. “Ask 
the insurance company: ‘Will you treat me as in-network?’”

If all else fails and your health plan falls under state regulations, you can also contact the <a href="https://insurance.kansas.gov/complaint/" target="_blank">Kansas Insurance Department</a> through its online complaint form to see if the agency can help. But many employer plans <a href="https://khn.org/news/for-millions-of-insured-americans-state-health-laws-dont-apply/" target="_blank">do not fall under state rules</a>.

Cost-sharing waivers for COVID-19 hospital bills are disappearing.

The Kaiser Family Foundation found most of the biggest insurers in each state have dropped their cost-sharing waivers.

Below
 are several major insurers active in Kansas, but keep in mind that the 
rules may be different if you get your coverage through your employer.

For
 Aetna, United HealthCare and Cigna, regular cost-sharing applies to 
COVID-19 hospital bills. Oscar returns to regular cost-sharing on Aug. 
31. Medica does at the end of September.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of
 Kansas will keep waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatment until the 
end of the public health emergency or the end of this year — whichever 
comes first. And Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City will waive 
cost-sharing for inpatient COVID-19 care at least until the end of the 
year.

If you have KanCare (Medicaid), your COVID-19 treatment will
 not involve cost-sharing. If you have Medicare, the amount you pay out 
of pocket will depend on <a href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/faqs-on-medicare-coverage-and-costs-related-to-covid-19-testing-and-treatment/" target="_blank">the details of your coverage</a>.

Watch out for surprise billing, even though Congress tried to rein it in.

Normally,
 you can get billed directly by an out-of-network hospital or even by 
out-of-network doctors at an in-network hospital. These “surprise bills”
 happen when the hospital or doctor feels your insurance didn’t pay 
enough, and so they demand you pay the balance.

Congress tied 
strings to its COVID-19 stimulus funds last year to stop that, but those
 rules don’t apply to all health care providers. Moreover, Hoadley says 
it’s unclear how well the law is being enforced or followed.

Next year, things will get better. Congress <a href="https://www.kff.org/private-insurance/fact-sheet/surprise-medical-bills-new-protections-for-consumers-take-effect-in-2022/" target="_blank">banned most kinds of surprise billing</a> — ground ambulances not included — for health plans that start on Jan. 1, 2022 or later.

COVID-19 vaccines are free. Many coronavirus tests are, too.

The shots that can help you avoid those hospital bills in the first place are free, whether you have insurance or not.

You can also get a <a href="https://www.gogettested.com/kansas#booking-widget" target="_blank">free COVID-19 test</a> by picking a site through Kansas’ online list of participating locations. No insurance or ID needed.

If
 you opt instead to go somewhere else and use your insurance, 
cost-sharing rules will depend on whether the test was medically 
necessary.

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/2021/8/1630430968292.png" alt="Carlos Moreno / KCUR 89.3" />
 <figcaption>Carlos Moreno / KCUR 89.3</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-08-30/landing-in-the-hospital-with-covid-19-is-getting-more-expensive-heres-why">Kansas News Service</a>For many Kansans, landing in the hospital with COVID-19 could easily 
cost thousands more dollars now than earlier in the pandemic.It’s the latest, financial reason that experts encourage people to get vaccinated.The vast majority of people hospitalized with the coronavirus today never got their shots against the disease. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/mm7032e3.htm" target="_blank">Getting the coronavirus vaccine gives you excellent odds</a> of staying out of the hospital.Early
 in the pandemic, most major insurance companies and many employers 
promised to waive cost-sharing (coinsurance, copays, deductibles) if you
 caught COVID-19 and needed medical care.That’s changing.“Insurers
 were voluntarily waiving deductibles and copays,” said Krutika Amin, a 
researcher at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “The environment has shifted
 with the safe and highly effective vaccines that are now widely 
available.”In recent months, <a href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/most-private-insurers-are-no-longer-waiving-cost-sharing-for-covid-19-treatment/" target="_blank">most health plans nationwide</a>
 appear to have dropped those promises. Others plan to make the same 
move in coming weeks or months. That includes Kansas’ two largest 
insurers, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas and Blue KC.If you 
come down with a nasty case of COVID-19 and end up in the hospital, the 
key money things you need to worry about are your health plan’s network,
 its cost-sharing rules and the risk of surprise bills.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1601308401778.png" alt="This story is part of the series, Bills of Health. Do you have a medical bill from Kansas that you want to share with a reporter? Email celia@kcur.org." />
 <figcaption>This story is part of the series, Bills of Health. Do you have a medical bill from Kansas that you want to share with a reporter? Email celia@kcur.org.</figcaption>
 </figure>Here’s the lowdown for Kansans who have health insurance, including 
cost-sharing rules for major insurers and health plans in Kansas.(Side note: If you don’t have insurance, you’re in an even more precarious situation. <a href="https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/brief/unvaccinated-covid-patients-cost-the-u-s-health-system-billions-of-dollars/" target="_blank">A typical COVID-19 hospital stay</a> can easily add up to $20,000 at prices negotiated by insurers. The uninsured risk getting charged even higher amounts.)You may not be able to stay in-network.Many Kansas hospitals are so busy right now that they <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-08-17/short-staffed-fatigued-and-filling-up-kansas-hospitals-struggle-again-with-covid-surge" target="_blank">can’t take on more patients</a>. Some have even had to divert ambulances to other hospitals. And some are <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-08-18/a-kansas-doctor-tells-the-story-of-sending-her-critically-ill-covid-patient-570-miles-away" target="_blank">sending critically ill patients in air ambulances</a> to beds in other states hours away from home.All of this means that you can’t count on getting admitted to a hospital within your insurance network if you wind up needing intensive care.Those
 air ambulances — with their eye-popping bills — could also easily fall 
outside your network. Last year we wrote about one COVID-19 patient’s <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-07-21/what-it-took-for-this-coronavirus-patients-80-000-air-ambulance-charge-to-go-away" target="_blank">$80,000 bill for an air ambulance</a> from southeast Kansas to Kansas City.So
 what happens if you end up in an out-of-network ICU? Experts say you 
may end up paying out-of-network rates for that care, or need to spend 
long hours filing paperwork and talking to your insurance carrier, 
making your case that the bills should count as in-network because you 
had no control over which hospital had a bed available.“The 
patient — or, in many cases, it’s going to be a family member — needs to
 talk to the insurance company right away,” said Jack Hoadley, a health 
policy researcher and professor emeritus at Georgetown University. “Ask 
the insurance company: ‘Will you treat me as in-network?’”If all else fails and your health plan falls under state regulations, you can also contact the <a href="https://insurance.kansas.gov/complaint/" target="_blank">Kansas Insurance Department</a> through its online complaint form to see if the agency can help. But many employer plans <a href="https://khn.org/news/for-millions-of-insured-americans-state-health-laws-dont-apply/" target="_blank">do not fall under state rules</a>.Cost-sharing waivers for COVID-19 hospital bills are disappearing.The Kaiser Family Foundation found most of the biggest insurers in each state have dropped their cost-sharing waivers.Below
 are several major insurers active in Kansas, but keep in mind that the 
rules may be different if you get your coverage through your employer.For
 Aetna, United HealthCare and Cigna, regular cost-sharing applies to 
COVID-19 hospital bills. Oscar returns to regular cost-sharing on Aug. 
31. Medica does at the end of September.Blue Cross Blue Shield of
 Kansas will keep waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 treatment until the 
end of the public health emergency or the end of this year — whichever 
comes first. And Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City will waive 
cost-sharing for inpatient COVID-19 care at least until the end of the 
year.If you have KanCare (Medicaid), your COVID-19 treatment will
 not involve cost-sharing. If you have Medicare, the amount you pay out 
of pocket will depend on <a href="https://www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid-19/issue-brief/faqs-on-medicare-coverage-and-costs-related-to-covid-19-testing-and-treatment/" target="_blank">the details of your coverage</a>.Watch out for surprise billing, even though Congress tried to rein it in.Normally,
 you can get billed directly by an out-of-network hospital or even by 
out-of-network doctors at an in-network hospital. These “surprise bills”
 happen when the hospital or doctor feels your insurance didn’t pay 
enough, and so they demand you pay the balance.Congress tied 
strings to its COVID-19 stimulus funds last year to stop that, but those
 rules don’t apply to all health care providers. Moreover, Hoadley says 
it’s unclear how well the law is being enforced or followed.Next year, things will get better. Congress <a href="https://www.kff.org/private-insurance/fact-sheet/surprise-medical-bills-new-protections-for-consumers-take-effect-in-2022/" target="_blank">banned most kinds of surprise billing</a> — ground ambulances not included — for health plans that start on Jan. 1, 2022 or later.COVID-19 vaccines are free. Many coronavirus tests are, too.The shots that can help you avoid those hospital bills in the first place are free, whether you have insurance or not.You can also get a <a href="https://www.gogettested.com/kansas#booking-widget" target="_blank">free COVID-19 test</a> by picking a site through Kansas’ online list of participating locations. No insurance or ID needed.If
 you opt instead to go somewhere else and use your insurance, 
cost-sharing rules will depend on whether the test was medically 
necessary.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.

