In Nicodemus, Kansas, farmers say the help has come too late

By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2021-06-28/federal-payments-to-black-kansas-farmers-come-too-late-for-generations-who-faced-discrimination">Kansas News Service</a>

NICODEMUS&nbsp;— At his home in northwest Kansas, Bernard Bates thumbs through a stack of faded color photographs nearly 40 years old.

One
 shows a group of men in county sheriff’s jackets standing in front of a
 combine. In another, two men inspect plowing equipment on a flatbed 
truck.

“That’s when they loaded up my machinery,” Bates said. “They sold our machinery first. Then they sold the land.”

In
 the early 1980s, weather wiped out the crops on his 950-acre farm in 
Nicodemus, the last remaining African American settlement west of the 
Mississippi River. Bates tried to get his loans extended to make it to 
the next season. But he was denied. 

Among the papers on his desk sits an <a href="https://context-cdn.washingtonpost.com/notes/prod/default/documents/f998215b-52fa-4cd4-a8f3-c3801a502b09/note/cdb54622-404b-4c01-af73-555e89cbd78e." target="_blank">affidavit</a>
 from the president of the regional credit association that says he 
denied Bates the help he needed deliberately to push him out of farming.

A new <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/13/976659142/black-farmers-have-long-faced-discrimination-new-aid-aims-to-boost-their-numbers" target="_blank">federal effort</a>
 plans to send more debt relief payments to Black farmers in recognition
 of how the USDA and local farm credit offices denied generations of 
people like Bates loans and foreclosed on their properties, effectively 
transferring farmland to their white neighbors. But for many, the money 
will be too late to reverse the decades of damage caused by 
discrimination in farming.

Bates wrote letters detailing the discrimination to Sen. Bob Dole, 
President Ronald Reagan and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They did
 him no good. His lenders foreclosed. All he could do was watch his 
family farm, his tractor and even the wheat he had harvested get taken 
away.

“My wife tells everybody if I’d had a gun, I probably
 would’ve shot somebody,” Bates said. “I worked hard all year and then 
stood there and watched them steal wheat all night long.”

He was one of the original plaintiffs on a landmark discrimination settlement in the 1990s, <a href="https://www.clearinghouse.net/chDocs/public/FH-DC-0006-9000.pdf" target="_blank">Pigford v Glickman</a>, that was supposed to send more than $1 billion to Black farmers who had been treated unfairly by the USDA.

He’s still waiting for his first check.

The loss of Black-owned farmland is 
profoundly felt in this part of northwest Kansas, where hundreds of 
African American homesteaders built their own agricultural community 
following emancipation in the 19th century. For Angela Bates, Bernard’s 
cousin who now leads the <a href="https://www.nicodemushistoricalsociety.org/" target="_blank">Nicodemus Historical Society</a>, the land here represents more than just soil and crops.

“It reflects what African Americans did with their freedom,” Bates said. “This was the promised land.”

At the time, Nicodemus was one of many all-Black settlements that formerly enslaved people formed on the frontier from <a href="https://humanities.utulsa.edu/oklahoma-home-historically-black-towns-u-s-state/" target="_blank">Oklahoma</a> to <a href="https://www.historicwyoming.org/profiles/empire-wyoming" target="_blank">Wyoming</a>. In Kansas alone, <a href="https://www.stlpublicradio.org/projects/black-white/exodusters.php" target="_blank">more than 40,000</a> African Americans, referred to at the time as exodusters, made similar journeys and built a <a href="http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.afam.006" target="_blank">dozen</a> Black farming colonies.

“When
 you think about farming in the historical context of African Americans 
and migration,” Bates said, “what you see is the land is the draw.”

But in Nicodemus and other communities across the U.S., that land 
steadily slipped out of African American hands. Bates said the area was 
home to nearly 150 Black farmers a century ago. Today, none of 
Nicodemus’ residents actively farm. And only a few Black farmers in 
neighboring towns are still going.

”The land loss has just 
been tremendous,” said JohnElla Holmes, who lives in Nicodemus and heads
 the Kansas Black Farmers Association. “It’s a loss of legacy.”

On
 a gravel road north of town, Holmes looks over the expansive prairie 
that Black homesteaders, including her great-great grandfather, settled 
here in 1877. Nicodemus is barely visible along the horizon as a line of
 small white homes and a skinny blue water tower.

“All of 
this was Black-owned at one time, six by six miles,” Holmes said, waving
 her hand over a field of golden wheat. “It’s as far as you can see.”

At its peak, the Nicodemus area was home to some <a href="https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/nicodemus-graham-county/12157" target="_blank">600 people</a>.
 But like many other families who once owned homesteads here, Holmes’ 
parents sold their land long ago because of discrimination that blocked 
her father from getting the funds he needed to keep the farm running.

When Holmes moved back to town six years ago, she was one of only 15 residents.

It’s a pattern that’s 
repeated across the country. One hundred years ago, Holmes said Kansas 
was home to upward of 150,000 acres of Black-owned farmland. That 
number’s now closer to 10,000 acres.

Nationwide, Black farm ownership peaked in 1910, when <a href="http://lib-usda-05.serverfarm.cornell.edu/usda/AgCensusImages/1920/Farm_Statistics_By_Color_and_Tenure.pdf" target="_blank">nearly one million</a> Black farmers had between <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/46984/19353_ra174h_1_.pdf?v=0" target="_blank">16 and 19 million collective acres</a>. Since then, about <a href="https://www.chlpi.org/clinic-students-reflect-on-land-loss-wealth-and-reparations/" target="_blank">90% of it</a>
 has been lost — a chunk of land roughly the size of West Virginia. At 
the same time, the amount of farmland owned by white farmers has <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/46984/19353_ra174h_1_.pdf?v=41056#:%7E:text=Land%20ownership%20by%20Black%20farmers,acres%20owned%20by%20White%20farmers." target="_blank">increased</a>. Today, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/03/08/reparations-black-farmers-stimulus/" target="_blank">fewer than 50,000</a> African Americans continue to farm.

“If
 something is not done in the next few years,” Thomas Mitchell, a Land 
Loss and Reparations Project researcher, said, “30 years from now, we 
could literally be talking about there's only a few hundred Black 
farmers left in this country.”

Thomas Mitchell teaches law 
at Texas A&amp;M University and has worked with Black farmers across 
several states for the past 25 years. In that time, he said he’s heard 
from farmer after farmer driven off their land by systemic 
discrimination by the USDA and local loan offices where the agency hands
 jurisdiction over to county committees, which have been <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/finance/538598-democrats-make-historic-push-for-aid-equity-for-black-farmers" target="_blank">historically white</a>.

Many
 African Americans haven’t been able to buy land or the equipment they 
need to operate a farm because they were repeatedly denied credit for 
bogus reasons. Some applied for loans to buy seed, but were slow-walked 
so badly they missed the planting season. Others weren’t able to obtain a
 loan application at all.

“This wasn't the exception to the rule. This wasn't a bug,” Mitchell said. “This was a feature of the system.”

The discriminatory practices 
against Black farmers aren’t a new revelation. The USDA’s role in 
pushing Black farmers out of agriculture has been <a href="https://archive.org/details/timetoact1545usda" target="_blank">well documented</a> in the federal government’s <a href="http://thecounterorg.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/cr11b562z.pdf" target="_blank">own reports</a> over the past <a href="http://thecounterorg.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/cr12f22c2.pdf" target="_blank">several decades</a>.

For example, a <a href="http://1ejo4s1s17zg1kcty43jbni1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/cr11b562z.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>
 from 1982 described “extensive deficiencies” in how the USDA’s farm 
credit arm treated Black farmers. It detailed widespread instances of 
the USDA offering Black farmers fewer loans, smaller loans and higher 
interest rates when compared to their white counterparts.

The
 report concluded that ongoing discrimination “could result in the 
extinction of Black farms in this country if immediate measures are not 
taken to counter the biases presently built into the system.”

But
 little seemed to change. In the years following that 1982 report, 
slashed budgets, staff turnover and poor leadership led the USDA’s civil
 rights program to grind to a halt. A <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/07/10/laxity-confusion-mar-usda-rights-program/dc532022-dc89-4fa4-863e-3361cb9bd8a5/" target="_blank">Washington Post report</a> from that time says the agency stopped looking into discrimination complaints entirely.

“The USDA actually acknowledged that with several of the claims,” Mitchell said, “they literally threw them in the garbage can.”

In recent years, there have been some efforts to reckon with the 
USDA’s checkered past — at least on the surface. During his previous 
tenure under the Obama Administration, current Secretary of Agriculture 
Tom Vilsack <a href="https://medium.com/usda-results/https-medium-com-usda-results-chapter-8-b57f91b64d49" target="_blank">heralded</a>
 the USDA’s recent turnaround as a “new era for civil rights” and 
claimed that he had overseen a 12% increase in the number of Black 
farmers.

But an <a href="http://thecounterorg.wpengine.com/usda-black-farmers-discrimination-tom-vilsack-reparations-civil-rights/#myth4" target="_blank">investigation</a>
 by Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic research fellow Nate Rosenberg 
revealed that the department has misled the public by changing the 
methodology of its census to show a false uptick in Black farming.

“They
 portrayed it in a completely irresponsible way,” said Rosenberg, who is
 also lead researcher with the Land Loss and Reparations Project. “And 
they still do.”

Rosenberg said that has led to a perception
 that discrimination against Black farmers as a thing of the past and 
has made it even more challenging for farmers to get their concerns 
taken seriously. His two-year <a href="http://thecounterorg.wpengine.com/usda-black-farmers-discrimination-tom-vilsack-reparations-civil-rights/#myth4" target="_blank">investigation</a>
 into the USDA’s practices under Vilsack found that the agency continued
 to foreclose on Black farmers with unresolved civil rights complaints 
and failed to properly address new complaints that came in.

“There
 was a perception that the Vilsack administration was addressing it,” 
Rosenberg said, “when, in fact, it was getting worse.”

The new federal debt relief 
program within the American Rescue Plan slated to launch this month is 
intended to start righting some of those wrongs. It includes an <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/13/976659142/black-farmers-have-long-faced-discrimination-new-aid-aims-to-boost-their-numbers" target="_blank">estimated $4 billion</a> to pay off some outstanding debts marginalized farmers owe the federal government.

But
 Mitchell, the Texas A&amp;M law professor, said that while $4 billion 
might sound like a lot, his team’s preliminary research estimates that 
the actual amount of wealth removed from Black communities as a result 
of lost farmland adds up to at least $300 billion. So even if this new 
relief program does end up putting money in some Black farmers’ pockets,
 it won’t even the score.

