OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal SUV, train crash have identified the man who died as 62-year-old Ronald R. Neilson of Scranton.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that just after 10a.m. Thursday, a 2021 Subaru Forester driven by&nbsp;Neilson was westbound on 189th Street just east of Kansas 31.&nbsp;

The SUV started to cross the railroad tracks. The driver failed to yield.&nbsp; A Burlington Northern-Santa Fe train struck the vehicle.

Neilson was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Lamb Roberts Price Funeral Home. He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1676026347124.png" alt="First responders on the scene of the fatal accident-photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>First responders on the scene of the fatal accident-photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>OSAGE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal SUV, train crash have identified the man who died as 62-year-old Ronald R. Neilson of Scranton.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that just after 10a.m. Thursday, a 2021 Subaru Forester driven by&nbsp;Neilson was westbound on 189th Street just east of Kansas 31.&nbsp;The SUV started to cross the railroad tracks. The driver failed to yield.&nbsp; A Burlington Northern-Santa Fe train struck the vehicle.Neilson was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to&nbsp;Lamb Roberts Price Funeral Home. He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

KHP IDs Kansas man who died after train, SUV crash

WASHINGTON (AP) —Former Vice President Mike Pence has been subpoenaed by the special counsel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-4a2cd9693dfded229332210b85661bc9">overseeing investigations</a>&nbsp;into efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to a person with direct knowledge of the event.

The subpoena to Pence as part of the investigation by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-donald-trump-merrick-garland-government-and-550c01de053c08db4d53ca57f315feb6">special counsel Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;was served in recent days, according to the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday to discuss a sensitive issue.

The extraordinary scenario of a former vice president potentially testifying against his former boss in a criminal investigation comes as Pence&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-interview-mike-pence-8e9b0176044846b4502f176251ce703f">considers launching a 2024 Republican presidential bid</a>&nbsp;against Trump. The two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-politics-reality-tv-michael-pence-ddbfc1fbb94034c39aadc5260536be3c">have been estranged</a>&nbsp;since a mob of Trump's supporters&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-committee-final-report-takeaways-56cf44f8809cc76632f91f5c7910ec81">stormed the U.S. Capitol building</a>&nbsp;on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop Democrat Joe Biden's victory.

The subpoena is an aggressive step from a prosecutor who for years led the Justice Department’s public corruption section and who oversaw indictments against major political figures. The move sets the stage for a likely executive privilege fight, given Pence’s close proximity to Trump for four years as major decisions were being contemplated and planned. It is unclear whether efforts to secure voluntary testimony from Pence stalled before the subpoena was issued.

Spokespeople for Pence and Smith declined to comment on the issuance of the subpoena, which was first reported by ABC News.

Pence was a central figure in Trump's efforts to stay in power after losing the 2020 election. Trump falsely insisted that his vice president, who had a ceremonial role in overseeing the certification of the election, could simply reject the results and send them back to the battleground states he contested.

On Jan. 6, Trump supporters driven by the lie that the election was stolen marched to the Capitol building, brutally pushed past the police and smashed through the windows and doors while Pence was presiding over the certification of Biden’s victory. The vice president was steered to safety with his staff and family as some in the mob chanted, “Hang Mike Pence!”

While the mob was in the Capitol, Trump tweeted, “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.”

Smith, who was named special counsel in November by Attorney General Merrick Garland, has been tasked with overseeing investigations into Trump’s attempts to subvert his defeat, his actions leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol and his possession of top-secret government documents at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago.

Federal prosecutors have been especially focused on a scheme by Trump allies to elevate fake presidential electors in key battleground states won by Biden as a way to subvert the vote, issuing subpoenas to multiple state Republican party chairs.

Federal prosecutors have brought multiple Trump administration officials before the grand jury for questioning, including former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone and Pence’s own former chief of staff, Marc Short.

In a sign of the expanding nature of the investigation, election officials in multiple states whose results were disputed by Trump have received subpoenas asking for communications with or involving Trump and his campaign aides.

A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/january-6-final-hearing-investigation-wraps-0bceb95826c1c836023d2810ccbeccca">recommended that the Justice Department bring criminal charges against Trump and associates</a>&nbsp;who helped him launch a pressure campaign to try to overturn his 2020 election loss.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668696327219.png" alt="In October, former Vice President Mike Pence made a campaign appearance in Wichita for Derek Schmidt.-photo courtesy Schmidt campaign" />
 <figcaption>In October, former Vice President Mike Pence made a campaign appearance in Wichita for Derek Schmidt.-photo courtesy Schmidt campaign</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —Former Vice President Mike Pence has been subpoenaed by the special counsel&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-4a2cd9693dfded229332210b85661bc9">overseeing investigations</a>&nbsp;into efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to a person with direct knowledge of the event.The subpoena to Pence as part of the investigation by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-donald-trump-merrick-garland-government-and-550c01de053c08db4d53ca57f315feb6">special counsel Jack Smith</a>&nbsp;was served in recent days, according to the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday to discuss a sensitive issue.The extraordinary scenario of a former vice president potentially testifying against his former boss in a criminal investigation comes as Pence&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-interview-mike-pence-8e9b0176044846b4502f176251ce703f">considers launching a 2024 Republican presidential bid</a>&nbsp;against Trump. The two&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-politics-reality-tv-michael-pence-ddbfc1fbb94034c39aadc5260536be3c">have been estranged</a>&nbsp;since a mob of Trump's supporters&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-committee-final-report-takeaways-56cf44f8809cc76632f91f5c7910ec81">stormed the U.S. Capitol building</a>&nbsp;on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop Democrat Joe Biden's victory.The subpoena is an aggressive step from a prosecutor who for years led the Justice Department’s public corruption section and who oversaw indictments against major political figures. The move sets the stage for a likely executive privilege fight, given Pence’s close proximity to Trump for four years as major decisions were being contemplated and planned. It is unclear whether efforts to secure voluntary testimony from Pence stalled before the subpoena was issued.Spokespeople for Pence and Smith declined to comment on the issuance of the subpoena, which was first reported by ABC News.Pence was a central figure in Trump's efforts to stay in power after losing the 2020 election. Trump falsely insisted that his vice president, who had a ceremonial role in overseeing the certification of the election, could simply reject the results and send them back to the battleground states he contested.On Jan. 6, Trump supporters driven by the lie that the election was stolen marched to the Capitol building, brutally pushed past the police and smashed through the windows and doors while Pence was presiding over the certification of Biden’s victory. The vice president was steered to safety with his staff and family as some in the mob chanted, “Hang Mike Pence!”While the mob was in the Capitol, Trump tweeted, “Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1668434923044.png" alt="In November, the former Vice President released his autobiography" />
 <figcaption>In November, the former Vice President released his autobiography</figcaption>
 </figure>Smith, who was named special counsel in November by Attorney General Merrick Garland, has been tasked with overseeing investigations into Trump’s attempts to subvert his defeat, his actions leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol and his possession of top-secret government documents at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago.Federal prosecutors have been especially focused on a scheme by Trump allies to elevate fake presidential electors in key battleground states won by Biden as a way to subvert the vote, issuing subpoenas to multiple state Republican party chairs.Federal prosecutors have brought multiple Trump administration officials before the grand jury for questioning, including former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone and Pence’s own former chief of staff, Marc Short.In a sign of the expanding nature of the investigation, election officials in multiple states whose results were disputed by Trump have received subpoenas asking for communications with or involving Trump and his campaign aides.A House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/january-6-final-hearing-investigation-wraps-0bceb95826c1c836023d2810ccbeccca">recommended that the Justice Department bring criminal charges against Trump and associates</a>&nbsp;who helped him launch a pressure campaign to try to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Pence subpoenaed by special counsel leading Trump investigations

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a kidnapping conspiracy that resulted in the victim’s murder in Kansas.

Marco A. Sosa-Perea, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 10 years in federal prison without parole, according to the. United State's Attorney.

On Jan. 4, 2022, Sosa-Perea pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Co-defendants Jonathan M. Bravo-Lopez (also known as “Jonathan Vravo,” and “Shadow”), 28, and Juan D. Osorio (also known as “Spexx”), 29, both of whom are citizens of Mexico illegally residing in Kansas City, Mo., were found guilty at trial on Dec. 16, 2022, of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping resulting in death. Osorio was also found guilty of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Bravo-Lopez was also found guilty of illegally reentering the United States after having been deported in 2016. Sentencing hearings have not yet been scheduled for Bravo-Lopez and Osorio.

Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Bravo-Lopez and Osorio conspired to kidnap Cristian Escutia in an attempt to rob him of money. They transported Escutia across state lines from Missouri to Kansas before fatally shooting him on April 3, 2017.

Bravo-Lopez and Osorio arranged to purchase $300 of marijuana from Escutia as a ruse to lure him into their kidnapping plan. On April 3, 2017, Sosa-Perea drove Bravo-Lopez and Osorio in his girlfriend’s car, a Chrysler Pacifica, to Escutia’s residence. When Escutia came out of his residence and approached the vehicle, Bravo-Lopez and Osorio got out of the vehicle and confronted him. Escutia was forced into their vehicle at gunpoint. Sosa-Perea, who had remained in the car, drove them away from the scene of the kidnapping. The kidnapping was captured by the video surveillance system outside a nearby residence.

Sosa-Perea drove his co-defendants and the kidnapping victim to the 200 block of Donovan Road in Kansas City, Kan.. They forced Escutia out of the vehicle. Escutia was shot three times in the head and left to die on the side of the road. Sosa-Perea then drove himself, Bravo-Lopez, and Osorio back into Missouri from Kansas.

Osorio, who is in the United States unlawfully, was in possession of an Action Arms Uzi .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol when he was arrested on April 7, 2017.

