A Salina man is accused of numerous crimes involving online child pornography.

According to an indictment from the United State's District Court, on Christmas Day 2021; April 2; August 13; August 22 and August 27 of 2022, Douglas Harpster, 45, Salina, "did and attempted to knowingly receive one (1) or more visual depictions of a minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, as defined in Title 18, United States Code, Section 2256, and said visual depictions were of such conduct."

On or before February 9, 2023, Harpster "did knowingly possess and access with intent to view one (1) or more matters which contained any visual depiction of a minor, that involved prepubescent minors and minors who had not attained 12 years of age engaging in sexually explicit conduct."

Just before 6p.m. July 17, Harper was booked into the Shawnee County jail in Topeka. He is now being held without bond in federal custody, according to online jail records.

For counts 1-4, Harpster faces five to twenty years in prison and a fine&nbsp; &nbsp;not to exceed $250,000, according to the indictment. For count 5, he faces ten years in prison and a fine not exceed $250,000. 

Upon conviction, Harpster is also required to forfeit any and all property used or intended to be used in any manner or part to commit or to promote the commission of such offenses or any property traceable to such property, including but not limited to: a Black Samsung S10 cell phone; Cooler Master Desktop compute and drives; Black MSI MS-1607 laptop computer and drive; a Silver Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 laptop computer and drive; a&nbsp;Supermicro 24-bay server&nbsp; and drives and a&nbsp;Silver Apple MacBook Pro.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724072117714.png" alt="Harpster photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Harpster photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>By SALINA POSTA Salina man is accused of numerous crimes involving online child pornography.According to an indictment from the United State's District Court, on Christmas Day 2021; April 2; August 13; August 22 and August 27 of 2022, Douglas Harpster, 45, Salina, "did and attempted to knowingly receive one (1) or more visual depictions of a minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, as defined in Title 18, United States Code, Section 2256, and said visual depictions were of such conduct."On or before February 9, 2023, Harpster "did knowingly possess and access with intent to view one (1) or more matters which contained any visual depiction of a minor, that involved prepubescent minors and minors who had not attained 12 years of age engaging in sexually explicit conduct."Just before 6p.m. July 17, Harper was booked into the Shawnee County jail in Topeka. He is now being held without bond in federal custody, according to online jail records.For counts 1-4, Harpster faces five to twenty years in prison and a fine&nbsp; &nbsp;not to exceed $250,000, according to the indictment. For count 5, he faces ten years in prison and a fine not exceed $250,000. Upon conviction, Harpster is also required to forfeit any and all property used or intended to be used in any manner or part to commit or to promote the commission of such offenses or any property traceable to such property, including but not limited to: a Black Samsung S10 cell phone; Cooler Master Desktop compute and drives; Black MSI MS-1607 laptop computer and drive; a Silver Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 13 laptop computer and drive; a&nbsp;Supermicro 24-bay server&nbsp; and drives and a&nbsp;Silver Apple MacBook Pro.

Salina man accused of multiple crimes involving child porn

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22JULIE%20CARR%20SMYTH%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By JULIE CARR SMYTH&nbsp;</a>

NEW YORK (AP) —Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre that brought success to Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and many others, has died. He was 88.

NBC's “Today” show, citing family members, said Donahue died Sunday after a long illness.

Dubbed “the king of daytime talk,” Donahue was the first to incorporate audience participation in a talk show, typically during a full hour with a single guest.

“Just one guest per show? No band?” he remembered being routinely asked in his 1979 memoir, “Donahue, my own story.”

The format set “The Phil Donahue Show” apart from other interview shows of the 1960s and made it a trendsetter in daytime television, where it was particularly popular with female audiences.

Later renamed “Donahue,” the program launched in Dayton, Ohio, in 1967. Donahue’s willingness to explore the hot-button social issues of the day emerged immediately, when he featured atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair as his first guest. He would later air shows on feminism, homosexuality, consumer protection and civil rights, among hundreds of other topics.

The show was syndicated in 1970 and ran on national television for the next 26 years, racking up 20 Emmy Awards for the show and for Donahue as host, as well as a Peabody for Donahue in 1980. In May, President Joe Biden awarded a Medal of Freedom to Donahue, who was cited as a pioneer of the daytime talk show.

The show included radio-style call-ins, which Donahue greeted with his signature, “Is the caller there?”

The show’s last episode aired in 1996 in New York, where Donahue was living with his wife, actress Marlo Thomas. He met Thomas, the “That Girl” star of the 1960s who was a household name at the time and would later become a regular on “Friends,” when she appeared on his show in 1977.

He later said it was love at first sight, and they did a poor job of hiding it on the air.

“You are really fascinating,” Donahue told Thomas, grasping her hand. “You are wonderful,” Thomas said back. “You are loving and generous, and you like women and it’s a pleasure, and whoever the woman in your life is, is very lucky.”

The two had been married since 1980. Donahue had five children, four sons and a daughter, from a previous marriage.

Donahue returned briefly to television in 2002, hosting another “Donahue” show on MSNBC. The station canceled it after six months, citing low ratings.

He was born Phillip John Donahue on Dec. 21, 1935, part of a middle-class Irish Catholic family in Cleveland. They moved to Centerville, Ohio, when Donahue was a child, where he lived across the street from Erma Bombeck, the future humorist and syndicated columnist.

Donahue was in the first graduating class of St. Edward High School, a Catholic all-boys preparatory school in Lakewood, in 1953 and graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in business administration in 1957. He later rebelled against, and left, the church, though he poignantly recalled in his book that “a little piece” of his faith would always be with him.

After a series of early jobs in radio and TV, Donahue was invited to move an earlier radio talk show to Dayton’s WLWD television station in 1967. It moved in 1974 to Chicago, where it stayed for years, then ended its run in New York.

The show featured discussions with spiritual leaders, doctors, homemakers, activists and entertainers or politicians who might be passing through town. He said striking upon the show’s winning formula was a happy accident.

“It may have been a full three years before any of us began to understand that our program was something special,” Donahue wrote. “The show’s style had developed not by genius but by necessity. The familiar talk-show heads were not available to us in Dayton, Ohio. ...The result was improvisation.”

That lent a freedom to the show that persisted as it grew to No. 1 status in its class.

With an amiable style and a head of salt-and-pepper hair, Donahue boxed with Muhammed Ali. He played football with Alice Cooper. His guests gave cooking lessons, taught break dancing and, more controversially, described “mansharing,” being a mistress, lesbian motherhood or — with the help of gathered video that got shows banned in certain cities — how natural childbirth, abortion or reverse vasectomies worked.

A stop on “Donahue” became a must for important politicians, activists, athletes, business leaders and entertainers, from Hubert Humphrey to Ronald Reagan, Gloria Steinem to Anita Bryant, Lee Iacocca to Ray Kroc, John Wayne to Farrah Fawcett.

Outside of his famous talk show, Donahue pursued several other projects.

He partnered with Soviet journalist Vladimir Posner for a groundbreaking television discussion series during the Cold War in the 1980s. The U.S.-Soviet Bridge featured simultaneous broadcasts from the United States and the Soviet Union, where studio audiences could ask questions of one another. Donahue and Posner also co-hosted a weekly issues roundtable, Posner/Donahue, on CNBC in the 1990s.

Donahue also co-directed the 2006 documentary “Body of War,” which was nominated for an Oscar.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724075467839.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22JULIE%20CARR%20SMYTH%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By JULIE CARR SMYTH&nbsp;</a>NEW YORK (AP) —Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre that brought success to Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and many others, has died. He was 88.NBC's “Today” show, citing family members, said Donahue died Sunday after a long illness.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Phil Donahue has died. Learn more about his life and career by searching his 22 C-SPAN appearances: <a href="https://t.co/3WPp9Y3ySL">https://t.co/3WPp9Y3ySL</a> RIP. <a href="https://t.co/cK1mzaXxHB">pic.twitter.com/cK1mzaXxHB</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1825535226853851609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Dubbed “the king of daytime talk,” Donahue was the first to incorporate audience participation in a talk show, typically during a full hour with a single guest.“Just one guest per show? No band?” he remembered being routinely asked in his 1979 memoir, “Donahue, my own story.”The format set “The Phil Donahue Show” apart from other interview shows of the 1960s and made it a trendsetter in daytime television, where it was particularly popular with female audiences.Later renamed “Donahue,” the program launched in Dayton, Ohio, in 1967. Donahue’s willingness to explore the hot-button social issues of the day emerged immediately, when he featured atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair as his first guest. He would later air shows on feminism, homosexuality, consumer protection and civil rights, among hundreds of other topics.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">In Phil Donahue, our nation has lost a trailblazing television icon who held up a mirror to America and united us around the toughest issues of our time. Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the Donahue family and keep them close in our hearts. <a href="https://t.co/NzQPgbi6cP">pic.twitter.com/NzQPgbi6cP</a>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1825638361178021956?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The show was syndicated in 1970 and ran on national television for the next 26 years, racking up 20 Emmy Awards for the show and for Donahue as host, as well as a Peabody for Donahue in 1980. In May, President Joe Biden awarded a Medal of Freedom to Donahue, who was cited as a pioneer of the daytime talk show.The show included radio-style call-ins, which Donahue greeted with his signature, “Is the caller there?”The show’s last episode aired in 1996 in New York, where Donahue was living with his wife, actress Marlo Thomas. He met Thomas, the “That Girl” star of the 1960s who was a household name at the time and would later become a regular on “Friends,” when she appeared on his show in 1977.He later said it was love at first sight, and they did a poor job of hiding it on the air.“You are really fascinating,” Donahue told Thomas, grasping her hand. “You are wonderful,” Thomas said back. “You are loving and generous, and you like women and it’s a pleasure, and whoever the woman in your life is, is very lucky.”The two had been married since 1980. Donahue had five children, four sons and a daughter, from a previous marriage.Donahue returned briefly to television in 2002, hosting another “Donahue” show on MSNBC. The station canceled it after six months, citing low ratings.He was born Phillip John Donahue on Dec. 21, 1935, part of a middle-class Irish Catholic family in Cleveland. They moved to Centerville, Ohio, when Donahue was a child, where he lived across the street from Erma Bombeck, the future humorist and syndicated columnist.Donahue was in the first graduating class of St. Edward High School, a Catholic all-boys preparatory school in Lakewood, in 1953 and graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in business administration in 1957. He later rebelled against, and left, the church, though he poignantly recalled in his book that “a little piece” of his faith would always be with him.After a series of early jobs in radio and TV, Donahue was invited to move an earlier radio talk show to Dayton’s WLWD television station in 1967. It moved in 1974 to Chicago, where it stayed for years, then ended its run in New York.The show featured discussions with spiritual leaders, doctors, homemakers, activists and entertainers or politicians who might be passing through town. He said striking upon the show’s winning formula was a happy accident.“It may have been a full three years before any of us began to understand that our program was something special,” Donahue wrote. “The show’s style had developed not by genius but by necessity. The familiar talk-show heads were not available to us in Dayton, Ohio. ...The result was improvisation.”That lent a freedom to the show that persisted as it grew to No. 1 status in its class.With an amiable style and a head of salt-and-pepper hair, Donahue boxed with Muhammed Ali. He played football with Alice Cooper. His guests gave cooking lessons, taught break dancing and, more controversially, described “mansharing,” being a mistress, lesbian motherhood or — with the help of gathered video that got shows banned in certain cities — how natural childbirth, abortion or reverse vasectomies worked.A stop on “Donahue” became a must for important politicians, activists, athletes, business leaders and entertainers, from Hubert Humphrey to Ronald Reagan, Gloria Steinem to Anita Bryant, Lee Iacocca to Ray Kroc, John Wayne to Farrah Fawcett.Outside of his famous talk show, Donahue pursued several other projects.He partnered with Soviet journalist Vladimir Posner for a groundbreaking television discussion series during the Cold War in the 1980s. The U.S.-Soviet Bridge featured simultaneous broadcasts from the United States and the Soviet Union, where studio audiences could ask questions of one another. Donahue and Posner also co-hosted a weekly issues roundtable, Posner/Donahue, on CNBC in the 1990s.Donahue also co-directed the 2006 documentary “Body of War,” which was nominated for an Oscar.

