WICHITA —Law enforcement authorities are investigating illegal protest activity that has occurred since Wednesday in Wichita and arrested 24-year-old Gabrille Griffie on a requested charge of unlawful assembly, according to officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp; Griffie is the director of of Project Justice ICT.&nbsp; According to online jail records, she is no longer in custody.

The Wichita Police Department continues to monitor illegal activity involving a group of protestors including Project Justice ICT who have been meeting downtown.

The group is alleged to have been blocking traffic, causing disturbances, vandalizing property, aggravated assault with a firearm, and battery. Charges will be forthcoming, according to Davidson.

If anyone has any information regarding illegal activity or can identify photos of protestors who have engaged in illegal behavior, please call WPD detectives at 316-268-4407, or call the See Something Say Something hotline at 316-519-2282.

According to Davidson, the Wichita Police Department has always supported individual's right to demonstrate lawfully and has previously worked alongside other demonstration leaders to ensure their groups were able to share their views safely. However, the individuals protesting the past few days refuse to demonstrate lawfully.

"Police will continue to monitor any protest activities throughout Wichita. Illegal activity will not be tolerated, and criminals will be arrested and held accountable for their actions to the fullest extent of the law."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596455816022.png" alt="Griffie-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Griffie-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA —Law enforcement authorities are investigating illegal protest activity that has occurred since Wednesday in Wichita and arrested 24-year-old Gabrille Griffie on a requested charge of unlawful assembly, according to officer Charley Davidson.&nbsp; Griffie is the director of of Project Justice ICT.&nbsp; According to online jail records, she is no longer in custody.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596488571255.png" alt="Weekend protest in Wichita -photo courtesy Project Justice ICT" />
 <figcaption>Weekend protest in Wichita -photo courtesy Project Justice ICT</figcaption>
 </figure>The Wichita Police Department continues to monitor illegal activity involving a group of protestors including Project Justice ICT who have been meeting downtown.The group is alleged to have been blocking traffic, causing disturbances, vandalizing property, aggravated assault with a firearm, and battery. Charges will be forthcoming, according to Davidson.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596375478117.png" alt="Black Lives Matter protest late Friday night in Wichita -image courtesy Liberty ICT" />
 <figcaption>Black Lives Matter protest late Friday night in Wichita -image courtesy Liberty ICT</figcaption>
 </figure>If anyone has any information regarding illegal activity or can identify photos of protestors who have engaged in illegal behavior, please call WPD detectives at 316-268-4407, or call the See Something Say Something hotline at 316-519-2282.According to Davidson, the Wichita Police Department has always supported individual's right to demonstrate lawfully and has previously worked alongside other demonstration leaders to ensure their groups were able to share their views safely. However, the individuals protesting the past few days refuse to demonstrate lawfully."Police will continue to monitor any protest activities throughout Wichita. Illegal activity will not be tolerated, and criminals will be arrested and held accountable for their actions to the fullest extent of the law."

Police arrest Kan. protest organizer after investigation

SEDGWICK COUNTY—The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office was notified Friday,&nbsp; that an inmate had tested positive for COVID-19, according to Colonel Brian White.&nbsp;&nbsp;

This inmate was not symptomatic, but was tested for an upcoming medical procedure.&nbsp; This inmate worked as a kitchen inmate worker.&nbsp; There are 54 inmates assigned as kitchen inmate workers.&nbsp; These kitchen workers prepare and deliver meals to the inmates throughout the facility.&nbsp;

Because of the inmate working in the kitchen, all the other inmates assigned as kitchen inmate workers were quarantined.&nbsp; We had to select and train 54 new inmates as kitchen workers.&nbsp; 

While the 54 inmates were being chosen and trained, there was a delay in getting meals to the inmates at the normal times.&nbsp; Although the meals were delayed, all of the inmates received breakfast, lunch, and dinner.&nbsp; Currently the jail is again serving meals at the regular times, according to White.

The jail staff is also continuing to maintain sanitization standards to take care of our staff and inmates which include issuing extra soap, and having disinfectant available as needed.&nbsp; All staff members have been issued masks to wear, and all inmates have been issued face coverings for the last several months.&nbsp; We also have a full medical staff on site.

If more inmates need to be quarantined or isolated, the jail already have an established plan to minimize further exposure to staff and inmates.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596486533365.png" alt="Colonel Brian White answers questions during Monday's news conference." />
 <figcaption>Colonel Brian White answers questions during Monday's news conference.</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office was notified Friday,&nbsp; that an inmate had tested positive for COVID-19, according to Colonel Brian White.&nbsp;&nbsp;<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FSedgwickCountySheriff%2Fvideos%2F741494509945008%2F&show_text=0&width=560" width="560" height="315" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowTransparency="true" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>This inmate was not symptomatic, but was tested for an upcoming medical procedure.&nbsp; This inmate worked as a kitchen inmate worker.&nbsp; There are 54 inmates assigned as kitchen inmate workers.&nbsp; These kitchen workers prepare and deliver meals to the inmates throughout the facility.&nbsp;Because of the inmate working in the kitchen, all the other inmates assigned as kitchen inmate workers were quarantined.&nbsp; We had to select and train 54 new inmates as kitchen workers.&nbsp; While the 54 inmates were being chosen and trained, there was a delay in getting meals to the inmates at the normal times.&nbsp; Although the meals were delayed, all of the inmates received breakfast, lunch, and dinner.&nbsp; Currently the jail is again serving meals at the regular times, according to White.The jail staff is also continuing to maintain sanitization standards to take care of our staff and inmates which include issuing extra soap, and having disinfectant available as needed.&nbsp; All staff members have been issued masks to wear, and all inmates have been issued face coverings for the last several months.&nbsp; We also have a full medical staff on site.If more inmates need to be quarantined or isolated, the jail already have an established plan to minimize further exposure to staff and inmates.&nbsp;&nbsp;

🎥 Kitchen inmate worker at Kan. jail tested positive for virus

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The newest member of the Kansas Supreme Court has been sworn in.

Keynen “K.J.” Wall Jr. took the oath at the Kansas Judicial Center Monday. Chief Justice Marla Luckert presided at the ceremony.

The ceremony was smaller than usual because of the room needed to allow social distancing due to the coronavirus. Wall wore a mask as he was sworn in.

Gov. Laura Kelly appointed Wall in March to fill a vacancy created when former Chief Justice Lawton Nuss retired in December.

Wall had been in private practice with the Forbes Law Group of Overland Park since 2015. Before that he was special projects counsel to the Supreme Court, which involved managing the court’s capital appeals office.

His other experience includes stints as senior legal counsel for Federated Insurance in Owatonna, Minnesota, and as an associate attorney with a law firm in Greeley, Colorado. He was a judicial law clerk from 2002 to 2004 for U.S. District Judge John Lungstrum.

Wall has a bachelor’s degree in communication from Kansas State University, a master’s degree in scientific and technical communication from the University of Minnesota, and a law degree from the University of Kansas School of Law.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596471773322.png" alt="Chief Justice Marla Luckert presents a gavel to newly sworn in Justice KJ Wall, Jr. on Monday as member of the the Kansas Supreme Court and Wall's family wore face masks during the ceremony." />
 <figcaption>Chief Justice Marla Luckert presents a gavel to newly sworn in Justice KJ Wall, Jr. on Monday as member of the the Kansas Supreme Court and Wall's family wore face masks during the ceremony.</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The newest member of the Kansas Supreme Court has been sworn in.Keynen “K.J.” Wall Jr. took the oath at the Kansas Judicial Center Monday. Chief Justice Marla Luckert presided at the ceremony.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596471490174.png" alt="Wall wore a mask while he was sworn in" />
 <figcaption>Wall wore a mask while he was sworn in</figcaption>
 </figure>The ceremony was smaller than usual because of the room needed to allow social distancing due to the coronavirus. Wall wore a mask as he was sworn in.Gov. Laura Kelly appointed Wall in March to fill a vacancy created when former Chief Justice Lawton Nuss retired in December.Wall had been in private practice with the Forbes Law Group of Overland Park since 2015. Before that he was special projects counsel to the Supreme Court, which involved managing the court’s capital appeals office.His other experience includes stints as senior legal counsel for Federated Insurance in Owatonna, Minnesota, and as an associate attorney with a law firm in Greeley, Colorado. He was a judicial law clerk from 2002 to 2004 for U.S. District Judge John Lungstrum.Wall has a bachelor’s degree in communication from Kansas State University, a master’s degree in scientific and technical communication from the University of Minnesota, and a law degree from the University of Kansas School of Law.

New Justice for Kan. Supreme Court sworn in wearing mask

At Democrat-backed ksvotes.org, voters agree to let lease personal information in exchange for better platform

By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/08/02/privacy-concerns-shadow-popular-voter-registration-website/">Kansas Reflector</a>

The 41,700 people who have turned to <a href="https://www.ksvotes.org/">ksvotes.org</a>
 as a superior alternative to the state’s primitive online platform for 
voter registration probably don’t realize they signed away their 
personal information to be used in targeted advertisements.

Language in the site’s 
privacy policy gives permission to Blueprint Kansas, the organization 
that operates ksvotes.org, to collect contact information, website 
usage, details about your phone or laptop, and all the elements of a 
voter registration form — and use this personal data to send direct 
texts, or give the data to other entities, such as Facebook.

A data security expert says the <a href="https://www.ksvotes.org/privacy-policy">privacy policy</a>
 should be revised, but Blueprint Kansas’ Democratic officers deny using
 the data they collect for political purposes. Republicans fear the 
platform could be used as a tool for Democrats to bolster their ranks.

