HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas’ senior senator and leaders from Wichita and Newton met with Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn and Amtrak President Stephen Gardner along with officials from Texas and Oklahoma Tuesday afternoon regarding the future of expanding rail passenger service.

Leading the meeting was Sen. Jerry Moran and Kansas Sen. Carolyn McGinn. Also involved was Newton City Manager Kelly McElroy.&nbsp;

The discussion centered around extending the Heartland Flyer from Oklahoma City to Newton. Such connections would make it easier for Wichita and Newton residents to travel south by train. Currently, the route is served by buses. While the route expansion has been bantered about for years, this is as far as talks have progressed.

The expansion would connect Amtrak routes run by the SW Chief and Texas Eagle, which also connects to service out to Arizona and California.

The expansion is part of an effort to expand Amtrak to more than 160 cities across the nation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1622746554124.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kansas’ senior senator and leaders from Wichita and Newton met with Amtrak CEO Bill Flynn and Amtrak President Stephen Gardner along with officials from Texas and Oklahoma Tuesday afternoon regarding the future of expanding rail passenger service.Leading the meeting was Sen. Jerry Moran and Kansas Sen. Carolyn McGinn. Also involved was Newton City Manager Kelly McElroy.&nbsp;The discussion centered around extending the Heartland Flyer from Oklahoma City to Newton. Such connections would make it easier for Wichita and Newton residents to travel south by train. Currently, the route is served by buses. While the route expansion has been bantered about for years, this is as far as talks have progressed.The expansion would connect Amtrak routes run by the SW Chief and Texas Eagle, which also connects to service out to Arizona and California.The expansion is part of an effort to expand Amtrak to more than 160 cities across the nation.

Amtrak meets with Kansas officials on expansion of service 

RENO COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on numerous charges following a traffic stop Sunday afternoon in Hutchinson.

Just before 4:30p.m. Sunday, police arrested 21-year-old Zachary Bitter of Hoisington in the 1100 Block of South Severance, according to Police.

He was booked into the Reno County Correctional Facility on requested charges of possession of meth, marijuana and mushrooms all with intent to sell and for possession of drug paraphernalia.&nbsp; His bond is $150,000.

A second person involved, 26-year-old Ashley Robertson of Hutchinson was taken into custody on requested charges of possession of meth and drug paraphernalia. Her bond is set at $5,750.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623163904085.jpeg" alt="Bitter photo Reno County" />
 <figcaption>Bitter photo Reno County</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on numerous charges following a traffic stop Sunday afternoon in Hutchinson.Just before 4:30p.m. Sunday, police arrested 21-year-old Zachary Bitter of Hoisington in the 1100 Block of South Severance, according to Police.He was booked into the Reno County Correctional Facility on requested charges of possession of meth, marijuana and mushrooms all with intent to sell and for possession of drug paraphernalia.&nbsp; His bond is $150,000.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623178386961.png" alt="Robertson from an earlier arrest in Barton County" />
 <figcaption>Robertson from an earlier arrest in Barton County</figcaption>
 </figure>A second person involved, 26-year-old Ashley Robertson of Hutchinson was taken into custody on requested charges of possession of meth and drug paraphernalia. Her bond is set at $5,750.

Kan. man accused of selling mushrooms, meth and pot

KANSAS CITY, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities report a teen injured in a shooting near a Kansas elementary school has died.

Just before noon Tuesday, police responded&nbsp; to the shooing in the 6600 Block of Cleveland near Hazel Grove Elementary School, according to a media release. Upon arrival, officers found the boy in his mid teens on the sidewalk, the victim of an apparent shooting. EMS transported him to an area hospital where he died.

The suspect fled in a vehicle just before police arrived.

Students participating in a public school summer program were in the building at the time of the shooting. School officials working with KCPD immediately placed the school on lockdown as a precaution until the area was secure. KCKPS officers were also at the school during dismissal.

Police have not released the name of the victim.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A teenager is hospitalized in serious condition after a shooting near an elementary school in Kansas City, Kansas.

The shooting happened Tuesday near Hazel Grove Elementary School. Police responding to calls about shots fired found a male teenager on the sidewalk near the school. Police say his injuries are potentially life-threatening.

The school, which is hosting summer school, went into lockdown after the shooting, but children were later released to go home.

In a letter to families, the school said no children were in danger but some students witnessed the incident.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623184131475.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation photo courtesy WDAF" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation photo courtesy WDAF</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Kan. —Law enforcement authorities report a teen injured in a shooting near a Kansas elementary school has died.Just before noon Tuesday, police responded&nbsp; to the shooing in the 6600 Block of Cleveland near Hazel Grove Elementary School, according to a media release. Upon arrival, officers found the boy in his mid teens on the sidewalk, the victim of an apparent shooting. EMS transported him to an area hospital where he died.The suspect fled in a vehicle just before police arrived.Students participating in a public school summer program were in the building at the time of the shooting. School officials working with KCPD immediately placed the school on lockdown as a precaution until the area was secure. KCKPS officers were also at the school during dismissal.Police have not released the name of the victim.------------KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A teenager is hospitalized in serious condition after a shooting near an elementary school in Kansas City, Kansas.The shooting happened Tuesday near Hazel Grove Elementary School. Police responding to calls about shots fired found a male teenager on the sidewalk near the school. Police say his injuries are potentially life-threatening.No arrests have been made.The school, which is hosting summer school, went into lockdown after the shooting, but children were later released to go home.In a letter to families, the school said no children were in danger but some students witnessed the incident.

Teen injured in shooting near Kan. elementary school has died

NEW YORK (AP)— Pfizer says it is expanding testing of its COVID-19 vaccine in children younger than 12.

After a first-step study in a small number of young children to test different doses, Pfizer is ready to enroll about 4,500 young volunteers at more than 90 sites in the U.S., Finland, Poland and Spain.

The vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech already is authorized for emergency use in anyone 12 and older in the U.S. and European Union.

Enrollment of 5- to 11-year-olds began this week. Those youngsters will receive two vaccine doses of 10 micrograms each -- a third of the teen and adult dose -- or dummy shots. Enrollment of children as young as 6 months will start in a few weeks using an even lower dose, 3 micrograms per shot.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1608677701818.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP)— Pfizer says it is expanding testing of its COVID-19 vaccine in children younger than 12.After a first-step study in a small number of young children to test different doses, Pfizer is ready to enroll about 4,500 young volunteers at more than 90 sites in the U.S., Finland, Poland and Spain.The vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech already is authorized for emergency use in anyone 12 and older in the U.S. and European Union.Enrollment of 5- to 11-year-olds began this week. Those youngsters will receive two vaccine doses of 10 micrograms each -- a third of the teen and adult dose -- or dummy shots. Enrollment of children as young as 6 months will start in a few weeks using an even lower dose, 3 micrograms per shot.

Pfizer expands COVID vaccine tests in kids under 12

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate investigation of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-capitol-lockdown-2f56a611445df15fb9640893bb9f7a93">the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol</a>&nbsp;found a broad intelligence breakdown across multiple agencies, along with widespread law enforcement and military failures that led to the violent attack.

There were clear warnings and tips that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dc-wire-michael-pence-donald-trump-capitol-siege-government-and-politics-6434e5ba1e5d762be91dc971706dd0b9">supporters of former President Donald Trump</a>, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-insurrection-charges-roil-far-right-groups-1e0560dbd5572944e3435e225f8be616">right-wing extremist groups</a>, were planning to “storm the Capitol” with weapons and possibly infiltrate the tunnel system underneath the building. But that intelligence never made it up to top leadership.

The result was chaos. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20801778-report-examining-the-jan-6-us-capitol-attack" target="_blank">Senate report</a>&nbsp;released Tuesday details how&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/docs-expose-depth-january-6-capitol-siege-chaos-fd3204574c11e453be8fb4e3c81258c3">officers on the front lines</a>&nbsp;suffered chemical burns, brain injuries and broken bones, among other injuries, after fighting the attackers, who quickly overwhelmed them and broke into the building. Officers told the Senate investigators they were left with no leadership or direction when command systems broke down.

The Senate report is the first — and could be the last — bipartisan review of how hundreds of Trump supporters were able to push violently past security lines and break into the Capitol that day, interrupting the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. It recommends immediate changes to give the Capitol Police chief more authority, to provide better planning and equipment for law enforcement and to streamline intelligence gathering among federal agencies.

As a bipartisan effort, the report does not delve into the root causes of the attack, including Trump’s role as he called for his supporters to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-impeachments-trump-impeachment-229927c6b3c8c6ccd4561d37f6dfdd3a">“fight like hell”</a>&nbsp;to overturn his election defeat that day. It does not call the attack an insurrection,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-fact-check-donald-trump-capitol-siege-violence-elections-507f4febbadecb84e1637e55999ac0ea">even though it was</a>. And it comes two weeks after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michael-pence-donald-trump-capitol-siege-government-and-politics-4798a8617bacf27bbb576a4b805b85d9">Republicans blocked</a>&nbsp;a bipartisan, independent commission that would investigate the insurrection more broadly.

“This report is important in the fact that it allows us to make some immediate improvements to the security situation here in the Capitol,” said Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which conducted the probe along with the Senate Rules Committee. “But it does not answer some of the bigger questions that we need to face, quite frankly, as a country and as a democracy.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday the findings show even greater need for a bipartisan commission to investigate the root causes of the attack, referring to Trump’s unfounded claims about the 2020 election.

“As the ‘big lie’ continues to spread, as faith in our elections continues to decline, it is crucial — crucial — that we establish a trusted, independent record of what transpired,” Schumer said.

But Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who led the blockade against such a commission, said he’s confident the ongoing reviews by lawmakers and law enforcement will be sufficient.

The House in May passed legislation to create a commission that would be modeled after a panel that investigated the Sept. 11 terrorist attack two decades ago.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told colleagues in a letter Tuesday that if the Senate fails to approve the commission, her chamber will launch its own investigations.

The top Republican on the rules panel, Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, has opposed the commission, arguing that investigation would take too long. He said the recommendations made in the Senate can be implemented faster, such as legislation that he and Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the rules committee chair, intend to introduce soon that would give the chief of Capitol Police more authority to request assistance from the National Guard.

