WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials are seizing more shipments of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vaping-elf-bar-ecigarettes-china-teens-77033584983ad47fc5795baa46b4705e">unauthorized electronic cigarettes</a>&nbsp;at U.S. ports, but thousands of new flavored products continue pouring into the country from China, according to government and industry data reviewed by The Associated Press.

The figures underscore the chaotic state of the nation’s $7 billion vaping market and raise questions about how the U.S. government can stop the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fda-vapes-vaping-elf-bar-juul-80b2680a874d89b8d651c5e909e39e8f">flow of fruit-flavored disposable e-cigarettes</a>&nbsp;used by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/teen-vaping-smoking-cdc-survey-d1f44bd3d8df6960215a14454f5e2e6e">1 in 10 American teens</a>&nbsp;and adolescents.

More than 11,500 unique vaping products are being sold in U.S. stores, up 27% from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fda-vapes-vaping-elf-bar-juul-5e45cf57dc78f6b94213047c97b10f7e">9,000 products in June</a>, according to tightly held industry data from analytics firm Circana.

“FDA whacks one product and then the manufacturers get around it and the kids get around it,” said Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, a Stanford University psychologist who develops anti-vaping educational materials. “It’s too easy to change your product a little bit and just relaunch it.”

Halpern-Felsher says she is “constantly” updating her curriculum to keep pace with new vaping brands and trends.

Nearly all the new products are disposable e-cigarettes, according to the sales data gathered from gas stations, convenience stores and other shops. The products generated $3.2 billion in the first 11 months of this year.

The FDA has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-science-business-health-126c438648d433fdfe987c397e576b26">authorized a handful of e-cigarettes</a>&nbsp;for adult smokers and is still reviewing products from several major companies, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/ctp-newsroom/fda-puts-firms-responsible-esco-bars-and-breeze-two-popular-disposable-e-cigarette-brands-notice">Juul</a>. Regulators consider nearly all other e-cigarettes to be illegal.

“Those committing illegal acts don’t advertise their crimes, and those trying to import illegal tobacco products into the United States are no different," said FDA’s tobacco director, Brian King, in a written response to AP questions. “The FDA and our federal partners are using tools, like import alerts, to stop these illegal tobacco products at the border and to deter countless others.”

The rise in e-cigarettes sold continues despite a record number of products detained.

An FDA database shows officials “refused” entry to 148 containers or pallets of “tobacco” goods last month, consisting almost entirely of vaping products from China. Refused imports are typically destroyed.

Through the end of November, U.S. officials had refused 374 such shipments this year, more than double the 118 refused in 2022.

This year's items included $400,000 worth of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/ctp-newsroom/fda-puts-firms-responsible-esco-bars-and-breeze-two-popular-disposable-e-cigarette-brands-notice">Esco Bars</a>, a disposable brand placed on a list of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_1163.html">banned imports</a>&nbsp;in May. The agency's posted data is often preliminary because it takes time to finalize refusals.

But recent history shows how easily companies can maneuver around import bans.

In July 2022, the FDA barred dozens of e-cigarettes from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_1169.html">Chinese manufacturer Fume</a>, including flavors Pineapple Ice and Blue Razz.

Fume sales dipped after the ban, but the company launched a slew of new products, posting $42 million in U.S. sales in the third quarter of 2023, the data shows. Roughly 98% of sales came from products not on the FDA’s “red list” of products that can be detained.

Industry shipping tactics are also challenging the usefulness of import restrictions.

In July, FDA and customs officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ecigarettes-elf-bar-fda-teen-vaping-434dc600866cf2a626aa8c7a0063ac43">intercepted $18 million worth of illegal vapes</a>, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ecigarettes-elf-bar-fda-disposable-vaping-5245aed253ca9cdcf119483bd9cee1f1">leading brand Elf Bar</a>. But the shipments were mislabeled as shoes, toys and other items — not e-cigarettes — requiring officials to individually open and verify the contents of more than two dozen containers.

Circana, formerly IRI, restricts access to its data, which it sells to companies and researchers. A person not authorized to share it gave the AP access on condition of anonymity.

The FDA has no schedule for updating its import lists but said it is “closely monitoring” instances where companies try to avoid detection.

“The FDA has a variety of tools at our disposal to take action against these tactics,” FDA’s King said.

The agency has limited powers to penalize foreign companies. Instead, regulators have sent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/ctp-newsroom/fda-warns-internet-retailers-selling-illegal-e-cigarettes-popular-among-youth">hundreds of warning letters</a>&nbsp;to U.S. stores selling their products, but those are not legally binding.

Even as the FDA attempts to work with customs officials, it is struggling to complete a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-9ae0c0e7415549e29cb21fbaf7e401b3">yearslong review</a>&nbsp;of applications submitted by manufacturers hoping to market their products to adults.

The few tobacco-flavored products currently authorized by FDA are deeply unpopular. Their combined sales were just $174 million, or 2.4% of the vaping marketplace this year, according to Circana.

“Nobody wants them,” says Marc Silas, owner of 906 Vapor shop in Michigan. “If people wanted them, they’d be on the shelves and they’re not.”

Deeply frustrated with the pace of FDA’s review, public health groups have successfully sued the agency to speed up the process. The agency aimed to complete all major outstanding applications this year, but it recently said the process would stretch into next year.

The delays have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-vaping-us-food-and-drug-administration-robert-califf-63d2cc590965a6f5f39460e19f2a8607">raised questions</a>&nbsp;about the viability of the the current regulatory framework for e-cigarettes.

“FDA is trying to operate with an old model when the whole environment has changed,” said Scott Ballin, a health policy consultant who previously worked for the American Heart Association. “They have this long line of products that have to be reviewed one by one and now they’re in a giant hole.”

One alternative approach would be to make decisions about entire classes of e-cigarettes, rather than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/juul-banned-fda-e41c58872a0e7a202ca5244442accb04">individual products</a>.

The idea initially came from small vaping manufacturers who did not have the money to conduct the large studies typical of FDA applications. Public health advocates concerned about the persistence of underage vaping have embraced it.

Halpern-Felsher, of Stanford University, is among those urging the FDA to ban all flavored disposable e-cigarettes, the products used by most of the 2 million underage teens who vape.

“If we continue down this path that we’re on, we’re just going to have new and continuing generations of young people addicted to nicotine,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703952979327.png" alt="Customs and Border Protection and FDA seized approximately 1.4 million units of unauthorized e-cigarette products, valued at $18M. earlier this month. The seizures were part of a three-day joint operation, which resulted in the seizure of 41 shipments containing illegal e-cigarettes- photo CB" />
 <figcaption>Customs and Border Protection and FDA seized approximately 1.4 million units of unauthorized e-cigarette products, valued at $18M. earlier this month. The seizures were part of a three-day joint operation, which resulted in the seizure of 41 shipments containing illegal e-cigarettes- photo CB</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials are seizing more shipments of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/vaping-elf-bar-ecigarettes-china-teens-77033584983ad47fc5795baa46b4705e">unauthorized electronic cigarettes</a>&nbsp;at U.S. ports, but thousands of new flavored products continue pouring into the country from China, according to government and industry data reviewed by The Associated Press.The figures underscore the chaotic state of the nation’s $7 billion vaping market and raise questions about how the U.S. government can stop the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fda-vapes-vaping-elf-bar-juul-80b2680a874d89b8d651c5e909e39e8f">flow of fruit-flavored disposable e-cigarettes</a>&nbsp;used by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/teen-vaping-smoking-cdc-survey-d1f44bd3d8df6960215a14454f5e2e6e">1 in 10 American teens</a>&nbsp;and adolescents.More than 11,500 unique vaping products are being sold in U.S. stores, up 27% from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fda-vapes-vaping-elf-bar-juul-5e45cf57dc78f6b94213047c97b10f7e">9,000 products in June</a>, according to tightly held industry data from analytics firm Circana.“FDA whacks one product and then the manufacturers get around it and the kids get around it,” said Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, a Stanford University psychologist who develops anti-vaping educational materials. “It’s too easy to change your product a little bit and just relaunch it.”Halpern-Felsher says she is “constantly” updating her curriculum to keep pace with new vaping brands and trends.Nearly all the new products are disposable e-cigarettes, according to the sales data gathered from gas stations, convenience stores and other shops. The products generated $3.2 billion in the first 11 months of this year.The FDA has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-science-business-health-126c438648d433fdfe987c397e576b26">authorized a handful of e-cigarettes</a>&nbsp;for adult smokers and is still reviewing products from several major companies, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/ctp-newsroom/fda-puts-firms-responsible-esco-bars-and-breeze-two-popular-disposable-e-cigarette-brands-notice">Juul</a>. Regulators consider nearly all other e-cigarettes to be illegal.“Those committing illegal acts don’t advertise their crimes, and those trying to import illegal tobacco products into the United States are no different," said FDA’s tobacco director, Brian King, in a written response to AP questions. “The FDA and our federal partners are using tools, like import alerts, to stop these illegal tobacco products at the border and to deter countless others.”The rise in e-cigarettes sold continues despite a record number of products detained.An FDA database shows officials “refused” entry to 148 containers or pallets of “tobacco” goods last month, consisting almost entirely of vaping products from China. Refused imports are typically destroyed.Through the end of November, U.S. officials had refused 374 such shipments this year, more than double the 118 refused in 2022.This year's items included $400,000 worth of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/ctp-newsroom/fda-puts-firms-responsible-esco-bars-and-breeze-two-popular-disposable-e-cigarette-brands-notice">Esco Bars</a>, a disposable brand placed on a list of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_1163.html">banned imports</a>&nbsp;in May. The agency's posted data is often preliminary because it takes time to finalize refusals.But recent history shows how easily companies can maneuver around import bans.In July 2022, the FDA barred dozens of e-cigarettes from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_1169.html">Chinese manufacturer Fume</a>, including flavors Pineapple Ice and Blue Razz.Fume sales dipped after the ban, but the company launched a slew of new products, posting $42 million in U.S. sales in the third quarter of 2023, the data shows. Roughly 98% of sales came from products not on the FDA’s “red list” of products that can be detained.Industry shipping tactics are also challenging the usefulness of import restrictions.In July, FDA and customs officials&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ecigarettes-elf-bar-fda-teen-vaping-434dc600866cf2a626aa8c7a0063ac43">intercepted $18 million worth of illegal vapes</a>, including&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ecigarettes-elf-bar-fda-disposable-vaping-5245aed253ca9cdcf119483bd9cee1f1">leading brand Elf Bar</a>. But the shipments were mislabeled as shoes, toys and other items — not e-cigarettes — requiring officials to individually open and verify the contents of more than two dozen containers.Circana, formerly IRI, restricts access to its data, which it sells to companies and researchers. A person not authorized to share it gave the AP access on condition of anonymity.The FDA has no schedule for updating its import lists but said it is “closely monitoring” instances where companies try to avoid detection.“The FDA has a variety of tools at our disposal to take action against these tactics,” FDA’s King said.The agency has limited powers to penalize foreign companies. Instead, regulators have sent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/tobacco-products/ctp-newsroom/fda-warns-internet-retailers-selling-illegal-e-cigarettes-popular-among-youth">hundreds of warning letters</a>&nbsp;to U.S. stores selling their products, but those are not legally binding.Even as the FDA attempts to work with customs officials, it is struggling to complete a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-9ae0c0e7415549e29cb21fbaf7e401b3">yearslong review</a>&nbsp;of applications submitted by manufacturers hoping to market their products to adults.The few tobacco-flavored products currently authorized by FDA are deeply unpopular. Their combined sales were just $174 million, or 2.4% of the vaping marketplace this year, according to Circana.“Nobody wants them,” says Marc Silas, owner of 906 Vapor shop in Michigan. “If people wanted them, they’d be on the shelves and they’re not.”Deeply frustrated with the pace of FDA’s review, public health groups have successfully sued the agency to speed up the process. The agency aimed to complete all major outstanding applications this year, but it recently said the process would stretch into next year.The delays have&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/health-vaping-us-food-and-drug-administration-robert-califf-63d2cc590965a6f5f39460e19f2a8607">raised questions</a>&nbsp;about the viability of the the current regulatory framework for e-cigarettes.“FDA is trying to operate with an old model when the whole environment has changed,” said Scott Ballin, a health policy consultant who previously worked for the American Heart Association. “They have this long line of products that have to be reviewed one by one and now they’re in a giant hole.”One alternative approach would be to make decisions about entire classes of e-cigarettes, rather than&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/juul-banned-fda-e41c58872a0e7a202ca5244442accb04">individual products</a>.The idea initially came from small vaping manufacturers who did not have the money to conduct the large studies typical of FDA applications. Public health advocates concerned about the persistence of underage vaping have embraced it.Halpern-Felsher, of Stanford University, is among those urging the FDA to ban all flavored disposable e-cigarettes, the products used by most of the 2 million underage teens who vape.“If we continue down this path that we’re on, we’re just going to have new and continuing generations of young people addicted to nicotine,” she said.

