NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA—A Kansas man on a hunting trip in Canada died in a motel fire.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police West District General Investigation Section confirmed the presence of human remains at the scene of a fire on October 19, at the Driftwood Motel in Deer Lake, <a href="https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/news/2024/human-remains-missing-man-found-fire-scene-deer-lake-investigation-continuing">according to a media release.</a>

Also on October&nbsp;19, police received a report of a missing man identified as 77-year-old Eugene Earl 'Gene' Spoon of Winfield, Kansas, who was a guest of the Driftwood Motel. The man was unaccounted for and had not been seen since the time of the fire.&nbsp;

On Wednesday, during a search of the fire scene, human remains were located and identified as those of Spoon. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is involved in the investigation. The fire scene is being held and processed by police as part of an ongoing investigation.

According to an<a href="https://www.milesfuneralservice.com/obituary/eugene-gene-spoon"> online obituary,</a>&nbsp;Eugene Earl “Gene” Spoon of Winfield, Kansas, was found following a fire at the Driftwood Inn, Wednesday, October 23, 2024, while on a dream moose hunt trip in Deer Lake, NewFoundland, Canada. &nbsp;

Services are pending with Miles Funeral Service in Winfield and will be announced at a later date. &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1729780267540.png" alt="Royal Canadian Mounted Police" />
 <figcaption>Royal Canadian Mounted Police</figcaption>
 </figure>NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA—A Kansas man on a hunting trip in Canada died in a motel fire.The Royal Canadian Mounted Police West District General Investigation Section confirmed the presence of human remains at the scene of a fire on October 19, at the Driftwood Motel in Deer Lake, <a href="https://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/en/news/2024/human-remains-missing-man-found-fire-scene-deer-lake-investigation-continuing">according to a media release.</a>Also on October&nbsp;19, police received a report of a missing man identified as 77-year-old Eugene Earl 'Gene' Spoon of Winfield, Kansas, who was a guest of the Driftwood Motel. The man was unaccounted for and had not been seen since the time of the fire.&nbsp;On Wednesday, during a search of the fire scene, human remains were located and identified as those of Spoon. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is involved in the investigation. The fire scene is being held and processed by police as part of an ongoing investigation.According to an<a href="https://www.milesfuneralservice.com/obituary/eugene-gene-spoon"> online obituary,</a>&nbsp;Eugene Earl “Gene” Spoon of Winfield, Kansas, was found following a fire at the Driftwood Inn, Wednesday, October 23, 2024, while on a dream moose hunt trip in Deer Lake, NewFoundland, Canada. &nbsp;Services are pending with Miles Funeral Service in Winfield and will be announced at a later date. &nbsp;

Police: Kansas man on hunting trip died in motel fire in Canada

Scott Schwab recommends dropping ballots in mail no later than Nov. 1

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA —&nbsp; Rep. Pat Proctor worries the U.S. Postal Service’s inability to properly process mail-in ballots that disenfranchised nearly 1,000 Kansas voters in the August primary could be exacerbated by broader interest in the Nov. 5 election.

Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican who chairs the House Elections Committee, said that damage to the voting public in the primary was limited due to the lackluster 17% statewide turnout.

In the upcoming general election, he said, turnout would be substantially higher and ramifications of more USPS’ fumbling could be significantly worse.

“How bad could it be in a general election in a presidential election year that could well have a turnout of over 60%?” Proctor said.

Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who is the state’s chief elections officer, sounded an alarm in September by disclosing results of a survey of Kansas’ 105 county election offices.

The survey showed as many as 1,000 mail-in ballots were received by county election offices within the three-day, post-election grace period established by state law, but were rejected because they lacked a postmark to prove they were mailed prior to close of polls at 7 p.m. Election Day. Without an official postmark, the Kansas ballots couldn’t be counted.

Schwab released a letter he sent to the U.S. postmaster highlighting a “troubling pattern” associated with USPS’ handling of mailed ballots. He said it was “unacceptable that voters, who follow the rules for requesting, voting and returning their mail ballot, are disenfranchised by the USPS.”

Schwab later said he had spoken with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy about operational failures in handling Kansas ballots in August.

“I had a productive conversation with Postmaster General DeJoy,” Schwab said. “He assured me that the USPS will implement new measures to prevent similar issues in the upcoming general election.”

Schwab, a Republican, encouraged Kansans to avoid potential processing obstacles by hand-delivering ballots to a county election office or a ballot drop box prior to the Nov. 5 election.

The secretary of state said an alternative would be for voters to place their ballot in the mail by Nov. 1 or seven days ahead of the Nov. 8 deadline in state law for counties to accept postmarked ballots.

“We are encouraging voters who vote by mail to use a more secure way of returning your ballot to the county election office, if possible,” Schwab said.

The 2017 Kansas Legislature created the three-day window for post-election acceptance of mailed ballots. The motivation was to account for mail delays involving ballots from military personnel, but state law now allows for electronic transfer of those ballots.

Proctor said he was aware of complaints from election clerks in large and small counties about ballots arriving without a USPS postmark.

“We need to eliminate the three-day grace period and … require that&nbsp;mail-in ballots be returned to the election office by Election Night. This will completely eliminate our need to rely on the U.S.&nbsp;Postal&nbsp;Service to do its job and postmark every&nbsp;ballot,” Proctor said.

Aimee Bateman, a Democrat from Leavenworth running for Proctor’s seat in the House, said the central issue was the mail processing capability of the U.S. Postal Service. Addressing flaws in USPS’ approach to ballot handling should make it unnecessary to repeal the three-day grace period, she said.

“That’s the issue that needs to be fixed,” Bateman said. “Getting rid of the three-day grace period will not cure the issue that disenfranchised 1,000 voters in the August primary.”

In the 2024 legislative session, the Republican-led House and Senate approved different bills repealing the grace period.

There was an attempt to send Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly a compromise bill that added three days of advance voting to the calendar to account for loss of three days for ballot delivery. The reform effort was derailed, in part, when the Senate injected into the debate the idea of banning use of machines to count ballots.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1729687547258.png" alt=" Secretary of State Scott Schwab, alarmed by the U.S. Postal Service's failure to properly process nearly 1,000 mail-in ballots in the August primary, suggests voters deliver November general election ballots to county offices or ballot drop boxes. He said an alternative is to place ballots in the mail by Nov. 1 to give the Postal Service more time to postmark and deliver ballots. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Secretary of State Scott Schwab, alarmed by the U.S. Postal Service's failure to properly process nearly 1,000 mail-in ballots in the August primary, suggests voters deliver November general election ballots to county offices or ballot drop boxes. He said an alternative is to place ballots in the mail by Nov. 1 to give the Postal Service more time to postmark and deliver ballots. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Scott Schwab recommends dropping ballots in mail no later than Nov. 1</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA —&nbsp; Rep. Pat Proctor worries the U.S. Postal Service’s inability to properly process mail-in ballots that disenfranchised nearly 1,000 Kansas voters in the August primary could be exacerbated by broader interest in the Nov. 5 election.Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican who chairs the House Elections Committee, said that damage to the voting public in the primary was limited due to the lackluster 17% statewide turnout.In the upcoming general election, he said, turnout would be substantially higher and ramifications of more USPS’ fumbling could be significantly worse.“How bad could it be in a general election in a presidential election year that could well have a turnout of over 60%?” Proctor said.Secretary of State Scott Schwab, who is the state’s chief elections officer, sounded an alarm in September by disclosing results of a survey of Kansas’ 105 county election offices.The survey showed as many as 1,000 mail-in ballots were received by county election offices within the three-day, post-election grace period established by state law, but were rejected because they lacked a postmark to prove they were mailed prior to close of polls at 7 p.m. Election Day. Without an official postmark, the Kansas ballots couldn’t be counted.Schwab released a letter he sent to the U.S. postmaster highlighting a “troubling pattern” associated with USPS’ handling of mailed ballots. He said it was “unacceptable that voters, who follow the rules for requesting, voting and returning their mail ballot, are disenfranchised by the USPS.”Schwab later said he had spoken with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy about operational failures in handling Kansas ballots in August.“I had a productive conversation with Postmaster General DeJoy,” Schwab said. “He assured me that the USPS will implement new measures to prevent similar issues in the upcoming general election.”Schwab, a Republican, encouraged Kansans to avoid potential processing obstacles by hand-delivering ballots to a county election office or a ballot drop box prior to the Nov. 5 election.The secretary of state said an alternative would be for voters to place their ballot in the mail by Nov. 1 or seven days ahead of the Nov. 8 deadline in state law for counties to accept postmarked ballots.“We are encouraging voters who vote by mail to use a more secure way of returning your ballot to the county election office, if possible,” Schwab said.The 2017 Kansas Legislature created the three-day window for post-election acceptance of mailed ballots. The motivation was to account for mail delays involving ballots from military personnel, but state law now allows for electronic transfer of those ballots.Proctor said he was aware of complaints from election clerks in large and small counties about ballots arriving without a USPS postmark.“We need to eliminate the three-day grace period and … require that&nbsp;mail-in ballots be returned to the election office by Election Night. This will completely eliminate our need to rely on the U.S.&nbsp;Postal&nbsp;Service to do its job and postmark every&nbsp;ballot,” Proctor said.Aimee Bateman, a Democrat from Leavenworth running for Proctor’s seat in the House, said the central issue was the mail processing capability of the U.S. Postal Service. Addressing flaws in USPS’ approach to ballot handling should make it unnecessary to repeal the three-day grace period, she said.“That’s the issue that needs to be fixed,” Bateman said. “Getting rid of the three-day grace period will not cure the issue that disenfranchised 1,000 voters in the August primary.”In the 2024 legislative session, the Republican-led House and Senate approved different bills repealing the grace period.There was an attempt to send Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly a compromise bill that added three days of advance voting to the calendar to account for loss of three days for ballot delivery. The reform effort was derailed, in part, when the Senate injected into the debate the idea of banning use of machines to count ballots.

