SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged child abuse.

On December 8, 2020, deputies responded to a child abuse call after a three-year-old child arrived at a local hospital with several serious internal and external injuries, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.

The child was transported to a Kansas City area hospital for treatment.

Just after 9:30p.m. Thursday, deputies located and arrested Joshua S. McNutt, 41, of Topeka. McNutt was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of felony aggravated endangering a child.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607720595486.png" alt="McNutt photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>McNutt photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for alleged child abuse.On December 8, 2020, deputies responded to a child abuse call after a three-year-old child arrived at a local hospital with several serious internal and external injuries, according to Deputy Abigail Christian.The child was transported to a Kansas City area hospital for treatment.Just after 9:30p.m. Thursday, deputies located and arrested Joshua S. McNutt, 41, of Topeka. McNutt was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections on requested charges of felony aggravated endangering a child.

Police arrest Kan. man after 3-year-old hospitalized

By BRIAN GRIMMETT <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/second-1000-coronavirus-deaths-kansas-came-5-times-faster-first-1000">Kansas News Service</a>

WICHITA, Kansas — The number of Kansans who have died from COVID-19 topped 2,000 on Friday.

How
 quickly the state passed that milestone — it took the state seven-plus 
months to lose its first 1,000 people to the coronavirus, and little 
more than a month to lose 1,000 more — shows how quickly the spread is 
accelerating.

“There’s just so many more people getting COVID 
right now that inevitably that’s going to lead to more death,” said 
Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health 
System.

The number of people who die after contracting the 
disease has remained relatively stable at about 1.9% in the U.S. and 
about 1% in Kansas.

But the rapid increase in the number of new 
deaths mirrors the increases in new cases. In the past two weeks, the 
state has averaged nearly 2,500 new cases a day.

In Kansas, it 
took about six months to go from the first death, to 500 deaths. The 
next 500 took only six weeks. The 500 after that, four weeks. And the 
most recent 500, to get the state over 2,000, took about two and a half 
weeks.

● 1 to 500 - 6 months (3/18/20 to 9/11/20) ● 500 to 1,000 - 6 weeks (9/11/20 to 10/28/20) ● 1,000 to 1,500 - 4 weeks (10/28/20 to 11/25/20) ● 1,500 to 2,000 - 2.5 weeks (11/25/20 to 12/11/20)

The
 rapid rise takes a toll on doctors and nurses in intensive care units 
who have to watch their patients die, while dealing with grieving family
 members.

“It has been palpably more difficult over the last 
month, and even couple of weeks,” said Lewis Satterwhite, a critical 
care physician at the KU Health System hospital.&nbsp;

So far, the 
youngest person to die of COVID in Kansas is 18. But young people dying 
from the disease remains rare. Of the coronavirus deaths in Kansas, 
94.4% have come among people 55 or older. The median age is 80.

<a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-12-02/its-becoming-increasingly-hard-to-find-a-nursing-home-in-kansas-where-coronavirus-hasnt-shown-up" target="_blank">Nursing homes remain hot spots</a>.
 Two-thirds of all facilities in the state have had confirmed cases. And
 dozens still have to wait up to a week to receive test results from 
backlogged labs.

Deaths are pretty evenly split between male and 
female, but have hit Black people particularly hard, with a death rate 
of 61.47 per 100,000 people.

Physicians fear that the number of 
daily deaths hasn’t quite peaked yet. Deaths usually lag four to six 
weeks behind spikes in cases.

Almost every Kansas county has a 
percent positive testing rate greater than 10%, a sign of uncontrolled, 
widespread community transmission.

U.S. Department of Health and 
Human Services regional administrator Catherine Satterwhite said 
reducing the spread of the virus is still the best way to reduce the 
number of deaths.

“It’s really important to know,” she said, “that this is not inevitable.”

Brian
 Grimmett reports on the environment, energy and natural resources for 
KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on 
Twitter @briangrimmett or email him at grimmett@kmuw.org.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607710594610.png" alt="The number of COVID-19 deaths by day in Kansas. Kansas Department of Health and Environment" />
 <figcaption>The number of COVID-19 deaths by day in Kansas. Kansas Department of Health and Environment</figcaption>
 </figure>By BRIAN GRIMMETT <a href="https://www.kmuw.org/post/second-1000-coronavirus-deaths-kansas-came-5-times-faster-first-1000">Kansas News Service</a>WICHITA, Kansas — The number of Kansans who have died from COVID-19 topped 2,000 on Friday.How
 quickly the state passed that milestone — it took the state seven-plus 
months to lose its first 1,000 people to the coronavirus, and little 
more than a month to lose 1,000 more — shows how quickly the spread is 
accelerating.“There’s just so many more people getting COVID 
right now that inevitably that’s going to lead to more death,” said 
Steve Stites, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Health 
System.The number of people who die after contracting the 
disease has remained relatively stable at about 1.9% in the U.S. and 
about 1% in Kansas.But the rapid increase in the number of new 
deaths mirrors the increases in new cases. In the past two weeks, the 
state has averaged nearly 2,500 new cases a day.In Kansas, it 
took about six months to go from the first death, to 500 deaths. The 
next 500 took only six weeks. The 500 after that, four weeks. And the 
most recent 500, to get the state over 2,000, took about two and a half 
weeks.● 1 to 500 - 6 months (3/18/20 to 9/11/20) ● 500 to 1,000 - 6 weeks (9/11/20 to 10/28/20) ● 1,000 to 1,500 - 4 weeks (10/28/20 to 11/25/20) ● 1,500 to 2,000 - 2.5 weeks (11/25/20 to 12/11/20)The
 rapid rise takes a toll on doctors and nurses in intensive care units 
who have to watch their patients die, while dealing with grieving family
 members.“It has been palpably more difficult over the last 
month, and even couple of weeks,” said Lewis Satterwhite, a critical 
care physician at the KU Health System hospital.&nbsp;So far, the 
youngest person to die of COVID in Kansas is 18. But young people dying 
from the disease remains rare. Of the coronavirus deaths in Kansas, 
94.4% have come among people 55 or older. The median age is 80.<a href="https://www.kcur.org/news/2020-12-02/its-becoming-increasingly-hard-to-find-a-nursing-home-in-kansas-where-coronavirus-hasnt-shown-up" target="_blank">Nursing homes remain hot spots</a>.
 Two-thirds of all facilities in the state have had confirmed cases. And
 dozens still have to wait up to a week to receive test results from 
backlogged labs.Deaths are pretty evenly split between male and 
female, but have hit Black people particularly hard, with a death rate 
of 61.47 per 100,000 people.Physicians fear that the number of 
daily deaths hasn’t quite peaked yet. Deaths usually lag four to six 
weeks behind spikes in cases.Almost every Kansas county has a 
percent positive testing rate greater than 10%, a sign of uncontrolled, 
widespread community transmission.U.S. Department of Health and 
Human Services regional administrator Catherine Satterwhite said 
reducing the spread of the virus is still the best way to reduce the 
number of deaths.“It’s really important to know,” she said, “that this is not inevitable.”Brian
 Grimmett reports on the environment, energy and natural resources for 
KMUW in Wichita and the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on 
Twitter @briangrimmett or email him at grimmett@kmuw.org.

Second 1,000 virus deaths in Kan. came 5 times faster than first 1,000 

TOPEKA – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt issued the following statement on Friday’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court not to hear a lawsuit brought by Texas challenging presidential election procedures in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin:

“As I said Wednesday, Kansas filed a brief in this case, as we have in others, seeking an answer to an important and potentially recurring federal constitutional question involving the role of states in federal elections. My office also received more than 15,000 calls and emails urging us to ask the Supreme Court to hear the Texas arguments. Today the Supreme Court decided not to become involved in the 2020 election, and the Court’s decision means it is time to put this election behind us.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583409290272.jpeg" alt="Kansas AG Derek Schmidt" />
 <figcaption>Kansas AG Derek Schmidt</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt issued the following statement on Friday’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court not to hear a lawsuit brought by Texas challenging presidential election procedures in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin: “As I said Wednesday, Kansas filed a brief in this case, as we have in others, seeking an answer to an important and potentially recurring federal constitutional question involving the role of states in federal elections. My office also received more than 15,000 calls and emails urging us to ask the Supreme Court to hear the Texas arguments. Today the Supreme Court decided not to become involved in the 2020 election, and the Court’s decision means it is time to put this election behind us.”

