MANHATTAN – As an academic, Cheryl Boyer is familiar with the growing body of research that suggests gardening is a boost to the body and mind.

But as a gardener herself, it’s just plain fun.

“Taking on a gardening project,” said Boyer, K-State Research and Extension state leader for horticulture and natural resources, “gives people the opportunity to get outside, work with their hands, and get away from the computer, social media and the news … maybe listen to some music and get out of their heads for a while.”

It’s perhaps too early to know for sure, but the global pandemic seems to have led to an increased interest in gardening across the country.

In Kansas, Boyer and several of her colleagues statewide recently launched an online series called the&nbsp;<a href="https://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/info-center/k-state-garden-hour-webinar-series/k_state_garden_hour.html" target="_blank">K-State Garden Hour</a>, which airs each Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m.

In its first week, the program had more than 400 participants tune in to a talk on planting native flowers in the backyard. Then, in just the second week, nearly 1,000 people registered for a lesson on growing tomatoes.

Boyer said that program was set up to accommodate 500 participants, so the early success has led organizers to re-evaluate for an online session that can host as many as 1,000 people in the future.

“The feedback we have received has been very positive,” Boyer said. “I think people stuck at home right now are finding a lot of value in the educational information we offer through K-State Research and Extension, particularly as it helps them be more successful in the garden and understand our natural world better. It’s been very rewarding to help people find our excellent resources.

“You know, I think people who garden discover the universal joys of working with their hands and seeing the results of their work grow and thrive.”

In the last 10 years, research has supported Americans’ interest in gardening, and the health benefits that come from it.

Beginning in 2011, Texas A&amp;M researchers Charlie Hall and Madeline Dickson published three reviews in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hriresearch.org/journal/journal-environmental-horticulture" target="_blank">Journal of Environmental Horticulture</a>&nbsp;to outline the benefits associated with gardening.

They reported such physiological health benefits as better sleep; lower incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and allergies; enhanced immunity; increased physical activity; and positive cognitive development.

In a subsequent review, they reported such social benefits as increased attachment to place and community; reduced community crime; improved access to healthy and affordable food; and improved school performance in children.

Related to mental health, Boyer noted other researchers’ studies in which home gardeners “describe a sense of vitality obtained from being outdoors in natural settings, which gives energy to purposeful action by adults.”

“Combined with better sleep and all the other benefits listed, gardening is a natural stress management technique that contributes to mood boosting,” she said.

Boyer noted that gardening is for anyone, experienced or not. In Kansas, the&nbsp;<a href="https://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/master-gardeners" target="_blank">Extension Master Gardeners</a>&nbsp;volunteer program is a good in-road to learning, she said.

“I think Extension Master Gardeners is the best example of a program that directly addresses the combination of promoting gardening and mental health benefits,” she said. “Most participants in the program join for the education and social interaction, then later experience all of the other benefits as they grow in their horticultural efforts.”

Having a support group also can help beginning gardeners overcome their fear of early failure, she noted.

“For beginners, find something that speaks to your heart and soul, and put your effort where you can enjoy it on a regular basis,” Boyer said. “For example, we are seeing a resurgence in interest toward house plants, especially with younger folks. There are so many cool plants to try; so, just go for it. If it dies, no biggie. Use your friendly K-State Research and Extension agent to figure out what went wrong and try again.

“There can be a lot to know about plants, but you don’t need to know everything at once. Gardening is an interest that you can enjoy on a surface level as well as a lifelong pursuit of deeper knowledge.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591753134670.jpeg" alt="Gardening is believed to provide multiple benefits. Photo courtesy KSRE" />
 <figcaption>Gardening is believed to provide multiple benefits. Photo courtesy KSRE</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN – As an academic, Cheryl Boyer is familiar with the growing body of research that suggests gardening is a boost to the body and mind.But as a gardener herself, it’s just plain fun.“Taking on a gardening project,” said Boyer, K-State Research and Extension state leader for horticulture and natural resources, “gives people the opportunity to get outside, work with their hands, and get away from the computer, social media and the news … maybe listen to some music and get out of their heads for a while.”It’s perhaps too early to know for sure, but the global pandemic seems to have led to an increased interest in gardening across the country.In Kansas, Boyer and several of her colleagues statewide recently launched an online series called the&nbsp;<a href="https://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/info-center/k-state-garden-hour-webinar-series/k_state_garden_hour.html" target="_blank">K-State Garden Hour</a>, which airs each Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m.In its first week, the program had more than 400 participants tune in to a talk on planting native flowers in the backyard. Then, in just the second week, nearly 1,000 people registered for a lesson on growing tomatoes.Boyer said that program was set up to accommodate 500 participants, so the early success has led organizers to re-evaluate for an online session that can host as many as 1,000 people in the future.“The feedback we have received has been very positive,” Boyer said. “I think people stuck at home right now are finding a lot of value in the educational information we offer through K-State Research and Extension, particularly as it helps them be more successful in the garden and understand our natural world better. It’s been very rewarding to help people find our excellent resources.“You know, I think people who garden discover the universal joys of working with their hands and seeing the results of their work grow and thrive.”In the last 10 years, research has supported Americans’ interest in gardening, and the health benefits that come from it.Beginning in 2011, Texas A&amp;M researchers Charlie Hall and Madeline Dickson published three reviews in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hriresearch.org/journal/journal-environmental-horticulture" target="_blank">Journal of Environmental Horticulture</a>&nbsp;to outline the benefits associated with gardening.They reported such physiological health benefits as better sleep; lower incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and allergies; enhanced immunity; increased physical activity; and positive cognitive development.In a subsequent review, they reported such social benefits as increased attachment to place and community; reduced community crime; improved access to healthy and affordable food; and improved school performance in children.Related to mental health, Boyer noted other researchers’ studies in which home gardeners “describe a sense of vitality obtained from being outdoors in natural settings, which gives energy to purposeful action by adults.”“Combined with better sleep and all the other benefits listed, gardening is a natural stress management technique that contributes to mood boosting,” she said.Boyer noted that gardening is for anyone, experienced or not. In Kansas, the&nbsp;<a href="https://hnr.k-state.edu/extension/master-gardeners" target="_blank">Extension Master Gardeners</a>&nbsp;volunteer program is a good in-road to learning, she said.“I think Extension Master Gardeners is the best example of a program that directly addresses the combination of promoting gardening and mental health benefits,” she said. “Most participants in the program join for the education and social interaction, then later experience all of the other benefits as they grow in their horticultural efforts.”Having a support group also can help beginning gardeners overcome their fear of early failure, she noted.“For beginners, find something that speaks to your heart and soul, and put your effort where you can enjoy it on a regular basis,” Boyer said. “For example, we are seeing a resurgence in interest toward house plants, especially with younger folks. There are so many cool plants to try; so, just go for it. If it dies, no biggie. Use your friendly K-State Research and Extension agent to figure out what went wrong and try again.“There can be a lot to know about plants, but you don’t need to know everything at once. Gardening is an interest that you can enjoy on a surface level as well as a lifelong pursuit of deeper knowledge.”

Studies: Gardening helps improve mental, physical and social wellbeing

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — To the issues creating a partisan divide in state legislatures across the U.S., add this one: masks.

Many Democratic lawmakers are wearing them amid the coronavirus outbreak while many Republicans refuse.

“Public health has become partisan,” bemoaned South Carolina state Rep. Kambrell Garvin, a Democrat who recently became ill from COVID-19.

As legislatures around the country resume work following coronavirus suspensions, Democrats and Republicans also have split over social distancing, remote voting and the extension of emergency powers for governors who had ordered businesses to close and residents to remain home.

Lawmakers have become ill from the coronavirus in nearly half the states, with Democrats accounting for about two-thirds of the 40 confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to an Associated Press tally. Three lawmakers died of the virus — a Michigan Democrat in late March and Republicans in Louisiana and South Dakota in early April.

Partisan divisions appear to have grown since then, particularly in the South and Midwest, as some Republicans pushed to reopen the economy faster than some Democrats.

While there have been bipartisan exceptions, mask-wearing divisions among Democrats and Republicans have been evident during recent legislative sessions in Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee.

In Illinois, Republican Rep. Darren Bailey&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c576f411487605ed3d9dd654b95eae91">was removed from a convention center</a>&nbsp;functioning as the House floor last month for refusing to wear a mask. His ejection came just moments after the Democratic-led chamber approved a mask mandate with support from some Republicans in a move Bailey considered “a show.”

“The mask is not about health. It’s about more bureaucracy and more government control, of which the liberal Democrat thrives on,” Bailey told the AP.

When Pennsylvania Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/861ecc52a9758ef227071a7c31a689a7">Rep. Andrew Lewis</a>&nbsp;announced through a news release that he had self-isolated and recovered from COVID-19, Democratic colleagues expressed outrage that his diagnosis had been kept secret from them for a week. Democrats demanded changes requiring lawmakers to wear masks in the Republican-controlled legislature, but GOP legislative leaders have not acted on the request.

In Ohio, a Democratic proposal to require masks at House sessions and committee meetings was defeated on a party-line vote last month in the Republican-led chamber. A Republican lawmaker then filed legislation to bar mask requirements statewide unless approved by two-thirds of lawmakers. That measure is pending.

Some trace the partisan divergence on coronavirus precautions to the very top of American politics. Republican President Donald Trump hasn’t publicly worn masks,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/227fa2d005b3923157b9eb736c12e6c5">not even while announcing</a>&nbsp;federal recommendations that Americans wear face coverings in public to help fight the spread of the virus.

“I think that when our president, from a national standpoint, signals that masks aren’t politically expedient, then I think that trickles down to the local and state level,” said Garvin, the South Carolina Democrat who has worn masks both before and after his coronavirus illness.