The Senate report recounts how the Guard was delayed for hours Jan. 6 as officials in multiple agencies took bureaucratic steps to release the troops. It details hours of calls between officials in the Capitol and the Pentagon and as the then-chief of the Capitol Police, Steven Sund, desperately begged for help.

It finds that the Pentagon spent hours “mission planning” and seeking multiple layers of approvals as Capitol Police were being overwhelmed and brutally beaten by the attackers. It also says the Defense Department’s hesitant response was influenced by criticism of its heavy-handed response to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nv-state-wire-az-state-wire-co-state-wire-fl-state-wire-virus-outbreak-baf3b29612527b8e9a841cb34f6f5789">protests in the summer of 2020</a>&nbsp;after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd">the death of George Floyd</a>&nbsp;in police custody.

The senators are heavily critical of the Capitol Police Board, a three-member panel made up of the heads of security for the House and Senate and the Architect of the Capitol. The board now is required to approve requests by the police chief, even in urgent situations. The report recommends that its members “regularly review the policies and procedures” after senators found that the three board members on Jan. 6 did not understand their own authority and could not detail the statutory requirements for requesting National Guard assistance.

Two of the three board members, the House and Senate sergeants at arms, were pushed out in the days after the attack. Sund, the Capitol Police chief, resigned under pressure.

The report recommends a consolidated intelligence unit within the Capitol Police after widespread failures from multiple agencies that did not predict the attack even though insurrectionists were planning it openly on the internet.

The police intelligence unit “knew about social media posts calling for violence at the Capitol on January 6, including a plot to breach the Capitol, the online sharing of maps of the Capitol Complex’s tunnel systems, and other specific threats of violence,“ the report says, but agents did not properly inform leaders of everything they had found.

On Dec. 28, for example, the report notes that someone emailed a public Capitol Police account and warned about “countless tweets from Trump supporters saying they will be armed on January 6th” and “tweets from people organizing to ‘storm the Capitol.’” There were also internal warnings of an uptick in posts on various sites that showed maps of the Capitol, including its underground tunnels. But those specifics were never disseminated widely.

In a response to the report, the Capitol Police acknowledged the need for improvements and said some are already being made. “Law enforcement agencies across the country rely on intelligence, and the quality of that intelligence can mean the difference between life and death,” the statement said.

During the attack, the report says, Capitol Police were compromised by bad intelligence, poor planning, faulty equipment and a lack of leadership. The force’s incident command system “broke down during the attack,” leaving officers on the front lines without orders. There were no functional incident commanders, and some senior officers were fighting instead of giving orders. Capitol Police “leadership never took control of the radio system to communicate orders to front-line officers,” the investigation found.

“I was horrified that NO deputy chief or above was on the radio or helping us,” one officer told the committee in an anonymous statement. “For hours the screams on the radio were horrific(,) the sights were unimaginable and there was a complete loss of control. ... For hours NO Chief or above took command and control. Officers were begging and pleading for help for medical triage.”

The acting chief,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-politics-race-and-ethnicity-police-ef7977f9db3ca673c20ef35277dededf">Yogananda Pittman</a>, who replaced Sund after his resignation, told the committees that the lack of communication resulted from “incident commanders being overwhelmed and engaging with rioters, rather than issuing orders over the radio.”

The committee’s interviews with police officers detail “absolutely brutal” abuse from Trump’s supporters as they ran over them and broke into the building. The officers described hearing racial slurs and seeing Nazi salutes. One officer trying to evacuate the Senate said he had stopped several men in full tactical gear, one of whom said “You better get out of our way, boy, or we’ll go through you to get (the senators).’”

The insurrectionists told police officers they would kill them, then members of Congress.

At the same time, the senators acknowledge the officers’ bravery, noting that one officer told them, “The officers inside all behaved admirably and heroically and, even outnumbered, went on the offensive and took the Capitol back.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate investigation of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-capitol-lockdown-2f56a611445df15fb9640893bb9f7a93">the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol</a>&nbsp;found a broad intelligence breakdown across multiple agencies, along with widespread law enforcement and military failures that led to the violent attack.There were clear warnings and tips that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dc-wire-michael-pence-donald-trump-capitol-siege-government-and-politics-6434e5ba1e5d762be91dc971706dd0b9">supporters of former President Donald Trump</a>, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-insurrection-charges-roil-far-right-groups-1e0560dbd5572944e3435e225f8be616">right-wing extremist groups</a>, were planning to “storm the Capitol” with weapons and possibly infiltrate the tunnel system underneath the building. But that intelligence never made it up to top leadership.The result was chaos. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/20801778-report-examining-the-jan-6-us-capitol-attack" target="_blank">Senate report</a>&nbsp;released Tuesday details how&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/docs-expose-depth-january-6-capitol-siege-chaos-fd3204574c11e453be8fb4e3c81258c3">officers on the front lines</a>&nbsp;suffered chemical burns, brain injuries and broken bones, among other injuries, after fighting the attackers, who quickly overwhelmed them and broke into the building. Officers told the Senate investigators they were left with no leadership or direction when command systems broke down.The Senate report is the first — and could be the last — bipartisan review of how hundreds of Trump supporters were able to push violently past security lines and break into the Capitol that day, interrupting the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. It recommends immediate changes to give the Capitol Police chief more authority, to provide better planning and equipment for law enforcement and to streamline intelligence gathering among federal agencies.As a bipartisan effort, the report does not delve into the root causes of the attack, including Trump’s role as he called for his supporters to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-impeachments-trump-impeachment-229927c6b3c8c6ccd4561d37f6dfdd3a">“fight like hell”</a>&nbsp;to overturn his election defeat that day. It does not call the attack an insurrection,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-fact-check-donald-trump-capitol-siege-violence-elections-507f4febbadecb84e1637e55999ac0ea">even though it was</a>. And it comes two weeks after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/michael-pence-donald-trump-capitol-siege-government-and-politics-4798a8617bacf27bbb576a4b805b85d9">Republicans blocked</a>&nbsp;a bipartisan, independent commission that would investigate the insurrection more broadly.“This report is important in the fact that it allows us to make some immediate improvements to the security situation here in the Capitol,” said Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which conducted the probe along with the Senate Rules Committee. “But it does not answer some of the bigger questions that we need to face, quite frankly, as a country and as a democracy.”Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday the findings show even greater need for a bipartisan commission to investigate the root causes of the attack, referring to Trump’s unfounded claims about the 2020 election.“As the ‘big lie’ continues to spread, as faith in our elections continues to decline, it is crucial — crucial — that we establish a trusted, independent record of what transpired,” Schumer said.But Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who led the blockade against such a commission, said he’s confident the ongoing reviews by lawmakers and law enforcement will be sufficient.The House in May passed legislation to create a commission that would be modeled after a panel that investigated the Sept. 11 terrorist attack two decades ago.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told colleagues in a letter Tuesday that if the Senate fails to approve the commission, her chamber will launch its own investigations.The top Republican on the rules panel, Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, has opposed the commission, arguing that investigation would take too long. He said the recommendations made in the Senate can be implemented faster, such as legislation that he and Minnesota Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the rules committee chair, intend to introduce soon that would give the chief of Capitol Police more authority to request assistance from the National Guard.The Senate report recounts how the Guard was delayed for hours Jan. 6 as officials in multiple agencies took bureaucratic steps to release the troops. It details hours of calls between officials in the Capitol and the Pentagon and as the then-chief of the Capitol Police, Steven Sund, desperately begged for help.It finds that the Pentagon spent hours “mission planning” and seeking multiple layers of approvals as Capitol Police were being overwhelmed and brutally beaten by the attackers. It also says the Defense Department’s hesitant response was influenced by criticism of its heavy-handed response to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nv-state-wire-az-state-wire-co-state-wire-fl-state-wire-virus-outbreak-baf3b29612527b8e9a841cb34f6f5789">protests in the summer of 2020</a>&nbsp;after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/death-of-george-floyd">the death of George Floyd</a>&nbsp;in police custody.The senators are heavily critical of the Capitol Police Board, a three-member panel made up of the heads of security for the House and Senate and the Architect of the Capitol. The board now is required to approve requests by the police chief, even in urgent situations. The report recommends that its members “regularly review the policies and procedures” after senators found that the three board members on Jan. 6 did not understand their own authority and could not detail the statutory requirements for requesting National Guard assistance.Two of the three board members, the House and Senate sergeants at arms, were pushed out in the days after the attack. Sund, the Capitol Police chief, resigned under pressure.The report recommends a consolidated intelligence unit within the Capitol Police after widespread failures from multiple agencies that did not predict the attack even though insurrectionists were planning it openly on the internet.The police intelligence unit “knew about social media posts calling for violence at the Capitol on January 6, including a plot to breach the Capitol, the online sharing of maps of the Capitol Complex’s tunnel systems, and other specific threats of violence,“ the report says, but agents did not properly inform leaders of everything they had found.On Dec. 28, for example, the report notes that someone emailed a public Capitol Police account and warned about “countless tweets from Trump supporters saying they will be armed on January 6th” and “tweets from people organizing to ‘storm the Capitol.’” There were also internal warnings of an uptick in posts on various sites that showed maps of the Capitol, including its underground tunnels. But those specifics were never disseminated widely.In a response to the report, the Capitol Police acknowledged the need for improvements and said some are already being made. “Law enforcement agencies across the country rely on intelligence, and the quality of that intelligence can mean the difference between life and death,” the statement said.During the attack, the report says, Capitol Police were compromised by bad intelligence, poor planning, faulty equipment and a lack of leadership. The force’s incident command system “broke down during the attack,” leaving officers on the front lines without orders. There were no functional incident commanders, and some senior officers were fighting instead of giving orders. Capitol Police “leadership never took control of the radio system to communicate orders to front-line officers,” the investigation found.“I was horrified that NO deputy chief or above was on the radio or helping us,” one officer told the committee in an anonymous statement. “For hours the screams on the radio were horrific(,) the sights were unimaginable and there was a complete loss of control. ... For hours NO Chief or above took command and control. Officers were begging and pleading for help for medical triage.”The acting chief,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-politics-race-and-ethnicity-police-ef7977f9db3ca673c20ef35277dededf">Yogananda Pittman</a>, who replaced Sund after his resignation, told the committees that the lack of communication resulted from “incident commanders being overwhelmed and engaging with rioters, rather than issuing orders over the radio.”The committee’s interviews with police officers detail “absolutely brutal” abuse from Trump’s supporters as they ran over them and broke into the building. The officers described hearing racial slurs and seeing Nazi salutes. One officer trying to evacuate the Senate said he had stopped several men in full tactical gear, one of whom said “You better get out of our way, boy, or we’ll go through you to get (the senators).’”The insurrectionists told police officers they would kill them, then members of Congress.At the same time, the senators acknowledge the officers’ bravery, noting that one officer told them, “The officers inside all behaved admirably and heroically and, even outnumbered, went on the offensive and took the Capitol back.”___

Senate report on Capitol riot identifies broad failures 

Maize, Kan. (AP) — A great horned owl is on the road to recovery after getting stuck in the netting of a Kansas batting cage. KSNW-TV reports that the owl was discovered Monday in the small town of Maize.

