JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for allegedly contaminating food.

On April 25, the Leawood Police Department received a tip that a Leawood restaurant may have someone intentionally contaminating food.

Police immediately began an investigation that led to the Hereford House, 5001 Town Center Drive in Leawood, where detectives spoke with restaurant management to identify a suspect 21-year-old&nbsp;Jace Christian Hanson of Kansas City.

On Monday, Hanson was charged with food adulteration, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office. The alleged crime occurred between March 26 and April 25.

Customers who ate at the steakhouse between those dates and experienced health issues are to contact Leawood police.

&nbsp;Hanson is scheduled for a court appearance on May 2, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714486969300.png" alt="Hanson-photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Hanson-photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for allegedly contaminating food.On April 25, the Leawood Police Department received a tip that a Leawood restaurant may have someone intentionally contaminating food.Police immediately began an investigation that led to the Hereford House, 5001 Town Center Drive in Leawood, where detectives spoke with restaurant management to identify a suspect 21-year-old&nbsp;Jace Christian Hanson of Kansas City.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Leawood Police have arrested a subject for intentionally contaminating food at the Leawood Hereford House. If you ate at the restaurant between March 26 and April 25, 2024, and later experienced health issues, please contact us: tips@leawood.org or 913-266-0696. <a href="https://t.co/7Ye056ObBH">pic.twitter.com/7Ye056ObBH</a>&mdash; Leawood Police (@LeawoodPolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/LeawoodPolice/status/1785327499137749138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>On Monday, Hanson was charged with food adulteration, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office. The alleged crime occurred between March 26 and April 25.Customers who ate at the steakhouse between those dates and experienced health issues are to contact Leawood police.&nbsp;Hanson is scheduled for a court appearance on May 2, according to the district attorney's office.

Man accused of intentionally contaminating food at Kan. steakhouse

MONTGOMERY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects for alleged theft and other crimes after a three county chase.

On April 29, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call reporting the theft of a Penske box truck from Pete's Gas Station, 401 W. Main in Independence, Kansas, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.

 The caller indicated that the stolen truck was traveling east on U.S. 160, east of Independence. Deputies quickly located the truck on U.S. 160 and County Road 5100. Despite activating their lights and sirens, the truck failed to stop, leading to a vehicle pursuit. 

The truck turned north onto U.S. 169, where the Cherryvale Police Department joined the chase and attempted to use spike strips to stop the truck. 

However, the initial attempt with stop sticks was unsuccessful, and the truck continued, turning east onto U.S. 400. The Parsons Police Department made another attempt to deploy stop sticks, but the suspects made dangerous maneuvers to avoid them. 

The Labette County Sheriff's Office then joined the pursuit, with the truck weaving through various county roads in Labette County before rejoining U.S. 400 and heading into Cherokee County. 

 The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and Crawford County Sheriff’s Office joined the pursuit. This time, the use of stop sticks was successful, and the truck eventually came to a halt in the middle of the roadway. 

Deputies took into custody two female suspects, identified as 34-year-old Sumer Young of Independence, Kansas, and 36-year-old Sierra Vernon of Coffeyville, Kansas.

Both suspects remain in the Montgomery County Department of Corrections (DOC). Young is being held on requested charges including fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement, theft, failure to stop at a stop sign, driving with a suspended license, and driving left of center. 

Vernon was booked on a requested charge of theft. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714355806928.png" alt="Vernon-photo Montgomery Co." />
 <figcaption>Vernon-photo Montgomery Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>MONTGOMERY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects for alleged theft and other crimes after a three county chase.On April 29, the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call reporting the theft of a Penske box truck from Pete's Gas Station, 401 W. Main in Independence, Kansas, according to Sheriff Ron Wade.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714355765859.png" alt="Young -photo Montgomery Co." />
 <figcaption>Young -photo Montgomery Co.</figcaption>
 </figure> The caller indicated that the stolen truck was traveling east on U.S. 160, east of Independence. Deputies quickly located the truck on U.S. 160 and County Road 5100. Despite activating their lights and sirens, the truck failed to stop, leading to a vehicle pursuit. The truck turned north onto U.S. 169, where the Cherryvale Police Department joined the chase and attempted to use spike strips to stop the truck. However, the initial attempt with stop sticks was unsuccessful, and the truck continued, turning east onto U.S. 400. The Parsons Police Department made another attempt to deploy stop sticks, but the suspects made dangerous maneuvers to avoid them. The Labette County Sheriff's Office then joined the pursuit, with the truck weaving through various county roads in Labette County before rejoining U.S. 400 and heading into Cherokee County. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and Crawford County Sheriff’s Office joined the pursuit. This time, the use of stop sticks was successful, and the truck eventually came to a halt in the middle of the roadway. Deputies took into custody two female suspects, identified as 34-year-old Sumer Young of Independence, Kansas, and 36-year-old Sierra Vernon of Coffeyville, Kansas.Both suspects remain in the Montgomery County Department of Corrections (DOC). Young is being held on requested charges including fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement, theft, failure to stop at a stop sign, driving with a suspended license, and driving left of center. Vernon was booked on a requested charge of theft.

2 Kan. women caught after 3 county chase in stolen box truck

COWLEY COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 4p.m. Tuesday in Cowley County.

&nbsp;A Brush Hog riding lawn mower driven by 82-year-old George Hawkins Jr., of Arkansas, was traveling in the north ditch in the&nbsp;13000 block of 212th Road, according to Sheriff Dave Faletti.

The mower’s front wheels dug into the mud and overturned onto Hawkins pinning him to the ground.

Several Good Samaritans stopped, called 911, and were able to get the mower off Hawkins. Life saving measures were administered by Deputies and taken over by Winfield EMS. EagleMed was requested to launch and land at the scene. Prior to EagleMeds arrival Winfield EMS transported Hawkins to William Newton Memorial Hospital. Hawkins was later pronounced deceased at the hospital.

COWLEY COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 4p.m. Tuesday in Cowley County.&nbsp;A Brush Hog riding lawn mower driven by 82-year-old George Hawkins Jr., of Arkansas, was traveling in the north ditch in the&nbsp;13000 block of 212th Road, according to Sheriff Dave Faletti.The mower’s front wheels dug into the mud and overturned onto Hawkins pinning him to the ground.Several Good Samaritans stopped, called 911, and were able to get the mower off Hawkins. Life saving measures were administered by Deputies and taken over by Winfield EMS. EagleMed was requested to launch and land at the scene. Prior to EagleMeds arrival Winfield EMS transported Hawkins to William Newton Memorial Hospital. Hawkins was later pronounced deceased at the hospital.

Kansas man dies in mower accident

POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY—A strong storm spawned a deadly tornado in northeast Kansas Tuesday.

Just after 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, an EF3 tornado struck the Pottawatomie County community of Westmoreland with wind gusts of 140mph, according to a preliminary damage survey by the National Weather Service in Topeka.

The tornado was on the ground for eight minutes, traveled 2.58 miles with a maximum width of 100 yards.

One person died in the storm and three were injured. The tornado also destroyed 22 homes, three RVs and five outbuildings and damaged another 13 homes and one commercial building. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714598538108.png" alt="Photos National Weather Service Topeka" />
 <figcaption>Photos National Weather Service Topeka</figcaption>
 </figure>POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY—A strong storm spawned a deadly tornado in northeast Kansas Tuesday.Just after 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, an EF3 tornado struck the Pottawatomie County community of Westmoreland with wind gusts of 140mph, according to a preliminary damage survey by the National Weather Service in Topeka.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714598577991.png" alt="-Path of the storm" />
 <figcaption>-Path of the storm</figcaption>
 </figure>The tornado was on the ground for eight minutes, traveled 2.58 miles with a maximum width of 100 yards.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714598538108.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>One person died in the storm and three were injured. The tornado also destroyed 22 homes, three RVs and five outbuildings and damaged another 13 homes and one commercial building.

NWS: Deadly NE Kansas tornado had winds of 140mph

LAWRENCE —Student&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinian-campus-student-protests-war-8b0d3a0cedb17f5e892c6ca43bbdf628">protests over the Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;have popped up at many college campuses nationwide including the University of Kansas after being inspired by demonstrators at Columbia University.

&nbsp;A group calling itself University of Kansas Students for Justice in Palestine sent a letter Wednesday to the Office of the Chancellor at the University.&nbsp; Read the letter below.

Students nationwide are calling for universities to separate themselves from companies advancing Israel’s military efforts in Gaza and in some cases from Israel itself. Police have arrested hundreds nationwide since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/columbia-protests-israel-palestinian-hirsi-cd80372939c7c08a40346e8b7d546da1">detainments at Columbia</a>&nbsp;on April 18.

Officials are trying to resolve the protests as the academic year winds down, but students have dug in at several high-profile universities.

