TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An incoming Kansas lawmaker who has faced a possible attempt to oust him once he took office has reached a legal agreement with a woman who accused him of harassment to end an anti-stalking court order against him, an attorney says.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-elections-campaigns-97855c4a3deea46d5cbd8b39489b8af7">The order</a>&nbsp;entered by a state court judge last month against Rep.-elect Aaron Coleman was a key reason for the Kansas House’s top Democrat to refuse to give the 20-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat any committee assignments. Minority Leader Tom Sawyer also had cited it as one of multiple reasons to try to expel Coleman from the House once the Legislature convenes Monday, and he said the effort still would go forward.

Barry Grissom, an attorney representing Brandie Armstrong, the woman who accused Coleman of harassing her last year, sent The Associated Press a statement saying the two had settled a civil lawsuit she filed that led to the judge’s no-contact restraining order. Armstrong was campaign manager for the veteran lawmaker Coleman narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary in August.

“Brandie Armstrong and Aaron Coleman are passionate about helping their constituents,” Grissom said in the statement, sent Wednesday to The AP. “In service to their constituents, they have resolved the civil case by an agreed upon dismissal.”

But Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who had called Coleman unfit to serve in the House, said the settlement changes “not a thing.”

“He is still not fit to serve in the Kansas state Legislature,” she said.

Sawyer said he expects a complaint against Coleman to be filed in the House next week. That would force the appointment of a bipartisan committee to investigate and could lead to a vote by the full chamber, where a two-thirds majority would be necessary to oust Coleman.

The statement about Coleman’s settlement said there is no written agreement between him and Armstrong but a “public promise to treat each other with dignity and respect.” Coleman had faced a March 8 trial in Armstrong’s lawsuit against him to determine whether the restraining order remained in place longer.

The statement said neither Coleman nor Armstrong would comment further.

But, responding to a text from The Associated Press, Coleman replied that he is “ready to focus on governing.”

“It is time for a return to civility,” Coleman texted. “We are all Americans. The time for Democrats, Republicans and concerned citizens to end the infighting to come together as Americans is now.”

Armstrong said in her request for the court order that Coleman repeatedly sent harassing texts and personal messages to her during the campaign, came to her home in June and October and attempted to file “false and bogus” complaints against her landlord to try to get her evicted. Coleman suggested in a text last week to The Associated Press that she had lied in making her request.

Coleman ran on a progressive platform that included providing universal health coverage, ending college tuition and legalizing marijuana. He won his primary race even after admitting on social media that he had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ac948dae17c3dbc36ffe62246925c4f3">circulated revenge porn</a>&nbsp;as a “sick and troubled” middle school-aged boy. He faced only write-in candidates in the general election, as at least two other cases in which he was accused of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-archive-elections-c482a35139c9978d792e340fa9b754d4">threatening</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-elections-topeka-d6ea4066903abd8ef70d60bebe6c8a3c">abusing</a>&nbsp;girls or young women came to light.

Sawyer said another “pretty serious” reason to expel Coleman is a now-deleted,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-kansas-topeka-elections-fd91a21ee706c19194c7d302a2315d28">post-November election tweet</a>&nbsp;in which Coleman suggested that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly would face an “extremely bloody” primary in 2022 for not being progressive enough. Coleman wrote, “People will realize one day when I call a hit out on you it’s real,” and later said he meant to use the phrase ”political hit.”

Rep.-elect Jo Ella Hoye of Lenexa, one of seven incoming female Democrats in the House to call on Coleman last month to resign before being seated, said the tweet was unacceptable.

“Words do matter, and we need to hold our elected officials to a higher standard,” she said. “We need to be prioritizing coming together, and we’ve got to start with what we’re saying and what we’re putting out to the general public.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An incoming Kansas lawmaker who faced a possible attempt to oust him once he took office has reached a legal agreement with a woman who accused him of harassment to end an anti-stalking court order against him, an attorney says.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-elections-campaigns-97855c4a3deea46d5cbd8b39489b8af7">The order</a>&nbsp;entered by a state court judge last month against Rep.-elect Aaron Coleman was a key reason for the Kansas House’s top Democrat to refuse to give the 20-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat, any committee assignments. Minority Leader Tom Sawyer also has cited it as a reason to try to expel Coleman from the House once the Legislature convenes Monday.

The statement said there is no written agreement but a “public promise to treat each other with dignity and respect.” Coleman had faced a March 8 trial in Armstrong’s lawsuit against him to determine whether the restraining order remained in place longer.

The statement said neither Coleman nor Armstrong would comment further. Coleman did not immediately respond to a text Thursday morning seeking to confirm that.

Sawyer has said another reason to expel Coleman is a now-deleted,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-kansas-topeka-elections-fd91a21ee706c19194c7d302a2315d28">post-November election tweet</a>&nbsp;in which Coleman suggested that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly would face an “extremely bloody” primary in 2022 for not being progressive enough. Coleman wrote, “People will realize one day when I call a hit out on you it’s real,” and later said he meant to use the phrase ”political hit.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The top Democrat in the Kansas House has refused to give an incoming lawmaker any committee assignments over issues that include an anti-stalking court order filed against him after he won his seat.

Minority Leader Tom Sawyer’s action is a sign that he and fellow Democrats plan to oust Rep.-elect Aaron Coleman of Kansas City, Kansas, once the Republican-controlled Legislature convenes its next annual 90-day session on Jan. 11. Sawyer and seven incoming female Democratic House members have called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-kansas-city-kansas-topeka-75d06b68416ebaaf2e7fe35f88c0bc8c">for Coleman to resign</a>&nbsp;before lawmakers convene.

The 20-year-old Coleman narrowly ousted a veteran lawmaker in the Democratic primary in August even after admitting on social media that he had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ac948dae17c3dbc36ffe62246925c4f3">circulated revenge porn</a>&nbsp;as a “sick and troubled” middle school-aged boy. He faced only write-in candidates in the general election, as at least two other cases in which he was accused of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-archive-elections-c482a35139c9978d792e340fa9b754d4">threatening</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-elections-topeka-d6ea4066903abd8ef70d60bebe6c8a3c">abusing&nbsp;</a>girls or young women came to light.

A woman who ran his primary opponent’s campaign accused him of harassing her, and a judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-elections-campaigns-97855c4a3deea46d5cbd8b39489b8af7">issued a no-contact order&nbsp;</a>on Dec. 4. A trial is set for March 8 to determine whether that order will remain in place longer.

“Since we don’t plan on seating him, there’s no reason to give him committee assignments,” Sawyer, from Wichita, said Thursday of Coleman.

Sawyer said another reason to expel Coleman is a now-deleted,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-kansas-topeka-elections-fd91a21ee706c19194c7d302a2315d28">post-November election tweet</a>&nbsp;in which Coleman suggested that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly would face an “extremely bloody” primary in 2022 for not being progressive enough. Coleman wrote, “People will realize one day when I call a hit out on you it’s real,” and later said he meant to use the phrase ”political hit.”

Sawyer’s refusal to assign Coleman to any committees was first reported by the&nbsp;<a href="https://sunflowerstatejournal.com/" target="_blank">Sunflower State Journal.</a>

Sawyer said Democratic lawmakers plan to file a complaint against Coleman, which would force an investigation. The full House would have to approve expelling Coleman by a two-thirds majority, or 84 of 125 seats.

“This restraining order was after the election — and actually the hit on the governor,” Sawyer said. “He’s done at least two things after that point.”

Coleman has questioned whether he can be expelled for conduct that occurred before he took his seat, and his supporters on social media have portrayed his critics within the party as “corporate” Democrats. Coleman won the primary on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d7ea4a5bc168f3b608ea96c81efb6c78">a progressive platform</a>&nbsp;that included providing universal health coverage, ending college tuition and legalizing marijuana, and he is&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Aaron4KS37/status/1341777852786761728" target="_blank">promising to push</a>&nbsp;to raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $17.25 an hour by 2032.

“You may not like me very much but in our democratic system my conduct is a question for voters and it was put to voters and the voters elected me,” he said in text to The Associated Press.

Coleman also accused the woman who obtained the restraining order against him, Brandie Armstrong, of lying to the court, adding that, “A lot of people are going to have egg on their faces.”