Landing in the hospital with COVID getting costlier. Here's why.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — The suspect in the death of a Missouri woman and her daughter last week appears to be trying to disappear and limit the ability to track him, Boone County authorities said.

JT McLean, 45, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Allison Abitz, 43, and her 11-year-old daughter, Jozee. Their bodies were found Aug. 22 at their home south of Columbia.

Evidence indicated Allison Abitz, who was an elementary school teacher in Fulton, was strangled and her daughter was drowned in a bathtub, Boone County authorities said Monday.

McLean was Abitz's longtime boyfriend, according to a probable cause statement. The couple was seen together on the night of Aug. 21 and McLean's vehicle was captured on video leaving the home the next day.

It is unclear how McLean is traveling because all vehicles registered to him have been found, Boone County authorities said. Two phones were found burning at a home were he was known to stay, according to the probable cause statement.

BOONE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a woman and her 11-year-old daughter and searching for a central Missouri man who is charged in the deaths.

Just before 11p.m. August 22, a concerned citizen contacted Boone County officials reporting they had been unable to contact Allison Abitz and her daughter Jozee Abitz, who lived&nbsp; in the 7500 block of Lavender Drive south of Columbia, according to a media release.

Deputies responded to the residence and once inside located Allison, age 43, and her daughter Jozee, age 11, deceased.  

Investigators soon learned that 45-year-old JT McLean was Allison's long-term boyfriend and the investigation revealed he was the last person known to be in contact with them at the residence.

During the investigation, probable cause was developed to believe that McLean murdered Allison and Jozee.  Currently, the motive for the murder of these victims is unknown.

On Wednesday the Boone County Prosecuting Attorney charged McLean with two counts of Murder in the 1st Degree.  A warrant for the arrest of McLean was then issued in the 13th Judicial Circuit Boone County, Missouri.  McLean’s bond for these charges was set at $1,000,000.00 cash only. 

JT McLean previously changed his name and has been known to go by the names of John McLean, Steven Nagy, and Steven McLean. 

He is described as a white male with a fair complexion, is approximately 5-foot 9 and weighs approximately 210 pounds with&nbsp; green eyes and brown hair.  McLean was last known to have grown his hair out; however, he has been known to shave his head bald in the past.

He was last known to reside on County Road 355, Fulton, Missouri.  McLean, who is an over the road truck driver by trade, has ties to Las Vegas, Nevada; Chicago, Illinois; St. Peter, Minnesota; Columbia, Missouri and Fulton, Missouri

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of McLean or this investigation is asked to contact the Boone County Sheriff’s Office or call 911

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629988465629.png" alt="McLean -photo Boone Co." />
 <figcaption>McLean -photo Boone Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — The suspect in the death of a Missouri woman and her daughter last week appears to be trying to disappear and limit the ability to track him, Boone County authorities said.JT McLean, 45, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Allison Abitz, 43, and her 11-year-old daughter, Jozee. Their bodies were found Aug. 22 at their home south of Columbia.Evidence indicated Allison Abitz, who was an elementary school teacher in Fulton, was strangled and her daughter was drowned in a bathtub, Boone County authorities said Monday.McLean was Abitz's longtime boyfriend, according to a probable cause statement. The couple was seen together on the night of Aug. 21 and McLean's vehicle was captured on video leaving the home the next day.It is unclear how McLean is traveling because all vehicles registered to him have been found, Boone County authorities said. Two phones were found burning at a home were he was known to stay, according to the probable cause statement.----------BOONE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of a woman and her 11-year-old daughter and searching for a central Missouri man who is charged in the deaths.Just before 11p.m. August 22, a concerned citizen contacted Boone County officials reporting they had been unable to contact Allison Abitz and her daughter Jozee Abitz, who lived&nbsp; in the 7500 block of Lavender Drive south of Columbia, according to a media release.Deputies responded to the residence and once inside located Allison, age 43, and her daughter Jozee, age 11, deceased. Investigators soon learned that 45-year-old JT McLean was Allison's long-term boyfriend and the investigation revealed he was the last person known to be in contact with them at the residence.During the investigation, probable cause was developed to believe that McLean murdered Allison and Jozee. Currently, the motive for the murder of these victims is unknown.On Wednesday the Boone County Prosecuting Attorney charged McLean with two counts of Murder in the 1st Degree. A warrant for the arrest of McLean was then issued in the 13th Judicial Circuit Boone County, Missouri. McLean’s bond for these charges was set at $1,000,000.00 cash only. JT McLean previously changed his name and has been known to go by the names of John McLean, Steven Nagy, and Steven McLean. He is described as a white male with a fair complexion, is approximately 5-foot 9 and weighs approximately 210 pounds with&nbsp; green eyes and brown hair. McLean was last known to have grown his hair out; however, he has been known to shave his head bald in the past.He was last known to reside on County Road 355, Fulton, Missouri. McLean, who is an over the road truck driver by trade, has ties to Las Vegas, Nevada; Chicago, Illinois; St. Peter, Minnesota; Columbia, Missouri and Fulton, MissouriAnyone with information regarding the whereabouts of McLean or this investigation is asked to contact the Boone County Sheriff’s Office or call 911