Several recent studies using polling and smartphone GPS data have shown that Democrats are more apt than Republicans to embrace social distancing in public, wear masks and stay at home because of the coronavirus.

Virus precautions have started to become an ideological means of group identification, similar to partisan divisions over abortion or other hot-button issues, said psychology professor Hank Rothgerber of Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky.

“Democrats now have identified themselves as the party that’s taking this more seriously and is more concerned about public health,” Rothgerber said, “and Republicans are identifying themselves as a party that is focused on opening the economy back up and not overreacting to this crisis.”

When the Missouri House met in early April to pass a coronavirus budget bill, Republican leadership imposed strict social distancing. Lawmakers listened to proceedings over the internet in offices until summoned to the chamber in small groups to vote. Nearly everyone wore masks.

Yet those precautions were abandoned as the House finished its session in May. Lawmakers sat packed together at desks and few Republicans wore masks, though numerous Democrats still did.

Democratic Rep. Joe Runions, who had been out for six weeks with COVID-19, was aghast at what he described as “inconsiderate and selfish” behavior.

“To me, leadership starts with, you put that mask on. I don’t care who you are — the president, the governor, the pope, whoever,” Runions said.

Republican House Speaker Elijah Haahr noted that lawmakers’ temperatures were checked as they entered the Capitol.

Health screenings also were required of legislative staff and media at the Alaska Capitol, although lawmakers could skip it. Protocols said masks were required. But Republican state Sen. Lora Reinbold didn’t wear one.

“It didn’t make sense to me,” Reinbold said. “I saw no research on cloth, silk, cotton face coverings ... that they prevent COVID.”

The coroanvirus can be spread through respiratory droplets when people cough, sneeze or talk.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html" target="_blank">The CDC&nbsp;</a>says cloth masks can help prevent people, who may not realize they are infected, from spreading the virus to others.

“The whole idea behind it is ‘I wear my mask to protect you,’ and it’s not so much to protect me,” said Kansas Democratic Rep. Barbara Ballard, who wore a mask festooned with the University of Kansas mascot during a legislative session last week.

Kansas House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, who like many Republicans remained mask-less, said face coverings diminish personal communication because you can’t see lips. Republicans, he said, are “a very independent lot” who “really don’t like to be told what to do.”

Some lawmakers have removed masks when talking into microphones during debates — the very time when they may be more likely to expel virus-carrying particles. Others have worn loose-fitting masks that slip off their faces.

Colorado state Sen. Jim Smallwood, a Republican who had recovered from a mild case of the coronavirus, wore a mask that repeatedly slipped off his nose as he argued unsuccessfully last month against a Democratic rule change allowing lawmakers to vote remotely without attending sessions.

“I feel like it sets a good example and it puts other people at ease,” Smallwood told the AP.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590143364707.png" alt="Stephanie Clayton, a Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives representing the 19th district in Overland Park. She was elected as a Republican, but changed her party affiliation in 2018. She wore a mask during the wrap up session of the legislature on May 21." />
 <figcaption>Stephanie Clayton, a Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives representing the 19th district in Overland Park. She was elected as a Republican, but changed her party affiliation in 2018. She wore a mask during the wrap up session of the legislature on May 21.</figcaption>
 </figure>JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — To the issues creating a partisan divide in state legislatures across the U.S., add this one: masks.Many Democratic lawmakers are wearing them amid the coronavirus outbreak while many Republicans refuse.“Public health has become partisan,” bemoaned South Carolina state Rep. Kambrell Garvin, a Democrat who recently became ill from COVID-19.As legislatures around the country resume work following coronavirus suspensions, Democrats and Republicans also have split over social distancing, remote voting and the extension of emergency powers for governors who had ordered businesses to close and residents to remain home.Lawmakers have become ill from the coronavirus in nearly half the states, with Democrats accounting for about two-thirds of the 40 confirmed COVID-19 cases, according to an Associated Press tally. Three lawmakers died of the virus — a Michigan Democrat in late March and Republicans in Louisiana and South Dakota in early April.Partisan divisions appear to have grown since then, particularly in the South and Midwest, as some Republicans pushed to reopen the economy faster than some Democrats.While there have been bipartisan exceptions, mask-wearing divisions among Democrats and Republicans have been evident during recent legislative sessions in Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee.In Illinois, Republican Rep. Darren Bailey&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c576f411487605ed3d9dd654b95eae91">was removed from a convention center</a>&nbsp;functioning as the House floor last month for refusing to wear a mask. His ejection came just moments after the Democratic-led chamber approved a mask mandate with support from some Republicans in a move Bailey considered “a show.”“The mask is not about health. It’s about more bureaucracy and more government control, of which the liberal Democrat thrives on,” Bailey told the AP.When Pennsylvania Republican&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/861ecc52a9758ef227071a7c31a689a7">Rep. Andrew Lewis</a>&nbsp;announced through a news release that he had self-isolated and recovered from COVID-19, Democratic colleagues expressed outrage that his diagnosis had been kept secret from them for a week. Democrats demanded changes requiring lawmakers to wear masks in the Republican-controlled legislature, but GOP legislative leaders have not acted on the request.In Ohio, a Democratic proposal to require masks at House sessions and committee meetings was defeated on a party-line vote last month in the Republican-led chamber. A Republican lawmaker then filed legislation to bar mask requirements statewide unless approved by two-thirds of lawmakers. That measure is pending.Some trace the partisan divergence on coronavirus precautions to the very top of American politics. Republican President Donald Trump hasn’t publicly worn masks,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/227fa2d005b3923157b9eb736c12e6c5">not even while announcing</a>&nbsp;federal recommendations that Americans wear face coverings in public to help fight the spread of the virus.“I think that when our president, from a national standpoint, signals that masks aren’t politically expedient, then I think that trickles down to the local and state level,” said Garvin, the South Carolina Democrat who has worn masks both before and after his coronavirus illness.Several recent studies using polling and smartphone GPS data have shown that Democrats are more apt than Republicans to embrace social distancing in public, wear masks and stay at home because of the coronavirus.Virus precautions have started to become an ideological means of group identification, similar to partisan divisions over abortion or other hot-button issues, said psychology professor Hank Rothgerber of Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky.“Democrats now have identified themselves as the party that’s taking this more seriously and is more concerned about public health,” Rothgerber said, “and Republicans are identifying themselves as a party that is focused on opening the economy back up and not overreacting to this crisis.”When the Missouri House met in early April to pass a coronavirus budget bill, Republican leadership imposed strict social distancing. Lawmakers listened to proceedings over the internet in offices until summoned to the chamber in small groups to vote. Nearly everyone wore masks.Yet those precautions were abandoned as the House finished its session in May. Lawmakers sat packed together at desks and few Republicans wore masks, though numerous Democrats still did.Democratic Rep. Joe Runions, who had been out for six weeks with COVID-19, was aghast at what he described as “inconsiderate and selfish” behavior.“To me, leadership starts with, you put that mask on. I don’t care who you are — the president, the governor, the pope, whoever,” Runions said.Republican House Speaker Elijah Haahr noted that lawmakers’ temperatures were checked as they entered the Capitol.Health screenings also were required of legislative staff and media at the Alaska Capitol, although lawmakers could skip it. Protocols said masks were required. But Republican state Sen. Lora Reinbold didn’t wear one.“It didn’t make sense to me,” Reinbold said. “I saw no research on cloth, silk, cotton face coverings ... that they prevent COVID.”The coroanvirus can be spread through respiratory droplets when people cough, sneeze or talk.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html" target="_blank">The CDC&nbsp;</a>says cloth masks can help prevent people, who may not realize they are infected, from spreading the virus to others.“The whole idea behind it is ‘I wear my mask to protect you,’ and it’s not so much to protect me,” said Kansas Democratic Rep. Barbara Ballard, who wore a mask festooned with the University of Kansas mascot during a legislative session last week.Kansas House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, who like many Republicans remained mask-less, said face coverings diminish personal communication because you can’t see lips. Republicans, he said, are “a very independent lot” who “really don’t like to be told what to do.”Some lawmakers have removed masks when talking into microphones during debates — the very time when they may be more likely to expel virus-carrying particles. Others have worn loose-fitting masks that slip off their faces.Colorado state Sen. Jim Smallwood, a Republican who had recovered from a mild case of the coronavirus, wore a mask that repeatedly slipped off his nose as he argued unsuccessfully last month against a Democratic rule change allowing lawmakers to vote remotely without attending sessions.“I feel like it sets a good example and it puts other people at ease,” Smallwood told the AP.___

Masks reveal partisan split among lawmakers on coronavirus

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league was wrong for not listening to players fighting for racial equality and encouraged them to peacefully protest. 

One day after Patrick Mahomes and several of his peers released a video demanding the league condemn racism, Goodell made his strongest statement on the issues many players passionately support. &nbsp;Goodell offered condolences to the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and all the families who have endured police brutality. 

He says the NFL condemns racism and the systematic oppression of black people and admits the league was wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league was wrong for not listening to players fighting for racial equality and encouraged them to peacefully protest. One day after Patrick Mahomes and several of his peers released a video demanding the league condemn racism, Goodell made his strongest statement on the issues many players passionately support. &nbsp;Goodell offered condolences to the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and all the families who have endured police brutality. He says the NFL condemns racism and the systematic oppression of black people and admits the league was wrong for not listening to NFL players earlier

Goodell says NFL was wrong for not listening to players

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Kansas City is reforming police procedures after criticism from black organizations about police conduct during nearly a week of protests as well as long-standing tension between the department and minorities, the mayor announced Thursday.

A coalition of civil rights organizations demanded Wednesday that Police Chief Rick Smith be fired. But Mayor Quinton Lucas said Smith would remain "as we weather our current crisis and also as we continue to address our issues related to violent crime and the high number of homicides in Kansas City.”

