Questions arise about inconsistency of property classifications

By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/17/leavenworth-county-farm-winery-blending-litigation-politics-in-bitter-property-tax-dispute/">Kansas Reflector</a>

LAWRENCE — Farm winery owners 
Bryan Zesiger and Gina Montalbano stirred up a hornet’s nest of property
 tax controversy by challenging Leavenworth County’s decision to 
classify a wine tasting room and 1.1 acres at the vineyard as commercial
 rather than agricultural property.

The issue surfaced when owners of Z&amp;M Twisted Vines learned the 
Leavenworth County appraiser had decided 85.2 acres of the winery would 
be classified agricultural in 2022. An 1,860-square-foot implement 
building with space for wine processing and storage, a tasting room for 
wine and hard cider sales and an event space would be classified as 
commercial by the county for tax purposes.

Zesiger said it was unfair because other farm retailers in 
Leavenworth County hadn’t been hit with commercial labels. He said farm 
wineries in other counties didn’t receive comparable commercial 
designations. The inconsistency in taxation was potentially 
unconstitutional, he said, and threatened agritourism designed to 
promote rural economic development.

“This has become a playbook that counties use and will use across the
 state to get new taxes for the big growth of government,” Zesiger said 
in a letter sent to members of the Kansas Legislature.

He said replication of unjust agricultural-to-commercial property tax
 decisions could “tax agricultural families out of existence.”

In September, Twisted Vines found allies in the Kansas Department of 
Agriculture and the Kansas Farm Bureau as they prepared to appeal to the
 Kansas Board of Tax Appeals.

Russell Plaschka, director of agricultural marketing with the state 
Department of Agriculture, said grapes were recognized as a specialty 
crop and wine met the definition of an agricultural product under state 
and federal law.

“It is our belief that, in the context of farm wineries, onsite 
processing of those grapes into wine is simply the next step of the 
viniculture process and a continuation of the agricultural activity,” 
Plaschka said.

Wendee Grady, director of the Kansas Farm Bureau Legal Foundation, 
said grapes and wine were agricultural products and a building on land 
contributing to production, storage and marketing of those products 
“should be classified and taxed as such.” State law specifically 
excluded farm wineries from the definition of “manufacturer,” Grady 
said. In addition, farm wineries were exempt from county zoning 
regulations.

Grady also said Twisted Vines was a registered operator under the 
Agritourism Promotion Act. Provisions of that law are to be “liberally 
construed” to promote rural tourism by encouraging farmers and ranchers 
to welcome the public to historic, cultural and natural attractions for 
recreational and entertainment purposes, the director said.

During a hearing before the state Board of Tax Appeals, Leavenworth 
County appraiser Robert Weber said the decision to consider the winery’s
 tasting room as commercial space reflected its “retail character.” He 
said the tasting room and event space served a food menu.

“We look at actual use. What’s going on,” Weber said. “We do not 
believe it makes it agricultural simply because the activity is going on
 on a parcel where they’re growing grapes.”

He said the county’s designation of a portion of the farm as 
commercial hinged on whether a “specific place” was dedicated to a 
commercial usage as opposed to an area used occasionally to sell a farm 
product. The county has authority to separately classify a portion of 
farm property with a distinct commercial purpose. In these cases, the 
taxing authority has the burden to provide evidence the classification 
of the property was proper.

“Events are taking place on the property,” said Roger Marrs, the 
Leavenworth County attorney. “The fact there’s also agricultural use on 
it doesn’t just automatically make the whole thing agricultural.”

Zesiger testified at the BOTA proceeding that every building on the 
property with exception of a residence was “100% devoted to making and 
selling wine and related products.” He argued for an expansive 
definition of&nbsp; “production” to include retail sales of farm products.

His testimony was that agricultural and commercial usages of property
 at Twisted Vines were so intermingled that classification of the 
property based on its predominant use — agriculture production — was 
appropriate.

In November, Twisted Vines lost their case before the Kansas Board of
 Tax Appeals. The decision by BOTA indicated Leavenworth County met its 
burden of proof to demonstrate the tasting room was properly classified 
as commercial. The opinion, however, raised questions about whether the 
county was consistent in determining what properties should be viewed as
 agricultural for property tax purposes.

BOTA conceded it had no authority within the framework of this case to tackle those wider property tax problems.

Here’s how BOTA put it: “Because the board has no procedural 
mechanism to address countywide classification decisions more broadly in
 this matter, the county’s classification of the subject property and 
corresponding valuation are sustained.”

The state Board of Tax Appeals did outline three examples of how 
Leavenworth County was “not fair and equal” when it declared properties 
fully agricultural despite evidence of retail businesses at those 
locations.

The opinion noted Manna Meadows alpaca farm offered tours for a fee, a
 rent an alpaca program and sold alpaca wool products in a “farm store.”
 The Pietzsch 2L Farm was designated agricultural despite selling sides 
of beef and hosting upscale farm-to-table dinners. The Gilliland Next to
 Nature Farm included an “education center” in which beekeeping and 
canning classes were taught and products sold. It also featured a “honey
 tasting bar.”

Leavenworth County, during the taxing period at the root of the legal
 controversy with Twisted Vines, didn’t classify the three operations as
 commercial. The county offered no explanation in support of its 
decision to draw a distinction between those properties and Twisted 
Vines. BOTA found that “sorely lacking” and a potential violation of the
 Kansas Constitution, which mandates property classifications for tax 
purposes to be uniform and equal. BOTA said a valuation deemed contrary 
to this requirement was “illegal or void.”

“The evidence presented to the board strongly suggests that in this 
particular instance, where farms are engaged in retail sales and/or 
other nonproduction activities in designated areas of the farm, the 
county has failed to fulfill that obligation,” BOTA decision said.

In future years, the debate could be made moot by adoption of a 
Kansas law, effective July 1, 2022, that declared a farm winery tasting 
room could fall under the definition of property engaged in an 
agricultural purpose. That start date of that statute, however, came 
after the Jan. 1, 2022, effective date of the challenged Leavenworth 
County property valuation.

“Absent specific direction from the Legislature,” three members of 
the state Board of Tax Appeals said, “a substantive statutory amendment 
does not apply retroactively.”

There is bipartisan support in the Legislature for work to bring 
consistency to classification of agriculture and commercial properties. 
Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican and chairwoman of the Senate 
Assessment and Taxation Committee, said the failure to guarantee 
fairness in the process would be examined by lawmakers.

“Consistency should be the case,” said Sen. Jeff Pittman, a 
Leavenworth Democrat. “It might be time for the Legislature to take 
action.”

Rep. Ken Corbet, R-Topeka, said one option would be to pass a bill 
requiring county appraisers to be elected rather than appointed. He said
 that was the only way to hold people accountable for questionable 
property tax decisions.

Zesiger said his next step regarding the 2022 property tax assessment
 could be the Kansas Court of Appeals. His goal remains reversal of the 
commercial classification attached to his property.