Phil Donahue, talk show host pioneer and husband of Marlo Thomas, dies at 88

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">ARIANA FIGUEROA</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a>

WASHINGTON — Just a little over a month after she became a candidate for president in the biggest shakeup in generations of presidential politics, Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday will deliver a widely anticipated speech accepting the Democratic nomination at the party’s convention in Chicago.

Harris’ ascent to the top of the ticket after President Joe Biden changed course and said he would not seek reelection has breathed new life into the Democratic bid, with polls showing Harris — who is already&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/kamala-harris-will-be-democratic-presidential-nominee-dnc-announces" target="_blank">the party’s official nominee</a>&nbsp;after a virtual roll call earlier this month — faring much better than Biden was against Republican rival Donald Trump.

Over the course of four days, Democrats will look to capitalize on their base’s newfound enthusiasm for the campaign, with leading speakers aiming to rally the faithful around the party’s positions on reproductive rights, gun safety and voting rights, while<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/harris-ballot-democrats-work-build-momentum-bigger-youth-vote" target="_blank">&nbsp;making a strong pitch to young voters</a>. Harris will also be expected to further lay out her policy positions.

Harris’ nomination is historic. The daughter of immigrants, Harris is the first Black and South Asian woman selected to lead a major party ticket. She would be the first woman of any race to guide the nation as chief executive.

The party has not released an official detailed schedule of speakers, but a convention official confirmed that “current and past presidents are expected to participate in convention programming.” Biden and two former presidents, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as former nominee Hillary Clinton, will all speak,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/12/us/politics/dnc-speakers-biden-obama-clinton.html" target="_blank">according to the New York Times.</a>

Vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is expected to address the convention Wednesday evening, with Harris’ acceptance speech closing out the convention Thursday, the convention official said.

The evening programming block will run from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. the rest of the week.

In addition to the usual television broadcasts, the convention will livestream on several social media platforms, including YouTube, X, Instagram and TikTok. The official live stream will be available on&nbsp;<a href="https://demconvention.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d68a84b1a4b0303a9452770cd&amp;id=e86e03e670&amp;e=a21b6b7198" target="_blank">DemConvention.com</a>.

Scores of Democratic caucus and council meetings, as well as state delegation breakfasts and gatherings, are also scheduled throughout the week’s daytime hours. Media organizations and outside groups are also holding daytime events that will feature Democratic officeholders and candidates.

Protests are also expected over the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, with the backdrop of a&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/04/08/israel-hamas-war-sets-progressive-and-young-voters-on-collision-course-with-white-house/" target="_blank">delegation of uncommitted voters</a>&nbsp;who oppose the war.

As many as 25,000 protestors are expected over the course of the convention, according to DemList, a newsletter for Democratic officials and allies.

Harris’ entry into the race, nearly immediately after Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/president-joe-biden-bows-out-reelection-campaign-harris-vows-win-nomination-8" target="_blank">announced on July 21</a>&nbsp;he would no longer seek reelection, energized Democrats distressed over Biden’s poor showings in polls against Trump, whose reelection bid Biden turned back in 2020.

A Monmouth University&nbsp;<a href="https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-institute/reports/monmouthpoll_US_081424/" target="_blank">poll published Aug. 14</a>&nbsp;showed a huge jump in enthusiasm for Democrats. The survey found 85% of Democratic respondents were excited about the Harris-Trump race. By comparison, only 46% of Democratic respondents said in June they were excited about a Biden-Trump race.

Harris is also seeing better polling numbers in matchups against Trump, with battleground-state and national surveys consistently shifting toward the Democratic ticket since Biden left the race.

Polls of seven battleground states&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/survey-research/2024-swing-state-project/fight-redefine-2024-race-president" target="_blank">published</a>&nbsp;by The Cook Political Report With Amy Walter on Aug. 14 showed Harris narrowly leading in five states —&nbsp;Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — and&nbsp;tied in Georgia and trailing in Nevada. All were improvements from Biden’s standing in the same poll in May.

<a href="https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3902" target="_blank">An Aug. 14 survey from Quinnipiac University</a>&nbsp;showed Harris with a 48%-45% edge in Pennsylvania. The 3-point advantage for Harris was within the poll’s margin of error.

Democrats hope to carry the momentum through the convention. Polls typically favor a party during and immediately after its national party gathering.

Despite the recent polling, Harris and Walz continue to describe themselves&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkwZ_A49hb8" target="_blank">as underdogs in the race</a>.

In her short time on the campaign trail, Harris has emphasized a few core messages.

She’s made reproductive rights a central focus, including the slogan “We are not going back” in her stump speech after describing Republicans’ position on abortion. Additionally, a Texas woman who had to leave the state for an emergency abortion will speak at the DNC,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/texas-woman-who-left-state-abortion-back-harris-convention-2024-08-15/" target="_blank">according to Reuters.</a>

Harris has also played up her background as a prosecutor, drawing a contrast with Trump’s legal troubles.

Walz has highlighted his working-class background and military service, while attacking Republican positions to restrict reproductive rights and ban certain books in schools.

Walz’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/walz-first-solo-speech-vp-candidate-touts-dem-tickets-labor-union-ties" target="_blank">first solo campaign stop</a>&nbsp;since Harris selected him as her running mate was at a union convention, where he emphasized his union background as a high school teacher.

Walz was not initially considered the favorite to be Harris’ running mate, but his appeal as a Midwesterner with a record of winning tough elections and enacting progressive policies&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/minnesota-gov-tim-walz-picked-harris-her-running-mate-democratic-ticket" target="_blank">led to his selection</a>&nbsp;Aug. 6.

Harris has faced criticism for not sitting down for a formal media interview or holding a press conference since she became a candidate.

Democrats have not finalized their platform for 2024. Adopting a party platform is generally among the official items at a convention.

The party set&nbsp;<a href="https://democrats.org/news/dnc-releases-2024-party-platform-draft-outlining-historic-record-and-bold-agenda-for-president-biden-and-vice-president-harris-to-finish-the-job/" target="_blank">a draft platform</a>&nbsp;in July just eight days before Biden dropped his reelection bid. The document centered on the theme of “finishing the job” and mentioned Biden, then the presumptive nominee, 50 times and Harris 12.

Party spokespeople did not respond to an inquiry this week about plans for an update to the platform.

Reproductive rights will likely be a focus point of any policy wishlist.

Harris, during her time as vice president, has led the administration’s messaging on reproductive rights after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion in the summer of 2022.

In her campaign speeches, she has often stressed the need to “trust women” and that the government should not be deciding reproductive health.

Harris has often promised that if she is elected, she will restore those reproductive rights, but unless Democrats control a majority in the U.S. House and 60 Senate votes, it’s unlikely she would be able to achieve that promise.

Since&nbsp;<a href="https://tennesseelookout.com/2022/06/24/updated-u-s-supreme-court-overturns-right-to-abortion-in-landmark-decision/" target="_blank">Roe v. Wade was overturned</a>&nbsp;in that Supreme Court decision, Democrats have campaigned on reproductive rights that expand beyond abortion and include protections for in vitro fertilization.

<a href="https://democrats.org/where-we-stand/party-platform/" target="_blank">The 2020 party platform</a>&nbsp;focused on recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, the economy, quality health care, investing in education, protecting democracy and combating climate change.

Democrats are likely to continue to criticize the Project 2025 playbook — a blueprint by the Heritage Foundation, a think tank, to implement conservative policies across the federal government should Trump win in November.

Trump has disavowed the document, but has not detailed his own policy plans.

The Democratic National Convention will take place in Chicago, a city with a long history of hosting the event. Democrats have held their convention in Chicago 11 times, first in 1864 and most recently in 1996.

This year’s will be the first in-person Democratic National Convention since 2016. It was upended due to the coronavirus pandemic and held virtually in 2020.

Throughout the four-day convention, there will be speeches and side events hosted by state Democratic party leaders.

The ceremonial roll call vote with delegates on the convention floor will take place Tuesday. The vice presidential nomination speech by Walz will be Wednesday night and on Thursday night, Harris will give her nomination acceptance speech.