Kansas election official urges voters to avoid U.S. Postal Service delivery obstacles

SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas teen involved in road rage killing of a Kansas grandmother is scheduled for sentencing on Thursday afternoon, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.

In August, Daryon Boone, who was 19 at the time of the killing, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in the death of 69-year-old Norma Williams.

Just before 10 p.m. Sept. 1, 2023, police were dispatched to report of a shooting in the 11200 block of East Central Avenue, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.

Officers arrived on the scene and located Williams of Wichita unconscious and not breathing with a gunshot wound to her upper body.

Officers began providing life-saving efforts until EMS arrived. Mrs. Williams was transported to a local area hospital where she was pronounced deceased.

During the investigation, officers learned that Mrs. Williams was the front passenger of a 2021 Honda Ridgeline traveling northbound on Greenwich, approaching the eastbound lanes of Kellogg Drive.

When they reached the intersection a group of motorcycles riding eastbound ran the red light and one of the motorcycles driven Boone of Wichita struck their vehicle. Following the incident, Boone followed the vehicle, ultimately producing a handgun and shooting into the vehicle, which fatally injured Williams.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/norma-williams?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet-first-launch&amp;utm_medium=copy_link&amp;utm_source=customer">Click here to read the</a>&nbsp;online fundraiser for the Williams family.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693841905672.png" alt="Norma Williams was shot and killed on the way home from a Friday night ballgame in Wichita -photo GoFundMe" />
 <figcaption>Norma Williams was shot and killed on the way home from a Friday night ballgame in Wichita -photo GoFundMe</figcaption>
 </figure>SEDGWICK COUNTY—A Kansas teen involved in road rage killing of a Kansas grandmother is scheduled for sentencing on Thursday afternoon, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.In August, Daryon Boone, who was 19 at the time of the killing, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in the death of 69-year-old Norma Williams.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/9/1693791365153.png" alt="Boone photo Sedgwick County" />
 <figcaption>Boone photo Sedgwick County</figcaption>
 </figure>Just before 10 p.m. Sept. 1, 2023, police were dispatched to report of a shooting in the 11200 block of East Central Avenue, according to Officer Juan Rebolledo.Officers arrived on the scene and located Williams of Wichita unconscious and not breathing with a gunshot wound to her upper body.Officers began providing life-saving efforts until EMS arrived. Mrs. Williams was transported to a local area hospital where she was pronounced deceased.During the investigation, officers learned that Mrs. Williams was the front passenger of a 2021 Honda Ridgeline traveling northbound on Greenwich, approaching the eastbound lanes of Kellogg Drive.When they reached the intersection a group of motorcycles riding eastbound ran the red light and one of the motorcycles driven Boone of Wichita struck their vehicle. Following the incident, Boone followed the vehicle, ultimately producing a handgun and shooting into the vehicle, which fatally injured Williams.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/norma-williams?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet-first-launch&amp;utm_medium=copy_link&amp;utm_source=customer">Click here to read the</a>&nbsp;online fundraiser for the Williams family..

Sentencing day: Teen followed pickup, fired shot that killed Kan. woman

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a homicide in Kansas City.

Just after 3:30p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a reported shooting in the 3600 block of Indiana Avenue&nbsp; in Kansas City, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte.

Officers were summoned to a local business where they were being advised of someone shot inside. Officers entered the business and located a man unresponsive suffering from apparent gunshot trauma. Officers rendered medical aid until EMS arrived and declared the victim deceased. An additional adult male victim responded to an area hospital suffering from non-life threatening injuries and was receiving treatment.

Preliminary investigation is believed an interaction occurred between two individuals inside of a store that escalated into gunfire. A person of interest has been detained for further investigation.

Homicide detectives and crime scene personnel responded to the scene to gather any evidence and collect witness statements. Police have not released the victim's name.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1729734142494.png" alt="Photos Sheriff Daryl Forte" />
 <figcaption>Photos Sheriff Daryl Forte</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement are investigating a homicide in Kansas City.Just after 3:30p.m. Wednesday, police responded to a reported shooting in the 3600 block of Indiana Avenue&nbsp; in Kansas City, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1729734092485.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte</figcaption>
 </figure>Officers were summoned to a local business where they were being advised of someone shot inside. Officers entered the business and located a man unresponsive suffering from apparent gunshot trauma. Officers rendered medical aid until EMS arrived and declared the victim deceased. An additional adult male victim responded to an area hospital suffering from non-life threatening injuries and was receiving treatment.Preliminary investigation is believed an interaction occurred between two individuals inside of a store that escalated into gunfire. A person of interest has been detained for further investigation.Homicide detectives and crime scene personnel responded to the scene to gather any evidence and collect witness statements. Police have not released the victim's name.

Police: Man dies after shooting inside Kansas City business

SEATTLE (AP) — Boeing factory workers voted against the company’s latest contract offer and remain on the picket lines&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-strike-vote-machinists-12d008c0127bab57f8cc9941f48e3ac6">six weeks into a strike</a>&nbsp;that has stopped production of the aerospace giant’s bestselling jetliners.

Local union leaders in Seattle said 64% of members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers who cast ballots Wednesday voted against accepting the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-strike-contract-offer-pay-increase-e86e43bcbbf3e140e89d33c901766554">contract offer</a>.

“After 10 years of sacrifices, we still have ground to make up, and we’re hopeful to do so by resuming negotiations promptly,” Jon Holden, the head of the IAM District 751 union, said in a statement Wednesday evening. “This is workplace democracy — and also clear evidence that there are consequences when a company mistreats its workers year after year."

A spokesperson for Boeing said officials didn’t have a comment on the vote.

The labor standoff comes during an already challenging year for Boeing, which became the focus of multiple federal investigations after a door panel blew off a 737 Max plane during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.

The strike has deprived the company of much-needed cash that it gets from delivering new planes to airlines. On Wednesday, the company reported a third-quarter loss of more than $6 billion.

Union machinists assemble&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-plea-737-max-crashes-b34daa014406657e720bec4a990dccf6">the 737 Max</a>, Boeing’s best-selling airliner, along with the 777 or “triple-seven” jet and the 767 cargo plane at factories in Renton and Everett, Washington.

The latest rejected offer included pay raises of 35% over four years. The version that union members rejected when they voted to strike last month featured a 25% increase over four years.

The union, which initially demanded 40% pay boosts over three years, said the annual raises in the revised offer would total 39.8%, when compounded.

Boeing has said that average annual pay for machinists is currently $75,608.

Boeing workers told Associated Press reporters that a sticking point was the company’s refusal to restore a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-strike-machinists-contract-9f61a7d48675d1c3517233d40d4ec2b1">traditional pension plan</a>&nbsp;that was frozen a decade ago.

“The pension should have been the top priority. We all said that was our top priority, along with wage,” Larry Best, a customer-quality coordinator with 38 years at Boeing, said on a picket line outside a Boeing factory in Everett, Washington. “Now is the prime opportunity in a prime time to get our pension back, and we all need to stay out and dig our heels in.”

Theresa Pound, a 16-year Boeing veteran, also voted against the deal. She said the health plan has gotten more expensive and her expected pension benefits would not be enough, even when combined with a 401(k) retirement account.

“I have put more time in this place than I was ever required to. I have literally blood, sweat and tears from working at this company,” the 37-year-old said. “I’m looking at working until I’m 70 because I have this possibility that I might not get to retire based on what’s happening in the market.”

The strike started Sept. 13 and has served as an early test for Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-ortberg-new-ceo-factory-visit-e5bada09a96d0e26b25f2d35d6d6cfc0">became chief executive in August</a>.

In his first remarks to investors, Ortberg said earlier Wednesday that Boeing needs “a fundamental culture change,” and he laid out his plan to revive the aerospace giant after years of heavy losses and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-strike-manufacturing-reputation-3eed69b839021b24bfe792080c85b63c">damage to its reputation</a>.

Ortberg repeated in a message to employees and on the earnings call that he wants to “reset” management’s relationship with labor “so we don’t become so disconnected in the future.” He said company leaders need to spend more time&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-ortberg-new-ceo-factory-visit-e5bada09a96d0e26b25f2d35d6d6cfc0">on factory floors</a>&nbsp;to know what is going on and “prevent the festering of issues and work better together to identify, fix, and understand root cause.”

