By David Montgomery <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>

AUSTIN, Texas — A lawsuit in Texas asserting that the state’s abortion ban imperils women by dissuading doctors from ending dangerous pregnancies could provide a template for similar challenges across the country.

Texas is one of 14 states that banned abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. The Texas ban includes an exception that allows physicians to end a pregnancy if it could result in the death of the woman or a “substantial impairment of a major bodily function.”

The plaintiffs in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://reproductiverights.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023.05.22-Zurawski-v.-Texas-1st-Am.-Pet.pdf">the case</a>, more than a dozen Texas women, argue that doctors and hospitals denied them necessary care because the providers were afraid to run afoul of the law. Those who violate the ban could face up to 99 years in prison, a $100,000 fine and loss of their medical license.

Even before the Texas case was filed in March, the same issues were surfacing in other abortion-ban states, generating national attention and intense interest among elected officials in Washington, D.C. Attorneys for the Texas plaintiffs predict that similar suits will be filed in other states.

Nicolas Kabat, an attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights, the New York-based advocacy group that filed the Texas suit, said “the problem is widespread across states that ban abortion.”

“We’re being contacted by dozens of women telling us similar stories,” Kabat told Stateline, saying “we’re really only scratching the surface here.”

Citing press accounts, the plaintiffs’ petition points to about two dozen women in 11 states outside Texas who have had experiences like those of the Texas women: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee.

“It’s an incredibly important lawsuit and it has implications not only in Texas but in other states that have denied people the right to safe abortion health care,” said former Texas Democratic State Sen. Wendy Davis,&nbsp;a senior adviser to Planned Parenthood Texas Votes&nbsp;who gained national attention a decade ago for her filibuster against a polarizing anti-abortion rights bill.

‘Bald attempt’ to usurp state authority

Attorneys for the Center for Reproductive Rights are asking Travis County District Judge Jessica Mangrum to grant a temporary injunction and craft a new exception to Texas’ abortion ban that gives physicians and hospitals more latitude to provide pregnancy care and perform abortions.

But lawyers for the Texas attorney general’s office, representing the state, depict the suit as a “bald attempt” to usurp state authority over abortion policy.

Mangrum, elected as a Democrat,&nbsp;presided over two days of arguments and testimony in mid-July.&nbsp;She told lawyers at the end of the hearing that it will likely be several weeks before she returns a ruling.

At last month’s hearing, the plaintiffs recounted their anguishing personal ordeals after they were refused abortions. Amanda Zurawski of Austin, the lead plaintiff, nearly died after she was refused an abortion after her water broke at 18 weeks of pregnancy.

Zurawski and her husband, Josh, had already picked the name for their unborn daughter — Willow — and were planning a baby shower when they received the devastating news that they would lose their first child before birth.&nbsp;Amanda, 36, was diagnosed with a weakening of cervical tissue and was told that Willow would not survive. But doctors initially refused to perform an abortion, she said, because they could detect fetal cardiac activity.

Several days later, she developed sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to an infection, and spent three days in intensive care, struggling to survive.

Zurawski told Stateline in a phone interview that “hundreds” of people have reached out to her via social media to share similar stories and offer support. After the hearing last month, Zurawski said, she heard from “tons and tons and tons of people … just an outpouring of support, people wanting to get involved, wanting to help.”

Other plaintiffs told similarly harrowing stories at the hearing. Taylor Edwards, also from Austin, said she learned when she was 17 weeks pregnant that her daughter had a fatal condition called encephalocele, a protrusion of the brain through an opening in the skull, and would die at or before birth. She had to leave Texas to get an abortion.

Lauren Hall, who lives near Dallas, discovered that her unborn child had anencephaly, a serious birth defect that prevents the fetus from developing parts of the brain and skull. Hall’s obstetrician refused to perform an abortion and was afraid to refer her to an abortion provider in another state. Hall eventually got an abortion at a clinic near Seattle.

Studies conducted by abortion rights university research groups suggest that abortion bans are dissuading doctors in many states from providing care they would otherwise provide.

A total of 50 anonymous surveys from health care providers in states with abortion restrictions detailed&nbsp;“cases of care that deviated from the usual standard due to new laws restricting abortion,” according to a study jointly conducted by the Texas Policy Evaluation Project at the University of Texas&nbsp;at Austin and Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health at the University of California, San Francisco.

“In several cases, patients experienced preventable complications … because clinicians reported their ‘hands were tied,’ making it impossible for them to provide treatment sooner,” according to the study.

Anti-abortion rights advocates, including some physicians, dispute the contention that Texas’ medical exception is too vague to give doctors the confidence to perform necessary procedures. The language of the exception, they say, clearly gives doctors the leeway to use their medical judgment and to intervene in an emergency.

They say they have sympathy for the plaintiffs but support the state’s contention that it would be inappropriate for Mangrum or any other judge to rewrite the abortion ban exception, since that would usurp a legislative function.

“They’re trying to have the judiciary write the law, which is not appropriate,” said Dr. Ingrid Skop, a San Antonio OB-GYN who testified for the state at last month’s hearing.&nbsp;“The current state law clearly allows a doctor to use his reasonable medical judgment to determine when to intervene in a medical emergency to protect a woman’s life.”

“There’s not a problem with the way the law is worded,” she said.&nbsp;“The problem is that the doctors have become confused, and they become frightened.&nbsp;In many cases, they have not been given guidance by medical&nbsp;societies&nbsp;or by their hospitals, and they often have been slow in offering interventions.”

Joe Pojman, founder and executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life, one of the state’s leading anti-abortion rights groups, also defended the medical exception. “The law is already clear,” he said.&nbsp;“Judges are supposed to interpret the law,&nbsp;not rewrite the law.”

The suit names the state of Texas, the Texas Medical Board and Board Executive Director Stephen Brint Carlton as defendants.&nbsp;Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, is also a defendant, though he is currently suspended pending a state Senate trial on impeachment charges alleging bribery and other wrongdoing.

Lawyers for the attorney general’s office, who could not be reached for comment,&nbsp;are asking the court to dismiss the suit. In a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://reproductiverights.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/20230712_Ds-PTJ_AMND-Apndx_Final.pdf">rebuttal petition</a>, they accuse the plaintiffs of staging “splashy news conferences and media tours” to get a favorable court ruling “after failing to convince the Legislature to adopt their preferred version of the medical exception.”

A proposed court order by the plaintiffs asks the court to give physicians discretion to use “good faith judgment” in providing abortion care to someone with&nbsp;unsafe pregnancy complications or instances in which a fetus is unlikely to survive the pregnancy or live after birth.

But attorneys for the state say the plaintiffs’ proposed exception “would, by design, swallow the rule,” permitting abortions “for pregnant females with medical conditions ranging from a headache to feelings of depression.”

Amanda Zurawski said she’s always supported abortion rights but that her personal experience molded her into an impassioned advocate of the right to an abortion.&nbsp;She and her husband, she said,&nbsp;“never wanted to be the poster family for this cause,” but now they’re in the fight wholeheartedly.

“I’d rather be at home with my newborn right now. That’s the life that I was envisioning. I would rather be on maternity leave with my daughter, not having to fight this fight,” she said.

“But, you know, I think it’s really been empowering for me.&nbsp;And it’s actually been quite healing to have a cause and a purpose to put behind our loss and our grief.”