“It doesn't represent anything 
approaching a remedy that would make Black farmers whole,” Michell said.
 “I mean, not even close.”

And it’s still unclear whether or not the effort will come to fruition.

A federal judge issued a temporary order <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2021/06/10/judge-suspends-biden-debt-relief-program-farmers-color/7646187002/" target="_blank">halting the debt relief</a>
 in response to a lawsuit filed by a conservative law firm in Wisconsin 
and a group of white farmers. And that’s not the only federal lawsuit 
that’s been brought by <a href="https://www.agriculture.com/news/business/trump-backed-legal-group-sues-for-debt-relief-for-white-farmers" target="_blank">white farmers</a> who say the program discriminates against them. Banks are also pressuring the USDA to rethink the plan, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/19/us/politics/black-farmers-debt-relief.html" target="_blank">arguing</a> that it would cut into their profits from interest payments.

JohnElla Holmes, the head of the Black farmers group, said her 
organization has received threats from people outraged at the idea of 
handouts going to farmers of color.

Yet she figures only a 
quarter of the farmers she works with will even be eligible for 
compensation. She said the decades of being denied federal farm loans 
pushed many Black farmers to seek private loans from banks, and those 
aren’t covered as part of this debt relief program.

Even 
among the Kansas farmers who are eligible, Holmes said many of them are 
skeptical about signing up. So, she has been seeking them out and trying
 to persuade them that the program offers at least a chance of shoring 
up their family farms for the future.

“Do I want handouts? 
Absolutely not,” Holmes said. “I just want to be treated fairly, and put
 in a position where we can be at least on the football field.”

David Condos covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/davidcondos" target="_blank">@davidcondos</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973546110.png" alt="Bernard Bates holds a notebook of documents from the lawsuits he's been a part of while trying to get his farmland back. Photos by David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Bernard Bates holds a notebook of documents from the lawsuits he's been a part of while trying to get his farmland back. Photos by David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>In Nicodemus, Kansas, farmers say the help has come too late</h2>By DAVID CONDOS <a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2021-06-28/federal-payments-to-black-kansas-farmers-come-too-late-for-generations-who-faced-discrimination">Kansas News Service</a>NICODEMUS&nbsp;— At his home in northwest Kansas, Bernard Bates thumbs through a stack of faded color photographs nearly 40 years old.One
 shows a group of men in county sheriff’s jackets standing in front of a
 combine. In another, two men inspect plowing equipment on a flatbed 
truck.“That’s when they loaded up my machinery,” Bates said. “They sold our machinery first. Then they sold the land.”In
 the early 1980s, weather wiped out the crops on his 950-acre farm in 
Nicodemus, the last remaining African American settlement west of the 
Mississippi River. Bates tried to get his loans extended to make it to 
the next season. But he was denied. Among the papers on his desk sits an <a href="https://context-cdn.washingtonpost.com/notes/prod/default/documents/f998215b-52fa-4cd4-a8f3-c3801a502b09/note/cdb54622-404b-4c01-af73-555e89cbd78e." target="_blank">affidavit</a>
 from the president of the regional credit association that says he 
denied Bates the help he needed deliberately to push him out of farming.A new <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/13/976659142/black-farmers-have-long-faced-discrimination-new-aid-aims-to-boost-their-numbers" target="_blank">federal effort</a>
 plans to send more debt relief payments to Black farmers in recognition
 of how the USDA and local farm credit offices denied generations of 
people like Bates loans and foreclosed on their properties, effectively 
transferring farmland to their white neighbors. But for many, the money 
will be too late to reverse the decades of damage caused by 
discrimination in farming.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973611650.png" alt="Photos showing the day Bernard Bates' farming equipment was sold in 1983." />
 <figcaption>Photos showing the day Bernard Bates' farming equipment was sold in 1983.</figcaption>
 </figure>Bates wrote letters detailing the discrimination to Sen. Bob Dole, 
President Ronald Reagan and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They did
 him no good. His lenders foreclosed. All he could do was watch his 
family farm, his tractor and even the wheat he had harvested get taken 
away.“My wife tells everybody if I’d had a gun, I probably
 would’ve shot somebody,” Bates said. “I worked hard all year and then 
stood there and watched them steal wheat all night long.”He was one of the original plaintiffs on a landmark discrimination settlement in the 1990s, <a href="https://www.clearinghouse.net/chDocs/public/FH-DC-0006-9000.pdf" target="_blank">Pigford v Glickman</a>, that was supposed to send more than $1 billion to Black farmers who had been treated unfairly by the USDA.He’s still waiting for his first check.“I haven't got a penny yet.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973641925.png" alt="Wheat grows in a northwest Kansas field with the town of Nicodemus in the distance." />
 <figcaption>Wheat grows in a northwest Kansas field with the town of Nicodemus in the distance.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Promised land</h2>The loss of Black-owned farmland is 
profoundly felt in this part of northwest Kansas, where hundreds of 
African American homesteaders built their own agricultural community 
following emancipation in the 19th century. For Angela Bates, Bernard’s 
cousin who now leads the <a href="https://www.nicodemushistoricalsociety.org/" target="_blank">Nicodemus Historical Society</a>, the land here represents more than just soil and crops.“It reflects what African Americans did with their freedom,” Bates said. “This was the promised land.”At the time, Nicodemus was one of many all-Black settlements that formerly enslaved people formed on the frontier from <a href="https://humanities.utulsa.edu/oklahoma-home-historically-black-towns-u-s-state/" target="_blank">Oklahoma</a> to <a href="https://www.historicwyoming.org/profiles/empire-wyoming" target="_blank">Wyoming</a>. In Kansas alone, <a href="https://www.stlpublicradio.org/projects/black-white/exodusters.php" target="_blank">more than 40,000</a> African Americans, referred to at the time as exodusters, made similar journeys and built a <a href="http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.afam.006" target="_blank">dozen</a> Black farming colonies.“When
 you think about farming in the historical context of African Americans 
and migration,” Bates said, “what you see is the land is the draw.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973683126.png" alt="Angela Bates holds a picture of her great-great-great-grandparents, John and Lee Anna Samuels, who settled in Nicodemus after their emancipation from slavery. David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Angela Bates holds a picture of her great-great-great-grandparents, John and Lee Anna Samuels, who settled in Nicodemus after their emancipation from slavery. David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>But in Nicodemus and other communities across the U.S., that land 
steadily slipped out of African American hands. Bates said the area was 
home to nearly 150 Black farmers a century ago. Today, none of 
Nicodemus’ residents actively farm. And only a few Black farmers in 
neighboring towns are still going.”The land loss has just 
been tremendous,” said JohnElla Holmes, who lives in Nicodemus and heads
 the Kansas Black Farmers Association. “It’s a loss of legacy.”On
 a gravel road north of town, Holmes looks over the expansive prairie 
that Black homesteaders, including her great-great grandfather, settled 
here in 1877. Nicodemus is barely visible along the horizon as a line of
 small white homes and a skinny blue water tower.“All of 
this was Black-owned at one time, six by six miles,” Holmes said, waving
 her hand over a field of golden wheat. “It’s as far as you can see.”At its peak, the Nicodemus area was home to some <a href="https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/nicodemus-graham-county/12157" target="_blank">600 people</a>.
 But like many other families who once owned homesteads here, Holmes’ 
parents sold their land long ago because of discrimination that blocked 
her father from getting the funds he needed to keep the farm running.When Holmes moved back to town six years ago, she was one of only 15 residents.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973714177.png" alt="A photograph of Bernard Bates' father as a child with his family on their Nicodemus farm in the early 1900s." />
 <figcaption>A photograph of Bernard Bates' father as a child with his family on their Nicodemus farm in the early 1900s.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>‘This wasn’t a bug’</h2>It’s a pattern that’s 
repeated across the country. One hundred years ago, Holmes said Kansas 
was home to upward of 150,000 acres of Black-owned farmland. That 
number’s now closer to 10,000 acres.Nationwide, Black farm ownership peaked in 1910, when <a href="http://lib-usda-05.serverfarm.cornell.edu/usda/AgCensusImages/1920/Farm_Statistics_By_Color_and_Tenure.pdf" target="_blank">nearly one million</a> Black farmers had between <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/46984/19353_ra174h_1_.pdf?v=0" target="_blank">16 and 19 million collective acres</a>. Since then, about <a href="https://www.chlpi.org/clinic-students-reflect-on-land-loss-wealth-and-reparations/" target="_blank">90% of it</a>
 has been lost — a chunk of land roughly the size of West Virginia. At 
the same time, the amount of farmland owned by white farmers has <a href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/46984/19353_ra174h_1_.pdf?v=41056#:%7E:text=Land%20ownership%20by%20Black%20farmers,acres%20owned%20by%20White%20farmers." target="_blank">increased</a>. Today, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/03/08/reparations-black-farmers-stimulus/" target="_blank">fewer than 50,000</a> African Americans continue to farm.“If
 something is not done in the next few years,” Thomas Mitchell, a Land 
Loss and Reparations Project researcher, said, “30 years from now, we 
could literally be talking about there's only a few hundred Black 
farmers left in this country.”Thomas Mitchell teaches law 
at Texas A&amp;M University and has worked with Black farmers across 
several states for the past 25 years. In that time, he said he’s heard 
from farmer after farmer driven off their land by systemic 
discrimination by the USDA and local loan offices where the agency hands
 jurisdiction over to county committees, which have been <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/finance/538598-democrats-make-historic-push-for-aid-equity-for-black-farmers" target="_blank">historically white</a>.Many
 African Americans haven’t been able to buy land or the equipment they 
need to operate a farm because they were repeatedly denied credit for 
bogus reasons. Some applied for loans to buy seed, but were slow-walked 
so badly they missed the planting season. Others weren’t able to obtain a
 loan application at all.“This wasn't the exception to the rule. This wasn't a bug,” Mitchell said. “This was a feature of the system.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973744045.png" alt="Bernard Bates, who lost his farm after facing discriminatory lending practices, stands with his wife, Ava, outside their home west of Nicodemus." />
 <figcaption>Bernard Bates, who lost his farm after facing discriminatory lending practices, stands with his wife, Ava, outside their home west of Nicodemus.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Little changed</h2>The discriminatory practices 
against Black farmers aren’t a new revelation. The USDA’s role in 
pushing Black farmers out of agriculture has been <a href="https://archive.org/details/timetoact1545usda" target="_blank">well documented</a> in the federal government’s <a href="http://thecounterorg.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/cr11b562z.pdf" target="_blank">own reports</a> over the past <a href="http://thecounterorg.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/cr12f22c2.pdf" target="_blank">several decades</a>.For example, a <a href="http://1ejo4s1s17zg1kcty43jbni1.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/cr11b562z.pdf" target="_blank">report</a>
 from 1982 described “extensive deficiencies” in how the USDA’s farm 
credit arm treated Black farmers. It detailed widespread instances of 
the USDA offering Black farmers fewer loans, smaller loans and higher 
interest rates when compared to their white counterparts.The
 report concluded that ongoing discrimination “could result in the 
extinction of Black farms in this country if immediate measures are not 
taken to counter the biases presently built into the system.”But
 little seemed to change. In the years following that 1982 report, 
slashed budgets, staff turnover and poor leadership led the USDA’s civil
 rights program to grind to a halt. A <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/07/10/laxity-confusion-mar-usda-rights-program/dc532022-dc89-4fa4-863e-3361cb9bd8a5/" target="_blank">Washington Post report</a> from that time says the agency stopped looking into discrimination complaints entirely.“The USDA actually acknowledged that with several of the claims,” Mitchell said, “they literally threw them in the garbage can.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973773202.png" alt="An affidavit describing the local farm credit association's intent to discriminate against Bernard Bates." />
 <figcaption>An affidavit describing the local farm credit association's intent to discriminate against Bernard Bates.</figcaption>
 </figure>In recent years, there have been some efforts to reckon with the 
USDA’s checkered past — at least on the surface. During his previous 
tenure under the Obama Administration, current Secretary of Agriculture 
Tom Vilsack <a href="https://medium.com/usda-results/https-medium-com-usda-results-chapter-8-b57f91b64d49" target="_blank">heralded</a>
 the USDA’s recent turnaround as a “new era for civil rights” and 
claimed that he had overseen a 12% increase in the number of Black 
farmers.But an <a href="http://thecounterorg.wpengine.com/usda-black-farmers-discrimination-tom-vilsack-reparations-civil-rights/#myth4" target="_blank">investigation</a>
 by Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic research fellow Nate Rosenberg 
revealed that the department has misled the public by changing the 
methodology of its census to show a false uptick in Black farming.“They
 portrayed it in a completely irresponsible way,” said Rosenberg, who is
 also lead researcher with the Land Loss and Reparations Project. “And 
they still do.”Rosenberg said that has led to a perception
 that discrimination against Black farmers as a thing of the past and 
has made it even more challenging for farmers to get their concerns 
taken seriously. His two-year <a href="http://thecounterorg.wpengine.com/usda-black-farmers-discrimination-tom-vilsack-reparations-civil-rights/#myth4" target="_blank">investigation</a>
 into the USDA’s practices under Vilsack found that the agency continued
 to foreclose on Black farmers with unresolved civil rights complaints 
and failed to properly address new complaints that came in.“There
 was a perception that the Vilsack administration was addressing it,” 
Rosenberg said, “when, in fact, it was getting worse.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973803414.png" alt="JohnElla Holmes, president and executive director of the Kansas Black Farmers Association, stands next to a piece of farmland north of Nicodemus." />
 <figcaption>JohnElla Holmes, president and executive director of the Kansas Black Farmers Association, stands next to a piece of farmland north of Nicodemus.</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The road ahead</h2>The new federal debt relief 
program within the American Rescue Plan slated to launch this month is 
intended to start righting some of those wrongs. It includes an <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/03/13/976659142/black-farmers-have-long-faced-discrimination-new-aid-aims-to-boost-their-numbers" target="_blank">estimated $4 billion</a> to pay off some outstanding debts marginalized farmers owe the federal government.But
 Mitchell, the Texas A&amp;M law professor, said that while $4 billion 
might sound like a lot, his team’s preliminary research estimates that 
the actual amount of wealth removed from Black communities as a result 
of lost farmland adds up to at least $300 billion. So even if this new 
relief program does end up putting money in some Black farmers’ pockets,
 it won’t even the score.“It doesn't represent anything 
approaching a remedy that would make Black farmers whole,” Michell said.
 “I mean, not even close.”And it’s still unclear whether or not the effort will come to fruition.A federal judge issued a temporary order <a href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2021/06/10/judge-suspends-biden-debt-relief-program-farmers-color/7646187002/" target="_blank">halting the debt relief</a>
 in response to a lawsuit filed by a conservative law firm in Wisconsin 
and a group of white farmers. And that’s not the only federal lawsuit 
that’s been brought by <a href="https://www.agriculture.com/news/business/trump-backed-legal-group-sues-for-debt-relief-for-white-farmers" target="_blank">white farmers</a> who say the program discriminates against them. Banks are also pressuring the USDA to rethink the plan, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/19/us/politics/black-farmers-debt-relief.html" target="_blank">arguing</a> that it would cut into their profits from interest payments.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624973832615.png" alt="The District No. 1 Schoolhouse is now part of the Nicodemus National Historic Site." />
 <figcaption>The District No. 1 Schoolhouse is now part of the Nicodemus National Historic Site.</figcaption>
 </figure>JohnElla Holmes, the head of the Black farmers group, said her 
organization has received threats from people outraged at the idea of 
handouts going to farmers of color.Yet she figures only a 
quarter of the farmers she works with will even be eligible for 
compensation. She said the decades of being denied federal farm loans 
pushed many Black farmers to seek private loans from banks, and those 
aren’t covered as part of this debt relief program.Even 
among the Kansas farmers who are eligible, Holmes said many of them are 
skeptical about signing up. So, she has been seeking them out and trying
 to persuade them that the program offers at least a chance of shoring 
up their family farms for the future.“Do I want handouts? 
Absolutely not,” Holmes said. “I just want to be treated fairly, and put
 in a position where we can be at least on the football field.”David Condos covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/davidcondos" target="_blank">@davidcondos</a>.

