KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man faces multiple felony charges for a shooting on Saturday in the Northeast area of Kansas City, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.

Abdisalaan H. Mohamud, 29, faces Assault in the 1st Degree, Armed Criminal Action, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and Resisting a Lawful Stop.

According to court records,&nbsp; Kansas City Police Department officers were dispatched to the 1400 block of Independence Avenue on a reported shooting. 

Officers found a victim near 9th and Woodland Avenue who had been shot when a red van pulled up next to the victim's vehicle, leaned out of the window with a rifle and began firing in the victim's vehicle. 

The victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Witnesses helped the officers locate the truck. Officers attempted a traffic stop but the vehicle's driver, later identified as&nbsp;Mohamud, fled. Officers chased the vehicle at high speeds until&nbsp;Mohamud  crashed his vehicle at Truman Road and Van Brunt Blvd. and was taken into custody.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709671835920.png" alt="Mohamud-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Mohamud-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —A Kansas City man faces multiple felony charges for a shooting on Saturday in the Northeast area of Kansas City, according to Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker.Abdisalaan H. Mohamud, 29, faces Assault in the 1st Degree, Armed Criminal Action, Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Unlawful Possession of a Firearm and Resisting a Lawful Stop.According to court records,&nbsp; Kansas City Police Department officers were dispatched to the 1400 block of Independence Avenue on a reported shooting. Officers found a victim near 9th and Woodland Avenue who had been shot when a red van pulled up next to the victim's vehicle, leaned out of the window with a rifle and began firing in the victim's vehicle. The victim suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Witnesses helped the officers locate the truck. Officers attempted a traffic stop but the vehicle's driver, later identified as&nbsp;Mohamud, fled. Officers chased the vehicle at high speeds until&nbsp;Mohamud crashed his vehicle at Truman Road and Van Brunt Blvd. and was taken into custody.He is being held on a $200,000 bond.

KC shooting suspect arrested after chase and crash

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) —A Microsoft engineer is sounding alarms about offensive and harmful imagery he says is too easily made by the company's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-windows-copilot-keyboard-ai-button-27078255bd934bf84d3cc6fbe37bb17c">artificial intelligence image-generator tool</a>, sending letters on Wednesday to U.S. regulators and the tech giant's board of directors urging them to take action.

Shane Jones told The Associated Press that he considers himself a whistleblower and that he also met last month with U.S. Senate staffers to share his concerns.

The Federal Trade Commission confirmed it received his letter Wednesday but declined further comment.

Microsoft said it is committed to addressing employee concerns about company policies and that it appreciates Jones' "effort in studying and testing our latest technology to further enhance its safety.” It said it had recommended he use the company’s own “robust internal reporting channels” to investigate and address the problems. CNBC was first to report about the letters.

Jones, a principal software engineering lead whose job involves working on AI products for Microsoft's retail customers, said he has spent three months trying to address his safety concerns about Microsoft's Copilot Designer, a tool that can generate novel images from written prompts. The tool is derived from another AI image-generator, DALL-E 3, made by Microsoft's close&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/openai-sam-altman-investigation-chatgpt-elon-musk-ff9f20b1e687064d9f7f43af5844148e">business partner OpenAI</a>.

“One of the most concerning risks with Copilot Designer is when the product generates images that add harmful content despite a benign request from the user,” he said in his letter addressed to FTC Chair Lina Khan. “For example, when using just the prompt, ‘car accident’, Copilot Designer has a tendency to randomly include an inappropriate, sexually objectified image of a woman in some of the pictures it creates.”

Other harmful content involves violence as well as “political bias, underaged drinking and drug use, misuse of corporate trademarks and copyrights, conspiracy theories, and religion to name a few,” he told the FTC. Jones said he repeatedly asked the company to take the product off the market until it is safer, or at least change its age rating on smartphones to make clear it is for mature audiences.

His letter to Microsoft's board asks it to launch an independent investigation that would look at whether Microsoft is marketing unsafe products “without disclosing known risks to consumers, including children.”

This is not the first time Jones has publicly aired his concerns. He said Microsoft at first advised him to take his findings directly to OpenAI.

When that didn't work, he also publicly posted a letter to OpenAI on Microsoft-owned LinkedIn in December, leading a manager to inform him that Microsoft's legal team “demanded that I delete the post, which I reluctantly did,” according to his letter to the board.

In addition to the U.S. Senate's Commerce Committee, Jones has brought his concerns to the state attorney general in Washington, where Microsoft is headquartered.

Jones told the AP that while the “core issue” is with OpenAI's DALL-E model, those who use OpenAI's ChatGPT to generate AI images won't get the same harmful outputs because the two companies overlay their products with different safeguards.

“Many of the issues with Copilot Designer are already addressed with ChatGPT's own safeguards,” he said via text.

A number of impressive AI image-generators first came on the scene in 2022, including the second generation of OpenAI's DALL-E 2. That — and the subsequent release of OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT — sparked public fascination that put commercial pressure on tech giants such as Microsoft and Google to release their own versions.

But without effective safeguards, the technology poses dangers, including the ease with which users can generate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-ai-images-protecttaylorswift-nonconsensual-d5eb3f98084bcbb670a185f7aeec78b1">harmful “deepfake” images</a>&nbsp;of political figures,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-hamas-israel-misinformation-ai-gaza-a1bb303b637ffbbb9cbc3aa1e000db47">war zones</a>&nbsp;or nonconsensual nudity that falsely appear to show real people with recognizable faces. Google has temporarily suspended its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-gemini-ai-chatbot-imagegenerator-race-c7e14de837aa65dd84f6e7ed6cfc4f4b">Gemini chatbot's</a>&nbsp;ability to generate images of people following outrage over how it was depicting race and ethnicity, such as by putting people of color in Nazi-era military uniforms.

REDMOND, Wash. (AP) —A Microsoft engineer is sounding alarms about offensive and harmful imagery he says is too easily made by the company's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/microsoft-windows-copilot-keyboard-ai-button-27078255bd934bf84d3cc6fbe37bb17c">artificial intelligence image-generator tool</a>, sending letters on Wednesday to U.S. regulators and the tech giant's board of directors urging them to take action.Shane Jones told The Associated Press that he considers himself a whistleblower and that he also met last month with U.S. Senate staffers to share his concerns.The Federal Trade Commission confirmed it received his letter Wednesday but declined further comment.Microsoft said it is committed to addressing employee concerns about company policies and that it appreciates Jones' "effort in studying and testing our latest technology to further enhance its safety.” It said it had recommended he use the company’s own “robust internal reporting channels” to investigate and address the problems. CNBC was first to report about the letters.Jones, a principal software engineering lead whose job involves working on AI products for Microsoft's retail customers, said he has spent three months trying to address his safety concerns about Microsoft's Copilot Designer, a tool that can generate novel images from written prompts. The tool is derived from another AI image-generator, DALL-E 3, made by Microsoft's close&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/openai-sam-altman-investigation-chatgpt-elon-musk-ff9f20b1e687064d9f7f43af5844148e">business partner OpenAI</a>.“One of the most concerning risks with Copilot Designer is when the product generates images that add harmful content despite a benign request from the user,” he said in his letter addressed to FTC Chair Lina Khan. “For example, when using just the prompt, ‘car accident’, Copilot Designer has a tendency to randomly include an inappropriate, sexually objectified image of a woman in some of the pictures it creates.”Other harmful content involves violence as well as “political bias, underaged drinking and drug use, misuse of corporate trademarks and copyrights, conspiracy theories, and religion to name a few,” he told the FTC. Jones said he repeatedly asked the company to take the product off the market until it is safer, or at least change its age rating on smartphones to make clear it is for mature audiences.His letter to Microsoft's board asks it to launch an independent investigation that would look at whether Microsoft is marketing unsafe products “without disclosing known risks to consumers, including children.”This is not the first time Jones has publicly aired his concerns. He said Microsoft at first advised him to take his findings directly to OpenAI.When that didn't work, he also publicly posted a letter to OpenAI on Microsoft-owned LinkedIn in December, leading a manager to inform him that Microsoft's legal team “demanded that I delete the post, which I reluctantly did,” according to his letter to the board.In addition to the U.S. Senate's Commerce Committee, Jones has brought his concerns to the state attorney general in Washington, where Microsoft is headquartered.Jones told the AP that while the “core issue” is with OpenAI's DALL-E model, those who use OpenAI's ChatGPT to generate AI images won't get the same harmful outputs because the two companies overlay their products with different safeguards.“Many of the issues with Copilot Designer are already addressed with ChatGPT's own safeguards,” he said via text.A number of impressive AI image-generators first came on the scene in 2022, including the second generation of OpenAI's DALL-E 2. That — and the subsequent release of OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT — sparked public fascination that put commercial pressure on tech giants such as Microsoft and Google to release their own versions.But without effective safeguards, the technology poses dangers, including the ease with which users can generate&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taylor-swift-ai-images-protecttaylorswift-nonconsensual-d5eb3f98084bcbb670a185f7aeec78b1">harmful “deepfake” images</a>&nbsp;of political figures,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/artificial-intelligence-hamas-israel-misinformation-ai-gaza-a1bb303b637ffbbb9cbc3aa1e000db47">war zones</a>&nbsp;or nonconsensual nudity that falsely appear to show real people with recognizable faces. Google has temporarily suspended its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/google-gemini-ai-chatbot-imagegenerator-race-c7e14de837aa65dd84f6e7ed6cfc4f4b">Gemini chatbot's</a>&nbsp;ability to generate images of people following outrage over how it was depicting race and ethnicity, such as by putting people of color in Nazi-era military uniforms.