Police have cleared 30 to 40 people from inside Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall late Tuesday after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the administration building in New York earlier in the day. The scene unfolded shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday as police, wearing helmets and carrying zip ties and riot shields, massed at the Ivy League university’s entrance. Officers breached Hamilton Hall, an administration building on campus, to clear out the structure. The demonstrators had occupied Hamilton Hall more than 12 hours earlier, spreading their reach from an encampment elsewhere on the grounds that’s been there for nearly two weeks. Columbia’s protests earlier this month kicked off demonstrations that now span from California to Massachusetts.

Columbia said Tuesday that students occupying the building face expulsion, that those who did not abide by the deadline terms were being suspended and seniors will be ineligible to graduate on May 15.

CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, HUMBOLDT

A weeklong occupation of the administration building at the California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, ended about 3 a.m. Tuesday, when dozens of police officers wearing helmets and wielding batons cleared protesters from campus. The university said 25 people were arrested and taken to jail. A group of demonstrators showed up at the jail later Tuesday, waving Palestinian flags as they rallied for their release.

The university on the state’s rural north coast earlier announced a “hard closure,” meaning that people were not permitted to enter or be on the 8,000-student campus without authorization.

Arrest footage posted on the Lost Coast Outpost, a digital publication, showed about 100 police officers in riot gear arriving in vans and buses and then marching in with shields at the ready.

Some officers approached a group of protesters who were chanting “Viva, viva Palestina!” and sitting in a circle outside the administration building. Police picked them up one by one, tied their hands behind their back with zip ties and led them off campus.

Damage to the school since protests started on April 22 is estimated to be over $1 million, California state Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire, a Democrat whose district includes the campus, said Tuesday.

“Let’s be clear – it’s going to take time to heal, McGuire said. “Cal Poly Humboldt must be a campus where all faiths and students of all backgrounds feel safe, respected, and included. This has not been the case for Humboldt’s Jewish students and others over the past week.”

Yale authorities cleared a protesters’ encampment Tuesday morning after students heeded final warnings to leave, university officials said. Yale and New Haven, Connecticut, police officers were at the site, but no arrests were reported. Yale officials said they warned that students could be arrested and face discipline, including suspension, if they didn’t clear the grassy quad area.

Demonstrators moved their gathering to a public sidewalk area. It was the second encampment removed since last week. On April 22, police arrested nearly 50 people, including 44 students, and took down dozens of tents.

Police moved in on a campus encampment at the Storrs, Connecticut, school Tuesday morning and arrested 25 protesters after giving them several warnings to leave, UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said.

Twenty-four of those arrested were students; one was a former student. They were charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct after university officials said they repeatedly ignored directives by campus police to remove tents and disperse from an encampment first set up on April 24.

Tuesday’s arrests came a day after protest leaders met with university officials.

In a statement, protesters said the Cambridge, Massachusetts, school “has sought to shut off all outside access and visibility to the encampment."

"Meanwhile, the Harvard administration has initiated disciplinary action against nearly forty students and student workers,” the statement said.

Last week, Harvard limited access to its famous Harvard Yard to those with school identification after a camp was set up.

The university's president, Chris Eisgruber, posted a statement on Instagram saying 13 protesters — 12 affiliated with the university — were arrested Monday night after briefly occupying Clio Hall, the campus graduate school building.

“All those arrested received summonses for trespassing and have been barred from campus,” Eisgruber said in the statement. “The students will also face University discipline, which may extend to suspension or expulsion.”

Protesters at Brown University in Rhode Island agreed to dismantle their pro-Palestinian encampment Tuesday after school officials said five students will be invited to meet with five members of the Corporation of Brown University in May to present their arguments to divest Brown’s endowment from companies contributing to and profiting from the war in Gaza.

In addition, Brown President Christina Paxson will ask an advisory committee to make a recommendation on divestment by Sept. 30, which will be brought before the school’s governing corporation for a vote in October.

The school in Evanston, Illinois, said Monday that it had reached an agreement with students and faculty who represent the majority of protesters on its campus since Thursday.

The university said in a statement that it agrees to answer questions within 30 days about specific holdings and investments. It also said it would reconvene an advisory committee to ensure “any vendor who profits from the Israeli occupation" will not provide services on campus. The statement said the university plans to further invest in supporting Muslim and Jewish life on campus.

Northwestern says it will permit peaceful demonstrations that comply with university policies through June 1, which is the end of spring quarter classes.

In a confrontation between police and protesters at the Austin school late Monday, 79 people involved were jailed, according to the Travis County sheriff’s department. Most were charged with criminal trespass.

About 150 protesters sat on the ground as state troopers and police encircled them, with hundreds of others shouting when officers dragged someone away. After police cleared the original group of demonstrators, hundreds of students and protesters ran to block officers from leaving campus. Protesters pushed in on officers, creating a mass of shoving bodies before police used pepper spray and set off flash-bang devices to clear a path for a van to take those arrested off campus.

Encampment organizers met with university President Carol Folt for about 90 minutes Monday. Folt declined to discuss details of what was discussed but said the purpose of the meeting was to allow her to hear the concerns of protesters. Another meeting was scheduled for Tuesday.

The university has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestine-war-campus-protests-usc-cff0c1e59fc6164f615a2686d7f1b401">canceled its main graduation ceremony</a>, set for May 10. It already canceled a commencement speech by the school’s pro-Palestinian valedictorian, citing safety concerns.

Security was tightened Tuesday at the campus a day after officials said there were “physical altercations” between dueling factions of protesters.

Mary Osako, vice chancellor for UCLA Strategic Communications, said in a Tuesday statement that anyone involved in blocking classroom access could face expulsion or suspension.

Before dawn Monday, demonstrators at the school in Washington, D.C., tore down metal barricades confining them to University Yard and set up more than a dozen tents in the middle of a street.

Later in the day, there were no signs of conflict. The Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement that it will continue monitoring the situation and that the protest remained peaceful.

The university said it will move law school finals to a different building because of noise from the protests.

A protest at the school in Blacksburg resulted in 82 arrests, including 53 students, a university spokesperson said Monday.

Protesters began occupying the lawn of the graduate life center Friday. After protesters took further steps to occupy the lawn and outdoor spaces Sunday, the university advised those gathered to disperse. Those who failed to comply were warned they would be charged with trespassing, the university said.

Tents were erected Tuesday on the school's Chicago-area campus. The university said in a letter that tents and other structures without permits violate school policies. The school also warned that actions that interfere with operations, damage property or are disruptive will lead to disciplinary measures, including suspension, expulsion and criminal sanctions.

Dozens of students, faculty and staff camped out overnight at the Cleveland school hours after a similar encampment had been broken up and more than 20 people were detained but later released.

School officials initially had said protests would be limited to daylight hours but announced Monday night that students and others affiliated with the school would be allowed to stay at the makeshift encampment on the school’s public green.

Officials were checking the participants’ identification before they were given wristbands signifying they could remain at the site. Roughly 100 people camped out overnight without incident, officials said.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL

About 30 people were detained by campus police Tuesday morning after the university said encampment protesters refused to leave. At 5:30 a.m., a university statement said protesters needed to remove tents and other items and leave the area by 6 a.m. or risk arrest.

Clearing out the encampment took approximately 45 minutes, according to the university. The university had not responded to a query about whether protesters were arrested and charged.

Tensions escalated Tuesday afternoon when protesters removed the American flag from a flagpole on campus central grounds and replaced it with a Palestinian flag, according to news outlets on the scene. Police then rehung the American flag as protesters and counter-protesters circled the area.

The university issued an alert that classes were canceled for the rest of Tuesday, the last day of scheduled classes.

Nine people, including six students, were arrested at the Gainesville university — where about 50 people began protesting last week — by campus police and state troopers Monday.

Steve Orlando, the school’s associate vice president of communications, said many of the protesters were “outside agitators” and they had been warned for many days that prohibited activities would result in a trespassing order, barring them from campus for three years. Individuals who didn’t comply were arrested after campus police gave them multiple warnings, he said.

Last week, university officials warned that students could face suspension and employees could be fired if they violated a series of rules.

The Ann Arbor school told students, staff and faculty in a letter Friday that its upcoming commencement ceremonies likely will be the site of “various student expressions, including possible demonstrations.” Last week, a demonstration at the center of the campus had grown to nearly 40 tents.

The letter noted that school policies “make clear that interfering with speakers and events is not protected speech and is a violation of university policy.”

At the Richmond, Virginia, campus, demonstrators protesting the Israel-Hamas war clashed with police Monday night after officers tried to remove a makeshift encampment.

Protesters put up tents and built a barricade with shipping pallets. Police, some wearing riot gear, charged the line of demonstrators to clear the crowd, the Richmond Times-Dispatch&nbsp;<a href="https://richmond.com/news/local/education/palestine-protesters-vcu-campus-israel-gaza-war-ceasrefire-hostages-hamas-glenn-youngkin/article_f6452cb8-0656-11ef-886c-d3211f176ada.html#tracking-source=home-top-story">reported.</a>&nbsp;Some protesters were seen hurling water bottles and other objects at police.

VCU said in a statement Tuesday that 13 people, including six VCU students, were charged with unlawful assembly and trespassing. VCU said officers used pepper spray to disperse the crowd.

