WASHINGTON —Earlier Saturday, President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Trudeau on the unidentified, unmanned object in North American air space, according to a statement released from the White House.

The object was closely tracked and monitored by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) over the last 24 hours and the President has been continually briefed by his national security team since the object was detected.

Out of an abundance of caution and at the recommendation of their militaries, President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau authorized it to be taken down. President Biden authorized US fighter aircraft assigned to NORAD to conduct the operation and a US F-22 shot down the object in Canadian territory in close coordination with Canadian authorities. 

The leaders discussed the importance of recovering the object in order to determine more details on its purpose or origin. President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau commended NORAD’s and U.S. Northern Command’s strong and effective partnership and agreed to continue their close coordination to detect, track, and defend our airspace.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that on his order a U.S. fighter jet shot down an “unidentified object” that was flying high over the Yukon, acting a day after the U.S. took similar action over Alaska.

North American Aerospace Defense Command, the combined U.S.-Canada organization that provides shared defense of airspace over the two nations, detected the object flying at a high altitude Friday evening over Alaska, U.S. officials said. It crossed into Canadian airspace on Saturday.

Trudeau spoke with President Joe Biden, who also ordered the object to be shot down. Canadian and U.S. jets operating as part of NORAD were scrambled and it was a U.S. jet that shot down the object.

Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand told a news conference in Ottawa that the object, flying at around 40,000 feet, had been shot down at 3:41 p.m. EST, approximately 100 miles from the Canada-U.S. border in the central Yukon. A recovery operation was underway involving the Canadian Armed Forces and the RCMP.

Hours later, in the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration said Saturday night it had closed some airspace in Montana to support Defense Department activities. NORAD later said the closure, which lasted a little more than an hour, came after it had detected “a radar anomaly” and sent fighter aircraft to investigate. The aircraft did not identify any object to correlate to the radar hits, NORAD said.

F-22 fighter jets have now taken out three objects in the airspace above the U.S. and Canada over seven days, a stunning development that is raising questions on just what, exactly, is hovering overhead and who has sent them.

At least one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-balloon-military-involvement-e45c759cb00294e83989fa35970935bc">objects downed was believed to be a spy balloon from China</a>, but the other two had not yet been publicly identified.

While Trudeau described the object Saturday as “unidentified,” Anand said it appeared to be “a small cylindrical object, smaller than the one that was downed off the coast of North Carolina." A NORAD spokesman, Maj. Olivier Gallant, said the military had determined what it was but would not reveal details.

Anand refused to speculate whether the object shot down over Canada came from China.

“We are continuing to do the analysis on the object and we will make sure that analysis is thorough,” she said. “It would not be prudent for me to speculate on the origins of the object at this time.”

Anand said to her knowledge this was the first time NORAD had downed an object in Canadian airspace.

“The importance of this moment should not be underestimated,” she said. “We detected this object together and we defeated this object together.”

She was asked why a U.S. jet, and not a Canadian plane, shot the object down.

“As opposed to separating it out by country, I think what the important point is, these were NORAD capabilities, this was a NORAD mission and this was NORAD doing what it is supposed to do,” she said.

Anand didn’t use the word “balloon” to describe the object. But later, Gen. Wayne Eyre, chief of the defense staff, said the instructions given to the planes was “who ever had the first, best shot to take out the balloon had the go-ahead.”

Trudeau said Canadian forces would recover the wreckage for study. The Yukon is westernmost Canadian territory and the among the least populated part of Canada.

After the airspace closure over Montana, multiple members of Congress, including Montana Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester, said they were in touch with defense officials. Daines tweeted that he would “continue to demand answers on these invasions of US airspace.”

Just about a day earlier,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-shoots-down-unknown-flying-object-175f9078d1df36e392b2956ba771001e">White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby</a>&nbsp;said an object roughly the size of a small car was shot out of the skies above remote Alaska. Officials couldn’t say if it contained any surveillance equipment, where it came from or what purpose it had.

Kirby said it was shot down because it was flying at about 40,000 feet (13,000 meters) and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, not because of any knowledge that it was engaged in surveillance.

According to U.S. Northern Command, recovery operations continued Saturday on sea ice near Deadhorse, Alaska.

In a statement, the Northern Command said there were no new details on what the object was. It said the Alaska Command and the Alaska National Guard, along with the FBI and local law enforcement, were conducting search and recovery.

“Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow, and limited daylight, are a factor in this operation, and personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain safety,” the statement said.

On Feb. 4,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-montana-north-carolina-302134762e8aeae53314ebd9fdb327e4">U.S. officials shot down a large white balloon</a>&nbsp;off the coast of South Carolina.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-balloon-military-involvement-e45c759cb00294e83989fa35970935bc">balloon was part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting</a>&nbsp;for “several years,” the Pentagon has said. The U.S. has said Chinese balloons have flown over dozens of countries across five continents in recent years, and it learned more about the balloon program after closely monitoring the one shot down near South Carolina.

China responded that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-a75ba8d9fa157e5b87318483141b19ca">it reserved the right to “take further actions”</a>&nbsp;and criticized the U.S. for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”

The Navy continued survey and recovery activities on the ocean floor off South Carolina, and the Coast Guard was providing security. Additional debris was pulled out Friday, and additional operations will continue as weather permits, Northern Command said.

WASHINGTON —Earlier Saturday, President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Trudeau on the unidentified, unmanned object in North American air space, according to a statement released from the White House.The object was closely tracked and monitored by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) over the last 24 hours and the President has been continually briefed by his national security team since the object was detected.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Statement from NORAD &amp; U.S. Northern Command <a href="https://t.co/aY1VXRCpEs">pic.twitter.com/aY1VXRCpEs</a>&mdash; North American Aerospace Defense Command (@NORADCommand) <a href="https://twitter.com/NORADCommand/status/1624596337890058240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Out of an abundance of caution and at the recommendation of their militaries, President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau authorized it to be taken down. President Biden authorized US fighter aircraft assigned to NORAD to conduct the operation and a US F-22 shot down the object in Canadian territory in close coordination with Canadian authorities. The leaders discussed the importance of recovering the object in order to determine more details on its purpose or origin. President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau commended NORAD’s and U.S. Northern Command’s strong and effective partnership and agreed to continue their close coordination to detect, track, and defend our airspace.---------VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that on his order a U.S. fighter jet shot down an “unidentified object” that was flying high over the Yukon, acting a day after the U.S. took similar action over Alaska.North American Aerospace Defense Command, the combined U.S.-Canada organization that provides shared defense of airspace over the two nations, detected the object flying at a high altitude Friday evening over Alaska, U.S. officials said. It crossed into Canadian airspace on Saturday.Trudeau spoke with President Joe Biden, who also ordered the object to be shot down. Canadian and U.S. jets operating as part of NORAD were scrambled and it was a U.S. jet that shot down the object.Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand told a news conference in Ottawa that the object, flying at around 40,000 feet, had been shot down at 3:41 p.m. EST, approximately 100 miles from the Canada-U.S. border in the central Yukon. A recovery operation was underway involving the Canadian Armed Forces and the RCMP.Hours later, in the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration said Saturday night it had closed some airspace in Montana to support Defense Department activities. NORAD later said the closure, which lasted a little more than an hour, came after it had detected “a radar anomaly” and sent fighter aircraft to investigate. The aircraft did not identify any object to correlate to the radar hits, NORAD said.F-22 fighter jets have now taken out three objects in the airspace above the U.S. and Canada over seven days, a stunning development that is raising questions on just what, exactly, is hovering overhead and who has sent them.At least one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-balloon-military-involvement-e45c759cb00294e83989fa35970935bc">objects downed was believed to be a spy balloon from China</a>, but the other two had not yet been publicly identified.While Trudeau described the object Saturday as “unidentified,” Anand said it appeared to be “a small cylindrical object, smaller than the one that was downed off the coast of North Carolina." A NORAD spokesman, Maj. Olivier Gallant, said the military had determined what it was but would not reveal details.Anand refused to speculate whether the object shot down over Canada came from China.“We are continuing to do the analysis on the object and we will make sure that analysis is thorough,” she said. “It would not be prudent for me to speculate on the origins of the object at this time.”Anand said to her knowledge this was the first time NORAD had downed an object in Canadian airspace.“The importance of this moment should not be underestimated,” she said. “We detected this object together and we defeated this object together.”She was asked why a U.S. jet, and not a Canadian plane, shot the object down.“As opposed to separating it out by country, I think what the important point is, these were NORAD capabilities, this was a NORAD mission and this was NORAD doing what it is supposed to do,” she said.Anand didn’t use the word “balloon” to describe the object. But later, Gen. Wayne Eyre, chief of the defense staff, said the instructions given to the planes was “who ever had the first, best shot to take out the balloon had the go-ahead.”Trudeau said Canadian forces would recover the wreckage for study. The Yukon is westernmost Canadian territory and the among the least populated part of Canada.After the airspace closure over Montana, multiple members of Congress, including Montana Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester, said they were in touch with defense officials. Daines tweeted that he would “continue to demand answers on these invasions of US airspace.”Just about a day earlier,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-shoots-down-unknown-flying-object-175f9078d1df36e392b2956ba771001e">White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby</a>&nbsp;said an object roughly the size of a small car was shot out of the skies above remote Alaska. Officials couldn’t say if it contained any surveillance equipment, where it came from or what purpose it had.Kirby said it was shot down because it was flying at about 40,000 feet (13,000 meters) and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, not because of any knowledge that it was engaged in surveillance.According to U.S. Northern Command, recovery operations continued Saturday on sea ice near Deadhorse, Alaska.In a statement, the Northern Command said there were no new details on what the object was. It said the Alaska Command and the Alaska National Guard, along with the FBI and local law enforcement, were conducting search and recovery.“Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow, and limited daylight, are a factor in this operation, and personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain safety,” the statement said.On Feb. 4,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-montana-north-carolina-302134762e8aeae53314ebd9fdb327e4">U.S. officials shot down a large white balloon</a>&nbsp;off the coast of South Carolina.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-balloon-military-involvement-e45c759cb00294e83989fa35970935bc">balloon was part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting</a>&nbsp;for “several years,” the Pentagon has said. The U.S. has said Chinese balloons have flown over dozens of countries across five continents in recent years, and it learned more about the balloon program after closely monitoring the one shot down near South Carolina.China responded that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-a75ba8d9fa157e5b87318483141b19ca">it reserved the right to “take further actions”</a>&nbsp;and criticized the U.S. for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”The Navy continued survey and recovery activities on the ocean floor off South Carolina, and the Coast Guard was providing security. Additional debris was pulled out Friday, and additional operations will continue as weather permits, Northern Command said.

White House on U.S. fighter jet shooting down UFO over Canada

FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspect on multiple drug allegations after a high-risk traffic stop on Wednesday.

Officers of the Garden City Police Department and the Garden City/Finney County Joint Drug Task Force conducted the stop in the 3400 block of E. Spruce Street in Garden City, according to a media release.