Police contacted a local raptor center for help. Ken Lockwood of Eagle Valley Raptor Center talked officers through the process of removing the owl from the netting. 

The owl was then placed in a carboard box and delivered to the center. The owl had some damaged feathers but is expected to heal in a few weeks.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623168485114.png" alt="A juvenile Great Horned Owl found itself in a tangled mess after getting caught in the net of a batter’s cage at the Maize South High School Baseball Complex-photo courtesy Maize Police" />
 <figcaption>A juvenile Great Horned Owl found itself in a tangled mess after getting caught in the net of a batter’s cage at the Maize South High School Baseball Complex-photo courtesy Maize Police</figcaption>
 </figure>Maize, Kan. (AP) — A great horned owl is on the road to recovery after getting stuck in the netting of a Kansas batting cage. KSNW-TV reports that the owl was discovered Monday in the small town of Maize.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=476&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMaizePolice%2Fvideos%2F477507533553042%2F&show_text=false&width=245&t=0" width="245" height="476" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>Police contacted a local raptor center for help. Ken Lockwood of Eagle Valley Raptor Center talked officers through the process of removing the owl from the netting. The owl was then placed in a carboard box and delivered to the center. The owl had some damaged feathers but is expected to heal in a few weeks.

🎥 Owl rescued after getting stuck in batting cage in Kansas

KANSAS CITY (AP) — A suburban Kansas City sheriff’s deputy has fatally shot a woman after being called to a home to check on the welfare of a resident there, authorities said.

The shooting happened after deputies were called to a Garden City home around 3:40 p.m. Monday for a welfare check, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

When deputies arrived, they reported encountering a woman on the front porch of the home holding a gun. The deputies yelled repeatedly for the woman to drop the gun, but the woman instead pointed the gun at deputies, officials said. One deputy fired his service weapon, hitting the woman, according to the department.

The woman was taken to an area hospital, where she later died. Officials did not immediately release the woman’s name or the name of the deputy believed to have shot her.

The shooting remains under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623164834678.png" alt="Investigators at the scene following the fatal officer-shooting photo courtesy Fox4Kansas City" />
 <figcaption>Investigators at the scene following the fatal officer-shooting photo courtesy Fox4Kansas City</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — A suburban Kansas City sheriff’s deputy has fatally shot a woman after being called to a home to check on the welfare of a resident there, authorities said.The shooting happened after deputies were called to a Garden City home around 3:40 p.m. Monday for a welfare check, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.When deputies arrived, they reported encountering a woman on the front porch of the home holding a gun. The deputies yelled repeatedly for the woman to drop the gun, but the woman instead pointed the gun at deputies, officials said. One deputy fired his service weapon, hitting the woman, according to the department.The woman was taken to an area hospital, where she later died. Officials did not immediately release the woman’s name or the name of the deputy believed to have shot her.The shooting remains under investigation.

Investigators: KC-area deputy killed woman holding gun

FINNEY CO UNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects for a series of burglaries.

Just after 9:00a.m. June 5, police were dispatched to the area of 1300 Summit Street in Garden City in reference to a suspicious person, according to a media release.

Upon arrival, officers had contact with 36-year-old Ernest Whisler of Garden City. Through investigations, officers learned that Whisler allegedly committed several auto burglaries throughout the night in the city.

 Officers also learned that Whisler allegedly attempted to use stolen debit/credit cards for online purchases. Police took Whisler into custody.

A search warrant was served at Whisler’s residence at 203 S. 9th Street, Apt. B. Officers located additional stolen property, along with narcotics and narcotics paraphernalia. While at the scene, officers made contact with the other occupant of the residence, identified as 38-year-old Debra Escalante.&nbsp; Police also took her into custody.

Whisler remains jailed&nbsp; on requested charges of Burglary, Possession of Stolen Property, Unlawful Use of Computers, Criminal Use of a Financial Card, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Paraphernalia and Possession of Paraphernalia. Police also arrested him on burglary charges in November of 2020.

 Escalante is jailed on requested charges of Possession of Methamphetamin, Felony Possession of Paraphernalia and Possession of Stolen Property.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623095470719.png" alt="Whisler-photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Whisler-photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY CO UNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects for a series of burglaries.Just after 9:00a.m. June 5, police were dispatched to the area of 1300 Summit Street in Garden City in reference to a suspicious person, according to a media release.Upon arrival, officers had contact with 36-year-old Ernest Whisler of Garden City. Through investigations, officers learned that Whisler allegedly committed several auto burglaries throughout the night in the city. Officers also learned that Whisler allegedly attempted to use stolen debit/credit cards for online purchases. Police took Whisler into custody.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623095450847.png" alt="Escalanate photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Escalanate photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>A search warrant was served at Whisler’s residence at 203 S. 9th Street, Apt. B. Officers located additional stolen property, along with narcotics and narcotics paraphernalia. While at the scene, officers made contact with the other occupant of the residence, identified as 38-year-old Debra Escalante.&nbsp; Police also took her into custody.Whisler remains jailed&nbsp; on requested charges of Burglary, Possession of Stolen Property, Unlawful Use of Computers, Criminal Use of a Financial Card, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Paraphernalia and Possession of Paraphernalia. Police also arrested him on burglary charges in November of 2020. Escalante is jailed on requested charges of Possession of Methamphetamin, Felony Possession of Paraphernalia and Possession of Stolen Property.

SW Kansas couple accused of ID theft, burglary

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly described whether U.S. Reps. Jake LaTurner and Rep. Ron Estes had used earmarks. Estes opposed the return to using earmarks, and a spokesman for LaTurner previously said he did not participate, but both have made multiple earmark requests to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

By ABIGAIL CENSKY <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-06-07/earmarks-pose-tricky-question-for-kansas-republicans-miss-out-on-money-or-keep-your-reputation">Kansas News Service</a>

TOPEKA, Kansas — Eleven years ago, in a navy-and-wood-paneled Topeka TV studio, then U.S. Reps. Jerry Moran and Todd Tiahrt <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?294388-1/kansas-senate-republican-primary-debate" target="_blank">argued</a> ahead of the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate.

Looking
 directly into the camera, Moran told viewers he backed a moratorium on 
earmarks, but “Congressman Tiahrt led the effort to keep the earmarks 
process in place.”

“Well, when
 you listen to Congressman Moran, you’d think that I’m the only one in 
Washington or from Kansas that does earmarks,” Tiahrt said.

“In fact, just last year,” Tiahrt said, “Moran supported and requested more than $250 million dollars in earmarks.”

Earmarks
 give Congress a tool to tie money from a spending bill to a specific 
project without going through all of the hoops of a normal funding 
request.

They’d become a favorite target for Republicans, glaring 
examples of the soft corruption of incumbents that wasted money on 
things like a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alaska-bridge/alaskas-bridge-to-nowhere-plan-finally-scrapped-idUSKCN0SI00120151024" target="_blank">bridge to nowwhere.</a> And when the budget hawks of the Tea Party swept into the U.S. House, earmarks got swept away.

Tiahrt’s
 seat on the powerful appropriations committee and his desire to reform 
earmarks, rather than ditch them entirely, put a target on his back. He 
lost to Moran, who’s since become a senator.

This year, Democrats 
in Congress brought earmarks back, and they’ve invited Republicans to 
join in snagging money for special projects in their districts. Some 
Republicans are cashing in. But earmarks pose a double-edged sword for 
members of a party that has long stood for less spending and lower 
taxes. If they don’t play the earmark game, they leave money in 
Washington that could’ve come back to their districts — and won them 
votes.

In 2010, before Jerry Moran became a senator, gone were the days of touting the $142, 500 dollars he had secured to help <a href="https://www.cjonline.com/news/state/2010-07-02/earmarks_tricky_business" target="_blank">pay for </a>the McPherson Opera House, or the earmark requests he’d made to help a community college build a biotech center.

Shortly
 after the 2010 elections, the earmarks that helped build coalitions, 
pass big spending bills, and generally greased the wheels of Capitol 
Hill <a href="https://www.rollcall.com/2010/11/04/boehner-house-will-have-earmark-moratorium/" target="_blank">went away</a> when House Speaker John Boehner banned them.

Giving
 up earmarks also meant surrendering up a way to control some of the 
Republican Party’s most fiscally conservative firebrands. There weren’t 
as many incentives like campaign donations or spending money for special
 projects to bring people to middle ground.

“What else do you 
have? Well, you could really go nuclear, if someone is a real thorn in 
your side, and remove them from a committee,” said Laura Blessing, who 
studied earmarks as a senior fellow at the Georgetown Government Affairs
 Institute. “It's just too strong of a tool. That's a sledgehammer.”

Then-U.S.Rep.
 Tim Huelskamp felt that hammer’s blow. He’d had a stormy relationship 
with Boehner. The speaker booted the congressman from western Kansas, 
and leader of the House Freedom Caucus, off the House Agriculture 
Committee. And for the first time in 150 years, Kansas no longer had a 
player sitting at the table when farm policy got hashed out.