This article first appeared in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/2023/08/01/lawsuit-over-texas-abortion-ban-could-be-a-model-in-other-states/">Stateline</a>,&nbsp;a sister&nbsp;site of the Nebraska Examiner in the States Newsroom network.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691079159075.png" alt="Amanda Zurawski, who developed sepsis and nearly died after being refused an abortion when her water broke at 18 weeks, center, listens to her attorney Molly Duane, right, outside the Travis County Courthouse, Wednesday, July 19, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)" />
 <figcaption>Amanda Zurawski, who developed sepsis and nearly died after being refused an abortion when her water broke at 18 weeks, center, listens to her attorney Molly Duane, right, outside the Travis County Courthouse, Wednesday, July 19, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)</figcaption>
 </figure>By David Montgomery <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>AUSTIN, Texas — A lawsuit in Texas asserting that the state’s abortion ban imperils women by dissuading doctors from ending dangerous pregnancies could provide a template for similar challenges across the country.Texas is one of 14 states that banned abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. The Texas ban includes an exception that allows physicians to end a pregnancy if it could result in the death of the woman or a “substantial impairment of a major bodily function.”The plaintiffs in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://reproductiverights.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023.05.22-Zurawski-v.-Texas-1st-Am.-Pet.pdf">the case</a>, more than a dozen Texas women, argue that doctors and hospitals denied them necessary care because the providers were afraid to run afoul of the law. Those who violate the ban could face up to 99 years in prison, a $100,000 fine and loss of their medical license.Even before the Texas case was filed in March, the same issues were surfacing in other abortion-ban states, generating national attention and intense interest among elected officials in Washington, D.C. Attorneys for the Texas plaintiffs predict that similar suits will be filed in other states.Nicolas Kabat, an attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights, the New York-based advocacy group that filed the Texas suit, said “the problem is widespread across states that ban abortion.”“We’re being contacted by dozens of women telling us similar stories,” Kabat told Stateline, saying “we’re really only scratching the surface here.”Citing press accounts, the plaintiffs’ petition points to about two dozen women in 11 states outside Texas who have had experiences like those of the Texas women: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee.“It’s an incredibly important lawsuit and it has implications not only in Texas but in other states that have denied people the right to safe abortion health care,” said former Texas Democratic State Sen. Wendy Davis,&nbsp;a senior adviser to Planned Parenthood Texas Votes&nbsp;who gained national attention a decade ago for her filibuster against a polarizing anti-abortion rights bill.<h2>‘Bald attempt’ to usurp state authority</h2>Attorneys for the Center for Reproductive Rights are asking Travis County District Judge Jessica Mangrum to grant a temporary injunction and craft a new exception to Texas’ abortion ban that gives physicians and hospitals more latitude to provide pregnancy care and perform abortions.But lawyers for the Texas attorney general’s office, representing the state, depict the suit as a “bald attempt” to usurp state authority over abortion policy.Mangrum, elected as a Democrat,&nbsp;presided over two days of arguments and testimony in mid-July.&nbsp;She told lawyers at the end of the hearing that it will likely be several weeks before she returns a ruling.At last month’s hearing, the plaintiffs recounted their anguishing personal ordeals after they were refused abortions. Amanda Zurawski of Austin, the lead plaintiff, nearly died after she was refused an abortion after her water broke at 18 weeks of pregnancy.Zurawski and her husband, Josh, had already picked the name for their unborn daughter — Willow — and were planning a baby shower when they received the devastating news that they would lose their first child before birth.&nbsp;Amanda, 36, was diagnosed with a weakening of cervical tissue and was told that Willow would not survive. But doctors initially refused to perform an abortion, she said, because they could detect fetal cardiac activity.Several days later, she developed sepsis, a life-threatening reaction to an infection, and spent three days in intensive care, struggling to survive.Zurawski told Stateline in a phone interview that “hundreds” of people have reached out to her via social media to share similar stories and offer support. After the hearing last month, Zurawski said, she heard from “tons and tons and tons of people … just an outpouring of support, people wanting to get involved, wanting to help.”<h2>Fatal condition</h2>Other plaintiffs told similarly harrowing stories at the hearing. Taylor Edwards, also from Austin, said she learned when she was 17 weeks pregnant that her daughter had a fatal condition called encephalocele, a protrusion of the brain through an opening in the skull, and would die at or before birth. She had to leave Texas to get an abortion.Lauren Hall, who lives near Dallas, discovered that her unborn child had anencephaly, a serious birth defect that prevents the fetus from developing parts of the brain and skull. Hall’s obstetrician refused to perform an abortion and was afraid to refer her to an abortion provider in another state. Hall eventually got an abortion at a clinic near Seattle.Studies conducted by abortion rights university research groups suggest that abortion bans are dissuading doctors in many states from providing care they would otherwise provide.A total of 50 anonymous surveys from health care providers in states with abortion restrictions detailed&nbsp;“cases of care that deviated from the usual standard due to new laws restricting abortion,” according to a study jointly conducted by the Texas Policy Evaluation Project at the University of Texas&nbsp;at Austin and Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health at the University of California, San Francisco.“In several cases, patients experienced preventable complications … because clinicians reported their ‘hands were tied,’ making it impossible for them to provide treatment sooner,” according to the study.Anti-abortion rights advocates, including some physicians, dispute the contention that Texas’ medical exception is too vague to give doctors the confidence to perform necessary procedures. The language of the exception, they say, clearly gives doctors the leeway to use their medical judgment and to intervene in an emergency.They say they have sympathy for the plaintiffs but support the state’s contention that it would be inappropriate for Mangrum or any other judge to rewrite the abortion ban exception, since that would usurp a legislative function.“They’re trying to have the judiciary write the law, which is not appropriate,” said Dr. Ingrid Skop, a San Antonio OB-GYN who testified for the state at last month’s hearing.&nbsp;“The current state law clearly allows a doctor to use his reasonable medical judgment to determine when to intervene in a medical emergency to protect a woman’s life.”“There’s not a problem with the way the law is worded,” she said.&nbsp;“The problem is that the doctors have become confused, and they become frightened.&nbsp;In many cases, they have not been given guidance by medical&nbsp;societies&nbsp;or by their hospitals, and they often have been slow in offering interventions.”<h2>‘Law is already clear’</h2>Joe Pojman, founder and executive director of the Texas Alliance for Life, one of the state’s leading anti-abortion rights groups, also defended the medical exception. “The law is already clear,” he said.&nbsp;“Judges are supposed to interpret the law,&nbsp;not rewrite the law.”The suit names the state of Texas, the Texas Medical Board and Board Executive Director Stephen Brint Carlton as defendants.&nbsp;Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, is also a defendant, though he is currently suspended pending a state Senate trial on impeachment charges alleging bribery and other wrongdoing.Lawyers for the attorney general’s office, who could not be reached for comment,&nbsp;are asking the court to dismiss the suit. In a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://reproductiverights.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/20230712_Ds-PTJ_AMND-Apndx_Final.pdf">rebuttal petition</a>, they accuse the plaintiffs of staging “splashy news conferences and media tours” to get a favorable court ruling “after failing to convince the Legislature to adopt their preferred version of the medical exception.”A proposed court order by the plaintiffs asks the court to give physicians discretion to use “good faith judgment” in providing abortion care to someone with&nbsp;unsafe pregnancy complications or instances in which a fetus is unlikely to survive the pregnancy or live after birth.But attorneys for the state say the plaintiffs’ proposed exception “would, by design, swallow the rule,” permitting abortions “for pregnant females with medical conditions ranging from a headache to feelings of depression.”Amanda Zurawski said she’s always supported abortion rights but that her personal experience molded her into an impassioned advocate of the right to an abortion.&nbsp;She and her husband, she said,&nbsp;“never wanted to be the poster family for this cause,” but now they’re in the fight wholeheartedly.“I’d rather be at home with my newborn right now. That’s the life that I was envisioning. I would rather be on maternity leave with my daughter, not having to fight this fight,” she said.“But, you know, I think it’s really been empowering for me.&nbsp;And it’s actually been quite healing to have a cause and a purpose to put behind our loss and our grief.”This article first appeared in&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://stateline.org/2023/08/01/lawsuit-over-texas-abortion-ban-could-be-a-model-in-other-states/">Stateline</a>,&nbsp;a sister&nbsp;site of the Nebraska Examiner in the States Newsroom network.

Lawsuit over abortion ban could be a model in other states

SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a convenience store robbery have made an arrest.

Just after 10p.m. July 30, police responded to a robbery at the Kwik Shop, 2619 SW 21st Street in Topeka, according to Police Captain Aaron Jones.

 Officers received information from numerous citizens leading to a suspect vehicle. Just before 11:30 p.m., officers spotted the vehicle near 20th and SW Lincoln Street. Officers attempted a traffic stop and the driver fled. Citizens again helped officers by providing information that led them back to the 2000 block of SW Lincoln where the car was reportedly parked in a garage and the occupants had fled into a residence on the same property. 

All attempts to contact the occupants of the house failed. Investigators applied for and were granted a search warrant for the residence.

Just before 6a.m. Tuesday, two people exited the house and were taken into custody.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As a result of the information and evidence discovered to this point, Donald A. Henderson III, 26 of Topeka has been arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Criminal Use of a Firearm by a Felon, and Felony Obstruction.

Police released the second person detained, according to Jones.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1690924437429.png" alt="Henderson-photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Henderson-photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a convenience store robbery have made an arrest.Just after 10p.m. July 30, police responded to a robbery at the Kwik Shop, 2619 SW 21st Street in Topeka, according to Police Captain Aaron Jones. Officers received information from numerous citizens leading to a suspect vehicle. Just before 11:30 p.m., officers spotted the vehicle near 20th and SW Lincoln Street. Officers attempted a traffic stop and the driver fled. Citizens again helped officers by providing information that led them back to the 2000 block of SW Lincoln where the car was reportedly parked in a garage and the occupants had fled into a residence on the same property. All attempts to contact the occupants of the house failed. Investigators applied for and were granted a search warrant for the residence.Just before 6a.m. Tuesday, two people exited the house and were taken into custody.&nbsp;&nbsp;As a result of the information and evidence discovered to this point, Donald A. Henderson III, 26 of Topeka has been arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Criminal Use of a Firearm by a Felon, and Felony Obstruction.Police released the second person detained, according to Jones.

Citizen tips help police locate, capture Kansas robbery suspect

Incident coincides with anniversary of Kansas’ defeat of abortion amendment

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/grieving-moms-plea-to-kansas-lawmakers-do-something-this-epidemic-is-killing-our-kids/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The Wichita Police Department found nothing explosive Wednesday in a “suspicious” container discovered outside the Trust Women clinic on the one-year anniversary of Kansas’ defeat of a constitutional amendment designed to strengthen limits on reproductive rights.

Police Chief Joe Sullivan said the incident had “safely been resolved” and expressed appreciation for frustration of Wichita residents who endured temporary closure of a major city boulevard or evacuation of nearby businesses. Authorities said a suitcase was found before 8 a.m. on Trust Women property by clinic security personnel, who called 911. The Wichita Eagle reported law enforcement said the contents weren’t explosive.

“Our priority is to ensure the safety of the public,” said Sullivan, who thanked a cadre of first responders and others for helping resolve the case.

In the August 2022 primary, the “Value Them Both” amendment to the Kansas Constitution was defeated by a margin of 59% to 41%. The Kansas Legislature placed the amendment on statewide ballots in rebuttal to a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision affirming the state constitution protected a woman’s right to bodily autonomy and the right to end a pregnancy.