Officers made contact with 48-year-old Kelly Deremus and 30-year-old Shelby Deremus as part of an ongoing investigation.&nbsp; Officers had prior knowledge that Kelly Deremus had an active warrant. 

After further investigation, a search of the vehicle was conducted. Multiple narcotics were seized to include fentanyl, methamphetamine, marijuana, and counterfeit oxycodone pills. 

Officers arrested both at the scene. Due to the location and known criminal history of Kelly Deremus, Victor Ornelas Elementary School and Charles O. Stones Intermediate Center were placed on lockdown for a few minutes as a precaution.

Kelly Deremus is in custody on requested charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Stimulants, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Ignition Interlock and the Finney County District Court warrant along with Fleeing and Eluding/Driving Under the Influence. Shelby Deremus was booking into jail on requested charges of Possession of Stimulants and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675979613263.png" alt="Kelly Deremus-photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Kelly Deremus-photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspect on multiple drug allegations after a high-risk traffic stop on Wednesday.Officers of the Garden City Police Department and the Garden City/Finney County Joint Drug Task Force conducted the stop in the 3400 block of E. Spruce Street in Garden City, according to a media release.Officers made contact with 48-year-old Kelly Deremus and 30-year-old Shelby Deremus as part of an ongoing investigation.&nbsp; Officers had prior knowledge that Kelly Deremus had an active warrant. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675979545580.png" alt="Shelby Deremus-photo Finney Co ." />
 <figcaption>Shelby Deremus-photo Finney Co .</figcaption>
 </figure>After further investigation, a search of the vehicle was conducted. Multiple narcotics were seized to include fentanyl, methamphetamine, marijuana, and counterfeit oxycodone pills. Officers arrested both at the scene. Due to the location and known criminal history of Kelly Deremus, Victor Ornelas Elementary School and Charles O. Stones Intermediate Center were placed on lockdown for a few minutes as a precaution.Kelly Deremus is in custody on requested charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Stimulants, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Ignition Interlock and the Finney County District Court warrant along with Fleeing and Eluding/Driving Under the Influence. Shelby Deremus was booking into jail on requested charges of Possession of Stimulants and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Drug task force finds fentanyl, counterfeit pills during Kan. traffic stop

RILEY COUNTY—A man died in an accident just before 4:30p.m. Saturday in Riley County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Ford F150 driven by Brian J. Butts, 60, Bridgeton, Missouri, was westbound on Interstate 70 just before Tallgrass Road.

The pickup crossed the center median continued through the eastbound lanes into the South ditch, struck a concrete culvert, became airborne, landed on its front end and overturned.

Butts was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Frontier Forensics. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

RILEY COUNTY—A man died in an accident just before 4:30p.m. Saturday in Riley County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Ford F150 driven by Brian J. Butts, 60, Bridgeton, Missouri, was westbound on Interstate 70 just before Tallgrass Road.The pickup crossed the center median continued through the eastbound lanes into the South ditch, struck a concrete culvert, became airborne, landed on its front end and overturned.Butts was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Frontier Forensics. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Man dies after violent pickup crash on I-70

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that on his order a U.S. fighter jet shot down an “unidentified object” that was flying high over the Yukon, acting a day after the U.S. took similar action over Alaska.

In the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration said Saturday night it had closed some airspace in Montana to support Defense Department activities and referred further questions to NORAD. The airspace was later reopened, an FAA spokesman said.

At least one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-balloon-military-involvement-e45c759cb00294e83989fa35970935bc">objects downed was believed to be a spy balloon from China</a>, but the other two had not yet been publicly identified. While Trudeau described the object Saturday as “unidentified,” a NORAD spokesman, Maj. Olivier Gallant, said the military had determined what it was but would not reveal details.

Trudeau spoke with President Joe Biden, who also ordered the object to be shot down. Both Canadian and U.S. jets operating as part of NORAD were scrambled and it was a U.S. jet that shot the object down.

Just about a day earlier,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-shoots-down-unknown-flying-object-175f9078d1df36e392b2956ba771001e">White House National Security Council spokesman spokesman John Kirby</a>&nbsp;said an object roughly the size of a small car was shot out of the skies above remote Alaska. Officials couldn’t say if it contained any surveillance equipment, where it came from or what purpose it had.

Last Saturday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-montana-north-carolina-302134762e8aeae53314ebd9fdb327e4">U.S. officials shot down a large white balloon</a>&nbsp;off the coast of South Carolina.

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that on his order a U.S. fighter jet shot down an “unidentified object” that was flying high over the Yukon, acting a day after the U.S. took similar action over Alaska.North American Aerospace Defense Command, the combined U.S.-Canada organization that provides shared defense of airspace over the two nations, detected the object flying at a high altitude Friday evening over Alaska, U.S. officials said. It crossed into Canadian airspace on Saturday.Trudeau spoke with President Joe Biden, who also ordered the object to be shot down. Canadian and U.S. jets operating as part of NORAD were scrambled and it was a U.S. jet that shot down the object.In the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration said Saturday night it had closed some airspace in Montana to support Defense Department activities and referred further questions to NORAD. The airspace was later reopened, an FAA spokesman said.F-22 fighter jets have now taken out three objects in the airspace above the U.S. and Canada over seven days, a stunning development that is raising questions on just what, exactly, is hovering overhead and who has sent them.At least one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-balloon-military-involvement-e45c759cb00294e83989fa35970935bc">objects downed was believed to be a spy balloon from China</a>, but the other two had not yet been publicly identified. While Trudeau described the object Saturday as “unidentified,” a NORAD spokesman, Maj. Olivier Gallant, said the military had determined what it was but would not reveal details.Trudeau said Canadian forces would recover the wreckage for study. The Yukon is westernmost Canadian territory and the among the least populated part of Canada.Just about a day earlier,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-shoots-down-unknown-flying-object-175f9078d1df36e392b2956ba771001e">White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby</a>&nbsp;said an object roughly the size of a small car was shot out of the skies above remote Alaska. Officials couldn’t say if it contained any surveillance equipment, where it came from or what purpose it had.Kirby said it was shot down because it was flying at about 40,000 feet (13,000 meters) and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, not because of any knowledge that it was engaged in surveillance.According to U.S. Northern Command, recovery operations continued Saturday on sea ice near Deadhorse, Alaska.In a statement, the Northern Command said there were no new details on what the object was. It said the Alaska Command and the Alaska National Guard, along with the FBI and local law enforcement, were conducting search and recovery.“Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow, and limited daylight, are a factor in this operation, and personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain safety,” the statement said.On Feb. 4,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-montana-north-carolina-302134762e8aeae53314ebd9fdb327e4">U.S. officials shot down a large white balloon</a>&nbsp;off the coast of South Carolina.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-balloon-military-involvement-e45c759cb00294e83989fa35970935bc">balloon was part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting</a>&nbsp;for “several years,” the Pentagon has said. The U.S. has said Chinese balloons have flown over dozens of countries across five continents in recent years, and it learned more about the balloon program after closely monitoring the one shot down near South Carolina.China responded that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-a75ba8d9fa157e5b87318483141b19ca">it reserved the right to “take further actions”</a>&nbsp;and criticized the U.S. for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”The Navy continued survey and recovery activities on the ocean floor off South Carolina, and the Coast Guard was providing security. Additional debris was pulled out Friday, and additional operations will continue as weather permits, Northern Command said.--------------OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that on his order a U.S. fighter jet shot down an “unidentified object” that was flying high over the Yukon, acting a day after the U.S. took similar action over Alaska.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I ordered the take down of an unidentified object that violated Canadian airspace. <a href="https://twitter.com/NORADCommand?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NORADCommand</a> shot down the object over the Yukon. Canadian and U.S. aircraft were scrambled, and a U.S. F-22 successfully fired at the object.&mdash; Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) <a href="https://twitter.com/JustinTrudeau/status/1624527579116871681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>North American Aerospace Defense Command, the combined U.S.-Canada organization that provides shared defense of airspace over the two nations, detected the object flying at a high altitude Friday evening over Alaska, U.S. officials said. It crossed into Canadian airspace on Saturday.Trudeau spoke with President Joe Biden, who also ordered the object to be shot down. Both Canadian and U.S. jets operating as part of NORAD were scrambled and it was a U.S. jet that shot the object down.F-22 fighter jets have now taken out three objects in the airspace above the U.S. and Canada over seven days, a stunning development that is raising questions on just what, exactly, is hovering overhead and who has sent them.At least one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-balloon-military-involvement-e45c759cb00294e83989fa35970935bc">objects downed was believed to be a spy balloon from China</a>, but the other two had not yet been publicly identified. While Trudeau described the object Saturday as “unidentified,” a NORAD spokesman, Maj. Olivier Gallant, said the military had determined what it was but would not reveal details.Trudeau said Canadian forces would recover the wreckage for study. The Yukon is westernmost Canadian territory and the among the least populated part of Canada.Just about a day earlier,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-shoots-down-unknown-flying-object-175f9078d1df36e392b2956ba771001e">White House National Security Council spokesman spokesman John Kirby</a>&nbsp;said an object roughly the size of a small car was shot out of the skies above remote Alaska. Officials couldn’t say if it contained any surveillance equipment, where it came from or what purpose it had.Kirby said it was shot down because it was flying at about 40,000 feet (13,000 meters) and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, not because of any knowledge that it was engaged in surveillance.According to U.S. Northern Command, recovery operations continued Saturday on sea ice near Deadhorse, Alaska.In a statement, the Northern Command said there were no new details on what the object was. It said the Alaska Command and the Alaska National Guard, along with the FBI and local law enforcement, were conducting search and recovery.“Arctic weather conditions, including wind chill, snow, and limited daylight, are a factor in this operation, and personnel will adjust recovery operations to maintain safety,” the statement said.Last Saturday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-montana-north-carolina-302134762e8aeae53314ebd9fdb327e4">U.S. officials shot down a large white balloon</a>&nbsp;off the coast of South Carolina.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/chinese-balloon-military-involvement-e45c759cb00294e83989fa35970935bc">balloon was part of a large surveillance program that China has been conducting</a>&nbsp;for “several years,” the Pentagon has said. The U.S. has said Chinese balloons have flown over dozens of countries across five continents in recent years, and it learned more about the balloon program after closely monitoring the one shot down near South Carolina.China responded that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-a75ba8d9fa157e5b87318483141b19ca">it reserved the right to “take further actions”</a>&nbsp;and criticized the U.S. for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”The Navy continued survey and recovery activities on the ocean floor off South Carolina, and the Coast Guard was providing security. Additional debris was pulled out Friday, and additional operations will continue as weather permits, Northern Command said.

US warplane shot down another UFO; FAA temporarily closes airspace

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a series of burglaries and thefts in Kansas have a suspect in custody.