A small group of students at the downtown Portland, Oregon, school broke into its library late Monday. Students have been protesting in a park on campus and on the library steps since Thursday.

Campus was closed Tuesday as a result of the library occupation. District Attorney Mike Schmidt said the protesters’ actions had crossed into criminal behavior and those arrested would be prosecuted.

Several dozen protesters camped in about a dozen small tents on a grassy area near an administration building Monday at Tulane University in New Orleans.

Tulane police “moved in immediately to attempt to stop the encampment," the administration said in a Tuesday afternoon news release. It added that university officials are “now focused on containing and ending the protest” at the direction of New Orleans police and Louisiana state police.

The university said six people were arrested and five students suspended after a Monday confrontation with police. The Students for a Democratic Society organization also was suspended.

About 2 p.m. Tuesday, university officials wheeled a portable electronic sign onto the lawn. “PRIVATE PROPERTY—NO TRESPASSING,” it read. “Everyone must leave this area immediately.”

The university said some classes would be held remotely.

Police arrested protesters Monday who tried to set up an encampment at the university northeast of Atlanta. A spokesperson wouldn’t say how many people were arrested on the final day of classes before spring exams.

Athens-Clarke County jail records showed that University of Georgia police had booked 12 people into the jail by midafternoon on criminal trespassing charges. State troopers aided university police.

Protesters erected an encampment at the Salt Lake City school Monday. About two dozen tents were set up on the lawn outside the university president’s office, and roughly 200 students held protest signs and Palestinian flags. Later Monday, dozens of officers in riot gear sought to break up the encampment.

Police dragged students off by their hands and feet, snapping the poles holding up tents and zip-tying those who refused to disperse. Twenty arrests were made. The university says it is against code to camp overnight on school property, and the students were given several warnings to disperse before police were called in.

Student protest groups posted on social media Tuesday that their encampment of dozens of tents and hundreds of people was still standing, even after police ordered them to disperse Monday night. More than 10 university buildings, including a student union and large library, near the encampment remained closed in anticipation of continued protests.

In Albuquerque, police in tactical gear tore down tents and clashed briefly with protesters who occupied the University of New Mexico’s student union building for about seven hours Monday night into Tuesday morning.

University officials said 16 people were arrested, including five students and 11 people not affiliated with the school. They said the protesters vandalized the student union building and sprayed-painted graffiti across campus. They didn’t immediately provide a damage estimate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714585191259.png" alt="Photo by JuYeon Kim courtesy KSHB TV" />
 <figcaption>Photo by JuYeon Kim courtesy KSHB TV</figcaption>
 </figure>LAWRENCE —Student&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinian-campus-student-protests-war-8b0d3a0cedb17f5e892c6ca43bbdf628">protests over the Israel-Hamas war</a>&nbsp;have popped up at many college campuses nationwide including the University of Kansas after being inspired by demonstrators at Columbia University.&nbsp;A group calling itself University of Kansas Students for Justice in Palestine sent a letter Wednesday to the Office of the Chancellor at the University.&nbsp; Read the letter below.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714585098880.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Students nationwide are calling for universities to separate themselves from companies advancing Israel’s military efforts in Gaza and in some cases from Israel itself. Police have arrested hundreds nationwide since&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/columbia-protests-israel-palestinian-hirsi-cd80372939c7c08a40346e8b7d546da1">detainments at Columbia</a>&nbsp;on April 18.Officials are trying to resolve the protests as the academic year winds down, but students have dug in at several high-profile universities.A look at protests on other campuses:COLUMBIA UNIVERSITYPolice have cleared 30 to 40 people from inside Columbia University’s Hamilton Hall late Tuesday after pro-Palestinian protesters occupied the administration building in New York earlier in the day. The scene unfolded shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday as police, wearing helmets and carrying zip ties and riot shields, massed at the Ivy League university’s entrance. Officers breached Hamilton Hall, an administration building on campus, to clear out the structure. The demonstrators had occupied Hamilton Hall more than 12 hours earlier, spreading their reach from an encampment elsewhere on the grounds that’s been there for nearly two weeks. Columbia’s protests earlier this month kicked off demonstrations that now span from California to Massachusetts.Columbia said Tuesday that students occupying the building face expulsion, that those who did not abide by the deadline terms were being suspended and seniors will be ineligible to graduate on May 15.CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, HUMBOLDTA weeklong occupation of the administration building at the California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, ended about 3 a.m. Tuesday, when dozens of police officers wearing helmets and wielding batons cleared protesters from campus. The university said 25 people were arrested and taken to jail. A group of demonstrators showed up at the jail later Tuesday, waving Palestinian flags as they rallied for their release.The university on the state’s rural north coast earlier announced a “hard closure,” meaning that people were not permitted to enter or be on the 8,000-student campus without authorization.Arrest footage posted on the Lost Coast Outpost, a digital publication, showed about 100 police officers in riot gear arriving in vans and buses and then marching in with shields at the ready.Some officers approached a group of protesters who were chanting “Viva, viva Palestina!” and sitting in a circle outside the administration building. Police picked them up one by one, tied their hands behind their back with zip ties and led them off campus.Damage to the school since protests started on April 22 is estimated to be over $1 million, California state Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire, a Democrat whose district includes the campus, said Tuesday.“Let’s be clear – it’s going to take time to heal, McGuire said. “Cal Poly Humboldt must be a campus where all faiths and students of all backgrounds feel safe, respected, and included. This has not been the case for Humboldt’s Jewish students and others over the past week.”YALE UNIVERSITYYale authorities cleared a protesters’ encampment Tuesday morning after students heeded final warnings to leave, university officials said. Yale and New Haven, Connecticut, police officers were at the site, but no arrests were reported. Yale officials said they warned that students could be arrested and face discipline, including suspension, if they didn’t clear the grassy quad area.Demonstrators moved their gathering to a public sidewalk area. It was the second encampment removed since last week. On April 22, police arrested nearly 50 people, including 44 students, and took down dozens of tents.UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUTPolice moved in on a campus encampment at the Storrs, Connecticut, school Tuesday morning and arrested 25 protesters after giving them several warnings to leave, UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said.Twenty-four of those arrested were students; one was a former student. They were charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct after university officials said they repeatedly ignored directives by campus police to remove tents and disperse from an encampment first set up on April 24.Tuesday’s arrests came a day after protest leaders met with university officials.HARVARD UNIVERSITYIn a statement, protesters said the Cambridge, Massachusetts, school “has sought to shut off all outside access and visibility to the encampment.""Meanwhile, the Harvard administration has initiated disciplinary action against nearly forty students and student workers,” the statement said.Last week, Harvard limited access to its famous Harvard Yard to those with school identification after a camp was set up.PRINCETON UNIVERSITYThe university's president, Chris Eisgruber, posted a statement on Instagram saying 13 protesters — 12 affiliated with the university — were arrested Monday night after briefly occupying Clio Hall, the campus graduate school building.“All those arrested received summonses for trespassing and have been barred from campus,” Eisgruber said in the statement. “The students will also face University discipline, which may extend to suspension or expulsion.”BROWN UNIVERSITYProtesters at Brown University in Rhode Island agreed to dismantle their pro-Palestinian encampment Tuesday after school officials said five students will be invited to meet with five members of the Corporation of Brown University in May to present their arguments to divest Brown’s endowment from companies contributing to and profiting from the war in Gaza.In addition, Brown President Christina Paxson will ask an advisory committee to make a recommendation on divestment by Sept. 30, which will be brought before the school’s governing corporation for a vote in October.NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITYThe school in Evanston, Illinois, said Monday that it had reached an agreement with students and faculty who represent the majority of protesters on its campus since Thursday.The university said in a statement that it agrees to answer questions within 30 days about specific holdings and investments. It also said it would reconvene an advisory committee to ensure “any vendor who profits from the Israeli occupation" will not provide services on campus. The statement said the university plans to further invest in supporting Muslim and Jewish life on campus.Northwestern says it will permit peaceful demonstrations that comply with university policies through June 1, which is the end of spring quarter classes.UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTINIn a confrontation between police and protesters at the Austin school late Monday, 79 people involved were jailed, according to the Travis County sheriff’s department. Most were charged with criminal trespass.About 150 protesters sat on the ground as state troopers and police encircled them, with hundreds of others shouting when officers dragged someone away. After police cleared the original group of demonstrators, hundreds of students and protesters ran to block officers from leaving campus. Protesters pushed in on officers, creating a mass of shoving bodies before police used pepper spray and set off flash-bang devices to clear a path for a van to take those arrested off campus.UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIAEncampment organizers met with university President Carol Folt for about 90 minutes Monday. Folt declined to discuss details of what was discussed but said the purpose of the meeting was to allow her to hear the concerns of protesters. Another meeting was scheduled for Tuesday.The university has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestine-war-campus-protests-usc-cff0c1e59fc6164f615a2686d7f1b401">canceled its main graduation ceremony</a>, set for May 10. It already canceled a commencement speech by the school’s pro-Palestinian valedictorian, citing safety concerns.UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELESSecurity was tightened Tuesday at the campus a day after officials said there were “physical altercations” between dueling factions of protesters.Mary Osako, vice chancellor for UCLA Strategic Communications, said in a Tuesday statement that anyone involved in blocking classroom access could face expulsion or suspension.GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITYBefore dawn Monday, demonstrators at the school in Washington, D.C., tore down metal barricades confining them to University Yard and set up more than a dozen tents in the middle of a street.Later in the day, there were no signs of conflict. The Metropolitan Police Department said in a statement that it will continue monitoring the situation and that the protest remained peaceful.The university said it will move law school finals to a different building because of noise from the protests.VIRGINIA TECHA protest at the school in Blacksburg resulted in 82 arrests, including 53 students, a university spokesperson said Monday.Protesters began occupying the lawn of the graduate life center Friday. After protesters took further steps to occupy the lawn and outdoor spaces Sunday, the university advised those gathered to disperse. Those who failed to comply were warned they would be charged with trespassing, the university said.DEPAUL UNIVERSITYTents were erected Tuesday on the school's Chicago-area campus. The university said in a letter that tents and other structures without permits violate school policies. The school also warned that actions that interfere with operations, damage property or are disruptive will lead to disciplinary measures, including suspension, expulsion and criminal sanctions.CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITYDozens of students, faculty and staff camped out overnight at the Cleveland school hours after a similar encampment had been broken up and more than 20 people were detained but later released.School officials initially had said protests would be limited to daylight hours but announced Monday night that students and others affiliated with the school would be allowed to stay at the makeshift encampment on the school’s public green.Officials were checking the participants’ identification before they were given wristbands signifying they could remain at the site. Roughly 100 people camped out overnight without incident, officials said.UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILLAbout 30 people were detained by campus police Tuesday morning after the university said encampment protesters refused to leave. At 5:30 a.m., a university statement said protesters needed to remove tents and other items and leave the area by 6 a.m. or risk arrest.Clearing out the encampment took approximately 45 minutes, according to the university. The university had not responded to a query about whether protesters were arrested and charged.Tensions escalated Tuesday afternoon when protesters removed the American flag from a flagpole on campus central grounds and replaced it with a Palestinian flag, according to news outlets on the scene. Police then rehung the American flag as protesters and counter-protesters circled the area.The university issued an alert that classes were canceled for the rest of Tuesday, the last day of scheduled classes.UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDANine people, including six students, were arrested at the Gainesville university — where about 50 people began protesting last week — by campus police and state troopers Monday.Steve Orlando, the school’s associate vice president of communications, said many of the protesters were “outside agitators” and they had been warned for many days that prohibited activities would result in a trespassing order, barring them from campus for three years. Individuals who didn’t comply were arrested after campus police gave them multiple warnings, he said.Last week, university officials warned that students could face suspension and employees could be fired if they violated a series of rules.UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGANThe Ann Arbor school told students, staff and faculty in a letter Friday that its upcoming commencement ceremonies likely will be the site of “various student expressions, including possible demonstrations.” Last week, a demonstration at the center of the campus had grown to nearly 40 tents.The letter noted that school policies “make clear that interfering with speakers and events is not protected speech and is a violation of university policy.”VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITYAt the Richmond, Virginia, campus, demonstrators protesting the Israel-Hamas war clashed with police Monday night after officers tried to remove a makeshift encampment.Protesters put up tents and built a barricade with shipping pallets. Police, some wearing riot gear, charged the line of demonstrators to clear the crowd, the Richmond Times-Dispatch&nbsp;<a href="https://richmond.com/news/local/education/palestine-protesters-vcu-campus-israel-gaza-war-ceasrefire-hostages-hamas-glenn-youngkin/article_f6452cb8-0656-11ef-886c-d3211f176ada.html#tracking-source=home-top-story">reported.</a>&nbsp;Some protesters were seen hurling water bottles and other objects at police.VCU said in a statement Tuesday that 13 people, including six VCU students, were charged with unlawful assembly and trespassing. VCU said officers used pepper spray to disperse the crowd.PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITYA small group of students at the downtown Portland, Oregon, school broke into its library late Monday. Students have been protesting in a park on campus and on the library steps since Thursday.Campus was closed Tuesday as a result of the library occupation. District Attorney Mike Schmidt said the protesters’ actions had crossed into criminal behavior and those arrested would be prosecuted.TULANE UNIVERSITYSeveral dozen protesters camped in about a dozen small tents on a grassy area near an administration building Monday at Tulane University in New Orleans.Tulane police “moved in immediately to attempt to stop the encampment," the administration said in a Tuesday afternoon news release. It added that university officials are “now focused on containing and ending the protest” at the direction of New Orleans police and Louisiana state police.The university said six people were arrested and five students suspended after a Monday confrontation with police. The Students for a Democratic Society organization also was suspended.About 2 p.m. Tuesday, university officials wheeled a portable electronic sign onto the lawn. “PRIVATE PROPERTY—NO TRESPASSING,” it read. “Everyone must leave this area immediately.”The university said some classes would be held remotely.UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIAPolice arrested protesters Monday who tried to set up an encampment at the university northeast of Atlanta. A spokesperson wouldn’t say how many people were arrested on the final day of classes before spring exams.Athens-Clarke County jail records showed that University of Georgia police had booked 12 people into the jail by midafternoon on criminal trespassing charges. State troopers aided university police.UNIVERSITY OF UTAHProtesters erected an encampment at the Salt Lake City school Monday. About two dozen tents were set up on the lawn outside the university president’s office, and roughly 200 students held protest signs and Palestinian flags. Later Monday, dozens of officers in riot gear sought to break up the encampment.Police dragged students off by their hands and feet, snapping the poles holding up tents and zip-tying those who refused to disperse. Twenty arrests were made. The university says it is against code to camp overnight on school property, and the students were given several warnings to disperse before police were called in.UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTAStudent protest groups posted on social media Tuesday that their encampment of dozens of tents and hundreds of people was still standing, even after police ordered them to disperse Monday night. More than 10 university buildings, including a student union and large library, near the encampment remained closed in anticipation of continued protests.UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICOIn Albuquerque, police in tactical gear tore down tents and clashed briefly with protesters who occupied the University of New Mexico’s student union building for about seven hours Monday night into Tuesday morning.University officials said 16 people were arrested, including five students and 11 people not affiliated with the school. They said the protesters vandalized the student union building and sprayed-painted graffiti across campus. They didn’t immediately provide a damage estimate.

