SHAWNEE COUNTY–Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.

Just after 9:30p.m. Jan. 16, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop near NW Topeka Boulevard and NW Studer Street on a red 2001 Dodge Dakota for a turn signal violation, according to Deputy Shayna Anderson.

 During the investigation, the deputy located illegal narcotics.&nbsp;

Caleb S. Eslick, 38, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, fail to use turn signal, and no vehicle insurance.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705586976453.png" alt="Eslick-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Eslick-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY–Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on drug allegations.Just after 9:30p.m. Jan. 16, a sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop near NW Topeka Boulevard and NW Studer Street on a red 2001 Dodge Dakota for a turn signal violation, according to Deputy Shayna Anderson. During the investigation, the deputy located illegal narcotics.&nbsp;Caleb S. Eslick, 38, of Topeka, was arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, fail to use turn signal, and no vehicle insurance.

Sheriff: Kan. driver making improper turn was transporting meth

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended his Republican presidential campaign on Sunday, ending his 2024 White House bid just before the New Hampshire primary while endorsing his bitter rival Donald Trump.

The timing of DeSantis' announcement escalates the pressure on former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, as the only major candidate left in the Republican nomination fight, to win New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary on Tuesday. Trump's foes in the GOP finally have the one-on-one contest they have sought for months.

“It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance," DeSantis said in a video announcing his decision to drop out of the race which he posted on X.

DeSantis also jabbed Haley, long his closest competition for second place in the primary race, saying Republicans “can't go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.”

Haley was campaigning in Seabrook, New Hampshire, when DeSantis announced his decision.

“He ran a great race, he’s been a good governor, and we wish him well,” she told a room packed with supporters and media. “Having said that, it’s now one fella and one lady left.“

DeSantis' decision, while perhaps not surprising given his 30-point blowout loss last week in Iowa, marks the end of an extraordinary decline for a high-profile governor once thought to be a legitimate threat to Trump’s supremacy in the Republican Party.

He entered the 2024 presidential contest with major advantages in his quest to take on Trump, and early primary polls suggested DeSantis was in a strong position to do just that. He and his allies amassed a political fortune well in excess of $130 million, and he boasted a significant legislative record on issues important to many conservatives, like abortion and the teaching of race and gender issues in schools.

Such advantages did not survive the reality of presidential politics in 2024. From a high-profile announcement that was plagued by technical glitches to constant upheavals to his staff and campaign strategy, DeSantis struggled to find his footing in the primary. He lost the Iowa caucuses — which he had vowed to win — by 30 percentage points to Trump.

DeSantis' allies said that private discussions began shortly after Iowa to decide how to bow out of the race gracefully. They ultimately decided that he needed to endorse Trump, despite the deeply personal feud between them.

“While I’ve had disagreements with Donald Trump, such as on the coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden. That is clear," said DeSantis, who is in his second and final term as Florida’s governor, which ends in January 2027.

The endorsement was a stunning tail-between-his-legs moment for DeSantis, whom Trump has mercilessly and relentlessly taunted in deeply personal terms for the better part of a year now.

For Trump, whose team includes many former DeSantis staffers, the attacks have often felt more like sport than political strategy. Trump and his aides have blasted the governor as disloyal for running in the first place, mocked his eating habits and his personality and accused him of wearing high heels to boost his height.

DeSantis' team joined Trump in attacking Haley as news of his departure rippled across the political landscape. Some doubt Haley, who was seen as splitting Republican votes and preventing a head-to-head match up between Trump, would benefit from DeSantis’ decision.

“She will not be the nominee,” key DeSantis supporter Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told AP. “She will not be the president of the United States.”

Trump had already shifted his focus to Haley in recent weeks, but minutes after DeSantis' announcement, the former president's campaign released a new memo highlighting the pressure on Haley to win New Hampshire.

“Now that we are a mere 48 hours from the primary, the tone has shifted mightily. We see it, you see it, but make no mistake, if Nikki Haley loses in New Hampshire — there are only two options,” wrote senior advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles.

“Option A: Nikki Haley drops out, unites behind President Trump, and commits to defeating Joe Biden," they wrote. “Option B: Nikki Haley prepares to be absolutely DEMOLISHED and EMBARASSED in her home state of South Carolina," which votes on Feb. 24.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705324613627.png" alt="Florida Gov. Ron Desantis during a campaign stop in Iowa -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Florida Gov. Ron Desantis during a campaign stop in Iowa -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended his Republican presidential campaign on Sunday, ending his 2024 White House bid just before the New Hampshire primary while endorsing his bitter rival Donald Trump.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” - Winston Churchill <a href="https://t.co/ECoR8YeiMm">pic.twitter.com/ECoR8YeiMm</a>&mdash; Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/1749159384112845285?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The timing of DeSantis' announcement escalates the pressure on former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, as the only major candidate left in the Republican nomination fight, to win New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary on Tuesday. Trump's foes in the GOP finally have the one-on-one contest they have sought for months.“It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance," DeSantis said in a video announcing his decision to drop out of the race which he posted on X.DeSantis also jabbed Haley, long his closest competition for second place in the primary race, saying Republicans “can't go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.”Haley was campaigning in Seabrook, New Hampshire, when DeSantis announced his decision.“He ran a great race, he’s been a good governor, and we wish him well,” she told a room packed with supporters and media. “Having said that, it’s now one fella and one lady left.“DeSantis' decision, while perhaps not surprising given his 30-point blowout loss last week in Iowa, marks the end of an extraordinary decline for a high-profile governor once thought to be a legitimate threat to Trump’s supremacy in the Republican Party.He entered the 2024 presidential contest with major advantages in his quest to take on Trump, and early primary polls suggested DeSantis was in a strong position to do just that. He and his allies amassed a political fortune well in excess of $130 million, and he boasted a significant legislative record on issues important to many conservatives, like abortion and the teaching of race and gender issues in schools.Such advantages did not survive the reality of presidential politics in 2024. From a high-profile announcement that was plagued by technical glitches to constant upheavals to his staff and campaign strategy, DeSantis struggled to find his footing in the primary. He lost the Iowa caucuses — which he had vowed to win — by 30 percentage points to Trump.DeSantis' allies said that private discussions began shortly after Iowa to decide how to bow out of the race gracefully. They ultimately decided that he needed to endorse Trump, despite the deeply personal feud between them.“While I’ve had disagreements with Donald Trump, such as on the coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden. That is clear," said DeSantis, who is in his second and final term as Florida’s governor, which ends in January 2027.The endorsement was a stunning tail-between-his-legs moment for DeSantis, whom Trump has mercilessly and relentlessly taunted in deeply personal terms for the better part of a year now.For Trump, whose team includes many former DeSantis staffers, the attacks have often felt more like sport than political strategy. Trump and his aides have blasted the governor as disloyal for running in the first place, mocked his eating habits and his personality and accused him of wearing high heels to boost his height.DeSantis' team joined Trump in attacking Haley as news of his departure rippled across the political landscape. Some doubt Haley, who was seen as splitting Republican votes and preventing a head-to-head match up between Trump, would benefit from DeSantis’ decision.“She will not be the nominee,” key DeSantis supporter Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, told AP. “She will not be the president of the United States.”Trump had already shifted his focus to Haley in recent weeks, but minutes after DeSantis' announcement, the former president's campaign released a new memo highlighting the pressure on Haley to win New Hampshire.“Now that we are a mere 48 hours from the primary, the tone has shifted mightily. We see it, you see it, but make no mistake, if Nikki Haley loses in New Hampshire — there are only two options,” wrote senior advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles.“Option A: Nikki Haley drops out, unites behind President Trump, and commits to defeating Joe Biden," they wrote. “Option B: Nikki Haley prepares to be absolutely DEMOLISHED and EMBARASSED in her home state of South Carolina," which votes on Feb. 24.

🎥Ron DeSantis explains why he is ending his 2024 campaign

TOPEKA — A Kansas Bureau of Investigation official told lawmakers on Thursday that crimes against children, cybersecurity threats and fentanyl are some of the top areas of concern for the state’s law enforcement agencies.