Lucas said after a closed meeting of the Kansas City Police Board of Commissioners that the city would ask an outside agency to review all police-involved shootings; create whistleblower protections for officers; end a department policy of not sending probable cause statements to prosecutors in officer-involved shootings; review officers' use of tear gas and projectiles; and provide updates to the city council on the department's community engagement efforts.

Lucas said he hoped a review of tear gas and projectile use would lead to a new policy in the near future.

The city announced Wednesday that $2.5 million in private funding has been donated to buy police body cameras.

Lucas said the changes addressed long-standing issues, not only concerns raised during the protests over the death of George Floyd, the handcuffed black man who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police on May 25.

“It also recognizes that this moment is not about individual protests on the plaza or in Kansas City," Lucas said. “But instead how we can modernize policing, how we can build trust between police and our communities, and frankly, how we can help solve many of the challenges we have in Kansas City’s violent crime.”

The announcement came shortly after Jackson County’s prosecutor, Jean Peters Baker, said she was reaching out to Kansas City protesters claiming to be victims of police misconduct, urging them to report their allegations online.

Peaceful daytime demonstrations in Kansas City often have devolved into violence at night. Police have been pelted with rocks and bottles, and officers have used pepper spray and tear gas on protesters. On Thursday, 22-year-old Matthew Madden, who initially was arrested on suspicion of throwing water bottles at police officers during Tuesday's protests, was charged in federal court with illegally possessing a firearm.

But demonstrations have grown calmer, with protesters marching peacefully Thursday night through the upscale Country Club Plaza restaurant and shopping district without any sign of a police presence.

“We have already asked for an investigation of one incident in which protesters were pepper-sprayed by police,” Baker’s office said. Video shared on social media showed a confrontation Wednesday during a protest at the Country Club Plaza in which officers appeared to use pepper spray on two protesters after one of them yelled at police.

Baker stressed that her office has not filed charges against protesters arrested for minor offenses such as walking on the street or stepping off a curb. Those charges, she said, were municipal counts filed by the city prosecutor’s office.

Kansas City police have arrested about 200 people during the protests. Lucas said he would consider pardoning all nonviolent protesters.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591353068022.png" alt="Mayor Quinton Lucas listening to peaceful protest in Kansas City last week-image courtesy Mayor Lucas" />
 <figcaption>Mayor Quinton Lucas listening to peaceful protest in Kansas City last week-image courtesy Mayor Lucas</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — Kansas City is reforming police procedures after criticism from black organizations about police conduct during nearly a week of protests as well as long-standing tension between the department and minorities, the mayor announced Thursday.A coalition of civil rights organizations demanded Wednesday that Police Chief Rick Smith be fired. But Mayor Quinton Lucas said Smith would remain "as we weather our current crisis and also as we continue to address our issues related to violent crime and the high number of homicides in Kansas City.”Lucas said after a closed meeting of the Kansas City Police Board of Commissioners that the city would ask an outside agency to review all police-involved shootings; create whistleblower protections for officers; end a department policy of not sending probable cause statements to prosecutors in officer-involved shootings; review officers' use of tear gas and projectiles; and provide updates to the city council on the department's community engagement efforts.Lucas said he hoped a review of tear gas and projectile use would lead to a new policy in the near future.The city announced Wednesday that $2.5 million in private funding has been donated to buy police body cameras.Lucas said the changes addressed long-standing issues, not only concerns raised during the protests over the death of George Floyd, the handcuffed black man who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police on May 25.“It also recognizes that this moment is not about individual protests on the plaza or in Kansas City," Lucas said. “But instead how we can modernize policing, how we can build trust between police and our communities, and frankly, how we can help solve many of the challenges we have in Kansas City’s violent crime.”The announcement came shortly after Jackson County’s prosecutor, Jean Peters Baker, said she was reaching out to Kansas City protesters claiming to be victims of police misconduct, urging them to report their allegations online.Peaceful daytime demonstrations in Kansas City often have devolved into violence at night. Police have been pelted with rocks and bottles, and officers have used pepper spray and tear gas on protesters. On Thursday, 22-year-old Matthew Madden, who initially was arrested on suspicion of throwing water bottles at police officers during Tuesday's protests, was charged in federal court with illegally possessing a firearm.But demonstrations have grown calmer, with protesters marching peacefully Thursday night through the upscale Country Club Plaza restaurant and shopping district without any sign of a police presence.“We have already asked for an investigation of one incident in which protesters were pepper-sprayed by police,” Baker’s office said. Video shared on social media showed a confrontation Wednesday during a protest at the Country Club Plaza in which officers appeared to use pepper spray on two protesters after one of them yelled at police.Baker stressed that her office has not filed charges against protesters arrested for minor offenses such as walking on the street or stepping off a curb. Those charges, she said, were municipal counts filed by the city prosecutor’s office.Kansas City police have arrested about 200 people during the protests. Lucas said he would consider pardoning all nonviolent protesters.

Kansas City announces planned reform of police procedures

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Civil rights organizations on Wednesday called for the resignation of Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith, hours after a group of mostly black pastors demanded changes to improve relations between police and the city's minority community.

The Urban League of Greater Kansas City, the NAACP’s Kansas City, Missouri branch, and More2 said in a statement that Smith should resign because of his handling of previous excessive force complaints and officer-involved shootings of black men.

Smith said he had no plans to resign. After mingling with a crowd of protesters chanting “Black lives must survive," he announced that the department had “been listening" and had obtained funding for body cameras. The crowd erupted into applause. The DeBruce Foundation donated $1 million, with another $1.5 million coming from other business and philanthropic groups.

“I know everybody is tired of waiting for justice," Mayor Quinton Lucas said. “What we are going to do today is take one first step into the process of rebuilding connections, rebuilding trust and making sure you know that this city works for you. What I want to make sure that you know we know is that black lives matter."

Body cameras were among the demands from the group calling for Smith's resignation. They also criticized the city’s Board of Police Commissioners for allowing the chief to conduct internal investigations of officer-involved shootings and complaints of excessive force rather than calling in independent investigators.

A group of mostly black religious leaders made similar demands earlier Wednesday, but without calling for Smith's resignation.

Emanual Cleaver III, pastor at St. James United Methodist Church, said the pastors believed it was necessary to seek change because: “What happened to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c35e8d89079dcb7cf7021ebdb71b04be">George Floyd&nbsp;</a>was nothing new.” He said pastors "will take action” if the city doesn't respond, though he declined to elaborate.

Among the protesters in the crowd, was 20-year-old Joileeah Worley, who is spending the summer at home in Kansas City after studying at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles.

“Something needs to change," she said. “And if it's not a change in policy, it needs to be a change in perspective and the only way we can get a change in perspective is if we have someone new in power."

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said her office was reviewing video of Kansas City police officers who pepper-sprayed two protesters and arrested one who was yelling at police during protests Monday night.

Lucas said Tuesday that he reviewed videos that had been sent to him from people concerned about police actions, and asked the FBI and federal prosecutors to review any that might violate procedures or show misconduct.

Kansas City has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/83b1ecab54f039bbd30346a218a4c994">endured&nbsp;</a>five days of protests over Floyd's May 25 death in Minneapolis. Peaceful daytime demonstrations devolved into violence. Police used tear gas on protesters for the first four nights before relative calm returned Tuesday night.

In St. Louis, the police officers’ union this week said it had lost faith in Police Chief John Hayden’s response to violent demonstrators and asked Gov. Mike Parson to send the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the National Guard to help, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Mayor Lyda Krewson said Hayden had her full support. Sgt. Heather Taylor, president of the Ethical Society of Police, which represents mostly black officers, said Hayden is doing a fair job and that the union is targeting him because he’s firing union members “at an alarming rate for misconduct,” and because the chief is black. Jeff Roorda, business manager of the union calling for reinforcements, said the criticism is based on the chief’s performance.

Parson said Wednesday that the state doesn’t need federal troops “at this point" to help quell the demonstrations.

President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/41d80cc063a7199f75fb28cc34713f0c">send federal military troops</a>&nbsp;to U.S. cities to quell the violence that erupted after Floyd, a handcuffed black man died, after a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck until he stopped moving.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page on Wednesday accused Trump of “fanning the flames” of violence and treating the demonstrations as if they “were a reality show.”

Although protests Tuesday night in St. Louis County were calm, Page's comments came after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/83b1ecab54f039bbd30346a218a4c994">four St. Louis police officers</a>&nbsp;were shot and a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/1421b4f84e39488c41c0a285dba8a8cc">retired St. Louis police captain</a>&nbsp;was killed during violence overnight Monday. Police said more than 70 businesses in the city were ransacked, including a pawn shop where retired St. Louis police Capt. David Dorn was fatally shot during a break-in.

The U.S. Attorney in St. Louis on Wednesday charged a man who lived in a complex adjacent to where the four officers were shot with felony weapons charges. The complaint does not directly link Christopher Thomas Gaston, 40, of St. Louis, to the shootings.