Read demand letter Palestine protesters sent to KU Chancellor

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday emphasized that inflation has remained stubbornly high in recent months and said it doesn’t plan to cut interest rates until it has “greater confidence” that price increases are slowing sustainably to its 2% target.

The Fed issued its decision in a statement after its latest meeting, at which it kept its key rate at a two-decade high of roughly 5.3%. Several hotter-than-expected reports on prices and economic growth have recently undercut the Fed’s belief that inflation was steadily easing. The combination of high interest rates and persistent inflation has also emerged as a potential threat to President Joe Biden’s re-election bid.

“In recent months," Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference, “inflation has shown a lack of further progress toward our 2% objective."

“It is likely that gaining greater confidence,” Powell added, "will take longer than previously expected.”

The central bank’s latest message reflects an abrupt shift in its timetable on interest rates. As recently as their last meeting on March 20, the Fed’s policymakers had projected three rate reductions in 2024, likely starting in June. Rate cuts by the Fed would lead, over time, to lower borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, including for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards.

But given the persistence of elevated inflation, financial markets now expect just one rate cut this year, in November, according to futures prices tracked by CME FedWatch.

The Fed’s more cautious outlook stems from three months of data that pointed to chronic inflation pressures and robust consumer spending. Inflation has cooled from a peak of 7.1%, according to the Fed’s preferred measure, to 2.7%, as supply chains have eased and the cost of some goods has actually declined.

Average prices, though, remain well above their pre-pandemic levels, and the costs of services ranging from apartment rents and health care to restaurant meals and auto insurance continue to surge. With the presidential election six months away, many Americans have expressed discontent with the economy, notably over the pace of price increases.

On Wednesday, the Fed also said it would slow the pace at which it’s unwinding one of its biggest COVID-era policies: Its purchase of several trillion dollars in Treasury securities and mortgage-backed bonds, an effort to stabilize financial markets and keep longer-term rates low.

The Fed is now allowing $95 billion of those securities to mature each month, without replacing them. Its holdings have fallen to about $7.4 trillion, down from $8.9 trillion in June 2022, when it began reducing them. On Wednesday, the Fed said it would, in June, reduce its holdings at a slower pace, and allow a total of $60 billion of bonds to run off each month.

By cutting back its holdings, the Fed could contribute to keeping longer-term rates, including mortgage rates, higher than they would be otherwise. That’s because as it reduces its bond holdings, other buyers will have to buy the securities instead, and rates might have to rise to attract the needed buyers.