KBI Executive Officer Robert Stuart pulled out a one dollar bill to give a visual demonstration of the dangers of fentanyl to lawmakers on the House Committee on Transportation and Public Safety Budget. Stuart said if the bill was divided into 100 piece, and two of these pieces were combined, it would be two milligrams, or the same weight of a fatal dose of fentanyl.

Stuart is one of several KBI officials, under the guidance of Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, who have repeatedly warned about the dangers of fentanyl. Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Tony Mattivi spoke to the state Board of Education earlier in the month, warning of the threat of&nbsp; cartel-manufactured opioids for Kansas students.

“It’s cheap and it’s easy to make and it’s easy to transport. … It does not take much fentanyl to kill one of our kids,” Stuart said Thursday.

The most recent data on child mortality in the state puts the number of 2021 child fentanyl-related deaths at nine, a figure far outstripped by the number of child homicide deaths and child deaths by suicide. For the same year, there were&nbsp;32 child homicides and 29 suicide deaths.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The synthetic opioid is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, but the extent of fentanyl spread in Kansas is unknown.&nbsp;One KBI report puts the number of positive fentanyl tests conducted in the KBI laboratory at 953 in 2023, up from 692 positive tests the year before.

Stuart said the KBI was also committed to investigating crimes against children, as well as increasing cybersecurity.&nbsp;

“The attacks we see are getting bigger and bigger and more frequent and more complex and more successful,” Stuart said of cyber crimes.

<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/committees/ctte_h_trnsprt_pub_safety_bdgt_1/misc_documents/download_testimony/ctte_h_trnsprt_pub_safety_bdgt_1_20240118_01_testimony.html">A KBI report</a>&nbsp;estimates Kansans lost $58 million in cybercrimes in 2022, and Kansans sent 2,399 complaints to the FBI’s internet Crime Complaint Center for the same year.&nbsp;

Stuart said the KBI’s budget enhancement requests, which will be released in the coming weeks, will reflect these concerns.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664309962436.png" alt="Fentanyl Photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Fentanyl Photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA — A Kansas Bureau of Investigation official told lawmakers on Thursday that crimes against children, cybersecurity threats and fentanyl are some of the top areas of concern for the state’s law enforcement agencies.KBI Executive Officer Robert Stuart pulled out a one dollar bill to give a visual demonstration of the dangers of fentanyl to lawmakers on the House Committee on Transportation and Public Safety Budget. Stuart said if the bill was divided into 100 piece, and two of these pieces were combined, it would be two milligrams, or the same weight of a fatal dose of fentanyl.Stuart is one of several KBI officials, under the guidance of Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, who have repeatedly warned about the dangers of fentanyl. Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Tony Mattivi spoke to the state Board of Education earlier in the month, warning of the threat of&nbsp; cartel-manufactured opioids for Kansas students.“It’s cheap and it’s easy to make and it’s easy to transport. … It does not take much fentanyl to kill one of our kids,” Stuart said Thursday.The most recent data on child mortality in the state puts the number of 2021 child fentanyl-related deaths at nine, a figure far outstripped by the number of child homicide deaths and child deaths by suicide. For the same year, there were&nbsp;32 child homicides and 29 suicide deaths.&nbsp;&nbsp;The synthetic opioid is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, but the extent of fentanyl spread in Kansas is unknown.&nbsp;One KBI report puts the number of positive fentanyl tests conducted in the KBI laboratory at 953 in 2023, up from 692 positive tests the year before.Stuart said the KBI was also committed to investigating crimes against children, as well as increasing cybersecurity.&nbsp;“The attacks we see are getting bigger and bigger and more frequent and more complex and more successful,” Stuart said of cyber crimes.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/committees/ctte_h_trnsprt_pub_safety_bdgt_1/misc_documents/download_testimony/ctte_h_trnsprt_pub_safety_bdgt_1_20240118_01_testimony.html">A KBI report</a>&nbsp;estimates Kansans lost $58 million in cybercrimes in 2022, and Kansans sent 2,399 complaints to the FBI’s internet Crime Complaint Center for the same year.&nbsp;Stuart said the KBI’s budget enhancement requests, which will be released in the coming weeks, will reflect these concerns.

KBI to focus on cybersecurity, fentanyl prevention, official tells lawmakers

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A teen accused in a deadly shooting made his first court appearance.

&nbsp;James Sawyer, 19,&nbsp;of Wichita, is charged with 1st degree murder and two counts of attempted aggravated robbery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

Around 2:00 a.m. Dec. 6, the Blackwell, Oklahoma Police Department contacted Sedgwick County Dispatch, reporting a shooting investigation involving two individuals who had entered a Blackwell hospital, with one of them sustaining a gunshot wound, according to Officer Andrew Ford.

Following discussions with the subjects, Blackwell Police shared information with Sedgwick County Dispatch. Consequently, the Wichita Police Department was alerted to respond to the Hydraulic and MacArthur area based on information suggesting that the shooting victim, 34-year-old Daniel McPherson, would be found there.

Upon arrival, officers discovered McPherson with a gunshot wound to his head. He&nbsp;was pronounced dead at the scene. Homicide investigators were dispatched to conduct the investigation and later traveled to Blackwell, Oklahoma where the two suspects 18-year-old Phillip Walls of Derby and Sawyer were in custody.&nbsp; 

On December 13, Walls was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail. Two days later he was charged with 1st degree murder and two counts of attempted aggravated robbery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; &nbsp;Both are being held on a bond of $750,000, each.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705504542151.png" alt="Sawyer-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Sawyer-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A teen accused in a deadly shooting made his first court appearance.&nbsp;James Sawyer, 19,&nbsp;of Wichita, is charged with 1st degree murder and two counts of attempted aggravated robbery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.Around 2:00 a.m. Dec. 6, the Blackwell, Oklahoma Police Department contacted Sedgwick County Dispatch, reporting a shooting investigation involving two individuals who had entered a Blackwell hospital, with one of them sustaining a gunshot wound, according to Officer Andrew Ford.Following discussions with the subjects, Blackwell Police shared information with Sedgwick County Dispatch. Consequently, the Wichita Police Department was alerted to respond to the Hydraulic and MacArthur area based on information suggesting that the shooting victim, 34-year-old Daniel McPherson, would be found there.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702588818825.png" alt="Walls -photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Walls -photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Upon arrival, officers discovered McPherson with a gunshot wound to his head. He&nbsp;was pronounced dead at the scene. Homicide investigators were dispatched to conduct the investigation and later traveled to Blackwell, Oklahoma where the two suspects 18-year-old Phillip Walls of Derby and Sawyer were in custody.&nbsp; On December 13, Walls was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail. Two days later he was charged with 1st degree murder and two counts of attempted aggravated robbery, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.&nbsp; &nbsp;Both are being held on a bond of $750,000, each.

Two Kansas teens charged in December murder

The Biden-Harris Administration announced Friday the approval of $4.9 billion in additional student loan debt relief for 73,600 borrowers acording to a media release fro the U.S. Department of Education.

 These discharges are the result of fixes made by the Administration to income-driven repayment (IDR) forgiveness and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).

Today’s announcement brings the total loan forgiveness approved by the Biden-Harris Administration to $136.6 billion for more than 3.7 million Americans.

“The Biden-Harris Administration has worked relentlessly to fix our country's broken student loan system and address the needless hurdles and administrative inaccuracies that, in the past, kept borrowers from getting the student debt forgiveness they deserved," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. "The nearly $5 billion in additional debt relief announced today will go to teachers, social workers, and other public servants whose service to our communities have earned them Public Service Loan Forgiveness, as well as borrowers qualifying for income-driven repayment forgiveness because their payments are for the first time being accurately accounted for. Thanks to President Biden's leadership, we're approving this loan forgiveness while moving full speed ahead in our efforts to deliver even greater debt relief, and help more borrowers get on a faster track to loan forgiveness under our new, affordable SAVE repayment plan."

The debt relief announced this week is broken down into the following categories:

“Today we are helping borrowers who were promised help with their loans, planned their lives around those promises, and earned forgiveness through years of payments.” said U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal. “The Biden-Harris Administration is not going to stop until we’ve helped all of those harmed by the broken student loan system.”