Armstrong said in her request for the order that Coleman repeatedly sent harassing texts and personal messages to her during the campaign, came to her home in June and October and attempted to file “false and bogus” complaints against her landlord to try to get her evicted. She referred questions Thursday to her attorneys, who declined to comment.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/11/1604624233968.png" alt="Aaron Coleman" />
 <figcaption>Aaron Coleman</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An incoming Kansas lawmaker who has faced a possible attempt to oust him once he took office has reached a legal agreement with a woman who accused him of harassment to end an anti-stalking court order against him, an attorney says.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-elections-campaigns-97855c4a3deea46d5cbd8b39489b8af7">The order</a>&nbsp;entered by a state court judge last month against Rep.-elect Aaron Coleman was a key reason for the Kansas House’s top Democrat to refuse to give the 20-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat any committee assignments. Minority Leader Tom Sawyer also had cited it as one of multiple reasons to try to expel Coleman from the House once the Legislature convenes Monday, and he said the effort still would go forward.Barry Grissom, an attorney representing Brandie Armstrong, the woman who accused Coleman of harassing her last year, sent The Associated Press a statement saying the two had settled a civil lawsuit she filed that led to the judge’s no-contact restraining order. Armstrong was campaign manager for the veteran lawmaker Coleman narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary in August.“Brandie Armstrong and Aaron Coleman are passionate about helping their constituents,” Grissom said in the statement, sent Wednesday to The AP. “In service to their constituents, they have resolved the civil case by an agreed upon dismissal.”But Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who had called Coleman unfit to serve in the House, said the settlement changes “not a thing.”“He is still not fit to serve in the Kansas state Legislature,” she said.Sawyer said he expects a complaint against Coleman to be filed in the House next week. That would force the appointment of a bipartisan committee to investigate and could lead to a vote by the full chamber, where a two-thirds majority would be necessary to oust Coleman.The statement about Coleman’s settlement said there is no written agreement between him and Armstrong but a “public promise to treat each other with dignity and respect.” Coleman had faced a March 8 trial in Armstrong’s lawsuit against him to determine whether the restraining order remained in place longer.The statement said neither Coleman nor Armstrong would comment further.But, responding to a text from The Associated Press, Coleman replied that he is “ready to focus on governing.”“It is time for a return to civility,” Coleman texted. “We are all Americans. The time for Democrats, Republicans and concerned citizens to end the infighting to come together as Americans is now.”Armstrong said in her request for the court order that Coleman repeatedly sent harassing texts and personal messages to her during the campaign, came to her home in June and October and attempted to file “false and bogus” complaints against her landlord to try to get her evicted. Coleman suggested in a text last week to The Associated Press that she had lied in making her request.Coleman ran on a progressive platform that included providing universal health coverage, ending college tuition and legalizing marijuana. He won his primary race even after admitting on social media that he had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ac948dae17c3dbc36ffe62246925c4f3">circulated revenge porn</a>&nbsp;as a “sick and troubled” middle school-aged boy. He faced only write-in candidates in the general election, as at least two other cases in which he was accused of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-archive-elections-c482a35139c9978d792e340fa9b754d4">threatening</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-elections-topeka-d6ea4066903abd8ef70d60bebe6c8a3c">abusing</a>&nbsp;girls or young women came to light.Sawyer said another “pretty serious” reason to expel Coleman is a now-deleted,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-kansas-topeka-elections-fd91a21ee706c19194c7d302a2315d28">post-November election tweet</a>&nbsp;in which Coleman suggested that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly would face an “extremely bloody” primary in 2022 for not being progressive enough. Coleman wrote, “People will realize one day when I call a hit out on you it’s real,” and later said he meant to use the phrase ”political hit.”Rep.-elect Jo Ella Hoye of Lenexa, one of seven incoming female Democrats in the House to call on Coleman last month to resign before being seated, said the tweet was unacceptable.“Words do matter, and we need to hold our elected officials to a higher standard,” she said. “We need to be prioritizing coming together, and we’ve got to start with what we’re saying and what we’re putting out to the general public.”-------TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An incoming Kansas lawmaker who faced a possible attempt to oust him once he took office has reached a legal agreement with a woman who accused him of harassment to end an anti-stalking court order against him, an attorney says.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-elections-campaigns-97855c4a3deea46d5cbd8b39489b8af7">The order</a>&nbsp;entered by a state court judge last month against Rep.-elect Aaron Coleman was a key reason for the Kansas House’s top Democrat to refuse to give the 20-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat, any committee assignments. Minority Leader Tom Sawyer also has cited it as a reason to try to expel Coleman from the House once the Legislature convenes Monday.Barry Grissom, an attorney representing Brandie Armstrong, the woman who accused Coleman of harassing her last year, sent The Associated Press a statement saying the two had settled a civil lawsuit she filed that led to the judge’s no-contact restraining order. Armstrong was campaign manager for the veteran lawmaker Coleman narrowly defeated in the Democratic primary in August.“Brandie Armstrong and Aaron Coleman are passionate about helping their constituents,” Grissom said in the statement, sent Wednesday to The AP. “In service to their constituents, they have resolved the civil case by an agreed upon dismissal.”The statement said there is no written agreement but a “public promise to treat each other with dignity and respect.” Coleman had faced a March 8 trial in Armstrong’s lawsuit against him to determine whether the restraining order remained in place longer.The statement said neither Coleman nor Armstrong would comment further. Coleman did not immediately respond to a text Thursday morning seeking to confirm that.Armstrong said in her request for the court order that Coleman repeatedly sent harassing texts and personal messages to her during the campaign, came to her home in June and October and attempted to file “false and bogus” complaints against her landlord to try to get her evicted. Coleman suggested in a text last week to The Associated Press that she had lied in making her request.Coleman ran on a progressive platform that included providing universal health coverage, ending college tuition and legalizing marijuana. He won his primary race even after admitting on social media that he had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ac948dae17c3dbc36ffe62246925c4f3">circulated revenge porn</a>&nbsp;as a “sick and troubled” middle school-aged boy. He faced only write-in candidates in the general election, as at least two other cases in which he was accused of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-archive-elections-c482a35139c9978d792e340fa9b754d4">threatening</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-elections-topeka-d6ea4066903abd8ef70d60bebe6c8a3c">abusing</a>&nbsp;girls or young women came to light.Sawyer has said another reason to expel Coleman is a now-deleted,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-kansas-topeka-elections-fd91a21ee706c19194c7d302a2315d28">post-November election tweet</a>&nbsp;in which Coleman suggested that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly would face an “extremely bloody” primary in 2022 for not being progressive enough. Coleman wrote, “People will realize one day when I call a hit out on you it’s real,” and later said he meant to use the phrase ”political hit.”---------TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The top Democrat in the Kansas House has refused to give an incoming lawmaker any committee assignments over issues that include an anti-stalking court order filed against him after he won his seat.Minority Leader Tom Sawyer’s action is a sign that he and fellow Democrats plan to oust Rep.-elect Aaron Coleman of Kansas City, Kansas, once the Republican-controlled Legislature convenes its next annual 90-day session on Jan. 11. Sawyer and seven incoming female Democratic House members have called&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/legislature-kansas-city-kansas-topeka-75d06b68416ebaaf2e7fe35f88c0bc8c">for Coleman to resign</a>&nbsp;before lawmakers convene.The 20-year-old Coleman narrowly ousted a veteran lawmaker in the Democratic primary in August even after admitting on social media that he had&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ac948dae17c3dbc36ffe62246925c4f3">circulated revenge porn</a>&nbsp;as a “sick and troubled” middle school-aged boy. He faced only write-in candidates in the general election, as at least two other cases in which he was accused of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-archive-elections-c482a35139c9978d792e340fa9b754d4">threatening</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-elections-topeka-d6ea4066903abd8ef70d60bebe6c8a3c">abusing&nbsp;</a>girls or young women came to light.A woman who ran his primary opponent’s campaign accused him of harassing her, and a judge&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-kansas-city-kansas-elections-campaigns-97855c4a3deea46d5cbd8b39489b8af7">issued a no-contact order&nbsp;</a>on Dec. 4. A trial is set for March 8 to determine whether that order will remain in place longer.“Since we don’t plan on seating him, there’s no reason to give him committee assignments,” Sawyer, from Wichita, said Thursday of Coleman.Sawyer said another reason to expel Coleman is a now-deleted,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-city-kansas-topeka-elections-fd91a21ee706c19194c7d302a2315d28">post-November election tweet</a>&nbsp;in which Coleman suggested that Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly would face an “extremely bloody” primary in 2022 for not being progressive enough. Coleman wrote, “People will realize one day when I call a hit out on you it’s real,” and later said he meant to use the phrase ”political hit.”Sawyer’s refusal to assign Coleman to any committees was first reported by the&nbsp;<a href="https://sunflowerstatejournal.com/" target="_blank">Sunflower State Journal.</a>Sawyer said Democratic lawmakers plan to file a complaint against Coleman, which would force an investigation. The full House would have to approve expelling Coleman by a two-thirds majority, or 84 of 125 seats.“This restraining order was after the election — and actually the hit on the governor,” Sawyer said. “He’s done at least two things after that point.”Coleman has questioned whether he can be expelled for conduct that occurred before he took his seat, and his supporters on social media have portrayed his critics within the party as “corporate” Democrats. Coleman won the primary on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/d7ea4a5bc168f3b608ea96c81efb6c78">a progressive platform</a>&nbsp;that included providing universal health coverage, ending college tuition and legalizing marijuana, and he is&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/Aaron4KS37/status/1341777852786761728" target="_blank">promising to push</a>&nbsp;to raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $17.25 an hour by 2032.“You may not like me very much but in our democratic system my conduct is a question for voters and it was put to voters and the voters elected me,” he said in text to The Associated Press.Coleman also accused the woman who obtained the restraining order against him, Brandie Armstrong, of lying to the court, adding that, “A lot of people are going to have egg on their faces.”Armstrong said in her request for the order that Coleman repeatedly sent harassing texts and personal messages to her during the campaign, came to her home in June and October and attempted to file “false and bogus” complaints against her landlord to try to get her evicted. She referred questions Thursday to her attorneys, who declined to comment.___

Lawyer: New Kan. lawmaker reaches deal to end anti-stalking order

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 5504 to a total of 242,322 the state health department reported Friday afternoon.&nbsp;

Coronavirus deaths were reported at 3148 an increase of 121

<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 5504 to a total of 242,322 the state health department reported Friday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 3148 an increase of 121<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/2021/1/1610129095484.png" alt="Friday Jan. 8, 2021 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Friday Jan. 8, 2021 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a burglary have made an arrest.