Microsoft engineer sounds alarm on AI image-generator to US officials 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/birth-control-pills-without-prescription-fda-b6728e98af5f1625520e0fa5fbc911c3">over-the-counter birth control pill</a>&nbsp;will be available in U.S. stores later this month, allowing American women and teens to purchase contraceptive medication as easily as they buy aspirin.

Manufacturer Perrigo said Monday it has begun shipping the medication, Opill, to major retailers and pharmacies. A one-month supply will cost about $20 and a three-month supply will cost around $50, according to the company's suggested retail price. It will also be sold online.

The launch has been closely watched since last July, when the Food and Drug Administration said the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-science-health-birth-control-861d6d425e692ee1ead1d59926e5f3cd">once-a-day Opill</a>&nbsp;could be sold without a prescription. Ireland-based Perrigo noted there will be no age restrictions on sales, similar to other over-the-counter medications.

Opill is an older class of contraceptive, sometimes called minipills, that contain a single synthetic hormone, progestin, and generally carry fewer side effects than more popular combination estrogen and progestin pills.

The launch gives U.S. women another birth control option amid the legal and political battles over reproductive health, including the reversal of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Roe v. Wade</a>, which has upended abortion access across the U.S. Opill’s approval is unrelated to the ongoing court battles over the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-supreme-court-abortion-d451e14148ffbe6ce4811b1a37651480">abortion pill mifepristone</a>. And anti-abortion groups have generally emphasized that they do not oppose contraceptives to prevent pregnancies.

Birth control pills are available without a prescription across much of South America, Asia and Africa.

The drug’s approval came despite some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/birth-control-pills-without-prescription-3228f5d93f5b6583cdc1be9ce4557373">concerns by FDA scientists</a>&nbsp;about the company’s results, including whether women with certain medical conditions would understand that they shouldn’t take the drug.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/birth-control-pills-without-prescription-fda-b6728e98af5f1625520e0fa5fbc911c3">over-the-counter birth control pill</a>&nbsp;will be available in U.S. stores later this month, allowing American women and teens to purchase contraceptive medication as easily as they buy aspirin.Manufacturer Perrigo said Monday it has begun shipping the medication, Opill, to major retailers and pharmacies. A one-month supply will cost about $20 and a three-month supply will cost around $50, according to the company's suggested retail price. It will also be sold online.The launch has been closely watched since last July, when the Food and Drug Administration said the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-science-health-birth-control-861d6d425e692ee1ead1d59926e5f3cd">once-a-day Opill</a>&nbsp;could be sold without a prescription. Ireland-based Perrigo noted there will be no age restrictions on sales, similar to other over-the-counter medications.Opill is an older class of contraceptive, sometimes called minipills, that contain a single synthetic hormone, progestin, and generally carry fewer side effects than more popular combination estrogen and progestin pills.The launch gives U.S. women another birth control option amid the legal and political battles over reproductive health, including the reversal of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Roe v. Wade</a>, which has upended abortion access across the U.S. Opill’s approval is unrelated to the ongoing court battles over the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mifepristone-supreme-court-abortion-d451e14148ffbe6ce4811b1a37651480">abortion pill mifepristone</a>. And anti-abortion groups have generally emphasized that they do not oppose contraceptives to prevent pregnancies.Birth control pills are available without a prescription across much of South America, Asia and Africa.The drug’s approval came despite some&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/birth-control-pills-without-prescription-3228f5d93f5b6583cdc1be9ce4557373">concerns by FDA scientists</a>&nbsp;about the company’s results, including whether women with certain medical conditions would understand that they shouldn’t take the drug.

First over-the-counter birth control pills to hit U.S. stores this month

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most of America “springs forward” Sunday for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/spring-forward-time-change-daylight-saving-41beeca27270e67482b6a2e2904034bb">daylight saving time</a>&nbsp;and losing that hour of sleep can do more than leave you tired and cranky the next day. It also could harm your health.

Darker mornings and more evening light together knock your body clock out of whack — which means daylight saving time can usher in sleep trouble for weeks or longer. Studies have even found an uptick in heart attacks and strokes right after the March time change.

There are ways to ease the adjustment, including getting more sunshine to help reset your circadian rhythm for healthful sleep.

“Not unlike when one travels across many time zones, how long it can take is very different for different people,” said Dr. Eduardo Sanchez of the American Heart Association. “Understand that your body is transitioning.”

Daylight savings time&nbsp;began Sunday at 2 a.m., an hour of sleep vanishing in most of the U.S. The ritual will reverse on Nov. 3 when clocks “fall back” as daylight saving time ends.

Hawaii and most of Arizona don’t make the spring switch, sticking to standard time year-round along with Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Worldwide, dozens of countries also observe daylight saving time, starting and ending at different dates.

Some people tried to prepare for daylight saving time’s sleep jolt and went to bed a little earlier two or three nights ahead. With a third of American adults already not getting the recommended seven hours of nightly shuteye, catching up can be difficult.

What happens to your brain when it's lighter later?

The brain has a master clock that is set by exposure to sunlight and darkness. This circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour cycle that determines when we become sleepy and when we’re more alert. The patterns change with age, one reason that early-to-rise youngsters evolve into hard-to-wake teens.

Morning light resets the rhythm. By evening, levels of a hormone called melatonin begin to surge, triggering drowsiness. Too much light in the evening — that extra hour from daylight saving time — delays that surge and the cycle gets out of sync.

Sleep deprivation is linked to heart disease, cognitive decline, obesity and numerous other problems. And that circadian clock affects more than sleep, also influencing things like heart rate, blood pressure, stress hormones and metabolism.

How does the time change affect your health?

Fatal car crashes temporarily jump the first few days after the spring time change, according to a study of U.S. traffic fatalities. The risk was highest in the morning, and researchers attributed it to sleep deprivation.

Then there’s the cardiac connection. The American Heart Association points to studies that suggest an uptick in heart attacks on the Monday after daylight saving time begins, and in strokes for two days afterward.

Doctors already know that heart attacks, especially severe ones, are a bit more common on Mondays generally — and in the morning, when blood is more clot-prone.

It’s not clear why the time change would add to the Monday connection, Sanchez said, although probably something about the abrupt circadian disruption exacerbates factors such as high blood pressure in people already at risk.

Go to bed a little earlier Friday and Saturday nights, and try to get more morning light. Moving up daily routines, like dinner time or when you exercise, also may help cue your body to start adapting, sleep experts advise.

Afternoon naps and caffeine as well as evening light from phones and other electronic devices can make adjusting to an earlier bedtime even harder.

Stay tuned: Some health groups, including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have said it's time to do away with time switches and that sticking with standard time year-round aligns better with the sun — and human biology.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most of America “springs forward” Sunday for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/spring-forward-time-change-daylight-saving-41beeca27270e67482b6a2e2904034bb">daylight saving time</a>&nbsp;and losing that hour of sleep can do more than leave you tired and cranky the next day. It also could harm your health.Darker mornings and more evening light together knock your body clock out of whack — which means daylight saving time can usher in sleep trouble for weeks or longer. Studies have even found an uptick in heart attacks and strokes right after the March time change.There are ways to ease the adjustment, including getting more sunshine to help reset your circadian rhythm for healthful sleep.“Not unlike when one travels across many time zones, how long it can take is very different for different people,” said Dr. Eduardo Sanchez of the American Heart Association. “Understand that your body is transitioning.”Daylight savings time&nbsp;began Sunday at 2 a.m., an hour of sleep vanishing in most of the U.S. The ritual will reverse on Nov. 3 when clocks “fall back” as daylight saving time ends.Hawaii and most of Arizona don’t make the spring switch, sticking to standard time year-round along with Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Worldwide, dozens of countries also observe daylight saving time, starting and ending at different dates.Some people tried to prepare for daylight saving time’s sleep jolt and went to bed a little earlier two or three nights ahead. With a third of American adults already not getting the recommended seven hours of nightly shuteye, catching up can be difficult.What happens to your brain when it's lighter later?The brain has a master clock that is set by exposure to sunlight and darkness. This circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour cycle that determines when we become sleepy and when we’re more alert. The patterns change with age, one reason that early-to-rise youngsters evolve into hard-to-wake teens.Morning light resets the rhythm. By evening, levels of a hormone called melatonin begin to surge, triggering drowsiness. Too much light in the evening — that extra hour from daylight saving time — delays that surge and the cycle gets out of sync.Sleep deprivation is linked to heart disease, cognitive decline, obesity and numerous other problems. And that circadian clock affects more than sleep, also influencing things like heart rate, blood pressure, stress hormones and metabolism.How does the time change affect your health?Fatal car crashes temporarily jump the first few days after the spring time change, according to a study of U.S. traffic fatalities. The risk was highest in the morning, and researchers attributed it to sleep deprivation.Then there’s the cardiac connection. The American Heart Association points to studies that suggest an uptick in heart attacks on the Monday after daylight saving time begins, and in strokes for two days afterward.Doctors already know that heart attacks, especially severe ones, are a bit more common on Mondays generally — and in the morning, when blood is more clot-prone.It’s not clear why the time change would add to the Monday connection, Sanchez said, although probably something about the abrupt circadian disruption exacerbates factors such as high blood pressure in people already at risk.How to prepare for daylight saving timeGo to bed a little earlier Friday and Saturday nights, and try to get more morning light. Moving up daily routines, like dinner time or when you exercise, also may help cue your body to start adapting, sleep experts advise.Afternoon naps and caffeine as well as evening light from phones and other electronic devices can make adjusting to an earlier bedtime even harder.Stay tuned: Some health groups, including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have said it's time to do away with time switches and that sticking with standard time year-round aligns better with the sun — and human biology.