The Biden-Harris Administration last week&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-shorten-path-debt-cancellation-some-save-borrowers">announced</a>&nbsp;that the U.S. Department of Education (Department) is fast-tracking additional loan forgiveness through early implementation of the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan. Borrowers who originally took out $12,000 or less for college and are enrolled in the SAVE Plan will see forgiveness after as few as 10 years of payments. Those who are enrolled in SAVE and are eligible for early forgiveness will have their debts automatically cancelled starting next month, months ahead of schedule, with no action needed.

The Department began communications with borrowers who may be eligible but are not already enrolled in SAVE to encourage them to sign up. The Department is also working with its partners through the SAVE on Student Debt campaign to reach eligible borrowers and provide resources to sign up for SAVE.

Borrowers can find additional resources at StudentAid.gov and sign up for the SAVE plan at&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/save-plan">StudentAid.gov/save</a>.

An unparalleled track record of borrower assistance

The Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic steps to reduce the burden of student debt and ensure that student loans are not a barrier to opportunity for students and families. The Administration secured the largest increase to Pell Grants in a decade and finalized new rules to protect borrowers from career programs that leave graduates with unaffordable debts or insufficient earnings. And, in the wake of the Supreme Court decision on the Administration's original student debt relief plan, the Administration continues its work to pursue an alternative path to debt relief through negotiated rulemaking under the Higher Education Act.

Beyond the relief under IDR and PSLF, the Biden-Harris Administration has also approved:

The Biden-Harris Administration announced Friday the approval of $4.9 billion in additional student loan debt relief for 73,600 borrowers acording to a media release fro the U.S. Department of Education. These discharges are the result of fixes made by the Administration to income-driven repayment (IDR) forgiveness and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).Today’s announcement brings the total loan forgiveness approved by the Biden-Harris Administration to $136.6 billion for more than 3.7 million Americans.“The Biden-Harris Administration has worked relentlessly to fix our country's broken student loan system and address the needless hurdles and administrative inaccuracies that, in the past, kept borrowers from getting the student debt forgiveness they deserved," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. "The nearly $5 billion in additional debt relief announced today will go to teachers, social workers, and other public servants whose service to our communities have earned them Public Service Loan Forgiveness, as well as borrowers qualifying for income-driven repayment forgiveness because their payments are for the first time being accurately accounted for. Thanks to President Biden's leadership, we're approving this loan forgiveness while moving full speed ahead in our efforts to deliver even greater debt relief, and help more borrowers get on a faster track to loan forgiveness under our new, affordable SAVE repayment plan."The debt relief announced this week is broken down into the following categories:<ul>
 <li>$1.7 billion for 29,700 borrowers through administrative adjustments to IDR&nbsp;payment counts that have brought borrowers closer to forgiveness and address longstanding concerns with the misuse of forbearance by loan servicers. Including today’s announcement, the Biden-Harris Administration has now approved $45.7 billion in IDR relief for 930,500 borrowers.</li><li>$3.2 billion for 43,900 borrowers through PSLF.&nbsp;This includes borrowers who have benefitted from the Biden-Harris Administration’s limited PSLF waiver as well as regulatory improvements made to the program by the Administration. Total relief through PSLF is now $56.7 billion for 793,400 borrowers since October 2021. Prior to the Biden-Harris Administration’s fixes to PSLF, only about 7,000 borrowers had ever received forgiveness.</li>
 </ul>“Today we are helping borrowers who were promised help with their loans, planned their lives around those promises, and earned forgiveness through years of payments.” said U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal. “The Biden-Harris Administration is not going to stop until we’ve helped all of those harmed by the broken student loan system.”Continued debt relief for borrowersThe Biden-Harris Administration last week&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-shorten-path-debt-cancellation-some-save-borrowers">announced</a>&nbsp;that the U.S. Department of Education (Department) is fast-tracking additional loan forgiveness through early implementation of the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan. Borrowers who originally took out $12,000 or less for college and are enrolled in the SAVE Plan will see forgiveness after as few as 10 years of payments. Those who are enrolled in SAVE and are eligible for early forgiveness will have their debts automatically cancelled starting next month, months ahead of schedule, with no action needed.The Department began communications with borrowers who may be eligible but are not already enrolled in SAVE to encourage them to sign up. The Department is also working with its partners through the SAVE on Student Debt campaign to reach eligible borrowers and provide resources to sign up for SAVE.Borrowers can find additional resources at StudentAid.gov and sign up for the SAVE plan at&nbsp;<a href="https://studentaid.gov/announcements-events/save-plan">StudentAid.gov/save</a>.An unparalleled track record of borrower assistanceThe Biden-Harris Administration has taken historic steps to reduce the burden of student debt and ensure that student loans are not a barrier to opportunity for students and families. The Administration secured the largest increase to Pell Grants in a decade and finalized new rules to protect borrowers from career programs that leave graduates with unaffordable debts or insufficient earnings. And, in the wake of the Supreme Court decision on the Administration's original student debt relief plan, the Administration continues its work to pursue an alternative path to debt relief through negotiated rulemaking under the Higher Education Act.Beyond the relief under IDR and PSLF, the Biden-Harris Administration has also approved:<ul>
 <li>$11.7 billion for almost 513,000 borrowers with a total and permanent disability.</li><li>$22.5 billion for more than 1.3 million borrowers who were cheated by their schools, saw their institutions precipitously close, or are covered by related court settlements.</li>
 </ul>

Biden forgives $5 billion more in student loan debt

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/megcunningham/">MEG CUNNINGHAM</a>&nbsp;

Every year — on New Year’s Eve, July 4, when a sports team wins a championship — police and politicians practically beg people not to fire their guns into the air in celebration.

In Kansas City, reports of shots fired go up when the NFL playoffs roll around.

Meanwhile, a proposal to slightly strengthen the misdemeanor penalties for celebratory gunfire in Missouri can’t find its way into statute.

Democratic state Rep. Mark Sharp of Kansas City has tried for years to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/stories/2023/05/23/missouri-gun-laws-2023-blairs-law/">make the change&nbsp;</a>with Blair’s Law, named for a Kansas City girl who lost her life from a bullet fired randomly skyward.

So he went to the team to tell its fans to leave weapons out of their celebrations.

“The Chiefs — whether they like it or not — they need to have a voice in this,” Sharp told The Beacon. “Two words: ‘Celebrate safely.’ That would go a long way to those same folks shooting their guns off after a Chiefs victory.”

Kansas City&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/kansas-city-missouri-homicide-tracker-2024/46290701#:~:text=KANSAS%20CITY%2C%20Mo.%20%E2%80%94,track%20of%20homicides%20in%202024.">set a new record for homicides</a>&nbsp;in 2023. Sharp contends a message from the team could play a role in reducing that number.

Sharp said his requests to the Chiefs have so far gone unanswered. Other lawmakers also think a word or two from the team might save a life.

Missouri House Majority Leader Jon Patterson, a Republican from Lee’s Summit, said it could be helpful for the team to weigh in.

Should the Chiefs join conversations about social issues?

The Kansas City Police Department’s ShotSpotter data says the number of shots fired was higher than the average evening when the Chiefs won playoff games last year. On Jan. 22, 2023, a Sunday night when the Chiefs did not play, the system recorded 15 rounds of gunfire.

The next Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, when the Chiefs won the AFC Championship, the system counted 102 rounds. Two weeks later, when the team won the Super Bowl, the number went to 476 rounds.

In the past, KCPD and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas have urged residents to refrain from celebratory gunfire during holidays and events.

“When you shoot your gun in the air, you don’t get to decide where that round goes,” said Sgt. Jake Becchina said during a 2021 press conference ahead of New Year’s Eve. “It will travel, sometimes as many as, if not over, a thousand yards.”

Sports teams and corporations have faced mounting pressures to weigh in on social issues over the past few years, according to Virginia Harrison, a communications professor and researcher at Clemson University.

“The NFL really have been ramping up their corporate social responsibility,” Harrison said. “So things like ‘don’t drink and drive’ that are not necessarily controversial, things they’re not going to get backlash on.”

Still, teams aren’t likely to go out on a limb with messages that could be seen as polarizing, especially when sports are seen as a form of entertainment that should avoid politicized topics.

“There is kind of a balance where we need to address things that are relevant to our fan base in Missouri and Kansas City,” Harrison said of how the Chiefs may view sensitive messaging. “But we can’t go too far in the sense that we’re going rogue almost, and then the NFL is going to take away our ownership or take away our team.”

