KANSAS CITY—One person died in an accident that occurred just before 1a.m. Sunday in Kansas City.

 A Honda Civic was northbound on Van Brunt Boulevard and stopped at the red traffic control signal at Truman Road, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina. 

The light turned green and the Honda entered the intersection. A westbound BMW 535XI was traveling&nbsp; very high rate of speed. The BMW ran the red light and struck the Honda.

 The driver of the BMW lost control after the initial impact with the Honda. The vehicle traveled off the roadway to the left and struck a wooden utility pole, shearing it out of the ground.

 A pedestrian was walking in the bicycle lane, on the south side of Truman Road. The BMW struck the pedestrian as it was flipping.&nbsp; The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. The two occupants of the BMW ran from the scene, westbound on Truman Road. 

The driver of the Honda was not injured. The intersection lost power and Evergy responded to repair.&nbsp; Police have not reported the name of the victim or additional details.

KANSAS CITY—One person died in an accident that occurred just before 1a.m. Sunday in Kansas City. A Honda Civic was northbound on Van Brunt Boulevard and stopped at the red traffic control signal at Truman Road, according to KCPD Captain Jake Becchina. The light turned green and the Honda entered the intersection. A westbound BMW 535XI was traveling&nbsp; very high rate of speed. The BMW ran the red light and struck the Honda. The driver of the BMW lost control after the initial impact with the Honda. The vehicle traveled off the roadway to the left and struck a wooden utility pole, shearing it out of the ground. A pedestrian was walking in the bicycle lane, on the south side of Truman Road. The BMW struck the pedestrian as it was flipping.&nbsp; The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. The two occupants of the BMW ran from the scene, westbound on Truman Road. The driver of the Honda was not injured. The intersection lost power and Evergy responded to repair.&nbsp; Police have not reported the name of the victim or additional details.

KCPD: Bicyclist killed when struck after car flipped in violent crash

SHAWNEE COUNTY – Topeka Police continue asking for the public’s help in identifying an individual who is believed to be involved in an ongoing theft investigation.

Just after 4:30 p.m., August 9,&nbsp; police responded to a reported theft at Kay Jeweler’s at West Ridge Mall, 1801 SW Wanamaker Road in Topeka, according to a media release.&nbsp;

 The alleged suspect, as shown in security camera images, left the area in a light blue Chevrolet Malibu with front end damage. He was last seen wearing a purple t-shirt, faded jeans, white shoes and silver chains around his neck. He has a tattoo on the top of his right wrist and on his upper left arm.

If you have any information about this incident or the individual, please contact investigators at

telltpd@topeka.org or report anonymously to Shawnee County Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007 or online at www.p3tips.com/128. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723667208542.png" alt="Photos Topeka police" />
 <figcaption>Photos Topeka police</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY – Topeka Police continue asking for the public’s help in identifying an individual who is believed to be involved in an ongoing theft investigation.Just after 4:30 p.m., August 9,&nbsp; police responded to a reported theft at Kay Jeweler’s at West Ridge Mall, 1801 SW Wanamaker Road in Topeka, according to a media release.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723667318611.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure> The alleged suspect, as shown in security camera images, left the area in a light blue Chevrolet Malibu with front end damage. He was last seen wearing a purple t-shirt, faded jeans, white shoes and silver chains around his neck. He has a tattoo on the top of his right wrist and on his upper left arm.If you have any information about this incident or the individual, please contact investigators attelltpd@topeka.org or report anonymously to Shawnee County Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007 or online at www.p3tips.com/128.

Police asking for help to ID Kan. jewelry store theft suspect

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ghills/">GRACE HILLS</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

PITTSBURG — A new Planned Parenthood clinic in southeast Kansas will be the closest abortion access point for many people in the South and will provide easier access to reproductive health care for southeast Kansans who previously had to travel to Overland Park.

The center, which opens Monday in Pittsburg, expects to have patients from six states in its first five days — Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana.

Kansas saw a 369% increase in abortions in 2023, with 69% of patients coming from out of state, according to the&nbsp;Guttmacher Institute. For the Trust Women Clinic in Wichita, which was previously the closest city for abortion access for Southern states, 81% of patients were from out of state, with Texas the most common homestate, followed by Oklahoma.

Texas and Oklahoma have total abortion bans, with few exceptions. Southern states have six-week abortion bans. On average,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9321827/" target="_blank">pregnant people know they are pregnant after 5.2 weeks for intendent pregnancies and 7.2 weeks for unintended pregnancies</a>, the National Library of Medicine found.

The Pittsburg clinic will offer medication abortions for up to 11 weeks of pregnancy, and surgical abortions for 14-15 weeks of pregnancy.

But, there will be a delay before the clinic offers surgical care.

“We have excellent trained staff to offer this care,” said Planned Parenthood Great Plains president and CEO Emily Wales. “But we also know it’s a transition for the community and for us to launch a new center here, so it’ll probably be a little bit of time before we’re offering procedural care.”

Wales said a key factor in the Pittsburg location was access to Southern states.

And she pointed out that Kansas already is well versed in providing abortion care to people from Missouri and other states. Pittsburg is about five miles from the Missouri border.

A 2018 law in Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://eu.news-leader.com/story/news/politics/2022/06/28/missouri-abortion-law-timeline-roe-wade-overturn-timeline-supreme-court/7745926001/" target="_blank">banned abortion after 15 weeks</a>, meaning Kansas had been absorbing Missouri patients for four years before the U.S. Supreme Court declared in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.

The 2022 Dobbs decision felt like “dominos falling,” Wales said.

“We are doing everything we can to meet the need,” Wales said. “But we’re also not trying to hide the fact that there are far more people calling than we can actually get in.”

Wales also said there was a need for the services Planned Parenthood offers — which go beyond abortion care — in southeast Kansas. Patients from the Pittsburg area were traveling roughly two hours to Overland Park to receive care.

While more than 60% of Crawford County voters in 2020 supported Donald Trump, the president who packed the Supreme Court with anti-abortion justices, t<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/02/kansas-voters-defeat-abortion-amendment-in-unexpected-landslide-1/">hey voted against the proposed constitutional amendment</a>&nbsp;that would have removed the right to terminate a pregnancy in Kansas.

Logan Rink, a Pittsburg native and the health care manager of the Pittsburg clinic, said she has heard positive feedback from the community. She said Planned Parenthood will meet needs that weren’t being met, and that the community views it as a great resource.

Anti-abortion protesters frequent the other Planned Parenthood locations in Kansas, attempting to stop patients from receiving an abortion.

Wales said Planned Parenthood typically sees protests when it opens a new location, but they “die down after a while.”

Members of Lighthouse church, a nondenominational anti-abortion Christian church in Pittsburg spoke in opposition of the clinic at the May 28 city commission meeting.

“I know this is a major issue in our culture, abortion, but the reality is there’s no safe abortions because you start out with two lives and you end with one life,” said Pittsburg resident Shawn Osbeen.

Another resident, Susan Powers, also opposed the clinic, but she said this “may be a wakeup call” for the church and community to provide more support for pregnant people.

The commissioners stayed neutral on the opening of the clinic.

In 2009 in Wichita, George Tiller, one of only a few doctors in the nation who performed late-term abortions,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/us/01tiller.html" target="_blank">was murdered in the foyer of his church</a>. Planned Parenthood has a rigid security protocol in place, with security officers on site, but the shadow of Tiller’s death remains.

“The time it comes up the most, really, is when we are talking to potential providers or physicians who might be interested in staff roles,” Wales said. “They have questions about what the communities are like, what the protesters are like. We are fortunate to have not had that kind of violence at our health centers.”

The National Library of Medicine found that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3780732/" target="_blank">people from a lower socioeconomic status are more likely to receive an abortion</a>, and extra time away from work adds up. For patients traveling from the South, the Pittsburg clinic will be more than two hours closer than clinics in Wichita.

“If we can cut off two hours one way, then two hours coming home, that’s a tremendous difference for a lot of our patients,” Wales said.

Planned Parenthood provides assistance to patients who need it. Before Dobbs, 80% of its patients didn’t need assistance, and 20% did. Now, Wales said, the percentages have flipped and the assistance they provide looks “entirely different.”

“So many people now have to go so far from home,” Wales said. “People could maybe get two hours from home, but telling patients it’s going to be 10 or 12 hours is impossible for a lot of people.”

Wales sees a perception that patients believe they can’t travel or talk about abortion. She says they worry about what would happen to their kids, their partners, and their careers.

Vice President Kamala Harris has made abortion access a cornerstone of her presidential campaign, and if elected she has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bu.edu/articles/2021/what-would-it-mean-to-codify-roe-v-wade/" target="_blank">promised to codify Roe v. Wade</a>, which would legalize abortion nationally.