The criminal complaint says witnesses reported seeing Gaston with weapons the evening of the shootings and surveillance video showed Gaston carrying a long rifle partially concealed under a blanket. Officers found two firearms and ammunition in his apartment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591275596951.png" alt="Chief Rick Smith and Mayor Lucas during a Monday press briefing -image courtesy KCMO police" />
 <figcaption>Chief Rick Smith and Mayor Lucas during a Monday press briefing -image courtesy KCMO police</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) — Civil rights organizations on Wednesday called for the resignation of Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith, hours after a group of mostly black pastors demanded changes to improve relations between police and the city's minority community.The Urban League of Greater Kansas City, the NAACP’s Kansas City, Missouri branch, and More2 said in a statement that Smith should resign because of his handling of previous excessive force complaints and officer-involved shootings of black men.Smith said he had no plans to resign. After mingling with a crowd of protesters chanting “Black lives must survive," he announced that the department had “been listening" and had obtained funding for body cameras. The crowd erupted into applause. The DeBruce Foundation donated $1 million, with another $1.5 million coming from other business and philanthropic groups.“I know everybody is tired of waiting for justice," Mayor Quinton Lucas said. “What we are going to do today is take one first step into the process of rebuilding connections, rebuilding trust and making sure you know that this city works for you. What I want to make sure that you know we know is that black lives matter."Body cameras were among the demands from the group calling for Smith's resignation. They also criticized the city’s Board of Police Commissioners for allowing the chief to conduct internal investigations of officer-involved shootings and complaints of excessive force rather than calling in independent investigators.A group of mostly black religious leaders made similar demands earlier Wednesday, but without calling for Smith's resignation.Emanual Cleaver III, pastor at St. James United Methodist Church, said the pastors believed it was necessary to seek change because: “What happened to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c35e8d89079dcb7cf7021ebdb71b04be">George Floyd&nbsp;</a>was nothing new.” He said pastors "will take action” if the city doesn't respond, though he declined to elaborate.Among the protesters in the crowd, was 20-year-old Joileeah Worley, who is spending the summer at home in Kansas City after studying at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles.“Something needs to change," she said. “And if it's not a change in policy, it needs to be a change in perspective and the only way we can get a change in perspective is if we have someone new in power."Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said her office was reviewing video of Kansas City police officers who pepper-sprayed two protesters and arrested one who was yelling at police during protests Monday night.Lucas said Tuesday that he reviewed videos that had been sent to him from people concerned about police actions, and asked the FBI and federal prosecutors to review any that might violate procedures or show misconduct.Kansas City has&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/83b1ecab54f039bbd30346a218a4c994">endured&nbsp;</a>five days of protests over Floyd's May 25 death in Minneapolis. Peaceful daytime demonstrations devolved into violence. Police used tear gas on protesters for the first four nights before relative calm returned Tuesday night.In St. Louis, the police officers’ union this week said it had lost faith in Police Chief John Hayden’s response to violent demonstrators and asked Gov. Mike Parson to send the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the National Guard to help, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.Mayor Lyda Krewson said Hayden had her full support. Sgt. Heather Taylor, president of the Ethical Society of Police, which represents mostly black officers, said Hayden is doing a fair job and that the union is targeting him because he’s firing union members “at an alarming rate for misconduct,” and because the chief is black. Jeff Roorda, business manager of the union calling for reinforcements, said the criticism is based on the chief’s performance.Parson said Wednesday that the state doesn’t need federal troops “at this point" to help quell the demonstrations.President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/41d80cc063a7199f75fb28cc34713f0c">send federal military troops</a>&nbsp;to U.S. cities to quell the violence that erupted after Floyd, a handcuffed black man died, after a white police officer pressed a knee into his neck until he stopped moving.St. Louis County Executive Sam Page on Wednesday accused Trump of “fanning the flames” of violence and treating the demonstrations as if they “were a reality show.”Although protests Tuesday night in St. Louis County were calm, Page's comments came after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/83b1ecab54f039bbd30346a218a4c994">four St. Louis police officers</a>&nbsp;were shot and a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/1421b4f84e39488c41c0a285dba8a8cc">retired St. Louis police captain</a>&nbsp;was killed during violence overnight Monday. Police said more than 70 businesses in the city were ransacked, including a pawn shop where retired St. Louis police Capt. David Dorn was fatally shot during a break-in.The U.S. Attorney in St. Louis on Wednesday charged a man who lived in a complex adjacent to where the four officers were shot with felony weapons charges. The complaint does not directly link Christopher Thomas Gaston, 40, of St. Louis, to the shootings.The criminal complaint says witnesses reported seeing Gaston with weapons the evening of the shootings and surveillance video showed Gaston carrying a long rifle partially concealed under a blanket. Officers found two firearms and ammunition in his apartment.

Black leaders in Kansas City seek police chief's resignation

Today is Thursday, June 4, the 156th day of 2020. There are 210 days left in the year.

On June 4, 1998, a federal judge sentenced Terry Nichols to life in prison for his role in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

In 1812, the Louisiana Territory was renamed the Missouri Territory, to avoid confusion with the recently admitted state of Louisiana. The U.S. House of Representatives approved, 79-49, a declaration of war against Britain.

In 1919, Congress approved the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing citizens the right to vote regardless of their gender, and sent it to the states for ratification.

In 1939, the German ocean liner MS St. Louis, carrying more than 900 Jewish refugees from Germany, was turned away from the Florida coast by U.S. officials.

In 1940, during World War II, the Allied military evacuation of some 338,000 troops from Dunkirk, France, ended. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill declared: "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."

In 1942, the World War II Battle of Midway began, resulting in a decisive American victory against Japan and marking the turning point of the war in the Pacific.

In 1944, U-505, a German submarine, was captured by a U.S. Navy task group in the south Atlantic; it was the first such capture of an enemy vessel at sea by the U.S. Navy since the War of 1812. The U.S. Fifth Army began liberating Rome.

In 1972, a jury in San Jose, California, acquitted radical activist Angela Davis of murder and kidnapping for her alleged connection to a deadly courthouse shootout in Marin County in 1970.

In 1985, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling striking down an Alabama law providing for a daily minute of silence in public schools.

In 1986, Jonathan Jay Pollard, a former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, pleaded guilty in Washington to conspiring to deliver information related to the national defense to Israel. (Pollard, sentenced to life in prison, was released on parole on Nov. 20, 2015.)

In 1989, a gas explosion in the Soviet Union engulfed two passing trains, killing 575.

In 1990, Dr. Jack Kevorkian carried out his first publicly assisted suicide, helping Janet Adkins, a 54-year-old Alzheimer's patient from Portland, Oregon, end her life in Oakland County, Michigan.

In 2000, President Bill Clinton and Russian President Putin ended their summit by conceding differences on missile defense, agreeing to dispose of weapons-grade plutonium and pledging early warning of missile and space launches.

Ten years ago: On his third personal trek to the Gulf disaster, President Barack Obama said that he saw some progress in fighting the enormous oil spill but that it was "way too early to be optimistic." The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of 12 million U.S.-made "Shrek" drinking glasses sold by McDonald's which were found to be tainted with cadmium. Fourteen-year-old Anamika Veeramani of North Royalton, Ohio, won the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C., correctly spelling the medical term "stromuhr." Death claimed postmodern author David Markson, 82; legendary basketball coach John Wooden, 99; and Jack Harrison, 97, survivor of the Great Escape plot by Allied prisoners in World War II.

Five years ago: The Department of Homeland Security announced that hackers had broken into the U.S. government personnel office and stolen identifying information of at least 4 million federal workers. (The breach was later said to have totaled 21.5 million current and former federal employees and job applicants; Chinese hackers were suspected of being behind the cyberattack.) Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry opened his second bid for the Republican presidential nomination. A huge explosion at a gas station in Ghana's capital of Accra left at least 160 people dead.

One year ago: Thousands of protesters crowded London's government district while President Donald Trump met Prime Minister Theresa May nearby. The White House instructed former aides Hope Hicks and Annie Donaldson to defy subpoenas and refuse to provide documents to the House Judiciary Committee. Florida deputy Scot Peterson, who knew a gunman was loose at a high school in Parkland in February, 2018, but failed to go inside to confront the assailant, was arrested on 11 criminal charges related to his inaction during the massacre that killed 17 people. The Trump administration ended the most popular forms of U.S. travel to Cuba, banning cruise ships and a heavily-used category of educational travel. New York legislators approved what would be the first statewide ban on the declawing of cats. (Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the measure in July.) The Maine Legislature voted to legalize assisted suicide. (Gov. Janet Mills signed the measure into law the following week.)

Today's Birthdays: Sex therapist and media personality Dr. Ruth Westheimer is 92. Actor Bruce Dern is 84. Musician Roger Ball is 76. Actress-singer Michelle Phillips is 76. Jazz musician Anthony Braxton is 75. Rock musician Danny Brown (The Fixx) is 69. Actor Parker Stevenson is 68. Actor Keith David is 64. Blues singer-musician Tinsley Ellis is 63. Actress Julie Gholson is 62. Actor Eddie Velez is 62. Singer-musician El DeBarge is 59. Actress Julie White is 59. Actress Lindsay Frost is 58. Actor Sean Pertwee is 56. Former tennis player Andrea Jaeger is 55. Opera singer Cecilia Bartoli is 54. Rhythm and blues singer Al B. Sure! is 52. Actor Scott Wolf is 52. Actor-comedian Rob Huebel is 51. Comedian Horatio Sanz is 51. Actor James Callis is 49. Actor Noah Wyle is 49. Rock musician Stefan Lessard (The Dave Matthews Band) is 46. Actor-comedian Russell Brand is 45. Actress Angelina Jolie is 45. Actor Theo Rossi is 45. Alt-country singer Kasey Chambers is 44. Actor Robin Lord Taylor is 42. Rock musician JoJo Garza (Los Lonely Boys) is 40. Country musician Dean Berner (Edens Edge) is 39. Model Bar Refaeli is 35. Olympic gold medal figure skater Evan Lysacek is 35. Americana singer Shakey Graves is 33. Rock musician Zac Farro is 30.

Thought for Today: "If America forgets where she came from, if the people lose sight of what brought them along, if she listens to the deniers and mockers, then will begin the rot and dissolution." — Carl Sandburg, American writer (1878-1967).