Payments to black farmers too late for generations who faced discrimination

WASHINGTON&nbsp;—&nbsp;The Internal Revenue Service today continues its "Dirty 
Dozen" scam series with a warning to taxpayers to watch out for 
unexpected schemes in the form of emails, text or social media messages 
and phone calls.

Unscrupulous individuals seek to obtain personal information for the 
purpose of tax-related identity theft. Whether through a telephone call,
 text message or email, the con artist tries to convince the recipient 
that they need to provide Social Security numbers, bank account or 
credit card information or passwords. The scam may also include sending 
links that once clicked on can download malicious software that 
collects, or "mines" personal data.

Often, criminals pose as someone the recipient knows or frequently 
interacts with, whether a social or family relationship or a business 
contact. They gather much of this information from social media. A 
person's contacts or 'friends' are used to bait the recipient into 
thinking they're dealing with someone they know.

More information on the IRS's "Dirty Dozen" list can be found on a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/dirty-dozen">special section of IRS.gov</a>.

The IRS warns taxpayers, businesses and tax professionals to be alert
 for a continuing surge of fake emails, text messages, websites and 
social media attempts to steal personal information. These attacks tend 
to increase during tax season and remain a major cause of identity theft
 throughout the year.

Phishing scams target individuals with communications appearing to 
come from legitimate sources to collect victims' personal and financial 
data and potentially infect their devices by convincing the target to 
download malicious programs. Cybercriminals usually send these phishing 
communications by email but may also use text messages or social media 
posts or messaging.

These phishing schemes can be tricky and cleverly disguised to look 
like they're from the IRS or from others in the tax community. Taxpayers
 are reminded to continually watch out for emails and other scams posing
 as the IRS, like those promising a big refund, missing stimulus payment
 or even issuing a threat. People should not open attachments or click 
on links in those emails or text messages.

Phishing scams targeting tax professionals

As part of the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/security-summit">Security Summit</a>
 effort, the IRS warns tax professionals about phishing scams involving 
verification of Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFIN) and 
Centralized Authorization File (CAF) numbers. The agency has seen an 
increase in these kinds of scams, along with offers to buy and sell 
EFINs and CAFs.

Tax professionals have reported receiving scam e-mails from the fictitious "<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-summit-partners-issue-urgent-efin-scam-alert-to-tax-professionals">IRS Tax E-Filing</a>"
 and the IRS reminds tax professionals who receive those e-mails to not 
open any attachments or click any links. Rather, they should report the 
scam to the <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/">Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration</a>.

The IRS reminds tax professionals to protect themselves against the 
unauthorized use of an EFIN. Tax professionals must not transfer their 
EFIN or ETIN by sale, merger, loan, gift or otherwise to another entity.

Phishing – new client scams target tax pros

The "New Client" scam continues to be a prevalent form of phishing 
for tax pros. Here's an example in the form of an email: "I just moved 
here from Michigan. I have an urgent tax issue and I was hoping you 
could help," the email begins. "I hope you are taking on new clients."

The email says one attachment is an IRS notice and the other 
attachment is the prospective client's prior-year tax return. This scam 
has many variations so tax professionals should be wary and avoid 
opening attachments or clicking links when they don't know the e-mail 
sender.

Knowing what to watch for can help. Below is an actual example of another recent new client scam e-mail:

Individuals should be wary of unexpected phone calls asking for 
personal financial information. The IRS has seen an increase in 
voice-related phishing, or 'vishing,' particularly from scams related to
 federal tax liens. For those receiving phone calls out of the blue, 
security experts recommend asking questions of the caller but not 
providing any personal information. If in doubt, hang up immediately.

During 2020, almost 400 vishing scams were reported, a 14% increase 
from the prior year. Of those vishing scams, 25% were scammers who tried
 to use fake tax lien information. The number of tax-lien related scams 
increased from 58 in 2019 to 104 in 2020, an increase of 79%. The IRS 
urges taxpayers to refrain from engaging potential scammers on the phone
 or online.

While both the IRS and the Federal Trade Commission have seen a 
decline in the number of reports of scammers claiming to be from the IRS
 telephoning potential victims, the agency urges taxpayers to be wary. 
(The IRS has seen a 43% decrease in the number of reports of calls from 
callers claiming to be from the IRS: 20,500 in 2020 compared to 36,000 
in 2019. The FTC saw a 67% decline from 7,694 reports in 2019 to 2,571 
in 2020.)

While the numbers may be on the decline, the IRS urges taxpayers to 
remain vigilant and to remember the following things about the IRS:

Recipients of these calls should hang up before giving out any 
information. If anyone receives an unexpected call from the IRS that 
they believe to be a scam, they can report it to the <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/">Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)</a>.

Taxpayers should be aware of social media scams, which frequently use
 events like COVID-19 to try to trick people. Social media enables 
unscrupulous individuals to lurk on accounts and extract personal 
information to use against the victim. These cons may send emails 
impersonating the victim's family, friends or co-workers.