The city is also preparing for massive protests from several groups on reproductive rights, LGBTQ protections, housing and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wbez.org/government-politics/dnc-2024/2024/08/12/dnc-democratic-national-convention-protests-kamala-harris-israel-gaza-lgbtq-reproductive-rights-cpd-police" target="_blank">according to WBEZ News.&nbsp;</a>

The City Council of Chicago in January approved a ceasefire resolution, with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson the tiebreaker, making it the largest city to call for an end to the Israel-Hamas war, in which<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-war-hamas-dead-graves-40000-988d16b648e06e222f04964dc9440da0?taid=66bdedd74b96700001cc25c8&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" target="_blank">&nbsp;more than 40,000 Palestinians have died</a>.

The war followed an Oct. 7 attack from Hamas, in which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker" target="_blank">nearly 1,200 people</a>&nbsp;were killed in Israel and hundreds taken hostage.

Harris’ acceptance speech will cap a five-year journey to her party’s nomination.

In 2019, the California senator announced a bid for president in the next year’s election, but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/12/03/784443227/kamala-harris-drops-out-of-presidential-race" target="_blank">dropped out</a>&nbsp;before the first primary or caucus votes were cast after she failed to catch on with Democratic voters.

Biden later picked her as a running mate, and the two defeated Trump and then-Vice President Mike Pence in the 2020 election.

Biden launched a reelection campaign for 2024, but stepped aside after a disastrous debate performance in June spurred questions about his ability to campaign and serve for another four-year term.

After Biden bowed out, Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/democratic-delegates-swiftly-give-harris-enough-support-clinch-presidential-nomination" target="_blank">quickly secured 99%</a>&nbsp;of delegates&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/kamala-harris-officially-becomes-democratic-presidential-nominee" target="_blank">to become the party’s likely nominee</a>. The virtual five-day vote secured her official nomination.

With less than three months until Election Day, Harris and Walz already have sprinted through battleground states including Arizona, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

Their campaign has also pulled in more than $300 million, according to the campaign. Official Federal Election Commission records will be released in mid-October.

Harris and Trump have&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/08/08/trump-agrees-to-sept-10-debate-with-harris-claims-two-more-upcoming/" target="_blank">agreed to a Sept. 10&nbsp;</a>debate hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia. Trump proposed two more debates, and Harris has said she would be open to another one between the first debate and Election Day.

Walz and Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/mark-your-calendar-vp-candidates-walz-and-vance-debate-oct-1" target="_blank">agreed to an Oct. 1</a>&nbsp;debate on CBS News, in New York City.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724014226536.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">ARIANA FIGUEROA</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a>WASHINGTON — Just a little over a month after she became a candidate for president in the biggest shakeup in generations of presidential politics, Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday will deliver a widely anticipated speech accepting the Democratic nomination at the party’s convention in Chicago.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724014466626.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Harris’ ascent to the top of the ticket after President Joe Biden changed course and said he would not seek reelection has breathed new life into the Democratic bid, with polls showing Harris — who is already&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/kamala-harris-will-be-democratic-presidential-nominee-dnc-announces" target="_blank">the party’s official nominee</a>&nbsp;after a virtual roll call earlier this month — faring much better than Biden was against Republican rival Donald Trump.Over the course of four days, Democrats will look to capitalize on their base’s newfound enthusiasm for the campaign, with leading speakers aiming to rally the faithful around the party’s positions on reproductive rights, gun safety and voting rights, while<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/harris-ballot-democrats-work-build-momentum-bigger-youth-vote" target="_blank">&nbsp;making a strong pitch to young voters</a>. Harris will also be expected to further lay out her policy positions.Harris’ nomination is historic. The daughter of immigrants, Harris is the first Black and South Asian woman selected to lead a major party ticket. She would be the first woman of any race to guide the nation as chief executive.The party has not released an official detailed schedule of speakers, but a convention official confirmed that “current and past presidents are expected to participate in convention programming.” Biden and two former presidents, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as former nominee Hillary Clinton, will all speak,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/12/us/politics/dnc-speakers-biden-obama-clinton.html" target="_blank">according to the New York Times.</a>Vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is expected to address the convention Wednesday evening, with Harris’ acceptance speech closing out the convention Thursday, the convention official said.The evening programming block will run from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday and 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. the rest of the week.In addition to the usual television broadcasts, the convention will livestream on several social media platforms, including YouTube, X, Instagram and TikTok. The official live stream will be available on&nbsp;<a href="https://demconvention.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d68a84b1a4b0303a9452770cd&amp;id=e86e03e670&amp;e=a21b6b7198" target="_blank">DemConvention.com</a>.Scores of Democratic caucus and council meetings, as well as state delegation breakfasts and gatherings, are also scheduled throughout the week’s daytime hours. Media organizations and outside groups are also holding daytime events that will feature Democratic officeholders and candidates.Protests are also expected over the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, with the backdrop of a&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/2024/04/08/israel-hamas-war-sets-progressive-and-young-voters-on-collision-course-with-white-house/" target="_blank">delegation of uncommitted voters</a>&nbsp;who oppose the war.As many as 25,000 protestors are expected over the course of the convention, according to DemList, a newsletter for Democratic officials and allies.<h2>A contest transformed</h2>Harris’ entry into the race, nearly immediately after Biden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/president-joe-biden-bows-out-reelection-campaign-harris-vows-win-nomination-8" target="_blank">announced on July 21</a>&nbsp;he would no longer seek reelection, energized Democrats distressed over Biden’s poor showings in polls against Trump, whose reelection bid Biden turned back in 2020.A Monmouth University&nbsp;<a href="https://www.monmouth.edu/polling-institute/reports/monmouthpoll_US_081424/" target="_blank">poll published Aug. 14</a>&nbsp;showed a huge jump in enthusiasm for Democrats. The survey found 85% of Democratic respondents were excited about the Harris-Trump race. By comparison, only 46% of Democratic respondents said in June they were excited about a Biden-Trump race.Harris is also seeing better polling numbers in matchups against Trump, with battleground-state and national surveys consistently shifting toward the Democratic ticket since Biden left the race.Polls of seven battleground states&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cookpolitical.com/survey-research/2024-swing-state-project/fight-redefine-2024-race-president" target="_blank">published</a>&nbsp;by The Cook Political Report With Amy Walter on Aug. 14 showed Harris narrowly leading in five states —&nbsp;Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — and&nbsp;tied in Georgia and trailing in Nevada. All were improvements from Biden’s standing in the same poll in May.<a href="https://poll.qu.edu/poll-release?releaseid=3902" target="_blank">An Aug. 14 survey from Quinnipiac University</a>&nbsp;showed Harris with a 48%-45% edge in Pennsylvania. The 3-point advantage for Harris was within the poll’s margin of error.Democrats hope to carry the momentum through the convention. Polls typically favor a party during and immediately after its national party gathering.Despite the recent polling, Harris and Walz continue to describe themselves&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkwZ_A49hb8" target="_blank">as underdogs in the race</a>.<h2>Campaign themes</h2>In her short time on the campaign trail, Harris has emphasized a few core messages.She’s made reproductive rights a central focus, including the slogan “We are not going back” in her stump speech after describing Republicans’ position on abortion. Additionally, a Texas woman who had to leave the state for an emergency abortion will speak at the DNC,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/texas-woman-who-left-state-abortion-back-harris-convention-2024-08-15/" target="_blank">according to Reuters.</a>Harris has also played up her background as a prosecutor, drawing a contrast with Trump’s legal troubles.Walz has highlighted his working-class background and military service, while attacking Republican positions to restrict reproductive rights and ban certain books in schools.Walz’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/walz-first-solo-speech-vp-candidate-touts-dem-tickets-labor-union-ties" target="_blank">first solo campaign stop</a>&nbsp;since Harris selected him as her running mate was at a union convention, where he emphasized his union background as a high school teacher.Walz was not initially considered the favorite to be Harris’ running mate, but his appeal as a Midwesterner with a record of winning tough elections and enacting progressive policies&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/minnesota-gov-tim-walz-picked-harris-her-running-mate-democratic-ticket" target="_blank">led to his selection</a>&nbsp;Aug. 6.Harris has faced criticism for not sitting down for a formal media interview or holding a press conference since she became a candidate.<h2>Platform in flux</h2>Democrats have not finalized their platform for 2024. Adopting a party platform is generally among the official items at a convention.The party set&nbsp;<a href="https://democrats.org/news/dnc-releases-2024-party-platform-draft-outlining-historic-record-and-bold-agenda-for-president-biden-and-vice-president-harris-to-finish-the-job/" target="_blank">a draft platform</a>&nbsp;in July just eight days before Biden dropped his reelection bid. The document centered on the theme of “finishing the job” and mentioned Biden, then the presumptive nominee, 50 times and Harris 12.Party spokespeople did not respond to an inquiry this week about plans for an update to the platform.Reproductive rights will likely be a focus point of any policy wishlist.Harris, during her time as vice president, has led the administration’s messaging on reproductive rights after the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion in the summer of 2022.In her campaign speeches, she has often stressed the need to “trust women” and that the government should not be deciding reproductive health.Harris has often promised that if she is elected, she will restore those reproductive rights, but unless Democrats control a majority in the U.S. House and 60 Senate votes, it’s unlikely she would be able to achieve that promise.Since&nbsp;<a href="https://tennesseelookout.com/2022/06/24/updated-u-s-supreme-court-overturns-right-to-abortion-in-landmark-decision/" target="_blank">Roe v. Wade was overturned</a>&nbsp;in that Supreme Court decision, Democrats have campaigned on reproductive rights that expand beyond abortion and include protections for in vitro fertilization.<a href="https://democrats.org/where-we-stand/party-platform/" target="_blank">The 2020 party platform</a>&nbsp;focused on recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, the economy, quality health care, investing in education, protecting democracy and combating climate change.Democrats are likely to continue to criticize the Project 2025 playbook — a blueprint by the Heritage Foundation, a think tank, to implement conservative policies across the federal government should Trump win in November.Trump has disavowed the document, but has not detailed his own policy plans.<h2>Chicago conventions</h2>The Democratic National Convention will take place in Chicago, a city with a long history of hosting the event. Democrats have held their convention in Chicago 11 times, first in 1864 and most recently in 1996.This year’s will be the first in-person Democratic National Convention since 2016. It was upended due to the coronavirus pandemic and held virtually in 2020.Throughout the four-day convention, there will be speeches and side events hosted by state Democratic party leaders.The ceremonial roll call vote with delegates on the convention floor will take place Tuesday. The vice presidential nomination speech by Walz will be Wednesday night and on Thursday night, Harris will give her nomination acceptance speech.The city is also preparing for massive protests from several groups on reproductive rights, LGBTQ protections, housing and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wbez.org/government-politics/dnc-2024/2024/08/12/dnc-democratic-national-convention-protests-kamala-harris-israel-gaza-lgbtq-reproductive-rights-cpd-police" target="_blank">according to WBEZ News.&nbsp;</a>The City Council of Chicago in January approved a ceasefire resolution, with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson the tiebreaker, making it the largest city to call for an end to the Israel-Hamas war, in which<a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-war-hamas-dead-graves-40000-988d16b648e06e222f04964dc9440da0?taid=66bdedd74b96700001cc25c8&amp;utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&amp;utm_medium=AP&amp;utm_source=Twitter" target="_blank">&nbsp;more than 40,000 Palestinians have died</a>.The war followed an Oct. 7 attack from Hamas, in which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/10/9/israel-hamas-war-in-maps-and-charts-live-tracker" target="_blank">nearly 1,200 people</a>&nbsp;were killed in Israel and hundreds taken hostage.<h2>Road to nomination</h2>Harris’ acceptance speech will cap a five-year journey to her party’s nomination.In 2019, the California senator announced a bid for president in the next year’s election, but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/12/03/784443227/kamala-harris-drops-out-of-presidential-race" target="_blank">dropped out</a>&nbsp;before the first primary or caucus votes were cast after she failed to catch on with Democratic voters.Biden later picked her as a running mate, and the two defeated Trump and then-Vice President Mike Pence in the 2020 election.Biden launched a reelection campaign for 2024, but stepped aside after a disastrous debate performance in June spurred questions about his ability to campaign and serve for another four-year term.After Biden bowed out, Harris&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/democratic-delegates-swiftly-give-harris-enough-support-clinch-presidential-nomination" target="_blank">quickly secured 99%</a>&nbsp;of delegates&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/kamala-harris-officially-becomes-democratic-presidential-nominee" target="_blank">to become the party’s likely nominee</a>. The virtual five-day vote secured her official nomination.With less than three months until Election Day, Harris and Walz already have sprinted through battleground states including Arizona, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.Their campaign has also pulled in more than $300 million, according to the campaign. Official Federal Election Commission records will be released in mid-October.Harris and Trump have&nbsp;<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2024/08/08/trump-agrees-to-sept-10-debate-with-harris-claims-two-more-upcoming/" target="_blank">agreed to a Sept. 10&nbsp;</a>debate hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia. Trump proposed two more debates, and Harris has said she would be open to another one between the first debate and Election Day.Walz and Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/mark-your-calendar-vp-candidates-walz-and-vance-debate-oct-1" target="_blank">agreed to an Oct. 1</a>&nbsp;debate on CBS News, in New York City.