Sharp said although the team tries to avoid political topics, it’s weighing in on things like sports betting, by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kcur.org/sports/2024-01-14/chiefs-and-royals-campaign-to-let-missouri-voters-decide-on-sports-betting-since-lawmakers-didnt">backing an initiative petition to legalize it</a>&nbsp;in Missouri and the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kcur.org/sports/2024-01-05/kansas-city-chiefs-royals-stadium-jackson-county-sales-tax">politicking of their stadium location.</a>

The Chiefs “really need to have a responsibility when it comes to the community,” Sharp said. “Folks spend their entire paycheck to go to these games. We have a dog in the fight. We want the city to be better. Having less crime only helps them in the long run.”

A Chiefs spokesperson declined to comment on whether the team planned to issue a statement on the lawmaker’s request for a statement on celebratory gunfire.

Could a message from the Kansas City Chiefs even make an impact?

Harrison’s research has shown that fans tend to respond more positively to social messages from players than from a team or a sports league. Messages that are authentic to a player’s brand are also more likely to be well-received by fans.

One of Harrison’s studies also showed that fans who are politically neutral or liberal-leaning tend to respond more favorably to messages concerning social issues. In contrast, the study found conservative-leaning fans viewed social activism by the NBA negatively.

A paper assessing fans’ responses to the NFL’s response during 2020 and the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01463373.2022.2099295">had similar conclusions.</a>

“Perhaps the use of official team sources exacerbated negative responses because it violated fan’s identities and did not allow for easy dissociation from specific athletes,” the paper concluded.

Another forthcoming study from Evan Brody, a communications professor at the University of Nevada, found that when fans were presented with an NFL collaboration with an LGBTQ+ organization, some fans were initially angered by the collaboration, but not enough to renounce their teams.

“When we then ask them, ‘Is this going to change whether or not you support the NFL, purchasing tickets, watching games or purchasing gear?’ it did not have any effect on people’s willingness to continue to support the NFL,” Brody said.

There is also less risk for teams because fans are unlikely to start supporting a competitor based on these messages, unlike in the corporate world where issuing potentially polarizing messages could drive one’s consumers to the competition.

“You’re not gonna become a Raiders fan or a Broncos fan just because you’re mad at the team,” Brody said.

How would Blair’s Law impact celebratory gunfire?

The issue of celebratory gunfire itself is particularly difficult to pin down, according to Kelly Drane, the research director at Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The way a bullet travels and the often crowded public settings where celebratory gunfire occurs make it hard to track.

“We know anecdotally that it’s a problem because we see these cases,” Drane said. “But it’s hard to know just the full extent of the problem because of the difficulties and tracking this type of violence.”

Chiefs fans gather in the Power &amp; Light District after the Super Bowl win in 2020. A Kansas City lawmaker wants the Chiefs to make a statement about celebratory gunfire after major wins. (Zach Bauman/The Beacon.)

. Under existing law, firing a gun within city limits with “criminal negligence” — that would include celebratory gunfire — is a misdemeanor with punishment of up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Blair’s Law would double the fine.

Parson has said he supports the change, but he vetoed the legislation last year because it was teamed with another bill he opposed.

Sharp acknowledged that using Blair’s Law to address celebratory gunfire was like “killing an ant with a sledgehammer.”

“I wish we didn’t have to legislate our way out of this,” he said. “But you have to go that far because of how much it hasn’t been policed.”

Drane said laws prohibiting guns from being carried in certain public locations can help with reducing rates of celebratory gunfire.

“If you think about large crowded areas, if people are firing bullets into the air, there’s an even higher risk that people could get hit,” she said.

She said laws that restrict access to guns for younger people or promote safe gun storage could also help reduce the rate of celebratory gunfire.

Drane said the most effective way to prevent crime is for residents to understand that they’ll inevitably be caught for doing so.

“One of the biggest deterrents to crime is knowing that punishment is swift and certain,” she said. “If people don’t think that there’s a high likelihood of being caught, there could be some benefits of just enforcement.”

This&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/stories/2024/01/17/kansas-city-chiefs-2024-playoffs-celebratory-gunfire/">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/">The Beacon</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705773128690.png" alt=" Chiefs fans gather in the Power &amp; Light District after the Super Bowl win in 2020. A Kansas City lawmaker wants the Chiefs to make a statement about celebratory gunfire after major wins (Zach Bauman/The Beacon)." />
 <figcaption> Chiefs fans gather in the Power &amp; Light District after the Super Bowl win in 2020. A Kansas City lawmaker wants the Chiefs to make a statement about celebratory gunfire after major wins (Zach Bauman/The Beacon).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/megcunningham/">MEG CUNNINGHAM</a>&nbsp;Every year — on New Year’s Eve, July 4, when a sports team wins a championship — police and politicians practically beg people not to fire their guns into the air in celebration.In Kansas City, reports of shots fired go up when the NFL playoffs roll around.Meanwhile, a proposal to slightly strengthen the misdemeanor penalties for celebratory gunfire in Missouri can’t find its way into statute.Democratic state Rep. Mark Sharp of Kansas City has tried for years to&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/stories/2023/05/23/missouri-gun-laws-2023-blairs-law/">make the change&nbsp;</a>with Blair’s Law, named for a Kansas City girl who lost her life from a bullet fired randomly skyward.So he went to the team to tell its fans to leave weapons out of their celebrations.“The Chiefs — whether they like it or not — they need to have a voice in this,” Sharp told The Beacon. “Two words: ‘Celebrate safely.’ That would go a long way to those same folks shooting their guns off after a Chiefs victory.”Kansas City&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kmbc.com/article/kansas-city-missouri-homicide-tracker-2024/46290701#:~:text=KANSAS%20CITY%2C%20Mo.%20%E2%80%94,track%20of%20homicides%20in%202024.">set a new record for homicides</a>&nbsp;in 2023. Sharp contends a message from the team could play a role in reducing that number.Sharp said his requests to the Chiefs have so far gone unanswered. Other lawmakers also think a word or two from the team might save a life.Missouri House Majority Leader Jon Patterson, a Republican from Lee’s Summit, said it could be helpful for the team to weigh in.<h2>Should the Chiefs join conversations about social issues?</h2>The Kansas City Police Department’s ShotSpotter data says the number of shots fired was higher than the average evening when the Chiefs won playoff games last year. On Jan. 22, 2023, a Sunday night when the Chiefs did not play, the system recorded 15 rounds of gunfire.The next Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, when the Chiefs won the AFC Championship, the system counted 102 rounds. Two weeks later, when the team won the Super Bowl, the number went to 476 rounds.In the past, KCPD and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas have urged residents to refrain from celebratory gunfire during holidays and events.“When you shoot your gun in the air, you don’t get to decide where that round goes,” said Sgt. Jake Becchina said during a 2021 press conference ahead of New Year’s Eve. “It will travel, sometimes as many as, if not over, a thousand yards.”Sports teams and corporations have faced mounting pressures to weigh in on social issues over the past few years, according to Virginia Harrison, a communications professor and researcher at Clemson University.“The NFL really have been ramping up their corporate social responsibility,” Harrison said. “So things like ‘don’t drink and drive’ that are not necessarily controversial, things they’re not going to get backlash on.”Still, teams aren’t likely to go out on a limb with messages that could be seen as polarizing, especially when sports are seen as a form of entertainment that should avoid politicized topics.“There is kind of a balance where we need to address things that are relevant to our fan base in Missouri and Kansas City,” Harrison said of how the Chiefs may view sensitive messaging. “But we can’t go too far in the sense that we’re going rogue almost, and then the NFL is going to take away our ownership or take away our team.”Sharp said although the team tries to avoid political topics, it’s weighing in on things like sports betting, by&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kcur.org/sports/2024-01-14/chiefs-and-royals-campaign-to-let-missouri-voters-decide-on-sports-betting-since-lawmakers-didnt">backing an initiative petition to legalize it</a>&nbsp;in Missouri and the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kcur.org/sports/2024-01-05/kansas-city-chiefs-royals-stadium-jackson-county-sales-tax">politicking of their stadium location.</a>The Chiefs “really need to have a responsibility when it comes to the community,” Sharp said. “Folks spend their entire paycheck to go to these games. We have a dog in the fight. We want the city to be better. Having less crime only helps them in the long run.”A Chiefs spokesperson declined to comment on whether the team planned to issue a statement on the lawmaker’s request for a statement on celebratory gunfire.<h2>Could a message from the Kansas City Chiefs even make an impact?</h2>Harrison’s research has shown that fans tend to respond more positively to social messages from players than from a team or a sports league. Messages that are authentic to a player’s brand are also more likely to be well-received by fans.One of Harrison’s studies also showed that fans who are politically neutral or liberal-leaning tend to respond more favorably to messages concerning social issues. In contrast, the study found conservative-leaning fans viewed social activism by the NBA negatively.A paper assessing fans’ responses to the NFL’s response during 2020 and the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01463373.2022.2099295">had similar conclusions.</a>“Perhaps the use of official team sources exacerbated negative responses because it violated fan’s identities and did not allow for easy dissociation from specific athletes,” the paper concluded.Another forthcoming study from Evan Brody, a communications professor at the University of Nevada, found that when fans were presented with an NFL collaboration with an LGBTQ+ organization, some fans were initially angered by the collaboration, but not enough to renounce their teams.“When we then ask them, ‘Is this going to change whether or not you support the NFL, purchasing tickets, watching games or purchasing gear?’ it did not have any effect on people’s willingness to continue to support the NFL,” Brody said.There is also less risk for teams because fans are unlikely to start supporting a competitor based on these messages, unlike in the corporate world where issuing potentially polarizing messages could drive one’s consumers to the competition.“You’re not gonna become a Raiders fan or a Broncos fan just because you’re mad at the team,” Brody said.<h2>How would Blair’s Law impact celebratory gunfire?</h2>The issue of celebratory gunfire itself is particularly difficult to pin down, according to Kelly Drane, the research director at Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The way a bullet travels and the often crowded public settings where celebratory gunfire occurs make it hard to track.“We know anecdotally that it’s a problem because we see these cases,” Drane said. “But it’s hard to know just the full extent of the problem because of the difficulties and tracking this type of violence.”Chiefs fans gather in the Power &amp; Light District after the Super Bowl win in 2020. A Kansas City lawmaker wants the Chiefs to make a statement about celebratory gunfire after major wins. (Zach Bauman/The Beacon.). Under existing law, firing a gun within city limits with “criminal negligence” — that would include celebratory gunfire — is a misdemeanor with punishment of up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Blair’s Law would double the fine.Parson has said he supports the change, but he vetoed the legislation last year because it was teamed with another bill he opposed.Sharp acknowledged that using Blair’s Law to address celebratory gunfire was like “killing an ant with a sledgehammer.”“I wish we didn’t have to legislate our way out of this,” he said. “But you have to go that far because of how much it hasn’t been policed.”Drane said laws prohibiting guns from being carried in certain public locations can help with reducing rates of celebratory gunfire.“If you think about large crowded areas, if people are firing bullets into the air, there’s an even higher risk that people could get hit,” she said.She said laws that restrict access to guns for younger people or promote safe gun storage could also help reduce the rate of celebratory gunfire.Drane said the most effective way to prevent crime is for residents to understand that they’ll inevitably be caught for doing so.“One of the biggest deterrents to crime is knowing that punishment is swift and certain,” she said. “If people don’t think that there’s a high likelihood of being caught, there could be some benefits of just enforcement.”This&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/stories/2024/01/17/kansas-city-chiefs-2024-playoffs-celebratory-gunfire/">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://kcbeacon.org/">The Beacon</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<figure>
 <img src="https://i0.wp.com/kcbeacon.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/cropped-Logo_wht_800-1.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://kcbeacon.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=18271" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