Just after 2:30a.m. Friday, police in St. Joseph police arrested 39-year-old&nbsp; Joshua L. Hosier of Atchison on an Atchison District Court warrant charging him with three counts of burglary, two counts of criminal damage to property, and theft related to unlawful entries and criminal damage to vehicles parked in the area of 9th and Commercial in Atchison that occurred on January 2, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

Hosier is being held in the Buchanan County Jail awaiting extradition.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676136567276.png" alt="Hosier-photo Buchanan Co." />
 <figcaption>Hosier-photo Buchanan Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a series of burglaries and thefts in Kansas have a suspect in custody.Just after 2:30a.m. Friday, police in St. Joseph police arrested 39-year-old&nbsp; Joshua L. Hosier of Atchison on an Atchison District Court warrant charging him with three counts of burglary, two counts of criminal damage to property, and theft related to unlawful entries and criminal damage to vehicles parked in the area of 9th and Commercial in Atchison that occurred on January 2, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.Hosier is being held in the Buchanan County Jail awaiting extradition.

Kansas man accused in series of burglaries jailed in Missouri

RENO COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on multiple charges after gunfire at a home.

Just after 1:30 a.m. Friday, police were dispatched to gunshots at a home in the 1100 Block E 4th&nbsp;Avenue in Hutchinson, according to a media release.&nbsp;

When officers arrived they contacted a 49-year-old man who reported that while he was inside his residence he heard &nbsp;gunshots coming from outside.&nbsp;

 An undisclosed number of bullets entered the interior of his home in close proximity to where he was located and his personal property damaged.&nbsp; The man was not injured.&nbsp; Police searched the area but didn't find a suspect.

Investigators were later able to identify 29-year-old Daniel Coronado Jr. of Hutchinson as a suspect&nbsp; &nbsp;Police learned Coronado and the victim were acquainted with each other, and there is reason to believe that the shooting was premeditated.

Just after 7 p.m. Friday, police arrested Coronado on requested charges of Attempted 1st&nbsp;Degree Murder and Felony criminal damage to property.&nbsp;

A juvenile female involved in the investigation was also taken into custody on requested charges of Possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia and interference with law enforcement. Coronado has previous convictions for criminal threat, domestic battery, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676102761083.jpeg" alt="Daniel Coronado has previous convictions for criminal threat, domestic battery, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections -photo -Hutchinson Police" />
 <figcaption>Daniel Coronado has previous convictions for criminal threat, domestic battery, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections -photo -Hutchinson Police</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on multiple charges after gunfire at a home.Just after 1:30 a.m. Friday, police were dispatched to gunshots at a home in the 1100 Block E 4th&nbsp;Avenue in Hutchinson, according to a media release.&nbsp;When officers arrived they contacted a 49-year-old man who reported that while he was inside his residence he heard &nbsp;gunshots coming from outside.&nbsp; An undisclosed number of bullets entered the interior of his home in close proximity to where he was located and his personal property damaged.&nbsp; The man was not injured.&nbsp; Police searched the area but didn't find a suspect.Investigators were later able to identify 29-year-old Daniel Coronado Jr. of Hutchinson as a suspect&nbsp; &nbsp;Police learned Coronado and the victim were acquainted with each other, and there is reason to believe that the shooting was premeditated.Just after 7 p.m. Friday, police arrested Coronado on requested charges of Attempted 1st&nbsp;Degree Murder and Felony criminal damage to property.&nbsp;A juvenile female involved in the investigation was also taken into custody on requested charges of Possession of marijuana, possession of paraphernalia and interference with law enforcement. Coronado has previous convictions for criminal threat, domestic battery, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections

Attempted murder: Kan. felon repeatedly fired gun at occupied home

By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/10/olympic-gymnast-shares-story-of-childhood-sexual-abuse-urges-changes-in-kansas-law/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA
 — Olympic gymnast and Missouri native Terin Humphrey says it is time to
 support sexual abuse survivors by passing legislation that would remove
 the statute of limitations for civil and criminal cases.

Humphrey appeared Thursday in the Senate chamber to receive a tribute from lawmakers and champion reform legislation.

“I think it’s crazy that it hasn’t 
passed yet, that it’s taken this long,” Humphrey said in an interview. 
“I’m excited that it’s finally being heard.”

The legislation in question —&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/hb2169_00_0000.pdf">House Bill 2169</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/sb95_00_0000.pdf">Senate Bill 95</a>,
 are companion bills — would remove the statute of limitations for both 
civil and criminal cases, and allow for retroactive litigation for abuse
 dating to 1984.

Kansas state law currently requires 
survivors to file a civil lawsuit by age 21. The Legislature eliminated 
the statute of limitations for criminal cases in 2013, but didn’t make 
the law retroactive.

Humphrey said many people don’t 
realize that Kansas law is so limiting, or realize how long it takes to 
come to terms with abuse. Most childhood sexual abuse victims don’t 
share their experiences until age 50 or older.

“They’re not ready,” Humphrey said. 
“I was 30 before I came out, and sometimes I’m not even ready. I’ve 
experienced the biggest stage in the world and I’m still hesitant to 
come out and talk about it, so I want them to understand that you’re 
just not mentally ready at that age.”

Humphrey won two silver medals in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in 
Athens and was a member of the U.S. National Gymnastics team for six 
seasons.

In 2020, she disclosed she was abused by former <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/09/16/gymnasts-urge-u-s-senate-to-investigate-larry-nassar-sexual-abuse-after-botched-fbi-inquiry/">USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar</a>. Nassar was sentenced to decades in prison following allegations of abuse from hundreds of young women.

While similar legislation failed to 
advance during past legislative sessions, supporters of the bill hope 
this year will be different. Survivors and advocates have been returning
 to the Capitol week after week to champion the legislation, occupying a
 table in the Statehouse entrance hallway to raise awareness. Several of
 the women have <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/13/survivors-of-sexual-abuse-plead-for-changes-in-kansas-law-that-protects-pedophiles/">shared their own stories of abuse</a>.&nbsp;

“This year it’s gotten the most 
momentum ever, and so we’re hopeful, but it’s hard,” said survivor Lesa 
Patterson-Kinsey. “We keep seeing people introduce bills, and the next 
week, it gets a hearing, it gets a vote. We’ve had it here since the 
second week of the session and we’re ready for a discussion.”

Sen. Cindy Holscher, a Democrat from Overland Park, said with the release of the <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/06/kansas-catholic-clergy-sexual-abuse-investigation-targets-14-suspects-prosecutions-unlikely/">Kansas Bureau of Investigation report on clergy abuse</a>,
 people were more aware of the necessity of the legislation. Holscher 
said efforts to pass the bill might have failed in the past, but she 
believed lawmakers were now more educated.

“It’s a complex issue in the respect 
that we’re talking about something that people normally don’t talk 
about,” Holscher said. “I feel like we’ve had to do a lot of catching up
 to get people educated and talk about something that normally the 
instinct is to hide.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676052569693.png" alt="Olympic gymnast Terin Humphrey speaks in support of reforms to current law on childhood sexual abuse cases. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Olympic gymnast Terin Humphrey speaks in support of reforms to current law on childhood sexual abuse cases. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/10/olympic-gymnast-shares-story-of-childhood-sexual-abuse-urges-changes-in-kansas-law/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA
 — Olympic gymnast and Missouri native Terin Humphrey says it is time to
 support sexual abuse survivors by passing legislation that would remove
 the statute of limitations for civil and criminal cases.Humphrey appeared Thursday in the Senate chamber to receive a tribute from lawmakers and champion reform legislation.“I think it’s crazy that it hasn’t 
passed yet, that it’s taken this long,” Humphrey said in an interview. 
“I’m excited that it’s finally being heard.”The legislation in question —&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/hb2169_00_0000.pdf">House Bill 2169</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/sb95_00_0000.pdf">Senate Bill 95</a>,
 are companion bills — would remove the statute of limitations for both 
civil and criminal cases, and allow for retroactive litigation for abuse
 dating to 1984.Kansas state law currently requires 
survivors to file a civil lawsuit by age 21. The Legislature eliminated 
the statute of limitations for criminal cases in 2013, but didn’t make 
the law retroactive.Humphrey said many people don’t 
realize that Kansas law is so limiting, or realize how long it takes to 
come to terms with abuse. Most childhood sexual abuse victims don’t 
share their experiences until age 50 or older.“They’re not ready,” Humphrey said. 
“I was 30 before I came out, and sometimes I’m not even ready. I’ve 
experienced the biggest stage in the world and I’m still hesitant to 
come out and talk about it, so I want them to understand that you’re 
just not mentally ready at that age.”Humphrey won two silver medals in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in 
Athens and was a member of the U.S. National Gymnastics team for six 
seasons.In 2020, she disclosed she was abused by former <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2021/09/16/gymnasts-urge-u-s-senate-to-investigate-larry-nassar-sexual-abuse-after-botched-fbi-inquiry/">USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar</a>. Nassar was sentenced to decades in prison following allegations of abuse from hundreds of young women.While similar legislation failed to 
advance during past legislative sessions, supporters of the bill hope 
this year will be different. Survivors and advocates have been returning
 to the Capitol week after week to champion the legislation, occupying a
 table in the Statehouse entrance hallway to raise awareness. Several of
 the women have <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/13/survivors-of-sexual-abuse-plead-for-changes-in-kansas-law-that-protects-pedophiles/">shared their own stories of abuse</a>.&nbsp;“This year it’s gotten the most 
momentum ever, and so we’re hopeful, but it’s hard,” said survivor Lesa 
Patterson-Kinsey. “We keep seeing people introduce bills, and the next 
week, it gets a hearing, it gets a vote. We’ve had it here since the 
second week of the session and we’re ready for a discussion.”Sen. Cindy Holscher, a Democrat from Overland Park, said with the release of the <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/06/kansas-catholic-clergy-sexual-abuse-investigation-targets-14-suspects-prosecutions-unlikely/">Kansas Bureau of Investigation report on clergy abuse</a>,
 people were more aware of the necessity of the legislation. Holscher 
said efforts to pass the bill might have failed in the past, but she 
believed lawmakers were now more educated.“It’s a complex issue in the respect 
that we’re talking about something that people normally don’t talk 
about,” Holscher said. “I feel like we’ve had to do a lot of catching up
 to get people educated and talk about something that normally the 
instinct is to hide.”

Urging Kan. law change, Olympic gymnast shares story of abuse

WASHINGTON —President Biden welcomed Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and many other of the nation’s governors to the White House during the National Governors Association Winter Meeting on Friday.

Click below watch watch portions of the meeting.

Below is a transcript of the discussion during Friday's meeting:

🎥 Laura Kelly attends National Governors meeting at White House

By LIA NOWER <a href="https://theconversation.com/data-from-new-jersey-is-a-warning-sign-for-young-sports-bettors-197865">The Conversation</a>

When the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs take the field 
for Super Bowl LVII, a record-breaking 50 million bettors are expected 
to have <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/new/record-50-million-americans-to-wager-16b-on-super-bowl-lvii/">US$16 billion</a> of their own skin in the game, according to the American Gaming Association.