On December 7, a residence in near 110th and T Road in rural Jackson County reported&nbsp; a number of firearms and a gun safe were stolen, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

On Monday, detectives&nbsp;arrested John Michael Tyler, 40, Topeka in connection with the burglary.

He was booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of burglary and theft. The stolen firearms were recovered by detectives, according to Morse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610053870114.png" alt="Tyler photo Jackson County" />
 <figcaption>Tyler photo Jackson County</figcaption>
 </figure>JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities investigating a burglary have made an arrest.On December 7, a residence in near 110th and T Road in rural Jackson County reported&nbsp; a number of firearms and a gun safe were stolen, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.On Monday, detectives&nbsp;arrested John Michael Tyler, 40, Topeka in connection with the burglary.He was booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of burglary and theft. The stolen firearms were recovered by detectives, according to Morse.

Detectives recover firearms stolen from Kansas home

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday he won’t attend President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20, undercutting his message a day earlier that he would work to ensure a “smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power” to his successor.

Trump offered no clues for how he would spent his final hours in office, and will be the first incumbent president since Andrew Johnson in 1869 to skip his successor’s swearing-in. Traditionally, the incoming and outgoing presidents ride to the U.S. Capitol together for the ceremony, as a symbol of the nation’s peaceful transition.&nbsp;

Trump’s comments come two days after a violent mob of his supporters occupied the Capitol for several hours as lawmakers were tallying the electoral votes that certified Biden’s victory. Biden will become president at noon on Jan. 20 regardless of Trump’s plans.

“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,” Trump tweeted. The move had been widely expected, as Trump for months falsely claimed victory in the election and promulgated baseless claims of voter fraud. His own administration said the election had been fairly run.

Vice President Mike Pence was expected to attend the inauguration. Pence spokesman Devin Malley said “Vice President Pence and the Second Lady have yet to make a decision regarding their attendance.”

Biden’s transition team had no immediate comment on Trump’s announcement. But Jen Psaki, the president-elect’s incoming White House press secretary, said last month that whether Trump attended the inauguration was not top of mind for Biden.

On Thursday, with 12 days left in his term, Trump finally bent to reality amid growing talk of trying to force him out early, acknowledging he’ll peacefully leave after Congress affirmed his defeat.

Trump led off a video from the White House Thursday by condemning the violence carried out in his name a day earlier at the Capitol. Then, for the first time on camera, he admitted his presidency would soon end — though he declined to mention Biden by name or explicitly state he had lost.

“A new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20,” Trump said in the video. “My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation.”

By next morning, however, Trump was back to his usual division. Instead of offering condolences to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-michael-pence-46933a828d7b12de7e3d5620a8a04583">police officer who died</a>&nbsp;from injuries sustained during the riot, Trump took to twitter to commend the “great American Patriots” who’d voted for him.

“They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!” he tweeted.

Thursday evening’s address, which appeared designed to stave off talk of a forced early eviction, came at the end of a day when the cornered president stayed out of sight in the White House. Silenced on some of his favorite internet lines of communication, he watched the resignations of several top aides, including two Cabinet secretaries.

And as officials sifted through the aftermath of the pro-Trump mob’s siege of the U.S. Capitol, there was growing discussion of impeaching him a second time or invoking the 25th Amendment to oust him from the Oval Office.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-media-elections-73dacf9bc0d906f4efe358279520eeac">The invasion of the Capitol building</a>, a powerful symbol of the nation’s democracy, rattled Republicans and Democrats alike. They struggled with how best to contain the impulses of a president deemed too dangerous to control his own social media accounts but who remains commander in chief of the world’s greatest military.

“I’m not worried about the next election, I’m worried about getting through the next 14 days,” said Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of Trump’s staunchest allies. He condemned the president’s role in Wednesday’s riots and said, “If something else happens, all options would be on the table.”

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared that “the president of the United States incited an armed insurrection against America.” She called him “a very dangerous person who should not continue in office. This is urgent, an emergency of the highest magnitude.”

Neither option to remove Trump seemed likely, with little time left in his term to draft the Cabinet members&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-25th-amendment-776efde7ba1ff61caa76456bd9d794be">needed to invoke the amendment or to organize the hearings and trial mandated for an impeachment</a>.

Fears of what a desperate president could do in his final days spread in the nation’s capital and beyond, including speculation Trump could incite more violence, make rash appointments, issue ill-conceived pardons — including for himself and his family — or even trigger a destabilizing international incident.

The president’s video Thursday — which was released upon his return to Twitter after his account was restored — was a complete reversal from the one he put out just 24 hours earlier in which he said to the violent mob: “We love you. You’re very special.” His refusal to condemn the violence sparked a firestorm of criticism and, in the new video, he at last denounced the demonstrators’ “lawlessness and mayhem.”

Aides said the video was also meant to slow the mass exodus of staffers and ward off potential legal trouble for Trump once he leaves office; White House counsel Pat Cipollone has repeatedly warned the president that he could be deemed responsible for inciting Wednesday’s violence.

As for his feelings on leaving office, Trump told the nation that “serving as your president has been the honor of my lifetime” while hinting at a return to the public arena. He told supporters “our incredible journey is only just beginning.”

While Trump remained silent and ensconced in the executive mansion until Thursday evening, around him, loyalists headed for the exits, their departures — which were coming in two weeks anyway — moved up to protest the president’s handling of the riot.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao became the first Cabinet member to resign. Chao, married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, one of the lawmakers trapped at the Capitol on Wednesday, said in a message to staff that the attack “has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside.”

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos followed. In her resignation letter Thursday, DeVos blamed Trump for inflaming tensions in the violent assault on the seat of the nation’s democracy. “There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me,” she wrote.

Others who resigned in the wake of the riot: Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger; Ryan Tully, senior director for European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council; and first lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary.

Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s former chief of staff-turned-special envoy to Northern Ireland, told CNBC that he had called Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “to let him know I was resigning. ... I can’t do it. I can’t stay.”

“Those who choose to stay, and I have talked with some of them, are choosing to stay because they’re worried the president might put someone worse in,” Mulvaney said.

Mulvaney’s predecessor in the chief of staff job, retired U.S. Marine Corps general John Kelly, told CNN that “I think the Cabinet should meet and have a discussion” about Section 4 of the 25th Amendment — allowing the forceful removal of Trump by his own Cabinet.

Staff-level discussions on the matter took place across multiple departments and even in parts of the White House, according to two people briefed on the talks. But no member of the Cabinet has publicly expressed support for the move.

In the West Wing, shell-shocked aides were packing up, acting on a delayed directive to begin offboarding their posts ahead of the Biden team’s arrival.