Ortberg, a Boeing outsider who previously ran Rockwell Collins, a maker of avionics and flight controls for airline and military planes, said Boeing is at a crossroads.

“The trust in our company has eroded. We’re saddled with too much debt. We’ve had serious lapses in our performance across the company, which have disappointed many of our customers,” he said.

But Ortberg also highlighted the company’s strengths, including a backlog of airplane orders valued at a half-trillion dollars.

“It will take time to return Boeing to its former legacy, but with the right focus and culture, we can be an iconic company and aerospace leader once again,” he said.

In recent weeks, Ortberg announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-layoffs-strike-airplane-factories-de637999cf525699577b42b72bff2a70">large-scale layoffs</a>&nbsp;— about 17,000 people — and a plan to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-new-stock-debt-finances-strike-b7839aef372f4b4e8312f9efbe8ef24b">raise enough cash</a>&nbsp;to avoid a bankruptcy filing.

Boeing hasn’t had a profitable year since 2018, and Wednesday’s numbers represented the second-worst quarter in the manufacturer’s history. Boeing lost $6.17 billion in the period ended Sept. 30, with an adjusted loss of $10.44 per share. Analysts polled by Zacks Investment Research had expected a loss of $10.34 per share.

Revenue totaled $17.84 billion, matching Wall Street estimates.

The company burned nearly $2 billion in cash, in the quarter, weakening its balance sheet, which is loaded down with $58 billion in debt. Chief Financial Officer Brian West said the company will not generate positive cash flow until the second half of next year.

Boeing’s fortunes soured after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-737-max-victims-plea-agreement-fraud-7b772b2ae171b0e3cb9916d10d05652f">two of its 737 Max jetliners</a>&nbsp;crashed in October 2018 and March 2019, killing 346 people. Safety concerns were renewed this January, when a panel blew off a Max during an Alaska Airlines flight.

Ortberg needs to convince federal regulators that Boeing is fixing its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-senators-letter-justice-department-a9f4e3d5cd78cbbff899aab7c1a26759">safety culture</a>&nbsp;and is ready to boost production of the 737 Max — a crucial step to bring in much-needed cash. That can’t happen, however, until the striking workers return to their jobs.

Early in the strike, Boeing made what it termed its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-strike-labor-union-machinists-d40b23d9a0d0553a81ebc4de07c7d65d">“best and final” offer</a>. The proposal included pay raises of 30% over four years, and angered union leaders because the company announced it to the striking workers through the media and set a short ratification deadline.

Boeing backed down and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-strike-offer-faa-safety-cb3de0dc02082efcb0d5f7d6287ea7a7">gave the union</a>&nbsp;more time. However, many workers maintained the offer still wasn’t good enough. The company withdrew the proposed contract on Oct. 9 after negotiations broke down, and the two sides announced the latest proposal on Saturday.

Charles Fromong, a mechanic who has worked at Boeing for 38 years, said Wednesday night after the results were announced that the company needs to take care of its workers.

“I feel sorry for the young people,” he said. “I’ve spent my life here and I’m getting ready to go, but they deserve a pension and I deserve an increase.”

The last Boeing strike, in 2008, lasted eight weeks and cost the company about $100 million daily in deferred revenue. A 1995 strike lasted 10 weeks.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1727171580133.png" alt="Photo International Association of Machinists &amp; Aerospace Workers" />
 <figcaption>Photo International Association of Machinists &amp; Aerospace Workers</figcaption>
 </figure>SEATTLE (AP) — Boeing factory workers voted against the company’s latest contract offer and remain on the picket lines&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-strike-vote-machinists-12d008c0127bab57f8cc9941f48e3ac6">six weeks into a strike</a>&nbsp;that has stopped production of the aerospace giant’s bestselling jetliners.Local union leaders in Seattle said 64% of members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers who cast ballots Wednesday voted against accepting the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-strike-contract-offer-pay-increase-e86e43bcbbf3e140e89d33c901766554">contract offer</a>.“After 10 years of sacrifices, we still have ground to make up, and we’re hopeful to do so by resuming negotiations promptly,” Jon Holden, the head of the IAM District 751 union, said in a statement Wednesday evening. “This is workplace democracy — and also clear evidence that there are consequences when a company mistreats its workers year after year."A spokesperson for Boeing said officials didn’t have a comment on the vote.The labor standoff comes during an already challenging year for Boeing, which became the focus of multiple federal investigations after a door panel blew off a 737 Max plane during an Alaska Airlines flight in January.The strike has deprived the company of much-needed cash that it gets from delivering new planes to airlines. On Wednesday, the company reported a third-quarter loss of more than $6 billion.Union machinists assemble&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-plea-737-max-crashes-b34daa014406657e720bec4a990dccf6">the 737 Max</a>, Boeing’s best-selling airliner, along with the 777 or “triple-seven” jet and the 767 cargo plane at factories in Renton and Everett, Washington.The latest rejected offer included pay raises of 35% over four years. The version that union members rejected when they voted to strike last month featured a 25% increase over four years.The union, which initially demanded 40% pay boosts over three years, said the annual raises in the revised offer would total 39.8%, when compounded.Boeing has said that average annual pay for machinists is currently $75,608.Boeing workers told Associated Press reporters that a sticking point was the company’s refusal to restore a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-strike-machinists-contract-9f61a7d48675d1c3517233d40d4ec2b1">traditional pension plan</a>&nbsp;that was frozen a decade ago.“The pension should have been the top priority. We all said that was our top priority, along with wage,” Larry Best, a customer-quality coordinator with 38 years at Boeing, said on a picket line outside a Boeing factory in Everett, Washington. “Now is the prime opportunity in a prime time to get our pension back, and we all need to stay out and dig our heels in.”Theresa Pound, a 16-year Boeing veteran, also voted against the deal. She said the health plan has gotten more expensive and her expected pension benefits would not be enough, even when combined with a 401(k) retirement account.“I have put more time in this place than I was ever required to. I have literally blood, sweat and tears from working at this company,” the 37-year-old said. “I’m looking at working until I’m 70 because I have this possibility that I might not get to retire based on what’s happening in the market.”The strike started Sept. 13 and has served as an early test for Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-ortberg-new-ceo-factory-visit-e5bada09a96d0e26b25f2d35d6d6cfc0">became chief executive in August</a>.In his first remarks to investors, Ortberg said earlier Wednesday that Boeing needs “a fundamental culture change,” and he laid out his plan to revive the aerospace giant after years of heavy losses and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-strike-manufacturing-reputation-3eed69b839021b24bfe792080c85b63c">damage to its reputation</a>.Ortberg repeated in a message to employees and on the earnings call that he wants to “reset” management’s relationship with labor “so we don’t become so disconnected in the future.” He said company leaders need to spend more time&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-ortberg-new-ceo-factory-visit-e5bada09a96d0e26b25f2d35d6d6cfc0">on factory floors</a>&nbsp;to know what is going on and “prevent the festering of issues and work better together to identify, fix, and understand root cause.”Ortberg, a Boeing outsider who previously ran Rockwell Collins, a maker of avionics and flight controls for airline and military planes, said Boeing is at a crossroads.“The trust in our company has eroded. We’re saddled with too much debt. We’ve had serious lapses in our performance across the company, which have disappointed many of our customers,” he said.But Ortberg also highlighted the company’s strengths, including a backlog of airplane orders valued at a half-trillion dollars.“It will take time to return Boeing to its former legacy, but with the right focus and culture, we can be an iconic company and aerospace leader once again,” he said.In recent weeks, Ortberg announced&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-layoffs-strike-airplane-factories-de637999cf525699577b42b72bff2a70">large-scale layoffs</a>&nbsp;— about 17,000 people — and a plan to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-new-stock-debt-finances-strike-b7839aef372f4b4e8312f9efbe8ef24b">raise enough cash</a>&nbsp;to avoid a bankruptcy filing.Boeing hasn’t had a profitable year since 2018, and Wednesday’s numbers represented the second-worst quarter in the manufacturer’s history. Boeing lost $6.17 billion in the period ended Sept. 30, with an adjusted loss of $10.44 per share. Analysts polled by Zacks Investment Research had expected a loss of $10.34 per share.Revenue totaled $17.84 billion, matching Wall Street estimates.The company burned nearly $2 billion in cash, in the quarter, weakening its balance sheet, which is loaded down with $58 billion in debt. Chief Financial Officer Brian West said the company will not generate positive cash flow until the second half of next year.Boeing’s fortunes soured after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-737-max-victims-plea-agreement-fraud-7b772b2ae171b0e3cb9916d10d05652f">two of its 737 Max jetliners</a>&nbsp;crashed in October 2018 and March 2019, killing 346 people. Safety concerns were renewed this January, when a panel blew off a Max during an Alaska Airlines flight.Ortberg needs to convince federal regulators that Boeing is fixing its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-senators-letter-justice-department-a9f4e3d5cd78cbbff899aab7c1a26759">safety culture</a>&nbsp;and is ready to boost production of the 737 Max — a crucial step to bring in much-needed cash. That can’t happen, however, until the striking workers return to their jobs.Early in the strike, Boeing made what it termed its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-strike-labor-union-machinists-d40b23d9a0d0553a81ebc4de07c7d65d">“best and final” offer</a>. The proposal included pay raises of 30% over four years, and angered union leaders because the company announced it to the striking workers through the media and set a short ratification deadline.Boeing backed down and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/boeing-strike-offer-faa-safety-cb3de0dc02082efcb0d5f7d6287ea7a7">gave the union</a>&nbsp;more time. However, many workers maintained the offer still wasn’t good enough. The company withdrew the proposed contract on Oct. 9 after negotiations broke down, and the two sides announced the latest proposal on Saturday.Charles Fromong, a mechanic who has worked at Boeing for 38 years, said Wednesday night after the results were announced that the company needs to take care of its workers.“I feel sorry for the young people,” he said. “I’ve spent my life here and I’m getting ready to go, but they deserve a pension and I deserve an increase.”The last Boeing strike, in 2008, lasted eight weeks and cost the company about $100 million daily in deferred revenue. A 1995 strike lasted 10 weeks.___\