Big moment arrives for Harris: Democratic convention kicks off in Chicago

&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY– Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on multiple allegations.

On August 15, Sheriff’s Deputies served a search warrant on a residence at&nbsp;22321 Q. Road south of Holton, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As a result of the investigation, deputies arrested&nbsp;Duncan Orion Benedict, 39 and Jade Graf, 32, both of Holton. They were booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of distribution of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia and&nbsp;interference with law enforcement.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723815842155.png" alt="Benedict photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Benedict photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY– Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects on multiple allegations.On August 15, Sheriff’s Deputies served a search warrant on a residence at&nbsp;22321 Q. Road south of Holton, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723815810117.png" alt="Graf photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Graf photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>As a result of the investigation, deputies arrested&nbsp;Duncan Orion Benedict, 39 and Jade Graf, 32, both of Holton. They were booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of distribution of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia and&nbsp;interference with law enforcement.

Sheriff: Couple were selling meth from Kansas home

JACKSON COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas woman on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.

Just after 11:00 a.m. August 14, a Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 2007 Jeep for a traffic infraction near 102nd Road on southbound U.S. Highway 75, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

 The driver of the vehicle was identified as 59-year-old, Yvonne Deloris Pink, of Topeka. 

Deputies arrested and booked her into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of&nbsp;conceal/alter/destroy evidence in a felony case,  driving without a valid license, trafficking contraband into a correctional facility, interference with law enforcement, driving without a valid license and failure to maintain liability insurance.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723815293723.png" alt="Pink-photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Pink-photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas woman on multiple allegations after a traffic stop.Just after 11:00 a.m. August 14, a Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a 2007 Jeep for a traffic infraction near 102nd Road on southbound U.S. Highway 75, according to Sheriff Tim Morse. The driver of the vehicle was identified as 59-year-old, Yvonne Deloris Pink, of Topeka. Deputies arrested and booked her into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of&nbsp;conceal/alter/destroy evidence in a felony case, driving without a valid license, trafficking contraband into a correctional facility, interference with law enforcement, driving without a valid license and failure to maintain liability insurance.

Kan. woman accused of destroying evidence in a felony case

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes

OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright, don’t have any updates on injuries, we’ll get those to you – (Vice President of Football Communications) Brad Gee will get them to you later. As far as the play time goes, the ones will take a half and then we’ll kind of fill in after that, we’ll just see how the rest of that goes – after the third and fourth quarters. It’s great to have the military out here, so important to all of us players, coaches (and) you guys right here to do what we do. I had a chance, I told them I had a chance to go to Afghanistan a few years back and kind of see the guys in action and what a confidence builder that was, just to know how dedicated they are and obviously giving us that chance to do all of this over here and protect us. Then the people of St. Joe here at Missouri Western State University - we appreciate all their hospitality. What a great job they did in taking care of us. There were people that were making our beds, to the people that were cooking the food, to the grounds crew that was taking care of the area here and everybody was just first class and on the ball. We appreciate that. It makes it a lot easier when we’re all pulling in the same direction. It was a great thing. Anyways, with that, time’s yours.”

Q: Will Joe Thuney get some reps in the Lions game?

REID:&nbsp;“I’m just kind of going to see on that. I’m not going to force it. (We’ll) see how he (Joe Thuney) feels after today, but we’ll let you know on that.”

REID:&nbsp;“I don’t think Jaylen (Watson) will play.”

Q: Will Carson Wentz get some reps with the starters?

REID:&nbsp;“Yeah there’s a chance, there’s a chance we’ll get him (Carson Wentz) in there. (We’ll) just see how that goes, I’m just going to play it by ear but he’ll be ready to do that.”

Q: How involved would you like Xavier Worthy? Would you like to get him jumpstarted?

REID:&nbsp;“We’re not going to force that but I just want him (Xavier Worthy) to play. You play in this thing, somewhere it’ll come to you but we’re not forcing anything in there, no.”

Q: Would you be open to him returning a punt?

REID:&nbsp;“There’s a chance, small chance.”

Q: Is Jawaan Taylor’s injury long term?

REID:&nbsp;“No, he (Jawaan Taylor) won’t go this weekend, but I think he’s going to be ok.”

Q: What does staying in the dorms do for you?

REID:&nbsp;“I was telling somebody that in this day and age when everybody is on their cellphones and doing that it kind of brings everybody together. You can’t help but talk to the person sitting next to you there, and I think that’s a positive - staying in the same dorms and I think it just develops a comradery and I think that’s a positive.”

Q: What’s the significance to the bracelet you’re wearing?

REID:&nbsp;“You know what, they just gave them to me – the military. So, I threw them on, I didn’t even notice but it has me name on it, appreciate that.”

Q: From the first day of training camp to now, what has this group improved on and how have they gelled together?

REID:&nbsp;“I think the – I mean you’ve been able to see the growth. We’ve added a ton in the last few days up here and the guys have digested it but have been able to spit it back, retain it, that’s a positive. Maybe most of all is just get yourself in football shape – kind of ramping up to your first game against the Ravens. We still have a couple weeks ahead of us here before all of that takes place, but we’ll keep working at it. So, we’re not ready yet, but we’ll keep working and get ourselves sharpened up a little bit to play. I appreciated the attitude the guys had; we caught a break with the weather. I mean I think this is the first year that we didn’t have a rain out where we had to go inside, I think that’s a positive.”

Q: How is Clyde Edwards-Helaire doing?

REID:&nbsp;“He’s (Clyde Edwards-Helaire) doing good, he was actually feeling a little bit better last night which is good. We’ll just keep an eye on him. He’s in good hands, so we’ll keep an eye on him.”

Q: What was your reaction to Hollywood Brown’s injury? What will you guys miss while he’s out?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Obviously, (it’s) unfortunate. I guess we’re lucky that it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. He’s (Hollywood Brown) in good spirits. He’s doing well, so just kind of getting him back going again – back moving around. Obviously, we lose a little bit of that veteran type (of) receiver in that room. I mean, we have other guys that kind of replace a little bit but to have that much talent (and) have a good understanding of what I want but he’s in the room, I think that’s what’s awesome. He’s talking to those guys and everything like that. Hopefully, we’re getting him back sooner rather than later, but we’ve got to just keep pushing those young guys to keep getting better and better every day.”

Q: Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy said that Justin Watson would have to step up a little bit more. How confident are you in Justin?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Very confident. A guy (Justin Watson) that’s knows everything, can play all three (wide receiver) positions, can block, can catch, can stretch the field deep and can work a little bit underneath as well. That’s the type of guys that are going to have to step up while he’s (Hollywood Brown) out. Like I said, we’re lucky that it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be too long. So, J Wat will come in and fill that role and right when Hollywood (Brown) gets back we’ll throw him right back in there and he’ll be ready to go.”

Q: What position groups stood out during camp?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I thought it was a competitive camp. I think that was the best thing. (It’s) more than just standouts, I thought every day, you just didn’t know if the offense or defense was going to win. That’s when it’s a great camp is that you want to compete. There are days (that) the defense gets after us (and) there’s days that I feel like we had the advantage. I think that was the most positive thing that I took from camp. Obviously, players had (good) days and stuff like that but I think just the competitive nature of camp was the best part about it.”