In January 2023, Ohio and Massachusetts launched legal sports betting, joining Washington D.C. and <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/research/state-gaming-map/">34 other states</a>
 that have passed laws since the Supreme Court overturned a federal ban 
in 2018. State legislatures have generally been eager to capitalize on 
the tax windfalls from sports betting and get their slice of <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/resources/aga-commercial-gaming-revenue-tracker/">the billions</a> wagered annually. Voters are also <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/08/legal-sports-betting-support-americans/">increasingly supportive of legalization</a>.

Here in New Jersey, sports betting, both online and in person, has 
been legal since June 2018. The state is the only jurisdiction that 
requires yearly evaluations of the relationship of online gambling and 
sports wagering to problem gambling. 

The Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University, which I direct, <a href="https://socialwork.rutgers.edu/centers/center-gambling-studies/research-publications">conducts those annual evaluations</a>
 using data from all sports bets placed in New Jersey since 2018. Our 
findings suggest that the nation’s love affair with sports betting may 
be having unintended consequences.

Sports betting tied to poor mental health

In a forthcoming statewide gambling prevalence study, we found that 
those wagering on sports in New Jersey were more likely than others who 
gamble to have high rates of problem gambling and problems with drugs or
 alcohol, and to experience mental health problems like anxiety and 
depression. Most alarming, findings suggest that about 14% of sports 
bettors reported thoughts of suicide, and 10% said they had made a 
suicide attempt.

A small group of bettors seem to be most at risk. About 5% of all 
sports bettors placed nearly half of all bets and spent nearly 70% of 
the money. That means the people losing the most money are the most 
essential to operator profits. 
<a href="https://socialwork.rutgers.edu/centers/center-gambling-studies/research-publications">The fastest-growing group of sports bettors in New Jersey</a> are young adults, ages 21 to 24. Most have placed in-game bets, and about 19% spent half of their money betting during games, <a href="https://theconversation.com/sports-betting-apps-notifications-and-leaderboards-encourage-more-and-more-wagers-a-psychologist-who-treats-gambling-addictions-explains-why-some-people-get-hooked-198358">when emotions and impulsive spending are highest</a>.

Although regulators require operators to allow bettors to set limits –
 on losses, deposits or time spent gambling – only about 1% of young 
bettors use any of the safeguards, less than any other age group. Since 
about <a href="https://socialwork.rutgers.edu/centers/center-gambling-studies/research-publications">70% of the sports bets we analyzed</a> were losing bets, most of these young players could find themselves losing more money than they can afford.

It is possible, then, that states could unwittingly be introducing a 
cohort of young people to problem gambling and a lifetime of negative 
consequences. 

That’s because the younger that people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jpsychires.2012.02.007">start gambling</a>,
 the more activities they bet on. And the more frequently they bet, the 
more likely they are to develop serious gambling problems. Studies 
suggest that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9726-y">those who gamble as young adults</a> have higher-than-average rates of problem gambling.

The danger is compounded by the easy access afforded by tablets and 
mobile phones, which eliminate most barriers to gambling even for those 
who are underage. Children who are exposed to the unrelenting parade of 
gambling ads <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12728">report they remember</a> both the products and the betting terms from those ads, and some teens say <a href="https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.7.2018.128">they intended to gamble as a result</a>. If <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107460">parents or other household members also gamble</a>, those children may later develop not only gambling problems, but also problems with drugs and alcohol.

In the U.S., the Marlboro Man can no longer gallop across <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/statutes/federal-cigarette-labeling-advertising-act">the nation’s television airwaves</a>. Alcohol ads <a href="https://alcohol.org/laws/marketing-to-the-public/">can’t contain</a> statements that are misleading, patently false or target those who are underage.

However, there are currently no such federal guidelines for gambling 
ads. Major League Baseball, which banned Pete Rose and locked him out of
 the Hall of Fame for gambling, openly sanctions <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2021/08/10/why-nearly-all-mlb-ballparks-will-have-a-sportsbook-attached-to-it-in-the-future/?sh=52ba50cb36d8">sports books attached to stadiums</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/christianred/2021/01/12/major-league-baseball-teams-and-a-new-revenue-stream-online-gaming-business-partners/?sh=a0866755ef95">partnerships with gambling operators</a>. The same goes for the NFL and most of its teams, with former stars like Eli Manning <a href="https://giantswire.usatoday.com/2022/08/23/see-it-new-york-giants-legend-eli-manning-appears-new-caesars-ad-with-brothers/">encouraging betting</a> in ads and Pro Bowl wide receiver Davonte Adams becoming the <a href="https://www.actionnetwork.com/news/davante-adams-likely-first-active-nfl-player-with-gambling-related-sponsor">first active player</a> with a gambling sponsor.

Those who recognize they have a gambling problem also have no assurances that they can find help. 

Gambling treatment services <a href="https://naadgs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NAADGS_2021_Survey_of_Publicly_Funded_Problem_Gambling_Services_in_the_United_States_v2.pdf">vary by state</a>,
 from specially trained, culturally competent counselors in a few states
 to a total lack of services in others. Most children and teens receive 
no education in schools about problem gambling as they do for drugs and 
alcohol. Some universities <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/20/business/caesars-sports-betting-universities-colleges.html">are openly partnering with gambling companies</a> and sponsoring esports competitions, which invite underage betting.

The federal government is noticeably silent on a glamorized 
addiction. Nationally, there are no federal policies, prohibitions or 
federally funded research or <a href="https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/naadgs-analysis-of-problem-gambling-funding-july-2022/521f7652c06a6d4d/full.pdf">prevention programs</a>, despite all the revenue generated by taxes on gambling winnings.

Internationally, gambling-related abuses and tragedies have led countries <a href="https://theconversation.com/40-years-of-legal-sports-betting-in-australia-points-to-risks-for-us-gamblers-and-tips-for-regulators-194993">like Australia and the U.K.</a> to enact new regulations and significant penalties for operators. The U.K., for example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/glr2.2022.0020">requires operators to conduct affordability checks</a>
 on patrons to ensure they can afford their losses and prohibits 
gambling advertising by athletes, celebrities or social media 
influencers who appeal to children and teens.

I think it’s only a matter of time before similar proposals make 
their way to the U.S. In the meantime, however, millions of people in 
more than half the country will legally lay their hard-earned money on 
the line for a chance to win big on Sunday.

Lia Nower is a professor and director of the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675971967412.jpg" alt="Image courtesy of Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy of Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>By LIA NOWER <a href="https://theconversation.com/data-from-new-jersey-is-a-warning-sign-for-young-sports-bettors-197865">The Conversation</a>When the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs take the field 
for Super Bowl LVII, a record-breaking 50 million bettors are expected 
to have <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/new/record-50-million-americans-to-wager-16b-on-super-bowl-lvii/">US$16 billion</a> of their own skin in the game, according to the American Gaming Association. In January 2023, Ohio and Massachusetts launched legal sports betting, joining Washington D.C. and <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/research/state-gaming-map/">34 other states</a>
 that have passed laws since the Supreme Court overturned a federal ban 
in 2018. State legislatures have generally been eager to capitalize on 
the tax windfalls from sports betting and get their slice of <a href="https://www.americangaming.org/resources/aga-commercial-gaming-revenue-tracker/">the billions</a> wagered annually. Voters are also <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/07/08/legal-sports-betting-support-americans/">increasingly supportive of legalization</a>. Here in New Jersey, sports betting, both online and in person, has 
been legal since June 2018. The state is the only jurisdiction that 
requires yearly evaluations of the relationship of online gambling and 
sports wagering to problem gambling. The Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University, which I direct, <a href="https://socialwork.rutgers.edu/centers/center-gambling-studies/research-publications">conducts those annual evaluations</a>
 using data from all sports bets placed in New Jersey since 2018. Our 
findings suggest that the nation’s love affair with sports betting may 
be having unintended consequences.<h2>Sports betting tied to poor mental health</h2>In a forthcoming statewide gambling prevalence study, we found that 
those wagering on sports in New Jersey were more likely than others who 
gamble to have high rates of problem gambling and problems with drugs or
 alcohol, and to experience mental health problems like anxiety and 
depression. Most alarming, findings suggest that about 14% of sports 
bettors reported thoughts of suicide, and 10% said they had made a 
suicide attempt.A small group of bettors seem to be most at risk. About 5% of all 
sports bettors placed nearly half of all bets and spent nearly 70% of 
the money. That means the people losing the most money are the most 
essential to operator profits. 
<a href="https://socialwork.rutgers.edu/centers/center-gambling-studies/research-publications">The fastest-growing group of sports bettors in New Jersey</a> are young adults, ages 21 to 24. Most have placed in-game bets, and about 19% spent half of their money betting during games, <a href="https://theconversation.com/sports-betting-apps-notifications-and-leaderboards-encourage-more-and-more-wagers-a-psychologist-who-treats-gambling-addictions-explains-why-some-people-get-hooked-198358">when emotions and impulsive spending are highest</a>. Although regulators require operators to allow bettors to set limits –
 on losses, deposits or time spent gambling – only about 1% of young 
bettors use any of the safeguards, less than any other age group. Since 
about <a href="https://socialwork.rutgers.edu/centers/center-gambling-studies/research-publications">70% of the sports bets we analyzed</a> were losing bets, most of these young players could find themselves losing more money than they can afford. <h2>A vulnerable population</h2>It is possible, then, that states could unwittingly be introducing a 
cohort of young people to problem gambling and a lifetime of negative 
consequences. That’s because the younger that people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jpsychires.2012.02.007">start gambling</a>,
 the more activities they bet on. And the more frequently they bet, the 
more likely they are to develop serious gambling problems. Studies 
suggest that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10899-017-9726-y">those who gamble as young adults</a> have higher-than-average rates of problem gambling.The danger is compounded by the easy access afforded by tablets and 
mobile phones, which eliminate most barriers to gambling even for those 
who are underage. Children who are exposed to the unrelenting parade of 
gambling ads <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12728">report they remember</a> both the products and the betting terms from those ads, and some teens say <a href="https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.7.2018.128">they intended to gamble as a result</a>. If <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107460">parents or other household members also gamble</a>, those children may later develop not only gambling problems, but also problems with drugs and alcohol. <h2>Few regulatory measures in place</h2>In the U.S., the Marlboro Man can no longer gallop across <a href="https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/statutes/federal-cigarette-labeling-advertising-act">the nation’s television airwaves</a>. Alcohol ads <a href="https://alcohol.org/laws/marketing-to-the-public/">can’t contain</a> statements that are misleading, patently false or target those who are underage.However, there are currently no such federal guidelines for gambling 
ads. Major League Baseball, which banned Pete Rose and locked him out of
 the Hall of Fame for gambling, openly sanctions <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2021/08/10/why-nearly-all-mlb-ballparks-will-have-a-sportsbook-attached-to-it-in-the-future/?sh=52ba50cb36d8">sports books attached to stadiums</a> and <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/christianred/2021/01/12/major-league-baseball-teams-and-a-new-revenue-stream-online-gaming-business-partners/?sh=a0866755ef95">partnerships with gambling operators</a>. The same goes for the NFL and most of its teams, with former stars like Eli Manning <a href="https://giantswire.usatoday.com/2022/08/23/see-it-new-york-giants-legend-eli-manning-appears-new-caesars-ad-with-brothers/">encouraging betting</a> in ads and Pro Bowl wide receiver Davonte Adams becoming the <a href="https://www.actionnetwork.com/news/davante-adams-likely-first-active-nfl-player-with-gambling-related-sponsor">first active player</a> with a gambling sponsor.Those who recognize they have a gambling problem also have no assurances that they can find help. Gambling treatment services <a href="https://naadgs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/NAADGS_2021_Survey_of_Publicly_Funded_Problem_Gambling_Services_in_the_United_States_v2.pdf">vary by state</a>,
 from specially trained, culturally competent counselors in a few states
 to a total lack of services in others. Most children and teens receive 
no education in schools about problem gambling as they do for drugs and 
alcohol. Some universities <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/20/business/caesars-sports-betting-universities-colleges.html">are openly partnering with gambling companies</a> and sponsoring esports competitions, which invite underage betting.The federal government is noticeably silent on a glamorized 
addiction. Nationally, there are no federal policies, prohibitions or 
federally funded research or <a href="https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/naadgs-analysis-of-problem-gambling-funding-july-2022/521f7652c06a6d4d/full.pdf">prevention programs</a>, despite all the revenue generated by taxes on gambling winnings.Internationally, gambling-related abuses and tragedies have led countries <a href="https://theconversation.com/40-years-of-legal-sports-betting-in-australia-points-to-risks-for-us-gamblers-and-tips-for-regulators-194993">like Australia and the U.K.</a> to enact new regulations and significant penalties for operators. The U.K., for example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/glr2.2022.0020">requires operators to conduct affordability checks</a>
 on patrons to ensure they can afford their losses and prohibits 
gambling advertising by athletes, celebrities or social media 
influencers who appeal to children and teens.I think it’s only a matter of time before similar proposals make 
their way to the U.S. In the meantime, however, millions of people in 
more than half the country will legally lay their hard-earned money on 
the line for a chance to win big on Sunday.Hopefully, they can afford to lose.Lia Nower is a professor and director of the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University.<div><iframe src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197865/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" width="1" height="1" style="border: none !important" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>