The president has asked aides to explore a possible valedictory trip next week to the southern border as a means to highlight his immigration policies.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday he won’t attend President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. 20, undercutting his message a day earlier that he would work to ensure a “smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power” to his successor.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1347569870578266115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump offered no clues for how he would spent his final hours in office, and will be the first incumbent president since Andrew Johnson in 1869 to skip his successor’s swearing-in. Traditionally, the incoming and outgoing presidents ride to the U.S. Capitol together for the ceremony, as a symbol of the nation’s peaceful transition.&nbsp;Trump’s comments come two days after a violent mob of his supporters occupied the Capitol for several hours as lawmakers were tallying the electoral votes that certified Biden’s victory. Biden will become president at noon on Jan. 20 regardless of Trump’s plans.“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,” Trump tweeted. The move had been widely expected, as Trump for months falsely claimed victory in the election and promulgated baseless claims of voter fraud. His own administration said the election had been fairly run.Vice President Mike Pence was expected to attend the inauguration. Pence spokesman Devin Malley said “Vice President Pence and the Second Lady have yet to make a decision regarding their attendance.”Biden’s transition team had no immediate comment on Trump’s announcement. But Jen Psaki, the president-elect’s incoming White House press secretary, said last month that whether Trump attended the inauguration was not top of mind for Biden.On Thursday, with 12 days left in his term, Trump finally bent to reality amid growing talk of trying to force him out early, acknowledging he’ll peacefully leave after Congress affirmed his defeat.Trump led off a video from the White House Thursday by condemning the violence carried out in his name a day earlier at the Capitol. Then, for the first time on camera, he admitted his presidency would soon end — though he declined to mention Biden by name or explicitly state he had lost.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/csX07ZVWGe">pic.twitter.com/csX07ZVWGe</a>&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1347334804052844550?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“A new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20,” Trump said in the video. “My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation.”By next morning, however, Trump was back to his usual division. Instead of offering condolences to the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-ap-top-news-michael-pence-46933a828d7b12de7e3d5620a8a04583">police officer who died</a>&nbsp;from injuries sustained during the riot, Trump took to twitter to commend the “great American Patriots” who’d voted for him.“They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!” he tweeted.Thursday evening’s address, which appeared designed to stave off talk of a forced early eviction, came at the end of a day when the cornered president stayed out of sight in the White House. Silenced on some of his favorite internet lines of communication, he watched the resignations of several top aides, including two Cabinet secretaries.And as officials sifted through the aftermath of the pro-Trump mob’s siege of the U.S. Capitol, there was growing discussion of impeaching him a second time or invoking the 25th Amendment to oust him from the Oval Office.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-media-elections-73dacf9bc0d906f4efe358279520eeac">The invasion of the Capitol building</a>, a powerful symbol of the nation’s democracy, rattled Republicans and Democrats alike. They struggled with how best to contain the impulses of a president deemed too dangerous to control his own social media accounts but who remains commander in chief of the world’s greatest military.“I’m not worried about the next election, I’m worried about getting through the next 14 days,” said Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of Trump’s staunchest allies. He condemned the president’s role in Wednesday’s riots and said, “If something else happens, all options would be on the table.”Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared that “the president of the United States incited an armed insurrection against America.” She called him “a very dangerous person who should not continue in office. This is urgent, an emergency of the highest magnitude.”Neither option to remove Trump seemed likely, with little time left in his term to draft the Cabinet members&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-25th-amendment-776efde7ba1ff61caa76456bd9d794be">needed to invoke the amendment or to organize the hearings and trial mandated for an impeachment</a>.Fears of what a desperate president could do in his final days spread in the nation’s capital and beyond, including speculation Trump could incite more violence, make rash appointments, issue ill-conceived pardons — including for himself and his family — or even trigger a destabilizing international incident.The president’s video Thursday — which was released upon his return to Twitter after his account was restored — was a complete reversal from the one he put out just 24 hours earlier in which he said to the violent mob: “We love you. You’re very special.” His refusal to condemn the violence sparked a firestorm of criticism and, in the new video, he at last denounced the demonstrators’ “lawlessness and mayhem.”Aides said the video was also meant to slow the mass exodus of staffers and ward off potential legal trouble for Trump once he leaves office; White House counsel Pat Cipollone has repeatedly warned the president that he could be deemed responsible for inciting Wednesday’s violence.As for his feelings on leaving office, Trump told the nation that “serving as your president has been the honor of my lifetime” while hinting at a return to the public arena. He told supporters “our incredible journey is only just beginning.”While Trump remained silent and ensconced in the executive mansion until Thursday evening, around him, loyalists headed for the exits, their departures — which were coming in two weeks anyway — moved up to protest the president’s handling of the riot.Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao became the first Cabinet member to resign. Chao, married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, one of the lawmakers trapped at the Capitol on Wednesday, said in a message to staff that the attack “has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside.”Education Secretary Betsy DeVos followed. In her resignation letter Thursday, DeVos blamed Trump for inflaming tensions in the violent assault on the seat of the nation’s democracy. “There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me,” she wrote.Others who resigned in the wake of the riot: Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger; Ryan Tully, senior director for European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council; and first lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary.Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s former chief of staff-turned-special envoy to Northern Ireland, told CNBC that he had called Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “to let him know I was resigning. ... I can’t do it. I can’t stay.”“Those who choose to stay, and I have talked with some of them, are choosing to stay because they’re worried the president might put someone worse in,” Mulvaney said.Mulvaney’s predecessor in the chief of staff job, retired U.S. Marine Corps general John Kelly, told CNN that “I think the Cabinet should meet and have a discussion” about Section 4 of the 25th Amendment — allowing the forceful removal of Trump by his own Cabinet.Staff-level discussions on the matter took place across multiple departments and even in parts of the White House, according to two people briefed on the talks. But no member of the Cabinet has publicly expressed support for the move.In the West Wing, shell-shocked aides were packing up, acting on a delayed directive to begin offboarding their posts ahead of the Biden team’s arrival.The president has asked aides to explore a possible valedictory trip next week to the southern border as a means to highlight his immigration policies.___

Trump first President since 1869  to skip successor's inauguration

MANHATTAN—With the goal of mitigating the continued spread of COVID-19, Kansas State University will begin the first two weeks of the spring semester with remote learning classes. Most classes are scheduled to begin Monday, Jan. 25, according to a media release.

The university plans to return to the hybrid and in-person teaching modalities used in the fall semester after the two-week period on Feb. 8.

“As we anticipate a surge in positive cases as people return to our campuses, this action will help us keep safety protocols in place,” said Richard Myers, university president. “Last August we saw a surge in the fall when students returned and we were able to manage it well. As anticipated, cases spiked again as we neared the holidays and people moved indoors. We appreciate the tremendous efforts by our faculty, staff and students to help keep our communities safer.”

Student services such as on-campus housing, libraries, recreation centers and Lafene Health Center will be operational on Monday, Jan. 25, following the same safety protocols as the fall semester. Move-in dates for spring 2021&nbsp;on-campus housing will not change. Residents will receive an email on Monday, Jan. 11, with details regarding their return to the residence halls. Spring 2021 housing and dining charges and the campus privilege fee assessment will not be affected by this decision.

Research operations will proceed under current protocols and guidelines. As with the fall semester, once the two-week remote teaching period ends, faculty members will have the ability to temporarily adjust class modalities due to COVID-19 impacts on in-person class attendance or if the pandemic situation changes.

“Our experience in the fall semester taught us we can manage many of our venues through science-based mitigation methods,” Myers said. “This allows for a more nuanced approach than we had last spring when virtually all operations were reduced.”

The university has expanded symptomatic and asymptomatic testing available for students, faculty and staff members.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/covid-19/vaccine/">Information about vaccines</a>&nbsp;will be updated as available on the university website. The university has not been notified of any allocations of vaccines for students, faculty or staff other than essential medical personnel.

“We look forward to a much brighter future moving toward spring and summer as vaccines become more widespread,” Myers said. “We want to start safe and remain safe through this semester so we can come back in full strength in the fall.”

MANHATTAN—With the goal of mitigating the continued spread of COVID-19, Kansas State University will begin the first two weeks of the spring semester with remote learning classes. Most classes are scheduled to begin Monday, Jan. 25, according to a media release.The university plans to return to the hybrid and in-person teaching modalities used in the fall semester after the two-week period on Feb. 8.“As we anticipate a surge in positive cases as people return to our campuses, this action will help us keep safety protocols in place,” said Richard Myers, university president. “Last August we saw a surge in the fall when students returned and we were able to manage it well. As anticipated, cases spiked again as we neared the holidays and people moved indoors. We appreciate the tremendous efforts by our faculty, staff and students to help keep our communities safer.”Student services such as on-campus housing, libraries, recreation centers and Lafene Health Center will be operational on Monday, Jan. 25, following the same safety protocols as the fall semester. Move-in dates for spring 2021&nbsp;on-campus housing will not change. Residents will receive an email on Monday, Jan. 11, with details regarding their return to the residence halls. Spring 2021 housing and dining charges and the campus privilege fee assessment will not be affected by this decision.Research operations will proceed under current protocols and guidelines. As with the fall semester, once the two-week remote teaching period ends, faculty members will have the ability to temporarily adjust class modalities due to COVID-19 impacts on in-person class attendance or if the pandemic situation changes.“Our experience in the fall semester taught us we can manage many of our venues through science-based mitigation methods,” Myers said. “This allows for a more nuanced approach than we had last spring when virtually all operations were reduced.”The university has expanded symptomatic and asymptomatic testing available for students, faculty and staff members.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.k-state.edu/covid-19/vaccine/">Information about vaccines</a>&nbsp;will be updated as available on the university website. The university has not been notified of any allocations of vaccines for students, faculty or staff other than essential medical personnel.“We look forward to a much brighter future moving toward spring and summer as vaccines become more widespread,” Myers said. “We want to start safe and remain safe through this semester so we can come back in full strength in the fall.”

K-State: Two-week online start to spring semester

KANSAS CITY&nbsp; (AP) — A woman has died after being hit by a car as she walked on a street near the south end of Kansas City, police said.

Police said the crash happened late Wednesday night on Troost Avenue just south of 71st Terrace Street and Forest Hill Cemetery, killing 52-year-old Kim Ruff of Kansas City. Ruff was either walking along or trying to cross the street when she was hit by a northbound car, police said in a news release. Ruff died at the scene.

The driver of the car stopped and cooperated with police, officials said. Neither the driver nor a passenger in the car was injured.

KANSAS CITY&nbsp; (AP) — A woman has died after being hit by a car as she walked on a street near the south end of Kansas City, police said.Police said the crash happened late Wednesday night on Troost Avenue just south of 71st Terrace Street and Forest Hill Cemetery, killing 52-year-old Kim Ruff of Kansas City. Ruff was either walking along or trying to cross the street when she was hit by a northbound car, police said in a news release. Ruff died at the scene.The driver of the car stopped and cooperated with police, officials said. Neither the driver nor a passenger in the car was injured.

Woman walking on Kansas City street hit, killed by car

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas expects to finish giving COVID-19 vaccines to long-term care residents and health care workers by the end of this month and has moved people aged 65 and older into the next group to receive the shots.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday announced new details about the order in which her state’s residents will be eligible for inoculations, and making people aged 65 to 74 years an earlier priority was the biggest shift.

The state’s previous plan had that age group getting theirs after people in “congregate” living, such as state hospitals, shelters for the homeless, and prisons.

The governor’s comments last month that prisoners would get vaccinated relatively early prompted scathing comments from the Kansas Republican Party and leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature.

But Kelly said during a Statehouse news conference, “This is all based on science.”