“We’re in a strange time 
right now in the state of Kansas,” said Mike Kuckelman, chairman of the 
Kansas Republican Party. “We’re seeing <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/07/28/democrats-see-opportunity-for-senate-seat-in-kansas-gop-primary-battle/">millions of dollars come in from out of state</a>
 trying to influence the Republican primary in the U.S. Senate race. If 
you think that people won’t undertake underhanded efforts to affect 
elections, that’s a pretty naive view.

“So I’m skeptical of sites
 like this, of what they’re really going to do with the data and what 
kind of an unfair advantage they’re going to give.”

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit,&nbsp;Blueprint Kansas is prohibited from partisan activity.

Brian McClendon, the 
former Google executive and 2018 Democratic candidate for secretary of 
state, said he and the three others involved with Blueprint Kansas never
 have harvested data for political purposes. The organization only sends
 messages reminding people to vote, he said, and has never made the 
information available for campaigns to use.

Other officers for 
Blueprint Kansas are Jamie Shew, a Democrat who oversees elections as 
Douglas County clerk; Kate Davis, a legislative liaison in Democratic 
Gov. Laura Kelly’s office; and Patrick Miller, a registered Republican 
and political science professor at the University of Kansas.

“We have never sat down 
and said, ‘Well, what can we do to screw Republicans or benefit 
Democrats?’&nbsp;” Miller said. “We don’t talk about partisan things. We 
don’t have partisan goals. We just want a tool that’s going to make 
registration and ballot access easy for as many people as possible.”

A link to the ksvotes.org 
privacy policy can be found at the bottom of the website, below the form
 that asks for name, date of birth, zip code, email and phone number.

From the policy: “We may 
disclose personal information that we collect or you provide as 
described in this policy to third parties we use to support our 
business, including advertising.”

Lorrie Cranor, director of
 the CyLab Security and Privacy Institute at Carnegie Mellon University,
 said her hunch is the operators of ksvotes.org only want to use the 
information to support the site, but the privacy policy is written too 
broadly to be sure.

“They didn’t make me completely convinced that the data wouldn’t be used for reasons that the users don’t want,” Cranor said.

Because the privacy policy
 allows Blueprint Kansas to partner with third parties, Cranor said, the
 group could obtain personal information from Google or any of the 
“gazillion advertising companies” that track the types of websites 
individuals visit and search terms they use.

In skilled hands, as a 
hypothetical example, the pairing of a marketing profile and voter 
registration data could allow someone to target messages to registered 
voters of a particular party who have visited websites affiliated with 
the Catholic church.

All of the individuals 
associated with Blueprint Kansas deny using the data in this way. Sam 
Coleman, a spokesman for the governor, said Davis’ duties for the 
governor involve working with legislators, stakeholders and advocates. 
He said Davis hasn’t provided data from ksvotes.org to the governor’s 
office, campaign or political allies.

Even if that is true, 
Cranor said, the language of the privacy policy indicates the operators 
of ksvotes.org eventually want to use the data for additional purposes.

“If they are not actually 
doing any of that tracking, then they should put it in writing and 
commit to it,” Cranor said. “Because otherwise, OK, so you’re not doing 
it today. And then tomorrow, you start. I’ll never know when you’re 
gonna start doing it because you’ve put it in your policy that you could
 do it.”

Kuckelman, the GOP chairman, said as an attorney, he advises clients when they sign an agreement, “read what it says they can do and assume that they will, because they have every right to do that.”

“When
 you go to this site, by agreeing to their terms, you agree they can 
give that information they collect to the third parties — including 
advertising, including businesses,” Kuckelman said. “They can do it, so 
I’m not sure what difference it makes what they say.”

McClendon oversaw 
construction of ksvotes.org, which launched in 2017 in direct response 
to a proof of citizenship law favored by former Secretary of State Kris 
Kobach.

Before <a href="https://www.cjonline.com/news/20180618/judge-sides-with-aclu-in-voter-registration-fight-orders-kobach-to-go-to-school">a federal judge struct down the law as unconstitutional</a>, Kansas required prospective voters to produce a copy of their birth certificate when they registered to vote.

As a result, McClendon said, online voter registrations dropped considerably.

He seized an opportunity 
to use the less restrictive federal voter registration form and bypass 
Kansas law. The ksvotes.org platform delivers a PDF to county clerks and
 sends verification to the voter that the registration was received. In 
2018, a Spanish language version of the form was added to the site, as 
well as a function to request advanced ballots.

This year, starting in 
April, more than 29,000 people have requested an advanced ballot through
 ksvotes.org — including more than 14,000 in the month of July, 
according to numbers <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pjiN48LhbNE6q7equH330kuJyAkBjEWNZEbG0iCyYqU/edit#gid=658147313">published directly through the site</a>. McClendon, whose technological aptitude includes <a href="https://www.lifewire.com/default-center-google-earth-1616453">creating Google Maps</a>, said he can determine who has requested a ballot but not yet turned it in, and send the individual a reminder to do so.

“The fact of the matter is
 people who ask for an advance ballot are going to vote 90% of the 
time,” McClendon said. “So getting folks to request an advanced ballot 
is just like getting them out to vote, and I think that’s incredibly 
valuable.”

By comparison, the 
Secretary of State’s voter registration platform isn’t responsive to the
 small screens on mobile devices and doesn’t notify a voter if there is a
 problem with the registration. Because it relies on a Kansas Department
 of Revenue database, the state platform requires prospective voters to 
have a driver’s license, which isn’t required at ksvotes.org.

Katie Koupal, a 
spokeswoman for Secretary of State’s office, said the department is 
working with the Kansas Department of Revenue to modernize the platform,
 but there is no timetable for the overhaul.

The current state platform
 is actually an improvement over the one that existed when Kobach was in
 office. Shew, the Douglas County clerk, said the previous system was 
full of bugs. He said he would get lengthy error reports from the state a
 day before the election with hundreds of registrations from months 
before that had to be manually entered into the poll book.

“I didn’t get involved in 
this project because I’m a Democrat,” Shew said of ksvotes.org. “I got 
involved because I’m a county clerk that saw that voters weren’t getting
 registered to vote through the system that was available to them and 
they were being denied their right to vote.”

Lauren Bonds, legal 
director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, said any 
concerns with ksvotes.org should be considered in relation to the 
Secretary of State’s cumbersome process and track record.

The ACLU <a href="https://www.cjonline.com/news/20180325/aclu-no-lawyer-trick-needed-to-spurn-kobach-claims-of-voter-fraud">successfully sued Kobach</a>
 over his unfounded claims of voter fraud and the proof of citizenship 
law, which blocked more than 30,000 eligible Kansans from voting. The <a href="https://www.cjonline.com/news/20191210/aclu-of-kansas-announces-deal-to-abandon-crosscheck-for-foreseeable-future">ACLU also forced discontinuation</a>
 of the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program, a tool used to
 find duplicate voter registrations but which produced false positives 
99% of the time.

The ACLU’s class action 
lawsuit over the Crosscheck program was filed after a security failing 
in which passwords and partial Social Security numbers of 945 Kansas 
voters were exposed, and a Homeland Security audit confirmed 
vulnerabilities with the program.

“It’s not a particularly 
secure environment to begin with,” Bonds said, “and so I think that’s 
got to be part of the conversation, too, when we’re saying, ‘Where’s the
 best place for people to register?'”

Kobach, <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/podcast/kris-kobach-warns-gop-voters-not-to-be-fooled-by-general-election-oddsmakers/">now a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate</a>, said most people who go to ksvotes.org probably think of it as “just a handy registration website.”

“It’s not concerning that 
they’re registering people, but if you’re collecting data about somebody
 and not informing them, or people don’t know the full scope of the 
data, that does concern me,” Kobach said.

The Secretary of State’s office recommends prospective voters use its application to avoid security concerns.

Kuckelman said he was 
concerned that people who use ksvotes.org may mistakenly believe they 
are dealing directly with the state of Kansas.

“In
 the Republican Party, we’ve always felt that ksvotes.org is a mechanism
 driven by Democrats to try to sign up folks, and I’ve always been 
concerned about the data they’re capturing,” Kuckelman said.

Miller, the political 
science professor, said nobody has ever expressed concerns to him about 
the privacy policy before, and that he would be willing to consider 
recommendations to change it.

“Any
 implication that this is a partisan thing, or that voters’ data is 
being improperly used or shared, I just roundly reject that,” Miller 
said.