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573488868914.jpeg" alt="Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a>" />
 <figcaption>Photo of old book courtesy <a href="http://shutterstock.com">shutterstock</a></figcaption>
 </figure>Today is Thursday, June 4, the 156th day of 2020. There are 210 days left in the year.Today's Highlight in History:On June 4, 1998, a federal judge sentenced Terry Nichols to life in prison for his role in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.On this date:In 1812, the Louisiana Territory was renamed the Missouri Territory, to avoid confusion with the recently admitted state of Louisiana. The U.S. House of Representatives approved, 79-49, a declaration of war against Britain.In 1919, Congress approved the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing citizens the right to vote regardless of their gender, and sent it to the states for ratification.In 1939, the German ocean liner MS St. Louis, carrying more than 900 Jewish refugees from Germany, was turned away from the Florida coast by U.S. officials.In 1940, during World War II, the Allied military evacuation of some 338,000 troops from Dunkirk, France, ended. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill declared: "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender."In 1942, the World War II Battle of Midway began, resulting in a decisive American victory against Japan and marking the turning point of the war in the Pacific.In 1944, U-505, a German submarine, was captured by a U.S. Navy task group in the south Atlantic; it was the first such capture of an enemy vessel at sea by the U.S. Navy since the War of 1812. The U.S. Fifth Army began liberating Rome.In 1972, a jury in San Jose, California, acquitted radical activist Angela Davis of murder and kidnapping for her alleged connection to a deadly courthouse shootout in Marin County in 1970.In 1985, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling striking down an Alabama law providing for a daily minute of silence in public schools.In 1986, Jonathan Jay Pollard, a former U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, pleaded guilty in Washington to conspiring to deliver information related to the national defense to Israel. (Pollard, sentenced to life in prison, was released on parole on Nov. 20, 2015.)In 1989, a gas explosion in the Soviet Union engulfed two passing trains, killing 575.In 1990, Dr. Jack Kevorkian carried out his first publicly assisted suicide, helping Janet Adkins, a 54-year-old Alzheimer's patient from Portland, Oregon, end her life in Oakland County, Michigan.In 2000, President Bill Clinton and Russian President Putin ended their summit by conceding differences on missile defense, agreeing to dispose of weapons-grade plutonium and pledging early warning of missile and space launches.Ten years ago: On his third personal trek to the Gulf disaster, President Barack Obama said that he saw some progress in fighting the enormous oil spill but that it was "way too early to be optimistic." The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of 12 million U.S.-made "Shrek" drinking glasses sold by McDonald's which were found to be tainted with cadmium. Fourteen-year-old Anamika Veeramani of North Royalton, Ohio, won the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C., correctly spelling the medical term "stromuhr." Death claimed postmodern author David Markson, 82; legendary basketball coach John Wooden, 99; and Jack Harrison, 97, survivor of the Great Escape plot by Allied prisoners in World War II.Five years ago: The Department of Homeland Security announced that hackers had broken into the U.S. government personnel office and stolen identifying information of at least 4 million federal workers. (The breach was later said to have totaled 21.5 million current and former federal employees and job applicants; Chinese hackers were suspected of being behind the cyberattack.) Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry opened his second bid for the Republican presidential nomination. A huge explosion at a gas station in Ghana's capital of Accra left at least 160 people dead.One year ago: Thousands of protesters crowded London's government district while President Donald Trump met Prime Minister Theresa May nearby. The White House instructed former aides Hope Hicks and Annie Donaldson to defy subpoenas and refuse to provide documents to the House Judiciary Committee. Florida deputy Scot Peterson, who knew a gunman was loose at a high school in Parkland in February, 2018, but failed to go inside to confront the assailant, was arrested on 11 criminal charges related to his inaction during the massacre that killed 17 people. The Trump administration ended the most popular forms of U.S. travel to Cuba, banning cruise ships and a heavily-used category of educational travel. New York legislators approved what would be the first statewide ban on the declawing of cats. (Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the measure in July.) The Maine Legislature voted to legalize assisted suicide. (Gov. Janet Mills signed the measure into law the following week.)Today's Birthdays: Sex therapist and media personality Dr. Ruth Westheimer is 92. Actor Bruce Dern is 84. Musician Roger Ball is 76. Actress-singer Michelle Phillips is 76. Jazz musician Anthony Braxton is 75. Rock musician Danny Brown (The Fixx) is 69. Actor Parker Stevenson is 68. Actor Keith David is 64. Blues singer-musician Tinsley Ellis is 63. Actress Julie Gholson is 62. Actor Eddie Velez is 62. Singer-musician El DeBarge is 59. Actress Julie White is 59. Actress Lindsay Frost is 58. Actor Sean Pertwee is 56. Former tennis player Andrea Jaeger is 55. Opera singer Cecilia Bartoli is 54. Rhythm and blues singer Al B. Sure! is 52. Actor Scott Wolf is 52. Actor-comedian Rob Huebel is 51. Comedian Horatio Sanz is 51. Actor James Callis is 49. Actor Noah Wyle is 49. Rock musician Stefan Lessard (The Dave Matthews Band) is 46. Actor-comedian Russell Brand is 45. Actress Angelina Jolie is 45. Actor Theo Rossi is 45. Alt-country singer Kasey Chambers is 44. Actor Robin Lord Taylor is 42. Rock musician JoJo Garza (Los Lonely Boys) is 40. Country musician Dean Berner (Edens Edge) is 39. Model Bar Refaeli is 35. Olympic gold medal figure skater Evan Lysacek is 35. Americana singer Shakey Graves is 33. Rock musician Zac Farro is 30.Thought for Today: "If America forgets where she came from, if the people lose sight of what brought them along, if she listens to the deniers and mockers, then will begin the rot and dissolution." — Carl Sandburg, American writer (1878-1967).Copyright 2020, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Today in History -- June 4

By CORINNE BOYER <a href="https://www.hppr.org/post/george-floyds-death-draws-1000-protesters-small-city-western-kansas">Kansas News Service</a>

A unity rally put together by an incoming Garden City High School 
senior drew more than 1,000 people to downtown Garden City on Wednesday 
night.

Carmen Robinson said she had the support of the Garden 
City Police Department for the rally, which was held in a park that 
filled up with hundreds before the event even started.&nbsp;

"This is awesome," she said. "This is change."

Garden
 City, which has a population of about 26,000 in a county whose total is
 about 36,000, joined countless cities across the United States and the 
world in protesting racism and police violence, including Wichita, 
Topeka and Lawrence.

The protests have been spurred by the recent
 deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, who was killed when a police 
officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, as well as Louisville, 
Kentucky, EMS worker Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot in her home by
 police.

"I have a six-year-old black nephew who loves police 
officers," Robinson told the crowd in Garden City. "And as he grows, I 
don't want him to be seen as a threat — or any black lives at that."

All types of people — families, students and children — marched 
around the park. Traffic slowed on Main Street as demonstrators shouted,
 "I can't breathe," "Black Lives Matter" and George Floyd's name.

The Garden City Police Department thanked the speakers and participants for attending.

"The
 Garden City Police Department listened to the messages delivered last 
night," it said in a statement Thursday, "and will continue to work with
 the community to maintain a growing, positive relationship."&nbsp;

Corinne Boyer covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio 
and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter 
@corinne_boyer or email cboyer@hppr.org. The 
Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, 
KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social 
determinants of health and their connection to public policy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591290086986.jpeg" alt=" A man holds an American flag at Garden City's unity rally on Wednesday night. Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> A man holds an American flag at Garden City's unity rally on Wednesday night. Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>By CORINNE BOYER <a href="https://www.hppr.org/post/george-floyds-death-draws-1000-protesters-small-city-western-kansas">Kansas News Service</a>GARDEN CITY —&nbsp;A unity rally put together by an incoming Garden City High School 
senior drew more than 1,000 people to downtown Garden City on Wednesday 
night.Carmen Robinson said she had the support of the Garden 
City Police Department for the rally, which was held in a park that 
filled up with hundreds before the event even started.&nbsp;"This is awesome," she said. "This is change."Garden
 City, which has a population of about 26,000 in a county whose total is
 about 36,000, joined countless cities across the United States and the 
world in protesting racism and police violence, including Wichita, 
Topeka and Lawrence.The protests have been spurred by the recent
 deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis, who was killed when a police 
officer knelt on his neck for several minutes, as well as Louisville, 
Kentucky, EMS worker Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot in her home by
 police."I have a six-year-old black nephew who loves police 
officers," Robinson told the crowd in Garden City. "And as he grows, I 
don't want him to be seen as a threat — or any black lives at that."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591290150570.png" alt="Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption>Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure>All types of people — families, students and children — marched 
around the park. Traffic slowed on Main Street as demonstrators shouted,
 "I can't breathe," "Black Lives Matter" and George Floyd's name.The Garden City Police Department thanked the speakers and participants for attending."The
 Garden City Police Department listened to the messages delivered last 
night," it said in a statement Thursday, "and will continue to work with
 the community to maintain a growing, positive relationship."&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591290185919.png" alt=" Many people wore masks as they chanted "Black Lives Matter" calling for an end to police violence. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Many people wore masks as they chanted "Black Lives Matter" calling for an end to police violence. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591290213716.png" alt=" The crowd listens to speakers during the unity rally in Garden City. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> The crowd listens to speakers during the unity rally in Garden City. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591290246512.png" alt=" Several people carried signs with George Floyd's name. Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer last week. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Several people carried signs with George Floyd's name. Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer last week. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591290271105.png" alt=" Children of all ages marched with their families at the unity rally. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> Children of all ages marched with their families at the unity rally. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591290297307.png" alt=" People holding signs while listening to speakers. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> People holding signs while listening to speakers. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591290323947.png" alt=" An attendee holding a "Black Trans Lives Matter" sign as dust clouds rolled in. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> An attendee holding a "Black Trans Lives Matter" sign as dust clouds rolled in. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591290345986.png" alt=" A woman holding a sign in downtown Garden City. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service" />
 <figcaption> A woman holding a sign in downtown Garden City. Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service</figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591290370625.png" alt="People gathered in the center of the park as the event ended.&nbsp;Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service " />
 <figcaption>People gathered in the center of the park as the event ended.&nbsp;Credit Corinne Boyer / Kansas News Service </figcaption>
 </figure>Corinne Boyer covers western Kansas for High Plains Public Radio 
and the Kansas News Service. You can follow her on Twitter 
@corinne_boyer or email cboyer@hppr.org. The 
Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, 
KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social 
determinants of health and their connection to public policy.