The amendment vote in Kansas was closely watched nationally because the U.S. Supreme Court had reversed Roe v. Wade, which for 50 years guaranteed abortion rights across the nation.

Zach Gingrich-Gaylord, communications director for the Trust Women clinic founded in 2009 to provide reproductive care in underserved areas, said no staff had arrived before the container was found. He said no patients were scheduled “so fortunately minimal disruption to our services has been necessary.”

He said the clinic ought to be viewed as a place of “medicine, healing and love for our communities.” Clinic patients found compassion and solidarity “once they’ve made it past the vitriol and hatred of the extremists at our gates,” he said.

“On this anniversary of Kansas’ historic and resounding rejection of the anti-abortion amendment, ironically titled ‘Value Them Both,’ it cannot be overstated: All violence is external to the movement for reproductive rights and justice,” Gingrich-Gaylord said. “While we provide critical medical care for thousands of people displaced from their homes by the actions of their own legislatures, incidents of harassment, threats and attacks have increased.”

Gingrich-Gaylord said Trust Women stood in opposition to violence directed at reproductive health providers by “authoritarian extremists.”

“This violence does not come from nowhere,” he said. “It is a direct effect of the continued attacks on abortion rights by anti-abortion media, activists and legislators who irresponsibly use flagrant misinformation and hyperbolic and triggering imagery to advance their political goals.”

Danielle Underwood, spokeswoman for Kansans for Life, noted the Aug. 2 anniversary of the amendment vote by pointing in a statement to the surge in Kansas abortions. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said abortions provided out-of-state patients more than doubled in 2022 compared to 2021 as women sought to work around restrictions adopted in their home state.

“We observe this sad day by rolling up our sleeves and encouraging our members to volunteer to help serve women facing unexpected pregnancies,” Underwood said. “Last August 2nd, we promised we would continue to expose the lies of the profit-driven abortion industry and that we will never abandon women and babies.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691026011229.png" alt="Zack Gingrich-Gaylord, spokesman for the Trust Women clinic, said discover of a "suspicious" container outside the Wichita facility on anniversary of the 2022 vote to defeat a proposed anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution was a reminder of the state's ongoing political conflict over reproductive rights. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Zack Gingrich-Gaylord, spokesman for the Trust Women clinic, said discover of a "suspicious" container outside the Wichita facility on anniversary of the 2022 vote to defeat a proposed anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution was a reminder of the state's ongoing political conflict over reproductive rights. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Incident coincides with anniversary of Kansas’ defeat of abortion amendment</h2>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/grieving-moms-plea-to-kansas-lawmakers-do-something-this-epidemic-is-killing-our-kids/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The Wichita Police Department found nothing explosive Wednesday in a “suspicious” container discovered outside the Trust Women clinic on the one-year anniversary of Kansas’ defeat of a constitutional amendment designed to strengthen limits on reproductive rights.Police Chief Joe Sullivan said the incident had “safely been resolved” and expressed appreciation for frustration of Wichita residents who endured temporary closure of a major city boulevard or evacuation of nearby businesses. Authorities said a suitcase was found before 8 a.m. on Trust Women property by clinic security personnel, who called 911. The Wichita Eagle reported law enforcement said the contents weren’t explosive.“Our priority is to ensure the safety of the public,” said Sullivan, who thanked a cadre of first responders and others for helping resolve the case.In the August 2022 primary, the “Value Them Both” amendment to the Kansas Constitution was defeated by a margin of 59% to 41%. The Kansas Legislature placed the amendment on statewide ballots in rebuttal to a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision affirming the state constitution protected a woman’s right to bodily autonomy and the right to end a pregnancy.The amendment vote in Kansas was closely watched nationally because the U.S. Supreme Court had reversed Roe v. Wade, which for 50 years guaranteed abortion rights across the nation.Zach Gingrich-Gaylord, communications director for the Trust Women clinic founded in 2009 to provide reproductive care in underserved areas, said no staff had arrived before the container was found. He said no patients were scheduled “so fortunately minimal disruption to our services has been necessary.”He said the clinic ought to be viewed as a place of “medicine, healing and love for our communities.” Clinic patients found compassion and solidarity “once they’ve made it past the vitriol and hatred of the extremists at our gates,” he said.“On this anniversary of Kansas’ historic and resounding rejection of the anti-abortion amendment, ironically titled ‘Value Them Both,’ it cannot be overstated: All violence is external to the movement for reproductive rights and justice,” Gingrich-Gaylord said. “While we provide critical medical care for thousands of people displaced from their homes by the actions of their own legislatures, incidents of harassment, threats and attacks have increased.”Gingrich-Gaylord said Trust Women stood in opposition to violence directed at reproductive health providers by “authoritarian extremists.”“This violence does not come from nowhere,” he said. “It is a direct effect of the continued attacks on abortion rights by anti-abortion media, activists and legislators who irresponsibly use flagrant misinformation and hyperbolic and triggering imagery to advance their political goals.”Danielle Underwood, spokeswoman for Kansans for Life, noted the Aug. 2 anniversary of the amendment vote by pointing in a statement to the surge in Kansas abortions. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said abortions provided out-of-state patients more than doubled in 2022 compared to 2021 as women sought to work around restrictions adopted in their home state.“We observe this sad day by rolling up our sleeves and encouraging our members to volunteer to help serve women facing unexpected pregnancies,” Underwood said. “Last August 2nd, we promised we would continue to expose the lies of the profit-driven abortion industry and that we will never abandon women and babies.”

Police: Nothing explosive in container left at Kan. abortion clinic

DETROIT (AP) — Hyundai and Kia are telling the owners of nearly 92,000 vehicles in the U.S. to park them outside because an electronic controller in an oil pump can overheat and cause fires.

The affiliated Korean automakers are recalling the vehicles and also are telling owners to park them away from structures until repairs are made.

The recalls cover&nbsp;<a href="https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2023/RCAK-23V526-5528.pdf">certain 2023 and 2024 Hyundai Palisades</a>, as well some 2023 Tucson, Sonata, Elantra and Kona vehicles.&nbsp;<a href="https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2023/RCAK-23V531-9015.pdf">Affected Kias</a>&nbsp;include the 2023 Soul and Sportage as well as some 2023 and 2024 Seltos vehicles.

The companies say in documents posted Thursday by U.S. safety regulators that a capacitor on a circuit board in the oil pump assembly for the transmission may have been damaged by the supplier during manufacturing. That can cause a short-circuit and increase the risk of a fire.

Kia says it has six reports of melting components but no fires or injuries. Hyundai says it has confirmed four “thermal incidents” and no injuries.

Dealers will inspect and replace the oil pump controller if necessary. Hyundai owners will be notified by letter on Sept. 25. Kia will notify owners starting Sept. 28.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691066849047.png" alt="Hyundia dealer in Merriam, Kansas -Google image" />
 <figcaption>Hyundia dealer in Merriam, Kansas -Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>DETROIT (AP) — Hyundai and Kia are telling the owners of nearly 92,000 vehicles in the U.S. to park them outside because an electronic controller in an oil pump can overheat and cause fires.The affiliated Korean automakers are recalling the vehicles and also are telling owners to park them away from structures until repairs are made.The recalls cover&nbsp;<a href="https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2023/RCAK-23V526-5528.pdf">certain 2023 and 2024 Hyundai Palisades</a>, as well some 2023 Tucson, Sonata, Elantra and Kona vehicles.&nbsp;<a href="https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2023/RCAK-23V531-9015.pdf">Affected Kias</a>&nbsp;include the 2023 Soul and Sportage as well as some 2023 and 2024 Seltos vehicles.The companies say in documents posted Thursday by U.S. safety regulators that a capacitor on a circuit board in the oil pump assembly for the transmission may have been damaged by the supplier during manufacturing. That can cause a short-circuit and increase the risk of a fire.Kia says it has six reports of melting components but no fires or injuries. Hyundai says it has confirmed four “thermal incidents” and no injuries.Dealers will inspect and replace the oil pump controller if necessary. Hyundai owners will be notified by letter on Sept. 25. Kia will notify owners starting Sept. 28.

Hyundai, Kia recall: Park vehicles outside due to fire risk

WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is due in federal court Thursday to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">answer to charges</a>&nbsp;that he sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election, facing a judge just blocks from the U.S. Capitol that his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">supporters stormed</a>&nbsp;to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power.

<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.1.0_2.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the latest indictment&nbsp;

In what's by now become a familiar but nonetheless stunning ritual, Trump is expected to be processed by law enforcement, be officially taken into custody and enter a not guilty plea in front of a judge before being released, so he can rejoin the campaign trail as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024.

An indictment Tuesday from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;charges Trump with four felony counts related to his efforts to undo the presidential election in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The charges could lead to a yearslong prison sentence in the event of a conviction.

Trump was the only person charged in the case, though prosecutors referenced six co-conspirators — mostly lawyers — they say he plotted with, including in a scheme to enlist fake electors in seven battleground states won by President Joe Biden to submit false certificates to the federal government.

The indictment chronicles how Trump and allies, in what Smith described as an attack on a "bedrock function of the U.S. government," repeatedly lied about the results in the two months since he lost the election and pressured his vice president,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pence-jan-6-trump-indictment-ab36fd360a0850562a07d1b404f15d69">Mike Pence,</a>&nbsp;and state election officials to take action to help him cling to power.