Sherman Smith has written award-winning news stories about the instability of the Kansas foster care system, misconduct by government officials, sexual abuse, technology, education, and the Legislature. He spent 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal, where he started on the copy desk, then oversaw digital operations, was the managing editor and reported from the Statehouse. A lifelong Kansan, he graduated from Emporia State University in 2004 as a Shepherd Scholar with a degree in English.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596480863507.jpeg" alt="The ksvotes.org website offers the best platform for registering to vote online, but language in the privacy policy raises concerns about the data being collected and whether it could ever be used for political purposes. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>The ksvotes.org website offers the best platform for registering to vote online, but language in the privacy policy raises concerns about the data being collected and whether it could ever be used for political purposes. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>At Democrat-backed ksvotes.org, voters agree to let lease personal information in exchange for better platform</h2>By SHERMAN SMITH <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/08/02/privacy-concerns-shadow-popular-voter-registration-website/">Kansas Reflector</a>The 41,700 people who have turned to <a href="https://www.ksvotes.org/">ksvotes.org</a>
 as a superior alternative to the state’s primitive online platform for 
voter registration probably don’t realize they signed away their 
personal information to be used in targeted advertisements.Language in the site’s 
privacy policy gives permission to Blueprint Kansas, the organization 
that operates ksvotes.org, to collect contact information, website 
usage, details about your phone or laptop, and all the elements of a 
voter registration form — and use this personal data to send direct 
texts, or give the data to other entities, such as Facebook.A data security expert says the <a href="https://www.ksvotes.org/privacy-policy">privacy policy</a>
 should be revised, but Blueprint Kansas’ Democratic officers deny using
 the data they collect for political purposes. Republicans fear the 
platform could be used as a tool for Democrats to bolster their ranks.“We’re in a strange time 
right now in the state of Kansas,” said Mike Kuckelman, chairman of the 
Kansas Republican Party. “We’re seeing <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/07/28/democrats-see-opportunity-for-senate-seat-in-kansas-gop-primary-battle/">millions of dollars come in from out of state</a>
 trying to influence the Republican primary in the U.S. Senate race. If 
you think that people won’t undertake underhanded efforts to affect 
elections, that’s a pretty naive view.“So I’m skeptical of sites
 like this, of what they’re really going to do with the data and what 
kind of an unfair advantage they’re going to give.”As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit,&nbsp;Blueprint Kansas is prohibited from partisan activity.Brian McClendon, the 
former Google executive and 2018 Democratic candidate for secretary of 
state, said he and the three others involved with Blueprint Kansas never
 have harvested data for political purposes. The organization only sends
 messages reminding people to vote, he said, and has never made the 
information available for campaigns to use.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Just got this unsolicited text (I am registered unaffiliated) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ksleg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ksleg</a> <a href="https://t.co/jNxeUYh83t">pic.twitter.com/jNxeUYh83t</a>&mdash; Jonathan Shorman (@jonshorman) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonshorman/status/1287074982275756033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Other officers for 
Blueprint Kansas are Jamie Shew, a Democrat who oversees elections as 
Douglas County clerk; Kate Davis, a legislative liaison in Democratic 
Gov. Laura Kelly’s office; and Patrick Miller, a registered Republican 
and political science professor at the University of Kansas.“We have never sat down 
and said, ‘Well, what can we do to screw Republicans or benefit 
Democrats?’&nbsp;” Miller said. “We don’t talk about partisan things. We 
don’t have partisan goals. We just want a tool that’s going to make 
registration and ballot access easy for as many people as possible.”‘Commit to it’ 
A link to the ksvotes.org 
privacy policy can be found at the bottom of the website, below the form
 that asks for name, date of birth, zip code, email and phone number.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596480974303.jpeg" alt="Language in the ksvotes.org privacy policy allows the site to collect more personal data than what voters enter into their registration forms, and turn that data over to third parties for advertising. (Illustration by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Language in the ksvotes.org privacy policy allows the site to collect more personal data than what voters enter into their registration forms, and turn that data over to third parties for advertising. (Illustration by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>From the policy: “We may 
disclose personal information that we collect or you provide as 
described in this policy to third parties we use to support our 
business, including advertising.”Lorrie Cranor, director of
 the CyLab Security and Privacy Institute at Carnegie Mellon University,
 said her hunch is the operators of ksvotes.org only want to use the 
information to support the site, but the privacy policy is written too 
broadly to be sure.“They didn’t make me completely convinced that the data wouldn’t be used for reasons that the users don’t want,” Cranor said.Because the privacy policy
 allows Blueprint Kansas to partner with third parties, Cranor said, the
 group could obtain personal information from Google or any of the 
“gazillion advertising companies” that track the types of websites 
individuals visit and search terms they use.In skilled hands, as a 
hypothetical example, the pairing of a marketing profile and voter 
registration data could allow someone to target messages to registered 
voters of a particular party who have visited websites affiliated with 
the Catholic church.All of the individuals 
associated with Blueprint Kansas deny using the data in this way. Sam 
Coleman, a spokesman for the governor, said Davis’ duties for the 
governor involve working with legislators, stakeholders and advocates. 
He said Davis hasn’t provided data from ksvotes.org to the governor’s 
office, campaign or political allies.“Unequivocally no,” Coleman said.Even if that is true, 
Cranor said, the language of the privacy policy indicates the operators 
of ksvotes.org eventually want to use the data for additional purposes.“If they are not actually 
doing any of that tracking, then they should put it in writing and 
commit to it,” Cranor said. “Because otherwise, OK, so you’re not doing 
it today. And then tomorrow, you start. I’ll never know when you’re 
gonna start doing it because you’ve put it in your policy that you could
 do it.”Kuckelman, the GOP chairman, said as an attorney, he advises clients when they sign an agreement, “read what it says they can do and assume that they will, because they have every right to do that.”“When
 you go to this site, by agreeing to their terms, you agree they can 
give that information they collect to the third parties — including 
advertising, including businesses,” Kuckelman said. “They can do it, so 
I’m not sure what difference it makes what they say.”‘Incredibly valuable’ 
McClendon oversaw 
construction of ksvotes.org, which launched in 2017 in direct response 
to a proof of citizenship law favored by former Secretary of State Kris 
Kobach.Before <a href="https://www.cjonline.com/news/20180618/judge-sides-with-aclu-in-voter-registration-fight-orders-kobach-to-go-to-school">a federal judge struct down the law as unconstitutional</a>, Kansas required prospective voters to produce a copy of their birth certificate when they registered to vote.As a result, McClendon said, online voter registrations dropped considerably.He seized an opportunity 
to use the less restrictive federal voter registration form and bypass 
Kansas law. The ksvotes.org platform delivers a PDF to county clerks and
 sends verification to the voter that the registration was received. In 
2018, a Spanish language version of the form was added to the site, as 
well as a function to request advanced ballots.This year, starting in 
April, more than 29,000 people have requested an advanced ballot through
 ksvotes.org — including more than 14,000 in the month of July, 
according to numbers <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pjiN48LhbNE6q7equH330kuJyAkBjEWNZEbG0iCyYqU/edit#gid=658147313">published directly through the site</a>. McClendon, whose technological aptitude includes <a href="https://www.lifewire.com/default-center-google-earth-1616453">creating Google Maps</a>, said he can determine who has requested a ballot but not yet turned it in, and send the individual a reminder to do so.“The fact of the matter is
 people who ask for an advance ballot are going to vote 90% of the 
time,” McClendon said. “So getting folks to request an advanced ballot 
is just like getting them out to vote, and I think that’s incredibly 
valuable.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596481012727.jpeg" alt="The state’s official online voter registration platform, offered by the Secretary of State’s office and Kansas Department of Revenue, doesn’t respond to smartphone screens or other mobile devices. (Screenshot)" />
 <figcaption>The state’s official online voter registration platform, offered by the Secretary of State’s office and Kansas Department of Revenue, doesn’t respond to smartphone screens or other mobile devices. (Screenshot)</figcaption>
 </figure>By comparison, the 
Secretary of State’s voter registration platform isn’t responsive to the
 small screens on mobile devices and doesn’t notify a voter if there is a
 problem with the registration. Because it relies on a Kansas Department
 of Revenue database, the state platform requires prospective voters to 
have a driver’s license, which isn’t required at ksvotes.org.Katie Koupal, a 
spokeswoman for Secretary of State’s office, said the department is 
working with the Kansas Department of Revenue to modernize the platform,
 but there is no timetable for the overhaul.The current state platform
 is actually an improvement over the one that existed when Kobach was in
 office. Shew, the Douglas County clerk, said the previous system was 
full of bugs. He said he would get lengthy error reports from the state a
 day before the election with hundreds of registrations from months 
before that had to be manually entered into the poll book.“I didn’t get involved in 
this project because I’m a Democrat,” Shew said of ksvotes.org. “I got 
involved because I’m a county clerk that saw that voters weren’t getting
 registered to vote through the system that was available to them and 
they were being denied their right to vote.”‘Driven by Democrats’ 
Lauren Bonds, legal 
director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, said any 
concerns with ksvotes.org should be considered in relation to the 
Secretary of State’s cumbersome process and track record.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596481044132.jpeg" alt="Lauren Bonds, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, says the Secretary of State’s office has a history of not providing a secure environment, or a reliable voter registration platform. (Submitted)" />
 <figcaption>Lauren Bonds, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, says the Secretary of State’s office has a history of not providing a secure environment, or a reliable voter registration platform. (Submitted)</figcaption>
 </figure>The ACLU <a href="https://www.cjonline.com/news/20180325/aclu-no-lawyer-trick-needed-to-spurn-kobach-claims-of-voter-fraud">successfully sued Kobach</a>
 over his unfounded claims of voter fraud and the proof of citizenship 
law, which blocked more than 30,000 eligible Kansans from voting. The <a href="https://www.cjonline.com/news/20191210/aclu-of-kansas-announces-deal-to-abandon-crosscheck-for-foreseeable-future">ACLU also forced discontinuation</a>
 of the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program, a tool used to
 find duplicate voter registrations but which produced false positives 
99% of the time.The ACLU’s class action 
lawsuit over the Crosscheck program was filed after a security failing 
in which passwords and partial Social Security numbers of 945 Kansas 
voters were exposed, and a Homeland Security audit confirmed 
vulnerabilities with the program.“It’s not a particularly 
secure environment to begin with,” Bonds said, “and so I think that’s 
got to be part of the conversation, too, when we’re saying, ‘Where’s the
 best place for people to register?'”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596481070084.jpeg" alt="Former Secretary of State Kris Kobach says he isn’t concerned with ksvotes.org registering people to vote, but not if the site is collecting data without telling people. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Former Secretary of State Kris Kobach says he isn’t concerned with ksvotes.org registering people to vote, but not if the site is collecting data without telling people. (Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>Kobach, <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/podcast/kris-kobach-warns-gop-voters-not-to-be-fooled-by-general-election-oddsmakers/">now a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate</a>, said most people who go to ksvotes.org probably think of it as “just a handy registration website.”“It’s not concerning that 
they’re registering people, but if you’re collecting data about somebody
 and not informing them, or people don’t know the full scope of the 
data, that does concern me,” Kobach said.The Secretary of State’s office recommends prospective voters use its application to avoid security concerns.Kuckelman said he was 
concerned that people who use ksvotes.org may mistakenly believe they 
are dealing directly with the state of Kansas.“In
 the Republican Party, we’ve always felt that ksvotes.org is a mechanism
 driven by Democrats to try to sign up folks, and I’ve always been 
concerned about the data they’re capturing,” Kuckelman said.Miller, the political 
science professor, said nobody has ever expressed concerns to him about 
the privacy policy before, and that he would be willing to consider 
recommendations to change it.“Any
 implication that this is a partisan thing, or that voters’ data is 
being improperly used or shared, I just roundly reject that,” Miller 
said.Sherman Smith has written award-winning news stories about the instability of the Kansas foster care system, misconduct by government officials, sexual abuse, technology, education, and the Legislature. He spent 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal, where he started on the copy desk, then oversaw digital operations, was the managing editor and reported from the Statehouse. A lifelong Kansan, he graduated from Emporia State University in 2004 as a Shepherd Scholar with a degree in English.