Under federal statutes, Bravo-Lopez and Osorio each are subject to a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/12/1671644570715.png" alt="Cristian Escutia-photo KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Cristian Escutia-photo KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a kidnapping conspiracy that resulted in the victim’s murder in Kansas.Marco A. Sosa-Perea, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 10 years in federal prison without parole, according to the. United State's Attorney.On Jan. 4, 2022, Sosa-Perea pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping. Co-defendants Jonathan M. Bravo-Lopez (also known as “Jonathan Vravo,” and “Shadow”), 28, and Juan D. Osorio (also known as “Spexx”), 29, both of whom are citizens of Mexico illegally residing in Kansas City, Mo., were found guilty at trial on Dec. 16, 2022, of conspiracy to commit kidnapping and kidnapping resulting in death. Osorio was also found guilty of being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Bravo-Lopez was also found guilty of illegally reentering the United States after having been deported in 2016. Sentencing hearings have not yet been scheduled for Bravo-Lopez and Osorio.Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Bravo-Lopez and Osorio conspired to kidnap Cristian Escutia in an attempt to rob him of money. They transported Escutia across state lines from Missouri to Kansas before fatally shooting him on April 3, 2017.Bravo-Lopez and Osorio arranged to purchase $300 of marijuana from Escutia as a ruse to lure him into their kidnapping plan. On April 3, 2017, Sosa-Perea drove Bravo-Lopez and Osorio in his girlfriend’s car, a Chrysler Pacifica, to Escutia’s residence. When Escutia came out of his residence and approached the vehicle, Bravo-Lopez and Osorio got out of the vehicle and confronted him. Escutia was forced into their vehicle at gunpoint. Sosa-Perea, who had remained in the car, drove them away from the scene of the kidnapping. The kidnapping was captured by the video surveillance system outside a nearby residence.Sosa-Perea drove his co-defendants and the kidnapping victim to the 200 block of Donovan Road in Kansas City, Kan.. They forced Escutia out of the vehicle. Escutia was shot three times in the head and left to die on the side of the road. Sosa-Perea then drove himself, Bravo-Lopez, and Osorio back into Missouri from Kansas.Osorio, who is in the United States unlawfully, was in possession of an Action Arms Uzi .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol when he was arrested on April 7, 2017.Under federal statutes, Bravo-Lopez and Osorio each are subject to a mandatory sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.

Man sentenced for kidnapping conspiracy that led to Kan. murder 

BROWN COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas woman on drug charges after vehicle crash.

Early Wednesday, a Brown County deputy responded to reported of non-injury accident to the vicinity of 2100 and 240th Road, according to Sheriff John Merchant.

Upon investigation, the deputy arrested the driver and sole occupant 47-year-old Tonya White of Horton on requested charges of Possession of Meth and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675911778190.png" alt="White photo Brown Co." />
 <figcaption>White photo Brown Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>BROWN COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas woman on drug charges after vehicle crash. Early Wednesday, a Brown County deputy responded to reported of non-injury accident to the vicinity of 2100 and 240th Road, according to Sheriff John Merchant.Upon investigation, the deputy arrested the driver and sole occupant 47-year-old Tonya White of Horton on requested charges of Possession of Meth and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Kan. deputy found meth at scene of vehicle crash

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Five Topeka police officers will not face charges after shooting and killing a man who rushed them with a knife last year, Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay.

Kagay said on Tuesday that Kansas Bureau of Investigation officers found Topeka police justifiably believed that Taylor Lowery, 33, was a danger to them and the public during the confrontation on Oct. 13 in a Kwik Shop parking lot.

The officers shot Lowery 34 times after he rushed at them with a knife and socket wrench, Kagay said.

Lowery was under the influence of drugs when he was shot, Kagay said.

Officers first encountered Lowery after his sister reported he was trying to force his way into a bedroom where she was barricaded inside her house, The Topeka Capital-Journal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/local/2023/02/08/topeka-police-found-to-have-acted-justifiably-in-killing-knife-wielding-man/69884116007/">reported</a>.

He waved a knife at officers before driving to the Kwik Shop. He was trying to carjack a vehicle when they told him to put down his weapon, the report said.

He was shot by two officers after he rushed toward them with a knife. Lowery "went down” but got back up, grabbed a socket wrench and began moving toward an officer before three other police officers shot him, the report said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665655694340.png" alt="-Police on the scene of the fatal officer shooting investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>-Police on the scene of the fatal officer shooting investigation -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Five Topeka police officers will not face charges after shooting and killing a man who rushed them with a knife last year, Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay.Kagay said on Tuesday that Kansas Bureau of Investigation officers found Topeka police justifiably believed that Taylor Lowery, 33, was a danger to them and the public during the confrontation on Oct. 13 in a Kwik Shop parking lot.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665678707761.png" alt="-Lowery has previous convictions for aggravated battery, aggravated burglary and theft-photo KDOC" />
 <figcaption>-Lowery has previous convictions for aggravated battery, aggravated burglary and theft-photo KDOC</figcaption>
 </figure>The officers shot Lowery 34 times after he rushed at them with a knife and socket wrench, Kagay said.Lowery was under the influence of drugs when he was shot, Kagay said.Officers first encountered Lowery after his sister reported he was trying to force his way into a bedroom where she was barricaded inside her house, The Topeka Capital-Journal&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/local/2023/02/08/topeka-police-found-to-have-acted-justifiably-in-killing-knife-wielding-man/69884116007/">reported</a>.He waved a knife at officers before driving to the Kwik Shop. He was trying to carjack a vehicle when they told him to put down his weapon, the report said.He was shot by two officers after he rushed toward them with a knife. Lowery "went down” but got back up, grabbed a socket wrench and began moving toward an officer before three other police officers shot him, the report said.No one else was hurt.

5 Kan. police officers cleared in fatal shooting

TOPEKA&nbsp;– On Thursday Governor Laura Kelly announced she will be taking on Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania in a bet ahead of Super Bowl LVII featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.

If the Chiefs win, Governor Shapiro will send her&nbsp;soft pretzels from Philly Style Hand Twisted Soft Pretzel Bakery, cheesesteaks from Tony Luke’s, and mini Eagles doughnuts from Collegeville Italian Bakery. If the Eagles win, Governor Kelly will send him steaks from&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMzAyMDkuNzEyOTM3NjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2NyZWVrc3RvbmVmYXJtcy5jb20vIn0.Jc65UumZPd52hC7v5dAUpLthWq4YxVhcz3yGFd3N4ks/s/1303160919/br/154257348908-l" target="_blank">Creekstone Farms</a>&nbsp;in Arkansas City and chocolate-covered sunflower seeds from&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMzAyMDkuNzEyOTM3NjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zdW5mbG93ZXJmb29kY29tcGFueS5jb20vIn0.mJkbB-u_JR_jpTRYQrQt5j01ReMuC90o-Xm6gpgbPgk/s/1303160919/br/154257348908-l" target="_blank">Sunflower Food Company</a>&nbsp;in Overland Park.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“At the start of this NFL season, I placed the first legal sports wager in Kansas, betting on the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl. Now, I’m doubling down by putting on the line two of my favorite Kansas foods: our steaks and our sunflower seeds,”&nbsp;said Governor Laura Kelly.&nbsp;“I can’t wait to see Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs bring the Lombardi trophy back to the Red Kingdom – and to celebrate by feasting on some Pennsylvania treats. Let’s go Chiefs!”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Last May, Governor Laura Kelly signed a bill to legalize sports betting in Kansas, estimated to bring in as much as $10 million annually in tax revenue. The bipartisan effort has helped casinos, restaurants, and other entertainment venues attract more business to their establishments and has brought more revenue to the state. In September, Governor Kelly placed the first legal sports wager in the state of Kansas, betting $15 – Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ jersey number – on the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl.&nbsp;&nbsp;

TOPEKA&nbsp;– On Thursday Governor Laura Kelly announced she will be taking on Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania in a bet ahead of Super Bowl LVII featuring the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">You&#39;re on, <a href="https://twitter.com/GovernorShapiro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovernorShapiro</a>! My bet is on the <a href="https://twitter.com/Chiefs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Chiefs</a>. I&#39;m already clearing out my fridge so I have plenty of space for all the Philadelphia treats you&#39;re about to send my way. <a href="https://t.co/Rj5aQ4JH3u">https://t.co/Rj5aQ4JH3u</a> <a href="https://t.co/gnlfk9wImC">pic.twitter.com/gnlfk9wImC</a>&mdash; Governor Laura Kelly (@GovLauraKelly) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLauraKelly/status/1623751418556416001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>If the Chiefs win, Governor Shapiro will send her&nbsp;soft pretzels from Philly Style Hand Twisted Soft Pretzel Bakery, cheesesteaks from Tony Luke’s, and mini Eagles doughnuts from Collegeville Italian Bakery. If the Eagles win, Governor Kelly will send him steaks from&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDEsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMzAyMDkuNzEyOTM3NjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2NyZWVrc3RvbmVmYXJtcy5jb20vIn0.Jc65UumZPd52hC7v5dAUpLthWq4YxVhcz3yGFd3N4ks/s/1303160919/br/154257348908-l" target="_blank">Creekstone Farms</a>&nbsp;in Arkansas City and chocolate-covered sunflower seeds from&nbsp;<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMzAyMDkuNzEyOTM3NjEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy5zdW5mbG93ZXJmb29kY29tcGFueS5jb20vIn0.mJkbB-u_JR_jpTRYQrQt5j01ReMuC90o-Xm6gpgbPgk/s/1303160919/br/154257348908-l" target="_blank">Sunflower Food Company</a>&nbsp;in Overland Park.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662056609748.png" alt="-Governor Laura Kelly placed Kansas’ first legal sports wager at the Hollywood Casino in Kansas City, Kansas.-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>-Governor Laura Kelly placed Kansas’ first legal sports wager at the Hollywood Casino in Kansas City, Kansas.-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>“At the start of this NFL season, I placed the first legal sports wager in Kansas, betting on the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl. Now, I’m doubling down by putting on the line two of my favorite Kansas foods: our steaks and our sunflower seeds,”&nbsp;said Governor Laura Kelly.&nbsp;“I can’t wait to see Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs bring the Lombardi trophy back to the Red Kingdom – and to celebrate by feasting on some Pennsylvania treats. Let’s go Chiefs!”&nbsp;&nbsp;Last May, Governor Laura Kelly signed a bill to legalize sports betting in Kansas, estimated to bring in as much as $10 million annually in tax revenue. The bipartisan effort has helped casinos, restaurants, and other entertainment venues attract more business to their establishments and has brought more revenue to the state. In September, Governor Kelly placed the first legal sports wager in the state of Kansas, betting $15 – Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ jersey number – on the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🎥 Kan. Gov. will win cheesesteaks, more if Chiefs win Super Bowl

TOPEKA&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Kansas Senate confirmed the appointment of&nbsp;Tony Mattivi as 13th&nbsp;director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.

Attorney General Kris Kobach nominated Mattivi to be KBI director on January 9, citing&nbsp;his decades of experience working with law enforcement to put away some of the nation’s most violent and dangerous offenders.

Director Mattivi served as a federal prosecutor for over 20 years, prosecuting drug trafficking, violent crime, racketeering, organized crime, gangs, money laundering and terrorism cases.

As an Assistant United States Attorney, Mattivi was the lead prosecutor for the capital case against the al Qaeda operative who masterminded the bombing of the USS Cole, in 2000. He also worked for the U.S. Department of Justice’s (USDOJ) Regime Crimes Liaison Office in Iraq, advising the Iraqi High Tribunal as they tried members of Saddam Hussein’s regime for committing war crimes.

Mattivi led a team of USDOJ prosecutors who convicted three Kansas militia members for plotting to slaughter Somali Muslim immigrants living and worshipping at an apartment building and mosque in Garden City. 