Missourians will&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/13/missouri-voters-will-decide-whether-to-legalize-abortion-in-november/" target="_blank">vote on their abortion rights in November</a>. Each time abortion rights are placed on local ballots,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/abortion-rights-won-every-election-roe-v-wade-overturned-rcna99031" target="_blank">the right to choose an abortion has won</a>.&nbsp;

But, even if the movement to secure abortion rights prevails in November, access for every American would take decades, Wales said.

There are multiple lawsuits and legislation in Kansas attempting to restrict abortion access, despite Kansans rejecting the proposed constitutional amendment to eliminate abortion rights in 2022. Planned Parenthood has fought back on these attempts.

“Kansans are saying we want medical care to be private, and not in the hands of the Legislature,” Wales said. “The state passed additional requirements this year where we would have to ask patients invasive and shaming questions that have nothing to do with why they get care or how we deliver care. And so we are challenging that on behalf of our patients.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723948671410.png" alt="Planned Parenthood Great Plains CEO Emily Wales on Aug. 16 in the Pittsburg Planned Parenthood, three days before the clinic opens. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Planned Parenthood Great Plains CEO Emily Wales on Aug. 16 in the Pittsburg Planned Parenthood, three days before the clinic opens. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/ghills/">GRACE HILLS</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>PITTSBURG — A new Planned Parenthood clinic in southeast Kansas will be the closest abortion access point for many people in the South and will provide easier access to reproductive health care for southeast Kansans who previously had to travel to Overland Park.The center, which opens Monday in Pittsburg, expects to have patients from six states in its first five days — Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana.Kansas saw a 369% increase in abortions in 2023, with 69% of patients coming from out of state, according to the&nbsp;Guttmacher Institute. For the Trust Women Clinic in Wichita, which was previously the closest city for abortion access for Southern states, 81% of patients were from out of state, with Texas the most common homestate, followed by Oklahoma.Texas and Oklahoma have total abortion bans, with few exceptions. Southern states have six-week abortion bans. On average,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9321827/" target="_blank">pregnant people know they are pregnant after 5.2 weeks for intendent pregnancies and 7.2 weeks for unintended pregnancies</a>, the National Library of Medicine found.The Pittsburg clinic will offer medication abortions for up to 11 weeks of pregnancy, and surgical abortions for 14-15 weeks of pregnancy.But, there will be a delay before the clinic offers surgical care.“We have excellent trained staff to offer this care,” said Planned Parenthood Great Plains president and CEO Emily Wales. “But we also know it’s a transition for the community and for us to launch a new center here, so it’ll probably be a little bit of time before we’re offering procedural care.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723948869591.png" alt="&nbsp;The Pittsburg Planned Parenthood clinic is set to open Monday, Aug. 19. Final construction is expected to be complete by then. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;The Pittsburg Planned Parenthood clinic is set to open Monday, Aug. 19. Final construction is expected to be complete by then. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Why Pittsburg?</h2>Wales said a key factor in the Pittsburg location was access to Southern states.And she pointed out that Kansas already is well versed in providing abortion care to people from Missouri and other states. Pittsburg is about five miles from the Missouri border.A 2018 law in Missouri&nbsp;<a href="https://eu.news-leader.com/story/news/politics/2022/06/28/missouri-abortion-law-timeline-roe-wade-overturn-timeline-supreme-court/7745926001/" target="_blank">banned abortion after 15 weeks</a>, meaning Kansas had been absorbing Missouri patients for four years before the U.S. Supreme Court declared in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.The 2022 Dobbs decision felt like “dominos falling,” Wales said.“We are doing everything we can to meet the need,” Wales said. “But we’re also not trying to hide the fact that there are far more people calling than we can actually get in.”Wales also said there was a need for the services Planned Parenthood offers — which go beyond abortion care — in southeast Kansas. Patients from the Pittsburg area were traveling roughly two hours to Overland Park to receive care.While more than 60% of Crawford County voters in 2020 supported Donald Trump, the president who packed the Supreme Court with anti-abortion justices, t<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/08/02/kansas-voters-defeat-abortion-amendment-in-unexpected-landslide-1/">hey voted against the proposed constitutional amendment</a>&nbsp;that would have removed the right to terminate a pregnancy in Kansas.Logan Rink, a Pittsburg native and the health care manager of the Pittsburg clinic, said she has heard positive feedback from the community. She said Planned Parenthood will meet needs that weren’t being met, and that the community views it as a great resource.Anti-abortion protesters frequent the other Planned Parenthood locations in Kansas, attempting to stop patients from receiving an abortion.Wales said Planned Parenthood typically sees protests when it opens a new location, but they “die down after a while.”Members of Lighthouse church, a nondenominational anti-abortion Christian church in Pittsburg spoke in opposition of the clinic at the May 28 city commission meeting.“I know this is a major issue in our culture, abortion, but the reality is there’s no safe abortions because you start out with two lives and you end with one life,” said Pittsburg resident Shawn Osbeen.Another resident, Susan Powers, also opposed the clinic, but she said this “may be a wakeup call” for the church and community to provide more support for pregnant people.The commissioners stayed neutral on the opening of the clinic.In 2009 in Wichita, George Tiller, one of only a few doctors in the nation who performed late-term abortions,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/us/01tiller.html" target="_blank">was murdered in the foyer of his church</a>. Planned Parenthood has a rigid security protocol in place, with security officers on site, but the shadow of Tiller’s death remains.“The time it comes up the most, really, is when we are talking to potential providers or physicians who might be interested in staff roles,” Wales said. “They have questions about what the communities are like, what the protesters are like. We are fortunate to have not had that kind of violence at our health centers.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723948746614.png" alt=" The temporary Planned Parenthood sign on Aug. 16, 2024, outside of the new Pittsburg Planned Parenthood clinic. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> The temporary Planned Parenthood sign on Aug. 16, 2024, outside of the new Pittsburg Planned Parenthood clinic. (Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Patients from the South&nbsp;</h2>The National Library of Medicine found that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3780732/" target="_blank">people from a lower socioeconomic status are more likely to receive an abortion</a>, and extra time away from work adds up. For patients traveling from the South, the Pittsburg clinic will be more than two hours closer than clinics in Wichita.“If we can cut off two hours one way, then two hours coming home, that’s a tremendous difference for a lot of our patients,” Wales said. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723948777032.png" alt=" One of the postoperative exam rooms in the Pittsburg Planned Parenthood clinic. (Grace Hills/ Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> One of the postoperative exam rooms in the Pittsburg Planned Parenthood clinic. (Grace Hills/ Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>Planned Parenthood provides assistance to patients who need it. Before Dobbs, 80% of its patients didn’t need assistance, and 20% did. Now, Wales said, the percentages have flipped and the assistance they provide looks “entirely different.”“So many people now have to go so far from home,” Wales said. “People could maybe get two hours from home, but telling patients it’s going to be 10 or 12 hours is impossible for a lot of people.”Wales sees a perception that patients believe they can’t travel or talk about abortion. She says they worry about what would happen to their kids, their partners, and their careers.<h2>Issues to watch&nbsp;</h2>Vice President Kamala Harris has made abortion access a cornerstone of her presidential campaign, and if elected she has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bu.edu/articles/2021/what-would-it-mean-to-codify-roe-v-wade/" target="_blank">promised to codify Roe v. Wade</a>, which would legalize abortion nationally.Missourians will&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/13/missouri-voters-will-decide-whether-to-legalize-abortion-in-november/" target="_blank">vote on their abortion rights in November</a>. Each time abortion rights are placed on local ballots,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/abortion-rights-won-every-election-roe-v-wade-overturned-rcna99031" target="_blank">the right to choose an abortion has won</a>.&nbsp;But, even if the movement to secure abortion rights prevails in November, access for every American would take decades, Wales said.There are multiple lawsuits and legislation in Kansas attempting to restrict abortion access, despite Kansans rejecting the proposed constitutional amendment to eliminate abortion rights in 2022. Planned Parenthood has fought back on these attempts.“Kansans are saying we want medical care to be private, and not in the hands of the Legislature,” Wales said. “The state passed additional requirements this year where we would have to ask patients invasive and shaming questions that have nothing to do with why they get care or how we deliver care. And so we are challenging that on behalf of our patients.”

New Planned Parenthood clinic expands abortion access for patients in and outside Kansas

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A man was sentenced to prison this week in connection with human trafficking in the Wichita area.

 District Judge Christopher Magana sentenced 56-year-old Alan Jones of Wichita, to 92 months with lifetime post release, according to the Sedigwick County District Attorney's office.

On June 25, Jones pled guilty to attempted commercial sexual exploitation of a child, promoting the sale of sexual relations, aggravated assault, attempted robbery, criminal threat and criminal damage to property.