Social media scams have also led to tax-related identity theft. The 
basic element of social media scams is convincing a potential victim 
that he or she is dealing with a person close to them that they trust 
via email, text or social media messaging.

Using personal information, a scammer may email a potential victim 
and include a link to something of interest to the recipient, but which 
contains malware intended to commit more crimes. Scammers also 
infiltrate their victim's emails and cell phones to go after their 
friends and family with fake emails that appear to be real, and text 
messages soliciting, for example, small donations to fake charities that
 are appealing to the victims.

Individuals should know that any of their information that is 
publicly shared on social media platforms can be collected and used 
against them. One way to circumvent these scams is to review privacy 
settings and limit data that is publicly shared.

Financial institutions should be aware of trends and indicators of 
ransomware, which is a form of malicious software ("malware") designed 
to block access to a computer system or data. Access is often blocked by
 encrypting data or programs on information technology (IT) systems to 
extort ransom payments from victims in exchange for decrypting the 
information and restoring victims' access to their systems or data. In 
some cases, in addition to the attack, the perpetrators threaten to 
publish sensitive files belonging to the victims, which can be 
individuals or business entities.

The U.S. Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN), has 
noted that ransomware attacks continue to rise across various sectors, 
particularly across governmental entities as well as financial, 
educational and healthcare institutions. Ransomware attacks on small 
municipalities and healthcare organizations have increased, likely due 
to the victims' weaker cybersecurity controls, such as inadequate system
 backups and ineffective incident response capabilities.

Cybercriminals using ransomware often resort to common tactics, such 
as wide-scale phishing and targeted spear-phishing campaigns that induce
 victims to download a malicious file or go to a malicious site. They 
may also exploit remote desktop protocol endpoints and software 
vulnerabilities or deploy "drive-by" malware attacks that host malicious
 code on legitimate websites. Proactive prevention through effective 
cyber hygiene, cybersecurity controls and other best practices are often
 the best defense against ransomware.

Ransomware actors are increasingly engaging in selective targeting of
 larger enterprises to demand bigger payouts – commonly referred to as 
"big game hunting." Many cybercriminals are sharing resources to enhance
 the effectiveness of ransomware attacks, such as ransomware 
exploit-kits that come with ready-made malicious codes and tools. These 
kits can be purchased, although they are also offered free of charge.

Some ransomware groups are also forming partnerships to share advice,
 code, trends, techniques and illegally obtained information over shared
 platforms.

Ransomware criminals are also increasingly engaging in "double 
extortion schemes," which involve removing sensitive data from the 
targeted networks, encrypting the system files and demanding ransom.

The consequences of a ransomware attack can be severe and 
far-reaching, with losses of sensitive, proprietary, and critical 
information and loss of business functionality. The role of financial 
intermediaries in facilitating ransomware payments and ransomware 
attacks are a growing concern for the financial sector because of the 
critical role financial institutions play in the collection of ransom 
payments.

The IRS reminds taxpayers and tax professionals to keep abreast of 
news about fraud-related behavior. Report any instances of fraud 
immediately.

For more information visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/tax-fraud-alerts">Tax Fraud Alerts</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/tax-scams-how-to-report-them">Tax Scams – How to Report Them</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON&nbsp;—&nbsp;The Internal Revenue Service today continues its "Dirty 
Dozen" scam series with a warning to taxpayers to watch out for 
unexpected schemes in the form of emails, text or social media messages 
and phone calls.Unscrupulous individuals seek to obtain personal information for the 
purpose of tax-related identity theft. Whether through a telephone call,
 text message or email, the con artist tries to convince the recipient 
that they need to provide Social Security numbers, bank account or 
credit card information or passwords. The scam may also include sending 
links that once clicked on can download malicious software that 
collects, or "mines" personal data.Often, criminals pose as someone the recipient knows or frequently 
interacts with, whether a social or family relationship or a business 
contact. They gather much of this information from social media. A 
person's contacts or 'friends' are used to bait the recipient into 
thinking they're dealing with someone they know.More information on the IRS's "Dirty Dozen" list can be found on a <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/dirty-dozen">special section of IRS.gov</a>.<h2>Tax-related phishing scams persist</h2>The IRS warns taxpayers, businesses and tax professionals to be alert
 for a continuing surge of fake emails, text messages, websites and 
social media attempts to steal personal information. These attacks tend 
to increase during tax season and remain a major cause of identity theft
 throughout the year.Phishing scams target individuals with communications appearing to 
come from legitimate sources to collect victims' personal and financial 
data and potentially infect their devices by convincing the target to 
download malicious programs. Cybercriminals usually send these phishing 
communications by email but may also use text messages or social media 
posts or messaging.These phishing schemes can be tricky and cleverly disguised to look 
like they're from the IRS or from others in the tax community. Taxpayers
 are reminded to continually watch out for emails and other scams posing
 as the IRS, like those promising a big refund, missing stimulus payment
 or even issuing a threat. People should not open attachments or click 
on links in those emails or text messages.<h2>Phishing scams targeting tax professionals</h2>As part of the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/security-summit">Security Summit</a>
 effort, the IRS warns tax professionals about phishing scams involving 
verification of Electronic Filing Identification Numbers (EFIN) and 
Centralized Authorization File (CAF) numbers. The agency has seen an 
increase in these kinds of scams, along with offers to buy and sell 
EFINs and CAFs.Tax professionals have reported receiving scam e-mails from the fictitious "<a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-summit-partners-issue-urgent-efin-scam-alert-to-tax-professionals">IRS Tax E-Filing</a>"
 and the IRS reminds tax professionals who receive those e-mails to not 
open any attachments or click any links. Rather, they should report the 
scam to the <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/">Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration</a>.The IRS reminds tax professionals to protect themselves against the 
unauthorized use of an EFIN. Tax professionals must not transfer their 
EFIN or ETIN by sale, merger, loan, gift or otherwise to another entity.<h2>Phishing – new client scams target tax pros</h2>The "New Client" scam continues to be a prevalent form of phishing 
for tax pros. Here's an example in the form of an email: "I just moved 
here from Michigan. I have an urgent tax issue and I was hoping you 
could help," the email begins. "I hope you are taking on new clients."The email says one attachment is an IRS notice and the other 
attachment is the prospective client's prior-year tax return. This scam 
has many variations so tax professionals should be wary and avoid 
opening attachments or clicking links when they don't know the e-mail 
sender.Knowing what to watch for can help. Below is an actual example of another recent new client scam e-mail:<figure>
 <img src="https://www.irs.gov/pub/image/email-scam-image_2.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Impersonator phone calls/vishing</h2>Individuals should be wary of unexpected phone calls asking for 
personal financial information. The IRS has seen an increase in 
voice-related phishing, or 'vishing,' particularly from scams related to
 federal tax liens. For those receiving phone calls out of the blue, 
security experts recommend asking questions of the caller but not 
providing any personal information. If in doubt, hang up immediately.During 2020, almost 400 vishing scams were reported, a 14% increase 
from the prior year. Of those vishing scams, 25% were scammers who tried
 to use fake tax lien information. The number of tax-lien related scams 
increased from 58 in 2019 to 104 in 2020, an increase of 79%. The IRS 
urges taxpayers to refrain from engaging potential scammers on the phone
 or online.While both the IRS and the Federal Trade Commission have seen a 
decline in the number of reports of scammers claiming to be from the IRS
 telephoning potential victims, the agency urges taxpayers to be wary. 
(The IRS has seen a 43% decrease in the number of reports of calls from 
callers claiming to be from the IRS: 20,500 in 2020 compared to 36,000 
in 2019. The FTC saw a 67% decline from 7,694 reports in 2019 to 2,571 
in 2020.)While the numbers may be on the decline, the IRS urges taxpayers to 
remain vigilant and to remember the following things about the IRS:<ul>
 <li>The IRS generally first contacts people by mail - not by phone - about unpaid taxes.</li><li>The IRS may attempt to reach individuals by telephone but will not 
insist on payment using an iTunes card, gift card, prepaid debit card, 
money order or wire transfer.</li><li>The IRS will never request personal or financial information by e-mail, text or social media.</li>
 </ul>Recipients of these calls should hang up before giving out any 
information. If anyone receives an unexpected call from the IRS that 
they believe to be a scam, they can report it to the <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/tigta/">Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA)</a>.<h2>Social media scams continue</h2>Taxpayers should be aware of social media scams, which frequently use
 events like COVID-19 to try to trick people. Social media enables 
unscrupulous individuals to lurk on accounts and extract personal 
information to use against the victim. These cons may send emails 
impersonating the victim's family, friends or co-workers.Social media scams have also led to tax-related identity theft. The 
basic element of social media scams is convincing a potential victim 
that he or she is dealing with a person close to them that they trust 
via email, text or social media messaging.Using personal information, a scammer may email a potential victim 
and include a link to something of interest to the recipient, but which 
contains malware intended to commit more crimes. Scammers also 
infiltrate their victim's emails and cell phones to go after their 
friends and family with fake emails that appear to be real, and text 
messages soliciting, for example, small donations to fake charities that
 are appealing to the victims.Individuals should know that any of their information that is 
publicly shared on social media platforms can be collected and used 
against them. One way to circumvent these scams is to review privacy 
settings and limit data that is publicly shared.<h2>Ransomware on the rise</h2>Financial institutions should be aware of trends and indicators of 
ransomware, which is a form of malicious software ("malware") designed 
to block access to a computer system or data. Access is often blocked by
 encrypting data or programs on information technology (IT) systems to 
extort ransom payments from victims in exchange for decrypting the 
information and restoring victims' access to their systems or data. In 
some cases, in addition to the attack, the perpetrators threaten to 
publish sensitive files belonging to the victims, which can be 
individuals or business entities.The U.S. Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN), has 
noted that ransomware attacks continue to rise across various sectors, 
particularly across governmental entities as well as financial, 
educational and healthcare institutions. Ransomware attacks on small 
municipalities and healthcare organizations have increased, likely due 
to the victims' weaker cybersecurity controls, such as inadequate system
 backups and ineffective incident response capabilities.<h2>Tactics</h2>Cybercriminals using ransomware often resort to common tactics, such 
as wide-scale phishing and targeted spear-phishing campaigns that induce
 victims to download a malicious file or go to a malicious site. They 
may also exploit remote desktop protocol endpoints and software 
vulnerabilities or deploy "drive-by" malware attacks that host malicious
 code on legitimate websites. Proactive prevention through effective 
cyber hygiene, cybersecurity controls and other best practices are often
 the best defense against ransomware.Ransomware actors are increasingly engaging in selective targeting of
 larger enterprises to demand bigger payouts – commonly referred to as 
"big game hunting." Many cybercriminals are sharing resources to enhance
 the effectiveness of ransomware attacks, such as ransomware 
exploit-kits that come with ready-made malicious codes and tools. These 
kits can be purchased, although they are also offered free of charge.Some ransomware groups are also forming partnerships to share advice,
 code, trends, techniques and illegally obtained information over shared
 platforms.Ransomware criminals are also increasingly engaging in "double 
extortion schemes," which involve removing sensitive data from the 
targeted networks, encrypting the system files and demanding ransom.The consequences of a ransomware attack can be severe and 
far-reaching, with losses of sensitive, proprietary, and critical 
information and loss of business functionality. The role of financial 
intermediaries in facilitating ransomware payments and ransomware 
attacks are a growing concern for the financial sector because of the 
critical role financial institutions play in the collection of ransom 
payments.The IRS reminds taxpayers and tax professionals to keep abreast of 
news about fraud-related behavior. Report any instances of fraud 
immediately.For more information visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/compliance/criminal-investigation/tax-fraud-alerts">Tax Fraud Alerts</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/tax-scams-how-to-report-them">Tax Scams – How to Report Them</a>.