He also prosecuted Terry Lee Loewen, a former U.S. Marine who attempted to detonate high explosives at the Wichita airport on behalf of al Qaeda, and John T. Booker, who conspired to detonate a truck bomb at Fort Riley in support of ISIS.

Over the years, he also worked for the Kansas Attorney General’s Office, the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office, and as legal counsel for Medcor, an international healthcare company.

Mattivi is a graduate of Metropolitan State College of Denver, and Washburn University School of Law. He was the Antiterrorism and National Security Coordinator for the District of Kansas, and recently served as president of the Federal Bar Association chapter of Kansas and Western Missouri.

“The Senate’s confirmation of Tony Mattivi as KBI Director is a reflection and recognition of his exceptional career in law enforcement. He will be a great asset to the state of Kansas in his new role, and I am honored to have him as a leading member of my team,” said Attorney General Kris Kobach.

“Under my leadership, the Bureau will be committed to aggressively investigating criminal activity while upholding the integrity, professionalism, and objectivity that makes it a valued resource to Kansas law enforcement,” said KBI Director Tony Mattivi.

“Our absolute priority will be to work hard each day for Kansas citizens, and to assist law enforcement, prosecutors, and our criminal justice partners who rely on the expertise and services the KBI produces every day,” Mattivi said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675978893572.png" alt="Tony Mattivi-courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Tony Mattivi-courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;–&nbsp;The Kansas Senate confirmed the appointment of&nbsp;Tony Mattivi as 13th&nbsp;director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.Attorney General Kris Kobach nominated Mattivi to be KBI director on January 9, citing&nbsp;his decades of experience working with law enforcement to put away some of the nation’s most violent and dangerous offenders.Director Mattivi served as a federal prosecutor for over 20 years, prosecuting drug trafficking, violent crime, racketeering, organized crime, gangs, money laundering and terrorism cases.As an Assistant United States Attorney, Mattivi was the lead prosecutor for the capital case against the al Qaeda operative who masterminded the bombing of the USS Cole, in 2000. He also worked for the U.S. Department of Justice’s (USDOJ) Regime Crimes Liaison Office in Iraq, advising the Iraqi High Tribunal as they tried members of Saddam Hussein’s regime for committing war crimes.Mattivi led a team of USDOJ prosecutors who convicted three Kansas militia members for plotting to slaughter Somali Muslim immigrants living and worshipping at an apartment building and mosque in Garden City. He also prosecuted Terry Lee Loewen, a former U.S. Marine who attempted to detonate high explosives at the Wichita airport on behalf of al Qaeda, and John T. Booker, who conspired to detonate a truck bomb at Fort Riley in support of ISIS.Over the years, he also worked for the Kansas Attorney General’s Office, the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office, and as legal counsel for Medcor, an international healthcare company.Mattivi is a graduate of Metropolitan State College of Denver, and Washburn University School of Law. He was the Antiterrorism and National Security Coordinator for the District of Kansas, and recently served as president of the Federal Bar Association chapter of Kansas and Western Missouri.“The Senate’s confirmation of Tony Mattivi as KBI Director is a reflection and recognition of his exceptional career in law enforcement. He will be a great asset to the state of Kansas in his new role, and I am honored to have him as a leading member of my team,” said Attorney General Kris Kobach.“Under my leadership, the Bureau will be committed to aggressively investigating criminal activity while upholding the integrity, professionalism, and objectivity that makes it a valued resource to Kansas law enforcement,” said KBI Director Tony Mattivi.“Our absolute priority will be to work hard each day for Kansas citizens, and to assist law enforcement, prosecutors, and our criminal justice partners who rely on the expertise and services the KBI produces every day,” Mattivi said.

Tony Mattivi named Director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation

HUTCHINSON, Kan. —Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas notes that those filling up are seeing numbers go down in recent days.

"We have seen some relief, as gas prices have started to drift downward over the past week, which is always a good thing for drivers, when you go to fill up your tank," Steward said. "Here in Kansas, we're at $3.16 a gallon, on average, and that's down four cents from where we were a week ago."

Area county averages as of Thursday are as follows:

Kansas has the 10th cheapest gas in the United States this week and news last week from those that get the oil out of the ground appears to be having an effect.

"OPEC+ decided to maintain their current production levels and not make any additional cuts," Steward said. "That certainly helps with supply and keeps things relatively stable."

Supply is okay right now, but what demand will do, especially as the weather warms, is the unknown at this point.

"We saw last summer the record high gas prices both here in Kansas and nationally," Steward said. "In the middle of June, we had that peak. Will we reach those numbers again this summer? Time will tell."

Last summer, a lot of travelers chose to drive rather than fly for their summer trips. It remains to be seen how much trust in the airlines travelers will have in 2023.

NICK GOSNELL Hutch PostHUTCHINSON, Kan. —Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas notes that those filling up are seeing numbers go down in recent days."We have seen some relief, as gas prices have started to drift downward over the past week, which is always a good thing for drivers, when you go to fill up your tank," Steward said. "Here in Kansas, we're at $3.16 a gallon, on average, and that's down four cents from where we were a week ago."Area county averages as of Thursday are as follows:Reno $3.11McPherson $3.11Harvey $3.12Sedgwick $3.03Kingman $3.16Pratt $3.29Stafford $3.22Rice $3.26Kansas has the 10th cheapest gas in the United States this week and news last week from those that get the oil out of the ground appears to be having an effect."OPEC+ decided to maintain their current production levels and not make any additional cuts," Steward said. "That certainly helps with supply and keeps things relatively stable."Supply is okay right now, but what demand will do, especially as the weather warms, is the unknown at this point."We saw last summer the record high gas prices both here in Kansas and nationally," Steward said. "In the middle of June, we had that peak. Will we reach those numbers again this summer? Time will tell."Last summer, a lot of travelers chose to drive rather than fly for their summer trips. It remains to be seen how much trust in the airlines travelers will have in 2023.

AAA: Kansas has 10th cheapest gas in the United States this week

By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/09/no-more-gender-unicorns-lawmakers-debate-new-parents-bill-of-rights-legislation/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA
 — Lawmakers on Wednesday debated a new form of parental rights 
legislation that would allow parents to withdraw their children from 
courses they find objectionable, saying some teachers are crossing the 
line into grooming and advocating radical ideas.

<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/hb2236_00_0000.pdf">House Bill 2236</a>
 was discussed by the House Education Committee. The bill would allow 
parents to object to any educational materials or activities that they 
believe would harm the student or parents’ beliefs, values or 
principles. Educational materials would include reading material, 
websites, videos and textbooks.

Critics of the legislation say the 
legislation is overbroad and would hurt education across the state. 
Parents would be allowed to withdraw their student from the class or 
education program without harm to the student’s academic records. Local 
school boards would be required to adopt policies and procedures in 
accordance with the law.

Last session, <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/04/26/kansas-senate-overrides-veto-of-legislation-creating-parental-bill-of-rights-for-k-12-education/">a parental bill of rights for K-12 public education</a>&nbsp;encouraged
 skepticism of classroom instructional materials and challenges to books
 on the shelf in school libraries. It was vetoed by Gov. Laura Kelly.

During Wednesday’s hearing, Lansing 
parent Kirsten Workman said the bill was needed. Workman claimed her 
daughter, now a senior at Lansing High School, was encouraged to read a 
fairytale through a Marxist lens and given reading about moral 
relativism, gender-based identity politics, social acceptance of 
homosexuality and critical race theory.

Workman said the teacher refused to 
meet with her to discuss her concerns and later gave her daughter more 
critical reading, such as pieces dealing with the morals of pornography.
 Workman said what the teacher was doing would be considered grooming in
 another context.

“They are using taxpayer-funded resources to indoctrinate our children with communist, far-left
 political ideals,” Workman said. “And they’re doing it everywhere, 
right under our noses while no one learns to read, write or understand 
basic algebra. The union is too powerful, and parents need a fighting 
chance.”

Kansas State Board of Education 
members Ann Mah and Deena Horst wrote in opposition to the bill, saying 
its vague language would create problems.

“This bill allows a parent to object 
to materials or activities they determine to be harmful,” the testimony 
read. “What is the definition of harmful? Without a definition, parents 
could make a claim of harm that a reasonable person would find 
unlikely.”

Rep. Owen Donohoe, a Shawnee 
Republican, said teachers should be embarrassed of themselves and that 
he was encouraged by homeschooling and potential new scholarship 
options.

Other education bills would funnel money into <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/07/kansas-lawmakers-unveil-bill-to-incentivize-private-education-with-public-funds/">unregulated, unaccredited private and home schools</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/26/holy-tax-scams-kansas-lawmakers-fight-over-plan-to-fund-private-schools-with-tax-write-offs/">incentivize scholarship programs</a> for private schools.

“If you look at history, it’s just an
 abysmal record,” Donohoe said. “It’s embarrassing to say, I would 
think, that I’m a teacher, when we’re getting the kind of results, or 
have been, in this state. We have only a quarter of the students who are
 qualifying for college in all four categories. And yet we go on with 
these subjects and discussions and CRT, which are so far outside the 
realm of what people, what parents, what many parents, what most 
parents, want their children educated on.”

Rep. Silas Miller, D-Wichita, said 
the bill could lead to children not being taught essential knowledge and
 other viewpoints, pointing out that the vague language would allow a 
lot of leeway for parents to intervene.

“I would argue to take all of those 
things and call it history, rather than whatever national talking points
 we want to bring up at this point,” Miller said. “But personally, I 
think it’s OK to teach kids about history. I think we should not 
whitewash or sugarcoat it for the sake of coddling children’s religious 
beliefs.”

Rep. Adam Thomas, committee chairman 
and an Olathe Republican, pushed back on the idea that distrust of 
teachers is a national, not a local, issue. As an example of personal 
dissatisfaction, Thomas said his daughter was forced to do an assignment
 about a “gender unicorn.”