The Judge Magana also ordered $4,961.41 in restitution go to his victims, $2500 to the Human Trafficking Assistance Fund, and $800 to the Sedgwick County Child Advocacy Center. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723752389845.png" alt="Jones from his arrest in December 2021 in Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Jones from his arrest in December 2021 in Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A man was sentenced to prison this week in connection with human trafficking in the Wichita area. District Judge Christopher Magana sentenced 56-year-old Alan Jones of Wichita, to 92 months with lifetime post release, according to the Sedigwick County District Attorney's office.On June 25, Jones pled guilty to attempted commercial sexual exploitation of a child, promoting the sale of sexual relations, aggravated assault, attempted robbery, criminal threat and criminal damage to property.The Judge Magana also ordered $4,961.41 in restitution go to his victims, $2500 to the Human Trafficking Assistance Fund, and $800 to the Sedgwick County Child Advocacy Center.

Kansas man admitted promoting prostitution 

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities captured a wanted suspect after a chase on the Interstate in the Kansas City area, according to a social media report from the Kansas Highway Patrol.

This driver chose not to stop for troopers. Shortly after, the vehicle crashed into a tree line off the interstate.

The driver was arrested for felony flee and elude. The passenger had 2 felony warrants with full extradition from Arizona for kidnapping and criminal threat.&nbsp;

Troopers found weapons in the vehicle. The KHP did not release the name of the driver or passenger.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723836084811.jpeg" alt="Photo KHP" />
 <figcaption>Photo KHP</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities captured a wanted suspect after a chase on the Interstate in the Kansas City area, according to a social media report from the Kansas Highway Patrol.This driver chose not to stop for troopers. Shortly after, the vehicle crashed into a tree line off the interstate.The driver was arrested for felony flee and elude. The passenger had 2 felony warrants with full extradition from Arizona for kidnapping and criminal threat.&nbsp;Troopers found weapons in the vehicle. The KHP did not release the name of the driver or passenger.

KHP: Suspect wanted for kidnapping crashed into tree line

JACKSON COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas woman on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.

Just after 11:00 a.m. August 14, a Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 2007 Jeep for a traffic infraction near 102nd Road on southbound U.S. Highway 75, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

 The driver of the vehicle was identified as 59-year-old, Yvonne Deloris Pink, of Topeka. 

Deputies arrested and booked her into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of&nbsp;conceal/alter/destroy evidence in a felony case,  driving without a valid license, trafficking contraband into a correctional facility, interference with law enforcement, driving without a valid license and failure to maintain liability insurance.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723815293723.png" alt="Pink-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Pink-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas woman on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.Just after 11:00 a.m. August 14, a Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 2007 Jeep for a traffic infraction near 102nd Road on southbound U.S. Highway 75, according to Sheriff Tim Morse. The driver of the vehicle was identified as 59-year-old, Yvonne Deloris Pink, of Topeka. Deputies arrested and booked her into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of&nbsp;conceal/alter/destroy evidence in a felony case, driving without a valid license, trafficking contraband into a correctional facility, interference with law enforcement, driving without a valid license and failure to maintain liability insurance.

Kan. woman accused of destroying evidence in a felony case

St. Marys, Kansas (AP) —An employee of a rural Kansas school district repeatedly shoved a teenager with Down syndrome into a utility closet, hit the boy and once photographed him locked in a cage used to store athletic equipment, a lawsuit claims.

The suit filed Friday in federal court said the paraprofessional assigned to the 15-year-old sent the photo to staff in the Kaw Valley district, comparing the teen to an animal and “making light of his serious, demeaning and discriminatory conduct.”

The teen's parents alleged in the suit that the paraprofessional did not have a key to the cage and had to enlist help from other district staff to open the door and release their son, who is identified in the complaint only by his initials. The suit, which includes the photo, said it was not clear how long the teen was locked in the cage.

The lawsuit names the paraprofessional, other special education staff and the district, which enrolls around 1,100 and is based in St. Marys, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Topeka.

No attorneys are listed for the district in online court records and phone messages and emails left with district staff were not immediately returned.

The suit said the teen’s placement in the closet and cage stemmed from “no behaviors whatsoever, or for minor behaviors” that stemmed from his disability.

The paraprofessional also is accused in the suit of yelling derogatory words within inches of the teen’s face on a daily basis and pulling and yanking the teen by the shirt collar around the school at least once a week.

At least once, the paraprofessional struck the teen in the neck and face, the suit said. The teen who speaks in short, abbreviated sentences, described the incident using the words “hit," “closet” and the paraprofessional's first name.

The suit said the paraprofessional also made the teen stay in soiled clothing for long periods and denied him food during lunchtime.

The suit said some staff expressed concerns to the special education teacher who oversaw the paraprofessional, as well as the district's special education director. But the suit said neither of them intervened, even though there had been other complaints about the paraprofessional’s treatment of disabled students in the past.

The suit said the defendants described their treatment of the teen as “tough love” and “how you have to handle him.”

The suit said the director instructed subordinates not to report their concerns to the state child welfare agency. However, when the parents raised concerns, a district employee reported them to the agency, citing abuse and neglect concerns, the suit said.

No criminal charges are listed in online court records for the paraprofessional or any of the employees named in the suit. And no disciplinary actions are listed for staff in a state education department database.

The suit said the teen's behavior deteriorated. The suit said he refuses to leave his home out of fear, quit using his words and increasingly punches himself in the head.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723927125081.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTHSt. Marys, Kansas (AP) —An employee of a rural Kansas school district repeatedly shoved a teenager with Down syndrome into a utility closet, hit the boy and once photographed him locked in a cage used to store athletic equipment, a lawsuit claims.The suit filed Friday in federal court said the paraprofessional assigned to the 15-year-old sent the photo to staff in the Kaw Valley district, comparing the teen to an animal and “making light of his serious, demeaning and discriminatory conduct.”The teen's parents alleged in the suit that the paraprofessional did not have a key to the cage and had to enlist help from other district staff to open the door and release their son, who is identified in the complaint only by his initials. The suit, which includes the photo, said it was not clear how long the teen was locked in the cage.The lawsuit names the paraprofessional, other special education staff and the district, which enrolls around 1,100 and is based in St. Marys, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) northwest of Topeka.No attorneys are listed for the district in online court records and phone messages and emails left with district staff were not immediately returned.The suit said the teen’s placement in the closet and cage stemmed from “no behaviors whatsoever, or for minor behaviors” that stemmed from his disability.The paraprofessional also is accused in the suit of yelling derogatory words within inches of the teen’s face on a daily basis and pulling and yanking the teen by the shirt collar around the school at least once a week.At least once, the paraprofessional struck the teen in the neck and face, the suit said. The teen who speaks in short, abbreviated sentences, described the incident using the words “hit," “closet” and the paraprofessional's first name.The suit said the paraprofessional also made the teen stay in soiled clothing for long periods and denied him food during lunchtime.The suit said some staff expressed concerns to the special education teacher who oversaw the paraprofessional, as well as the district's special education director. But the suit said neither of them intervened, even though there had been other complaints about the paraprofessional’s treatment of disabled students in the past.The suit said the defendants described their treatment of the teen as “tough love” and “how you have to handle him.”The suit said the director instructed subordinates not to report their concerns to the state child welfare agency. However, when the parents raised concerns, a district employee reported them to the agency, citing abuse and neglect concerns, the suit said.No criminal charges are listed in online court records for the paraprofessional or any of the employees named in the suit. And no disciplinary actions are listed for staff in a state education department database.The suit said the teen's behavior deteriorated. The suit said he refuses to leave his home out of fear, quit using his words and increasingly punches himself in the head.

Lawsuit: Kan. school employee locked teen with Down syndrome in closet, storage cage

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the name of consumer protection, a slew of U.S. federal agencies are working to make it easier for Americans to click the unsubscribe button for unwanted memberships and recurring payment services.

A broad new government initiative, dubbed “Time Is Money," includes a rollout of new regulations and the promise of more for industries spanning from healthcare and fitness memberships to media subscriptions.

“The administration is cracking down on all the ways that companies, through paperwork, hold times and general aggravation waste people's money and waste people's time and really hold onto their money,” Neera Tanden, White House domestic policy adviser, told reporters Friday in advance of the announcement.

“Essentially in all of these practices, companies are delaying services to you or really trying to make it so difficult for you to cancel the service that they get to hold onto your money for longer and longer," Tanden said. "These seemingly small inconveniences don't happen by accident — they have huge financial consequences.”

Efforts rolled out this week include a new Federal Communications Commission inquiry into whether to impose requirements on communications companies that would make it as easy to cancel a subscription or service as it was to sign up for one.