How springing forward to daylight saving time could affect your health 

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a murder and have issued an arrest warrant for 33-year-old Anthony W. Taylor of Kansas City, Kansas, according to the Blue Springs Police Department.

Just after 11:45p.m. February 25, Taylor was involved in the shooting of a man identified as Cornell Elam in the 300 Block of NW Summit in Blue Springs. First responders transported Elam to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.

Taylor is described as 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Taylor should contact police. He should be considered armed and dangerous.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1709031916387.png" alt="Taylor from an earlier arrest in Wyandotte Co." />
 <figcaption>Taylor from an earlier arrest in Wyandotte Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a murder and have issued an arrest warrant for 33-year-old Anthony W. Taylor of Kansas City, Kansas, according to the Blue Springs Police Department.Just after 11:45p.m. February 25, Taylor was involved in the shooting of a man identified as Cornell Elam in the 300 Block of NW Summit in Blue Springs. First responders transported Elam to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1709031749292.png" alt="Taylor- from an earlier arrest in Wyandotte Co." />
 <figcaption>Taylor- from an earlier arrest in Wyandotte Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Taylor is described as 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds with black hair and brown eyes.Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Taylor should contact police. He should be considered armed and dangerous.

Search continues for Kansas man wanted for murder

Consternation about possible ban on feeding deer on private land triggers backlash

By TIM CARPENTER&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/03/04/sparks-fly-when-kansas-house-budget-panel-explores-detail-of-university-budget-requests/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The administrative rebellion waged in the Capitol against the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission is being led by men and women with expertise in firearms, arrows, hooks and other tools of hunting, fishing and trapping.

But implements on this conflict are paper and ink used to advance House and Senate legislation to dissolve the current commission appointed unilaterally by the governor and to create a new seven-person commission selected by the Republican Senate president, House speaker and attorney general and by the Democratic governor.

Gov. Laura Kelly would get four selections and the three other politicians would make one each. Democratic Party leaders in the Legislature would have no appointment authority in terms of the new commission.

In addition, legislation endorsed by the Senate and a House committee would mandate all commission appointees be subjected for the first time to the Senate confirmation process. That would include background investigations, fingerprinting, submission of tax information, filing of statements of substantial interest and appearances before a legislative committee before a vote of the Senate. The commissioners would remain unpaid volunteers.

For good measure, legislators frustrated by the commission have sought to strip the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks secretary of eminent domain power to create public parks or expand access to these recreational magnets.

El Dorado Rep. Will Carpenter, a Republican, said the current commission wasn’t sufficiently invested in hunting or fishing for consumptive purposes.

“I know from past experience, lots of times it’s a political appointment,” Carpenter said. “You get a lot of ‘parks’ people on there … who are not consumptive fishermen or hunters. They’re making policy decisions, quite frankly, that they don’t even know about because they don’t hunt or fish.”

Rep. Pam Curtis, D-Kansas City, said the existing appointment system worked well and the proposed overhaul of the commission would intensify the politics of wildlife and parks administration.

“I don’t think we want to make this a political body,” Curtis said. “That would push us much more into the political realm versus science and experts in managing our wildlife and parks. Do we want to pass something we think will have some muster? Or, do we want to pass something we know is going to be DOA?”

Hunting and fishing enthusiasts have let it be known they were irritated the commission and department entertained the idea of prohibiting bait feeding of deer on private property. The practice, banned on public land in Kansas, enticed deer to take advantage of a regular food source on property accessible to landowners who hunted or to individuals from other communities or states who paid for the opportunity to hunt a trophy. Skeptics of baiting believe it granted hunters an unethical advantage. In Nebraska, for example, it was illegal to hunt any big game animals or turkeys within 200 yards of a baited area.

“I see a huge problem with fair chase in Kansas,” said Troy Sporer, a current wildlife and parks commissioner from Oakley. “It’s not real hunting anymore. Let’s just go bait ’em up, figure out what time they’re there and lets go shoot ’em.”

The commission’s interest in the ethics of baiting deer and creating for wildlife a fair-chase environment was interpreted as a financial threat to the hunting industry in Kansas and inspired lobbying at the Capitol to tilt commission appointments toward people vested in maintaining a business-like approach. Commission critics also raised issues about timing of hunting seasons or availability of hunting licenses.

“I believe the current department leadership and the current commission has lost their way over the past three years,” said Don Budd, a former wildlife and parks commissioner appointed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.

Jeff Cooper, an attorney and representative of Hunter Nation headquartered in Mission, said lack of practical knowledge among commissioners allowed for reckless debates about the possibility of a bait ban. That could be avoided in the future with passage of a law diversifying the commission, he said.

Cooper recommended a nine-member commission that would leave the governor with three appointments and guarantee two each for the House speaker, Senate president and attorney general. The idea of giving GOP politicians the opportunity to shape a majority on the commission was included in a House bill sponsored by Rep. Ken Corbet, a Topeka Republican who operates a hunting lodge.

“The current commission has recently demonstrated an inability to bring any meaningful experience to the table as well as think critically about information,” Cooper said. “No issue better demonstrates this failure of decision making than the commission’s recent crusade to end deer feeding.”

Brad Loveless, the state Department of Wildlife and Parks secretary, has faced a wave of questions at the Statehouse about the commission’s regulatory deliberations.

In multiple legislative committee hearings, Loveless said the seven current members were quality appointees who would sail through confirmation if subjected to that process. He said Senate confirmation would slow the filling of vacancies on the commission. He also said it would place commission nominees under a level of scrutiny unequal to people serving on other commissions without budget or personnel duties.

Loveless said the wildlife and parks commission’s main purpose was to solicit public input during development of regulations. He said administrative functions of the KDWP weren’t within the commission’s purview. Nor did the department’s secretary, as a Cabinet-level appointee, report to the commission.

“The commission is therefore different than other boards or commissions that currently require Kansas Senate confirmation,” Loveless said. “These Senate-confirmed boards oversee agency budgets or personnel. Whereas KDWP is overseen by a secretary, which is already confirmed by the Senate and answers to the governor.”

Deer hunting disputes represented different perspectives on how best to prevent the state’s trophy deer resource from being wiped out by overhunting, Loveless said.

Loveless, who announced plans last October to retire in 2024, said the mission of the commission and department was to sustain high-quality wildlife populations and to welcome people who want to be outdoors in the state’s park system. He said some people want to open the gate to as many hunters and fishermen as would come to Kansas, but that would be unsustainable. The state turned away about 10,000 nonresident applicants for deer licenses, Loveless said.

“We’re victims of our own success because we have this trophy deer population. It’s worth a lot of money, millions of dollars every year. Of course, when there’s money involved, then people develop their own agendas. They say we’re just throwing money away. But we’re trying to help people understand that unless we manage the population it will crash,” Loveless said.

Republican Sen. Virgil Peck of Havana and other legislators have asserted there was cause to believe the commission might not be willing to protect the constitutional right of Kansans to hunt, fish and trap. Senate confirmation of nominees to the commission was essential, Peck said.

“This will allow elected representatives of the people — the Kansas Senate — to ask the commission questions about their beliefs,” Peck said. “We don’t want a commission that’s going to diminish those rights.”

Jackie Augustine, a representative of the Audubon Society, said the state wildlife and parks commission included people who were good listeners and represented the people of Kansas well. She said amendment of the appointment process — stripping governors of authority to appoint the seven members — could have unintended consequences.

“This process&nbsp;will encourage political ideology to become more important than protecting the natural resources of Kansas,” she said.

She said it would be a logistical challenge for four elected officials to share the task of appointing seven people to the commission. The current version of the bill specified a commissioner be appointed to represent each of seven wildlife administration regions, that a cap be placed on partisan representation and that preference be given to licensed hunters, fishermen, fur harvesters, park users and those who don’t consume wildlife.