“My daughter, being told before she 
had to leave a classroom, had to fill out and not take home an 
assignment all about a gender unicorn, where it was gender assigned at 
birth, all these questions, these intrusive questions, about gender and 
feelings,” Thomas said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675957188402.png" alt="Rep. Owen Donohue says during a Wednesday House Education Committee hearing he would be embarrassed to be a teacher. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Owen Donohue says during a Wednesday House Education Committee hearing he would be embarrassed to be a teacher. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/09/no-more-gender-unicorns-lawmakers-debate-new-parents-bill-of-rights-legislation/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA
 — Lawmakers on Wednesday debated a new form of parental rights 
legislation that would allow parents to withdraw their children from 
courses they find objectionable, saying some teachers are crossing the 
line into grooming and advocating radical ideas.<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/hb2236_00_0000.pdf">House Bill 2236</a>
 was discussed by the House Education Committee. The bill would allow 
parents to object to any educational materials or activities that they 
believe would harm the student or parents’ beliefs, values or 
principles. Educational materials would include reading material, 
websites, videos and textbooks.Critics of the legislation say the 
legislation is overbroad and would hurt education across the state. 
Parents would be allowed to withdraw their student from the class or 
education program without harm to the student’s academic records. Local 
school boards would be required to adopt policies and procedures in 
accordance with the law.Last session, <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/04/26/kansas-senate-overrides-veto-of-legislation-creating-parental-bill-of-rights-for-k-12-education/">a parental bill of rights for K-12 public education</a>&nbsp;encouraged
 skepticism of classroom instructional materials and challenges to books
 on the shelf in school libraries. It was vetoed by Gov. Laura Kelly.During Wednesday’s hearing, Lansing 
parent Kirsten Workman said the bill was needed. Workman claimed her 
daughter, now a senior at Lansing High School, was encouraged to read a 
fairytale through a Marxist lens and given reading about moral 
relativism, gender-based identity politics, social acceptance of 
homosexuality and critical race theory.Workman said the teacher refused to 
meet with her to discuss her concerns and later gave her daughter more 
critical reading, such as pieces dealing with the morals of pornography.
 Workman said what the teacher was doing would be considered grooming in
 another context.“They are using taxpayer-funded resources to indoctrinate our children with communist, far-left
 political ideals,” Workman said. “And they’re doing it everywhere, 
right under our noses while no one learns to read, write or understand 
basic algebra. The union is too powerful, and parents need a fighting 
chance.”Kansas State Board of Education 
members Ann Mah and Deena Horst wrote in opposition to the bill, saying 
its vague language would create problems.“This bill allows a parent to object 
to materials or activities they determine to be harmful,” the testimony 
read. “What is the definition of harmful? Without a definition, parents 
could make a claim of harm that a reasonable person would find 
unlikely.”Rep. Owen Donohoe, a Shawnee 
Republican, said teachers should be embarrassed of themselves and that 
he was encouraged by homeschooling and potential new scholarship 
options.Other education bills would funnel money into <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/07/kansas-lawmakers-unveil-bill-to-incentivize-private-education-with-public-funds/">unregulated, unaccredited private and home schools</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/26/holy-tax-scams-kansas-lawmakers-fight-over-plan-to-fund-private-schools-with-tax-write-offs/">incentivize scholarship programs</a> for private schools.“If you look at history, it’s just an
 abysmal record,” Donohoe said. “It’s embarrassing to say, I would 
think, that I’m a teacher, when we’re getting the kind of results, or 
have been, in this state. We have only a quarter of the students who are
 qualifying for college in all four categories. And yet we go on with 
these subjects and discussions and CRT, which are so far outside the 
realm of what people, what parents, what many parents, what most 
parents, want their children educated on.”Rep. Silas Miller, D-Wichita, said 
the bill could lead to children not being taught essential knowledge and
 other viewpoints, pointing out that the vague language would allow a 
lot of leeway for parents to intervene.“I would argue to take all of those 
things and call it history, rather than whatever national talking points
 we want to bring up at this point,” Miller said. “But personally, I 
think it’s OK to teach kids about history. I think we should not 
whitewash or sugarcoat it for the sake of coddling children’s religious 
beliefs.”Rep. Adam Thomas, committee chairman 
and an Olathe Republican, pushed back on the idea that distrust of 
teachers is a national, not a local, issue. As an example of personal 
dissatisfaction, Thomas said his daughter was forced to do an assignment
 about a “gender unicorn.”“My daughter, being told before she 
had to leave a classroom, had to fill out and not take home an 
assignment all about a gender unicorn, where it was gender assigned at 
birth, all these questions, these intrusive questions, about gender and 
feelings,” Thomas said.

Kan. lawmakers debate new parents’ bill of rights legislation

PHOENIX
 (AP) — Two years ago as the Kansas City Chiefs were vying for a second 
consecutive Super Bowl victory in Tampa, Florida, there was one group 
outside Raymond James Stadium picketing their appearance.

Native 
American protesters were calling for the Chiefs to drop their name, logo
 and their trademark “war chant” where fans make a chopping-hand gesture
 mimicking the Native American tomahawk. They even hired a plane to fly 
around the area. Before game day, there were two online petitions and 
billboards of protest erected in Kansas City.

Now as the Chiefs return to Super Bowl Sunday for the first time in two years in Arizona, protesters will be there again.

Arizona
 to Rally Against Native Mascots is planning to demonstrate outside 
State Farm Stadium in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale. They will be 
joined at a news conference Thursday afternoon in Phoenix by members of 
Kansas City Native advocacy groups.

Fights against appropriation 
of tribal cultures and images have been going on for decades — not just 
with the Chiefs but with multiple teams across different sports. Native 
Americans say using iconography and words with Native connotations 
demeans them and perpetuates racist stereotypes.

Supporters have 
felt more emboldened in the last few years. A lot of teams previously 
countered that the mascots were meant to show tribes respect. But the 
racial reckoning and protests of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd 
compelled some franchises to do some soul-searching. The Cleveland 
Indians baseball team officially <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-sports-business-ohio-baseball-b7622b0c062ed548f98832ce76f21a3d">changed to the Guardians</a> in November 2021. They also axed Chief Wahoo, a logo which was a caricature of an Indian American.

It was a year ago this month that the Washington Football Team was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-commanders-nfl-ae58a5d454501417d66b207259486b14">anointed the Commanders.</a> That move came after 18 months of pressure to drop the Redskins, which was seen as a racial slur.

The
 Chiefs have made efforts to address concerns about cultural 
insensitivities going back a decade but always stop short of altering 
their name or fan-favorite gestures and chants. In 2013, the team began 
discussions with the American Indian Community Working Group. This led 
to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/6592442335e544e0bc5d34d3a3ca3ee7">invitations for Cheyenne spiritual and ceremonial leaders</a>
 to take part at some games. It wasn't until 2020 — when the Washington 
team first decided to change their name — that the Chiefs issued a ban 
on fans donning tribal headdresses, war paint and clothing at Arrowhead 
Stadium.

They also changed the tomahawk “chop” with cheerleaders 
using a closed fist instead of an open palm. Native American 
organizations in Kansas City at the time called the changes “laughable.”

The
 franchise has also made a point to participate in American Indian 
Heritage Month, which is in November. Most recently, they posted a video
 with long snapper James Winchester, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of 
Oklahoma, and center Creed Humphrey, who is from the Citizen Potawatomi 
Nation.

This Super Bowl protest is happening in a state where a 
quarter of the land belongs to Native Americans. The NFL has been 
emphasizing its collaborations with Native and Indigenous people based 
in Arizona.

Lucinda Hinojos, who was born in Glendale and is of 
Apache and Yaqui descent, became the first Native and Chicana artist to 
partner with the NFL. Her painting is featured on all Super Bowl tickets
 and throughout the NFL Experience. Colin Denny, a University of Arizona
 researcher and a member of the Navajo Nation, has been chosen to 
perform “America the Beautiful" during the game's pre-show. Denny, who 
is deaf, will utilize both American Sign Language and North American 
Indian Sign Language.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675964429452.jpeg" alt="A woman wearing Native American clothing attends a "No Honor in Racism Rally" march in front of TCF Bank Stadium before an NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Kansas City Chiefs, Oct. 18, 2015, in Minneapolis. The group objects to the Kansas City Chiefs name, and other teams' use of Native Americans as mascots. As the Kansas City Chiefs return to Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, for the first time in two years, the movement to change their name and logo will be there again. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)" />
 <figcaption>A woman wearing Native American clothing attends a "No Honor in Racism Rally" march in front of TCF Bank Stadium before an NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Kansas City Chiefs, Oct. 18, 2015, in Minneapolis. The group objects to the Kansas City Chiefs name, and other teams' use of Native Americans as mascots. As the Kansas City Chiefs return to Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, for the first time in two years, the movement to change their name and logo will be there again. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>PHOENIX
 (AP) — Two years ago as the Kansas City Chiefs were vying for a second 
consecutive Super Bowl victory in Tampa, Florida, there was one group 
outside Raymond James Stadium picketing their appearance.Native 
American protesters were calling for the Chiefs to drop their name, logo
 and their trademark “war chant” where fans make a chopping-hand gesture
 mimicking the Native American tomahawk. They even hired a plane to fly 
around the area. Before game day, there were two online petitions and 
billboards of protest erected in Kansas City.Now as the Chiefs return to Super Bowl Sunday for the first time in two years in Arizona, protesters will be there again.Arizona
 to Rally Against Native Mascots is planning to demonstrate outside 
State Farm Stadium in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale. They will be 
joined at a news conference Thursday afternoon in Phoenix by members of 
Kansas City Native advocacy groups.Fights against appropriation 
of tribal cultures and images have been going on for decades — not just 
with the Chiefs but with multiple teams across different sports. Native 
Americans say using iconography and words with Native connotations 
demeans them and perpetuates racist stereotypes.Supporters have 
felt more emboldened in the last few years. A lot of teams previously 
countered that the mascots were meant to show tribes respect. But the 
racial reckoning and protests of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd 
compelled some franchises to do some soul-searching. The Cleveland 
Indians baseball team officially <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-sports-business-ohio-baseball-b7622b0c062ed548f98832ce76f21a3d">changed to the Guardians</a> in November 2021. They also axed Chief Wahoo, a logo which was a caricature of an Indian American.It was a year ago this month that the Washington Football Team was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/washington-commanders-nfl-ae58a5d454501417d66b207259486b14">anointed the Commanders.</a> That move came after 18 months of pressure to drop the Redskins, which was seen as a racial slur.The
 Chiefs have made efforts to address concerns about cultural 
insensitivities going back a decade but always stop short of altering 
their name or fan-favorite gestures and chants. In 2013, the team began 
discussions with the American Indian Community Working Group. This led 
to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/6592442335e544e0bc5d34d3a3ca3ee7">invitations for Cheyenne spiritual and ceremonial leaders</a>
 to take part at some games. It wasn't until 2020 — when the Washington 
team first decided to change their name — that the Chiefs issued a ban 
on fans donning tribal headdresses, war paint and clothing at Arrowhead 
Stadium.They also changed the tomahawk “chop” with cheerleaders 
using a closed fist instead of an open palm. Native American 
organizations in Kansas City at the time called the changes “laughable.”The
 franchise has also made a point to participate in American Indian 
Heritage Month, which is in November. Most recently, they posted a video
 with long snapper James Winchester, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of 
Oklahoma, and center Creed Humphrey, who is from the Citizen Potawatomi 
Nation.This Super Bowl protest is happening in a state where a 
quarter of the land belongs to Native Americans. The NFL has been 
emphasizing its collaborations with Native and Indigenous people based 
in Arizona.Lucinda Hinojos, who was born in Glendale and is of 
Apache and Yaqui descent, became the first Native and Chicana artist to 
partner with the NFL. Her painting is featured on all Super Bowl tickets
 and throughout the NFL Experience. Colin Denny, a University of Arizona
 researcher and a member of the Navajo Nation, has been chosen to 
perform “America the Beautiful" during the game's pre-show. Denny, who 
is deaf, will utilize both American Sign Language and North American 
Indian Sign Language.