The Federal Trade Commission in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/03/federal-trade-commission-proposes-rule-provision-making-it-easier-consumers-click-cancel-recurring">March 2023 initiated</a>&nbsp;“click to cancel” rulemaking requiring companies to let customers end subscriptions as easily as they started them.

Also Monday, the heads of the departments of Labor and of Health and Human Services are asking health insurance companies and group health plans to make improvements to customer interactions with their health coverage, and “in the coming months will identify additional opportunities to improve consumers’ interactions with the health care system," according to a White House summary.

The government already has launched several initiatives aimed at improving the consumer experience.

In October, the FTC announced a proposed rule to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-junk-fees-ftc-hidden-bogus-80e5c17dc7607b99aa92c6c816b96e52">ban hidden and bogus junk fees</a>, which can mask the total cost of concert tickets, hotel rooms and utility bills.

In April, the Transportation Department finalized rules that would require airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for things like delayed flights and to better disclose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/american-airlines-points-raising-bag-fees-1530a7ba48a0c6685ce2ef7da58a983a">fees for baggage</a>&nbsp;or reservation cancellations.

The department also has taken actions against individual companies accused of misleading customers.

In June, the Justice Department, referred by the FTC,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/040-UnredactedComplaint.pdf">filed a lawsuit against software maker Adobe</a>&nbsp;and two of its executives, Maninder Sawhney and David Wadhwani, for allegedly pushing consumers toward the firm's “annual paid monthly” subscription without properly disclosing that canceling the plan in the first year could cost hundreds of dollars.

Dana Rao, Adobe's general counsel, said in an emailed statement that Adobe disagrees with the lawsuit’s characterization of its business and “we will refute the FTC’s claims in court.”

“The early termination fees equate to minimal impact to our revenue, accounting for less than half a percent of our total revenue globally, but is an important part of our ability to offer customers a choice in plans that balance cost and commitment,” Rao said.

Some business advocates are not a fan of the government's overall efforts to crack down on junk fees.

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the name of consumer protection, a slew of U.S. federal agencies are working to make it easier for Americans to click the unsubscribe button for unwanted memberships and recurring payment services.A broad new government initiative, dubbed “Time Is Money," includes a rollout of new regulations and the promise of more for industries spanning from healthcare and fitness memberships to media subscriptions.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden and Vice President Harris are cracking down on companies that rob families of their time and hard-earned money. Here’s how: <a href="https://t.co/1y73sxJ7PE">pic.twitter.com/1y73sxJ7PE</a>&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1823125775261880323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“The administration is cracking down on all the ways that companies, through paperwork, hold times and general aggravation waste people's money and waste people's time and really hold onto their money,” Neera Tanden, White House domestic policy adviser, told reporters Friday in advance of the announcement.“Essentially in all of these practices, companies are delaying services to you or really trying to make it so difficult for you to cancel the service that they get to hold onto your money for longer and longer," Tanden said. "These seemingly small inconveniences don't happen by accident — they have huge financial consequences.”Efforts rolled out this week include a new Federal Communications Commission inquiry into whether to impose requirements on communications companies that would make it as easy to cancel a subscription or service as it was to sign up for one.The Federal Trade Commission in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/03/federal-trade-commission-proposes-rule-provision-making-it-easier-consumers-click-cancel-recurring">March 2023 initiated</a>&nbsp;“click to cancel” rulemaking requiring companies to let customers end subscriptions as easily as they started them.Also Monday, the heads of the departments of Labor and of Health and Human Services are asking health insurance companies and group health plans to make improvements to customer interactions with their health coverage, and “in the coming months will identify additional opportunities to improve consumers’ interactions with the health care system," according to a White House summary.The government already has launched several initiatives aimed at improving the consumer experience.In October, the FTC announced a proposed rule to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-junk-fees-ftc-hidden-bogus-80e5c17dc7607b99aa92c6c816b96e52">ban hidden and bogus junk fees</a>, which can mask the total cost of concert tickets, hotel rooms and utility bills.In April, the Transportation Department finalized rules that would require airlines to automatically issue cash refunds for things like delayed flights and to better disclose&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/american-airlines-points-raising-bag-fees-1530a7ba48a0c6685ce2ef7da58a983a">fees for baggage</a>&nbsp;or reservation cancellations.The department also has taken actions against individual companies accused of misleading customers.In June, the Justice Department, referred by the FTC,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/040-UnredactedComplaint.pdf">filed a lawsuit against software maker Adobe</a>&nbsp;and two of its executives, Maninder Sawhney and David Wadhwani, for allegedly pushing consumers toward the firm's “annual paid monthly” subscription without properly disclosing that canceling the plan in the first year could cost hundreds of dollars.Dana Rao, Adobe's general counsel, said in an emailed statement that Adobe disagrees with the lawsuit’s characterization of its business and “we will refute the FTC’s claims in court.”“The early termination fees equate to minimal impact to our revenue, accounting for less than half a percent of our total revenue globally, but is an important part of our ability to offer customers a choice in plans that balance cost and commitment,” Rao said.Some business advocates are not a fan of the government's overall efforts to crack down on junk fees.

 US government wants to make it easier for you to click the 'unsubscribe' button

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/camikoons/">CAMI KOONS</a>&nbsp; for&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in a federal lawsuit accuses the Jackson County sheriff of threatening to arrest tribal police over a tax dispute with a gas station on the reservation.

The lawsuit against Sheriff Tim Morse signals an escalation in longstanding tensions over law enforcement jurisdiction on the nation’s land.

Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation chairman, said the sheriff does not collaborate with the nation.

“We have really had a checkered past with Jackson County, specifically the sheriff,” Rupnick said, noting Morse and his wife are former employees of Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.

In late May, the lawsuit says, Jackson County sheriff’s officers interfered with tribal police who were trying to serve cease and desist orders at Snak Atak. The nation alleges the gas station failed to charge and report tribe-specific taxes.

Last week, the nation was granted an order of exclusion, allowing tribal police to escort management from the business and to close its doors.

Snak Atak opened in March in the space formerly known as Indian Country Mini Mart. It sits just off northbound U.S. Highway 75, within the bounds of Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation reservation.

Prairie Band Potawatomi Tax Commission officials arrived on site after several months of the business selling “contraband cigarettes” — which means they don’t have the tribal tax sticker — and failing to submit necessary reports, the lawsuit says. The&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Complaint-PBPN-v-Jackson-Co-Sheriff.pdf">court filing</a>&nbsp;alleges tax commission officials were denied access to investigate the store.

Tax commission officials left to seek a cease and desist order. When they returned to the business on the same day, May 28, with tribal police to serve the order and to chain the doors of the business, Jackson County sheriff’s officers arrived and told tribal officials they could be subject to arrest if they did not leave.

“Our civil regulatory authority is absolute within the boundaries of the reservation,” Rupnick said. “Plus (Snak Atak) agreed to abiding by our laws.”

According to the court filing, Snak Atak applied for, and the tax commission approved, liquor, tobacco, business and motor fuel licenses. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbpindiantribe.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/PBPN-Tribal-Tobacco-Wholesaler-Retailer-License-Application-revised-9.13.22.pdf" target="_blank">licenses state</a>&nbsp;the applicant “be bound by and comply with all laws of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and do hereby consensually submit to the jurisdiction of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.”

Raja Rain, manager at Snak Atak, said he did not know about the implications of his store with Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and the tribal police until they showed up at the business in May. Rain said, in an interview before the shuttering of his business, he was not part of the permitting and paperwork phase of the business, but has managed the store since it opened.

“We don’t mind paying the taxes, but they need to make it clear: are we paying state or tribal?” Rain said. “They need to figure out to who we need to pay the taxes.”

Rain said he pays taxes to the state and has “everything legal,” since he and the owners are not members of Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.

The nation maintains that tribal membership is irrelevant to following its laws if a business is on the reservation.

Rain expressed concerns about maintaining the business if it has to pay additional taxes.

“We came to have a business,” Rain said. “How (are) we going to survive?”

Rupnick said the business, which is registered as Wamego Store LLC, did not appeal the cease and desist order in Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation District Court. Prairie Band Potawatomi Tax Commission officials returned in June on two additional occasions to investigate compliance, according to the order of exclusion.

The order of exclusion, granted by the nation’s district court to the tax commission, restricts the business from operating on the reservation and permits tribal police to escort employees from the reservation and to secure the business.

The tax commission and tribal police enforced the order without interference from sheriff’s officers on Aug. 8, according to a press release from the nation.

“They’ve pretty much made their own bed,” Rupnick said in an Aug. 7 interview with Kansas Reflector. “So I think that it’s time for us to end our relationship with them.”

Snak Atak’s attorney did not return requests for comment.