Floyd's death draws 1,000 protesters in Garden City

By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football Writer

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio is apologizing for suggesting discrimination and racism aren't problems in the NFL.

"After reflecting on my comments yesterday and listening to the players this morning, I realize what I said regarding racism and discrimination in the NFL was wrong," Fangio said in an apology posted on the team's Twitter account Wednesday.

"While I have never personally experienced those terrible things first-hand during my 33 years in the NFL, I understand that many players, coaches and staff have different perspectives," Fangio added. "I should have been more clear and I am sorry."

Fangio said he only meant to convey that in his experience, those ills didn't exist in locker rooms or on the playing field where teams rallied behind common goals. "Unfortunately, we don't live or work only within those confines," Fangio said. "Outside of those lines -- both in the NFL and society -- there is a lot of work to be done in the areas of diversity and providing opportunities across the board for minorities."

He concluded his lengthy apology by saying, "I look forward to listening to the players -- both individually and collectively -- to support them and work hand-in-hand to create meaningful change."

Fangio, a 61-year-old white head coach, faced plenty of blowback on social media and was criticized as being tone-deaf after  his comments in a video call with members of the media on Tuesday. He had suggested discrimination and racism weren't issues in the NFL. 

Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs tweeted, "Is he blind??" and his teammate, running back Chris Carson, called Fangio "a joke." Diggs and Carson are black.

Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy told ESPN's Golic and Wingo that while he concurred with Fangio's view of an NFL meritocracy on the playing field, the league wasn't immune to society's ills. "To say there's no racism and no problem, I think, really is not recognizing the situation," Dungy said. 

Fangio's original comments came in the context of explaining diverse NFL locker rooms rallying around common causes of teamwork and goal-setting. 

Fangio began Tuesday's call with a repudiation of the white police officer in Minneapolis who was charged with murder in the death of George Floyd, a black man who was handcuffed. 

Prosecutors on Wednesday expanded their case  against the officers who were at the scene of Floyd's death, charging three of the officers with aiding and abetting a murder and upgrading the charges against the officer who pressed his knee on Floyd's neck to second-degree murder.

Fangio on Tuesday called Floyd's death "a societal issue that we all have to join in to correct," and he added that he's encouraged his players to peacefully protest such injustices. He also said professional sports offers society a blueprint of sorts on how to better get along because coaches, players and staff from diverse backgrounds unite in common quests.

Later in the call, Fangio was asked about the evolution of player activism over racial injustice and excessive use of force against minorities. He responded, "I think our problems in the NFL along those lines are minimal. We're a league of meritocracy. You earn what you get, you get what you earn. I don't see racism at all in the NFL. I don't see discrimination in the NFL. We live in a great atmosphere. Like I alluded to earlier, we're lucky. We all live together joined as one for one common goal, and we all intermingle and mix tremendously. If society reflected an NFL team, we'd all be great."

Critics said that statement ignored the dearth of NFL minority head coaches, general managers and team presidents as well as QB Colin Kaepernick's inability to land an NFL job after he sparked a movement by kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to call attention to social injustices and excessive use of police force against minorities.

Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/arniestapleton">http://twitter.com/arniestapleton</a>

By ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football WriterENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio is apologizing for suggesting discrimination and racism aren't problems in the NFL."After reflecting on my comments yesterday and listening to the players this morning, I realize what I said regarding racism and discrimination in the NFL was wrong," Fangio said in an apology posted on the team's Twitter account Wednesday."While I have never personally experienced those terrible things first-hand during my 33 years in the NFL, I understand that many players, coaches and staff have different perspectives," Fangio added. "I should have been more clear and I am sorry."Fangio said he only meant to convey that in his experience, those ills didn't exist in locker rooms or on the playing field where teams rallied behind common goals. "Unfortunately, we don't live or work only within those confines," Fangio said. "Outside of those lines -- both in the NFL and society -- there is a lot of work to be done in the areas of diversity and providing opportunities across the board for minorities."He concluded his lengthy apology by saying, "I look forward to listening to the players -- both individually and collectively -- to support them and work hand-in-hand to create meaningful change."Fangio, a 61-year-old white head coach, faced plenty of blowback on social media and was criticized as being tone-deaf after his comments in a video call with members of the media on Tuesday. He had suggested discrimination and racism weren't issues in the NFL. Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs tweeted, "Is he blind??" and his teammate, running back Chris Carson, called Fangio "a joke." Diggs and Carson are black.Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy told ESPN's Golic and Wingo that while he concurred with Fangio's view of an NFL meritocracy on the playing field, the league wasn't immune to society's ills. "To say there's no racism and no problem, I think, really is not recognizing the situation," Dungy said. Fangio's original comments came in the context of explaining diverse NFL locker rooms rallying around common causes of teamwork and goal-setting. Fangio began Tuesday's call with a repudiation of the white police officer in Minneapolis who was charged with murder in the death of George Floyd, a black man who was handcuffed. Prosecutors on Wednesday expanded their case against the officers who were at the scene of Floyd's death, charging three of the officers with aiding and abetting a murder and upgrading the charges against the officer who pressed his knee on Floyd's neck to second-degree murder.Fangio on Tuesday called Floyd's death "a societal issue that we all have to join in to correct," and he added that he's encouraged his players to peacefully protest such injustices. He also said professional sports offers society a blueprint of sorts on how to better get along because coaches, players and staff from diverse backgrounds unite in common quests.Later in the call, Fangio was asked about the evolution of player activism over racial injustice and excessive use of force against minorities. He responded, "I think our problems in the NFL along those lines are minimal. We're a league of meritocracy. You earn what you get, you get what you earn. I don't see racism at all in the NFL. I don't see discrimination in the NFL. We live in a great atmosphere. Like I alluded to earlier, we're lucky. We all live together joined as one for one common goal, and we all intermingle and mix tremendously. If society reflected an NFL team, we'd all be great."Critics said that statement ignored the dearth of NFL minority head coaches, general managers and team presidents as well as QB Colin Kaepernick's inability to land an NFL job after he sparked a movement by kneeling during the national anthem in 2016 to call attention to social injustices and excessive use of police force against minorities.Follow Arnie Melendrez Stapleton on Twitter: <a href="http://twitter.com/arniestapleton">http://twitter.com/arniestapleton</a>

Broncos coach apologizes after suggesting NFL free of racism

&nbsp; James Michael Brierton (Mike, 69, Abilene, Kansas, passed away unexpectedly but peacefully on June 2, 2020 in his home. He was born on July 15, 1950 in Keokuk, Iowa to James and Dorothy Brierton. 

He attended Ferris Illinois Elementary School and graduated from Carthage High School in 1968. Brierton gained his Associate’s Degree in Engineering from Spoon River College in 1970. 

On March 18, 1972, he married Theresa (Schutte) Brierton in Carthage, Illinois.

Mike was an engineer in Peoria, Goodland and Galva, Illinois until relocating his family to Abilene, Kansas in 1982 to pursue work. He took a position at Abilene Equipment, He then founded Brierton Engineering Incorporated in 1987 where he worked until his death. He loved to work and took great pride in providing for his employees and family. Mike was a generous employer and will be greatly missed by employees that he considered family.

Mike was very involved in the community. He was a member of Abilene First Christian Church, the Elks Club and the ‘Old Farts Club’ in which he enjoyed breakfast, coffee and jokes with his friends. 

He was a humble and generous man, who had a knack for making you smile in many ways. 

He was passionate about funding organizations such as Great Plains Theater, Salina Rescue Mission and Salvation Army and countless others, never wanting recognition in return. Mike was always willing to help someone in need whether that be lending a listening ear, giving advice or providing financial assistance. 

He was an avid reader of novels as well as any informative political, scientific, health, automotive or intellectual articles which gave him great wisdom. 

Besides working, Mike loved to mow, drive his tractor, attend various family sporting events and spend time visiting with his grandchildren. 

Anyone that knew Mike, knew he adored and loved his grandchildren and took great pride in sharing their accomplishments with others. But above all, he loved his Lord and Savior and strived to follow Him.

Mike is preceded in death by his parents, James and Dorothy Brierton, sister, Joyce Whitcomb, and brother, Gary Brierton. 

He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Theresa of the home, sister, Patty Thomas (John) of New Whiteland, Indiana, brothers, Dennis Brierton (Pat) of Queen Creek, Arizona, Roger Brierton (Kathy) of Carthage, Illinois, daughters, Sarah Jordan (Malik) of Salina, Kansas, Julie Doughtery (Bill) of Shawnee, Kansas, Catherine Brierton of Lawrence, Kansas, son, Tim Brierton (Heather) of Gulfport, Mississippi and eight grandchildren, Rhianna Jordan (Cade Cranston) of Parker, Colorado, Caleb, Joshua, Layla and Amarah Jordan of Salina, Kansas, Blayne, Blaize and Brooklyn Brierton of Gulfport, Mississippi. He will be deeply missed by his cousins, in-laws, nieces, nephews and community.