Suspect in death of woman, daughter still on the run

Washington&nbsp;–&nbsp; U.S. Senator Roger Marshall released a video on Monday walking viewers through a 3D timeline of the origins of COVID-19.

The video comes on the heels of the release of an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Unclassified-Summary-of-Assessment-on-COVID-19-Origins.pdf" target="_blank">unclassified summary</a>&nbsp;of President Joe Biden’s 90-day investigation into the virus’ origins that came up inconclusive.

Senator Marshall has been leading the fight in the Senate to get to the bottom of the origins of COVID-19. 

In fact, recently, he partnered with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to hold the first&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marshall.senate.gov/press-releases/sens-marshall-and-gillibrand-hold-bipartisan-covid-origins-briefing/" target="_blank">joint bipartisan Senate briefing</a>&nbsp;on the origins of COVID-19 following the passage of their&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marshall.senate.gov/press-releases/marshall-gillibrand-resolution-on-covid-19-origins-passes-senate/" target="_blank">bipartisan resolution</a>&nbsp;that calls for a transparent investigation into the outbreak of the virus.

The bipartisan resolution also demands a full, transparent investigation to include the U.S. and our allies and partners around the world if China continues on its path of cover-up and obfuscation.

In the video, Senator Marshall said in part:

“There are many reasons why we need to get to the bottom of this virus’ origin. As a physician, I think we always need to know what, where, how, and perhaps why whenever any infectious disease outbreak occurs… Unfortunately, only complete access to all the data and samples – these witnesses, if they still exist – will determine the truth. That’s why I am working across the aisle and around the world to encourage world leaders to demand full access to all relative records, samples, and key personnel. If bad actors continue to obfuscate and prevent this investigation from happening, we can’t take no for an answer.”&nbsp;

Washington&nbsp;–&nbsp; U.S. Senator Roger Marshall released a video on Monday walking viewers through a 3D timeline of the origins of COVID-19.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AA-lKM0gmxE?start=1" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>The video comes on the heels of the release of an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Unclassified-Summary-of-Assessment-on-COVID-19-Origins.pdf" target="_blank">unclassified summary</a>&nbsp;of President Joe Biden’s 90-day investigation into the virus’ origins that came up inconclusive. Senator Marshall has been leading the fight in the Senate to get to the bottom of the origins of COVID-19. In fact, recently, he partnered with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to hold the first&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marshall.senate.gov/press-releases/sens-marshall-and-gillibrand-hold-bipartisan-covid-origins-briefing/" target="_blank">joint bipartisan Senate briefing</a>&nbsp;on the origins of COVID-19 following the passage of their&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marshall.senate.gov/press-releases/marshall-gillibrand-resolution-on-covid-19-origins-passes-senate/" target="_blank">bipartisan resolution</a>&nbsp;that calls for a transparent investigation into the outbreak of the virus. The bipartisan resolution also demands a full, transparent investigation to include the U.S. and our allies and partners around the world if China continues on its path of cover-up and obfuscation.In the video, Senator Marshall said in part:“There are many reasons why we need to get to the bottom of this virus’ origin. As a physician, I think we always need to know what, where, how, and perhaps why whenever any infectious disease outbreak occurs… Unfortunately, only complete access to all the data and samples – these witnesses, if they still exist – will determine the truth. That’s why I am working across the aisle and around the world to encourage world leaders to demand full access to all relative records, samples, and key personnel. If bad actors continue to obfuscate and prevent this investigation from happening, we can’t take no for an answer.”&nbsp;

🎥  Sen. Marshall's 3D timeline on birth of COVID-19

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities have identified the body of a man found at the scene of a house fire on Monday as Michael Summers, 50 of Wichita.

Just before 10a.m. Monday, fire crews were dispatched to a fire at a home at 52 E Via Roma in Wichita, according to Lt. Benjamin Blick.&nbsp;

Crews encountered a fire in the garage that they extinguished before moving into the home. Once inside they discovered additional fires throughout the home. While extinguishing these fires they located a Summers who was deceased.

The Sheriff’s Office was summoned to the scene to conduct a death investigation. Late Friday the sheriff's office indicated that foul play was not involved in Summer's death.&nbsp;

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating after they found the body of a man at the scene of a house fire.

Crews encountered a fire in the garage that they extinguished before moving into the home. Once inside they discovered additional fires throughout the home. While extinguishing these fires they located a deceased 50-year-old man.

The Sheriff’s Office was summoned to the scene to conduct a death investigation. Late Friday the sheriff's office indicated they foul play was not involved in the man's death. His name has not been released.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1630359852654.png" alt="Fire crews on the scene of the investigation Monday afternoon -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Fire crews on the scene of the investigation Monday afternoon -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities have identified the body of a man found at the scene of a house fire on Monday as Michael Summers, 50 of Wichita.Just before 10a.m. Monday, fire crews were dispatched to a fire at a home at 52 E Via Roma in Wichita, according to Lt. Benjamin Blick.&nbsp;Crews encountered a fire in the garage that they extinguished before moving into the home. Once inside they discovered additional fires throughout the home. While extinguishing these fires they located a Summers who was deceased.The Sheriff’s Office was summoned to the scene to conduct a death investigation. Late Friday the sheriff's office indicated that foul play was not involved in Summer's death.&nbsp;--------SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating after they found the body of a man at the scene of a house fire.Just before 10a.m. Monday, fire crews were dispatched to a fire at a home at 52 E Via Roma in Wichita, according to Lt. Benjamin Blick.&nbsp;Crews encountered a fire in the garage that they extinguished before moving into the home. Once inside they discovered additional fires throughout the home. While extinguishing these fires they located a deceased 50-year-old man.The Sheriff’s Office was summoned to the scene to conduct a death investigation. Late Friday the sheriff's office indicated they foul play was not involved in the man's death. His name has not been released.

Sheriff IDs man found in Kan. home with several fires

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

Mystery continues to surround a piece of human skull found by mushroom hunters along Dry Creek in Saline County.