After Chiefs win, fans fire guns in the air; lawmaker wants team to speak out

SEWARD COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident during a pursuit by law enforcement just before 9a.m. Saturday in Seward County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a&nbsp;Seward County Deputy attempted to make a traffic stop for damaged windshield on a 2009 Chevy Silverado driven by Yosimar&nbsp;Alarcon, 29, Dodge City.

The driver&nbsp;fled westbound on U.S. 54 at K Road almost striking a Liberal Police Department officer on the eastbound shoulder. 

The pickup traveled into the east ditch to avoid the Liberal Police department vehicle.

 Liberal Police threw stop sticks confirming a good stick. The driver then attempted to get back on U.S. 54 westbound but entered a side skid and crossed the highway to the west ditch and rolled an unknown number of times before coming to rest upright facing southeast.

EMS transported&nbsp;Alarcon to Southwest Medical Center. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

SEWARD COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident during a pursuit by law enforcement just before 9a.m. Saturday in Seward County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a&nbsp;Seward County Deputy attempted to make a traffic stop for damaged windshield on a 2009 Chevy Silverado driven by Yosimar&nbsp;Alarcon, 29, Dodge City.The driver&nbsp;fled westbound on U.S. 54 at K Road almost striking a Liberal Police Department officer on the eastbound shoulder. The pickup traveled into the east ditch to avoid the Liberal Police department vehicle. Liberal Police threw stop sticks confirming a good stick. The driver then attempted to get back on U.S. 54 westbound but entered a side skid and crossed the highway to the west ditch and rolled an unknown number of times before coming to rest upright facing southeast.EMS transported&nbsp;Alarcon to Southwest Medical Center. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

SW Kansas man injured when pickup rolls during chase

IRBIL, Iraq —Several U.S. personnel were injured in a missile attack Saturday night by Iranian-backed rebels on Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, according to statement from the U.S. Central Command.

At approximately 6:30 p.m. (Baghdad time) time Jan. 20, multiple ballistic missiles and rockets were launched by Iranian-backed militants in Western Iraq targeting al-Assad Airbase. 

Most of the missiles were intercepted by the base’s air defense systems while others impacted on the base. 

Damage assessments are ongoing. A number of U.S. personnel are undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries. At least one Iraqi service member was wounded.&nbsp; This occurred as the U.S. conducted new strikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have been targeting shipping in the Red Sea over the war.

Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on the Syrian capital on Saturday destroyed a building used by the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, killing at least five Iranians, Syrian and Iranian state media reported.

The Syrian army said the building in the tightly guarded western Damascus neighborhood of Mazzeh was entirely destroyed, adding that the Israeli air force fired the missiles while flying over Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israeli military did not comment.

A few hours later, an Israeli drone strike on a car near the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre killed two people, including a Hezbollah member, who were in the vehicle and two people who were in a nearby orchard, an official with the group and Lebanon's state news agency said. One of those killed was Ali Hudruj, a local Hezbollah commander, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, without giving further details.

Nour News, which is believed to be close to Iran’s intelligence apparatus, identified two of the dead in Damascus as Gen. Sadegh Omidzadeh, the intelligence deputy of the guard's expeditionary Quds Force in Syria, and his deputy, who goes by the nom de guerre Hajj Gholam. The guard later issued statements identifying the five dead as Hojjatollah Omidvar, Ali Aghazadeh, Hossein Mohammadi, Saeed Karimi and Mohammad Amin Samadi. It gave no ranks for them. The difference in information could not be immediately reconciled.

An opposition war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said at least six people — five Iranians and a Syrian — were killed in the missile attack that struck while officials from Iran-backed groups were holding a meeting. The Observatory's chief, Rami Abdurrahman, said three of the Iranians were commanders, adding that four other people are still missing under the rubble.

The Telegram channel for Iranian state TV reported that Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi condemned the Israeli attack on Damascus, adding that “the Islamic Republic will not leave the crimes of the Zionist regime unanswered.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani condemned the Israeli strike in a statement saying that “without any doubt, the blood of these high-ranking martyrs will not be wasted.”

Iran also tried again to link Israel to the Islamic State group, something its leaders have been trying to do since a suicide bombing by the extremists in early January in Iran&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-kerman-bombing-qassem-soleimani-mideast-tensions-3503bdbaa3d0815996e4010224bd5dcc">killed more than 90 people</a>.

Security forces deployed around the destroyed four-story building as ambulances and fire engines were seen in the area. A search for people trapped under the rubble was underway. Windows were also shattered in nearby buildings.