No end for Boeing labor strike as workers reject latest contract proposal

KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday in Kansas City.

A Suzuki Reno was eastbound on MO 210 Highway at N Kimball Drive, according to KCPD&nbsp;Officer Alayna Gonzalez.

The vehicle traveled off the roadway to the left and struck a large concrete traffic signal pole. The driver was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries. The passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Gonzalez.&nbsp; Police have not released the names of the victims.

KANSAS CITY —One person died in an accident just before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday in Kansas City.A Suzuki Reno was eastbound on MO 210 Highway at N Kimball Drive, according to KCPD&nbsp;Officer Alayna Gonzalez.The vehicle traveled off the roadway to the left and struck a large concrete traffic signal pole. The driver was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries. The passenger was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Gonzalez.&nbsp; Police have not released the names of the victims.

KCPD: Passenger dead after car strikes traffic signal pole

BUTLER COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) are investigating a suspected homicide that occurred at the El Dorado Correctional Facility.

Just after 5:30p.m. Tuesday, the correctional facility notified the KBI of a suspicious death.&nbsp;The investigation indicates that 40-year-old Brooks Vonthaer was found unresponsive in his cell by corrections officers at approximately 5 p.m. Vonthaer had sustained multiple fatal injuries. Medical personnel pronounced him deceased at 5:18 p.m.

A 34-year-old male suspect was identified. He is incarcerated at the facility and was Vonthaer’s cellmate. The KBI did not release the name of the cellmate.

By statute, the KBI investigates the deaths of prisoners in the custody of Kansas jails and prisons, unless the inmate who dies is being regularly attended by a physician, or the death is ruled natural by autopsy.

Once the investigation is completed, findings will be presented to the Butler County Attorney’s Office for determination of charges.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/12/1609080609892.png" alt="Vonthaer from a Dec. 2020 arrest in Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Vonthaer from a Dec. 2020 arrest in Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>BUTLER COUNTY –&nbsp;The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) are investigating a suspected homicide that occurred at the El Dorado Correctional Facility.Just after 5:30p.m. Tuesday, the correctional facility notified the KBI of a suspicious death.&nbsp;The investigation indicates that 40-year-old Brooks Vonthaer was found unresponsive in his cell by corrections officers at approximately 5 p.m. Vonthaer had sustained multiple fatal injuries. Medical personnel pronounced him deceased at 5:18 p.m.A 34-year-old male suspect was identified. He is incarcerated at the facility and was Vonthaer’s cellmate. The KBI did not release the name of the cellmate.By statute, the KBI investigates the deaths of prisoners in the custody of Kansas jails and prisons, unless the inmate who dies is being regularly attended by a physician, or the death is ruled natural by autopsy.Once the investigation is completed, findings will be presented to the Butler County Attorney’s Office for determination of charges.&nbsp;

KBI: Kansas inmate accused of killing his cellmate

SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect after an alleged violent domestic incident in a dispute over laundry.

Just after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, police responded to a report of a physical altercation between two men who lived in the same house on the south side of Salina, according to Salina Police Captain James Feldman.&nbsp;

Officers spoke with a 38-year-old man at the residence who said he had been arguing with his roommate, Jeffrey Majors, 53, about moving piles of laundry.

The disagreement escalated when Majors allegedly pushed the victim and placed him in a chokehold, applying pressure to the victim’s neck, Feldman said.&nbsp;

Another individual living in the residence intervened, and Majors eventually released the victim. The victim then contacted police.

Majors was taken into custody without incident on requested charges of aggravated domestic battery for applying the chokehold and criminal damage to property. During the altercation, the victim's glasses, valued at $185, were damaged, according to Feldman.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1729685445835.jpeg" alt="Majors photo Saline Co." />
 <figcaption>Majors photo Saline Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SALINE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect after an alleged violent domestic incident in a dispute over laundry.Just after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, police responded to a report of a physical altercation between two men who lived in the same house on the south side of Salina, according to Salina Police Captain James Feldman.&nbsp;Officers spoke with a 38-year-old man at the residence who said he had been arguing with his roommate, Jeffrey Majors, 53, about moving piles of laundry.The disagreement escalated when Majors allegedly pushed the victim and placed him in a chokehold, applying pressure to the victim’s neck, Feldman said.&nbsp;Another individual living in the residence intervened, and Majors eventually released the victim. The victim then contacted police.Majors was taken into custody without incident on requested charges of aggravated domestic battery for applying the chokehold and criminal damage to property. During the altercation, the victim's glasses, valued at $185, were damaged, according to Feldman.

Police: Kan. man attacked roommate in dispute over laundry

REPUBLIC COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 5a.m. Wednesday in Republic County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Ford F150 driven by Xavier Clark Robison, 20, Republic, Kansas, was southbound in the northbound&nbsp;lanes of U.S. 81 four and one half miles north of Bellville.

The pickup struck a northbound 2024 International semi driven by&nbsp;Lal&nbsp; Shafi Rahman Lal Shah Mir, 34, Austin, Texas, head-on. 

Robison was pronounced dead a the scene and was transported to Bachelor-Faulkner-Dart-Surber Funeral Home.

&nbsp;EMS transported Lal Shah Mir and a passenger Rahman&nbsp;al Shahmir, Mali Rahman, 33, Austin, Texas, to the Republic County Hospital. Robison was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

REPUBLIC COUNTY —One person died in an accident just before 5a.m. Wednesday in Republic County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Ford F150 driven by Xavier Clark Robison, 20, Republic, Kansas, was southbound in the northbound&nbsp;lanes of U.S. 81 four and one half miles north of Bellville.The pickup struck a northbound 2024 International semi driven by&nbsp;Lal&nbsp; Shafi Rahman Lal Shah Mir, 34, Austin, Texas, head-on. Robison was pronounced dead a the scene and was transported to Bachelor-Faulkner-Dart-Surber Funeral Home.&nbsp;EMS transported Lal Shah Mir and a passenger Rahman&nbsp;al Shahmir, Mali Rahman, 33, Austin, Texas, to the Republic County Hospital. Robison was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dead after wrong-way, head-on crash with semi

KANSAS CITY (AP) —A reporter was injured slightly Tuesday when a rifle fired by a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate during a campaign event caused metal fragments to hit the journalist in the arm.

The KSHB-TV reporter was hit in the arm by flyaway metal as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-politics-missouri-josh-hawley-united-states-government-276bc7fa34f2447e042c5fb94ac77a53">Lucas Kunce</a>, a Marine, fired an AR-15-style rifle at targets at an exurban Kansas City home.

Kunce provided first aid to the reporter, who continued covering the event. The Kansas City TV station&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/kshb-41-reporter-injured-at-lucas-kunce-campaign-event">reported</a>&nbsp;the journalist later was treated for a minor injury at a local hospital.

“We had four first aid kits, so we were able to take care of the situation,” Kunce on Tuesday posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. He added that he’s glad the reporter is OK.

Kunce is trying to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley next month.

The Tuesday shooting event appears to have been designed to appeal to moderate and Republican voters in a state now defined by the GOP’s political dominance, including a strong belief in gun rights. Such events are now increasingly common&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f78805588e844602a07dcb7b5e49d8ac">tactic used by some Missouri Democrats.</a>

No Democrats serve in statewide office. Kunce’s rival, Hawley,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/29d1b3371d7e4f8da3359febaee1945e">ousted</a>&nbsp;former Democratic powerhouse Sen. Claire McCaskill in 2018.

Nationally, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris has not shied away from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-trump-policy-border-guns-credit-card-ivf-democrat-republican-87cd75cfa0d82b0e2b026c69278ff912">guns</a>, either. She told Oprah Winfrey last month that she owns a gun and is prepared to shoot home invaders.