“I’m fighting an uphill battle,” he said. “I’m going to fight it all the way up.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673975290467.png" alt="Bryan Zesiger, co-owner of Z&amp;M Twisted Vines north of Lawrence, is challenging a Leavenworth County decision to classify a winery tasting room as commercial property rather than an agricultural use. Zesiger lost his appeal to the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Bryan Zesiger, co-owner of Z&amp;M Twisted Vines north of Lawrence, is challenging a Leavenworth County decision to classify a winery tasting room as commercial property rather than an agricultural use. Zesiger lost his appeal to the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Questions arise about inconsistency of property classifications</h2>By TIM CARPENTER <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/17/leavenworth-county-farm-winery-blending-litigation-politics-in-bitter-property-tax-dispute/">Kansas Reflector</a>LAWRENCE — Farm winery owners 
Bryan Zesiger and Gina Montalbano stirred up a hornet’s nest of property
 tax controversy by challenging Leavenworth County’s decision to 
classify a wine tasting room and 1.1 acres at the vineyard as commercial
 rather than agricultural property.The issue surfaced when owners of Z&amp;M Twisted Vines learned the 
Leavenworth County appraiser had decided 85.2 acres of the winery would 
be classified agricultural in 2022. An 1,860-square-foot implement 
building with space for wine processing and storage, a tasting room for 
wine and hard cider sales and an event space would be classified as 
commercial by the county for tax purposes.Zesiger said it was unfair because other farm retailers in 
Leavenworth County hadn’t been hit with commercial labels. He said farm 
wineries in other counties didn’t receive comparable commercial 
designations. The inconsistency in taxation was potentially 
unconstitutional, he said, and threatened agritourism designed to 
promote rural economic development.“This has become a playbook that counties use and will use across the
 state to get new taxes for the big growth of government,” Zesiger said 
in a letter sent to members of the Kansas Legislature.He said replication of unjust agricultural-to-commercial property tax
 decisions could “tax agricultural families out of existence.”<h2>Farm, ranch tourism</h2>In September, Twisted Vines found allies in the Kansas Department of 
Agriculture and the Kansas Farm Bureau as they prepared to appeal to the
 Kansas Board of Tax Appeals.Russell Plaschka, director of agricultural marketing with the state 
Department of Agriculture, said grapes were recognized as a specialty 
crop and wine met the definition of an agricultural product under state 
and federal law.“It is our belief that, in the context of farm wineries, onsite 
processing of those grapes into wine is simply the next step of the 
viniculture process and a continuation of the agricultural activity,” 
Plaschka said.Wendee Grady, director of the Kansas Farm Bureau Legal Foundation, 
said grapes and wine were agricultural products and a building on land 
contributing to production, storage and marketing of those products 
“should be classified and taxed as such.” State law specifically 
excluded farm wineries from the definition of “manufacturer,” Grady 
said. In addition, farm wineries were exempt from county zoning 
regulations.Grady also said Twisted Vines was a registered operator under the 
Agritourism Promotion Act. Provisions of that law are to be “liberally 
construed” to promote rural tourism by encouraging farmers and ranchers 
to welcome the public to historic, cultural and natural attractions for 
recreational and entertainment purposes, the director said.<h2>An intriguing decision</h2>During a hearing before the state Board of Tax Appeals, Leavenworth 
County appraiser Robert Weber said the decision to consider the winery’s
 tasting room as commercial space reflected its “retail character.” He 
said the tasting room and event space served a food menu.“We look at actual use. What’s going on,” Weber said. “We do not 
believe it makes it agricultural simply because the activity is going on
 on a parcel where they’re growing grapes.”He said the county’s designation of a portion of the farm as 
commercial hinged on whether a “specific place” was dedicated to a 
commercial usage as opposed to an area used occasionally to sell a farm 
product. The county has authority to separately classify a portion of 
farm property with a distinct commercial purpose. In these cases, the 
taxing authority has the burden to provide evidence the classification 
of the property was proper.“Events are taking place on the property,” said Roger Marrs, the 
Leavenworth County attorney. “The fact there’s also agricultural use on 
it doesn’t just automatically make the whole thing agricultural.”Zesiger testified at the BOTA proceeding that every building on the 
property with exception of a residence was “100% devoted to making and 
selling wine and related products.” He argued for an expansive 
definition of&nbsp; “production” to include retail sales of farm products.His testimony was that agricultural and commercial usages of property
 at Twisted Vines were so intermingled that classification of the 
property based on its predominant use — agriculture production — was 
appropriate.In November, Twisted Vines lost their case before the Kansas Board of
 Tax Appeals. The decision by BOTA indicated Leavenworth County met its 
burden of proof to demonstrate the tasting room was properly classified 
as commercial. The opinion, however, raised questions about whether the 
county was consistent in determining what properties should be viewed as
 agricultural for property tax purposes.BOTA conceded it had no authority within the framework of this case to tackle those wider property tax problems.Here’s how BOTA put it: “Because the board has no procedural 
mechanism to address countywide classification decisions more broadly in
 this matter, the county’s classification of the subject property and 
corresponding valuation are sustained.”<h2>‘Particularly instructive’</h2>The state Board of Tax Appeals did outline three examples of how 
Leavenworth County was “not fair and equal” when it declared properties 
fully agricultural despite evidence of retail businesses at those 
locations.The opinion noted Manna Meadows alpaca farm offered tours for a fee, a
 rent an alpaca program and sold alpaca wool products in a “farm store.”
 The Pietzsch 2L Farm was designated agricultural despite selling sides 
of beef and hosting upscale farm-to-table dinners. The Gilliland Next to
 Nature Farm included an “education center” in which beekeeping and 
canning classes were taught and products sold. It also featured a “honey
 tasting bar.”Leavenworth County, during the taxing period at the root of the legal
 controversy with Twisted Vines, didn’t classify the three operations as
 commercial. The county offered no explanation in support of its 
decision to draw a distinction between those properties and Twisted 
Vines. BOTA found that “sorely lacking” and a potential violation of the
 Kansas Constitution, which mandates property classifications for tax 
purposes to be uniform and equal. BOTA said a valuation deemed contrary 
to this requirement was “illegal or void.”“The evidence presented to the board strongly suggests that in this 
particular instance, where farms are engaged in retail sales and/or 
other nonproduction activities in designated areas of the farm, the 
county has failed to fulfill that obligation,” BOTA decision said.In future years, the debate could be made moot by adoption of a 
Kansas law, effective July 1, 2022, that declared a farm winery tasting 
room could fall under the definition of property engaged in an 
agricultural purpose. That start date of that statute, however, came 
after the Jan. 1, 2022, effective date of the challenged Leavenworth 
County property valuation.“Absent specific direction from the Legislature,” three members of 
the state Board of Tax Appeals said, “a substantive statutory amendment 
does not apply retroactively.”There is bipartisan support in the Legislature for work to bring 
consistency to classification of agriculture and commercial properties. 
Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican and chairwoman of the Senate 
Assessment and Taxation Committee, said the failure to guarantee 
fairness in the process would be examined by lawmakers.“Consistency should be the case,” said Sen. Jeff Pittman, a 
Leavenworth Democrat. “It might be time for the Legislature to take 
action.”Rep. Ken Corbet, R-Topeka, said one option would be to pass a bill 
requiring county appraisers to be elected rather than appointed. He said
 that was the only way to hold people accountable for questionable 
property tax decisions.Zesiger said his next step regarding the 2022 property tax assessment
 could be the Kansas Court of Appeals. His goal remains reversal of the 
commercial classification attached to his property.“I’m fighting an uphill battle,” he said. “I’m going to fight it all the way up.”

Kan. farm winery blends litigation, politics in bitter tax dispute

WASHINGTON —A preliminary Federal Aviation Administration review of the recent outage of the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system determined that contract personnel unintentionally deleted files while working to correct synchronization between the live primary database and a backup database, according to a statement from the agency.

The FAA has so far found no evidence of a cyber-attack or malicious intent. The FAA continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the outage.

The FAA made the necessary repairs to the system and has taken steps to make the NOTAM system more resilient. The agency is acting quickly to adopt any other lessons learned in our efforts to ensure the continuing robustness of the nation’s air traffic control system.

&nbsp;Until Jan. 11, 2023, few travelers had ever heard of a Notice to Air Missions, or NOTAM, nor did they know that the system used to generate those notices could cause widespread travel misery.

As they arrived at airports in the morning, they quickly found out.

The Federal Aviation Administration computer system that compiles and distributes essential safety information for pilots went kaput. That temporarily grounded all flights nationwide and touched off a cascading air traffic jam that will take at least a day to unclog. More than 1,300 flights were canceled and 9,000 delayed by early evening on the East Coast because of the outage, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.

The system has been around for more than a half century and it has evolved from paper to computers. It's in the process of being updated.

They are compilations of essential preflight information for pilots, airline dispatchers and others that include details about things such as potential bad weather on the route, runway and taxiway changes at airports and closed airspace that must be avoided. The notices began in 1947 and were modeled after a system used to warn ship captains of hazards on the seas.

A pilot can't legally take off until he or she has reviewed the information. John Hansman, an aeronautics professor at MIT, said most airlines subscribe to services that gather NOTAM information from the FAA and package it for each flight. Airline dispatch centers relay it to pilots. In this case, the services couldn't get the information because the FAA system malfunctioned, he said.

The FAA said preliminary indications “traced the outage to a damaged database file.” The agency said it would take steps to avoid another similar disruption.

The system stopped working at 8:28 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, but because there weren't many departures at that hour, pilots were able to get the information verbally. At daybreak in the East, the system was still out, and there were too many flights leaving to brief pilots individually.

It's likely that the main system had a problem, and the backup didn't work correctly. The FAA rebooted the main system around 5 a.m., but it took a while to verify that all the information was validated and available, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. So the FAA ordered all flights grounded Wednesday morning and planes were stuck for hours "to make absolutely sure the messages were moving correctly and the information for safety purposes is working the way it should,” Buttigieg said.

Longtime aviation insiders could not recall a systemwide FAA outage of this magnitude caused by a technology breakdown.

Buttigieg said that the NOTAM system is constantly being updated, and a key question is whether it’s outdated.

“We will not allow anything to take place that is not safe,” Buttigieg told reporters. “This is precisely why our focus right now is on understanding, identifying and correcting anything related to the root cause of how this happened in the first place.”

Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., said the NOTAM malfunction is inexcusable, and a result of a Transportation Department and FAA “failure to properly maintain and operate the air traffic control system.”

Graves, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said the FAA has been without a permanent leader for nearly a year. He said he expects a full briefing on the outage.

HAS THERE BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THE SYSTEM BEFORE THIS?

Not of this magnitude. "Periodically there have been local issues here or there, but this is pretty significant historically,” said Tim Campbell, a former senior vice president of air operations at American Airlines and now a consultant in Minneapolis. While the cause of Tuesday’s breakdown was not immediately clear, Campbell said there was concern about FAA’s technology, and not just the NOTAM system.

Other FAA technology also is aging, Campbell said. “So much of their systems are old mainframe systems that are generally reliable but they are out of date,” he said.

The bipartisan infrastructure law passed last year allocated $25 billion to airports, with roughly $5 billion for air traffic control facilities. Congressional staffers said some of that money could be spent on equipment. But Buttigieg said any NOTAM upgrade may have to wait for a new FAA funding bill.

“I think this gives us a really important data point and a really important moment to understand what we're going to need moving forward,” he said.

The National Transportation Safety Board has criticized the way NOTAMs are presented after an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/4145013152614c0289eadc849ebe5dd3">Air Canada jet nearly landed on four other planes</a>&nbsp;waiting to take off from San Francisco International Airport in 2017. Pilots had missed information about a closed runway that was buried among numerous notices.

WILL THE GOVERNMENT HAVE TO COMPENSATE PASSENGERS?

Airlines will be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/faa-outage-flights-grounded-advice-aa14bd3b0317ecce86f5fbfbe37c9f63?utm_source=apnews&amp;utm_medium=relatedcontentmodule">on the hook</a>&nbsp;for refunds and other compensation, even though the FAA was at fault for the outage. Kurt Ebenhoch, a consumer travel advocate and former airline executive, said passengers are entitled to a full refund if an airline cancels a flight for any reason.

Major airlines including Delta, American, Southwest and United were waiving change fees for Wednesday flights — and, in some cases, Thursday flights — to make it easier for passengers to change their travel plans.

The government has no legal obligation to reimburse travelers, which is maddening, said Brett Snyder, a travel agent and author of the “Cranky Flier” travel blog.

“Secretary Buttigieg should set the right example here and reimburse people directly from the government coffers,” he said.

Not clear. Congress already was going to look into aviation technology after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-plants-dallas-district-of-columbia-business-d2034f41df7a4f78de02db8aa4ba11df">Southwest Airlines' crew-scheduling system</a>&nbsp;went haywire during the holidays, leading to nearly 17,000 canceled flights in the last 10 days of December. Now the system that sends NOTAMs, and backup systems, will be part of the inquiry.