Kansas AG: It's time to put the 2020 election behind us

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — It's not unusual for officers to pull over suspected drunken drivers on the highways of Kansas. But it is fairly rare to bust a suspected drunken driver while he's driving a riding lawnmower. 

That's what Shawnee County Sheriff's deputies say they encountered Wednesday afternoon when they spotted a man later identified as 25-year-old Dalton D. Hunt, according to arrest records, driving a lawnmower on the southbound shoulder of U.S. Highway 75 near Topeka. 

Deputies stopped and arrested him on suspicion of driving under the influence after he failed a field sobriety test.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607701911298.png" alt="Hunt-photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Hunt-photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — It's not unusual for officers to pull over suspected drunken drivers on the highways of Kansas. But it is fairly rare to bust a suspected drunken driver while he's driving a riding lawnmower. That's what Shawnee County Sheriff's deputies say they encountered Wednesday afternoon when they spotted a man later identified as 25-year-old Dalton D. Hunt, according to arrest records, driving a lawnmower on the southbound shoulder of U.S. Highway 75 near Topeka. Deputies stopped and arrested him on suspicion of driving under the influence after he failed a field sobriety test.

Deputies arrest man riding lawnmower on Kansas highway

TOPEKA&nbsp;- Kansas Department for Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard took swift action to address allegations of document falsification by employees of St. Francis Ministries (SFM), one of the agency’s foster care case management providers, according to a media release from DCF.

“In mid-November, my agency was made aware of instances where an SFM employee falsified documents to show they had visited with families when they had in fact not made those visits,” Howard said. “Given the seriousness of these allegations I instructed my deputy secretary to immediately begin an investigation.”

After engaging with SFM, DCF learned that SFM was already aware of the allegations and had begun an inquiry at its Salina office. SFM supervisors immediately began contacting foster care providers to confirm visits were being conducted. During the investigation, SFM discovered that one employee did not visit 28 children who were living with 11 different foster care providers. This worker had documented 165 contacts with those children between February and October of 2020 that did not occur. The worker was fired by SFM.

SFM also discovered during its inquiry another case of an employee failing to meet with foster care providers. The employee was fired from the agency in August.

SFM continues its work in Saline County to review each case file to reconcile information from providers with dates of contacts by SFM employees in the case file documentation. The inquiry has so far not turned up any additional instances of document falsification. The case review has shown:

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;69% of placements interviewed expressed seeing a member of the Saint Francis case team on a monthly&nbsp;basis.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;78% of fathers interviewed expressed seeing a member of the Saint Francis case team on a monthly&nbsp;basis.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;86% of mothers interviewed expressed seeing a member of the Saint Francis case team on a monthly&nbsp;basis.

DCF has taken additional steps including:

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Requesting information related to methods, sampling figures and findings of St. Francis’ case&nbsp;reviews.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;DCF’s&nbsp;Audit&nbsp;Services&nbsp;Child&nbsp;Welfare&nbsp;Compliance&nbsp;Team&nbsp;and&nbsp;Quality&nbsp;Assurance&nbsp;Team&nbsp;will&nbsp;serve&nbsp;as&nbsp;peer&nbsp;reviewers&nbsp;assisting&nbsp;in&nbsp;contacting&nbsp;providers&nbsp;as&nbsp;part&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;case&nbsp;review&nbsp;process.

Financial Mismanagement Investigation

Additionally, Secretary Howard has communicated with St. Francis Ministries interim president/CEO William Clark and Board President Dr. Greg Meissen insisting the agency provide full access to all SFM internal reports and investigation findings pertaining to the expenditure of any monies received by SFM pursuant to its grant with DCF and SFM’s financial stability.

“My agency will not rest until we are assured that Kansas taxpayer funds have been properly spent by SFM,” Howard said. “We know SFM to be good partners and we look forward to full transparency as it relates to both their fiscal affairs and documentation issues.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1594298004787.png" alt="Google image" />
 <figcaption>Google image</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA&nbsp;- Kansas Department for Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard took swift action to address allegations of document falsification by employees of St. Francis Ministries (SFM), one of the agency’s foster care case management providers, according to a media release from DCF.“In mid-November, my agency was made aware of instances where an SFM employee falsified documents to show they had visited with families when they had in fact not made those visits,” Howard said. “Given the seriousness of these allegations I instructed my deputy secretary to immediately begin an investigation.”After engaging with SFM, DCF learned that SFM was already aware of the allegations and had begun an inquiry at its Salina office. SFM supervisors immediately began contacting foster care providers to confirm visits were being conducted. During the investigation, SFM discovered that one employee did not visit 28 children who were living with 11 different foster care providers. This worker had documented 165 contacts with those children between February and October of 2020 that did not occur. The worker was fired by SFM.SFM also discovered during its inquiry another case of an employee failing to meet with foster care providers. The employee was fired from the agency in August.SFM continues its work in Saline County to review each case file to reconcile information from providers with dates of contacts by SFM employees in the case file documentation. The inquiry has so far not turned up any additional instances of document falsification. The case review has shown:·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;69% of placements interviewed expressed seeing a member of the Saint Francis case team on a monthly&nbsp;basis.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;78% of fathers interviewed expressed seeing a member of the Saint Francis case team on a monthly&nbsp;basis.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;86% of mothers interviewed expressed seeing a member of the Saint Francis case team on a monthly&nbsp;basis.DCF has taken additional steps including:·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Requesting information related to methods, sampling figures and findings of St. Francis’ case&nbsp;reviews.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;DCF’s&nbsp;Audit&nbsp;Services&nbsp;Child&nbsp;Welfare&nbsp;Compliance&nbsp;Team&nbsp;and&nbsp;Quality&nbsp;Assurance&nbsp;Team&nbsp;will&nbsp;serve&nbsp;as&nbsp;peer&nbsp;reviewers&nbsp;assisting&nbsp;in&nbsp;contacting&nbsp;providers&nbsp;as&nbsp;part&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;case&nbsp;review&nbsp;process.Financial Mismanagement InvestigationAdditionally, Secretary Howard has communicated with St. Francis Ministries interim president/CEO William Clark and Board President Dr. Greg Meissen insisting the agency provide full access to all SFM internal reports and investigation findings pertaining to the expenditure of any monies received by SFM pursuant to its grant with DCF and SFM’s financial stability.“My agency will not rest until we are assured that Kansas taxpayer funds have been properly spent by SFM,” Howard said. “We know SFM to be good partners and we look forward to full transparency as it relates to both their fiscal affairs and documentation issues.”

DCF learned foster care worker lied about visiting children

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected a lawsuit backed by President Donald Trump to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory, ending a desperate attempt to get legal issues rejected by state and federal judges before the nation’s highest court and subvert the will of voters.

Trump bemoaned the decision late Friday, tweeting: “The Supreme Court really let us down. No Wisdom, No Courage!”

The high court’s order earlier Friday was a stark repudiation of a legal claim that was widely regarded as dubious, yet embraced by the president, 19 Republican state attorneys general and 126 House Republicans.

Trump had insisted the court would find the “wisdom” and “courage” to adopt his baseless position that the election was the product of widespread fraud and should be overturned. But the nation’s highest court emphatically disagreed.

Friday’s order marked the second time this week that the court had rebuffed Republican requests that it get involved in the 2020 election outcome and reject the voters’ choice, as expressed in an election regarded by both Republican and Democratic officials as free and fair. The justices turned away an appeal from Pennsylvania Republicans on Tuesday.

On Monday, the Electoral College meets to formally elect Biden as the next president.

Trump had called the lawsuit filed by Texas against Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin “the big one” that would end with the Supreme Court undoing Biden’s substantial Electoral College majority and allowing Trump to serve another four years in the White House.

In a brief order, the court said Texas does not have the legal right to sue those states because it “has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections.”

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, who have said previously the court does not have the authority to turn away lawsuits between states, said they would have heard Texas’ complaint. But they would not have done as Texas wanted — setting aside those four states’ 62 electoral votes for Biden — pending resolution of the lawsuit.

Trump complained that “within a flash,” the lawsuit was “thrown out and gone, without even looking at the many reasons it was brought. A Rigged Election, fight on!”

Three Trump appointees sit on the high court. In his push to get the most recent of his nominees, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, confirmed quickly, Trump said she would be needed for any post-election lawsuits. Barrett appears to have participated in both cases this week. None of the Trump appointees noted a dissent in either case.