A grocer near the scene of the strike said he heard five consecutive explosions at about 10:15 a.m., adding that he later witnessed the bodies of a man and a woman being taken away as well as three wounded people.

“The shop shook. I stayed inside for a few seconds then went out and saw the smoke billowing from behind the mosque,” the man, who asked that his name not be used for security reasons, told The Associated Press.

“What happened was terrifying. I collapsed,” said Khaled Mawed, who lives nearby.

The strike came amid widening tensions in the region as Israel pushes ahead with its offensive in Gaza. Israel’s assault there,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-bombs-destruction-death-toll-scope-419488c511f83c85baea22458472a796">one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns</a>&nbsp;in recent history, has killed nearly 25,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, caused widespread destruction and uprooted over 80% of the territory’s 2.3 million people from their homes.

Israel launched the offensive after an unprecedented cross-border attack into Israel by Hamas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-attack-military-war-a8f63b07641212f0de61861844e5e71e">on Oct. 7</a>&nbsp;that killed 1,200 people and took some 250 others hostage. Roughly 130 hostages are believed by Israel to remain in Hamas captivity. The war has stoked tensions across the region, threatening to ignite other conflicts.

Last month, an Israeli airstrike on a suburb of Damascus killed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/syria-israel-iran-irgc-damascus-airstrike-7ee8496d727ba69834002f0444515a36">Iranian general Seyed Razi Mousavi</a>, a longtime adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria. Israel has also targeted Palestinian and Lebanese operatives in Syria over the past years.

Iranian and Syrian officials have long acknowledged Iran has advisers and military experts in Syria, but denied there were any ground troops. Thousands of fighters from Iran-backed groups took part in Syria's conflict that started in March 2011, helping tip the balance of power in favor of President Bashar Assad.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years.

Israel rarely acknowledges its actions in Syria, but it has said that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.

Earlier this month, a strike said to be carried out by Israel killed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-beirut-explosion-suburbs-hezbollah-israel-2a43fe948e8cb49c64b34bb963d77f64">top Hamas commander Saleh Arouri</a>&nbsp;in Beirut.

Over the past weeks, rockets have been fired from Syria into northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, adding to tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border and attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

-The Associated Press contributed to this report

IRBIL, Iraq —Several U.S. personnel were injured in a missile attack Saturday night by Iranian-backed rebels on Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq, according to statement from the U.S. Central Command.At approximately 6:30 p.m. (Baghdad time) time Jan. 20, multiple ballistic missiles and rockets were launched by Iranian-backed militants in Western Iraq targeting al-Assad Airbase. Most of the missiles were intercepted by the base’s air defense systems while others impacted on the base. Damage assessments are ongoing. A number of U.S. personnel are undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries. At least one Iraqi service member was wounded.&nbsp; This occurred as the U.S. conducted new strikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels, who have been targeting shipping in the Red Sea over the war.Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on the Syrian capital on Saturday destroyed a building used by the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, killing at least five Iranians, Syrian and Iranian state media reported.The Syrian army said the building in the tightly guarded western Damascus neighborhood of Mazzeh was entirely destroyed, adding that the Israeli air force fired the missiles while flying over Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The Israeli military did not comment.A few hours later, an Israeli drone strike on a car near the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre killed two people, including a Hezbollah member, who were in the vehicle and two people who were in a nearby orchard, an official with the group and Lebanon's state news agency said. One of those killed was Ali Hudruj, a local Hezbollah commander, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, without giving further details.Nour News, which is believed to be close to Iran’s intelligence apparatus, identified two of the dead in Damascus as Gen. Sadegh Omidzadeh, the intelligence deputy of the guard's expeditionary Quds Force in Syria, and his deputy, who goes by the nom de guerre Hajj Gholam. The guard later issued statements identifying the five dead as Hojjatollah Omidvar, Ali Aghazadeh, Hossein Mohammadi, Saeed Karimi and Mohammad Amin Samadi. It gave no ranks for them. The difference in information could not be immediately reconciled.An opposition war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said at least six people — five Iranians and a Syrian — were killed in the missile attack that struck while officials from Iran-backed groups were holding a meeting. The Observatory's chief, Rami Abdurrahman, said three of the Iranians were commanders, adding that four other people are still missing under the rubble.The Telegram channel for Iranian state TV reported that Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi condemned the Israeli attack on Damascus, adding that “the Islamic Republic will not leave the crimes of the Zionist regime unanswered.”Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani condemned the Israeli strike in a statement saying that “without any doubt, the blood of these high-ranking martyrs will not be wasted.”Iran also tried again to link Israel to the Islamic State group, something its leaders have been trying to do since a suicide bombing by the extremists in early January in Iran&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iran-kerman-bombing-qassem-soleimani-mideast-tensions-3503bdbaa3d0815996e4010224bd5dcc">killed more than 90 people</a>.Security forces deployed around the destroyed four-story building as ambulances and fire engines were seen in the area. A search for people trapped under the rubble was underway. Windows were also shattered in nearby buildings.A grocer near the scene of the strike said he heard five consecutive explosions at about 10:15 a.m., adding that he later witnessed the bodies of a man and a woman being taken away as well as three wounded people.“The shop shook. I stayed inside for a few seconds then went out and saw the smoke billowing from behind the mosque,” the man, who asked that his name not be used for security reasons, told The Associated Press.“What happened was terrifying. I collapsed,” said Khaled Mawed, who lives nearby.The strike came amid widening tensions in the region as Israel pushes ahead with its offensive in Gaza. Israel’s assault there,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-bombs-destruction-death-toll-scope-419488c511f83c85baea22458472a796">one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns</a>&nbsp;in recent history, has killed nearly 25,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, caused widespread destruction and uprooted over 80% of the territory’s 2.3 million people from their homes.Israel launched the offensive after an unprecedented cross-border attack into Israel by Hamas&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-hamas-attack-military-war-a8f63b07641212f0de61861844e5e71e">on Oct. 7</a>&nbsp;that killed 1,200 people and took some 250 others hostage. Roughly 130 hostages are believed by Israel to remain in Hamas captivity. The war has stoked tensions across the region, threatening to ignite other conflicts.Last month, an Israeli airstrike on a suburb of Damascus killed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/syria-israel-iran-irgc-damascus-airstrike-7ee8496d727ba69834002f0444515a36">Iranian general Seyed Razi Mousavi</a>, a longtime adviser of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in Syria. Israel has also targeted Palestinian and Lebanese operatives in Syria over the past years.Iranian and Syrian officials have long acknowledged Iran has advisers and military experts in Syria, but denied there were any ground troops. Thousands of fighters from Iran-backed groups took part in Syria's conflict that started in March 2011, helping tip the balance of power in favor of President Bashar Assad.Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years.Israel rarely acknowledges its actions in Syria, but it has said that it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.Earlier this month, a strike said to be carried out by Israel killed&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-beirut-explosion-suburbs-hezbollah-israel-2a43fe948e8cb49c64b34bb963d77f64">top Hamas commander Saleh Arouri</a>&nbsp;in Beirut.Over the past weeks, rockets have been fired from Syria into northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, adding to tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border and attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.-The Associated Press contributed to this report

U.S. personnel injured in missile attack on airbase in Iraq

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas couple has been charged with fraudulently collecting more than $215,000 in retirement benefits on behalf of a dead relative while they concealed his body inside their home for six years.

Authorities say Mike Carroll's pacemaker showed that he died in 2016 at age 81, but Overland Park police didn't discover his body until 2022 after his son-in-law, Kirk Ritter, called police to report his death in the Kansas City suburb.

Prosecutors say Lynn Ritter and Kirk Ritter, both 61, continued depositing and spending from Carroll's bank account even while his body became “mummified” on a bed in the home he owned. Lynn Ritter is Carroll's daughter.

Family members&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article284431680.html">told the Kansas City Star</a>&nbsp;that the Ritters would repeatedly give them excuses about why Carroll could never take a phone call or visit while leading them to believe that Carroll was still alive.

The couple is due to appear in federal court to face several charges on Feb. 2. They didn't respond to phone and email messages from the newspaper, and court documents do not list a defense attorney representing them.