Data in new study a warning sign for young sports bettors

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects after a police chase and crash.

Just before 4:30 a.m. Friday, police attempted to stop a vehicle for reckless driving near the area of SW Ninth Street and SW Parkview Street in Topeka, according to spokesperson Rosie Nichols.

The driver of the vehicle initiated a pursuit. Officers then discontinued the pursuit due to excess speeds. A short time later, police located the vehicle near the area of SE Sixth Street and SE Golden Avenue. 

A traffic stop was attempted and the vehicle initiated another pursuit. The suspect, later identified as Alejandro R. Rodriguez, 23, of Topeka, lost control near SW 17th Street and SW Washburn Avenue and crashed into a tree and light pole. 

Rodriguez attempted to flee on foot but was then located by officers and taken to the Law Enforcement Center for questioning.

A passenger, identified as Julian A. Galicia, 22, of Topeka, was determined to have a warrant for his arrest and was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on that warrant. No injuries were reported from this incident. 

Rodriguez was later arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on the on requested charges that include&nbsp;Aggravated Assault of a law enforcement officer, Defective Muffler, Racing on Highways, Reckless Driving, Fleeing or attempting to elude an LEO, Flee or attempt to elude; avoid tire deflation device, Fail to stop at stop sign, Interference with LEO, Speeding, Driving while license suspended, Transport open container of liquor and Driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676127627477.png" alt="Crash scene early Friday -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Crash scene early Friday -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects after a police chase and crash.Just before 4:30 a.m. Friday, police attempted to stop a vehicle for reckless driving near the area of SW Ninth Street and SW Parkview Street in Topeka, according to spokesperson Rosie Nichols.The driver of the vehicle initiated a pursuit. Officers then discontinued the pursuit due to excess speeds. A short time later, police located the vehicle near the area of SE Sixth Street and SE Golden Avenue. A traffic stop was attempted and the vehicle initiated another pursuit. The suspect, later identified as Alejandro R. Rodriguez, 23, of Topeka, lost control near SW 17th Street and SW Washburn Avenue and crashed into a tree and light pole. Rodriguez attempted to flee on foot but was then located by officers and taken to the Law Enforcement Center for questioning.A passenger, identified as Julian A. Galicia, 22, of Topeka, was determined to have a warrant for his arrest and was booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on that warrant. No injuries were reported from this incident. Rodriguez was later arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on the on requested charges that include&nbsp;Aggravated Assault of a law enforcement officer, Defective Muffler, Racing on Highways, Reckless Driving, Fleeing or attempting to elude an LEO, Flee or attempt to elude; avoid tire deflation device, Fail to stop at stop sign, Interference with LEO, Speeding, Driving while license suspended, Transport open container of liquor and Driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol.

Car crash, 2 Kansas men arrested after police chase 

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. military fighter jet shot down an unknown object flying off the remote northern coast of Alaska on Friday on orders from President Joe Biden, White House officials said.

On his social media account, Kansas Senator Jerry Moran demanded answers, "Americans need answers on what this was, who owned it and what it was doing in U.S. airspace.'

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the object was downed because it was flying at about 40,000 feet (13,000 meters) and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, not because of any knowledge that it was engaged in surveillance. Asked about the object's downing, Biden on Friday said only that “It was a success.”

Commercial airliners and private jets can fly as high as 45,000 feet (13,700 meters).

Kirby described the object as roughly the size of a small car, much smaller than the massive suspected Chinese spy balloon downed by Air Force fighter jets Saturday off the coast of South Carolina after it transited over sensitive military sites across the continental U.S.

The twin downings in such close succession are extraordinary, and reflect heightened concerns over China's surveillance program and public pressure on Biden to take a tough stand against it. Still, there were few answers about the unknown object downed Friday and the White House drew distinctions between the two episodes. Officials couldn’t say if the latest object contained any surveillance equipment, where it came from or what purpose it had.

The Pentagon on Friday declined to provide a more precise description of the object, only saying that U.S. pilots who flew up to observe it determined it didn’t appear to be manned. Officials said the object was far smaller than last week's balloon, did not appear to be maneuverable and was traveling at a much lower altitude.

Kirby maintained that Biden, based on the advice of the Pentagon, believed it posed enough of a concern to shoot it out of the sky — primarily because of the potential risk to civilian aircraft.

“We’re going to remain vigilant about our airspace," Kirby said. "The president takes his obligations to protect our national security interests as paramount."

The president was briefed on the presence of the object Thursday evening after two fighter jets surveilled it.

Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters Friday that an F-22 fighter aircraft based at Alaska's Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson shot down the object using an AIM-9X short-range air-to-air missile, the same type used to take down the balloon nearly a week ago.

The object flew over one of the most desolate places on the nation. Few towns dot Alaska’s North Slope, with the two apparently closest communities — Deadhorse and Kaktovik — combining for about 300 people. The Prudhoe Bay oil field on the North Slope is the largest such field in the United States.

Unlike the suspected spy balloon, which was downed to live feeds and got U.S. residents looking up to the skies, it's likely few people saw this object given the blistering frigid conditions of northern Alaska this time of the year, since there are few people outside for a prolonged period of time.

Ahead of the the shoot-down, the Federal Aviation Administration restricted flights over a roughly 10-square mile (26-square kilometer) area within U.S. airspace off Alaska's Bullen Point, the site of a disused U.S. Air Force radar station on the Beaufort Sea about 130 miles (210 kilometers) from the Canadian border, inside the Arctic Circle.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet Friday that he had been briefed and supported the decision. “Our military and intelligence services will always work together," he said.

The object fell onto frozen waters and officials expected they could recover debris faster than from last week's massive balloon. Ryder said the object was traveling northeast when it was shot down. He said several U.S. military helicopters have gone out to begin the recovery effort.

Later Friday, the Pentagon said: “Recovery is happening in a mix of ice and snow. Units located in Alaska under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, along with the Alaska National Guard, are involved in the response.”

The unknown object was shot down in an area with harsh weather conditions and about six and a half hours of daylight at this time of year. Daytime temperatures Friday were about minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius).

After the object was detected Thursday, NORAD — North American Aerospace Defense Command —sent F-35s to observe it, a U.S. official said, adding that the military queried U.S. government agencies to make sure it did not belong to any of them, and had confidence it was not a U.S. government or military asset. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about sensitive national security matters and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Because it was much smaller than the suspected Chinese spy balloon, there were fewer safety concerns about downing it over land, so the decision was made to shoot it down when it was possible. That happened over water.

The mystery around what exactly the flying object was lingered late into Friday night. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a statement saying it was “not a National Weather Service balloon.”

"They do not hover," said NOAA spokesperson Scott Smullen.

The development came almost a week after the U.S. shot down a suspected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-51e49202f2a0a50541cde059934c4cfb">Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina</a>&nbsp;coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America. China insisted the flyover was an accident involving a civilian craft and threatened repercussions.

Biden issued the order but had wanted the balloon downed even earlier. He was advised that the best time for the operation would be when it was over water. Military officials determined that bringing it down over land from an altitude of 60,000 feet would pose an undue risk to people on the ground.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-south-carolina-china-dfa08f4f47a58a638d4ef1d3a34b2a8b">balloon was part of a large surveillance program</a>&nbsp;that China has been conducting for “several years,” the Pentagon has said. The U.S. has said Chinese balloons have flown over dozens of countries across five continents in recent years, and it learned more about the balloon program after closely monitoring the one shot down near South Carolina.