Privacy concerns shadow popular voter registration website

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas Board of Education primary election has drawn more attention than usual after the panel voted against the governor’s plan to delay the start of the school year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

One member who had been running unopposed, Deena Horst, voted against Gov. Laura Kelly’s order, and the next day a write-in challenger endorsed by a former governor joined the race.

Five of the board’s 10 seats are up for election, but just two have competitive primaries. Horst and two other board members have no opponents on either the primary or general election ballots.

“People generally don’t pay much attention to the state board of ed. In general, they don’t make a lot of typically controversial decisions. There’s nothing like controversy to get people riled up and paying attention,” said Dave Colburn, who launched the write-in campaign against Horst.

Colburn, a Democrat backed by former Democratic Gov. John Carlin, doesn’t need to win more votes than Horst, a Republican, in Tuesday’s primary. Under Kansas law, a write-in candidate needs the votes of 5% of all the registered voters in the district to appear on the general election ballot.

Horst didn’t respond to a request for comment. She previously explained her vote against delaying a return to school by saying it is “very confusing to parents to have their local district making a decision that is trumped by the governor’s executive order.”

Three of the four board members running for reelection — Ann May, Kathy Busch and Jim McNiece — supported the governor’s order delaying the start of school.

The state board of education hasn’t gotten this much attention since debates over teaching evolution in the late 1990s and early 2000s, said Mark Tallman, a lobbyist for the Kansas Association of School Boards.

At that time, the board was sharply divided by conservative Republicans and a bloc of moderate Republicans and Democrats. In recent years, the board — where Republicans hold an 8-2 majority — hasn’t been as ideologically split, Tallman said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596475890304.png" alt="Members of the Kansas Board of Education listen to KDHE Sec. Dr. Lee Norman during their July 22&nbsp; special meeting on Zoom" />
 <figcaption>Members of the Kansas Board of Education listen to KDHE Sec. Dr. Lee Norman during their July 22&nbsp; special meeting on Zoom</figcaption>
 </figure>WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas Board of Education primary election has drawn more attention than usual after the panel voted against the governor’s plan to delay the start of the school year due to the coronavirus pandemic.One member who had been running unopposed, Deena Horst, voted against Gov. Laura Kelly’s order, and the next day a write-in challenger endorsed by a former governor joined the race.Five of the board’s 10 seats are up for election, but just two have competitive primaries. Horst and two other board members have no opponents on either the primary or general election ballots.“People generally don’t pay much attention to the state board of ed. In general, they don’t make a lot of typically controversial decisions. There’s nothing like controversy to get people riled up and paying attention,” said Dave Colburn, who launched the write-in campaign against Horst.Colburn, a Democrat backed by former Democratic Gov. John Carlin, doesn’t need to win more votes than Horst, a Republican, in Tuesday’s primary. Under Kansas law, a write-in candidate needs the votes of 5% of all the registered voters in the district to appear on the general election ballot.Horst didn’t respond to a request for comment. She previously explained her vote against delaying a return to school by saying it is “very confusing to parents to have their local district making a decision that is trumped by the governor’s executive order.”Three of the four board members running for reelection — Ann May, Kathy Busch and Jim McNiece — supported the governor’s order delaying the start of school.The state board of education hasn’t gotten this much attention since debates over teaching evolution in the late 1990s and early 2000s, said Mark Tallman, a lobbyist for the Kansas Association of School Boards.At that time, the board was sharply divided by conservative Republicans and a bloc of moderate Republicans and Democrats. In recent years, the board — where Republicans hold an 8-2 majority — hasn’t been as ideologically split, Tallman said.

Kan. Board of Ed races draw attention after COVID-19 vote

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 1064 to a total of 28,876 the state health department reported Monday afternoon.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE.

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 1064 to a total of 28,876 the state health department reported Monday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 365<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596474617967.png" alt="Monday August 3, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Monday August 3, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

RILEY COUNTY—Authorities are working to determine the cause of a fire at a home Sunday in Riley County.

Just after 10:12 a.m. on Sunday, the Riley County Fire District was paged for a fire at a home at 10919 Lakeside Drive in Manhattan, according to Emergency Management Director Pat Collins.

 The University Park station arrived first and found a fully engulfed residence. Four other stations responded to assist with 32 volunteers.&nbsp;

The female tenant and her 12-year-old daughter were home at the time of the fire. They were not injured.&nbsp; One firefighter injury was reported when the floor collapsed into the basement where he was working.

The building was owned by RPM LLC. Ryan Kruse spoke for the owners and said he had a $150,000 loss involved with just the structure. The loss for contents exceeds $60,000. The home was a total loss, according to Collins. The extensive damage to home prohibits an exact cause but the fire appeared to start in the mud room.

The fire was controlled in about two hours and all of the units returned to their station by 4p.m., according to Collins.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596468740746.png" alt="Sunday morning fire photo courtesy Riley County Fire District 1" />
 <figcaption>Sunday morning fire photo courtesy Riley County Fire District 1</figcaption>
 </figure>RILEY COUNTY—Authorities are working to determine the cause of a fire at a home Sunday in Riley County.Just after 10:12 a.m. on Sunday, the Riley County Fire District was paged for a fire at a home at 10919 Lakeside Drive in Manhattan, according to Emergency Management Director Pat Collins. The University Park station arrived first and found a fully engulfed residence. Four other stations responded to assist with 32 volunteers.&nbsp;The female tenant and her 12-year-old daughter were home at the time of the fire. They were not injured.&nbsp; One firefighter injury was reported when the floor collapsed into the basement where he was working.The building was owned by RPM LLC. Ryan Kruse spoke for the owners and said he had a $150,000 loss involved with just the structure. The loss for contents exceeds $60,000. The home was a total loss, according to Collins. The extensive damage to home prohibits an exact cause but the fire appeared to start in the mud room.The fire was controlled in about two hours and all of the units returned to their station by 4p.m., according to Collins.

Kansas home a total loss, 1 firefighter injured 

SALINE COUNTY —Two people were injured when a car struck Tony's Pizza Events Center just after 2p.m. Saturday in Salina.

According to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester, a 1965 Pontiac LeMans driven by James Lininberger, 51, of Salina, was traveling in the 800 block of The Midway when he accelerated and the pedal became stuck, causing him to lose control of the vehicle.

The LeMans hit the curb and then Tony's Pizza Events Center, causing damage to the southeast wall and breaking a gas line.

Lininberger received an upper ear laceration and nose abrasion and a 47-year-old female passenger received a broken leg and left foot, according to Forrester.

Lininberger was cited for exhibition of speed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596467526532.jpeg" alt="LeMans crashed into Tony's Pizza Events Center on Saturday- Photos by Devin Hanney" />
 <figcaption>LeMans crashed into Tony's Pizza Events Center on Saturday- Photos by Devin Hanney</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Two people were injured when a car struck Tony's Pizza Events Center just after 2p.m. Saturday in Salina.According to Salina Police Captain Paul Forrester, a 1965 Pontiac LeMans driven by James Lininberger, 51, of Salina, was traveling in the 800 block of The Midway when he accelerated and the pedal became stuck, causing him to lose control of the vehicle.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596467690514.jpeg" alt="The crash broke a gas line off of the building." />
 <figcaption>The crash broke a gas line off of the building.</figcaption>
 </figure>The LeMans hit the curb and then Tony's Pizza Events Center, causing damage to the southeast wall and breaking a gas line.Lininberger received an upper ear laceration and nose abrasion and a 47-year-old female passenger received a broken leg and left foot, according to Forrester.Lininberger was cited for exhibition of speed.