This is the third criminal case brought against Trump in the last six months. He was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">charged in New York</a>&nbsp;with falsifying business records in connection with an alleged hush money payment to a porn actor during the 2016 presidential campaign. Smith's office has also charged him with 40 felony counts in Florida, accusing him of illegally&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-justice-department-special-counsel-2025feb3f0f4e3820d14387c67ce4316">retaining classified documents</a>&nbsp;at his Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago, and refusing government demands to give them back. He has pleaded not guilty in both those cases, which are set for trial next year.

And&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-georgia-election-investigation-fani-willis-046726b66d601cc9a5b8d5e1cbc3d8cb">prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia</a>&nbsp;are expected in coming weeks to announce charging decisions in an investigation into efforts to subvert election results in that state.

Trump's lawyer, John Lauro, has asserted in television interviews that Trump's actions were protected by the First Amendment right to free speech and that he relied on the advice of lawyers. Trump himself has claimed without evidence that Smith's team is trying to interfere with the 2024 presidential election, in which Trump is the dominant front-runner to claim the Republican nomination.

Smith said in a rare public statement that he was seeking a speedy trial, though Lauro has said he intends to slow the case down so that the defense team can conduct its own investigation.

The arraignment will be handled before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadyaha, who joined the bench last year. But going forward, the case will be presided over by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an appointee of President Barack Obama who has stood out as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-only-on-ap-donald-trump-government-and-politics-sentencing-de394dd56b3251aac5a50014f4d6afa7">one of the toughest punishers of rioters</a>.

She has also ruled against Trump before, refusing in November 2021 to block the release of documents to the U.S. House’s Jan. 6 committee by asserting executive privilege.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1686700913232.png" alt="Trump was the only person charged in the case-photo AP" />
 <figcaption>Trump was the only person charged in the case-photo AP</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is due in federal court Thursday to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-indicted-jan-6-investigation-special-counsel-debb59bb7a4d9f93f7e2dace01feccdc">answer to charges</a>&nbsp;that he sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election, facing a judge just blocks from the U.S. Capitol that his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">supporters stormed</a>&nbsp;to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power.<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.1.0_2.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the latest indictment&nbsp;In what's by now become a familiar but nonetheless stunning ritual, Trump is expected to be processed by law enforcement, be officially taken into custody and enter a not guilty plea in front of a judge before being released, so he can rejoin the campaign trail as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024.An indictment Tuesday from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jack-smith-special-counsel-prosecutor-donald-trump-garland-e1fdb71cfc258bc2be48a8b890a9269b">Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;charges Trump with four felony counts related to his efforts to undo the presidential election in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The charges could lead to a yearslong prison sentence in the event of a conviction.Trump was the only person charged in the case, though prosecutors referenced six co-conspirators — mostly lawyers — they say he plotted with, including in a scheme to enlist fake electors in seven battleground states won by President Joe Biden to submit false certificates to the federal government.The indictment chronicles how Trump and allies, in what Smith described as an attack on a "bedrock function of the U.S. government," repeatedly lied about the results in the two months since he lost the election and pressured his vice president,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pence-jan-6-trump-indictment-ab36fd360a0850562a07d1b404f15d69">Mike Pence,</a>&nbsp;and state election officials to take action to help him cling to power.This is the third criminal case brought against Trump in the last six months. He was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-arraignment-hush-money-81225510ef7638494852816878f612f0">charged in New York</a>&nbsp;with falsifying business records in connection with an alleged hush money payment to a porn actor during the 2016 presidential campaign. Smith's office has also charged him with 40 felony counts in Florida, accusing him of illegally&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-justice-department-special-counsel-2025feb3f0f4e3820d14387c67ce4316">retaining classified documents</a>&nbsp;at his Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago, and refusing government demands to give them back. He has pleaded not guilty in both those cases, which are set for trial next year.And&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-georgia-election-investigation-fani-willis-046726b66d601cc9a5b8d5e1cbc3d8cb">prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia</a>&nbsp;are expected in coming weeks to announce charging decisions in an investigation into efforts to subvert election results in that state.Trump's lawyer, John Lauro, has asserted in television interviews that Trump's actions were protected by the First Amendment right to free speech and that he relied on the advice of lawyers. Trump himself has claimed without evidence that Smith's team is trying to interfere with the 2024 presidential election, in which Trump is the dominant front-runner to claim the Republican nomination.Smith said in a rare public statement that he was seeking a speedy trial, though Lauro has said he intends to slow the case down so that the defense team can conduct its own investigation.The arraignment will be handled before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadyaha, who joined the bench last year. But going forward, the case will be presided over by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an appointee of President Barack Obama who has stood out as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-only-on-ap-donald-trump-government-and-politics-sentencing-de394dd56b3251aac5a50014f4d6afa7">one of the toughest punishers of rioters</a>.She has also ruled against Trump before, refusing in November 2021 to block the release of documents to the U.S. House’s Jan. 6 committee by asserting executive privilege.

Trump to face judge over charges he tried to overturn 2020 presidential election

KANSAS CITY —The remains located on July 26 while serving an arrest warrant at a home in the 1500 Block of Eagle Drive in Pleasant Hill have been positively identified to be that of 78-year-old Bonnie Gooch, according to a media release from police.

Officers were at the home to serve a warrant on Gooch for failure to appear at a July 24, hearing in connection with an April robbery.

 Officers knocked on the front door, at which time it came partially open. Officers entered the residence where they located the body of a deceased female in a rear bedroom of the home.&nbsp;

The scene was processed, and the body was taken by Frontier Forensics for further examination.&nbsp;Foul play is not suspected. 

Gooch, who had two previous bank robbery convictions,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bank-robbery-missouri-fcaa66a6c78eefc0e7bdf1df4a88c8c2">was charged in April</a>&nbsp;in a holdup in Pleasant Hill. In court documents, Cass County prosecutors allege that she passed a note to a teller demanding “13,000 small bills,” adding “thank you sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.” Surveillance video also captured her banging on the counter, asking the teller to hurry.

Gooch's earlier robbery convictions were in California in 1977 and in the Kansas City suburb of Lee's Summit in 2020. Her probation in the second heist ended in November 2021.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/4/1680817861086.png" alt="Gooch-photo Pleasant Hill Police" />
 <figcaption>Gooch-photo Pleasant Hill Police</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —The remains located on July 26 while serving an arrest warrant at a home in the 1500 Block of Eagle Drive in Pleasant Hill have been positively identified to be that of 78-year-old Bonnie Gooch, according to a media release from police.Officers were at the home to serve a warrant on Gooch for failure to appear at a July 24, hearing in connection with an April robbery. Officers knocked on the front door, at which time it came partially open. Officers entered the residence where they located the body of a deceased female in a rear bedroom of the home.&nbsp;The scene was processed, and the body was taken by Frontier Forensics for further examination.&nbsp;Foul play is not suspected. Gooch, who had two previous bank robbery convictions,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bank-robbery-missouri-fcaa66a6c78eefc0e7bdf1df4a88c8c2">was charged in April</a>&nbsp;in a holdup in Pleasant Hill. In court documents, Cass County prosecutors allege that she passed a note to a teller demanding “13,000 small bills,” adding “thank you sorry I didn’t mean to scare you.” Surveillance video also captured her banging on the counter, asking the teller to hurry.Gooch's earlier robbery convictions were in California in 1977 and in the Kansas City suburb of Lee's Summit in 2020. Her probation in the second heist ended in November 2021.

Police ID body found at KC-area home of accused bank robber

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Get ready to say goodbye to the once ubiquitous incandescent light bulb, pioneered by Thomas Edison more than a century ago. You can thank — or blame — new federal energy efficiency regulations that went into full effect this week. Quite possibly without you even noticing.

The Energy Department rules, which date back to the Obama administration, have been whipsawed in the political process for years. Some conservatives and Republican lawmakers long denounced them for interfering with consumer choice and placing undue burdens on business. Under former President Donald Trump,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/30f1a41f331c43509e02f3fea4d20e95">the Energy Department scrapped them in 2019</a>; the Biden administration subsequently revived them.

Yet by the time Aug. 1 rolled around, the critics had gone quiet, possibly because companies and consumers have already started voting for better lighting efficiency with their wallets.

The rules establish strict new efficiency standards for bulbs used in homes and businesses and bans the manufacture and sale of those that don't meet those requirements. Practical incandescent bulbs, which trace their origin to&nbsp;<a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US223898A/en">an 1880 Edison patent</a>, can't meet those standards. Neither can halogen bulbs. The rules also ban imports of less efficient bulbs.

But those requirements carry a bit less heft than they would have several years back, largely because advances in LED technology and manufacturing have dramatically lowered prices and improved quality. LED stands for “light emitting diode,” a semiconductor device that converts electricity directly into light.

Between 2015 and 2020, for instance, the percentage of American households that reported using LED bulbs for most or all of their lighting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=51858">jumped more than tenfold</a>&nbsp;— from 4% to 47%, according to the Energy Information Administration, an independent federal statistics agency.

SO DO I HAVE TO THROW AWAY MY OLD INCANDESCENTS?

Fortunately not. The rules don’t affect bulbs that you already own; they also exempt special purpose incandescents such as those used inside ovens.

But suppose you discard — or give away — your halogen and incandescent bulbs. Odds are good that replacing them with LED bulbs could save you a fair amount of money.