Native Americans renew protests of Kansas City Chiefs mascot

By CELIA LLOPIS-JESPEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2023-02-09/keystone-pipeline-operator-says-faulty-welding-and-other-problems-led-to-the-kansas-oil-spill">Kansas News Service</a>

Canadian oil company TC Energy said Thursday that faulty welding 
caused an “instantaneous rupture” in its Keystone pipeline that gushed 
hundreds of thousands of gallons of extra sticky tar sands crude oil 
onto Kansas native prairie, cropland and into a creek.

Meanwhile, 
the pipeline operator now estimates less oil escaped than originally 
thought. And it revealed that it expects the cleanup and investigation 
will cost about $480 million.

The
 federal government required TC Energy to have a third party conduct 
metallurgy tests. TC Energy says it can’t make the full report public. 
The Kansas News Service has filed an open records request to the federal
 government seeking the full document.

TC Energy gets three months
 to complete an analysis of the cause of the spill. That report must be 
“supplemented or facilitated by” a third party. The analysis isn’t 
finished, but TC Energy said in <a href="https://www.tcenergy.com/incident/milepost-14-incident/" target="_blank">an online post</a> early Thursday that the mechanical and metallurgy results had come back.

It says those tests point to factors including “bending stress on the pipe and a weld flaw.”

TC Energy seemed to point a finger outside its own ranks, saying the weld flaw was made at a “fabrication facility.”

“The
 weld flaw led to a crack that propagated over time as a result of 
bending stress fatigue, eventually leading to an instantaneous rupture,”
 TC Energy wrote in its press release. “The cause of the bending stress 
remains under investigation.”

The company said welding inspection and testing had complied with “applicable codes and standards.”

It also said the pipe itself showed no defects.

And it said the Keystone was operating at a legal pressure level when it burst.

The
 Kansas News Service submitted an open records request in December for a
 report that shows the precise pressure levels at the time of the 
rupture.

In late December, the federal government allowed TC 
Energy to restart the pipeline, on the condition that it operate for the
 time being at a lower pressure than when the rupture occurred.

“Our focus continues to be the safe operation of the pipeline system,” TC Energy wrote in its press release.

The
 federal government is also requiring TC Energy to look for other 
potential weak points within the 96-mile stretch of the Keystone system 
that includes the site of the spill in Washington County near the 
Nebraska border.

That stretch runs from Jefferson County in Nebraska through Washington, Clay and Dickinson counties in Kansas.

TC Energy now says it believes less oil spilled out of the Keystone than its original estimate of 588,000 gallons.

The new estimate is about 543,000 gallons, the bulk of which has been recovered.

It says the new figure is based on the volume of crude oil that the company injected to refill the pipeline when restarting it.

As
 for cost, the company said cleaning and remediating the area and 
investigating what happened will cost an estimated $480 million.

“This
 estimate may be adjusted as we continue to progress work on site,” it 
said. “We are working with our insurers to maximize cost recoveries.”

It’s not clear whether federal or state spending factors into this estimate. The company is required to <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2023-01-13/the-keystone-operator-must-repay-some-not-all-of-the-tax-dollars-spent-on-its-kansas-oil-spill" target="_blank">repay some (but not all)</a> of the public taxpayer money spent on cleaning up its mess.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675962271596.png" alt="Mill Creek downstream of the 4-mile stretch of creek that TC Energy bypassed in January to contain contamination and assist the cleanup. Celia Llopis-Jepsen / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Mill Creek downstream of the 4-mile stretch of creek that TC Energy bypassed in January to contain contamination and assist the cleanup. Celia Llopis-Jepsen / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By CELIA LLOPIS-JESPEN <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2023-02-09/keystone-pipeline-operator-says-faulty-welding-and-other-problems-led-to-the-kansas-oil-spill">Kansas News Service</a>Canadian oil company TC Energy said Thursday that faulty welding 
caused an “instantaneous rupture” in its Keystone pipeline that gushed 
hundreds of thousands of gallons of extra sticky tar sands crude oil 
onto Kansas native prairie, cropland and into a creek.Meanwhile, 
the pipeline operator now estimates less oil escaped than originally 
thought. And it revealed that it expects the cleanup and investigation 
will cost about $480 million.<h2>Investigation into the spill</h2>The
 federal government required TC Energy to have a third party conduct 
metallurgy tests. TC Energy says it can’t make the full report public. 
The Kansas News Service has filed an open records request to the federal
 government seeking the full document.TC Energy gets three months
 to complete an analysis of the cause of the spill. That report must be 
“supplemented or facilitated by” a third party. The analysis isn’t 
finished, but TC Energy said in <a href="https://www.tcenergy.com/incident/milepost-14-incident/" target="_blank">an online post</a> early Thursday that the mechanical and metallurgy results had come back.It says those tests point to factors including “bending stress on the pipe and a weld flaw.”TC Energy seemed to point a finger outside its own ranks, saying the weld flaw was made at a “fabrication facility.”“The
 weld flaw led to a crack that propagated over time as a result of 
bending stress fatigue, eventually leading to an instantaneous rupture,”
 TC Energy wrote in its press release. “The cause of the bending stress 
remains under investigation.”The company said welding inspection and testing had complied with “applicable codes and standards.”It also said the pipe itself showed no defects.And it said the Keystone was operating at a legal pressure level when it burst.The
 Kansas News Service submitted an open records request in December for a
 report that shows the precise pressure levels at the time of the 
rupture.In late December, the federal government allowed TC 
Energy to restart the pipeline, on the condition that it operate for the
 time being at a lower pressure than when the rupture occurred.“Our focus continues to be the safe operation of the pipeline system,” TC Energy wrote in its press release.The
 federal government is also requiring TC Energy to look for other 
potential weak points within the 96-mile stretch of the Keystone system 
that includes the site of the spill in Washington County near the 
Nebraska border.That stretch runs from Jefferson County in Nebraska through Washington, Clay and Dickinson counties in Kansas.<h2>Oil volume estimates and cleanup</h2>TC Energy now says it believes less oil spilled out of the Keystone than its original estimate of 588,000 gallons.The new estimate is about 543,000 gallons, the bulk of which has been recovered.It says the new figure is based on the volume of crude oil that the company injected to refill the pipeline when restarting it.As
 for cost, the company said cleaning and remediating the area and 
investigating what happened will cost an estimated $480 million.“This
 estimate may be adjusted as we continue to progress work on site,” it 
said. “We are working with our insurers to maximize cost recoveries.”It’s not clear whether federal or state spending factors into this estimate. The company is required to <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2023-01-13/the-keystone-operator-must-repay-some-not-all-of-the-tax-dollars-spent-on-its-kansas-oil-spill" target="_blank">repay some (but not all)</a> of the public taxpayer money spent on cleaning up its mess.

Operator determines problem that led to Kansas oil spill

RILEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating an alleged arson fire at Manhattan High School have made an arrest.

Just after 10a.m. Thursday, police arrested 16-year-old Jason Lucas of Manhattan&nbsp;in the 2300 block of Oak Street&nbsp; after he was found in his vehicle in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.

In addition to the drug allegations, police arrested Lucas on requested charges of aggravated arson in connection to a November 28,&nbsp; incident at Manhattan High School in the&nbsp;2100 block of Poyntz Avenue.&nbsp; It was reported he set a bathroom soap dispenser on fire during school hours.&nbsp;A teacher with a fire extinguisher quickly put the fire out.

Lucas was transported to the North Central Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Facility in Junction City on the requested arson charge and&nbsp; for possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of an electronic cigarette by a minor.

RILEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating an alleged arson fire at Manhattan High School have made an arrest.Just after 10a.m. Thursday, police arrested 16-year-old Jason Lucas of Manhattan&nbsp;in the 2300 block of Oak Street&nbsp; after he was found in his vehicle in possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.In addition to the drug allegations, police arrested Lucas on requested charges of aggravated arson in connection to a November 28,&nbsp; incident at Manhattan High School in the&nbsp;2100 block of Poyntz Avenue.&nbsp; It was reported he set a bathroom soap dispenser on fire during school hours.&nbsp;A teacher with a fire extinguisher quickly put the fire out.Lucas was transported to the North Central Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Facility in Junction City on the requested arson charge and&nbsp; for possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of an electronic cigarette by a minor.

Teen arrested for arson fire in bathroom at Kan. high school 

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/burt-bacharach">Burt Bacharach,</a>&nbsp;the singularly gifted and popular composer who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of "Walk on By," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" and dozens of other hits, has died at 94.

The Grammy, Oscar and Tony-winning Bacharach died Wednesday at home in Los Angeles of natural causes, publicist Tina Brausam said Thursday.

Over the past 70 years, only Lennon-McCartney, Carole King and a handful of others rivaled his genius for instantly catchy songs that remained performed, played and hummed long after they were written. He had a run of top 10 hits from the 1950s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-virus-outbreak-burt-bacharach-3c75337777bf897b635fbf518d200a13">into the 21st century,</a>&nbsp;and his music was heard everywhere from movie soundtracks and radios to home stereo systems and iPods, whether “Alfie” and “I Say a Little Prayer” or “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” and “This Guy’s in Love with You.”

Dionne Warwick was his favorite interpreter, but Bacharach, usually in tandem with lyricist Hal David, also created prime material for Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones and many others. Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra were among the countless artists who covered his songs, with more recent performers who sung or sampled him including White Stripes, Twista and Ashanti. “Walk On By” alone was covered by everyone from Warwick and Isaac Hayes to the British punk band the Stranglers and Cyndi Lauper.

Bacharach was both an innovator and throwback, and his career seemed to run parallel to the rock era. He grew up on jazz and classical music and had little taste for rock when he was breaking into the business in the 1950s. His sensibility often seemed more aligned with Tin Pan Alley than with Bob Dylan, John Lennon and other writers who later emerged, but rock composers appreciated the depth of his seemingly old-fashioned sensibility.

“The shorthand version of him is that he’s something to do with easy listening,” Elvis Costello, who wrote the 1998 album “Painted from Memory” with Bacharach, said in a 2018 interview with The Associated Press. “It may be agreeable to listen to these songs, but there’s nothing easy about them. Try playing them. Try singing them.”

A box set, “The Songs of Bacharach &amp; Costello,” is due to come out March 3.