When he ran for reelection in 2016, attack ads blasted the Republican for losing that Ag seat.

Michael Smith, a political science professor at Emporia State University, said Huelskamp effectively <a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/08/03/488568404/tea-party-rep-tim-huelskamp-defeated-in-kansas-primary" target="_blank">lost re-election</a> when he lost his spot on the committee.

“When
 Roger Marshall challenged him in the primaries, he didn’t specifically 
run on earmarks. Earmarks are kind of politically touchy,” Smith said. 
But “he hammered Huelskamp on the idea (that) he is not the most 
effective of bringing home resources to this district. And earmarks are a
 part of that.”

Yet when asked about earmarks recently, now-Sen. Marshall<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/05/senate-republicans-earmarks-485373" target="_blank"> told Politico</a>, “I’m gonna do everything I can to blow up the process so that no one does earmarks.”

Rep. Tracey Mann, a Republican from Salina, said in a <a href="https://mann.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-tracey-manns-statement-earmarks-117th-congress" target="_blank">statement</a>,
 “I did not run for office so I could be the caretaker in the slow 
demise of our great nation” noting he was worried a return to earmarks 
in the House, “will once again spiral out of control and lead to more 
government spending.”

U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Wichita Republican, 
agreed. A statement from his office said the earmarks process “detracts 
from focusing on how to reduce spending."

Smith said if 
Republicans continue to pass on earmarks, that’s leaving federal money 
that could benefit their districts on the table.

“Are they going 
to bring over that conservative ideology argument, no more big 
government?” he said. “Or are they going to go back to the more 
traditional kind of Bob Dole type politics of talking small government, 
but still making sure that their districts get their fair share of the 
pie?”

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids is the lone Kansas Democrat in Congress. She supports earmarks to help <a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article250974644.html" target="_blank">revamp a Kansas City highway</a> and buy more electric busses for her district. Davids has requested<a href="https://davids.house.gov/approps" target="_blank"> millions</a> of dollars in earmarks for a myriad of projects ranging from $43 million for a<a href="https://davids.house.gov/sites/davids.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/Energy%20and%20Water%20Development%20CPF%20Requests%20-%20FY22.pdf" target="_blank"> levee and flood wall system</a> in Merriam to an <a href="https://davids.house.gov/sites/davids.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/LaborHHS%20Ed%20CPF%20Requests%20-%20FY22.pdf" target="_blank">imaging machine</a> at the University of Kansas Cancer Center.

So far, the three Republicans who represent Kansas in the U.S. House have not requested<a href="https://appropriations.house.gov/transparency" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://appropriations.house.gov/transparency" target="_blank">many earmarks</a>.

Estes
 opposed the return to using earmarks, and a spokesman for U.S. Rep. 
Jake LaTurner previously said he did not participate in requests this 
year. But the two congressmen have made<a href="https://transportation.house.gov/committee-activity/issue/member-designated-projects" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://transportation.house.gov/committee-activity/issue/member-designated-projects" target="_blank">multiple</a> requests to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

A
 spokesperson for LaTurner’s office said the congressman “stuck to his 
word” and didn’t request earmarks during the appropriations process this
 winter.

“(But) as Congress moved on to the transportation plan we
 had additional time and chose to submit office and state-vetted, 
approved, and sponsored transportation projects previously qualified to 
receive federal funds,” his office said in a statement. “Representative 
LaTurner is proud to utilize his Constitutionally derived authority to 
facilitate interstate commerce by seeking funds for critical 
infrastructure projects in eastern Kansas.”

The only member of the Kansas delegation who hasn’t decided on whether to participate yet is Moran.

When Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/05/senate-republicans-earmarks-485373" target="_blank">polled senators</a>
 in early May, Moran was one of more than a dozen who were undecided if 
they would participate in earmarks this year. His office didn’t respond 
to multiple requests for comment.

Jim Slattery is a former 
Democratic member of Congress from Topeka. He said he thinks the Kansas 
delegation should request earmarks. If Congress doesn’t choose where to 
spend the money, he said, the president will. That cash could end up 
going to swing states that are more politically useful to the president.
 Not Kansas.

“Why,” he said, “would they not aggressively pursue 
the money that is being appropriated to build highways and build 
infrastructure to improve the internet and broadband capability in 
Kansas?”

Abigail Censky is the political reporter for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/AbigailCensky" target="_blank"> @AbigailCensky</a> or email her at abigailcensky (at) kcur (dot) org.

Abigail Censky is the political reporter for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/AbigailCensky" target="_blank"> @AbigailCensky</a> or email her at abigailcensky@kcur.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1614817353591.png" alt="GOP members of the Kansas congressional delegation pose with Democrat Representative Sharice Davids during a January meeting- courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>GOP members of the Kansas congressional delegation pose with Democrat Representative Sharice Davids during a January meeting- courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly described whether U.S. Reps. Jake LaTurner and Rep. Ron Estes had used earmarks. Estes opposed the return to using earmarks, and a spokesman for LaTurner previously said he did not participate, but both have made multiple earmark requests to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.By ABIGAIL CENSKY <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-06-07/earmarks-pose-tricky-question-for-kansas-republicans-miss-out-on-money-or-keep-your-reputation">Kansas News Service</a>TOPEKA, Kansas — Eleven years ago, in a navy-and-wood-paneled Topeka TV studio, then U.S. Reps. Jerry Moran and Todd Tiahrt <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?294388-1/kansas-senate-republican-primary-debate" target="_blank">argued</a> ahead of the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate.Looking
 directly into the camera, Moran told viewers he backed a moratorium on 
earmarks, but “Congressman Tiahrt led the effort to keep the earmarks 
process in place.”Tiahrt framed it differently.“Well, when
 you listen to Congressman Moran, you’d think that I’m the only one in 
Washington or from Kansas that does earmarks,” Tiahrt said.But, he said, everyone was using them.“In fact, just last year,” Tiahrt said, “Moran supported and requested more than $250 million dollars in earmarks.”Earmarks
 give Congress a tool to tie money from a spending bill to a specific 
project without going through all of the hoops of a normal funding 
request.They’d become a favorite target for Republicans, glaring 
examples of the soft corruption of incumbents that wasted money on 
things like a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-alaska-bridge/alaskas-bridge-to-nowhere-plan-finally-scrapped-idUSKCN0SI00120151024" target="_blank">bridge to nowwhere.</a> And when the budget hawks of the Tea Party swept into the U.S. House, earmarks got swept away.Tiahrt’s
 seat on the powerful appropriations committee and his desire to reform 
earmarks, rather than ditch them entirely, put a target on his back. He 
lost to Moran, who’s since become a senator.This year, Democrats 
in Congress brought earmarks back, and they’ve invited Republicans to 
join in snagging money for special projects in their districts. Some 
Republicans are cashing in. But earmarks pose a double-edged sword for 
members of a party that has long stood for less spending and lower 
taxes. If they don’t play the earmark game, they leave money in 
Washington that could’ve come back to their districts — and won them 
votes.A moratoriumIn 2010, before Jerry Moran became a senator, gone were the days of touting the $142, 500 dollars he had secured to help <a href="https://www.cjonline.com/news/state/2010-07-02/earmarks_tricky_business" target="_blank">pay for </a>the McPherson Opera House, or the earmark requests he’d made to help a community college build a biotech center.Shortly
 after the 2010 elections, the earmarks that helped build coalitions, 
pass big spending bills, and generally greased the wheels of Capitol 
Hill <a href="https://www.rollcall.com/2010/11/04/boehner-house-will-have-earmark-moratorium/" target="_blank">went away</a> when House Speaker John Boehner banned them.Giving
 up earmarks also meant surrendering up a way to control some of the 
Republican Party’s most fiscally conservative firebrands. There weren’t 
as many incentives like campaign donations or spending money for special
 projects to bring people to middle ground.“What else do you 
have? Well, you could really go nuclear, if someone is a real thorn in 
your side, and remove them from a committee,” said Laura Blessing, who 
studied earmarks as a senior fellow at the Georgetown Government Affairs
 Institute. “It's just too strong of a tool. That's a sledgehammer.”Then-U.S.Rep.
 Tim Huelskamp felt that hammer’s blow. He’d had a stormy relationship 
with Boehner. The speaker booted the congressman from western Kansas, 
and leader of the House Freedom Caucus, off the House Agriculture 
Committee. And for the first time in 150 years, Kansas no longer had a 
player sitting at the table when farm policy got hashed out.When he ran for reelection in 2016, attack ads blasted the Republican for losing that Ag seat.Michael Smith, a political science professor at Emporia State University, said Huelskamp effectively <a href="https://www.npr.org/2016/08/03/488568404/tea-party-rep-tim-huelskamp-defeated-in-kansas-primary" target="_blank">lost re-election</a> when he lost his spot on the committee.“When
 Roger Marshall challenged him in the primaries, he didn’t specifically 
run on earmarks. Earmarks are kind of politically touchy,” Smith said. 
But “he hammered Huelskamp on the idea (that) he is not the most 
effective of bringing home resources to this district. And earmarks are a
 part of that.”Play or notYet when asked about earmarks recently, now-Sen. Marshall<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/05/senate-republicans-earmarks-485373" target="_blank"> told Politico</a>, “I’m gonna do everything I can to blow up the process so that no one does earmarks.”Rep. Tracey Mann, a Republican from Salina, said in a <a href="https://mann.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-tracey-manns-statement-earmarks-117th-congress" target="_blank">statement</a>,
 “I did not run for office so I could be the caretaker in the slow 
demise of our great nation” noting he was worried a return to earmarks 
in the House, “will once again spiral out of control and lead to more 
government spending.”U.S. Rep. Ron Estes, a Wichita Republican, 
agreed. A statement from his office said the earmarks process “detracts 
from focusing on how to reduce spending."Smith said if 
Republicans continue to pass on earmarks, that’s leaving federal money 
that could benefit their districts on the table.“Are they going 
to bring over that conservative ideology argument, no more big 
government?” he said. “Or are they going to go back to the more 
traditional kind of Bob Dole type politics of talking small government, 
but still making sure that their districts get their fair share of the 
pie?”U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids is the lone Kansas Democrat in Congress. She supports earmarks to help <a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article250974644.html" target="_blank">revamp a Kansas City highway</a> and buy more electric busses for her district. Davids has requested<a href="https://davids.house.gov/approps" target="_blank"> millions</a> of dollars in earmarks for a myriad of projects ranging from $43 million for a<a href="https://davids.house.gov/sites/davids.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/Energy%20and%20Water%20Development%20CPF%20Requests%20-%20FY22.pdf" target="_blank"> levee and flood wall system</a> in Merriam to an <a href="https://davids.house.gov/sites/davids.house.gov/files/wysiwyg_uploaded/LaborHHS%20Ed%20CPF%20Requests%20-%20FY22.pdf" target="_blank">imaging machine</a> at the University of Kansas Cancer Center.So far, the three Republicans who represent Kansas in the U.S. House have not requested<a href="https://appropriations.house.gov/transparency" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://appropriations.house.gov/transparency" target="_blank">many earmarks</a>.Estes
 opposed the return to using earmarks, and a spokesman for U.S. Rep. 
Jake LaTurner previously said he did not participate in requests this 
year. But the two congressmen have made<a href="https://transportation.house.gov/committee-activity/issue/member-designated-projects" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://transportation.house.gov/committee-activity/issue/member-designated-projects" target="_blank">multiple</a> requests to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.A
 spokesperson for LaTurner’s office said the congressman “stuck to his 
word” and didn’t request earmarks during the appropriations process this
 winter.“(But) as Congress moved on to the transportation plan we
 had additional time and chose to submit office and state-vetted, 
approved, and sponsored transportation projects previously qualified to 
receive federal funds,” his office said in a statement. “Representative 
LaTurner is proud to utilize his Constitutionally derived authority to 
facilitate interstate commerce by seeking funds for critical 
infrastructure projects in eastern Kansas.”The only member of the Kansas delegation who hasn’t decided on whether to participate yet is Moran.When Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/05/05/senate-republicans-earmarks-485373" target="_blank">polled senators</a>
 in early May, Moran was one of more than a dozen who were undecided if 
they would participate in earmarks this year. His office didn’t respond 
to multiple requests for comment.Jim Slattery is a former 
Democratic member of Congress from Topeka. He said he thinks the Kansas 
delegation should request earmarks. If Congress doesn’t choose where to 
spend the money, he said, the president will. That cash could end up 
going to swing states that are more politically useful to the president.
 Not Kansas.“Why,” he said, “would they not aggressively pursue 
the money that is being appropriated to build highways and build 
infrastructure to improve the internet and broadband capability in 
Kansas?”Abigail Censky is the political reporter for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/AbigailCensky" target="_blank"> @AbigailCensky</a> or email her at abigailcensky (at) kcur (dot) org.Abigail Censky is the political reporter for the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter<a href="https://twitter.com/AbigailCensky" target="_blank"> @AbigailCensky</a> or email her at abigailcensky@kcur.org.