<a href="https://twitter.com/KansasGOP/status/1347315181769129988" target="_blank">The Kansas GOP tweeted</a>&nbsp;that Kelly “listened to us” in moving older Kansans up in line but added: “It’s a bad thing prisoners remain in the same phase as those seniors. Prioritize law-abiding Kansans first!”

The American Medical Association&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-policy-calls-more-covid-19-prevention-congregate-settings" target="_blank">adopted a policy</a>&nbsp;in November calling for prisons to have priority in getting vaccines, with one board member calling it among the steps vital to stopping the spread of the virus.&nbsp;<a href="https://justicelab.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/COVID_Vaccine_White_Paper.pdf" target="_blank">A report in December</a>&nbsp;from professors of medicine at Yale, Columbia and the University of North Carolina called for giving inmates vaccines early, saying outbreaks in prisons and jails “spill over to the community.”

“My administration will make our decisions based on what the doctors, the public health experts and the science tells us, not the politics,” Kelly said.

Kelly released the updated vaccine rollout plan, with a chart designed to make its five phases easier to follow, amid concerns that the process was moving too slowly.

On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked Kansas last among states for its inoculation rate per 100,000 residents. That was no longer the case in&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations" target="_blank">a CDC report</a>&nbsp;Thursday, with five states trailing Kansas.

The CDC’s data said 36,538 vaccine shots had been given in Kansas, or 1,254 per 100,000 residents. Kelly told reporters the actual figure is 45,872, or almost 26% higher and 1,575 for every 100,000 residents.

Dr. Lee Norman, head of the state Department of Health and Environment, said he believes the true number of shots given could be nearly twice Kelly’s figure, about 90,000.

“People are not sitting on the vaccines and keeping it in storage,” Norman said. “They’re giving it into people’s arms.”

The state’s revised vaccine distribution plan shows that the second group to get shots also will include critical workers including firefighters, law enforcement officers, meatpacking employees, grocery store workers, teachers and child-care workers.

The third phase includes people aged 16 to 64 with medical conditions that put them at severe risk if they are infected with COVID-19, including cancer and Type 2 diabetes, as well as workers in critical industries such as information technology, aviation, transportation and government.

People with less severe health problems are included in the fourth phase and the fifth and final group includes everyone else.

Counties with unused vaccine doses after inoculating all health care workers and long-term care residents who wanted to be vaccinated were supposed to shift spare doses to counties in need of more. But the process is paperwork heavy, and some counties just went ahead and vaccinated people in lower priority groups, said Dennis Kriesel, executive director of the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments.

He said the state should have moved quicker to explain the phases of the rollout, noting that people are desperate for information. He got one call from a woman in her 70s with lymphoma who wanted details because she hadn’t been able to see her grandchildren in a year.

“We didn’t need the vaccines to be ready to set our priorities,” he said. “We could have set the priorities months before that.”

Sedgwick County health director Adrienne Byrne said she has been getting emails from people with chronic illnesses who have hardly left their homes since March.

She said the county has administered about half of the 10,400 doses it has received and noted that the process is speeding up. A massive clinic has been set up at an arena, with staff capable of vaccinating 50 people every 15 minutes.

“Some of them are crying with relief,” she said. “I heard one gentlemen say to the person who gave him the vaccine: ‘You may have just helped save my life.’”

<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.csKEwO2cHbw8M5zi6TRutzHWqdxBIFAo23eiujJpUwU/s/1303160919/br/92812776098-l" target="_blank">View a visual representation of the distribution order here.</a>

<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTAxMDcuMzI5NTQzNTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2dvdmVybm9yLmthbnNhcy5nb3Yvd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjEvMDEvQUNUVUFMLVBIQVNFLUdST1VQLnBkZiJ9.E_BnrO0RAeuHPTBmfzO-dQxS4LAoUpXOaBJkO01153s/s/1303160919/br/92812776098-l" target="_blank">View informational slides regarding vaccine distribution here.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610104544544.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and JOHN HANNATOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas expects to finish giving COVID-19 vaccines to long-term care residents and health care workers by the end of this month and has moved people aged 65 and older into the next group to receive the shots.Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday announced new details about the order in which her state’s residents will be eligible for inoculations, and making people aged 65 to 74 years an earlier priority was the biggest shift.<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGovLauraKelly%2Fvideos%2F707415516490444%2F&show_text=false&width=560" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowFullScreen="true"></iframe></div>The state’s previous plan had that age group getting theirs after people in “congregate” living, such as state hospitals, shelters for the homeless, and prisons.The governor’s comments last month that prisoners would get vaccinated relatively early prompted scathing comments from the Kansas Republican Party and leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature.But Kelly said during a Statehouse news conference, “This is all based on science.”<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">It’s a good thing <a href="https://twitter.com/GovLauraKelly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovLauraKelly</a> listened to us and moved vulnerable seniors up the vaccine priority list. It’s a bad thing prisoners remain in the same phase as those seniors. Prioritize law-abiding Kansans first! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ksleg?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ksleg</a>&mdash; Kansas GOP (@KansasGOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/KansasGOP/status/1347315181769129988?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><a href="https://twitter.com/KansasGOP/status/1347315181769129988" target="_blank">The Kansas GOP tweeted</a>&nbsp;that Kelly “listened to us” in moving older Kansans up in line but added: “It’s a bad thing prisoners remain in the same phase as those seniors. Prioritize law-abiding Kansans first!”The American Medical Association&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-policy-calls-more-covid-19-prevention-congregate-settings" target="_blank">adopted a policy</a>&nbsp;in November calling for prisons to have priority in getting vaccines, with one board member calling it among the steps vital to stopping the spread of the virus.&nbsp;<a href="https://justicelab.columbia.edu/sites/default/files/content/COVID_Vaccine_White_Paper.pdf" target="_blank">A report in December</a>&nbsp;from professors of medicine at Yale, Columbia and the University of North Carolina called for giving inmates vaccines early, saying outbreaks in prisons and jails “spill over to the community.”“My administration will make our decisions based on what the doctors, the public health experts and the science tells us, not the politics,” Kelly said.Kelly released the updated vaccine rollout plan, with a chart designed to make its five phases easier to follow, amid concerns that the process was moving too slowly.On Monday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked Kansas last among states for its inoculation rate per 100,000 residents. That was no longer the case in&nbsp;<a href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#vaccinations" target="_blank">a CDC report</a>&nbsp;Thursday, with five states trailing Kansas.The CDC’s data said 36,538 vaccine shots had been given in Kansas, or 1,254 per 100,000 residents. Kelly told reporters the actual figure is 45,872, or almost 26% higher and 1,575 for every 100,000 residents.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610057822570.png" alt="Dr. Lee Norman answers questions during Thursday's news conference." />
 <figcaption>Dr. Lee Norman answers questions during Thursday's news conference.</figcaption>
 </figure>Dr. Lee Norman, head of the state Department of Health and Environment, said he believes the true number of shots given could be nearly twice Kelly’s figure, about 90,000.“People are not sitting on the vaccines and keeping it in storage,” Norman said. “They’re giving it into people’s arms.”The state’s revised vaccine distribution plan shows that the second group to get shots also will include critical workers including firefighters, law enforcement officers, meatpacking employees, grocery store workers, teachers and child-care workers.The third phase includes people aged 16 to 64 with medical conditions that put them at severe risk if they are infected with COVID-19, including cancer and Type 2 diabetes, as well as workers in critical industries such as information technology, aviation, transportation and government.People with less severe health problems are included in the fourth phase and the fifth and final group includes everyone else.Counties with unused vaccine doses after inoculating all health care workers and long-term care residents who wanted to be vaccinated were supposed to shift spare doses to counties in need of more. But the process is paperwork heavy, and some counties just went ahead and vaccinated people in lower priority groups, said Dennis Kriesel, executive director of the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments.He said the state should have moved quicker to explain the phases of the rollout, noting that people are desperate for information. He got one call from a woman in her 70s with lymphoma who wanted details because she hadn’t been able to see her grandchildren in a year.“We didn’t need the vaccines to be ready to set our priorities,” he said. “We could have set the priorities months before that.”Sedgwick County health director Adrienne Byrne said she has been getting emails from people with chronic illnesses who have hardly left their homes since March.She said the county has administered about half of the 10,400 doses it has received and noted that the process is speeding up. A massive clinic has been set up at an arena, with staff capable of vaccinating 50 people every 15 minutes.“Some of them are crying with relief,” she said. “I heard one gentlemen say to the person who gave him the vaccine: ‘You may have just helped save my life.’”<a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.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.csKEwO2cHbw8M5zi6TRutzHWqdxBIFAo23eiujJpUwU/s/1303160919/br/92812776098-l" target="_blank">View a visual representation of the distribution order here.</a><a href="https://lnks.gd/l/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJidWxsZXRpbl9saW5rX2lkIjoxMDIsInVyaSI6ImJwMjpjbGljayIsImJ1bGxldGluX2lkIjoiMjAyMTAxMDcuMzI5NTQzNTEiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL2dvdmVybm9yLmthbnNhcy5nb3Yvd3AtY29udGVudC91cGxvYWRzLzIwMjEvMDEvQUNUVUFMLVBIQVNFLUdST1VQLnBkZiJ9.E_BnrO0RAeuHPTBmfzO-dQxS4LAoUpXOaBJkO01153s/s/1303160919/br/92812776098-l" target="_blank">View informational slides regarding vaccine distribution here.</a>

🎥 Older Kansans moved up in line for COVID-19 vaccination

WASHINGTON—The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the location, arrest, and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the placement of suspected pipe bombs in Washington, D.C. on January 6.