As the rules reinforce existing market changes, the Energy Department believes that U.S. consumers can save&nbsp;<a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-administration-implements-new-cost-saving-energy-efficiency-standards-light-bulbs">almost $3 billion annually</a>&nbsp;on their utility bills. Similarly, it projects that the rules could cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next 30 years.

Incandescent bulbs create illumination by running an electric current through a filament that heats it until it glows. Edison's first practical light bulb used a carbonized cotton thread for that purpose; modern bulbs use tungsten filaments in an inert gas.

But incandescents are not very efficient. Only roughly 5% of the energy used by an incandescent bulb produces light; the remaining 95% or so is lost as heat. This is why you let an incandescent bulb cool off before unscrewing it.

They also burn out frequently, requiring replacement roughly every year.

The light-emitting components in LED bulbs, by contrast, are manufactured via the same process used to make computer chips, which makes them extremely efficient. They generate almost no heat and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/lighting-choices-save-you-money#:~:text=Although%20once%20known%20mainly%20for,longer%20than%20traditional%20incandescent%20bulbs.">use up to 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs</a>&nbsp;while lasting up to 25 times longer, according to the Energy Department.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Get ready to say goodbye to the once ubiquitous incandescent light bulb, pioneered by Thomas Edison more than a century ago. You can thank — or blame — new federal energy efficiency regulations that went into full effect this week. Quite possibly without you even noticing.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Here&#39;s some news to light up your day.💡 Our new energy-efficiency standards for light bulbs will: 💵 Save consumers $3B a year on utility bills 📉 Cut 222M metric tons of carbon emissions over three decades 📚 <a href="https://t.co/GNjtzvh3DF">https://t.co/GNjtzvh3DF</a> <a href="https://t.co/Phl6qHquK6">pic.twitter.com/Phl6qHquK6</a>&mdash; U.S. Department of Energy (@ENERGY) <a href="https://twitter.com/ENERGY/status/1518986019630206976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 26, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Energy Department rules, which date back to the Obama administration, have been whipsawed in the political process for years. Some conservatives and Republican lawmakers long denounced them for interfering with consumer choice and placing undue burdens on business. Under former President Donald Trump,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/30f1a41f331c43509e02f3fea4d20e95">the Energy Department scrapped them in 2019</a>; the Biden administration subsequently revived them.Yet by the time Aug. 1 rolled around, the critics had gone quiet, possibly because companies and consumers have already started voting for better lighting efficiency with their wallets.Here's what you need to know.WHAT CHANGES UNDER THE NEW RULES?The rules establish strict new efficiency standards for bulbs used in homes and businesses and bans the manufacture and sale of those that don't meet those requirements. Practical incandescent bulbs, which trace their origin to&nbsp;<a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US223898A/en">an 1880 Edison patent</a>, can't meet those standards. Neither can halogen bulbs. The rules also ban imports of less efficient bulbs.But those requirements carry a bit less heft than they would have several years back, largely because advances in LED technology and manufacturing have dramatically lowered prices and improved quality. LED stands for “light emitting diode,” a semiconductor device that converts electricity directly into light.Between 2015 and 2020, for instance, the percentage of American households that reported using LED bulbs for most or all of their lighting&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=51858">jumped more than tenfold</a>&nbsp;— from 4% to 47%, according to the Energy Information Administration, an independent federal statistics agency.SO DO I HAVE TO THROW AWAY MY OLD INCANDESCENTS?Fortunately not. The rules don’t affect bulbs that you already own; they also exempt special purpose incandescents such as those used inside ovens.But suppose you discard — or give away — your halogen and incandescent bulbs. Odds are good that replacing them with LED bulbs could save you a fair amount of money.As the rules reinforce existing market changes, the Energy Department believes that U.S. consumers can save&nbsp;<a href="https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-administration-implements-new-cost-saving-energy-efficiency-standards-light-bulbs">almost $3 billion annually</a>&nbsp;on their utility bills. Similarly, it projects that the rules could cut carbon emissions by 222 million metric tons over the next 30 years.WHY DO LED BULBS SAVE ENERGY AND MONEY?Incandescent bulbs create illumination by running an electric current through a filament that heats it until it glows. Edison's first practical light bulb used a carbonized cotton thread for that purpose; modern bulbs use tungsten filaments in an inert gas.But incandescents are not very efficient. Only roughly 5% of the energy used by an incandescent bulb produces light; the remaining 95% or so is lost as heat. This is why you let an incandescent bulb cool off before unscrewing it.They also burn out frequently, requiring replacement roughly every year.The light-emitting components in LED bulbs, by contrast, are manufactured via the same process used to make computer chips, which makes them extremely efficient. They generate almost no heat and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/lighting-choices-save-you-money#:~:text=Although%20once%20known%20mainly%20for,longer%20than%20traditional%20incandescent%20bulbs.">use up to 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs</a>&nbsp;while lasting up to 25 times longer, according to the Energy Department.

New energy efficiency rules begin and ban incandescent light bulbs

FINNNEY COUNTY —A Kansas felon arrested July 19 in connection with a fatal shooting in Garden City has been charged for the crime.

According to the Finney County Attorney,&nbsp; 39-year-old Alfonso Fajardo was charged this week with murder in the second degree, aggravated intimidation of a witness/victim, unlawful to receive proceeds from racketeering and felon with a gun.

In March of 2021, police were dispatched to 1404 W. Fulton Street Apt. 4, in Garden City after report of a man shot in the head, according to Sgt. Lana Urteaga.

At the scene, police located 32-year-old Victor&nbsp; Cabrera. Finney County EMS transported him&nbsp; St. Catherine Hospital. He was later flown to Via Christi Hospital in Wichita where he died.

On July 19, police conducted a traffic stop in the 1000 block of N. 2nd Street in Garden City and arrested&nbsp; Fajardo in connection to the killing.

Fajardo is being held in on $750,000 bond, according to the district attorney's office.&nbsp; Fajardo has previous convictions for aggravated battery and aggravated burglary, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1689876664898.png" alt="Fajardo has previous convictions for aggravated battery and aggravated burglary, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections." />
 <figcaption>Fajardo has previous convictions for aggravated battery and aggravated burglary, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNNEY COUNTY —A Kansas felon arrested July 19 in connection with a fatal shooting in Garden City has been charged for the crime.According to the Finney County Attorney,&nbsp; 39-year-old Alfonso Fajardo was charged this week with murder in the second degree, aggravated intimidation of a witness/victim, unlawful to receive proceeds from racketeering and felon with a gun.In March of 2021, police were dispatched to 1404 W. Fulton Street Apt. 4, in Garden City after report of a man shot in the head, according to Sgt. Lana Urteaga.At the scene, police located 32-year-old Victor&nbsp; Cabrera. Finney County EMS transported him&nbsp; St. Catherine Hospital. He was later flown to Via Christi Hospital in Wichita where he died.On July 19, police conducted a traffic stop in the 1000 block of N. 2nd Street in Garden City and arrested&nbsp; Fajardo in connection to the killing.Fajardo is being held in on $750,000 bond, according to the district attorney's office.&nbsp; Fajardo has previous convictions for aggravated battery and aggravated burglary, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections.

Man with history of crime charged in SW Kansas murder  

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on drug allegations.

On July 28, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit served a search warrant in the 100 Block SW Courtland Avenue in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Edward Stanley.

As a result, Cary Sandmeyer, 67, was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Distribution of opiates over 100 usages within 1,000 feet of a school, Distribute or possess with intent to distribute marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school, Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant,&nbsp; Possession of drug paraphernalia, Criminal use of a weapon and no Drug tax stamp.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/7/1690807531589.png" alt="Sandmeyer-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Sandmeyer-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man on drug allegations.On July 28, members of the Topeka Police Department Narcotics Unit served a search warrant in the 100 Block SW Courtland Avenue in Topeka, according to Police Lt. Edward Stanley.As a result, Cary Sandmeyer, 67, was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of Distribution of opiates over 100 usages within 1,000 feet of a school, Distribute or possess with intent to distribute marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school, Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant,&nbsp; Possession of drug paraphernalia, Criminal use of a weapon and no Drug tax stamp.

Police: Man was selling drugs near a Kansas school

KANSAS CITY (AP) —A dump truck driver last year may have never seen an oncoming Amtrak train before it was too late, federal investigators concluded in a report, finding that a steep, poorly designed railroad crossing in rural Missouri contributed to last year’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amtrak-accident-missouri-investigation-10b519f9c4bf04d4a3cd490fddae217c">fatal Amtrak derailment</a>&nbsp;that killed four people and injured 146 others.

The National Transportation Safety Board&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/RIR2309.pdf">said Wednesday</a>&nbsp;that the 45-degree angle where the road crossed the tracks made it hard for the dump truck driver to see the approaching train, and the steep approach discouraged the truck driver from stopping beforehand.

“The safest rail grade crossing is no rail grade crossing. But at the very least, every road-rail intersection should have an adequate design to ensure proper visibility so drivers can see oncoming trains,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said. “Communities across the country deserve safer crossings so these types of accidents don’t happen again.”

The NTSB said the dump truck driver ignored a stop sign before continuing through the crossing near Mendon at a speed of about 5 mph (8 kph). The train was only able to slow 2 mph to 87 mph (140 kph) after the crew saw the truck approaching and slammed on the brakes.