The four states sued by Texas had urged the court to reject the case as meritless. They were backed by another 22 states and the District of Columbia.

Republican support for the lawsuit and its call to throw out millions of votes in four battleground states was rooted in baseless claims of fraud, an extraordinary display of the party’s willingness to countermand the will of voters. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana were among those joining to support the action.

“The Court has rightly dismissed out of hand the extreme, unlawful and undemocratic GOP lawsuit to overturn the will of millions of American voters,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday night.

A few Republicans expressed concerns about the case. Many others remained silent even as Trump endlessly repeated claims that he lost a chance at a second term due to widespread fraud.

Sen. Ben Sasse, a Nebraska Republican who has previously criticized the president, applauded the court’s decision.

“Since Election Night, a lot of people have been confusing voters by spinning Kenyan Birther-type, ‘Chavez rigged the election from the grave’ conspiracy theories, but every American who cares about the rule of law should take comfort that the Supreme Court — including all three of President Trump’s picks — closed the book on the nonsense,” Sasse said in a statement.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the court “saw through this seditious abuse of the judicial process.”

“While these stunts are legally insignificant, their cost to our country — in misleading the public about a free and fair election and in tearing at our Constitution — is high and we will not tolerate them from our sister states or anyone else,” said Shapiro, a Democrat.

The Texas complaint repeated false, disproven and unsubstantiated accusations about the voting in four states that went for Trump’s Democratic challenger. The high court had never before been asked for such a dramatic remedy.

Two days after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed his suit, Trump jumped into the high court case. Hours later, the president held a meeting at the White House, scheduled before the suit was filed, with a dozen Republican attorneys general, including Paxton and several others who backed the effort.

“If the Supreme Court shows great Wisdom and Courage, the American People will win perhaps the most important case in history, and our Electoral Process will be respected again!” he tweeted Friday afternoon. Trump had spent the week relentlessly tweeting about the Texas case with the hashtag “overturn” and claiming, falsely, that he had won the election but was robbed.

In a statement Friday, Paxton called the Supreme Court’s decision “unfortunate.”

Still, some of the top state Republican prosecutors who urged the court to get involved acknowledged that the effort was a long shot and sought to distance themselves from Trump’s baseless allegations of fraud.

The case inflamed already high tensions over the election. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said his office staff received two death threats Thursday after he signed onto the brief supporting the case.

The lawsuit also divided officials in some states.

Montana Attorney General Tim Fox supported Texas’ case, even though he said the suit was “belated” and its chances “are slim at best.” Fox said the case raised “important constitutional questions about the separation of powers and the integrity of mail-in ballots in those defendant states.”

But Gov. Steve Bullock, D-Mont., urged the court to reject the case. He said the fact that Texas is not suing Montana, which Trump won, even though the state similarly used mail-in ballots underscores that “this action is less about election integrity than it is about attempting to overturn the will of the electorate.”

Trump’s repetition of election-related falsehoods and conspiracy theories has taken hold among far-right media and much of his base. Many Republican voters in several states won by Biden have demanded that their elected officials find a way to invalidate the president-elect’s victories.

The Republican Party of Texas on Friday evening issued a statement raising the far-fetched possibility of secession. “Perhaps law-abiding states should bond together and form a Union of states that will abide by the constitution,” said party chairman Allen West, the former Florida congressman.

Even though the court’s action seemed to be the end of the road for Trump’s legal fights about the 2020 election results, the president’s efforts may have a destabilizing effect long after he leaves office. Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, vowed Friday to keep fighting.

“Some litigation may continue, but it will not change election results,” said Rick Hasen, a law professor at the Universtiy of California, Irvine. “The delegitimization of the Biden presidency by Trump, and of elections generally, will reverberate for years to come. And that’s a real tragedy.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected a lawsuit backed by President Donald Trump to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory, ending a desperate attempt to get legal issues rejected by state and federal judges before the nation’s highest court and subvert the will of voters.Trump bemoaned the decision late Friday, tweeting: “The Supreme Court really let us down. No Wisdom, No Courage!”The high court’s order earlier Friday was a stark repudiation of a legal claim that was widely regarded as dubious, yet embraced by the president, 19 Republican state attorneys general and 126 House Republicans.Trump had insisted the court would find the “wisdom” and “courage” to adopt his baseless position that the election was the product of widespread fraud and should be overturned. But the nation’s highest court emphatically disagreed.Friday’s order marked the second time this week that the court had rebuffed Republican requests that it get involved in the 2020 election outcome and reject the voters’ choice, as expressed in an election regarded by both Republican and Democratic officials as free and fair. The justices turned away an appeal from Pennsylvania Republicans on Tuesday.On Monday, the Electoral College meets to formally elect Biden as the next president.Trump had called the lawsuit filed by Texas against Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin “the big one” that would end with the Supreme Court undoing Biden’s substantial Electoral College majority and allowing Trump to serve another four years in the White House.In a brief order, the court said Texas does not have the legal right to sue those states because it “has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections.”Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, who have said previously the court does not have the authority to turn away lawsuits between states, said they would have heard Texas’ complaint. But they would not have done as Texas wanted — setting aside those four states’ 62 electoral votes for Biden — pending resolution of the lawsuit.Trump complained that “within a flash,” the lawsuit was “thrown out and gone, without even looking at the many reasons it was brought. A Rigged Election, fight on!”Three Trump appointees sit on the high court. In his push to get the most recent of his nominees, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, confirmed quickly, Trump said she would be needed for any post-election lawsuits. Barrett appears to have participated in both cases this week. None of the Trump appointees noted a dissent in either case.The four states sued by Texas had urged the court to reject the case as meritless. They were backed by another 22 states and the District of Columbia.Republican support for the lawsuit and its call to throw out millions of votes in four battleground states was rooted in baseless claims of fraud, an extraordinary display of the party’s willingness to countermand the will of voters. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana were among those joining to support the action.“The Court has rightly dismissed out of hand the extreme, unlawful and undemocratic GOP lawsuit to overturn the will of millions of American voters,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday night.A few Republicans expressed concerns about the case. Many others remained silent even as Trump endlessly repeated claims that he lost a chance at a second term due to widespread fraud.Sen. Ben Sasse, a Nebraska Republican who has previously criticized the president, applauded the court’s decision.“Since Election Night, a lot of people have been confusing voters by spinning Kenyan Birther-type, ‘Chavez rigged the election from the grave’ conspiracy theories, but every American who cares about the rule of law should take comfort that the Supreme Court — including all three of President Trump’s picks — closed the book on the nonsense,” Sasse said in a statement.Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said the court “saw through this seditious abuse of the judicial process.”“While these stunts are legally insignificant, their cost to our country — in misleading the public about a free and fair election and in tearing at our Constitution — is high and we will not tolerate them from our sister states or anyone else,” said Shapiro, a Democrat.The Texas complaint repeated false, disproven and unsubstantiated accusations about the voting in four states that went for Trump’s Democratic challenger. The high court had never before been asked for such a dramatic remedy.Two days after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed his suit, Trump jumped into the high court case. Hours later, the president held a meeting at the White House, scheduled before the suit was filed, with a dozen Republican attorneys general, including Paxton and several others who backed the effort.“If the Supreme Court shows great Wisdom and Courage, the American People will win perhaps the most important case in history, and our Electoral Process will be respected again!” he tweeted Friday afternoon. Trump had spent the week relentlessly tweeting about the Texas case with the hashtag “overturn” and claiming, falsely, that he had won the election but was robbed.In a statement Friday, Paxton called the Supreme Court’s decision “unfortunate.”Still, some of the top state Republican prosecutors who urged the court to get involved acknowledged that the effort was a long shot and sought to distance themselves from Trump’s baseless allegations of fraud.The case inflamed already high tensions over the election. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said his office staff received two death threats Thursday after he signed onto the brief supporting the case.The lawsuit also divided officials in some states.Montana Attorney General Tim Fox supported Texas’ case, even though he said the suit was “belated” and its chances “are slim at best.” Fox said the case raised “important constitutional questions about the separation of powers and the integrity of mail-in ballots in those defendant states.”But Gov. Steve Bullock, D-Mont., urged the court to reject the case. He said the fact that Texas is not suing Montana, which Trump won, even though the state similarly used mail-in ballots underscores that “this action is less about election integrity than it is about attempting to overturn the will of the electorate.”Trump’s repetition of election-related falsehoods and conspiracy theories has taken hold among far-right media and much of his base. Many Republican voters in several states won by Biden have demanded that their elected officials find a way to invalidate the president-elect’s victories.The Republican Party of Texas on Friday evening issued a statement raising the far-fetched possibility of secession. “Perhaps law-abiding states should bond together and form a Union of states that will abide by the constitution,” said party chairman Allen West, the former Florida congressman.Even though the court’s action seemed to be the end of the road for Trump’s legal fights about the 2020 election results, the president’s efforts may have a destabilizing effect long after he leaves office. Trump’s personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, vowed Friday to keep fighting.“Some litigation may continue, but it will not change election results,” said Rick Hasen, a law professor at the Universtiy of California, Irvine. “The delegitimization of the Biden presidency by Trump, and of elections generally, will reverberate for years to come. And that’s a real tragedy.”____

Supreme Court rejects Texas lawsuit on presidential election

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress shipped a temporary government-wide funding bill to President Donald Trump on Friday, averting a government shutdown at midnight and buying time for on-again, off-again talks on COVID-19 relief.