“We will be looking into what caused this outage and how redundancy plays a role in preventing future outages,” Sen. Maria Cantwell, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, said in a statement. "The public needs a resilient air transportation system.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/10/1601908757258.png" alt="The FAA has so far found no evidence of a cyber-attack or malicious intent." />
 <figcaption>The FAA has so far found no evidence of a cyber-attack or malicious intent.</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —A preliminary Federal Aviation Administration review of the recent outage of the Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) system determined that contract personnel unintentionally deleted files while working to correct synchronization between the live primary database and a backup database, according to a statement from the agency.The FAA has so far found no evidence of a cyber-attack or malicious intent. The FAA continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the outage.The FAA made the necessary repairs to the system and has taken steps to make the NOTAM system more resilient. The agency is acting quickly to adopt any other lessons learned in our efforts to ensure the continuing robustness of the nation’s air traffic control system.&nbsp;Until Jan. 11, 2023, few travelers had ever heard of a Notice to Air Missions, or NOTAM, nor did they know that the system used to generate those notices could cause widespread travel misery.As they arrived at airports in the morning, they quickly found out.The Federal Aviation Administration computer system that compiles and distributes essential safety information for pilots went kaput. That temporarily grounded all flights nationwide and touched off a cascading air traffic jam that will take at least a day to unclog. More than 1,300 flights were canceled and 9,000 delayed by early evening on the East Coast because of the outage, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.The system has been around for more than a half century and it has evolved from paper to computers. It's in the process of being updated.WHAT ARE NOTAMs?They are compilations of essential preflight information for pilots, airline dispatchers and others that include details about things such as potential bad weather on the route, runway and taxiway changes at airports and closed airspace that must be avoided. The notices began in 1947 and were modeled after a system used to warn ship captains of hazards on the seas.A pilot can't legally take off until he or she has reviewed the information. John Hansman, an aeronautics professor at MIT, said most airlines subscribe to services that gather NOTAM information from the FAA and package it for each flight. Airline dispatch centers relay it to pilots. In this case, the services couldn't get the information because the FAA system malfunctioned, he said.WHAT WENT WRONG WITH THE SYSTEM?The FAA said preliminary indications “traced the outage to a damaged database file.” The agency said it would take steps to avoid another similar disruption.The system stopped working at 8:28 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, but because there weren't many departures at that hour, pilots were able to get the information verbally. At daybreak in the East, the system was still out, and there were too many flights leaving to brief pilots individually.It's likely that the main system had a problem, and the backup didn't work correctly. The FAA rebooted the main system around 5 a.m., but it took a while to verify that all the information was validated and available, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. So the FAA ordered all flights grounded Wednesday morning and planes were stuck for hours "to make absolutely sure the messages were moving correctly and the information for safety purposes is working the way it should,” Buttigieg said.Longtime aviation insiders could not recall a systemwide FAA outage of this magnitude caused by a technology breakdown.HOW IS THE GOVERNMENT RESPONDING?Buttigieg said that the NOTAM system is constantly being updated, and a key question is whether it’s outdated.“We will not allow anything to take place that is not safe,” Buttigieg told reporters. “This is precisely why our focus right now is on understanding, identifying and correcting anything related to the root cause of how this happened in the first place.”Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., said the NOTAM malfunction is inexcusable, and a result of a Transportation Department and FAA “failure to properly maintain and operate the air traffic control system.”Graves, chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said the FAA has been without a permanent leader for nearly a year. He said he expects a full briefing on the outage.HAS THERE BEEN A PROBLEM WITH THE SYSTEM BEFORE THIS?Not of this magnitude. "Periodically there have been local issues here or there, but this is pretty significant historically,” said Tim Campbell, a former senior vice president of air operations at American Airlines and now a consultant in Minneapolis. While the cause of Tuesday’s breakdown was not immediately clear, Campbell said there was concern about FAA’s technology, and not just the NOTAM system.Other FAA technology also is aging, Campbell said. “So much of their systems are old mainframe systems that are generally reliable but they are out of date,” he said.The bipartisan infrastructure law passed last year allocated $25 billion to airports, with roughly $5 billion for air traffic control facilities. Congressional staffers said some of that money could be spent on equipment. But Buttigieg said any NOTAM upgrade may have to wait for a new FAA funding bill.“I think this gives us a really important data point and a really important moment to understand what we're going to need moving forward,” he said.The National Transportation Safety Board has criticized the way NOTAMs are presented after an&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/4145013152614c0289eadc849ebe5dd3">Air Canada jet nearly landed on four other planes</a>&nbsp;waiting to take off from San Francisco International Airport in 2017. Pilots had missed information about a closed runway that was buried among numerous notices.WILL THE GOVERNMENT HAVE TO COMPENSATE PASSENGERS?Airlines will be&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/faa-outage-flights-grounded-advice-aa14bd3b0317ecce86f5fbfbe37c9f63?utm_source=apnews&amp;utm_medium=relatedcontentmodule">on the hook</a>&nbsp;for refunds and other compensation, even though the FAA was at fault for the outage. Kurt Ebenhoch, a consumer travel advocate and former airline executive, said passengers are entitled to a full refund if an airline cancels a flight for any reason.Major airlines including Delta, American, Southwest and United were waiving change fees for Wednesday flights — and, in some cases, Thursday flights — to make it easier for passengers to change their travel plans.The government has no legal obligation to reimburse travelers, which is maddening, said Brett Snyder, a travel agent and author of the “Cranky Flier” travel blog.“Secretary Buttigieg should set the right example here and reimburse people directly from the government coffers,” he said.COULD THIS HAPPEN AGAIN?Not clear. Congress already was going to look into aviation technology after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-plants-dallas-district-of-columbia-business-d2034f41df7a4f78de02db8aa4ba11df">Southwest Airlines' crew-scheduling system</a>&nbsp;went haywire during the holidays, leading to nearly 17,000 canceled flights in the last 10 days of December. Now the system that sends NOTAMs, and backup systems, will be part of the inquiry.“We will be looking into what caused this outage and how redundancy plays a role in preventing future outages,” Sen. Maria Cantwell, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, said in a statement. "The public needs a resilient air transportation system.”____

FAA continues to investigate what led to airline meltdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden notched two years in office on Friday. That represents 730 days since his inauguration — and a whole lot of other numbers as well.

The story of the first half of Biden's term, at least by the numbers, is a mixed bag. It includes a long-sought&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144">$1 trillion bill to shore up the nation's bridges, roads and other infrastructure,</a>&nbsp;but also the unwelcome milestone of historic inflation. There's been a huge number of COVID-19 vaccinations, but nearly 680,000 people have died of the disease. Biden has visited three dozen states and spent all or part of nearly 200 days in his home state of Delaware.

A look at some revealing data points at the two-year mark for the 46th president:

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/december-2022-inflation-report-72bb938a443ab0500bd72d23f62214ad">6..5%:</a>&nbsp;Annual inflation remains stubbornly high, but is slowly falling after reaching a four-decade high of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-prices-consumer-74e1a5c9bced40460e4079f62e980095">9.1% in June.</a>

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-jobs-and-careers-federal-reserve-system-005ac62672d87fb9f81bd9b97caecfc5">10.46 million:</a>&nbsp;The latest Labor Department figures show more than 10 million job vacancies in the U.S., nearly 1.8 jobs for every unemployed person.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-technology-business-ap-top-news-federal-reserve-system-37ba9ff6b36f73485b8c85e217e99d98">Jobless rate at 3.5%</a>, matching a 53-year low. Zero recessions — so far.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-us-department-of-the-treasury-united-states-government-janet-yellen-business-6fe9b54dcdfea58bead0f4c5f9f89a64">$31.38 trillion:</a>&nbsp;The federal debt stood at $27.6 trillion when Biden took office.

$24.2 billion:&nbsp;<a href="https://media.defense.gov/2023/Jan/06/2003141218/-1/-1/1/UKRAINE-FACT-SHEET-JAN-6.PDF">The amount of U.S. security assistance committed to Ukraine</a>&nbsp;since the Russian invasion nearly 11 months ago.

<a href="https://media.defense.gov/2023/Jan/06/2003141218/-1/-1/1/UKRAINE-FACT-SHEET-JAN-6.PDF">38:</a>&nbsp;The number of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, known as HIMARS, committed to send to Ukraine. A gamechanger, allowing Ukrainian forces to fire at Russian targets from far away, then drive away before artillery can target them.

2.38 million: For the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2022, Customs and Border Protection reported stopping migrants at the U.S. border&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-mexico-us-customs-and-border-protection-cuba-immigration-8fbba5bde9afca3f404eaa96bcfd136a">nearly 2.4 million times, a</a>&nbsp;record surge driven by sharp increases in Venezuelans, Cubans and Nicaraguans. The previous high was 1.66 million in 2021.

97: Confirmation of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-biden-politics-wisconsin-state-government-united-states-8e2e4f826096e431fcc7b1605426ec0a">Biden's picks to the federal bench,</a>&nbsp;including Supreme Court Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson, outpacing the president's two immediate predecessors.

89: The president has granted&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/pardon/clemency-statistics">nine pardons and 80 commutations</a>, far more than any of his recent predecessors at this point. Donald Trump had granted 11 by this time, George W. Bush seven. Barack Obama didn't take any clemency action in his first two years.

$3.36:&nbsp;<a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/">The average price per gallon</a>&nbsp;that American motorists are paying at the pump has fallen since peaking at $5.02 per gallon in June. Motorists were paying a $2.39 per gallon average the week Biden took office.

<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccination-trends">666 million:</a>&nbsp;The number of COVID-19 vaccines administered to Americans under Biden. T&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-coronavirus-vaccine-mexico-coronavirus-pandemic-united-nations-e1b5b520b4dd255dbc10807989a0f062">wenty million had received the jab</a>&nbsp;before Biden took office. The vaccine was not approved until late in Trump's presidency.

<a href="https://public4.pagefreezer.com/browse/CDC%20Covid%20Pages/18-01-2023T11:29/https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home">15.9%:</a>&nbsp;The percentage of Americans 5 and older who have gotten updated bivalent vaccine.

680,000: The recorded death toll from the coronavirus pandemic during Biden's term. The worst pandemic in more than a century had already&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-public-health-tulsa-oklahoma-florida-56b56d4848bbe5b41060e7b3a5e459bb">taken more than 400,000 American lives</a>&nbsp;by Biden’s inauguration and has taken&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/us-map">1.1 million</a>&nbsp;total since March 2020.

36: Biden has spread his travel across the country to promote his agenda, but still needs to cross off Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming.

197: There's no place like home. The president spent all or part of 197 days in his home state of Delaware, traveling most weekends to either his home near Wilmington or his vacation home at Rehoboth Beach, according to an AP tally. Beyond the weekend visits, he's also made quick trips for funerals, policy events and to cast his ballot in a Democratic primary.

6: Biden has spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping a half-dozen times since the start of his term. All but one of those were phone or video calls.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-taiwan-indonesia-xi-jinping-government-and-politics-961bb4680962cc53b4375af3bcbc4927">They met in person on the sidelines of a summit in Indonesia in November.</a>

22: The minimum number of times that Biden has publicly lapsed into a nostalgic recollection of an intimate conversation he had with Xi during a visit to China when Biden was vice president. Biden said Xi asked him to define America and he responded with one word: Possibilities. Biden even managed to squeeze in the anecdote during a celebration this week for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

21: Biden held fewer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/data/presidential-news-conferences">solo or joint news conferences</a>&nbsp;than his three most recent predecessors at the same point in their presidencies.

$1 trillion: The amount allocated for roads, bridges, ports and more in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144">Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure legislation</a>, arguably the most significant legislative achievement of his first two years in office.