US seizes more illegal e-cigarettes; thousands of new ones are launching

WASHINGTON (AP) —Since the pandemic first upended American education, an estimated 50,000 students are&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/pandemic-missing-students-school-enrollment/index.html">still missing</a>&nbsp;from any kind of U.S. school. That’s according to an Associated Press analysis of public, private and homeschool enrollment as of fall 2022, and U.S. Census data in 22 states, plus Washington, D.C.

The reasons students left during the pandemic are varied, and still not fully understood. Some experienced&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/missing-students-housing/index.html">homelessness</a>, lost interest or motivation, or struggled with mental health. Some needed to work or assume adult responsibilities. Some fell behind in online school and didn’t see the point of re-engaging.

The number of missing students has fallen from fall 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/missing-children/index.html">over 230,000 students were still unaccounted for</a>&nbsp;in an analysis by AP, Big Local News and Stanford University economist Thomas Dee. Slowly, many students returned to some form of schooling, or aged out of the system. The decline in missing students is a hopeful sign the education system is moving toward recovery.

Still, not all is back to its pre-pandemic “normal.” AP’s nationwide analysis shows lasting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kindergarten-school-registration-homeschool-f6a0c3a8f97f8d6cf616f201f68c04fe">disengagement from public school</a>, as Americans turn to&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/missing-students-unapproved-schools/index.html">other kinds of schooling</a>. Roughly two-thirds of states keep credible enrollment data for either private or homeschooling. Among those states, private schooling grew nearly 8% and homeschooling grew more than 25% from fall 2019 to fall 2022. Public school enrollment remained depressed, down by over 1 million students.

WASHINGTON (AP) —Since the pandemic first upended American education, an estimated 50,000 students are&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/pandemic-missing-students-school-enrollment/index.html">still missing</a>&nbsp;from any kind of U.S. school. That’s according to an Associated Press analysis of public, private and homeschool enrollment as of fall 2022, and U.S. Census data in 22 states, plus Washington, D.C.The reasons students left during the pandemic are varied, and still not fully understood. Some experienced&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/missing-students-housing/index.html">homelessness</a>, lost interest or motivation, or struggled with mental health. Some needed to work or assume adult responsibilities. Some fell behind in online school and didn’t see the point of re-engaging.The number of missing students has fallen from fall 2021, when&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/missing-children/index.html">over 230,000 students were still unaccounted for</a>&nbsp;in an analysis by AP, Big Local News and Stanford University economist Thomas Dee. Slowly, many students returned to some form of schooling, or aged out of the system. The decline in missing students is a hopeful sign the education system is moving toward recovery.Still, not all is back to its pre-pandemic “normal.” AP’s nationwide analysis shows lasting&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kindergarten-school-registration-homeschool-f6a0c3a8f97f8d6cf616f201f68c04fe">disengagement from public school</a>, as Americans turn to&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/missing-students-unapproved-schools/index.html">other kinds of schooling</a>. Roughly two-thirds of states keep credible enrollment data for either private or homeschooling. Among those states, private schooling grew nearly 8% and homeschooling grew more than 25% from fall 2019 to fall 2022. Public school enrollment remained depressed, down by over 1 million students.

Data shows how many students are still missing from American schools

WYANDOTTE COUNTY— One person died in an accident just after 3:30p.m. Sunday in Kansas City, Kansas.

The 2-vehicle crash occurred at the intersection of N. 70th Street and Parallel Parkway, according to a media release from KCK police.

All occupants were transported to an area hospital where one person died, one was in critical condition and one has non-life threatening injuries. 

This incident is under investigation by the KCKPD Traffic Division. Police released no additional details late Sunday.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY— One person died in an accident just after 3:30p.m. Sunday in Kansas City, Kansas.The 2-vehicle crash occurred at the intersection of N. 70th Street and Parallel Parkway, according to a media release from KCK police.All occupants were transported to an area hospital where one person died, one was in critical condition and one has non-life threatening injuries. This incident is under investigation by the KCKPD Traffic Division. Police released no additional details late Sunday.

One dead after 2-vehicle New Year's Eve crash in Kansas

TOKYO (AP) — Japan dropped its highest-level tsunami alert, issued following a series of major earthquakes on Monday, but told residents of coastal areas not to return to their homes as deadly waves could still come.

The quakes, the largest of which had a magnitude of 7.6, started a fire and collapsed buildings on the west coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu. It was unclear how many people might have been killed or hurt.

The Japan Meteorological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes in the Japan Sea off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m.

At least six homes were damaged by the quakes, with people trapped inside, government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said. A fire broke out in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, and electricity was out for more than 30,000 households, he said.

The agency initially issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of the island of Honshu, as well as the northernmost of its main islands, Hokkaido.

The warning was downgraded to a regular tsunami several hours later, meaning the waters could still reach up to 3 meters (10 feet). Aftershocks could also slam the same area over the next few days, it said.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV initially warned torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters (16.5 feet).

NHK said the tsunami waves could keep returning, and warnings were continuing to be aired hours after the initial alert. Several aftershocks also rocked the region.

Hayashi stressed that it was critical for people in coastal areas to get away from the oncoming tsunami.

“Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,” he said.

People returning to get their wallets and other belongings have been known to be swept away and drowned even hours after the first evacuation warning. People were evacuated to stadiums, where they will likely have to stay for a few days.

Hayashi said no reports of deaths or injuries had been confirmed from the quakes, saying the situation was still unclear. Japan's military was taking part in the rescue efforts, he said.

Japanese media footage showed people running through the streets, and red smoke spewing from a fire in a residential neighborhood. Photos showed a crowd of people, including a woman with a baby on her back, standing by huge cracks that had ripped through the pavement.

Some people sustained minor injuries when they tripped and fell while fleeing, or objects fell off shelves and hit them, according to NHK.

Bullet trains in the area were halted, although some parts of the service were restored by evening. Parts of the highway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK. Some cell phone services in the region weren't working.

The Meteorological Agency said in a nationally broadcast news conference that more major quakes could hit the area over the next week, especially in the next two or three days.

More than a dozen strong quakes had been detected in the region, with risks of setting off landslides and houses collapsing, according to the agency.

Takashi Wakabayashi, a worker at a convenience store in Ishikawa Prefecture, said some items had tumbled from the shelves, but the biggest problem was the huge crowd of people who had shown up to stock up on bottled water, rice balls and bread.

“We have customers at three times the level of usual,” he said.

Tsunami warnings were also issued for parts of North Korea and Russia.

The Japanese government has set up a special emergency center to gather information on the quakes and tsunami and relay them speedily to residents to ensure safety, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.

Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation. In March 2011, a major quake and tsunami caused&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fukushima-nuclear-plant-timeline-0710658563458ed94c20517f49ff720f">meltdowns at a nuclear plant</a>. The latest warning was the first time since the 2011 disaster that a tsunami warning of this magnitude was issued.

Government spokesman Hayashi told reporters that nuclear plants in the affected area had not reported any irregularities on Monday. Nuclear regulators said no rises in radiation levels were detected at the monitoring posts in the region.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan issued tsunami alerts and ordered evacuations following a series of earthquakes on Monday that started a fire and trapped people under rubble on the west coast of its main island.

The Japan Meterological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m., one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6.

The agency issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of the island of Honshu, as well as the northernmost of its main islands, Hokkaido.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warned torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters (16.5 feet) and urged people to flee to high land or the top of a nearby building as quickly as possible.

Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said it was critical for people in coastal areas to get away from the oncoming tsunami.