The bill, which sets a new shutdown deadline of midnight next Friday, passed the Senate by a unanimous voice vote that came without much drama and sent rank-and-file senators home for the weekend with no clear picture of what awaits next week. The House passed the bill on Wednesday, and Trump is expected to sign it before midnight.

COVID-19 relief talks remain stalled but there is universal agreement that Congress won’t adjourn for the year without passing a long-delayed round of pandemic relief. An emerging $900 billion aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers hit a rough patch after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell swung against the effort, but negotiations are ongoing and pressure remains intense.

The House has recessed for a few days, with leaders warning members to be prepared to return to Washington to vote on the year-end deals, while the Senate will return next week.

The breakdown over the COVID-19 aid package, after days of behind-the-scenes talks by a group of lawmakers fed up with inaction, comes as Trump has taken the talks in another direction — insisting on a fresh round of $600 stimulus checks for Americans.

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4929870/senators-sanders-hawley-push-direct-payments-end-year">Click here to</a> listen to Senators Hawley and Sanders

Sending direct cash payments to households was not included in the bipartisan proposal, but has been embraced by some of the president’s fiercest critics — including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N,Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent who introduced an amendment to include the checks with Trump ally Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

Sanders had threatened to hold up the stopgap bill in hopes of adding a $1,200 direct payment to it but relented and sent members home for the weekend without delay — but with a warning.

“We’re not going to go home for the Christmas holidays unless we make sure that we provide for the millions of families in this country who are suffering,” Sanders said.

The one-week, stop-gap measure appears to have sapped some urgency from the talks. The next deadline would be Dec. 18, but both House and Senate leaders say they won’t adjourn without passing an aid measure.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Congress would keep working up to or even after Christmas to get an agreement. The new Congress is being sworn in on Jan. 3.

“Now if we need more time then we take more time, but we have to have a bill and we cannot go home without it,” Pelosi said. She also gave an upbeat assessment on the talks.

The $900 billion-plus proposal provides sweeping new funds for vaccines, small businesses, health care providers, schools and families suffering from the virus crisis and the economic shutdowns.

A key hold up has been the standoff over more money for the states, that Democrats – and some Republicans – want and the liability shield that is McConnell’s top GOP priority but that most Democrats oppose.

The partisan group tried to marry those two provisions as a compromise.

McConnell had initially proposed a five-year liability shield from virus lawsuits, retroactive to December 2019, but the bipartisan group was eyeing a scaled-back shield of six months to a year. Labor and civil rights groups oppose any shield, which they say strips essential workers of potential legal recourse as they take risks during the pandemic.

Democratic leaders had wanted far more in state and local aid, but were accepting of the lower $160 billion.

But many Republicans have long viewed the state and local aid as a bailout they would have trouble supporting, despite the pleas for funds coming from governors and mayors nationwide.

Late Thursday, Sen. Dick Durbin and other Democrats pitched another liability proposal to the bipartisan group, but it was rejected by Republicans, according to a Senate aide granted anonymity to discuss the private session.

The Trump administration is back in the middle of the negotiations with a $916 billion plan. It would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week employment benefit favored by the bipartisan group of Senate negotiators.

The White House offer has the endorsement of the top House Republican and apparent backing from McConnell, who had previously favored a $519 billion GOP plan that has already failed twice. But Democrats oppose the plan in part because of the administration’s refusal to back the partial restoration, to $300 per week, of bonus pandemic jobless benefits that lapsed in August.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607717350826.png" alt="A quiet Senate Chamber Friday afternoon-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>A quiet Senate Chamber Friday afternoon-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress shipped a temporary government-wide funding bill to President Donald Trump on Friday, averting a government shutdown at midnight and buying time for on-again, off-again talks on COVID-19 relief.The bill, which sets a new shutdown deadline of midnight next Friday, passed the Senate by a unanimous voice vote that came without much drama and sent rank-and-file senators home for the weekend with no clear picture of what awaits next week. The House passed the bill on Wednesday, and Trump is expected to sign it before midnight.COVID-19 relief talks remain stalled but there is universal agreement that Congress won’t adjourn for the year without passing a long-delayed round of pandemic relief. An emerging $900 billion aid package from a bipartisan group of lawmakers hit a rough patch after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell swung against the effort, but negotiations are ongoing and pressure remains intense.The House has recessed for a few days, with leaders warning members to be prepared to return to Washington to vote on the year-end deals, while the Senate will return next week.The breakdown over the COVID-19 aid package, after days of behind-the-scenes talks by a group of lawmakers fed up with inaction, comes as Trump has taken the talks in another direction — insisting on a fresh round of $600 stimulus checks for Americans.<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4929870/senators-sanders-hawley-push-direct-payments-end-year">Click here to</a> listen to Senators Hawley and Sanders<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607717640543.png" alt="Senator Josh Hawley during Friday's debate in the Senate-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Senator Josh Hawley during Friday's debate in the Senate-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>Sending direct cash payments to households was not included in the bipartisan proposal, but has been embraced by some of the president’s fiercest critics — including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N,Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont Independent who introduced an amendment to include the checks with Trump ally Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607717691548.png" alt="Senator Bernie Sanders during Friday's debate-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Senator Bernie Sanders during Friday's debate-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>Sanders had threatened to hold up the stopgap bill in hopes of adding a $1,200 direct payment to it but relented and sent members home for the weekend without delay — but with a warning.“We’re not going to go home for the Christmas holidays unless we make sure that we provide for the millions of families in this country who are suffering,” Sanders said.The one-week, stop-gap measure appears to have sapped some urgency from the talks. The next deadline would be Dec. 18, but both House and Senate leaders say they won’t adjourn without passing an aid measure.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Congress would keep working up to or even after Christmas to get an agreement. The new Congress is being sworn in on Jan. 3.“Now if we need more time then we take more time, but we have to have a bill and we cannot go home without it,” Pelosi said. She also gave an upbeat assessment on the talks.The $900 billion-plus proposal provides sweeping new funds for vaccines, small businesses, health care providers, schools and families suffering from the virus crisis and the economic shutdowns.A key hold up has been the standoff over more money for the states, that Democrats – and some Republicans – want and the liability shield that is McConnell’s top GOP priority but that most Democrats oppose.The partisan group tried to marry those two provisions as a compromise.McConnell had initially proposed a five-year liability shield from virus lawsuits, retroactive to December 2019, but the bipartisan group was eyeing a scaled-back shield of six months to a year. Labor and civil rights groups oppose any shield, which they say strips essential workers of potential legal recourse as they take risks during the pandemic.Democratic leaders had wanted far more in state and local aid, but were accepting of the lower $160 billion.But many Republicans have long viewed the state and local aid as a bailout they would have trouble supporting, despite the pleas for funds coming from governors and mayors nationwide.Late Thursday, Sen. Dick Durbin and other Democrats pitched another liability proposal to the bipartisan group, but it was rejected by Republicans, according to a Senate aide granted anonymity to discuss the private session.The Trump administration is back in the middle of the negotiations with a $916 billion plan. It would send a $600 direct payment to most Americans but eliminate a $300-per-week employment benefit favored by the bipartisan group of Senate negotiators.The White House offer has the endorsement of the top House Republican and apparent backing from McConnell, who had previously favored a $519 billion GOP plan that has already failed twice. But Democrats oppose the plan in part because of the administration’s refusal to back the partial restoration, to $300 per week, of bonus pandemic jobless benefits that lapsed in August.&nbsp;&nbsp;

No vote on stimulus checks; funding bill sent to President

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Officials in Kansas City, Missouri, are pushing the leader of the city's fire department to address longstanding discrimination against Black firefighters, after a newspaper investigation found Black and female firefighters have been blocked from promotions and faced harassment for decades.