Earmarks pose tricky question for Kansas Republicans

HARRISONVILLE, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City man convicted of killing two women a decade apart was sentenced Monday to life in prison for one of the killings and 15 years behind bars for the other, with the terms to run consecutively.

Kylr Yust, 32, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-us-news-michael-brown-87aa24fcde87cef728d1f013d0ae9ae7">convicted</a>&nbsp;in April of second-degree murder in the death of Jessica Runions, 21, of Raymore, and voluntary manslaughter in the death of Kara Kopetsky, 17, of Belton.

The Cass County jury that convicted him&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sentencing-kansas-city-michael-brown-df9d1ea429446e48f19485216efafe62">recommended</a>&nbsp;life in prison for Runions' death and 15 years in Kopetsky's death, and Cass County Circuit Judge William Collins followed those recommendations. Collins also denied Yust's motion for a new trial.

Yust's attorney, Sharon Turlington, said in court that an appeal is planned. She had asked that the sentences run concurrently.

Prosecutors told jurors in April that Yust killed the women because they rejected him. Turlington said no physical evidence connected him to either death.

The two women were both seen with Yust before they disappeared. Runions left a party with him before she went missing in September 2016. Kopetsky had taken out a protection order against Yust a month before she was last seen leaving Belton High School in April 2007.

A mushroom hunter found their bodies near each other in a Cass County field south of Kansas City in April 2017. Runions’ remains were identified quickly but Kopetsky’s remains weren’t positively&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/a5ab3e00dba34407a798be48a5a012aa">identified&nbsp;</a>until August of that year.

Yust testified during his trial that he didn't kill either woman and suggested that his half-brother, Jessep Carter, was responsible for the deaths. Carter died by suicide in 2018 while being held in the Jackson County jail on a charge of second-degree arson.

Yust was&nbsp;<a href="https://hosted.ap.org/semissourian/article/2693dcd7a44e52b318838784b508887d/apnews.com/article/missouri-us-news-mo-state-wire-kansas-city-2e9fd844eed84ba1a2999295a675fe04">originally charged</a>&nbsp;in October 2017 with two counts of first-degree murder but the jury found him guilty of the lesser charges.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/9/1567616156500.png" alt="Yust-Cass Co." />
 <figcaption>Yust-Cass Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>HARRISONVILLE, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City man convicted of killing two women a decade apart was sentenced Monday to life in prison for one of the killings and 15 years behind bars for the other, with the terms to run consecutively.Kylr Yust, 32, was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-us-news-michael-brown-87aa24fcde87cef728d1f013d0ae9ae7">convicted</a>&nbsp;in April of second-degree murder in the death of Jessica Runions, 21, of Raymore, and voluntary manslaughter in the death of Kara Kopetsky, 17, of Belton.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1576707396150.png" alt="Jessica Runions- photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Jessica Runions- photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>The Cass County jury that convicted him&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sentencing-kansas-city-michael-brown-df9d1ea429446e48f19485216efafe62">recommended</a>&nbsp;life in prison for Runions' death and 15 years in Kopetsky's death, and Cass County Circuit Judge William Collins followed those recommendations. Collins also denied Yust's motion for a new trial.Yust's attorney, Sharon Turlington, said in court that an appeal is planned. She had asked that the sentences run concurrently.Prosecutors told jurors in April that Yust killed the women because they rejected him. Turlington said no physical evidence connected him to either death.The two women were both seen with Yust before they disappeared. Runions left a party with him before she went missing in September 2016. Kopetsky had taken out a protection order against Yust a month before she was last seen leaving Belton High School in April 2007.A mushroom hunter found their bodies near each other in a Cass County field south of Kansas City in April 2017. Runions’ remains were identified quickly but Kopetsky’s remains weren’t positively&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/a5ab3e00dba34407a798be48a5a012aa">identified&nbsp;</a>until August of that year.Yust testified during his trial that he didn't kill either woman and suggested that his half-brother, Jessep Carter, was responsible for the deaths. Carter died by suicide in 2018 while being held in the Jackson County jail on a charge of second-degree arson.Yust was&nbsp;<a href="https://hosted.ap.org/semissourian/article/2693dcd7a44e52b318838784b508887d/apnews.com/article/missouri-us-news-mo-state-wire-kansas-city-2e9fd844eed84ba1a2999295a675fe04">originally charged</a>&nbsp;in October 2017 with two counts of first-degree murder but the jury found him guilty of the lesser charges.

Kansas City man sentenced for killing 2 women

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers who pay <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/estimated-taxes">estimated taxes</a> that they have until June 15 to pay their estimated tax payment for the second quarter of tax year 2021 without penalty.

Estimated tax is the method used to pay tax on income that isn't 
subject to withholding. This includes income from self-employment, 
interest, dividends, rent, gains from the sale of assets,

prizes and awards. You may also have to pay estimated tax if the amount of income tax being

withheld from your salary, pension or other income isn't enough.

Individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, and S corporation 
shareholders, generally have to make estimated tax payments if they 
expect to owe tax of $1,000 or more when they file their return.

Individual taxpayers can use the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/am-i-required-to-make-estimated-tax-payments">IRS Interactive Tax Assistant</a> online to see if they are required to pay estimated taxes. They can also see the worksheet in <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040-es">Form 1040-ES, Estimated Tax for Individuals</a> for more details on who must pay estimated tax.

Corporations generally have to make estimated tax payments if they 
expect to owe tax of $500 or more when they file their return. 
Corporations can see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1120-w">Form 1120-W, Estimated Tax for Corporations</a> for more information.

Special rules apply to some groups of taxpayers, such as farmers, 
fishermen, certain higher income taxpayers, casualty and disaster 
victims, those who recently became disabled, recent retirees and those 
who receive income unevenly during the year.

<a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-505">Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax</a>,
 has additional details, including worksheets and examples, that can be 
especially helpful to those who have dividend or capital gain income, 
owe alternative minimum tax or self-employment tax, or have other 
special situations.

This means taxpayers need to pay most of their taxes owed during the year as income is received. There are two ways to do that:

Taxpayers can avoid an <a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc306">underpayment penalty</a>
 by owing less than $1,000 at tax time or by paying most of their taxes 
during the year. Generally, for 2021 that means making payments of at 
least 90% of the tax expected on their 2021 return. Most taxpayers who 
pay at least 100 percent of the tax shown on their return for tax year 
2020 may also avoid the penalty. There are special rules for farmers and
 fishermen, certain household employers and certain higher income 
taxpayers. For more information, refer to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040-es">Form 1040-ES, Estimated Tax for Individuals</a>.

Generally, taxpayers should make estimated tax payments in four equal
 amounts to avoid a penalty. However, if they receive income unevenly 
during the year, they may be able to vary the amounts of the payments to
 avoid or lower the penalty by using the annualized installment method. 
Taxpayers can use <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-2210">Form 2210, Underpayment of Estimated Tax by Individuals, Estates, and Trusts</a> to see if they owe a penalty for underpaying their estimated tax.

Third quarter payments are due September 15 and the final estimated tax payment for tax year 2021 is due on January 17, 2022.