A tsunami of about 3 meters (about 10 feet) high was expected to hit Niigata and other prefectures on the western coast of Japan, and the waves were confirmed to have reached parts of the coastline.

At least six homes were damaged by the quakes, with people trapped inside. A fire has broken out in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, and electricity is out for more than 30,000 households, Hayashi said.

He said no reports of deaths or injuries had been confirmed, saying the situation was still unclear. Japan's military was taking part in the rescue efforts, he said.

Bullet trains in the area were halted. Parts of the highway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK. Some cell phone services in the region weren't working.

Tsunami warnings were also issued for parts of North Korea and Russia. Russian officials issued a tsunami alert for the island of Sakhalin, warning that areas across the island’s west coast could be affected by the waves.

In nearby South Korea, the weather agency urged residents in some eastern coastal towns to watch for possible changes in sea levels. Tsunami waves that hit later later can be bigger than the initial ones.

He reiterated the warning for immediate evacuation in affected areas.

Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation. In March 2011, a major quake and tsunami caused&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fukushima-nuclear-plant-timeline-0710658563458ed94c20517f49ff720f">meltdowns at a nuclear plant</a>. Government spokesman Hayashi told reporters that nuclear plants in the affected area had not reported any irregularities on Monday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1704110268813.png" alt="-The Japan Meterological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m., one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6.USGS image" />
 <figcaption>-The Japan Meterological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m., one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6.USGS image</figcaption>
 </figure>TOKYO (AP) — Japan dropped its highest-level tsunami alert, issued following a series of major earthquakes on Monday, but told residents of coastal areas not to return to their homes as deadly waves could still come.The quakes, the largest of which had a magnitude of 7.6, started a fire and collapsed buildings on the west coast of Japan’s main island, Honshu. It was unclear how many people might have been killed or hurt.The Japan Meteorological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes in the Japan Sea off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m.At least six homes were damaged by the quakes, with people trapped inside, government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said. A fire broke out in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, and electricity was out for more than 30,000 households, he said.The agency initially issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of the island of Honshu, as well as the northernmost of its main islands, Hokkaido.The warning was downgraded to a regular tsunami several hours later, meaning the waters could still reach up to 3 meters (10 feet). Aftershocks could also slam the same area over the next few days, it said.Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV initially warned torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters (16.5 feet).NHK said the tsunami waves could keep returning, and warnings were continuing to be aired hours after the initial alert. Several aftershocks also rocked the region.Hayashi stressed that it was critical for people in coastal areas to get away from the oncoming tsunami.“Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,” he said.People returning to get their wallets and other belongings have been known to be swept away and drowned even hours after the first evacuation warning. People were evacuated to stadiums, where they will likely have to stay for a few days.Hayashi said no reports of deaths or injuries had been confirmed from the quakes, saying the situation was still unclear. Japan's military was taking part in the rescue efforts, he said.Japanese media footage showed people running through the streets, and red smoke spewing from a fire in a residential neighborhood. Photos showed a crowd of people, including a woman with a baby on her back, standing by huge cracks that had ripped through the pavement.Some people sustained minor injuries when they tripped and fell while fleeing, or objects fell off shelves and hit them, according to NHK.Bullet trains in the area were halted, although some parts of the service were restored by evening. Parts of the highway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK. Some cell phone services in the region weren't working.The Meteorological Agency said in a nationally broadcast news conference that more major quakes could hit the area over the next week, especially in the next two or three days.More than a dozen strong quakes had been detected in the region, with risks of setting off landslides and houses collapsing, according to the agency.Takashi Wakabayashi, a worker at a convenience store in Ishikawa Prefecture, said some items had tumbled from the shelves, but the biggest problem was the huge crowd of people who had shown up to stock up on bottled water, rice balls and bread.“We have customers at three times the level of usual,” he said.Tsunami warnings were also issued for parts of North Korea and Russia.The Japanese government has set up a special emergency center to gather information on the quakes and tsunami and relay them speedily to residents to ensure safety, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation. In March 2011, a major quake and tsunami caused&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fukushima-nuclear-plant-timeline-0710658563458ed94c20517f49ff720f">meltdowns at a nuclear plant</a>. The latest warning was the first time since the 2011 disaster that a tsunami warning of this magnitude was issued.Government spokesman Hayashi told reporters that nuclear plants in the affected area had not reported any irregularities on Monday. Nuclear regulators said no rises in radiation levels were detected at the monitoring posts in the region.___TOKYO (AP) — Japan issued tsunami alerts and ordered evacuations following a series of earthquakes on Monday that started a fire and trapped people under rubble on the west coast of its main island.The Japan Meterological Agency reported more than a dozen quakes off the coast of Ishikawa and nearby prefectures shortly after 4 p.m., one of them with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6.The agency issued a major tsunami warning for Ishikawa and lower-level tsunami warnings or advisories for the rest of the western coast of the island of Honshu, as well as the northernmost of its main islands, Hokkaido.Japanese public broadcaster NHK TV warned torrents of water could reach as high as 5 meters (16.5 feet) and urged people to flee to high land or the top of a nearby building as quickly as possible.NHK said the tsunami waves could keep returning, and warnings were continuing to be aired hours after the initial alert. Several aftershocks also rocked the region.Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said it was critical for people in coastal areas to get away from the oncoming tsunami.“Every minute counts. Please evacuate to a safe area immediately,” he said.A tsunami of about 3 meters (about 10 feet) high was expected to hit Niigata and other prefectures on the western coast of Japan, and the waves were confirmed to have reached parts of the coastline.At least six homes were damaged by the quakes, with people trapped inside. A fire has broken out in Wajima city, Ishikawa Prefecture, and electricity is out for more than 30,000 households, Hayashi said.He said no reports of deaths or injuries had been confirmed, saying the situation was still unclear. Japan's military was taking part in the rescue efforts, he said.Japanese media footage showed people running through the streets, and red smoke spewing from a fire in a residential neighborhood. Photos showed a crowd of people, including a woman with a baby on her back, standing by huge cracks that had ripped through the pavement.Bullet trains in the area were halted. Parts of the highway were also closed, and water pipes had burst, according to NHK. Some cell phone services in the region weren't working.The Meteorological Agency said in a nationally broadcast news conference that more major quakes could hit the area over the next week, especially in the next two or three days.More than a dozen strong quakes had been detected in the region, with risks of setting off landslides and houses collapsing, according to the agency.Takashi Wakabayashi, a worker at a convenience store in Ishikawa Prefecture, said some items had tumbled from the shelves, but the biggest problem was the huge crowd of people who had shown up to stock up on bottled water, rice balls and bread.“We have customers at three times the level of usual,” he said.Tsunami warnings were also issued for parts of North Korea and Russia. Russian officials issued a tsunami alert for the island of Sakhalin, warning that areas across the island’s west coast could be affected by the waves.In nearby South Korea, the weather agency urged residents in some eastern coastal towns to watch for possible changes in sea levels. Tsunami waves that hit later later can be bigger than the initial ones.The Japanese government has set up a special emergency center to gather information on the quakes and tsunami and relay them speedily to residents to ensure safety, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.He reiterated the warning for immediate evacuation in affected areas.Japan is an extremely quake-prone nation. In March 2011, a major quake and tsunami caused&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/fukushima-nuclear-plant-timeline-0710658563458ed94c20517f49ff720f">meltdowns at a nuclear plant</a>. Government spokesman Hayashi told reporters that nuclear plants in the affected area had not reported any irregularities on Monday.

Japan issues tsunami warnings after 7.6 magnitude earthquake

GARDNER, Kansas. –Kansas Department of Corrections inmate 52-year-old Clifford Leon Evans is still on escape status after it was reported at 2:45p.m. December 18, that he did not return to the facility while serving his sentence at the Johnson County Work Release center, according to a statement from the KDOC.

Evans is described as a white male, has brown hair, brown eyes, is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 131 pounds.

He currently serving a sentence for violating his parole. Evans was convicted in Johnson County for possession of opiates. He is serving that sentence at the Johnson County Department of Corrections (JCDOC) Adult Residential Center (ARC) from which he walked away. Under an agreement between the KDOC and JCDOC, residents who have release plans that are appropriate to Johnson County are housed at the ARC to promote their successful reintegration back into the community.

Anyone with information on Evans can call EAI at 816-266-2102, JCDOC 913-715-6539, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (800) 572-7463 or local law enforcement at 911. Kansans can also contact EAI via email at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:KDOC_EAI_Intel@ks.gov">KDOC_EAI_Intel@ks.gov</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1702940092760.png" alt="Evans photo KDOC" />
 <figcaption>Evans photo KDOC</figcaption>
 </figure>GARDNER, Kansas. –Kansas Department of Corrections inmate 52-year-old Clifford Leon Evans is still on escape status after it was reported at 2:45p.m. December 18, that he did not return to the facility while serving his sentence at the Johnson County Work Release center, according to a statement from the KDOC.Evans is described as a white male, has brown hair, brown eyes, is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 131 pounds.He currently serving a sentence for violating his parole. Evans was convicted in Johnson County for possession of opiates. He is serving that sentence at the Johnson County Department of Corrections (JCDOC) Adult Residential Center (ARC) from which he walked away. Under an agreement between the KDOC and JCDOC, residents who have release plans that are appropriate to Johnson County are housed at the ARC to promote their successful reintegration back into the community.Anyone with information on Evans can call EAI at 816-266-2102, JCDOC 913-715-6539, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (800) 572-7463 or local law enforcement at 911. Kansans can also contact EAI via email at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:KDOC_EAI_Intel@ks.gov">KDOC_EAI_Intel@ks.gov</a>

Kansas inmate who walked away from work release is still missing

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22DAVID%20A.%20LIEB%20and%20GEOFF%20MULVIHILL%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By DAVID A. LIEB and GEOFF MULVIHILL</a>

KANSAS CITY (AP) —Fuzzy dice finally will be free to dangle in Illinois.

Starting Monday, police there no longer will be allowed to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=103-0032">pull over motorists</a>&nbsp;solely because they have something hanging from the rearview mirror of the windshield. That means air fresheners, parking placards and, yes, even those dice are fair game to hang.

The revised Illinois windshield rule is one of hundreds of new laws taking effect with the new year in states across the U.S. While some may seem a bit pedestrian, others have real practical effects or touch on controversial issues such as restrictions on weapons and medical treatments for transgender people.