Kunce later wrote on social media that he had a “great day at the range” with former Illinois U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican.

“We got to hang out with some union workers while exercising our freedom," Kunce wrote in the post that also referenced the accidental shooting.

For his part, Hawley responded jokingly to the accident.

“I condemn all acts of violence against reporters and call on Kunce never to shoot another one,” he wrote on X, ending the post with several laughing-face emojis.

This is Kunce's second bid for the U.S. Senate. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-missouri-senate-b1a514d69210c507c0f4812550aeb80f">lost the Democratic primary</a>&nbsp;in 2022 to beer heir Trudy Busch Valentine, who went on to lose to now-Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Republican, in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-senate-race-2022-midterm-elections-91f950681a72abe1ea6bc20f45bf42ec">general election</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1729709021542.png" alt=" Lucas Kunce applies first aid to KSHB reporter Ryan Gamboa after a bullet fragment ricocheted off a target and struck him in the arm while former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger looks on (photo: Lucas Kunce for Missouri)." />
 <figcaption> Lucas Kunce applies first aid to KSHB reporter Ryan Gamboa after a bullet fragment ricocheted off a target and struck him in the arm while former U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger looks on (photo: Lucas Kunce for Missouri).</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY (AP) —A reporter was injured slightly Tuesday when a rifle fired by a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate during a campaign event caused metal fragments to hit the journalist in the arm.The KSHB-TV reporter was hit in the arm by flyaway metal as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-politics-missouri-josh-hawley-united-states-government-276bc7fa34f2447e042c5fb94ac77a53">Lucas Kunce</a>, a Marine, fired an AR-15-style rifle at targets at an exurban Kansas City home.Kunce provided first aid to the reporter, who continued covering the event. The Kansas City TV station&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/kshb-41-reporter-injured-at-lucas-kunce-campaign-event">reported</a>&nbsp;the journalist later was treated for a minor injury at a local hospital.“We had four first aid kits, so we were able to take care of the situation,” Kunce on Tuesday posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. He added that he’s glad the reporter is OK.Kunce is trying to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley next month.The Tuesday shooting event appears to have been designed to appeal to moderate and Republican voters in a state now defined by the GOP’s political dominance, including a strong belief in gun rights. Such events are now increasingly common&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f78805588e844602a07dcb7b5e49d8ac">tactic used by some Missouri Democrats.</a>No Democrats serve in statewide office. Kunce’s rival, Hawley,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/29d1b3371d7e4f8da3359febaee1945e">ousted</a>&nbsp;former Democratic powerhouse Sen. Claire McCaskill in 2018.Nationally, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris has not shied away from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/harris-trump-policy-border-guns-credit-card-ivf-democrat-republican-87cd75cfa0d82b0e2b026c69278ff912">guns</a>, either. She told Oprah Winfrey last month that she owns a gun and is prepared to shoot home invaders.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Great day at the range today with my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamKinzinger?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AdamKinzinger</a>. We got to hang out with some union workers while exercising our freedom. Always have your first aid kit handy. Shrapnel can always fly when you hit a target like today, and you’ve got to be ready to go. We had four first… <a href="https://t.co/Qu4YxfrtrU">pic.twitter.com/Qu4YxfrtrU</a>&mdash; Lucas Kunce (@LucasKunceMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/LucasKunceMO/status/1848886246749184008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Kunce later wrote on social media that he had a “great day at the range” with former Illinois U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican.“We got to hang out with some union workers while exercising our freedom," Kunce wrote in the post that also referenced the accidental shooting.For his part, Hawley responded jokingly to the accident.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I condemn all acts of violence against reporters and call on Kunce never to shoot another one 😂😂😂&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1848884106077127065?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“I condemn all acts of violence against reporters and call on Kunce never to shoot another one,” he wrote on X, ending the post with several laughing-face emojis.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I know the Kunce campaign needed a shot in the arm, but this is taking it a little far …&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1848906167130493056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Will Kamala condemn the gun violence by Kunce and Kinzinger?&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1848905255511331049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">My grandma is a better shot than Lucas Kunce <a href="https://t.co/rSjnBTlWeh">pic.twitter.com/rSjnBTlWeh</a>&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1848891356942344506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>This is Kunce's second bid for the U.S. Senate. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-primary-elections-missouri-senate-b1a514d69210c507c0f4812550aeb80f">lost the Democratic primary</a>&nbsp;in 2022 to beer heir Trudy Busch Valentine, who went on to lose to now-Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Republican, in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/missouri-senate-race-2022-midterm-elections-91f950681a72abe1ea6bc20f45bf42ec">general election</a>.

KC reporter struck by bullet fragment at Dem Senate candidate campaign event

LOS ANGELES (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/75388564292e401abeeb63e708f65099">Ron Ely,</a>&nbsp;the tall, musclebound actor who played the title character in the 1960s NBC series “Tarzan,” has died at age 86.

Ely's daughter, Kirsten Casale Ely, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that her father died Sept. 29 at his home in Los Alamos, California, an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County.

While Ron Ely was not quite as well-known as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-paris-games-tarzan-53767dd3d09e67a0e2fb017493732454">Johnny Weismuller, the Olympic swimmer</a>&nbsp;who played Tarzan in movies in the 1930s and 1940s, Ely helped form the image of the shirtless, loincloth-wearing character further immortalized by Disney.

“He was an actor, writer, coach, mentor, family man and leader,” Kirsten Ely said in an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBeR-voveE4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=cede5900-8a98-4a57-9f07-a67519310234&amp;img_index=1">Instagram post</a>. “He created a powerful wave of positive influence wherever he went. The impact he had on others is something that I have never witnessed in any other person - there was something truly magical about him.”

In 2019, he tragically returned to the news when his 62-year-old wife, Valerie Lundeen Ely, was stabbed to death at their Santa Barbara, California, home by their 30-year-old son, Cameron Ely, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-television-a419275023e441498a1a1bd99c22af32">subsequently shot and killed by police</a>. Ron Ely, who was home during the stabbing, challenged the prosecutor's report that his son's shooting was justified.

“If he didn’t have a gun or he didn’t have a weapon, what was the basis of shooting him?”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-99072e47be63da685cd2fa4aecc09da6">Ely's attorney John Burris said in 2020.</a>&nbsp;“They may have very well thought he was involved in some other activity involving the mom. But that’s not a basis to shoot and kill him. You have to have a lawful basis to do that.”

In the early 1980s, Ely was host of the Miss America pageant and met Valerie, a Miss Florida, there. They married in 1984. The couple had three children, and Ely retired from acting to focus on his family in 2001.

“Late in life I had a young family. I decided to stop acting and work at home, as an author, that way I could be with the kids all through school and be able to attend their sports games and things,” he told London's Daily Express in 2013, expressing interest in the time at reentering acting. He would return briefly in the 2014 TV movie “Expecting Amish.”

Ely’s Tarzan didn’t speak in the monosyllabic grunts often associated with the character, originally created by novelist Edgar Rice Burroughs. He was instead an educated bachelor who had grown sick of civilization and had returned to African jungle where he was raised.

Ely said in interviews that he did his own stunts on the show, working directly and precariously with the tigers, chimpanzees and other wild animals that were Tarzan’s friends and servants.

“They first tried to cast a former American football player called Mike Henry but he didn’t like chimpanzees and from the moment he got on set, things went south in a hurry,” Ely told London’s Daily Express in 2013.

A chimp attacked Henry and injured his jaw when the show’s pilot was being filmed, and Ely was cast in his place at the last moment.

“I met with them on a Monday and when they offered me the role I thought: ‘No way do I want to step into that bear trap. You do Tarzan and you are stamped for life’,” Ely told the Daily Express. “Was I ever right! But my agent convinced me it was a quality show and was going to work. So on the Friday I was on a plane to Brazil to shoot the first episode.”

Ely also played the title character in the 1975 action film “Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze,” but otherwise had mostly small roles in TV and films, including the 1958 movie musical “South Pacific.”

He also wrote a pair of mystery novels featuring a detective named Jake Sands, 1994’s “Night Shadows” and 1995’s “East Beach.”

Born in Hereford, Texas, and raised in Amarillo, he married his high school sweetheart in 1959, but divorced two years later.

Along with Kirsten Casale Ely, he is survived by daughter Kaitland Ely Sweet.