Kansas City Fire Chief Donna Lake, who is white, told the City Council Thursday that new City Manager Brian Platt has directed her to implement a plan to address the problem, The Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article247732345.html">reported</a>.

Lake testified before the council days after The Star published the results of a year-long investigation, which found unwritten rules within the department kept Black firefighters from preferred stations, hampered their ability to be promoted and often left them ostracized in majority-white stations.

In one incident, a white fire cadet “joked” that his favorite knot was a noose and placed it around the neck of Black classmate at the fire academy two years ago. The city tried to fire him but he resigned after intervention from the firefighters union.

“Where was the support for the brother who had the noose put around his neck?” Councilman Lee Barnes Jr. asked Lake. "That’s the kind of culture that needs to be obliterated. We need to blow that up.”

Lake, who has been chief for a year, did not dispute the newspaper's findings.

“I have no words to say about it,” Lake said to Barnes, “other than I agree wholeheartedly with you.”

The chief said her plan includes investigating claims made in the report, hiring someone outside the department to ensure fair treatment of all employees, and improving recruitment and promotion systems.

The paper reported that only 14% of fire department employees are Black, in a city where 30% of residents are Black. Its stations remain unofficially segregated by longstanding promotion practices and at some busy, inner-city fire stations, there hasn’t been a Black captain in at least a decade.

Female firefighters also reported severe sexual harassment. And the city has not outfitted all of its stations for women, despite promising to use revenue from a special sales tax to make those upgrades.

Lake said the department has already made some efforts to address discrimination and poor recruitment of minority members but acknowledged those efforts have either fallen short or are relatively new.

Civil rights leaders who listened to the remarks were not impressed and noted that Lake and Platt, who is also white, did not seek input from Black leaders for their plans.

“We are insulted at her insinuation of the age-old excuse ‘we can’t find them’ or ‘they don’t qualify,’” Vernon Howard, head of the local chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said in a written response.

The plan also calls for development of a zero-tolerance policy for discriminatory behavior, a review of fairness in promotion, changes to make firefighters more comfortable with filing complaints, and the creation of an equity and diversity officer position.

Gwen Grant, president of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, said she believes Lake is part of the problem.

“For more than 20 years, she has been a silent witness to racism and discrimination inside KCFD. For the past 365 days she failed to take immediate, impactful steps to put a stop to the racial violence in her department and hold her captains and administrators accountable. Her presentation (Thursday) was nothing more than window dressing," Grant said.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — Officials in Kansas City, Missouri, are pushing the leader of the city's fire department to address longstanding discrimination against Black firefighters, after a newspaper investigation found Black and female firefighters have been blocked from promotions and faced harassment for decades.Kansas City Fire Chief Donna Lake, who is white, told the City Council Thursday that new City Manager Brian Platt has directed her to implement a plan to address the problem, The Kansas City Star&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article247732345.html">reported</a>.Lake testified before the council days after The Star published the results of a year-long investigation, which found unwritten rules within the department kept Black firefighters from preferred stations, hampered their ability to be promoted and often left them ostracized in majority-white stations.In one incident, a white fire cadet “joked” that his favorite knot was a noose and placed it around the neck of Black classmate at the fire academy two years ago. The city tried to fire him but he resigned after intervention from the firefighters union.“Where was the support for the brother who had the noose put around his neck?” Councilman Lee Barnes Jr. asked Lake. "That’s the kind of culture that needs to be obliterated. We need to blow that up.”Lake, who has been chief for a year, did not dispute the newspaper's findings.“I have no words to say about it,” Lake said to Barnes, “other than I agree wholeheartedly with you.”The chief said her plan includes investigating claims made in the report, hiring someone outside the department to ensure fair treatment of all employees, and improving recruitment and promotion systems.The paper reported that only 14% of fire department employees are Black, in a city where 30% of residents are Black. Its stations remain unofficially segregated by longstanding promotion practices and at some busy, inner-city fire stations, there hasn’t been a Black captain in at least a decade.Female firefighters also reported severe sexual harassment. And the city has not outfitted all of its stations for women, despite promising to use revenue from a special sales tax to make those upgrades.Lake said the department has already made some efforts to address discrimination and poor recruitment of minority members but acknowledged those efforts have either fallen short or are relatively new.Civil rights leaders who listened to the remarks were not impressed and noted that Lake and Platt, who is also white, did not seek input from Black leaders for their plans.“We are insulted at her insinuation of the age-old excuse ‘we can’t find them’ or ‘they don’t qualify,’” Vernon Howard, head of the local chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said in a written response.The plan also calls for development of a zero-tolerance policy for discriminatory behavior, a review of fairness in promotion, changes to make firefighters more comfortable with filing complaints, and the creation of an equity and diversity officer position.Gwen Grant, president of the Urban League of Greater Kansas City, said she believes Lake is part of the problem.“For more than 20 years, she has been a silent witness to racism and discrimination inside KCFD. For the past 365 days she failed to take immediate, impactful steps to put a stop to the racial violence in her department and hold her captains and administrators accountable. Her presentation (Thursday) was nothing more than window dressing," Grant said.

Kansas City Fire Department accused of long-standing racism

ANDOVER, Kan. (AP) — Andover is the latest Kansas city to repeal a ban on pit bulls, after the city council voted this week to repeal a decades-old ordinance against the dog breed. 

City administrator Jennifer McCausland said the issue gained momentum this year after the city annexed land where some residents owned pit bulls. 

Midge Grinstead, Kansas director of the Humane Society of the United States, said she had been involved in overturning about 24 bans in Kansas in recent years. She estimated between 80 to 90 pit bull bans still exist in the state.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607709807472.png" alt="Pit Bull / photo Maplegirlie / Flickr - CC" />
 <figcaption>Pit Bull / photo Maplegirlie / Flickr - CC</figcaption>
 </figure>ANDOVER, Kan. (AP) — Andover is the latest Kansas city to repeal a ban on pit bulls, after the city council voted this week to repeal a decades-old ordinance against the dog breed. City administrator Jennifer McCausland said the issue gained momentum this year after the city annexed land where some residents owned pit bulls. Midge Grinstead, Kansas director of the Humane Society of the United States, said she had been involved in overturning about 24 bans in Kansas in recent years. She estimated between 80 to 90 pit bull bans still exist in the state.

Another Kansas community removes ban on pit bulls

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas does not plan to send personal information to the federal government about residents who receive coronavirus vaccines, though it has signed a data-use agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Lee Norman, the top administrator at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said this week that the state was “very reluctant” to share personal information. Department spokeswoman Ashley Jones-Wisner said Thursday in a text to The Associated Press that the agency signed a data-use agreement with the CDC “a while ago” but “won’t be providing any identifying information.”

The CDC’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/reporting/downloads/vaccine-administration-data-agreement.pdf" target="_blank">standard agreement</a>&nbsp;calls collection of data about vaccine recipients “critical ” to the pandemic response and says data will help determine how vaccines are distributed, monitor their safety and effectiveness and identify places that are under-vaccinated.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/reporting/requirements/index.html" target="_blank">A list</a>&nbsp;of data to be collected includes a person’s name, address and birthdate.

Norman said the state is wary of sending the federal government such personal information because it believes doing so will discourage people from getting vaccinated. Kansas in June enacted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bills-kansas-wichita-topeka-virus-outbreak-1402959bab4ae0016d313fae13258c62">a law</a>&nbsp;that says people exposed to the coronavirus don’t have to cooperate with health officials tracing the contacts of infected people. Legislators and Attorney General Derek Schmidt saw it as protecting people’s privacy, but health officials have reported that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-kansas-topeka-3cf7f250ce53ff022500a2554ba515d0">it has hindered</a>&nbsp;contact tracing.

“Some people are a little paranoid about that, so we’re not planning to share that kind of information with the federal government,” Norman told reporters during a Statehouse news conference Wednesday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide within days whether to grant emergency authorization for a two-dose vaccine made by Pfizer. If it does, Kansas expects to receive the first dose for 23,750 people by the end of next week, and the state plans to first vaccinate health care workers, including nursing home workers, and nursing home residents. It’s likely to be months before a vaccine is available for everyone.