“How can different appointing authorities ensure that all of these factors are considered when nominating a commissioner?” Augustine said. “It seems like it will develop into a situation where one appointing authority will always have to appoint someone that meets a limited set of criteria, like a Republican non-consumptive user from southeastern Kansas.”

Moriah Day, executive director of the Kansas State Rifle Association, said he had a different take on proposed reform of the commission. He bristled at the notion lawmakers should be cautious about altering the system.

“Our entire form of government is based on the principle that complicating processes can be a good thing when done properly,” Day said. “Efficient tyranny is the enemy of freedom and a well-structured series of checks and balances removes power from any one political figure or office, more effectively protecting our citizens from both blatant consolidation of power and the far more common tendency of human nature to gradually accumulate influence or control.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709988060058.png" alt=" Brad Loveless, secretary of the Kansas Wildlife and Parks, said a bill limiting the governor’s appointments to the Wildlife and Parks Commission and subjecting nominees to Senate confirmation was unnecessary. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Brad Loveless, secretary of the Kansas Wildlife and Parks, said a bill limiting the governor’s appointments to the Wildlife and Parks Commission and subjecting nominees to Senate confirmation was unnecessary. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Consternation about possible ban on feeding deer on private land triggers backlash</h2>By TIM CARPENTER&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/03/04/sparks-fly-when-kansas-house-budget-panel-explores-detail-of-university-budget-requests/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The administrative rebellion waged in the Capitol against the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission is being led by men and women with expertise in firearms, arrows, hooks and other tools of hunting, fishing and trapping.But implements on this conflict are paper and ink used to advance House and Senate legislation to dissolve the current commission appointed unilaterally by the governor and to create a new seven-person commission selected by the Republican Senate president, House speaker and attorney general and by the Democratic governor.Gov. Laura Kelly would get four selections and the three other politicians would make one each. Democratic Party leaders in the Legislature would have no appointment authority in terms of the new commission.In addition, legislation endorsed by the Senate and a House committee would mandate all commission appointees be subjected for the first time to the Senate confirmation process. That would include background investigations, fingerprinting, submission of tax information, filing of statements of substantial interest and appearances before a legislative committee before a vote of the Senate. The commissioners would remain unpaid volunteers.For good measure, legislators frustrated by the commission have sought to strip the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks secretary of eminent domain power to create public parks or expand access to these recreational magnets.El Dorado Rep. Will Carpenter, a Republican, said the current commission wasn’t sufficiently invested in hunting or fishing for consumptive purposes.“I know from past experience, lots of times it’s a political appointment,” Carpenter said. “You get a lot of ‘parks’ people on there … who are not consumptive fishermen or hunters. They’re making policy decisions, quite frankly, that they don’t even know about because they don’t hunt or fish.”Rep. Pam Curtis, D-Kansas City, said the existing appointment system worked well and the proposed overhaul of the commission would intensify the politics of wildlife and parks administration.“I don’t think we want to make this a political body,” Curtis said. “That would push us much more into the political realm versus science and experts in managing our wildlife and parks. Do we want to pass something we think will have some muster? Or, do we want to pass something we know is going to be DOA?”<h2>‘Not real hunting’</h2>Hunting and fishing enthusiasts have let it be known they were irritated the commission and department entertained the idea of prohibiting bait feeding of deer on private property. The practice, banned on public land in Kansas, enticed deer to take advantage of a regular food source on property accessible to landowners who hunted or to individuals from other communities or states who paid for the opportunity to hunt a trophy. Skeptics of baiting believe it granted hunters an unethical advantage. In Nebraska, for example, it was illegal to hunt any big game animals or turkeys within 200 yards of a baited area.“I see a huge problem with fair chase in Kansas,” said Troy Sporer, a current wildlife and parks commissioner from Oakley. “It’s not real hunting anymore. Let’s just go bait ’em up, figure out what time they’re there and lets go shoot ’em.”The commission’s interest in the ethics of baiting deer and creating for wildlife a fair-chase environment was interpreted as a financial threat to the hunting industry in Kansas and inspired lobbying at the Capitol to tilt commission appointments toward people vested in maintaining a business-like approach. Commission critics also raised issues about timing of hunting seasons or availability of hunting licenses.“I believe the current department leadership and the current commission has lost their way over the past three years,” said Don Budd, a former wildlife and parks commissioner appointed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.Jeff Cooper, an attorney and representative of Hunter Nation headquartered in Mission, said lack of practical knowledge among commissioners allowed for reckless debates about the possibility of a bait ban. That could be avoided in the future with passage of a law diversifying the commission, he said.Cooper recommended a nine-member commission that would leave the governor with three appointments and guarantee two each for the House speaker, Senate president and attorney general. The idea of giving GOP politicians the opportunity to shape a majority on the commission was included in a House bill sponsored by Rep. Ken Corbet, a Topeka Republican who operates a hunting lodge.“The current commission has recently demonstrated an inability to bring any meaningful experience to the table as well as think critically about information,” Cooper said. “No issue better demonstrates this failure of decision making than the commission’s recent crusade to end deer feeding.”<h2>Confirmation unneeded</h2>Brad Loveless, the state Department of Wildlife and Parks secretary, has faced a wave of questions at the Statehouse about the commission’s regulatory deliberations.In multiple legislative committee hearings, Loveless said the seven current members were quality appointees who would sail through confirmation if subjected to that process. He said Senate confirmation would slow the filling of vacancies on the commission. He also said it would place commission nominees under a level of scrutiny unequal to people serving on other commissions without budget or personnel duties.Loveless said the wildlife and parks commission’s main purpose was to solicit public input during development of regulations. He said administrative functions of the KDWP weren’t within the commission’s purview. Nor did the department’s secretary, as a Cabinet-level appointee, report to the commission.“The commission is therefore different than other boards or commissions that currently require Kansas Senate confirmation,” Loveless said. “These Senate-confirmed boards oversee agency budgets or personnel. Whereas KDWP is overseen by a secretary, which is already confirmed by the Senate and answers to the governor.”Deer hunting disputes represented different perspectives on how best to prevent the state’s trophy deer resource from being wiped out by overhunting, Loveless said.Loveless, who announced plans last October to retire in 2024, said the mission of the commission and department was to sustain high-quality wildlife populations and to welcome people who want to be outdoors in the state’s park system. He said some people want to open the gate to as many hunters and fishermen as would come to Kansas, but that would be unsustainable. The state turned away about 10,000 nonresident applicants for deer licenses, Loveless said.“We’re victims of our own success because we have this trophy deer population. It’s worth a lot of money, millions of dollars every year. Of course, when there’s money involved, then people develop their own agendas. They say we’re just throwing money away. But we’re trying to help people understand that unless we manage the population it will crash,” Loveless said.<h2>More politics?</h2>Republican Sen. Virgil Peck of Havana and other legislators have asserted there was cause to believe the commission might not be willing to protect the constitutional right of Kansans to hunt, fish and trap. Senate confirmation of nominees to the commission was essential, Peck said.“This will allow elected representatives of the people — the Kansas Senate — to ask the commission questions about their beliefs,” Peck said. “We don’t want a commission that’s going to diminish those rights.”Jackie Augustine, a representative of the Audubon Society, said the state wildlife and parks commission included people who were good listeners and represented the people of Kansas well. She said amendment of the appointment process — stripping governors of authority to appoint the seven members — could have unintended consequences.“This process&nbsp;will encourage political ideology to become more important than protecting the natural resources of Kansas,” she said.She said it would be a logistical challenge for four elected officials to share the task of appointing seven people to the commission. The current version of the bill specified a commissioner be appointed to represent each of seven wildlife administration regions, that a cap be placed on partisan representation and that preference be given to licensed hunters, fishermen, fur harvesters, park users and those who don’t consume wildlife.“How can different appointing authorities ensure that all of these factors are considered when nominating a commissioner?” Augustine said. “It seems like it will develop into a situation where one appointing authority will always have to appoint someone that meets a limited set of criteria, like a Republican non-consumptive user from southeastern Kansas.”Moriah Day, executive director of the Kansas State Rifle Association, said he had a different take on proposed reform of the commission. He bristled at the notion lawmakers should be cautious about altering the system.“Our entire form of government is based on the principle that complicating processes can be a good thing when done properly,” Day said. “Efficient tyranny is the enemy of freedom and a well-structured series of checks and balances removes power from any one political figure or office, more effectively protecting our citizens from both blatant consolidation of power and the far more common tendency of human nature to gradually accumulate influence or control.”

Kansas lawmakers angle to undercut governor by overhauling state wildlife and parks commission

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;said Saturday that he believes Israeli Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/benjamin-netanyahu">Benjamin Netanyahu</a>&nbsp;is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” in how he is approaching its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">war against Hamas</a>&nbsp;in Gaza.