At approximately 1p.m. EST on Wednesday, multiple law enforcement agencies received reports of a suspected pipe bomb with wires at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee (RNC) located at 310 First Street Southeast in Washington, D.C, according to a media release.

At approximately 1:15 p.m., a second suspected pipe bomb with similar descriptors was reported at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) at 430 South Capitol Street Southeast #3 in Washington, D.C.

If you have any information concerning these incidents, please contact the FBI's toll-free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or submit tips online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fbi.gov/USCapitol" target="_blank">fbi.gov/USCapitol</a>. You may also contact your&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field/" target="_blank">local FBI office</a>&nbsp;or the nearest&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/legat/" target="_blank">American Embassy or Consulate</a>.

<a href="https://tips.fbi.gov/" target="_blank">Submit an anonymous Tip online</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610110431438.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON—The FBI is offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the location, arrest, and conviction of the person(s) responsible for the placement of suspected pipe bombs in Washington, D.C. on January 6.At approximately 1p.m. EST on Wednesday, multiple law enforcement agencies received reports of a suspected pipe bomb with wires at the headquarters of the Republican National Committee (RNC) located at 310 First Street Southeast in Washington, D.C, according to a media release.At approximately 1:15 p.m., a second suspected pipe bomb with similar descriptors was reported at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) at 430 South Capitol Street Southeast #3 in Washington, D.C.If you have any information concerning these incidents, please contact the FBI's toll-free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or submit tips online at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fbi.gov/USCapitol" target="_blank">fbi.gov/USCapitol</a>. You may also contact your&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field/" target="_blank">local FBI office</a>&nbsp;or the nearest&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/legat/" target="_blank">American Embassy or Consulate</a>.<a href="https://tips.fbi.gov/" target="_blank">Submit an anonymous Tip online</a>

Reward offered: Pipe bombs found outside RNC, DNC offices 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the fallout of the storming of the Capitol by a mob of pro-Trump loyalists (all times local):

The U.S. Capitol Police says an officer who was injured after responding to riots at the Capitol has died.

Officer Brian D. Sicknick died Thursday due to injuries sustained while on-duty, physically engaging with protesters at the U.S. Capitol, the statement said.

Supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol on Wednesday as Congress was tallying the Electoral College votes to confirm Democrat Joe Biden won the election. Sicknick returned to his division office and collapsed, the report said. He was taken to a hospital and later died.

The death will be investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch, the USCP, and federal law enforcement. Sicknick joined the Capitol police in 2008.

Democratic leaders of the House Appropriations Committee said the “tragic loss” of a Capitol police officer “should remind all of us of the bravery of the law enforcement officers who protected us, our colleagues, Congressional staff, the press corps and other essential workers″ during the hourslong takeover of the Capitol by pro-Trump protesters.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1609961884956.png" alt="Protesters at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon photo courtesy WUSA TV" />
 <figcaption>Protesters at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday afternoon photo courtesy WUSA TV</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the fallout of the storming of the Capitol by a mob of pro-Trump loyalists (all times local):The U.S. Capitol Police says an officer who was injured after responding to riots at the Capitol has died.Officer Brian D. Sicknick died Thursday due to injuries sustained while on-duty, physically engaging with protesters at the U.S. Capitol, the statement said.Supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol on Wednesday as Congress was tallying the Electoral College votes to confirm Democrat Joe Biden won the election. Sicknick returned to his division office and collapsed, the report said. He was taken to a hospital and later died.The death will be investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch, the USCP, and federal law enforcement. Sicknick joined the Capitol police in 2008.Democratic leaders of the House Appropriations Committee said the “tragic loss” of a Capitol police officer “should remind all of us of the bravery of the law enforcement officers who protected us, our colleagues, Congressional staff, the press corps and other essential workers″ during the hourslong takeover of the Capitol by pro-Trump protesters.

Capitol police officer dies from injuries suffered during protest

RENO COUNTY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a fire at a home Thursday night in Hutchinson.

Just after 9:30p.m., crews responded to the fire at the home at 721 East First Avenue, according to Fire Chief Steven Beer.

Fires arriving crews reported heavy fire and smoke coming from the front living room area. The fire was contained to the one room. The home sustained smoke and heat damage and is uninhabitable.

No one was hurt, but two people were evaluated by EMS at the scene.&nbsp; Authorities have not released a damage estimate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610083385767.jpeg" alt="Photos&nbsp; by Nick Hemphill courtesy Hutchinson Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photos&nbsp; by Nick Hemphill courtesy Hutchinson Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>RENO COUNTY —Authorities are working to determine the cause of a fire at a home Thursday night in Hutchinson.Just after 9:30p.m., crews responded to the fire at the home at 721 East First Avenue, according to Fire Chief Steven Beer.Fires arriving crews reported heavy fire and smoke coming from the front living room area. The fire was contained to the one room. The home sustained smoke and heat damage and is uninhabitable.No one was hurt, but two people were evaluated by EMS at the scene.&nbsp; Authorities have not released a damage estimate.

Fire Chief: Kansas home uninhabitable after fire

WASHINGTON (AP) — With 13 days left in his term, President Donald Trump finally bent to reality Thursday amid growing talk of trying to force him out early, acknowledging he’ll peacefully leave after Congress affirmed his defeat.

Trump led off a video from the White House by condemning the violence carried out in his name a day earlier at the Capitol. Then, for the first time on camera, he admitted his presidency would soon end — though he declined to mention President-elect Joe Biden by name or explicitly state he had lost.

The address, which appeared designed to stave off talk of a forced early eviction, came at the end of a day when the cornered president stayed out of sight in the White House. Silenced on some of his favorite internet lines of communication, he watched the resignations of several top aides, including two Cabinet secretaries.

Neither option to remove Trump seemed likely, with little time left in his term to draft the Cabinet members&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-25th-amendment-776efde7ba1ff61caa76456bd9d794be">needed to invoke the amendment or to organize the hearings and trial mandated for an impeachment</a>. But the fact that the dramatic options were even the subject of discussion in Washington’s corridors of power served as a warning to Trump.

As for his feelings on leaving office, he told the nation that “serving as your president has been the honor of my lifetime” while hinting at a return to the public arena. He told supporters “our incredible journey is only just beginning.”

Just a day earlier, Trump unleashed the destructive forces at the Capitol with his baseless claims of election fraud at a rally that prompted supporters to disrupt the congressional certification of Biden’s victory. After the storming of the Capitol and the eventual wee-hours certification of Biden’s win by members of Congress, Trump released a statement that acknowledged he would abide by a peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 20.

The statement was posted by an aide and did not originate from the president’s own Twitter account, which has 88 million followers and for four years has been wielded as a political weapon that dictates policy and sows division and conspiracy.

Trump couldn’t tweet it himself because, for the first time, the social media platform suspended his account, stating that the president had violated its rules of service by inciting violence. Facebook adopted a broader ban, saying Trump’s account would be offline until after Biden’s inauguration.

Deprived of that social media lifeblood, Trump remained silent and ensconced in the executive mansion until Thursday evening. But around him, loyalists headed for the exits, their departures — which were coming in two weeks anyway — moved up to protest the president’s handling of the riot.

Mulvaney said others who work for Trump had decided to remain in their posts in an effort to provide some sort of guardrails for the president during his final days in office.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer joined Pelosi in declaring that Trump “should not hold office one day longer” and urged Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to act. But Chao’s departure may stall nascent efforts to invoke the amendment.

Staff-level discussions on the matter took place across multiple departments and even in parts of the White House, according to two people briefed on the talks. But no member of the Cabinet has publicly expressed support for the move — which would make Pence the acting president — though several were believed to be sympathetic to the notion, believing Trump is too volatile in his waning days in office.

In the West Wing, shell-shocked aides were packing up, acting on a delayed directive to begin offboarding their posts ahead of the Biden team’s arrival. The slowdown before now was due to Trump’s single-minded focus on his defeat since Election Day at the expense of the other responsibilities of his office.

Most glaringly, that included the fight against the raging coronavirus that is killing record numbers of Americans each day.

Few aides had any sense of the president’s plans, with some wondering if Trump would largely remain out of sight until he left the White House. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany read a brief statement in which she declared that the Capitol siege was “appalling, reprehensible and antithetical to the American way.”

But her words carried little weight. Trump has long made clear that only he speaks for his presidency.

President Donald Trump is conceding to President-elect Joe Biden and condemning the violent supporters who stormed the nation’s Capitol Wednesday.

In a new video message, Trump says that now that Congress has certified the results, the “new administration will be inaugurated on January 20” and his “focus now turns to ensuring a smooth orderly and seamless transition of power.”

He is also speaking out against the violence, calling it a “heinous attack” that left him “outraged by the violence lawlessness and mayhem.”