The lawsuit against Morse points to the jurisdictional disagreement at Snak Atak, but cites several additional instances, some related to parking violations, where Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation argues county law enforcement overstepped its bounds by dealing with civil, rather than criminal, actions.

The complaint says Morse and his office have “repeatedly and intentionally overstepped their lawful authority and interfered with the nation’s authority over activities on its reservation.”

Morse did not respond to requests for comment.

The nation, according to its complaint, seeks a declaration from the sheriff that the department lacked the authority to interfere at Snak Atak and lacks civil jurisdiction within the reservation, as well as a permanent injunction prohibiting sheriff’s officers from interfering in the nation’s civil-regulatory jurisdiction on the reservation.

“You would think that you would want to work together,” Rupnick said. “If you don’t have to dispatch an officer down to the reservation, why not try and work together with that?”

<a href="https://narf.org/tribal-state-jurisdiction/#kansas" target="_blank">Public Law 280</a>, established in 1953, gave Kansas civil and criminal jurisdiction on tribal lands, which, according to a&nbsp;<a href="http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.law.044" target="_blank">University of Nebraska Lincoln publication</a>, led “to virtually continuous disputes” and “jurisdictional uncertainty between tribal, city, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.”

<a href="https://nativegov.org/news/its-time-to-end-public-law-280/" target="_blank">Native advocacy groups</a>&nbsp;have called for the end of the law, claiming it cedes power from the tribal police to the county. Rupnick said the same.

Rupnick said he has tried to develop a memorandum of understanding with the sheriff to establish which entity has jurisdiction where, but he said Morse was unwilling. He said he hopes the lawsuit can help forge a greater understanding and collaboration between the law enforcement agencies.

“We shouldn’t be adversaries,” Rupnick said, “Of course, I don’t want crime, but I also don’t want my sovereignty infringed upon either.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723904755384.png" alt=" Snak Atak opened in March in the former Indian Country Mini Mart on land within Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation reservation. (Cami Koons for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Snak Atak opened in March in the former Indian Country Mini Mart on land within Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation reservation. (Cami Koons for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/camikoons/">CAMI KOONS</a>&nbsp; for&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a> The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in a federal lawsuit accuses the Jackson County sheriff of threatening to arrest tribal police over a tax dispute with a gas station on the reservation.The lawsuit against Sheriff Tim Morse signals an escalation in longstanding tensions over law enforcement jurisdiction on the nation’s land.Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation chairman, said the sheriff does not collaborate with the nation.“We have really had a checkered past with Jackson County, specifically the sheriff,” Rupnick said, noting Morse and his wife are former employees of Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.In late May, the lawsuit says, Jackson County sheriff’s officers interfered with tribal police who were trying to serve cease and desist orders at Snak Atak. The nation alleges the gas station failed to charge and report tribe-specific taxes.Last week, the nation was granted an order of exclusion, allowing tribal police to escort management from the business and to close its doors.Snak Atak opened in March in the space formerly known as Indian Country Mini Mart. It sits just off northbound U.S. Highway 75, within the bounds of Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation reservation.Prairie Band Potawatomi Tax Commission officials arrived on site after several months of the business selling “contraband cigarettes” — which means they don’t have the tribal tax sticker — and failing to submit necessary reports, the lawsuit says. The&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Complaint-PBPN-v-Jackson-Co-Sheriff.pdf">court filing</a>&nbsp;alleges tax commission officials were denied access to investigate the store.Tax commission officials left to seek a cease and desist order. When they returned to the business on the same day, May 28, with tribal police to serve the order and to chain the doors of the business, Jackson County sheriff’s officers arrived and told tribal officials they could be subject to arrest if they did not leave.“Our civil regulatory authority is absolute within the boundaries of the reservation,” Rupnick said. “Plus (Snak Atak) agreed to abiding by our laws.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723904723828.png" alt="Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick is chairman of Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. (Cami Koons for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Joseph “Zeke” Rupnick is chairman of Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. (Cami Koons for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>According to the court filing, Snak Atak applied for, and the tax commission approved, liquor, tobacco, business and motor fuel licenses. The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pbpindiantribe.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/PBPN-Tribal-Tobacco-Wholesaler-Retailer-License-Application-revised-9.13.22.pdf" target="_blank">licenses state</a>&nbsp;the applicant “be bound by and comply with all laws of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and do hereby consensually submit to the jurisdiction of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.”Raja Rain, manager at Snak Atak, said he did not know about the implications of his store with Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and the tribal police until they showed up at the business in May. Rain said, in an interview before the shuttering of his business, he was not part of the permitting and paperwork phase of the business, but has managed the store since it opened.“We don’t mind paying the taxes, but they need to make it clear: are we paying state or tribal?” Rain said. “They need to figure out to who we need to pay the taxes.”Rain said he pays taxes to the state and has “everything legal,” since he and the owners are not members of Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.The nation maintains that tribal membership is irrelevant to following its laws if a business is on the reservation.Rain expressed concerns about maintaining the business if it has to pay additional taxes.“We came to have a business,” Rain said. “How (are) we going to survive?”Rupnick said the business, which is registered as Wamego Store LLC, did not appeal the cease and desist order in Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation District Court. Prairie Band Potawatomi Tax Commission officials returned in June on two additional occasions to investigate compliance, according to the order of exclusion.The order of exclusion, granted by the nation’s district court to the tax commission, restricts the business from operating on the reservation and permits tribal police to escort employees from the reservation and to secure the business.The tax commission and tribal police enforced the order without interference from sheriff’s officers on Aug. 8, according to a press release from the nation.“They’ve pretty much made their own bed,” Rupnick said in an Aug. 7 interview with Kansas Reflector. “So I think that it’s time for us to end our relationship with them.”Snak Atak’s attorney did not return requests for comment.The lawsuit against Morse points to the jurisdictional disagreement at Snak Atak, but cites several additional instances, some related to parking violations, where Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation argues county law enforcement overstepped its bounds by dealing with civil, rather than criminal, actions.The complaint says Morse and his office have “repeatedly and intentionally overstepped their lawful authority and interfered with the nation’s authority over activities on its reservation.”Morse did not respond to requests for comment.The nation, according to its complaint, seeks a declaration from the sheriff that the department lacked the authority to interfere at Snak Atak and lacks civil jurisdiction within the reservation, as well as a permanent injunction prohibiting sheriff’s officers from interfering in the nation’s civil-regulatory jurisdiction on the reservation.“You would think that you would want to work together,” Rupnick said. “If you don’t have to dispatch an officer down to the reservation, why not try and work together with that?”<a href="https://narf.org/tribal-state-jurisdiction/#kansas" target="_blank">Public Law 280</a>, established in 1953, gave Kansas civil and criminal jurisdiction on tribal lands, which, according to a&nbsp;<a href="http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.law.044" target="_blank">University of Nebraska Lincoln publication</a>, led “to virtually continuous disputes” and “jurisdictional uncertainty between tribal, city, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.”<a href="https://nativegov.org/news/its-time-to-end-public-law-280/" target="_blank">Native advocacy groups</a>&nbsp;have called for the end of the law, claiming it cedes power from the tribal police to the county. Rupnick said the same.Rupnick said he has tried to develop a memorandum of understanding with the sheriff to establish which entity has jurisdiction where, but he said Morse was unwilling. He said he hopes the lawsuit can help forge a greater understanding and collaboration between the law enforcement agencies.“We shouldn’t be adversaries,” Rupnick said, “Of course, I don’t want crime, but I also don’t want my sovereignty infringed upon either.”

Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation asks federal court to resolve jurisdiction dispute with sheriff

JOHNSON COUNTY — A Kansas teen is going to prison for a robbery and murder at a business in Shawnee, Kansas.

This week, Johnson County Judge Christina Dunn Gyllenborg, sentencd 19-year-old&nbsp; Kyleigh I. Guzman, to 147 months for the murder of Jarod Rogers.

In March, the Judge sentenced one of the other teens involved, 19-year-old Fernando Reyes-Lara, to 400 months in prison.

On January 17, Reyes-Lara pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder and Aggravated Robbery in the death of&nbsp; Rogers, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.

On Nov. 30, 2022, police made a welfare check on a business in Shawnee and found Rogers with a gunshot wound. He was transported to an area hospital and died two days later.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705591117825.png" alt="Guzman-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Guzman-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY — A Kansas teen is going to prison for a robbery and murder at a business in Shawnee, Kansas.This week, Johnson County Judge Christina Dunn Gyllenborg, sentencd 19-year-old&nbsp; Kyleigh I. Guzman, to 147 months for the murder of Jarod Rogers.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705590509354.png" alt="Reyes Lara photo Johnson Co." />
 <figcaption>Reyes Lara photo Johnson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>In March, the Judge sentenced one of the other teens involved, 19-year-old Fernando Reyes-Lara, to 400 months in prison.On January 17, Reyes-Lara pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder and Aggravated Robbery in the death of&nbsp; Rogers, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.On Nov. 30, 2022, police made a welfare check on a business in Shawnee and found Rogers with a gunshot wound. He was transported to an area hospital and died two days later.