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 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1729732497664.png" alt="" />
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 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/75388564292e401abeeb63e708f65099">Ron Ely,</a>&nbsp;the tall, musclebound actor who played the title character in the 1960s NBC series “Tarzan,” has died at age 86.Ely's daughter, Kirsten Casale Ely, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that her father died Sept. 29 at his home in Los Alamos, California, an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County.While Ron Ely was not quite as well-known as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/olympics-2024-paris-games-tarzan-53767dd3d09e67a0e2fb017493732454">Johnny Weismuller, the Olympic swimmer</a>&nbsp;who played Tarzan in movies in the 1930s and 1940s, Ely helped form the image of the shirtless, loincloth-wearing character further immortalized by Disney.“He was an actor, writer, coach, mentor, family man and leader,” Kirsten Ely said in an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DBeR-voveE4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;ig_rid=cede5900-8a98-4a57-9f07-a67519310234&amp;img_index=1">Instagram post</a>. “He created a powerful wave of positive influence wherever he went. The impact he had on others is something that I have never witnessed in any other person - there was something truly magical about him.”In 2019, he tragically returned to the news when his 62-year-old wife, Valerie Lundeen Ely, was stabbed to death at their Santa Barbara, California, home by their 30-year-old son, Cameron Ely, who was&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-television-a419275023e441498a1a1bd99c22af32">subsequently shot and killed by police</a>. Ron Ely, who was home during the stabbing, challenged the prosecutor's report that his son's shooting was justified.“If he didn’t have a gun or he didn’t have a weapon, what was the basis of shooting him?”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-99072e47be63da685cd2fa4aecc09da6">Ely's attorney John Burris said in 2020.</a>&nbsp;“They may have very well thought he was involved in some other activity involving the mom. But that’s not a basis to shoot and kill him. You have to have a lawful basis to do that.”In the early 1980s, Ely was host of the Miss America pageant and met Valerie, a Miss Florida, there. They married in 1984. The couple had three children, and Ely retired from acting to focus on his family in 2001.“Late in life I had a young family. I decided to stop acting and work at home, as an author, that way I could be with the kids all through school and be able to attend their sports games and things,” he told London's Daily Express in 2013, expressing interest in the time at reentering acting. He would return briefly in the 2014 TV movie “Expecting Amish.”Ely’s Tarzan didn’t speak in the monosyllabic grunts often associated with the character, originally created by novelist Edgar Rice Burroughs. He was instead an educated bachelor who had grown sick of civilization and had returned to African jungle where he was raised.Ely said in interviews that he did his own stunts on the show, working directly and precariously with the tigers, chimpanzees and other wild animals that were Tarzan’s friends and servants.“They first tried to cast a former American football player called Mike Henry but he didn’t like chimpanzees and from the moment he got on set, things went south in a hurry,” Ely told London’s Daily Express in 2013.A chimp attacked Henry and injured his jaw when the show’s pilot was being filmed, and Ely was cast in his place at the last moment.“I met with them on a Monday and when they offered me the role I thought: ‘No way do I want to step into that bear trap. You do Tarzan and you are stamped for life’,” Ely told the Daily Express. “Was I ever right! But my agent convinced me it was a quality show and was going to work. So on the Friday I was on a plane to Brazil to shoot the first episode.”Ely also played the title character in the 1975 action film “Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze,” but otherwise had mostly small roles in TV and films, including the 1958 movie musical “South Pacific.”He also wrote a pair of mystery novels featuring a detective named Jake Sands, 1994’s “Night Shadows” and 1995’s “East Beach.”Born in Hereford, Texas, and raised in Amarillo, he married his high school sweetheart in 1959, but divorced two years later.Along with Kirsten Casale Ely, he is survived by daughter Kaitland Ely Sweet.

Ron Ely, TV's 'Tarzan' in the 1960s, dies at 86

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kamala Harris said Wednesday that comments praising Adolf Hitler reportedly made by Donald Trump to his longest-serving chief of staff offer a window into who the former president “really is" and the kind of commander in chief he would be.

In interviews with The New York Times and The Atlantic published Tuesday, John Kelly warned that the Republican nominee meets the definition of a fascist and that while in office he suggested that the Nazi leader “did some good things.”

Harris, the vice president and Democratic nominee, repeated her increasingly dire warnings about Trump’s mental fitness and his intentions for the presidency.

“This is a window into who Donald Trump really is, from the people who know him best, from the people who have worked with him side by side in the Oval Office and in the Situation Room,” Harris told reporters outside the vice president's residence in Washington.

The comments from Kelly, the retired Marine general who worked for Trump in the White House from 2017 to 2019, built on past warnings from former top Trump officials as the election enters its final two weeks.

Kelly has long been critical of Trump and previously accused him of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-election-veterans-outrage-comments-history-cc0d20132abc7c1d8e33cba23ba1996b">calling veterans</a>&nbsp;killed in combat “suckers” and “losers.” His new warnings emerged as Trump seeks a second term vowing to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-military-border-civil-unrest-domestic-use-a136c69cc85184b07f161c4c09b46c50">dramatically expand his use of the military</a>&nbsp;at home and suggesting he would use force to go after Americans he considers “enemies from within.”

“He commented more than once that, ‘You know, Hitler did some good things, too,’” Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/22/us/politics/john-kelly-trump-fitness-character.html">recalled to the Times</a>. Kelly said he would usually quash the conversation by saying “nothing (Hitler) did, you could argue, was good,” but that Trump would occasionally bring up the topic again.

In his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/10/trump-military-generals-hitler/680327/">interview with the Atlantic</a>, Kelly recalled that when Trump raised the idea of needing “German generals,” Kelly would ask if he meant “Bismarck’s generals,” referring to Otto von Bismarck, the chancellor who oversaw the unification of Germany. “Surely you can’t mean Hitler’s generals,” Kelly recalled asking Trump. To which the former president responded, “Yeah, yeah, Hitler’s generals.”

Trump’s campaign denied the accounts. Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said Kelly had “beclowned himself with these debunked stories he has fabricated" and, after Harris' statement, accused the Democratic candidate of sharing "outright lies and falsehoods.”

Chris Sununu, New Hampshire's Republican governor and onetime Trump critic, said Kelly's comments did not change his plans to vote for the former president.

“Look, we’ve heard a lot of extreme things about Donald Trump, from Donald Trump. It's really par for the course,” the governor told CNN. “Unfortunately, with a guy like that, it’s kind of baked into the vote at this point.”

Some of the former president's supporters in swing states responded to Kelly's comments with a shrug.

“Trump did his four years, and we were in great shape. Kelly didn’t have anything good to say about Trump. He ought to have his butt kicked," said Jim Lytner, a longtime advocate for veterans in Nevada who served in the Army in Vietnam and co-founded the nonprofit Veterans Transition Resource Center.

Harris said Wednesday that Trump admired Hitler's generals because he “does not want a military that is loyal to the United States Constitution, he wants a military that is loyal to him. He wants a military who will be loyal to him personally.”

Polls show the race is tight in swing states, and both Trump and Harris are crisscrossing the country making their final pitches to the sliver of undecided voters. Harris' campaign has spent considerable time reaching out to independent voters, using the support of longtime Republicans such as former Rep. Liz Cheney and comments like Kelly's to urge past Trump voters to reject his candidacy in November.

Harris’ campaign held a call with reporters Tuesday to elevate the voices of retired military officials who highlighted how&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/former-trump-officials-criticize-2024-e202861911ab37cadfcf058b5b163fb9">many of the officials who worked with Trump now oppose his campaign</a>.

“People that know him best are most opposed to him, his presidency,” said retired Army Brig. Gen. Steve Anderson.

Anderson said he wished Kelly would fully back Harris over Trump, something he has yet to do. But retired Army reserve Col. Kevin Carroll, a former senior counselor to Kelly, said Wednesday that the former top Trump official would “rather chew broken glass than vote for Donald Trump.”

Before serving as Trump's chief of staff, Kelly worked as the former president's secretary of homeland security, where he oversaw Trump's attempts to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Kelly was also at the forefront of the administration's crackdown in immigration policy that led to the separation of thousands of immigrant parents and their children along the southern border. Those actions made him a villain to many on the left, including Harris.

After Kelly left the Trump administration and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dc26365872f54193bac677ffed3d4d2d">joined the board</a>&nbsp;of a company operating the nation's largest detention center for unaccompanied migrant children, Harris wrote during her 2019 run for president that he was “the architect” of the administration’s "cruel child separation policy. Now he will profit off the separation of families. It’s unethical. We are better than this.”

When she was in Miami for a primary debate in June 2019, Harris was also one of a dozen Democratic presidential candidates who visited the detention center south of the city and protested against the administration’s harsh treatment of young migrants.

In his interview with the Times, Kelly also said Trump met the definition of a fascist. After reading the definition aloud, including that fascism was “a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader,” Kelly concluded Trump “certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure.”

Kelly added that Trump often fumed at any attempt to constrain his power, and that “he would love to be” a dictator.

“He certainly prefers the dictator approach to government,” Kelly told the Times. Adding later, “I think he’d love to be just like he was in business — he could tell people to do things and they would do it, and not really bother too much about whether what the legalities were and whatnot.”

Kelly is not the first former top Trump administration official to cast the former president as a threat.

Retired Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, who served as Trump’s chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/10/12/mark-milley-donald-trump-fascist/">told Bob Woodward in his recent book “War”</a>&nbsp;that Trump was “fascist to the core” and “the most dangerous person to this country.” And retired Gen. Jim Mattis, who worked as secretary of defense under Trump,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thebulwark.com/p/mattis-told-woodward-he-agreed-trump">reportedly later told Woodward</a>&nbsp;that he agreed with Milley’s assessment.