While the Kansas Bureau of Investigation lab was able to collect a partial DNA profile from the piece of skull, it was of insufficient quality for comparison testing, according to&nbsp;Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan.

On April 20, deputies were sent to Dry Creek north of W. Magnolia Road in Saline County after two men hunting for mushrooms on the east side of the tree line along the creek bed reported finding a human skull. 

What they found was the top part of a human skull that appeared to have been there for quite some time, according to the sheriff.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1630426494059.png" alt="Dry Creek area in Saline County where skull was found" />
 <figcaption>Dry Creek area in Saline County where skull was found</figcaption>
 </figure>By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostMystery continues to surround a piece of human skull found by mushroom hunters along Dry Creek in Saline County. While the Kansas Bureau of Investigation lab was able to collect a partial DNA profile from the piece of skull, it was of insufficient quality for comparison testing, according to&nbsp;Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan.On April 20, deputies were sent to Dry Creek north of W. Magnolia Road in Saline County after two men hunting for mushrooms on the east side of the tree line along the creek bed reported finding a human skull. What they found was the top part of a human skull that appeared to have been there for quite some time, according to the sheriff.

Mystery continues on piece of skull found in Saline Co.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former executive with an advocacy group for those with Down syndrome has launched a campaign for Kansas state treasurer. 

 Sara Hart Weir said in an email to supporters on Monday that she plans to bring a “conservative, outsider approach to problem-solving.” Weir joins state Sen. Caryn Tyson of Parker, state Rep. Steven Johnson of Assaria and former adviser to Gov. Sam Brownback Michael Austin in seeking the Republican nomination for treasurer. 

The incumbent is Democrat Lynn Rogers, who was lieutenant governor until Gov. Laura Kelly appointed him in December to fill the vacancy created when Treasurer Jake LaTurner  was elected to Congress.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/7/1564434471269.png" alt="Sara Hart Weir courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Sara Hart Weir courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former executive with an advocacy group for those with Down syndrome has launched a campaign for Kansas state treasurer. Sara Hart Weir said in an email to supporters on Monday that she plans to bring a “conservative, outsider approach to problem-solving.” Weir joins state Sen. Caryn Tyson of Parker, state Rep. Steven Johnson of Assaria and former adviser to Gov. Sam Brownback Michael Austin in seeking the Republican nomination for treasurer. The incumbent is Democrat Lynn Rogers, who was lieutenant governor until Gov. Laura Kelly appointed him in December to fill the vacancy created when Treasurer Jake LaTurner was elected to Congress.

Former congressional candidate running for Kan. treasurer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Attorneys general from&nbsp; Kansas and 19 other states sued President Joe Biden’s administration Monday seeking to halt directives that extend federal sex discrimination protections to LGBTQ people, ranging from transgender girls participating in school sports to the use of school and workplace bathrooms that align with a person’s gender identity.

Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/attorneygeneral/documents/pr/2021/pr21-31-complaint.pdf" target="_blank">filed the lawsuit&nbsp;</a>in U.S. District Court in Knoxville, arguing that legal interpretations by the U.S. Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are based on a faulty view of U.S. Supreme Court case law.

The Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-supreme-courts-mi-state-wire-neil-gorsuch-ap-top-news-5a7b0e41a47a3c571dda69194758e7b1">ruled in June 2020&nbsp;</a>that a landmark civil rights law, under a provision called Title VII, protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment.

This June,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-sports-business-lifestyle-a5cf3d0a1dbda48556346de44e445125">the Department of Education</a>&nbsp;said discrimination based on a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity will be treated as a violation of Title IX, the 1972 federal law that protects against sex discrimination in education. A legal analysis by the department concluded there is “no persuasive or well-founded basis” to treat education differently than employment.

Also in June, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released guidance about what could constitute discrimination against LGBTQ people and advised the public about how to file a complaint.

With its guidance, the Biden administration in part took a stand against laws and proposals in a growing number of states that aim to forbid transgender girls from participating on female sports teams. The state attorneys general contend that the authority over such policies “properly belongs to Congress, the States, and the people.”

“The guidance purports to resolve highly controversial and localized issues such as whether employers and schools may maintain sex-separated showers and locker rooms, whether schools must allow biological males to compete on female athletic teams, and whether individuals may be compelled to use another person’s preferred pronouns,” the lawsuit states. “But the agencies have no authority to resolve those sensitive questions, let alone to do so by executive fiat without providing any opportunity for public participation.”

Joining Kansas in the lawsuit are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Attorneys general from&nbsp; Kansas and 19 other states sued President Joe Biden’s administration Monday seeking to halt directives that extend federal sex discrimination protections to LGBTQ people, ranging from transgender girls participating in school sports to the use of school and workplace bathrooms that align with a person’s gender identity.Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/attorneygeneral/documents/pr/2021/pr21-31-complaint.pdf" target="_blank">filed the lawsuit&nbsp;</a>in U.S. District Court in Knoxville, arguing that legal interpretations by the U.S. Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are based on a faulty view of U.S. Supreme Court case law.The Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/courts-supreme-courts-mi-state-wire-neil-gorsuch-ap-top-news-5a7b0e41a47a3c571dda69194758e7b1">ruled in June 2020&nbsp;</a>that a landmark civil rights law, under a provision called Title VII, protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment.This June,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-sports-business-lifestyle-a5cf3d0a1dbda48556346de44e445125">the Department of Education</a>&nbsp;said discrimination based on a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity will be treated as a violation of Title IX, the 1972 federal law that protects against sex discrimination in education. A legal analysis by the department concluded there is “no persuasive or well-founded basis” to treat education differently than employment.Also in June, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released guidance about what could constitute discrimination against LGBTQ people and advised the public about how to file a complaint.With its guidance, the Biden administration in part took a stand against laws and proposals in a growing number of states that aim to forbid transgender girls from participating on female sports teams. The state attorneys general contend that the authority over such policies “properly belongs to Congress, the States, and the people.”“The guidance purports to resolve highly controversial and localized issues such as whether employers and schools may maintain sex-separated showers and locker rooms, whether schools must allow biological males to compete on female athletic teams, and whether individuals may be compelled to use another person’s preferred pronouns,” the lawsuit states. “But the agencies have no authority to resolve those sensitive questions, let alone to do so by executive fiat without providing any opportunity for public participation.”Joining Kansas in the lawsuit are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Kan. joins lawsuit over Biden admin LGBT protections

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the final five U.S. military transport aircraft lifted off out of Afghanistan Monday, they left behind up to 200 Americans and thousands of desperate Afghans who couldn’t get out and now must rely on the Taliban to allow their departure.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. will continue to try to get Americans and Afghans out of the country, and will work with Afghanistan’s neighbors to secure their departure either over land or by charter flight once the Kabul airport reopens.