If a taxpayer receives salaries and wages, they can avoid having to 
pay estimated tax by asking their employer to withhold more tax from 
their earnings. To do this, they would submit a new <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-4">Form W-4</a> to their employer.

If a taxpayer receives a paycheck, the Tax Withholding Estimator can 
help them make sure they have the right amount of tax withheld from 
their pay.

The Tax Withholding Estimator offers workers, as well as retirees, 
self-employed individuals and other taxpayers a clear, step-by-step 
method for effectively checking their withholding to protect against 
having too little tax withheld and facing an unexpected tax bill or 
penalty at tax time next year.

<a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040-es">Form 1040-ES</a>&nbsp;includes instructions to help taxpayers figure their estimated taxes.

The fastest and easiest ways for individuals to make an estimated tax payment is electronically by using IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/direct-pay">Direct Pay</a> from their checking or savings account or <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-your-taxes-by-debit-or-credit-card">pay using a debit or credit card</a>.
 Taxpayers should note that the payment processor, not the IRS, charges a
 fee for debit and credit card payments. Both Direct Pay and the pay by 
debit or credit card options are available online at IRS.gov and through
 the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs2goapp">IRS2Go app</a>.

Taxpayers can also use the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/eftps-the-electronic-federal-tax-payment-system">Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS)</a>&nbsp;to make an estimated tax payment.

<a href="https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1120w">Corporations</a>
 must use electronic funds transfer to make all federal tax deposits 
(such as deposits of employment, excise, and corporate income tax). This
 includes installment payments of estimated tax. Generally, electronic 
funds transfer is made using the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System 
(EFTPS). However, if the corporation does not want to use EFTPS, it can 
arrange for its tax professional, financial institution, payroll 
service, or other trusted third party to make electronic deposits on its
 behalf.

If taxpayers opt to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-by-check-or-money-order">mail a check or money order,</a> they should make them payable to the "United States Treasury."

For information on all payment options, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments">IRS.gov/payments</a>.

Tax help is available 24/7 on IRS.gov. The IRS website offers a 
variety of online tools to help taxpayers answer common tax questions. 
For example, taxpayers can search the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita">Interactive Tax Assistant</a>, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics">Tax Topics</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/faqs">Frequently Asked Questions</a> to get answers to common questions.

The IRS is continuing to expand ways to communicate to taxpayers who 
prefer to get information in other languages. The IRS has posted 
translated tax resources in 20 other languages on IRS.gov. For more 
information, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/languages">We Speak Your Language</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599869632873.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>IRSWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service reminds taxpayers who pay <a href="https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/estimated-taxes">estimated taxes</a> that they have until June 15 to pay their estimated tax payment for the second quarter of tax year 2021 without penalty.Estimated tax is the method used to pay tax on income that isn't 
subject to withholding. This includes income from self-employment, 
interest, dividends, rent, gains from the sale of assets,prizes and awards. You may also have to pay estimated tax if the amount of income tax beingwithheld from your salary, pension or other income isn't enough.<h2>Who must pay estimated tax?</h2>Individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, and S corporation 
shareholders, generally have to make estimated tax payments if they 
expect to owe tax of $1,000 or more when they file their return.Individual taxpayers can use the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/am-i-required-to-make-estimated-tax-payments">IRS Interactive Tax Assistant</a> online to see if they are required to pay estimated taxes. They can also see the worksheet in <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040-es">Form 1040-ES, Estimated Tax for Individuals</a> for more details on who must pay estimated tax.Corporations generally have to make estimated tax payments if they 
expect to owe tax of $500 or more when they file their return. 
Corporations can see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1120-w">Form 1120-W, Estimated Tax for Corporations</a> for more information.Special rules apply to some groups of taxpayers, such as farmers, 
fishermen, certain higher income taxpayers, casualty and disaster 
victims, those who recently became disabled, recent retirees and those 
who receive income unevenly during the year.<a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-publication-505">Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax</a>,
 has additional details, including worksheets and examples, that can be 
especially helpful to those who have dividend or capital gain income, 
owe alternative minimum tax or self-employment tax, or have other 
special situations.<h2>Taxes are pay-as-you-go</h2>This means taxpayers need to pay most of their taxes owed during the year as income is received. There are two ways to do that:<ul>
 <li>Withholding from pay, pension or certain government payments such as Social Security</li><li>Making quarterly estimated tax payments during the year.</li>
 </ul>Taxpayers can avoid an <a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc306">underpayment penalty</a>
 by owing less than $1,000 at tax time or by paying most of their taxes 
during the year. Generally, for 2021 that means making payments of at 
least 90% of the tax expected on their 2021 return. Most taxpayers who 
pay at least 100 percent of the tax shown on their return for tax year 
2020 may also avoid the penalty. There are special rules for farmers and
 fishermen, certain household employers and certain higher income 
taxpayers. For more information, refer to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040-es">Form 1040-ES, Estimated Tax for Individuals</a>.Generally, taxpayers should make estimated tax payments in four equal
 amounts to avoid a penalty. However, if they receive income unevenly 
during the year, they may be able to vary the amounts of the payments to
 avoid or lower the penalty by using the annualized installment method. 
Taxpayers can use <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-2210">Form 2210, Underpayment of Estimated Tax by Individuals, Estates, and Trusts</a> to see if they owe a penalty for underpaying their estimated tax.Third quarter payments are due September 15 and the final estimated tax payment for tax year 2021 is due on January 17, 2022.<h2>Tax Withholding Estimator</h2>If a taxpayer receives salaries and wages, they can avoid having to 
pay estimated tax by asking their employer to withhold more tax from 
their earnings. To do this, they would submit a new <a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-w-4">Form W-4</a> to their employer.If a taxpayer receives a paycheck, the Tax Withholding Estimator can 
help them make sure they have the right amount of tax withheld from 
their pay.The Tax Withholding Estimator offers workers, as well as retirees, 
self-employed individuals and other taxpayers a clear, step-by-step 
method for effectively checking their withholding to protect against 
having too little tax withheld and facing an unexpected tax bill or 
penalty at tax time next year.<h2>How to pay estimated taxes</h2><a href="https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1040-es">Form 1040-ES</a>&nbsp;includes instructions to help taxpayers figure their estimated taxes.The fastest and easiest ways for individuals to make an estimated tax payment is electronically by using IRS <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/direct-pay">Direct Pay</a> from their checking or savings account or <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-your-taxes-by-debit-or-credit-card">pay using a debit or credit card</a>.
 Taxpayers should note that the payment processor, not the IRS, charges a
 fee for debit and credit card payments. Both Direct Pay and the pay by 
debit or credit card options are available online at IRS.gov and through
 the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs2goapp">IRS2Go app</a>.Taxpayers can also use the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/eftps-the-electronic-federal-tax-payment-system">Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS)</a>&nbsp;to make an estimated tax payment.<a href="https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i1120w">Corporations</a>
 must use electronic funds transfer to make all federal tax deposits 
(such as deposits of employment, excise, and corporate income tax). This
 includes installment payments of estimated tax. Generally, electronic 
funds transfer is made using the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System 
(EFTPS). However, if the corporation does not want to use EFTPS, it can 
arrange for its tax professional, financial institution, payroll 
service, or other trusted third party to make electronic deposits on its
 behalf.If taxpayers opt to <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments/pay-by-check-or-money-order">mail a check or money order,</a> they should make them payable to the "United States Treasury."For information on all payment options, visit <a href="https://www.irs.gov/payments">IRS.gov/payments</a>.<h2>IRS.gov assistance 24/7</h2>Tax help is available 24/7 on IRS.gov. The IRS website offers a 
variety of online tools to help taxpayers answer common tax questions. 
For example, taxpayers can search the <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/ita">Interactive Tax Assistant</a>, <a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics">Tax Topics</a> and <a href="https://www.irs.gov/faqs">Frequently Asked Questions</a> to get answers to common questions.The IRS is continuing to expand ways to communicate to taxpayers who 
prefer to get information in other languages. The IRS has posted 
translated tax resources in 20 other languages on IRS.gov. For more 
information, see <a href="https://www.irs.gov/help/languages">We Speak Your Language</a>.

IRS: Deadline approaches for second quarter estimated tax payments

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris offered an optimistic outlook for improved cooperation with Guatemala on addressing the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-guatemala-central-america-immigration-coronavirus-pandemic-a37241f7310940c98dbdd986efec3532">spike in migration to the U.S.</a>&nbsp;after her meeting with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Monday. She also delivered a direct warning to migrants considering making the trek: “Do not come. Do not come.”

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?512371-1/vice-president-harris-guatemalan-president-giammattei-hold-news-conference">Click here</a> to watch the Vice President's press conference

Her comments, during a press conference after she met privately with Giammattei, underscored the challenge that remains even as Harris engages in substantive talks with the Guatemalan and Mexican presidents during a three-day visit to the region this week, her first foreign trip as vice president.

“I want to emphasize that the goal of our work is to help Guatemalans find hope at home,” Harris said. “At the same time, I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: Do not come, do not come.”

In conjunction with Harris’ trip, the Biden administration announced that the Justice Department would create an anti-corruption task force and an additional task force to combat human trafficking and drug smuggling in the region. Harris also promised a new program focused on creating education and economic opportunities for girls there, among other new initiatives. And she told Giammattei that her goal in the region was to restore “hope” to residents so they no longer felt the need to flee their homeland for better opportunities in the U.S.

But for all the talk about new ways to cooperate, reining in corruption and improving living conditions in the region have been long-running challenges that previous administrations have been unable to achieve in their efforts to stem the tide of migration to the United States.

Part of the challenge remains that, despite the best efforts of U.S. officials, corruption underpins many of the region’s governments. Indeed, Giammattei himself has faced criticism over his handling of the issue.

Last month, two lawyers who are outspoken critics of Giammattei’s administration were arrested on what they say were trumped-up charges aimed at silencing them.

And the selection of judges for Guatemala’s Constitutional Court, its highest, was mired in influence peddling and allegations of corruption. Giammattei&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-cabinet-cabinets-guatemala-city-guatemala-alejandro-giammattei-1546696816b78a3fabbedc2e2dbee0d7">picked his chief of staff</a>&nbsp;to fill one of the five vacancies. When Gloria Porras, a respected force against corruption, was elected to a second term, the congress controlled by Giammattei’s party refused to seat her.