The visitation is scheduled on Sunday at 5-6:30 p.m. at Abilene First Christian Church, 612 N. Buckeye Ave. Abilene, Kansas. There will be a reception following the visitation at St. Andrew’s Parish at 311 S. Buckeye Ave. Abilene, Kansas. The funeral service is on Monday at 10:30 a.m. at Abilene First Christian Church 612 N. Buckeye Ave. Abilene, Kansas. We will be taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Masks are recommended but not required, along with social distancing. The funeral will be live-streamed at AbileneFCC.com. Internment is at Mount St. Joseph Cemetery, West 2400 Abilene, Kansas, directly following the memorial service.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591226744388.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp; James Michael Brierton (Mike, 69, Abilene, Kansas, passed away unexpectedly but peacefully on June 2, 2020 in his home. He was born on July 15, 1950 in Keokuk, Iowa to James and Dorothy Brierton. He attended Ferris Illinois Elementary School and graduated from Carthage High School in 1968. Brierton gained his Associate’s Degree in Engineering from Spoon River College in 1970. On March 18, 1972, he married Theresa (Schutte) Brierton in Carthage, Illinois. Mike was an engineer in Peoria, Goodland and Galva, Illinois until relocating his family to Abilene, Kansas in 1982 to pursue work. He took a position at Abilene Equipment, He then founded Brierton Engineering Incorporated in 1987 where he worked until his death. He loved to work and took great pride in providing for his employees and family. Mike was a generous employer and will be greatly missed by employees that he considered family. Mike was very involved in the community. He was a member of Abilene First Christian Church, the Elks Club and the ‘Old Farts Club’ in which he enjoyed breakfast, coffee and jokes with his friends. He was a humble and generous man, who had a knack for making you smile in many ways. He was passionate about funding organizations such as Great Plains Theater, Salina Rescue Mission and Salvation Army and countless others, never wanting recognition in return. Mike was always willing to help someone in need whether that be lending a listening ear, giving advice or providing financial assistance. He was an avid reader of novels as well as any informative political, scientific, health, automotive or intellectual articles which gave him great wisdom. Besides working, Mike loved to mow, drive his tractor, attend various family sporting events and spend time visiting with his grandchildren. Anyone that knew Mike, knew he adored and loved his grandchildren and took great pride in sharing their accomplishments with others. But above all, he loved his Lord and Savior and strived to follow Him. Mike is preceded in death by his parents, James and Dorothy Brierton, sister, Joyce Whitcomb, and brother, Gary Brierton. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Theresa of the home, sister, Patty Thomas (John) of New Whiteland, Indiana, brothers, Dennis Brierton (Pat) of Queen Creek, Arizona, Roger Brierton (Kathy) of Carthage, Illinois, daughters, Sarah Jordan (Malik) of Salina, Kansas, Julie Doughtery (Bill) of Shawnee, Kansas, Catherine Brierton of Lawrence, Kansas, son, Tim Brierton (Heather) of Gulfport, Mississippi and eight grandchildren, Rhianna Jordan (Cade Cranston) of Parker, Colorado, Caleb, Joshua, Layla and Amarah Jordan of Salina, Kansas, Blayne, Blaize and Brooklyn Brierton of Gulfport, Mississippi. He will be deeply missed by his cousins, in-laws, nieces, nephews and community. The visitation is scheduled on Sunday at 5-6:30 p.m. at Abilene First Christian Church, 612 N. Buckeye Ave. Abilene, Kansas. There will be a reception following the visitation at St. Andrew’s Parish at 311 S. Buckeye Ave. Abilene, Kansas. The funeral service is on Monday at 10:30 a.m. at Abilene First Christian Church 612 N. Buckeye Ave. Abilene, Kansas. We will be taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Masks are recommended but not required, along with social distancing. The funeral will be live-streamed at AbileneFCC.com. Internment is at Mount St. Joseph Cemetery, West 2400 Abilene, Kansas, directly following the memorial service.&nbsp;&nbsp;

James Michael Brierton (Mike

Steven Howe, a Republican from Salina, filed paperwork this morning with the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office to become a candidate for the Republican nomination for the 71st House District.

Howe will face incumbent Rep. Diana Dierks in the Republican primary.&nbsp; A Democrat,&nbsp;Jeffrey Zamrzla of Salina, also is running to represent the 71st House District.

“It is my desire to be a servant leader in Topeka for the people of the 71st District. I look forward to running a positive campaign that listens, encourages civility, and promotes a stronger Salina and Saline County,” Howe said.

Howe is currently a teacher and cross-country coach at Cornerstone Classical School and is also the co-owner of the Tamara Howe School of Dance located in Downtown Salina. Howe is an Elder at Christ the King Lutheran Church and is the Republican Committeeman for Precinct 20. Howe has served on several community boards including Salina Downtown, Inc. and the Salina Childcare Association.

Additionally, Howe has 14 years of public service experience when he worked on Capitol Hill and in Kansas for two members of Congress (Jerry Moran 2003-2010; Tim Huelskamp 2011-2017).

Howe and his wife, Tamara, are parents to four boys and are blessed to call Salina home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/6/1591039891016.jpeg" alt="Steven Howe. Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Steven Howe. Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Steven Howe, a Republican from Salina, filed paperwork this morning with the Kansas Secretary of State’s Office to become a candidate for the Republican nomination for the 71st House District.Howe will face incumbent Rep. Diana Dierks in the Republican primary.&nbsp; A Democrat,&nbsp;Jeffrey Zamrzla of Salina, also is running to represent the 71st House District.“It is my desire to be a servant leader in Topeka for the people of the 71st District. I look forward to running a positive campaign that listens, encourages civility, and promotes a stronger Salina and Saline County,” Howe said.Howe is currently a teacher and cross-country coach at Cornerstone Classical School and is also the co-owner of the Tamara Howe School of Dance located in Downtown Salina. Howe is an Elder at Christ the King Lutheran Church and is the Republican Committeeman for Precinct 20. Howe has served on several community boards including Salina Downtown, Inc. and the Salina Childcare Association.Additionally, Howe has 14 years of public service experience when he worked on Capitol Hill and in Kansas for two members of Congress (Jerry Moran 2003-2010; Tim Huelskamp 2011-2017).Howe and his wife, Tamara, are parents to four boys and are blessed to call Salina home.

Howe announces candidacy for 71st House District seat

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A rocket ship designed and built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company has lifted off with two Americans on a history-making flight to the International Space Station.

<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public">Click here</a>&nbsp;to watch additional coverage of the flight from NASA

The spacecraft took off Saturday afternoon from the same launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, that was used during the Apollo missions to the moon a half-century ago. The flight ushers in a new era in commercial space travel and marks the first time NASA has launched astronauts from U.S. soil in nearly a decade. Ever since the space shuttle was retired in 2011, NASA has relied on Russian rockets launched from Kazakhstan to take U.S. astronauts took and from the space station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Despite more storms in the forecast, two NASA astronauts climbed into their capsule Saturday for a second attempt at a history-making ride into orbit aboard a rocket ship designed and built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company.

<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public">Click here</a>&nbsp;to watch the launch&nbsp;

With the flight already delayed three days by bad weather, forecasters put the odds of acceptable conditions at 50-50 for the 2:22 p.m. CDT liftoff of the 270-foot Falcon 9 in what would be the first launch of astronauts into orbit by a private company.

Their destination: the International Space Station, 250 miles above Earth.

It would also be NASA’s first human spaceflight launched from U.S. soil in nearly a decade.

The mission unfolded amid the gloom of the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed over 100,000 Americans, and racial unrest across the U.S. over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police. NASA officials and others held out hope the flight would would lift American spirits.

“Maybe there’s an opportunity here for America to maybe pause and look up and see a bright, shining moment of hope at what the future looks like, that the United States of America can do extraordinary things even in difficult times,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said.

Veteran astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken pulled on their angular, white-and-black spacesuits with help from technicians wearing masks, gloves and black hoods that made them look like ninjas.

Before setting out for the launch pad in a gull-wing Tesla SUV — another Musk product — Behnken pantomimed a hug of his 6-year-old son, Theo, and said: “Are you going to listen to Mommy and make her life easy?” Hurley blew kisses to his 10-year-old son and wife.

SpaceX and NASA monitored the weather not just at Kennedy Space Center, where rain, thick clouds and the chance of lightning threatened another postponement, but all the way up the Eastern Seaboard and across the North Atlantic to Ireland. Waves and wind need to be within certain limits in case the astronauts have to make an emergency splashdown on the way to orbit.

Wednesday’s countdown of the rocket and its bullet-shaped Dragon capsule was halted at just under 17 minutes because of the threat of lightning.

Ever since the space shuttle was retired in 2011, NASA has relied on Russian spaceships launched from Kazakhstan to take U.S. astronauts to and from the space station.

“I would be lying to you if I told you I wasn’t nervous,” Bridenstine said before the launch attempt. “We want to do everything we can to minimize the risk, minimize the uncertainty, so that Bob and Doug will be safe.”

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence planned to return for the second launch attempt.

Because of the coronavirus, NASA severely limited the number of employees, visitors and journalists allowed deep inside Kennedy Space Center, and the crowd was relatively small, at a few thousand. At the center’s tourist complex, though, all 4,000 tickets were snapped up in a few hours.

The space agency urged people to stay safe and watch from home, and by NASA’s count, at least 1.14 million viewers followed the launch preparation online. But spectators also began lining the Cape Canaveral area’s beaches and roads. Signs along the main beach drag read, “Godspeed.”

Among the spectators was Neil Wight, a machinist from Buffalo, New York, who staked out a view of the launch pad from a park in Titusville.

“It’s pretty historically significant in my book and a lot of other people’s books. With everything that’s going on in this country right now, it’s important that we do things extraordinary in life,” Wight said. “We’ve been bombarded with doom and gloom for the last six, eight weeks, whatever it is, and this is awesome. It brings a lot of people together.”