“We have no illusion that any of this will be easy, or rapid,” said Blinken, adding that the total number of Americans who are in Afghanistan and still want to leave may be closer to 100.

Speaking shortly after the Pentagon announced the completion of the U.S. military pullout Monday, Blinken said the U.S. Embassy in Kabul will remain shuttered and vacant for the foreseeable future. American diplomats, he said, will be based in Doha, Qatar.

“We will continue our relentless efforts to help Americans, foreign nationals and Afghans leave Afghanistan if they choose,” Blinken said in an address from the State Department. “Our commitment to them holds no deadline.”

Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told reporters the U.S. military was able to get as many as 1,500 Afghans out in the final hours of the American evacuation mission. But now it will be up to the State Department working with the Taliban to get any more people out.

McKenzie said there were no citizens left stranded at the airport and none were on the final few military flights out. He said the U.S. military maintained the ability to get Americans out right up until just before the end, but “none of them made it to the airport.”

“There’s a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure,” said McKenzie. “We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out. But I think if we’d stayed another 10 days we wouldn’t have gotten everybody out that we wanted to get out.”

McKenzie and other officials painted a vivid picture of the final hours U.S. troops were on the ground, and the preparations they took to ensure that the Taliban and Islamic State group militants did not get functioning U.S. military weapons systems and other equipment.

The terror threat remains a major problem in Afghanistan, with at least 2,000 “hard core” members of the Islamic State group who remain in the country, including many released from prisons as the Taliban swept to control.

Underscoring the ongoing security threats, the weapon systems used just hours earlier to counter IS rockets launched toward the airport were kept operational until “the very last minute” as the final U.S. military aircraft flew out, officials said. One of the last things U.S. troops did was to make the so-called C-RAMS (Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar System) inoperable.

McKenzie said they “demilitarized” the system so it can never be used again. Officials said troops did not blow up equipment in order to ensure they left the airport workable for future flights, once those begin again. In addition, McKenzie said the U.S. also disabled 27 Humvees and 73 aircraft so they can never be used again.

Throughout the day, as the final C-17 transport planes prepared to take off, McKenzie said the U.S. kept “overwhelming U.S. airpower overhead” to deal with potential IS threats.

Back at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, watched the final 90 minutes of the military departure in real time from an operations center in the basement.

According to a U.S. official, they sat in hushed silence as they watched troops make last-minute runway checks, make the key defense systems inoperable and climb aboard the C-17s. The official said you could hear a pin drop as the last aircraft lifted off, and leaders around the room breathed sighs of relief. Later, Austin phoned Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, who was coordinating the evacuation. Donahue and acting U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson were the last to board the final plane that left Kabul.

Officials spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details of military operations.

“Simply because we have left, that doesn’t mean the opportunities for both Americans that are in Afghanistan that want to leave and Afghans who want to leave, they will not be denied that opportunity,” said McKenzie.

The military left some equipment for the Taliban in order to run the airport, including two firetrucks, some front-end loaders and aircraft staircases.

Blinken said the U.S. will work with Turkey and Qatar to help them get the Kabul airport up and running again.

“This would enable a small number of daily charter flights, which is a key for anyone who wants to depart from Afghanistan moving forward,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1630369004289.png" alt="The last American soldier to leave Afghanistan: Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, commanding general of the 82nd Airborn Division boards a US Airforce C-17 just before 2:30p.m. on August 30, 2021, ending the U.S. mission in Kabul.&nbsp; photo U.S. Dept. of Defense" />
 <figcaption>The last American soldier to leave Afghanistan: Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, commanding general of the 82nd Airborn Division boards a US Airforce C-17 just before 2:30p.m. on August 30, 2021, ending the U.S. mission in Kabul.&nbsp; photo U.S. Dept. of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — As the final five U.S. military transport aircraft lifted off out of Afghanistan Monday, they left behind up to 200 Americans and thousands of desperate Afghans who couldn’t get out and now must rely on the Taliban to allow their departure.Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. will continue to try to get Americans and Afghans out of the country, and will work with Afghanistan’s neighbors to secure their departure either over land or by charter flight once the Kabul airport reopens.“We have no illusion that any of this will be easy, or rapid,” said Blinken, adding that the total number of Americans who are in Afghanistan and still want to leave may be closer to 100.Speaking shortly after the Pentagon announced the completion of the U.S. military pullout Monday, Blinken said the U.S. Embassy in Kabul will remain shuttered and vacant for the foreseeable future. American diplomats, he said, will be based in Doha, Qatar.“We will continue our relentless efforts to help Americans, foreign nationals and Afghans leave Afghanistan if they choose,” Blinken said in an address from the State Department. “Our commitment to them holds no deadline.”Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told reporters the U.S. military was able to get as many as 1,500 Afghans out in the final hours of the American evacuation mission. But now it will be up to the State Department working with the Taliban to get any more people out.McKenzie said there were no citizens left stranded at the airport and none were on the final few military flights out. He said the U.S. military maintained the ability to get Americans out right up until just before the end, but “none of them made it to the airport.”“There’s a lot of heartbreak associated with this departure,” said McKenzie. “We did not get everybody out that we wanted to get out. But I think if we’d stayed another 10 days we wouldn’t have gotten everybody out that we wanted to get out.”McKenzie and other officials painted a vivid picture of the final hours U.S. troops were on the ground, and the preparations they took to ensure that the Taliban and Islamic State group militants did not get functioning U.S. military weapons systems and other equipment.The terror threat remains a major problem in Afghanistan, with at least 2,000 “hard core” members of the Islamic State group who remain in the country, including many released from prisons as the Taliban swept to control.Underscoring the ongoing security threats, the weapon systems used just hours earlier to counter IS rockets launched toward the airport were kept operational until “the very last minute” as the final U.S. military aircraft flew out, officials said. One of the last things U.S. troops did was to make the so-called C-RAMS (Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar System) inoperable.McKenzie said they “demilitarized” the system so it can never be used again. Officials said troops did not blow up equipment in order to ensure they left the airport workable for future flights, once those begin again. In addition, McKenzie said the U.S. also disabled 27 Humvees and 73 aircraft so they can never be used again.Throughout the day, as the final C-17 transport planes prepared to take off, McKenzie said the U.S. kept “overwhelming U.S. airpower overhead” to deal with potential IS threats.Back at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, watched the final 90 minutes of the military departure in real time from an operations center in the basement.According to a U.S. official, they sat in hushed silence as they watched troops make last-minute runway checks, make the key defense systems inoperable and climb aboard the C-17s. The official said you could hear a pin drop as the last aircraft lifted off, and leaders around the room breathed sighs of relief. Later, Austin phoned Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, who was coordinating the evacuation. Donahue and acting U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Ross Wilson were the last to board the final plane that left Kabul.Officials spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details of military operations.“Simply because we have left, that doesn’t mean the opportunities for both Americans that are in Afghanistan that want to leave and Afghans who want to leave, they will not be denied that opportunity,” said McKenzie.The military left some equipment for the Taliban in order to run the airport, including two firetrucks, some front-end loaders and aircraft staircases.Blinken said the U.S. will work with Turkey and Qatar to help them get the Kabul airport up and running again.“This would enable a small number of daily charter flights, which is a key for anyone who wants to depart from Afghanistan moving forward,” he said.