The U.S. economy is healthier and hiring stronger than most economists thought it would be at this point. The unemployment rate has remained&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-unemployment-economy-inflation-federal-reserve-1e456b8df0e11b218ed50f1ead6f6797">below 4% for more than two years</a>, the longest such streak since the 1960s. And while economic growth reached just a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-growth-inflation-gdp-consumers-federal-reserve-5a64d255a09313dabe54954060a09530">1.6% annual pace</a>&nbsp;in the first three months of this year, consumer spending grew at a robust pace, a sign that the economy will keep expanding.

That economic strength has caused some Fed officials to speculate that the current level of interest rates might not be high enough to have the cooling effect on the economy and inflation that they need. If so, the Fed might even decide to switch back to rate increases at some point.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve on Wednesday emphasized that inflation has remained stubbornly high in recent months and said it doesn’t plan to cut interest rates until it has “greater confidence” that price increases are slowing sustainably to its 2% target.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Fed Chair Powel: &quot;Today, the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FOMC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FOMC</a> decided to leave our policy interest rate unchanged and to continue to reduce our securities holdings, though at a slower pace.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/i8R4v5dxY2">pic.twitter.com/i8R4v5dxY2</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1785747678443323646?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Fed issued its decision in a statement after its latest meeting, at which it kept its key rate at a two-decade high of roughly 5.3%. Several hotter-than-expected reports on prices and economic growth have recently undercut the Fed’s belief that inflation was steadily easing. The combination of high interest rates and persistent inflation has also emerged as a potential threat to President Joe Biden’s re-election bid.“In recent months," Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference, “inflation has shown a lack of further progress toward our 2% objective."“It is likely that gaining greater confidence,” Powell added, "will take longer than previously expected.”The central bank’s latest message reflects an abrupt shift in its timetable on interest rates. As recently as their last meeting on March 20, the Fed’s policymakers had projected three rate reductions in 2024, likely starting in June. Rate cuts by the Fed would lead, over time, to lower borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, including for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards.But given the persistence of elevated inflation, financial markets now expect just one rate cut this year, in November, according to futures prices tracked by CME FedWatch.The Fed’s more cautious outlook stems from three months of data that pointed to chronic inflation pressures and robust consumer spending. Inflation has cooled from a peak of 7.1%, according to the Fed’s preferred measure, to 2.7%, as supply chains have eased and the cost of some goods has actually declined.Average prices, though, remain well above their pre-pandemic levels, and the costs of services ranging from apartment rents and health care to restaurant meals and auto insurance continue to surge. With the presidential election six months away, many Americans have expressed discontent with the economy, notably over the pace of price increases.On Wednesday, the Fed also said it would slow the pace at which it’s unwinding one of its biggest COVID-era policies: Its purchase of several trillion dollars in Treasury securities and mortgage-backed bonds, an effort to stabilize financial markets and keep longer-term rates low.The Fed is now allowing $95 billion of those securities to mature each month, without replacing them. Its holdings have fallen to about $7.4 trillion, down from $8.9 trillion in June 2022, when it began reducing them. On Wednesday, the Fed said it would, in June, reduce its holdings at a slower pace, and allow a total of $60 billion of bonds to run off each month.By cutting back its holdings, the Fed could contribute to keeping longer-term rates, including mortgage rates, higher than they would be otherwise. That’s because as it reduces its bond holdings, other buyers will have to buy the securities instead, and rates might have to rise to attract the needed buyers.The U.S. economy is healthier and hiring stronger than most economists thought it would be at this point. The unemployment rate has remained&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jobs-hiring-unemployment-economy-inflation-federal-reserve-1e456b8df0e11b218ed50f1ead6f6797">below 4% for more than two years</a>, the longest such streak since the 1960s. And while economic growth reached just a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/economy-growth-inflation-gdp-consumers-federal-reserve-5a64d255a09313dabe54954060a09530">1.6% annual pace</a>&nbsp;in the first three months of this year, consumer spending grew at a robust pace, a sign that the economy will keep expanding.That economic strength has caused some Fed officials to speculate that the current level of interest rates might not be high enough to have the cooling effect on the economy and inflation that they need. If so, the Fed might even decide to switch back to rate increases at some point.

Bad news for borrowers: Interest rates stay at 23-year high

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-methodist-church-lgbtq-policies-general-conference-fa9a335a74bdd58d138163401cd51b54">United Methodist</a>&nbsp;delegates repealed their church’s longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy with no debate on Wednesday, removing a rule forbidding “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from being ordained or appointed as ministers.

Delegates voted 692-51 at their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-methodists-schism-lgbtq-samesex-marriage-8b428597c86901b2d5886afeca5069c8">General Conference</a>&nbsp;— the first such legislative gathering in five years. That overwhelming margin contrasts sharply with the decades of controversy around the issue. Past General Conferences of the United Methodist Church had steadily reinforced the ban and related penalties amid debate and protests, but many of the conservatives who had previously upheld the ban have left the denomination in recent years, and this General Conference has moved in a solidly progressive direction.

Applause broke out in parts of the convention hall Wednesday after the vote. A group of observers from LGBTQ advocacy groups embraced, some in tears. “Thanks be to God,” said one.

The change doesn’t mandate or even explicitly affirm LGBTQ clergy, but it means the church no longer forbids them. It’s possible that the change will mainly apply to U.S. churches, since United Methodist bodies in other countries, such as in Africa, have the right to impose the rules for their own regions. The measure takes effect immediately upon the conclusion of General Conference, scheduled for Friday.

The consensus was so overwhelmingly that it was rolled into a “consent calendar,” a package of normally non-controversial measures that are bundled into a single vote to save time.

Also approved was a measure that forbids district superintendents — a regional administrator — from penalizing clergy for either performing a same-sex wedding or for refraining from performing one. It also forbids superintendents from forbidding or requiring a church from hosting a same-sex wedding.

That measure further removes scaffolding around the various LGBTQ bans that have been embedded various parts of official church law and policy. On Tuesday, delegates had begun taking steps to dismantle such policies.

Delegates are also expected to vote as soon as today on whether to replace their existing official Social Principles with a new document that no longer calls the “practice of homosexuality … incompatible with Christian teaching” and that now defines marriage as between “two people of faith” rather than between a man and a woman.

The changes are historic in a denomination that has debated LGBTQ issues for more than half a century at its General Conferences, which typically meet every four years. On Tuesday, delegates voted to remove mandatory penalties for conducting same-sex marriages and to remove their denomination’s bans on considering LGBTQ candidates for ministry and on funding for gay-friendly ministries.

About 100 LGBTQ people and allies gathered outside the Charlotte Convention Center after the vote — many with rainbow-colored scarves and umbrellas — to celebrate, pray and sing praise songs accompanied by a drum.

Bishop Karen Oliveto, the first openly lesbian bishop in the United Methodist Church, was among those celebrating.

“It seemed like such a simple vote, but it carried so much weight and power, as 50 years of restricting the Holy Spirit’s call on people’s lives has been lifted,” said Oliveto, of the Mountain Sky Episcopal Area, which includes Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. “People can live fully into their call without fear. The church we’ve loved has found a home for us.”

Angie Cox, an observer at the meeting from Ohio, said she has gone before her conference’s board of ordained ministry six times but was “told no just because of the prohibition on LGBTQ clergy.” She said Wednesday’s vote “means I might be able finally to live fully into my calling.”

Tracy Merrick, a delegate from Pittsburgh who has advocated for LGBTQ inclusion at several previous conferences, said with emotion that there were “many times when I thought we would never see this day.”

The vote, he said, enables the church to become “the denomination that many of us had envisioned for years.”

At the same time, the vote comes following the departure of one-quarter of the U.S. churches within the UMC. And it could also prompt departures of some international churches, particularly in Africa, where more conservative sexual values prevail and where same-sex activity is criminalized in some countries.

Last week, the conference&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-methodist-disaffiliation-lgbtq-regionalization-samesex-marriage-d429bb838c31f1899dbc48fbddb03197">endorsed a regionalization plan</a>&nbsp;that essentially would allow the churches of the United States the same autonomy as other regions of the global church. That change — which still requires local ratification — could create a scenario where LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage are allowed in the United States but not in other regions.

More than 7,600 mostly conservative congregations in the United States disaffiliated between 2019 and 2023 reflecting dismay over the denomination not enforcing its bans on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ ordination.

The conference last week also approved the departure of a small group of conservative churches in the former Soviet Union.

The church's 1972 General Conference approved a statement in its non-binding Social Principles that homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching" — a phrase omitted in a revision to the Social Principles that is also headed for a conference vote this week.

The now-repealed ban on clergy who are "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" was originally enacted in 1984, when the conference also voted to require “fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness.”

The denomination had until recently been the third largest in the United States, present in almost every county. But its 5.4 million U.S. membership in 2022 is expected to drop once the 2023 departures are factored in.