Already,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-norc-poll-us-half-want-vaccine-shots-4d98dbfc0a64d60d52ac84c3065dac55">a recent poll&nbsp;</a>conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows about a quarter of U.S. adults aren’t sure if they want to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Roughly another quarter say they won’t.

“The data-use agreement, we’re very uneasy with and this time don’t have plans to submit that personal, identifying information,” Norman told reporters Wednesday. “We’re waiting for more clarity on how the data information will be used.”

A CDC spokeswoman did not immediately respond Thursday to an email seeking comment. But Jones-Wisner said the state health department believes Kansas’ position is acceptable to the federal agency.

One CDC document lists a recipient’s birthdate as “required” and names and addresses as “required if known” under the agreement. But the agreement itself says it “does not create an obligation or commitment to transfer data,” and it promises that the federal government will maintain the confidentiality of personal information about vaccine recipients.

Kansas reported Wednesday that it has had nearly 180,000 probable and confirmed coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, along with more than 5,600 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 1,941 deaths. It was an average of 2,535 new cases, 52 new hospitalizations and 37 additional deaths a day for the seven days ending Wednesday.

Meanwhile, in northeast Kansas, the Shawnee County Commission voted Thursday to turn the exhibition hall at Topeka’s largest arena and convention center into a space that can be used for giving vaccines and even treating COVID-19 patients,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-kansas-topeka-coronavirus-pandemic-2eeb006c1be08d2c9432569708454573" target="_blank">The Topeka Capital-Journal reported.</a>

Commissioner Kevin Cook said it is possible for the Stormont Vail Events Center to care for overflow COVID-19 patients, but the county’s contract with it is geared more toward preparing the location to administer vaccinations.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607648905461.png" alt="KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman shows the packaging of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine during the governor's news conference Wednesday afternoon." />
 <figcaption>KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman shows the packaging of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine during the governor's news conference Wednesday afternoon.</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas does not plan to send personal information to the federal government about residents who receive coronavirus vaccines, though it has signed a data-use agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Dr. Lee Norman, the top administrator at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said this week that the state was “very reluctant” to share personal information. Department spokeswoman Ashley Jones-Wisner said Thursday in a text to The Associated Press that the agency signed a data-use agreement with the CDC “a while ago” but “won’t be providing any identifying information.”The CDC’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/reporting/downloads/vaccine-administration-data-agreement.pdf" target="_blank">standard agreement</a>&nbsp;calls collection of data about vaccine recipients “critical ” to the pandemic response and says data will help determine how vaccines are distributed, monitor their safety and effectiveness and identify places that are under-vaccinated.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/reporting/requirements/index.html" target="_blank">A list</a>&nbsp;of data to be collected includes a person’s name, address and birthdate.Norman said the state is wary of sending the federal government such personal information because it believes doing so will discourage people from getting vaccinated. Kansas in June enacted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/bills-kansas-wichita-topeka-virus-outbreak-1402959bab4ae0016d313fae13258c62">a law</a>&nbsp;that says people exposed to the coronavirus don’t have to cooperate with health officials tracing the contacts of infected people. Legislators and Attorney General Derek Schmidt saw it as protecting people’s privacy, but health officials have reported that&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-kansas-topeka-3cf7f250ce53ff022500a2554ba515d0">it has hindered</a>&nbsp;contact tracing.“Some people are a little paranoid about that, so we’re not planning to share that kind of information with the federal government,” Norman told reporters during a Statehouse news conference Wednesday.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to decide within days whether to grant emergency authorization for a two-dose vaccine made by Pfizer. If it does, Kansas expects to receive the first dose for 23,750 people by the end of next week, and the state plans to first vaccinate health care workers, including nursing home workers, and nursing home residents. It’s likely to be months before a vaccine is available for everyone.Already,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ap-norc-poll-us-half-want-vaccine-shots-4d98dbfc0a64d60d52ac84c3065dac55">a recent poll&nbsp;</a>conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows about a quarter of U.S. adults aren’t sure if they want to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Roughly another quarter say they won’t.“The data-use agreement, we’re very uneasy with and this time don’t have plans to submit that personal, identifying information,” Norman told reporters Wednesday. “We’re waiting for more clarity on how the data information will be used.”A CDC spokeswoman did not immediately respond Thursday to an email seeking comment. But Jones-Wisner said the state health department believes Kansas’ position is acceptable to the federal agency.One CDC document lists a recipient’s birthdate as “required” and names and addresses as “required if known” under the agreement. But the agreement itself says it “does not create an obligation or commitment to transfer data,” and it promises that the federal government will maintain the confidentiality of personal information about vaccine recipients.Kansas reported Wednesday that it has had nearly 180,000 probable and confirmed coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, along with more than 5,600 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 1,941 deaths. It was an average of 2,535 new cases, 52 new hospitalizations and 37 additional deaths a day for the seven days ending Wednesday.Meanwhile, in northeast Kansas, the Shawnee County Commission voted Thursday to turn the exhibition hall at Topeka’s largest arena and convention center into a space that can be used for giving vaccines and even treating COVID-19 patients,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/pandemics-kansas-topeka-coronavirus-pandemic-2eeb006c1be08d2c9432569708454573" target="_blank">The Topeka Capital-Journal reported.</a>Commissioner Kevin Cook said it is possible for the Stormont Vail Events Center to care for overflow COVID-19 patients, but the county’s contract with it is geared more toward preparing the location to administer vaccinations.___

Kansas won't provide personal data about vaccine recipients

KANSAS CITY —Police have located 3-year-old Noriyah and she is ok and safe, according to Kansas City Police.

 Her mother is in custody and under investigation for child endangerment. Police plan to submit the case file to prosecutors Friday, according to KCPD.

KANSAS CITY— Law enforcement authorities are searching for a missing, endangered 3-year-old girl.

Noriyah King is described as 3-foot tall, 45-pounds and is possibly wearing an orange or pink coat. She was last seen on just after 7p.m. Thursday in the area of 38th and Highland, according to Kansas City Police.

Overnight, officers detectives used all of the resources they have, including help from the Johnson County Sheriff's Office&nbsp;searching on foot, in cars, using K9, and drones. Police continue to work with the girl's family to gather more info.

 If located, Please call 911 or KCPD missing persons 234-5136.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607693502876.png" alt="Noriyah was last seen in the clothes in this photo, according to KCPD" />
 <figcaption>Noriyah was last seen in the clothes in this photo, according to KCPD</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Police have located 3-year-old Noriyah and she is ok and safe, according to Kansas City Police. Her mother is in custody and under investigation for child endangerment. Police plan to submit the case file to prosecutors Friday, according to KCPD.-----KANSAS CITY— Law enforcement authorities are searching for a missing, endangered 3-year-old girl.Noriyah King is described as 3-foot tall, 45-pounds and is possibly wearing an orange or pink coat. She was last seen on just after 7p.m. Thursday in the area of 38th and Highland, according to Kansas City Police.Overnight, officers detectives used all of the resources they have, including help from the Johnson County Sheriff's Office&nbsp;searching on foot, in cars, using K9, and drones. Police continue to work with the girl's family to gather more info. If located, Please call 911 or KCPD missing persons 234-5136.

Update: 3-year-old KC girl found, mother in custody

TOPEKA— The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Kansas increased by 5,491 to a total of 185,294 the state health department reported Friday afternoon.&nbsp;

Coronavirus deaths were reported at 2,072 an increase of 131.

<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 5,491 to a total of 185,294 the state health department reported Friday afternoon.&nbsp;Coronavirus deaths were reported at 2,072 an increase of 131.<a href="https://www.coronavirus.kdheks.gov/160/COVID-19-in-Kansas">Click here&nbsp;</a>for additional numbers from the KDHE.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607710088878.png" alt="Friday Dec. 11, 2020 KDHE image" />
 <figcaption>Friday Dec. 11, 2020 KDHE image</figcaption>
 </figure>

KDHE: Latest coronavirus numbers in Kansas

SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man recently released from prison on new charges after an arrest.

Just before 3a.m. Friday, deputies responding to a report of someone trying to get into a rural Saline County residence when they received a call of another burglary in Assaria, according to Sheriff Roger Soldan.

A homeowner in the 300 block of East Kansas Street heard a noise in his garage. When the homeowner checked, he found Michael Sledd, 29, of Assaria, going through his vehicle.