As US military leaves Kabul, many Americans remain

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A prosecutor has filed a motion asking a judge to exonerate a man who has been imprisoned for four decades&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mo-state-wire-michael-brown-06e726b7ef07be53ba7bdb6088282548">for a triple murder that she and many others do not believe he committed.</a>

The motion, filed Saturday and made public Monday, stems from a new law that gives local prosecutors the authority to ask judges to exonerate prisoners they believe are innocent.

“Most of us have heard the famous quotation that ‘injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,’" Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in a written statement. “Kevin Strickland stands as our own example of what happens when a system set to be just, just gets it terribly wrong."

Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michael-brown-b9748da3015f827cc009cc10cfb2478d">has argued in a court motion that Strickland is guilty</a>. Gov. Mike Parson, who could pardon Strickland, has said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mo-state-wire-michael-brown-fdaee252ca0799b16da00a276d1bf6fb">he's not convinced that Strickland is innocent</a>.

Members of the team that prosecuted Strickland, federal prosecutors in the Western District of Missouri, Jackson County’s presiding judge, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michael-brown-kansas-city-d37ccea2df5ffd264e3f8a17b41cb3a9">some Republican members of Missouri Legislature</a>&nbsp;have all said Strickland should be released.

Strickland, of Kansas City, was 18 when he was arrested in the April 25, 1978, deaths of Larry Ingram, 21; John Walker, 20; and Sherrie Black, 22, during a home invasion. The motion said that at the time, he was a “hot-headed teenager" and “made cocky and sarcastic comments that aroused police suspicion."

But he has maintained his innocence since his arrest. Jurors in his first trial were unable to reach a verdict. Strickland, who is Black, was convicted the second time by an all-white jury.

Cynthia Douglas was wounded but pretended to be dead, and the case against Strickland rested largely on her identifying Strickland as the killer. But she retracted her statement before she died in 2015, sending an email to the Midwest Innocence Project in 2009 that said: “I am seeking info on how to help someone that was wrongfully accused, this incident happened back in 1978, I was the only eyewitness and things were not clear back then, but now I know more and would like to help this person if I can."

Her family also has signed affidavits saying Douglas wanted Strickland released from prison. The motion said that one longtime family friend said in an affidavit that Douglas told everyone that “the detectives told her what to say.”

The motion further said that three of the four actual perpetrators said that Strickland was not involved in the homicides, and two of them identified another person. The motion also said that a fingerprint found on the murder weapon was not Strickland's.

“The evidence of Strickland’s innocence is clear and convincing." the motion said, adding that the “evidence that supported Strickland’s conviction has been undermined, and no reliable evidence of guilt remains."

Assistant Attorney General Andrew Clarke argued in a motion filed in July that Strickland was given a fair trial in 1979 and had offered Douglas money the day of the killings to keep “her mouth shut." He also said Douglas’ alleged recantation can't be verified and noted she did not sign any affidavits about her changed beliefs while she was alive.

The Missouri Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mo-state-wire-michael-brown-courts-c38ba2572f5286b69602ee832e248efe">declined</a>&nbsp;to hear Strickland's case in June. An evidentiary hearing scheduled in DeKalb County, where Strickland is imprisoned, was dropped Aug. 18 so Strickland's attorneys could focus their efforts in Jackson County.

The new law also could spur action on the other side of Missouri.

Lamar Johnson has spent 26 years in prison for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Johnson was convicted in the 1994 killing of 25-year-old Marcus Boyd in an alleged drug dispute in St. Louis.

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, a Democrat, believes Johnson was wrongly convicted and sought a new trial. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled against her in March, even while noting that the case was “not about whether Johnson is innocent and did not receive a constitutionally fair trial.”

Instead, Schmitt’s office argued successfully that Gardner lacked authority to seek a new trial so many years after the case was adjudicated.

It wasn’t clear if Gardner would now seek to overturn the conviction under the new state law. A spokeswoman for Gardner said she wasn’t aware of any immediate pending action.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1620695920927.png" alt="Strickland-photo MODOC" />
 <figcaption>Strickland-photo MODOC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A prosecutor has filed a motion asking a judge to exonerate a man who has been imprisoned for four decades&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mo-state-wire-michael-brown-06e726b7ef07be53ba7bdb6088282548">for a triple murder that she and many others do not believe he committed.</a>The motion, filed Saturday and made public Monday, stems from a new law that gives local prosecutors the authority to ask judges to exonerate prisoners they believe are innocent.“Most of us have heard the famous quotation that ‘injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,’" Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in a written statement. “Kevin Strickland stands as our own example of what happens when a system set to be just, just gets it terribly wrong."Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michael-brown-b9748da3015f827cc009cc10cfb2478d">has argued in a court motion that Strickland is guilty</a>. Gov. Mike Parson, who could pardon Strickland, has said&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mo-state-wire-michael-brown-fdaee252ca0799b16da00a276d1bf6fb">he's not convinced that Strickland is innocent</a>.Members of the team that prosecuted Strickland, federal prosecutors in the Western District of Missouri, Jackson County’s presiding judge, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michael-brown-kansas-city-d37ccea2df5ffd264e3f8a17b41cb3a9">some Republican members of Missouri Legislature</a>&nbsp;have all said Strickland should be released.Strickland, of Kansas City, was 18 when he was arrested in the April 25, 1978, deaths of Larry Ingram, 21; John Walker, 20; and Sherrie Black, 22, during a home invasion. The motion said that at the time, he was a “hot-headed teenager" and “made cocky and sarcastic comments that aroused police suspicion."But he has maintained his innocence since his arrest. Jurors in his first trial were unable to reach a verdict. Strickland, who is Black, was convicted the second time by an all-white jury.Cynthia Douglas was wounded but pretended to be dead, and the case against Strickland rested largely on her identifying Strickland as the killer. But she retracted her statement before she died in 2015, sending an email to the Midwest Innocence Project in 2009 that said: “I am seeking info on how to help someone that was wrongfully accused, this incident happened back in 1978, I was the only eyewitness and things were not clear back then, but now I know more and would like to help this person if I can."Her family also has signed affidavits saying Douglas wanted Strickland released from prison. The motion said that one longtime family friend said in an affidavit that Douglas told everyone that “the detectives told her what to say.”The motion further said that three of the four actual perpetrators said that Strickland was not involved in the homicides, and two of them identified another person. The motion also said that a fingerprint found on the murder weapon was not Strickland's.“The evidence of Strickland’s innocence is clear and convincing." the motion said, adding that the “evidence that supported Strickland’s conviction has been undermined, and no reliable evidence of guilt remains."Assistant Attorney General Andrew Clarke argued in a motion filed in July that Strickland was given a fair trial in 1979 and had offered Douglas money the day of the killings to keep “her mouth shut." He also said Douglas’ alleged recantation can't be verified and noted she did not sign any affidavits about her changed beliefs while she was alive.The Missouri Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mo-state-wire-michael-brown-courts-c38ba2572f5286b69602ee832e248efe">declined</a>&nbsp;to hear Strickland's case in June. An evidentiary hearing scheduled in DeKalb County, where Strickland is imprisoned, was dropped Aug. 18 so Strickland's attorneys could focus their efforts in Jackson County.The new law also could spur action on the other side of Missouri.Lamar Johnson has spent 26 years in prison for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Johnson was convicted in the 1994 killing of 25-year-old Marcus Boyd in an alleged drug dispute in St. Louis.St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, a Democrat, believes Johnson was wrongly convicted and sought a new trial. The Missouri Supreme Court ruled against her in March, even while noting that the case was “not about whether Johnson is innocent and did not receive a constitutionally fair trial.”Instead, Schmitt’s office argued successfully that Gardner lacked authority to seek a new trial so many years after the case was adjudicated.It wasn’t clear if Gardner would now seek to overturn the conviction under the new state law. A spokeswoman for Gardner said she wasn’t aware of any immediate pending action.