<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/04/fact-sheet-president-biden-vice-president-harris-senior-administration-officials-kick-off-2023-implementing-bipartisan-infrastructure-law/#:~:text=The%20Bipartisan%20Infrastructure%20Law%20invests,Eisenhower%2Dera%20Interstate%20Highway%20System.">$40 billion:</a>&nbsp;The amount in the infrastructure bill dedicated to repair and rebuild the nation’s bridges, the single largest dedicated investment in bridges since the construction of the Eisenhower-era interstate highway system.

<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/01/04/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-on-rebuilding-our-infrastructure-and-creating-good-paying-jobs/">43,000:</a>&nbsp;The number of bridges in the U.S. rated as poor and needing repair, according to the White House.

1: The president's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-jill-united-states-macron-state-dinners-73f5a0d51b4058c7b96ec1e43c59a3e1">lone state dinner to date</a>&nbsp;honored French President Emmanuel Macron. Biden held back on some of the the traditional pomp — and partying — at the White House in the early going of his presidency because of COVID-19 concerns.

<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/tracking-turnover-in-the-biden-administration/">0:</a>&nbsp;Not one of Biden’s original Cabinet appointees has left the administration.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611173242938.png" alt="The story of the first half of Biden's term, at least by the numbers, is a mixed bag.-White House photo&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>The story of the first half of Biden's term, at least by the numbers, is a mixed bag.-White House photo&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden notched two years in office on Friday. That represents 730 days since his inauguration — and a whole lot of other numbers as well.The story of the first half of Biden's term, at least by the numbers, is a mixed bag. It includes a long-sought&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144">$1 trillion bill to shore up the nation's bridges, roads and other infrastructure,</a>&nbsp;but also the unwelcome milestone of historic inflation. There's been a huge number of COVID-19 vaccinations, but nearly 680,000 people have died of the disease. Biden has visited three dozen states and spent all or part of nearly 200 days in his home state of Delaware.A look at some revealing data points at the two-year mark for the 46th president:<a href="https://apnews.com/article/december-2022-inflation-report-72bb938a443ab0500bd72d23f62214ad">6..5%:</a>&nbsp;Annual inflation remains stubbornly high, but is slowly falling after reaching a four-decade high of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-prices-consumer-74e1a5c9bced40460e4079f62e980095">9.1% in June.</a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-jobs-and-careers-federal-reserve-system-005ac62672d87fb9f81bd9b97caecfc5">10.46 million:</a>&nbsp;The latest Labor Department figures show more than 10 million job vacancies in the U.S., nearly 1.8 jobs for every unemployed person.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-technology-business-ap-top-news-federal-reserve-system-37ba9ff6b36f73485b8c85e217e99d98">Jobless rate at 3.5%</a>, matching a 53-year low. Zero recessions — so far.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-us-department-of-the-treasury-united-states-government-janet-yellen-business-6fe9b54dcdfea58bead0f4c5f9f89a64">$31.38 trillion:</a>&nbsp;The federal debt stood at $27.6 trillion when Biden took office.$24.2 billion:&nbsp;<a href="https://media.defense.gov/2023/Jan/06/2003141218/-1/-1/1/UKRAINE-FACT-SHEET-JAN-6.PDF">The amount of U.S. security assistance committed to Ukraine</a>&nbsp;since the Russian invasion nearly 11 months ago.<a href="https://media.defense.gov/2023/Jan/06/2003141218/-1/-1/1/UKRAINE-FACT-SHEET-JAN-6.PDF">38:</a>&nbsp;The number of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, known as HIMARS, committed to send to Ukraine. A gamechanger, allowing Ukrainian forces to fire at Russian targets from far away, then drive away before artillery can target them.2.38 million: For the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2022, Customs and Border Protection reported stopping migrants at the U.S. border&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-mexico-us-customs-and-border-protection-cuba-immigration-8fbba5bde9afca3f404eaa96bcfd136a">nearly 2.4 million times, a</a>&nbsp;record surge driven by sharp increases in Venezuelans, Cubans and Nicaraguans. The previous high was 1.66 million in 2021.97: Confirmation of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ketanji-brown-jackson-biden-politics-wisconsin-state-government-united-states-8e2e4f826096e431fcc7b1605426ec0a">Biden's picks to the federal bench,</a>&nbsp;including Supreme Court Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson, outpacing the president's two immediate predecessors.89: The president has granted&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov/pardon/clemency-statistics">nine pardons and 80 commutations</a>, far more than any of his recent predecessors at this point. Donald Trump had granted 11 by this time, George W. Bush seven. Barack Obama didn't take any clemency action in his first two years.$3.36:&nbsp;<a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/">The average price per gallon</a>&nbsp;that American motorists are paying at the pump has fallen since peaking at $5.02 per gallon in June. Motorists were paying a $2.39 per gallon average the week Biden took office.<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccination-trends">666 million:</a>&nbsp;The number of COVID-19 vaccines administered to Americans under Biden. T&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-coronavirus-vaccine-mexico-coronavirus-pandemic-united-nations-e1b5b520b4dd255dbc10807989a0f062">wenty million had received the jab</a>&nbsp;before Biden took office. The vaccine was not approved until late in Trump's presidency.<a href="https://public4.pagefreezer.com/browse/CDC%20Covid%20Pages/18-01-2023T11:29/https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home">15.9%:</a>&nbsp;The percentage of Americans 5 and older who have gotten updated bivalent vaccine.680,000: The recorded death toll from the coronavirus pandemic during Biden's term. The worst pandemic in more than a century had already&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-public-health-tulsa-oklahoma-florida-56b56d4848bbe5b41060e7b3a5e459bb">taken more than 400,000 American lives</a>&nbsp;by Biden’s inauguration and has taken&nbsp;<a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/us-map">1.1 million</a>&nbsp;total since March 2020.36: Biden has spread his travel across the country to promote his agenda, but still needs to cross off Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming.197: There's no place like home. The president spent all or part of 197 days in his home state of Delaware, traveling most weekends to either his home near Wilmington or his vacation home at Rehoboth Beach, according to an AP tally. Beyond the weekend visits, he's also made quick trips for funerals, policy events and to cast his ballot in a Democratic primary.6: Biden has spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping a half-dozen times since the start of his term. All but one of those were phone or video calls.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-taiwan-indonesia-xi-jinping-government-and-politics-961bb4680962cc53b4375af3bcbc4927">They met in person on the sidelines of a summit in Indonesia in November.</a>22: The minimum number of times that Biden has publicly lapsed into a nostalgic recollection of an intimate conversation he had with Xi during a visit to China when Biden was vice president. Biden said Xi asked him to define America and he responded with one word: Possibilities. Biden even managed to squeeze in the anecdote during a celebration this week for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors.21: Biden held fewer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/statistics/data/presidential-news-conferences">solo or joint news conferences</a>&nbsp;than his three most recent predecessors at the same point in their presidencies.$1 trillion: The amount allocated for roads, bridges, ports and more in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-congress-infrastructure-bill-signing-b5b8cca843133de060778f049861b144">Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure legislation</a>, arguably the most significant legislative achievement of his first two years in office.<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/01/04/fact-sheet-president-biden-vice-president-harris-senior-administration-officials-kick-off-2023-implementing-bipartisan-infrastructure-law/#:~:text=The%20Bipartisan%20Infrastructure%20Law%20invests,Eisenhower%2Dera%20Interstate%20Highway%20System.">$40 billion:</a>&nbsp;The amount in the infrastructure bill dedicated to repair and rebuild the nation’s bridges, the single largest dedicated investment in bridges since the construction of the Eisenhower-era interstate highway system.<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/01/04/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-on-rebuilding-our-infrastructure-and-creating-good-paying-jobs/">43,000:</a>&nbsp;The number of bridges in the U.S. rated as poor and needing repair, according to the White House.1: The president's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-jill-united-states-macron-state-dinners-73f5a0d51b4058c7b96ec1e43c59a3e1">lone state dinner to date</a>&nbsp;honored French President Emmanuel Macron. Biden held back on some of the the traditional pomp — and partying — at the White House in the early going of his presidency because of COVID-19 concerns.<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/tracking-turnover-in-the-biden-administration/">0:</a>&nbsp;Not one of Biden’s original Cabinet appointees has left the administration.

By the numbers: President Biden at the two-year mark

By ROSE CONLON <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/news/2023-01-20/kansas-abortion-bill-republicans-want-local-governtments-enact-bans">Kansas News Service</a>

WICHITA&nbsp;— Kansas joins a handful of states debating the power of local governments to restrict abortion.

Legislation proposed this week seeks to give local governments the authority to ban abortion. That marked the <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/news/2023-01-12/how-kansas-lawmakers-could-try-to-restrict-abortion-this-year" target="_blank">second bill</a> concerning abortion introduced by Kansas abortion opponents so far this legislative session after a <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-02/kansas-voters-rejected-an-amendment-that-would-have-stripped-away-abortion-rights" target="_blank">landslide statewide referendum</a> in favor of abortion rights last year.

Sen. Chase Blasi, a Wichita Republican, introduced the <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/sb65_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">bill</a>
 Thursday in the Committee on Federal and State Affairs. It would repeal
 a law that prohibits local governments from regulating abortion, so 
long as those regulations are “as stringent or more stringent” than 
state law.

“My bill opens a discussion about allowing Kansans to 
protect a culture of life within their own local community,” Blasi said 
in an email.

The bill itself wouldn’t implement any new abortion 
restrictions, and legal experts say it would have little immediate 
practical impact on abortion access. If local governments were to enact 
abortion limitations more restrictive than state law, they would likely 
be struck down in court due to a <a href="https://www.kcur.org/2019-04-26/kansas-supreme-court-rules-state-constitution-protects-right-to-abortion" target="_blank">2019 decision</a> by the Kansas Supreme Court that found the state constitution protects the right to an abortion.

“Those
 restrictions would be unconstitutional,” Jeffrey Jackson, interim dean 
at Washburn University School of Law said. “From that perspective, this 
legislation doesn’t actually do anything.”

The bill places Kansas 
among several states now wrangling with questions around the extent to 
which local governments should have a say in abortion policy.

In neighboring Nebraska, five towns <a href="https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/abortion-ban-fails-in-small-nebraska-town-others-pass-some-narrowly/" target="_blank">voted to ban abortion within city limits</a> in November. In New Mexico, abortion rights supporters are seeking to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-new-mexico-state-government-santa-fe-980559bd906fd7b083b29bc77f3462fd" target="_blank">bar municipalities</a>
 from restricting abortion after one town passed an ordinance that 
prevents abortion clinics from operating. In Tennessee, a state with a 
near-total abortion ban, a bill would <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2023/01/11/tennessee-bill-to-ban-local-governments-from-giving-abortion-travel-aid/69797976007/" target="_blank">bar local governments</a>
 from helping to fund abortion including through employee health 
benefits. Towns in Texas, Ohio and Louisiana already have local abortion
 restrictions on the books.