The homeowner kept Sledd in the garage until deputies arrived, he added.

When deputies arrived, Sledd moved as if he was going to run, but the homeowner pushed him back, according to Soldan .

The pushed prompted a fight, during which, a deputy sprained a thumb. The fight ended when deputies used a Taser on Sledd.

Sledd appeared to be under the influence of drugs and was transported by EMS to Salina Regional Health Center (SRHC) for observation, according to Soldan.

After treatment, he will be taken to the Saline County Jail and booked on requested charges that include Aggravated burglary, Battery of a law enforcement officer and Criminal trespass

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607705696687.png" alt="Sledd has previous convictions for theft, burglary and several violations of the Kansas Offender Registration Act, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections. He was released" />
 <figcaption>Sledd has previous convictions for theft, burglary and several violations of the Kansas Offender Registration Act, according to the Kansas Dept. of Corrections. He was released</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas man recently released from prison on new charges after an arrest.Just before 3a.m. Friday, deputies responding to a report of someone trying to get into a rural Saline County residence when they received a call of another burglary in Assaria, according to Sheriff Roger Soldan.A homeowner in the 300 block of East Kansas Street heard a noise in his garage. When the homeowner checked, he found Michael Sledd, 29, of Assaria, going through his vehicle.The homeowner kept Sledd in the garage until deputies arrived, he added.When deputies arrived, Sledd moved as if he was going to run, but the homeowner pushed him back, according to Soldan .The pushed prompted a fight, during which, a deputy sprained a thumb. The fight ended when deputies used a Taser on Sledd.Sledd appeared to be under the influence of drugs and was transported by EMS to Salina Regional Health Center (SRHC) for observation, according to Soldan.After treatment, he will be taken to the Saline County Jail and booked on requested charges that include Aggravated burglary, Battery of a law enforcement officer and Criminal trespass

Kan. man released from prison last month, arrested for burglary

HOUSTON (AP) — The <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/ag-paxton-sues-battleground-states-unconstitutional-changes-2020-election-laws">Texas lawsuit </a>asking the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate President-elect Joe Biden’s victory has quickly become a conservative litmus test, as 106 members of Congress including Kansas reps. Roger Marshall, Ron Estes and multiple state attorneys general signed onto the case even as some have predicted it will fail.

Click here to read a copy of the<a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/admin/2020/Press/SCOTUSFiling.pdf"> filing from Texas&nbsp;</a>

The last-gasp bid to subvert the results of the Nov. 3 election is demonstrating President Donald Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-pennsylvania-elections-93dbc7576bc75f7d4e2be1cdfedb03c7">enduring political power even as his term is set to end.&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;And even though most of the signatories are far-right conservatives who come from deep red districts, the filing meant that roughly one-quarter of the U.S. House believes the Supreme Court should set aside election results.

Seventeen&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163215/20201209144840609_2020-12-09%20-%20Texas%20v.%20Pennsylvania%20-%20Amicus%20Brief%20of%20Missouri%20et%20al.%20-%20Final%20with%20Tables.pdf" target="_blank">Republican attorneys general</a>&nbsp;are backing the unprecedented case that Trump is calling “the big one” despite the fact that the president and his allies have lost dozens of times in courts across the country and have no evidence of widespread fraud. And in a filing Thursday, the Congressional Republicans claimed “unconstitutional irregularities” have “cast doubt” on the 2020 outcome and “the integrity of the American system of elections.”

To be clear, there has been no evidence of widespread fraud, and election law experts think the lawsuit will never last.

“The Supreme Court is not going to overturn the election in the Texas case, as the President has told them to do,” tweeted Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine. “But we are in bad shape as a country that 17 states could support this shameful, anti-American filing” by Texas and its attorney general, Ken Paxton, he said.

The lawsuit filed against Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin repeats false, disproven and unsubstantiated accusations about the voting in four states that went for Trump’s Democratic challenger. The case demands that the high court invalidate the states’ 62 total Electoral College votes. That’s an unprecedented remedy in American history: setting aside the votes of tens of millions of people, under the baseless claim the Republican incumbent lost a chance at a second term due to widespread fraud.

Two days after Paxton sued,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-false-claims-in-states-b73db1ea12c860053e45d141a1414dee">17 states filed a motion supporting the lawsuit, and on Thursday six of those states asked to join the case themselves.&nbsp;</a>Trump has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163234/20201209155327055_No.%2022O155%20Original%20Motion%20to%20Intervene.pdf" target="_blank">acted to join</a>&nbsp;the case, tweeting Thursday that “the Supreme Court has a chance to save our Country from the greatest Election abuse in the history of the United States.” Hours later, Trump held a meeting at the White House, scheduled before the suit was filed, with a dozen Republican attorneys general, including Paxton and several others who are backing the effort.

Still, some of the top state Republican prosecutors urging the Supreme Court to hear the case have acknowledged that the effort is a long shot and are seeking to distance themselves from Trump’s baseless allegations of fraud. North Dakota’s Wayne Stenehjem, among the 17 attorneys general supporting the case, said North Dakota is not alleging voter fraud in the four states at issue.

“We’re careful on that,” said Stenehjem, who noted that his office has received thousands of calls and emails from constituents asking the state to support the suit. “But it’s worth it for the Supreme Court to weigh in and settle it once and for all,” he said.

Montana Attorney General Tim Fox called the lawsuit “belated” and said its chances “are slim at best.” But Fox supported Texas because he said the case raised “important constitutional questions about the separation of powers and the integrity of mail-in ballots in those defendant states.”

The litigation rankled Democratic attorneys general. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey called the attempt to overturn votes “unconscionable.” And the support among other leading lawyers was disturbing, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, the co-chair of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, told AP.

“I do think that these individuals are kowtowing to a president who has implemented some level of control and authority over the duly elected attorneys general in their states in a way that is unfortunate,” he said.

“I do think that this is a dangerous precedent to initiate. There is no precedent for this.”

Suits brought by Trump and his allies&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-losing-election-lawsuits-36d113484ac0946fa5f0614deb7de15e">have failed repeatedly across the country</a>, and the Supreme Court this week rejected a Republican bid to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/high-court-reject-gop-bid-halt-biden-win-0b7005328243eeca23f8bc3368549879">reverse Pennsylvania’s certification</a>&nbsp;of Biden’s victory.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-pennsylvania-ken-paxton-b1451249400026effe93cf4e080a9d91">Trump looked straight past the high court loss</a>, claiming it didn’t matter because his campaign wasn’t involved in the case, though it would have benefited if the case had continued. He has spent the week relentlessly tweeting about the Texas case with the hashtag “overturn” and claiming, falsely, that he had won the election but was robbed.

Many of the attorneys general supporting the case have shown greater political ambitions.

In Kansas, Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who is considering a bid for governor in 2022, said the Texas case presented “important and potentially recurring constitutional questions.” Schmidt’s announcement that Kansas would back the effort came only hours after former Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer — another potential candidate for governor — tweeted that Schmidt’s office should join the Texas litigation.

The case stirred Republican infighting in Utah, where GOP Gov. Gary Herbert and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, who will become governor in January, blasted Attorney General Sean Reyes for deciding to join the suit.

“The Attorney General did not consult us before signing on to this brief, so we don’t know what his motivation is,” they said in a joint statement. “Just as we would not want other states challenging Utah’s election results, we do not think we should intervene in other states’ elections.”

Officials in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Wisconsin say the suit is a publicity stunt.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163379/20201210144443769_Texas%20v.%20Pennsylvania%20-%20Motion%20and%20Br.%20of%20Amici%20DC%20et%20al.pdf" target="_blank">More than 20 other attorneys general</a>&nbsp;from states including California and Virginia also filed a brief Thursday urging the court to reject the case.

“Since Election Day, State and Federal courts throughout the country have been flooded with frivolous lawsuits aimed at disenfranchising large swaths of voters and undermining the legitimacy of the election. The State of Texas has now added its voice to the cacophony of bogus claims,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, wrote in the state’s brief.

Despite the political pressure, Idaho’s Republican attorney general chose not to join the Texas suit. Lawrence Wasden said he has concerns about “supporting a legal argument that could result in other states litigating against legal decisions made by Idaho’s legislature and governor.” Idaho’s two congressmen, Republicans Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher, joined the legal brief from GOP House members supporting Paxton’s effort.