Though the original Illinois windshield law was meant to improve roadway safety, it came to be seen by some as an excuse for pulling over drivers. The new law still prohibits objects that obstruct a driver's view but forbids law enforcement officers from conducting stops or searches solely because of suspected violations.

“With this new law, we are sending a powerful message that the state does not tolerate racial profiling or other forms of discrimination,” said Democratic state Sen. Christopher Belt, one of the bill's sponsors.

Another new Illinois law seeks to stifle a more modern form of distracted driving by prohibiting people from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=&amp;SessionId=112&amp;GA=103&amp;DocTypeId=HB&amp;DocNum=2431&amp;GAID=17&amp;LegID=147512&amp;SpecSess=&amp;Session=">participating in video conferences</a>&nbsp;or scanning social media while behind the wheel.

Several states have new laws regulating guns and online activity.

A Minnesota law will allow authorities to ask courts for “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gun-control-safety-minnesota-governor-f7f7d0276061b01890b623b535780fd6?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">extreme risk protection orders</a>&nbsp;” to temporarily take guns from people deemed to be an imminent threat to others or themselves. Minnesota will be at least the 20th state with such a red-flag law.

Colorado will become one of a dozen states&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghost-gun-firearm-mass-shootings-colorado-b4b2d51884ed09fafa1a8e2ccc8001fb?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">banning so-called ghost guns</a>. The new law prohibits firearms that are assembled at home or 3D-printed without serial numbers, practices that have allowed owners to evade background checks.

The U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-semiautomatic-weapon-ammunition-ban-gun-rights-2b1a3e9795814ba9c05ea8720cbb6f4d?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">declined to block</a>&nbsp;an Illinois law from taking effect Monday that bans high-powered semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines. But a federal judge recently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-gun-laws-concealed-carry-c7ebb8506ed99f41b59455350647c0b6?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">blocked a California law</a>&nbsp;that would have banned carrying concealed guns in many public places.

Several state laws delve into acceptable online activities. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/ACT/PA/PDF/2023PA-00056-R00SB-00003-PA.PDF">new Connecticut law</a>&nbsp;requires online dating operators to adopt policies for handling harassment reports by or between users.

A North Carolina law will require pornographic website operators to confirm viewers are at least 18 years old by using a commercially available database. The law lets parents sue companies if their children were allowed to access the pornography. Another new Illinois law will allow lawsuits from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/deepfake-porn-celebrities-dalle-stable-diffusion-midjourney-ai-e7935e9922cda82fbcfb1e1a88d9443a?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">victims of deepfake pornography</a>, in which videos or images are manipulated without their consent.

Over the past few years, there has been a major push by conservatives to restrict access to gender-affirming treatments for transgender minors. Bans are on the books in 22 states, including some where judges have paused enforcement as they consider challenges to the policies.

New bans on access for minors to puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery, which is rare, are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1 in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-ban-kids-idaho-d17ca5b1549509bb4b21ec26e2691968?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Idaho</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-ban-veto-override-louisiana-gender-affirming-5c0291d146ce4db1ff601d26650ad9af?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Louisiana</a>&nbsp;and West Virginia.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/west-virginia-governor-gender-affirming-care-de63a9232fcea329081f667fdf0c24ab?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">The West Virginia law</a>&nbsp;contains an exception: Teens could still access treatment with parental consent and a diagnosis of severe gender dysphoria from two doctors.

While many Republican-led legislatures have imposed restrictions, many Democrat-dominated states have responded with transgender protections. A law taking effect Monday in Hawaii requires new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2023/bills/GM1282_.PDF">marriage certificates</a>&nbsp;to be issued to people who request to change how their sex is listed. The state also is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2023/bills/GM1263_.PDF">replacing gender-specific terms</a>&nbsp;in state law; “mother” is being replaced with “birthing parent” and “father” with “non-birthing parent.”

In Colorado,&nbsp;<a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb23-1057">new buildings</a>&nbsp;wholly or partly owned by government entities will be required to have on every floor where there are public restrooms at least one that does not specify the gender of the users.

The conservative push on LGBTQ+ policies also has come with efforts to keep certain books out of school or public libraries.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-schools-public-libraries-books-ban-f3bad5e3c4ef05267a46a74d72c604b7?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">An Indiana law</a>&nbsp;taking effect makes it easier for parents and others to challenge books in school libraries. By contrast,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/book-ban-library-lgbtq-illinois-f5516941473e474712eaaafda084de76?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">a new Illinois law</a>&nbsp;would block state funding for public libraries that ban or restrict books.

The new year brings a variety of new laws on taxes and wages — perennial issues for state governments.

More than 20 states will raise minimum wages for workers, further widening the gap between state requirements and the federal minimum, which has been static at $7.25 an hour since July 2009. In several states, the new minimum wage will more than double that rate.

Maryland's minimum wage will be set at $15 an hour. In New Jersey, it will be $15.13 an hour for most employees. In Connecticut, $15.69 per hour. In New York City, $16 an hour, though it will be $15 in most of the rest of the state. California's statewide minimum wage also will rise to $16 per hour. And in Washington, the minimum rate will be $16.28.

Residents in some states will gain money by paying less in taxes, continuing a three-year trend in which nearly every state has reduced, rebated or suspended some type of broad-based tax.

In Kansas, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-kansas-topeka-04c238396da6305b90de6b7bb6283876?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">sales tax on groceries</a>&nbsp;will drop from 4% to 2% in its next step toward eventual elimination, producing a savings of $208 annually for a family spending an average of $200 weekly on groceries.

About 1 million tax filers are expected to benefit from Connecticut's first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/connecticut-general-assembly-budget-tax-cut-94f4b37c4d2dadf783ef5f3812a7c7c9?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">income tax rate reduction</a>&nbsp;since the mid-1990s. Lower-income workers and retirees also stand to benefit from expanded tax breaks.

Missouri also will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-corporate-taxes-missouri-columbia-government-and-politics-0f1b81cef03a49fbe16199f24b5e22bd?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">reduce its income tax rate</a>&nbsp;while expanding tax exemptions for Social Security benefits and military training pay. Businesses will be able to claim tax credits for hiring interns or apprentices.

Alabama will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-legislature-overtime-pay-tax-cut-da1c1b17042a0a84d37674453cc8e351?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">exempt overtime pay</a>&nbsp;from the state's income tax, though that lasts only until June 2025 unless renewed by lawmakers.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668724103112.jpg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22DAVID%20A.%20LIEB%20and%20GEOFF%20MULVIHILL%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By DAVID A. LIEB and GEOFF MULVIHILL</a>KANSAS CITY (AP) —Fuzzy dice finally will be free to dangle in Illinois.Starting Monday, police there no longer will be allowed to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=103-0032">pull over motorists</a>&nbsp;solely because they have something hanging from the rearview mirror of the windshield. That means air fresheners, parking placards and, yes, even those dice are fair game to hang.The revised Illinois windshield rule is one of hundreds of new laws taking effect with the new year in states across the U.S. While some may seem a bit pedestrian, others have real practical effects or touch on controversial issues such as restrictions on weapons and medical treatments for transgender people.Though the original Illinois windshield law was meant to improve roadway safety, it came to be seen by some as an excuse for pulling over drivers. The new law still prohibits objects that obstruct a driver's view but forbids law enforcement officers from conducting stops or searches solely because of suspected violations.“With this new law, we are sending a powerful message that the state does not tolerate racial profiling or other forms of discrimination,” said Democratic state Sen. Christopher Belt, one of the bill's sponsors.Another new Illinois law seeks to stifle a more modern form of distracted driving by prohibiting people from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=&amp;SessionId=112&amp;GA=103&amp;DocTypeId=HB&amp;DocNum=2431&amp;GAID=17&amp;LegID=147512&amp;SpecSess=&amp;Session=">participating in video conferences</a>&nbsp;or scanning social media while behind the wheel.GUNS AND PORNOGRAPHYSeveral states have new laws regulating guns and online activity.A Minnesota law will allow authorities to ask courts for “&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gun-control-safety-minnesota-governor-f7f7d0276061b01890b623b535780fd6?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">extreme risk protection orders</a>&nbsp;” to temporarily take guns from people deemed to be an imminent threat to others or themselves. Minnesota will be at least the 20th state with such a red-flag law.Colorado will become one of a dozen states&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ghost-gun-firearm-mass-shootings-colorado-b4b2d51884ed09fafa1a8e2ccc8001fb?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">banning so-called ghost guns</a>. The new law prohibits firearms that are assembled at home or 3D-printed without serial numbers, practices that have allowed owners to evade background checks.The U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-semiautomatic-weapon-ammunition-ban-gun-rights-2b1a3e9795814ba9c05ea8720cbb6f4d?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">declined to block</a>&nbsp;an Illinois law from taking effect Monday that bans high-powered semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines. But a federal judge recently&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/california-gun-laws-concealed-carry-c7ebb8506ed99f41b59455350647c0b6?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">blocked a California law</a>&nbsp;that would have banned carrying concealed guns in many public places.Several state laws delve into acceptable online activities. A&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/ACT/PA/PDF/2023PA-00056-R00SB-00003-PA.PDF">new Connecticut law</a>&nbsp;requires online dating operators to adopt policies for handling harassment reports by or between users.A North Carolina law will require pornographic website operators to confirm viewers are at least 18 years old by using a commercially available database. The law lets parents sue companies if their children were allowed to access the pornography. Another new Illinois law will allow lawsuits from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/deepfake-porn-celebrities-dalle-stable-diffusion-midjourney-ai-e7935e9922cda82fbcfb1e1a88d9443a?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">victims of deepfake pornography</a>, in which videos or images are manipulated without their consent.LGBTQ+ ISSUESOver the past few years, there has been a major push by conservatives to restrict access to gender-affirming treatments for transgender minors. Bans are on the books in 22 states, including some where judges have paused enforcement as they consider challenges to the policies.New bans on access for minors to puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery, which is rare, are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1 in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-health-care-ban-kids-idaho-d17ca5b1549509bb4b21ec26e2691968?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Idaho</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/transgender-ban-veto-override-louisiana-gender-affirming-5c0291d146ce4db1ff601d26650ad9af?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">Louisiana</a>&nbsp;and West Virginia.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/west-virginia-governor-gender-affirming-care-de63a9232fcea329081f667fdf0c24ab?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">The West Virginia law</a>&nbsp;contains an exception: Teens could still access treatment with parental consent and a diagnosis of severe gender dysphoria from two doctors.While many Republican-led legislatures have imposed restrictions, many Democrat-dominated states have responded with transgender protections. A law taking effect Monday in Hawaii requires new&nbsp;<a href="https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2023/bills/GM1282_.PDF">marriage certificates</a>&nbsp;to be issued to people who request to change how their sex is listed. The state also is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2023/bills/GM1263_.PDF">replacing gender-specific terms</a>&nbsp;in state law; “mother” is being replaced with “birthing parent” and “father” with “non-birthing parent.”In Colorado,&nbsp;<a href="https://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb23-1057">new buildings</a>&nbsp;wholly or partly owned by government entities will be required to have on every floor where there are public restrooms at least one that does not specify the gender of the users.The conservative push on LGBTQ+ policies also has come with efforts to keep certain books out of school or public libraries.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/indiana-schools-public-libraries-books-ban-f3bad5e3c4ef05267a46a74d72c604b7?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">An Indiana law</a>&nbsp;taking effect makes it easier for parents and others to challenge books in school libraries. By contrast,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/book-ban-library-lgbtq-illinois-f5516941473e474712eaaafda084de76?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">a new Illinois law</a>&nbsp;would block state funding for public libraries that ban or restrict books.TAXES AND WAGESThe new year brings a variety of new laws on taxes and wages — perennial issues for state governments.More than 20 states will raise minimum wages for workers, further widening the gap between state requirements and the federal minimum, which has been static at $7.25 an hour since July 2009. In several states, the new minimum wage will more than double that rate.Maryland's minimum wage will be set at $15 an hour. In New Jersey, it will be $15.13 an hour for most employees. In Connecticut, $15.69 per hour. In New York City, $16 an hour, though it will be $15 in most of the rest of the state. California's statewide minimum wage also will rise to $16 per hour. And in Washington, the minimum rate will be $16.28.Residents in some states will gain money by paying less in taxes, continuing a three-year trend in which nearly every state has reduced, rebated or suspended some type of broad-based tax.In Kansas, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-kansas-topeka-04c238396da6305b90de6b7bb6283876?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">sales tax on groceries</a>&nbsp;will drop from 4% to 2% in its next step toward eventual elimination, producing a savings of $208 annually for a family spending an average of $200 weekly on groceries.About 1 million tax filers are expected to benefit from Connecticut's first&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/connecticut-general-assembly-budget-tax-cut-94f4b37c4d2dadf783ef5f3812a7c7c9?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">income tax rate reduction</a>&nbsp;since the mid-1990s. Lower-income workers and retirees also stand to benefit from expanded tax breaks.Missouri also will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-corporate-taxes-missouri-columbia-government-and-politics-0f1b81cef03a49fbe16199f24b5e22bd?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">reduce its income tax rate</a>&nbsp;while expanding tax exemptions for Social Security benefits and military training pay. Businesses will be able to claim tax credits for hiring interns or apprentices.Alabama will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-legislature-overtime-pay-tax-cut-da1c1b17042a0a84d37674453cc8e351?utm_source=copy&amp;utm_medium=share">exempt overtime pay</a>&nbsp;from the state's income tax, though that lasts only until June 2025 unless renewed by lawmakers.