NASA hired SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to taxi astronauts to and from the space station, under contracts totaling $7 billion. Both companies launched their crew capsules last year with test dummies. SpaceX’s Dragon aced all of its objectives, while Boeing’s Starliner capsule ended up in the wrong orbit and was almost destroyed because of software errors.

As a result, the first Starliner flight carrying astronauts isn’t expected until next year.

NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley (left) and Robert Behnken (right) participate in a dress rehearsal for launch at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 23, 2020, ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station.&nbsp; The launch is now scheduled for 2:22 p.m. CDT Saturday Credits: NASA/Kim Shiflett

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX pressed ahead with its second attempt to launch astronauts for NASA — a historic first for a private company — but more stormy weather threatened more delays.

<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public">Click here</a> to watch the launch

Elon Musk’s company came within 17 minutes Wednesday of launching a pair of NASA astronauts for the first time in nearly a decade from the U.S., before the threat of lightning forced a delay.

With more storms ahead, managers debated Friday whether to bump the next launch attempt from Saturday to Sunday to take advantage of slightly improved forecast at Kennedy Space Center.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted that no decision was made, and they would reassess the situation Saturday morning.

At an earlier outdoor news conference, Bridenstine stressed the need for safety for astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken — no matter how many times it takes to launch them in a SpaceX Dragon capsule atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590867040021.png" alt="Moments after lift off of the SpaceX rocket with 2 Americans on board -image courtesy NASA" />
 <figcaption>Moments after lift off of the SpaceX rocket with 2 Americans on board -image courtesy NASA</figcaption>
 </figure>CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A rocket ship designed and built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company has lifted off with two Americans on a history-making flight to the International Space Station.<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public">Click here</a>&nbsp;to watch additional coverage of the flight from NASAThe spacecraft took off Saturday afternoon from the same launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, that was used during the Apollo missions to the moon a half-century ago. The flight ushers in a new era in commercial space travel and marks the first time NASA has launched astronauts from U.S. soil in nearly a decade. Ever since the space shuttle was retired in 2011, NASA has relied on Russian rockets launched from Kazakhstan to take U.S. astronauts took and from the space station.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590866998389.png" alt="Lift off at 2:22 p.m. CDT Saturday -image courtesy NASA" />
 <figcaption>Lift off at 2:22 p.m. CDT Saturday -image courtesy NASA</figcaption>
 </figure>------CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Despite more storms in the forecast, two NASA astronauts climbed into their capsule Saturday for a second attempt at a history-making ride into orbit aboard a rocket ship designed and built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX company.<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public">Click here</a>&nbsp;to watch the launch&nbsp;With the flight already delayed three days by bad weather, forecasters put the odds of acceptable conditions at 50-50 for the 2:22 p.m. CDT liftoff of the 270-foot Falcon 9 in what would be the first launch of astronauts into orbit by a private company.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590865987717.png" alt="Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken just 10 minutes ahead of the launch on Saturday -image courtesy NASA" />
 <figcaption>Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken just 10 minutes ahead of the launch on Saturday -image courtesy NASA</figcaption>
 </figure>Their destination: the International Space Station, 250 miles above Earth.It would also be NASA’s first human spaceflight launched from U.S. soil in nearly a decade.The mission unfolded amid the gloom of the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed over 100,000 Americans, and racial unrest across the U.S. over the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man, at the hands of Minneapolis police. NASA officials and others held out hope the flight would would lift American spirits.“Maybe there’s an opportunity here for America to maybe pause and look up and see a bright, shining moment of hope at what the future looks like, that the United States of America can do extraordinary things even in difficult times,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said.Veteran astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken pulled on their angular, white-and-black spacesuits with help from technicians wearing masks, gloves and black hoods that made them look like ninjas.Before setting out for the launch pad in a gull-wing Tesla SUV — another Musk product — Behnken pantomimed a hug of his 6-year-old son, Theo, and said: “Are you going to listen to Mommy and make her life easy?” Hurley blew kisses to his 10-year-old son and wife.SpaceX and NASA monitored the weather not just at Kennedy Space Center, where rain, thick clouds and the chance of lightning threatened another postponement, but all the way up the Eastern Seaboard and across the North Atlantic to Ireland. Waves and wind need to be within certain limits in case the astronauts have to make an emergency splashdown on the way to orbit.Wednesday’s countdown of the rocket and its bullet-shaped Dragon capsule was halted at just under 17 minutes because of the threat of lightning.Ever since the space shuttle was retired in 2011, NASA has relied on Russian spaceships launched from Kazakhstan to take U.S. astronauts to and from the space station.“I would be lying to you if I told you I wasn’t nervous,” Bridenstine said before the launch attempt. “We want to do everything we can to minimize the risk, minimize the uncertainty, so that Bob and Doug will be safe.”President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence planned to return for the second launch attempt.Because of the coronavirus, NASA severely limited the number of employees, visitors and journalists allowed deep inside Kennedy Space Center, and the crowd was relatively small, at a few thousand. At the center’s tourist complex, though, all 4,000 tickets were snapped up in a few hours.The space agency urged people to stay safe and watch from home, and by NASA’s count, at least 1.14 million viewers followed the launch preparation online. But spectators also began lining the Cape Canaveral area’s beaches and roads. Signs along the main beach drag read, “Godspeed.”Among the spectators was Neil Wight, a machinist from Buffalo, New York, who staked out a view of the launch pad from a park in Titusville.“It’s pretty historically significant in my book and a lot of other people’s books. With everything that’s going on in this country right now, it’s important that we do things extraordinary in life,” Wight said. “We’ve been bombarded with doom and gloom for the last six, eight weeks, whatever it is, and this is awesome. It brings a lot of people together.”NASA hired SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to taxi astronauts to and from the space station, under contracts totaling $7 billion. Both companies launched their crew capsules last year with test dummies. SpaceX’s Dragon aced all of its objectives, while Boeing’s Starliner capsule ended up in the wrong orbit and was almost destroyed because of software errors.As a result, the first Starliner flight carrying astronauts isn’t expected until next year.___<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/5/1590841343573.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley (left) and Robert Behnken (right) participate in a dress rehearsal for launch at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 23, 2020, ahead of NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station.&nbsp; The launch is now scheduled for 2:22 p.m. CDT Saturday Credits: NASA/Kim ShiflettCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — SpaceX pressed ahead with its second attempt to launch astronauts for NASA — a historic first for a private company — but more stormy weather threatened more delays.<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public">Click here</a> to watch the launchElon Musk’s company came within 17 minutes Wednesday of launching a pair of NASA astronauts for the first time in nearly a decade from the U.S., before the threat of lightning forced a delay.With more storms ahead, managers debated Friday whether to bump the next launch attempt from Saturday to Sunday to take advantage of slightly improved forecast at Kennedy Space Center.NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted that no decision was made, and they would reassess the situation Saturday morning.At an earlier outdoor news conference, Bridenstine stressed the need for safety for astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken — no matter how many times it takes to launch them in a SpaceX Dragon capsule atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station.“We cannot forget this is a test flight. This — is — a — test — flight,” he repeated. “We will go when everything is as safe as we can possibly make it.”Forecasters put the odds of acceptable weather conditions Saturday at 50-50, with the outlook improving to 60% favorable on Sunday. Rain and clouds were the main concerns for both days.Bridenstine said back-to-back tries would be tough on the launch team — and the astronauts — given that this is a test flight.Hurley and Behnken, veterans of two space shuttle flights, have both faced launch delays before. In a tweet Friday, Hurley said his first shuttle flight was scrubbed five times for weather and technical issues.“We’re ready for the next launch opportunity!” Behnken tweeted.While NASA had urged spectators to stay home Wednesday because of the pandemic, prime viewing spots at area parks and beaches were packed. A weekend launch could draw even bigger crowds. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex reopened Thursday, after a 2 1/2-month shutdown, and within a few hours, all 4,000 tickets were snapped up for Saturday’s launch attempt.President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were planning to return Saturday to watch from inside Kennedy. The number of employees, journalists and guests allowed at the space center remained extremely limited because of the coronavirus outbreak.Whether an attempt is made Saturday or Sunday, “There will be no pressure. We will launch when we’re ready,” Bridenstine said.Liftoff on Saturday would be 3:22 p.m. EDT.The last time astronauts launched to orbit from the U.S. was in 2011 when Atlantis closed out the 30-year space shuttle program. Hurley was on that mission as well.Full Coverage:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/tag/SpaceX">Space Launch</a>NASA hired SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to get the ball rolling again — kicking off a commercial revolution for getting people to low-Earth orbit. In the meantime, NASA has spent billions of dollars to buy seats on Russian Soyuz capsules for U.S. astronauts, in order to keep the space station staffed.Boeing’s first astronaut flight, on the company’s Starliner capsule, is not expected until next year.Bridenstine offered high praise for Musk on Friday and all his personal touches:&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/025ee5177966af18ed0a9898fe3d6e13">spiffy spacesuits</a>, Tesla rides to the launch pad, a color-coordinated rocket and capsule — and more.Musk has brought “vision and inspiration” to the American space program, Bridenstine said. While there’s occasionally a little tension between NASA and SpaceX, “he gives me a commitment and he delivers on that commitment. That has happened every single time.”The California-based SpaceX is also developing a rocket and spaceship designed to go to the moon and Mars.On Friday, a prototype of its Starship exploded while undergoing a routine engine test at the company’s Texas site. The ship vented large amount of gases and was engulfed in a tremendous fireball.SpaceX did not respond immediately to a request for comment.NASA, which has a contract with SpaceX to develop Starship for its lunar landing program, has no problems going ahead with this weekend’s unrelated launch of astronauts from Cape Canaveral, agency spokesman Bob Jacobs.“That’s a test program. That’s why they test,” Jacobs said.___