Throughout Trump's political rise, the businessman-turned-politician benefited from the support of military veterans.

AP VoteCast&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/military-veterans-vote-trump-biden-2024-d9f5fa302b0b240e8cfa13267986e0a6">found</a>&nbsp;that about 6 in 10 military veterans said they voted for Trump in 2020, as did just over half of those with a veteran in the household. Among voters in this year’s South Carolina Republican primary, AP VoteCast found that close to two-thirds of military veterans and people in veteran households voted for Trump over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Trump's toughest opponent in the 2024 Republican primary.

Associated Press writers Linley Sanders in Washington, Ken Ritter in Las Vegas and Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kamala Harris said Wednesday that comments praising Adolf Hitler reportedly made by Donald Trump to his longest-serving chief of staff offer a window into who the former president “really is" and the kind of commander in chief he would be.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Vice President Harris: &quot;It is deeply troubling and incredibly dangerous that Donald Trump would invoke Adolf Hitler...this is a window into who Donald Trump really is from the people who know him best.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/WKu4xFXRl8">pic.twitter.com/WKu4xFXRl8</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1849135633534484705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In interviews with The New York Times and The Atlantic published Tuesday, John Kelly warned that the Republican nominee meets the definition of a fascist and that while in office he suggested that the Nazi leader “did some good things.”Harris, the vice president and Democratic nominee, repeated her increasingly dire warnings about Trump’s mental fitness and his intentions for the presidency.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Vice President Harris on Donald Trump: &quot;He does not want a military that is loyal to the United States Constitution, he wants a military that is loyal to him.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ZtFxElxCvY">pic.twitter.com/ZtFxElxCvY</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1849135074689569114?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>“This is a window into who Donald Trump really is, from the people who know him best, from the people who have worked with him side by side in the Oval Office and in the Situation Room,” Harris told reporters outside the vice president's residence in Washington.The comments from Kelly, the retired Marine general who worked for Trump in the White House from 2017 to 2019, built on past warnings from former top Trump officials as the election enters its final two weeks.Kelly has long been critical of Trump and previously accused him of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-election-veterans-outrage-comments-history-cc0d20132abc7c1d8e33cba23ba1996b">calling veterans</a>&nbsp;killed in combat “suckers” and “losers.” His new warnings emerged as Trump seeks a second term vowing to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-military-border-civil-unrest-domestic-use-a136c69cc85184b07f161c4c09b46c50">dramatically expand his use of the military</a>&nbsp;at home and suggesting he would use force to go after Americans he considers “enemies from within.”“He commented more than once that, ‘You know, Hitler did some good things, too,’” Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/22/us/politics/john-kelly-trump-fitness-character.html">recalled to the Times</a>. Kelly said he would usually quash the conversation by saying “nothing (Hitler) did, you could argue, was good,” but that Trump would occasionally bring up the topic again.In his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/10/trump-military-generals-hitler/680327/">interview with the Atlantic</a>, Kelly recalled that when Trump raised the idea of needing “German generals,” Kelly would ask if he meant “Bismarck’s generals,” referring to Otto von Bismarck, the chancellor who oversaw the unification of Germany. “Surely you can’t mean Hitler’s generals,” Kelly recalled asking Trump. To which the former president responded, “Yeah, yeah, Hitler’s generals.”Trump’s campaign denied the accounts. Campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said Kelly had “beclowned himself with these debunked stories he has fabricated" and, after Harris' statement, accused the Democratic candidate of sharing "outright lies and falsehoods.”Chris Sununu, New Hampshire's Republican governor and onetime Trump critic, said Kelly's comments did not change his plans to vote for the former president.“Look, we’ve heard a lot of extreme things about Donald Trump, from Donald Trump. It's really par for the course,” the governor told CNN. “Unfortunately, with a guy like that, it’s kind of baked into the vote at this point.”Some of the former president's supporters in swing states responded to Kelly's comments with a shrug.“Trump did his four years, and we were in great shape. Kelly didn’t have anything good to say about Trump. He ought to have his butt kicked," said Jim Lytner, a longtime advocate for veterans in Nevada who served in the Army in Vietnam and co-founded the nonprofit Veterans Transition Resource Center.Harris said Wednesday that Trump admired Hitler's generals because he “does not want a military that is loyal to the United States Constitution, he wants a military that is loyal to him. He wants a military who will be loyal to him personally.”Polls show the race is tight in swing states, and both Trump and Harris are crisscrossing the country making their final pitches to the sliver of undecided voters. Harris' campaign has spent considerable time reaching out to independent voters, using the support of longtime Republicans such as former Rep. Liz Cheney and comments like Kelly's to urge past Trump voters to reject his candidacy in November.Harris’ campaign held a call with reporters Tuesday to elevate the voices of retired military officials who highlighted how&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/former-trump-officials-criticize-2024-e202861911ab37cadfcf058b5b163fb9">many of the officials who worked with Trump now oppose his campaign</a>.“People that know him best are most opposed to him, his presidency,” said retired Army Brig. Gen. Steve Anderson.Anderson said he wished Kelly would fully back Harris over Trump, something he has yet to do. But retired Army reserve Col. Kevin Carroll, a former senior counselor to Kelly, said Wednesday that the former top Trump official would “rather chew broken glass than vote for Donald Trump.”Before serving as Trump's chief of staff, Kelly worked as the former president's secretary of homeland security, where he oversaw Trump's attempts to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Kelly was also at the forefront of the administration's crackdown in immigration policy that led to the separation of thousands of immigrant parents and their children along the southern border. Those actions made him a villain to many on the left, including Harris.After Kelly left the Trump administration and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dc26365872f54193bac677ffed3d4d2d">joined the board</a>&nbsp;of a company operating the nation's largest detention center for unaccompanied migrant children, Harris wrote during her 2019 run for president that he was “the architect” of the administration’s "cruel child separation policy. Now he will profit off the separation of families. It’s unethical. We are better than this.”When she was in Miami for a primary debate in June 2019, Harris was also one of a dozen Democratic presidential candidates who visited the detention center south of the city and protested against the administration’s harsh treatment of young migrants.In his interview with the Times, Kelly also said Trump met the definition of a fascist. After reading the definition aloud, including that fascism was “a far-right authoritarian, ultranationalist political ideology and movement characterized by a dictatorial leader,” Kelly concluded Trump “certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure.”Kelly added that Trump often fumed at any attempt to constrain his power, and that “he would love to be” a dictator.“He certainly prefers the dictator approach to government,” Kelly told the Times. Adding later, “I think he’d love to be just like he was in business — he could tell people to do things and they would do it, and not really bother too much about whether what the legalities were and whatnot.”Kelly is not the first former top Trump administration official to cast the former president as a threat.Retired Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, who served as Trump’s chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/10/12/mark-milley-donald-trump-fascist/">told Bob Woodward in his recent book “War”</a>&nbsp;that Trump was “fascist to the core” and “the most dangerous person to this country.” And retired Gen. Jim Mattis, who worked as secretary of defense under Trump,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thebulwark.com/p/mattis-told-woodward-he-agreed-trump">reportedly later told Woodward</a>&nbsp;that he agreed with Milley’s assessment.Throughout Trump's political rise, the businessman-turned-politician benefited from the support of military veterans.AP VoteCast&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/military-veterans-vote-trump-biden-2024-d9f5fa302b0b240e8cfa13267986e0a6">found</a>&nbsp;that about 6 in 10 military veterans said they voted for Trump in 2020, as did just over half of those with a veteran in the household. Among voters in this year’s South Carolina Republican primary, AP VoteCast found that close to two-thirds of military veterans and people in veteran households voted for Trump over former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Trump's toughest opponent in the 2024 Republican primary.___Associated Press writers Linley Sanders in Washington, Ken Ritter in Las Vegas and Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami contributed to this report.

🎥Harris blasts Trump on reported Hitler comments

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22DEE-ANN%20DURBIN%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer</a>

McDonald’s worked Wednesday to reassure customers that its U.S. restaurants are safe as federal investigators tried to pinpoint the cause of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcdonalds-e-coli-outbreak-422c4687cc9218efda03cae73b01f473">deadly E. coli outbreak</a>&nbsp;linked to fast-food giant's Quarter Pounder hamburgers.

McDonald's pulled Quarter Pounders from one-fifth of its U.S. stores Tuesday as a result of the outbreak, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said had sickened at least 49 people in 10 states. One person died and 10 were hospitalized, according to the CDC.

A preliminary investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggested fresh slivered onions that are served raw on Quarter Pounder hamburgers were a likely source of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e-coli-mcdonalds-outbreak-bacteria-quarter-pounder-080847096a6b7062b4fb17037393fc99">the contamination</a>.

McDonald's said it was searching for a new regional supplier for fresh onions. In the meantime, Quarter Pounders were removed from menus in the impacted states as well as portions of other states.

McDonald’s said it has worked closely with federal food safety regulators since late last week, when it was alerted to the potential outbreak. The company said the scope of the problem and the popularity of its products have complicated efforts to identify the contamination source.