Q: What led to the behind the back pass to Isiah Pacheco in the redzone period? Is there a possibility of that during the season?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“There definitely is a possibility of it. If you do it (the behind the back pass), it’s got to work. It was a similar play to the one in the Super Bowl and I wasn’t going to do it in that situation. It was a good day for the offense, especially the last period. I had kind of got it going (with) two completions and then once you’re having a good day, you have the freedom to kind of try stuff like that. Obviously, when stuff’s not working out well, you don’t have that opportunity. It was cool that I completed it and it’s just that you want to get it in like a live type (of) atmosphere and that’s as live as you’re going to get in practice.”

Q: What did Head Coach Andy Reid think of the behind the back pass?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“The first thing that he (Head Coach Andy Reid) said was ‘I’ve been telling you to do that for a while.’ That’s all he said. He said, ‘that’s one of the plays that I’ve been telling you that you could do it (the behind the back pass).’ I’m telling you, he’s all for it. It’s me the one that’s hesitant to do it in a game.”

Q: You said you wanted to be better than last year. Do you think that you’ve taken the steps at this camp to do it?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, I’ve been trying to push the envelope, trying to push the ball down the field, trying to make sure that we stay in that attacking mindset but at the same time, find that right balance. There’s been days that we connected on a lot of deep passes (and) there’s days that we’ve missed them. That’s what this (training camp) is for. For us to see what we can try to get away with, try to see what we can do and see what everybody’s great at. I thought we had a great camp, like I said, but it’s not done now. We have to continue into this preseason game against the Lions (which) will be a great test. They play hard (and they’re) a great football team. Then, going back to KC, you can’t let off the gas, you have to keep pushing because the beginning of our schedule is tough (and) you have to be ready for it.”

Q:&nbsp;On getting Xavier Worthy involved.

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“We obviously want to get him some catches. We called a play for him, that first play in this last preseason game. Obviously, they brought pressure. I got it out to Hollywood (Brown.) Obviously, we want to try to see what he can do in the live – as live as you can get before the season. You’ve got to take what’s there, but you want to give him chances to go out there and make plays and get that live action at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, but you know defenses are accounting for that as well, too. It’s trying to find that balance. You want to get those young guys those plays – him, (Jared) Wiley, some of these guys that haven’t got a ton of reps – Justyn Ross, stuff like that – Skyy Moore but at the same time you have to play within yourself and within the offense.”

Q:&nbsp;What have you observed from those extra sessions with the wide receivers?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think just watching the extra film with them, you see those positive things happen almost the next day. Just talking through stuff. In this offense, I mean y’all know, it’s so much of freedom within structure. I think them hearing me talk, hearing Travis (Kelce) talk and then them having their input as well, I feel like it helps them have their stamp on the offense. I think that’s important. Obviously, I started a couple years ago with Trav (Travis Kelce), and then it kind of went to JuJu (Smith-Schuster) and 11 (Marquez Valdes-Scantling) last year. Now, all these young guys are kind of taking it on themselves – Skyy (Moore), Rashee (Rice), Nikko (Remigio) and Justyn Ross, they’re coming in those meetings, they’re listening, they’re talking through it and making those adjustments the next day.”

Q:&nbsp;Could you share how brotherhood has been built by staying in the dorms?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“For me, it’s – even more than the dorms, we always go to Il Lazzarone a couple times. We take the guys. We get some pizzas. I usually do it like the second padded day before the 10-10-10, so we were there yesterday. Don’t remember that for next year and try to storm our party. We go there and you just eat and joke around. I think Ian Book had like nine pieces of pizza yesterday. I had to calm him down. The first time we went, the o line – he only got one piece because the o line ate all his pizza, so he went in this last day. Stuff like that is where you build that bond and then you have those jokes and stuff for the rest of the year and that’s what builds the great culture that we have.

Q:&nbsp;How has Head Coach Andy Reid’s evolution of practice affected you?

MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think the best thing about (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid is he pushes you to be great and he pushes himself to be great. He always is trying to just be more creative. What else can you do to help the offense out, help players out, help with different motions or different plays and he challenges the coaches to do that as well. When you see that they’re working that hard and they’re challenging themselves, whenever they ask you to try something that might be a little different, they want you to work on – you can say, ‘Alright, I’ll try it. If y’all are trying new stuff, we can all try it. We’ll see if we can get better together. I think that’s important because he could be – I mean, he’s one of the best coaches of all time. He could just go out saying, ‘This is how we do it. This is how I’m going to coach it, and this is how it works.’ He’s pushing himself to be better and then he asks a lot of us, but he also asks a lot of himself. I think that’s super important.”

Q:&nbsp;What kind of training camp did you think Travis Kelce had and what allows him to be effective?

Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid QuotesAugust 15, 2024OPENING STATEMENT:&nbsp;“Alright, don’t have any updates on injuries, we’ll get those to you – (Vice President of Football Communications) Brad Gee will get them to you later. As far as the play time goes, the ones will take a half and then we’ll kind of fill in after that, we’ll just see how the rest of that goes – after the third and fourth quarters. It’s great to have the military out here, so important to all of us players, coaches (and) you guys right here to do what we do. I had a chance, I told them I had a chance to go to Afghanistan a few years back and kind of see the guys in action and what a confidence builder that was, just to know how dedicated they are and obviously giving us that chance to do all of this over here and protect us. Then the people of St. Joe here at Missouri Western State University - we appreciate all their hospitality. What a great job they did in taking care of us. There were people that were making our beds, to the people that were cooking the food, to the grounds crew that was taking care of the area here and everybody was just first class and on the ball. We appreciate that. It makes it a lot easier when we’re all pulling in the same direction. It was a great thing. Anyways, with that, time’s yours.”Q: Will Joe Thuney get some reps in the Lions game?REID:&nbsp;“I’m just kind of going to see on that. I’m not going to force it. (We’ll) see how he (Joe Thuney) feels after today, but we’ll let you know on that.”Q: What about Jaylen Watson?REID:&nbsp;“I don’t think Jaylen (Watson) will play.”Q: Will Carson Wentz get some reps with the starters?REID:&nbsp;“Yeah there’s a chance, there’s a chance we’ll get him (Carson Wentz) in there. (We’ll) just see how that goes, I’m just going to play it by ear but he’ll be ready to do that.”Q: How involved would you like Xavier Worthy? Would you like to get him jumpstarted?REID:&nbsp;“We’re not going to force that but I just want him (Xavier Worthy) to play. You play in this thing, somewhere it’ll come to you but we’re not forcing anything in there, no.”Q: Would you be open to him returning a punt?REID:&nbsp;“There’s a chance, small chance.”Q: Is Jawaan Taylor’s injury long term?REID:&nbsp;“No, he (Jawaan Taylor) won’t go this weekend, but I think he’s going to be ok.”Q: What does staying in the dorms do for you?REID:&nbsp;“I was telling somebody that in this day and age when everybody is on their cellphones and doing that it kind of brings everybody together. You can’t help but talk to the person sitting next to you there, and I think that’s a positive - staying in the same dorms and I think it just develops a comradery and I think that’s a positive.”Q: What’s the significance to the bracelet you’re wearing?REID:&nbsp;“You know what, they just gave them to me – the military. So, I threw them on, I didn’t even notice but it has me name on it, appreciate that.”Q: From the first day of training camp to now, what has this group improved on and how have they gelled together?REID:&nbsp;“I think the – I mean you’ve been able to see the growth. We’ve added a ton in the last few days up here and the guys have digested it but have been able to spit it back, retain it, that’s a positive. Maybe most of all is just get yourself in football shape – kind of ramping up to your first game against the Ravens. We still have a couple weeks ahead of us here before all of that takes place, but we’ll keep working at it. So, we’re not ready yet, but we’ll keep working and get ourselves sharpened up a little bit to play. I appreciated the attitude the guys had; we caught a break with the weather. I mean I think this is the first year that we didn’t have a rain out where we had to go inside, I think that’s a positive.”Q: How is Clyde Edwards-Helaire doing?REID:&nbsp;“He’s (Clyde Edwards-Helaire) doing good, he was actually feeling a little bit better last night which is good. We’ll just keep an eye on him. He’s in good hands, so we’ll keep an eye on him.”Chiefs Player QuotesAugust 15, 2024QB PATRICK MAHOMESQ: What was your reaction to Hollywood Brown’s injury? What will you guys miss while he’s out?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Obviously, (it’s) unfortunate. I guess we’re lucky that it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. He’s (Hollywood Brown) in good spirits. He’s doing well, so just kind of getting him back going again – back moving around. Obviously, we lose a little bit of that veteran type (of) receiver in that room. I mean, we have other guys that kind of replace a little bit but to have that much talent (and) have a good understanding of what I want but he’s in the room, I think that’s what’s awesome. He’s talking to those guys and everything like that. Hopefully, we’re getting him back sooner rather than later, but we’ve got to just keep pushing those young guys to keep getting better and better every day.”Q: Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy said that Justin Watson would have to step up a little bit more. How confident are you in Justin?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Very confident. A guy (Justin Watson) that’s knows everything, can play all three (wide receiver) positions, can block, can catch, can stretch the field deep and can work a little bit underneath as well. That’s the type of guys that are going to have to step up while he’s (Hollywood Brown) out. Like I said, we’re lucky that it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be too long. So, J Wat will come in and fill that role and right when Hollywood (Brown) gets back we’ll throw him right back in there and he’ll be ready to go.”Q: What position groups stood out during camp?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I thought it was a competitive camp. I think that was the best thing. (It’s) more than just standouts, I thought every day, you just didn’t know if the offense or defense was going to win. That’s when it’s a great camp is that you want to compete. There are days (that) the defense gets after us (and) there’s days that I feel like we had the advantage. I think that was the most positive thing that I took from camp. Obviously, players had (good) days and stuff like that but I think just the competitive nature of camp was the best part about it.”Q: What led to the behind the back pass to Isiah Pacheco in the redzone period? Is there a possibility of that during the season?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“There definitely is a possibility of it. If you do it (the behind the back pass), it’s got to work. It was a similar play to the one in the Super Bowl and I wasn’t going to do it in that situation. It was a good day for the offense, especially the last period. I had kind of got it going (with) two completions and then once you’re having a good day, you have the freedom to kind of try stuff like that. Obviously, when stuff’s not working out well, you don’t have that opportunity. It was cool that I completed it and it’s just that you want to get it in like a live type (of) atmosphere and that’s as live as you’re going to get in practice.”Q: What did Head Coach Andy Reid think of the behind the back pass?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“The first thing that he (Head Coach Andy Reid) said was ‘I’ve been telling you to do that for a while.’ That’s all he said. He said, ‘that’s one of the plays that I’ve been telling you that you could do it (the behind the back pass).’ I’m telling you, he’s all for it. It’s me the one that’s hesitant to do it in a game.”Q: You said you wanted to be better than last year. Do you think that you’ve taken the steps at this camp to do it?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“Yeah, I’ve been trying to push the envelope, trying to push the ball down the field, trying to make sure that we stay in that attacking mindset but at the same time, find that right balance. There’s been days that we connected on a lot of deep passes (and) there’s days that we’ve missed them. That’s what this (training camp) is for. For us to see what we can try to get away with, try to see what we can do and see what everybody’s great at. I thought we had a great camp, like I said, but it’s not done now. We have to continue into this preseason game against the Lions (which) will be a great test. They play hard (and they’re) a great football team. Then, going back to KC, you can’t let off the gas, you have to keep pushing because the beginning of our schedule is tough (and) you have to be ready for it.”Q:&nbsp;On getting Xavier Worthy involved.MAHOMES:&nbsp;“We obviously want to get him some catches. We called a play for him, that first play in this last preseason game. Obviously, they brought pressure. I got it out to Hollywood (Brown.) Obviously, we want to try to see what he can do in the live – as live as you can get before the season. You’ve got to take what’s there, but you want to give him chances to go out there and make plays and get that live action at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, but you know defenses are accounting for that as well, too. It’s trying to find that balance. You want to get those young guys those plays – him, (Jared) Wiley, some of these guys that haven’t got a ton of reps – Justyn Ross, stuff like that – Skyy Moore but at the same time you have to play within yourself and within the offense.”Q:&nbsp;What have you observed from those extra sessions with the wide receivers?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think just watching the extra film with them, you see those positive things happen almost the next day. Just talking through stuff. In this offense, I mean y’all know, it’s so much of freedom within structure. I think them hearing me talk, hearing Travis (Kelce) talk and then them having their input as well, I feel like it helps them have their stamp on the offense. I think that’s important. Obviously, I started a couple years ago with Trav (Travis Kelce), and then it kind of went to JuJu (Smith-Schuster) and 11 (Marquez Valdes-Scantling) last year. Now, all these young guys are kind of taking it on themselves – Skyy (Moore), Rashee (Rice), Nikko (Remigio) and Justyn Ross, they’re coming in those meetings, they’re listening, they’re talking through it and making those adjustments the next day.”Q:&nbsp;Could you share how brotherhood has been built by staying in the dorms?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“For me, it’s – even more than the dorms, we always go to Il Lazzarone a couple times. We take the guys. We get some pizzas. I usually do it like the second padded day before the 10-10-10, so we were there yesterday. Don’t remember that for next year and try to storm our party. We go there and you just eat and joke around. I think Ian Book had like nine pieces of pizza yesterday. I had to calm him down. The first time we went, the o line – he only got one piece because the o line ate all his pizza, so he went in this last day. Stuff like that is where you build that bond and then you have those jokes and stuff for the rest of the year and that’s what builds the great culture that we have.Q:&nbsp;How has Head Coach Andy Reid’s evolution of practice affected you?MAHOMES:&nbsp;“I think the best thing about (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid is he pushes you to be great and he pushes himself to be great. He always is trying to just be more creative. What else can you do to help the offense out, help players out, help with different motions or different plays and he challenges the coaches to do that as well. When you see that they’re working that hard and they’re challenging themselves, whenever they ask you to try something that might be a little different, they want you to work on – you can say, ‘Alright, I’ll try it. If y’all are trying new stuff, we can all try it. We’ll see if we can get better together. I think that’s important because he could be – I mean, he’s one of the best coaches of all time. He could just go out saying, ‘This is how we do it. This is how I’m going to coach it, and this is how it works.’ He’s pushing himself to be better and then he asks a lot of us, but he also asks a lot of himself. I think that’s super important.”Q:&nbsp;What kind of training camp did you think Travis Kelce had and what allows him to be effective?