IRS: Email, social media, phones used for 'Dirty Dozen' tax scams

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Three people, including two children, have been injured in an explosion at a suburban Kansas City duplex.

Firefighters, police and medics responded around 7 p.m. Monday to the explosion and subsequent fire at the Raytown home. Witnesses reported seeing two boys who were conscious and alert wheeled from the scene on gurneys. A man also was injured and taken to a hospital for treatment.

The victims' names were not immediately released.

Officials have not said what caused the explosion that leveled part of the duplex, but neighbors told television station KMBC they believed fireworks set off in the area led to the explosion and fire.

The Missouri Fire Marshal is investigating.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Three people, including two children, have been injured in an explosion at a suburban Kansas City duplex.Firefighters, police and medics responded around 7 p.m. Monday to the explosion and subsequent fire at the Raytown home. Witnesses reported seeing two boys who were conscious and alert wheeled from the scene on gurneys. A man also was injured and taken to a hospital for treatment.The victims' names were not immediately released.Officials have not said what caused the explosion that leveled part of the duplex, but neighbors told television station KMBC they believed fireworks set off in the area led to the explosion and fire.The Missouri Fire Marshal is investigating.

3 injured in explosion, fire at suburban KC duplex

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Kansas man was booked into jail on suspicion of aggravated arson and criminal threat after an incident Monday in Hutchinson.

According to Hutchinson Police Lt. Dustin Loepp, officers were sent just after 5 p.m. Monday to the Kwik Shop at 17th and Plum.

A 51-year-old woman who drives for Roadrunner Taxi told police she was giving a ride to 35-year-old Jamal Anthony Williams, who she had been dating for a few days.

Williams had sent her threatening messages on her phone, demanding rides around town and she decided to put a stop to it and headed toward the convenience store. Williams continued making threats and pulled out a lighter and burned a seat inside the vehicle.

Officers found Williams close by and arrested him. He was booked into jail just before 6:30 p.m. Monday. There was only slight damage to the vehicle.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A Kansas man was booked into jail on suspicion of aggravated arson and criminal threat after an incident Monday in Hutchinson.According to Hutchinson Police Lt. Dustin Loepp, officers were sent just after 5 p.m. Monday to the Kwik Shop at 17th and Plum.A 51-year-old woman who drives for Roadrunner Taxi told police she was giving a ride to 35-year-old Jamal Anthony Williams, who she had been dating for a few days.Williams had sent her threatening messages on her phone, demanding rides around town and she decided to put a stop to it and headed toward the convenience store. Williams continued making threats and pulled out a lighter and burned a seat inside the vehicle.Officers found Williams close by and arrested him. He was booked into jail just before 6:30 p.m. Monday. There was only slight damage to the vehicle.

Police: Kansas man tried to start fire in taxi

SURFSIDE, Florida (AP) — The slow work of sifting through the remnants of a collapsed Florida condo building stretched into a sixth day Tuesday, as families desperate for progress endured a wrenching wait for answers.

“We have people waiting and waiting and waiting for news,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters Monday. “We have them coping with the news that they might not have their loved ones come out alive and still hope against hope that they will. They’re learning that some of their loved ones will come out as body parts. This is the kind of information that is just excruciating for everyone.”

The work has been deliberate and treacherous. Just two additional bodies were found Monday, raising the count of confirmed dead to 11. That leaves 150 people still unaccounted for in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fl-state-wire-lifestyle-technology-4558de9d4468d747d88d412d5d0ae772">community of Surfside</a>, just outside Miami.

Authorities are meeting frequently with families to explain what they’re doing and answer questions. They have discussed with families everything from how DNA matches are made to help identify the dead, to how will next of kin be contacted, to going into “extreme detail” about how they are searching the mound, the mayor said.

Armed with that knowledge, she said, families are coming to their own conclusions.

“Some are feeling more hopeful, some less hopeful, because we do not have definitive answers. We give them the facts. We take them to the site,” she said. “They have seen the operation. They understand now how it works, and they are preparing themselves for news, one way or the other.”

Rescuers are using bucket brigades and heavy machinery as they work atop a precarious mound of pulverized concrete, twisted steel and the remnants of dozens of households. The efforts included firefighters, sniffer dogs and search experts using radar and sonar devices.

Authorities said their efforts were still a search-and-rescue operation, but no one has been found alive since hours after the collapse on Thursday.

The pancake collapse of the building left layer upon layer of intertwined debris, frustrating efforts to reach anyone who may have survived in a pocket of space.

“Every time there’s an action, there’s a reaction,” Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said during a news conference Monday. “It’s not an issue of we could just attach a couple of cords to a concrete boulder and lift it and call it a day.” Some of the concrete pieces are smaller, the size of basketballs or baseballs.

From outside a neighboring building on Monday, more than two dozen family members watched teams of searchers excavate the building site. Some held onto each other for support. Others hugged and prayed. Some people took photos.

Authorities on Monday insisted they are not losing hope.

Deciding to transition from search-and-rescue work to a recovery operation is agonizing, said Dr. Joseph A. Barbera, a professor at George Washington University. That decision is fraught with considerations, he said, that only those on the ground can make.

Barbera coauthored a study examining disasters where some people survived under rubble for prolonged periods of time. He has also advised teams on where to look for potential survivors and when to conclude “that the probability of continued survival is very, very small.”

“It’s an incredibly difficult decision, and I’ve never had to make that decision,” Barbera said.

The building collapsed just days before a deadline for condo owners to start making steep payments toward more than $9 million in repairs that had been recommended nearly three years earlier, in a report that warned of “major structural damage.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624963101916.png" alt="Photos courtesy Miami Dade County Fire and Rescue" />
 <figcaption>Photos courtesy Miami Dade County Fire and Rescue</figcaption>
 </figure>SURFSIDE, Florida (AP) — The slow work of sifting through the remnants of a collapsed Florida condo building stretched into a sixth day Tuesday, as families desperate for progress endured a wrenching wait for answers.“We have people waiting and waiting and waiting for news,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters Monday. “We have them coping with the news that they might not have their loved ones come out alive and still hope against hope that they will. They’re learning that some of their loved ones will come out as body parts. This is the kind of information that is just excruciating for everyone.”The work has been deliberate and treacherous. Just two additional bodies were found Monday, raising the count of confirmed dead to 11. That leaves 150 people still unaccounted for in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fl-state-wire-lifestyle-technology-4558de9d4468d747d88d412d5d0ae772">community of Surfside</a>, just outside Miami.Authorities are meeting frequently with families to explain what they’re doing and answer questions. They have discussed with families everything from how DNA matches are made to help identify the dead, to how will next of kin be contacted, to going into “extreme detail” about how they are searching the mound, the mayor said.Armed with that knowledge, she said, families are coming to their own conclusions.“Some are feeling more hopeful, some less hopeful, because we do not have definitive answers. We give them the facts. We take them to the site,” she said. “They have seen the operation. They understand now how it works, and they are preparing themselves for news, one way or the other.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624963068360.png" alt="Miami Dade County Fire and Rescue" />
 <figcaption>Miami Dade County Fire and Rescue</figcaption>
 </figure>Rescuers are using bucket brigades and heavy machinery as they work atop a precarious mound of pulverized concrete, twisted steel and the remnants of dozens of households. The efforts included firefighters, sniffer dogs and search experts using radar and sonar devices.Authorities said their efforts were still a search-and-rescue operation, but no one has been found alive since hours after the collapse on Thursday.The pancake collapse of the building left layer upon layer of intertwined debris, frustrating efforts to reach anyone who may have survived in a pocket of space.“Every time there’s an action, there’s a reaction,” Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah said during a news conference Monday. “It’s not an issue of we could just attach a couple of cords to a concrete boulder and lift it and call it a day.” Some of the concrete pieces are smaller, the size of basketballs or baseballs.From outside a neighboring building on Monday, more than two dozen family members watched teams of searchers excavate the building site. Some held onto each other for support. Others hugged and prayed. Some people took photos.Authorities on Monday insisted they are not losing hope.Deciding to transition from search-and-rescue work to a recovery operation is agonizing, said Dr. Joseph A. Barbera, a professor at George Washington University. That decision is fraught with considerations, he said, that only those on the ground can make.Barbera coauthored a study examining disasters where some people survived under rubble for prolonged periods of time. He has also advised teams on where to look for potential survivors and when to conclude “that the probability of continued survival is very, very small.”“It’s an incredibly difficult decision, and I’ve never had to make that decision,” Barbera said.The building collapsed just days before a deadline for condo owners to start making steep payments toward more than $9 million in repairs that had been recommended nearly three years earlier, in a report that warned of “major structural damage.”___

Still a search-and-rescue operation at Florida condo collapse

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly is encouraging all Kansans to get the COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves and their communities from the rapidly spreading Delta variant, according to a statement from her office.

“The Delta variant is rapidly spreading in neighboring states, and the best way to protect yourself, your community, and finally get our state back to normal is by getting vaccinated,”&nbsp;said Governor Laura Kelly.&nbsp;“Kansas is moving in the right direction, but we can’t let our guard down now. Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.75vATrGLh_d-xKsZvMSqzVI7oPwIMe48MOfy4ivIwyg/s/1303160919/br/108523759740-l" target="_blank">www.kansasvaccine.gov</a>&nbsp;today to find a vaccination site near you.”

According to the CDC, the Delta variant is 60% more transmissible than the B. 117 variant, which was previously the dominant strain. The new variant appears to be spreading most quickly in communities that have the lowest vaccination rates.