He triumphed in many artforms. He was an eight-time Grammy winner, a prize-winning&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-lifestyle-arts-and-entertainment-theater-music-3075cfa46c71a754a41d382b81a51c63">Broadway composer</a>&nbsp;for “Promises, Promises” and a three-time Oscar winner. He received two Academy Awards in 1970, for the score of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and for the song “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” (shared with David). In 1982, he and his then-wife, lyricist Carole Bayer Sager, won for “Best That You Can Do,” the theme from “Arthur. His other movie soundtracks included “What’s New, Pussycat?”, “Alfie” and the 1967 James Bond spoof “Casino Royale.”

Bacharach was well rewarded, and well connected. He was a frequent guest at the White House, whether the president was Republican or Democrat. And in 2012, he was presented the Gershwin Prize by Barack Obama, who had sung a few seconds of “Walk on By” during a campaign appearance.

In his life, and in his music, he stood apart. Fellow songwriter Sammy Cahn liked to joke that the smiling, wavy-haired Bacharach was the first composer he ever knew who didn’t look like a dentist. Bacharach was a “swinger,” as they called such men in his time, whose many romances included actor Angie Dickinson, to whom he was married from 1965-80, and Sager, his wife from 1982-1991.

Married four times, he formed his most lasting ties to work. He was a perfectionist who took three weeks to write “Alfie” and might spend hours tweaking a single chord. Sager once observed that Bacharach’s life routines essentially stayed the same — only the wives changed.

It began with the melodies — strong yet interspersed with changing rhythms and surprising harmonics. He credited much of his style to his love of bebop and to his classical education, especially under the tutelage of Darius Milhaud, the famed composer. He once played a piece for piano, violin and oboe for Milhaud that contained a melody he was ashamed to have written, as 12-point atonal music was in vogue at the time. Milhaud, who liked the piece, advised the young man, "Never be afraid of the melody."

"That was a great affirmation for me," Bacharach recalled in 2004.

Bacharach was essentially a pop composer, but his songs became hits for country artists (Marty Robbins), rhythm and blues performers (Chuck Jackson), soul (Franklin, Luther Vandross) and synth-pop (Naked Eyes). He reached a new generation of listeners in the 1990s with the help of Costello and others.

Mike Myers would recall hearing the sultry “The Look of Love” on the radio and finding fast inspiration for his “Austin Powers” retro spy comedies, in which Bacharach made cameos.

In the 21st century, he was still testing new ground, writing his own lyrics and recording with rapper Dr. Dre.

He was married to his first wife, Paula Stewart, from 1953-58, and married for a fourth time, to Jane Hansen, in 1993. He is survived by Hansen, as well as his children Oliver, Raleigh and Cristopher, Brausam said. He was preceded in death by his daughter with Dickinson, Nikki Bacharach.

Bacharach knew the very heights of acclaim, but he remembered himself as a loner growing up, a short and self-conscious boy so uncomfortable with being Jewish he even taunted other Jews. His favorite book as a kid was Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises”; he related to the sexually impotent Jake Barnes, regarding himself as “socially impotent.”

He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but soon moved to New York City. His father was a syndicated columnist, his mother a pianist who encouraged the boy to study music. Although he was more interested in sports, he practiced piano every day after school, not wanting to disappoint his mother. While still a minor, he would sneak into jazz clubs, bearing a fake ID, and hear such greats as Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie.

“They were just so incredibly exciting that all of a sudden, I got into music in a way I never had before,” he recalled in the memoir “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” published in 2013. “What I heard in those clubs turned my head around.”

He was a poor student, but managed to gain a spot at the music conservatory at McGill University in Montreal. He wrote his first song at McGill and listened for months to Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song.” Music also may have saved Bacharach’s life. He was drafted into the Army in the late 1940s and was still on active duty during the Korean War. But officers stateside soon learned of his gifts and wanted him around. When he did go overseas, it was to Germany, where he wrote orchestrations for a recreation center on the local military base.

After his discharge, he returned to New York and tried to break into the music business. He had little success at first as a songwriter, but he became a popular arranger and accompanist, touring with Vic Damone, the Ames Brothers and Stewart, his eventual first wife. When a friend who had been touring with Marlene Dietrich was unable to make a show in Las Vegas, he asked Bacharach to step in.

The young musician and ageless singer quickly clicked and Bacharach traveled the world with her in the late 1950s and early '60s. During each performance, she would introduce him in grand style: “I would like you to meet the man, he’s my arranger, he’s my accompanist, he’s my conductor, and I wish I could say he’s my composer. But that isn’t true. He’s everybody’s composer ... Burt Bacharach!”

Meanwhile, he had met his ideal songwriter partner — David, as businesslike as Bacharach was mercurial, so domesticated that he would leave each night at 5 to catch the train back to his family on Long Island. Working in a tiny office in Broadway’s celebrated Brill Building, they produced their first million-seller, "Magic Moments," sung in 1958 by Perry Como. In 1962, they spotted a backup singer for the Drifters, Warwick, who had a “very special kind of grace and elegance,” Bacharach recalled.

The trio produced hit after hit. The songs were as complicated to record as they were easy to hear. Bacharach liked to experiment with time signatures and arrangements, such as having two pianists play on “Walk on By,” their performances just slightly out of sync to give the song “a jagged kind of feeling,” he wrote in his memoir.

The Bacharach-David partnership ended with the dismal failure of a 1973 musical remake of "Lost Horizon." Bacharach became so depressed he isolated himself in his Del Mar vacation home and refused to work.

"I didn't want to write with Hal or anybody," he told the AP in 2004. Nor did he want to fulfill a commitment to record Warwick. She and David both sued him.

Bacharach and David eventually reconciled. When David died in 2012, Bacharach praised him for writing lyrics “like a miniature movie.”

Meanwhile, Bacharach kept working, vowing never to retire, always believing that a good song could make a difference.

“Music softens the heart, makes you feel something if it’s good, brings in emotion that you might not have felt before,” he told the AP in 2018. “It’s a very powerful thing if you’re able to do to it, if you have it in your heart to do something like that.”

NEW YORK (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/burt-bacharach">Burt Bacharach,</a>&nbsp;the singularly gifted and popular composer who delighted millions with the quirky arrangements and unforgettable melodies of "Walk on By," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" and dozens of other hits, has died at 94.The Grammy, Oscar and Tony-winning Bacharach died Wednesday at home in Los Angeles of natural causes, publicist Tina Brausam said Thursday.Over the past 70 years, only Lennon-McCartney, Carole King and a handful of others rivaled his genius for instantly catchy songs that remained performed, played and hummed long after they were written. He had a run of top 10 hits from the 1950s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-music-virus-outbreak-burt-bacharach-3c75337777bf897b635fbf518d200a13">into the 21st century,</a>&nbsp;and his music was heard everywhere from movie soundtracks and radios to home stereo systems and iPods, whether “Alfie” and “I Say a Little Prayer” or “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” and “This Guy’s in Love with You.”Dionne Warwick was his favorite interpreter, but Bacharach, usually in tandem with lyricist Hal David, also created prime material for Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Tom Jones and many others. Elvis Presley, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra were among the countless artists who covered his songs, with more recent performers who sung or sampled him including White Stripes, Twista and Ashanti. “Walk On By” alone was covered by everyone from Warwick and Isaac Hayes to the British punk band the Stranglers and Cyndi Lauper.Bacharach was both an innovator and throwback, and his career seemed to run parallel to the rock era. He grew up on jazz and classical music and had little taste for rock when he was breaking into the business in the 1950s. His sensibility often seemed more aligned with Tin Pan Alley than with Bob Dylan, John Lennon and other writers who later emerged, but rock composers appreciated the depth of his seemingly old-fashioned sensibility.“The shorthand version of him is that he’s something to do with easy listening,” Elvis Costello, who wrote the 1998 album “Painted from Memory” with Bacharach, said in a 2018 interview with The Associated Press. “It may be agreeable to listen to these songs, but there’s nothing easy about them. Try playing them. Try singing them.”A box set, “The Songs of Bacharach &amp; Costello,” is due to come out March 3.He triumphed in many artforms. He was an eight-time Grammy winner, a prize-winning&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-lifestyle-arts-and-entertainment-theater-music-3075cfa46c71a754a41d382b81a51c63">Broadway composer</a>&nbsp;for “Promises, Promises” and a three-time Oscar winner. He received two Academy Awards in 1970, for the score of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and for the song “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” (shared with David). In 1982, he and his then-wife, lyricist Carole Bayer Sager, won for “Best That You Can Do,” the theme from “Arthur. His other movie soundtracks included “What’s New, Pussycat?”, “Alfie” and the 1967 James Bond spoof “Casino Royale.”Bacharach was well rewarded, and well connected. He was a frequent guest at the White House, whether the president was Republican or Democrat. And in 2012, he was presented the Gershwin Prize by Barack Obama, who had sung a few seconds of “Walk on By” during a campaign appearance.In his life, and in his music, he stood apart. Fellow songwriter Sammy Cahn liked to joke that the smiling, wavy-haired Bacharach was the first composer he ever knew who didn’t look like a dentist. Bacharach was a “swinger,” as they called such men in his time, whose many romances included actor Angie Dickinson, to whom he was married from 1965-80, and Sager, his wife from 1982-1991.Married four times, he formed his most lasting ties to work. He was a perfectionist who took three weeks to write “Alfie” and might spend hours tweaking a single chord. Sager once observed that Bacharach’s life routines essentially stayed the same — only the wives changed.It began with the melodies — strong yet interspersed with changing rhythms and surprising harmonics. He credited much of his style to his love of bebop and to his classical education, especially under the tutelage of Darius Milhaud, the famed composer. He once played a piece for piano, violin and oboe for Milhaud that contained a melody he was ashamed to have written, as 12-point atonal music was in vogue at the time. Milhaud, who liked the piece, advised the young man, "Never be afraid of the melody.""That was a great affirmation for me," Bacharach recalled in 2004.Bacharach was essentially a pop composer, but his songs became hits for country artists (Marty Robbins), rhythm and blues performers (Chuck Jackson), soul (Franklin, Luther Vandross) and synth-pop (Naked Eyes). He reached a new generation of listeners in the 1990s with the help of Costello and others.Mike Myers would recall hearing the sultry “The Look of Love” on the radio and finding fast inspiration for his “Austin Powers” retro spy comedies, in which Bacharach made cameos.In the 21st century, he was still testing new ground, writing his own lyrics and recording with rapper Dr. Dre.He was married to his first wife, Paula Stewart, from 1953-58, and married for a fourth time, to Jane Hansen, in 1993. He is survived by Hansen, as well as his children Oliver, Raleigh and Cristopher, Brausam said. He was preceded in death by his daughter with Dickinson, Nikki Bacharach.Bacharach knew the very heights of acclaim, but he remembered himself as a loner growing up, a short and self-conscious boy so uncomfortable with being Jewish he even taunted other Jews. His favorite book as a kid was Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises”; he related to the sexually impotent Jake Barnes, regarding himself as “socially impotent.”He was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but soon moved to New York City. His father was a syndicated columnist, his mother a pianist who encouraged the boy to study music. Although he was more interested in sports, he practiced piano every day after school, not wanting to disappoint his mother. While still a minor, he would sneak into jazz clubs, bearing a fake ID, and hear such greats as Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie.“They were just so incredibly exciting that all of a sudden, I got into music in a way I never had before,” he recalled in the memoir “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” published in 2013. “What I heard in those clubs turned my head around.”He was a poor student, but managed to gain a spot at the music conservatory at McGill University in Montreal. He wrote his first song at McGill and listened for months to Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song.” Music also may have saved Bacharach’s life. He was drafted into the Army in the late 1940s and was still on active duty during the Korean War. But officers stateside soon learned of his gifts and wanted him around. When he did go overseas, it was to Germany, where he wrote orchestrations for a recreation center on the local military base.After his discharge, he returned to New York and tried to break into the music business. He had little success at first as a songwriter, but he became a popular arranger and accompanist, touring with Vic Damone, the Ames Brothers and Stewart, his eventual first wife. When a friend who had been touring with Marlene Dietrich was unable to make a show in Las Vegas, he asked Bacharach to step in.The young musician and ageless singer quickly clicked and Bacharach traveled the world with her in the late 1950s and early '60s. During each performance, she would introduce him in grand style: “I would like you to meet the man, he’s my arranger, he’s my accompanist, he’s my conductor, and I wish I could say he’s my composer. But that isn’t true. He’s everybody’s composer ... Burt Bacharach!”Meanwhile, he had met his ideal songwriter partner — David, as businesslike as Bacharach was mercurial, so domesticated that he would leave each night at 5 to catch the train back to his family on Long Island. Working in a tiny office in Broadway’s celebrated Brill Building, they produced their first million-seller, "Magic Moments," sung in 1958 by Perry Como. In 1962, they spotted a backup singer for the Drifters, Warwick, who had a “very special kind of grace and elegance,” Bacharach recalled.The trio produced hit after hit. The songs were as complicated to record as they were easy to hear. Bacharach liked to experiment with time signatures and arrangements, such as having two pianists play on “Walk on By,” their performances just slightly out of sync to give the song “a jagged kind of feeling,” he wrote in his memoir.The Bacharach-David partnership ended with the dismal failure of a 1973 musical remake of "Lost Horizon." Bacharach became so depressed he isolated himself in his Del Mar vacation home and refused to work."I didn't want to write with Hal or anybody," he told the AP in 2004. Nor did he want to fulfill a commitment to record Warwick. She and David both sued him.Bacharach and David eventually reconciled. When David died in 2012, Bacharach praised him for writing lyrics “like a miniature movie.”Meanwhile, Bacharach kept working, vowing never to retire, always believing that a good song could make a difference.“Music softens the heart, makes you feel something if it’s good, brings in emotion that you might not have felt before,” he told the AP in 2018. “It’s a very powerful thing if you’re able to do to it, if you have it in your heart to do something like that.”___