The U.S. leader expressed support for Israel’s right to pursue Hamas after the Oct. 7 attack, but said of Netanyahu that “he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken.” Biden has for months warned that Israel risks losing international support over mounting civilian casualties in Gaza, and the latest remarks in an interview with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart pointed to the increasingly strained relationship between the two leaders.

Biden said of the death toll in Gaza, “it’s contrary to what Israel stands for. And I think it’s a big mistake.”

Biden said a potential Israeli invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1.3 million Palestinians are sheltering, is “a red line” for him, but said he would not cut off weapons like the Iron Dome missile interceptors which protect the Israeli civilian populace from rocket attacks in the region.

“It is a red line,” he said, when asked about Rafah, “but I’m never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical, so there’s no red line I’m going to cut off all weapons so they don’t have the Iron Dome to protect them.”

Biden said he was willing to make his case directly to the Israeli Knesset, its parliament, including by making another trip to the country. He traveled to Israel weeks after the Oct. 7. attack. He declined to elaborate on how or whether such a trip might materialize.

The U.S. leader had hoped to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-02-27-2024-e17abedeaf5a005fcd5e7095fecacb7a">secure a temporary ceasefire</a>&nbsp;before Ramadan begins next week, though that appears increasingly unlikely as Hamas has balked at a deal pushed by the U.S. and its allies that would have seen fighting pause for about six weeks, the release of additional hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Israel remains committed to continuing its invasion and annihilating Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostages on Oct. 7. The militant group freed dozens of hostages during a November truce, but it refuses to release more without guarantees of a complete end of hostilities.

Meanwhile, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza according to the Hamas-run health ministry, with the majority being women and children, and hundreds of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-malnutrition-famine-children-dying-israel-palestinians-2f938b1a82d7822c7da67cc162da1a37">thousands going hungry</a>.

Biden noted CIA Director Bill Burns is in the region currently trying to resurrect the deal.

Biden's comments came after he was captured on a hot mic following Thursday night’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/state-of-the-union-updates-watch">State of the Union</a>&nbsp;address telling Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo. that he and the Israeli leader will need to have a “come to Jesus meeting.”

In the exchange, Bennet congratulated Biden on his speech and urged the president to keep pressing Netanyahu on growing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-malnutrition-famine-children-dying-israel-palestinians-2f938b1a82d7822c7da67cc162da1a37">humanitarian concerns in Gaza.</a>&nbsp;Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were also part of the brief conversation.

Biden then responds using Netanyahu’s nickname, saying, “I told him, Bibi, and don’t repeat this, but you and I are going to have a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting.”

An aide to the president standing nearby then speaks quietly into the president’s ear, appearing to alert Biden that microphones remained on as he worked the room.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705692352787.png" alt="(CSPAN file photo) Biden said a potential Israeli invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1.3 million Palestinians are sheltering, is “a red line” for him" />
 <figcaption>(CSPAN file photo) Biden said a potential Israeli invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1.3 million Palestinians are sheltering, is “a red line” for him</figcaption>
 </figure>WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;said Saturday that he believes Israeli Prime Minister&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/benjamin-netanyahu">Benjamin Netanyahu</a>&nbsp;is “hurting Israel more than helping Israel” in how he is approaching its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">war against Hamas</a>&nbsp;in Gaza.The U.S. leader expressed support for Israel’s right to pursue Hamas after the Oct. 7 attack, but said of Netanyahu that “he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken.” Biden has for months warned that Israel risks losing international support over mounting civilian casualties in Gaza, and the latest remarks in an interview with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart pointed to the increasingly strained relationship between the two leaders.Biden said of the death toll in Gaza, “it’s contrary to what Israel stands for. And I think it’s a big mistake.”Biden said a potential Israeli invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1.3 million Palestinians are sheltering, is “a red line” for him, but said he would not cut off weapons like the Iron Dome missile interceptors which protect the Israeli civilian populace from rocket attacks in the region.“It is a red line,” he said, when asked about Rafah, “but I’m never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical, so there’s no red line I’m going to cut off all weapons so they don’t have the Iron Dome to protect them.”Biden said he was willing to make his case directly to the Israeli Knesset, its parliament, including by making another trip to the country. He traveled to Israel weeks after the Oct. 7. attack. He declined to elaborate on how or whether such a trip might materialize.The U.S. leader had hoped to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-02-27-2024-e17abedeaf5a005fcd5e7095fecacb7a">secure a temporary ceasefire</a>&nbsp;before Ramadan begins next week, though that appears increasingly unlikely as Hamas has balked at a deal pushed by the U.S. and its allies that would have seen fighting pause for about six weeks, the release of additional hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, and a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza.Israel remains committed to continuing its invasion and annihilating Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 hostages on Oct. 7. The militant group freed dozens of hostages during a November truce, but it refuses to release more without guarantees of a complete end of hostilities.Meanwhile, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza according to the Hamas-run health ministry, with the majority being women and children, and hundreds of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-malnutrition-famine-children-dying-israel-palestinians-2f938b1a82d7822c7da67cc162da1a37">thousands going hungry</a>.Biden noted CIA Director Bill Burns is in the region currently trying to resurrect the deal.Biden's comments came after he was captured on a hot mic following Thursday night’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/state-of-the-union-updates-watch">State of the Union</a>&nbsp;address telling Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo. that he and the Israeli leader will need to have a “come to Jesus meeting.”In the exchange, Bennet congratulated Biden on his speech and urged the president to keep pressing Netanyahu on growing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-malnutrition-famine-children-dying-israel-palestinians-2f938b1a82d7822c7da67cc162da1a37">humanitarian concerns in Gaza.</a>&nbsp;Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were also part of the brief conversation.Biden then responds using Netanyahu’s nickname, saying, “I told him, Bibi, and don’t repeat this, but you and I are going to have a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting.”An aide to the president standing nearby then speaks quietly into the president’s ear, appearing to alert Biden that microphones remained on as he worked the room.

Biden caught on hot mic continues to criticize Israeli leader

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally enticing a child victim to engage in illicit sexual activity and for receiving child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.

Anthony Byron Marshall, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Marshall to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration. Marshall will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.

On July 25, 2023, Marshall pleaded guilty to one count of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and four counts of receiving child pornography.

In May 2021, FBI agents learned Marshall had been texting with the subject of another child pornography investigation. In one text, Marshall requested images of child pornography, and received a MEGA link. FBI investigators located the MEGA link, which contained 15 images and 89 videos of known child pornography and 70 images and 1,401 videos of suspected child pornography.

On Oc.t 19, 2021, federal agents executed a search warrant at Marshall’s residence. Agents seized a number of electronics, including Marshall’s iPhone. Investigators found sexually explicit communications between Marshall and two juvenile females, ages 13 and 17, as well as sexually explicit videos that each of the victims had sent to Marshall. Investigators interviewed the child victims, who reported several instances of illegal sexual activity with Marshall.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City man has been sentenced in federal court for illegally enticing a child victim to engage in illicit sexual activity and for receiving child pornography, according to the United State's Attorney.Anthony Byron Marshall, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Marshall to spend the rest of his life on supervised release following incarceration. Marshall will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.On July 25, 2023, Marshall pleaded guilty to one count of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and four counts of receiving child pornography.In May 2021, FBI agents learned Marshall had been texting with the subject of another child pornography investigation. In one text, Marshall requested images of child pornography, and received a MEGA link. FBI investigators located the MEGA link, which contained 15 images and 89 videos of known child pornography and 70 images and 1,401 videos of suspected child pornography.On Oc.t 19, 2021, federal agents executed a search warrant at Marshall’s residence. Agents seized a number of electronics, including Marshall’s iPhone. Investigators found sexually explicit communications between Marshall and two juvenile females, ages 13 and 17, as well as sexually explicit videos that each of the victims had sent to Marshall. Investigators interviewed the child victims, who reported several instances of illegal sexual activity with Marshall.

Juveniles texted explicit videos to 31-year-old Kansas City man 

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are reporting they are now starting to recover Xylazine mixed with Fentanyl in Clay County, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.

Xylazine, aka "tranq," is a powerful sedative for animals. It increases the risk of fatal overdose, and because it's not an opioid, it can't be reversed with Narcan.

Click here for more information from the CDC on Xylazine

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are reporting they are now starting to recover Xylazine mixed with Fentanyl in Clay County, according to a statement from the sheriff's office.<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qT1bxOc-et0?si=3gVEZ1byoMHXgiiX&amp;start=1" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>Xylazine, aka "tranq," is a powerful sedative for animals. It increases the risk of fatal overdose, and because it's not an opioid, it can't be reversed with Narcan.Click here for more information from the CDC on Xylazine

🎥Xylazine, mixed with fentanyl reported in areas of Kansas City

FORD COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating multiple reports of vehicle damage across Dodge City have made an arrest.

On March 4, officers discovered numerous vehicles with windows damaged, consistent with being shot by a BB/pellet gun, according to a statement from Dodge City Police.

The majority of these incidents were reported east of Central Avenue in Dodge City with a few cases also emerging from the western part of Dodge City.