“The rapid increase of the Delta variant throughout the U.S. and in Kansas is of great concern to us,”&nbsp;Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary, said. “Vaccination continues to be the best defense in combating variants.”

Kansans are encouraged to take precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, including getting vaccinated, following&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.tgeaj4nXKjfOf-cjUUJ5Tf2yGlECwi0Xs5grfunSMDo/s/1303160919/br/108523759740-l" target="_blank">CDC mask recommendations</a>, practicing physical distancing, good hygiene, getting tested if exposed to someone with COVID-19 or if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, and staying home if ill.

The Delta variant first originated in India and has been found in more the 90 countries. A newly identified variant, Delta plus, has been recently identified in India and appears to be less responsive to monoclonal antibody treatment. High vaccination rates not only prevent the spread of COVID-19, they also prevent new variants from developing.

To find a vaccine near you, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDMsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA2MjguNDI1MTkyMjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy52YWNjaW5lcy5nb3YvIn0.0Mu3EOZadZZLOn0peRuqTsuPPjLGrw46K-PScuif_dc/s/1303160919/br/108523759740-l" target="_blank">Vaccines.gov</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDQsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA2MjguNDI1MTkyMjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2djYzAyLnNhZmVsaW5rcy5wcm90ZWN0aW9uLm91dGxvb2suY29tLz91cmw9aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cuY29yb25hdmlydXMua2RoZWtzLmdvdiUyRjI4MCUyRkNPVklELTE5LVRlc3RpbmcmZGF0YT0wNCU3QzAxJTdDUmVldmVzLk95c3RlciU0MGtzLmdvdiU3Q2I0Mjk5ODBhMTZjMDQ4NDA4ZTY0MDhkOTNhNThjNzJlJTdDZGNhZTgxMDFjOTJkNDgwY2JjNDNjNjc2MWNjY2NjNWElN0MwJTdDMCU3QzYzNzYwNDk3NTIzNjk0NDUzMiU3Q1Vua25vd24lN0NUV0ZwYkdac2IzZDhleUpXSWpvaU1DNHdMakF3TURBaUxDSlFJam9pVjJsdU16SWlMQ0pCVGlJNklrMWhhV3dpTENKWFZDSTZNbjAlM0QlN0MxMDAwJnNkYXRhPVJRQUJ2U2pQckhRYmV3aDFmJTJGQUJYWWI1NkRwbGZGUG1MalM4ZmN5a0pENCUzRCZyZXNlcnZlZD0wIn0.30ZwbK9KDY78prl4Xocv1qOqcjOQBovIeNJtu_B2DzE/s/1303160919/br/108523759740-l" target="_blank">Testing</a>&nbsp;is available and free for all Kansans.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604959337305.png" alt="“The rapid increase of the Delta variant throughout the U.S. and in Kansas is of great concern to us,” Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary, said. “Vaccination continues to be the best defense in combating variants.”" />
 <figcaption>“The rapid increase of the Delta variant throughout the U.S. and in Kansas is of great concern to us,” Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary, said. “Vaccination continues to be the best defense in combating variants.”</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly is encouraging all Kansans to get the COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves and their communities from the rapidly spreading Delta variant, according to a statement from her office.“The Delta variant is rapidly spreading in neighboring states, and the best way to protect yourself, your community, and finally get our state back to normal is by getting vaccinated,”&nbsp;said Governor Laura Kelly.&nbsp;“Kansas is moving in the right direction, but we can’t let our guard down now. Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.75vATrGLh_d-xKsZvMSqzVI7oPwIMe48MOfy4ivIwyg/s/1303160919/br/108523759740-l" target="_blank">www.kansasvaccine.gov</a>&nbsp;today to find a vaccination site near you.”According to the CDC, the Delta variant is 60% more transmissible than the B. 117 variant, which was previously the dominant strain. The new variant appears to be spreading most quickly in communities that have the lowest vaccination rates.“The rapid increase of the Delta variant throughout the U.S. and in Kansas is of great concern to us,”&nbsp;Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary, said. “Vaccination continues to be the best defense in combating variants.”Kansans are encouraged to take precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, including getting vaccinated, following&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA2MjguNDI1MTkyMjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2djYzAyLnNhZmVsaW5rcy5wcm90ZWN0aW9uLm91dGxvb2suY29tLz91cmw9aHR0cHMlM0ElMkYlMkZ3d3cuY2RjLmdvdiUyRmNvcm9uYXZpcnVzJTJGMjAxOS1uY292JTJGcHJldmVudC1nZXR0aW5nLXNpY2slMkZhYm91dC1mYWNlLWNvdmVyaW5ncy5odG1sJmRhdGE9MDQlN0MwMSU3Q1JlZXZlcy5PeXN0ZXIlNDBrcy5nb3YlN0NiNDI5OTgwYTE2YzA0ODQwOGU2NDA4ZDkzYTU4YzcyZSU3Q2RjYWU4MTAxYzkyZDQ4MGNiYzQzYzY3NjFjY2NjYzVhJTdDMCU3QzAlN0M2Mzc2MDQ5NzUyMzY5MzQ2MjclN0NVbmtub3duJTdDVFdGcGJHWnNiM2Q4ZXlKV0lqb2lNQzR3TGpBd01EQWlMQ0pRSWpvaVYybHVNeklpTENKQlRpSTZJazFoYVd3aUxDSlhWQ0k2TW4wJTNEJTdDMTAwMCZzZGF0YT1KSzVlQk9FVGFmcVZHZGlDeVY0aG9PMXVxUkJ1eWZ4THk1VnR0Zm9RMXk0JTNEJnJlc2VydmVkPTAifQ.tgeaj4nXKjfOf-cjUUJ5Tf2yGlECwi0Xs5grfunSMDo/s/1303160919/br/108523759740-l" target="_blank">CDC mask recommendations</a>, practicing physical distancing, good hygiene, getting tested if exposed to someone with COVID-19 or if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, and staying home if ill.The Delta variant first originated in India and has been found in more the 90 countries. A newly identified variant, Delta plus, has been recently identified in India and appears to be less responsive to monoclonal antibody treatment. High vaccination rates not only prevent the spread of COVID-19, they also prevent new variants from developing.To find a vaccine near you, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDMsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTA2MjguNDI1MTkyMjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy52YWNjaW5lcy5nb3YvIn0.0Mu3EOZadZZLOn0peRuqTsuPPjLGrw46K-PScuif_dc/s/1303160919/br/108523759740-l" target="_blank">Vaccines.gov</a>.&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.30ZwbK9KDY78prl4Xocv1qOqcjOQBovIeNJtu_B2DzE/s/1303160919/br/108523759740-l" target="_blank">Testing</a>&nbsp;is available and free for all Kansans.

Kansas sounds alarm over rapidly spreading Delta variant

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new committee to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol would have 13 members and the power to subpoena witnesses, according to legislation released by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday. The House is expected to vote on the bill this week.

The effort comes after Senate Republicans blocked the formation of an independent, bipartisan commission to probe the attack, in which hundreds of former President Donald Trump’s supporters violently broke into the Capitol and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.

The new, partisan House panel would have eight members appointed by Pelosi and five appointed “after consultation with” Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. A Pelosi aide said the speaker is considering including a Republican among her appointments, which would bring the likely partisan split to 7-6. The aide was granted anonymity to discuss her thinking.

Pelosi said in a statement that Jan. 6 was “one of the darkest days in our nation’s history” and that the committee will seek the truth about it.

“The Select Committee will investigate and report upon the facts and causes of the attack and report recommendations for preventing any future assault," she said.

Many Republicans were concerned about such a partisan probe, since majority Democrats are likely to investigate Trump’s role in the siege and the right wing groups that were present for it. Almost three dozen House Republicans voted to create an independent panel, which would have had an even partisan split among members. Seven Republicans in the Senate supported moving forward on that bill, but that was short of the 10 Senate Republicans who would be necessary to pass it.

As laid out in Pelosi’s legislation, the new select committee would have subpoena power and no specific end date. The panel can issue interim reports as it conducts the probe.

Trump is not explicitly referenced in the legislation, which directs the select committee to investigate “facts, circumstances and causes relating to the January 6, 2021, domestic terrorist attack upon the United States Capitol Complex and relating to the interference with the peaceful transfer of power." The panel would also study “influencing factors that fomented such an attack on American representative democracy while engaged in a constitutional process.”

The House passed the bill to form an independent commission last month, and Pelosi, D-Calif., said it was her preference to have an independent panel lead the inquiry. But she said last week that Congress could not wait any longer to begin a deeper look at the insurrection so she would form the select panel. She has not said who will lead it.

Still, Pelosi said that the select committee could be complementary to an independent panel, should one ever be formed, and that she is “hopeful there could be a commission at some point.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said he might hold a second vote, but there’s no indication that any GOP votes have changed.

Many Republicans have made clear that they want to move on from the Jan. 6 attack, brushing aside the many unanswered questions about the insurrection, including how the government and law enforcement missed intelligence leading up to the rioting and the role of Trump before and during the insurrection.

Others in the GOP have gone further, with one suggesting the rioters looked like tourists and another insisting that a Trump supporter named Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed while trying to break into the House chamber, was “executed.”

Two officers who battled the rioters, Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone and Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, have been lobbying Republicans to support an independent commission and met with McCarthy on Friday. Afterward, they said they had asked McCarthy to denounce GOP comments downplaying the violence.

In the absence of an independent commission, Fanone said he asked McCarthy for a commitment not to put “the wrong people” on the new select panel and that McCarthy said he would take it seriously. McCarthy's office did not respond to requests for comment on either the meeting or the legislation to form the select committee.

The officers also asked McCarthy to denounce 21 Republicans who voted earlier this month against giving medals of honor to the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police to thank them for their service on Jan. 6. Dozens of those officers suffered injuries, including chemical burns, brain injuries and broken bones.

McCarthy, who voted for the measure, told them he would deal with those members privately.