2 injured after 1965 LeMans crash into events center

By COLE REIF Great Bend Post

GREAT BEND — With a 3-2 vote (3 votes against, 2 for), the Barton County Commission voted against requiring face
masks to be used in public. &nbsp; 
The motion on the Aug. 3 agenda was actually to rescind a
previous resolution that repealed the provisions of a Kansas Executive Order
for the use of face masks. The Commission wanted to discuss the possibility of
going back on that repeal and start requiring masks in stores, restaurants and
any situation where social distancing of six feet cannot be maintained,
including outside. 
Commissioner Jennifer Schartz mentioned she was against mandating masks at the
July 2 vote but changed her mind. 
"I think it is the job of the Commission to keep the people safe and 
keep businesses open," said Schartz. "Wearing a mask may help that. I 
know that doing nothing hasn't helped because our numbers continue to 
rise." 
Schartz followed that comment up by stating when you live in a society
there are lots of limits placed on you, including wearing a seatbelt and
wearing shoes in businesses.

As of Aug. 2, Barton County reports 31 active COVID-19 cases and 254 active quarantine/isolation orders. 
Commissioner Jim Daily agreed with Schartz on many of her comments and noted he
felt wearing masks was a good idea, but still felt the decision should be made
by the citizens. 
"No matter what my personal opinion of this may be, I do not think 
making a mandate that is nonenforceable and infringing on personal 
liberties is a good choice." 
The Commission voted to keep the repeal resolution in place, thus not requiring
the use of face masks. Independent and private businesses can still follow
their own requirements. 
Commissioners Daily, Don Davis and Kenny Schremmer all voted against the mask
requirement. Schartz and Homer Kruckenberg voted in favor of requiring masks.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Listen to the entire discussion below on the mask topic from the Barton County Commission meeting Aug. 3.

By COLE REIF Great Bend PostGREAT BEND — With a 3-2 vote (3 votes against, 2 for), the Barton County Commission voted against requiring face
masks to be used in public. &nbsp; 
The motion on the Aug. 3 agenda was actually to rescind a
previous resolution that repealed the provisions of a Kansas Executive Order
for the use of face masks. The Commission wanted to discuss the possibility of
going back on that repeal and start requiring masks in stores, restaurants and
any situation where social distancing of six feet cannot be maintained,
including outside. 
Commissioner Jennifer Schartz mentioned she was against mandating masks at the
July 2 vote but changed her mind. 
"I think it is the job of the Commission to keep the people safe and 
keep businesses open," said Schartz. "Wearing a mask may help that. I 
know that doing nothing hasn't helped because our numbers continue to 
rise." 
Schartz followed that comment up by stating when you live in a society
there are lots of limits placed on you, including wearing a seatbelt and
wearing shoes in businesses. As of Aug. 2, Barton County reports 31 active COVID-19 cases and 254 active quarantine/isolation orders. 
Commissioner Jim Daily agreed with Schartz on many of her comments and noted he
felt wearing masks was a good idea, but still felt the decision should be made
by the citizens. 
"No matter what my personal opinion of this may be, I do not think 
making a mandate that is nonenforceable and infringing on personal 
liberties is a good choice." 
The Commission voted to keep the repeal resolution in place, thus not requiring
the use of face masks. Independent and private businesses can still follow
their own requirements. 
Commissioners Daily, Don Davis and Kenny Schremmer all voted against the mask
requirement. Schartz and Homer Kruckenberg voted in favor of requiring masks.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Listen to the entire discussion below on the mask topic from the Barton County Commission meeting Aug. 3.<div><iframe width="100%" height="265" src="https://clyp.it/niz03dlk/widget" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>

🎧 Barton County Commission votes against a mask requirement

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal stabbing and have one suspect in custody.

Just after 3 a.m. Sunday police responded to a stabbing call at a home in the 2300 block of South Pinecrest in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.

 Upon arrival, officers located 34-year-old Ryan Speight of Wichita with a stab wound to the chest. &nbsp;He was pronounced deceased on the scene. 

Police also contacted 57-year-old David Staley at the scene.&nbsp;

The investigation revealed a party occurred at the home. After party attendees had left, an argument ensured between Staley and his nephew Speight, who both live at the home.&nbsp;

During the argument, Staley stabbed Speight, causing his fatal injuries, according to Davidson.

Police arrested Staley without incident. He is being held on a requested charge of <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=232076">2nd-degree murder,</a> according to online jail records.

The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s office.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596409102140.png" alt="Staley-photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Staley-photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal stabbing and have one suspect in custody.Just after 3 a.m. Sunday police responded to a stabbing call at a home in the 2300 block of South Pinecrest in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson. Upon arrival, officers located 34-year-old Ryan Speight of Wichita with a stab wound to the chest. &nbsp;He was pronounced deceased on the scene. Police also contacted 57-year-old David Staley at the scene.&nbsp;The investigation revealed a party occurred at the home. After party attendees had left, an argument ensured between Staley and his nephew Speight, who both live at the home.&nbsp;During the argument, Staley stabbed Speight, causing his fatal injuries, according to Davidson.Police arrested Staley without incident. He is being held on a requested charge of <a href="https://ssc.sedgwickcounty.org/sheriffinmates/SheriffInmateDetail.aspx?nameId=232076">2nd-degree murder,</a> according to online jail records.The case will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s office.&nbsp;

Police: Kan. man fatally stabbed nephew after party 

HOLTON, Kan. (AP) — Establishment Republican leaders are scrambling to pull out a win in a tense party battle for the nomination in the Kansas Senate race, and they won’t be able to count on last-minute help from President Donald Trump.

Trump has signaled to allies and aides that he won’t endorse in the primary between Rep. Roger Marshall, the preferred candidate of Washington Republicans, and conservative lightning-rod Kris Kobach. Although GOP leaders believe Kobach’s hardline anti-immigration message is too divisive to win a general election — and may jeopardize control of the Senate — Trump has resisted weighing in out of concern for tarnish his own standing with his conservative base, according to two campaign and White House officials.

Trump’s neutrality leaves the Kansas primary heading to a tight finish Tuesday under a barrage of attack ads from political action committees. The field is crowded with candidates and is poised to test whether mainstream Republicans can be scared into unifying to block Kobach from eeking out a win.

“If we lose the Senate and everything else goes to hell, we have no firewall,” retiring Sen. Pat Roberts said in an interview, issuing one of the many increasingly dire warnings coming from Republicans. Roberts has endorsed Marshall. “That’s why the Senate race is so important in Kansas.”

Republican leaders have been trying to avoid a Kobach nomination for seven months, but the stakes have increased in recent weeks. As Trump’s popularity has slumped, fueled by disapproval of his handling of the pandemic and an economic crash, Republican worries about winning Senate seats have spiked. The once-safe seat in a state where Republicans have won every Senate race since 1932 now looks shaky and a loss the GOP can’t afford.

This was a scenario establishment Republicans tried and failed for months to avoid. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to run. GOP leaders tried without much success to narrow the number of candidates — which now stands at 11, including self-funding businessman Bob Hamilton.

All the while Democrats have watched gleefully and coalesced around Democrat with credentials that could appeal to Republicans turned off by Kobach. The presumed Democratic pick, state sen. Barbara Bollier, is a retired Kansas City-area anesthesiologist and a former lifelong moderate Republican who made national headlines at the end of 2018 by switching parties. Bollier already has raised more than $8 million, more than the top Republicans combined.

Kobach, meanwhile, has been relying on his loyal base attracted to him by the stance on immigration that hurt his failed 2018 campaign for governor. At a recent stop at a bar and grill in Holton, about a half-hour north of Topeka, an audience of about 20 people applauded when he mentioned his involvement in a group seeking to build privately funded sections of a wall along the U.S border with Mexico. Afterward, some said they admire the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c51d18affef34e919d63c19612d767f2">take-no-prisoners style</a>&nbsp;that has made Kobach anathema to many independent and moderate GOP voters.

“He doesn’t wander away from the subject matter, especially on the alien stuff and all of those things — he’s held his ground,” said Bob Sines, from the small northeast Kansas town Hiawatha, the 73-year-old owner of a ham-processing plant.

Marshall, a two-term congressman for western and central Kansas, is backed by key business, agriculture and anti-abortion groups. And he often brags about voting with Trump 98% of the time in the House, in an attempt to bolster his conservative credentials.

While Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has worried about whether Kobach can win, Trump’s own advisers have pushed him to endorse Marshall, according to the campaign and White House officials who would not speak on the record because they were not authorized to discuss private conversations.

But the officials say Trump has resisted, largely out of fear that doing so would anger his most conservative supporters. In discussions about the endorsement, the president has told associates that he’s mindful that Kobach’s immigration views are in line with his own and that Kobach remains popular with Trump’s base, the officials said.

Trump also was lobbied to remain neutral by Sen. Ted Cruz, who spoke with Trump about the race on Air Force One on Wednesday, as the men flew to Washington from Cruz’s home state of Texas. Cruz noted Marshall backed John Kasich in 2016, one of Trump’s primary opponents, the officials said.

In Kansas, Kobach has played up his ties to the president even without an endorsement. He notes his role as an informal adviser after being the first prominent Kansas official to endorse Trump’s 2016 bid for president.

Trump tweeted an endorsement for Kobach in 2018 the day before the primary in the governor’s race, helping him win a 343-vote victory over then-Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer. The president&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/9dc2ed42fbc74738a6c12d1a06c9060a">overruled aides in doing it.</a>

Kobach, a former Kansas secretary of state, built a national profile by advocating for and then helping to write restrictive immigration policies, such as an Arizona “show your papers” law. That helped alienate many voters in the 2018 governor’s election, and even some conservatives have soured on him.

Kobach is backed by billionaire investor and PayPal founder Peter Thiel, who put $850,000 into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/b24c5f2819778bf89d3e56f307b0ab19">an anti-Marshall political action committee,&nbsp;</a>according to online campaign finance documents.