Prosecutors said the pension and Social Security payments Carroll received over the six years after his death totaled $216,067. But bank records from that time showed checks being written from his bank account and cashed by Lynn and Kirk Ritter.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas couple has been charged with fraudulently collecting more than $215,000 in retirement benefits on behalf of a dead relative while they concealed his body inside their home for six years.Authorities say Mike Carroll's pacemaker showed that he died in 2016 at age 81, but Overland Park police didn't discover his body until 2022 after his son-in-law, Kirk Ritter, called police to report his death in the Kansas City suburb.Prosecutors say Lynn Ritter and Kirk Ritter, both 61, continued depositing and spending from Carroll's bank account even while his body became “mummified” on a bed in the home he owned. Lynn Ritter is Carroll's daughter.Family members&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/crime/article284431680.html">told the Kansas City Star</a>&nbsp;that the Ritters would repeatedly give them excuses about why Carroll could never take a phone call or visit while leading them to believe that Carroll was still alive.The couple is due to appear in federal court to face several charges on Feb. 2. They didn't respond to phone and email messages from the newspaper, and court documents do not list a defense attorney representing them.Prosecutors said the pension and Social Security payments Carroll received over the six years after his death totaled $216,067. But bank records from that time showed checks being written from his bank account and cashed by Lynn and Kirk Ritter.

Kan. couple lived with body of dead parent, collected retirement benefits

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man accused of cutting catalytic converters off of vehicles&nbsp;at a Kansas car dealership will not go to jail.

Judge Christopher Magana sentenced 33-year-old Sean Gisick to 12 months of probation, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office..

Gisick pleaded guilty to attempted theft.

In June of 2023,&nbsp;&nbsp;a witness called 911 to report that they heard the sound of a Sawzall cutting metal coming from the Super Car Guy’s lot in the 100 block of N. West Street in Wichita, according to a media release.

Officers responded to the scene at 5a.m. and located Gisick of Wichita crawling on the parking lot with 3 catalytic convertors and a handheld Sawzall. Investigators located 3 vehicles in the car lot with their catalytic convertors cut and removed.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686153254344.png" alt="Gisick-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Gisick-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas man accused of cutting catalytic converters off of vehicles&nbsp;at a Kansas car dealership will not go to jail.Judge Christopher Magana sentenced 33-year-old Sean Gisick to 12 months of probation, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office..Gisick pleaded guilty to attempted theft.In June of 2023,&nbsp;&nbsp;a witness called 911 to report that they heard the sound of a Sawzall cutting metal coming from the Super Car Guy’s lot in the 100 block of N. West Street in Wichita, according to a media release.Officers responded to the scene at 5a.m. and located Gisick of Wichita crawling on the parking lot with 3 catalytic convertors and a handheld Sawzall. Investigators located 3 vehicles in the car lot with their catalytic convertors cut and removed.&nbsp;

Man admits cutting catalytic converters at Kan. car dealership

JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspect for allegedly making fake cash.&nbsp;

Earlier this week, patrol officers were sent to investigate suspicious activity occurring at a hotel near 95th Street and Interstate 35 highway in Lenexa, according to a media release.

 The suspects had just left, but the police dispatchers located them using street cameras at a nearby fast-food restaurant.&nbsp; Patrol officers contacted those suspects, and through investigation found evidence of money counterfeiting, including printed currency, a printer and chemicals used to "wash" the ink off bills. 

Two suspects, not from the area, were charged Tuesday with counterfeiting by the Johnson County District Attorney's Office.   

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705452496456.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspect for allegedly making fake cash.&nbsp;Earlier this week, patrol officers were sent to investigate suspicious activity occurring at a hotel near 95th Street and Interstate 35 highway in Lenexa, according to a media release. The suspects had just left, but the police dispatchers located them using street cameras at a nearby fast-food restaurant.&nbsp; Patrol officers contacted those suspects, and through investigation found evidence of money counterfeiting, including printed currency, a printer and chemicals used to "wash" the ink off bills. Two suspects, not from the area, were charged Tuesday with counterfeiting by the Johnson County District Attorney's Office.

Police: Suspects charged in Kansas for making counterfeit cash 

BUTLER COUNTY —A horse rescued by emergency crews from a frozen pond in Butler County on Wednesday is improving and now standing on her own.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Butler County Animal Response Team received a mutual aid request from Andover Fire-Rescue for a horse last seen on Tuesday evening that was stuck out on the ice on a pond, according to a social media report.

The three year old 1800 pound draft mare was 15-20 feet out on the pond but had not broken through the ice. She was discovered around noon Wednesday.

Andover Fire-Rescue was able to move her off the ice onto the shore. The horse was unable to stand on her own.

At 1:30p.m., the Butler County Animal Response Team arrived on scene and a veterinarian sedated the horse and secured the animal on a rescue glide so she could be moved away from the pond and onto level, and drier ground.

Rescuers gave the horse fluids and she was blanketed, and allowed to rest and recover. When she was unable to stand, a Becker Sling was applied, and with the assistance of a skip loader, she was raised to a standing position.

After a period of recovery, several attempts were made to have her bear weight. She was unable to stand and lowered back to the ground. The veterinarian remained on scene administering treatment and she was covered and allowed to further rest and recover.

On Thursday the&nbsp;Butler County Animal Response Team returned to provide lifting for the horse. After an evening of close monitoring by her owners, it was determined that 'Brandy' needed assistance to stand.

With the help of Andover Fire and Rescue and a vet, Brandy was repositioned and the Becker Sling was placed and secured to a skid loader.  She was raised to a standing position and gradually lowered so she could bear weight.

After remaining weight bearing, she walked a short distance and was released from the sling.  She walked several feet but due to ground conditions was unable to remain standing.

The Becker Sling was placed and secured to skid loader and Brandy was raised to a standing position and allowed to rest and recover with additional supportive veterinary treatment.

With the support of the Becker Sling and skid loader, she was slowly walked from the pasture to the paddocks and loafing sheds, reuniting with her sister and pasture mates.  The sling was removed and Brandy remained standing.As the team left, she was eating hay in a loafing shed with her sister

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705669084292.png" alt="photos Butler County Animal Response Team" />
 <figcaption>photos Butler County Animal Response Team</figcaption>
 </figure>BUTLER COUNTY —A horse rescued by emergency crews from a frozen pond in Butler County on Wednesday is improving and now standing on her own.On Wednesday afternoon, the Butler County Animal Response Team received a mutual aid request from Andover Fire-Rescue for a horse last seen on Tuesday evening that was stuck out on the ice on a pond, according to a social media report.The three year old 1800 pound draft mare was 15-20 feet out on the pond but had not broken through the ice. She was discovered around noon Wednesday.Andover Fire-Rescue was able to move her off the ice onto the shore. The horse was unable to stand on her own.At 1:30p.m., the Butler County Animal Response Team arrived on scene and a veterinarian sedated the horse and secured the animal on a rescue glide so she could be moved away from the pond and onto level, and drier ground.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705592679380.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Rescuers gave the horse fluids and she was blanketed, and allowed to rest and recover. When she was unable to stand, a Becker Sling was applied, and with the assistance of a skip loader, she was raised to a standing position.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705591809396.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>After a period of recovery, several attempts were made to have her bear weight. She was unable to stand and lowered back to the ground. The veterinarian remained on scene administering treatment and she was covered and allowed to further rest and recover.On Thursday the&nbsp;Butler County Animal Response Team returned to provide lifting for the horse. After an evening of close monitoring by her owners, it was determined that 'Brandy' needed assistance to stand.With the help of Andover Fire and Rescue and a vet, Brandy was repositioned and the Becker Sling was placed and secured to a skid loader. She was raised to a standing position and gradually lowered so she could bear weight.After remaining weight bearing, she walked a short distance and was released from the sling. She walked several feet but due to ground conditions was unable to remain standing.The Becker Sling was placed and secured to skid loader and Brandy was raised to a standing position and allowed to rest and recover with additional supportive veterinary treatment.With the support of the Becker Sling and skid loader, she was slowly walked from the pasture to the paddocks and loafing sheds, reuniting with her sister and pasture mates. The sling was removed and Brandy remained standing.As the team left, she was eating hay in a loafing shed with her sister

Horse rescued from frozen Kansas pond is improving

KANSAS CITY—Police released the name of the woman killed in a crash&nbsp; after fleeing a traffic stop in Kansas City as 27-year-old Te'Onna D. Davis-Cannon, according to Police Captain Corey Carlisle, 

Just before 1a.m. Jan. 14, officers attempted to conduct a traffic violation stop on a Chevrolet Trailblazer at&nbsp;Cleaver and Benton in Kansas City.