Seven people died during and after the rioting, including Babbitt and three other Trump supporters who died of medical emergencies. Two police officers died by suicide in the days that followed, and a third officer, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, collapsed and later died after engaging with the protesters. A medical examiner later determined he died of natural causes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624924788291.png" alt="House Speaker Pelosi said in a statement that Jan. 6 was “one of the darkest days in our nation’s history” and that the committee will seek the truth about it.-photo courtesy House Speaker's Office." />
 <figcaption>House Speaker Pelosi said in a statement that Jan. 6 was “one of the darkest days in our nation’s history” and that the committee will seek the truth about it.-photo courtesy House Speaker's Office.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A new committee to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol would have 13 members and the power to subpoena witnesses, according to legislation released by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday. The House is expected to vote on the bill this week.The effort comes after Senate Republicans blocked the formation of an independent, bipartisan commission to probe the attack, in which hundreds of former President Donald Trump’s supporters violently broke into the Capitol and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.The new, partisan House panel would have eight members appointed by Pelosi and five appointed “after consultation with” Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy. A Pelosi aide said the speaker is considering including a Republican among her appointments, which would bring the likely partisan split to 7-6. The aide was granted anonymity to discuss her thinking.Pelosi said in a statement that Jan. 6 was “one of the darkest days in our nation’s history” and that the committee will seek the truth about it.“The Select Committee will investigate and report upon the facts and causes of the attack and report recommendations for preventing any future assault," she said.Many Republicans were concerned about such a partisan probe, since majority Democrats are likely to investigate Trump’s role in the siege and the right wing groups that were present for it. Almost three dozen House Republicans voted to create an independent panel, which would have had an even partisan split among members. Seven Republicans in the Senate supported moving forward on that bill, but that was short of the 10 Senate Republicans who would be necessary to pass it.As laid out in Pelosi’s legislation, the new select committee would have subpoena power and no specific end date. The panel can issue interim reports as it conducts the probe.Trump is not explicitly referenced in the legislation, which directs the select committee to investigate “facts, circumstances and causes relating to the January 6, 2021, domestic terrorist attack upon the United States Capitol Complex and relating to the interference with the peaceful transfer of power." The panel would also study “influencing factors that fomented such an attack on American representative democracy while engaged in a constitutional process.”The House passed the bill to form an independent commission last month, and Pelosi, D-Calif., said it was her preference to have an independent panel lead the inquiry. But she said last week that Congress could not wait any longer to begin a deeper look at the insurrection so she would form the select panel. She has not said who will lead it.Still, Pelosi said that the select committee could be complementary to an independent panel, should one ever be formed, and that she is “hopeful there could be a commission at some point.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has said he might hold a second vote, but there’s no indication that any GOP votes have changed.Many Republicans have made clear that they want to move on from the Jan. 6 attack, brushing aside the many unanswered questions about the insurrection, including how the government and law enforcement missed intelligence leading up to the rioting and the role of Trump before and during the insurrection.Others in the GOP have gone further, with one suggesting the rioters looked like tourists and another insisting that a Trump supporter named Ashli Babbitt, who was shot and killed while trying to break into the House chamber, was “executed.”Two officers who battled the rioters, Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone and Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, have been lobbying Republicans to support an independent commission and met with McCarthy on Friday. Afterward, they said they had asked McCarthy to denounce GOP comments downplaying the violence.In the absence of an independent commission, Fanone said he asked McCarthy for a commitment not to put “the wrong people” on the new select panel and that McCarthy said he would take it seriously. McCarthy's office did not respond to requests for comment on either the meeting or the legislation to form the select committee.The officers also asked McCarthy to denounce 21 Republicans who voted earlier this month against giving medals of honor to the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police to thank them for their service on Jan. 6. Dozens of those officers suffered injuries, including chemical burns, brain injuries and broken bones.McCarthy, who voted for the measure, told them he would deal with those members privately.Seven people died during and after the rioting, including Babbitt and three other Trump supporters who died of medical emergencies. Two police officers died by suicide in the days that followed, and a third officer, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, collapsed and later died after engaging with the protesters. A medical examiner later determined he died of natural causes.

House to vote on bill launching investigation of Jan. 6 insurrection

FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities in southwest Kansas are investigating an arson fire involving&nbsp; hay bales north of Garden City, according to a social media report from Garden City&nbsp; Police.

The fire occurred north of Garden City, from Jennie Barker Road to Big Lowe Road.&nbsp; All fires were extinguished and authorities reported no injured.&nbsp; Police reported no additional details.

Police asked the public for help with information on these fires.

FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities in southwest Kansas are investigating an arson fire involving&nbsp; hay bales north of Garden City, according to a social media report from Garden City&nbsp; Police.The fire occurred north of Garden City, from Jennie Barker Road to Big Lowe Road.&nbsp; All fires were extinguished and authorities reported no injured.&nbsp; Police reported no additional details.Police asked the public for help with information on these fires.

Police: Possible arson fire involving hays bales in southwest Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police identified on Monday the victims in two weekend homicides.

Officers found 49-year-old Erron I. Holley inside a vehicle with gunshot wounds around 2:30 a.m. Sunday after a shooting was reported near Independence and Lawn avenues, police said in a news release.

Holley was taken to a hospital where he died. Police said the investigation is continuing.

Investigators believe the man was shot by someone outside the vehicle.

In a separate incident about two hours earlier, police were called to an apartment complex near East 80th and Campbell streets after a disturbance was reported. Officers found 27-year-old Ronnell Buchanan, who was wounded and later died at a hospital.

Police said Monday a person of interest has been identified in that case, but no one has been charged at this time.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police identified on Monday the victims in two weekend homicides.Officers found 49-year-old Erron I. Holley inside a vehicle with gunshot wounds around 2:30 a.m. Sunday after a shooting was reported near Independence and Lawn avenues, police said in a news release.Holley was taken to a hospital where he died. Police said the investigation is continuing.Investigators believe the man was shot by someone outside the vehicle.In a separate incident about two hours earlier, police were called to an apartment complex near East 80th and Campbell streets after a disturbance was reported. Officers found 27-year-old Ronnell Buchanan, who was wounded and later died at a hospital.Police said Monday a person of interest has been identified in that case, but no one has been charged at this time.

Police ID victims in weekend homicides in Kansas City

SEDGWICK COUNTY — A third suspect accused in the shooting death of a Kansas teen is facing a murder charge.

On Friday, 25-year-old Jaron Palmer was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, aggravated battery aggravated robbery and battery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.

On April 25, police were dispatched to report of a shooting at the&nbsp;Morgan's Landing Apartments complex in the 3800 Block of West 13th Street in Wichita, according to Police Captain Jason Stephens.

When officers arrived, they learned there were five individuals inside the apartment at the time of the incident including 17-year-old Eric Stokes of Wichita who was shot and killed.

EMS transported a second shooting victim identified as a 17-year-old boy to a local hospital. He was treated for minor injuries and released, according to Stephens.

Investigators learned that three unknown, armed suspects arrived at the apartment, forced their way in and fired several shots that killed Stokes.&nbsp; The suspects fled on foot from the apartment complex.&nbsp; It was not a random incident and drugs are believed to have played a part, according to Stephens.

Police released a video of two suspects involved in the homicide.&nbsp; After the release, police received numerous tips from the community, which led to the identification and arrest of 18-year-old Easton Palmer&nbsp; and&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20070532">18-year-old Breckyn I. Elliot</a>&nbsp;both of Wichita. They have been charged with first degree murder&nbsp; aggravated robbery.

On June 21, police arrested Jaron Palmer.&nbsp; His next court appearance July 8. He is being held on a bond a $250,000, according to the district attorney.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624361905393.png" alt="Palmer photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Palmer photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY — A third suspect accused in the shooting death of a Kansas teen is facing a murder charge.On Friday, 25-year-old Jaron Palmer was charged with first-degree murder, aggravated burglary, aggravated battery aggravated robbery and battery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.On April 25, police were dispatched to report of a shooting at the&nbsp;Morgan's Landing Apartments complex in the 3800 Block of West 13th Street in Wichita, according to Police Captain Jason Stephens.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619801567819.png" alt="Elliott photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Elliott photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>When officers arrived, they learned there were five individuals inside the apartment at the time of the incident including 17-year-old Eric Stokes of Wichita who was shot and killed.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619547988764.png" alt="Through the investigation, detectives determined the two pictured suspects and possibly other were involved in the incident." />
 <figcaption>Through the investigation, detectives determined the two pictured suspects and possibly other were involved in the incident.</figcaption>
 </figure>EMS transported a second shooting victim identified as a 17-year-old boy to a local hospital. He was treated for minor injuries and released, according to Stephens.Investigators learned that three unknown, armed suspects arrived at the apartment, forced their way in and fired several shots that killed Stokes.&nbsp; The suspects fled on foot from the apartment complex.&nbsp; It was not a random incident and drugs are believed to have played a part, according to Stephens.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/4/1619618101953.png" alt="Easton Palmer photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Easton Palmer photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>Police released a video of two suspects involved in the homicide.&nbsp; After the release, police received numerous tips from the community, which led to the identification and arrest of 18-year-old Easton Palmer&nbsp; and&nbsp;<a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=20070532">18-year-old Breckyn I. Elliot</a>&nbsp;both of Wichita. They have been charged with first degree murder&nbsp; aggravated robbery. On June 21, police arrested Jaron Palmer.&nbsp; His next court appearance July 8. He is being held on a bond a $250,000, according to the district attorney.

Suspect charged for April robbery, murder of Kan. teen 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a Virginia&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gavin-grimm-discrimination-virginia-gender-identity-us-supreme-court-68f298068a572f1faeb610a7e42c37c2">school board’s appeal</a>&nbsp;to reinstate its transgender bathroom ban.

Over two dissenting votes, the justices left in place lower court rulings that found the policy unconstitutional. The case involved former high school student Gavin Grimm, who filed a federal lawsuit after he was told he could not use the boys bathroom at his public high school. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas voted to hear the board’s appeal.

The Gloucester County, Virginia, school board’s policy required Grimm to use restrooms that corresponded with his biological sex — female — or private bathrooms.

Seven years ago, Grimm was barred from using the boys restroom when he was a 15-year-old student at Gloucester High School. He sued a year later, and his case has worked its way through the courts ever since.

After learning that the Supreme Court refused to hear the case, Grimm, now 22, said that his long court battle is over. “We won,” he tweeted. “Honored to have been part of this victory,” he added.

David Corrigan, an attorney for the school board, did not immediately respond to email and voice mail messages seeking comment.

In its petition asking the Supreme Court to hear the case, the school board argued that its bathroom policy poses a “pressing federal question of national importance.”