China responded that it reserved the right to “take further actions” and criticized the U.S. for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. military fighter jet shot down an unknown object flying off the remote northern coast of Alaska on Friday on orders from President Joe Biden, White House officials said.On his social media account, Kansas Senator Jerry Moran demanded answers, "Americans need answers on what this was, who owned it and what it was doing in U.S. airspace.'<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Just a week after a Chinese spy balloon invaded U.S. airspace, another object was shot down over Alaska. This was at a lower altitude of 40,000 feet and posed a risk to civilian aircraft. Americans need answers on what this was, who owned it &amp; what it was doing in U.S. airspace.&mdash; Senator Jerry Moran (@JerryMoran) <a href="https://twitter.com/JerryMoran/status/1624208330339110914?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the object was downed because it was flying at about 40,000 feet (13,000 meters) and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, not because of any knowledge that it was engaged in surveillance. Asked about the object's downing, Biden on Friday said only that “It was a success.”Commercial airliners and private jets can fly as high as 45,000 feet (13,700 meters).Kirby described the object as roughly the size of a small car, much smaller than the massive suspected Chinese spy balloon downed by Air Force fighter jets Saturday off the coast of South Carolina after it transited over sensitive military sites across the continental U.S.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/PentagonPresSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PentagonPresSec</a> confirms &quot;fighter aircraft...successfully took down a high altitude airborne object off the northern coast of Alaska at 1:45pm...the object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 ft. and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/PB6Ndo6jQt">pic.twitter.com/PB6Ndo6jQt</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1624145609442660384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The twin downings in such close succession are extraordinary, and reflect heightened concerns over China's surveillance program and public pressure on Biden to take a tough stand against it. Still, there were few answers about the unknown object downed Friday and the White House drew distinctions between the two episodes. Officials couldn’t say if the latest object contained any surveillance equipment, where it came from or what purpose it had.The Pentagon on Friday declined to provide a more precise description of the object, only saying that U.S. pilots who flew up to observe it determined it didn’t appear to be manned. Officials said the object was far smaller than last week's balloon, did not appear to be maneuverable and was traveling at a much lower altitude.Kirby maintained that Biden, based on the advice of the Pentagon, believed it posed enough of a concern to shoot it out of the sky — primarily because of the potential risk to civilian aircraft.“We’re going to remain vigilant about our airspace," Kirby said. "The president takes his obligations to protect our national security interests as paramount."The president was briefed on the presence of the object Thursday evening after two fighter jets surveilled it.Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters Friday that an F-22 fighter aircraft based at Alaska's Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson shot down the object using an AIM-9X short-range air-to-air missile, the same type used to take down the balloon nearly a week ago.The object flew over one of the most desolate places on the nation. Few towns dot Alaska’s North Slope, with the two apparently closest communities — Deadhorse and Kaktovik — combining for about 300 people. The Prudhoe Bay oil field on the North Slope is the largest such field in the United States.Unlike the suspected spy balloon, which was downed to live feeds and got U.S. residents looking up to the skies, it's likely few people saw this object given the blistering frigid conditions of northern Alaska this time of the year, since there are few people outside for a prolonged period of time.Ahead of the the shoot-down, the Federal Aviation Administration restricted flights over a roughly 10-square mile (26-square kilometer) area within U.S. airspace off Alaska's Bullen Point, the site of a disused U.S. Air Force radar station on the Beaufort Sea about 130 miles (210 kilometers) from the Canadian border, inside the Arctic Circle.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet Friday that he had been briefed and supported the decision. “Our military and intelligence services will always work together," he said.The object fell onto frozen waters and officials expected they could recover debris faster than from last week's massive balloon. Ryder said the object was traveling northeast when it was shot down. He said several U.S. military helicopters have gone out to begin the recovery effort.Later Friday, the Pentagon said: “Recovery is happening in a mix of ice and snow. Units located in Alaska under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, along with the Alaska National Guard, are involved in the response.”The unknown object was shot down in an area with harsh weather conditions and about six and a half hours of daylight at this time of year. Daytime temperatures Friday were about minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius).After the object was detected Thursday, NORAD — North American Aerospace Defense Command —sent F-35s to observe it, a U.S. official said, adding that the military queried U.S. government agencies to make sure it did not belong to any of them, and had confidence it was not a U.S. government or military asset. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about sensitive national security matters and spoke on condition of anonymity.Because it was much smaller than the suspected Chinese spy balloon, there were fewer safety concerns about downing it over land, so the decision was made to shoot it down when it was possible. That happened over water.The mystery around what exactly the flying object was lingered late into Friday night. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a statement saying it was “not a National Weather Service balloon.”"They do not hover," said NOAA spokesperson Scott Smullen.The development came almost a week after the U.S. shot down a suspected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-51e49202f2a0a50541cde059934c4cfb">Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina</a>&nbsp;coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America. China insisted the flyover was an accident involving a civilian craft and threatened repercussions.Biden issued the order but had wanted the balloon downed even earlier. He was advised that the best time for the operation would be when it was over water. Military officials determined that bringing it down over land from an altitude of 60,000 feet would pose an undue risk to people on the ground.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-south-carolina-china-dfa08f4f47a58a638d4ef1d3a34b2a8b">balloon was part of a large surveillance program</a>&nbsp;that China has been conducting for “several years,” the Pentagon has said. The U.S. has said Chinese balloons have flown over dozens of countries across five continents in recent years, and it learned more about the balloon program after closely monitoring the one shot down near South Carolina.China responded that it reserved the right to “take further actions” and criticized the U.S. for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”

Moran demands answers on UFO shot down over Alaska

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will travel to Poland this month to rally allies one year after Russia’s assault on Ukraine began, the White House announced Friday, as he aims to sustain a coalition that has supported Kyiv’s defenses.

The visit, scheduled for Feb. 20-22, comes as polling in the United States and abroad suggests waning support for maintaining tens of billions of dollars worth of military and economic assistance for Ukraine in the protracted war. In addition, Republicans who recently took control of the House have voiced skepticism — or outright opposition — to continuing the funding.

Russia, meanwhile, is believed to be planning a renewed offensive in conjunction with the anniversary, and has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kharkiv-eb242b1e9d1894e5616bc2da55173d88?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_05">stepped up its long-range strikes</a>&nbsp;on Ukraine’s military and civilian infrastructure in recent weeks.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden would meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda and the leaders of the Bucharest Nine, which are NATO allies in Eastern Europe, to discuss his “unwavering support” for the alliance.

She added that Biden would deliver a speech on how the U.S. “will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

It remained unclear whether Biden might attempt a visit to Ukraine as many other Western leaders and members of Congress have done.

Jean-Pierre said the administration will “continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Biden visited Poland just weeks after the war began on Feb. 24 when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-migration-world-war-ii-warsaw-652da1c2ab1c88de3032241089bfa516">delivered a forceful case for supporting Ukraine’s defense</a>&nbsp;in front of Warsaw’s iconic Royal Castle. At the time, Biden said Putin “cannot remain in power,” though the White House swiftly backed off what initially seemed to be call for regime change in Moscow.

First lady Jill Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-jill-biden-migration-slovakia-d22b406bd735c1899a55ba656cbbc317">briefly crossed the border on a trip in May</a>&nbsp;and met her counterpart, Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska, in the latter’s first public event since the war began. Biden, as well as White House officials, have highlighted the unique security challenges raised by a potential visit by a U.S. president to a country under invasion by nuclear-armed Russia.

Biden in December&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-biden-68c65b3274e552f36f16853f24fedbb9">hosted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House,</a>&nbsp;where the Ukrainian leader also pressed for additional Western weapons and support during an address to Congress.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648345290520.png" alt="-In March 2022, President Joe Biden met with Ukrainian refugees during a visit to Poland-photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>-In March 2022, President Joe Biden met with Ukrainian refugees during a visit to Poland-photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will travel to Poland this month to rally allies one year after Russia’s assault on Ukraine began, the White House announced Friday, as he aims to sustain a coalition that has supported Kyiv’s defenses.The visit, scheduled for Feb. 20-22, comes as polling in the United States and abroad suggests waning support for maintaining tens of billions of dollars worth of military and economic assistance for Ukraine in the protracted war. In addition, Republicans who recently took control of the House have voiced skepticism — or outright opposition — to continuing the funding.Russia, meanwhile, is believed to be planning a renewed offensive in conjunction with the anniversary, and has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kharkiv-eb242b1e9d1894e5616bc2da55173d88?utm_source=homepage&amp;utm_medium=TopNews&amp;utm_campaign=position_05">stepped up its long-range strikes</a>&nbsp;on Ukraine’s military and civilian infrastructure in recent weeks.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden would meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda and the leaders of the Bucharest Nine, which are NATO allies in Eastern Europe, to discuss his “unwavering support” for the alliance.She added that Biden would deliver a speech on how the U.S. “will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.”It remained unclear whether Biden might attempt a visit to Ukraine as many other Western leaders and members of Congress have done.Jean-Pierre said the administration will “continue to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.”Biden visited Poland just weeks after the war began on Feb. 24 when he&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-biden-migration-world-war-ii-warsaw-652da1c2ab1c88de3032241089bfa516">delivered a forceful case for supporting Ukraine’s defense</a>&nbsp;in front of Warsaw’s iconic Royal Castle. At the time, Biden said Putin “cannot remain in power,” though the White House swiftly backed off what initially seemed to be call for regime change in Moscow.First lady Jill Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-europe-jill-biden-migration-slovakia-d22b406bd735c1899a55ba656cbbc317">briefly crossed the border on a trip in May</a>&nbsp;and met her counterpart, Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska, in the latter’s first public event since the war began. Biden, as well as White House officials, have highlighted the unique security challenges raised by a potential visit by a U.S. president to a country under invasion by nuclear-armed Russia.Biden in December&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/zelenskyy-biden-68c65b3274e552f36f16853f24fedbb9">hosted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House,</a>&nbsp;where the Ukrainian leader also pressed for additional Western weapons and support during an address to Congress.

Biden will visit Poland for anniversary of Ukraine war

CASS COUNTY —The search for one of two inmates who escaped Dec. 5 from&nbsp;the jail in Cass County, Missouri south of Kansas City continues.

Authorities took 33-year-0ld Trevor Sparks of Kansas City into custody Dec. 30, in the 400 Block of Olive Street, according to the FBI.

The U.S. Marshals Service continues to offer a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads directly to the capture of 43-year-old Sergio Perez- Martinez of Panorama City, Calif.&nbsp; The FBI is also offering $10k for anyone who can provide information leading to his capture.&nbsp;

Perez Mertinez&nbsp; was being held for possession of dangerous drugs. Sparks was jailed on money laundering charges, according to the Cass County sheriff's office.

A third individual, Steven Lydell Williams, Sr., 64, Kansas City, has been charged&nbsp; with aiding or assisting in the escape.

Anyone with any information is urged to contact the Cass County Sheriff’s Office at (816) 380-5200, or call 911.&nbsp; Submit a tip to the Marshals<a href="https://www.usmarshals.gov/tips/index.htm?fbclid=IwAR2np8V0SoqQyr6Znkz_ykiw2FsK7SY3PkQN_uuUCJz41bCD_XDGusIXZJw"> here</a>&nbsp; or contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at <a href="https://t.co/49eEgggFOb" target="_blank">http://tips.fbi.gov</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1670539649262.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>CASS COUNTY —The search for one of two inmates who escaped Dec. 5 from&nbsp;the jail in Cass County, Missouri south of Kansas City continues.Authorities took 33-year-0ld Trevor Sparks of Kansas City into custody Dec. 30, in the 400 Block of Olive Street, according to the FBI.The U.S. Marshals Service continues to offer a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads directly to the capture of 43-year-old Sergio Perez- Martinez of Panorama City, Calif.&nbsp; The FBI is also offering $10k for anyone who can provide information leading to his capture.&nbsp;Perez Mertinez&nbsp; was being held for possession of dangerous drugs. Sparks was jailed on money laundering charges, according to the Cass County sheriff's office.A third individual, Steven Lydell Williams, Sr., 64, Kansas City, has been charged&nbsp; with aiding or assisting in the escape. Anyone with any information is urged to contact the Cass County Sheriff’s Office at (816) 380-5200, or call 911.&nbsp; Submit a tip to the Marshals<a href="https://www.usmarshals.gov/tips/index.htm?fbclid=IwAR2np8V0SoqQyr6Znkz_ykiw2FsK7SY3PkQN_uuUCJz41bCD_XDGusIXZJw"> here</a>&nbsp; or contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at <a href="https://t.co/49eEgggFOb" target="_blank">http://tips.fbi.gov</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Search continues for inmate who escaped KC-area jail in December

KINGMAN COUNTY—A small earthquake shook portions of south-central Kansas Friday evening.