Chiefs Quotes: 8-15-24

Thanks to a great 2024 Show in Salina, the KKOA (Kustom Kemp of America Association) Leadsled Spectacular Car Show Owners, Jerry &amp; Devona Titus have confirmed that they will return in 2025. The show will celebrate its 45th Anniversary July 24-27, 2025.

 Traditionally, the KKOA Leadsled Spectacular event includes several iconic events such as a Thursday night cruise parade, the Friday thru Sunday car show in Oakdale Park featuring kool kemp cars, food vendors, chop demonstrations, retail vendors and live entertainment, Friday Night Drags, a Saturday Elvis concert and Sunday Awards. 

The highlight of course is hosting hundreds of beautiful custom cars and the visitors that drive and ride in them from throughout the United States and beyond. 

For 19 years the Salina community has helped KKOA make the show a success. Hundreds of local volunteers, organizations, businesses and the city have provided volunteer hours, in-kind contributions and sponsorship of the show. The warm embrace and work of the community is what keeps KKOA returning. 

Jerry Titus, KKOA President and show owner is excited to celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the show in Salina.

 “I always say, Say Salina, Say Spectacular, because that is the truth. The Leadsled Spectacular is in the books for 2024; it was what we call it SPECTACULAR! The weather cooperated and made for enjoyable days and nights. We had a large cruise down Santa Fe on Thursday night. We love what our show brings to Salina, Kansas. We had our Drags on Friday Night with a large crowd there. Restaurants were busy, motels filled. Everyone had a good time. KKOA loves bringing the show to Salina, Kansas. We used to move the show around to different states, we found Salina, Kansas in the best location for our show. We are planning our 45th Annual Leadsled Spectacular in Salina, Kansas. Dates are July 24, 25, 26, 27, 2025. This has been in Salina, Kansas will be the 20th Year,” Titus said.

Tiffany Benien, Sports &amp; Event Director for Visit Salina says, The KKOA Leadsled Spectacular Car Show has positively impacted Salina over the last 19 years. It is something that Visit Salina, our volunteers and our businesses look forward to at the end of each July. We are pleased to announce and love that this Show will go on in July 2025. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/6/1687965982410.jpeg" alt="Salina Area Chamber of Commerce" />
 <figcaption>Salina Area Chamber of Commerce</figcaption>
 </figure>Visit SalinaThanks to a great 2024 Show in Salina, the KKOA (Kustom Kemp of America Association) Leadsled Spectacular Car Show Owners, Jerry &amp; Devona Titus have confirmed that they will return in 2025. The show will celebrate its 45th Anniversary July 24-27, 2025. Traditionally, the KKOA Leadsled Spectacular event includes several iconic events such as a Thursday night cruise parade, the Friday thru Sunday car show in Oakdale Park featuring kool kemp cars, food vendors, chop demonstrations, retail vendors and live entertainment, Friday Night Drags, a Saturday Elvis concert and Sunday Awards. The highlight of course is hosting hundreds of beautiful custom cars and the visitors that drive and ride in them from throughout the United States and beyond. For 19 years the Salina community has helped KKOA make the show a success. Hundreds of local volunteers, organizations, businesses and the city have provided volunteer hours, in-kind contributions and sponsorship of the show. The warm embrace and work of the community is what keeps KKOA returning. Jerry Titus, KKOA President and show owner is excited to celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the show in Salina. “I always say, Say Salina, Say Spectacular, because that is the truth. The Leadsled Spectacular is in the books for 2024; it was what we call it SPECTACULAR! The weather cooperated and made for enjoyable days and nights. We had a large cruise down Santa Fe on Thursday night. We love what our show brings to Salina, Kansas. We had our Drags on Friday Night with a large crowd there. Restaurants were busy, motels filled. Everyone had a good time. KKOA loves bringing the show to Salina, Kansas. We used to move the show around to different states, we found Salina, Kansas in the best location for our show. We are planning our 45th Annual Leadsled Spectacular in Salina, Kansas. Dates are July 24, 25, 26, 27, 2025. This has been in Salina, Kansas will be the 20th Year,” Titus said.Tiffany Benien, Sports &amp; Event Director for Visit Salina says, The KKOA Leadsled Spectacular Car Show has positively impacted Salina over the last 19 years. It is something that Visit Salina, our volunteers and our businesses look forward to at the end of each July. We are pleased to announce and love that this Show will go on in July 2025.

KKOA Leadsled Spectacular Car Show to return in 2025

JACKSON COUNTY, Kan.—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas woman on drug allegations.

Just after&nbsp;6:30 a.m. August 11,&nbsp; Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the 300 block of 222nd Road in reference to a stolen vehicle report, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

 Deputies located a vehicle matching the description of the stolen vehicle parked in a driveway in the 2600 block of K-16 Highway.

&nbsp;Deputies found a woman slumped over the wheel of the vehicle and observed what they believe was illegal drug contraband inside the vehicle. 

The occupant of the vehicle later identified as Leianne Faye Jones, 38,&nbsp; Havensville, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of fentanyl, possession of drug paraphernalia, trafficking contraband into a correctional facility, felony theft, driving under the influence, driving while habitual violator and driving while revoked.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723632181595.png" alt="Jones photo Jackson Co." />
 <figcaption>Jones photo Jackson Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY, Kan.—Law enforcement are investigating a Kansas woman on drug allegations.Just after&nbsp;6:30 a.m. August 11,&nbsp; Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the 300 block of 222nd Road in reference to a stolen vehicle report, according to Sheriff Tim Morse. Deputies located a vehicle matching the description of the stolen vehicle parked in a driveway in the 2600 block of K-16 Highway.&nbsp;Deputies found a woman slumped over the wheel of the vehicle and observed what they believe was illegal drug contraband inside the vehicle. The occupant of the vehicle later identified as Leianne Faye Jones, 38,&nbsp; Havensville, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession of fentanyl, possession of drug paraphernalia, trafficking contraband into a correctional facility, felony theft, driving under the influence, driving while habitual violator and driving while revoked.