But that’s only part of the roughly $11 million PACs have spent on often-slashing ads, according to two media tracking firms. Marshall, confident throughout the race, acknowledged this week that it has tightened.

Kansas does not hold runoffs, and nominees occasionally win with less than a third of the total vote.

“We knew this would be a challenge, but I trust Kansans are going to get this right,” Marshall said during an interview. “Kansans will realize that there’s too much at stake.”

The biggest-spending PAC is Sunflower State, which has Democratic ties. Its ads have criticized Kobach for being too conservative but attacked Marshall more vigorously — fueling suspicions that it’s deliberately boosting Kobach, many Democrats’ preferred challenger for Bollier.

Kobach dismisses doubts about his electability by arguing that a surge of pro-Trump voters will carry him to victory after not showing up for the 2018 election. He contends he’s being attacked by a McConnell-led GOP “swamp” that wants a pliable senator.

“On federal issues, Kansans are more conservative and more red than they are on state issues,” he said. “Whether it be national defense, or the Supreme Court or immigration or the federal budget.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596368574510.png" alt="Rep. Roger Marshall during a campaign stop last week in Gardner, Kansas. -photo Marshall for&nbsp; Senate" />
 <figcaption>Rep. Roger Marshall during a campaign stop last week in Gardner, Kansas. -photo Marshall for&nbsp; Senate</figcaption>
 </figure>HOLTON, Kan. (AP) — Establishment Republican leaders are scrambling to pull out a win in a tense party battle for the nomination in the Kansas Senate race, and they won’t be able to count on last-minute help from President Donald Trump.Trump has signaled to allies and aides that he won’t endorse in the primary between Rep. Roger Marshall, the preferred candidate of Washington Republicans, and conservative lightning-rod Kris Kobach. Although GOP leaders believe Kobach’s hardline anti-immigration message is too divisive to win a general election — and may jeopardize control of the Senate — Trump has resisted weighing in out of concern for tarnish his own standing with his conservative base, according to two campaign and White House officials.Trump’s neutrality leaves the Kansas primary heading to a tight finish Tuesday under a barrage of attack ads from political action committees. The field is crowded with candidates and is poised to test whether mainstream Republicans can be scared into unifying to block Kobach from eeking out a win.“If we lose the Senate and everything else goes to hell, we have no firewall,” retiring Sen. Pat Roberts said in an interview, issuing one of the many increasingly dire warnings coming from Republicans. Roberts has endorsed Marshall. “That’s why the Senate race is so important in Kansas.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596368133872.png" alt="Kris Kobach during a campaign stop last week in Garden City-photo courtesy Kobach for Senate" />
 <figcaption>Kris Kobach during a campaign stop last week in Garden City-photo courtesy Kobach for Senate</figcaption>
 </figure>Republican leaders have been trying to avoid a Kobach nomination for seven months, but the stakes have increased in recent weeks. As Trump’s popularity has slumped, fueled by disapproval of his handling of the pandemic and an economic crash, Republican worries about winning Senate seats have spiked. The once-safe seat in a state where Republicans have won every Senate race since 1932 now looks shaky and a loss the GOP can’t afford.This was a scenario establishment Republicans tried and failed for months to avoid. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to run. GOP leaders tried without much success to narrow the number of candidates — which now stands at 11, including self-funding businessman Bob Hamilton.All the while Democrats have watched gleefully and coalesced around Democrat with credentials that could appeal to Republicans turned off by Kobach. The presumed Democratic pick, state sen. Barbara Bollier, is a retired Kansas City-area anesthesiologist and a former lifelong moderate Republican who made national headlines at the end of 2018 by switching parties. Bollier already has raised more than $8 million, more than the top Republicans combined.Kobach, meanwhile, has been relying on his loyal base attracted to him by the stance on immigration that hurt his failed 2018 campaign for governor. At a recent stop at a bar and grill in Holton, about a half-hour north of Topeka, an audience of about 20 people applauded when he mentioned his involvement in a group seeking to build privately funded sections of a wall along the U.S border with Mexico. Afterward, some said they admire the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/c51d18affef34e919d63c19612d767f2">take-no-prisoners style</a>&nbsp;that has made Kobach anathema to many independent and moderate GOP voters.“He doesn’t wander away from the subject matter, especially on the alien stuff and all of those things — he’s held his ground,” said Bob Sines, from the small northeast Kansas town Hiawatha, the 73-year-old owner of a ham-processing plant.Marshall, a two-term congressman for western and central Kansas, is backed by key business, agriculture and anti-abortion groups. And he often brags about voting with Trump 98% of the time in the House, in an attempt to bolster his conservative credentials.While Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has worried about whether Kobach can win, Trump’s own advisers have pushed him to endorse Marshall, according to the campaign and White House officials who would not speak on the record because they were not authorized to discuss private conversations.But the officials say Trump has resisted, largely out of fear that doing so would anger his most conservative supporters. In discussions about the endorsement, the president has told associates that he’s mindful that Kobach’s immigration views are in line with his own and that Kobach remains popular with Trump’s base, the officials said.Trump also was lobbied to remain neutral by Sen. Ted Cruz, who spoke with Trump about the race on Air Force One on Wednesday, as the men flew to Washington from Cruz’s home state of Texas. Cruz noted Marshall backed John Kasich in 2016, one of Trump’s primary opponents, the officials said.In Kansas, Kobach has played up his ties to the president even without an endorsement. He notes his role as an informal adviser after being the first prominent Kansas official to endorse Trump’s 2016 bid for president.Trump tweeted an endorsement for Kobach in 2018 the day before the primary in the governor’s race, helping him win a 343-vote victory over then-Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer. The president&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/9dc2ed42fbc74738a6c12d1a06c9060a">overruled aides in doing it.</a>Kobach, a former Kansas secretary of state, built a national profile by advocating for and then helping to write restrictive immigration policies, such as an Arizona “show your papers” law. That helped alienate many voters in the 2018 governor’s election, and even some conservatives have soured on him.Kobach is backed by billionaire investor and PayPal founder Peter Thiel, who put $850,000 into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/b24c5f2819778bf89d3e56f307b0ab19">an anti-Marshall political action committee,&nbsp;</a>according to online campaign finance documents.But that’s only part of the roughly $11 million PACs have spent on often-slashing ads, according to two media tracking firms. Marshall, confident throughout the race, acknowledged this week that it has tightened.Kansas does not hold runoffs, and nominees occasionally win with less than a third of the total vote.“We knew this would be a challenge, but I trust Kansans are going to get this right,” Marshall said during an interview. “Kansans will realize that there’s too much at stake.”The biggest-spending PAC is Sunflower State, which has Democratic ties. Its ads have criticized Kobach for being too conservative but attacked Marshall more vigorously — fueling suspicions that it’s deliberately boosting Kobach, many Democrats’ preferred challenger for Bollier.Kobach dismisses doubts about his electability by arguing that a surge of pro-Trump voters will carry him to victory after not showing up for the 2018 election. He contends he’s being attacked by a McConnell-led GOP “swamp” that wants a pliable senator.“On federal issues, Kansans are more conservative and more red than they are on state issues,” he said. “Whether it be national defense, or the Supreme Court or immigration or the federal budget.”___

Why Trump won't endorse a candidate in Kan. Senate race

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an injury accident that sent a child to a hospital.

Just after 8:30 p.m. Sunday, police responded to SE 6th and Lake in Topeka and found a child with critical injuries after being struck by a vehicle, according to Lt. John Trimble.

An ambulance transported the child to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police interviewed the driver and witnesses.&nbsp;

Police released no additional information late Sunday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596451175136.png" alt="Police on the scene of the accident Sunday -photo courtesy WIBW TV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the accident Sunday -photo courtesy WIBW TV</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an injury accident that sent a child to a hospital.Just after 8:30 p.m. Sunday, police responded to SE 6th and Lake in Topeka and found a child with critical injuries after being struck by a vehicle, according to Lt. John Trimble.An ambulance transported the child to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police interviewed the driver and witnesses.&nbsp;Police released no additional information late Sunday.

Police: Kan. child critically injured after struck by vehicle

SEDGWICK —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal motel room gun fight have identified a second man who&nbsp; died. On Saturday 23-year-old&nbsp;&nbsp;Keion Whyte of Wichita died as a result of the gun fight, according to officer Charley Davidson.

Four suspects in the shooting remain in custody.

Just before 1a.m. July 30, police responded to a shooting at the Scotsman Hotel, 5922 W. Kellogg in Wichita, according to Captain Jason Stephens.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located 40-year-old William Pottorff with multiple gunshot wounds to his body.&nbsp; He was pronounced deceased on the scene.&nbsp; 

Shortly after arriving on the scene, Keion Whyte arrived at an area hospital in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds.&nbsp;

The investigation revealed, a woman has been staying at the motel for approximately one month and was being visited by Pottorff, who is an acquaintance,&nbsp;according to Captain Stephens.

While in the room, Whyte and four others later identified as 23-year-old Braxton Cooley, 23-year-old&nbsp; Akakia&nbsp;Farbes, 23-year-old Koby Fisher all of Wichita and 43-year-old Eugene Donnald of O’Fallon, Illinois, forced themselves into the room, and a physical altercation ensued between Pottorff and Whyte.

During the physical altercation, both men pulled out handguns, and there was an exchange of gunfire, leading to Pottorff’s and then White's fatal injuries.