On Wednesday, police reported officers located the vehicle believed to be involved in the vandalism. A search warrant was executed on the vehicle and numerous items of evidence were collected. 

Based on the evidence obtained police arrested an 18-year-old Kegan Salem and a 19-year-old Eduardo Ramirez both of Dodge City.&nbsp;

They face arraignment for the numerous alleged&nbsp;criminal damage cases and both were bound over on $75,000 bond.&nbsp; Police released their booking photos but did not confirm the names with the photos.

Residents living in affected areas who have video surveillance systems are encouraged to review their footage and share any pertinent information with police.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709832854739.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FORD COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating multiple reports of vehicle damage across Dodge City have made an arrest.On March 4, officers discovered numerous vehicles with windows damaged, consistent with being shot by a BB/pellet gun, according to a statement from Dodge City Police.The majority of these incidents were reported east of Central Avenue in Dodge City with a few cases also emerging from the western part of Dodge City.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709832808256.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>On Wednesday, police reported officers located the vehicle believed to be involved in the vandalism. A search warrant was executed on the vehicle and numerous items of evidence were collected. Based on the evidence obtained police arrested an 18-year-old Kegan Salem and a 19-year-old Eduardo Ramirez both of Dodge City.&nbsp;They face arraignment for the numerous alleged&nbsp;criminal damage cases and both were bound over on $75,000 bond.&nbsp; Police released their booking photos but did not confirm the names with the photos.Residents living in affected areas who have video surveillance systems are encouraged to review their footage and share any pertinent information with police.&nbsp;&nbsp;

2 identified in string of criminal damage reports in SW Kansas 

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Just after noon on Saturday, the Derby Police Department was dispatched to the area near McIntosh and Songbird after receiving a report of a body next to the tracks, according to a media release.

&nbsp;Upon arrival, Derby Police found a person deceased next to the train tracks. The person had been struck by a train. The body was released to the Sedgwick County Coroner’s Office. Derby PD is working with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Police on the ongoing investigation.&nbsp;

If anyone has information about this incident, please call the Derby Police Department at 788-1557.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1710019854606.png" alt="photo city of Derby" />
 <figcaption>photo city of Derby</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Just after noon on Saturday, the Derby Police Department was dispatched to the area near McIntosh and Songbird after receiving a report of a body next to the tracks, according to a media release.&nbsp;Upon arrival, Derby Police found a person deceased next to the train tracks. The person had been struck by a train. The body was released to the Sedgwick County Coroner’s Office. Derby PD is working with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Police on the ongoing investigation.&nbsp;If anyone has information about this incident, please call the Derby Police Department at 788-1557.&nbsp;

Police: Body found near railroad tracks in Kansas 

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers on the powerful U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved a White House-supported bill that would force TikTok to split from its Chinese parent company or face prohibition from U.S. app stores and web hosting services.

Members voted 50-0 Thursday to advance the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/Protecting%20Americans%20From%20Foriegn%20Adversary%20Controlled%20Applications_3.5.24.pdf">Protect Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act</a>, legislation that would make it illegal for U.S. entities to distribute, maintain or update apps or other immersive technology owned by ByteDance.

The wildly popular social media platform has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/members-congress-blast-tiktok-ceo-bipartisan-support-us-ban-looks-possible">long been a concern</a>&nbsp;of Congress and intelligence officials. Lawmakers passed legislation in December 2022&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/why-tiktok-is-being-banned-for-some-federal-employees">banning</a>&nbsp;the app from most federal employee devices. The Montana legislature&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/one-state-already-has-voted-ban-tiktok-congress-its-going-be-much-tougher-16">banned</a>&nbsp;the app last year, but the law&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/montana-appealing-ruling-that-blocked-state-barring-tiktok-use-2024-01-03/">remains</a>&nbsp;in legal limbo.

The bill received sweeping support because of national security concerns over China, a major U.S. adversary, having access to Americans’ data and a grip on their attention spans. Chinese companies can be made to share sensitive information with that country’s government.

The legislation has moved at an unusually fast pace, only having been introduced in the House Tuesday. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/SteveScalise/status/1765869542121599159?s=20">said</a>&nbsp;he plans to bring the bill to the floor as early as next week.

Committee members sat in a multi-hour classified hearing with U.S. intelligence officials before Thursday’s vote. During the hearing, the lawmakers “witnessed firsthand, in real time, how the Chinese Communist Party can weaponize platforms like TikTok to manipulate the American people,” Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Washington Republican,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://energycommerce.house.gov/events/full-committee-markup-of-two-bills">said</a>&nbsp;in her opening remarks.

The Biden administration worked with lawmakers from both parties to craft the bill and “want to see this bill get done so it can get to the president’s desk,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday.

Despite the administration’s support for the bill, President Joe Biden’s reelection&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/biden-campaign-joins-tiktok-but-administration-still-warns-of-apps-national-security-concerns">campaign joined TikTok</a>&nbsp;less than a month ago.

Thursday’s scheduled vote set off a frenzy among TikTok users, whom the company urged to contact Congress. Lawmakers’ offices were flooded with calls, many from young people.

TikTok, which boasts 170 million American users and almost 7,000 U.S. employees, maintains the bill, if enacted, would result in an outright ban of the platform.

“This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States,” a spokesperson for TikTok said in an emailed statement Thursday. “The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.”

Both the White House and House Republicans disagreed with TikTok’s accusation of a ban.

“We don’t see this as banning these apps — that’s not what this is — but by ensuring that their ownership isn’t in the hands of those who may do us harm. This is about our national security, obviously, and this is what we’re focused on here,” Jean-Pierre said Wednesday.

The legislation empowers the president, in conjunction with executive branch agencies, to determine when a divestiture or other transaction “would result in the relevant covered company no longer being controlled by a foreign adversary” — in other words, when TikTok has severed financial ties with ByteDance.

A&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/committeeonccp/status/1765816310284378353?s=20">post</a>&nbsp;on X from the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party said the panic among users Thursday showed “clear demonstration of how TikTok gives an adversary political power on U.S. soil.”

“TikTok is LYING to the American people about our bill. It does not ban the app, but offers them a pathway to remain in the U.S.,” read the post from the committee chaired by Wisconsin Republican Mike Gallagher, one of the bill’s original sponsors.

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648638137366.jpeg" alt="" />
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 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>WASHINGTON — Lawmakers on the powerful U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously approved a White House-supported bill that would force TikTok to split from its Chinese parent company or face prohibition from U.S. app stores and web hosting services.Members voted 50-0 Thursday to advance the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/selectcommitteeontheccp.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/Protecting%20Americans%20From%20Foriegn%20Adversary%20Controlled%20Applications_3.5.24.pdf">Protect Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act</a>, legislation that would make it illegal for U.S. entities to distribute, maintain or update apps or other immersive technology owned by ByteDance.The wildly popular social media platform has&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/members-congress-blast-tiktok-ceo-bipartisan-support-us-ban-looks-possible">long been a concern</a>&nbsp;of Congress and intelligence officials. Lawmakers passed legislation in December 2022&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/why-tiktok-is-being-banned-for-some-federal-employees">banning</a>&nbsp;the app from most federal employee devices. The Montana legislature&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/one-state-already-has-voted-ban-tiktok-congress-its-going-be-much-tougher-16">banned</a>&nbsp;the app last year, but the law&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/montana-appealing-ruling-that-blocked-state-barring-tiktok-use-2024-01-03/">remains</a>&nbsp;in legal limbo.The bill received sweeping support because of national security concerns over China, a major U.S. adversary, having access to Americans’ data and a grip on their attention spans. Chinese companies can be made to share sensitive information with that country’s government.The legislation has moved at an unusually fast pace, only having been introduced in the House Tuesday. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/SteveScalise/status/1765869542121599159?s=20">said</a>&nbsp;he plans to bring the bill to the floor as early as next week.Committee members sat in a multi-hour classified hearing with U.S. intelligence officials before Thursday’s vote. During the hearing, the lawmakers “witnessed firsthand, in real time, how the Chinese Communist Party can weaponize platforms like TikTok to manipulate the American people,” Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Washington Republican,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://energycommerce.house.gov/events/full-committee-markup-of-two-bills">said</a>&nbsp;in her opening remarks.The Biden administration worked with lawmakers from both parties to craft the bill and “want to see this bill get done so it can get to the president’s desk,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday.Despite the administration’s support for the bill, President Joe Biden’s reelection&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/biden-campaign-joins-tiktok-but-administration-still-warns-of-apps-national-security-concerns">campaign joined TikTok</a>&nbsp;less than a month ago.Thursday’s scheduled vote set off a frenzy among TikTok users, whom the company urged to contact Congress. Lawmakers’ offices were flooded with calls, many from young people.TikTok, which boasts 170 million American users and almost 7,000 U.S. employees, maintains the bill, if enacted, would result in an outright ban of the platform.“This legislation has a predetermined outcome: a total ban of TikTok in the United States,” a spokesperson for TikTok said in an emailed statement Thursday. “The government is attempting to strip 170 million Americans of their Constitutional right to free expression. This will damage millions of businesses, deny artists an audience, and destroy the livelihoods of countless creators across the country.”Both the White House and House Republicans disagreed with TikTok’s accusation of a ban.“We don’t see this as banning these apps — that’s not what this is — but by ensuring that their ownership isn’t in the hands of those who may do us harm. This is about our national security, obviously, and this is what we’re focused on here,” Jean-Pierre said Wednesday.The legislation empowers the president, in conjunction with executive branch agencies, to determine when a divestiture or other transaction “would result in the relevant covered company no longer being controlled by a foreign adversary” — in other words, when TikTok has severed financial ties with ByteDance.A&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/committeeonccp/status/1765816310284378353?s=20">post</a>&nbsp;on X from the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party said the panic among users Thursday showed “clear demonstration of how TikTok gives an adversary political power on U.S. soil.”“TikTok is LYING to the American people about our bill. It does not ban the app, but offers them a pathway to remain in the U.S.,” read the post from the committee chaired by Wisconsin Republican Mike Gallagher, one of the bill’s original sponsors.