The NTSB has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/accidents-kansas-city-missouri-beb2a1eb6026137cb0eac0f3e65c79d4">previously said</a>&nbsp;investigators didn't find any problems with the train's brakes or other mechanical issues. The engineer blew the train's horn as required as he approached the crossing, but the dump truck driver still inexplicably continued across the tracks.

After the train tore the dump truck apart, state troopers found the speedometer needle stuck at 5 mph and the tachometer still displaying 1,100 rpm.

The crossing didn’t have any lights or signals to warn that a train was approaching. Before the crash, area residents had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amtrak-accident-missouri-investigation-10b519f9c4bf04d4a3cd490fddae217c">expressed concerns</a>&nbsp;for nearly three years about the safety of the crossing because of the lack of visibility. Another dump truck driver who witnessed the crash told investigators that he also typically ignored the stop sign at the crossing because the steep grade of the gravel road entering the crossing made it hard to start up again for the trucks loaded with rock for a nearby levee project that were equipped with manual transmissions.

Investigators said the grade approaching the crossing was much steeper than the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recommends. The road dropped 39 inches (0.99 meters) over the 30 feet (9.1 meters) approaching the tracks. Experts recommend that the approach to a crossing shouldn't slope down more than 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) in that span.

The state Transportation Department had put the $400,000 project to add lights and gates at the crossing on a priority list, but it hadn't received funding before the derailment.

The Mendon crossing was closed immediately after last year's crash. State officials will announce a $50 million plan to upgrade rail crossings statewide along tracks that passenger railroads use Thursday. Those projects will focus on the 47 passive crossings on three tracks that carry passenger trains although the NTSB said last year that Missouri has about 3,500 crossings like that statewide.

Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari said the railroad appreciates Missouri's efforts and it will keep working to improve safety.

“By making improvements on routes used by Amtrak a high priority, the State of Missouri is making a commitment to grade crossing safety that is a model for other states,” Magliari said.

Roughly half of all rail crossings nationwide — some 130,000 of them — are considered passive without any lights or arms that automatically come down when a train is approaching.

For years, the NTSB has recommended closing passive crossings or adding gates, bells and other safety measures whenever possible. The U.S. Transportation Department recently announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-crossing-elimination-grants-transportation-department-dce25564812f3a550bde46b5b2976c1e">$570 million in grants</a>&nbsp;to help eliminate railroad crossings in 32 states but that funding will only eliminate a few dozen crossings.

Federal statistics show that roughly 2,000 collisions occur every year at rail crossings nationwide, and last year nearly 250 deaths were recorded in car-train crashes.

The people killed in the Amtrak derailment included the dump truck driver, 54-year-old Billy Barton II, of Brookfield, Missouri, and three passengers: Rochelle Cook, 58, and Kim Holsapple, 56, both of DeSoto, Kansas, and 82-year-old Binh Phan, of Kansas City, Missouri.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol said up to 150 people also were injured.

The Southwest Chief was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it hit the rear right side of the truck near Mendon. Two locomotives and eight cars derailed. The train had 12 crewmembers and 271 aboard.

Several lawsuits were filed against BNSF after the derailment because that Fort Worth, Texas-based freight railroad owns and maintains the tracks involved. BNSF officials didn't immediately respond to the NTSB report Wednesday.

Amtrak and BNSF estimated that the derailment caused roughly $4 million damage to their equipment and tracks.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/6/1656361752974.png" alt="An image courtesy a video posted by Robert Nightingale, who was a passenger aboard the Amtrak train that derailed on Monday, June 27, in Mendon, Missouri." />
 <figcaption>An image courtesy a video posted by Robert Nightingale, who was a passenger aboard the Amtrak train that derailed on Monday, June 27, in Mendon, Missouri.</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —A dump truck driver last year may have never seen an oncoming Amtrak train before it was too late, federal investigators concluded in a report, finding that a steep, poorly designed railroad crossing in rural Missouri contributed to last year’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amtrak-accident-missouri-investigation-10b519f9c4bf04d4a3cd490fddae217c">fatal Amtrak derailment</a>&nbsp;that killed four people and injured 146 others.The National Transportation Safety Board&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/RIR2309.pdf">said Wednesday</a>&nbsp;that the 45-degree angle where the road crossed the tracks made it hard for the dump truck driver to see the approaching train, and the steep approach discouraged the truck driver from stopping beforehand.“The safest rail grade crossing is no rail grade crossing. But at the very least, every road-rail intersection should have an adequate design to ensure proper visibility so drivers can see oncoming trains,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said. “Communities across the country deserve safer crossings so these types of accidents don’t happen again.”The NTSB said the dump truck driver ignored a stop sign before continuing through the crossing near Mendon at a speed of about 5 mph (8 kph). The train was only able to slow 2 mph to 87 mph (140 kph) after the crew saw the truck approaching and slammed on the brakes.The NTSB has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/accidents-kansas-city-missouri-beb2a1eb6026137cb0eac0f3e65c79d4">previously said</a>&nbsp;investigators didn't find any problems with the train's brakes or other mechanical issues. The engineer blew the train's horn as required as he approached the crossing, but the dump truck driver still inexplicably continued across the tracks.After the train tore the dump truck apart, state troopers found the speedometer needle stuck at 5 mph and the tachometer still displaying 1,100 rpm.The crossing didn’t have any lights or signals to warn that a train was approaching. Before the crash, area residents had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/amtrak-accident-missouri-investigation-10b519f9c4bf04d4a3cd490fddae217c">expressed concerns</a>&nbsp;for nearly three years about the safety of the crossing because of the lack of visibility. Another dump truck driver who witnessed the crash told investigators that he also typically ignored the stop sign at the crossing because the steep grade of the gravel road entering the crossing made it hard to start up again for the trucks loaded with rock for a nearby levee project that were equipped with manual transmissions.Investigators said the grade approaching the crossing was much steeper than the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recommends. The road dropped 39 inches (0.99 meters) over the 30 feet (9.1 meters) approaching the tracks. Experts recommend that the approach to a crossing shouldn't slope down more than 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) in that span.The state Transportation Department had put the $400,000 project to add lights and gates at the crossing on a priority list, but it hadn't received funding before the derailment.The Mendon crossing was closed immediately after last year's crash. State officials will announce a $50 million plan to upgrade rail crossings statewide along tracks that passenger railroads use Thursday. Those projects will focus on the 47 passive crossings on three tracks that carry passenger trains although the NTSB said last year that Missouri has about 3,500 crossings like that statewide.Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari said the railroad appreciates Missouri's efforts and it will keep working to improve safety.“By making improvements on routes used by Amtrak a high priority, the State of Missouri is making a commitment to grade crossing safety that is a model for other states,” Magliari said.Roughly half of all rail crossings nationwide — some 130,000 of them — are considered passive without any lights or arms that automatically come down when a train is approaching.For years, the NTSB has recommended closing passive crossings or adding gates, bells and other safety measures whenever possible. The U.S. Transportation Department recently announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/railroad-crossing-elimination-grants-transportation-department-dce25564812f3a550bde46b5b2976c1e">$570 million in grants</a>&nbsp;to help eliminate railroad crossings in 32 states but that funding will only eliminate a few dozen crossings.Federal statistics show that roughly 2,000 collisions occur every year at rail crossings nationwide, and last year nearly 250 deaths were recorded in car-train crashes.The people killed in the Amtrak derailment included the dump truck driver, 54-year-old Billy Barton II, of Brookfield, Missouri, and three passengers: Rochelle Cook, 58, and Kim Holsapple, 56, both of DeSoto, Kansas, and 82-year-old Binh Phan, of Kansas City, Missouri.The Missouri State Highway Patrol said up to 150 people also were injured.The Southwest Chief was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago when it hit the rear right side of the truck near Mendon. Two locomotives and eight cars derailed. The train had 12 crewmembers and 271 aboard.Several lawsuits were filed against BNSF after the derailment because that Fort Worth, Texas-based freight railroad owns and maintains the tracks involved. BNSF officials didn't immediately respond to the NTSB report Wednesday.Amtrak and BNSF estimated that the derailment caused roughly $4 million damage to their equipment and tracks.

Poorly designed crossing contributed to fatal Amtrak derailment

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating after a suspicious package was found in an east Wichita neighborhood.

Just after 7a.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to the 5100 block of East Kellogg Drive for a suspicious package call, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo. 

Upon arrival, officers located a suitcase leaning against a gas meter on the north side of the building.&nbsp;

Based on the location of the package near the <a href="https://trustwomen.org/clinics/wichita/patient-care-services/abortion">Trust Women Clinic</a>, 5107 East Kellogg, an abortion provider, and an abundance of caution, officers retreated, set up a perimeter, and called for additional units.

After assessing the situation and with&nbsp; citizens’ safety as police priority, police requested the assistance of&nbsp; local federal law enforcement partners and closed&nbsp;Kellogg between Woodlawn and Oliver in both directions and other streets in the area during the investigation.