Burt Bacharach, KC native, legendary composer of pop songs, dies

FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged identity theft and have a suspect in custody.

On January 31, 2023, the First Baptist Church, 1005 North 11th, in Garden City contacted police about an individual who had been using the church’s debit card, and the church was missing approximately $100,000.00. 

During the investigation, police identified 36-year-old Manuel Terrazas&nbsp; of Garden City as the suspect.

On Tuesday, police arrested Terrazas at the Finney County Law Enforcement Center and he is being held on requested charges that include 162 counts of Criminal Use of a Financial Card and 162 counts of Theft.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675895574967.png" alt="Terrazas-photo Finney Co." />
 <figcaption>Terrazas-photo Finney Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>FINNEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating alleged identity theft and have a suspect in custody.On January 31, 2023, the First Baptist Church, 1005 North 11th, in Garden City contacted police about an individual who had been using the church’s debit card, and the church was missing approximately $100,000.00. During the investigation, police identified 36-year-old Manuel Terrazas&nbsp; of Garden City as the suspect.On Tuesday, police arrested Terrazas at the Finney County Law Enforcement Center and he is being held on requested charges that include 162 counts of Criminal Use of a Financial Card and 162 counts of Theft.

Police: Kansas church lost $100,000 in debit card fraud

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/06/aclu-motorists-challenge-roadside-detention-dog-searches-triggered-by-trooper-two-step/">Kansas Reflector</a>

KANSAS CITY, Kansas — Detention 
of Blaine Shaw after stopped for speeding on Interstate 70 while on a 
trip from Oklahoma to Colorado snowballed Monday into a trial 
challenging constitutionality of the Kansas Highway Patrol’s policy of 
targeting out-of-staters and other suspicious people for vehicle 
searches by drug-sniffing dogs.

Shaw and his brother, members of the Osage Nation and residents of 
Oklahoma City, were on their way to Denver to visit family and friends 
in December 2017 when pulled over near Hays. KHP trooper Doug Schulte 
reported he clocked Shaw driving 91 mph in the 75-mph zone. The trooper 
wrote a ticket for the infraction to conclude the stated purpose of the 
stop and told the brothers to have a safe trip. Schulte began to walk 
away, but executed a maneuver cynically known as the “trooper two-step” 
and returned to Shaw’s open window.

“Hey Blaine,” his lawyer recounted during opening argument of Blaine 
Shaw’s lawsuit against Schulte, “can I ask you another question?”

What happened over the next 45 minutes or so, much of it recorded on 
Shaw’s cellular telephone or by KHP vehicle or body cameras, became 
grist for a jury trial in U.S. District Court challenging the state 
patrol’s approach to securing “reasonable suspicion” necessary to detain
 motorists and compel vehicle searches by K-9 units.

Sharon Brett, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of
 Kansas, told the eight-person jury in the Robert J. Dole Federal 
Courthouse that Schulte violated the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. 
Constitution with the rogue search of her client’s vehicle.

“The evidence will show trooper Schulte was going off no more than a 
hunch,” Brett said. “Did trooper Schulte have reasonable suspicion to 
detain Blaine Shaw for a K-9 sniff? Was he playing by the rules he was 
sworn to follow?”

This trial was the first of possibly three constitutional challenges 
inspired by comparable stops by KHP of Shaw, Wichita resident Joshua 
Bosire and Ohio residents Mark Erich and Shawna Maloney.

Court documents show Bosire’s suit, scheduled for trial Feb. 13, 
alleged misconduct was committed by KHP trooper Brandon McMillan when he
 stopped a rental car with Missouri license plates being driving on I-70
 in February 2019. Bosire said in court documents he was on his way home
 after visiting his daughter in Colorado when pulled over for speeding.

McMillan said he wouldn’t issue Bosire a speeding ticket but called 
in the canine unit because Bosier refused to clarify his travel plans 
and might be hauling something illegal. The dog didn’t alert to possible
 presence of illegal drugs and Bosire was released after 45 minutes.

In the other case, Erich and Maloney of Willowick, Ohio, were 
traveling eastbound on I-70 in a recreational vehicle with Colorado 
temporary tags when stopped by KHP trooper Justin Rohr because he 
observed a wheel touch a painted line on the side of the highway. Rohr 
issued a warning, took a couple steps away before turning to ask about 
their travel plans. Erich said he preferred not to answer any other 
questions.

Court documents say Rohr detained Erich and Maloney, along with their
 children 10 and 13 years of age, because there was reasonable suspicion
 the RV had a false compartment. Rohr ordered a canine sniff of the 
vehicle, but no concealed drugs were discovered. They were released 
after 45 minutes.

Erich and Maloney filed a lawsuit against Rohr and named KHP 
superintendent Herman Jones as a defendant. In pretrial testimony, Rohr 
said a vehicle’s state of origin was indicative of criminal activity if 
it was a state such as Colorado and California that legalized 
recreational marijuana. A trial in federal court related to the third 
traffic stop by KHP hasn’t been scheduled.

U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Vratil previously rejected KHP’s 
motion for summary judgment. In June, the U.S. Court of Appeals in 
Denver denied a claim by the KHP employees seeking qualified immunity 
from lawsuits for their actions as law enforcement officers.

Shaw, in a dark suit with long black hair tied in a ponytail, sat at 
the counsel table with a portion of his legal team, including Patrick 
McInerny and Madison Perry of a Kansas City, Missouri, law firm. 
Schulte, in his blue KHP uniform minus a firearm, sat with his attorney 
at a table further away from the jury. Shaw and Schulte were expected to
 testify along with a former police chief serving as the plaintiff’s 
expert witness on law enforcement procedure.

Arthur Chalmers, the assistant Kansas attorney general assigned to 
represent KHP employees in the litigation, said evidence would prove 
Schulte relied on years of training and field experience to formulate 
suspicion of a possible crime and justify detention of Shaw for purposes
 of the dog search. He told the jury in opening statements the 
traffic-violation portion of the Shaw-Schulte encounter wasn’t at issue.

“This case is about the 28 and one-half minutes when a vehicle was on
 the side of the road,” Chalmers said. “It’s important from my client’s 
perspective that you keep an open mind.”

He said the heart of the dispute was what transpired after Schulte 
delivered the speeding citation to Shaw, took a few steps toward his own
 vehicle and made the decision to pose more questions to Shaw. It was 
the out-of-staters’ lack of candor that sealed the decision by Schulte 
to hold the Shaws on suspicion of engaging in drug trafficking, Chalmers
 said.

Chalmers said testimony would show Shaw raised suspicion by not 
pulling over promptly after Schulte activated lights on his cruiser. The
 “untimely” stop by Shaw could have been related to criminals trying to 
get a story straight or to an attempt to hide contraband in a vehicle, 
Chalmers said.

In addition, Chalmers said, Schulte’s antenna went up when he noticed
 the van contained gear as if the brothers were temporarily living in it
 while making a quick trip to Colorado to buy marijuana and deliver it 
to Oklahoma. Chalmers said it was suspicious to the KHP trooper that 
Shaw was driving his father’s van because traffickers generally didn’t 
use their own cars or trucks when hauling drugs due to asset forfeiture 
laws.

Chalmers said Schulte noticed Samuel Shaw, the brother and a 
passenger in the van, was acting in a peculiar manner and giving off a 
“nothing-to-see-here” vibe. Finally, Chalmers said Schulte’s reasonable 
suspicion was reinforced when told by dispatch that Shaw had been 
charged previously with possession of narcotics.

“The final straw is that they’re not traveling local. It is instead a
 trip to a place where you can access drugs,” Chalmers said.

In the end, the KHP brought in a dog to join in a search of the 
Shaws’ 2010 Chrysler van. The dog alerted to the scent of illegal 
substances, Chalmers said, but troopers didn’t find evidence to charge 
anyone with possession. KHP required Shaw to report to a nearby law 
enforcement office so copies could be made of his medical records, 
Colorado identification card and medical marijuana registration.