Trump did not address his role in inciting the violence. But he is telling his supporters that, while he knows they are “disappointed,” he wants them to know “our incredible journey is only just beginning.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — With 13 days left in his term, President Donald Trump finally bent to reality Thursday amid growing talk of trying to force him out early, acknowledging he’ll peacefully leave after Congress affirmed his defeat.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><a href="https://t.co/csX07ZVWGe">pic.twitter.com/csX07ZVWGe</a>&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1347334804052844550?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Trump led off a video from the White House by condemning the violence carried out in his name a day earlier at the Capitol. Then, for the first time on camera, he admitted his presidency would soon end — though he declined to mention President-elect Joe Biden by name or explicitly state he had lost.“A new administration will be inaugurated on Jan. 20,” Trump said in the video. “My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation.”The address, which appeared designed to stave off talk of a forced early eviction, came at the end of a day when the cornered president stayed out of sight in the White House. Silenced on some of his favorite internet lines of communication, he watched the resignations of several top aides, including two Cabinet secretaries.And as officials sifted through the aftermath of the pro-Trump mob’s siege of the U.S. Capitol, there was growing discussion of impeaching him a second time or invoking the 25th Amendment to oust him from the Oval Office.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-media-elections-73dacf9bc0d906f4efe358279520eeac">The invasion of the Capitol building</a>, a powerful symbol of the nation’s democracy, rattled Republicans and Democrats alike. They struggled with how best to contain the impulses of a president deemed too dangerous to control his own social media accounts but who remains commander in chief of the world’s greatest military.“I’m not worried about the next election, I’m worried about getting through the next 14 days,” said Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of Trump’s staunchest allies. He condemned the president’s role in Wednesday’s riots and said, “If something else happens, all options would be on the table.”Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared that “the president of the United States incited an armed insurrection against America.” She called him “a very dangerous person who should not continue in office. This is urgent, an emergency of the highest magnitude.”Neither option to remove Trump seemed likely, with little time left in his term to draft the Cabinet members&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-25th-amendment-776efde7ba1ff61caa76456bd9d794be">needed to invoke the amendment or to organize the hearings and trial mandated for an impeachment</a>. But the fact that the dramatic options were even the subject of discussion in Washington’s corridors of power served as a warning to Trump.Fears of what a desperate president could do in his final days spread in the nation’s capital and beyond, including speculation Trump could incite more violence, make rash appointments, issue ill-conceived pardons — including for himself and his family — or even trigger a destabilizing international incident.The president’s video Thursday — which was released upon his return to Twitter after his account was restored — was a complete reversal from the one he put out just 24 hours earlier in which he said to the violent mob: “We love you. You’re very special.” His refusal to condemn the violence sparked a firestorm of criticism and, in the new video, he at last denounced the demonstrators’ “lawlessness and mayhem.”As for his feelings on leaving office, he told the nation that “serving as your president has been the honor of my lifetime” while hinting at a return to the public arena. He told supporters “our incredible journey is only just beginning.”Just a day earlier, Trump unleashed the destructive forces at the Capitol with his baseless claims of election fraud at a rally that prompted supporters to disrupt the congressional certification of Biden’s victory. After the storming of the Capitol and the eventual wee-hours certification of Biden’s win by members of Congress, Trump released a statement that acknowledged he would abide by a peaceful transfer of power on Jan. 20.The statement was posted by an aide and did not originate from the president’s own Twitter account, which has 88 million followers and for four years has been wielded as a political weapon that dictates policy and sows division and conspiracy.Trump couldn’t tweet it himself because, for the first time, the social media platform suspended his account, stating that the president had violated its rules of service by inciting violence. Facebook adopted a broader ban, saying Trump’s account would be offline until after Biden’s inauguration.Deprived of that social media lifeblood, Trump remained silent and ensconced in the executive mansion until Thursday evening. But around him, loyalists headed for the exits, their departures — which were coming in two weeks anyway — moved up to protest the president’s handling of the riot.Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao became the first Cabinet member to resign. Chao, married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, one of the lawmakers trapped at the Capitol on Wednesday, said in a message to staff that the attack “has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside.”Education Secretary Betsy DeVos followed. In her resignation letter Thursday, DeVos blamed Trump for inflaming tensions in the violent assault on the seat of the nation’s democracy. “There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me,” she wrote.Others who resigned in the wake of the riot: Deputy National Security Advisor Matthew Pottinger; Ryan Tully, senior director for European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council; and first lady Melania Trump’s chief of staff Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary.Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s former chief of staff-turned-special envoy to Northern Ireland, told CNBC that he had called Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “to let him know I was resigning. ... I can’t do it. I can’t stay.”Mulvaney said others who work for Trump had decided to remain in their posts in an effort to provide some sort of guardrails for the president during his final days in office.“Those who choose to stay, and I have talked with some of them, are choosing to stay because they’re worried the president might put someone worse in,” Mulvaney said.Mulvaney’s predecessor in the chief of staff job, retired U.S. Marine Corps general John Kelly, told CNN that “I think the Cabinet should meet and have a discussion” about Section 4 of the 25th Amendment — allowing the forceful removal of Trump by his own Cabinet.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer joined Pelosi in declaring that Trump “should not hold office one day longer” and urged Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to act. But Chao’s departure may stall nascent efforts to invoke the amendment.Staff-level discussions on the matter took place across multiple departments and even in parts of the White House, according to two people briefed on the talks. But no member of the Cabinet has publicly expressed support for the move — which would make Pence the acting president — though several were believed to be sympathetic to the notion, believing Trump is too volatile in his waning days in office.In the West Wing, shell-shocked aides were packing up, acting on a delayed directive to begin offboarding their posts ahead of the Biden team’s arrival. The slowdown before now was due to Trump’s single-minded focus on his defeat since Election Day at the expense of the other responsibilities of his office.Most glaringly, that included the fight against the raging coronavirus that is killing record numbers of Americans each day.Few aides had any sense of the president’s plans, with some wondering if Trump would largely remain out of sight until he left the White House. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany read a brief statement in which she declared that the Capitol siege was “appalling, reprehensible and antithetical to the American way.”But her words carried little weight. Trump has long made clear that only he speaks for his presidency.___----------WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the fallout of the storming of the Capitol by a mob of pro-Trump loyalists (all times local):President Donald Trump is conceding to President-elect Joe Biden and condemning the violent supporters who stormed the nation’s Capitol Wednesday.In a new video message, Trump says that now that Congress has certified the results, the “new administration will be inaugurated on January 20” and his “focus now turns to ensuring a smooth orderly and seamless transition of power.”He is also speaking out against the violence, calling it a “heinous attack” that left him “outraged by the violence lawlessness and mayhem.”Trump did not address his role in inciting the violence. But he is telling his supporters that, while he knows they are “disappointed,” he wants them to know “our incredible journey is only just beginning.”

🎥 President Trump concedes to Biden — amid talk of early ouster

COWLEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects on drug charges following an investigation.

Just before 1a.m. Jan. 4, police officers and Cowley County Sheriff’s Office deputies executed a search warrant at 326 N. Third Street in Arkansas City stemming from an extensive illegal drug investigation, according to a media release.

Officers arrested Aaron Nathaniel Parga-Varquez, 19, on requested charges of suspicion of two felony counts of no drug tax stamp; one felony count each of criminal use of a weapon, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school and possession with intent to distribute marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school; and one misdemeanor count each of consumption of alcohol by a minor, possession of drug-sale and drug-use paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana.

Parga-Varquez was booked into the Cowley County Jail on a $50,000 bond.

They arrested Haiden Rain Tiger, 19, on requested charges of&nbsp; three felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, as well as one misdemeanor count each of consumption of alcohol by a minor, possession of drug-use paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.

Tiger was booked into the county jail on a $12,000 bond and remained in custody.

In addition, Taylor Elliot Hobson, 27, was arrested on requested charges of two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, plus one misdemeanor count each of possession of drug-use paraphernalia and of marijuana. He also was arrested on two outstanding district court warrants for probation violation.

Hobson was booked into the county jail in lieu of $10,000 bond through Arkansas City district court on the new charges and no bond on the warrants. He remained in custody.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1609881101959.png" alt="Hobson-photo Cowley County" />
 <figcaption>Hobson-photo Cowley County</figcaption>
 </figure>COWLEY COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects on drug charges following an investigation.Just before 1a.m. Jan. 4, police officers and Cowley County Sheriff’s Office deputies executed a search warrant at 326 N. Third Street in Arkansas City stemming from an extensive illegal drug investigation, according to a media release.Officers arrested Aaron Nathaniel Parga-Varquez, 19, on requested charges of suspicion of two felony counts of no drug tax stamp; one felony count each of criminal use of a weapon, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school and possession with intent to distribute marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school; and one misdemeanor count each of consumption of alcohol by a minor, possession of drug-sale and drug-use paraphernalia, and possession of marijuana.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1609881177335.png" alt="Parga-Varquez-photo Cowley Co." />
 <figcaption>Parga-Varquez-photo Cowley Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>Parga-Varquez was booked into the Cowley County Jail on a $50,000 bond.They arrested Haiden Rain Tiger, 19, on requested charges of&nbsp; three felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, as well as one misdemeanor count each of consumption of alcohol by a minor, possession of drug-use paraphernalia and possession of marijuana.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1609881217519.png" alt="Tiger photo Cowley County" />
 <figcaption>Tiger photo Cowley County</figcaption>
 </figure>Tiger was booked into the county jail on a $12,000 bond and remained in custody.In addition, Taylor Elliot Hobson, 27, was arrested on requested charges of two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, plus one misdemeanor count each of possession of drug-use paraphernalia and of marijuana. He also was arrested on two outstanding district court warrants for probation violation.Hobson was booked into the county jail in lieu of $10,000 bond through Arkansas City district court on the new charges and no bond on the warrants. He remained in custody.