Fentanyl: Kan. woman was passed out in stolen vehicle

HONOLULU (AP) — Wallace “Wally” Amos, the creator of the cookie empire that took his name and made it famous and who went on to become a children’s literacy advocate, has died. He was 88.

Amos created the Famous Amos cookie empire and eventually lost ownership of the company — as well as the rights to use the catchy Amos name. In his later years, he became a proprietor of a cookie shop called Chip &amp; Cookie in Hawaii, where he moved in 1977.

He died Tuesday at his home in Honolulu, with his wife, Carol, at his side, his children said. He died from complications with dementia, they said.

“With his Panama hat, kazoo, and boundless optimism, Famous Amos was a great American success story, and a source of Black pride,” said a statement from his children, Sarah, Michael, Gregory and Shawn Amos.

They said their dad “inspired a generation of entrepreneurs when he founded the world’s first cookie store” on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles in 1975.

Wally Amos was also co-founder of Uncle Wally’s Muffin Co., whose products are found in stores nationwide. But Amos said the fame never really mattered much to him.

“Being famous is highly overrated anyway,” Amos told The Associated Press in 2007.

His muffin company, based in Shirley, N.Y., was originally founded as Uncle Noname Cookie Co. in 1992, a few years after Amos lost Famous Amos, which still widely uses his name on its products.

Amos had said the Famous Amos cookies sold today are unlike his cookies, which had lots of chocolate, real butter and pure vanilla extract.

“You can’t compare a machine-made cookie with handmade cookie,” he told the AP. “It’s like comparing a Rolls Royce with a Volkswagen.”

Uncle Noname, however, foundered because of debt and problems with its contracted manufacturers.

The company filed for bankruptcy in 1996, abandoned cookies and went into muffins at the suggestion of Amos’ business partner, Lou Avignone.

Inside his now-shuttered Hawaii cookie shop, he sold bite-sized cookies similar to the ones he first sold at the Famous Amos Hollywood store.

Amos also was active in promoting reading. His shop, for example, had a reading room with dozens of donated books, and Amos usually spent Saturdays sitting on a rocking chair, wearing a watermelon hat, reading to children.

The former high school dropout penned eight books, served as spokesperson for Literacy Volunteers of America for 24 years and gave motivational talks to corporations, universities and other groups.

Amos earned numerous honors for his volunteerism, including the Literacy Award presented by President George H.W. Bush in 1991.

“Your greatest contribution to your country is not your signature straw hat in the Smithsonian, but the people you have inspired to learn to read,” Bush said.

In one of his books, “Man With No Name: Turn Lemons Into Lemonade,” Amos explained how he lost Famous Amos even before it was sold for $63 million to a Taiwanese company in 1991. Despite robust sales, by 1985, the business was losing money, so Amos brought in outside investors.

“The new owners gobbled up more of my share until all of a sudden, I found I had lost all ownership in the company I founded,” Amos wrote. Before long, the company had changed ownership four times.

Born in Tallahassee, Fla., Amos moved to New York City at age 12 because of his parents’ divorce. He lived with an aunt, Della Bryant, who taught him how to make chocolate chip cookies.

He later dropped out of high school to join the Air Force before working as a mailroom clerk at the William Morris Agency, where he became a talent agent, working with The Supremes, Simon &amp; Garfunkel and Marvin Gaye before borrowing $25,000 to launch his cookie business.

He was the first Black agent in the business, his son, Shawn Amos, said.

“Our dad taught us the value of hard work, believing in ourselves, and chasing our dreams,” his children’s statement said. “We also know he would love it if you had a chocolate chip cookie today.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1723681439425.png" alt="FILE - Wally Amos, of Kailua, Hawaii, is shown in his home office June 12, 2007, in the Lanikai section of Kailua, Hawaii. Amos, the creator of the cookie empire that took his name and made it famous and who went on to become a children's literacy advocate, has died at age 88, on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni, File)" />
 <figcaption>FILE - Wally Amos, of Kailua, Hawaii, is shown in his home office June 12, 2007, in the Lanikai section of Kailua, Hawaii. Amos, the creator of the cookie empire that took his name and made it famous and who went on to become a children's literacy advocate, has died at age 88, on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>HONOLULU (AP) — Wallace “Wally” Amos, the creator of the cookie empire that took his name and made it famous and who went on to become a children’s literacy advocate, has died. He was 88.Amos created the Famous Amos cookie empire and eventually lost ownership of the company — as well as the rights to use the catchy Amos name. In his later years, he became a proprietor of a cookie shop called Chip &amp; Cookie in Hawaii, where he moved in 1977.He died Tuesday at his home in Honolulu, with his wife, Carol, at his side, his children said. He died from complications with dementia, they said.“With his Panama hat, kazoo, and boundless optimism, Famous Amos was a great American success story, and a source of Black pride,” said a statement from his children, Sarah, Michael, Gregory and Shawn Amos.They said their dad “inspired a generation of entrepreneurs when he founded the world’s first cookie store” on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles in 1975.Wally Amos was also co-founder of Uncle Wally’s Muffin Co., whose products are found in stores nationwide. But Amos said the fame never really mattered much to him.“Being famous is highly overrated anyway,” Amos told The Associated Press in 2007.His muffin company, based in Shirley, N.Y., was originally founded as Uncle Noname Cookie Co. in 1992, a few years after Amos lost Famous Amos, which still widely uses his name on its products.Amos had said the Famous Amos cookies sold today are unlike his cookies, which had lots of chocolate, real butter and pure vanilla extract.“You can’t compare a machine-made cookie with handmade cookie,” he told the AP. “It’s like comparing a Rolls Royce with a Volkswagen.”Uncle Noname, however, foundered because of debt and problems with its contracted manufacturers.The company filed for bankruptcy in 1996, abandoned cookies and went into muffins at the suggestion of Amos’ business partner, Lou Avignone.Inside his now-shuttered Hawaii cookie shop, he sold bite-sized cookies similar to the ones he first sold at the Famous Amos Hollywood store.Amos also was active in promoting reading. His shop, for example, had a reading room with dozens of donated books, and Amos usually spent Saturdays sitting on a rocking chair, wearing a watermelon hat, reading to children.The former high school dropout penned eight books, served as spokesperson for Literacy Volunteers of America for 24 years and gave motivational talks to corporations, universities and other groups.Amos earned numerous honors for his volunteerism, including the Literacy Award presented by President George H.W. Bush in 1991.“Your greatest contribution to your country is not your signature straw hat in the Smithsonian, but the people you have inspired to learn to read,” Bush said.In one of his books, “Man With No Name: Turn Lemons Into Lemonade,” Amos explained how he lost Famous Amos even before it was sold for $63 million to a Taiwanese company in 1991. Despite robust sales, by 1985, the business was losing money, so Amos brought in outside investors.“The new owners gobbled up more of my share until all of a sudden, I found I had lost all ownership in the company I founded,” Amos wrote. Before long, the company had changed ownership four times.Born in Tallahassee, Fla., Amos moved to New York City at age 12 because of his parents’ divorce. He lived with an aunt, Della Bryant, who taught him how to make chocolate chip cookies.He later dropped out of high school to join the Air Force before working as a mailroom clerk at the William Morris Agency, where he became a talent agent, working with The Supremes, Simon &amp; Garfunkel and Marvin Gaye before borrowing $25,000 to launch his cookie business.He was the first Black agent in the business, his son, Shawn Amos, said.“Our dad taught us the value of hard work, believing in ourselves, and chasing our dreams,” his children’s statement said. “We also know he would love it if you had a chocolate chip cookie today.”

Wally Amos, of cookie fame, has died in Hawaii

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>&nbsp; State's Newsroom

WASHINGTON — Congress plans to spend just 35 days between now and the end of the year in the nation’s capital, a fitting end to one of the least productive sessions in decades.

The deeply divided 118th Congress so far has placed just 78 public laws on the books, a fraction of the hundreds enacted during prior sessions, regardless of whether one party held control or voters elected a divided government. While there’s time left to enact a handful of laws, the number is nearly certain to remain low.

Over the past several decades, lawmakers have become accustomed to bundling several bills together into sweeping legislative packages instead of voting on them individually, but that doesn’t entirely account for how unproductive this Congress has been.

Members have sought to approve bipartisan legislation on immigration policy and border security, railway safety, the farm bill, tax law and children’s online safety at various points during the last 19 months — but all those major initiatives failed to make it across the finish line.

Lawmakers have been able to reach consensus on must-pass items like the annual government funding bills, but did so six months behind schedule. They are on track to miss their deadline again this year, which will mean yet another stopgap spending bill.

While election-year politics and a truncated amount of time on Capitol Hill hampered lawmakers’ productivity, there are numerous other factors dragging down this Congress.

Molly Reynolds, senior fellow in governance studies at the nonprofit Brookings Institution, said Democrats are working to flip control of the House away from Republicans’ narrow majority, while at the same time the GOP is projecting it will push Democrats out of power in the Senate.

Those ambitions add “an additional structural layer” to the typical disagreements within Congress, she said.

Infighting within each of the political parties, as well as Democrats and Republicans moving further away from each other on policy goals, has contributed to the intransigence, she said.

“Those divisions within the parties pale in comparison to the size of the difference between the parties,” Reynolds said. “And so, that does make it more challenging to find issues on which both sides are willing and interested to come to the table.”

A bipartisan trio of senators spent months negotiating a deal on immigration just to have the agreement disintegrate when Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump came out in opposition. That disappointing outcome makes members of Congress reluctant to tackle tough issues, she said.

“When members put in the hard work to try and reach a compromise and then don’t have the backing of their leadership, it doesn’t necessarily incentivize them to come back to the table and try to do that same thing again in the future,” Reynolds said.

The 118th Congress included more than its fair share of drama and bickering. The turmoil prevented the Republican House and Democratic Senate from agreeing on much of anything other than the bare minimum, with even must-pass legislation finalized months behind schedule.