Teen sentenced for robbery, killing at Kansas business

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/darrell-ehrlick/">DARRELL EHRLICK</a>

Nine states, including Kansas, are challenging an executive order by President Joe Biden that would enlist federal agencies to help register residents to vote, and those states say the order undermines their power to control elections, calling it a federally subsidized program aimed at boosting Democratic and left-leaning blocs.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen filed the federal lawsuit in court in Wichita. The nine states are Montana, Kansas, Iowa, South Dakota, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Carolina.

The heart of the lawsuit is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/03/07/executive-order-on-promoting-access-to-voting/" target="_blank">Executive Order 14019</a>, which was issued on March 10, 2021, and directs federal agencies to “consider ways to expand citizens’ opportunities to register to vote and to obtain information about, and participate in, the electoral process.”

The states challenging the executive order say that Biden converts various federal agencies, turning them in part into “a voter registration organization” illegally. The attorneys general say that elections, including voter registration, are solely the province of states, guaranteed by the Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Moreover, the states said that it’s an example of the federal government trying to usurp the sovereignty of the states, and giving the states no other choice than to resort to federal court. The lawsuit said the states were never invited into the process, never allowed to comment, and they accuse the Biden administration of hiding the plans.

“In response to requests under the Freedom of Information Act, the Biden-Harris Administration has asserted the plans are subject to privilege and may be withheld from public scrutiny,” the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit lists a number of federal agencies as defendants, including the U.S. Treasury, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of The Interior, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Department of Education.

The lawsuit also claims that the National Voter Registration Act means that federal agencies cannot stand in the way of citizens voting, but it also said that voter registration activity is left to the states, and Biden’s order oversteps its authority.

The 41-page lawsuit outlines a number of ways the executive order commands the federal agencies to help bolster the efforts to register voters, for example:

“There is little detail about how agencies determine whether a third-party organization is ‘approved,’ ‘non-partisan,’ or what third-party organizations an agency can work with to promote voter registration,” the lawsuit said. “A rule that permits federal agencies to engage in voter registration activities trenches on States’ constitutionally protected sovereign rights.”

From a practical standpoint, the states claim that the federal government’s executive order doesn’t just exceed the constitution, but could threaten efforts in the individual states.

“The vast resources of the federal government render it unique among all possible entities engaged in voter registration. Because of the resources it can bring to bear, the federal government can engage in voter registration activities on a scale that will, as a practical matter, swamp any state’s attempt to regulate the government’s actions,” the lawsuit said.

Knudsen, Montana’s Attorney General, echoed that sentiment when he announced the lawsuit from Helena on Tuesday.

“Fair elections are an essential part of our country’s republic. Congress gave the states the power to oversee elections years ago,”&nbsp;Knudsen said.&nbsp;“I will not stand by while the Biden-Harris administration attempts to shamelessly garner votes by employing its own agencies to register voters and disregard states’ own voter registration systems, putting the integrity of our elections at risk.”

The states also said that encouraging a variety of different agencies without proper training put the elections at risk of fraud.

“They failed to consider the risk of fraud or to implement actions to prevent fraud, which threatens the integrity of state administration of elections,” the states said. “This includes, at a minimum, ensuring that illegal aliens do not register to vote through the plans the agency defendants put in place.”

It is already against federal law for noncitizens to vote in elections.

The states conclude the lawsuit by saying that the plans in the executive order weren’t motivated to help resident register to vote, rather they are part of a Democrat plan.

“(The executive order) was motivated by a partisan desire to unfairly increase the Democrat vote as shown by the fact that the order came from left-wing, progressive groups,” the lawsuit claims. “The purpose is to promote left-wing politicians and policies at elections.”

<a href="https://dailymontanan.com/2024/08/15/nine-gop-led-attorneys-general-sue-biden-administration-over-voter-registration-efforts/" target="_blank">This story</a>&nbsp;was produced by Daily Montanan, a States Newsroom affiliate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723829601184.png" alt="Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach joined eight other states in filing a lawsuit over President Joe Biden's 2021 executive order that directs federal agencies to look for ways to expand opportunities to register to vote. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach joined eight other states in filing a lawsuit over President Joe Biden's 2021 executive order that directs federal agencies to look for ways to expand opportunities to register to vote. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/darrell-ehrlick/">DARRELL EHRLICK</a>Nine states, including Kansas, are challenging an executive order by President Joe Biden that would enlist federal agencies to help register residents to vote, and those states say the order undermines their power to control elections, calling it a federally subsidized program aimed at boosting Democratic and left-leaning blocs.Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen filed the federal lawsuit in court in Wichita. The nine states are Montana, Kansas, Iowa, South Dakota, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Carolina.The heart of the lawsuit is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/03/07/executive-order-on-promoting-access-to-voting/" target="_blank">Executive Order 14019</a>, which was issued on March 10, 2021, and directs federal agencies to “consider ways to expand citizens’ opportunities to register to vote and to obtain information about, and participate in, the electoral process.”The states challenging the executive order say that Biden converts various federal agencies, turning them in part into “a voter registration organization” illegally. The attorneys general say that elections, including voter registration, are solely the province of states, guaranteed by the Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.Moreover, the states said that it’s an example of the federal government trying to usurp the sovereignty of the states, and giving the states no other choice than to resort to federal court. The lawsuit said the states were never invited into the process, never allowed to comment, and they accuse the Biden administration of hiding the plans.“In response to requests under the Freedom of Information Act, the Biden-Harris Administration has asserted the plans are subject to privilege and may be withheld from public scrutiny,” the lawsuit claims.The lawsuit lists a number of federal agencies as defendants, including the U.S. Treasury, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of The Interior, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Department of Education.The lawsuit also claims that the National Voter Registration Act means that federal agencies cannot stand in the way of citizens voting, but it also said that voter registration activity is left to the states, and Biden’s order oversteps its authority.The 41-page lawsuit outlines a number of ways the executive order commands the federal agencies to help bolster the efforts to register voters, for example:<ul>
 <li>The lawsuit accuses the Department of Justice of providing information to those who remain eligible to vote while in federal custody, as well as preparing prisoners about voting laws and rights before reentry.</li><li>It says that the Department of the Interior will disseminate information about registering and voting at schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Education and tribal colleges and universities.</li><li>The order also encourages the Department of Agriculture to provide nonpartisan voter information through its borrowers and lenders about registration and voting.</li><li>Designating 2,400 American Job Centers, which provide employment guidance, training and career services, to become voter registration agencies under the National Voter Registration Act.</li><li>Allowing public housing community areas space for certain election-related activities, including voter registration or voter drop boxes for early voting.</li><li>The lawsuit said that the order allows the Department of Education to allow federal work study funds to “support voter registration” activities.</li>
 </ul>“There is little detail about how agencies determine whether a third-party organization is ‘approved,’ ‘non-partisan,’ or what third-party organizations an agency can work with to promote voter registration,” the lawsuit said. “A rule that permits federal agencies to engage in voter registration activities trenches on States’ constitutionally protected sovereign rights.”From a practical standpoint, the states claim that the federal government’s executive order doesn’t just exceed the constitution, but could threaten efforts in the individual states.“The vast resources of the federal government render it unique among all possible entities engaged in voter registration. Because of the resources it can bring to bear, the federal government can engage in voter registration activities on a scale that will, as a practical matter, swamp any state’s attempt to regulate the government’s actions,” the lawsuit said.Knudsen, Montana’s Attorney General, echoed that sentiment when he announced the lawsuit from Helena on Tuesday.“Fair elections are an essential part of our country’s republic. Congress gave the states the power to oversee elections years ago,”&nbsp;Knudsen said.&nbsp;“I will not stand by while the Biden-Harris administration attempts to shamelessly garner votes by employing its own agencies to register voters and disregard states’ own voter registration systems, putting the integrity of our elections at risk.”The states also said that encouraging a variety of different agencies without proper training put the elections at risk of fraud.“They failed to consider the risk of fraud or to implement actions to prevent fraud, which threatens the integrity of state administration of elections,” the states said. “This includes, at a minimum, ensuring that illegal aliens do not register to vote through the plans the agency defendants put in place.”It is already against federal law for noncitizens to vote in elections.The states conclude the lawsuit by saying that the plans in the executive order weren’t motivated to help resident register to vote, rather they are part of a Democrat plan.“(The executive order) was motivated by a partisan desire to unfairly increase the Democrat vote as shown by the fact that the order came from left-wing, progressive groups,” the lawsuit claims. “The purpose is to promote left-wing politicians and policies at elections.”<a href="https://dailymontanan.com/2024/08/15/nine-gop-led-attorneys-general-sue-biden-administration-over-voter-registration-efforts/" target="_blank">This story</a>&nbsp;was produced by Daily Montanan, a States Newsroom affiliate.