Prosecutor files motion to free man for KC triple-murder

RENO COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities from multiple agencies continue searching for a Kyle Hardwick after authorities found two men dead Friday in Reno County, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Deputies were sent to a property in eastern Reno County for a check welfare call, according to a social media report from the Sheriff.&nbsp; They spoke to several friends of a man who hadn't been heard from since Wednesday.

While searching the property, deputies believe they found the missing person, so they then got a warrant to search the entire property and found a second man dead.

They believe both are Hutchinson residents. Police want to speak with Kyle V. Hardwick. He is&nbsp;possibly traveling in a 2000 Red Ford F-150 ex-cab pickup with veteran plates. Hardwick is also known to travel by bus. If you have information on the case, please call Crime Stoppers of Reno County at 620-694-2666 or 800-222-TIPS.

Hardwick is considered armed and dangerous. The victims have not been positively identified, therefore; the names have not been released. Suspected families of the victims have been reached out to in preparation of the worst, according to the sheriff's department.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1630432406794.png" alt="Kyle Hardwick is considered armed and dangerous, according to the Reno Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Kyle Hardwick is considered armed and dangerous, according to the Reno Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities from multiple agencies continue searching for a Kyle Hardwick after authorities found two men dead Friday in Reno County, according to the Sheriff's Department.Deputies were sent to a property in eastern Reno County for a check welfare call, according to a social media report from the Sheriff.&nbsp; They spoke to several friends of a man who hadn't been heard from since Wednesday.While searching the property, deputies believe they found the missing person, so they then got a warrant to search the entire property and found a second man dead.They believe both are Hutchinson residents. Police want to speak with Kyle V. Hardwick. He is&nbsp;possibly traveling in a 2000 Red Ford F-150 ex-cab pickup with veteran plates. Hardwick is also known to travel by bus. If you have information on the case, please call Crime Stoppers of Reno County at 620-694-2666 or 800-222-TIPS.Hardwick is considered armed and dangerous. The victims have not been positively identified, therefore; the names have not been released. Suspected families of the victims have been reached out to in preparation of the worst, according to the sheriff's department.

Search continues for suspect in Kan. double homicide

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union recommended Monday that its 27 nations reinstate restrictions on tourists from the U.S. because of rising coronavirus infections there, but member countries will keep the option of allowing fully vaccinated U.S. travelers in.

The decision by the European Council to remove the U.S. from a safe list of countries for nonessential travel reverses the advice that it gave in June, when the bloc recommended lifting restrictions on all U.S. travelers before the summer tourism season.

The EU’s decision reflects growing anxiety that the rampant spread of the virus in the U.S. could jump to Europe at a time when Americans are allowed to travel to the continent. Both the EU and the U.S. have faced rising infections this summer, driven by the more contagious delta variant.

The guidance issued Monday is nonbinding, however. American tourists should expect a mishmash of travel rules across the continent since the EU has no unified COVID-19 tourism policy and national EU governments have the authority to decide whether or how they keep their borders open during the pandemic.

More than 15 million Americans a year visited Europe before the coronavirus crisis, and new travel restrictions could cost European businesses billions in lost travel revenues, especially in tourism-reliant countries like Croatia,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-business-europe-travel-coronavirus-pandemic-d008ced44d6c3f7d162d356e7981ef63">which has been surprised by packed beaches&nbsp;</a>and hotels this summer.

“Nonessential travel to the EU from countries or entities not listed (on the safe list) ... is subject to temporary travel restriction,” the council said in a statement. “This is without prejudice to the possibility for member states to lift the temporary restriction on nonessential travel to the EU for fully vaccinated travelers.”

U.S. travelers would have to be immunized with one of the vaccines approved by the bloc, which includes Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson&amp;Johnson.

Possible restrictions on U.S. travelers could include quarantines, further testing requirements upon arrival or even a total ban on all nonessential travel from the U.S.

In Washington, White House press secretary Jen Psaki stressed Monday that the EU travel restrictions applied to the unvaccinated, adding that “the fastest path to reopening travel is for people to get vaccinated, to mask up and slow the spread of the deadly virus.”

Paski told reporters that the U.S. government is working across federal agencies to develop its own policy for international travel, with the possibility of strengthening testing protocols and potentially ensuring that foreign visitors are fully vaccinated. But she said no final decision has been made yet.

The EU recommendation doesn’t apply to Britain, which formally left the EU at the beginning of the year and opened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers from the U.S. earlier this month.

The United States remains on Britain’s “amber” travel list, meaning that fully vaccinated adults arriving from the U.S. to the U.K. don’t have to self-isolate. A negative COVID-19 test within three days before arriving in the U.K. is required and another negative test is needed two days after arriving.

The EU also removed Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro and North Macedonia from the safe travel list on Monday.

Meanwhile, the United States has yet to reopen its own borders to EU tourists, despite calls from the bloc to do so. Adalbert Jahnz, the European Commission spokesperson for home affairs, said Monday that the EU’s executive arm remained in discussions with the Biden administration but so far both sides have failed to find a reciprocal approach.