Davis-Cannon refused to yield for the officers and the officers disregarded their attempts to stop the vehicle.

The Chevrolet was last seen traveling southbound on Swope at a high rate of speed. Just south of Martin Luther King, the SUV traveled off the roadway to the left and struck a large tree.

Davis-Cannon was the sole occupant of the SUV and she was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced deceased. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to Carlisle.

KANSAS CITY—Police released the name of the woman killed in a crash&nbsp; after fleeing a traffic stop in Kansas City as 27-year-old Te'Onna D. Davis-Cannon, according to Police Captain Corey Carlisle, Just before 1a.m. Jan. 14, officers attempted to conduct a traffic violation stop on a Chevrolet Trailblazer at&nbsp;Cleaver and Benton in Kansas City.Davis-Cannon refused to yield for the officers and the officers disregarded their attempts to stop the vehicle.The Chevrolet was last seen traveling southbound on Swope at a high rate of speed. Just south of Martin Luther King, the SUV traveled off the roadway to the left and struck a large tree.Davis-Cannon was the sole occupant of the SUV and she was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced deceased. She was not wearing a seat belt, according to Carlisle.

Police ID woman who died in KC crash after fleeing traffic stop

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes sank in 2023 to a nearly 30-year low, as sharply higher mortgage rates, rising prices and a persistently low level of homes on the market combined to push homeownership out of reach for many Americans.

The National Association of Realtors said Friday that existing U.S. home sales totaled 4.09 million last year, an 18.7% decline from 2022. That is the weakest year for home sales since 1995 and the biggest annual decline since 2007, the start of the housing slump of the late 2000s.

The median national home price for all of last year edged up just under 1% to record high $389,800, the NAR said.

Last year’s home sales slump echoes the nearly 18% annual decline in 2022, when mortgage rates began rising, eventually more than doubling by the end of the year. That trend continued in 2023, driving the average rate on a 30-year mortgage by late October to 7.79%, the highest level since late 2000.

The sharply higher home loan borrowing costs limited home hunters' buying power on top of years of soaring prices. A dearth of homes for sale also kept many would-be homebuyers and sellers on the sidelines.

Still, a pullback in mortgage rates since late last year, and forecasts calling for a further rate declines this year, is fueling hopes that home sales will begin to bounce back from their dismal showing in 2023.

“The latest month’s sales look to be the bottom before inevitably turning higher in the new year,” said Lawrence Yun, the NAR's chief economist. ”Mortgage rates are meaningfully lower compared to just two months ago, and more inventory is expected to appear on the market in upcoming months.”

Mortgage rates have been mostly easing since November, echoing a pullback in the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing loans. The yield has largely come down on hopes that inflation has cooled enough for the Federal Reserve to shift to cutting interest rates this year.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mortgage-rates-housing-interest-financing-home-loan-f772736312197acdcbe2fcc6fd534e9f">The average rate on a 30-year home loan was 6.6% this week,</a>&nbsp;according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. If rates continue to ease, as many economists expect, that should help boost demand heading into the spring homebuying season, which traditionally begins in late February.

Still, the average rate remains sharply higher than just two years ago, when it was 3.56%. That large gap between rates now and then has helped limit the number of previously occupied homes on the market by discouraging homeowners who locked in rock-bottom rates from selling.

“Prospective homebuyers have been shut out of the market by a lack of inventory,” said Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS. “If there had been more listings on the market in 2023, we would have had more home sales.”

At the end of December, there were just 1 million homes on the market, the NAR said. While that's a 4.2% increase from a year earlier, the number of available homes remains well below the monthly historical average of about 2.25 million.

The available inventory at the end of last month amounts to a 3.2-month supply, going by the current sales pace. That’s down 3.5% from the previous month, but up from 2.9% from December 2022. In a more balanced market between buyers and sellers, there is a 4- to 6-month supply.

That means homebuyers are likely to face intense competition for the relatively few homes on the market, which should keep pushing up prices.

"There will still be a demand-supply imbalance in the housing market well into 2024,” Sturtevant said.

Despite easing mortgage rates, home sales in December declined after rising the previous month. Existing home sales fell 1% from November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.78 million, the slowest sales pace since August 2010, the NAR said.

Sales fell 6.2% from a year earlier. Last month’s sales pace is short of the roughly 3.83 million that economists were expecting, according to FactSet.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/6/1624025620777.png" alt="Photo by David Condos / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Photo by David Condos / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes sank in 2023 to a nearly 30-year low, as sharply higher mortgage rates, rising prices and a persistently low level of homes on the market combined to push homeownership out of reach for many Americans.The National Association of Realtors said Friday that existing U.S. home sales totaled 4.09 million last year, an 18.7% decline from 2022. That is the weakest year for home sales since 1995 and the biggest annual decline since 2007, the start of the housing slump of the late 2000s.The median national home price for all of last year edged up just under 1% to record high $389,800, the NAR said.Last year’s home sales slump echoes the nearly 18% annual decline in 2022, when mortgage rates began rising, eventually more than doubling by the end of the year. That trend continued in 2023, driving the average rate on a 30-year mortgage by late October to 7.79%, the highest level since late 2000.The sharply higher home loan borrowing costs limited home hunters' buying power on top of years of soaring prices. A dearth of homes for sale also kept many would-be homebuyers and sellers on the sidelines.Still, a pullback in mortgage rates since late last year, and forecasts calling for a further rate declines this year, is fueling hopes that home sales will begin to bounce back from their dismal showing in 2023.“The latest month’s sales look to be the bottom before inevitably turning higher in the new year,” said Lawrence Yun, the NAR's chief economist. ”Mortgage rates are meaningfully lower compared to just two months ago, and more inventory is expected to appear on the market in upcoming months.”Mortgage rates have been mostly easing since November, echoing a pullback in the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing loans. The yield has largely come down on hopes that inflation has cooled enough for the Federal Reserve to shift to cutting interest rates this year.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mortgage-rates-housing-interest-financing-home-loan-f772736312197acdcbe2fcc6fd534e9f">The average rate on a 30-year home loan was 6.6% this week,</a>&nbsp;according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. If rates continue to ease, as many economists expect, that should help boost demand heading into the spring homebuying season, which traditionally begins in late February.Still, the average rate remains sharply higher than just two years ago, when it was 3.56%. That large gap between rates now and then has helped limit the number of previously occupied homes on the market by discouraging homeowners who locked in rock-bottom rates from selling.“Prospective homebuyers have been shut out of the market by a lack of inventory,” said Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS. “If there had been more listings on the market in 2023, we would have had more home sales.”At the end of December, there were just 1 million homes on the market, the NAR said. While that's a 4.2% increase from a year earlier, the number of available homes remains well below the monthly historical average of about 2.25 million.The available inventory at the end of last month amounts to a 3.2-month supply, going by the current sales pace. That’s down 3.5% from the previous month, but up from 2.9% from December 2022. In a more balanced market between buyers and sellers, there is a 4- to 6-month supply.That means homebuyers are likely to face intense competition for the relatively few homes on the market, which should keep pushing up prices."There will still be a demand-supply imbalance in the housing market well into 2024,” Sturtevant said.Despite easing mortgage rates, home sales in December declined after rising the previous month. Existing home sales fell 1% from November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.78 million, the slowest sales pace since August 2010, the NAR said.Sales fell 6.2% from a year earlier. Last month’s sales pace is short of the roughly 3.83 million that economists were expecting, according to FactSet.Home prices rose for the sixth straight month in December. The national median home sales price rose 4.4% from a year earlier to $382,600, the NAR said.Homebuyers continued to face a competitive market due to the shortage of homes for sale.Homes sold last month typically within just 29 days after hitting the market, and 56% of properties that sold in December were on the market for less than a month, the NAR said.First-time homebuyers who don’t have any home equity to put toward their down payment continued to have a tough time getting into the housing market. They accounted for just 29% of all homes sold last month, down from 31% in November and December 2022. They've accounted for 40% of sales historically.