The denomination also counts 4.6 million members in other countries, mainly in Africa, though earlier estimates have been higher.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714584867565.png" alt="Bishop Karen Oliveto (right) and her wife, Robin Ridenour, react on May 1 after the United Methodist General Conference, meeting in Charlotte, N.C., voted to remove the denomination's ban on the ordination of clergy who are “self-avowed practicing homosexuals.” Photo by Paul Jeffrey, courtesy UM News" />
 <figcaption>Bishop Karen Oliveto (right) and her wife, Robin Ridenour, react on May 1 after the United Methodist General Conference, meeting in Charlotte, N.C., voted to remove the denomination's ban on the ordination of clergy who are “self-avowed practicing homosexuals.” Photo by Paul Jeffrey, courtesy UM News</figcaption>
 </figure>CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-methodist-church-lgbtq-policies-general-conference-fa9a335a74bdd58d138163401cd51b54">United Methodist</a>&nbsp;delegates repealed their church’s longstanding ban on LGBTQ clergy with no debate on Wednesday, removing a rule forbidding “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” from being ordained or appointed as ministers.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714576518780.png" alt="Image from the General Conference livestream" />
 <figcaption>Image from the General Conference livestream</figcaption>
 </figure>Delegates voted 692-51 at their&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-methodists-schism-lgbtq-samesex-marriage-8b428597c86901b2d5886afeca5069c8">General Conference</a>&nbsp;— the first such legislative gathering in five years. That overwhelming margin contrasts sharply with the decades of controversy around the issue. Past General Conferences of the United Methodist Church had steadily reinforced the ban and related penalties amid debate and protests, but many of the conservatives who had previously upheld the ban have left the denomination in recent years, and this General Conference has moved in a solidly progressive direction.Applause broke out in parts of the convention hall Wednesday after the vote. A group of observers from LGBTQ advocacy groups embraced, some in tears. “Thanks be to God,” said one.The change doesn’t mandate or even explicitly affirm LGBTQ clergy, but it means the church no longer forbids them. It’s possible that the change will mainly apply to U.S. churches, since United Methodist bodies in other countries, such as in Africa, have the right to impose the rules for their own regions. The measure takes effect immediately upon the conclusion of General Conference, scheduled for Friday.The consensus was so overwhelmingly that it was rolled into a “consent calendar,” a package of normally non-controversial measures that are bundled into a single vote to save time.Also approved was a measure that forbids district superintendents — a regional administrator — from penalizing clergy for either performing a same-sex wedding or for refraining from performing one. It also forbids superintendents from forbidding or requiring a church from hosting a same-sex wedding.That measure further removes scaffolding around the various LGBTQ bans that have been embedded various parts of official church law and policy. On Tuesday, delegates had begun taking steps to dismantle such policies.Delegates are also expected to vote as soon as today on whether to replace their existing official Social Principles with a new document that no longer calls the “practice of homosexuality … incompatible with Christian teaching” and that now defines marriage as between “two people of faith” rather than between a man and a woman.The changes are historic in a denomination that has debated LGBTQ issues for more than half a century at its General Conferences, which typically meet every four years. On Tuesday, delegates voted to remove mandatory penalties for conducting same-sex marriages and to remove their denomination’s bans on considering LGBTQ candidates for ministry and on funding for gay-friendly ministries.About 100 LGBTQ people and allies gathered outside the Charlotte Convention Center after the vote — many with rainbow-colored scarves and umbrellas — to celebrate, pray and sing praise songs accompanied by a drum.Bishop Karen Oliveto, the first openly lesbian bishop in the United Methodist Church, was among those celebrating.“It seemed like such a simple vote, but it carried so much weight and power, as 50 years of restricting the Holy Spirit’s call on people’s lives has been lifted,” said Oliveto, of the Mountain Sky Episcopal Area, which includes Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. “People can live fully into their call without fear. The church we’ve loved has found a home for us.”Angie Cox, an observer at the meeting from Ohio, said she has gone before her conference’s board of ordained ministry six times but was “told no just because of the prohibition on LGBTQ clergy.” She said Wednesday’s vote “means I might be able finally to live fully into my calling.”Tracy Merrick, a delegate from Pittsburgh who has advocated for LGBTQ inclusion at several previous conferences, said with emotion that there were “many times when I thought we would never see this day.”The vote, he said, enables the church to become “the denomination that many of us had envisioned for years.”At the same time, the vote comes following the departure of one-quarter of the U.S. churches within the UMC. And it could also prompt departures of some international churches, particularly in Africa, where more conservative sexual values prevail and where same-sex activity is criminalized in some countries.Last week, the conference&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/united-methodist-disaffiliation-lgbtq-regionalization-samesex-marriage-d429bb838c31f1899dbc48fbddb03197">endorsed a regionalization plan</a>&nbsp;that essentially would allow the churches of the United States the same autonomy as other regions of the global church. That change — which still requires local ratification — could create a scenario where LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage are allowed in the United States but not in other regions.More than 7,600 mostly conservative congregations in the United States disaffiliated between 2019 and 2023 reflecting dismay over the denomination not enforcing its bans on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ ordination.The conference last week also approved the departure of a small group of conservative churches in the former Soviet Union.The church's 1972 General Conference approved a statement in its non-binding Social Principles that homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching" — a phrase omitted in a revision to the Social Principles that is also headed for a conference vote this week.The now-repealed ban on clergy who are "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" was originally enacted in 1984, when the conference also voted to require “fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness.”The denomination had until recently been the third largest in the United States, present in almost every county. But its 5.4 million U.S. membership in 2022 is expected to drop once the 2023 departures are factored in.The denomination also counts 4.6 million members in other countries, mainly in Africa, though earlier estimates have been higher.

General Conference: United Methodists end ban on gay clergy 

JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on multiple allegations.

Just before 5a.m. April 28, a&nbsp;Sheriff’s Deputy conducted &nbsp;a traffic stop on a Jeep Cherokee at 106th and U.S. Highway 75&nbsp; near Hoyt for a traffic infraction, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

During the traffic stop, a Jackson County Sheriff K-9 detected the presence of illegal drugs and or narcotics within the vehicle. A probable cause search resulted in locating drug paraphernalia, and methamphetamine.

The driver of the vehicle Spencer H. Small, 48, of Topeka, was arrested on requested charges for for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while suspended 3rd or subsequent, driving while habitual violator 3rd or subsequent, no vehicle insurance, and no vehicle registration.

The passenger Cindia Dianne Cott, 57, of Topeka, was arrested on requested charges possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714242757559.png" alt="Small-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Small-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on multiple allegations.Just before 5a.m. April 28, a&nbsp;Sheriff’s Deputy conducted &nbsp;a traffic stop on a Jeep Cherokee at 106th and U.S. Highway 75&nbsp; near Hoyt for a traffic infraction, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.During the traffic stop, a Jackson County Sheriff K-9 detected the presence of illegal drugs and or narcotics within the vehicle. A probable cause search resulted in locating drug paraphernalia, and methamphetamine.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714242728599.png" alt="Cott-photo Jackson Co" />
 <figcaption>Cott-photo Jackson Co</figcaption>
 </figure>The driver of the vehicle Spencer H. Small, 48, of Topeka, was arrested on requested charges for for possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving while suspended 3rd or subsequent, driving while habitual violator 3rd or subsequent, no vehicle insurance, and no vehicle registration.The passenger Cindia Dianne Cott, 57, of Topeka, was arrested on requested charges possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Kan. sheriff's K9 found couple transporting methamphetamine

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/marjorie-taylor-greene">Marjorie Taylor Greene</a>&nbsp;said Wednesday she would call a vote next week on ousting House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>, forcing her colleagues to choose sides in a difficult showdown after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/speaker-mike-johnson-marjorie-taylor-greene-motion-to-vacate-552169f3e831ab8fb3baacfdf76c2d82">Democratic leaders announced</a>&nbsp;they would provide the votes to save the Republican speaker's job.

Speaking outside the Capitol, Greene ranted against Republican Party leaders at the highest levels and pushed back against their public entreaties, including from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-speaker-johnson-maralago-congress-c6eaace204882df054795cf70a5fe60a">Donald Trump</a>, to avoid another messy political fight so close to the November election. With her was Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., one of the few lawmakers who have joined her effort.

“We need leaders in the House of Representatives that are going to get this done,” said Greene, R-Ga., holding up a red “MAGA” hat from Trump's “Make America Great Again” campaign movement.

“Mike Johnson is not capable of that job,” she said.

In pressing ahead next week, she said that "every member of Congress needs to take that vote."

The standoff with Greene, one of Trump's most enthusiastic supporters, risks throwing Republican control of the House into a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-ukraine-aid-speaker-ouster-c525efc953d532242d6d441c55724992">fresh round of chaos</a>&nbsp;as rank-and-file lawmakers will have to choose between ousting Johnson, R-La., as speaker or joining with Democrats to keep him on the job.

Democrats see in Johnson a potential partner, a hard-line conservative who nevertheless is willing to lead his Republican Party away from the far-right voices obstructing the routine business of governing, including funding the government and, more recently,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-israel-tiktok-congress-a8910452e623413bf1da1e491d1d94ba">supporting Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and other U.S. allies overseas.