“As is sometimes the case, the legally correct decision may not be the politically convenient decision,” Wasden said in a statement. “But my responsibility is to the state of Idaho and the rule of law.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1607691990600.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HOUSTON (AP) — The <a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/news/releases/ag-paxton-sues-battleground-states-unconstitutional-changes-2020-election-laws">Texas lawsuit </a>asking the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate President-elect Joe Biden’s victory has quickly become a conservative litmus test, as 106 members of Congress including Kansas reps. Roger Marshall, Ron Estes and multiple state attorneys general signed onto the case even as some have predicted it will fail.Click here to read a copy of the<a href="https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/admin/2020/Press/SCOTUSFiling.pdf"> filing from Texas&nbsp;</a><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">👍🏻 <a href="https://t.co/StE5QV6NC6">https://t.co/StE5QV6NC6</a>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1336779396636667906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Today I filed an amicus brief with more than 100 of my House GOP colleagues that encourages the Supreme Court to take up a critical case concerning the most recent and future elections. We need transparency &amp; integrity in our electoral process &amp; this case deserves to be heard.&mdash; Rep. Ron Estes (@RepRonEstes) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepRonEstes/status/1337230993699299328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The last-gasp bid to subvert the results of the Nov. 3 election is demonstrating President Donald Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-pennsylvania-elections-93dbc7576bc75f7d4e2be1cdfedb03c7">enduring political power even as his term is set to end.&nbsp;</a>&nbsp;And even though most of the signatories are far-right conservatives who come from deep red districts, the filing meant that roughly one-quarter of the U.S. House believes the Supreme Court should set aside election results.Seventeen&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163215/20201209144840609_2020-12-09%20-%20Texas%20v.%20Pennsylvania%20-%20Amicus%20Brief%20of%20Missouri%20et%20al.%20-%20Final%20with%20Tables.pdf" target="_blank">Republican attorneys general</a>&nbsp;are backing the unprecedented case that Trump is calling “the big one” despite the fact that the president and his allies have lost dozens of times in courts across the country and have no evidence of widespread fraud. And in a filing Thursday, the Congressional Republicans claimed “unconstitutional irregularities” have “cast doubt” on the 2020 outcome and “the integrity of the American system of elections.”To be clear, there has been no evidence of widespread fraud, and election law experts think the lawsuit will never last.“The Supreme Court is not going to overturn the election in the Texas case, as the President has told them to do,” tweeted Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine. “But we are in bad shape as a country that 17 states could support this shameful, anti-American filing” by Texas and its attorney general, Ken Paxton, he said.The lawsuit filed against Michigan, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin repeats false, disproven and unsubstantiated accusations about the voting in four states that went for Trump’s Democratic challenger. The case demands that the high court invalidate the states’ 62 total Electoral College votes. That’s an unprecedented remedy in American history: setting aside the votes of tens of millions of people, under the baseless claim the Republican incumbent lost a chance at a second term due to widespread fraud.Two days after Paxton sued,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-false-claims-in-states-b73db1ea12c860053e45d141a1414dee">17 states filed a motion supporting the lawsuit, and on Thursday six of those states asked to join the case themselves.&nbsp;</a>Trump has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163234/20201209155327055_No.%2022O155%20Original%20Motion%20to%20Intervene.pdf" target="_blank">acted to join</a>&nbsp;the case, tweeting Thursday that “the Supreme Court has a chance to save our Country from the greatest Election abuse in the history of the United States.” Hours later, Trump held a meeting at the White House, scheduled before the suit was filed, with a dozen Republican attorneys general, including Paxton and several others who are backing the effort.Still, some of the top state Republican prosecutors urging the Supreme Court to hear the case have acknowledged that the effort is a long shot and are seeking to distance themselves from Trump’s baseless allegations of fraud. North Dakota’s Wayne Stenehjem, among the 17 attorneys general supporting the case, said North Dakota is not alleging voter fraud in the four states at issue.“We’re careful on that,” said Stenehjem, who noted that his office has received thousands of calls and emails from constituents asking the state to support the suit. “But it’s worth it for the Supreme Court to weigh in and settle it once and for all,” he said.Montana Attorney General Tim Fox called the lawsuit “belated” and said its chances “are slim at best.” But Fox supported Texas because he said the case raised “important constitutional questions about the separation of powers and the integrity of mail-in ballots in those defendant states.”The litigation rankled Democratic attorneys general. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey called the attempt to overturn votes “unconscionable.” And the support among other leading lawyers was disturbing, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, the co-chair of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, told AP.“I do think that these individuals are kowtowing to a president who has implemented some level of control and authority over the duly elected attorneys general in their states in a way that is unfortunate,” he said.“I do think that this is a dangerous precedent to initiate. There is no precedent for this.”Suits brought by Trump and his allies&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-losing-election-lawsuits-36d113484ac0946fa5f0614deb7de15e">have failed repeatedly across the country</a>, and the Supreme Court this week rejected a Republican bid to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/high-court-reject-gop-bid-halt-biden-win-0b7005328243eeca23f8bc3368549879">reverse Pennsylvania’s certification</a>&nbsp;of Biden’s victory.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-pennsylvania-ken-paxton-b1451249400026effe93cf4e080a9d91">Trump looked straight past the high court loss</a>, claiming it didn’t matter because his campaign wasn’t involved in the case, though it would have benefited if the case had continued. He has spent the week relentlessly tweeting about the Texas case with the hashtag “overturn” and claiming, falsely, that he had won the election but was robbed.Many of the attorneys general supporting the case have shown greater political ambitions.In Kansas, Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt, who is considering a bid for governor in 2022, said the Texas case presented “important and potentially recurring constitutional questions.” Schmidt’s announcement that Kansas would back the effort came only hours after former Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer — another potential candidate for governor — tweeted that Schmidt’s office should join the Texas litigation.The case stirred Republican infighting in Utah, where GOP Gov. Gary Herbert and Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, who will become governor in January, blasted Attorney General Sean Reyes for deciding to join the suit.“The Attorney General did not consult us before signing on to this brief, so we don’t know what his motivation is,” they said in a joint statement. “Just as we would not want other states challenging Utah’s election results, we do not think we should intervene in other states’ elections.”Officials in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Wisconsin say the suit is a publicity stunt.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/22/22O155/163379/20201210144443769_Texas%20v.%20Pennsylvania%20-%20Motion%20and%20Br.%20of%20Amici%20DC%20et%20al.pdf" target="_blank">More than 20 other attorneys general</a>&nbsp;from states including California and Virginia also filed a brief Thursday urging the court to reject the case.“Since Election Day, State and Federal courts throughout the country have been flooded with frivolous lawsuits aimed at disenfranchising large swaths of voters and undermining the legitimacy of the election. The State of Texas has now added its voice to the cacophony of bogus claims,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, wrote in the state’s brief.Despite the political pressure, Idaho’s Republican attorney general chose not to join the Texas suit. Lawrence Wasden said he has concerns about “supporting a legal argument that could result in other states litigating against legal decisions made by Idaho’s legislature and governor.” Idaho’s two congressmen, Republicans Mike Simpson and Russ Fulcher, joined the legal brief from GOP House members supporting Paxton’s effort.“As is sometimes the case, the legally correct decision may not be the politically convenient decision,” Wasden said in a statement. “But my responsibility is to the state of Idaho and the rule of law.”____

Kan. lawmakers, 100 others sign onto Texas-led election lawsuit

SEWARD COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on child sex charges and have made an arrest.

The Liberal Police Department with the assistance of police in Wichita conducted a year-long investigation involving the rape of a juvenile girl and the electronic solicitation of several juvenile girls in the city of Liberal, according to a media release.

In September, police executed a search warrant at a home in the 800 Block of Millwood in Liberal and recovered hundreds of images and videos containing child pornography. On Dec. 10, police reported the arrest of a 47-year-old Hispanic man in connection with the case.

The Seward County Attorney's office is considering potential charges in the case, according to the release.&nbsp; Authorities released no additional details.

SEWARD COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on child sex charges and have made an arrest.The Liberal Police Department with the assistance of police in Wichita conducted a year-long investigation involving the rape of a juvenile girl and the electronic solicitation of several juvenile girls in the city of Liberal, according to a media release.In September, police executed a search warrant at a home in the 800 Block of Millwood in Liberal and recovered hundreds of images and videos containing child pornography. On Dec. 10, police reported the arrest of a 47-year-old Hispanic man in connection with the case.The Seward County Attorney's office is considering potential charges in the case, according to the release.&nbsp; Authorities released no additional details.