Bill to split TikTok from Chinese ownership gets unanimous vote from U.S. House panel

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/rmipro/">RACHEL MIPRO</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Parents who send their children to un-accredited private schools in the state could receive a hefty tax credit under new legislation. Public school advocates warn against the proposal, characterizing the move as a blatant voucher scheme that could harm the state’s public school system.

Encapsulated as&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb509/">Senate Bill 509</a>, the plan would allow taxpayers who have children enrolled in private schools to receive a refundable tax credit, as long as these children are also eligible to enroll in a public school. The tax credits would amount to an estimated $240 million in tax year 2024, according to the bill’s fiscal note.

Leah Fliter, assistant executive director of advocacy with the Kansas Association of School Boards, said tax dollars should not go to private schools.&nbsp;

&nbsp;“We should not support forcing Kansas taxpayers to subsidize tuition for existing private school students through vouchers and we shouldn’t support vouchers for unaccredited schools with no accountability,” Fliter said Wednesday during the Senate Committee on Assessment and Taxation bill hearing.

While&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/tag/private-school-vouchers/">voucher proposals</a>&nbsp;have failed in previous years, conservative lawmakers continue to push the measures under the idea that Kansas parents should have more educational choices for their children.&nbsp;

Voucher opponents call the move unfair, especially since&nbsp;more than 60 Kansas counties don’t have private schools, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/20/kansas-lawmaker-tells-concerned-augusta-community-educators-some-kids-do-need-jesus-first/#:~:text=Sixty%2Dfive%20Kansas%20counties%20don,in%20Johnson%20and%20Sedgwick%20counties.">2023 data</a>.

While exact figures aren’t reported, there are thought to be around 125 accredited and 28 unaccredited private schools operating in Kansas. Many of these schools could be characterized as religious based. Around one-third of these schools are established in Johnson and Sedgwick counties.&nbsp;

“In unaccredited schools, we have no way to know the students are learning,” Fliter said. “No background checks are required. There’s no oversight by the Kansas State Department of Education or any other organization and there are no requirements for unaccredited schools to report students abuse or neglect.”

For taxpayers who have children enrolled in accredited private schools, the tax credit would equal 75% of base aid for student excellence per child. Base aid represents the amount of state financial aid per student. Taxpayers who have children enrolled in accredited private schools would receive a tax credit equal to 50% of BASE.&nbsp;

During the 2022-2023 school year, approximately 26,700 students were enrolled in accredited private schools according to state Department of Education reporting. With base aid set at $5,088 in tax year 2024, these potential tax credits would total $101.9 million.&nbsp;

KDE officials estimated 54,300 students would fall into the unaccredited private school category, totaling $138.1 million in tax credits for this group. Home schooled students would be eligible for this tax credit.&nbsp;

The proposal is supported by several private school officials and lobbying groups such as the Kansas Catholic Conference, which serves as the public policy arm of the Catholic Bishops of Kansas.

Chuck Weber, executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference, testified in support of the move.&nbsp;

“The Catholic Church teaches that parents are the first and best educators of their children,” Weber said. “This does not mean parents must personally educate their child, but it does mean they should be afforded as many options and pathways as possible toward that end. …The citizenship, academic, social, and cultural opportunities provided at Catholic schools are vital to shaping Kansas into the community we want to be. Please support SB 509 and help make that happen.”

Since the state’s current financial tax software system can’t create a tax credit without an original filed return, the Department of Revenue estimated an additional $293,576 in costs would be needed in fiscal year 2025 to implement bill provisions and modify the tax system.&nbsp;

The legislation was met with mixed reactions from committee lawmakers during the initial hearing.

“Why should the state take on the burden of, in essence funding, private opportunities when it’s already providing a public education for every child?”&nbsp; Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, asked.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1709988179321.png" alt="Leah Fliter, of the Kansas Association of School Boards, urged lawmakers against financially supporting unaccredited schools in the state. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Leah Fliter, of the Kansas Association of School Boards, urged lawmakers against financially supporting unaccredited schools in the state. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/rmipro/">RACHEL MIPRO</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Parents who send their children to un-accredited private schools in the state could receive a hefty tax credit under new legislation. Public school advocates warn against the proposal, characterizing the move as a blatant voucher scheme that could harm the state’s public school system.Encapsulated as&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb509/">Senate Bill 509</a>, the plan would allow taxpayers who have children enrolled in private schools to receive a refundable tax credit, as long as these children are also eligible to enroll in a public school. The tax credits would amount to an estimated $240 million in tax year 2024, according to the bill’s fiscal note.Leah Fliter, assistant executive director of advocacy with the Kansas Association of School Boards, said tax dollars should not go to private schools.&nbsp;&nbsp;“We should not support forcing Kansas taxpayers to subsidize tuition for existing private school students through vouchers and we shouldn’t support vouchers for unaccredited schools with no accountability,” Fliter said Wednesday during the Senate Committee on Assessment and Taxation bill hearing.While&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/tag/private-school-vouchers/">voucher proposals</a>&nbsp;have failed in previous years, conservative lawmakers continue to push the measures under the idea that Kansas parents should have more educational choices for their children.&nbsp;Voucher opponents call the move unfair, especially since&nbsp;more than 60 Kansas counties don’t have private schools, according to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/03/20/kansas-lawmaker-tells-concerned-augusta-community-educators-some-kids-do-need-jesus-first/#:~:text=Sixty%2Dfive%20Kansas%20counties%20don,in%20Johnson%20and%20Sedgwick%20counties.">2023 data</a>.While exact figures aren’t reported, there are thought to be around 125 accredited and 28 unaccredited private schools operating in Kansas. Many of these schools could be characterized as religious based. Around one-third of these schools are established in Johnson and Sedgwick counties.&nbsp;“In unaccredited schools, we have no way to know the students are learning,” Fliter said. “No background checks are required. There’s no oversight by the Kansas State Department of Education or any other organization and there are no requirements for unaccredited schools to report students abuse or neglect.”For taxpayers who have children enrolled in accredited private schools, the tax credit would equal 75% of base aid for student excellence per child. Base aid represents the amount of state financial aid per student. Taxpayers who have children enrolled in accredited private schools would receive a tax credit equal to 50% of BASE.&nbsp;During the 2022-2023 school year, approximately 26,700 students were enrolled in accredited private schools according to state Department of Education reporting. With base aid set at $5,088 in tax year 2024, these potential tax credits would total $101.9 million.&nbsp;KDE officials estimated 54,300 students would fall into the unaccredited private school category, totaling $138.1 million in tax credits for this group. Home schooled students would be eligible for this tax credit.&nbsp;The proposal is supported by several private school officials and lobbying groups such as the Kansas Catholic Conference, which serves as the public policy arm of the Catholic Bishops of Kansas.Chuck Weber, executive director of the Kansas Catholic Conference, testified in support of the move.&nbsp;“The Catholic Church teaches that parents are the first and best educators of their children,” Weber said. “This does not mean parents must personally educate their child, but it does mean they should be afforded as many options and pathways as possible toward that end. …The citizenship, academic, social, and cultural opportunities provided at Catholic schools are vital to shaping Kansas into the community we want to be. Please support SB 509 and help make that happen.”Since the state’s current financial tax software system can’t create a tax credit without an original filed return, the Department of Revenue estimated an additional $293,576 in costs would be needed in fiscal year 2025 to implement bill provisions and modify the tax system.&nbsp;The legislation was met with mixed reactions from committee lawmakers during the initial hearing.“Why should the state take on the burden of, in essence funding, private opportunities when it’s already providing a public education for every child?”&nbsp; Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, asked.&nbsp;

Catholic group, others advocate for tax credits to benefit Kansas private schools

WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;on Saturday signed a $460 billion package of spending bills approved by the Senate in time to avoid a shutdown of many key federal agencies. The legislation's success gets lawmakers about halfway home in wrapping up their appropriations work for the 2024 budget year.