Those efforts are partially a 
reflection of fragmentation within the anti-abortion movement following 
the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last year, said Mary 
Ziegler, a University of California-Davis law professor and historian of
 the movement.

“You have more homegrown strategies that can also 
lead to less practicality,” she said, “because you’re having legislators
 not really following a playbook that was designed to make the movement 
seem less extreme.”

Ziegler said that while local restrictions in 
states like Kansas — that have explicit constitutional protections for 
abortion rights — might not pass muster immediately, it’s possible they 
could have greater impact if abortion protections are eroded in the 
future.

“They have a longer end-game in mind,” she said. “While 
it’s true that they obviously face some real hurdles in introducing 
these ordinances, it’s a mistake to dismiss them at the same time.”

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican, said last week that he wants the state Supreme Court <a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-kansas-state-government-kris-kobach-e10773d1eb521e6d47d0c9d04f83835c" target="_blank">to reconsider its ruling</a>
 that enshrined abortion rights. And while Republican lawmakers largely 
appear to be taking a cautious approach to abortion this legislative 
session, they’ve signaled interest in giving politicians <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/news/2023-01-12/how-kansas-lawmakers-could-try-to-restrict-abortion-this-year" target="_blank">more power over judicial selection</a>, which could result in the makeup of future courts being less favorable to abortion rights.

Kansans
 for Life, a leading anti-abortion lobbying group in the state, said its
 attorneys had yet to review the proposed legislation and reiterated its
 interest in securing more funding for anti-abortion crisis pregnancy 
centers.

“KFL’s priorities include promoting policies that steer 
resources to women facing unexpected pregnancies and help them make 
life-affirming decisions for themselves and their babies,” Jeanne 
Gawdun, a senior lobbyist, said in a statement.

Kansas abortion 
rights advocates said the bill blatantly disregarded Kansas voters, who 
in August overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure that could have paved
 the way for an abortion ban.

“With every piece of anti-abortion 
legislation, these lawmakers are wasting the time and resources of their
 constituents who have already weighed in on the issue with clarity and 
resolve,” Zachary Gingrich-Gaylord, a spokesperson for Wichita clinic 
Trust Women, said in a statement.

Anamarie Rebori Simmons, a 
spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, pointed to 
Blasi’s own constituents’ rejection of that ballot measure.

“Abortion
 rights won in a landslide, including in the home county of the bill’s 
sponsor,” she said in a statement. “Republican lawmakers should know 
better than to silence those they represent.”

Rose Conlon 
reports on health for KMUW and the Kansas News Service. You can follow 
her on Twitter at @rosebconlon or email her at conlon@kmuw.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674245581910.png" alt=" Rose Conlon / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Rose Conlon / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By ROSE CONLON <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/news/2023-01-20/kansas-abortion-bill-republicans-want-local-governtments-enact-bans">Kansas News Service</a>WICHITA&nbsp;— Kansas joins a handful of states debating the power of local governments to restrict abortion.Legislation proposed this week seeks to give local governments the authority to ban abortion. That marked the <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/news/2023-01-12/how-kansas-lawmakers-could-try-to-restrict-abortion-this-year" target="_blank">second bill</a> concerning abortion introduced by Kansas abortion opponents so far this legislative session after a <a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2022-08-02/kansas-voters-rejected-an-amendment-that-would-have-stripped-away-abortion-rights" target="_blank">landslide statewide referendum</a> in favor of abortion rights last year.Sen. Chase Blasi, a Wichita Republican, introduced the <a href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/sb65_00_0000.pdf" target="_blank">bill</a>
 Thursday in the Committee on Federal and State Affairs. It would repeal
 a law that prohibits local governments from regulating abortion, so 
long as those regulations are “as stringent or more stringent” than 
state law.“My bill opens a discussion about allowing Kansans to 
protect a culture of life within their own local community,” Blasi said 
in an email.The bill itself wouldn’t implement any new abortion 
restrictions, and legal experts say it would have little immediate 
practical impact on abortion access. If local governments were to enact 
abortion limitations more restrictive than state law, they would likely 
be struck down in court due to a <a href="https://www.kcur.org/2019-04-26/kansas-supreme-court-rules-state-constitution-protects-right-to-abortion" target="_blank">2019 decision</a> by the Kansas Supreme Court that found the state constitution protects the right to an abortion.“Those
 restrictions would be unconstitutional,” Jeffrey Jackson, interim dean 
at Washburn University School of Law said. “From that perspective, this 
legislation doesn’t actually do anything.”The bill places Kansas 
among several states now wrangling with questions around the extent to 
which local governments should have a say in abortion policy.In neighboring Nebraska, five towns <a href="https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/abortion-ban-fails-in-small-nebraska-town-others-pass-some-narrowly/" target="_blank">voted to ban abortion within city limits</a> in November. In New Mexico, abortion rights supporters are seeking to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-new-mexico-state-government-santa-fe-980559bd906fd7b083b29bc77f3462fd" target="_blank">bar municipalities</a>
 from restricting abortion after one town passed an ordinance that 
prevents abortion clinics from operating. In Tennessee, a state with a 
near-total abortion ban, a bill would <a href="https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2023/01/11/tennessee-bill-to-ban-local-governments-from-giving-abortion-travel-aid/69797976007/" target="_blank">bar local governments</a>
 from helping to fund abortion including through employee health 
benefits. Towns in Texas, Ohio and Louisiana already have local abortion
 restrictions on the books.Those efforts are partially a 
reflection of fragmentation within the anti-abortion movement following 
the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last year, said Mary 
Ziegler, a University of California-Davis law professor and historian of
 the movement.“You have more homegrown strategies that can also 
lead to less practicality,” she said, “because you’re having legislators
 not really following a playbook that was designed to make the movement 
seem less extreme.”Ziegler said that while local restrictions in 
states like Kansas — that have explicit constitutional protections for 
abortion rights — might not pass muster immediately, it’s possible they 
could have greater impact if abortion protections are eroded in the 
future.“They have a longer end-game in mind,” she said. “While 
it’s true that they obviously face some real hurdles in introducing 
these ordinances, it’s a mistake to dismiss them at the same time.”Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican, said last week that he wants the state Supreme Court <a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-kansas-state-government-kris-kobach-e10773d1eb521e6d47d0c9d04f83835c" target="_blank">to reconsider its ruling</a>
 that enshrined abortion rights. And while Republican lawmakers largely 
appear to be taking a cautious approach to abortion this legislative 
session, they’ve signaled interest in giving politicians <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/news/2023-01-12/how-kansas-lawmakers-could-try-to-restrict-abortion-this-year" target="_blank">more power over judicial selection</a>, which could result in the makeup of future courts being less favorable to abortion rights.Kansans
 for Life, a leading anti-abortion lobbying group in the state, said its
 attorneys had yet to review the proposed legislation and reiterated its
 interest in securing more funding for anti-abortion crisis pregnancy 
centers.“KFL’s priorities include promoting policies that steer 
resources to women facing unexpected pregnancies and help them make 
life-affirming decisions for themselves and their babies,” Jeanne 
Gawdun, a senior lobbyist, said in a statement.Kansas abortion 
rights advocates said the bill blatantly disregarded Kansas voters, who 
in August overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure that could have paved
 the way for an abortion ban.“With every piece of anti-abortion 
legislation, these lawmakers are wasting the time and resources of their
 constituents who have already weighed in on the issue with clarity and 
resolve,” Zachary Gingrich-Gaylord, a spokesperson for Wichita clinic 
Trust Women, said in a statement.Anamarie Rebori Simmons, a 
spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes, pointed to 
Blasi’s own constituents’ rejection of that ballot measure.“Abortion
 rights won in a landslide, including in the home county of the bill’s 
sponsor,” she said in a statement. “Republican lawmakers should know 
better than to silence those they represent.”Rose Conlon 
reports on health for KMUW and the Kansas News Service. You can follow 
her on Twitter at @rosebconlon or email her at conlon@kmuw.org.

Some in Kansas want to hand power to ban abortion to local level

GEARY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue their investigation of an alleged abduction and are asking the public for help to find three children.

According to Junction City Police, on December 21, Jeana Foley abducted her children identified as 6-year-old Rosie Peterson, 5-year-old Camden Peterson and 3-year-old Genevieve Peterson

On Jan. 5, a felony warrant was issued for Foley's arrest. On Wednesday, Junction City police asked the public to call 911 if you have any&nbsp; information to help bring these kids home. Police released no additional details in the case.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1673546045642.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>GEARY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities continue their investigation of an alleged abduction and are asking the public for help to find three children.According to Junction City Police, on December 21, Jeana Foley abducted her children identified as 6-year-old Rosie Peterson, 5-year-old Camden Peterson and 3-year-old Genevieve PetersonOn Jan. 5, a felony warrant was issued for Foley's arrest. On Wednesday, Junction City police asked the public to call 911 if you have any&nbsp; information to help bring these kids home. Police released no additional details in the case.

Search continues for 3 Kan. children abducted by their mother

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP) — Defense leaders meeting at a U.S. air base in Germany on Friday failed to resolve divisions over providing advanced battle tanks to Ukraine after more than five hours of discussions about sending more military aid to the embattled country in its war with Russia.

The defense minister of Poland, which has pledged a company of 14 Leopard tanks on condition that other countries also supply them, said 15 countries that have the German-made Leopards discussed the issue but no decisions were made.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak called the meeting a “good discussion among allies” and said the matter would be discussed again at future talks.

Germany would need to consent for the tanks to be given to Ukraine, which is not a member of NATO. Despite pleas from Ukrainian officials, Germany has so far resisted mounting pressure to quickly supply Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv, or at least clear the way for other countries, such as Poland, to deliver them from their own stocks.

The U.S. has resisted providing its own M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, citing extensive and complex maintenance and logistical challenges with the high-tech vehicle. Washington believes it would be more productive to send German Leopards since many allies have them and Ukrainian troops would need less training than on the more difficult Abrams.

U.S. and German officials have given mixed signals about whether Germany is hesitant to provide the Leopards unless the U.S. provides Abrams tanks. A U.S. official familiar with White House thinking reiterated that Germany has expressed hesitance to providing its tanks without the U.S. sending Abrams. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the Biden administration deliberations, added that there was some bewilderment in the administration over the German position, since Britain, another NATO ally, has already agreed to provide tanks.