Wichita police officers, investigators, traffic units, Bomb Squad, the City of Wichita, the Fire Department, EMS, outside partnering agencies, and private partners worked to safely resolve the situation without any incidents. There were no injuries reported.&nbsp;The criminal investigation continues&nbsp; and any findings by law enforcement will be forwarded to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.&nbsp; 

Wednesday's incident occurred on the one year anniversary of the Kansas vote on reproductive rights following the Supreme Court overturning&nbsp; Roe v. Wade.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691004419878.png" alt="KanDrive camera view Wednesday morning 9a.m. as police shut down Kellogg between Woodlawn and Oliver in both directions." />
 <figcaption>KanDrive camera view Wednesday morning 9a.m. as police shut down Kellogg between Woodlawn and Oliver in both directions.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating after a suspicious package was found in an east Wichita neighborhood.Just after 7a.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to the 5100 block of East Kellogg Drive for a suspicious package call, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo. Upon arrival, officers located a suitcase leaning against a gas meter on the north side of the building.&nbsp; Based on the location of the package near the <a href="https://trustwomen.org/clinics/wichita/patient-care-services/abortion">Trust Women Clinic</a>, 5107 East Kellogg, an abortion provider, and an abundance of caution, officers retreated, set up a perimeter, and called for additional units.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1691004362193.png" alt="Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the investigation -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>After assessing the situation and with&nbsp; citizens’ safety as police priority, police requested the assistance of&nbsp; local federal law enforcement partners and closed&nbsp;Kellogg between Woodlawn and Oliver in both directions and other streets in the area during the investigation.Wichita police officers, investigators, traffic units, Bomb Squad, the City of Wichita, the Fire Department, EMS, outside partnering agencies, and private partners worked to safely resolve the situation without any incidents. There were no injuries reported.&nbsp;The criminal investigation continues&nbsp; and any findings by law enforcement will be forwarded to the Sedgwick County District Attorney.&nbsp; Wednesday's incident occurred on the one year anniversary of the Kansas vote on reproductive rights following the Supreme Court overturning&nbsp; Roe v. Wade.

Suspicious package found near Kansas abortion provider

CAMDEN COUNTY —A Kansas woman critically injured in a near drowning over the weekend has died.&nbsp;

On July 29, troopers responded to  Ha Ha Tonka State Park Mouth of the Spring for a swimmer in distress, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

&nbsp; Yolanda Munoz-Garcia, 19, Kansas City, Kansas, was swimming in the current. She went below the surface of the water and did not resurface on her own.&nbsp; A bystander pulled her back to the surface and she was admitted to Lake Regional Hospital in critical condition.

On Wednesday, the patrol reported Munoz-Garcia died just after 6p.m.&nbsp; on Monday.&nbsp;

CAMDEN COUNTY —A Kansas woman critically injured in a near drowning over the weekend has died.&nbsp;On July 29, troopers responded to Ha Ha Tonka State Park Mouth of the Spring for a swimmer in distress, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.&nbsp; Yolanda Munoz-Garcia, 19, Kansas City, Kansas, was swimming in the current. She went below the surface of the water and did not resurface on her own.&nbsp; A bystander pulled her back to the surface and she was admitted to Lake Regional Hospital in critical condition.On Wednesday, the patrol reported Munoz-Garcia died just after 6p.m.&nbsp; on Monday.&nbsp;

Kan. woman critically injured at Lake of the Ozarks has died

By SAM BAILEY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/grieving-moms-plea-to-kansas-lawmakers-do-something-this-epidemic-is-killing-our-kids/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Christina Haswood was in 8th grade biology class when she watched Barack Obama get sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.

Now, Haswood, a Lawrence Democrat and the Kansas House minority policy chair, has been chosen as an emerging changemaker for the first iteration of Obama Foundation’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.obama.org/programs/leaders/usa/">Leaders USA program</a>. When asked what her younger self would think of where she is now, she said she’s taken back to that moment in biology watching Obama’s inauguration.

“It was just a surreal moment,” Haswood said. “And I really didn’t understand what it meant, but I knew that a person of color was going to be in the White House, and I was like, this is so amazing.”

When asked who her favorite politician was, she would answer Michelle Obama. While she says she knew Michelle wasn’t necessarily a politician, her work on community and childhood health connected with Haswood and what she wanted to pursue.

Launched in 2018, the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.obama.org/">Obama Foundation Leaders program</a>&nbsp;gathers leaders from different regions of the world and allows them to share ideas and expand their leadership skills to improve their communities and create positive change. In addition to working with each other, the changemakers will engage with the former president, leadership coaches and experts in various fields, according to a news release announcing the program.

Haswood’s group of 100 is the first batch of leaders to participate in the new United States program. Previously, the leadership programs were only in Africa, Asia Pacific and Europe. Members in the U.S. program include residents of 37 states, Washington, D.C., American Samoa, Guam, and five tribal nations.

Obama said in the news release he is inspired by the diverse group of individuals in the program who are “working on the most pressing issues facing our world.”

“Their ideas and leadership will help strengthen democracy now and in the future,” he said. “These leaders give me hope, and they deserve our support.”

Currently in the second week of the six-month program, Haswood said it’s great to see the group share their diverse experiences and ideas to solve long-standing problems.

“There’s great lessons of compassion and great lessons of what it is to be a leader,” Haswood said. “They’re giving us resources from effective communication to coaching, it’s really a surreal experience, and to just see the diversity and to see the issues that people are working on is so inspiring.”

Growing up as a Navajo Native American in Lawrence, she said while she wasn’t physically near her family and reservation, her parents gave her a depth of knowledge about her culture. She said she loves dressing in traditional Navajo regalia and is glad members of the community have accepted her as an indigenous woman.

“My personal experience of growing up in a western society, in a town that’s not really diverse, has helped me navigate my experiences as a Native American, indigenous young woman in a space that’s predominantly not of color,” Haswood said. “But quite interesting enough in politics, a space that once wanted to kill us off, a space that implemented and had thoughts of genocide towards the indigenous peoples and a country whose political system wanted to get rid of us.”

Haswood was first approached about running for office a month before graduating graduate school. As a 26-year-old with a public health background, she learned along the way, using social media as a way of advertising on a small budget.

Now 29, she recently expanded her use of TikTok to explain politics to young people and show those who don’t have extensive background in law how to find and understand legislative bills. She said as someone who didn’t come from a law background and has only been in office a few years, she understands how scary learning about politics can be and how those outside of the Statehouse may not have time to focus on legislators.

Haswood said she wants young people to know they are needed in politics and their voices are important.

“As we learn how to be civically engaged and politically involved, bring your friends along, build a bench and leave down the ladder,” Haswood said. “Because it’s going to take a community and it’s going to take years and generations to continue to build a more just and equal society.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1690998501562.png" alt=" Rep. Christina Haswood questions the fairness of a flat tax proposal that would mainly benefit wealthy Kansans during a legislative hearing in April 2023. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Rep. Christina Haswood questions the fairness of a flat tax proposal that would mainly benefit wealthy Kansans during a legislative hearing in April 2023. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By SAM BAILEY <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/04/06/grieving-moms-plea-to-kansas-lawmakers-do-something-this-epidemic-is-killing-our-kids/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Christina Haswood was in 8th grade biology class when she watched Barack Obama get sworn in as the 44th president of the United States.Now, Haswood, a Lawrence Democrat and the Kansas House minority policy chair, has been chosen as an emerging changemaker for the first iteration of Obama Foundation’s&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.obama.org/programs/leaders/usa/">Leaders USA program</a>. When asked what her younger self would think of where she is now, she said she’s taken back to that moment in biology watching Obama’s inauguration.“It was just a surreal moment,” Haswood said. “And I really didn’t understand what it meant, but I knew that a person of color was going to be in the White House, and I was like, this is so amazing.”When asked who her favorite politician was, she would answer Michelle Obama. While she says she knew Michelle wasn’t necessarily a politician, her work on community and childhood health connected with Haswood and what she wanted to pursue.Launched in 2018, the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.obama.org/">Obama Foundation Leaders program</a>&nbsp;gathers leaders from different regions of the world and allows them to share ideas and expand their leadership skills to improve their communities and create positive change. In addition to working with each other, the changemakers will engage with the former president, leadership coaches and experts in various fields, according to a news release announcing the program.Haswood’s group of 100 is the first batch of leaders to participate in the new United States program. Previously, the leadership programs were only in Africa, Asia Pacific and Europe. Members in the U.S. program include residents of 37 states, Washington, D.C., American Samoa, Guam, and five tribal nations.Obama said in the news release he is inspired by the diverse group of individuals in the program who are “working on the most pressing issues facing our world.”“Their ideas and leadership will help strengthen democracy now and in the future,” he said. “These leaders give me hope, and they deserve our support.”Currently in the second week of the six-month program, Haswood said it’s great to see the group share their diverse experiences and ideas to solve long-standing problems.“There’s great lessons of compassion and great lessons of what it is to be a leader,” Haswood said. “They’re giving us resources from effective communication to coaching, it’s really a surreal experience, and to just see the diversity and to see the issues that people are working on is so inspiring.”Growing up as a Navajo Native American in Lawrence, she said while she wasn’t physically near her family and reservation, her parents gave her a depth of knowledge about her culture. She said she loves dressing in traditional Navajo regalia and is glad members of the community have accepted her as an indigenous woman.“My personal experience of growing up in a western society, in a town that’s not really diverse, has helped me navigate my experiences as a Native American, indigenous young woman in a space that’s predominantly not of color,” Haswood said. “But quite interesting enough in politics, a space that once wanted to kill us off, a space that implemented and had thoughts of genocide towards the indigenous peoples and a country whose political system wanted to get rid of us.”Haswood was first approached about running for office a month before graduating graduate school. As a 26-year-old with a public health background, she learned along the way, using social media as a way of advertising on a small budget.Now 29, she recently expanded her use of TikTok to explain politics to young people and show those who don’t have extensive background in law how to find and understand legislative bills. She said as someone who didn’t come from a law background and has only been in office a few years, she understands how scary learning about politics can be and how those outside of the Statehouse may not have time to focus on legislators.Haswood said she wants young people to know they are needed in politics and their voices are important.“As we learn how to be civically engaged and politically involved, bring your friends along, build a bench and leave down the ladder,” Haswood said. “Because it’s going to take a community and it’s going to take years and generations to continue to build a more just and equal society.”