In addition to the epidemiological criteria used to determine the countries for which restrictions should be lifted, the European Council said that “reciprocity should also be taken into account on a case-by-case basis.”

The European Council updates the safe travel list every two weeks, based criteria related to coronavirus infection levels. The threshold for being on the EU safe list is having not more than 75 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the last 14 days.

The U.S. , meanwhile, is averaging more than 155,000 new coronavirus cases and 1,200 deaths per day, and several U.S. states have more COVID-19 patients in the hospital now than at any other time during the pandemic.

Authorities in Oregon are seeking extra refrigerated trucks because morgues are at capacity and Florida is in a similar situation after a week in which more than 1,700 people died from the virus in the state. Hospitals are desperately running out of staff in several states, and the start of the school year has brought even more fears that the outlook will worsen as millions of unvaccinated students return to their classrooms.

U.S. school districts have been struggling over whether to impose mask mandates, sometimes even suing in states where officials are against such requirements.

Vaccine hesitancy also remains a problem in many locations in the U.S., where 61% of the eligible population is inoculated against the virus. In contrast, Britain has fully vaccinated over 78% of adults and EU countries have inoculated nearly 70% of those over 18.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union recommended Monday that its 27 nations reinstate restrictions on tourists from the U.S. because of rising coronavirus infections there, but member countries will keep the option of allowing fully vaccinated U.S. travelers in.The decision by the European Council to remove the U.S. from a safe list of countries for nonessential travel reverses the advice that it gave in June, when the bloc recommended lifting restrictions on all U.S. travelers before the summer tourism season.The EU’s decision reflects growing anxiety that the rampant spread of the virus in the U.S. could jump to Europe at a time when Americans are allowed to travel to the continent. Both the EU and the U.S. have faced rising infections this summer, driven by the more contagious delta variant.The guidance issued Monday is nonbinding, however. American tourists should expect a mishmash of travel rules across the continent since the EU has no unified COVID-19 tourism policy and national EU governments have the authority to decide whether or how they keep their borders open during the pandemic.More than 15 million Americans a year visited Europe before the coronavirus crisis, and new travel restrictions could cost European businesses billions in lost travel revenues, especially in tourism-reliant countries like Croatia,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-business-europe-travel-coronavirus-pandemic-d008ced44d6c3f7d162d356e7981ef63">which has been surprised by packed beaches&nbsp;</a>and hotels this summer.“Nonessential travel to the EU from countries or entities not listed (on the safe list) ... is subject to temporary travel restriction,” the council said in a statement. “This is without prejudice to the possibility for member states to lift the temporary restriction on nonessential travel to the EU for fully vaccinated travelers.”U.S. travelers would have to be immunized with one of the vaccines approved by the bloc, which includes Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson&amp;Johnson.Possible restrictions on U.S. travelers could include quarantines, further testing requirements upon arrival or even a total ban on all nonessential travel from the U.S.In Washington, White House press secretary Jen Psaki stressed Monday that the EU travel restrictions applied to the unvaccinated, adding that “the fastest path to reopening travel is for people to get vaccinated, to mask up and slow the spread of the deadly virus.”Paski told reporters that the U.S. government is working across federal agencies to develop its own policy for international travel, with the possibility of strengthening testing protocols and potentially ensuring that foreign visitors are fully vaccinated. But she said no final decision has been made yet.The EU recommendation doesn’t apply to Britain, which formally left the EU at the beginning of the year and opened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers from the U.S. earlier this month.The United States remains on Britain’s “amber” travel list, meaning that fully vaccinated adults arriving from the U.S. to the U.K. don’t have to self-isolate. A negative COVID-19 test within three days before arriving in the U.K. is required and another negative test is needed two days after arriving.The EU also removed Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro and North Macedonia from the safe travel list on Monday.Meanwhile, the United States has yet to reopen its own borders to EU tourists, despite calls from the bloc to do so. Adalbert Jahnz, the European Commission spokesperson for home affairs, said Monday that the EU’s executive arm remained in discussions with the Biden administration but so far both sides have failed to find a reciprocal approach.In addition to the epidemiological criteria used to determine the countries for which restrictions should be lifted, the European Council said that “reciprocity should also be taken into account on a case-by-case basis.”The European Council updates the safe travel list every two weeks, based criteria related to coronavirus infection levels. The threshold for being on the EU safe list is having not more than 75 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the last 14 days.The U.S. , meanwhile, is averaging more than 155,000 new coronavirus cases and 1,200 deaths per day, and several U.S. states have more COVID-19 patients in the hospital now than at any other time during the pandemic.Authorities in Oregon are seeking extra refrigerated trucks because morgues are at capacity and Florida is in a similar situation after a week in which more than 1,700 people died from the virus in the state. Hospitals are desperately running out of staff in several states, and the start of the school year has brought even more fears that the outlook will worsen as millions of unvaccinated students return to their classrooms.U.S. school districts have been struggling over whether to impose mask mandates, sometimes even suing in states where officials are against such requirements.Vaccine hesitancy also remains a problem in many locations in the U.S., where 61% of the eligible population is inoculated against the virus. In contrast, Britain has fully vaccinated over 78% of adults and EU countries have inoculated nearly 70% of those over 18.___

 COVID: EU reinstates restrictions for US travelers 

COWLEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on multiple charges after a head-on crash.

Just after 4a.m. August 27, the Arkansas City Fire-EMS and Police departments were dispatched for a 2-vehicle injury accident in the 100 block of North Summit Street, according to a media release.&nbsp;

One of the drivers, a 74-year-old Arkansas City man, was injured.&nbsp; Arkansas City Fire-EMS transported him to South Central Kansas Medical Center.

Further investigation determined the other driver, 20-year-old Manuel Enriques, had crossed the center line and struck the victim’s vehicle head-on. Enriques was found to be in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1630359362318.png" alt="Enriques-photo Cowley Co." />
 <figcaption>Enriques-photo Cowley Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>COWLEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on multiple charges after a head-on crash.Just after 4a.m. August 27, the Arkansas City Fire-EMS and Police departments were dispatched for a 2-vehicle injury accident in the 100 block of North Summit Street, according to a media release.&nbsp;One of the drivers, a 74-year-old Arkansas City man, was injured.&nbsp; Arkansas City Fire-EMS transported him to South Central Kansas Medical Center.Further investigation determined the other driver, 20-year-old Manuel Enriques, had crossed the center line and struck the victim’s vehicle head-on. Enriques was found to be in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.Police administered standardized field sobriety testing, which determined Enriques was suspected to be impaired, although alcohol has been ruled out as a contributing factor to the accident.Officers later obtained a search warrant for a blood sample, which will be submitted to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for testing. Enriques was taken into custody without incident on requested charges of driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.He was transported to and booked into the Cowley County Jail in Winfield.