But Steffen Hebestreit, a spokesman for the German government, denied that Berlin demanded that the U.S. supply Abrams tanks alongside any shipment of Leopards.

At a news conference Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin noted Germany's denial that it had linked one type of tank to the other. “This notion of our locking, you know, in my mind, it's not an issue, he said.”

Ukrainian leaders and supporters of Kyiv have repeatedly criticized Germany for what they see as holding back critical assistance in the war. U.S. Defense chief Austin defended German leaders after Friday’s meeting. Asked by a reporter if Germany was doing enough to show “real leadership” in Europe, Austin replied, “Yes, but we can all do more.”

“They are a reliable ally and they’ve been that way for for a very, very long time,” he said. “And I truly believe that they’ll continue to be a reliable ally going forward.”

Austin also downplayed the immediate importance of tanks, noting that Stryker combat vehicles and Bradley armored vehicles being sent for the first time would give Ukraine new capabilities in the war. “This isn’t really about one single platform,” he said.

Speaking to reporters outside the conference hall at midday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that while there was no resolution yet, “we will make our decisions as soon as possible.”

He said he had ordered the ministry to look into the tank stocks Germany has so he can be prepared for a possible green light and be able to “act immediately.” Pistorius added that Germany will “balance all the pros and contras before we decide things like that. … I am very sure that there will be a decision in the short term but … I don’t know how the decision will look.”

The defense leaders opened their day hearing an impassioned plea for more military aid from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Speaking live via video link, he told the gathering that “terror does not allow for discussion.” He said “the war started by Russia does not allow delays.”

Meanwhile, a Kremlin spokesman said the deployment of Western tanks would trigger “unambiguously negative” consequences.

“All these tanks will require both maintenance and repairs, and so on, so (sending them) will add to Ukraine’s problems, but will not change anything with regard to the Russian side achieving its goals,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a media briefing Friday.

Austin and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-nato-politics-government-united-states-56bf9dc96a24f62c91903c8861ae7af7">U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley</a>, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were expected to discuss the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-politics-1f7c78eb5fb9e758413385f36a37aef2">latest massive package of aid</a>&nbsp;the U.S. is sending, which totals $2.5 billion and includes Stryker armored vehicles for the first time.

The United Kingdom announced last week that it would send&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-vitali-klitschko-explosions-401d8116d95d67e3afbe8de8eb8cf65a">Challenger 2</a>&nbsp;tanks, describing that move as a natural progression of military aid to Ukraine.

The latest package of U.S. aid includes eight Avenger air defense systems, 350 Humvees, 53 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, more than 100,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and rockets, and missiles for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System. It was announced Thursday by the Pentagon.

Other pledges announced ahead of the Ramstein meeting included S-60 anti-aircraft guns from Poland with 70,000 rounds of ammunition, additional Stinger air-defense systems and two M-17 helicopters from Latvia, and two Russian-made Mi-8 helicopters and dozens of L-70 anti-aircraft guns with ammunition from Lithuania.

Nearly 11 months into the Russian invasion, Zelenskyy has expressed frustration about not obtaining enough weaponry from the Western allies. Speaking by video link on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he bemoaned a “lack of specific weaponry."

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who took office Thursday just an hour before he met with Austin, said that opinions among allies were mixed on the tank issue, and added that “the impression that has occasionally arisen that there is a united coalition and Germany is standing in the way is wrong.”

Milley told reporters traveling with him this week that new U.S. training of Ukrainian troops, combined with an array of new weapons and armored vehicles heading to Ukraine, will be key to helping the country’s forces take back territory that has been captured by Russia in the nearly 11-month-old war.

The goal, he said, is to deliver needed weapons and equipment to Ukraine so the newly trained forces will be able to use it “sometime before the spring rains show up. That would be ideal.”

The influx of new weapons, tanks and armored carriers comes as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-apartment-strike-death-toll-1b518f84fc4e70708d56e1a1ea708929">Ukraine faces intense combat</a>&nbsp;in the country's east around the city of Bakhmut and the nearby salt mining town of Soledar. The battles are expected to intensify in the spring.

Milley said Friday that the number of Russian dead and wounded is now “significantly over” 100,000 people, a figure&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-europe-army-joint-chiefs-of-staff-688e99d37f25ac8340b6a96a79a89abf">he gave in November</a>.

“This is a very, very bloody war and there’s significant casualties on both sides,” he said. “Sooner or later, this is going to have to get to a negotiating table at some point in order to bring this to a conclusion.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674242205040.png" alt="Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and&nbsp;U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during Friday's meeting of the Ukraine Defense contact group- photo Dept. of Defense" />
 <figcaption>Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and&nbsp;U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during Friday's meeting of the Ukraine Defense contact group- photo Dept. of Defense</figcaption>
 </figure>RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (AP) — Defense leaders meeting at a U.S. air base in Germany on Friday failed to resolve divisions over providing advanced battle tanks to Ukraine after more than five hours of discussions about sending more military aid to the embattled country in its war with Russia.The defense minister of Poland, which has pledged a company of 14 Leopard tanks on condition that other countries also supply them, said 15 countries that have the German-made Leopards discussed the issue but no decisions were made.Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak called the meeting a “good discussion among allies” and said the matter would be discussed again at future talks.Germany would need to consent for the tanks to be given to Ukraine, which is not a member of NATO. Despite pleas from Ukrainian officials, Germany has so far resisted mounting pressure to quickly supply Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv, or at least clear the way for other countries, such as Poland, to deliver them from their own stocks.The U.S. has resisted providing its own M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, citing extensive and complex maintenance and logistical challenges with the high-tech vehicle. Washington believes it would be more productive to send German Leopards since many allies have them and Ukrainian troops would need less training than on the more difficult Abrams.U.S. and German officials have given mixed signals about whether Germany is hesitant to provide the Leopards unless the U.S. provides Abrams tanks. A U.S. official familiar with White House thinking reiterated that Germany has expressed hesitance to providing its tanks without the U.S. sending Abrams. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the Biden administration deliberations, added that there was some bewilderment in the administration over the German position, since Britain, another NATO ally, has already agreed to provide tanks.But Steffen Hebestreit, a spokesman for the German government, denied that Berlin demanded that the U.S. supply Abrams tanks alongside any shipment of Leopards.At a news conference Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin noted Germany's denial that it had linked one type of tank to the other. “This notion of our locking, you know, in my mind, it's not an issue, he said.”Ukrainian leaders and supporters of Kyiv have repeatedly criticized Germany for what they see as holding back critical assistance in the war. U.S. Defense chief Austin defended German leaders after Friday’s meeting. Asked by a reporter if Germany was doing enough to show “real leadership” in Europe, Austin replied, “Yes, but we can all do more.”“They are a reliable ally and they’ve been that way for for a very, very long time,” he said. “And I truly believe that they’ll continue to be a reliable ally going forward.”Austin also downplayed the immediate importance of tanks, noting that Stryker combat vehicles and Bradley armored vehicles being sent for the first time would give Ukraine new capabilities in the war. “This isn’t really about one single platform,” he said.Speaking to reporters outside the conference hall at midday, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that while there was no resolution yet, “we will make our decisions as soon as possible.”He said he had ordered the ministry to look into the tank stocks Germany has so he can be prepared for a possible green light and be able to “act immediately.” Pistorius added that Germany will “balance all the pros and contras before we decide things like that. … I am very sure that there will be a decision in the short term but … I don’t know how the decision will look.”The defense leaders opened their day hearing an impassioned plea for more military aid from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Speaking live via video link, he told the gathering that “terror does not allow for discussion.” He said “the war started by Russia does not allow delays.”Meanwhile, a Kremlin spokesman said the deployment of Western tanks would trigger “unambiguously negative” consequences.“All these tanks will require both maintenance and repairs, and so on, so (sending them) will add to Ukraine’s problems, but will not change anything with regard to the Russian side achieving its goals,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during a media briefing Friday.Austin and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-nato-politics-government-united-states-56bf9dc96a24f62c91903c8861ae7af7">U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley</a>, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were expected to discuss the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-politics-1f7c78eb5fb9e758413385f36a37aef2">latest massive package of aid</a>&nbsp;the U.S. is sending, which totals $2.5 billion and includes Stryker armored vehicles for the first time.The United Kingdom announced last week that it would send&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-vitali-klitschko-explosions-401d8116d95d67e3afbe8de8eb8cf65a">Challenger 2</a>&nbsp;tanks, describing that move as a natural progression of military aid to Ukraine.The latest package of U.S. aid includes eight Avenger air defense systems, 350 Humvees, 53 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, more than 100,000 rounds of artillery ammunition and rockets, and missiles for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System. It was announced Thursday by the Pentagon.Other pledges announced ahead of the Ramstein meeting included S-60 anti-aircraft guns from Poland with 70,000 rounds of ammunition, additional Stinger air-defense systems and two M-17 helicopters from Latvia, and two Russian-made Mi-8 helicopters and dozens of L-70 anti-aircraft guns with ammunition from Lithuania.Nearly 11 months into the Russian invasion, Zelenskyy has expressed frustration about not obtaining enough weaponry from the Western allies. Speaking by video link on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he bemoaned a “lack of specific weaponry."German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who took office Thursday just an hour before he met with Austin, said that opinions among allies were mixed on the tank issue, and added that “the impression that has occasionally arisen that there is a united coalition and Germany is standing in the way is wrong.”Milley told reporters traveling with him this week that new U.S. training of Ukrainian troops, combined with an array of new weapons and armored vehicles heading to Ukraine, will be key to helping the country’s forces take back territory that has been captured by Russia in the nearly 11-month-old war.The goal, he said, is to deliver needed weapons and equipment to Ukraine so the newly trained forces will be able to use it “sometime before the spring rains show up. That would be ideal.”The influx of new weapons, tanks and armored carriers comes as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-apartment-strike-death-toll-1b518f84fc4e70708d56e1a1ea708929">Ukraine faces intense combat</a>&nbsp;in the country's east around the city of Bakhmut and the nearby salt mining town of Soledar. The battles are expected to intensify in the spring.Milley said Friday that the number of Russian dead and wounded is now “significantly over” 100,000 people, a figure&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-europe-army-joint-chiefs-of-staff-688e99d37f25ac8340b6a96a79a89abf">he gave in November</a>.“This is a very, very bloody war and there’s significant casualties on both sides,” he said. “Sooner or later, this is going to have to get to a negotiating table at some point in order to bring this to a conclusion.”