Kansas lawmaker chosen for Obama leadership program

RILEY —A family pet died in a fire early Wednesday in the city of Riley.

&nbsp;Just after midnight, the City of Riley Fire Department and the Riley County Fire District #1 volunteers were called respond to a fire at a home in the 300 block of North Broadway in Riley, Kansas, according to a media release.

Upon arrival crews found the two-story home with flames and smoke visible.&nbsp;

Twenty-five firefighters with 13 fire apparatus responded to the scene along with the Riley County Police Department and Riley County Emergency Medical Services.

Two adults and one dog were inside the home at the time of the fire.

One adult escaped without injury, the other one was injured while escaping an upstairs bedroom. Unfortunately the family dog perished in the fire.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Office of the State Fire Marshal. A damage estimate is not yet available.

&nbsp; “It appears the fire started on the front porch and quickly spread to other areas of the home,” said RCFD#1 Deputy Fire Chief Doug Russell. “We want to thank all the volunteers&nbsp;for their hard work to extinguish this fire. We have a dedicated crew&nbsp;who give their time to support the community, and we are extremely fortunate to have their support.” &nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1690988395682.jpeg" alt="House damaged by fire in Riley- photo from Kevin Bellamy" />
 <figcaption>House damaged by fire in Riley- photo from Kevin Bellamy</figcaption>
 </figure>RILEY —A family pet died in a fire early Wednesday in the city of Riley.&nbsp;Just after midnight, the City of Riley Fire Department and the Riley County Fire District #1 volunteers were called respond to a fire at a home in the 300 block of North Broadway in Riley, Kansas, according to a media release.<div><iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d3710.5462476199577!2d-96.82765682360142!3d39.30113342278065!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x87bdb9f1f0aa940f%3A0x931992beae47e0d7!2s300%20N%20Broadway%20St%2C%20Riley%2C%20KS%2066531!5e1!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1690988768087!5m2!1sen!2sus" width="600" height="450" style="border:0;" allowfullscreen="" loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>Upon arrival crews found the two-story home with flames and smoke visible.&nbsp;Twenty-five firefighters with 13 fire apparatus responded to the scene along with the Riley County Police Department and Riley County Emergency Medical Services.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1690988656716.jpeg" alt="House damaged by fire in Riley, KS, photo from Kevin Bellamy" />
 <figcaption>House damaged by fire in Riley, KS, photo from Kevin Bellamy</figcaption>
 </figure>Two adults and one dog were inside the home at the time of the fire.One adult escaped without injury, the other one was injured while escaping an upstairs bedroom. Unfortunately the family dog perished in the fire.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1690989590722.jpeg" alt="House damaged by fire in Riley, KS,&nbsp;photo from Kevin Bellamy" />
 <figcaption>House damaged by fire in Riley, KS,&nbsp;photo from Kevin Bellamy</figcaption>
 </figure>The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Office of the State Fire Marshal. A damage estimate is not yet available.&nbsp; “It appears the fire started on the front porch and quickly spread to other areas of the home,” said RCFD#1 Deputy Fire Chief Doug Russell. “We want to thank all the volunteers&nbsp;for their hard work to extinguish this fire. We have a dedicated crew&nbsp;who give their time to support the community, and we are extremely fortunate to have their support.” &nbsp;&nbsp;

Family pet dies in Kansas house fire

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a homicide and asked the public for help in identifying the suspect vehicle.&nbsp;

Just before noon Wednesday, police reported the suspect and vehicle are in custody.&nbsp;

The homicide and several shootings occurred just after 8 a.m. Wednesday in the 11900 block of Smalley in the Kansas City suburb of Grandview Missouri, according to Police Captain Corey Carlisle. Police do not have a description of the driver of the vehicle. Police initially reported the suspect was Black male in a skull mask.

KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide and asking the public for help&nbsp;in identifying the suspect vehicle.

If anyone has information on the vehicle or its occupants call detectives at 816-234-5227 or 816-474-TIPS.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/8/1690992870073.png" alt="&nbsp;The suspect vehicle is a green Dodge Dakota with an extended cab with gray trim, silver wheels, a large sticker in the rear window and a lawnmower in the bed of the truck.Photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>&nbsp;The suspect vehicle is a green Dodge Dakota with an extended cab with gray trim, silver wheels, a large sticker in the rear window and a lawnmower in the bed of the truck.Photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a homicide and asked the public for help in identifying the suspect vehicle.&nbsp;Just before noon Wednesday, police reported the suspect and vehicle are in custody.&nbsp;The homicide and several shootings occurred just after 8 a.m. Wednesday in the 11900 block of Smalley in the Kansas City suburb of Grandview Missouri, according to Police Captain Corey Carlisle. Police do not have a description of the driver of the vehicle. Police initially reported the suspect was Black male in a skull mask.----------KANSAS CITY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a homicide and asking the public for help&nbsp;in identifying the suspect vehicle.The homicide and several shootings occurred just after 8 a.m. Wednesday in the 11900 block of Smalley in the Kansas City suburb of Grandview Missouri, according to Police Captain Corey Carlisle. Police do not have a description of the driver of the vehicle. Police initially reported the suspect was Black male in a skull mask.If anyone has information on the vehicle or its occupants call detectives at 816-234-5227 or 816-474-TIPS.&nbsp;

Homicide: KCPD locate vehicle, suspect wanted in 3 shootings

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that total tax collections for July 2023 were $681.0 million. That is $13.9 million, or 2.1%, more than the estimate. Total tax collections are up $94.7 million, or 16.2%, from July 2022, according to a media release from her office.

Click&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vZ292ZXJub3Iua2Fuc2FzLmdvdi93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyMy8wOC8wMV9KdWx5X1JldmVudWVfRlkyMDI0XzA4LTAxLTIwMjNfRmluYWwucGRmIiwiYnVsbGV0aW5faWQiOiIyMDIzMDgwMS44MDUwNDczMSJ9.vMpAACzeGChLGSusQHPGKC4MtyDtzQ-9llJZyErMndk/s/1303160919/br/223537620945-l" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;to view the July 2023 revenue numbers.&nbsp;

“We are starting this fiscal year on strong financial footing, thanks to my administration’s laser-sharp focus on attracting businesses and growing the state’s economy,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“The numbers are clear: we must put money back in the hands of working Kansans through responsible tax cuts.”&nbsp;

Individual income tax collections were $313.7 million. That is $3.7 million, or 1.2%, more than the estimate, and a $13.2 million, or 4.4%, growth from July 2022. Corporate income tax collections were $44.7 million. That’s $4.7 million, or 11.9%, more than the estimate and up 22.2% from July 2022.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“It is important to note that wage withholding, the largest component of the $313.7 million in individual income tax receipts, is 13.4% more than in July 2022. Kansas wage income continues to be strong as the state moves into Fiscal Year 2024,”&nbsp;said Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart.&nbsp;

Combined retail sales and compensating use tax receipts were $315.3 million, which is $12.3 million, or 4.1%, more than the estimate and up 38.8% from July 2022.&nbsp;

TOPEKA&nbsp;– Governor Laura Kelly announced Tuesday that total tax collections for July 2023 were $681.0 million. That is $13.9 million, or 2.1%, more than the estimate. Total tax collections are up $94.7 million, or 16.2%, from July 2022, according to a media release from her office.Click&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vZ292ZXJub3Iua2Fuc2FzLmdvdi93cC1jb250ZW50L3VwbG9hZHMvMjAyMy8wOC8wMV9KdWx5X1JldmVudWVfRlkyMDI0XzA4LTAxLTIwMjNfRmluYWwucGRmIiwiYnVsbGV0aW5faWQiOiIyMDIzMDgwMS44MDUwNDczMSJ9.vMpAACzeGChLGSusQHPGKC4MtyDtzQ-9llJZyErMndk/s/1303160919/br/223537620945-l" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;to view the July 2023 revenue numbers.&nbsp;“We are starting this fiscal year on strong financial footing, thanks to my administration’s laser-sharp focus on attracting businesses and growing the state’s economy,”&nbsp;Governor Laura Kelly said.&nbsp;“The numbers are clear: we must put money back in the hands of working Kansans through responsible tax cuts.”&nbsp;Individual income tax collections were $313.7 million. That is $3.7 million, or 1.2%, more than the estimate, and a $13.2 million, or 4.4%, growth from July 2022. Corporate income tax collections were $44.7 million. That’s $4.7 million, or 11.9%, more than the estimate and up 22.2% from July 2022.&nbsp;&nbsp;“It is important to note that wage withholding, the largest component of the $313.7 million in individual income tax receipts, is 13.4% more than in July 2022. Kansas wage income continues to be strong as the state moves into Fiscal Year 2024,”&nbsp;said Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart.&nbsp;Combined retail sales and compensating use tax receipts were $315.3 million, which is $12.3 million, or 4.1%, more than the estimate and up 38.8% from July 2022.&nbsp;