3 Kan. men arrested after lengthy investigation 

O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Helen Viola Jackson's 1936 marriage to James Bolin was unusual to say the least: He was 93 and in declining health, and she was a 17-year-old schoolgirl.

Bolin was also a Civil War veteran who fought for the Union in the border state of Missouri. Jackson was almost certainly the last remaining widow of a Civil War soldier when she died Dec. 16 at a nursing home in Marshfield, Missouri. She was 101.

Several Civil War heritage organizations have recognized Jackson’s quiet role in history, one that she hid for all but the final three years of her life, said Nicholas Inman, her pastor and longtime friend. Yet in those final years, Inman said, Jackson embraced the recognition that included a spot on the Missouri Walk of Fame and countless cards and letters from well-wishers.

“It was sort of a healing process for Helen: that something she thought would be kind of a scarlet letter would be celebrated in her later years,” Inman said.

Jackson grew up one of 10 children in the tiny southwestern Missouri town of Niangua, near Marshfield. Bolin, a widower who had served as a private in the 14th Missouri Cavalry during the Civil War seven decades earlier, lived nearby.

Jackson’s father volunteered his teenage daughter to stop by Bolin’s home each day to provide care and help with chores. To pay back her kindness, Bolin offered to marry Jackson, which would allow her to receive his soldier's pension after his death, a compelling offer in the context of the Great Depression.

Jackson agreed in large part because “she felt her daily care was prolonging his life,” Inman said.

They wed on Sept. 4, 1936, at his home. Throughout their three years of marriage there was no intimacy and she never lived with him. She never told her parents, her siblings or anyone else about the wedding. She never remarried, spending decades “harboring this secret that had to be eating her alive,” Inman said.

After Bolin’s death in 1939, she did not seek his pension.

She also realized the stigma and potential scandal of a teenager wedding a man in his 90s, regardless of her reason. In an oral history recording in 2018, Jackson said she never spoke of the wedding to protect Bolin's reputation as well as her own.

“I had great respect for Mr. Bolin, and I did not want him to be hurt by the scorn of wagging tongues,” she said.

Inman and Jackson were longtime friends. She was a charter member of the Methodist church where he serves as pastor. One day in December 2017, she told Inman about her secret marriage to a much older man. She mentioned in passing that he fought in the Civil War.

“I said, ‘What? Back up about that. What do you mean he was in the Civil War?’” Inman said.

Inman checked into her story and found that everything she told him was “spot on.” Officials at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield sent him copies of Bolin’s service information. She identified where he was buried, in Niangua.

She also kept a Bible that he gave her — in which he wrote about their marriage. Those written words were good enough for the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and other heritage organizations to recognize Jackson’s place in history.

After a lifetime of avoiding her past, Jackson embraced it in her final years, Inman said. She spoke to schoolchildren and had a Facebook page dedicated to her. She enjoyed getting cards and letters.

She also found new peace. A stoic nature that kept her from shedding tears at her own siblings' funerals seemed to evaporate.

After Bolin’s relatives found out about Jackson's role in his life, they went to the nursing home and presented her with a framed photo of him.

“She broke down and cried,” Inman recalled. “She kept touching the frame and said, ‘This is the only man who ever loved me.’”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610054630489.png" alt="Helen Viola Jackson photo courtesy Day Funeral Home" />
 <figcaption>Helen Viola Jackson photo courtesy Day Funeral Home</figcaption>
 </figure>O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Helen Viola Jackson's 1936 marriage to James Bolin was unusual to say the least: He was 93 and in declining health, and she was a 17-year-old schoolgirl.Bolin was also a Civil War veteran who fought for the Union in the border state of Missouri. Jackson was almost certainly the last remaining widow of a Civil War soldier when she died Dec. 16 at a nursing home in Marshfield, Missouri. She was 101.Several Civil War heritage organizations have recognized Jackson’s quiet role in history, one that she hid for all but the final three years of her life, said Nicholas Inman, her pastor and longtime friend. Yet in those final years, Inman said, Jackson embraced the recognition that included a spot on the Missouri Walk of Fame and countless cards and letters from well-wishers.“It was sort of a healing process for Helen: that something she thought would be kind of a scarlet letter would be celebrated in her later years,” Inman said.Jackson grew up one of 10 children in the tiny southwestern Missouri town of Niangua, near Marshfield. Bolin, a widower who had served as a private in the 14th Missouri Cavalry during the Civil War seven decades earlier, lived nearby.Jackson’s father volunteered his teenage daughter to stop by Bolin’s home each day to provide care and help with chores. To pay back her kindness, Bolin offered to marry Jackson, which would allow her to receive his soldier's pension after his death, a compelling offer in the context of the Great Depression.Jackson agreed in large part because “she felt her daily care was prolonging his life,” Inman said.They wed on Sept. 4, 1936, at his home. Throughout their three years of marriage there was no intimacy and she never lived with him. She never told her parents, her siblings or anyone else about the wedding. She never remarried, spending decades “harboring this secret that had to be eating her alive,” Inman said.After Bolin’s death in 1939, she did not seek his pension.She also realized the stigma and potential scandal of a teenager wedding a man in his 90s, regardless of her reason. In an oral history recording in 2018, Jackson said she never spoke of the wedding to protect Bolin's reputation as well as her own.“I had great respect for Mr. Bolin, and I did not want him to be hurt by the scorn of wagging tongues,” she said.Inman and Jackson were longtime friends. She was a charter member of the Methodist church where he serves as pastor. One day in December 2017, she told Inman about her secret marriage to a much older man. She mentioned in passing that he fought in the Civil War.“I said, ‘What? Back up about that. What do you mean he was in the Civil War?’” Inman said.Inman checked into her story and found that everything she told him was “spot on.” Officials at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield sent him copies of Bolin’s service information. She identified where he was buried, in Niangua.She also kept a Bible that he gave her — in which he wrote about their marriage. Those written words were good enough for the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and other heritage organizations to recognize Jackson’s place in history.After a lifetime of avoiding her past, Jackson embraced it in her final years, Inman said. She spoke to schoolchildren and had a Facebook page dedicated to her. She enjoyed getting cards and letters.She also found new peace. A stoic nature that kept her from shedding tears at her own siblings' funerals seemed to evaporate.After Bolin’s relatives found out about Jackson's role in his life, they went to the nursing home and presented her with a framed photo of him.“She broke down and cried,” Inman recalled. “She kept touching the frame and said, ‘This is the only man who ever loved me.’”

Woman believed to be last Civil War widow dies

WASHINGTON —New Kansas Senator Roger Marshall is receiving plenty of criticism for his vote along with a handful of other GOP Senators including Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas against President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

On Thursday Marshall wrote on social media, "Joe Biden is the President-Elect and we must and will have a peaceful transition of power on January 20th. Anything less is not an option. To be explicitly clear – Joe Biden will be our next President. 

I am sickened and angered by the violence that unfolded at our nation’s Capitol yesterday. To all those who destroyed any chance we had for peaceful discussion and debate on restoring and ensuring confidence in this and all future elections: Your actions were despicable and each of you – the rioters, vandals, and trespassers – should be prosecuted to the fullest extent. 

I am thankful for our law enforcement officers who worked courageously to restore order at the U.S. Capitol – their heroism is unmatched. America is a resilient nation, and I have no doubt that we will unite and grow stronger after this."

More than 90 senators populated the chamber for Wednesday night's debate — guarded by dozens of heavily armed police — and the typically verbose crowd had to keep their remarks to just five minutes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1610059607126.png" alt="Marshall spoke during the late Wednesday night debate-image courtesy CSPAN.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?507698-5/senate-rejects-objection-arizona-electoral-votes-93-6&amp;event=507698&amp;playEvent">Click here</a>&nbsp;to watch a replay" />
 <figcaption>Marshall spoke during the late Wednesday night debate-image courtesy CSPAN.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?507698-5/senate-rejects-objection-arizona-electoral-votes-93-6&amp;event=507698&amp;playEvent">Click here</a>&nbsp;to watch a replay</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —New Kansas Senator Roger Marshall is receiving plenty of criticism for his vote along with a handful of other GOP Senators including Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas against President-elect Joe Biden's victory.On Thursday Marshall wrote on social media, "Joe Biden is the President-Elect and we must and will have a peaceful transition of power on January 20th. Anything less is not an option. To be explicitly clear – Joe Biden will be our next President. I am sickened and angered by the violence that unfolded at our nation’s Capitol yesterday. To all those who destroyed any chance we had for peaceful discussion and debate on restoring and ensuring confidence in this and all future elections: Your actions were despicable and each of you – the rioters, vandals, and trespassers – should be prosecuted to the fullest extent. I am thankful for our law enforcement officers who worked courageously to restore order at the U.S. Capitol – their heroism is unmatched. America is a resilient nation, and I have no doubt that we will unite and grow stronger after this."More than 90 senators populated the chamber for Wednesday night's debate — guarded by dozens of heavily armed police — and the typically verbose crowd had to keep their remarks to just five minutes.