Brett framed for the jury Shaw’s interaction with KHP troopers from a
 different perspective. She spoke to a jury that included two nurses and
 an IT specialist, a human resources manager, an accountant and a sales 
manager from eastern Kansas.

She said Shaw didn’t immediately pull over because Schulte turned on 
his SUV’s patrol lights while still in front of Shaw’s white van. She 
said Shaw initially assumed the trooper was after someone else. The van 
was packed with gear for the pre-Christmas camping trip and had a cot in
 back, because Shaw needed to stretch after long periods sitting due to a
 back injury sustained in a 2009 traffic accident, Brett said.

Brett said Blaine Shaw. who earned a criminal justice degree at 
college, videotaped much of the communication with KHP. She said he 
accepted the speeding ticket from KHP, but didn’t believe he should 
drive away while Schulte peppered him with additional questions. The 
recording revealed Schulte scolded Shaw for driving too fast and not 
pulling over quickly. It also confirmed Schulte performed the trooper 
two-step.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/2/1675807118949.png" alt="The ACLU of Kansas on behalf of four clients allege at trial in federal court the Kansas Highway Patrol engages in unconstitutional detention of motorists on Kansas highways before conducting improper vehicle searches by drug-sniffing dogs. Two KHP troopers and KHP Col. Herman Jones, in uniform at the Capitol, were named as defendants. Jones, who faces federal lawsuits over sexual harassment and retaliation, will retire this summer the governor announced Wednesday(Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>The ACLU of Kansas on behalf of four clients allege at trial in federal court the Kansas Highway Patrol engages in unconstitutional detention of motorists on Kansas highways before conducting improper vehicle searches by drug-sniffing dogs. Two KHP troopers and KHP Col. Herman Jones, in uniform at the Capitol, were named as defendants. Jones, who faces federal lawsuits over sexual harassment and retaliation, will retire this summer the governor announced Wednesday(Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/02/06/aclu-motorists-challenge-roadside-detention-dog-searches-triggered-by-trooper-two-step/">Kansas Reflector</a>KANSAS CITY, Kansas — Detention 
of Blaine Shaw after stopped for speeding on Interstate 70 while on a 
trip from Oklahoma to Colorado snowballed Monday into a trial 
challenging constitutionality of the Kansas Highway Patrol’s policy of 
targeting out-of-staters and other suspicious people for vehicle 
searches by drug-sniffing dogs.Shaw and his brother, members of the Osage Nation and residents of 
Oklahoma City, were on their way to Denver to visit family and friends 
in December 2017 when pulled over near Hays. KHP trooper Doug Schulte 
reported he clocked Shaw driving 91 mph in the 75-mph zone. The trooper 
wrote a ticket for the infraction to conclude the stated purpose of the 
stop and told the brothers to have a safe trip. Schulte began to walk 
away, but executed a maneuver cynically known as the “trooper two-step” 
and returned to Shaw’s open window.“Hey Blaine,” his lawyer recounted during opening argument of Blaine 
Shaw’s lawsuit against Schulte, “can I ask you another question?”What happened over the next 45 minutes or so, much of it recorded on 
Shaw’s cellular telephone or by KHP vehicle or body cameras, became 
grist for a jury trial in U.S. District Court challenging the state 
patrol’s approach to securing “reasonable suspicion” necessary to detain
 motorists and compel vehicle searches by K-9 units.Sharon Brett, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of
 Kansas, told the eight-person jury in the Robert J. Dole Federal 
Courthouse that Schulte violated the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. 
Constitution with the rogue search of her client’s vehicle.“The evidence will show trooper Schulte was going off no more than a 
hunch,” Brett said. “Did trooper Schulte have reasonable suspicion to 
detain Blaine Shaw for a K-9 sniff? Was he playing by the rules he was 
sworn to follow?”<h2>ACLU times three</h2>This trial was the first of possibly three constitutional challenges 
inspired by comparable stops by KHP of Shaw, Wichita resident Joshua 
Bosire and Ohio residents Mark Erich and Shawna Maloney.Court documents show Bosire’s suit, scheduled for trial Feb. 13, 
alleged misconduct was committed by KHP trooper Brandon McMillan when he
 stopped a rental car with Missouri license plates being driving on I-70
 in February 2019. Bosire said in court documents he was on his way home
 after visiting his daughter in Colorado when pulled over for speeding.McMillan said he wouldn’t issue Bosire a speeding ticket but called 
in the canine unit because Bosier refused to clarify his travel plans 
and might be hauling something illegal. The dog didn’t alert to possible
 presence of illegal drugs and Bosire was released after 45 minutes.In the other case, Erich and Maloney of Willowick, Ohio, were 
traveling eastbound on I-70 in a recreational vehicle with Colorado 
temporary tags when stopped by KHP trooper Justin Rohr because he 
observed a wheel touch a painted line on the side of the highway. Rohr 
issued a warning, took a couple steps away before turning to ask about 
their travel plans. Erich said he preferred not to answer any other 
questions.Court documents say Rohr detained Erich and Maloney, along with their
 children 10 and 13 years of age, because there was reasonable suspicion
 the RV had a false compartment. Rohr ordered a canine sniff of the 
vehicle, but no concealed drugs were discovered. They were released 
after 45 minutes.Erich and Maloney filed a lawsuit against Rohr and named KHP 
superintendent Herman Jones as a defendant. In pretrial testimony, Rohr 
said a vehicle’s state of origin was indicative of criminal activity if 
it was a state such as Colorado and California that legalized 
recreational marijuana. A trial in federal court related to the third 
traffic stop by KHP hasn’t been scheduled.U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Vratil previously rejected KHP’s 
motion for summary judgment. In June, the U.S. Court of Appeals in 
Denver denied a claim by the KHP employees seeking qualified immunity 
from lawsuits for their actions as law enforcement officers.Shaw, in a dark suit with long black hair tied in a ponytail, sat at 
the counsel table with a portion of his legal team, including Patrick 
McInerny and Madison Perry of a Kansas City, Missouri, law firm. 
Schulte, in his blue KHP uniform minus a firearm, sat with his attorney 
at a table further away from the jury. Shaw and Schulte were expected to
 testify along with a former police chief serving as the plaintiff’s 
expert witness on law enforcement procedure.<h2>‘Keep an open mind’</h2>Arthur Chalmers, the assistant Kansas attorney general assigned to 
represent KHP employees in the litigation, said evidence would prove 
Schulte relied on years of training and field experience to formulate 
suspicion of a possible crime and justify detention of Shaw for purposes
 of the dog search. He told the jury in opening statements the 
traffic-violation portion of the Shaw-Schulte encounter wasn’t at issue.“This case is about the 28 and one-half minutes when a vehicle was on
 the side of the road,” Chalmers said. “It’s important from my client’s 
perspective that you keep an open mind.”He said the heart of the dispute was what transpired after Schulte 
delivered the speeding citation to Shaw, took a few steps toward his own
 vehicle and made the decision to pose more questions to Shaw. It was 
the out-of-staters’ lack of candor that sealed the decision by Schulte 
to hold the Shaws on suspicion of engaging in drug trafficking, Chalmers
 said.Chalmers said testimony would show Shaw raised suspicion by not 
pulling over promptly after Schulte activated lights on his cruiser. The
 “untimely” stop by Shaw could have been related to criminals trying to 
get a story straight or to an attempt to hide contraband in a vehicle, 
Chalmers said.In addition, Chalmers said, Schulte’s antenna went up when he noticed
 the van contained gear as if the brothers were temporarily living in it
 while making a quick trip to Colorado to buy marijuana and deliver it 
to Oklahoma. Chalmers said it was suspicious to the KHP trooper that 
Shaw was driving his father’s van because traffickers generally didn’t 
use their own cars or trucks when hauling drugs due to asset forfeiture 
laws.Chalmers said Schulte noticed Samuel Shaw, the brother and a 
passenger in the van, was acting in a peculiar manner and giving off a 
“nothing-to-see-here” vibe. Finally, Chalmers said Schulte’s reasonable 
suspicion was reinforced when told by dispatch that Shaw had been 
charged previously with possession of narcotics.“The final straw is that they’re not traveling local. It is instead a
 trip to a place where you can access drugs,” Chalmers said.In the end, the KHP brought in a dog to join in a search of the 
Shaws’ 2010 Chrysler van. The dog alerted to the scent of illegal 
substances, Chalmers said, but troopers didn’t find evidence to charge 
anyone with possession. KHP required Shaw to report to a nearby law 
enforcement office so copies could be made of his medical records, 
Colorado identification card and medical marijuana registration.<h2>‘Wait right here’</h2>Brett framed for the jury Shaw’s interaction with KHP troopers from a
 different perspective. She spoke to a jury that included two nurses and
 an IT specialist, a human resources manager, an accountant and a sales 
manager from eastern Kansas.She said Shaw didn’t immediately pull over because Schulte turned on 
his SUV’s patrol lights while still in front of Shaw’s white van. She 
said Shaw initially assumed the trooper was after someone else. The van 
was packed with gear for the pre-Christmas camping trip and had a cot in
 back, because Shaw needed to stretch after long periods sitting due to a
 back injury sustained in a 2009 traffic accident, Brett said.Brett said Blaine Shaw. who earned a criminal justice degree at 
college, videotaped much of the communication with KHP. She said he 
accepted the speeding ticket from KHP, but didn’t believe he should 
drive away while Schulte peppered him with additional questions. The 
recording revealed Schulte scolded Shaw for driving too fast and not 
pulling over quickly. It also confirmed Schulte performed the trooper 
two-step.Brett said the technique taught KHP troopers called for breaking off 
the initial traffic detention and reengaging with the driver to gain 
possibly incriminatory information under what could be viewed as a 
consensual conversation. Schulte asked the Shaws about travel plans. The
 trooper inquired as to whether they were hauling anything illegal, such
 as firearms, large amounts of cash or narcotics.She said Blaine Shaw said no to those questions. But when Schulte 
asked if he could search the van, Blaine Shaw refused to grant 
permission.“Wait right here,” Brett said the trooper told the Shaws.At this point, Schulte requested the K-9 unit.Brett said Schulte apparently misinterpreted the behavior of Shaw’s 
brother, Samuel, as someone being evasive. In fact, Brett said, Samuel 
Shaw sustained a traumatic brain injury playing football in high school 
and could get “frequently confused” by strange surroundings or events.She said Blaine Shaw was unconstitutionally detained because Schulte 
didn’t come close to a “specific articulable reasonable suspicion” a 
crime was about to be committed, was occurring or could be expected to 
transpire. She said Blaine Shaw deserved compensation for the 
constitutional violation and for generating anxiety and fear in Blaine 
Shaw that resulted in lost wages after missing work.