While Ukraine burns, U.S. in dispute over supplying tanks

This story was initially published on Jan. 19. It was updated on Jan. 21 to correct that the lawsuit was filed on behalf of 13 Jewish, Christian and Unitarian Universalist leaders, not just Jewish and Christian leaders.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A group of religious leaders who support abortion rights filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging Missouri's abortion ban, saying lawmakers openly invoked their religious beliefs while drafting the measure and thereby imposed those beliefs on others who don't share them.

The lawsuit filed in St. Louis is the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-health-indiana-state-government-reproductive-rights-7308b2edc8a8ac62446d821abc5fae59">latest of many to challenge restrictive abortion laws</a>&nbsp;enacted by conservative states after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.</a>&nbsp;That landmark ruling left abortion rights up to each state to decide.

Since then, religious abortion rights supporters have increasingly used religious freedom lawsuits in seeking to protect abortion access. The religious freedom complaints are among nearly three dozen post-Roe lawsuits that have been filed against 19 states’ abortion bans, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

The Missouri lawsuit brought on behalf of 13 Christian , Jewish and Unitarian Universalist leaders seeks a permanent injunction barring the state from enforcing its abortion law and a declaration that provisions of its law violate the Missouri Constitution.

“What the lawsuit says is that when you legislate your religious beliefs into law, you impose your beliefs on everyone else and force all of us to live by your own narrow beliefs,” said Michelle Banker of the National Women’s Law Center, the lead attorney in the case. “And that hurts us. That denies our basic human rights.”

Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, a Republican, called the lawsuit “foolish.”

“We were acting on the belief that life is precious and should be treated as such. I don’t think that’s a religious belief,” Rowden said.

Within minutes of last year's Supreme Court decision, then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Gov. Mike Parson, both Republicans, filed paperwork to immediately&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-missouri-government-and-politics-7bb5798bae32c3f15abad3a10941dfb5">enact a 2019 law</a>&nbsp;prohibiting abortions “except in cases of medical emergency.” That law contained a provision making it effective only if Roe v. Wade was overturned.

The law makes it a felony punishable by 5 to 15 years in prison to perform or induce an abortion. Medical professionals who do so also could lose their licenses. The law says that women who undergo abortions cannot be prosecuted.

Missouri already had some of the nation’s more restrictive abortion laws and had seen a significant decline in the number of abortions performed, with residents instead traveling to clinics just across the state line in Illinois and Kansas.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the faith leaders by Americans United for Separation of Church &amp; State and the National Women’s Law Center, said sponsors and supporters of the Missouri measure “repeatedly emphasized their religious intent in enacting the legislation." It quotes the bill's sponsor, Republican state Rep. Nick Schroer, as saying that “as a Catholic I do believe life begins at conception and that is built into our legislative findings.” A co-sponsor, Republican state Rep. Barry Hovis, said he was motivated “from the Biblical side of it," according to the lawsuit.

“I'm here today because none of our religious views on abortion or anything else should be enshrined into our laws,” Maharat Rori Picker Neiss, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis and one of the plaintiffs, said at a news conference.

Lawsuits in several other states take similar approaches.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-indiana-government-and-politics-a987c724aa4502bca17f4eb34b7b1860">In Indiana</a>, lawyers for five anonymous women — who are Jewish, Muslim and spiritual — and advocacy group Hoosier Jews for Choice have argued that state’s ban infringes on their beliefs. Their lawsuit specifically highlights the Jewish teaching that a fetus becomes a living person at birth and that Jewish law prioritizes the mother’s life and health.

A court ruling siding with the women was appealed by the Indiana attorney general's office, which is asking the state Supreme Court to consider the case.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-2022-midterm-elections-health-kentucky-legislature-26ecd225013231ee8766248633d289a3">In Kentucky</a>, three Jewish women sued, claiming the state’s ban violates their religious rights under the state’s constitution and religious freedom law. They allege that Kentucky’s Republican-dominated legislature “imposed sectarian theology” by prohibiting nearly all abortions. The ban remains in effect while the Kentucky Supreme Court considers a separate case challenging the law.

But Banker said Missouri’s lawsuit is unique because while plaintiffs in other states claimed harm, “we are saying that the whole law violates separation of church and state and we’re seeking to get everything struck down.”

Missouri Republican attorney general, Andrew Bailey, said in a statement that he will “defend the right to life with every tool at my disposal.”

“I want Missouri to be the safest state in the nation for children and that includes unborn children," Bailey said.

Associated Press writer David A. Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, contributed to this report.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658500232908.png" alt="Missouri Gov. Mike Parson&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Missouri Gov. Mike Parson&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>This story was initially published on Jan. 19. It was updated on Jan. 21 to correct that the lawsuit was filed on behalf of 13 Jewish, Christian and Unitarian Universalist leaders, not just Jewish and Christian leaders.ST. LOUIS (AP) — A group of religious leaders who support abortion rights filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging Missouri's abortion ban, saying lawmakers openly invoked their religious beliefs while drafting the measure and thereby imposed those beliefs on others who don't share them.The lawsuit filed in St. Louis is the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-politics-health-indiana-state-government-reproductive-rights-7308b2edc8a8ac62446d821abc5fae59">latest of many to challenge restrictive abortion laws</a>&nbsp;enacted by conservative states after the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-supreme-court-decision-854f60302f21c2c35129e58cf8d8a7b0">Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.</a>&nbsp;That landmark ruling left abortion rights up to each state to decide.Since then, religious abortion rights supporters have increasingly used religious freedom lawsuits in seeking to protect abortion access. The religious freedom complaints are among nearly three dozen post-Roe lawsuits that have been filed against 19 states’ abortion bans, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.The Missouri lawsuit brought on behalf of 13 Christian , Jewish and Unitarian Universalist leaders seeks a permanent injunction barring the state from enforcing its abortion law and a declaration that provisions of its law violate the Missouri Constitution.“What the lawsuit says is that when you legislate your religious beliefs into law, you impose your beliefs on everyone else and force all of us to live by your own narrow beliefs,” said Michelle Banker of the National Women’s Law Center, the lead attorney in the case. “And that hurts us. That denies our basic human rights.”Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, a Republican, called the lawsuit “foolish.”“We were acting on the belief that life is precious and should be treated as such. I don’t think that’s a religious belief,” Rowden said.Within minutes of last year's Supreme Court decision, then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Gov. Mike Parson, both Republicans, filed paperwork to immediately&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-us-supreme-court-missouri-government-and-politics-7bb5798bae32c3f15abad3a10941dfb5">enact a 2019 law</a>&nbsp;prohibiting abortions “except in cases of medical emergency.” That law contained a provision making it effective only if Roe v. Wade was overturned.The law makes it a felony punishable by 5 to 15 years in prison to perform or induce an abortion. Medical professionals who do so also could lose their licenses. The law says that women who undergo abortions cannot be prosecuted.Missouri already had some of the nation’s more restrictive abortion laws and had seen a significant decline in the number of abortions performed, with residents instead traveling to clinics just across the state line in Illinois and Kansas.The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the faith leaders by Americans United for Separation of Church &amp; State and the National Women’s Law Center, said sponsors and supporters of the Missouri measure “repeatedly emphasized their religious intent in enacting the legislation." It quotes the bill's sponsor, Republican state Rep. Nick Schroer, as saying that “as a Catholic I do believe life begins at conception and that is built into our legislative findings.” A co-sponsor, Republican state Rep. Barry Hovis, said he was motivated “from the Biblical side of it," according to the lawsuit.“I'm here today because none of our religious views on abortion or anything else should be enshrined into our laws,” Maharat Rori Picker Neiss, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis and one of the plaintiffs, said at a news conference.Lawsuits in several other states take similar approaches.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-indiana-government-and-politics-a987c724aa4502bca17f4eb34b7b1860">In Indiana</a>, lawyers for five anonymous women — who are Jewish, Muslim and spiritual — and advocacy group Hoosier Jews for Choice have argued that state’s ban infringes on their beliefs. Their lawsuit specifically highlights the Jewish teaching that a fetus becomes a living person at birth and that Jewish law prioritizes the mother’s life and health.A court ruling siding with the women was appealed by the Indiana attorney general's office, which is asking the state Supreme Court to consider the case.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-2022-midterm-elections-health-kentucky-legislature-26ecd225013231ee8766248633d289a3">In Kentucky</a>, three Jewish women sued, claiming the state’s ban violates their religious rights under the state’s constitution and religious freedom law. They allege that Kentucky’s Republican-dominated legislature “imposed sectarian theology” by prohibiting nearly all abortions. The ban remains in effect while the Kentucky Supreme Court considers a separate case challenging the law.But Banker said Missouri’s lawsuit is unique because while plaintiffs in other states claimed harm, “we are saying that the whole law violates separation of church and state and we’re seeking to get everything struck down.”Missouri Republican attorney general, Andrew Bailey, said in a statement that he will “defend the right to life with every tool at my disposal.”“I want Missouri to be the safest state in the nation for children and that includes unborn children," Bailey said.___Associated Press writer David A. Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, contributed to this report.___This story was initially published on Jan. 19. It was updated on Jan. 21 to correct that the lawsuit was filed on behalf of 13 Jewish, Christian and Unitarian Universalist leaders, not just Jewish and Christian leaders.

Update: Group of faith leaders sue challenging Missouri abortion law

SEDGWICK COUNTY —A murder suspect captured by the U.S. Border Patrol and extradited to Kansas&nbsp;

On Jan. 9, a jury found <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=158988">32-year-0ld Patricio Gomez</a> guilty of&nbsp;first-degree murder in the&nbsp;fatal shooting&nbsp;of a&nbsp;42-year-old man at a Wichita hotel in 2021, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

The jury also found Gomez guilty of&nbsp;attempted distribution of methamphetamine.&nbsp;

In March, U.S. Border Patrol Agents&nbsp;in the El Paso&nbsp;Sector&nbsp;arrested Gomez who was wanted for&nbsp;murder in Wichita.

The El Paso Station&nbsp;Border Patrol Agent encountered Gomez walking along&nbsp;the south side of the Border Barrier&nbsp;near Fonseca Drive&nbsp;and Cesar E. Chavez/Border Highway, according to a media release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

When agents questioned the Gomez as to his citizenship, he stated that he was a U.S.&nbsp;citizen and that he had&nbsp;just&nbsp;entered the United States&nbsp;from Mexico, illegally,&nbsp;by attempting to drive his truck across the Rio Grande.&nbsp;

&nbsp;Gomez, was taken into custody, for the illegal entry,&nbsp;and transported to a Border Patrol station for further investigation.&nbsp;Record checks revealed that he had an extensive criminal history&nbsp;and an&nbsp;active&nbsp;warrant&nbsp;out of&nbsp;Wichita for&nbsp;murder.