The Democratic leader, New York Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nancy-pelosi-hakeem-jeffries-congress-government-and-politics-f898cc1a7c59c8f42f669b5f0f167385">Hakeem Jeffries</a>, and his team issued a joint statement this week saying it was time to “turn the page” on the GOP chaos, announcing that the Democrats would vote to table Greene’s motion to vacate the speaker’s office, essentially ensuring Johnson is not evicted from office.

“Are you going to embrace Hakeem Jeffries?” said Massie, before a poster-photo of Jeffries handing Johnson the gavel when the Republican first became speaker last fall.

Johnson's opponents are few, at this point, and less than the eight that it took to oust now-former Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., last fall in the first ever removal of sitting speaker from the powerful office that is second in the line of succession to the president. Just one other Republican, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, has Greene's joined the effort.

Greene and Massie said they were giving their colleagues the weekend to weigh their options before calling for the vote on her motion to vacate next week. Or, they said, Johnson could simply resign.

The turmoil has gripped a House already essentially at a standstill. Johnson has been unable to command his razor-thin majority to work together on party priorities and has been forced him into the arms of Democrats for the votes needed to approve most big bills — and now, to keep his job.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714577209426.png" alt="Image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/marjorie-taylor-greene">Marjorie Taylor Greene</a>&nbsp;said Wednesday she would call a vote next week on ousting House Speaker&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/mike-johnson/">Mike Johnson</a>, forcing her colleagues to choose sides in a difficult showdown after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/speaker-mike-johnson-marjorie-taylor-greene-motion-to-vacate-552169f3e831ab8fb3baacfdf76c2d82">Democratic leaders announced</a>&nbsp;they would provide the votes to save the Republican speaker's job.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (<a href="https://twitter.com/RepMTG?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepMTG</a> ): &quot;I think the American people need to see a recorded vote...So next week, I am going to be calling this motion to vacate. Absolutely calling it.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/P4Xnno13gV">pic.twitter.com/P4Xnno13gV</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1785687879445791060?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Speaking outside the Capitol, Greene ranted against Republican Party leaders at the highest levels and pushed back against their public entreaties, including from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-speaker-johnson-maralago-congress-c6eaace204882df054795cf70a5fe60a">Donald Trump</a>, to avoid another messy political fight so close to the November election. With her was Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., one of the few lawmakers who have joined her effort.“We need leaders in the House of Representatives that are going to get this done,” said Greene, R-Ga., holding up a red “MAGA” hat from Trump's “Make America Great Again” campaign movement.“Mike Johnson is not capable of that job,” she said.In pressing ahead next week, she said that "every member of Congress needs to take that vote."The standoff with Greene, one of Trump's most enthusiastic supporters, risks throwing Republican control of the House into a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-ukraine-aid-speaker-ouster-c525efc953d532242d6d441c55724992">fresh round of chaos</a>&nbsp;as rank-and-file lawmakers will have to choose between ousting Johnson, R-La., as speaker or joining with Democrats to keep him on the job.Democrats see in Johnson a potential partner, a hard-line conservative who nevertheless is willing to lead his Republican Party away from the far-right voices obstructing the routine business of governing, including funding the government and, more recently,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-aid-israel-tiktok-congress-a8910452e623413bf1da1e491d1d94ba">supporting Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and other U.S. allies overseas.The Democratic leader, New York Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nancy-pelosi-hakeem-jeffries-congress-government-and-politics-f898cc1a7c59c8f42f669b5f0f167385">Hakeem Jeffries</a>, and his team issued a joint statement this week saying it was time to “turn the page” on the GOP chaos, announcing that the Democrats would vote to table Greene’s motion to vacate the speaker’s office, essentially ensuring Johnson is not evicted from office.“Are you going to embrace Hakeem Jeffries?” said Massie, before a poster-photo of Jeffries handing Johnson the gavel when the Republican first became speaker last fall.Johnson's opponents are few, at this point, and less than the eight that it took to oust now-former Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., last fall in the first ever removal of sitting speaker from the powerful office that is second in the line of succession to the president. Just one other Republican, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona, has Greene's joined the effort.Greene and Massie said they were giving their colleagues the weekend to weigh their options before calling for the vote on her motion to vacate next week. Or, they said, Johnson could simply resign.The turmoil has gripped a House already essentially at a standstill. Johnson has been unable to command his razor-thin majority to work together on party priorities and has been forced him into the arms of Democrats for the votes needed to approve most big bills — and now, to keep his job.

🎥Battle on over vote to oust another House Speaker

The Biden Administration has made sweeping changes to Title IX, many that are seen as controversial.

Changes to Title IX by the Biden Administration overhauled previous rules set by the Trump Administration adding further protections for LGBTQ students.

NCAA Vice President of Enforcement Jon Duncan says the issue is a complicated and controversial one

"Other sport bodies have for many years been interested in balancing different interests around equal opportunities for people to engage in sport and have it be an open and inclusive environment," Duncan tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "And then also safety concerns and privacy concerns."

Among the controversial changes were also more rights given to alleged perpetrators of sexual abuse and harassment

Duncan says those changes are a complex issue that the organization is working hard on figuring out

"But all the presidents and all the institutions care deeply about that issue and want to do everything they can at the campus level, at the regional level, and at the national office level to prevent sexual assault in the first instance and to support anybody who's a survivor of that behavior," Duncan explains.

Nearly a dozen athletes, the most notable being Riley Gaines, have come out against the NCAA and sued over its transgender policies.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714578358390.jpeg" alt="The comments were made during a panel discussion about NCAA rules and college sports at the Missouri Western State University Craig School of Business in St. Joseph" />
 <figcaption>The comments were made during a panel discussion about NCAA rules and college sports at the Missouri Western State University Craig School of Business in St. Joseph</figcaption>
 </figure>By MATT PIKESt. Joseph PostThe Biden Administration has made sweeping changes to Title IX, many that are seen as controversial.Changes to Title IX by the Biden Administration overhauled previous rules set by the Trump Administration adding further protections for LGBTQ students.NCAA Vice President of Enforcement Jon Duncan says the issue is a complicated and controversial one"Other sport bodies have for many years been interested in balancing different interests around equal opportunities for people to engage in sport and have it be an open and inclusive environment," Duncan tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "And then also safety concerns and privacy concerns."Among the controversial changes were also more rights given to alleged perpetrators of sexual abuse and harassmentDuncan says those changes are a complex issue that the organization is working hard on figuring out"But all the presidents and all the institutions care deeply about that issue and want to do everything they can at the campus level, at the regional level, and at the national office level to prevent sexual assault in the first instance and to support anybody who's a survivor of that behavior," Duncan explains.Nearly a dozen athletes, the most notable being Riley Gaines, have come out against the NCAA and sued over its transgender policies.

NCAA rules chief: New Title IX rules yet to be sorted out

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement and fire officials are investigating an arson fire and have made an arrest.

On Monday, crews from the Topeka Fire Department responded to a reported detached garage fire at 1431 SW Eden Court, according to police spokesperson Rosie Nichols.

First responders found smoke coming from a single-car garage and were able to quickly extinguish the fire. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident. Through examination of the scene and on-scene interviews, it was believed the fire was intentionally set. Soon after fire units cleared the scene, police officers located a suspect, identified as Stephen M. Yager, 46, of Topeka, nearby and took him into custody.

Investigators determined the cause of the fire was intentionally set. Police arrested Yager was arrested and later booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charge of Arson; Intentional To Dwelling Of Another Without Consent. The total estimated loss from the fire was approximately $10,000.

Working smoke detectors were not located in the garage.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/4/1714510458481.png" alt="Yager-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Yager-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement and fire officials are investigating an arson fire and have made an arrest.On Monday, crews from the Topeka Fire Department responded to a reported detached garage fire at 1431 SW Eden Court, according to police spokesperson Rosie Nichols.First responders found smoke coming from a single-car garage and were able to quickly extinguish the fire. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident. Through examination of the scene and on-scene interviews, it was believed the fire was intentionally set. Soon after fire units cleared the scene, police officers located a suspect, identified as Stephen M. Yager, 46, of Topeka, nearby and took him into custody.Investigators determined the cause of the fire was intentionally set. Police arrested Yager was arrested and later booked him into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charge of Arson; Intentional To Dwelling Of Another Without Consent. The total estimated loss from the fire was approximately $10,000.Working smoke detectors were not located in the garage.

Kan. man allegedly started fire that caused $10,000 damage

Gov. Laura Kelly not timid about using veto pen in hunt for sustainable tax policy

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/sherman-smith/">SHERMAN SMITH</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The Kansas Legislature passed a tax reduction plan early Wednesday that closely mirrored the package vetoed by Gov. Laura Kelly that included property tax relief, elimination of sales tax on groceries, an income tax exemption for Social Security benefits, an increase in the standard deduction on tax filings, and transition to a two-bracket income tax system.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb37/">House Bill 37</a>&nbsp;would lower personal income tax rates below current law, but rate changes were slightly less generous than under a plan the Democratic governor had rejected. On Monday, the Senate refused to follow the House’s lead and override Kelly’s veto. On the rebound, the Senate voted 25-9 for the revised tax overhaul bill consuming a projected $2.3 billion in revenue over the next five years. The House expressed greater appreciation for latest plan and passed it 108-11.