Nine GOP-led attorneys general sue Biden administration over voter registration efforts

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a school threat in Shawnee County and have made an arrest.

Just before 9p.m. Thursday, an attentive parent contacted the Shawnee County Sheriff's office to report pictures and a text message they found on their child's cell phone, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

The photos and text messages had been sent to the child from another juvenile's cell phone and referenced a potential school shooting.&nbsp; Law enforcement were able to confirm the identity of the juvenile responsible for sending the pictures and threatening text messages

Following an investigation, home assessment and interview with the parents of the juvenile responsible for sending the text message, the 12-year-old was transported to Juvenile Intake and Assessment, according to Deputy Christian.&nbsp; Deputies also seized a black Glock Airsoft pistol.

Law enforcement takes every threat seriously. Parents are strongly encouraged to talk with their children about the seriousness and potential consequences of this type of conduct. The sheriff's office applauds the parent in this matter who came forward and immediately reported it to law enforcement.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723855051530.png" alt="Photo Shawnee Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Shawnee Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a school threat in Shawnee County and have made an arrest.Just before 9p.m. Thursday, an attentive parent contacted the Shawnee County Sheriff's office to report pictures and a text message they found on their child's cell phone, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.The photos and text messages had been sent to the child from another juvenile's cell phone and referenced a potential school shooting.&nbsp; Law enforcement were able to confirm the identity of the juvenile responsible for sending the pictures and threatening text messagesFollowing an investigation, home assessment and interview with the parents of the juvenile responsible for sending the text message, the 12-year-old was transported to Juvenile Intake and Assessment, according to Deputy Christian.&nbsp; Deputies also seized a black Glock Airsoft pistol.Law enforcement takes every threat seriously. Parents are strongly encouraged to talk with their children about the seriousness and potential consequences of this type of conduct. The sheriff's office applauds the parent in this matter who came forward and immediately reported it to law enforcement.

12-year-old in custody for alleged Kansas school shooting threat

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Friday kept on hold in roughly half the country new regulations about sex discrimination in education, rejecting a Biden administration request.

The court voted 5-4, with conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch joining the three liberal justices in dissent.

At issue were protections for pregnant students and students who are parents, and the procedures schools must use in responding to sexual misconduct complaints.

The most noteworthy of the new regulations, involving protections for transgender students, were not part of the administration’s plea to the high court. They too remain blocked in 25 states and hundreds of individual colleges and schools across the country because of lower court orders.

The rules took effect elsewhere in U.S. schools and colleges on Aug. 1.

The rights of transgender people — and especially young people — have become a major political battleground in recent years as trans visibility has increased. Most Republican-controlled states have banned gender-affirming health care for transgender minors, and several have adopted policies limiting which school bathrooms trans people can use and barring trans girls from some sports competitions.

In April, President Joe Biden’s administration sought to settle some of the contention with a regulation to safeguard rights of LGBTQ+ students under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-title-ix-e02d90d300218ebcbb9dd0344053e05c">Title IX</a>, the 1972 law against sex discrimination in schools that receive federal money. The rule was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/campus-sexual-assault-rules-overhaul-title-IX-anniversary-518710ef2b76663c240dc0272903fe93">two years in the making</a>&nbsp;and drew 240,000 responses — a record for the Education Department.

The rule declares that it’s unlawful discrimination to treat transgender students differently from their classmates, including by restricting bathroom access. It does not explicitly address&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-ix-transgender-sports-athletes-7bf158a721fa40623ec18c3a4fef4525">sports participation</a>, a particularly contentious topic.

Title IX enforcement remains highly unsettled. In a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-ix-education-department-9f7b89ec50657436e0e8110799b576d4">series of rulings</a>, federal courts have declared that the rule cannot be enforced in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-ix-lawsuit-transgender-sports-f47922529d12b68580a4fb5bc5981ba5">most of the Republican states that sued</a>&nbsp;while the litigation continues.

In an unsigned opinion, the Supreme Court majority wrote that it was declining to question the lower court rulings that concluded that “the new definition of sex discrimination is intertwined with and affects many other provisions of the new rule.”

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent that the lower-court orders are too broad in that they “bar the Government from enforcing the entire rule — including provisions that bear no apparent relationship to respondents’ alleged injuries.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court">Supreme Court</a>&nbsp;on Friday kept on hold in roughly half the country new regulations about sex discrimination in education, rejecting a Biden administration request.The court voted 5-4, with conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch joining the three liberal justices in dissent.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723861663474.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>At issue were protections for pregnant students and students who are parents, and the procedures schools must use in responding to sexual misconduct complaints.The most noteworthy of the new regulations, involving protections for transgender students, were not part of the administration’s plea to the high court. They too remain blocked in 25 states and hundreds of individual colleges and schools across the country because of lower court orders.The cases will continue in those courts.The rules took effect elsewhere in U.S. schools and colleges on Aug. 1.The rights of transgender people — and especially young people — have become a major political battleground in recent years as trans visibility has increased. Most Republican-controlled states have banned gender-affirming health care for transgender minors, and several have adopted policies limiting which school bathrooms trans people can use and barring trans girls from some sports competitions.In April, President Joe Biden’s administration sought to settle some of the contention with a regulation to safeguard rights of LGBTQ+ students under&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/what-is-title-ix-e02d90d300218ebcbb9dd0344053e05c">Title IX</a>, the 1972 law against sex discrimination in schools that receive federal money. The rule was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/campus-sexual-assault-rules-overhaul-title-IX-anniversary-518710ef2b76663c240dc0272903fe93">two years in the making</a>&nbsp;and drew 240,000 responses — a record for the Education Department.The rule declares that it’s unlawful discrimination to treat transgender students differently from their classmates, including by restricting bathroom access. It does not explicitly address&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-ix-transgender-sports-athletes-7bf158a721fa40623ec18c3a4fef4525">sports participation</a>, a particularly contentious topic.Title IX enforcement remains highly unsettled. In a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-ix-education-department-9f7b89ec50657436e0e8110799b576d4">series of rulings</a>, federal courts have declared that the rule cannot be enforced in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/title-ix-lawsuit-transgender-sports-f47922529d12b68580a4fb5bc5981ba5">most of the Republican states that sued</a>&nbsp;while the litigation continues.In an unsigned opinion, the Supreme Court majority wrote that it was declining to question the lower court rulings that concluded that “the new definition of sex discrimination is intertwined with and affects many other provisions of the new rule.”Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent that the lower-court orders are too broad in that they “bar the Government from enforcing the entire rule — including provisions that bear no apparent relationship to respondents’ alleged injuries.”

Supreme Court refuses DOJ request to partially reinstate new Title IX rule

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Vice President Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;announced a sweeping set of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-economy-inflation-food-prices-campaign-c3bbfd8aa3bfd2be3e98d021f0a182ac">economic proposals</a>&nbsp;on Friday meant to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-rally-north-carolina-economy-fact-check-4a685dc826c732944727724d94173b08">cut taxes and lower the cost of groceries</a>, housing and other essentials for many Americans.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?537709-1/vp-kamala-harris-campaigns-raleigh-north-carolina">Click here to watch</a> a replay her full budget presentation.

“Look, the bills add up," she declared, trying to address the financial concerns that are at the top of voters' minds and that Republican Donald Trump is attempting to blame on her.

During a speech in the battleground state of North Carolina, Harris said that "building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency” as she promoted her plan for a federal ban on price gouging by food producers and grocers. She also proposed $25,000 in down payment assistance for certain first-time homebuyers and tax incentives for builders of starter homes.

“Every day across our nation, families talk about their plans for the future, their ambitions, their aspirations for themselves, for their children. And they talk about how they’re going to be able to actually achieve them financially, because, look, the bills add up,” Harris said. “Food, rent, gas, back to school clothes, prescription medications. After all that, for many families, there’s not much left at the end of the month.”

She stressed tax breaks for families, as well as middle- and lower-income people, promising to expand the child tax credit to up to $3,600 — and $6,000 for children in their first year of life. The vice president also wants to enlarge the earned income tax credit to cover people in lower-income jobs without children — which the campaign estimates would cut their effective tax rate by $1,500 — and lower health insurance premiums through the Affordable Care Act.

Overall, the plans represent a continuation of many Biden administration priorities.

Harris isn't looking for any radical departures from President Joe Biden, who stepped down from the race last month and endorsed her. Still, the vice president has embraced a dash of economic populism, shifting away from Biden's emphasis on job creation and infrastructure to matters more closely tied to easing the cost of living -– food prices, housing costs and tax breaks for families.