&nbsp;Cooley, Farbes, Donald, Fisher, and an additional person that was in a vehicle during the incident took Whyte to an area hospital, according to Stephens.

Following the investigation, police arrested Cooley, Farbes, Fisher and Donnald&nbsp; on requested charges of felony murder and aggravated burglary, according to Stephens.

SEDGWICK —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal motel room shooting have arrested four suspects.

Just before 1a.m. Thursday, police responded to a shooting at the Scotsman Hotel, 5922 W. Kellogg in Wichita, according to Captain Jason Stephens.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located 40-year-old William Pottorff with multiple gunshot wounds to his body.&nbsp; He was pronounced deceased on the scene.&nbsp; 

Shortly after arriving on the scene, a 23-year-old man arrived at an area hospital with multiple gunshot wounds and in critical condition.&nbsp; He remains hospitalized.

While in the room, the 23-year-old man and four others later identified as 23-year-old Braxton Cooley, 23-year-old&nbsp; Akakia&nbsp;Farbes, 23-year-old Koby Fisher all of Wichita and 43-year-old Eugene Donnald of O’Fallon, Illinois, forced themselves into the room, and a physical altercation ensued between Pottorff and the 23-year-old shooting suspect.

During the physical altercation, both men pulled out handguns, and there was an exchange of gunfire, leading to Pottorff’s fatal injuries and the 23-year-old’s critical injuries.

The 23-year-old was then taken to the area hospital by Cooley, Farbes, Donald, Fisher, and an additional person that was in a vehicle during the incident.

 Police have not released the identity of the 23-year-old in the hospital.

SEDGWICK —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have identified the victim as 40-year-old William Pottorff.

Just before 1a.m. Thursday, police responded to report of a shooting at the Scottsman Inn, 5922 West Kellogg in Wichita, according to&nbsp;Captain Jason Stephens.

When officers arrived, they found Pottorf dead inside one of the motel rooms. He had been staying there with a woman who had rented the room, according to Stephens.

Shortly after police were sent to the motel, officers learned that a 23-year-old man had arrived at a local hospital with a gunshot wound. Investigators were able to determine that he was involved in this incident at the motel. He remains in critical condition, according to Stephens.

Through interviews and evidence, police learned that the 23-year-old had been at the motel with four other men. They forcibly entered Pottorf's room.&nbsp; A disturbance occurred between the 23-year-old and Pottorf, according to Captain Stephens. Both brandished firearms and there was exchange of gunfire.

Police were continuing to conduct interviews in the case, according to Stephens.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596107513157.png" alt="Police on the scene of the fatal shooting investigation early Thursday -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the fatal shooting investigation early Thursday -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal motel room gun fight have identified a second man who&nbsp; died. On Saturday 23-year-old&nbsp;&nbsp;Keion Whyte of Wichita died as a result of the gun fight, according to officer Charley Davidson.Four suspects in the shooting remain in custody.Just before 1a.m. July 30, police responded to a shooting at the Scotsman Hotel, 5922 W. Kellogg in Wichita, according to Captain Jason Stephens.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located 40-year-old William Pottorff with multiple gunshot wounds to his body.&nbsp; He was pronounced deceased on the scene.&nbsp; Shortly after arriving on the scene, Keion Whyte arrived at an area hospital in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds.&nbsp;The investigation revealed, a woman has been staying at the motel for approximately one month and was being visited by Pottorff, who is an acquaintance,&nbsp;according to Captain Stephens.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596146101791.png" alt="Cooley photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Cooley photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>While in the room, Whyte and four others later identified as 23-year-old Braxton Cooley, 23-year-old&nbsp; Akakia&nbsp;Farbes, 23-year-old Koby Fisher all of Wichita and 43-year-old Eugene Donnald of O’Fallon, Illinois, forced themselves into the room, and a physical altercation ensued between Pottorff and Whyte.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596159011888.png" alt="Farbes photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Farbes photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>During the physical altercation, both men pulled out handguns, and there was an exchange of gunfire, leading to Pottorff’s and then White's fatal injuries.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596146211661.png" alt="Fisher photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Fisher photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;Cooley, Farbes, Donald, Fisher, and an additional person that was in a vehicle during the incident took Whyte to an area hospital, according to Stephens.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596206388150.png" alt="Donnald- photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Donnald- photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Following the investigation, police arrested Cooley, Farbes, Fisher and Donnald&nbsp; on requested charges of felony murder and aggravated burglary, according to Stephens.--------SEDGWICK —Law enforcement authorities investigating a fatal motel room shooting have arrested four suspects.Just before 1a.m. Thursday, police responded to a shooting at the Scotsman Hotel, 5922 W. Kellogg in Wichita, according to Captain Jason Stephens.&nbsp; Upon arrival, officers located 40-year-old William Pottorff with multiple gunshot wounds to his body.&nbsp; He was pronounced deceased on the scene.&nbsp; <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596107513157.png" alt="Police on the scene of the fatal shooting investigation early Thursday -photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the fatal shooting investigation early Thursday -photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>Shortly after arriving on the scene, a 23-year-old man arrived at an area hospital with multiple gunshot wounds and in critical condition.&nbsp; He remains hospitalized.The investigation revealed, a woman has been staying at the motel for approximately one month and was being visited by Pottorff, who is an acquaintance,&nbsp;according to Captain Stephens.While in the room, the 23-year-old man and four others later identified as 23-year-old Braxton Cooley, 23-year-old&nbsp; Akakia&nbsp;Farbes, 23-year-old Koby Fisher all of Wichita and 43-year-old Eugene Donnald of O’Fallon, Illinois, forced themselves into the room, and a physical altercation ensued between Pottorff and the 23-year-old shooting suspect.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596159011888.png" alt="Farbes photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Farbes photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>During the physical altercation, both men pulled out handguns, and there was an exchange of gunfire, leading to Pottorff’s fatal injuries and the 23-year-old’s critical injuries.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596146211661.png" alt="Fisher photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Fisher photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>The 23-year-old was then taken to the area hospital by Cooley, Farbes, Donald, Fisher, and an additional person that was in a vehicle during the incident.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596206388150.png" alt="Donnald- photo Sedgwick Co." />
 <figcaption>Donnald- photo Sedgwick Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Following the investigation, police arrested Cooley, Farbes, Fisher and Donnald&nbsp; on requested charges of felony murder and aggravated burglary, according to Stephens. Police have not released the identity of the 23-year-old in the hospital.-------------SEDGWICK —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have identified the victim as 40-year-old William Pottorff.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596107513157.png" alt="Police on the scene of the shooting investigation early Thursday photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the shooting investigation early Thursday photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 1a.m. Thursday, police responded to report of a shooting at the Scottsman Inn, 5922 West Kellogg in Wichita, according to&nbsp;Captain Jason Stephens.When officers arrived, they found Pottorf dead inside one of the motel rooms. He had been staying there with a woman who had rented the room, according to Stephens.Shortly after police were sent to the motel, officers learned that a 23-year-old man had arrived at a local hospital with a gunshot wound. Investigators were able to determine that he was involved in this incident at the motel. He remains in critical condition, according to Stephens.Through interviews and evidence, police learned that the 23-year-old had been at the motel with four other men. They forcibly entered Pottorf's room.&nbsp; A disturbance occurred between the 23-year-old and Pottorf, according to Captain Stephens. Both brandished firearms and there was exchange of gunfire.Police were continuing to conduct interviews in the case, according to Stephens.

Kan. motel gun fight: 2 dead, 4 jailed for murder, burglary

WASHINGTON (AP) — Slow, grinding negotiations on a huge COVID-19 relief bill are set to resume, but the path forward promises to be challenging. Both the Trump administration negotiating team and top Capitol Hill Democrats reported progress over the weekend even as they highlighted their differences.

Ahead of Monday’s talks, all sides predict a long slog ahead despite the lapse of a $600-per-week supplemental COVID jobless benefit, the beginning of school season, and the call of lawmakers’ cherished August recess. Several more days of talks are expected, if not more.

The White House is seeking opportunities to boost President Donald Trump, like another round of $1,200 stimulus payments and extending the supplemental jobless benefit and partial eviction ban. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democratic negotiator, appears intent on an agreement as well, but she’s made it clear she needs big money for state and local governments, unemployment benefits and food aid.

Appearances by the principal negotiators on Sunday’s news shows featured continued political shots by White House chief of staff Mark Meadows at Pelosi for turning down a one-week extension of the $600 benefit in talks last week.

Meadows, however, is understaffed during the talks and seems to struggle with his read on Pelosi. He spent much of his time on CBS’ “Face The Nation” attacking her for opposing a piecemeal approach that would revive jobless benefits immediately but leave other items like food stamps and aid to states for later legislation. She is insisting on a complete package.

Areas of agreement already include the $1,200 direct payment and changes to the Paycheck Protection Program to permit especially hard-hit businesses to obtain another loan under generous forgiveness terms.

But the terms and structure of the unemployment benefit remains a huge sticking point, negotiators said Sunday, and Meadows hasn’t made any concessions yet on the almost $1 trillion Pelosi wants for state and local governments grappling with pandemic-related revenue losses.

“We still have a long ways to go,” Meadows said, adding, “I’m not optimistic that there will be a solution in the very near term.”

Pelosi said she’d consider reducing the $600 benefit for states with lower unemployment rates. Republicans want to cut the benefit to encourage beneficiaries to return to work and say it is bad policy since it pays many jobless people more money than they made at their previous jobs.T

“But in this agreement it’s $600,” Pelosi said on ABC’s ’This Week.″ “Yes, they might anecdotally have examples, but the fact is, is that they’re subjecting somebody who gets $600 to scrutiny they won’t subject some of the people that are getting millions of dollars” through the loan program for small businesses that keep employees on their payrolls.