Happy New Year: States enact new laws on guns, porn and taxes 

COLORADO SPRINGS (AP)—A Colorado mother suspected of killing two of her young children and injuring a third was arrested Saturday in the United Kingdom, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.

Kimberlee Singler's 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-mother-sought-children-killed-fbi-f80c549b1a4ac758c2e4cfef4f3dfd55">were found dead on Dec. 19</a>&nbsp;when police responded to a report of a burglary at their home. Police later said the report turned out to be unfounded.

Singler, 35, initially cooperated with police but disappeared during the investigation, said Ira Cronin, spokesperson for the Colorado Springs Police Department. Authorities were unable to apprehend her after obtaining an arrest warrant Tuesday on charges of murder and attempted murder, among other allegations.

Singler was not under surveillance and was last seen in Colorado Springs on Dec. 23, said Cronin.

Authorities did not provide further details on the overseas arrest, but said they are working with multiple law enforcement agencies.

Attempts to reach Singler for comment through phone numbers listed for her were unsuccessful. Cronin said he didn't know if she has an attorney.

When police first responded to Singler’s home, they found her with minor injuries, the two children’s bodies and Singler’s 11-year-old daughter hurt. At first, Singler was treated as a burglary victim, said Cronin.

The injured girl was hospitalized for a few days before being released and is recovering in Colorado Springs, said Cronin.

The children’s deaths came amid an ongoing legal battle between Singler and her ex-husband over parenting time and other issues, according to court filings.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703882523257.png" alt="Singler photo Colorado Springs Police" />
 <figcaption>Singler photo Colorado Springs Police</figcaption>
 </figure>COLORADO SPRINGS (AP)—A Colorado mother suspected of killing two of her young children and injuring a third was arrested Saturday in the United Kingdom, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department.Kimberlee Singler's 9-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/colorado-mother-sought-children-killed-fbi-f80c549b1a4ac758c2e4cfef4f3dfd55">were found dead on Dec. 19</a>&nbsp;when police responded to a report of a burglary at their home. Police later said the report turned out to be unfounded.Singler, 35, initially cooperated with police but disappeared during the investigation, said Ira Cronin, spokesperson for the Colorado Springs Police Department. Authorities were unable to apprehend her after obtaining an arrest warrant Tuesday on charges of murder and attempted murder, among other allegations.Singler was not under surveillance and was last seen in Colorado Springs on Dec. 23, said Cronin.Authorities did not provide further details on the overseas arrest, but said they are working with multiple law enforcement agencies.Attempts to reach Singler for comment through phone numbers listed for her were unsuccessful. Cronin said he didn't know if she has an attorney.When police first responded to Singler’s home, they found her with minor injuries, the two children’s bodies and Singler’s 11-year-old daughter hurt. At first, Singler was treated as a burglary victim, said Cronin.The injured girl was hospitalized for a few days before being released and is recovering in Colorado Springs, said Cronin.The children’s deaths came amid an ongoing legal battle between Singler and her ex-husband over parenting time and other issues, according to court filings.___

Colorado mother suspected of killing her 2 children arrested 

JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects on multiple charges after a traffic stop in Johnson County.

Last week, a nightshift officer was patrolling around midnight when he observed a suspicious vehicle leaving an apartment complex in Lenexa at a high rate of speed. 

The vehicle committed a traffic violation and the officer attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle took off but was no match for the dispatchers who followed it using traffic cameras. 

Dispatchers kept officers updated on the vehicle route, and one of Lenexa K9 officer positioned his vehicle to intercept the suspects. Using the Grappler Police Bumper, the officer brought the fleeing car to a stop.

Police arrested three suspects, including 2 juveniles. Inside the car was a loaded AK47 pistol and a stolen Glock handgun with a high-capacity drum magazine. 

All 3 suspects have since been charged by the Johnson County District Attorney's Office.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703770629001.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects on multiple charges after a traffic stop in Johnson County.Last week, a nightshift officer was patrolling around midnight when he observed a suspicious vehicle leaving an apartment complex in Lenexa at a high rate of speed. The vehicle committed a traffic violation and the officer attempted a traffic stop. The vehicle took off but was no match for the dispatchers who followed it using traffic cameras. Dispatchers kept officers updated on the vehicle route, and one of Lenexa K9 officer positioned his vehicle to intercept the suspects. Using the Grappler Police Bumper, the officer brought the fleeing car to a stop.Police arrested three suspects, including 2 juveniles. Inside the car was a loaded AK47 pistol and a stolen Glock handgun with a high-capacity drum magazine. All 3 suspects have since been charged by the Johnson County District Attorney's Office.&nbsp;

Kan. juvenile suspects had loaded AK47 pistol, stolen Glock handgun

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that injured a food delivery driver in Kansas City.

Just after 5:30 p.m. Dec. 20, police responded to a shooting at a Kansas City residence. First responders found a man suffering from non-life-threatening gunshot wound, according to court documents.

 After surrounding the home and calling all occupants out, 27-year-old Marissa Leonard came out and and told officers that she had to shoot into the ground because she was frightened that the victim was trying to force his way into the residence.

The injured man, a DoorDash delivery driver, told officers he saw a woman in her mid-to-late 40s on the porch. He walked up on the porch and handed her the food, and said he told the woman he needed to take a picture to prove the food was delivered; part of the DoorDashstandard operating procedure.

Leonard told investigators her mom went outside and told the driver he did not need a picture and to leave their property. She told investigators that she thought the driver was attempting to come into the home and told him to go away while informing him that they were armed. Shortly after, Leonard said she sent a warning shot into the ground to the right of the driver.

Court documents said the woman told the man he was drunk and walked back into the residence. The man “turned to walk off the porch and heard a gunshot and felt pain in his lower leg.” The man said he saw Leonard in the doorway after the gunshot was fired and said she was the only person outside when he was shot.&nbsp;

Leonard was booked into the Jackson County jail on requested charges of second-degree assault and armed criminal action.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1703762148512.png" alt="Leonard-photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Leonard-photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that injured a food delivery driver in Kansas City.Just after 5:30 p.m. Dec. 20, police responded to a shooting at a Kansas City residence. First responders found a man suffering from non-life-threatening gunshot wound, according to court documents. After surrounding the home and calling all occupants out, 27-year-old Marissa Leonard came out and and told officers that she had to shoot into the ground because she was frightened that the victim was trying to force his way into the residence.The injured man, a DoorDash delivery driver, told officers he saw a woman in her mid-to-late 40s on the porch. He walked up on the porch and handed her the food, and said he told the woman he needed to take a picture to prove the food was delivered; part of the DoorDashstandard operating procedure.Leonard told investigators her mom went outside and told the driver he did not need a picture and to leave their property. She told investigators that she thought the driver was attempting to come into the home and told him to go away while informing him that they were armed. Shortly after, Leonard said she sent a warning shot into the ground to the right of the driver.Court documents said the woman told the man he was drunk and walked back into the residence. The man “turned to walk off the porch and heard a gunshot and felt pain in his lower leg.” The man said he saw Leonard in the doorway after the gunshot was fired and said she was the only person outside when he was shot.&nbsp;Leonard was booked into the Jackson County jail on requested charges of second-degree assault and armed criminal action.