The quake at 8:29p.m. measured a magnitude 3.2 and was centered approximately 5 miles north of Norwich, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

There are no reports of damage.&nbsp;The threshold for damage usually starts at 4.0, according to the USGS.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676084199616.png" alt="Location of Friday's 3.2 magnitude quake in Kingman Co. -USGS image" />
 <figcaption>Location of Friday's 3.2 magnitude quake in Kingman Co. -USGS image</figcaption>
 </figure>KINGMAN COUNTY—A small earthquake shook portions of south-central Kansas Friday evening.The quake at 8:29p.m. measured a magnitude 3.2 and was centered approximately 5 miles north of Norwich, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.There are no reports of damage.&nbsp;The threshold for damage usually starts at 4.0, according to the USGS.

USGS: 3.2 magnitude quake shakes south-central Kansas

The object flew over one of the most desolate places on the nation. Few towns dot Alaska’s North Slope, with the two apparently closest communities — Deadhorse and Kaktovik — combining for about 300 people. Unlike the suspected spy balloon, which was downed to live feeds and got U.S. residents looking up to the skies, it's likely few people saw this object given the blistering frigid conditions of northern Alaska this time of the year, meaning there are few people outside for a prolonged period of time.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. military fighter jet shot down an unknown object flying off the northern coast of Alaska on Friday on orders from President Joe Biden, White House officials said.

Kirby described the object as roughly the size of a small car, much smaller than the massive suspected Chinese spy balloon downed by Air Force fight jets Saturday off the coast of South Carolina after it transited over sensitive military sites across the continental U.S.

The Pentagon on Friday declined to provide a more precise description of the object, only saying that U.S. pilots who flew up to observe it determined it didn’t appear to be manned. Officials said the object was far smaller than the previous balloon, did not appear to be maneuverable and was traveling at a much lower altitude.

Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters Friday that an F-22 fighter aircraft based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson shot down the object using an AIM-9X short-range air-to-air missile, the same type used to take down the balloon nearly a week ago.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. military fighter jet shot down an unknown object flying off the coast of Alaska on Friday on orders from President Joe Biden, White House officials said.

The object was flying at about 40,000 feet and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, said John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesman. He described the object as roughly the size of a small car and said it was shot down near the U.S.-Canada border.

It was the second time in a week U.S. officials had downed some type of flying object over the U.S. On Saturday fighter jets fired a missile into a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina.

There were few answers about the object, and the White House drew distinctions between the two episodes. Kirby said it wasn't yet known who owned it, and he did not say it was a balloon. Officials also couldn't say if there was any surveillance equipment on it. Kirby didn't know yet where it came from or what its purpose was.

Still, it posed enough of a concern that U.S. officials felt it best to knock it out of the sky.

Kirby said fighter pilots visually examining the object ascertained it was not manned. The president was briefed on the presence of the object Thursday evening after two fighter jets surveilled it.

The object fell into frigid waters and officials expected they could recover debris faster than from last week's massive balloon.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-south-carolina-china-dfa08f4f47a58a638d4ef1d3a34b2a8b">balloon was part of a large surveillance program</a>&nbsp;that China has been conducting for “several years,” the Pentagon has said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon shot down an unknown object flying in U.S. airspace off the coast of Alaska on Friday on orders from President Joe Biden, White House officials said.

The object was flying at about 40,000 feet and posted a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, said John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesman. He described the object as roughly the size of a small car.

It was the second time in a week U.S. officials had downed some type of flying object over the U.S. On Saturday fighter jets shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina.

White House officials drew major differences between the two episodes. Kirby said it wasn't yet known who owned the object, and he did not say that it was a balloon. Officials also couldn't say if there was any surveillance equipment on it. He also didn't know yet where it came from or what its purpose was.

Kirby said fight pilots visually examining the object ascertained that it was not manned.

The development came almost a week after the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America. China insisted the flyover was an accident involving a civilian craft and threatened repercussions.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. military fighter jet shot down an unknown object flying off the remote northern coast of Alaska on Friday on orders from President Joe Biden, White House officials said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">NSC Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby on object shot down today: &quot;We&#39;re calling this an object because that&#39;s the best description we have right now...We do not know who owns it...It was much much smaller than the spy balloon that we took down last Saturday.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/d94UlFmH9n">pic.twitter.com/d94UlFmH9n</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1624137312790810624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the object was downed because it was flying at about 40,000 feet (13,000 meters) and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, not because of any knowledge that it was engaged in surveillance. Asked about the object's downing, Biden on Friday said only that “It was a success.”Commercial airliners and private jets can fly as high as 45,000 feet (13,700 meters).Kirby described the object as roughly the size of a small car, much smaller than the massive suspected Chinese spy balloon downed by Air Force fighter jets Saturday off the coast of South Carolina after it transited over sensitive military sites across the continental U.S.The twin downings in such close succession are extraordinary, and reflect heightened concerns over China's surveillance program and public pressure on Biden to take a tough stand against it. Still, there were few answers about the unknown object downed Friday and the White House drew distinctions between the two episodes. Officials couldn’t say if the latest object contained any surveillance equipment, where it came from or what purpose it had.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/PentagonPresSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PentagonPresSec</a> confirms &quot;fighter aircraft...successfully took down a high altitude airborne object off the northern coast of Alaska at 1:45pm...the object was flying at an altitude of 40,000 ft. and posed a reasonable threat to the safety of civilian flight.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/PB6Ndo6jQt">pic.twitter.com/PB6Ndo6jQt</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1624145609442660384?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The Pentagon on Friday declined to provide a more precise description of the object, only saying that U.S. pilots who flew up to observe it determined it didn’t appear to be manned. Officials said the object was far smaller than last week's balloon, did not appear to be maneuverable and was traveling at a much lower altitude.Kirby maintained that Biden, based on the advice of the Pentagon, believed it posed enough of a concern to shoot it out of the sky — primarily because of the potential risk to civilian aircraft.“We’re going to remain vigilant about our airspace," Kirby said. "The president takes his obligations to protect our national security interests as paramount."The president was briefed on the presence of the object Thursday evening after two fighter jets surveilled it.Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters Friday that an F-22 fighter aircraft based at Alaska's Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson shot down the object using an AIM-9X short-range air-to-air missile, the same type used to take down the balloon nearly a week ago.The object flew over one of the most desolate places on the nation. Few towns dot Alaska’s North Slope, with the two apparently closest communities — Deadhorse and Kaktovik — combining for about 300 people. Unlike the suspected spy balloon, which was downed to live feeds and got U.S. residents looking up to the skies, it's likely few people saw this object given the blistering frigid conditions of northern Alaska this time of the year, meaning there are few people outside for a prolonged period of time.Ahead of the the shoot-down, the Federal Aviation Administration restricted flights over a roughly 10-square mile (26-square kilometer) area within U.S. airspace off Alaska's Bullen Point, the site of a disused U.S. Air Force radar station on the Beaufort Sea about 130 miles (210 kilometers) from the Canadian border, inside the Arctic Circle.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet Friday that he had been briefed and supported the decision. “Our military and intelligence services will always work together," he said.The object fell onto frozen waters and officials expected they could recover debris faster than from last week's massive balloon. Ryder said the object was traveling northeast when it was shot down. He said several U.S. military helicopters have gone out to begin the recovery effort.Later Friday, the Pentagon said: “Recovery is happening in a mix of ice and snow. Units located in Alaska under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, along with the Alaska National Guard, are involved in the response.”The unknown object was shot down in an area with harsh weather conditions and about six and a half hours of daylight at this time of year. Daytime temperatures Friday were about minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius).After the object was detected Thursday, NORAD — North American Aerospace Defense Command —sent F-35s to observe it, a U.S. official said, adding that the military queried U.S. government agencies to make sure it did not belong to any of them, and had confidence it was not a U.S. government or military asset. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about sensitive national security matters and spoke on condition of anonymity.Because it was much smaller than the suspected Chinese spy balloon, there were fewer safety concerns about downing it over land, so the decision was made to shoot it down when it was possible. That happened over water.The development came almost a week after the U.S. shot down a suspected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-51e49202f2a0a50541cde059934c4cfb">Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina</a>&nbsp;coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America. China insisted the flyover was an accident involving a civilian craft and threatened repercussions.Biden issued the order but had wanted the balloon downed even earlier. He was advised that the best time for the operation would be when it was over water. Military officials determined that bringing it down over land from an altitude of 60,000 feet would pose an undue risk to people on the ground.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-south-carolina-china-dfa08f4f47a58a638d4ef1d3a34b2a8b">balloon was part of a large surveillance program</a>&nbsp;that China has been conducting for “several years,” the Pentagon has said. The U.S. has said Chinese balloons have flown over dozens of countries across five continents in recent years, and it learned more about the balloon program after closely monitoring the one shot down near South Carolina.China responded that it reserved the right to “take further actions” and criticized the U.S. for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”---------WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. military fighter jet shot down an unknown object flying off the northern coast of Alaska on Friday on orders from President Joe Biden, White House officials said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">NSC Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby on object shot down today: &quot;We&#39;re calling this an object because that&#39;s the best description we have right now...We do not know who owns it...It was much much smaller than the spy balloon that we took down last Saturday.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/d94UlFmH9n">pic.twitter.com/d94UlFmH9n</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1624137312790810624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the object was downed because it was flying at about 40,000 feet (13,000 meters) and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, not because of any knowledge that it was engaged in surveillance. Asked about the object's downing, Biden on Friday said only that “It was a success.”Kirby described the object as roughly the size of a small car, much smaller than the massive suspected Chinese spy balloon downed by Air Force fight jets Saturday off the coast of South Carolina after it transited over sensitive military sites across the continental U.S.The twin downings in such close succession are extraordinary, and reflect heightened concerns over China's surveillance program and public pressure on Biden to take a tough stand against it. Still, there were few answers about the unknown object downed Friday and the White House drew distinctions between the two episodes. Officials couldn’t say if the latest object contained any surveillance equipment, where it came from or what purpose it had.The Pentagon on Friday declined to provide a more precise description of the object, only saying that U.S. pilots who flew up to observe it determined it didn’t appear to be manned. Officials said the object was far smaller than the previous balloon, did not appear to be maneuverable and was traveling at a much lower altitude.Kirby maintained that Biden, based on the advice of the Pentagon, believed it posed enough of a concern to shoot it out of the sky — primarily because of the potential risk to civilian aircraft.“We’re going to remain vigilant about our airspace," Kirby said. "The president takes his obligations to protect our national security interests as paramount."The president was briefed on the presence of the object Thursday evening after two fighter jets surveilled it.Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, told reporters Friday that an F-22 fighter aircraft based at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson shot down the object using an AIM-9X short-range air-to-air missile, the same type used to take down the balloon nearly a week ago.Ahead of the the shoot-down, the Federal Aviation Administration restricted flights over a roughly 10-square mile (26-square kilometer) area within U.S. airspace off Alaska's Bullen Point, the site of a disused U.S. Air Force radar station on the Beaufort Sea about 130 miles (210 kilometers) from the Canadian border, inside the Arctic Circle.The object fell onto frozen waters and officials expected they could recover debris faster than from last week's massive balloon. Ryder said the object was traveling northeast when it was shot down. He said several U.S. military helicopters have gone out to begin the recovery effort.The unknown object was shot down in an area with harsh weather conditions and about six and a half hours of daylight at this time of year. Daytime temperatures Friday were about minus 17 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius).The development came almost a week after the U.S. shot down a suspected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-51e49202f2a0a50541cde059934c4cfb">Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina</a>&nbsp;coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America. China insisted the flyover was an accident involving a civilian craft and threatened repercussions.Biden issued the order but had wanted the balloon downed even earlier. He was advised that the best time for the operation would be when it was over water. Military officials determined that bringing it down over land from an altitude of 60,000 feet would pose an undue risk to people on the ground.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-south-carolina-china-dfa08f4f47a58a638d4ef1d3a34b2a8b">balloon was part of a large surveillance program</a>&nbsp;that China has been conducting for “several years,” the Pentagon has said. The U.S. has said Chinese balloons have flown over dozens of countries across five continents in recent years, and it learned more about the balloon program after closely monitoring the one shot down near South Carolina.China responded that it reserved the right to “take further actions” and criticized the U.S. for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”------------WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. military fighter jet shot down an unknown object flying off the coast of Alaska on Friday on orders from President Joe Biden, White House officials said.The object was flying at about 40,000 feet and posed a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, said John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesman. He described the object as roughly the size of a small car and said it was shot down near the U.S.-Canada border.It was the second time in a week U.S. officials had downed some type of flying object over the U.S. On Saturday fighter jets fired a missile into a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina.There were few answers about the object, and the White House drew distinctions between the two episodes. Kirby said it wasn't yet known who owned it, and he did not say it was a balloon. Officials also couldn't say if there was any surveillance equipment on it. Kirby didn't know yet where it came from or what its purpose was.Still, it posed enough of a concern that U.S. officials felt it best to knock it out of the sky.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">So we can shoot down suspicious objects BEFORE they get over our border… Just as I suggested. <a href="https://t.co/eZcVmbMpDa">https://t.co/eZcVmbMpDa</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1624134672862089235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“We’re going to remain vigilant about our airspace," Kirby said. "The president takes his obligations to protect our national security interests as paramount."Kirby said fighter pilots visually examining the object ascertained it was not manned. The president was briefed on the presence of the object Thursday evening after two fighter jets surveilled it.The object fell into frigid waters and officials expected they could recover debris faster than from last week's massive balloon.The development came almost a week after the U.S. shot down a suspected&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-china-antony-blinken-51e49202f2a0a50541cde059934c4cfb">Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina</a>&nbsp;coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America. China insisted the flyover was an accident involving a civilian craft and threatened repercussions.Biden issued the order but had wanted the balloon downed even earlier. He was advised that the best time for the operation would be when it was over water. Military officials determined that bringing it down over land from an altitude of 60,000 feet would pose an undue risk to people on the ground.The&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-united-states-government-south-carolina-china-dfa08f4f47a58a638d4ef1d3a34b2a8b">balloon was part of a large surveillance program</a>&nbsp;that China has been conducting for “several years,” the Pentagon has said.China responded that it reserved the right to “take further actions” and criticized the U.S. for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”--------WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon shot down an unknown object flying in U.S. airspace off the coast of Alaska on Friday on orders from President Joe Biden, White House officials said.The object was flying at about 40,000 feet and posted a “reasonable threat” to the safety of civilian flights, said John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesman. He described the object as roughly the size of a small car.It was the second time in a week U.S. officials had downed some type of flying object over the U.S. On Saturday fighter jets shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina.White House officials drew major differences between the two episodes. Kirby said it wasn't yet known who owned the object, and he did not say that it was a balloon. Officials also couldn't say if there was any surveillance equipment on it. He also didn't know yet where it came from or what its purpose was.Kirby said fight pilots visually examining the object ascertained that it was not manned.The object fell into frigid waters and officials expected they could recover debris faster than from last week's massive balloon.The development came almost a week after the U.S. shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the Carolina coast after it traversed sensitive military sites across North America. China insisted the flyover was an accident involving a civilian craft and threatened repercussions.Biden issued the order but had wanted the balloon downed even earlier. He was advised that the best time for the operation would be when it was over water. Military officials determined that bringing it down over land from an altitude of 60,000 feet would pose an undue risk to people on the ground.China responded that it reserved the right to “take further actions” and criticized the U.S. for “an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice.”