The board argued previously that federal laws protect against discrimination based on sex, not gender identity. Because Grimm had not undergone sex-reassignment surgery and still had female genitalia, the board’s position has been that he remained anatomically a female.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented Grimm in his yearslong lawsuit against Gloucester, argued that federal law makes it clear transgender students are protected from discrimination.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a Virginia&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gavin-grimm-discrimination-virginia-gender-identity-us-supreme-court-68f298068a572f1faeb610a7e42c37c2">school board’s appeal</a>&nbsp;to reinstate its transgender bathroom ban.Over two dissenting votes, the justices left in place lower court rulings that found the policy unconstitutional. The case involved former high school student Gavin Grimm, who filed a federal lawsuit after he was told he could not use the boys bathroom at his public high school. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas voted to hear the board’s appeal.The Gloucester County, Virginia, school board’s policy required Grimm to use restrooms that corresponded with his biological sex — female — or private bathrooms.Seven years ago, Grimm was barred from using the boys restroom when he was a 15-year-old student at Gloucester High School. He sued a year later, and his case has worked its way through the courts ever since.After learning that the Supreme Court refused to hear the case, Grimm, now 22, said that his long court battle is over. “We won,” he tweeted. “Honored to have been part of this victory,” he added.David Corrigan, an attorney for the school board, did not immediately respond to email and voice mail messages seeking comment.In its petition asking the Supreme Court to hear the case, the school board argued that its bathroom policy poses a “pressing federal question of national importance.”The board argued previously that federal laws protect against discrimination based on sex, not gender identity. Because Grimm had not undergone sex-reassignment surgery and still had female genitalia, the board’s position has been that he remained anatomically a female.The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented Grimm in his yearslong lawsuit against Gloucester, argued that federal law makes it clear transgender students are protected from discrimination.

Transgender boy wins over school bathroom ban in Supreme Court

KANSAS CITY(AP) — Police are investigating the shooting deaths of a man and woman in Kansas City believed to be linked.

Officers discovered the man and woman at separate locations Sunday night, but believe they were shot in the same home, police said in a news release.

Officers were first called to the scene of a crash near East 9th Street and Prospect Avenue, where they found a woman inside the vehicle who had been shot. She was rushed to a hospital, where she later died.

Around the same time, officers were sent to a home on East 9th Street for reports of a shooting and found a man dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police later determined that the woman had also been shot at the home before she fled.

The names of those killed were not immediately released, and police said they were still trying to determine the exact sequence of events leading to the shootings at the home.

KANSAS CITY(AP) — Police are investigating the shooting deaths of a man and woman in Kansas City believed to be linked.Officers discovered the man and woman at separate locations Sunday night, but believe they were shot in the same home, police said in a news release.Officers were first called to the scene of a crash near East 9th Street and Prospect Avenue, where they found a woman inside the vehicle who had been shot. She was rushed to a hospital, where she later died.Around the same time, officers were sent to a home on East 9th Street for reports of a shooting and found a man dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police later determined that the woman had also been shot at the home before she fled.The names of those killed were not immediately released, and police said they were still trying to determine the exact sequence of events leading to the shootings at the home.

KC Police: Shooting deaths of man, woman may be linked

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina Post

Police are looking for the driver of a red pickup that struck an 84-year-old woman at a central Salina convenience store on Friday evening.

Police were called to Salina Regional Health Center where Wilma Debolt, 84, had been taken after being struck by an unknown make red pickup in the parking lot on the north side of the Kwik Shop at 1600 S. Ninth Street, Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester said this morning. The accident occurred at approximately 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Debolt had a black eye, a cut above her left brow, small cuts on her hands, a skinned knee, and hurting ribs, he said.

Debolt told police that she had been walking in the parking lot on the north side of the convenience store near the dumpster when she was struck by the pickup. Police found blood in the parking lot in the area where Debolt said she was hit, corroborating her story, Forrester said.

The driver of the pickup, who identified herself as "Shannon," gave Debolt a ride to Debolt's home on West Jewell Avenue and gave her a small amount of cash in case she needed to go to the emergency room, Forrester said. The woman was described as young, with long brown hair, and a thin build.

By LESLIE EIKLEBERRY Salina PostPolice are looking for the driver of a red pickup that struck an 84-year-old woman at a central Salina convenience store on Friday evening.Police were called to Salina Regional Health Center where Wilma Debolt, 84, had been taken after being struck by an unknown make red pickup in the parking lot on the north side of the Kwik Shop at 1600 S. Ninth Street, Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester said this morning. The accident occurred at approximately 7:30 p.m. Friday.Debolt had a black eye, a cut above her left brow, small cuts on her hands, a skinned knee, and hurting ribs, he said.Debolt told police that she had been walking in the parking lot on the north side of the convenience store near the dumpster when she was struck by the pickup. Police found blood in the parking lot in the area where Debolt said she was hit, corroborating her story, Forrester said.The driver of the pickup, who identified herself as "Shannon," gave Debolt a ride to Debolt's home on West Jewell Avenue and gave her a small amount of cash in case she needed to go to the emergency room, Forrester said. The woman was described as young, with long brown hair, and a thin build.

Police looking for driver who struck 84-year-old Kan. woman

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. troops in eastern Syria came under rocket attack Monday, with no reported casualties, one day after U.S. Air Force planes carried out airstrikes near the Iraq-Syria border against what the Pentagon said were facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups to support drone strikes inside Iraq.

Iraq’s military condemned the U.S. airstrikes, and the militia groups called for revenge against the United States.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the militias were using the facilities to launch unmanned aerial vehicle attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq. It was the second time the administration has taken military action in the region since Biden took over earlier this year.

There was no indication that Sunday’s attacks were meant as the start of a wider, sustained U.S. air campaign in the border region. But a spokesman for the U.S. military mission based in Baghdad, Col. Wayne Marotto, wrote on Twitter Monday that at 7:44 p.m. local time “U.S. forces in Syria were attacked by multiple rockets.” He said there were no injuries and that attack damage was being assessed.

Marotto later tweeted that while under rocket attack, U.S. forces in Syria responded in self-defense with artillery fire at the rocket-launching positions.

Kirby said the U.S. military targeted three operational and weapons storage facilities — two in Syria and one in Iraq. In its release of videos of the strikes by Air Force F-15 and F-16 aircraft, the Pentagon described one target as a coordination center for the shipment and transfer of advanced conventional weapons.

Kirby said the airstrikes were “defensive,” saying they were launched in response to the attacks by militias.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624914054376.png" alt="Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the militias were using the facilities to launch unmanned aerial vehicle attacks against U.S. troops-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the militias were using the facilities to launch unmanned aerial vehicle attacks against U.S. troops-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. troops in eastern Syria came under rocket attack Monday, with no reported casualties, one day after U.S. Air Force planes carried out airstrikes near the Iraq-Syria border against what the Pentagon said were facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups to support drone strikes inside Iraq.Iraq’s military condemned the U.S. airstrikes, and the militia groups called for revenge against the United States.Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the militias were using the facilities to launch unmanned aerial vehicle attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq. It was the second time the administration has taken military action in the region since Biden took over earlier this year.There was no indication that Sunday’s attacks were meant as the start of a wider, sustained U.S. air campaign in the border region. But a spokesman for the U.S. military mission based in Baghdad, Col. Wayne Marotto, wrote on Twitter Monday that at 7:44 p.m. local time “U.S. forces in Syria were attacked by multiple rockets.” He said there were no injuries and that attack damage was being assessed.Marotto later tweeted that while under rocket attack, U.S. forces in Syria responded in self-defense with artillery fire at the rocket-launching positions.Kirby said the U.S. military targeted three operational and weapons storage facilities — two in Syria and one in Iraq. In its release of videos of the strikes by Air Force F-15 and F-16 aircraft, the Pentagon described one target as a coordination center for the shipment and transfer of advanced conventional weapons.Kirby said the airstrikes were “defensive,” saying they were launched in response to the attacks by militias.“The United States took necessary, appropriate, and deliberate action designed to limit the risk of escalation — but also to send a clear and unambiguous deterrent message,” Kirby said.The Pentagon said the facilities were used by Iran-backed militia factions, including Kata’ib Hezbollah and Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada.A Pentagon spokeswoman, Navy Cmdr. Jessica McNulty, said Monday that each strike hit its intended target and that the U.S. military was still assessing the results of the operation.“The targets selected were facilities utilized by the network of Iran-backed militia groups responsible for the series of recent attacks against facilities housing U.S. personnel in Iraq,” McNulty said. She said those groups have conducted at least five such “one-way” drone attacks since April.Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking to reporters in Rome on Monday, said Biden has been clear that the U.S. will act to protect American personnel.“This action in self-defense to do what’s necessary to do to prevent further attacks, I think sends a very important and strong message. And I hope very much that it is received,” he said. “I think we’ve demonstrated with the actions taken last night and actions taken previously, that the president is fully prepared to act and act appropriately and deliberately to protect us.“Two Iraqi militia officials told The Associated Press in Baghdad that four militiamen were killed in the airstrikes near the border with Syria. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to give statements. They said the first strike hit a weapons storage facility inside Syrian territory, where the militiamen were killed. The second strike hit the border strip.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based group that closely monitors the Syrian conflict through activists on the ground, reported that at least seven Iraqi militiamen were killed in the airstrikes.The Iran-backed Iraqi militia factions vowed revenge for the attack and said in a joint statement they would continue to target U.S. forces. “We ... will avenge the blood of our righteous martyrs against the perpetrators of this heinous crime and with God’s help we will make the enemy taste the bitterness of revenge,” they said.The Popular Mobilization Forces, an Iraqi state-sanctioned umbrella of mostly Shiite militias — including those targeted by the U.S. strikes — said their men were on missions to prevent infiltration by the Islamic State group and denied the presence of weapons warehouses.Iraq’s military condemned the strikes as a “blatant and unacceptable violation of Iraqi sovereignty and national security.” It called for avoiding escalation, but also rejected that Iraq be an “arena for settling accounts” — a reference to the U.S. and Iran. It represented rare condemnation by the Iraqi military of U.S. airstrikes.In Iran, foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh accused the U.S. of creating instability in the region. “Definitely, what the U.S. is doing is disrupting the security of the region,” he said on Monday.U.S. military officials have grown increasingly alarmed over drone strikes targeting U.S. military bases in Iraq, which became more common since a U.S.-directed drone killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani near the Baghdad airport last year. Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was also killed in the attack. The strike drew the ire of mostly Shiite Iraqi lawmakers and prompted parliament to pass a nonbinding resolution to pressure the Iraqi government to oust foreign troops from the country.Sunday’s strikes mark the second time the Biden administration launched airstrikes along the Iraq-Syria border region. In February, the U.S. launched airstrikes against facilities in Syria, near the Iraqi border, that it said were used by Iranian-backed militia groups.The Pentagon said those strikes were retaliation for a rocket attack in Iraq earlier that month that killed one civilian contractor and wounded a U.S. service member and other coalition troops.At that time, Biden said Iran should view his decision to authorize U.S. airstrikes in Syria as a warning that it can expect consequences for its support of militia groups that threaten U.S. interests or personnel.“You can’t act with impunity. Be careful,” Biden said when a reporter asked what message he had intended to send.___