Another sticking point is that Republicans want to give more school aid to systems that are restarting with in-school learning, even as Dr. Deborah Birx, Trump’s top coronavirus adviser, cautioned that schools in areas with spikes in cases should delay reopening

“In the areas where we have this widespread case increase, we need to stop the cases, and then we can talk about safely reopening,” Birx said on “This Week.”

The House passed a $3.5 trillion measure in May, but Republicans controlling the Senate have demanded a slower approach, saying it was necessary to take a “pause” before passing additional legislation. Since they announced that strategy, however, coronavirus caseloads have spiked and the economy has absorbed an enormous blow.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596449262607.png" alt="White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows discussed the virus relief negotiation during a press briefing -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows discussed the virus relief negotiation during a press briefing -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Slow, grinding negotiations on a huge COVID-19 relief bill are set to resume, but the path forward promises to be challenging. Both the Trump administration negotiating team and top Capitol Hill Democrats reported progress over the weekend even as they highlighted their differences.Ahead of Monday’s talks, all sides predict a long slog ahead despite the lapse of a $600-per-week supplemental COVID jobless benefit, the beginning of school season, and the call of lawmakers’ cherished August recess. Several more days of talks are expected, if not more.The White House is seeking opportunities to boost President Donald Trump, like another round of $1,200 stimulus payments and extending the supplemental jobless benefit and partial eviction ban. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democratic negotiator, appears intent on an agreement as well, but she’s made it clear she needs big money for state and local governments, unemployment benefits and food aid.Appearances by the principal negotiators on Sunday’s news shows featured continued political shots by White House chief of staff Mark Meadows at Pelosi for turning down a one-week extension of the $600 benefit in talks last week.Meadows, however, is understaffed during the talks and seems to struggle with his read on Pelosi. He spent much of his time on CBS’ “Face The Nation” attacking her for opposing a piecemeal approach that would revive jobless benefits immediately but leave other items like food stamps and aid to states for later legislation. She is insisting on a complete package.Areas of agreement already include the $1,200 direct payment and changes to the Paycheck Protection Program to permit especially hard-hit businesses to obtain another loan under generous forgiveness terms.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596449788934.png" alt="House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during her Friday press briefing -image courtesy office of House Speaker" />
 <figcaption>House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during her Friday press briefing -image courtesy office of House Speaker</figcaption>
 </figure>But the terms and structure of the unemployment benefit remains a huge sticking point, negotiators said Sunday, and Meadows hasn’t made any concessions yet on the almost $1 trillion Pelosi wants for state and local governments grappling with pandemic-related revenue losses.“We still have a long ways to go,” Meadows said, adding, “I’m not optimistic that there will be a solution in the very near term.”Pelosi said she’d consider reducing the $600 benefit for states with lower unemployment rates. Republicans want to cut the benefit to encourage beneficiaries to return to work and say it is bad policy since it pays many jobless people more money than they made at their previous jobs.T“But in this agreement it’s $600,” Pelosi said on ABC’s ’This Week.″ “Yes, they might anecdotally have examples, but the fact is, is that they’re subjecting somebody who gets $600 to scrutiny they won’t subject some of the people that are getting millions of dollars” through the loan program for small businesses that keep employees on their payrolls.Another sticking point is that Republicans want to give more school aid to systems that are restarting with in-school learning, even as Dr. Deborah Birx, Trump’s top coronavirus adviser, cautioned that schools in areas with spikes in cases should delay reopening“In the areas where we have this widespread case increase, we need to stop the cases, and then we can talk about safely reopening,” Birx said on “This Week.”The House passed a $3.5 trillion measure in May, but Republicans controlling the Senate have demanded a slower approach, saying it was necessary to take a “pause” before passing additional legislation. Since they announced that strategy, however, coronavirus caseloads have spiked and the economy has absorbed an enormous blow.

No end in sight to virus relief bill negotiations 

BARBER COUNTY–&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Medicine Lodge Police Department, and the Barber County Sheriff’s Office are requesting the public’s help to locate Clinton Rogers, a person of interest connected to a homicide that occurred in Medicine Lodge.

Just before 1:50 p.m., Monday, a family member called 911 after finding 61-year-old Joyce A. Foulkrod deceased inside her home at 3 Whitney Lane., in Medicine Lodge.

Clinton Rogers is a 34-year-old white male with hazel eyes. He is 6-foot-1 in. tall, and weighs approximately 270 pounds.

Clinton W. Rogers, 34, stole a dark red 1995 Chevrolet Camaro with t-tops in Kingman County on Sunday. It is possible that the Camaro is still bearing Kansas license plate, 870JUK. Rogers is no longer traveling in the white F-150 pickup truck.

Anyone who knows the whereabouts of Clint Rogers, or encounters him or the Camaro, is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME. Tips related to this case can also be submitted online at:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar" target="_blank">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.

BARBER COUNTY– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Medicine Lodge Police Department, and the Barber County Sheriff’s Office are requesting the public’s help to locate a person of interest connected to a homicide that occurred in Medicine Lodge on Monday.

Just before 1:50 p.m., Monday a family member called 911 after finding 61-year-old Joyce A. Foulkrod deceased inside her home at 3 Whitney Lane., in Medicine Lodge.

Anyone who knows the whereabouts of Clint Rogers, or sees his white F-150 pickup truck, is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME. Tips related to this case can also be submitted online at:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar" target="_blank">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.

BARBER COUNTY– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Medicine Lodge Police Department, and the Barber County Sheriff’s Office are investigating after a Medicine Lodge woman was found dead Monday afternoon, according to a media release from the KBI.

The Medicine Lodge Police Department requested KBI assistance at approximately 2 p.m. on Monday, July 27. Special agents and the Crime Scene Response Team responded.

Just before 1:50 p.m., a family member called 911 after finding 61-year-old Joyce A. Foulkrod deceased inside her home at 3 Whitney Lane., in Medicine Lodge.

EMS, the Medicine Lodge Police Department, and the Barber County Sheriff’s Office responded. EMS pronounced her dead at the scene.

Preliminary information leads investigators to believe Foulkrod’s death was a homicide. An autopsy will be conducted Tuesday.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596104355298.png" alt="The Camaro is possibly still bearing Kansas license plate, 870JUK.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>The Camaro is possibly still bearing Kansas license plate, 870JUK.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>BARBER COUNTY–&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Medicine Lodge Police Department, and the Barber County Sheriff’s Office are requesting the public’s help to locate Clinton Rogers, a person of interest connected to a homicide that occurred in Medicine Lodge.Just before 1:50 p.m., Monday, a family member called 911 after finding 61-year-old Joyce A. Foulkrod deceased inside her home at 3 Whitney Lane., in Medicine Lodge.Clinton Rogers is a 34-year-old white male with hazel eyes. He is 6-foot-1 in. tall, and weighs approximately 270 pounds.Clinton W. Rogers, 34, stole a dark red 1995 Chevrolet Camaro with t-tops in Kingman County on Sunday. It is possible that the Camaro is still bearing Kansas license plate, 870JUK. Rogers is no longer traveling in the white F-150 pickup truck.Anyone who knows the whereabouts of Clint Rogers, or encounters him or the Camaro, is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME. Tips related to this case can also be submitted online at:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar" target="_blank">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.------BARBER COUNTY– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Medicine Lodge Police Department, and the Barber County Sheriff’s Office are requesting the public’s help to locate a person of interest connected to a homicide that occurred in Medicine Lodge on Monday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596053633735.png" alt="Rogers" />
 <figcaption>Rogers</figcaption>
 </figure>Clinton Rogers is a 34-year-old white male with hazel eyes. He is 6-foot-1 in. tall, and weighs approximately 270 pounds.Just before 1:50 p.m., Monday a family member called 911 after finding 61-year-old Joyce A. Foulkrod deceased inside her home at 3 Whitney Lane., in Medicine Lodge.Anyone who knows the whereabouts of Clint Rogers, or sees his white F-150 pickup truck, is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME. Tips related to this case can also be submitted online at:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar" target="_blank">https://www.kbi.ks.gov/sar</a>.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596053857791.png" alt="Crime scene tape at the home of the homicide investigation-photo courtesy KWCH" />
 <figcaption>Crime scene tape at the home of the homicide investigation-photo courtesy KWCH</figcaption>
 </figure>--------BARBER COUNTY– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Medicine Lodge Police Department, and the Barber County Sheriff’s Office are investigating after a Medicine Lodge woman was found dead Monday afternoon, according to a media release from the KBI.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1596053687495.png" alt="Rogers' 2002 Ford F-150 -with possible Kansas license plate 870JUK" />
 <figcaption>Rogers' 2002 Ford F-150 -with possible Kansas license plate 870JUK</figcaption>
 </figure>The Medicine Lodge Police Department requested KBI assistance at approximately 2 p.m. on Monday, July 27. Special agents and the Crime Scene Response Team responded.Just before 1:50 p.m., a family member called 911 after finding 61-year-old Joyce A. Foulkrod deceased inside her home at 3 Whitney Lane., in Medicine Lodge.EMS, the Medicine Lodge Police Department, and the Barber County Sheriff’s Office responded. EMS pronounced her dead at the scene.Preliminary information leads investigators to believe Foulkrod’s death was a homicide. An autopsy will be conducted Tuesday.