Much of what she's proposing would require congressional approval, which is far from assured in the current political environment, though, and Harris' campaign has offered scant details on how to pay for the ideas.

The vice president is seeking to blunt&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-press-conference-9af8036585d6727b6bb07008c0690cdf">Trump’s attacks on her.</a>&nbsp;He responded to her speech by posting on his social media account, “Kamala will implement SOVIET style price controls." He gave his own&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-asheville-rally-economic-speech-bc81b98a425e46c32065c02650b2b44c">speech Thursday</a>, during which he displayed popular grocery store items meant to represent the high cost of food.

Some of Trump’s economic advisers offered further rebuttals to Harris' plans before she spoke on Friday, with Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the former president's campaign, calling them representative of a “socialist and authoritarian model.”

Kevin Hassett, a former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers during the Trump administration, called it “completely preposterous” for the government to play a role in setting food prices, a reference to Harris’ proposed federal ban on “corporate price-gouging” on food.

In her speech, Harris offered stark contrasts with Trump's economic proposals, including his call for steep tariffs on foreign goods. She said that her opponent “wants to impose what is, in effect, a national sales tax on everyday products and basic necessities that we import from other countries.”

“It will mean higher prices on just about every one of your daily needs," Harris said. "A Trump tax on gas, a Trump tax on food, a Trump tax on clothing, a Trump tax on over-the-counter medication.”

She added, “At this moment, when everyday prices are too high, he will make them even higher."

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/kamala-harris">Vice President Kamala Harris</a>&nbsp;announced a sweeping set of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-economy-inflation-food-prices-campaign-c3bbfd8aa3bfd2be3e98d021f0a182ac">economic proposals</a>&nbsp;on Friday meant to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kamala-harris-rally-north-carolina-economy-fact-check-4a685dc826c732944727724d94173b08">cut taxes and lower the cost of groceries</a>, housing and other essentials for many Americans.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?537709-1/vp-kamala-harris-campaigns-raleigh-north-carolina">Click here to watch</a> a replay her full budget presentation.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I grew up in a middle-class household. For most of my childhood, we were renters. When I’m elected President, I will make it a top priority to bring down costs, and increase economic security for all Americans.<a href="https://t.co/r5PZq1LJEc">pic.twitter.com/r5PZq1LJEc</a>&mdash; Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1824518552281551247?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“Look, the bills add up," she declared, trying to address the financial concerns that are at the top of voters' minds and that Republican Donald Trump is attempting to blame on her.During a speech in the battleground state of North Carolina, Harris said that "building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency” as she promoted her plan for a federal ban on price gouging by food producers and grocers. She also proposed $25,000 in down payment assistance for certain first-time homebuyers and tax incentives for builders of starter homes.“Every day across our nation, families talk about their plans for the future, their ambitions, their aspirations for themselves, for their children. And they talk about how they’re going to be able to actually achieve them financially, because, look, the bills add up,” Harris said. “Food, rent, gas, back to school clothes, prescription medications. After all that, for many families, there’s not much left at the end of the month.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This is what it looks like to build an economy that works for everyone. <a href="https://t.co/nbPK56frPo">https://t.co/nbPK56frPo</a>&mdash; Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tim_Walz/status/1824597852125082066?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>She stressed tax breaks for families, as well as middle- and lower-income people, promising to expand the child tax credit to up to $3,600 — and $6,000 for children in their first year of life. The vice president also wants to enlarge the earned income tax credit to cover people in lower-income jobs without children — which the campaign estimates would cut their effective tax rate by $1,500 — and lower health insurance premiums through the Affordable Care Act.Overall, the plans represent a continuation of many Biden administration priorities.Harris isn't looking for any radical departures from President Joe Biden, who stepped down from the race last month and endorsed her. Still, the vice president has embraced a dash of economic populism, shifting away from Biden's emphasis on job creation and infrastructure to matters more closely tied to easing the cost of living -– food prices, housing costs and tax breaks for families.Much of what she's proposing would require congressional approval, which is far from assured in the current political environment, though, and Harris' campaign has offered scant details on how to pay for the ideas.The vice president is seeking to blunt&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-press-conference-9af8036585d6727b6bb07008c0690cdf">Trump’s attacks on her.</a>&nbsp;He responded to her speech by posting on his social media account, “Kamala will implement SOVIET style price controls." He gave his own&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-asheville-rally-economic-speech-bc81b98a425e46c32065c02650b2b44c">speech Thursday</a>, during which he displayed popular grocery store items meant to represent the high cost of food.Some of Trump’s economic advisers offered further rebuttals to Harris' plans before she spoke on Friday, with Brian Hughes, a spokesman for the former president's campaign, calling them representative of a “socialist and authoritarian model.”Kevin Hassett, a former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers during the Trump administration, called it “completely preposterous” for the government to play a role in setting food prices, a reference to Harris’ proposed federal ban on “corporate price-gouging” on food.In her speech, Harris offered stark contrasts with Trump's economic proposals, including his call for steep tariffs on foreign goods. She said that her opponent “wants to impose what is, in effect, a national sales tax on everyday products and basic necessities that we import from other countries.”“It will mean higher prices on just about every one of your daily needs," Harris said. "A Trump tax on gas, a Trump tax on food, a Trump tax on clothing, a Trump tax on over-the-counter medication.”She added, “At this moment, when everyday prices are too high, he will make them even higher."<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-interest-rates-economy-federal-reserve-f8de2672173407d3a126cc13493fed85">Year-over-year inflation</a>&nbsp;has reached its lowest level in more than three years, but food prices are still 21% above where they were three years ago. A Labor Department report this week showed that nearly all of July’s inflation reflected higher rental prices and other housing costs, a trend that, according to real-time data, is easing. As a result, housing costs should rise more slowly in the coming months, contributing to lower inflation.Harris' grocery pricing proposal would instruct the Federal Trade Commission to penalize “big corporations" that engage in price spikes and it singles out a lack of competition in the meat-packing industry for driving up meat prices.Monica Wallace, a county clerk who attended Harris' speech, called the vice president's economic plans “what we need.”“I have a mother who is receiving services, and just in food stamps alone, she’s still not able to afford food that will last her,” Wallace said.Comparing Harris to Trump, Wallace said she sees the vice president as someone “definitely for the middle and lower class,” whereas the former president is “for the people who make the money to do any and everything that they want.”Polls nonetheless show that Americans are more likely to trust Trump over Harris when it comes to handling the economy: Some 45% say Trump is better positioned to handle the economy, while 38% say that about Harris. About 1 in 10 trust neither Harris nor Trump to better handle the economy, according to the latest&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-trump-honesty-discipline-immigration-ap-poll-f025463df08beacbaa0c51e7bbb7eda7">Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll</a>.Riding a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-walz-rallies-battleground-states-vance-trump-7da99aace01fec1c784fba27fdbce558">resurgence of enthusiasm</a>&nbsp;since the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/poll-joe-biden-kamala-harris-donald-trump-1feb5ed3c2e29623ce3cec3565b487cd">Democrats’ campaign reboot</a>, Harris has embarked on a battleground state blitz in recent weeks that has broadened the number of races viewed as competitive by strategists. In North Carolina, Democrats are navigating renewed energy with caution in an economically dynamic state that hasn't been won by a Democratic presidential candidate since Barack Obama in 2008.Gov. Roy Cooper told Friday's crowd, “I have that 2008 feeling.”“That’s the last time we voted for a Democratic nominee for president, Barack Obama,” Cooper said.North Carolina State University political science professor Steven Greene said that the state "went from a situation where Joe Biden was almost surely going down in defeat here, whereas Kamala Harris has a very real chance of winning,”Deborah Holder, a 68-year-old Raleigh resident who runs six McDonalds restaurants, said of the vice president, “Her culture is something that is going to be a huge strength for her, because she’ll be able to look at the rest of us not just as her constituents, but as people that she has dealt with in all walks of life,”Harris is trying to strike a balance in defining her own image and economic agenda while still giving credit for the Biden administration’s track record. Her speech in North Carolina came a day after the president was asked if Harris might distance herself from his economic record and responded, “She's not going to.”In their first joint speaking event since Biden dropped out, he and Harris were in Maryland on Thursday where they showcased successful negotiations to lower prices for Medicare recipients on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-drug-prices-medicare-prescriptions-34886d6f362c242be268c05d5efd5411">10 prescription drugs</a>.But Harris spent far more time talking about Trump than Biden in North Carolina, promising "to build an America where everyone's work is rewarded and talents are valued, where we work with labor and business to strengthen the American economy.”“And where everyone has the opportunity,” she said "not just to get by, but to get ahead."