On Monday, Giammattei seemed less than eager to address those issues.

Asked by The Associated Press about criticism of his record on corruption, Giammattei initially ignored the question. When pressed by another journalist to answer for the complaints against him, Giammattei seemed to bristle at the allegation that he was at fault, insisting there were “zero” allegations of corruption against him and labeling drug traffickers the biggest corruption issue in his nation.

Still, Harris expressed optimism about their ability to work together, telling reporters that the two had a “very frank and very candid” conversation that included “the importance of anti-corruption and the importance of an independent judiciary.”

Harris said the Justice, Treasury and State departments would work together on anti-corruption investigations and train local law enforcement to conduct their own.

“We are creating this task force to address corruption. We are working on a task force that is about human smuggling. We are doing the work of requiring certain progress be made if we are going to attract U.S. investment, private investment, to this region,” Harris said.

Giammattei said that the U.S. and Guatemala also agreed to collaborate on a “very simple process” through visas to allow for regular migration to the U.S., and that the two countries would work to prioritize family reunifications.

The White House also announced a $7.5 million commitment through USAID to support entrepreneurs and innovators in Guatemala, as well as millions more in investments in affordable housing, agribusinesses and loans to small businesses in the country.

Besides her meeting with Giammattei, Harris participated in a roundtable with Guatemalan community and civil society leaders and met with young female engineers and entrepreneurs.

In addressing the root causes of migration, Harris has laid out an approach centered on creating better opportunities and living conditions in the region through humanitarian and economic aid.

Harris had previously announced plans to send $310 million to provide support for refugees and address food shortages, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/central-america-immigration-business-government-and-politics-e5f715296eef17c08af58c633b2b9b3e">she recently secured commitments</a>&nbsp;from a dozen companies and organizations to invest in the Northern Triangle countries to promote economic opportunity and job training.

Washington won some goodwill through its vaccine diplomacy this past week. Giammattei and Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador both received calls from Harris on Thursday telling them the U.S. would be sending 500,000 doses and 1 million doses, respectively, of COVID-19 vaccine.

While in Latin America, Harris is also navigating the politics of immigration. Congressional Republicans have criticized both President Joe Biden and Harris for not visiting the U.S.-Mexico border and contend the administration is ignoring what they say is a crisis there.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-health-coronavirus-pandemic-government-and-politics-7c155484414c569451d330ebea7d0094">April was the second-busiest month</a>&nbsp;on record for unaccompanied children encountered at the border, following March’s all-time high. The Border Patrol’s total encounters in April were up 3% from March, marking the highest level since April 2000.

On Monday, Harris defended her decision not to visit the border, telling reporters she was focused on addressing the root causes of migration in a way that delivers “tangible” results “as opposed to grand gestures.”

But even as Harris made the case for reforms in the nation’s capital, those very migrants she hoped to help were still streaming to the nation’s borders.

On Monday, Henry Armando Rodríguez, 27, from El Paraiso in south-central Honduras, rested outside the migrant shelter in Tecun Uman at the Guatemala-Mexico border on his journey toward the United States. He didn’t know about Harris’ visit but described reasons for leaving that touched on the hopelessness the vice president wants to address.

“Life is very bad in Honduras right now,” he said.

It was his first time attempting to migrate, he said. He decided to make the journey because it was impossible to find any agricultural work because of droughts at home.

When he was able to find work, he couldn’t make enough money to pay for a decent home. He said that, because of poverty in Honduras, “we have to flee from there to be able to look for new opportunities.” And he wasn’t impressed with the politicians who he says only claim to want to help when they’re fishing for votes around election season.

“They promise you the sun and the moon, and then in the end they forgot all of that,” he said. “What interests them is only themselves, how they live, and the life of the poor is of little importance to them.”

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — With Kamala Harris visiting Guatemala and Mexico on her first foreign trip as vice president, the Biden administration is expected to announce new measures to fight smuggling and trafficking, and hopes to announce additional anti-corruption efforts as well on Monday, a senior administration official said.

The official, who briefed reporters traveling with Harris on Sunday, spoke on condition of anonymity to preview announcements before they have been made public. No further details were provided.

Harris has been tasked by President Joe Biden with addressing the root causes of the spike in migration to the U.S.-Mexico border, and her aides say corruption will be a central focus of her meetings with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Monday and Mexico’s Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday.

“Corruption really does sap the the wealth of any country, and in Central America is at a scale where it is a large percentage of GDP across the region,” said special envoy Ricardo Zuniga.

“We see corruption as one of the most important root causes to be dealt with,” Zuniga added.

The trip got off to a rocky start when Harris’ plane returned to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland about 30 minutes after takeoff because of what her spokesperson said was a problem with the landing gear. She departed on another plane and landed late Sunday in in Guatemala City, where she was met by Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo.

Harris is seeking to secure commitments from Guatemala and Mexico for greater cooperation on border security and economic investment, and aides say she will also discuss vaccine sharing during her meetings. But corruption in the region — a far more intractable challenge — will complicate her efforts.

It’s already had a significant impact on her work in Central America. Harris has yet to engage substantively with the leaders of Honduras and El Salvador, who are both embroiled in corruption scandals.

Giammattei has faced criticism over corruption within his own government. Zuniga acknowledged that the U.S. government faces a challenge in working with him but argued Harris was in the country in part to have a direct conversation with the president about this and other issues.

“The best way to deal with these cases where you have a very complex relationship in a country like Guatemala is to talk clearly and plainly as partners, as countries that have to get along” he said.

Harris has laid out an approach centered on creating better opportunities and living conditions in the region through humanitarian and economic aid. She announced plans to send $310 million to provide support for refugees and address food shortages, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/central-america-immigration-business-government-and-politics-e5f715296eef17c08af58c633b2b9b3e">recently secured commitments</a>&nbsp;from a dozen companies and organizations to invest in the Northern Triangle countries to promote economic opportunity and job training.

Washington won some goodwill through its vaccine diplomacy this past week. Giammattei and López Obrador both received calls from Harris on Thursday telling them the U.S. would be sending 500,000 doses and 1 million doses, respectively, of COVID-19 vaccine.

While in Guatemala, Harris also plans to meet community leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs. In Mexico, she will speak with female entrepreneurs and hold a roundtable with labor workers.

She’s underscored the need to address corruption in public remarks and events. In a May meeting with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/guatemala-aab7d6852c956a981cc73aff1e5bdcd1">a number of leading voices on Guatemala’s justice system</a>, she noted her work as a prosecutor and said that “injustice is a root cause of migration.”

“Part of giving people hope is having a very specific commitment to rooting out corruption in the region,” she said.

Harris has also raised the issue during virtual meetings with the leaders of both countries, and aides say she will do it again during meetings on her trip. During their past conversations, they have discussed areas of mutual interest — improving port security, fighting smuggling networks, going after corrupt actors — and the goal of this trip is to turn that talk into action, aides say.

While the vice president will make announcements concerning new efforts at cooperation and new programs, she’s not expected to announce any new aid during her trip.

While in Latin America, Harris will also have to navigate the politics of immigration. Congressional Republicans have criticized both Biden and Harris for deciding not to visit the border, and contend the administration is ignoring what they say is a crisis there. April was the second-busiest month on record for unaccompanied children encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border, following March’s all-time high. The Border Patrol’s total encounters in April were up 3% from March, marking the highest level since April 2000.

Conservatives will be watching Harris closely for any missteps, hoping to drag her into further controversy on an issue that they see as a political winner.