🎥 US fighter jet shoots down UFO; Arctic sea recovery underway

KANSAS CITY – A&nbsp; couple was sentenced in federal court this week for a scheme to smuggle counterfeit Disney DVDs into the United States and sell them on eBay.

Tabitha Nicole Rodgers, 43, and her husband, Clint Travis Rodgers, 49, of Columbia, Missouri were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark. Tabitha Rodgers was sentenced to four years in federal prison without parole. Clint Rodgers was sentenced to one year in federal prison without parole.

The court also ordered Tabitha Rodgers to pay $26,573 in restitution to the government for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits she was not entitled to receive. The court ordered Clint Rodgers to pay a $10,000 fine.

On Oct. 12, 2021, Tabitha Rodgers pleaded guilty to one felony count of criminal copyright infringement for profit. Clint Rodgers pleaded guilty the same day to a misdemeanor count of criminal infringement of a copyright.

In July 2014, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received information from the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center indicating that Clint Rodgers had received more than 443 shipments of counterfeit DVDs from companies in Hong Kong known to sell and export counterfeit goods. HSI agents identified two shipments that had been seized prior to delivery to the Rodgers’ home in Columbia. One shipment contained 200 counterfeit “Beauty and the Beast” DVDs and another shipment contained 260 counterfeit “Aladdin” DVDs. On Feb. 4, 2015, Customs and Border Protection agents seized a parcel addressed to Clint Rodgers that contained 200 counterfeit Disney DVDs.

Undercover federal agents purchased several counterfeit Disney DVDs from the Rodgers on eBay in February and March 2015. The Rodgers represented that the DVDs were genuine and authentic Disney products, when in reality, they were aware the products were counterfeit. During the investigation, agents contacted two persons who assisted the Rodgers in selling counterfeit DVDs on eBay. They told agents they were aware of numerous complaints from customers, including complaints that the DVDs didn’t work.

On Aug. 25, 2015, HSI agents executed a search warrant at the Rodgers’ residence. Agents seized an assortment of counterfeit goods, including numerous counterfeit Disney DVDs. Tabitha Rodgers admitted that she conducted the day-to-day operation of the business. She corresponded via email with the counterfeit DVD supplier in Hong Kong and placed orders for the DVDs. She also packaged and sent the DVDs to customers and processed customer complaints when DVDs were inoperable. Clint Rodgers assisted by helping recruit third parties to use their eBay accounts to sell the DVDs for them.

According to court documents, the majority, if not all, of the Rodgers’ income was derived from this criminal activity. They had been notified by Beachbody and Otter Products to cease and desist from selling counterfeit products yet continued to sell counterfeit goods. eBay cancelled a number of the Rodgers’s accounts due to counterfeit merchandise being sold, but they recruited others to sell the products.

KANSAS CITY – A&nbsp; couple was sentenced in federal court this week for a scheme to smuggle counterfeit Disney DVDs into the United States and sell them on eBay.Tabitha Nicole Rodgers, 43, and her husband, Clint Travis Rodgers, 49, of Columbia, Missouri were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark. Tabitha Rodgers was sentenced to four years in federal prison without parole. Clint Rodgers was sentenced to one year in federal prison without parole.The court also ordered Tabitha Rodgers to pay $26,573 in restitution to the government for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits she was not entitled to receive. The court ordered Clint Rodgers to pay a $10,000 fine.On Oct. 12, 2021, Tabitha Rodgers pleaded guilty to one felony count of criminal copyright infringement for profit. Clint Rodgers pleaded guilty the same day to a misdemeanor count of criminal infringement of a copyright.In July 2014, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) received information from the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center indicating that Clint Rodgers had received more than 443 shipments of counterfeit DVDs from companies in Hong Kong known to sell and export counterfeit goods. HSI agents identified two shipments that had been seized prior to delivery to the Rodgers’ home in Columbia. One shipment contained 200 counterfeit “Beauty and the Beast” DVDs and another shipment contained 260 counterfeit “Aladdin” DVDs. On Feb. 4, 2015, Customs and Border Protection agents seized a parcel addressed to Clint Rodgers that contained 200 counterfeit Disney DVDs.Undercover federal agents purchased several counterfeit Disney DVDs from the Rodgers on eBay in February and March 2015. The Rodgers represented that the DVDs were genuine and authentic Disney products, when in reality, they were aware the products were counterfeit. During the investigation, agents contacted two persons who assisted the Rodgers in selling counterfeit DVDs on eBay. They told agents they were aware of numerous complaints from customers, including complaints that the DVDs didn’t work.On Aug. 25, 2015, HSI agents executed a search warrant at the Rodgers’ residence. Agents seized an assortment of counterfeit goods, including numerous counterfeit Disney DVDs. Tabitha Rodgers admitted that she conducted the day-to-day operation of the business. She corresponded via email with the counterfeit DVD supplier in Hong Kong and placed orders for the DVDs. She also packaged and sent the DVDs to customers and processed customer complaints when DVDs were inoperable. Clint Rodgers assisted by helping recruit third parties to use their eBay accounts to sell the DVDs for them.According to court documents, the majority, if not all, of the Rodgers’ income was derived from this criminal activity. They had been notified by Beachbody and Otter Products to cease and desist from selling counterfeit products yet continued to sell counterfeit goods. eBay cancelled a number of the Rodgers’s accounts due to counterfeit merchandise being sold, but they recruited others to sell the products.Although they derived substantial income from selling counterfeit goods, Tabitha Rodgers sought and obtained SNAP benefits from the government to which she was not entitled. Her fraudulent conduct in obtaining benefits was considered by the court in determining an appropriate sentence and in ordering restitution.