The measure contains six annual spending bills and had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-funding-deadline-congress-2533c1a6b6eb25cc63e78f089e27d3a0">already passed the House.</a>&nbsp;In signing it into law, Biden thanked leaders and negotiators from both parties in both chambers for their work, which the White House said will mean that agencies “may continue their normal operations.”

Meanwhile, lawmakers are negotiating a second package of six bills, including defense, in an effort to have all federal agencies fully funded by a March 22 deadline.

“To folks who worry that divided government means nothing ever gets done, this bipartisan package says otherwise," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after lawmakers passed the measure Friday night just hours before a deadline.

He said the bill's passage would allow for the hiring of more air traffic controllers and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/union-pacific-railroad-safety-explosion-fra-inspections-afc2d979e5bdc2a88cb6b2bfc7583cd9/">rail safety inspectors</a>, give federal firefighters a raise and boost support for homeless veterans, among other things.

The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 75-22. Lawmakers sought votes on several amendments and wanted to have their say on the bill and other priorities during debate on the floor. It had been unclear midday if senators would be able to avert a short shutdown, though eventual passage was never really in doubt.

“I would urge my colleagues to stop playing with fire here,” said Sen. Susan Collins, the top-ranking Republican member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “It would be irresponsible for us not to clear these bills and do the fundamental job that we have of funding government. What is more important?”

The votes came more than five months into the current budget year after congressional leaders relied on a series of stopgap bills to keep federal agencies funded for a few more weeks or months at a time while they struggled to reach agreement on full-year spending.

In the end, total discretionary spending set by Congress is expected to come in at about $1.66 trillion for the full budget year ending Sept. 30.

Republicans were able to keep non-defense spending relatively flat compared with the previous year. Supporters say that's progress in an era when annual federal deficits exceeding $1 trillion have become the norm. But many Republican lawmakers were seeking&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mccarthy-house-republicans-spending-cuts-deff84c0e2ff7d3bd076b8c38e14cca4">much steeper cuts</a>&nbsp;and more policy victories.

The House Freedom Caucus, which contains dozens of the GOP’s most conservative members, urged Republicans to vote against the first spending package and the second one still being negotiated.

Democrats staved off most of the policy riders that Republicans sought to include in the package. For example, they beat back an effort to block new rules that expand access to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abortion">abortion</a>&nbsp;pill mifepristone. They were also able to fully fund a nutrition program for low-income women, infants and children, providing about $7 billion for what is known as the WIC program. That’s a $1 billion increase from the previous year.

Republicans were able to achieve some policy wins, however. One provision will prevent the sale of oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China. Another policy mandate prohibits the Justice Department from investigating parents who exercise free speech at local school board meetings.

Another provision strengthens&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/veterans-guns-congress-spending-bill-93919a8f43357152a90b5de9f61c08c1">gun rights for certain veterans</a>, though opponents of the move said it could make it easier for those with very serious mental health conditions like dementia to obtain a firearm.

”This isn't the package I would have written on my own," said Sen. Patty Murray, the Democratic chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “But I am proud that we have protected absolutely vital funding that the American people rely on in their daily lives.”

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said one problem he sees with the bill is that there was too much compromise, and that led to too much spending.

“A lot of people don't understand this," he said. “They think there is no cooperation in Washington and the opposite is true. There is compromise every day on every spending bill."

“It's compromise between big-government Democrats and big-government Republicans,” he added.

Still, with a divided Congress and a Democratic-led White House, any bill that doesn't have buy-in from members of both political parties stands no chance of passage.

The bill also includes more than 6,600 projects requested by individual lawmakers with a price tag of about $12.7 billion. The projects attracted criticism from some Republican members, though members from both parties broadly participated in requesting them on behalf of their states and congressional districts. Paul called the spending "sort of the grease that eases in billions and trillions of other dollars, because you get people to buy into the total package by giving them a little bit of pork for their town, a little bit of pork for their donors.”

But an effort by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla, to strip out the projects mustered only 32 votes with 64 against. Murray said Scott's effort would overrule “all the hard work, all the input we asked everyone to provide us about projects that would help their constituents."

Even though lawmakers find themselves passing spending bills five months into the budget year, Republicans are framing the process as improved nonetheless because they broke the cycle of passing all the spending bills in one massive package that lawmakers have little time to study before being asked to vote on it or risk a government shutdown. Still, others said that breaking up funding into two chunks of legislation war hardly a breakthrough.

The first package covers the departments of Justice, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Interior and Transportation, among others.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;on Saturday signed a $460 billion package of spending bills approved by the Senate in time to avoid a shutdown of many key federal agencies. The legislation's success gets lawmakers about halfway home in wrapping up their appropriations work for the 2024 budget year.The measure contains six annual spending bills and had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-funding-deadline-congress-2533c1a6b6eb25cc63e78f089e27d3a0">already passed the House.</a>&nbsp;In signing it into law, Biden thanked leaders and negotiators from both parties in both chambers for their work, which the White House said will mean that agencies “may continue their normal operations.”Meanwhile, lawmakers are negotiating a second package of six bills, including defense, in an effort to have all federal agencies fully funded by a March 22 deadline.“To folks who worry that divided government means nothing ever gets done, this bipartisan package says otherwise," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said after lawmakers passed the measure Friday night just hours before a deadline.He said the bill's passage would allow for the hiring of more air traffic controllers and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/union-pacific-railroad-safety-explosion-fra-inspections-afc2d979e5bdc2a88cb6b2bfc7583cd9/">rail safety inspectors</a>, give federal firefighters a raise and boost support for homeless veterans, among other things.The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 75-22. Lawmakers sought votes on several amendments and wanted to have their say on the bill and other priorities during debate on the floor. It had been unclear midday if senators would be able to avert a short shutdown, though eventual passage was never really in doubt.“I would urge my colleagues to stop playing with fire here,” said Sen. Susan Collins, the top-ranking Republican member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “It would be irresponsible for us not to clear these bills and do the fundamental job that we have of funding government. What is more important?”The votes came more than five months into the current budget year after congressional leaders relied on a series of stopgap bills to keep federal agencies funded for a few more weeks or months at a time while they struggled to reach agreement on full-year spending.In the end, total discretionary spending set by Congress is expected to come in at about $1.66 trillion for the full budget year ending Sept. 30.Republicans were able to keep non-defense spending relatively flat compared with the previous year. Supporters say that's progress in an era when annual federal deficits exceeding $1 trillion have become the norm. But many Republican lawmakers were seeking&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mccarthy-house-republicans-spending-cuts-deff84c0e2ff7d3bd076b8c38e14cca4">much steeper cuts</a>&nbsp;and more policy victories.The House Freedom Caucus, which contains dozens of the GOP’s most conservative members, urged Republicans to vote against the first spending package and the second one still being negotiated.Democrats staved off most of the policy riders that Republicans sought to include in the package. For example, they beat back an effort to block new rules that expand access to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/abortion">abortion</a>&nbsp;pill mifepristone. They were also able to fully fund a nutrition program for low-income women, infants and children, providing about $7 billion for what is known as the WIC program. That’s a $1 billion increase from the previous year.Republicans were able to achieve some policy wins, however. One provision will prevent the sale of oil in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China. Another policy mandate prohibits the Justice Department from investigating parents who exercise free speech at local school board meetings.Another provision strengthens&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/veterans-guns-congress-spending-bill-93919a8f43357152a90b5de9f61c08c1">gun rights for certain veterans</a>, though opponents of the move said it could make it easier for those with very serious mental health conditions like dementia to obtain a firearm.”This isn't the package I would have written on my own," said Sen. Patty Murray, the Democratic chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “But I am proud that we have protected absolutely vital funding that the American people rely on in their daily lives.”Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said one problem he sees with the bill is that there was too much compromise, and that led to too much spending.“A lot of people don't understand this," he said. “They think there is no cooperation in Washington and the opposite is true. There is compromise every day on every spending bill."“It's compromise between big-government Democrats and big-government Republicans,” he added.Still, with a divided Congress and a Democratic-led White House, any bill that doesn't have buy-in from members of both political parties stands no chance of passage.The bill also includes more than 6,600 projects requested by individual lawmakers with a price tag of about $12.7 billion. The projects attracted criticism from some Republican members, though members from both parties broadly participated in requesting them on behalf of their states and congressional districts. Paul called the spending "sort of the grease that eases in billions and trillions of other dollars, because you get people to buy into the total package by giving them a little bit of pork for their town, a little bit of pork for their donors.”But an effort by Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla, to strip out the projects mustered only 32 votes with 64 against. Murray said Scott's effort would overrule “all the hard work, all the input we asked everyone to provide us about projects that would help their constituents."Even though lawmakers find themselves passing spending bills five months into the budget year, Republicans are framing the process as improved nonetheless because they broke the cycle of passing all the spending bills in one massive package that lawmakers have little time to study before being asked to vote on it or risk a government shutdown. Still, others said that breaking up funding into two chunks of legislation war hardly a breakthrough.The first package covers the departments of Justice, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Interior and Transportation, among others.