Kansas City woman accused of shooting food delivery driver 

LANE COUNTY—Three people avoided injury after a small plane incident in western Kansas.

At 2:30p.m. Saturday, sheriff's deputies and Fire and EMS were dispatched to an aircraft emergency in the area of 96 highway and Jagger Road west of Dighton, according to a social media report from the Lane County Sheriff's office.

First responders determined that a twin engine Piper aircraft had lost both engines and was forced to land in a field. 

The pilot and two passengers were uninjured and the plane did not appear to have significant damage. 

The Kansas Highway Patrol responded to the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB will be in charge of the investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/12/1704050775206.png" alt="Photo Lane County Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Lane County Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>LANE COUNTY—Three people avoided injury after a small plane incident in western Kansas.At 2:30p.m. Saturday, sheriff's deputies and Fire and EMS were dispatched to an aircraft emergency in the area of 96 highway and Jagger Road west of Dighton, according to a social media report from the Lane County Sheriff's office.First responders determined that a twin engine Piper aircraft had lost both engines and was forced to land in a field. The pilot and two passengers were uninjured and the plane did not appear to have significant damage. The Kansas Highway Patrol responded to the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration and NTSB will be in charge of the investigation.

Small plane forced to land in Kansas field

Government rental assistance, a boon during the pandemic, has dwindled. Some states are working on their own solutions.

By CASEY QUINLAN,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/19/rural-hospitals-gird-for-unwinding-of-pandemic-medicaid-coverage/">States Newsroom</a>

Maine’s housing authority received $35 million in 2023 — the first time in 54 years it has received a direct appropriation from the state budget — to help build more affordable rental housing for communities that have struggled to keep up with high housing prices.

The state’s program provides funding to developers for affordable housing projects with between five and 18 units, a size that housing advocates say is sorely needed in many rural communities. That includes construction for new housing, reuse of buildings for housing and rehabilitation of existing housing.

Mark Wiesendanger, director of development at MaineHousing, said that as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates it was difficult for the independent state agency to support itself at the level the program needed, but that political leaders saw the value of their work and were able to make the historic investment because of a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pressherald.com/2023/08/17/state-budget-surplus-provides-another-65-million-for-affordable-housing/">$141 million budget surplus</a>.

Wiesendanger said there’s a lack of housing across the income spectrum in the state, which has some of the oldest housing stock in the nation. He said some of the housing needs to be condemned and replaced, and that much of it is inefficient to heat. To make matters worse, when the pandemic began and many people with the ability to telecommute moved to the state, the population shift drove up housing prices and wages didn’t keep up.

“[The coast of Maine] is a very expensive place to live,” he said. “Folks that work there as fishermen or people who work in the local restaurants, local mechanics and firefighters, have a hard time paying to live in those towns.”

The scenery may be different from state to state but the housing landscape is much the same across the country: People are struggling to find a home they can afford. Legislators, state agencies and the Biden administration this year proposed a raft of legislation and programs to tackle the problem. Advocates say states need to do even more to prioritize housing needs.

From January 2019 to January 2023, the average rent in a U.S. city shot up 19.38%&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUUR0000SEHA">according to</a>&nbsp;St. Louis Fed data. In 22 states and the District of Columbia, people need a wage above&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nlihc.org/oor">$26 an hour</a>&nbsp;to afford a two-bedroom rental home, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. According to rental data from CoreLogic, a company that analyzes property, financial and consumer information, the median renter household pays $500 more than it did in 2020.

The combination of high mortgage rates and low housing inventory contributed to those soaring rental prices which hit just as the federal programs and protections put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic ended.

Andrew Aurand, senior vice president for research at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said long-standing problems in the housing market were exacerbated by rental inflation in 2021 going into 2022.

“We saw that massive increase in rental inflation that fortunately has flattened now and rent prices have stabilized, but the damage has been done in terms of higher rents for those lowest income renters,” he said. “ … General demand for rental housing has increased quite significantly over the past decade. And so that has squeezed the lowest income renters even more as demand for rental housing has been pretty significant. It’s taken quite a while for supply to catch up.”

As rents went up, the number of people without a home also increased. U.S. homelessness, as measured by a single night in January 2023, rose 12% from last year,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_23_278">according to</a>&nbsp;a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development report released on Dec. 15.

But as Aurand noted, the situation is starting to show signs of improvement.

There has been an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNDCON5MUSA">increase</a>&nbsp;in privately owned housing units under construction this year, from 932,000 in January 2023 to 988,000 in November 2023. In 2022, the Biden administration&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/16/president-biden-announces-new-actions-to-ease-the-burden-of-housing-costs/">released a plan</a>&nbsp;to increase the housing supply, which included expanding federal financing of loans for affordable multifamily development homes and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/07/27/biden-harris-administration-announces-actions-to-lower-housing-costs-and-boost-supply/">removing a cap</a>&nbsp;for larger loans to build and rehabilitate certain homes.

But Mari Castaldi, director of state housing policy at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, said that it’s up to states and localities to prioritize housing. States have recognized this, with lawmakers introducing more than&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/targeting-policies-that-help-families-stay-afloat">2,500 bills</a>&nbsp;related to housing and homelessness this year in 49 states and D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam, according to the National Conference for State Legislatures. This is almost twice the number of bills the legislatures introduced in 2022. Ninety-three bills specific to rental assistance were introduced in 27 states this year compared to 56 bills in 12 states in 2022. Expect more of the same in the coming year.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2023/12/20/legislative-plan-to-overhaul-affordable-housing-prompts-applause-warnings/">New Jersey lawmakers</a>&nbsp;introduced an affordable housing “fix” just ahead of Christmas, and New Hampshire legislators have&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2023/12/21/a-deep-need-lawmakers-propose-slew-of-2024-bills-to-address-housing-shortages/">prefiled numerous bills</a>&nbsp;aimed at adding more affordable housing for their session that starts on Jan. 3.

“What we’re seeing is that more and more, given the political dynamics in Washington, D.C., and particularly the debates around the debt ceiling, the prospects for sorely needed expansion of investments in affordable housing resources is uncertain at best,” Castaldi said. “We’re seeing, really out of necessity, and based on the needs in their community, states are starting to step in and try to begin filling those massive gaps.”

Affordable housing solutions across the U.S.

The number of these programs varies greatly from state to state. New York, Minnesota, California, Massachusetts and Illinois had the most rental housing programs in the U.S., with more than 17 programs, according to an October National Low Income Housing Coalition&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/state-and-local-investments-rental-housing-report.pdf">report</a>, and Oklahoma, Alabama, Idaho and Montana were among the states with the fewest, with one to seven programs. The organization found zero programs in Arkansas and Wyoming but cautioned that this may simply mean there is no online information about them, not that they absolutely do not exist in these states. The Arkansas Development Finance Authority told States Newsroom that it administers a state Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program similar to the federal program that encourages affordable rental housing development.

Aurand said some states and cities are also finding creative ways to support affordable housing efforts, and Denver is one example. The city’s marijuana tax revenue provided&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.westword.com/marijuana/denver-crosses-500-million-marijuana-tax-revenue-18073791#:~:text=Dispensary%20sales%20mirrored%20the%20same,fund%20local%20affordable%20housing%20programs.">$8.7 million</a>&nbsp;for affordable housing assistance this year. One downside of this approach, however, is that it is dependent on those sales, which have been&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/next/next-with-kyle-clark/where-does-denver-marijuana-money-go/73-34246b01-9e80-417f-b832-145affa468c3#:~:text=Denver%20hit%20%24500%20million%20in,sale%20on%20January%201%2C%202014.&amp;text=DENVER%20%E2%80%94%20Every%20time%20someone%20lights,couple%20cents%20in%20tax%20revenue.">falling</a>.

The funding for these programs comes down to the political will to fund programs as well as funding existing resources to support them, housing advocates said.

“Generally speaking, the states with the largest number of programs tend to be more socially progressive in terms of government programs, so I do think that plays a factor,” Aurand said. “Given that we focus on extremely low-income renters, it takes a lot of resources to adequately serve the lowest income population to meet their needs.”

States can also come up with solutions that are more tailored to their particular housing needs. Wiesendanger, of MaineHousing, explained that although the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit program is helpful for addressing rental affordability in Maine, it has its drawbacks. It can be hard for some developers to use the program to build more affordable rental housing, he said.

“It requires a certain amount of scale to work because there’s so many fixed costs in those projects — design fees, legal fees, things of that nature,” he said. “ … So in these rural areas where, let’s say, they need 15 units in a town, but these projects really need to be 20, 30, 40, 50 units to work, it’s really hard to make that program work there.”

He said the Maine program also comes with fewer requirements so that less sophisticated developers can use it.

Minnesota’s approach to affordable rental housing targets many different populations with smaller programs, such as Bridges Rental Assistance, which focuses on people and families where at least one person has a serious mental illness. The program assists them while they wait to get into another housing program, such as Section 8 housing. The Homework Starts with Home program is designed to help children stay in their school through supporting their family’s housing.

Housing advocates in Minnesota would still like to see larger programs, however, to serve the full needs of people in the state. According to Minnesota Housing Partnership’s analysis of 2021 census data, more than three-quarters of low-income people in the state are spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs, which means they are “cost-burdened.” Fifty-seven percent of Black renters were cost-burdened compared with 45% of white renters. Sixty-three percent of seniors had to spend more than 30% of their income on housing.

Elizabeth Glidden, deputy director of Minnesota Housing Partnership, said she’s seeing more political support for rental assistance in Minnesota than in other states. She said these conditions may have been influenced by a very large&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/06/05/how-minnesota-will-spend-1-billion-on-housing/">budget surplus</a>, which she said has made it easier to bring more attention to housing. But she added that she has also seen more bipartisan support for affordable housing than in the past.

“Does that mean that we are meeting the need? It doesn’t mean that we are meeting the need. It just means that there has been over time and across bipartisan lawmakers, you’re seeing more attention that has been spent on meeting housing needs than some other locations around the country,” she said.

The Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program, which helps tenants with rent deposits and rent payments, is an example of that shift, since the program once was funded at $20 million for two years to serve the entire state but has been dramatically expanded this year. In March, the Senate voted to provide $50 million for the program, which received&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kttc.com/2023/03/29/mn-senate-allocates-50m-homelessness-aid/">bipartisan support</a>, and Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed the bill into law later that month.

Jewelean Jackson, 74, has lived in Minneapolis for about 50 years, and is an advocate for changing housing policy in the city. Jackson has received housing assistance that she said was vital to ensuring that she didn’t become unhoused again. Jackson said she has been living in a one-bedroom apartment for the past three years. Before getting the apartment she spent eight years living in shelters or her car, but was able to avoid living in an encampment, she said. She was worried about losing housing again when her rent increased from about $270 a month to almost $500 a month in 2022 but was able to stave off eviction from December 2022 to March 2023 with rental assistance funds.

“Society always all of a sudden discovers that it has this heart when there’s a tragedy,” Jackson said of changes in housing policy that started with the COVID-19 pandemic. “And so as a result of COVID, it has loosened the system’s strings. It has not been as difficult to get in and out of some of the programs and people have been a little bit more sympathetic as a result of COVID. But we’re a far cry from being where we need to be in terms of homelessness in this country, including Minnesota.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1600338481812.png" alt="&nbsp;When pandemic rental funding and protections ended rents soared across the country and many people became homeless for the first time. New programs proposed by states and Biden administration aim to reverse that trend. Google image" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;When pandemic rental funding and protections ended rents soared across the country and many people became homeless for the first time. New programs proposed by states and Biden administration aim to reverse that trend. Google image</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Government rental assistance, a boon during the pandemic, has dwindled. Some states are working on their own solutions.</h2>By CASEY QUINLAN,&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/19/rural-hospitals-gird-for-unwinding-of-pandemic-medicaid-coverage/">States Newsroom</a>Maine’s housing authority received $35 million in 2023 — the first time in 54 years it has received a direct appropriation from the state budget — to help build more affordable rental housing for communities that have struggled to keep up with high housing prices.The state’s program provides funding to developers for affordable housing projects with between five and 18 units, a size that housing advocates say is sorely needed in many rural communities. That includes construction for new housing, reuse of buildings for housing and rehabilitation of existing housing.Mark Wiesendanger, director of development at MaineHousing, said that as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates it was difficult for the independent state agency to support itself at the level the program needed, but that political leaders saw the value of their work and were able to make the historic investment because of a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pressherald.com/2023/08/17/state-budget-surplus-provides-another-65-million-for-affordable-housing/">$141 million budget surplus</a>.Wiesendanger said there’s a lack of housing across the income spectrum in the state, which has some of the oldest housing stock in the nation. He said some of the housing needs to be condemned and replaced, and that much of it is inefficient to heat. To make matters worse, when the pandemic began and many people with the ability to telecommute moved to the state, the population shift drove up housing prices and wages didn’t keep up.“[The coast of Maine] is a very expensive place to live,” he said. “Folks that work there as fishermen or people who work in the local restaurants, local mechanics and firefighters, have a hard time paying to live in those towns.”The scenery may be different from state to state but the housing landscape is much the same across the country: People are struggling to find a home they can afford. Legislators, state agencies and the Biden administration this year proposed a raft of legislation and programs to tackle the problem. Advocates say states need to do even more to prioritize housing needs.<h2>The problem renters are facing</h2>From January 2019 to January 2023, the average rent in a U.S. city shot up 19.38%&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUUR0000SEHA">according to</a>&nbsp;St. Louis Fed data. In 22 states and the District of Columbia, people need a wage above&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nlihc.org/oor">$26 an hour</a>&nbsp;to afford a two-bedroom rental home, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. According to rental data from CoreLogic, a company that analyzes property, financial and consumer information, the median renter household pays $500 more than it did in 2020.The combination of high mortgage rates and low housing inventory contributed to those soaring rental prices which hit just as the federal programs and protections put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic ended.Andrew Aurand, senior vice president for research at the National Low Income Housing Coalition, said long-standing problems in the housing market were exacerbated by rental inflation in 2021 going into 2022.“We saw that massive increase in rental inflation that fortunately has flattened now and rent prices have stabilized, but the damage has been done in terms of higher rents for those lowest income renters,” he said. “ … General demand for rental housing has increased quite significantly over the past decade. And so that has squeezed the lowest income renters even more as demand for rental housing has been pretty significant. It’s taken quite a while for supply to catch up.”As rents went up, the number of people without a home also increased. U.S. homelessness, as measured by a single night in January 2023, rose 12% from last year,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_23_278">according to</a>&nbsp;a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development report released on Dec. 15.But as Aurand noted, the situation is starting to show signs of improvement.There has been an&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNDCON5MUSA">increase</a>&nbsp;in privately owned housing units under construction this year, from 932,000 in January 2023 to 988,000 in November 2023. In 2022, the Biden administration&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/05/16/president-biden-announces-new-actions-to-ease-the-burden-of-housing-costs/">released a plan</a>&nbsp;to increase the housing supply, which included expanding federal financing of loans for affordable multifamily development homes and&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/07/27/biden-harris-administration-announces-actions-to-lower-housing-costs-and-boost-supply/">removing a cap</a>&nbsp;for larger loans to build and rehabilitate certain homes.But Mari Castaldi, director of state housing policy at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, said that it’s up to states and localities to prioritize housing. States have recognized this, with lawmakers introducing more than&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/targeting-policies-that-help-families-stay-afloat">2,500 bills</a>&nbsp;related to housing and homelessness this year in 49 states and D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam, according to the National Conference for State Legislatures. This is almost twice the number of bills the legislatures introduced in 2022. Ninety-three bills specific to rental assistance were introduced in 27 states this year compared to 56 bills in 12 states in 2022. Expect more of the same in the coming year.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://newjerseymonitor.com/2023/12/20/legislative-plan-to-overhaul-affordable-housing-prompts-applause-warnings/">New Jersey lawmakers</a>&nbsp;introduced an affordable housing “fix” just ahead of Christmas, and New Hampshire legislators have&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2023/12/21/a-deep-need-lawmakers-propose-slew-of-2024-bills-to-address-housing-shortages/">prefiled numerous bills</a>&nbsp;aimed at adding more affordable housing for their session that starts on Jan. 3.“What we’re seeing is that more and more, given the political dynamics in Washington, D.C., and particularly the debates around the debt ceiling, the prospects for sorely needed expansion of investments in affordable housing resources is uncertain at best,” Castaldi said. “We’re seeing, really out of necessity, and based on the needs in their community, states are starting to step in and try to begin filling those massive gaps.”<h2>Affordable housing solutions across the U.S.</h2>The number of these programs varies greatly from state to state. New York, Minnesota, California, Massachusetts and Illinois had the most rental housing programs in the U.S., with more than 17 programs, according to an October National Low Income Housing Coalition&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/2023-10/state-and-local-investments-rental-housing-report.pdf">report</a>, and Oklahoma, Alabama, Idaho and Montana were among the states with the fewest, with one to seven programs. The organization found zero programs in Arkansas and Wyoming but cautioned that this may simply mean there is no online information about them, not that they absolutely do not exist in these states. The Arkansas Development Finance Authority told States Newsroom that it administers a state Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program similar to the federal program that encourages affordable rental housing development.Aurand said some states and cities are also finding creative ways to support affordable housing efforts, and Denver is one example. The city’s marijuana tax revenue provided&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.westword.com/marijuana/denver-crosses-500-million-marijuana-tax-revenue-18073791#:~:text=Dispensary%20sales%20mirrored%20the%20same,fund%20local%20affordable%20housing%20programs.">$8.7 million</a>&nbsp;for affordable housing assistance this year. One downside of this approach, however, is that it is dependent on those sales, which have been&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/next/next-with-kyle-clark/where-does-denver-marijuana-money-go/73-34246b01-9e80-417f-b832-145affa468c3#:~:text=Denver%20hit%20%24500%20million%20in,sale%20on%20January%201%2C%202014.&amp;text=DENVER%20%E2%80%94%20Every%20time%20someone%20lights,couple%20cents%20in%20tax%20revenue.">falling</a>.The funding for these programs comes down to the political will to fund programs as well as funding existing resources to support them, housing advocates said.“Generally speaking, the states with the largest number of programs tend to be more socially progressive in terms of government programs, so I do think that plays a factor,” Aurand said. “Given that we focus on extremely low-income renters, it takes a lot of resources to adequately serve the lowest income population to meet their needs.”States can also come up with solutions that are more tailored to their particular housing needs. Wiesendanger, of MaineHousing, explained that although the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Low Income Housing Tax Credit program is helpful for addressing rental affordability in Maine, it has its drawbacks. It can be hard for some developers to use the program to build more affordable rental housing, he said.“It requires a certain amount of scale to work because there’s so many fixed costs in those projects — design fees, legal fees, things of that nature,” he said. “ … So in these rural areas where, let’s say, they need 15 units in a town, but these projects really need to be 20, 30, 40, 50 units to work, it’s really hard to make that program work there.”He said the Maine program also comes with fewer requirements so that less sophisticated developers can use it.<h2>Finding the political will</h2>Minnesota’s approach to affordable rental housing targets many different populations with smaller programs, such as Bridges Rental Assistance, which focuses on people and families where at least one person has a serious mental illness. The program assists them while they wait to get into another housing program, such as Section 8 housing. The Homework Starts with Home program is designed to help children stay in their school through supporting their family’s housing.Housing advocates in Minnesota would still like to see larger programs, however, to serve the full needs of people in the state. According to Minnesota Housing Partnership’s analysis of 2021 census data, more than three-quarters of low-income people in the state are spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs, which means they are “cost-burdened.” Fifty-seven percent of Black renters were cost-burdened compared with 45% of white renters. Sixty-three percent of seniors had to spend more than 30% of their income on housing.Elizabeth Glidden, deputy director of Minnesota Housing Partnership, said she’s seeing more political support for rental assistance in Minnesota than in other states. She said these conditions may have been influenced by a very large&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2023/06/05/how-minnesota-will-spend-1-billion-on-housing/">budget surplus</a>, which she said has made it easier to bring more attention to housing. But she added that she has also seen more bipartisan support for affordable housing than in the past.“Does that mean that we are meeting the need? It doesn’t mean that we are meeting the need. It just means that there has been over time and across bipartisan lawmakers, you’re seeing more attention that has been spent on meeting housing needs than some other locations around the country,” she said.The Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program, which helps tenants with rent deposits and rent payments, is an example of that shift, since the program once was funded at $20 million for two years to serve the entire state but has been dramatically expanded this year. In March, the Senate voted to provide $50 million for the program, which received&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.kttc.com/2023/03/29/mn-senate-allocates-50m-homelessness-aid/">bipartisan support</a>, and Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed the bill into law later that month.Jewelean Jackson, 74, has lived in Minneapolis for about 50 years, and is an advocate for changing housing policy in the city. Jackson has received housing assistance that she said was vital to ensuring that she didn’t become unhoused again. Jackson said she has been living in a one-bedroom apartment for the past three years. Before getting the apartment she spent eight years living in shelters or her car, but was able to avoid living in an encampment, she said. She was worried about losing housing again when her rent increased from about $270 a month to almost $500 a month in 2022 but was able to stave off eviction from December 2022 to March 2023 with rental assistance funds.“Society always all of a sudden discovers that it has this heart when there’s a tragedy,” Jackson said of changes in housing policy that started with the COVID-19 pandemic. “And so as a result of COVID, it has loosened the system’s strings. It has not been as difficult to get in and out of some of the programs and people have been a little bit more sympathetic as a result of COVID. But we’re a far cry from being where we need to be in terms of homelessness in this country, including Minnesota.”