On the final day of the 2024 regular session of the Legislature, weary Republican and Democratic legislators predicted Kelly would also find this bill unsustainable for the state treasury. In advance of that vote, the governor’s chief of staff warned she would veto the bill and call the Legislature back to Topeka in a couple weeks.

“This bill is not going to become law,” said Sen. Tim Shallenburger, a Baxter Springs Republican who voted for the latest incarnation of tax reform. “It’s time we go down to the second floor and try to figure out what in the world the governor will accept. If we can’t accept it, we go home and do nothing. If we can, we ought to do it.”

The governor has repeatedly vetoed tax bills presented by the GOP-led Legislature likely to create revenue problems for state government within three to five years. Those financial projections assumed legislators would sidestep the politically challenging task of adopting budget cuts.

Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat who voted against the latest bill, said other packages floated in the Capitol during Tuesday’s marathon workday might have earned the governor’s signature. She said the bill passed by lawmakers guaranteed a special session in May dedicated to the search for common ground on tax policy.

“I think this has been an exercise in futility,” said Sykes, who cringed at the GOP’s interpretation of fiscal responsibility. “Republican leadership sent yet another plan to the floor that they knew was dead on arrival.”

Kelly said the bill that she vetoed would carry a five-year price tag of $2.5 billion, which was too expensive — especially when combined with other tax legislation passed by the Legislature. She said it would be irresponsible for the state to burn through reserves and create a state revenue shortfall by 2029.

Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican and chair of the Senate’s tax committee, said lawmakers ought to place interests of Kansas taxpayers above personal political considerations by accepting the $2.34 billion version.

“This is for our constituents,” Tyson said. “Not for the people in this building.”

House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, D-Wichita, sought to rally House Democrats to the bill. He said the House and Senate negotiators made a good-faith effort to reduce the overall cost of the program and make effective use of the state’s surplus cash reserve.

With the clock ticking on the session, Senate and House Republicans scrambled to revise details of a tax bill while fully aware the governor could call them back to the Capitol during campaign season if they chose not to adopt sustainable tax cuts.

In the tax negotiations, Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, confronted Rep. Adam Smith, the Weskan Republican and chairman of the House tax committee, about the state’s long-term financial outlook.

“When you look at the cost of the fiscal note in the out years, you feel comfortable that you can hit that on the budget?” Holland asked.

Smith said revenue was only one side of balancing the budget. The other option would be to slash expenditures, he said.

“If we force this tax relief into our state law, it forces us to be more responsible on the budget,” Smith said. “I wish I could guarantee more than that, trust me, but we need to manage our budget as well.”

Other Republicans expressed concern about ballooning budget appropriations. Lawmakers adopted a revised budget that included a litany of last-minute additions — including an attempt to lure the Kansas City Chiefs or Royals across state lines.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1714568361358.png" alt="Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker, and Sen. Virgil Peck, R-Havana, discuss with House negotiators details of a tax reform bill adopted by the House and Senate and forwarded to Gov. Laura Kelly. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Legislature’s YouTube channel)" />
 <figcaption>Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker, and Sen. Virgil Peck, R-Havana, discuss with House negotiators details of a tax reform bill adopted by the House and Senate and forwarded to Gov. Laura Kelly. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from Kansas Legislature’s YouTube channel)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Gov. Laura Kelly not timid about using veto pen in hunt for sustainable tax policy</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/sherman-smith/">SHERMAN SMITH</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The Kansas Legislature passed a tax reduction plan early Wednesday that closely mirrored the package vetoed by Gov. Laura Kelly that included property tax relief, elimination of sales tax on groceries, an income tax exemption for Social Security benefits, an increase in the standard deduction on tax filings, and transition to a two-bracket income tax system.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb37/">House Bill 37</a>&nbsp;would lower personal income tax rates below current law, but rate changes were slightly less generous than under a plan the Democratic governor had rejected. On Monday, the Senate refused to follow the House’s lead and override Kelly’s veto. On the rebound, the Senate voted 25-9 for the revised tax overhaul bill consuming a projected $2.3 billion in revenue over the next five years. The House expressed greater appreciation for latest plan and passed it 108-11.On the final day of the 2024 regular session of the Legislature, weary Republican and Democratic legislators predicted Kelly would also find this bill unsustainable for the state treasury. In advance of that vote, the governor’s chief of staff warned she would veto the bill and call the Legislature back to Topeka in a couple weeks.“This bill is not going to become law,” said Sen. Tim Shallenburger, a Baxter Springs Republican who voted for the latest incarnation of tax reform. “It’s time we go down to the second floor and try to figure out what in the world the governor will accept. If we can’t accept it, we go home and do nothing. If we can, we ought to do it.”The governor has repeatedly vetoed tax bills presented by the GOP-led Legislature likely to create revenue problems for state government within three to five years. Those financial projections assumed legislators would sidestep the politically challenging task of adopting budget cuts.Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat who voted against the latest bill, said other packages floated in the Capitol during Tuesday’s marathon workday might have earned the governor’s signature. She said the bill passed by lawmakers guaranteed a special session in May dedicated to the search for common ground on tax policy.“I think this has been an exercise in futility,” said Sykes, who cringed at the GOP’s interpretation of fiscal responsibility. “Republican leadership sent yet another plan to the floor that they knew was dead on arrival.”<h2>‘For our constituents’</h2>Kelly said the bill that she vetoed would carry a five-year price tag of $2.5 billion, which was too expensive — especially when combined with other tax legislation passed by the Legislature. She said it would be irresponsible for the state to burn through reserves and create a state revenue shortfall by 2029.Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican and chair of the Senate’s tax committee, said lawmakers ought to place interests of Kansas taxpayers above personal political considerations by accepting the $2.34 billion version.“This is for our constituents,” Tyson said. “Not for the people in this building.”House Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, D-Wichita, sought to rally House Democrats to the bill. He said the House and Senate negotiators made a good-faith effort to reduce the overall cost of the program and make effective use of the state’s surplus cash reserve.With the clock ticking on the session, Senate and House Republicans scrambled to revise details of a tax bill while fully aware the governor could call them back to the Capitol during campaign season if they chose not to adopt sustainable tax cuts.In the tax negotiations, Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, confronted Rep. Adam Smith, the Weskan Republican and chairman of the House tax committee, about the state’s long-term financial outlook.“When you look at the cost of the fiscal note in the out years, you feel comfortable that you can hit that on the budget?” Holland asked.Smith said revenue was only one side of balancing the budget. The other option would be to slash expenditures, he said.“If we force this tax relief into our state law, it forces us to be more responsible on the budget,” Smith said. “I wish I could guarantee more than that, trust me, but we need to manage our budget as well.”Other Republicans expressed concern about ballooning budget appropriations. Lawmakers adopted a revised budget that included a litany of last-minute additions — including an attempt to lure the Kansas City Chiefs or Royals across state lines.Rep. Trevor Jacobs, R-Fort Scott, said the spending blueprint was packed with “a lot of pork.”“We’re supposed to be here to protect our constituents, not lobbyists, not special interest groups,” Jacobs said. “And this is the problem. It’s not about the next generation. It’s about the next election. And this is one of the reasons why I’m happy not to come back — because of the backdoor deals, of all of this nonsense that happens.”<h2>More of the details</h2>Under the bill sent to the governor, the state income tax for top earners in Kansas who were married and filing jointly would decline from 5.7% under current law to 5.57%. The last bill to be rejected by Kelly would have reset that upper bracket at 5.55%. Instead of cutting the lower bracket from 5.25% to 5.15%, the rate in the bill headed to Kelly’s desk was 5.2%.The new bill would exempt Social Security income from the state’s individual income tax in the 2024 tax year. It would accelerate elimination of the state’s 2% sales tax on groceries to July 1 rather than Jan. 1.The legislation would increase standard deduction amounts from $3,500 to $3,605 for single filers, $8,000 to $8,240 for married filers, and $6,000 to $6,180 for a head of household beginning in tax year 2024.The governor also must take into account an increase in the personal exemption allowance, currently set at $2,250 for all persons on the return, to $18,320 for married couples filing joint returns and $9,160 for all other filers. The bill included an additional $2,320 exemption for each dependent listed on the return.It would raise the amount of appraised value residential property value exempt from the statewide school finance levy to $100,000 from the current amount of $42,000. In addition, the K-12 public education mill levy was cut from 20 mills to 19.5 mills with that financial gap to be backfilled by the Legislature from the general state treasury.Rep. Henry Helgerson, D-Wichita, had a parting message to the Legislature: “We don’t have money for this tax bill.”