House Republicans set the tone for their razor-thin majority in January 2023 when they trudged through 15 rounds of voting over several days and nights before California Rep. Kevin McCarthy secured the speaker’s gavel.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/3/1614817353591.png" alt="File photo Members of the Kansas Congressional delegation - Jake LaTurner, Ron Estes, Jerry Moran, Sharice Davids, Roger Marshall and Tracey Mann&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>File photo Members of the Kansas Congressional delegation - Jake LaTurner, Ron Estes, Jerry Moran, Sharice Davids, Roger Marshall and Tracey Mann&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jennifer-shutt/">JENNIFER SHUTT</a>&nbsp; State's NewsroomWASHINGTON — Congress plans to spend just 35 days between now and the end of the year in the nation’s capital, a fitting end to one of the least productive sessions in decades.The deeply divided 118th Congress so far has placed just 78 public laws on the books, a fraction of the hundreds enacted during prior sessions, regardless of whether one party held control or voters elected a divided government. While there’s time left to enact a handful of laws, the number is nearly certain to remain low.Over the past several decades, lawmakers have become accustomed to bundling several bills together into sweeping legislative packages instead of voting on them individually, but that doesn’t entirely account for how unproductive this Congress has been.Members have sought to approve bipartisan legislation on immigration policy and border security, railway safety, the farm bill, tax law and children’s online safety at various points during the last 19 months — but all those major initiatives failed to make it across the finish line.Lawmakers have been able to reach consensus on must-pass items like the annual government funding bills, but did so six months behind schedule. They are on track to miss their deadline again this year, which will mean yet another stopgap spending bill.<h2>What is the problem?</h2>While election-year politics and a truncated amount of time on Capitol Hill hampered lawmakers’ productivity, there are numerous other factors dragging down this Congress.Molly Reynolds, senior fellow in governance studies at the nonprofit Brookings Institution, said Democrats are working to flip control of the House away from Republicans’ narrow majority, while at the same time the GOP is projecting it will push Democrats out of power in the Senate.Those ambitions add “an additional structural layer” to the typical disagreements within Congress, she said.Infighting within each of the political parties, as well as Democrats and Republicans moving further away from each other on policy goals, has contributed to the intransigence, she said.“Those divisions within the parties pale in comparison to the size of the difference between the parties,” Reynolds said. “And so, that does make it more challenging to find issues on which both sides are willing and interested to come to the table.”A bipartisan trio of senators spent months negotiating a deal on immigration just to have the agreement disintegrate when Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump came out in opposition. That disappointing outcome makes members of Congress reluctant to tackle tough issues, she said.“When members put in the hard work to try and reach a compromise and then don’t have the backing of their leadership, it doesn’t necessarily incentivize them to come back to the table and try to do that same thing again in the future,” Reynolds said.<h2>Speaker drama set the tone</h2>The 118th Congress included more than its fair share of drama and bickering. The turmoil prevented the Republican House and Democratic Senate from agreeing on much of anything other than the bare minimum, with even must-pass legislation finalized months behind schedule.House Republicans set the tone for their razor-thin majority in January 2023 when they trudged through 15 rounds of voting over several days and nights before California Rep. Kevin McCarthy secured the speaker’s gavel.McCarthy made several backroom deals during the stalemate and elicited anger from members of the party’s right flank, who nearly came to blows on the floor as he sought to lock in the necessary support.Less than nine months later, the House voted to oust McCarthy from the speaker’s office. The GOP then kept the chamber frozen for several weeks as members voted behind closed doors to put forward four nominees, before Louisiana’s Mike Johnson garnered the votes necessary on the floor to lead his party and the chamber.McCarthy, who repeatedly swore he would never quit, then did just that in December.<h2>Senate border deal goes to pieces</h2>The Senate has spent much of its time confirming President Joe Biden’s nominees, rarely breaking from that pattern to negotiate necessary items like the annual defense policy bill, government funding measures and legislation that avoided a default on the national debt.Senators appeared to be&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/details-proposed-major-overhaul-us-immigration-law-global-aid-package-unveiled" target="_blank">on the cusp of making bipartisan changes</a>&nbsp;to the nation’s border security and immigration policy following painstaking negotiations between Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford, Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy and Arizona independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. It would have been the most sweeping immigration legislation in years.But that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-kills-immigration-overhaul-hits-stalemate-israel-ukraine-aid" target="_blank">fell apart in February&nbsp;</a>after Trump signaled he didn’t want to lose the border and immigration as an election issue or see Biden claim a victory.Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, had said the deal was necessary to move an emergency spending bill for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan through the chamber, though he later reversed course.Congress finally&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-senate-sends-foreign-aid-bill-biden-mcconnell-chides-gop-isolationist-movement" target="_blank">approved $95 billion</a>&nbsp;in military and humanitarian assistance in April after House Republicans added in a ban on the social media app TikTok that would kick in if ByteDance, the Chinese parent company, didn’t sell the platform — one of the most significant laws of the year as it turned out.Congress has also failed to negotiate a new version of the five-year farm bill, following months of delays and differences of opinion on how much nutrition assistance for low-income Americans should be in the package.<h2>Few laws passed</h2>The 78 laws&nbsp;<a href="https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/laws/current.html" target="_blank">enacted</a>&nbsp;this Congress pale in comparison to earlier sessions.During the 116th Congress, when the GOP controlled the Senate and Democrats held the House, lawmakers reached agreement on 344 measures that went on to become law.When Democrats held control of both chambers and the presidency during the 117th Congress, they approved more than 360 measures that would later become law, the vast majority of which required bipartisan support to move through the Senate.Lawmakers have consistently enacted more than 280 public laws during their two-year sessions, going back to at least the 82nd Congress, which began in 1951 and ended the following year.During that seven-decade span, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/public-laws/84th-congress" target="_blank">number of laws</a>&nbsp;enacted per Congress fluctuated, reaching a low of 283 during the 112th Congress, which lasted from January 2011 through January 2013, and a high of 1,028 during the 84th Congress, which took place in 1955 and 1956. The number of laws enacted was consistently in the 400s or 500s, if not higher, during those years.Reynolds pointed out during her interview with States Newsroom that not all laws are created equal — some simply rename post offices or are confined to one issue, while others bundle several major pieces of legislation together in one package and have a much greater impact than other public laws.Congress, she noted, used to pass the annual government spending bills individually, but over time has settled into a pattern of approving just one or two omnibus spending packages, which roll together all dozen of the bills.Other examples of this include the Democrats’ signature health care, tax and climate change package, approved in the summer of 2022, known as the Inflation Reduction Act. When the GOP had unified control of Congress during the first two years of the Trump administration, they passed an overhaul of the nation’s tax code in just one bill.“If we look at the data on the number of public laws, and we look at the data on the number of pages of public laws, we do see that, on average, they have been getting longer,” Reynolds said. “Having said all of that, when we actually do dig into what the 118th Congress has been up to, it has not been an especially productive Congress.”<h2>Lame-duck session on the way</h2>Lawmakers are set to return from their summer recess for a three-week session in September, before breaking again until after Election Day.Members are expected to draft and vote on a stopgap spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. But not much else is likely to move through as attention turns even more toward Nov. 5.The House Appropriations Committee has approved all 12 of its spending bills for fiscal 2025 while the Senate committee has voted to send 11 to the floor. The two chambers, however, are working off very different spending levels and don’t seem inclined to conference their bills until after they learn who will control Congress next year.The lame-duck session, which spans the time between the election and when the new Congress convenes, is scheduled to last five weeks spread through late November and December.During that time, GOP leaders in the House and Democratic leaders in the Senate may seek to pass their overdue government funding bills and the annual defense policy bill.There are several other bills that have passed one chamber or the other with bipartisan majorities or have strong bipartisan support through co-sponsors, which lawmakers could seek to move through to the president’s desk. But much of that will be determined by the outcome of the elections as well as whether there is any violence or unrest connected with the results.<h2>How to explain it</h2>Members of Congress interviewed by States Newsroom had varying answers for what they tell constituents back home about this Congress’ accomplishments.Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, said that he speaks with voters about the laws enacted during the previous Congress, when Democrats had unified control of government, as well as this Congress.“Well, first of all, I tend to talk about the sweep of accomplishments, right? Both this Congress but also the previous Congress where we were enormously productive, right?” Van Hollen said. “So usually I don’t limit it to that timeline.”Van Hollen said he was optimistic that Congress would be able to complete its work on the dozen annual government funding bills later this year.“Obviously, we’ve been able to adequately fund government agencies,” Van Hollen said. “So that may be a low bar, but in this divided Congress, it is something that I point to, because we’ve worked on the Appropriations Committee, at least in the Senate, to have bipartisan products.”Kansas GOP Sen. Jerry Moran said he predominantly talks with constituents about his work as ranking member on the Veterans Affairs Committee as well as the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations subcommittee.“I talk about my own particular accomplishments as compared to bragging about Congress in general,” Moran said.Much of the work that members do while in Washington, D.C., he said, doesn’t resonate with constituents who are focused on their own lives and families.“No, I don’t think so,” Moran said. “Most people are paying specific attention to things that matter to them.”Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who faces a challenging reelection bid this November, said he tends to put more emphasis on the accomplishments of the upper chamber when talking with constituents back home.“I think the Senate’s been a lot more productive than the House, but we’ll let voters sort that out,” Casey said.While the Senate holds the advice and consent power to confirm certain presidential nominees, legislation must pass through both chambers of Congress and avoid the president’s veto pen, if it’s to become law.Casey said there are several occasions where the House and Senate agreed on major issues, listing off the appropriations bills for the last fiscal year, the emergency spending package for Ukraine and other U.S. allies, and a bill to address fentanyl abuse.“I think it’s a pretty long list and there’s still more work to do in the fall,” Casey said.<h2>More time at work?</h2>Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, criticized the number of days the chamber spends in session every week, saying the calendar has shortened during his decades in the chamber.“When I came to the Senate 44 years ago, we used to start at 10 a.m. on Monday and go to 4 or 5 on Friday,” Grassley said.The Senate typically comes into session around 3 p.m. on Monday, with its first vote at 5:30 p.m. The chamber usually holds its last vote of the week on Thursday around 1:45 p.m., with the vast majority of senators heading to cars to leave shortly afterward.The House keeps to a similar four-day schedule, though its “fly-in day” is sometimes on Tuesday, pushing its “fly-out day” to Friday. That chamber takes its first vote of the week around 6:30 p.m. with its last vote before noon on the fourth day.“There’s enough work for individual senators to do seven days a week if you want to work,” Grassley said. “But you can’t solve this country’s problems until you get 100 people together, and they’ve got to be together for more than two-and-a-half days a week.”