States and Biden administration push efforts to aid renters

KANSAS CITY (AP) —When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in an unprepared U.S., states scrambled for masks and other protective gear.

Three years later, as the grips of the pandemic have loosened, many states are now trying to deal with an excess of protective gear, ditching their supplies in droves.

With expiration dates passing and few requests to tap into its stockpile, Ohio auctioned off 393,000 gowns for just $2,451 and ended up throwing away another 7.2 million, along with expired masks, gloves and other materials. The now expiring supplies had cost about $29 million in federal money.

A similar reckoning is happening around the country. Items are aging, and as a deadline to allocate federal COVID-19 cash approaches next year, states must decide how much to invest in maintaining warehouses and supply stockpiles.

An Associated Press investigation found that at least 15 states, from Alaska to Vermont, have tossed some of their trove of PPE because of expiration, surpluses and a lack of willing takers.

Into the trash went more than 18 million masks, 22 million gowns, 500,000 gloves, and more. That’s not counting states that didn’t give the AP exact figures or responded in cases or other measures. Rhode Island said it got rid of 829 tons of PPE; Maryland disposed of over $93 million in supplies.

“What a real waste. That’s what happens when you don’t prepare, when you have a bust-and-boom public health system,” where a lack of planning leads to panicked over-purchasing in emergencies, said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “It shows that we really have to do a better job of managing our stockpiles.”

The AP sent inquiries about PPE stockpiles to all 50 states over the past several months. About half responded.

States emphasize that they distributed far more gear than they discarded and have gone to great lengths to donate the leftovers. Washington state sent hundreds of thousands of supplies to the Marshall Islands last year, yet ended up throwing out millions more items after they expired.

Many states are keeping at least a portion, and sometimes all, of their remaining protective gear. Some even plan to update their stockpiles.

But others say the vagaries of the pandemic and the PPE supply left no choice but to acquire the items, and now to throw them out, however reluctantly. Expiration dates are set to ensure the protection works as intended, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency has set the fair market value of expired supplies at zero dollars.

“Anytime you’re involved in a situation where you’re recalling how difficult it was to get something in the first place, and then having to watch that go or not be used in the way it was intended to be used, certainly, there’s some frustration in that,” said Louis Eubank, who runs the South Carolina health department’s COVID-19 coordination office. The state has discarded over 650,000 expired masks.

When the virus struck, demand skyrocketed for N95 masks, gloves and gowns. The U.S government’s Strategic National Stockpile&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24176954-strategic-national-stockpile_inspector-generals-report_102023">was underequipped</a>, and states plunged into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nd-state-wire-wa-state-wire-ar-state-wire-ia-state-wire-virus-outbreak-bba8c890271ed9651d7682e81ce2c5e4">global bidding wars</a>.

The AP found in 2020 that states&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-us-news-coronavirus-pandemic-massachusetts-cb8c50c43781d81957ef8a1e61869ca7">spent over $7 billion</a>&nbsp;in a few months on PPE, ventilators and some other high-demand medical devices in a seller’s market. Ultimately, the federal government paid for many of the supplies.

“There was no way to know, at the time of purchase, how long the supply deficit would last or what quantities would be needed,” Ohio Department of Health spokesperson Ken Gordon said.

KANSAS CITY (AP) —When the coronavirus pandemic took hold in an unprepared U.S., states scrambled for masks and other protective gear.Three years later, as the grips of the pandemic have loosened, many states are now trying to deal with an excess of protective gear, ditching their supplies in droves.With expiration dates passing and few requests to tap into its stockpile, Ohio auctioned off 393,000 gowns for just $2,451 and ended up throwing away another 7.2 million, along with expired masks, gloves and other materials. The now expiring supplies had cost about $29 million in federal money.A similar reckoning is happening around the country. Items are aging, and as a deadline to allocate federal COVID-19 cash approaches next year, states must decide how much to invest in maintaining warehouses and supply stockpiles.An Associated Press investigation found that at least 15 states, from Alaska to Vermont, have tossed some of their trove of PPE because of expiration, surpluses and a lack of willing takers.Into the trash went more than 18 million masks, 22 million gowns, 500,000 gloves, and more. That’s not counting states that didn’t give the AP exact figures or responded in cases or other measures. Rhode Island said it got rid of 829 tons of PPE; Maryland disposed of over $93 million in supplies.“What a real waste. That’s what happens when you don’t prepare, when you have a bust-and-boom public health system,” where a lack of planning leads to panicked over-purchasing in emergencies, said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “It shows that we really have to do a better job of managing our stockpiles.”The AP sent inquiries about PPE stockpiles to all 50 states over the past several months. About half responded.States emphasize that they distributed far more gear than they discarded and have gone to great lengths to donate the leftovers. Washington state sent hundreds of thousands of supplies to the Marshall Islands last year, yet ended up throwing out millions more items after they expired.Many states are keeping at least a portion, and sometimes all, of their remaining protective gear. Some even plan to update their stockpiles.But others say the vagaries of the pandemic and the PPE supply left no choice but to acquire the items, and now to throw them out, however reluctantly. Expiration dates are set to ensure the protection works as intended, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency has set the fair market value of expired supplies at zero dollars.“Anytime you’re involved in a situation where you’re recalling how difficult it was to get something in the first place, and then having to watch that go or not be used in the way it was intended to be used, certainly, there’s some frustration in that,” said Louis Eubank, who runs the South Carolina health department’s COVID-19 coordination office. The state has discarded over 650,000 expired masks.When the virus struck, demand skyrocketed for N95 masks, gloves and gowns. The U.S government’s Strategic National Stockpile&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24176954-strategic-national-stockpile_inspector-generals-report_102023">was underequipped</a>, and states plunged into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nd-state-wire-wa-state-wire-ar-state-wire-ia-state-wire-virus-outbreak-bba8c890271ed9651d7682e81ce2c5e4">global bidding wars</a>.The AP found in 2020 that states&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-us-news-coronavirus-pandemic-massachusetts-cb8c50c43781d81957ef8a1e61869ca7">spent over $7 billion</a>&nbsp;in a few months on PPE, ventilators and some other high-demand medical devices in a seller’s market. Ultimately, the federal government paid for many of the supplies.“There was no way to know, at the time of purchase, how long the supply deficit would last or what quantities would be needed,” Ohio Department of Health spokesperson Ken Gordon said.Ohio distributed more than 227 million pieces of protective equipment during the pandemic. But as the supply crunch and the health crisis eased, demand faded,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/executive_briefings/ebot_surgical_and_isolation_gowns.pdf">especially for gowns</a>.Now, “states, hospitals, manufacturers – everybody in the whole system -- has extra product,” said Linda Rouse O’Neill of the Health Industry Distributors Association.Given the glut, stockpiled items are selling for bargain prices, if at all. Vermont got $82.50 for 105,000 boot covers and 29 cents apiece for thousands of safety goggles.Striking a balance between preparedness and surpluses is “a major dilemma” for governments, said Scott Amey of the Project on Government Oversight, a Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group. And while politicians vowed in 2020 never to be caught off guard again, “memories are short, budgets are tight,” Amey noted.In Wisconsin, a legislative committee axed from the budget&nbsp;<a href="https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/misc/lfb/budget/2023_25_biennial_budget/302_budget_papers/435_health_services_public_health_personal_protective_equipment_stockpile.pdf">$17.2 million that would have funded</a>&nbsp;a warehouse with an ongoing 60-day supply of PPE for two years.The state Department of Health Services said it is now “demobilizing the warehouse” and trying to donate the supplies. Already, Wisconsin has tossed nearly 1.7 million masks and almost 1 million gowns.Minnesota’s Department of Health was allocated some money this year for retaining and restocking PPE and is strategizing. For now, emergency response official Deb Radi says the agency expects to dispose of a few expiring gowns.The Health Industry Distributors Association recommends that product distributors maintain a 60-to-90-day supply to guard against demand spikes. But the group says it’s probably unnecessary for everyone in the system — from manufacturers to doctors’ offices — to have such a large cushion.Missouri’s health department has maintained a 90-day supply, keeping even expired materials on the presumption that the federal government will OK their use in an emergency. That happened during COVID-19.“If you don’t make the investment – and perhaps the investment that is never used – then you may not be prepared to assist the public when it’s needed,” Missouri health director Paula Nickelson said.Pennsylvania officials, by contrast, are aiming for a 15-day stockpile after frank conversations about what they can afford not only to keep, but to keep replacing as items expire, said Andy Pickett, the Health Department’s emergency preparedness and response director.And Nevada can't give its aging PPE away fast enough.Department of Administration Director Jack Robb said the state is endeavoring to shed the supplies safely and without wasting money but already has discarded some.But Robb said officials “made the best decisions that they could” when confronted with a disease that has killed nearly 7 million people worldwide, including some of his close friends.“And I hope we never see anything like that again in our lifetime,” he said.