In her efforts to win commitments on corruption from the region’s leaders, Harris can point to a number of moves by the Biden administration last week.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the problem during his own recent trip to Central America. The White House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/06/03/memorandum-on-establishing-the-fight-against-corruption-as-a-core-united-states-national-security-interest/" target="_blank">issued a memo</a>&nbsp;elevating foreign corruption to a major national security issue, and directed all federal agencies to prioritize it and modernize their foreign corruption-fighting tools.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1623101366879.png" alt="<a href="https://www.c-span.org/person/?kamalaharris">Vice President Kamala Harris&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/person/?130268">Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;upon her arrival on Sunday night.-photo courtesy Office of Vice President" />
 <figcaption><a href="https://www.c-span.org/person/?kamalaharris">Vice President Kamala Harris&nbsp;</a>and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/person/?130268">Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;upon her arrival on Sunday night.-photo courtesy Office of Vice President</figcaption>
 </figure>GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris offered an optimistic outlook for improved cooperation with Guatemala on addressing the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mexico-guatemala-central-america-immigration-coronavirus-pandemic-a37241f7310940c98dbdd986efec3532">spike in migration to the U.S.</a>&nbsp;after her meeting with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Monday. She also delivered a direct warning to migrants considering making the trek: “Do not come. Do not come.”<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?512371-1/vice-president-harris-guatemalan-president-giammattei-hold-news-conference">Click here</a> to watch the Vice President's press conferenceHer comments, during a press conference after she met privately with Giammattei, underscored the challenge that remains even as Harris engages in substantive talks with the Guatemalan and Mexican presidents during a three-day visit to the region this week, her first foreign trip as vice president.“I want to emphasize that the goal of our work is to help Guatemalans find hope at home,” Harris said. “At the same time, I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: Do not come, do not come.”In conjunction with Harris’ trip, the Biden administration announced that the Justice Department would create an anti-corruption task force and an additional task force to combat human trafficking and drug smuggling in the region. Harris also promised a new program focused on creating education and economic opportunities for girls there, among other new initiatives. And she told Giammattei that her goal in the region was to restore “hope” to residents so they no longer felt the need to flee their homeland for better opportunities in the U.S.But for all the talk about new ways to cooperate, reining in corruption and improving living conditions in the region have been long-running challenges that previous administrations have been unable to achieve in their efforts to stem the tide of migration to the United States.Part of the challenge remains that, despite the best efforts of U.S. officials, corruption underpins many of the region’s governments. Indeed, Giammattei himself has faced criticism over his handling of the issue.Last month, two lawyers who are outspoken critics of Giammattei’s administration were arrested on what they say were trumped-up charges aimed at silencing them.And the selection of judges for Guatemala’s Constitutional Court, its highest, was mired in influence peddling and allegations of corruption. Giammattei&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-cabinet-cabinets-guatemala-city-guatemala-alejandro-giammattei-1546696816b78a3fabbedc2e2dbee0d7">picked his chief of staff</a>&nbsp;to fill one of the five vacancies. When Gloria Porras, a respected force against corruption, was elected to a second term, the congress controlled by Giammattei’s party refused to seat her.On Monday, Giammattei seemed less than eager to address those issues.Asked by The Associated Press about criticism of his record on corruption, Giammattei initially ignored the question. When pressed by another journalist to answer for the complaints against him, Giammattei seemed to bristle at the allegation that he was at fault, insisting there were “zero” allegations of corruption against him and labeling drug traffickers the biggest corruption issue in his nation.Still, Harris expressed optimism about their ability to work together, telling reporters that the two had a “very frank and very candid” conversation that included “the importance of anti-corruption and the importance of an independent judiciary.”Harris said the Justice, Treasury and State departments would work together on anti-corruption investigations and train local law enforcement to conduct their own.“We are creating this task force to address corruption. We are working on a task force that is about human smuggling. We are doing the work of requiring certain progress be made if we are going to attract U.S. investment, private investment, to this region,” Harris said.Giammattei said that the U.S. and Guatemala also agreed to collaborate on a “very simple process” through visas to allow for regular migration to the U.S., and that the two countries would work to prioritize family reunifications.The White House also announced a $7.5 million commitment through USAID to support entrepreneurs and innovators in Guatemala, as well as millions more in investments in affordable housing, agribusinesses and loans to small businesses in the country.Besides her meeting with Giammattei, Harris participated in a roundtable with Guatemalan community and civil society leaders and met with young female engineers and entrepreneurs.In addressing the root causes of migration, Harris has laid out an approach centered on creating better opportunities and living conditions in the region through humanitarian and economic aid.Harris had previously announced plans to send $310 million to provide support for refugees and address food shortages, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/central-america-immigration-business-government-and-politics-e5f715296eef17c08af58c633b2b9b3e">she recently secured commitments</a>&nbsp;from a dozen companies and organizations to invest in the Northern Triangle countries to promote economic opportunity and job training.Washington won some goodwill through its vaccine diplomacy this past week. Giammattei and Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador both received calls from Harris on Thursday telling them the U.S. would be sending 500,000 doses and 1 million doses, respectively, of COVID-19 vaccine.While in Latin America, Harris is also navigating the politics of immigration. Congressional Republicans have criticized both President Joe Biden and Harris for not visiting the U.S.-Mexico border and contend the administration is ignoring what they say is a crisis there.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-health-coronavirus-pandemic-government-and-politics-7c155484414c569451d330ebea7d0094">April was the second-busiest month</a>&nbsp;on record for unaccompanied children encountered at the border, following March’s all-time high. The Border Patrol’s total encounters in April were up 3% from March, marking the highest level since April 2000.On Monday, Harris defended her decision not to visit the border, telling reporters she was focused on addressing the root causes of migration in a way that delivers “tangible” results “as opposed to grand gestures.”But even as Harris made the case for reforms in the nation’s capital, those very migrants she hoped to help were still streaming to the nation’s borders.On Monday, Henry Armando Rodríguez, 27, from El Paraiso in south-central Honduras, rested outside the migrant shelter in Tecun Uman at the Guatemala-Mexico border on his journey toward the United States. He didn’t know about Harris’ visit but described reasons for leaving that touched on the hopelessness the vice president wants to address.“Life is very bad in Honduras right now,” he said.It was his first time attempting to migrate, he said. He decided to make the journey because it was impossible to find any agricultural work because of droughts at home.When he was able to find work, he couldn’t make enough money to pay for a decent home. He said that, because of poverty in Honduras, “we have to flee from there to be able to look for new opportunities.” And he wasn’t impressed with the politicians who he says only claim to want to help when they’re fishing for votes around election season.“They promise you the sun and the moon, and then in the end they forgot all of that,” he said. “What interests them is only themselves, how they live, and the life of the poor is of little importance to them.”___GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — With Kamala Harris visiting Guatemala and Mexico on her first foreign trip as vice president, the Biden administration is expected to announce new measures to fight smuggling and trafficking, and hopes to announce additional anti-corruption efforts as well on Monday, a senior administration official said.The official, who briefed reporters traveling with Harris on Sunday, spoke on condition of anonymity to preview announcements before they have been made public. No further details were provided.Harris has been tasked by President Joe Biden with addressing the root causes of the spike in migration to the U.S.-Mexico border, and her aides say corruption will be a central focus of her meetings with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Monday and Mexico’s Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday.“Corruption really does sap the the wealth of any country, and in Central America is at a scale where it is a large percentage of GDP across the region,” said special envoy Ricardo Zuniga.“We see corruption as one of the most important root causes to be dealt with,” Zuniga added.The trip got off to a rocky start when Harris’ plane returned to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland about 30 minutes after takeoff because of what her spokesperson said was a problem with the landing gear. She departed on another plane and landed late Sunday in in Guatemala City, where she was met by Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo.Harris is seeking to secure commitments from Guatemala and Mexico for greater cooperation on border security and economic investment, and aides say she will also discuss vaccine sharing during her meetings. But corruption in the region — a far more intractable challenge — will complicate her efforts.It’s already had a significant impact on her work in Central America. Harris has yet to engage substantively with the leaders of Honduras and El Salvador, who are both embroiled in corruption scandals.Giammattei has faced criticism over corruption within his own government. Zuniga acknowledged that the U.S. government faces a challenge in working with him but argued Harris was in the country in part to have a direct conversation with the president about this and other issues.“The best way to deal with these cases where you have a very complex relationship in a country like Guatemala is to talk clearly and plainly as partners, as countries that have to get along” he said.Harris has laid out an approach centered on creating better opportunities and living conditions in the region through humanitarian and economic aid. She announced plans to send $310 million to provide support for refugees and address food shortages, and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/central-america-immigration-business-government-and-politics-e5f715296eef17c08af58c633b2b9b3e">recently secured commitments</a>&nbsp;from a dozen companies and organizations to invest in the Northern Triangle countries to promote economic opportunity and job training.Washington won some goodwill through its vaccine diplomacy this past week. Giammattei and López Obrador both received calls from Harris on Thursday telling them the U.S. would be sending 500,000 doses and 1 million doses, respectively, of COVID-19 vaccine.While in Guatemala, Harris also plans to meet community leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs. In Mexico, she will speak with female entrepreneurs and hold a roundtable with labor workers.She’s underscored the need to address corruption in public remarks and events. In a May meeting with&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/guatemala-aab7d6852c956a981cc73aff1e5bdcd1">a number of leading voices on Guatemala’s justice system</a>, she noted her work as a prosecutor and said that “injustice is a root cause of migration.”“Part of giving people hope is having a very specific commitment to rooting out corruption in the region,” she said.Harris has also raised the issue during virtual meetings with the leaders of both countries, and aides say she will do it again during meetings on her trip. During their past conversations, they have discussed areas of mutual interest — improving port security, fighting smuggling networks, going after corrupt actors — and the goal of this trip is to turn that talk into action, aides say.While the vice president will make announcements concerning new efforts at cooperation and new programs, she’s not expected to announce any new aid during her trip.While in Latin America, Harris will also have to navigate the politics of immigration. Congressional Republicans have criticized both Biden and Harris for deciding not to visit the border, and contend the administration is ignoring what they say is a crisis there. April was the second-busiest month on record for unaccompanied children encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border, following March’s all-time high. The Border Patrol’s total encounters in April were up 3% from March, marking the highest level since April 2000.Conservatives will be watching Harris closely for any missteps, hoping to drag her into further controversy on an issue that they see as a political winner.In her efforts to win commitments on corruption from the region’s leaders, Harris can point to a number of moves by the Biden administration last week.Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the problem during his own recent trip to Central America. The White House&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/06/03/memorandum-on-establishing-the-fight-against-corruption-as-a-core-united-states-national-security-interest/" target="_blank">issued a memo</a>&nbsp;elevating foreign corruption to a major national security issue, and directed all federal agencies to prioritize it and modernize their foreign corruption-fighting tools.Eric Olson, director of policy at the Seattle International Foundation, which works to promote good governance in Central America, said that addressing corruption will take particular diplomatic skill. Harris will need to hold the leaders of Guatemala and Mexico accountable while also deepening trust and cooperation with the two nations.“The challenge that she faces is how to, on the one hand, have a conversation, keep the door open — while not seeming to ignore the obvious elephant in the room, which is this incredible penetration of the state by corrupt actors,” he said.In Mexico, López Obrador continues to face a complicated security situation in many parts of the country. Nearly three-dozen candidates or pre-candidates were killed before this weekend’s midterm elections as drug cartels sought to protect their interests. The government’s inability to provide security in parts of the country is of interest to the U.S. in an immigration context, both for the people who are displaced by violence and the impact it has on a severely weakened economy trying reemerge from the pandemic.The number of Mexicans encountered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection rose steadily from December through April. Mexico remains a key U.S. ally in trying to slow immigration, not only of its own citizens, but those crossing its territory. Successive U.S. administrations have effectively tried to push their immigration enforcement goals south to Mexico and Guatemala.Nongovernmental organizations placed Guatemala’s widespread corruption at the top of their list of concerns before Harris’ visit.Last month, two lawyers who are outspoken critics of Giammattei’s administration were arrested on what they say were trumped-up charges aimed at silencing them.The selection of judges for Guatemala’s Constitutional Court, its highest, was mired in influence peddling and alleged corruption. Giammattei picked his chief of staff to fill one of the five vacancies. When Gloria Porras, a respected force against corruption, was elected to a second term, the congress controlled by Giammattei’s party refused to seat her.Harris’ visit comes with high expectations, but experts say clear progress on corruption may be elusive.“These are societies built on corruption,” said Olson. “You’re not gonna have an impact in six months.”___