Gomez was&nbsp;remanded to the&nbsp;custody of the&nbsp;El Paso County Sheriff’s&nbsp;Office until his extradition to Wichita.&nbsp;&nbsp;

On Sept. 30, 2021. police responded to a shooting call at a hotel in the 9400 block of East Corporate Hills, according to Officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located 42-year-old Michael Martinez who had been shot.&nbsp; He was pronounced deceased on the scene.

Gomez's sentencing has been&nbsp;scheduled for Feb. 21, according to the district attorney's office.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/3/1648742338695.png" alt="Gomez-photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Gomez-photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —A murder suspect captured by the U.S. Border Patrol and extradited to Kansas&nbsp;On Jan. 9, a jury found <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=158988">32-year-0ld Patricio Gomez</a> guilty of&nbsp;first-degree murder in the&nbsp;fatal shooting&nbsp;of a&nbsp;42-year-old man at a Wichita hotel in 2021, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.The jury also found Gomez guilty of&nbsp;attempted distribution of methamphetamine.&nbsp;In March, U.S. Border Patrol Agents&nbsp;in the El Paso&nbsp;Sector&nbsp;arrested Gomez who was wanted for&nbsp;murder in Wichita.The El Paso Station&nbsp;Border Patrol Agent encountered Gomez walking along&nbsp;the south side of the Border Barrier&nbsp;near Fonseca Drive&nbsp;and Cesar E. Chavez/Border Highway, according to a media release from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.When agents questioned the Gomez as to his citizenship, he stated that he was a U.S.&nbsp;citizen and that he had&nbsp;just&nbsp;entered the United States&nbsp;from Mexico, illegally,&nbsp;by attempting to drive his truck across the Rio Grande.&nbsp;&nbsp;Gomez, was taken into custody, for the illegal entry,&nbsp;and transported to a Border Patrol station for further investigation.&nbsp;Record checks revealed that he had an extensive criminal history&nbsp;and an&nbsp;active&nbsp;warrant&nbsp;out of&nbsp;Wichita for&nbsp;murder.Gomez was&nbsp;remanded to the&nbsp;custody of the&nbsp;El Paso County Sheriff’s&nbsp;Office until his extradition to Wichita.&nbsp;&nbsp;On Sept. 30, 2021. police responded to a shooting call at a hotel in the 9400 block of East Corporate Hills, according to Officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located 42-year-old Michael Martinez who had been shot.&nbsp; He was pronounced deceased on the scene.Gomez's sentencing has been&nbsp;scheduled for Feb. 21, according to the district attorney's office.

Man caught by border patrol found guilty in Kan. hotel killing

SHAWNEE COUNTY —One person died in an accident late Thursday in Shawnee County.

Just after 11:30 p.m., police dispatch in Topeka began receiving reports of erratic driving by a driver later identified as 21-year-old Cheyenne Day of Topeka in a silver vehicle, according to city spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.

Police observed the vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle did not stop and initiated a pursuit. Officers pursued the vehicle for a short time, until speeds became unsafe to continue.&nbsp;

 A short time later, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office located the same vehicle, again attempting to conduct a traffic stop. The driver again initiated a short pursuit, and deputies later terminated their pursuit.

Minutes later, law enforcement received reports of a single vehicle crash in the 2300 block of NW Topeka Blvd. The crash involved the same vehicle that was driving erratically and fled from law enforcement earlier. 

First responders began immediate life-saving measures on Day, the only occupant of the vehicle. She&nbsp; was transported from the scene by American Medical Response (AMR) to a local hospital where she was later pronounced deceased.&nbsp; &nbsp;The accident remains under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674241535728.png" alt="Law enforcement was not in pursuit of&nbsp; the vehicle at the time of the crash -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Law enforcement was not in pursuit of&nbsp; the vehicle at the time of the crash -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —One person died in an accident late Thursday in Shawnee County.Just after 11:30 p.m., police dispatch in Topeka began receiving reports of erratic driving by a driver later identified as 21-year-old Cheyenne Day of Topeka in a silver vehicle, according to city spokesperson Gretchen Spiker.Police observed the vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle did not stop and initiated a pursuit. Officers pursued the vehicle for a short time, until speeds became unsafe to continue.&nbsp; A short time later, the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office located the same vehicle, again attempting to conduct a traffic stop. The driver again initiated a short pursuit, and deputies later terminated their pursuit.Minutes later, law enforcement received reports of a single vehicle crash in the 2300 block of NW Topeka Blvd. The crash involved the same vehicle that was driving erratically and fled from law enforcement earlier. First responders began immediate life-saving measures on Day, the only occupant of the vehicle. She&nbsp; was transported from the scene by American Medical Response (AMR) to a local hospital where she was later pronounced deceased.&nbsp; &nbsp;The accident remains under investigation.

Kan. woman dies in crash after officers end high-speed chase

KANSAS CITY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting Friday near a Kansas City funeral home that left four people injured, one of them critically.

&nbsp;Just after 11:30a.m., police were dispatched to report of a shooting at a Elite Funeral Chapel, 11525 Blue Ridge Blvd., according to Police Captain&nbsp; Leslie Foreman 

First responders found three victims who had been shot. One adult female victim was found inside the funeral home, one adult male victim was found inside the laundry mat next-door, and one adult male victim was found outside of the funeral home. EMS transported three victims to a local hospital. Two were reported in stable condition and one is in critical condition. There was a fourth person who received a minor injury. Preliminary information is that some type of dispute or altercation occurred between people who were at the funeral.&nbsp;

None of the people who were shot were employees of the funeral home, she said.&nbsp; Police did not have any suspects in custody.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674248535559.png" alt="Police on the scene of the shooting investigation -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the shooting investigation -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting Friday near a Kansas City funeral home that left four people injured, one of them critically.&nbsp;Just after 11:30a.m., police were dispatched to report of a shooting at a Elite Funeral Chapel, 11525 Blue Ridge Blvd., according to Police Captain&nbsp; Leslie Foreman First responders found three victims who had been shot. One adult female victim was found inside the funeral home, one adult male victim was found inside the laundry mat next-door, and one adult male victim was found outside of the funeral home. EMS transported three victims to a local hospital. Two were reported in stable condition and one is in critical condition. There was a fourth person who received a minor injury. Preliminary information is that some type of dispute or altercation occurred between people who were at the funeral.&nbsp; None of the people who were shot were employees of the funeral home, she said.&nbsp; Police did not have any suspects in custody.

Police: 4 injured in shooting after funeral in Kansas City

By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/19/kansas-lawmakers-debate-sales-tax-holiday-for-back-to-school-shopping/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA
 — Three bills that would help Kansas parents trying to save money on 
school supplies were received favorably by legislators on Thursday.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/1/1674245423993.png" alt="Sen. Caryn Tyson said implementing a sales tax holiday for school supplies would encourage Kansas parents to shop in the state. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Sen. Caryn Tyson said implementing a sales tax holiday for school supplies would encourage Kansas parents to shop in the state. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By RACHEL MIPRO <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/01/19/kansas-lawmakers-debate-sales-tax-holiday-for-back-to-school-shopping/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA
 — Three bills that would help Kansas parents trying to save money on 
school supplies were received favorably by legislators on Thursday.&nbsp;During a Senate Committee on 
Assessment and Taxation meeting, Sen. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker, committee 
chair, said she was optimistic about passing some form of&nbsp; legislation 
to help out Kansans buying for school in August.&nbsp;Tyson said states that had some form 
of sales tax holidays, such as Missouri and Oklahoma, were taking 
dollars from Kansas parents who needed supplies. She said some of the 
original opposition to this sort of sales tax holiday in 2011, when it 
was first discussed, came from lawmakers who didn’t believe people would
 go to a different state to save money.&nbsp;“There were two senators from Johnson
 County, representatives at the time, that said they didn’t know anybody
 that would cross the state line to save a few cents. I said, ‘You’re 
not going over and looking at the license plates then,’” Tyson said.&nbsp;&nbsp;SB 21, SB 55 and SB 29 would all create a sales tax holiday for certain school supplies. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/sb21_00_0000.pdf">SB 21</a>,
 introduced by the Committee on Assessment and Taxation, would go into 
effect after July 1, 2024. Under the bill, school supplies, educational 
materials or art supplies under $100 would be exempt from sales tax for a
 small period of time, in effect from the first Friday in August to 
midnight on the following Saturday.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/sb55_00_0000.pdf">SB 55</a>,
 also introduced by the committee, offers a longer grace period. That 
bill, which would go in effect on or after July 1, 2023, would make all 
school supply purchases exempt from the sales tax from the first 
Thursday in August to midnight on the following Sunday. Exempt items 
would include clothing, accessories and equipment priced at or lower 
than $300. School supplies, educational materials and art supplies 
priced at or under $100 would also be exempt, as well as computers and 
computer supplies.&nbsp;Under the legislation, computer 
software would be exempt if sold for $300 or less, and computers and 
computer supplies would be exempt if priced at or below $2,000.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/sb29_00_0000.pdf">SB 29</a>,
 introduced by Sens. Virgil Peck, Elaine Bowers, J.R. Claeys, John Doll,
 Oletha Faust-Goudeau and Mike Petersen, would also provide a sales tax 
exemption for school supplies, personal computers and clothing during an
 annual sales tax holiday.The bill would go into effect July 1, 2023 and last from the first Thursday in August to midnight on the following Sunday.Those at the meeting spoke in support
 of some form of sales tax holiday. Spencer Duncan, representing the 
League of Kansas Municipalities, said the organization felt the 
exemption would be for the greater good.&nbsp;“It will certainly serve thousands of
 families and teachers who oftentimes have to buy supplies for their own
 classroom,” Duncan said. “We also recognize that we have other states 
surrounding us that are already doing this, and we have people jumping 
the border to take care of advantage of those sales tax holidays in 
those states, so we have cities losing that business also.”Spencer said the league would want 
limitations, such as keeping the pricing and time of the holiday under a
 certain amount, but it felt something should be passed.&nbsp;Stacey Knoell, executive director of 
the Kansas African American Affairs Commission, said she would support 
any form of sales tax holiday, saying her experience as a parent and 
teacher showed the necessity of financial relief for Kansas families.&nbsp;“I can say that this type of tax 
holiday really is the right thing to do,” Knoell said. “A lot of times 
we make arguments based on the fact of the economic stability or what it
 is going to do for the economy, but just think about people who 
actually have to go out and buy clothes and pencils and tennis shoes.”&nbsp;