McDonald's has more than 14,000 U.S. stores and serves 1 million Quarter Pounders every two weeks in the affected area.

McDonald's is known for its stringent food safety guidelines and protocols, said Chris Gaulke, a professor of food and beverage management at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration. The company said Wednesday that the supplier regularly tested its onions for E. coli, for example.

“Given the volume of food that they go through, how infrequently this happens to McDonald's is a testament to the effort that they take,” Gaulke said.

But some experts questioned why McDonald's simply stopped selling one sandwich and didn't close restaurants for further investigation.

“Good practice would have been to close all the restaurants," Bill Marler, a Seattle lawyer who specializes in food safety cases, said. “Until we know definitively what the product was that made people sick, consumers should be aware."

Marler said cross-contamination remains a potential possibility at the affected restaurants until they are thoroughly cleaned.

Asked why it didn't close any stores, McDonald’s said nothing in the government’s investigation indicated there were issues with its food preparation practices. In an interview on the “Today” show Wednesday, McDonald's U.S. President Joe Erlinger also said it's likely that whatever product was contaminated has already passed through the company's supply chain.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the outbreak late Tuesday. It said infections were reported between Sept. 27 and Oct. 11 in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

State and local public health officials were interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Of the 18 people interviewed as of Tuesday, all reported eating at McDonald’s, and 16 people reported eating a beef hamburger. Twelve reported eating a Quarter Pounder.

McDonald's said it's unlikely the beef in the Quarter Pounder was the source, since it comes from multiple suppliers and is cooked at a high enough temperature to kill E. coli.

McDonald's said its initial findings suggest that some of the reported illnesses were linked to onions from a single supplier, which the company didn't name. McDonald's said the onions are cleaned and sliced by the supplier and then packaged for use on individual Quarter Pounders.

The incubation period for E. coli is only a couple of days, so illness would be quickly apparent to anyone affected, said Donald Schaffner, a food safety expert at Rutgers University. “If you ate these burgers in September and now it’s the middle of October and you didn’t get sick, you’re probably OK,” he said.

<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/about/index.html">E. coli bacteria</a>&nbsp;are harbored in the guts of animals and found in the environment. Infections can cause severe illness, including fever, stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea. People who develop symptoms of E. coli poisoning should seek health care immediately and tell the provider what they ate.

The type of bacteria implicated in the McDonald's food causes about 74,000 infections in the U.S. annually, leading to more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths each year, according to the CDC. In general, E. coli infections were lower in 2023 than in recent years and cases of severe kidney injury caused by the bacteria remained stable, according to latest federal data.

Outbreaks at restaurant chains are rare, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcdonalds-chipotle-taco-bell-norovirus-e-coli-83f1077981d738b91dbf0c76f7db2883">they do happen</a>.

In 2020,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3cce663eeeb0654c5334ae08a5b25b3c">Chipotle</a>&nbsp;agreed to pay a record $25 million fine to resolve criminal charges that it served tainted food that sickened more than 1,100 people with E. coli between 2015 and 2018. In that case, poor safety practices, such as not keeping food at proper temperatures to prevent pathogen growth, were to blame.

In 2006, Taco Bell ordered the removal of green onions from its restaurants nationwide after samples taken by investigators appeared to contain a harsh strain of E. coli. The outbreak sickened at least 71 people.

“The worst thing you can have at a restaurant is a food safety problem. It’s the equivalent of an airline losing the plane,” said Aaron Allen, a restaurant consultant and founder of Aaron Allen and Associates.

But Allen said McDonald's has enough experience and safety protocols in place that it won't suffer long-term damage from the outbreak.

“No one would be better equipped to mitigate and respond to this than McDonald's,” he said.

McDonald's shares fell 4.7% in late trading Wednesday.

<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search/?query=byline:%22DEE-ANN%20DURBIN%22&amp;mediaType=text&amp;st=keyword&amp;sortOrder=newest">By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer</a>McDonald’s worked Wednesday to reassure customers that its U.S. restaurants are safe as federal investigators tried to pinpoint the cause of a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcdonalds-e-coli-outbreak-422c4687cc9218efda03cae73b01f473">deadly E. coli outbreak</a>&nbsp;linked to fast-food giant's Quarter Pounder hamburgers.McDonald's pulled Quarter Pounders from one-fifth of its U.S. stores Tuesday as a result of the outbreak, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said had sickened at least 49 people in 10 states. One person died and 10 were hospitalized, according to the CDC.A preliminary investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration suggested fresh slivered onions that are served raw on Quarter Pounder hamburgers were a likely source of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/e-coli-mcdonalds-outbreak-bacteria-quarter-pounder-080847096a6b7062b4fb17037393fc99">the contamination</a>.McDonald's said it was searching for a new regional supplier for fresh onions. In the meantime, Quarter Pounders were removed from menus in the impacted states as well as portions of other states.McDonald’s said it has worked closely with federal food safety regulators since late last week, when it was alerted to the potential outbreak. The company said the scope of the problem and the popularity of its products have complicated efforts to identify the contamination source.McDonald's has more than 14,000 U.S. stores and serves 1 million Quarter Pounders every two weeks in the affected area.McDonald's is known for its stringent food safety guidelines and protocols, said Chris Gaulke, a professor of food and beverage management at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration. The company said Wednesday that the supplier regularly tested its onions for E. coli, for example.“Given the volume of food that they go through, how infrequently this happens to McDonald's is a testament to the effort that they take,” Gaulke said.But some experts questioned why McDonald's simply stopped selling one sandwich and didn't close restaurants for further investigation.“Good practice would have been to close all the restaurants," Bill Marler, a Seattle lawyer who specializes in food safety cases, said. “Until we know definitively what the product was that made people sick, consumers should be aware."Marler said cross-contamination remains a potential possibility at the affected restaurants until they are thoroughly cleaned.Asked why it didn't close any stores, McDonald’s said nothing in the government’s investigation indicated there were issues with its food preparation practices. In an interview on the “Today” show Wednesday, McDonald's U.S. President Joe Erlinger also said it's likely that whatever product was contaminated has already passed through the company's supply chain.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/10/1729692566058.png" alt="Map shows where people in this E. coli outbreak live. The number is likely higher, as many people recover without medical care and are not tested. Image CDC" />
 <figcaption>Map shows where people in this E. coli outbreak live. The number is likely higher, as many people recover without medical care and are not tested. Image CDC</figcaption>
 </figure>The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the outbreak late Tuesday. It said infections were reported between Sept. 27 and Oct. 11 in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.State and local public health officials were interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. Of the 18 people interviewed as of Tuesday, all reported eating at McDonald’s, and 16 people reported eating a beef hamburger. Twelve reported eating a Quarter Pounder.McDonald's said it's unlikely the beef in the Quarter Pounder was the source, since it comes from multiple suppliers and is cooked at a high enough temperature to kill E. coli.McDonald's said its initial findings suggest that some of the reported illnesses were linked to onions from a single supplier, which the company didn't name. McDonald's said the onions are cleaned and sliced by the supplier and then packaged for use on individual Quarter Pounders.The incubation period for E. coli is only a couple of days, so illness would be quickly apparent to anyone affected, said Donald Schaffner, a food safety expert at Rutgers University. “If you ate these burgers in September and now it’s the middle of October and you didn’t get sick, you’re probably OK,” he said.<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/about/index.html">E. coli bacteria</a>&nbsp;are harbored in the guts of animals and found in the environment. Infections can cause severe illness, including fever, stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea. People who develop symptoms of E. coli poisoning should seek health care immediately and tell the provider what they ate.The type of bacteria implicated in the McDonald's food causes about 74,000 infections in the U.S. annually, leading to more than 2,000 hospitalizations and 61 deaths each year, according to the CDC. In general, E. coli infections were lower in 2023 than in recent years and cases of severe kidney injury caused by the bacteria remained stable, according to latest federal data.Outbreaks at restaurant chains are rare, but&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mcdonalds-chipotle-taco-bell-norovirus-e-coli-83f1077981d738b91dbf0c76f7db2883">they do happen</a>.In 2020,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3cce663eeeb0654c5334ae08a5b25b3c">Chipotle</a>&nbsp;agreed to pay a record $25 million fine to resolve criminal charges that it served tainted food that sickened more than 1,100 people with E. coli between 2015 and 2018. In that case, poor safety practices, such as not keeping food at proper temperatures to prevent pathogen growth, were to blame.In 2006, Taco Bell ordered the removal of green onions from its restaurants nationwide after samples taken by investigators appeared to contain a harsh strain of E. coli. The outbreak sickened at least 71 people.“The worst thing you can have at a restaurant is a food safety problem. It’s the equivalent of an airline losing the plane,” said Aaron Allen, a restaurant consultant and founder of Aaron Allen and Associates.But Allen said McDonald's has enough experience and safety protocols in place that it won't suffer long-term damage from the outbreak.“No one would be better equipped to mitigate and respond to this than McDonald's,” he said.McDonald's shares fell 4.7% in late trading Wednesday.